Why right wing crises face incompetence or cynical exploitation. Bush and “heckofajob Brownie”; Netanyahu and Gaza; Trump and Covid, or his cynically tossing paper towels at hurricane victims..
Lars Muhl described it best...we are all in a boat together and one group is poking holes in it while the other group is bailing out the water flooding in.
Israel immediately mortphed into a coalition government. I have my own Ideas how to resolve their problem -- have innocent Gazans surrender to an empowered Palestinian Authority.
In our country if the right wing needs to hate someone, direct some of it to the OPEC/Saudi/Russian threat to our economy that also represents as far as I am concerned a clear and present threat to our national security. OPEC fixes oil production and thus raises prices. Russia has an oil economy. We should sue for price fixing and price gouging. Saudis own our largest oil refineries, control energy companies like Exxon.
Trump may be an agent or a willing idiot for both Putin and Saudi Arabia.
Absolutely agree and what a brilliant idea, Allow the Gazans to surrender to the PLA, however I see a problem, HAMAS will stop that from happening, jus like they are stopping Gazans from moving to South Gaza, and blowing up those that try, blaming it on Israel's rockets.
OPEC fixes oil prices and Exxon, Shell and BP profit, and profit big time.
Quite agree, but any collateral damage that befalls Gazan's is the fault of HAMAS, they are using their population as human shields, as you say,. Israel will know no peace, and will be continuously assaulted and lives lost, hostages taken, if HAMAS is not thoroughly decapitated.
As regards innocent civilians. I am not so sure, Like Mao said, the revolution swims in the sea of the people, and HAMAS operated, organized, trained, and built in the midst of he people with their knowledge and assent, and the women now weeping were ulating on Oct 7th as video and images of the horror of the attack was posted on social media as it was happening.
We need a new definition of innocents, maybe children under the age of 5.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad ("PIJ" not the Palestinian Authority) shot a "short round" into the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, killing hundreds of Gazans. PIJ was formed as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and was influenced ideologically in its formation by the Islamic regime in Iran. It is a member of the Alliance of Palestinian Forces, which rejects the Oslo Accords and whose objective is the establishment of a sovereign Islamic Palestinian state. It calls for the military destruction of Israel and rejects a two-state solution. The organization's financial backing has historically come mainly from Syria and Hezbollah. Since 2014, PIJ has seen its power steadily increase with the backing of funds from Iran. Radar and video records show "an operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit." https://www.timesofisrael.com/.../israel-publishes-video.../
The Israelis are saying that they will not occupy Gaza, but they are planning an incursion. Biden was supposed to meet with the PA tomorrow but apparently, there are riots over the hospital as Hamas blames it on Israel.
Iwas just watching this, video's on Nicole Wallace, Inside the White House.
Here is what I saw, from Gazan video's. It was a bunch of young healthy men (war fighters?)
No women, no children, my opinion is that HAMAS was using the courtyard of a hsopital to fire a rocket or rockets,except that one misfired and blew up in their faces. Again HAMAS is using hospitals as human shields, I am disappointed in the on the ground press, they evidently are taking HAMAS pronouncements at face value.
I am watching a recorded interview, they have video's of HAMAS firing rockets but one went astray it went up then fell back into the hospital. This was the work of Islamic Jihad, and they don't care a bout life, not even their own. In twisted Muslim world, suicide bombers and women and children killed as a result of their actions are shahids, martyr's.
This sucks, at the same time. I don't believe in innocent civilians except maybe children under the age of 8, as children are raised on books and comic, and class room instruction to hate the Jew.
And I am dead sure that the women of Gaza were ulating, and the kids jumping in joy, when they say video's of rockets and paragliders firing into Israel
Nor do I believe that Israel would attack hospitals, the state of Israel, and Netanyahu for all of his crimes, is not Putin.
Where is the noise from the left, of whom I am ashamed, especially the Democratic Socialists of America, about Putin bombing Ukrainian hospitals, schools and maternity wards.
Question was rhetorical.
Last Year and for years, I always supported Democracy Now and the Intercept, but when I noticed them take, ever so obliquely, Putin's side. I stopped donating, Now I am glad that I did, because they are the inside voice of HAMAS, even though Amy Goodman is a jew (seculaar) her staff, especially her studio back up is Palestinian.
Elect any right winger and expect stupidity, corruption and barbarism, with great wealth at the top and extreme poverty and cruelty for almost everyone else at the bottom. Where do all the right wingers come from? Are they driven insane with anger while growing up with unjust and virtuless parents? Is the military converting men into right wingers to be used as cannon fodder? Were they pampered by helicopter parents? Is capitalism such a dog eat dog economic system based on greed that fuels the aggressiveness? Are women more attracted to men with money? Is phony religion teaching the flock that it is okay to be evil and that they will be forgiven? Is it all the above or something else? Is it possible to rehabilitate terrorists? Could it be that ignorance is bliss and it is much easier to behave as an animal then to try to be a virtuous human? One thing is for sure, wealth inequality and poverty just fuels the corruption and evil. America was making progress becoming more civilized until Ronald Reagan! Unregulated capitalism is a Utopia for the rich narcissists only. To heck with about the other 99.9%.
People are the way they are, because that is the way they are raised. People aren't born bigots and haters, but raised that way, not only by parents, but their social setting, preachers, priests, and Imams.
People can change. I was once an avid anti communist (that was the main bete noire of the time) and thus grew up a very conservative. Then life's circumstances changed, and I became friends and acquaintances with old hippies. SDS, unions, and even had lunch with Angela Davis, including 10 other people). Exposed to a different perspective, I began to see life through different colored lenses, I especially shed any libertarian notions I had, and saw them for what they are, manipulative, selfish and heartless.
I agree people can change because they become more enlightened. I have never seen a religious right winger change though? Please let me know if you've ever seen a religious right winger change. Especially cult members. I would like to see the Trump humpers begin to care about others before they cement a dictatorship. And what would it take if the truth doesn't matter?
I think you are correct in that regard. I was singleminded focused on Communism (the environment in which I was raised) as regards women's autonomy, racial bigotry and homophobia. I have never possessed those bigotry's.
Otherwise I don't see a chance of an attitude change of true believers, In fact Eric Hoffer wrote an excellent book on the subject: The True Believer.
I have been an atheist since I read the Bible at age 12, cover to cover, no hall monitor telling me what it meant. So I wasn't a true believer.
Very good questions. Answers are hard to come by. But asking the questions is a good start. Over-simplifying is not helpful. Keep asking and demanding answers of those who are supposed to know. Incremental change is better than no change.
Incredible writing - with the receipts to back it up (as always).
Naomi Klein did a fascinating job exposing this unconscionable trend in her bombshell of a book, "The Shock Doctrine".
I believe "cynical exploitation" is a fundamental reason far right "leaders" bother with getting out of bed in the morning - it's in their wiring, and there's no fixing that. My grandfather was fond of saying "Don't leave a goat to watch over your cabbage patch". I think that's a great way to describe why it's impossible for right-wing governments to, well, govern.
Ultimately, only we can decide who holds power - the many, or the few - that's the thing that can be fixed.
Hopefully more people will realize they're being duped as things continue to get real, and opt for a political party that has more to offer than Scary-Jesus American flags, tales of "woke" boogiepeople, and pandering to law enforcement (for obvious, cynical reasons) with generic "Back the Badge" yard-garbage.
Second comment. Venezuelan is authoritarian, but it was pushed that way by our government doing the work for Exxon.
Chavez made a huge error, believing that Venezuelan oil belonged to Venezuela, shades of Mossadegh believing that Iranian oil belonged to Iran, Same mistake Castro made, believing the resources of Cuba belonged to Cubans. These "shithole" countries should know better,, they belong to international financial institutions and corporations.
So immediately the oppressive 10% are ousted from their seats of nobility, then the media starts circulating propaganda that they are communist, and the sanctions start.
Forcing these countries into the arms of Russia and China. The 1%, the greedy sociopathic oligarchs create the problem, then blame the victim (sound familiar, Republicans do it all of the time), and because we have the best government money can buy, they use our financial and military might (like the CIA) to destabilize the government and over throw it
Exxon Mobil is exploiting Nigeria, and other underdeveloped or developing nations, in fact American and European company's exploit mineral wealth all over the world, and to do so they keep their crony governments in power
Governments don't operate for the people, they people that vote them in, but for the money powers, the voters, the people are considered widgets or useful idiots, courted when needed then discarded
wham, bam, thank you ma'am.
The secret to attaining and maintaining power for these greedy wannabe nobles, is manipulating and playing into peoples fears, bigotry and insecurities.
Panama was not mentioned, but of course it was an invasion, in and out wham bam thank you ma'am, basically carried off by specialops of all services.
Here is a fact about Panama. In Dec 1919, Congress passed and the President signed the Edge Act.
This act authorized US banks, to set up off shore banks. I know of two. The Bank of Panama and Liberia, thus those countries claim as sovereign nations is a charade, their central banks are regulated by the Federal Reserve.
The Bank of Panama is simply a branch of Citicorps.
The CIA was very happy with Noriega, and helped put him in power (he had been Director of Transportation when I met him in 1976)
He played a key role in Operation Snowfall, aka the Iran Contra illegal operation run by the CIA, to haul Reagans ass out of the fire, and created the cocaine epidemic, which Reagan then used to start his war on drugs.
He was a bagman, and was not bothered until he committed the bagman sin of dipping his hands into the bag and skimming.
The world did not rise up in condemnation, because Panama was not a sovereign nation, but an offshore bank of the Fed.
Panama used, probably still do, as does Liberia, U.S. Paper money as a medium of exchange, Their coins are minted in the Philadelphia mint, from the same stock, same weight, same size, as U.S. coins, the only difference being the images on the obverse and reverse (Their coins are called Balboa's) in fact when I returned to the states, I used all of my Panamanian coins, in vending machines and they worked just fine. One exception. To celebrate the Canal Zone treaty, they minted a 19 Balboa coin about the size of a silver dollar.
Just a note, when I lived there 75 - 78, the Vatican Embassy, a huge structure was located on Avenida Balboa, next to it was the Merchant Marine Midland Bank. everyone in Panama knew it was the CIA bank, just as Air America was the CIA airline in Vietnam Cambodia,Laos and Thailand.
I really like that, elect a clown, expect a circus. Too bad I don't want a circus. Let us hope Jim Jordan does not get the votes together to be Speaker of the House.
Right-wing is a condition of habitual and uninterrupted rationalization to promote self-interest, myopic righteous indignation, and projecting blame and shame onto others. It signifies a permanent or constitutional mental block which envelopes the brain preventing one to have any meaningful awareness of the humanity of others or difficulties faced by others, causing a total absence of empathy or true sympathy. It is a reliance on external influences and especially on authority to provide a formula for dealing with incongruities or conflicts and a craving to become that authority. It is impervious to logic or reason. It becomes immutable after much time in the sealed-off space which has been created for its promotion.
Just as this piece illustrates, Netanyahu is not capable of doing the right thing or of finding solutions to this impossible conundrum which was exacerbated over years by his negligence and corruption. Having a power-sharing arrangement is beneficial. But irreparable damage has been done. A process will be required to remove the hardliners and the corrupt politicians. However, the US should have been taking the position from day one that, like Trump, Netanyahu cannot be trusted and should not be given official recognition or allowed to determine the use of resources and assets provided by US taxpayers. He should be sidelined in talks and treated as the lying, extremist, crook that he is. This would help to restore the confidence of the population of Israel and to reduce the animosity and hate coming from the Palestinians who are not supporting Hamas.
Obviously, Democrats should be taking a similar approach with Gym Jordan, Trump, Tuberville, etc.
AND there is enough diversity within the left-leaning democracy groups to come up with working solutions during a crisis or during calmer times. These democratic governments are filled with helpers that have true empathy. We too believe in boot-straps, but we also know that some come into this world with them and some don't. We are the believers.
Negative, authoritarian leadership certainly does appeal to 20%-30% of humans. The rest of us are willing to put our faith in ourselves and each other. We want to govern with the idea of equal justice for all. It's a choice to be a citizen, not a sovereign entity on your own. It's a choice to accept that millions of heads are better than one.
Picking a leader that only wants to talk instead of listen will let the bad guys win and the crisis overcome us, because that leader will believe only their own ignorant voice. Well, maybe just one other voice---this kind of person is convinced money is speech.
Spot on. In America I have to keep wondering who was pushing transgender rights and homosexual marriages. I think it is the Reagan democrats who are really right wingers. The Reagan democrats also push union busting illegal immigration and legal immigration. If Biden had prosecuted the GOP insiders and ringleaders of the insurrection, I would know he was on our side. But instead he just exists to divide and conquer the American people. I will have to vote for him anyway because a vote for anyone else will also have the same divide and conquer outcome.
I have no problem with them. I know it will take time for the right wing religious wackos to accept them. Forcing gay marriages on Southern States is a losing proposition. You can't force others to evolve, in a sane and rational and loving environment you can enlighten people though. Now the right wingers are going to cause chaos, probably abolish the minimum wage and crime will increase 500%. It will be much harder to become civilized when people are fighting over food, shelter and medical supplies. Instead of evolving we will be devolving because of control freaks. There is a time for everything. Patience is a virtue.
We are having a productive discussion, so let me share my thoughts.
You are correct you can't force something on people, especially when they have a visceral hatred, but who actually cares.
We couldn't force civil rights and racial tolerance on these people, nor could we wait until they were ready to accept them. So we the people through our representatives and presidents had to take action, because justice could not wait.
Back in the late 90's I had an acquaintance on a forum, it might have been Anomalies and Enigma's. He was a gent from Florida. He tried to make the case that there was no need for a civil war, because in time (unspecified time, probably a century) the slaves would have been freed.
I said, what about the hundreds of thousands of enslaved that would be born, perhaps beaten and died before that happened... crickets.
But apparently he was ignorant of the cause of the civil war. The cause was that the Federal Government rebuffed Senator John Calhoun's attempt to make slavery the law of the land, the Planters of S.C. saw that as a threat to their wealth and social status, based on slave labor, and seceded from the Union, then the military cadets of the Citadel, under prodding by Francis Pickens, whose granddaddy had been a prominent revolutionary General and his father a state governor. During the Fort Sumter crisis, he sanctioned the decision to fire on a ship bringing supplies to the beleaguered United States Army garrison, and to the bombardment of the fort.
Another event that motivated the south never to free the slaves, was the Nat Turner rebellion of 1832. In fact while Marx was prevailing upon the south, to free the slaves and fire them back at market wages (hence cheaper cotton for his friend Frederick Engles, a textile manufacturer)
fell on deaf ears, because the Southerners were afraid of their slaves, roaming free, and Nat Turner was fresh in their minds.
Fast forward to gays and trans. Do you think that the bigots (Christian, white, black, non Christian) would ever, ever accept them and their life style.
No one is forcing anyone to accept anything, just saying that they can't exercise their hatred and bigotry on others, and that hasn't stopped them from waging a war on women, because nothing strikes fear in the lizard brains, of these insecure men, who like four legged beasts, are intimidated and enraged by women they can't dominate, and who will not submit.
I agree 100%. But with a milk toast so-called leader like Biden who will not protect the military from the insurrectionists who should have been prosecuted two and a half years ago, you can't force the lizard brains to act civilized. The reason why I think it is very possible that Biden is a Manchurian fascist right winger is because he has supported free trade and the trickle down and the Iraq war and union busting immigrants and offshore banking and corporate welfare since he was elected in the 1980s. We need a strong progressive leader if we are going to do battle with the billionaire globalists and their army of lizard brains. Biden and Garland are not it.
Biden could declare a national emergency, but the problem lies with Schumer and the Democrats in congress. They could change the rules, but are afraid that if they do, if the Senate shifts to Republican control in 2025 or 2027, they will not be able to use the same procedures to stop an appointment.
However I remind you that they didn't use those procedures to stop the appointment, of Barrett, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch.
I also mention that that when the Republicans take control of the Senate, they will probably take control of the entire government, and they will change all of the rules to benefit themselves.
Evidently we do not have very intelligent or forward thinking Democratic Representatives, all they can think of is collegiality institutionalism and not of the American people or our democratic governance. In other words of themselves, not those who elected them. To wit: Bob Menendez of NJ.. Enter Congress without a pot to piss in, leave a multimillionaire. And in at least one case, Clinton, a multi millionaire, . But he didn't find wealth as president, but the millionaires made him wealthy post presidency, a reward for Telecommunications Act, Omnibus Crime Bill, NAFTA, GAAT. He was basically gifted the Clinton Global Initiative, which was responsible for the troubles in Haiti, and it's ongoing coups and revolution.
Lars Muhl described it best...we are all in a boat together and one group is poking holes in it while the other group is bailing out the water flooding in.
The rich have their own boat. (At least they think they do.)
This was true enlightenment. https://youtu.be/JTddochAc_M?t=2247&si=irz9FOvZPbjENjZW
Israel immediately mortphed into a coalition government. I have my own Ideas how to resolve their problem -- have innocent Gazans surrender to an empowered Palestinian Authority.
In our country if the right wing needs to hate someone, direct some of it to the OPEC/Saudi/Russian threat to our economy that also represents as far as I am concerned a clear and present threat to our national security. OPEC fixes oil production and thus raises prices. Russia has an oil economy. We should sue for price fixing and price gouging. Saudis own our largest oil refineries, control energy companies like Exxon.
Trump may be an agent or a willing idiot for both Putin and Saudi Arabia.
Absolutely agree and what a brilliant idea, Allow the Gazans to surrender to the PLA, however I see a problem, HAMAS will stop that from happening, jus like they are stopping Gazans from moving to South Gaza, and blowing up those that try, blaming it on Israel's rockets.
OPEC fixes oil prices and Exxon, Shell and BP profit, and profit big time.
Hamas policy is to hide within the civilian population. Use human shields. Use suicide bombers. Need a scorecard to seperate them.
I don't know what proportion could be protected by PA, but protection of any innocents is a better proposition than exposure to collateral damage.
Quite agree, but any collateral damage that befalls Gazan's is the fault of HAMAS, they are using their population as human shields, as you say,. Israel will know no peace, and will be continuously assaulted and lives lost, hostages taken, if HAMAS is not thoroughly decapitated.
As regards innocent civilians. I am not so sure, Like Mao said, the revolution swims in the sea of the people, and HAMAS operated, organized, trained, and built in the midst of he people with their knowledge and assent, and the women now weeping were ulating on Oct 7th as video and images of the horror of the attack was posted on social media as it was happening.
We need a new definition of innocents, maybe children under the age of 5.
Collateral damage.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad ("PIJ" not the Palestinian Authority) shot a "short round" into the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, killing hundreds of Gazans. PIJ was formed as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and was influenced ideologically in its formation by the Islamic regime in Iran. It is a member of the Alliance of Palestinian Forces, which rejects the Oslo Accords and whose objective is the establishment of a sovereign Islamic Palestinian state. It calls for the military destruction of Israel and rejects a two-state solution. The organization's financial backing has historically come mainly from Syria and Hezbollah. Since 2014, PIJ has seen its power steadily increase with the backing of funds from Iran. Radar and video records show "an operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit." https://www.timesofisrael.com/.../israel-publishes-video.../
The Israelis are saying that they will not occupy Gaza, but they are planning an incursion. Biden was supposed to meet with the PA tomorrow but apparently, there are riots over the hospital as Hamas blames it on Israel.
Iwas just watching this, video's on Nicole Wallace, Inside the White House.
Here is what I saw, from Gazan video's. It was a bunch of young healthy men (war fighters?)
No women, no children, my opinion is that HAMAS was using the courtyard of a hsopital to fire a rocket or rockets,except that one misfired and blew up in their faces. Again HAMAS is using hospitals as human shields, I am disappointed in the on the ground press, they evidently are taking HAMAS pronouncements at face value.
I am watching a recorded interview, they have video's of HAMAS firing rockets but one went astray it went up then fell back into the hospital. This was the work of Islamic Jihad, and they don't care a bout life, not even their own. In twisted Muslim world, suicide bombers and women and children killed as a result of their actions are shahids, martyr's.
This sucks, at the same time. I don't believe in innocent civilians except maybe children under the age of 8, as children are raised on books and comic, and class room instruction to hate the Jew.
And I am dead sure that the women of Gaza were ulating, and the kids jumping in joy, when they say video's of rockets and paragliders firing into Israel
Nor do I believe that Israel would attack hospitals, the state of Israel, and Netanyahu for all of his crimes, is not Putin.
Where is the noise from the left, of whom I am ashamed, especially the Democratic Socialists of America, about Putin bombing Ukrainian hospitals, schools and maternity wards.
Question was rhetorical.
Last Year and for years, I always supported Democracy Now and the Intercept, but when I noticed them take, ever so obliquely, Putin's side. I stopped donating, Now I am glad that I did, because they are the inside voice of HAMAS, even though Amy Goodman is a jew (seculaar) her staff, especially her studio back up is Palestinian.
I must discount her as a Tankie.
This sums up the US and world situation quite well.
Elect any right winger and expect stupidity, corruption and barbarism, with great wealth at the top and extreme poverty and cruelty for almost everyone else at the bottom. Where do all the right wingers come from? Are they driven insane with anger while growing up with unjust and virtuless parents? Is the military converting men into right wingers to be used as cannon fodder? Were they pampered by helicopter parents? Is capitalism such a dog eat dog economic system based on greed that fuels the aggressiveness? Are women more attracted to men with money? Is phony religion teaching the flock that it is okay to be evil and that they will be forgiven? Is it all the above or something else? Is it possible to rehabilitate terrorists? Could it be that ignorance is bliss and it is much easier to behave as an animal then to try to be a virtuous human? One thing is for sure, wealth inequality and poverty just fuels the corruption and evil. America was making progress becoming more civilized until Ronald Reagan! Unregulated capitalism is a Utopia for the rich narcissists only. To heck with about the other 99.9%.
People are the way they are, because that is the way they are raised. People aren't born bigots and haters, but raised that way, not only by parents, but their social setting, preachers, priests, and Imams.
People can change. I was once an avid anti communist (that was the main bete noire of the time) and thus grew up a very conservative. Then life's circumstances changed, and I became friends and acquaintances with old hippies. SDS, unions, and even had lunch with Angela Davis, including 10 other people). Exposed to a different perspective, I began to see life through different colored lenses, I especially shed any libertarian notions I had, and saw them for what they are, manipulative, selfish and heartless.
I agree people can change because they become more enlightened. I have never seen a religious right winger change though? Please let me know if you've ever seen a religious right winger change. Especially cult members. I would like to see the Trump humpers begin to care about others before they cement a dictatorship. And what would it take if the truth doesn't matter?
I think you are correct in that regard. I was singleminded focused on Communism (the environment in which I was raised) as regards women's autonomy, racial bigotry and homophobia. I have never possessed those bigotry's.
Otherwise I don't see a chance of an attitude change of true believers, In fact Eric Hoffer wrote an excellent book on the subject: The True Believer.
I have been an atheist since I read the Bible at age 12, cover to cover, no hall monitor telling me what it meant. So I wasn't a true believer.
Very good questions. Answers are hard to come by. But asking the questions is a good start. Over-simplifying is not helpful. Keep asking and demanding answers of those who are supposed to know. Incremental change is better than no change.
Incredible writing - with the receipts to back it up (as always).
Naomi Klein did a fascinating job exposing this unconscionable trend in her bombshell of a book, "The Shock Doctrine".
I believe "cynical exploitation" is a fundamental reason far right "leaders" bother with getting out of bed in the morning - it's in their wiring, and there's no fixing that. My grandfather was fond of saying "Don't leave a goat to watch over your cabbage patch". I think that's a great way to describe why it's impossible for right-wing governments to, well, govern.
Ultimately, only we can decide who holds power - the many, or the few - that's the thing that can be fixed.
Hopefully more people will realize they're being duped as things continue to get real, and opt for a political party that has more to offer than Scary-Jesus American flags, tales of "woke" boogiepeople, and pandering to law enforcement (for obvious, cynical reasons) with generic "Back the Badge" yard-garbage.
Second comment. Venezuelan is authoritarian, but it was pushed that way by our government doing the work for Exxon.
Chavez made a huge error, believing that Venezuelan oil belonged to Venezuela, shades of Mossadegh believing that Iranian oil belonged to Iran, Same mistake Castro made, believing the resources of Cuba belonged to Cubans. These "shithole" countries should know better,, they belong to international financial institutions and corporations.
So immediately the oppressive 10% are ousted from their seats of nobility, then the media starts circulating propaganda that they are communist, and the sanctions start.
Forcing these countries into the arms of Russia and China. The 1%, the greedy sociopathic oligarchs create the problem, then blame the victim (sound familiar, Republicans do it all of the time), and because we have the best government money can buy, they use our financial and military might (like the CIA) to destabilize the government and over throw it
Exxon Mobil is exploiting Nigeria, and other underdeveloped or developing nations, in fact American and European company's exploit mineral wealth all over the world, and to do so they keep their crony governments in power
Governments don't operate for the people, they people that vote them in, but for the money powers, the voters, the people are considered widgets or useful idiots, courted when needed then discarded
wham, bam, thank you ma'am.
The secret to attaining and maintaining power for these greedy wannabe nobles, is manipulating and playing into peoples fears, bigotry and insecurities.
Panama was not mentioned, but of course it was an invasion, in and out wham bam thank you ma'am, basically carried off by specialops of all services.
Here is a fact about Panama. In Dec 1919, Congress passed and the President signed the Edge Act.
This act authorized US banks, to set up off shore banks. I know of two. The Bank of Panama and Liberia, thus those countries claim as sovereign nations is a charade, their central banks are regulated by the Federal Reserve.
The Bank of Panama is simply a branch of Citicorps.
The CIA was very happy with Noriega, and helped put him in power (he had been Director of Transportation when I met him in 1976)
He played a key role in Operation Snowfall, aka the Iran Contra illegal operation run by the CIA, to haul Reagans ass out of the fire, and created the cocaine epidemic, which Reagan then used to start his war on drugs.
He was a bagman, and was not bothered until he committed the bagman sin of dipping his hands into the bag and skimming.
The world did not rise up in condemnation, because Panama was not a sovereign nation, but an offshore bank of the Fed.
Panama used, probably still do, as does Liberia, U.S. Paper money as a medium of exchange, Their coins are minted in the Philadelphia mint, from the same stock, same weight, same size, as U.S. coins, the only difference being the images on the obverse and reverse (Their coins are called Balboa's) in fact when I returned to the states, I used all of my Panamanian coins, in vending machines and they worked just fine. One exception. To celebrate the Canal Zone treaty, they minted a 19 Balboa coin about the size of a silver dollar.
Just a note, when I lived there 75 - 78, the Vatican Embassy, a huge structure was located on Avenida Balboa, next to it was the Merchant Marine Midland Bank. everyone in Panama knew it was the CIA bank, just as Air America was the CIA airline in Vietnam Cambodia,Laos and Thailand.
I really like that, elect a clown, expect a circus. Too bad I don't want a circus. Let us hope Jim Jordan does not get the votes together to be Speaker of the House.
Right-wing is a condition of habitual and uninterrupted rationalization to promote self-interest, myopic righteous indignation, and projecting blame and shame onto others. It signifies a permanent or constitutional mental block which envelopes the brain preventing one to have any meaningful awareness of the humanity of others or difficulties faced by others, causing a total absence of empathy or true sympathy. It is a reliance on external influences and especially on authority to provide a formula for dealing with incongruities or conflicts and a craving to become that authority. It is impervious to logic or reason. It becomes immutable after much time in the sealed-off space which has been created for its promotion.
Just as this piece illustrates, Netanyahu is not capable of doing the right thing or of finding solutions to this impossible conundrum which was exacerbated over years by his negligence and corruption. Having a power-sharing arrangement is beneficial. But irreparable damage has been done. A process will be required to remove the hardliners and the corrupt politicians. However, the US should have been taking the position from day one that, like Trump, Netanyahu cannot be trusted and should not be given official recognition or allowed to determine the use of resources and assets provided by US taxpayers. He should be sidelined in talks and treated as the lying, extremist, crook that he is. This would help to restore the confidence of the population of Israel and to reduce the animosity and hate coming from the Palestinians who are not supporting Hamas.
Obviously, Democrats should be taking a similar approach with Gym Jordan, Trump, Tuberville, etc.
Great concluding thought.
AND there is enough diversity within the left-leaning democracy groups to come up with working solutions during a crisis or during calmer times. These democratic governments are filled with helpers that have true empathy. We too believe in boot-straps, but we also know that some come into this world with them and some don't. We are the believers.
Negative, authoritarian leadership certainly does appeal to 20%-30% of humans. The rest of us are willing to put our faith in ourselves and each other. We want to govern with the idea of equal justice for all. It's a choice to be a citizen, not a sovereign entity on your own. It's a choice to accept that millions of heads are better than one.
Picking a leader that only wants to talk instead of listen will let the bad guys win and the crisis overcome us, because that leader will believe only their own ignorant voice. Well, maybe just one other voice---this kind of person is convinced money is speech.
God help us if Gym Jordan becomes speaker.
Spot on. In America I have to keep wondering who was pushing transgender rights and homosexual marriages. I think it is the Reagan democrats who are really right wingers. The Reagan democrats also push union busting illegal immigration and legal immigration. If Biden had prosecuted the GOP insiders and ringleaders of the insurrection, I would know he was on our side. But instead he just exists to divide and conquer the American people. I will have to vote for him anyway because a vote for anyone else will also have the same divide and conquer outcome.
I don't know any Reagan Democrats. Whom are you talking about.
It sounds like you have a problem with gay marriage and transgender rights.
Do you? If so, then why?
I have no problem with them. I know it will take time for the right wing religious wackos to accept them. Forcing gay marriages on Southern States is a losing proposition. You can't force others to evolve, in a sane and rational and loving environment you can enlighten people though. Now the right wingers are going to cause chaos, probably abolish the minimum wage and crime will increase 500%. It will be much harder to become civilized when people are fighting over food, shelter and medical supplies. Instead of evolving we will be devolving because of control freaks. There is a time for everything. Patience is a virtue.
We are having a productive discussion, so let me share my thoughts.
You are correct you can't force something on people, especially when they have a visceral hatred, but who actually cares.
We couldn't force civil rights and racial tolerance on these people, nor could we wait until they were ready to accept them. So we the people through our representatives and presidents had to take action, because justice could not wait.
Back in the late 90's I had an acquaintance on a forum, it might have been Anomalies and Enigma's. He was a gent from Florida. He tried to make the case that there was no need for a civil war, because in time (unspecified time, probably a century) the slaves would have been freed.
I said, what about the hundreds of thousands of enslaved that would be born, perhaps beaten and died before that happened... crickets.
But apparently he was ignorant of the cause of the civil war. The cause was that the Federal Government rebuffed Senator John Calhoun's attempt to make slavery the law of the land, the Planters of S.C. saw that as a threat to their wealth and social status, based on slave labor, and seceded from the Union, then the military cadets of the Citadel, under prodding by Francis Pickens, whose granddaddy had been a prominent revolutionary General and his father a state governor. During the Fort Sumter crisis, he sanctioned the decision to fire on a ship bringing supplies to the beleaguered United States Army garrison, and to the bombardment of the fort.
Another event that motivated the south never to free the slaves, was the Nat Turner rebellion of 1832. In fact while Marx was prevailing upon the south, to free the slaves and fire them back at market wages (hence cheaper cotton for his friend Frederick Engles, a textile manufacturer)
fell on deaf ears, because the Southerners were afraid of their slaves, roaming free, and Nat Turner was fresh in their minds.
Fast forward to gays and trans. Do you think that the bigots (Christian, white, black, non Christian) would ever, ever accept them and their life style.
No one is forcing anyone to accept anything, just saying that they can't exercise their hatred and bigotry on others, and that hasn't stopped them from waging a war on women, because nothing strikes fear in the lizard brains, of these insecure men, who like four legged beasts, are intimidated and enraged by women they can't dominate, and who will not submit.
I agree 100%. But with a milk toast so-called leader like Biden who will not protect the military from the insurrectionists who should have been prosecuted two and a half years ago, you can't force the lizard brains to act civilized. The reason why I think it is very possible that Biden is a Manchurian fascist right winger is because he has supported free trade and the trickle down and the Iraq war and union busting immigrants and offshore banking and corporate welfare since he was elected in the 1980s. We need a strong progressive leader if we are going to do battle with the billionaire globalists and their army of lizard brains. Biden and Garland are not it.
Biden could declare a national emergency, but the problem lies with Schumer and the Democrats in congress. They could change the rules, but are afraid that if they do, if the Senate shifts to Republican control in 2025 or 2027, they will not be able to use the same procedures to stop an appointment.
However I remind you that they didn't use those procedures to stop the appointment, of Barrett, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch.
I also mention that that when the Republicans take control of the Senate, they will probably take control of the entire government, and they will change all of the rules to benefit themselves.
Evidently we do not have very intelligent or forward thinking Democratic Representatives, all they can think of is collegiality institutionalism and not of the American people or our democratic governance. In other words of themselves, not those who elected them. To wit: Bob Menendez of NJ.. Enter Congress without a pot to piss in, leave a multimillionaire. And in at least one case, Clinton, a multi millionaire, . But he didn't find wealth as president, but the millionaires made him wealthy post presidency, a reward for Telecommunications Act, Omnibus Crime Bill, NAFTA, GAAT. He was basically gifted the Clinton Global Initiative, which was responsible for the troubles in Haiti, and it's ongoing coups and revolution.
Just about any elected Democrat over age 80 that includes Biden is a Reagan Democrat. Don't know Bernie's age but he is no Reagan Democrat.
We can't do enough to share the reality of the differences between the two parties.