Exactly right! For heaven's sake, even at its best, let's say, we have a culture, history, government, and population (particularly white, and I am white) that is pretty much in a state of constant, habitual denial about the nature and degree of gravity relating to the US. Continual war-making, largely daily shoot-outs throughout the country, a highly armed populace, a system that is designed to sustain minority rule, a tax system that rewards wealth--even extreme wealth, higher education that increasingly is for the rich or leaves in its wake life-long indebtedness (I have lived and taught in countries with immensely less wealth that still provides state-supported, tuition free high education, a nation and world that is experiencing climate disaster on every front, and on and on. Furthermore, if someone were to swoop down from Mars and observe what is going on with an ex-President who is openly and actively undermining law and order and still receiving significant support while the system and its leadership works with all the celerity of molasses in the dead of winter, such a visitor would think the US not a nation but rather an asylum or refuge for criminals.
Paul, you're right — there are many people who don't want to accept the facts.
I have some acquaintances that I no longer associate with by choice. The town I live in, 40 miles northeast of Albany, NY, is so conservative that even the Democratic Party declined my offer of help. While at the same time endorsed a redneck Conservative Cowboy Republican for sheriff.
My efforts to make my opinions known by writing to the supposedly progressive newspaper in Manchester, VT., fell on deaf ears. It's almost as if this dark reality doesn't exist.
Though I'm in my mid-seventies, I refuse to give up without a fight.
From my personal Curriculum Vitae, and watching 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' unfold from CanaDa, naturally I see it as the spirit of this letter published by The Kansas City Times September 13, 1976, with a followup on All Souls Day, November 2, 1976,
“He came to town for the Republican National Convention and will stay until the election in November TO DO GOD'S BIDDING: To tell the World, from Kansas City, this country has been found wanting and its days are numbered [...] He gestured toward a gleaming church dome. “The gold dome is the symbol of BABYLON,” he said.” [...] He wanted to bring to the Public’s attention an “idea being put out subtly and deceptively” by the government that we have to get prepared for a War with Russia.”
That 1976 FUTURE is NOW with the Revelation of the details GENERALLY unfolding in the spirit of the letter.
The World is waking up to see Americans may hasten “its days are numbered” part of the 1976 Vision, and waits with bated breath.
With the benefit of 47 years hindsight, the last 8 years of intensified FBI, Military, Intelligence and Think Tank “experts” on TV constantly, unanimously, demonizing Putin and Russia, with no dissent allowed, the People have been prepared.
Paul, is the foreign policy of Biden, Blinken, and Nuland different from that of Trump, Pompeo,and Bolton? The rest of the world has not seen improvement from Biden. George Hunter , retired Virginia schoolteacher.
Biden is a reckless warmongering imperialist who is helping bring humanity to the brink of thermonclear war. And this is at least part of why he's a good shot to lose to the orange sack of shit in 2024,
Notto minimize the importance of the horrors you describe here, but have you seen the US Protest Law Tracker and how it documents new legislation criminalizing protest, increasing draconian punishment of protesters and sanctioning of lethal force vigilante "justice"?
US Protest Law Tracker, follows state and federal legislation introduced since January 2017 that restricts the right to peaceful assembly. For more information, visit our Analysis of US Anti-Protest Bills page.
So total passivity and invest in candidate-centered cargo cults to save us from fascisation. Pretend fascism --- of which Trump is a leader but which is much bigger than Trump--- doesn't exist and isn't a problem. Got it. Gotta get back to watching television. Take two minutes to mark a ballot once every 4 years. Now there's a plan!
Sanders was one albeit not "pure" enough for some, and perhaps either insufficiently motivated or overly intimidated to continue on, but gave evidence that his platform was more than a "cargo cult."
Don't give others the same headspace as the two leaders of the corrupt world, and yes, take those "two minutes" for a ballot - or, why bother?
The issue I referred to is the right wing criminalization of protest - an exacerbation of the ruling class's squelching of the working class. And btw, the system is fundamentally problematic. so we are both left to vote against the obvious greatest evil, but have nothing to vote "for", and even if that were to work, the system is designed to thwart us in innumerable ways.
If we gonna get past this clusterF*#k of a system we have to develop a whole new sense of politics and and struggle and get serrious about popular and I would say socialist revolution --- and that's about a lot more than the quadrennial big money major party candidate-centered electoral extravaganzas that are sold as the only politics that matters.
"The system is fundamentally problematic. so we are both left to vote against the obvious greatest evil, but have nothing to vote "for""
Agree with characterization of the system, also about "obvious greatest evil." The lesser is insidious and may in fact be the greater. The worst war hawks elevated to important public positions to whom nuclear disaster is a consideration. All climate and health considerations subordinated to corporate profits, and the larger the corporate profits the greater the clout.
When people are desperate enough - enough are homeless and hungry (not just fed up), they won't be cowed by reactionary laws
Very dangerous times so I am supporting Cornel West for President to bring light and clarity into this very dark situation! He has a better chance of doing something positive than mass protests which will not be strong enough or will be put down by the security state.
Your critiqué is justified, but I don't agree that we all should have known from day 1 that Trump would attempt a coup. What we do know is there is no bottom with Trump. What will he do to regain office now that he has to seek re-election? Whatever he does, it will be evil. And that why the latest indictment is important; It exists. Its real. You can read it.
That is a stubborn fact, the kind that won't go away. And it was attained in accordance with due process. If you don't get that, how can you possibly understand the count charging him with depriving america of electoral due process rights? In AZ, the new Dem has opened its own investigation into fraudulent electors. Why now? Because the previous Republican AG who wouldn't investigate lost the primary, while the Democratic candidate won the general by less than 300 votes. All of the following appeals alledging voter fraud were denied and the election was upheld. In Michigan a fake elector has been indicted. No matter how penetrating your ctitique, and it was penetrating, it can't eliminate that these facts were made possible through due process. Of all that your critiqué represents, what ties it all together is the thesis that due process is dead in america. That loss is what hss happened with regard to every dictatorship, every authoritatian state, every colonial regime, every government cruelty, every surveillance state. Yet these stubborn facts above show that due process is not dead. Yet. And that's where we are.
Almost thru reading your book Paul. Two more chapters to go. Chapter 6 _ America Was Never Great_ was a wrenching read. What a reality check. Keep on keeping on Paul.
Always a read worth its weight in gold.
* How capitalist of me*
Another great analysis from Mr. Street of the current ecocidal, genocidal, radical capitalist regime and its march to fascism!
I'm afraid that everything is just going to worsen in the future.
Question: what keeps all of us off the streets?
Exactly right! For heaven's sake, even at its best, let's say, we have a culture, history, government, and population (particularly white, and I am white) that is pretty much in a state of constant, habitual denial about the nature and degree of gravity relating to the US. Continual war-making, largely daily shoot-outs throughout the country, a highly armed populace, a system that is designed to sustain minority rule, a tax system that rewards wealth--even extreme wealth, higher education that increasingly is for the rich or leaves in its wake life-long indebtedness (I have lived and taught in countries with immensely less wealth that still provides state-supported, tuition free high education, a nation and world that is experiencing climate disaster on every front, and on and on. Furthermore, if someone were to swoop down from Mars and observe what is going on with an ex-President who is openly and actively undermining law and order and still receiving significant support while the system and its leadership works with all the celerity of molasses in the dead of winter, such a visitor would think the US not a nation but rather an asylum or refuge for criminals.
Paul, you're right — there are many people who don't want to accept the facts.
I have some acquaintances that I no longer associate with by choice. The town I live in, 40 miles northeast of Albany, NY, is so conservative that even the Democratic Party declined my offer of help. While at the same time endorsed a redneck Conservative Cowboy Republican for sheriff.
My efforts to make my opinions known by writing to the supposedly progressive newspaper in Manchester, VT., fell on deaf ears. It's almost as if this dark reality doesn't exist.
Though I'm in my mid-seventies, I refuse to give up without a fight.
Excellent 'telling it like it is' report Paul.
From my personal Curriculum Vitae, and watching 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' unfold from CanaDa, naturally I see it as the spirit of this letter published by The Kansas City Times September 13, 1976, with a followup on All Souls Day, November 2, 1976,
“He came to town for the Republican National Convention and will stay until the election in November TO DO GOD'S BIDDING: To tell the World, from Kansas City, this country has been found wanting and its days are numbered [...] He gestured toward a gleaming church dome. “The gold dome is the symbol of BABYLON,” he said.” [...] He wanted to bring to the Public’s attention an “idea being put out subtly and deceptively” by the government that we have to get prepared for a War with Russia.”
That 1976 FUTURE is NOW with the Revelation of the details GENERALLY unfolding in the spirit of the letter.
The World is waking up to see Americans may hasten “its days are numbered” part of the 1976 Vision, and waits with bated breath.
With the benefit of 47 years hindsight, the last 8 years of intensified FBI, Military, Intelligence and Think Tank “experts” on TV constantly, unanimously, demonizing Putin and Russia, with no dissent allowed, the People have been prepared.
https://rayjc.com/2013/09/01/signs-of-the-times/
Paul, is the foreign policy of Biden, Blinken, and Nuland different from that of Trump, Pompeo,and Bolton? The rest of the world has not seen improvement from Biden. George Hunter , retired Virginia schoolteacher.
Biden is a reckless warmongering imperialist who is helping bring humanity to the brink of thermonclear war. And this is at least part of why he's a good shot to lose to the orange sack of shit in 2024,
Notto minimize the importance of the horrors you describe here, but have you seen the US Protest Law Tracker and how it documents new legislation criminalizing protest, increasing draconian punishment of protesters and sanctioning of lethal force vigilante "justice"?
US Protest Law Tracker, follows state and federal legislation introduced since January 2017 that restricts the right to peaceful assembly. For more information, visit our Analysis of US Anti-Protest Bills page.
< https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/ >
The answer isn't to protest - its to support. Anyone but Trump or Biden. West,JFK Jr, Tulsi.
The more T's name fills people's minds the better his chances are of winning re-election.
So total passivity and invest in candidate-centered cargo cults to save us from fascisation. Pretend fascism --- of which Trump is a leader but which is much bigger than Trump--- doesn't exist and isn't a problem. Got it. Gotta get back to watching television. Take two minutes to mark a ballot once every 4 years. Now there's a plan!
"candidate-centered cargo cults" - clever.
Sanders was one albeit not "pure" enough for some, and perhaps either insufficiently motivated or overly intimidated to continue on, but gave evidence that his platform was more than a "cargo cult."
Don't give others the same headspace as the two leaders of the corrupt world, and yes, take those "two minutes" for a ballot - or, why bother?
I always vote. Good for me and big deal. We need an actual socialist revolution.
The issue I referred to is the right wing criminalization of protest - an exacerbation of the ruling class's squelching of the working class. And btw, the system is fundamentally problematic. so we are both left to vote against the obvious greatest evil, but have nothing to vote "for", and even if that were to work, the system is designed to thwart us in innumerable ways.
If we gonna get past this clusterF*#k of a system we have to develop a whole new sense of politics and and struggle and get serrious about popular and I would say socialist revolution --- and that's about a lot more than the quadrennial big money major party candidate-centered electoral extravaganzas that are sold as the only politics that matters.
"The system is fundamentally problematic. so we are both left to vote against the obvious greatest evil, but have nothing to vote "for""
Agree with characterization of the system, also about "obvious greatest evil." The lesser is insidious and may in fact be the greater. The worst war hawks elevated to important public positions to whom nuclear disaster is a consideration. All climate and health considerations subordinated to corporate profits, and the larger the corporate profits the greater the clout.
When people are desperate enough - enough are homeless and hungry (not just fed up), they won't be cowed by reactionary laws
Thanks, Paul.
Very dangerous times so I am supporting Cornel West for President to bring light and clarity into this very dark situation! He has a better chance of doing something positive than mass protests which will not be strong enough or will be put down by the security state.
Paul,
Your critiqué is justified, but I don't agree that we all should have known from day 1 that Trump would attempt a coup. What we do know is there is no bottom with Trump. What will he do to regain office now that he has to seek re-election? Whatever he does, it will be evil. And that why the latest indictment is important; It exists. Its real. You can read it.
That is a stubborn fact, the kind that won't go away. And it was attained in accordance with due process. If you don't get that, how can you possibly understand the count charging him with depriving america of electoral due process rights? In AZ, the new Dem has opened its own investigation into fraudulent electors. Why now? Because the previous Republican AG who wouldn't investigate lost the primary, while the Democratic candidate won the general by less than 300 votes. All of the following appeals alledging voter fraud were denied and the election was upheld. In Michigan a fake elector has been indicted. No matter how penetrating your ctitique, and it was penetrating, it can't eliminate that these facts were made possible through due process. Of all that your critiqué represents, what ties it all together is the thesis that due process is dead in america. That loss is what hss happened with regard to every dictatorship, every authoritatian state, every colonial regime, every government cruelty, every surveillance state. Yet these stubborn facts above show that due process is not dead. Yet. And that's where we are.
Almost thru reading your book Paul. Two more chapters to go. Chapter 6 _ America Was Never Great_ was a wrenching read. What a reality check. Keep on keeping on Paul.
You might like my review of Adam Hoschschild's new book American Midnight on Monday. It's straight out of that chapter.