Comments on: On EMPIRE and Empire http://empireremixed.com/2009/01/21/on-empire-and-empire/ rethinking everything Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:05:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Brian http://empireremixed.com/2009/01/21/on-empire-and-empire/#comment-589 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:06:02 +0000 http://empireremixed.wordpress.com/?p=299#comment-589 Hey folks:

I’m at Sundance and watched a documentary the other day called “Crude” that made Randy’s point very well. It’s the story of Texaco/Chevron’s extraction of oil from the Ecuadorian jungle and the environmental destruction and health crisis that they ended up leaving behind. Extraction, technology and energy, and what is interesting is that environmental remediation technology that would have been used in North America is seen as unnecessary when it is the the lives of Indiginious people at stake. That is empire, and that is EMPIRE.

]]> By: jason http://empireremixed.com/2009/01/21/on-empire-and-empire/#comment-587 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:46:29 +0000 http://empireremixed.wordpress.com/?p=299#comment-587 Great question and fantastic answer, I do believe when speaking of Empire we should think globally, and in that sense, as the worlds only supposed Super Power that would for make The United States the Evil Empire[current one, as many nations have had a turn as was pointed out already]…

]]> By: Randy Gabrielse http://empireremixed.com/2009/01/21/on-empire-and-empire/#comment-586 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:57:32 +0000 http://empireremixed.wordpress.com/?p=299#comment-586 Sylvia et. al.
I appreciate the struggle to bring the historically real and present into perspective without limiting either empire or evil to what is currently here.

As a trained historian I find looking at the ongoing development of power and empire over time as a way to view these things. Within that, I have always found looking at EXTRACTION, TECHNOLOGY, and more recently ENERGY as useful ways to trace these things through history.

Whether gold and silver from Mexico and Peru, fine hardwoods from Guatemala and Belize, Diamonds from S. Africa, Guano from Chile, Minerals from Congo, Uranium from New Mexico and Canada, Coal from Appalachia (whether deep or mountain top removal mining), lumber from NY and the Northwest, or oil from the Middle East and Alberta, the patterns of extraction and compensation for it provide guides to who is in charge where and how the extractors act relatively consistently over time.

Peace,
Randy Gabrielse

]]> By: cyr http://empireremixed.com/2009/01/21/on-empire-and-empire/#comment-577 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:03:13 +0000 http://empireremixed.wordpress.com/?p=299#comment-577 thanks, i really enjoyed reading this. hits on the heart of the difficulty we all have in living in an empire and the complicity that entails, as well as the complexities of identifying the empire in the modern geo-political context. the historical roots of empire is a topic i’d love to see more on here as i’m struggling trying to trace all the threads ….

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