Muted, but STILL another shabby debate performance by a toxic narcissist

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXKSg8KXaQw

He was tragic, pathetic, ridiculous, & laughable in one 90-minute fell swoop.  Trump truly appears to be utterly delusional.  The top-level Repubs supporting him are making a monumental mistake.  A Party which long ago stood for honor, integrity, and the common people now is completely off the rails.

In addition, DJT's tariff increase proposal (which is more of an increase than any other in U.S. history) would increase price INFLATION - which now is declining - beyond the pale.  He's lying when he claims China would be paying for tariffs.  Consumers here would be doing it.

Finally, a reminder:  I'm not for Harris either, but she's orders of magnitude better than Trump.  [I don't care for her Gaza policy, her fossil fuel policy, or her lack of understanding of Sustainability.]  Neither major candidate is what we need to successfully navigate through the Meta-Crisis we're currently facing.  Clearly, though, Trump is the worst choice.  No doubt about it.

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Democrats and the Meta-Crisis

Senator Warnock (Dem from Georgia) gave a great speech at the Dem National Convention in Chicago.  Parts of it touched me deeply.  Nevertheless, I've seen nothing anywhere which convinces me that mainstream Democrats (Biden, Obama, Harris, Schumer, Walz, Pelosi, etc.) fully understand the ongoing Meta-Crisis or how to address it.  The very few Dems who do (still not fully, but way above the mainstreamers) are not mainstream, and have been marginalized to the hilt (Sanders, Warren, AOC, Omar, Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna, etc.).  And time is running out.

Do the Democrats understand the Crisis (in general) better than the Republicans?  Yes, apparently so.  Despite that, their grasp of the Crisis falls short of what's needed to navigate through it.  Such is the case mostly because of what appears to be a lack of Systems thinking on their part.  They tend to put each of the various aspects of our predicament into a separate "silo" (so to speak).  Deeply connected parts of the Crisis thus become separated when "solutions" are considered.  [An example is in the next paragraph.]  Most likely, the result will be a series of incomplete (or failed) responses.

Currently, the "Big Kahuna" being dealt with (barely) is Climate Change, a symptom of Ecological Overshoot.  For the most part, it has been placed in its own "silo".  Biodiversity Loss, also a symptom of Eco-Overshoot, is in another silo and is being given short shrift.  Its connection to climate disruption, soil degradation, preventing the spread of disease (pandemics) and more doesn't appear to be under consideration.  There's a lack of holistic thinking and synthesis in such a "silo-ing" approach.  Biodiversity Loss is every bit as important as Climate Change when it comes to responding to the human predicament.

The Green Party fully understands the Meta-Crisis, all aspects of it - sociological, ecological, economic, and ethical.  Those candidates should be elected, but won't be... mostly because Americans (in general) are ecologically illiterate.  [That statement is not an insult; it's an observation.  I'm illiterate about lots of things:  medical surgery, business management, particle physics, auto mechanics, etc.; there's no reason to be insulted about that:]  Plus, there's the unrelenting propaganda from most Republicans, Oligarchs, and Plutocrats.  

C'est la vie

..................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

ADDENDUM to "The Biden-Trump Debate..."

Someone I care about agreed with my last post on the Debate.  Along with agreement, also included was:  but "It's too late!".  My email response is below, slightly edited for this posting. 

September would be too late.  Four months to go until the election is adequate time for other people to mount  a campaign.  But, the point is moot because the DNC and most high-level Dems won't do anything to pressure Joe.  And, of course, the RNC and all high level Repubs seem to care not at all that Don-the-Con is a proven serial liar and a wannabe fascist, so they'll do nothing to dump Trump.

It isn't too late, either, for 99% of voters to vote for Jill Stein (or Marianne Williamson, or a Libertarian candidate, etc.), or to send a message by boycotting the election, but none of that will happen.  

American voters mostly are completely dogmatic, and demonstrate little imagination.  For the last fifty years or so, the USA truly has been dumbed-down.  It's tragic, and a genuine embarrassment.  And so it goes.

Some authorities now even are telling young people, you don't need a college or university education to get a decent job.  Yes, that's true; however - HELLO - getting a job isn't the only reason for going to college.  College/university graduates generally are more well-rounded, more broadly educated, more open-minded, better adapted to the complexity of modern society, and more appreciative of the importance of history, ethics, science, and society than those without such an education.  Those factors should not be ignored when contemplating a career path.  There's much more to life than just a decent job.  Work is important, but it's not the Be-All and End-All of a good life, a meaningful existence.

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

The Biden-Trump Debate made several things crystal clear

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/6/28/democrats_reaction_to_disastrous_debate

1.  Even at this late date, Biden must step aside.  He's not up to the task of beating Trump or being President next year.

2.  Almost every sentence from Trump is a blatant lie.  Worse, it seems likely he actually believes those lies.  He's some sort of mental case.  [Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, has so stated such multiple times.]

3.  High level Democrats must step up NOW and pressure Biden to bow out.  There are several better qualified people who could run.

4.  High level Republicans must stop backing a serial liar who also is a full-blown, wannabe fascist.

5.  Neither Biden or Trump understands how mainstream economics (neoliberal econ) is ruining our economy for people on Main Street.

6.  Regarding foreign policy (particularly re Gaza), both men are a disaster.

7.  Every Main Street Democrat and Republican must now pressure their respective elected officials to dump Trump and Biden.

8.  Because number 7 above most likely won't happen, every voter must seriously consider either a protest vote in November, or boycotting the whole sham.

9.  Biden is weak and impaired (most likely, so is Trump, but usually he hides it fairly well) and Trump is mentally "off his rocker".

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Speaking Truth to Power: Dr. Peter Kalmus

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rJHlFME480

Spend 3.33 minutes and watch Dr. Kalmus speak Truth to Power.  What the Powers-That-Be are doing is "insanity".  [Perhaps it should be characterized as on the brink of insanity, or outrageously ignorant.  Whatever the case, it's extremely harmful to all life on Earth.]

In the USA, the Democrats are almost as bad as the Republicans.  The Dems talk-the-talk better than the Repubs, but rarely do they ever walk-the-walk.  Maybe when the Food Crisis gets worse (probably within ten years) they'll be forced to do so in high gear.

When Dems say they "follow the Science", they mean medical science, not ecology or climatology.  Too bad for us.  When everything continues to get worse, hopefully that will change.

..................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Why is the Class War Accelerating in the USA and Elsewhere?

 Here's a large part of the answer---(the clip is only 6.5 minutes long)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJz3gPJ46kc&list=WL&index=71&t=23s

For over forty years, the Establishment has been favoring the upper 10% of income earners with tax cuts, tax loopholes which go unplugged, subsidies for big corporations, government contracts, lack of prosecution for wrongdoing, and more.  For the last few-to-several years, Main Street has become more & more aware of all that, and is finally pushing back with demonstrations, strikes, boycotts, and the like.  They have done so despite the fact that the Establishment often criminalizes those who peacefully object to being ripped off or exploited.  On top of all that...

The Super-Rich CEOs and corporations have realized what's happening to the American Empire - it's crumbling.  As a result of their realization, they now are making extra efforts to garner more wealth in order to further secure their future in the Post-American-Era.  Those extra efforts include increasing profits even more at the expense of workers, buying influence with politicians more than usual (they spent one billion dollars on the last mid-term elections), treating customers much like livestock (denying claims re faulty goods or services, ignoring safety concerns, etc.), buying back their own stock so shareholders get that money instead of workers, and in general, cutting corners to the max at the expense of Main St.

In addition, we have this...

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/5/24/jeffrey_sachs_defense_spending_us_debt

In the current "Debt Ceiling" talks, neither Biden nor McCarthy is mentioning or considering cuts to Defense spending.  The USA's spending on defense-related items constitutes 40% of the entire world's spending on such items.  Our Defense budget is larger than that of the next ten nations combined.  Most politicians in both major Parties support the concept of perpetual war.  So, the Defense budget is sacrosanct.  Plus, increasing taxes on the super-wealthy is not on the table.

Instead, the Repubs want to cut spending on items which benefit the poorest Americans.  Is that because they believe the Poor are undeserving of help?  If not that, what is it?  It can't be concern over fraud in some welfare instances.  Why?  Because they don't seem concerned at all about rampant mega corporation fraud.

All of the above has accelerated the ongoing Class War.  The bought-off politicians on both sides of the aisle largely are to blame.  So are many/most of the mega corporations and their Super-Rich CEOs.  If you agree, think hard before casting your vote in the next national election, and before buying another piece of manufactured rubbish made in China.

....................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Listen-up BRICS & other out-of-line nations: no country can have a "Sphere of Influence" except for the USA!

That seems to be what our Fed Gov't has been saying for years.  Talk about hubris!

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/4/27/monroe_doctrine

It's no wonder that countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, pockets of Europe, and a few other places are fed-up-to-the-gills with the USA's holier-than-thou arrogance.  The majority of our politicians appear to be stuck in the Past, with no clue as to how the world is changing.  They cling to the hostile, immature concept of:  whoever has the biggest stick gets to make all the rules.

Add to the above the fact that we're overextended financially and militarily, plus we're in massive ecological overshoot, and it becomes clear why the USA Empire is crumbling.  In the long run, that's a good thing.  The Rat-Race existence which some refer to as "The American Dream" is somewhat like junk food.  It looks good and tastes good, but it's not especially good for you.

A few have awakened (some long ago), but most of our politicians are in a dogmatic slumber, and such does not bode well for Main Street or the world.  The sleepers are stuck in war, trickle-down economics, patriarchy, neocolonialism, neoliberalism, and "holier-than-thou"-ism.  It doesn't have to be this way.

Politicians who are stuck in the Past (McCarthy, Pence, Trump, Biden, Schumer, et al.) don't have a majority of voters supporting them today but are at the top of the game because of the RNC and the DNC.  Those two Committees  (it seems to me) make sure that forward-looking, comprehensive thinkers don't get nominated to run for President.  So with the Dems, people like Warren and Sanders don't have a chance.  With the Repubs, someone who has (for example) a non-interventionist foreign policy - such as Rand Paul - has no chance either.

What it all means to me is as follows.  The stale, out-of-touch, Establishment factions - which are the majority in the top tiers of each major Party - will almost always be the lapdogs of the Oligarchs and Plutocrats.  Overall, that means we'll continue to have wars, interventions, sanctions, eco-overshoot, insane military spending, neocolonialism, etc.  That is, unless we...

stop electing those who adhere to failed concepts/policies/actions.

Neoliberalism, neocolonialism, trickle-down economics, constant intervention in the affairs of other nations, spying on literally everyone, trying to be the world's police, financial/economic sanctions (which harm Main Streets more than Leaders), and acting as if we are King of the World are all not only bad ideas/actions, but also dangerous to world stability.  If - because of the RNC & DNC - only oligarch lapdogs are on the ticket, then vote for the Green Party (which is better by far for the world than the major Parties) , or the Constitution Party, or the Libertarian Party, or some other Party. 

People say, but third parties don't have a chance of getting elected.  They certainly don't if everyone keeps saying and believing that.  In any case, such could be a loud message to the major Parties, a boycott of sorts...IF enough people participated.  Or, simply don't vote.  The game is rigged anyway (but not in the manner thought by the Trump Cult).

I've been keenly observing USA elections since 1956 and one thing is clear.  About 95% of the time, voters keep electing the same types of politicians to high office:  smooth talkers, believers in USA hegemony, people who essentially are ecologically illiterate, those who think infinite economic growth is a good thing, people who have interventionist foreign policies, and those who believe the USA should be the world's police force.  All of that must cease if we are to provide our progeny a sustainable future.

...........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

RIGGED IN THE USA

 I posted this piece (below: "A Fraud...") almost seven years ago.  It remains highly relevant today.  This situation is exactly why Presidential Debates in election years are rigged to the hilt.  Blame the Republicrats, otherwise known as the Mega Corporation Party.  It has two branches:  the RINOs & the DINOs.  😀

.............................

"A Fraud...Upon the American People"

I remember well the days when the League of Women Voters, a totally nonpartisan group, was in charge of moderating Presidential Debates in this country.  That was in the 1970's and 1980's.  At the end of the League's stint, the Repubs & Dems rejected about 80 proposed questioners for the debate...as well as numerous tough questions.  Later, the Republicrats came up with a nontransparent contract sanitizing the debate, saying who should be in the audience, and determining the exact questions that would be allowed.  The League resigned with this statement:  "A fraud is being perpetrated upon the American People.".

That's how we wound up with a private corporation run by the Dems & Repubs, the Commission on Presidential Debates, being in charge of the debates.  The word "Commission" makes it sound as though it's some sort of public, representative, all-encompassing entity.  It isn't...not by a long shot.  This private company (funded by corporations & foundations) determines who is allowed to debate, who will moderate the event, what questions will be allowed, and who is allowed in the audience.  This is rigging to the Nth degree.

At least the top three "Third Parties" should be allowed to participate in the upcoming debates...regardless of any percentage in polls.  Why not?  Isn't that democracy in action?  If the Republicrats claim that there isn't enough time for that amount of participation, that's pure hogwash.  Look at how many candidates were in the Primary Debates.  Four, five, or even six candidates wouldn't hinder anything in the major Presidential Debates.  Quite the opposite:  such a scenario would enhance the choices for the electorate.  The fact is:  without being in those debates, a candidate has little to no chance to garner votes.  That's how the Republicrat monopoly eliminates its competition.

[See the first featured segment on today's broadcast of Democracy Now, Thursday, August 18, 2016.  Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and others have something important to say.]

A private corporation should not be allowed to have complete control over those debates.  That's not democracy...that's Soft Fascism.

Okay, you're all excited about politics.  In this Rigged System I can't imagine why, but good for you.  Now, why not insist that Oligarchical control be relinquished, and instead, genuine participatory democracy be instituted?  Why not?  Habit?  Break out of the box.

...................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Two-Party Political System in the USA was Founded by Plutocrats

 Here's only a tiny part of the current state of American politics.  Each description at each link is extremely brief---

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/house_denounces_horrors_of_socialism_in_bipartisan_resolution

[Here are some of the "horrors of socialism" in the USA:  national parks, public roads, public libraries, public health clinics, social security retirement, & anything else not privatized.]

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/1_000_children_are_yet_to_be_reunited_with_families_after_separation_at_us_mexico_border

[This borders on criminality perpetrated by Repub AND Dem elected officials & appointed bureaucrats.  Perhaps arguably, it's child abuse.]

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/guantanamo_prisoner_majid_khan_freed_and_resettled_after_2_decades_of_detention_years_of_torture

["The U.S. continues to hold 34 prisoners at Guantánamo. Only 11 of them have been charged in military tribunals."  What an egregious shame on American national politicians.  ALL humans have certain rights, including criminals, terrorists, SUSPECTS, & the like.]

HISTORY MATTERS---

The first political Parties in the USA were the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans (AKA, the Anti-Federalists).  They were formed by the first political "bosses" about twenty years after the founding of our country.  Alexander Hamilton was the Head of the Federalists, and they were in favor of a strong central government.  When the USA was forming in the mid-1770's, Hamilton favored a monarchy for our type of government; he believed we should have a King.  Thomas Jefferson was the Head of the Democratic-Republicans, and they favored strong States' Rights.

These first American political Parties were formed by the members of the social elite, the rich plutocrats of that time.  Almost all of them "owned" hundreds of slaves, and believed only the aristocracy should rule a country.  Twenty years prior to the formal organization of the two Parties, these same men formed our government.  They did not favor a democracy, and often described same as "two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner".

They finally settled on a Constitutional Republic in which "all men are created equal", except of course, for slaves.  Women couldn't vote, and members of the Senate were not elected; instead, they were appointed to office.

Time passed, and things changed.  Now we're the "land of the free and the home of the brave".  I agree we're brave.  One has to be when putting up with politicians who favor mega banks, perpetual war, fossil fuels, policing the world, the American Empire, the rich & powerful, and Edward Bernays style propaganda.  But, are you "free" - from debt, from job insecurity, from the rat-race, from pollution (e.g., the "forever chemicals" and the nano-plastics in your body), from a fractured and atomized society, from the super high cost of living, from a government too large to be managed properly, from "food deserts" scattered all across the country, from weather extremes which could have been mitigated on the macro-scale, from inflation (the hidden tax)?  If not, then place much of the blame on a broken TWO-PARTY system which is largely run by Oligarchs and/or their influence.

Don't jump to conclusions.  No one loves this country more than I do.  It's a false myth which says if you love your country, then you must support the scoundrels who are running it.  Plutocrats promote that baloney.  The aristocracy wants you to believe such nonsense.  As Warren Buffett once stated fairly recently:  "There's a Class War going on in this country, and my side is winning.".  So true, Mr. Buffett.

It doesn't have to be that way.  Stop drinking the propaganda kool-aid coming from Repubs AND Dems.  Overwhelmingly, they are on the same Team (except for a few social hot-button issues), and it's not yours.  They are on Team Oligarchy.

So, what's to be done?

1.  If you're a Democrat, don't ever vote for one of your "centrist/moderate" candidates (unless he/she is running against someone like Trump).  They are NOT centrists; they are corporatists.  They are part of the Big Business Establishment.  Instead, support Progressives.  They have their flaws, but they're the closest thing to being democratic (with a small letter "d") in the Corporatist Dem Party.  The Dem Party of the past is long-gone, replaced by neoliberalism.

After Sanders was completely shafted by the DNC, it's amazing to me that any Progressives remained in the so-called Dem Party.  They all should have dumped it.  I'm guessing they believe they'll change it from the inside.  That's highly unlikely.  It's a rigged game, rigged by billions of dollars.

2.  If you're a Republican, be aware that the Repub Party also is long-gone; it has been co-opted first by Neoconservatives, and then by Neoliberals.  They support Big Biz over Small Biz.  They egregiously promulgate Corporate Globalization and monopolies.  The only thing they want to conserve is Rule by Plutocrats.  They favor industrial farming over smaller family farms.  They abhor competition in the marketplace.  They don't give a damn about your religion, your ethics, or your belief in conservatism.  In short, you've been bamboozled.

Your best hope is to dump the so-called Repub Party, and become an Independent or perhaps a Libertarian (although, you probably won't care for the liberal side of libertarianism).  You're fairly well shafted, partly because most likely you don't know much at all about Russell Kirk, the Founder of Modern Day Conservatism.  Without knowing it, you allowed genuine conservatism to be replaced by neoliberalism.

................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here's EXACTLY how to defeat corporatist/fascist/xenophobic/unAmerican GOP candidates

 https://www.democracynow.org/2022/10/25/ralph_nader_mark_green_midterms_2022

Poo-poo him all you want to, but Nader is the most dedicated & brilliant friend of Main Street this country ever has had.  He shows precisely how to defeat the Party which has co-opted the Repubs for years.  Details are in the link above & the one immediately below.

https://winningamerica.net/

I'm not a Repub or Dem, but even a goose could see that the Dem Party is orders of magnitude better for the country than the unAmerican, criminal tragedy which calls itself the Repub Party.  Both major Parties are corrupt, run by the Super-Rich, & damaging to Main Street; but the Repubs are so much worse than the Dems in so many respects it boggles the mind that even ten people would vote GOP in a Fed election.  How are they worse?  Listen to Nader at the 1st link above.  He's right on the mark.  

If the Dems don't take his advice, they're dumber than a wooden post & deserve to lose next month AND in 2024.    The Repubs are just as dumb if they choose & support Trump (again) in the next Presidential election.  After his performance in January 2021, the gaslighting criminal should be popular only with cult members who are both propagandized to the hilt & ignorant beyond redemption.

......................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Neoliberalism Has Ruled For Decades - Is That Nightmare Over?

Preface
Below is an email I sent family and friends yesterday, explaining why this is my last essay on this blog.  Individual Sovereignty started a bit over thirteen years ago.  It's time to change horses... but first---
......................................

Introduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBzSLu3MZ6I

Only a bit over six minutes in length (too brief to be a complete explanation), this clip to some degree explains the neoliberal coup.  Pay particular attention to Jimmy Carter's short statement.  Carter was elected President largely because of the efforts of David Rockefeller and Z. Brzezinski (author of The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives).

............................

The Email (Title:  Maybe, Maybe Not), edited

The end of neoliberalism?---

https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/coronavirus-spells-the-end-of-the-neoliberal-era-whats-next/  and...

https://newrepublic.com/article/155970/collapse-neoliberalism  

 We can always hope.  It should have collapsed after Pinochet in Chile, or at least after the Crash in 2008.  Corporatists, politicians, economists of a certain flavor, the Corporate Media, and others keep it hanging on... without naming it.

Neoliberalism has brought us lost jobs & manufacturing, income inequality, austerity, increased susceptibility to disease, environmental destruction, increased military interventionism, privatization, Neofeudalism, and a weaker, less resilient economy... among many other ills.  

Prominent Neoliberals include/included:  Friedrich Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Walter Lippmann, Kissinger, Carter, Brzezinski, David Rockefeller, Milton Friedman, Reagan, Thatcher, H.W. Bush, both Clintons, Gore, M. Albright, Robert Rubin, Alan Greenspan, Obama, Biden, Larry Summers, T. Geithner, Pelosi, McConnell, most all Mega Bank CEOs, etc.  The Cheney-Bush-Wolfowitz cabal was NeoCon, and the difference between that & NeoLib is almost nil.  Trump isn't a NeoCon or a NeoLib.  He has no ideology at all.  The closest one would be straight-up Fascism.

As you can see, the term "neoliberal" transcends the old labels of Repub, Dem, Conservative, Libertarian, & Liberal.  That's not only my opinion.  Many articles have been written on the subject in numerous, prestigious publications... The New Yorker, The Atlantic (founded as The Atlantic Monthly), NYT, The New Republic, The Guardian, etc.  Here are a few of those pieces---

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot  (the best history of neoliberalism I've read so far).

 https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/05/history-of-neoliberal-meaning/528276/

https://newrepublic.com/article/147810/worlds-apart-neoliberalism-shapes-global-economy 

https://newrepublic.com/article/155970/collapse-neoliberalism  (neoliberalism on both the Right & the Left)

Neoliberals are all across the political spectrum, and have been for decades.  I believe anyone not fully aware of the details in all the above is behind on the learning curve in politics.  So, after posting this--- maybe in the next few days--- on Individual Sovereignty, I'm going to leave that blog and start a new one.  [The theme of it will be something along the lines of "Ecology and World Survival".]  I've concluded that neither the Right or the Left (on Main Street) truly understands the unquestionably dominant economic and political philosophy/ideology in the world (including the USA) today--- neoliberalism, and the fact that it has displaced all the old labels.  I'm growing weary of trying to explain it.  Time to move on.  

p.s.  Neoliberalism is not "new", and it's not "liberal".

..............................

Not only my opinion.  Stay Well

p.s.  Many thanks to those who have followed this blog for years, and to those who visited however briefly.  Within a month or so, I hope to have the new site up and running.  I'll post a link on this blog when appropriate.  If you have any interest in Human Ecology and Environmental Science, please have a look.

ADDENDUM to "The Coup is Almost Complete"

My friend replied to essentially the post immediately previous to this one (which was an email to him).  In his reply, he pointed out that decades ago the major Parties had an inversion.  They flipped certain beliefs & principles.  The Repubs (in general) went from being anti-slavery to often being basically racist & against the poor today.  The Dems (in general) went from essentially supporting slavery & the Uncle Tom era (some Dems were high up in the KKK) to being anti-racist and supportive of poor people.  He ended by saying he knew what I was talking about in my first reply, but he was referring to the GOP now--- basically a mob-like crime family [at the highest levels], and that America was rotten to its core [again, at the highest levels]...due to unregulated capitalism.  "Sad."
My reply is below.
...................................

Agreed, but the Dems did more than just get rid of racism in their ranks.  The Establishment Dems eventually became Neoliberals, with very little difference between them & NeoCons when it comes to war, the economy, fiscal policy, monetary policy, foreign policy, the Financial Sector, Crony Capitalism, the broken Fed Justice System, the favoring of aristocrats, the War on Drugs, etc.  In other words, the Establishment Dems became Corporatists.  The Corporate Media refer to them as "Moderate Democrats".  They aren't.

 

In reality, there are no Dems, Repubs, Liberals, or Conservatives anymore.  They've been replaced by Neoliberals & NeoCons.  The old terms are used as propaganda by the Corporate Media & the Parties to keep people stuck in the past and to keep them believing that the old values & groups of 60 yrs ago still are in the game.  They aren't, they're gone.  They've been replaced by the Neo- groups...all Corporatists.

Only Libertarians and Progressives have remained in place & true to their original characteristics...and each has little to no power in national electoral politics.

Calling the Powers-That-Be either Republicans, Democrats, Liberals, or Conservatives is a huge mistake in my opinion.  Referring to a dog's tail as its fifth leg doesn't make it so.  The only people with any significant power in Office today are either NeoCons or Neoliberals.  They aren't anything like Repubs, Dems, Conservatives, or Liberals.  Saying they are misleads Main Street, and makes Main Street easier to manipulate.  Cognitive dissonance (& similar techniques), by way of Edward Bernays style propaganda--- that's how the Neo-groups have come to power/staged a Coup...by convincing people that they are the true-blue Parties of 60 or so years ago.  

Main Street believes it because literally everyone keeps calling them Repubs, Dems, etc.  They aren't.  [Or, they are in name only.]  It's all Orwellian, political Doublespeak ...& it worked like a charm.  It's not about Repubs & Dems (or Conservatives & Liberals) anymore; they don't exist nowadays.  [Even Chris Hedges has written & lectured about the "Death of the Liberal Class"; and the author of "The Conservative Mind", Russell Kirk, must be turning in his grave...given the people who are called "Conservatives" today.  The same with Robert A. Taft.]  Today, it's all about the Oligarchy & the rest of us.  Until every adult (or at least a vast majority) on Main Street realizes that, we are all shafted.  Sad, indeed.

..............................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Coup is Almost Complete

A friend wrote me an email in which he decried the show trial in DC...the sham, cover-up (so far) performance in the Senate.  My response is below.
................................................

Yessir, it's flat-out Orwellian.

I would disagree, though, that these Fascists are "Republicans".  Republicans (before they dried up & blew away) believed in a Constitutional Republic.  These folks are Trumpistas/Corporatists/Fascists...a horse of a different color.  Republicans didn't believe in Interventionism overseas, or shooting people in the back, or doubling/TRIPLING the Debt, or a National Surveillance State, or ignoring the Geneva conventions on war, or a host of other nightmares.  

The Repub Party was hijacked a long time ago, even before Reagan.  [The Reagan years almost tripled our National Debt, & essentially launched Neoliberalism in economic policy.  Both Reagan & Thatcher joined in what was known as the "Washington Consensus", pure Neoliberal policy.]

"Pinochet's neoliberal policies came to be codified as 'structural adjustment', and Thatcher became one of structural adjustment's most enthusiastic promoters, not only for Britain but the world, popularising her approach with the slogan 'There is no alternative'. With Thatcher and the US president Ronald Reagan as its main boosters, and the World Bank and IMF as its executors, structural adjustment or the Washington consensus was generalised throughout the developing world."

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/apr/16/legacy-margaret-thatcher-neoliberalism  

The story is similar with The Democrat Party.

Carter, David Rockefeller, Brzezenski, & the Trilateral Commission created much of the philosophical underpinnings for Neoliberalism.  The Trilateral Commission's 1st Annual Paper ("The Crisis of Democracy", book-length) proposed:  the crisis of democracy was that there was too much democracy in the world.  According to the scholarly authors (all supposedly "Liberals"), that had to be remedied if the Establishment were to survive.  "The Crisis of Democracy" was published in 1975.

Today, the terms "Republican" and "Democrat" are nothing other than Edward Bernays style PROPAGANDA.  The NEOconservatives & NEOliberals both started up in the 1970's (the difference between them is almost nil); they now rule much/most of the Western World.  In practical terms, "Conservatives" & "Liberals" no longer exist; they've both either converted or given up & faded away.

With Trump & Crew, the Neoliberal/NeoCon Coup is now almost complete... and it's not a "conspiracy"; it's in plain sight.  Meanwhile, the main worry of too many Americans is:  when is the new I-Phone making its debut.  Hey, maybe this next one will be able to fry pancakes.  

And so it goes.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Assange, the Feds, Russia, Tom Drake, Politics, Elections, and Hypocrisy

Below is an email I sent to a few of my family & a few friends, and my response to a friend's reply...edited a bit.  In particular, the last full paragraph of this Post was not in my email response at all.
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The War on Whistleblowers---

After saying during his first Pres campaign for election that they should be protected, Obama prosecuted more of them than anyone in our history.  Imagine what Trump's Crew will do to Assange.  While the Right & Left squabble, Plutocrats/Oligarchs win again.  Their war crimes will continue to go unpunished...all in the name of "safety".  Meanwhile, those who expose violations of the Constitution and outright crimes by the Gov't will be persecuted and prosecuted.  

Do a Search for: Tom Drake whistleblower.  Bush, Obama & Holder destroyed the career & much of the life of this American hero, a Vet, and an honorable Gov't servant who spent months trying to expose NSA wrongdoing by doing so "within the system".  The Powers-That-Be ignored & denigrated him, so he finally went outside the system to expose Gov't crimes.  They essentially kneecapped him.  Later, Hillary had the gall to state that Manning should have worked within the system, thus gaining the protection of whistleblower status.  What a tragic joke.  In her youth, Hillary was a Populist, but for some time now, she's been nothing but a multi-millionaire Plutocrat.  [Hopefully, she's washed up in politics.]

...............................................
A friend responded with a somewhat biting critique of Assange... especially relative to the last few years.  My reply is below.
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No one's perfect.  Despite his flaws, I think Assange is a hero.  After being cooped up in a building for 7 years, and denied safe passage to a hospital for needed medical diagnosis & treatment, who knows what anyone might do after realizing you're going to be arrested... and most likely extradited to the USA's totally broken Fed Justice System.

As to Russia, their misdeeds re the election merely are payback for all the crap our Gov't heaps on them... we've interfered in their affairs (including elections) for decades.  Sanctions, elections, Ukraine, NATO encroachment right up to their border (after it was agreed not to do that), & who knows what else.  As to the Dem email leaks, GOOD.  I think those were in the public interest--- exposure of the two-faced Hillary, and the manipulation of Primaries by the Dem Upper Crust.  The truth was exposed; too bad that the truth did not favor Democrats.  That's the fault of Dems, not Russians.

I really am sick & tired of hearing Dems whine about Russians "interfering in our elections".  What hypocrisy...and they're still complaining.  They should focus on the fact that two Plutocrats were running for President...correct that.  The Dems are just as bad as the Repubs when it comes to being self-righteous in terms of election behavior.  But the Dems gerrymander, too; the Dems manipulate Primaries, too.  Just because the Repubs are worse about it does not excuse Dem behavior... including their self-righteousness.

The article you sent implied that the charge against Assange was not really much...& not related to publishing.  Please.  He could get 45 years in prison according to a previous lawyer of his.  Plus, I don't see how aiding a whistleblower in getting info is not related to publishing that info.

As to Assange (an Australian) favoring Russia, maybe so; but unfortunately, our Gov't is a much bigger threat to the world than the Ruskies ever could be.  Not just militarily, but all across the board.  There's no doubt whatsoever about that.  I don't at all believe their Gov't Plutocrats are the "good guys"; but our Gov't Plutocrats (at the highest levels) are a gazillion times worse, and a monstrous threat to this planet...militarily, economically, financially, environmentally, politically (even though our NeoFeudalism is more subtle than Russia's), & in every other way I can imagine.

Conclusion:  all this braying about Russia is, to me, blatant HYPOCRISY... and way overblown... and finally,  a distraction from much more important things.  As to Assange, our Government's wrongdoings need to be exposed.  History shows that the State almost always tries to cover up its crimes by criminalizing those who expose them.

I love this Land; but we need to wake up to the fact that our Fed Gov't is led by a bunch of screwed-up, dangerous, plutocratic oligarchs...and that's no matter whether Republicans or Democrats hold majority power.  Another option is to keep drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid, bury our heads in the sand, and hope everything turns out okay.  Another option is to continue to believe (as the True Believers do) that only the Republicans or the Democrats have the right solution to our problems... in other words, to continue to believe the Propaganda coming from one or the other of those two camps.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Following Applies to the Top Tiers of Both Major Political Parties in the USA

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."
~ Groucho Marx

"An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought."
~ Simon Cameron, one of the USA's first political "bosses".  He died in 1889 at the age of 90.

"Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other."
~ Oscar Ameringer, known as the Mark Twain of American Socialism.  He lived from 1870 through most of 1943.

"I have the most reliable friend you can have in American politics, and that is ready money."
~ Phil Gramm, a national politician who began as a Democrat and then switched to the Republican Party in 1983.  He sponsored many legislative bills favoring financial deregulation.

"There’s a whiff of the lynch mob or the lemming migration about any overlarge concentration of like-thinking individuals, no matter how virtuous their cause."  [Amen, amen, and amen to that.]
~ P. J. O'Rourke, an American political satirist.
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It isn't that all politicians are rotten and despicable; rather, it's that the Two-Party System within which they operate is such.  That system is not required by the U.S. Constitution; neither are political Parties.  Early political bosses invented both.  Perhaps it's time to re-think the entire set-up.  Any unbiased examination of history reveals that set-up has not served us well.  Plus, despite popular opinion to the contrary, the Two-Party System (including "winner-takes-all") is not set in stone.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

It's the Other Side's Fault

Below is my response (edited a bit) to an email from a friend.  His email was a commentary on my piece here titled, "Republicans & Democrats - Time to Cowboy-Up".  The name "Hartmann" below refers to Thom Hartmann, the pundit and author.

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You & Hartmann seem to have the premise that all Republicans are sociopaths, but maybe only a few Democrats are that.  Really?  You actually believe that everyone in an entire group is sociopathic?  Please.  Forgive me, but that's prejudice.  In fact, it sounds very similar (not the same) to Nazis claiming that all Jews are deceitful, conniving, & filthy.  Or, some Republicans claiming that all Democrats are totalitarian communists.  All of the above is ridiculous.

You don't have to sell me on the egregious actions of Repub Administrations; I agree.  That doesn't prove your premise that all Repubs are sociopaths.  Neither does the study you mentioned some time ago about Right Wing folks having some sort of flaw in their brains.  Here's another study that tends to suggest this whole thing is not as one-sided as you believe---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SOQduoLgRw&t=3s

Perhaps you watched it the 1st time I sent it, but maybe your bias against Repubs prevented you from getting the point.  I don't know.  Jon Haidt studies the moral foundations of politics; he's a well respected psychologist.  His study results are quite revealing.  http://people.stern.nyu.edu/jhaidt/

Those of you who continue to pit one side against the other are making things more entrenched...worse, in my opinion.  You and I apparently will never agree on this topic, so of what use is it to talk about it?

To put all people of a particular persuasion into one psychological/social basket is a huge mistake in my opinion.  It causes big problems.  Too many unwarranted assumptions, too much jumping to conclusions, too much prejudice.  I've known some mighty fine people in my life; some were Repubs, some were Dems, some were Libertarians, and some were Socialists.  I've never found each separate political group to be homogeneous in their beliefs or actions.

 We humans seem to have an innate drive to divide up into groups/factions/teams and oppose one another.  Too often that opposition winds up in violence... mainly thanks to propaganda.  And each group firmly believes that it alone is "in the right"...for whatever reason.  The "other" side is always "wrong".  All that is probably why we'll wind up like every other species that had some degree of dominance on Earth---extinct.

None of the above is too much of a concern to me because, in my belief/faith system, this existence of ours is The Grand Illusion.  As the old song goes, "... Life is but a dream.".  And that's a good thing.  

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Republicans & Democrats - Time to Cowboy-Up

Preface---
Trump is not the problem; he's merely a symptom of the problem.  More accurately, he's a symptom of a plethora of problems, most of which revolve around Corporatism and Propaganda.  Below I suggest only a couple of things that the highest levels of the Repubs and Dems can do toward making our country a better place, and our standing in the world more favorable.
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Democrats---
This is a no-brainer:  stop harping on Trump's foibles and misdeeds.  They are obvious to almost everyone.  Instead, give us a vision of your program for improvement...a comprehensive vision, rather than a one-or-two-issue vision.  You've managed to essentially kill the "Green New Deal", I've seen little to no efforts/plans on your part to get Corporate money out of politics, or break up the egregious Mega Banks, or put a stop to gerrymandering of House Districts, or stop antagonizing the world with military adventurism, or any significant plan to fix our crumbling public infrastructure, or any plan to encourage manufacturing in this great land, and on & on.  Mostly what I see are high level politicos bellying up to the public trough and private wealth.  I also see that over the years you've managed to pretty much marginalize any person in your Party who favors the "common people".  You give a lot of lip service to genuine Populism, but little else.  Most of you now seem to believe in Neoliberalism, not Liberalism.  It's time for a sea change.

Republicans---
You're just as bad as the Dems.  Over many years, and especially lately, you have squandered and ruined the reputation of a once ethical Party.  In the distant past, your Party stood for:  honor, ethics, We the People, and small business (which employed 80% of American workers).  Now you support what is basically a cabal of super-rich, monopolistic, anti-democracy NeoFascists.  You favor Mega Biz over Small Biz.  You favor Crony Capitalism over genuine Capitalism.  In the past you recognized the folly and danger of policing the world; now you jump at every chance to get into another war.  You once knew the difference between patriotism and nationalism; now you don't seem to have a clue.  In the past, one sect of your Party was Conservative; that's now gone.  Instead, NeoConservatives now dominate a pathetic excuse for what's called the Republican Party.  Even worse, most of you now kowtow to a man who has little to no ethics, morality, or even mental stability.  Shame on you.

Given all that, here's another no-brainer:  stop backing Trump.  History will not treat him well.  He's not even a Republican...and certainly not a Conservative.  In addition, divest yourselves of NeoConservatism.  Re-discover the roots of your Party.  Our country will be better off for it.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Genuine Democracy Does Not Exist in the USA

I love this Land and, in general, its people.  Because someone loves their country does not mean that they have to love the rulers in their government.  Our rulers not only are plutocratic, they are fast becoming autocratic and despotic.  All one has to do is listen to and watch the current Occupier of the Oval Office for proof of that.

This never was a democracy; not only that, but our 

"democratic republic" is long gone.  The majority of our 

Founders described democracy as "mob rule", or "two 

wolves & one sheep deciding what's for lunch", or 

"despicable", or "tyranny of the majority", or "the devil's 

own gov't", or "the most violent of despotisms", or 

"violating the concept that whoever owns the country 

should rule it", etc.  [All quotes by various Founders.]

Schools left all that out of American Gov't 101.  

................................

Our democratic republic is long gone because---

1.  The Constitution is violated almost equally by Dems 

& Repubs...and often.  That has been going on for decades; some of them even admit it.

2.  The proper use of the Executive Order is violated 

almost equally by Dems & Repubs.  [The Constitution 

allows only two Executive Orders in Article II, Section 2.  

Dems & Repubs claim that those two imply an unlimited 

& unspecified number of others.]

By violating this provision of Article II, Section 2, Presidents have been able to create "laws" without Congress.  For decades, past Presidents each have done this literally hundreds of times.  That makes them autocrats.  Presidents represent the State, not the People; that's why only Congress is authorized to create Laws.  Members of Congress supposedly represent We the People.

3.  In general, the majority of both elected Dems & 

elected Repubs are warmongers & corporatists.  With 

rigged Primaries, rigged elections, gerrymandering, 

voter suppression, black box voting, etc., that's not going 

to change.  Never mind the unrelenting propaganda.

4.  Both Parties believe in Mega Corps being too big to 

fail and too big to jail.  That applies not only to Mega 

Banks, but to Mega Insurance Corps & others as well.

5.  Probably over 99% of national candidates are 

selected, groomed, & financed by Super-Rich Plutocrats.

6.  Both Parties gerrymander House districts.

7.  Both Parties rig Primaries.

8.  Both Parties support corporatist globalization.

9.  According to a Princeton study, national politicians 

ignore the expressed will of the People 70% of the time.

10.  If voting really & permanently changed anything of 

significance, the Powers-That-Be would make voting 

illegal.

11.  Despite any small victories won by the People, 

Corporatism ultimately winds up ruling.

12.  Except for some indigenous societies (mostly in the 

Past), throughout history---& right through to today--- 

Plutocrats always have ruled.  C'est la vie. 

13.  What we've had ruling our country for decades now is a Plutocratic, CRONY Capitalist, State-Corporate Complex.  It reigns supreme, and it's not a "conspiracy"; it's right out in plain sight.

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Under present conditions, voting won't change any of 

the above.  Meaningful change only will come from 

outside the whole corrupt system, a system that should 

be shunned...and that change should be peaceful.

Not only my opinion.

Be Well