Surviving Capitalism (Not) : To Russia with More Russia-Bashing

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

To Russia with More Russia-Bashing

Click here to access article by Nat Parry from ConsortiumNews. (Although I haven't found absolute confirmation, I have found some evidence that Nat Parry is the son of Robert Parry who is editor of this website.)

In today’s America, what is normal, according to the bipartisan consensus, are unilateral strikes against countries without evidence and in violation of international law. It is also apparently normal for televisions to spy on law-abiding citizens, and with drone strikes shooting up 432 percent under the Trump presidency so far, it is apparently quite normal to use flying robots to bomb suspected terrorists (and their eight-year old daughters) half-way around the world. Indefinite detention at the legal black hole of Guantanamo is also rather normal.

After all, these are all policies that have been in place for a decade and a half under both Democratic and Republican administrations, and hope seems to be dwindling for returning to a period of actual normalcy.

It appears that our masters in the capitalist ruling class have taken upon themselves to be the arbiters of fake news and theories of conspiracies. They in their profound wisdom know things that we must simply accept. It seems that our masters have taken much umbrage over the fact that people in independent media have raised questions about their latest conspiracy theory related to the US attack of a Syrian airbase. It seems we must behave as children or their soldiers who should simply follow the guidance of parents/leaders; and through their ownership of the nation's newspapers of record, they just report the facts and create "reality" for us. It brings to mind a paraphrase of a famous poem by Tennyson, "ours is not to reason why, but to do or die".