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

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Posts that I especially recommend today: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020

In this post she is obviously frustrated by all the verbal abuse she has been getting via Twitter and other social media from people who have succumbed to the hysteria that media corporations have been filling the airways with. In her home country of Australia, the citizens have been experiencing probably the most draconian measures ever (and likely the worst in the world) from government authorities over this covid-19 pandemic.  
This is the result of many years of brainwashing via disinformation and censorship spewed by capitalist's control of media, education, and entertainment in which they have scrubbed out real history and substituted self-serving propaganda and entertaining distractions. I fear the worst.
The social-democratic Zuesse must have had a very difficult time in dealing with this subject. I note that he references Jim Crow laws only once. This is much before the FDR administration that he so idolizes as an ideal America. He writes: 
The U.S. Constitution is by now just a string of words. America’s Founders are dead, gone, and no longer really even an influence. That’s the reality. 
In its original form the Constitution when it was written by "America's Founders" (often reverentially referred to as "Founding Fathers") favored the rich property owners. Contrast the latter document with the Declaration of Independence also written by "America's Founders" when they wanted citizens to take up arms for their cause of independence from Britain. Quite a difference, indeed! You see, the British government put up obstacles for the "Founding Fathers" in the form of taxes and restrictions on enterprises that would compete with British manufacturers.  
The "Founding Fathers" were overwhelmingly property owners of slaves who needed the latter to provide the labor to make them rich, never intended to include the "Bill of Rights". This was only forced upon them by citizens of the 13 colonies. And indeed, they never expected their militias and police forces to abide by the Bill of Rights. Police forces are the last defense against the people who are feared by all ruling classes. After nearly 150 years, this ruling class used the capitalist system to accumulate ownership and control over nearly all of the USA and much of the world. The crimes committed here by our masters are multiplied by at least a factor of 10 throughout much of the world.
Thus, I recommend only reading the first two paragraphs of the essay. The rest is absolute social-democratic rubbish.
  • OBAMA Says "Nobody Above the Law"! featuring Jimmy Dore commenting (via YouTube) on Barack Obama's speech at a recent Democratic convention. (My reaction: He only satirizes Obama for the lies he told at the convention and during his presidency. With all the lies people have been subject to since WWII, it is no wonder why so many people are questioning the current covid-19 information that ruling class media hysterically spreads!)
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