Interview with a Non-Scientist

 

Interview with a Non-Scientist

by C. A. Matthews

With the recent March to End Fossil Fuels in New York and the deadly floods in Libya and elsewhere, environmental crises and activism have been talked about in the both mainstream media and podcast outlets alike. Climate scientists like Peter Kalmus have preached the warning far and wide that burning fossil fuels has heated our atmosphere causing detrimental climate change and, more than likely, irreparable damage to our planet. Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West has elevated the climate emergency by actually speaking about it on the campaign trail, unlike others running for the same office who somehow think expanding oil drilling on federal lands is a good idea.

Sane persons ask, “What will it take for Big Oil to shut down forever and allow green energy to take over? Why won’t our elected officials listen to the concerned climate scientists instead of their obscenely wealthy corporate donors? Why does the mainstream media tolerate #ClimateHoax people at the expense of #ClimateEmergency people?”

Why indeed.

I decided to track down a climate crisis denier and ask them for their perspective on recent happenings in the weather. Perhaps their insights can answer these questions and clear up some of the confusion. To that end, I put out a call and received a response from one Freddie Flattearther. Here is the transcript of that interview:

 

The Revolution Continues: Welcome to the The Revolution Continues blog, Freddie. Thanks for taking some of your valuable time to talk with us.

Freddie Flattearther: Thanks for this opportunity. It isn’t usual that a communist organization is interested in hearing anything from the sane side of this climate change argument, so I must admit I was quite happy to oblige.

TRC: You’re welcome. We’re not exactly a “communist organization,” but we do pride ourselves on keeping an open mind and being one with the workers. So, let’s start by you telling us a little about yourself and why you feel you’re qualified to speak about the so-called “Climate Hoax” you claim is currently happening.

FF: You could say that I’m a proud non-scientist who knows tons more about the climate changing than any of these so called “climate scientists” out there. You wonder what they’re teaching in those colleges nowadays, but, whatever it is, it’s not commonsense.

TRC: It’s not commonsense? Please elaborate on why being a “non-scientist” makes you an expert in an area that others study for many years at a high level of academia?

FF: I call it the “They-can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees Syndrome.” Those eggheads can’t even look at their calendars and see the main reason why the climate is changing. You need an ordinary person like me whose mind hasn’t been contaminated with too much knowledge to explain it.

TRC: Please do.

FF: (Lowering his voice.) It’s so simple that even a child can understand it. The climate changes all the time. It’s called "the four seasons"—and I don’t mean the pop group with Frankie Valli from the 1960s or the big, fancy hotel chain, either.

TRC: So the massive floods, the unprecedented number of strong hurricanes so far this year, the unusual heat waves and droughts worldwide are all due to a simple change of the seasons? Is that correct?

FF: Well, not exactly. The seasons are changing, but they’re also getting both longer and shorter. Summer is about a month longer than normal I’ve observed over the last couple of years. Hence, we had a very intense hot spell in what used to be a month normally associated with spring. There’s also a big chance they’ll be a larger than average number of hurricanes occurring because summer is longer, so there’s more room on the calendar to squish them in. I call this the “Rubber Band Effect.” Eventually we’ll snap out of it.

TRC: How will we “snap out of it”?

FF: The giant rubber band wound around the core of the planet will eventually break, bringing things back to normal.

TRC: There’s a giant rubber band wrapped around the core of the planet? I wasn’t sure you believed in a round Earth with a core, what with your last name and all, Mr. Flattearther.

FF: My family used to believe in a flat Earth, but I’ve grown a little in my outlook over the decades. A flat Earth makes it hard to explain a lot of planetary events. However, the rubber band core explains earthquakes and the climate changing dramatically quite well.

TRC: This rubber band core explains the devastating earthquake in Morocco recently?

FF: Yes, that was the rubber band core being bounced hard by the giant who lives on the dark side of the moon.

TRC: (Clearing throat.) There’s a giant on the moon who bounces the earth’s core now and then?

FF: Yes, and he bounces it mostly when he’s bored. He’s grown very bored these past fifty years because we haven’t sent up any more spaceships to the moon for him to slingshot them around. It’s one of the biggest reasons why it’s been growing hotter lately.

TRC: (Nodding slowly.) Uh-huh. Explain how that works. And does this giant have a name?

FF: Those intense heat blasts come out of the giant’s mouth. He’s full of hot air, so I’ve given him the name of “Mr. Gassy.” And he is a stinker! His burping and farting explains why our air smells rather rank like rotten eggs sometimes, especially when the wind is blowing from the side of town where the oil refinery is located.

TRC: You don’t believe the obnoxious smells are coming from local manufacturing and/or the oil refinery itself?

FF: Nah, they couldn’t be. I know for a fact that our factories and our oil refinery only emit the purest of air.

TRC: (Raising an eyebrow.) Really? How do you know this to be true? Most people would say that the bad smells are indicative of the pollutants being spewed out of the smoke stacks.

FF: Of course it’s true! Why would Exxon or Chevron lie to us? They take care of little ducklings and goslings whenever they’re in need of a bath. There’s a TV commercial that shows this to be true.

TRC: You mean the dish soap commercial showing people washing oil off of wild birds’ feathers after they were got caught in an oil slick? Okay, I see where now you’re possibly getting your ideas. Do you always believe whatever you see or hear on television?

FF: For the most part, yes. There’s no reason for the big corporations to lie to us. They live on the same planet with us. Why would they pollute their own air and water, for instance? (Laughing.) I bet you don’t have a good answer to that!

TRC: No, I don’t. There is no good reason why anyone or any corporation would pollute their own air and water, but they do. As they say, “It's an ill bird that fouls its own nest.”

FF: See? I told you there’s no real reason to worry about a “climate emergency.” (Miming quote marks.) The corporations are looking after us like they look after those sick birds. We can trust them because they’re smart, unlike our politicians. They’re all a bunch of morons.

TRC: On that point, we’re agreed. Politicians are, for the most part, unethical morons, but how can we be so sure we’re not being duped by Big Oil, for instance?

FF: I’m sure they’re not lying to us, because if I ever found out they had lied about the quality of their product, gasoline, I’d stop buying so much of it for my Cadillac Escalade and buy one of those plug-in electric cars instead. I’d be downright angry if I ever found out how their products caused the earth to become hotter or dryer in the summer months or caused deadly flooding and storms where normally there aren’t any. Lots of people like me would stop buying gasoline, and that would put the oil companies out of business. They’re not stupid. They rely on people like me to stay in business.

TRC: They certainly do. So, you’re not angry about Mr. Gassy the giant bouncing the earth or batting it about?

FF: No, not really. It’s just the way he is. I just hope the US can nuke China soon so we can prevent the Chinese from sending any more space probes to the dark side of the moon. It annoys him.

TRC: Uh, yeah. Do you feel that nuclear war is winnable?

FF: All wars are winnable—if you have Mr. Gassy on your side.

TRC: Yeah, I thought you might say that. It’s been quite an experience chatting with you, Freddie Flattearther. Everyone, be careful out there and try not to get on the giant’s bad side. It seems the future of everyone on Earth is counting on it.

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links: 

 

Peter Kalmus speaking at the End Fossil Fuels march in NYC

https://youtu.be/1rJHlFME480?si=H4t1ymTZIsP3zyUx

Civil Society Reactions To United Nations Climate Ambition Summit https://popularresistance.org/civil-society-reactions-to-united-nations-climate-ambition-summit/

Climate Defenders Arrested While Blocking Entry To NY Federal Reserve  https://popularresistance.org/climate-defenders-arrested-while-blocking-entry-to-ny-federal-reserve/

The Climate March, Joe Biden, and AOC’s Dubious Endorsement
https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/19/the-climate-march-joe-biden-and-aocs-dubious-endorsement/

Mining the Sacred: Indigenous nations fight lithium gold rush at Thacker Pass https://youtu.be/uLO7ClVtlBA?si=UoZtSbEN-vY8Vs-I

A Guide To Six Greenwashing Terms Big Ag Is Bringing To COP28https://popularresistance.org/a-guide-to-six-greenwashing-terms-big-ag-is-bringing-to-cop28/

Chinese balloon was not spying, US gov't admits months after manufactured crisis  https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/chinese-balloon-not-spying-us-media

This War Wasn't Just Provoked — It Was Provoked Deliberately
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/this-war-wasnt-just-provoked-it-was

War Profiteers Are A Sign Of A Profoundly Sick Society
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/war-profiteers-are-a-sign-of-a-profoundly

We're Being Prepared For The Ukraine War To Last Into The 2030s
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/were-being-prepared-for-the-ukraine

 

Ukraine Follows Imperial Japan's Example in the Attrition of its Military https://ohiobarbarian.substack.com/p/ukraine-follows-imperial-japans-example

Australian Politicians Coming To US To Free Julian Assange
https://popularresistance.org/australian-politicians-coming-to-us-to-free-julian-assange/

US Sees Highest Ever Increase in Poverty https://consortiumnews.com/2023/09/22/us-sees-highest-ever-increase-in-poverty/

If The Facts Come Out, It Could Spell The End For Joe Biden
https://popularresistance.org/if-the-facts-come-out-it-could-spell-the-end-for-joe-biden/

'Silent Coup'—How corporations rule the world w/Matt Kennard | The Chris Hedges Report https://youtu.be/1xRrk-cYU-E?si=0o252v-vU6MR3E_D

Biden orders deployment of 800 soldiers to US-Mexico border https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/23/xsta-s23.html

Beyond the Border: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Presence at Racial Justice Protests in Summer of 2020
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/FOIA/cbp-presence-racial-justice-protests-summer-2020

Citizen Groups Sue EPA for Using Black Neighborhoods as “Sacrifice Zones” https://truthout.org/articles/citizen-groups-sue-epa-for-using-black-neighborhoods-as-sacrifice-zones/

Striking Autoworkers at Stellantis Are Up Against a Yacht-Sailing Billionaire  https://truthout.org/articles/striking-autoworkers-at-stellantis-are-up-against-a-yacht-sailing-billionaire/

Boston March October 7 To Demand: Indigenous Peoples Day Now! https://popularresistance.org/boston-march-october-7-to-demand-indigenous-peoples-day-now/ 

 

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe online at: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

If you'd like to help out in the meantime, buy me a coffee!  https://ko-fi.com/therevolutioncontinues

More details to come. Power to the people!

 

Why The Revolution Hasn't Started Yet

Why The Revolution Hasn't Started Yet

by C.A. Matthews 

That’s what authentic living is, in my view: meeting life just as it is, without egocentric filters, distortions or manipulations, come what may. This is the only way to really live our time on this earth, to really experience each moment instead of missing it. It’s also the only way for ordinary people to respond to tyranny and abuse with the emotional energy it requires. —Caitlin Johnstone, We Must Never Let Ourselves Become Desensitized To This

I spy this question almost weekly—if not daily—on the social media platforms I frequent. I ask it to myself almost every night before I go to bed… Why hasn’t the Revolution started yet?

Many pundits and experts cite current statistics about the reality of Bidenomics. All I know is that I pay $3.69 for a block of cream cheese that I paid about 99 cents only three years ago. The facts don’t lie: Capitalism kills, particularly those of the working class.

Why hasn’t the Revolution started yet? The question is pertinent. Its answer is desperately needed.

Why hasn’t the Revolution started yet? What’s holding it up? What is holding us back from taking decisive action? Why hasn’t the magical Revolution Fairy descended from on high and seized the means of production away from the capitalists and given it to the workers yet?

That last question reveals the answer to the first question. The workers don’t really want to work hard to bring about a socialist utopia. They want someone or something else to do the heavy lifting, sort of like their capitalist bosses want the workers to do all the heavy lifting for the bosses. And so the Revolution is going nowhere fast, and “Nowhere” is not a destination to head toward if one is serious about changing the world for the better.

While we travel slowly to Nowhere, the members of the working class aren’t exactly idle. They’re spewing out their hate and frustrations on each other more often than not. The workers might say they believe in socialism, equality, and sharing the benefits of an egalitarian society with their fellow human beings, but the evidence isn’t quite there. If those who long for Revolution truly longed to bring about the beautiful socialist transformation of our economies and governmental systems for all humankind, they would demonstrate their altruism and goodwill in their everyday actions and manners, right?

But the workers, those supposed lovers of Revolution, don’t demonstrate brotherly love (sisterly love or neighborly love) for their fellow workers. Often they show outright contempt. It’s ugly and unseemly.

Case in point, the chat room of a popular socialist podcaster on YouTube recently. The podcaster is interviewing a new worker in the campaign for high office of a revolutionary dreamer. Questions are asked of the new worker. He doesn’t hesitate to answer and elaborate on his new position and his personal history and experience. The discussion on camera is fine and illuminates aspects of the new worker’s position in the campaign. 

But this is not the chat room occupants’ focus. Many are ignoring the conversation on screen and are repeatedly calling the new worker a “psychopath” and a “liar.” They don’t show any altruism or goodwill in their actions. Their rhetoric becomes even more spiteful and hate-filled as the interview continues, particularly so when the new worker expresses a mutual longing for socialist Revolution as well.

By the end of the interview, anyone reading the chat room dialogue would think it wasn’t a socialist podcast but a capitalist brow-beaters’ convention. The chatters claim to be leftists or socialists who want Revolution, but their actions say otherwise. They revel in cruelty. They verbally attack those in the chat room who won’t join in the snarkfest against the new worker alongside them.

If you claim you want to bring about a better world for the entirety of humanity based upon a socialist society, then you must demonstrate that you want this better world to be for all human beings. You must forgive your enemies and give your fellow workers the same chance. You must treat everyone as equals, not treat some better and some worse. Otherwise, you’re not a true revolutionary. You are still a capitalist, and you belong in one of the duopolist parties.

Why keep asking, “Why hasn’t the Revolution started yet?” when you know it’s not going to start while they’re still more capitalists than socialists in the world.

The Revolution can’t start while there are some who continue to think themselves better than their fellow workers, that they merit better treatment because they are somehow more moral and more deserving of forgiveness. The brutal chat commentators calling the new worker a “liar” over and over again are saying that they are superior to him because only they as his superiors can know the truth. The new worker is painted as “less than” because the chatters see him as less worthy of their trust and respect. 

So it follows that the cruel chatters can label the new worker a “psychopath” without any self-awareness that their own behavior is psychopathic in its need to inflict pain upon another human as much as possible through degrading comments. Name-calling is a puerile way to assert dominance in a conversation. The so-called “socialists” in the chat room (and elsewhere on the internet) who resort to name-calling, cursing, and using vulgarities to describe others aren’t ready for the Revolution. They simply don’t see other human beings as equals—or perhaps even as human beings at all. 

Even worse, these name-callers’ actions mirror those of their capitalist bosses. They keep ordering others around and insisting upon their own superiority. How can a socialist Revolution start when it’s supposed supporters’ actions mimic those of the capitalists’ selfish ways?

There you have it—the real reason behind why the Revolution hasn’t started yet. We the workers are not ready for change. We don’t want the world to become a more just and caring place for everyone. We want some to suffer horribly for their past mistakes, over and over again. We withhold forgiveness from other workers for making mistakes even though we ourselves make mistakes daily.

We the workers don’t want equality. We want to act just as bad as our capitalist bosses who berate us and lord over us. With such horrible examples like this coming from so-called socialists, how will we ever convince others to learn the benefits of socialism and join in the cause?

The Golden Rule is a good place to start if you truly want to create a socialist Revolution. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Walk a mile in another person’s moccasins. 

Stop kidding yourself into thinking that acting superior and snarky and showing zero empathy for others is somehow an expression of “socialism.” It isn’t. Capitalists act superior and snarky and show zero empathy for the workers all the time. This is why the world is as screwed up as it is today.

If you want our society to change for the better so you don’t have to keep asking, “Why hasn’t the Revolution started yet?” then you need to grow up emotionally and treat your fellow workers as equals, worthy of your trust, respect, and forgiveness. Anything less won’t cut it.

Why hasn’t the Revolution started yet? The simple answer could be YOU.

Related Articles and Interesting Links:

We Must Never Let Ourselves Become Desensitized To This https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/we-must-never-let-ourselves-becomeon the planet

Cornel West 2024 https://www.cornelwest24.org  or https://www.cornelwest2024.com/

The working class is not going to win the class war https://councilestatemedia.substack.com/p/the-working-class-is-not-going-to

 

Bidenomics: Millions to Rebuild Maui, Billions for Ukraine

https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/18/bidenomics-millions-to-rebuild-maui-billions-for-ukraine/

‘War Is Good for Business,’ Declares Executive at London’s Global Arms Fair  https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/16/war-is-good-for-business-declares-executive-at-londons-global-arms-fair/

Hundreds Of Scientists Endorse Demands Of March To End Fossil Fuels  https://popularresistance.org/hundreds-of-scientists-endorse-demands-of-march-to-end-fossil-fuels/

“A Watershed Moment”: CA Sues Oil Giants Over Decades of Climate Destruction https://truthout.org/articles/a-watershed-moment-ca-sues-oil-giants-over-decades-of-climate-destruction

Child Poverty More Than Doubled in 2022 After Congress Let Tax Credit Expire https://truthout.org/articles/child-poverty-more-than-doubled-in-2022-after-congress-let-tax-credit-expire

According to the Census Bureau’s latest report on poverty in the U.S., the supplemental poverty rate among children more than doubled between 2021 and 2022, jumping from 5.2 percent to 12.4 percent in just one year. This represents an increase of over 5 million children experiencing poverty in 2022, for a total of about 9 million children.

Poverty also increased for all ages by 4.6 percentage points to 12.4 percent in 2022. This marks the first increase in the supplemental poverty rate since 2010, and marks the largest one-year rise in poverty rates on record, according to the Census Bureau.

NATO imperialism and the Libya flood catastrophe
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/14/zlnn-s14.html

Earthquake in Morocco: Government and European Imperialism to Blame for Rising Death Toll  https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/14/earthquake-in-morocco-government-and-european-imperialism-to-blame-for-rising-death-toll/

Humanitarian Imperialism Created the Libyan Nightmare https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/humanitarian-imperialism-created/comments

Arkansas Lawmakers Could Wreck A 50-Year-Old FOIA Law This Week https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/14/arkansas-lawmakers-could-wreck-a-50-year-old-foia-law-this-week/

End Wealth Supremacy https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/15/end-wealth-supremacy/

Despite 116,000 Signatures, Atlanta Won’t Validate Stop Cop City Petition https://truthout.org/articles/despite-116000-signatures-atlanta-wont-validate-stop-cop-city-petition

 Join The ‘Reparations Contingent’ At The Black People’s March On The White House https://popularresistance.org/a-call-to-white-people-join-the-reparations-contingent-at-the-black-peoples-march/

NATO is a Farce, Part 2: The Puppet Parade https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/nato-is-a-farce-part-2-the-puppet/comments

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe online at: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

If you'd like to help out in the meantime, buy me a coffee!  https://ko-fi.com/therevolutioncontinues

More details to come. Power to the people!

 

The Cure For TDS

The Cure For TDS

by C.A. Matthews

January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, Orange man bad, Orange man bad, Orange man bad, Orange man bad, Putin, Putin, Putin, Putin, Putin, Putin...

This is the extent of Dem/liberal political analysis.

— Peter Daou (@peterdaou)

https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1699443420249411676

After I read the above Tweet*, I'm convinced that former Dem campaign manager Peter Daou has completely snapped out of his Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) and returned to the land of rational human beings. Some Dems’ obsession with Donald Trump became so intense and illogical at times over these past seven years that I often worried they had lost their minds.

It was as if TDS sufferers had fallen into a deep, dark abyss and could no longer see the light at the top to climb toward and free themselves. To this day, some add to their Trump obsession by listening to mainstream media pundits such as Rachel Maddow repeatedly making baseless accusations against the former president. 

According to Maddow, Trump was somehow in league with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the election, in spite of the lack of any credible evidence to back this assertion up. The entirety of the “Russiagate” fiasco has once and for all been disproved. That revelation should have put this unusual phobia of Trump to bed for good, but the mainstream media pundits continue to feed its sufferers by amplifying Trump’s current legal woes and his strident supporters.

Obsession is defined by Psych Central as “a recurring thought of something or someone, where it always seems to be in a person’s mind.” According the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.): “You may be dealing with an obsession if you experience stressful thoughts or urges that cause you to try to make these thoughts go away or calm related stress.”

Peter has broken free of his obsession concerning the former US president. His Tweet parodying the repetitiveness of thoughts of TDS demonstrate how he has gotten to the point where he is able to observe others' fixation on Trump, and he no longer is drawn into their obsessing over the “Orange man bad” any more.

This is good because Peter is now free to concentrate his abilities on important matters, such as working as Cornel West's campaign manager for the 2024 presidential election. Peter is free to help Dr. West in his advocating for universal health care, forgiving outrageous student loan debts, and providing homes for the homeless.

I bet Peter even has more time to enjoy his music. To be free of an obsession that clouds your thought processes is a liberating experience. It can bring about inner peace and hope for the future, instead of a life full of negativity and pessimism.

Peter has rightfully concluded that he has no control over Donald Trump’s actions or the consequences of Trump’s actions. That responsibility lies solely in Trump’s hands. 

Other recent Tweets indicate that Peter has concluded that the corrupt justice system in the US will probably keep Trump and his high level compatriots from suffering the indignity of prison, because wealthy white persons in the US don’t generally ever see jail time for crimes they’ve committed. 

Caitlin Johnstone says it well:

None of the world’s worst people are in prison. Most of them are quite wealthy and respected, because they benefit from the abusive status quo that laws are set up to protect." --Laws Don't Exist to Prevent Wrongdoing

To obsess over the lack of fairness in the corrupt US justice system, while doing little or nothing to expose and end it except to snivel, whine, cry, or obsess over its unfairness, is a waste of time and energy better used elsewhere.

So, how did Peter break himself of his TDS? Is there a vaccine or cure for it? How I wish there were!

I believe Peter cured himself by finally facing himself in the mirror one day and saying, “Is this all there is in life? To complain about an ex-president who has terrible taste in hairstyles and spray-on tans? Couldn’t I be doing something better with my time? And who is continually telling me that I should obsess over Donald Trump? I need to ignore that person or persons for my own good and warn others to do the same.”

This is how the cure works—in the self-acknowledgment that you as a TDS sufferer have been led to believe (by not entirely honest people) that Trump is an existential threat to you life and that constantly worrying about him is the proper response to this perceived threat. By rationalizing that you have better things to do, and that obsessing over Trump doesn’t solve anyone’s problems, you are able to see where you first contracted TDS and how to avoid contact with the “carriers” of TDS from now on.

Who transmits TDS? Rachel Maddow and her fellow neoliberals are quite good at it. However, the original transmitters of TDS were those who came up with using Trump as their excuse for their problems in the first place—the Democratic Party, particularly the Hillary Clinton faction.

The Dems don’t do political analysis Peter has concluded because it’s so much simpler to repeat the mantras “Orange Man bad!” or “Putin puppet!” over and over again. It's just easier to scream epithets at others who disagree with your position rather than to actually reply with a rational statement like, “We didn’t advise Hillary to campaign in the Midwest, so she lost the election to Trump in the Electoral College. That’s about the extent of it.”

Admitting their responsibility for Hillary's big loss in 2016 was just too much for the DNC bigwigs obviously. They simply went off the deep end. Or did they actually sit down and carefully plot this “Let's blame everything on Trump” game step-by-step? Either way, it became an convenient excuse and has worked to keep their followers united in a bizarre, cult-like way.

Nothing could be more cultish than coming up with a common enemy to focus all the group members’ hate and fear on rather than taking a calm and logical look at what actions could have been taken to avoid Clinton’s election loss.

Cults are often led by a charismatic leader or leaders who are thought to be are all-powerful and can do no wrong. These leaders are usually charged with fighting an “evil” against all odds for the protection of the cult members. Picture Hillary Clinton as the “guru” of this DNC cult and Trump as their “devil”. You can see how rank-and-file Dems were easily manipulated into putting their stamina into crying for Trump’s head and blaming him for every little thing the DNC ever did wrong.

Flip this scenario on its head and put Trump in the guru position and name Hillary as the devil, and you’ll readily see how the Republican faithful have stayed in Trump’s corner to this day. Why would they think their beloved leader Trump is guilty of any of the crimes he is charged with? Isn’t that how the devil operates—falsely accusing the innocent and blaming them for the devil’s own nefarious activities?

If there ever were a better reason to ditch the duopoly and become a proud independent or alternative party voter, avoiding the obsession-cult of TDS is it. Americans have much more significant matters to tackle. Our planet is literally boiling/burning up. Rich ex-presidents can take care of themselves.

Peter has freed himself from an awful burden of believing there are any significant differences between the two biggest political cults—I mean factions—in the United States. Once you have divested yourself from the belief that we have a democracy in this country (see the definition of democracy in last week’s blog), and you’ve decided that becoming embroiled in a cult-like organization that spouts off nonsense Tweets like, “If you’re for peace in Ukraine, you’re a Putin lover!” is wrong, then you’re essentially vaccinated against TDS for good.

I won’t claim you won’t ever need a “booster shot” from all this neoliberal nonsense from time to time. We’re all human, and humans do tend to slip now and then. But at least once you’ve cured yourself of TDS, you’ll rest in the knowledge that it is possible to walk away from a cult—I mean a political faction, red or blue—without any dire consequences. Peter has.

As a free and independent voter, your self-confidence will grow. You’ll trust your own observations and will be able to think things through for yourself without the extraneous commentary from the propagandists. You’ll feel stronger—strong enough to reach out to others who are doing positive things to bring about a better country and a safer and healthier world.

The cure for Trump Derangement Syndrome ultimately is to become your own person and to act—not react—when challenging times come your way.

 

*Who calls the formerly known as Tweets “X posts”? Nobody really.

 

Breaking News: 

https://twitter.com/CornelWest/status/1701045524713840690

Just announced, running on the Party for Socialism and Liberation ticket:  Claudia De La Cruz & Karina Garcia
@votesocialist24
https://votesocialist2024.com/volunteer

 

Related Articles and Interesting Links

(How Not To Say) I Told You So https://continuousrev.blogspot.com/2023/05/how-not-to-say-told-you-so.html 

Psychology of Obsessions https://psychcentral.com/ocd/psychology-of-obsessions#definition

Fighting Words https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2023/09/fighting-words.html

Honest Government Ad--Visit Canada https://youtu.be/u7s-BgfcFXw?si=TqOW-zXFh2ia8Tc9

‘A Reckoning’: 500 Groups Endorse March To End Fossil Fuels
https://popularresistance.org/a-reckoning-500-groups-endorse-march-to-end-fossil-fuels/

As student loan payments resume, millions face a lifetime of debt while Wall Street profits https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/08/bxjl-s08.html

US Intelligence Official: Media Misleading Americans About Ukraine’s Battlefield Success https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/08/us-intelligence-official-media-misleading-americans-about-ukraines-battlefield-success/

USA & NATO responsible for Ukraine war, German & French public say in poll https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/us-nato-responsible-ukraine-war-poll

Waves of Strikes Rippling Across the US Seem Big, but the Total Number of Americans Walking Off the Job Remains Historically Low https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/05/waves-of-strikes-rippling-cross-the-us-seem-big-but-the-total-number-of-americans-walking-off-the-job-remains-historically-low/

Ukraine’s ‘Biggest Arms Supplier’ Orchestrated 2014 Maidan Massacre, Witnesses Say https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/07/ukraines-biggest-arms-supplier-orchestrated-2014-maidan-massacre-witnesses-say/

US Open tennis players “fall by the wayside” as COVID-19 surges
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/05/gsjw-s05.html

Belgian Minister Says What Biden Won’t: Israel Is Wiping Entire Palestinian Villages Off the Map https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/05/belgian-minister-says-what-biden-wont-israel-is-wiping-entire-palestinian-villages-off-the-map/

From the formerly known as Twitter:

I was a lifelong Dem

I now vote 3rd Party

I had Trump Derangement Syndrome

I believed Russiagate

While exploring, I discovered I was being lied to and played for a fool by Dems

If you care about saving our make believe democracy and stopping fascism don't vote Dem

— Black in the Empire (@blackintheempir) September 7, 2023

https://twitter.com/blackintheempir/status/1699575590632804461

Jim Walton Wealth
2012: $23.9 billion
2023: $73.1 billion

Rob Walton Wealth
2012: $23.5 billion
2023: $71.1 billion

Alice Walton Wealth
2012: $23 billion
2023: $70.1 billion

Minimum Wage
2009: $7.25
2023: $7.25

The Walton family inherited half of Walmart's stock. #TaxTheRich pic.twitter.com/WGPBcCmOzF

— Warren Gunnels (@GunnelsWarren) September 7, 2023

Fighting Words

Fighting Words
by C. A. Matthews

 

If you’ve ever wondered what people were talking about when they say something like, “The US is essentially an oligarchy,” then welcome to the club. All those “ten dollar words” some insist upon using can be downright confusing and make one feel lost in the conversation. Never fear! The following brief explanations and illustrations will have you using those sophisticated-sounding, ten dollar words like a pro in no time.

Gerontocracy

A public incident this past week brought up a excellent example of this word. Everyone on my Twitter feed couldn’t get enough of Mitch McConnell’s second big blank-out moment at a press conference.

According to Wikipedia: “A gerontocracy is a form of oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult population. In many political structures, power within the ruling class accumulates with age, making the oldest individuals the holders of the most power.”

Whenever you hear the US being called a gerontocracy, realize that it is people like McConnell, Diane Feinstein, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden that make it so. Our Supreme Court justices are also good examples of a gerontocracy, as they are able to hold their positions of power until they keel over, such as in the case of Justice Ruth Ginsburg.

The downside of life in a gerontocracy has nothing to do with ageism as much as it has to do with a concentration of power stagnating in the hands of a few elderly individuals who won’t retire timely and pass their positions of control onto others. Ideas of how to run a country can become very stale and, frankly, old-fashioned and out-of-touch with current reality when persons in their 80s or 90s refuse to step down. If we allowed young’uns in their 30s, 40s and 50s to step up and try newer, more timely ideas, a lot of society's problems could be cured.

In other words, being labeled a gerontocracy isn’t exactly a compliment for any nation. It means you’re stuck in your ways for the worse, not for the better. And all because of the next word on our list—

Oligarchy

I must have heard this word a thousand times, thinking I understood exactly what it meant, before I looked it up in a dictionary and realizing that I didn’t.

In an oligarchy, power rests with a small number of people. Wikipedia states that “These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, religious, political, or military control.”

Whenever I hear someone say or write, “The government of the US is an oligarchy,” I have to stop and think hard about what they’re saying. It doesn’t make sense at first. After all, we aren’t being ruled by a military junta or a monarchy. What small group of people could they mean when they accuse the US of being ruled by “oligarchs” or actually being an oligarchy?

Look at the definition above for gerontocracy and you’ll see one such small number of people, the elderly, in power. Consider some of their other defining characteristics in this group… Could it be they’re all quite wealthy? Yes, they most certainly are. Does this small group of wealthy, older persons exercise political power or run huge multinational corporations where they can exercise power over the lives of billions of others? Yes, they do.

To easily gain and maintain positions of power and control in American society, one can’t be dirt poor or without the connections that can only be gained by attending elite schools such as Harvard and Yale. If you do a little research, you’ll understand that those in the highest positions of power in the US government and Big Business belong to a very small club, and you’re probably not a member of it—unless your mommy and daddy left you a sizable fortune and hooked you up with other powerful people in their networks.

Sorry to say, but even if a person of relatively meager means makes it big in American politics (or business), by the time they retire from office or their corporate position (if they ever do), their net worth will have been multiplied by many factors of ten. Web sites such as Open Secrets can show you just how much our elected officials are taking from corporate lobbyists for passing favorable legislation and how much their private bank accounts have grown.

A recent example of a president who went from "rags to riches" is Barack Obama. When Obama entered the White House, his family's net worth made them barely millionaires at $1.3 million. When he left office eight years later, his net worth had skyrocketed to $70 million. American presidents only make $400,000 per year. Looking at his increased net worth, do you really think Obama wasn’t influenced by small group of persons who possessed great wealth and corporate power who "gifted" him for his hard work for them? Looking at the number of bombs dropped during his administration and his nickname of “O-bomber,” can you understand how Obama was influenced by the military-industrial complex and the power of these corporations while in office?

That’s what is meant whenever the US is labeled an oligarchy. The small number of wealthy, powerful people (the oligarchs or billionaires) who ultimately determine political policies don’t necessarily have to be elected to office—they just have to “own” (bribe) the people they do allow to be elected to office. How hard is it to resist promised millions of dollars just to act as the oligarchs’ puppet?

The answer is I don’t think any politician really can resist that temptation. They just take the money and do as their corporate owners tell them to and smile as they lie to their constituents. It’s easier that way.

Plutocracy

Sometimes you’ll hear the word plutocracy used instead of oligarchy when it comes to labeling what sort of government the US has. It is a more specific term, and it has nothing to do with the former ninth planet, Mickey Mouse’s dog, or the Roman god of the underworld.

The Wikipedia definition simply states that, “A plutocracy or plutarchy is a society that is ruled or controlled by people of great wealth or income.”

As previously mentioned, the concentration of power in the US is in the hands of mostly older (mostly white male) individuals who are wealthy and act as puppets of even wealthier oligarchs. These oligarchs/billionaires usually own or run huge multinational corporations. They like having their friends in government on their side, especially when it comes to them being able to pollute land, sea, and air freely and engage in other morally ambiguous activities. Consider how the US government allowed the billionaire Sackler family of Purdue Pharmaceuticals to claim their opioid OxyContin wasn't addictive, leading to thousands of overdoses and deaths of ordinary Americans. The Sacklers haven't spent one hour in jail to this day.

So, one could say that the US government has elements of a gerontocracy, an oligarchy, and is a plutocracy as well. Rich, older (generally white and male) persons tend to hold the most positions of power, in both elected positions in government and appointed positions in corporations. Which leads us to our next term—

Corporatocracy

“Corporatocracy is an economic, political and judicial system controlled by business corporations or corporate interests. The concept has been used in explanations of bank bailouts, excessive pay for CEOs, as well as complaints such as the exploitation of national treasuries, people, and natural resources.” —Wikipedia

This makes perfect sense. The small number of powerful and wealthy individuals who run things in the US are controlled by business corporations and corporate interests. The Open Secrets web site can fill you in on the specifics. It’s no secret that since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling that “money is speech” and “corporations are people.”

At the end of the day, we ordinary people have to face facts: We don’t have enough money to matter to the politicians. All the politicians do what they’re told by those who hand them suitcases stuffed to the gunnels with lobbyist cash. (Learn more at the Move to Amend web site.)

The famous and often quoted Princeton University Study shows this to be true. Average citizens’ appeals are routinely ignored. Corporations and corporate interests are routinely catered to.

Repeat after me: “Money is speech. Corporations are people.” Very, very important people indeed.

Which leads us to our next term that explains how this has come about so completely in a mere blink of an eye.

Kakistocracy

“A kakistocracy is a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.” —Wikipedia

Do you know any “worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens” who have been installed into high office? Neoliberals will yell, “Orange Man bad!” or Donald Trump. Neocons will yell, “Biden Crime Family!” and not be far off the mark, as more details regarding the payments made by the Ukrainian corporation Burisma Energy to Hunter Biden are revealed in court.
 

When it comes down to it, there’s nothing new or special about the lack of morality with either Trump or Biden. Unscrupulous people have been elected or appointed to office for over two centuries. Pick up a history book and read about the illegal dealings going on in the cabinets of presidents Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Warren G. Harding, and Ronald Reagan. Read the recent headlines about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni taking luxury vacations, property, and other payments from  billionaires. Taking political office, either elected or appointed, is rightfully seen as one big con-job by many Americans.

We almost expect our politicians to be crooks in the US. Look at Richard Nixon. He’s not seen as being unworthy of high office in 2023 as much as he was back in 1974 when he resigned after the Watergate Scandal broke. Nixon was just stupid enough to get caught is how most see him today. Most politicos have better lawyers nowadays and will get off without even a jail term.

If you think it’s odd that the corporate oligarchs, who choose their politician-puppets for their corporations’ benefit, would employ criminals and morally weak individuals to do their bidding, think again. Who else would put the billionaires’ welfare above that of the ordinary citizens’?

A person with a well-developed sense of right and wrong wouldn’t let ordinary Americans with no health care suffer and die like our current lot of politician-puppets do in order to please their Big Pharma donors. A person with a well-developed sense of right and wrong wouldn’t let people sleep in the streets, homeless, when there are more empty houses and apartments currently than there are homeless individuals. A person with a well-developed sense of right and wrong wouldn’t just ignore what the US military-industrial complex is doing around the world with their grabbing of natural resources and then installing “friendly regimes” that will continue to “do business” with American corporations.

A person with a well-developed sense of right and wrong probably wouldn’t be allowed to live long or serve if they actually did get elected to the presidency. The oligarchs/billionaires would make doubly sure of that. This makes our last term that much more poignant.

Democracy

“Democracy is a system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives.” —Britannica

If the US is an oligarchy, a gerontocracy, a plutocracy and a kakistocracy, can it be a democracy at the same time? I would say no. Is the power actually “vested in the people” or is it vested in the oligarchs and their corporate interests? Do we “freely elect representatives” if candidates representing alternative viewpoints from alternative parties (third parties) are regularly railroaded right off the ballot by the establishment party/parties that take billions of dollars from corporate donors to do their bidding?

Just ask Green Party US members how difficult it is to get their candidates on the ballot in most states. You’ll be shocked. That’s where those unscrupulous people really come into their own, twisting rules and bending laws to prevent any competition to the corporate-owned puppets.

While living in an actual democracy might be a nice dream to have, it’s not the political reality of the twenty-first century United States of America. And that’s why we have to learn what all these “ten dollar words” mean so we can have meaningful conversations with others on how to go about undoing all the harms this small group of mostly aging, white male oligarchs have done to our country. Because to do nothing and to pretend we’re living in a democracy is essentially to give up and give in to the billionaires/oligarchs and their environmental and societal destructive agenda.

Give up? I don’t know about you, but them’s fighting words. I say, "Power to the people—not the corporations!" (And the billionaires and their lackeys don't count as "people," either.)

Related Articles and Interesting Links

Mitch McConnell’s Flash of Humanity https://consortiumnews.com/2023/09/01/caitlin-johnstone-mitch-mcconnells-flash-of-humanity/

Don't Ignore Politics, Just Ignore The Fake Kind
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/dont-ignore-politics-just-ignore

Making a Killing: The US Opioid Epidemic https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/03/making-killing-us-opioid-epidemic 

Presidents' Net Worth, Before and After Taking Office https://blog.cheapism.com/what-presidents-are-worth 

The Number of Bombs Dropped by the US in Each of the Last 15 Years https://247wallst.com/special-report/2022/03/05/the-number-of-weapons-the-us-released-every-year-since-2007/2/

Move to Amend https://www.movetoamend.org/amendment  

Study: Congress Literally Doesn't Care What You Think https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba/ 

Open Secrets https://www.opensecrets.org

New Filings Reveal More Luxury Trips and Opaque Payments to Clarence Thomas' Wife, Ginni  https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/09/new-filings-reveal-more-luxury-trips-and-opaque-payments-to-clarence-thomas-wife-ginni/

Sitting on the Dock at the Hague https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2022/03/sitting-in-dock-at-hague.html

GoFundMe Go To Hell https://www.racket.news/p/gofundme-go-to-hell

Opposing The Empire Means Widening Our Circles Of Compassion
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/opposing-the-empire-means-widening

Tracking Orwellian Change: New Meanings of "Deep State" and "Working Class" https://www.racket.news/p/tracking-orwellian-change-new-meanings

Living on a War Planet https://scheerpost.com/2023/08/30/living-on-a-war-planet/

US Victim of Own Propaganda in Ukraine War
https://scheerpost.com/2023/08/30/us-victim-of-own-propaganda-in-ukraine-war/

Another Regime in ‘French Africa’ Is Toppled https://consortiumnews.com/2023/08/30/another-regime-in-french-west-africa-is-toppled/

Shocked By Niger Coup, Victoria Nuland Appeared ‘Desperate’ During Africa Tour https://scheerpost.com/2023/08/30/shocked-by-niger-coup-victoria-nuland-appeared-desperate-during-africa-tour/

UN Strengthens Children’s Rights To Fight Climate Change In Court https://popularresistance.org/un-strengthens-childrens-rights-to-fight-climate-change-in-court/

After Wildfires, Native Hawaiian Farmers Resist Attempt To Shift Blame https://popularresistance.org/after-devastating-wildfires-native-hawaiian-farmers-resist-attempt-to-shift-blame/

Colonialism And Capitalism Are Decimating Our Forests
https://popularresistance.org/new-film-colonialism-and-capitalism-are-decimating-our-forests/

Wave of Actions to End Fossil Fuels https://www.acttoendfossilfuels.org

California Becomes Largest Economy to Back Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty
https://truthout.org/articles/california-becomes-largest-economy-to-back-fossil-fuel-nonproliferation-treaty/

The Climate Crisis Will End When Capitalism Ends https://popularresistance.org/the-climate-crisis-will-end-when-capitalism-ends/ 

We Still Have a Dream https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/03/we-still-have-a-dream/

UK May Block Assange’s Attendance at Appeal to European Court of Human Rights https://truthout.org/articles/uk-may-block-assanges-attendance-at-appeal-to-european-court-of-human-rights/

Our Collective Trauma is the Road to Tyranny https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/our-collective-trauma-is-the-road 

 

Seen on the formerly known as Twitter:

What the hell is this? Why are people like Biden, Feinstein and Mitch McConnell still in positions of power and leadership roles when they are literally malfunctioning? What is this? Why are these people making decisions about our future when they're mental unfit? This is a mess! https://t.co/GpD7Ar61c3

— ✊🏾🇱🇷MisFitBlackGirl💁🏿‍♀️LIB_QN32☭ (@LibQn32) August 31, 2023

https://twitter.com/LibQn32/status/1697051987861295448

https://twitter.com/ProudSocialist/status/1699164752797126950