Dumb, Numb and Passive

“The only way Democrats can take control and reverse their four decade slide into minority status is to embrace a real progressive and populist agenda that puts people first.” John Atcheson

Americans of goodwill and decent instincts cannot, must not, normalize Donald Trump, even if the corporate media does. Trump isn’t normal, he’s an aberration, a Frankenstein president. His recent trip to the Middle East and then to a meeting with NATO leaders wasn’t a success, it was an embarrassment, the fat, arrogant American Bull barging around in the tight confines of an antique shop. Trump can Tweet all he wants about the great results his trip produced, but all one needed to see was the expression on the faces of the European leaders when Trump badgered them for money.

(For the record: I am not an enthusiastic supporter of NATO, so I don’t mind a spirited discussion about NATO, its purpose and role and limits, but I don’t want Trump leading that discussion.)

During the best of times Americans have short historical memories. We hardly know our own history, let alone the history of other countries and regions. We’ve been the badass with the big stick so long we believe ignorance is our right. I don’t think many Americans comprehend how corrupt our government and financial institutions and universities and labor unions and political parties and elections have become. We still cling to the idea that we, as citizens of this republic, matter, but we don’t, and we haven’t for a very long time. The lust for salvation, fulfillment and happiness through consumption has rendered us impotent and atomized. We are dumb and numb and passive, as likely to strike fear in our country’s rulers as Trinidad is to invade and occupy California.

We know what the Republicans are up to -- cruelty and theft on a massive scale, a kleptocrats wettest dream -- but what of the Democrats? Has the Party seen the error of its ways and faced left, begun to articulate a vision that pays attention to the needs of the poor and middle class, a vision of social and economic justice, single-payer health care and an end to fruitless wars? There’s no indication that such a change of course has happened or will happen. My sense is that Democrats have decided to bide their time, wait for Trump to self-destruct (which looks like a possibility), so they can continue occupying the center-right, supporting corporate-friendly policies, endless war, outrageous military expenditures, and austerity measures. This is a losing strategy.

As Chris Hedges repeatedly points out in his speeches and columns, we have lost the language of rebellion, the language to analyze and critique power structures dominated by big banks and military contractors and insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry. We speak their language now, use their words to keep debate narrowly focused on their agenda, not a people’s agenda. When was the last time you heard a talking head on mainstream corporate television criticize capitalism, or war, or proposals to gut programs that benefit the working poor and the poor? Have you ever heard a corporate talking head speak in terms of morality, justice or equality?

Liberals used to believe in truth and the rule of law, now they believe in the fantasy of a just, fair, self-regulating and all-powerful Market; they believe in regime change and “humanitarian” intervention. In Death of the Liberal Class, Chris Hedges writes, “The liberal class has ossified. It has become part of the system it once tried to reform.”

This is one reason why Democrats like Hillary Clinton are so out of touch with the struggles and fears and aspirations of ordinary people. It’s also the reason Barack Obama’s soaring rhetoric seemed at such odds with his actions. Both Clintons, Obama, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Dianne Feinstein sound the right notes from time to time, usually when elections draw near, but when it gets down to action, they always support the corporate agenda over the needs of ordinary people.

Always. Democrats have forgotten how to stand, march or sit for justice. We can’t depend on them to deliver us from Trump’s gang of dangerous ideologues and thieves. Deliverance is a DIY project.

Iran: Our Beautiful Bogeyman

"Saudi Arabia may purchase $110bn in sophisticated US armaments, but in two years its air force has failed to subdue irregular Houthi forces in Yemen, though its merciless bombardment has brought 17 million Yemenis to the brink of famine and an incipient cholera epidemic." Patrick Cockburn

Iran. Iran. Iran. Repeat. Iran. Iran. Iran. Morning, noon and night. State sponsor of terrorism, enemy of moderate elements in the Middle East, violator of human rights, mortal danger to Israel. Iran is the bogeyman of choice for Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S.

As it was under Obama so under Trump:  the drumbeat for war never stops and the American warfare state never takes a holiday. If there is one lesson the Trump people have learned in the first five months of their regime, it is that military action makes corporate media news personalities salivate and poll numbers rise. Things going to hell on the domestic front? Launch cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield. Press coverage a little rough, too many uncomfortable questions about Russia? Rattle the saber against North Korea or drop a massive bomb on Afghanistan. The network mouthpieces, liberal (so-called) and conservative, will nod their heads in unison and describe you as “presidential,” even if five minutes earlier they were speculating about your mental stability and wondering if you will survive a full term.

And no matter what is happening at home, always, always, always, be prepared to accuse Iran of stirring up trouble and posing a direct, imminent threat to Israel. Never mind that Iran is virtually surrounded by US military assets...If we had the honesty to strip away the BS, lies, and propaganda about Iran, we would see that Iran has more to fear -- far more -- from the US than the US does from Iran.

Here’s what John Wight had to say in a recent piece for Counterpunch: “Specifically, on what planet can Iran be credibly accused of funding and supporting terrorism while Saudi Arabia is considered a viable partner in the fight against terrorism? This is precisely the narrative we are being invited to embrace by President Trump in what counts as a retreat from reality into the realms of fantasy, undertaken in service not to security but commerce.”

Most Americans are too stressed out about their falling living standards, student loan debt, medical bills, opioid addictions, car payments, foot fungus, erectile dysfunction and disintegrating financial circumstances to fret about what their government is doing in the distant Middle East. They don’t understand, or care, about the schism between Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. Most buy the fear-based lie that Islam is a religion that promotes violence and hatred against the West and is hell-bent on ruling the entire world. Likewise, we have been taught, conditioned like lab rats is more accurate, to believe that Israel is a righteous nation in a precarious situation, surrounded by murderous Arabs, and must be supported by America without question. And Saudi Arabia, oil-soaked Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most repressive regimes, where executions take place in public and all dissent is brutally stifled (the reason old Wilbur Ross didn’t see any protesters on the streets), is our staunch ally and bosom friend.  

Donald Trump appears even more ridiculous outside our borders than he does within them, cozying up and kissing the asses of despots and tyrants, professing his love for the F-18 fighter jet.  Everything about Trump screams the worst of our country: hubris, bellicosity, vacuousness, stupidity, vanity, cruelty, excess, hypocrisy, and narcissism. I feel sorry for Pope Francis, a man of decent instincts, who came face-to-face with Trump in Rome and probably felt a cold chill skitter down his spine. “Until now,” I imagine the Pope thinking as he looks heavenward, “I have considered you a merciful and just God.”

Drowning in the Cesspool

“The simple fact that occupying armies, whether allied or enemy, always become unpopular hardly ever figures in official calculation.” I.F. Stone

Being an American isn’t easy these days, not with an imbecile in the White House who barely knows that the Constitution is a document with actual meaning. A number of corporate media pundits have discovered, as shocking as this may seem, that Trump is unfit for office. Why it took them so long is anyone’s guess. Our would-be emperor has been debasing his office since Day 1.

Why does the New York Times believe that Iran is Israel’s foremost enemy? Is it because Netanyahu said so and the Times, like the rest of the mainstream herd, must repeat it for fear of offending the Israel lobby? Sober analysis of the military capabilities of Israel and Iran might lead one to conclude that Iran has more to fear from Israel than vice versa.

The Republicans shudder and turn a blind eye to Trump’s ineptitude, while Democrats chase Russian shadows like they are the Holy Grail.

The corporate media, propaganda arm of the corporate-state, warns us that Russia is a dangerous enemy, but how many sovereign nations has Russia invaded and occupied in the last fifteen years? The US has at least seven notches in its belt. How many military bases does Russia operate around the world? One, in Syria. And the US? Between 750 and 800, dotting the entire globe. Plus aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. But it is the US that shakes with fear in the face of Russia and Iran…and Venezuela. I’ll tell you what, I’m 1,000 times more afraid of the Trump administration and the American war machine than I am of Russia, Iran, ISIS or North Korea, and tiny Venezuela doesn’t even appear on my radar.  

American citizens are played for fools. The Pentagon calls for more troops for the failed war in Afghanistan, a war that can’t be won, ever, and the citizenry yawns. This is year 16 of our misguided attempt at nation building in a country that simply refuses to be built by any foreign power. Billions of dollars have been dumped into Afghanistan for all sorts of purposes, from road construction to training local security forces. The Afghans are always on the cusp of taking over their own security, almost ready to graduate to total self-sufficiency, if we only provide another five, ten or twenty million dollars. Our exalted generals can break the stalemate and wipe out the Taliban if only...you get the picture.

On a recent podcast of Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill, Pulitzer prize winning author Tim Weiner said, “We are living in Trump-world folks. You must be able to hold two opposing ideas in mind in order to stay sane.” In the same discussion, Scahill noted that it feels like Trump has been in office for four years, not four months, with mounting scandals, ever more erratic behavior, sheer stupidity, blatant lies, and total incoherence.

If you’re still waiting for Trump to find his footing, I feel sorry for you. The orange buffoon is drowning in a cesspool of his own incompetence.

The great Amy Goodman, one of my personal heroes, and her writing partner Denis Moynihan, were at La Caza de La Raza in Santa Barbara last night, in support of community radio station KCSB and independent media. La Caza, a community hub for decades in Santa Barbara was packed with more than 400 people. Goodman spoke about the stand-off at Standing Rock, and recounted how private security guards unleashed attack dogs on peaceful water protectors. Goodman herself was absurdly charged with the crime of rioting, a charge that was quickly dropped, but it shows the hostility of the corporate state for independent media. “Dissent,” Goodman said, “will save us.” Amen to that.  

The Long Fall

“The blending of hubris and stupidity on display in the Comey affair is a recipe for political comedy and legal disaster. By concocting a false story for Comey’s expulsion, the Trump team, including the President and the Attorney General, have exposed their consciousness of guilt and laid the groundwork for charges of obstruction of justice against them–if there’s anyone left in the Justice Department or the Congress with the guts to bring it.” Jeffrey St. Clair, Counterpunch

I don’t know what to make of Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey. I never cared much for Comey to begin with, and to understand his sacking from the reasons coming from the White House is almost impossible. When Comey was all up in Hillary Clinton’s business Trump liked the guy, but when Comey turned his focus on Trump’s possible ties to Russia, it all went south. Was Comey getting too close? No idea. The Russia-stole-the-election story still seems full of holes to me, I don’t see how hacking the DNC tips the election to Trump...Democrats should grow up and face the truth: Hillary Clinton is a despised figure who ran a dismal election campaign and lost to a complete buffoon. She needs to slink off and disappear. And she can take Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein with her. As long as these figures lead the Democratic Party, the Dems will continue to be a party of fucking wimps and losers.

Do I think that maybe Trump has shady financial connections with Russian oligarchs? Yeah, that’s far more likely. Follow the money, it always tells the story.

Trump is still Prez of the US Empire, right, he hasn’t resigned in disgrace yet or thrown up his tiny hands in total frustration, ran off to one of his golf courses, groped a 10-year-old beauty pageant contestant or claimed that he was the first American to walk on the moon...

Sweet Jesus, it’s hard to imagine how far my country has fallen. It’s been a long time coming, decades of bullshit policies that have reinforced the time-honored American ideal of government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich, a government that hardly makes any bones about who it is working for and why. The elites and their elected servants have dropped all pretense about their intentions and interests. Gutting the Affordable Care Act was about eliminating the tax on wealthy people that paid for subsidies for the serfs, plain and simple.

I heard some heartless GOP congressperson on the radio the other day, blabbing on about how people get sick and develop pre-existing conditions because of their lifestyle choices…This is one reason this country is so fucked up.

I’ve read a fair number of pieces condemning Barack Obama for taking huge speaking fees. Get over it. Obama is going to cash in, big time, and make some serious coin as recompense for how loyally he served the financial elites. Obama was a hyper-articulate failure, and when he decries, as he did recently, the cynicism that many citizens feel for our precious institutions it’s laughable because he played a big role in stoking that cynicism. How many Wall Street executives were prosecuted for the fraud they committed in 2008? Right, none. Cynicism? Because Obama the Nobel Peace Prize winner ordered hundreds of drone strikes that killed thousands of innocent human beings? Maybe our cynicism is justified.

Here’s a question: why do voters in Wisconsin keep re-electing Paul Ryan? Does that evil motherfucker really represent your values? The same question can be asked of voters in Kentucky, who give us Mitch McConnell, another completely failed human being.

Someone remind me why the United States is still conducting military operations in Afghanistan. What’s the point again? To eradicate Al-Qaeda, vanquish the Taliban, protect women and children, plant the seeds of democracy and freedom, prevent the terrorists from invading the US...

I drank a beer or three too many last night, a special night because Chelsea Football Club clinched the Premier League title with a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. Chelsea are top of the league!

Remember

Remember these numbers, 217 - 213. This was the vote tally in the House of Representatives to kill the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a cruel abomination.

Remember the images of Donald Trump and Paul Ryan and Mike Pence laughing it up when the vote tally was announced, celebrating like children.

Remember that ABC News called the vote a “major” victory for Trump, think about the implications of the word “major” for a while, let it sink in, and if it doesn’t make you nauseous it might be that you don’t understand.  

Remember the name Alton Sterling, yet another African-American man shot and killed by white police officers who, like so many white police officers before them, will walk away from their crime, scot-free.

Remember, despite everything you have been taught, that the United States is not an exceptional nation, not blessed with special providence, wisdom, compassion or vision.

Remember, and try not to laugh, that Hillary Clinton recently referred to herself as “part of the resistance” to Donald Trump.

Remember that we only have this planet.

Remember that capitalism was created by humans, not God.

Remember that our revered Founding Fathers abhorred democracy.

Remember that health care is a human right, not a privilege of birth or provenance.

Remember that the powerful never concede their privilege unless confronted with demands made incessantly by people willing to suffer.

Remember John Coltrane.

Remember James Baldwin.

Remember Jim Crow.

Remember that every last one of us is fragile and flawed.

Remember that Barack Obama was, first and always, a loyal servant of the ruling class.

Remember that the United States Air Force ran out of targets to bomb during the Korean War.

Remember that working people in the United States are not represented by either political party.