Iceland Revolution

[J. Falcon]

Has anyone been following what the people in Iceland have managed to do? They overthrew an entire (corrupt) government and took power into their own hands, without a single shot being fired. Bankers and politicians were kicked out on their ass. Why doesn't the media cover this?

[twistyneck]

Because nobody cares about Iceland, that's why.

[blackmonsters]

Because it's not big news to take over a patch of ice.

[GatorB]

link or you're a goat raper.

[Poindexterity]

cause they dont want to give us a "do-it-yourself" manual?

[mchacal]

Because porn is illegal on that stupid piece of ice

[Coup]

Why doesn't the media cover this?

you already pretty much answered your own question

Originally Posted by J. Falcon

Bankers and politicians were kicked out on their ass.

Status Quo = Frightened by this

Of course they wont spread news of the people taking back power.

[SleazyDream]

nothing on google news about it

[Emil]

Originally Posted by J. Falcon

Has anyone been following what the people in Iceland have managed to do? They overthrew an entire (corrupt) government and took power into their own hands, without a single shot being fired. Bankers and politicians were kicked out on their ass. Why doesn't the media cover this?

If the media did it could happen around the world and the elite doesn't want that.

[Markul]

Originally Posted by mchacal

Because porn is illegal on that stupid piece of ice

Wtf really?

[BIGTYMER]

Originally Posted by Poindexterity

cause they dont want to give us a "do-it-yourself" manual?

Yup. We need a revolution here. Get the money out of politics!

[Doug E]

you can do it with css if youre working with webpages

text-transform: capitalize;

[Doug E]

hmm, disregard above post, too many thread open.

[My Pimp]

This is really suprising.

[SallyRand]

Originally Posted by J. Falcon

Has anyone been following what the people in Iceland have managed to do? They overthrew an entire (corrupt) government and took power into their own hands, without a single shot being fired. Bankers and politicians were kicked out on their ass. Why doesn't the media cover this?

The OP is 100% correct!

There was indeed a revolution of sorts in Iceland and the mainstream media does NOT talk about it because talking about it MIGHT give other people the IDEA that the PEOPLE ARE SOVEREIGN and will no longer be railroaded into poverty and squalor by BIG-MONEY INTERESTS and CAN AND WILL TAKE BACK THE POWER!:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/0...ing-Revolution

"Mon Aug 01, 2011 at 08:47 AM PDT
Iceland's On-going Revolution

by Deena Stryker

"An Italian radio program's story about Iceland?s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion.

As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here's why:

Five years of a pure neo-liberal regime had made Iceland, (population 320 thousand, no army), one of the richest countries in the world. In 2003 all the country?s banks were privatized, and in an effort to attract foreign investors, they offered on-line banking whose minimal costs allowed them to offer relatively high rates of return. The accounts, called IceSave, attracted many English and Dutch small investors. But as investments grew, so did the banks? foreign debt. In 2003 Iceland?s debt was equal to 200 times its GNP, but in 2007, it was 900 percent. The 2008 world financial crisis was the coup de grace. The three main Icelandic banks, Landbanki, Kapthing and Glitnir, went belly up and were nationalized, while the Kroner lost 85% of its value with respect to the Euro. At the end of the year Iceland declared bankruptcy.

Contrary to what could be expected, the crisis resulted in Icelanders recovering their sovereign rights, through a process of direct participatory democracy that eventually led to a new Constitution. But only after much pain.

Geir Haarde, the Prime Minister of a Social Democratic coalition government, negotiated a two million one hundred thousand dollar loan, to which the Nordic countries added another two and a half million. But the foreign financial community pressured Iceland to impose drastic measures. The FMI and the European Union wanted to take over its debt, claiming this was the only way for the country to pay back Holland and Great Britain, who had promised to reimburse their citizens.

Protests and riots continued, eventually forcing the government to resign. Elections were brought forward to April 2009, resulting in a left-wing coalition which condemned the neoliberal economic system, but immediately gave in to its demands that Iceland pay off a total of three and a half million Euros. This required each Icelandic citizen to pay 100 Euros a month (or about $130) for fifteen years, at 5.5% interest, to pay off a debt incurred by private parties vis a vis other private parties. It was the straw that broke the reindeer?s back.

What happened next was extraordinary. The belief that citizens had to pay for the mistakes of a financial monopoly, that an entire nation must be taxed to pay off private debts was shattered, transforming the relationship between citizens and their political institutions and eventually driving Iceland?s leaders to the side of their constituents. The Head of State, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, refused to ratify the law that would have made Iceland?s citizens responsible for its bankers? debts, and accepted calls for a referendum.

Of course the international community only increased the pressure on Iceland. Great Britain and Holland threatened dire reprisals that would isolate the country. As Icelanders went to vote, foreign bankers threatened to block any aid from the IMF. The British government threatened to freeze Icelander savings and checking accounts. As Grimsson said: ?We were told that if we refused the international community?s conditions, we would become the Cuba of the North. But if we had accepted, we would have become the Haiti of the North.? (How many times have I written that when Cubans see the dire state of their neighbor, Haiti, they count themselves lucky.)

In the March 2010 referendum, 93% voted against repayment of the debt. The IMF immediately froze its loan. But the revolution (though not televised in the United States), would not be intimidated. With the support of a furious citizenry, the government launched civil and penal investigations into those responsible for the financial crisis. Interpol put out an international arrest warrant for the ex-president of Kaupthing, Sigurdur Einarsson, as the other bankers implicated in the crash fled the country.

But Icelanders didn't stop there: they decided to draft a new constitution that would free the country from the exaggerated power of international finance and virtual money. (The one in use had been written when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark, in 1918, the only difference with the Danish constitution being that the word ?president? replaced the word ?king?.)

To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens. This document was not the work of a handful of politicians, but was written on the internet. The constituent?s meetings are streamed on-line, and citizens can send their comments and suggestions, witnessing the document as it takes shape. The constitution that eventually emerges from this participatory democratic process will be submitted to parliament for approval after the next elections.

Some readers will remember that Iceland?s ninth century agrarian collapse was featured in Jared Diamond?s book by the same name. Today, that country is recovering from its financial collapse in ways just the opposite of those generally considered unavoidable, as confirmed yesterday by the new head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde to Fareed Zakaria. The people of Greece have been told that the privatization of their public sector is the only solution. And those of Italy, Spain and Portugal are facing the same threat.

They should look to Iceland. Refusing to bow to foreign interests, that small country stated loud and clear that the people are sovereign.

That?s why it is not in the news anymore."

[The Heron]

All I saw was 'neoliberal' and I couldn't stop laughing, what the fuck is that? People use words that make no sense to me

[iamtam]

sallyrand, great story, but one sided.

it doesnt discuss how the crisis in iceland left investors outside of the country holding the bag for billions of dollars, and how the "incelandic miracle" exists only because nobody has come to collect on the debt yet.

[mineistaken]

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

Because it's not big news to take over a patch of ice.

As the saying goes - there is no green land in Greenland and there is no ice in Iceland.

[Brad Mitchell]

Originally Posted by SleazyDream

nothing on google news about it

Hey Scott,

Please give me a call today, seems your number has changed.

Brad

[DamianJ]

?

[crappy99]

Originally Posted by DamianJ

?

yes iceland is also a country, news to me too

[J. Falcon]

Originally Posted by mchacal

Because porn is illegal on that stupid piece of ice

You sure about that?

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by J. Falcon

Has anyone been following what the people in Iceland have managed to do? They overthrew an entire (corrupt) government and took power into their own hands, without a single shot being fired. Bankers and politicians were kicked out on their ass. Why doesn't the media cover this?

becasue they don't want it to happen anywhere else

[Goldmaniacs]

great food there i heard

[garce]

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

Because it's not big news to take over a patch of ice.

Not BIG NEWS to 330,000,000 Americans. Pretty big news for the other 6 billion people on the planet. Maybe you should expand your horizons beyond CNN or Fox News.

[d-null]

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by garce

Not BIG NEWS to 330,000,000 Americans. Pretty big news for the other 6 billion people on the planet. Maybe you should expand your horizons beyond CNN or Fox News.

Shouldn't you be somewhere making up fake people who post desperate blogs on your
server?

[gleem]

From my research, they had their revolution and now things are creeping back to the usual status quo, same 4 political parties are in control, they are cooperating with the IMF, people are done.

[Caligari]

Originally Posted by gleem

From my research, they had their revolution and now things are creeping back to the usual status quo, same 4 political parties are in control, they are cooperating with the IMF, people are done.

if the IMF is back in that revolution is toast unfortunately.

[J. Falcon]

It's really hard to find good info about what happened, it's all very sketchy. I watch a lot of news (mostly CNN and BBC) and I can't say they ever mentioned anything about what's happening over there. Needless to say I'm very disappointed, though not at all surprised. It wasn't until my wife showed me a video about what's happening in Iceland that I found out anything.

[Lucy - CSC]

The people refused to pay back the bankers debts and bail them out which just for that action alone I have the utter respect for every person in that country.

[rogueteens]

[porno jew]

covered in the canadian press every day. probably in the american media as well but most are too whacked out on psych meds looking at facebook and super hero movies to notice.

[J. Falcon]

Originally Posted by Lucy - CSC

The people refused to pay back the bankers debts and bail them out which just for that action alone I have the utter respect for every person in that country.

As do I...