Dystopia
The U.S. seems to have gone completely crazy these day.
Two full divisions worth of soldiers are closing off Washington DC to 'protect' a mostly virtual inauguration from a non-existing threat.
26,000 National Guard members to secure Washington for inauguration
The FBI is investigating the loyalty of those troops as if it were really in doubt.
FBI vetting troops stationed in Washington ahead of Inauguration Day
The leadership of the Democratic Party has gone completely nuts:
Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton - 22:38 UTC · Jan 18, 2021.@SpeakerPelosi and I agree:
Congress needs to establish an investigative body like the 9/11 Commission to determine Trump's ties to Putin so we can repair the damage to our national security and prevent a puppet from occupying the presidency ever again.
They are even more crazy than the outgoing pompous Secretary of State:
Nick Schifrin @nickschifrin - 17:14 UTC · Jan 19, 2021BREAKING: Huge announcement from @SecPompeo: "I have determined that the PRC, under the direction and control of the CCP, has committed genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang."
"I have determined ..." Who does the guy think he is?
Meanwhile reality delivered this low blow:
L.A. Suspends Air Quality Rules to Cremate Backlog of Covid-19 Victims
A fail to get a grip on this.
Posted by b on January 19, 2021 at 18:20 UTC | Permalink
next page »The U.S. seems to have gone completely crazy these day.
Mutazione dello Stato.
We were born and raised in the 20th Century or the 21st Century, so we're accustomed with the idea that deep changes in society can only happen through revolutions. That's not true: Marx delineated in which conditions change happens through revolution, but he never stated all societal changes are revolutions.
A society can change positively or negatively. Positively when it is in an ascendant phase of its mode of production. Negatively when it is in a declining phase of its mode of production (every mode of production has an entropy, so this is always the case).
When it is changing negatively, it can do so mainly in two ways: sectarianism (decay through division and fragmentation) and/or withering (decay through shrinking of economic base and the rise of better systems).
In my opinion the USA is decaying through sectarianism.
We can observe today collapsed by sectarianism in the Middle East (Shia vs. Sunni; destruction of Iraq; destruction of Libya etc. etc.).
A famous example of collapse by withering is Ancient Sparta, which refused to reform and successfully crushed all the revolution attempts that rose against it. But in the end its own system reached its logical conclusion and, by the time the Roman Legions arrived to conquer it, it already was an insignificant village.
So, yes: even societies that successfully crush the revolution attempts against it are condemned to change and eventually disappear. Conservatives from all around the globe should not feed themselves the illusion they can live in their little worlds forever.
BREAKING: Huge announcement from @SecPompeo: "I have determined that the PRC, under the direction and control of the CCP, has committed genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang."
The NYT headline is as ridiculous, if not more:
Isn't bipartisanship beautiful?
Brecht had shown the way. It would be simpler for the government to dissolve the people and elect another.
Posted by: Leuk | Jan 19 2021 18:51 utc | 4
As I recall, the 911 Commission, which did not investigate 911, but the narrative handed to it, didn't mention Building 7 in the entire report, which some members of the Commission later denounced as being stonewalled. So a 911-like Commission to investigate Putin ordering Trump to order the rabble to invade the Capitol to bring down the government likely won't mention the means by which Putin gave his order, Trump received it and the rabble spontaneously combusted from it. But if you can't trust Clinton and Pelosi, who can you trust?
Posted by: gottlieb | Jan 19 2021 19:05 utc | 5
Another example of neoliberal, NYT peak insanity:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/business/qanon-maga-merchandise-amazon-etsy-shopify.html
Summary: shutdown online T-Shirt sales!
The bourgeoisie is scared, very scared.
Posted by: Prof K | Jan 19 2021 19:09 utc | 6
You forgot those:
Trump Tard targets Russian Pipe-Laying Vessel In His Last Day As President:
Murica is the greatest civilisation in the history of the Galaxy:
https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1351522298847760384
Posted by: Passer by | Jan 19 2021 19:11 utc | 7
Britain has also gone bonkers. Complete loss of all freedoms. Money being generated (QE) with gay abandon. Scotland set to fission. Having recently had a bit of a tour of the back roads of the US East (rust belt, NY suburbs etc), I was struck by the poverty, decaying infrastructure, rich/poor divide and intermittent agression, but also really good nice people. Distressing contrasts. Cap this off with belligerent foreign policy, and lunatic US UK false flags (where are the Skiripals?), and China, Russia bashing. What is going on? Brain overheating...
Posted by: Oldengineer | Jan 19 2021 19:11 utc | 8
In comments section of the "New Leaks Show How British Spies Infiltrate And Undermine Lebanon's Security Services" post, Dogon Priest, off topic, posted an item about a Baltimore community worker being shot dead. I read it and was curious about some geographic/history matters about Maryland so I googled Maryland. Very soon the "People also ask" section of the search was proffering answers to questions (it generated) such as "Is sleeping in your car illegal in Maryland?", "Can you sleep in Walmart parking lot?". Yes, dystopian.
(or maybe because google had my address as Raumanga, Whangarei, New Zealand, it was trying to make me feel smug being a Kiwi?)
Posted by: tucenz | Jan 19 2021 19:15 utc | 9
re: tucenz | Jan 19 2021 19:15 utc | 8
I need to add that NZ does have problems with homelessness and people sleeping in cars etc.
Posted by: tucenz | Jan 19 2021 19:21 utc | 10
The very short AP item in my newspaper about Navalny contained two lies per paragraph, such as "The leading Russian opposition figure." Such dishonest density ought to earn the AP writer a bonus; so when Pelosi and Clinton go nutsobananas, they're well supported by the BigLie Media Narrative. As I provided in the Week in Review thread, the US-based polling company Edelman recently reported that only 48% of US citizens trust the federal government. That company publishes what it calls a Trust Barometer; here's its 2020 report, and 2021 report. When the surveys were conducted is quite important, so both reports must be viewed with a very critical mind, and the sample sizes are rather small. It appears to me that the overall global results and trends have greater reliability. On page 20 of the 2020 Report is a competence and ethical graph where governments are the worst performers, while the comparable 2021 graph is on page 7. One should note how the charts reflect the effectiveness of the West's governmental and BigLie Media campaign against Russia and China. Also introduced for me is a new term--Information Hygiene--where one could rate Pelosi's and Clinton's at close to zero due to their promotion of BigLies. Apparently, Edelman's been conducting these polls for 21 years now, but this was the first time I've ever heard of it. Lots of info within those reports; my comment barely scratched the surface.
"Who does the guy think he is?"
Bozo The Clown - World's Most Famous Clown?
Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Jan 19 2021 19:25 utc | 12
There's a deep set mental illness throughout the American political party system.
Or is it being used as an excuse to further repress freedom of speech and more!
There's a touch of Salem about this.
Or is it McCarthyism in another form?
Posted by: Jpc | Jan 19 2021 19:38 utc | 13
Dystopia is a good word for it....
@ karlof1 - the media seems pivotal.. they will post shit from clinton-pelosi, and skip over any objectivity.... rehash the russia is out to get us meme.. so predictable...
Posted by: james | Jan 19 2021 19:41 utc | 14
Internet and phone lines cut off in the russian consulate in New york.
Posted by: Passer by | Jan 19 2021 19:49 utc | 15
There was a song in the 1970ties or eighties which come to mine due to its refrain:
"Paranoia strikes deep -- into my soul it creeps"
I intuitively and instantally and insistentlY knew that this would apply to the future of the US of North A! Now it has truely and in-deed arrived at that pass.
May they just like Gandalf & Aragorn remember to pass trhru the caves of the oathbrakers in the Passage of the Deads!
Posted by: Tollef Ås/秋涛乐 | Jan 19 2021 20:00 utc | 16
If I was of the Trumpists
I'd send 5 people to parade the streets and leave the rest home to turn up another day. If you want to miss appointments all the time do it right.
Posted by: Tuyzentfloot | Jan 19 2021 20:09 utc | 17
The overall trend for governance in the west is toward an evermore dystopian one. "The 45th Presidency of the USA was the worse one ever. 46th Presidency, "Hold my beer".
All one can do is as psychohistorian said at the beginning of this thread, hunker down and try to avoid the collapse taking you down as well.
Karlof1 Navalny has a lot more to worry about. According to John Helmer he could be facing charges of treason. The west demands Navalny's release and are silent at best when they aren't making up lies about Julian Assange.
Posted by: Tom | Jan 19 2021 20:11 utc | 18
Maybe they are secretly (openly) converting DC into an open(ish) air insane assylum.
Will the media report that tens of thousands of mostly peaceful, but incredibly well armed and organized, green clad transition observer/assisters are there to make sure that none of the nutjobs try to escape from their newly secured puzzle factory?
We shall soon see, it seems.
Caitlin Johnstone adds another to the above list provided by b. Trump's new army...
Posted by: Some Random Passerby | Jan 19 2021 20:20 utc | 20
A Canadian Parliamentary commission declared a Xinjiang "genocide" a couple of months ago, after a spate of hearings featuring, exclusively, ex-pat activists on the US payroll. The circular self-generating arguments may convince those already convinced, but the thin layer of BS will not gain much traction elsewhere.
Bhadrakumar sees the return of Navalny to Moscow as the opening gambit of a regime-change operation directed at Putin. Part of this effort, he writes, will focus on the new Biden foreign policy team working on isolating Russia from China. This is replacing the Trump team's hopes to isolate China from Russia. Top notch strategic thinking there - just pretend the much publicized alliance between the two doesn't exist.
https://indianpunchline.com/us-makes-aggressive-opening-move-on-russian-chessboard/
But he also anticipates a period of retrenchment for US foreign adventurism, as the domestic problems overwhelm. Note the candid admittance that the period of post Cold War hegemony is over, made by CIA designate Burns.
https://indianpunchline.com/biden-is-shifting-leftwards/
Posted by: jayc | Jan 19 2021 20:26 utc | 21
On the massive military buildup = another drift towards fascism under the democrats, they have the media, military, police on top of congress, house and president. GOP will be so weak coming years, and they have themselves to blame for being so passive past years, in fact any dissent will not be heard coming years with Biden.
Posted by: Zanon | Jan 19 2021 20:26 utc | 22
Pelosi and Clinton whining about Putin stealing the election of 2016 is not one bit crazier than Trumpers whining about Republicans and Democrats stealing the 2020 election. Nor one bit saner, if you're a glass half empty person. It is contemptible hypocrisy to shriek about your own idiotic notions about supernatural enemies stealing elections just because one set of idiots has a different party registration. It is vastly more contemptible to pretend there's a public incitement of an insurrection, albeit a failed one, is somehow the same as a partisan hack conspiracy theory that never led to any visible results. (The nut who shot up Steve Scalise et al. may be an exception? But if it is, one nut is still different from thousands of nuts.)
But there is a key political principle involved in pretending it'sall just Trump being a traitor, which is to go soft on mad dog reactionary crypto-fascists, instead of defending such democracy as exists. You don't expel Hawley and Cruz, McCarthy and Boebert and Gohmertz, you go on a mad spy hunt which will never actually involve fighting real political enemies. A similar tack is involved in moaning about purging the ranks of the military. The problem is not the ranks, the problem is in the rotten officer caste. The service academies are probably unsalvageable. West Point, School of Treason, wasn't reformed after the Civil War and hasn't gotten better.
vk@2 is more indulgence in peculiar versions of history. The most radical reform program ever devised in ancient Greece was attempted in Sparta under Cleomenes and Nabis. It was not crushed by "Sparta" but by other Greek city states. It is true that Sparta never recovered from its defeat by Theses long before the Romans. But it is also true that the other Greek states tacitly allied with Macedon to close the mercenary markets to Sparta when it fought with Alexander III's regent Antipater. Alexander dismissed this as a war of mice but then, his standards were the highest. Antipater was highly regarded as a commander (rightly?) One wonders if the Lamian War against Antipater by Athens et al. would have been stronger if they hadn't helped Antipater crush Sparta again. Even more, when the social renovation of Sparta was taking place, the Achaean League sided with Rome to crush Sparta forever. It is not clear that helping the Romans into Greece was truly wise. A lot of this is about trying to glorify Athenian democracy, falsely idealized as a genetic predecessor (figuratively and for some, literally,) of America, complete with contemporary American values. Democracy is not social democracy, is not anti-imperialist, is not internationalist, is not pacifist or particularly humanitarian. Democracy is about minority class rule, class collaboration to conquer outside enemies. Sparta was a form of democracy, not a polar opposite to Athens. Those who want to think Sparta and Athens were such opposites need to explain why they were allies against the Persians.
Posted by: steven t johnson | Jan 19 2021 20:35 utc | 23
The stuff about the NY consulate really sets me off, Sputnik said the phones are down for two days running and internet intermittent.
It's hard to guess at the reason for any of it since it could be almost anything (and pretty much entirely stupid no matter what) but what's much more noticeable is the apparent lack of interest in truly clarifying what the hell the point is/was supposed to be (instead of bs) from anyone inside anywhere in the US government structures, or intelligence services, or armed forces.
Dystopian and dysfunctional become synonyms at some point.
Other than that I'm only waiting to see if anything within the Pentagon will get a move on to clear up all the mess (rather than "worrying" about National Guards who will do whatever they're told). If anything happens I expect it to be clean and orderly and then after the fact maybe the NG troops will be told something or the other a little before everyone else, and that's about it. They don't have any need to know about anything in advance or as it happens.
That's just me, at least a little bit more realistic in my "if-so" than the FBI and Pelosi gang? :)
Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 19 2021 20:57 utc | 24
vk @2
The American empire is massive and cannot really be compared with Sparta. It is entirely reasonable to assume that its demise involves both withering and fragmentation. That said I had previously assumed that the empire's vassal states would fragment away while the core withered, but given how unhinged America and its leadership have become we could see the cracks in the USA become chasms surprisingly soon. The empire's vassal states could be left orbiting around a debris field.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jan 19 2021 20:57 utc | 25
psychohistorian #1
Solidarity forever to all those living in the dystopia. May you find comic relief in gaming their utter lunacy.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 19 2021 21:00 utc | 26
The "threat" is just the selling of Biden to a population that never took to him. The sale is pushed by people the population despises, the people who cause Biden to be suspect.
Once Trump is gone, the constant invocation of "threat" must continue, because the supporters of Biden need it to make up for his own lack of actual support.
Posted by: Mark Thomason | Jan 19 2021 21:01 utc | 27
If The claims that Trump received 74 million votes are true and Boss Trump insists the election was stolen, then it is not irrational to protect the Capital, given the 1/6 assault by a Trump mob. It's reasonable. It is also reasonable to attempt to root out Trump loyalists from the ranks of military and police given that military & police facilitated and took part in the mob action. If this were Germany, b, you would not be downplaying the seriousness of the right wing attack on the Capital.
However, 74 million people did not vote Trump Has anyone examined the red state results? Gerrymandering, various types of voter suppression, and black box fraud all occurred, IMHO.The 2016 election was stolen by Trump, given that his electoral win was determined by a small number of votes in 5 states. The 2016 was stolen like the 2000 was stolen.
Proof that Trump is not a viable political force will be demonstrated tomorrow when the much feared disruption of the Inauguration does not happen. If 74 million Americans voted for Trump and believed the election was stolen from them, they would make a show of dissatisfaction. But they won't. Not even one fool showed up Sunday for the Million Militia March. No one will show tomorrow because Trump is demonstrably and fraud.
But no one can deny the 74 million figure without also admitting the election was rigged. So, this false belief makes the ostensibly excessive military preparations reasonable and necessary, even if the true insurrectionists, a handful of rudderless yahoos have been arrested.
Posted by: jadan | Jan 19 2021 21:06 utc | 28
After the USSR, the USA collapses
by Thierry Meyssan:
"Everything has an end, so do empires, both the United States and the Soviet Union. Washington has outrageously favoured a small camarilla of ultra-billionaires. Now it has to face its old demons, prepare for secession and civil war..."
"...Part of the power has already tipped democratic institutions into the hands of a few ultra-billionaires. The United States that we knew no longer exists. Their agony has begun."
https://www.voltairenet.org/article211982.html
Posted by: Mario | Jan 19 2021 21:09 utc | 29
jadan @27
Head-in-sand is rarely an effective defense strategy, but that and some Xanax can make one feel better.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jan 19 2021 21:16 utc | 30
Well bugger me timbers! The UK today had the highest murder rate from COVID-19 of any country on the whole fucking planet. Neoliberals including the BBC and the Guardian whine on about how shit Trump was at managing or not the COVID-19 extermination programme, but given the systemic failings of the American health system and local government, Trump is a fucking genius compared with Boris "Pondlife" Johnson.
US population: 332,071,530 - Murdered yesterday: +1,450
UK population: 68,082,466 - Murdered yesterday: +1,610
Meanwhile in the PRC(population: 1,439,323,776), the CCP murdered nobody today with COVID-19 as did the SPV in the SRV (population: 97,819,900). The Johnson regime in London has now almost certainly killed more civilians in one year than the Syrian government has killed in almost ten years of civil war. Syria should have declared a no-fly-zone over the UK last year and be pressing for regime change this year.
Posted by: Ghost Ship | Jan 19 2021 21:21 utc | 31
Note that in the USA the president (=Donald Trump) is the commander-in-chief of all armed forces except the various National Guards who are under the command of the state governor.
Posted by: m | Jan 19 2021 21:27 utc | 32
Always good to take a refreshing and long walk in some place beautiful.
I left the house very angry (who isn't these dystopian days?)
and came back determined to get revenge.
I concluded my walk knowing:
"The best revenge is to live a good life."
You are welcome.
Posted by: librul | Jan 19 2021 21:30 utc | 33
Sorta on topic:
Today, the Trump administration filed an appeal against the UK decision not to extradite Assange. I must imagine that means that Trump has no intention of pardoning Assange.
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/01/19/us-beats-deadline-to-appeal-assange-case/
Posted by: teri | Jan 19 2021 21:31 utc | 34
Clinton has a way of using the expression 'we now know that...' where I feel she's happy about words that work well. The right amount of gravitas and objectivity.
Posted by: Tuyzentfloot | Jan 19 2021 21:42 utc | 35
vk@2:
Considering that over 40% Muricans are obese (over 60% over-weight, per CDC 2017-18), and seeing the extent of bumbification by media/schools/pop culture, I'd say the collapse of Murica we see in front of our eyes is due to both sectarianism and withering. Murica simply can't get things done right these days. It's been a slow collapse over at least the past 3, 4 decades.
Yours was a great post, great philosophical insight. My admirations.
Posted by: Oriental Voice | Jan 19 2021 21:54 utc | 36
Posted by: teri | Jan 19 2021 21:31 utc | 33
>>Today, the Trump administration filed an appeal against the UK decision not to extradite Assange. I must imagine that means that Trump has no intention of pardoning Assange.
Trump was a desperate "Murica must have the biggest dick" imperialist massively triggered by the US decline and trying to save the US Empire.
Like a rabid dog that is wounded, he attacked anything that moves, including those who helped him get into power.
Anyone who thought that he will help the likes of Russia or Assange does not understand the psychology of elite US WASPs.
These people thought that they and the US should rule the world and that they are the cream of the cream. Anything denying them that would lead to crazed reactions, hysteria, rabid animalistic behavior, and snarling and gnashing of teeth at anything that moves.
Simply put, their decline caused them to go rabid. A rabid dog attacks anything that moves, whether friendly or not. Unfortunately for the likes of Russia and Assange.
Posted by: Passer by | Jan 19 2021 21:57 utc | 37
Ok, 30.000 troops now in and around the "Green Zone", and 12 soldiers have been removed from duty due to possible ties with extremists (proto-terrorists):
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/19/politics/national-guard-removed-inauguration-duty/index.html
What Caitlin Johnstone is talking about seems to be the start of a kind of de-trumpification of the army, administration and society in general, I guess this strategy will achieve the same, or better, "success" than in Irak.
Posted by: DFC | Jan 19 2021 22:10 utc | 38
One of main reasons USA is in such a shit state (and no solution in sight for next few decades ad least) is its media.
In China now and USSR before all the media is/was controlled by the state - and people knew it and didn't believed it, they kept their mind sane by questioning everything.
In USA all the media is controlled by little group of despicable people and everyone else believed they got the most objective and truthful media in the world - so they believed every word and become zombie brain deads.
So, question is, which media is better for its people?
Posted by: Abe | Jan 19 2021 22:14 utc | 39
@Posted by: Tollef Ås/秋涛乐 | Jan 19 2021 20:00 utc
There was another song but from the 1960's. It was sung by Richard Farina, can't remember the title, but contained the line: "God bless America without any doubt, and I decided it was time to get out."
So I came to Australia almost 50 years ago and have never regretted it.
Posted by: Hal Duell | Jan 19 2021 22:18 utc | 40
VK @ 2:
You flatter the US by comparing it to Ancient Sparta.
Usually the US is compared with Ancient Athens. Parallels can be drawn between the two. Ancient Athens demanded tribute from other city states in the Delian League. Members were supposed to be equals and originally they were, until most states decided to send money to Athens rather than soldiers to beef up common defences against the Persians. The Melians were annihilated and their women and children were enslaved by Athens for refusing to accept vassal status.
On top of that, imperial hubris and disinformation led Athens to invade Syracuse in Sicily where Athenian forces were eventually defeated with huge casualties.
There must be a warning there.
Posted by: Jen | Jan 19 2021 22:19 utc | 41
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - for sure.
The Dems thou have to be given credit for carrying out a flawless coup/takeover of the USA while blaming everything on Trump - and now the media will convince everyone that TRUMP's version of "The Big Steal" is all a "Big Lie". We will all have to come around.
Could Trump have called out 25,000 military to take over DC? Could he have erected a border fence to seal off the DC so quickly? Could he have an inauguration sans actual people? Now the media will make millions of flags look like a supportive crowd. All very Hunger Games-ish indeed.
Trump has been completely abandoned by his party and now they are disgracing him and themselves - Credit the Dems and the media again.
I am amazed how all of the media is all lined up in this fantasy........BUT like Jack Nicholson - the sane will soon have to realize that they are the crazy ones if they want to survive - otherwise it is lobotomy time in "re-education camps".
Like I have said before, the US is now officially a one party state and Mr. Bush's use of the phrase,"you are either with us or against us" has an entirely new meaning at home.
Posted by: James Cook | Jan 19 2021 22:22 utc | 42
I assume this discussion on RT program 'On Contact' between Chris Hedges and Glenn Greenwald has been linked here before but I repost it as it is a salutary event given the USAi rapid descent into warmongering dystopia. Some excerpts:
GG: I found it really interesting that numerous world leaders, including ones who have famously acrimonious relationship with President Trump stood up and very vehemently denounced Twitter's decision and Facebook's decision to ban President Trump from the platform, that includes Chancellor Angela Merkel, who's a center-right politician with whom Trump has argued and bickered almost his entire presidency. It includes President Lopez Obrador in Mexico, who's a leftist president, who very eloquently and vehemently warned that Silicon Valley is becoming essentially a world media leader. Something greater than nation states, because--and ministers high up in the Macron government in France, obviously who also don't love Donald Trump, denounced it in similar terms. Why? Because they're extremely concerned that these private tech monopolists who they cannot battle--the EU has been trying to break up Google and break up Facebook for years, and they simply can't because they're too powerful, are also coming for their democracies.And they know that if Facebook and Twitter can block President Trump from accessing the internet, they know it could be done to them as well and to their countries as well. And the only people who aren't bothered by this, from what it seems to me to be, are US Liberals. And I think that the most disturbing event yet beyond, as we discussed earlier, Facebook and Twitter's unity in blocking the New York Post reporting, is the fact that Amazon, Apple, and Google, three of the four companies that a Democratic House Subcommittee, just three months ago, declared to be dangerous, monopolist, and illegal anti-trust, anti-competitors in a really comprehensive report that they issued, united to remove from the internet a competitor to Twitter, and Facebook, and Instagram that had become the most popular app downloaded on the Apple Store, which is Parler, on the grounds that Parler played a role in inciting or agitating for the capital breach and the riot that occurred on January 6th, even though it was their own properties like Google's YouTube and Facebook that played a much, much bigger role.
They simply destroyed a competing platform at the urging of people like Congressman Ro Khanna, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They issued demands for it on Twitter, and within 72-hours, Parler was gone from the internet.
So it doesn't take much to understand why this is so dangerous that our speech, our ability to organize on the internet and to be heard is concentrated in the hands of a tiny number of Silicon Valley oligarchs who exist completely outside of the realm of democratic accountability who operate with no transparency and with no limits.
My emphasis.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 19 2021 22:28 utc | 43
Ah yes... the Navalny case. Since doctors in Germany and Russia have measured lithium, benzos, and alcohol was measured in the hospital at Omsk from blood, and the only "evidence" of novichok was measured at the German military lab in Munich whose analysis hasn't been provided to Russian prosecutor, there will be only one conclusion to the case.
Navalny took medicines with alcohol for his condition, most likely cause for a collapse and no poisoning evidence exists in court. Whether BND co-operation charge will come remains open.
Posted by: unimperator | Jan 19 2021 22:33 utc | 44
Four years ago the Anglo-American deep state concluded that liberal democracy is no longer guaranteed to keep them in power. The new threat comes from populist like Trump.
Instead of democracy they decided to turn to totalitarianism. The first step was a totalitarian media regime.
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Jan 19 2021 22:34 utc | 45
Biden lies about the $2000 stimulus payment and Jimmy Dore explains the the Dimratss sense of humor at playing a mean trick on the people. A 12 minute utoob.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 19 2021 22:35 utc | 46
Hal @ 39
Say your prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance every night
And tomorrow you'll be feeling all right
House Un-American Blues Activity Dream
Mimi and Richard Farina
I knew Richard and Mimi in 1963
https://genius.com/Mimi-and-richard-farina-house-un-american-blues-activity-dream-lyrics
Posted by: downtownhaiku | Jan 19 2021 22:46 utc | 47
Lavrov at his annual recent year-in-review presser had the following to say about the behavior of the Outlaw US Empire and its Western vassals:
"Unfortunately, not everywhere and not always has this quest for solidarity and joint work manifested itself during the pandemic. Some of our Western colleagues, primarily the United States and its closest allies, tried to take advantage of the situation and to ratchet up pressure, blackmail, ultimatums and illegitimate actions while introducing unilateral restrictions and other forms of interference in the internal affairs of many countries, including our closest neighbour Belarus.
"The West unanimously ignored the calls by the UN Secretary General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to suspend, at least for the duration of the pandemic, unilateral and illegitimate sanctions regarding the supply of medications, food and equipment needed to fight the virus while Russia was ready to back up this approach. President Putin put forward a parallel initiative during the G20 summit to create green corridors in the economy that are free from sanctions and other artificial barriers. Unfortunately, these sensible appeals - both ours and those of the UN leaders - were left hanging in the air.
"Last year we observed the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, the birth of the United Nations and the entry into force of its Charter. Against the backdrop of these anniversaries, we are very concerned about the continuous arrogant actions of the United States and most of its Western allies, which are aimed at undermining international security, which is based on the UN, its Charter and its agencies and replacing the traditional norms and standards of international law with a "rules-based international order.'"
Lavrov then proceeds to indict the EU for promoting "multilateralism" outside the framework of the UN in a manner meant to replace the UN with EU diktats: "The EU views the establishment of specific rules as its exclusive right in the belief that all others must follow these standards. Examples are many." Thus the EU follows the Outlaw US Empire's lead. Lavrov then shares his own analysis:
"[T]hese are apprehensions of competition and the understanding that in today’s world the West can no longer dictate its own orders to others as it has over the last five centuries. History is moving forward, it is developing. This has nothing to do with ideology. This is just a statement of fact. It is necessary to consider the views of the countries that now have a much greater weight in the world arena (completely incomparable with that of the colonial era) and the countries that want to preserve their civilisational identity and that do not see in the West the ideals for their societies. Tolerance of diversity is another characteristic that the West is losing very quickly."
And all that is connected to other related developments:
"There are situations where half a dozen people that have created their own technological empires do not even want to know what rights they have in their own states. They determine their rights themselves proceeding from so-called corporate standards and completely ignore the constitutions of their states. We have seen this clearly in the US and this is a source of deep concern. Much has been said about this recently in television reports and special analytical materials. We are not pleased by the attempts of the Western elites to find external enemies to resolve their internal political problems. They find these enemies in Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. The list of these countries is well known. [Yet, Lavrov insists there's no ideology involved, a point of contention I have with him.]
"We all see the response to the news of Alexey Navalny’s return to the Russian Federation. Carbon-copy comments on this event are coming in one after another. They are full of joy because they allow Western politicians to think that in this way they can divert public attention away from the deepest crisis of the liberal development model.
"I am convinced that it is necessary not to seek outside excuses to justify one’s own actions or sidetrack attention from one’s deepest problems and crises. On the contrary, it is essential to play an honest game and look for opportunities to resolve domestic problems via fair and equitable international cooperation. No one can expect to resolve its own problems outside multilateral formats any longer."
Unfortunately, they do exhibit just that expectation. Yet, the most insidious, factual accusation made against the West in Russia's defense is this:
"They just don't provide the facts, which is what decent people always do in order to justify their discussions." [My Emphasis]
Thus my very heavy critique of Cynthia Chung who invented facts to fit her ideological hypothesis.
Lavrov closes his peroration by directly addressing those foreign reporters in the audience:
"We are interested in addressing problems through a dialogue. However, 'forcing a closed door' that the West keeps 'under lock and key' is beneath our dignity. Your governments are well aware of our proposals that we have made repeatedly, starting with the dialogue on strategic offensive arms, arms control and nonproliferation to interaction on cybersecurity and non-deployment of weapons in space. There are many such areas. For each of them, Russia has proposals for establishing honest cooperation on key threats that are common to all countries around the world instead of using these threats to achieve unilateral geopolitical advantages by means of unscrupulous competition. President Putin’s initiative to hold a summit of the five UN Security Council permanent members is a manifestation of such a desire to start a dialogue. All other leaders of the Group of Five responded positively to this proposal." [My Emphasis]
Lavrov closes by reminding his audience that Russia is hardly alone or isolated, that it's in combination with over 1/3 of the planet's people; and that instead of an unhealthy competition, Russia has openly asked all Eurasian nations to join together with its partners who "share our common philosophy: to say no to confrontation and to address existing problems on a balance of interests." [My Emphasis]
In his presser, Lavrov referred to Russia's Main Foreign Policy Results in 2020, the document available at the link. There's so much to read! Lavrov's response to the question about Latvia's recent behavior IMO best encapsulates the depth of Western immorality and blatant double-standards for its behavior. When it comes to the Outlaw U Empire:
"The most important thing is that our proposals on cybersecurity and on investigations into our alleged interference in US affairs, as well as on space projects and arms control, are on the table. As recently as in September 2020, President Putin publicly invited the United States – not President Trump or anyone else, but the United States as a power which, we hope, has retained at least a degree of respect for continuity and compliance with foreign policy agreements – to reboot our relations in the sphere of cybersecurity and non-intervention into internal affairs of each other."
Russia simply would like to hear an answer, even no is better than being ignored. There's so much more, particularly on the Freedom of Speech topic where Lavrov again remined people of their nations's responsibilities under the treaties they've signed and ratified. Lavrov made the effort to highlight this:
"I have already mentioned the topic of states’ obligations and now want to remind you about them. The US is a member of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Interestingly (however, this issue is often omitted) there have been two international treaties, one for civil and political rights, and the other the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Having signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (it was in the 1960s), the US flatly refused to sign the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child [just as it refused to ratify the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was the product of Eleanor Roosevelt's doggedly determined efforts].
"This is a refusal to take any responsibilities related to providing adequate quality of life to its population and solving social and economic problems." [my Emphasis]
My point is the same as Lavrov's: The Outlaw US Empire has on several occasions not to sign and ratify a treaty that it's Constitution says it ought to in order to form a more perfect union and to advance the general Welfare, which is quite telling when we discuss the reasons for the rise in Populism and the reasons someone like Trump is elevated well beyond his standing and abilities.
And since no English language media source published anything about Lavrov's very important presser, how should we rate its Information Hygiene while Pompeo's illegal antics get reported no matter their outrageousness? Gross failure is my verdict.
As Paco said, reporting on Lavrov's presser would be rather long, and he was quite correct! I left quite a lot on the cutting room floor.
Jen #40
You flatter the US by comparing it to Ancient Sparta.On top of that, imperial hubris and disinformation led Athens to invade Syracuse in Sicily where Athenian forces were eventually defeated with huge casualties.
There must be a warning there.
and
Xerxes at wiki...
"Xerxes I is notable in Western history for his failed invasion of Greece in 480 BC. His forces temporarily overran mainland Greece north of the Isthmus of Corinth[3][4] until losses at Salamis and Plataea a year later reversed these gains and ended the second invasion decisively."
Hence I will occasionally refer to the idiot as Xerxes Biden.
From what I can see, the FUKUSAi are about to use Erdoghan to make an 'advance' on the underbelly of the Russian Federation and the north of Iran via Armenia/Azerbaijan.
Turkey is a NATO member and any attack on a NATO member will trigger the treaties of mutual defence so a false flag or two will be remote and beyond capable independent investigation and any counter measures by Iran or RF will be deemed invasion etc., etc. Such a maneuver could easily be nipped in the bud and the whole enterprise turned to dust. So it goes.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 19 2021 22:58 utc | 49
Tollef As @15
For What It’s Worth performed by Buffalo Springfield, 1966. Written by Stephen Stills. The lyric is “into your life it will creep”.
It was real then, it is real now. America exists in an eternal present. Nothing has changed in 55 years. “Step out of line, The Man comes, and he takes you away.”
Posted by: oldhippie | Jan 19 2021 23:04 utc | 50
Hillary Clinton & Nancy Pelosi suggest Putin ORDERED Trump to launch Capitol siege in unhinged interview
Sad news (for American society), but not surprising.
I can only repeat that democratic elites (although the Republicans are far from ideal either) are mentally unstable, they have serious brain problems. In the direct/medical sense of the word. There is no joke or metaphor here.
Their bizarre manic obsession with Putin/Russia is striking. These people have invented/artificially created for themselves some kind of alternative reality, where Russia "threatens them", where "Putin wants to undermine world democracy", where "Putin can order Trump to storm the Capitol" and other such nonsense of a sick imagination. Frankly, I am somewhat alarmed that the Americans are consistently choosing a leadership suffering from such a serious mental disorder.
These people created a Big Lie about Russia, believed in it themselves, act (make political decisions, official statements, etc.) on the basis of this Big Lie, and who can give a guarantee that one day they will not press the nuclear button when the mass of their inadequate action (based on a Big Lie) will exceed the critical threshold?
All this wild hysteria with inauguration - an unprecedented 26,000(!) thousand soldiers, several lines of fences, barbed wire, absolutely insane statements by the Democrats, frenzied censorship, repression against disloyal - only confirms the illegality of the seizure of power by the Democrats. They know very well that in reality they would not have won the elections without falsifications. They have essentially carried out a coup. After the seizure of power, their regime is unstable and is in danger for several weeks/months. To strengthen/stabilize their regime, they resort to all these insane actions and statements. The disagreement of the disloyal must be suppressed in the bud, not to be allowed to grow into stable resistance.
The very fact that Trump (and millions of his supporters) resisted until the end, refusing to accept the election results, is, if you will, a moral delegitimization of the power of the Democrats. Probably, this is one of the reasons for the brutal hatred of the Democrats towards the outgoing president, expressed in the ridiculous decision on a second impeachment. And this is the reason for the need for 26,000 soldiers to protect the "elected president" from essentially his own people.
A good recent article by a Russian political scientist examines opposition to Trump from the perspective of the interests of the American oligarchy.
James Cook #41
The USAi held an inauguration for an idiot president and only the armed forces turned up.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 19 2021 23:17 utc | 52
Petri Krohn @Jan19 22:34 #44
The new threat comes from populist like Trump.
LMFAO. Trump is no threat.
Listen to his farewell speech. Summary: bend over and salute the flag.
!!
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jan 19 2021 23:25 utc | 53
Yet another reason to wage war against the Rentier Classs, "'Subsidizing the Spread of Covid': Report Shows Corporate Landlords Received Public Funding Yet Still Kicked Out Tenants":
"Nearly 200 corporate landlords received $320 million in federal pandemic-related assistance only to turn around and file more than 5,380 evictions between mid-March and mid-October of last year, recklessly displacing thousands of impoverished Americans in the midst of a public health and economic emergency....
"Although corporate landlords have benefited from public subsidies and favorable tax laws for years, the report details how these actors—under crisis conditions—were able to capitalize on a novel form of financial aid, specifically loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), part of the $2 trillion CARES Act passed by Congress in late March 2020."
The study, available via the link, goes on to name the enemies and provides much info on the unholy marriage between Rentiers and the government that's putting ever more people on the streets. Fines obviously don't work so I suggest the Corporate Death Penalty--revocation of its corporate charter--as punishment for all infractions.
I think Pompous is wasting his time with that Uighur stuff. Nobody cares that much. He'd get more mileage out of the dog-meat trade.
Posted by: dh | Jan 19 2021 23:56 utc | 55
Jonathon Pie says farewell to Trump. He is in fine form and just about gets Trump in one odd take. Some will love this take down. I loved it.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 20 2021 0:04 utc | 56
The Saker has posted an article "What Is To Be Done?" which shows what is apparently the only image of the size of the crowd that attended the Save America rally at President's Park in Washington DC, in support of outgoing President Donald Trump, on 6 January 2021. The image was taken by a journalist affiliated with an Asian media publication.
The article estimates that the numbers who attended the rally were in the range of 150,000 to 300,000.
These articles (see here and here) state that "thousands" attended the rally on 7 January 2021.
If what The Saker and the other sources whose articles I linked to are correct, then we do not need to wonder why 26,000 National Guard members were needed to safeguard Joe Biden's inauguration.
Posted by: Jen | Jan 20 2021 0:04 utc | 57
Uncle T @ 48:
"... Hence I will occasionally refer to the idiot as Xerxes Biden ..."
At least Xerxes I (as portrayed by Rodrigo Santoro) rocked his gold metal nappy in that ridiculous CGI cartoon flick "300".
Posted by: Jen | Jan 20 2021 0:14 utc | 58
Policy to stop Nord Stream 2 will continue under Biden, although here we're told Biden will extend New START Treaty by the same person, Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. Defense nominee Austin was also covered in this article where we can see he reads from the same playbook as those who went before him. So it seems like continuity of its dystopic imperial policy will be what we see from the Outlaw US Empire, although we'll soon see if that also applies to Trump's Farewell boast that he was proud not to have started any "new" wars.
the democrats are led by a bunch of international sociopaths, pariahs, billionaire psychopaths, paranoid schizos, think tank imbeciles, and endless-war mongers - all of this fully enabled by a sycophantic a**-kissing and biased press which also has lost its common sense and collective mind. very sad!!!
I particularly like glenn Greenwald's take on some of this insanity...
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1351337763463958536
Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald
Remember when Mueller spent 18 months and millions of dollars armed with a team of prosecutors and subpoena power, then closed his investigation after arresting *zero* Americans for conspiring with Russia?
Let's do it again! Anything to distract from how rotted neoliberalism is:
LOL. In that above clip, Hillary Clinton explicitly suggests that Trump was plotting with Putin on the day of the Capitol Riots, as if Putin directed it.
These people are the *last* ones with any moral standing to rant about conspiracy theories & disinformation.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jan 20 2021 0:42 utc | 60
re my remark above at #59, of course the republican party is even worse, extremists of a similar color but even more whacko who have led us as much as any fanatics in the world to the very edge of nuclear apocalypse now and ecological catastrophe
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jan 20 2021 0:46 utc | 61
This all smells of the religious fervor and paranoia that preceded the first U.S. Civil War. Bad karma, bad conscience, crimes long buried in the cellar. When paranoia starts flowing freely in mothers' milk, you'd better take cover! I wonder if the spectacle of inauguration will be as spooky and unsettling as G.W. Bush's was in 2004.
Another notable decision by the Biden team: Biden Picks Transgender Who Encouraged Covid-Safe Orgies As Assistant Health Secretary. Nothing like a pedophile pediatrician to act as a "role model" in helping to create health policies at the top of the Federal government. Should really help to heal a divided nation.
Posted by: Perimetr | Jan 20 2021 1:03 utc | 63
@59 alaff
Thanks for the link to the Rostislav Ischenko article. Are you making the translations of these Russian analyses? I'm grateful to whomever is doing them - the translators are the heroes of the information war. By the way, I think plenty of people here would recognize Ischenko's name and would be glad to know about his articles if you link another in future - it could easily get missed the way you linked it.
~~
Ischenko has some interesting things to say about the US dystopia from a Russian perspective. He speaks of the oligarchs no longer needing a home country - which we've discussed here before - and that they may now feel powerful enough to take on any country in the world.
All of this, Russia should watch with careful interest.
The USA and the Crisis: How and Why the Oligarchs Fight Trumpism - Rostislav Ishenko.
Some quotes (my emphasis):
The American oligarchy no longer needs a strong state. They need power over its remnants. ... As I wrote above, the actions already taken and the future actions of the Democrats are destroying American statehood. However, the American oligarchy felt itself global and became so insolent that it is no longer afraid of being left without a state behind its back, hoping that if they had enough of their own resources to seize America, then they would have enough to defend their interests in a changing world.Why is it important for us to thoroughly understand what is happening in the United States? Because the left-liberal (including pseudo-communist) movements around the world are guided by the financial oligarchy...They really work to destroy the state.
[...]
Whatever they think, de facto they are doing it in the interests of the trans-national oligarchy, the global financial capital, which is ready to devour the corpses of the USA, Russia, China, the EU and others, just as it is now devouring the corpse of Ukraine. Strong bureaucratic republics hinder them in this regard. They don’t need strong states. They want tiny debris.That is why the internal political struggle in the United States is not just an interesting spectacle for us, but a scientific experimental base for the struggle for our statehood against international financial capital (transnational globalist oligarchy) and its left-liberal mercenaries.
I think this is the overarching view of what's happening in the US and the world today. Oligarchic power and riches are now so great and so globally mobile that nation-states are simply getting in the way of the plunder.
~~
In my opinion, the very rich of this world actually do have a solution to climate change and resource depletion, and they didn't have to think very hard to see what to them is obvious. As they break up societies to make the plunder easier, they also imperil millions and ultimately billions of people, who will quickly die and relieve the burden on planetary resources.
This is why chaos is success for them. There is no plan to save anything except their own riches. Everything and everyone else can fade away. We spoke of steady-state economies the other day, and the very rich are now prepared to live in one - their own. New world order is a red herring anymore. They don't want to rule anything. They just want it all to go away.
They, the rich, have come up with the obvious, brilliant solution to all recent problems of this world. We the people are the largest ingredient of these planetary problems. Obviously, we'll have to go. And as this happens, the rich will exuberantly - with great zest - increase their own wealth from the very crumbling of former societies.
Posted by: Grieved | Jan 20 2021 1:04 utc | 64
@ Passer by | Jan 19 2021 21:57 utc | 36 who wrote
"
Trump was a desperate "Murica must have the biggest dick" imperialist massively triggered by the US decline and trying to save the US Empire.
Like a rabid dog that is wounded, he attacked anything that moves, including those who helped him get into power.
Anyone who thought that he will help the likes of Russia or Assange does not understand the psychology of elite US WASPs.
These people thought that they and the US should rule the world and that they are the cream of the cream. Anything denying them that would lead to crazed reactions, hysteria, rabid animalistic behavior, and snarling and gnashing of teeth at anything that moves.
"
I agree but am not sure about whether the top is the US oligarchs or the global finance oligarchs...maybe this is a fight between the two but I doubt it....they have too much in common and too much at stake.
Dystopia is defined as being hypothetical and a very dreadful state to which America is well on its way. Since Trump was proven to not have the biggest dick, he played the other role of his position which was to precipitate a Shock Doctrine event on the US and world to keep the public in control. Given the horrid Covid response example that Trump ended his presidency with he can go out with the Bush canard "Mission Accomplished!"
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 20 2021 1:04 utc | 65
uncle tungsten @Jan20 0:04 #55
Funny. But IMO those who want to make it all about Trump, critics and apologist alike, just mask Trump's phony populism and good service to the establishment.
The media's distorted depiction of political leaders should be an eye-opener. Instead, the untruths are accepted without question.
!!
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jan 20 2021 1:08 utc | 67
A dystopian science fiction short story, by mr. Reagan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dtfpe6R9Ds (17 min)
Posted by: gm | Jan 20 2021 1:16 utc | 69
This is one of the best analyses I've listened in recent days. To say Chris Hedges is spot on is an understatement.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 20 2021 1:20 utc | 70
"Neoliberalism and imperialism do not care about the pseudo-fights between the two parties or the cable TV bickering of the day. They do not like the far left or the far right. They do not like extremism of any kind. They do not support Communism and they do not support neo-Nazism or some fascist revolution. They care only about one thing: disempowering and crushing anyone who dissents from and threatens their hegemony. They care about stopping dissidents. All the weapons they build and institutions they assemble — the FBI, the DOJ, the CIA, the NSA, oligarchical power — exist for that sole and exclusive purpose, to fortify their power by rewarding those who accede to their pieties and crushing those who do not."
YUP Glenn Greenwald explains and sums up the future - it is really pretty simple.
https://www.informationclearinghouse.info/56212.htm
Posted by: James Cook | Jan 20 2021 1:21 utc | 71
Dimratss president Biden appoints Goldman Sachs as Commerce Secretary. The good oil here at Status Coup
The kleptocrats are back to loot the people.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 20 2021 1:28 utc | 72
@vk
Sparta did not 'refuse to reform'. There was never any coherent reform programme in Sparta because its institutions were incapable of accomodating a platform of opposition within the framework of the polis. It's most dramatic reform as such was in the late 7th century BCE and it was radical (the 'Great Rhetra') since it involved distributions of land to poorer citizens, but these parcels were acquired by force from the neighbouring Messenians and Plutarch's reports of a 'Lycurgan' redistribution are Hellenistic fictions associated with the quasi-tyranny of Cleomenes III. Sparta therefore did not refuse reform; instead what I think is a better Marxist diagnosis of Spartan failure is the Aristotelian one, that Sparta was the victim of structural contradictions embedded from the 7th century transformation. These contradictions dictated the failure Aristotle observed in the 4th century, already noted to some extent by Xenophon in the 360s after Mantineia.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 20 2021 1:30 utc | 73
@vk Addendum to previous
James Redfield "The Women of Sparta" The Classical Journal Vol. 73, No. 2 (Dec., 1977 - Jan., 1978), pp. 146-161.
Here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3296868?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
If you don't have access I can send you a PDF.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 20 2021 1:34 utc | 74
jackrabbit #66
I fully agree with you. My focus on USAi news will be the failure after failure of the Dimratss to deliver any one thing to the people. They will just run a blizzard of distraction on Russia, China, evil Maga people etc etc.
Bernie Sanders will never get in the way with an obstructive Senate vote and even if he tries, Joe an Karma will simply buy a republican to come over and vote for a while. The value of having a US military base in every state is incalculable! perhaps even unaccountable.
IMO the next years will be 'trumpist' in terms of the extreme global belligerence of the Dimratss and the extreme domestic ignorance of the Dimratss.
Sanders will continue to run cover as the Dimratss are desperate to stymie any third party and will stop at nothing to sabotage (as usual).
The #FraudSquad will sell out every promise and be reduced to word salad twitters and hand wringing apologies for the dread disease and the dread russians and the dread MAGAS and the dread China's and the dread right wing media platforms that cant be silenced.... the apologist scribblers here will occasionally squeak little things and the clown cart will roll on down the hill toward the lake.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 20 2021 1:47 utc | 75
Here’s Blinken and Lindsay Graham singing from the same hymnal as Pompous on the Uighurs:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/01/19/biden-nominee-antony-blinken-china-committing-genocide-uyghurs/4215835001/> USA Today
Posted by: Catb | Jan 20 2021 2:11 utc | 76
William Gruff just ended a comment on the Weekly Open thread with words that accurately describe one on the symptoms of dystopia that Americans are afflicted with
"
Just look around at all of the mouth-breathing chin-maskers in America to see how much Americans have pitched in to defeat the Fort Detrick Flu.
"
Americans have been brainwashed to be more in love with their Plato's Cave Displays than their fellow Americans. They have been taught to consume and not be citizens or members of community......and everyone is their own gender now....how divide/conquer can you get?
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 20 2021 2:13 utc | 77
Here is an interesting development in the saga of Alexei Navalny since he became The Human Headline in October last year. It concerns how the information about GRU agents tailing him was apparently obtained.
A police officer in Samara is being investigated on suspicion of leaking information from the country’s centralized travel records, which registers all tickets bought in Russia, linking them to passengers’ passport numbers.
Samara is a large city in the center of Russia, around 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow.It is reported that the US and UK government-funded group Bellingcat used the data in a recent investigation into the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
That’s according to Moscow daily newspaper RBK, citing a source, which revealed that authorities are clamping down on leaks from databases following the report. Bellingcat was joined by journalists from the the Russian-language outlet The Insider, America’s CNN and Germany’s Der Spiegel. Together, they were accessing the flight information of FSB agents they allege had trailed the anti-corruption activist around the country.
RBK’s source says that the accused policeman, Kirill Chuprov, is now under house arrest, and would face up to ten years in prison if convicted. Officially, no information has been released, but the Samara District Court's press service confirmed that he was detained on suspicion of abuse of office.
The source revealed that Chuprov had accessed data from the country’s travel database, which contains information about who has traveled on trains and planes. In Russia, internal flight and rail tickets are generally bought using passports, meaning that this data is highly valuable. If he is found to be the source of the information, in a challenge to Bellingcat's established narrative, the revelation would highlight that [Bellingcat] not only uses open sources for its investigations, but also buys data from corrupt officials.
According to the western state-funded outlet, leaked databases were an integral part of its investigation, allowing its team to track the locations of eight men they believe were part of a plot to poison Navalny. By accessing flight records, Bellingcat claimed that FSB agents had flown around the country to the same locations as the opposition figure.
Last month, Navalny published a recording of a telephone conversation with one of the alleged participants in the assassination attempt, a man purported to be FSB officer Konstantin Kudryavtsev. Kudryavtsev is one of the men whose movements were leaked, allegedly by Chuprov.
Well, well, who'd have thunk it? ... upright "citizen journalist" group Bellingcrap sinking to the level of Christopher Steele's Orbis Intelligence organisation in buying hacked data (which could also have been tampered with) from corrupt officials on the black market.
Bear in mind on the basis of Navalny's supposed phone call with Kudryavtsev, Kudryavtsev's mother-in-law was actually accosted by Navalny groupie, lawyer Lyubov Sobol, who obtained entry into an apartment block under false pretences and then forced her way into the mother-in-law's apartment with other people illegally wearing government agency uniforms and took photos on her mobile phone. The mother-in-law has had to seek protection.
Consider also that Bellingcrap obtained "information" demonstrating that Russian tourists Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov who visited Salisbury in March 2018, at the time of the supposed poisoning of Sergei and Julia Skripal, were actually two GRU agents from a phone database. In light of the news of the Russian police officer's arrest for selling hacked data to Bellingcrap, what credibility does that organisation still have now?
Posted by: Jen | Jan 20 2021 2:20 utc | 78
It should be obvious what's gone wrong in AmeriKKKa and to a lesser extent the rest of the West. The "Israel Lobby" wields undue influence over selection of political candidates and, by extension, influence on the policies of the resultant "Israel-approved" governments.
UK's Corbyn & USA's Sanders dumped for being "anti-semitic?"
Give me a fucking break! If that doesn't feel like Total Control, then what the Hell would feel like Total Control?
Malaysia's Mahatir Mohammed hit the nail on the head when he said "Jews rule the world by proxy." He felt so strongly about the plight of the Palestinians suffering under a Jewish siege of Gaza, that he funded the Mavi Marmara in cooperation with Turkey, in an attempt to break the siege. And it all ended with a great deal of vicious violence inflicted by Jews on the peaceful, unarmed crew.
And only the Fake Human Rights organisations uttered a whimper of protest at the self-indulgent violence displayed by "Israel's" Cowardly Fake Soldiers.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jan 20 2021 2:45 utc | 79
@ Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 20 2021 1:30 utc | 72
Yes, by Sparta, I mean "Sparta after the reforms of Lykourgos" - which is the one that inhabits our imaginary today. Not talking about the legendary Sparta from Menelaus' times (Bronze Age).
the best commentary I've seen about wacko American politics is an article by Richard Hofstadter in a 1964 copy of Harpers Magazine titled:
The Paranoid Style in American Politics.
http://archive.harpers.org/1964/11/pdf/HarpersMagazine-1964-11-0014706.pdf
above link to download the pdf.
American politics has always been insane, it's not just the right wing fringe, lefties can be just as barking mad!
Posted by: Mattspanky.spangler@ | Jan 20 2021 3:14 utc | 81
The USA has been an Empire since the Mexican War when it annexed California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Since WWII a World Empire and after the fall of the USSR, a Hegemon. Basically since 1990 the top 10% of Americans became a global protection racket, resource extractor and human exploiter. The existential contradictions of a multi-polar world, climate change and internal unrest are unresolvable by neoliberals and neoconservatives (they are the cause). Both political parties in the USA have gone crazy because they can’t deal with it. The chickens have come home to roost.
The Biden/Harris Administration will fail. They cannot hold the North American USA Empire together; let alone, subjugate Russia, China or Iran. The Pandemic is unlikely to be controlled by vaccines by themselves, the virus is endemic in the Americas and is mutating. Joe Biden will not provide healthcare for all or a functional national public health service needed to control coronavirus. The pandemic debacle, slow vaccine distribution, the storming of the Capitol are not solely Donald Trump’s fault, they are systemic and can only be addressed by restoring government by and for the people. To avoid this, the Elite will force Americans into lockdowns, get tens of trillions of dollars direct deposited, and Russia will be blamed for everything.
The US postal service can’t deliver the mail. The Google Map of DC is a sea of red closures. The US government has fallen and all the king’s men cannot put it back together again.
Posted by: VietnamVet | Jan 20 2021 3:34 utc | 82
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 19 2021 23:17 utc | 51 -- "The USAi held an inauguration for an idiot president and only the armed forces turned up."
That is so North Korea, isn't it?
Bidet Biden needs the 25,000 soldiers to be his audience in case nobody comes!!!
Not that the soldiers are nobodies, as, after all, they are just obeying orders.
The obnoxious US leadership is by now beyond derision, but I will try in the next 4 years.
Posted by: kiwiklown | Jan 20 2021 4:15 utc | 83
well of course they have gone completely crazy. That is to be expected. Im shocked why you're so surprised. What a lame article.
They are a cornered animal, seeing their power slipping away, who can they NOT go nuts? Hopefully we (Humanity) will be able to survive them, I hope they dont think they can go full retard on Russa but it seem thats exactly what they are planing to do:
https://sputniknews.com/world/202101191081817800-there-is-no-doubt-china-poses-most-significant-challenge-to-us-blinken-says/
Russia 'Challenges' Will Be High on Biden Agenda
Blinken's confirmation hearing also saw the nominee state that any and all alleged challenges posed by the Russian state will be "very high" on the incoming Biden administration's agenda.
"The challenge posed by Russia across a whole series of fronts is also one that is urgent," he told the congressional panel. "This is very high on the agenda for the incoming administration."
Posted by: Hoyeru | Jan 20 2021 4:23 utc | 84
Posted by: alaff | Jan 19 2021 23:16 utc | 50 -- "I am somewhat alarmed that the Americans are consistently choosing a leadership suffering from such a serious mental disorder."
Alaff, you are looking at the latest regime on the sane / insane continuum. Others look at them on the intelligent / stupid continuum. While valid, those are insufficient measures.
Try looking at them on the evil / not evil continuum, and you just might see why I despise US leadership as Unspeakable Evil.
And that includes the entire unelected bureaucracy [*] that does not change no matter which cabal is in power.
We need to ask ourselves why, if not for evil, is the US now a government of the people, not FOR the people, but for the RULERS?
[*] Of course, I do accept that there are some good, decent, non-evil persons working from within the belly of the bureaucratic beast to make things right, moral, just, for America, and for the world.
Posted by: kiwiklown | Jan 20 2021 4:41 utc | 85
Posted by: kiwiklown | Jan 20 2021 4:15 utc | 81 -- Sorry, that should of being:
"The obnoxious US leadership is by now beyond derision, but I will try POINTING OUT in the next 4 years."
Posted by: kiwiklown | Jan 20 2021 4:44 utc | 87
To judge by the plethora of videos of people playacting Bunker Hill Patriot in the made-for-TV Kodak moment currently available on the www, the large majority of the participants in that concocted encounter-group session on Jan5th pretty much stayed between The Capitol's cordons rouge after breaching the barriers or being let in with minimum resistance or in some instances being encouraged to proceed. Most just wondered around, befuddled but excited to be part of History - smiling uncertainty for the camera or with the deer-in-headlights look, some yahooing,many hoping to bump into the carnival barker turned therapy group leader who was surely "…right there with them!' Might even get a classic selfie with el jefe to send their hometown Wannabe Great Again American Comrades in their church-choirs and sports bars and spa-day beauty parlors. Look! I was there! Better than being at Times Square on New Year's Eve! The ones that crossed into vandalism do not fit well into the Antifa profile, IMHO, and the few that actually harbored thoughts of mayhem and bodily harm are now meeting Reality and are mostly Sad.
I am beginning to conclude that what is being spun as "deplorable armed gangs of fascist racists" are, in some socioeconomic sense, "genetically" closer to disgruntled,"woke", Marx-indoctrinated, free-loving, porn-watching, lazy-ass social-progressive hippies like me – or at least are closer to me than I am to the petite bourgeoisie. In the same way that rats and humans are not many genes apart and both respond to being fucked with in clinically indicative ways. Like to admit it or not, Trump's base is largely a populist movement, just like Sander's was – or hopefully IS. Sure many are hard-scrabble, brainwashed, under-educated, bubble dwellers, and mistaken about what is wrong with The System, but their main quarrel is that "the government is not by, for, and of The People. After all, they were just as sick and tired of The Bush Dynasty as those who gravitated to Sanders were. A riot is the language of The Unheard, sez MLK.
The ongoing dog and pony show not crazy; it is far more insidious than insanity. It is to justify a future steroidal manhandling shutdown of any and all protest by your new Law and Order government turned enforcer with the water cannons The Yellow Vests are familiar with, plus tear gas, flash grenades, rubber bullets, etc. - all under the guise of not letting The Proud Boys spoil the cake that we're gonna let you eat in you little airconditioned rented caves. Divide, Polarize, and Vinco, Baby! hopes to trump (no pun intended or denied) Come Together, Right Now, Over Something. Maybe the tipping point has to be adding some 5.65 anti-Geneva Convention tumbling bullets to the enforcing, a la Kent State, but they are desperate, not crazy, and it may come to that.
The Don't Tread on Me flag shows the segments of the snake tentatively united. It should be Don't Tread on US. Class unity is their greatest fear and is excellent to be wished for… but at this point, I just hope all those 25k NG grunts don't have to sleep on The Capitol floor.
Posted by: defaultcitizen | Jan 20 2021 5:13 utc | 89
Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 19 2021 22:48 utc | 47 --
Lavrov: "History is moving forward, it is developing. This has nothing to do with ideology."
I agree that it is a matter not of ideology, but of governance, for good or for evil. And because, I am not a diplomat like Lavrov, I can say rudely that the US leadership is governing for evil. The US is now governed by the rulers FOR the rulers.
karlof1: "Yet, Lavrov insists there's no ideology involved, a point of contention I have with him."
I agree there is room for contention, but I believe that US leadership (bureaucracy, both parties) bothers less about ideology than about finding convenient, plausibly-deniable choices for enemies, and thusly that list of "evil socialists", the better to distract their citizens while they feed at the punch bowl.
karlof1: "Gross failure is my verdict."
Agreed. They grossly (pun intended) fail at governing for the good of the citizenry, but they grossly succeed at their evil ends: feeding off the corpse of a long-dead America, the dream that once was.
Posted by: kiwiklown | Jan 20 2021 5:31 utc | 90
@38 Abe
Haha, that`s probably the first time I hear somebody advocating for cencorship - because it doesn`t work.
Posted by: m | Jan 20 2021 6:28 utc | 91
In a few hours we'll find out how big a disaster this is for the political establishment, Dems, Rino's and the DS. The military is answerable to the commander in chief, the Potus. They have foisted upon this largely meritocratic organization a boss that is not all there mentally and furthermore has zero political legitimacy. This is an insult to all that are serving and not conducive to loyal following of orders. It would be further insult to expect the military to follow orders of invisible puppeteers of the office of presidency. Remember that the military has the most firepower and ability to organize. The political establishment has just signed its own death warrant.
Posted by: YY | Jan 20 2021 6:59 utc | 93
For the Trump-phenomenon to continue, the duopoly must not be allowed to carry on casting an illusory shadow of balance which the two-party tyranny employs and which many in America prefer to believe is our noble, default modus operandi.
The rush to restore civility to the GOP will be the overarching goal of the next four years by msm and BigTech. Democrats view of Rinos will soften as an atmosphere of cooperation will seemingly return. It will be Joe Biden's inaugural address on repeat for FOUR YEARS!!! Get your barf bags ready! Can we reuse them like our cloth masks?
...
But that doesn't mean that Deplorables will fall back in line. On the contrary, I believe that DJT will be the last GOP President, unless the establishment gets so desperate that they engineer a Rino win for Presidency in four years. I'm thinking Pence.
But the Deplorables will not vote another GOP Rino in.
By sowing now, Deplorables are happy to let the Democrat party reveal themselves completely as parasites by further destroying our nation. A true-Nationalist party will then emerge naturally and the Deplorables will reap the benefits of their patience. As of right now, I do not see the progressive (socialist) side of the left willing to get their hands dirty by invoking the name of Nationalism. In their own elitism, they too share disdain for the common conservative which will restrict them from forming any kind of coalition.
As a result, the splitting of the Dems into factions seems inevitable down the road, although this will lag behind the Deplorables' ability to consolidate into their own party to upset the hold of the GOP. The America-First Party will be coming up just as the neoliberal establishment is coming down due to factionalism.
A hard road ahead. But rejoice! The gears of history are spinning again and you can see the hands of time advancing in its dialectical form.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jan 20 2021 7:21 utc | 94
kiwiklown #81
Thank you, yes it is so North Korea. All I need to see next is Pompeo strapped over the barrel of a experimental Rail Gun for a test firing. That should be enough to terminate the cyborg. Come to think of it there is plenty of scope for the entire clown cart Trump + administration to be in the line up.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan 20 2021 7:50 utc | 95
did someone hijacked uncle tungsten’s account ? or he just dropped his mask and throw all pretense of rationality and showed his true face which is a closet trumpster who got drunk and sad because his god lost the fair election ?
Posted by: milomilo | Jan 20 2021 8:26 utc | 96
@RoHa | Jan 20 2021 4:41 utc | 84
These days? The US has been crazy for a long time.
Yes, but even idiots will not be able to deny it any longer, only the corrupt criminals.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jan 20 2021 9:52 utc | 97
What is particularly interesting is how the Democrat over-reaction to the loser/poser parade on 1/6 is reinforcing the notion that the election was stolen.
Such measures are not the mark of a clear winner of an election.
But be that as it may - it is abundantly clear that the American federal bureaucracy and most of its oligarch sponsors is trying its best to scrub the Trump presidency from history.
I've been saying for years now that things have to get worse before they can possibly get better - Mission Accomplished!
Posted by: c1ue | Jan 20 2021 9:53 utc | 98
@donkeytale #95
There are many, like me, who supported Trump only because he was the only one who actually did anything that might benefit regular Americans.
And while some have clearly eaten the worm with Trump - I personally still don't consider him a saint or a savior.
If he were to pardon Snowden or Assange, it would be exclusively as a f*** you to the intelligence community.
However, in the grand scheme of Trump things, that is very low on his list of things to do. Said list being headed mostly by ways to make money...
The really sad part is not that Trump became President - that is actually a plus for the American system.
The really sad part is that Trump was a better President for regular Americans than any of his 3 immediate predecessors and will have been better than his successor even despite the pettiness, the bull-in-china-shop, the ego, etc etc.
That is the real indictment of the United State of America at this point in time.
Posted by: c1ue | Jan 20 2021 9:59 utc | 99
uncle tungsten 95
All I need to see next is Pompeo strapped over the barrel of a experimental Rail Gun for a test firing.
He's not magnetic enough.
Posted by: DeQuincey | Jan 20 2021 10:08 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
Some of us have to live in this dystopia
What is a sane person to do other than hunker down and hope this phase passes quickly. It wouldn't be so sad but so many lives are effected by this ongoing life of lies that are the common gruel of the West.
It is all about who controls the world of finance and in the West that is currently a cult of private folk that rule over the rest of us in utter dystopian kabuki. Gawd forbid that we should talk about what is needed for humanity instead of who to fear or hate today because they oppose the God of Mammon cult we continue to show fealty towards.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 19 2021 18:38 utc | 1