If it really was a war on terror, the U.S. would be at war with itself (since the U.S. is the largest creator and sponsor of terror on the planet).
BTW, if anyone doubts my assertion about 'the U.S. being the largest cause of terror on the planet', I could recommend several hundred meticulously researched books on the subject.
Unfortunately, you are right about that. I've had a challenging time convincing may acquaintances, friends, and family members that 'Israel are the bad guys' (even after 2+ years of a genocide) - they REFUSE to read books or watch any videos I refer them to - they seem to believe a certain 'world view' and are averse to other facts (and realities) that would question that world-view of theirs.
Isn't that the problem though? Even with ALL the technology advances and a plethora of easily available information, many people still prefer to remain ignorant. Sometimes I feel like we are entering a second dark age...
I often wondered why in Latin America I could discuss social issues all night whereas in the US I can barely touch the subject before someone changed the topic of conversation to sports and trivia. We live in zombie land and the level of indoctrination would put totalitarian nations to shame.
Because Once you start down that road, you have to start making choices. If the society and system that we live under does so much evil, how much will I compromise with it?
These choices can have very real personal and professional consequences. Try not paying taxes and see what happens. "Bartelby the Scrivener" it ain't.
Even if you do compromise, you are left with a guilty conscience.
By contrast, if you go along with the crowd, you can avoid those tough choices and face no consequences, and your conscience stays relatively untroubled, for the time being at least. Even in the worst case, you can say to yourself that you did what every other Good German did under the circumstances.
Chang, They don't even have to read books.The information is out their in spite of media created necessary illusions. What they lack is heart and a critical thinking mind.
Upton Sinclair stated - " It is difficult to get a man to understand something, When his salary depends on his not understanding it" . This is why discussion of Religion and Politics are Taboo. It is why politicians either accept the bribes or are blackmailed. Seldom have they the conscience to Do the Right Thing.
Right, Mr McGee. And if they could and did read the evidence, they'd be obliged to recognise that the US is, and has always been, a rogue state. Very uncomfortable fact, so turn on the footy. War is what Uncle Sam does. It's the nature of the beast. Leopards and spots, eh! And, as Chang suggests, the US regime is at war with its people, just to complicate matters, in ways which Adolf's mob would endorse and of which they would be proud. 'Murka's fucked and, unfortunately, the rest of us are the fuckees.
If Mother Theresa were still alive and it served the empire to arrest her as a terrorist, they’d do it. We have no honor or shame. Trump and Netanyahu lie with an ease that comes from years of practice and no consequences.
SW, I've got news for you - Mother Teresa was NOT the saint that people think she was. In fact, there are many historical facts that debunk the 'myth of Mother Teresa'. I suggest you dig deeper into her history.
Here are some links (that make interesting reading):
(1) The 'medical care' in her hospices was inadequate and downright bad - leading to easily preventable deaths that could have been avoided by basic procedures
(2) She was more interested/focused on religious conversion to Christianity rather than saving lives
(3) She was more focused on promoting suffering as spiritually valuable rather than providing alleviation
(4) There are series questions/concerns about the handling of donations my Western agencies and institutions and questionable relationships with donors and political figures.
Also, you may find the following book interesting (as it provides alternative views and historically relevant background information) - "Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course of History" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213363410-fake-heroes)
You are correct. Americans just refuse to admit they have been lied to, propagandized, and actually cheered mindlessly for the Empire. Our entire History is a fabrication. Stupid people still think it Patriotic to join the military or paramilitary forces. Join the service! Travel to interesting exciting foreign lands, meet new people then KILL THEM, and their children, burn their homes, destroy their land, pirate their resources. Thank you for your Service! Happy memorial Day, how's your PTSD. BTW Israel thinks you soldiers are stupid expendable cattle. Memorial day Remember Aaron Bushnell !
A serious look at the history of the CIA gets you most of the way there.
Coups. Assassination plots. Regime-change operations. Proxy wars. Domestic surveillance. Foreign destabilization. The recruitment and protection of some very ugly people when they served “our interests.” That story is not some unfortunate footnote in American history. It is the record of U.S. government terror tactics turned into policy, then wrapped in patriotic language and sold back to the public as freedom.
I am an American. I love my country. I lead a relatively simple and peaceful life here.
But I also do not confuse that country with the permanent government, the intelligence agencies, the war machine, or the industrial-strength propaganda they have been feeding us my entire life.
It's ongoing wars by tge terrorist state, actually two of the US and israel. The have no concept of peace, no want for peace, just hating and warring anyone, anywhere, anytime it suits them. And they both wonder why the rest of the world is sickened by them.
“Cuba not only has weapons that they’ve acquired from Russia and China over the years, but they also host Russian and Chinese intelligence presence in their country — not far from where we’re standing right now,” Rubio told the press on Thursday. “So Cuba has always posed a national security threat to the United States. They, by the way, have been one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region.”
Marco, what color is the sky in your world...?
Addendum, and apologies for not picking up on this earlier:
"'[B]ut they also host Russian and Chinese intelligence presence in their country — not far from where we’re standing right now,' Rubio told the press on Thursday."
This to be contrasted with the 800 or so military installations that we have outside this country's borders, some hosted, some coerced, perhaps most imposed either directly, or indirectly through threatened sanctions. Interesting, isn't it, Marco, that we do all this far, very, very far from where people in this country are standing...?
Every accusation is a confession. The USA can have all kinds of allies that pose a threat to national security, eg, Saudi Arabia and Israel, but they are always squeaky clean. The USA has been the sponsor of terrorism, destabilization of nations, assassinations of heads of state, the kidnapping of heads of states, the infiltration of voting systems in other countries, the arming of warring sides of conflicts around the world, pronouncements of regime change efforts, policies written in black and white on how to subvert other countries, state the number of countries they are gonna take out in 5 years and yet they want to claim that Cuba is the bad guy. I can't help but wonder what they are drinking and why do people believe this BS.
They’re intoxicated on “American Exceptionalism.” Just as Israel is convinced of its superiority. It’s cult like. You can’t reason with cult members. And it goes well beyond MAGA.
Nancy, it’s a hard truth to accept. You want to reason with them. But basically something has to click inside of them that something is wrong and then they are a bit more likely to be reasoned with. I always think about cults like Scientology and the Nation of Islam and Jim Jones, or other such cults, we kind of miss the nationalistic ones, or the cult of personality ones.
“The USA has been the sponsor of terrorism, destabilization of nations, assassinations of heads of state, the kidnapping of heads of states, the infiltration of voting systems in other countries, the arming of warring sides of conflicts around the world…”
*** “… I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today—my own government.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” Riverside Church, New York City, April 4, 1967
*** "This is the culture in which we live. The world is ruled by force. The only way we can put a permanent end to terrorism is to stop participating in it." – Noam Chomsky, MIT News, Oct. 24, 2001, https://news.mit.edu/2001/chomsky-1024
"Leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region." He just HAD to throw that in there didn't he? Because Republicans know the way to manufacture consent is to wave the terrorism flag. Never fucking fails.
My favorite is from Samantha Bee: "Marco Rubio. The puppet who finally became a little boy."
[Update: did some checking, the quote actually is "a puppet who finally became a real boy." Hard to believe, that was back in 2010. It's all too evident that with his scripted remarks on Cuba he is reverting to puppet status.]
Cuba has trained doctors from impoverished countries asking only that they practice medicine in their own countries for a period of time. Cuba has fought against apartheid and Cuba looks after its people as well as it has been able to do since the US sanctions began 60 or so years ago. The US does not train any doctors unless they are paying for their education. They have not gone anywhere to fight apartheid. Trump admitted that he doesn't care about the American people. For sure he doesn't care about the people of anywhere else either. ICE has imprisoned, tortured and sometimes killed thousands of immigrants. Which of these countries is repressive?
Cuba has also sent many of their highly trained medical professionals to conflict regions around the world. They've even sent them to the USA after Hurricane Katrina. Cuba also is the host nation for Guantanamo Bay. Now wrap your brain around that one.
They just gotta make up some BS to convince the masses, not that it matters, that Cuba is a pariah nation that is a threat to the United States.
The USA sounds like Israel. Here you have an advanced nuclear armed military, a country with one of the highest standards of living, access to unlimited international trade at its own behest, the proverbial veto vote in the UN and UNSC, the support of most nations in the world, and yet it wants to claim it is threatened by a tiny island nation that it has sanctioned for more than 60 years.
What gets me is that they can actually gaslight enough folks to go along with this BS.
Yes, but all they can successfully defeat are small Caribbean nations! Of course Cuba is a threat - showing that there is a Better Way, within sight of the gleaming city on the hill (gag)
And a bully hates it when you outsmart him. Cuba, like Iran has managed to find ways around the sanctions. Sanctions are economic warfare and actually are the cause of more deaths than an outright kinetic war over the long term. What Cuba did was give the USA the finger in its defiance to survive against the odds instead of begging the USA to save it.
And yes, Kathleen, bullies don’t ever pick on people their own size and even when they pick on people smaller than them, they still try to make it seem like they won the fight anyways. SMDH.
The sanctions against Iraq killed a great many people. Madeline Albright said "it was worth it." I was curious : worth what? The USA is close-mouthed about the goal of the sanctions, about what would have gotten them removed. It appears they wanted Saddam deposed but were coy about saying so. Saddam wasn't deposed so the sanctions failed. How were they "worth it"? To intimidate other countries who might think about maybe being disobedient?
Yes, Patrick they are for that purpose "To intimidate other countries who might think about maybe being disobedient?" and they are illegal unless they are approved by the UN Council. The USA doesn't wait for the UN to approve anything, they just do whatever they want, and sanction whomever they want. Recently, a Federal judge lifted the sanctions on Francesca Albanese. When you think about it, it is really a form of robbery because they cease assets that are in banks, either in the USA or elsewhere. They ceased a whole bunch of gold assets (dinars) from Libya, and then they killed Gadaffi, so where's the gold now?? Once assets are ceased, they become property of the USA and then the USA can use that property as collateral, and you get the gist from there.
You're talking about isra3l - THEY got what they wanted from the U.S. doing the heavy lifting for them. That's why they were so p-d off about U.S. merely fulfilling the UN mandate in the Gulf War and not going on to knock off Iraq then, that they backed and funded Clinton in retribution to H.W. "Most history lies unread, while the unread lie about history"
When education is poor, and only slightly better when you can pay a million or so, you do not get a smart nation. You get one fed on bullshit from nursery, if you can afford it, onwards-also if you can afford a half decent school.
I met an American on a train, in a dining car, some forty plus years ago. Unfortunately, I was on the inside. His conversation was sooooo boring, it was a relief when two young women were directed to the table. Each gave their name and I gave mine but not the male next to me, so when they waited I stepped in and gave his name, but,oh my, how sinful of me, I didn't add ^doctor^ but he quickly did. Silly man, this was Australia, so unless you've just come back for a walk on Mars don't expect anyone to fall over because you have doctor attached to your name - the odd thing was he never did say - doctor of ???. Which didn't matter because one of the young ladies had such an interesting story to tell us, he was completely left out and he left in a huff, but no one tried to stop him. Back then you could by a doctors degree from the US for a few dollars.
And that is why, Davina, I homeschooled my children and that was 40 years ago. The educational system in the US was poor back then. They were graduating students with a 5th grade reading level. It was very telling that if a student dropped out of high school in the 11th grade, they could not pass the GED test to get a diploma because the test was beyond their level of reading comprehension, and math skills. Then the CV1984 mandate hit where students' education was disrupted, they have basically been pushed them back 2 years, yet the teachers were told to pass them to the next grade anyways. So it's a multi-level f'd up educational system, especially if you cannot afford private school. And even with private school, the push for excellence can be sorely lacking.
I totally get it, Indu. And I think that is the stark irony and contradiction. It’s like saying you want your neighbor’s property because you feel annoyed by what your neighbor is doing so you either want to get them out of the neighborhood, or take over their property so you can be in charge of it, yet you have cordoned off a portion of their property to kill and torture dogs.
Until you are actually in one. Then it's the most obscene, terrifying, gross thing one man does to another. There is nothing *manly* about war. And only fools think it is something noble.
Not to mention the number of soldiers with PTSD, domestic violence, homelessnes and high rates of suicide after serving on the battlefield. They are simply fodder for the war machine.
Yes, Nancy, I read about that as well. They are being beaten down a bit too much in their ground offensive in Lebanon. They are not too used to folks shooting back at them.
Suicides are always higher in these sorts of militaries. My son left the US military during the COVID BS. They rode him out on a rail, more or less, because he would not "obey a lawful order" and take that clot shot. He has been out for several years and still gets calls from the men he served with, the ones who are about to kill themselves because of the things they have been "ordered" to do. The number of US Veteran suicides is many times that of the general population. The more egregious the "orders" and the acts, the more suicides you will see.
The Human Drone operators are even killing themselves. This is why AI is being pushed so hard in the military. Completely remove the Human, except for the victim, of course.
Feral Finster, wouldn't you say it's a sad state of affairs? Wouldn't you say that a country who doesn't care about its own would be hard pressed to be believed when it jumps up and down claiming to care about other people's people?
The rest of the world sees the hypocrisy, why can't the people here in the USA see it?
The rest of the world craves American carrot and fears American stick. Do I need to cue up Mark Rutte's flattery of Trump, shameless even by the standards of a european?
Feral Finster, when I see folks fall to the point of overtly flattering the Trumpster, I wondered about what kind of “power” he has over them. They keep saying that Netanyahu has blackmailed the Trumpster, but to see people fawning all over that “deranged occupant of the white house” I can’t help but wonder what kind of hold he has over them or anyone else who fawns over him.
As I said, they crave American carrot and fear American stick.
The european political class has no priority other than the War On Russia, namely, getting Americans to fight that war for them. Therefore, they flatter shamelessly and offer concessions (that can be withdrawn if the Americans don't provide the war that europeans so crave).
European strategy since 1917 has been to get Americans to do their fighting for them.
Yes, Patrick, I think I saw that reported in Daniel Davis’s Deep Dive YouTube video just the other day. Those numbers about more suicides than deaths in wars are striking. I think some of those incapacitating injuries sustained during war have a large impact that can lead to soldiers/veterans committing suicide as well. Not to mention how they are treated when they claim to have PTSD. I know a veteran who fought in the Vietnam war. He still has problems during those holidays when they celebrate with fireworks. They have him on a “health” watch where they check on him to make sure he’s okay. He has a bunch of other issues as well.
That is why I support the troops. Not because of what they do while they are fighting the bankers’ wars but for how they are treated once they return from war. They are just trained, brainwashed fodder for the war machine.
They are trained, brainwashed fodder to a point. At some stage, they reach the part where they know better and have a choice: prison or war crime. It depends completely on the conscience of the individual troop, which is normally a function of their age and life experience. Not every one of them ever has a dramatic showdown with their own conscience. The Army IT guy or the Navy cook probably doesn't have to worry much about that. But the pilots? The special forces guys? The flag officers? Those fuckers consciously made their moral choices and it was the wrong one.
How could a country that gave us "Lucy I'm Home!" from Desi Arnaz possibly be the greatest threat in the history of the United States? They can't keep their lights on but have developed weapons. Bullshit!
The worst thing that Cuba has given us was Marco Rubio with his AIPAC million dollars and affiliation with Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.
Now these morons just used the exact same script about Cuba as about Iran, just change Cuba for Iran
"Cuba is responsible for all these terrorist acts". The only terrorism around here in the last 25 years has been perpetrated by the CIA.
It’s really difficult for good human beings in America to feel any pride about our country which has long been racist and destructive of human rights, the environment. Trump and crew have no conscience. My disgust has no end!
Peace is always on the ballot, it thrives in the campaigns for political office, especially the highest ones in the land. The USA politicians know that the people have been war weary for decades so what they do is "pretend" they are peaceniks until they place their hand on the "bible" during their inauguration. Then once all the flim-flam is over they go right back to the real agenda.
What happens over and over again is that they give the voting populace the illusion that peace is what the ruling class wants. The candidates use the word "peace" like it's a mantra. They get elected because they make the people believe they want "peace". Obama was one of the most apparent examples of the flim-flam switcheroo.
What is more troubling is not the lies they tell to get into office, it is the fact that the people don't rise up and hold them accountable for their lies as these peaceniks trod off to war after war.
The MIC is the backbone of the USA and the USA has been at war for most of its existence. War is a racket. It keeps the pockets of the war machine filled and the stocks high. The USA is based on a war economy. It is its lifeblood. So instead of the voters pointing that out when their political campaigners tell them that they are about "no more wars" they happily trot along with the illusion that these political campaigners are actually being honest.
I believe that deep in the heart of most of the people here in the USA they want peace, no more wars. However, they are so disenfranchised by the ruling class who make all the decisions, who are the purveyors of the propaganda for war, who are the orchestrators and managers of war, who have no compunction when it comes to changing course from peace to war, who are seldom if ever held accountable for the lies they tell to become part of the ruling class, that the average person is left powerless to do anything about it.
Nothing could be more clearer than what is happening now with the Trump administration. It is painfully clear that the majority of the people do not want any more wars any where, but they have no voice, no power and no way of changing what the ruling class of idiots decide to do. They've become so brazen that they don't even try hard to convince the people that we should go to war, once again. They just do it.
The only way that the USA Empire knows how to be an Empire is by warring with everyone, everywhere. Without war, there is no USA Empire and unfortunately too many people here are invested in USA exceptionalism and being the so-called greatest country in the world, they don't realize that in order to be all that, they have to give up their voice, their sovereignty, their tax dollars and their moral agency.
That’s why we have to get into the habit of reading the label, Patrick. It may take a little more time to do our shopping, but seriously, we need to take the time, because these folks are getting over on us, hand over fist, in their quest to line their pockets.
The only real threat to the world is the anglozionist evil empire, therefore any act of self defense against this monstrous entity should be viewed as preventive medicine to avoid being infected by their imperialist virus
One thing is coming clear. The admirals who tap dance at Congressional hearings, the Air Force generals feeding air power military strategy to the potus in an unwinnable war, the special forces units of the US military who went into Venezuela, and the Navy and Air Force fighter and bomber pilots are all terrorists and baby killers. But they'll be decorated and honored and leave the service with benefits. Fuck em all.
The USA is a country who glorifies its war criminals. That is another reason that the war mentality becomes embedded into the psyche of the populace. They have statues, libraries, airports, universities, schools, streets, holidays, printed money, halls and mountains carved out for them. They get tons of medals and tons of praise despite their war crimes. If a soldier should attempt to contest or resist, he/she will face being court marshal. They get "thanks" for their service even if their service entailed killing babies and other innocents. Congress is impotent in its meager efforts to even bring up the illegality of any war. The war on terror after 9/11 started another type of ball to roll. They said the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, yet they bombed the hell out of Afghanistan and declared a never ending war on terror. Yet they fund the terrorist and put a known ISIS-Al Qaeda operative in power over Syria.
The psychology of warmongers is so psycho-sociopathic, it's no wonder their actions are incomprehensible.
They're the kind of guys who think a) there's a simple answer to every problem and b) that they're the smartest guys in the room. Billionaire corporate CEOs aren't that different. They are sociopaths who have an urge to have an answer for anything because they cannot be still or stfu to admit they don't have the answer or that there may not be one. I can't stand that personality trait in people: the need to always be decisive. They wear it like a halo. But you're right, it is in the psychology of the planners, the schemers, the warmongers. They have no idea how little their minds are. If civilization is an organism, they are like cancer cells because they get other insecure idiots to think that way. Anyway, I have thoughts, many thoughts.
Love you Caitlin. Ty for writing what’s on our hearts and in our thoughts and conversations as we go about our daily lives preparing as best we can to live in this Orwellian world.
. “So Cuba has always posed a national security threat to the United States. They, by the way, have been one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region.”
When one stops laughing at this statement by capitalist stooge Marco Rubio one clearly sees his intentions regarding Cuba. As a defenseless nation Cuba is a prime target for the Military Industrial Complex and its perpetual thirst for profit. Having offshored massive portions of its manufacturing capacity the USA ruling class depends in large part on armaments and other support industries to the military for contracts and profits. The cost to the American working class is enormous and obvious. Crumbling infrastructure, failing schools and rampant inflation are but of a few conditions imposed upon them in order to feed the billionaire class. Trump is implementing fascism while inflation ravages the country. In a normal country people would be in the streets by the millions demanding relief. Not in ameriKKKa. This is the Goodbye Tour. King Donald will soon preside over a fascist/totalitarian/“Christian” ameriKKKa.
Eventually, every country on Earth will be declared a 'national security threat to the United States' before the end of the term of the orange Jabba the Hut.
Those unable to respond militarily will be attacked to demonstrate the principles of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
If it wasn't all so monstrously evil, it would feel as if we were watching a Terry Gilliam movie.
Their idea of terror is sending doctors into the world to provide healthcare. That terrorises the US govt because if their own citizens get wind of it they might demand it for themselves.
The "war on terror" has been a myth since it started in 2001
If it really was a war on terror, the U.S. would be at war with itself (since the U.S. is the largest creator and sponsor of terror on the planet).
BTW, if anyone doubts my assertion about 'the U.S. being the largest cause of terror on the planet', I could recommend several hundred meticulously researched books on the subject.
The people who doubt it will not even watch a condensed video presentation presenting evidence, let alone read a book.
Unfortunately, you are right about that. I've had a challenging time convincing may acquaintances, friends, and family members that 'Israel are the bad guys' (even after 2+ years of a genocide) - they REFUSE to read books or watch any videos I refer them to - they seem to believe a certain 'world view' and are averse to other facts (and realities) that would question that world-view of theirs.
Isn't that the problem though? Even with ALL the technology advances and a plethora of easily available information, many people still prefer to remain ignorant. Sometimes I feel like we are entering a second dark age...
I often wondered why in Latin America I could discuss social issues all night whereas in the US I can barely touch the subject before someone changed the topic of conversation to sports and trivia. We live in zombie land and the level of indoctrination would put totalitarian nations to shame.
Because Once you start down that road, you have to start making choices. If the society and system that we live under does so much evil, how much will I compromise with it?
These choices can have very real personal and professional consequences. Try not paying taxes and see what happens. "Bartelby the Scrivener" it ain't.
Even if you do compromise, you are left with a guilty conscience.
By contrast, if you go along with the crowd, you can avoid those tough choices and face no consequences, and your conscience stays relatively untroubled, for the time being at least. Even in the worst case, you can say to yourself that you did what every other Good German did under the circumstances.
Chang, They don't even have to read books.The information is out their in spite of media created necessary illusions. What they lack is heart and a critical thinking mind.
Upton Sinclair stated - " It is difficult to get a man to understand something, When his salary depends on his not understanding it" . This is why discussion of Religion and Politics are Taboo. It is why politicians either accept the bribes or are blackmailed. Seldom have they the conscience to Do the Right Thing.
Chris Hedges said months ago that the world has already entered second dark age and facts are indisputable
There is a French term for folk like that: "bien pensants".
I think we've been in it for some time
Its the human species ...always waiting for the next war !
It's called Denial! They can't handle the TRUTH.
Right, Mr McGee. And if they could and did read the evidence, they'd be obliged to recognise that the US is, and has always been, a rogue state. Very uncomfortable fact, so turn on the footy. War is what Uncle Sam does. It's the nature of the beast. Leopards and spots, eh! And, as Chang suggests, the US regime is at war with its people, just to complicate matters, in ways which Adolf's mob would endorse and of which they would be proud. 'Murka's fucked and, unfortunately, the rest of us are the fuckees.
If Mother Theresa were still alive and it served the empire to arrest her as a terrorist, they’d do it. We have no honor or shame. Trump and Netanyahu lie with an ease that comes from years of practice and no consequences.
SW, I've got news for you - Mother Teresa was NOT the saint that people think she was. In fact, there are many historical facts that debunk the 'myth of Mother Teresa'. I suggest you dig deeper into her history.
Here are some links (that make interesting reading):
(1) "Inside The Little-Known Dark Side Of Mother Teresa" (https://allthatsinteresting.com/mother-teresa-saint)
(2) "Mother Teresa’s Sainthood Fraud: Did She Do More Harm than Good?" (https://partnersinfire.com/passion-fire-2/history-culture/mother-teresas-sainthood-fraud-did-she-do-more-harm-than-good/)
(3) "Mother Teresa Wasn’t As Deserving Of Sainthood As People Think" (https://www.factinate.com/people/mother-teresa-wasnt-deserving-sainthood-people-think)
(4) "Mother Teresa: Anything but a saint…" (https://skeptical-science.com/religion/mother-teresa-saint/)
In brief -
(1) The 'medical care' in her hospices was inadequate and downright bad - leading to easily preventable deaths that could have been avoided by basic procedures
(2) She was more interested/focused on religious conversion to Christianity rather than saving lives
(3) She was more focused on promoting suffering as spiritually valuable rather than providing alleviation
(4) There are series questions/concerns about the handling of donations my Western agencies and institutions and questionable relationships with donors and political figures.
Also, you may find the following book interesting (as it provides alternative views and historically relevant background information) - "Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course of History" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213363410-fake-heroes)
Agreed; but I think SW was using MT figuratively, much like Jesus Christ.
Yes, probably.
Good on you Chang. I would add Christopher Hitchens's " The Missionary Position. Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice" to your list.
And “Obama”(real name Barry), Biden, the bushes and so on. All politicians are prostitutes for sale to the highest bidder
You are correct. Americans just refuse to admit they have been lied to, propagandized, and actually cheered mindlessly for the Empire. Our entire History is a fabrication. Stupid people still think it Patriotic to join the military or paramilitary forces. Join the service! Travel to interesting exciting foreign lands, meet new people then KILL THEM, and their children, burn their homes, destroy their land, pirate their resources. Thank you for your Service! Happy memorial Day, how's your PTSD. BTW Israel thinks you soldiers are stupid expendable cattle. Memorial day Remember Aaron Bushnell !
A serious look at the history of the CIA gets you most of the way there.
Coups. Assassination plots. Regime-change operations. Proxy wars. Domestic surveillance. Foreign destabilization. The recruitment and protection of some very ugly people when they served “our interests.” That story is not some unfortunate footnote in American history. It is the record of U.S. government terror tactics turned into policy, then wrapped in patriotic language and sold back to the public as freedom.
I am an American. I love my country. I lead a relatively simple and peaceful life here.
But I also do not confuse that country with the permanent government, the intelligence agencies, the war machine, or the industrial-strength propaganda they have been feeding us my entire life.
Amen
Its a war *of* terror
It's ongoing wars by tge terrorist state, actually two of the US and israel. The have no concept of peace, no want for peace, just hating and warring anyone, anywhere, anytime it suits them. And they both wonder why the rest of the world is sickened by them.
It's always WAR ON PEOPLE.
It's not a myth, it's just misnamed. One letter. Global War oF Terror!
The "GWOT" was alwaysa control-narrative to get oil, minerals, trade routes, backdoors to Russia, Iran & China, and lots of heroin.
;-(
“Cuba not only has weapons that they’ve acquired from Russia and China over the years, but they also host Russian and Chinese intelligence presence in their country — not far from where we’re standing right now,” Rubio told the press on Thursday. “So Cuba has always posed a national security threat to the United States. They, by the way, have been one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region.”
Marco, what color is the sky in your world...?
Addendum, and apologies for not picking up on this earlier:
"'[B]ut they also host Russian and Chinese intelligence presence in their country — not far from where we’re standing right now,' Rubio told the press on Thursday."
This to be contrasted with the 800 or so military installations that we have outside this country's borders, some hosted, some coerced, perhaps most imposed either directly, or indirectly through threatened sanctions. Interesting, isn't it, Marco, that we do all this far, very, very far from where people in this country are standing...?
Every accusation is a confession. The USA can have all kinds of allies that pose a threat to national security, eg, Saudi Arabia and Israel, but they are always squeaky clean. The USA has been the sponsor of terrorism, destabilization of nations, assassinations of heads of state, the kidnapping of heads of states, the infiltration of voting systems in other countries, the arming of warring sides of conflicts around the world, pronouncements of regime change efforts, policies written in black and white on how to subvert other countries, state the number of countries they are gonna take out in 5 years and yet they want to claim that Cuba is the bad guy. I can't help but wonder what they are drinking and why do people believe this BS.
They’re intoxicated on “American Exceptionalism.” Just as Israel is convinced of its superiority. It’s cult like. You can’t reason with cult members. And it goes well beyond MAGA.
Nancy, it’s a hard truth to accept. You want to reason with them. But basically something has to click inside of them that something is wrong and then they are a bit more likely to be reasoned with. I always think about cults like Scientology and the Nation of Islam and Jim Jones, or other such cults, we kind of miss the nationalistic ones, or the cult of personality ones.
As the article notes, unlike cult members, they know they're lying. They don't care.
More like trying to reason with predators.
Right. I was describing the followers.
Ever meet a jackal or hyena? A dog?
“The USA has been the sponsor of terrorism, destabilization of nations, assassinations of heads of state, the kidnapping of heads of states, the infiltration of voting systems in other countries, the arming of warring sides of conflicts around the world…”
*** “… I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today—my own government.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” Riverside Church, New York City, April 4, 1967
*** "This is the culture in which we live. The world is ruled by force. The only way we can put a permanent end to terrorism is to stop participating in it." – Noam Chomsky, MIT News, Oct. 24, 2001, https://news.mit.edu/2001/chomsky-1024
*** “… [T]he United States is absolutely the most dangerous country in the world.” – Noam Chomsky, Truthout, April 24, 2017 https://truthout.org/articles/noam-chomsky-us-is-the-most-dangerous-country-in-the-world/
Since his head is up Princess Donnie's fire escape, probably shitcolor.
🤣🤣😎😎
Love the response!
"Leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region." He just HAD to throw that in there didn't he? Because Republicans know the way to manufacture consent is to wave the terrorism flag. Never fucking fails.
My favorite description of him is by Norman Finkelstein, describing Marco as unable to find the place to wipe his own ass even with the help of a GPS
My favorite is from Samantha Bee: "Marco Rubio. The puppet who finally became a little boy."
[Update: did some checking, the quote actually is "a puppet who finally became a real boy." Hard to believe, that was back in 2010. It's all too evident that with his scripted remarks on Cuba he is reverting to puppet status.]
The clouds in that sky are shaped like David's star (which itself is a fake)...
Cuba has trained doctors from impoverished countries asking only that they practice medicine in their own countries for a period of time. Cuba has fought against apartheid and Cuba looks after its people as well as it has been able to do since the US sanctions began 60 or so years ago. The US does not train any doctors unless they are paying for their education. They have not gone anywhere to fight apartheid. Trump admitted that he doesn't care about the American people. For sure he doesn't care about the people of anywhere else either. ICE has imprisoned, tortured and sometimes killed thousands of immigrants. Which of these countries is repressive?
Cuba has also sent many of their highly trained medical professionals to conflict regions around the world. They've even sent them to the USA after Hurricane Katrina. Cuba also is the host nation for Guantanamo Bay. Now wrap your brain around that one.
They just gotta make up some BS to convince the masses, not that it matters, that Cuba is a pariah nation that is a threat to the United States.
The USA sounds like Israel. Here you have an advanced nuclear armed military, a country with one of the highest standards of living, access to unlimited international trade at its own behest, the proverbial veto vote in the UN and UNSC, the support of most nations in the world, and yet it wants to claim it is threatened by a tiny island nation that it has sanctioned for more than 60 years.
What gets me is that they can actually gaslight enough folks to go along with this BS.
Yes, but all they can successfully defeat are small Caribbean nations! Of course Cuba is a threat - showing that there is a Better Way, within sight of the gleaming city on the hill (gag)
And a bully hates it when you outsmart him. Cuba, like Iran has managed to find ways around the sanctions. Sanctions are economic warfare and actually are the cause of more deaths than an outright kinetic war over the long term. What Cuba did was give the USA the finger in its defiance to survive against the odds instead of begging the USA to save it.
And yes, Kathleen, bullies don’t ever pick on people their own size and even when they pick on people smaller than them, they still try to make it seem like they won the fight anyways. SMDH.
The sanctions against Iraq killed a great many people. Madeline Albright said "it was worth it." I was curious : worth what? The USA is close-mouthed about the goal of the sanctions, about what would have gotten them removed. It appears they wanted Saddam deposed but were coy about saying so. Saddam wasn't deposed so the sanctions failed. How were they "worth it"? To intimidate other countries who might think about maybe being disobedient?
Yes, Patrick they are for that purpose "To intimidate other countries who might think about maybe being disobedient?" and they are illegal unless they are approved by the UN Council. The USA doesn't wait for the UN to approve anything, they just do whatever they want, and sanction whomever they want. Recently, a Federal judge lifted the sanctions on Francesca Albanese. When you think about it, it is really a form of robbery because they cease assets that are in banks, either in the USA or elsewhere. They ceased a whole bunch of gold assets (dinars) from Libya, and then they killed Gadaffi, so where's the gold now?? Once assets are ceased, they become property of the USA and then the USA can use that property as collateral, and you get the gist from there.
Much as i wish that were true, the United States got what it wanted out of its wars on iraq, Syria and Libya, to name a few.
You're talking about isra3l - THEY got what they wanted from the U.S. doing the heavy lifting for them. That's why they were so p-d off about U.S. merely fulfilling the UN mandate in the Gulf War and not going on to knock off Iraq then, that they backed and funded Clinton in retribution to H.W. "Most history lies unread, while the unread lie about history"
Of course these wars were all at the behest of Israel.
Thst doesn't make them American defeats.
Right! Iraq: failed state. Libya: failed state. Syria: failed state. Afghanistan: failed state. isra3l: failed state. America: failed state. All wins! Esp in the eyes of the world's (remaining) free people.
exactly this
When education is poor, and only slightly better when you can pay a million or so, you do not get a smart nation. You get one fed on bullshit from nursery, if you can afford it, onwards-also if you can afford a half decent school.
I met an American on a train, in a dining car, some forty plus years ago. Unfortunately, I was on the inside. His conversation was sooooo boring, it was a relief when two young women were directed to the table. Each gave their name and I gave mine but not the male next to me, so when they waited I stepped in and gave his name, but,oh my, how sinful of me, I didn't add ^doctor^ but he quickly did. Silly man, this was Australia, so unless you've just come back for a walk on Mars don't expect anyone to fall over because you have doctor attached to your name - the odd thing was he never did say - doctor of ???. Which didn't matter because one of the young ladies had such an interesting story to tell us, he was completely left out and he left in a huff, but no one tried to stop him. Back then you could by a doctors degree from the US for a few dollars.
And that is why, Davina, I homeschooled my children and that was 40 years ago. The educational system in the US was poor back then. They were graduating students with a 5th grade reading level. It was very telling that if a student dropped out of high school in the 11th grade, they could not pass the GED test to get a diploma because the test was beyond their level of reading comprehension, and math skills. Then the CV1984 mandate hit where students' education was disrupted, they have basically been pushed them back 2 years, yet the teachers were told to pass them to the next grade anyways. So it's a multi-level f'd up educational system, especially if you cannot afford private school. And even with private school, the push for excellence can be sorely lacking.
Spot on Nana. But Guantanamo Bay is occupied territory which the US is using as a torture chamber.
I totally get it, Indu. And I think that is the stark irony and contradiction. It’s like saying you want your neighbor’s property because you feel annoyed by what your neighbor is doing so you either want to get them out of the neighborhood, or take over their property so you can be in charge of it, yet you have cordoned off a portion of their property to kill and torture dogs.
i don't think those folks are being gaslit. they're consciously chosing to be complicit because they're afraid, imo.
Martin, what are they afraid of??
the dominant agressive Sqs33ze6psychopaths in control of power, the monopoly on violence (police), the mob (societal pressures), god gone evil.
Okay, Marin, I see.
War is *manly* ...
Until you are actually in one. Then it's the most obscene, terrifying, gross thing one man does to another. There is nothing *manly* about war. And only fools think it is something noble.
Not to mention the number of soldiers with PTSD, domestic violence, homelessnes and high rates of suicide after serving on the battlefield. They are simply fodder for the war machine.
Suicides are going up among the IDF since the war on Iran.
Yes, Nancy, I read about that as well. They are being beaten down a bit too much in their ground offensive in Lebanon. They are not too used to folks shooting back at them.
At least there's that bit of good news.
Suicides are always higher in these sorts of militaries. My son left the US military during the COVID BS. They rode him out on a rail, more or less, because he would not "obey a lawful order" and take that clot shot. He has been out for several years and still gets calls from the men he served with, the ones who are about to kill themselves because of the things they have been "ordered" to do. The number of US Veteran suicides is many times that of the general population. The more egregious the "orders" and the acts, the more suicides you will see.
Why, don't they do all their killing by drone?
The Human Drone operators are even killing themselves. This is why AI is being pushed so hard in the military. Completely remove the Human, except for the victim, of course.
Nobody of influence and authority cares.
Feral Finster, wouldn't you say it's a sad state of affairs? Wouldn't you say that a country who doesn't care about its own would be hard pressed to be believed when it jumps up and down claiming to care about other people's people?
The rest of the world sees the hypocrisy, why can't the people here in the USA see it?
This is simply how the strong always behave.
The rest of the world craves American carrot and fears American stick. Do I need to cue up Mark Rutte's flattery of Trump, shameless even by the standards of a european?
Feral Finster, when I see folks fall to the point of overtly flattering the Trumpster, I wondered about what kind of “power” he has over them. They keep saying that Netanyahu has blackmailed the Trumpster, but to see people fawning all over that “deranged occupant of the white house” I can’t help but wonder what kind of hold he has over them or anyone else who fawns over him.
It boggles the mind.
As I said, they crave American carrot and fear American stick.
The european political class has no priority other than the War On Russia, namely, getting Americans to fight that war for them. Therefore, they flatter shamelessly and offer concessions (that can be withdrawn if the Americans don't provide the war that europeans so crave).
European strategy since 1917 has been to get Americans to do their fighting for them.
Look up the number of USA veterans who have set themselves on fire. Quite a few.
There are more suicides than there were deaths in the wars.
Yes, Patrick, I think I saw that reported in Daniel Davis’s Deep Dive YouTube video just the other day. Those numbers about more suicides than deaths in wars are striking. I think some of those incapacitating injuries sustained during war have a large impact that can lead to soldiers/veterans committing suicide as well. Not to mention how they are treated when they claim to have PTSD. I know a veteran who fought in the Vietnam war. He still has problems during those holidays when they celebrate with fireworks. They have him on a “health” watch where they check on him to make sure he’s okay. He has a bunch of other issues as well.
That is why I support the troops. Not because of what they do while they are fighting the bankers’ wars but for how they are treated once they return from war. They are just trained, brainwashed fodder for the war machine.
They are trained, brainwashed fodder to a point. At some stage, they reach the part where they know better and have a choice: prison or war crime. It depends completely on the conscience of the individual troop, which is normally a function of their age and life experience. Not every one of them ever has a dramatic showdown with their own conscience. The Army IT guy or the Navy cook probably doesn't have to worry much about that. But the pilots? The special forces guys? The flag officers? Those fuckers consciously made their moral choices and it was the wrong one.
Predators like killing just fine.
How could a country that gave us "Lucy I'm Home!" from Desi Arnaz possibly be the greatest threat in the history of the United States? They can't keep their lights on but have developed weapons. Bullshit!
The worst thing that Cuba has given us was Marco Rubio with his AIPAC million dollars and affiliation with Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.
Now these morons just used the exact same script about Cuba as about Iran, just change Cuba for Iran
"Cuba is responsible for all these terrorist acts". The only terrorism around here in the last 25 years has been perpetrated by the CIA.
"War is the glue that holds the empire together. If the wars stop, the empire stops."
And the empire needs to stop NOW. It's time to dissolve the glue and tear it apart. End the wars, end the empire.
This is exactly what China and Russia are working on now - taking out the Empire, once and for all. The big action starts in a few days... https://kathleenmccroskey.substack.com/p/latvia-has-been-warned
oh dear, someoe still believes the fairy tales of Multipolarity...
It’s really difficult for good human beings in America to feel any pride about our country which has long been racist and destructive of human rights, the environment. Trump and crew have no conscience. My disgust has no end!
Peace is always on the ballot, it thrives in the campaigns for political office, especially the highest ones in the land. The USA politicians know that the people have been war weary for decades so what they do is "pretend" they are peaceniks until they place their hand on the "bible" during their inauguration. Then once all the flim-flam is over they go right back to the real agenda.
What happens over and over again is that they give the voting populace the illusion that peace is what the ruling class wants. The candidates use the word "peace" like it's a mantra. They get elected because they make the people believe they want "peace". Obama was one of the most apparent examples of the flim-flam switcheroo.
What is more troubling is not the lies they tell to get into office, it is the fact that the people don't rise up and hold them accountable for their lies as these peaceniks trod off to war after war.
The MIC is the backbone of the USA and the USA has been at war for most of its existence. War is a racket. It keeps the pockets of the war machine filled and the stocks high. The USA is based on a war economy. It is its lifeblood. So instead of the voters pointing that out when their political campaigners tell them that they are about "no more wars" they happily trot along with the illusion that these political campaigners are actually being honest.
I believe that deep in the heart of most of the people here in the USA they want peace, no more wars. However, they are so disenfranchised by the ruling class who make all the decisions, who are the purveyors of the propaganda for war, who are the orchestrators and managers of war, who have no compunction when it comes to changing course from peace to war, who are seldom if ever held accountable for the lies they tell to become part of the ruling class, that the average person is left powerless to do anything about it.
Nothing could be more clearer than what is happening now with the Trump administration. It is painfully clear that the majority of the people do not want any more wars any where, but they have no voice, no power and no way of changing what the ruling class of idiots decide to do. They've become so brazen that they don't even try hard to convince the people that we should go to war, once again. They just do it.
The only way that the USA Empire knows how to be an Empire is by warring with everyone, everywhere. Without war, there is no USA Empire and unfortunately too many people here are invested in USA exceptionalism and being the so-called greatest country in the world, they don't realize that in order to be all that, they have to give up their voice, their sovereignty, their tax dollars and their moral agency.
They just tell us how hard it is to bring democracy to the rest of the world.
I just learned that commercial teak oil contains no teak oil. Same thing.
Patrick, what is teak oil?
Linseed oil that is fraudulently sold as oil from the teak tree. Just like aloe vera gel sold at Walmart contains no aloe vera gel.
That’s why we have to get into the habit of reading the label, Patrick. It may take a little more time to do our shopping, but seriously, we need to take the time, because these folks are getting over on us, hand over fist, in their quest to line their pockets.
The only real threat to the world is the anglozionist evil empire, therefore any act of self defense against this monstrous entity should be viewed as preventive medicine to avoid being infected by their imperialist virus
US and Israel non stop death and destruction and pillage the land and wealth from other countries they are a threat to peace in the world
One thing is coming clear. The admirals who tap dance at Congressional hearings, the Air Force generals feeding air power military strategy to the potus in an unwinnable war, the special forces units of the US military who went into Venezuela, and the Navy and Air Force fighter and bomber pilots are all terrorists and baby killers. But they'll be decorated and honored and leave the service with benefits. Fuck em all.
The USA is a country who glorifies its war criminals. That is another reason that the war mentality becomes embedded into the psyche of the populace. They have statues, libraries, airports, universities, schools, streets, holidays, printed money, halls and mountains carved out for them. They get tons of medals and tons of praise despite their war crimes. If a soldier should attempt to contest or resist, he/she will face being court marshal. They get "thanks" for their service even if their service entailed killing babies and other innocents. Congress is impotent in its meager efforts to even bring up the illegality of any war. The war on terror after 9/11 started another type of ball to roll. They said the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, yet they bombed the hell out of Afghanistan and declared a never ending war on terror. Yet they fund the terrorist and put a known ISIS-Al Qaeda operative in power over Syria.
The psychology of warmongers is so psycho-sociopathic, it's no wonder their actions are incomprehensible.
They're the kind of guys who think a) there's a simple answer to every problem and b) that they're the smartest guys in the room. Billionaire corporate CEOs aren't that different. They are sociopaths who have an urge to have an answer for anything because they cannot be still or stfu to admit they don't have the answer or that there may not be one. I can't stand that personality trait in people: the need to always be decisive. They wear it like a halo. But you're right, it is in the psychology of the planners, the schemers, the warmongers. They have no idea how little their minds are. If civilization is an organism, they are like cancer cells because they get other insecure idiots to think that way. Anyway, I have thoughts, many thoughts.
I’ve read results of studies that concluded that “confidence” does not equate with “competence.” But try telling that to the average person.
Love you Caitlin. Ty for writing what’s on our hearts and in our thoughts and conversations as we go about our daily lives preparing as best we can to live in this Orwellian world.
"Not one person sincerely believes Cuba poses a threat to the United States".
You greatly underestimate the ignorance of Americans.
It's like saying; that mouse under the foliage is a threat to the cougar in the mountains.
. “So Cuba has always posed a national security threat to the United States. They, by the way, have been one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region.”
When one stops laughing at this statement by capitalist stooge Marco Rubio one clearly sees his intentions regarding Cuba. As a defenseless nation Cuba is a prime target for the Military Industrial Complex and its perpetual thirst for profit. Having offshored massive portions of its manufacturing capacity the USA ruling class depends in large part on armaments and other support industries to the military for contracts and profits. The cost to the American working class is enormous and obvious. Crumbling infrastructure, failing schools and rampant inflation are but of a few conditions imposed upon them in order to feed the billionaire class. Trump is implementing fascism while inflation ravages the country. In a normal country people would be in the streets by the millions demanding relief. Not in ameriKKKa. This is the Goodbye Tour. King Donald will soon preside over a fascist/totalitarian/“Christian” ameriKKKa.
Get out while you still can.
Eventually, every country on Earth will be declared a 'national security threat to the United States' before the end of the term of the orange Jabba the Hut.
Those unable to respond militarily will be attacked to demonstrate the principles of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
If it wasn't all so monstrously evil, it would feel as if we were watching a Terry Gilliam movie.
Why is his command of narratives so limited? Pet statement - “sponsor of terrorism”. Doesn’t be have any other narratives???
I mean when was the last time you ever heard of a CUBAN terrorist attack?
Their idea of terror is sending doctors into the world to provide healthcare. That terrorises the US govt because if their own citizens get wind of it they might demand it for themselves.
He doesn't need any other narratives.
Innocent people being killed for an evil and ugly empire -- no wonder the peace lovers are such a threat.