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, May 6, 2020

Posts that I especially recommend today: Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The US and its allies have launched a massive information attack. The goal is to accuse China of spreading the virus, impose sanctions and other restrictions or use the threat of their imposition in a geopolitical struggle. It is possible that the US may use the situation as an excuse to refuse to pay its debt to China.
My commentary: In the land of capitalism giving stuff away for free is a sin against the system which places profit as the cornerstone of the system.
My only criticism of this article is that Macleod writes that the "government fears" this. What Americans must realize that the government is only a facade that serves a similar function as the facades of western towns do for the Hollywood film industry. While the latter facades are useful methods to reconstruct western towns of the 19th century, the government facade serves to hide the predatory capitalist ruling class behind a facade of "democracy", elections, a civil rights, rule of law, etc. This view of America has been engrained in US citizens by propaganda over centuries and in all institutions, and as a result we see the facade as real. The author should write that "the capitalist ruling class fears China will give away ....".
My reaction (I only scanned it.) : This is a lengthy piece full of documentations that support his arguments.  Yet, I can't help but notice that Zuesse is having a harder time denying the class structure of American society, its ruling class, and the system that they derive from--capitalism. He refers to the ruling class as the "super-rich (the country’s actual dictators)" as if the system and its class structure had nothing to do with the "super-rich". He hints at revolution. So, this is progress. Zuesse may eventually turn out to be a consciousness raising agent that Lenin referred to in his document "What is to be done?" Let us hope so.
  • A Massive “COVID-19” Cover Up Is Underway & ‘US Mercenaries’ Caught In Venezuelan Coup Attempt by Ryan Cristián from The Last American Vagabond. (Note: This is only the lead-off report of the attempted coup in Venezuela. This report is only a part of The Daily Wrap Up in which Cristián reports on a variety of news reports. If you have time to listen to the entire program, an hour and 40 minutes, I recommend it and other of their posts; but I do not have the time and immunology expertise to post them on my website.)
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