Every morning, I cringe at a new revelation concerning some fool media celebrity effusively mouthing those four unpalatable words "I love Joe Biden". I think: "Indeed, then go plant a wet kiss on the man's face and tell him that demented folks rarely know they're as sick as they are."
Then I think, hell, my friend P and I are much better qualified. We're both Septuagenarians, pointing out that we have great qualifications compared to other available candidates — not habitual liars, never started a war or killed anyone, no Putin/Russia/China derangement, understand the meaning of the words “diplomacy” and “compromise”, would make someone like Jeff Sachs our Sec. of State. Having both worked in diverse arenas (including “national security”), we recognize our experiential advantages over lifelong politicians or pure businessmen. But we also recognize our age-related memory limitations, and make appropriate compensations, unlike (among our extant candidates) demented folks who believe themselves to be fine, pompous bloviators who believe themselves omniscient, and guffawing hyenas whose greatest accomplishment was putting more poor minorities in jail.
Wasting your vote they tell me? Wasting my vote for a woman who speaks the language of peace? I'll gladly waste it. Trump oooooooooooooooo bad! Wait until Russia strikes back. Top Gun Joe will look like a depends wearing moron.
I like your three “Ps”, they line up pretty well with the three “Ps” against which we are fighting: Power, Profits, and Prophets. May the best “Ps” win!
I’ve been thinking about voting for her, still not sure if she/the Greens have gotten on the ballot in my state. Not quite sure yet if I can stomach voting at all, even though my Dem House Rep seems not completely evil.
Understandable. Only way I've been able to stomach voting in the past 3 elections, ('18, '20, '22) is to vote NON-DUOPOLY. I'll vote for Indies, Greens, Libertarians, Golden Retrievers, or Prairie Dogs, but will never cast another vote for D or R congresspeople, unless someone like a Kucinich suddenly appears in my state, which is hog-tied by standard Dem shitlib crapola.
I will never vote again. It makes no difference. If the voting apparatus ever becomes legitimate, perhaps I would. Voting is giving my consent to fubar.
I understand your outrage at this corrupt system that has the cover of ekections to promote the façade of democracy. I do think, however, that it is important to show the difference between not voting because you can’t be bothered, find it’s too tedious and boring, don’t have transportation, unable to get acceptable ID, and a principled stand.
To me it’s important for them to know why neither of the two-party candidates are getting my vote.
You might consider the strategy that Sam Husseini has come up with on votepact dot org.
I can see my preaching here hasn't been in vain. If only more people engaged in the notion.
PS: "It makes no difference" - voting does make a difference. It contributes to their claiming the "democracy" works. Whereas it doesn't. Even putting Mickey Mouse down allows them to say: well, some folks voted for Mickey Mouse but he democratically lost.
Exactly! It’s a complete waste of my time. Once people understand how they’ve been fooled, change may, possibly occur. Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
Look at the politicians and non-politicians at the helm now. I wouldn’t trust ONE for anything. You think they’re going to respect a damn vote????😂🤣🤣😂🤣👏
Well Vin', It is true that folks of our ages must face up to brain slowing , memory loss etc before death .But the thing about the memory loss of old Joe which stand out is that it has made zero difference to US foreign policy and actions. If he were really in charge it would be a real worry that in a moment of age induced madness he picked up the alleged brief case and press the button to start the nuclear war. ....But don't worry he is just a figurehead meant to say nice reassuring things and while what is happening is bad for the public image of the system of 'democracy' since its Head's dementia is making zero difference to current policy. So just see it has a good thing that the whole confected fairy tale of democracy is being shown for what it is. Sadly though their media will soon take our collective mind away from that glaringly obvious exposure and send us all back to he comfortable mass sleep essential for the system to continue working .
Well Jack, your point is well taken. For it would truly seem that at this juncture, US foreign policy is just a bloody boulder rolling downhill onto the rest of humanity, a sordid system of automaticity -- of insane gears and levers, whose initiator is unbeknown to most mortals and probably doesn't bloody matter in the least.
The "red button" is,we know now,a media myth anyway. It never existed
That whole thing was made up. If they start lobbing nukes then whoever is POTUS won't know a thing about it until they come for him to usher him into the bunker, actually what would be the logical point of that,more like ,kill him. Think of that Joe,or Don. If the military decides to do one,you'll be surplus to requirements.
The only reason politicians claim that we are a war mongering nation is because we have always been. Certainly since the explosive growth of the military industry complex during World War 2. Which is why a “peace dividend” never last very long before the war mongers find some other enemy to install fear or loathing about. Leets face it, America is addicted violence. Either the domestic variety, or the international variety that gets us involved in another war somewhere around the world. I’m not saying that some warfare is not justified in the fight against evil that threatens us. But, being the world’s police force in addition to fighting wars for other countries, so they don’t have to, is ludicrous.
This in particular applies a deep scalpel to the false face of liberal democracy sic:
"The Biden administration has completely discredited every value that western liberals claim to uphold. Peace. Justice. Human rights. A free press. Opposition to racism. Opposition to tyranny. These freaks just plum forgot that genocide is a bad thing on October 7, and probably won’t remember again until the imperial propaganda machine needs to use that accusation against the next government that the empire has targeted for regime change."
We can tweak it, trim it, tailor it to our liking an eco friendly, anti violence force for diplomacy and education. Our military is ready to do only good.
I guess this didn't reach Oz, but google "3rd Way, Blair, Clinton", and see what your favourite sources say.
They are as "liberal" as neoliberals are liberal, as "conservative" as neoconservatives are conservative.
I understand it makes the argumnts much simpler - "3rd Way" is unwieldy prose.
But they AREN'T liberals, any more than 'Sir Kid Starver is of the left.
That is just another lie of the Empire.
I hope you read this, and if you do, I just want to say that I hope you can keep going as long as possible, you are a fantastic and NECESSARY emotional lifeline in these times.
Thank you for your emotional courage, and extremely hard work. xxx
Yeah we get caught up with categories and ‘isms’ but the meaning of those words changes (evolves?) or more likely is purposely changed by empire managers to serve their needs. I tend to appreciate the words ‘progressive’ as it implies your values support progress toward a better world ( of course ‘better to whom’ is the problem) opposite to this is ‘conservative’ who values tradition and not fixing what’s not broken ( in their view). A spectrum of attitudes in between. Not a Musk fan, but he did have a nice cartoon graphic describing the spectrum
The terms are indeed being deliberatey muddled by the Imperial media for their own nefarious ends of making the Public befuddled but nonetheless they have a hard core of definition.
Left = communal thinking, sharing. (In a non-political context, like how groups of friends behave in their tweenies, sharing resources to get to parties, etc).
Conservative = Hierarchical thinking. "A place for everyone and everyone in their place".
Liberal = Individual autonomy, liberal rights such as free speech, free assembly, freedom of conscience.
Needless hopefully to say, we are all a blend of those elements IRL, non of us is pure lib, con or left. But we come to define ourselves as such.
The "3rd Way" is best defined as some wit did back in the 90s - "The Left gets words, the Right gets actions".
We can either let the Empire fck with our brains as it sees fit, "3 fingers!" [1984], or else we can stick to the solid definitions of yore and stick a finger up to their lies and disinformation.
From a human perspective, it is cruel to allow a sick person who is not aware of their own limitations to think he can be an effective leader of anything. But then kindness and caring are not qualities that the administration of this empire ever think about. It would interfere too much with their thoughts of world domination by any means possible.
Good point Susan and one I have been thinking of too.
Much as I loathe and detest Joe Biden being the warmonger he has always been, I find it very sad and pathetic to allow this farce to keep going. This is a human being with a mental illness, being put on show which is disgusting but not surprising.
Nor do I. Yesterday was PRIDE day in Bristol,the UK city in which I live. I've just noticed - they've dropped the word "Gay". It's now just PRIDE,so pride in what? We all know pride comes before a fall. I had to go 3 stops on the local bus,quite a walk,to do some public gardening. I live near the edge of town but the bus was ALREADY PACKED. It was packed full of FAMILIES. There were Dads and Mums with LITTLE CHILDREN and babies in prams. There were sharp faced teen girls ,those Mean Girls with rainbows painted on their faces,there were lads out to party in the sunshine. It felt just like being in the festive crowd at an 18th century Public Execution. I felt so enraged at the HYPOCRISY of all these people who sneer at and despise ME for once trying to join their " I'm human" club only to find myself forever wearing The Scarlet Letter that I asked the man standing by me,"what is this pride about,what is gay pride about". Lucky for me he was a smiley,amiable sort,his girlfriend was with him. With a definite mental effort he obviously tried to think what it was ABOUT,and he said "well it's about everybody being different and respecting that" he was I could see a naturally amiable person and the issue idea or reality of SEX,actual forms of SEXUAL ACTIVITY that the whole thing started off as based on,or predicated on,had absolutely no connection in his mind or anyone of the chavvy,trailer trash on the bus. I know I'm now coming across like a sour old Victorian spinster,like that one in the movie who wants to "kill your little dog" but you do have to ask what brain disconnect makes you think a party in the park to celebrate other people's right to conception free sexual activity is a good place for your kids to hang out,presumably the same brain disconnect that did indeed have Public Executions big outdoor parties with music ,feasting and drunken merriment. Now...gotta find that Toto....
As an elderly woman who has seen a lot, I can still remember that as a child , what people did in their bedrooms was a private thing. Since I am older now, I look back on people who were in all probability gay, but that was not the focal point of their lives. I also remember watching presidential debates with my grandfather and they were respectful of each other even though they disagreed. There was no name calling or mud slinging, just discourse that covered the policies and what they felt were the most important issues. All I can say now is that I am glad to be old.
The United States has been under the control of unelected bureaucrats for decades. The difference now is they do not care who knows it. This is a dangerous stage in the total takeover of the country and Western civilization; they believe there is not a fucking thing you can do about it. So far, they are correct.
They say that if you lot elect Trump you will get a fascist state but don't you have that already. About as Fascist as possible. Didnt Mussolini say that Fascism is when the political administration power and the economic business/financial power are ONE. So,USA is a Fascist State. Now.
What - General Eisenhower doing a” Musharaff” in the 1950’s and Spymaster Bush doing a “ Putin” in the 1990s then shoving his idiot som in the 2000s again - all did not tip off the game?
"What - General Eisenhower doing a” Musharaff” in the 1950’s and Spymaster Bush doing a “ Putin” in the 1990s then shoving his idiot som in the 2000s again - all did not tip off the game?"
Or JFK's brains being blown over the trunk of his limousine.
"You could not ask for more conclusive proof that for all the fuss that gets made about US presidents and presidential elections, it is nothing more than a figurehead position for an empire that is not actually run by its official elected government."
So who is in charge? We know the answer, but whom do they answer to since they weren't elected and the elected president's brain resembles tapioca? How do we get rid of them?
And to those smug liberals who say it doesn't matter, as long as it "works", that simply shows how little you care for democracy and how much you care for power.
There's still a lot of misunderstanding about the actual purpose of democracy flowing beneath the surfaces of the upper and upper-middle classes. They seem to think it's a great thing that the (alleged) "dummies" (read: the powerless) are now being shut out, and will eventually all die off as (alleged) Darwin award-winners.
The top power classes seem to have no clue that (1) the moral accountability (of elected officials) works, and always has worked, completely differently from the functional accountability (of their staff and experts), so that (well-run) democratic voting provides eminently useful feedback loops. (2) Especially for those who are sociopaths, as they pull out all the ethical stops, their inner circle safe-zone will never stop shrinking. Once the world population falls to a few hundred multi-trillionaires living off the produce of generations past and "self-running" machines, they will STILL be killing each other off.
Morality is NOT a feature of American society where wealth and power are concerned.
Neither is shame. Nor the law. Read Matt Taibbi’s book “ The Divide” from many years ago.
The western sham democracy is not fit for purpose. And is clearly past its sell by date. The rest of the world is moving on from it. The western colonial power keep clinging to it. Because they are intellectually challenged and got no ideas to actually build functional societies capable of copping the with the challenges of our time.
So like the wahabis and the Taliban that ironically they kept looking down on, they are left clinging on to the old book and just repeating lines from it and issuing NATO “fatwa” on any one who deviates from literal devotion to old outdated words and edicts and customs.
"Morality is NOT a feature of American society where wealth and power are concerned. / Neither is shame. Nor the law."
Right. Things that needs fixing. Other things that have needed fixing in America have been fixed, sometimes with gov and sometimes without, no matter what nay-sayers insist.
The principle of *some kind of* effective accountability to "the people" is my point here. If it goes, I don't see any way to defend (at least here in public discourse) its substitute. Do you claim to know otherwise?
i.e. For the first time in history, get the goddam sociopaths actually under control. We have unprecedented tools with which to do it, but they stay ahead of us. Why is that? Is it really necessary?
American society hardly got off to a moral start, what with genocide of the native Americans and slavery of trafficked Africans.
Am not sure there are any actual reference points in that society for morality or shame then.
In the present day people there don’t hold themselves to any real moral standards. Shame is absent. The society is all empty PR and fluff and gaslighting.
If that is what Amerodo to EACH OTHER every day, then how exactly would they hold their politicians to any better standards? I look at congress and its a cesspool but basically it’s the same lying greedy sacks of horse manure everywhere else there.
"American society hardly got off to a moral start"
So which other country (or realpolitik by other means), in the early 1770s should the people of the British American colonies have recognized as superior, and emulated?
The colonizers should have gone home. There is no morality in colonialism aka mass exploitation. Doomed to eternal moral rot.
It’s 2024 and the society is still colonial mode. Except now globally. That’s what the war in Ukraine is about. That’s what the mass murder in Palestine is about. It’s about the same mission under which the nation was founded. Brutal mass exploitation.
You will not find any moral foundation in these societies until that mission is renounced amends made and weapons downed, and positive common goals are adopted . Short of that, expect the international political scene to continue rotting exactly as it is doing now: dogs turning on each other.
Investigator Robert Caro on New York bigshot Robert Moses, circa 1957:
"I got in the car and drove home to Long Island, and I kept thinking to myself: 'Everything you've been doing is baloney. You've been writing under the belief that power in a democracy comes from the ballot box. But here's a guy who has never been elected to anything, who has enough power to turn the entire state around, and you don't have the slightest idea how he got it.'"
Yes, western liberals, but not they alone. Western conservatives are no better. The so-called liberals are, in fact, right-wing. We desperately need genuine leftists in this country.
Some want Biden to stay in the race but I find the entire thing so distasteful, his wife is evil. I believe the CIA is behind everything including who gets installed as president. America has fallen but most of the people don't realize that but they will when it comes knocking on their front door.
You are right. The CIA organized and paid for Oct 7. They blew up the pipeline. They installed the idiot criminal Zelensky. They fund our Tony Blairs Foundation. They saw to it that bio-labs and surrogacy clinics (whores hostels) were strung along the Ukraine/Russian border. To provoke. Odd how Regime change is S-O-O difficult in USA but so easy everywhere else.
the dementia case is closed as far as i'm concerned. as caitlin mentions it just another sign that the person who plays the president-role doesn't really matter, it's the unelected team of corporation delegates that run the show. they will milk this dementia-thing and the artificial controversy in the dem-party as much as they can to distract from the genocide. if he gets replaced, it will again be another genocider.
Here's are some questions to ponder on: has the US Presidency always been a figurehead position? Or did it start at some point in US history? Or is it selective and on a case-by-case basis depending on who the President is? Has the "deep state" (I don't like that term - so I'll use oligarchy or power elite or controlling interests) always been the decision makers? If so, why are people expecting Biden or Trump to be any different? Or is it that each generation wakes up to the same reality over-and-over again across time once they have figured out how to muddle their way through all the propaganda?
That's an interesting question because if you watch old Hollywood movies you can see that USA society,well it was always a bit dodgy in my opinion,but the old values still held,on the screen at least. I think a BIG CHANGE occurred in 1907. I'm not an economist or politics expert so you may need to follow this up. In 1907 J.P Morgan,the actual one,he triggered off a banking crisis,(like 2008,it's little known,odd that) under the guise of dealing with the crisis,Morgan and a bunch of others got the USA law changed to get Business put on a new basis,in fact they created the Corporation. Or rather they extended this format to business as many old towns and cities like the one I live in were Corporations and I still don't really know what it means but in the old days it was seen as fat wealthy Aldermen getting fat off the misery of the Poor,like in Oliver! so that tells you something.
I'm not sure how much brain there was in our leadership to begin with...None of them appear to have ever had a real job, only fake government related jobs...But what there was has definitely rotted away to nothing, except the sheer lust for power over the rest of us peons....
Politicians are people ( I use that term loosely) who can’t get real jobs.
Put them to work filling potholes with tar; roofing buildings in 100-degree heat; pumping septic tanks and snaking clogged toilets. Then they might learn the meaning of “work”.
Because we respect that over hundreds of years (in UK) people fought and died to get the right to vote. It's taught us as a kind of emotional blackmail or weaponised compassion. I've decided to vote no more and THEY (in UK) know that,here one twin has just passed the dossier on to the other identical twin.
Unfortunately, most people's "understanding" of democracy is limited to voting in elections. That takes 5 minutes of one day, every 2 - 4 years. Real democracy is working every day on trying to educate, agitate, organize and mobilize to influence government policies and decisions, and I don't mean via tweets and social media.
That's why gvt. propaganda is so effective. People have to chose someone to explain things to them. The oligarchy knows the clues people look for when deciding whom to trust and what to believe. They supply that input. They are diligent about neutralizing alternative sources and interpretations.
Remember in the 80's when they told us they were going to run government like a business? That's what we got. Businesses do not tolerate disagreement from their employees. The desidiratum is enthusiastic obedience.
Every morning, I cringe at a new revelation concerning some fool media celebrity effusively mouthing those four unpalatable words "I love Joe Biden". I think: "Indeed, then go plant a wet kiss on the man's face and tell him that demented folks rarely know they're as sick as they are."
Then I think, hell, my friend P and I are much better qualified. We're both Septuagenarians, pointing out that we have great qualifications compared to other available candidates — not habitual liars, never started a war or killed anyone, no Putin/Russia/China derangement, understand the meaning of the words “diplomacy” and “compromise”, would make someone like Jeff Sachs our Sec. of State. Having both worked in diverse arenas (including “national security”), we recognize our experiential advantages over lifelong politicians or pure businessmen. But we also recognize our age-related memory limitations, and make appropriate compensations, unlike (among our extant candidates) demented folks who believe themselves to be fine, pompous bloviators who believe themselves omniscient, and guffawing hyenas whose greatest accomplishment was putting more poor minorities in jail.
I'd suggest another septuagenarian who is actually running for president, Dr. JIll Stein. Green Party, on a ballot near you.
Indeed, Jill had my vote in '16 and will again, in '24. Feckless though they are in so many ways, the Greens are on the ballot in my state.
Wasting your vote they tell me? Wasting my vote for a woman who speaks the language of peace? I'll gladly waste it. Trump oooooooooooooooo bad! Wait until Russia strikes back. Top Gun Joe will look like a depends wearing moron.
People, Planet and Peace. We can live with that. Anything else is death.
I like your three “Ps”, they line up pretty well with the three “Ps” against which we are fighting: Power, Profits, and Prophets. May the best “Ps” win!
More about the positive 3 P's: https://youtu.be/9ziwTDDcaVI?si=762dTkZFmiEL8z0K
I’ve been thinking about voting for her, still not sure if she/the Greens have gotten on the ballot in my state. Not quite sure yet if I can stomach voting at all, even though my Dem House Rep seems not completely evil.
Understandable. Only way I've been able to stomach voting in the past 3 elections, ('18, '20, '22) is to vote NON-DUOPOLY. I'll vote for Indies, Greens, Libertarians, Golden Retrievers, or Prairie Dogs, but will never cast another vote for D or R congresspeople, unless someone like a Kucinich suddenly appears in my state, which is hog-tied by standard Dem shitlib crapola.
I will never vote again. It makes no difference. If the voting apparatus ever becomes legitimate, perhaps I would. Voting is giving my consent to fubar.
I understand your outrage at this corrupt system that has the cover of ekections to promote the façade of democracy. I do think, however, that it is important to show the difference between not voting because you can’t be bothered, find it’s too tedious and boring, don’t have transportation, unable to get acceptable ID, and a principled stand.
To me it’s important for them to know why neither of the two-party candidates are getting my vote.
You might consider the strategy that Sam Husseini has come up with on votepact dot org.
I can see my preaching here hasn't been in vain. If only more people engaged in the notion.
PS: "It makes no difference" - voting does make a difference. It contributes to their claiming the "democracy" works. Whereas it doesn't. Even putting Mickey Mouse down allows them to say: well, some folks voted for Mickey Mouse but he democratically lost.
Exactly! It’s a complete waste of my time. Once people understand how they’ve been fooled, change may, possibly occur. Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
Look at the politicians and non-politicians at the helm now. I wouldn’t trust ONE for anything. You think they’re going to respect a damn vote????😂🤣🤣😂🤣👏
I would never argue with that choice because it's understandable given your completely legitimate concern about the legitimacy of the voting system
Joy she is the one. The "Doctor"
Well Vin', It is true that folks of our ages must face up to brain slowing , memory loss etc before death .But the thing about the memory loss of old Joe which stand out is that it has made zero difference to US foreign policy and actions. If he were really in charge it would be a real worry that in a moment of age induced madness he picked up the alleged brief case and press the button to start the nuclear war. ....But don't worry he is just a figurehead meant to say nice reassuring things and while what is happening is bad for the public image of the system of 'democracy' since its Head's dementia is making zero difference to current policy. So just see it has a good thing that the whole confected fairy tale of democracy is being shown for what it is. Sadly though their media will soon take our collective mind away from that glaringly obvious exposure and send us all back to he comfortable mass sleep essential for the system to continue working .
Well Jack, your point is well taken. For it would truly seem that at this juncture, US foreign policy is just a bloody boulder rolling downhill onto the rest of humanity, a sordid system of automaticity -- of insane gears and levers, whose initiator is unbeknown to most mortals and probably doesn't bloody matter in the least.
The "red button" is,we know now,a media myth anyway. It never existed
That whole thing was made up. If they start lobbing nukes then whoever is POTUS won't know a thing about it until they come for him to usher him into the bunker, actually what would be the logical point of that,more like ,kill him. Think of that Joe,or Don. If the military decides to do one,you'll be surplus to requirements.
Well said.
BINGO.
The only reason politicians claim that we are a war mongering nation is because we have always been. Certainly since the explosive growth of the military industry complex during World War 2. Which is why a “peace dividend” never last very long before the war mongers find some other enemy to install fear or loathing about. Leets face it, America is addicted violence. Either the domestic variety, or the international variety that gets us involved in another war somewhere around the world. I’m not saying that some warfare is not justified in the fight against evil that threatens us. But, being the world’s police force in addition to fighting wars for other countries, so they don’t have to, is ludicrous.
It has certainly put a damper on growing old in America. Never did I think I’d live to feel sorry for experts or journalists, but here we are.
Why feel sorry for them., they are part of the problem!
Caitlin, you are speaking the tragic, irrefutable TRUTH (once again). Just brilliant commentary and analysis. Tremendous.
This in particular applies a deep scalpel to the false face of liberal democracy sic:
"The Biden administration has completely discredited every value that western liberals claim to uphold. Peace. Justice. Human rights. A free press. Opposition to racism. Opposition to tyranny. These freaks just plum forgot that genocide is a bad thing on October 7, and probably won’t remember again until the imperial propaganda machine needs to use that accusation against the next government that the empire has targeted for regime change."
"Hopefully the death of this toxic, omnicidal ideology won’t be too far behind the death of Joe Biden"
Amen to that 🙏
Afraid not, we are too brainwashed, even the best of us. The Military Industrial complex is unstoppable!
We can tweak it, trim it, tailor it to our liking an eco friendly, anti violence force for diplomacy and education. Our military is ready to do only good.
That's some funny stuff. Thank you for that.
I doubt that, more war justifies their existence!
More death, you mean.
Fewer humans, fewer created in God's image is their goal.
And if he lives to 110?
As he's already dead......
Are you saying Joe Biden is already dead?
Yes, absolutely and totally,so youve got that poor tortured old soul for eternity.
Seen him lately?
I thought so.
They are NOT "liberals" Caitlin.
I guess this didn't reach Oz, but google "3rd Way, Blair, Clinton", and see what your favourite sources say.
They are as "liberal" as neoliberals are liberal, as "conservative" as neoconservatives are conservative.
I understand it makes the argumnts much simpler - "3rd Way" is unwieldy prose.
But they AREN'T liberals, any more than 'Sir Kid Starver is of the left.
That is just another lie of the Empire.
I hope you read this, and if you do, I just want to say that I hope you can keep going as long as possible, you are a fantastic and NECESSARY emotional lifeline in these times.
Thank you for your emotional courage, and extremely hard work. xxx
Yeah we get caught up with categories and ‘isms’ but the meaning of those words changes (evolves?) or more likely is purposely changed by empire managers to serve their needs. I tend to appreciate the words ‘progressive’ as it implies your values support progress toward a better world ( of course ‘better to whom’ is the problem) opposite to this is ‘conservative’ who values tradition and not fixing what’s not broken ( in their view). A spectrum of attitudes in between. Not a Musk fan, but he did have a nice cartoon graphic describing the spectrum
The terms are indeed being deliberatey muddled by the Imperial media for their own nefarious ends of making the Public befuddled but nonetheless they have a hard core of definition.
Left = communal thinking, sharing. (In a non-political context, like how groups of friends behave in their tweenies, sharing resources to get to parties, etc).
Conservative = Hierarchical thinking. "A place for everyone and everyone in their place".
Liberal = Individual autonomy, liberal rights such as free speech, free assembly, freedom of conscience.
Needless hopefully to say, we are all a blend of those elements IRL, non of us is pure lib, con or left. But we come to define ourselves as such.
The "3rd Way" is best defined as some wit did back in the 90s - "The Left gets words, the Right gets actions".
We can either let the Empire fck with our brains as it sees fit, "3 fingers!" [1984], or else we can stick to the solid definitions of yore and stick a finger up to their lies and disinformation.
French author Alain Deneault - "Mediocracy: The Politics of the Extreme Centre" - calls it extreme centrism. You should find reviews around.
Perhaps in France - with echoes of Gaullism - that mght be the case.
But as Caitin repeatedy points out, these people elsewhere are not "centrists", they are EXTREMISTS.
What's funny is you have yet to see extremism from the left.
From a human perspective, it is cruel to allow a sick person who is not aware of their own limitations to think he can be an effective leader of anything. But then kindness and caring are not qualities that the administration of this empire ever think about. It would interfere too much with their thoughts of world domination by any means possible.
Good point Susan and one I have been thinking of too.
Much as I loathe and detest Joe Biden being the warmonger he has always been, I find it very sad and pathetic to allow this farce to keep going. This is a human being with a mental illness, being put on show which is disgusting but not surprising.
Yet citizens of the western world seem hypnotized to believe that this is okay. I just don't get it.
Let me help explain:
MASS FORMATION PSYCHOSIS.
Massive propaganda campaigns that permeate every aspect your life.
A long time in the making, at least a century out in the open.
Nor do I. Yesterday was PRIDE day in Bristol,the UK city in which I live. I've just noticed - they've dropped the word "Gay". It's now just PRIDE,so pride in what? We all know pride comes before a fall. I had to go 3 stops on the local bus,quite a walk,to do some public gardening. I live near the edge of town but the bus was ALREADY PACKED. It was packed full of FAMILIES. There were Dads and Mums with LITTLE CHILDREN and babies in prams. There were sharp faced teen girls ,those Mean Girls with rainbows painted on their faces,there were lads out to party in the sunshine. It felt just like being in the festive crowd at an 18th century Public Execution. I felt so enraged at the HYPOCRISY of all these people who sneer at and despise ME for once trying to join their " I'm human" club only to find myself forever wearing The Scarlet Letter that I asked the man standing by me,"what is this pride about,what is gay pride about". Lucky for me he was a smiley,amiable sort,his girlfriend was with him. With a definite mental effort he obviously tried to think what it was ABOUT,and he said "well it's about everybody being different and respecting that" he was I could see a naturally amiable person and the issue idea or reality of SEX,actual forms of SEXUAL ACTIVITY that the whole thing started off as based on,or predicated on,had absolutely no connection in his mind or anyone of the chavvy,trailer trash on the bus. I know I'm now coming across like a sour old Victorian spinster,like that one in the movie who wants to "kill your little dog" but you do have to ask what brain disconnect makes you think a party in the park to celebrate other people's right to conception free sexual activity is a good place for your kids to hang out,presumably the same brain disconnect that did indeed have Public Executions big outdoor parties with music ,feasting and drunken merriment. Now...gotta find that Toto....
As an elderly woman who has seen a lot, I can still remember that as a child , what people did in their bedrooms was a private thing. Since I am older now, I look back on people who were in all probability gay, but that was not the focal point of their lives. I also remember watching presidential debates with my grandfather and they were respectful of each other even though they disagreed. There was no name calling or mud slinging, just discourse that covered the policies and what they felt were the most important issues. All I can say now is that I am glad to be old.
I'm a few months off 70 and I agree.
Perspective of winners vs losers
The United States has been under the control of unelected bureaucrats for decades. The difference now is they do not care who knows it. This is a dangerous stage in the total takeover of the country and Western civilization; they believe there is not a fucking thing you can do about it. So far, they are correct.
Also under the control of unelected special interest lobbyists, AIPAC et. al.
They say that if you lot elect Trump you will get a fascist state but don't you have that already. About as Fascist as possible. Didnt Mussolini say that Fascism is when the political administration power and the economic business/financial power are ONE. So,USA is a Fascist State. Now.
What - General Eisenhower doing a” Musharaff” in the 1950’s and Spymaster Bush doing a “ Putin” in the 1990s then shoving his idiot som in the 2000s again - all did not tip off the game?
"What - General Eisenhower doing a” Musharaff” in the 1950’s and Spymaster Bush doing a “ Putin” in the 1990s then shoving his idiot som in the 2000s again - all did not tip off the game?"
Or JFK's brains being blown over the trunk of his limousine.
BOOM💥
"You could not ask for more conclusive proof that for all the fuss that gets made about US presidents and presidential elections, it is nothing more than a figurehead position for an empire that is not actually run by its official elected government."
So who is in charge? We know the answer, but whom do they answer to since they weren't elected and the elected president's brain resembles tapioca? How do we get rid of them?
And to those smug liberals who say it doesn't matter, as long as it "works", that simply shows how little you care for democracy and how much you care for power.
There's still a lot of misunderstanding about the actual purpose of democracy flowing beneath the surfaces of the upper and upper-middle classes. They seem to think it's a great thing that the (alleged) "dummies" (read: the powerless) are now being shut out, and will eventually all die off as (alleged) Darwin award-winners.
The top power classes seem to have no clue that (1) the moral accountability (of elected officials) works, and always has worked, completely differently from the functional accountability (of their staff and experts), so that (well-run) democratic voting provides eminently useful feedback loops. (2) Especially for those who are sociopaths, as they pull out all the ethical stops, their inner circle safe-zone will never stop shrinking. Once the world population falls to a few hundred multi-trillionaires living off the produce of generations past and "self-running" machines, they will STILL be killing each other off.
Morality is NOT a feature of American society where wealth and power are concerned.
Neither is shame. Nor the law. Read Matt Taibbi’s book “ The Divide” from many years ago.
The western sham democracy is not fit for purpose. And is clearly past its sell by date. The rest of the world is moving on from it. The western colonial power keep clinging to it. Because they are intellectually challenged and got no ideas to actually build functional societies capable of copping the with the challenges of our time.
So like the wahabis and the Taliban that ironically they kept looking down on, they are left clinging on to the old book and just repeating lines from it and issuing NATO “fatwa” on any one who deviates from literal devotion to old outdated words and edicts and customs.
"Morality is NOT a feature of American society where wealth and power are concerned. / Neither is shame. Nor the law."
Right. Things that needs fixing. Other things that have needed fixing in America have been fixed, sometimes with gov and sometimes without, no matter what nay-sayers insist.
The principle of *some kind of* effective accountability to "the people" is my point here. If it goes, I don't see any way to defend (at least here in public discourse) its substitute. Do you claim to know otherwise?
i.e. For the first time in history, get the goddam sociopaths actually under control. We have unprecedented tools with which to do it, but they stay ahead of us. Why is that? Is it really necessary?
American society hardly got off to a moral start, what with genocide of the native Americans and slavery of trafficked Africans.
Am not sure there are any actual reference points in that society for morality or shame then.
In the present day people there don’t hold themselves to any real moral standards. Shame is absent. The society is all empty PR and fluff and gaslighting.
If that is what Amerodo to EACH OTHER every day, then how exactly would they hold their politicians to any better standards? I look at congress and its a cesspool but basically it’s the same lying greedy sacks of horse manure everywhere else there.
"American society hardly got off to a moral start"
So which other country (or realpolitik by other means), in the early 1770s should the people of the British American colonies have recognized as superior, and emulated?
The colonizers should have gone home. There is no morality in colonialism aka mass exploitation. Doomed to eternal moral rot.
It’s 2024 and the society is still colonial mode. Except now globally. That’s what the war in Ukraine is about. That’s what the mass murder in Palestine is about. It’s about the same mission under which the nation was founded. Brutal mass exploitation.
You will not find any moral foundation in these societies until that mission is renounced amends made and weapons downed, and positive common goals are adopted . Short of that, expect the international political scene to continue rotting exactly as it is doing now: dogs turning on each other.
Thank you for book ref.
Whatever sociopaths may be good at, they are not good at building lasting coalitions.
I'll take a look at that, thank you.
Thanks for validating the point I just made below.
Investigator Robert Caro on New York bigshot Robert Moses, circa 1957:
"I got in the car and drove home to Long Island, and I kept thinking to myself: 'Everything you've been doing is baloney. You've been writing under the belief that power in a democracy comes from the ballot box. But here's a guy who has never been elected to anything, who has enough power to turn the entire state around, and you don't have the slightest idea how he got it.'"
Hint: It was all about money.
I dunno, I didn't think that a Nuland or Blinken lived lives of sybaritic luxury.
Actually they do. Paid by the public.
I don't think that's exactly sybaritic luxury.
So frightening to listen to the reality deniers say "Joe is just fine, better than ever in face". I hope we can fend off WWIII very soon.
So..he just mixed up a few words,don't we all do that,Big Deal....as the radio host on LBC said last night..
Yes, western liberals, but not they alone. Western conservatives are no better. The so-called liberals are, in fact, right-wing. We desperately need genuine leftists in this country.
"We desperately need genuine leftists in this country."
It doesn't have to be left or right, just people of high integrity and other positive human traits.
I agree that we all need to come together in order to pump the septic tank that is DC.
Never pump that septic tank with any of the people I see and hear!
Jenny, here’s the problem: what do we do with all that toxic waste from the tank?
We may have to embed it in concrete!
Of course you do but imagine the outcry..........commies/pinkos etc.
Some want Biden to stay in the race but I find the entire thing so distasteful, his wife is evil. I believe the CIA is behind everything including who gets installed as president. America has fallen but most of the people don't realize that but they will when it comes knocking on their front door.
"I believe the CIA is behind everything including who gets installed as president."
I agree, but this has been the case for decades; it also includes the other three-letter acronym agencies.
You are right. The CIA organized and paid for Oct 7. They blew up the pipeline. They installed the idiot criminal Zelensky. They fund our Tony Blairs Foundation. They saw to it that bio-labs and surrogacy clinics (whores hostels) were strung along the Ukraine/Russian border. To provoke. Odd how Regime change is S-O-O difficult in USA but so easy everywhere else.
Hogwash
Conspiracy theories are dangerous
More dangerous to ignore them.
I think you're in the wrong SubStack, maybe move to something more to your liking, like "abortion everyday" that sounds more up your alley DeeDee.
Hahahaha
Biden is ‘the mad king’
Puppet more like,with broken strings
Thank You Caitlin
the dementia case is closed as far as i'm concerned. as caitlin mentions it just another sign that the person who plays the president-role doesn't really matter, it's the unelected team of corporation delegates that run the show. they will milk this dementia-thing and the artificial controversy in the dem-party as much as they can to distract from the genocide. if he gets replaced, it will again be another genocider.
Here's are some questions to ponder on: has the US Presidency always been a figurehead position? Or did it start at some point in US history? Or is it selective and on a case-by-case basis depending on who the President is? Has the "deep state" (I don't like that term - so I'll use oligarchy or power elite or controlling interests) always been the decision makers? If so, why are people expecting Biden or Trump to be any different? Or is it that each generation wakes up to the same reality over-and-over again across time once they have figured out how to muddle their way through all the propaganda?
That's an interesting question because if you watch old Hollywood movies you can see that USA society,well it was always a bit dodgy in my opinion,but the old values still held,on the screen at least. I think a BIG CHANGE occurred in 1907. I'm not an economist or politics expert so you may need to follow this up. In 1907 J.P Morgan,the actual one,he triggered off a banking crisis,(like 2008,it's little known,odd that) under the guise of dealing with the crisis,Morgan and a bunch of others got the USA law changed to get Business put on a new basis,in fact they created the Corporation. Or rather they extended this format to business as many old towns and cities like the one I live in were Corporations and I still don't really know what it means but in the old days it was seen as fat wealthy Aldermen getting fat off the misery of the Poor,like in Oliver! so that tells you something.
https://science1arts2and3politics.substack.com/p/history-when-the-usa-was-anti-corporate
I'm not sure how much brain there was in our leadership to begin with...None of them appear to have ever had a real job, only fake government related jobs...But what there was has definitely rotted away to nothing, except the sheer lust for power over the rest of us peons....
Pyrrhus:
Politicians are people ( I use that term loosely) who can’t get real jobs.
Put them to work filling potholes with tar; roofing buildings in 100-degree heat; pumping septic tanks and snaking clogged toilets. Then they might learn the meaning of “work”.
But the people keep voting for them?
Because we respect that over hundreds of years (in UK) people fought and died to get the right to vote. It's taught us as a kind of emotional blackmail or weaponised compassion. I've decided to vote no more and THEY (in UK) know that,here one twin has just passed the dossier on to the other identical twin.
Unfortunately, most people's "understanding" of democracy is limited to voting in elections. That takes 5 minutes of one day, every 2 - 4 years. Real democracy is working every day on trying to educate, agitate, organize and mobilize to influence government policies and decisions, and I don't mean via tweets and social media.
You describe what you do - it's your "job" so to speak. When would those other people do their regular jobs?
That's why gvt. propaganda is so effective. People have to chose someone to explain things to them. The oligarchy knows the clues people look for when deciding whom to trust and what to believe. They supply that input. They are diligent about neutralizing alternative sources and interpretations.
Remember in the 80's when they told us they were going to run government like a business? That's what we got. Businesses do not tolerate disagreement from their employees. The desidiratum is enthusiastic obedience.