SPEECHLESS

Professor DETAINED AT AIRPORT After Attending Free Palestine Film Festival
(Due Dissidence on YouTube)
Spetember 2, 2024

* * * * *

Free speech has been muzzled. Habeas corpus was disappeared by a pen stroke. The police force has been militarized. The military has become our raison d'être. World War has replaced diplomacy........

What - Me - Worry?

A few receipts:

_________________

President Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law
(American Civil Liberties Union at ACLU.Org)
December 31, 2011)

"WASHINGTON – President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law today. The statute contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision. While President Obama issued a signing statement saying he had “serious reservations” about the provisions, the statement only applies to how his administration would use the authorities granted by the NDAA, and would not affect how the law is interpreted by subsequent administrations. The White House had threatened to veto an earlier version of the NDAA, but reversed course shortly before Congress voted on the final bill.

“President Obama's action today is a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU executive director. “The statute is particularly dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations, and can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield. The ACLU will fight worldwide detention authority wherever we can, be it in court, in Congress, or internationally.”
_________________

Hedges v. Obama

(Wikipedia.org)

January 2012

"Hedges v. Obama was a lawsuit filed in January 2012 against the Obama administration and members of the U.S. Congress by a group including former New York Times reporter Christopher Hedges, challenging the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA). The legislation permitted the U.S. government to indefinitely detain people "who are part of or substantially support Al Qaeda, the Taliban or associated forces engaged in hostilities against the United States". The plaintiffs contended that Section 1021(b)(2) of the law allows for detention of citizens and permanent residents taken into custody in the U.S. on "suspicion of providing substantial support" to groups engaged in hostilities against the U.S. such as al-Qaeda and the Taliban[6] respectively that the NDAA arms the U.S. military with the ability to imprison indefinitely journalists, activists and human-rights workers based on vague allegations."
_________________

U.S. policing budgets would rank as the world's third-highest military expenditure
(Rob Beschizza at Boing Boing)
April 20, 2021

"$118bn was spent funding police forces in the U.S. in 2018, according to the Security Policy Reform Institute. It collectively makes American police forces the world's third-most expensive military organization, after the U.S.'s official armed forces and China's.

The chart is somewhat misleading, though, in that the same is basically true of other wealthy countries: per-capita spending on police in Europe is also very high, but the countries are less populous. Police forces in the UK enjoy some $25bn in funding, for example, a spend proportionate to the US total that nonethless places it outside the top ten on the that military spending chart.

But there's one thing that's plainly different: US police are militarized by policy, trained to treat the public as a threat, and kill people in far greater numbers than their foreign counterparts. The declared enemy of American police forces is the American people, and their war on us claims about 1000 lives a year."

THE CRASS STRUGGLE

Report: Flight Attendants Face HUNGER, HOMELESSNESS Due to LOW WAGES
(Due Dissidence on YouTube)

September 3, 2024

* * * * *

Capitalism creates both crushed and comfortable cluelessness.

In general the folks I know are too busy surviving to question The System or too comfortable to care enough to understand it. And virtually all the richest folks I know have no idea they're parasites sucking the life out of the populace and the planet.

Thankfully, I don't mingle with any actual apex predators. I couldn't become one of them and they wouldn't want me around to bring them down... I mean make them sadly reflect on their ghoulish orgy of avarice.

I'm thankful to all who rage against The Machine, like the funny fellows at Due Dissidence, but in the end, I've little hope that the human experiment will end well.

Please prove me wrong.

P.S. Allowing the wealthiest microscopic minority to dictate to the vast struggling majority is a ludicrous solution if peace and prosperity are the endgame. It appears to me that the ruling class is heading toward the end of the game instead. Money can't buy you intelligence (or survival after the balloon goes up).

GUILTY OF TRUTH

Are thought crimes next?

On the Arrest of Richard Medhurst
(Chris Hedges on Substack)
August 25, 2024

"The arrest of the reporter Richard Medhurst, who has been one of the most ardent critics of the genocide in Gaza and Israeli apartheid state, at Heathrow airport is part of the steady march towards the criminalization of journalism, something all of us, including Medhurst, understood lay at the heart of the long persecution of Julian Assange.

Where the “norm” was for police to detain people for questioning under Schedule 7, Medhurst became the first journalist in Britain to be arrested under Section 12 of the draconian Terrorism Act."

_________________

JOHN KIRIAKOU: The Slide Into Authoritarianism
(John Kiriakou: Special to Consortium News)
August 27, 2024

"All of us who care about civil liberties, civil rights, human rights and freedom of the press have had a front-row seat lately to a slide toward what can only be described as authoritarianism. The governments of the U.S., U.K. and even Canada have been working hard, sometimes in a coordinated fashion, to silence dissenting voices. The governments’ tactics have been heavy-handed, to say the least."

John Kiriakou is a former C.I.A. counterterrorism officer and a former senior investigator with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. John became the sixth whistleblower indicted by the Obama administration under the Espionage Act—a law designed to punish spies. He served 23 months in prison as a result of his attempts to oppose the Bush administration’s torture program.

VOTE JILL NOT SHILL

 

[A message from Jill Stein]

Harris and her empire of lies

All week long, the nation watched as the true base of the Democratic Party – billionaires, celebrities, national security figureheads and “moderate Republicans” – repeatedly assured us that Kamala Harris will be a different kind of president. A president of “joy.”

But I found little room for joy in Harris’ speech Thursday night.

Instead, it revealed a great deal about what we can expect if Kamala Harris becomes president – and none of it is good.

In a speech that could have easily been delivered by Genocide Joe himself, Harris promised to:

    Sign Biden’s inhumane, militarized “bipartisan border bill” with 80% of the funding allocated to hardening border security and DOUBLING the number of border patrol agents.

    “Ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world” with unchecked resources for the Pentagon to continue waging “wars around the world” (to quote our current president).

    Unconditionally supply Israel with endless weapons, as she repeated Israel’s discredited propaganda around the October 7th attacks and pointedly ignored the widespread reports of Israeli soldiers using sexual violence, physical and psychological torture against illegally incarcerated Palestinian prisoners.

Harris absurdly claimed that she and Biden are “working around the clock” to secure a ceasefire for Gaza – even as they’ve authorized another $23 BILLION in arms for Israel in August alone.

Now we learn that the Biden-Harris administration has appointed Mira Resnick, perhaps the most hands-on State Department official involved in speedrunning weapons to Israel since October 7th, to replace Andrew Miller – the 1st official to resign in protest over Gaza.

Harris’ empire of lies delivered on Thursday night firmly established that “nothing will fundamentally change.”

Harris made it clear that she intends to continue this reckless path of capitalistic exploitation and global militarism, even fanning the flames with China and Iran as tens of thousands of the party faithful waved signs and shouted “USA! USA!”

I find no “joy” in any of this.

There are material conditions that must be urgently addressed for this country to meet the basic needs of its citizens and take us off this death march into World War III and climate collapse. NONE of those policy solutions were present in Harris’ speech.

Instead we were promised more of the same. And much like Biden before her, that may prove to be the one promise that Kamala Harris keeps.

Harris has shown her true colors, and we have an urgent choice to make this November.

There is only one campaign with a path to the White House this November that will set us on a radically different course – one that will end the genocide in Gaza and implement an immediate arms embargo on Israel.

There is only one campaign with the credibility to address the climate emergency with the urgency it demands. And there is only one campaign with a radically transformative economic vision that will lift millions out of poverty and build a society free of injustice, inequity, hunger, and want.

There is only one campaign that is challenging empire both at home and abroad – ours. In just over two months, we will make our voices heard at the ballot box.

WHEN SLIT HITS THE FAN

The Overton* Slit** is closing and the cult of The Uniparty is celebrating.

 

Harris-Trump: Uniparty on the same script 

"If it sounds like Democrats and Republicans are reading from the same script, it’s because they both work for the same donors."

(Jill Stein on Youtube)
August 24, 2024

* * * * *

When The Overton Window finally closes, well... an F-Word comes to mind.

Jus sayin.

________________________________

NOTES:

* The Overton window is the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse.

The term is named after the American policy analyst Joseph Overton, who proposed that an idea's political viability depends mainly on whether it falls within this range, rather than on politicians' individual preferences.

According to Overton, the window frames the range of policies that a politician can recommend without appearing too extreme to gain or keep public office given the climate of public opinion at that time.

** An arrowslit is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows.

HOOF IN MOUTH DISEASE

Rachel: Prop or Not?

Some background:

A Court Ruled Rachel Maddow's Viewers Know She Offers Exaggeration and Opinion, Not Facts
Maddow’s show is different than a typical news segment where anchors inform viewers about the daily news," an Obama-appointed judge ruled.

(Glenn Greenwald)
June 22, 2021

Excerpt:

“In an oddly overlooked ruling, an Obama-appointed federal judge, Cynthia Bashant, dismissed the lawsuit on the ground that even Maddow's own audience understands that her show consists of exaggeration, hyperbole, and pure opinion, and therefore would not assume that such outlandish accusations are factually true even when she uses the language of certainty and truth when presenting them (“literally is paid Russian propaganda”).

In concluding that Maddow's statement would be understood even by her own viewers as non-factual, the judge emphasized that what Maddow does in general is not present news but rather hyperbole and exploitation of actual news to serve her liberal activism…”

_________

Democracy in Peril: Twenty Years of Media Consolidation Under the Telecommunications Act
In 1996, President Clinton signed the bill into law. Today, the media industry is donating big to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

(Michael Corcoran at Truthout)
February 11, 2016

Excerpt:

“Wall Street’s sinister influence on the political process has, rightly, been a major topic during this presidential campaign. But, history has taught us that the role that the media industry plays in Washington poses a comparable threat to our democracy. Yet, this is a topic rarely discussed by the dominant media, or on the campaign trail.”

* * * * *

Some context:

Mainstream media world wide is owned by about a half dozen major corporations, so basically a few sociopathic billionaires have a strangle hold on almost everything the average person reads, watches, or hears. The American Duopoly, and oddly especially the corporately captured Democratic Party, support censorship of views outside their narrow world view. They are suppressing dissent in the streets and on the web.

Fears of fascism under another Trump administration abound among "Blue No Matter Who" voters but for many outside the party it seems they want to close the barn door after the donkeys and elephants have already burned it down.

America has been waging wars around the world for a long time, almost for its entire existence. What passes for foreign policy for the U.S.A. is perhaps best described in this way: impose crippling and deadly economic sanctions on regular citizens to encourage them to topple governments that the U.S. doesn't control. It always causes devastation, almost never works, and the U.S. unfailingly claims to be the good guys. Add to that brilliant strategy the notion that assassinations as a means of state craft is now considered… a Tuesday?

These crimes against humanity are regularly applauded by mainstream media and especially Rachel Maddow.

Consider the following facts as a thought experiment if you respect Rachel Maddow’s reporting:

Edward Snowden in fulfilling his oath to defend The U.S. Constitution is in exile because he exposed violations of said document by his Security State employers.

Julian Assange revealed U.S. war crimes. There were no consequences for the perpetrators but Assange spent over a decade under arrest and despite his recent release, his life has been destroyed by both Republican and Democratic administrations, ostensibly due to violations of the American Espionage Act despite the fact that he’s an Australian citizen.

Seymour Hersh, who exposed the My Lai massacre, the Watergate scandal, the Abu Ghraib torture, and much much more, is begging for scraps these days from individual donors on Substack.

Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Middle East expert was fired from the New Your Times for voicing opposition to the disastrous and illegal Iraq war that was based on lies and killed over a million people.

In conclusion:

Rachel Maddow gets paid millions of dollars simply for stating opinions as facts on a major network.

Prop or Not?

BOB MENDACIOUS

Face it.

This guy perfectly represents our representatives.

Warhawk Senator Bob Menendez Resigns After Being Found Guilty of Taking Bribes to Be a Foreign Agent
(BreakThrough News on Youtube)
Aug 20, 2024

"Senator Bob Menendez just resigned after being found guilty of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes including gold bars, luxury cars, expensive watches and other gifts to act as a foreign agent of Egypt and Qatar.

It's being called one of the worst corruption scandals in recent congressional memory.

Ironically, he spent most of his career accusing other countries of this type of corruption, and demanding sanctions.

BT's Kei Pritsker reviews the indictment."

* * * * *

One down… the rest to go.

Politicians who make it to Congress are simply paid spokes models for the lobbies and PACS (foreign and domestic) that feed their hunger for wealth and power. Even well-intentioned political figures eventually perform for their masters.

< Insert your clown of choice here. >

The U.S. Constitution prohibits bribes and makes accepting them grounds for removal from public office.

That’s a true but weird fact, since soliciting cash from special interests and big donors is the job description of every single one of our elected officials. Our corrupt ruling class uses euphemisms like soft money to disguise the bribes they thrive on. Since the Citizens United ruling the amount they can receive from anonymous donors is unlimited, resulting in the extraordinary and virtually complete corruption of America’s corporately captured government. The needs and desires of the vast majority of citizens are ignored, belying the farcical notion that 'Murica is in any way a republic or representative democracy.

Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy
(BBC News article that includes a link to the famous Princeton University Study)

If our ruling class weren't comprised of sociopathic war criminals, they'd be a joke.

Our system of inverted totalitarianism also affects influential people outside of politics, such as journalists, entertainers, and activists. The reward for obedience is the potential for ever more fame, wealth, and/or power. Of course, compliance due to stupidity is often a free bonus appreciated by the aristocratic elites.

< Insert your clown of choice here. >

Mainstream media across the board is basically paid-for propaganda. Whether on or offline, it’s the 800-pound gorilla in all our rooms, that facilitates our blind march to oblivion. The so called “Information Age” has become the “Disinformation Age.”

< Insert your favorite fake news here. >

What passes for rational commentary these days is a steady stream of hype and horse shit brought to you by the same monied class that benefits from our toxic political system of quid pro quo.

The news media and entertainment industry have become an effective means of narrative control. The Narrative is The Matrix that has trapped the majority who seem unaware that our “reality” is a bizarre psyop. Knowing the importance to a representative government of a well-educated citizenry, the ruling class has created a mob of arrogantly ignorant partisans who fight each other instead of them. Discussions among friends or family about history and current events has become taboo; it’s almost impossible to have a reasoned debate these days and that’s by design.

Nothing serves the ruling class better than the voluntary suppression of discourse. We all regularly self-censor to keep the peace during social intercourse. That’s a neat trick and a total mind fuck. As my dad used to say, “That’s a sad commentary!” Of course those who don’t self-censor, like independent journalists, become victims of actual censorship. Keeping up with trusted news sources as they struggle against suppression is becoming increasingly difficult. The promise of an open internet is quickly evaporating. I can only imagine how shocked Orwell would be about how thoroughly surveilled and controlled we have become.

Anyone who significantly challenges the status quo whether as a part of the machine or fighting against it, is marginalized or removed all together. Threats to absolute control by the ruling class are dealt with by electoral shenanigans, coordinated smear campaigns, or by any means necessary. And idiots applaud the silencing of the truth tellers. Sure, there’s bullshitters out there, but applauding censorship makes throwing the baby out with the bathwater look like child’s play. Sometimes evil looks brilliant but only because they’re dealing with dupes. Rather than banning an idea, try presenting a more cogent alternative viewpoint using evidence and logic. That’s become a crazy idea these days.

Attempts to discuss current events with folks lost in The Narrative is akin to trying to educate a cultist. Like the so called “Presidential Debates,” discourse is reduced to facile and oft time ludicrous talking points that inevitably lead to arguments and insults. I’ve heard the exact same vacuous arguments repeated by friends and relatives who have no contact with each other. They’re not screaming their well-researched conclusions, they’re parroting the news programs that are programming them.

An easy way to defeat big money in politics is to ignore the politicians receiving it. Piss off the oligarchs and vote for a third party. Demand substantial and substantive changes from anyone before offering to vote for them. That sounds a lot better than rewarding out-of-touch assholes for sticking it to you over and over again with outright lies and empty promises.

If you don't do it for yourself, consider doing the world a favor.

YELLOW JOURNALISM

 

Special Episode of Dangerous Ideas

Ben Norton on China, Venezuela, & Much More

(Lee Camp on Youtube)

 

"Lee and journalist Ben Norton get into why the US hates Venezuela so much, why China is lapping the US in infrastructure and so much more!"

 

* * * * *

When you stop watching mainstream news, things start to make sense. Unplug your cable and become informed.

 

Years ago when the mysterious "Prop or Not" lists came out, I used them as convenient shout outs advertising news sites I should start reading and watching. Many of those resources have disappeared or have been co-opted by Big Brother but if you try very hard you may discover a few news outlets that aren't beholden to the deep state.

 

VOTE POO NO MATTER WHO?

Try voting for a third party instead of a turd party.

Ralph Nader’s take on the US 2024 election
(The Take on YouTube)

August 13, 2024

Arguably the most famous third-party candidate in United States election history, Ralph Nader ran for president four times. He tells us why a third-party candidate is so crucial and provides some insight into this year’s race.

* * * * *

Ralph was the best president we never had. 

And for all those who wonder why Ralph didn't mention RFK Jr. as a viable alternative, it's because supporting the mass slaughter of civilians to steal natural resources and open up occupied beach front properties for development is a red line for a normal person.

AN EMPTY PANTSUIT

Is this the end of the American Empire? | Chris Hedges
(Real Talk on Youtube)

"Today on Real Talk, we speak to Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and author, about the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the US elections.

We delve into why he believes we are “at the end of empire”, whether Trump or Harris would have different Gaza policies, the rise of Christian nationalism in the US, and his thoughts on Joe Biden’s presidential legacy.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview show hosted by Mohamed Hashem that delves into the stories and experiences of a diverse range of guests."

* * * * *

 

GIVE WAR A CHANCE?

Lindsey Graham PUSHING War With Iran
(Sabby Sabs on Youtube)

* * * * *

Lindsey scares the crap out of me!

 

UNDER WATER EMPIRE

 

The Buck Stops... Everywhere?

As stock market crashes, is US facing new financial crisis? Economist Michael Hudson explains

(Geopolitical Economy Report on Youtube)

"The stock market crashed on August 5, in a new "Black Monday". What caused it? Is the USA on the verge of a new financial crisis? Ben Norton is joined by economist Michael Hudson to discuss the extreme volatility, AI / Big Tech bubble, Japanese yen carry trade unwind, Chinese economy, and geopolitical dangers."

* * * * *

The gains in pain mean we're spiraling down the drain.

Maximum Boothead

 

Maximum Boothead

Militarist Max Boot married foreign agent

(The Grayzone on YouTube) 

"The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate go inside the prosecution of the wife of Washington Post pundit and fanatical warmonger Max Boot, for failing to register as a foreign agent of the government of South Korea."

____________

If you mainline mainstream media you are misinformed... period.

HOPELESS CAUSE FOR HOPE

 

Vote for something not against someone.

Electoral politics in America is a cult of poisonality. If you vote independent or not at all, consider voting for Jill Stein. If you're waiting to vote for a perfect candidate, you won't live that long.

If you can listen to and take seriously the nonsense spewing from the spooksmodels lying for the oligarchs, you are a supporter of the shitshow we're trying to live through.

If you've eaten either the Red or Blue pills, consider spitting them out.

If you're planning to stay home or cast a protest vote for SpongeBob SquarePants, vote for Jill. Why not?

It's likely she won't be on the ballot in my state, so I'd appreciate your vote on my behalf.

She won't win but you might scare the ruling class.

Thanks!!!

Dr. Jill Stein in conversation with Nick Cruse from RBN | Live Event at the University of Kansas

 

New York Slimes

The New York Times' Gaza Lies

June 4, 2024
(MintPress News on YouTube)

"Shocking anyone that's paid any attention to the onslaught, The New York Times has just been handed the Pulitzer Prize for its Gaza reporting.

This is the same New York Times who instructed its reporters not to use words like "refugee camp", "occupied territories" or even "Palestine" in its reporting on the Israeli attack on Gaza.

As Alan MacLeod demonstrates, the New York Times has consistently delivered biased, inaccurate reporting on Palestine, and deserves a mountain of criticism, not an award."

* * * * *

In other news:

"Up is Down!" & "War is Peace."
Just saying.

DIRTY LAUNDRY

Trillions for me nothing for thee.

Janet Yellen: We Can "ABSOLUTELY" Afford to Fund Two Wars at Once

October 20, 2023
(Due Dissidence on YouTube)

* * * * *

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks on Defense Spending, Proposed 1% Cut to Pentagon Spending

March 26, 2014
(Rep. Barbara Lee C-Span clip)

* * * * *

Pentagon fails sixth audit, with number of passing grades stagnant

November 15, 2023
(by Noah Robertson at DefenseNews.com)

"WASHINGTON — For the sixth year in a row, the Pentagon failed its annual audit."

* * * * *

Putin's Invasion of Ukraine Salon | Ray McGovern, John Mearsheimer

March 6, 2022
(Consortium News on YouTube)

 

Convened March 2nd 2022
by the Committee for the Republic
Q&A host:
Bruce Fein, constitutional lawyer

Prof. John Mearsheimer
- political scientist, University of Chicago

Ray McGovern
- former C.I.A. head of Russia desk

Jack Matlock
- last US ambassador to the Soviet Union

Ted Postol
- MIT professor of technology and international security

Susan Eisenhowe
- grand-daughter of General Dwight D. Eisenhower

_____________________

The money laundering scheme we call our federal government is struggling to contain The Narrative.

_____________________

BREAKING NEWS!

Rare clips from the last Pentagon audit!
(YouTube)

STRANGE LOVE

 

KILL THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF

Chris Hedges: The Nation’s Conscience

The courageous stance of students across the country in defiance of genocide is accompanied by a near total blackout of their voices. Their words are the ones we most need to hear.

May 8, 2024
(Chris Hedges on Sheerpost)

"All systems of totalitarianism, including corporate totalitarianism, deform education into vocational training where students are taught what to think, not how to think. Only the skills and expertise demanded by the corporate state are valued. The withering away of the humanities and transformation of major research universities into corporate and Defense Department vocational schools with their outsized emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math, illustrate this shift. The students who disrupt the Potemkin university, who dare to think for themselves, face beatings, suspension, arrest and expulsion."

* * * * *

We are witnessing a world-wide renaissance in dire education.

(T-Bag)

ARE WE THE BADDIES?

"It was our fault."

The most important video on Ukraine | Prof. John Mearsheimer 

Jan 10, 2024
(Conversations with John Anderson on YouTube)

"John speaks with Prof. John Mearsheimer about the future of the Ukraine war.

John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982. He graduated from West Point in 1970 and then served five years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. He then started graduate school in political science at Cornell University in 1975. He received his Ph.D. in 1980. He spent the 1979-1980 academic year as a research fellow at the Brookings Institution, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Centre for International Affairs from 1980 to 1982. During the 1998-1999 academic year, he was the Whitney H. Shepardson Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

His recent and most notable works include, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (2007), and Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities (2018).

Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues.

John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; 'You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate.' "

FULL INTERVIEW | December 7, 2023
Ukraine, Taiwan and The True Cause of War | John Mearsheimer

* * * * *

Student Protester SCHOOLS Media on SOLIDARITY and Civil Disobedience

May 9, 2024
(Due Dissidence on YouTube)

"...The difference between us and people
like these cops is that there are limits
to when we uh continue following orders..."

* * * * *

Are We The Baddies?
(That Mitchell and Webb Look on YouTube)

Feel Free to Disagree...

 

...or Choose to Be Free Instead

Fighting Russia & China to Last American:Destroying US From Within

Dr. Jill Stein & Michael Hudson

May 17, 2024
(Dialogue Works on YouTube)

"Dr. Jill Stein - 2024 Presidential Candidate:
I'm running for president with the Green Party to offer a choice for the people outside the failed two-party system. We'll put a pro-worker, anti-war, climate action agenda front and center in this election and on the ballot in November. 

jillstein2024.com

Michael Hudson is President of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), a Wall Street Financial Analyst, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He is the author of Super-Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire (Editions 1968, 2003, 2021), ‘and forgive them their debts’ (2018), J is for Junk Economics (2017), Killing the Host (2015), The Bubble and Beyond (2012), Trade, Development and Foreign Debt (1992 & 2009) and of The Myth of Aid (1971), amongst many others.

ISLET engages in research regarding domestic and international finance, national income and balance-sheet accounting with regard to real estate. We also engage in the economic history of the ancient Near East.

Michael acts as an economic advisor to governments worldwide including China, Iceland and Latvia on finance and tax law. He gives presentations on various topics at conferences and meetings and can be booked here. Listen to some of his many radio interviews to hear his hyperspeed analysis of the geo-political machinations of global economics. Travel costs and a per diem are appreciated."

michael-hudson.com

APES FLINGING POO

 

KATIE HALPER

Israel Supporters Assault, Spit, Wish Rape On Protestors
May 15, 2024
(Katie Halper on YouTube)

"U.S. media and politicians have spoken out ad nauseam about the alleged anti-semitism on display at ceasefire protests. Not only do they fail to distinguish between antizionism (which is not antisemitism) and antisemitism, but they refuse to cover the the violence and hate speech perpetuated by Israel supporters AGAINST pro-Palestine protesters."

* * * * *

Weaponizing Media

Not Prop

From PropOrNot to New Lines: How Washington is Weaponizing Media
May 12, 2024
(By Alan MaCleod / MintPressNews)

"New Lines Magazine purports to be an independent media organization. Yet it constantly attacks genuine alternative media who stray from Washington’s official foreign policy line, all while employing many spooks, spies and other figures at the heart of the national security state.

Worse still, its parent organization, the New Lines Institute, has recently admitted to being directly funded by the U.S. government. MintPress News takes a closer look at this shady organization acting as Washington’s attack dog."

* * * * *

When the "PropOrNot" list was put out many years ago, I recall saving it off so I could investigate the many independent sites I wasn't familiar with, to determine what might be excellent information resources they were attempting to suppress.

Sadly, as time goes on, many excellent information resources have either been destroyed or co-opted. Keeping up with reliable journalism has become a game of propaganda Whac-A-Mole.

MEDIA BUBBLES

 

Suppressing Jeffrey Sachs

INTERVIEW: Prof. Jeffrey Sachs on Ukraine's War Failures
May 16, 2024
(A clip from SYSTEM UPDATE)

"...If one listened not to the Western media but also to the Russian channels and to Independent Media over the years, it's not as if there was some sudden change. What is happening right now, which is the defeat of Ukraine on the battlefield, is a steady process that's been happening now for more than two years..."

____________

The full interview available for free.

SYSTEM UPDATE #271 on Rumble

INTERVIEW: Professor Jeffrey Sachs on Ukraine's Failures, Israel's War in Gaza, China, and More

CONTROLLING THE PAST

 

SCOOP: Did Columbia SCRUB a Pro-1968 Protest Essay From Its Website?

May 8, 2024
(Due Dissidence on YouTube)

* * * * *

" 'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"
Orwell - 1984

WAR IS PEACE

 

Xi Jinping blasts US/NATO for bombing China's embassy in Serbia
May 9, 2024
(Geopolitical Economy Report on YouTube)

"While visiting Serbia, China's President Xi Jinping condemned the US and NATO for bombing Beijing's embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1999. Ben Norton discusses why Washington launched the attack, and lied about it. Then Ben analyzes China-Serbia relations and the Belt and Road Initiative."

* * * * *

I voted for Bill Clinton and have regretted that decision ever since. I've voted for a third party ever since. 

I'd rather vote for a principled person who advocates policies that more closely aligned with my own, who will probably lose, rather than a willing tool of empire who is rewarded for performing mass destruction throughout the world in service to oligarchs pursuing global domination.

If you desire a government that represents the majority of Americans, don't waste your vote on a Republican or Democrat, assuming our votes matter at all anymore.

[The famous Princeton Study that asserted

the USA is an oligarchy.]

Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens

(Published online by Cambridge University Press

18 September 2014)

"... Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence. The results provide substantial support for theories of Economic-Elite Domination and for theories of Biased Pluralism, but not for theories of Majoritarian Electoral Democracy or Majoritarian Pluralism. ..."

LAND OF FREE?

Kevin O'Leary WARNS PROTESTERS They'll Be BLACKLISTED Using AI

May 8, 2024
(Due Dissidence on YouTube)

* * * * *

If you're beginning to worry about impending fascism,

you're late to the party.

JILL STEIN 2024

 

 

  JILL STEIN 2024

Jill Stein Virtual Rally with Columbia Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs

(Streamed live on YouTube on May 3, 2024)

"Join Jill Stein Friday May 3rd for a virtual rally with legendary Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs to fire up the fight to get our pro-worker, anti-genocide, climate action campaign on the ballot across the country!"

* * * * *

I've never voted for Trump or Biden but I have voted for Jill. Voting for a third party is NEVER a vote for a Republican or Democrat. If I voted for Trump, THAT would be a vote for Trump. A vote for Jill Stein is a vote for Jill Stein. Please think about that.

The spoiler myth is a con to perpetuate the status coup (that's not a typo). If the Duopoly wanted a fair election they would support Rank Choice Voting. It (meaning the Uniparty) squash independent candidates by controlling ballot access and through their control of mainstream media.

Please consider voting for a presidential candidate that will not get us all killed. If Jill is on my ballot and I hope that's not a big if, I'll vote for her because she will do what she can in the pursuit of peace.

History One OHHH! One

What - Me Worry?

Why is Ukraine the West's Fault? Featuring John Mearsheimer
September 25, 2015
(The University of Chicago)
UnCommon Core: The Causes and Consequences of the Ukraine Crisis

"John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in Political Science and Co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago, assesses the causes of the present Ukraine crisis, the best way to end it, and its consequences for all of the main actors. A key assumption is that in order to come up with the optimum plan for ending the crisis, it is essential to know what caused the crisis. Regarding the all-important question of causes, the key issue is whether Russia or the West bears primary responsibility."

* * * * *

Ukraine War Primer | Jeffrey Sachs
December 29, 2023
(Dialogue Works on YouTube)

"Sachs is widely recognized for bold and effective strategies to address complex challenges including the escape from extreme poverty, the global battle against human-induced climate change, international debt and financial crises, national economic reforms, and the control of pandemic and epidemic diseases.    

Sachs serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he holds the rank of University Professor, the university’s highest academic rank. Sachs was Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University from 2002 to 2016. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Co-Chair of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University, and SDG Advocate for UN Secretary General António Guterres. From 2001-18, Sachs served as Special Advisor to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan (2001-7), Ban Ki-moon (2008-16), and António Guterres (2017-18)."

* * * * *

Ukraine is Collapsing and NATO Will Fall Apart | Col. Larry Wilkerson
May 8, 2024
((Dialogue Works on YouTube)

"Col. (ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson's last positions in government were as Secretary of State Colin Powell's Chief of Staff (2002-05), Associate Director of the State Department's Policy Planning staff under the directorship of Ambassador Richard N. Haass, and member of that staff responsible for East Asia and the Pacific, political-military and legislative affairs (2001-02).
-
Before serving at the State Department, Wilkerson served 31 years in the U.S. Army. During that time, he was a member of the faculty of the U.S. Naval War College (1987 to 1989), Special Assistant to General Powell when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93), and Director and Deputy Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia (1993-97). Wilkerson retired in 1997 and began work as an advisor to General Powell. He has also taught national security affairs at the George Washington University."

SEXY SPACE GECKOS

"Russia sent some geckos into space to have sex."

* * * * * *

Dateline 2014 (10 years ago): Some news never gets old, like Oliver's offhand comment that, "obviously almost everything is more important than this: Ukraine is sliding into anarchy, the Gaza ceasefire is tenuous and uh we're powerless to do anything about any of them."

P.S.

It's not Russia that's pushed Ukraine to the brink of war

(Seumas Milne at The Guardian - 30 April 2014)

"The attempt to lever Kiev into the western camp by ousting an elected leader made conflict certain. It could be a threat to us all"

"...When the Ukrainian president was replaced by a US-selected administration, in an entirely unconstitutional takeover, politicians such as William Hague brazenly misled parliament about the legality of what had taken place: the imposition of a pro-western government on Russia's most neuralgic and politically divided neighbour..."

SIN SOLDIERS

 

 

Caitlin "Clear View" Johnstone

Remember, All This Fascism Would Feel Way More Fascismy Under Trump

 

"If Trump was letting these horrible things happen, we’d feel outraged and upset. We might even feel obliged to get up and go protest the things he is doing, which as we all know can often cause us to miss brunch." 

There’s one thing Joe Biden and Donald Trump agree on.

(BreakThrough News on YouTube)

ALL OR NOTHING?

What, me worry?

 

Will the American Oligarchy Accept Limits or Choose World War Three?

(by Conor Gallagher at www.nakedcapitalism.com)

The Deleterious Dollar?

 

How the dollar's 'exorbitant privilege' enriches the USA (and global elites)
(Geopolitical Economic Report on YouTube)

 "How much does the US benefit from printing the global reserve currency? An economist calculated that US average daily income would fall by 27-57% if the dollar lost its "exorbitant privilege". Ben Norton explains how wealthy investors not only in North America but around the world hold much of their wealth in the dollar."

* * * * *

I've been around for over half a century. The future has never looked so bleak.

Interesting times, indeed.

Unstable Shroom Addict

Unstable Shroom Addict

Cold War 2: US officials call to overthrow China's gov't, expand military budget to $1.4 trillion

(Geopolitical Economy Report on YouTube)

"A major Congress member and top former Trump administration official published an article calling to overthrow China's government. They boasted that the US is waging a new cold war and must win it, while proposing a military budget of $1.4 trillion per year. Ben Norton debunks the deceptions of the warmongers in Washington."

______________

Power-hungry homicidal maniacs are playing war games that could literally blow everything up.

Sadly, as we enter the planet's 6th Extinction Event, the only animal avoiding the endangered species list is the War Hawk, and they're the worst pestilence that's ever threatened life on Earth.

Fire Weather: Climate Choas...

 

 

Hey, Duncler!

Fire weather: climate chaos is already here
(The Chris Hedges Report on YouTube)

"Few places illustrate the destructive cycle of fossil fuel-driven climate change as well as Alberta, Canada. Home to the tar sands boom, the province's remote north has also become a site of some of the worst climate disasters in recorded history—like the 2016 Fort McMurray Fire, which swallowed up 1.5 million acres and burned for three months. John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World, joins The Chris Hedges Report to discuss the Fort McMurray Fire, the tar sands industry responsible for the conditions that produced it, and the tinderbox world Big Oil has made in its all-consuming pursuit of profit."

#10 #2's ON GEORGE!

 

British Elites FREAK OUT

Over George Galloway Election Win!

(Jimmy Dore & Due Dissidence Hosts on YouTube)

"British firebrand, truth-teller and Palestinian rights supporter George Galloway has won a by-election in the Rochdale district in Manchester, and the United Kingdom elite is flipping out. Even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak felt compelled to speak out against Galloway, who announced in his victory speech, “This is for Gaza!

Jimmy and Due Dissidence hosts Russell Dobular and Keaton Weiss discuss just how much the UK establishment detests Galloway."

* * * * *

I enjoyed this discussion but the clips of Galloway's podcast and the statements of The Prime Minister were telling, and damning. Go Galloway!

A UK VICTORY

 

George Galloway Elected Again!

Landslide Victory for George Galloway in Rochdale

(Consortium News YouTube video)

 Galloway Back in Parliament, Declaring Duopoly Defeated
(Joe Lauria at Consortium News)

"George Galloway won a crucial by-election in the North of England on Thursday in which the Gaza genocide played a key role. Galloway said his victory heralded the demise of Labour-Tory dominance in British politics."

* * * * * *

Postscript

Monty Python’s Election Night Special ;)

 (a very funny YouTube video)
 

Socialism: by and for the people

 Claudia De la Cruz for President - 2024

 

I wish I lived in a country where I had a choice to vote for individuals with new ideas, or even old ideas, that encompass valuable ideals that would improve our lives. I wish I lived someplace where a variety of disparate voices would represent a constituency based on the percentage of citizens that agree with them. I'm talking about a genuinely representative government. I can only imagine.

 

Imagine if governance reflected the opinions of those being governed and leaders would influence policy based on a plurality of public opinion, instead of being governed by feeble-minded spokes models who sell out to various cabals of unelected special interest sociopaths.

 

 The shit is hitting the fan and the shit is the illusion of democracy. Buckle up.