Another brilliant, brilliant "Report," Thom ! I will go even one step further and suggest that the actual, real contest here resides in the "actor" behind all this--the human mind. A human who chooses to work with others, cooperate, think collectively for the good of all....will tend to make decisions that do actually benefit all--an egalitarian. A human who chooses to fill his own wants, needs, and desires first and foremost---and to heck with everyone else--tends to make authoritarian-type decisions. After all these years we lack the simplest psychological terms to readily communicate our largely dichotomous inner nature. Some like the terms ego, small self, or just plain "self" to represent our self-oriented, selfish, even narcissistic nature, whereas some use the terms "Higher Self, Big Self, or SELF to point to our larger, wider-oriented thinking. I propose that those who predominantly take the "small ego" path end up very self-absorbed, narrow-minded, and even with a siege mentality--Putin & Trump, anyone? But those who take the latter path toward a "Higher Self" are much more likely to wind up being a saint or Mother Theresa. So, yes, people coming together to offer their input automatically removes them from solitary isolation as they participate in a collective endeavor. Those who believe "I Alone Can Fix It"or "I Alone Can Rule the World" end up in their gold-plated mansions...or dungeons. Socially & politically, yes, it's a contest between totalitarianism and democracy. Psychologically it's a struggle between the two aspects of our inner selves. Fortunately, the outcomes of the last 6 Fourth Turnings have been on the side of the egalitarians....while the totalitarians lost. This current 4th Turning involves a new element: both top powers--the USA & Russia--have nukes. As Strauss & Howe pointed out in their 1997 book "The Fourth Turning," there is no way to predict which side will win....and there is guarantee it will be a happy outcome. May the Force be with you, Ukraine ! (with more than a little bit of help from your democratic friends !)
A great take on why democracy is what Putin needed and one that makes a lot of sense. The other three potential reasons that Thom poses for Putin’s bad behavior are just symptoms of autocratic rule, and they contributed significantly to their criminally stupid decisions. Plus, is it me or does Putin look a little full in the face over the last couple of years? We’ve all seen people who take steroids for any number of disorders of the brain and immune systems and I think it could be an aggravating factor in his tragically irrational actions. Whether it’s ‘roid rage, CTE (from hockey and bear wrestling on RT), or maybe something like Lupus or Parkinson’s, the Putin boy seems to be quite mad.
Wanted to comment on why I subscribed yesterday. You informed me about Zelensky's proposal for a U-24 organization, which seems like it would be a positive step forward for global relations. It would require the kind of "democratic" discussion you're talking about in today's report to make it work, but just the idea alone made me realize the need we face, post-war, for greater, more in-depth reporting. Such journalism should be a part of any new "U-24"-like impulse. Global citizens need to be better informed, especially in the area of politics and political leaders. Perhaps if we had better journalism (not corporately owned and influenced), and it was supported financially the way it deserves, we citizens would have arisen to demand the removal of such a despot before he made these fateful decisions that have turned everything upside down. I realized I need to put my money where my mouth is and support journalism, and your reports deserve such support. As a Canadian, I'm commenting from afar, but wondering if it may finally be time for a 3rd political party in the U.S.A.? One with some fresh, new ideas, and with politicians who actually want to serve the citizens for the good of all, rather than the interests of a few?
Mr. Hartman is thinking outside the box, and may have hit on something:
"Russia could have become a functional modern democracy back in the early 1990s. Gorbachev was enthusiastic about the prospect, as were most of the countries of western Europe.
But, as I detail in the upcoming Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America, the GHW Bush and Clinton administrations crippled the process by cheerleading their own embrace of Milton Friedman’s and Ronald Reagan’s neoliberalism.
The result was sadly predictable: Russian oligarchy emerged and now there is an open Russian dictatorship. Which, predictably, brings with it all the stupid, nonsensical decisions that dictators throughout history are famous for making.
Now authoritarian true-believers and the American oligarchs who fund them want to do the same to the USA.
They have a willing political party and a stacked Supreme Court on board for the project (along with two Democratic senators), and the elections this year and in 2024 will determine whether America returns to democracy or follows Russia down the road to autocracy.
Sinclair Lewis was wrong. It happened there, and it can happen here."
We are not just talking about the US and Russia having been allowed by its citizens to be moved into a totally controlled and manipulated society; it's how the global finance, pharmaceutical, news media, agri-business, transportation and the Military Industrial supply industries are now completely controlled by global oligarchs. As pretty as the EU looks today one only has to pay attention to how its entire system is being manipulated in Brussels-much like the US lobbyists do in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Hartman talks about the safety net of crowd sourcing information, ideas and supplies, and it is interesting to note that most of the countries with a high level of citizen involvement (Germany and the Nordic countries) we have multiple political parties. In the US, with two parties, we really have just been getting more of the same from both parties. The new Maverick subscriber from Canada echoes this well: "As a Canadian, I'm commenting from afar, but wondering if it may finally be time for a 3rd political party in the U.S.A.? One with some fresh, new ideas, and with politicians who actually want to serve the citizens for the good of all, rather than the interests of a few?"
In 2024 the world's largest military power may end up just like Russia and Putin, according to Mr. Hartman's analysis. Unless, of course, we have a massive uprising of common sense voters in the US and abroad. This Canadian also says: " I realized I need to put my money where my mouth is and support journalism, and your reports deserve such support." We desperately need both investigative news AND GOOD NEWS.
I wish Mr. Hartman would devote 1-2 days each week to highlight some really positive news, ideas and projects for all of us.
Here is a twitter thread from Kamil Galeev, Galina Starovoitova Fellow
@TheWilsonCenter, on Why Putin will lose. Putin is experienced at "special operations" but Russia's military is not capable of winning wars. Putin is affraid of a strong military and uses a security organization to keep the military minimized.
Dreams of democracy---that's all the Russian people got in the 90's. The Chinese haven't even had a tiny daydream concerning the subject. Their collective histories for the 20th century is an epic tragedy. We barely had a democratic republic in that era, but bless our ancestors and us, we kept working on it. And to Thom's point, we must not quit working to improve and maintain our system; change is the gift that keeps on giving.
The only PERSON in Putin's head is him. For people with a healthy ego, a conscience and empathy, that concept is unfathomable. No one knows where he is going and how far, not even him. Just like Trump it depends on the day and mood he's in. With that reality, everyone near him is screwed, and now the whole world has learned they are in his orbit. It's a nightmare.
Another brilliant, brilliant "Report," Thom ! I will go even one step further and suggest that the actual, real contest here resides in the "actor" behind all this--the human mind. A human who chooses to work with others, cooperate, think collectively for the good of all....will tend to make decisions that do actually benefit all--an egalitarian. A human who chooses to fill his own wants, needs, and desires first and foremost---and to heck with everyone else--tends to make authoritarian-type decisions. After all these years we lack the simplest psychological terms to readily communicate our largely dichotomous inner nature. Some like the terms ego, small self, or just plain "self" to represent our self-oriented, selfish, even narcissistic nature, whereas some use the terms "Higher Self, Big Self, or SELF to point to our larger, wider-oriented thinking. I propose that those who predominantly take the "small ego" path end up very self-absorbed, narrow-minded, and even with a siege mentality--Putin & Trump, anyone? But those who take the latter path toward a "Higher Self" are much more likely to wind up being a saint or Mother Theresa. So, yes, people coming together to offer their input automatically removes them from solitary isolation as they participate in a collective endeavor. Those who believe "I Alone Can Fix It"or "I Alone Can Rule the World" end up in their gold-plated mansions...or dungeons. Socially & politically, yes, it's a contest between totalitarianism and democracy. Psychologically it's a struggle between the two aspects of our inner selves. Fortunately, the outcomes of the last 6 Fourth Turnings have been on the side of the egalitarians....while the totalitarians lost. This current 4th Turning involves a new element: both top powers--the USA & Russia--have nukes. As Strauss & Howe pointed out in their 1997 book "The Fourth Turning," there is no way to predict which side will win....and there is guarantee it will be a happy outcome. May the Force be with you, Ukraine ! (with more than a little bit of help from your democratic friends !)
A great take on why democracy is what Putin needed and one that makes a lot of sense. The other three potential reasons that Thom poses for Putin’s bad behavior are just symptoms of autocratic rule, and they contributed significantly to their criminally stupid decisions. Plus, is it me or does Putin look a little full in the face over the last couple of years? We’ve all seen people who take steroids for any number of disorders of the brain and immune systems and I think it could be an aggravating factor in his tragically irrational actions. Whether it’s ‘roid rage, CTE (from hockey and bear wrestling on RT), or maybe something like Lupus or Parkinson’s, the Putin boy seems to be quite mad.
Wanted to comment on why I subscribed yesterday. You informed me about Zelensky's proposal for a U-24 organization, which seems like it would be a positive step forward for global relations. It would require the kind of "democratic" discussion you're talking about in today's report to make it work, but just the idea alone made me realize the need we face, post-war, for greater, more in-depth reporting. Such journalism should be a part of any new "U-24"-like impulse. Global citizens need to be better informed, especially in the area of politics and political leaders. Perhaps if we had better journalism (not corporately owned and influenced), and it was supported financially the way it deserves, we citizens would have arisen to demand the removal of such a despot before he made these fateful decisions that have turned everything upside down. I realized I need to put my money where my mouth is and support journalism, and your reports deserve such support. As a Canadian, I'm commenting from afar, but wondering if it may finally be time for a 3rd political party in the U.S.A.? One with some fresh, new ideas, and with politicians who actually want to serve the citizens for the good of all, rather than the interests of a few?
Mr. Hartman is thinking outside the box, and may have hit on something:
"Russia could have become a functional modern democracy back in the early 1990s. Gorbachev was enthusiastic about the prospect, as were most of the countries of western Europe.
But, as I detail in the upcoming Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America, the GHW Bush and Clinton administrations crippled the process by cheerleading their own embrace of Milton Friedman’s and Ronald Reagan’s neoliberalism.
The result was sadly predictable: Russian oligarchy emerged and now there is an open Russian dictatorship. Which, predictably, brings with it all the stupid, nonsensical decisions that dictators throughout history are famous for making.
Now authoritarian true-believers and the American oligarchs who fund them want to do the same to the USA.
They have a willing political party and a stacked Supreme Court on board for the project (along with two Democratic senators), and the elections this year and in 2024 will determine whether America returns to democracy or follows Russia down the road to autocracy.
Sinclair Lewis was wrong. It happened there, and it can happen here."
We are not just talking about the US and Russia having been allowed by its citizens to be moved into a totally controlled and manipulated society; it's how the global finance, pharmaceutical, news media, agri-business, transportation and the Military Industrial supply industries are now completely controlled by global oligarchs. As pretty as the EU looks today one only has to pay attention to how its entire system is being manipulated in Brussels-much like the US lobbyists do in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Hartman talks about the safety net of crowd sourcing information, ideas and supplies, and it is interesting to note that most of the countries with a high level of citizen involvement (Germany and the Nordic countries) we have multiple political parties. In the US, with two parties, we really have just been getting more of the same from both parties. The new Maverick subscriber from Canada echoes this well: "As a Canadian, I'm commenting from afar, but wondering if it may finally be time for a 3rd political party in the U.S.A.? One with some fresh, new ideas, and with politicians who actually want to serve the citizens for the good of all, rather than the interests of a few?"
In 2024 the world's largest military power may end up just like Russia and Putin, according to Mr. Hartman's analysis. Unless, of course, we have a massive uprising of common sense voters in the US and abroad. This Canadian also says: " I realized I need to put my money where my mouth is and support journalism, and your reports deserve such support." We desperately need both investigative news AND GOOD NEWS.
I wish Mr. Hartman would devote 1-2 days each week to highlight some really positive news, ideas and projects for all of us.
Here is a twitter thread from Kamil Galeev, Galina Starovoitova Fellow
@TheWilsonCenter, on Why Putin will lose. Putin is experienced at "special operations" but Russia's military is not capable of winning wars. Putin is affraid of a strong military and uses a security organization to keep the military minimized.
https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1497993363076915204
Kamil has other threads about Russia here:
https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1499094890881470465
Dreams of democracy---that's all the Russian people got in the 90's. The Chinese haven't even had a tiny daydream concerning the subject. Their collective histories for the 20th century is an epic tragedy. We barely had a democratic republic in that era, but bless our ancestors and us, we kept working on it. And to Thom's point, we must not quit working to improve and maintain our system; change is the gift that keeps on giving.
The only PERSON in Putin's head is him. For people with a healthy ego, a conscience and empathy, that concept is unfathomable. No one knows where he is going and how far, not even him. Just like Trump it depends on the day and mood he's in. With that reality, everyone near him is screwed, and now the whole world has learned they are in his orbit. It's a nightmare.
Meet the Night Witches, the Daring Female Pilots Who Bombed Nazis By Night.
https://www.history.com/news/meet-the-night-witches-the-daring-female-pilots-who-bombed-nazis-by-night