Music and Texts of GARY BACHLUND
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Collected Poetry
VOLUME TWELVE
Original materials - Copyright © 2016 by Gary Bachlund All international rights reserved
"The real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later when he suddenly knows what he will do." Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971)
' I'd love to sure rub elbows '
With the unwashed hoi polloi.
I'd love to get to know them
If they did not so annoy.
' I'd love to be among their kind, '
But keep my upper crust
Because the low class masses
Must not against me thrust
Their elbows, rubbing dirtily
Against my polished gloss
Which I preserve so sacrosanct,
Not scented with their dross.' I'd love to sure rub elbows '
With those average sorts of guys
Who work blue collared daily
At work which stupefies.
' I'd love to get to know them '
In a photo-op or twelve,
As long as it's not required
That into their lives I delve
Because I care in newsprint
But not in reality,
For average sorts of little men
Are best met with brevity.' I'd love to sure rub elbows '
With voters that are so dumb
That they'll never ever come to see
I only play their chum,
' I'd love to feel that which they feel; '
I've learned that act so well.
Let the unwashed hoi polloi
Run their rat race carousel.
As long as they believe in me,
Why, I'll believe in them,
As long as it's only elbows.
More I must condemn.
Addendum of Celebrating in a Royal Style: " 'Why is he celebrating his birthday at Chambord?' asked radical-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, quoted in the newspaper Le Figaro. 'What a strange idea! I am so republican that everything about royal symbols exasperates me, I find it ridiculous,' he said. 'While the French suffer from taxes, insecurity, immigration, Macron celebrates his 40th birthday at Chambord,' right-wing politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said on Twitter. 'Eras go by but the oligarchy remains cut off from the people,' he said." In "Macron criticised for celebrating 40th birthday in royal style," Agence France Presse, 16 December 2017. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Being Close to the People: "Using data from Statistics Sweden, a new report from Swedish broadcaster SVT shows that few political candidates, only two percent of regular candidates and one percent of 'top candidates' actually live in migrant areas despite many on the left being the largest advocates for mass migration into the country." In "Just Two Percent of Swedish Political Candidates Live in High Migrant Populated Areas," by Chris Tomlinson, Breitbart London, 22 August 2018. [ 3 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] "...western civilization has completely gone to the dogs. And especially grotesquely does this fact manifest itself not only in the heap of economic difficulties, financial scandals and corruption, as well as moral corruption, but also in the paucity of intellectual thought of the modern Western establishment. Indeed, it does seem that sometimes, the Western elites choose to live in isolation from reality, in some other world they created for themselves, and their confidence in their own greatness and infallibility is so ingrained that they are not able to assess new challenges and threats adequately." In "Revisiting the Crisis of Western European Civilization," by Vladimir Mashin, New Eastern Outlook, 7 July 2017.
This is an amusing tale, as once ardent proponents of migration flee the migration. One migration advocate mixed with national leaders, as one reads, "The Clooneys were accompanied by David Miliband, the former UK foreign secretary who is now head of the New York-based International Rescue Committee. Miliband told the BBC the meeting involved discussing solutions to the 'global problem' and praised Merkel for 'showing very strong leadership' during the crisis." In "George Clooney meets Angela Merkel and backs Germany's support for refugees," by Ben Child, Guardian UK, 12 February 2016.
Yet, these activists required their privacy. "The mayor of Laglio has declared a fine of up to €500 (£370) for anyone who approaches George Clooney's luxury lakeside villa, on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. Roberto Pozzi, mayor of Laglio, has issued the ordinance to guard the solace of the actor, his wife Amal Alamuddin and their entourage. Anyone who leaves their car or boat within 100m of Clooney's two villas - Villa Oleandra and Villa Margherita - will be liable to pay the fine." In "Steer clear of George Clooney's luxury villa, by law," by Camilla Turner, Telegraph UK, 6 April 2015.
A short time later: "Lake Como has long been a destination favoured by the powerful and wealthy, many of whom are attracted by its stunning lakeside villas built in Roman times. Roberto Bernasconi, from a local Catholic charity, said: 'We are helping them with food, clothing and we are also mounting showers. But it is very difficult, we do not know how to welcome all these people. In the Como diocese we have over 2,000 migrants in the facilities – there is no room. I do not know how much longer we can bear the brunt of this mass of people who would like to cross the border but who are not willing to leave Como'." In "Massive migrant camp home to hundreds of refugees springs up close to George Clooney’s £7.5million Lake Como hideaway," by Coery Charlton, Sun UK, 13 June 2016.
A year later after the activists moved to England one follows the tale: "Life & Style has exclusively learned that George Clooney has recently made plans to move back to LA, for the safety of his family, after the latest spate of terror attacks in England. 'He doesn’t feel like Amal and the twins are safe living in the English countryside,' an insider says. 'He’s determined to move his family to LA, where he feels much more secure'." In "George Clooney Plans to Move Amal and Twins Back to LA for Security Reasons," Life & Style Magazine, 30 June 2017."
Apparently "threats" as mentioned by Mashin above were not seen and are now being seen. So much for commitment by migrants activists to the people, local residents or activists-encouraged migrants. The politically-outspoken upper crust flee the migrants and the poor. Their support is best delivered from a safe distance, from behind fences and restraining orders and with adequate security.
[ 2 ] Of this ruler, one reads further: "I thought Emmanuel Macron was asking for trouble when just after his 2017 election victory he staged a victory celebration in which he walked, alone and floodlit, across the courtyard of the Louvre, the old royal palace. Who does he think he is, I thought, the King of France? Since the Bastille fortress was stormed by the people of Paris on July 14, 1789, the country has got rid of three kings, two emperors and several presidents, and has worked its way, often violently, through 15 constitutions." In "Professor of French History at Cambridge University ROBERT TOMBS on how the French protests are a warning to Europe over the widening gulf between rulers and the ruled," by Robert Tombs, Mail On Sunday, 8 December 2018.
Another view: "The financial oligarchs put him in power to milk the French social system to the bones, then impressing other European nations with Frances over-board austerity programs to do likewise. If successful, Macron would indeed become the financial mafia clans new King of Europe." In "The Macron Implosion – Will it Spread to Other EU Members?" by Peter Koenig, New Eastern Outlook, 11 December 2018.
[ 3 ] The article notes tellingly: "In the past several left-wing and feminist politicians have tried to enact change in no-go areas on a local level with the local authority in Husby attempting to implement 'feminist urban planning' to improve the safety and quality of life for women in the area. Feminist and former Left Party politician Zeliha Dagli lived in one of the vulnerable areas, the Stockholm no-go suburb of Husby, and announced last March that she was moving due to constant harassment and threats from fundamentalist Muslim migrants."
Ssh! They tell you. Ssh!
They'll tolerate no scrutiny.
Ssh! They threaten! Ssh!
Truth would stir a mutiny.
Ssh! Their clenched fist shows,
To further further tyranny.
Ssh! Deny, and then deny;
To speak out is deemed villainy.Ssh! So speak faux journalists
In a silent synchrony.
Envoi: "The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness." Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Addendum of a Cuban Campaign Against Independent Media: "The recent dismissal of two young Cuban journalists and a call to expel a foreign correspondent from the island are fueling a debate about censorship and freedom of expression in Cuba, as the state's media monopoly for the first time faces competition from independent digital outlets. When news broke on the death of the Miami Marlins' Cuban-born star pitcher José Fernández, for example, several independent media prominently displayed reports on the boating accident. The official media, however, remained largely silent — its typical treatment of sports figures it brands as 'deserters'." In "Cuban government steps up campaign against independent media," by Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 September 2016.
Addendum of Algerian Attacks on Independent Media: "Attacks on independent journalists and human rights defenders have intensified over the past months in Algeria. This includes the arrest of two senior staff at a privately owned TV channel. Mehdi Benaissa, Director of the television station Khabar Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and his colleague Ryad Hartouf were arrested on 24 June. The arrests are believed to be related to the broadcasting of two satirical TV shows Ki Hna Ki Nass Nass ('We are like anyone else') and Ness Estah ('People of the roof'). The shows deal with political, economic, and social issues, including allegations of corruption against long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and other government officials." In "Algeria: Alarming attacks against independent media," Article 19, 6 July 2016.
Addendum of Distributing the Denial of Internet Speech: "... Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) is an increasingly common Internet phenomenon and is capable of silencing Internet speech, usually for a brief interval but occasionally for longer. We explore the specific phenomenon of DDoS attacks on independent media and human rights organizations, seeking to understand the nature and frequency of these attacks, their efficacy, and the responses available to sites under attack. Our report offers advice to independent media and human rights sites likely to be targeted by DDoS but comes to the uncomfortable conclusion that there is no easy solution to these attacks for many of these sites, particularly for attacks that exhaust network bandwidth." In "2010 Report on Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks," by John Palfrey, Ethan Zuckerman, Hal Roberts, Jillian York, and Ryan McGrady, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, 20 December 2010.
Addendum of Ecuador's Sanctions Against Independent Voices: "A government agency in Ecuador that regulates media content, dictates headlines and corrections that news organizations are forced to publish and doles out fines to those who dare to disobey has just celebrated its second anniversary and announced changes in the country’s controversial communications law. Despite an overwhelming condemnation from national and international organizations dedicated to advocate for freedom of expression and freedom of the press, the Ecuadorian government is happy with the work of this unprecedented agency called Superintendency of Information and Communication, also known by the acronym Supercom." In "Sanctions against independent media continue as Supercom marks 2 years in Ecuador," by Teresa Mioli, Journalism in the Americas, University of Texas, 2 July 2015.
Addendum of Ethiopian Repression: "Ever since the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) won 99.6 percent of parliamentary seats in the 2010 elections, the government of Ethiopia has escalated its repression of the independent media, limiting the rights to freedom of expression and access to information. At least 60 journalists have fled their country since 2010 while at least another 19 languish in prison. The government has shut down dozens of publications and controls most television and most radio outlets, leaving few options for Ethiopians to acquire independent information and analysis on domestic political issues. With elections scheduled for May 2015, the media could be playing a key role educating and informing the public on the issues, and providing public forums for debate. But the ruling party has treated the private media as a threat to its hegemony, and is using various techniques to decimate private media, independent reporting, and critical analysis, with drastic results." In " 'Journalism Is Not a Crime'," Human Rights Watch, 21 January 2015.
Addendum of Somali Attacks: "According to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) a FAJ affiliate, around 09:30 am on Friday 15 August, heavily armed security forces raided and shut down both Radio Shabelle and Sky FM, which are owned by Shabelle Media Network, and arrested at least eight journalists, including Shabelle chairman Abdimalik Yusuf Mohamud." In "FAJ Condemns new wave of Attacks against Independent Media in Somalia," Federation of African Journalists, 17 August 2014.
Addendum of Another Media Clamp Down in Socialist Venezuela: "Basic commodities have become a rarity, inflation is at an all-time high and crime is also on the rise. In response, Maduro is tightening the screws on the media yet again. Foreign journalists, local reporters and even drone images were denied access and permissions to cover 'the taking of Caracas' protest march. He is also encouraging his supporters to take their message online, but the battle to control the cyber narrative is no easier there." In "Venezuela's media clamp down," Listening Post, Al-Jazeera, 28 September 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Secret Laws Abounding in America: "Despite President Obama’s pledge to make government more open and transparent, federal agencies are still keeping a considerable amount of policy and legal interpretations under wraps, the Brennan Center found. The opinions and memos by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) were written between 2002 and 2009, said the report’s author, Elizabeth Goitein, who obtained several data sets through Freedom of Information Act requests. 'This is an extensive body of secret law, which is fundamentally incompatible with democratic self-governance,' said Goitein, the co-director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program. 'When the government makes law out of the public eye, the results are more likely to be tainted by bias or groupthink, and are frankly more liable to violate statutes or to be unconstitutional'." In "Despite Obama’s pledge to make the government more open, a report shows secret laws still abound," by Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 18 October 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of American Worry Over Hungarian Newspaper Collapse: "We are following closely the reported ban of an independent website from the parliament building on October 19 and the sudden closure of Hungary’s largest independent newspaper, Nepszabadsag, on October 8. The loss of this paper – regardless of the reason – is a blow to media pluralism in Hungary." In "Hungary Media Freedom," by Mark C. Toner, United States Department of State, 20 October 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Turkish Media Crackdown: "The executive decrees have ordered the closure of 15 more newspapers, wires and magazines, which report from the largely Kurdish southeast, bringing the total number of media outlets and publishers closed since July to nearly 160. Universities have also been stripped of their ability to elect their own rectors according to the decrees. Erdogan will from now on directly appoint the rectors from the candidates nominated by the High Educational Board (YOK)." In "Turkey sacks 10,000 more civil servants, shuts media in latest crackdown," by Humeyra Pamuk, Reuters, 30 October 2016.
Addendum of the Chinese Communist Crackdown: "In yet another move to crack down on anti-government sentiment in society, the Standing Committee of China's top legislature passed a revised cybersecurity law on Monday that has once again generated controversy worldwide. The third and final draft of this law emerged at end of the latest session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee in Beijing. In a country that is already infamous for its internet control, the law will add further restrictions to personal internet use, increase the government's internet monitoring power, and directly affect business, service, and education sectors." In "China adopts new cybersecurity law that has overseas rights groups and businesses completely spooked," by Abby Ordillas, Shanghaiist News, 8 November 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Europe Jailing Truth-telling Whistleblowers: "In his June ruling, Judge Marc Thill recognised the defendants' 'undeniable contribution... to greater transparency' on tax matters. But the two men were still found guilty, angering activists who have launched petitions and raised money for legal fees. 'The original sentences of Mr Deltour and Mr Halet were a total disgrace, and we want this injustice to stop,' said Tove Ryding, a tax justice coordinator at the European Network on Debt and Development. 'You shouldn't have to go to court for exposing the fact that multinational corporations are dodging taxes,' she added. The blockbuster leak revealed the huge tax breaks that tiny EU nation Luxembourg offered international firms including Apple, IKEA and Pepsi, at a time when Jean-Claude Juncker, now head of the European Commission, was prime minister." In "LuxLeaks whistleblowers appeal jail sentences," France 24, 12 December 2016.
Addendum of a Dynamic New York University Community That Values Full Participation Suppresses Participation: "A 12-person committee calling itself the Liberal Studies Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group, including two deans, published a letter to the editor in the same paper. 'As long as he airs his views with so little appeal to evidence and civility, we must find him guilty of illogic and incivility in a community that predicates its work in great part on rational thought and the civil exchange of ideas,' they wrote. 'We seek to create a dynamic community that values full participation. Such efforts are not the ‘destruction of academic integrity’ Professor Rectenwald suggests, but rather what make possible our program’s approach to global studies,' they argued." In "Professor who tweeted against PC culture out at NYU," by Melkorka Licea, New York Post, 30 October 2016. [ 5 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] Scrutiny annoys, as facts leaking out can convict the corrupt. In the case of Petroleos de Venezuela and the Maduro government's control of it as a nationalized entity justified by 'socialism,' the unaccounted billions missing is reason enough for the corrupt to "clamp down."
$11 Billion Reported Missing is a Right-Wing Smear
Of this growing scandal of Venezuelan socialsim, one reads: "A report by a Venezuelan congressional commission accused Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) [PDVSA.UL] of corruption on Wednesday, saying about $11 billion in funds went missing from the state-run oil company while Rafael Ramirez was at the helm from 2004-14. 'It is more than the (annual) budget of five Central American countries,' said Freddy Guevara, comptroller commission president and a member of one of Venezuela's hardline opposition parties, alleging widespread malfeasance at the state oil producer." "In "Venezuela congressional probe says $11 billion missing at PDVSA," by Alexandra Ulmer, Reuters, 19 October 2016.
Ulmer's article notes the socialists' answer: "Critics have long accused PDVSA of corruption, but the company has maintained it is the target of a right-wing smear campaign, led by the United States and compliant international media, to sabotage socialism."
But democracy dies in Venezuela as socialism flexes its muscle. One reads: "Critics of Venezuela's 17-year left-wing administration have made the recall their central political issue after being sidelined in Congress and in virtually all other public institutions this year. But the campaign had already become mostly symbolic after elections officials in September said no vote would take place this year. That timing is crucial. A successful vote to oust Maduro this year would have triggered a presidential election and given the opposition a good shot at winning power. If Maduro is voted out in 2017, though, his vice president will finish the presidential term, leaving the socialists in charge." In "Opposition cries dictatorship after Venezuela blocks recall," by Hannah Dreier, Associated Press, 21 October 2016.
Putting Off Elections Indefinitely
The key here, as throughout the world, is that those in power so fear a legitimate voice of the electorate that all to hamstring it becomes the strategy. The AP article notes: "Polls say a majority of Venezuelans want Maduro gone. The opposition charges that in the face of overwhelming voter discontent, the socialist party has simply decided to put off elections indefinitely."
One reads of clarity on this: "...for 17 years, political scientists have been casting about for a suitable way of describing the strange in-between political system Hugo Chávez invented for Venezuela. It wasn’t quite democracy in the usual sense, clearly, but it also wasn’t a normal dictatorship. The government might not have had much time for the fine print of constitutional rule, but in broad terms people were basically free to associate, speak and vote. What do you call that? Competitive authoritarianism? A hybrid regime? An illiberal democracy? None of the labels seemed to stick; what did stick was the lasting impression of in-betweenness, of Venezuela as not-quite-a-dictatorship. In "It’s official: Venezuela is a dictatorship," by Francisco Toro, Washington Post, 21 October 2016.
Academic Circumlocutions and Dictatorship
But that article closes with: "We are finally through with the academic circumlocutions. There’s no need to hyphenate it anymore. Venezuela is just a dictatorship."
Another report agrees: " Venezuela's Congress on Sunday declared that the government had staged a coup by blocking a drive to recall President Nicolas Maduro in a raucous legislative session that was interrupted when his supporters stormed the chamber. Opposition lawmakers vowed to put Maduro on trial after a court friendly to his socialist administration on Thursday suspended their campaign to collect signatures to hold a referendum on removing the deeply-unpopular president." In "Venezuelan Congress declares that Maduro has staged a coup," by Hannah Dreier, Associated Press, 23 October 2016.
As to the Maduro "supporters" who managed to storm a heavily-guarded Congress chamber, political opposition spokesman Jesus Torrealba is reported to have said, " 'The fact that lawmakers elected by 7.5 million people were silenced by 300 thugs sums up the situation better than any speech could....' " Such were the tactics in as National Socialists in Germany staged their putsch.
Maduro wills to remain in power, surely to avoid scrutiny of many things. One reads: "Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro threatened on Friday to jail his political opponents if they follow through on their vow of launching a legislative trial to remove him from power." In "Venezuelan president threatens to jail opponents," Agence France Presse, 28 October 2016.
One man's revolution is another man's coup, and unsurprisingly those who manage a "revolution" never want it to revolve after their ascent to power. Thus using the same strategy as many corrupt politicians in time past have used, the Venezuelan socialists demand that we Don't Look Now
.
In a Crisis It Is Important to Silence Truth
Part of the Maduro "Don't look now" policy is to detain journalists. One reads: "Venezuelan authorities on Tuesday detained at the airport three Peruvian journalists working for the Mexican network Televisa and an Argentine photographer for the Associated Press. One of the detained journalists wrote on Facebook that they would be sent home." In "Street challenges power in Venezuela crisis," Agence France Presse, 26 October 2016.
Another report: "ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman was detained by Venezuelan intelligence agents Monday while he was preparing a news report about the dire conditions at the Central Hospital of Valencia, in the state of Carabobo, the National Union of Media Workers told Fox News Latino. He and two physicians who were aiding him were transferred to the government agency's headquarters in Valencia, where they remained for three days." In "ABC News' Matt Gutman detained in Venezuela for 72 hours for reporting on health crisis," by María Emilia Jorge, Fox News Latino, 27 October 2016.
Only months later, one learns that the "military" is "at the heart of graft." "With much of the country on the verge of starvation and billions of dollars at stake, food trafficking has become one of the biggest businesses in Venezuela, the AP found. And from generals to foot soldiers, the military is at the heart of the graft, according to documents and interviews with more than 60 officials, business owners and workers, including five former generals. As a result, food is not reaching those who most need it." In "Venezuela military trafficking food as country goes hungry," by Hannah Dreier and Joshua Goodman, Associated Press, 1 January 2016.
One may view many other world events based on this same model, a model in which power arrays against the people -- as ever. In so many instances, the "academic circumlocutions" provided by talking heads obscure clarity, and media often toes the party line until that party line "crosses the line" as Toro's article notes. This is why the demands for "no scrutiny" as so common around a world of corrupt governments, corrupt politicians and supporting corrupt cadres making their "academic circumlocutions."
[ 2 ] The article about United States "secret law" is in apt company with the other sampled news items here, because the public stance of the government has been of being "open and transparent," all the while opacity and closed-to-the-public actions abound. One need only look to the dissonance between transparency and opacity as supports the rhyme telling of Sir Veiled Lance
One notes that when opacity is ripped away and transparency clarifies, Corruption
[ 3 ] Scrutiny has been paid to a State Department official remark about a Hungarian newspaper closing. Interestingly, one reads back story about this "blow to media pluralism" to find it does not fit the narrative exactly.
The Communist Party Mouthpiece Declines
One reads of the people of a former Soviet satellite: "...Hungarians have become increasingly anti-communist, with some 70 percent of voters supporting nationalist, anti-globalist, anti-communist parties. The 'Socialist Party' successor of the communists, meanwhile, is imploding, with just 10 percent public support. 'As might be expected when a political party implodes, readership and revenue of its mouthpiece also declines,' McAdams observed. 'That is why Nepszabadsag racked up more than five billion forints ($17.6 plus million) in losses recently and its current owner, Mediaworks Hungary Zrt., decided to close the loss-leading publication.' The whole situation would seem to be simple enough — the market rejected leftist propaganda, and so the paper should shut down." In "Obama Admin: Hungary Should Rescue Communist Party Newspaper," by Alex Newman, New American, 25 October 2016.
What's In a Name?
The article cited notes: "The newspaper Nepszabadsag (ironically, 'People's Liberty') was founded by the Hungarian Communist Party in the midst of the 1956 revolution, a revolt where Hungarians rose up to pull themselves out from behind the iron curtain. For the next 30 plus years Nepszabadsag was the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party, until shortly after the Berlin Wall fell. It was subsequently acquired by Bertelsmann AG, a German media conglomerate, in the early 1990s. But while there was a 'system-change' in Communist Party monopoly rule in Hungary, there was never a 'system- change' in Hungary's former Communist Party mouthpiece. The Communists renamed themselves 'Socialists' and continued to play a leading role in Hungarian political life, winning the second post-communist election in 1994. Their newspaper Nepszabadsag remained at their side, lock-step loyal to the renamed communists and their allies." In "Former Hungarian Communist Party Paper Goes Bankrupt, Washington Panics," by Daniel McAdams, Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, 21 October 2016.
The back story to the US State Department's hand wringing over Nepszabadsag's collapse in readership and crushing debt bringing bankruptcy is odd, given that many other nations as represented in the above news citations have closed many independent opposition media and suppressed their voices, most especially when speaking against political corruption and tyranny.
Economic Realities and Media
But simple media bankruptcies are not a new phenomenon. One reads of an American newspaper: "The Star Tribune, saddled with high debt and a sharp decline in print advertising, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition Thursday night. Minnesota's largest newspaper will try to use bankruptcy to restructure its debt and lower its labor costs." In "Star Tribune files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy," by David Phelps, Star Tribune, 16 January 2009.
Additionally other nations' economic policies are hammering news media, as one reads: "According to national newspaper El Nacional, at least 5 regional newspapers have ceased printing in the past month. The lack of printing paper is also expected to soon affect another 25 papers that are quickly using their reserves. Due to the nation's currency controls and small amount of U.S. dollars, both importers and editors can't get the currency needed to pay for newsprint that is manufactured abroad, reports The Global Post. The shortage is even forcing some editors to have to request the product from rival companies in order to keep their presses running, reports ABC News." In "Venezuela Paper Shortage: Nation's Newspapers Shut Down Due To Lack Of Printing Paper," by Treye Green, International Business Times, 5 September 2013.
Given media suppression by governments as noted in citations above taken together with the basic effects of economics on the day-to-day operation of media such that crippling debt cripples, the State Department's odd public concern for the bankruptcy of Nepszabadsag because of "more than five billion forints ($17.6 plus million) in losses recently" suggests that the slogan, "media pluralism," is in fact a false narrative. After all, Nepszabadsag could easily go through bankruptcy, and re-open as an online media outlet offering Hungarians "people's liberty" news of the once-Communist and now-Socialist stream of editorial thought.There is irony here, along with double standards aplenty waiting to work themselves out. As ever, all this has to do with money.
The Point of Any Communist Publishing versus Pluralism in Media
In the case of a "radical" publisher, Lawrence & Wishart, demanding that the Marxist Internet Archive take down its for-profit English translations of texts, the Marxist response was: "It is true that L&W is in the tradition of other communist & leftist publishing houses. That tradition, by and large, provided inexpensive, shortened versions in pocket-book form of the writings of Marx, Engels and Lenin. This particular tradition went by the wayside a long time ago. Though we commend L&W for publishing in free e-book format (as does the MIA) the point was to distribute to workers and youth the works in question, not to restrict their use by higher and higher prices and taking away an easy access to them. The point of any communist publishing house, which the MIA lives up to, is to assure the widest distribution of these works, not, again, to restrict them. That is the opposite of communist publishing." In "Response to Lawrence & Wishart statement on MECW," David Walters, Marxist.org, 26 April 2014.
That any media would amass unsustainable debt in parallel with losing paying customers as did Nepszabadsag -- quite like the many governments doing the same -- and move the United States Department of State to worry that "pluralism in media" is threatened is strange. Media conglomerates as businesses are subject to economic realities, and crushing debt and labor demands are part of them, as is old-fashioned profit-taking. Even socialists want to profit from their work and be repaid when having made a loan. There's the rub, as illustrated by the great irony of Capital for Communists
Should one wish to observe media of this ilk, one may look at the Communist Party in the United States (CPUSA) for an example. It built a network it called People before profits
With so much media worldwide and with many bilingual readers also worldwide, the notion of diminishing "pluralism in media" is a laugh. What is not amusing are governments suppressing media as one reads above of Cuba, Ecuador, Venezuela, Algeria, Ethiopia, Somalia and even through DDoS attacks in the United States and "free world" in general, and such large scale work to obscure scrutiny of Marxist-inspired government far outweighs the State Department's concern for one post-Communist and over-indebted media concern in Hungary.
Politics' strange bedfellows are often not as strange when placed in context. That context is the avoidance of annoying scrutiny.
[ 4 ] The simple ration of "more government: less freedom" is seen. The article notes of the stiffening law: "It comes as Chinese President and newly-proclaimed 'core' leader Xi Jinping strives to consolidate his power halfway through his 10-year term while also stamping out dissent online. Last month, one young activist disappeared after posting on social media about his plans to wear a 'Xitler' shirt in public on China's National Day."
[ 5 ] Not all suppression of speech and squelching of scrutiny is done by government, per se. Rather it is done by power. The professor silenced by an academic "community that values full participation" named "Liberal Studies Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group" finds someone "guilty" has forgotten -- or never learned -- of the political enforcement which went on in the National Socialists of war-defeated Nazi Germany, the Soviet Socialists of the collapsed Union of Soviet Socialists and many other such "enforcement" entities which judged guilt based on disagreement with officialdom.
There was a time when "speak truth to power" was in support of disagreement with official doctrine and "liberal" was an adjective to describe such Dissent
Academic Freedom: It's Great, As Long As You Don't Use It
Now "liberal" is become an adjective which defines "power" which "judges" against those who would "speak truth to power." As the article notes about this professor and victim of this "inclusion working group," he said, " 'I’m afraid my academic career is over,' he said . 'Academic freedom: It’s great, as long as you don’t use it'." Ssh. One might irritate the Inclusion Working Group which will again react with silencing the offending voices. Uniformity will be enforced, and fascism will have again been achieved.
What is noteworthy herein is that silencing an opposing voice by an academic tribunal calling itself inclusive is quite the parallel to Maduro in Venezuela jailing political opponents, or Algeria attacking independent media voices. That consistency of action proves that "ssh!" tolerates no scrutiny, throughout the world. In each case it exercises power, reacts against voices which would "speak truth to power" and blithely justifies its actions with Orwellian vocabulary.
There was a time on American campuses when dissent students campaigned for free speech. Time will come again when dissidents will have to campaign for free speech.
Without free speech, what is sought by power of any description and colored by any adjective is always The End Game of Conformity
This tale ended quickly. The "12-person committee calling itself the Liberal Studies Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group, including two deans" was overruled. About two weeks after this "committee" and its supposed "guilty" verdict, one reads "The politically incorrect professor on leave since his NYU colleagues griped about his 'incivility' has been promoted — and his fellow liberal-studies profs were lectured about their conduct. Michael Rectenwald, 57, was bumped from assistant professor to full professor on Monday, just days after he was placed on paid leave. The promotion comes with an 18 percent raise to $80,000, a source said." In "NYU awards promotion and full time gig to 'deplorable' professor," by Melkorka Licea, New York Post, 13 November 2016.
Self-appointed tribunes have often names themselves with glowing words, while inverting the meanings of such words in their actions.
"Although the U.S. Justice Department didn't end up pursuing criminal charges against Hillary Clinton, she's still having to answer questions about her private email server. And it's not just on the campaign trail — it's in court. Clinton's attorneys submitted on her behalf answers to 23 of the 25 questions posed to her by Judicial Watch as part of its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against Clinton." In "Clinton says she 'does not recall' in her answers about her emails," by Lauren Stephenson, Newsy via AOL News, 13 October 2016.
I do recall that I don't recall,
now that I'm asked some thing.
I do recall that I can't recall of what's asked in questioning.
I dare not say I won't recall,for thereby lies a tale.
The lion's share's forgotten, and the answer's grown stale.
I do recall that I don't recallsuggests a broadened memory lapse,
And might testify to weaknesses and some mental handicaps.
I do recall that I can't recalland swear that this is true,
But cannot say I won't recall, for what would then ensue?
Be with me and be at my sideas I politick with you,
Which I might also not recall when the coming bill is due.
Envoi: "In at least one case, according to documents released Friday by the FBI, Clinton said she could not recall every briefing she had received after a 2012 concussion, which later led to a blood clot in her head. 'Clinton stated she received no instructions or direction regarding the preservation or production of records from [the] State [Department] during the transition out of her role as secretary of state in 2013,' the report says. 'However, in December of 2012, Clinton suffered a concussion and then around the New Year had a blood clot. Based on her doctor’s advice, she could only work at State for a few hours a day and could not recall every briefing she received'." In "Hillary Clinton told the FBI she couldn’t recall something more than three dozen times," by Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 2 September 2016.
Addendum of No Joke: " 'I don’t recall any joke,' Clinton said Tuesday afternoon. 'It would have been a joke, if it had been said, but I don’t recall that'." In "Hillary Clinton: I 'Don't Recall' Ever Wanting To Launch A Drone Strike At WikiLeaks," by Tim Hains, Real Clear Politics, 5 October 2016.
Addendum of Not Recalling Any Briefings: "Clinton told investigators she could not recall getting any briefings on how to handle classified information or comply with laws governing the preservation of federal records, the summary of her interview shows." In "Clinton tells FBI she could not recall all briefings on preserving documents," by Julia Edwards and Jonathan Allen, Reuters, 2 September 2016.
Addendum of Belief in Not Recalling: "She said she couldn't recall. One of the most compelling -- and informative -- moments of the day unfolded shortly after 7 p.m. during an exchange with Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., who repeatedly asked whether Clinton had spoken with Stevens after he was sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to Libya in May 2012 and before his death on Sept. 11, 2012. 'We don't know the answer. Did you ever personally speak to him after you swore him in in May?' Brooks asked Clinton, her voice raising with emotion. 'Yes or no please.' 'Yes, I believe I did,' Clinton replied. 'I don't recall'." In "11 Benghazi takeaways: One for each hour," by Eric Bradner, Tal Kopan, Jeff Zeleny and Stephen Collinson, CNN, 23 October 2015.
Addendum of Drawing a Blank: "Shown a cable that went out under her name, warning all State Department employees about security threats to their personal email accounts — and advising them not to use them for official business — Clinton drew a blank. She replied that all policy cables carried her name and 'she did not recall this specific cable.' So it went during her three-and-a-half-hour grilling, according to an official FBI report on Clinton’s interview that was made public by the bureau on Friday. During the course of her interview, Clinton was repeatedly unable to respond to many questions about her use of the private email server and the classified emails she sent on it. She said she 'could not recall,' 'did not recall' and 'did not remember' 38 times, according to a Yahoo News tally of her responses recorded in the 11-page FBI report." In "Clinton didn’t remember much about her emails when questioned by the FBI, by Michael Isikoff, Yahoo News, 3 September 2016.
Addendum of Not Having to Recall to Reach a Conclusion: "While it is widely known that some companies and foreign governments gave money to the foundations, perhaps in an effort to gain favor, one of the key parts of the puzzle hasn’t been reported: At least a dozen of those same companies lobbied the State Department, using lobbyists who doubled as major Clinton campaign fundraisers. Those companies gave as much as $16 million to the Clinton charities. At least four of the lobbyists they hired are 'Hillblazers,' the Clinton campaign’s name for supporters who have raised $100,000 or more for her current White House race. Two of the four also raised funds for Clinton’s unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid. USA TODAY reached these conclusions by obtaining federal lobbying data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics for 2009-2013, Clinton’s tenure as secretary of State. Reporters then compared the data with donor lists made public by the Clinton nonprofits and federal campaign financial records." In "Companies used Clinton fundraisers to lobby State Department," by Kevin McCoy, USA Today. 26 August 2016.
Addendum Wondering If This Will Be Recalled: "The latest hacked email released by WikiLeaks details how one of Bill Clinton’s closest aides helped rake in tens of millions for the former president while his wife was serving as Secretary of State. The 12-page memo was sent by Clinton's former aide Doug Band in 2011 to him, his daughter Chelsea, several board members of the Clinton Foundation and its lawyers as well as its then special advisor John Podesta. Published on Wednesday by Wikileaks, after a hack of thousands of emails from Podesta’s account, it details how Band helped run what he called 'Bill Clinton Inc'." In "Inside Bill Inc: Aide lays out how the former president raked in tens of millions of dollars through a series of deals while Hillary was Secretary of State in a memo unearthed by Wikileaks," by Khaleda Rahman, Daily Mail, 27 October 2016.
Addendum of Finally Recalling Years Later a Million Dollars: "The Clinton Foundation has confirmed it accepted a $1 million gift from Qatar while Hillary Clinton was U.S. secretary of state without informing the State Department, even though she had promised to let the agency review new or significantly increased support from foreign governments." In "Clinton's charity confirms Qatar's $1 million gift while she was at State Dept," by Jonathan Allen, Reuters, 4 November 2016.
Addendum of a Liberalism of the Rich: "...a kind of chronic complacency that has been rotting American liberalism for years, a hubris that tells Democrats they need do nothing different, they need deliver nothing really to anyone – except their friends on the Google jet and those nice people at Goldman. The rest of us are treated as though we have nowhere else to go and no role to play except to vote enthusiastically on the grounds that these Democrats are the 'last thing standing' between us and the end of the world. It is a liberalism of the rich, it has failed the middle class, and now it has failed on its own terms of electability. Enough with these comfortable Democrats and their cozy Washington system. Enough with Clintonism and its prideful air of professional-class virtue. Enough!" In "Donald Trump is moving to the White House, and liberals put him there," by Thomas Frank, Guardian UK, 9 November 2016.
Addendum of a Repudiation of the Power Structure: "What has happened in America should not be seen as a victory for hatefulness over decency. It is more accurately understood as a repudiation of the American power structure. At the core of that structure are the political leaders of both parties, their political operatives, and fundraisers; the major media, centered in New York and Washington DC; the country’s biggest corporations, their top executives, and Washington lobbyists and trade associations; the biggest Wall Street banks, their top officers, traders, hedge-fund and private-equity managers, and their lackeys in Washington; and the wealthy individuals who invest directly in politics. At the start of the 2016 election cycle, this power structure proclaimed Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush shoo-ins for the nominations of the Democratic and Republican parties. After all, both of these individuals had deep bases of funders, well-established networks of political insiders, experienced political advisers and all the political name recognition any candidate could possibly want. But a funny thing happened on the way to the White House." In "Democrats once represented the working class. Not any more, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama helped shift power away from the people towards corporations. It was this that created an opening for Donald Trump," by Robert Reich, Guardian UK, 10 November 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Wanting to End the Advantage of the Rich and Powerful: "The poll, which will be updated as additional responses are tallied and votes are counted throughout Tuesday, found: - 75 percent agree that 'America needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful.' -72 percent agree 'the American economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful.' - 68 percent agree that 'traditional parties and politicians don’t care about people like me.' - 76 percent believe 'the mainstream media is more interested in making money than telling the truth'." In "U.S. voters want leader to end advantage of rich and powerful: Reuters/Ipsos poll," by Chris Kahn, Reuters, 8 November 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Recalling the Polls Weeks Before the Election: "Buoyed by a double digit lead in some national polls, Mrs Clinton has said she is now looking past Mr Trump entirely, and will no longer counter allegations made by her rival. 'I don’t even think about responding to him anymore,' Mrs Clinton said when asked about Mr Trump’s charge that American media outlets are in cahoots with her presidential campaign." In "Hillary Clinton so far ahead in polls that she 'doesn't even think about' Donald Trump anymore ," by Ruth Sherlock, Telegraph UK, 24 October 2016.
Addendum of ABC News Recalling: "Covering Clinton, what is one thing that has surprised you about her? Amy Chozick: Hmm. She likes to drink. We were on the campaign trail in 2008 and the press thought she was just taking shots to pander to voters in Pennsylvania. Um, no." In "One Thing That Might Surprise You About Hillary Clinton," by Benjamin Bell, ABC News, 21 February 2015.
Addendum of Susan Recalling: "Outspoken Bernie Sanders supporter Susan Sarandon, who previously made clear that although she may not vote for Hillary Clinton, she is not a Donald Trump supporter, is again making provocative statements about the state of race. This time, insisting that Clinton will soon be criminally indicted and that if she isn't, then she will surely prove more of a danger on foreign policy than Trump." In "Susan Sarandon: Hillary Clinton “more dangerous” than Donald Trump," by Sophia Tesfaye, Salon, 3 June 2016.
Addendum of Recalling a Cause for Slavery Revived Today: "When you read about Hillary Clinton being the cause of slavery being revived in Libya on USA Today, you know her exact crimes against humanity must be much, much worse. When the mainstream condemns the cheerleader of the U.S. backed liberal world order, the hidden truths behind the curtain must surely be biblical. But African men being sold at slave auctions in the North African state formerly run by the now deceased Moammar Gadhafi show Clinton’s role in humanity undone. 'We came, we saw, he died,' Clinton joked before a TV appearance when the Libyan leader fell. It was Clinton who helped Barack Obama fishtail on President George W. Bush’s 2003 agreement with Gadhafi, to leave Libya alone. But the Arab Spring regime change game had to start, and it was Clinton who pledged to her handlers she’d get the job done." In "Scared of the Chaos? Don’t Blame Russia, Blame Hillary Instead," by Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 11 December 2017.
Addendum of Remembering What Didn't Happen: " 'I remember landing under sniper fire,' Clinton said at a recent campaign event. It started when, in a recent speech, Clinton spoke of her visit to Tuzla, Bosnia, in 1996 as first lady. The brutal war was over, but hostilities continued. And though the trip was exactly 12 years ago Tuesday, the memories seemed etched in Clinton's mind. 'There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base,' she said. Problem is: that's not how it happened at all. And we should know: CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson and a CBS News crew accompanied the First Lady on that Bosnia trip. And pictures CBS News recorded show the greeting ceremony when the plane landed." In "CBS News Video Contradicts Clinton's Story," CBS News, 24 March 2008.
Addendum of an Iranian Perspective on American Politics: "Many American citizens have rightly concluded that there is essentially no difference between Clinton and the Republicans." In "Clinton's Trying to Return to the U.S. Political Scene," by Hanif Ghaffari, Teheran Times, 9 October 2017.
Addendum of the Chef's Review: " 'Bill Clinton, look, the bimbo eruptions - it was f***king monstrous,' Bourdain said, before describing the former presidents as 'a piece of s**t, entitled, rapey, gropey, grabby, disgusting'. Bourdain went on to condemn the way Clinton and wife Hillary 'destroyed these women' who came forward with the allegations." In "Bombshell Bourdain interview is published one month after his suicide: Celebrity chef unloads on 'rapey, gropey and disgusting Bill Clinton and hopes Weinstein is 'beaten to death in jail'," by Emily Crane, Mail Online, 16 July 2018.
Consider that the Postmodern Political Tragedienne Said "The Truth Will Come Out" : Hillarious
NOTES
[ 1 ] The Democrats who Reich says "helped shift power away from the people towards corporations" include Democrat Party bigwigs. That a presidential candidate of any party from any nation pleads repeatedly "I don't recall" suggests either a legalistic and evasive stance towards questions or some incapacity of memory as glaring as to not recall a million dollars.
One finds post-election views of Madame I-Don't-Recall and her party supporters which are telling.
Shambles
One reads: "It is not an exaggeration to say that the Democratic Party is in shambles as a political force. Not only did it just lose the White House to a wildly unpopular farce of a candidate despite a virtually unified establishment behind it, and not only is it the minority party in both the Senate and House, but it is getting crushed at historical record rates on the state and local levels as well. Surveying this wreckage last week, party stalwart Matthew Yglesias of Vox minced no words: 'The Obama years have created a Democratic Party that’s essentially a smoking pile of rubble.' One would assume that the operatives and loyalists of such a weak, defeated, and wrecked political party would be eager to engage in some introspection and self-critique, and to produce a frank accounting of what they did wrong so as to alter their plight. In the case of 2016 Democrats, one would be quite mistaken." In "The Stark Contrast Between GOP’s Self-Criticism in 2012 and Democrats’ Blame-Everyone-Else Posture Now," by Glenn Greenwald, Intercept, 18 November 2016.
One notes the interesting phrase about the party line, that it was held by "a virtually unified establishment." Such a unified establishment can only be explained in losing that it was opposed by enough votes to suggest that the "establishment" was being rejected, as the Reuters/Ipsos poll above concludes.
Detail from a Huffington Post tweet, 9 November 2016
Echoing Reich, Greenwald notes: "...Democrats have spent the last 10 days flailing around blaming everyone except for themselves, constructing a carousel of villains and scapegoats — from Julian Assange, Vladimir Putin, James Comey, the electoral college, 'fake news,' and Facebook, to Susan Sarandon, Jill Stein, millennials, Bernie Sanders, Clinton-critical journalists, and, most of all, insubordinate voters themselves — to blame them for failing to fulfill the responsibility that the Democratic Party, and it alone, bears: to elect Democratic candidates."
Greenwald's summation explains much in the party loyalists' post-election tone: "Acknowledging one’s own responsibility for failure is always difficult, which is why scapegoating and finger-pointing at others is so tempting."
The failure then was one of being "a virtually unified establishment" which busied itself with "constructing a carousel of villains and scapegoats" such that the election was, in Reich's words, "a repudiation of the American power structure." Perhaps the inane repetition of "I don't recall" speaks to a candidate who purported to be the "best" option for a nation's leadership, a leadership wherein political difficulties are all explained away with "I don't recall."
[ 2 ] One notes similar poll results of people and populaces no longer trusting in a similar "virtually unified establishment" which may be contemplated via the rhyme, addenda and footnotes, You're Up
Greenwald's observation that "scapegoating and finger-pointing at others is so tempting" is a truth of political whirlwinds on both sides of the Atlantic, as charges of hate speech, xenophobia, sexism, racism and more are repeated daily in media, and "a carousel of villains and scapegoats" are targeted not only with accusations, but also litigation and trials.
One likely rational is that so many in a "virtually unified establishment" demand that they like so many other governments around the world come under No Scrutiny
Reduction Redaction
One reads of a younger Democrat who wants to challenge the "old" Democrats in leadership: "One Democrat who understands the need to for his party to reconnect with working-class voters in middle America is Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who has challenged Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the post of House minority leader. 'What we are doing right now is not working,' he wrote in a letter to his colleagues. “Under our current leadership, Democrats have been reduced to our smallest congressional minority since 1929. We have the fewest Democrats in state and federal offices since Reconstruction'." In "‘Hamilton’ and the implosion of the American left," by Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 21 November 2016.
The Washington Post op-ed notes: "Today’s Democrats have become a party of coastal elites completely disconnected from the rest of America. Doubt it? Take a look at a county-by-county map of the 2016 presidential election."
How alike are the observations of voices like Thiessen, Reich and Greenwald, and how linked to the Reuters-reported poll that a population wants to "take the country back from the rich and powerful." How sad, given the electorate's 2008 optimism for Obama that his administration, including a billionaire in his cabinet and ex-Secretary of State Clinton, had become so quickly and easily come to be exemplified by "the rich and the powerful."
Scrutiny by the average Joe annoys the rich and powerful greatly, and pointed questions are evaded with unpersuasive replies such as "I don't recall" because this all aggregates to an image and seems quite how A politician thinks
Twaddle unswaddled
As to how Mrs. Clinton thinks, one revisits a time: "...beyond parody: Hillary Clinton, for instance, telling the New York Times she was seeking a theory which would 'marry conservatism and liberalism, capitalism and statism, and tie together practically everything: the way we are, the way we were, the faults of man and the word of God, the end of communism and the beginning of the third millennium. Crime in the streets and on Wall Street, teenage mothers and foul-mouthed children and frightening drunks in the parks, and the cynicism of the press and the corruption of the press and the corrupting role of television, the breakdown of civility and the loss of community'." In "Twaddle unswaddled," by David McKie, Guardian UK, 7 February 2004.
All things to all people? The election of 2016 brought forth the question as a book title. What Happened?
"The Civil Rights Division encourages qualified applicants with targeted disabilities to apply. Targeted disabilities are deafness, blindness, missing extremities, partial or complete paralysis, convulsive disorder, mental retardation, mental illness, severe distortion of limbs and/or spine." In "U. S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Voting Section, Trial Attorney, GS-14/15,Department of Justice, 8 February 2010.
It helps to be crazy
but don't take offence.
It helps to be nuts,
at the people's expense.
It helps to be loony,
so paste boilerplates;
Retardation in law
is just deaf to much sense.
It helps; be unmoving
like bureaucrats' true.
It helps, as convulsion
is a government brew.
It helps to retard
with distortions of law,
For what is then missing
o'er that cuckoo's nest flew.
It helps to be crazy
as divides civil rights.
It helps to be nuts
in the legalist fights.
It helps to be loony,
so government shows,
To disable the lawyers
as their trial ignites.
Addendum from the Writer's Nest: "But the rest are even scared to open up and laugh. You know, that's the first thing that got me about this place, that there wasn't anybody laughing. I haven't heard a real laugh since I came through that door, do you know that? Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing." Ken Kesey, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Mass Market, 1963.
Addendum of the Mentally Impaired Lawyer: "The Opinion then cites Model Rule 8.3 to require that there may be an obligation to report the impairment to the appropriate professional authority. However, Model Rule 8.3 and Illinois Rule 8.3 differ importantly on this point. Model Rule 8.3 provides that a 'lawyer who knows that another lawyer has committed a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct that raises a substantial question as to that lawyer’s . . . fitness as a lawyer . . shall inform the appropriate professional authority.' The Illinois Rules, following the Himmel decision, state that informing the appropriate authority is only necessary in the case of a violation of Illinois Rules 8.4(a)(3) or (a)(4) – commission of a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyers fitness, or conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. Thus, unless the lawyer’s mental impairment results in a criminal act or dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation, there may be no obligation to report the impairment under the Illinois Rules." In "The Mentally Impaired Lawyer: What is our Obligation to Report?" by John Levin, CBA Record, the magazine of The Chicago Bar Association, December 2003.
Addendum of the Loony Bin: "McMurphy: I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this." Quote from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," a film script by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman, after the novel by Ken Kesey and play by Dale Wasserman, 1975.
Addendum of What Happened Here: "I’m pretty sure I know what happened here: Boilerplate that was designed for a wide range of federal jobs — including the ones (probably a relatively small percentage of all federal jobs) for which one can be qualified even though one is mentally retarded — is just being copied here; and the limitation to 'qualified applicants' who 'are able to perform the essential functions of the position' ensures that no mentally retarded lawyers will indeed be hired. Still, the result looks pretty striking in a call for applications from experienced attorneys." In "Seeking Qualified Mentally Retarded Lawyers?" by Eugene Volokh, Volokh Conspiracy, 3 February 2010.
Climb atop your high horse and
You've oh so far to fall,
Not to mention smaller things
Like showing off such gall.
Yea, much moral high ground
Can quickly wash to sand,
And quicksand, men have found,
Requires some saving hand.
Getting off that starring stage
As audiences shift like winds
Is difficult and much much more,
Until memory rescinds
You elected to mount your high horse
And nattered so nosily on
Until your hobby horse collapsed,
You fell, and then were gone.
"A transgender man has given birth, making he and his partner the first transgender couple in Ecuador to have a baby. Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez have become a father and mother after Fernando, who was born Maria, gave birth to a healthy baby. Neither he nor Diane, who used to be a man, has undergone gender reassignment surgery, meaning they were able to conceive." In "Transgender man gives birth to his female transgender partner’s baby," by Harley Tamplin, Metro UK, 23 September 2016.
Pronouns changed
though parts did not
And functioned just
as things turned out.
Sturdy wordy he-to-she
as delivered-baby she-to-he
Were basically ignored
by their biology.
Pronouns propose
changed identity
While this odd tale
tells plain reality.
If parts had changed
a bit earlier on,
Those clippings would have
had no spawn.
Pronouns change
while parts still stay,
Proof biology sees
what words mislay.Envoi: Sic transit gloria mundi - Thus passes away the glory of the world.
Addendum of Sick Trans Gloria and Achieving Irrational Bigotry: "..last week Germaine Greer, normally a stalwart of the left, bluntly confront the First Commandment of transgenderism: Thous shalt not deny that gender is 'fluid.' Here’s what she said: 'Just because you lop off your d— it doesn’t make you a woman… a man who get his d*** chopped off is actually inflicting an extraordinary act of violence on himself. I’ve asked my doctor to give me long ears and liver spots and I’m going to wear a brown coat, but that won’t turn me into a f***ing cocker spaniel.' Greer’s turn of phrase was perhaps gratuitously crass. But the media lynch mob now baying for her blood reveals just how narrow the bounds of reasonable discussion have become on all things trans. In achieving this iron grip on public opinion, the invention of the word ‘transphobia’ has been most useful. It is a convenient descriptor used to discredit anyone who expresses an alternative view to the trans-worship orthodoxy as an irrational bigot'." In "Sick Trans Gloria," by John Slater, Quadrant Online, 4 November 2015. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Reassignment: "...assessed by a psychologist, Dr Georg Sturup, who accepted the strength of her conviction that she wanted to proceed with sex reassignment surgery. As a result, Sturup successfully petitioned the Danish government to change the law to allow castration for the purposes of the operation. Finally, after more than a year of hormone therapy, Jorgensen went under the knife for the first of a series of operations that would attempt to change her genital organs from male to female. Exactly what was done during these operations is unclear, but it is likely that Hamburger and his team followed the lead set by a group of surgeons several decades earlier." In "Christine Jorgensen: 60 years of sex change ops," by Chloe Hadjimatheou, BBC World Service, 30 November 2012. [ 2 ]
Addendum of a Note on Name and Pronouns: "...a note on name and pronouns: Historical sources uniformly refer to Elagabalus with male pronouns. The emperor is best known under this title (which is grammatically masculine) and she was assigned male at birth. I have decided to use female pronouns because, based on the evidence, this choice is just as valid as male pronouns. The three extant sources from antiquity, while they do contradict each other, still broadly concur that the sovereign did have very strong manifestations of cross-gender behavior. Telling aspects such as the story related by Dio Cassius that Elagabalus offered half the empire to the surgeon that would correct her genitalia seem to go far beyond merely scandalizing an effeminate monarch and more towards showing the desperation a transgender person might well feel in an age long before any methods were found to modify her body according to her desires." In "A Brief Biography of Elagabalus: the transgender ruler of Rome," by Alexis Mijatovic, OutHistory.org, n. d. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Sexist Science: "Although Parson is a doctoral candidate in the UND’s school of education, she seems not to have encountered in her 'advanced' coursework the decades of significant research in cognitive science that directly contradicts poststructuralist feminist theories about how people acquire knowledge. Parson’s paper asserts: 'Instead of promoting the idea that knowledge is constructed by the student and dynamic, subject to change as it would in a more feminist view of knowledge, the syllabi reinforce the larger male-dominant view of knowledge as one that students acquire and use make the correct decision.' Parson is repeating the old canard that people construct knowledge, which stems from the anti-scientific theory that truth is relative, and what is true for one person is not true for another because we have all had different sensory experiences." In "Feminist PhD Candidate: Science Is Sexist Because It’s Not Subjective," by Joy Pullmann, Federalist, 29 September 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of No Reassignments Except Bureaucratic Legalism: "...the lesbian mother accused of abducting the daughter she raised with her wife and eloping with a man. Lauren Etchells has sparked an international hunt after fleeing from Canada to Britain with Marco van der Merwe. She and wife Tasha Brown are said to have asked him for help conceiving a second child after they had daughter Kaydance with an online sperm donor. The women split, but teacher Miss Etchells went on to have the baby with IT expert Mr van der Merwe – and later declared that they were engaged." In "Pictured together: Runaway lesbian mother and her ‘sperm donor lover she wants to wed’," by Tom Kelly and Chris Brooke, Daily Mail, 1 October 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of a Papal View: "In the age of 'ideological colonization' where gender theory has become a key part of a 'global war' on marriage and family, the Pope defended the traditional union between a woman and a man as 'the most beautiful thing God created.' Responding to one woman in the audience in Tbilisi, who asked about gender theory being taught in schools, the Pope said: 'You mentioned a great enemy of marriage today: gender theory'." In "‘Global war against family’: Pope Francis denounces gender theory," RT News, 2 October 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Canadians Considering Too Much of a Good Thing: "Bill 28 does not provide for a registration of who the biological parents actually are, leaving children with an existential crisis of never knowing where they came from as a matter of routine. There are many other questions: Why only four? This is not a sarcastic question. Polygamous and polyamorous families can and do include more—Bill 28 would appear to legally recognize both kinds of families (so long as they have four parents or fewer) without these special interest groups even needing to fight for it. There are those who desire family and marriage to legally be whatever individuals want it to be. Once we change the traditional number, any new limit is entirely arbitrary and open to change. Another question: Have we considered the effects of surrogacy on mothers? Surrogacy is rife terrain for exploitation of women. Should wombs be up for rent? Some countries, such as Iceland, Finland, Germany, France and Italy have outlawed even altruistic surrogacy, not merely commercial surrogacy as is the case in Canada." In "Aren’t four legal parents too much of a good thing?" by Andrea Mrozek, Mercator Net, 27 October 2016.
Addendum of Euthanizing Unsatisfactory Sex Change Patient: "Verhelst began the woman-to-man sex change procedure with hormone therapy in 2009, and had a mastectomy and penis construction surgery in 2012, but 'none of these operations worked as desired,' he said. 'I was ready to celebrate my new birth,' he continued. 'But when I looked in the mirror, I was disgusted with myself. My new breasts did not match my expectations and my new penis had symptoms of rejection. I do not want to be ... a monster'." In "Belgian transsexual dies by euthanasia after unsatisfactory sex change operation," by Tracy Miller, New Zork Dailz News, 2 October 2016.
Addendum of Girls with Male Genitalia: "Jazz said that although some boys want to date girls with male genitalia, she claimed in an article for the website that 'the majority won't'. She wrote: 'Your average straight cis-gender teenage boy isn't going to pursue a relationship with a trans-girl. Even if he does find her attractive, it could be social suicide if he acts on his feelings'." In "'I'd love to meet a cute trans boy who will be my true love': Reality star Jazz Jennings admits she is struggling to date because straight boys think it is 'social suicide' to date a trans girl," by Miranda Bryant, Daily Mail, 28 October 2016. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Arguing for Personality Problems Without Mental Illness: "...Hogben defending Seren said: 'I am sure looking at this defendant and the offences which she has admitted there is a great deal of concern. There are no mental health issues but there are personality disorders. Miss Seren was born a man but since an early age felt she is more a woman than a man.' Seren had pleaded guilty to indecent assault and downloading illegal child sex images. The court heard how Seren thinks he is a five-year-old girl and is regarded as 'highly vulnerable.' Although psychiatrists concluded the defendant has personality problems he did not have any mental illness and he was jailed him for a total of 15 months." In "Creepy sex offender who thinks he is a 5-year-old girl appeared in court clutching baby doll," by Chris Dyer, Daily Record, 6 December 2016.
Addendum of His Menstrual Cycle: "The Ministry of Health has acknowledged the lack of availability of Testex on its web page and indicates that it will be fully available again by mid-January. 'I’ll use the gel until then,' says Álex. 'There’s no other option.' Meanwhile, various political groups have voiced their opinion on the matter including the LGTBI – Lesbians, Gays, Transgender, Bisexuals and Hermaphrodites – collective of Spain’s left-wing Podemos party. This collective says that there are political and discriminatory factors at work while stating that it is a dangerous practice to leave important issues such as access to pharmaceuticals to the mercy of market forces." In "Spain’s transgender men start menstruating due to drug shortage," by Emilio de Benito, El País, 16 December 2016.
Addendum of the Unsurprising Outbreaks: "...she said, 'elite discourse about gender has become so nonsensical and removed from reality that rowdy outbreaks of resistance and rebellion are unsurprising'." In "Camille Paglia Predicted 2017," by Molly Fischer, New York Magazine, 7 March 2017.
NOTES
[ 1 ] Greer has stirred a hornet's nest of sorts, for challenging one "ism" with perhaps "another." One reads: "In her 1999 book, The Whole Woman, she wrote: 'Governments that consist of very few women have hurried to recognise as women men who believe that they are women and have had themselves castrated to prove it, because they see women not as another sex but as a non-sex. No so-called sex-change has ever begged for a uterus-and-ovaries transplant; if uterus-and-ovaries transplants were made mandatory for wannabe women they would disappear overnight. The insistence that man-made women be accepted as women is the institutional expression of the mistaken conviction that women are defective males." In "In Photos: Germaine Greer glitter-bombed for trans comments," by Stephen Gray, Pink News, 14 March 2012.
Uncompromising in Rhetoric
It is an out-spoken perspective. Of such one reads: "Greer was uncompromising in her rhetoric, condemning from the beginning of her speech the 'pressure on women to be clean, sweet, perfumed and submissive' and later suggested that trans women do not know what it is to 'have a big, hairy, smelly vagina'. Greer was robust in her championing of the woman as an autonomous person and was anxious not to be diverted into what she described as 'side issues'. Witty and acerbic, Greer had the audience laughing throughout; describing the Sun website as a 'fantasmagoria of nipples' whilst simultaneously speaking passionately and intensely about her notion of 'the disappearing woman'. She cited examples of cases in which women are judged but go unheard, condemning the fact that 'nobody bothers to investigate' the perspective of women such as Amanda Hutton, who was widely reviled in the media. Her championing of sexual liberation and power for women was clear as she invited her audience to 'kick ass and take names and talk loud and make a crowd'." In "Germaine Greer: transgender women don’t know what it’s like to ‘have a big hairy smelly vagina’," by Sarah Collins, Varsity, 27 January 2015.
What one may clearly take from the Metro article is that after sex reassignment surgery, that most natural ability "to conceive" is lost. While all around, nature is fecund, in this arena of a postmodern world it is barren. End of discussion.
[ 2 ] One notes the expression, "sex reassignment." In the case of Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez, as above, no "reassignment" had occurred, explaining the pregnancy and delivery in purely biological terms ignoring the "reality" of words. Thus the postmodern Pandora's box is opened, as definitions of the word "sex" become conflated with many incompatible meanings. Sex is defined by genital configuration, as is the case of "sex reassignment" per the above and when in consideration of Greer's observation that no "so-called sex-change has ever begged for a uterus-and-ovaries transplant...." It is an interesting and instructive observation as yet unanswered.
It's Not the Same Thing
It also crashes on the shores of whatever it means to be dysphonic in terms of body parts. One might consider that few issues can be found in which other body parts are asked to be "reassigned." Fro this Greer's assertion irritates many, as is often reported: " 'I do understand that some people are born intersex and they deserve support in coming to terms with their gender but it’s not the same thing. A man who gets his d**k chopped off is actually inflicting an extraordinary act of violence on himself ." In "Germaine Greer in transgender rant: 'Just because you lop off your penis...it doesn't make you a woman'," by Lucy Clarke-Billings, Telegraph UK, 26 October 2015.
Is reassignment a poor choice of word, any more than a self-referential pronoun might be seen as a poor choice of word, when Greer observes that "intersex" who "deserve support" are not the "same thing" as a reassignment purports them to be?
As is plainly the case from Jorgensen and into today, a change of "genital organs from male to female" does not include as Greer notes a "uterus-and-ovaries" transplant. Thus the outward form is reassigned, while the inward form is not reassigned. It then becomes an argument about words and their definitions. What does it mean to be a woman? A man? Must the "intersex" choose one of two options? In other arguments about words, one finds more choices being argued. With a nod to Greer's 1970 book, The Female Eunuch, see the rhyme and supporting materials which is become a Hen Party
A summary by Greer herself, can be found hosted by Marxists.org
Reaping the Harvest
In it she observes: "The opponents of female suffrage lamented that woman’s emancipation would mean the end of marriage, morality and the state; their extremism was more clear-sighted than the woolly benevolence of liberals and humanists, who thought that giving women a measure of freedom would not upset anything. When we reap the harvest which the unwitting suffragettes sowed we shall see that the anti-feminists were after all right."
"...the end of marriage, morality and the state" is foretold. In this progressive march, much stumbling is found, as the end goal seems elusive even as one observes a postmodern Wedding Shredding
Irony is not lost as the Express UK follows the report above with this: "Ms Rodriguez said: 'We live as man and woman. I’m a transfeminine woman and Fernando is a transmasculine man. The process to get here was complex for each of us'." In "Transgender man gives birth to his OWN BABY in world first," by Laura Mowat, Express UK, 26 September 2016.
The confluence of gender words and qualifications is a matter of word play, as a uterus and birth canal were involved in the delivery of the child. Asserting that these are somehow "trans" anything has nothing to do with biological facts. It is word play in service to what may or may not be psychological health, as too many opinions abound while truths tend to be univalent. One reaps a harvest of wordy assertions trying to say something akin to "we are like everyone else, only different." Using Greer's perspective, it would be more exact to say "we live as transfeminine woman and transmasculine man," as yet apparently not "reassigned" by surgery. As soon as the surgeries are complete, this "man and woman" will be a barren man and a barren woman living together.
[ 3 ] Given the historical tale, perhaps the "cross-dressing boy emperor Elagabalus" and "transgender ruler of Rome" is not supportive of postmodern arguments about sexuality, fluidity and reassignment.
Savagery and Sexual Hedonism
The tale is dark, at best: "By day, he continued to alienate the Roman people with his insistence that they should worship his god, Elagabal. Every morning at dawn he made huge, public sacrifices to this little-known deity, represented by a black conical stone held within a temple built on the Palatine Hill, the sacred heart of the capital. Attendance was compulsory for members of the senate, who were forced to watch dutifully as Elagabalus paraded before them in ever more lavish priestly garb. The proceedings began with his slaughter of dozens of cattle and sheep, whose entrails were then placed in golden bowls and offered up as a sacrifice to Elagabal. It was suspected that these offerings included the remains of young boys, Elagabalus killing only those who had both parents still alive so as to maximise the resulting grief and suffering. As his reign continued, his excesses took ever more bizarre and obscene turns." In "Move over, Caligula! Book reveals the story of cross-dressing boy emperor Elagabalus, whose savagery and sexual hedonism were unparallelled," by David Leafe, Daily Mail UK, 28 December 2011.
In this seemingly modern era, should one champion the age-old old god of Fluidity
Perhaps then the issue should be broadened beyond mere political excesses and heated arguments about terminology but also into "savagery and sexual hedonism" in the same way that one may examine the savagery of much in this "modern" world.
Words fail, because so many fail at words, confused with contradictory meanings and surface tensions to distract from clarity and realities unmoved by words' inability to change that which words cannot change. Such is the nature of language itself.
[ 4 ] If than else, because logically maybe might not be what is which isn't and wholly constructed, so she which apparently might be a misidentified pronoun at the University of Michigan can fly with her own wings, because her words can say so. Watch and learn....
One might follow her argument to a logical conclusion. If, as the article captures, "what is true for one person is not true for another because we have all had different sensory experiences," then all individuals have a right to "their truth" whether male or female, young or old, genius or idiot and so on. In this way, the word truth has no shared meaning, should someone wish to say it hasn't. And that's the truth.
As to a doctoral candidate arguing for "a more feminist view of knowledge," one wonders how Parson as a graduate in a highly competitive educational job market might react when or even if some Doctor Oppression comes to call
[ 5 ] In the modern politics of "you are who you allege to be" in terms of gender, a now officially "fluid" concept, biological parents of a child become "reassigned" as some support the notion of "help" in conception in which a "mother" who does not conceive asserts through law to be a mother nonetheless, while another mother who did conceive with a biological father and now wishes to "wed" -- see Wedding Shredding
Weird Vapidity
Do current definitions apply?
Do they survive the postmodern complexities of blah-blah-blah?
Might "former lesbian" define a current reality, and reinforce a notion of "fluid" gender self-definitions?
Might "sperm donor lover" define "father," and clutter the legal rights of a non-biological "mother" who has not given birth?
Is "marriage" to a lesbian anything more than a legal contract, as a classic divorce and all the accompanying arguments loom?
Does a biological mother have greater weight in terms of legal rights than a non-biological mother.
What in fact does mother mean anymore, as a mother contests a mother for motherhood rights?
The article notes "they [ mother and mother ] had a daughter" and yet only one gave birth, so is a father who by definition barely surviving the assault of Fluidity
Up is down, of course, and true is false, and all thirteen of them are seven. It all adds up, as fun with words plays itself into contradictory vapidity. But as to the article cited, a deliciously understated sentence quoting the jilted lesbian and self-announced non-birth "mother" on a father living with a birth mother is read: " 'There started to be this weirdness,' said Miss Brown."
One might agree. Weirdness is a word, and probably as fluid as all the others.
[ 6 ] The" enemy of marriage" is a sentence without any meaning today, as is the word "marriage." This is not an assertion without merit, but rather a statement of fact. One only need survey the notions, addenda and footnotes which cluster together around the rhyme, Wedding Shredding
[ 7 ] Once the words have little to no meaning -- "girls with male genitalia" -- the conversation can only end in disagreements.
Sterile Words with Opposing Definitions
Male now means having or not having male genitalia, while female means having or not having the same, or female genitalia. So what do male and female mean? All and nothing, by the simple language terms of the current idiocy sweeping across cultures.
If a "trans-girl" has male genitalia and most males, as defined by male genitalia also, seek dating relationships with human beings with vaginas -- what a cold and cynical discussion must be had from these language games -- then this is a matter of personal choice in each individual case. When personal choice becomes attacked, what remains? Social control by enforced means, in the end.
Using biological facts to hone in on words, if a straight male "with male genitalia" and a gay male "with make genitalia" and a trans-girl "with male genitalia" all share the physiological feature, then the trans-girl has more in common with males, straight and gay alike, than with females.
A Barren Landscape
In like manner, if a straight female "with female genitalia" and a lesbian "with female genitalia" and a surgically reassigned ex-male without outward appearances of "female genitalia" all share that physiological feature, then the surgically reassigned ex-male can no longer have genitalia similarity with male genitals. Yet genitalia is not all that applies, as Greer notes above. For the females, one may well argue that the uterus and possibility of pregnancy is the physiological feature which defines. If so, by current gender reassignment surgery the unhappy trans-girl will merely be a "cosmetic" imitation, and of course as with all gender reassignment surgery, barren.
As with the parents cited above, Fernando Machado and Diane Rodriguez, once their gender reassignments are complete, neither will again be a birth parent of a next child. Such is biology, unaffected by redefinition of words. The end game is sterility.
Off - at the trough
"Proponents sold the measure in 1999 with the promise that it would impose no new costs on California taxpayers. The state employees’ pension fund, they said, would grow fast enough to pay the bill in full. They were off — by billions of dollars — and taxpayers will bear the consequences for decades to come. This year, state employee pensions will cost taxpayers $5.4 billion, according to the Department of Finance. That’s more than the state will spend on environmental protection, fighting wildfires and the emergency response to the drought combined." In "The pension gap," by Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 September 2016.
They were off by just a little;
That little was, golly, a lot.
They were wrong, as it turns out,
And much is turning to naught.
They were greedy, it proves to be;
But for awhile look what was got.
They were up; soon all is falling down.
See what the politics has brought?
They were off by by billions, yes.
It's quite as if a plot.
They were off; that's the excuse;
Now consequences burn red hot.
Envoi: "... Seeling told the CalPERS board that if the pension fund’s investments grew at about half the projected rate of 8.25% per year on average, the consequences would be 'fairly catastrophic.' The warning made no discernible impression on the board, dominated by union leaders and their political allies. 'There was no real taxpayer representation in that room,' Seeling, now retired and living in a Dallas suburb, said in a recent interview. 'It was all union people. The greed was overwhelming'." Also in "The pension gap," by Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 September 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of the Big Picture, Clarifying: "State-run pension systems across the country were underfunded by $1.2 trillion last year and are expected to be in even worse shape in the years ahead, according to a report released Thursday from a top credit rating agency. Moody's Investors Service said it expects the gap to hit $1.7 trillion with the next round of state audits, largely because investment returns have been far below expectations for the funds." In "Report: State pension funding gap at $1.2 trillion," by Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press, 6 October 2016.
Addendum 13.4 Average Length of Service for Lifetime Public Pension: "...Average member salary: $89,241, Active members: 145, Active retirees: 309, Total active beneficiaries (including survivors): 424, Required employee contribution rate: 11.5 percent, Participant contributions: $1.49 million, Employer contributions: $15.87 million, Total participant contributions as percent of total contributions revenue: 8.6 percent, Average age at retirement: 60, Average pension: $58,644, Average length of service: 13.4 years." In "Top 25 Retired Illinois Politicians With The Biggest Pension Payouts," Reboot Illinois, via Huffington Post, 19 February 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Things Seeming Bigger in Texas: "Over six recent weeks, panicked Dallas retirees have pulled $220 million out of the fund. What set off the run was a recommendation in July that the retirees no longer be allowed to take out big blocks of money. Even before that, though, there were reports that the fund’s investments — some placed in highly risky and speculative ventures — were worth less than previously stated. What is happening in Dallas is an extreme example of what’s happening in many other places around the country. Elected officials promised workers solid pensions years ago, on the basis of wishful thinking rather than realistic expectations. Dallas’s troubles have become more urgent because its plan rules let some retirees take big withdrawals. Now, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System has asked the city for a one-time infusion of $1.1 billion, an amount roughly equal to Dallas's entire general fund budget but not even close to what the pension fund needs to be fully funded. Nothing would be left for fighting endemic poverty south of the Trinity River, for public libraries, or for giving current police officers and firefighters a raise. In "Dallas Stares Down a Texas-Size Threat of Bankruptcy," by Mary Williams Walsh, 20 November 2016.
Addendum of Sinkhole States: "The total debt burden is estimated at $6,100 per city taxpayer. 'Jacksonville has used accounting tricks to conceal its pension debt from taxpayers,' said Sheila Weinberg, founder and CEO of the accounting group. But Jacksonville’s 868,000 residents are far from alone with their pension problem. Statewide, Florida ranks 12th in the Truth in Accounting rankings of state pensions, with each resident responsible for $1,100 in unfunded debt. That puts it among the 40 'sinkhole' states that don’t have enough assets to cover their pension obligations." In "The State Level Pension Crisis: Jacksonville, Florida Edition," by William Patrick, American Spectator, 18 November 2016.
Addendum of the Simple Reality: " 'It's probably beyond repair,' he said. 'We’re at the point where we’re just managing the decline'." In "Bad Math and a Coming Public Pension Crisis," by Mary Williams Walsh, New York Times, 8 July 2015.
Addendum of Rising Pension Costs Breaking Budgets: "...rising pension costs generated by past state underfunding are hitting every school district. If those costs had stayed steady, the Battle Creek district would have a surplus this year, not a deficit. Enrollment declines usually translate to hard times for school district budgets. But having to pay more every year to catch up on state pension underfunding is also part of why Battle Creek teachers saw no salary increases in 2015-16." In "Soaring Pension Costs Breaking School Budgets, Crimping Teacher Pay," by Tim Gantert, Michigan Capitol Confidential, 30 November 2016.
Addendum of Big D Without Enough Liquid Reserves: "The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System's Board of Trustees suspended lump-sum withdrawals from the pension fund Thursday, staving off a possible restraining order and stopping $154 million in withdrawal requests. The system was set to pay out the weekly requests Friday. Pension officials said allowing the withdrawals would leave them without the liquid reserves required to sustain the $2.1 billion fund. 'Our situation is currently critical, and we took action,' board chairman Sam Friar said." In "Dallas Police and Fire Pension Board ends run on the bank, stops $154M in withdrawals," by Tristan Hallman, Dallas News, 8 December 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of San Francisco and Inadequacies: "State and local governments have about $2 trillion less than what they need to cover retirement benefits because of investment losses, inadequate contributions and perks granted in boom times. And in California, over the next few years, there will be 'a rash of local agencies unable to meet their pension obligations,' said Dane Hutchings, a lobbyist for the League of California Cities. San Francisco’s net pension liability -- a key measure of how much retirement benefits exceed the assets set aside to cover them -- more than doubled to $5.5 billion in the year ended in June due to lagging investment returns and an update to assumptions, including longer lifespans for retirees. In addition, the city lost a court case and must now pay some cost of living adjustments to retirees it was trying to limit because of the measure that voters approved. Contributions to the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System will increase 36 percent by 2022, more than three times faster than the city’s revenue, according to the five-year plan." In "Even San Francisco, Flush With Tech Wealth, Has Pension Problems," by Romy Varghese, Bloomberg, 20 March 2017.
Addendum of Massive Fraud in State Employee Pension Fund: "Two financial firms raked in billions of dollars of business from the New York State Common Retirement Fund, the $184-billion retirement fund serving many state employees, after their agents bribed one of the pension fund's employees with cash, watches, travel, bottle-service, cocaine, strippers, prostitutes, and Paul McCartney tickets, according to indictments announced today by Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The two indictments announced today only cover three people: Navnoor Kang, 38, the director of fixed income and security for the $185 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund; Gregg Schonhorn, 45, the vice president of fixed income sales at FTN Financial Corp; and Deborah Kelley, 58, at the time the managing director of institutional fixed income sales at Sterne Agee. Kang, who worked for the fund, was considered a public officer under the law. In exchange for plying Kang with drugs, women, jewelry and vacations, the indictments allege, Kang directed more than $2 billion in business to FTN Financial and Sterne Agee. Initially, Kang did this through front companies, since FTN Financial and Sterne Agee were not approved brokers for the fund. Since both the front brokers and the actual brokers took commissions, the fund got soaked." In "Bribes + NY State Pension Fund = Millions In Profits For Financial Companies," by Nick Pinto, Village Voice, 21 December 2016.
Consider the unpersuasive argument that Naturally no one steals anything
NOTES
[ 1 ] As paying for yesterday's "workers" now no longer working demands a larger share of government income, there are precious few options, each easily foreseeable except when political rhetoric clouds the arithmetic picture.
One learns: "...retirement costs would continue to consume roughly 20% of operating revenue. The effects can be measured in services forgone and civic ambitions deferred. With the money put into its pension funds over the last two years alone — nearly $2 billion — the city could have fixed every one of its broken sidewalks, built or leased housing for more than 25,000 homeless people or restored 11 miles of the concrete-clad Los Angeles River to a natural state. L.A.’s pension burden, while severe by national standards, is not unusual for California. Six of the state’s 10 largest cities — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Oakland and Bakersfield — devoted more than 15% of their general fund budgets to pensions and retiree healthcare during the 2015 fiscal year, The Times found. San Jose contributed the greatest share — almost 28%." In "Paying for public retirees has never cost L.A. taxpayers more. And that's after pension reform," by Peter Jamison, Los Angeles Times, 18 November 2016.
The Piling onto Many of the Pension Debt for the Few
How large is the underfunding in California? The answer changes over time. For this Stanford University has created a measurement procedure. One reads of already massive debt as well as growth in it: "Pension Tracker was recently created by Stanford Professor Joe Nation and a team of graduate students and researchers at SIEPR. According to the New York Times, through the work of SEIPR and the creation of Pension Tracker, California is the only state in the nation that provides access to the market value of pension liability on a local basis. Pension Tracker recently added the 2015 data, and plans to also add data for 2016 and 2017 when it becomes available. The market value of California pension debt is expected to likely exceed $100,000 per household in 2016, based on recent market calculations." In "Stanford University's Pension Tracker Pegs Total California Pension Debt at $1 trillion or $93,000 Per California Household in 2015, Up 19% from 2014," by David Kersten, Kersten Institute for Governance and Public Policy, 1 December 2016.
From "no new costs on California taxpayers" in 1999 to an increased debt burden of $93,000 per household eighteen years later suggests that California's politicians are either liars, hugely uninformed or both. The "benefits" devolve to a small number of "public servants" while the burden falls on all taxpayers. Privilege for the few? It seems so.
Thus one may rightly conclude that "liberal" politics as practiced in California has been illiberal, with the political and public "servant" class being elevated by various political methods until paying "for public retirees has never cost cost L.A. taxpayers more." With more demands to fund this special class of people soon to come,. because "naturally no one steals anything."
2017 brings an admission, as one reads: "Less than four years after declaring California’s budget was balanced for the foreseeable future, Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday said the state is now projected to run a $1.6-billion deficit by next summer. 'The trajectory of revenue growth is declining,' Brown told reporters at the state Capitol on Tuesday as he unveiled the state's budget." In "Gov. Jerry Brown predicts a $1.6-billion deficit as he unveils state budget," by John Myers, Los Angeles Times, 10 January 2017.
Another view to this "miscalculation" because mathematics is not politics, though politics pretends that words can rule numbers: "The administration discovered accounting mistakes last fall, but it did not notify lawmakers until the administration included adjustments to make up for the errors in Brown's budget proposal last week. The Democratic governor called for more than $3 billion in cuts because of a projected deficit he pegged at $1.6 billion. 'There's no other way to describe this other than a straight up error in accounting, which we deeply regret,' said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the Department of Finance." In "$1.9B miscalculation adds to California deficit projection," KCRA 3/NBC News, 18 January 2017.
Another report offers a telling admission. One reads: "California’s pension problem isn’t new. For years, economists and policymakers have warned that the state’s pension systems won’t have enough money to fulfill promises to millions of current and retired workers. But next year, officials said, rising pension costs will eat up more than a third of proposed increases to the state education budget. There is a predicted shortfall among all state retirement accounts of at least $230 billion based on what’s owed to current and future retirees. The pension funds, including CalPERS, haven’t made as much money from the stock market and other investments as they had hoped. That means school districts — like other public agencies — have had to backfill pension funds. Workers have also been forced to pay more. But it hasn’t been enough." In "California schools may face cuts amid skyrocketing pension costs," by Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 January 2017.
If policymakers knew "for years," what was and seems to remain the motivation to continue? One finds that motivation in government workers' self-interest fueled by the politicians who rely on them for support.
Intentional Miscalculation
Yet another perspective suggests the miscalculation could have been intentional and political. One reads: "...already well-paid government workers sometimes have their pay pegged to a multiple of the minimum wage. The increase will also drive up state welfare costs by wiping out many jobs. The American Action Forum predicts the increase will ultimately cost California nearly 700,000 jobs. An economist at Moody’s calculated that 31,000 to 160,000 California manufacturing jobs will be lost. Gov. Brown won’t be fazed by these job losses. Back in 1995, he declared that the 'conventional viewpoint says we need a jobs program and we need to cut welfare. Just the opposite! We need more welfare and fewer jobs.' In signing the massive increase into law last year, Brown admitted that 'Economically, minimum wages may not make sense.' But 'politically they make every sense,' he said." In "California Budget Deficit Rising: Wasteful Spending, Minimum Wage Hike to Blame," by Hans Bader, Cybercast News, 20 January 2017.
"...pay pegged to a multiple of the minimum wage" is sought all the while the system is in slow motion shrinkage, if not eventual collapse.
As to the competence of the leadership of the CalPERS organization, a quote stands out: "A shift away from stocks and private equity just before the presidential election has caused CalPERS to miss out on about $900 million in revenue since September. CalPERS Chief Investment Officer Ted Eliopoulos disclosed the number at a Board of Administration meeting on Monday in a presentation describing how a temporary shift in assets has played out." In "Investment shift costs CalPERS $900 million in potential gains," by Adam Ashton, Sacramento Bee, 13 February 2017.
A few weeks later, Sacramento as both state capitol and the home of the Sacramento Bee newspaper prints an editorial as the city and its paper see all too easily the coming fiscal crisis for the city and all sister cities in the state. One reads: "If the higher CalPERS contributions aren’t the stuff of nightmares for city and county officials across the state, they should at least be a big worry. The League of California Cities calls the pension issue the biggest obstacle facing every full-service city in the state. It is urging its members to run the numbers and to start taking necessary steps. It says some cities may have to consider hiring freezes and service cuts. Even then, the league warns, some cities might eventually veer dangerously close to bankruptcy." In "Why California cities and counties should act scared by pension payments," by Editorial Board, Sacramento Bee, 7 March 2017.
How's that for a losing wager?
A Classic Ponzi Scheme Operated by Government
Who then is expected to pay for government promises to a protected class, and who is expected to pay when the politically-connected few mismanage? Taxpayers, as always, until failure and collapse of the protected class' upper crust benefits schemes.
One reads: "...the fiscal 2018 tab will be at least $13 billion to meet retirement obligations for public workers, according to the analysis, which is based on actuarial reports and audited financial statements. Barring any changes to pensions, 'several California cities and counties will find themselves forced to slash other spending,' the group wrote in its report. 'The less fortunate will simply be unable to pay the bills they receive from Calpers or their local retirement system'." In "California Cities' Pension Tab Seen Almost Doubling in 5 Years," by Romy Varghese, Bloomberg, 10 April 2017.
When "the less fortunate will simply be unable to pay the bills they receive from Calpers," what will quickly end is the game of Kick the can
A Thorn in Society's Flesh
When policy decisions which makes government better paid are admitted to not make sense economically, but politically, the fingerprints on that policy are about government as described in 1932 by a self-declared "Communist anarchist."
One reads: "...state and society are two different things. Neither is society an accumulation of all the different organizations and connections within which people order their communal affairs and under which the state exists alongside other institutional forms, nor is the state from among a great many possibilities one of the types of organization in which society can embody itself. It is certainly clear that wherever society exits there is no room for the state, but that wherever the state is it is like a thorn in society’s flesh, it does not permit it to form a people who can socially inhale and exhale, and instead divides them into classes and thereby prevents them from being a society. A centralized construct cannot at the same time be a federalist construct. A system of management organized along authoritarian lines is a government, a bureaucracy, a commanding power, and this is the mark of the state; a community built upon equal rights and mutuality is, when considered within the bounds of their physical proximity, a people, when considered as a general form of human living, a society. State and society are opposing concepts; the one excludes the other." In "The Liberation of Society from the State," by Erich Kurt Mühsam, 1932.
Thankfully for those in government, Jerry Brown's government is paying itself well as the ship of the State of California "unveils" itself to be in growing debt coupled to "miscalculation." The end to this story is well known, having been seen many times before. It is the old phenomenon of Fat, fat government
As to that "accounting error," consider the truth of No correct arithmetic
[ 2 ] The public pension crisis has been hidden, overlooked, misstated and even lied about, depending on which voice and in which year one has found such views. In one case, the obvious is being proven true proving previous public, political postures were plain wrong.
A Recipe for Taxpayer Rebellion
One reads: "Illinois is like Greece in one obvious way: it overpromised and underdelivered on pensions and has little appetite for dealing with the problem, says Hal Weitzman of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. This large Midwestern state, with a population of 13m (Greece has 11m, though a far smaller GDP than Illinois), has the most underfunded retirement system of any state and the largest pension burden relative to state revenue. It also has the highest number of public-pension funds close to insolvency, such as the one looking after Chicago’s police and firemen. According to the Civic Federation, a budget watchdog, Illinois has piled up a whopping $111 billion in unfunded pension liabilities (see chart), in addition to $56 billion in debt for health benefits for pensioners. The state devotes one in four of its tax dollars to pensions, which is more than it spends on primary and secondary education." In "America’s Greece?" The Economist, 20 December 2014.
Only Following the Law - for the Lucky Few
The fiscal rape continues legally: "Liberato “Al” Naimoli, president of the Cement Workers Union Local 76. He retired from a $15,000-a-year city job that he last held a quarter-century ago. Naimoli received more than $13,000 a month from the city laborers' pension fund even as he continued to earn nearly $300,000 annually as union president. James McNally, former vice president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. He received nearly $115,000 a year even though at the time he retired, in 2008, he had not worked for the city in more than 13 years. He was only 51 when he started collecting a city pension. Dennis Gannon, former president of the Chicago Federation of Labor. In 2004, he began receiving more than $150,000 a year after retiring at age 50 from a $56,000-a-year city job that he had left nearly 13 years earlier. He received his city pension while collecting a salary of about $200,000 from the federation. As in most cases, Gannon told the Tribune at the time that he was only following the law in filing for a city pension." In "Illinois Supreme Court tosses law aimed at stopping union boss pension abuses," by Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 30 November 2018.
The conclusion is simple. In order to financially feed the "public servant" few, the general public has been and will be made to suffer. When the "average length of service" comes to less than fourteen years on the "public servant" roles, and comes with a lifetime pension for such short service, the whole makes a mockery of 'liberal' and party politics demands to subsidize the few from the many. One sees much more in the case of just one state which name rhymes with -- Ill annoy
This bellwether shows the path forward towards an abyss.
[ 3 ] Those deep in this mess pretend there is some political solution, but from another view No correct arithmetic
Imagine Doubling Taxes?
As to a concise summary of what Dallas faces, one reads: "Fixing this mess without serious reform is almost unimaginable. Even a 40-year plan to pay off the pension debt (twice as long as the Society of Actuaries recommends) would require the city to spend the equivalent of 75 percent of its payroll on pensions alone. Finding the money to do that would require Dallas to more than double property taxes. Even so, a four-decade plan would expose the city to future market crashes that could undermine any recovery. Instead, the city is looking at a host of unpopular changes to the current pension plan, including cutting back cost-of-living adjustments and asking employees to forgo some of the interest they’ve earned on their DROP accounts. State legislators, who crafted a system they didn’t have to fund, would need to approve any changes. Things could get complicated: Republicans dominate the legislature, while Democrats control the city. Still, the prospect of an insolvent Dallas should focus some minds." In "Pension Collapse in Big D," by Steven Malanga, City Journal, 13 December 2016.
Grease the Skids - a variant of slippery folk
"China’s legislature has expelled 45 of its members in a vote-buying scandal that has snared a prominent businessman who is active in donating to American universities, foundations and political campaigns. Some of the lawmakers whose dismissals were announced on Tuesday, all from the economically struggling northeastern province of Liaoning, had bribed their way into the National People’s Congress by buying votes, according to the official news agency Xinhua." In "An Unlikely Crime in One-Party China: Election Fraud," by Michael Forsythe, New York Times, 14 September 2016. [ 1 ]
Grease the skids with party cash,
And slip into some upscale bash
Where elbows rub with greased panache
And wallets reign their mighty stash.
Grease the way. Connect the dots
Of many moneyed, structured plots
To climb the ladders' rungs to slots
High above where corruption squats.
Grease the few with much and more
And all the tenderest spots explore
Where a rich, rare reservoir
Parts great powers' corridor.
Grease the skids, the way, the few,
As the pathway sure and true
To upper crusts' rich revenue
For the cream and retinue.
Grease a little election fraud
Both at home and wide abroad
For grease is welcomed and hurrahed
Where purchased access speaks like god.
Addendum of Directing Political Contributions: "The 1996 United States campaign finance controversy was an alleged effort by the People's Republic of China to influence domestic American politics prior to and during the Clinton administration and also involved the fund-raising practices of the administration itself. While questions regarding the U.S. Democratic Party's fund-raising activities first arose over a Los Angeles Times article published on September 21, 1996, China's alleged role in the affair first gained public attention when Bob Woodward and Brian Duffy of The Washington Post published a story stating that a United States Department of Justice investigation into the fund-raising activities had uncovered evidence that agents of China sought to direct contributions from foreign sources to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) before the 1996 presidential campaign. The journalists wrote that intelligence information had shown the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. was used for coordinating contributions to the DNC." In "1996 United States campaign finance controversy," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Addendum of No Wrongdoing in Greasing the Skids: "A number of major donors to Clinton, now secretary of state, have faced criminal allegations in connection with fundraising scandals since she dropped out of the race for the White House in 2008. Federal prosecutors have mounted four major cases involving six defendants, who together helped raise more than $1.1 million for Clinton's presidential and senatorial campaigns, records show. None of the cases has revealed any wrongdoing by Clinton or her top advisers, and most of the money has been returned or donated to charity. But Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for the Public Citizen watchdog group, said Clinton effectively put her campaign at risk by relying so heavily on wealthy bundlers to help her raise money. 'When you turn to that traditional wealthy donor base, you're going to run into a lot of problems because they encompass the type of people who know that big money buys influence,' Holman said." In "Several big donors to Hillary Clinton now facing criminal allegations," by Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 19 February 2011. [ 2 ]
Addendum of a Tactic Perfected: "Fattah isn’t the first Clinton superdelegate to be convicted under corruption charges. Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was convicted of corruption in November 2015, had close ties to Hillary Clinton while she served as senator of New York. In 2008, Clinton called Silver, who played an important role in convincing Clinton to run for Senate in New York after Bill Clinton’s presidency ended, 'a stalwart voice on behalf of the needs of New Yorkers.' Silver formally resigned from serving as a superdelegate in March 2016, and Congressman Fattah should do the same. Both Fattah and Silver still maintain their innocence, a tactic perfected by Hillary Clinton over the years—to constantly deny wrongdoing despite the overwhelming evidence suggesting otherwise." In "Corruption Conviction of Clinton Crony Foreshadows Hillary Legal Struggles," by Michael Sainato, Observer, 22 June 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum At the Heart of One Tale Among Many: "At the heart of the tale are several men, leaders of the Canadian mining industry, who have been major donors to the charitable endeavors of former President Bill Clinton and his family. Members of that group built, financed and eventually sold off to the Russians a company that would become known as Uranium One. Beyond mines in Kazakhstan that are among the most lucrative in the world, the sale gave the Russians control of one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the United States. Since uranium is considered a strategic asset, with implications for national security, the deal had to be approved by a committee composed of representatives from a number of United States government agencies. Among the agencies that eventually signed off was the State Department, then headed by Mr. Clinton’s wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation." In "Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal," by Jo Becker and Mike McIntire, New York Times, 23 April 2015.
Addendum of the Technicality of Greasing the Skids: "Technically speaking this isn’t a scam, since the Clintons’ donors know exactly what they are getting. Indeed, many of them may well have gotten their money’s worth of influence by giving money to the ex-president and a sitting secretary of state and would-be president. If so, that is a scandal and one that ought to disqualify Hillary Clinton for consideration for the presidency. But though it may not be illegal, it is not quite the noble cause to which we’re all supposed to pay homage. What’s more, the 'mistakes' the foundation has made in its filings are leading to reasonable suspicions that we have just started to scratch the surface of its questionable dealings. Those liberals that are dedicating themselves to rationalizing and apologizing for the foundation may find that they have taken on a task that is in the process of becoming a full-time and increasingly impossible job." In "Is the Clinton Foundation Really a Charity?" by Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary, 30 April 2015. [ 4 ]
Addendum Unlike Democrats and Republicans: "Unlike the Democrats and Republicans, we don't cuddle up to Wall Street and special interests with our 'public' and 'private' positions." Jill Stein, Twitter post, 12 October 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Removing Subsidies and the Grease which Applies: "It had been more than 20 years since a left-leaning government in New Zealand chose to eliminate government subsidies for farmers, and Hausman was surprised at what had transpired since. 'I will tell you it was a shock to their agricultural system,' says Hausman, 58, who farms corn and soybeans on a 1,500-acre plot 150 miles south of Chicago. 'You had a system dictated by government programs that was thrown out the window overnight,” Hausman adds in a recent interview with The Daily Signal. “But the farmers kind of reinvented themselves and now New Zealand is a powerhouse when it comes to agricultural production on the world stage'." In "What Happened When New Zealand Got Rid of Government Subsidies for Farmers," by Josh Siegel, Daily Signal, 22 September 2016. [ 6 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] Election fraud in China as corrupt politicians had "bribed their way" into government suggests similar motivation for these individuals -- criminals, should one say, based on China's legal actions against them -- all the while the politics of such things outside China pretends similarities cannot be seen as similar. So goes the argument. This is not that, but this is also not this.
Entitlements for Big Money
The article details: "Through his companies, Mr. Wang has donated to American universities, charities, research institutes and political campaigns, including New York University, the Clinton Foundation and the successful 2013 campaign for Virginia governor of Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat. Though Mr. Wang is a Chinese citizen, he is also a legal permanent resident of the United States, which entitles him to make campaign contributions."
Given the supposed transparency of American political parties and a supposed "liberality", one might find this broadens the large story of Capital for Communists
This alone is explanation for the corrupt class of politicians and their toadies to argue that such behaviors are "crony capitalism," as if capitalism is the engine of criminality. Rather it is politics, Consider a study in rhyme, Grease
[ 2 ] The sentence speaks from now twenty years ago: "...you're going to run into a lot of problems because they encompass the type of people who know that big money buys influence." What is equally clear is that money brings access, something the average citizen will never have, which therefore makes the democratic process undemocratic. There is deep irony in this for a party which uses the word in its name.
Thus one may conclude that greasing the skids with big money remains the modus operandi for government, whether Chinese Communist or American democratic. It is all a matter of Politics
[ 3 ] To gain an understanding of how "rare" overwhelming evidence can be found, consider the many sources cited to support a rhyme titled: Corruption
Will There be a Backfire?
The Observer's Sainato acts as possible seer in predicting: "Just as her associates steadily receive the justice their years of corruption call for, Hillary Clinton’s long record of playing loose and fast with the rules will come back to haunt her. The Clintons have been leading the charge in the increasing influence big money has in the political system, at great peril to the American public, but their hubris in thinking they can continuously break the rules and get away with it to propel their own political careers and the interests of their donors will eventually backfire."
The political calculation remains political. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Thus the "quantum state" of this sort of sordid politics is supposed to be unknown, quite like the The Cat in the Box
[ 4 ] It becomes interesting to note that the Chinese Communists root out such political corruption, as reported above, while the American system of politics seems to foster it and then look the other way. Ergo, this becomes all about greasing the skids.
Among the skids being greased, one finds the military-industrial complex handily arguing for itself, when one surveys the rhyme and supporting sources: A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
[ 5 ] Jill Stein is the Green Party 2016 candidate for president, as she was in 2012. Her voice is relatively unheard by the media, for the obvious reason that most corporate media today is a "special interest" in Washington. It becomes sadly ironic then that a media entity on the so-called political right has to help a voice on the so-called progressive left to be heard.
To Grease the Skids for Washington's Uniparty
One reads: "Stein observed that 'corporations were originally chartered to serve the public good, but they’ve become monsters that dominate our government.' Stein has previously explained that the liberal progressive agenda–on health care, crime, climate change, trade, etc.– cannot be accomplished under a corporatist like Hillary Clinton. Stein argued that a Clinton presidency will simply be the continuation of the policies supported by Washington’s 'uniparty,' which is controlled by special interest donors–and will not in any way advance the goals of liberal progressives." In "Green Party’s Jill Stein Tells Progressives: ‘Don’t Waste Your Vote on Corporate Democrats’ Who Betray You," by Julia Hahn, Breitbart, 13 October 2016.
One also finds similar sentiment from other voices after the 2016 election: "The Democratic Party as it is now constituted has become a giant fundraising machine, too often reflecting the goals and values of the moneyed interests. This must change. The election of 2016 has repudiated it." In "Robert Reich: The Democratic Party Needs to Clean House," by Robert Reich, Newsweek, 10 November 2016.
Additionally: "If Clinton’s 'basket of deplorables' comment accomplished anything, it was to push away irritated or bitter voters who are tired of being called Islamophobic when they criticize radical Islam or racist when they contemplate voting Republican. Consider a reader over at the Atlantic, who started in the 'NeverTrump' camp and claims to still 'deplore' the president-elect, yet ended up voting for him anyway. His reason? What he views as left-wing identity politics run amok. ' Accusations of racism are being thrown about as political weapons (mostly by white liberals) in a way that belittles the seriousness of bigotry,' writes the reader, who is white but married to a Mexican-American. 'When everything is about identity politics, is the left really surprised that on Tuesday millions of white Americans, for the first time ever, voted as ‘white’? If you want identity politics, identity politics is what you will get'." In "Neoliberalism’s epic fail: The reaction to Hillary Clinton’s loss exposed the impotent elitism of liberalism," by Conor Lynch, Salon.com, 19 November 2016.
An "impotent elitism of liberalism" as a "giant fund raising machine" that has been "controlled by special interest donors" is against what many voters reacted. It came as a surprise, except in retrospect as the above voices and many more speak out.
One sees the corporatists working diligently to support the military-industrial complex, as detailed in the truths in A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
As to money in politics greasing the skids, one reads that of the current candidates, one stands above: "Overall, the Hillary Victory Fund raised $261 million in the three-month time period while Trump Victory raised $61 million. The unconventional Republican nominee has struggled to raise money from the kinds of traditional donors who write the biggest campaign checks. Clinton has another joint fund for big donors, while Trump has another account for his campaign and the party that’s aimed at small donors." In "Hillary Clinton has at least twice as many six-figure donors as Donald Trump," Associated Press, 16 October 2016.
"Victory" for big donors who best grease the skids? Indeed, and it has a sordid precedent as many a skid greaser will Bring presents to the party
To Rig the Whole System
As to the party being planned, one reads an interesting editorial: "Among the curiosities spewed from John Podesta's email by WikiLeaks is an intriguing memo to a group of billionaires that outlines the real goals of the Democratic Party's progressive wing. Turns out they don't want to rig an election, they want to rig the whole system — demographics, politics, the media, everything. The idea that the Democratic Party is the party of the "little man," as the old term would have it, is one of the great fallacies of our time, as this memo clearly shows. The Democratic Party has been captured by the interests of a handful of left-leaning billionaires and cash-rich labor unions who see the party as a way to impose their progressive vision on all of us, without us even knowing it." In "WikiLeaks Reveals How Billionaire 'Progressives' Run The Democratic Party," IBD Editorial, International Business Daily, 2 November 2016.
With "big" donors and their billions in wealth "advising" the Democrat Party in ways Democrats had once accused Republicans of doing, an awareness dawns in the electorate. One reads of an opinion that the Democrat National Committee is corrupt.
Lobbyists as Democrat Superdelegates
"Actress Susan Sarandon on Thursday tore into the Democratic National Committee (DNC), calling it 'completely corrupt.' 'After my experience in the primary, it’s very clear to me the DNC is gone,' she told CNN's Carol Costello. 'Every superdelegate is a lobbyist. The way that the system is set up in terms of trying of having superdelegates — you could win a state and not get the delegates. It’s crazy.' Sarandon backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the Democratic nomination." In "Susan Sarandon: 'DNC is completely corrupt’," by Mark Hensch, The Hill,4 November 2016.
Among the proofs for this assertion and editorial stance is that presidential candidate Jill Stein has been almost consistently ignored by the so-called "Left-leaning" media. This is a clear suggestion that Stein's stance threatens the "uni-party" which rages at the thought of being overthrown democratically.
[ 6 ] Since "grease" -- see Grease
Removing Government Assistance Completely
The article details: "Removing government assistance completely, New Zealand officials say, freed farmers to produce what people really want, and to do so in an efficient way that could turn a profit. Since the reforms, New Zealand farmers have cut costs, diversified their land use, and developed new products, Clark says. Additionally, productivity in agriculture has grown faster than the New Zealand economy as a whole."
This real-world experiment flies in the face of the central planning theorists whose words portray themselves as the best of leadership. The experiment was not optional. One reads further: "Facing a budget crisis in 1984, the incoming Labour government took the first step in implementing a long list of market reforms when it eliminated about 30 different agricultural production subsidies and export incentives."
Thus and as before is so many historical instances, "reforms" left to the free choices of individual make for prosperity. One may reasonably infer the antithesis, that when government seeks to grease "the" skids of commerce, the skids it greases are its own, and whole segments of an economy weaken. The incentive for a "left-leaning government" faced with a "budget crisis" is to get out of the way of individual freedom and individual effort to profit.
As the article states, "a system dictated by government programs" was failing. "Thrown out overnight," the people adapted and prospered.
As one surveys the scope of grease and greasy politicians from the United States to China to Europe, a lesson could be learned. For this reason and so often, such "leaders" often seek for themselves varying methods to assure themselves of No Scrutiny
" 'We cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war,' Harf said. 'We need, in the longer term — medium and longer term — to go after the root causes that lead people to join these groups — whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs.' As Kramer reported, Harf made the remarks in spite of the videos of gruesome beheadings on a regular basis, and daily reports of other atrocities. 'We can work with other countries around the world to help improve their governance,' Harf said. 'We can help them build their economies so they can have job opportunities for these people.' King characterized Harf’s attitude as naïve." In "U.S. Rep., Terror Expert Shocked At State Dept. Claim That Jobs Program Can Stop ISIS, Obama Administration Ripped Over Spokesperson's Comments On Chris Matthews" CBS News, 17 February 2015.
Poor and lonely wolf,
Alone, as many have said,
Comes from a family of lonely wolves
Which in lonely packs has bred.
Surely this and only this,
As so much in the news we've read,
Explains such abject loneliness
By which so have many bled.Poor and lonely wolf
To be so misunderstood,
As its motivations are unclear
In its lonely neighborhood.
Surely this and only this,
As reasons all are blurred,
Explains the sudden viciousness
With which each wolf is stirred.Poor and lonely wolf,
Attacking here and there,
Is all alone and lonely,
But where then is its lair?
Surely this and only this,
As talking heads have erred,
Clarifies each lonely wolf
As part of some larger herd.Poor and lonely wolf
Is perhaps not all alone,
In the bigger scheme of things
The wolf is just a clone.
Surely this and only this
Will dawn upon this age,
As many, many lonely wolves
In their lonely wars engage.
Envoi: "A lone wolf or lone-wolf terrorist is someone who prepares and commits violent acts alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group. However, he or she may be influenced or motivated by the ideology and beliefs of an external group, and may act in support of such a group." In "Lone wolf (terrorism)," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Addendum of Calling for Lone Wolf Attacks: "...the terrorist group has urged followers to stab, shoot, and poison Australian people. 'Light the ground beneath them aflame and scorch them with terror. Kill them on the streets of Brunswick, Broadmeadows, Bankstown, and Bondi. Kill them at the MCG, the SCG, the Opera House, and even in their backyards,' the article reads. 'Stab them, shoot them, poison them, and run them down with your vehicles. Kill them wherever you find them until the hollowness of their arrogance is filled with terror and they find themselves on their knees with their backs broken under the weight of regret for having waged a war against the believers, and by Allah’s will, and then through your sacrifices, this Ummah will be victorious'." In "ISIS has issued calls for 'lone wolf' attacks on the Opera House, MCG and Bondi," by Sarah Kimmorley, Business Insider Australia, 7 September 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Legitimate Prey: "The Islamic State has released a new online magazine urging adherents to carry out more so-called lone-wolf attacks globally. Targets for attacks include businessmen on their way to work, young people playing sports in the park and even 'the street vendor selling flowers to those passing by.' A photo from what appears to be a British market vendor selling flowers has a caption beneath it that reads 'Even the blood of a merry crusader citizen selling flowers to passersby.' Jihadis are urged to strike such soft targets with no special precedence to attack soldiers or policemen, but rather to strike terror into the hearts of all disbelievers." In "Islamic State issues new call for attacks in the West, all non-believers 'legitimate targets'," by Lisa Daftari, Foreign Desk News, 5 September 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Lone Wolves As Nothing of the Sort: "Since early 2014, at the latest, the Islamic State (Isil) has been plotting terrorist attacks in Europe. There has been a tendency, including during the wave of attacks in the last month in Europe, to favour the 'lone wolf' explanation for Isil-claimed terrorist attacks, where the killer's only connection to Isil is to be "inspired" by their online propaganda, but in reality the institutions of the caliphate stand behind this campaign." In "'Lone wolf' attacks in Europe are nothing of the sort," by Kyle Orton, Telegraph UK, 29 July 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of the Norm in Islamic Plots: "...a Reuters review of the approximately 90 Islamic State court cases brought by the Department of Justice since 2014 found that three-quarters of those charged were alleged to be part of a group of anywhere from two to more than 10 co-conspirators who met in person to discuss their plans. Even in those cases that did not involve in-person meetings, defendants were almost always in contact with other sympathizers, whether via text message, email or networking websites, according to court documents. Fewer than 10 cases involved someone accused of acting entirely alone. The 'lone wolf' image obscures the extent to which individuals become radicalized through personal association with like-minded people, in what might be termed 'wolf dens,' experts on radicalization and counter-terrorism say." In "Wolf dens, not lone wolves, the norm in U.S. Islamic State plots," by Joseph Ax, Reuters, 14 June 2016.
Addendum of the Radicalized: "The PST study attempted to investigate the backgrounds of people in extreme Islamist groups. Everyone in the representative sample study by the security service had been radicalized in Norway and all were under the age of 40. A full 88 percent of the radicalized individuals have an ethnic background other than Norwegian and over 30 different nationalities are represented amongst the radicalized individuals. Some 76 percent of the extremists have Norwegian citizenship. The vast majority, 88 percent, are men and 68 percent of those men have been either suspected, charged or convicted of a crime before they became radicalized." In "PST: Every fifth extremist in Norway is a Muslim convert," TheLocal.no, 15 September 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of a Turkish Immigrant in the US: "The Turkish immigrant accused of gunning down five people at a Washington mall smirked at his first court appearance Monday even as reports revealed he had a blog with photo posts of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei." In "Mall shooting suspect had blog with picture of ISIS leader," FoxNews with Associated Press, 26 September 2016.
Addendum of Terrorism in Turkey: "The deadly attack in the Istanbul airport late Tuesday, suspected to be the work of the ISIS, comes as the terrorist group today marks the second anniversary of the declaration of its Islamic 'caliphate,' or kingdom. In that time, the group has gone from obscurity, mocked by President Barack Obama as a terrorist 'JV team,' to the world’s most brutal terrorist network, not only responsible for thousands of deaths in the Middle East but also linked to hundreds more in dozens of terrorist plots in the West." In "ISIS 2 Years Later: From 'JV Team' to International Killers," by Brian Ross, Alex Hosenball, Cho Park and Lee Ferran, ABC News, 29 September 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Encouraging Words from a Lair: "A new magazine issued by the Islamic State advises lone jihadists to get over any squeamishness about using knives and embrace sharp objects as '"widely available' weapons of jihad in nighttime stabbing campaigns. ISIS' Al-Hayat Media Center issued the second issue of its magazine Rumiyah, meaning Rome, in English, Turkish, German, French, Indonesian, Russian, Arabic and Uyghur." In "ISIS Calls for Random Knife Attacks in Alleys, Forests, Beaches, 'Quiet Neighborhoods'," by Bridget Johnson, PJMedia, 4 October 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of a Lone Wolf Cub: "Fortunately a pedestrian spotted the bag and alerted police, who then had specialists carry out a controlled explosion, Focus magazine reported on Thursday, citing security sources. The 12-year-old, born in the town in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2004, had been radicalized and was encouraged to carry out the attack by an as-yet unknown member of the Isis terror group, according to Focus." In "12-year-old attempted to bomb Christmas market in south Germany: prosecutors," TheLocal.de, 16 December 2016.
Addendum of Being a Better Connected Lone Wolf: "Tunisian-born Anis Amri traveled to 15 different mosques - 12 of which were located in the western Ruhr region, according to a report from German public broadcaster WDR's "'Aktuelle Stunde' television program. Amri used one of eight aliases to apply for asylum in the western German city of Oberhausen, the report said citing a multi-page profile on the Berlin attack suspect put together by security authorities." In "Report: Berlin attack suspect better connected to extremists than thought," by Rebecca Staudenmaier, Deutsche Welle, 28 December 2016.
Addendum of Killing by an Egyptian Lone Wolves: "A security official said the attacker, a man in his 20s dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, wielded a knife and intentionally sought to attack foreigners. 'Stay away, I don't want Egyptians,' the assailant had said in Arabic during the attack, according to the official." "Egypt attacks: 2 German female tourists, 5 policemen killed," by Maggie Michael, Associated Press. 14 July 2017.
Addendum of One Lair: " 'O worshippers of the cross in USA,' the poster states. 'Our lone wolves will come to you from where you do not know and we will terrorize you wherever you are and we will show you multitudes of terror and pain that you showed to the Muslims, and what is coming is more bitter and greater.' In May 2016, Wafa' warned in a message to the citizens of Spain and all Spanish-speaking countries that lone jihadists existing in those areas would kill the 'disbelievers' as 'previously planned.' In August 2016, the media foundation said that jihadists had to step up their game to make attacks in Spain worse than terrorist operations in France. Wafa' pressed jihadists to kidnap or kill Spanish nationals." In "ISIS Group Behind World Cup Threats Vows 'More Bitter and Greater' Manhattan Attacks," by Bridget Johnson, PJMedia, 1 November 2017.
Addendum of Identifying a Lair: "The brother of Port Authority bombing suspect Akayed Ullah worships at the same mosque where infamous blind sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman once preached, law enforcement sources told The Post on Monday. Ullah’s brother Ahsan attends Mas Jid al-Salam mosque in Jersey City, where the radical cleric Abdel-Rahman used to spew hate." In "Brother of Port Authority bombing suspect worships at infamous sheik’s mosque," by Larry Celona, New York Post, 11 December 2017.
Addendum of a Lone Wolf Answering the Islamic State Call for Jihad: "In the statement, Abdiraham said he went to the Mall of America to answer the 'call for jihad by the Chief of Believer, Abu-bakr Al-baghdadi, may Allah protect him, and by the Mujahiden of the Islamic State.' The statement added, 'I understand that the two men I stabbed know and have explained the reason for my attack, and I am here reaffirming that it was indeed an act of Jihad in the way of Allah.' Abdiraham also said in the statement that Americans will not be safe as long as 'your country is at war with Islam'." In "Court Records: Mall of America Stabbing Suspect Pleads Guilty, Calls it Act of Jihad," by Beth McDonough, KSTP-TV, 26 January 2018.
Addendum of a Cell: "The terrorist cell, which was broken up in 2015 by the Catalan police force, had been planning attacks against landmark sites in the city. Its members also wanted to kidnap someone, dress them in an orange jumpsuit, and execute them in front of a camera, the court found in a ruling released on Tuesday. The court’s criminal division has sentenced three individuals to 12 years in prison for leading the terrorist association, while seven others have received eight-year sentences for participating in the group’s activities. The men, aged 22 through 48, did not have prior criminal records." In "Prison for 10 jihadists who were planning Barcelona terror attacks," El Pais in English, 11 April 2018. [ 7 ]
Addendum of a War Against Women: "Bouanane told the court that before the attacks last August, he had visited mosque and recorded a video in which he talked about U.S.-led air strikes in Syria and the fight for Islamic State. When he started the attacks on the market square, he said, he couldn’t control himself." In "Finland knife attacker says he was 'in war against women'," Reuters, 17 April 2018.
Addendum of Wolves in France: "... a 20-year-old student and illegal immigrant known only as Mohamed M, ran a 'particularly active account in the pro-jihadist sphere', said the source. Police raided his flat and found a stash of gunpowder taken from bangers as well as a computer containing bomb-making tutorials, as well as a video on how to use ricin. During questioning, the suspect 'spontaneously acknowledged having consulted jihadist propaganda and explained that an as yet unidentified individual on the encrypted messaging app Telegram told him to buy the stock of bangers to make a bomb and to take action in France,' he said." In "Man charged after French police foil Paris ricin terror plot," by Henry Samuel, Telegraph UK, 18 May 2018.
Addendum of a Lone Wolf in Finland: "Bouanane arrived to Finland in 2016 on a fake identity. He began to be radicalised in 2017 after being denied asylum. On the day of the attacks he visited a mosque and recorded a video in which he spoke of the U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and fighting for the group." In "Knife attacker sentenced to life by a Finnish court," by Jussi Rosendahl, Reuters, 16 June 2018.
Addendum of a Lone Wolf's Connection in a Spectrum: "Islamist connection - Federal prosecutors said the man had been in contact with 'persons from the radical Islamist spectrum,' and that they were still probing the content of the communications." In "Cologne ricin plot bigger than initially suspected," Deutsche Welle (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters), 20 June 2018.
Addendum of an American Lone Wolf: "FBI Agent Stephen Anthony said Monday the agency began investigating the suspect, identified as Demetrius Nathaniel Pitts, back in 2017. Pitts was arrested for attempted material support of a foreign terrorist organization. Investigators say they received tips that Pitts, also known as Abdur Raheem Rahfeeq, had made statements in support of Al-Qaeda. Pitts, an American citizen with an extensive criminal background, also expressed a disdain for the U.S. military." In "Terror suspect plotted July 4 explosion in Cleveland, FBI says," KSBW News, 2 July 2018.
Addendum of a Lone Wolf Linked to the Lair: "Krayem is suspected of playing a key role in the jihadist cell behind the attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people, and Brussels, which left 32 people dead. Both were claimed by Isis. Now investigators have linked him to the killing of Kassasbeh, who was captured when his plane came down in an IS-held part of Syria in December 2014. 'We have been able to establish that he was there,' a source close to the Belgian probe told AFP on Friday, saying Krayem could be prosecuted for a 'crime against humanity'. Krayem, like other members of the Paris-Brussels cell, travelled to fight for Isis in Syria in 2014 before apparently hiding himself among migrants in order to return to Europe from Syria in 2015." In "Paris attacks suspect linked to horrific pilot killing by Isis," by Agence France Presse, 6 July 2018.
Addendum of a Lone Wolf in Toronto: "The attacker 'was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition countries,' a statement from AMAQ news agency said. The group did not provide further detail or evidence for its claim. Canadian police have said the motive for the shooting remained unclear." In "Islamic State claims responsibility for Toronto shooting as 10-year-old victim named," by Staff, Telegraph UK, 25 July 2018.
Addendum of a Tunisian Wolf in Germany: "According to the Karlsruhe-based Federal Prosecutor's Office, the Tunisian intended to carry out a biological terror attack against "unbelievers" in Germany. 'He wanted to explode a ricin bomb packed with shrapnel in a busy indoor place,' prosecutors said in an update on their investigation." In "German prosecutors: Tunisian planned ricin terror bombing against 'unbelievers'," by Chase Winter (with AFP, AP), Deutsche Welle, 3 August 2018.
Addendum of More than One Hundred Lonely Wolves: "On July 27, 1990, a Muslim organization called Jamaat al Muslimeen instigated a coup against the government of Trinidad & Tobago. Forty-two insurgents stormed Parliament, taking Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson and most of his cabinet hostage in The Red House, Trinidad’s parliamentary building, for six days. At the same time, another 72 rebels attacked the offices of Trinidad & Tobago Television. When instructed to order the army to stop firing on The Red House, Robinson instead instructed them to 'attack with full force.'At 6:00 p.m., Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr appeared on television and announced that the government had been overthrown and that he was negotiating with the army. He called for calm and said that there should be no looting." In "A Failed Coup in Trinidad and Tobago," by ADST, HuffPost, 6 December 2017.
Addendum of a Radicalized Repeat Offender: "The man who sprayed gunfire at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, killing three people and wounding 13 others, was identified as a radicalized Islamist with a lengthy rap sheet who was on France’s national security list as a possible terror threat, according to reports. Cherif Chekatt, 29, who was known to be part of radicalized networks in his native Strasbourg, is a 'repeat offender' and 'delinquent' who served time in French and German prisons, the UK’s Independent reported." In "French Christmas market shooter was radical Islamist on government’s radar," by Yaron Steinbuch, NY Post, 12 December 2018.
Addendum of a Lonely Bomb Instructor: "A Florida man is facing charges of posting detailed bomb-making instructions to online sites frequented by extremists such as supporters of the Islamic State group, according to an FBI complaint unsealed Monday. An FBI affidavit charges Tayyab Tahir Ismail, 33, with posting the illegal bomb instructions on at least five occasions between July and September." In "FBI: Florida man posted bomb instructions for extremists," by Curt Anderson, Associated Press, 17 December 2018.
Addendum of More Lone Wolves with a Shared Ideology: "Sabik said while the suspects were seen in a video before the bodies were found pledging their allegiance to ISIS, the suspects were 'lone wolves.' 'The crime was not coordinated with Islamic State,' Sabik said. 'Lone wolves do not need permission from their leader'." In "Arrests in Morocco backpacker beheadings foiled 'terrorist plot,' investigators reveal," by Nicole Darrah, Fox News/Associated Press, 24 December 2018. [ 8 ]
Addendum of Another Believer in Lone Wolf-ism: "An Arizona man facing a terrorism charge for brandishing a knife in an encounter with a sheriff's sergeant was carrying out a 'lone wolf' attack, authorities said Thursday. Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said at a news conference that 18-year-old Ismail Hamed of Fountain Hills told a dispatcher before the Jan. 7 attack that he had an affiliation with a terror group." In "Police: Arizona man carried out lone wolf attack on officer," Associated Press, 17 January 2019.
Addendum of a Pack of Lone Wolves: "Ten suspected terror plotters have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning a jihadist attack with a car and guns. German prosecutors said the 10 suspects were under investigation for plotting to 'kill as many people as possible'." In "Police arrest ten 'jihadists' in Germany who were 'plotting to use a car and guns to kill as many people as possible and had already hired a vehicle' as knives are seized in raid," by Tim Stickings, Mail Online, 22 March 2019.
Addendum of a American Wolf: "Darnell Ray Owens, 32, was arrested last week in Tulsa, where he awaited extradition to his hometown of Sacramento, according to The Dallas Morning News. Jeffress, lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. 'I will assassinate your pastor in the name of Allah,' Owens reportedly wrote in part, referring to Jeffress. 'I will burn down Christian churches. … This is a threat'." In "Man Threatens to Kill Pro-Trump Pastor, Burn Down Christian Churches 'In the Name of Allah'," by Tré Goins-Phillips, FaithWire, 2 April 2019.
Addendum of Another American Wolf: "The government's six-page detention motion describes Henry as harboring hatred for 'disbelievers' and looking to emulate Islamic State militants he saw on beheading videos and fighting overseas. On his phone, which prosecutors say he discarded on a highway in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence, authorities found images of the ISIS flag, armed ISIS fighters and the man who carried out the massacre in an Orlando, Fla., nightclub three years ago." In "Maryland man inspired by Islamic State attack plotted to drive truck into National Harbor pedestrians, officials say," by Eric Tucker, Associated Press, 8 April 2019.
Addendum of Yet Another American Wolf: "A former Plano high school student was sentenced Monday to 20 years in state prison after pleading guilty to an ISIS-inspired plot to commit mass murder at a Collin County mall. Matin Azizi-Yarand, 18, discussed his plans with an undercover FBI employee to "run and gun" with firearms blazing at the Stonebriar Centre Mall in Frisco and to kill civilians and police officers during the slaughter." In "Teen 'lone wolf' gets 20 years in prison for terrorism plot to shoot up Frisco Mall," by Kevin Krause, Dallas News, 8 April 2019. [ 9 ]
Addendum of Protecting a Lone Wolf from Post Mortem Scrutiny: "A computer science student from Santa Clara, Faisal Mohammad wielded a 10-inch knife on Nov. 4, 2015, before he was shot to death by a campus police officer, according to authorities. A lawyer filed the restraining order against the University of California’s Board of Regents on May 30 on behalf of Wasim Mohammad, the younger Mohammad’s father. The document argues the release of those records would cause 'great or irreparable harm,' invade the privacy of the Mohammad family and offers few benefits to the public interest." In "Family of UC Merced attacker files lawsuit to prevent releasing his 'manifesto'," b y Thaddeus Miller, Sacramento Bee, 3 June 2019.
Addendum of a Pack of Lonely Wolves in Norway: "Roar Fløttum was preaching and praying for the sick on a Trondheim street on November 27th when he interacted with four Muslim men.... 'They demanded my bank card, codes, mobile and Apple ID. They held me hostage there for an hour as they made withdrawals from the card. They made about ten thousand kroner. While they kept me there, they threatened me and said they would kill me if I did not convert to Islam. They wanted me to say a few words in Arabic. I was scared and actually thought they were going to kill me because they said they had a knife and didn’t want witnesses, he said." In "Street Preacher in Norway Attacked," Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, 27 November 2019.
Addendum of a Ukrainian Wolf in Poland: "The Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) has detained a Ukrainian citizen and a Muslim convert after law enforcement suspected he was preparing a terrorist attack on a mall. The spokeswoman of the Prosecutor's Office informed that the suspect is Maksym S., a Ukrainian citizen who has been living in Poland for the last two months. The man had converted to Islam a few weeks ago and took the new name of Muhamat." In "Ukrainian Islamist 'planned a terrorist attack in Poland'," Polskie Radio/PAP, 11 December 2019.
Addendum of More French Wolves: "The man was on an 'S-file' in France, which means he was considered to be a serious threat to national security because of his obsession with radical Islam, including groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda. It comes just days after a man went on a knife rampage in the suburb of Villejuif just outside Paris on Jan 3." In "French police shoot knifeman who rushed at a group of officers shouting 'Allahu akbar' a day after another attacker left one dead and two hurt," by Terri-Anne Williams, Mail Online, 5 January 2020.
Addendum of a Lone Wolf's Islamist Thought: "Amman posted a picture of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed during a U.S. raid in Syria in October, and told his brother in a message that 'the Islamic State is here to stay.' He also described Yazidi women as slaves and said the Koran made it permissible to rape them, and in another message he encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents." In "Man shot dead by UK police wanted girlfriend to behead her parents," by Michael Holdren, Reuters, 3 February 2020. [ 11 ]
Addendum of a Lone American Black Muslim and Race Hate: "...Muhammad admitted to the killings and told KGPE: 'Someone has to fight for all the people who died at the hands of racist white men. 'I wasn't thinking like... I'm going to kill, kill, kill. All I knew was white supremacy has to die and the people who benefit from white supremacy... are white men'." In "'I just found some white men to kill': Court is shown horrifying confession of black man facing death penalty in California over 'race hate' slayings of four people," Associated Press, 10 March 2020.
Addendum of the Dead French Migrant Activist: "Jean Dussine, president of the association for the assistance of itinerant migrants, is dead, Tuesday, May 12 at his home in Bretteville-en-Saire. A young Afghan is in police custody." ("Jean Dussine, président de l'association d'aide aux migrants Itinérance, est mort ce mardi 12 mai à son domicile de Bretteville-en-Saire. Un jeune Afghan est en garde à vue.") In "Cherbourg : le président d’Itinérance Jean Dussine tué à son domicile, un migrant en garde à vue," ACTU.fr, 12 May 2020.
Addendum of a Lonely Wolf in Brooklyn: "Authorities investigating Wednesday night's stabbing of an NYPD officer in Brooklyn say body-worn camera video recorded the suspect yelling 'Allahu Akbar' three times during the attack, NYPD officers said Saturday." In "Motive Remains Unclear Behind Possible Terror Suspect's Knife Assault on Officers: NYPD," by Jonathan Dienst, Myles Miller, Joe Valiquette, Tom Winter, Marc Santia, Tom Shea and Kiki Intarasuwan, NBC New York, 6 June 2020.
Addendum of a Lonely Wolf in Conflans Saint-Honorine: "French anti-terror prosecutors said they were treating the assault as 'a murder linked to a terrorist organisation'. The attack happened on the outskirts of Paris at around 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) near the middle school where the teacher worked in Conflans Saint-Honorine, a northwestern suburb around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the centre of the French capital.The killing bore the hallmarks of 'an Islamist terrorist attack', Macron said as he visited the scene." In "Teacher beheaded in France after showing Mohammed cartoons," France24 / Agence France Presse, 17 October 2020.
Addendum of Political Correctness Gone Mad: "Let's be clear. The fact that Alissa is Muslim, apparently enraged by what he perceives as anti-Muslim bias in the United States, went out less than ten days ago and bought a rifle and then attacked what is widely advertised as a 'One-stop Shop for Kosher Groceries' in Colorado is not an indictment of anyone other than Alissa. His actions are his own. They do not reflect on the broader Muslim community and any suggestion otherwise is clearly unwarranted. For every guy like this engaging in possible terrorism, there are untold numbers of Muslims worldwide dedicated to peaceful coexistence and an interpretation of the Koran that has nothing to do with killing or violence. By the same token, however, to ignore the salient facts in this case – and pretend we cannot see them – is political correctness gone mad. Are we to believe that Alissa wandered into a Jewish grocery in Boulder without any knowledge of the nature of the establishment?" In "Ignoring The Facts – Why Did The Boulder Shooting Suspect Choose His Target?" by Charles "Sam" Faddis, And Magazine, 24 March 2021.
Addendum of the Mentally Ill Jihadist: "The late terrorist was born in France but bore the very African name of Ndiaga Dieye. He was arrested in 2013 for armed robbery and the kidnapping of an elderly couple. Dieye was sentenced in 2015 to 8 years in prison. Freed in March 2021, he was being monitored by France’s Departmental Radicalization Assessment group. During his stretch in prison, he was known to have become an Islamic zealot. And, like so many such Muslims who commit terrorist acts, it was quickly reported by the media that he had was suffering from mental illness." In "France: Another 'Mentally Ill' Muslim Terrorist Stabs and Shoots Police (Video)," by Amy Mek, RAIR, 3 June 2021.
Addendum of that Recurring Phrase: "A Somali knifeman yelled 'Allahu Akbar' before killing three people and wounding six...." In "Somali knifeman who killed three people and wounded six more in German street rampage yelled 'Allahu Akbar': Man arrested alive after brave members of the public fought him off," by Lauren Lewis and Katie Weston, Mail Online 25 June 2021. [ 12 ]
Addendum of a Norwegian Convert to Islam: "A Danish man suspected of a bow-and-arrow attack in a small Norwegian town that killed five people is a Muslim convert who was previously flagged as having been radicalized, police said Thursday. Norway’s national security agency said the suspect's actions 'currently appear to be an act of terrorism'." In "Norway officials: Bow-and-arrow attack appears act of terror," by Paal Nordseth, Jan M. Olsen and Mark Lewis, Associated Press, 14 October 2021.
Consider How We May Coexist
Addendum of Friedrich Schiller's Observation: "The most pious may not live in peace, if it does not please his wicked neighbor." William Tell, 1803. [ 10 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] One notes in a single article the use of the metaphor "lone wolf" alongside Islamic words like Ummah, and both in plain English. This is observed and highlighted because some US State Department entities find such use of words not 'recommended' by them. For this subtle distinction on the part of bureaucrats, consider another metaphoric use of words and plea in: Words of a feather
Of the unsubtle attempt to deflect by avoiding words in plain English, it is failing and those who try are failing. One reads an opinion, as one of many examples: "They talk of how awful it all is, but studiously avoid advocating any real action for fear of upsetting or offending people. The President doesn’t even like using the phrase 'Islamic terrorism', which is utterly absurd given that’s plainly what it is." In "It doesn’t matter what names the mainstream media call Trump – he says exactly what most Americans think, especially when it comes to Islamic terror," by Piers Morgan, Mail Online, 20 September 2016.
"...that's plainly what it is."
Moreover, it is stated plainly in other ways, as one reads: "...the thug said: 'She was dressed against my traditions. Friends, everything is under control. Everything happened according to Islamic law.' During his prosecutor’s testimony, Cakirogu reportedly said: 'I beat people whose outfits I do not like. The state should punish those who dress like this'." In "Muslim man who KICKED woman in the head for wearing shorts says ‘Islamic law demanded it’," by Lizzie Stromme, Express UK, 21 September 2016.
Apparently "lone wolf-ism" is shared by many. One reads such an admission: "Ali had spent several years in Afghanistan, and when asked by British police whether he had returned to the UK for jihad, he replied: 'Jihad is what we do. We are Mujahideen'." In "Khalid Ali: British Taliban bomber guilty of Westminster plot," BBC News, 27 June 2018.
[ 2 ] The metaphor, lone wolf, is a function of language and sometimes a trick, as are all metaphors carry connotations and therefore comparisons, sometimes unintended.
As an example, one reads: "While wolf puppies might be every bit as cute as dog puppies, they will grow up to be wolves, not dogs, no matter how much they are treated like dogs. With wolf-dog crosses, or hybrids, the higher the percentage of wolf genes, the more wolf-like behavior the hybrid will exhibit." In "Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Get A Dog: Wolves Are Not Good Pets," U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, n. d.
Metaphorically Unfairly Blamed?
That government-published article observes: "Many an unsuspecting wolf lover has purchased a wolf pup, only to find that it is largely untrainable (since it does not care much about pleasing its owner), and that as it grows into adulthood it becomes unpredictable, if not downright dangerous, especially around children and small animals. Many such animals end up living miserable lives on the end of a chain after a frustrated owner gives up on trying to care properly for the animal. When such an animal is cornered or frightened and reacts by attacking a human - - often a small child - - the incident reinforces the common misconception that wolves are bloodthirsty and aggressive creatures. Often wolf or hybrid owners who are unable to cope with their "pet" elect to either pass the animal along to another unsuspecting wolf lover or sentence the animal to life at a sanctuary (many such facilities exist, but most are already overcrowded). Some may release the animal to the wild, where it will most likely starve to death or because of its familiarity with people may be involved in depredation incidents resulting in a wolf being unfairly blamed."
So are lone wolves "being unfairly blamed?" In part, no. Such creatures act as they act, and the "unsuspecting" believe that they will act otherwise. Adjectives modify the noun: "largely untrainable" as well as "unpredictable, if not downright dangerous." With the wolf -- as opposed to the human animal labeled with this metaphor -- man does not "blame" a wolf for acting as a wolf. What then may be concluded about the human "lone wolf" acting in a dangerous way? Is a human lone wolf without blame? The ISIS-published article referenced above evidences will, not simple nature.
Kill Them Wherever You Find Them
What then of this? "Kill them wherever you find them until the hollowness of their arrogance is filled with terror and they find themselves on their knees with their backs broken under the weight of regret for having waged a war against the believers, and by Allah’s will, and then through your sacrifices, this Ummah will be victorious."
Should one apply the metaphor's connotation that this ideology's members -- lone wolves, in many cases -- are un-trainable, unpredictable and dangerous? Should one believe that this ideology's members represent what has been called The religion of peace
If not, what is the Islamic State when deemed not representative of Islam? What are its lone wolves, if not examples of "peace?" Can such wolves be rehabilitated? These issues roil political discourse, with little reference to more than simple slogans and postures. If all non-believers are "legitimate targets" of lone wolves encouraged to kill, are not then these "legitimate targets" allowed to kill in response? And if so, according to what policies? Talking heads have many opposing positions.
Much More Work Is Required
Returning to the metaphor's other connotations, one reads: "Although closely related to domesticated dogs, wolves do not show the same tractability as dogs in living alongside humans, and generally, much more work is required in order to obtain the same amount of reliability." In "Wolves as pets and working animals," Wikipedia article, n. d. Should a society expect to confront "much more work" to "obtain?" And what would be obtained? Peace? Predictability? Conversion from an ideology? A religion? Referring to verbiage above, are whole nations "unsuspecting?" It seems so in the moment.
One notes that even Islam fumbles in dealing with jihadis as with schisms and lone wolves. Consider various worldwide responses sourced under the silly accusation of Islamophobia
Poor and lonely wolf? Where is its lair? What is its religion? Its strategies and rationales and targets and victims? Will its ummah of wolves, as noted above, be victorious? Can lone wolves ever be victorious? Can a single ideology capture and rule the world? Will this one?
It is trying, all around the world. As an example of a small pack of wolves, one reads: "Under the pretext of reporting a stolen phone, the women walked into the police station on Saturday morning, a knife and petrol bomb concealed in their traditional Buibui robes. Patterson Maelo, Mombasa County Police Commander, said: "While being questioned by officers, one drew a knife and the other threw a petrol bomb at the police officers." In "Three burka-clad women shot dead by police in terror attack," by Joey Millar, Express UK, 11 September 2016.
A Call of the Lone Wolf
One reads of the call to the "lone wolves" from ISIS. "Pro-ISIS media has published a magazine calling upon jihadis in Europe and the United States to avenge Islamic State losses in Mosul by carrying out so-called ‘lone-wolf’ attacks around the world. In the second issue of an English language magazine entitled 'Nashir – Now fight has come,' the writers appeal to Muslims around the world, telling them of the ‘privilege’ they have living 'among our enemies who live peacefully in their countries'." In "Pro-ISIS media call upon ‘lone wolves’ globally to avenge losses in Mosul," by Lisa Daftari, Foreign Desk, 30 October 2016.
But Europe is not alone. One reads: "Less than two weeks after a church bombing in Alexandria left 21 Coptic Christians dead, an off-duty policeman shot four Christians on a train, killing a 71-year-old man. A fifth person was also wounded. 'This lunatic went up and down the coach looking for Christians,' said Coptic Orthodox Bishop Morcos of Shobra El-Kheima, who had spoken with witnesses to the shooting. 'Seeing a group of girls and women who were not wearing the [Islamic] veil, he took them for Christians and fired, shouting "Allahu Akbar [Allah is great]'." In "Policeman shoots 4 Christians in Egypt," Catholic World News, 12 January 2011.
[ 3 ] A "tendency" to use the figure of speech testifies to the many who would shy away from using other words. As found in many news reports, the Islamic State's preference is at time "soldier of the Caliphate." Apparently these lone wolves are not "alone." Such a conclusion frightens those who prefer to be less direct, while plain English tells the tale with a clarity that metaphoric prose does not.
The Door of Jihad
The article noted of one jihadist: "Kermiche, who had twice been prevented from joining Isil in Syria, showed, there are costs to preventing emigration, too. In his Ramadan speech in May, inciting this wave of attacks, Isil's spokesman Taha Falaha (Abu Muhammad al-Adnani) said: 'If the [governments] have shut the door of hijra (emigration to the caliphate) in your faces, then open the door of jihad in theirs.' Kermiche did exactly that in Normandy. The destruction of Isil's statelet will still leave Isil networks in Europe, but it would remove the training field that allows those networks to be replenished."
Thus one sees that such demands are the demands of the fascist as of the criminal -- and as of the Islamist State, not some nebulous "ideological" entity which one should not identify with specific terms, metaphors and clarity. The "door of jihad" is opened, a specific reference to Islam as do other "lone wolf" narratives appearing in news reports.
Another "lone wolf" story from the US tells of likely radicalization. One reads: "Rahami had travelled several times to both Afghanistan and Pakistan, people who knew him said on Monday night, and on his return appeared to have been radicalised. Flee Jones, who grew up with Rahami, said that when he returned from one of the trips, he had a beard and wore traditional Muslim robes. He started praying regularly in the back of the family's chicken restaurant." In "New York bombing: Suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami 'may have been radicalised after visiting Afghanistan'," by Barney Henderson, Louise Burke, Harriet Alexander, David Lawler and Chiara Palazzo, Telegraph UK, 20 September 2016.
A More Negative Perception by Non-Muslims
For this "door of jihad" imagery, one finds blowback. One reads of "... a tense political climate in the U.S. Hussein Rashid, an adjunct professor at Barnard College who frequently writes and consults about Islam in the U.S., said the jump in anti-Islamic sentiment the study pinpoints is reflected in the current political rhetoric. 'The data from this survey shows that there is an increasing pull away from the promise of America,' he said in an email. 'In 10 years, people have a more negative perception of Muslims, Jews, gays, Latinos, and Blacks. As a new America is taking shape, with all its diversity, there is a reactionary response that wants a mythic America of everyone being exactly the same.' The study was written from data collected in 2014 from 2,500 participants. It was published in the current issue of Social Forces journal. The previous study was published in 2006 by three of the same authors." In "Muslims are now more disliked than atheists and homosexuals," Arab American News, 15 September 2016.
A "jump in anti-Islamic sentiment" conforms with such acts as Islamic entities and individuals evidence, for judgments are constructed from a preponderance of evidence. Many current "lone wolf" attacks carry descriptions of Islam in news reports. A stereotypical composite is constructed, such that an instance of "x" is similar to other like instances of "x." But is this not also the same construct which finds statements in Islam and by Muslims about Jews in particular, as well as against the West in general?
The PST study in Norway was gathering associative facts to clarify a judgment. Should not societies and individuals make judgments as they see based on evidence found and reported? And is this all "political rhetoric?"
What then is jihad, if not Islamic?
One does not simply ignore repeated instances of violence, but rather generally moves to act against violence, and this must include violence rooted in Islam. The way forward to a more positive perception of Islam is to find voices speaking out against other voices within Islam. As yet, such voices are not loudly heard over the din of events and news reports to the contrary perception.
This is an era of deep crisis of and within Islam itself which has a yet to be resolved. Each "lone wolf" adds to the narrative of the House of War which some portions of Islam itself identifies -- dar al-harb. This is sometimes downplayed: "Jurists trace the concept to Muhammad , whose messages to the Persian, Abyssinian, and Byzantine emperors demanded that they choose between conversion and war. When the leaders of dar al-harb accept Islam, the territory becomes part of dar al-Islam, where Islamic law prevails; conversely, according to the majority of jurists an Islamic territory taken by non-Muslims becomes dar al-harb when Islamic law is replaced. Like other classical legal concepts, dar al-harb has been affected by historical changes, and with the fragmentation of the Muslim world into numerous states, the concept has little significance today." In "Dar al-Harb, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, as cited by Oxford Islamic Studies, n. d.
Yet calls for Islamic law in non-Islamic and acts purported to be jihad occur worldwide. Perhaps the "concept" is showing greater significance as time passes. As the Arab-American News reports, that "jump in anti-Islamic sentiment" is occurring outside the dar al-Islam.. It is also occurring within Islam.
A More Negative Perception of Muslims by Other Muslims
It is also occurring inside Islam itself. One reads of frictions: "Such a tone is not new in the Salafi-Wahhabi discourse. It dates back to the old history of Wahhabism in the kingdom continuing to the present time. When Abdul-Aziz bin Baz was grand mufti from 1962-1999, he deemed Shiites apostates on several occasions, including in official fatwas and speeches. Ibn Jibreen, the oldest member of the Council of Senior Scholars when he died around age 76 in 2009, issued several fatwas stating that Shiites are polytheists who have deviated from Islam, saying they 'deserve to be killed' if they reveal their beliefs. The council is the highest religious authority in the kingdom. Other fatwas from influential and living clerics in the kingdom such as Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Barrak called for considering Shiites apostates, secluding them, treating them with hatred and banning humanitarian aid from reaching them." In "Anti-Wahhabism spreading in Muslim world," by Ali Mamouri, trans. Pascale Menassa, Al-Monitor, 11 September 2016.
Given such sentiments by a grand mufti, it is not surprising that opposition rises. The article notes: "The Shiites' increasing effort to undermine Wahhabism’s influence in managing Islamic affairs is now expanding to other Islamic denominations, including sects within Sunnism. This is especially true given the fact that hatred of Wahhabism is not confined to Shiites, but also includes Sufis, most of whom are Sunni. Wahhabis and their political advocates in Saudi Arabia often express equal hatred for Sufism and Shiism. Western states recently tightened the noose on Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi activities after they noticed the role of the associations sponsoring these activities in producing religious radicalism. The French authorities decided Aug. 20 to close down 20 out of 120 mosques affiliated with Salafi groups in France. In Berlin, King Fahd Academy is shutting down because the academy is thought to have played a role in provoking extremism."
Thus the PST study in Norway points to similar conclusions and responses by other nations and disparate streams of thought in Islam itself to those within Islam who "have played a role in provoking extremism."
It seems the proverbial "door to jihad" is swinging both ways. Any demand to choose between war and conversion, as the historical account from the Oxford source notes, becomes a confused mess, as conversion to which form of Islam is unclear, unstructured, inauthentic to another form and all seem to open some "door to jihad." Islam is at a crossroads of crises, both internal and external.
This reality is underscored in a 2015 speech by Egypt's president who "...said they had no time to lose. 'I say and repeat, again, that we are in need of a religious revolution. You imams are responsible before Allah. The entire world is waiting on you. The entire world is waiting for your word ... because the Islamic world is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost. And it is being lost by our own hands,' el-Sisi said. 'We need a revolution of the self, a revolution of consciousness and ethics to rebuild the Egyptian person -- a person that our country will need in the near future,' the President said." In "Egypt's President calls for a 'religious revolution'," by Dana Ford, Salma Abdelaziz and Ian Lee, CNN, 6 January 2016.
[ 4 ] One view attempts to portray "American Islamist extremists" as suffering a variety of problems, while a report includes the opposing view as well. One reads of such argumentation: "A number of American psychologists ruled out the possibility that religion might be the main motive for the American Islamists extremists who used violence, especially those who said they are ISIS followers. These experts said that a huge number of them suffer psychological problems and cultural contradictions or even a failure in life. John Cohen, a criminal justice professor at Rutgers University and the former counterterrorism coordinator at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told Asharq al- Awsat that many of them have psychological and behavioral characteristics in common. 'Some studies reveal that they suffer dangerous psychological and personal problems regardless of their religious motives or identities such as moving from one job to another or difficulty making friends,' said Cohen. On Friday, Washington Post newspaper published cases of extremist American Muslims who refuge to violence since 2001. 'Detectives see that the aggression might have been related to extremist Islamic ideologies,' said the newspaper." In "American Experts: Religion Unlikely a Motive for ISIS American Followers," by Mohammad Ali Salih, Asharq Al-Awsat, 25 September 2016.
Whether radicalized in Norway or America or elsewhere, the question becomes one of which lens one selects to view the "lone wolf." Yet news from varying sources suggests that viewing all through the lens of apologist-oriented psychology -- arguably also a sort of belief system rather than hard science -- is not a prevailing view, especially among Muslims, because suggesting that those "lone wolves" acting out jihad are in fact psychologically ill also suggests their beliefs are in part caused or exacerbated by such illness.
A Hub or a Lair?
Yet one reads as contrast: "The alleged New Jersey terrorist charged with trying to blow up Chelsea last weekend with homemade bombs spent weeks getting an 'Islamic education' at a Pakistani seminary, according to a report. Ahman Khan Rahami spent three weeks in Kuchlak, an area described as a longtime 'hub' for the Taliban, in 2011, a security official inside the country told the Guardian. Rahami, 28, attended lectures at the Kaan Kuwa Naqshbandi madrasa." In "Chelsea bombing suspect spent weeks at Islamist seminary in Pakistan," by Kathianne Boniello, New York Post, 25 September 2016.
Are lone wolves then psychologically ill and those madrassas which support such a supposed illness also evidence of a sickness? Or are such "infected" with incorrect religious notions? Or are they correct, and the surrounding world of dar al-harb incorrect? Science as purported by Professor Cohen is stuck with this dichotomy, for consistent conclusions in opposing directions yield wholly different policy recommendations to any government -- non-Muslim or even Muslim -- as to how to address and attack such Islamic radicalism.
Gangrene Theofascism
One finds interesting notions in another opinion, in which some Islamic thought and even wealth has fed this font of Islamism and lone wolves. One reads of Saudi Arabia specifically as it faces its own pushback from other Muslims: "The kingdom you ought to remember is not kind towards those religious groups which refuse Wahhabism. In 2008 Human Rights Watch published a damning report against the kingdom when it testified to the cultural and religious genocide Ismailis in Najran faced. It read: 'Official discrimination in Saudi Arabia against Ismailis encompasses government employment, religious practices, and the justice system. Government officials exclude Ismailis from decision making, and publicly disparage their faith. Following the clashes in April 2000, Saudi authorities imprisoned, tortured, and summarily sentenced hundreds of Ismailis, and transferred hundreds of Ismaili government employees outside the region. Underlying discriminatory practices have continued unabated.' Ismailis, Zaidis, Twelvers, Sufis, Sunnis … all those communities have faced the intolerant blade of Wahhabism. Why would they not yearn to return to Yemen’s flag and live in peace once more? Why would they not aspire to a life of dignity and freedom following decades a brutal oppression? Saudi Arabia has become a devolution onto itself, a theofascist gangrene propped by its oil revenues and Islam pilgrimage. Still Riyadh continues to benefit from Western friendships … still its monarchy has been allowed a sit at Democracy’s table for it carries in its wake shiny gold coins." In "Yemen Resistance Shatters Saudi Arabia Territorial Integrity," by Catherine Shakdam, New Eastern Outlook, 26 September 2016.
Thus one may make a link between lone wolves and elements of Islam and even various foreign policy stances around the world, much of it seemingly influenced by "shiny gold coins." In this regard, one may consider the silence of the "liberal" Western world and its politicians and war industries in A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
Thus the "lone wolf" narrative is seen as a fumbling shield to protect not only militant Islam but also warmongering liberalism, both motivated by the pursuit of power and greed.
[ 5 ] The ridiculed "junior varsity" has cost a bundle. The report notes: "So far, the U.S. has spent $7.5 billion on operations dedicated to defeating the group in Iraq and Syria, including more than 12,000 airstrikes — over 9,600 of them American, according to the Pentagon."
[ 6 ] Lone wolves and lairs? The picture coalesces. One reads: "The members of a special 'July' commission (die Sonderkommission 'Juli') that was created to address this phenomenon by the Bavarian State Police believe that extremists are scanning the net in a bid to find young people who can potentially be indoctrinated with their poisonous ideas. Once they are hired, ISIL instructors are contacting them to provide recommendations on the selection of targets for terrorist attacks and to motivate them into murdering people. The growing threat of terrorist attacks in Europe committed by lone wolves that would be receiving instructions from ISIL via the Internet has been announced by the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Massenya. According to this official, in Germany extremists are often using the social network Facebook, and instant messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram to find new recruits. According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, 12 out of 15 terrorist attacks that have been committed in Europe in the last two years were executed by lone wolves. In a number of cases police officers found evidence of them obtaining instructions from ISIL via the Internet." In "Can the Ongoing Internal Feud Draw the End of ISIL Nearer?" by Jean Perier, New Eastern Outlook, 8 October 2016.
Lone Wolves Instructed
But of these lone wolves, one learns: "Islamic State (IS) modules and 'lone wolves' in India have lately been instructed by their handlers to focus on hacking their targets, particularly foreign citizens, to death with big chopping knives or machetes. 'We have gathered that IS modules and lone wolves here are being told by their handlers not to risk gathering explosives, assembling IEDs or illegally buying automatic weapons for attacks. Instead, all they need to do is buy big chopping knives or machetes, which would neither raise suspicion nor involve a huge cost,' a senior intelligence official told TOI. The first case of IS-inspired youths plotting beheadings came to light in July when a module led by terrorist Masiuddin alias Abu Musa was busted by West Bengal CID and machetes recovered. Now, members of the Kerala-Tamil Nadu module arrested last week have revealed that they too planned to hack foreigners to death in the two southern states." In "Hack your targets with machetes, Islamic State tells lone wolves," by Bharti Jain, Times of India, 11 October 2016.
More arrests as a lone seems not to have been alone: "Ten suspects, including one or more Albanians, were arrested in various parts of Nice and another was detained in the western city of Nantes, the sources said. The arrests come five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, further traumatising a country reeling from a series of terrorist attacks. The victims, from 19 different countries, were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day public holiday. Over 400 people were injured." In "France arrests 11 people in Bastille Day truck attack in Nice," Agence France Presse vis France 24, 13 December 2016.
The lairs are inspiring their wolves, and the lairs are best described as Islamic -- as in, Islamic State -- and radical.
Lone Wolves and the Junior Varsity
The "junior varsity" has been at war with the United States, Europe, Syria and Iran as well as the current government in Iraq, not to mention Russia for more than four years.
Given that WWI was of four years duration and WWII of six, it seems all the Western powers alongside Russia and Middle Eastern powers have not been as successful as they thought, given the duration of this "humanitarian" crisis in which too many fail to see that "$7.5 billion on operations dedicated to defeating the group in Iraq and Syria, including more than 12,000 airstrikes — over 9,600 of them American" have not as yet prevailed. Apparently the "junior varsity" has been playing against feckless opponents? And now that Russia is making headway, the hand wringing commences as to war crimes. Failing to continue to stabilize Iraq -- Bush's and (more so) Obama's "failing" in large part -- led to this "junior varsity -- Obama's words -- and Obama's Failing to plan
[ 7 ] Varying arguments are used to further the narrative that the worldwide phenomenon of "jihad" against civilians is somehow a matter of the "lone wolf," along with an increasing analysis by news and opinion writers that such attacks are not motivated by Islam itself, but rather are a matter of psychological disorders. The testimony as it accumulates testifies to something else: Islam.
The El Pais article is specific: "The cell, which called itself 'Islamic Brotherhood, group for the preaching of jihad,' began taking shape in 2014 at the mosque in Terrassa, in Barcelona province. After a period of training, the defendants created a terrorist cell “with the sole aim of observing and serving the precepts ordered by Daesh (Islamic State),” said the ruling."
The vocabulary: Islamic, jihad and mosque. This paints all Muslims in a negative light as these violent radicals either represent Islam in such a way as to prove it is not compatible with modern civil life, or that Islam carries the seeds of such violence and moves individuals and cells to become murderous. Thus the rhetorical wallpaper which is an accusation of Islamophobia
[ 8 ] The assertion of a "lone wolf" becomes the assertion of "lone wolves" plural, and this seems to be explained by authorities in Muslim majority countries unable to link the ideology of Islam, in its most radical and murderous form, to such attacks.
One reads: "Two Scandinavian tourists killed in Morocco were slaughtered by a 'lone wolf, hastily organised terrorist cell' who travelled to the village of Imlil knowing it was popular with foreign hikers. Moroccan police yesterday arrested five more people for the murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, of Norway, bringing the total in custody to 19. At a press conference in the country's capital, Rabat, domestic intelligence spokesman Boubker Sabik labelled the suspects 'lone wolves'." In "Chilling mission of Morocco killers: How suspects who 'slaughtered two Scandinavian backpackers hastily-organised terror cell' then 'pledged allegiance to ISIS before attack'," by Leigh McManus, Mail Online, 29 December 2018.
The rhetorical problem then is to identify under what ideological banner the 'hastily-organised terror cell' which 'pledged allegiance to ISIS before the attack' was organized. Allegiance to Islam in its most radical form is not considered as an organizing principle? So many individual lone wolves, and then so many groups of 'lone wolves' must share some commonality, one suggests, which the politically correct world is unable to fathom -- or admit.
[ 9 ] The "lone wolf" is quoted: " 'Look at all the other lone wolves // What training did they have yet they simply killed the kuffar?' he wrote, using a derogatory Arabic term for disbelievers. 'The brothers in Europe the brother in Spain the brother in New York? Had no limitary [sic] training // it's not about numbers it's about getting a message across to these taghut countries // it's dangerous tho akhi we have to be careful some have gotten arrested // so we good brother?' "
Thus one sees repeatedly that these "lone wolves" operate according to some tenets and examples of Islam, adopt Arabic terms to identify their enemy and speak of each other, even if not known, as "brother" also in Arabic. This is rooted in Islam, though the politically correct enthusiasts of the West refuse to weigh the evidence, confessions and repeated stories of such "lone wolves." Cries of Islamophobia
Using the same coin of the rhetorical realm, should not these Islamic lone wolves be considered as "Kuffar-phobic?" Christ-ophobic? Jew-ophobic, quite another thing, though akin to anti-Semitism? And in other areas of the world, are such Islamic lone wolves Hindu-phobic? Buddha-phobic? Atheist-ophobic? Secular-ophobic? The evidence would suggest they are. Howl in rage!
What may be clearly concluded: Islam is identified
[ 10 ] The original German: "Es kann der Frömmste nicht im Frieden bleiben, / Wenn es dem bösen Nachbar nicht gefällt."
[ 11 ] The Western attempt through language to parse Islamism away from Islam is suspect. Such an argument is based on the assertion that many Muslims around the world are not acting out as "lone wolves," and so the paint all Muslims are potential Islamists is unfair. Point taken, however the link between Islamists and Islam is clear, and suggests what many have asserted and that is that many Muslims know little about their religion's texts which indeed argue for enslaving non-Muslims, such as the Yazidis mentioned above by a now-dead Islamist, who cited the Koran as his textual justification for such individual violence as the lone wolves perpetrate.
Are there other crimes in non-Muslim nations? Indeed, but the specific distinction is that precious few violent criminals cite other religious texts are their justification for such actions. As such, Islam, to those exemplified in the various tales above, self-identify their religious affiliation. Ergo, The Islamist is rooted in Islam. Duh.
[ 12 ] Alas for the police and politicians across the world, they are unable to correlate a repetitive phrase, which figures into the testimony of vicious, murderous attacks. As the alternative to the connection to Islam rises, one begins to see that the police and politicians, as mentioned above, are rather consistently concluding that the cause of so many who repeat a single phrase while engaged in murder and mayhem is mental illness. Shall one then conclude that to repeat this phrase indicates not only a belief, but a mental illness as well? Perhaps this is simply too difficult a problem for police and politicians to confront with any clarity.
After all, one reads of this attack the perceptive investigators are unable to make a call:: "While the perpetrator's motive remains unclear...." In "German investigators seek motive in deadly knife attack," Agence France Presse, 26 June 2021.
"Note, however, that currently we cannot rule out other plausible explanations, such as the effect of the rotating bar, impacts by GMCs, or other complexities in the gravitational potential of the Galaxy, that would lead to mild orbital chaos or would induce substantial variations in the stripping rate of the cluster." In "A sharper view of Pal 5’s tails: Discovery of stream perturbations with a novel non-parametric technique," by Denis Erkal, Sergey E. Koposov and Vasily Belokurov, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Cambridge, 7 September 2016.
We cannot rule out that which we cannot know,
Nor can we jettison what seeing does not show.
We cannot simply figure an elusive figure's form
When we are not able to square it to some norm.
We cannot for the fact is we cannot all things do;
With so much that is plausible, the we is me and you.
We cannot for we cannot; such is the state of things.
Imagine that! We're limited, such a conclusion brings.
We cannot, as time ticks off, as length of days grows short,And cannot in this eternity our limitations thwart.
"Japan’s $1.3 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund lost 3.8 percent in the year ended March 31, or 5.3 trillion yen ($51 billion), the retirement manager said Friday in Tokyo. That’s the biggest drop since the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. GPIF lost 10.8 percent on domestic equities and 9.6 percent on shares in other markets, while Japanese bonds handed the fund a 4.1 percent gain." In "World’s Biggest Pension Fund Loses $51 Billion in Stock Rout," by Yuko Takeo and Shigeki Nozawa, Bloomberg, 30 June 2016.
Casinos are wide open;
Plunk your money down.
Some win while most will lose
In each wide and worldly town.
Who will game the games?
The stakes are up for grabs.
Who will lose the most?
Just who is keeping tabs?
Casinos are wide open
Both with smiles and frowns.
Who will win when many lose?
When red ink floods, who drowns?
Addendum of a Shipping Bankruptcy: "Marine ports worldwide, including in the Northwest, are scrambling after South Korea's Hanjin Shipping filed for bankruptcy Wednesday. Hanjin is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. Some ports are refusing shipments from the companies." In "Hanjin Shipping files for bankruptcy in South Korea," by John Langeler, KGW Portland, 1 September 2016.
Addendum of Sitting Empty: "Clayton estimated that some 25 percent of global container capacity now sits empty. Shippers desperate to cover at least some of their costs have slashed prices — the cost of chartering a container vessel has plunged from 2008 highs of $200,000 a day to just under $5,000 a day, according to a July report by brokers JLT Speciality. And those kinds of prices are hurting — in an April report, Drewry Maritime Equity Research estimated the industry will lose at least $6 billion this year." In "Drowning Hanjin may not be alone among global shippers," Agence France Presse via Japan Times, 4 September 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of a Wave of Bankruptcies: "The Chinese economy's woes are rippling toward Japan and the rest of the world, triggering a wave of bankruptcies among companies dependent on the Asian giant. From April 2015 to February 2016, Japan saw 80 bankruptcies caused by such factors as China's slowing economy and higher production costs, with liabilities totaling more than 230 billion yen ($2.01 billion), according to Tokyo Shoko Research. The number of cases jumped 70% compared with a year earlier. Total liabilities rose by roughly a factor of 10 to account for about 13% of the total among all Japanese corporations that went bankrupt in the period as opposed to just over 1% in all of fiscal 2014." In "China-related bankruptcies spike in Japan," Nikkei Asian Review, 5 March 2016.
NOTES
[ 1 ] The article noted: " 'I think (Hanjin) expanded after the global financial crisis, expecting the market to recover and the cash flows to come,' he said. 'The problem was the market just did not come back. They were waiting for the market recovery so that they could retire their short-term debt, long-term debt. That was their major undoing'."
In terms of companies taking on too much debt, one reads: "The company said it will continue to operate while in bankruptcy, while working to reduce debt and improve cash flow. 'Peabody has a new management team, outstanding workforce, unmatched asset base and strong underlying operational performance that represent a key driver in the company's future success,' CEO Glenn Kellow said in a statement announcing the Chapter 11 filing. In addition to plummeting coal prices, the company cited weakness in China's economy, overproduction of domestic shale gas and ongoing regulatory challenges as reasons for its declining prospects." In "The largest U.S. coal company just filed for bankruptcy," by Charles Riley and Chris Isidore, CNN, 13 April 2016.
It is worth summarizing: 1) weak prices, coupled to 2) over-production, with 3) regulatory "challenges" which means governments' adding costs to products for consumers, and of course 4) debt.
You're Up - a historical study
European Union Flag Obscures Berlin's Brandenburg Gate
"... the Eurocrats in charge of the EU are running scared. 'Given the complex history of Europe's nation states, it seems likely than an EU that acts as a competition-stifling cartel will grow increasingly unpopular, and more countries will leave it,' wrote former Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers R. Glenn Hubbard and American Enterprise Institute economist Kevin Hassett in a July commentary. Countries in the EU have lived with a demographic death spiral, out of control spending and debt, absurd regulations that enrich no one and a regional economy that, as hard as it may be to believe, grows even more slowly than ours. From 2008, the peak year of the financial crisis, through 2015, EU GDP grew 2%, according to U.S. government data. No, that's not 2% a year -- 2% total. It's been an utter disaster, and the EU's clueless bureaucrats seem helpless to do anything about it other than blaming their own citizens." In "Brexit Fears Weren't Overblown -- They Were Flat-Out Wrong," Editorial, Investors Business Daily, 17 August 2016.
You're Up prides Itself, itself,
For glories past Its prime,
When tallying Its present day
And presently Its grime.
You're Up waddles in Its debt
While Europe shivers cold;
You're Up's crises brew Their pain
As moral will grows cold.
You're Up's at bat without a clue;
Your Fat Cats meet to eat,
Fat with You're Up's politics
At You're Up's privileged seat.
You're Up rages as table d'hôte
Tallies up Its cost.
Europe needs no You're Up; nope.
Without It, it's not lost.
Europe's been before You're Up
And will be after all
The You're Ups and Their pride
Are gone after Its fall.
You're Up was Napoleon,
Kaiser Will and Adolf too,
All dreams of You're Up's glories
Like the Soviets proved untrue.
You're Up's Capitalized today
In Its bully Babel'd towers
As Its Privileged preening Few
Seek more privileged powers.
You're Up's time ticks off
As You're Up quakes,
You're Up's citizens rile
And their anger shakes.
You're Up's heady dream
Is the oft-told tale of history.
Once again the same old tale
Is acting out Its mystery.
Europe's survived its masters
Who came, then fought and died;
The same old Dream relives again.
You're Up once again has lied.
Napoleon's Troops at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of Madness: "Calls to drop border controls in Europe sparked fury yesterday. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, claimed they were 'the worst invention ever'." In "EU boss sparks border OUTRAGE: Juncker slammed over 'beyond parody' checkpoint madness," by David Maddox, Express UK, 23 August 2016.
Kaiser Wilhelm II's Prussians at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of Unwilling EU Finance Ministers: "On 8 June, the European Parliament voted for progressive anti-tax avoidance measures, including efficient CFC rules. On 12 April, the European Commission released a proposal on tax transparency which limits public country-by-country reporting to the EU and an arbitrary list of tax havens. In May 2016, Oxfam released 'The Netherlands: a tax haven', an analysis of European Commission data showing the Netherlands is a top EU tax haven for corporations. Of 33 harmful tax practices listed by the Commission, 17 were identified in the country currently holding the EU presidency." In "EU finance ministers unwilling to address tax avoidance," Oxfam, 21 June 2016.
Mussolini's Visit to Berlin
Addendum of Support Crumbling on the Left and the Right: "The former economy minister says France voted for a left-wing French manifesto four years ago and ended up with a 'right-wing German policy regime'. This is objectively true. The vote was meaningless. 'I believe that we have reached the end of road for the European Union, and that France no longer has any interest in it. The EU has left us mired in crisis long after the rest of the world has moved on,' he said. Mr Montebourg stops short of 'Frexit' but calls for the unilateral suspension of EU labour laws. 'As far as I am concerned, the current treaties have elapsed'." In "French support for the EU project is crumbling on the Left and Right," by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph UK, 25 August 2016.
Hitler's National Socialists at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of Warning of War: "Mr Juncker also said a stronger EU was the best way of beating the rising trend of nationalism cross Europe. In another extraordinary remark, he appeared to warn of war on the continent if the EU disintegrates as he echoed the warning from the former French president Francois Mitterrand, who said nationalism added to nationalism would end in war. 'This is still true so we have to fight against nationalism,' Mr Juncker said." In " 'Borders are the worst invention ever!' EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker widens rift with European leaders as he calls for open borders," by Matt Dathan, Mail Online, 22 August 2016.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics' Army at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of the EU Behaving Like an Oligarchy: "Calling for far greater political involvement from citizens of the EU - including a US-style constitution for the 28-member bloc - she said only "permanent scrutiny" will stop eurocrats from 'behaving as an oligarchy'. And she blasted: 'We have to admit democracy as a whole is left with broken bones. I am convinced of the influence of the Greek events over Brexit, a vote that has been claimed by a large number of people who said to themselves…what Athens has not been able to reach - the restoration of popular sovereignty - we, as a stronger and older state, have the power and strategic weight to achieve it'." In "Brexit happened because the EU is a 'broken DICTATORSHIP' Italian MEP blasts," by Nick Gutteridge, Express UK, 8 August 2016.
East German Troops atop the Wall at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of a Deep Antipathy towards Democratic Accountability: "The New York-based Columbia University professor also went on to slam Herman Van Rompuy, a former European council president, who he says led a steady flow of politicians who have ignored the will of the public. And he eviscerated Jean Claude Juncker insisting his legacy will be the dismantling of the whole system. He added: '[Van Rompuy] revealed a deep antipathy towards democratic accountability'." In "EURO HAS FAILED: Mistrust and money wars sparks claims Juncker’s EU is finished," by Siobhan McFadyen and Monika Pallenberg, Express UK, 19 August 2016.
Kennedy and Brandt at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of the EU as Existential Threat: "In an interview with Mandag Morgen, Krarup said that the EU is an existential threat to Denmark and is a much bigger problem than Russia. 'For Denmark? Yes, without a doubt. Just Schengen alone is a catastrophe. It’s something that will make Denmark disappear from the world map if we don’t pull ourselves together. That national borders have been disbanded is a threat against Denmark’s existence,' she told the magazine." In "Danish MP: EU a bigger threat than Russia," TheLocal.dk, 23 August 2016.
EU National Leaders at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of European Human Trafficking at Crisis Levels: " 'Our indicators are the majority of these women are being deliberately brought in for sexual exploitation purposes. There has been a big enhancement of criminal gangs and trafficking networks engaging in the sexual exploitation of younger and younger Nigerian girls.' Although a thriving sex trafficking industry has been operating between Nigeria and Italy for over three decades, there has been a marked increase in the numbers of unaccompanied Nigerian women arriving in Italy on migrant boats from Libya. In 2014, about 1,500 Nigerian women arrived by sea. In 2015 this figure had increased to 5,633." In "Trafficking of Nigerian women into prostitution in Europe 'at crisis level'," by Annie Kelly and Lorenzo Tondo, Guardian UK, 8 August 2016.
Obama and Merkel at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of Forging More Europe: "Faced with existential risks, Merkel wants to cement 'a better Europe' rather than forge ahead with "more Europe". Renzi wants Italy to have a strong voice in how the bloc's future is shaped after Brexit and, according to the French diplomatic source, Hollande wants an EU-wide investment plan to be doubled. The three leaders differ over how to boost economic growth - which slowed across the 28-nation bloc in the second quarter and stagnated in France and Italy - and cut unemployment. France supports Renzi's push for expansionary measures and against austerity, Germany is likely to oppose any undermining of Europe's deficit and the debt constraints that Italy and France have struggled to comply with." In "Show of European unity: Merkel, Hollande, Renzi meet to discuss gameplan," by Isla Binnie, Reuters, 21 August 2016.
Turkish Nationalism at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of Hearing It Before: "In the end, their great dream simply over-reached itself, as we see in every one of those crises piling in on it today. When they spoke of the need for more jobs, more shared intelligence, a European army, it was just the same 'more Europe' we have heard a thousand times before, the only song they know. And how appropriate that they should go back to that sad little prison island to sing it." In "The secret history of the EU, written on an Italian prison island, reveals why the project is doomed," by Christopher Booker, Telegraph UK, 27 August 2016. [ 1 ]
Hollande, Renzi and Merkel on Ventotene
Addendum of That Italian Prison Island in 2016: "Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande to Ventotene, a tiny island off the coast of Naples, to discuss their strategy ahead of next month's crucial summit of all 28 leaders. The three leaders, who are all facing vital elections over the next year in their own countries, will also address Europe's response to the refugee crisis, the continent's ongoing economic woes and security on the continent in the wake of a string of terror attacks in French and German cities last month. The aim of the summit on Ventotene today is to demonstrate the unity of Europe's three biggest countries and three of the founding nations of the EU, but it is likely to attract questions over the elitist nature of the meeting." In "The scramble to save the EU: Leaders meet on the Italian island where the idea of a federal Europe began as they plot to stop the Brussels project unravelling following Brexit," by Matt Dathan, Mail Online, 22 August 2016. [ 2 ]
European Union Flags Fly At EU Brussels Headquarters
Addendum of an Irish-EU Post-Brexit Rift: " 'The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'no we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is frankly bizarre.' On Tuesday, Europe's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager slapped the maker of iPads and iPhones with a 13 billion euro (£11.1 billion) tax bill. She claimed Apple paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014, and said its arrangement with the Irish government is illegal under state aid rules. Apple is set to challenge the decision, and Mr O'Leary added: 'I think there's no chance of this surviving a court ruling in Europe. There's certain things that Europe has no competence in'." In "Apple tax row: Irish government should tell EU to f**k off, says Michael O'Leary," by Press Association, 31 August 2016. [ 3 ]
German "Right" Protests Atop the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of a German Protest: "Members of the far-right Identitarian Movement scaled Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday and unfurled a banner to protest against the "Islamisation" of Germany via mass immigration. More than a million people, many of them Muslims, flocked to Germany last year from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. The IAB German labor office research institute says around 16,000 are still arriving per month." In "German rightists scale Brandenburg Gate to protest immigration," by Michelle Martin, Reuters, 27 August 2016. [ 4 ]
Protest Against Secret EU Trade Negotiations
Addendum of "Free" Trade and You're Up: "...the proof on their evil intent by noting that the talks were pre-classified as top secret by the EU by putting a 30-year ban on the deliberations being publicly released. That, folks, is what you call one hell of a big threat to independent oversight, and Europeans need to wake up and realize they need a semi-revolution to 'Redo the EU' while they still have time to do it. It is not enough to pour concrete on the radioactive decay of the TTIP, we have to punish the key players by politically excommunicating those involved in the process, in what was clearly an attempted economic coup by transnational business entities and their helpers. Those involved in government are fully expecting to be well-compensated under the deferred compensation program, where they get huge paying jobs from the trade war winners in their post-government careers." In "EU-US Trade Deal – Organized Crime on a Grand Scale," by Jim Dean, New Eastern Outlook, 8 September 2016. [ 5 ]
Jose Manuel Barroso at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of Goldman Sachs at the Brandenburg Gate: "The European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, has asked European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker for more details on his predecessor Jose Manuel Barroso's new job at Goldman Sachs. In a public letter dated Monday (5 September), O’Reilly asked the commission chief what measures were taken to verify that the appointment abides by ethics obligations as laid down in the EU treaty. Ex-commissioners must have the commission’s approval to take up positions during a 'cooling off' period of 18 months after they step down. Barroso joined Goldman Sachs as a non-executive chairman and Brexit adviser in July, 20 months after leaving office." In "EU watchdog seeks details on Barroso's bank job," by Aleksandra Eriksson, EUObserver, 6 September 2016. [ 6 ]
In support of freedom at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of the Chaos of Political Correctness: "Mr Tusk blamed 'political correctness' for delays in closing Europe’s borders in 2015 which allowed more than a million into the continent unchecked, including ISIS jihadis who attacked Paris and Brussels killing 130 and 32 people respectively. Mrs Merkel was forced to listen to EU leaders ripped into her - destroying the unity leaders of the EU are attempting to portray as they meet to talk about the future of Europe after Britain voted in June to leave the bloc." In "YOU'VE CAUSED CHAOS! EU chief blames Angela Merkel for migrant crisis and ISIS attacks," by Alix Culebertson, Express UK, 17 September 2016. [ 7 ]
Frans Timmermans, First Vice President of the European Commission
Addendum of Terrorism, Migrants and Crippling Debt: "Doubt is the commodity in greatest supply among Europe’s leaders at the moment, and when someone as sober and experienced as Frans Timmermans questions the future of the E.U., we should take notice." In "Terrorism, Migrants, and Crippling Debt: Is This the End of Europe?" by Henry Porter, Vanity Fair, 7 January 2016. [ 8 ]
Against the EU Revolving Door Between Top Management and Big Business
Addendum of Petitions Against Corruption Rejected: "The European Commission has refused to accept a petition drafted by EU employees urging it to end the 'revolving door' between its top management and big business. The appeal was launched after former commission president Jose Manuel Barroso landed a top job at US investment bank Goldman Sachs, and has now been signed by 152,000 people. The European Commission didn't want to receive signatures to a petition by its own employees, calling for more stringent rules on EU top management. But security guards stopped the petitioners from entering commission headquarters on Wednesday (12 October). A delegation from the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (Alter-EU) received the same treatment when trying to deliver a similar petition ,signed by 63,000 people, moments later." In "EU staff blocked from delivering Barroso petition," by Aleksandra Eriksson, EU Observer, 13 October 2016.
Angela Merkel at the Brandenburg Gate
Addendum of a European Union in Danger of Falling Apart: " 'Europe is in danger of falling apart,' Valls said at an event organized by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. 'So Germany and France have a huge responsibility.' He said France must continue to open up its economy, not least by cutting corporate taxation, while Germany and the EU as a whole must increase investment that would stimulate growth and job creation, as well as boosting defense." In "Europe at risk of collapse; France, Germany must lead - French PM," by Michelle Martin and Joseph Nasr, Reuters, 17 November 2016.
Addendum from 1878 as Distant Echo of Manuel Valls in 2016: "Europe today is a powder keg and the leaders are like men smoking in an arsenal … A single spark will set off an explosion that will consume us all … I cannot tell you when that explosion will occur, but I can tell you where … Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans will set it off." A comment by Otto von Bismarck during the Congress of Berlin in 1878, as quoted in 'European Diary' by Andrei Navrozov, in Chronicles Vol. 32 (2008).
Addendum of to EU Parliament Learning the EU is Going in the Wrong Direction: "...other results show a decline in this survey. For example, Europeans feel that their voice counts less and less, both at national and at European level. However, in 26 of the 28 Member States, they felt that their voice counts more in their own country (53% in average, -10 compared with 2015) than at EU level (37% in average, -2). When asked about the future situation, Europeans are increasingly pessimistic, both in the EU (54% « things are going in the wrong direction », +13 compared with 2015) and in their own country (58% « id. », +14),Among the various elements of European identity, a significant decline in the single currency as one of the essential elements is also noticeable (33%, -6), particularly in the Euro area." In "Parlemeter 2016," European Parliament, ( survey was conducted in the 28 Member States of the European Union from 24 September to 3 October 2016 ).
Addendum of the Brandenburg Gate's Berlin in 2016: "Berlin hate crime monitoring groups also found an increase in anti-Semitic crimes committed in the city last year. A separate study by Berlin's Free University showed how anti-Semitic sentiments can be found across the political spectrum, with 34 percent of 'extreme left' members surveyed expressing negative views about Jews." In "Berlin Holocaust memorial could not be built now: creator," thelocal.de, 27 October 2016. [ 9 ]
Addendum of EU Fat Cats With Second Jobs Wasting Money: "The EU recently come under fire for allowing highly paid MEPs to keep their second jobs. European Parliament members can take home two pay packets in a decision made just months after the controversies surrounding former members Neelie Kroes and Jose Manuel Barraso. Mr Koenders also called for the Parliament to scrap its monthly trips between Brussels and Strasbourg, describing it as a 'waste of money'. His remarks come after it emerged Brussels bureaucrats enjoyed a three-day jaunt costing more than half a million euros in November last year." In "Dutch demand EU fat cats stop WASTING money and slash parliament seats," by Rebecca Perring, Express UK, 30 January 2017.
Addendum of Unsustainable Inequality: "...the inequality is largely down to a north/south geographical divide which means the division between the northern and southern EU countries is too big. The bloc's more prosperous nations such as Germany consistently fund the deficits of those in the south, and that simply can't go on, said Greenspan. 'The European Central Bank (ECB) has greater problems than the Federal Reserve. The asset side of the ECB’s balance sheet is larger than ever before, having grown steadily since Mario Draghi said he would do whatever it took to preserve the euro,' he said. 'And I have grave concerns about the future of the euro itself… The eurozone is not working', added Greenspan." In "‘The eurozone isn’t working’ - Alan Greenspan," RT TV-Novosti, February 2017.
Addendum of Non-performing Loans and Politics Failing at Economics: "The total stock of non-performing loans (NPL) in the EU is estimated at over €1 trillion, or 5.4% of total loans, a ratio three times higher than in other major regions of the world. On a country-by-country basis, things look even scarier. Currently 10 (out of 28) EU countries have an NPL ratio above 10% (orders of magnitude higher than what is generally considered safe). And among Eurozone countries, where the ECB’s monetary policies have direct impact, there are these NPL stalwarts: Ireland: 15.8%, Italy: 16.6%, Portugal: 19.2%, Slovenia: 19.7%, Greece: 46.6%, Cyprus: 49%. That bears repeating: in Greece and Cyprus, two of the Eurozone’s most bailed out economies, virtually half of all the bank loans are toxic. Then there’s Italy, whose €350 billion of NPLs account for roughly a third of Europe’s entire bad debt stock. Italy’s government and financial sector have spent the last year and a half failing spectacularly to come up with a solution to the problem." In "Deepening EU Banking Crisis Meets Euro-TARP and Taxpayers," by Don Quijones, Wolf Street, 17 March 2017.
Addendum of EUro-Sclerosis and Foolish Economic Errors: "The real problem the EU has is that it has failed to do the one thing it promised: To turn Europe into a fast-growth, high-productivity regional economy with higher standards of living for all. In fact, it has become a global laggard. The EU has repeatedly vowed to overtake the U.S., but it's falling farther behind. In 2015, U.S. per capita GDP stood at $51,825, compared to $34,552 for the EU — a gap of $17,273. And that gap is widening. We're not gloating. Many in the U.S. would replicate the foolish economic errors of the EU. Instead of celebrating anything about the EU, we should all be learning from its failures, and rededicate ourselves to the free market principles that genuinely work." In "Celebrating EUro-Sclerosis," Investor's Business Daily Editorial, 24 March 2017.
Addendum of the Parties' Dream, circa 2012: "Our political family is the driving force of European integration. The European Christian Democrats were founded in 1976 as the first European party – the European People’s Party. We have since become the party of the centre and the centre right. At the end of the East–West conflict we became the decisive political actor in the reunification of Europe. During the economic and financial crisis we have kept Europe together. And we will lead Europe out of the crisis." In "Manifesto," EPP Statutory Congress, 17-18 October 2012, Bucharest, Romania. [ 10 ]
Addendum of Inferior Members and Different Speeds: "...Latvijas Avize claims that Europe has already been divided into 'two speeds' long ago, stressing that there’s an insulting practice of dividing people into classes across the EU. The situation is now being aggravated even further by consumer experts from Slovakia, who have proven through tests that the same goods that were bought in Slovakia and Austria differ drastically in their quality. Thus, the existence of 'second-class' Europe has already been proven by scientific methods, the newspaper notes. Moreover, there is also a Europe of the 'third grade', which is Ukraine, where a person is incapable of buying a decent cup of coffee or tea, no matter what sort of international brands he buys. In this regard, the publication expresses the hope that politicians of the periphery will have the courage to slow down this European project of 'two speeds'. Europe can be compared to a bicycle, notes Sueddeutsche Zeitung. If you’re not pedaling all the time, the force of gravity draws it to the ground. It may move, or it may fall, but there’s no third option." In "Europe of “Two Speeds” Implies there’s Inferior Members within the Union," by Jean Perier, New Eastern Outlook, 4 June 2017.
Addendum of Policy Attempts to Dictate: "But two years of arm-wrestling have so far produced no results and EU leaders are unlikely to be able to break the impasse when they discuss the matter next week in Brussels. 'The Czech Republic does not agree with the system of relocation,' Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said in response. 'With regard to the worsened security situation in Europe and dysfunctionality of the quota system, it will not participate in it.' In a separate legal battle on the matter, Hungary and Slovakia have challenged the relocation agreement in a top EU court, with an initial indication of the ruling due next month. The easterners justify their stance on asylum seekers by citing security concerns, noting a series of militant Islamist attacks in western Europe since late 2015. The bulk of refugees come from the mainly Muslim Middle East and North Africa." In "EU opens legal case against Warsaw, Budapest and Prague over migration," Reuters, 13 June 2017.
Addendum of EU Socialism for the Wealthy: "Twenty per cent of the 100 largest payments under the European Union’s 'direct' subsidy system now go to people or families on the Sunday Times Rich List. According to a new investigation by Energydesk billionaires and aristocrats last year scooped up an even greater proportion of the UK’s biggest farm subsidy payouts, with 'basic payments”' to the Top 100’s Rich List recipients totalling £11.2 million in 2016 – up from £10.6 million the previous year. Direct EU subsidies – now known as 'basic payments' – have attracted criticism for largely rewarding landowners simply for owning land, rather than paying farmers to invest in environmental or other 'public goods'." In "Billionaires and aristocrats biggest beneficiaries of farm subsidies," by Jack Peat, London Economic, 30 June 2017.
Addendum of the Very Ridiculous European Parliament: "European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker lashed out against the 'very ridiculous' European Parliament, in a debate that only a handful of MEPs attended on Tuesday morning (4 July). Juncker was in the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg for a debate about the outcome of the six-month Maltese presidency of the Council of the EU, which ended on Friday. But when he took the floor, around 9.15 in the morning, the room was almost empty. 'The European Parliament is ridiculous, very ridiculous,' Juncker said straightaway." In "Juncker lashes out at 'ridiculous' EU parliament," by Eric Maurice, EU Observer, 4 July 2017.
Addendum of Lighting the Fuse: "The EU Commission legal attack followed a May 17 vote of the EU Parliament–another bizarre not-democratic body if ever there was one. The EU Parliament, citing Hungary’s refusal on refugees as well as her new law on NGOs and the law on the Soros University, demanded that the EU trigger Article 7.1 of the EU Treaty that allows Brussels to determine if a member state has breached the EU 'values' and whether it should be punished, including suspension of voting rights within the EU. The Brussels legal attack on Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic will likely blow up in their face and accelerate the further dissolution of the obviously ill-conceived European Union. At the very least it forges unity of those under attack and stiffens resistance to a clearly autocratic EU bureaucracy and power patriarchy. It‘s becoming crystal clear to more and more European citizens that the monster that is Brussels today does not represent the true interests of EU citizens. The unspeakable crime of V. Orbán is his insistence on acting in the interests of his citizens not to the self-declared arrogant unelected Commissars in Brussels." In "The Unspeakable Crime of V. Orbán," by F. William Engdahl, New Eastern Outlook, 5 July 2017.
Addendum of Punishing the Urge to Leave the EU-Gulag: "A senior German politician has accused the European Union’s chief negotiator of trying to punish Britain by making a deliberate 'mess' of key elements of Brexit. Hans-Olaf Henkel, deputy head of the European parliament’s industry, research and energy committee, warned other MEPs 'not to listen' to Michel Barnier, who he said wanted to impose a bad Brexit deal on Britain. Mr Henkel’s comments in an article for The Times published today coincide with reports from Brussels suggesting that the Brexit negotiations have become bogged down over the terms of Britain’s potential financial settlement. One source suggested that EU negotiators were frustrated that Britain had not brought forward its own proposal to settle the so-called divorce bill." In "Brussels chiefs want to punish Britain, says top German MEP Hans-Olaf Henkel," by Oliver Wright and Sarah Collins, Times UK, 19 July 2017.
Addendum of the Farcical EU Fighting Transparency: "Brussels first published global figures for all commissioners, refusing to provide a breakdown for individuals. After an appeal, they were forced to back down, but only revealed expenses for a two-month period in 2015. It revealed Juncker took a 63,000-euro air taxi to the G20 summit in Turkey. The campaign then crowdsourced to find 120 people willing to put in information requests for separate two-month periods. The commission revealed data for January and February 2016, but rejected any greater transparency. Yet campaigners argue these are senior, taxpayer-funded public officials whose travel costs should be made available." In "Farce as Brussels blocks 195 requests for EU chiefs' travel expenses," by Chris Harris, EuroNews, 27 July 2017.
Addendum of Poland Standing Up to Brussels: "After Thursday's talks with his Bulgarian counterpart in Warsaw, Duda said the European Union’s rules of unity mean 'we work together … we do not try to force other countries into acting against their will and against their people'. 'Which is why we do not agree to being dictated to, against the Polish people's will, as regards the quota system, as regards forcible relocation of people to Poland,' Duda added." In "Splits in EU could see bloc topple: Polish president," Radio Poland, 5 October 2017.
Addendum of a European Zero: "Brussels also said the EU should have twelve 'demonstration plants of sustainable fossil fuel technologies in commercial power generation' operating by 2015. EUobserver has found that a decade later, the European Union has spent at least €587 million in grants, subsidies, and public procurement on CCS. This website has been able to identify 63 projects that received an EU subsidy or grant in the past decade, and another five public procurement projects, related to CCS. But, as of 2017, the EU has zero CCS demonstration plants." In "After spending €587 million, EU has zero CO2 storage plants," by Peter Teffer, EU Observer, 6 October 2017. [ 11 ]
Addendum of Hollow Europe: "At the hour of its greatest success, Europe seems hollow, as if it were internally paralyzed by by a failure of its circulatory system that is endangering its life, subjecting it to transplants that erase its identity. At the same time as its sustaining spiritual forces have collapsed, a growing decline in its ethnicity is also taking place. Europe is infected by a strange lack of desire for the future. Children, our future, are perceived as a threat to the present, as if they were taking something away from our lives. Children are seen as a liability rather than as a source of hope. There is a clear comparison between today's situation and the decline of the Roman empire. In its final days, Rome still functioned as a great historical framework, but in practice it was already subsisting on models that were destined to fail. Its vital energy had been depleted." In "The Spiritual Roots of Europe: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," Joseph Ratzinger, 2006. [ 12 ]
Addendum of the French Dreaming Again: "...'I want tomorrow to speak about not the Eurozone but speak about Europe as a great country, with the great economy, with growth, with employment, with education, with investment and innovation.' Asked by a CNN interviewer whether the 19 Eurozone members could reach consensus on such questions, Le Maire said he would work to convince France's partners. 'And on that very specific point I can be very very strong,' he said." In "Eurozone to become 'a great country' like US, says French minister," Agence France Presse, 13 October 2017.
Addendum of the Deadly Dream of the Superstate: "Mr Lundgren said he was particularly concerned about new proposals from some quarters for the EU to be able to raise direct taxes from citizens to help it cover the Brexit budget black hole. And he bemoaned the fact that europhiles’ answer to people’s growing disinterest in the project is to pursue ever greater federalisation, something that will alienate people even more. The Swedish MEP said: 'We only have one option to survive as a sovereign state and that’s to leave just like the UK are doing now, because the EU has already taken over more and more of the decision rights and it will just increase. They are now saying they want direct taxation. That was never the power of the EU in the beginning. It was supposed to make it easier for the states to trade together, not that we’d be part of a superstate'." In "‘Swexit is our only hope’ Swedish MEP predicts more states will follow Britain out the EU," by Nick Gutteridge, Express UK, 4 November 2017.
Addendum of Tweets in December 2017 for a United States of Europe:
Addendum of the Council Requiring Member States to Obey Dictates: "Despite the confirmation by the Court of Justice of the EU of the validity of the relocation scheme in its ruling from the 6 September, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland remain in breach of their legal obligations. The replies received were again found not satisfactory and three countries have given no indication that they will contribute to the implementation of the relocation decision. This is why, the Commission has decided to move to the next stage of the infringement procedure and refer the three Member States to the Court of Justice of the EU. The Council Decisions require Member States to pledge available places for relocation every three months to ensure a swift and orderly relocation procedure. Whereas all other Member States have relocated and pledged in the past months, Hungary has not taken any action at all since the relocation scheme started, Poland has not relocated anyone and not pledged since December 2015. The Czech Republic has not relocated anyone since August 2016 and not made any new pledges for over a year." In "Relocation: Commission refers the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland to the Court of Justice," European Commission Press Release, Brussels, 7 December 2017.
Addendum of Seeking Greater Control: "Juncker has embarked on an ego trip. On Wednesday, the Commission is to present its plan without any input from the finance ministers whatsoever. The Eurogroup of 19 Eurozone finance ministers met in Brussels on Monday and on Tuesday it was the turn of Ecofin, which represents the EU finance ministers, but officially neither group was consulted on the Commission's plans. 'The entire approach is a disaster,' one participant complained. And because the national experts had no input, it's unlikely that EU heads of state and government will do more than simply take note of Juncker's proposals.". In "Juncker Seeks Greater Commission Control over Eurozone," by Peter Müller and Christian Reiermann, Spiegel, 5 December 2017.
Addendum of Rejecting Greater Control: "The Hungarian parliament adopted a resolution on Tuesday as a counter-act of a proposal by the European parliament over the compulsory relocation scheme of migrants. The resolution passed with 142 against 3 votes. The Hungarian parliament, according to its statement, considered it outrageous and therefore rejected the proposal of the European parliament." In "Hungaria adopts resolution against EU compulsory relocation scheme of migrants," Xinhua, 13 December 2017.
Addendum of Political Brawling: "Tusk, in an effort to push discussion onto the agenda of this week’s European Council summit, sent a note to EU leaders in which he declared: 'Only member states are able to tackle the migration crisis effectively. The EU’s role is to offer its full support in all possible ways,' adding that 'the issue of mandatory quotas has proven to be highly divisive and the approach has turned out to be ineffective.' Several countries reacted furiously to Tusk’s language, and his suggestion that the primary responsibility should fall on frontline countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece. Leaders who paid a high political price for supporting the controversial relocation plan, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, were also deeply irritated." In 'New EU brawl over migration policy," by David M. Herszenhorn, Maïa de La Baume, Harry Cooper and Jacopo Barigazzi, Politico.eu, 13 December 2017.
Addendum of the EU's Democratic Deficit: "Catalan identity has only really been permitted to flourish since the death of Franco in 1975, and of course Spanish politics continues to be haunted by the 1930s civil war fought by the dictator’s Nationalists against the Republicans for whom Catalonia was a key stronghold. The fact that their great-grandparents and grandparents fought against Franco, while the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s family sided with the dictator, is not lost on the Catalans today. As for the EU, it has shown itself grotesquely insensitive to the interests of small regions with local concerns, and their peoples feel ignored and suffer from a so-called 'democratic deficit'." In "This crisis could tear the EU apart: MARK ALMOND on how voters in Catalonia could cause a full blown crisis for Brussels." by Mark Almond, Daily Mail UK, 23 December 2017.
Addendum of Inevitably Having to Pay More: "Jean-Claude Juncker outlined his vision for the future of the EU budget after Britain leaves the bloc - and announced member-states will inevitably have to pay more to Brussels. Speaking at a conference detailing the bloc's next seven-year budget, the European Commission President said Brexit will leave the EU with a massive financial hole of around £11bn. He said the current EU budget - which is one percent of Europe's GDP - is not enough 'to fund the major ambitions of Europe, like the joint European defence policy'." In "Brussels feels Brexit pinch: Juncker begs EU27 for MORE MONEY to fund European project," by Oli Smith, Express UK, 9 January 2018. [ 13 ]
Addendum of Inevitably Having to Pay More, Part II: "France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Wednesday urged Germany to plough more investments into major European projects and allow wages to rise, as part of Berlin's contribution to boosting growth in Europe. 'France has taken on its European responsibilities, in reducing its public spending and reforming its economy. We expect Germany to join the movement, by adopting more offensive wage policies and investing more,' he told Die Zeit weekly at a time when Chancellor Angela Merkel is battling to form a new coalition government. Le Maire's call comes at a sensitive time for Merkel, as public spending is a hot-button issue in negotiations to forge a new alliance with the Social Democrats." In "French minister urges Germany to invest more in the EU," Agence France Presse, 10 January 2018.
Addendum of Arriving in Europe: "Between February and November 2016, the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University of Zurich discovered a multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in eight refugees arriving in Europe from the Horn of Africa. The analyses provided an impulse for launching a transnational investigation and developing a pan-European alerting system. Resistant tuberculosis pathogens are a regular part of the day-to-day business at the Swiss National Center for Mycobacteria (NZM) at the University of Zurich. And yet, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis found in a Somali asylum seeker in the refugee center in Chiasso in February 2016 was extraordinary: "'These bacteria exhibited a new combination of resistance mutations against four different antibiotics that had never before been described,' says Peter Keller, Head of Diagnostics at NZM, who identified the germ. The multidrug resistance makes it necessary for people carrying these bacteria to be isolated and undergo intravenous drug treatment at a hospital for several months." In "Cluster of resistant tuberculosis pathogen discovered," Public release, University of Zurich, 9 January 2018.
Addendum of an Un-democratic Germany and an Un-democratic EU: "If Germany keeps having grand coalitions, neither it nor the EU can claim to be democratic. A government which represents all shades of opinion removes the need for a democratic system. Furthermore, such one party states breed clientism and corruption, as Italy found during 40 years of unbroken Christian Democrat rule when that party attracted a wider range of opinion than the others put together. So how can the EU set membership criteria which include democratic governance, as it did for new ex-Soviet bloc members?" In "Germany Might Finally Have a Government – But Where Does This Leave Europe?" by Seth Ferris, New Eastern Outlook, 21 February 2018.
Addendum of a German Who Would Dictate to Other European Nations: "The distribution of EU funds should be linked to member countries' willingness to accept and integrate migrants, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday, ahead of an informal summit in Brussels where EU leaders will discuss the bloc’s next long-term budget. 'With the distribution of structural funds, we must ensure that the allocation criteria in future reflect the engagement of many regions and municipalities in absorbing and integrating migrants,' Merkel told the Bundestag." In "Angela Merkel: Link EU funds to migrant integration," by Myfanwy Craigie, Politico.eu, 22 February 2018.
Addendum of Europe For Sale to the Elite: "For criminal and corrupt individuals trying to avoid confiscation of their assets or prosecution in their home country, a golden visa provides an attractive opportunity to stash assets in a safe haven, avoid law enforcement, and even the chance to set up a new enterprises in Europe. For this class of elite they are in effect a 'get out of jail free card'. As such it would be fair to assume that when a high net-worth individual offers a large sum of money to buy citizenship, the member state would ask some basic questions of where the money came from and what they intend to do with this citizenship." In "Time to end EU golden visas for corrupt elites," by Tina Mlinaric, EU Observer, 24 October 2019.
Addendum of a German's Challenge: "The European Union needs to take a more active role in global politics if it wants to protect its interests, incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. 'Europe must also learn the language of power,' von der Leyen said during a speech on European policy in Berlin. 'On the one hand, this means building our own muscles [in areas] where we've long been relying on others — for example in security policies,' the former German defense minister said. 'That also means applying our existing power in a more targeted way in areas where European interests are concerned'." In "Von der Leyen: 'Europe must learn the language of power'," Deutsche Welle, 8 November 2019.
Addendum of Euro-Narcotics: " 'We knew it was coming,' Jan Struijs told me. 'Lawyers, mayors, police officers - we've all been threatened by organised crime. All the alarms have been sounding but the politicians have been naive. Now it's rotting the concrete of our society'." In "Is the Netherlands becoming a narco-state?" by Anna Holligan, BBC, 19 December 2019. [ 14 ]
Addendum of Europe against Europe: "Mr [ Josep ] Borrell said Hungary's actions should have consequences and that 'we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal'. Hungary described the move as 'completely childish'." In "Hungary stripped of EU meeting over Ukraine stance," by Christy Cooney, BBC News, 24 July 2024. [ 15 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] That "secret history?" The article details: "We were coyly told that the little island of Ventotene off Naples was where, in 1941, a prisoner of Mussolini’s had written the visionary manifesto that looked forward to building, after the war, a 'United States of Europe'. What somehow got omitted was that Altiero Spinelli was a Communist (the Today programme merely described him on air as a 'Fascist prisoner', although, lest this be misunderstood, that was edited out of their online report). We were not told that Spinelli’s Ventotene Manifesto proposed that his future government of Europe should be quietly assembled by its supporters over many years; and that only when all its pieces were in place would those supporters summon a convention to draw up a 'Constitution for Europe', which would finally reveal to the European people just what they had been up to." In "The secret history of the EU, written on an Italian prison island, reveals why the project is doomed," by Christopher Booker, Telegraph UK, 27 August 2016.
Of Mussolini, one looks back, with an interesting tidbit about Renzi who stood together with Hollande and Merkel at Ventotene: "In 1912 Mussolini was the leading member of the National Directorate of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). Prior to 1914 he was a keen supporter of the Socialist International, starting the series of meetings in Switzerland that organised the communist revolutions and insurrections that swept through Europe from 1917. Mussolini was expelled from the PSI due to his opposition to the party's stance on neutrality in World War I. Mussolini denounced the PSI, and later founded the fascist movement. Following the March on Rome in October 1922 he became the youngest Prime Minister in Italian history until the appointment of Matteo Renzi in February 2014." In "Benito Mussolini," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Appointed leaders seems a parallel theme as one follows the streams of thought, alongside the parallel tales of socialism, fascism and communism, brothers under the ideological skin.
A Drama of Moral Imperialism
As to elected leaders, one finds France's Hollande wildly unpopular, while Merkel's "rule" quakes. Consider the vocabulary being used: "It is an unparalleled drama. Just one year ago, Merkel was more popular than almost any chancellor who had come before, with her prudent foreign policy being a significant reason why. But then came the refugee crisis, and with it the accusation that Merkel was pursuing a kind of moral imperialism in Europe. Her partners in the EU abandoned her while back home, the AfD -- a party she thought she had already defeated -- began gaining support. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD on Sunday even won more votes than the CDU -- the first time in German postwar history that a right-wing populist party attracted more votes than the center-right." In "Is The Merkel Era Coming To an End?" Staff, Der Spiegel, 9 September 2016.
Of course, given the images above centering on images of the Brandenburg Gate, this latest is not an "unparalleled drama." It is more a next fumble. Der Spiegel's staff writer observes: "...Merkel finally seemed prepared to spend the political capital she had amassed over the years to stand up for her convictions. It was a courageous move and one that garnered her respect the world over. But in the ensuing weeks and months, she was unable to find a way to impose order on the flood of refugees coming into the country, which resulted not only in significant hostility in Europe, but also among the German population."
Hostility in Europe? This is not "unparalleled, and neither is opposition politics. One notes a hostility "among the German population" suggests that "kind of moral imperialism in Europe" is in fact more of the same, as history has shown repeatedly. The dreams of national and now supranational political, economic and military power are not new. They are old and repetitive.
Of a Communist Founding Father
Of Altiero Spinelli and his dream one reads: "Altiero Spinelli (31 August 1907 – 23 May 1986) was an Italian Communist politician, political theorist and European federalist. Spinelli is referred to as one of the founding fathers of the European Union due to his co-authorship of the Ventotene Manifesto, his founding role in the European federalist movement, his strong influence on the first few decades of post-World War II European integration and, later, his role in re-launching the integration process in the 1980s. By the time of his death, he had been a member of the European Commission for six years, a member of the European Parliament for ten years right up until his death. The main building of the European Parliament in Brussels is named after him. The 1987–1988 academic year at the College of Europe and the 2009–2010 academic year of the European College of Parma were named in his honour." Wikipedia article, n. d.
[ 2 ] Note the noun, "elite." When three European leaders meet while the remainder of European national leaders remain at home and opt to meet in this particular iconic location rather than many other options all around Europe, the "You're Up" folks seem to be making a statement to their supporters, and that message echoes with the words "Communist" and "elite."
Merkel, Hollande and Renzi pay tribute to Spinelli
One reads of these three "elites" the following: "The three leaders travelled to the sun-soaked island of Ventotene to pay tribute to one of the founding fathers of European unity, Altiero Spinelli, and show common cause going into a bigger EU-wide summit next month in Slovakia. Spinelli, along with another intellectual confined to Ventotene in the 1940s by Italy's fascist rulers, co-wrote the "Ventotene Manifesto" calling for a federation of European states to counter the nationalism that had led Europe to war. The document is considered the inspiration for European federalism. Renzi invited his French and German counterparts to the island off Naples to remind Europe of its founding ideals as the EU forges ahead amid a spate of challenges, from slow economic growth to extremist violence, after Britain's vote to leave the bloc." In "Updated: Italy, Germany, France eye beefed up EU defence after attacks," Associated Press, 22 August 2016.
The assertion that "nationalism" led to war is refuted as the EU alongside NATO at war with the Islamic State in the Middle East in 2016. The assumption that "nationalism" caused war is unproven, given that the allies who fought against National Socialism, as one example, expressed their alliance through nationalist pride and individual nations' efforts in an alliance. One could also suggest that, in the case of National Socialism, that socialism was the driver for war.
For more on a facet of nationalist terminology, consider this: True socialism, oh yes, he said
Additionally as to socialism/fascism as a driver for war, one reads Mussolini's words: "The law of socialism is that of the desert: a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. Socialism is a rude and bitter truth, which was born in the conflict of opposing forces and in violence. Socialism is war, and woe to those who are cowardly in war. They will be defeated. As quoted in Il Duce: The Life and Work of Benito Mussolini, L. Kemechey, New York: NY, Richard R. Smith (1930).
A reductionist argument may be made that governments' dreams for control drives war, and the 2016 war being made by the European Commission alongside NATO in the Middle East was caused by what? Nationalism in individual European nations? Or perhaps the dream of a "European" solution to non-European nations' ills? These nations have dreamed of a joint and unified European military, as proof of their potential for war under the flag of the EU.
The article notes a quaisi-religious tone: "The three placed three bouquets of blue and yellow flowers - the colors of the European Union - on Spinelli's simple white marble tombstone before meeting for an hour privately aboard the nearby Garibaldi."
Still Seeking a Framework of Protection and Borders That Can Be Guarded?
All the while Jean-Claude Juncker, the current head of the EU, bemoans nations and national borders in favor of what is essentially a supranational state with its own flag and different borders, the article noted ironically: "Europe should have a framework of protection. For security we need to have borders that can be guarded," Hollande said. "We also want there to be more coordination in the fight against terrorism."
Given that Juncker has called for nations to drop border controls, for what does Hollande ask? Guarded borders, alongside "protection" and "security" in "the fight against terrorism?" But from what source comes such terror that the French seek guarded borders and protection? Islamic terror comes to mind, though to think so suggests the modern accusation of Islamophobia
Yet a rotating president essentially opts out as regards illegal immigration and quotas for all member states as pushed by some. One reads: " 'What the Visegrad countries – including Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland – have been saying for a year and a half now becomes official EU policy,' Fico said on Monday. 'Whoever wants to divide Europe, let them put quotas on the table, who wants to unite Europe, let them come up with a different concept of fight against illegal migration'." In "EU migrant quota idea is finished, says Fico," by Eszter Zalan, EUObserver, 27 September 2016.
It is a problem which is clarified as time goes by. One reads: "Seven of the nine ISIS jihadis who launched a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris last November entered Europe by posing as refugees. The attackers were part of a group of 14 who plotted their way into Western Europe by riding the wave of the migrant crisis last year, according to Hungarian security officials. By using fake Syrian passports, many of the attackers, already on European terror watch-lists, were able to slip back into Europe undetected, along with thousands of other refugees." In "Majority of Paris attackers entered Europe posing as refugees," by Lisa Daftari, Foreign Desk, 2 October 2016.
Economic Consequences Becoming Apparent
The economic consequence is being seen very quickly: "Joachim Moller, director of the IAB, said: 'If we manage to get 50 percent of them into work which pays for their lives in five years, that'd certainly be a success. But it would be an illusion to believe that we will manage to find jobs for a decent proportion of refugees in well-paid industry jobs like car manufacturing.' This means the bill of feeding, housing and caring for the migrants will continue to soar into the billions and fall upon the German taxpayer." In "Just 34,000 migrants out of 1.2million to arrive in Germany in the last two years have found work, government reveals," by Allan Hall and Jennifer Newton, Mail Online, 19 December 2016.
Millions of Muslims In Migration to Europe
Borders that can be guarded for the EU, but borders that should not be guarded for individual member-states is a contradiction in rhetoric, given the "dream" of a united Europe, a dream which has been shared with other historical "elite" as the various images of a parade of various "leaders," their representatives and their armies pictured at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate. Why not have a meeting there than at the "prison island" of Ventotene?
Political consequences for the ineffective handling of the migration "crisis" is showing in coming changes to the electorate's mood. As one example: " 'I'm starting to have serious difficulties,' Catania's mayor, Enzo Bianco, told Reuters. The city's port took in 10,000 migrants during the first half of the year. An Ixe poll on Friday said 78 percent of Italians thought they had been abandoned by their European Union allies." In "Far-right millennials set out to sea to 'defend Europe' from migrants," by Antonio Parrinello and Steve Scherer, Reuters, 21 July 2017.
In a similar pushback to the EU elite, one finds: "In the speech broadcast by Hungarian state media, Orban repeated his claim that the EU leadership was encroaching on member states' rights and trying to apply policies, such as increased immigration, which he said were opposed by most Europeans. Orban said Poland, which is under pressure from the EU because of attempts to put its Supreme Court under political control, had replaced Hungary as the target of the EU's 'chief inquisitor,' whom he identified as European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans. 'The main target of the inquisition, the example of national governance to be weakened, destroyed and broken is Poland,' Orban said, vowing to defend the Polish government. 'Hungary will use every legal possibility in the European Union to be in solidarity with the Poles'." In "Hungary's leader: EU and Soros seek to 'Muslimize' Europe," by Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press, 22 July 2017.
Integration of Migrants Isn't Likely
And yet a Green Party mayor speaks openly about the problem: "When people who have grown up in a completely different culture - where women have a different role in society, where religion has a different role, where gays and lesbians have a different role, where clothing has a different role - when those people come to Germany, they won't just leave all that at the border and suddenly adopt our culture. This just isn't likely. That's why integration is such a difficult task. To find the middle ground, to be tolerant but to also maintain our own ideas of society - that is difficult thing to negotiate, and it's always fraught with debate and demonization. We should stop ridiculing or denying these fears - they are real." In "Refugees in Germany: 'We won't be able to integrate everyone'," quote of Boris Palmer, by Neil King, Deutsche Welle, 24 August 2017.
Additionally, one finds a chancellor and her inner circle refusing clarity on the legality of their decision on immigration. One reads: "Die Welt states that the implication is that the parliament should indeed have voted on whether Germany opened its borders, as the decision led to a change in the proportion of non-Germans to Germans in the country. Merkel made the decision to take in several thousand refugees who were stranded in Hungary on September 4th 2015 after conversations with only the most senior members of her cabinet. To this day, the government has not explained the legal grounds upon which it took the decision. Even after September 4th, as tens of thousands of asylum seekers entered the country on a daily basis for a period of several months, parliament never voted on the policy of allowing them to enter the country." In "Merkel shouldn’t have opened borders without parliament’s approval, internal report finds," TheLocal.de, 22 September 2017.
Failure to Guarantee Europe's Safety
Other voices criticize the EU leadership in a similar manner: "Brussels should have been busy restoring security to Europe and the European people instead of continually criticising certain member states, he told MTI after attending in Warsaw a foreign ministerial meeting of NATO member states in central and eastern Europe. The second anniversary of the Paris terrorist attack is approaching and 27 terrorist attacks have been committed in Europe since then, resulting in 330 deaths and 1,300 injured, he noted. This clearly demonstrates that the institutions in Brussels are not up to the task of handling the security risks involved in the migration crisis, he said." In "Brussels failing to guarantee Europe’s security, says Hungarian FM in Warsaw," Daily News Hungary, Oct 9, 2017.
More as to the "migration crisis" is heard: "Speaking to Italian journalists in Rome on Wednesday, Waszczykowski said: 'Irresponsible politicians are those who opened the borders and accepted a wave of migration, the way Angela Merkel did.' He added, as cited by Italy's Ansa news agency: 'It was an irresponsible move because today we are dealing with hundreds of thousands of migrants who have not been identified, many missing minors and many... who could not be absorbed even by the affluent German economy and who will be living on the dole for years'." In " 'Irresponsible politicians' opened Europe’s borders to migrants: Polish FM," Radio Poland, 26 October 2017.
Perhaps the opening quote above tells the real truth, that "... the Eurocrats in charge of the EU are running scared." Which next "elite" will appear at the Brandenburg Gate to espouse the next "dream?"
Predictions for and Threats of the Next European War
With the Turkish flag projected onto Berlin's icon, one sees forecasts of coming war. One such is: "Professor Gilles Kepel, from the Sciences Po in Paris, France, said a growing 'Jihad Generation' is likely to continue to carry out terror acts in European cities. The aim of their terror activity is to both incite hatred towards Muslims and, in doing so, cause further radicalisation among young people, the professor of political science said. He told the German newspaper Die Welt that this in turn could lead to the point where Europe enters into civil war. Kepel said the recent terror attacks across the continent were part of a war within Islam rather than between Islam and Western civilization." In "Generation Jihad: Scholar of Islam predicts civil war across Europe as more young Muslims facing poor job prospects turn to radical groups," by Julian Robinson, Mail Online, 12 September 2016.
In spite of realities facing ordinary citizens, You're Up has managed to dictate to British Press, as one reads: "A report from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) found there was an increase in hate speech and racist violence in the UK from 2009 to March 2016. Blaming the press, ECRI Chair Christian Ahlund, said: 'It is no coincidence that racist violence is on the rise in the UK at the same time as we see worrying examples of intolerance and hate speech in the newspapers, online and even among politicians.' The report makes a whopping 23 recommendations to Theresa May’s Government for changes to criminal law, the freedom of the press, crime reporting and equality law." In "EU orders British press NOT to reveal when terrorists are Muslims," by Katie Mansfield, Express UK, 5 October 2016.
Apparently the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance is intolerant of a free press. Should WWII reporting have been measured by such standards, the National Socialists would not have been revealed in reporting. You're Up seems to be moving quickly towards becoming You're Over, at least as far as Britain and its press are concerned.
A Crusade Against Islam and a Holy War in Response
With yet more crises including the forecast by Turkey of a religion-based "holy war" in European nations, one reads a simple threat: "Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has threatened to 'blow the mind' of Europe by sending 15,000 refugees a month to EU territory, in an intensifying dispute with the bloc." In "Turkey threatens to send Europe '15,000 refugees a month'," Agence France Presse, 17 March 2017.
Turkey threatens the EU if it does not get special deals and a privileged relationship with it. Yet it fumbles in its foolish rhetoric, as one reads of the graphic just above: "The front page was published two days after German mass circulation daily Bild lashed out at Erdogan, accusing him of 'endangering Europe's stability through his lust for power'. 'Bild tells the truth to Erdogan's face -- you are not a democrat! You are hurting your country!' the German daily had said. Bild's front page hugely upset Ankara and the foreign ministry issued a statement describing the article as 'mind-boggling' and part of a mindset 'hinging on hatred'." In "Turkish daily depicts Merkel as 'Frau Hitler' on front page," Agence France Presse, 17 March 2017.
Additionally Turkey is angered by a decision valid in European nations that allows a company to ban religious or political symbols while at work. One reads of the reaction from Turkey: "Turkey’s president today (16 March) accused the EU’s top court of starting a 'crusade' against Islam after a ruling allowing European companies to ban employees from wearing religious or political symbols including the Islamic headscarf. 'The European Union’s court, The European Court of Justice, my esteemed brothers, have started a crusade struggle against the (Muslim) crescent,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a televised speech, asking “where is freedom of religion?' The Turkish press wrote that the country’s government will provide legal support to Turkish citizens living in France and Belgium after the ECJ ruling. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on 14 March that internal rules in companies in the EU which prohibit the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination." In "Erdogan sees ‘crusade against Islam’ behind ECJ headscarf ruling," by Georgi Gotlev, Euractiv, 16 March 2017. Erdogan is showing his willingness to interfere in European law and jurisprudence.
Amusingly, the center of Islamic belief, Saudi Arabia, bans any practice of any religion other than Islam, so Erdogan's argument rings hollow. Islam, where and when it is able, is unconcerned with "freedom of religion."
Europe as well as individual "member states" in the context of the EU are at a clear crossroads with Turkey in specific and the OIC in general. Submit (the meaning of the word, "Islam") -- or not.
The Future of Europe is Turkish?
As to the future of Europe and its sub-replacement birth rates coupled to Turkey's stance, one reads further: "Calling Turks the 'future of Europe,' Turkey’s president on Friday implored his compatriots living on the Continent to have multiple children as an act of revenge against the West’s 'injustices'." In "Turkey's President Says Muslims are 'the future of Europe'," by Russell Goodman, New York Times, 17 March 2017.
Turkey's fat cat and top dog went farther in condemning Europe with a not-s0-veiled threat, as one reads: " 'If you continue to behave like this, tomorrow in no part of the world, no European, no Westerner will be able to take steps on the street safely and peacefully,' Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara." In "Erdogan warns Europeans' security at risk as EU feud rages," by Raziye Akkoc, AFP, 23 March 2017.
A variant of the threat to individual citizens in the West shows worry on Erdogan's part about even his own safety, though it is not presented in that manner: " 'I am addressing Europe once again: Turkey is not a country to push around, we are not a country whose ministers you can deport. What is happening is being watched by everyone around the world. If Europe continues this way, no European in any part of the world can walk safely in the streets' said the Turkish President in a televised speech." In "‘No peace for hundred years if Erdogan is harmed’ president’s senior advisor threatens," KOM News, 23 March 2017.
One recalls the pro European Union advocates calling themselves and their plans the future of a peaceful and prosperous Europe. It seems the future of Europe as a political entity is far from assured.
[ 3 ] A private entrepreneur weighs in on the EU's demand against Apple and Ireland for its tax policy which is declared illegal by the EU Commission. His tone is direct: "...the outspoken Irishman said: 'One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions. 'Frankly the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f**k off'."
One learns more of the EU's demands based on arguments about taxation that the EU has little policy to guide it, and no agreement among member nations. One reads from a year earlier: " 'Germany and France are demanding a minimum threshold value; we are reacting to that,' one commission source told the newspaper. At 20 per cent, Britain has the lowest corporation tax rate in the G7, and among the lowest in western Europe. Any measure to harmonise corporation taxes would likely hit Ireland, the base of many international tech companies, with a 12.5 per cent rate. The European operations of Apple, Google, and Facebook are all headquartered in the Republic. American Internet companies have become a target in Brussels on an array of issues including privacy and competition, as well as taxation." In "France and Germany behind plans for 'common EU corporation tax'," by Matthew Holehouse and Christopher Williams, Telegraph UK, 26 May 2015.
Thus the "common EU corporation tax" is not in place. It is noted this "common" policy is "non-existent."
The Dissonance of European Tax Harmonization
One learns: "...one need not look very hard to find examples that jeopardize efforts to harmonize the nonexistent 'European tax system.' The most obvious example involves the European Commission’s expanding agenda of state aid investigations. While some view these investigations as a unified European assault on the aggressive tax planning practices of large multinationals, others see them as an aggressive supranational assault on the sovereignty of individual EU states. This dichotomy, most apparent in the commission’s challenges to rulings in the transfer pricing arena, leads observers to wonder whether the commission will eventually seek to control the tax policy of all the member states, over their objections. These dissonances in tax policy resonate beyond the state aid cases. While some member states have expressed a desire to resurrect long-dormant (some might say extinct) proposals to adopt a common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB), there are many obstacles to overcome before even contemplating a European tax future that includes the CCCTB." In "The Dissonance Of European Tax Harmonization," by Stuart Gibson, Forbes, 27 January 2016.
Under What Authority?
Further, "The EU Commission has no authority to tell member states to change their tax rules, but it can act if it finds a company or companies gained an unfair advantage as a result of taxes being levied improperly." In "EU to order Ireland demand back taxes from Apple in excess of €1bn," by Donal O'Donovan, Independent, Ireland, 29 August 2016.
Who decides what "taxes being levied improperly" and how is this argument different that the proposed "tax harmonization" which is to date "nonexistent?"
The EU (with France and Germany specifically "behind plans") pushes Ireland. As a result, one sees: "Ireland’s pursuit for lower corporate taxes to attract foreign direct investment may also be under assault if they maintain their presence in the European Union with Brussels planning to force a continent-wide 'tax harmonisation' plan that would disproportionately harm Ireland’s economy. Irish MEP Brian Hayes warned this week that any attempt by the bureaucrats in Brussels to force a higher corporate tax rate against the will of the Irish voters would be met with an immediate decision by the country to leave the European Union. 'This is the absolute red line issue. Any attempt to cajole us, as far as I’m concerned, we’re out the door,' said Hayes." In "Ireland Considers EU Exit in Response to Europe’s Tax Harmonization Plan," Sputnik News, 11 July 2016.
The three-dimensional game of politics declares that there is and there is not a European Tax Harmonization in place. But harmonization implies harmony, and harmony is not to be found.
Politics is at Play
One reads Apple's CEO's view: " 'This conclusion that the Commission has reached has no basis in law or in fact. So I think it clearly suggests that this is politics at play.' Mr Cook said that the European Commission may be trying to use state aid laws to alter the tax system possibilities too, but 'I think it’s clear that there is a desire to harmonise tax rates across the EU. Doing it this way doesn’t seem like the right approach to me. There should be a public discussion about it.' Mr Cook agreed with the US government finance minister, Jack Lew, that the 'retroactive' €13bn tax bill was an attempt by the EU to grab taxes owed to the US treasury." " 'No one did anything wrong here and Ireland is being picked on... It is total political crap' - Apple chief Tim Cook," by Adrian Weckler and Michael Cogley, Independent UK, 1 September 2016.
The Irish government weighs in: " 'How could any foreign direct investor come into Europe if they thought the valid arrangements they made under law could be overturned a generation later and they be liable to pay back money,' he said at a news conference. Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said Dublin stood behind its corporate tax regime as a means of creating jobs. 'This ruling has seismic and entirely negative consequences for job creation in the future,' he said." In "Ireland to join Apple in fight against EU tax ruling," Reuters, 2 September 2016.
Seeking a New Impulse
One notes the use of elusively-defined slogans as one watches Platitudes meet realities
What is that new impulse, as disruptive disharmony results from the "impulse" for "tax harmonization?" Or when migrant issues and an absence of democratic accountability in Brussels played a part in Britain's referendum deciding upon Brexit? If one recalls Marxist rhetoric which ends the Communist Manifesto of 1848: ""Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win."
If chains are to be thrown off and "ruling classes tremble," today some European nations and political parties ponder throwing off the chains of the European Commission and its "Eurocrats" who seek in response seek some new "impulse" to forge chains. Referendums in many nations -- so often denied to citizens in member states of the European Union, giving rise to the correct impression that democratic principles were set aside to forge the "chains" which bind nations under the EC -- threaten and the "ruling classes tremble," as they now seek that new "impulse" which would further their causes.
Benito Mussolini - 1925
How like older impulses Hollande's call for a "new impulse" seems. Again citing Mussolini, one reads: "We want an extraordinary heavy taxation, with a progressive character, on capital, that will represent an authentic partial expropriation of all wealth; seizures of all assets of religious congregations and suppression of all the ecclesiastic Episcopal revenues, in what constitutes an enormous deficit of the nation and a privilege for a minority; revisions of all contracts made by the war ministers and seizure of 85% of all war profits." From Mussolini's Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (Italian Combat Fasci), Il Popolo d'Italia newspaper, 6 June 1919. Speech published in Revolutionary Fascism, by Erik Norling, Lisbon, Finis Mundi Press (2011).
At one point Hollande proposed 100 percent taxation of the "rich," and had to back down. Was this not like unto Mussolini's strategy, as sourced above?
Public Trust in the Establishment?
Of Europeans about the EU, one reads: "Public trust in the establishment is low - whether traditional politicians, bankers or EU bureaucrats - and Mr Juncker is an unelected president." In "Juncker proposes EU military headquarters," BBC, 14 September 2016.
You're Up and "an unelected president" in a series of unelected presidents have sought and continue to seek expansion of powers, including the military. The BBC notes the what may be called imperialist actions: "Since 2003 the EU has launched some 30 civilian and military operations in Europe, Africa and Asia - under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Sixteen are still going on, including six military operations: Its mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina oversees the implementation of the 1995 Dayton Agreement which ended the Balkan Wars. It replaced Nato forces in 2004. Counter-piracy operation Atalanta began off the coast of Somalia in 2008. In 2015, Operation Sophia began targeting migrant-traffickers in the Mediterranean. The EU also has military training programmes in Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic."
Here is a novel "impulse" which the current masters of Europe -- quite like the old masters, as above -- are assiduously avoiding. The notion that greater Freedom is freedom is freedom
Given that imperial, National Socialist and other socialist dreams alongside Spinelli's Italian Communist dreams to "unify" have been played out, how radical freedom from such impulses by changing elites is.
Given that so many of those pictured above passing by the Brandenburg Gate represent war, freedom is best then defined not as a single word, but rather the phrase, freedom from excessive government.
How might one then analyze the current news of the European Commission and its cadre of bureaucrats, as they "tremble?" By looking to every speech, existing and proposed policy, and all political speech for these simple words, "freedom" and "liberty." Their new "impulse" seems to be merely that same old impulse for growing government power over a people.
You're Up Is Not Europe
A comment to this article notes: "What is with this deluded notion that a country is European only if it's in the EU, and has to stay in to keep it's 'European identity?' All European countries are part of Europe, and will be even out of the EU. They can still pursue relations with each other. Not being in the EU doesn't mean a country is no longer European. Almost 60% of Europe isn't in the EU. So the EU actually doesn't equal Eureopan [ sic ] identity, and does not speak for most of Europe."
You're up is not Europe, as events are disclosing, at the same time that the "elite" and EU bureaucrats -- many unelected by European citizens -- remind themselves of their ideological debt to a "founder" and Communist by three of the political "elite" visiting his grave. Perhaps they prayed for "the nonexistent European tax system" might come to be -- without referendums and without voters having a democratic voice. Thos pictured above all held dreams of leading Europe, and history declared the end of their blood-drenched stories.
[ 4 ] The confusing politics of political terminology is seen in the Reuters report. What is "far-right" if the National Socialists are seen more accurately as socialists and therefore part of a range on the political Left?
What is "far-left," a term used infrequently in news reporting? Would Altiero Spinelli, noted in his biography as an Italian Communist, have been considered "left" or "far left?"
Would Stalin's Soviet Troops which partitioned Berlin as pictured above be representative of a "far-left?" Would the Berlin wall which was built by East Germany, also pictured above, be considered "far-left?"
A small protest by a handful of Germans from a relatively new movement in Germany is labeled "far right," and inferred as potentially dangerous. It is seen as dangerous to "ruling classes" and their "impulse" to rule.
Right to be Left and Left to be Right
Yet another Reuters article also speaks to a potentially dangerous "far-left." One reads: "Ten people with Turkish and Kurdish backgrounds went on trial in Germany on Friday accused of belonging to a left-wing militant group in Turkey, a case defense lawyers say is politically motivated. The nine men and one woman face charges of organizing propaganda events, raising funds and recruiting for the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML), founded in 1972 and listed among a dozen active militant groups in Turkey." In "Germany starts trial of alleged Turkish militants," Reuters, 17 January 2016.
Interestingly, during elections in my own neighborhood in Berlin, I have seen the Marxist–Leninist Party of Germany's political placards.
Kommunistische Partie Deutschlands
Of this party, one reads: "The Marxist–Leninist Party of Germany (German: Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands, MLPD) is an anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist political party in Germany. It was founded in 1982 by members of the Communist Workers Union of Germany (Kommunistischer Arbeiterbund Deutschlands; KABD). The MLPD advocates for the establishment of a dictatorship of the proletariat, overthrowing current capitalist relations of production and replacing them with a new social order of socialist orientation. It sees this as a transitional stage to the creation of a classless, communist society. In doing so, it refers to the theory and practice of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. It rejects the terms 'Stalinism' and 'Maoism' as anti-communist fighting terms that divide the Marxist-Leninist movement." In "Marxist–Leninist Party of Germany," Wikipedia article, n. d.
The question comes to mind: would not a classless society throw off a ruling class? The answer is yes, were it not for the old bugaboo in Marxist theory which declares the step between now and that classless society involves dictatorship which always erects its own ruling class?
So in terms of politics and political terminology, one learns that to some "Stalinism" and "Maoism" are anti-communist terms, which places such terminology on which side of the supposedly meaning-filled political spectrum? Left? Right? Far-left? Far-right? But then if Stalinism is "anti-communist" to these German Marxist-Leninists, are Marxist-Leninists somehow moderate or centrist? What definitions fit any of these terms, as so blithely used in reporting?
Historical Questions
Was the parade of Napoleon's triumphant French troops through the Brandenburg Gate in the 19th century representative of politics of the "right" or "left?" What was the "impulse" of Napoleon to parade himself through Berlin?
Were Kaiser Wilhelm and his Prussian troops "right" or "left?" What was his "impulse" and was it new or the same old dream of a ruling class?
Was National Socialism "right" or "left?" What was the "impulse" which drove the Nazis to conquer and control other nations? Were the German troops taking Paris a "new" impulse or just another impulse to rule like those before it?
Was Italian Fascism rising out of the international socialist movement of the "right" or the "left?" What "impulse" drove Italy's Mussolini -- or Italy's Spinelli, for that matter -- to dream of a greater Europe?
Was the DDR's partition of Berlin behind the Brandenburg Gate done by a political "left" or "right?" What was its "impulse" and was it new or just a continuation of previous dreams of a ruling class?
In this modern era, are these latest protests as pictured above in which the Turkish flag is displayed on the Brandenburg Gate "left" or "right?" What was the "impulse" to project Turkey's flag onto the Brandenburg Gate? Was that a new "impulse" or the old Ottoman empire's expansive dream to conquer and rule?
The banner placed by the Identitarian Movement is labeled "far-right." How odd that the banner asks for "sichere Grenzen" -- secure borders -- and this is "far-right" while Hollande, the socialist President of France, is quoted above as saying, "For security we need to have borders that can be guarded." Is there a difference between "secure borders" said to be "far-right" in a Reuters article and a French president of the openly Socialist Party asking for "borders that can be guarded?"
Is asking for borders which can be guarded politically right or left? Or do their hopes agree? Do their words agree?
Manuel Valls- Menaces terroristes: protéger les Français dans la durée
Is security right or left? In one instance it is French and yet about politics as well, as one reads: "French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Sunday there would be new attacks in France but proposals by former president Nicolas Sarkozy to boost security was not the right way to deal with threats." In "France's premier warns of new attacks, 15,000 people on police radar," Reuters, 11 September 2016.
Shall one right-left-right-left march? To the beat of whose drum?
Almost-Meaningless Terminology
What a fascinating time this is in which to take note of almost-meaningless political terminology used in haphazard fashion, as one may easily conclude that Left is Right, as Right is Left
One finds agreement between the ostensible Left and Right being reported, as economic problems assert themselves in the face of You're Up's diktats.
One reads: "...statements 'clearly mark a change in direction', said Alain Trannoy, head of research at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris. He noted that criticism of the pact, agreed in 1997 as preparations for the introduction of the euro stepped up, has spread across the political spectrum. 'The Maastricht and Lisbon treaties have bogged down the eurozone in crisis, locked it in absurd, obsolete and suicidal rules', said Arnaud Montebourg, a former Socialist economy minister who announced his run for the presidency last month. The two treaties underpin the euro and public finance rules in the eurozone. Montebourg's view is shared by both the far left which is anti-austerity, and by the far-right National Front on national sovereignty grounds. It also appears to be making inroads among the Republicans, the centre-right party, which is in favour of massive cuts in taxes to stimulate the economy." In "French politicians mull ripping up EU budget rules, TheLocal.fr, 11 September 2016.
How odd to find a "far left" evidencing shared views with a "far-right" as well as a "center-right" segment of France's electorate. How is these political "oppositions" finding potential common ground against the Maastricht and Lisbon treaties? You're Up may insist legally on enforced agreements but not on an absence of opposition. Treaties have been made and abrogated, as the history of Europe has proved repeatedly. The dream of unification of Europe into a You're Up has a long pedigree.
Unify or Else War
Unify Europe under Napoleon and that dream of empire, as under the Austro-Hungarian empire. Conquer and unify Europe as the goal of the Ottoman empire's dream. Unify Europe under the Germanic will of a Kaiser or National Socialist Chancellor. Unify Europe through the dreams of an Italian socialist of fascist colors, or under an Italian Communist. Unify Europe's eastern nations under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Unify Europe under the European Union and its democratically-unelected commission? There is a pattern, and throughout the pretense was that war, even if necessary, would prevent the next war, all under the waving banner of unification? Unify or else war is threatened? Each unification attempt has been about war, not the antithesis. One may rightly conclude the dream of a unified Europe -- or even a unified world -- is one significant foundation of war.
The supra-state is a state itself, and the EU has apportioned to itself its own flag, anthem, formative statements and philosophical stances, and as a "nation" over nations acts to threaten its neighbors to the East geopolitically all the while it is allied in NATO-justified military actions in the Middle East, making war by degree. Proof of Europe still making war? Consider the military acts allied with the Obama administration as both are seen Failing to plan
Unify and Also War
The supra-state begins to concern itself with troop deployments "in and outside Europe," as one reads: "The European Union is moving to lift barriers to the rapid deployment of the 28 nations' armies to confront aggressors within Europe or abroad. Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, unveiling the plan Friday, said that 'we need to be able to react effectively to internal and external crisis situations.' The aim is to upgrade infrastructure like bridges, roads and runways that can't handle heavy military equipment and cut customs and administrative red tape, which cause delays, higher costs and leave Europe vulnerable to attack." In "EU moves to speed troop deployments in and outside Europe," Associated Press, 10 November 2017.
All the imagery above centers on the iconic Brandenburg Gate, as foreign and domestic political "impulses" have ravaged the nation and all of Europe in the process. Perhaps it becomes time for the wealth and power seeking of Politics
So Many So-Shall-ists
There seem to be so many different facets to the worldwide So-shall-ists, on the far-right, right, center-right, centrist and moderate, center-left, left and far-left that the latest calculus of political terminology becomes meaningless excepting one element, and that element is the will for power over others, usually connected to wealthy privileges for those atop some political heap. Those atop a ruling political heap and their toadies will always declare a political opposition with political pejoratives, especially those which are elusive and meant to obfuscate.
For myself, I Shall Believe the Socialist
[ 5 ] The attempts to make negotiations for a "trade" relationships between national entities secret, not only during negotiations but for decades beyond suggests skullduggery at high levels indeed.
Against the Euro Elite
You're Up has been in such negotiations, but not with either buyers or sellers who trade. Rather with other governments, such that protests have been heard in Europe against You're Up. One reads: "Brussels has been totally caught off guard by the astonishing level of opposition to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and Comprehensives Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) agreements." In "PEOPLE’S REVOLT: Brussels under siege as THOUSANDS march against hated EU trade deals," by Nick Gutteridge, Express UK, 21 September 2016.
TTIP Protest - Berlin
One notes that these agreements are not being made at a national level, but for You're UP at the supra-national level. For this the protesters in the article above made a case: "Campaigners carried slogans reading 'power to the people, not the multinationals' and 'the people and the planet as a priority' as they put on a show of people power against the Euro elite."
An Attempt to Shackle Trade to Greater Governance
For trade to be free, one requires only a buyer and a seller, anywhere in the world to agree to buy and sell at agreed upon prices and terms. Therefore, with the exception of government interference via tariffs, regulations and a host of costs to both buyer and seller created by government, such trade can be free.
What then does one need a massive "free trade" set of treaties except to treat governments and their favored multinational corporations to favored terms? This does not benefit buyer nor seller, but the world of governance, making consumers into a population to be fleeced of "added value" costs, added by governance itself.
One might note, this is the opposite of free. It is shackled trade, and the latest attempts at shackling has included hiding even the details while protecting those who would shackle, and has nothing at all to do with buyer and seller agreeing freely to a transaction which they perceive and conclude to be "free."
One notes the rhetorical choice in the article above, that the EU trade strategy was an "attempted economic coup" by an elite. The obvious strategy was to constrain "free" trade to the advantage of a privileged group and make secret the dealings and details. Of what advantage would this have been to consumers? The equally obvious answer is nothing.
The Natural Order of Things?
The article notes: "This clearly shows the plantation-owner mentality of the business community that wants the government to cooperate in keeping the citizens in their respective serf positions. To them, this is the natural order of things."
Consider this attempted "deal" which seems to have failed from its own internal contradictions follows the storytelling elements of A Tale of Lords, told by a Serf
As ever, the slaves, the serfs, the indentured servants and the taxpayers, as each successive step on the road to freedom learns that Freedom is freedom is freedom
[ 6 ] That a now-proven one percent fat cat made wealthy by being a "public servant" is now also working for the international bank, Goldman Sachs, testifies to greed. One reads that he has a hefty "pension" from the EU based on a salary of over 304,212 Euros per year: "José Manuel Barroso, president of the commission, is paid a monthly salary of 25,351 euros, a residence allowance equal to 15 percent of that salary, and allowances for expenses like running a household and schooling for children. The seven vice presidents of the commission earn basic monthly salaries of 22,963 euros." In "Bureaucracy’s Salaries Defended in Europe," by James Kanter, New York Times, 4 February 2013.
One Oily Eurocrat Among Many
One reads in unflattering terms of Barosso: "He has been cast as the 'villain of the piece' in the latest 'shock' coming out of Brussels - and described as an 'oily Eurocrat from the land of sardines' - but outgoing European Commission President Durão Barroso is taking it all in his stride as he leaves his post this week after a 10-year stint. The reason he is smiling like a Cheshire Cat is that he is taking with him a millionaire’s pension: a minimum of €36,000 per month, plus three years of subsidies that could reach €367,000. As one British commentator pointed out, it is not a bad reward for being part of a 'collection of unaccountable, interfering, overpaid paper-shufflers and time-servers'." In "“Oily Eurocrat” Barroso retires on millionaire pension," Portugal Press, 27 October 2014.
That article details: "Analysing his 'millionaire' future income, national tabloid Correio da Manhã said Barroso would be receiving a lifetime pension of €11,000 per month, plus an 'additional salary' of €25,000 plus travelling expenses, as well as what is called a 'reintegration subsidy' of between €122,000-€200,000 per year, for a maximum of three years."
Barosso then moves on to an academic position at Princeton University.
Appointment and Appointment and Appointments Which Follow
More as to his history, Princeton after hiring him summarized his career: "Barroso’s political career began in 1980 when he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), a major social-democratic political party in Portugal. He was named president of the party in 1999 and was re-elected three times. During the same period, he served as vice president of the European People’s Party. As state secretary for foreign affairs and cooperation, he played a key role as mediator in the signing of the Bicesse Accords, which laid out a transition to multi-party democracy in Angola in 1991, and, as minister for foreign affairs, he was a driving force in the self-determination process in East Timor (1992-1995), a country in Maritime Southeast Asia. Under his leadership, the PSD won the general election in 2002, and Barroso was appointed prime minister of Portugal in April of that year. He remained in office until July 2004 when he was nominated by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament to the post of president of the European Commission." In "Former President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, to Discuss 'The State of the European Union'," News release, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Relations, Princeton University, 8 April 2015.
As a further advancement after his "lifetime pension of €11,000 per month" (and other estimates suggest other sizeable numbers which taxpayers will fund in perpetuity) from the EU, he joins Goldman Sachs.
Goldman Sachs on the NYSE
One reads of this: "Legally, the ex-president is bound to avoid any conflicts of interest for a period of 18 months after the end of his function. So since the beginning of May this year, the Portuguese politician no longer has to consult the current College of Commissioners. U4U’s calls for an 'appropriate decision' refer to the ex-president’s generous monthly stipend. For three years after they leave office, former presidents of the European Commission are allowed to claim 60% of their salaries, or €15,000 per month. In theory, this package is designed to make job offers from conflicting interests less attractive. But Barroso’s new job, announced exactly 20 months after the end of his second term as European Commission President, clearly illustrates this system’s limitations." In "Civil servants join call to cut Barroso’s EU pension after Goldman Sachs hire," Aline Robert, EurActiv, 12 July 2016.
The EU Elite Serves?
One will not learn what additional salary and benefits this "private" American-based international bank will pay for it has issued a statement of "no comment," but the picture of economic advancement into the ranks of the truly wealthy by a politician justify in the minds of many deep skepticism.
One reads in this last article cited of sharp criticism from both ends of the political spectrum: "The outcry against Barroso’s nomination was echoed by the French government. On Friday, the Secretary of State for Foreign Trade Mathias Fekl condemned the behaviour of a 'representative of an old Europe that our generation will change'. On the extreme right, the National Front chimed in with criticisms of its own. 'Barroso at Goldman Sachs: no surprise for those who know that the EU serves big finance, not the people'."
Big Finance
One also reads: "Goldman Sachs is a massive presence on the Brussels lobbying scene - although not necessarily flying its own colours. Very often its lobbyists are representing broader coalitions, such as the derivatives industry or the futures industry. Often, the bank is also able to squeeze itself into advisory groups set up by the commission, the European Central Bank, or the financial markets authorities. Imagine Barroso putting his address book and expertise on the table in order to open more doors for Goldman Sachs." In "Barroso’s bank job: A failure of integrity," by Corporate Europe Observatory, EUObserver, 7 September 2016.
Only weeks later: "Correspondence obtained by Portuguese daily Publico under a freedom of information request suggests that Barroso, who took a job with the US bank earlier this year, held unregistered meetings with Goldman's top people. In one email dated 30 September 2013, Goldman boss Lloyd Blankfein thanked Barroso for their 'productive discussions' and said the bank’s senior partners were delighted about their 'extremely fruitful meetings'. Publico reported that Goldman executives were happy to suggest 'on a confidential basis'” changes to EU policies, which Barroso’s cabinet read 'with great interest'." In "Barroso had deeper ties to Goldman Sachs," by Aleksandra Eriksson, EUObserver, 26 September 2016.
Let the last sentiment echo: "...the EU serves big finance, not the people."
"Old Europe" -- pictured in the many historical images above -- which has set its belligerent tone for war is risen again with talk of a "European" army under the control of You're Up, this time the politicians smirking all the way to the bank.
Meanwhile the next crop wants to extend a stay in power. One reads: "Moves to let European Parliament head Martin Schulz extend his tenure are sparking fresh infighting in the crisis-hit EU, with his opponents warning it would be akin to a declaration of war...." In "EU 'war' looms as German leader tries to cling to power," TheLocal,de, 13 September 2016.
In another revelation, "embarrassment" is the order of the EU elites' day. One reads: "...the Kroes revelation is another stinging embarrassment to an EU commission that is already struggling for credibility. Current commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, for example, served as Luxembourg prime minister while hundreds of tax-avoiding deals with multinationals were agreed. Those revelations, known as Lux Leaks, helped firms channel billions through the Duchy in an effort to avoid paying into state public coffers. The commission has since launched tax transparency policies but critics say it falls short. 'Today we got another peek into the dark underworld of the global financial system,' said Tove Maria Ryding, from Brussels-based European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), in a statement." In "Ex-EU commissioner Kroes held offshore firm," by Nikiolay Nielsen, EUObserver, 22 September 2016.
Peeking Into the Dark Underworld
Published the same day, another article shows Kroes busy with a number of lobbying alliances. One reads: "Kroes has already waded into controversy by landing a job on the advisory board of US car-sharing firm Uber, a company she had defended during her time as digital agenda commissioner. It is unclear if she does any other lobby work, but earlier this month, she also defended US tech giant Apple in its tax clash with the commission by writing an op-ed in The Guardian, a British newspaper." In "EU commission seeks answers from Kroes," by Nikolaj Nielsen, EU Observer, 22 September 2016.
How odd to consider once high ranking politicians deeply into employment and directorship relationships with business and finance. All the while the EU and its unelected leadership posture "serving" the people of Europe while seeming to well service themselves and their crony friends.
Again, "...the EU serves big finance, not the people."
Poverty in Greece
As to the people, one learns the EU is not making things better. One reads: "The EU set itself a target of significantly reducing the key measures of poverty by 2020. It is failing miserably. Even worse, it is becoming clear that one of its own main policies, the creation of the euro, and the botched, half-hearted rescue packages that have just about held the thing together, are largely responsible. It is hard to think of any other plausible explanation for the stark difference between poverty rates for the countries inside and outside the eurozone. Why should Greece and Spain be doing so much worse than anywhere in Eastern Europe? Or why Italy should be doing so much worse than Britain, when the two countries were at broadly similar levels of wealth in the Nineties? (Indeed, the Italians actually overtook us for a while in GDP per capita.) Even a traditionally very successful economy such as the Netherlands, which has not been caught up in any kind of financial crisis, has seen big increases in both relative and absolute poverty. In fact, it is not very hard to work out what has happened." In "The eurozone is turning into a poverty machine," by Matthew Lynn, Telegraph UK, 24 October 2016.
[ 7 ] "Freiheit" -- freedom -- is mentioned so often in demonstrations at the Brandenburg Gate. Freedom for what? Freedom from what?
Clarity is found in the words of Erich Kurt Mühsam (1878-1934), as I reproduce here a footnote to the page for my song setting of his Gesang der Intellektuellen
"For Freedom" at the Brandenburg Gate
It is this: Mühsam wrote in his tract titled The Liberation of Society from the State. What is Communist Anarchism? (Berlin-Britz, November 1932, Translated by CR Edmonston, 13 Sept 2008), "It is certainly clear that wherever society exits there is no room for the state, but that wherever the state is it is like a thorn in society’s flesh, it does not permit it to form a people who can socially inhale and exhale, and instead divides them into classes and thereby prevents them from being a society. A centralized construct cannot at the same time be a federalist construct. A system of management organized along authoritarian lines is a government, a bureaucracy, a commanding power, and this is the mark of the state; a community built upon equal rights and mutuality is, when considered within the bounds of their physical proximity, a people, when considered as a general form of human living, a society. State and society are opposing concepts; the one excludes the other."
The Mark of the State
As You're Up works diligently to become its own supra-state, uniting European nations with the same enthusiasm but different means than previous conquerors, one finds the "habit of rule" overwhelming much.
One reads: "The necessity of keeping the subjects in order and at the same time of maintaining them at their full capacity for labor, leads step by step from the fifth to the sixth stage, in which the state, by acquiring full intra-nationality and by the evolution of 'Nationality,' is developed in every sense. The need becomes more and more frequent to interfere, to allay difficulties, to punish, or to coerce obedience; and thus develop the habit of rule and the usages of government." In "The State: Its History and Development viewed Sociologically," by Franz Openheimer, translation by John M. Gitterman, Huebsch, 1922.
For this You're Up has its own flag, border announcements, supranational bureaucracies, supra-national regulations and reach, and has expressed the urge for its own military under its aegis. It has found it necessary to "interfere, to allay difficulties, to punish, or to coerce obedience." Words from Openheimer parallel Mühsam's "a thorn in society's flesh" which is "organized along authoritarian lines."
Opposing Concepts
How unlike the many above quotes, reports and images in which European leaders have sought to unify Europe by a variety of methods. But "State and society are opposing concepts; the one excludes the other."
Thus from French wannabe emperors to a Kaiser and the dictators of Germany and the Soviet Union to the dreams of the unelected presidents of this era and such examples as "an oily Eurocrat" which many say is exemplary of many, many more, one finds a European elite in each generation crying aloud for itself, "You're up!"
Against this self-appointment and its ever-dreamt goal of "unification," Mühsam wrote, "Wo Staat ist, kann keine Freiheit sein und keine werden." ("Where there is government, there is no freedom and can be no freedom.") in Fanal, Anarchistische Monatszeitschrift, Jg. 1, Nr. 1, October 1926.
The inverse is proven true by the above few samples. Where there has been government, there has been a French wannabe emperor, a Kaiser, a Führer, a Soviet Socialist "republic," and now a "member state" in a European Union which has been arrived at without the democratic participation of European citizens.While some governance is a necessary phenomenon, the remaining question and corollary to calls for freedom, how limited can government become? One has seen how unlimited it has become, always and ever to the short term gain of its leaders in terms of their own transitory power and wealth, and always against the poorest and least powerful.
When "you're up" has called itself, freedom has waned. This is the lesson, and a lesson too often lost.
[ 8 ] The Porter article notes: "Europe is beset by so many crises that it can be hard to remember them all. In rough order of prominence, they are: homegrown terrorism, the largest migration of people since World War II, sovereign debt, doubts about the euro’s viability, the rise of extreme right-wing parties such as France’s National Front, Russia’s menace to its western neighbors, growing Euro-skepticism (especially in Britain, which may easily vote to leave the European Union in a forthcoming referendum), the election of hard-line governments in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Catalan independence movement. Many of these are related—the sovereign-debt crises and doubts about the euro, for example—but they have combined over the last two years into a perfect storm which, with the notable exception of Germany’s Angela Merkel, has shown Europe’s leadership to be wanting in both speed and imagination."
Thus, Porter reports of this First Vice President's view: "...Frans Timmermans, the first vice president of the European Commission and the former foreign minister of the Netherlands, voiced his deepest fears. “The challenge to the European project today is existential,” he said before the Paris attacks. “The refugee crisis has brought that to light. What was unimaginable before now becomes imaginable, namely the disintegration of the European project."
The "leadership" on You're Up -- as is the thesis of this rhyme, addenda, footnotes and commentary -- is being observed as they "act" in failing to act, essentially.
Avoiding All the Difficult Questions
One reads: "...Mr Renzi’s dissent did serve two useful purposes. First, he exposed the fearful, almost timid mood that has taken hold in Europe. Mr Hollande, facing a difficult re-election bid next year, spoke endlessly yesterday of 'protecting' citizens. The summit declaration spoke of tackling Europeans’ fears but had little to say about their aspirations. Mrs Merkel at least acknowledged the failure of Europe’s 'promise of prosperity' to its citizens, but did not say how it might be met. Second, Mr Renzi highlighted the difficulty of finding common ground on the toughest issues Europe faces. Around 150,000 migrants cross the Mediterranean for Italy each year; perhaps two-thirds are not entitled to international protection. Tougher border checks mean fewer are making their way to the richer countries of northern Europe. EU-wide relocation schemes are not working (they are not supposed to apply to economic migrants anyway) and Europe remains woefully bad at returning failed asylum-seekers home. Despite endless meetings, debates and votes, Europe’s leaders have found no durable answer to this problem. It was not unreasonable for Mr Renzi to draw attention to this fact." In "European leaders in Bratislava avoided all the difficult questions," Economist, 17 September 2016.
Avoiding all the Difficult Questions in Bratislava
Avoid might be too weak a word. One reads: "...there were so many words, but we weren't capable to saying anything clear about the issue of Africa. 'That's why, to use a euphemism, we didn't take it well. (European Commission President Jean-Claude) Juncker says lots of wonderful things, but we don't see actions. This is one of Europe's problems. Italy will go it alone. It is capable of doing it, but this is a problem for the EU'." In "Italy 'ready to go alone on migrants'," ANSA, 19 September 2016.
Europe being a geographical designation has no political problems, but You're Up has now and at this time, as it has been other governments in preceding eras. To conflate the distinction between a geographic term so to wrap many nations under one government "union: has been a trick of words. As Renzi says, "there were so many words...."
The Bleeding Obvious -- It's Only About Politics and Politicians Being Paid
That Economist article from September was foreshadowed by others noticing the avoidance of "all the difficult questions." One reads from the previous January: "European Union procedures groaned to the breaking point. With the EU's external borders as porous as a sieve, exercising zero control over internal borders -- those between two EU members -- no longer seemed such a grand idea." In "4 reasons the refugee crisis will shake the world," by Don Melvin, CNN, 6 January 2016.
Skepticism over the EU -- You're Up and its high-profile political leaders -- has a very long life as does the EU's unwillingness to be criticized. Looking further back, one reads: "The European Court of Justice ruled yesterday that the European Union can lawfully suppress political criticism of its institutions and of leading figures, sweeping aside English Common Law and 50 years of European precedents on civil liberties." In "Euro-court outlaws criticism of EU," by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph UK, 7 March 2001.
That was the result of a critique by Bernard Connolly, refused by the EU in that time. Of Connolly, one finds: " 'The Rotten Heart of Europe' may look prophetic, but “'it was really stating the bleeding obvious'. It’s just that, back then, 'lots of people didn’t want to see or recognise the bleeding obvious'. Now they have to. Has the eurozone been a mess in the way he expected? Completely. It was 'badly constructed', because the people who constructed it didn’t care about economics, only about politics. The plan from day one was to 'put in place a mechanism' that would force Europe’s countries into a political union. Anyone who doesn’t believe that must believe instead that 'these people were so blind, incompetent, and stupid that they should never have been allowed to be in charge of a whelk stall'. What will happen next? If you want the euro to hold, there are two routes: the German route of a fiscal union 'in which the Germans set rules that everyone else has to follow'; or a transfer union in which everyone else “puts their hands in Germany’s pocket”. You can’t have both." In "Bernard Connolly: The man who predicted the euro crisis," by Meryn Somerset Webb, Money Week, 31 January 2013.
Feathering Elite Financial Nests
From 2001's refusal to accept "the bleeding obvious" to 2016's "fearful, almost timid mood that has taken hold in Europe," what might well be concluded is that the many Eurocrats, who have amply feathered their own financial nests as the example of Barroso above testifies, have found themselves avoiding "all the difficult questions" because the project was always "only about politics."
As feathering their own financial nests, Barroso's "team" still pockets large sums of public money after "leaving" their jobs. One reads: "Sixteen former European commissioners are currently receiving monthly payments from the commission's coffers, even though several of them have already found new, well-paid jobs. The list of who receives the so-called transitional allowance of at least €99,996 per year was acquired by German weekly newspaper Die Zeit." In "Half of Barroso II commissioners still get allowance," by Peter Teffer, EU Observer, 3 November 2016.
That politicians pay themselves handsomely is all too true. But the details tell more: "...more than half of those who were a member of the Barroso II team, are on the list, two years after they left office. Some on the list have new political jobs, like Dacian Ciolos, who is now prime minister of Romania, and Andris Piebalgs, who since June leads the centre-right Unity party in Latvia. The list also includes an active MEP. Former budget commissioner Janusz Lewandowski receives an allowance from the commission, while at the same time receiving a salary of over €8,000 per month for his work as a member of the European Parliament. Two people who were commissioners for just 3.5 months also still receive the allowance, two years after they left office: Jacek Dominik and Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, who were part of Barroso II from 16 July 2014 to 1 November 2014."
That a political job of three and a half months duration warrants two years and more of "allowance" is an affront to taxpayers throughout Europe.It is important to note that "big finance" as mentioned above as it lobbies politically is not about "economics" nor "freedom" but about power and wealth as politics may assist in its acquisition and wielding.
As to such politics morphed into "foreign policy," one reads of one amusing report among a number of backlashes against the unelected leaders who have sidestepped democratic principles. The Philippines democratically elected president is quoted: "He said: 'I read the condemnation of the EU against me. I will tell them: 'F*** you. You’re doing it in atonement for your sins.' He accused the bloc of hypocrisy, saying a rudimental check of the history books showed European countries had killed thousands of people in the past. He added: 'And then the EU has the gall to condemn me. I repeat: "F*** you'." In "'F*** you EU!' Philippines president hits out at Brussels amid EU bureaucrats meddling," by Ross Logan, Express UK, 21 September 2016.
Why such rhetoric? Perhaps because the EU has reached too far. In the so-called Barossogate scandal, as it is now called, what seems certain is that insiders are squabbling. One reads: "...Juncker took action only after one of his favourite papers, the pro-European Le Soir, dedicated a dossier to his shortcomings and said the commission was 'in denial'. He called the Belgian daily to present his proposals, But these are already falling short of expectations. The Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), a transparency group, called it a 'face-saving exercise' that wouldn’t stop the next ethics scandal." In "Juncker's Barrosogate response is too little, too late," by Aleksandra Eriksson, EU Observer, 8 November 2016.
Now one watches European opposition political parties also becoming voices against such "legal corruption" of democratic principles. In fact, none of the elite in the EU itself have subjected themselves directly to voters Europe-wide.
Further Opposing Concepts
Of Connolly, looking back to his critique of 2001, the Money Week article notes he was "one of the very few economists to predict the global financial crisis."
Otmar Issing
From a 2002 critique to 2016, warnings persist. One reads: "Prof Issing lambasted the European Commission as a creature of political forces that has given up trying to enforce the rules in any meaningful way. 'The moral hazard is overwhelming,' he said. The European Central Bank is on a 'slippery slope' and has in his view fatally compromised the system by bailing out bankrupt states in palpable violation of the treaties. 'The Stability and Growth Pact has more or less failed. Market discipline is done away with by ECB interventions. So there is no fiscal control mechanism from markets or politics. This has all the elements to bring disaster for monetary union. The no bailout clause is violated every day,' he said, dismissing the European Court's approval for bailout measures as simple-minded and ideological." In "Euro 'house of cards' to collapse, warns ECB prophet," by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph UK, 16 October 2016.
Another voice opines: "A senior employee at Bank of America Merrill Lynch says the single currency bloc has been gradually falling apart ever since it was formed almost 20 years ago. Although several countries including Greece and Portugal received emergency bailouts during the financial crisis, richer countries like Germany have failed to redistribute wealth on a permanent basis to poorer countries in the eurozone. London-based Athanasios Vamvakidis, who worked for the International Monetary Fund for 13 years before joining the US bank, said this has driven members apart and increased inequality." In "Eurozone faces doom no matter how hard France and Germany try to save it, warns top investment bank," by James Salmon, Daily Mail UK, 15 July 2017.
But as has been the story element since Troy and its Cassandra foretelling tragedy, warnings are ignored. Why not? For the elite in the political world, they live in a rarefied, privileged stratum which ordinary citizens will never experience. It is in their rational if immoral interest to see this continue as long as possible. This is among the reasons the parade of "leaders" with the Brandenburg Gate as backdrop informs well, even as a modern Cassandra might.
Jacques Delors Institute panel advocating for greater government
On the opposing side to Issing as a modern Cassandra, one reads of prophetic warnings for growth of the EU as government. One reads: "Europe is taking a very risky bet by hoping the next crisis could again be solved by last-minute stabilisation measures and by relying on a powerful ECB response. The current criticism of the ECB and the discussions about the limits of its mandate are indications that the scope for another forceful ECB intervention may be limited. That is why European governments should step in today and build a stronger EMU. We propose a strategy that brings together the most compelling proposals of the ongoing discussion on EMU and translates them into a comprehensive reform plan, based on three building blocks." In "Repair and Prepare, Growth and the Euro after Brexit," by Henrik Enderlein, Enrico Letta et al., Jacques Delors Institute, 2016.
Another report -- post Brexit -- by this Institute insinuates the phrase "European added value," suggesting that the EU government adds some "European" value to nations and peoples already European, whether or not the European Union as another layer of super-state government survives or not. The EU seeks money, and it is Europe -- in whatever incarnation an era presents -- which must pay the supra-state. This simple fact illustrates the historical association of rulers appearing at the Brandenburg Gate, only to be washed away by history.
Added Value -- Doublespeak for Added Taxation
The text reads: "Although much is still uncertain, it is clear that Brexit will deal a shock to the EU budget. There is no easy way to fill the 'Brexit gap' of around €10 billion per year, especially because a unanimous decision is required to do so and neither contribution increases or budget cuts will be palatable to all Member States. This spells trouble for the negotiations concerning the next MFF. They are likely to be even tenser than usual because Brexit entrenches the existing differences between net contributors and net recipients. Today’s largest net contributors would be hit hardest by an increase in contributions, while today’s net recipients would be relatively unaffected. Budget cuts, on the other hand, would likely hurt net recipients by reducing spending on the two largest budget titles, namely the CAP and cohesion policy. The alternative – cutting spending on areas such as research, pan-European infrastructure or migration – would yield only small savings and would be devastating for the EU’s efforts to create more European added value." In "Brexit and the EU budget: threat or opportunity?" by Jörg Haas and Eulalia Rubio, policy paper of the Jacques Delors Institute, 16 January 2017.
One notes in the Institute's vocabulary, increased "contributions" replaces the more honest phrase -- increased taxes. Such are the "efforts to create more European value."
One notes editorially that government is most usually for government, proving Mühsam's observation that the state stands in opposition to society, most especially any in opposition to a particular party in power. Mühsam's murder was by the party in power in his time for independent and surely opposing thoughts threaten gathering or entrenched power.
An economic monetary union -- EMU -- of course requires a political union of governance, so the dream of the supranational European Union becoming ever more a reality is embedded in this call. The call's "building blocks" proposed are 1) "quick fixes that should be implemented immediately include a reinforcement of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), a further strengthening of the Banking Union and better economic policy coordination under improved democratic control," 2) "more convergence and growth," and 3) "a true economic and monetary union" which is imagined to "based on significant risk sharing and sovereignty sharing within a coherent and legitimate framework of supranational economic governance."
The EU Seeks Risk Sharing and Sovereignty Sharing -- an Imperial Dream
The argument becomes circular. Because of the EU crises one "needs" a stronger EU. But the politics -- it is ever political, in the end -- is risky, and the Delors Institute takes note of this, as their recommendation "...might undermine public support for the euro because of additional risk sharing and sovereignty sharing."
The question of treaties and their unenforced fiscal rules arises. One reads: "The commission has let France and Italy off the hook on budget deficits. It also decided last summer not to impose sanctions on Spain and Portugal. It did it in part because France was heading into elections with the anti-EU National Front party posing a threat. Italy was struggling with earthquake reconstruction and refugee costs, as well as a referendum that could catapult an anti-euro party, the 5 Star Movement, into power. Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker recently also said that France got flexibility 'because it’s France' - a remark which indicated that big EU states could break rules with impunity. 'That is a philosophy that doesn’t work for the European Union', Schaeuble said on Friday." In "Germany wants EU fund to enforce fiscal rules," by Andrew Rettman, EU Observer, 29 October 2016.
Risk sharing? The commission letting member states "off the hook on budget deficits" for political reasons? When a gamble is made and losses result, the economic reality is that the one making the gamble loses. In the EU currently this risk sharing passes on losses to tax paying citizens. Sovereignty sharing? When a nation "shares" sovereignty, the word itself becomes meaningless, for no one entity which truly sovereign "shares" said sovereignty. This is a call for EU sovereignty wherein all risks anywhere are to be piled onto the citizenry.
Lack of Accountability, Loss of Sovereignty and a Shafting
Some in Ireland see the EU as having cheated Ireland, as one example of a growing Euro-skepticism. One reads: "When asked whether euroscepticism was growing on the island, he said: 'For sure. There is definitely a support for stopping what seems to be an unstoppable march to EU integration, EU super state, whatever you want to call it.' He said a growing distrust of Brussels was centred on three concerns: a lack of accountability from those in power, a loss of sovereignty in Ireland and the EU’s treatment of the country during the banking crisis. Mr Redmond said: 'Ireland as an island was quarantined for the toxic banking debt of the EU. They basically shafted us'." In " 'They SHAFTED us!' Ireland will punish Brussels with shock EU exit, says Dublin think tank," by Joey Millar, Express UK, 25 March 2017.
And as to enforcing monetary integration on the unwilling, one reads: "The move, revealed by German publication Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung, who obtained a leaked copy of a Commission report, is likely to be fiercely opposed by Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic's eurosceptic governments. Just last week, Polish finance minister Mateusz Morawiecki said it was 'not in Poland’s interest' to join the eurozone. Warsaw is worried about losing its financial autonomy. The eurozone push could also cause controversy in Sweden, which held a non-binding referendum on whether to adopt the euro in 2003. More than 55 per cent of voters said the in the Scandinavian country want leaders to reject any move to join the eurozone." In "EU SUPERSTATE: Brussels 'to force EVERY member state to adopt euro by 2025'," by Tom Parfitt, Express UK, 22 May 2017.
Given the way the EU elite politicians have shown their elite side, handing them sovereignty over whole nations seems quite with historical precedent, as Napoleon sought greater sovereignty, the Kaiser and the National Socialists sought annexation of other lands, the Soviet Socialists ruled through their satellite DDR as "sovereign" for a while. So the call from the Delors Institute has precedents, albeit many destructive precedents. This is the age-old imperial dream. "We" will rule "you." This is the age-old rational. "We" will protect "you."
A Rather Brazen Caper -- the Speeches of Old Seem to No Longer Apply
Where in all the above is the seeking after freedom? From Napoleon marching through the Brandenburg Gate and across centuries, one finds the dream to have unified Europe is again teetering from its own lust for political, economic and military power as to be wielded by the few over the many. As Mühsam wrote: "State and society are opposing concepts; the one excludes the other."
You're Up
One finds that the fat cats atop You're Up are trying to assure each other's position of power. It is reported that "...Schulz and Juncker have become so comfortable with their symbiosis that Schulz isn't of a mind to fulfill his pledge. For months, a campaign has been underway in Europe that has but a single goal: That of ensuring Schulz's re-election as president of parliament. It is a rather brazen caper. When Martin Schulz and Jean-Claude Juncker campaigned across the continent in spring 2014, they promised to bring more light into the darkness of Brussel bureaucracy. 'This is a democratic revolution,'" Schulz said at the time. But now that one of them is supposed to step down, the speeches of old seem no longer to apply." In "A Test for EU Democracy," by Peter Müller, Spiegel Online, 21 September 2016.
You're Up's Pact to Ensure Power for the Few
The Spiegel Online article goes on to observe of the two top EU politicians, that they "...have made a pact that seems primarily aimed at ensuring each other's power. 'This kind of backscratching is harmful to Europe,' says Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a European parliamentarian from the business friendly Free Democrats. 'It demonstrates that the parliament isn't interested in controlling the Commission to the degree necessary.' Schulz ensures that the Commission president, plagued by affairs as he is, doesn't have to face questions that are too uncomfortable. In return, Juncker was organizing a campaign for the re-election of his friend Schulz and does what he can to spare him from nasty headlines."
Only a month later, the "campaign" to re-elect Schulz is jettisoned, as opposition forced his political hand. One reads: "Schulz had fought to stay on for a third term, despite having promised to hand over the post to the centre-right EPP group. But he was struggling to get enough support for his candidacy." In "Martin Schulz to quit as EU parliament leader," by Aleksandra Eriksson, EU Observer, 24 November 2016.
Losing power at the EU level is motivation enough to seek prolonging a political career elsewhere, following a different path than the tale of Barrosogate. Of Schulz one reads: "The SZ and Spiegel both reported that Schulz could very well be a potential choice as candidate for Chancellor for his party, running against Merkel in the election next autumn. According to Spiegel, Schulz made his decision to step down as EU Parliament President in close consideration with Gabriel. SPD sources also told Spiegel that the party has a set plan to announce a decision about a candidate for Chancellor at the end of January, and Schulz is set to remain in his current office until mid-January." In "Is this the man who will run against Merkel next year?" TheLocal.de, 24 December 2016.
Juncker too then announced he would not seek reelection. The "caper" has proven one too many.
Of this last imperial You're Up "rather brazen caper," one has learned that today as at the onset, "the people who constructed it didn’t care about economics, only about Politics
The alleged commitment to fight corruption also seems to wither, as one reads: "Timmermans and EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker had earlier this week issued a short joint-statement on Romania. The two noted that the 'fight against corruption needs to be advanced, not undone.' But such statements, given their refusal to publish future anti-corruption reports, have riled transparency campaigners. 'The gap between the rhetoric from President Juncker and Vice-President Timmermans and the reality on the ground is striking,' said Carl Dolan, Transparency International's Europe director, in a statement." In "EU commission drops anti-corruption report," by Nikolaj Nielsen, EU Observer, 2 February 2017.
"Compelled to Mingle With Each Other" to "Dissolve Themselves"
As to Timmermans, his relationship with Poland, a member of the EU, is telling. One reads: "...The ministry also accused Timmermans of trying to marginalize Poland and violate its national sovereignty. Timmermans was engaged in a tense public exchange with Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski over the constitutional court during a panel discussion at the recent Munich Security Conference. 'Poland interprets the actions and comments made by Frans Timmermans as politically motivated and serving to stigmatize one of the member states,' it said, calling on him 'to stop such acts'." In "Poland tells EU: We value democracy, respect our sovereignty," Associated Press, 20 February 2017.
One contrasts the above with some theoretical writing: "The nationalities of the peoples associating themselves in accordance with the principle of community will be compelled to mingle with each other as a result of this association and thereby to dissolve themselves, just as the various estate and class distinctions must disappear through the abolition of their basis, private property." In "The Principles of Communism," Frederick Engels (1847), trans. Paul Sweezy, Selected Works, Volume One, p. 81-97, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1969.
The New Architects, Quite Like the Old
And yet the EU is in crisis for its elite's dream of ever greater rule, quite like all those who paraded in the pictures above through the Brandenburg Gate. One reads of some: "...Tusk and Verhofstadt are two of the architects of Europe’s crises, Obama era puppets who evangelized the current EU mess in the first place. The former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt is running for EU president now, which frames his fear monger cries well. To put these two in context, if Washington has a swamp needing draining, Tusk and Verhofstadt are two of Brussels’ biggest, slimiest swamp monsters. The term 'rabid liberals' best describes these people. Verhhofstadt’s founded the Spinneli Group, which swears to eradicate nationalism and intergovernmentalism. The group is essentially in favor of government so big and nebulous, that no common person can never hope to understand or oppose it. Looking at the list of members of this group reveals all that is wrong with Europe, and every unsolved problem the people here face." In "Donald Trump Named a Threat to Globalist Elites," by Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 3 February 2017.
One has seen documented EU functionaries' work to "eradicate nationalism" and create government "so big and nebulous, that no common person can... hope to understand or oppose it." This idiotic stance should be compared to recent European history, as one reads: " 'What no one seemed to notice,' said a colleague of mine, a philologist, 'was the ever widening gap, after 1933, between the government and the people. Just think how very wide this gap was to begin with, here in Germany. And it became always wider. You know, it doesn’t make people close to their government to be told that this is a people’s government, a true democracy, or to be enrolled in civilian defense, or even to vote. All this has little, really nothing, to do with knowing one is governing. What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could not understand it, it could not be released because of national security'." In "They Thought They Were Free - The Germans, 1933-45," Milton Mayer, University of Chicago Press, 1955.
Democracy According to the Elite -- The People Could Not Understand and Must Be Governed by Surprise
The validation of this sort of behavior which was seen in the last century of European history is that it is being seen again. One reads of an EU government of secrets: " 'Twenty eight ministers have acted illegally by adopting these guidelines,' he added. 'How can you expect European citizens to abide by European law, if the European ministers don't?' " In "EU 'breaking own laws' by keeping documents secret," by Peter Teffer, EU Observer, 10 March 2017.
What began as a common market strategy has become a massive political enterprise, reaching for supranational control of its own military in 2017, all the while European citizens grow more skeptical. One reads: "The EU is about to celebrate its 60th birthday, but its age is showing. The British have opted to leave, while Eurosceptic parties are growing in popularity in major members, such as France and the Netherlands. In Germany too, the anti-Euro Alternative for Germany (AfD) are set to win their first seats in the Bundestag (German parliament) this September. And it seems that the German electorate are also restless for change." In "Eight in ten Germans think the EU needs to be reformed," TheLocal.de, 16 March 2017.
How dare mere citizens of a "member state" conclude that the supranational entity be changed?
How akin to that time is this, as the EU declares itself synonymous with Europe as a political as well as geographic entity, works to wither nations within its grasp, grows ever more distant and secretive in an incremental manner, and in need of acting on "information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if people could understand it, it could not be released because of national security. One only replaces "national" with "supranational" and the picture comes into focus.
Where is the greater freedom for millions of European citizens of many lands in all this? Absent.
Where is the greater democracy for voters in all this? Withering away.
Where is the greater transparency in governance in all this? Proven defeated.
Where is the egalitarian impulse in all this? There is none, for the egalitarian impulse philosophically and politically opposes the elite impulse. The European Union began as an elite exercise and is trying to grasp at greater power and control even as Britain exercises its right to exit the "union" to howls of complaint from those who would rule Britain from Brussels.
Requiem for a European Dream?
The tale of the EU has a beginning and an end is foreseen, as one reads: "Despite what most Eurocrats think, the EU’s grave-diggers are not the Orbans, Kaczinskys and Farages. It's a general disillusionment, including on the political left, as they, too, can hardly support the EU in its current form. British Labour's half-hearted Remain stance, Renzi's removal of the EU flag from his public appearances, the disappointment of Hungarians and Poles at the EU's impotence in tackling the corruption and dismantling of democracy in their countries has sapped support. The EU's reaction has done little to demonstrate their acknowledgement of a problem, let alone their willingness or ability to fix it. Critics have been labelled racists or forced into a binary category of pro- or anti-European, a disgraced president is running the European Commission, and citizens have been ignored when they have vetoed a new treaty, or approved Brexit, or pointed out the pathetic nature of the refugee relocation scheme." In "Requiem for a European dream," by Andras Baneth, EU Observer, 23 November 2016.
The telling phrase of You're Up is "citizens have been ignored." Government pretending to be a servant easily becomes a master, and then resents the citizens for noticing,
The imagery above is testimony to so many European dreams of unifying the continent.
Then there is testimony from the horse's mouth as to distrust of democratic processes, as one learns: " 'I'm fundamentally not a big friend of referendums,' European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said in June, days before the UK vote. 'One always breaks out in a sweat when someone dares to ask the opinion of the people,' he told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung." In "EU legitimacy in question," by Eric Maurice, EU Observer, 30 December 2016.
Becoming Abundantly Clear
More of Juncker and his "leadership" is reported, as one reads: "The German cables say plans to roll back aggressive tax planning schemes were repeatedly blocked by a core set of members often led by Luxembourg. Luxembourg had also protested efforts by some members to ease decision making within the group and expose those obstructing tax reforms. One cable, according to the Guardian, said Luxembourg had no interest in real reform. 'It has become abundantly clear once again that a majority [of members states] are not interested in real reform. In particular, Luxembourg representatives said they would fundamentally object to any proposal to publish arguments made by Luxembourg in the committee,' the German diplomatic note said." In "Juncker blocked tax reform, leaked cables say," by Nikolaj Nielsen, EU Observer, 3 January 2017.
The "opinion of the people" annoys. How dare it? The leadership looks away from reform? It seems so. Such project a picture of politicians politicking -- for themselves and crony friends, for favoritism and against democratic principles and accountability to "the people" they rule, but do not wish to heed.
As to over-reaching rule of an elite over European nations and their peoples, an admission is heard: "There are elections in France, Germany and The Netherlands this year, and in all three populists are making gains. Why do you think they are getting support? 'I think this is largely due to our faults. I think the European Union and the Commission gave the impression that we are in command of everything. We were trying to have influence in so many things which are better in the hands of national, local and regional authorities'." In "Q&A: Jean-Claude Juncker on Brexit, Russia, and Trump's 'Highly Unfriendly' Remarks on the E.U." by Charlotte McDonald-Gibson, Time, 15 February 2017.
Secret Government, Off Limits to the Public
What validates this "impression" is fact demonstrating that democracy in the EU is dead. One reads: "The closed-door talks are off limits to the public. Minutes are usually not taken. The bigger negotiations require a forward calendar of dates, preceded by technical briefings with staff from all three institutions. Those dates are not published either. If any notes are taken, obtaining them is also difficult because the meetings do not formally exist. Exercising the right to access EU documents to a meeting that never officially took place can be a daunting exercise in patience and disappointment. The back-room dealings have also led to a clustering of bills being agreed at first reading, making it more difficult for the interested public to follow the legislative trail in detail." In "Secret EU law making takes over Brussels," by Nikolaj Nielsen, EU Observer, 24 January 2017.
Against a tableau of decisions from distant and seemingly unaccountable law-making commissions, one finds push-back. " 'The EU makes decisions once a year. These decisions are based on data which are absolutely guaranteed to be wholly inaccurate because we estimate roughly a million tonnes of good, healthy fish are thrown back into the sea as dead pollution'." In "EU's fishing policy is a 'SOVIET SYSTEM' which kills a 'MILLION tonnes of fish each year'," by Charles Bayliss, Express UK, 2 March 2017. Such sentiments are rising across Europe, as counterpoint to "secret EU law making."
The Dying European Patient
As an EU anniversary approaches, one finds prognostications in parallel with the over-all sentiment of this rhyme, its addenda and sourced footnotes. One reads a possible prophecy in a sure0footed critique: "The rhetoric inside all the documents I’ve scanned leaves little doubt that Brussels is assured of an EU collapse. What makes matters worse though, is the fact these 'thinkers' have no real and concrete plan for even a 're-envisioned EU'. Every time Juncker or any key player is mentioned in the texts, the points are only stating the obvious. This is, after all, the only thing the parliamentarians do actually." In "EU60 and the Dying Europe Patient," by Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 6 March 2017.
Nothing in Return, Says Moldova
In the aftermath of the British vote to exit the EU, the smallest EU member-states are reviewing their relationships. One reads: "...the Russian administration continues to mend fences and to create new bonds of friendship. To the south and west of Moldova a score of EU member states discuss a 'Brexit-like' abandonment of a globalist system many see as doomed to failure. And Moldova’s plight since the fall of the Soviet Union is a picture window into the biggest international experiment in history. To quote Ms. Greceanîi on Moldova’s recent elections and the lean toward Russia: 'We won because the majority of Moldovans are for strategic partnership with Russia. In 2014, our current pro-European coalition in the parliament signed an agreement on association with the European Union, and, frankly, we got almost nothing in return from the European Union, while sustaining a major economic setback by losing the Russian market and our strategic partner. This is what happens when politicians who try to destroy age-old ties and traditions between our peoples come to power.' The Moldovan politician expressed what is a growing sentiment toward the European Union. The poorest country of the former Soviet republics, Moldova is perhaps the most neglected country in Europe." In "Brussels, NATO, and the Globalists: In Total Disarray," by Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 17 March 2017.
The Greatest Nightmare
Of the so-called Brexit process, one voice openly opines: " 'The EU does not want to negotiate with Britain. The mistake that Brexiteers and the government was made to think that because German industry, Italian wine producers, have a vested interest in reaching an agreement with the UK that this is somehow going to influence the negotiations. The greatest nightmare for Brussels, but also Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, is a mutually advantageous agreement with Britain. This will be interpreted in their mind by the rest of the riff raff of Europe - the Greeks, the Spaniards, the Portuguese - as a sign you can confront the EU’s deep establishment and get a decent deal out of it'." In "Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis warns Theresa May: 'EU won’t be fair, so walk out now'," by Tom Newton Dunn, Sun UK, 8 September 2017.
A nation to Europe's east also threatens: "In his Izmir speech, Erdogan said Turks living in Europe were being 'oppressed' and 'humiliated.' 'Europe will pay for what they have done. God willing, the question of the European Union will again be on the table after April 16,' Erdogan said. 'They said a century ago that we were the 'sick man.' Now they are the 'sick man.' Europe is collapsing,' he added." In "Turkish Leader Erdogan Assails Europe, Calls It 'Sick,' 'Collapsing'," RFE/RL, 10 April 2017.
Not European Anymore
After hundreds were injured in a planned referendum for freedom denounced by Spain, one finds: "...the EU remained tight-lipped for most of referendum day, with Guy Verhofstadt President of the Alliance of Liberals&Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the European Parliament breaking the silence, amid fury the bloc should condemn Madrid. Voters were left livid, asking Jean Claude Juncker - European Commission President - why he was keeping quiet. One man wrote on Twitter: 'What has Tusk, Juncker said? I can't believe the silence from the EU on this. Disappointment doesn't come close!' John Michael Murray said: 'Prediction - Catalan within 48 hours announces independence. Bigger headache for the EU than #Brexit.' Dan Sanderson tweeted: 'The EU want a fascist United states of Europe. viva Catalan.' Others said they will no longer see themselves as European." In " 'Not European anymore' Furious Catalans slam EU for silence over police violence in Spain," by Zoie O'Brien, Express UK, 2 October 2017.
But as to Jean-Claude Juncker and those European leaders who dreamed loudly of their vision of a united Europe, one might do well to heed a former statement by this proven dissembler who is quoted as testifying that If it's serious, you lie
Luxury at the Top
But a politician who states that politicians lie becomes irritated when truths emerge. Among such truths are the expenses which such a self-described "liar" bills to European citizens. One reads of lavishness worthy of kings and their supposed divine rights: "As the EU demands a whopping divorce bill from Britain, their own accounts reveal Eurocrats like loathed Jean-Claude Juncker blew the cash on luxury private jets and hotels in the first two months of 2016. The Commission boss’s receipts include a €27,000 bill for a two-day trip to Rome and a €2,000 overnight stay in Berlin. His two-month total hit €63,877 – including a €48 half-day 'allowance' for a visit to Germany – despite his €304,000 annual salary. After a three-year Freedom of Information battle, the European Commission grudgingly released the figures for EU Commissioners’ travel expenses – which point to a £6million annual bill – to the campaign group Access Info Europe." In "JEAN-CLAUDE JUNKET EU bosses racked up ‘outrageous’ half a million Euro travel expenses bill in just TWO months, according to damning figures they tried to keep secret," by Harry, Cole, Sun UK, 9 August 2017.
[ 9 ] While neo-Nazis as supposedly defining the far-right are the seemingly most obvious examples of anti-Semitism, another report: "...Schroeder criticized the fact that many politically motivated acts of violence are not officially linked to left-wing extremists. For example, he told Die Welt that, according to the official report, 600 violent crimes each year are carried out by 'non-extreme' leftists. But Schroeder argued that 'anyone who tries to create political change through violence is an extremist. Period'." In "Anti-Semitism 'widespread' among German extreme left," thelocal.de, 18 July 2016.
The New European Anti-Semitism
As to this new-old problem, one reads: "...anti-Semitism didn’t originate with Europe’s Muslims, nor are they its only proponents today. The traditional anti-Semitism of Europe’s far right persists. So, too, does that of the far left, as a negative byproduct of sympathy for the Palestinian liberation struggle. There’s also an anti-Semitism of the center, a subcategory of the sort of casual anti-Americanism and anticapitalism that many otherwise moderate Europeans espouse. But the rise of Muslim anti-Semitism is responsible for the recent change in the tone of hate in Germany. Until recently, the country’s anti-Semitism has been largely coded and anonymous. Messages might be spray-painted on walls at night; during the day, though, it would be rare to hear someone shout, as protesters did in Berlin in July, 'Jews to the gas!' Another popular slogan at this and other rallies was 'Jew, coward pig, come out and fight alone!' — shouted just yards from Berlin’s main Holocaust memorial. And this is the difference today: An anti-Semitism that is not only passionate, but also unaware of, or indifferent to, Germany’s special history." In "What’s Behind Germany’s New Anti-Semitism," by Jochen Bittner, New York Times, 16 September 2014.
Remembering the National Socialist Past
In the early years of Hitler's rise to power, the Nazis attempted replacing Europe's Christian tradition with its political vision, as a photo from the cathedral in Braunschweig shows. Removing the Christian symbols and elevating the swastika, the cathedral became a small portion of the battleground for ideology.
Remembering this, one considers the European Union's elite vision of that multiculturalism which erases foundations. One reads: " 'Europe’s Judeo-Christian roots and common cultural heritage, as well as the classic and humanist history of Europe and the achievements of the period of enlightenment, are the foundation of our political family,' said the statement, adopted at a meeting attended by Merkel and other EU leaders. Pope Benedict warned the bloc was headed up a slippery slope of indifference and said it could not deny its 'historical, cultural and moral identity' that Christianity helped forge. 'A community that builds itself without respecting the true dignity of the human being, forgetting that each person is created in the image of God, ends up doing good for no one,' he said." In "Pope criticises EU for excluding God," by Philip Pullella, Reuters, 24 March 2007.
Yet the current push for massive immigration into Europe from Islamic countries evidences a quite historical parallel.
Importing Jews' Enemy to Europe?
Criticized for his view, Hamburg-born Karl Lagerfeld observed: " 'One cannot -- even if there are decades between them -- kill millions of Jews so you can bring millions of their worst enemies in their place,' he told a French television show. 'I know someone in Germany who took a young Syrian and after four days said, 'The greatest thing Germany invented was the Holocaust,' he added." In "Lagerfeld sparks fury over migrants Holocaust comments," Agence France Presse, 13 November 2017.
A dawning awareness that Germany has imported Jew hatred is found citing Bild as source: "Most immigrants have very little if any knowledge of the Holocaust. Some of those who do, however, are exceptionally positive about this horrific genocide. 'That's why [the murder of six million Jews] I love Hitler,' Zaim from Raqqa said. He added that Hitler 'had the right to do this because the Jews are a deceiving people.' A Kurdish man from Aleppo explained why Arabs sympathize with Hitler. 'At school, they don't condemn Hitler. Why not? Because he was the enemy of their enemy. The enemy of the Jews,' he said. It is ironic: German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened her country up for a wave of immigrants from the Middle East out of 'tolerance,' but many of those newcomers are extremely intolerant themselves." In "Islamist Immigrants in Germany Love Hitler," by Michael van der Galien, PJ Media, 13 December 2017.
You Jew
This reappearance of Jew hatred is now through the avenue of immigration, as one reads the problem grows: " 'You Jew" as the current insult, or teachers of the Koran that give lessons in state supported schools are shown: teachers in Berlin relate in an questionnaire, that anti-Semitism and Islamism are being taught to their students." In the original German, from broadcaster RBB, 'Du Jude' als gängige Beschimpfung oder Koranlehrer, die das im staatlichen Unterricht Gelernte überprüfen: Berliner Lehrer berichten in einer Umfrage, dass Antisemitismus und Islamismus sich unter ihren Schülern immer mehr durchsetzen." In "Lehrer klagen über Antisemitismus auf Berliner Schulhöfen," by Sascha Adamek und Jo Goll, RBB/24, 19 July 2017.
It seems Germany has imported the next generation of Jew hatred. One reads: "The 25-year-old was wearing a chain with a star of David, which police said was ripped from the victim's neck by one of the men, while spewing 'anti-Semitic insults'. The attacker allegedly repeatedly punched the victim in the face, before fleeing. The victim was treated in a hospital after suffering cuts to the head. Police added that the three female suspects aged 15 to 21 and seven men aged 17 to 25 were subsequently released, but that a special branch of investigators dealing with politically motivated crimes have taken over the case." In "10 arrested in anti-Semitic assault in Berlin park," Agence France Press, 6 July 2018.
With this reappearance of Jew hatred in Germany, Europe announces ever more to Jewish Europeans the likelihood that "you're up" yet again. This is what now passes for "liberal" and "center" politics, as European anti-Semitism rises again.
Of Some Politicians in France
As to a "new" anti-Semitism in France, one reads of this example among many: In "BNVCA said the incidents were expressions of what scholars of antisemitism are calling 'new antisemitism' — assaults in which culprits cite Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians to justify violence or hostility toward individual Jews. The organization accused some politicians in France of encouraging this phenomenon, including by agreeing to host next week at the Elysee presidential palace activists devoted to helping Hassan Hamouri, a terrorist for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist group. Hamouri was arrested by Israel in 2005 and imprisoned following his conviction of planning to assassinate the late Israeli rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Hamouri, who is a French citizen, was released in exchange for the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, whom Hamas abducted in 2006. But he was arrested again, allegedly for violating the terms of his release by continuing to plan terrorist activities. Activists fighting for his release are planning a fundraiser in France for him on Oct. 9, after their planned meeting with an official at the Elysee." In "French girl hospitalized following classmates’ antisemitic attack," by JTA, Jerusalem Post, 7 October 2017.
More from France: "...Raphael Cohen, takes extra precautions: 'I have to disguise myself to go to the synagogue because I can't come with my kippa on my head. So I have to put on a cap... because there are some places here where people are really hostile to the Jewish community.' That's hostility that Armand's son, Nethaniel, along with his older brother, painfully experienced last year. As they were driving home, wearing kippas, the pair were brutally assaulted by another motorist. Shouting antisemitic insults, the man forced them out of their car and attacked them with a saw. Nethaniel prevented the man from slitting his brother's throat, but, ended up with a dislocated shoulder and severe cuts to his hand." In "Antisemitism pushing jews out of their homes in France," by Valérie Gauriat, EuroNews, 29 June 2018.
Of Some Politicians in Britain
More as to European anti-Semitism is noted by a Member of European Parliament from Sweden, who writes: "In my own country, Sweden, the Left party (Vänsterpartiet) has had systematic ties to undemocratic and violent terror organisations. And antisemitism is popping up here and there in the European left movement. The British Labour party seems to be particularly hit, with a succession of seemingly antisemitic incidents causing a stir in the UK. Former London mayor Ken Livingstone suggested that Hitler supported Zionists and others argued for the expulsion of Jewish groups from the party. Antisemitism is one of the world's oldest forms of ethnic hatred. In his book 'Racism: a short story', US historian George Fredrickson traces its origins back to medieval Europe. Furthermore, antisemitism is not only the racism that has taken the most brutal expression in industrialised mass slaughter, but it is also one of the 'stickiest' variations of collectivist hate - repeatedly showing its ugly face." In "Left flirting with antisemitism in EU parliament," by Gunnar Hoekmark, EU Observer, 12 October 2017.
And in Merkel's Germany: "According to a recent survey by the Bielefeld University in western Germany, 62% of Jewish respondents said they experience anti-Semitism in their everyday lives, while 28% said they were victims of verbal attacks or harassment in the past year. The survey points to increased anti-Semitism by Muslim newcomers and a strengthened right-wing nativist movement, said Andreas Zick, who led the study." In "Anti-Semitism is still alive in Germany as Jews face 'disturbing' discrimination," by Austin Davis, USA Today, 21 December 2017.
Meanwhile, to some the anti-Semites are merely migrants, and one calling for a United States of Europe wants to dictate the behavior of other countries. One reads: "Martin Schulz, whose SPD won the second highest number of votes in general elections in Germany last year, told the German Bild daily that Berlin was footing a hefty bill for the migrant crisis while some countries have refused to take in migrants. But Zdzisław Krasnodębski, a member of the European Parliament from Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, said Schulz's comments showed his 'aspirations to dictate how other countries should behave'." In "Germany to limit contributions to EU if Poland doesn't accept migrants: SPD chief," Radio Poland, 5 January 2018.
Almost a year later, one reads of the impression: "Anti-semitism has become 'disturbingly normalised' in Europe, as almost 40 percent of the European Jewish community is considering leaving their home countries because they no longer feel safe, according to a survey by the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency published on Monday (10 December). Nearly 90 percent of respondents said that anti-semitism has been on the rise since 2013." In "Anti-semitism 'disturbingly normalised' in Europe," by Eszter Zalan, EU Observer, 10 December 2018.
The Rise of Anti-Semitism from the Right, Center, Left and Islam?
As to the monikers of Left and Right
Combining this clarity with Mühsam's distinction between the state and society, one understands that those seeking state political power for "political change" -- both from the political right and political left, if the research from Berlin Universities have merit and instructive effect -- target society, which is why the visual theme of these addenda focus on the Brandenburg Gate. Too many having sought what became destructive power are linked historically, and too many who have been "legally" as well as illegally corrupt have used the state to take from society. In this historical process, one comes across The same old story
[ 10 ] One notes that the "Manifesto" from 2012 had promised answers to crises, not more growing crises which now include the follow-on from Britain leaving the European Union, to European nations amassing massive public debt, to the renewing problem of Greece and its failure to reform and pay down its loans, to Islamic migration from North Africa and the growing issues thereto, and more.
The manifesto boldly states "we." It wrote in 2012: "We want a European Political Union. The EU will, over the coming years, have to be fundamentally reformed. The Union and the Member States will exercise more powers jointly."
The problem therein is simple. One learns that the "we" of the EEP is not a "we" made up of voting citizens of various nations. Rather, the "European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties, not individuals." In "European People's Party," Wikipedia, n. d.
That a "party" made up of some but not all political parties creates a meta-party is better defined as an oligarchy -- government by the few -- as one sees in the publicity photo above. The additional dark irony is that this party made up of some but not all political parties throughout Europe names itself the "European People's Party."
When and Under What Leadership Was Europe Ever United?
Thus "political parties" and not the entire parliament of the EU but only some within the larger organization and without permission from nations' individual voters who have not been asked in referendum is a party of parties, not individuals. These pictured above are fast becoming rulers, not leaders, and have not involved their own nations' citizens in the process.
So much for democracy. What then do these people who refuse to ask their own voters want. The Manifesto of 2012 speaks clearly: "reunification of Europe." The manifesto of an oligarchy claiming to some sort of prior "unification" of Europe which would justify the term "reunification" is historically uninformed, unless it answer certain basic questions.
When was Europe ever united?
Holy Roman Empire at its height during the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1155–1268)
The so-called Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) was begun the Middle Ages, which did not encompass all of Europe and was autocratic with hereditary rulers. One considers the changing rulers which Europeans in those centuries did not elect. One considers the Carolingian dynasty, the Widonid dynasty, a return to the Carolingian dynasty, the Bosonid dynasty, the Unruoching dynasty, the Ottonian dynasty, the Salian dynasty, thr Supplinburg dynasty, thr Staufen dynasty, the Welf dynasty, a return to the Staufen dynasty, thr House of Luxembourg, thr House of Wittelsbach, a return to the House of Luxembourg, the House of Habsburg, the House of Wittelsbach, and the last, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine which collapsed under the next dream of European unity....
...under Napoleon. One notes in the map above that most of modern France was not a part of the Holy Roman Empire, nor were today's Spain, Portugal, half of Italy, Great Britain and Ireland, the Scandinavian nations nor many of today's East European nations.
A Dream of Greatness
But as to the dream of uniting Europe under one banner, he same dream was sought by Islam, as the story of the siege of Vienna tells clearly. That stream of history enmeshes one dream of conquest in the larger dream of global control.
Then under several Kaisers?
Then under the National Socialists and Italian Fascists?
Then the European division under the Soviet Union which ruled over a large part of Europe until the collapse of the USSR and Soviet Communism.
How does a new party "composed of other political parties" re-unite what has never been fully "united?" All previous attempts has been sought by war-driven, murderous coercion and driven by a political elite daring to speak for Europe and of Europe-wide dreams -- of power.
This time around, stealth is at work, for when individual nations' voters are not asked for permission to "reunite," then the dream is as all the previous dreams of uniting Europe in a "European Political Union" have been.
Europe's survived its masters
Who came, then fought and died;
The same old Dream relives again.
You're Up once again has lied.
And yet, one reads: "...there is a clear lack of consensus among Europe’s elite about where the EU should be headed. While 37 percent feel the EU should get more powers, 28 percent want to keep the status quo and 31 percent would prefer to return more powers to individual member countries. Asked about the idea of a United States of Europe, opinion was split, with 40 percent saying they are supportive and 47 percent opposed. The fact that there is no consensus among the elite about the way forward raises big questions about how solidarity among member countries will be achieved." In "European disunion," by Matthew Goodwin and Thomas Raines, Politico.eu, 21 June 2017.
The survey also noted: "Citizens, overall, are much less likely than elites to feel they have benefitted from European integration. While 71 percent of elites report feeling they have gained something from the EU, the figure among the public is only 34 percent. Worryingly for national leaders, a clear majority of the public — 54 percent — feel that their country was a better place to live 20 years ago."
[ 11 ] As with much of the tale of the EU, "public" monies spent lavishly yet ineffectively attack the citizens which governments pretend to defend. A perfect case is spending half a trillion Euros with nothing yet to show for it. Yet increasing energy prices as well as taxes wash over the lower economic classes. One such example may be when considering green screws red
[ 12 ] As to that "hollow Europe Ratzinger sees, one may consider the childless political leaders of today's Europe by musing on the rhyme and addenda in a tale of The Barren and the Barrenness
Ratzinger also notes: "The essential problem of our times, for Europe and the world, is that although the fallacy of the communist economy has been recognized -- so much so that former communists have unhesitatingly become economic liberals -- the moral and religious question that it used to address has been almost totally repressed. The unresolved issue of Marxism lives on: the crumbling of man's original uncertainties about God, himself and the universe. The decline of moral conscience grounded in absolute values is still our problem today."
Europe's attempt at multiculturalism has shown that Europe, in trying to stand for everything, stands for little. Except politics and the age-old dream of an elite which would come and posture at the Brandenburg Gate as the next conquerors and self-appointed unifiers of Europe.
[ 13 ] The use to which vocabulary is put tells a tale. Juncker speaks "for" Europe" in the above quote, to require more money "'to fund the major ambitions of Europe, like the joint European defence policy."
What are the "major ambitions" of Europe, when and as these generalized statements come into conflict with "member" states? As "Europe" takes nations to the European Court of Justice over policies at which member states balk, who dictates in the final analysis? As Great Britain goes through its "Brexit" procedure, it seems clear that a "member" may leave under that contract which temporarily binds. When consideration of the costs of "Europe" are forecast and these forecasts from "European" leaders demand from European leaders for "more funding," who is leading and who is following? Who is dictating and who is being obedient to such dictates? What are Europe's values when Juncker and his cohorts come into conflict with European leaders of nations defending what they see also as their European values which are colliding with the EU's European values? Who decides? What must be cone with those who reject such decisions?
One is returned to the question: When and Under What Leadership Was Europe Ever United?
Government Dreaming of More Government
Using the same assumptive and amorphous rhetoric as whatever means a phrase such as "the major ambitions of Europe," one can reach back to Juncker's nation and recall that period of history known as the House of Luxembourg. Looking to the current political leadership of Germany and France, one may easily look back to the tragic and failed attempts to conquer "Europe" for one vision of Europe or another. Thus the words and rhetoric have almost ungraspable meaning, mythic yet clouded, tainted with history.
For the many historical "lines" and lineage of "houses" which sought to rule Europe, all of them essentially smaller than today's footprint of the collective European Union, one sees that differences cannot be papered over with rhetoric. Consider that other stance which can say clearly that I believe in Europe
Not in the shifting houses, past emperors, defeated dictators and the strange holdouts from earlier times -- royalty and the aristocrats whose dreams cannot coincide with "everyman."
It was never a nation, per se, or many nations which have caused European wars of late. It has been dreams of those houses, lineages, leaders and all who would make incarnate a "Europe" which can only ever be a geographic designation, a boundary quite like Asia and Africa. But the dreams of great, then greater and greatest government eventually bring chaos and destruction, for such dreams only speak to power -- the power of the few over the many. Taken to the logical conclusion, it becomes the one-world government which would so easily suppress man -- The Scourge of the Planet
An opposing voice would note: another scourge of the planet has been government dreaming of more government. The history of Europe and its "houses" of rulers seems to illustrate this all too well.
As to the dream of greater government, the lessons of history teach what governments wish to forget.
Consider the governing philosophy of Everything within
Consider those who historically held to such governing philosophies.
Consider the foreseeable end to this -- again.
[ 14 ] How's that working for the high-minded elite in the European Union? The BBC reports further: "Billions and billions of euros are earned on the black market. Synthetic drugs with a street value of €18.9bn (£16bn; $22bn) were produced in the Netherlands in 2017. Soft drugs have been imported from Colombia and North Africa for 30 years. Today a significant portion of synthetic drugs - MDMA, LSD, amphetamines, GHB and crystal meth - are produced in the Netherlands. In fact the country is considered a world leader."
How nice. Plenty of levels of government to deal with this, aren't there? Or perhaps the European Union hasn't got an answer. Contrast the drug realities in Europe with the new chief's 'Europe must learn the language of power', and one might wonder "what power" is that?
[ 15 ] One observes that Orban as the current president of the Council of the European Union was essentially countermanded by a functionary of the European Commission, an internecine contretemps. One also observes that Borrell, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, made this gesture for political reasons, given that "officially" the European Union is not at war with Russia. A European Commission which is not officially in a state of war with Russia has been very busy being "not at war" while sanctioning repeatedly Russia, a non-NATO nation, over its was with Ukraine, another non-NATO nation, and both not being "members" of the European Union.
As the BBC article observed of Orban's role within the European Union in the moment, Borell's action ""...comes weeks after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union...." So much for democracy as demonstrated by this, among so many other examples.
Promiscuity shares its wares,
Concentrically rippling out.
Promise, cutie, you'll not swim
Near miasma's crippling spout.
Promiscuity spreads its wings,
Its sharpened talons bared.
Promise, cutie, you'll stay safe,
Distant from what's shared.
Promiscuity's boys and girls
Prance in sickly ways.
Promise, cutie, you'll abstain
From infections' deadly plays.
Promise, cutie, you'll beware
The lair, the lure and snare.
Promiscuity, I promise cutie,
Will always play unfair.
Envoi: "The 2016 Public Health England (PHE) syphilis report has shown that infection rates are on the up, with disproportionate rates in London. In 2015, the capital accounted for 56% of all cases in England, with a 22% increase in diagnoses in the year 2014-15. Since 2010 the number of cases of syphilis in Londoners has increased by 163%, with a 22% increase in the year from 2014 to 2015. The borough of Lambeth has the highest rates, closely followed by the City of London and Southwark. Men who have sex with men (MSM) represented 90% of all syphilis cases in 2015, with a 232% increase in diagnosis over the last five years, said the report. More than half of the MSM diagnosed with syphilis in 2015 were also infected with HIV, and over half additionally tested positive for a separate STI. Rates in heterosexuals remain stable but are higher than ideal." In "Syphilis is on the rise when it should be confined to history," by Verity Sullivan, Guardian UK, 24 August 2016.
Addendum of a Perfect Storm: " 'It’s been the perfect storm,' said Beltran. 'Our attitude kind of shifted, where it became more acceptable to engage in casual sex ... then to find someone in a certain mile radius'." In "Rhode Island Finds Increase in STDs After Rise of Social Media Dating," by Gillian Mohney, ABC News, 27 May 2015. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Super-Bug: "Chief Executive of sexual health charity FPA Natika H Halil told The Independent: 'There should be statutory sex and relationships education, which the government has still not implemented, and easy access to sexual health services. With ever-shrinking public health budgets and increasing pressure on local authorities to meet people’s varied health needs, this is no longer a given and is a cause of real concern. PHE’s report is a timely reminder, ahead of our Sexual Health Week focusing on STIs next week, how important it is for people to know how to protect themselves. It particularly highlights the importance of testing so that cases can be diagnosed early and as well as of partner notification to help limit infections being passed on'." In "Super-gonorrhoea outbreak could be out of control as attempts to stop spread fail." by Siobhan Fenton, Independent UK, 9 September 2016.
Addendum for Promiscuous Old Folks: " When older men go to see a doctor to get a prescription for a drug like Viagra for erectile dysfunction, doctors should see this as an opportunity to discuss safe sex and the high risks of developing an STD. Said von Simson, 'Just like younger people, older people who are sexually active are at risk for STDs'." In "Sexually transmitted disease rates rise among elderly: Why?" by Ryan Jaslow, CBS News, 6 February 2012. [ 2 ]
Addendum Especially For Promiscuous Men: "The number of cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the United States increased between 2013 and 2014, after being on the decline for several years. Cases of syphilis, which have been on the rise for the last decade, shot up in 2014. Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are the three most common STDs in the United States that are also notifiable, meaning health departments are required to report new cases to the CDC. (HIV and shigella are also notifiable STDs.)" In "STD rates rise dramatically, especially among men," by Carina Storrs, CNN, 19 November 2015.
Addendum for Promiscuous Europe: "Why the rise? The Bologna team tried to answer this question by pointing not only to the clinical results but also to data on socioeconomic, demographic and behavioral factors. Their conclusion: if one disregards the prostitutes' influence, the rise in infections is due above all to increasing promiscuity, a failure to use condoms and a low level of education. 'Almost a third of these young people had had between two and nine partners in the last six months and over 23% had even had ten partners or more,' explained Manfredi. 'Over 70% of our subjects did not use condoms.' That proportion was as high as 96% for under-18s, while for prostitutes it was only 10%." In "STDs On Increase In Europe, ECCMID Conference Is Told," Daily University Science News, 3 April 2001.
Addendum for Promiscuous Africa: "The largest number, over 28 million, of AIDS sufferers live in sub-Saharan Africa. In 16 African nations, at least 10% of those between 15 and 49 are infected while in seven southern African countries the rate of infection in that age group reached 20%. 4.7 million South Africans, about one in nine of the country's people, is HIV-positive, the largest number in the world. Other hard-hit countries include Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, which has about the highest infection rate in the world. Half of the population between 25 and 29 are dying of the disease. The economic impact of AIDS is devastating. Several of the hardest-hit African states could lose 20% of their gross domestic products by 2010." In "AIDS on the Rise, 2001 UN/WHO Report shows cases increasing," by David Johnson, Infoplease, n. d. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Wasting Money on the Message: "Over the past 15 years the U.S. has spent $1.4 billion promoting abstinence before marriage as a way of preventing HIV in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, according to the most comprehensive, independent study conducted to date of the effort, the money was pretty much wasted. A rigorous comparison of national data from countries that received abstinence funding under the 2003 U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with those that had not showed no difference in the age of first sexual experience, number of sexual partners or teenage pregnancies—all aspects of behaviors that have been linked to a higher risk of becoming infected with HIV." In "U.S. Anti-AIDS Abstinence Efforts in Africa Fail to Prevent HIV," by Christine Gorman, Scientific American, 4 May 2016.
Addendum of Promiscuity Identifying Promiscuity: " 'After the long, long history of Bill Clinton, Gennifer Flowers, Juanita Broaddrick, I don't know, 27 people making claims against him, including a settlement with one of them where it was obviously true, when she first heard about Monica Lewinsky, to pretend for five or six months that it was false,' the thrice-married Giuliani said." In "Rudy Giuliani: 'Everybody' commits infidelity," by Amy Graff, SF Gate, 3 October 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Not Being Sure Why: "Infections from three sexually spread diseases have hit another record high. ...Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say part of the growth may be due to better testing and diagnosis, but much of it is a real increase. They're not sure why." In "3 sex-spread diseases hit another record high, CDC says," Associated Press, 20 October 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Being Sure Why: " 'If STDs are going up, it means people aren’t practicing safe sex,' Seidman said. He said STDs are more common in young adults from 15 to 24 because they are otherwise healthy and are not coming in to doctors’ offices to be screened. 'They’re busy living their lives and not thinking about their risks,” Seidman said. In "Sexually transmitted diseases surge in California," by Susan Abram, Los Angeles Daily News, 21 October 2016.
Addendum of Infected Blood, Arkansas Style: "The Health Management Associates Scandal refers to the sale of tainted blood from HMA (a now defunct American company based in Arkansas) to Canadian blood banks. HMA was contracted by the state of Arkansas to provide health care to prisoners in the state of Arkansas in the early to mid-1980s. This arrangement allowed HMA to collect blood from the prisoners. The blood, some of it proven to be infected with HIV and hepatitis C, was found in the Canadian blood supply. It was not found in American supplies because of a ban on prisoner blood use. The president of HMA at that time was Leonard Dunn, a close friend of Bill Clinton and Vincent Foster. He chaired Clinton's re-election campaign and was appointed by Clinton to the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission." In "Health Management Associates (Arkansas company)," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Addendum of Russia every Day: "In the first six months of the year, more than 14,500 Russians died from the immunodeficiency virus, the foundation says, citing figures from the Federal Center for Fighting AIDS. This represents a more than 13-percent increase in HIV deaths compared to the same period last year." In "In Russia, 80 People Die of AIDS Every Day," Moscow Times, 13 September 2017.
Addendum of Rotting Away: " 'Any delay could cause the flesh around the genitals to literally rot away. This bacteria is also a risk factor in the transmission of HIV.' A spokesperson for Public Health England added: 'Donovanosis primarily occurs in tropical countries or regions of the Americas, Southern Africa and Oceania. It is very rarely diagnosed and reported in the UK.' Chemist-4-u.com contacted hospital trusts nationwide to find out how many diagnosis of STIs there had been, the age of people diagnosed, what sex and what region of the country they live in as part of extensive research into 'The Great British STI Taboo'." In "Rare STI which causes genitals to erupt into flesh eating ulcers diagnosed in Southport," by Colin Ainscough, Lancashire Post, 22 August 2018.
Addendum of Growth: "... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting a 10 percent spike for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2017. The federal health agency said in a report released Tuesday that the numbers, which include nearly 2.3 million new cases of the aforementioned diseases, reflect a 'steep, sustained increase' in STDs since 2013. 'We’re sliding backward,' Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said. 'It is evident the systems that identify, treat and ultimately prevent STDs are strained to near-breaking point'." In "STDs hit all-time highs in US for fourth straight year, CDC reports," by Alexandria Hein, Fox News, 28 August 2018.
Addendum of Fueling Epidemics: "Despite much higher risks of contracting the virus that causes AIDS, as well as other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), users search online 'hook-up' apps like Grindr for tags such as 'high and horny' or 'party and play' to find others wanting drug-heightened and often anonymous and unprotected sex. The result, AIDS experts say, is that in cities across Europe, HIV is spreading rapidly among men who have sex with men — leading to concentrated epidemics in hard-to-reach groups." In "Gay 'chemsex' is fueling HIV epidemics in Europe, experts warn," Reuters, 12 September 2019.
Addendum of Record Highs: "More than 2.4 million syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia infections were reported in the United States in 2018, an increase of more than 100,000 cases from the previous year, the center said in its annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report. It attributed the increase to several factors, including a decline in condom use among young people and men who have sex with men; increased screening among some groups; and cuts to sexual health programs at the state and local level, which led to clinic closures and fewer opportunities for counseling or testing for sexually transmitted diseases." In "Sexually Transmitted Disease Cases Rise to Record High, C.D.C. Says," by Liam Stack, New York Times, 8 October 2019.
Addendum of More Highs: "In 2000, syphilis rates were so low that public health officials believed eradication was on the horizon. But the rates started creeping up in 2001, grew steadily for the next two decades, then spiked 74% since 2015. There were nearly 130,000 cases nationwide in 2019, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In California and the U.S., about half of syphilis cases are in men who have sex with men. More than a third of women in the western United States who have syphilis also use meth, a drug that has seen its own surge in recent years." In "Once On The Brink Of Eradication, Syphilis Is Raging Again," by April Dembosky, NPR, 14 April 2021.
Consider a Requiem for the Victims of AIDS
NOTES
[ 1 ] The article notes: "Increases in the rates of three major sexually transmitted diseases in Rhode Island have led local health officials to warn that high-risk behaviors could be to blame, including the use of social media to 'arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters.' Among the statistics, HIV rates have risen 33 percent, gonorrhea cases are up 30 percent and syphilis cases are up a whopping 79 percent."
The Word Is Promiscuity, High Risk and Definitely Not Casual
As one surveys news of sexually transmitted diseases, one notes the noun, promiscuity, is often absent, replaced by seemingly more acceptable euphemisms such as "high-risk behaviors" and sex which is "casual."
The article adds: "The department, according to a written statement, found that high-risk behavior, including 'using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters, having sex without a condom, having multiple sex partners, and having sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol,' as well as increased testing, was the likely cause for the spike in STDs. While the department was able to track STD rates from 2013 through 2014, national data is only available until 2013 and it's unclear if STDs are going up nationally, as well." What's unclear?
[ 2 ] Why? Promiscuity, no matter how unfashionable the word is. Work is afoot to make less of a stigma of HIV infection. One reads: "... he says, "You know, I'll hear that people are saying, 'Oh that guy is HIV positive.' But I don't mind what they're saying,' he adds. 'I've overcome this stigma. And know I'm not alone ." In "Uganda Crowns Mr. And Miss HIV Positive," by Nurith Aizeman, National Public Radio, 29 September 2016. With the exception of some modes of transmission, the most regular mode of transmission is promiscuity.
It is as fashionable in these postmodern days of feminism's progressive truths as it was centuries ago, as proves the rhyme, addenda and footnotes to a Sexy acrostic
[ 3 ] The UN/WHO report mentions all areas of the world. Of course the prescription is the most usual drug of all, more money." A prescription such as avoid promiscuity is rarely suggested. Such is the Zeitgeist of today, which so often recommends the antithesis, as one may survey in the rhyme, addenda and footnotes titled Sexy acrostic
[ 4 ] In the interview, one finds a broadening of the definition: " 'By infidelities, I don't just mean marital. People lie. People cheat. People misrepresent. People commit sins,' he said. 'The point that I was trying to make was, as far as I can tell, among human beings, there are very few that don't have some'."
Among Human Beings, There Are Very Few
While Democrats bewail promiscuity in Republicans, they defend it among their own. While Republicans bewail promiscuity, they defend it among their own. Biology makes no such political distinction, for when STDs behave as they behave epidemiologically, infections in a population are not "sensitive" to human faults, whether called sin, dysfunction or politics.
[ 5 ] Not sure why, so the article states, is naive. Promiscuity is promiscuity is ignored as avoiding infection, epidemiologically correct, is ignored. And how does one avoid infections? The Center for Disease Control seems flummoxed, in their studies and public statements as are media reports, because avoiding infections has become a politically incorrect and supposedly unpopular topic of simple conversation. For this, they are "not sure why." As to the Associated Press report, one only need be "associated" with an STD-infected person and still "press" forward with unprotected sex. This becomes a tragically "associated press" in epidemiologic language.
Promise, cutie.... There's a historical answer.
But such promises are denigrated as, at the minimum, unrealistic. For this, the sometimes laughable phrase "safe sex" has entered the public discourse in parallel with the very real increasing rates of sexual disease infection. So how safe is sex? Apparently whatever that phrase means is become as devoid of meaning and empty of advice to many as does the clarity of abstinence.
Super
What is not devoid of meaning is the growth of infection. One reads further: "...we can't think of any case where the use of the word 'super' is more frightening than when it comes to sexually transmitted infections. Super-gonorrhea is the latest in a series of antibiotic-resistant diseases causing concern. Late last year the Centers for Disease Control issued a warning about new super strains of chlamydia (in fact, they actually called it an "epidemic"), and now they've added gonorrhea to the list. Most people think of these two infections as relatively minor—at least they're not HIV or syphilis, right? But if they can't be treated with our current antibiotics, they can be every bit as deadly as scarier diseases." In " 'Super Gonorrhea' Is a Thing That's Spreading," by Charlotte Hilton Andersen, Shape, 19 April 2016.
Quick
As to advocacy groups awakening to the dissonance between advocating for forms of safe sex alongside sew, one reads of increased infection's link to cancer: "Dysplasia may range from mild to severe, but because HPV infection is usually contained by the immune system, most healthy adults will never develop it. For persons with poor immune system function, however, infection HPV infection may quickly progress to severe dysplasia and cancer. For this reason, HIV-positive gay or bisexual men have higher levels of both HPV infection and HPV-related disease than heterosexual men (Stein, 1999). An estimated 61% of HIV-negative and 93% of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men have anal HPV infections, compared to 50% or less of heterosexual men. Men who have sex with men are also at increased risk for anal cancer compared to the general population (Brewer, 2010)." In "HPV and Cancer," National LGBT Cancer Network, n. d.
To Enhance the Epidemic
"Chemsex is characterized by the use of drugs such as crystal meth, mephedrone and GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, to enhance sexual arousal, performance and pleasure. A subset of chemsex is known as 'slamsex', where partygoers self-inject drugs rather than taking them as pills or via pipes." In "Gay 'chemsex' is fueling HIV epidemics in Europe, experts warn," Reuters, 12 September 2019.
But even the abbreviation tells only a partial story of tragic proportions. One reads: "HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses. Each HPV virus in this large group is given a number which is called its HPV type. HPV is named for the warts (papillomas) some HPV types can cause. Some other HPV types can lead to cancer, especially cervical cancer. There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females." In "What is HPV?" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n. d.
"Promise, cutie" seems quite the safer alternative to promiscuity. Spread it around.
Where does the time go
which flows beyond our reach?
How should one count grains
upon its sanded beach?
For what might one rightly hope,
as for all and for each?
What may one grasp with
fumbling, faltering speech?
Sea birds glide on waves air
to dive with fisher's screech,
Dropping through the cresting foam.
What does then time teach?
Failing to plan - flailing's in view
The Old Joke: The operation was a success, but the patient died. [ 1 ]
Failing to plan
Is, yes, a plan too,
When putting together
Two tales, sadly true.Failing to plan
Is a strategy's ace
While sparking destruction
All over the place.Failing to plan
Seems excuse without sense,
Mistaking no mistake's
Bloody accents.Operations' successes
When patients all die
Was once just a joke,
Now a president's lie.
President "Probably Failing to Plan"
Envoi: "The wars have gotten bigger, we are now bombing seven countries. It is important to not just look at the rhetoric but also look at the track record...." In "Road to the White House," quote of Jill Stein, Green Party candidate, C-SPAN," 12 October 2016.
Addendum of the Biggest Mistake: " 'Probably failing to plan for the day after,' Obama said in the session, which was taped at the University of Chicago on April 7." In "Obama Cites Lack of ‘Day After’ Plan in Libya as Biggest Mistake," by Anthony Capaccio, Bloomberg, 10 April 2016.
Addendum of the Winners: "The only winners were arms dealers, oil companies, and jihadists. Immediately after the fall of Libya, the black flag of Al Qaeda was raised over a municipal building in Benghazi, Gadhafi’s murder was soon to follow, with Secretary Clinton quipping with a laugh, 'We came, we saw, he died.' President Obama apparently learned from this misadventure, but not the Washington policy establishment, which is spoiling for more war." In " Why Is the Foreign Policy Establishment Spoiling for More War? Look at Their Donors." by Dennis Kucinich, The Nation, 25 October 2016.
Addendum of Results from Obama's Failure to Plan: " 'Libyans seem to have swapped a repressive centralised authoritarianism with a more decentralised and chaotic form of authoritarianism, be it under militias or under the rule of general Haftar.' The persistent chaos has also enabled human traffickers to step up their lucrative trade in the Mediterranean nation, with hundreds of migrants dreaming of Europe drowning off the Libyan coast." In "War-weary Libyans miss life under Kadhafi," by Rim Taher, Agence France Presse, 17 October 2016.
Addendum of Passing the Shit Show Buck: "Mr Obama went on: 'We actually executed this plan as well as I could have expected: We got a UN mandate, we built a coalition, it cost us $1bn – which, when it comes to military operations, is very cheap. We averted large-scale civilian casualties, we prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict. And despite all that, Libya is a mess.' Referring to that mess in private, Mr Obama reportedly uses the more colourful term, 'shit show'." In "Barack Obama says David Cameron allowed Libya to become a 's*** show'," by Tim Walker and Nigel Morris, Independent UK, 10 March 2016.
Addendum of Lack of Planning: "President Barack Obama said the worst mistake of his presidency was a lack of planning for the aftermath of the 2011 toppling of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. 'Probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya,' he said in a Fox News interview aired Sunday." In "Obama admits worst mistake of his presidency," by Allie Malloy and Catherine Treyz, CNN, 11 April 2016.
Addendum from Four Months After April: "The new round of US military aggression against Libyan was announced by Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, who pointed out that the decision to launch the so-called 'military operation' was taken by US President Barack Obama himself. The beginning of a new US campaign in Libya was confirmed by the Prime Minister of the 'Government of National Consensus' (GNC), Fayez Mustafa al- Sarraj who is conducting all meetings at a military base near Tripoli. According to Fayez al-Sarra, 'Washington carries out the operation at the request of the GNC'." In "Washington Has Launched Yet Another Military Aggression against Libya," by Jean Perier, New Eastern Outlook, 9 August 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Armaments and Profits: "The US State Department has approved the potential sale of more than 130 Abrams battle tanks, 20 armoured recovery vehicles and other equipment, worth about US$1.15 billion, to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The approval for land force equipment coincides with Saudi Arabia leading a military coalition in support of Yemeni forces loyal to the exiled government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi who are trying to oust Iran-allied Houthi forces from the capital, Sanaa. Human rights groups have criticised the coalition’s air strikes because of the deaths of civilians." In "US approves US$1.15 billion tanks, military equipment deal with Saudi Arabia," Reuters, 10 August 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Obama's "Junior Varsity" Team: "If he had attacked the Islamic State cancer early, Obama could have stopped it from spreading in the first place. But instead, he dismissed the terrorist group as the 'JV team' that was 'engaged in various local power struggles and disputes' and did not have 'the capacity and reach of a bin Laden' and did not pose 'a direct threat to us.' He did nothing, while the cancer grew in Syria and then spread in Iraq. Now the cancer has spread and metastasized across the world. According to a recent CNN analysis, since declaring its caliphate in 2014, the Islamic State has carried out 90 attacks in 21 countries outside of Iraq and Syria that have killed 1,390 people and injured more than 2,000 others. The Islamic State has a presence in more than a dozen countries and has declared 'provinces' in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Post reported in 2015 that 'since the withdrawal of most U.S. and international troops in December, the Islamic State has steadily made inroads in Afghanistan' where it has 'poured pepper into the wounds of their enemies... seared their hands in vats of boiling oil... blindfolded, tortured and blown apart [villagers] with explosives buried underneath them.” In "Thanks to Obama, the terrorist cancer is growing, by Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 23 May 2016.
Addendum of an Appropriate Question: "So it looks like an appropriate time to demand the Obama administration to confess where did the billions allocated on the so-called 'War on Terror' went?" In "Obama Administration – the Faithful Accomplice of ISIS," by Jean Périer, New Eastern Outlook, 16 August 2016.
Addendum of Painting a Rosy Picture: "According to a hard-hitting government task force report released Thursday, intelligence generated by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) was manipulated to paint a rosier picture of the U.S. effort to combat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The report finds that, beginning in mid-2014, final intelligence reports issued by CENTCOM contradicted the initial internal assessments made by its own analysts, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod." In "CENTCOM accused of manipulating intel on ISIS," CBS News, 11 August 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of the Less-than-Rosy Picture: "Syrian militias armed by different parts of the U.S. war machine have begun to fight each other on the plains between the besieged city of Aleppo and the Turkish border, highlighting how little control U.S. intelligence officers and military planners have over the groups they have financed and trained in the bitter five-year-old civil war. The fighting has intensified over the last two months, as CIA-armed units and Pentagon-armed ones have repeatedly shot at each other while maneuvering through contested territory on the northern outskirts of Aleppo, U.S. officials and rebel leaders have confirmed." In "In Syria, militias armed by the Pentagon fight those armed by the CIA," by Nabih Bulos , W.J. Hennigan and Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times, 27 March 2016.
Addendum of the Ugly Picture, Updated: "The picture of the world’s greatest superpower killing or seriously injuring a thousand non-combatants a week, while trying to pound a tiny backward nation into submission on an issue whose merits are hotly disputed, is not a pretty one." Robert S. McNamara, quoted in " "Lying in Politics: Reflections on The Pentagon Papers," by Hannah Arendt, New York Review of Books, 18 November 1971. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Dragging Libya Into Complete Chaos: "...Tobruk MP Jaballah Al-Shibani lashed out at the EU decision to impose sanctions on some Libyan figures. 'We are not members in the EU and we do not follow it, I refuse the EU threats against all Libyans.' He said, accusing the EU ambassadors of intervening in Libya's affairs. 'Britain is working on a plan to divide Libya by putting obstacles and encouraging MPs not to go to Tobruk to practise democracy in the parliament,' Al-Shibani told Libya Channel. He also deplored the UN Mission in Libya and the EU ambassadors for creating chaos in Libya and dragging it into a civil war, according to him. 'They are not working for the sake of Libya; they want to impose a government that meets their interests.' He indicated. 'All Libyans should be aware that that UN envoy (Martin Kobler), his staff, and the EU ambassadors are dragging Libya into complete chaos.' He added." In "Tobruk MP accuses Britain of dividing Libya, says UNSMIL creating chaos," Libya Observer, 17 March 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Flailing and Failing: "As his presidency comes to a close, the fact is that Obama has little to show the world on Syria. With an estimated half a million deaths, the Middle East in flames and European allies destabilised by the impact of refugee flows, he will pass on a festering crisis to his successor." In "The devastation of Syria will be Obama’s legacy," by Natalie Nougayrède, Guardian UK, 22 September 2016. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Obama's Planning in Afghanistan after Eight Years of War: "Despite the widening of U.S. air support, the White House believes that the war in Afghanistan is tipping in the Taliban’s favor. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly about Afghanistan's deteriorating security situation, a senior administration official called the situation in the country an 'eroding stalemate.' In 2017, U.S. forces will draw down from 9,800 troops to approximately 8,400. With little mention in the recent presidential debates, it is unclear how the next administration will handle the next stage of the United States’ war in Afghanistan." In "An ‘eroding stalemate’ in Afghanistan as Taliban widens its offensive," by Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Washington Post, 14 October 2016.
Addendum of Obama's War in Yemen: "How many more wars will the current US President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate start before his term is over? At this rate of 'peaceful activities,' he’s running the risk of leaving no countries left to invade for his warmongering successor – Hillary Clinton. Although, certainly, it would be handy for the Nobel Committee to prepare a new Peace Prize in advance for Hillary Clinton’s arrival." In "Is There a Way to Justify US Aggression Against Yemen," by Jean Perier, New Eastern Outlook, 16 October 2016.
Addendum Asking Who Will Be Held Responsible: "The US Air Force in recent years has been the unofficial 'leader' of indiscriminate bombings in the whole world, and those strikes are still being carried on. Just last Saturday as a result the US Air Force has stricken a residential area in Iraq’s Mosul, leaving 90 people dead and more than a 100 more injured. Earlier it was reported that as the result of US-led coalition air strikes in the Syrian province of Raqqa 20 civilians were murdered. There can be no doubt that the Obama administration has done everything it could to bury the myth about the role that the US foreign policy plays on the international stage, as the prolonged military conflicts in the Middle East have buried the myth about the effectiveness of the US Army. But could one expect with the US military lobby in power, that is only ever concerned about stealing more money, instead of building more tanks. But who will bear responsibility for this, and who is to be held responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians? Or the American-style democracy does not imply there must be punishment of those responsible when they are the members of the ruling elite?" In "How Brutally Ineffective the US Military Machine has Become," by Grete Mautner, New Eastern Outlook, 14 December 2016.
Addendum of Liberal Interventionism Misreading History on a Monumental Scale: "Never underestimate the ability of political leaders to misread history on a monumental scale. The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan have both served to hasten western decline: they have both failed to achieve their objectives and in the process demonstrated an underlying western impotence. In contrast, those other 'rogue' states, namely North Korea, Zimbabwe, and perhaps even Iran, show strong signs of responding in a positive manner to a very different kind of treatment. Liberal interventionism has failed. But as yet the west shows no sign of either understanding the new world or being able to live according to its terms. It remains in denial, refusing to recognise the diminution in its own authority and, as a result, seemingly incapable of adapting to the new circumstances and coming up with an innovative response." In "Burma and Zimbabwe witness the last gasps of the supreme global sheriff," by Martin Jacques, Guardian UK, 30 July 2008.
Eisenhower with Adenauer in 1959
Addendum of Optimistic Words from the Past: "I like to believe that people, in the long run, are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it." Dwight D. Eisenhower, radio and television broadcast with Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, London, August 31, 1959. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959. [ 8 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] The old joke is used as if to illustrate many sorts of failings. As example, an anti-capitalism article was titled by this: "Medical metaphors for the economy are liberally applied at times of crisis. The analysis of formative pathologies of capitalism, however, is generally popular in academic and critical contexts at all times. The well-worn joke of this essay's title, applied to the context of cuts in public spending, articulates a fairly reformist position: if you punish the system too much, it won’t survive." In "The Operation Was a Success But the Patient Died," by Maija Timonen, Afterall, Spring 2012.
Whose Joke Is It?
The complaint: "But perhaps something more interesting, and more pertinent to the functioning of capitalism, is captured in the uncertain identity of the subject at the centre of the sentence — the patient. Who is the patient? The ambiguity of its referent captures something of the confusion of interests when discussing the economy. The patient of the title could be the economy as a whole or perhaps the real subjects whom austerity affects. The identification of individual interests with market interests may be a sinister feature of neoliberalism, but this merger serves here to highlight its own contradictory nature."
Oddly as ideological thinkers and writers posit some "sinister feature" of government-run economies, the notion of freedom as practiced by free individuals is the patient which is not surviving the surgery. Capitalism is not waging war in Libya. Governments demanding regime change are. That is the "contradictory nature" in all this.
As one watches the consistent policy of the Obama regime in pursuing what was begun by Bush in the previous regime, war and specifically the "war footing" of the economy is not representative of capitalism, but most representative of statism as administrations demand "regime change" targeting other administrations under the threat of war and the conduct of actual war itself.
The Operation Was Successful, But the Patient Died
Tying together the use of the old joke, one finds it used elsewhere: "As Coalition Forces pull out of Afghanistan after 12 years, their leaders struggle to define the intervention’s legacy. Alluring narratives of success - crafted to suit political and military agendas - abound. But any desire to package the intervention into a simple success story obscures the reality of an ongoing conflict." In "The Operation Was Successful, But the Patient Died," by Jonathan Whittall, Huffington Post, 19 May 2014.
Yet two years after the Whittall article, coalition forces have in fact not "pulled out of Afghanistan after 12 years." That "intervention" and "ongoing conflict" -- words and phrases meant to hide the reality of "war" -- now numbers 14 years. So much for "probably failing to plan for the day after," in Obama's words about Libya applied to all the current wars which the American media prefer to call "interventions" and "ongoing conflicts" around the world.
Consider that Nobel for Today
As to this armaments salesperson running for high office, one reads of the threat to peace her policies entail.
"Critics of the plan also question how using US military power to establish and police a safe space for beleaguered Syrian civilians would contribute to the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad – the explicit goal of US policy in Syria. 'If she is not politically posturing, it’s going to be a disaster. I hope it’s political posturing,' said John Kuehn, a retired navy officer who flew no-fly zone missions over Bosnia and Iraq. Kuehn who called denying an adversary its airspace 'the cocktail party military application of power of choice'. David Deptula, a retired air force lieutenant general who commanded the no-fly zone operations over northern Iraq in 1998 and 1999, said the Russians were a 'complicating factor' but considered the problems with a no-fly zone to be more fundamental. 'Until a strategy that defines the desired end-state is clearly laid out in a comprehensive way, it’s difficult to advocate for a no-fly zone,' said Deptula." In "Why Clinton's plans for no-fly zones in Syria could provoke US-Russia conflict," by Spencer Ackerman, Guardian UK, 25 October 2016.
[ 2 ] One notes in reporting about a Pentagon spokesman for the Obama administration that there is a "Government of National Consensus" for Libya now. Is it representative of Libyans? Or is it a Western provisional entity, constructed as antidote to "Probably failing to plan for the day after?"
One reads from 2015 that the same US which failed to have a plan for "the day after" in 2011, has taken years to cobble together a plan under the aegis of the UN: "Libya's rival governments have reached a 'consensus' on the main elements of a political agreement, a U.N. special envoy told reporters early Sunday. Bernardino Leon said in Skhirat, Morocco that the two sides were able to 'overcome their differences' on major outstanding issues, increasing the likelihood of signing a long-awaited agreement to form a unity government this month. He called it the first time 'that we have the possibility to make it and to have this agreement with the all the parties, all the key parties in Libya onboard,' adding that both sides have made compromises." In "UN Libya Envoy: Rival Governments Reach 'Consensus'," Associated Press, 13 September 2015.
Chaos from the Right Thing to Do
The article notes clearly in choice words: "Since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libya has slid into chaos. The country is divided between an Islamist-backed government in Tripoli and the internationally recognized government in Tobruk." Thus one sees that the 2011 "success" was not a success. But as cited and sourced below in the 8th footnote to The Cat in the Box
That "right thing to do" resulted in the "success" that "Libya has slid into chaos," according to self-congratulatory political speech For this, after the "2011 overthrow" in which Obama and Clinton played pivotal, public roles, in 2016 the "new round of US military aggression against Libyan was announced by Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook," as noted above, and "the decision to launch the so-called 'military operation' was taken by US President Barack Obama himself."
Five years after "success" is more war? Or is it just a "military operation" five years after "success" was declared?
One reads: "Third week of February marked 6th anniversary of 'popular' up-rising in Libya that ultimately led to the overthrow of Gaddafi regime. Thanks to NATO's intervention and the chaos it left behind, today’s Libya lies in ruins, over-run by a multitude of militias and the self-styled Islamic State. While NATO intervention itself was a drastic failure, as we had previously reported, its aftermath has turned out to be even more devastating, forcing the country to descend into utter chaos. What was previously a reasonably stable Libya is today a picture of extreme debilitation where power cuts are routine, water shortage is acute, inflation rate is sky high and a liquidity crisis is looming large. Not to forget that the country does not have a central government and is being run by a militia whose authority and legitimacy is openly challenged by rival factions." In "NATO’s “Success” in Libya, ISIS Replaces Gaddafi," by Salman Rafi Sheikh, New Eastern Outlook, 21 February 2017.
One may rightly conclude that "the right thing to do" resulted in years of "chaos" and now the launch of the "so-called 'military operation'," all by the same political stance of the Peace Prize president amassing the longest stretch of war making in the history of the United States. Boom, and "the rockets' red glare / of bombs bursting in air / gave proof through the night" that success was not there.
[ 3 ] From the article worth repeating: "Human rights groups have criticised the coalition’s air strikes because of the deaths of civilians." The explanation is simple. The "Yemeni forces loyal to the exiled government" are by this loyal to Saudi Arabia, such that this war is a civil war in Yemen, in which the Saudi supported Yemeni government is "exiled" for their fleeing the rebels which are supported by Iran. It is a proxy war in Yemen, and the United States military-industrial complex profits from this, all the while "human rights groups" bewail "the deaths of civilians." Who is killing civilians? Apparently many, and in part by US-made weapons. Ka-ching for the profits of the war machine, which under Obama is in its eighth year of "success." It was the right thing to do, says somebody.
This view of the American -- and other Western nations' - military-industrial complex is echoed, making even some western press complicit: "...ask yourself why again your willing media have drowned you in sectarian adjectives, playing maestro to the orchestra of your prejudices. Your governments quite simply did not want you to associate with the Houthis – the carriers of Yemen’s independence. They did not want you to recognise in Yemen’s Resistance the expression of your own nationalism … because you would then have clamoured for Saudi Arabia to withdraw. Surely then, you would have called Saudi Arabia’s massacres against unarmed civilians the Terror they truly are, demanding that your governments end all dealings with such grand war criminals. Sadly the veil of deceit remains as thick as our Western capitals’ greed." In "The March for Riyadh – Yemen’s War Takes on the Colour of Revolution," by Catherine Shakdam, New Eastern Outlook, 12 September 2016.
[ 4 ] Painting a rosy by manipulating internal assessments is the charge, as reported by CBS News. But as to "initial assessments," one may look back to even rosier visions of government success.
One reads from Obama's Vice President: " 'I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government. I spent -- I've been there 17 times now. I go about every two months -- three months. I know every one of the major players in all the segments of that society. It's impressed me. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences'." In "Joe Biden update: Iraq one of Obama's 'great achievements'," Commentary, Andrew Malcolm, Los Angeles Times, 11 February 2010.
Missteps and Miscalculations
But as to one great achievement, one learns: "..an intensive review of the record during Clinton’s tenure presents a broader picture of missteps and miscalculations by multiple actors — including her State Department as well as the Maliki government, the White House and Congress — that left Iraqi security forces weakened and vulnerable to the Islamic State’s 2014 surge. Documents and interviews point to ambitious plans by State Department officials to take control of dozens of military-run programs in Iraq, from training assistance for Iraqi police to new intelligence-collection outposts in Mosul and other key Iraqi cities. But the State Department scrapped or truncated many of the plans, sometimes at the behest of a skeptical Congress and other times on orders from the White House, which balked at the high costs and potential risks of U.S. civilians being killed or kidnapped. Still other efforts were thwarted by a Maliki government that viewed many of the programs as an unwelcome intrusion in Iraqi affairs." In "As ISIS Brewed in Iraq, Clinton’s State Department Cut Eyes and Ears on the Ground," MSN News with Washington Post, Pro Publica, 15 August 2016.
Thinking on Biden's 2010 remarks about Obama's accomplishment in Iraq, one learns that the US military remains in Iraq in 2016 and blusters now as the US did throughout the decades-long Cold War with the Soviet Union, as one reads: "In the most direct public warning to Moscow and Damascus to date, the new US commander of American troops in Iraq and Syria is vowing to defend US special operations forces in northern Syria if regime warplanes and artillery again attack in areas where troops are located. 'We've informed the Russians where we're at ... (they) tell us they've informed the Syrians, and I'd just say that we will defend ourselves if we feel threatened,' Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told CNN in a telephone interview Saturday from his Baghdad headquarters." In "Top US commander warns Russia, Syria," by Barbara Starr, CNN, 21 August 2016.
American Troops in Iraq and Syria in 2016
"...American troops in Iraq and Syria...." four years after the "great" achievement announcement.
"Missteps and miscalculations" that "left Iraqi security forces weakened and vulnerable to the Islamic State’s 2014 surge" is an achievement of sorts. The remaining question is one of applying a descriptive adjective -- "great" or "tragic." Perhaps "political" or "Potemkin."
A fine way to assure the perception of "great" achievements is to build and maintain a Potemkin Village
[ 5 ] The quote is apt, for today as for the era of the Vietnam War. Arendt's review of "Lying in Politics: Reflections on The Pentagon Papers" capsules well the reason for suck lying.
Deception, the Deliberate Falsehood and the Outright Lie
From the article one reads: "...most readers have by now agreed that the basic issue raised by the Papers is deception. At any rate, it is obvious that this issue was uppermost in the minds of those who compiled the Pentagon Papers for The New York Times, and it is at least probable that this was also an issue for the team of writers who prepared the forty-seven volumes of the original study. The famous credibility gap, which has been with us for six long years, has suddenly opened up into an abyss. The quicksand of lying statements of all sorts, deceptions as well as self-deceptions, is apt to engulf any reader who wishes to probe this material, which, unhappily, he must recognize as the infrastructure of nearly a decade of United States foreign and domestic policy. Because of the extravagant lengths to which the commitment to nontruthfulness in politics went on the highest level of government, and because of the concomitant extent to which lying was permitted to proliferate throughout the ranks of all governmental services, military and civilian—the phony body counts of the 'search-and-destroy' missions, the doctored after-damage reports of the air force,1 the 'progress' reports to Washington from the field written by subordinates who knew that their performance would be evaluated by their own reports2—one is easily tempted to forget the background of past history, itself not exactly a story of immaculate virtue, against which this newest episode must be seen and judged. For secrecy—what diplomatically is called discretion as well as the arcana imperii, the mysteries of government—and deception, the deliberate falsehood and the outright lie used as legitimate means to achieve political ends, have been with us since the beginning of recorded history."
The lying as seen in the current CENTCOM deception is of political origin, as the toadies try to serve up a constructed reality as wished for by their masters. From Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama, the structure remains the same, and almost perpetual war is the result. Given that World War II was of four years duration from the perspective of the United States, one must note that much of today's wars -- plural -- have been going on for fifteen years, with new battlefields opened in the last years. This is what such Democrat and Republican politics has become, even if a sitting president ordering war holds the ironic, even idiotic, Peace Prize among his trophies of his political and real wars. It is an ugly picture from which the partisans in media avert their faces today.
[ 6 ] "Dragging Libya into complete chaos?" Since 2011 and since Obama's admission that he had no plan other than toppling an existing government, one sees five years and more of "complete chaos." As regards the US and the EU, there is a sense, as Jaballah Al-Shibani expressed, of working "to impose a government that meets their interests." How is this not simple modern day colonialism?
As to the EU's participation in the chaos, one learns: "Martin Kobler is one of Germany's top officials dealing with crisis zones around the world. He's also one of the country's leading diplomats at the United Nations. The 62-year-old has led UN missions in Afghanistan, in Iraq and most recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN appointed him in November to lead its support mission for civil war-torn Libya, where he is seeking to bring the country's divided factions together into a unity government. December's Skhirat agreement aimed at establishing that government of national unity marked his first success in the position. So far, however, it has done nothing to stop the spread of the Islamic State (IS) in the country." In " 'We Simply Can't Give Up on Libya'," Interview with Martin Kobler, by Juliane von Mittelstaedt, Spiegel Online, 4 February 2016.
Success is Failure and Failure is Success
"Success" in December is failure in the following September, in quite an interesting parallel to the paraded "success" of both the Obama administration and the NATO's leadership, followed by intermittent military actions, followed by a "cobbled" agreement announced in 2015, followed by more self-congratulation as recently as February of 2016. Six months later, a refusal of "the EU threats against all Libyans" and a rejection by some Libyan voices of "EU ambassadors intervening in Libya's affairs."
For this "Failing to plan" with "flailing" in full view, the Obama-asserted "right thing to do" of 2011 and the self-congratulation of EU and NATO war makers paraded as peace makers, then Secretary of State Clinton has been christened as "Butcher of Libya" by Jaballah Al-Shibani, Obama has publicly said he had no plan, and various voices bragging about "success" have been proven to be nothing but empty political chatter. The once-vociferous antiwar movement in the US and Europe is for the most part mute. Boom.
If self-determination is a "right" in some instances but refused in others, how shall one parse political speech? The Peace Prize president gave the clue: "Probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya' was a mistake." Boom.
The British have learned this too late, as their publication of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee's "Libya: Examination of intervention and collapse and the UK’s future policy options," Third Report of Session 2016–17. It testifies to the lies of the US and NATO in their reasoning and subsequent and immediate self-congratulation.
An editorial based on that report castigates. One reads: "Three years ago, NATO declared that the mission in Libya had been 'one of the most successful in NATO history.' Today, this statement is a proven lie that was fed to the public at large in the West. A recently published report of British parliament’s foreign affairs committee has categorically acknowledged that the Western intervention in Libya in 2011 was not only based upon flawed intelligence but also directly paved the way for the resurgence of Islamist terror groups in the country. What had initially been propagated as a sort of 'humanitarian intervention' to 'protect' civilians from the 'tyranny of Gaddafi” soon exacerbated into the notorious game of regime change and led to the subsequent disaster, proliferation of Islamist groups and Libya’s downfall from a reasonably stable state to a fragmented one. The report’s findings are, as such, highly critical in terms of the way the West, particularly the US, has been projecting the utmost necessity of NATO’s intervention." In "Libya is a Complete Western Disaster, Finds a British Parliamentary Report," by Salman Rafi Sheikh, New Eastern Outlook, 28 October 2016.
Comparative details of the Western-mace tragedy in Libya are gathered by the author: "It is a mess, a victim of Western conspiracy and its notorious cold-war era policy of imposing regime change in countries that refuse to abide by their rules of global politics. Libya, today, is a disaster. Facts speak for themselves: In 2010, Libyan economy was generating US$75 billion in GDP, with an average per capita income of US$12,250, roughly equal to an average income in some European countries. As of 2016, however, Libya is likely to experience a budget deficit of some 60% of GDP. The United Nations ranked Libya as the world’s 94th most advanced country in its 2015 index of human development, a decline from 53rd place in 2010. Thanks to the Western intervention which was, to say the least, not only ill-informed and a result of propaganda against Gaddafi but also motivated by purely geo-political considerations. Thanks to the Western intervention that has ‘successfully’ transformed Libya from the richest African state under Gaddafi to a failed state under Western supervision. Its various experiments in Libya have failed to transform it into a pure Western vessel. And as the reports indicate, the US in now trying to install one of its long term assets, General Khalifa Hifter, who aims to set himself up as Libya’s new dictator and then help the West in transforming Africa’s political economy into a disastrous the kind of which Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan today are."
Facts do indeed speak for themselves, as the aim of making Libya a "pure Western vessel" in another ongoing war, alongside Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and more demonstrate that Western self-congratulation is dishonest, as wars for dominance and oil under Western liberals and progressives continue. Libya is a "mess" and a "disaster," while Barack Obama and Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at the outset it was a "for the people."
One cities Obama's 2016 admission of failure and direct orders of military actions against his flowery language of five years earlier. One reads: "The surest way for the bloodshed to end is simple: Moammar Qadhafi and his regime need to recognize that their rule has come to an end. Qadhafi needs to acknowledge the reality that he no longer controls Libya. He needs to relinquish power once and for all. Meanwhile, the United States has recognized the Transitional National Council as the legitimate governing authority in Libya. At this pivotal and historic time, the TNC should continue to demonstrate the leadership that is necessary to steer the country through a transition by respecting the rights of the people of Libya, avoiding civilian casualties, protecting the institutions of the Libyan state, and pursuing a transition to democracy that is just and inclusive for all of the people of Libya. A season of conflict must lead to one of peace. The future of Libya is now in the hands of the Libyan people. Going forward, the United States will continue to stay in close coordination with the TNC. We will continue to insist that the basic rights of the Libyan people are respected. And we will continue to work with our allies and partners in the international community to protect the people of Libya, and to support a peaceful transition to democracy." In "Statement of President Barack Obama on Libya," White House Office of the Press Secretary, 22 August 2011.
And then the White House and NATO "failing to plan...." Bloody war rages five years later, as one recalls "the surest was for the bloodshed to end is simple..." Words. Political words. Empty words, followed by bloodshed and Western allies' bombs.
As the British report notes: "The international community’s inability to secure weapons abandoned by the Gaddafi regime fuelled instability in Libya and enabled and increased terrorism across North and West Africa and the Middle East. The UK Government correctly identified the need to secure weapons immediately after the 2011 Libyan civil war, but it and its international partners took insufficient action to achieve that objective. However, it is probable that none of the states that intervened in Libya would have been prepared to commit the necessary military and political resources to secure stocks of weapons and ammunition. That consideration should have informed their calculation to intervene." (p. 40).
"...should have informed their calculation to intervene?" It did not. The "international community" congratulated itself in the words of Cameron, Obama and Anders Fogh Rasmussen. It was a "success." Years later, it was admitted to be a "shit show" and a "mess" which was named Operation Unified Protector.
As cited above, " 'Operation Unified Protector is one of the most successful in NATO’s history… We have done this together for the people of Libya, so they can take their future firmly and safely into their own hands. Libyans have now liberated their country. And they have transformed the region. This is their victory' - Former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, speaking in October, 2011." In "I Thought NATO 'Liberated' Libya in 2011?" by Steven MacMillan, New Eastern Outlook, 4 August 2016.
[ 7 ] The turmoil in the Middle East includes not only Iraq and ISIS, but Syria as the Obama administration and unelected top dogs in the EU have been demanding that Assad's "regime" be changed. Interestingly one reads of far more than humanitarian issues at stake.
Geopolitical War Games for Oil and Natural Gas, Not for Democracy
Something is learned: "In 2009, Qatar, a leading natural gas producer, approached Syria about routing its planned 1,500 mile pipeline to the gas markets of Europe through Syria’s Aleppo province. Qatar wanted a pipeline straight to Europe as its current gas transport modes were limited to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tanker, mostly to Asia with limited spot shipments to Europe or the Dolphin pipeline to the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The pipeline would head north and end in Turkey after crossing Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. Syria declined Qatar’s offer, which would have cut the European market share of its partner, Russia, and instead agreed to participate in the 'Friendship Pipeline' between Iran and Iraq that was considered a “Shia Pipeline” to some and a target for the Sunni monarchies of the Gulf. Not understood, or ignored, was Syria’s longstanding support of the Iranian regime, especially during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, and its long relationship with Russia, dating from 1944, which should have been a warning of who might appear if things hotted up." In "The Natural Gas War Burning Under Syria," by James Durso, OilPrice.com, 22 September 2016.
Regime change in Syria might accomplish Qatar's goal, but given that many of the Sunni states in the Middle East are not democracies, one wonders why "regime change" for Qatar and other kingdoms are not called for by "concerned" Western nations. In addition, the question of alliances intertwines with this large geopolitical game.
One reads: "In a striking interview with German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer published today the German press including the prominent newspaper Focus, a militant jihadist commander said that US weapons are being delivered to Jabhat Al-Nusra by governments that Washington supports, adding that American instructors were in Syria to teach how to use the new equipment. 'Yes, the US supports the opposition [in Syria], but not directly. They support the countries that support us. But we are not yet satisfied with this support,' Jabhat al-Nusra unit commander Abu Al Ezz said in an interview with Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper from the city of Aleppo. According to the commander, the militants should be receiving more 'sophisticated weapons' from their backers to succeed against the Syrian government." In " 'America Is On Our Side': Al-Nusra Commander Tells German Press US Is Arming Jihadists," Tyler Durden, ZeroHedge, 26 September 2016.
The West Politely Ignores All That
The Obama State Department continues to approve arms sales. One learns: "The United States on Wednesday began notifying lawmakers that it has approved $7 billion in long-stalled sales of Boeing Co (BA.N) fighter jets to Kuwait and Qatar, and more than $1 billion in Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) jets to Bahrain, sources familiar with the decision said. The sales had been pending for more than two years amid concerns raised by Israel, Washington's closest Middle East ally, that arms sold to Gulf Arab states could be used against it, and criticism of Qatar for alleged ties to armed Islamist groups." In "Exclusive: U.S. approves Boeing, Lockheed fighter jet sales to Gulf - sources," by Andrea Shalal and Rachel Nielsen, Reuters, 28 September 2016.
The why is explained, as one reads: "Qatar without energy resources would be an island backwater of feudal sheikhs, camels and falcons. Its brand of Islam is the same fundamentalist Sunni Wahhabism as Saudi Arabia, its only neighbor. Beheading, death penalties for homosexuals, stoning to death for audeltry, all are permitted under their strict Sharia law. Owing to the gas and oil, it is also the world’s richest country per capita, so the West politely ignores all that. The country was selected by Britain, whose territory it was from World War I until 1971, and later by the United States, to be site of one of their most important military bases in the entire Middle East, in Doha. Only 13% of Qatar’s 1.8 million population are Qatari citizens. Fully 1.5 million are foreign “guest-workers” typically working in slave conditions. Qatar is home to the exiled Muslim Brotherhood and to the CIA and NATO-tied Al Jazeera TV. In short, Qatar is the ideal partner for the CIA and MI6 and NATO to advance their Middle East oil and gas agenda. For fundamentalist Sunni Qatar, its despised foe, Shi’ite Iran, suddenly was a deadly rival for EU gas sales." In "Silence of the Lambs-Refugees, EU and Syrian Energy Wars," F. William Engdahl, New Eastern Outlook, 10 October 2016.
And yet one reads signs of this reality being sidestepped for at least two years: "Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton sent an email to her campaign chairman John Podesta in 2014, who was then-counselor to President Barack Obama, that said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are both giving financial and logistical support to the Islamic State and other extremist Sunni groups, according to a recent Wikileaks release." In "Hillary In Leaked Email: Saudi Arabia And Qatar Are Funding ISIS," by Alex Pfeiffer, Daily Caller, 10 October 2016.
The Neo-con Liberals' War for Energy
Engdahl explains: "Fast forward to 2009. As the EU natural gas market became defined as the largest potential gas import market around, all eyes of major gas producers turned to Brussels and to various EU member states as potential major customers. As pipeline networks and LNG terminals spread around the world, gas was slowly becoming more and more like oil as a global or at least, regional market. In 2009 Ronald Dumas, former French Foreign Minister, revealed that British military were preparing for invasion of Assad’s Syria. This was a full two years before allegations of mass killings by Assad’s military and security that gave the green light to the US-backed war against Assad. Dumas told French TV, 'I was in England two years before the violence in Syria, on other business. I met with top British officials, who confessed to me that they were preparing something in Syria. This was in Britain, not in America. Britain was preparing gunmen to invade Syria.' Leaked e-mails from the private US intelligence firm, Stratfor, revealed notes from a meeting with Pentagon officials which confirmed that as of 2011, US and UK special forces’ training of Syrian opposition forces was well underway. The goal then was to bring about the 'collapse' of Assad’s regime 'from within'."
Thus one sees "the West" acting as proxy for Qatar, in the energy wars of the moment, hoping to forestall the Iran-Syria pipeline in favor of a Qatar-proposed pipeline.
Further Destabilizing Syria, as Libya Was Destabilized
With America on a specific "side" in the Syria war, all the while the ISIS catastrophe lingers in Iraq, Libya and Syria, of what purpose would siding with a designated terrorist group, even if through proxies, be? Of course "regime change" in Syria would benefit Sunni states as above and the "pipeline" dreams of one side would replace the "pipeline" dreams of the other.As to Jabhat al-Nusra, one looks back to learn: "The notice in the register lists the Al Nusra front as one of the “aliases” of Al Qaeda in Iraq. In practical terms, the designation makes it illegal for Americans to have financial dealings with the group. It is intended to prompt similar sanctions by other nations, and to address concerns about a group that could further destabilize Syria and harm Western interests." In "U.S. Places Militant Syrian Rebel Group on List of Terrorist Organizations," by Michael R. Gordon and Anne Barnard, New York Times, 10 December 2012.
So the question for "Western interests" then is one of supporting via proxies an Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria and Iraq. Which pipeline does the West want constructed? The Sunni-controlled, it seems, while Russia's interests align with the Shia in Syria and Iran. Thus one might well suspect the "Peace Prize" president of picking sides in a civil war for "interests" which can be summed up as natural gas and oil. A war for control of resources and wealth.
As Abu Al Ezz is quoted as saying of the Obama "regime": "They support the countries that support us."
Regime change, anyone?
Obama's Eight Years of Liberal Interventionism and Acts of War
As to the purveying of arms around the Middle East in particular and the world in general, one reads of epic folly: "It’s believed that a major war writes off all debts, and the more 'cannon fodder' of different nationalities you can bring into it- the more debt you can write off… This formula is being put to good use by the sitting Obama administration, that is getting American troops engaged in all sorts of conflicts across the globe. This is confirmed by a recent study of the Institute of Watson that was published by The Intercept. The study shows that the costs of US wars since 2001 have already reached five trillion dollars! At the same time the local government expenses related to medical care of veterans and homeland security, the macro economic costs of war for the US economy are not being included in this count." In "US: The Mega-Bubble That’s Going to Go Bust," by Martin Berger, NEO, 27 September 2016.
A companion article on the same day notes: "When the US and Britain are not busy killing Syrian soldiers who are fighting against ISIS, they are flooding the most war-torn region on earth (thanks to Western wars) with weapons. The likes of Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and BAE Systems, have been making a killing off the perennial wars we have seen in the 21st century. The new Western-manufactured Cold War 2.0 has also proved to be beneficial for the war giants, as this is used to justify exorbitant defense/war budgets. The power and influence of war contractors is nothing new in the West however. In his farewell address to the nation in 1961, the 34th President of the US, Dwight D. Eisenhower, warned the American people of the dangers of this insidious 'military-industrial complex'...." In "The Anglo-American War Machine," by Steve MacMillan, NEO, 27 Sept 2016.
Thus one sees solid proof that the Obama administration is deep into war while increasing the national debt more than 9 trillion dollars, at an enormous pace historically.
A Mistake Among Many
And as to Obama's claim of ending the war in Iraq, one reads: "U.S. forces began returning after the Islamic State group overran Mosul in the summer of 2014 and blitzed across much of northern, central and western Iraq, joining it to territory it holds in Syria. Weeks later, President Barack Obama announced the start of the air campaign against the Islamic State. At the time, he underlined that he will not allow the U.S. 'to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq.' But the U.S. role has steadily grown as Iraqi and Kurdish forces continue to rely heavily on coalition airpower and support in taking back the territory the militant group overran in 2014. Over the past year, three American service members have been killed by IS in Iraq, revealing the increasingly active role of U.S. forces in a fight the Pentagon initially refused to describe as combat." In "US forces increasing Iraq footprint ahead of Mosul operation," by Susannah George, Associated Press, 10 October 2016.
The Associated Press quoted U.S. Army Col. Brett Sylvia: "I think there is some admission (among some Iraqis) that it was a mistake for us to leave." One of a number, one tallies.
Greek Anti-war Poster Stands Against Obama
One opinion looks at the 2016 presidential race from the perspective of war. One reads of Obama's ex-Secretary of State: "...Clinton’s beliefs, behavior, and promises all suggest that she most likely would do the wrong thing, embracing a militaristic status quo which most Americans recognize has failed disastrously. In fact, her proclivity for promiscuous war-making has attracted the support of leading Neoconservatives, including some architects of the disastrous Iraq war, which as Senator she voted to authorize. Some otherwise obscure Neocons even have appeared in her campaign ads." In "Hillary Clinton Never Met A War She Didn't Want Other Americans To Fight," by Doug Bandow, Forbes, 26 September 2016.
As to "neocon" liberals for war (quite like the other neo-cons, it turns out) consider the addenda and footnotes below clarifying the rhyme, The Cat in the Box
[ 8 ] One amplifies by repetition, "...governments had better get out of the way...." But as seen above, from a range of neo-cons to progressive liberals, war has been repeatedly not only justified even when later admitted to be a "mistake," but it is governments -- plural -- with both neo-cons and progressive liberals still very busy with making war, even when a Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to a war maker. Such is the idiocy of today.
Freedom painted on the Berlin Wall
One may re-learn the wisdom of earlier optimistic words: "Five enemies of peace inhabit with us — avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace." Petrarch, "De vita solitaria" (1346) quoted in "Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing," Larry Chang, 2006.
Looking at world leaders today, one may well question their "avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride," even as political rhetoric is used to conceal such qualities of "leaders" from neo-cons to progressives, all too many busying themselves with war. These five things define those who seek to "lead."
The village needs a bit of paint
So faded from worst wear;
Its fabrications' fascia
Requires great repair.
That which peals and that which sags,
That which is threadbare,
And that which tells a weathered tale
Lures not as polished snare.
The village craves renovation
From foundation to teetering crest;
False fronts must be repainted
To show them at their best.
That which rusts and that which molds,
That which ruin shows,
And that which does no longer tempt
Is a village in death's throes.
It takes a village, so it's said,
To raise up on the morrow
A glittering image built upon
Great debts and greater sorrow.
That which lies and that which steals,
That which wears away,
And that poor built on shifting sands
Was but a tattered appliqué.
Envoi: "A 'Potemkin village' signifies any deceptive or false construct, conjured often by cruel regimes, to deceive both those within the land and those peering in from outside." In "Potemkin Villages, Shh ... It's Classified," by Ishaan Tharoor, TIME, 6 August 2010.
Addendum of the Village Facade: "A central feature of institutional change in these states is the superficial character of the property rights that resulted from over a decade of privatization. Liberal economic policies and local politics combined to produce a facade of rural ownership – a modern Potemkin village. Like the wooden facades that, according to legend, were constructed along Crimean roads to impress and mislead Tsarina Catherine the Great during her travels at the end of the eighteenth century, post-Soviet Potemkin villages convinced Moscow and Kyiv of local state officials’ loyalty and international lending institutions of the Russian and Ukrainian governments’ commitment to property rights reform. In Russia and Ukraine, the documentary record shows the creation of millions of new landowners through titling. On paper, rural capitalists arose, like Minervas, fully formed from fields recently emptied of socialist forms of production. State records in both countries show the allocation of millions of hectares of land to erstwhile members of collective farms and workers on state farms." In "The Post-Soviet Potemkin Village - Politics and Property Rights in the Black Earth," by Jessica Allina-Pisano, Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Addendum of the 2016 Bolivarian Village: "...a complete collapse. And it's entirely man-made. The easiest way to think about this is as a four-stage cycle of doom that begins with inflation, continues to price controls, then shortages, and finally nationalizations." In Venezuela’s death spiral is getting worse," by Matt O'Brien, Washington Post, 8 August 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of East Germany's Faultless Village: "...East German leaders also refused offers of help from West Germany, wanting to prove that the socialist state was strong and that it could manage on its own. The documentary explained the accidents is connection with one another and argued that there was a recurrent pattern according to which GDR leaders and Stasi officials acted. Strict silence was often ordered after an accident and evidence was swiftly removed from the scene. The aim was to show: 'socialism is never guilty'." In "Disasters in East Germany: socialism was never at fault," TheLocal.de, 18 August 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of the U. S. Army's Illusionary Potemkin Budget: "The United States Army’s finances are so jumbled it had to make trillions of dollars of improper accounting adjustments to create an illusion that its books are balanced. The Defense Department’s Inspector General, in a June report, said the Army made $2.8 trillion in wrongful adjustments to accounting entries in one quarter alone in 2015, and $6.5 trillion for the year. Yet the Army lacked receipts and invoices to support those numbers or simply made them up." In "U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds," by Scot J. Paltrow, Reuters, 19 August 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of the European Union Monetary Village: "On the surface, it would seem that the euro crisis has calmed. Markets have rallied since the summer and, to borrow a phrase from Herbert Hoover, 'prosperity is just around the corner.' But outward appearances in Europe are like a Potemkin village. Behind the well-scrubbed facades, Southern Europe is in a death spiral. Anyone convinced that the European monetary union has come through the crisis stronger is a victim of the slickest PR campaign in history. Let’s be very clear here: this is what the euro has wrought. This destruction of the non-German industrial bases has taken place with the active complicity of the European technocrats. They did not even realize that France, the EMU’s second largest economy, for example was becoming hopelessly uncompetitive." In "Europe: The Last Great Potemkin Village Where 'The Rich Get Richer, And Poor Get Poorer'," ZeroHedge.com, 10 February 2013.
Addendum of Communist China Managing a G20 Potemkin Village Meeting: "...astonished and bewildered at how China’s authoritarian rulers have managed to transform a usually bustling metropolis of 6 million inhabitants into a virtual ghost town to guarantee a trouble-free summit. More than a third of Hangzhou’s population were reportedly “convinced” to leave town as part of what Chinese state media called a massive exodus that saw cars forced off the roads and a seven-day public holiday declared. Thousands of residents were ordered to vacate the towering apartment blocks that surround the conference centre where world leaders had gathered, to prevent an assault from above. Dissidents were placed under house arrest or forced to leave the city by security agents." In "Ghost town: how China emptied Hangzhou to guarantee 'perfect' G20," by Tom Phillips, Guardian UK, 5 September 2016.
Addendum of Potemkin Euro-armies: "Why should America, with a smaller population and economy than the EU, keep underwriting Europe’s security? Only four of its 25 European allies—Britain, Estonia, Greece and Poland—meet the minimum standard of spending 2% of GDP on defence. And Europeans waste much of their money on mostly useless toy armies, navies and air forces. Any serious European policy must start from the fact that Europeans have to spend more on defence." In "Potemkin Euro-armies," by Economist, 29 September 2016.
NOTES
[ 1 ] "Man-made," writes O'Brien. A similar assessment states: "Venezuela was once Latin America’s exemplar: home to Simón Bolívar, who freed much of the continent from Spanish rule. Now, after years of political mismanagement and months in economic free fall, it is the region’s cautionary tale. The bolivar, the currency named for the Liberator himself, is now carried in backpacks instead of wallets; one unit is worth less than a penny. While production plummets, crime soars. Fights frequently break out in food lines. The number of murders last year ranged between 17,000 and 28,000. No one knows the exact tally, but regardless it would put the nation’s murder rate—driven by a lethal mix of street gangs, drug cartels, leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries jostling for power—among the world’s highest. Even animals are dying: some 50 zoo animals have starved to death over the past six months because there’s not enough food. 'It is like there had been a natural disaster, like a hurricane which swept things away,' Henrique Capriles, the governor of Miranda state and a key opposition leader, tells TIME. 'If we don’t look for a democratic constitutional solution, I fear there will be an explosion in Venezuela, and it will finish collapsing'." In "It was once the richest country in Latin America. Now it’s falling apart," by Ioan Grillo, TIME, 10 August 2016.
What is the "it" which has "swept things away?" What is the "it" that is "like there has been a natural disaster?" What is the form of "political mismanagement?" What is "entirely man-made?"
The Cautionary Tale of a Man-Made Disaster
What is entirely man-made is that "Venezuela has denied food and humanitarian aid from groups like Amnesty International and the United Nations. Amnesty officials contest that the government doesn't want to accept aid because that would make the government look inadequate." In "Venezuela food crisis deepens as shipments plummet, by Patrick Gillespie, CNN Money, 11 August 2016.
Ideologues cite many versions as their lenses try to explain away what Chavez clearly stated was "21st century socialism," adding that what has become no assertion, but an ironic question: Jesus was a socialist?
It is for this basic reality that the Venezuelan socialists currently in power -- who have been described as victims of the West's conspiracy against them, to being left-wing and right-wing as well, corrupt, inadequate and thuggish -- demand that we Don't look now
[ 2 ] The use of the "Potemkin village" metaphor to describe East Germany is more than apt. After the fall, one saw the prosperous West begin to integrate the failed socialist state. One reads: " The integration of the old communist lander is far from complete: money has moved from west to east, the people have moved in the opposite direction. Some Germans now say the old East Germany is the equivalent of a Potemkin village: the buildings have been given a makeover but the mass exodus of the young means there is no one living in them." In "Germany's new boom: making money by making stuff," by Larry Elliott, Guardian UK, 14 March 2011.
The imagery of this was and remains profound, as one considers how and why East Germans Fled from empty market shelves
[ 3 ] Such an enormous number should be headline news in the US, not to mention around the world given the many governments which hold US treasuries. It is not. One likelihood is that other government investors are involved in the same sorts of schemes.
A clear-headed editorial opinion is found: "This is no minor book-keeping bureaucratic snafu. It exposes the rampant corruption at the heart of the world’s largest military Leviathan, the Pentagon. The Pentagon report goes on to declare, 'In addition, DFAS Indianapolis did not document or support why the Defense Departmental Reporting System-Budgetary (DDRS-B), a budgetary reporting system, removed at least 16,513 of 1.3 million records during third quarter FY2015…the data used to prepare the FY2015 AGF third quarter and year-end financial statements were unreliable and lacked an adequate audit trail.' (emphasis added) Translated into plain English, the US Army–and that’s only one branch of the US Armed Forces–destroyed accounting documents, did not provide an audit trail for accountability of funds allocated by Congress, and made apparently arbitrary, unverifiable accounting year-end adjustments that made it look like the books balanced, adjustments of $6.5 trillion worth. In other words they not only cooked the books, they Dixie-fried them, as in…trillion…trillion…trillion…" In "The Collapse of Rome: Washington’s $6.5 trillion Black Hole," by F. William Engdahl, New Eastern Outlook, 22 August 2016.
$6.5 Trillion in Arbitrary and Unverifiable Adjustments
This number represents approximately one-third of the so-called public debt. This number also is symptomatic of the extreme lack of accountability for not only the US Army and the Pentagon, but also the Commander-in-Chief, Obama, and his entire upper-level functionaries which include the previous Secretary of State, Clinton, and her ineptitude in that position coupled to major military marketing on the part of the federal government and demands for regime change around the world.
As to accountability, one reads: "The American arming of Syrian rebels, by both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Department, has also been troubled by questions of accountability and outright theft in a war where the battlefield is thick with jihadists aligned with Al Qaeda or fighting under the banner of the Islamic State." In "How Many Guns Did the U.S. Lose Track of in Iraq and Afghanistan? Hundreds of Thousands," by C. J. Chiversaug, New York Times, 24 August 2016.
No Minor Book-keeping Bureaucratic Snafu
"This is no minor book-keeping bureaucratic snafu." This is the exposing of "rampant corruption" by government under a Democrat administration and its now proven dream for "a comprehensive planetary regime," in the words of those in service to Obama and his political allies, as they dream their elitist dreams, as seen in The Privileges of Intellectuals
The Potemkin Village of a Peace Prize recipient advocating seemingly kindly, liberal politics alongside continual war wears away, exposing simple fascism ineptly hidden behind the social justice, cultural relativist and postmodern smiley-face of today's "progressive" politics. After all, progress today equals fifteen years of continual war, new military conflicts, profitable weapons sales in parallel with $6.5 trillion in cooked federal accounting in only one year's budget, at the minimum.
"The sun did not shine. / It was too wet to play. / So we sat in the house / All that cold, cold, wet day." So begins "The Cat in the Hat," by Dr. Seuss, who was also Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), Random House, Houghton Mifflin, 1957.
The sun did not shine
For the box was closed shut;
Thus no one could tell
If that cat lived -- or what.
Schrödinger posited
Yes, and -- yup -- no,
So the answer is this:
You can't really know.
Who'd buy a cat,
Both dead and alive?
You'd just have to peek
And answers derive.
Schrödinger with umlaut
Is Schrodinger too,
And Schroedinger, also,
Spelling three states, not two.
Dead or alive?
'Maybe' will play.
Umlaut or not?
What do you say?
You can't really know
Until you can know,
For to know what you can't
Heaps trouble on woe.
The sun cannot shine
When willfully blind,
As ears will not hear
When closed is a mind.
Envoi: "A cat is placed in a steel box along with a Geiger counter, a vial of poison, a hammer, and a radioactive substance. When the radioactive substance decays, the Geiger detects it and triggers the hammer to release the poison, which subsequently kills the cat. The radioactive decay is a random process, and there is no way to predict when it will happen. Physicists say the atom exists in a state known as a superposition—both decayed and not decayed at the same time. Until the box is opened, an observer doesn't know whether the cat is alive or dead—because the cat's fate is intrinsically tied to whether or not the atom has decayed and the cat would, as Schrödinger put it, be 'living and dead ... in equal parts' until it is observed. In other words, until the box was opened, the cat's state is completely unknown and therefore, the cat is considered to be both alive and dead at the same time until it is observed." In "The Physics Behind Schrödinger's [ 1 ] Cat Paradox," by Melody Kramer, National Geographic, 14 August 2016.
Addendum in Notation: Before: |Whole>|Alive>+ |Decayed> |Dead> and After: |Whole>Alive>|Buy Cat Litter>+|Decayed>|Dead>|Bury in the box>
Addendum in Politics: "You've heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don't know if you have heard that it is legislation for the future, not just about health care for America, but about a healthier America, where preventive care is not something that you have to pay a deductible for or out of pocket. Prevention, prevention, prevention — it's about diet, not diabetes. It's going to be very, very exciting. But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy." In "The Ghost of Gaffes Past, A selection of gaffes from the 2010 campaign that we should forgive," by David Weigel, Slate.com, 27 December 2010. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Not Fooling the Person Easiest to Fool: "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool." In "Cargo Cult Science," Richard P. Feynman, "Some remarks on science, pseudoscience, and learning how to not fool yourself," Caltech’s 1974 commencement address.
Addendum from an Email, as Hacked by Wikileaks:
Addendum of the Democrat National Committee's Taco Bowl, as Hacked by WikiLeaks:
Addendum of Some Cats Missing in the Goggle Box: "Need to know who’s running for President of the United States? Don’t Google it. Searching for ‘presidential candidates’ brings up a handy guide above all of the other search results with pictures of candidates with active campaigns. Clicking on a picture brings up searches for the candidates. The only problem is that Republican candidate Donald Trump isn’t included. Neither is Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson." In "Trump left out of Google search for presidential candidates," by NBC4 Staff, WCMH-TV Columbus, 27 July 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of a Paradoxical Reversion to a Singular State: "Bernie Sanders said he plans to return to the Senate as an independent, despite winning 13 million votes in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary contest. 'I was elected as an independent; I’ll stay two years more as an independent,' Sanders said." In "Bernie Sanders to revert to independent for rest of Senate term ," by Peter Nicholas, Market Watch, 26 July 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of a Dead Cat Box Opened in 2008 and Closed Again in 2016: "Hillary Clinton. She’ll say anything, and change nothing. It’s time to turn the page. Paid for by Obama for America." In "Obama: Hillary Will 'Say Anything and Change Nothing'," by Michael James, ABC News, 25 January 2008. [ 7 ]
Addendum of the Rich Picture of a War Hawk: "...those Hillary Clinton emails, they connect together with the cables that we have published of Hillary Clinton, creating a rich picture of how Hillary Clinton performs in office, but, more broadly, how the U.S. Department of State operates. So, for example, the disastrous, absolutely disastrous intervention in Libya, the destruction of the Gaddafi government, which led to the occupation of ISIS of large segments of that country, weapons flows going over to Syria, being pushed by Hillary Clinton, into jihadists within Syria, including ISIS, that’s there in those emails. There’s more than 1,700 emails in Hillary Clinton’s collection, that we have released, just about Libya alone." In "Assange: Why I Created WikiLeaks' Searchable Database of 30,000 Emails from Clinton's Private Server," quote of Julian Assange, Democracy Now, 25 July 2016.
Addendum of the Cats in a Basket Generalization: "In an effort to explain the support behind Trump, Clinton went on to describe the rest of his supporters as people who are looking for change in any form because of economic anxiety and urged her supporters to empathize with them. 'To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables,' Clinton said. 'Right? Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, you name it'." In "Clinton: Half of Trump supporters are in 'basket of deplorables'," by Dan Merica and Sophie Tatum, CNN, 10 September 2016.
Addendum of the Advertising Box Ripped Open: "It's all an act. Sports Illustrated model Hannah Ferguson revealed filming Carl's Jr. ads which are known for their steamy campaigns is not as sexy as the commercials make it out to be. 'They had a spit bucket on the side, so every time I would take a bite out of the burger, this guy would have to run over with a bucket,' she told Hamptons magazine. 'I ate a few bites, but most of it I put in the spit bucket'." In "Hannah Ferguson admits filming Carl's Jr. ads is not sexy," FOX News, 3 August 2016.
Addendum of Success in the Box: " 'Operation Unified Protector is one of the most successful in NATO’s history… We have done this together for the people of Libya, so they can take their future firmly and safely into their own hands. Libyans have now liberated their country. And they have transformed the region. This is their victory” - Former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, speaking in October, 2011." In "I Thought NATO “Liberated” Libya in 2011?" by Steven MacMillan, New Eastern Outlook, 4 August 2016. [ 8 ]
Addendum of Ransom-and-not-Ransom: "Despite the administration’s official claim of an innocent confluence of events, Iranian Revolutionary Guard leaders claimed otherwise in state media that 'Taking this much money back was in return for the release of the American spies.' David Ibsen, president of United Against Nuclear Iran, told Salon that the recent detention of Robin Shahini, another U.S. citizen, is further evidence that Washington should be thwarting—not rewarding—Iran’s bad behavior. 'The secret airlifting of $400 million in cash to the Iranian regime is just another example of the United States enabling the nefarious activities of the Ayatollah and his proxies,' he said." In "Congress was right: The Iran deal is a travesty — and Obama is to blame" by Carrie Sheffield, Salon.com, 4 August 2016. [ 9 ]
Addendum of the Cat in a Bag: "Magnette was addressing MPs after a meeting in Namur with Canada's international trade minister Chrystia Freedland and the former EU negotiator for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) Mauro Petriccione. The talks are about a declaration that will be added to the agreement, to explain some of its elements, such as agriculture policy; labour; environmental or data privacy standards; or the investor settlement mechanism. 'The mechanism is not described with precision,' Magnette said. 'It's like buying a cat in a bag'." In "Wallonia still refuses to buy Ceta 'cat in a bag',' by Eric Maurice, EU Observer, 21 October 2016.
NOTES
[ 1 ] "The Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (German: [ˈɛɐ̯viːn ˈʃʁøːdɪŋɐ]; 12 August 1887–4 January 1961), sometimes written as Erwin Schrodinger or Erwin Schroedinger, was a Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist who developed a number of fundamental results in the field of quantum theory, which formed the basis of wave mechanics: he formulated the wave equation (stationary and time-dependent Schrödinger equation) and revealed the identity of his development of the formalism and matrix mechanics. Schrödinger proposed an original interpretation of the physical meaning of the wave function." Wikipedia article, n. d.
[ 2 ] The amusing editorial stance by Weigel, who was also a journalist writing for the Washington Post, states that this statement was a "gaffe." In hindsight, one sees the emerging answer to whether or not the ObamaCare cat is prospering or dying in a survey over time from media reports found after the rhyme: A Countdown Song
As the box is opened, the state of something not known but with more than one possible outcome becomes observable as only one outcome. Does the cat live or die?
Journalism Pre-approved by Politics
In another gaffe informing on the possibility of collusion or no collusion in journalism: "Politico acknowledged Sunday that it was a 'mistake' for one of its top reporters to send the Democratic National Committee an advance copy of an article while emphasizing there were no substantive changes made to the piece prior to publication. A May 2 article by Politico’s Ken Vogel and Isaac Arnsdorf ― 'Clinton fundraising leaves little for state parties' ― has come under scrutiny since WikiLeaks published over 19,000 internal DNC emails on Friday." In "Politico Admits ‘Mistake’ In Sending DNC An Article In Advance," by Michael Calderon, Huffington Post, 24 July 2016.
Modeling on the "not yet known" is akin to the paradox of the alive-and-dead cat. One must wait to see: "...people don't know how much she's accomplished and how big an effect it's had on people's lives. But here's what I will say. I don't think people will fully appreciate who she is until, knock on wood, she's elected president, because when she is president, I think--I think she will be phenomenally successful because she's a workhorse." In "Full transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews Robby Mook," by Politico Staff, 28 July 2016.
People Don't Know
Examining the argument at face value, Mook argues that a politician in the public eye for decades, who was first lady in the White House for eight years, a Senator from New York and Secretary of State in the current administration and regularly in the news throughout those many years. The statement that "people don't know how much she's accomplished and how big an effect it's had on people's lives" is nonsensical, albeit political. What he proposes, therefore, is quite akin to the "gaffe" as noted in the Huffington Post article, in which the Politico -- which has published the above appeal to vote for a somehow not well enough known candidate in order to "appreciate" her -- "admits 'mistake' in sending DNC an article in advance."
That this is paradoxical in the sense of the dead-and-alive cat becomes obvious, for when gauging an outcome based on people's political allegiances, the answer so often remains yes-and-no. No factual answer separates yes from no. Thus one refers to the "notation" above to find that the state of so much politics seems designed to remain as long as possible in the "before" state, and never learn clearly whether the cat is dead or alive, or even if the name is spelled one way or another.
Consider the fact that -- and reasons why -- Trust rusts
[ 3 ] Of a "secure" server or email, one reads: "Mrs. Clinton, and her campaign, have always maintained that the server was secure. President Obama backed her up in an interview last October on CBS’s '60 Minutes.' 'I don’t think it posed a national security problem,' he said. But Mr. Comey painted a different picture. 'Hostile actors gained access to the private commercial email accounts of people with whom Secretary Clinton was in regular contact,' he said." In "Hillary Clinton’s Email Was Probably Hacked, Experts Say," by David E. Sanger, New York Times, 6 July 2016.
As to exposes of Clinton emails, one reads from the Clinton campaign: "Was the server ever hacked? No, there is no evidence there was ever a breach. Was there ever an unauthorized intrusion into her email or did anyone else have access to it? No. What was done after her email was exposed in February 2013 after the hacker known as 'Guccifer' hacked Sid Blumenthal’s account? While this was not a breach of Clinton’s account, because her email address was exposed, steps were taken at that time to ensure the security and integrity of her electronic communications, including changing her email address." In "Updated: The Facts About Hillary Clinton’s Emails," HillaryClinton.com, Briefing, Factsheets, last Last updated on December 11, 2015.
One reads of leaked Democrat National Committee emails: "WikiLeaks released approximately 20,000 DNC emails on Friday. Another email shows that Wasserman Schultz called the attempt by the Sanders campaign to moderate the party’s stance on Israel 'disturbing.' The DNC chair has long been criticized for anti-Sanders bias. Wasserman Schultz served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, and is a longtime Clinton ally." In "DNC emails: Wasserman Schultz furiously pressured MSNBC after it criticized her 'unfair' treatment of Sanders," by Ben Norton, Salon.com, 22 July 2016.
"Was the server ever hacked?" It turns out the answer is yes. One reads based on FBI interviews and reports: "The incident appears to be the first confirmed intrusion into a piece of hardware associated with Hillary Clinton’s private email system, which originated with a server established for her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The FBI disclosed the event in its newly released report on the former secretary of state’s handling of classified information." In "Someone using Tor breached email account on Clinton server," by Eric Geller, Politico, 2 September 2016.
"No" is "yes."
No Recollection of Significant Things?
From the FBI interview, one also learns: "Most surprisingly perhaps: Clinton said she 'did not recall receiving any emails she thought should not be on an unclassified system.' Clinton said she relied on employees’ judgment in sending her emails. But Clinton’s memory doesn’t just fall short on email servers, vital procedures and possible security problems. When asked by the FBI to give an example of how a federal document arrives at classification, Clinton couldn’t. The FBI document is sure to raise issues about how Clinton and President Obama’s State Department handled secure papers and emails." In "Clinton Told FBI She Couldn’t Recall Key Details 26 Times," by Jim Stinson, Lifezette, 2 September 2016.
"No" is "yes," and also not recalling substantive things.
A further report notes: "Said the report, 'Clinton said she received no instructions or direction regarding the preservation or production of records from (the) State (Department) during the transition out of her role as Secretary of State in 2013. However, in December of 2012, Clinton suffered a concussion and then around the New Year had a blood clot (in her head). Based on her doctor's advice, she could only work at State for a few hours a day and could not recall every briefing she received,' the report said." In "Clinton says could not recall all briefings due to concussion: FBI report," Reuters via CNBC, 2 September 2016.
"No" is "yes," and not recalling based on a concussion. Were one to try to revise Schrödinger's Cat Paradox to include more than two possible outcomes, what would that look like? It would look like a political campaign.
One could image other possible assertions modeled on the above, such as "war" is "peace" is "I don't recall." Or "debt" is "wealth" is "I forgot because I hit my head." Or "true" is "false" is "because I could." This is a story with many interesting twists yet to be uncovered as this paradox seems not yet to have been fully solved by fully opening the box.
To Produce and Unaware and Compliant Citzenry
What is important to note is that current Democrat party politics seeks to produce "an unaware and compliant citizenry." These words are specific as one reads: "And as I've mentioned, we've all been quite content to demean government, drop civics and in general conspire to produce an unaware and compliant citizenry. The unawareness remains strong but compliance is obviously fading rapidly. This problem demands some serious, serious thinking - and not just poll driven, demographically-inspired messaging." In an email from Bill Ivey (bi@globalculturalstrategies.com) to John Pdesta ( john.podesta@gmail.com) 13 March 2016, as provided by Wikileaks, circa 2016.
Clearing a War Hawk's Path in a Primary
Looking back one reads: "The Democratic National Committee is 'clearing a path' for Hillary Clinton to be its presidential nominee because its upper power echelons are populated with women, according to a female committee member who was in Las Vegas for Tuesday's primary debate. Speaking on the condition that she isn't identified, she told Daily Mail Online that the party is in the tank for Clinton, and the women who run the organization decided it 'early on.' The committeewoman is supporting one of Hillary's rivals for the Democratic nomination, and said she spoke freely because she believes the former Secretary of State is benefiting from unfair favoritism inside the party." In "EXCLUSIVE: Democratic National Committeewoman says her party is 'clearing a path' for Hillary because 'the women in charge' want it that way," by David Martosko, Daily Mail, 15 October 2015.
Also: "Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has a widely known antipathy toward Clinton. He's been quoted as calling the former Secretary of State a 'war hawk'—a disparaging term for someone eager for armed conflict abroad—and warned in June that a new leak could damage her candidacy. Assange has also been sharply critical of President Barack Obama's foreign policy, most notably his administration's use of drones in the Middle East." In "Wikileaks hits DNC ahead of convention, competes with Kaine VP nomination," by Javier E. David, MSNBC, 23 July 2016.
War Hawk Endorses a War Hawk
More as to the description of war hawk from news of a Bush administration supporter of Clinton: "As deputy secretary of Defense under Bush, Wolfowitz was among the earliest and biggest cheerleaders for invading Iraq and deposing Saddam Hussein. Clinton, as a senator representing New York, voted in 2002 to go to war in Iraq. Clinton’s support of the invasion has dogged her since, creating problems with members of the Democratic base who view her as a hawk." In "George W. Bush's Iraq war architect says he will likely vote for Clinton," by Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 26 August 2016.
Another War Hawk Endorses a War Hawk
Yet another Clinton advisor, supporter and former CIA Director for Obama shows a war hawk's talons: "Hillary Clinton wants to increase airstrikes against ISIS. She said she would arm the moderate rebels, and pressure Russia to get out of Syria. We should add that Panetta is advising the Clinton campaign." In "Former CIA director on 'worst-case scenario' in Syrian civil war," Margaret Brennan Interview with Leon Panetta, CBS News, 17 July 2016.
The article details the war hawk's urge to "press on" for expanded war: "I think the likelihood is that the next president is gonna have to consider adding additional special forces on the ground to try to assist those moderate forces that are taking on ISIS, and that are taking on Assad's forces. And we have to increase our air strikes. We've got to do all of those things in order to put increasing pressure on ISIS but also on Assad. We can't surrender one objective for the other. We've gotta continue to press on both fronts."
War Hawk Party Support for a War Hawk Candidate
Amusingly entities with spokespersons ready at an instant to comment seemed immediately absent. One reads: "The DNC did not respond to requests for comment. The Clinton campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment." In "Emails Released by WikiLeaks Appear to Show DNC Trying to Aid Hillary Clinton," by Alana Abramson and Shushannah Walshe, ABC News, 22 July 2016.
When the quantum-masking box is opened, one observed quantum state is confirmed, sometimes embarrassingly. One reads: "The head of the Democratic Party resigned on Sunday amid a furor over embarrassing leaked emails, hoping to head off a growing rebellion by Bernie Sanders supporters on the eve of the convention to nominate Hillary Clinton for the White House. Lingering bitterness from the heated primary campaign between Clinton and Sanders erupted after more than 19,000 Democratic National Committee emails, leaked on Friday, confirmed Sanders' frequent charge that the party played favorites in the race." In "Democrats in disarray on eve of convention to nominate Clinton," by John Whitesides, Reuters, 25 July 2016.
One must conclude that the Democrat Party is now a party of war, given the eight years of Obama's wars continuing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, as well as being allied with Saudi Arabia against Yemen, and with cross border drone attacks in a number of other nations. Moreover, this shows in the consistency with which the DNC seems to have concluded Clinton was the nominee "before a single vote was cast."
One finds that expressed literally: "Based on many similar memos and documents released by Guccifer 2.0 from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and DCCC, it appears the Democratic Party leadership felt strangely self-assured Clinton would be their presidential nominee before a single vote was cast. The Clinton campaign and DNC have not disputed the veracity of any files or documents leaked, rather they have portrayed themselves as the victims of Russian hackers to divert attention from the content of the leaks." In "Breaking: Guccifer 2.0 Releases More DNC Docs, Exposing More Corruption," by Michael Sainato, Observer UK, 23 September 2016.
Jobs an Issue for a CNN War Hawk?
As noted below, the Obama State Department under Clinton advocated for massive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. One finds a "news" man worried if such sales were not to continue. One reads: "...opposition to a $1.1 billion U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia — which has been brutally bombing civilian targets in Yemen using U.S.-made weapons for more than a year now — alarmed CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday afternoon. Blitzer’s concern: That stopping the sale could result in fewer jobs for arms manufacturers. 'So for you this is a moral issue,' he told Paul during the Kentucky Republican’s appearance on CNN. 'Because you know, there’s a lot of jobs at stake. Certainly if a lot of these defense contractors stop selling war planes, other sophisticated equipment to Saudi Arabia, there’s going to be a significant loss of jobs, of revenue here in the United States. That’s secondary from your standpoint?' " In "Wolf Blitzer Is Worried Defense Contractors Will Lose Jobs if U.S. Stops Arming Saudi Arabia," by Zaid Jilanind Alec Emmons, Intercept, 9 September 2016.
The article notes this alliance with Saudi Arabia results in the following: "Saudi Arabia began bombing Yemen in March 2015, and has since been responsible for the majority of the 10,000 deaths in the war so far. The U.S.-backed bombing coalition has been accused of intentionally targeting civilians, hospitals, factories, markets, schools, and homes. The situation is so bad that the Red Cross has started donating morgue units to Yemeni hospitals."
One may well conclude then that there are many war hawks in the United States, in media as in and surrounding the Obama administration. For more on this, consider the sourced addenda and footnotes which tell of war hawks aplenty: A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
War Hawk and Her War Party Seeking to Keep People Ignorant
As to the ostensibly "disparaging term" of war hawk, one may survey many sourced addenda and footnotes to the Obama administration and Clinton's time as Secretary of State which undergird the description that both have proven in government actions, unlike government words, to have been "war hawks" quite like and more potent than the Bush administration before.
The issue is merely one of opening the box to determine the outcome of a seeming paradox. As one journalist noted of the "long-standing problem" being solved by opening the "box" and perhaps letting the "cat" out of the proverbial bag: "The email leaks turned that into a public conversation." In "Leaked emails aside, the DNC has been a long-standing problem," by Dan Balz, Washington Post, 24 July 2016.
"War hawk" as a phrase enters the larger picture for the Democrats, as it should. Moreover during the DNC convention one learns that the powers that be sought to quiet an anti-war message directed at Leon Panetta: " 'To have a literal blackout occur over the people supporting the anti-war message, which is what Bernie Sanders supports, this is just more of the same,' LaFleur said. 'This is to be expected'." In "DNC 2016: Lights over Oregon delegation cut after chants of 'No More War'," by Talia Richman, The Oregonian," 28 July 2016. Are some Democrats war hawks? Is the nominee a war hawk? Are the producers of the event a part of what has been called the "military-industrial complex?" Is the party demonstrably for war in deeds, if not in words?
It becomes understandable and even predictable political strategy for a war hawk as well as a highly aggressive campaigner against Sanders in the primaries, as pictured above: "She wants to achieve consistency and the best way to do that is to keep the people ignorant." One may remain ignorant or one may become informed, and especially as regards Mrs. Clinton, proven war hawk masquerading as a dove of peace. Which is the true state? To observe, one must open the box.
A Plan to Kill by Yet Another War Hawk
As to opening that box, one finds an aggressive voice for war supporting Clinton for president in 2016. Michael Morell is a former acting director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who worked under the Bush and Obama administrations. One reads: "... Morell's plan to kill Russians and Iranians was an ill-conceived attempt to convince both nations to capitulate to US designs in Syria today, so that an even greater loss of Russian and Iranian lives could be embarked upon by wider proxy war in the near future. In the process of organising this ill-conceived plan, the US has now further implicated itself as a state-sponsor of terrorism, further undermining its own pretext for intervention in Syria to allegedly 'fight terrorism.' With US-made TOW missiles conveniently, or very likely, covertly falling into the hands of designated terrorist organisations and being turned against Russian and Iranian forces, the US has also further undermined its own narrative revolving around its primacy as a stabilising force both within the region and globally." In "Has CIA's Plot to "Covertly" Kill Russians in Syria Come to Pass?" New Atlas, 9 August 2016.
In Morell's own words from a Charlie Rose interview, one reads: "During the interview, Morell would state: 'I'd give them the things that they need to both go after the Assad government but also to have the Iranians and the Russians pay a little price. When we were in Iraq, the Iranians were giving weapons to the Shia'a militia who were killing American soldiers. The Iranians were making us pay a price. We need to make the Iranians pay a price in Syria. We need to make the Russians pay a price.' Charlie Rose would then interrupt Morell to clarify by stating: 'You make them pay the price by killing Russians? And killing Iranians?' To which Morell replied emphatically: 'Yes. Yes. Covertly. You don't tell the world about it, right? You don't stand up at the Pentagon and say we did this. Right? But you make sure they know it in Moscow and Tehran.' Morell's plans echo those laid out by other US policymakers, including those at the Brookings Institution." In "Has CIA's Plot to "Covertly" Kill Russians in Syria Come to Pass?" New Atlas, 9 August 2016.
Yes. Yes. Covertly. Kill.
The Democrat administration of Obama has postured as being for peace, all the while pursuing and expanding war. The Democrat nominee in 2016 is supported by Morell, who opening his own yes/no paradox by saying for posterity: " 'Yes. Yes. Covertly. You don't tell the world about it, right? You don't stand up at the Pentagon and say we did this. Right? But you make sure they know it in Moscow and Tehran.' " Covertly? In a televised interview? While supporting the Democrat Party? The conclusions are obvious, except to the oblivious.
See that box has been opened, though many avert their eyes: A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
All the above may be placed in Marxist perspective, as one reacquaints with the "war hawk" stance of Lenin. One reads: " 'War is the Continuation of Politics by Other' (i.e., Violent) 'Means'. This famous aphorism was uttered by one of the profoundest writers on the problems of war, Clausewitz. Marxists have always rightly regarded this thesis as the theoretical basis of views concerning the significance of every given war. It was precisely from this viewpoint that Marx and Engels always regarded different wars." In "Socialism and War," Vladimir Ilyich Lenin with G. Y. Zinoviev, Sotsial-Demokrat Editorial Board, Geneva, July—August 1915.
Moreover from this easily documented view, one learns that war can be "progressive" as well as socialist: "In history there have been numerous wars which, in spite of all the horrors, atrocities, distress and suffering that inevitably accompany all wars, were progressive, i.e., benefited the development of mankind by helping to destroy the exceptionally harmful and reactionary institutions."
The only remaining question is to examine which are the officially defined "harmful and reactionary institutions," as one watches a century and more of socialist "institutions" having been befouled by wholesale and barbarous murder. War is the continuation of politics, and American politicians like so many politicians around the world are easily invested in "progressive" war.
[ 4 ] The latest WikiLeaks of the Democrat National Committee emails demonstrates here and there some interesting anomalies, this one being a cavalier tone in speaking about the Hispanic community in the United States as requiring the Democrats' "taco bowl engagement." It seems that the box once closed, is opened and become a Pandora's box of political problems for the party.
Championing a Catastrophe and Taking Voters for Granted
Other related problems are noted: "...an all-white ticket ignores the Democratic Party’s primary base, especially considering the difficulty that people of color have of being elected governor or senator, two of the primary political vehicles (along with the vice presidency) for being successfully elected president. Despite efforts to tout her racial bonafides working for the Children Defense Fund after law school, Clinton continues to take black voters for granted. This is especially egregious given that, as First Lady, she helped her husband champion crime and welfare policies that ultimately resulted in catastrophe for some of the nation’s most racially and economically vulnerable communities." In "Clinton Continues to Take Voters of Color for Granted," by Peniel Joseph, New York Times, 22 July 2016.
One reads: "What’s with Hillary Clinton and email? The Democratic presidential nominee who shattered her credibility over a rogue email system while serving as secretary of state now must deal with an electronic snafu at the Democratic National Committee. Among 20,000 DNC emails posted by WikiLeaks on the eve of Clinton’s nominating convention, there are scores in which party employees criticized and mocked Bernie Sanders during his primary campaign against Clinton." In "Another Clinton Email Scandal," by Ron Fournier, Atlantic, 24 July 2016.
A variant on the quasi-logical notation above is suggested: Before: |Details Hidden >|Champion of Minorities > + |Details Exposed by WikiLeaks >|Taking Minorities for Granted > and After: |Details Hidden >Champion of Minorities >|Campaign Successes > + |Details Exposed >|Taking Minorities for Granted >|Campaign Struggles >.The box which remains closed keeps up the suspense. In this political free-for-all, one finds: "...Assange refused to confirm or deny a Russian origin for the mass email leak, saying Wikileaks tries to create ambiguity to protect all its sources. 'Perhaps one day the source or sources will step forward and that might be an interesting moment some people may have egg on their faces. But to exclude certain actors is to make it easier to find out who our sources are,' Assange told CNN." In "Julian Assange: 'A lot more material' coming on US elections," by Matthew Chance, CNN, 26 July 2016.
Refusing "to confirm or deny" is to maintain the box as closed, and the possible states not observed -- yet. The metaphor between physics' famous box and the boxed-in politicians whose "box" is opened to determine one "state" and not another, of which Assange seemed fully aware.
Thus "keep the people ignorant" was a closed box, when opened slightly and fleshed in with details such that the health of this particular political "Schrödinger's cat" suggests Pandora's box as the parallel metaphor. One might want to "wave" at the "particle" as the quantum state of not known is changed to Philip K. Dick's pertinent quote just below, addressing that often-recurring moment when Platitudes meet realities
[ 5 ] This small news item carried by NBC News in Columbus, Ohio, was amusingly commented on by someone with the moniker, TheNakedLady. "If you need to google who is running for President, maybe you shouldn't vote."
This seems doubly amusing because one thing about the paradox of Schrödinger's Cat is that, if one begins with a dead cat, the paradox is no paradox at all. The classic diagram is amended to erase the living cat:
Before: |Decayed>|Dead>|Bury in the box> After: |Decayed>|Dead>|Bury in the box>
One may then simplify further, doing away with the Geiger counter, a vial of poison, a hammer, and a radioactive substance. This leaves other questions. Who killed the cat? Why? "If you need to google who is running for" cat or even top dog, maybe you shouldn't vote?
In the search for a unified theory, this is a dream of the many, and "many" of these many pursue their sinecure in a lifelong and well-fattened career in Politics
[ 6 ] The DNC campaign box, opened, shows a "Democrat" candidate to have been consistently an Independent and to remain so after the campaign's end. In the ballot box, was he Democrat or Independent? The perception was that he fulfilled both states of political being. At the end of the experiment, the possibility of two distinct states of political being was unobserved.
Schrödinger's Cat, if found dead at the end of the paradoxical experiment, would not be revived, though if alive could be killed. Democrat and Independent, to reveal which state after the box was opened? Not a Democrat after all, it seems.
[ 7 ] The indeterminate state (one of two) becomes determined when that state is measured. Looking back to Obama's assertion about Clinton from 2008 that "she’ll say anything, and change nothing. It’s time to turn the page" becomes problematic as he endorses her eight years later. For the sake of politics, he has seemingly changed this opinion. Which opinion is his true opinion?
One reads of physics' wave particle singularity: "We see that the more accurately we try to determine a particle's position, the less accurately we know its momentum, and vice versa." In "Timeless Reality: Symmetry, Simplicity and Multiple Universes," by Victor J. Stenger, Prometheus Books, 2000.
What may one then know of Obama's 2008 statement? Was it true or false? Perhaps it was true-and-false? ∆x∆p≥h/2?
Truth is the Truth, Not an Either-Or Paradox
Of a particular 2016 statement by Clinton, one finds immediate response: "New Bedford leaders are livid at Hillary Clinton’s depiction of the Whaling City as a place where handicapped children were abandoned at home because the schools lacked accommodations for youngsters with special needs. 'It’s not true,' former Mayor Jack Markey told the Herald yesterday. 'I’m even a Democrat, but the truth is the truth'." In "New Bedford officials angry at Hill, Ex-Dem mayor, others dispute New Bedford anecdote in Clinton DNC speech," by Brian Dowling and Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 31 July 2016.
One measures an indeterminate statement by opening the box of true-and-false to find in this instance that "New Bedford leaders are livid" at a statement which a candidate hoped would be heard to be true and which they state outright to be "false." This simple political dance returns one to Obama's 2008 statement. "Hillary Clinton. She’ll say anything, and change nothing." His conclusion was "It’s time to turn the page." Was this true-and-false in an indeterminate manner in which both states are likely yet neither clearly known? Or was this a true statement that it was "time to turn the page" in 2008? Or was this a false statement then, if seemingly a false statement by the perspective of the DNC 2016 convention? All cannot be true, anymore than Schrödinger's cat paradox implies. Why? The "cat is considered to be both alive and dead at the same time until it is observed." The New Bedford Democrats have stated their observation, for the box is opened and the cat is let out of the proverbial bag. " 'I’m even a Democrat, but the truth is the truth'."
It Depends on What the Meaning of the Word "Is" Is
A Washington Post "fact check" awarded "four Pinocchios" to Clinton. One reads: "The Pinocchio Test - As we have seen repeatedly in Clinton’s explanations of the email controversy, she relies on excessively technical and legalistic answers to explain her actions. While Comey did say there was no evidence she lied to the FBI, that is not the same as saying she told the truth to the American public — which was the point of Wallace’s question. Comey has repeatedly not taken a stand on her public statements. And although Comey did say many emails were retroactively classified, he also said that there were some emails that were already classified that should not have been sent on an unclassified, private server. That’s the uncomfortable truth that Clinton has trouble admitting." In "Clinton’s claim that the FBI director said her email answers were ‘truthful’," by Glenn Kessler, 31 July 2016.
This fact check is amusing, as one watches as a candidate try to stuff a "cat" back into the paradoxical box, so as to assert one cannot yet know the "state" of the dead-and-alive political cat. The box seems unwilling to be refilled.
In the same manner a globalist war hawk is a globalist war hawk, no matter how peaceably it speaks while working to sell weapons and overturn governments and promoting war. If Schrödinger's box exploded for the armament sales advocated by Clinton and the regimes toppled under her time as Secretary of State, the true-and-false "cat" would no longer by found alive.
[ 8 ] Like Schrödinger's Cat Paradox in which one cannot know which state the cat is in -- dead or alive -- without making a direct observation, "success" in the 2011 parlance of Libya was declared. Steven MacMillan of New Eastern Outlook looks into the "success box," gathering together several pompous, political self-congratulations.
Among them: " 'In Libya, the death of Muammar al-Qaddafi showed that our role in protecting the Libyan people, and helping them break free from a tyrant, was the right thing to do' – US President, Barack Obama, speaking in October, 2011.
Then: " 'I am proud to stand here on the soil of a free Tripoli and on behalf of the American people I congratulate Libya. This is Libya’s moment, this is Libya’s victory, the future belongs to you' – Former US Secretary of State and Democratic Nominee for President, Hillary Clinton, speaking in October, 2011.
Macmillan notes: "On August the 1st, US warplanes bombed Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL) targets in the Libyan city of Sirte, almost exactly five years after Western imperialists declared NATO’s 2011 war in Libya a complete success. These strikes are not the first conducted by the US in Libya this year, in a broader campaign that is officially aimed at defeating an enemy that the US had a major hand in creating in the first place (I’m sure the military-industrial complex isn’t complaining however)."
The 2011 "success" was placed in a paradoxical box, with public statements aplenty claiming what "was" was. Five years late, it isn't.
Picturing a Complete Success for an American War Hawk
One reads the adverb "initially" from four years later: "Initially, the Libya intervention seemed set to go down as one of the Obama administration's triumphs. 'We came, we saw, he died,' Clinton joked with a television reporter in the wake of the death of the fugitive Gadhafi at the hands of a mob, days after she visited Tripoli in support of Libya's transitional government. But when Gadhafi fell, he left a land of eviscerated political institutions ill-prepared for its sudden freedom." In "Hillary Clinton's other Libya problem,' by Stephen Collinson, CNN, 21 October 2015.
"...the right thing to do." Barak Obama, 2011.
The "success" box, packed and sealed up in 2011, is opened like a Pandora's box. The "initially" statements were bogus. CNN further notes: "Gathering questions over Libya also point to one of the central complications of Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination: The fact that she must own a record at the State Department that lacks clear-cut diplomatic triumphs. In addition, she'll have to answer for misfires in the Obama administration's wider foreign policy as GOP candidates who have not faced the same tough choices can nitpick her record with the advantage of hindsight."
So is Obama's next front in the nebulous war on terror which is mostly being fought against some Muslim entities legal? One reads an editorial opinion: "This week’s strikes by U.S. drones and attack jets targeted Islamic State positions in the city of Surt on the Mediterranean coast, from which Libyan government forces are attempting to dislodge the terrorist group. Though not the first American airstrikes in Libya, this week’s missions are the inauguration of what Pentagon officials called an open-ended effort to secure Surt. It amounts to a major escalation. If one accepts the administration’s insistence that the U.S. must take on Islamic State — and we do, though we have opposed the deployment of U.S. ground troops — it’s difficult to argue that Libya should be off-limits. But it’s outrageous that this war has been fought for almost two years without explicit approval by Congress." In "Another front in the war on Islamic State, and still no legal authority," by The Times Editorial Board, 4 August 2016.
Escalating Peace Prize Wars
"Fought without explicit approval by Congress" is a phrase testifying that "for almost two years" the Obama administration has done what "amounts to a major escalation." Obama is at war, and has been for his entire "Peace Prize" administration. As Orwell noted in a work of fiction, war is peace. It is become reality in the present day. One might term this Schrödinger's Peace Paradox, in which what is contained within the paradox is war-and-peace. Two states, neither of which is supposed to be discerned through the lenses of politics and newspeak.
Recalling Orwell -- War Is Peace
A Wikipedia article on Newspeak assists in deconstructing this paradox. One reads: "It is a controlled language created by the totalitarian state Oceania as a tool to limit freedom of thought, and concepts that pose a threat to the regime such as freedom, self-expression, individuality, and peace. Any form of thought alternative to the party’s construct is classified as 'thoughtcrime'."
That freedom, self-expression, individuality and real peace were deemed in Orwell's tale as "a threat to the regime" is in fact playing out in Western media today, left and right. All is political perspective and nothing is supposed to be indisputable fact. Two contradictory states of reality are contained in this modern Western paradox, which resists solution as many rage against clearly determining the end state of "The Cat in the Box."
As with other forms of a "box" in which one is supposed to be blinded from knowing a single outcome between two possible states, the "success" box of Obama, Clinton and NATO in 2011 contained little success, but much killing and destruction. Such is the nature of politics, which hopes not to be answerable to reality by throwing up constructed paradox after constructed paradox, as with lie after murderous lie. Such is the nature of the political "success" box, as NATO and the peace-pursuing Democrats of America crow about that which is supposed to be perceived as objectively true. Success-and-Failure. War-and-Peace.
[ 9 ] Obama claims the shipment of $400 million of cash in various currencies was not a ransom for American hostages. Iran claims it was. Two contradictory states of political truth, much like the alive-and-dead paradox, mirrors many such "political truths" which try to evade clarity.
Flowery Language
The article cited ends with an apt comparison, stripping "difference" from the political circuses of 2016 by opining that "...Trump continues to exhibit his reckless judgement [ sic ] on the campaign trail, Obama continues to exhibit his own, just with more flowery language."
Flowery language hints at the human penchant for storytelling, as occurs in courtrooms wherein two opposing lawyers attempt to paint different pictures from a same set of facts or bog down proceedings in procedural technicalities, all in attempts to "prove" two opposing states of "dead-and-alive" as the Cat Paradox images.
The use of such language is important. One finds this view: "This is the mysticism of apparatchiks, the romanticism of bureaucrats, the poetry of clerks. From my limited observations of management in public hospitals and other parts of the public health care system, it seeks to be not lean, in the commonly used sense of the word, but fat, indeed as fat as possible; nor are large private institutions very much different. It seems, then, that we have entered, gradually and without any central direction or decree, a golden age of langue de bois or even of Newspeak. Langue de bois is the pompous, vague, and abstract words that have some kind of connotation but no real denotation used by those who have to hide their real motives and activities by a smokescreen of scientific- or benevolent-sounding verbiage." In "Life de Bois," by Theodore Dalrymple, Taki's Magazine, 10 September 2016.
Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Long Time Passing?
Would Obama's "flowery language" in this "golden age of langue de bois" be "to hide" his "real motives and activities by a smokescreen of scientific- or benevolent-sounding verbiage?"
Sheffield clearly states her view without flowery language: "The ransom not only incentivizes Iran to take more Americans hostage, but it also effectively declared open season on Americans for every rogue regime and terrorist group around the world. 'The $400 million payment, which Tehran has transferred to its military, directly subsidizes Iran’s hegemonic ambitions,' Kahn told Salon. 'It has led the regime to capture more hostages. And it demonstrates that the nuclear deal, far from moderating Iran, has merely emboldened it to further provoke America, secure in the knowledge that the White House will do almost anything to protect its signature foreign policy achievement'."
Another report suggests this was "...a one-sided transaction loaded with perks for Tehran. 'The Islamic republic made an expensive offer to the equation: the release of seven Iranian prisoners in the United States, $1.7 billion, and the lifting of sanctions against 16 Iranians who were prosecuted by the U.S. legal system with the unjust excuse of sanctions violations,' the narrator intones." In "Could Trump have been right? Propaganda film suggests Iran DID videotape cash-drop plane and photograph shipment of cash during January prisoner swap," by David Martosko, Daily Mail, 5 August 2016.
But as to the tale of money and Iran, one learns of a complexity: "Ahmadinejad wrote that despite early promises by the US president to improve ties with Iran 'the same hostile policies along with the same trend of enmity were pursued'. He specifically mentioned the $2 billion of Iranian foreign currency reserves seized from New York bank accounts earlier this year. In April, the US Supreme Court confirmed an earlier ruling that the money should be used to compensate the families of victims of the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Lebanon and other incidents blamed on Iran." In "Iran ex-president writes to Obama demanding frozen funds," Agence France Presse, 8 August 2016.
Obama's Eight Years of War, War and Wars
Meanwhile in the eight year of Obama's portion of the Afghanistan war, "The (ISIS) website that published the photos speculated that the equipment and weapons were left behind during that engagement, but Flesvig said American officials are still trying to determine exactly when and how it was lost. The push in Nangarhar came after President Barack Obama cleared American troops to take a more active role in fighting militants in Afghanistan." In "Islamic State militants claim capture of U.S. weapons in Afghanistan," by Josh Smith, Reuters, 7 August 2016.
Even stranger as regards the Obama State Department, one discovers: "Khalimov is set to take the position vacated by Abu Omar al-Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen, who was killed in the Iraqi city of Shirqat, south of Mosul. in early July and whom the Pentagon described as Islamic State's 'minister of war.' What makes the ascent of Khalimov particularly embarrassing for the US is that The former paramilitary unit commander of the Tajikistan armed forces received his battlefield training from American advisors and even came to the United States on several occasions to receive special counterterrorism training through the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance program." In "US-Trained Special Ops Fighter Is The Islamic State's New Top Commander In Iraq," ZeroHedge, 5 September 2016.
Why would the Obama State Department involve itself in training someone who turns out to have become a major Islamic State militant? The article observes: "In any case, as has so often been the case in the recent past, a special ops military expert by the US, is now engaged in deadly combat wih [ sic ] his former teacher; further adding to the paradox, his weapons and supplies have also been provided by the US: an odd outcome which, as many have pointed out, benefits just one group: the shareholders of the US military-industrial complex, which always wins no matter who, or how many lives are lost."
With the Obama-Clinton nexus responsible for the last eight years of war, some but not all of it begun under Bush, the fact is that the US State Department has been deeply involved in armament sales, weapons proliferation and the arming of both sides in wars. These are achievements?
Forgetfulness and Contempt
Flowery language connects with a failure to rely on history, recent and ancient alike. Of language and war and terror one reads: "Perhaps that’s as good a definition of good writing as we’re going to find. Destructive politics is inevitably bound up with forgetfulness of our humanity, in one way or another – the organised inhumanity of tyranny, the messianic aspirations of communism, the passion for control on the part of managerial modernity, the naked and brutal murderousness of terrorism. But Merton explicitly, and Orwell implicitly, remind us that this is not just about bad governance or oppression. If we talk and write badly, dishonestly, unanswerably, what we are actually doing is getting ready for war. The habits of mind that make war inevitable are the habits of bad language – that is to say, the habits that grow from uncritical attitudes to power and privilege: contempt towards the powerless, towards minorities, towards the stranger, the longing for an end to human complexity and difference. Orwell explicitly and (perhaps) Merton implicitly are trying to identify the all-important possibility that we may passionately quarrel, even that we may fight to defend ourselves against political evil in one way or another, without simply buying into various kinds of totalitarianism, overt or covert. Orwell has an almost medieval sense of what is involved in battling to the death to defend yourself against an enemy for whom you retain a degree of human respect, in that you do not seek to dehumanise them, to put them once and for all outside the boundaries of human discourse and exchange." In "What Orwell can teach us about the language of terror and war," by Rowan Williams, Guardian UK, 12 December 2015.
Using language persuasively yet dishonestly has allowed a "Peace Prize" to be conferred on a maker of wars with now eight years of war behind him. It allows a "journalist" to worry about the jobs of the makers of war materials, as it allows politics to ignore the wars and bragging about regime changes by ostensible "progressive" and "liberal" politicians. It allows messianic aspirations to flourish in the generalizations of political speech. Most especially, it allows the camouflaging of contempt by "leaders" for whole groups of people. As Clinton rudely spoke of her imagined "basket of deplorables" as but one example of contempt for others in supposedly "flowery language."
What is an achievement when and if built upon flowery language which so easily lies? It is that all-to-human game in which truth becomes optional, and as above "the right thing to do" and "success" ballyhooed in one year is borne out as wrong-headed and a failure in the next. It surely seems to be self-congratulatory and self-serving Politics
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K. Dick, in "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon," first published in Playboy, December 1980, under the title, "Frozen Journey."
Platitudes meet realities,
and vapidities are harmed.
Slogans cross complexities,
simplistic thought's alarmed.
Think a phrase will conquer all?
Think that words are charmed?
Steamrolling actualities
find platitudes unarmed.
Clichés simply are no match,
repeated as if prayer
As verities strip naked lies
and, yes, life is not fair.
Truisms speak not clear truth,
though spoke in hackneyed words,
And broke is fumbling verbiage
which so little undergirds.
Envoi: "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
Addendum of the Unintelligible Creed: "Platitudes piled up about 'values', 'equality', and 'beliefs' do not comprise an ethic to live by, as is already amply demonstrated. He [ Cameron ] even says of ISIS: 'We should contrast their bigotry, aggression and theocracy with our values. We have a very clear creed in our country and we need to promote it much more confidently.' What creed? Whatever it is, no one seems to know it. And it doesn’t seem to work. Young Muslim idealists – 700 roughly at the last count – have flocked to join ISIS precisely because 'our creed' is unintelligible." In "Bring on the theologians, Mr Cameron," Jenny Taylor's blog, Lapomedia, 20 July 2015. [ 1 ]
Addendum of an Era of Platitudes: "We are now in an era when much of political discourse consists in the shrieking of epithets, as well as the imputation of discreditable motives and (often) of a slavish adherence to extreme or notoriously unsuccessful ideologies. In the rare moments when the war of defamatory sound bites rises to the invocation of respectable or at least recognizable sources, foreign and national-security matters are generally reduced to bandying about the Munich Conference of 1938 and countering with the conjuration of 'boots on the ground' as if that were an insane or morally reprehensible concept." In "Political Discourse Enters Era of Platitudes, Lies," by Conrad Black, NY Sun, 2 October 2014.
Addendum of the Preference for Platitudes: "...they preferred to utter vague ideological platitudes about 'restoring democracy' and 'taking back control', falsely insinuate that incidents like the steel closures would not have happened if it were not for the EU and admonish 'elites' despite being a campaign run by and using cherry-picked statistics from these very elites." In "The politics of platitudes," The Weekly Worker, 23 June 2016.
Addendum of Commencing with Platitudes: "Commencement speeches are, by and large, terrible (yes they are -- don't be one of those people who pretend to like them. No one believes you). This may be because the speakers, much like their intended audiences, seem to have waited until the night before to begin working. More likely, the trouble is that commencement speeches are usually little more than 15 minutes of saccharine platitudes strung together in a vain attempt to mimic what the speaker hopes sounds like wisdom." In "Lessons from Ecclesiastes: Dreaming and doing," by Jack Hoey III, Carolina Compass, August 2016. [ 2 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] Taylor notes from a Christian perspective than much of Western political speech is constructed of "unintelligible" platitudes. For this she concludes in speaking for the "unintelligible" liberal West of today: "Greed is our creed. Blame is our game. We blame everything for ISIS – poverty, the Iraq war, capitalism, Islam, unemployment – except the fact of evil and a world turned away from its own sin."
The notion of "sin" sends a society which has supposedly separated church from state fleeing from discussion or raging against the word itself. In a similar blog Taylor critiques the modern West aptly.
One reads: "We therefore have nothing to fight for, or from. As Roger Scruton has written, 'It is as though our society is seeking to define itself as a religious community, whose very lack of faith has become a kind of orthodoxy.' But you cannot fight a religious enemy without religious conviction. Instead, we will be consigned to an endless attrition on our own streets and against our own freedoms against an implacable foe we cannot even identify. The future looks very bleak indeed." In "You cannot fight religion with atheism," Jenny Taylor's blog, Lapomedia, 27 November 2015.
This orthodoxy has a vapid creed at best, and many of its proponents become as exercised and angry with others within its own society as with violent enemies of that society who "hate" such a creed, which is easily seen essentially as no creed at all. Such a vapid creed with its "lack of faith" as an "orthodoxy" which must not be questioned brings many to take their place in the Fa Queue
[ 2 ] Hoey echoes another and the very good question: "I, however, prefer the sentiment of Stephen Colbert, when he delivered the commencement speech at Northwestern University in 2011: 'You have been told to follow your dreams,' he said. 'But what if it's a stupid dream?' This is a very good question."
The same question may be asked of political slogans, not to mention the overly emotional argument over seemingly competing platitudes, as if one amorphous slogan is really that different than another competing amorphous slogan.
On the isle of crutches
Men must limp and lean,
For so says the tradition
From which they must not wean.
They do this as their fathers
Before them also did,
And their fathers' fathers;
To not lean, they forbid.
On the isle of crutches
Women cling to them
For crutches are demanded
Which no one dare condemn.
They do this as their mothers
Before them also leaned,
And their mothers' mothers,
Tradition ne'er contravened.
On the isle of crutches
One who thinks to stray
And walk quite free, unfettered,
Must penalty harshly pay.
They do this for tradition
Which generations held
And generations duly teach:
Think never to rebel.
On the isle of crutches
A rebel must be crushed,
For so rules tradition
Which says rebels must hushed.
They do such as the culture
Has generations ruled;
As forefathers had enforced,
The rebel must be schooled.
On the isle of crutches
Hobbled men must rule,
For so says the culture
Which none should ridicule.
They do this for their fathers
Before them also did,
And their fathers' fathers;
To rebel they forbid.
I plan to live quite well beyond
the after I am dead,
And so distill a cheery draught
in place of worries' dread.
I plan to sing though voice be stilled,
as blind eyes see ahead,
And plan with faith quite also blind
to offer heart outspread.
I plan in prayer to cast out care;
for this end was I bred.
For such, these little brittle words
are here to read and spread.
The above are black and white,
yet no one I have met
in all my travels round this world
are either one, and yet
what's black and white in truth
are words which separate
into distant classes
to chew the racist's bait.
The above are white and black,
but when one dares compare
these two colors, no one,
not even one most rare,
is truly black or white,
like print upon a page
which uses distant colors
to taunt us into rage.
The above are truths one sees
when looking with clear lens
which tell no lies worth telling
but yet might clearly cleanse
the animus of words
in print, in black and white,
which read or spoken shriek
with all their wordy might.
Listen with your eyes
and see the truth of tint
for none are black nor white
in nature's quaint blueprint
of colors crossing spectrums
and borders that well blur
the edges of both white and black
which wordy words so err.
Palettes of colors bold
stain with deft flecked paint
all the mixtures in-between
and with them reacquaint
that black and white are but
two among myriad hues
which tell so little of so much
though easy to abuse.Black and white while read
was comedic jargon which
spoke to that odd wordiness
aimed to bait and switch
to doleful animosity
out symbols, speech or page,
as has been of man's language
in every bloody age.White and black are liars,
which characters cartoon,
constructed for amusements
as are each broad buffoon
which contrasts black to white
on the world's storyboard
to distill one brittle message
seeking man's discord.Eyes will blind to black
as bones will bleach to white
and all in all will meet
in that dimly distant night
when rancor's done
and days are dead,
when our colors fade
as ends the road ahead.
Addendum of a Recollection: "WALLACE: How are we going to get rid of racism until...? / FREEMAN: Stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man. And I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. You're not going to say, 'I know this white guy named Mike Wallace.' Hear what I'm saying?' Hear what you're saying? Boy, do I ever. And that part about "Stop talking about it" - nothing makes more sense. Since racist acts were already against the law and had been diminishing, the best way to extinguish, or seriously curtail, the remaining racism was to stop talking about it, to stop making such a big deal about it, to call each other by our names and not our races and let the racial scab slowly heal and disappear." In "Why Race Relations Have Gotten So Much Worse," by Roger L Simon, PJ Media, 10 July 2016.
Addendum of a "Minority Minority" Op-Ed: "Black Americans are not poor. Black Americans are among the wealthiest people on Earth. According to Hollywood’s number one rating and advertising standard, Nielsen- African Americans will spend $1.3 trillion dollars in 2016 (http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/african-american-consumers-are-more-relevant-than-ever.html). That is an amount greater than the total economies of Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland combined. These are three of the wealthiest countries on Earth http://www.businessinsider.com/top-countries-on-oecd-better-life-index-2013-5?op=1. This amount of cash alone makes Black Americans the 19th wealthiest “nation” in the world out of 230 countries that the CIA ranks https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html. This places us in the top 8% of countries as a global economic super power. We spend so much money that our consumer spending dwarfs the economy of the entire continent of Australia. So why do we “think” and insist that we are poor while everyone else on the planet KNOWS we are rich? The direct answers to why we think we are poor are two equally important reasons: 1) Leadership 1) Entertainment." In "Money, Entertainment, And Black Lives Matter," by Jerome Almon, ThyBlackMan.com, 10 September 2015. [ 1 ]
Addendum of an Illogical American Meme: " 'To say that the Black Lives Matter movement is racist is bizarre to me, not just because black people don’t have the institutional power to be racist or to deploy racism...." Quote of commentator Marc Lamont Hill, CNN Interview, 11 July 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Black Racist Words: "Detroit police arrested four men for allegedly threatening on Facebook to kill police officers, police Chief James Craig said Sunday. One of the men reportedly posted: 'All lives can’t matter until black lives matter. Kill all white cops.' The arrests of the four African-American Detroiters follow Thursday’s slayings of five Dallas officers by a black sniper during a protest march. The man blamed for the killings and injuries to seven others reportedly told police he wanted to kill as many white cops as possible." In "Detroit police arrest four for threats against cops," by George Hunter, Detroit News, 11 July 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Not Helping the Conversation: "...'I get so tired of talking about diversity. These are amazing, talented actors and amazing writers who give their all and they don’t have to do this. It’s crowding the conversation.' Star Tracee Ellis Ross, nominated in July for an Emmy for best comedy actress, turned the question back on the reporter, asking, 'Is that a question that you’ve asked other shows that are not predominately of a certain color?' 'Not necessarily,' the reporter said. 'Those questions continue the conversation in a direction that does not help the conversation,' Ross added." In "‘Black-ish’ Creator: ‘I Get So Tired of Talking About Diversity’," by Daniel Holloway, Variety, 4 August 2016.
Addendum of Straight Black Men Being the White People of Black People: "I’m not quite sure where I first heard 'straight black men are the white people of black people.' I know I read a version of it recently in Saki Benibo’s 'The 4:44 Effect.' Mela Machinko tweeted, 'Cishet black men are the white people of black people' over a year ago and apparently received so much criticism for it that she temporarily locked her account. But in a conversation we had earlier today, she shared that her tweet was actually a revision of another tweet she’d read. (A month after Mela’s tweet, it was revised again by @rodimusprime.) I also know that I’ve read pieces and been a part of conversations connecting our (black men’s) relationships with black women to the relationships we have with white people but never quite heard it articulated this way." In "Straight Black Men Are the White People of Black People," by Damon Young, The Root, September 2017. [ 4 ]
Consider the unscientific notion: Everything's about my colored skin
NOTES
[ 1 ] It has been said that perspective is or becomes reality. There are of course poor and rich in every demographic, including whatever it means to be black in America infected with the belief in race as a biological taxonomy. But what is more instructive is to consider how this concept, unknown in regards to other forms of animal life as "race," is used in the present day, quite as in the days of slave ownership in the United States. Skin color creates "value," positive or negative, and on this political and sociological stances hinge. They should not in an informed world making progress.
One needs to consider then a methodology by which perceptions of oppression continue in the hearts of Americans. This may be seen in a survey of sources and citations as Doctor Oppression comes to call
[ 2 ] There is an interesting side to the assertion that "black people don't have the institutional power to be racist or to deploy racism," given the current administration is lead by President Obama, whose replacement for Eric Holder as Attorney General is Loretta Lynch. When the presidency as an "institution" and the nation's top law enforcement executive over an entire segment of the federal government -- an institution within the institution -- are black, the argument begs the question: who heads the institution which deploys institutional racism?
Who Is In Charge? Who Has Institutional Power?
Nationally those cities whose mayors, councilmen, police chiefs and other administrators are black are black and whose constituencies are black must as leaders of various political institutions must then also "have the institutional power to be racist or to deploy racism," given the nation has a black president and has had and has currently black attorneys general. Are Philadelphia and Baltimore, as examples, capable of deploying racism?
Internationally, those countries which have black majorities in Africa and all nations and other entities whose heads are "black" must as institutions then "have the institutional power to be racist or to deploy racism." Are African nations capable of deploying racism?
This becomes the conundrum in language, when such a meme is asserted. How is America as an institution racist with blacks in positions of legal authority over that "institution?"
Notion of "race" applied to arguments seems itself racist. If this is so, then those who assert racism today self identify as the real racists, as consistent as those who held authority in the slave states before the US Civil War in the 19th century, as those who held authority over such race-avowing groups as the Ku Klux Klan which included a recent Democrat leader in the US Senate, Robert Byrd, and as consistent as all who offer allegiance to the notion that "race" is a concept which 1) makes value judgments about the color of one's skin, and 2) refuses to abandon such a concept, however wholly unscientific and socially divisive such a concept is. Such is "the racist's bait."
It serves a industry built upon it which for profit to the few peddles to many the product called Grievance
As to Jerome Almon's taking note of rich among African Americans, various estimates of Marc Lamont Hill place his worth at about one million dollars. Apparently institutional racism is proven by such? The answer would be given that having a worth of one million dollars is not rich, but in a world's demographic, it is.
[ 3 ] Wanting to kill based on racial identification was and remains a human phenomenon, as wanting to kill based on religious affiliation has also been demonstrated over millennia. The problem for racial polemicists in the United States today is one of trying to define race, given the multiracial makeup of Americans. But the stance of killing whites as revenge for blacks killed by a group is an additional burden in the so-called progressive mind set. All one need pose is the seemingly "white" problem of How to kill a negro
The response one might give speaks to the cognitive dissonance of modern politics which answers too many queries and challenges with some convoluted version of "it depends." The question of how to kill anyone based on some stereotypical bias is the same, ultimately. It depends -- on your politics.
A Direct Connection
One learns that Marc Lamont Hill has weighed in on the conflicts surrounding how to kill a negro on more than one occasion. One reads: "In a HuffPost Live segment today on the issue, host Marc Lamont Hill made clear where his theoretical thinking lay: 'For what it’s worth, I do think that those of us on the left have made a decision not to cover this trial because we worry that it’ll compromise abortion rights. Whether you agree with abortion or not, I do think there’s a direct connection between the media’s failure to cover this and our own political commitments on the left. I think it’s a bad idea, I think it’s dangerous, but I think that’s the way it is.' Strong words from a host on a left-leaning outlet." In "Gosnell case: HuffPost host says left ‘made a decision’ to not cover trial," by Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 16 April 2013.
It depends, and "that's the way it is."
[ 4 ] Not only apparently 'straight black men are the white people of black people,' but one learns that also White is black
let's - do postmodern pirouettes
let's define things as they're not
let's add up what no one's got
let's see all which isn't there
let's divide the only share
let's create what we cannot
let's all have what we have not
let's decide by putting off
let's well drain the emptied trough
let's use words we must not say
let's tip the scales as we weigh
let's decry all others' lies
let's all lie and steal some prize
let's all fashion what will fail
let's all squeal and tattletale
let's all choose what is not there
let's bewail life isn't fair
let's all chain those who'd escape
let's imitate what others ape
let's all brag how fine we are
let's all shrink our repertoire
let's all do as others do
let's all everything misconstrue
"The incident specifically concerned accusations of scientific misconduct and data manipulation by a mass spectrometer operator assigned to the Energy Resources Program’s (ERP) Energy Geochemistry Laboratory in Lakewood, CO, in the Energy and Minerals Mission Area. The matter was discovered in late 2014, but had been taking place since 2008. This was the second such incident involving the same laboratory. The Inorganic Section’s work has implications for ERP’s national and international coal and water quality assessments. Our review revealed that the impacts were far ranging, and included publications that were retracted or delayed because of inaccurate information; potential damaged reputations of USGS and individual scientists; potential lost collaborations with outside organizations; diminished employee morale; and reduced public trust of USGS-generated information." In "Scientific Integrity Incident at USGS Energy Geochemistry Laboratory," Report No. 2016- EAU-010, Office of Inspector General, US Department of the Interior, June 2016.
Language gauges
a writer's intent,
Intent on told tales
of a marketing bent.
"The" definite article
in the singular states,
But "lasted years"
a plural relates.
"Incident specifically"
is but a one,
"Taking place for years"
suggests numbered fun.
There was; there were.
It's jargon unsubtle
Euphemizing
a numbered rebuttal.Language gauges
tell pressures mounted,
Precisely, not nicely,
quantifiably counted.
Singular, plural,
but all just remains
The language as writ
tells that trust wanes.
Addendum from the Report: "This incident of scientific misconduct and data manipulation in a major USGS laboratory, however, potentially undermines the Bureau as a trusted scientific organization. Although management discovered the incident in late 2014, our review disclosed that employees had suspected quality-related problems with the laboratory for many years. In our interviews, USGS employees consistently voiced their distrust of the lab. The employees also expressed their preference not to use the inorganic laboratory and, instead, to use other USGS laboratories or outside commercial laboratories. The people most directly affected by the scientific integrity incident were the researchers who submitted samples to the inorganic laboratory for analysis. The incident at the lab placed at risk the validity of the determinations and conclusions made by these scientists."
Additional Addendum from the Report: "...customers, nearly all of whom expressed disappointment, anger, and/or distrust of the lab. Many stated in very strong terms they would not use the lab if it reopened."
Addendum of the Magic: " 'We don’t think this was something where the analyst was trying to get a certain outcome to influence a decision or report,' USGS spokeswoman Anne-Berry Wade told TheDCNF. 'They found several steps of analysis where the data had been altered by more than 20 percent,' and there was one instance where it was altered by 50 percent. Yet a USGS official apparently said 'Tell me what you want and I will get it for you. What we do is like magic,' according to the IG’s notes, Arkansas Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman said at a recent congressional hearing, though the quote’s context is unclear. Regardless, data was manipulated for another six years after the first incident." In "Federal Lab Ignored Environmental Data Manipulation For YEARS," by Ethan Barton, Daily Caller, 8 July 2016.
Consider the simple lesson that Trust rusts
If you - nonsensically true
If you were but you
your you would be
a you dropped off
your you-berry tree.
If I were but I
my I would push
myself as plucked from
my I-berry bush.
If we were but we
then we would be
most likely in time
to just disagree.
If they were but those
who are not truly us,
their they would surely
make their own fuss.Taken together,
as an I and a you
or maybe a we
as others would see,Could tear us apart
as pronouns tend
to mark off borders
which tell which are friends
To be as we are
as you are and I am
in the mess of a language
which jellies like jam.
If you were an I
must I be a you?
And whither the why
Of our hullabaloo?
Pronouns are pro
positions we take
when not quite real
and not quite fake.
If you were but you...
but I question the why
which fumbles with words
and jumbles my I.
Use a kid for politics - political optics' tricks
Make America Mexico again?
A kid signs for politics,
Ignoring who defines the words
And how a nation ticks.Make a nation poorer yet,
As you would tear down
To fashion the stuff of fantasyWith a childish frown.
Make a message, jargon filled,
And blithely little read;
Be assured what might come
Is not some dream agreed.Use a slogan. Use a child.
Convey a message dulled,
Twisted to some darker use
As facts are cut and culled.
Addendum of Lethal Mexico: "The International Institute for Strategic Studies has published its annual Armed Conflict Survey, assessing the impact of wars around the world. It is no surprise that the highest level of deadly violence last year was in Syria. However, the second most lethal conflict was recorded in Mexico, where more than 20,000 people were killed in violence fuelled by the nations powerful drug cartels." In "Mexico: 2016's second most lethal conflict," BBC, 9 May 2017.
Addendum of Mexican Poverty: "Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) 53.2%," World Bank Data, circa 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Mexican Femicide and Rape: "...the victim explains she decided to make her case public to encourage President Enrique Peña Nieto and Attorney General Arely Gómez González to finally put an end to the wave of femicide the country has been experiencing in the past couple of years. 'For the love of God, what’s going on in Mexico?' she cried in the footage. 'For the love of God, enough is enough!' " In "Femicide In Mexico: Woman Raped In Bus Calls Out President Peña Nieto, Demands Justice In Video," Latin Times, 20 June 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Child Abuse in Mexico: "Children in a squalid home for abandoned and troubled kids run by a controversial mother figure in western Mexico said hunger and regular beatings drove them to offer sex for food and get high by sniffing paint. Mexican police raided the refuge known as 'La Gran Familia' (The Big Family) in the state of Michoacan on Tuesday, finding more than 450 kids in squalid rooms filled with trash and cockroaches. Many of the children, skinny and listless, described enduring years of abuse at the hands of home administrators including 79-year-old 'Mama' Rosa Verduzco, who ran the home in the town of Zamora and has been detained on charges of deprivation of liberty and abuse." In "Children in raided Mexican group home begin telling horror stories of being raped, going without food," Reuters, 18 July 2014.
Addendum of Human Trafficking and Forced Prostitution: "Even before her 18th birthday, Maria had already been enslaved by a gang of human traffickers and held in captivity for four months in her homeland of Mexico. While a prisoner, Maria witnessed a sickening trade in human life and recalls how young girls were drugged, forced into prostitution and then murdered." In "Human trafficking in Mexico targets women and children," CNN, 13 January 2010.
Addendum of Corruption in Mexico: "Corruption in Mexico is not just a legal and moral problem. It is an economic one. The annual cost amounts to 5 percent of gross domestic product, according to one report, which also found that almost half of business owners said officials have sought money in exchange for contracts or business opportunities. Worse, those who are caught have rarely been punished: Only 1.5 percent of corruption cases lodged in Mexico end in conviction. (In Singapore, in contrast, the share is 80 percent.) In fact, many Mexicans say they're more concerned about government corruption than even security and the economy." In "Mexico's Faltering Fight Against Corruption," Editorial Board, Bloomberg, 29 April 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Mexican Citizens Living in Fear of Going Back to Mexico: "... 45-year-old housekeeper who lives in the Miami area, said she is gathering all the Mexican documents she would need for her U.S.-born boy to go along with her if she is deported. 'We live in fear of going back to Mexico, to the violence, the poverty we suffered,' said Ciriaco, who migrated along with her husband and two children 20 years ago from the state of Guerrero." In "Mexico launches nationwide effort in US to help migrants," by Adriana Gomez Licon, Associated Press, 3 March 2017.
Addendum of Mexican Drug Cartels: "The Mexican government says almost 25,000 people have died in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon deployed the army to fight the drugs gangs in December 2006." In "Mexico police find human heads dumped near Durango," BBC, 28 July 2010. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Acapulco's 'Too Many Bodies': "Ten doctors work at the morgue in a once-glamorous city where 902 people were murdered in 2015 and 461 more in the first half of this year, according to official figures. With a population of 810,000, that's a rate of 111 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015, ranking Acapulco among the most violent cities in the world outside war zones." In "In hot Acapulco, too many bodies in morgue's fridges," Agence France Presse, 21 July 2016.
Addendum of Attacks on Priests: "...Sanchez Ruiz had been threatened in recent days because of his activism. The priest 'had received threats in recent days because he is a defender of human rights and social causes. He has criticized the system of corruption and the crime problem in Catemaco,' Reyes said. Sanchez Ruiz took part in a recent protest of high electricity bills, an important issue in the town because of its extreme heat. At least 31 priests have been killed in Mexico since 2006. Most of the attacks occurred in areas of Mexico plagued by drug cartel violence." In "Priest abducted in Mexico Gulf region found alive, tortured," Associated Press, 13 November 2016.
Addendum of Priests Slain: "When Alejo Nabor Jimenez and Alfredo Suarez de la Cruz were found bound and shot to death outside Poza Rica on Monday, it brought to 14 the number of priests slain in Mexico since Pena Nieto took office in late 2012." In "Priests' murders rattle Mexican city gripped by violence," by Christopher Sherman, Associated Press, 24 September 2016.
Addendum of Violent Drug Corridors: "The mayor of a town in one of Mexico’s most violent drug corridors was shot to death, the second mayor killed in Mexico in two days. Ambrosio Soto was mayor of a township that includes Ciudad Altamirano, a known haven for drug traffickers in southern Guerrero state." In "Mayor gunned down in Mexico is second in 2 days," by Associated Press, 25 July 2016.
Addendum of a National Crisis: "Some call corruption a national crisis, and one that by some estimates costs Mexico 9% of its economic output. 'The big problems that Mexico has to face now - organised crime, violence, poverty, lack of economic growth - all are costs or directly aggravated by corruption,' says Juan Pardinas, director general of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness. 'All of these problems are directly linked to the impossibility of the state punishing members of the police force and politicians that have been corrupted by organised crime. If we don't face the problem of corruption, we won't be able to face the other problems'." In "People vs politicians: Who can tackle Mexico's corruption?" by Katy Watson, BBC, 27 March 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of an Attack on a Military Convoy: "Mexican soldiers killed ten members of a criminal group accused of ambushing a military patrol near the U.S. border in the violent northern state of Tamaulipas on Saturday, the government said. A military convoy was attacked by armed men in several vehicles on a highway outside the border city of Nuevo Laredo, according to a statement from the state's joint military and police task force." In "Mexican soldiers kill ten after highway ambush near U.S. border," Reuters, 4 September 2016.
Addendum of Army Troops on the Streets for Years: "Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Friday troops will remain in the streets to combat drug violence after his defence minister issued a rare complaint about the controversial deployment. Although Pena Nieto acknowledged that the soldiers and marines have been doing law enforcement tasks that 'don't correspond to them in the strictest sense,' he said the armed forces are 'determined to continue' policing the streets." In "Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto says army to stay in streets," Agence France Presse, 10 December 2016.
Addendum of the Emerging All-out Gang War: "For a few years, a wide-spread effort by the Mexican military to arrest or kill cartel leaders, most notably Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, seemed to be making progress. But as Cartels began to fight for the territory of military-weakened rivals, the homicide rate once again exploded. Now, a disturbing video shows the extreme length that participants in the emerging all-out gang war will go to retain or take power." In "Drug trafficking Los Zetas cartel creates ISIS-style beheading video to spread fear," by Fernando Ramirez, Houston Chronicle, 10 March 2017.
Addendum of Mexico's War Dead: "Ten years after Mexico declared a war on drugs, the offensive has left some major drug cartels splintered and many old-line kingpins like Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman in jail, but done little to reduce crime or violence in the nation’s roughest regions. Some say the war has been a crucial, but flawed, effort. Others argue the offensive begun by then-President Felipe Calderon on Dec. 11, 2006, unleashed an unnecessary tragedy with more than 100,000 people dead and about 30,000 missing - a toll comparable to the Central American civil wars of the 1980s." In "100,000 dead, 30,000 missing: Mexico’s war on drugs turns 10," Edgard Garrido, Reuters, 11 December 2016.
Addendum of Greater Integration: "Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Monday called for greater integration with Canada and the United States in the wake of Britain's vote to split with the European Union. Nieto, who spoke during a stopover in Quebec City, is scheduled to attend a North American leaders summit in Ottawa on Wednesday with his US and Canadian counterparts." In "Mexican president urges North American integration after Brexit," Agence France Presse, 28 June 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Killing Journalists: "Friday’s shooting is the latest in a string of violent attacks on journalists in Mexico that has claimed four lives since March 2 and has left several others wounded. The attacks have drawn condemnation from human rights advocates, with the Committee to Protect Journalists calling the situation in Mexico a 'crisis' of freedom of expression." In "Another journalist is gunned down in Mexico — the fourth in just six weeks," by Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 15 April 2017.
Addendum of a Rare Commodity: "Across the city, more than half a million homes lack a daily water supply, and nearly 50,000 have no running water." In "In Mexico City, water a rare commodity," by Yussel Gonzalez, Agence France Presse, 26 April 2017.
Addendum of Killing a Judge in Drug Cases: "Judge Vicente Bermudez Zacarias, 37, was the judge presiding over Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman’s case, according to SDP Noticias. Zacarias lived in Metepec, which is 45 miles west of Mexico City." In "Judge presiding over 'El Chapo's' case shot, killed while jogging outside home," by Kelsey Bradshaw, My San Antonio, 22 May 2017.
Addendum of Governments Not Responding or Doing Their Jobs: "More than a decade after Mexico launched a militarized crackdown on organized crime, violence has continued to surge across the country, and 2017 looks set to be the country’s most murderous year since such statistics were first compiled in 1997. 'This problem isn't exclusive to Guerrero. It’s national,' said Father Mario Campos, a Catholic priest and social activist in the impoverished La Montaña region of Guerrero. 'Our society has been battered by the narcos and our institutions are not responding or doing their jobs'." In "Morgues shut doors as ultra-violent Mexican state is overwhelmed by bodies," by David Agren, Guardian UK, 15 November 2017.
Addendum of Mexican Drug Cartel Superlabs: "Most of the fentanyl in the U.S. illegal market is either being made in Mexican cartel labs or is being mailed in much smaller quantities from China. It is not complicated to cut fentanyl into other drugs or make into pills, which can be especially deadly to users in the hands of an amateur mixologist. It is cheaper and easier to make than heroin, which is produced from poppy crops, and it is often deceptively marketed on the street as heroin or oxycodone pills to opioid addicts. The fentanyl being seized coming across the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego is typically 4% to 6% pure, already diluted considerably by the cartels, said Roderick." In "Drugs made in Mexican 'superlabs' are more potent than ever, fueling the addiction epidemic." by Kristina Davis, Los Angeles Times, 20 November 2017.
Addendum of Highest Warning: "The no-travel states had mostly already lost much foreign tourism. Tamaulipas has long been riven by turf wars between rival drug cartels, and Sinaloa is home to the cartel of the same name. Michoacan was so dominated by a drug cartel that vigilantes took up arms in 2013 to drive them out. Preliminary figures suggest Mexico saw a record number of murders last year, the BBC reports. The year that previously had the most homicides was 2011, when over 27,000 people were killed, according to official figures." In "5 states in Mexico get highest 'do not travel' warning under new U.S. State Department system," CBS/AP, 11 January 2018.
Addendum of Violence as a Political Issue: "More than 25,000 murders were recorded last year as rival drug gangs increasingly splintered into smaller, more blood-thirsty groups after more than a decade of a military-led campaign to battle the cartels. Violence is a central issue ahead of the presidential election in July. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party is trailing in third place in recent polls." In "Mexico to send troops to stem violence after record 25,000 murders," Reuters, 28 January 2018. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Violence as an Economic Issue: "Tourists taking the ferry from this tourist town to the island of Cozumel now walk down a wharf lined with police, heavily armed soldiers and bomb-sniffing dogs. Those safeguards came after a Feb. 21 explosion ripped through one of the ferries, injuring 24 people, including five Americans. Explosives were later found on another ferry owned by the same company." In "Violence in Cancun, other hotspots threatens Mexico's tourism industry," by David Agren, WFAA 8/ABC News, 31 March 2018. [ 8 ]
Addendum of Continuing Carnage: "...shocked by the lack of police presence, with many tourists unaware of the gruesome sight just feet away. 'It's as if the police don’t want anyone to notice. There's minimum fuss and hardly any officers here,' he said." In "Streets of Cancun run red with 14 murders in 36 hours," by Sofia Petkar, The Sun, 11 April 2018.
Addendum of the Mexican Mafia in Los Angeles: "Leaders of the notorious Mexican Mafia were charged Wednesday with running a conspiracy to control drug trafficking and carry out violence ordered from inside Los Angeles County jails. The U.S. attorney's office charged 83 people tied to racketeering conspiracies that alleged they ran drugs and carried out violent assaults and even murders." In "Mexican Mafia crackdown: 80 charged in massive sweep," by Miriam Hernandez, ABC News, 23 May 2018.
Addendum of Mexico's Indigenous Council View: " 'The politicians haven't done anything besides enrich themselves and they've left us behind,' said Antonio Arriola, a member of a recently-created indigenous council that has petitioned the Mexican government for autonomy." In "Indigenous Mexicans spurn presidential vote with blockades, bulldozers," Reuters, 30 June 2018.
Addendum of Bribery in the Millions: "Former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto took a $100 million bribe from international drug traffickers, according to a witness at the trial of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the infamous crime lord known as El Chapo. The stunning testimony was delivered Tuesday in a New York courtroom by Alex Cifuentes Villa, a Colombian drug lord who worked closely with Mr. Guzmán from 2007 to 2013, when they were hiding from the authorities at one of the kingpin’s remote ranches in the Sierra Madre mountains." In " El Chapo Trial: Former Mexican President Peña Nieto Took $100 Million Bribe, Witness Says," by Alan Feuer, New York Times, 15 January 2019.
Addendum of Common Fraud: "Fraud is becoming more common, says Kevin Carr, founder of financial technology firm Finiden in Washington, D.C., and formerly the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s primary representative in Mexico. 'Mexican authorities try to prosecute these cases but often aren’t successful.' In 2018 there were 7.3 million complaints of fraud involving 18.9 billion pesos, about $1 billion, according to Condusef, Mexico’s consumer protection agency. That’s more than double the number of claims in 2014." In "Americans' Life Savings Disappear From Mexican Bank Accounts," by David Welch, Bloomberg, 23 May 2019.
Addendum of a Tale No Artist Will Paint: "At least three women and six children in a prominent local Mormon family were killed on Monday when their vehicles were ambushed in northern Mexico by gunmen believed to be members of organized crime, family members said. The attack alarmed a nation already reeling from record violence this year. Members of the LeBarón family, American citizens who have lived in a fundamentalist Mormon community in the border region for decades, were traveling in three separate vehicles when the gunmen attacked, several family members said. They described a terrifying scene in which one child was gunned down while running away, while others were trapped inside a burning car. Two of the children killed were less than a year old, the family members said." In "At Least 9 Members of Mormon Family in Mexico Are Killed in Ambush," by Azam Ahmed, Elisabeth Malkin and Daniel Victor, New York Times, 5 November 2019.
Addendum of Mexican Cartels: "Irapuato has seen a surge in violence in the past two years as the CJNG tried to wrest control of this mid-sized city from the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel. The cartels mainly engage in fuel theft from major oil pipelines located near the city as well as selling drugs to locals and extorting businesses." In "Mexico violence: 12 police killed in one week in Guanajuato," BBC, 16 December 2019.
NOTES
[ 1 ] Make America Mexico again, when Mexico is so poor? "Struggling to make ends meet in the town of Zitlaltepec in the central state of Tlaxcala, Zuniga is one of the 45.5 percent of Mexicans who live below the poverty line. That is only down slightly from 2010 levels, government data showed on Monday. Mexico’s poverty rate fell 0.6 percent between 2010 and 2012 to 53.3 million people, the government’s social development agency Coneval said. Factoring in population growth, the ranks of the poor grew by half a million people in that time. That rise underscores the challenges President Enrique Pena Nieto faces as he tries to lift millions of people out of poverty and boost growth in Mexico, which has a huge wealth gap." In "Mexico’s Poverty Rate: Half Of Country’s Population Lives In Poverty," by Luc Cohen, Reuters via Huffington Post, 29 July 2013.
The Mexican president and a wealth gap is suggested in a report: "Mexico's president apologized on Monday for a 2014 scandal involving a $7 million mansion bought by his wife from a company that won lucrative contracts with his administration." In "Mexican president apologizes for wife's mansion scandal," Associated Press, 18 July 2016.
A Presidential Pardon?
This scandal dates from a year after the report about the president trying to lift up the poor, as his wealth increases while in public service. One reads further as this president who first denied the scandal: "...more than 1½ years after the scandal broke, Pena Nieto said he understood why Mexicans would be angry about the apparent conflict of interest. Pena Nieto said he was deeply sorry and asked Mexicans for their forgiveness. Speaking at the presentation of a new anti-corruption law, Pena Nieto offered 'my profound and sincere apology'."
[ 2 ] Make American Mexico again when rape is endemic? "According to statistics provided by TSJ (Tribunal Superior de Justicia), 738 attackers received jail sentences for sex crimes in the last four years. That means that only 19% of the suspects were legally punished. 'The lack of serious and detailed regimens is causing the files to accumulate and therefore, being discarded,' says Adivac’s spokesperson Rosalba Cruz. She also added that Mexico City is also going through a degenerate stage due to the fact that most of the reported victims are young women and little girls. According to reports published by the United Nations, 7 out of 10 women experience some sort of sexual violence at some point in their lives." In "Rape In Mexico: Only 2 Out Of 10 Aggressors Legally Punished, Statistics Show," by Janel Saldana, Latin Times, 18 February 2016.
Routine Rape?
The authority of Mexican government is also questioned. "The types of mistreatment the women were subjected to included blows to the stomach and head, threats of rape directed either at them or their families, near-asphyxiation, electric shocks to the genitals, groping and rape. 'Police appear to be using them as easy targets for arrest to boost figures and show society that the government's security efforts are yielding results,' said an Amnesty International statement." In "Mexico police, troops 'routinely' rape arrested women: Amnesty," by Yemeli Ortega, Agence France Presse, 28 June 2016.
[ 3 ] Make America Mexico again, when only 1.5 percent of corruption cases in Mexico "end in conviction?" One reads further: "Mexico’s institution with the worst reputation is the police force, with 89.7 percent of respondents identifying them as corrupt. They are followed by political parties at 84.4 percent, the Public Prosecutor’s Office at 78.4 percent, state governments at 77.2 percent, legislators and senators at 77 percent, and the media at 62.3 percent. Corruption comes in third place of all the problems that worry Mexicans the most, with 48.5 percent holding this view — even ahead of poverty at 39.3 percent. This is only behind crime and security at 70.4 percent and unemployment at 51 percent, respectively." In "Mexico’s Police Outdo Even Politicians for Corruption," by Adriana Peralta, PanAmPost, 20 June 2014.
This parallels the corruption in other "public servants," as one may see in If you but were
Thirteenth Most Corrupt Nation in the World?
Comparisons are made, as one reads: "Mexico has once again found itself at the top of a list of nations grappling with one of the developed world’s most complex and common problems: corruption. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the North American country is the 13th most corrupt nation in the world thanks to high levels of organized crime. And when developing countries are excluded, Mexico rises to the top of the list." In "Why Mexico has been named the most corrupt developed country," by Claudia Altamirano, El País, 6 October 2016.
[ 4 ] Make America Mexico again, when drug violence coupled to corruption is so high? "Mexican authorities said at a forum that drug-trafficking gangs pay around 1.27 billion pesos (some $100 million) a month in bribes to municipal police officers nationwide." In "Mexico: Cartels Pay Corrupt Cops $100 Million a Month," Latin American Herald Tribune, 28 June 2016.
Corruption Has Touched Bottom
Make America Mexico again, when "...rage and despair have galvanized a society already familiar with abuse and atrocity. 'Mexicans are ready to explode,' Homero Aridjis, a prominent Mexican poet and social activist, said as he hurried to join the march down Reforma Boulevard. 'Corruption has touched bottom, people are poor, suffering violence. They are fed up and desperate.' The Iguala tragedy exposed how rotten parts of the Mexican political system remain despite promises of democracy and reform." In "Thousands protest in Mexico against corruption, missing students," by Tracy Wilkinson and Cecilia Sanchez, Los Angeles Times, 20 November 2014.
It becomes known that local government fails to protect its citizens. One reads: "Aguayo’s report, carried out under the auspices of the state-funded prestigious Colegio de México, is called En el desamparo (Unprotected) and draws the conclusion that the Mexican state has failed the victims of violent crime: 'It has not done its job,' says Aguayo." In "Mexico’s police and state failed victims of Zetas cartel, says new report," by Pablo de Llano, El País, 10 October 2016.
Corruption Has Reached the Top
More as to corruption in Mexico affecting the United States, one reads: "Edgar Veytia, 46, was detained Monday at the U.S. border in San Diego on an indictment handed down by a grand jury in New York, Ralph DeSio, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Wednesday. The indictment was filed March 2 in the Eastern District of New York — the same jurisdiction where federal prosecutors have charged Sinaloa cartel commander Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán — and a U.S. magistrate judge in Brooklyn unsealed the charging papers on Tuesday. As attorney general, Veytia is the top law enforcement official in Nayarit, a state in western Mexico between the cities of Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. The indictment accuses Veytia of conspiring to manufacture and distribute illicit drugs and import them into the U.S. from 2013 — the year he became attorney general — until February of this year. Court papers refer to Veytia by a range of aliases, including Diablo, Eepp and Lic veytia." In "Mexican state attorney general arrested at U.S. border in San Diego on drug trafficking charges," by Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 29 March 2017.
When the attorney general of a state is investigated for and charged with narcotics manufacture and trafficking, then corruption in Mexican government is seen to be among the top echelon of Mexico's "rulers."
The Mexican police are compromised as well. "A former federal police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is no longer with the agency said Reyes Arzate was probably two or three steps down in the command chain from Mexico's federal police commissioner. 'Reyes, in his role as supervisor over the SIU, routinely had contact and worked collaboratively with DEA agents in Mexico City,' according to the indictment. Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said there had always been a problem with the special units: The top commanders refused to submit to background or polygraph checks, even though low-level agents were vetted. 'The higher echelon, the higher level of the federal police, do not want to be vetted,' Vigil said." In "Top Mexican official said to tip drug cartel about probe," by Associated Press, 5 April 2017.
A Monster with One Hundred Heads
The murderous mayhem continues as the Washington Post observes: "The dominant drug cartel in Acapulco and the state of Guerrero broke up a decade ago. The criminals now in charge resemble neighborhood gangs — with names like 221 or Los Locos. An estimated 20 or more of these groups operate in Acapulco, intermixed with representatives from larger drug cartels who contract them for jobs. The gang members are young men who often become specialists — extortionists, kidnappers, car thieves, assassins — and prey on a largely defenseless population. 'They kill barbers, tailors, mechanics, tinsmiths, taxi drivers,' said Joaquin Badillo, who runs a private security company in the city. 'This has turned into a monster with 100 heads'." In "Acapulco is now Mexico’s murder capital," by Joshua Partlow, Washington Post, 24 August 2017.
So much for tourist advertisements for vacations in Acapulco....
Only months later, one reads: "At a time when the weaker peso should be luring American travelers in droves, many are staying away, spooked by a wave of violence that's come dangerously close to tourist hot spots. Gunmen opened fire at a Cancun nightclub in November, and a cooler with two human heads was found on Cabo San Lucas's main hotel strip in June." In "From Cancun to Los Cabos, tourists scared off Mexico's beaches," by Andrea Navarro and Nacha Cattan, Bloomberg, 28 October 2017.
[ 5 ] As the BBC notes in its title, this is about "people vs politicians." Corrupt politicians. A political campaign by Mexicans -- "people" -- is underway, irritating the elite and the corrupt. The BBC reports: "The campaign, as well as setting out a new system to deal with corruption, has three important demands - that politicians declare their assets such as houses, as well as their interests such as previous jobs and friendships. And finally they need to prove they pay their taxes. 'I signed because I want a better country - not just for me but for my kids too - where things work better, where not just a few get rich but it's distributed more fairly,' says 42-year-old civil servant Roberto Vasquez."
How consistent is this undercurrent of distrust in government the world around. For this, such optics as a small child holding a sign as above is a demonstration that the corrupt will employ violence and rape, as reported above, but also propaganda tools to counter threats against their "divine right of corrupt politicians" not to mention the demonstrable truth about Fat, fat government
Mexico Ranks 135th from the Bottom of 180 Countries in Corruption
The corruption in Mexico seems to be worsening, as the noise of politics attempts to mask it. One reads further: "The latest global corruption index indicates that Mexico continues its slow but steady downward slide and remains within the ranks of the world’s most corrupt countries. The 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Mexico in 135th place on the list of 180 countries with a score of 29, one point less than the previous year." In "No improvement on the corruption index," Mexico News Daily from Publímetro, 25 February 2018.
[ 6 ] "Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Monday called for greater integration" with: 1) national poverty of "53.2%,", 2) "femicide and rape" alongside endemic child abuse, 3) endemic government "corruption," 4) "drug-trafficking gangs" bribing the police, and 5) the ongoing friction between "people vs politicians." So testify the World Bank, Reuters, Bloomberg, the Latin Times, the Los Angeles Times and the BBC. Make America Mexico again?
Party Failures
The call for greater integration is made by an interesting politician, given the following. "Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto plagiarized nearly a third of his 1991 undergraduate law thesis, according to a report published on Sunday by one of Mexico's leading investigative journalists. Of the 682 paragraphs that made up the 200-page thesis, titled 'Mexican Presidentialism and Alvaro Obregon,' 197, or 28.9 percent, were found to be plagiarized, the report said. The article and accompanying video were published on the website of journalist Carmen Aristegui, whose investigative team revealed in 2014 that Pena Nieto's wife was in the process of acquiring a luxury home from a government contractor. The Casa Blanca scandal, as it came to be known, dealt a major blow to the reputation of Pena Nieto, whose poll numbers have recently hit all-time lows over perceptions he and his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) have failed to stamp out rampant crime and corruption." In "Mexican president Pena Nieto plagiarized law thesis, report says," by Gabriel Stargardter, Reuters, 22 August 2016.
Aside from the reported plagiarism and Casa Blanca scandal, a politician who "failed to stamp out rampant crime and corruption" and yet calls for "greater integration" with other nations while using his political office for seemingly obvious self-aggrandizement begs the question. Greater integration to further rampant crime and corruption, poverty and drug trafficking gangs and "femicide?"
"Use a kid for politics" is indeed underway. One reads of another instance: "A French artist who goes by the moniker 'JR' erected the cut-out of the boy that stands 65 feet (20 meters) tall and is meant to prompt discussion of immigration. On Friday, a steady stream of people drove to the remote section of wall near the Tecate border crossing, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of San Diego. Border Patrol agents warned visitors to keep the dirt road clear for their patrols and not pass anything through the fence." In "Giant portrait of toddler peers over US-Mexico border wall," Associated Press, 9 September 2017.
Political Optics Intended to Blind Political Reality
The many citations above from various press voices shows the condemnations which may be addressed at succeeding governments and politicians in Mexico. This also explains why the iconography offered by many to "use a kid" is a powerful lie, for the children of Mexico deserve to live in a nation -- theirs -- where "immigration" to another nation -- being condemned in this :portrait" for having a border quite like Mexico's southern border with Guatemala, fenced, patrolled and defended. One notes that this "French artist," quite like a whole cadre of Mexican political authorities are not addressing with such a "splash" of political optics.
One awaits the "artists" who will highlight the massive corruption of the government at all levels, condemn with such emotional optics the murderous drug cartels, and poverty which greater freedom from such corrupt politics and crime. One will likely wait for some time....
Meanwhile, back at the factory: "... in Mexico -- where the auto industry has boomed under the North American Free Trade Agreement, with plants like the Audi factory that opened in Puebla state in 2016 -- the industry has created something different: a class of workers who are barely getting by, crammed into 500-square-foot apartments in government-subsidized projects that they pay for over decades. Many can't afford even a used car, taking home as little as $50 per week after deductions for mortgages and cafeteria meals. Why have Mexican auto salaries stagnated or declined while pay for Chinese autoworkers rose, despite all the promises that free trade would increase Mexican wages?" In "Mexicans earn $2 per hour to produce $40,000 vehicles," by Mark Stevenson, 1 October 2017.
Gender Violence Alert
As to the political use of children as a iconographic shorthand for some critique of national policies, one might imagine what sort of iconographic representation would represent those mothers who became victims of hate? One reads: "The mounting crisis of femicides - murders of women where the motive is directly related to gender - prompted the federal government to issue a gender violence alert in 2015, the first for any Mexican state. Sometimes the deaths are caused by domestic abuse. Other killings appear to be opportunistic, by strangers. Often the bodies are mutilated and dumped in a public place - which many read as a message to other women: There is no safe place, time of day or activity." In "'Why so much hate?' Femicides plague Mexico's largest state," by Gustavo Martinez, Associated Press, 12 October 2017.
The article's title asks a good question, one as yet unanswered by "artists" whose giant icons and tiny signs at political protests say so little about so much.
"Use a slogan. Use a child. / Convey a message dulled, / Twisted to some darker use / As facts are cut and culled."
[ 7 ] The fundamental question is clarified. If a government cannot enforce the peace, then a people will have no peace. The notions of a civil society all hinge on some version of social order and safety, which when eroded away tear apart that society. In the Reuters article, it is noted that the so-named "Institutional Revolutionary Party" trails in the polls, as the average citizen expects civic society to be civic-minded and peaceful. A re-reading of the various news article excerpts above tells a tale of a society being shredded by various forms of violence, with government at many levels being corrupt. The so-called "revolutionary" party will be experiencing a revolution as citizens vote "enough!".
[ 8 ] Artists may enliven the picture of a single child, while activist politics might use a child for politics as seen above, but Mexico held up as a model for a neighboring country is a poor choice. As the article cited above notes: "Mexico had the most murders on record in 2017, with 29,158 homicides. The homicide rate in the first two months of 2018 was already up 21% over the same period last year."
For more detail: "International observers objected to the government’s investigation and the case shook the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto, who has seen his popularity decline sharply amid corruption allegations and a spike in violence. More than 25,000 people were murdered last year in Mexico. Homicides hit their highest level in records going back 20 years." In "Missing Mexican students were killed, dissolved in acid after mistaken identity: authorities," by Nicole Acevedo, NBC News and Reuters, 24 April 2018.
Political optics' tricks asks to believe the single image, and ignore the trove of news and hard data.
for Brian, who knows the terms of our agreement
Don't argue with me;
I've cited my source.
Go argue with it,
And yell yourself hoarse.
Don't argue you're right
When you can't prove a case;
Don't argue the end
When behind in the race.
Don't argue that facts
Dissemble to twist;
Go run from hard proofs
And see if you're missed.
Don't argue with all
That amasses in weight
To tip true the scales
Toward solutions which wait.
Don't just argue, no,
Please, let's better debate,
Citing our sources
And telling things straight.
I'll change my views
If you prove your case;
Will you change yours, if
Yours loses the race?
If not, what's the point?
Why argue yet more?
Let's disengage
And each other ignore.
"The ex-Kirchnerite official, considered the right/hand man of ex Federal Planning minister Julio De Vido was caught by the police after neighbors and a nun of the Fatima monastery warned authorities about the presence of a man throwing bags over a dividing line of bushes. Investigators estimate Lopez was carrying between US$5-8 million and that he was trying to hide them in a patio of the convent that is located in the San Carlos neighborhood of the Buenos Aires province locality. Furthermore, luxury watches and Euros were reportedly also inside the several bags and suitcases, and an automatic gun, he was apparently trying to hide." In "An Argentine ex-Kirchnerite official caught red-handed trying to hide bags of cash in a monastery," Merco Press, 15 June 2016.
If you but were a loyal cog
Of an oily criminal class,
You could have an epilogue
Quite like this oily ass.If you but were a smaller man
In the larger scheme of things,
You'd have wealth greater than
Little people's sufferings.If you but were a lying cheat,
Corrupt atop some heap,
You would for time, not longer,
Live the high life as you reap.If you but were never caught
In your oily criminal deeds,
You would have stayed bought
While a nation weeps and bleeds.
Addendum of the Details: "Jose Lopez, who served as public works secretary under ex-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her late husband, Nestor Kirchner, was found with an assault rifle and six bags containing dollars, euros, Japanese yen and Qatari riyal. Local media outlets broadcast and published images of Lopez wearing a bullet-proof vest and riot helmet in custody outside a police station on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The arrest may further complicate any return to politics for Fernandez, who is already under investigation in a string of cases involving money-laundering and corruption allegations. In April, she accused the government and the judicial system of conspiring to put her in prison." In "Kirchner Official Caught Burying Millions Outside Convent," by Charlie Devereux, Bloomberg, 14 June 2016.
Addendum of a Russian Variation of This Theme: "The Kremlin on Monday insisted it was serious about tackling endemic graft in Russia after a top anti-corruption official was busted with over $120 million in cash. Dmitry Zakharchenko, the acting head of an anti-graft agency at the Russian interior ministry, was formally arrested on Saturday for receiving "especially large" bribes after police found banknotes worth more than $120 million in a raid on a Moscow flat." In "Russia's anti-corruption boss arrested with $120 million in cash ," Foreign Staff, Telegraph UK, 13 September 2016.
Addendum of a Second Russian Variation: "Russia's Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has been charged with taking a bribe to endorse a state takeover. Investigators said he received a $2m (£1.6m) payment. The minister pleaded not guilty to the charge." In "Russian Economy Minister Ulyukayev charged with $2m bribe," BBC, 15 November 2016.
Addendum of the Ukrainian Variation of This Theme: "An anti-corruption reform requiring senior Ukrainian officials to declare their wealth online has exposed a vast difference between the fortunes of politicians and those they represent. Some declared millions of dollars in cash. Others said they owned fleets of luxury cars, expensive Swiss watches, diamond jewelry and large tracts of land - revelations that could further hit public confidence in the authorities in Ukraine, where the average salary is just over $200 per month." In "Ukrainians shocked as politicians declare vast wealth," by Alessandra Prentice, Reuters, 31 October 2016.
Consider the too-often truth of political offices, in America and throughout the world: Corruption
Riff on a new word - 'just folks' public speaking skewered
"Fauxlloquial, adjective: 1. Appearing to be informal while holding a serious amount of power over the circumstances of the people in your audience. 2. Giving the appearance of being 'just folks' and accessible when you are neither." In "A New Word?" Elaine Fine, Musical Assumption Blog, 30 May 2016.
Fauxlloquial's fauxlogical,
Fauxever in a daze.
Fauxlingual is fauxfeasible,
Fauxarmed with nowadays.
Fauxbear in every circumstance!
Fauxboding sobriquets
Fauxment as a faux smarty-pants
Fauxlloquially brays!
Faux I, faux you, faux fake we all,
Faux tense we conjugate.
Fauxlloquial we fauxmulate,
Fauxclosing faux debate.
Envoi: "The object of words is to conceal thoughts." In "Words," Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. C. Brewer, 1898.
Addendum of Using in a Sentence: "The politician in question spoke in a manner so fauxlloquial that even the words should have been embarrassed." [ 1 ]
Addendum of Obscuring Rationality: "Emotive words are used to provoke emotion and sometimes to obscure rationality." In "Why People Believe Weird Things," Michael Shermer, Henry Holt & Co., 1997.
Addendum of a Glorious Explosion: "Shakespeare, by contrast, offers us a profusion of intelligible analogies. To compare sleep with human beings; death, hot baths, ointment and the main course of a meal (not to mention 'hurt minds' and 'life's feast') -- all within a single sentence, expressed in a few lines of blank verse -- is to awaken so many of the ideas latent in our minds that we experience a glorious explosion of newly recognized meanings." In "The Creative Mind," Margaret A. Boden, Harper Collins, 1991.
Addendum of Colloquial Rhythms: " It is still said by way of compliment that this or that poet, dramatist, prose writer is good at catching colloquial rhythms, be they those of today or yesterday in Mayfair or Essex or upstate New York. We are all grateful for a word kindly meant, but this one perhaps amounts to less than it may seem." In "The King's English, a Guide to Modern Usage," Kingsley Amis, St. Martin's, 1997. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Manipulation: "The manipulation of emotions is, of course, one of the essential features of ritual ceremonies and the reason for their effectiveness. Sharing important strong emotions together is a potent means of bonding, as war veterans and survivors of catastrophes will attest, not to mention sexual partners or parents and children." In "Homo Aestheticus," Ellen Dissanayake, Free Press, 1992.
Addendum of Seeing: "I am a romantic who tends to see the power and depth of human creativity as virtually limitless." Douglas R. Hofstadter, "Le Ton beau de Marot," Basic Books, 1997. [ 3 ]
Consider another Fine new word: dodecophonoclast
NOTES
[ 1 ] Colloquial, as defined in the Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, J. A. Cuddon, Penguin, 1991: "A colloquial word, phrase or expression is one in everyday use in speech and writing. The colloquial style is plain and relaxed. This sentence is colloquial: 'The man, a dodgy customer with a shifty look in his eye, was clearly up to no good'."
Therefore as variant: "A fauxlloquial word, phrase or expression in one in everyday use in speech and writing. The fauxlloquial style is mannered and forced. This sentence is fauxlloquial: 'The politicians, dodgy sorts with a shifty look in their eyes, are clearly up to no good."
[ 2 ] Then as instructive variant: "It is still said by way of backhanded compliment that this or that politician, "a dodgy sort," is good at catching fauxlloquial rhythms...." This is one facet to the many who practice Politics
[ 3 ] Then as variant: I, though a romantic who tends to see the power and depth of human creativity as virtually limitless, also see the power and depth of human folly as virtually limitless.
Words of a feather - which block together
"Reject religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning by using plain meaning American English. a. US v THEM: For example, use 'American Muslim' rather than 'Muslim American'; 'Muslim communities' rather than 'Muslim world.' b. AMERICAN ENGLISH: For example, on using American English instead of religious, legal and cultural terms like 'jihad,' 'sharia,' 'takfir' or 'umma'." In "Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Subcommittee Interim Report and Recommendations," Homeland Security Advisory Council, the Executive Office of the President of the United States, June 2016.
In plain English
Never call a spade a spade
While digging deep a hole.
Never clearly name a thing;
Swap words to words control.
Never say what's right when left
In a niche or pigeonhole.
Always speak as you you are told,
And never speak too bold.
Reject what's charged with problems;
Rather, synonym away.
Rejecting terminology
Should brighten up your day.
Reject positions plainly said
For words which winds may sway.
Extremely violent are two words
Which point most any way.
Never call jihad "jihad,"
But what then to suggest?
Never use "sharia" words
Which point to rules' conquest.
Never speak of "takfir,"
Which cuts one from the rest.
Never mouth the "umma,"
Worldwide in its quest.
Reject, because committees print
Words you should not use.
Reject, to mask religion
As a metric one might choose.
Reject, because cultural terms
Might somehow offer views
Extremely violent, as such words
Might turn out to be clues.
Envoi: Words of a feather
Block together;
Clarity loses punch.
Words' bellwether
Makes truths tether
To lies, so tells a hunch.
Addendum of Calling a Spade a Spade: "Maybe someone out there has the answer to all this. I don’t. But we are not going to find it, even look for it, unless we know when to call a spade a spade, and not 'terrorism,' unless we define our own terms and talk to each other with real meaning, instead of being trapped in the matrix of lies and deceit that define the modern world." In "Terrorism: A Matrix of Lies and Deceit," by Christopher Black, New Eastern Outlook, 17 June 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Merriam-Webster's Plain American English: The normal definition of war is, in American English according to a Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary, primarily "a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations," "a period of such armed conflict," and secondarily, "a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism." and "a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end." [ 2 ]
Addendum of Religiously-charged Terminology in Plain English: "One of the few - and certainly the most remarkable and troubling - glimpses into the minds and motives of the men who wrought the slaughter of 11 September is a four-page document, written in Arabic, found in the baggage of the suspected ringleader behind the carnage, Mohamed Atta.... 'Either end your life while praying, seconds before the target, or make your last words: 'There is no God but God, Muhammad is His messenger'. Afterwards, we will all meet in the highest heaven, God willing. If you see the enemy as strong, remember the groups [that had formed a coalition to fight the prophet Muhammad]. They were 10,000. Remember how God gave victory to his faithful servants. He said: 'When the faithful saw the groups, they said, this is what God and the prophet promised, they said the truth. It only increased their faith.' And may the peace of God be upon the prophet.' The document was released by the F.B.I. and translated for The New York Times by Capital Communications Group, a Washington-based international consulting firm and by Imad Musa, a translator for the firm." In "Last words of a terrorist ," Guardian UK, 30 September 2001.
Addendum of a Variety of Plain Speaking: "A group of radical Islamists attacked a listening party in Istanbul where Radiohead was holding a listening party for fans in support of their new album. The men reportedly stormed the record store, Velvet Indieground, in Istanbul, Turkey, and used pipes to violently beat fans running away from the venue for drinking alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan." In "Radiohead Listening Party in Istanbul Attacked by Islamists," Variety, 17 July 2016. [ 3 ]
In plain English
Addendum of Jihad in Plain English: "In 2013 he was secretly recorded urging his followers to also sponge off UK taxpayers by claiming their 'Jihad seeker's allowance'. He told a crowd of around 30 fanatics: 'People will say, 'Ah, but you are not working'. But the normal situation is for you to take money from the kuffar (non-Muslim). So we take Jihad seeker's Allowance. You need to get support.' He was once asked how he justified living on benefits, to which he replied: 'They give us the money but we attack their system. If I’m given wealth, I will take it.' In another video a grinning Choudary was recorded telling his disciples it was justifiable to take money from non-believers. He said: 'The normal situation is to take money from the kuffar. You work, give us the money, Allahu Akhbar (God is great)." In "Fanatic's web of hatred: From 7/7 bombers to Lee Rigby's killers, how vile preacher's network of radical connections was like a who's who of Islamic terrorism - with links to 15 plots and 500 jihadis," by Richard Spillett, Mail Online, 16 August 2016.
Addendum of Jihad II: The word 'jihad', when mentioned on its own, only means combat with weapons, as was mentioned by Ibn Rushd, and upon this the four Imams have agreed." In "Join the Caravan," by Shaykh 'Abdullah 'Azzam, 1st Jummad al-Awwal 1409 A.H. corresponding to 9th December 1988 CE.
Addendum of Jihad III in Translation: "Narrated Abū Hurairah: I heard Allāh's Messenger saying, "The example of a Mujāhid in Allāh's Cause -- and Allāh knows better who reallys trives in His Cause -- is like a person who observes Ṣaum (fast) and offers Ṣalāt (prayer) continuously. Allāh guarantees that He will admit the Mujāhid in His Cause into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and war booty." In "The Book of Jihad (Fighting for Allah's Cause), Sahih Al-Bukhari, 2787.
Addendum of Sick Jihad Reported and Strict Sharia in Plain English: "Sick jihadists from the Islamic State (Isis) beheaded a four-year-old girl then forced her horrified mother to soak her hands in her dead daughter's blood. The latest shocking incident is said to have happened in the Daesh (Isis) de-facto capital of Raqqa, in Syria. The extremists are renowned for their shocking punishments meted out by their feared al-Hisbah police who enforce their strict version of Sharia Law on the towns and cities they conquer." In "Isis beheads 4-year-old girl then forces mother to soak hands in her blood after 'swearing to Allah'," by William Watkinson, IBTimes, UK, 21 June 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Another Attack in Bangladesh: "Islamist militants killed 20 people, most of them foreigners, inside an upmarket restaurant in Bangladesh's capital, before security forces stormed the building and ended a 12-hour standoff on Saturday. Islamic State said it was responsible for one of the most brazen attacks in the South Asian nation's history, but that claim has yet to be confirmed. It marks a major escalation in a campaign by militants over the past 18 months that had targeted mostly individuals advocating a secular or liberal lifestyle in majority-Muslim Bangladesh." In "Bangladesh militants kill 20 before commandos end siege," by Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul, Reuters, 2 July 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of the Plain English Word, Sunni: "The Sunni extremists view the Yazidis as barely human. The Yazidi faith combines elements of Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion. Their pre-war population in Iraq was estimated around 500,000. Their number today is unknown." In "Islamic State tightens grip on captives held as sex slaves," by Lori Hinnant, Maya Alleruzzo and Balint Szlanko, Associated Press, 5 July 2016.
Addendum of More in Plain English: "In an Eid message posted online on Friday, the AQIS chief called on Indian Muslims to 'pick up their daggers, and start attacking the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers who protect Hindus during communal riots'. 'When your daggers reach the necks of the Hindus who now call for your blood, you see how their words change,' he said. Even though Jaish-e-Muhammad was banned by Pakistan in 2002, following its attack on Parliament House in New Delhi, it continues to operate military facilities in several parts of Pakistan. Earlier this year, this newspaper had obtained satellite images showing that the terrorist group had set up new military facilities in the shadows of the historic Maujgarh fort, in Pakistan’s Cholistan desert." In "Jaish seeks funds for ‘jihad in India’ outside Karachi mosques," by Praveen Swami, Indian Express, New Dehli, 5 July 2016.
Addendum of More Plain English Clarity from India: "After the Boston Marathon bombings, Pakistani-Canadian writer Ali A Rizvi wrote, 'The 'anything but jihad' brigade is out in full force again. If the perpetrators of such attacks say they were influenced by politics (or) nationalism … we take them at face value. But when they consistently cite their religious beliefs as their central motivation, we back off, stroke our chins and suspect there has to be something deeper at play, a 'root cause'. It is often religion itself … that is the root cause.' This sort of candour is lacking among most mainstream commentators in modern, liberal democracies today. Calling out jihadi terrorism is inhibited for fear of being labelled prejudiced, Islamophobic or, oddly, even racist." In "Name the problem: The world must support those within Islam speaking up for reform," by Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, Times of India, 6 July 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of the Takfiris: "In the onslaught at the Prophet’s Mosque, the Wahhabi basis of Al-Qa’eda and ISIS was blatantly exposed. Wahhabis condemn honours to the Prophet, as well as the construction of tombs, claiming they represent a form of polytheism and idol worship (shirk). The behaviour of Wahhabis in dishonouring the Prophet of Islam is incomprehensible to Jews and Christians. In the Qatif attacks, the Wahhabi denunciation of Shia Muslims as alleged unbelievers, a posture absent from traditional Islam, was brutally expressed with the murder of three unidentified victims. The takfiris chose the end of Ramadan for their new offensive in a manner that discredits Muslims everywhere." In "Ramadan ends in blood," by Irfan Al-Alawi, Lapido Media, 13 July 2016. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Planned Violent Islamic Extremism in Plain English: "Khurasani also warned our man to say absolutely nothing of his mission to friends or family. When our reporter asked if his mission would help his family get into heaven, Khurasani replied: 'Ur family is Muslim? Give them Quran to read. And ask them to read and understand it. May Allah guide them to Islam if they are not Muslims already. But please, dont give them any hint about ur work. U have to be completely normal. And don’t let family feel something special is going on'." In "'ANYTHING CAN WORK IF ALLAH HELPS' Sun investigation exposes ISIS’ sick car bomb bid to strike at heart of UK," by Jake Ryan and Mike Sullivan, The Sun UK, 28 July 2016.
Addendum of 'Islam for Dummies' Published in Plain English: "ISIS wannabes are so ignorant about the culture they’re pledging their lives to that they are ordering books like 'Islam for Dummies' before joining the terrorist organization. About 70 percent of ISIS recruits only have 'basic' knowledge of Shariah law, the Islamic legal system, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of more than 3,000 internal documents from the terror network. Some jihadis-in-training admitted in court that they tried to beef up their knowledge about the religion before traveling to Syria by buying a few books from Amazon." In "ISIS fighters are using ‘Islam for Dummies’ to prepare for jihad," by Sophia Rosenbaum, New York Post, 15 August 2016. [ 8 ]
Addendum of a Major Challenge: "Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo said that it would be 'naïve' to ignore the problematical passages of the Qu’ran, and it is a major challenge for Islamic leaders to 'give a peaceful hermeneutic to these passages'—particularly in light of pressure from extremists." In "Vatican prelate challenges Islamic scholars to give peaceful interpretation of Qu'ran," Catholic World News, 12 August 2016.
Addendum of Jihadists in Plain English as an Uncharacteristically Flip Analogy: "In the 2012 campaign, Obama spoke not only of killing Osama bin Laden; he also said that Al Qaeda had been 'decimated.' I pointed out that the flag of Al Qaeda is now flying in Falluja, in Iraq, and among various rebel factions in Syria; Al Qaeda has asserted a presence in parts of Africa, too. 'The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a jayvee team puts on Lakers uniforms that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant,' Obama said, resorting to an uncharacteristically flip analogy. 'I think there is a distinction between the capacity and reach of a bin Laden and a network that is actively planning major terrorist plots against the homeland versus jihadists who are engaged in various local power struggles and disputes, often sectarian'." In "Going the Distance," by David Remnick, New Yorker, 27 January 2014.
Addendum of Using an Alternate Word in Plain English: "Speaking at a National Academy of Sciences' panel on 'Ideologically Motivated Violence,' Saeed described rehabilitation and integration as a strategy area of focus for the State Department. 'We’ve seen a large number of individuals travel overseas to foreign conflict zones, places like Iraq and Syria, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan,' Saeed said. 'So what happens when they come back? You have to be able to rehabilitate them and then re-integrate them back into society'." In "State Dept.: U.S. Should 'Rehabilitate' and 'Reintegrate' Foreign Fighters Back into Society," by Lauretta Brown, Cybercast News, 8 September 2016. [ 9 ]
Addendum of Unsure Leadership: "Staffers of the Special Operations Command (SoCom) in the Pentagon believe that the report must note that Salafi jihadism is the branch of Sunni Islam that is responsible for most global terrorism in the world today. Salafi jihadism is the ideology shared by the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. 'Pretending there is no relationship between the violent jihadists and Islam isn’t going to win,' a source knowledgeable about the National Military Strategy told The Washington Times. 'We’re completely ignoring the war of ideas. We’re still in denial. We’re pretending the enemy doesn’t exist.' The source said that the issue cannot be viewed only in terms of those who believe in active violence: 'It’s a much bigger problem, because it’s not just the violent jihadists; it’s the non-violent jihadists who support them'." In "Pentagon still unsure whether to link Islam & violent Jihad," by Hillel Fendel, Arutz Sheva, 7 October 2016.
Addendum of Cognition: "...language is based on cognition -- that is, on cognitive models that can be understood in terms of bodily functioning. This cognitive base is constrained by the nature of physical reality and also depends on imagination and social interactions. Meaning derives from embodiment and function, understanding arises when concepts are meaningful in this sense, and truth is considered to arise when the understanding of a statement fit's one's understanding of a situation closely enough for one's own purposes." In "Bright Air, Brilliant Fire - on the Matter of the Mind," Gerald M. Edelman, Basic Books, 1992.
Consider the mostly plain spoken synonym in government-recommended American English: The religion of peace
NOTES
[ 1 ] The notion of calling a spade a spade uses plain language, as advised in the US government's committee's recommendation titled "Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Subcommittee Interim Report and Recommendations." The phrase, violent extremism, tells nothing as to causes, which parties participate and what the characteristics of such violent extremists are.
To Paralyze Thought with Madison Avenue Skill
The article notes: "The use of the word 'terrorism' says nothing. It contains no useful information that can lead to an understanding of events and circumstances. It is a word used to dope the mind, paralyse thought, to sap the will. Language is an important tool of control of the people. To accept the terms of propaganda used by the powers that want to control us is to surrender to them completely because once we do that we lose the ability think rationally, to analyse, to question, to think for ourselves."
If this is a correct view, then the Homeland Security Advisory Council's advice is functionally "to dope the mind" as it is "to sap the will," in the plain prose of Christopher Black.
The Homeland Security Advisory Council, a function of the Office of the President, asks we "reject" what it terms "religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning," as if religious terminology was charged in the same way that both explosives and explosive speech are "charged."
Black notes in plain speech: "We are told, the world over, by every government, that we are in a 'war against terrorism.' But terrorism is an action, a tactic, a strategy. It’s a method not person, a group, a country. How can there be a war against a method of war. But they want us to fight a method and never ask the why or the who. That doesn’t seem to matter anymore. They tell us not to be concerned with why something happens, only how it happens. Let’s face it, the Americans, with all the creative skills of Madison Avenue, have got us all to use a phrase that George Bush first used in 2001after the strange event in New York that has all the indicia of a state attack on its own people to justify the invasions of Afghanistan and then Iraq. It has become a euphemism and a justification for all the wars they have waged since. The people don’t need to know why 'terrorists' exist, or who they are and what motivates them, or even whether they really exist, for they are just 'terrorists'."
Other voices are being heard: "Claims that the atrocities of the Islamic State have 'nothing to do with Islam' are harming efforts to confront and combat extremism, the Archbishop of Canterbury has insisted. Religious leaders of all varieties must 'stand up and take responsibility' for the actions of extremists who profess to follow their faith, the Most Rev Justin Welby said. He argued that unless people recognise and attempt to understand the motivation of terrorists they will never be able to combat their ideology effectively." In "Justin Welby: It's time to stop saying Isil has ‘nothing to do with Islam’," by John Bingham, Telegraph UK, 18 November 2016.
The Islamic State's own publication in rather "plain English" gives indication that jihad is both now a word in English and an Islamic concept about killing. One reads: "He was asked, 'What jihād is best?' He replied, 'He who performs jihād against the mushrikīn with both his wealth and life.' He was asked, 'What killing is noblest?' He replied, 'He whose blood is spilled and horse is slaughtered.' [Hasan: Reported by Imām Ahmad, Abū Dāwūd, and an-Nasā’ī]" In "Perfecting One’s Islam, Īmān, Hijrah, and Jihād," Dabiq, Issue 9.
In this way, war is justified, and the current Obama administration is conducting a "war on terror" including explosive attacks in cross border violations within nations which the government has not identified as war zones. The "war on terror" may be translated a war on "an action, a tactic, a strategy." It is a war on "a method." Black is correct to ask: how can there be a war against a method of war?
That question is, in the council's parlance and according to its supposed collective wisdom, uses "plain speaking American English." And the council is using plain speaking American English to plead with the world not to identify "terror" by words which clearly identify an Islamic component to such acts as ISIS, the Islamic State, boasts. One wonders for whom does the Homeland Security Advisory Council advocate, in advocating not to use words such as "jihad" which is entering the American English lexicon by simple repetition and common use.
A spade is a spade. A strategy is a strategy. One does not make war on strategies or spades. One makes war on people.
[ 2 ] As to plain language and plain meanings, war is "between states or nations," and also "between opposing forces or for a particular end." Relying on plain American English, what is the global war between? States or nations, and if so, which? Opposing forces, and if so which?
The Homeland Security Advisory Council, created in 2002 under George Bush and continued under Barack Obama, seems unwilling to use plain American English, preferring instead to counter "Violent Extremism" with recommendations about which words coming from Islamic culture should no longer be used in the identification.
No nation or group is at war with "violent extremism," and violent extremism is not at war with any nation or group. How does one identify a soldier under the banner of violent extremism? What commonalities are there between violent extremists, aside from violence and whatever it may be as people try in vain to define "extremism?" Rather much of this seems naive at best.
Little in the Way of Debate and No Critical Thinking
The components of current "violent extremism" around the world include -- in plain English -- Islamic streams of thought. Of these differing streams, one reads in plain English the words of an Islamic pluralist: "In radical madrassas, such as those run by Wahhabis and Deobandis, 'open conversations' are absent. Madrassa schooling in the Wahhabi and Deobandi style involves memorization of Qur'an and learning Arabic, with little in the way of debate. It would be surprising to find students in Wahhabi or Deobandi madrassas who had absorbed enough knowledge about Islamic doctrine to engage in serious dialogue with their instructors. Such madrassas do not teach 'critical thinking'." In "Regulation of UK madrassas is acceptable to spiritual and traditional Muslims," by Irfan Al-Alawi, Lapido Media, 20 January 2016.
When considering the naive words of an American council's recommendations to an American president and his administration that "plain English" should also avoid Islamic tenets using Arabic words, then that council is also not involved in "critical thinking" to suggest not using "religious, legal and cultural terms like 'jihad,' 'sharia,' 'takfir' or 'umma'," when in fact media around the world reports on jihadists as it reports on protests in many nations as "radicals" demand sharia law in place of local and national laws. An Islamic pluralist writes of "radical madarassas" in Great Britain, not radical "violent extremist" schools. In plain English, the violent extremism around the world today is Islamic violent extremism, first and foremost, and among the streams of Islam like the Wahhabu and Deobandi. Yet the politics of the current US administration suggests "plain English?"
Reject "us versus them?" How odd. How partisan. How like a linguistic "takfir" this is. Paraphrasing Karl Marx, one may well argue less foolishly that such advice from government is become a new "opiate of the people."
After all, the "people don’t need to know why 'terrorists' exist, or who they are and what motivates them...." It is rather like choosing a word Menu à la carte
[ 3 ] In the variety of words, words and more words, "radical Islamists" seems descriptive enough. One wonders if such clarity violates the Homeland Security Advisory Council's recommendation to "reject religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning" words. Sensibly, one must reject a notion that some nondescript and unidentified "violent extremism" attacked a party of Turks listening to music and drinking beer during the "holy month of Ramadan."
This sparks the question about terms, themselves, and those who insist on one term in place of another. One reads an opinion: "Obama’s vaunted national-security strategy, 'Countering Violent Extremism,' is Orwellian. The term CVE supplants identification of our jihadist enemies with the woolly notion that “violence” can be caused by any form of 'extremism' — it has nothing to do with Islam. By transferring security responsibilities from government intelligence agents to Muslim 'community leaders' (often, Islamist groups), CVE actually encourages violent extremism." In "Obama: Anti-Anti-Terrorist," by Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 18, 2016.
A Nebulous Enemy by Definition
If one should stop using terms such "religious, legal and cultural terms like 'jihad,' 'sharia,' 'takfir' or 'umma', as advised by recommended by the Homeland Security Advisory Council, a subset of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, as noted in their own document, then McCarthy's argument is valid. A nebulous enemy such as "violence" would never have clearly identified the National Socialists during World War II, and rather the Roosevelt administration would have to have conducted a "war" -- which is of course state violence incarnate -- against "violent extremism." Orwellian, indeed.
Whatever "plain English" is, the subcommittee's "recommendations are not in "plain English." That "countering violent extremism" as a phrase makes more clear the issue is sadly amusing, as is the metaphor so often trotted out by the Obama administration, consistently drawn from the Bush administration before it. There is a "war on terror." Really?
One reads of metaphors: "Perhaps the most ubiquitous metaphor is that of war. Sometimes it is helpful: the 'war on AIDS' could actually be won. But others cannot, and then the metaphor may mislead. Wars are waged by coherent enemy forces and end, if not in victory, at least when both sides are on their knees. The 'war on cancer' has encouraged doctors and patients to view bodies as battlefields. In the 'war on drugs', addicts who need health-care are recast as enemy combatants. And the 'war on terrorism' has fostered the delusion that, with a final push on a battlefield somewhere, it can be won." In "Declare war on misleading metaphors," Prospero blog, The Economist, 21 July 2016.
Another Economist article ignores Obama's Homeland Security Advisory Council desire to reject such a word as "jihad" in favor of plain English, as one reads: "...in the Arab world the young are treated, for the most part, as a curse, to be suppressed. These days life for young Arabs is often a miserable choice between a struggle against poverty at home, emigration or, in extreme cases, jihad. Indeed, in places such as Syria, the best-paid jobs involve picking up a gun." In "Look forward in anger," Economist, 6 August 2016.
By a faux-clarity which wishes to avoid certain words for some unexplained reason, the "war on terror" is like "countering violent extremism." They are misleading metaphors. This begs the question: who is misleading and why?
Something is certain however in terms of language. The caliph of ISIS and the Al Jazeera News have not heeded Obama's council's warming about using plain English. One reads in English from Al Jazeera of Baghdadi: "ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has expressed confidence in victory, in his first message after US-backed Iraqi forces started an offensive to take back Mosul, the last major city under control of his group in Iraq. He also called on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters to invade Turkey. 'This raging battle and total war, and the great jihad that the state of Islam is fighting today only increases our firm belief, God willing, and our conviction that all this is a prelude to victory," he said in an audio recording released online by supporters on Thursday'." In "ISIL leader Baghdadi confident of Mosul battle victory," Al Jazeera News, 3 November 2016.
Jihad appears as English now, so the remaining question for Obama council is to answer whether it is "plain" English," for it is indeed English.
[ 4 ] For one official Islamic opinion on "Allah" not naming a God as worshipped by Christians, consider: There's God and then there's Allah
Paradise If Killed - in Plain English
Then of course rejecting "religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning" washes away Islamic terminology which may be understood in plain English. One such interesting and "problematic" instance is the following authoritative quote: "Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'The example of a Mujahid in Allah's Cause-- and Allah knows better who really strives in His Cause----is like a person who fasts and prays continuously. Allah guarantees that He will admit the Mujahid in His Cause into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and war booty'." From Bukhari, Book 4, Volume 52, Hadith 46.
Such "religiously-charged" theology is "problematic" when one considers a "lone wolf" crying aloud "Allahu akbar" when attacking, killing and perhaps being killed in an exchange. Should one ignore such testimony, by diluting the Islamic content into a nebulous category as "violent extremism?"
[ 5 ] Unlike the Obama administration's council recommendation suggesting one reject "problematic positioning," one finds references to Islam which have now entered "plain English" in the news reports about the Bangladesh Islamists' attack. From the article: "Bangladesh has seen a spate of murders in recent months claimed by Islamic State and al Qaeda on liberals, gays, foreigners and religious minorities. A Hindu priest was hacked to death on Friday at a temple in Jhinaidah district, 300 km (188 miles) southwest of Dhaka. Local authorities say no operational links exist between Bangladeshi militants and international jihadi networks. They say two local militant groups, Ansar-al-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, have been behind the violence over the past 18 months. Ansar pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, while Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen claims it represents Islamic State."
Moreover, this attack was not simple "violent extremism" but involved the Koran itself. One reads further as proof of this: "Those who could recite a verse from the Quran were spared, others were tortured, said a rescued hostage of the Gulshan restaurant attack where at least two lawmen were killed. 'The others were tortured by the gunmen,' said Rezaul Karim, father of Hasnat Karim who was held hostage inside Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic zone for over 10 hours." In "Those who could cite Quran were spared: Gulshan attack victim’s family," by Rashidul Hasan, Daily Star, Bangladesh, 2 July 2016.
One begins to learn that these Islam-motivated murders -- violent extremism, in the parlance of Obama's Homeland Security Advisory Council -- were not carried out for reasons of poverty or rebellion by a lower class. One reads: "The men, all in their late teens or early 20s, were products of Bangladesh’s elite, several having attended one of the country’s top English-medium private schools as well as universities both in the country and abroad. Among them was the son of a former city leader in the prime minister’s own Awami League, the governing party. 'That’s what we’re absolutely riveted by,' said Kazi Anis Ahmed, a writer and publisher of the daily newspaper The Dhaka Tribune. 'That these kids from very affluent families with no material want can still be turned to this kind of ideology, motivated not just to the point of killing but also want to be killed.' That children of the country’s upper classes appear to have joined militant Islamists in an act of such brutality highlighted the radicalization among the largely moderate Muslim population here, a process that has accelerated in recent years." In "After Slaughter, Bangladesh Reels at Revelations About Attackers," by Julfikar Ali Manik and Geta Anand, New York Times, 3 July 2016.
Thus the US council's advice to term such "violent extremism" while rejecting "religiously-charged terminology" is another word game in the many word games of the present day. "Jihad" and "jihadi" have become "plain English." In plain English, "a spate of murders" directed against "liberals, gays, foreigners and religious minorities" who are not Muslim is a phenomenon seen around the globe which is wholly related to Islam.
Disconnecting Violent Extremism from Islam?
A British opinion does not reject "religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning" as Obama's advisors wish, but rather writes plainly in criticism of this stance: "...speculation about the shooting happening on the fifth anniversary of Anders Breivik’s terrorist assault in Norway meant that every-one could ignore the Muslim eyewitness who heard Sonboly shout 'Allahu Akbar' and headline on Breivik instead. Meaning that in Europe in 2016 a child of Iranian parents can be portrayed as a white supremacist, while no amount of Mohameds shouting 'Allahu Akbar' can be said to have any connection to Islam." In "Europe’s terror summer: will politicians now accept the reality of Islamic terrorism?" by Douglas Murray, Spectator UK, 27 July 2016.
"...a secular or liberal lifestyle in majority-Muslim Bangladesh" is under attack, but not by a "violent extremism" within the Presbyterian community, by the Amish or Mormons, certainly not by those who live a "secular or liberal lifestyle" and not by Jews, Jains, the Bahai or Buddhists. This "violent extremism" as seen around the world is violent Muslim extremism. Reject this terminology, much of which has already entered "plain English" and there is little about which to talk or do.
Perhaps this is the goal of Obama's Homeland Security Advisory Council?
[ 6 ] Name the problem is the simple challenge, one which the Homeland Security Advisory Council names as violent extremism, while being unable to identify the causes of violent extremism. Panda writes in plain English that "Meaning derives from embodiment and function." What embodies the many cases of "violent extremism" around the world today and how do they "function?"
"Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Subcommittee Interim Report and Recommendations" is a title made of words. Using Panda's plain English, what do these words embody and how do they function? More importantly how do the words of the Homeland Security Advisory Council function when they recommend that words which are "legal and cultural terms like 'jihad,' 'sharia,' 'takfir' or 'umma'" are to be replaced with "plain English?"
Jihad and Sharia Are Plain English
In a Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary, jihad and sharia (in two variant spellings) appear. Therefore jihad and sharia are in fact plain English. This suggests that the Homeland Security Advisory Council, as part of the Obama administration, are recommending plain English words not be used because they are somehow "legal and cultural terms." Should all legal and cultural terms be abandoned then, or only Islamic ones?
The Free Dictionary (by Falex) online shows jihad and sharia and more as now within the scope of plain English, because language takes into itself words from other cultures, and makes them its own. The same holds true for the Oxford Dictionaries, and others as well.
The Times of India article goes further in plain English: "...in sheer scale, number of attacks and fatalities, nothing comes close to jihadi terrorism. Even 'traditional', non-religious, left-wing extremists like Germany’s Baader-Meinhof, Italy’s Red Brigades, Columbia’s FARC, Peru’s Shining Path and our very own Naxalites are now either defunct or well past their peak. The numbers speak for themselves. 2015 statistics cited by political scientist Ian Bremmer show that the world’s top terrorist organisations are IS (8,420 fatalities), Boko Haram (6,299), Taliban (5,215) and Al Shabab (1,586). That al-Qaida doesn’t even rank any more shows how exponential the growth of Islamist radicalisation has been. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a bestselling author and Somali refugee has said, 'It simply will not do for Muslims to claim that their religion has been ‘hijacked’ by extremists. The killers of Islamic State and Boko Haram cite the same religious texts that every other Muslim in the world considers sacrosanct … The biggest obstacle to change within the Muslim world is suppression of critical thinking'."
With the Obama administration's council recommending that plain English not include such words as the members have, the obvious conclusion is that this well-paid, high-ranking Homeland Security Advisory Council is 1) unaware that many plain English dictionaries include the words that a "CVE" stance says are not "plain English," and 2) embodying and functioning -- the words Panda uses in his editorial -- as a suppression of critical thinking.
"Islamist radicalization" is a phrase in plain English. It is more precise than "violent extremism." It gathers together the many instances of Islamic "violent extremism" into a grouping, and the statistics show that this grouping is informative, and names an enemy, all the while the "Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Subcommittee Interim Report and Recommendations" report goes to great lengths to excuse away the plain English information which makes so much modern "violent extremism" Islamic at its roots.
A next question is simple to identify. Why would the Obama administration's Homeland Security Advisory Council seek to avoid a linkage in words between the phrase "violent extremism" and the descriptive adjective "Islamic" except to suppress plain English thinking -- "critical thinking" in Ali's plain English? Is naming an enemy so difficult? For the Obama administration, it seems so.
Naming of an Enemy
This naming of an enemy and even declaration of war was easy for some. One reads in plain English from only decades ago: "Although bin Laden and Zawahiri are the most notorious Islamist terrorists, there are hundreds like them. These dedicated commanders in turn lead thousands of terrorists in a relentless and uncompromising holy war against the United States and the West as a whole. The bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 were the latest but by far not the last shots in this rapidly escalating war of terrorism. What makes these individuals -- the leaders and symbols of the new Islamist upsurge -- commit themselves to this kind of war?" In "Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America," by Yossef Bodansky, an excerpt reprinted in USA Today, 25 October 2001.
In the same way that a USA Today article can print the words "Islamist terrorists," one finds an opinion in plain English by two-time Pulitzer Prize winning editorial artist after the beheading of an octogenarian Catholic priest in France: "...these tragedies expose 'those who subvert religion to justify brutal acts of barbarity. Only when the world can see these animals for what they truly are will the world unite against these emissaries of death and destruction.' But before you can go after evil, you must define it. It goes by many names; ISIS, ISIL, lone wolf, DAESH... but they all share one thing in common, the celebration of death in the name of radical Islam." In "Normandy Church Attack 07-26-16," Michael P. Ramirez.com, 26 July 2016.
What was easy for enemies of America to say outright is become difficult for Obama's America to say, courtesy of the oddly named Homeland Security Advisory Council, handwringing lest one say "jihad." Even word processors in today's computers can correct a misspelling of the word -- in plain English -- "jihad."
Another "in plain English" news report reads: "There were eight victims with stab wounds, police said. Seven were treated and released and one remains in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police. Police said the suspect, dressed in a private security uniform, made a reference to Allah and asked one victim if they were Muslim." In "Police: 8 Stabbed, Suspect Dead In St. Cloud Mall Incident," CBS Minnesota, 17 September 2016.
Is such reporting in violation of the council's urge to "reject religiously-charged terminology," although in plain English? Or does the CBS report evidence "problematic positioning?" But in plain English, what doe the phrase "problematic positioning" even mean?
It may be that the Obama administration's Homeland Security Advisory Council is afraid of the utterly inane though thoroughly modern accusation of Islamophobia
Perhaps there is some sympathy for or rationale about each Poor and lonely wolf
[ 7 ] Among the words which the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Subcommittee recommends is "takfir." One finds this word, as yet not found in some English dictionaries and therefore arguably not "plain English," to tell of those who say others are not authentic or real Muslims. In India as in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East nations, accusing a self-described Muslim as not Muslim is the act of the takfiri, as read in the citation above.
The article mentions Muslim-on-Muslim, as well as on US interests, violence in Saudi Arabia: "In the 4 July attacks, the US consulate in Jeddah, the Saudi commercial capital, was assaulted, with the death of the bomber and injuries to two people. Saudi authorities identified the Jeddah bomber as Abdullah Qalzar Khan, 34, a Pakistani who worked in the kingdom as a driver. Saudi officials say they prevented even worse consequences of the Jeddah terror incident. The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, where Prophet Muhammad is said to be buried, was bombed the same day, leaving four security officers dead and five wounded. Saudi Wahhabism is now devouring its parent."
This word, takfir, is most interesting, given the many Western political leaders who busy themselves trying to say that ISIS is not authentic Islam. Thus one could use the Arabic word to describe not only the violent Muslim takfiri movements condemning other movements to being apostates and therefore worthy of death, but also the many public pronouncements that some "violent extremist" Muslim movements are not representative of Islam.
The Voices of Western Takfiris
In this such voices -- as President Obama's and John Kerry's -- are the voices of Western takfiris. Perhaps this is why the Homeland Security Advisory Council worries about a greater awareness of this word, that it might become a part of "plain English" and speak plainly to more people informed as to what is found within Arabic as in Islam itself. Why? Because no one speaks authoritatively for Islam, when so many seemingly authoritative voices speak only to violently disagree.
By "countering violent extremism" while sidestepping a word like takfir, as well as jihad, sharia and umma, the policy wonk can avoid association with Islam. After all, it's only "violent extremism" without any apparent religious or cultural roots when one "rejects" language which might inform otherwise.
Irfan Al-Alawi writes "Saudi Wahhabism is now devouring its parent." Perhaps that parent is violent extremism, not rooted in anything except violent extremism? The parent is Saudi and Wahhabi Islam, and its spawn are jihad around the world, demands for sharia to replace national governments, and accusations and death sentences for apostasy from Saudi Wahhabism, Salafism, Islamism and all other naming which cannot be conducted in "plain English."
All the while Saudi Wahhabism and its variants in virulence as well as name rage, on finds the phenomenon of takir rooted in the Sunni-Shia division of Islam itself. As one example, one reads: "Hazaras, most of whom are Shiite Muslims, were especially persecuted during the extremist Sunni Taliban 1996-2001 regime." In "IS attack on Afghan protest kills at least 61, wounds 207," by Karim Sharifi and Lynne O'Donnell, Associated Press, 23 July 2016.
The "violent extremism" which is not countered by a report by Washington bureaucrats resulted in "at least 61 dead" and "207 wounded" for the Hazaras: " 'Such attacks are a reminder that the conflict in Afghanistan is not winding down, as some believe, but escalating, with consequences for the human rights situation in the country that should alarm us all,' it quoted Champa Patel, Amnesty's South Asia director, as saying." Which side in this "violent extremist" event is authenticate Islam, and which is identified by the procedure of takfir as not authenticate Islam?
The "Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Subcommittee Interim Report and Recommendations" simply does not say. Just don't say or write "takfir." Use plain English -- the roots are in many versions of Islam, the many streams which war with the world as between themselves. Shall one hope that Sunni Taliban and Shia, especially the Afghani Hazara in this instance, Coexist
Muslims and Descendants of Majoos and Enemies of Islam
Some Muslims have been quite willing to announce which Muslims are not Muslims, but rather apostates. One reads: "Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh fired back at Iran on Tuesday in a growing war of words over the Hajj pilgrimage, saying Iranians were 'not Muslims,' as the country's armed forces put on a show of force with a military parade. In comments made to Saudi media, Sheikh said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian government were 'enemies of Islam and doctrine, and descendants of the majoos,' using the pejorative term for pre-Islamic Iranians who believed in fire worship. 'You must understand that they are not Muslims - they are descendants of the majoos,' he said, using a derogatory term for pre-Islamic Iranians. 'Their enmity with Muslims is old, especially with Sunnis,' he told the Mecca daily newspaper." In "Saudi strikes back: Top cleric says Iranians 'not Muslims'," by Karim El-Bar, Middle East Eye, 7 September 2016.
Apparently the Grand Mufti does not have the same concerns for verbiage as does the U. S. State Department, and yet the Obama administration has provided logistical support for the Saudi war with Yemen's Houthis.
[ 8 ] That the Associated Press acts as a takriri is interesting, and its apologia that Muslims taking up jihad -- violent extremism -- are "dummies" is refuted.
One reads in plain English: "Most telling about the AP’s motives, their report ignores the central importance that the Islamic State places upon the Qur’an: In its communiqués, it quotes the Qur’an copiously. They quote it in threats to blow up the White House and conquer Rome and Spain; in explaining its priorities in the nations it is targeting in jihad; in preaching to Christians after collecting the jizya (a Qur’an-based tax, cf. Qur’an 9:29); in justifying the execution of accused spies; and in its various videos. ISIS’s beheadings (47:4), sex slavery (4:3, 4:24, 23:1-6, 33:50, 70:30), subjugation of Christians (9:29), global imperative (8:39) and more are all based upon the Qur’an. ISIS has also awarded $10,000 prizes and sex slaves in Qur’an memorization contests. One of its underground lairs was found littered with weapons and copies of the Qur’an. Children in the Islamic State study the Qur’an and get weapons training. As for misrepresenting the Qur’an? One Malaysian Muslim said that the Qur’an led him to join the Islamic State. A Muslima in the U.S. promoted the Islamic State by quoting the Qur’an." In "AP Claims ISIS Recruits Have a Poor Grasp of Islam," by Robert Spencer, PJ Media, 24 August 2016.
This highlights the seemingly enlightened Western politicians who pontificate about Islam as The religion of peace
Difficult Questions Exposing Ideological Bias
Meanwhile "dummies" according to the Associated Press quote "the Qur'an copiously" while the Associated Press does not, and across the world of Islam, violent extremism rages against itself as against others. Is Islam at war with the world? It seems so. Is it at war with itself? Without a doubt as one finds evidence that Islamophobia
After all, according to Obama's councilors, the world is to "reject religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning by using plain meaning American English." But even the Associated Press writes about "jihadis-in-training" using plain English. Perhaps that was the result of "problematic positioning."
In plain English, Islam is having enormous problems with itself as with other religions, including the religions of secularism and non-Islamic statism.
[ 9 ] The use of "ideological" to replace "Islamic" is noted and obvious. But the word, ideological, is camouflage if not denial, because in any list of ideologies, there are many. Yet the phenomenon of the day clusters around Islamic ideology. A simple test reveals that one finds almost no Christian or Buddhist radicalism -- as but two of many religious ideologies -- traveling around the globe seeking violent outlets for extremism, as one finds almost no Communist or capitalist radicalism -- as two among many non-religious ideologies -- traveling with the purpose of that violent extremism known as jihad, a word in plain English today.
Whose Responsibility Is It?
Thus, with the simplest of logical tools, one may identify an ideological bent to the "CVE" employees of the Obama administration, buying themselves with the various incidents of Islamic jihad being perpetrated by radical Muslims traveling to kill. It is furthermore noted that Saeed himself listed nations to which radical Muslims have traveled: "... places like Iraq and Syria, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan." If it were mere ideologies and the perpetrators were not interested in nations with Islamic extremism, the list could as easily has been "places like" Canada, El Salvador, Cuba, Finland. Thus in plain English, Saeed and the others busy advising for pay the US State Department stumble over their own words, serving only to mask poorly Islamic jihad and its Muslim perpetrators.
You?
. Moreover, Saeed's assertion is naive, as he states: "You have to be able to rehabilitate them and then re-integrate them back into society." There are other historical answers, such as banishment and stripping "foreign fighters" of citizenship and not allowing them re-entry, thus avoiding the issues of whose responsibility it is to rehabilitate them and then re-integrate them back into society." Even here, there is more than one alternative. Another is to state -- pun intended -- that any returning to a nation after pursuing jihad in another nation, if accepted back, are responsible to rehabilitate themselves and re-integrate themselves. These alternatives are not addressed. Such alternative options would put Obama's Homeland Security Advisory Council out of work.
If a criminal act of an individual prosecuted assigns responsibility to the criminal, then guilt is apportioned. If a criminal act of an individual is judged the fault of "society," then one finds the logical foundation of this "council's worries about "countering violent extremism" which it seeks to 1) not name in words of plain English, 2) not respond to by historically-valid methods, and 3) blame society, handing the responsibility to a nation.
It is assured that those so willing to serve on a Homeland Security Advisory Council would be unprepared to actually do the one-on-one work of rehabilitating and re-integrating violent extremists whose ideological bent is consistently Islamic. The obvious conclusion is that they have many fine words to speak at conferences and publish in working papers and offer in political pronouncements, but they are words, words and words, themselves ideologically slanted and politically motivated to obscure even plain English like jihad and Islam. "You have to be able...."
A little slice of bacon,
A rasher, one or two,
Will never be mistaken
As modest, tried and true.
A little treat of butchered pig
Offends those who demand
That one must also never swig
The brewer's contraband.
A little swig, a little slice?
The French call this cuisine.
Such is difference, quite precise,
Stewed in a sin machine.
Patrols must seek the sinner
To slice away at choice,
Distilling what makes dinner
While killing freedom's choice.
Is it discipline or doctrine
Defining things unclean?
A slice of that which has been
Sliced by knife or guillotine?
Trick a gnosis till it squeals,
Infecting all those around;
Intoxicating, debauched appeals
Make recipes their battleground.
Abstinence is either one
Or some other throughout time.
Enforced is not like freely done --
One cries liberty, the other crime.
Addendum of Pork and Alcohol I: "Pork meat and alcohol are illegal products for Muslims to consume in Iran. The Christian minority — made up of about 300,000 Armenians and Assyrians — can buy pork in certain stores. But for Muslims, the consequences can be severe if they are caught with a slice of bacon in their mouths. 'If you get caught by the modesty patrol, the religious police, you face fines, potentially corporal punishment,' Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. 'There are unpleasant consequences for people getting caught … it has to do more with how strict the enforcement [of the] modesty patrol is.' " In "In Sharia-Ruled Iran, Muslims Are Willing To Risk Corporal Punishment For A Slice Of Bacon," by Jacob Bojesson, Daily Caller, 11 June 2016.
Addendum of Pork and Alcohol II: "The same principle applies to the dietary laws given to Israel of old. It is true we refrain from eating certain articles, as indicated in the query, but not because the law of Moses has any binding claims upon us. Far from it. We stand fast in the liberty with which God has set us free. It must be remembered that God recognized "clean" and "unclean" animals at the time of the Flood, long before there was a law of Moses. We reason that if God saw fit at that time to counsel His people against certain articles of diet, these things were not best for human consumption; and since we are physically constituted in the same way as are the Jews and all other peoples, we believe such things are not the best for us to use today. To us, the whole matter of unclean foods is primarily a question of health, for we believe that "'God is as truly the author of physical laws as He is the author of the moral law.'—Ellen. G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 347." In "The Question of Unclean Foods," from "Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions On Doctrine," Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1957.
Addendum of 'le porc et l'alcool' : "Good Price discount mini-market in Colombes has been told by the local housing authority, from which it rents its premises, that it has not followed the conditions on the lease that stipulate that the shop must act as a 'general food store.' The authority argues that all members of the local community are not being served properly if there are no alcohol or pork products in the Good Price store, which is run as a franchise and which last year replaced another small supermarket." In "Sell alcohol and pork or we will shut you down, French town tells halal supermarket," by Rory Mulholland, Telegraph UK, 4 August 2016.
Addendum of Pork versus Cocaine: "Cambrai, Sunday, 18 October 2015. A young man and young man left the discothèque Le Mix Bar where they had spent the evening. Then as they ordered pizza from a nearby food vendor, they were approached by individuals who offered the young couple cocaine, after which the couple were eating ham on the pizza, the others told the pair they would 'go to hell' for eating it." In "Douai-Cambrai : à la sortie de la discothèque, la commande de pizza vire à la descente aux enfers," La Voix du Nord, 28 August 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of a Proposed Alcohol Ban: "...the proposed ban is a sign that Indonesia is facing a creeping Islamisation that threatens to impose extreme forms of Sharia law on more liberal provinces like Bali. The country of 260 million is the world's most populous Muslim nation but it is also home to several strong religious minorities. The island of Bali is predominantly Hindu. The secular government of President Joko Widodo is coming under increasing pressure from influential Muslim political parties to impose a strict morality code across the entire country." In "Bali's tourism at risk of being completely wiped out by Islamic law banning alcohol," by Nicola Smith, Mail Online, 12 September 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Football's Tricky Issue: "The comments by Hassan Al-Thawadi will further alarm football traditionalists already unhappy that the tournament will be moved to the winter because of fierce summer temperatures in Qatar. A ban on alcohol inside stadiums -- there has long been speculation about what the conservative Muslim country would do on the tricky issue of alcohol for the World Cup -- could bring organisers into conflict with FIFA and powerful sponsors." In "No alcohol in streets, public places at World Cup - Qatar," Agence France Presse, 9 November 2016.
NOTES
[ 1 ] In the original French: "Cambrai, dimanche 18 octobre 2015. Une jeune fille et un jeune homme sortent de la discothèque Le Mix Bar où ils viennent de passer la soirée. Alors qu’ils commandent une pizza auprès d’un commerçant installé à proximité, ils sont abordés par des individus qui leur proposent de la cocaïne, avant de leur reprocher d’avoir choisi une pizza au jambon, car, en consommant ce type de nourriture, ils risquent 'd’aller en enfer'."
[ 2 ] The question of supremacy arises, as ever. Which entity holds supremacy? State? Society? One religion or political party over others? The notion of integration as migration occurs is very modern, though very ancient.
From Norway one dins this sentiment: " 'I think those who come to Norway need to adapt to our society,' she wrote. 'Here we eat pork, drink alcohol and show our face. You must abide by the values, laws and regulations that are in Norway when you come here'." In "Norwegian Minister Tells Muslims: ‘We Eat Pork, Drink Alcohol And Show Our Face’," by Jason Le Miere, International Business Times, 21 October 2016.
If bans are proposed in some cultures and nations against pork and alcohol, then other nations by the same right can reject calls for bans with the same fervor. Though not park, the adage found in language applies -- sauce for the goose is indeed sauce for the gander.
"The demonstrators blocked streets as they chanted: 'There is hunger in Venezuela, there is no food…' Usually, the authorities in charge of Libertador, a poor neighborhood controlled by chavista politicians, deny the Venezuelan opposition any permit to protest on the streets. Today, however, the mass gathering against the government formed spontaneously. Members of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard tried to disperse the protests with tear gas. They also asked members of the news media who had arrived to cover the unfolding events to withdraw from the scene immediately." In "Venezuelan Regime Attacks Journalists to Hide Protests," by Sabrina Martín, PanAmPost, 2 June 2016. [ 1 ]
Don't look now.
Don't look then.
Don't say anything --
Especially when
Hunger's now
And comes again.
Not looking is ordered
By thuggish men.
Don't see want.
Don't see need.
Don't see anything.
Repeat the screed.
All goes well
When no one sees,
Though hunger is often
A political disease.
Envoi: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs (French: De chacun selon ses facultés, à chacun selon ses besoins; German: Jeder nach seinen Fähigkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedürfnissen) is a slogan first used by Louis Blanc in 1851 (although an earlier version of the saying appeared in Étienne-Gabriel Morelly's The Code of Nature) and popularised by Karl Marx in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program. The principle refers to free access and distribution of goods, capital and services. In the Marxist view, such an arrangement will be made possible by the abundance of goods and services that a developed communist system will produce; the idea is that, with the full development of socialism and unfettered productive forces, there will be enough to satisfy everyone's needs." In "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. Part of a Series on Marxism, Wikipedia article, n. d.
Addendum of the Hungry and the Tired: "A protester called Jose Lopez said he and several others, who were neither government supporters nor opposition members, marched through Caracas' main thoroughfare, chanting, 'No more talk. We want food. We have needs. We all need to eat,' Lopez told journalists. 'I've been here since 8 in the morning. There's no more food in the shops and supermarkets... We're hungry and tired,' another protester told the broadcaster Vivoplay. As they neared President Nicolas Maduro's residence, national guardsmen and police in riot gear fired tear gas and pushed them away. Onlookers leaned out of their windows, banging pots and pans and calling the officers names. More security personnel were sent to curb the mob as government supporters hit the demonstrators with sticks." In "Venezuela police fire tear gas at protesters demanding food," Reuters, 29 May 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Hesitancy: "Those watching from around the world, particularly in the United States, seem hesitant to put a label on Venezuela's struggle. But for me and mine, it's clear what precipitated this crisis – and we don't share the hesitance to point it out. While extenuating circumstances like drought and oil prices have certainly worsened the situation, it's clear there's a larger force behind Venezuela's woes. The force that is driving Venezuela into the ground is socialism. I've heard them break down crying because they lack basic needs like toilet paper. And I hear the fear of not knowing what's next or when these struggles will end." In "How Socialism Failed Venezuela," by Andres Malave, US News and World Report, 6 June 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Mounting Protests: "Jose Salazar is waving a fistful of Venezuelan bolivars in the middle of a Caracas street. 'What do I do with this money?' demands the angry retiree and grandfather, one of dozens of Venezuelans who blocked an avenue in the capital Wednesday in protest against the food shortages ravaging the troubled country." In "Venezuela Food Crisis Triggers Mounting Protests," Agence France Presse, 10 June 2016.
Addendum of Maduro's Diet: "Other families have to choose who eats. Lucila Fonseca, 69, has lymphatic cancer, and her 45-year-old daughter, Vanessa Furtado, has a brain tumor. Despite also being ill, Ms. Furtado gives up the little food she has on many days so her mother does not skip meals. 'I used to be very fat, but no longer,' the daughter said. 'We are dying as we live.' Her mother added, 'We are now living on Maduro’s diet: no food, no nothing'." In "Venezuelans Ransack Stores as Hunger Grips the Nation," by Nicholas Casey, New York Times, 19 June 2016.
Addendum of 21st Century Socialism's Collapse: "The fact is that Venezuela, while still pumping oil, no longer has a functioning economy. Seventeen years of nationalizations and confiscation of private industries, farms, cattle ranches, distribution companies, sugar mills, and even shopping malls have completely destroyed not only the local production, but the distribution networks necessary for the normal functioning of the economy. Ninety percent of confiscated and nationalized companies and farms no longer produce anything. SIVENSA, a private steel company formerly with over USD $1 billion in sales, mostly for export, now has negligible production. A country that during the 1980s boasted about having Latin America’s highest levels of production of cement, which it exported to the USA, now has a shortage of cement, even with insignificant construction levels. For most of the 20th century, Venezuela was among the world’s largest coffee producers. Now, the coffee that Venezuelans drink, if they can find any, comes from Nicaragua." In "Venezuela: Mass Famine Is Imminent as Neighbors, Washington Stand By," PanAmPost, 22 June 2016 [ 4 ]
Addendum of Real Hunger Games: "Security forces and Venezuelans faced off on the streets during further protests that included the chant 'Hay hambre, queremos comida' (There is hunger, we want food). Social media caught police taking part in the robberies." In "Food Riots Shut Down Venezuelan City as Police Join Rampage," by Sabrina Martín, PanAmPost, 15 June 2016.
Addendum of 21st Century Socialism's Looting of the State: "Under Fidel Castro’s tutelage, Chávez successfully cultivated a pro-poor, anti-American posture . Endless professions of concern for the poor followed furious denunciations of gringo imperialism. But this, too, was a charade. We now know that the fiery speeches professing unconditional love and support for the poor were a ruse to deflect attention from the wholesale looting of the state. In fact, more than $100 billion in oil profits stashed in a 'National Development Fund' were simply never accounted for." In "Venezuela’s democratic façade has completely crumbled," by Moisés Naim and Francisco Toro," Washington Post, 1 July 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Socialism for Venezuela's Rich: "In countries like Venezuela, the inequality between crony politicians and common citizens is evident. The first group enjoys considerable privileges, while the latter struggles to avoid drowning in a sea of inflation, shortages, and unemployment. The ruling class’s friends can travel and have access to foreign goods. Common Venezuelans must make do with 'shopping' at mostly empty supermarkets. But make no mistake, Venezuelan leaders are not covert capitalists. Their wealth does not come from outperforming their competitors in the provision of superior, affordable goods and services. It is not the result of taking risks and investing their own capital. They are rich because the government has awarded them privileges and subsidies, at the expense of the average citizen. That’s 21st-century socialism’s social mobility. They don’t want capitalism, since their socialist system has already made them quite comfortable." In "Chávez’s Daughter Is Filthy Rich, and That Shouldn’t Be a Surprise," by Ezequiel Spector, PanAmPost, 26 August 2015. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Family Relations: "Two nephews of Venezuela's first lady, who face charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, confessed to U.S. agents after being arrested in November to being involved in the drug scheme, newly-filed court records state. Details of the confessions by Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas, 30, and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, 29, were contained in documents U.S. prosecutors filed late on Friday in a Manhattan federal court." In "Venezuela first lady's nephews confessed to drug scheme, US says," by Nate Raymond, Reuters, 24 July 2016.
Addendum of the Narcotics Connection: "Two high-up officials in Venezuela’s government were accused of drug trafficking this week. Former Minister of Justice and current Commander of the National Gaurd Nestor Reverol, as well as former Assistant Director of the National Anti-drug Office Edylberto Molina were both accused, Reuters reported Monday, August 1. The hearing, which took place in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, saw the prosecution claim both senior officials to the Chavez administration received payment from drug traffickers in exchange for helping distribute cocaine that ultimately made its way into the United States." In "US Indicts Top Former Venezuelan Officials of Drug Traficking," by Orlando Avendaño, PanAmPost, 2 August 2016.
Addendum of Inflating Inflation: "It’s gotten so bad, the government this week handed over control of food stocks to the military, ceding even more power to the armed forces." In "Venezuela’s inflation is set to top 1,600% next year," by Richard Wheatstone, Wall Street Journal Market Watch, 18 July 2016. [ 7 ]
Addendum of What You Need to Know: "... Venezuela's poor have taken the brunt of the country's decline after making modest gains during Chavez's socialist regime. Maduro, who is also a socialist, has confounded Venezuelans with his sometimes impractical suggestions to resolve the crisis." In "Venezuela's Economic Crisis: What You Need to Know," by Michael Edison Hayden, ABC News, 21 June 2016.
Addendum of the Dark Irony of 21st Century Socialism: "A new decree by Venezuela's government could make its citizens work on farms to tackle the country's severe food shortages. That 'effectively amounts to forced labor,' according to Amnesty International, which derided the decree as 'unlawful."' In a vaguely-worded decree, Venezuelan officials indicated that public and private sector employees could be forced to work in the country's fields for at least 60-day periods, which may be extended 'if circumstances merit." In "Venezuela's new decree: Forced farm work for citizens," by Patrick Gillespie, Rafael Romo and Osmary Hernandez, CNN, 29 July 2016. [ 8 ]
Addendum of the Failing Socialist Experiment: "A BBC journalist, who attempted to film the crisis, was stopped and forced by soldiers to delete footage of a protest outside a supermarket as desperate Venezuelans waited for food. Baying crowds shouted 'We want to buy stuff!' as they grouped outside the store in the country’s capital, Caracas. BBC journalist Vladimir Hernandez reports that many people approached him to say they had queued for 12 hours without being able to buy what they wanted." In "'Socialist experiment' Venezuela in ruins as soldiers delete videos of 12-hour food queues," by Joe Barnes, Express UK, 2 August 2016.
Addendum of the Now Silent Socialist Experiment Enthusiasts: "Without market incentives, workers have had no reason to produce. If they tried to organize against the state, they lost their jobs. If they tried to complain, their news outlets were closed. This is not freedom. This is not 'helping the poor'. This is statism; and price controls, food rationing, starvation, money-printing, and hyper-inflation always come as the last phases. Venezuela has reached that point, and no amount of makeup the U.S. leftists put on this can hide the ugly face of desperation that collectivism has wrought." In "Leftist Media Icons Overlook the Economic Disaster of Venezuela," by P. Gardner Goldsmith, MRCTV, 23 May 2016. [ 9 ]
Addendum of Left is Right -- Again: "Because Venezuelans pay the price now with mass hunger, as a recent BBC report noted, empty shelves, people unable to breastfeed because the country was destroyed by this populist, militarist nonsense. Chavez was not a 'progressive,' he was a right- wing militarist who passed himself off as left-wing in much the same way Hezbollah and Hamas, Bashar Assad and the ayatollahs are all 'left-wing'." In "Why Western leftists adore right-wing religious extremists abroad," by Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, 2 August 2016. [ 10 ]
Addendum of Growing Hunger: "...about 20 percent of Venezuelan children face problems of malnutrition, and that the number of children admitted to hospitals for severe malnutrition has spiked. A survey carried out by the committee concluded that nine out of every 10 Venezuelan homes lack the resources to maintain a balanced diet as the country sinks into hyperinflation. The latest official data shows the basic food basket per month for a family of five costs about 226,000 bolivares (about $226), while the minimum monthly salary stands at about 15,000 bolivares ($15). That means that Venezuelans are going hungry, even though they live in a country with one of the largest oil reserves in the world." In "Hunger haunts Venezuela, especially its children," by Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 5 August 2016.
Addendum of No Hunger for More than 80 of Government's Friends: "According to National Assembly member Carlos Berrizbeitia, Maduro — who was in Cuba Monday, August 8 through Sunday, August 14 — lived lavishly while celebrating on the island. According to calculations done by Berrizbeitia, the Venezuelan government has spent US $124 million on visiting other countries so far this year. 'The amount spent on trips this years surpasses billions of bolívares,' Berrizbeitia said. 'For the trip to Cuba, for example, it was unnecessary to use the presidential plane, whose flight time cost US $25,000. Additionally, they brought musicians, journalists, family and friends to sing happy birthday to Fidel. That added up to $400,000 because there were more than 80 people there'." In "Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro Spent $400,000 Celebrating Fidel Castro’s Birthday," by Sabrina Martín, PanAm Post, 17 August 2016.
Addendum of Corruption-fed Violence: "Venezuela has the world's second highest murder rate and the street gangs that plague its poor neighborhoods have become increasingly heavily armed in recent years, at a time when a deep recession has reduced resources available to police. Gangs often get weapons from the police, either by stealing them or buying them from corrupt officers, experts say. With inflation of 185 percent in 2015 and a currency collapse, police salaries have fallen far behind rising prices creating more incentives for corruption." In "Venezuela crushes 2,000 guns in public, plans registry of bullets," by Frank Jack Daniel, Reuters, 18 August 2016.
Addendum of Abolishing Bread Lines and Anxiety: "The Venezuelan government has announced it will be fining bakeries that make people stand in lines to buy bread. The National Superintendency of Fair Prices noted this measure is intended to 'dismantle the strategy of generating anxiety' in Venezuelans, as the lines are more of a political decision than they are a reflection of a lack of raw materials." In "Venezuela Bans Lines Outside of Bakeries that Spread 'Anxiety'," by Sabrina Martín, PanAm Post, 19 August 2016.
Addendum of Not Allowing Political Opposition: "Venezuela will remove state employees appointed to their positions by the government who signed a petition to recall President Nicolas Maduro as the opposition seeks to remove him amid an economic crisis. In the first confirmation by a cabinet member, Information Minister Luis Jose Marcano said the government is free to name as well as remove high-level bureaucrats it has appointed. 'Whoever has a position that is freely appointed and removable, those referred to yesterday by the PSUV on President Maduro’s instructions, evidently cannot be allowed to attack the Bolivarian revolution,' Marcano said in an interview on the Globovision network, referring to the ruling party." In "Venezuela Confirms Plan to Purge State Workers Who Signed Recall," by Fabiola Zerpa, Bloomberg, 24 August 2016. [ 11 ]
Addendum of the Socialist Downward Spiral: "Venezuelans of all political stripes want to abandon the country in record numbers, as the socialist nation continues its downward economic and political spiral, according to a poll released Friday. A survey by Caracas-based Datincorp found that 57 percent of all Venezuelans said they want to leave the country, up from 49 percent in May 2015. Broken down by political affiliation, the poll found that 24 percent of all government supporters and 71 percent of those who consider themselves the opposition want to emigrate." In "Almost 60 percent of Venezuelans say they want out," by Jim Wyss, Miami Herald, 9 September 2016.
Addendum of Running Out of Patience: "...this year, Venezuela -- which has the world's largest oil reserves -- has seen oil production crash to a 13-year low. Some of its service providers, such as Schlumberger (SLB), have dramatically lowered operations due to unpaid bills from the Venezuelan government. Socialist president Nicolas Maduro has led a regime that mismanaged Venezuela's resources and pushed the economy into a crisis, experts say. China has now run out of patience. 'The Chinese have allowed the Venezuelans to be stupid,' says Derek Scissors, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who tracks Chinese investment around the world. 'The Chinese don't want to allow the Venezuelans to be stupid anymore'." In "China is cutting off cash to Venezuela," by Patrick Gillespie, CNN, 30 September 2016.
Addendum of Supreme Social Happiness: "Three years ago, the government created a new ministry of supreme social happiness. I thought that minister would help us. But when we went to ask for money to buy food, she replied that we had to ration what we had, adding: 'The whole country is on a diet.' The government wants to make the issue of poverty and hunger 'invisible'." In "Venezuela crisis: Caracas hospital shows sorry state of health system," by Julian Keane, BBC, 9 October 2016. [ 12 ]
Addendum of the Irreversible: "The Venezuelan opposition needs to understand that 'the revolution is going to continue,' President Nicolas Maduro said Thursday, while urging his political foes to remain part of the dialogue the two sides began earlier this week. The revolution begun in 1999 by his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, 'is irreversible,' Maduro said in a speech at the presidential palace." In "Venezuela’s Maduro Vows 'Revolution' Will Continue," Latin American Herald Tribune, 4 November 2016.
Addendum of Requiring Revolutionary Amounts of Money: "It’s not so easy to find someone who still uses a wallet in Venezuela, where inflation is expected to reach 720 percent this year and the biggest bill — 100 bolivars — is worth about 5 U.S. cents on the black market. The currency has dropped dramatically in value as Venezuela’s oil-based economy has cratered and the government has frantically printed more money. Prices, meanwhile, are soaring." In "Venezuela’s currency is so devalued it no longer fits in ordinary wallets," by Sofia Barbarani, Washington Post , 27 November 2016.
Addendum of Withdrawing the 100-bolivar Note Worth 2 Cents: "The surprise move, announced by Maduro during an hours-long speech, is likely to worsen a cash crunch in Venezuela. Maduro said the 100-bolivar bill will be taken out of circulation on Wednesday and Venezuelans will have 10 days after that to exchange those notes at the central bank." In "Inflation-hit Venezuela to pull largest bill from circulation," by Girish Grupta, Reuters, 11 December 2016.
Consider a tale of those who Fled from empty market shelves
NOTES
[ 1 ] The worry about a government attacking its own people, journalists included, is proven out. Among those who expressed this are the British Socialists. One reads: "The real policy of the Chavez regime regarding social movements was a mixture of co-optation, surveillance and repression. Efforts were made to incorporate grassroots activists into official structures such as the community councils. Those who allowed themselves to be incorporated lost their autonomy and came under the control of the state bureaucracy. Those who resisted co-optation, smeared as supporters of the ‘fascist’ right-wing opposition, were harassed and intimidated by vigilante groups trained, armed and funded by the state. These groups also collected 'social intelligence about workers, homeless people, street vendors and other social sectors with a proclivity to generate conflict' (Uzcategui, p. 202). Finally, increasing use was made of the police and army to suppress protests and demonstrations. The 'Bolivarian' leaders who succeed Chavez, lacking his popular charisma, may well resort to even greater use of repression." In "Hugo Chavez: ‘21st Century Socialist’ or Populist Strongman?" Socialist Party of Great Britain, n. d., circa 2015.
British Socialists Noting the Extreme Wealth of Venezuelan Socialists
The Socialist Party of Great Britain questions. Other reports suggest there is no question. One reads: "...the late-president's family owns 17 country estates, totalling more than 100,000 acres, in addition to liquid assets of $550 million (£360 million) stored in various international bank accounts, according to Venezuelan news website Noticias Centro. While ordinary Venezuelans suffer growing food shortages and 23 per cent inflation, the Chavez family trades in US dollars that now fetch four times the official bank rate on the black market. Living in numerous mansions in Alto Barinas, the city's most affluent district, the family and their children live a life of privilege, says Mr Azuaje, whose wife left him to marry into wealth and now lives next to the Chavez mansions." In "Venezuela: the wealth of Chavez family exposed," Alasdair Baverstock and Peter Foster," Telegraph UK, 14 April 2013.
Two years later one reads: "The 35-year-old, whom embattled President Nicolás Maduro last year appointed an alternate ambassador to the United Nations, apparently holds most of her assets in accounts in the United States and Andorra, where they are not affected by Venezuela's volatile economy and highly deflationary currency, Diario Las Américas reported." In "Maria Gabriela Chávez Net Worth: Hugo Chávez's Daughter Richest Woman in Venezuela, Worth $4.2 Billion," by Andre F. Puglie, Latin Post, 12 August 2015.
Is it a function of 21st century socialism to create billions in wealth to be held by only the select few? The tale is quite the same as one reviews the wealth ferreted away by socialist political leadership in a number of nations over the last many decades, rivaling if not surpassing the supposed capitalists who also become wealthy through "public service" and Politics
[ 2 ] Police fire tear gas at people wanting food? One reads: "Over the last few years, ordinary people trying to get basic groceries have had to wait in line for seven hours a week on average. Worse, the government has downplayed the crisis--for instance, Chavista leader Jacqueline Faría said she thinks of these lines as 'delicious,' and that real revolutionaries should stop complaining and get behind Maduro. Comments about the need for revolutionary sacrifice couldn't be more cynical coming from a politician at the top of a bureaucratic state. Faría's comments symbolize how a section of the Bolivarian movement has alienated itself from the everyday lives of the average working person. Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident, but describes the dominant political trend within the Chavista leadership." In "The end of '21st century socialism?'," by Eva María, Socialist Worker, 16 December 2015.
One sees some socialist organizations from around the world seeing the Venezuelan "21st century socialism" for what it has been. Cynical. Repressive. Militant. This is indeed a history lesson, but sadly one which has been enacted repeatedly across the 20th century and now into the demise of this "21st century socialism."
One should consider the failings of So shall ism
The reality of widespread hunger alongside such incompetence in government coupled to political corruption has been foreseeable and foreseen. From the beginning of 2016, one reads this analysis: "In Venezuela, longstanding policy distortions and fiscal imbalances were already having a deleterious effect on the economy before the collapse in oil prices. These problems worsened as falling oil prices triggered an economic crisis, with an expected fall in output of almost 18 percent over 2015 and 2016 (the third sharpest decline in the world). A lack of hard currency has led to scarcity of intermediate goods and to widespread shortages of essential goods—including food—exacting a tragic toll. Prices continue to spiral out of control, and we expect inflation to rise to 720 percent this year, from a world-high inflation of about 275 percent in 2015." In "Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016: Adjusting to a Harsher Reality," by Alejandro Werner, International Monetary Fund Direct, 22 January 2016.
The 21st Century Socialists' answer? Foreign and domestic political opposition are at fault, and not the government of Maduro and his "Chavista" Socialist party's enlightened leadership.
[ 3 ] The problem with naming with a name is that those who would defend a name against its realities reject and even rage at such a naming. Malave states: "...socialism is not compassionate. Whether a socialist government owns the means of production via nationalized industries, or enforces central planning via price controls and stringent regulatory structures, socialism operates under the assumption that an insulated leader and his legion of bureaucrats are the best judges of what people are worth. Socialism assumes that government officials are more qualified than individuals to decide how much a person should earn, which products and services are necessary for that person to live and how much that person should have to pay for them. The government makes all of these decisions and more, but only after taking a huge piece of the pie for itself, leaving the remainder to ration among the majority who don't have political connections."
A Huge Piece of the Pie for Oligarchs
For this, the Maduro government acts against journalists who would tell of realities "on the ground." But Malave notes correctly that government acts to take "a huge piece of the pie for itself, leaving the remainder to ration among the majority who don't have political connections."
As to the Venezuelan rumors about "a huge piece of the pie," one reads: "Alejandro Andrade, who served as Venezuela’s treasury minister from 2007 to 2010 and was reportedly a close associate of Chavez, was discovered to have $11.2billion in his name sitting in HSBC accounts in Switzerland, according to documents leaked by whistleblower Hervé Falciani." In "Being the ex-President's daughter pays off: Hugo Chavez's ambassador daughter is Venezuela's richest woman," by Pete D'Amato, Daily Mail, 10 August 2015.
The Spanish-language media writes: "Los 4.197.000.000 de dólares que María Gabriela Chávez posee en sus cuentas de Andorra y EEUU le conceden el ostentoso título de la mujer más millonaria de Venezuela, muy por encima de empresarios como Lorenzo Mendoza, dueño de Empresas Polar, tildado cientos de veces por los chavistas como 'el gran oligarca'." In "María Gabriela Chávez podría ser la mujer más rica de Venezuela," Diario las Americas, 7 August 2015.
This translates: "The $ 4.197 billion dollars which Maria Gabriela Chávez has in accounts in Andorra and the US give her the title of the most flamboyant millionaire woman in Venezuela, well above businessmen and Lorenzo Mendoza, owner of Empresas Polar, branded hundreds of times Chavistas as' the great oligarch'." Given that investigations are not yet underway while the Maduro government clings to power, the question of what funds Alejandro Andrade and Maria Gabriela Chávez have from their closeness to the Bolivarian socialist government remain unanswered. Time passes as the Bolivarian revolution and its 21st century socialism contend against an ever more hungry citizenry.
The picture is clear: "Imagine a city where menus don’t print prices because inflation drives them higher daily; where streets are ghostly empty after dark and the murder rate is the world’s highest; where people queue for hours for meagre supplies of medicines and food, leaving many hungry and sick; where farmers don’t bring goods to market because roads are dangerous and police corrupt. Imagine a nation, whose richest woman, with billions stashed away, is the daughter of the former president, whose family owns 17 country estates in his birth state; where 'socialist' elites live in mansions and have ready access to government-subsidized supplies that others queue for from dawn to dusk. Welcome to one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Caracas, in resource-blessed Venezuela." In "Venezuela’s tragedy spurred by crony capitalists and socialists who detest free markets," by Fred McMahon, Globe and Mail, 13 August 2016.
How akin is this to the dialogue between various voices who want to paint capitalism as a system of political patronage, to which the antidote is some form of socialism which also ends up as a system of political patronage. Crony capitalism is not simple capitalism, but rather corruption. For this, those social welfare democracies which operate social charitable efforts as a function of the state are named "really existing capitalism," when the fact is that a mixture of economic systems participates in both capitalist and socialist streams of behavior. Consider the back-and-forth of Grease
The most effective grease is greater freedom, a product in short supply when governments expect citizens to line up and support them so well lubricated -- until the hunger sets in and collapse threatens.
[ 4 ] Some media report that the Venezuelan collapse is about the collapse in high oil prices, while ignoring the Chavez-Maduro ideology which was termed by them both "revolutionary" and "21st century socialism. Yet their many years of nationalization of industries placed crony friends in the stead of private sector owners and was therefore a replacement of managerial and financial expertise by cronyism. Historically this is wholly consistent with the Marxist-Leninist stance, should one simply review Lenin's own resentment of what is today termed the private sector.
Emma Goldman's Lesson, Revisited
It is interesting to compare the sad news of Venezuela under its 21st century socialists with the words of a true revolutionary. One reads: "The STATE IDEA, the authoritarian principle, has been proven bankrupt by the experience of the Russian Revolution. If I were to sum up my whole argument in one sentence I should say: The inherent tendency of the State is to concentrate, to narrow, and monopolize all social activities; the nature of revolution is, on the contrary, to grow, to broaden, and disseminate itself in ever-wider circles. In other words, the State is institutional and static; revolution is fluent, dynamic. These two tendencies are incompatible and mutually destructive. The State idea killed the Russian Revolution and it must have the same result in all other revolutions, unless the libertarian idea prevail. Yet I go much further. It is not only Bolshevism, Marxism, and Governmentalism which are fatal to revolution as well as to all vital human progress. The main cause of the defeat of the Russian Revolution lies much deeper. It is to be found in the whole Socialist conception of revolution itself." In "My Further Disillusionment with Russia," Emma Goldman, 1924.
Consider the Sheer Ignorance
[ 5 ] What emerges is a lesson which must again be learned. As was true of National Socialism and Soviet Socialism, of ZANU-PF Marxism and so many other instances of "wholesale looting of the state," the common theme is looting by government itself. This should be Socialism's Last Hurrah
Personally, there is only one condition under which I Shall Believe the Socialist
[ 6 ] The argument as found in various media and from various "important" anti-capitalist intellectuals is that capitalism is the gathering and use of money. This is of course false. Ezequiel Spector exposes this in noting that the socialist leaders of Venezuela "are rich because the government has awarded them privileges and subsidies, at the expense of the average citizen. That’s 21st-century socialism’s social mobility. They don’t want capitalism, since their socialist system has already made them quite comfortable."
For further on the mode intellectual games as regards socialism versus capitalism, see the rhyme and addenda telling a story of government and Grease
[ 7 ] As one reads "the government this week handed over control of food stocks to the military," it becomes instructive to compare "handing over control of food stocks to the military" with "...a comprehensive Planetary Regime [which] could control the development, administration, conservation, and distribution of all natural resources, renewable or nonrenewable, at least insofar as international implications exist. Thus, the Regime could have the power to control pollution not only in the atmosphere and the oceans, but also in such freshwater bodies as rivers and lakes that cross international boundaries or that discharge into the oceans. The Regime might also be a logical central agency for regulating all international trade, perhaps including assistance from DCs to LDCs, and including all food on the international market."
Another report shows the military dictatorship over food supply and distribution: "Venezuela named publicly 18 military commanders to oversee the production and distribution of food and basic goods in an effort to alleviate severe shortages affecting the country. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez selected the military personnel for the 'Great Mission of Sovereign Supply and Security,' appointments formalized in the state newspaper. 'We will have thorough, precise control of the strategic areas,' Padrino Lopez told journalists Saturday." In "Venezuelan military personnel named to oversee food distribution," Agence France Presse, 4 September 2016.
"Handing over control of food stocks" -- a nightmare courtesy of Venezuela's 21st century socialism is the nation-sized version of the dream of a "planetary regime" (which would hand over control of food stocks to a different and larger regime) and the source of the quote are found when considering The Privileges of Intellectuals
Such is the contrast between a free market of individuals and companies versus the capture of "means of production and distribution" which has been a watchword for socialist theory, under its many guises.
[ 8 ] As the corruption and utter mismanagement of the Chavista brand of 21st century socialism are seen, also seen is the irony that as the economy fails with it comes enforced labor. Effectively this is slavery in its fist stage.
The article observed: "Maduro's actions are very similar to a strategy the communist Cuban government used in the 1960s when it sought to recover sugar production after it declined sharply following the U.S. embargo on Cuban goods. It forced Cubans to work on sugar farms to cultivate the island's key commodity." One notes that Castro's revolution was, in CNN's prose, "communist." One learns from Castro himself that it was socialist: Socialism's Last Hurrah
What force would Maduro's government, communist or socialist because terminology is so fluid, would be 'employed' to enforce such farm labor? The military is that force, of course, as has been the case in so many previous cases as the Totalitarian
Given other quotes as above, one may conflate notions and verbiage to conclude rightly that the "wealthy" atop the current Venezuelan government are quite willing to make "forced labor" of citizens.
How reminiscent this is of the feudal system as of various socialist governments throughout the 20th century's bloody history. Today's socialists unwilling to see the consequences of this ideology then must plead -- don't look now.
[ 9 ] Experiments provide a thesis with provable outcomes. The prose above addresses "the ugly face of desperation that collectivism has wrought."
It is seen as easy to take sides politically and ideologically based on the failed models of Left and Right
Misunderstood
In this laboratory, one sees economic collapse in Venezuela. Looking back only years one finds enthusiasts for what has become that "ugly face of desperation that collectivism has wrought." As example one reads of an American film maker's view: "The president said on Wednesday that a recession in Venezuela marked the death of capitalism and had nothing to do with his government's socialist revolution." In "Oliver Stone: Venezuela's Chavez is misunderstood," by Eyanir Chinea, Reuters, 28 May 2010. The recession is now economic collapse with hyperinflation and hunger. That cannot be "misunderstood."
Of enthusiasts, in looking back a few years one finds: " 'There is no pattern of repression' in Chávez's Venezuela, says the Oscar-winning ('Platoon,' 'Born on the Fourth of July') film director." In "Oliver Stone claims U.S. media demonizes Hugo Chávez in 'South of the Border' documentary," by Lewis Beale, Daily News, 16 June 2010. The images above argue otherwise.
Further one looks back to read: "Looking to explore the role mass media has played in shaping the American view of South American politics and policy, 'South of the Border' begins with a series of broadcast clips critical of Venezuela, reports that Stone attempts to show are incorrect through eyewitness accounts and an interview with President Chavez. Stone then goes on to speak to Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband ex-President Nėstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Castro (Cuba), interspersing archival news broadcasts from 20 different sources such as Fox, CNN and C-SPAN throughout." In "Oliver Stone on Castro, Chavez: ‘None of Them are Dictators’," by Alexandra Cheney, Wall Street Journal, 22 June 2010.
Six years later, eyewitness accounts testify that Stone's view -- as a media maker -- was incorrect. Lula da Silva was toppled democratically in Brazil and is under investigation for corruption, while Kirschner was toppled democratically in Argentina and is also being investigated for corruption. Castro testifies in a rather clear way to Socialism's Last Hurrah
Celebrity Delusions
Of enthusiasts for the 21st century socialism in Venezuela, one also reads of Chavez' death: " 'Today the people of the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion,' says Penn in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. 'I lost a friend I was blessed to have. My thoughts are with the family of President Chavez and the people of Venezuela. Venezuela and its revolution will endure under the proven leadership of Vice President Maduro," adds Penn." In "Sean Penn on Hugo Chavez's Death: 'I Lost a Friend'," by Rebecca Ford, Hollywood Reporter, 5 March 2013.
As to the reality of "poor people" in Venezuela, only three years later one reads of "Flour. Pasta. Milk. Three basics people all around the world have in their kitchens. Three staples always in stock in groceries and supermarkets for any home cook looking to rustle up a family meal, pancakes or a quick, nutritious drink. But in Venezuela, you can get these products only if you're lucky or have the connections and the cash. A lot of cash." In "Venezuela: Where flour, pasta and milk can cost a month's pay," by Flora Charner and Rachel Clarke, CNN, 2 August 2016.
The enthusiasts only six years ago were "steadfast" as one recalls: "Penn, speaking on Bill Maher's HBO chatshow, is part of a small but vocal pro-Chávez Hollywood group which includes Oliver Stone and Danny Glover. They have remained steadfast even as Venezuela's leader has lost fans at home and abroad. Inflation, crime and water and electricity shortages have hit his popularity and led to defections from his socialist party. The Organisation of American States recently accused Chávez of intolerance and authoritarianism, and a Spanish judge accused Venezuela of cosseting Farc and Eta terrorists, sparking a diplomatic spat with Madrid." In "Sean Penn: Journalists who call Hugo Chávez a dictator should be jailed," by Rory Carroll, Guardian UK, 11 March 2010.
"Journalists who call Hugo Chávez a dictator should be jailed" is the enthusiasm of the fascist, to silence Dissent
The world hears silence from these cultural icons, because reality's lessons too easily upset ideology with reality. This is why repression has its apologists, This is why ideology blinds the eye. This is what happens when Platitudes meet realities
[ 10 ] And again, the slogans pretending to say something -- left and right -- fall over themselves in the hands of varying commentators. From these few sourced citations, one learns that Chávez was a socialist, a democrat, a leftist and a rightist, as well as a "champion" to the poor. One hears that Venezuela's woes were meant to prove the death of capitalism, as well as the triumph of 21st century socialism.
Frantzman's shift of terminology -- quite like Left is Right, as Right is Left
Frantzman expands his three card Monte of words to speak of "progressives": "Don’t kid yourselves and pretend these progressives simply don’t hear their friends in Iran call abortion 'satanic' or hear them say homosexuals are a 'cancer,' or hear their chauvinist friends in the Muslim Brotherhood say a woman’s 'place is in the home.' They hear it, and they support it. When the overweight, bearded religious leaders in Iran say 'women and men are different; women are driven by their emotions,' the same people who speak of 'gender neutrality' in the West widen their eyes and say 'yes I agree, such an insight,' not 'where is the transgender bathroom?' When Hugo Chavez said he couldn’t be a homosexual because he was 'sufficiently macho to pulverize any accusation along those lines,' gay rights advocates didn’t bat an eye. Homophobia is cool – only abroad, not at home."
His summation foretells a history as yet unwritten: "When the history of the West is written it will say: they educated themselves to hate themselves and love what they hate about themselves in the other."
Shall the enthusiasts and apologists for Venezuela's revolutionary experiment with socialism -- is it left-wing or right-wing now? -- straighten out this tangle of verbiage? My conclusion in rhyme was and remains: "All goes well / When no one sees, / Though hunger is often / A political disease."
Don't look now....
[ 11 ] The notion of "revolution" is become a farce. To revolve means to turn, but when a "turn" results in the suspension of turning, then a revolution ends. The "Bolivarian revolution" of "21st century socialism," as Venezuela's socialists have called it, has quickly become sclerotic, as well as ever more a one-party attempt at rule.
The many failures of this government under Chávez and Maduro have resulted in increased poverty, hyperinflation, rampant corruption and a police state footprint on the ground, as the images above show, yet the many failures are all some other nation's fault. Consider the reality of Revolution revolves but once
[ 12 ] The article form 2016 cites Maduro's "ministry of supreme social happiness." One looks back three years: "A new Vice Ministry of Supreme Social Happiness has been created by Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, in an attempt to coordinate all the 'mission' programmes created by Hugo Chavez to alleviate poverty. 'I have decided to create this Vice ministry and I have given it this name to honour Chávez and Bolívar,' Mr Maduro announced on Thursday in a televised speech made from the presidential palace. He said that the Vice ministry aimed to take care of the most 'sublime, vulnerable and delicate, to those who are most loved by anyone who calls themselves a revolutionary, a Christian and Chavista'." In "Venezuela creates Social Happiness ministry," by Associated Press, 26 October 2013.
Indeed, just as some think a "revolution revolves" when history has shown most revolutions quickly ossify into dictatorships which no longer revolve to advance, some think it "Christian" to bankrupt a nation, Consider the odd assertion: Jesus was a socialist?
σωρείτης
What I say is now a lie,
both my feet on a pair of docks.
A heap of lies, says sorry tease,
lessens as it defrocks.
Silly gist sour fellows seize
when seen outside the box,
And logically is illogical
when thoughts themselves outfox
Words, not worth the rhyming,
which add to that which mocks
The liberal as conservative,
perverse as orthodox.
Masked men are, are not,
and therefore are not quite what shocks
When what I say is now a lie,
as crow all weathercocks.
Addendum of Uncontroversial Reasoning: "...the concept of a heap appears to lack sharp boundaries and, as a consequence of the subsequent indeterminacy surrounding the extension of the predicate ‘is a heap’, no one grain of wheat can be identified as making the difference between being a heap and not being a heap. Given then that one grain of wheat does not make a heap, it would seem to follow that two do not, thus three do not, and so on. In the end it would appear that no amount of wheat can make a heap. We are faced with paradox since from apparently true premises by seemingly uncontroversial reasoning we arrive at an apparently false conclusion." In "Sorites Paradox," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 6 December 2011.
Addendum of a Paper's Concluding Question: "Could this be right?" In "The sorites paradox," by Jeff Speaks, University of Notre Dame, 22 April 2008.
Addendum of the Politician's Syllogism: "The politician's syllogism, also known as the politician's logic or the politician's fallacy, is a logical fallacy of the form: 1. We must do something, 2. This is something, and 3.Therefore, we must do this. The politician's fallacy was identified in a 1988 episode of the BBC television political sitcom Yes, Prime Minister titled 'Power to the People', and has taken added life on the Internet. The syllogism, invented by fictional British civil servants, has been quoted in the real British Parliament. The syllogism has also been quoted in American political discussion." In "Politician's syllogism," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Morton's fork is tined
Sharp as Hobson's choice.
The easy way's the hard way
So think not to rejoice.
The path of most resistance
Shrieks loudly with one voice
To pose many questions' fallacies
And bid a false invoice.
Burdian’s Ass is doing it
So rational it's not.
Out the window, down the stairs
To get to where you've got.
If it's all the same to you
I'd pen a counterplot,
For when the end is certain
And tied up in a knot,
Cut to the chase, then period.
Justly say you just cannot.
Addendum of a Sophisticated Dilemma: John Morton "...was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1486, Lord Chancellor in 1487, and Cardinal in 1493. Traditionally, Morton has been known as the inventor of 'Morton’s Fork,' a sophistical dilemma imposed on both rich and poor by Henry’s tax commissioners in order to extort funds for the crown. The rich were told that they could afford to contribute, and the poor were accused of having concealed wealth." In "John Morton," Encyclopædia Britannica, n. d.
Consider the choice to Raise those taxes!
“This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.” In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Douglas Adams, Pan Books, (1979).
Let us all fix history
With a little cold hard cash;
Expropriating yesterday
In order to rehash
That someone lost in times now spent
Did something horrible,
For which today some must repay
For history deplorable.
Let us remix history,
For the sake of cold hard cash
Which cheers those who'd receive
Over some historic clash.
Cold hard cash from someone
To grease another's palm,
And ease the pain and suffering
Applied as a modern balm.
Let us find in history
The grounds for cold hard cash,
For all the world's suffering
Counts up money's sweet panache.
One must pay, or perhaps be paid,
For crimes of an age now past,
As this sums up the argument
And its money-aimed bombast.
Skin must pay for other skin,
As group must pay a group,
As nation must some other pay,
To historical sins recoup.
Who must pay? Well, there's the rub,
For not all will agree,
As is the game of give and take
Across humanity.
Let us all fix history
Repaired with cold hard cash.
This was and remains the reason
Why peoples all do clash.
Conquest was and now is played
In other tactics' schemes,
For expropriating yesterday
Fuels conflicts' dearest dreams.
Envoi: "The blood curse refers to a controversial New Testament passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which describes events taking place in Pilate's court before the crucifixion of Jesus and specifically the apparent willingness of the crowd to accept liability for Jesus' death." In "Blood Curse," Wikipedia article, n. d. [ 1 ]
Addendum from Mein Kampf: "...this lie that millions of Germans saw in the peace treaty of Versailles only a justified retribution for the crime we had committed at Brest-Litovsk, and that therefore they considered any fight against Versailles an injustice and sometimes remained in the most sincere moral indignation. And this was, among others, the cause why the shameless and monstrous word 'reparations' began to make its home in Germany. This most mendacious hypocrisy appeared to millions of our harried fellow citizens really as the execution of a higher justice. Terrible, yet it was so. The best proof of this was furnished by the success of the propaganda, introduced by me, against the peace treaty of Versailles which I had heralded by an enlightenment about the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. I contrasted the two peace treaties, compared them point by point, demonstrated the truly actually limitless humaneness of the one treaty as contrasted with the inhuman cruelty of the second, with a telling result." In "Chapter VI, The Struggle of the Early Days, the Significance of the Spoken Word," by Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," (English translation) Reynal and Hitchcock, New York, 1941. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Long Ago: "...the reparations question was challenging partly because the events happened so long ago. 'But that doesn’t mean we should do nothing,' he said in a telephone interview. 'You’re talking about a long historical trend of denial,' Mr. McCalpin said of Turkey. 'To admit or recognize a genocide also requires acknowledging a wrong, and that is where reparations come in. You acknowledge, and then you move to repair'." In "Armenian Groups Are Increasingly Focused on Reparations for Genocide," by Rick Gladstone, New York Times, 23 April 2015. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Long, Long Ago: "Caricom's 10-point plan will pursue a full formal apology for slavery, repatriation to Africa, a development plan for the native Caribbean peoples and funding for cultural institutions. It also seeks to address chronic diseases and psychological rehabilitation for trauma inflicted by slavery, technology transfer to make up for technological and scientific backwardness resulting from the slave era, and support for payment of domestic debt and cancellation of international debt. The subject of reparations has simmered in the Caribbean for many years and opinions are divided. Some see reparations as delayed justice, while others see it as an empty claim and a distraction from modern social problems in Caribbean societies." In "Caribbean nations agree to seek slavery reparations from Europe," by Aileen Torres-Bennett, Reuters, 11 March 2014.
Addendum of Very Long Ago: "The press attaché of the Embassy of Russia in Mongolia, Lhagvasuren Namsrai, has confirmed the information about the country's Parliament receiving an official letter from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with the requirement to pay compensation for the destruction of Kiev by the troops of Batu Khan. 'The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine wrote an official letter to the State Great Khural (our Parliament) that said in the thirteenth century Batu Khan (Golden Horde, the grandson of Genghis Khan) organized the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Ukrainians demand the payment of compensation." In "Embassy of Mongolia Confirms Demand From Kiev for Reparations," translated by Ollie Richardson, Fort Russ, 1 March, 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Today: "The intellectual, emotional and actual physical labor fat Black bitches provide is actually invaluable to the entire world. Yet here we are and I’m still owed, still taken from, still waiting. Fuck you. I literally stay ready to fight every fucking body. I never wake up feeling relaxed, well rested, or open to joy. I wake up tired. And I live on the defense. I’m not well. I’m not okay. I don’t even know what okay looks like because I’m always dealing with violence AND preparing for it. In conclusion, the case for reparations for fat Black bitches is: fuck you, pay us." In "Fuck You, Pay Me: Reparations for Fat Black Bitches and Everything We Provide," by Ashleigh Shackelford, Wear Your Voice, Intersectional Feminist Media, 25 May 2016.
Addendum of an Instructional Song Lyric: "Money makes the world go around / The world go around / The world go around / Money makes the world go around / It makes the world go 'round. / A mark, a yen, a buck, or a pound / A buck or a pound / A buck or a pound / Is all that makes the world go around, / That clinking clanking sound / Can make the world go 'round." In "Cabaret" (1966) lyrics by Fred Ebb.
Addendum of What Binds and Separates: "If money is the bond binding me to human life, binding society to me, connecting me with nature and man, is not money the bond of all bonds? Can it not dissolve and bind all ties? Is it not, therefore, also the universal agent of separation? It is the coin that really separates as well as the real binding agent – the [...] [One word in the manuscript cannot be deciphered. – Ed.] chemical power of society." In "The Power of Money," by Karl Marx, 1844.
Addendum Advising Great Precaution: "The proposal of any new law or regulation of commerce which comes from this order ought always to be listened to with great precaution, and ought never to be adopted till after having been long and carefully examined, not only with the most scrupulous, but with the most suspicious attention. It comes from an order of men whose interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have, upon many occasions, both deceived and oppressed it." In "Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith, 1776. [ 5 ]
Consider that dreamed-of Smorgasbord which is The Blame Buffet
NOTES
[ 1 ] The notion of a group accepting "liability" even for following generations has been misused for centuries. The Wikipedia article notes aptly: "St. John Chrysostom wrote of this incident: 'Observe here the infatuation of the Jews; their headlong haste, and destructive passions will not let them see what they ought to see, and they curse themselves, saying, 'His blood be upon us,' and even entail the curse upon their children. Yet a merciful God did not ratify this sentence, but accepted such of them and of their children as repented; for Paul was of them, and many thousands of those who in Jerusalem believed'."
Yet the blood curse accusation was leveled against contemporary Jews across centuries as "Christ killers," for in spite of St. John Chrysostom's clear statement, it so easily justified Jew hatred across centuries and supported continued "reparation" for an event of centuries earlier.
[ 2 ] The notion of war reparations as an indemnity against a government is one side of the coin, for those who obtain by such indemnity. For those who must fund such indemnity, it is often seen as the opposite side of the same coin.
Still relatively obscure is the text of one of the 20th century's most murderous dictators, only surpassed by the Soviet Socialists and Sino-Socialists for democide, a worthy term proposed by R. J. Rummel. In the text, Hitler specifically speaks of "the shameless and monstrous word 'reparations' ," finding partial justification for his subsequent horrors.
Later in the text, Hitler notes: "It should have been generally understood as early as the winter of 1922-23 that, even after the conclusion of peace, France would act with iron thoroughness to achieve still the war aim which she originally envisioned. For really nobody can think that France risked her people's blood, in itself not too rich, for four and a half years in the most decisive struggle of her history, solely to have earlier damages compensated for afterwards by reparations. Even Alsace-Lorraine would, in itself, not explain the energy of the French conduct of the War, had there not also really been involved part of French foreign policy's truly big future political program. But that goal is: the dissolution of Germany into a hodge-podge of little States. It was for that that chauvinist France fought, incidentally, it is true, selling her people as real serfs to the international world Jews." In "Chapter XV, Emergency Defense as a Right."
So one sees the hateful Hitler's mixing together of reparations -- compensation for earlier damages -- mixed with rhetoric to paint recipients of such World War I reparations in most unflattering words.
Maneuvered into Line
The English translation from which the above are quoted notes: "The London Ultimatum, presented by the Allies on May 5, 1921, fixed Germany's reparations obligations at 132 billion Marks, and demanded that within 25 days I billions Marks be paid either in gold or in notes maturing in three months. Thereupon the Fehrenbach Cabinet resigned, and Dr. Josef Wirth formed a Cabinet willing to accept the ultimatum. The Democratic Party was maneuvered into line, so as to broaden the basis on which the government stood. It was, of course, easy to protest against exorbitant Allied demands, but refusal to pay meant as everybody realized full well the suicide of the nation. Nevertheless acceptance of the ultimatum became a favorite argument to prove the 'cowardliness' of the regime." Annotation in the English version of "Mein Kampf," p. 738.
Thus the seeming justice of reparations after a war easily turn to an injustice in the rhetoric of those seeing themselves too heavily burdened by such justice.
The annotations to the text also note: "Nazi formations in Prussia did not, as a result, become important until after the 1930 elections. Then they were probably advantageous to the government, which was attempting to talk the Allies into concessions on reparations and other things. For the spectacle of dissatisfaction in Germany, and the threat to world stability which this dissatisfaction involved, were talking points in its favor. Having been assured of support from President Hindenburg and the army, Chancellor Brtining also believed that if the worst came to the worst he could always put down an insurrection. It seemed probable also that the money which was contributed by industrialists to the S.A. would be withdrawn, if a diplomatic victory of any importance could be achieved." pp. 803-4.
History tells otherwise. The German governments between the Kaiser and the National Socialists did nothing, especially to underpin peace in Europe. Rather they through the weight of reparations played into the hands of the Nazis.
Justifying Slavery as Reparations
The question then is about reparations themselves, as one learns that: "German reparations were partly to be in the form of forced labor. By 1947, approximately 4,000,000 German POWs and civilians were used as forced labor (under various headings, such as "reparations labor" or "enforced labor") in the Soviet Union, France, the UK, Belgium and in Germany in U.S. run "Military Labor Service Units"." In "War reparations," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Such "reparations labor" or "enforced labor" is also easily characterized by the term, "slavery," in this case of four million people, whether one is for or against such reparations.
[ 3 ] The Armenian genocide is not admitted by modern Turkey, though the murderous clash between Armenian Christians and Turkish Muslims is ever more understood. Nevertheless the argument for financial reparations exceeds the call for admission of the genocide itself, a "dispute" which separates many in the West from Turkey and those Muslim nations which align with it. What is sure is that the call for cash reparations plays a role in not coming a single conclusion about this horrible moment in history, because "cold hard cash" plays a role in all human litigation, from the smallest tort to the largest of war reparations.
[ 4 ] It becomes easy to bring seemingly serious notions into farcical ones. Reparations to be adjudged based on a 13th century event becomes such a farce. Which people, culture, nation, group or religion has not damaged another? As such all are due 1) to pay reparations, and 2) to receive reparations. As to the Mongolian hordes of the 13th century being the responsibility of today's government of Mongolia, this farce plays out.
The article notes: "The Chairman of the Khural, Zandaahuugiyn Enkhbold, called the resolution of the Ukrainian Parliament 'a propaganda cliche of Ukraine concerning Mongolia'. 'The world did not know and never heard about any Ukrainian nation, especially in the era of the heirs of the Great Temujin, he said. — Millions of dead Ukrainians in the thirteenth century is the fruit of an unhealthy imagination of Ukrainian deputies'. Enkhbold added that 'Mongolia is ready to pay damages in the capture of Kiev by Batu Khan, but only to the victims or their families'. 'We look forward to announcing the full list of victims'. — said the Chairman of the Khural."
One may continue arguments of reparations ad infinitum. These arguments will range from those of the utmost timeliness and seriousness to those at which one must finally laugh.
What remains certain is the adding "cold hard cash" to the demands simply pits group against group. Such is the nature of mankind, litigation and politics, in which justice is so often not the crucial issue when money is "on the table."
[ 5 ] The advice to examine all with "great precaution" and "suspicious attention" is noted. One finds calls for reparations throughout history, whether in the form of one kind of value or another. It is rather akin to the notion of revenge, and indeed, as shown above, in the hands of a Hitler, become the justification for horrors which were unforeseen by the ardent advocates for reparations.
Marx' opinion that money is the "universal agent of separation" rather aptly explains why those who oppose reparations are able to find easy justification for their opposition, while those who demand reparations for a specific historical wrong have great complexity facing them, quite like unto the Blood Curse logic which followed Jews through history as so grievously misunderstood by some Christians. The same misunderstanding in the reparations heaped on post-WWI Germany led to the next war, for such is money's ability to not only bind but dissolve ties between men, groups, nations and whole cultures.
What is assured is that the modern lure of Free Money
Until history is more clarified, people will cry out for justice as may be counted out in money, much money and more money. Until history is more clarified other people will cry out as injustice that some demand payment for that which no living culprit may be brought to trial. If "society" is at fault, then all societies are at fault, for to what society, culture or people can one point to as wholly and historically without fault?
"Our neighborhoods are not warzones, and police officers should not be treating us like wartime enemies. Any yet, every year, billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment flows from the federal government to state and local police departments. Departments use these wartime weapons in everyday policing, especially to fight the wasteful and failed drug war, which has unfairly targeted people of color. As our new report makes clear, it’s time for American police to remember that they are supposed to protect and serve our communities, not wage war on the people who live in them." In "War Comes Home, The Excessive Militarization of American Policing," American Civil Liberties Union, n. d. circa 2016.
O beautiful for battle zones
To think a homeland safe.
The citizen for freedom groans
As warfare's weapons chafe.
A misery in glove so soft,
Clenched fist has planned this fate,
Which politics has promised oft
To make the nation great.O brutal tool of bureaucrat
Whose forces ramp to war
As parties plan their next combat.
Shall rulers rule abhor?
A misery by stern, soft sell.
Smug rulers pump the fate
Which politics has promised well
To hold the nation great.O dutiful for war's fatigues
Which vest in trooped array.
Great military buffed blitzkriegs
To such great strength display.
A misery by federal rights
Is marching as to war,
With patriots targeted in sights
Which mark them by the score.O pitiful is postured peace,
Munitions piling high
Which are amassed as to increase
And homeland fortify.
A misery is aimed within
Where citizens abide.
When war is planned against one's kin
One finds no place to hide.
Addendum of a Program Greatly Expanded: "Under the Obama administration the transfer of military surplus has greatly expanded. Among other items transfered [ sic ] to local law enforcement agencies have been assault rifles and grenade launchers, even Blackhawk helicopters and .50 caliber machine guns--a weapon so powerful the U.S. military has restrictions on how it can be used in combat zones. In fiscal year 2011 alone, the Pentagon transferred almost $500 million worth of materials to domestic law enforcement--nearly double the previous year's total. This number was expected to grow in 2012." In "Obama Expands Militarization of Police," by David Zlutnick, Real News, 23 May 2013.
Addendum of a Senator's Complaint: "Not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem. Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement. This is usually done in the name of fighting the war on drugs or terrorism. The Heritage Foundation’s Evan Bernick wrote in 2013 that, “the Department of Homeland Security has handed out anti-terrorism grants to cities and towns across the country, enabling them to buy armored vehicles, guns, armor, aircraft, and other equipment.' Bernick continued, 'federal agencies of all stripes, as well as local police departments in towns with populations less than 14,000, come equipped with SWAT teams and heavy artillery'." In "We Must Demilitarize the Police," by Senator Rand Paul, TIME, 14 August 2014.
Addendum of Many Senators' Complaints: "Senators on Tuesday criticized federal programs that outfit police departments with military gear, saying they waste funds and sow mistrust between law enforcement and the communities they police. At a hearing called to examine what critics call police militarization, members of the Senate's homeland-security committee expressed deep skepticism toward some equipment used by local police departments." In "Senators Criticize Growing Militarization of Local Police Departments, Democrats, Republicans Question Federal Programs Giving Military-Style Gear to Local Law Enforcement," by Andrew Grossman, Wall Street Journal, 9 September 2014.
Addendum of Almost No Oversight: "Police departments across the country have unquestionably become excessively militarized. Our year-long investigation found that not only has policing become excessively militarized, but this militarization has occurred with almost no oversight. Further, of the more than 800 paramilitary raids that we studied, almost 80 percent were for ordinary law enforcement purposes like serving search warrants on people’s homes. Only 7 percent were for genuine emergencies, such as a barricade or hostage situation." In "Police Militarization Is Out of Control, and There’s No Oversight," by Kara Dansky, New York Times, 15 August 2015. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Being Deployed in Secret and Without Permission: "Police departments nationwide have been adopting powerful new technologies that are remarkably capable of intruding on people’s privacy, and much of the time these are being deployed in secret, without public notice or discussion, let alone permission. And while the task force’s report says all the right things, a little digging reveals that the feds not only aren’t putting the brakes on improper police use of technology, but are encouraging it — even subsidizing the misuse of the very technology the task force believes will keep cops honest. To put it bluntly, a techno-utopia isn’t remotely on the horizon, but its flipside may be." In "Police Nationwide Are Secretly Exploiting Intrusive Technologies With the Feds’ Complicity," by Matthew Harwood and Jay Stanley, Huffington Post, 19 May 2016.
Addendum from the Seventh Year of the Obama Administration: "The Obama administration on Monday moved to prohibit federal agencies from providing local cops with certain kinds of military equipment such as grenade launchers, high-caliber weapons and bayonets, in the wake of controversy over a 'militarized' police response to unrest last summer in Ferguson, Missouri. The new prohibitions are part of an executive order President Barack Obama issued for federal agencies to review the types of equipment they provide to local and state police." In "Obama will restrict grenade launchers, military equipment from local police," by Evan Perez, Kevin Liptak and Allison Malloy, CNN, 18 May 2015. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Shrinking Confidence in Government: "Few Americans have a lot of confidence in any of the branches of the government. Just 4 percent say they have a great deal of confidence in Congress, while 48 percent say they have only some and 46 percent have hardly any. The other branches of government fare a little better, but still don't inspire much confidence. Fifteen percent say they have a lot of confidence in the executive branch, 50 percent have some and 33 percent have hardly any." In "AP-NORC Poll finds bare confidence in government, elections," by Emily Swanson, Associated Press, 28 May 2016.
Addendum of a Potent Reason for Shrinking Confidence in Government: "The Orlando nightclub terrorist who pledged allegiance to ISIS worked almost a decade for a major Department of Homeland Security contractor, raising alarms that ISIS sympathizers and agents have infiltrated the federal agency set up after 9/11 to combat terrorists. Officials say Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, an Afghan-American who held two firearms licenses and a security officer license, was employed by the security firm G4S Secure Solutions USA Inc. since Sept. 10, 2007. The Jupiter, Fla.-based company merged with the Wackenhut Corp. after 9/11 and assumed federal contracts." In "Has ISIS Infiltrated Homeland Security? Orlando Terrorist Worked for Major DHS Contractor," by Paul Sperry, Counterjihad, 13 June 2016.
Addendum of the Militarization of the Federal Government: "Special agents at the IRS equipped with AR-15 military-style rifles? Health and Human Services 'Special Office of Inspector General Agents' being trained by the Army’s Special Forces contractors? The Department of Veterans Affairs arming 3,700 employees? The number of non-Defense Department federal officers authorized to make arrests and carry firearms (200,000) now exceeds the number of U.S. Marines (182,000). In its escalating arms and ammo stockpiling, this federal arms race is unlike anything in history. Over the last 20 years, the number of these federal officers with arrest-and-firearm authority has nearly tripled to over 200,000 today, from 74,500 in 1996. What exactly is the Obama administration up to?" In "Why Does the IRS Need Guns?" by Tom Coburn and Adam Andrzejewski, Wall Street Journal, 16 June 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum a Militarized US Food and Drug Administration: "...consider one domestic organization’s fearsome arsenal of military-style equipment. In the space of eight years, the group amassed a stockpile of pistols, shotguns, and semiautomatic rifles, along with ample supplies of ammunition, liquid explosives, gun scopes, and suppressors. In its cache as well are night-vision goggles, gas cannons, plus armored vests, drones, and surveillance equipment. Between 2006 and 2014, this organization spent nearly $4.8 million to arm itself. Yet its aggressive weapons buildup has drawn almost no public attention. Does all this firepower belong to a jihadist terror cell? A right-wing hate group? A vicious urban gang? None of the above. It is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, an agency of the US Department of Agriculture, that has built up such a formidable collection of munitions. And far from being an outlier, it is one of dozens of federal agencies that spends lavishly on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment." In "The FDA is stockpiling military weapons — and it’s not alone," by Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe, 26 June 2016. [ 4 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] The New York Times article of 2015 notes: "The federal government fuels this trend. The police have virtually unlimited access to the U.S. military’s arsenal through what’s called the 1033 program. They also have access to billions of dollars’ worth of funding from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, which they can use to buy military equipment from weapons manufacturers, who line their pockets with the spoils. Through these federal programs, hundreds of billions of dollars have flowed to local police departments, which have been stockpiling their arsenals with weapons designed for combat."
When some Republicans and some Democrats as well as some conservative and some progressive news sites all see the same phenomenon occurring, something is afoot in which one part of government is doing that about which another part of government has great concerns.
Among concerns found in liberal and conservative media alike are those surveyed in the rhymed tale of Sir Veiled Lance
[ 2 ] The phrase to note, given that this scrutiny of federal actions came in the seventh year of the Obama administration, is: "...in the wake of controversy over a 'militarized' police response to unrest...." It took wide news coverage showing the militarized police for the federal government to stop doing what the federal government was doing.
One notes that the CNN news report specifically mentions a review of military equipment for "local and state police," though the many armed police agencies of the various federal departments are not part of this "restriction." Atop the non-military agencies of the federal government is the quite well militarized Department of Homeland Security.
The announcement from 2015 follows this from the sixth year of the Obama administration: "Several federal programs are helping local law enforcement to acquire heavy weapons, either by making funds available or by providing the equipment directly. One program at the Pentagon transferred surplus military equipment worth nearly half a billion dollars to local police last year. Grants provided by the Department of Homeland Security total another $1 billion, and Holder's department provides hundreds of millions more." In "How the Obama administration gives away military-grade weapons to local police," by Max Ehrenfreund, Washington Post, 25 November 2014.
Strangely similar is such a program and a subsequent review of a federal program, as this story was acted out several years earlier and then the program restarted.
The Military-Industrial Complex Supplying Local Police
One reads from 2012, the fourth year of the Obama administration and mentions the program spanning back in time into the Clinton and Bush administrations: "Peter Kraska, a criminologist at the University of Eastern Kentucky, has long argued that even when agencies abide by the Pentagon’s rules, the program has still been a factor in the militarization of American police forces, producing a more reactionary, aggressive style of policing. Kraska, who has surveyed the prevalence of SWAT teams and SWAT raids over a 30-year period, found that by 1997, 90 percent of U.S. cities with a population of 50,000 or more had their own SWAT or similar paramilitary police unit. That’s twice as many as a decade earlier. The overall number of SWAT-like raids jumped from a few thousand per year in the early 1980s to around 50,000 per year by 2005, when Kraska stopped sending out his survey. In 2000 the National Journal reported, that between 1997 and 1999 alone, the Pentagon program distributed more than $700 million in military gear to local police departments. The gear was comprised of '253 aircraft (including six- and seven- passenger airplanes, and UH-60 Black- hawk and UH-1 Huey helicopters were among those sent out), 7,856 M-16 rifles, 181 grenade launchers, 8,131 bulletproof helmets, and 1,161 pairs of night-vision goggles' among other equipment. The program has also given out weapons that have been deemed, at times, inappropriate for war situations, let alone being unnecessary for a domestic police force." In "Pentagon Suspends Program That Gives Military Weapons To Cops," by Radley Balko, Huffington Post, 11 June 2012.
The program was suspended. / The program was renewed. / Decisions were upended, / After an interlude.
Given the "optics" of the federally-supported militarization of local police over many years becoming more widely known through media, one should be or at least become skeptical of such government that would over-arm police at all levels of government. As to "optics," it is worth noting that the Obama administration is a pro-war administration, perhaps even more so than its predecessor, which may be further considered through A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
[ 3 ] A three-fold increase in weapons for administrative agencies under the so-called Peace Prize president is testimony to the fact that government, as it grows, reveals its will to rule over a citizenry, rather than be ruled by them in a fair and peaceable democracy. However, this tendency with so many historical precedents is accompanied by my Democrat friends being unable to explain the fact of an ever greater force being acquired by the federal government which is supposed to be "liberal."
Weaponizing Government Bureaucracies
More: "...the IRS and other non-law enforcement agencies rapidly increased purchases of military gear in the past decade. The amount the IRS spends on weapons and equipment has risen since 2006 from around half a million to $1,070,456 in 2014. Purchases of guns and ammunition spiked in 2011 to more than $2 million, according to the report. Over the same period, the number of special agents the IRS employed declined." In "Report: IRS Spent $11 Million On Guns, Ammo In The Past 10 Years," by Thomas Phippen, Daily Caller, 18 July 2016.
Inexplicably this militarization of federal agencies, alike to the militarization of local and state police under the Obama administration, are supposed to be somehow "liberal" or "progressive?" It redefines such political terms to align more with the behavior of tyrants in the making.
[ 4 ] Perhaps the president should be honored with a Nobel for Today
May morning - paraphrase of a Christian Morgenstern poem
Blind night yields its time again
To morning, clear and bright,
Life's force turns life's fortunes
Toward new brilliance, born of light.
Fog flees, as it ever floods
Over reeds and woodlands wide:
My soul becomes the song of May
Which larks' songs prophesied.See: Maimorgen - (2016)
Language brags that it can capture
All the colors one might see,
All our passions' roiling rapture,
All as sense and poetry,
All that sings and sighs and rustles,
All that is, and comes to be,
All the plays of fictions' tussles
Seem numbed words' dexterity.
Language fails where harmonies sing,
As loud silence falls in grace,
As words count for almost nothing,
As when man lies in boldface.
All the words heaped on tongues' pile
Mount as swift floods which run on
Fumbling, failing, all flummoxed while
Never being fully true.
Language brags because it must
While other senses see beyond
All words' strife, so loudly fussed,
All words' lies where men are conned,
All the speeches by deceivers,
All the promises empty made,
All the credos' word believers
Speak their words which they've betrayed.
Hang a label on a man.
Tag a woman with a word.
Words and slogans bogeyman;
Man's barbarity is stirred.
Mark a person with a brand.
Forearms ink as numbered skin.
See that thoughts of hate are fanned,
Urging on as sparks begin.
Flag a feature, loft it high.
Freeze the targets in your sights.
Classes will identify
Pigeonholes where death ignites.
Tyranny's bred and watered,
All too often justified,
Injustice's lambs slaughtered
As hangs the tale, testified.
Envoi: "Beginning in 1941, this registration consisted of a tattoo, which was placed on the left breast of the prisoner; later, the tattoo location was moved to the inner forearm. It was not only Jews who were marked: all prisoners other than ethnic Germans and police prisoners were tattooed. These tattoos were just one of the ways in which the Nazis dehumanized their prisoners. Despite the perception that all Holocaust prisoners were given tattoos, it was only the prisoners of Auschwitz after 1941 who were branded this way." In "Concentration Camps: Tattoos," Jewish Virtual Library, n. d.
" 'You can always say, 'We're profitable if we don't include X,' Behr said. "'But no matter how many ways you say you're kind of profitable, if your bank account ends up lighter than when you started—eventually, that doesn't work'." In "Tech Startups Come Up With Some Creative Definitions for ‘Profitable’ ," by Ellen Hunt, Bloomberg, 16 May 2016.
I have a measured other,
Of whole cloth it is cut.
This purest fabrication
Is sewn, well cased, stitched shut.
If you would buy my other,
I'd sell the whole cloth, but
Look not for the patchwork
Or what's not accurate.
You'll have my little other
And pass it off again;
When you find the snarled kinks,
You might not buy again.
Losing propositions
When dressed up to the nines
Look quite like lovely deals
Out which a win bright shines.
The luster though is fools' gold
And polished brightly bright.
Won't you buy some other,
Which might not last the night?
Envoi: "... fabrication is most often used when lie seems too harsh. It's not too great a stretch to think of the fabric as cloth deceptively made up of patches and remnants to appear as made of whole cloth. Fabricated material is not always considered sinister: a clergyman's distinctive garment has given it a good connotation in a man of the cloth. But six centuries ago, cloth was sometimes spelled clout, and in underworld slang, the original spelling has been preserved in its meaning of 'cotton handkerchief.' A thief in London in the 19th century would blow his nose in a clout. Then -- perhaps because tossing a clout over a piece of jewelry was a way of stealing it -- it became a verb for 'to steal.' Eric Partridge noted that to clout heaps was 20th-century underworld lingo for 'to steal cars.' From this slender thread I weave a speculation that cloth, or clout, has a history of nefariousness that may have influenced the whole phrase's semantic shift from positive to negative. Mine is a shaky theory, but at least it's made up of the partial cloth." In "On Language; Out of the Whole Cloth," William Safire, New York Times, 19 July 1998.
Addendum of Fantasy Math: "How can a company turn losses into profits? By excluding some of its costs of doing business. Among the more common expenses that companies remove from their calculations are restructuring and acquisition costs, stock-based compensation and write-downs of impaired assets. Creativity abounds in today’s freewheeling accounting world. And the study found that almost 10 percent of the companies in the S.&P. 500 that used made-up figures took out expenses that fell into a category known as 'other.' These include expenses for a data breach (Home Depot), dividends on preferred stock (Frontier Communications) and severance (H&R Block)." In "Fantasy Math Is Helping Companies Spin Losses Into Profits," by Gretchen Morgenson New York Times, 22 April 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of an Antiquated Securities and Exchange Commission: "What should we be thinking about? What should we be asking? In addition, the SEC’s form-based system is arguably antiquated, but that’s not addressed in the Release. Also absent from the Release are specific questions relating to issues of corporate governance and transparency. For example, should there be changes to our rules to address abuses in the presentation of supplemental non-GAAP disclosure, which may be misleading to investors?" In "Statement at Open Meeting on a Concept Release on the Business and Financial Disclosure Required by Regulation S-K," Commissioner Kara M. Stein, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 13 April 2016. [ 2 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] The article notes pointedly: "The bottom line for investors, according to Mr. Ciesielski and Mr. Turner, is to ignore the allure of the make-believe. Real-world numbers may be less heartening, but they are also less likely to generate those ugly surprises that can come from accentuating the positive."
[ 2 ] One might consider that Essie sees
Fa Queue - there's no debating you
Get in line at the Fa queue
As fingers salute the air.
Protests test with too much ado
As all is deemed unfair.
Fa queues form in a crowded flash
When arguments flail and fail,
As screaming in the Fa queue
Obscures sense with its angered wail.
Get in step; cue the Fa queue
As loud as loud can be,
For fearful is truth telling
Which threatens literately.
Fa queues swell up all too well
As tantrums stream like tears,
For few heed and fewer listen
When shred the thin veneers.
Get a life? Not by that Fa queue
That's fleeting fame at worst,
As storm clouds of reality
Form fast before they burst.
Fa queues marked with fingers
Are smeared with stigmas' goo,
When protests turn to farces,
They all just scream -- Fa queue.
Addendum of Adults Throwing Temper-Tantrums: " 'They go zero to 100 really fast,' she said. These adults who throw these temper-tantrums could be suffering from a condition called intermittent explosive disorder. 'The people who have this disorder cause a lot of suffering,' Dr. Igor Galynker, a psychiatrist, said. 'They themselves suffer, and they make a lot of other people suffer when these people are subject to aggression'." In "Adults Throwing Temper-Tantrums Could Be Suffering From Disorder," CBS New York, 19 May 2016.
Bullhorns used in a classroom at the Duke University School of Theology
Addendum of Fuckit: "Just like the poker player who’s been fleeced by all the other players, and gets one mean attitude once he finally wakes up to the con? I’m betting that more and more of the solid American middle-class will begin saying what Brian and Ilsa said: Fuckit. Fuck the rules. Fuck playing the game the banksters want you to play. Fuck being the good citizen. Fuck filling out every form, fuck paying every tax. Fuck the government, fuck the banks who own them. Fuck the free-loaders, living rent-free while we pay. Fuck the legal process, a game which only works if you’ve got the money to pay for the parasite lawyers. Fuck being a chump. Fuck being a stooge. Fuck trying to do the right thing — what good does that get you? What good is coming your way? Fuckit. When the backbone of a country starts thinking that laws and rules are not worth following, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to anarchy." In "The Coming Middle-Class Anarchy," by Gonzalo Lira, Business Insider, 12 October 2010. [ 1 ]
Bullhorn used indoors at a Starbucks
Addendum of the Most Fragile of Human Artifacts: "... it was from Henry David Thoreau, 'the greatest American anarchist,' that she [ 2 ] learned to think of government as the most fragile of human artifacts. Government, she argued following the sage of Walden Pond, is but a recent innovation, a mere ephemeral tradition, which lacks the force and vitality necessary for the conduct of real social life. Those who turn to the state as the means of living in harmony with their fellowmen are bound to come to grief, for all government can offer them is a mock theory of social justice in which morality can be nothing more than a slavish obedience to a sterile body of legal rules. Law, as it takes shape in the hands of the legalists, she held, has no power whatever to impart that feeling for justice which is so necessary for the development of a satisfactory social system. To the contrary, those citizens who are predisposed to think positive thoughts toward their fellowmen are soon conditioned by the inexorable logic of law to distrust their basic social sentiments and to accept injustice and inequality as inevitable. 'Indeed, the keynote of government is injustice,' she proclaimed. 'With the arrogance and self-sufficiency of the king who could do no wrong, governments ordain, judge, condemn, and punish the most insignificant offenses, while maintaining themselves by the greatest of all offenses, the annihilation of individual liberty'." In "Partisans of Freedom: A Study in American Anarchism," William O. Reichert, 1976.
Addendum of Shut Up: "Classic liberalism exalted tolerance, reflected in a line often (and probably wrongly) attributed to Voltaire: 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' On university campuses, that is sometimes updated to: 'I disapprove of what you say, so shut up.”' In a column a few weeks ago, I offered 'a confession of liberal intolerance,' criticizing my fellow progressives for promoting all kinds of diversity on campuses — except ideological." In "The Liberal Blind Spot," by Nicholas Kristof, New York Times, 28 May 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of a Pervasive Tendency: "In the United States today, there is a pervasive tendency to treat children as adults, and adults as children. The options of children are thus steadily expanded, while those of adults are progressively constricted. The result is unruly children and childish adults." Thomas Szasz (1920-2012)
Addendum of Having to Teach Adulthood: "Some say this generation of college students is having a difficult time "adulting" — a slang term for behaving like a responsible adult. But ECU officials say the problem is deeper, about resilience, and it begins long before they arrive at college. 'They say the millennials have failed, but have not experienced [that] failure,' said ECU Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Virginia Hardy. 'They have received a lot of recognition for participation and all get something for being involved,' she told NBC News. 'But they didn't have to manage the emotions that come with not being successful'." In " 'Adulting' Program Teaches College Students Coping Skills," by Susan Donaldson James, NBC News, 4 September 2016.
Addendum of the Best Defense Against Bad Government: "Free speech is the best defence against bad government. Politicians who err (that is, all of them) should be subjected to unfettered criticism. Those who hear it may respond to it; those who silence it may never find out how their policies misfired. As Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate, has pointed out, no democracy with a free press ever endured famine. In all areas of life, free debate sorts good ideas from bad ones. Science cannot develop unless old certainties are queried. Taboos are the enemy of understanding. When China’s government orders economists to offer optimistic forecasts, it guarantees that its own policymaking will be ill-informed. When American social-science faculties hire only left-wing professors, their research deserves to be taken less seriously. The law should recognise the right to free speech as nearly absolute. Exceptions should be rare." In "Under attack, The Economist, 4 June 2016.
Addendum of 30 Minutes of From-the-Gut Yelling: "I yelled at my husband last night. Not pick-up-your-socks yell. Not how-could-you-ignore-that-red-light yell. This was real yelling. This was 30 minutes of from-the-gut yelling. Triggered by a small, thoughtless, dismissive, annoyed, patronizing comment. Really small. A micro-wave that triggered a hurricane. I blew. Hard and fast. And it terrified me. I’m still terrified by what I felt and what I said. I am almost 70 years old. I am a grandmother. Yet in that roiling moment, screaming at my husband as if he represented every clueless male on the planet (and I every angry woman of 2018), I announced that I hate all men and wish all men were dead. If one of my grandchildren yelled something that ridiculous, I’d have to stifle a laugh." In "Thanks for not raping us, all you 'good men.' But it’s not enough," by Victoria Bissell Brown, Washington Post, 12 October 2018. [ 4 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] While the rhetoric is highlighted above, the more interesting sentence is this: "When the backbone of a country starts thinking that laws and rules are not worth following, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to anarchy."
A "middle-class anarchy" is much like the notion of a tax-payers' strike. Rebellion against authority which seems to have the cards stacked in favor of the wealthy and powerful has been, when possible, the norm. When an active rebellion was not possible historically, the passive rebellion served to the same effect. For this, governments have collapsed, as one saw in the Soviet Union's dissolution.
While some socialists like to say the fault is in capitalism, all the while capitalists sat the fault lies in the socialists' goals, the answer is something else. One finds an odd view: "...coercion and repression, whether by private economic power or by the state bureaucracy, is by no means a necessary feature of human life. And the more those concentrations of power and authority continue, the more we will see revulsion against them and efforts to organize and overthrow them. Sooner or later, they’ll succeed, I hope." In "The Relevance of Anarcho-syndicalism," Noam Chomsky interviewed by Peter Jay, The Jay Interview, 25 July 1976.
What one may see in the "Fa queue" is actually answered not by playing in that arena through "organization" as Chomksy imagines, but by what Lira foretells. "When a backbone of a country starts thinking that the laws and rules are not worth following," what is the normal response? Not organized revolution, but rather the very normative and often enormously effective human behavior as People walk away
Chomsky's error is obvious. He says "...there are obvious tendencies in industrial capitalism towards concentration of power in narrow economic empires and in what is increasingly becoming a totalitarian state. These are tendencies that have been going on for a long time, and I don’t see anything stopping them really. I think those tendencies will continue. They’re part of the stagnation and decline of capitalist institutions."
A Reluctant Statist
The better observation is that there is often "the stagnation and decline" of capitalist institutions because governments have grown too large, as well as socialist institutions grown too large. A critic of Chomsky notes: "This is anarcho-syndicalism’s champion? Chomsky is not an anarchist. He is a reluctant Statist. He doesn’t even satisfy his own whitewashed definition of anarchy as a tendency to question authority and domination. He doesn’t question the authority and domination of the State programs he favors. No skepticism. No free association. Chomsky needs the State’s authority and hierarchy to dominate those who believe in private property." In "The Kind of Anarchism I Believe in, and What’s Wrong with Noam Chomsky," by Davi Barker, Daily Anarchist, 29 May 2013.
For some Chomsky is simply a Marxist choosing other terms. Some of his works may be found at Marxists.org in this regard. But one finds Venezuela's socialism is causing capital and companies to leave.
One reads: "Multinational companies are selling their Venezuelan operations at hefty discounts - or even giving them away - as they to seek to escape the OPEC nation's soaring inflation and chronic supply shortages. Six firms, including General Mills and oil producer Harvest Natural Resources, have sold operations for as little as half their assessed value on the companies' books, according to securities filings and interviews with a dozen people knowledgeable about the deals. One company, U.S. autoparts-maker Dana, last year sold its debt-laden Venezuela operations to a local buyer for no cash compensation. Two multinational corporations - Clorox and Kimberly-Clark - chose instead to abandon their operations here." In "Multinational firms dumping Venezuela operations in fire sales," by Corina Pons and Eyanor Chinea, Reuters, 15 November 2016.
Thus one sees real-world proof that socialism collapses. More of Chomsky's silliness may considered on the subject of governments and their addiction to coercing capitalists for Grease
As Lira noted in his list of middle-class complaints, "fuck the free-loaders, living rent-free while we pay." One might consider that while some people walk away, some People like to freeload
[ 2 ] Given so many in the modern era with vague and uniformed notions of history, Emma Goldman speaks a bold truth. In the many battles as protestors protest protestors, one sees blatant imagery of force directed against force, political rhetoric against seeming opposed political rhetoric, and all coming down to encouraging government, "the most fragile of human artifacts" which so often evidences "the arrogance and self-sufficiency of the king who could do no wrong...."
Political Violence
As one looks at news reports in pictures of the heated exchanges which roil political debate, one finds a common thread, and that is that those willing to silence another are in no way "liberal." Perhaps fascist is as apt a label?
Consider the picture painted in words: "High strung, like a violin string, they weep and moan for life, so relentless, so cruel, so terribly inhuman. In a desperate moment the string breaks. Untuned ears hear nothing but discord. But those who feel the agonized cry understand its harmony; they hear in it the fulfillment of the most compelling moment of human nature. Such is the psychology of political violence." In "The Psychology of Political Violence," found in "Anarchism and Other Essays," Emma Goldman, Mother Earth Publishing, 1911.
One notes in the American 2016 political campaign, one reporter's observation about what political debate has become: "These were kids who seemed to be out for the thrill of the brawl. Gang hand signs were thrown in abundance." In "Reporter's Notebook: When an Anti-Donald Trump Protest Becomes a Mob," by Candace Smith, ABC News, 3 June 2016.
The ABC News reporter also noted violence on another side of the political divide: "When anti-Trump protester Shiya Nwanguma attended one of his rallies in Louisville, Kentucky, she was harassed, spat at, called racial epithets and physically assaulted. We tracked down one of her harassers, who turned out to be a prominent white nationalist. That was an injustice and deserving of our coverage, just as any violence directed at Trump supports does, whatever Mr. Trump might think of the motivation. Earlier in the day in San Jose, the crowd of anti-Trump protesters shouted to 'Stop the Hate!' The irony."
So many who gin up rude, loud protest in the Fa Queue are those who tiptoe towards and often cross over into what is termed political violence, and in doing so prove that they seek "the state" to contain and limit freedom. For such obvious examples, I argue that so often Left is Right, as Right is Left
Either way, some form of "the state" as lobbied for by such heated political arguments leaning towards violence will rule over men, for so many lined up in the Fa Queue hope. None of these have concluded that a better society is to be found in the individual, in freedom and ultimately in walking away from the Fa Queue.
As to governments preparing for violence, one may consider the the militarization of the police under a Peace Prize president's federal administration, in America the Dutiful
[ 3 ] Kristof's "confession of liberal intolerance" is not new. One reads the notion of academics from the 1960s which define this "liberal intolerance."
From an article originally from 1965, "Liberating tolerance, then, would mean intolerance against movements from the Right and toleration of movements from the Left. As to the scope of this tolerance and intolerance: ... it would extend to the stage of action as well as of discussion and propaganda, of deed as well as of word." In "A Critique of Pure Tolerance," (Boston: Beacon Press, 1969) by Robert Paul Wolff, Barrington Moore, Jr., and Herbert Marcuse, Beacon Press, 1969.
Thus intolerance for some and tolerance for others, based purely on ideological grounds. How quite akin to Kristof's turn of phrase, 'I disapprove of what you say, so shut up."
Repressive Tolerance
Marcuse specifically clarifies: "I suggested in 'Repressive Tolerance' the practice of discriminating tolerance in an inverse direction, as a means of shifting the balance between Right and Left by restraining the liberty of the Right, thus counteracting the pervasive inequality of freedom (unequal opportunity of access to the means of democratic persuasion) and strengthening the oppressed against the oppressed. Tolerance would be restricted with respect to movements of a demonstrably aggressive or destructive character (destructive of the prospects for peace, justice, and freedom for all)."
Thus partisanship defines who is judge and jury and who is to be silenced. For Marcuse the Left rules, and should "restrain" the Right under the assumption that some objective measures of what "oppressed" means only identifies the word, "Right," and apparently for this intellectual never the Left. This predates Kristof's "confession of liberal intolerance" by decades, and is less a confession than a manifesto. Such can be among The Privileges of Intellectuals
The notion of teaching students (especially at the university level) that they are oppressed by some power entity is a Marcuse sort of notion, part of the "repressive tolerance" game.
Oddly the opposing voice comes from another stream of socialist thought. One reads: "The great Indian Gandhian socialist Rammanohar Lohia once wrote that he was tired of hearing only of the need to change the hearts of the oppressors. That was fine, but far more important was the effort to change the hearts of the oppressed, so that they would become unwilling to continue accepting their oppression, and become determined to build a better society. It is weakness in people's determination and ability to act which makes possible their continued oppression and submission. Change that, and they can never again be oppressed. Such self-liberation can only be done through the strengthening of the subordinates by their own efforts." In "Social Power and Political Freedom," Gene Sharp, Albert Einstein Institute, 1980.
Respectable-sounding Excuses and Liberating Intolerance
Another opinion notes: "Intolerance among Western liberals also has wholly unintended consequences. Even despots know that locking up mouthy but non-violent dissidents is disreputable. Nearly all countries have laws that protect freedom of speech. So authoritarians are always looking out for respectable-sounding excuses to trample on it." In "Under attack, The Economist, 4 June 2016.
Thus, rather than rage against some perceived power loci in favor of other power loci based on a political stance, which allows Marcuse and that stream of academics which follow his path, the onus is on the "oppressed" to step away from "repressive tolerance," and towards "building" rather than tearing down. Rather than shouting down an opponent, one may engage, debate, research, measure, document and thereby strengthen society, rather than strengthen governments' partisan grasp over societies.
An Empirical Link Between Ideology and Neuroticism?
An interesting tidbit emerges from research, funded by government: "The relationship between political orientations and personality traits is multifaceted, however, and extends far beyond Openness and general liberalism-conservatism. Research has also demonstrated a consistent, but weaker, relationship between conservative political attitudes and Conscientiousness (Carney et al. 2008; Gerber et al. 2010; Jost 2006). Political conservatism has been associated with dogmatism (Rokeach 1960), Eysenck's P (Eysenck and Eysenck 1985; Verhulst, Hatemi, and Martin 2010), intolerance of ambiguity or uncertainty, a personal need to achieve order (Sanford 1973), desire for structure and closure, integrative complexity, and fear of threat or loss (Jost et al. 2003). It has also been suggested that conservatism should be associated with high levels of anxiety, a major component of the personality trait Neuroticism. This link, however, has eluded empirical validation (Eaves and Eysenck 1974; Fromm 1947; Kline and Cooper 1984; Ray 1972; Wilson 1973; Wilson and Brazendale 1973). Intriguingly, the empirical link between ideology and Neuroticism suggests the relationship is actually between certain facets of liberalism and Neuroticism (Gerber et al. 2010; Van Hiel, Pandelaere, and Duriez 2004; Verhulst, Hatemi, and Martin 2010). These empirical relationships have been replicated across time and in different political contexts." In "Correlation not Causation: The Relationship between Personality Traits and Political Ideologies," by Brad Verhulst, Lindon J. Eaves, and Peter K. Hatemi, American Journal of Political Science, 56(1), 2012.
Given the rather ordinary misuse of -- or at least poorly defined -- terms, more need be done to clarify, but since the province of much ideological thought often involves imprecision and obfuscation, the argument holds.
Perhaps the urge towards "repressive intolerance" which was that "liberating intolerance" advocated by Herbert Marcuse in his 1969 book might evidence a link between that ideology and neuroticism, in the psychological sense less distorted by degree than psychosis but nonetheless a distorted perception of reality. Perhaps the monikers used in political "science," and as more inexpertly in politics itself, need serious reworking by researchers, psychologists and philosophers?
The Fa Queue is no avenue towards this goal, for it is merely a forum for expressing rage and anger. It is an intolerance in the name of supposed liberal which allows tyrants to justify theirs by its example. Marcuse and other like him have made an enormous intellectual error, all for the sake of an ideology. Monkey see; monkey do.
[ 4 ] "30 minutes of from-the-gut yelling" by a wife and grandmother aimed squarely at a husband and grandfather testifies to the inanity of the present day and its delight in joining the Fa Queue. Perhaps this retired professor should consider strange testimony as regards the triggering realities which one finds in the form of a Sexy acrostic
Free speech? Hate speech?
Are there any rules?
Only the changing ones
Honed as sharpened tools.
Some for some just day,
Others may not play.
Some just for today,
Old rules fade away.
Hate speech? Free speech?
Contradictions roil,
As rules flip flop,
Rolling to a boil.
Who will define a word?
Who will outlaw names?
Who then will jail you?
Who will lose which games?
Free speech? Hate speech?
Difficult the rules,
For such complexities
Are stitched by needling fools.Will you hate free speech?
Will you free hate speech?
Will you stumble hard,
When you overreach?
Free speech? Hate speech?
Society is torn.
Compromise is neutered.
The old games are newborn.
Envoi: "That’s the official legal guidance from the New York City Commission on Human Rights: The NYCHRL [New York City Human Rights Law] requires employers[, landlords, and all businesses and professionals] to use an [employee’s, tenant’s, customer’s, or client’s] preferred name, pronoun and title (e.g., Ms./Mrs.) regardless of the individual’s sex assigned at birth, anatomy, gender, medical history, appearance, or the sex indicated on the individual’s identification. Most individuals and many transgender people use female or male pronouns and titles. Some transgender and gender non-conforming people prefer to use pronouns other than he/him/his or she/her/hers, such as they/them/theirs or ze/hir." In "You can be fined for not calling people ‘ze’ or ‘hir,’ if that’s thepronoun they demand that you use," by Eugene Volokh, Washington Post, 17 May 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Miss Gender's Hefty Fines: "Greeting customers as 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.' — or even not using the pronoun 'ze' or 'zir' — could prove costly for New York City businesses under rules drafted by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s bureaucrats. The Gotham mayor’s Commission on Human Rights says entities that fail to address customers by their preferred gender pronouns and titles are in violation of the law and could be subject to penalties of up to $250,000." In "New York businesses face hefty penalties for ‘misgendering’ customers," by Bradford Richardson, Washington Times, 18 May 2016.
Addendum of the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." In "I. Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion and Petition, in the Bill of Rights, amendments to the Constitution of the United States, ratified on December 15, 1791.
Addendum of a Foundation for Human Dignity: "World Press Freedom Day came about at UNESCO's general conference to recognise that a free and independent press is essential in a democratic society. In December 1993, member states of UNESCO decided that May 3 be proclaimed World Press Freedom Day to honour those who sacrifice themselves, and often die, for freedom of the press. India is a member state too. In this year's message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNESCO and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said, 'Freedom of expression is one of the most precious rights. It underpins every other freedom and provides a foundation for human dignity. Free, pluralistic and independent media is essential for its exercise'." In "Freedom of expression: foundation for human dignity," The Hundu, 26 April 2012.
Addendum of Any Speech: "In the law of some countries, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group. The law may identify a protected group by certain characteristics. In the law of other countries, hate speech is not a legal term. In some countries, a victim of hate speech may seek redress under civil law, criminal law, or both. A website that uses hate speech is called a hate site. Most of these sites contain Internet forums and news briefs that emphasize a particular viewpoint. There has been debate over how freedom of speech applies to the Internet as well as hate speech in general. Critics have argued that the term 'hate speech' is a contemporary example of Newspeak, used to silence critics of social policies that have been poorly implemented in a rush to appear politically correct." In "Hate Speech," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Addendum of Nebulous Standards: "Given the nebulous standards on which much of Europe's hate speech laws are based—indeed, there is not even a universally agreed upon definition for what constitutes hate speech—it is little wonder that such legislation has ensnared speech it was likely never meant to punish. Delineating the line between speech that is considered rude and that which is considered insulting for the purposes of criminal prosecution is an utterly subjective undertaking, and a distinction that governments are ill-suited to determine. Compounding the problem of these laws' arbitrariness is their selective application: while European authorities have at times appeared reluctant to go after Islamist firebrands spouting hatred, those engaging in legitimate debate about Islamism are frequently targeted for prosecution." In "European Hate Speech Laws," The Legal Project, n. d.
Addendum of the Embodiment of Compromise: "...Excluded from hate speech are good faith interpretations of religious doctrine, discussion of issues of public interest, and literary devices like sarcasm and irony...." In "Canada’s law on hate speech is the embodiment of compromise," by David Butt, Globe and Mail, 19 January 2015.
Addendum of Being Easily Offended: "While Dershowitz believes there is greater freedom of speech today, he noted people tend to be more easily offended and more likely to call for a solution for that offense, which can set a dangerous precedent. 'There is an '-ism' for everything — racism, sexism, fatism — and once you give in to one -ism, every other -ism comes back and asks to be treated the same, too. It can be dangerous to satisfy people's sensitivities,' he said, adding that hurtful words used in political and social debates are "far different than the incitement that led to massacres in Rwanda. 'In America, the pendulum swings far too widely in reaction to these events. The proper response to hate speech is to answer that speech more often, not to censor it. The best solution and answer to hate speech always has been to keep the marketplace of ideas open'." In " Dershowitz: Hate Speech Laws a 'Dangerous Trend'," by Jennifer G. Hickey, NewsMax, 8 May 2014. [ 2 ]
Addendum as a History Lesson: "At the dawn of the 17th century, Englishmen were in the habit of challenging each other to violent duels in order to avenge personal insults. Public disorder was frequent and the authorities decided to step in. To obviate the need for duels, they began to prosecute defamation as a criminal offence. So was born the notorious 'criminal libel'. Truth was no defence since a true defamatory statement was as likely to lead to a breach of peace as a false one. There was even a saying, 'the greater the truth, the greater the libel.' Two hundred and fifty years later, in 1860, the British imported their idea of criminal libel into the newly-minted Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 499 of the IPC criminalised intentionally defamatory statements. True statements were not exempted, unless they also happened to be made for the 'public good'." In "A blow against free speech," by Gautam Bhatia, The Hindu, 16 May 2016.
Addendum of Being Free: "We never see ourselves so clearly as we do when we must defend our ideas to those who refute us. Those who force their challengers into reticence often weaken themselves more than those whom they seek to oppress. Lack of opposition is not only a hallmark of tyranny, but also a breeding ground for it. Any unconstrained force is corrupted if it is not constantly defending itself against the onslaught of resistance. The voices of those who are not free are often the most urgent and brilliant. As the American poet, essayist, and activist Emma Lazarus said, 'Until we are all free, we are none of us free.' We need to welcome dissent, because we grow from it. If you have to silence the other side, your own arguments can’t be very strong." In " JK Rowling was right: free speech is for everyone, not just your friends," by Andrew Solomon, Guardian UK, 18 May 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Progressives Assisting Authoritarians: "..when progressive thinkers agree that offensive words should be censored, it helps authoritarian regimes to justify their own much harsher restrictions and intolerant religious groups their violence. When human-rights campaigners object to what is happening under oppressive regimes, despots can point out that liberal democracies such as France and Spain also criminalise those who 'glorify' or 'defend' terrorism, and that many Western countries make it a crime to insult a religion or to incite racial hatred." In "Under attack, The Economist, 4 June 2016.
Addendum of Refusing the List: "Students are being taught to prevent offence rather than to seek truth and pursue experiences. 'Universities used to be all about that, but now it seems they're places where students are being taught to be woke. I think it reflects a broader issue, where increasingly there are people who value safety, or what they perceive to be safety.' The full list of topics listed by the organisers were 'racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia or anti-religion or anti-atheism'." In "Comedian refused to sign 'behavioural agreement' before gig," BBC, 12 December 2018. [ 4 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] The article notes: "...this isn’t just the government as employer, requiring its employees to say things that keep government patrons happy with government services. This is the government as sovereign, threatening 'civil penalties up to $125,000 for violations, and up to $250,000 for violations that are the result of willful, wanton, or malicious conduct' if people don’t speak the way the government tells them to speak."
What becomes obvious is that either there will be new legally defined pronouns, in which case a limited number will be chosen and published, or there will be no legally defined pronouns, in which case the misapplication of pronouns will become legion as vocabulary explode into various pronouns and their advocates. One has already seen this at the Hen Party
One among a number of public comments to such articles humorously opined: "Zis is Ztupid." What is not stupid is that in addition to coming constitutional law suits which will cost the city money to defend against, there are easily predictable outcomes as businesses will react in many ways, such as using only an employee's or customer's last name as identification, making social interaction al the more confrontational.
[ 2 ] As to Dershowitz' notion that "there is an '-ism' for everything," consider the game of so many governments and their fundamental belief systems which exhibit dictating to their citizens: So shall ism
[ 3 ] The notion that in debate as in political sparring is a strong argument -- "if you have to silence the other side, your own arguments can't be very strong." One might observe that those who posit they are the correct holders of The Truth
No Force Prevails But That of the Better Argument
Freedom of speech is a foundational pillar for some societies and an anathema to others. But one finds its advocates: "Habermas argued that human beings have a fundamental interest in coming to agreement with each other in open rational dialogue. He also held that, in ordinary speech situations, people commit themselves to the truth of the assertions they make; in particular, they implicitly claim that their assertions can be vindicated in an 'ideal speech situation' -- a dialogue that is completely free and uncoerced, in which no force prevails but that of the better argument." In "Western political philosophy from the start of the 20th century," Richard J. Arneson, Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed December 2018.
For Liberty of Thought and Speech
Additionally from the same article, one reads: "According to the American philosopher Thomas Nagel, liberalism is the conjunction of two ideals: (1) individuals should have liberty of thought and speech and wide freedom to live their lives as they choose (so long as they do not harm others in certain ways), and (2) individuals in any society should be able to determine through majority rule the laws by which they are governed and should not be so unequal in status or wealth that they have unequal opportunities to participate in democratic decision making."
As antidote: Freedom is freedom is freedom
[ 4 ] It's not funny. As comedians around the West balk at the hand-wringing of those who would "prevent offence rather than to seek truth and pursue experiences," the BBC documents the "list." To consider how this "list" mirrors another, consider the rhyme and its documentation when a Doctor Oppression comes to call
Dear deer - paraphrase of a Christian Morgenstern poem
Dear deer pray their evening prayer,
Take care!
Nine draws nigh!
Ten's nearby!
Eleven! Sigh!
Then it's quite
Midnight!
Dear deer pray their evening prayer,
Take care!
They fold together their tender toes,
Those little does.See: Das Gebet - (2016)
"Political connections have always greased the wheels of commerce. But for the past 20 years, from Malaysia to Mexico, crony capitalists—individuals who earn their riches thanks to their chumminess with government—have had a golden era. Worldwide, the worth of billionaires in crony industries soared by 385% between 2004 and 2014, to $2 trillion. The Economist's crony-capitalism index tries to measure the extent of this graft for a number of important countries." In "Comparing crony capitalism around the world," Economist, 5 May 2016.
"Grease the wheels of commerce?"
The trick lies in that phrase.
"Grease grubby politicians"
Speaks much clearer, anyways.
Commerce without greasy men
Is commerce that fair competes,
While commerce greased with politics
Skews outcomes towards elites.
To grease big "wheels in commerce"
Is to grease political palms,
Which skew and bend corruptly
Without showing moral qualms.
"Chumminess with government"
Speaks clear of the crony game,
But that's not competition;
It's corruption with different name.
Capital is the aim of all,
From a Marx as to a Smith,
But capitalism which runs on grease
Is not capitalism, but a myth.
Call some commerce crony,
When it pays to not compete?
The sense is gone, the lie is there
And the game's wholly complete.
One throws out a clever phrase
To blind the eye with words.
Crony capitalism's such a phrase
That corruption undergirds.
An Economist who writes the phrase
Asks readers not to note
That crony capitalism is not free,
Taking citizens by their throat.
When next one reads such a phrase,
Give thought to what is means,
For clever writing prints wee lies
Which clear meaning contravenes.
Addendum of the Nuance of Words into a Conceptual Confusion: "There is 'capitalism' and then there is ''really existing capitalism.' The term 'capitalism' is commonly used to refer to the U.S. economic system, with substantial state intervention ranging from subsidies for creative innovation to the 'too-big-to-fail' government insurance policy for banks. The system is highly monopolized, further limiting reliance on the market, and increasingly so: In the past 20 years the share of profits of the 200 largest enterprises has risen sharply, reports scholar Robert W. McChesney in his new book 'Digital Disconnect.' 'Capitalism' is a term now commonly used to describe systems in which there are no capitalists...." In "Noam Chomsky: Can Civilization Survive Capitalism?" by Noam Chomsky, AlterNet, 5 March 2013. [ 1 ]
Consider the Odd Phenomenon: Capital for Communists
Addendum of a Century-old and Un-free Really Existing Capitalism: "The planned society he would like to have imposed on the German people called for state control but not state ownership. As the British historian James Joll observed, 'Power would lie in the hands of enlightened capitalists , austere, dedicated men at the head of the vast cartels, staffed by the managers who had risen to positions of influence after education at the hands of the charitable foundations financed by the profits of industry.' To Joll there was more than a hint here of the governmental supervision that prevailed under National Socialism." In " Siegfried's Curse, Wayne Andrews, Atheneum, New York, 1972.
Consider the Confusion between Capitalism as the Planned Society and Socialism as the Opposite of Freedom: True socialism, oh yes, he said
Addendum of Conceptual Confusion: "...there is conceptual confusion over the term 'liberal' that requires clarification. In the mid-seventeenth to mid-nineteenth centuries, political philosophers emphasized the root meaning of liberal, which is from the Latin liberalis for 'free man' and the French liber for 'free.' It stood for an emphasis on individual liberty—on the freedom of a people versus their government. A liberal slogan of the time was 'that government is best which governs least. 'In modern times, though, the term 'liberal' has evolved to mean a belief that government is a tool to improve society and deal with the problems of poverty, discrimination, and monopolies, among others, and to improve public health, education, social security, the environment, and working conditions. There is no less an emphasis on human rights, a dedication that is shared by Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and modern liberals, but today’s liberals no longer accept minimum government, nor do they see in the government the danger that classical liberals attributed to it. My understanding of 'liberal democracy' however, draws on the root definition of 'liberal' and not its modern usage. A liberal democracy means that a people rule themselves through periodic elections in which nearly all adults can participate; they elect their highest leaders to the offices for which they are eligible, and they are governed under the rule of law that guarantees them their human rights." In "Freedom’s Principles,". J. Rummel, rev. 2008. [ 2 ]
In Contrast to Freedom, consider: Totalitarian
Addendum of a Golden Era Coming to a Shabby End: "Two years ago The Economist constructed an index of crony capitalism. It was designed to test whether the world was experiencing a new era of 'robber barons'—a global re-run of America’s gilded age in the late 19th century. Depressingly, the exercise suggested that since globalisation had taken off in the 1990s, there had been a surge in billionaire wealth in industries that often involve cosy relations with the government, such as casinos, oil and construction. Over two decades, crony fortunes had leapt relative to global GDP and as a share of total billionaire wealth. It may seem that this new golden era of crony capitalism is coming to a shabby end." In "The party winds down," Economist, 7 May 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of the Anarchy of Freedom: "Anyone who makes the freedom of the individual a principle for all of human-kind and anyone who sees the freedom of society as the freedom of all individuals, united in community, can call himself an anarchist. Anyone who allows individuals to be oppressed in the name of society or society to be oppressed has no such right. In "Liberating Society from the State: What is Communist Anarchism?" Erich Kurt Mühsam, 1932. [ 4 ]
Addendum of the Old Joke: "...the old joke told in Soviet Russia: What is Communism? Communism is the longest and most painful route from capitalism to capitalism.''
Addendum of an Example of Really Existing Not-Capitalism: "US steel makers say that the Chinese government unfairly subsidises its steel exports. Meanwhile China has been under pressure to save its steel sector, which is suffering from over-capacity issues because of slowing demand at home. China's Ministry of Finance has not directly responded to the US ruling but on its website this morning it has said that China will maintain its tax rebate policy for steel exports as part of its efforts to help the bloated steel sector recover." In "US slaps China steel imports with five-fold tax increase," BBC, 18 May 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Really Existing Economics: "Should the government take from some people in order to give to others? Who should give the most, and who should receive? What exactly should they receive? Even putting politics aside, these are not easy questions. No one has figured out a foolproof way to make workers hurt by globalization whole again. In theory, everyone who benefited from globalization — every consumer who bought cheap imported products, every producer who used cheap imported inputs, every exporter — would have to chip in. Likewise, everyone who suffered — every worker whose job moved abroad, every shareholder whose company’s prices were undercut by foreign competition — would be in line for compensation. Moreover, society would have to agree on the value of all these benefits and costs, not in dollars but rather in terms of well-being." In "Economics Has Failed America," by Daniel Altman, Foreign Policy, 19 May 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Government's Controls and Regulations: "Contemporary Marxists claim that several of Karl Marx's prediction of the future of capitalism became true since the government's controls and regulations now play a big part in the capitalists countries economies." In "Actually existing capitalism," Wikipedia article, n. d. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Socialism Submitting: "At the beginning, in the forties, Socialism presented itself as Communism, as a republic one and indivisible, as a governmental and Jacobin dictatorship, in its application to economics. Such was the ideal of that time. Religious and freethinking Socialists were equally ready to submit to any strong government, even an imperial one, if that government would only remodel economic relations to the worker's advantage. A profound revolution has since been accomplished, especially among Latin and English peoples. Governmental Communism, like theocratic Communism, is repugnant to the worker. And this repugnance gave rise to a new conception or doctrine-that of Collectivism-in the International." In "Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Ideal,* Peter Kropotkin, trans. by Harry Lyman Koopman, San Francisco: Free Society, 1898.
Addendum of Debt-bloated and Unprofitable State-Owned Enterprise: "Chinese banks are looking down the barrel of a staggering RMB 8 trillion - or $1.7 trillion - worth of losses according to the French investment bank Societe Generale. Put another way, 60 per cent of capital in China's banks is at risk as authorities start the delicate and dangerous process of reining in the debt-bloated and unprofitable state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector. Disturbingly though, debt is not only not shrinking, it is accelerating, making the eventual reckoning far worse." In "Chinese banks sitting on $1.7 trillion debt time bomb," by Stephen Letts, ABC, Australia, 24 May 2016. [ 8 ]
Addendum of Lubrication under Soviet Socialism: "...since the whole bureaucratic system of production was lubricated by the exchange of favors, the inspectors soon became just another part to be oiled." In Chapter 10, "Perestroika and Modernization," in "Heaven on Earth, the Rise and Fall of Socialism," Joshua Muravchik, Encounter Books, 2002. [ 9 ]
Addendum of Imposing Will: "Military cliques, ambitious individuals, elected officials, and doctrinal political parties will repeatedly seek to impose their will." In "From Dictatorship to Democracy, A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, by Gene Sharp, the Albert Einstein Institution, Boston, 1993. [ 10 ]
Addendum of Lots of Grease from the Empire Donors: "The convention is not our party. It is their party. It costs a lot of money to attend. Donate $ 100,000 and you become an “empire” donor, with perks such as 'VIP credentials for all convention proceedings,' along with tickets to lavish corporate and Party receptions, photo ops with politicians at the convention podium, four rooms at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel and a suite at a Yankees game, where a 'special guest' will be present. Short of $100,000? You can become a 'gold' donor for $50,000, a 'silver' donor for $25,000 or a 'bronze' donor for $10,000. We have the best democracy money can buy. The Wells Fargo Center and the fancy hotels in Philadelphia will be swarming with corporate representatives and lobbyists from Comcast, Xerox, Google and dozens of other companies that manage our political theater." In "Shut Down the Democratic National Convention," by Chris Hedges, Truthdig, 5 June 2016.
Addendum of Theory and Practice: " 'In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.' Attributed by Doug Rosenberg and Matt Stephens (2007) Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UMLTheory and Practice p. xxvii." Oddly, in "Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut," Wikipedia stub, n. d. [ 11 ]
Addendum of a Conservative Criticism of Crony Capitalism: "The EU is a richly compensated, enormous, anonymous unelected bureaucracy completely lacking in transparency. Its power rests in people the voters are unaware of and unable to remove. They are utterly unaccountable to the voters. It is a wasteful crony capitalist racket, working largely to keep its own gravy train (and that of its favored friends) going and growing." In "Brexit and DCexit: British and U.S. Voters Put a Halt to Elitism?" by Clarice Feldman, American Thinker, 12 June 2016. [ 12 ]
Addendum of Outing the Adjective: "Billions disappeared from the economy due to cronyism, with Transparency International naming Venezuela one of the most corrupt countries in the world." In "EXCLUSIVE - 'Why shouldn't we enjoy ourselves just because the country is burning?' Super-rich Socialists quaff champagne in Venezuela country club while middle class mothers scavenge for scraps in the gutter... and even the DOGS are starving," by Jake Wallis Simons, Daily Mail, 16 June 2016. [ 13 ]
Addendum of "Rip Off" Chumminess in Greasy Rome: " 'It's time to change Rome,' was the battlecry of her campaign, along with Five Star's constant refrain of 'honesty'. Her cause in the capital was helped by the ousting of her predecessor, the PD's Ignazio Marino, over an expenses issue and a much bigger scandal over organised crime's infiltration of the city administration. In what is known as the 'Mafia Capitale' case, dozens of local businessmen, officials and politicians are currently on trial for their involvement in a criminal network that ripped off the city to the tune of tens -- if not hundreds -- of millions of euros." In "Populist surge puts first woman in charge of Rome," by Angus MacKinnon, Yahoo, 20 June 2016. [ 14 ]
Addendum of Government Control, not Freedom, Dictates Market Access: "European Union leaders drew a stark line along the British Channel on Wednesday, telling the U.K. that it cannot keep valuable business links with its former continental partners in a seamless single EU market, if it doesn't also accept European workers. The challenge cuts to the heart of the British vote to leave the bloc following a virulent campaign where migration from poorer EU countries was a key concern. It also sets the scene for the complex departure negotiations facing departing Prime Minister David Cameron's successor, for which nominations opened in London Wednesday. Meeting for the first time without the U.K., the 27 other EU nations set out a united strategy to face the next British government which will seek to salvage as many of the EU rights as possible while reneging on a maximum amount of obligations." In "EU spells out conditions for single market access to Britain," by Raf Casert and Geir Moulson, Associated Press, 29 July 2016. [ 15 ]
Addendum of the People Noticing: "It didn't matter if the person was white, black or Hispanic or whether they identified as Republican, Democrat or Independent. The majority feel the American Dream comes with huge asterisk that reads 'only for the favored few.' No wonder the 'rigged economy' has become one of the biggest talking points on the 2016 campaign trail. Bernie Sanders may have started it, but Donald Trump now uses that exact term and Hillary Clinton talks often about how she'll help those 'left behind'." In "71% of Americans believe economy is 'rigged'," by Heather Long, CNN Money, 28 June 2016. [ 16 ]
Addendum of Greasing to Reduce Competition: "The shady Lebanese-Nigerian businessman who got Hillary Clinton’s State Department to arrange a high-level meeting was only one of a dizzying number of big donors to the Clinton Foundation to score government favors. The list includes high rollers whose relationships with the Clintons made them even richer; countries with dubious human-rights records; and companies looking to grease the skids to get an edge on the competition." In "Hillary played favorites with huge number of Clinton Foundation donors," by Daniel Halper and Bob Fredericks, New York Post, 11 August 2016. [ 17 ]
Addendum of Nothing to Do with Capitalism: "Where does the state subsidy money come from? Other taxpayers — that’s where. With the state already projecting a budget deficit, other tax hikes might follow, which would make living here even less affordable. In essence, then, the state and city already have such high taxes that, to get affordable housing, they must take money from other people to subsidize both developers and workers. What does any of this have to do with free markets and capitalism? Nothing." In "American journalism is collapsing before our eyes," by Michael Goodwin, New York Post, 21 August 2016.
Addendum of Cronyism and Obamacare: "...a giant rent-seeking insurance company is accused of having threatened to leave Obamacare’s health insurance 'marketplace' if the government didn’t approve its giant merger. If true, this would be the least surprising development in the past six years of Obamacare fiascos. Any giant regulatory scheme bringing together big business and big government inevitably leads to cronyism and corruption." In "Reminder: Obamacare Is Still A Giant Cronyistic Disaster," by David Harsanyi, Federalist, 18 August 2016. [ 18 ]
Addendum of Cronyism and US Drug Pricing: "Rather than lower prices, rules for Medicare help raise them. Medicare rewards doctors for prescribing costly intravenous drugs—medicines that can account for up to 30% of an oncologist’s revenue. Medicare’s rules for pills, inhalers and so on are equally nonsensical. And it is illegal for Medicare to negotiate with drug companies. Private insurers do so instead, but the government binds their hands, for example by requiring them to pay for six broad categories of drugs, without exception. This suits pharmaceutical firms. Their biggest client is required to buy their products and prohibited from negotiating the price." In "Why drug prices in America are so high," Economist, 12 September 2016. [ 19 ]
Addendum of Richly Green Crony Grease: "As the investigators reveal, the billionaires’ green network transfers millions of dollars from individual, corporate and 'charitable foundation' donors … through tax-exempt 'educational' nonprofits that do not have to disclose donor names … to activist and pressure groups that work to influence elections, legislation, regulations, legal actions and public perceptions on energy and environmental issues. A lot of money originates with Russian and other foreign interests that want to protect their monopoly revenues. Many wealthy donors and foundations that bankroll these operations also have venture capital firms that invest in “green” energy companies which benefit from the laws, policies, regulations and lawsuits – and from government contracts, grants, guaranteed loans, subsidies, feed-in tariffs, and mandates for energy systems, ethanol blends or wind and solar electricity. In turn, US money can end up in the coffers of radical Australian groups that block coal exports to India, thereby keeping its people mired in poverty." In "Billionaire Crony Corporatist Schemes," by Paul Driessen, Townhall, 29 October 2016.
Addendum of Unsustainable Stockpiles: "The U.S. Trade Representative, which negotiates with foreign governments, told Reuters the move by China would not be surprising 'given the high levels of domestic support China provides to its corn producers. China's overproduction of corn has created a growing stockpile of corn that appears to have reached unsustainable levels,' agency spokesman Matt Swenson said. 'Chinese exports could negatively impact corn prices just as U.S. farmers are harvesting their crops'." In "China set to export corn, threatening global market: sources," Reuters, 30 September 2016. [ 20 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] The Economist article is most instructional, as is Chomsky's clever toying with words. One looks for other and competing voices to join the word games which surround covering the noun, capitalism, with modifiers.
First, it is instructional to note how the language is used. "Crony" and "really existing" alongside other modifiers attempt to place capitalism as an economic phenomenon under some form of state control. In another article, one reads of state control in a comparison of failing economies, Venezuela and Zimbabwe: "...the key similarity between the two regimes is not their thuggishness but their economic ineptitude. Both believe that market forces can be bossed around like soldiers on parade. In both cases, the results are similar: shortages, inflation and tumbling living standards." In "Spot the difference, Venezuela today looks like Zimbabwe 15 years ago," Economist, 2 April 2016.
The article challenges: spot the difference? Yet more parlance is invented. "For Venezuela, the lesson is plain. If it fails to pick a better model than Mugabenomics, things will only get worse." One asks, why term Zimbabwe's "economic ineptitude" by such a relatively new moniker? Might one be avoiding the Marxist roots to Mugabe's political and economic actions? If Venezuela "fails to pick a better model that Mugabenomics, is the Chavista revolution also Mugabenomics? And both rooted in Marxism? Or are they some variant of a "really existing" capitalism -- using Chomsky's clever word game -- a system "in which there are no capitalists?"
The large discussion seems one of expanding linguistic confusion as governments "fail to pick a better model."
One finds many current citations and references to Chomsky's notion in the slogan meant to assume clarity -- "really existing capitalism." But one finds far fewer sources to document what the definition which Chomsky claims in creating a counterpoint between the word he employs, "capitalism," and his clever phrase, "really existing capitalism." Capitalism as a loosely-defined word is often joined to all sorts of notions of governments intervening in markets worldwide.
Let Chomsky's distinction between capitalism and "really existing capitalism" suggest that these are not identical notions.
Socialists on Capitalism
One learns from a socialist site: "Competition with other capitalists forces them to reinvest as much of their profits as they can afford to keep their means and methods of production up to date." In "What is Capitalism?," World Socialist Movement, n. d.
Thus, "forces" compete with other forces. Yet the Economist states that "grease" is applied such that government acts in skewing the outcomes of such competition. One may conclude then that government actions suppress some capitalists in order to uplift others, and the application of "grease" assures the "chumminess" of government for some and not all capitalists.
The World Socialist Movement further informs: "...it is possible to have capitalism without a free market. The systems that existed in the U.S.S.R and exist in China and Cuba demonstrate this. These class-divided societies are widely called 'socialist'. A cursory glance at what in fact existed there reveals that these countries were simply 'state capitalist'."
Perhaps this leans in the direction Chomsky wishes we would conclude, wherein 'state capitalists' are called by such names as Soviet Socialists and Sino-Socialists, as well as conveniently ignoring the overt statements of Cuba's Castro, which may be seen in addenda and footnotes to Socialism's Last Hurrah
The World Socialist Movement muddies the word soup with this: "It is also possible (at least in theory) to have a free market economy that is not capitalist. Such a 'market economy' would involve farmers, artisans and shopkeepers each producing a particular product that they would exchange via the medium of money. There would be no profit-making and no class division—just independent producers exchanging goods for their mutual benefit. But it is doubtful whether such an economy has ever existed."
This modeling of an imaginary system in which there would be "no profit-taking and no class division" is not capitalist, of course, but it is also not socialist nor Communist, because systems of government profit for themselves and take for their sustenance, often far above the average citizen. In fact, given that the World Socialist Movement has suggested this imaginary "at least in theory" system requires that they flesh out how such a system might work, free of a producer making a profit on work of various kinds.
The language confusion bordering on or even surpassing trickery appears throughout such discussions, because words are easily manipulated -- as Politics
"...today, Latin America’s leftist ramparts appear to be crumbling because of widespread corruption, a slowdown in China’s economy and poor economic choices. For the most part, leaders failed to create diversified economies capable of withstanding slumps. The welfare and pension programs that kept voters loyal proved unsustainable. Leaders in Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia flouted democratic traditions by expanding or eliminating term limits and co-opted independent institutions with networks of patronage. The region is in its second year of economic contraction." In "The Left on the Run in Latin America," by Editorial Board, New York Times, 23 May 2016.
As National Treasuries Have Emptied
So one finds in a single editorial by the New York Times "Left" associated with "widespread corruption" coupled to "poor economic choices," such that it -- the "Left's ramparts" -- appear to be crumbling. Ramparts? Words. The words of a Latin American Left are political, pretending to have been correct as to economics, and yet the article later writes the phrase, "As national treasuries have emptied...." The article then goes on to say that Brazil's Left in the person of the now-impeached and indicted ex-president practiced "financial trickery."
Should one accept the statements in words that the Left in Latin America have evidenced "widespread corruption?" "Poor economic choices?" Proven unsustainable, but how? The answers come easily as time passes. Such policies are economically "unsustainable," even if politically winning at first.
The purist on the capitalist side will see little complaint with an capitalist explanation of the continuing events, while the purist on the side of socialism -- which one recalls from 1848 forward has been asserted to be "scientific" -- will alter words such that "Latin America's leftist ramparts" all show capitalism as the fault. This is politics by words and ignores economics as numbers.
One then has a supposed range of "isms" according to the World Socialist Movement from 1) a free market which is not capitalist, to 2) free market capitalism, to 3) "really existing capitalism," to 4) "capitalism without a free market," to 5) "state capitalism" which heretofore went by names like Soviet Socialism, to 6) the utter control of all means of production and distribution which is often the definition of socialism, but also as fascism. But as to a free market without capitalism, the World Socialist Movement writes plainly: "We do not think that it is a viable alternative for modern society."
An allegedly tell-all book is being hawked. On the subject of "greasing the wheels of commerce" or "chumminess" or that which is "really existing," one hears: " 'Voters are incredibly ignorant. It’s far easier than you think to manipulate a nation of naive, self-absorbed sheep who crave instant gratification ...' vents Congressman X. He says money 'corrupts' and House members are 'puppets' to lobbyists who bankroll their campaigns. 'Business organizations and unions fork over more than $3 billion a year to those who lobby the federal government. Does that tell you something? We’re operating a f–king casino,' he says.' In " '‘We’re running a f—ing casino:' Politician tells all in manifesto," by Carl Campanile, New York Post, 13 May 2016.
This picture is quite alike to the imagery in the rhyme and its addenda: Bring presents to the party
Losing to the Plutocrats
The notion of a plutocracy -- a ruling elite, small in number and great in power -- is apt for many nations today. One reads of the United States in particular: "In the United States, our findings indicate, the majority does not rule—at least not in the causal sense of actually determining policy outcomes. When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites or with organized interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the U.S. political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favor policy change, they generally do not get it." In "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens," by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page, Perspectives on Politics, 2014.
Thus one can conclude that an "economic elite" and "organized interest groups" overwhelm simple citizens, to include small business owners which the Marxist theorist so easily dismisses in favor of the dream of that "dictatorship of the proletariat." But who dictates and how? The party? An economic elite? Organized groups which can overwhelm the unorganized who might otherwise oppose such amalgamation of power?
As simple counterpoint to these various ingredients in the word soup which supposedly surrounds and modifies the word "capitalism" as found in the statements from socialists of varying types, one reads from a capitalist site: "Under capitalism the state is separated from economics (production and trade), just like the state is separated from religion." In "What is capitalism?", Capitalism.org, n. d.
Thus the "capitalist" site reinforces the Economist's perspective that "crony capitalists—individuals who earn their riches thanks to their chumminess with government" might well not be seen by many capitalists as capitalists, if indeed "the state is separated from economics (production and trade)...."
Then the "crony capitalist" -- at least a "state capitalist" according to the statements of the World Socialist Movement -- is to the capitalist not capitalist at all. Perhaps a well-greased "really existing capitalism" non-competitor using the "grease" of donations to politicians to skew competition in their favor and against their competitors. Oddly, one then finds the issue hinging on the fulcrum of freedom from government (a free market) on the one side and government control on the opposite side (an un-free market).
If this is the divide, then one finds all systems and theories of governments' involvement in a marketplace to be arrayed against the simplicities and imagined horrors of freedom. As the World Socialist Movement states overtly of such freedom of individual actors in a market free of government interference: "We do not think that it is a viable alternative for modern society." Awkwardly they also note: "But it is doubtful whether such an economy has ever existed."
If that experiment has not been tried, then freedom remains an untested proposition, all the while all the other alternatives and permutations as the Economist, Chomsky and the World Socialist Movement have described above have. Oddly the results from these many documented experiments are labeled in some part "capitalist" when the involvement of government in marketplaces has failed in varieties of ways.
One example of this is a government's nationalization of a "capitalist" business. Does such an act define "really existing socialism?" Yet socialists would have it known as "state capitalism." See: National Eyes
One finds this logic in an Economist article, as one reads: "The trouble is that, in America, the banks are only part of the picture. There is a huge, parallel structure that exists outside the banks and which creates almost as much credit as they do: the mortgage system. In stark contrast to the banks it is very badly capitalised (see chart 2). It is also barely profitable, largely nationalised and subject to administrative control." In "Comradely capitalism," Economist, 20 August 2016.
Capitalism has a "parallel structure" which is "nationalized." Such a statement does not describe capitalism, but state socialism -- even if termed state capitalism by those wishing to blur distinctions.
Of the state which is of course government which has nationalized a portion of an industry, the article adds: "All the new rules are silent on the mortgage system’s purpose. One potential justification is simply to facilitate a liquid mortgage-bond market. By acting as a common guarantor, the state can ensure that mortgage bonds are homogenous and easy to trade ($220 billion-worth change hands every day). Another is to subsidise home loans for a broader political or social purpose. In the absence of a grand design or clear political direction, the mortgage machine has assumed both roles."
Thus the vocabulary obfuscates. A "mortgage machine" is what? Capitalist, when the state nationalizes a market and creates a "huge, parallel structure?" Capitalist, when that state under government's "administrative control" is "barely profitable?" Capitalist, when the state uses this "huge, parallel structure" for a "broader political or social purpose?" Capitalist, when the state acts to "ensure that mortgage bonds [ debt ] are homogenous and easy to trade?" What part of state control and administration is capitalist but not socialist, as in many mixed systems today? The language becomes instructive and elusive at the same time, as blurring of distinctions seems the goal. Is that "huge, parallel structure" which is "nationalized" greasy capitalism or greased socialism by degree?
The reasoning in blurring words becomes obvious.
Of course, one hears that capitalism has existed in various forms, and often that socialism has rarely been correctly enabled, as contrast. Crony capitalism? Really existing? What of the other term, corporatism?
When a Word Has Too Many Meanings
As to conceptual confusion, one commenter notes: "When a word has too many meanings, it ends up spreading confusion rather than clarity. Confucius said that reform must begin with 'the rectification of names,' that is, assuring that words and meanings be used consistently. It is high time to distinguish among the multiple meanings of 'corporatism,' as a preliminary to deciding whether the phrase is useful or useless. There are at least four different and incompatible meanings of 'corporatism': political representation by vocational groups; centralized collective bargaining among employers and organized labor; modern industrial capitalism; and 'crony capitalism' or the corruption of public policy by special interests." In "The “corporatist” confusion: Why a prominent political term needs to be retired," by Michael Lind, Salon, 5 January 2014.
The fault is noted as affected by capitalism -- such as "crony capitalism" (with government intervention and grease), to "really existing capitalism" (with government intervention and grease), to "state capitalism" (often known as socialism to socialists until recently, and with government intervention and grease), to control of all means of production and distribution (with state intervention and grease), to ownership of all means of control and production (alongside the famed dictatorship of the proletariat, with state intervention and grease). How similar are these then, conjoined by 1) government intervention in un-free markets, and 2) grease applied to government.
In all the complaints and all the variants of "capitalism" excepting one and in all variants of "socialism" excepting one, one finds government intervention in economies and some form of "grease" which is a euphemism for political corruption. Shall one posit "really existing" government ineptitude and "really existing" government graft and "crony" politics masquerading as able to successfully command economics?
Ergo the last verse of this rhyme about well greased, crony faux-capitalists: "When next one reads such a phrase, / Give thought to what is means, / For clever writing prints wee lies / Which clear meaning contravenes."
As to that "grease" which is "really existing" and very chummy with cronies, consider Politics
As to that "chumminess" with government which involves central banks and the largest of corporations in "grease," see the Addendum of Fooling the Public
One reads: "The western financial crisis of 2007-8 was the worst since 1931, yet its immediate repercussions were surprisingly modest. The crisis challenged the foundation stones of the long-dominant neoliberal ideology but it seemed to emerge largely unscathed. The banks were bailed out; hardly any bankers on either side of the Atlantic were prosecuted for their crimes; and the price of their behaviour was duly paid by the taxpayer. Subsequent economic policy, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world, has relied overwhelmingly on monetary policy, especially quantitative easing. It has failed." In "Opinion - The death of neoliberalism and the crisis in western politics," by Martin Jacques, Guardian UK, 21 August 2016.
This is posited by statists if varying views that the capital-versus-labor fight has been won by capital, but in fact this analysis seems as flawed as the Left and Right
[ 2 ] Rummel notes late in his opus: "... the most important subprinciple for peacefostering is that which increase and assures individual and group freedom. This is the fostering of self-determination, sovereignty, and formal equality; the decentralization of power; and the guaranteeing of basic rights."
That "grease" which is political "connections have always greased the wheels of commerce" is notably in the parlance a "chumminess" with government by the few," but is not an aspect of society which would "increase" or "assure" freedom. Rather it is the inverse, and this inverse is what it seems Chomsky means by what is "really existing." State intervention in marketplaces does not increase individual and group freedom. Rather, using Chomsky turn of phrase, the "system is highly monopolized." One finds, using Rummel's parlance, that not "all adults can participate" and the rule of law is used by governments to intervene between economic forces, leveraging some against others and restraining competition.
In an amusing connection to the citations above, one learns that some Members of the European Parliament conclude that China -- "state capitalism" according to some socialists -- is not a market economy. One reads: "MEPs from all political sides argued on Tuesday (10 May) that China should not be granted market economy status, because it would make it more difficult for the EU to protect itself from Chinese dumping of goods. Lawmakers said China did not qualify for the status because it is subsidising businesses, is not transparent about state aid and offers low export prices that are not determined by the rules of supply and demand." In "MEPs: China is not a market economy," by Eszter Zalan, EU Observer, 11 May 2016.
Given the fact that the EU and individual European Nations as well as other Western nations also subsidize businesses and interfere in market pricing internally as well as across borders, none of these Western nations can be said to be market economies, and therein lies "really existing" portion of economic realities which Chomsky phrase want to attach to "capitalism," when said violates the capitalist definition of a "state separated from economics." Subsidies skew markets, often lose public funds and are wholly dictated by "really existing" government, irrespective whether one hangs "capitalism" or "socialism" as a moniker on it because neither tells the full story. The terminology clutters the discussion.
Often such leveraging by government is seen in strings of failures, as in Bankrupt green
What is "really existing" is not freedom and competition unrestrained by government, but something quite different, which asks for "grease" for some and not all of its wheels, employing the Economist's chosen imagery. Chomsky notes it is highly monopolized. But by whom? By the few and the governments willing to heed their wishes, well-greased.
For this Chomsky's seemingly clever word play about "really existing capitalism" which are "systems in which there are no capitalists" makes lie to the words themselves. If free market capitalism and socialism in which all are free are to be characterized by the human term, freedom, then "really existing capitalism" and "really existing socialism" are both by degree "un-free."
For myself, there are observable measures which must be reached before I Shall Believe the Socialist
[ 3 ] While being skeptical of "crony" and "really existing" are adequate modifiers for the noun, capitalism, one finds a "freedom" phenomenon which pokes holes in the notion that "crony capitalism" is in fact capitalism. The Economist article notes: "Behind the crony index is the idea that some industries are prone to 'rent seeking'. This is the term economists use when the owners of an input of production—land, labour, machines, capital—extract more profit than they would get in a competitive market. Cartels, monopolies and lobbying are common ways to extract rents. Industries that are vulnerable often involve a lot of interaction with the state, or are licensed by it: for example telecoms, natural resources, real estate, construction and defense. (For a full list of the industries we include, see article.) Rent-seeking can involve corruption, but very often it is legal."
Thus, while reading about whatever "crony capitalism" is, one reads of a cozy relations with government, with rent-seeking which "can involve corruption," and "is legal" because governments involved in cozy relations -- "chumminess" as it has been termed -- and interfering in a competitive market make the anti-competitive rules thereby diminishing freedom and "a competitive market."
Surveying only this small selection of news and opinion, one may state that playing word games with terms like "crony capitalism," "really existing capitalism," "state capitalism" all tell an identical tale. These terms obscure and sully the root noun, capitalism, which a capitalist authority says is -- must be -- economics separated from the state.
[ 4 ] Competing voices have thrown out modifiers such as crony, really existing and state to essentially besmirch capitalism as various defined. Mühsam, no fan of capitalism as it was understood in Europe in the pre-National Socialist era, commented on freedom as the key element in his thought.
His pamphlet opens unambiguously, unlike many of the other sources above. "Anarchism is the teaching of freedom as the foundation of human society.' He in that time preferred to call his stance Communist Anarchism. As one sees through the illustrations of The Economist, Chomsky and the World Socialist Movement as cited above, freedom is the counterpoint to all forms of government intervention in markets, making less free by skewing fair competition into unfair competition.
Mühsam noted using his own understanding of that time: "Communist anarchists have little interest in a dogmatic definition of how the distribution and consumption of goods should be regulated in a society freed from the state and from capital. Their interest lies in creating a libertarian socialism -- a socialism different to the authoritarian and centralist socialism of the state socialists, especially the Marxists."
Thus in advocating the liberation of society from the state, Mühsam give lie to the Marxists' dream of state ownership under a dictatorship, as to the Fascists' dream of state control over the means of production and distribution, as to what was then, in Chomsky's parlance, a "really existing capitalism" of pre-WWII Europe. But all these systems of government share an interesting feature which Mühsam well observed.
The State Exists to Dominate and Control the Disenfranchised
Mühsam wrote: "The state exists to dominate and control the disenfranchised people of the oppressed class. The administrative system of the state divides human society into social classes by preserving the land and the means of production as the property of the privileged class, and by regulating the use of property by the dispossessed -- meaning the vast majority of people -- according to the untouchable privilege of property and an understanding of labor output as the reification of labor force. The state has been created solely to serve this purpose and no other, and it will never serve any other purpose. The state only has a function where masters stand against slaves. Only with the emergence of private property as a means of exploitation could the state emerge. Then, with the evolution of capitalism, it constantly expanded and tightened the net of laws, surveillance, and control mechanisms that keep the proletariat under the power of the privileged class, which made the material principles of exploitation of the property owners the center of all human life. Along with the materialist worldview, Marxists also want to adopt a centralized form of organization, this most essential characteristic of the capitalist state, as the foundation for a society freed from capitalism."
One sees then a view in which "the state" through its "net of laws, surveillance, and control mechanisms" rules, and in the case of economics rules over people's economic activities. How effectively does this view published in 1932 gather together the notions of crony capitalism, really existing capitalism, state capitalism alongside state National Socialist fascism, state Marxist socialism and state Communism. The commonality is "the state."
Mühsam clearly writes "the state exists to dominate and control," and operates for the benefit of "the privileged class."
One sees this reality in media in this time. One reads, as example: "...the world economy to grow it needs increased investment and greater fiscal stimulus coordinated by the major economies who have relied for too long only on monetary stimulus like interest rates." In "UN paints bleak picture of stagnating world economy," by Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press, 12 May 2016.
Parsing the call for "increased investment and greater fiscal stimulus" in an era when governments are highly indebted is called for and to be "coordinated by the major economies." The translation is government involvement, rather than government backing away from ineffectively controlling markets. Moreover the call is from another level of government - the United Nations. All these entities are "really existing" but none are willing to back away from controlling economies.
Another example of government hoping to skew a market is this: "Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel sold the scheme as vital to Germany's industrial future, arguing that electric cars will be key to maintaining Germany's leading position in the European auto industry. 'The growing demand will trigger important and necessary investment along the entire supply chain of electromobility,' Gabriel said. The auto industry is considered vital to Germany's economy, representing some 775,000 jobs and some 400 billion euros a year in turnover." In "Germany sets out major cash incentive for electric car buyers," Deutsche Welle, 18 May 2016.
So government incentives -- subsidies to a group of people -- are capitalist? State capitalist? Socialist? Corporatist? What is certain is that such incentives are intended to skew a market. This is proven out from the same article, as one reads further "...the European Commission has to assess whether the subsidy represents an illegal distortion of the market." Thus, one learns that this next "green" scheme to be paid from from public funds and intended to manipulate a market hinges only on whether it is "legal" or not, according to another government entity. All in all, the question is no longer one of word definitions, but of economic realities. "Really existing" government involvement in a marketplace is not capitalism, except in Chomsky's clever word play.The Capitalist.org definition, seemingly new compared to those having been used for the last century and more, comes closest to Mühsam's notion of "liberating" society from the state, in saying "Under capitalism the state is separated from economics (production and trade), just like the state is separated from religion."
Such a change in the role of government would anger the privileged classes, would it not? And among the privileged classes one finds both enormous corporations and government itself. Therefore, both the newest definition of capitalism based on separating economics from state control would adhere to Mühsam's thought of liberating society from the state, as well as Rummell's notions of freedom's principles.
This is what would be truly revolutionary, as individuals free as possible from state control would overturn a "really existing," crony-filled, corruption-tainted world of politics trying to control economic energies, subsidizing some and penalizing others.
One visits apt words as regards today's governments and large, state-interfered yet chummy corporations: "The pretence that corporations are necessary for the better government of the trade is without any foundation. The real and effectual discipline which is exercised over a workman is not that of his corporation, but that of his customers. It is the fear of losing their employment which restrains his frauds and corrects his negligence. An exclusive corporation necessarily weakens the force of this discipline." In "Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith, 1776.
[ 5 ] This small snippet from a news item contains enough data to review the difference between "really existing" government interference in economic transactions -- in The Economist's parlance, "Political connections have always greased the wheels of commerce" - and capitalism.
One finds "subsidies" to Chinese steel sales as a "tax rebate policy" aimed at a "bloated steel sector." Given that China is a one-party officially Communist nation, it could be argued in the Chomsky parlance that this is an example of "really existing capitalism," though then the words capitalism and Communism fail to define anything. Additionally, the Chinese steel industry is government-owned, also withering word meanings as socialists attempt to wiggle away from issues of government ownership as an antithetical feature of socialism, as one finds in Marx' 1848 Communist Manifesto.
Additionally, on the American and European side of the equation, one finds governments also intervening in the form of tariffs because the Western steel interests have appealed for government intervention,
If "the state is separated from economics," as one capitalist theory suggests, then the Western tariffs could still be justified because the "really existing" Chinese "state" has not separated itself from economics. But of course "really existing" Western governments also skew markets in other arenas, as one may see in Western governments posturing as being Oh so kind
One returns to Chomsky's word play that such a form of "really existing capitalism" is a system "in which there are no capitalists." One finds the word play becoming laughable.
Rather than play with multiple definitions of words like capitalism and socialism, the discussion can be more clearly delineated on a sliding scale from greater-to-complete freedom on one side and greater-to-complete government intervention on the other.
Government Intervention
Significant-to-complete government intervention in markets is what "really existing" socialists advocate, per the above addenda, excepting then they posit one form of economy which socialists say is not "a viable alternative for modern society," and they are "doubtful whether such an economy has ever existed."
Separating government from an economy as much as is possible threatens which portion of a society? Government and those who have formed a "chumminess" with "really existing" government and who "grease" said relationships with money. Separating government from an economy also threatens all those who receive some form of subsidy, tax-credits and largesse from government, which is not a form of capitalism, excepting Chomsky's notion of "really existing capitalism" which falls into the category of like-minded government interventions, each of which skews a market.
Conflating all forms of government intervention in economies into a taxonomic group alters Chomsky's question as found in his article's title from "Can Civilization Survive Capitalism" into "can civilization survive government?"
Such a question is profound.
The question is one of words, as the classic liberal and today's liberal are such vastly different word definitions. Rummell reminds, "...today’s liberals no longer accept minimum government, nor do they see in the government the danger that classical liberals attributed to it."
One watched Russian civilization survive the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics after enormous loss of life and treasure. One watched Germany and Austria survive the National Socialist government after similar loss of life and treasure. One is watching China undergoing such a phenomenon, and the loss of life throughout its Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution was among the greatest in history.
One is watching the Cuban people experience comparative poverty, as one watches Zimbabwe and Venezuela undergoing economic collapse courtesy of government "leadership" in their economies. One is watching governments in many nations piling up massive, unsustainable debt all in an attempt to realize some dreamed of socio-economic goal.
Therefore Chomsky's question is half a question. The question is more obviously "can civilization survive government?" Given that governments have warred, been beaten in wars, overthrown by revolutions, and many simply have collapsed from their own internal faults (almost always in great part economic), the clear answer is yes. Civilization will survive government.
But as always, it will be expensive, because governments make it so. After all, their wheels have to be greased on the way to collapse. So have all governments and all proponents of government said, vowing that they, unlike other proponents of government throughout history, will never become a danger to society.
[ 6 ] The excerpt from this article parallels Chomsky's phrase, "really existing capitalism" which Chomsky says can occur without actual capitalists being involved in said form of capitalism. Altman condemns economics as having failed America. Should one add the modifying phrase, "really existing" economics? Or has "really existing" politics by a "really existing" government be blamed?
As with the other word plays above, one notes in the notions cited in an article ostensibly addressing economics, a simple reading finds this article about government and the politics involved. The questions clusters around quasi-socialist thinking, as one reads: "Should the government take from some people in order to give to others? Who should give the most, and who should receive? What exactly should they receive?"
How Should a Government Interfere? Via the Principles of Communism?
These are not questions about how a market performs, but rather how a government should interfere with a market in order to meet political goals. Starkly noted, the government 'takes' and the government 'gives' what it has taken "to others." To suggest that this is an economic question is an error. It is a paraphrase from many socialist theorists, most specifically Marx and Engels.
Should the government take? This is the question, because economics -- the so-called dismal science -- has no force of its own. Should the government give? Only from what it takes, since government like economics makes nothing in of itself.
One reviews a statement: "It will, in other words, abolish competition and replace it with association. Moreover, since the management of industry by individuals necessarily implies private property, and since competition is in reality merely the manner and form in which the control of industry by private property owners expresses itself, it follows that private property cannot be separated from competition and the individual management of industry. Private property must, therefore, be abolished and in its place must come the common utilization of all instruments of production and the distribution of all products according to common agreement – in a word, what is called the communal ownership of goods. In fact, the abolition of private property is, doubtless, the shortest and most significant way to characterize the revolution in the whole social order which has been made necessary by the development of industry – and for this reason it is rightly advanced by communists as their main demand." In "The Principles of Communism," Frederick Engels, October-November 1847.
Thus one finds the answers to Altman's questions have been answered from the socialist's perspective. Should government take? Yes. And who should decide what people should receive? "Really existing" government, unless one sees government as problematic, easily subject to corruption and abuses of power, in which case the "capitalist" -- as defined by a capitalist, rather than others with other views -- stance that government should be separated from economics is a rival stance.
Oddly this stance, in opposition to the Marx-Engels vision, may be called Communist anarchism in the parlance of a Mühsam who looks to liberate society from the state, or a plain-speaking capitalist, which parallels this and states that economics should be separated from the state.
It is no wonder then that so many disputes couched in language fumble with word meanings, and some tend to obscure basic reality. What reality? That there is freedom and there is that governance which lessens freedom. Such governance seeks power and wealth through such word pictures as "grease" from those who have established "really existing" chumminess with "really existing" power, and benefit from this, as is so often and simply though sadly demonstrated.
[ 7 ] As the parade of terminology goes on, one reads further in an article on "really existing capitalism" that Marxists "claim successes in "capitalists countries economies." Parsing words, is Chomsky's "really existing" the same as Marxists' "actually existing" and are both capitalist?
The Wikipedia article begins: "Actually existing capitalism or really existing capitalism is a term meant to be ironic and is used by critics of neoliberalism. Actually "existing capitalism" is used to point out that many economies that claim to practice capitalism, which tends to be characterized by a laissez-faire free market system, in fact have significant state intervention and partnerships between private industry and the state. The term mixed economy is also used to describe economies with these attributes. While many countries use a market based system, many of these countries use several forms of regulations to avoid economic problems such acute commodities fluctuations, financial market crashes, monopolies, and environmental protections."
An example of crony capitalism shows government chumminess with corporations which profit by realizing the benefits of "state intervention" in a market. One reads: "Once ObamaCare became law, the number of facilities participating in the program rose from 14,000 to 20,000. Hospitals and other health care facilities realized they could take in the drugs at the discounted rate and then could turn around and bill Medicare and private insurance companies for the full cost of the drugs. The difference would be banked as profit. And profitable it is. Duke University Hospital purchased $66 million worth of drugs through the discount program, saving $48 million. It then sold the drugs to patients for $136 million, making a profit off the backs of the taxpayers of $70 million." In "Unsurprisingly Corporations are Gaming Obamacare," posted by dukefergus, Red State, 14 July 2014.
Chumminess Between Government and Cronies Suppresses Other Views
Thus one sees said chumminess between government and cronies :making a profit off the backs of the taxpayers." Such profitability might be bankable, but it does not demonstrate a capitalist's free competition in an open market. Rather it demonstrates collusion by cronies and government, very likely through the application of "grease."
Thus the critique of word use is furthered as one may be more sure that "significant state intervention and partnerships between private industry and the state" and not "a laissez-faire free market system." Rather they are something else, not fully capitalist.
The word play is significant. One reads: "The left is following the playbook of a brilliant, too little known, figure: Antonio Gramsci. I was introduced to the work of Gramsci, leader of the Italian Communist Party, by the late Michael Joyce, then president of the Bradley Foundation. Gramsci, spent a torturous ten years before dying in prison for his anti-fascist activities. As summarized at the University of Michigan’s Nutshell Biographies #2: 'One of Gramsci’s ideas was the concept of 'hegemony,' or ideological domination. When one ideology, or world view, dominates, it suppresses or stamps out, often cruelly, any other ways of explaining reality.… These consist of a culture’s way of seeing and believing, and the institutions that uphold these beliefs, like religion, education, family, and the media. Through these beliefs and institutions, society endorses the ethical beliefs and manners which 'the powers that be' agree are true, or right, or logical, or moral. The institutions and beliefs that the dominant culture support are so powerful, and get hold of people when they are so young, that alternative ways of envisioning reality are very hard to imagine. This is how hegemony is created and maintained. According to Gramsci, hegemony locks up a society even more tightly because of the way ideas are transmitted by language. The words we use to speak and write have been constructed by social interactions through history and shaped by the dominant ideology of the times. Thus they are loaded with cultural meanings that condition us to think in particular ways, and to not be able to think very well in other ways.' Sound familiar? It should." In "If you’re not up on your Gramsci, you won’t know what’s happening," by Ralph Benko, Spectator, 23 May 2016.
Others say it more simply. Debaters aim to control definitions as a strategy. Thus one reads of "really existing capitalism" in which Chomsky writes "there are no capitalists." Wikipedia, though its articles are often revised, notes that "actually exiting capitalism" and "really existing capitalism" are meant to be "ironic." How ironic. How ironic?
One reads further from Wikipedia of "Real socialism (also actually existing socialism).... From the 1960s onward, countries such as Poland, East Germany, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, began to argue that their policies represented what was realistically feasible given their level of productivity, even if it did not conform to the Marxist concept of socialism. The concept of real socialism alluded to a future highly developed socialist system. However, the lagging productivity growth and insufficient standard of living in the Comecon countries caused the phrase 'real socialism' to be increasingly perceived as dishonest and unreal. The actual party claims of nomenclatory socialism began to acquire not only negative but also sarcastic meanings. In later years, and especially after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the term began to be remembered as only one thing, as a reference for Soviet-style socialism." In "Real socialism," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Negative and sarcastic meanings and such words as "dishonest and unreal" assigned to "actually existing socialism," and irony intended in using the phrase "really existing capitalism" parallel one another, and both refer in part to "significant state intervention" in economies. Conflating terms and noting the many failures seen in today's economies caused by governments, one might rightly conclude that "significant state intervention" is "dishonest and unreal."
Consider the dishonesty behind Government numbers
Separating the State from Economics
One compares "really existing" and "significant state intervention" and "grease" and "chumminess" and "crony capitalism" with the strange definition of a capitalist cited above that "Under capitalism the state is separated from economics (production and trade), just like the state is separated from religion."
An inverse to this is telling, as the lobbying industry alongside media and other advocacy-styled groups are wealth creating for the few as they become "chummy" with government. One reads of some wealthy neighborhoods: "Four neighborhoods in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital rank in the top 10 of the country’s wealthiest neighborhoods, according to a new study that measures average household incomes and 2010 Census data. The Bradley Manor-Longwood enclave in Bethesda ranks as the second richest neighborhood in the country with a mean household income of $599,440. Potomac Manors in Potomac ranks just dollars behind in third with a mean household income of $599,331. Another Potomac neighborhood, Carderock-The Palisades, ranks fifth, with a man household income of $595,669. The Swinks Mill-Dominion neighborhood in McLean ranks seventh in the country with an average household income of $562,596." In "D.C. Suburbs Make List of America’s Richest Neighborhoods," CBS News, DC, 27 February 2016.
Such eye-popping numbers should be of greater interest to those who speak so blithely to Income Inequality
Word games are "really existing," as various flavors of anti-capitalists all claim some form of "state intervention" as capitalism, all the while "state intervention" is a marker for invasive government asserting control over a market, as do all socialists, fascists, Communists and a whole range of forms of tyranny. After all, it is this sort of advocacy for government which regularly claims freedom is a threat to social order, economic sense and progress.
Such considerations have caused the conclusion that political words function poorly, and ultimately Left is Right, as Right is Left
Such are The Privileges of Intellectuals
[ 8 ] Given the word soup served up in the various sourced addenda and footnotes above, one wonders whether China's Communist Party operates a command economy called "really existing capitalism" or "real socialism."
One reads of "debt-bloated and unprofitable state-owned enterprise." How odd. State-owned enterprises which have become "debt bloated and unprofitable" while debt is "accelerating" are now affecting the Communists of Chian. Yet to be state-owned conforms with Marxist thought, as one is reminded that "abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes" and "centralisation of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly" are the first and fifth markers found in the "Manifesto of the Communist Party," 1848.
Shall one paint the Communist Party of China as practicing "really existing capitalism," as one refers back to Chomsky, "in which there are no capitalists?" Or is this socialism which is failing, explaining the need to paint the picture with words of capitalism?
Which Is It?
In a parallel oddity, Cuba is moving towards a private sector and private property after its many decades of socialism. One reads: " 'Private property in certain means of production contributes to employment, economic efficiency and well-being, in a context in which socialist property relationships predominate,' reads one section of the 'Conceptualization of the Cuban Economic and Social Model of Socialist Development.' 'This is a tremendously important step,' said Alfonso Valentin Larrea Barroso, director-general of Scenius, a cooperatively run economic consulting firm in Havana. 'They're creating, legally speaking, the non-state sector of the economy. They're making that sector official'." In "Cuba to legalize small and medium-sized private businesses," by Michael Weissenstein, Associated Press, 24 May 2016.
Note the Cuban's turn of phrase, like unto Chomsky's. While private property will be allowed, it will be "in a context in which socialist property relationships predominate." So is Cuba socialist, on the whole? Or is this another form of clever word play? Consider the tale of Socialism's Last Hurrah
Note also that the director-general of Scenius terms the legalization of some private property as a "non-state sector." This parallels the capitalist's notion of a "state is separated from economics (production and trade)." The conclusion here is that in Cuba's decades long adherence to socialism, little economic progress and productivity has been achieved, and that socialists are reaching out to capitalism to provide economic growth which is now said to be "a tremendously important step."
It is a step in a direction away from Marxism. It is an admission that socialism does not function well enough that such an "important step" is not needed. It suggests that socialism needs the "grease" of productivity which is found outside its purview.
The Only True Progressive Policy
This is becoming apparent in the laboratory of the real world, in South America alone. One reads of a comparison between Venezuela and Chile in 2016: "As economic freedom increased, so did income per capita (adjusted for inflation and purchasing power parity), which rose from being 31 percent of that in Venezuela to being 138 percent of that in Venezuela. Between 1975 and 2015, the Chilean economy grew by 287 percent. Venezuela’s shrunk by 12 percent." In "5 Ways Capitalist Chile is Much Better Than Socialist Venezuela," by Marian Tupy, Reason, 24 May 2016.
The article makes note of certain political reality, quite the opposite of Chomsky's question as to whether "civilization can survive capitalism." The inverse seems to be proving out in a real world not dominated by clever word games.
One reads further: "...as the people of Chile grew richer, they started demanding more say in the running of their country. Starting in the late 1980s, the military gradually and peacefully handed power over to democratically-elected representatives. In Venezuela, the opposite has happened. As failure of socialism became more apparent, the government had to resort to ever more repressive measures in order to keep itself in power—just as Friedrich Hayek predicted."
Hayek is brought into the dialogue. From him one finds: "The guiding principle, that a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy, remains as true to-day as it was in the nineteenth century." In "The Road to Serfdom," George Routledge & Sons, 1944.
As of May 2016, it is in Venezuela where a socialist declares an emergency and takes ever more power to himself, with massive protests in the streets being answered with military power. Such is repression. Such is socialism as it fails from its own internal inconsistencies of creating a command economy, un-free and ultimately incompetent as well as corrupt.
Thus, all the word-described forms of "really existing capitalism" and "crony capitalism" and the like are being employed to obscure objectively measured events, all not related to a capitalism in which the "state is separated from economics (production and trade)," but rather governments which by means of politics and grease applied to politicians' pockets, crony chumminess, corruption and abuses of power all concentrate economic control in the hands of the few as dictated by government. Wealth and power dictate, becoming Totalitarian
Can civilization survive government? The answer is yeas, as Mühsam proposed was liberation of society from the state. The answer is surely yes, as that which requires no grease, no cronies, no political chumminess, no state intervention in economics, and no government corruption is Freedom is freedom is freedom
Civilization can survive freedom, which we are reminded is "the only true progressive policy." Civilization in Chomsky's word play and The Economist's clever but anti-progressive prose and Marx' ultimately imaginary scholarship has never fully survived governments, and in this last century especially those dominated by large, invasive government. National Socialism, Soviet Socialism and Italian Fascism have failed murderously. The Marxism of the Khmer Rouge failed horribly. Cuban and Chavista socialism are failing, as is the Marxism of the ZANU PF and the Stalinist government of North Korea.
How do the socialists answer this? By claiming that every error of socialist thought is a state capitalist error. Such thinking is statist, believing that some government someday somehow will do things "right." By this, it is meant "the next time." This is the "really existing" reality of our time. Clever, hasn't it been?
[ 9 ] The rhyme, addenda and various footnotes are about word games, essentially. If capitalism is related to freedom, then crony capitalism which The Economist suggests is defined by chumminess with government, then the word games are shown to obfuscate. Chumminess with government is better said, simple corruption and a quid pro quo between the "crony capitalist" and politicians. It is among the antitheses of democracy, freedom and equality, as quid pro quo as money and favors are a game for the few, not for all. That this game was played out in the failing Soviet Union suggests that "crony capitalism" is quite like crony socialism.
Muravchik notes in the same chapter: "From top to bottom, corruption, absenteeism and featherbedding were rampant. Everything produced was shabby, broken or unavailable. Having seen the West, Gorbachev was anguished by the comparison. The Soviet Union produced its own trucks, but they were of such poor quality that four times as many people were employed in repairing them as in their manufacture. Soviet televisions were often made with cardboard components that sometimes combusted spontaneously in viewers' homes. And each year the country scoured world grain markets in order to feed itself."
Slow Motion Collapse
The picture is one of slow motion collapse, all the while chumminess with government and chumminess in government led "from top to bottom [ to ] corruption, absenteeism" and "featherbedding," as well as the "exchange of favors" being passed between bureaucrats. As such, this is Soviet Socialism's version of 'lubrication" -- that poorly greased the wheels of Soviet commerce. So poorly greased, that the USSR became an importer of grain, rather as today the Venezuelan government under what has been termed "21st century socialism" is experiencing quite the same, as was the poignant imagery when East Germans Fled from empty market shelvesWhen wheels of commerce are no longer greased by those seeking chumminess with government, will not then the definition of capitalism have been proved out, in which government is separated from an economy? The fat cats would rage aloud, whether crony capitalist - meaning corrupt "from top to bottom" -- or crony socialist.
For this one sees how crucial it is for those arguing for some form of chumminess with government to obscure plain words. "Crony" as an adjective means corrupt, as it means unequal and undemocratic. "Really existing" as a modifying phrase means accepting that cronies wheel and deal. Freedom and equality shake that tree from top to bottom, and what really does not exist today is greater freedom for men as for capital because governments stand against it for the most obvious reason -- money.
[ 10 ] Sharp's identification of groups is most interesting, as one mulls The Economist's notion of "grease" with "chumminess" between government and supposed capitalists (though socialists would also fit that bill), as well as Chomsky's notion of what is "really existing."
Mixing the word and word phrases together, one finds the image of "really existing" "military cliques, ambitious individuals, elected officials, and doctrinal political parties" evidencing their "chumminess" with "really existing" government and providing "grease" to further the imposition of such groups' will.
What does this will seek? Wealth and power. One has found this in the last century for those governments which have been termed National Socialist, Soviet Socialist, Sino-Socialist, Fascist, and all have been "really existing." One has also found the will of the few seeking wealth and power among what various theorists and word artists have called "really existing capitalism," as well as well greased and chummy "state capitalism." The word games become so clever as to stumble over their own witty multiplication of terms.
Freedom Versus Tyranny
But Sharp notes in a global way: "The degree of liberty or tyranny in any government is, it follows, in large degree a reflection of the relative determination of the subjects to be free and their willingness and ability to resist efforts to enslave them."
Thus what stands against tyranny -- irrespective of the words and word phrases used to camouflage tyranny -- is liberty, measured in the "relative determination of the subjects to be free."
The game of words and word phrases withers, when one considers a dawning awareness that Left is Right, as Right is Left
Images of wealth and power -- as found in considering A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
Images of wealth and power danced before theorists' eyes in 1939, as one reviews another in the long list of recommendations for a structure of large government: "...when the next crisis in world government occurs public opinion will have before it an unanswerable analysis of the fundamental cause of its troubles and a clear indication of the basic principle on which alone enduring peace, liberty and prosperity can be built." In "The ending of armageddon, or the federal principle as the only basis for international peace, liberty and prosperity," by Lord Lothian, 1939.
The Chummy Elite
One only need review who are those among these in and near to government which are "military cliques, ambitious individuals, elected officials, and doctrinal political parties" to identify the "chummy" elite, seeking their own wealth and power.
Each group and the amalgam of them all promise their version of "international peace, liberty and prosperity," and all to date are structures of governments deep in debt, exercising various forms of military intervention as well as many deep in arms sales to non-democracies, and all feature a power elite which lives "above" other citizens in many gilded ways as middle and lower classes are squeezed by taxation to fund their self-proclaimed betters.
If capitalism is defined as being "separated" from the state, none of these parties and groups are capitalists. If freedom is also defined as being "separated" by degree from the power of a state, then these groups stand against freedom, but for relative degrees of tyranny such that their "chumminess" with others who reap wealth and power may be shared with a cadre of elite, who of course "seek to impose their will" in a far less democratic manner than even the most clever among them portray.
Therefore as to what groups are "really existing" and "chummy" with greasy government: "When next one reads such a phrase, / Give thought to what is means, / For clever writing prints wee lies / Which clear meaning contravenes."
[ 11 ] As to word games supposedly about economics but always about politics and power, the observation is apt. "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."
Erich Kurt Mühsam, as a self-identified Communist anarchist according to his own words, argues plainly and without clever word games for "Liberating Society from the State." The Capitalist.org site argues for separating the state from production and trade as forms of economics. These views are quite close to one another, and both would push the state away, lessening its impact on a people.
As such, those opposed to Communist anarchism as to capitalism (with capitalists as opposed to Chomsky's odd word game of a capitalism without capitalists) are easy to identify. These opponents all seek to be greased, in The Economist's parlance, and all seek not only wealth but power. Thus the two poles are reduced to the more free individuals and small government, and the less free individual and big government. Look to whether the "chumminess" and "grease" are to be found.
In Theory -- In Practice
Such clarity and simplicity explains why so many theorists and word spinners pile on the terminology. "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."
A classic essay illustrates "practice" which requires precious little political theory. It ends: "If I, Pencil, were the only item that could offer testimony on what men and women can accomplish when free to try, then those with little faith would have a fair case. However, there is testimony galore; it's all about us and on every hand. Mail delivery is exceedingly simple when compared, for instance, to the making of an automobile or a calculating machine or a grain combine or a milling machine or to tens of thousands of other things. Delivery? Why, in this area where men have been left free to try, they deliver the human voice around the world in less than one second; they deliver an event visually and in motion to any person's home when it is happening; they deliver 150 passengers from Seattle to Baltimore in less than four hours; they deliver gas from Texas to one's range or furnace in New York at unbelievably low rates and without subsidy; they deliver each four pounds of oil from the Persian Gulf to our Eastern Seaboard—halfway around the world—for less money than the government charges for delivering a one-ounce letter across the street! The lesson I have to teach is this: Leave all creative energies uninhibited. Merely organize society to act in harmony with this lesson. Let society's legal apparatus remove all obstacles the best it can. Permit these creative know-hows freely to flow. Have faith that free men and women will respond to the Invisible Hand. This faith will be confirmed. I, Pencil, seemingly simple though I am, offer the miracle of my creation as testimony that this is a practical faith, as practical as the sun, the rain, a cedar tree, the good earth." "I, Pencil," Leonard E. Read (1898-1983), first published in the December 1958 issue of "The Freeman."
One reflects how alike this "lesson" about freedom is -- freedom from all but the most necessary of governance -- to the Coase theorem, which states what government "should" do, excepting that grease, chumminess, cronies seeking political favoritism, to many controls and burdensome regulation, and the others flavors of collectives operating for the benefit of an elite group all conspire to invert the Coase theorem from "government should create institutions that minimize transaction costs, so as to allow misallocations of resources to be corrected as cheaply as possible" to "government should create institutions that maximize transaction costs, so as to allow misallocations of resources to stand uncorrected and costly as possible."
Thus one may consider "really existing" Incompetence
[ 12 ] It is amusing to conflate The Economist's "chumminess with government" with Chomsky's phrase, "really existing capitalism," which is "used to describe systems in which there are no capitalists," to note the commonality -- government. In the case of the EU, Feldman notes that its ranks are "a richly compensated, enormous, anonymous unelected bureaucracy completely lacking in transparency."
One reads of a disconnect between such a "really existing capitalism" in which "there are no capitalists," which leaves a government and its bureaucracy. The disconnect was foreseen: "...the rift between national governments and the EU could widen yet, because EU insiders have a totally different conception of spending. National officials and politicians look at their national deficits and debt levels and think, help, we only have finite resources coming in, and how are we going to manage this. Lots of EU officials look at the EU budget, which hovers around 1% of overall EU GDP, and they think: in a properly ordered Europe, this budget would be four times, or 24 times bigger, because the EU would be a much more integrated union, much closer to a United States of Europe. And of course, this is comparing apples and oranges, because for the moment the EU budget and national budgets do very different things. But that ambition for 'more Europe'" puts a whole different complexion on the way that EU types view spending." In "Are Eurocrats in it for the money?" by Charlemagne, The Economist, 22 July 2010.
And so it is government which cries out, "more for us!" One might see this in The Story of Innocent Bloat
Such bloat is arrived at through "chumminess with government" as well as being known as "crony capitalism." Others argue it is crony socialism, as one has seen through the history of the 20th century, and the collapse of many socialist governments due in part to "chumminess with government" for an elite which prospered as whole populations withered. Such were Fat, fat government
Aloof Institutions Indifferent and Insensitive to Individual Peoples
As to the EU, one read recently of Pope Francis' observation: " 'In recent years, as the EU has expanded, there has been growing mistrust on the part of citizens towards institutions considered to be aloof, engaged in laying down rules perceived as insensitive to individual peoples, if not downright harmful,' he told MEPs. 'The great ideas which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions'." In "Pope Francis warns 'bureaucracy is crushing Europe'," by Bruno Waterfield, Telegraph UK, 25 November 2014.
"Bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions" requires that doing business involves a mandatory "chumminess with government" and its "really existing capitalism" in which "there are no capitalists." Thus one comes to a clear definition of what an institution in which "there are no capitalists" is. It is government, and especially that government which is " a richly compensated, enormous, anonymous unelected bureaucracy completely lacking in transparency," and is "unaccountable to the voters." This is the "wasteful crony capitalist racket, working largely to keep its own gravy train (and that of its favored friends) going and growing."
The "really existing" and "wasteful crony capitalist racket" in which "there are no capitalists" is government itself, requiring those who deal with it to involve themselves deeply and richly in "chumminess."
One knows that "commerce" requires a buyer and a seller, and that it does not necessarily require government to participate in that "commerce" when free. When the "wheels of commerce" in The Economist's parlance require "grease," and when Chomsky asks "Can Civilization Survive Capitalism," the clear connections are merely obfuscated by parlance and clever word play.
The many governments of the 20th century which failed or were properly conquered in war are no longer. The people of these lands live on, as do their civilization and their continuing commerce.
What then stood in their way before and threatened them? Consistently corrupt, often murderous governments, plural, each one seeking "grease." Chomsky question restated is answered, validating Mühsam and Rummel and their visions of democratic society of individuals liberated from the collective of an undemocratic, burdensome and greasy state.
[ 13 ] "...due to cronyism." Note that here the adjective favored by The Economist quote above is become a noun. The word is outed thereby. Assigning it as modifier to capitalism in light of the notion that capitalism involves freedom from government is a word game, especially as cronyism is rife in Venezuela, the land of 21st century capitalism, where so many chic anti-capitalists have appeared to signal their moral high ground.
An Image of 21st Century Socialism
The article notes: "In the opulent Caracas Country Club, where membership costs an astonishing £77,000 – 458 times the average Venezuelan salary – glamorous women in cocktail dresses were seen relishing a banquet of beef and lobster, followed by a colourful selection of puddings. Meanwhile, in the Petare slum a few miles away, home to 370,000 Venezuelans, ordinary middle-class people were rummaging in stinking piles of rubbish for rotten cabbage leaves, desiccated limes and scraps of fetid meat. 'Those rich people are thieves. They are government cronies and they stole the country's money,' said Vanessa, 36, who earns £14 a month as an analyst at an electrics company. 'They don't want anything to change, or they would lose their high lifestyle."
Cronyism is not capitalism, as defined by capitalists. It is corruption as defined by excessive "chumminess" with government, irrespective of the words used to describe such a government, which is why the noun form, cronyism, speaks with a clarity which the phrase, "crony capitalism" does not. What is "really existing" is not capitalism, but cronyism, and such cronyism is about applying grease to government which then provides access to power and wealth for the few. Such is So shall ism
[ 14 ] Organized crime in government in the modern era? Terminology and clever word play are not only unnecessary but unhelpful as well. Whether one calls such "grease," "chumminess," "crony capitalism" or "crony socialism," what "really existing" is not freedom and free exchange in the sense of economics, trade and production, but simple graft. It is a "racket" and a "gravy train" for the few, as was it throughout the history of governments.
One looks backwards in time. "If a state becomes thoroughly commercialized, this fact will probably betray itself in the public life. It will be increasingly difficult for officials to quit office with clean hands. The receipt of what is to-day called 'graft' will affect both magistrates and citizens. If this tendency to make the public loss the private gain is not ultimately checked, it is likely there will be needed some violent change in the structure of government by which political bribery and corruption will be left less opportunity for their sinister work. Not all the evils that cursed the dying Roman Republic were due to this illicit passing of money. Not a few of the oligarchs who did their best to make the rule of the Roman Senate intolerable went through their public careers without directly filching or unlawfully receiving a denarius." In "The Influence of Wealth in Imperial Rome," by William Stearns Davis, Macmillan, 1910.
Making Private Gain from Public Loss
The clarity of these scholarly words shines brighter than the opinions of The Economist or Noam Chomsky. "...the tendency to make the public loss the private gain" is the tendency of governments pretending to be fully democratic and transparent, until one looks a little deeper, whether it be the Rome of today or imperial Rome, or the many governments of today whose apologists seek their sinecure and rent by toadying to a political class in power by various means.
"Ripping off government" is the verbiage in today's accusations of Rome. "Graft" was the vocabulary to tell of the corruption at the heart of once imperial Rome. Throwing the parlance of economic theory into the mix serves no purpose, given that thousands of years of corruption and collapsed governments have all demonstrated "really existing" something, which has always been a criminal class of the elite in and near and chummy with government. Upending this is the work of transparent freedom, not a next government which will behave as have former governments. This is the modern revolution underway, which so disturbs those chummy with government and so willing to "grease" its "wheels of commerce."
It is instructive to survey the many sourced citations of Corruption
[ 15 ] Looking at simply worded news reports, one finds "really existing" government in control of the "grease" as politicians demand "chumminess" as preconditions for simple trade between two parties -- a buyer and a seller. Thus, "free trade" does not exist, while "really existing" government stands in its way. The clarity of this upends the ideological banter of The Economist as well as Chomsky and his fellows, as the Coase Theorem -- see the rhyme and addenda telling of government Incompetence
Government stands in the way of free trade -- a hallmark of capitalism, as defined by capitalists -- seeking its grease and demanding capital be chummy with politicians who produce nothing in the way of commodities, products, or even personal services between supplier and consumer.
"Spelling out conditions" for "trade" is not free trade, but it is government as a market's "betters" at work with its centralized planning which constrains freedom. Such is the demonstrable reality. It is freedom which is revolutionary, radical and irritating to the grease-seeking, imperial behavior of Fat, fat government
As noted earlier, a capital exchange requires only a buyer and a seller, without government participation in the transaction. When government enters the transaction, the usual result is an increased difficulty in concluding said transaction coupled to greater costs for that transaction, violating the idealistic Coase Theorem.
[ 16 ] The little people -- those without the means to "grease" their "chumminess" with government which supposedly practices "really existing capitalism" -- a misnomer, as show above, and synonym for graft and corruption -- are more aware than the ideologues and pundits and intellectuals. When "71% of Americans believe economy is 'rigged'," the obvious next awareness to arise is the answer the question, who rigs an economy?
An Ugly Marriage
A sadly amusing instance of "cronyism" is reported involving a legal redefinition by government to benefit the few: "Cronyism is the ugly marriage between special interest groups and politicians, which results in an abuse of the government's power to grant special privileges to a few winners -- for example, unfairly preventing competition or doling out subsidies and bailouts at the expense of taxpayers. Though cronyism is always outrageous, the way cronies go about achieving their goals is sometimes oddly funny. Case in point: the government's changing the definition of catfish to classify the fish as -- wait for it -- meat, not seafood." In "Catfish, the Other Cronyism Meat?" by Veronique de Rugy, Townhall, 30 June 2016.
The point is clear. Greased government is used for its various powers to obtain economic advantage in a marketplace in which simple competition in that marketplace cannot achieve, and by this prices to consumers rise. This is the inverse of the relatively unknown and consistently ignored Coase Theorem, announcing such "cronyism" as defined by government-sponsored Incompetence
In a private and free exchange between buyer and seller, or between an investor and entity in which one invests, small to large, the only entity which can fully rig the economic system is government through its myriad rules and regulations. Thus one may also conclude that all those who advocate for greater government in parallel advocate for greater control over "the people." This is the inverse of freedom. "Really existing capitalism" without "capitalists" is a sham analysis and argument, as is "crony capitalism," for neither metaphor identifies the powerful player in the economy -- Politics
[ 17 ] "To score government favors" companies "looking to grease the skids to get an edge on the competition" evidence the antithesis of capitalism, which by its definition includes competition between companies to the benefit of consumers. Tipping the scales against a competitor by the use of government favors is greased statism in which government picks winners and losers in a marketplace, quite akin to socialism and fascism and the antithesis of freedom as well as capitalism.
Rigged to Grease the Skids
This is why the quote from CNN Money testifies so clearly: "71% of Americans believe economy is 'rigged'." It is not rigged by capitalism and economic competition in a free market, but rather rigged by the greasing of government to restrain economic competition and essentially gouge the consumer with artificially inflated prices for those who "grease the skids."
Against whom would an economy be rigged? Rigged against businesses attempting to compete based on quality products and services, as rigged against consumers.
For whom would an economy be rigged? The crony class, which the testimony from the many sources above tell are the political elite and those who seek "chumminess" with government through "donations" favored by a political elite.
A fleshed out survey of this "greased" reality in one area of the national and world economy may be found in the many sourced addenda which support the accusation in rhyme that green screws red
[ 18 ] For a sourced survey over years of media reports and political grease grease ending in cost overruns, inefficiencies, financial losses and significant premium increases to a "greased" system of health insurance dictated by government, see A Countdown Song
The opinion above states: "Any giant regulatory scheme bringing together big business and big government inevitably leads to cronyism and corruption." The simple fact is that what was sold politically as a "miracle drug" of healthcare insurance management has resulted in wasted tax dollars alongside failures in "marketplaces" - a vocabulary intended to obscure the basic fact that the "market" was not either freely created nor managed. As a result, some have proposed more government power and control alongside greater costs in the "single payer" option, which results in no marketplace at all.
The politics of this movement is meant to be fully greased until freedom is replaced with command and control. The language is important, because as with Chomsky's assertion above that capitalism works without capitalists, apparently insurance can work without insurers. Thus one arrives at the many fiats of So shall ism
[ 19 ] This report and conclusion from The Economist is amusing, for it rightly concludes that government rules themselves keep competition -- the bulwark of capitalism -- "prohibited from negotiating the price." This is not capitalism competing. This is at best cronyism stifling competition, which is rather like socialism nationalizing companies and setting prices, as it is like fascism which "allows" the few to profit unduly under government from the many. A free market would overturn this, and this demonstrates that government itself is the culprit when prices are insured against negotiation for competing products and manufacturers. The "prohibition" from negotiation is an act of government, not an act of a marketplace.
One should conclude that capitalism is not crony capitalism, but rather such "chumminess" is at best a corruption of the words to the point that "crony capitalism" is closer to socialism and fascism, in which government selects winners and losers, with the consistent observation that the "every" man as consumer and taxpayer is most consistently the loser, while government and its cronies win.
[ 20 ] The free market capitalist speaks about market signals, in which a market defines at what level of volume and pricing a producers should produce.
The oddly-named crony capitalist merely looks to government to prop them up, while the socialist requires government to define levels of volume and pricing.
In this case of Chinese corn in 2016, one sees the experiment unfold. China has subsidized -- "domestic support" means funding -- corn production, such that market signals were ignored and silenced. The result is a glut, which then becomes contentious between other suppliers around the world. Is capitalism at fault here? The obvious and simple answer is no. "Domestic support" is at the minimum cronyism, and at the maximum a skewing of production so severe that someone somewhere must lose while strife between trade areas and nations must ensue. Market signals went unheeded because government was practicing subsidy -- to a fault.
One need not heed the term-laden discussions of philosophers and economists and fanciful, tweaked definitions like Chomsky's to analyze this. One need only to consider freedom, that commodity which is in short supply when "high levels of government support" skew markets as severely as one sees in this corny tale. The "domestic support" of Communist China for their corn over-production overwhelmed market signals with financial incentives to continue a loss-making activity. The loss comes anyway, a failure of the socialist as of the crony capitalist who is a statist like the socialist with a different store front but the same shelf stocking schemes.
for Mark Carlson
Autumn leaves
paint late October,
flecks of gold which brittle time
breaks in it fingers.
The skies burn red in fading sunsets,
which once had been dawn,
but dim from grey
to widowed black,
to mourn as passing comfort.government
Only lovers know
of late October's hidden secret,
for by its passing,
are lovers taught
that in dying time
all renews our life with love.
The march through autumn
leaps to spring again.
Poodle doodle - paraphrase of a Christian Morgenstern poem
A poodle black whose hair at night
was dark as coal-black anthracite,
burned hell-hot as his mistress quite
played piano with all her might,
and so he howled: that (o the bite
of overwhelming poodle plight!)
he, as cocks' crowed the dawning light,
stood tall as an old man in height --
with standing mane of silvered white.See: Der heroische Pudel - (2016)
"Maximilien Robespierre, the architect of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, is overthrown and arrested by the National Convention. As the leading member of the Committee of Public Safety from 1793, Robespierre encouraged the execution, mostly by guillotine, of more than 17,000 enemies of the Revolution. The day after his arrest, Robespierre and 21 of his followers were guillotined before a cheering mob in the Place de la Revolution in Paris." In "27 July 1794 - Robespierre overthrown in France," History.com, n. d.
What goes around comes around;
So that sentence states.
Generally, it's true, men found
As spoke the' well-worn fates.
Who lived to kill, sharply died,
Which cuts against that grain,
So very much is very tried,
And much was all in vain.
Each reign of terror blazes bright
With bright dawn's terror eyes.
To seal each reign with blood's delight
Which each drop verifies.
Envoi: "By sealing our work with our blood, we may see at least the bright dawn of universal happiness." Maximilien Robespierre, in "The principles of political morality" speech (5 February 1794).
Addendum of Blood Flowing: "The hatred of bad faith and tyranny burns in our hearts along with the love of justice and the fatherland. Our blood flows for the cause of humanity. This is our prayer, these are our sacrifices. This is the cult we offer you." Maximilien Robespierre (1793) in "Receuil d'hymnes Républicaines," Paris, Chez Barba, Year 2 of the Republic.
Addendum of What Goes Around Comes Around in Bangladesh: "Motiur Rahman Nizami, who headed the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was hanged at 12 a.m. local time (18:00 UTC Tuesday), Law Minister Anisul Haq told the Reuters news agency. Nizami's execution was carried out at Dhaka Central Jail, according to private broadcaster Somoy TV. Hundreds of activists who support executions of 1971 war criminals had gathered outside the prison, holding national flags and cheering. Prosecutors had accused Nizami of setting up the pro-Pakistan Al-Badr militia, which killed top writers, doctors, journalists and intellectuals during the conflict." In "Top Islamist leader Motiur Rahman Nizami hanged in Bangladesh," by Shamil Shams, Deutsche Welle, 10 May 2016.
Those who pay attention
to see what is just is
annoy the blindly slanted
who'd rail against life's quiz.
What is it is wholly not
subjectivism's sport,
for without objection
one may not contort
Realities which stand their ground
against the spray of words,
such as stampedes which rush
to crush with hooves in herds.
Some things are just what they are
and will not change their spots,
as leopards hunt with claw and tooth
in their killing juggernauts.
What is it is holy framed
and not subject to silly spin
and all the little and profound
are found without yet seen within.
Addendum of Questioning, Challenging and Resisting: "In an earlier dark age, authoritarian monarchies partnered with authoritarian religious institutions. When the world exited from this dark age and entered the Enlightenment, there was a burst of energy. Much of this revitalization had to do with risking skepticism about authoritarian and corrupt institutions and regaining confidence in one’s own mind. We are now in another dark age, only the institutions have changed. Americans desperately need anti-authoritarians to question, challenge, and resist new illegitimate authorities and regain confidence in their own common sense. In every generation there will be authoritarians and anti-authoritarians. While it is unusual in American history for anti-authoritarians to take the kind of effective action that inspires others to successfully revolt, every once in a while a Tom Paine, Crazy Horse, or Malcolm X come along. So authoritarians financially marginalize those who buck the system, they criminalize anti-authoritarianism, they psychopathologize anti-authoritarians, and they market drugs for their 'cure'." In "Why Anti-Authoritarians are Diagnosed as Mentally Ill," by Bruce Levine, PhD, Mad in America, 26 February 2012.
Consider: To the States - (2004)
" 'A diatonic scale, bah! Thirteen miserable, bourgeois semi-tones, pooh! To express the infinite complexity of modern emotion, you need a scale of thirty-two notes to the octave.' / 'But why cling to the octave?' said the fat man. 'Till you can cast away the octave and its sentimental associations, you walk in fetters of convention.' / 'That's the spirit!' said Wimsey. 'I would dispense with all definite notes. After all, the cat does not need them for his midnight melodies, powerful and expressive as they are. The love-hunger of the stallion takes no account of octave or interval in giving forth the cry of passion. It is only man, trammelled by a stultifying convention'...." In "Strong Poison," Dorothy Sayers, 1930.
The fetters of convention?
Dispense with sense like this.
The cat and stallion both do shun
Music's diatonic bliss.
Bourgeois against the infinite
Is dialectic's poisoned hiss.
Cast away, then commit
To horsiness amiss!
Sentiment's convention?
We must this all dismiss!
Scent the sense of the feline
And the stable's equine piss!
Envoi: "Avant-garde is French for bullshit," John Lennon (1940-1980).
Consider: Imagine, as a parody
Addendum of Wanting to Escape What is In and What is Out: "...here are some notes I took when Ligeti lectured at the New England Conservatory in 1993: "When you are accepted in a club, without willing [and] without noticing you take over certain habits [of thinking] what is in and what is out. Tonality was definitely out. To write melodies, even non-tonal melodies, was absolutely taboo. Periodic rhythm, pulsation, was taboo, not possible. Music has to be a priori. … It worked when it was new, but it became stale. Now there is no taboo; everything is allowed. But one cannot simply go back to tonality, it’s not the way. We must find a way of neither going back nor continuing the avant-garde. I am in a prison: one wall is the avant-garde, the other wall is the past, and I want to escape." In "Ligeti," in Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise," 12 June 2006.
Consider: anythingis
Addendum of Trying to be Original: "It is not possible to be original by trying to be original - those who attempt this in the arts will be merely avant-garde. Originality is the product of an impulse to intense and overwhelming that it bursts the conventions and produces something new - again more by accident than design." In "The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy," Michael Foley, Simon and Schuster, 2010.
Consider: an aspect of art
Hector is that crowd loud chap,
And a very proud chap is he,Who hectors long his hectoring pap,
Yea, hectoring continuously.
He hectors what and who and how
And through his hectoring feeds
Upon where/when to start each row
Through hectoring words and screeds.
Hector wants us all to heed
The bilge he spews and spreads,
Expecting we will to all accede,
Befogged when at loggerheads.
Hector baits and boasts and brags;
And more that, demands
Submissiveness to his nags,
And so misunderstands.
Alas for Hector, one or two
Will walk away; then three.
Then many and then maybe you,
Weary of the hectoring spree.
Hector this and hector that
To an audience that backs away,
So comes each end of hectoring
When most won't come to play.
Little Hector in each year
And through his generations
Has that/this as his greatest fear:
Most ignore such provocations.
Hector is that crowd loud child
Who looks to see who looks;
Brittle little Hector's wild
To gin up Donnybrooks.
Yet worlds do tire of the scold,
The nag, the rage, the roar.
Hectoring grows so quickly old
So fast does he become a boor.
Leave off the questions - paraphrase of a Wilhelm Busch poem
Leave off the questions,
Dear old chum.
I myself will comment
With my own opprobrium.
You may speak against this:
One questions anyway.
Certainly! Only know yet,
I care little what you say.
In your probing questions
A chill comes overall
As you ask of the many times
I've made my each shortfall.
Leave off!See: Laß doch das ew'ge Fragen - (2016)
"Treason! John Bull emits an explosive bout of flatulence at a poster of George III as an outraged William Pitt the Younger ticks him off. Newton's etching was probably a comment on Pitt's threat (realized the following month) to suspend habeas corpus. 19 March 1798"
"...under Germany's own lèse-majesté law, Böhmermann could face up to three years in prison. The prosecution of Böhmermann has sparked a continent-wide backlash against Turkey, with one British magazine launching a competition for rude poems about Erdogan in response. Both Germany and the Netherlands have indicated that they plan to get rid of their lèse-majesté laws. Erdogan has led Turkey for more than 13 years, first as prime minister and as president since 2014. He was once considered a modernizer by many in the West, but he has been accused of increasingly autocratic tendencies over the years. Since he became president, the government has used a previously rarely used law to prosecute about 2,000 people for allegedly insulting Turkey's head of state." In "Dutch newspaper publishes cartoon depicting Turkey’s Erdogan as an ape crushing free speech," by Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 25 April 2016. [ 1 ]
when skin is thin,
small wounds go deep
although quite slight,
not worth a peep...
when ego's frail,
it rages loud
against light words
and a laughing crowd.
when man is small
though lodged on high
great smallness shines
to testify...
when skin is thin,
when ego's frail,
when man is small
by measured scale.
Envoi: "Whoever undertakes o set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." Edmund Burke (1729-1797), in "Preface to Brissot's Address to His Constituents," (1794).
Addendum of a Testy Junta: "The Thai junta is using the lèse majesté law to conceal their own corrupt acts. Since the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) fomented a coup and seized power on 22 May 2014, there has been an increasingly draconian constriction of freedom of expression and civil and political rights. This has included record numbers of prosecutions under Article 112, the measure of the Criminal Code which describes the crime of lèse majesté and stipulates punishment of three to fifteen years imprisonment per count. After nineteen months in power, the junta, which claimed to enter power to reform and clean up the mess made by corrupt politicians, is facing its own corruption scandal. But rather than investigate it transparently, the junta has instead further cracked down on civil and political rights." In "Corruption, Lèse Majesté and the Thai Junta," by Rangsiman Rome, Huffington Post, 18 December 2015.
Addendum of Fat Amidst the Lean: "Bloggers from South Korea's Internet community had one overriding question about the youngest son of leader Kim Jong-il: how did he get so fat when his country is starving?" In "South Koreans ridicule 'fat' Kim Jong-un," Telegraph UK, 1 October 2010. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Some Countries Where You Can Go to Jail: "In Iran, a prominent journalist was recently sentenced to 16 months in prison for calling President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a megalomaniac. In pre-revolutionary Egypt, you could go to jail for four years for insulting Hosni Mubarak. It was even a jailable offence to insult foreign heads of state, as the late author Idris Ali learned when he wrote a novel critical of Muammar al-Qaddafi. In Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, you can be arrested just for sending an email with pictures of the president’s mansion. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has also used laws against insulting the president to silence his critics in the media." In "Countries where you could go to jail for calling the president a dick," by Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy, 30 June 2011.
Consider the many irritated by Dissent
NOTES
[ 1 ] Some detail about these 200 prosecutions suggests just how thin-skinned a public persona can be. One reads: "There are nearly 2,000 cases open in Turkey against individuals, including celebrities and schoolchildren, accused of insulting the president, whose zero tolerance for criticism is the subject of a growing litany of zingers in Western mainstream media and comedy shows. Turkey's independent media landscape is rapidly shrinking as a result of government-sanctioned takeovers and forced closure." In "Turkey's Erdogan chases critics at home and abroad," by Dominique Soguel and Suzan Fraser, Associated Press, 26 April 2016.
Similarly, one reads: "The Istanbul court gave Miss Turkey a suspended sentence of 14 months for 'publicly insulting' President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on condition that she does not insult the Sultan again within the next five years. Merve Buyuksarac is the latest of over 2,000 defamation cases President Erdogan has filed in two years. The Turkish law bans insulting the president…something that is quite unbecoming of a NATO member, and EU partner." In "Miss Turkey Gets 14 Months Prison for 'Publicly Insulting' Turkey’s Erdogan," by Alex Christoforou, Duran, 1 June 2016.
The larger picture is one of a "power elite" protecting itself, as corruption in the Turkish government is being seen. One reads: "Istanbul public prosecutor Zekeriya Öz has investigated Turkey's elite, those who were seen as untouchable: politicians, journalists, attorneys and generals. Öz has been the most important criminal prosecutor under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, helping him take legal measures against the network known as the 'Ergenekon,' whose members were allegedly planning a coup against the government. But only a few months after the end of the five-year trial, Öz has now turned against his former sponsor." In "Erdogan's Endgame: Corruption Scandal Threatens Turkish Leader," by Maximilian Popp, Spiegel Online, 2 January 2014.
Defending the Government's Inner Circle
Further from the same year as regards the subject: "...mercilessly mocked by some prominent columnists in the Turkish media. 'Now it should be the turn to correct other assumptions misunderstood by the world,' wrote Mehmet Yilmaz of the Hurriyet daily with heavy sarcasm, suggesting that Erdogan's next idea maybe that a Muslim, rather than Isaac Newton, discovered gravity. Devlet Bahceli, leader of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said Tuesday the controversy was a political manoeuvre devised by Erdogan to 'cover up his faults', including corruption claims targeting his inner circle." In "Erdogan slams ridicule of 'Muslims discovered Americas' claim," by Fulya Ozerkan, Agence France Presse, 18 November 2014.
In time, one reads: "Turkish law enforcement officers raided several houses of prominent figures linked to Erdogan’s government. Among the detainees, the three sons of Turkish ministers were also included. During the police operation, $4.5 million in cash packed in shoe boxes in the house of the chief executive of a state-run bank, Halkbank, was seized; another $750,000 along with a money-counting machine in the bedroom of a government minister’s son. All of the other fifty two people detained during the police operations were in various ways connected with Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party. The central figure of the corruption case was, Reza Zarrab, who in the indictment, was accused of bribing ministers in the Turkish Government as well. Erdogan declared that it was a coup attempt to his government. The very first things the then Prime Minister Erdogan were to dismiss the Istanbul police chief and other prominent police officers and remove all the public prosecutors leading the corruption case. His government fired all the prosecutors and police officers during a witch hunt as a revenge. Some of the prosecutors even fled the country." In "The Central Figure of The Turkish Corruption Scandal Arrested in the U.S.," by Aydoğan Vatandaş, Huffington Post, 22 March 2016.
But the egotistical push of a "power elite" has repercussions. One reads of Turkey's economy: "...the flight of 'hot' money has depleted Central Bank’s reserves. 'We’ve eaten away at stocks. The Central Bank reserves are down,' told Durmus Yilmaz, former Governor of Turkish Central Bank, to Al-Monitor. He stressed that the current account deficit—$32 bn at the end of December last year—was offset with $7.5 bn from FDIs, $8.4 bn from inflows of unexplained origin and $16 bn from Central Bank reserves. Yilmaz believes that both economic and political factors will trigger an outflow of foreign investments from Turkey in the forthcoming period. 'The coordination glitches in management of the economy and the regression and uncertainty in the rule of law, human rights and property rights seen in recent years will all play a major role in determining capital flows,' said Yilmaz." In "Turkey and Foreign Investors," by Alexander Rogozhinn, New Eastern Outlook, 28 May 2016.
Repercussions
Repercussions abound as the Erdogan government fattens in power and wealth. One reads: "Standard & Poor's has downgraded its credit rating for Turkey deeper into "junk" status, citing the failed coup and political turmoil." In "The Latest: S&P Cuts Turkey Credit Rating Deeper Into Junk," Associated Press, 20 July 2016.
One looks at this "sultan" of Turkey to find him wealthy amidst a people's poverty. One reads: "Turkey leads Southern Europe countries as well as other less-developed European countries such as Hungary and Romania in child poverty with 63 per cent of children aged under 15 in living in poverty. In Romania, which has the closest rate to Turkey, this rate is 36 percent, while in Greece it is 16.5 percent and in Italy it is 12.4 percent. Of the 20 million people living in rural Turkey more than two million fall below the poverty line and live on less than £3 a day. Across the country the average annual wage is just over £5,000 compared to £21,000 in the UK." In "The £43m-a-year President, his 'shopaholic' wife and their £2,000 per roll silk wallpaper in the bathroom: Inside Turkey tyrant's £500million palace... so dripping in gold 'it would have even made Saddam blush'," by Paul Johnson, Mail Online, 18 July 2016.
As with this sort of wealthy and corrupt political leader in every nation which has had to tolerate such, a declaration that a corruption investigation amounts to a "coup attempt" is not unusual. Most recently Dilma Rousseff said much the same thing of the continuing corruption revelations in Brazil. Consider how politicians seek for themselves that most political marker -- Immunity
Consequences come slowly, as one reads: "Brazil’s Senate ousted Dilma Rousseff as president Wednesday, voting overwhelmingly to impeach the leftist leader in the culmination of a protracted process that has divided the country. The vote to impeach Rousseff was 61 to 20. Two-thirds of senators — 54 out of 81 — were needed for impeachment to pass." In "Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff ousted in impeachment vote," by Marina Lopes and Dom Phillips, Washington Post, 31 August 2016.
Another reports notes: "... her impeachment may not restore public confidence in Brazil’s leaders, or diminish the corruption that pervades the country’s politics. To the contrary, many Brazilians note, it transfers power from one scandal-plagued party to another." In "Dilma Rousseff Is Ousted as Brazil’s President in Impeachment Vote," by Simon Romero, New York Times, 31 August 2016.
Romero goes on to observe: "...she narrowly won on promises to maintain extensive state control over the economy, resulting in generous public spending. But once re-elected, she went in another direction, appointing a finance minister who tried to win approval for market-friendly policies. 'She simply lied through her teeth to get re-elected, forming a wave of national indignation,' said Antonio Risério, a historian and cultural commentator. 'Upon perceiving that they voted for one person and elected another, the majority of the population started to want her head'."
Yet politicians such as Rousseff expect to be treated to legal immunity, but as a public reaction in times of overt political corruption and government rapaciousness, it is becoming ever more seen that capital and People walk away
[ 2 ] North Korean ridicule of others is seen as well: "First among the recent targets was President Obama, who the nation derided earlier this year in in a racist screed. Calling Obama a 'clown,' a 'dirty fellow' and a 'crossbreed with unclear blood,' the Korean Central News Agency said it 'would be perfect for Obama to live with a group of monkeys in the world’s largest African natural zoo and lick the breadcrumbs thrown by spectators.' It also targeted South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who it called an 'old prostitute.' Then this for a United Nations official: 'disgusting old lecher.' Now it’s John Kerry’s turn. On Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press, the Korean Central News Agency laid into the U.S. Secretary of State, ridiculing his 'hideous lantern jaw'." In "North Korea ridicules John Kerry’s ‘hideous lantern jaw’," by Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 20 August 2014.
"Critics say agricultural surplus aid and heavily subsidized food imports do more harm than good by undercutting local farmers and pushing the hemisphere's poorest nation farther from self-sufficiency. 'This program does nothing to boost capacity in Haiti and does nothing to address consistent food insecurity,' said Oxfam America senior researcher Marc Cohen." In "Donation of surplus peanuts from US dismays Haiti farmers," by Associated Press, 15 April 2016. [ 1 ]
We are caring and oh so kind
To undercut your wares;
Our overage is bought and paid
To sow your fields with tares.
We could help in other ways
But that won't garner votes,
So we erode your fields with free
And break your back with groats
And peanuts, grains' largesse
As dries your arid soil,
For this is how we choose to care
To undercut your daily toil.
Peanuts are purely political,
Which explains our stockpile's aim,
And so we show our kindly care
By skewing your farmers' game.
Oh so caring, oh so kind
And all in all not free,
For someone's paid from another's purse
To care so abysmally.
Envoi: "Although subsidized U.S. crops have always posed a major threat to Haiti’s agrarian community, the current multi-billion-dollar program, which sends American crops to Haiti, makes it impossible for local farmers to compete against these less expensive crops." In "Haiti four years later: U.S. aid hurts farmers, leaving many unable to compete," by LaToya Bowlah, Foreign Policy Today, 18 January 2014.
Addendum of the Haitian Hospital Not Built: "Jake Johnston, who has been tracking Haiti’s relief and reconstruction as a research associate with the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research, said the hospital is a case study in how Haiti, USAID and the international community in general failed in their post-quake mission to 'build back better' by improving coordination. A French Embassy official did not respond to an interview request. 'It’s emblematic of what went wrong. It fell back into business as usual, suffering from the same problems projects suffered from before the quake, which the quake response was supposed to address,' Johnston said." In "Haiti’s new $83 million General Hospital still not built," by Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 January 2015.
Addendum of the Hidden Costs of Subsidies: "IFPRI Senior Research Fellow David Laborde, who contributed to 'The Subsidy Habit', chapter 6 of the 2012 Global Food Policy Report, recently described how agricultural subsidies in rich countries such as the US and EU as well as emerging economies such as India and China are threatening global food security. 'Food security,' he says, 'is not just about producing more food. It’s also about raising incomes across the board, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.' Yet emerging policies in the US and the EU are having the opposite effect; they are protecting and raising incomes for their farmers at the expense of fair prices that would help raise incomes among poor, smallholder farmers in developing countries." In "The Hidden Costs of US and EU Farm Subsidies," Peter Shelton, Internation Food Policy Research Institute, 1 May 2013. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Seeking Secrecy: "A ruling over privacy versus transparency by the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice is being used by member states to keep the data secret. The court claims EU transparency laws can violate a natural person’s right to privacy. But Farmsubsidy.org disputes the claim, arguing member states 'are using a very broad definition of ‘natural person’ to keep as much data as possible from entering the public domain'. 'It’s really crazy the way governments are trying to keep this data secret. They use all kinds of technical tricks but I am confident we will succeed in the end,' Farmsubsidy.org’s Nils Mulvad said." In "EU farm subsidies remain cloaked in secrecy," by Nikolaj Nielsen, EU Observer, 10 May 2012. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Denying Livelihoods and Gouging Consumers at the Same Time: "British households pay an extra £832 a year in grocery bills due to the huge EU subsidy system that is also depriving tens of thousands of African farmers of their livelihoods, a charity warns. Everyday goods such as bread, milk, sugar and chicken are all more expensive because of the payments made to British and European farmers. At the same time, dumping of subsidised produce in African countries is forcing local producers out of business." In "EU subsidies deny Africa's farmers of their livelihood," by Maxine Frith, Independent UK, 16 May 2006.
Addendum of Crony Capitalism as Income Redistribution: "The empirical evidence with respect to income redistribution and the economic efficiency of most U.S. farm subsidies is unambiguous. The largest 15 percent of farm operations and the richest farmers and landowners, with incomes and wealth that are many times the national average, receive over 85 percent of all farm subsidies. Small farm operations managed by families that are poor generally receive little or no help from the programs approved and defended by the House and Senate agricultural committees. Moreover, many farm programs waste economic resources and provide incentives for environmentally damaging practices. In addition, by distorting domestic and global markets, they create difficulties for the U.S. government in international trade relations." In "Crony Farmers," by Vince Smith, U.S. News and World Report, 14 January 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Politics as Usual: " 'Cynics like me fully expected this to work out the way it has,'" says Bruce Babcock, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University. 'Farm policy isn't really about policy. It's about farmers getting their money. And the agriculture committees in Congress are there to make sure that farmers get their money'." In "Farm Subsidies Persist And Grow, Despite Talk Of Reform," by Dan Charles, National Public Radio, 1 February 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Billionaires Subsidized: "Fifty members of the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans – banking tycoon David Rockefeller Sr., Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, stockbroker Charles Schwab and dozens of other billionaires – got at least $6.3 million in farm subsidies between 1995 and 2014, according to an EWG analysis. And these fat cats likely received even more subsidies through the federal crop insurance program. EWG matched EWG’s Farm Subsidy Database with the Forbes 400 list. We found that the billionaires who received farm subsidies between 1995 and 2014 have a collective net worth of $331.4 billion, based on Forbes’ estimates of their wealth. Some of the other notable members of the 1 percent who got farm subsidies include Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, the owners of three professional sports teams, and the founder of the Bass Pro sporting goods empire." In "The Rich Get Richer: 50 Billionaires Got Federal Farm Subsidies," by Robert Coleman, Environmental Working Group, 18 April 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Supporting the Haves: "...a significant percentage of aid money is spent on sustaining an aid-industrial complex that enriches and provides employment (and savior status) to the world’s haves." In "In Haiti, the aid-industrial complex revives colonial stereotypes," by Rafia Zakaria, AlJazeera, 10 June 2015. [ 7 ]
Addendum of State Department's Broken Promises: "The State Department and its partners said the park would create 65,000 jobs when fully operational. Nearly four years later, there are just over 9,000 employees. Workers that Circa spoke with make the equivalent of $3.81 per day. 'We can't even complain. If we do, we'll get fired,' one worker lamented." In "The US promised to rebuild Haiti after the earthquake. Here's what actually happened," by Elizabeth Hagedorn. Circa, 6 September 2016.
Addendum of Big Money, State Department and the Clintons: "Bill and Hillary Clinton have hailed the factory churning out Old Navy sweatshirts in an industrial park here as a shining achievement in their efforts to rebuild this island nation after a destructive earthquake in 2010. But the garment factory has underdelivered on projected jobs. Haitian workers have accused managers of bullying and sexual harassment. And an ABC News investigation has found that after opening its factory in the Haitian industrial park — built with $400 million of global aid — the Korean firm became a Clinton Foundation donor and its owner invested in a startup company owned by Hillary Clinton’s former chief of staff." In "In Haiti, a Factory Where Big Money, State Department and the Clintons Meet," by Matthew Mosk, Brian Ross, Brian Epstein and Cho Park, ABC News, 11 October 2016.
Addendum of Nothing Good to Say: "An eyewitness to the Clinton Foundation's corrupt dealings in Haiti says virtually nothing has been done to help the victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that claimed an estimated 200,000 lives, and that the Clintons are nothing but common thieves who should be in jail. Sandy Rios of American Family Radio interviewed former Haitian Senate President Bernard Sansaricq on Thursday, and the enraged Haitian had nothing good to say about the Clintons. He angrily claimed that they brought their "pay to play" politics to Haiti at the expense of the Haitian people." In "Former Haitian Senate President Calls Clintons 'Common Thieves Who Should Be in Jail," by Debra Heine, PJ Media, 13 October 2016.
Addendum of American Stockpiling Cheese: "The words 'cheese surplus' should be inherently joyful—sort of like 'birthday cake' or 'birth of your first child.' And yet I am having trouble mustering much glee over the news that U.S. cheese inventories have reached a 30-year high of 1.2 billion pounds, because for the past year it seems we're mostly stockpiling a whole bunch of American. U.S. dairies have been losing sales to competition from Europe, where an oversupply of milk has driven down the price of cheese and butter and a falling euro has made exports more competitive." In "Update: The United States Has Stockpiled a Glorious Surplus of American Cheese," by Jordan Weissmann, Slate, 3 May 2016. [ 8 ]
Addendum of Misplaced Charity Worldwide: "The situation is a mess in almost every way. Which is why it is good news that a great deal of progress has been made on one of the ideals agreed on in Paris a decade ago. Donors have become far more open about where their aid goes and how it is spent. It is because of the advances in transparency that we know just how badly things are going. But knowledge and the willingness to change are not the same." In "Misplaced charity," The Economist, 11 June 2016. [ 9 ]
Addendum of How Misplacement Happened: "An anti-corruption investigation concluded that charges should be filed against two former prime ministers, several ex-ministers and the owners of private firms on grounds they misappropriated and embezzled money that left post-quake Haiti with unfinished government buildings, poorly constructed housing and overpriced public works contracts. The nearly $2 billion that was paid out came from the country’s Venezuelan oil largess, known as PetroCaribe. It provides Haiti and several other cash-strapped Caribbean countries with subsidized oil on favorable financing terms. The debt is stretched over a 25-year period with a 1 percent interest rate and a two- to three-year grace period allowing the countries to use the savings to finance social and economic projects. 'It can be declared that the PETROCARIBE has been the object of embezzlement, embezzlement, embezzlement and prevarication on the part of those indexed in this report,' the commission’s report concluded." In "Haiti owes Venezuela $2 billion – and much of it was embezzled, Senate report says," by Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 November 2017.
NOTES
[ 1 ] In the false intellectual game of soft socialist theory, the notion of redistribution plays a large part and places governments at the center of markets.
The article notes: "The donation from the American peanut stockpile, which saw an influx of a whopping 113,167 metric tons from U.S. farmers last year, is being made in coordination with Haiti's interim government. Senior officials at Haiti's agriculture ministry and its food security unit declined to comment. Haiti has a complicated relationship with foreigners who provide aid and there is no shortage of Haitians who insist the United States, which occupied the country from 1919 until 1934, has a vested interest in keeping their homeland economically dependent."
Certainly one sees American farmers being paid for their over-production, as there is no true "donation" from American farmers to Haitians. The "donation" comes in the form of US taxpayers paying for the overage and then "giving" this overproduction away as justification for paying American farmers. In this way, Haitian farmers become unable to compete with the mythic character of Free bees
Benefitting Agribusiness and the Rich
The Associated Press article cites a pertinent critic's view: " 'If the U.S. really wanted to help Haiti they would focus on serious work improving irrigation and farmers' access to credit,' said Haitian economist and activist Camille Chalmers, who argues that the peanut aid is mainly about drawing down the U.S. stockpile and benefiting American agribusiness."A small thought experiment: what would happen if the United States did not have a peanut "stockpile," a term often referring to warfare? Agribusiness in the US would not be paid for its overproduction, and said American businesses would have to compete with products priced to reflect true market indications, and small farmers in Haiti would not have to compete in the Haitian market with "free." But of course money changes hands -- at the level of government ministries.
It is noticed that this is part of "the false intellectual game of soft socialism," a conclusion at which some might balk. Yet this conclusion is being shared. One reads at the end of another article: "The current structure of farm subsidies epitomises the British government's defining project: capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich." In "Farming subsidies: this is the most blatant transfer of cash to the rich," by George Monbiot, Guardian UK, 1 July 2013.
For the poor and unemployed in Haiti, one finds a stark contrast from the visiting celebrities as one reads of self-congratulation coupled to failure: "...less than a year after Caracol Industrial Park's gala opening — with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sean Penn, designer Donna Karan and Haiti's current and former presidents among the guests — the feeling these days is disappointment. Hundreds of smallholder farmers were coaxed into giving up more than 600 acres of land for the complex, yet nearly 95 percent of that land remains unused. A much-needed power plant was completed on the site, supplying the town with more electricity than ever, but locals say surges of wastewater have caused floods and spoiled crops. Most critically, fewer than 1,500 jobs have been created — paying too little, the locals say, and offering no job security." In "A glittering industrial park in Haiti falls short," by Jonathan M. Katz, Al Jazeera, 10 September 2013.
The Blatant Transfer of Cash to the Rich
Earlier in that article, one reads: "When our government says 'we must help the farmers', it means 'we must help the 0.1%'. Most of the land here is owned by exceedingly wealthy people. Some of them are millionaires from elsewhere: sheikhs, oligarchs and mining magnates who own vast estates in this country. Although they might pay no taxes in the UK, they receive millions in farm subsidies. They are the world's most successful benefit tourists. Yet, amid the manufactured terror of immigrants living off British welfare payments, we scarcely hear a word said against them. The minister responsible for cutting income support for the poor, Iain Duncan Smith, lives on an estate owned by his wife's family. During the last 10 years it has received €1.5m in income support from taxpayers. How much more obvious do these double standards have to be before we begin to notice?"
Monbiot continues: "Thanks in large part to subsidies, the value of farmland in the UK has tripled in 10 years: it has risen faster than almost any other speculative asset. Farmers are exempted from inheritance tax and capital gains tax. They can build, without planning permission, structures which lesser mortals would be forbidden to erect, boosting both their capital and income. And they have a guaranteed income from the state. Yet all we hear from their leaders is one long whinge."
From an earlier news item: "As much as 80% of its subsidies go to the richest 20% of farmers, and—as recently published figures have shown in graphic detail—the biggest single recipients of CAP payments tend to be giant agribusinesses and big, wealthy landowners." In "Europe's farm follies," Economist, 8 December 2005.
One must take notice of this salient fact: government -- much of it pretending to be for freedom -- allows the wealthy and politically connected to gorge on "subsidies" in numbers of which the average citizen can only dream. Many are indeed among the 0.1% in terms of economic classes. And they are subsidized, which explains the conclusion that the "government's defining project: capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich."
One could consider under what circumstance and when I Shall Believe the Socialist
[ 2 ] "...emerging policies in the US and the EU are having the opposite effect; they are protecting and raising incomes for their farmers at the expense of fair prices that would help raise incomes among poor, smallholder farmers in developing countries" captures the same truth of which the Associated Press article above speaks.
In parallel, one learns: "France receives around €11 billion each year from the EU in agricultural support, but very little of it actually goes to those who do the farming. There are a little over 500,000 recipients of EU farming subsidies in France, but over 80% of the funds actually goes to large industrial food processing businesses and charitable organisations. In the list of beneficiaries for 2008, recently released by the French government, no independent farmer is listed amongst the top 20 recipients. The largest recipient is the chicken production conglomerate Doux, who received a whopping €62.8 million in aid between October 2007 and October 2008. In the year 2008 the group had a turnover of nearly €2 billion." In "French Farmers and EU Agricultural Subsidies," French-Property.com, 16 February 2010.
A String of Poorly Managed Projects
Returning to Haiti, a few years into the "relief" program for Haiti, one found significant questions: "NPR and ProPublica went in search of the nearly $500 million and found a string of poorly managed projects, questionable spending and dubious claims of success, according to a review of hundreds of pages of the charity's internal documents and emails, as well as interviews with a dozen current and former officials. The Red Cross says it has provided homes to more than 130,000 people, but the number of permanent homes the charity has built is six." In "In Search Of The Red Cross' $500 Million In Haiti Relief," by Laura Sullivan, National Public Radio, 3 June 2015.
Six permanent houses built by one charity suggests utter incompetence. NPR noted: "...the charity will not provide a list of specific programs it ran, how much they cost or what their expenses were."
A Luxury Hotel But "Fewer than 1,500 Homes"
Another report shows similar failures by charity in general six years in. One reads: "Efforts to rebuild the thousands of homes destroyed by the 7.0 quake have inched forward. In six years, USAID says, it has constructed fewer than 1,500 homes, and many of those have had to be rebuilt because of poor workmanship. At the same time, the Clinton Foundation says it “facilitated” the construction of a luxury hotel in Port-au-Prince, a Marriott owned by Denis O’Brien, who has given $10 million to $25 million to the Clinton Foundation. O’Brien, an Irish billionaire who runs the Jamaica-based telecom giant Digicel, said he financed the hotel himself." In "In Haiti, a Factory Where Big Money, State Department and the Clintons Meet," by Matthew Mosk, Brian Ross, Brian Epstein and Cho Park, ABC News, 11 October 2016.
One may also note that these "subsidies" -- income transfers -- are going to "charitable" groups, and therefore to their employees' paychecks and benefits. But one should be skeptical when considering such groups, based on how leaders of many such entities Serve the poorOne may be especially skeptical of what "aid" to Haiti is, spoken in the politics of "charitable" actions by "charitable" groups.
[ 3 ] A small question: why should recipients of public monies not be subject to scrutiny as regards those public monies? Answer: When it exposes the game, as noted above, of "government's defining project: capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich."
The ideal of "greater freedom for all" suggests that many seemingly capitalist-oriented governments are in fact not capitalist at all, but rather closely akin to the socialists and fascists, for whom control over a populace was the defining principle.
Subsidies Fuel Scarcity
Awareness of this skewing of the marketplace on a worldwide basis has grown. One reads from 2008: "...industrialised countries, especially the U.S., also pay substantial subsidies to their farmers, and protect their local markets with import tariffs and quotas. These subsidies have been at the core of debates in international forums such as the World Trade Organisation, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the United Nations. But now with prices of basic foods like rice, wheat and corn rising sharply, industrialised countries' subsidies for agriculture are increasingly under the spotlight. Wheat prices have risen on average 130 percent since March 2007, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), while soy prices have jumped 87 percent. Food prices have risen 83 percent over the past three years, the World Bank reported this month. This increase in food prices has fuelled protests in several countries, including Haiti, Egypt, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Yemen, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Italy. Voices are rising within Europe against such subsidies." In "Europe: Subsidies Feed Food Scarcity," by Julio Godoy, Inter Press Service, 25 April 2008.
So the "redistribution of wealth" in fact ends up being redistribution of wealth into the hands of a few via political posturing, employing lovely words like "donation" and "charity," intended to confuse the ordinary citizen.
One finds a cutting opinion on the American version of this game: "Sadly, federal farm policies have been a long-standing rip off of American taxpayers, which continues into the 21st century. In 2002, Congress and the George W. Bush administration agreed to farm legislation that partly reversed the reforms of 1996. The 2002 law increased projected subsidy payments by 74 percent over 10 years. It added new crops to the subsidy rolls, and it created a new price-guarantee scheme called the 'countercyclical' program. In 2008, Congress overrode a presidential veto to enact farm legislation that extended existing supports and created new subsidy programs. The legislation added a 'permanent disaster' program for areas often hit by adverse conditions, and it added a revenue protection program designed to lock in 2008’s high commodity prices. It also aided producers of specialty crops, such as fruits and vegetables, with various new programs. The 2008 farm bill added a new sugar-to-ethanol program under which the government buys excess imported sugar that might put downward pressure on inflated domestic sugar prices. The program defends domestic sugar growers’ 85 percent of the U.S. sugar market, and it provides for the government to sell excess sugar, at a loss if need be, to ethanol producers." In "Agricultural Subsidies," by Chris Edwards, Downsizing Government, 1 June 2009.
Subsidized Socialism for the Rich
"...to sell at a loss, if need be" is not basic capitalism, but another form of crony capitalism/socialism, rather as one sees in a variety of instances over the last century. Subsidies and price controls have most recently appeared in the continuing economic tragedy which is modern Venezuela, as one may consider in some footnotes while watching socialist theory going Down the runway with a strut
This is not only socialism for the rich, but also socialism for the idle. One finds: "Nationwide, the federal government has paid at least $1.3 billion in subsidies for rice and other crops since 2000 to individuals who do no farming at all, according to an analysis of government records by The Washington Post. Some of them collect hundreds of thousands of dollars without planting a seed." In "Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm," by Dan Morgan, Gilbert M. Gaul and Sarah Cohen, Washington Post, 2 July 2006.
[ 4 ] If crony capitalism were in fact capitalism, agribusiness would have to compete with the chance of winning or losing in a generally free marketplace. If crony capitalism were more like Chinese Communism, the rich would get richer. Consider the economic truth of Capital for Communists
For more on the interesting phrase, crony capitalism, consider the Grease
As an example of the American government playing an unhappy economic role in Haiti, one reads: "...the US embassy is working with corporate interests to keep the minimum wage in Haiti low. All US embassies, again, are arms of The Department of State and answer to the Secretary of State—who, if you haven’t figured by now, was Hillary Clinton. Clinton has a 'charitable organization' (independent, nonpartisan watchdog group Sunlight Foundation referred to it as a 'slush fund') involved in advocating 'sustainable business practices' in the same place branches of government under her supervision are advocating low minimum wages in? Does anyone see the massive conflict of interest there?" In "How Hillary Clinton Undercut Women in Haiti Apparel Industry," Haiti Sentinel, 13 September 2016.
What was the low wage for which the US State Department lobbied? 31 cents an hour, half that sought by Haitian laborers in sweatshops. The Sentinel notes: "...the Department of State’s intervention regarding the minimum wage caused it to land at only $0.31/hr instead of the $0.65/hr workers were fighting for. This is less than $3/day, instead of a target of around $5/day."
Besides the question of political and economic terminology in service to base politics, the simple truth is becoming apparent. Crony capitalism, like fascism, communism and socialism, is government acting as a redistribution agent beyond the marketplace. Like so many instances worldwide, it acts against the mass of individual citizens in general for the interests of a small class of often highly-protected individuals. Protected by what? By Fat, fat government
[ 5 ] One sees years pass in two news items.
From 2006: "African governments have long complained that U.S. and European agricultural subsidies are undercutting African farmers. Western farm-support programs and cheap cotton dumped on the world market are impeding efforts to end Africa's cycle of poverty." In "U.S., European Subsidies Undercut African Farmers," by Jason Beaubien, National Public Radio, 13 October 2006.
A decade later, one reads: "The Senate Agriculture Committee noted in a press release that the new law would eliminate one big subsidy altogether and save taxpayers a total of $23.3 billion over the following 10 years. Those projected savings, it turns out, were a mirage. According new estimates for Farm Bill spending over the next few years released by the Congressional Budget Office, total government aid to farmers will swell to $23.9 billion in 2017." In "Farm Subsidies Persist And Grow, Despite Talk Of Reform," by Dan Charles, National Public Radio, 1 February 2016.
Those politically promised "projected savings" were a "mirage." They were intended to be a mirage, as yet again one may revisit Monbiot's clarity about "charitable" governments: "capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich."
Government subsidies may be seen in so many areas: from farm subsidies to renewable energy subsidies including the ethanol policies which link farm subsidies to energy subsidies in a most politically enforced manner, to various forms of bail-ins and bail-outs for financial and insurance "industries" which make no physical products for actual consumption, to subsidies for education results in all the tasty details of the wealthy classes as Doctor Oppression comes to call
[ 6 ] That a Secretary of Commerce in the Obama administration is a billionaire benefitting from government subsidies is clear demonstration that the ideals of such politics comes to little more than "capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich." For more on some of the richest Americans including Ms. Pritzker, consider how Moolah
A Billionaire in Government
As to billionaires in the Obama "Income Inequality" administration, one notes that the sitting Secretary of State and his wife have an estimated worth together of over a billion.
After considering the various reports above, one may return to contemplate the plight of the Haitian farmer, eking out a bare existence in trying to compete with billionaire-subsidized Free
Government is too often nakedly corrupt, and government subsidies corrupt whole economies. The many corrupt are rightly in fear of transparency in government as they are of the rudimentary facts of Economics 101
As one example among many of pervasive corruption by a "power elite," one sees: "Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang, Africa’s longest-serving leader, is poised to extend his almost 37-year rule over the oil-rich nation in elections on Sunday that the opposition and observers say won’t be free. Obiang, 73, will probably win by a landslide because he controls every aspect of the government and society, said John Bennett, the former U.S. ambassador to the West African nation from 1991 to 1994." In "Africa's Longest-Serving President Set to Extend 37-Year Rule," by Sarah McGregor, Bloomberg, 24 April 2016.
As with so many other nations, the story is common: "For all of the wealth that natural-resources generates, the country remains one of the world’s poorest with three-quarters of its fewer than 1 million people mired in poverty."
Haitians are mired in poverty too, in the midst of American "charity" and "donations" alongside "foreign" investment in the exploration for and mining of gold, of course controlled by a "power elite."
[ 7 ] Supporting the world's haves? Is such rhetoric supportable? Unsurprisingly yes, after considering how "subsidy" and "donation" and "aid" so easily make for profits for those not in need.
From the article one reads: "Foreign Red Cross workers in Haiti occupied most of the top positions and enjoyed a host of perks. A project-manager position came with relocation expenses, home leave, rest and relaxation breaks, all of which added up to $140,000 a year. When the organization hired locals, they were relegated to lower positions. The highest paid Haitian employee made only $42,000 a year. Hiring Haitians for the lowest spots, however, enabled the Red Cross to claim that 90 percent of its workforce was Haitian."
Given the median income for Haitians is under $1,000 a year, this spells the Haitian version of Income Inequality
What Does Haiti Have to Show for $13 Billion
One finds others have posed similar questions: "The disconnect between the massive amount of private and public aid and the poverty, disease and homelessness that still plague the country raises a question that critics say is too difficult to answer: Where did all that money go?" In "What Does Haiti Have to Show for $13 Billion in Earthquake Aid?" by Tracy Connor, Hannah Rappleye and Erika Angulo, NBC News, 12 January 2015.
Some detail from that article tells that "...there's the troubling case of Fugees rapper Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti charity, which took in $16 million in 2010 on the strength of his star-power, and spent more than $4 million on internal expenses like salaries, consultants, travel and office and warehouse expenses."
A Felon Getting Aid
In a similar manner, "aid" for Haiti seems to have strayed, as one reads of "...the case of a shady Miami businessman serving a 12-year prison sentence after scamming the government out of millions. His name is Claudio Osorio, a Clinton Foundation donor who got $10 million from the government after the Clinton State Department reportedly pulled some strings. Osorio got the money from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a federal agency that operates under the guidance of the State Department, to build houses in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. The OPIC supposedly promotes U.S. government investments abroad to foster the development and growth of free markets. Osorio’s 'Haiti project' was supposed to build 500 homes for displaced families in the aftermath of the earthquake. The project never broke ground and Osorio used the money to finance his lavish lifestyle and fund his illicit business ventures. He also ran a fraudulent international company with facilities in the U.S., United Arab Emirates, Germany, Angola and Tanzania that stole millions from investors. Some of the OPIC Haiti money was used to repay investors of his fraudulent company (Innovida), according to federal prosecutors. In September 2013, Osorio was sentenced to 150 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release." In "Hillary State Dept. Helped Jailed Clinton Foundation Donor Get $10 Mil from U.S. for Failed Haiti Project," Judicial Watch, 23 August 2016.
To the cynic -- as is Bruce Babcock, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University -- these tales tell the variants on the same stories. A great many are self-congratulating on their "charitable" stance while skimming off the cream of ostensibly charitable programs. This is because in terms of government, Naturally no one steals anything
False Benevolence and U.S. Intervention
As to the "haves" who are involved in Haiti, a Haitian blogger opines: "For eleven years, outraged Haitians against dictatorship and occupation have, in various waves, taken to the streets to demand an end to the US-UN occupation behind NGO false benevolence. Since the 2010 doctored elections, Haiti demonstrators have demanded the removal of the puppet Martelly government. As carnival time approaches, this February month is slated to see more anti-dictatorship and anti-corruption demonstrations. More recently, as world gas prices go down, with Haiti prices remaining high; as the Haiti elites continue to block natural desires for sovereignty and a participatory Haiti democracy, the demonstrators are also boycotting businesses, agitating against the high cost of living, low wages and high gas prices." In "Barack Obama installed Dictatorship in Haiti," Ezili Dantò, 8 February 2015.
Ms. Dantò is involved with the Committee to Mobilize Against Dictatorship in Haiti. As such, she writes: "After 300 years of direct European enslavement in Haiti and 200 years of unremitting US-Euro tyranny, containment-in-poverty, abuse and exploitation, Haiti is without hate and still rated the least violent nation in the entire Caribbean. It demonstrates peacefully. Suffers interminably the rape, abuse and atrocities of power elites with the faces of Samantha Power, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Paul Farmer, Amnesty International and Hollywood celebrities. In myriad ways, Haiti lives are swapped around and cashed in, while the colonial bullies circulate in polite company as if nothing will unveil them. As if their impunity, degeneracy and gross corruption is the newest, shiniest hit record or song."
Lumping seeming political opposites as George W. Bush and Barack Obama together is noteworthy. These "power elites" operating in an earthquake-ravaged, impoverished nation support the entrenched elite of Haiti.
Business as Usual
One reads: "Seething mass protests throughout Haiti in late January and early February drove President Michel Martelly from office on Feb. 7. Martelly had been selected to run for president through the personal intervention of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2010. Clinton had visited Port-au-Prince to personally overturn the decision of the Haitian electoral commission to select a different candidate — Jude Célestin — for a spot in the runoff. In the context of the 100 years of direct U.S. intervention in Haiti, which most Haitians see as an occupation, for Washington to select a candidate is business as usual. But it throws light on the negative influence Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton have had on Haiti." In "The Clintons’ role in Haiti," by G. Dunkel, Workers World, 6 March 2016.
The Workers World article adds: "At a protest on Jan. 12 in front of Bill Clinton’s office in Harlem on the sixth anniversary of the earthquake, the Committee to Mobilize against Dictatorship in Haiti said: 'Bill Clinton, as head of the IHRC, Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, was responsible for the $6 billion that came into his hands. He had unlimited control of this money. Six years after the earthquake, not much has changed, and as a matter of fact, Haiti is in worse condition than it was in 2010. Only Bill Clinton can tell the world what happened with this money'."
Blurring the Mission and Gold Mining
Lest the Workers World or the Committee to Mobilize Against Dictatorship in Haiti be suspect in the reports, one further finds: "...a potentially problematic issue for Hillary Rodham Clinton as she considers a second presidential run, after it was revealed this month that in 2013, one of her brothers was added to the advisory board of the company that owns the mine. Tony Rodham’s involvement with the mine, which has become a source of controversy in Haiti because of concern about potential environmental damage and the belief that the project will primarily benefit foreign investors, was first revealed in publicity about an upcoming book on the Clintons by author Peter Schweizer. In interviews with The Washington Post, both Rodham and the chief executive of Delaware-based VCS Mining said they were introduced at a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative — an offshoot of the Clinton Foundation that critics have long alleged invites a blurring of its charitable mission with the business interests of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their corporate donors." In "Role of Hillary Clinton’s brother in Haiti gold mine raises eyebrows," by Kevin Sullivan and Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post, 20 March 2015.
While the individual Haitian farmer struggles on a small crop of arid land and is "undercut" by "donations" from corporate donors, one finds other corporate donors seeming to line up to carve away some of Haiti's potential riches for themselves. As one learns from sources above, billionaires in the world's "power elite" seem to be doing quite well through such "help" offered to poor nations. Given potential gold reserves as well as low-paid unskilled workers in various industries also controlled from outside this nation, one sees government busily at work -- for its elite to prosper.
"Ther'es gold in them thar" Haitian hills, and profits to be made by "donations" of agricultural overproduction sold to a government of a nation to "donate" and undercut producers of a far poorer nation, thereby attacking their own economy.
It seems caring, charitable members of the "power elite" showering "donations" on the poor have not forgotten this statement: "When the gold rush in Georgia was believed to be over, many miners headed west to join the 1849 California Gold Rush. Stephenson thought differently and in the town square proclaimed to over 200 men, 'Why go to California? In that ridge lies more gold than man ever dreamt of. There’s millions in it.' This excerpt was retold to Mark Twain by the miners who moved to California from Georgia and may have inspired his character Mulberry Sellers. Sellers was famous for his lines 'There’s gold in them thar hills' and 'there's millions in it'." In "M. F. Stephenson," Wikipedia article, n. d.
[ 8 ] One waits for politicians to again be oh so kind, and donate such oversupply somewhere, excepting the small problem of refrigeration. And what would such "donations" do to Haitian farmers? The same as the other "oh so kind" donations.
Price Supports for International Corporations
The history of "price supports" in the US is long, and given the modern corporate world it comes to the US government practicing corporatism, not either socialism or capitalism. Of the distribution of public funds to "farmers," one notes that the great share of farming is now corporate. One reads: "In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Chris Jochnick, director of the private sector department at Oxfam America, discussed the impact that these 10 companies have on the world. 'If you look at the massive global food system, it’s hard to get your head around. Just a handful of companies can dictate food choices, supplier terms and consumer variety,' Jochnick said. These 10 companies are among the largest in the world by a number of measures. All of them had revenues in the tens of billions of dollars in 2013. Five of these companies had at least $50 billion in assets, while four had more than $6 billion in profits last year." In "Companies That Control the World’s Food," by Alexander E. M. Hess, 24/7 Wall Street, 15 August 2014.
One learns: "The Dairy Price Support Program is the United States federal program that maintains a minimum farm price for milk used in the manufacture of dairy products. USDA indirectly assures a minimum price for milk by purchasing any cheddar cheese, nonfat dry milk, and butter offered to it by dairy processors at stated prices. These purchase prices are set high enough to enable dairy processors to pay farmers at least the support price for the milk they use in manufacturing these products." In "Dairy Price Supports," Wikipedia, n. d.
Distort the Market
Thus from nuts to dairy, one finds US government funds skewing the markets, whether in Haiti or the US itself. One reads further that such programs ""...distort the market: "'So you, as a [milk] producer, would have a choice of selling it to your normal purchaser at $18 or $19 a hundred weight or to USDA at $38 a hundred weight. What do you think producers will do?' Of course the producers would sell to the government. And that, says Jim Dunn, a professor of agricultural economics at Penn State University, 'would be terrible.' 'Every refrigerated warehouse in the United States would be full of cheese and butter,' he says, 'and nonrefrigerated milk warehouses would be full of powdered milk.' And for the rest of us, he says, there would be sticker shock in the dairy aisle." In "Why $7-Per-Gallon Milk Looms Once Again," by Tamara Keith, National Public Radio, 4 December 2013.
From that article at the end of 2013, only years later one reads that warehouses are filled with cheese bought under price support programs, with the certainty that corporations are being guaranteed their profits by guaranteeing a minimum price to producers by the federal government and there is "sticker chock in the dairy aisle" for many. The many include Haitian farmers now, sacrificed to support American farmers and American programs which are sold as "oh so kind."
In the bargain, American interests closely related to the government obtain connections to further gather greater wealth for "power elites" in such impoverished nations as Haiti.
[ 9 ] One notes the observation, "because of the advances in transparency that we know just how badly things are going." Still with transparency on the rise, it is true that media of various kinds do not assign much investigative reporting to supposed charity, but rather focus on so mich else. For more on misplaced charity, consider Modern Times and Charity
Freedom knows no color,
has no gender 'tween its thighs.
Freedom speaks in all men's tongues
not bound by slaver's ties.
Freedom is the voice of God
when God is free to speak.
Freedom leaves men's hate behind
bringing favor to the meek.
Freedom answers tyrants' rule
to topple what they preach.
Freedom spreads across our world
and one day will all reach.
Though petals fall from the rose,
Thorns hardened sharp remain.
Time's sere blossoms wane, as flows
Blooms' season's short domain.
Yet as after winter's chill
Next buds and thorns creep out.
Tender, reddened soft shoots spill
Toward beauty as they sprout.
Spring again will answer bright
What last had fall let loose,
As summer'd cycles roundabout
Prove life spins out, profuse.
Immunity - with impunity
"Lula vigorously denies involvement in the scandal, in which investigators say construction companies conspired with Petrobras executives to overbill the oil giant to the tune of $2 billion, paying huge bribes to politicians and parties along the way. The release of the recording caused an uproar in Congress, where furious opposition lawmakers shouted 'Resign! Resign!'. People spontaneously gathered in the capital Brasilia demanding that Lula step down and Rousseff leave office and to show their support Moro. On Sunday, an estimated three million Brazilians flooded the streets in nationwide protests calling for Rousseff's departure." In " 'When a rich man steals they name him minister', Lula da Silva quote in 1998," MercoPress, 17 March 2016.
One should be named a minister
for slippery days at least,
immunity being handy
when hands seem so well greased.
One should be a fat cat rat
that government might hide
the sticky peccadilloes
Of bold bribery, rich, inside.
One should be appointed
to be legally out of reach;
this alone discloses
the urgings to impeach.
One should be protected
by connection to the top,
assuring prying eyes
slam shut in a blinding stop.
One should deny vigorously
when investigations pry
into the cashing of the chips
of a next corrupted guy.
Addendum a Great Betrayal: "The failure is not only of Ms Rousseff’s making. The entire political class has let the country down through a mix of negligence and corruption. Brazil’s leaders will not win back the respect of its citizens or overcome the economy’s problems unless there is a thorough clean-up." In "The great betrayal," Economist, 23 April 2016.
Addendum of Being Intoxicated by Power: "After a decade of soaring popularity, the fortunes of the Workers’ Party were pummeled by a raging economic crisis and a colossal corruption scandal that felled some of its top leaders. While millions of Brazilians were slipping back into poverty, the party that had come to power vowing to represent the masses and drive out impunity was taking part in the same kind of corruption that had long characterized the country’s ruling classes." In "Brazil Workers’ Party, Leaders ‘Intoxicated by Power,’ Falls From Grace," by Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 12 May 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Coup by Democratic Election: "Nationally its vote shrank from 17.3 million votes in 2012’s local elections to just 6.8 million on Sunday, a drop of 60%. It is the first time since its foundation in 1980 that the party comes out of local elections with fewer elected officials than it had achieved four years previously. Lula da Silva had sought to turn Sunday’s elections into a referendum on his party’s claim that Rousseff’s impeachment amounted to a coup and so strengthen its demand new general elections. But the party hemorrhaged support even among its traditional voters." In "Lula's Workers Party support shrinks 60% in Sunday's municipal elections," MercoPress, 4 October 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum as Update on Lula and his Cronies: "Lula, who ruled Brazil from 2003-2010, was convicted and handed a 9.5-year prison term on Wednesday for accepting a luxury seaside apartment and $1.1 million, the latest twist in a giant corruption probe engulfing Latin America's largest economy." In "Former Brazil leader Lula gets nearly 10 years in jail for graft," by Damian Wroclavsky, Agence France Presse, 13 July 2017. [ 3 ]
Consider the worldly varieties: Corruption has a middle name
NOTES
[ 1 ] That politicians can be said to be "intoxicated by power" is an amusing turn of phrase, given that power is synonymous with government, making the obvious statement thereby. The NYTimes noted as did the Economist in "great betrayal" that these so-called liberals in Brazilian government were "...unchastened by their brush with scandal, Workers’ Party officials were secretly engaged in a huge kickback scheme with executives at Petrobras, the state-owned energy giant. The arrangement involved skimming off billions of dollars from an oil boom and diverting the money to the Workers’ Party and its coalition partners in Congress. The scandal has shaken the country’s political establishment, with dozens of business executives and party leaders imprisoned or under investigation."
Looking more closely at "power" one observes that political power is that which is so intoxicating. Political power at a national level might command corruption in the millions, while those "intoxicated with power" at a local level apply their power locally.
Of Brazil in specific but by extension of government as a phenomenon of man, one reads of the correlation between government and corruption: "One of the factors behind prevalent corruption in Brazil is the high level of bureaucracy in the country, according to Transparency International, the global organisation that monitors the problem. It says that companies in Brazil face a number of regulatory hurdles to do business, which opens up opportunities for bribery. Separately, a 2009 survey by the World Bank Group found that almost 70% of Brazilian business owners and managers said corruption was a major obstacle." In "Brazil's continuing corruption problem," by Donna Bowater, BBC, 16 September 2016.
Thus one should conclude that those "intoxicated by power" raise the cost of building and doing business, echoing the truth of the Coase Theorem which speaks to simple economic realities. More government usually results in both greater corruption alongside added costs heaped onto a public.
A Parallel in Outcomes
This is expressed in a commentary as regards the United States. One reads: "The study by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) shows new regulations over just the past year amount to a huge hidden tax on U.S. businesses that chokes off investment and expansion, and kills jobs. How big is the hidden tax? In the last year, federal agencies and departments imposed rules that will cost U.S. businesses $81.6 billion over the next decade, while killing 155,700 jobs. Oh, and to boot, companies would have 411 million hours of added paperwork tacked on to the already-hefty regulatory paperwork burden they bear." In "How Obama's Regulatory Siege Has Killed U.S. Growth," by Terry Jones, Investors Business Daily, 4 October 2016.
One notes the bureaucrats and politicians defend their immunity from the effects of such additional burdens to consumers and taxpayers until elections begin to affect such regulatory mentalities. The Investors' article notes: "...it's a tough time to make things in America, according to NAM. 'The litany of these new labor laws has made it more costly for firms to employ workers,' the NAM study said. 'Forcing companies to spend more money in compliance costs has little to do with a company's main purpose — producing goods and services. These rules result in lower productivity growth, and companies end up paying lower wages and reducing employment'."
It becomes an interesting parallel, as one considers the effects of government corruption creating obstacles to business and jobs, alongside too wide-ranging regulations as similar obstacles to business and job creation. In both cases, one finds that some applications of Grease
[ 2 ] That a politician ousted from office cries foul is a consistent theme throughout history. That the hierarchy of a party should experience this by election losses is becoming thankfully more usual.
One reads: " 'It's a huge, grave blow to Lula's myth,' said Claudio Couto, professor of political science at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) university in Sao Paulo. 'Any condemnation of Lula would also end up being a condemnation of the Workers Party.' The decision and the Petrobras probe as a whole make up a watershed moment for the fight against corruption in Brazil, experts say, where for centuries the rich, powerful and politically connected have enjoyed impunity." In "Brazil's ex-president Lula to stand trial for corruption," by Brad Brooks, Reuters, 20 September 2016.
Future historians might study the world's political tales for the truth that those "intoxicated by power" have always sought immunity, their own freedom as against the freedom of their slaves, serfs, subjects and even now citizens believing themselves to be truly free.
Politicians - the Direct Beneficiaries
As to "Lula's myth," constructed by himself, one reads from Brooks' article: "Judge Sergio Moro said that Lula, who served as president from 2003-11 and has for two decades been an iconic and powerful political force in Brazil, will face charges of accepting 3.7 million Brazilian reais ($1.14 million) in bribes connected to a sweeping kickback probe at state-run oil company Petrobras. Moro wrote in his ruling that according to the prosecutors' charges, Lula was a 'direct beneficiary' of bribes from OAS SA [OAS.UL], one of the engineering and construction firms at the center of the graft scandal, and therefore must stand trial."
As with so many tales of graft, these accusations will be defended with the various versions to excuse corruption as have been mounted throughout history. In fact, the theme of those in government "intoxicated with power" is a long and sad tale of the consistent truth of Corruption
How often a "man of the people" is found to have his hand deeply in people's wallets.
We Don't Accept Your Behavior
Meanwhile, half a million Brazilians made their statement, as one hears political criticism: "Deucher, one of the intellectual leaders of the movement called The South Is My Country, cited citizens' frustration with corruption as a reason so many voted to leave Brazil. 'Be ashamed. We don’t accept your behavior,' he told politicians in his address, adding that voters would rather be run by their former colonial masters than its current leaders. 'We prefer to return to Portugal than pay so dearly for continuing to be Brazilians,' he said." In "A half-million Brazilians want to break away and form a new country," by Dom Phillips, Washington Post, 5 October 2016.
How instructive to see that people see themselves as quite like being under "colonial masters" is to being under Brazil's "current leaders." One could make the observation that government tends towards colonialism of its own citizens, making them subjects rather than citizens. This is what corruption is, from the local bureaucrat to an impeached president. all of whom expect some form of immunity from prosecution for crimes against their own citizen/subjects.
[ 3 ] As follow-up to the conviction of Lula and then his successor, the article observes a dark truth of politics, and in this case Leftist-populist politics: "Lula's chosen successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and booted from office last year, with Temer, her vice president, taking over. Two weeks ago, Moro sentenced an influential minister in the Lula and Rousseff governments, Antonio Palocci, to 12 years in prison for corruption. Palocci played a central role in the 'Car Wash' scheme, most of which unfolded when Lula's Workers' Party was in power from 2003 to 2016. Prosecutors said Palocci was a pointman in the flow of 'bribes between the Odebrecht construction group and intermediaries of the Workers' Party,' laundering more than $10 million used for party campaign finances."
The political corruption was great, as one reads: "In all 157 people have been convicted so far. The supreme court has authorised the prosecutors to investigate scores of members of congress. To get this far, the prosecutors have relied on techniques that are novelties in Brazil. By using 'preventive detention' and plea bargaining, they have extracted confessions and evidence that have led to charges against some of the country’s most prominent businessmen and politicians." In "The conviction of Lula and the future of Brazil’s political purge," Economist, 15 July 2017.
Consider the truth of politicians being Left to their own devices
Do not ever - stay too clever
Do not ever speak the truth:
it upsets the lie believers.
Do not speak too plainly plain;
it rankles great deceivers.
Do not upwards dream or reach;
be among underachievers.
Do not believe in a goodly God:
it irritates bad believers.
"Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., says he wants a law to punish politicians who dissent from man-made climate change theory - and calls them 'contemptible human beings.' Kennedy made the remarks in an interview with Climate Depot at a climate march in New York on Sunday...." In "RFK, Jr.: Climate Skeptics 'Should Be at the Hague with All the Other War Criminals'," by Craig Bannister, CNS, 22 September 2014. [ 1 ]
The Church of Carbontology
demands that you believe,
And rakes enforced donations
as what it must receive.
The prophets who profit trade in tricks
all through the public sphere,
To peddle credits' indulgences
laced with an end days' fear.
Do you believe? these princes ask,
while palming the ace of facts,
For if you don't there are penalties
as they hone their sharp attacks.
The Church of Carbontology genuflects
at what's monstrance shrined.
The creed begins with "you will believe"
in theories well designed
To empty wallets here and there
under grasping laws defined
To prop the Carbontologists up
as in their ivied-elitist kind,
Such that beneath them in contempt
crude deniers fearfully huddle,
And force is placed in lawful service to
those who' a world befuddle.
Do you believe? You will believe,
if only by cudgel's might,
For come the carbontologists
with weapons for the fight.
Bend the knee and break the will
is the catechism'd plan,
Until its priests can butcher bold
each sacrificial lamb.
Envoi: "The new faith has its Inquisition." In "Licence to dissent," by Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun, Australia, 27 October 2008.
Addendum of No Real World Reductions: "Climate policy, as it has been understood and practised by many governments of the world under the Kyoto Protocol approach, has failed to produce any discernable real world reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases in fifteen years. The underlying reason for this is that the UNFCCC/Kyoto model was structurally flawed and doomed to fail because it systematically misunderstood the nature of climate change as a policy issue between 1985 and 2009. However, the currently dominant approach has acquired immense political momentum because of the quantities of political capital sunk into it. But in any case the UNFCCC/Kyoto model of climate policy cannot continue because it crashed in late 2009." In "Executive Summary: "The Hartwell Paper, A new direction for climate policy after the crash of 2009," by Gwyn Prins, Isabel Galiana, Christopher Green, Reiner Grundmann, Mike Hulme, Atte Korhola, Frank Laird, Ted Nordhaus, Roger Pielke Jnr, Steve Rayner, Daniel Sarewitz, Michael Shellenberger, Nico Stehr, and Hiroyuki Tezuka, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, University of Oxford, May 2010. [ 2 ]
Addendum of the Embarrassing Chapter: "...when the later generations learn about climate science, they will classify the beginning of the twenty-first century as an embarrassing chapter in the history of science. They will wonder about our time and use it as a warning of the core values and criteria of science were allowed little by little to be forgotten, as the actual research topic of climate change turned into a political and social playground." In "Ilmastotieteen lamakausi," CO2- raportti blog, Atte Korhola, Professor of Environmental Change, University of Helsinki, 27 September 2009. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Greening: "... in line with the Gaia thesis promoted by the maverick scientist James Lovelock who proposed that the atmosphere, rocks, seas and plants work together as a self-regulating organism. Mainstream science calls such mechanisms 'feedbacks'. The scientists say several factors play a part in the plant boom, including climate change (8%), more nitrogen in the environment (9%), and shifts in land management (4%). But the main factor, they say, is plants using extra CO2 from human society to fertilise their growth (70%). Harnessing energy from the sun, green leaves grow by using CO2, water, and nutrients from soil. 'The greening reported in this study has the ability to fundamentally change the cycling of water and carbon in the climate system,' said a lead author Dr Zaichun Zhu, from Peking University, Beijing, China." In "Rise in CO2 has 'greened Planet Earth'." by Roger Harrabin, BBC, 25 April 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of the Boundary Problem: "The boundary problem between science and pseudoscience, in fact, is notoriously fraught with definitional disagreements because the categories are too broad and fuzzy on the edges, and the term 'pseudoscience' is subject to adjectival abuse against any claim one happens to dislike for any reason. In his 2010 book Nonsense on Stilts (University of Chicago Press), philosopher of science Massimo Pigliucci concedes that there is 'no litmus test,' because 'the boundaries separating science, nonscience, and pseudoscience are much fuzzier and more permeable than Popper (or, for that matter, most scientists) would have us believe'." In "What Is Pseudoscience?" by Michael Shermer, Scientific American, 1 September 2011. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Bad Faith and Inconsistent Representations: "...an embarrassing black eye. In this most recent case, the Competitive Enterprise Institute was trying to force the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to release documents backing up Director John C. Holdren’s finding that global warming was making winters colder — a claim disputed by climate scientists. Mr. Holdren’s staffers first claimed they couldn’t find many documents, then tried to hide their release, saying they were all internal or were similar to what was already public. But each of those claims turned out not to be true. 'At some point, the government’s inconsistent representations about the scope and completeness of its searches must give way to the truth-seeking function of the adversarial process, including the tools available through discovery. This case has crossed that threshold,' the judge wrote." In "Obama White House showed ‘bad faith’ in global-warming case, judge rules," by Stephen Dinan, Washington Times, 9 May 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of the Political Science of Shut Up, Already: "...we’re not talking about science so much as political science. The political climate in California is getting more uncomfortable by the minute, but the reasons for that are pretty clear. Deep down, we’re not a freedom-loving people. 'Never underestimate the coercive power of the central state in the service of good,' Gov. Jerry Brown told an audience at the Paris climate summit in December. When persuasion fails, the state always recurs to force." In "State to climate change skeptics: Shut up, already," by Ben Boychuk, Sacramento Bee, 9 June 2016.
Addendum for the Carbontologists: "We’re so self-important. Everybody’s going to save something now. 'Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails.' And the greatest arrogance of all: save the planet. Save the planet, we don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet. I’m tired of this shit. I’m tired of f-ing Earth Day. I’m tired of these self-righteous environmentalists, these white, bourgeois liberals who think the only thing wrong with this country is that there aren’t enough bicycle paths. People trying to make the world safe for Volvos. Besides, environmentalists don’t give a shit about the planet. Not in the abstract they don’t. You know what they’re interested in? A clean place to live. Their own habitat. They’re worried that some day in the future they might be personally inconvenienced. Narrow, unenlightened self-interest doesn’t impress me. The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles … hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages … And we think some plastic bags and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet isn’t going anywhere. WE are!" In the comedy monologue, "The Planet Is Fine," in "Jammin' in New York," George Carlin, 1992.
Addendum of Creating Worry: "...in order for a fear to become a 3-Dimensional Worry it must fulfill three important conditions or dimensions: DIMENSION #1: There must be hell to pay if your fear proves to be true. DIMENSION #2: There must be some evidence that your fear WILL prove true. DIMENSION #3: There must be a substantial period of time to wait before you can find out if your fear is true." In "How to Make Yourself Miserable, Dan Greenburg with Marcia Jacobs, Random House, 1966. [ 7 ]
Addendum of a Testy Carbontologist: "...it seems Robert F Kennedy Jr was not so forthcoming when it came to questions about his own carbon footprint. Confronted by a reporter asking if he would give up his phone and car, the environmental lawyer became visibly irate before grabbing the microphone and accusing her of 'destroying democracy' as a member of the press. .Finally, Kennedy Jr launched a direct attack at the young woman in which he grabbed the microphone and called her questions 'inane'. Pointing in her face, he says: 'One of the biggest canards that the press if falling for is blaming individuals for their own choices. That's not the issue, the issue is what's happening on Capitol Hill and that's the thing you guys aren't paying attention to. 'You're letting these people you're letting the Koch brothers run our country, subvert our democracy, corrupt our politicians, capture the -'...." In "Robert F Kennedy Jr loses his cool and grabs mic from reporter pushing him about his own carbon footprint," by Mia de Graaf, Mail Online, 22 September 2014.
NOTES
[ 1 ] The punishment for those who would deny "science" fail to note that assertions that "the science is settled" are weakening, as per the envoi above. Rather the enthusiasm to punish under law grows.
One reads: "Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore proposes to 'punish climate change deniers.' Gore also suggests that politicians who reject 'accepted science' should also pay the price." In "Al Gore Proposes To 'Punish Climate Change Deniers'," by Sumit Passary, Tech Times, 17 March 2016.
Crime and Punishment
Additionally, "...current controversies over climate change science? Some members of Congress say there is. Members of Congress have asked the Justice Department to pursue charges under RICO against major fossil fuel companies for knowingly deceiving the public — and investors — about the dangers of climate change when their own studies showed the reality of the threat. Under questioning by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Attorney General Loretta Lynch revealed she has referred the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for study. In addition, in late March, more than a dozen state attorneys general meeting in New York also said they would 'aggressively' investigate whether fossil fuel companies misled the public and investors about the risks of climate change. Several state attorneys general already have initiated such investigations under consumer and investor protection laws. Some ask whether such inquiries should be limited to fossil fuel companies. What about extending the liability, they say, to certain think tanks and advocacy groups?" In "Climate-change deniers deserve punishment," by Michael E. Kraft, Providence Journal, 11 April 2016.
The assertion of "misleading the public" cuts both ways. Should more data reveal that, as noted in the Hartwell Paper above, "under the Kyoto Protocol approach, has failed to produce any discernable real world reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases in fifteen years," then perhaps all those who lobbied for and ascribed to the Kyoto Protocols should also have "liability" for those failures assigned to them for legal redress.
One notices that such activists as Gore, Kennedy and Kraft asserting that any who oppose their views be legally punished are acting politically, not scientifically.
Surveying the addenda and footnotes to the rhyme, Green Job
[ 2 ] The Hartwell Paper notes of politics: "Politics is not about maximising rationality. It is about finding compromises that enough people can tolerate to allow society to take steps in the right direction. So, contrary to all our modern instincts, political progress on climate change simply cannot be solved by injecting more scientific information into politics. More information does not automatically reduce uncertainty and increase public confidence, which is the common politicians’ assumption. But, in consequence of that assumption being present and potent in this (or any) politically hot field, there is a constant temptation for experts to overstate and to oversimplify: something that is plainly revealed in the recent history of climate issues. But thisis a recipe for political disappointment, as the 2010 Gallup poll cited at fn 33 documented. It shows a trend setting in of increasing erosion of public trust in the assertions of climate scientists, although, interestingly, to date this has not translated into an equivalent disenchantment with taking practical action. More fundamentally than in the realm of politics, over-stating confidence about what is known is much more likely to lead us astray in basic research than admitting ignorance. It locks us into rigid agenda and framings such as the one that gave us the dead end of Kyoto, rather than leaving open multiple, even competing options, that allow for learning and adaptability in moving understanding forward. This dynamic tension has always been the motor force in scientific revolutions." In "The Hartwell Paper."
One might turn a sentence above into the negative, and suggest that "politics is about minimizing rationality," adding from the quote, by way of "experts" [who] "overstate" and "oversimplify." And as such, "The consequence of this misunderstanding was that there was a fundamental framing error, and climate change was represented as a conventional environmental ‘problem’ that is capable of being 'solved'. It is neither of these."
[ 3 ] The Finnish environmental scientist also noted: "Another example is the recently published in the prestigious journal Science research, with average temperatures in the Arctic are found to be higher now than at any time in the past two thousand years. The result may well be true, but the way in which researchers this end up, raises questions. Proxy materials have been taken by selectively, they are digested, manipulated, smoothed and consolidated - and previously collected by my colleagues from Finland, for example, their data is translated even upside down when the warm periods become cold and vice versa. Normally this would be considered as a scientific counterfeiting [värennöksenä], which has serious consequences."
Legal battles are being fought in a number of nations' venues, wherein research data is not being released such that replication of the results can be cross-checked. Rather court battles over such things as slander are used to obfuscate what can otherwise be scientifically verified using normal methods of science itself. This suggests that "scientific counterfeiting" might well be at work, in service to those who would trade in and profit from Globaloney
Grinding Policy Goals into Dazzling Diamond
The Hartwell Paper notes also: "Reframing the climate issue in this manner also means giving up the idea that all manner of other policy goals can be attained by grinding them onto a sparkling, myriad-faceted gem of global carbon policy which then dazzles so mesmerically that it carries all before it. It does not and it did not. Instead, the all-inclusive 'Kyoto' type of climate policy as it had become by late 2009, needs to be broken up into separate issues again, each addressed on its merits and each in its own ways. Adaptation, forests, biodiversity, air quality, equity and the many other disparate agendas that have been attached to the climate issue must again stand on their own. We believe that this will, in many cases, make the possibility of political action more likely than has been the circumstance in recent years when carbon policy was asked to pull the whole load of our aspirations for a better future. Of equal importance, it means that progress cannot be held hostage to a single policy framing. If the politics of improving air quality proves intractable for a time, or in a place, then perhaps the politics of adapting to climate impacts will have resonance."
But what may be observed is that many who would punish those opposed to them and some dream of a "planetary regime" quite akin to what Hartwell says would be "a sparkling, myriad-faceted gem of global carbon policy which then dazzles so mesmerically that it carries all before it" also apply for themselves but not for others The Privileges of Intellectuals
Among that which for some time has carried "all before it" is becoming better revealed to be the end of some public policy to become known as Bankrupt green
[ 4 ] The BBC report includes IPCC supporters' views, but also "deniers," those "contemptible human beings" that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Al Gore would see punished under proposed laws.
One denier is quoted by the BBC: "Nic Lewis, an independent scientist often critical of the IPCC, told BBC News: 'The magnitude of the increase in vegetation appears to be considerably larger than suggested by previous studies. This suggests that projected atmospheric CO2 levels in IPCC scenarios are significantly too high, which implies that global temperature rises projected by IPCC models are also too high, even if the climate is as sensitive to CO2 increases as the models imply'."
Reaching a Predetermined Conclusion through Ideological Enforcement
It becomes an argument based on the old Soviet practice of enforcing "science" by law. One recalls (or learns) of a "campaign was supported by Joseph Stalin. More than 3,000 mainstream biologists were sent to prison or fired or executed as a part of this campaign instigated by Lysenko to suppress his scientific opponents. The president of the Agriculture Academy was sent to prison and died there, while the scientific research in the field of genetics was effectively destroyed until the death of Stalin in 1953. Research and teaching in the fields of neurophysiology, cell biology, and many other biological disciplines was also negatively affected or banned. The term Lysenkoism is also used metaphorically to describe the manipulation or distortion of the scientific process as a way to reach a predetermined conclusion as dictated by an ideological bias, often related to social or political objectives." In "Lysenkoism," Wikipedia article, n. d.
One also learns that such "distortion" based on "social or political objectives" was ideological and sold by "crisis" alongside promises to correct crisis-related problems.
"The Soviet chiefs began to support Lysenko during the agricultural crisis of the 1930s. On the basis of rather crude and unsubstantiated experiments, Lysenko promised greater, more rapid, and less costly increases in crop yields than other biologists believed possible. Under Stalin, Lysenko became director of the Institute of Genetics of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. (1940–65) and president of the then powerful V.I. Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences. By 1948, when education and research in standard genetics were virtually outlawed, some geneticists had suffered secret arrest and death of undisclosed causes. Lysenko’s doctrines and claims varied with the amount of power that he held." In "Trofim Denisovich Lysenko," Encyclopædia Britannica, n. d.
Such "arrest and death" were fully related to "the manipulation or distortion of the scientific process as a way to reach a predetermined conclusion as dictated by an ideological bias." Disagree with those in political power? Arrest was and remains the ideologue's first choice.
What is assured is that carbon credits trading is wealth making for the traders who win whether investors gain or lose, which suggests they are "invested" in all senses of the word in silencing critics. Consider the detailed, sourced footnotes to Green Job
[ 5 ] Shermer too reveals his bias by beginning this article as follows: "Climate deniers are accused of practicing pseudoscience, as are intelligent design creationists, astrologers, UFOlogists, parapsychologists, practitioners of alternative medicine, and often anyone who strays far from the scientific mainstream."
By rhetorically placing "deniers" with the other pseudosciences, one finds bias. It is an easy to construct the inverse: "Climate changes advocates are accused of practicing pseudoscience," which is in fact what many critics suggest.
Who Defines Pseudoscience?
While science writers with their varying biases write, one learns that the problem is in fact not scientific so much as philosophical. "This is an indication that there is still much important philosophical work to be done on the demarcation between science and pseudoscience." In "Science and Pseudo-Science," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, rev. 10 February 2014.
Moreover, some critics have a science background far more extensive than the politicians and academics above have who so blithely argue for jailing their opponents. "It is an indisputable fact that carbon emissions are rising—and faster than most scientists predicted. But many climate-change alarmists seem to claim that all climate change is worse than expected. This ignores that much of the data are actually encouraging. The latest study from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that in the previous 15 years temperatures had risen 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit. The average of all models expected 0.8 degrees. So we’re seeing about 90% less temperature rise than expected." In "The Alarming Thing About Climate Alarmism," by Bjorn Lomborg, in his blog - Get the Fact Straight, 1 February 2015.
While Shermer places climate deniers -- a phrase with little meaning, since no one argues there is no climate -- and Lomborg calls such "climate alarmists," the range between them is not currently able to be decided with science alone, for it becomes a political debate, as well as a specific philosophical stance oriented against another stance.
Facts Are Easily Lost
In that debate, Lomborg mocks some of the "carbon-spewing" climate change proponents. One reads: "World leaders will disembark from carbon-spewing jets in New York on Earth Day this Friday to sign the Paris climate treaty, the world’s costliest-ever accord. No doubt, American presidential candidates will use the spectacle to make hay. In line with President Obama, Hillary Clinton believes the treaty is a 'historic step forward' against 'one of the greatest challenges' of our age, while Bernie Sanders argues it 'goes nowhere near far enough.' John Kasich has 'serious concerns' the agreement will hurt the American economy; Donald Trump is not a 'great believer' in man-made climate change and might ditch the treaty; Ted Cruz says he’d do the same because it was agreed to by 'ideologues.' Amid this political back-and-forth — man-made climate change is not real, or it is the worst threat facing humanity; the treaty is horrendous, or it is great — the facts are easily lost." In "Climate change is real, but Paris treaty won't fix it," by Bjorn Lomborg, USA Today, 24 April 2016.
"The facts are easily lost" is the game of political speech and philosophical stance, as the Soviets sought, practiced and were forced to abandon. What is proven is that in many instances, the "climate alarmists" who would jail the "climate deniers" have delivered results already, as seen in the proven episodes of Bankrupt green
Jailing "deniers" is sheer politics, fascistic and a violation of notions of free speech. But it functions well to service the continual feeding of Fat, fat government
Rather like Soviet Socialist, Stalinist Lysenkoism, is it not? It is crucial to those who would penalize and those who would jail opponents, in order to continue their critical pseudo-religious tale of Apocalypse sometime
[ 6 ] Whatever and however one defines "bad faith" and a government's "inconsistent representations" in the debate over Climate change policies, there are observable instances of bad faith as investors in carbon credits have often lost money.
The Washington Times follows the story of the CEI's investigation of those who advocate investigating climate "deniers," which is an odd moniker given that no one denies "climate" or that it changes, while some are skeptical of those seeking taxation and fines as "remedial" actions which have not shown to definitively reduce forecasted temperature increases, given that emissions in so many nations are poorly measured, as raw data from many sources are being more closely examined.
Spin and Deception
The role of government money and and politics is also being examined, as the Washington Times notes: "Mr. Horner said Wednesday the email shows Mr. Newell and Jagadish Shukla, a George Mason University meteorology professor and co-lead author on the so-called RICO-20 letter, engaged in 'spin and deception' to head off criticism over the letter’s implications for free speech. 'When they had the opportunity to define the universe of political opponents — past or present — on whom they sought to sic law enforcement, they did so. It blew up,' Mr. Horner said. 'So they turned to spinmeisters to help them convince people to disbelieve their lyin’ eyes when reading the RICO-20 letter.' He also challenged the argument that the professors directed their attack on companies like ExxonMobil and not others, saying that their 'deliberate' word choice indicates that 'the only reasonable conclusion is that they sought investigation of all opponents of the political agenda they describe'." In "Climate spin doctor took charge after professors’ ‘mistake’ called for prosecuting skeptics," by Valerie Richardson, Washington Times, 1 June 2016.
Taking note of these revealed communications which focus on public relations and optics shows a decidedly un-scientific concern. The article continues: "Nearly 200 emails released last month on a judge’s order show Mr. Shukla and fellow George Mason professor Edward Maibach colluding with climate change activists on the letter, then switching to private emails after being hit with the public records request."
One sees an antithesis to that scientific methodology which encourages open communications, data available to others to reproduce results and a willingness to question ongoing research. It is also the antithesis of scholarship, which should seek to document work for all to examine. Whether one terms this "colluding" or the less pejorative "communicating," the "switching to private emails after being hits with the public records request" is demonstration of Shukla, Maibach and Newell as well as other not named seeking the shadows for that which should be "scientific." How odd.
Consider the recent rhyme and its supporting sources, 30 to 6
As to the White House Office of Science and Technology's Director, John C. Holdren, one finds that he participates in the many advantages which are The Privileges of Intellectuals
[ 7 ] This bit of comedic fluff manages to capture what began as "global warming," and morphed into "climate change," with worries being now expressed by the Carbontologists that perhaps "global cooling" might be included in their models.
How to Be Unaccountable
Greenburg's comedy notes in the first "dimension" that the imagery must be "hell to pay" if true, that is the vision must be apocalyptic, and the more apocalyptic the better. His second dimension aptly notes that there must be "some evidence" to suggest that imagined truth generated by worry. The initial message from Al Gore that the world "has a fever" and the models predicting a possible truth -- competing forecasts, it turns out -- is that "some evidence." The third dimension requires "a substantial period of time to wait before you can find out if your fear is true." In many cases, the warnings predict the weather in fifty to a hundred years, at which time most to today's soothsayers -- the Carbontologists -- will be dead, and therefore unaccountable for their actions, if proven by history as untrue.
. For this, those like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who sees those who disagree with him to be "contemptible human beings," would want laws which would "punish politicians who dissent from man-made climate change theory." How fascist and yet how normal it is in this "modern" era to treat Dissent
But, behind the Carbontologists is a trading scheme (designed to make the few very rich) tried several times over, which has gone bankrupt after bankrupting investors, a fact which may be reviewed by considering what may well be called Globaloney
Lest one fail to observe the wealthy gather funds from such schemes, one only need examine the tale of Albert Gore
I love to be proven wrong, so drop real facts on me,
But never, ever try to shove some faux facsimile.
I love to stand corrected, for new thoughts I thus learn;
Let's both source, then double check, and not the clear truth spurn.
I love to be convinced as truth will amplify,
And truly love to be proven wrong, as truth defeats a lie.
Quid pro quote - for a Billy goat
"Congo, one of the poorest nations on Earth, offered former President Bill Clinton a speaking fee of $650,000–a sum equal to annual per-capita income of 2,813 Congolese. Indeed, the International Monetary Fund ranks the Democratic Republic of the Congo dead last in its global income rankings. What did it expect in return for its investment?" In "Why Did Congo Offer Clinton $650,000 For Two Pics And A Speech?" by Richard Miniter, Forbes, 18 April 2016.
You make a quid or two,
And hundreds of thousands more,
If you but quote thereunto
Some political heretofore.
Yabba dabba doo! yahoo!
Can line one's pockets' reservoir
Until it bulges evermore.
You can make a sum accrue
To hundreds of thousands, for
Quid pro quote is what you do
In taking from the poor.
Addendum Asking Why: "Why are they poor? Despite the country’s huge potential, there are several causes of the poverty in the Congo: microfinance in rural areas is almost non-existent; low agricultural productivity as a result of traditional cultivation methods, insufficient use of inputs such as improved seeds and planting materials and fertilizers; vehicles, access roads, crossings and navigation channels are in very poor condition which makes transport and other costs high; difficulties in marketing because of weak collection and distribution organizations, basic processing equipment and a frail communication system connecting producers, traders and consumers." In "Rural poverty in Congo," Rural Poverty Portal, n. d.
Addendum of Explaining Why: "As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) emerges from a long period of violence and instability, it struggles with a legacy of entrenched corruption at all levels of society, threatening social and political institutions with failure. Repeated political crises, poor infrastructure, an underdeveloped regulatory environment, lack of institutional capacity and weak rule of law fuel the country’s persistent governance crisis. Petty and grand forms of corruption, as well as a complex web of political patronage permeate all sectors of the economy, undermining development prospects and compromising the fragile post-conflict equilibrium. Despite being endowed with considerable mineral wealth, extraction of natural resources continues to be combined with widespread corruption, including within the armed forces, fuelling violence, insecurity and public discontent. Corruption in tax and customs administration, as well as in the management of state-run companies, undermines the state’s capacity to collect revenues and escape the trap of mismanagement, conflict and poverty." In "Overview of corruption and anti-corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)," by Marie Chêne, Transparency International, 8 October 2010.
Addendum of a Rape Capital of the World: "The group's Dr Juliet Cohen told the BBC: 'There are some striking consistencies in the experiences of sexual violence and torture of the women in this report which strongly suggests that this horrific abuse is being routinely carried out in prisons in the DRC.' DR Congo is often dubbed the 'rape capital of the world', with rights groups saying that rape and sexual violence has become a weapon of war since conflict broke out in the early 1990s in the east of the country." In "Rape 'routine' in DR Congo prisons," BBC, 2 June 2014
Addendum of a Poor Wealthy Country and its Holocaust: "...the total mineral wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is estimated to be $24 trillion – equivalent to the GDP of Europe and the United States combined. The DRC has the world’s largest reserves of cobalt and significant quantities of the world’s diamonds, gold and copper. This makes the DRC potentially the richest country in the world. But this central African country has been ranked among the poorest and most underdeveloped countries on this planet. If this fact is not enough to shock you, then you might also want to hear this: in the last decade alone, more than four million people have been killed and countless have been raped because of conflict. In fact, current estimates indicate that 1,500 people are killed in this blood-thirsty country every single day. Yet no one in the international community has yet declared what is happening there as a holocaust." In "Blood mobile phones fan DRC’s murderous conflict," by Rasna Warah, Daily Nation, 15 March 2009.
Addendum of Bill Clinton Seeking State Department OK: "One email sent in June 2012 to Clinton State Department chief of staff Cheryl Mills from Amitabh Desai, a foreign policy director at the Clinton Foundation, passed on an invitation for a speaking engagement in Brazzaville, Congo. The catch? The dictators of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo would both be attending -- and required photos with Bill Clinton. The speaking fee? A whopping $650,000. The Harry Walker Agency, which worked with Clinton on coordinating his speeches, recommended declining the invite, noting the particularly grim human rights record of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its leader, Joseph Kabila." In "Bill Clinton Sought State Department OK For Paid Speeches Related to North Korea, Congo, New E-mails Show," by Jonathan Karl, ABC News, 28 August 2015.
Addendum of Corporate America's Purchase: " 'Follow the money.' That telling phrase, which has come to summarize the Watergate scandal, has been a part of the lexicon since 1976. It’s shorthand for political corruption: At what point do 'contributions' become bribes, 'constituent services' turn into quid pro quos and 'charities' become slush funds?" In "How corporate America bought Hillary Clinton for $21M," by Michael Walsh, NY Post, 22 May 2016.
Addendum of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation: From Part IX Statement of Functional Expenses, "Compensation of current officers, directors, trustees, and key employees," $ 2,217,050, and "Other salaries and wages," $ 24,934,120. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Big Pay: "Since 2010, Bill Clinton brought in just short of $16.5 million for his role as honorary chancellor of Laureate Education, a for-profit college company. He left the position earlier this year weeks after his wife launched her campaign." In "Hillary and Bill Clinton Made $139 Million in Eight Years," by Richard Rubin and Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg, 31 July 2015. [ 2 ]
Addendum of American Administrative Expenses: "The Clinton family’s mega-charity took in more than $140 million in grants and pledges in 2013 but spent just $9 million on direct aid. The group spent the bulk of its windfall on administration, travel, and salaries and bonuses, with the fattest payouts going to family friends. On its 2013 tax forms, the most recent available, the foundation claimed it spent $30 million on payroll and employee benefits; $8.7 million in rent and office expenses; $9.2 million on “conferences, conventions and meetings”; $8 million on fundraising; and nearly $8.5 million on travel. None of the Clintons is on the payroll, but they do enjoy first-class flights paid for by the foundation." In "Charity watchdog: Clinton Foundation a ‘slush fund’," by Isabel Vincent, New York Post, 26 April 2015.
Addendum of Canadian Administrative Expenses: "The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership (Canada), a registered charity based in Vancouver, B.C., devoted $737,441 — amounting to 78 per cent of its expenditures — to management and administration in 2014. The amount includes spending on office supplies and expenses, salaries and professional and consulting fees. That same year, according to the return filed to the Canada Revenue Agency and published online, the organization devoted $205,419 to charitable programs, accounting for 22 per cent of its expenditures." In "Canadian affiliate charity of Clinton Foundation defends expenses," by Joanna Smith, Globe and Mail, 10 July 2016.
Addendum of an Unseemly Appearance: "...the Clinton nonprofits have been intertwined with the U.S. and global power structure. They have received millions of dollars in state or private contributions linked to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kazakhstan and other nations whose interests at times conflict with those of the U.S. Millions more have been donated by U.S. companies and special interest groups, many of which stood to benefit from decisions made by the Department of State. 'When you couple all of these activities together, it gives an unseemly appearance that this was another way for Clinton foundation donors to try to get what they wanted,' said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, a nonpartisan government watchdog. 'I don’t see any quid pro quos. But I do think these are sophisticated lobbying operations by Clinton foundation donors trying to leverage Department of State support for whatever their pet projects are'." In "Companies used Clinton fundraisers to lobby State Department," by Kevin McCoy, USA Today. 26 August 2016.
Could "a speaking fee of $650,000" offered by a wealthy yet poor country with an ongoing "holocaust" and mulled over by Clinton be a symptom of why there is so much Income Inequality
For other sides to an ex-president, see: Color swatches
NOTES
[ 1 ] The combined salaries alone for this charitable foundation for tax year 2014 (from the Form 990 public declaration) is a hefty figure -- $ 27,151,170 -- contrasted against the "contributions" reported for that calendar year of $ 172,579,474.
When salaries and all other administrative costs are totaled as Form 990 requires, the "Total functional expenses" to operate this charity comes to $ 91,281,145. Almost 53 percent of the contributions are turned to operating expenses, including "Conferences, conventions and meetings" costing $ 12,469,045, and "Travel" in the amount of $ 7,863,286.
Richly Charitable to Themselves
The highest paid director according to Form 990 was Eric Braverman, with a salary of $ 498,847. This places him well above the one percentile of income in the United States, as one finds is also true with many other "charities" operated by a professional wealthy class. One may survey a number of other "charitable" CEOs, made wealthy by operating charities which involve themselves in Fund Raising
From the statement heading Form 990 for 2014, dated 16 November 2015, one reads: "At the Clinton Foundation, we work around the world – helping farmers lift themselves out of poverty, assisting island nations with renewable energy projects, empowering girls and women, and promoting healthier communities and nutritional food options at schools here in the United States." Further the cover letter states "Our operations are lean and sustainable...."As to such "helping farmers lift themselves out of poverty," one can survey how such charitable activities and the involvement of the principals in this Foundation as well as the federal government can be Oh so kind
[ 2 ] It is instructive to scan many details which underpin a seemingly positive social entity and follow a money trail strewn with the new wealthy class in this time, made wealthy by "public service" as well as "for-profit" colleges like Laureate Education. One learns of the for-profit schools: "Laureate spends in excess of $200 million per year on advertising, including television commercials, online campaigns and billboards. Laureate Education is highly dependent on adjunct faculty and contingent labor. For example, more than 90 percent of Walden’s faculty is employed on a part-time basis." From "Laureate International Universities," Wikipedia article, n. d. With faculties "employed on a part-time basis," how "laureate" is Laureate Education?
A Debt to Education
All the while faculties are "adjunct" and "contingent labor," one learns by looking. A private entity, Laureate seeks to become publicly traded. "It has five institutions in the United States, including Walden University, a Minneapolis institution that offers degrees online. The rapid expansion ballooned its debt from about $1.1 billion to $4.7 billion. In the first half of this year, its interest payments totaled nearly $200 million, and it posted a $171 million loss in that period on nearly $2.2 billion in revenue. It has lost money every year since 2010. It's not yet clear how much the IPO would raise, and it might not wipe out Laureate's debt entirely." In "Laureate Education files IPO with $4.7 billion debt," by Carrie Wells, Baltimore Sun, 5 October 2015.
It is a private entity seeking to become publicly traded while being $4.7 billion" in debt, employing part time faculties, and yet its management -- as a publicly traded company -- will be wealthy.
One reads further of an entity $ 4.7 billion in debt: "Laureate Education has registered an amended Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its initial public offering (IPO). No terms were given in the filing, but the offering is valued up to $100 million, although this number is usually just a placeholder. The company has not yet determined on which exchange to list its shares, but it does plan to list under the symbol LAUR. The underwriters for the offering are Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, JPMorgan, BMO Capital Markets, Citigroup, KKR and Goldman Sachs." In "Laureate Education Updates Finances in Most Recent IPO Filing," by Chris Lange, 24/7 Wall St., 23 May 2016.
A veritable who's who of Wall Street is involved. In the Form S-1 registration statement filed 20 May 2016, one learns that it's top executives will be highly paid. Beginning at the top: 1) Douglas L. Becker, $ 1,018,244; Eilif Serck-Hanssen, $ 593,975; Ricardo M. Berckemeyer, $ 696,564; Enderson Guimarães, $ 906,017; and Paula Singer, $ 696,564.
Set such executive remuneration against "part time" faculty, and one finds dissonance, but setting such remuneration against a business plan of being "highly dependent on adjunct faculty and contingent labor" seems a hard sell. What could possibly go wrong, given billions in debt before evening offering an IPO to investors?
Consider addenda and footnotes which broaden a picture of what happens when education's elite become a economically privileged, upper class, as Doctor Oppression comes to call
What one does know of this "laureate' education company is that it is a wealth-making entity using students' tuition and taxpayers funds as its sources, quite like other "public concerns." With a University of California chancellor and a Laureate Education CEO becoming truly wealthy through leading education institutions, an offer to speak to "one of the poorest nations on earth" for a mere $650,000 fee seems excessive but not unduly so, as loyalists might argue.
Ill annoy - punning ploy
"Rod Blagojevich was governor from 2002 to 2009. He was convicted of numerous corruption charges in 2011, including allegations that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat. He is currently serving a 14-year sentence at a federal prison in Colorado. Blagojevich was impeached on this date, January 30, four years ago. Dan Walker, governor from 1973 through 1977, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and other charges in 1987 related to his business activities after leaving office. He spent about a year and a half in federal prison. Otto Kerner, governor from 1961 through 1968, spent three years in prison after being convicted of bribery related charges." In "4 out of previous 7 Illinois governors went to prison," ABC News, 31 January 2013.
Would you ill annoy
trajectories' well-cleared path?
What will ill annoy
is a predicted aftermath.
Why not ill annoy
and never do the math?
Soon 'twill ill annoy,
as comes a time of wrath.
Addendum of the Public's Money to Serve the Politicians: "In Illinois, and many states, public service has little to do with serving the public and everything to do with using the public’s money to serve politicians. Whenever we open the books, Illinois is consistently among the worst offenders. Recently we found Cook County animal control officers making $105,000; suburban school administrators at $503,000; university doctors earning $1.3 million; and 72 small-town ‘managers’ out-earning every governor of the 50 states." In "Minimum Wage' Of $100,000+ For 50,000 Highly-Compensated Illinois Public Employees," by J. P. Jones, Forbes, 23 May 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of Robust Manufacturing: "Illinois’ number one manufactured product is corruption. More than 95 percent of the Illinois legislature is safe in gerrymandered districts. The incumbent governor has three current federal investigations of his administration, but the Attorney General/state’s attorney class can’t find public vice anywhere." In "Watchdogs in Illinois," by Adam Andrzejewski, 5 November 2014.
Addendum of Residents Leaving Illinois: "Illinois suffered a net loss of 94,956 people in state-to-state migration last year, the highest rate in decades." In "Goodbye, Illinois: residents are leaving for other states," by Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 January 2015.
Addendum of Running Out of Cash: "...more than 40 percent of the cuts are not guaranteed and this is a schools' district with a $5.7 billion annual budget. CPS aims to save $65 million by reducing its contribution to teachers’ pension payments by 7 percent but teachers have threatened to strike over the issue in April, likely leaving a state labor panel or the courts to decide the legality of that cut." In "Chicago schools fast running out of cash as standoff with Illinois governor worsens," by Karen Pierog and Dave McKinney, Reuters, 2 March 2016.
Addendum of Consumption: "Illinois' 859 local school districts consume nearly two-thirds of the $27 billion in local property taxes collected across the state each year." In "Illinois will soon overtake New Jersey as the state with the highest property taxes," by Austin Berg, Illinois Policy, 14 April 2016.
Addendum of Leaving Chicago: "About 3,000 individuals with net assets of $1 million or more, not including their primary residence, moved from the city last year, with many citing rising racial tensions and worries about crime as factors in the decision, according to research firm New World Wealth. That represented about 2 percent of the city's high net worth individuals." In "Millionaires are leaving Chicago, report says," by By Becky Yerak, Chicago Tribune, 4 April 2016.
Addendum of the Help of Lawmakers: "The total long-term debt for all districts adds up to $19.7 billion for 857 districts in the state's analysis. Chicago Public Schools makes up about $6.3 billion of that total, for the year ending June 30, 2015. The district has borrowed millions more since then. The state figures reflect principal only, not interest, and do not include short-term borrowing. Federal data on long-term debt show a figure of more than $20 billion for Illinois, based on 2012-13 data, because it includes other public school entities such as special education cooperatives. The Tribune analyzed total debt compared with the student enrollment in each state, finding that Illinois was among the 10 states with the highest debt per student. Illinois' per-student figure is $10,128." In "With help of lawmakers, Illinois public schools now $20 billion in debt," by Diane Rado, Chicago Tribune, 16 April 2016.
Addendum of Shifting Chicago's Debt Around: "Emanuel this past week quietly proposed a change to city investment rules that would allow the city to buy debt from so-called sister agencies, including CPS, no matter the creditworthiness of that debt. He said he was making the request on behalf of city Treasurer Kurt Summers as part of the Summers' annual investment policy update." In "Mayor asks for city authority to buy CPS debt," by Hal Dardick and Juan Perez Jr., Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2016.
Addendum of Illinois, like Other States: "...10 states spend more on government employee pensions than on all public colleges and universities combined: California, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania." In "These states spend more on government employee pensions than they do on universities," by Jason Russell, Washington Examiner, 10 June 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Unpaid Bills: "Illinois is about $8 billion backed up on bills and the autopilot spending is increasing the state's debt. 'It's going to take forever to get out of the debt,' Redfield said." In "As late budgets go, Illinois has no equal," by Ivan Moreno, Associated Press, 3 July 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Five-fold Property Tax Increases: "The city of Chicago and its public school district's fiscal problems literally hit home over the weekend, when property owners saw their second installment tax bills. Outside the assessor's office, city homeowners told one property tax horror story after another. 'Our taxes increased fivefold,' said William Phillips of Rogers Park. 'I was expecting it to go up maybe twice as much but not four to five times as much'." In "Cook County property tax bills cause outrage," by Charles Thomas, ABC News, 5 July 2016.
Addendum of Shifting Taxes To the City: "At least they can deduct the extra expense from their federal and state income taxes. 'That's the way it is if you want to live in Chicago,' Fryman said. 'Taxes are going to go up, so enjoy your home and the writeoff you get'." In "Property taxes jump, and jaws drop," by Dennis Rodkin, Crain's Chicago Business, 28 July 2016.
Addendum of Water and Sewer Tax Increases Looming: "Far Northwest Side Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, said it's going to be difficult for him to face constituents reeling from the huge property tax increases in bills they just received and tell them to brace themselves for another hit. 'Pitchforks and torches, probably,' he said when asked how residents would react. 'It's not going to be good. Because my reaction now, in my neighborhood, after these (property) tax bills came out is, 'We're leaving. We're out.' I get that we're in some tough times. And people get that we have to make some concessions, that we're going to pay more in tax dollars. People get that,' Napolitano said. 'But when it happens year after year after year, people are saying 'Why am I staying here?' " In "Emanuel proposes water, sewer tax to shore up ailing pension fund," by Hal Dardick , Bill Ruthhart and John Byrne, Chicago Tribune, 4 August 2016.
Addendum of Chicago on the Brink: " In the first five months of 2016, someone was shot every two and a half hours and someone murdered every 14 hours, for a total of nearly 1,400 nonfatal shooting victims and 240 fatalities. Over Memorial Day weekend, 69 people were shot, nearly one per hour, dwarfing the previous year’s tally of 53 shootings over the same period. The violence is spilling over from the city’s gang-infested South and West Sides into the downtown business district; Lake Shore Drive has seen drive-by shootings and robberies." In "Chicago on the Brink," by Heather MacDonald, City Journal, Summer 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Chicago's Biggest Business: "The U.S. government remains the top employer in the ranking with 45,673 full-time employees in the six-county Chicago area. That figure represents an 8.4 percent decrease from last year. It's followed by Chicago Public Schools, the city of Chicago, Cook County and Advocate Health Care, in that order. Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, which last year merged with Cadence Health, saw the biggest growth, with a 51.3 percent increase in its number of local full-time employees." In "Chicago's largest employers and executive recruiters," by Sabrina Gasulla, Crains Chicago Business, 17 January 2015.
Addendum of Illinois Healthcare Premiums: "The leading insurer on Illinois' exchange, Blue Cross Blue Shield, is proposing increases for 2017 ranging from 23 percent to 45 percent for individual health care plans, according to proposals posted by Heathcare.gov. Another insurer, Coventry Health Care of Illinois, proposed rate increases as high as 21 percent. Harken Health Insurance Company has proposed a nearly 29 percent hike in individual premiums and Health Alliance Medical Plans Inc. a more than 28 percent increase." In "Illinois insurers seek premium hikes of up to 45 percent," Associated Press via Chicago Tribune, 2 August 2016.
Addendum of Who Gets Killed in Chicago: "Among the Sun-Times’ findings, based on a review of police and Cook County medical examiner’s reports, court files and interviews: The vast majority of those killed in Chicago in the first half of this year — 90 percent —died from a gunshot wound. Seventy-two percent were African-American men, their average age 29. Four out of five had faced criminal charges in Cook County at some point, mostly for drug offenses — the leading cause of arrest in Chicago. Two out of five had drug convictions. More than a quarter had been convicted of a violent offense or illegal gun possession." In "Who gets killed in Chicago — a Watchdogs special report," by Mick Dumke and Frank Main, Chicago Sun-Times, 6 August 2016.
Addendum of Increasing Guns Sales: "The Illinois tally for last month was 185,912 background checks, compared to 94,314 in August 2015. Not only was this a record for the state, it's the first time the monthly tally for background checks exceeded 100,000. 'There's definitely been an increase [in sales] from last year,' said Mike Harrah, manager of Marengo Guns in Illinois, about 50 miles from Chicago. 'It's definitely a lot busier than usual.' This happened as Chicago's murder toll was heading for a grim milestone: 500 homicides by Labor Day weekend. That's already exceeded the 480 murders recorded in Chicago for all of 2015." In "Illinois gun sales surge past national average," by Aaron Smith, ABC 10News, 9 September 2016.
Addendum of Chicago's 29.5% Tax on Water and Sewer Bills: "...the City Council approved the mayor’s plan to slap a 29.5 percent tax on water and sewer bills to save a Municipal Employees Pension Fund with $18.6 billion in unfunded liabilities that’s due to run out of money in 2025." In "City Council approves water-sewer tax to save pension fund," by Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, 14 September 2016.
Addendum of a Lack of Clarity: "It is unclear how the city plans to pay for the hiring surge that would cost well over $100 million in the first year alone. Alderman Ariel Reboyras, the Chicago city council public safety chairman, said the budget will be detailed in the weeks ahead. A spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not respond to a request for comment." In "Violence-plagued Chicago plans to hire nearly 1,000 more cops," by Aamer Madhani, USA Today, 21 September 2016.
Addendum of a Continuing Exodus: "Politicians enacted Illinois’ 2011 income-tax hike during a late-night legislative session in January 2011 and raised the state’s personal income-tax rate to 5 percent from 3 percent. This 67 percent income-tax hike lasted for four years, during which time Illinois experienced record wealth flight. IRS data reveal what happens when politicians choose short-term tax revenue gains over long-term stability. The short-term increase in tax revenue gained from higher tax rates is offset by the long-term loss of substantial portions of Illinois’ tax base. The average income of taxpayers leaving Illinois rose to $77,000 per year in 2014, according to new income migration data released by the IRS. Meanwhile, the average income of people entering Illinois was only $57,000. 2014’s $20,000 difference in average income between people who left Illinois and people who entered the state is the highest on record." In "Illinois’ wealth flight explained in 4 graphics," by Michael Lucci, Illinois Policy, 15 November 2016.
Addendum of a Corrupt Ex-Congressman: "The indictment of a 35-year-old disgraced former Republican congressman jolted residents of his central Illinois district, shaken by prosecutors’ claims that Aaron Schock illegally dipped into campaign and government coffers to subsidize a lavish lifestyle, including his Capitol Hill office done up in the style of 'Downton Abbey.' Perhaps more stunning was an allegation found on page 34 of the charging document: Schock’s apparent willingness to pocket thousands of constituents’ dollars by arranging annual Washington tours combined with meet-and-greets." In "Ex-US Rep. Schock allegedly profited off voters’ DC visits," Associated Press, 20 November 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Chicago's Do Nothing Politicians: "The gangs keep shooting, the survivors mourn, police morale is down, anti-police sentiment is up and the mayor says some cops have gone fetal. And the politicians do nothing in the bloody city. Street gang violence in Chicago is as bad, if not worse, than the record-setting death years of the 1990s. But there is no penalty for Democratic politicians who sit back in the Democratic city and do nothing to compel tougher sentences for gun crimes to keep the most aggressive shooters off the streets." In "Have Chicago politicians gone 'fetal'?" by John Kass, Chicago Tribune, 6 December 2016.
Addendum of CPS Junk Bonds Offering: "Chicago's public school (CPS) system plans to sell a new type of bond issue in an attempt to separate the debt from the district's severe financial woes and protect it in a potential bankruptcy filing, according to a document released by the district on Tuesday. The preliminary prospectus for the debt indicates the Chicago Board of Education will issue $500 million of bonds secured solely by a capital improvement property tax and not by the district's general obligation pledge." In "Junk-rated Chicago schools plan new kind of bond issue," by Karen Pierog, Reuters, 6 December 2016.
Addendum of the Chicago Tribune Answering the Chicago Question: "...in corrupt Chicago — did I mention it's the city that has earned the title Corruption Capital of America? — we've had scores of aldermen indicted since the 1970s, and some more than once. They keep sprouting, like eyes on a potato in your pantry, or a bloodthirsty many-headed hydra if you're into mythology. 'They keep going to prison because they keep breaking the law and they don't think they'll ever get caught at it,' said former reform Ald. Dick Simpson, now a professor who studies political corruption at the University of Illinois at Chicago." In "Is Chicago really that corrupt? Yes," by John Kass, Chicago Tribune, 20 December 2016.
Addendum of Black Lives, Cheaper by the Day: "...762 people were murdered in the city in 2016, a nearly unheard-of 50 percent increase over the year before. This is more than New York and Los Angeles — both larger cities — combined, and the worst figure in 20 years. While everyone on the left pays obeisance to the slogan 'Black Lives Matter,' Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel runs a jurisdiction where black lives have been getting cheaper almost by the day, especially in its poorest areas." In "The bloody lesson of Chicago’s 762 murders," by Rich Lowry, New York post, 3 January 2017.
Addendum of Scholarship, the Chicago Way: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday established an ambitious goal for his new City Colleges chancellor to achieve: a 25 percent graduation rate by 2019 in a system that graduated just 7 percent of its students when he took office. The mayor’s goal, if Juan Salgado can reach it, would be a nearly 50 percent improvement from the current graduation rate of 17 percent. But, it won’t be the only performance measure by which the boss judges his new, $250,000-a-year chancellor." In "Rahm’s high bar for new City Colleges chief: 25% graduation rate," by Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, 17 March 2017.
Addendum of a Continuing Exodus Continuing Further: "The Chicago metropolitan area as a whole lost 19,570 residents in 2016, registering the greatest loss of any metropolitan area in the country. It's the area's second consecutive year of population loss: In 2015, the region saw its first decline since at least 1990, losing 11,324 people. By most estimates, the Chicago area's population will continue to decline in the coming years. Over the past year, the Tribune surveyed dozens of former residents who've packed up in recent years and they cited a variety of reasons: high taxes, the state budget stalemate, crime, the unemployment rate and weather. Census data released Thursday suggests the root of the problem is in the city of Chicago and Cook County: The county in 2016 had the largest loss of any county nationwide, losing 21,324 residents." In "Chicago area leads U.S. in population loss, sees drop for 2nd year in a row," by Marwa Eltagouri and Grace Wong, Chicago Tribune, 23 March 2017.
Addendum of Continuing Downgrades for Illinois Bonds: "The downgrades, which also dropped some debt backed by legislative appropriations into junk, came a day after Illinois' legislature blew the deadline for approving a compromise budget by a simple majority." In "S&P, Moody's Downgrade Illinois to Near Junk, Lowest Ever for a U.S. State," by Elizabeth Campbell, 1 June 2017. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Bananas: "... Illinois is the only state that's been operating without a balanced and complete budget for almost two years. 'We're like a banana republic. We can't manage our money,' Gov. Bruce Rauner said after the Illinois Legislature failed to produce a full 2017 budget earlier this month." In "Could Illinois be the first state to file for bankruptcy?" by Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 16 June 2017.
Addendum of "Must Pay": "As the impasse continued, bills at the comptroller's office have piled up, reaching nearly $15 billion. The Medicaid bills that Lefkow ordered to be paid have taken a backseat to other state obligations, including public employee payroll, contributions to state pension systems, distributions to local governments, state aid for elementary and high schools, and payments on state debt. Mendoza's office has argued those payments are part of its 'core priority' category. Each is either required by a state court order or written into state law. In recent weeks, the comptroller has warned that the state doesn't even have adequate cash flow to make those payments and will be at least $185 million short by August." In "Judge: Cash-strapped state must pay more toward medical bills," by Kim Geiger, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2017.
Addendum of a Budget and a 32 percent Tax Hike: "Thursday's action eases some financial woes, but it's fueled by a permanent 32 percent increase in the income tax rate, raising $5 billion more annually, and it reduces spending by more than $2 billion. Illinois is staring down a $6.2 billion annual deficit and $14.7 billion in past-due bills." In "Illinois has 1st budget in 2 years, includes 32 percent income tax increase," ABC7, 7 July 2017.
Addendum of Another Corruption Scandal: "A politically connected Teamsters union boss was indicted Wednesday on federal charges alleging he extorted $100,000 in cash from a local business. John Coli Sr., considered one the union's most powerful figures nationally, was charged with threatening work stoppages and other labor unrest unless he was given cash payoffs of $25,000 every three months by the undisclosed business." In "Teamsters boss indicted on charges of extorting $100,000 from business," by Jason Meisner and Bill Ruthhart, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2017.
Addendum of Ill Annoy Not Paying Its Bills: "The state now faces a $5 billion backlog of unpaid group health insurance claims as of June 30, according to the Governor's Office of Management and Budget. The July 6 budget agreement sets aside funding to cover new insurance claims, but relies heavily upon different forms of borrowing to try to clear the deficit. Worse, the longer health insurance bills sit unpaid, the more interest accrues, ultimately costing the state hundreds of millions more." In "Illinois budget backlog is giving health care providers, patients a headache," by Dawn Rhodes, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2017.
Addendum of Increasing Taxation: "Illinois local governments collected nearly $18.6 billion in residential property taxes in 2015 – an increase of 101 percent from the $9 billion they took in 2000. As property tax collections have grown, so has the average property tax bill per household in Illinois. The average bill has grown 93 percent between 2000 and 2015, to $3,884 from $2,013. Meanwhile, Illinoisans’ median household incomes have only increased by 24 percent – growing to $57,574 in 2015 from $46,304 in 2000, according to data from the US Census Bureau." In "Property taxes grow faster than Illinoisans’ ability to pay for them," by John Klingner, Illinois Policy, 16 July 2017.
Addendum of Chicago's More Votes than Voters: "More than 14,000 votes were cast in Chicago during the 2016 general election than there were voters to cast them, based on separate figures released by the Chicago Board of Elections, the chairman of the Chicago Republican Party has reported. Chris Cleveland told the Chicago Wire that 'on a whim,' he filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the board, which provided him with a list of 1,101,178 people who voted in the general election. An earlier post on the board's website said that 1,115,664 votes had been cast." In "Election board lists more general election votes than voters in Chicago," by W. J. Kennedy, Chicago City Wire, 25 August 2017.
Addendum of Compromising Taxpayers Even More: "That 'compromise' bill — approved by Illinois lawmakers this week — authorizes the Chicago Board of Education, comprised of mayoral appointees, to impose a property-tax hike worth $125 million without any involvement whatsoever from the Chicago City Council, whose members are elected." In "Chicagoans face another big property-tax hit in new school deal," by Lauren FitzPatrick, Fran Spielman and Tina Sfondeles, Chicago Sun-Times, 30 August 2017.
Addendum of Growing Concern for Safety in Chicago: "African-American women interviewed for this article said they were spurred by a growing concern for their safety, particularly in neighborhoods where crime has surged in recent years." In "Safety concerns spur more black women in Chicago to receive concealed-carry gun permits," by Yuliana Romanyshyn, Chicago Tribune, 13 September 2017.
Addendum of Most Screwed: "... JP Morgan ranked every major city in the United States based on what percentage of their annual budgets are required just to fund interest payments on debt, pension contributions and other post retirement benefits. The results are staggering. To our great 'shock', Chicago residents win the award of "most screwed" with over 60% of their tax dollars going to fund debt and pension payments." In "Which American Cities Will File Bankruptcy Next?" Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge, 6 October 2017.
Addendum of $900 Million in Late Fees: "The age of bills is important because many that are 90 days or older face a 1 percent-per-month late-payment fee; about $5.5 billion of the current $15.9 billion backlog is subject to the penalty. Mendoza estimates the state will ultimately pay $900 million in late-payment fees on the existing pile of debt." In "Billions in Illinois bills not sent for payment," John O'Connor, Associated Press, 10 October 2017.
Addendum of Dysfunction Demanding More and More Money: "Throughout all levels of state government, what permeated the most was an overall attitude of defeat. There was no sense of purpose. No hunger to do more, push further or to succeed. No acknowledgment that this is a state government that is ranked last by almost every objective and measurable standard. A state government that fails every single one of its residents, day after day — and has failed its residents for decades. A state government that demands more and more money each year, to deliver increasingly less value to Illinoisans. A state government that cannot pay its bills, cannot make good on its promises, cannot help people in need." In "Commentary: Welcome to the dysfunction of Illinois government," by Diana Sroka Rickert, Chicago Tribune, 6 October 2017.
Addendum of a Reality Check: "Reality check: The number of residents fleeing Illinois for other states jumped to 93,704 in 2014 from 68,204 the previous year. It increased in 2015 to 106,544, and in 2016 to 109,941. More exodus in 2017 of 114,779 and last year, another 114,154. Who do you think is leaving Illinois? For the most part, it’s people who have the means to do so. Which brings us to the broader problem: How did we get to a place where wealth, success and entrepreneurship are shame-worthy? And where giving back by these same individuals is largely ignored?" In "Why the Illinois exodus? The rich get bashed, and off they go," by Kristen McQueary, Chicago Tribune, 28 January 2019.
Addendum of the Chicago Way, 2019: "Although Chicago accounts for 82 percent of the state’s public corruption convictions, according to the report, federal corruption is a statewide problem. Statewide, Illinois ranked–on a per capita basis–as the third most corrupt state in America. In 2017, the state had 34 convictions for public corruption." In "Chicago Is The Most Corrupt American City: Report," CBS News, 11 February 2019.
Addendum of Caution: "Chicago’s pension crisis — its four funds’ average funding ratio is only 26 percent -- is one reason this editorial board endorses former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley for mayor. He is the only leading candidate who supports loosening the Illinois Constitution’s overly rigorous pension clause. Amending that clause would allow the legislature to protect benefits already earned but modify benefits going forward. The next mayor, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and future legislatures need to take drastic steps to stabilize state and local pension systems, and protect rank-and-file taxpayers. The alternative is to let the crisis intensify indefinitely -- to lock future generations into paying pension debts incurred in the past and present." In "Look out, taxpayers: When governments have more pensioners than employees," Editorial board, Chicago Tribune, 15 February 2019.
Addendum of Many Reasons: "The census numbers don’t explain the many reasons why people might move out of the Chicago area — some may have followed their employers, or graduated from school — but in interviews with the Tribune, former residents who chose to leave gave a litany of reasons, including high taxes, government corruption, crime rates, economic instability, long commutes, an overall rise in the cost of living and the weather." In "Chicago area drops population for fourth straight year, census data show; Cook, DuPage and Lake counties also decline," by Cecilia Reyes, Chicago Tribune, 17 April 2019.
Addendum of Illinois' Hard Hitting Progress: "As part of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s attempt to balance the state budget, Illinois’ gas tax will double from 19 cents to 38 cents per gallon beginning July 1. That makes the state one of the highest in the nation for taxes at the pump. 'Illinois is going from one of the lower gas taxes in the region to one of the highest,' Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy.com founder, said." In "Illinois’ new gas tax will hit drivers hard this summer," by Julie Unruh, WGN, 4 June 2019.
Addendum of a Continuing Hemorrhage: "One thing is certain: Illinois' population has declined by 157,000 residents over the past five years, making it one of only two states — West Virginia is the other — to lose people over the past decade. Illinois' predicament is a perfect storm of declining manufacturing, stagnant immigration, declining birth rates, young people leaving for college and never coming back, long-standing economic discrimination against black residents, high housing costs, and the continued draw of residents to the Sun Belt." In "Why Is Illinois Hemorrhaging Residents?" by Matt Vasilogambros, Pew Trust, 19 June 2019.
Addendum of Pumping to No Effect: "Even after the third-biggest U.S. city raised taxes to pump more money into its cash-strapped retirement system, its unfunded obligation to the pensions rose by about $2.1 billion to $30.1 billion in 2018, according to its financial report released Friday. That’s because the $1.2 billion that Chicago paid into its four retirement plans was only about half what actuaries said was needed to catch up with a debt that was built up over decades, according to data compiled by Bloomberg." In "Chicago Boosts Pension Payments, Only to See Debt Keep Growing," by Amanda Albright, Bloomberg, 5 July 2019.
Addendum of a Continuing Chicago Way: "We gave Cochran points for being off to a 'good start,' defined him as a community organizer and described him as “burrowing” in on issues such as housing and commercial development, and foreclosure relief. Man were we hoodwinked. After sucking up money from taxpayers in the form of paychecks and abusing campaign donations to pay for his personal obligations and gambling debts, Cochran was sentenced to a year and a day in prison Monday." In "When it comes to electing aldermen, you definitely can’t judge a book by its cover," by Mary Mitchell, Chicago Sun-Times, 24 June 2019. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Profiting from Political Bankruptcy: "Ald. Carrie Austin and her six children and stepchildren have declared bankruptcy 14 times, often while they were holding down government jobs, largely at City Hall, records examined by the Chicago Sun-Times show. The bankruptcy petitions filed by Austin — the longtime 34th Ward alderman who’s come under scrutiny by a federal grand jury — and by her family over the past two decades have sought to get them out from under debts including federal taxes, court fees, highway tolls and city of Chicago parking fines." In "Embattled alderman and her kids’ troubled finances: a trail of bankruptcies," by Lauren FitzPatrick and Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, 2 August 2019.
Addendum of Looming Insolvencies: "East St. Louis’ fire and police pensions are some of the worst funded in the state, with funded ratios of just 31% and 9%, respectively. In total, the city has a shortfall of more than $104 million in its public safety pension plans, according to Illinois’ Department of Insurance. That’s more than $9,700 per household in a community where 43 percent of people live below the poverty line. And with just $6.1 million in assets and annual payouts to beneficiaries totaling $3.7 million, the city’s fire fund has the equivalent of only two years of payouts in its accounts today." In "Third domino falls: Illinois Comptroller set to confiscate East St. Louis revenues to pay for city’s firefighter pensions," by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner, Wire Points, 19 September 2019.
Addendum of Deserving a Better State Government: "...the state has taken some steps to address the constant drumbeat of corruption. This month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed a bill creating an ethics commission and another measure requiring lobbyists and legislators to disclose more information about their outside income and potential conflicts of interest. 'The people of Illinois deserve a state government they can trust, and that means we need to put stronger ethical safeguards in place, prioritize transparency and demand more accountability from public servants,' Pritzker said when he signed the bills." In "Corruption probe roils Illinois political machine," by Reid Wilson, The Hill, 11 December 2019.
Addendum of Rainy Days Without Umbrellas: "In dealing with the needs of people hurt by the coronavirus crisis, the state of Indiana has a notable advantage: a rainy day fund that holds more than $2 billion. State budget director Cris Johnston says some of the reserve will be used to cover unexpected expenses, such as buying personal protective equipment for health care workers. It’s a welcome buffer, which the state had wisely built up from $831 million a decade earlier. Too bad Illinois was not so farsighted. Its Budget Stabilization Fund has only $58,655. That’s enough to cover the state government’s normal expenses for about 30 seconds. Indiana’s is enough to cover more than a month." In "Editorial: Other states have emergency financial reserves to help combat the coronavirus. Not Illinois." by The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 March 2020. [ 8 ]
Addendum of Running Out of Money: "The president of the State Senate asked for $40 billion to help the pension system, fund unemployment insurance and aid hospitals and cities. Illinois needs more than $40 billion in relief from the federal government because of the coronavirus pandemic — including $10 billion to help bail out its beleaguered pension system, according to a letter the Illinois Senate president sent to members of Congress." In "Illinois Seeks a Bailout From Congress for Pensions and Cities," by Mary Williams Walsh, New York Times, 17 April 2020. [ 9 ]
Addendum of an Illinois State Senator's View: "My Democratic state Senate colleagues garnered national attention with a letter containing this audacious request. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has separately requested billions in federal funds. The message from Illinois’ elected leaders is crystal clear: no humility, no regrets, no acknowledgment of failures, and no strings attached. American Taxpayers – bail us out! Don’t let it happen. Federal dollars should not prop up Illinois’ failed system." In "Illinois Sen. Plummer: Coronavirus bailout – Don’t waste federal funds on my state's bankrupt system," by State Sen. Jason Plummer, FOX, 29 April 2020. [ 10 ]
Consider the facts when judging If Chicago were a war zone
NOTES
[ 1 ] While 50,000 highly-compensated Illinois public employees get $100,000 and more, one learns by contrast that the median income in Illinois is $57,166, according to the US Census Quick Facts for 2014. What then is "public education" when as one example above "suburban school administrators at $503,000" have become wealthy at the expense of the taxpayer?
Illinois' One Percenters
As of 2017, one learns of Illinois: "...we found auto pound supervisors in Chicago making $144,453; nurses at state corrections earning up to $254,781; junior college presidents making $465,420; university doctors earning $1.6 million; and 84 small-town 'managers' out-earning every U.S. governor. Using our interactive mapping tool, quickly review (by ZIP code) the 63,000 Illinois public employees who earn more than $100,000 and cost taxpayers $10 billion." In "Why Illinois Is In Trouble - 63,000 Public Employees With $100,000+ Salaries Cost Taxpayers $10B," by Adam Andrzejewski, Forbes, 25 July 2017.
As to politics in Illinois, the article notes: "Former Gov. Jim Edgar (R) took $2.38 million in compensation from the University of Illinois (2000-2013) and has received at least $2 million in pension payments earned from his 20-year career as legislator, secretary of state and governor. Today, Edgar receives $241,272 ($20,106 per month) per year from two pension systems: the General Assembly Retirement System ($161,016) and the State University Retirement System ($80,256)."
Chicago's One Percenters
"More than one of every three Chicago city workers made $100,000 or more last year — including 36 who topped Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s $216,210 salary, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis has found. The number of city workers making more than Emanuel was up from 26 in a similar review by the Sun-Times in 2015." In "City Haul: More than a third of Chicago city workers make $100K-plus," by The Watchdogs, Chicago Sun-Times, 26 August 2017.
The "haul" for the top "public servants" compares wretchedly with the average taxpayer. The article notes: The median pay for city employees — meaning half of all of them made more, and half made less — was nearly $93,000, the Sun-Times analysis found. By comparison, the median income for: An entire household in the Chicago metropolitan area in 2015 — the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau — was $63,153. An Illinois state government worker last year was $65,893. A Cook County government employee in 2016 was $60,836. So why is the "haul" for top public employees in Chicago so much higher? The rude game called Politics
Illinois Public Servants Serving Themselves
In Illinois politics, "...lawmakers refuse to cap the payouts for the most highly compensated public employees who burden the system with unsustainable salary and pension costs. The payouts are so large, by our calculation, the equivalent of $1 out of every $3 in individual income tax is paid out to retired teachers. For 30,000 Illinois educators, the new 'minimum wage' is $100,000+. Nearly 20,000 of these employees are currently working, while the other 11,766 are retired – pulling down six-figure pensions." In "30,000 Six-Figure Illinois Educators Cost Taxpayers $3.7 Billion," by Adam Andrzejewski , Forbes, 4 June 2018.
Such a burden on the taxpayers of Illinois is increased as the state politicians, mostly Democrats with some Republicans along for the ride, increased permanent personal taxes thirty-two percent (see above). When the average citizen must be made to serve the political class, it predicts rebellion in time.
As to "72 small-town ‘managers’ out-earning every governor of the 50 states," one might consider a tale from California which is not as unusual as politicians would have an electorate observe: Three Little Democrats
Lest one think this is a partisan issue, a survey of the addenda and footnotes of the rhyme Corruption
[ 2 ] There is an almost biblical "writing on the wall," and it is written out simply as arithmetic, as the political rhetoric all fails. The article notes about Illinois as well as nine other states that, " 'Like the insatiable Pac-Man, pensions are eating further and further into state and local education budgets, eating up dollars that could be spent on lots of other things,' Aldeman says. 'That's true for all public services, but higher education is uniquely harmed by rising pension costs.' He says these 10 states are 'near the bottom of the list in terms of responsibly funding their pension plans.' As pension costs continue to rise, higher education budgets will likely lose out to pensions, partially because pensions are politically harder to reform."
While the article suggests that public pensions are "politically harder to reform," this does not mean that reform is not underway. Rather reform will be exercised by the simplest of arithmetic, over time. One cannot pay the few a hefty public pension by paying for it from the many who have no such pensions. Played out as if a matter of Left and Right
[ 3 ] While one quote imagines "it's going to take forever to get out of debt," the statement is factually incorrect. One only need look to the history of governments as they chose to Default on Debt
[ 4 ] The partisan political rhetoric is being overwhelmed by tragic numbers. The article notes: "Through the end of May, shooting incidents in Chicago were up 53 percent over the same period in 2015, which had already seen a significant increase over 2014. Compared with the first five months of 2014, shooting incidents in 2016 were up 86 percent. Certain police districts saw larger spikes. The Harrison District on the West Side, encompassing West Humboldt Park, for example, had a 191 percent increase in homicides through the end of May. Shootings in May citywide averaged nearly 13 a day, a worrisome portent for summer."
Bang for the Buck
Another report troubles: "Over the holiday weekend, Chicago passed an ominous threshold: So far in 2016, 2,000 people have been victims of gun violence. In all of last year, 2,988 people were victims of gun violence, according to records kept by The Chicago Tribune." In "Chicago crosses 2,000 shooting victims this year," by John Newsome, CNN, 5 July 2016.
Further one reads: "From 2005 to 2015, the city went from 17.3 homicides per 100,000 residents to a rate of about 18.8, according to a report from the Injury Prevention and Research Center at the Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. But the report held particularly troubling news for African-Americans. The rate for blacks in Chicago jumped from 36.1 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2005 to 46.5 a decade later. Other studies have shown steep drops in the city's African-American population in recent years, but crime figures remain stubbornly high in many largely black neighborhoods." In "Homicide rate surging for black Chicagoans, report finds," by Dan Hinkel, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2016.
And yet more reporting: "Seven people were killed and at least 47 more people — including an 8-year-old girl — were wounded in shootings across the city between Friday evening and Monday morning, according to Chicago Police. The weekend’s latest homicides happened within 20 minutes of each other Sunday afternoon on the Southwest and West sides." In "7 Killed, 47 Wounded in Weekend Shootings Across Chicago," NBC Chicago, 22 August 2016.
The Bodies Pile Up
And: "Police were investigating reports of a shooting in bloody Englewood when about 10 young men confronted them, harassed them, mocked them on the street, hurling epithets, angry, defiant. 'Every cop saw that video,' O'Connor said. 'One big difference is that now, on the street, there is no fear. Even in the '90s, with all the killing, the gangs feared the police. When we'd show up, they'd run. But now? Now they don't run. Now, there is no fear'." In "Chicago gangs no longer know or fear the police, and bodies pile up," by John Kass, Chicago Tribune, 30 August 2016.
And: "A thousand more people have been shot in Chicago this year compared with the same time last year after a weekend that saw eight people killed and at least 40 wounded, according to police and data compiled by the Tribune. At least 3,475 people had been shot in the city as of shortly after midnight Monday compared with 2,441 people shot this time last year, an increase of 1,034, according to Tribune data. There have been at least 595 homicides this year compared with 409 this time last year, an increase of 186." In "1,000 more people shot in Chicago compared with same time last year," Staff, Chicago Tribune, 17 October 2016.
Criminal violence alongside issues of municipal, country, school and state debt is become no longer a political issue, when one measures government purporting to "manage" civil problems only leading in an increase in said problems. Were this not the realm of politics, but instead of science and engineering, what does not work would be abandoned in favor of that which functions, becomes stable and productive. Blaming one side or another in the realm of opposition politics fails, and with it social cohesion.
"Trajectories' well-cleared path" and "predicted aftermath" function in the rhyme to remind that consequences befall all, as history tells repeatedly. A city, school system, county and state all in economic turmoil of which one Associated Press quote predicts will "take forever to get out of the debt" suggest that politics-as-business-as-usual is not up to the Herculean task it pretends. For this the rhyme ends with "a time of wrath" which is already underway.
[ 5 ] How sadly often it seems that politics equals Corruption
[ 6 ] The numbers tell the tale that the obfuscations of political speech cannot hide. One reads: "Illinois, the nation's fifth-largest state, has been slogging through a fiscal year with court-ordered spending, stopgap spending, and ongoing appropriations mandated by law. Meanwhile, without an approved budget, some spending has been halted, leaving a mounting backlog of more than $14 billion in unpaid bills. The state's cash crunch has delayed $1.1 billion in payments to public school districts. It has led to big spending cuts at state universities and has put social services on life support. This latest rating downgrade marks the seventh for Illinois since January 2015 by major credit rating agencies." In "Illinois is being sucked into a 'negative credit spiral,' warns S&P," by John W. Schoen, CNBC, 1 June 2017.
From "more than $14 billion" reported in June to "a record $16 billion" slightly less than four months later? One reads: "...on Monday, the governor told reporters that the bonds do not solve any problem because lawmakers failed to set aside money to make principal and interest payments over the 12 years the debt would be outstanding. 'We need to come up with roughly half a billion (dollars) of cuts just to be able to service a bond offering,' he said, adding that he planned to meet with legislative leaders for discussion." In "Illinois' unpaid bill backlog hits a record $16 billion," by Reuters Staff, Reuters, 19 September 2017.
Collapse Is Coming
Basic arithmetic outweighs political words. Here are some editorial words in support of this contention: "...a promise to pay an exponentially increasing amount where the exponent is larger than the tax base growth rate is also impossible. That's math, and it makes any such promise void. The longer the people of Illinois fail to demand that all of the medical providers in the state who are and do conspire to drive up and fix prices, refuse to quote a price before a procedure is done and engage in other similar acts, all of which I remind you appear to be illegal on their face under 15 USC, face indictment and prosecution the further down the hole the state will go. The longer the people of Illinois refuse to demand that all public pension promises that were made with knowledge that the 'growth rates' promised and assumed exceeded the historical or any rationally-arguable future growth in the tax base be declared void due to fraud at the time of the agreement the further down the hole the state will go." In "Illinois is Collapsing: It's Coming Everywhere," by Karl Denninger, Market-Ticker, 10 June 2017.
An example shows the Chicago Public Schools essentially pay a "debt obligation" with more "debt obligation." One reads of: "...another sign of the dire financial condition of the nation’s third-largest public school system, which for months has had a 'junk' credit rating from Wall Street financial institutions. CPS officials secured the $275 million on Monday from J.P. Morgan. It’s the final chunk of cash needed to make the $721 million payment for teacher pensions that’s due at the end of the month, senior vice president of finance Ron DeNard said in a statement. An additional $112 million that’s needed to fund district operations will be borrowed separately." In "Chicago Public Schools borrow $275 million at sky-high interest rate," by Lauren FitzPatrick and Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, 19 June 2017.
The simple solution -- politically and nearing -- is for "public debt" of various levels and components of government be abrogated by degree and depth. What is certain is that what increases the coming mess is that enduring politically-fed belief in Free bees
[ 7 ] Such an editorial from a paper which endorsed someone "new" yet the same. Mitchell writes in plain English: "We were all bamboozled. Maybe the power coupled with access to other people’s money makes elected officials go loco."
A column in the Chicago Tribune opined: "...what is Illinois known for? There’s so much to choose from. Political corruption? Check. High taxes going higher? Check. Political bosses who get richer and richer while taxpayers get poorer and poorer? Check. If there’s one thing Illinois does just about better than any state, it’s this: Making economic refugees of its own people." In "Gov. J.B. Pritzker should establish an Office of GSGBO (Get Stoned or Get the Bleep Out) to make a few bucks off those fleeing the state," by John Kass, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2019.
Corruption condoned and practiced for decades: "...the latest investigation is a sign that reform is a work with much progress left to attain. 'In the state of Illinois, the culture is so deeply entrenched that there seems to be some people — and it’s not most people, but some people — who continue to think that it's OK to gain private benefit from the public trough,' he said. 'It is getting better. That's what makes this so sad, is that we are making progress'." In "Corruption probe roils Illinois political machine," by Reid Wilson, The Hill, 11 December 2019.
It becomes apparent that many people in many places and in many editorials have been bamboozled, when one considers the plague of government, which is Corruption
That Chicago Way
Such is the reputed Chicago way. The Urban Dictionary defines with a fictional quote: "He pulls a knife, you pull a gun, he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."
A one-time resident of Chicago employed similar rhetoric: Chant for a change
[ 8 ] The editorial is very clear. "...we are getting a fresh lesson about the chronic fiscal irresponsibility of the General Assembly under the leadership of one-party, Democratic rule. In normal times, being overstretched means you can’t do all the things other states are able to do for the good of their neediest citizens. In hard times, it means digging your taxpayers into an ever-deeper hole, which in turn means fewer resources for vital purposes once the crisis has passed. It’s a vicious cycle."
The editorial's last sentence and seeming conclusion is incorrect. This cycle -- a word suggesting continuance -- will roll to its fiscal and mathematical end, as do all such "cycles." The blame has already by assessed by the Chicago Tribune, "one-party, Democratic rule."
For an example of this, consider the tale of Three Little Democrats
Worst in the Nation
As time passes, the state grows more diseased financially: "Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation credit has been built during two decades of the state spending more than it brings in, driven primarily by the pension crisis. The state has been downgraded a total of 21 times since 2009." In "Illinois moves closer to becoming first ‘junk’ state with negative credit outlook," by Adam Schuster, Illinois Policy, 12 April 2020.
It is a matter of numbers, now. The article notes: "To avoid financial calamity, Springfield politicians will need to adopt strategies that fundamentally break with Illinois' status quo fiscal policy of chasing higher revenues. Tax hikes have been the state’s primary response to financial challenges during the past decade and have objectively failed to lower debt burdens while harming the state's economy. From 2011 to 2018, Illinois' net debt quadrupled to nearly $190 billion despite a major income tax hike that brought in $37.4 billion in additional revenue from fiscal year 2011 to 2017 and was made permanent thereafter."
The fiscal strategy of "more" and "more" is remarkably unproductive in the long run. But it is in keeping with that governing strategy which was stated a century ago, British economist John Maynard Keynes interviewed Lenin and wrote in 1919: "Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the Capitalist System was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens."
Debt is a form of taxation, taxing the citizens tomorrow for the spending of yesterday. This is a confiscation, "secretly and unobserved" of citizens' wealth, such as it is, until it is observed and its secret well known. That time is now, as Illinois becomes "the worst in the nation."
[ 9 ] One notes that in a federal system, a state asking for a bailout from the federal government is identical to a state asking for a bailout from the other 49 states. This is a declaration of incompetence, in which the state has spent itself into an untenable fiscal situation, exacerbated by a pandemic which is being felt by the other 49 states as well, and therefore it simply is this. Illinois, with its beggar's bowl, says to the the rest of the nation, "give us money."
Lowly Public Servants Became the Upper Class Masters
Forbes reports some interesting details: "Our analysis at OpenTheBooks.com shows that an Illinois family of four now owes more in unfunded pension liabilities ($76,000) than they earn in household income ($63,585). In a state of 13 million residents, every man, woman, and child owes $19,000 — on an estimated $251 billion pension liability. Our auditors discovered 110,000 public employees and retirees who earned more than $100,000 last year." In "Why Illinois Is In Trouble – 109,881 Public Employees With $100,000+ Paychecks Cost Taxpayers $14B," by Adam Andrzejewski, Forbes, 27 April 2020.
As shown by the snapshots in addenda and footnotes from reputable sources, the State of Illinois has played a losing game of Kick the can
While pleading for the rest of the nation to bail out the Illinois pensions, one looks at such pensions. As an example, "Retirement can be lucrative for some former Illinois educators who are taking home pensions from the state’s Teachers Retirement System. The top pension earner this year is Lawrence A. Wyllie, an indicted former superintendent of Lincoln-Way High School District 210, who stands to make $321,443 this year." In "Retired Illinois Educators Taking Home Millions in Pensions," by Paris Schutz, WWTO, December 21, 2017.
This same phenomenon is occurring throughout many states whose public "servants" have run the same political playbook for decades, likely in the foolish expectation that it would not be found out. It is simply the productive being sapped of their productive strength by the unproductive.
So naturally -- think the public "servants" of the large majority of citizens who earn far less than these "servants" -- they should pay for "me." Such is the nature of those "receiving" from government who expect those feeding government to feed with greater effort. Welfare for the upper crust adds to the fiscal failing, and one asks Who's gonna pull the welfare wagon
[ 10 ] The structural issue is clear. Where what source(s) does any government get its funds? Ultimately and only from taxpayers. Even borrowing is simply planned taxation in the future, and essentially a burden to those who may not have supported such borrowing. As such, Illinois' plea for a bail out is structurally a request that taxpayers beyond the borders of Illinois bail out the state's game of Kick the can
Towns and cities, assessment districts and zones, counties, public school systems and public university systems, state and federal health entities, public employee pensions systems, welfare programs for individual and businesses like, and, of course, Social Security, all are funded from the same source. This becomes no longer a partisan issue, for though the article's opinion is by a Republican politician in Illinois, the request for a bail-out by Illinois Democrats must be answered in the positive by other Democrats in other states. Ultimately some Democrats will confront other Democrats as well as Republicans and independents, as the system of indebtedness becomes arithmetically untenable. The problem is fast exceeding the ability of Politics
In the federal system, not everyone can ask for a bailout, for the logical inconsistency of it all. Peter will be robbed for John's sake, and John will be robbed for Peter's sake. The middle men -- too many politicians, lobbyists and public employees who are most responsible for the problem -- will hope to avoid that pain which is expected by them to fall on taxpayers, here, there and everywhere. Their last hope is Sam?
That modernist journal is a century old,
Dusty and aging from the library mold.
Contemporary was, is and will be.
What's modern soon turns chill stone-cold.
The soon-to-be-dated up-to-date sway
Suffers the passing of the time of day.
What's ancient was, is and will be.
What's really now loses its here today way.
The state-of-the-art is the cutting edge,
Newfangled and with-it like the freshest pledge
Which also had been, is and too will be.
Then comes time's hammer, a swinging sledge.
Johnnie's got - Tommy rot
Johnnie's got two mommies
And both of them are men;
Johnnie's got no gender
But oh that where and when
Johnnie's got the impulse,
That urge, that itch; ah, then
Johnnie's got some choices
Beyond that kid's playpen.Johnnie's got two daddies,
So ladylike are they;
Johnnie's got to dress up
But not as straight or gay.
Johnnie's got no gender
To stumble on the way;
Johnnie's got confusion
To muddle up today.Johnnie's got three parents
According to some docs;
Johnnie's got a challenge
Which will be coming shocks.
Johnnie's got some choices
Which morph as time tick-tocks.
Johnnie's got a place in
The college of hard knocks.Johnnie's got the message
That all ways work out well;
Johnnie's got whatever 'tis
That'll ring wee Johnnie's bell.
Johnnie's got one life to live,
A tale that most won't tell.
Johnnie's got but little time
Before the death knell bell.
Envoi: "Johnnie /john-nie/ as a boys' name (also used less widely as girls' name Johnnie). Johnnie's root is Hebrew, and Johnnie means "God is gracious". Johnnie is a variant form of John (Hebrew) with the suffix -ie." In "What does Johnnie mean?" Think Baby Names, n. d.
Addendum of Jenny: " I wrote 'Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin' back in 1981 because I became aware of the problems which some children face when meeting family groupings different from the ones they are familiar with, ie mum and dad, possibly mum and dad divorced, maybe a step-parent. It's not possible to go through life without meeting people living in different ways, and they shouldn't come as a shock to anybody." In "Jenny, Eric, Martin . . . and me," Guardian UK, 31 January 2000.
Addendum of People Living in Different Ways: "Two homosexual men who sexually abused young children placed in their foster care were jailed yesterday. Ian Wathey, 41, and his partner Craig Faunch, 32, were found guilty of a string of offences against four boys aged between eight and 14. The pair used the boys for sexual gratification within months of being approved as foster carers by Wakefield council." In "Gay couple jailed for abusing their foster children," by Paul Stokes, Telegraph UK, 24 June 2006.
Addendum of Another Jenny: "Philosopher Leszek Kołakowski would write of the Marx family's time in London, '[Karl] Marx was notoriously incapable of keeping accounts, and Jenny was a regular customer of the London pawnbrokers.' In later years Jenny Marx suffered from internal pains, diagnosed as liver cancer. Following a family visit to France, she died in London at the age of 67 on 2 December 1881." In "Jenny von Westphalen," Wikipedia article, n. d. [ 1 ]
Counterpoint of the Not Possible: "...if people had a natural bond to their children, no provision would be made for this in communist society. Whatever Engels may have conjectured about the natural affinity of humans toward stable amorous relationships in communist society, he envisioned a society in which no compulsion would interfere with relationships. Thus, theoretically, any sexual relationship between mutually consenting persons would be possible. What would not be possible would be the security of a life-long marriage. This sexual relationship could not be chosen." In "Marx, Engels and the Family," Richard Weikart, History of European Ideas, Vol. 18, No. 5, 1994. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Heather: "Newman, a full-time writer and poet at the time, chronicles Heather's love of all things 'two,' including her moms, one a doctor and the other a carpenter. When Heather joins a home-based play group — changed to 'school' in the new version — she is saddened when teacher Molly reads the children a story at nap time focused on a daddy." In " 'Heather Has Two Mommies' turns 25," by Leanne Italie, Associated Press, 16 March 2015. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Helene: "Helene 'Lenchen' Demuth (1820-1890) was the housekeeper of Jenny and Karl Marx, later serving as the household manager and political confidante of Frederich Engels. She is best remembered as the mother of a child believed by most scholars to have been fathered by Marx." In "Helene Demuth," Wikipedia article, n. d. [ 4 ]
Addendum of the Subjugation of Women: "The legitimacy of a concern with the problems of sexuality to women is best shown by the fact that the act of sexual intercourse is typically an act of aggression and of dominance (and often of violation) to -which a woman is forced to submit. The sex act as a violation, as an act establishing the inferiority and servility of women, has its most violently brutal expression in the act of rape.." In "The Subjugation of Women Under Capitalism: The Bourgeois Morality," by Marlene Dixon, Marxists.org, 1977. [ 5 ]
Counterpoint of Promiscuity: "Promiscuity is, as you suggest, a culturally determined concept, but is formally defined, according to Webster, as including not only frequent but 'indiscriminate' sexual behavior. Preference for frequent sexual contacts is not necessarily the same as being sexually indiscriminating. The latter, in women, indicates a possible compulsive, and therefore, pathological quality to the excessive sexual behavior, referred to traditionally as nymphomania. (In men, it is called satyriasis.) Such indiscriminating or sometimes even random sexual behaviors can be commonly seen in various mental disorders such as psychosis, manic episodes, substance abuse and dependence, dissociative identity disorder, as well as borderline, narcissistic and antisocial personalities, and can, in fact, often be partially diagnostic of such pathological conditions." In "What Motivates Sexual Promiscuity?" by Stephen A. Diamond, Psychology Today, 17 November 2011. [ 6 ]
Addendum of Kitten: "The youngest of the three, Kitten, 27, is six months pregnant via an unknown sperm donor. 'The three of us have always wanted kids and wanted to grow our family,' said Kitten. 'We decided that I’d be the one to carry the babies because I’d like to be a full-time [mother].' The women sleep together in the same bed, and have sex as a threesome — as well as in pairs — they told The Sun." In "Married lesbian ‘throuple’ expecting first child," by David K. Li, New York, Post, 23 April 2014. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Mother Mitochonrdia: "Britain has become the first country in the world to permit the use of 'three-person IVF' to prevent incurable genetic diseases. The House of Lords voted by 280 votes to 48 on Tuesday evening to approve changes to the law allowing fertility clinics to carry out mitochondrial donation. Babies conceived through this IVF technique would have biological material from three different people – a mother, father and a female donor." In "Britain's House of Lords approves conception of three-person babies," by Hannah Devlin, Guardian UK, 24 February 2015. [ 8 ]
Counterpoint to be Sung -- Sometimes I Feel Like a Gender-less Child: "As for Storm, 'sometimes Storm says 'I’m a girl,' and sometimes Storm says 'I’m a boy,' says Witterick, emphasizing the point that, contrary to what one might think, the topic of gender doesn’t actually take up a lot of air time in her family. 'The rest of the world is still talking about it but actually we’re doing something else. We’re in the forest looking at bugs and finding salamanders and seeing turtles hatch out of eggs,' she says, referencing a recent four-month-long adventure where the family lived in tents in the forest and, with the help of extended family and friends, built themselves a straw-bale cabin. 'It was like a wedding. It was so wonderful,' she says of the rotating door of visitors. Witterick still 'unschools' her children. The offshoot of home-schooling is centred on the belief that learning should be driven by a child’s curiosity." In "Remember Storm? We check in on the baby being raised gender-neutral," by Jayme Poisson, The Star, Toronto, 15 November 2013. [ 9 ]
Addendum of a Court Finding Significant Emotional Harm: "He said the woman had told him that the boy 'expressed disdain for his penis'. He added: 'I consider that [the mother] has caused significant emotional harm to [her son] in her active determination that he should be a girl.' Hayden said the boy had settled well in the care of his father and his father’s partner. 'I have been told that [the father] and his partner were shocked when they first saw [the boy] by the extent to which he appeared to be a girl, both in appearance and in mannerism,' said the judge. 'However, what is striking is how well [the boy] has settled down.' The judge added: 'I have noted from reports that the boy] has become interested in Power Rangers, SpongeBob, superheroes and is constantly finding new interests … It is striking that most of [the boy’s] interests are male-oriented. I am entirely satisfied, both on the basis of the reports and [the father’s] evidence at this hearing, that he has brought no pressure on (the boy) to pursue masculine interests. [The boy’s] interests and energy are entirely self-motivated'." In "Boy ‘living life entirely as a girl’ removed from mother's care by judge," Press Association, Guardian UK, 21 October 2016. [ 10 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] For some insight in an economic theorist "notoriously incapable of keeping accounts," see Welfare Queen
[ 2 ] Of course given the range of human behavior, "any sexual relationship between mutually consenting persons" is indeed possible. This does not reduce to any sexual relationship between mutually consenting persons is wise, productive or even safe.
One notes that today the more normal relationship is dismissed in some quarters, as one reads: "In gender theory and queer theory, heteronormativity is the perceived reinforcement of certain beliefs by many social institutions and social policies. These beliefs include the belief that human beings fall into two distinct and complementary categories, male and female; that sexual and marital relations are normal only when between people of different sexes; and that each sex has certain natural roles in life. Thus, physical sex, gender identity, and gender roles should in any given person align to either all-male or all-female norms, and heterosexuality is considered to be the only normal sexual orientation. The norms this term describes or criticizes might be overt, covert, or implied. Those who identify and criticize heteronormativity say that it distorts discourse by stigmatizing alternative concepts of both sexuality and gender and makes certain types of self-expression more difficult." In "Heteronormativity," Psychology Wiki, n. d.
The same source notes: "In a heteronormative society, the binary choice of male and female for one's gender identity is viewed as leading to a lack of possible choice about one's gender role and sexual identity." And yet lack of choice seems a silly notion in a world where one may attend a Hen Party
Communism's Sexual Legacy
The critique of what is now called heteronormativity is in direct line from Engels' notion that marriage was bourgeois and to be abandoned. One reads: "The modern monogamous family is founded on the open or disguised domestic slavery of women, and modern society is a mass composed of molecules in the form of monogamous families. In the great majority of cases the man has to earn a living and to support his family, at least among the possessing classes. He thereby obtains a superior position that has no need of any legal special privilege. In the family, he is the bourgeois, the woman represents the proletariat. In the industrial world, however, the specific character of the economic oppression weighing on the proletariat appears in its sharpest outlines only after all special privileges of the capitalist class are abolished and the full legal equality of both classes is established." In "The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, Friedrich Engels, trans. Ernest Untermann, Charles H. Kerr, Chicago, 1909.
Engel's ends his hopes in this text with: "The dissolution of society bids fair to become the termination of a career of which property is the end and aim, because such a career contains the elements of self-destruction. Democracy in government, brotherhood in society, equality in rights and privileges, and universal education, foreshadow the next higher plane of society to which experience, intelligence and knowledge are steadily tending. It will be a revival, in a higher form, of the liberty, equality and fraternity of the ancient gentes."
Dissolution of society is hardly a worthy goal, unless one intends to rule the next formed from the ashes of the former, and that is in fact the dream of many, who attack marriage and family as heteronormative, and therefore somehow bourgeois and worthy of destruction. Consider a survey of the chaotic world of Wedding Shredding
[ 3 ] How "sad" that "teacher Molly reads the children a story at nap time focused on a daddy." Perhaps stories about a daddy should be banished from the classroom? But then for those children without a mommy, perhaps stories about a mommy should also be banned? Yet both roles should be equal? Or not? But are not gay men who adopt daddies? The fictional Jenny, above, has two. Maybe Jenny will be "sad" to hear a tale "focused" on a mommy?
The question of being "sad" later in life is wholly related to this postmodern "dissolution of society" based on ideological grounds.
One reads: "Results: Emotional problems were over twice as prevalent (minimum risk ratio (RR) 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-3.0) for children with same-sex parents than for children with opposite-sex parents. Risk was elevated in the presence of parent psychological distress (RR 2.7, CI 1.8-4.3, p (t) < .001), moderated by family instability (RR 1.3, CI 1.2-1.4) and unaffected by stigmatization (RR 2.4, CI 1.4-4.2), though these all had significant direct effects on emotional problems. However, biological parentage nullified risk alone and in combination with any iteration of factors. Joint biological parents are associated with the lowest rate of child emotional problems by a factor of 4 relative to same-sex parents, accounting for the bulk of the overall same-sex/opposite-sex difference. Conclusion: Joint biological parentage, the modal condition for opposite-sex parents but not possible for same-sex parents, sharply differentiates between the two groups on child emotional problem outcomes. The two groups are different by definition. Intact opposite-sex marriage ensures children of the persistent presence of their joint biological parents; same-sex marriage ensures the opposite. However, further work is needed to determine the mechanisms involved." In "Emotional Problems among Children with Same-Sex Parents: Difference by Definition," by Donald Paul Sullins, British Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science 7(2):99-120, 2015.
"The two groups are different by definition" begs the question. Whose definition? Therein lies the proof to ideologically based bias, with "different by definition" trying to be postured as "alike" from a political perspective. Continuing research is the way forward, excepting for those for whom "settled science" is a method to escape gathering knowledge about these groups, "different by definition."
[ 4 ] A boy named Frederick: "On June 23, 1851 Helene Demuth gave birth to a boy believed by most scholars to have been sired by Karl Marx. Presumably in an effort to preserve the Marxes' [ sic ] marriage, Karl Marx's closest personal friend, Frederick Engels, a bachelor living in Manchester, claimed fatherhood of the boy, who was given his name. The baby, Frederick Lewis Demuth (1851-1929), was placed in a working class foster home in London shortly after birth and was later trained as a toolmaker. His probable half-sister Eleanor Marx came to know him some time after her father's death and made him a family friend." In "Helene Demuth," Wikipedia, n. d.
Helene Demuth and Mary Burns
But Helen Demuth was not Engels' love. When the lover of Engels, Mary Burns, died, "Marx sympathized–briefly. 'It is extraordinarily difficult for you,' he wrote, 'who had a home with Mary, free and withdrawn from all human muck, as often as you pleased.” But the remainder of the missive was devoted to a long account of Marx’s woes, ending with a plea for money. 'All my friends,' Engels fired back in anger, 'including philistine acquaintances, have shown me, at this moment which hit me deeply, more sympathy and friendship than I expected. You found this moment appropriate to display the superiority of your cool intellect.' Marx wrote again, apologizing, extending more elaborate condolences and blaming his first letter on his wife’s demands for money. 'What drove me particularly mad,' he wrote, 'was that thought I did not report to you adequately our true situation.' Mike Gane, among other writers, suspects that Marx objected to Engels’ love of a working-class woman not on the grounds of class, but because the relationship was bourgeois, and hence violated the principles of communism. Whatever the reason for the argument, Engels seems to have been glad when it ended." In "How Friedrich Engels’ Radical Lover Helped Him Father Socialism," by Mike Dash, Smithsonian, 1 August 2013.
Thus an adjective might serve to identify both Marx' and Engels' relationships with women -- promiscuous. Heteronormatively so, one could add by. By today's freewheeling rhetoric, would not both Marx and Engels then have been themselves bourgeois in their dealings with women? After all, in Engels own words condemning marriage, "he is the bourgeois, the woman represents the proletariat." So what were Jenny, Helene and Mary then?
[ 5 ] Dixon asserts that the "sex act" is "an act of establishing the inferiority and servility of women. Thus, one may ask: was it Marx, as many scholars suggest, or Engels, via his testimony of fatherhood, who was the bourgeois male "establishing the inferiority and servility" of Helene Demuth? Given Marx' marriage to Jenny and Engels' entanglement with Mary Burns, was this dalliance with an inferior, servile and "subjugated" woman a promiscuous act as well as a bourgeois act? As such was it moral?
[ 6 ] Promiscuity is become an unpopular word, though both Marx and Engels were promiscuous fellows. Among the features to the human phenomenon of promiscuity are stresses on relationships, but the basic biological fact of disease is never ignored. One reads of this in many places, among them the United States, so focused now on sexual issues within the political realm while avoiding the darker theme of sexually transmitted diseases.
Unpopular Statistics
One reads of reality's infectious sting: "If current HIV diagnoses rates persist, about 1 in 2 black men who have sex with men (MSM) and 1 in 4 Latino MSM in the United States will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime, according to a new analysis by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study, presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, provides the first-ever comprehensive national estimates of the lifetime risk of an HIV diagnosis for several key populations at risk and in every state." In "Lifetime Risk of HIV Diagnosis," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 15 October 2010.
Other STDs also worry. "Public Health England (PHE) admitted attempts to contain the spread have been of 'limited success', despite efforts to track down sexual partners of those infected. Experts believe if the last fully effective antibiotic fails to stops the spread, the sexually transmitted infection could become untreatable. If left untreated, gonorrhoea can cause infertility and can be passed on to a child during pregnancy." In "Experts believe if the last fully effective antibiotic fails to stops the spread, the sexually transmitted infection could become untreatable. If left untreated, gonorrhoea can cause infertility and can be passed on to a child during pregnancy." In "Fears strain of 'super gonorrhoea' could spread across UK - and may become untreatable," by Chloe Farand, Independent UK, 17 April 2016.
Such are some of the modern implications of promiscuity, straight and gay alike. This sad theme is taken up in my Requiem for the Victims of AIDS
[ 7 ] One notes that while our fictional "Jenny" had two fathers and our fictional "Heather" has two mothers, this throuple's announcement shows no father in their marital mix, though an anonymous male's sperm was used to inseminate a real-life Kitten, such that biologically there is a father involved in the conception of this "child."
The motivation as mentioned above by Heather's author to answer a child being "sad" about a story with a father as family character with her book might well be asked of a child with three "mommies" and no "daddy." Will this child also be "sad" if there is read a story with a father in it? Or without a father?
Such as this one instance of a throuple brings to light a question. Is sex with more than one long-term partner promiscuous? If not, is sex with more than one partner a sign of promiscuity, and if so why? As the article notes, "The women sleep together in the same bed, and have sex as a threesome — as well as in pairs..." Once definitions become uncertain, words become of limited value and power to say anything.
Why Not?
If Heather can have two mommies, and then three, why not four or more? If Jenny can have two fathers, why not three and more? Such questions linger.
One reads: "A number of theorists have argued for the abolition or restructuring of marriage. One view, to be discussed in Section 5, is that marriage is in itself oppressive and unjust, and hence ought to be abolished (Card 1996, Fineman 2004). A second view holds that, in the absence of a pressing rationale for marriage law (as discussed in 4.2), the divisive nature of marriage law gives reason for abolishing marriage as a legal category. Marriage has religious associations in part responsible for public controversy over same-sex marriage. If marriage is essentially defined by a religious or ethical view of the good, then legal recognition of it arguably violates state neutrality or even religious freedom (Metz 2010). There are several reform proposals compatible with the ‘disestablishment’ of marriage. One proposal is full contractualization or privatization, leaving marriage to churches and private organizations." In "Marriage and Domestic Partnership," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, last revised 8 August 2012.
Of course, disestablishing marriage as a private, contractual function -- whether deemed bourgeois or not -- would dull the enthusiasm for those who wish to fight such issues out in the political arena. Perhaps many will become even bored by the hoopla, for after all from much public argument, it is often seen that People walk awayOne notes that Marxist Dixon, whose essay is cited above, reveals the end game. It is not restructuring or redefining marriage and sexual mores per se. Rather: "In the end, we do not aspire to make revolution in order to free people to enjoy any sexual style they please, nor do we agitate for revolution in order to justify the practices of one group or another. We struggle to abolish capital, to liberate the masses of human beings, to build a society in which our species-being can be free to seek its greatest potentiality. It is foolish and wrong to drive dedicated people into a dead end of sexual politics by defining their humanity sexually, and then, on the basis of that definition alone, bar people as 'unworthy' of revolutionary struggle. It is sexism – and like all sexism, it is madness."
Abolish capital? One might consider one familial role found while noting that "all the world's a stage," Auntie Capital
[ 8 ] If genetic coding via "mitochondrial donation" mixes genes in the chromosome, then mixing in even more genetic material from more donors would allow the assertion that more than three contribute to an IVF procedure. As this would be an expensive procedure, might it be considered bourgeois, much like Marx' and Engels' treatment of women so long ago? Would three parents be named on a birth certificate, including the mitochondrial donor? If so, the throuple cited above would require a birth certificate with four names, would it not? Or is it all now simply political?
[ 9 ] The report quotes a mother: '...sometimes Storm says 'I’m a girl,' and sometimes Storm says 'I’m a boy,' says Witterick...." Both are gender terms, as the child according to the mother swings between such self-descriptors. One may thereby conclude that the child is not actually gender-neutral, but rather "sometimes" this and "sometimes" that, but not neutral.
Critique is found in the news: "While child development experts applaud the family's efforts to raise their child free of the constraints of gender stereotypes, they say the parents have embarked on a psychological experiment that could be "potentially disastrous. 'To raise a child not as a boy or a girl is creating, in some sense, a freak,' said Dr. Eugene Beresin, director of training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. 'It sets them up for not knowing who they are. To have a sense of self and personal identity is a critical part of normal healthy development,' he said. 'This blocks that and sets the child up for bullying, scapegoating and marginalization'." In "Baby Storm Raised Genderless Is Bad Experiment, Say Experts," by Susan Donaldson James, ABC News, 26 May 2011.
Whose Fault Is It?
Some will say that such "bullying, scapegoating and marginalization" are society's fault. But children can themselves be vicious, as one recalls the novel, "Lord of the Flies." Moreover, the game of blaming some for bullying can quickly become just another form a bullying, especially when seeking legal redress and financial penalties.
One report twigged onto Witterick's own quote: "Storm is growing up in a household and a culture in which almost everyone identifies as male or female, Karkazis said. And because babies pick up on gender cues early — by age 1 or so, studies suggest — by the time Storm starts talking, he or she will likely have something to say about his or her own gender. 'This child is only going to have two models, even within the house,' Karkazis said. 'I would be shocked if this child didn't self-identify'." In "The Truth About Genderless Babies," by Stephanie Pappas, Live Science, 25 May 2011.
Of the punitive politics of some one reads of another child in another family: "It’s certainly worth noting that if anything was to make Sasha feel ostracized or different, it certainly wouldn’t be his mother’s choices. It’s much more likely to be the anger leveled at him for being raised differently." In "Parents Who Hid Child’s Gender for Five Years Now Face Backlash," by Megan Gibson, TIME, 24 January 2012.
Such reporting blurs the distinction between news and opinion, for indeed "being raised differently" has far more meanings and repercussions that any one instance of rearing a gender-less child. One is noted above, which in the words of one writer justifying her own work "shouldn't come as a shock to anybody."
As to issues of gender and politics, one might think of Anne O'Malley
What gender might Tommy Rot be, when Heather has two mommies, Jenny has two daddies, and Johnnie maybe three or more? How "sad" would that be?
[ 10 ] All people on all sides of this socio-political issue have parents. Period.
All children of all parents come under the sway of parents' life views. good and bad alike. Period.
Children in all cultures under a certain age are not legally allowed full control over their life choices. Period.
The assertion that children are fully aware of themselves and their perceptions, fully rational and fully competent is Tommy rot. Period.
To assert otherwise strips all potential and real control from parents, as from clergy, as from professional psychological counselors, as from courts and the state itself/ Period.
The boy in the article who had "expressed disdain for his penis" at one time -- whatever that may mean -- and now seems to be pursuing "masculine interests" -- how ever that may be defined -- has had a court weigh in on a mother's and father's influences on his life is wholly logical, as it is wholly logical that partisan on many sides of this issue will disagree. The issue will remain political for generations to come, because people can be so easily swept up in notions, both correct and incorrect.
Menu à la carte - the senator's not so smart
"McCain then gave us a glimpse at his vast knowledge of theology. 'Would you have a problem with American Christians saying, thank God, thank God?' McCain retorted. 'That's what they’re saying. Come on. Of course they're Muslims, but they're moderates'." In "Sen. McCain: Saying 'Allahu Akbar' Is Just Like Saying 'Thank God'," FOX News, 3 September 2013. [ 1 ]
A word buffet is dished each day,
Served up à la carte.
The language play's a ploy of gray
As simpler truths depart.
Think the fray will blow away,
Moderates being smart?
Think of prey that predators slay,
When even a world apart.
A word buffet is stewed to say
Whatever wordy art
Would thinking stir to dilute away
A table d'hôte's bloody part.
Thank God [ 2 ] for a Bloody Rampage: "The gunman in the Fort Hood massacre hollered 'Allahu Akbar!' before embarking on a bloody rampage that left more than a dozen dead, an onlooker told investigators. 'We do have a witness who reported that,' Col. John Rossi said Friday morning." In "Gunman in Fort Hood shooting, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before deadly attack," by Matthew Lysiak, Robert F. Moore and Corky Siemaszko, New York Daily News, 6 November 2009.
Thank God for a Dead Bishop: "Reports are emerging that the man accused of killing Bishop Luigi Padovese of Turkey shouted 'Allah Akbar!' as he beheaded the 63-year-old prelate. Neighbours of the bishop have reported hearing his cries for help before he died and the screams of the accused murderer, Murat Altun, immediately after the killing. The bishop was stabbed in his house and beheaded outside. An initial autopsy showed his body was covered with knife wounds, including eight to the heart, while his head was decapitated." In "Bishop’s murderer shouted ‘Allah Akbar!’ after beheading," Catholic Universe, 8 June 2010.
Thank God the Whole World Must Be Ruled by Allah's Law: "Investigators do not rule out that the crime could have been motivated by religion because a note saying 'Oktyabrsky and the whole of the world must be ruled by Allah's law' was confiscated from the attacker. Measures will also be taken to determine whether the man is sane or insane, the spokesman said." In "A Bashkirian resident broke into police station shouting "'Allah Akbar'," Interfax-Religion, 19 November 2010.
Thank God U.S. Citizens Were Killed: "A gunman shouting 'Allahu Akbar' opened fire on a bus carrying U.S. airmen in Frankfurt, Germany, killing two and wounding two others before his gun jammed and he was subdued, officials said. An ethnic Albanian from Kosovo was taken into custody and the FBI was heading an investigation because U.S. citizens were killed and to determine whether the shooting was an act of terrorism." In "Gunman Shouting 'Allahu Akbar' Kills 2 US Airmen in Germany," by Luis Martinez and Richard Esposito, ABC News, 2 March 2011.
Thank God German Policemen Are Attacked: "When the police tried to arrest the trouble-makers, one of them made a phone call and after some time, around 150 other Muslims assembled from the neighboring streets to the scene, and blocked the police officers. According to police evidence, those gathered were behaving extremely aggressively, making threats of reprisal and yelling, 'Allah Akbar'. Only after the arrival of 100 more policemen as reinforcement did it became possible to calm down the mob. As a result, sixteen people were arrested, and two trouble-makers were sent to the hospital." In "In Hamburg over 150 Muslims, shouting 'Allah Akbar', attacked policemen," Pravoslavie.ru, 18 July 2013.
Thank God Attacker Shot by French Police: "Investigators are reportedly focusing on whether radical Islam played a role and have launched an inquiry into 'attempted murder and criminal conspiracy in connection with a terrorism organisation', the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Paris reports. Some reports suggest the attacker's brother was known to have expressed a desire to travel to Syria, our correspondent says. In 2012, French Islamist Mohammed Merah killed seven people in the city of Toulouse. He was eventually killed after a 32-hour siege at his flat in the city." In " 'Allahu Akbar' attacker shot by French police," BBC, 20 December 2014.
Thank God At Least 13 People Were Injured: "A man heard shouting 'Allahu Akbar' ('God is greatest') has been arrested in France after ploughing his car into crowds of people. At least 13 people were injured, two of them seriously, after the driver targeted passers-by in five different areas of the eastern city of Dijon. Witnesses told police he was also heard shouting he was 'acting for the children of Palestine' during the rampage, which lasted about half an hour. It came a day after another man, who was also heard shouting 'Allahu Akbar,' stabbed three police officers in the central town of Joue-les-Tours. The motives behind this latest attack remain unclear." In "Man Shouting 'Allahu Akbar' Drives Into Crowd," Sky News, 22 December 2014.
Thank God by Charging Border Police: "A suspected 21-year-old terrorist was shot at the Kalandia Crossing security checkpoint separating Jerusalem from Ramallah on Tuesday evening, after ignoring warning shots and charging Border Police officers while shouting 'Allah Akbar'." In "Suspected terrorist shot at Ramallah checkpoint after charging officers shouting 'Allahu Akbar'," by Daniel K. Eisenbud, Jerusalem Post, 30 June 2015.
Thank God It Isn't Islam: "He said the sect does not in any way represent Islam or any other religion, saying it was unfair for them to kill innocent human beings and claim they did so in Allah’s name. 'You can’t go and kill innocent people and say 'Allah Akbar'! It is either you don't believe it or you don't know what you are saying,' he said. 'So, it has nothing to do with religion. They (Boko Haram) are just terrorists and Nigeria will demobilise all of them,' Buhari vowed." In "Killing people while shouting Allahu Akbar is not Islam – Buhari," by Ameh Comrade Godwin, Daily Post Nigeria, 9 July 2015.
Thank God Three Attackers Were Killed: "Punjab Police personnel said on Monday they heard terrorists shout 'Allah hu Akbar' — Arabic for 'God is great' — before three attackers were killed after an intense gunfight in Gurdaspur district, indicating the assault was a suicide attack." In "Gurdaspur attackers heard shouting Islamic slogans during siege," Hindustan Times, 28 July 2015.
Thank God They Shot Into the Crowd: " 'Some guys arrived, they started shooting near the entrance,' he said. 'They shot right into the crowd, shouting Allah Akbar, with shotguns I think (…) I could hear them reloading. The concert stopped, everyone was lying on the ground, they continued to shoot at people, it’s hell,' he was shackled, his voice broken by sobs." In " 'They shot right into the crowd, shouting Allah Akbar'," EuroNews, 14 November 2015.
Thank God Migrants Attack Italian Soldiers: '"Police identified the attackers only as F.A. and D.E. - a Palestinian and a Tunisian aged around 40 and 30 years, saying the two men, who were not armed, uttered 'offensive remarks' and slogans 'exalting Allah' before charging the military patrol. Local media reports said they shouted the Islamic phrase 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great)." In "Illegal migrants shouting 'Allahu Akbar' attack soldiers patrolling Rome Basilica for Jubilee celebrations," by Umberto Bacchi, International Business Times, 15 December 2015.
Thank God a Jew Was Stabbed to Death: "Mr. David Fremd, 54, was stabbed to death in the city of Paysandú in Uruguay late Tuesday, 28 Adar-I. It is reported the attacker shouted 'Ala Akbar' as he lunged at him. David was a local merchant. Local reports state David was walking on the street when he was jumped by the attacker who stabbed him in his back ten times." In "Jewish Man Stabbed to Death in Uruguay by Attacker Shouting 'Allah Akbar'," Yeshiva World News, 9 March 2016.
Thank God for Total Hypocrisy: "Illegal immigrants shout Allahu Akbar in the migrant camp in Hungary. The leading group here are the Pakistani Muslims. This is total hypocrisy As they left Pakistan and are struggling to get into Europe to be safe but at the same time they are shouting Allahu Akbar, praising Pakistan, waving a Pakistani flag and calling all Muslims to join them." In "Illegal immigrants shouting Allah Akbar in Hungary," Vokroogsveta.ru, in a posted video, 2016.
Thank God for Hackers: "...'At least four assailants hacked Nazimuddin Samad’s head with a machete on Wednesday night. As he fell, one of them shot him with a pistol from close range. He died on the spot. It is a case of targeted killing. But no group has claimed responsibility.' He said police were looking into whether Samad was murdered for his writing. The Dhaka Tribune said the assailants shouted Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) as they attacked Samad on a busy road near Jagannath University, where he was a law student." In "Secular activist who criticised Islamism killed in Dhaka," by Saad Hammadi and Aisha Gani, Guardian UK, 7 April 2016 .
Thank God for a Strange Man: "The pair, one aged 14 and the other 17, were walking in the Stamford Hill neighborhood when a strange man came at them yelling 'Allah Akbar! F---ing Jews! Kill the Jews!' Though the assailant did not physically harm the two, he remained in the area and yelled anti-Semitic remarks to other passers-by. The two teens quickly called Shomrim, the local Jewish neighborhood watch organization, for help." In "London: Orthodox teens harassed by man yelling 'Kill the Jews!'," by Matt Wanderman, Arutz Sheva, 12 April 2016.
Thank God in New Zealand: "...Patel was jailed for 10 months for holding a large knife to a driver's throat and threatening to kill him while yelling an Islamic exclamation. Patel gestured to the driver then ran across the road and held a knife - measuring 20cm - to the driver's throat yelling, 'Allahu Akbar' [Allah is the greatest], and, 'I'm going to kill you motherf***er'. And only six weeks before that incident, he was convicted for intimidating a former New Zealand Muslim Association president at his Sandringham home, where one man allegedly yelled 'jihad will start from here'." In "Second man guilty of distributing Isis material," by Rib Kidd, New Zealand Herald, 6 May 2016.
Thank God in Bavaria: "Broadcaster Bayrische Rundfunk reported that witnesses to the stabbings said the man shouted 'Allahu Akbar'. The broadcaster said one of the victims was critically injured and died in hospital." In "One dead, three injured as ‘Allahu Akbar’ is heard in knife attack at German station," BreakingNews, 10 May 2016.
Thank God for Rubbish: " 'But when moderate Muslims say this has nothing to do with Islam, that is rubbish. After all, here was this gunman who shouted ‘Allahu akbar!’—God is greater. Now, that doesn’t mean that he was motivated only by religion but clearly there was some religious symbolism that helped incite this incident. And so, frankly, moderate Muslims—who are not so moderate today—have to own up to the fact that we have got a problem in our community. And until we solve it with honesty, we will only see more damage done'." In an interview on CNN with Irshad Manji, 15 June 2016. [ 3 ]
Thank God for Mob Violence Against Christians: "Christians have suffered mob violence on numerous occasions this past year. Just last month, seven Christian homes were torched and ransacked, while a Christian mother was stripped naked and humiliated by Muslims who were angry that her son had an alleged affair with a Muslim woman. Reports said the Christian mother was dragged out of her home, after which the Muslim mob beat her and stripper her naked on the streets, chanting Allahu Akbar, or 'God is great'." In ""Muslim Mob Torches 80 Christian Homes in Egypt as Punishment for Wanting to Build Church," by Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post, 21 June 2016.
Thank God by Vandalizing a Swedish Church: "Det förekommer medieuppgifter om att mannen ska ha skrikit 'Allahu akbar' i samband med vandaliseringen av kyrkan." In "Aggressiv man slog sönder kyrka i Malmö," by Mattias Albinsson, Triatider, 27 June 2016.
Thank God for Italian Vandalism of a Catholic Statue: "Una scritta bianca su uno dei simboli di Bologna. Nella notte tra sabato e domenica, ignoti hanno scritto con lo spray 'Allah akbar', Allah è grande, sulla base della statua di San Petronio, il santo protettore della città, sotto le Due Torri nel cuore del centro." In "Bologna, "Allah Akbar": sfregio sotto la statua di San Petronio," la Repubblica Bologna, 26 June 2016.
Thank God for Attacks in Bangladesh: "The country saw a significant increase in terrorist attacks in 2015, as groups including ISIS and Al Qaeda targeted foreigners, religious minorities, police, secular bloggers and publishers. ISIS last November called for attacks in Bangladesh in an article in its online magazine, Dabiq." In "Hostages taken in attack on restaurant in Bangladesh capital; witness says gunmen chanted 'Allahu Akbar'," Fox News with Associated Press, 1 July 2016.
Thank God, Paris Version: "French police opened an investigation on Friday after a director at the Restos du Coeur charity said he had been stabbed earlier in the day by a couple shouting 'Allahu Akbar,' the Paris prosecutor's office said. The director of the Restos du Coeur soup kitchen in Montreuil, east of Paris, said a man who appeared to be of African origin swung an ax at him and missed, before his female accomplice stabbed him with several blows to the stomach, according to a statement by the prosecutor." In "French charity official says stabbed by couple shouting 'Allahu Akbar'," Reuters, 1 July 2016.
Thank God, Nice Version: "The truck driver was said to have shouted 'Allahu Akbar' — God is greatest — before being shot dead by police. Pro-ISIS groups have been celebrating the attack but as yet the terror group has not officially claimed responsibility. Guns and grenades were later found inside the truck, which mounted the pavement at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards hundreds of people watching a fireworks display." In "Gun and truck terror attack leaves at least 77 dead in Nice: Bodies strewn across road after lorry drove for over a MILE through crowd watching holiday fireworks before gunman opens fire," by Peter Allen, Darren Boyle, Sam Tonkin and Jake Polden, Mail Online, 14 July 2016.
Thank God, Würzburg-Heidingsfeld Version: "The attacker has been identified as a 17-year-old Afghan man who was a refugee to Germany, according to reports in Germany." In "Germany train axe attack: Afghan teenage refugee shouting 'Allahu Akbar' goes on bloody rampage hacking passengers," The Local.de, 18 July 2016.
Thank God, auf Deutsch und Arabische: "Eine Gruppe von jungen Männern beleidigte die Gäste aufs übelste, beschimpfte vor allem Frauen. 'Sie haben uns beleidigt, beschimpft und sogar bespuckt', sagt eine Leserin, die aus Angst ihren Namen nicht nennen möchte. 'Wir Frauen seien alle Schlampen und sie würden uns alle ausrotten, so war der Wortlaut.' Zwischendurch hätten die jungen Männer immer 'Allahu akbar' gerufen." In "Wüste Beschimpfungen im FKK-Bereich des Strandbads Xanten," by Mareike Kluck, WAZ/DerWestern.de, 23 July 2016. [ 4 ]
Thank God Directly at Pedestrians, from Austria: "Der Vorfall ereignete sich am Donnerstag gegen 11.00 Uhr. 'Er ist direkt auf die Passanten zugefahren, ganz gezielt', so Polizeisprecher Thomas Keiblinger im Interview mit Radio Wien. 'Dabei soll dieser 21-Jährige laut Zeugenaussagen immer wieder ‚Allahu Akbar‘ aus dem geöffneten Fenster seines Fahrzeuges geschrien haben', so Keiblinger." In "Polizei stoppte Amokfahrer in Favoriten," ORF.at, 29 September 2016.
Thank God in a Pakistani Mosque: " 'The suicide bomber was in a crowded mosque, he shouted 'Allahu akbar' (God is greatest) and then there was a huge blast,' Naveed Akbar, deputy administrator of Mohmand Agency, told Reuters." In "Suicide bomber kills at least 25 in Pakistani mosque," by Drazen Jorgic, Reuters 16 September 2016.
Thank God for Obama-backed Syrian Rebels: "Fighters from a US-backed Syrian militant group have been filmed brutally beheading a child as young as 11. The video captures Nour al-Din al-Zenki fighters in the back of a truck with a child they claim is an al-Quds soldier supporting Assad's Syrian forces. One of the fighters shouts 'Allahu Akbar' meaning 'God is great' after taking a small knife to the boy's throat and cutting off his head in the Palesinian refugee Handarat Camp in Northern Aleppo." In "And these are the 'good guys'! Sickening video shows US-backed Syrian rebels taunting and then brutally beheading a young boy because he was a 'spy'," by Gareth Davies, Mail Online, 19 July 2016.
Thank God He's Killing the Kids: " 'Boom boom boom - he's killing the kids': Gunman shouting 'Allahu Akbar' executed children in Munich McDonald's before rampaging through mall killing NINE 'then turning the gun on himself'," by Anthony Joseph, Patrick Lion and Alan Hall, Mail Online, 22 July 2016.
Thank God for Butchery in France: "Francois Hollande says France is at war with ISIS after Islamist knifemen chanting 'Allahu Akbar' beheaded a French priest and left a nun fighting for her life - before police shot them both dead. The 86-year-old priest was butchered while two nuns and two parishioners were held by assailants who raided the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen in Normandy during morning mass at 9am." In "Hollande says France is at war with ISIS: Islamist knifemen chanting 'Allahu Akbar' behead French priest, 86, and leave nun fighting for her life after storming Mass - before police shoot them dead," by Peter Allen and Julian Robinson, Mail Online, 26 July 2016.
Thank God for an Islamic Street Preacher: "An Islamic street preacher has been arrested and charged after allegedly screaming abuse at a woman for wearing 'tight jeans' and shouting 'Allahu Akbar' in a police officer's face," by Harriet Mallinson, Mail Online, 28 July 2016.
Thank God with a Molotov Cocktail: "On July 28th, at 1:00 a.m. local time. a group of Muslim migrant teens attacked a bus on Danielle-Casanova Street, in the Saint-Denis district of Paris. The young men stopped the bus, threatened the driver, smashed the windows, and then threw a molotov cocktail at the bus, screaming 'Allahu Akhbar'!" In "French teens set bus ablaze, shout 'Allahu Akhbar'," by Rachel Kaplan, Arutz Sheva, 3 August 2016.
Thank God for a Machete Attack: "A pair of police officers have been attacked with a machete by a man shouting 'Allahu Akbar' outside a police station in Belgium. The cops, reportedly both female, were attacked in the city of Charleroi this afternoon by an someone with a machete." In "Belgium police machete attack: Knifeman shouting 'Allahu Akbar' attacks two officers outside station,' by Peter Allen and Sam Webb, Mirror, 6 August 2016.
Thank God Through a Bullhorn: "... a car passed by the Riverside, Calif., church, slowing down as the front passenger leaned out of his window and bellowed menacingly through a bullhorn, according to witnesses. 'Allahu Akbar!' the unidentified man repeated several times as the unnerved parents drew their infants close and exchanged worried glances." In "Churches take new security measures in face of terror threats," by Hollie McKay, FOX News, 9 August 2016.
Thank God Again in Belgium: "A suspected suicide bomber who allegedly shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before triggering an explosion at Brussels Central Station has been gunned down and killed by soldiers." In "Fresh terror in Brussels: Suspected suicide bomber threatening train passengers 'shouts Allahu Akbar and triggers an explosion' at city's central station as he is gunned down by soldiers," by Ekin Karasin and Peter Allen, Mail Online, 20 June 2017.
Thank God in Virginia: "Farooqui was arrested Saturday by Roanoke County Police on charges of assault with malicious wounding, and he's being held without bond at the Western Virginia Regional Jail, according to the sources and a jail database. During the Saturday stabbing, Farooqui allegedly injured a man and woman at an apartment complex in Roanoke, yelling 'Allah Akbar' as he attacked them with a knife, sources told ABC News." In "FBI Investigating Possible ISIS-Inspired Knife Attack in Virginia," by Mike Levine, ABC News, 22 August 2016.
Thank God in Home Hill, Australia: "Police have confirmed a Frenchman accused of a stabbing frenzy at a Home Hill backpackers yelled 'Allah Akbar' during the violent incident and as he was taken in to custody. QPS Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said investigators would examine whether the comments were made as a result of extremist motives but could not yet rule out whether mental health issues or drug use were factors in the crime." In "Woman stabbed to death at Home Hill," Townsville Bulletin, Queensland, 23 August 2016.
Thank God on a Plane: "Holidaymakers were forced to endure a terrifying two-hour flight alongside a migrant who repeatedly screamed 'Allahu Akbar' and 'death is coming' – as it emerged the Home Office is using budget airlines to deport illegal immigrants." In "Terror on easyJet flight as migrant being deported to Venice screams 'Allahu Akbar' 29 times, 'death is coming' 17 times and 'we will die' nine times in shocking two-hour frenzy," by Simon Murphy, Martin Beckford and Adrian Hearn, The Mail On Sunday, 10 September 2016.
Thank God in Mülheim an der Ruhr: "A burka-clad female ISIS supporter who converted to Islam screamed 'Allahu Akbar' while attacking German police with a knife, it has emerged. Police had gathered outside her apartment block in Mülheim an der Ruhr after receiving a phone call early on Sunday morning to say she was 'going berserk'." In "Burka-clad female ISIS supporter who converted to Islam screams 'Allahu Akbar' while attacking German police with a knife," by Allen Hall, Mail Online, 1 November 2016.
Thank God as Mental Health Problems in France: "Marchal said the suspect may have mental health problems, but has not been identified as police search her home. 'It's apparently an isolated case involving a person with psychiatric issues,' the prosecutor told Le Monde newspaper quoted the prosecutor as saying. However, that does not exclude the possibility that the suspect was radicalized, Marchal added. 'There is a presumption of attempted murder and ... of a crime with terrorist implications,' Marchal was quoted as saying." In "Woman shouting 'Allahu akbar' attacks 2 with box cutter at supermarket in France," by Travis Fedschun, Fox News, 17 June 2018.
Thank God That We Are Promised the White House and the Kremlin: "Ayed then addresses the United States and Russia 'Oh America, let me tell you about the day when the call to prayer will be heard from atop the White House, from atop the red palace in the Kremlin in Moscow,' adding that 'we shall shout Allah Akbar from there. Because Allah promised us both places, Allah promised the prophet Muhammad that Islam would rule the entire land,' he added." In "WATCH – Palestinian Preacher: Blow Up DC Because ‘Allah Has Promised Us The White House’," by Deborah Danan, Breitbart, 19 September 2016.
Thank God in Calling for a Global Caliphate: "During the speeches which lasted almost an hour the crowd chanted Allahu Akbar 'God is the greatest' and cheered for those calling for a global caliphate. A poet invited to talk shouted: 'We need a Caliph who will clean up these streets. Who will smack up armies and who will back beef [fighting]. Backhand your missiles back to your land, that’s the plan. World domination at hand. We can expand and take out these fools'." In "VIDEO 1000 Muslims block London streets chanting Allahu Akbar to demand Islamic caliphate," Express UK, 15 December 2016.
Thank God for an Assassination: "The ambassador, Andrei Karlov, was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience." In "Russian ambassador to Turkey shot while attending Ankara photo exhibition," Associated Press, 19 December 2016.
Thank God for Islamists' Children: "Both girls then say 'Allahu Akbar' before separate footage shows them dressed in coats and woolly hats as they embrace their mother and leave the room. A short time later, on December 16, a seven-year-old girl calmly walked into a Damascus police station before being killed in a bomb blast that also injured three officers." In "A last kiss for mama: Jihadi parents bid young daughters goodbye... before one walks into a Damascus police station and is blown up by remote detonator," by Julian Robinson, Mail Online, 21 December 2016.
Thank God in Berlin and Milan: "Berlin truck terrorist Anis Amri has been shot dead after a gunfight with police in Milan in the early hours of this morning, Italian police have said. The Tunisian pulled a gun from his backpack, screamed 'Allahu Akbar' and opened fire on two officers – hitting one in the shoulder – before being shot dead moments after getting off a train from France. Amri had been on the run for four days after ploughing a lorry into crowds of revellers enjoying a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing 12 and maiming dozens of others." In "World's most wanted man is dead: Rookie Italian policeman guns down fugitive Berlin killer screaming 'Allahu Akbar' after he shoots his fellow officer when they confront him in Milan," by Julian Robinson, Martin Robinson and others, Mail Online, 23 December 2016.
Thank God, Istanbul Version: "A further 69 people were injured as the killer stormed the Reina nightclub in Istanbul armed with an AK-47 and began blasting people at will." In "Istanbul nightclub terror attack: Live updates as manhunt launched for gunman who 'screamed Allahu Akbar' before killing 39," by Steve Robson and Sam Rkaina, Mirror UK, 1 January 2017.
Thank God, Spanish Version: "The man was reportedly carrying gasoline and gunpowder in his pockets as he entered the Mercadona shop, in As Lagoas, Ourense. Numerous shoppers were inside making their purchases when the assailant, who was armed with a shotgun, entered and fired several shots." In "Gunman screaming 'Allahu Akbar' opens fire in Spanish supermarket," Express UK, 11 January 2017.
Thank God, Spanish Version II: "A man was detained on Tuesday after attempting to cross the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla while threatening police with a knife. The man, believed to be Moroccan, approached the border at Beni Enzar at 7:35 a.m. and shouted 'Allahu akbar' (God is Greatest) before he was brought down by police. One policeman was cut on the hand during the incident." In "Spanish policeman hurt, man with knife arrested on Morocco border," by Raquel Castillo and Paul Day, Reuters, 25 July 2017.
Thank God in a Québécois Accent: "A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told CBC's French-language service Radio-Canada that two masked individuals entered the mosque. 'It seemed to me that they had a Québécois accent. They started to fire, and as they shot they yelled, 'Allahu akbar!' The bullets hit people that were praying. People who were praying lost their lives. A bullet passed right over my head,' said the witness." In "6 dead, 2 arrested after shooting at Quebec City mosque," CBC News Montreal, 29 January 2017.
Thank God Practiced by Migrant Children: "Local media said four teenagers were screaming chant, which translates as 'God is greatest' in Arabic, while waving and firing replica weapons. Witness Amer Albayati, an Austrian-Iraqi journalist and terrorism expert, said passengers panicked and tried to get away from teenagers during the incident near the Schweglerstrasse station." In "HORROR as migrants 'shout Allahu Akbar and fire replica guns' on underground train," by Simon Osborne, Express UK, 1 February 2017.
Thank God for Sex Abuse of Minors: "There were emotional and chaotic scenes at Sheffield Crown Court after two of the defendants shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as they were led from the dock. As their supporters began shouting down into the court, one of the victims shouted back 'justice is served' as police moved into the public gallery. One woman – who was was sexually exploited by a number of men in Rotherham from the age of 11 and made pregnant when she was 12 – watched on as five of her abusers were jailed." In "Rotherham sex abuse gang shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they are jailed for total of 81 years for sexually abusing girls," by Lauren Fruen, Sun UK, 2 February 2017.
Thank God at the Louvre: "The Louvre Museum reopened to the public Saturday, less than 24 hours after a machete-wielding assailant shouting 'Allahu akbar!' attacked French soldiers guarding the sprawling building and was shot by them." In "Louvre museum reopens; Egypt identifies machete attacker," by Thomas Adamson and Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press, 4 February 2017.
Thank God for 9/11: "Harun was living in an al-Qaeda guest house in Afghanistan when 9/11 occurred and described the disturbing reaction he and others had to the news. 'We hear Allahu akbar, celebrating, we attacked America with airplanes,' he told authorities. 'Our friends said they would record the video feeds and show us where we hit America'." In "Al Qaeda ‘bomber’: I wanted to be a terrorist since I was kid," by Lia Eustachewich and Priscilla DeGregory, New York Post, 7 March 2017.
Thank God aux français: "Un homme a égorgé ce vendredi matin au moins deux personnes rue de Montreuil dans le XIe arrondissement de Paris. Selon une source policière, l'individu a crié «Allah akbar!» au moment de passer à l'acte." In "Deux hommes retrouvés égorgés à Paris," Le Figaro, 17 March 2017.
Thank God at the Goodwill Store: "...Bilal then went on to break an officer’s hand after an attempt to place Bilal into custody. Bilal was later tased after charging another officer that arrived on scene. After the tasing, the officer was eventually able to corral Bilal into handcuffs. The suspect then began to kick the officer repeatedly with both legs, causing authorities to shackle his legs. Reports stated that Bilal was yelling 'Allah Akbar' throughout the ordeal." In "Police: Man tased after striking officer, yelling ‘Allah Akbar’ in Goodwill scuffle," WISHTV, Indiana, 28 March 2017.
Thank God Outside Her Apartment in Paris: "Halimi was found lifeless on Monday night outside her apartment in Paris. Neighbors told police that, at a late hour of the night, the terrorist ascended to the third floor of the apartment complex, yelled 'Allahu Akbar' and acted wildly before pushing Halimi to her death. During the police investigation, the terrorist asserted that the Koran had commanded him to murder her. He was sent for psychiatric evaluations. Halimi’s family says the incident was a terror attack and blames police for trying to silence the murder for political reasons related to elections in France." In "'They tried to cover up the terror attack'," by Ido ben Porat, Artuz Sheva, 6 April 2017.
Thank God in Fresno: "Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as police tackled him to the ground after the shootings which were spread over four locations, Police Chief Jerry Dyer said." In "Suspect in Fresno shooting spree that killed 3 shouts 'Allahu Akbar' when arrested," by Troy Pope, CBS 47, 18 April 2017.
Thank God in Toronto: "A Toronto woman has been charged after a suspect masked with an ISIS bandana allegedly swung a golf club at store employees while screaming threats and Islamic chants on Saturday afternoon at the same time that a terrorist rampage occurred in London." In "Woman screaming 'Allahu Akbar' charged in Toronto store attack: Sources," by Sam Pazzano, Toronto Sun, 6 June 2017.
Thank God in Hamburg - Again: "A man wielding a large kitchen knife killed one and wounded four others after storming into a supermarket in the German city of Hamburg. The attacker is reported to have screamed 'Allahu Akbar' before running into the Edeka shop where he stabbed one person and slashed at four others while trying to flee." In "Machete-wielding man 'screaming Allahu Akbar' kills one person and injures several others during rampage in Hamburg supermarket," by Julian Robinson, Mail Online, 28 July 2017.
Thank God in Spain Again: "He died in a hail of bullets while yelling 'Allahu Akbar' - meaning 'God is greatest' in Arabic. Abouyaaqoub's death brings to an end the worst terror attack in Spain in 13 years, as all of his co-conspirators are either dead or in detention." In "Las Ramblas van terrorist is shot dead while wearing an explosive belt 'and screaming Allahu Akbar' at police west of Barcelona," by Chris Pleasance, Sara Malm and Nick Fagge, Mail Online, 21 August 2017.
Thank God at Buckingham Palace: "A second suspect has been arrested after a man allegedly shouting 'allahu akbar' and carrying a 4ft sword was dramatically apprehended outside Buckingham Palace. Officers swooped on the 30-year-old male at an address in west London and detained him on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism, Scotland Yard said." In "Second man, 30, is arrested on terrorism charges after 'a knifeman shouting "allahu akbar" was caught brandishing a four ft sword outside Buckingham Palace'," by Paddy Dinham, Mail Online, 27 August 2017.
Thank God in Marseilles: "French soldiers shot and a killed a man on Sunday after he stabbed to death two women at Marseille's main train station, the French interior ministry said, in what police sources called a 'likely terrorist act.' Three police sources said the suspect had shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) as he carried out his attack. No further details were immediately available." In "Man shouting 'Allahu Akbar' kills two at French train station," Reuters, 1 October 2017.
Thank God for a Laugh: "Nine men have been thrown off a Ryanair flight for allegedly shouting 'Allahu Akbar' and claiming to carry bombs, which they later said was a 'joke'." In "9 men thrown off Ryanair flight for shouting 'Allahu Akbar'," RT, 2 September 2017.
Thank God for a Head: "They were cheering the beheading of a Christian from Jalil’s neighbourhood who was accused of being a spy. 'Abdullah Maute was holding a man’s head, he was shouting 'Allahu akbar' (God is Greatest),' said Jalil, who spoke on condition his identity was not revealed to protect him from reprisals." In "Islamists lure youngsters in the Philippines with payments, promise of paradise," by Martin Petty, Reuters, 21 September 2017.
Thank God for a Rental Truck: "More than a dozen people were hit when the driver of a Home Depot rental truck zoomed at least 10 blocks down a popular bike bath from West Houston to Chambers streets. The man crashed into a school bus carrying three children during the rampage, and police say that he'd deliberately targeted that bus. Witnesses told police they saw the driver swerve the truck to target the school bus. They said the driver screamed 'Allah' akbar' in the truck, then emerged carrying two fake guns -- either BB or paint guns -- and started running around before he was finally shot by police." In "6 Dead After Truck Driver Plows Through Bike Path, Into School Bus in Apparent Act of Terror: Sources," by Jonathan Dienst and Marc Santia, NBC New York, 31 October 2017.
Thanks God in Amsterdam: "...Jew-hatred is also visible in Europe. The day after Trump's announcement, a man took it a step further. He went to a Jewish restaurant in Amsterdam and smashed in its windows. The man was carrying a Palestinian flag and shouted 'Allahu Akhbar' when he committed this clearly anti-Semitic crime. At the end of the day, it was reported that the perpetrator is a supposed 'refugee.' Although Dutch public channel the NOS reports that it's not clear where the refugee hails from exactly, it's clear from what region. He angrily shouted 'Palestine!' and 'Allahu Akbar!' several times when he attacked the Jewish restaurant." In "Muslim Refugee Destroys Jewish Restaurant in Amsterdam, Shouts 'Allahu Akbar'," by Michael van der Galien, PJ Media, 7 December 2017.
Thank God in Kizlar: "A man carrying a knife and a hunting rifle opened fire on worshippers on Sunday at an Orthodox church in Kizlyar, in the Dagestan region of Russia, killing at least five people and wounding several others, according to a Russian state news agency. The gunman shouted, 'Allahu akbar' and began firing, a priest told local news media." In "The Islamic State has claimed the deadly attack at a church in Russia’s Dagestan region," by Andrew E. Kramer and Rukmini Callimachi, The New York Times, 18 February 2018.
Thank God at the Cannes Film Festival: "Accompagnée de deux enfants âgés de 2 et 4 ans sur la place de Gaulle à proximité du Palais des Festivals, une Cannoise âgée de 27 ans a soudain crié Allah Akbar, avant de menacer de se faire exploser." In "Une déséquilibrée menace de faire exploser une bombe en plein festival CanneSeries," Nice-Matin, 11 April 2018.
Thanks God in Liege: "A 'radicalised' gunman who killed two female police officers and a bystander during a suspected terror attack in Belgium shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as he carried out the massacre. The attacker had a knife when he stole an officer's firearm and used the gun against his victims before taking a woman hostage at a school in Liege. Anti-terrorist officers killed the 36-year-old Belgian man in a shootout, bringing an end to the rampage." In "Liege 'terror' attack: Three people shot dead including two cops by gunman 'shouting Allahu Akbar'," by Peter Allen and Chris Kitching, Mirror UK, 29 May 2018.
Thank God in Dutch: "De politie heeft in Schiedam een 26-jarige man neergeschoten die op een balkon met een bijl stond te zwaaien. Volgens getuigen, zou hij ook Allahu akbar hebben geroepen. In de politiesystemen wordt bekeken of er meer bekend is over deze man." In "Politie schiet man met bijl neer in Schiedam," The Netherlands B.V. NU, 30 May 2018.
Thank God in an Orléans Church: " Au milieu de ces graffitis, les enquêteurs ont découvert, l’inscription « Allah ou Akbar » (sic), précise cette source." In "Orléans: Incendie criminel, dégradations et tags haineux dans une église," by Caroline Politi, 20Minutes.fr, 26 July 2018.
Thank God in the New York City Subway: "The attacker, whose identity was not immediately available, was arrested and taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel, according to a high-ranking police source. He was also shouting 'Allahu akbar' — a common Muslim prayer that has also been co-opted by religious extremists — when he was arrested, sources said." In " NYC commuters take down man for shoving straphanger onto subway tracks," by Heather Hauswirth, Stephanie Pagones and Max Jaeger, New York Post, 1 August 2019.
Thank God John McCain Lost His Presidential Election: "Nobody regards him as a statesman anymore." In "McCain Still Bitter About Defeat," by Jonathan Chait, New Republic, 29 November 2010. [ 5 ]
Thank God for McCain, the Weapons Salesman: "McCain spent Saturday in Islamabad discussing a $699 million deal to sell American F-16 fighter jets and drone technology to a government whose intelligence apparatus likely helped hide Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden for years, according to Pakistan's Business Recorder. McCain met with Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari in Los Angeles last weekend, as reported by Dawn News. In "McCain Criticized for Spending Independence Day in Islamabad," Arizona Daily Independent, 4 July 2016.
Thank God Part II for McCain, the Weapons Salesman: "On the basis of both his track record in the Senate and his questionable Vietnam War service, many veterans of that period and subsequent ones consider McCain both a coward and a traitor. Those who know his track record consider him more of a liability than a help to any good cause. But McCain knows this himself, and that is why he continually abuses his position as an elected Congressman by going round the world pursuing his private agendas and then claiming he somehow represents people, is somehow acting officially, and therefore everything he says and does has sanction, and cannot be subject to any scrutiny. As Veterans Today Bureau Chief in Georgia Jeffrey Silverman shared with me, 'He is really a piece of shit in my book, and very much responsible for the 2008 Georgian Russian war, lots of blood on his hands. My main points about McCain are that he has an old cold war mindset and sees Russia as the real enemy of the US … that was why he spoke out against Trump recently, supposedly because of the so-called Russian hacking but in reality because good relations with Russia will cut into his profits from gun running'." In "John McCain Caught Red Handed Planting Landmines in Georgia," by Henry Kamens, New Eastern Outlook, 7 January 2017.
Thank God in Strasbourg: "The suspect was quickly identified as a 29-year-old Cherif C, born in Strasbourg and already known to the police. He cried "Allahu Akbar" ('God is Greatest') as he opened fire, France's anti-terror prosecutor Rémy Heitz told a news conference Wednesday, citing witnesses." In "Strasbourg Christmas shooting: What we know so far," France 24, 12 December 2018.
Thank God in Chicago: "A hidden camera captures a gleeful Daoud driving with an agent posing as a terrorist to the Cactus Bar on Sept. 14, 2012. He cups his hands in over his face, praying that God would ensure the attack made worldwide news and struck fear into nonbelievers. He prays this would be the first of many attacks." In "Judge sentences would-be Chicago bar bomber to 16 years," by Michael Tarm, Associated Press, 6 May 2019.
Thank God Part III for Dust in the Political Wind: "McCain’s legacy, such as it was, is no more. His heroism appears to have been leeched out of him, leaving a strange, hollow shell full of political kowtowing and baffling flip-flopping. His famous good humor, his irascibility, his erratic but laudable skill at reaching across party lines (a lifetime ago, as a presidential candidate), these qualities are now but dust in the political wind. In "John McCain is no one's hero anymore," by Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 July 2017.
Thank God Part IV for Pettiness: "Depending on how you view him, Sen. John McCain was either a maverick of the right who was willing to cross party lines to stand up for what he believed or he was the Arizona senator who voted against making Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. But no matter what you think of McCain, I think we can all agree that even in death, John McCain is petty as fuck. On his deathbed, the man literally planned out his funeral and made a list of people who he didn’t want at his homegoing services. Not a guest list, but a list of people who couldn’t come." In "Even in Death, John McCain Is Petty AF," by Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, 30 August 2018.
Consider the Meaningless Word: Islamophobia
NOTES
[ 1 ] "...in reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately, i.e., the usual operation of restaurants. This is in contrast to a table d'hôte, at which a menu with limited or no choice is served at a fixed price." In "À la carte," Wikipedia article, n. d. Many hope to order up and heap onto their plates only that for which they opt, which is functional in a restaurant but not when surveying a broader view of reality.
Given Senator McCain's "vast knowledge of theology," one may now translate news articles from around the world to comport with his "moderate" assertion. "Would you have a problem with American Christians saying, thank God, thank God? That's what they're saying. Come on. Of course they're Muslims, but they're moderates."
Here are the words of Muslims from the cockpit recorder of United Flight 93, suggesting that such vocabulary which McCain thinks a marking for moderates is shared wholly by militants. One reads and recalls: "10:03:02 -- Allah is the Greatest. / 10:03:03 -- Allah is the Greatest / 10:03:04 -- Allah is the Greatest. / 10:03:06 -- Allah is the Greatest. / 10:03:06 -- Allah is the Greatest. / 10:03:07 -- No. / 10:03:09 -- Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. / 10:03:09 -- Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest." In "United Airlines Flight 93 cockpit tape transcript," NBC News, (Bolded text = English translation from Arabic Time (EDT) - Transcript United Air...), n. d. Then the plane crashed ending the repetitions of the Islamic terrorists.
Consultation
Had this American senator and past presidential candidate for the Republican Party simply consulted Wikipedia, he would have not made such an error. One reads: "Lane's Lexicon, the most revered and scholarly dictionary of the Arabic language, confirms the majority view is that "Allahu Akbar" refers to Allah being "greater". Unlike in its early years, so does Wikipedia, stating the phrase literally means "God is greater". But is usually translated "God is [the] Greatest," or "God is Great". Similarly, Pierre Tristam, the Lebanese-American About.com Guide states, although most often translated as "god is great," Allahu Akbar is Arabic for "god is greater," or "god is greatest." Many news sources and other web resources are now also beginning to use the more correct translation." In "Allahu Akbar," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Wikipedia also notes: " 'Allahu Akbar' has been used historically by Muslims as a battle cry during war. This precedent was set by Prophet Muhammad when he attacked the Jews of Khaibar."
By this, one finds the number of news reports from around the world as cited above clearly "a battle cry." How sad that a sitting senator can be so misinformed, or so willing to misinform others while showing off his "vast knowledge of theology."
[ 2 ] These addenda are introduced with the translation offered by John McCain as the translation of an Arabic phrase to illustrate the absurdity of his remarks. As the second citation notes in a lingering question for those who refuse a preponderance of reality's evidence, the crime could have been motivated by religion? McCain says the phrase means "thank God."
Perhaps Mr. McCain should review other opinions from Muslims, such as when one considers There's God and then there's Allah
[ 3 ] Manji stated: "So moderate Muslims use the Mantra ‘this has nothing to do with Islam’ because they are not willing to face the fact that there are regressive verses in the Koran." This same excuse about crimes by those crying out the Muslim call being not crimes motivated by Islamic radicalism, as some say, or Islam itself, as others opine, is found in much of the political chatter of the moment, because to conclude that such sociopathic murderousness is rooted in "regressive verses in the Koran," as Manji said, requires a political will and theological awareness far beyond the abilities and willingness of the pabulum speakers, whose anger is reserved for any political opposition to their continuance in office. It is in part about remaining on the gravy train of Fat, fat government
[ 4 ] In translation: "A group of young men insulted guests, viciously berating especially women. 'You have insulted us, insulted and even spat upon,' says a reader that her name would not name for fear. 'We women are all sluts and they would exterminate us all, as was the wording.' In between the young men shouted 'Allahu akbar'." Such is "thank God" heard, and not in McCain's theological pabulum.
[ 5 ] The mistaken translations from non-Muslim Western "leaders" purporting to define Islam for Muslims as for their own constituencies is easily seen in the assertion that the world is dealing -- "thank God" -- with what Sheikh McCain as well as Mullah Barak Obama and Imam George Bush before him say is The religion of peace
Getting Everything Wrong?
One finds a change in conclusions about this, ironically now in one of those who held such a view. One reads: "The former head of Britain’s Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Trevor Phillips, has admitted he 'got almost everything wrong' regarding immigration in a new report, claiming Muslims are creating 'nations within nations' in the West." In "Muslims Are Creating ‘Nations Within Nations’ Says Former Head of U.K. Equalities Commission," by Lucy Clarke-Billings, Newsweek, 11 April 2016.
The direct quotation is plain-spoken as: "Phillips warns of a 'life-and-death struggle for the soul of British Islam. Britain is in many ways a better place than it’s ever been—more prosperous, more diverse, more liberal. But for some of our fellow citizens, we’re heading in entirely the wrong direction. So much so that some of them would rather live under a wholly different system. Indeed, a significant minority of Britain’s three million Muslims consider us a nation of such low morals that they would rather live more separately from their non-Muslim countrymen, preferably under sharia law. This sobering conclusion comes from the most comprehensive survey of British Muslims ever conducted, commissioned by Channel 4. Having been asked to examine its results, I believe it holds a grim message for all of us. There is a life-and-death struggle for the soul of British Islam—and this is not a battle that the rest of us can afford to sit out. We need to take sides'."
As to "almost everything wrong," as stated by a British subject, there is the American parallel: Words of a feather
As to a sobering conclusion, Phillips has stated even more clearly of some sexual predators now convicted in court: "What the perpetrators have in common is their proclaimed faith. They are Muslims, and many of them would claim to be practising. It is not Islamophobic to point this out, any more than it would be racist to point out that the most active persecutors of LGBT people come from countries where most people are, like me, black." In "On abuse it's time to call a spade a spade," by Trevor Phillips, Telegraph UK, 10 August 2017.
Phillips comments cut to the core, as political correctness in the UK has balked at making his clear conclusion. The article notes: "...the BBC did its best to turn this utterly routine practice into a matter of controversy. But even its own journalists were embarrassed by the ploy. Mark Easton, the Corporation’s redoubtable home affairs editor, broke the long taboo on the Ten O’Clock News, speaking passionately of the dozens of cases in which gangs of 'predominantly Asian men [are] sexually exploiting predominantly young white women and girls'." The phrase as used by the BBC and other journalists does not refer to Chinese, Koreans, Thais, Cambodians and other non-Muslim "Asians" but to, as Phillips observes, "perpetrators [who] have in common is their proclaimed faith." The agonized accusation of Islamophobia
One does not "take sides" by misunderstanding, misreading and mistaking a "life-and-death struggle." One does not advance freedom by mistranslation or misunderstanding.
Among those who lost this "life-and-death struggle," per the above news items, are those killed in Fort Hood, a Catholic bishop, US airmen killed in Frankfurt, the dead from an attack in Toulouse, attendees at a concert, and a blogger in Bangladesh, as well as some of those shouting "allahu akbar" who were shot in rebuff to their McCain-defined "thank God" good wishes.
Within McCain's own party sentiment against him as a war hawk rises, as one reads: "... 'John McCain’s the guy who’s advocated for war everywhere,' Paul said on ABC’s 'This Week.' 'He would bankrupt the nation. We’re very lucky John McCain’s not in charge, because I think we’d be in perpetual war,' Paul added." In "Rand Paul: We’re very lucky John McCain’s not in charge," by Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 19 February 2017.
It should be noted that since the Two Bush-led wars, and the five news warring fronts created by Obama, in the current administration of Trump, one may look back over three administrations and find quite what was asserted just above: perpetual war.
Detail from London Gay Pride Demo 2011
"...the punishment for the act of homosexuality is one of love, Sekaleshfar argued. 'We see the physical killing as something brutal, and this is the point when human hatred toward the act has to be done out of love,' he said in the 2013 talk. 'You have to be happy for that person ... we believe in an afterlife, we believe in an eternal life … and with this sentence, you will be forgiven and you won’t be accountable in the hereafter.' In that way, 'It’s for his own betterment that he leaves,' Sekaleshfar said. 'We have to have that compassion for people. With homosexuals, it’s the same,' he said. 'Out of compassion, let’s get rid of them now'." In "Iranian doctor's planned talk on Islam and homosexuality outrages some in Sanford," WFTV9, ABC Florida, 29 March 2016. [ 1 ]
Queer, don't you think,
That so many happily wink
In agreement not to shrink
From "compassion's" deathly stink.
Queer, how it goes,
As "compassion" deadly flows
And all the world knows
Of "compassion" hanging shows.
Queer, one concludes,
As a world still self-deludes
When said "betterment" alludes
To plain murder's platitudes.
Addendum of a Raped Politician: "As Hauken noted in the interview, it’s important not to stay silent about personal struggles and mental illness. Rape happens, and not just to women. But perhaps the most notable lesson Hauken says he learned is that 'rapists are from a world so different from ours. In his culture, sexual abuse is about power, not lust,' Hauken said. 'And it’s not considered a gay action to be the one who engages in power and violence. I don’t feel anger against my rapist, because I look at him as a product of an unjust world. A product of an upbringing full of war,' Hauken said." In "Leftist Norwegian Politician Gets Raped By Somalian, Begs For Him Not To Be Deported," by Jonah Bennett, Daily Caller, 6 April 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of No Irony There: "...there seems to be a tacit acknowledgment on the part of Western soldiers that Afghans they serve with in the field are engaging in homosexual activity (no irony there, of course). Many have written about how the strict segregation of Afghan men and women (who are also treated as property in traditional Afghan society) before marriage prevents the course of natural physical and emotional relationships between the sexes, and as one Afghan historian told me, 'Straight guys find that their sexuality is flexible in these sorts of situations … soon [sex between men is] widely accepted with a wink and a nudge.' But it is when Afghan soldiers move beyond consensual "man-love Thursdays" with each other to procuring young boys in broad daylight that the flood of revulsion, resentment, and awkward questions comes to bear. Do they have the right to discipline? Would there be reprisals if they complained?" In "The Rape of the Afghan Boys," by Kelley B. Vlahos, Antiwar.com, 13 April 2010. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Toddlers and the Gay Rights Advocate: "Veteran gay rights advocate and former San Francisco Human Rights Commission staffer Larry Brinkin pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing child pornography. Brinkin, 67, changed his plea in a deal with the district attorney's office that will result in a sentencing recommendation of six months in county jail, six months of home detention, five years of probation and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Brinkin, who worked as a senior contract compliance officer with the rights commission until his 2010 retirement, was arrested in June 2012. Authorities said e-mail attachments were found on his America Online subscriber's account that contained images of toddlers engaged in sex acts with men." In "Rights advocate pleads guilty in child porn case," by Vivian Ho, San Francisco Chronicle via SFGate, 21 January 2014. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Degarelix: "The new drug, degarelix, is a hormone therapy which is currently used in the treatment of prostate cancer. It blocks brain signals which stimulate the testicles to produce testosterone. Testosterone is known to be linked to high sexual arousal, diminished self-regulation and low empathy. The drug appears to block receptors in the limbic system of the brain which promote anger. Initial trials showed that after three days men had no detectable levels of testosterone and within two weeks their risk of abusing children had dropped substantially." In "Single injection could stop paedophiles abusing children," by Sarah Knapton, Telegraph UK, 7 April 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of the Past Coming to Light: "...a Tribune investigation has uncovered new details of the case — at least four people have made what law enforcement sources say are credible allegations of sexual abuse against Hastert. The Tribune has determined the identities of three of them, all men, whose allegations stretch over a decade when they were teenagers and Hastert was their coach. One is dead. The Tribune has approached the other two — described in federal court records as Individuals A and D — and confirmed their roles in the case. The man who received $1.7 million from Hastert and is at the center of the federal indictment — Individual A — declined to be interviewed by the Tribune. Behind the government's carefully worded court documents, reporters discovered a sometimes-pained narrative of his life since his days as a standout wrestler in the 1970s and how his interactions with Hastert might have affected him." In "Dennis Hastert accused of sexual abuse by at least 4, sources say," by By Christy Gutowski and Jeff Coen, Chicago Tribune, 7 April 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of a Queer Question: "He then acknowledged to Blitzer, begrudgingly, the tiny sliver of a possibility that there could be such monsters living amongst even the Sharia-centric Iranians. 'Perhaps there are those who engage in [homosexual] activities … but these are not known elements within Iranian society. Rest assured, this is one of the ugliest behaviors in our society … but as the government, I cannot go out in the street and ask [my people] about their specific orientation.' I’d take considerable pleasure in using this column to expound on Ahmadinejad’s intellectual deficiencies. (Let’s be honest, any leader who believes in a supernatural entity that finds gay people icky isn’t exactly the deepest thinker.) Yet this arrogant theocrat unwittingly raises a more interesting issue for us to consider: Does homosexuality exist in every human society?" In "Ahmadinejad's Nightmare, Does homosexuality exist in every human society?" by Jesse Bering, Slate.com, 5 October 2011. [ 7 ]
Addendum of a Queer Chasm: "The survey for Channel 4 found there was a “chasm” between views among the British Muslim community and mainstream opinion in this country. It found 52 per cent of Muslims said homosexuality should not be legal in Britain." In "Half of British Muslims want gay sex banned, says poll," by David Barrett, Telegraph UK, 10 April 2016. [ 8 ]
Addendum of a Queer News Report: "A refugee who raped a ten-year-old boy has claimed he did not know sexually assaulting the child was wrong as it was 'culturally acceptable' in his homeland. Mufiz Rahaman told Sydney's Downing Centre Court raping children was not seen as morally wrong in his native Myanmar when he pleaded guilty to the aggravated sexual assault of a 10-year-old refugee on Wednesday, the Daily Telegraph reported." In "Muslim refugee, 20, who raped a boy, 10, in his Sydney home says what he did 'is not a crime because it is acceptable in his homeland'," by Belinda Cleary and Belinda Grant Geary, Daily Mail Australia, 31 August 2016.
Addendum of Punishment by Death: "...there are ten Muslim countries where homosexuality may be punished by death. They are Yemen, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Iraq." In "Islamic law and the Orlando massacre," by Paul Mirengoff, Powerline Blog, 12 June 2016.
Addendum of Misguided Curiosity: "Sebastian Edathy, a rising star of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) had quit his job 'due to ill health' just a few days before investigators searched his home and parliamentary office. His name was featured on the client list of a Canadian company that sold naked videos of children to customers all over the world for several years beginning in 2005. ...The politician – who the SZ reports now lives in an undisclosed location in north Africa – claims that 'misguided curiosity' led him to pay for the videos of naked children. 'These films had nothing to do with [sexual] posing or pornography,' Edathy said." In " 'I'm definitely not a paedophile': disgraced MP," TheLocal.de, 27 May 2016.
Addendum of Hamas' Founders' Grandson: "...his family back home continued to make threats against him, with his father telling CNN that should he ever return to the West Bank, he’d be killed just as Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law was killed after running from Iraq to Jordan. 'Our family is no less dignified than Saddam Hussein’s family,' the father told CNN. That convinced an American judge to grant Calvin a 'deferred' removal, meaning he will not be deported and can apply for annual work permits, CNN said." In "Hamas founder’s grandson is a gay Christian living in NYC," by Laura Italiano, New York Post, 5 June 2016.
Addendum of an Intersection between Islam and Homosexuality: "The Taliban are using child sex slaves to mount crippling insider attacks on police in southern Afghanistan, exploiting the pervasive practice of 'bacha bazi' -- paedophilic boy play -- to infiltrate security ranks, multiple officials and survivors of such assaults told AFP. The ancient custom is prevalent across Afghanistan, but nowhere does it seem as entrenched as in the province of Uruzgan, where 'bacha bereesh' -- or boys without beards -- widely become objects of lustful attraction for powerful police commanders." In "Taliban use 'honey trap' boys to kill Afghan police," by Anuj Chopra, Agence France Presse, 16 June 2016.
Addendum of Conflicting Pride in Turkey: "Life has never been easy for the LGBT community in Turkey, with many gay people falling victim to hate crimes and “honor” killings. But if the authorities cannot (or do not want to) provide the security of the participants of a march held once every year (or if they are thinking of ordering the police to attack the march as they did last year), maybe they should officially declare homosexuality illegal and see where this takes us. Finally, I’ll leave to the experts the debate about whether those who are most vocal against homosexuality are in fact themselves closet gays." In "A Turkish call to massacre LGBT community," by Özgür Korkmaz, Hurriyet Daily, 17 June 2016. [ 9 ]
Addendum of Australian Arabic Council Founder and a Boy: "Australian Arabic Council founder Joseph Wakim has been jailed for less than two years for a brazen sex attack on a teenage boy on Christmas Day. The former Victorian multicultural affairs commissioner was told he had already suffered from the public humiliation after being ordered to hand back his Order of Australia medal and resign from his advisory position with the NSW police. The 53-year-old pleaded guilty to the rape of a 13-year-old boy on Christmas Day in 2015 after showering him with gifts and holidays." In "Australian Arabic Council founder jailed for sex attack on boy," Yahoo7 News, 12 July 2016.
Addendum of a Queer Muhammed: "Muhammed Wisam Sankari, known to his friends as Wisam, vanished after leaving his house in the district of Aksaray on July 23. He was found dead two days later, a mile away from his home. His flatmate Gorkem, who went to identify his body, told the Turkish LGBT magazine KaosGL: 'They had cut Wisam violently - so violently that two knives had broken inside him. They had beheaded him. His upper body was beyond recognition, his internal organs were out. We could identify our friend from his pants'." In "Gay Syrian refugee found beheaded in Istanbul amid concerns Turkey does not protect EU asylum seekers," by Zia Weise and Martin Banks, Telegraph UK, 4 August 2016. [ 10 ]
Addendum of Islamic Laws Violating Human Rights: "Human Rights Watch has called for Morocco to repeal its laws criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct. Such laws violate rights — such as the right to privacy and the right to nondiscrimination — that are protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Human Rights Watch wrote. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that arrests for such conduct are, by definition, arbitrary." In "2 teenage girls in Morocco could face up to 3 years in prison for kissing each other," by Smantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 4 November 2016.
Addendum of a Queer Confluence of Descriptives: "The German citizen of Spanish descent confessed to secretly converting to Islam in 2014. From there, his story took a stranger turn. Officials ran a check on the online alias he assumed in radical chat rooms. The married father of four had used it before — as recently as 2011 — as his stage name for acting in gay pornographic films." In "Arrested German spy was a onetime gay porn actor — and a secret Islamist," by Souad Mekhennet and Anthony Faiola, Washington Post, 30 November 2016.
Addendum of the Asylum Seeker, Murdered and Homosexual Rapist: "A Somalian asylum seeker has been charged with raping two disabled men in a care home and murdering one of their wives in Germany. The 18-year-old is said to have broken into the sheltered accommodation in Neuenhaus in the county of Betheim late last year and sneaked into the room of a paralysed 59-year-old man to rape him. Police say the migrant then made his way into an adjoining room and raped another man before being confronted by the victim's 87-year-old wife, who he is accused of killing." In "Somalian asylum seeker 'rapes two elderly disabled men in a care home before murdering one of the victims' wives' in Germany," by Gareth Davies, Mail Online, 3 April 2017.
Addendum of Enforcing Strict Islamic Laws: "...taken to Wilayatul Hisbah, a Sharia police facility, after their arrest on March 28. They have been identified by the initials HB and MT, and were reportedly in the room of HB to have sex. Phelim Kine, deputy Asia division director at Human Right Watch, said after the video was shared around the world: 'These men had their privacy invaded in a frightening and humiliating manner and now face public torture for the ‘crime’ of their alleged sexual orientation.' Kine said it demonstrates the 'abuse' embedded in anti-LGBT laws in the province of Aceh, where members of the public are encouraged to enforced strict Islamic laws." In "Two gay men face 100 lashes in Indonesia after vigilante mob storm into their house and find them naked together," by Dave Burke, Mail Online, 11 April 2017.
Addendum of Queer Animals in Chechnya: "In Chechnya’s ultra-traditional society, based on strong codes of family and clan allegiance as well as Islamic faith, having a gay relative is seen as a stain on the entire extended family. Brothers and sisters of a known gay man would find it hard to get married as the family would be seen as tainted." In "Chechens tell of prison beatings and electric shocks in anti-gay purge: ‘They called us animals’," by Shaun Walker, Guardian UK, 13 April 2017. [ 11 ]
Addendum of Education to not be Deviant Any More: "The father of one of the defendants, who requested anonymity, said he did not know his son was gay before he was caught. 'This is an ordeal for our family,' he said. 'After this problem is resolved, we will send him to an Islamic boarding school to be educated so he won't be deviant any more'." In "Two gay men caught having sex by a vigilante mob will be caned 80 times for breaking Sharia law in strict Indonesian province in the first case of its kind," by Ekin Karasin, Mail Online, 10 May 2017.
Addendum of Pakistani Muslims Accused of Gang Sexually Assaulting a Pakistani Christian Boy: "A Christian boy allegedly sexually assaulted by a gang of seven men. Sher Dil resident of Attock claims that the alleged assaulters drove him to an isolated place and beat him violently afterwards subjected him to gang rape. Victim’s father approached local police and informed them about the incident; however police seems reluctant to take action against the alleged assaulters. Izhaq Masih, father of Sher Dil has urged Ministry of Human Rights and Punjab Government to carry out fair investigations. Izhaq Masih detailed that Sher Dil was fooled by a fake Facebook ID by the name of Dur e Aab Fatima. He claims that the ID was being administered by Haleem one of the alleged assaulters." In "Christian boy sexually assaulted, police taking sides with guilty party," by Madeeha Bakhsh, Christians in Pakistan, 20 September 2017. [ 12 ]
Addendum of Political Islam's Homophobia: "Now that we are talking about Muslim homophobia, it is becoming very inconvenient for liberals because liberals are apologists for Islam. So it is becoming very inconvenient, and that is why they usually tie it to some specific person; specific bad leader. For example, it would be Sisi, or it would be in Chechnya the leader Kadyrov, or it would be one individual that is responsible — or maybe at the most one political party, but not political Islam. So that is exactly what is happening here in this situation." Michael Lucas, in an interview on "Aaron Klein Investigative Radio," New York 970 AM.
Addendum of a Crackdown: "In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, homosexuality has generally been tolerated, if marginalized. But that began to change last year, when the authorities, under pressure from right-wing Islamic groups, started arresting gay men in what experts say are unprecedented numbers, raiding not just bars and saunas but hotel rooms and private apartments." In "Indonesia’s Crackdown on Gay Men: 'It Doesn't Get Better, Does It'," by Jeffrey Hutton, New York Times, 20 December 2017. [ 13 ]
Addendum of Beardless Men Looking Like Girls: "Preacher Bayaral’s claims are a reminder of the widening polarity within Turkish society. The beard is a pressure point for Islamist and Islamophobic policies alike. Militant groups such as Isis have previously forced men living under their jurisdiction to wear beards, while China’s authoritarian government has banned men belonging to the Uyghur Muslim minority population from sporting facial hair. Contrary to Bayaral’s claim, scientific studies have never shown that men without beards provoke 'indecent thoughts'. However, several have demonstrated that homophobic men are more likely to be repressing gay desires." In " 'Beardless men look like girls and provoke gay thoughts,' says Muslim preacher," by Izat Charkatli, Al-Masdar Al-'Arabi, 16 February 2018.
Addendum of an Uzbek Imam's Fantasy: "A controversial Uzbek imam has suggested that homosexuality is a 'disease that worries the world community' and offered advice on how couples can prevent having gay babies. Rahmatulloh Saifutdinov, the chief imam of Tashkent’s Mirzo Yusuf Mosque, told worshippers that fantasizing about someone other than your spouse during sex can lead to a woman giving birth to a homosexual child." In "Uzbek Imam Warns Fantasizing About Strangers During Sex Leads To Gay Babies," by Khurmat Babadjanov and Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe Uzbek Service, 8 March 2018.
Addendum of Chechnya's Stance: "Family pressure has fuelled a sense of persecution felt by gay people in Chechnya, a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia. Dozens have fled and some have been granted asylum abroad, amid reports of kidnap and torture by Chechen security forces targeting gay or allegedly gay people. Chechen officials deny the reported abuses." In "Gay Chechens flee threats, beatings and exorcism," BBC, 6 April 2018.
Addendum of a Canadian Decision Regarding Hate and Intolerance: "The Canada Revenue Agency took action against the Ottawa Islamic Centre and Assalam Mosque following audits that raised concerns about its roster of guest speakers. 'Many of the views expressed by the organization’s speakers are misogynistic, homophobic, racist and/or promote violence,' the CRA Charities Branch wrote in a letter sent to the mosque president. ...According to the CRA, At-thahabi has called women deficient, said Christians and Jews were enemies, spoke about throwing homosexuals off a mountain and said those who left the Islamic faith should be killed." In "Ottawa mosque loses charity status for promoting 'hate and intolerance;." by Stewart Bell, Global News, 9 August 2018.
Consider the Modern Accusation of Islamophobia
NOTES
[ 1 ] Of this "compassionate" Muslim, one learns "Dr. Farrokh Sekaleshfar was born in Manchester, United Kingdom. He received his MBBS (Medical Degree) in 2000 from the Imperial College of London, the second ranked medical school in England and 3rd ranked in the world. He also studied bioethics at the University of Manchester School of Law. Dr. Sekaleshfar currently resides in Qum and has studied in the Islamic Seminary for over a decade. He is well-known for his talks on spirituality and bioethics." The Muslim Group of USA and Canada, n. d.
So the doctor "has studied in the Islamic Seminary for over a decade" in Qum, Iran, and therefore speaks on "spirituality and bioethics" which allows his view of homosexuals spoken aloud in an Islamic Center in the United States to advise without any ambiguity, "Out of compassion, let’s get rid of them now."
Illegal Homosexuality
This overt perspective from Iran voiced in Florida's Islamic Center cannot be ignored. Of France and its air carrier, one reads: " 'Sure, our sexuality isn't written on our passports and it doesn't change the way we work as a crew,' wrote 'Laurent M' in an open letter to the French government and the CEO of Air France Frédéric Gagey. 'But it is inconceivable to force someone to go to a country where his kind are condemned for who they are.' The letter points out that homosexuality in Iran is illegal and comes with a penalty of 74 lashes for a minor, while adults can be given the death penalty." In "Air France's gay stewards rebel over flights to Iran," TheLocal.de, 12 April 2016.
A well-armed soldier of the caliphate targeted unarmed gay men in Florida. One reads: "Islamic State radio on Monday called the U.S.-born gunman who opened fire in a packed nightclub, killing at least 50 people, 'one of the soldiers of the caliphate in America.' The attack, which happened early Sunday at Pulse, a gay club in Orlando, is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history." In "Islamic State radio: Orlando shooter a 'soldier of the caliphate'," by Cody Dulaney and John Bacon, USA Today, 13 June 2016.
Thus one sees a definite clash between two cultures in which one cannot be at peace with the other but instead threaten to apply a death penalty, which as Sekaleshfar says would be done "out of love." After all, American presidents of late say Islam is "the religion of peace."
Despite Secularism and Tolerance
Such acts done "out of love" of the sort preached by a Muslim are mirrored in similar acts. One reads: "A man who told local broadcaster Somoy TV that he had witnessed the attack also said at least five young men took part in the killing. He said they chanted 'Allahu Akbar,' or 'Allah is Great' as they left the scene. Bangladesh has been riven by a wave of deadly attacks on foreigners, religious minorities and secular bloggers, raising fears that religious extremists are gaining a foothold in the country, despite its traditions of secularism and tolerance." In "Gay rights activist, U.S. government employee one of two hacked to death by radical Islamists in Bangladesh ," Associated Press, 25 April 2016.
And yet Islam seems to be showing another internal conflict. One reads: " 'Homosexuals are not deviating from Islam,' continued Ouda in the interview. 'Homosexuality is a grave sin, but those who say that homosexuals deviate from Islam are the real deviators.' By condemning homosexuals to death they are committing a graver sin than homosexuality itself.' He added that Islam did not 'encourage individuals who have same-sex attraction to show their feelings in public.' His comments have already provoked controversy in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East." In "Senior Saudi cleric: Homosexuality should not be punished," Staff, Middle East Eye, 3 May 2016.
The Islamic Cure
Further one finds in contrast: "While Iran has outlawed homosexuality, Iranian Shi'a thinkers such as Ayatollah Khomeini have allowed for transgender people to change their sex so that they can enter heterosexual relationships. This position has been confirmed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is also supported by many other Iranian clerics. Iran carries out more sex change operations than any other nation in the world except for Thailand. It is regarded as a cure for homosexuality, which is punishable by death under Iranian law. The government even provides up to half the cost for those needing financial assistance and a sex change is recognized on the birth certificate." In "LGBT in Islam," Wikipedia article, n. d.
The nice Western intellectuals worrying about queer things pick their worries from a culturally uninformed Menu à la carte
Ex-Muslims are challenging the Islamic stance which proposes such its murderous cure for homosexuality: One reads: "... why is criticism of Islam off-limits? Self-appointed 'Muslim leaders' say our placards were 'Islamophobic'. But in our point of view, Islam, like all religions, is homophobic. Why is it not possible to say this without accusations of Islamophobia? The only reasons our signs are seen to be 'provocative' are because criticism of Islam is deemed to be impermissible, because there is the constant threat of violence by Islamists against ex-Muslims but also dissenting Muslims and others in order to silence and censor, and because criticism of Islam and Islamism is erroneously conflated with an attack on Muslims." In "East London mosque has filed formal complaint about CEMB to Pride," by Maryam Namazie, Ex-Muslim UK, 14 July 2017.
Rewarding Bullies and Blaming Victims, the Islamic Way
Namazie notes in clear contradistinction to Sekaleshfar' murderous "cure," "Offence has become the catch-phrase to impose de facto blasphemy and apostasy laws here in Britain. Yet aren’t we all offended at least some of the time? Some of us are offended by religion but we don’t ask believers to stay away from Pride or stop praying because of it. Why is it that what offends us is irrelevant? Because we do not back our offence with threats and violence? The politics of offence is a politics that rewards bullies and blames victims."
It is a clear conclusion that murdering a homosexual for being a homosexual is perhaps an "Islamic cure" but surely the stance of a bully, who would play victim to hide their bullying.
[ 2 ] The Norwegian "politician," as the report describes him oddly, is according to a search engine a biology student at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences from "2011 to the present." The same report quotes Hauken as saying: "I don’t feel anger against my rapist, because I look at him as a product of an unjust world. A product of an upbringing full of war."
Heterosexual Rape of Male by Male
Another news item states: "Nordal Hauken, who describes himself as a 'young Socialist Left Party member, feminist and anti-racist', was attacked in his own home. The politician reveals that he struggled to come to terms with being a heterosexual male rape victim, and subsequently self-medicated with alcohol and cannabis. 'I am a heterosexual man who was raped by a Somalian asylum seeker,' Nordal Hauken writes for NRK." In "Male Norwegian politician raped by asylum seeker says he feels GUILTY that his attacker will now be deported because the man might suffer back in Somalia," by Sara Malm, Mail Online, 7 April 2016.
One might rub this view of homosexual rape by a Somali man against a self-described "heterosexual man" against Farrokh Sekaleshfar's Islamic "compassion" for "the act of homosexuality" all the while wondering of the Somali rapist (whose attorney had argued the sex was consensual) whether being "a product of an unjust world" becomes rationale for homosexual rape. There is a certain irony here, given that Hauken is a student of biology and Sekaleshfar a student of medicine and bioethics. Synthesizing between these men's views, love means what exactly? Rape? Murder?
Homosexual Rape of Male by Males
The report is not outside the norm. An an example, one reads: "Swedish authorities on Tuesday charged five teenagers from Afghanistan with aggravated rape for allegedly dragging another Afghan boy into a forest, threatening him with a knife and raping him. The alleged assault took place in October in a forested area in the city of Uppsala, north of Stockholm. Prosecutor Johan Stromback told The Associated Press that the five suspects are 16 and 17 years old, while the boy they allegedly assaulted is under 15. Stromback said all arrived in Sweden as unaccompanied minors seeking asylum." In "5 Afghan teens in Sweden charged with raping Afghan boy," Associated Press, 6 December 2016.
A strange parallel is fond in an unrelated news item: "Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said for the last seven years at least four men sexually abused a young boy at sex parties where the men would dress up like different animals. 'This child victim was repeatedly abused by a group of criminals who cared only about their gratification, they cared nothing about this young boy,' he said. 'This is a horrendous case'." In "Bucks County Authorities Make Arrest In Fetish-Themed Child Predator Sex Ring," by Justin Udo, CBS News, 29 January 2017.
Comparison between such contrasting stories suggests many similarities among the many differences.
[ 3 ] So what is the Islamic perspective? "Afghanistan is a country where Islamic values are cherished so I asked a Grand Mullah at the Shrine of Ali in Mazar-e Sharif - the holiest place in Afghanistan - for his views on bachabaze. 'Bachabaze is in no way acceptable in Islam. Actually, it's child abuse. It's happening because our justice system doesn't work. This country has been lawless for many years and responsible bodies and people can't protect children,' he explains." In "The sexually abused dancing boys of Afghanistan," by Rustam Qobil, BBC World Service, 8 September 2010.
Islamic Values Such as....
If Afghanistan is a "country where Islamic values are cherished," the point-counterpoint of Sekaleshfar's "Islamic" advice to compassionately "get rid of them now" becomes more convoluted, stirred into a complex world's troubles, against Hauken's view that a rapist is "a product of an unjust world." It seems plain that there is no possible way in which such divergent views will simply Coexist
[ 4 ] The confused picture of homosexuality mirrors the confused picture of heterosexuality, given the variety of reports one may consider, and both are as confused as the "Islamic perspective" on child abuse. That a "veteran gay rights advocate" confesses to child pornography, when many such advocates press for child-adult sex as a matter of "love," should be the counterpoint to the "compassionate" Muslim who advocates killing homosexuals "done out of love."
As to queer terminology, one reads: "The group's use of the word 'queer' in its name and slogan was at first considered shocking, though the reclamation has been called a success, used in relatively mainstream television programs such as Queer Eye and Queer as Folk. Other slogans used by Queer Nation include 'Two, Four, Six, Eight! How Do You Know Your Kids Are Straight?' and 'Out of the Closets and Into the Streets,' and the widely imitated 'We're Here! We're Queer! Get used to it!'" In "Queer Nation," Wikipedia article, n. d.
This is one perspective, and it is demonstrably not Sekaleshfar's.
Performances? Who Are the Actors?
The streams of stories about Afghanistan as of asylum seekers like the Somali rapist cited above flow into a river, as one reads: "Two Afghan asylum seekers have been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy at a public swimming pool in Germany. The incident reportedly took place at an indoor pool in Delbrück, North Rhine-Westphalia, on Friday afternoon. The Afghan men, aged 20 and 25, are said to have cornered the 14-year-old in the showers, where they forced him to perform sexual acts on both of them." In "Two Afghanistan migrant men force 14-year-old boy to perform sex acts on them at a swimming pool in Germany," by Sara Malm, Mail Online, 5 April 2016.
Queer, don't you think that a report about "two Afghanistan migrant men" does not use the terms like homosexual and gay, when a report about a "gay rights advocate" also submerges a confessed pederast as an "rights advocate?" Queer, don't you think, that a Muslim speaker at an Islamic Center in Florida can call for killing "out of love," and not report it as plainly advocating wholesale murder.
Public Servant and Sex Offender?
Brinkin is not a singular case of a rights activist caught up in the social strictures of criminality. One reads: "Sevearance-Turner was arrested in 1998, when he was 20, and charged in Cherokee County, S.C., with a 'lewd act, committing or attempting a lewd act upon a child under 16.' A 2000 story in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal said Sevearance-Turner had been a youth minister at a church in Gaffney. A jury there found him guilty of fondling a 15-year-old teenage church member while the boy slept. Before he stepped down as chamber president, Sevearance-Turner said the N.C. Values Coalition’s criticism 'did not surprise him.' He said his conviction had not stopped him from achieving success...." In "Charlotte's LGBT Chamber president resigns after sex-offender status surfaces," McClatchy Regional News Service, 8 April 2016.
Another recent case came to light involving the abuse of law: "An Arkansas judge accused of swapping sex for reduced sentences resigned Monday after a state commission said it discovered thousands of photographs from his computer that depicted nude male defendants." In "Arkansas Judge Resigns After Thousands of Nude Photos of Defendants Found," by Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 10 May 2016.
Yet another snippet of news: "A New York man who was once featured in a Time magazine cover story about immigration reform has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for possession of child pornography. Roy Naim, 32, who was featured in the 2012 story titled 'We are Americans...just not legally', was also convicted in 2014 for attempted exploitation. Federal agents found porn that depicted boys as young as nine years old performing sexual acts on Naim's computer. He admitted to viewing and downloading the porn for multiple years." In "Man featured in Time cover story on immigration reform is sentenced to 15 years in prison for child porn and sexually exploiting boy with brain cancer," by Anneta Konstantinides, Daily Mail, 19 May 2016.
The dark irony herein is that activists sometimes deem their various political work a "success," until and even after a conviction for something a Muslim scholar or one of a number of Muslim nations would penalize with execution "out of love."
Words and Language and Masquerades
It becomes obvious that "love" as spoken by a gay rights activist yet convicted abuser of chldren and "love" as spoken by a Muslim scholar are not the same word. In rhyme, I summarize some facets of this little word, "Love," in Three Songs for Roger
Language in all such reporting may be critiqued, as "gay" no longer seems quite so gay, and homosexual rape should not be considered "a gay action to be the one who engages in power and violence," while heterosexual rape remains criminal in most nations and cultures. Queer, once a statement of oddity, has become a proud shield of some, while killing as a compassion action is held to be a proud theological tenet for others, and pederasty has become the province of a "veteran gay rights advocate." And it is all supposed to somehow be "out of love."
In another case which features "working to eliminate child abuse" alongside child abuse, one reads: "Timothy Probert, 57, of Princeton, pleaded guilty to 37 charges, including first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault, sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian and one count of delivery of a controlled substance. Probert, a former youth volunteer at Westminster Presbyterian Church and mentor for the Working to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect (WE CAN) program, entered the plea before retired Fayette County Judge Charles Vickers." In "Former church youth volunteer pleads guilty to sexual abuse, facing 171-489 years in prison," by Samantha Perry, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 18 April 2016.
Queer Up
On the subject of music and education, one finds homosexual activism as well, which the likes of a Muslim "scholar" would likely find not "friendly" but greet with the advice found above: "Queer up songs with 'heterosexual' lyrics or texts that reinforce heteronormativity. Explain that although the text expresses a heterosexual perspective, not everyone is heterosexual." In "The ABCs of Creating an LGBTQ-Friendly Classroom," by Stephen A. Paparo, Massachusetts Music Educators Journal, Vol. 64, No. 3, Spring 2016.
A composite picture of these narratives brings into question the whole notion of "activism" when social and political "activists" are caught masquerading, in pretense of what they are not. Many battle lines are drawn, and many battles rage courtesy of "scholarship."
[ 5 ] So, while a Muslim doctor and bioethicist calls for killing "out of love," all the while Afghani Muslim men engage in boy play and a Western "rights advocate" confesses to child pornography, here is research going a yet different direction.
Proposed Treatment Programs for Homosexuals
The article notes: "Assistant Prof Stefan Arver, Karolinska Institute added: “Sexual crimes are committed by people who are unknown to society, 90 per cent are new perpetrators. 'They exist already out in society, at the grocery store, and some of them will commit crimes. We need to reach those people who have behaviours which may lead to crime and abuse. We need treatment programmes'."
As to violence against homosexuals, some is perpetrated by homosexuals, for it proves out that violence is not particularly straight or gay, but plainly violent and of related to the deep pathological urge to control another. One reads of one example: "The prosecutor noted that Ma suffered about 40 stab wounds, was 'disemboweled,' with some of his organs stuffed into his mouth and pill bottles and pills shoved into his body cavity, in a killing motivated by Ma’s decision to break up with Davids." In "WeHo Man, 38, Gets 12 Years For Killing, Mutilating Live-In Boyfriend In 2014," CBS Los Angeles, 21 January 2016.
Sekaleshfar might argue his stance is a "compassionate" treatment program for homosexuals, while pederasts, gay and straight alike, might argue such a treatment program could result in profiling in violation of their "rights." The subject is indeed a Gordian knot of human themes of power, sexuality and rationalization of all sorts of mutually exclusive stances as the societal and theological right, even in the theology of secularism. This exists because too many people care about telling others what to believe and do, and how to live their lives. from "compassionate" Muslims who stand for killing homosexuals to homosexual activists active in child abuse, which does not ignore nor excuse heterosexuals and child abuse, the parallel problem around the world to include Islamic cultures, quite as it appears in other subcultures.
One seemingly odd reaction is to avow I don't care
[ 6 ] Hastert, "accused of sexual abuse by at least 4," is "an American politician, lobbyist, and member of the Republican Party. Hastert was the 51st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1999 to 2007. He represented Illinois's 14th congressional district for twenty years, 1987 to 2007." In "Dennis Hastert," Wikipedia article, n. d. The article notes that he is married, and in "...2006, Hastert denied one such accusation, though there was no press coverage at the time."
Stunning Hypocrisy
The New York Times writes plainly: "...prosecutors said Mr. Hastert’s life had been 'marred by stunning hypocrisy'." In "Hastert Molested at Least Four Boys, Prosecutors Say," by Monica Davey and Mitch Smith, New York Times, 8 April 2016.
Such tales come to their dénouement and lessons are learned. One such ends with the obvious conclusion. One reads: "The Hastert revelations have made Yorkville seem less idyllic, Mike Piatkowski, a 65-year-old retired UPS driver, said as he watched his grandson, a freshman at Yorkville High School, at a Saturday baseball practice. 'It's going to be hard to trust anybody, especially with the kids,' he said." In "Small town turns on Hastert as details of allegations emerge," by Jason Keyser and Michael Tarm, Associated Press, 9 April 2016.
Republican Heterosexual Homosexuality
Only weeks later, the supposedly-heterosexual ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives is convicted of for supposedly-homosexual abuse of underage minors such that he paid for being blackmailed, showing how such confusion over gender in the media falls over itself. One reads: "The case makes the former speaker one of the highest-ranking American politicians ever sentenced to prison. The visibly angry judge repeatedly rebuked the 74-year-old before issuing the 15-month sentence, telling him that his abuse devastated the lives of victims and would probably make it harder than ever for parents to trust other adults with their children." In "Former speaker Hastert sentenced to more than year in prison," by Michael Tarm, Associated Press, 27 April 2016.
From such a conclusion will inevitably come the next "activist" complaining of stereotyping a group, though convicted pedophiles as well as murder-preaching Islamic scholars could sensibly be stereotyped, one might easily conclude.
As one surveys homosexuals in American politics and public advocacy -- a positive when portrayed in positive stories and a negative when such hypocrisy is uncovered -- one finds a clear disconnect between types of portrayals, as one does with Islamic calls for what is supposed to be The religion of peace
So given the modern propensity to speak openly about sexuality and a fluidity between gender roles, one might ask: it this a queer story of homosexual child abuse by a heterosexual uncovered through the exposure of bribery amounting to over a million dollars, or what? Gay? Straight? Confused?
Anything Goes
Given that confusion which reigns over at the Hen Party
[ 7 ] Questions annoy, especially when those questioned dislike the questions. Beginning this collection of quotes is one Islamic scholars answer to the question of how to deal with homosexuals, begging the question that Islamophobia
A fumbling Catholic Church was late to deal with sexual predators and the confusing picture surrounding them. One famous example: "James Porter (January 2, 1935 – February 11, 2005) was a Roman Catholic priest who was convicted of molesting 28 children; he admitted to sexually abusing at least 100 children of both sexes over a period of 30 years, starting in the 1960s." In "James Porter (Catholic priest)," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Lust to Power and Power to Lust?
"...of both sexes" suggests classification alone is problematic. Wiki notes: "In 1973, Porter wrote a letter to Pope Paul VI requesting to be released from the priesthood, in which he admitted molesting children across five states; the Pope granted his request and, in 1974, Porter gave up his collar. He married, and eventually settled in Minnesota. He and his wife had four children."
One might therefore be tempted to agree with Hauken (above) that sexual abuse is "about power, not lust," but one cannot allege as did this Norwegian that such an abuser as Porter as a "product of an upbringing full of war."
Those willing to condemn the Catholic Church so easily might want to consider public school teachers, such as was Hastert, also as above. As an example, one reads: "There were decades of missed opportunities to expose Vahey. An early California sex-abuse conviction didn't prevent him taking a series of jobs exposing him to children. Colleagues and supervisors failed to question why he was so often with boys overnight. And at least twice, boys fell mysteriously ill while under his care, and there was no investigation of Vahey's role. In 1969, Vahey was arrested on child sexual abuse charges after police said he pinched the penises of eight boys, ages 7 to 9, at an Orange County, California, high school where he taught swimming. Vahey, then 20, told authorities he had started touching boys without their consent at age 14." In "Pedophile teacher abused dozens as clues missed," by Michael Weissenstein and Tami Abdollah, Associated Press, 13 May 2014.
Terms Flow and Victims Emerge
So among the annoying questions, one may also ask whether public employees are prone to sexual abuse and, like the complaints about the Catholic Church, whether public institutions should be held accountable, especially those "colleagues and supervisors," as noted? Additionally, is this public school teacher a homosexual pedophile, as somehow distinct from a heterosexual pedophile? Terms flow about but often ruled by political correctness in the Western world, as by Islamic jurisprudence in the schism-torn Muslim world.
How many instances of sexual predatory behavior mark the act as heterosexual or homosexual? An article speculates as to the number of victims of Vahey: "The FBI applied for a warrant to examine a thumb drive containing the explicit pictures two days before Vahey killed himself. The files, which officials say included images of at least 90 boys, were carefully catalogued with the dates and locations of field trips on which they were taken, dating back to 2008. He is believed to have been coaching sports teams and leading field trips for more than 30 years before that, which may mean there were hundreds of previous victims." In "Pedophile Teacher Drugged, Abused 90 Students From Managua to London," by Nico Hines, Daily Beast, 25 April 2014.
The involvement of drugs links directly to the wit and wisdom of Whoopi
What is certain is that pedophiles -- shall one think gay rights activists, as above? -- or married men involved in homosexual acts -- shall one think politicians, priests and public employees? -- rather seem to answer Jesse Bering's question, "Does homosexuality exist in every human society?"
Political Successes and Convictions
They certainly have been in evidence in Congress which underscores Sevearance-Turner's testimony that a "conviction had not stopped him from achieving [political] success."
One reads as one example among several of a Congressman from Illinois: "In August 1994, Reynolds was indicted for sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer that began during the 1992 campaign. Despite the charges, he continued his campaign and was re-elected that November; he had no opposition. Reynolds initially denied the charges, which he claimed were racially motivated. On August 22, 1995, he was convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography. He resigned his seat on October 1 of that year." In "Mel Reynolds," Wikipedia article, n. d.
For all such examples in so many variations, a Muslim "scholar" invited to speak in Florida proposed a solution. "Out of compassion, let’s get rid of them now." The battle lines seem clear and confused at the same time, with hypocrisy and lies leading the charge.
[ 8 ] The article cites a one-time bigwig in the UK government who trotted out the notion of Islamophobia
The article notes: "Trevor Phillips, the former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who interpreted the survey for a documentary to be broadcast this week, said: 'The integration of Britain’s Muslims will probably be the hardest task we’ve ever faced. It will require the abandonment of the milk-and-water multiculturalism still so beloved of many, and the adoption of a far more muscular approach to integration'."
Given the remarks by an Islamic scholar in Florida and the respondents to the poll who thought homosexuality should be made illegal in the United Kingdom, it seems a correct conclusion that some Muslims who so easily complain of Islamophobia
Which is More Homophobic?
What is more homophobic that killing homosexuals for being homosexual? As a sad example: "Jamal Nassir al-Oujan, 15, was arrested by the ISIS-led Islamic Police in the Mayadin city of Deir ez-Zor province earlier on Sunday. The Sharia Court accused him of sodomy and decided to stone the boy to death. 'Al-Oujan was brutally stoned to death by ISIS militants in Jaradiq square in the Mayadin city on Monday afternoon,' an eyewitness told ARA News, speaking on condition of anonymity. " In "Islamic State executes Syrian teenager on charges of homosexuality," by Serbaz Yusif, ARA News, 24 May 2016.
But the greatest historical mass murder in the US is of 2016. Naturally, though the shooter was a Muslim in Florida, the state in which "compassionate" Farrokh Sekaleshfar lectured, one reads: "Mir Seddique, Mateen’s father, told reporters that his son had anti-gay leanings and the shooting doesn’t have anything to do with religion. Seddique told NBC News that his son got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago and thinks that may be related to the shooting." In "Police: Gunman Kills 50 In Orlando Nightclub Attack," CBS News, 12 June 2016. But another CBS headline of the same day noted "Gunman Who Killed 50 At Orlando Nightclub Pledged Allegiance To ISIS." ISIS is the Islamic State, and so the mass murder has something "to do with religion."
Ask for References
Another report echoes this: "The gunman who opened fire at a gay Florida nightclub early Sunday, shooting over 100 people, had called 911 moments before to pledge allegiance to the leader of ISIS, law enforcement sources told NBC News. Shooter Omar Mateen, 29, appeared to be a follower of ISIS propaganda and referenced the Tsarnaev brothers, who carried out the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, at the scene, sources said." In "Orlando Nightclub Shooter Called 911 to Pledge Allegiance to ISIS: Sources," by Tracy Connor and Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 12 June 2016.
As to the father of this murderer, one learns: "The father of Omar Mateen, identified by police as the man behind the carnage at an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning, is an Afghan man who holds strong political views, including support for the Afghan Taliban. Seddique Mateen, who has been referred to as Mir Seddique in early news reports, hosted the “Durand Jirga Show” on a channel called Payam-e-Afghan, which broadcasts from California. In it, the elder Mateen speaks in the Dari language on a variety of political subjects." In "Orlando suspect’s father hosted a TV show and now pretends to be Afghanistan’s president," by Max Bearak, Washington Post, 12 June 2016.
Of course the double standards fly aloft the parapets of cultural battle lines, and Britain and other Western nations are learning the hard lessons of that sort of multi-cultural blather which pretends that all cultures are not equivalent remain to be learned.
One does not Coexist
[ 9 ] Turkey acted: "Istanbul riot police fired tear gas and rubber pellets on Sunday to disperse a march for transgender people banned after ultra-nationalists said that 'degenerates' could not demonstrate. Hundreds of riot police cordoned off the city's main Taksim Square to prevent the 'Trans Pride' rally taking place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan." In "Istanbul riot police disperse 'Trans Pride' march," Reuters, 19 June 2016.
Thus one has testimony that "ultra-nationalists" in a majority Muslim country affected public policy, now directed against gays. Considering the other Muslim nations in which homosexuality is punishable by death, one finds Sekaleshfar's version of "compassion" being a normative jurisprudence with the supposedly more modern Islamic nations supposed moving towards parity in a modern world. Which direction will the world's civilizations take? The only course is towards greater strife driven by incompatible cultures.
[ 10 ] Let there be no confusion. From the murderous yet supposedly "compassionate" statement of Sekaleshfar and others like him to the murder of Muhammed Wisam Sankari and others like him for the crime of being gay, Islam is one root of this worldwide tragedy, wherein 7th century barbarism filtered through the bigoted minds of 21st century Islamic "clergy" is crashing against the shores of modern human rights for all, and this is not queer at all. It seems the sadly normal state of affairs in the moment, straight from the mouths of many media reports.
The reigning idiocy of Western intellectuals and politicians -- see Words of a feather
[ 11 ] As events unfold, there is dark irony in the image above with a banner proclaiming "Some Muslims are gay," when contrasted to news from Chechnya.
Of Chechnya, one reads: "Islam is the predominant religion in Chechnya, practised by 95% of those polled in Grozny in 2010. Chechens are overwhelmingly adherents to the Shafi'i Madhhab of Sunni Islam, the republic having converted to Islam between the 16th and the 19th centuries. Due to historical importance, many Chechens are Sufis, of either the Qadiri or Naqshbandi orders. Most of the population follows either the Shafi'i or the Hanafi, schools of jurisprudence, fiqh. The Shafi'i school of jurisprudence has a long tradition among the Chechens, and thus it remains the most practiced." In "Chechnya," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Rounding Up Animals
Thus reports of Chechen "animals" being rounded up and even tortured, while homosexuals are killed in other Islamic nations for being homosexuals, the "Some Muslims are gay" stance is a conflict between the accusations of homophobia and Islamophobia. The London group is activist, as one reads: "On July 1, around 25 Imaan members rode atop a float in the EuroPride 06 parade in London. With banners reading 'Gay Muslims unveiled' and flags of the United Kingdom and from across the Islamic world, they waved cheerfully at the crowd. While they didn't hide themselves in rainbow burkhas as they did the previous year, most were still reluctant to give their names or be photographed for fear of reprisals. Although the group's membership is on the rise, gay Muslims are not accepted by the wider Islamic communities of any country." In "Homosexual and 'passionate about Islam'," by Jennifer Carlile, NBC News, 7 June 2006.
In fact, the article notes that "Imaan, which means faith in Arabic, has around 300 members, most of whom have not told their families that they are gay."
How queer it seems to advocate for often murderous, homophobic Islam via some public stance in London demonstrations and parades, all the while not coming out, and not telling "their families that they are gay." Perhaps these gay Muslims fear Islamic reactions as one follows the news in Chechnya?
[ 12 ] Given the many views expressed in the excerpted news items above, how shall one parse this report from Pakistan?
Sekaleshfar offers an Islamic view that "physical killing" is the proper way to deal with homosexuals, while Hauken as a Norwegian politician states rape of a male is "not considered a gay action."
Mufiz Rahaman states "raping children was not seen as morally wrong in his native Myanmar," while one reads that "Paedophilic boy play" is a feature of Afghani culture, while a "Turkish call to massacre LGBT community" is reported.
"A Somalian asylum seeker has been charged with raping two disabled men in a care home" while two "gay men caught having sex by a vigilante mob will be caned 80 times for breaking Sharia law."
Iran's Ahmadinejad alleges "Perhaps there are those who engage in [homosexual] activities … but these are not known elements within Iranian society," although Iran executes gay men. And married men are involved in pedophilic sex, male and female alike.
Transgender surgery is proposed as an alternative in some Islamic circles such that a relationship can then be "heterosexual," all the while a gay activist in the US pled guilty to pornography involving "images of toddlers engaged in sex acts with men." In another stance, per the graphic above, "some Muslims are gay."
So how are so many streams of news reporting clustered around this subject reconciled? What do the words mean, when definitions diverge? What does the politics mean and what do the various cultures represent, when placed side by side? Queer, don't you think?
For my own view, I don't care
[ 13 ] It is interesting that the NYT article would term "homophobic" Islamic groups "right-wing," as if this had explanatory power. It cannot, as the Right-Left model breaks down with the passage of time. The article offers this quote: "The defense minister likened homosexuality to nuclear war: While a bomb blast over Jakarta would at least be contained, he said, tolerance for gays could spread dangerously throughout the country."
Given that hard-line Islamists find justification in the Koran and Bukhari, the descriptive "right-wing" flubs, while the adjective "Islamic" informs. When the descriptor "right-wing" is used in the European press to identify those against Muslim immigration while the "Left" encourages it, the notion that the Right-Left model informs is left in a lurch. Especially in this day when so many are burdened with being Left to their own devices
Never knock your betters down
while supping from their table.
Better far to prop them up
as long as you are able.
The game's about your feeding
off the many with far less,
And so the game is merely this,
a panderer's fork-sharp mess.
Never call your betters to task
for corruption in their midst,
For you might too be spattered
in the battering of that list.
The game's about the handling
of crumbs from high above,
And so the game is drearily this:
heed the rules of push and shove.
Never rock the ship of state
for something might be spilled,
Like evil men who'd spill the beans
before they can be grilled.
The game's about books truly cooked
to tell what betters wish,
And so the blame's served rare and hot
in each seamy sort of dish.
Never knock you betters down
or some goose will sure be cooked;
Better far to have looked away
never seeing the bent or crook'd;
The game, which is of centuries
and bent and crook'd corrupt
Is how your betters always have
the best as they have supped.
Envoi: "There are three kinds of tyrants; some receive their proud position through elections by the people, others by force of arms, others by inheritance." In "Discourse on Voluntary Servitude," Étienne e La Boétie (1548), trans. Harry Kurz, Columbia University Press, 1942.
Addendum of the Betters and the Rigged Elections: "When you examine these media narratives, a troubling pattern emerges that goes beyond the political establishment’s self-interest. You begin to see that American corporate media also functions as an arm of the political machine, protecting establishment candidates while attacking — or dismissing — candidates who seem non-establishment." In "2016: The Year Americans Found Out Their Elections Are Rigged," by Tyler Durden, ZeroHedge, 13 April 2016.
Addendum of Economic-Elite Domination: "Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence. The results provide substantial support for theories of Economic-Elite Domination and for theories of Biased Pluralism, but not for theories of Majoritarian Electoral Democracy or Majoritarian Pluralism." In Abstract, "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens," by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page, published in "Perspectives on Politics," Volume 12, Issue 03, September 2014.
Addendum of Knocking Down Icily: "By allowing bankers to be prosecuted as criminals, Iceland opted for a different strategy in the wake of the financial crisis to rest of Europe and the US, where banks were fined, but chief executives escaped punishment. While the UK government nationalised Lloyds and RBS with tax-payers’ money and the US government bought stakes in its key banks, Iceland adopted a different approach, saying it would shore up domestic bank accounts." In "Iceland to sentence ninth banker found guilty of market manipulation that helped caused 2008 crash," by Alexandra Sims, Independent, 7 October 2016.
Consider -- A Tale of Lords, told by a Serf
A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited - "All we are saying is give peace a chance" [ 1 ]
"The Saudi transaction is just one example of nations and companies that had donated to the Clinton Foundation seeing an increase in arms deals while Hillary Clinton oversaw the State Department. IBT found that between October 2010 and September 2012, State approved $165 billion in commercial arms sales to 20 nations that had donated to the foundation, plus another $151 billion worth of Pentagon-brokered arms deals to 16 of those countries—a 143 percent increase over the same time frame under the Bush Administration. The sales boosted the military power of authoritarian regimes such as Qatar, Algeria, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, which, like Saudi Arabia, had been criticized by the department for human rights abuses." In "Hillary Clinton Oversaw US Arms Deals to Clinton Foundation Donors," by Bryan Schatz, Mother Jones, 28 May 2015.
Peace protesters, heed:
The obvious reread.
She oh yes it's she'd
Push weaponry indeed.
Peace believers, note
Numbers large denote
She'd oh yes devote
Much to warfare's bloat.
Activists, whither go
That ardent falsetto?
War's a racket, so
Why'd few protests grow?
Anti-war folks, dumb,
Silent, absent, glum,
Make no protest, chum,
Their passion just grows numb.
The party is the thing;
To loyalties all cling.
Mute assent is king,
And a win is everything.
Envoi: "War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small 'inside' group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes." In "War Is A Racket," Smedley Butler, Round Table Press, 1935
Addendum of Choosing Between More Militarization and More Militarization: "The fact that both President Obama and Mitt Romney are calling for increases to the defense budget (in the latter case, above what the military has asked for) is further proof that the military is the true 'third rail' of American politics. In this strange universe where those without military credentials can’t endorse defense cuts, it took a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Adm. Mike Mullen, to make the obvious point that the nation’s ballooning debt was the biggest threat to national security. Uncritical support of all things martial is quickly becoming the new normal for our youth. Hardly any of my students at the Naval Academy remember a time when their nation wasn’t at war. Almost all think it ordinary to hear of drone strikes in Yemen or Taliban attacks in Afghanistan. The recent revelation of counterterrorism bases in Africa elicits no surprise in them, nor do the military ceremonies that are now regular features at sporting events. That which is left unexamined eventually becomes invisible, and as a result, few Americans today are giving sufficient consideration to the full range of violent activities the government undertakes in their names." In "The Permanent Militarization of America," by Aaron B. O'Connell, New York Times, 4 November 2012.
Addendum of Poking the Russian Bear in Syria: " A Russian fighter flew dangerously close to a US warplane over eastern Syria, US defence officials said Friday, highlighting the risks of a serious mishap in the increasingly crowded airspace. The near miss occurred late on October 17, when a Russian jet that was escorting a larger spy plane manoeuvred in the vicinity of an American warplane, Air Force Lieutenant General Jeff Harrigian said. The Russian jet came to 'inside of half a mile', he added." In "Russian, US jets had near miss over Syria: US officials," by Agence France Presse, 28 October 2016.
Addendum of Weaponry as a Top Priority: "...in late 2011, Hillary Clinton’s State Department was formally clearing the sale, asserting that it was in the national interest. At press conferences in Washington to announce the department’s approval, an assistant secretary of state, Andrew Shapiro, declared that the deal had been 'a top priority' for Clinton personally." In "Clinton Foundation Donors Got Weapons Deals From Hillary Clinton's State Department," by David Sirota and Andrew Perez, International Business Times, 26 May 2015. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Investing in More Conflict: "I think that we have invested in more conflict, instead of actually investing in solutions. So... And when I say that, what I mean is that we invest in more drones, we invest in more bombs, we invest in more weapons, we invest in more ammunition, we invest in more guys to go out and kill more guys. That's investing in conflict, instead of really taking a serious look at say, what are the big excuses that these guys that these guys are using? And if it's poor economic conditions, if it's poor social conditions, then let's fix those. But those kinds of things aren't goinf to get fixed overnight. And the leaders of the Middle East have to decide that that's what they want to do." Quote of retired Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, in "Who is to blame for the rise of ISIL?" Al Jazeera, 29 July 2015.
Addendum of the Oligarchy: "...it's just an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or being elected president. And the same thing applies to governors, and U.S. Senators and congress members. So, now we've just seen a subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect, and sometimes get, favors for themselves after the election is over. ... At the present time the incumbents, Democrats and Republicans, look upon this unlimited money as a great benefit to themselves." In "Jimmy Carter Is Correct That the U.S. Is No Longer a Democracy," by Eric Zuesse, Huffington Post, 4 August 2015.
Addendum from a Former US Congressman: "I remember other hearings where the Pentagon was unable to reconcile over $1 trillion in accounts, lost track of $12 billion in cash sent to Iraq, and rigged a missile-defense test so that an interceptor could easily home in on a target. War is first and foremost a profitable racket. How else to explain that in the past 15 years this city’s so called bipartisan foreign policy elite has promoted wars in Iraq and Libya, and interventions in Syria and Yemen, which have opened Pandora’s box to a trusting world, to the tune of trillions of dollars, a windfall for military contractors. DC’s think 'tanks' should rightly be included in the taxonomy of armored war vehicles and not as gathering places for refugees from academia. According to the front page of this past Friday’s Washington Post, the bipartisan foreign-policy elite recommends the next president show less restraint than President Obama. Acting at the urging of 'liberal' hawks' brandishing humanitarian intervention, read war, the Obama administration attacked Libya along with allied powers working through NATO." In " Why Is the Foreign Policy Establishment Spoiling for More War? Look at Their Donors." by Dennis Kucinich, The Nation, 25 October 2016.
Addendum of Arms and the (Wo)Man: "In 'Arms and the Man' the subject which occupies the dramatist's attention is that survival of barbarity—militarism—which raises its horrid head from time to time to cast a doubt on the reality of our civilization. No more hoary superstition survives than that the donning of a uniform changes the nature of the wearer. This notion pervades society to such an extent that when we find some soldiers placed upon the stage acting rationally, our conventionalized senses are shocked. The only men who have no illusions about war are those who have recently been there, and, of course, Mr. Shaw, who has no illusions about anything." In "Introduction," Arms and the Man, G. B. Shaw, 1894. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Harmonious Greed: "In a sordid slime harmonious Greed was born in yonder ditch, / With a longing in his bosom—and for others' goods an itch. / As Christ died to make men holy, let men die to make us rich / Our god is marching on." In "The Battle Hymn of the Republic, Updated," Mark Twain, 1900. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Building Up Weapons Stockpiles: "... the Army is building its European stockpiles up to 200 M1 Abrams heavy tanks and hundreds of other armored fighting vehicles. At last count, the European Activity Set held 87 tanks, 138 M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and 18 M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers. Last month Army Materiel Command also sent 5,000 tons of munitions to European Command — the largest ammo delivery to the theater since World War II." In "US Army Plans Stockpiles in Vietnam, Cambodia: Hello China," by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., BreakingDefense, 15 March 2016.
Addendum of Boosting Foreign Military Sales, 2012: "As the talks collapsed, a top State Department official openly bragged that U.S. government efforts have helped boost foreign military sales to record levels this year." In "Obama Admin Helps Undermine U.N. Arms Treaty Talks While Touting Record-High Weapons Sales Abroad," Democracy Now, 2 August 2012.
Addendum of Obama the Weapons Dealer, Irritated: "The Obama administration slammed a powerful Senate panel for blocking the sale of advanced weaponry to Iraq, accusing the lawmakers of denying Baghdad the armaments it needs to defeat the al Qaeda militants who have conquered the key city of Fallujah. The intensifying fighting in Fallujah, the scene of some of the bloodiest combat of the Iraq War, has highlighted a bitter disagreement between the White House and the Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee about what types of weaponry to provide to the Iraqi government." In "Obama Admin Blasts Senators for Blocking Iraq Arms Sales," by Yochi Dreazen and John Hudson, Foreign Policy, 7 January 2014.
Addendum of Providing and then Destroying: "...the U.S.'s bombing campaign against ISIS is destroying hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of U.S. weapons and other military equipment that had originally been given to the Iraqi military, but fell into the hands of ISIS militants as they gained control over a wide swath of the country. In other words, the very equipment brought to Iraq by the U.S. following the 2003 invasion is now being used by ISIS terrorists to attack the Kurds, who in turn will be armed by further shipments of American weaponry." In "U.S. arms the Kurds in Iraq — to fight U.S.-armed ISIS," by Bonnie Kristian, The Week, 11 August 2014.
Addendum of Obama's Green Light: "The latest weapons sales to Egypt are an extension of the “robust, long-standing security relationship with Saudi Arabia and other partners in the gulf region,” according to a US State Department statement." In "Obama green lights weapons sales to Egypt, Pakistan," by Thomas Gaist, World Socialist Web, 11 April 2015.
Addendum of US Weapons for Taiwan: "The administration has announced more than $12 billion in arms sales to Taiwan since 2010, but none since $5.9 billion in sales in September 2011 that included upgrades for Taiwan's F-16 fighter jets. That drew a high-level diplomatic protest from Beijing, which suspended some military exchanges with the United States." In "China slams US over $1.83B weapons sale to Taiwan," Associated Press, 17 December 2015.
Addendum of US Missiles for Qatar: "Qatar’s purchase of 254 surface-to-air missiles from an American weapons manufacturer has cleared a major hurdle after securing the approval of the US State Department. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the decision regarding the $260 million order from Raytheon Missile Systems in a statement published over the weekend." In "US State Department approves $260 million missile sale to Qatar," by Peter Kovessy, Doha News, 24 April 2016.
Addendum of US Paying for the Weapons Sold to Iraq: "Iraq has four Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52 aircraft and soon expects the delivery of four to five more fighters, according to Wathaq al-Hashimi, director of the Baghdad-based Iraqi Group for Strategic Studies. 'Iraq will not immediately pay for the weapons and services due to its ongoing budget restraints,' al-Hashimi told Defense News. 'The Americans know this and it was discussed with their Iraqi counterparts, furthermore the agreement is that US will aid in part this deal by paying a part of it.' Al-Hashimi said that extensive discussions between Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and US President Barack Obama have focused on the rapid delivery of these weapons and planes." In "US State Department OKs $2B in F-16 Weapons Sales to Iraq," by Awad Mustafa, Defense News, 21 January 2016.
Addendum of Politicians Like Barak Obama: "In particular, he took issue with the way that the label of 'anti-war' is applied to politicians like Barack Obama, whose drone and assassination programs not only violate all the tenets of a legitimate anti-war movement, but which aren’t even being criticized by the anti-war left. 'Take say the Iran negotiations,' he said. 'Virtually everyone, President, political leaders, commentators in the press, dove-ish commentators, almost universally say that if we unilaterally detect, think we detect, some Iranian violation of the agreements, that we have the right to use military force to attack them. That’s just outlandish in terms of international law and practice — but it’s universal, virtually universal. You have to go way to the margins to find somebody that will question that'." In "Noam Chomsky: The problem with US politics is the spectrum is 'center to extreme — way off the spectrum — right'," by Scott Eric Kaufman, Salon, 6 January 2016.
Addendum of Massive Corruption in Iraqi Arms Deals: "The Iraqi military, trained and equipped by largely US forces, collapsed without a fight in June 2014, when the Islamic State (ISIS) group swept and captured about a third of the country. Billions of dollars in advanced weaponry, left behind by fleeing soldiers, were reportedly seized by the militants." In "Iraq auditors: $130b missing from arms deals; massive corruption suspected," Rudaw, 16 March 2016.
Addendum of After an End to Combat Missions: "The widening nature of the air campaign — and the fact that the United States is increasing its strikes in Afghanistan a little more than a year after Mr. Obama declared an end to combat missions there — has set off a debate inside the administration and among national security experts. Some have questioned whether the administration should treat each emerging Islamic State affiliate as a legitimate threat to the United States that requires a military response, and whether the focus should be more on the Taliban than the Islamic State." In "U.S. Steps Up Airstrikes Against ISIS After It Gains Territory in Afghanistan," by Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 18 March 2016.
Addendum of Boots on the Ground: "President Obama has pledged numerous times there would be no "boots on the ground" in the fight against the Islamic State, the terror group also known as ISIS. Roughly 3,700 U.S. troops are now on the ground in Iraq advising the Iraqi Army. Earlier this month, a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division relieved a similar-sized brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division." In "US sends more troops to Iraq after ISIS rocket kills Marine," by Lucas Tomlinson, FOX News, 20 March 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of the Seamless Merging: "Hillary Clinton as president would seamlessly merge Republicans and Democrats into one party on war and foreign policy, led by the same people who advised Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, and even Richard Milhous Nixon." In "Democrats, you can’t vote for Hillary: The case for writing in Bernie Sanders If Hillary Clinton is the nominee," by H. A. Goodman, Salon.com, 21 March 2016.
Addendum of a Democrat Voter Seeing Clinton as a Warmonger: " 'I just can’t see myself voting for someone that’s a warmongering person,' cinematographer Andy Kirn of Los Angeles said of Clinton. 'There are certain things about Clinton that are so unsavory and so undesirable that I can’t see myself legitimizing that with a vote, and I don’t think I’m alone there'." In "Some Sanders supporters say it’s 'Bernie or Bust' and they will never vote for Hillary Clinton," by Hunter Walker, Yahoo Politics, 26 March 2016.
Addendum of the Eighth Year of the Peace Prize President: "At least 40 militants have been killed in a US air strike on an al-Qaeda training camp in south-eastern Yemen, local officials and medics say. Another 25 militants were wounded when the camp in Hajr, west of the port city of Mukalla, was bombed on Tuesday." In "Yemen conflict: US air strike 'kills al-Qaeda militants'," BBC, 23 March 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of the Obama Pentagon and the Obama CIA: "Syrian militias armed by different parts of the U.S. war machine have begun to fight each other on the plains between the besieged city of Aleppo and the Turkish border, highlighting how little control U.S. intelligence officers and military planners have over the groups they have financed and trained in the bitter five-year-old civil war. The fighting has intensified over the last two months, as CIA-armed units and Pentagon-armed ones have repeatedly shot at each other while maneuvering through contested territory on the northern outskirts of Aleppo, U.S. officials and rebel leaders have confirmed." In "In Syria, militias armed by the Pentagon fight those armed by the CIA," by Nabih Bulos, W.J. Hennigan and Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times, 27 March 2016.
Addendum of Obama Adopting Bush's Iraq Doctrine: "Though the contexts for the Obama and Bush preemption principles differ, the principle is the same. But it is the Obama team’s articulation of the principle that will be influential. Future presidents who want to use force in other nations won’t invoke the doctrine used in the disastrous Iraq war. They will instead adopt the functionally identical principle that the Obama administration normalized and legitimated." In "Obama Has Officially Adopted Bush’s Iraq Doctrine," by Jack Goldsmith, Time Magazine, 6 April 2016. [ 7 ]
Addendum of Remembering a Warning: " "I talk a lot about Dwight David Eisenhower," he said, "'cause it is the wonder of wonders to me that nobody mentions his name. And the reason for it is the societal disease of this time. He warned us about the military-industrial complex. He, the five-star general leaving office, told his fellow Americans, 'Beware,' because he could see it coming. In his first draft [of a celebrated speech], he called it the 'military-industrial-congressional complex.' And that's what's got us by the throat now. It's not the interest of the American people, or 'How do we help the middle class?' " In "Why Norman Lear Blames the "Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex" for America's Woes," by Stephen Galloway, Hollywood Reporter, 5 April 2016.
Addendum of the Clinton-Obama Stripes of Military Force: "The great American dream that reached out to the stars has been lost to the stripes. We have forgotten where we came from, we don't know where we are, and we fear where we may be going. Afraid, we turn from the glorious adventure of the pursuit of happiness to a pursuit of an illusionary security in an ordered, stratified, striped society. Our way of life is symbolized to the world by the stripes of military force." In "Rules for Radicals, A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals, Saul D. Alinksy, Random House, 1971. [ 8 ]
Addendum of American Arms Manufacturers' Commitments: "We wrecked Libya. Moammar Gadhafi was an egomaniacal pest, even though he eventually relinquished his nuclear-weapons program. But what has taken his place, in large part due to decisions by Mr. Obama’s government, including Ms. Clinton, is two aspiring 'national' governments and many lawless local militias, now including the Islamic State, as well as uncontrolled migration to Europe. In support of our ally and major arms purchaser, Saudi Arabia, we have helped to destroy Yemen. The Saudis have bombed it into the Stone Age, and I have yet to hear anyone in the White House or the Pentagon say there are no U.S. pilots in Saudi cockpits. Yemen already was the poorest country in the Middle East. U.S. involvement in the Yemen conflict also puts us right in the middle of the Sunni-Shiite conflict within Islam. There is just no reason in the world for us to be involved in an intra-Islamic conflict. The reason we are is American arms manufacturers’ commitments to after-purchase support of weapons they’ve sold to Saudi Arabia." In "Peace on Earth? Not until the U.S. stops selling arms and making war," by Daniel H. Simpson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via Voltaire.net, 4 January 2016.
Addendum of Raytheon, Boeing, General Dynamics and Lockheed-Martin: "The Saudi-led coalition, with American support, has been bombing Yemen with munitions made by US companies including Raytheon, Boeing, General Dynamics and Lockheed-Martin. They have purchased American smart bombs and missiles through US State Department-brokered deals for more than a decade. Following a Camp David summit in May 2015, the US approved a new sale of $1.29 billion in munitions to the Saudis intended to replace bombs already used in the Yemen War. It also approved a $380 million sale of guided bombs to the UAE." In "The US is dropping bombs quicker than it can make them," by Stephen Snyder, Global Post, 11 April 2016. [ 9 ]
Addendum of the British in the Same Racket: "Britain has licensed £2.8bn ($4bn) of weaponry sales to Saudi Arabia since it entered the Yemen war against the Houthi movement last March, and Parliament’s committee on arms export controls is investigating the commercial relationship amid calls that such sales are illegal under international law. The European Parliament called for an unprecedented arms embargo on Saudi Arabia until a proper investigation of alleged human rights breaches had been properly investigated." In "British soldiers training Saudi forces in cruise missile attacks," by Graeme Baker, Middle East Eye, 15 April 2016. [ 10 ]
Addendum of the Podesta Group and Saudi Arabia: "It’s been known for months that the Center for Studies and Media Affairs at the Saudi Royal Court, an arm of the Saudi regime, has been paying the Podesta Group to lobby lawmakers and federal agencies on its behalf. The Intercept reported the relationship last year. And The Hill reported on Tuesday that the Saudi government was paying the Beltway lobbyist $140,000 a month for its services. But documents recently published by the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act show that Clinton campaign financier Anthony Podesta is one of the several lobbyists at his firm personally handling the Saudi account." In "Hillary Clinton Campaign Bundler Is Directly Lobbying For Saudi Arabia," by Chuck Ross, Daily Caller, 20 April 2016. [ 11 ]
Addendum of the Obama Military Still Allied to Saudi Arabia: "The U.S. military has withdrawn from Saudi Arabia its personnel who were coordinating with the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen, and sharply reduced the number of staff elsewhere who were assisting in that planning, U.S. officials told Reuters. Fewer than five U.S. service people are now assigned full-time to the 'Joint Combined Planning Cell,' which was established last year to coordinate U.S. support, including air-to-air refueling of coalition jets and limited intelligence-sharing, Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey, a U.S. Navy spokesman in Bahrain, told Reuters." In "Exclusive: U.S. withdraws staff from Saudi Arabia dedicated to Yemen planning," by Phil Stewart, Reuters, 19 August 2016.
Addendum of Regime-Change Clinton: "Hillary Clinton’s support for 'regime change' in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Libya and Iran has rightly become an issue in the presidential campaign. Thousands of Americans died in the Iraq War, and many more were wounded. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Syrians have died and millions have been wounded or displaced; and President Obama has said specifically the 'mess' (or 'shit-show,' as Jeffrey Goldberg reported Obama's description) in Libya was his 'worst mistake,' in which Clinton played a decisive role. But Honduras should also be included on the list of Hillary Clinton’s 'regime change' operations that ruined a country and disgraced the U.S. in the region. In this case it was a democratic government that was overthrown, and the end result was an increase in violence and political repression." In "Hillary Clinton Needs to Answer for ‘Regime Change’ in Honduras," by Mark Weisbrot, Huffington Post, 13 April 2016. [ 12 ]
Addendum of the US State Department's Missiles to France: "France has received U.S. State Department approval for the purchase of additional Hellfire missiles through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. The new French request is specifically for an additional 200 Lockheed Martin AGM-114K1A Hellfire missiles, Hellfire missile conversion, blast fragmentation sleeves and installation kits, containers, and transportation. The total estimated cost of the deal is $30 million. ....The new missiles and equipment requested would be added to an earlier $42 million deal for 112 AGM-114K1A Hellfire missiles, 102 AGM-114N1A Hellfire missiles, 50 ATM-114Q1A Hellfire training missiles, plus other equipment. Some of the equipment has already been delivered to France." In "France approved for additional Hellfire missiles," by Richard Tomkins, UPI, 3 May 2016.
Addendum of the US/Lockheed Martin Missiles in Romania: "The US says the Aegis system is a shield to protect Nato countries from short and medium-range missiles, particularly from the Middle East. But Russia sees it as a security threat - a claim denied by Nato." In "US activates $800m missile shield base in Romania," BBC, 12 May 2016.
Addendum of US State Department's Military Aid to Egypt: "Since 2011, the US government has provided Egypt with more than USD 6.4 billion in military aid, used by the Egyptian government to purchase F-16 jets, Apache helicopters, tanks, explosives, and police equipment." In "US State Department Approves $143 Million Sale of Submarine Missiles to Egypt," Egyptian Streets, 18 May 2016.
Addendum of the Intentional False Impression: "... a false impression of a much smaller U.S. military footprint and national commitment. Whenever the White House and Pentagon announce how many troops will be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, they never mention how many contractors will be deployed alongside them. When journalists and analysts request information, officials and spokespersons seem to never have it on hand, and it’s difficult to later obtain accurate or updated estimates." In "The New Unknown Soldiers of Afghanistan and Iraq," Micah Zenko, Foreign Policy, 29 May 2015. [ 13 ]
Addendum of the Obama Administration's Largest Customer: "Saudi Arabia is America’s largest customer when it comes to military equipment. According to the Congressional Research Service, 'Between October 2010 and October 2014, Washington and Riyadh reached more than $90 billion in weapons deals,' the Washington Post noted. That’s a lot of freedom. The only problem is that Saudi Arabia doesn’t exactly support freedom. In fact, they actively suppress it. Poets, journalists, activists, and dissidents are actively persecuted in Saudi Arabia for opposing the monarchy. They are beheaded by the hundreds, flogged, and literally crucified publicly to set an example. Hell, even four of the country’s own princesses are locked in prison for advocating equal rights." In "3 Facts That Will Change Everything You Believe About U.S. Foreign Policy," by Nick Bernabe, Anti-Media, 27 May 2016. [ 14 ]
Addendum of the World on Fire, with Clinton’s Matchbox Left in Evidence: "At the basal level at which Hillary Clinton’s core support lives, dead babies in far off lands do not even register. A world on fire, with Clinton’s matchbox left in evidence, would be of no consequence to ultra-liberals bathing in their detestable form of freedom. To the Clinton supporter, Hillary is the smiling, friendly, neighborhood dope dealer. Every junkie happily turns over his morality, for another fix. But there’s enough proof, for those not yet hooked for life. The woman who would be president, she’s run by the elites for certain. Her opponent Bernie Sanders has told this, but America does not believe, or does not care one." In "Coronation of Malevolence: Hillary Clinton as President," by Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 24 June 2016. [ 15 ]
Addendum of Deaths of Hundreds of Thousands: "...as for US foreign policy: All the while the political elites of the US started to 'invite' the (third) world to come to the US, long before the same disastrous 'multicultural' policies were also adopted in Europe, the very same elites have pursued an aggressive policy of 'invade the world' and attacked, just in the most recent decades, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and spawning a wave of Islamist terrorism, mostly funded by Saudi Arabia, with whose political elites one entertains a most cordial relationship." Quote of Hans-Hermann Hoppe, in an interview in the Polish weekly Najwyższy Czas!, 17 July 2016.
Addendum of Obama's America Aiding and Abetting: "...Obama’s resolve to destroy Syria’s Assad. The American president was resolute, even if it meant arming America’s bitter enemy. In any other period in America’s history, an American president turning traitor would have been on every front page on this world. Barack Obama resended a law designed to prevent weapons being given to terrorists. In his efforts to arm Al Nusra (Al Qaeda), the president circumvented Congress. Another president might have been impeached for such a break with morality and law. But Obama’s team used a loophole to aid and abed the same people killing Europeans, Russians, Belgians, Americans and 100 nationalities around the world. It is vital that the people of the world come to terms with what I am saying here." In "An Ominous Truth: Obama’s America Stands for No One" by Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 19 July 2016. [ 16 ]
Addendum of the Lucrative War on Yemen: " Together with other watchdogs, including the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, it has documented the use of Western weaponry to hit scores of Yemeni markets, medical centres, warehouses, factories and mosques. One analyst alleges Western complicity in war crimes. The war in Yemen has certainly been lucrative. Since the bombardment began in March 2015, Saudi Arabia has spent £2.8 billion on British arms, making it Britain’s largest arms market, according to government figures analysed by Campaign Against Arms Trade. America supplies even more." In "The role of the West in Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen," The Economist, 26 July 2016.
Addendum of Germany in the Weapons Business Too: "In the first half of 2016, the government approved the export of just over €4 billion worth of weapons to other countries - a rise of over half a billion euros on the same period in 2015, newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday. The news comes after Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday that 2015 was a record-breaking year for weapons exports, despite assurances from Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel that he wanted to cut down on arms exports. Gabriel, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), is set to publish official figures on weapons exports on Wednesday." In "After record year, weapons sales rise again," TheLocal.de, 5 July 2016. [ 17 ]
Addendum of the Establishment's Cold War Continuation: "Get over the Cold War; it ended 25 years ago; instead, let’s rebuild America’s infrastructure, and focus national defense on the challenge of defeating jihadists and their ideology. However, America’s Establishment is invested in the Cold War, and they won’t feel that they have won that war until both Russia and China have become conquered by them — are controlled by them. That’s what the 2016 U.S. Presidential election will really be about. How would Americans feel if, 25 years after ending its NATO alliance, the Warsaw Pact continued, and were now massing its forces on America’s borders? Would that be “provocative”? Would we tolerate it? Huffington Post’s management apparently think that it’s what the U.S. government ought to be doing to Russia. America’s moving forces right up to Russia’s borders is happening right now, and how much opposition to that is there in America’s ‘free press’? This is Hillary Clinton’s campaign; it’s not journalism; it is propaganda. Maybe ‘Freedom House’ and the ‘National Endowment for Democracy’, would give it top marks — for herding ‘liberals’ into fascism." In "HuffPo Goes Haywire Against Russia, For Hillary," by Eric Zuesse, ZeroHedge, 18 August 2016. [ 18 ]
Addendum of Obama's African Drone Base: "U.S. military documents reveal new information about an American drone base under construction on the outskirts of the city. The long-planned project — considered the most important U.S. military construction effort in Africa, according to formerly secret files obtained by The Intercept through the Freedom of Information Act — is slated to cost $100 million, and is just one of a number of recent American military initiatives in the impoverished nation." In "U.S. Military Is Building a $100 Million Drone Base in Africa," by Nick Turse, Intercept, 29 September 2016.
Addendum of a Lone Democrat: "What Gabbard has proven is that foreign influence, combined with Saudi cash and the intelligence agencies of Israel and Turkey who have been 'honey-trapping' DC politicians for decades, rule America and control both major political parties. What she has also proven, a dark message indeed, is that America may well be the 'evil empire' that Reagan warned about, and may well have birthed into existence through Iran Contra and endless 'deal with the devil' decisions fed by his own lack of qualifications and real leadership. Suffice it to say that until America dispels the myth of Reagan and his blind belligerence, massive failure, massive corruption buried by fake history, America will only know war." In "The Strange Case of Tulsi Gabbard and other Tales of Terror," by Gordon Duff, New Eastern Outlook, 16 April 2017.
Consider the Consistency of One Party on War: A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement
NOTES
[ 1 ] The lyric referenced is "All we are saying is give peace a chance." In "Give Peace a Chance," John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), 1969. A search for war protest songs shows a marked fall-off in instances from the time of the Obama administration's ascendancy. This suggests the antiwar movement has been dulled -- or perhaps has dulled itself -- from times when another political party in power was in ascendancy.
Of the song one reads of the many celebrity voices who lent their sheen to the plea: "When asked by a reporter what he was trying to achieve by staying in bed, Lennon answered spontaneously "Just give peace a chance". He went on to say this several times during the Bed-In. Finally, on 1 June 1969, in Room 1742 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, André Perry recorded it using a simple setup of four microphones and a four-track tape recorder rented from a local recording studio. The recording session was attended by dozens of journalists and various celebrities, including Timothy Leary, Rabbi Abraham Feinberg, Joseph Schwartz, Rosemary Woodruff Leary, Petula Clark, Dick Gregory, Allen Ginsberg, Roger Scott, Murray the K and Derek Taylor, many of whom are mentioned in the lyrics. Lennon played acoustic guitar and was joined by Tommy Smothers of the Smothers Brothers, also on acoustic guitar." In "Give Peace a Chance," Wikipedia article, n. d.
A search for war protests in the current election year shows a similar marked fall-off in names. A skeptic is correct to wonder.
[ 2 ] The article notes the odd alliance between a supposed democracy -- the United States -- and tyrannies in the Arab world: "The State Department formally approved these arms sales even as many of the deals enhanced the military power of countries ruled by authoritarian regimes whose human rights abuses had been criticized by the department. Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar all donated to the Clinton Foundation and also gained State Department clearance to buy caches of American-made weapons even as the department singled them out for a range of alleged ills, from corruption to restrictions on civil liberties to violent crackdowns against political opponents."
Alliances with Authoritarian Regimes for Profit
One anti-war group has made some small buzz amid a field of surrounding silence, though their protest has not grown into a national movement: "On Christmas Eve in 2011, Hillary Clinton and her closest aides celebrated a $29.4 billion sale of over 80 F-15 fighter jets, manufactured by U.S.-based Boeing Corporation, to Saudi Arabia. In a chain of enthusiastic emails, an aide exclaimed that it was 'not a bad Christmas present'." In "Saudi's Exploding Christmas Gifts From Hillary Clinton," by Medea Benjamin, HuffPost Politics, 3 March 2016.
That article included a graphic of an American fighter plane with a big red bow. Not a bad Christmas present....
Another small voice amid much silence from the anti-war movement which had been so vociferous in other decades: "...a study of Clinton’s record paints a different picture. Donors from Saudi Arabia gave millions to the Clinton Foundation, a nonprofit operated by Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, despite Saudi Arabia’s appalling record on women’s rights. In return for their financial support, Hillary Clinton helped Saudi Arabia obtain billions in military equipment from the U.S." In "False Feminism: Hillary Clinton And Her Financial Backers Are No Friends To Women," by Kit O'Connell, Mint Press News, 26 June 2015.
Medea Benjamin noted the utterly opposite view from other governments, compared to the armament-enthused Clinton State Department: "While the U.S. government continues to provide massive amounts of weapons to Saudi, on February 25 the European Union took the extraordinary step of voting for an EU-wide arms embargo to Saudi Arabia; while non-binding, it is a powerful statement that will put pressure on all European governments."
As to the enormous sums of money passing between authoritarian regimes and the "charitable" Clinton Foundation with its first class salaries and first class perks and first class travel, Smedley Butler's work from 1935 suggest a corrective policy for the weapons manufacturers and politicians: "Let the workers in these plants get the same wages -- all the workers, all presidents, all executives, all directors, all managers, all bankers -- yes, and all generals and all admirals and all officers and all politicians and all government office holders -- everyone in the nation be restricted to a total monthly income not to exceed that paid to the soldier in the trenches! Let all these kings and tycoons and masters of business and all those workers in industry and all our senators and governors and majors pay half of their monthly $30 wage to their families and pay war risk insurance and buy Liberty Bonds. Why shouldn’t they? They aren’t running any risk of being killed or of having their bodies mangled or their minds shattered. They aren’t sleeping in muddy trenches. They aren’t hungry."
In the above tale and sourced materials telling of an American political administration, one sees the guiding principle is stark relief. It is the game -- Bring presents to the partyIn the case of the many presents brought to this political party, they greased weapons sales of billions in weapons for authoritarian regimes.
Interestingly and against the Clinton enthusiasm to encourage weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, one finds: "Lawmakers are calling on the White House to declassify more than two dozen pages in the 9/11 Commission report that they say outlines evidence for possible support from the Saudi government for two hijackers who settled in Southern California. A CBS News '60 Minutes' report quoted officials familiar with the 2003 report as saying 28 pages of redacted information raises questions over whether Saudi officials were involved in assisting Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar upon their arrival in Los Angeles in Jan. 2000. Former Democratic congressman and U.S. ambassador to India Tim Roemer told '60 Minutes' the two Saudi nationals found a way to gain access to housing and flight lessons upon their arrival despite 'extremely limited language skills and no experience with Western culture'." In " '60 MINUTES': Lawmakers Say Redacted Pages Of 9/11 Report Show Saudi Official Met Hijackers In LA," CBS News, 11 April 2016.
For the "priority" which the Obama administration, and particularly the State Department under Hillary Clinton placed on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, one learns this "customer" of the military-industrial complex has been enormously duplicitous.
One reads: "...Saudi Arabia has backed Islamabad’s promotion of the Taliban. Over the years, wealthy Saudi sheikhs and rich philanthropists have also stoked the war by privately financing the insurgents. All the while, Saudi Arabia has officially, if coolly, supported the American mission and the Afghan government and even secretly sued for peace in clandestine negotiations on their behalf. The contradictions are hardly accidental. Rather, they balance conflicting needs within the kingdom, pursued through both official policy and private initiative." In "Saudis Bankroll Taliban, Even as King Officially Supports Afghan Government," by Caroltta Gall, New York Times, 6 December 2016.
These are the actions of those "peace" Democrats who have been in power through 2016, and this is called democracy these days. Democracy is stupid
[ 3 ] It is for this reason the above quotes from Smedley comment on the notion that "war is a racket." For the one-time Secretary of State in the Obama administration, it has been demonstrated to be a very enriching racket.
For the political apologists who pretend that they oppose a previous administration's war stance while supporting the current administration's war stance, one only need review the phrase from the Mother Jones article above: "...a 143 percent increase over the same time frame under the Bush Administration." The same is true for the uses of drone warfare as for cross-border attacks in various nations around the world by the "war is a racket" profiteers.
Pay to Blow It Up and Pay to Rebuild It
But such a racket, greater under Obama than Bush ironically, remains about money. One reads from the era of the Bush administration: "Somebody's paying the corporations that destroyed Iraq and the corporations that are rebuilding it. They're getting paid by the American taxpayer in both cases. So we pay them to destroy the country, and then we pay them to rebuild it." In an interview of Noam Chomsky by David Barsamian on Alternative Radio, September 11, 2003.
Eleven years later and under the Obama administration during Clinton's time as Secretary of state, one finds Chomsky critique echoed: "The lack of oversight 'exposes the department to significant financial risk,' the auditor said. 'It creates conditions conducive to fraud, as corrupt individuals may attempt to conceal evidence of illicit behavior by omitting key documents from the contract file. It impairs the ability of the Department to take effective and timely action to protect its interests, and, in tum [sic], those of taxpayers.' In the memo, the IG detailed 'repeated examples of poor contract file administration.' For instance, a recent investigation of the closeout process for contracts supporting the mission in Iraq, showed that auditors couldn't find 33 of the 115 contract files totaling about $2.1 billion. Of the remaining 82 files, auditors said 48 contained insufficient documents required by federal law. In another instance, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement issued a $1 billion contract in Afghanistan that was deemed 'incomplete'." In "$6 Billion Goes Missing at State Department," by Brianna Ehley, Fiscal Times via Yahoo Finance, 4 April 2014.
Boom Years for Weapons Sale and Use
One also notes that cross-border attacks continue to occur under the Peace Prize President in his eighth year in office: "The U.S. military launched an air strike on Tuesday in the mountains of Yemen against a training camp run by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, killing dozens of its fighters, the Pentagon said. 'This strike deals a blow to AQAP's ability to use Yemen as a base for attacks that threaten U.S. persons, and it demonstrates our commitment to defeating al Qaeda and denying it safe haven,' Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said." In "U.S. strikes al Qaeda training camp in Yemen, killing dozens," Reuters, 23 March 2016. Taken along with the many other air strikes in against targets in many nations, the Obama administration may well be said to be making war around the world, using very expensive weaponry from arms manufacturers. Boom.
One finds influential Americans allied with a power elite who are participating in and seeking profits from war. One reads: "Soros Capital set up an offshore company in the Cayman Islands for the purpose of investing private equity with the Carlyle Group, alongside members of Saudi Arabia’s Bin Laden family. Carlyle’s partners include ex-heads of state and former CIA officials. The private equity partnership specializes in buying and selling weapons manufacturing and intelligence gathering companies with government and military contracts and it also uses secret offshore companies to conduct business." In "Panama Papers reveal George Soros' deep money ties to secretive weapons, intel investment firm," by Peter Byrne, FoxNews.com, 16 May 2016.
Illusion and Disconnect
War is a racket about money, irrespective of the party in power. One reads further: " 'Obama didn’t really promise anything. That’s mostly illusion,' confirmed Chomsky. 'You go back to the campaign rhetoric and take a look at it. There’s very little discussion of policy issues and for very good reason. Because public opinion on policy is sharply disconnected, from what the two party leaders and their financial backers want. Policy more and more is focused on the private interest that fund the campaigns with the public being marginalized'." In "Noam Chomsky on America's Political Corruption: Presidential Campaigns as Marketing Achievements, Policy plays only a small role in electing candidate," by Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet, 9 April 2016.
Lots of money is the tale of Peace Prize winner, as in the line of the many politicians who love armament and see that it is spent in many explosive ways. By way of comparison, one reads: "...most readers may not be aware of is how little of the total Federal budget is really spent on foreign aid. It may surprise you to know that less than 1% of taxpayer dollars are spent helping other nations. That means less than a penny buys all that 'freedom' and good will out there. By comparison we spend as much as 53 cents out of every dollar on the military. Nation of Change contends that 69 cents out of every dollar goes to the military." In "The Give and Take of the American Way," by Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 22 April 2016.
[ 4 ] "Let men die to make us rich" captures the Clinton time as Secretary of State, given the data above testifying to "a 143 percent increase over the same time frame under the Bush Administration," an administration which the Democrat Party easily portrays as warmongering.
There is irony in the fact that this notion of "harmonious Greed," capitalized while Twain uses the lower-case for Greed's "god," speaks from more than a century ago. The text was written thinking of the Philippine–American War (1899–1902) which the US won, and held until independence was granted under the Treaty of General Relations and Protocol (Treaty of Manila) of 1946.
The opening speaks clearly to that "harmonious Greed" and echoes the first verse of several: "Mine eyes have seen the orgy of the launching of the Sword; / He is searching out the hoardings where the stranger's wealth is stored; / He hath loosed his fateful lightnings, and with woe and death has scored; / His lust is marching on."
There can be no argument that the Clintons, alongside so many others who have spent their lives in politics and doing "charitable" things have become significantly wealthy in the process of selling something, whether it be access or the perception of access, of armaments and much more.
Alongside the wealth accumulation of politicians through things justified as "in the national interest" one finds a plethora of examples of simple, venal Corruption
For song settings of to some of Mark Twain's texts, click here
[ 5 ] Ignoring the political rhetoric which paints Republicans as the only warmongers, one finds validation enough that Democrats too are warmongers.
From 2014 which was in the fifth year of the Obama presidency and during Clinton's appointment as Secretary of State, one finds the American military testifying: "The nation's top military officer opened the door slightly today to the possibility of American troops accompanying Iraqi forces on the battlefield against ISIS if needed." In "US Troops Could Fight ISIS in Iraq, General Tells Senate," by Luis Martinez, ABC News, 16 September 2014.
Into Iraq, Out of Iraq and Back Into Iraq
By 2015 and after the Obama administration's massive withdrawal of troops from Iraq, one reads: "Colonel Schwemmer said he was stunned at the state in which he found the Iraqi soldiers when he arrived here. 'It's pretty incredible,' he said. 'I was kind of surprised. What training did they have after we left?' Apparently, not much. The current, woeful state of the Iraqi military raises the question not so much of whether the Americans left too soon, but whether a new round of deployments for training will have any more effect than the last." In "U.S. Soldiers, Back in Iraq, Find Security Forces in Disrepair," by Rod Nordland, New York Times, 14 April 2015.
By 2016, one reads of "boots on the ground" again: "Today, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren admitted the figure was 'well above 4,000.' How far above isn’t exactly clear, but Col. Warren was asked about a recent Daily Beast report which put the figure at 4,450, and would only say he wasn’t 'going to dispute' that number." In "Pentagon Admits: ‘Well Above 4,000’ US Troops in Iraq , US Military Far Exceeds Agreement With Iraq on Max Deployments," by Jason Ditz, Antiwar.com, 3 Feruary 2016.
The withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan under the current Commander-in-Chief in his eighth year is also being walked back. One reads: "Faced with the possible collapse of the Afghan Army and police in Helmand, the Pentagon began ratcheting up the role of American Special Operations forces there last autumn, stepping up air attacks and putting more advisers on the ground. One American was killed and two were wounded there in early January as Afghan and American troops sought to break a Taliban encirclement of the Marja district. Some Afghan officials have advocated a bigger role for American troops for months." In "U.S. to Send More Troops to Aid Afghan Forces Pressed by Taliban," by David Jolly, New York Times, 9 February 2016.
The article ends with an interesting assertion echoing what Obama as a first-time presidential candidate used against the Bush administration. One notes: "Aimal Faizi, who was a spokesman for former President Hamid Karzai, said that sending more American troops to Helmand again would be a return to an 'ill-advised' military strategy that failed to 'fight the roots of terrorism.' Mr. Faizi added: 'After 15 years of failed military operations, killings and destruction in Helmand, it is also right to worry that the local people in Helmand will no more see the Americans as a liberating force but an occupying force this time. It is all very unfortunate'."
So does the timeframe of fifteen years define a quagmire?" Or does it define another opportunity to employ more US weaponry, as proven above in many instances, which will profit some "war is a racket" Americans? One would do well to consider the Janus-faced, sourced details in Nobel for Today
In spite of the politics of the moment, apparently there are no wizards, just the pretense of them.
[ 6 ] In addition to US strikes in the four nations of Yemen (as above), Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, one finds Libya and Somalia as well. One reads: "Crippling al-Shabab is top of a recently-announced US military strategy for Africa, which also includes addressing the situation in Libya and containing Boko Haram in West Africa. With drones from its nearby bases in neighbouring Djibouti, the US has succeeded in striking hard at the heart of al-Shabab operations, including killing Ahmed Godane, the leader of the jihadi group, in 2014." In "US air strike ‘kills 150 Somali militants’," Maritime First, Nigeria, 8 March 2016.
Adding to the list is Yemen via the Obama administration's alliance with Saudi Arabia: "The top United Nations human rights official has condemned the US-backed, Saudi-led coalition waging war in Yemen for repeatedly attacking civilian targets and killing large numbers of innocent people—including 119 at a busy village market in Hajja province on Tuesday." In "US-Backed Saudi Air Strikes on Yemen Market Kills 119 Civilians," by Brett Wilkins, Moral Low Ground, 20 March 2016.
One then returns to Clinton's "top priority" for encouraging and approving billions in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, as well as the many ongoing wars of the Peace Prize president and his ex-Secretary of State.
[ 7 ] The article pointedly and accurately noted that since "...2009, Obama has adopted the notion of a global war against al-Qaeda and associates; he expanded the legal basis of that war to include ISIS; he embraced military detention without trial, military commissions, state secrets and large-scale secret surveillance; and he ramped up drone strikes, deployment of Special Forces and cyberattacks."
Hundred of Obama's Drone-Fired Missiles
One reads also: "At the time the guidelines were written, drone-fired missiles appeared to have become Obama’s counterterrorism weapon of choice. By early 2013, he had launched hundreds of strikes, most of them in Pakistan, compared with around 50 throughout the Bush administration. " In "The foggy numbers of Obama’s wars and non-wars," by Karen DeYoung, Washington Post, 22 May 2016.
It is darkly ironic that while so many term Bush's adventure in Iraq a mistake, the withdrawal too has proven a follow-on mistake as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant -- ISIS -- has become the Obama administration's legacy, alongside what Time Magazine notes is "the notion of a global war." Bush's wars are now most certainly continuations and therefore Obama's wars as well.
"Anti-war folks, dumb, / Silent, absent, glum, / Make no protest, chum, / Their passion just grows numb."
[ 8 ] The Clinton and Obama administrations (with a Clinton as Obama's Secretary of State) share with the Bush administration (with Clinton as a United States senator from New York in that era) a demonstrable devotion to selling and using arms around the world, validating Alinsky's assertion that the United States is a worldwide symbol of "military force." That Clinton as a student wrote a thesis on Alinksy does not suggest she learned his moral lesson, but rather has shown an inversion of it.
Even Alinsky would agree that Democracy is radical
[ 9 ] In addition to mentioning the larger American manufacturers of munitions, the article notes that these sales to the "Saudi-led coalition: have been handled "through US State Department-brokered deals for more than a decade," That encompasses the entire Obama presidency as well as the terms of Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry. War is a racket, it has been argued, and these politicians are demonstrably a part of that racket.
Expending Munitions Faster Than We Can Replenish Them
The article notes of the administration of the so-called "peace president" and his administration and State Department's leadership: " 'We're expending munitions faster than we can replenish them,' USA Today quoted Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh as saying in December. Since then Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has asked Congress to include funding for 45,000 smart bombs in the Defense Department’s 2017 budget. But it could take a while to rebuild the stockpile. 'The US maintains a pretty steady inventory of bombs and missiles for full-on war scenarios,' says Roman Schweizer, aerospace and defense policy analyst at Guggenheim Securities in Washington. 'But 2 1/2 years of fighting ISIS and continued bombing in Afghanistan have exceeded weapons-use projections'."
Boom, as one thinks of the farce which is a Nobel for Today
[ 10 ] All the while the Obama-Clinton State Department sanctioned war materials for Saudi Arabia, they were also buying from Great Britain 'amid calls that such sales are illegal under international [ and European Union ] law."
Of one British weapon system, one learns: "Storm Shadow is a long-range, stand-off, air-launched missile and is arguably the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world. The missile is equipped with a powerful UK-developed conventional warhead and is designed to attack important hardened targets and infrastructure such as buried and protected command centres. Mission and target data is loaded into the weapon’s main computer before the aircraft leaves on its mission. After release, the wings deploy and the weapon navigates its way to the target at low level using terrain profile matching and an integrated Global Positioning System (GPS)." Royal Air Force, UK, website n. d.
The British and French Booms
Sales of $4 billion from Great Britain most recently and, as noted above in only a two year period, sales of "$165 billion in commercial arms sales to 20 nations that had donated to the foundation, plus another $151 billion worth of Pentagon-brokered arms deals to 16 of those countries."
Australia is in the picture as well, as one learns: "Australia could become the first foreign nation to buy the radar-guided Raytheon AIM-120D air-to-air missile under a $1.1 billion foreign military sales package approved by the US government this week." In "Australia seeks DOD's newest air-to-air missile, the AIM-120D," by James Drew, Flight Global, 25 April 2016.
How many billions in armament sales coupled to the US under a president awarded a Nobel Peace Prize who is authorizing "expending munitions faster than we can replenish them" will be noticed by the antiwar crowd in the United States which so loudly bemoaned a previous president's administration for making war?
In the eighth year of the Obama administration, war is indeed a racket. Bigger than ever.
In this, the French government under Socialist Hollande are into the racket as well. One reads: "When soft-spoken François Hollande came to power in 2012, ending France's 17-year wait for a left- wing leader, few could have foreseen his metamorphosis into one of the most bellicose French presidents in modern history – one who would order military interventions in a range of African and Middle Eastern theatres. Nor was his reserved, bespectacled defence minister, a former professor and school inspector, expected to become the country’s most accomplished arms dealer. Jean-Yves Le Drian’s flair as a salesman was once again on display this week as it emerged France had beaten Japan and Germany to one of the world's most lucrative defence contracts: a €34 billion deal to build a fleet of 12 Barracuda-class submarines for Australia." In "France's salesman: The quiet minister who sold billions in subs and jets," by Benjamin Dodman, France 24, 28 April 2016.
It would be sensible to notice that the "power elite" on the Left are "bellicose," as noted Dodman. The Left's pretense of being anti-war seems to loom largest when other than the political Left is in office, and self-dilutes to a whisper in the media when in power. This is not perception, but the reality of a world in which "war is a racket."
Evidence of the sheer size and scope of this racket emerges: "Oxfam argues that the UK has switched from being an 'enthusiastic backer' of the Arms Trade Treaty to 'one of the most significant violators'. Only last year, the British government approved 4 billion dollars worth of arms to Saudi Arabia. In comparison, the United States approved 5 billion dollars worth and France almost 18 billion. The Arms Trade Treaty adopted in 2014 sets a set of standards for arms exports, including the prohibition of exports of conventional arms in violation of the existing embargos and sanctions, while banning those." In "Western Arms Dealers Are Behind the Mounting Death Toll in Yemen," by Jean Perier, New Eastern Outlook, 15 September 2016.
[ 11 ] As with the "lobbyist" Podesta group receiving "$140,000 a month" from weapons buyer Saudi Arabia to lobby the US government, one learns that Mrs. Clinton has had "...earnings of more than $21.6 million from such a wide range of interest groups could affect public confidence in her proclaimed independence. 'The problem is whether all these interests who paid her to appear before them will expect to have special access when they have an issue before the government,' said Lawrence M. Noble, general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based election watchdog group." In "Firms that paid for Clinton speeches have US gov't interests," by Stephen Braun, Associated Press, 21 April 2016.
Politicians have always palmed "donations" all the while declaring that there was never and would not be a "quid pro quo." Then why the hugs sums of money, one asks? Might one call it a Quid pro quote
Power and wealth has always sought political connections and leverage, which explains why one finds so much Corruption
[ 12 ] It is worth repeating that Clinton's "office" was involved in "a democratic government that was overthrown, and the end result was an increase in violence and political repression."
Arab Spring and Governments Fall
One finds support for this conclusion: "Hillary Clinton was serving as US Secretary of State both during and in the lead up to the Arab Spring. She even attended via teleconference one of these 'technology meetings' briefly mentioned by the New York Times. Also attending the meetings were actually staff from the US State Department and various staff from both Google and Facebook. Also in attendance were members of the US media. In other words, the event was not sponsored by the US government and these two tech-giants, it was organized and conducted by them as well. Their event program (PDF) makes this abundantly clear. The purpose was clearly to create a unified network combining the US State Department’s direction, the tech-giant’s technical capabilities, and influence of the US media together to overwhelm the information space when finally the time came for the Arab Spring to unfold. And overwhelm it did. The governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya fell, with violence and even war breaking out in the latter three, while Syria to this day remains engulfed in violence that began in the wake of the 2011 operation. More recently, e-mails leaked from then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reveal further details on just how close the tech-giants work with the government. Some could even say they are an extension of the government." In "The Lingering Danger of Google & Facebook," by Ulson Gunnar, Journal-NEO, 30 April 2016.
It as worth noting Clinton's involvement in being Oh so kind
[ 13 ] Zenko notes "The reason Obama and politicians on Capitol Hill never mention the number of contractors deployed alongside service members to war zones today, or recognize the vital role that they play, is that they simply do not want U.S. citizens to know about them. If the American people were actually aware, then perhaps they would better comprehend the full extent of the military involvement in the ongoing wars."
Pictures and Impressions
As to the full extent being intentionally obscured by Washington DC and its current president with a Nobel Peace Prize, one finds such political and administrative obscurity. "It’s difficult to give a full picture of the number of troops serving overseas. According to the latest quarterly Department of Defense data on active duty, there are currently 150,560 U.S. military personnel serving in foreign countries. But that number excludes countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Syria as the U.S. doesn’t break down numbers of military personnel in many countries in the Middle East due to host nation sensitivities. There are currently about 35,000 troops serving in the 20 nations in the Middle East region that make up the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, according to Commander Elissa Smith, press officer for the Middle East at the Office of the Secretary of Defense. About 3,200 of those U.S. forces are in Iraq." In "This Graphic Shows Where U.S. Troops Are Stationed Around the World," by Julia Zorthian and Heather Jones, 16 October 2015.
The Nobel Peace Prize no longer has any meaning, having been eroded over the years by political thinking obscuring what "peace" means. Today is means "a false impression" and in this latest US administration fully eight wars of "permanent war," in which those operating, supporting and assisting in the ongoing wars are rewarded in many ways to continue the "peace."
Below is a photo of Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland presenting Barack Obama with the Nobel Prize medal and diploma during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Raadhuset Main Hall at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, 10 December 2009, placed in the proper context.
Consider the Nobel for Today
[ 14 ] The second largest customer is the United Arab Emirates, and the third is Turkey. The article notes: "It seems, more often than not, America supports and arms the wrong sides of conflicts and undemocratic dictatorial regimes friendly to U.S. economic interests. A recent study showed nations are 100 times more likely to intervene in foreign conflicts if a country is rich in resources, and the U.S. is by and large the biggest exporter of “democracy” — and arms — to oil-rich regions."
The aggregation of details about the Obama administration -- including Secretary of State Kerry and ex-Secretary of State Clinton -- is that they pose as "peaceniks" for the press, but openly operate as purveyors of weapons to much of the world. In this they are not alone, as Europe's armament juggernaut works alongside, most profitably.
As numbers are tallied, one learns: "The Obama administration has approved more than $278 billion in foreign arms sales in its eight years, more than double the total of the previous administration, according to figures released by the Pentagon on Tuesday. Many of the approved deals — most but hardly all of which have become actual sales — have been to Mideast nations, including key allies in the campaign against Islamic State militants and countries that have been building up their defenses in fear of a nuclear Iran. Saudi Arabia has been the largest recipient, reaping prospective deals worth more than $115 billion, according to notices announcing the deals that were sent to Congress for approval." In "Obama’s Final Arms-Export Tally More than Doubles Bush’s," by Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One, 8 November 2016.
Boom! Count the profits! Boom!
[ 15 ] One reads clearly of "Hillary's war": "Clinton acknowledged that history’s verdict on the Libyan intervention was far from assured and said that NATO’s formula for aiding a popular uprising against a dictatorship may not be easily applied elsewhere. 'We need to assess where we are, what we accomplished together, what the costs were, 'Clinton said. Meanwhile, she said, 'we do have to be more agile and flexible in dealing with a lot of the challenges we face, and we should be unembarrassed about that'." In "Hillary’s war: How conviction replaced skepticism in Libya intervention," by Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 30 October 2011.
Hillary War Hawk
This "Hillary's war" during the Obama administration era began with Clinton's bragging rights shown for the world to see, as one reads: " 'We came, we saw, he died!' she exclaimed. Two days before, Mrs. Clinton had taken a triumphal tour of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and for weeks top aides had been circulating a 'ticktock' that described her starring role in the events that had led to this moment. The timeline, her top policy aide, Jake Sullivan, wrote, demonstrated Mrs. Clinton’s 'leadership/ownership/stewardship of this country’s Libya policy from start to finish.' The memo’s language put her at the center of everything: 'HRC announces … HRC directs … HRC travels … HRC engages,' it read." In "A New Libya, With 'Very Little Time Left'," by Scott Shane and Jo Becker, New York Times, 27 February 2016.
But the article from 2016 speaks of a "new Libya, with very little time left." Why? From the article: "Islamists were moving aggressively to seize power, and members of the anti-Qaddafi coalition, notably Qatar, were financing them."
The article also noted oddly: "...Mrs. Clinton would be mostly a bystander as the country dissolved into chaos, leading to a civil war that would destabilize the region, fueling the refugee crisis in Europe and allowing the Islamic State to establish a Libyan haven that the United States is now desperately trying to contain. 'Nobody will say it's too late. No one wants to say it,' said Mahmud Shammam, who served as chief spokesman for the interim government. 'But I'm afraid there is very little time left for Libya'."
One follows "We came, we saw, he died" with "HRC directs" followed with "mostly a bystander" with "allowing the Islamic State to establish a Libyan haven." Such is the effect of warmongering, as Western antiwar voices remain mostly silent.
' The Clinton "matchbox" at the scene of the Libyan mess, as Butler wrote, is documented. Sadly, as "of February 2015, damage and disorder from the war has been considerable. There are frequent electric outages, little business activity, and a loss in revenues from oil by 90%. Over 4,000 people have died from the fighting, and some sources claim nearly a third of the country’s population has fled to Tunisia as refugees." In "Libyan Civil War (2014-present)," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Additionally, one reads: "The Libyan crisis refers to the ongoing conflict in Libya, beginning with the Arab Spring protests of 2011, which led to the First Libyan Civil War, foreign military intervention, and the ousting and death of Muammar Gaddafi. The civil war's aftermath led to violence and instability across the country, which erupted into renewed civil war in 2014. The ongoing crisis in Libya has so far resulted in tens of thousands of casualties since the onset of violence in early 2011. During both civil wars, the output of Libya's economically crucial oil industry collapsed to a small fraction of its usual level, with most facilities blockaded or damaged by rival groups. U.S. President Barack Obama admitted on 11 April 2016 that not preparing for a post-Gaddafi Libya was probably the 'worst mistake' of his presidency." In "Libyan Crisis (2011–present)," Wikipedia article, n. d.
Consider the valid admission of Failing to plan
From basic, sourced citations, the picture constructed is one of warmongering and a "worst mistake" from the Clinton-Obama State Department," which cried aloud by pride: "We came, we saw, he died"
The results of this American "liberal" meddling are quite the parallel of the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions under the previous Bush administration, as war has been pursued consistently for fifteen years, and the once proud voices of an American antiwar tradition are mute, as war rages courtesy of at least one an admitted "mistake."
Clinton's Actual Record of Support for War, War and More War
A figure in the antiwar movement during the Bush years notes that the antiwar movement has been severely dulled during the administration of the warring "Peace Prize" president, and during the candidacy of Clinton as Democrat nominee to replace a warfare president. One reads: "Since Bush has left office (in the orderly and lawful way, not in handcuffs) and we're almost through with the two-terms of the current War President, I almost feel sorry for Bush. (Almost, I said). Where's the outcry against Obama's wars? The occupy movement did not address these issues. I have tried to hold three protest camps since Obama has been president. Instead of thousands of people, there were tens in attendance. The current POTUS electoral circus we find ourselves in is interesting only for the fact that this is truly the weirdest election I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. While Donald Trump’s rhetoric is being scrutinized and analyzed, Hillary Clinton’s actual record of support for war, war, and more war, has been sanitized." In "I Led The Anti-War Movement Against George W. Bush 11 Years Ago. Hillary Clinton Is Hardly Better," by Cindy Sheehan, Independent Journal Review, 30 August 2016.
Sheehan's observation in 2016 is a condemnation of the mainstream media which has turned a blind eye to eight years of war and the opening of new battlegrounds by Obama, and followed this by ignoring the lengthy record of a presidential candidate whose roles as senator and Secretary of State demonstrates an enthusiasm for war and the military-industrial complex.
Complicity in Weaponizing
To be sure, "Hillary's war" rages on, as do George's and Barak's. The munitions manufacturers and war profiteers are ecstatic. Among reports of American companies selling to various sides in military conflicts, one reads further: "Boeing’s decision to sell aircraft to Iran has been heavily criticized. Reps. Peter Roskam (R – Ill.) and Jeb Hensarling (R – Texas) sent a letter to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg last week arguing that 'American companies should not be complicit in weaponizing the Iranian Regime.' Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, warned that Iran’s history of using civilian aircraft for military purposes could make Boeing complicit in Iran’s support for Assad, including the regime’s war crimes. If the plane sales are determined to have aided the abuses of the Assad regime, the company could become subject to sanctions." In "Diplomat Who Pushed for Iran Deal Failed to Disclose Payments from Boeing, Which Made $25B," The Tower, 23 June 2016.
One may correctly conclude that it is all about money, money and money, as Grease
[ 16 ] These many sourced citations should coalesce to a clarity. "War is a racket," and the "peace prize" Obama presidency and his administration are deeply invested in that racket, as is the presumed Democrat Party candidate for a next American presidency. But let there be no mistake. This racket is ongoing.
Butler rightly yet tragically observes: "What is significant here is the utter abuse of power we see. With the solution to the 'terror' situation so close at hand, America’s leadership persists in failed world policy. Nice streets run red with innocent blood because American, British, French and Russian jets did not unleash hell onto the barren deserts of Syria. The enemy was not hidden. ISIL oil tankers were bumper to bumper, carrying stolen oil to Turkey, then Israel, and on to Europe. America’s policy of overthrow, is more important than innocent lives. This is now irrefutable. America is not for anyone, she is against everyone, and I challenge anyone to argue otherwise. You cannot name any nation better off today, because of the policies of Barack Obama. Not even America."
Obama's Tenure Fraught With War
While such an opinion might seem harsh, Associated Press cannot fail to note a glaring truth which all the layers of political blather cannot obscure. One reads: "He is the erstwhile anti-war candidate, now engaged in more theaters of war than his predecessor. He is the commander-in-chief who pulled more than a hundred thousand U.S. troops out of harm's way in Iraq, but also began a slow trickle back in. He recoiled against full-scale, conventional war, while embracing the brave new world of drone attacks. He has championed diplomacy on climate change, nuclear proliferation and has torn down walls to Cuba and Myanmar, but failed repeatedly to broker a lasting pause to more than six years of slaughter in Syria." In "Once lauded as a peacemaker, Obama's tenure fraught with war," by Kathleen Hennessey, Associated Press, 6 October 2016.
Even Obama's admission is fraught with adventurist, militarist hubris in his own Failing to plan
.
"War is a racket," wrote another Butler in 1935, and the Obama regime and his political party is currently in charge of that racket. The once rowdy voices of America's pretend antiwar movement are mostly silent, because Democrats and not Republicans are operating the same racket, but on an even larger scale. Apparently the antiwar movement in America is political theater, currently not playing.
What is playing has been noticed by some commentators. One writes: "... the only single common denominator shared by all of these nations, including Syria, is the fact that each has been targeted for regime change, division, and destruction by Washington – primarily through the use of US-backed armed proxies aligned with Al Qaeda. Ironically, it would be the dismantling of the regime on Wall Street and in Washington that would do infinitely more to undermine the viability of Al Qaeda than yet another toppled government and subsequent power vacuum in the Middle East." In "Syria’s “Moderate Rebels” are not Moderate, not Rebels," by Tony Cartalucci, New Eastern Outlook, 17 July 2016.
Given the Obama administration's record of war making without stop, indeed Smedley Butler's assertion that "war is a racket" could be amended to "war is Obama's racket," and Phil Butler's challenge stands, unanswered. "You cannot name any nation better off today, because of the policies of Barack Obama. Not even America."
The clarity of a questions burns without answer by mainstream American media as by the major political parties and their elite: "On a personal level, I would just like to hear the justification for all this killing. One TOW missile costs $60,000 dollars, or enough to buy a homeless family a nice small home in America. I think America at peace would help Americans a lot more than war. What do you think?" In "Aleppo: The Reality Is Not Good News for Americans," Phil Butler, New Eastern Outlook, 12 August 2016.
In addition to the massive waste of monies from the public treasury, the deeply tragic irony is that black American president through admittedly "failing to have a plan" is among chief among those responsible for the recurrence of Africans being sold into slavery.
One reads: "Migrants from West Africa are being openly traded in 'public slave markets' across Libya. As a departure point for refugees trying to get to Europe, migrants arriving in Libya from sub-Saharan Africa are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of money and little in the way of documentation." In "Migrants are being sold at open slave markets in Libya," by Brendan Cole, IBTimes UK, 11 April 2017.
[ 17 ] The Envoi
The report of German weapons sales is quite like the weapons sales, which accelerated under the Obama administration and its Secretary of State Clinton, of the US. The Local reports: "Of the €4 billion in exports that have so far been approved this year, €1.7 billion were sent to states in the Middle East and North Africa, including the delivery of a €1 billion frigate to Algeria."
As with the imagery of Secretary of State Clinton with Saudi officials and the details of massive weapons sales to Middle East nations, the conclusion should be inescapable. "War is a racket," and it is being supplied by nations and political parties in the United States, Britain, Germany and France which pretend to have a sincere interest in peace. Boom. Ka-ching.
[ 18 ] It is instructive to observe what the article charges -- that so-called liberalism or progressivism today has morphed into support for aggressive imperial dreams and war profiteering, with the single caveat that liberals or progressives remain in elected offices. As both this rhyme and its supporting addenda and footnotes and the original point to, the once "liberal" antiwar position is no antiwar stance for the most part, but a partisan ploy trotted out to support one party over another. Did Bush begin wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside coalition partners? Yes. Were the protestors out and seen in Western media? Yes, until another party took office. Where are the united voices against war today, as Obama opens fronts in Syria, Libya and elsewhere?
The article correctly asks: "...how much opposition to that is there in America’s ‘free press’? This is Hillary Clinton’s campaign; it’s not journalism; it is propaganda. Maybe ‘Freedom House’ and the ‘National Endowment for Democracy’, would give it top marks — for herding ‘liberals’ into fascism."
The 2016 Democrat Candidate of the War Machine
Yet not all Huffington Post writers are rubber-stamping Clinton and war. One reads: "It is hard to know the roots of this record of disaster. Is it chronically bad judgment? Is it her preternatural faith in the lying machine of the CIA? Is it a repeated attempt to show that as a Democrat she would be more hawkish than the Republicans? Is it to satisfy her hardline campaign financiers? Who knows? Maybe it’s all of the above. But whatever the reasons, hers is a record of disaster. Perhaps more than any other person, Hillary can lay claim to having stoked the violence that stretches from West Africa to Central Asia and that threatens US security." In "Hillary Is the Candidate of the War Machine," by Jeffrey Sachs, Huffington Post, 5 February 2016.
This assertion is worth highlighting. "Hillary Is the Candidate of the War Machine."
American Democrats today have become the greatest supporters of war as a racket. Their racket, this time around.
As a racket, one finds Democrats protecting it. After Sachs identifies Clinton as the candidate of the war machine, a legal event has taken place. One reads of an arms dealer: "Turi's plan was to have the U.S. government supply conventional weapons to the Gulf nations Qatar and UAE, which would then in turn supply them to Libya. But Turi says he never sold any weapons, and he was cut out of the plan. Working with CIA, Turi said Clinton's State Department had the lead and used its own people, with weapons flowing to Libya and Syria. 'Some (weapons) may have went out under control that we had with our personnel over there and the others went to these militia. That's how they lost control over it,' Turi said. 'I can assure you that these operations did take place and those weapons did go in different directions.' Asked by Fox News who got the weapons -- Al Qaeda, Ansar al-Sharia, or ISIS -- Turi said: 'All of them, all of them, all of them'." In "Arms dealer says administration made him scapegoat on Libya operation to 'protect' Clinton," by Catherine Herridge and Pamela K. Browne, Fox News, 12 October 2016.
n
From the W. W. Denslow illustration, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
There simply are not wizards
Behind emerald cities' gates;
Within such stories so well loved
Are the falsehood, as each states.
There are no bottled genies
Though the myths so captivate;
Rub some lamps with all one's might
But the genies ever hibernate.
There are no leaders to lead a way
To the perfection of this world;
The tales of history teach us
Such leaders' dreams have whirled...
...worlds to war and war again,
To crises and collapse,
For all such dreams are falsehoods
Spun bright by lying chaps.
No wizards, genies, leaders,
No truth to what is told,
And yet mankind is lured
To the same old fate, foretold.
Perfection is a dream at best
In the lure of saviors' plans;
The promised heaven here on earth
Turns hellish through its fans.
Envoi: " 'Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there are no witches left; nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us.' 'Who are the Wizards?' asked Dorothy. " 'Oz himself is the Great Wizard,' answered the Witch, sinking her voice to a whisper. 'He is more powerful than all the rest of us together. He lives in the City of Emeralds'." In Frank L. Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," 1900. [ 1 ]
Addendum of a Talent for Magnetism and Mass Leadership: "From the first he set out to create a mass movement, whose mystique and force would be sufficient to bind its members in loyalty to him. He engaged in unrelenting propaganda through the party newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter ('Ppular Observer,' acquired in 1920), and through a succession of meetings, rapidly growing from audiences of a handful to thousands, where he developed his unique talent for magnetism and mass leadership." "Adolf Hitler," posted to "Why We Go to War," John K. Setear, University of Virginia Law School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 1994-1999.
Addendum of When We Think of Great Leaders: "When we think of great leaders, certain characteristics come to mind. We think of a capacity to inspire, to define and chart the direction of the country. We think of political figures with personal magnetism and oratorical skills." In "Stephen Harper: the tactics, the leadership," by Lawrence Martin, Globe and Mail, 13 March 2009.
Addendum of Charisma Getting a Bad Rap: "Charisma has been getting a bad rap recently. The trend among leadership gurus is to discredit the 'great man' theory of leadership (there aren’t enough women leaders yet for a “great woman” theory to discredit), and emphasize instead the ideas of multiple leaders, followership, distributed leadership, and teams. It is true that no single individual succeeds by himself or herself. Even so-called 'water walkers' (named after a religious figure, and one of my favorite images from my book Confidence) have stones holding them up while they walk on the water — that is, support systems just below the surface. It is also true that the religious tinge associated with charisma conjures up images of blind faith, whether leading people to drink the lethal kool-aid or invoking the false hope that a new CEO can rescue a failing corporation all by herself." In "Why You Need Charisma," by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School, 11 September 2012. [ 2 ]
Addendum: "…barbarism is never finally defeated… Unremitting effort is needed to keep men living together at peace; there is only a margin of energy left over for experiments, however beneficent. Once the prisons of the mind have been opened, the orgy is on…" From Waugh's postscript to "Robbery Under Law: The Mexican Object Lesson," 1939. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Believing in the Jinn: "Sahih International: And the jinn We created before from scorching fire." Chapter (15) sūrat l-ḥij'r (The Rocky Tract), verse 27. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Believing in the Central Bank Wizards: " 'We're all going to pay a horrible price for the incompetence of these central bankers,' he said Monday in a TV interview with CNNMoney's Nina dos Santos. 'We got a bunch of academics and bureaucrats who don't have a clue what they're doing'." The Singapore-based American investor said central bankers are doing everything they can to prop up financial markets, but it's all for naught'." In "Central bankers 'don't have a clue' - Jim Rogers," by Alanna Petroff, CNN, 15 February 2016.
Addendum of the "Wizard Did It" Story Line: "When your job is explaining world events, irrational phenomena lie fundamentally outside your brief. Explaining things with, 'Well, people are angry!' is like surrender; it’s explaining badly resolved story lines in a TV show with, 'A wizard did it.' Journalists learn to see the world in terms of the push/pull of conflicting ideologies and the necessary stratagems within a needlessly complicated governmental system; they’re necessarily going seek their explanations for seeming irrationality in the more elegant realms of philosophy and economics and political science. Doing so fails them all the time." In "Trump's victories aren't mysterious if you understand why people are angry," by Jeb Lund, Manchester Guardian, 24 February 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of Chicago Financial Wizards Squandering Money: "A real estate venture created by President Barack Obama’s onetime boss and a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley squandered $68 million it was given to invest on behalf of pension plans for Chicago teachers, cops, city employees and transit workers, a Chicago Sun-Times investigation has found. The five public pension funds haven’t made a dime on the investments they made nearly a decade ago with DV Urban Realty Partners, a company created by Obama’s ex-boss Allison S. Davis and Daley nephew Robert G. Vanecko, records show." In "Pension funds lost millions on deals with Daley nephew, Obama pal," by Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, 27 February 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of No Wizards in Puerto Rico: "The missed debt payment Monday is on bonds issued by the Government Development Bank, the economic development arm of the island's government. The big fear is that Puerto Rico will default on what is known as General Obligation debt in July. Puerto Rico owes $1.9 billion on July 1. 'Our resources are so scarce that we are struggling to pay the fuel supplier for the police patrol cars and emergency response vehicles,' Governor Garcia Padilla says." In "Puerto Rico defaults on $422 million," by Heather Long, CNN, 2 May 2016.
NOTES
[ 1 ] The notion that "in the civilized countries" such creatures are not found is part of the fiction, as the author places these words in the mouth of the Witch of the North. And yet other far more sinister stories may be drawn from the realities of some "civilized countries," as one reads in rhyme and with annotations the promise: I'm gonna guide you to the promised land
Another tale worth retelling is the non-fiction of those who Fled from empty market shelves
The Liar Might Become Angry
As to the "wonderful" Wizard of Oz as a character in the famous children's story, one recalls his outright lie, with the purpose of concealing his true identity: "It has been many years since anyone asked me to see Oz," he said, shaking his head in perplexity. "He is powerful and terrible, and if you come on an idle or foolish errand to bother the wise reflections of the Great Wizard, he might be angry and destroy you all in an instant."
One might compare and contrast this overt lie in a beloved fiction to a truth about lies, through another rhyme with addenda: Lying continues
The truth of the Wizard of Oz is that same truth as uttered by a major European politician: If it's serious, you lie
All then that is necessary "in the civilized countries" is for lying "wizards" to convince an electorate to believe in lies. Quite like the "wonderful" Wizard of Oz who was not a wizard after all, but a well-meaning liar exposed for what he was.
[ 2 ] The sad side to such an argument ignores a basic truth of the last century, and that is unarguably that leaders with charisma dot the recent historical landscape with war and collapse, as with what Rudolf Rummel has labeled "democide," in his specific definition, the "murder of any person or people by a government, including genocide, politicide, and mass murder." In "Death by Government," Chapter 2, as found at his site, the home page titled, "Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War."
Rummel's gathered statistics for what he terms "20th century democide" detail a real tale, unlike the political fictions generated by so many "wizards," of murder in the millions over recent centuries and around the world, the 20th century being the most lethal to date. Those who led many of these democides could easily be said to have had "charisma."
Underestimating Death and Destruction
Rummel notes of one of his articles: "This was based on a pilot survey of possible sources of democide data. As a result of this study I applied for a grant from the United States Institute of Peace to do a much more methodical survey of democide, which eventuated in my Death by Government and Statistics of Democide. This pilot study underestimated these final totals by about 42 percent."
He concludes with the observation: "In light of all this, the peaceful, nonviolent, pursuit and fostering of civil liberties and political rights must be made mankind's highest humanitarian goal. Not simply to give the greatest number the greatest happiness, not simply to obey the moral imperative of individual rights, not simply to further the efficiency and productivity of a free society, but also and mainly because freedom preserves peace and life."
One needs precious few wizard-like leaders with "charisma" and "personal magnetism and oratorical skills" for this. Rather it would be better to see behind the ruse, and realize that such wizards are just common men as the Baum text reveals in its characters' dialogue.
"Hush, my dear," he said; "don't speak so loud, or you will be overheard—and I should be ruined. I'm supposed to be a Great Wizard." / "And aren't you?" she asked. " / "Not a bit of it, my dear; I'm just a common man."
And because Baum's wizard was just common, he confessed: "Just to amuse myself, and keep the good people busy, I ordered them to build this City, and my palace; and they did it all willingly and well. Then I thought, as the country was so green and beautiful, I would call it the Emerald City, and to make the name fit better I put green spectacles on all the people, so that everything they saw was green."
How many men and nations have followed charisma, personal magnetism and oratorical skills and followed that they "did it all willingly and well?"
[ 3 ] Waugh wrote about "robbery under law." That was on the topic of the nationalization of industries. What is easy to connect to this concept is the truth that the pretend wizards, genies and other leaders by the power of their charisma, magnetism and oratorical skills end up being robbers, all the while portraying themselves through the myth as 'robbing the rich to help the poor.'
These many rhymes and their addenda point to this truth.
Consider: Serve the poor
Consider the details of all the very wealthy who would hector a populace about Income Inequality
Consider each and every daily Crisis
Consider that so many employ the same tricks as did the Wizard of Oz, with their use of Smoke and Mirrors
[ 4 ] There are those who believe in the genies, as are there those who believe still in wizards. But most assuredly there are those who believe in leaders promising to lead men to progress and perfection.
As an example, one finds the primarily Muslim nation of Turkey poised on a precipice. One reads: "Turkey now stands completely isolated, trapped in a maze of quandaries that are partly of its own making, said Soli Ozel, professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. 'It has so alienated everyone it cannot convince anyone to do anything,' he said. 'It is a country whose words no longer carry any weight. It bluffs but does not deliver. It cannot protect its vital interests, and it is at odds with everyone, including its allies. For a country that was until very recently seen as a consequential regional power, these facts strike me as quite disastrous,' he added." In "Turkey’s increasingly desperate predicament poses real dangers," by Liz Sly, Washington Post, 20 February 2016.
Isolated, and yet one reads that Turkey's president wants to centralize power in his office as many oppose another "genie" tp solve mounting problems "partly of its own making." One reads: "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again called for a referendum on changing Turkey's political system to one where the president has executive powers, a day after an opposition party withdrew from a parliamentary committee tasked with drafting a new constitution. The main opposition party pulled out of the committee on Tuesday, refusing to consider the ruling party's proposal for a presidential system, which it fears would concentrate too much power in Erdogan's hands." In "Turkey's Erdogan Calls for Referendum on Strong Presidency," Associated Press, Ankara, 17 February 2016.
[ 5 ] The "story line" of which Lund writes is exactly the point. When one pushes a narrative not grounded in realities, the story line to destined to fail.
Another demonstrably not part of the supposed right wing in America notes something akin to Lund's observation. One reads: " 'Fear, along with the breakdown of society during the neoliberal period,' Chomsky responded. 'People feel isolated, helpless, victim of powerful forces that they do not understand and cannot influence'." In "Grand Old Primary," by Nolan D. McCaskill, Politico, 24 February 2016.
It's a Helluva Racket
Thus the insulated world of punditry makes itself blind. Is this an assertion? Lund observes the following: "Anger isn’t something that Beltway pundits recognize, let alone understand because everyone employed in media or in politics in and around Washington DC is pretty well off. Even ink-stained wretches pull down five-figures – and, unlike everywhere else in America, since journalism is built on documenting nonsense, there’s some real job security in documenting Washington. Television people fare even better, because TV money is stupid money. Think tank malefactors reap great sums from the aggrieved heartland or from industries looking to build a canon of falsified data, and Congress and the attendant lobbying is a helluva racket. Anger is pretty easy to miss when it’s something pretty difficult to feel. When you sit at the center of the world and are unlikely to ever lack for the basic materials of self-sufficiency, the idea of blind, gnawing resentment – let alone of feeding that resentment even with irrational aims – is ineluctably beyond your ken."
Let us notice that it's "a helluva racket." Consider the reality of numbers involved in the many who publicly speak about one such contemporary political strain of rhetoric -- Income Inequality
But let us also note this "helluva racket" as regards the fine fat cats who purport to Serve the poor
Lund ends his opinion piece prophesying: "If the system is already so broken that it abandoned you, its preservation is not your concern. Hell, burning it down might be what you want most."
Wizards, genies and self-serving leaders be damned.
[ 6 ] One finds Corruption
"When a war breaks out, people say: "It's too stupid; it can't last long." But though the war may well be "too stupid," that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves." Albert Camus, The Plague, 1947. [ 1 ]
Play a stupid game
to win a stupid prize.
Hard knocks often come
to foolish gals and guys.
Play a losing hand
for all you think it worth.
Hardly will the hand be played
before there's tragic mirth.
Each and every stupid game
fritters time away.
Time is all that mankind's got
before time will men betray.
Envoi: "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be 'cured' against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals." C. S. Lewis, "God in the Dock," 1948.
Addendum of Playing Against You: I'm afraid that some times / you'll play lonely games too. / Games you can't win / 'cause you'll play against you.”
In "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904-1991, Random House, 1990.
Addendum of Being Sure: “It's only because of their stupidity that they're able to be so sure of themselves.” Franz Kafka, "The Trial" (1914, published in 1925).
Addendum of a Corollary to Law: "It is impossible to make things foolproof, because fools are so ingenious." As number 8 of the "Corollaries to Murphy's Law."
Addendum of a Hunger Game: "Fifteen years into the Bolivarian revolution, Venezuela is facing dire food shortages. Among the many stupidities that socialism promotes is the idea that by imposing price controls and forbidding profits, government can make food both cheap and widely available. The opposite is true, and Venezuela proves the rule." In "Venezuela’s Hunger Is No Game," by Mary Anastasia O’Grady, Wall Street Journal, 8 May 2016. [ 2 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] The simple fact is that killing is rationalized as the means to an end, whether it be domination and conquest, or "planned" parenthood justifying tens of millions of eugenics deaths for the sake of society, or some sort of realpolitik which rarely defends freedom but rather contesting sides in a struggle for power.
Camus observes: "The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole men are more good than bad; that, however, isn't the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is this that we call vice or virtue; the most incorrigible vice being that of an ignorance which fancies it knows everything and therefore claims for itself the right to kill. There can be no true goodness, nor true love, without the utmost clear-sightedness."
[ 2 ] Which is the foolishness? To have so collapsed an economy that a potentially wealthy nation cannot feed its own people, or to have praised that nation's economic and political system?
Looking Back at Editorial Idiocy
One looks back only a few years to lavish praise for what is now proven to have been a stupid game: "Chavez became the bugaboo of American politics because his full-throated advocacy of socialism and redistributionism at once represented a fundamental critique of neoliberal economics, and also delivered some indisputably positive results. Indeed, as shown by some of the most significant indicators, Chavez racked up an economic record that a legacy-obsessed American president could only dream of achieving." In "Hugo Chavez’s economic miracle," by David Sirota, Salon, 6 March 2013.
One thinks now of measuring -- Sirota's notion -- significant indicators in Venezuela's "socialism and redistributionism." One reads three years later that "Currently, 75 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty, a stunning increase from the 25 percent rate just two years ago." In "Crisis in Venezuela Reaches Apocalyptic Proportions," by Jen Lawrence, Breitbart, 17 May 2016.
Further one reads: " 'If you complain too loudly, they arrest you,' says María David, a 71-year-old retired nurse. 'As soon as people protest, the military is there'." In " 'We are like a bomb': food riots show Venezuela crisis has gone beyond politics," by Sibylla Brodzinsky, Guardian UK, 20 May 2016.
Further: "Maduro’s declaration of a fresh three month state of emergency has sparked fears that the government will try to seize control of more private companies. Many Venezuelans have already left the country, including Francisco Flores. 'Venezuela has taken good working companies, given them to the poor but not equipped them with the skills to run them so they go bankrupt,' he says. That’s just a recipe for destroying a country." In "Venezuela: how the socialist paradise turned into debt and hyperinflation hell," by Szu Ping Chan, Telegraph UK, 21 May 2016.
And further sadly: "Venezuela is enduring the world's highest inflation rate: 180 percent in 2015, and a projected 700 percent for 2016. Officials said in early May that the price of controlled products would be updated to better reflect the cost incurred by producers. A 'Law of Just Prices' sets a maximum profit margin of 30 percent for all goods and services." In "Price of corn flour in Venezuela soars 900 percent," Agence France Presse, 24 May 2016. Such is the nature of government's officials and their Incompetence
This is not a clever word game nor a contest between theoretical political models, but simply a "measure." In the news that measure tells of increasing hunger, which is no game. Sirota's 2013 claim in the article's title of "Chavez' economic miracle" is proven in three short years a full-throated lie, informed by playing stupid ideological games with people's lives.
For stupid words games, one might do well to consider government and Grease
A full half-measure of waffling words,
Prevarication-sweets within,
Is plausibly served to mockingbirds
At the minimum a mile thin.
Who'll not be seen as self-serving
In this crass cafeteria of life;
None must say we're preserving
Disorder's warring strife.
Who'd like to write that history
Which lauds one to the skies?
This brings up the great mystery:
How can one, built on lies?
In the automat of choice
Choices run up the tab,
Betrayed by token word and voice
Toward that final forensic slab.
Automatic chutes and doors
Will serve to clarify:
In all self-servicing corridors
What was served to each changeling I.
Addendum of the Rich and Elected in the United States: "Fancy cars. Luxury hotels. Trips to the tropics and beyond. Money paid to 'unknown.' Meals bought in bars without kitchens and money sent to an address that doesn’t exist. All this and more appears on campaign disclosure reports filed by Illinois legislators, who are barred from spending campaign money on anything but expenses connected with political or government work. But a review of campaign expenditure reports filed by all 177 members of the General Assembly shows that rules can be stretched as legislators rack up huge bills for dining, lodging, airfare." In "Lifestyles of the rich and elected, State pols live high with campaign funds," by Bruce Rushton, Illinois Times, 17 March 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of the European Similarity: "A series of reports by the parliament’s internal auditor found that significant breaches of the rules were common among the 7,000 unelected officials who work for the EU’s assembly. Staff are allowed to authorise their own expenses and pay allowances to family members, despite the auditor warning of the risk of 'conflicts of interest'. The reports, covering three years, identify instances of officials being given double payments or allowances to which they are not entitled." In "Scandal the European parliament tried to keep secret," by Bruno Waterfield, Telegraph UK, 20 October 2011. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Phantom Employees in the Palestinian Authority: "Spending hundreds of millions of dollars supposedly supporting the salaries of public servants that no longer occupy those positions and doing nothing to arrest this expenditure - although knowing it was happening - indicates an appalling standard of financial irresponsibility for which the EU has become famous. This financial gravy train seems set to continue while: 1. Hamas and the PLO refuse to reconcile their differences; 2. The PLO rejects any kind of settlement with Israel that entails Israel obtaining sovereignty in any part of the 'West Bank'. The European Union is on a treadmill from which it must now extricate itself. The obvious solution is to make sure EU money gets to the most needy – not phantom employees who have been having a financial feast at European taxpayers expense." In "The EU Auditors Report: A PA-EU Financial Scandal," Arutz Sheva, 15 December 2013. [ 3 ]
Addendum of the Well-Connected Political Elites: "...while one group of people is condemned to high taxes, 'austerity,' and stiff regulations in countries like Greece — and sternly lectured to about their obligations to the state — another group of people — their 'leaders' — escape by putting their assets in shell companies. It's the rich, the powerful and the well-connected who are in the latter group, while ordinary citizens — whether of Iceland, Congo, Ecuador, Ukraine, Britain, Nigeria or China — just have to take it. Any wonder that voters across the world are starting to choose protest-candidate leaders such as Donald Trump? Sure, technology makes the mass release of this kind of data possible — whether of Wikileaks, the Snowden theft of secrets, or by famous hackers such as Guccifer — but it coincides precisely with the rise of protest-candidates, many now winning elections, based on public disgust at the 'some pigs are more equal than others' ethos of today’s political elites." In "Panama Papers: The Elites' Shield From Laws Imposed On Us," Investors Business Daily Editorial, 4 April 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Suspending a Criminal Investigation: "For over a week, tens of thousands of protesters have been marching in Macedonia, infuriated by the president's suspension of a criminal investigation targeting some of the country’s top politicians." In "Protesters want to topple Macedonia’s government over a corruption investigation," Economist, 21 April 2016.
Addendum of a Great Betrayal: "The entire political class has let the country down through a mix of negligence and corruption. Brazil’s leaders will not win back the respect of its citizens or overcome the economy’s problems unless there is a thorough clean-up." In "The great betrayal," Economist, 23 April 2016.
Addendum of Dictates and Decrees Going Unheeded: "The indisputable fact is that prevailing institutions of authority in the West, for decades, have relentlessly and with complete indifference stomped on the economic welfare and social security of hundreds of millions of people. While elite circles gorged themselves on globalism, free trade, Wall Street casino gambling, and endless wars (wars that enriched the perpetrators and sent the poorest and most marginalized to bear all their burdens), they completely ignored the victims of their gluttony, except when those victims piped up a bit too much — when they caused a ruckus — and were then scornfully condemned as troglodytes who were the deserved losers in the glorious, global game of meritocracy. That message was heard loud and clear. The institutions and elite factions that have spent years mocking, maligning, and pillaging large portions of the population — all while compiling their own long record of failure and corruption and destruction — are now shocked that their dictates and decrees go unheeded. But human beings are not going to follow and obey the exact people they most blame for their suffering. They’re going to do exactly the opposite: purposely defy them and try to impose punishment in retaliation." In "Democrats, Trump, and the Ongoing, Dangerous Refusal to Learn the Lesson of Brexit," by Glenn Greenwald, Intercept, 9 November 2016.
NOTES
[ 1 ] As elections roll around, the media and political parties seem to work ever more diligently to keep out of the dialogue issues of political patronage and the unequal "rich and elected" class. It is always the opposing political party which is at fault, when both [parties' hands are deep into the cookie jar.
The Rich Get Rich and the Poor Get Poorer
As an example of the lessons of simple numbers, one reads: "While millions of Americans saw their incomes decrease, their job opportunities dissipate and their home values drop as the economy dipped, the 535 men and women they elected to represent them in the U.S. Congress were not only shielded from the economic downturn but gained during it. The average American's net worth has dropped 8 percent during the past six years, while members of Congress got, on average, 15 percent richer, according to a New York Times analysis of financial disclosure. The median net worth of members of Congress is about $913,000, compared with about $100,000 for the country at large, the Times' analysis found. This wealth disparity between lawmakers and the people they represent seems to be continually growing." In "As Americans Get Poorer, Members of Congress Get Richer," by Amy Bingham, ABC News, 27 December 2011.
One such example of politics and self-interest entangled is this: "...the attorneys making millions on property-tax appeals donate heavily to the candidates for Cook County Assessor, the Board of Review commissioners, Cook County judges and the state’s attorney. That means at each level of the appeals process, law firms are likely to interact with someone they’ve helped get elected. A 2014 Illinois News Network analysis of campaign donations found the bulk of top contributors to the campaigns of sitting Board of Review commissioners were either attorneys or property developers with cases before the board." In "Meet the politicians getting rich off Chicago’s property-tax scheme," by Austin Berg, Illinois Policy, 16 October 2015.
For this, the organization, Philanthropy, has made a suggestion which politicians will of course ignore: "Congress should eliminate exceptions that allow its members to receive money or other perks from charitable organizations without disclosing the donors who contributed the funds, according to an opinion piece in The New York Times. Frances R. Hill, a law professor at the University of Miami, wrote that the current exceptions that allow politicians to accept “values raised from charities”—as opposed to individuals or corporations—provided channels for the lobbyist Jack Abramoff to direct money to favored politicians without having to disclose where that money came from." In "Opinion: Change Rules to End Charity-Politician Conflicts," Philanthropy, 18 October 2016.
[ 2 ] In one instance of European politicians' complaint, one reads: "Complying with the order will mean revealing the MPs' addresses and publishing individual receipts for money claimed. The Speaker's attempts to block the publication prompted complaints from across the Commons that parliament was giving the appearance it had something to hide." In "MPs fight to block expenses revelations," by Anil Dawar, Guardian UK, 7 May 2008.
Indeed, per the outcome of that tale, "it had something to hide."
[ 3 ] Such true tales of politicians' entanglements and sticky fingers link nations and parties across national borders. In diplomatic jargon, this "financial feast" at the "taxpayers' expense" is called foreign policy. This is enough to explain why the Middle East peace process has not been finalized in decades. Political positions would lose their "foreign aid."
[ 4 ] As to serving this "elite" it has been noted: "I should say that when people talk about capitalism it's a bit of a joke. There's no such thing. No country, no business class, has ever been willing to subject itself to the free market, free market discipline. Free markets are for others. Like, the Third World is the Third World because they had free markets rammed down their throat. Meanwhile, the enlightened states, England, the United States, others, resorted to massive state intervention to protect private power, and still do. That's right up to the present. I mean, the Reagan administration for example was the most protectionist in post-war American history. Virtually the entire dynamic economy in the United States is based crucially on state initiative and intervention: computers, the internet, telecommunication, automation, pharmaceutical, you just name it. Run through it, and you find massive ripoffs of the public, meaning, a system in which under one guise or another the public pays the costs and takes the risks, and profit is privatized. That's very remote from a free market." Noam Chomsky, in "Sovereignty and World Order," Kansas State University, 20 September 1999.
One observes that this remark from 1999 is applicable today, and perhaps even more so. For this there is a potent critique of the current politics in America as the many sourced news items testify in A Modern Observation on The Anti-War Movement, Revisited
30 to 6 - cruel carbon tricks
"The European price for emitting a tonne of carbon dioxide has dropped by around 25 percent in the past month, a development that suggests the EU's flagship climate tool still has a very limited influence on moving industry away from fossil fuels. The price of the European carbon credits under the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) dropped from around €8 to slightly below €6 on Monday (25 January). It has fluctuated around €6 since then." In "EU carbon credits drop below €6," by Peter Teffer, EU Observer, 29 January 2016.
Thirty to six, the investments sank.
Which of the traders might one thank?
A quarter erased by one month of time.
Returns like this are never sublime.
Thirty to six, some many have lost.
Arithmetic simply tallies the cost.
Force the public to play and then lose.
This is what politicians choose?
Thirty to six, a graphic can tell
Some are ringing the sad, tolling bell.
When a game is too rigged for some,
One might count by rule of thumb.
Thirty to six, a history graphs
As a scheme chuckles, grins and laughs.
Such is the nature of the carbon beast,
Which gleefully defrauds who can afford it least.The fat cats' fat is grease applied;
The losers' cash is cut and dried.Many lose but some will gain;
30 to 6? The picture speaks plain.
Addendum of Fraud Prophesied: "Officials at Europol, the body in charge of co-ordinating police forces inside the European Union, say fraudulent activity on the EU's Emission Trading System was first suspected in late 2008 when police noticed the volume of trades in certain countries would mysteriously spike. 'It is estimated that in some countries, up to 90 per cent of the whole market volume was caused by fraudulent activities,' Europol said." In "European fraudsters steal $7B in carbon credit scam," CBC News, 11 December 2009.
Addendum of Plunging Prices: "The world’s largest carbon market has been holed below the water line. On April 16th the European Parliament voted to reject an attempt to bolster Europe’s flagship environmental programme, the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Carbon prices, already low, plunged. The emerging network of global carbon trading and European climate policy as a whole could sink." In "ETS, RIP?," Economist, 20 April 2013.
Addendum of the Sizzling Fizzling: "When the emissions trading system was started in 2005, the goal was to create a global model for raising the costs of emitting greenhouse gases and for prodding industrial polluters to switch from burning fossil fuels to using clean-energy alternatives like wind and solar. When carbon prices hit their highs of more than 30 euros in 2008 and companies spent billions to invest in renewables, policy makers hailed the market as a success. But then prices began to fall. And at current levels, they are far too low to change companies’ behaviors, analysts say. Emitting a ton of carbon dioxide costs about the same as a hamburger." In "In Europe, Paid Permits for Pollution Are Fizzling," by Stanley Reed and Mark Scott, New York Times, 21 April 2013.
Addendum in One Graph of California's Carbon Credits Pricing History: Accessed 9 May 2016.
Consider a Comparable Situation : Now how does that seem to a lender like you?
Addendum of the Bankrolling of an Intellectual Elite: "One of the world's leading institutes for researching the impact of global warming has repeatedly claimed credit for work done by rivals – and used it to win millions from the taxpayer. An investigation by The Mail on Sunday also reveals that when the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP) made a bid for more Government funds, it claimed it was responsible for work that was published before the organisation even existed. Last night, our evidence was described by one leading professor whose work was misrepresented as 'a clear case of fraud – using deception for financial gain'." In "Exposed: How top university helped secure £9million of YOUR money by passing off rivals' research as its own... to bankroll climate change agenda," by David Rose, Mail on Sunday, 23 October 2016.
Addendum of an Earlier Example of Selling Plenary Indulgences: "Wherever they went (and there were few places too small for their attentions), they were received as celebrities, stirring up interest and enthusiasm. They offered an excellent return on investment: salvation for gold, just an insignificant bit of gold. Whether or not the words are accurate, news of their rhyming pitch resounded through the land: When the coin in the coffer rings, The soul from Purgatory springs!" In "Heretics and Heroes," Thomas Cahill, Doubleday, 2013.
Consider Too Many Loss-Making Follies: Bankrupt green
Iconoclast - the urge for funds is vast
"Now Britain badly needed a new avant-garde art movement to go beyond familiar shock tactics, said Gregor Muir, former champion of the YBAs and director of the renowned Institute of Contemporary Arts, in a passionate plea for unknown artists to be allowed to create a true subculture away from the art market of the ultra-rich and celebrity retrospectives. 'If we are looking for something radical, it is not always about shocking people. It is about being more pernicious, about getting under people’s skin,' said Muir." In "Wanted: bright young things to form Britain’s new avant-garde," Vanessa Thorpe, Guardian UK, 24 January 2016. [ 1 ]
Let's be bright iconoclasts,
and tear old icons down,
And then put up new icons
in some swanker part of town.
Institutions worry
of institutional cracks
Which is why all these joints
consume collected tax.
Let's destroy old images,
while raising up the new
Which passing time makes old!
Oh, what is one to do?
Edgy? Hackneyed? New? Banal?
or a next conformity?
Seasons come and seasons go,
as do fads' enormity,
Shrinking, wrinkled, aging, bent.
Badly needed fame
Is withering for such is this,
the faddish, slavish game.
Avant garde turns derrière guard
as radicals get old,
And soon the edifice is cracked,
the fads are grown cold.
Art is not the issue,
for it's funding that is sought,
As art is made in private
while money tops this thought.
Badly needed is not art;
there's plenteousness in store,
But needed is the cold hard cash;
institutions cry for more!Think this all is just about art?
About those bright, young things?
The whole is a jolly sum of its parts;
it's money well tied with strings.
Artists art; this is arts' truth.
No bureaucrat works so free.
Bright, young things soar on wings;
institutions politic their poverty.
Envoi: "The ICA receives around £1.4m from Arts Council England and, like other funded organisations, it is having to re-apply for money in a new funding structure." In "Gregor Muir to be new ICA chief," by Mark Brown, Guardian UK, 11 January 2011. [ 2 ]
Addendum of the Arts Council Proposal for 2016: "The Institute of Contemporary Arts will receive £1.2 million to transform its Central London site, providing a space that better serves artists and audiences and brings the ICA's 70 year creative programming legacy into the heart of its venue. The capital redevelopment will enable the additional benefits of improving disability access, enhancing financial resilience whilst simultaneously improving environmental impact." In "Three London arts organisations invited to apply for £6.7 million in funding to support capital plans," Arts Council, UK, 7 January 2016. [ 3 ]
NOTES
[ 1 ] The call for "a true subculture away from the art market of the ultra-rich and celebrity retrospectives" is amusing, coming from an administrator of an Institute of Contemporary Arts, funded in part with public money. A true subculture away from the art market and celebrity retrospectives would also be a true subculture not appearing at an "institute" or museum, run by a bureaucracy supported by the largest of all national institutions -- the government.
It is amusing to read of an arts administrator ready and willing to nominate by power of his position at an arts "institute" and approve of those he would bless as the "bright young things to form Britain’s new avant-garde." How radically bourgeois. Artists become "things." And of course they should be "young" as well as bright.
[ 2 ] One learns that the institute has enjoyed a true "contemporary" experience: "The ICA has suffered severe financial problems and at one stage it was reported that it was threatened with closure." In "ICA appoints Gregor Muir as new executive director," Telegraph UK, 11 January 2011.
The management change was necessary not by reason of art, but by reason of funding: "The Institute of Contemporary Arts, in London, was one of the biggest losers among the national institutions. Its budget was cut by 37%, from £1.42m a year in 2010/2011 to £900,000 in 2012/2013." In "Hundreds of arts groups lose funding," BBC, 30 March 2011.
It is indeed about public funding and the politics thereof. One reads: "Labour is facing condemnation from supporters in the arts world after the party confirmed it would not reverse Tory cuts to culture spending if it wins the general election. The Conservatives claimed on Monday that under Labour plans the party would spend an additional £83m cancelling previous cuts to the Arts Council budget – which funds theatres, museums and other cultural institutions around the country." In "Chorus of disapproval: Artists attack Labour over funding cuts," by Oliver Wright, Independent UK, 6 January 2015.
[ 3 ] One notes that the proposal is not about artists -- those new "bright young things" -- earning income for their work, but rather specifically the funding is for "capital redevelopment," which is legalistic, institutional speech for building construction and remodeling such as "improving disability access" and "improving environmental impact." One notes this is a proposal, such that the "£1.2 million" of 2016 is less than the funding from six years previous of "£1.4 million", and such funding is in competition with theaters and other galleries. This Institute competes with children's theater, opera companies, other galleries and more. It is simply a question of politics and the distribution of limited public money.
The irony of an institute director's "passionate" call for the "new" and "unknown" is that it stands as counterpoint to the Arts Council sales pitch about "ICA's 70 year creative programming legacy." Seventy years measures in time an orthodoxy, and this is what the rhetorical position of a "contemporary" art institute is become. The radical as orthodox, as well as ever in search of donors to sustain itself and its legacy -- an icon -- which remunerates institutes and their directors far more than most young artists.
"A true subculture away from the art market of the ultra-rich and celebrity retrospectives" exists, and has always existed. No "institute" can capture it without making such a "true subculture" into a culture housed in fancy digs, approved of by an arts upper crust and made quickly a part of some "70 year creative programming legacy." How orthodox modern creative programming grows. How conservative it has become, crying out for the "new" when all is new and old at the same time. The icons to be broken are the same-old pabulum spewed by some arts administrators, in this time of anythingis
"Turning his attention to cases of gender reassignment in prisons, he wrote: 'They tell the screws they want to be women, they get a bit of make-up and some breasts to play with and they are then transferred to a women's prison, where they can spend the rest of their lives being a lesbian. It's every man's dream'." In "Jeremy Clarkson sparks transgender row," The Week, UK, 25 January 2015.
Stan could act Loretta?
Loretta could act Stan?
Which cheese acts as feta?
Ask a dairy man.
Clip a little, snip a bit,
Cut and paste the parts;
Mix not match without much wit
To switch the counterparts.
Fluids are of such fluidity
When hormones flow about,
That words can spout stupidity
And do it with a shout.
Floods of fluid words will flow
When busted binary's beat!
Tertiary! Yes pluralities go
With running binary feet.
Stan could dribble Stanetta!
Loretta could drip Ettalor!
The unfermented grape has met a
Vintner fermenting wine and more.
Once definitions multiply,
Sanctioned under banner of law,
It's sure society will stultify
In the roar of a loud guffaw.
Everyone can be everything,
So ask no questions, friend.
With such a fine loose anything,
Discussions are at their end.All-gender Johnnie's won the day,
Peeing safely silly straightaway.
Binary terminology's all washed up;
Fluid flows through each porcelain cup.
Envoi: "Moreover, “affirmative outreach” is more descriptive of the requirements contained in this section. This rule proposes some limited updates to this section to state that the required affirmative outreach steps should involve reasonable efforts to include more complete categories of the various groups protected under this part, including persons of different sexes, to replace 'both' sexes and avoid binary terminology and be inclusive of individuals who may not identify as male or female, as well as various racial and ethnic/national origin groups, various religions, individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals with disabilities and individuals in different age groups." In "Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, A Proposed Rule by the Labor Department," Federal Register, 26 January 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of the Man in a Binary-assigned Bathroom: "A man wearing a bra and wig was arrested Friday after he was spotted in a women's bathroom at Everett Community College, police said. Officers responded to the scene at about 1:30 p.m. after a college staff member said she saw the man go into the women's rest room and alerted security personnel." In "Police: Man in bra and wig found in women's bathroom," KOMO News, 16 March 2012. [ 2 ]
Addendum of All-Gender: "Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said AB1732 would require all single-occupancy restrooms in private businesses and government buildings to be 'all-gender,' instead of one restroom for men and another for women. Supporters of the bill say it would allow transgender and gender nonconforming people to pee in peace, without verbal or physical threats when they are seen entering a restroom for the gender they identify with." In "Lawmaker pushes for 'all-gender' restrooms," by Melody Gutierrez, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 January 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Fluidity on the Streets of San Francisco: "It's a whiff as familiar to San Francisco as marijuana in a park on a nice day. From the UN Plaza to the Mission District, Market Street to Polk, the Tenderloin to the Haight, San Franciscans are forced to navigate the nose-wrinkling, dry-heaving olfactory land mines of urine-splattered sidewalks on a daily basis." In "Streets of San Francisco drenched in urine," by Vivian Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 July 2013.
Addendum of the Concrete Circular Urinal: "San Francisco's iconic Dolores Park is now home to the city's first open-air urinal, the latest move to combat the destructive scourge of public urination in the City by the Bay. The concrete circular urinal is out in the open, though plants and a screen offer some privacy. It's a welcome addition for the park that had just three toilets, which led many to relieve themselves in bushes and on buildings." In "San Francisco park reopens with new outdoor urinal," by Kristin J. Bender, Associated Press, 30 January 2016.
Addendum of Backlash Against the Concrete Circular Urinal: "...the backlash has already started with six civic groups teaming up in a letter to the city that says the urinal must go. They claim the urinal is a flagrant violation of the law and basic public policy, is unsanitary and discriminates against women and children because it is not designed for females." In "Some say San Francisco's open-air urinal must go," by Kristin J. Bender, Associated Press, 5 February 2016.
Addendum Flush with Irony: "Lisa Levy, from Brooklyn, sat with no clothes on and remained silent on her toilet during two five-hour displays at Christopher Stout Gallery on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors were invited to sit opposite her on another toilet during the bizarre performance." In "Artist calls 'bull****' on pretentious art world by sitting naked and silent on a toilet for hours on end at New York gallery," by Julian Robinson, Mail Online, 1 February 2016.
Addendum of the Urinal as Great Art: "Fountain is one of Duchamp’s most famous works and is widely seen as an icon of twentieth-century art. The original, which is lost, consisted of a standard urinal, usually presented on its back for exhibition purposes rather than upright, and was signed and dated ‘R. Mutt 1917’. Tate’s work is a 1964 replica and is made from glazed earthenware painted to resemble the original porcelain." In "Fountain 1917, replica 1964," Tate Gallery, n. d. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Not Using a Urinal: "... his actions that 'defies logic', Mr Hussain said - that he used the female toilets because the men's were 'messy', that he had merely put his phone down on the floor next to his shoe, and that what he had done was 'stupid'. He also claimed he was scared that the women might try to fight him, and did not report the incident to his manager as he was 'ashamed'." In "Man admits voyeurism after filming women in toilets at Winter Wonderland," BT UK, 6 January 2016.
Addendum of the Costs of Banning Someone from a Restroom of their Choice: "Deluxe Financial Services Inc., a national check-printing company, is expected to pay a transgender woman $115,000, issue her a personal apology and change its policies for transgender employees under a settlement agreement approved by a Minnesota judge Wednesday, BuzzFeed reported. The woman, Britney Austin, alleged that she had experienced anti-transgender slurs from co-workers and managers at the company’s facility in Phoenix and that she had been banned from the restroom that corresponded with her gender identity." In "Employer To Pay Transgender Woman Settlement For Alleged Discrimination: Report," by Sarah Berger, International Business Times, 20 January 2016. [ 5 ]
Addendum of the 23 Genders, One Fluid: "Pupils at Blatchington Mill School in Brighton were given the survey as homework and asked to choose from a list of 23 terms to say how they would describe their sex. As well as girl and boy, the list includes a catalogue of other labels - including 'non-binary', 'demi-boy' and 'gender fluid'." In "Brighton school children asked to choose from list of 23 terms to describe their gender," by Emily Walker, Argus UK, 28 January 2016.
Addendum of Toilet News from Germany: "...viele der muslimischen Flüchtlinge nicht die Nutzung von Toilettenpapier kennen. Sie brauchen andererseits Wasser zur Säuberung, die grundsätzlich mit der linken, der unreinen Hand vollzogen wird." In "Ein Klo, das jeder benutzen kann," by Frank Pergande, Frankfurter Allgenmeine, 1 February 2016. [ 6 ]
Addendum of University-Level Instruction: "Yesterday University of Sheffield students laughed off the latest attempt to get them to clean up their acts. One said: 'I’ve seen the signs being discussed on a uni Facebook site, but I thought it was a bit of satire. I had no idea they were real'." In "Looniversity challenge: Sign shows messy students how to use toilet," by Paul Sims, Sun UK, 21 March 2016.
Addendum of a Uni-Sex Rape in an Iconic Toilet: "A transgender woman says she was raped in a unisex bathroom at the Stonewall Inn — and police are searching for the suspect they say regularly frequents the landmark gay bar. Video surveillance clearly shows the woman entering the single-occupancy bathroom late Saturday night, soon followed by a man believed to be in his 30s, police sources say." In "Transgender woman says she was raped in Stonewall Inn bathroom," by Shawn Cohen and Daniel Prendergast, New York Post, 28 March 2016. [ 7 ]
Addendum of the Analogy: " 'Gendered facilities can make it rough for anyone who doesn't fit the stereotypes of everyone else who’s using those rooms,' she said. 'There are lots of different reasons why we as a society have gendered our bathrooms. And we should consider that they probably shouldn't be. I’m going to tell you something that will shock you,' she added. 'Many of the bathrooms in my home are gender-neutral'." In "New York college moves to strip gender markings from all bathrooms," by Molly Redden, Guardian, 29 March 2016. [ 8 ]
Addendum of Men Who Menstruate: "...Southampton Student Union, which has drawn up a 'Trans Inclusion Policy', in which 'trans' is defined as a 'wide umbrella term, covering those who transcend traditional boundaries of gender and sex, those who are gender variant, and those whose gender identity does not match their assigned gender'. It says the majority of 'negative experiences' among trans students was caused by single-sex toilets and changing rooms. It says: 'All suggestions for improvement included either increasing the number of gender neutral toilets available, or adding sanitary bins to male toilets for men who menstruate'." In "Students call for sanitary bins to be placed in male toilets for transgender men on their periods," by Jonathan Petre, Mail Online, 1 May 2016.
Addendum of a Historical Urine Tax: "Emperor Vespasian (r. A.D. 69-79) earned a pretty penny by taxing the trade in urine that was gathered at public restrooms. But even some wealthy Romans considered this odious. 'When [Vespasian's] son Titus blamed him for even laying a tax upon urine, he applied to his nose a piece of the money he received in the first installment, and asked him if it stunk. And he replying no, 'And yet,' said he, 'it is derived from urine,'' wrote Suetonius in The Lives of the Caesars circa A.D. 120." In "Feeling Overtaxed? The Romans Would Tax Your Urine," by Brian Handwerk, National Geographic, 14 April 2016.
NOTES
[ 1 ] The amusing nature of a wordy government message that one should avoid "binary terminology and be inclusive" includes every other terminology that anyone should choose to apply. Such is the jolly confusion of the Hen Party
Yet one finds "binary terminology" in the snippet of a longer, gender-fluid news item: "After struggling to establish herself in the beginning, Inka Horvat now counts 65,000 customers worldwide. Annual profits have hit an impressive €1.9 million – double what they were eight years ago. And the store puts in effort to make their 'girls' feel like real ladies: they offer breast prosthesis which are both stick-on and strap-on, high heels up to size 47 and panties that make men's little men look almost invisible." In "The Bavarian men who buy breasts to feel like ladies," by Max Bringmann, TheLocal.de, 14 March 2016.
In the trails which lead from such a subject one finds new terminology entering, such as "misgender." One example: "A transgender woman from New York was visiting Georgia last week when she was arrested for indecent exposure for allegedly exposing her breasts. However, once Ashley Del Valle, who has lived as a woman for two decades, arrived at police facilities, she was determined to be 'technically a male' because of her genitalia and she was held in isolated cells in a facility that houses men. Roy Harris, Deputy Chief of the jail, admitted misgendering her, continuing to inaccurately use male pronouns to describe her: Harris: 'First off, Ashley is still a man. I think he’s had some surgery, breast implants. But technically he is still a male which poses a problem'." In "Transgender Woman Arrested For Exposing Breasts Jailed With Men," by Zack Ford, Think Progress, 17 April 2013.
Thus, from the concerns of the fluidity advocates, "her" penis should be considered a correct use of pronouns? One wonders then if "his" breasts would be an approved fluidity. Miss Gender can certainly tie language into uniquely twisted knots. In such a knotted argument, the other argument against binary terminology is falsified.
[ 2 ] The news report is amusing for what it does not say. If the "man wearing a bra and wig" is a voyeur intent on breaking a privacy law, then the scenario means one thing, while if the "man wearing a wig" is a transsexual prior to surgery, the scenario is supposed to have a different spin. Should the voyeur as a male be described by a "binary" legal definition? Shall the transsexual as a legal female according to some laws be described by a "binary" legal definition? Should a bathroom be solely for one sex or for all?
If "binary terminology" is to be properly avoided, one should not ask if the bathroom is for "both" sexes, given the notion now that fluidity is so -- well -- fluid. Perhaps the voyeur can claim some other tertiary or plural sexual identity so as to avoid prosecution and guilt? Go with the flow, so to speak, could become a most entertaining legal defense.
The "man wearing a bra and wig" might even argue that there is precedent in art, as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art
has in its collection "Seated man in a bra and stockings, N.Y.C." from 1967 by Diane Arbus (1923-1971), a gelatin silver print. So perhaps his act was not an illegal act but in fact an emulation of fine art via performance art in a community college?The "crossing" of some social line is not new, of course. Some term it "ill." One reads: "According to DSM-IV, this fetishism was described mostly in heterosexual men; however, DSM-5 does not have this restriction, and opens it to females and men with this interest, regardless of their sexual orientation." In "Transvestic fetishism." Wikipedia, n. d.
Thus, in addition to a possible legal defense based on "art," the "man wearing a bra and wig" might well also argue it is a disorder as found in the DSM diagnosis manuals -- which change over time.
The oddity in all this is that whatever "man" means -- a most fluid concept, standing as well as seated -- one nation is concerned about salvaging masculinity.
One reads: "Education officials across China are aggressively recruiting male teachers, as the Chinese news media warns of a need to 'salvage masculinity in schools.' The call for more male-oriented education has prompted a broader debate about gender equality and social identity at a time when the country’s leaders are seeking to make the labor market more meritocratic." In "Wanted in China: More Male Teachers, to Make Boys Men," by Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 6 February 2016.
As counterpoint to the article and salvaging masculinity in China, one reads of yet another "man" and his involvement in women's clothes: Of the proprietor's shock one reads: " 'I make wigs, and he even had one of those on the couch with a brush,' she said. 'I guess he was brushing it. It was crazy. There was also a ladder in the bathroom, and it looked like the guy fell off of it because the toilet was broken. It looked like he fell on it'." Decatur police spokesman Lt. John Crouch said officers believe the man was intoxicated." In "Police arrest man trying on women's clothes at Decatur boutique," by Ashley Remkus, Decatur Herald, 17 February 2016.
Like the recapitulation in classical forms, the themes coalesce. A male, women's clothing (apparently the clothing did not get the message about the federal government's concern about "binary terminology"), toilets and another sort of fluidity, that of being intoxicated. Gender indeed seems to have muck fluidity flooding the flummoxed.
Escalating Confusion
The confusion can only escalate, once "respect" for everyone's "fluidity" is required under law. As an example, one finds: "A man caused a stir at a Seattle public pool when he undressed in a women's locker room. When he was asked to leave, he cited a new state rule that allows people to choose a bathroom based on gender identity." In "Seattle man tests transgender rule by undressing in women's locker room," by Alison Morrow, Jung- TV, 17 February 2016.
If only he -- a pronoun rooted in "binary terminology" according to the statement above from the US Labor Department -- had worn a garter belt and stockings, his photo could hang in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Seattle "man" -- another term from binary terminology -- was only following the cultural example of a high profile "heroine" of the transgender movement. One looks back only months to this: "Rocking a swimsuit was a tall order for Jenner, who had only recently explained that swimwear makes her feel too 'exposed.' 'Putting on a bathing suit represents a lot to me,' she said in the most recent episode. In "Caitlyn Jenner Conquers Her Fear of Swimsuits: See Her White-Hot Style," by Rachel Torgerson, US Magazine, 10 August 2015. One notes that "her" is also rooted in "binary terminology," about which the US Labor Department has opined in the Federal Register.
One finds that a man -- a binary description -- dressed as a woman --another binary description -- has done such things in many different locales. For example, from California: "The suspect pointed the concealed camera under restroom stalls, but one woman recognized the camera's red recording light and contacted security officers, investigators said. Pomare told detectives he had been in the restroom for about two hours, said Hudson." In "Man Disguised as Woman Recorded "Hours" of Mall Restroom Video: Investigators," by John Cadiz Klemack and Jonathan Lloyd, NBC Los Angeles, 15 May 2013.
A man in a woman's bathroom can be a problem not answered by re-defining gender words and rearranging perceptions of genders realities which disagree with gender politics, as seems popular. Consider: "Police say Donte Montague admitted he used his cell phone to record women at Wright-Harding in Wright Quad without their knowledge. ...Montague faces two counts of voyeurism in the case." In "Student charged with recording women in dorm showers at Indiana University," by Web Desk, WGN TV, Chicago, 25 April 2016.
Yet another tidbit of news: "Barboursville Police Chief Mike Coffey says a young man, only 18-years-old, maneuvered his cellphone under a restroom stall on three separate occasions to video-record the man as he was partially undressed. ...The suspect is charged with two counts of criminal invasion of privacy." In "Teen arrested for bathroom recording at Huntington Mall," by WSAZ News Staff, WSAZ NewsChannel 3, 28 April 2016.
Should voyeurism be made legal? Should privacy be stripped from many in service to ideological notions of what is gender and gender differences? If gender-neutral is indeed gender-neutral, then a "male" did not commit a "crime" against a "female," as above. Rather a "gender-neutral individual" had a transaction with a "gender-neutral individual" and as such what may one actually conclude?
In the gender-neutral world of political bullshit, a person should be allowed to use a gender-neutral toilet such that "suspects" who are not transgender would not have to go to lengths to dress as a -- gasp, a gendered word -- woman. Oddly, in looking through press reports, there were no instances of women dressing as men to videotape men in toilets. How gender specific is that?
[ 3 ] The fluidity of the political argument is about fluids, in part as in parts, in seeking "to pee in peace." This is a growing movement, as some movements are simply unavoidably, voiding previous arguments.
The article adds: "The bill follows a growing movement across the country to make single-stall restrooms gender-neutral. Last year, the University of California system joined more than 150 schools across the nation that have gender-neutral restrooms, according to the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Stonewall Center. The White House also added a gender-neutral restroom last year."
" 'The White House allows staff ad guests to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity, which is in keeping with the administration’s existing legal guidance on this issue and consistent with what is required by the executive order that took effect [Wednesday] for federal contractors,' Tiller told ABC News in a prepared statement." In "White House Makes 1st Gender-Neutral Bathroom Available," by Avinnae Tan, ABC News, 10 April 2015.
One may conclude that the above-cited voyeur, "a man wearing a bra and a wig," would no longer be guilty of an accusation such as made during his arrest. He may wipe away any guilt. He might even "pee in peace" in the federal government's pissoire. You're in all safe places safe. See?
A Gender Bender Ender
But as to all gender facilities, the same president who seems to make a gesture towards gender equality in one venue makes an opposite statement in a mosque. One reads: " 'While the free world awaits a Muslim reformation, the leader of the free world shows blatant disregard for gender equality by visiting a mosque that treats females like second-class citizens,' says Raheel Raza, a Pakistani-Canadian activist, author and cofounder of the Muslim Reform Movement, a new initiative that we support, advocating for peace, women’s rights and secular governance. 'This makes our work as activists extremely difficult because equality is one of the main tenets of our reform movement'." In "Obama’s mosque visit demonstrates tacit acceptance of a form of gender apartheid," by Asra Q. Nomani and Ify Okoye, New York Times, 3 February 2016.
Apparently fluidity clots, given certain circumstances. Perhaps the Obama administration's EEOC should involve itself in this mosque's gender discrimination? An iciness forms where once there was fluidity.
[ 4 ] So much is fluid in the modern era, even that designed to deal with fluidity. It seems true that anythingis
But one sees conclusions being drawn about the blind alleys of much of Duchamp's life work: "The artist is not a great creator—Duchamp went shopping at a plumbing store. The artwork is not a special object—it was mass-produced in a factory. The experience of art is not exciting and ennobling—it is puzzling and leaves one with a sense of distaste. But over and above that, Duchamp did not select just any ready-made object to display. He could have selected a sink or a door-knob. In selecting the urinal, his message was clear: Art is something you piss on." In "Why Art Became Ugly," by Stephen Hicks, Atlas Society, 15 June 2010.
Piss on Art
Indeed it has become something "you piss on," as one reads of some other modern artists: "Another recent stunt was on 21 May, again at the Tate, when they made a contribution to Marcel Duchamp's seminal work, the Fountain, a factory-made urinal he chose to autograph in 1917 and call art. Cai and Xi urinated on it for over a minute, their contribution kept away from Duchamp's porcelain by the work's Perspex case." In "'It's a new Cultural Revolution," Nick Paton Walsh, Observer UK, 11 June 2000. Other artists have taken up the theme, such as Claes Oldenburg and his "Soft Toilet" of 1966. His is not the only toilet, though many are hard.
Such fluidity becomes all the more apparent when recalling Serrano's Piss Christ, though the seeming courage of this is limp, as no Piss Mohammad followed. As modern art has become mere scandal mongering, it meets the scandal mongering of modern politics in which a public urinal creates conflict while the proponents of an all-gender toilet fancy themselves politically courageous. You can actually piss on it in complete accord with gender equality.
It is the height of irony that postmodern artists "piss" on modern art, all the while in politics the whole issue of peeing becomes an issue for court cases.
Here's one: "There is some debate in Germany about whether men should sit or stand to pee. Some toilets have red traffic-style signs forbidding the standing position - but those who choose to sit are often referred to as a "Sitzpinkler", implying it is not masculine behaviour." In "German court rules that men can urinate while standing," BBC, 22 January 2015.
Duchamp was already late to the game, Cai and Xi even later, and the San Francisco "new" is old' while the German court decision was not about anything other than tort law and property. Urination in modesty in public is nothing new, as one views the Parisian "Urinoir," circa 1865, and "Vespasienne," circa 1900.
[ 5 ] This court judgment, now finished, demonstrates that a man in a woman's bathroom is become legal, depending on the spin of the story. If the man is a transgender woman, then it is allowed. If the man is a voyeur it is disallowed. Thus the narrative drives the outcome. It is all the more ironic because the federal government's EEOC acted aggressively in this case, while one also notes that another agency of the federal government, the TSA, has acted in an opposite manner.
See the amusing trans-rhyme about a fictional Anne O'Malley
Orwell was wrong, in part, one can conclude, in his clever word inversions. As an example: "peace is war" has now become "peace is war, and peace, and war is peace and also war." A proof of this is the Peace Prize president presiding over continual war.
A Political Whirlpool
Another, in this case, is man with a penis is a woman, and so on. The political whirlpool is now flush with potty humor and of course that which is fluid.
Incidences of men in women's clothing in women's bathrooms are not so unusual. One reads from 2003 " 'I wanted to see women naked,' he was quoted as telling investigators. 'Dressing up as a woman was a step to do that.' Police said Yamamoto dressed up as a woman and entered a bath Wednesday and began staring at naked women as he soaked in the water." In "Cross-dresser arrested in bath house," United Press International, 27 November 2003.
From 2004: "Domasky was arrested Sept. 3 after custodians spotted a man in women's clothing outside the girls' locker room at Greensburg Salem High School. ...Greensburg Patrolman John Swank testified that Domasky told him he is 'sexually attracted to women, that [he] considers [himself] a woman'." In "Greensburg man who photographed cheerleaders to be tried," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 19 November 2004.
From 2009: "...a witness called authorities to say a man was getting out of his car wearing fake breasts and a wig and carrying a purse. The witness saw the man near a bank and thought it was a little 'weird' to see a man wearing what seemed to be a disguise, Carmichael said. According to the Megan's Law Web site, Render has been previously arrested on charges of child molestation and indecent exposure." In "San Jose sex offender wearing fake breasts, wig arrested for loitering in womens' restroom," by Lisa Fernandez, Mercury News, 26 January 2009.
From 2010: "Calhoun Police said when they arrived at the store, Burnes was wearing a dark woman’s suit, black high heals, red nail polish, green eye shadow and women’s jewelry. The police report said a witness also watched Burnes 'show off his white girdle and dark thong underwear' in the women's section of the store." In "Police: Man Undresses In Front Of Children In Walmart Restroom," WSB-TV Atlanta, 24 March 2010.From 2011: "A 15-year-old male special education student reported being coerced into a shopping mall food court for a sexual encounter. Police said Isaiah Johnson, 20, of Stamford, and 'two other males dressed as females in the area of Veteran’s Park Bus stop' coerced the teenage boy into the bathroom of the food court of the Stamford mall on April 26, where a sexual encounter took place." In "Teen Coerced Into Food Court Bathroom for Sex: Cops," NBC Connecticut, 8 June 2011.
Elsewhere in 2011: "A registered sex offender dressed up like a woman, went into a women’s locker room at a pool and talked with several children before being chased down by a good Samaritan, according to a Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. Friday around 3 p.m. 39-year-old Thomas Lee Benson put on a bra, lipstick and eyeliner and walked into the North Clackamas Aquatic Park in Milwaukie, Detective Jim Strovink said." In "Man dressed as woman went into pool locker room," KATU Milwaukee, 6 July 2011.
Recently in 2014: "A sexual predator who falsely claimed to be transgender and preyed on women at two Toronto shelters was jailed indefinitely on Wednesday. Justice John McMahon declared Christopher Hambrook — who claimed to be a transgender woman named Jessica — was a dangerous offender." In "Predator who claimed to be transgender declared dangerous offender," by Sam Pazzano, Toronto Sun, 26 February 2014.
More recently in 2016: "The Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 to expand protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, making it the latest frontier in a national debate on how businesses treat gay, lesbian and transgender customers. One of the revisions to the city's nondiscrimination ordinance allows people to choose restrooms corresponding to the gender with which they identify." In "Charlotte council votes to extend transgender rights," by Tom Foreman Jr. and Jonathan Drew, Associated Press, 22 February 2016.
And, a "...man who was charged last week with using his cell phone to peep into a stall in in a women's bathroom at a Lancaster County mini market is facing child pornography charges, according to a Lancasteronline report. James T. Shoemaker, 19, of Quarryville, allowed police to search his cell phone after he was caught in a women's bathroom stall at a Sheetz at 1180 Mannheim Pike on April 14." In "Lancaster County man busted in women's bathroom stall slapped with child porn charges," by Eric Veronikis, PennLive, 21 April 2016.
Of course, he could defend himself in court with any of the many "gender identity" monikers which were intended to muddy the waters of identity, to the point that a "man" in a "women's bathroom" is no longer a marker for illegal intent or act. "He was caught in a women's bathroom" is -- referring to the United States government's Labor Department which officially asks that we "avoid binary terminology and be inclusive of individuals" -- incorrect speech.
Thus one gleans a peek into the grand social justice wisdom of the US Department of Labor's stance on nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for sexual predators to use the law to their advantage over potential victims, and moreover to employ legal defenses in asserting their rights if and when prosecuted. Such is the nature of having no discrimination with equal opportunity in this modern dialogue about toilets, toilet users and abusers of toilet users. Ditto for city councils, county and state politicians and federal regulators.
[ 6 ] The gist is: "...many Muslim refugees no nothing about using toilet paper. They require water for cleansing, for having used the left hand, that unclean hand to be cleaned." The article title is "A toilet, that everyone can use."
The Frankfurter Allgemeine article also noted: "Auch deutsche Toilettenhersteller arbeiten daran, zu einer Lösung für dieses Problem zu kommen. So hat etwa der Hersteller von Mobiltoiletten 'Global Fliegenschmidt' aus Coswig in Sachsen-Anhalt seit einiger Zeit auch eine sogenannte orientalische Toilette im Programm - ein Loch, zwei Fußtritte rechts und links davon."
Foot supports on either side are offered for the squatters: "one hole, with two footsteps right and left."
While the American federal government and its EEOC worry about men not necessarily in "bra and wig" and perhaps identifying themselves fluidly, cultural challenges for "Muslim refugees" in Germany according to the press are having a difficult time understanding the use of toilet paper. Perhaps the cultural divides are growing in being seen so easily across a small world?
Humor
A puerile bit of humor comes to mind, in the joke: which hand to you use to wipe? Whatever the answer, the comeback is always, "well, I use toilet paper." But if there are multiple genders according to the new politics, perhaps there are more than two hands. I wonder if the voyeur in a "bra and wig" would be tolerated as a part of "everyone" in the Klo for Muslim refugees?
Such concerns are not limited to the United States and its current preoccupation wishing "to replace 'both' sexes and avoid binary terminology and be inclusive of individuals who may not identify as male or female, as well as various racial and ethnic/national origin groups, various religions, individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals with disabilities and individuals in different age groups," or to German interest in engineering "a toilet that everyone can use."
One finds a tale of "cultural reasons" for toilet habits in Britain: "'When asked, Mr Chowdhury explained he filled the bottle with water from the kitchen taps and used it to clean his bottom after visiting the toilet. 'He did not use toilet paper for cultural reasons. Inspectors concluded the brown finger prints was faecal matter'." In "Curry house chef prepared food after wiping his bottom with his bare hands because he doesn't use toilet paper for 'cultural reasons'," by Emily Chan, 13 April 2016.
[ 7 ] The confluence of themes becomes more dense. Rape in a gay bar of a transgender victim by a perpetrator known to "people" at the Stonewall Inn? Indeed.
The article notes: " 'People inside the Stonewall know him,' Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. 'We hope to have him identified in the next coming days.' Stonewall Inn, site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, is famed as the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement." In "Transgender woman says she was raped in Stonewall Inn bathroom," by Shawn Cohen and Daniel Prendergast, New York Post, 28 March 2016.
Thread of tales surrounding this modern/postmodern notion of fluidity flow into a tempestuous river.
Gender becomes fluid, from self-description to surgery.
Language is deemed fluid, and gender pronouns are deemed "non-inclusive" binaries which the postmodern world purports to transform.
Toilet use becomes fluid. Even art involving toilets from Duchamp's "found" toilet leads culture on its fluid way, and it even becomes art to piss on art.
Art becomes fluid, as do issues of potential sexual assault by people "wearing a bra and wig" so that even rape might be deemed a fluid concept.
Can this be? Of course, as one consults a modern/postmodern celebrity, calling out Whoopi
Transgender Rape and Escaping the Restraints of Identity and Reason
So perhaps the rape of a transgender woman in an iconic gay bar might be informed by fluid definitions that such a rape might not be rape-rape. Was this a case of gay rape involving a transgender woman if surgery had not completed the transgender goal? Perhaps this is something like Anne O'Malley
Another tragic bathroom story: "...the teen admitted had taken place. In his interview through an interpreter, the rapist told officers: 'I have been bad,' and he admitted he carried out the rape on the young boy." In "Immigrant, 15, raped a five-year-old boy in a bathroom and threatened to 'break him into pieces' just months after arriving in Britain," by Amie Gordon, Mail Online, 19 November 2016.
Perhaps rape is becoming an artistic expression of inclusive, non-binary language, for if genders should not be seen as binary but rather inclusive by even the force of federal law, and if rape may not be rape-rape in the language of celebrity, and if access to uni-sex, genderless toilets be the standard under which activism of all sorts gathers, then George Orwell's commentary from 1946 becomes prophetic.
"Political language -- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." In ""Politics and the English Language, 1946."
It becomes glaringly true that "In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible," and "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity." Indeed, fluidity has become, in Clarkson's words above, "every man's dream."
As to a defense of the indefensible, a Catholic writer notes: "...the so-called bathroom wars have nothing to do with reality. It has everything to do with empowering the fantasies of those who wish to escape the restraints of identity and reason. This new activism involves the empowering of fantasy, which by definition is the power or process of creating unrealistic or improbable mental images in response to psychological whims. In times past, those with fantasies were called down to the reality found in society and nature. Today, society as a whole is being asked to pander to and be complicit with the unnatural fantasies of a few." In "What the Bathroom Wars are Really All About," by John Horvat II, Crisis Magazine, 9 May 2016.
[ 8 ] Logic falls short. In a private home, one may legally restrict whomever one wishes to from entering, remaining or taking charge in various toilets, as anywhere else in a private residence. There is precious little political leverage in the private sphere, it being most obviously private, and therefore outside the public sphere. One might well ask, since "Many of the bathrooms in my home are gender-neutral," which are not? And which are in use by several people at the same time? Such political rhetoric is most amusing, and passes as sense in the modern politicized chatter of today.
And yet, all the while such illogical logic is traded, as above, one reads of "men who menstruate."
Tyranny silences, freedom expounds.
Freedom balances citizens' bounds.
Equal for one is equal in all;
Such clear thought stokes tyrannies' brawl,
For freedom infects and freedom will free
From tyrannies' wrecks, as all come to see.
Who would enslave and who bears the cross?
Who would be free and who suffers loss?
Tyrants must fall with time passing by.
When freedom infects, tyrannies die.
Envoi: " Americans' satisfaction level in dealing with federal agencies --everything from Treasury to Homeland Security -- has fallen for a third consecutive year, reaching an eight-year low." In "Americans hate the U.S. government more than ever," by Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 26 January 2016.
Addendum of "Working for Insiders with Money and Power" Discontent: "The irate, discontent electorate is apparent in polls: More than 6 in 10 people think that either all or most Americans are angry with Washington, according to a recent Monmouth University survey. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll last November found deep frustration, with nearly 7 in 10 Americans agreeing they were angry that the political system 'seems to only be working for the insiders with money and power, like those on Wall Street or in Washington'." In "America 2016: We’re mad as hell and not going to take it anymore," by Lesley Clark, Anita Kumar and Maria Recio, McClatchy, 29 January 2016.
Addendum of 'In Nothing We Trust': "The polls and the political rhetoric speak to a mood of anger, distrust, even outright betrayal. But take a look beyond the political realm, and you will find something that runs longer than the current campaign, and deeper than politics. The unhappy fact is that Americans’ trust in just about all our institutions has been in a long, almost unbroken decline. Our trust in government? A Pew Research poll last November found that only 19 percent of us trusted the government to do what was right all or most of the time. That’s close to an historic low." In "Has the U.S. motto become 'In Nothing We Trust'?" Quote of Jeff Greenfield, PBS News Hour, 5 February 2016.
Addendum of the Broken System: "According to the ACLU, the poll finds that 74 percent of all voters across the state believe that the Illinois criminal justice system is “broken.” Illinois voters, the poll showed, tend to hold this belief regardless of party affiliation: 76 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of independents and 70 percent of Republicans." In "ACLU poll: Illinois criminal justice system 'broken'," by Molly Parker, Southern Illinoisan, 5 February 2016.
Addendum of Fewer than 3,000 Officials: "Constitutional principles of limited government were designed to keep power diffuse. Indignation over concentrated wealth often seeks redress by awarding more power to the federal government. The targeted 1 percent is more than 3 million people. Congress, the Supreme Court, president and key executive agencies total fewer than 3,000 officials -- one thousandth of one percent." In " 'Democracy' depends on who shows up," by Thomas Gelsthorpe, Cape Cod Times, 10 February 2016. [ 1 ]
Addendum of the Serious Threat: "Despite the seemingly strong empirical support in previous studies for theories of majoritarian democracy, our analyses suggest that majorities of the American public actually have little influence over the policies our government adopts. Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association, and a widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America’s claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened." In "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens," by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page, Perspectives on Politics, Fall 2014.
Addendum of Double Taxation: "The United States is one of only two countries in the world that has citizenship-based taxation (the other is Eritrea). As a US citizen you must file a tax return, no matter where you live, and often pay US taxes on top of the tax you already pay in your country of residence - so-called double taxation." In "Why expat Americans are giving up their passports," by Russell Newlove, BBC News, 9 February 2016.
Addendum of the Democrat Elite and Special Interests: "Special interests have undermined the trust between the government and the American people to the extent that public outcry against corporate influences are resulting in regressing policies for campaign finance reform. As Mr. Sanders leads calls for politicians to ethically rid themselves of ties to wealthy individuals and corporations, the Democratic Establishment is doing everything possible to inoculate themselves from those calls to action." In "How the DNC Helps Clinton Buy Off Superdelegates," by Michael Sainato, Observer, 18 February 2016. [ 2 ]
Addendum of Republicans Rejecting their Elite: "... the Republican party is now openly engaged in taking down the candidate that has so far attracted the most support from Republicans. Among the latest to take the public lead in trying to discredit Trump are Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. After firing their rusty muskets at Trump, the only thing that became clear was the detachment of party insiders from the hearts of party members. Politicians like Romney and McConnell are the reason so many Americans are placing their faith in a political outsider." In "Trump is the symbol of America’s discontent," by John Snobelen, Toronto Sun, 4 March 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Government Tyranny Silencing: "Ukraine banned government officials on Tuesday from publicly criticizing the work of state institutions and their colleagues, after damaging disclosures last month that highlighted slow progress in fighting corruption." In "Ukraine bans officials from criticizing government," by Alessandra Prentice, Reuters, 1 March 2016.
Addendum of an Attempt to Thwart: "What's taking place before our eyes is a hijacking of the most essential element of our republic, the one holding that the government serves at the consent of the governed. But does the will of the people still matter to those who hold the reins of power, those who believe their own opinions transcend the opinions of the voting public? To borrow a line from Malcolm X, they’re now threatening to thwart the people’s choice 'by any means necessary'." "No room for people’s will in Republicans’ party plans," by Joe Fitzgerald, Boston Herald, 2 March 2016.
Addendum of the Pretty Picture Economy Most Haven't Experienced: "Former President Bill Clinton rapped President Obama's 'pretty picture' of economic recovery, claiming in a campaign stop for his wife Monday that millions of Americans have been left behind. He referred to Obama's State of the Union address and his claims of economic prosperity as a 'pretty picture' most haven't experienced." In "Bubba bashes Obama's 'pretty picture' economy, says millions left behind," Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 7 March 2016.
Addendum of Spending Growth Addiction: "Three out of every four Americans say Congress should not increase spending. That’s not 73 percent of the Tea Party, or 73 percent of the Republican Party. That’s 73 percent of all Americans who say Congress should not increase federal spending." In "Republicans Are Addicted to Increasing Federal Spending," by Tommy Binion, Daily Signal, 15 March 2016.
Addendum of the Arrogantly Insular GOP Establishment and the Democrats' Shameless Manipulation and Racketeering: "Voters have a tremendous opportunity this year to smash the tyrannical, money-mad machinery of both parties. A vote for Bernie Sanders is a vote for the future, while a vote for Hillary Clinton is a reward to the Democratic National Committee for its shameless manipulation and racketeering. A primary vote for Donald Trump is a rebuke to the arrogantly insular GOP establishment, which if he wins the nomination will lose its power and influence overnight." In "This is why Trump’s winning, and why I won’t vote for Hillary," by Camille Paglia, Salon.com, 24 March 2016.
Addendum of the Influence Industry: "Much of the influence industry’s goal is to get a slice of the $4 trillion federal budget." In "America to Establishment: Who the hell are you people?" by David Lightman, McClathcy DC, 26 March 2016. [ 4 ]
Addendum of Republicans and Democrats Alike: "Republicans and Democrats alike, Mr. Friess said, had neglected 'the people who truly make our country work — the truck drivers, farmers, welders, hospitality workers'." In "How the G.O.P. Elite Lost Its Voters to Donald Trump," by Nicholas Confessore, New York Times, 28 March 2016.
Addendum of the (Un)Democratic Party: "It’s no surprise that superdelegates were created by establishment elites to increases their own power. Superdelegates were invented by a Democratic rule change in the early 1980s after the nomination of George McGovern in 1972 and the devastating loss of Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan in 1980, precisely to help the establishment prevent the nomination of insurgent candidates of whom the establishment disapproved." In "The (Un)Democratic Party," by Charles M. Blow, New York Times, 4 April 2016.
From a 1948 Progressive Party meeting showing the Dem-GOP party.
Addendum of the Awareness Infection Spreading in Africa: "Power-hungry politicians are the main driver of conflicts across Africa and leaders are not doing enough to stop the violence, according to tens of thousands of young Africans polled by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Up to 86,000 Africans from Cameroon to Central African Republic and Mali to Nigeria took part in the survey via their mobile phones. The poll targeted people aged between 15 and 30 for their views on the continent's conflicts and crises." In "African youth blame politicians for conflicts, crises: UN poll," by Kieran Guilbert, Reuters, 16 June 2016.
Consider the Enslavement of Debt: Sam?
NOTES
[ 1 ] Gelsthorpe's editorial speaks clearly of "Plutocracy (from Greek πλοῦτος, ploutos, meaning "wealth", and κράτος, kratos, meaning "power, dominion, rule") or plutarchy, refers to a society or a system ruled and dominated by a small minority of the wealthiest or most powerful citizens. Unlike democracy, capitalism, socialism or anarchism, plutocracy is not necessarily rooted in any definite political philosophy, and the concepts or strategies of plutocracy may be advocated or used by wealthy or powerful classes of a society in an indirect or surreptitious fashion, though the term itself is almost always used in a pejorative sense." Wikipedia article, n. d.
The Plutocrats' Dream of a Comprehensive Planetary Regime
One reads of those supposedly radical professors who would propose a "comprehensive planetary regime" as in The Privileges of Intellectuals
Has the United States become among the plutocracies throughout history? Some say so.
One reads of those supposedly radical professors who would propose a "comprehensive planetary regime" as in The Privileges of Intellectuals
One reads: "Like those populists of that earlier era, millions of Americans have awakened to a sobering reality: they live in a plutocracy, where they are disposable. Then, the remedy was a popular insurgency that ignited the spark of democracy. Now we have come to another parting of the ways, and once again the fate and character of our country are up for grabs. … Democracy only works when we claim it as our own." Bill Moyers, in the last episode of "Bill Moyers Journal," 30 April 2010.
One finds a similar view in Wikipedia's article on Plutocracy: "According to Noam Chomsky, modern day United States resembles a plutocracy, though with democratic forms."
In such a time the infection of freedom threatens the enshrined, the appointed and self-appointed, and -- as Gelsthorpe writes -- "fewer that 3,000 officials."
Among those are an ex-President who is an ex-Governor and an ex-Senator who is an ex-Secretary-of State and current candidate for President. Wealth connected to power? Of course.
One reads: "...she said: 'Wall Street can never be allowed to once again threaten Main Street. And I will fight to rein in Wall Street—and you know what? I know how to do it.' But Hillary and Bill Clinton made up to $76,000 a day fueled by large payments from Wall Street banks that date back to at least 1999. The leading Democratic presidential candidate and her husband raked in nearly double the average American’s annual wage every 24 hours at the peak of their earning." In "How the Clintons embraced Wall Street and made $76,000 a DAY by cashing in with speech after speech - but now Hillary wants to fight to 'rein in' the money men," by Daniel Bates, Daily Mail, 10 February 2016.
Such is a marker for and evidence of the American plutocracy "dominated by a small majority of the wealthiest or most powerful citizens," as observed by Chomsky and Moyers, among many others. Alas these modern thinkers and critics can only come up with "government" as an antidote to "government." It is likely many worry about their own subsidies, should ever the Grease
[ 2 ] The demonstrable fact is that many democratic republics have formed a kind of party politics in which the never-admitted quid pro quo is quietly encouraged with a message to Bring presents to the party
Access, bought outright by means of a so-called donation, is a matter of course, and this testifies to the reality that politicians in general have shown themselves venal, and many use their political privilege then to amass wealth for themselves at the expense of the many while through the donations of the few and wealthy. All the while at every level of government as shown through multiple sources, Corruption
There should be no longer amazement that a news media article as shown above may so openly state, "Americans hate the U.S. government more than ever?"
[ 3 ] The Toronto Sun editorial speaks volumes in few words: "American voters are tired of being played for suckers by a professional class of politicians who have stumbled into unwinnable wars while racking up mountainous debt. ...politicos on both sides of the border, in all parties, should be paying attention to a public that has grown tired of politics as usual."
An Imperial Capital
A similar conclusion finds its way into the Washington Post: " 'You have a party that mishandled the economic collapse, an elite leadership that failed to reform things, an attitude of arrogance to the very tea party people who wanted to change things,' he said. 'The people in the imperial capital cannot understand why everyone in the rest of the country is offended by sending money to the imperial capital'." In "Behind the rise of Trump, long-standing grievances among left-out voters," by Dan Balz, Washington Post, 5 March 2016.
Another set of tax payers seems to have been played as suckers, one story with many like it: "In 2014, Gov. Terry McAuliffe posed for a photo where he gave a Chinese company known as Lindenburg Industry $1.4 million in grant money. In return, they were supposed to create hundreds of new jobs in an old factory building that had sat empty for years. Eighteen months later, that town is now left asking where are the jobs and where is all that money." In "Duped: Economic development deal in Appomattox turns into elaborate scam," by Parker Slaybaugh, WRIC/ABC News, 14 May 2016.
Certainly skepticism in party "leadership" is rising. One reads: "Some 51 percent of likely voters who responded to the April 21-26 online survey said they believed the primary system was 'rigged' against some candidates. Some 71 percent of respondents said they would prefer to pick their party’s nominee with a direct vote, cutting out the use of delegates as intermediaries." In "Half of Americans think presidential nominating system 'rigged' - poll," by Chris Kahn, Reuters, 27 April 2016.
[ 4 ] The phrase, "influence industry," speaks volumes about today's practice of politics in all political parties. The article begins with anecdotal power: "The people who spend two bucks for chili at the Courtesy Diner at Laclede Station Road can’t fathom why anyone would pay Hillary Clinton $225,000 to make a speech. Nor can they understand why the U.S. Senate is taking a 17-day break for Easter after spending much of their time last week fuming over the Supreme Court vacancy. Somehow, people all over America are saying loudly and clearly this election year, Washington and its enablers – the media, the political pros and Wall Street – don’t understand us."
I think this statement incorrect in part. "Washington and its enablers" have too long understood and thereby manipulated voters trusting that their individual concerns would be heard. But, a shining example of failure is that so many have been fooled after they Voted
Paraphrases of German children's poems by Falke and three anonymous authors
i. Cow
A cow sat in a swallow's nest
with seven baby goats,
which cheered the day so blessed,
before away each one floats.
The donkey pulls on his pants
and too flies over the roof.
And if no truth is found, perchance,
then these are lies, and you're the proof.
ii. In a hall of a seaside sandy bright
In a hall of a seaside sandy bright
stood castles proud and bold.
Fallen roofs recall their height;
through all, the winds blow cold.
'Tis sure the knights are vanished,
never strikes a spear on shield;
yet the rover, not one banished,
amid mossy stones of the battlefield
oft spies fine shapes, quite fine revealed.
Above, there beckon beauteous eyes,
as happy lips laugh, reddened red;
in the distance, the wanderer spies,
visions in the stars outspread;
for this, the heart is cheered, well fed.
And thus the wanderer heeds ere long,
as the parting hour gently calls,
and sings his lonely farewell song:
Be well -- intoned, as fade footfalls.
Banners wave from wind-swept walls.
iii. Dark it was
Dark it was, the moon shown bright,
and snow lay on this green-leaved sight,
as a coach in searing, lightning flight
crossed those woods like a snail affright.
In it stood those seated, deep
in conversation's still silent sweep,
as a shot-dead rabbit then did leap
to ice-skate on the dunes, asleep.
And a blond-headed youth so very fair
with coal black, raven black, blackened hair
sat on an all too green pillowed chair
which was quite covered in red with flair.
Nearby one of those crotchety dears
of no more than but sixteen years
holds a buttered roll on which he smears
Schmaltz-fattened, greasy elixirs.
iv. Oh!
It's evening when I early rise,
It's morning when my bedtime sighs,
When crows the cock, when cackles the hen,
Self-threshes the grain in the threshing then.
The gal, who puts the oven in the fire,
The dame, whose three soups into one egg do gyre,
The guy, who spins the parlor with a broom
Where sit the peas, in the kids' reading room.
Oh, how my boots are swollen too great,
Such that my legs won't go in of late!
Take three pound boots and slather with fat,
Then put my bed in front of where they're at!
See: Vier-Nonsens-lieder - (2016)
Posit the straw man in debate.
He's meant to fail; such it his fate.
The straw man is not yours to choose;
One sets it up that it may lose.
Two alternatives, one so bad,
Predicts the win, quite ironclad.
But straw man stands when two are stood,
So posit three or more. You could.
When the straw man is stood up tall,
Ask, why two? That one will fall?
But if more options trot on the stage,
The straw man speaker will roil and rage.
There's only two! I declare it so!
Not three or more! They all must go!
When straw men speak, a trickster smiles
Because such falseness so beguiles.
That straw man is not yours to choose,
But it is you who then must lose.
Cheap debate always palms the ace;
Cheat it will, right to your face.
Two options is the limit game,
That most will lose; that is it's aim.
The straw man is a grand deceit;
Reject it, offer a third. Repeat.
Offer a fourth, alternatives rich,
And hear the straw man bray and bitch.
Thesis, antithesis, synthesis such
Is strategy used overly much.
Thesis and many antitheses paint
A richer debate with less constraint.
Why limit things to only two?
Those that do would win over you.
Occam's razor, dulled from use,
Leaves each Occam stubbled,
Let some gazer this deduce:
Grieves each Occam, troubled.
Things go dull with sharp use
Though they're honed to last;
One can cull to educe
Lessons not surpassed.
Occam's razor too oft used
Must be forged anew.
What appraiser, not confused,
Stirs some razor stew?
Occam's chainsaw! There's a thought,
Parsimoniously invoked,
Debates' main flaw, too oft fought,
Is vaingloriously joked.
An ideologue had oft complained
Of competing ideologues;
Idea logs, herein explained,
Are dogmas' catalogues
Of this, of that, which matters most,
And clearly that which matters
Is ideologues do their utmost
To tear others into tatters,
Without a nod to what is right
When most proof sees it so,
But instead they rage and fight
Rather than learn and grow.
Policy and polity are fisticuffs
As logs are rolled and rolled,
When each roller huffs and puffs
And screeches with each scold.
An ideologue will oft complain
Of idea-rolling idea loggers;
This must be so, for speaking plain,
Most are proven pettifoggers.
Black Billed,
White Billed,
Ruffled feathers flew.
Fact filled,
Act filled,
Accusations stew.
Standards double
Pundits' trouble;
What can one construe?
Justice slowly
Colored lowly
Just is overdue?
Black man,
White man,
Privilege declares
Colored swatches,
Dullard watches
What a rape ripe bares.
Not him!
Knot him!
Prosecute but not
Hypocrites
As befits
Bill and Bill and squat.Addendum in White: "Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, has been accused by multiple women of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other forms of sexual misconduct. Clinton has only admitted extramarital relationships with Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers." In "Bill Clinton sexual misconduct allegations," a Wikipedia article, n.d., which lists more than ten names and anecdotes, including the financial settlement with Paula Jones, "On November 18, 1998, Clinton agreed to an out-of-court settlement, and agreed to pay Jones and her attorneys a sum of $850,000. Clinton denies ever engaging in a sexual affair with her." [ 1 ]
Addendum in Black: "Months after his depositions, Cosby settled the case with Constand. The accusations quickly faded from the public’s memory, if they registered at all. No one wanted to believe the TV dad in a cardigan was capable of such things, and so they didn’t." In "‘I’m No Longer Afraid’: 35 Women Tell Their Stories About Being Assaulted by Bill Cosby, and the Culture That Wouldn’t Listen," by Noreen Malone and Amanda Demme, New York Magazine, 26 July 2015. [ 2 ]
Addendum of the Emotionally Infantile: "In most of these cases, like the Bill Clinton and Bill Cosby stories, there’s been a complete neglect of psychology. We’re in a period right now where nobody asks any questions about psychology. No one has any feeling for human motivation. No one talks about sexuality in terms of emotional needs and symbolism and the legacy of childhood. Sexuality has been politicized – 'Don’t ask any questions!' 'No discussion!' 'Gay is exactly equivalent to straight!' And thus in this period of psychological blindness or inertness, our art has become dull. There’s nothing interesting being written–in fiction or plays or movies. Everything is boring because of our failure to ask psychological questions. So I say there is a big parallel between Bill Cosby and Bill Clinton–aside from their initials! Young feminists need to understand that this abusive behavior by powerful men signifies their sense that female power is much bigger than they are! These two people, Clinton and Cosby, are emotionally infantile – they’re engaged in a war with female power. It has something to do with their early sense of being smothered by female power – and this pathetic, abusive and criminal behavior is the result of their sense of inadequacy." In "Camille Paglia: How Bill Clinton is like Bill Cosby," by David Daley, Salon.com, 28 July 2016. [ 3 ]
Addendum of Worrying About Comparisons:
NOTES
[ 1 ] "...looked at in the light of a credible rape allegation, there are all sorts of Clinton stories — the Willey and Jones cases, the rumors collected by Jones’s lawyers, the old tales of state troopers being used as procurers, the 2002 globetrotting on the jet of a billionaire who’s also a convicted statutory rapist — that could suggest a darker pattern, tending toward the Cosby-esque. The truth about Bill Clinton’s past, then, is that we don’t actually know the truth. And even in our tabloid-driven age, it’s quite possible that we simply never will." In "The Bill Clinton Question," by Ross Douthat, New York Times, 16 January 2016.
The partisan divide rather well defines one side supporting one so accused while dismissing the other, and the other side sometimes doing quite the same. This suggests that political loyalty triumphs over blind justice.
But not for some. One reads: "Nearly two decades after she endured worldwide ridicule when her affair with President Bill Clinton was revealed, Monica Lewinsky is still working to reclaim her identity. 'The shame sticks to you like tar,' she told The Guardian in a wide-ranging interview." In "Monica Lewinsky in new, revealing interview: ‘The shame sticks to you like tar’," by Scott Stump, MSNBC, 18 April 2016.
Rape Doesn't Make Him an Evil Man
Thankfully a feminist has spoken out, sarcasm intended. One reads: "To sum up, I think Bill Clinton could very well have raped Juanita Broaddrick; that it doesn’t make him an evil man, or irredeemable (I’m Catholic; we’re all forgiven, if we’re sorry, and Broaddrick says Bill Clinton personally called her up to apologize). It doesn’t even necessarily make him a bad feminist — you know, later, once he stops doing that." In "Let’s Talk About Juanita Broaddrick," by Rebecca Schoenkopf, Wonkette, 15 August 2016.
Consider the various facets of today's attitudes about sex and sexual politics in Sexy acrostic
Such thinking seems to make a distinction between a rapist who is not an "evil man" and a man who does not rape but with whom one disagrees somehow evil. Language dies thereby. As Pagila's quote above clarifies: "Sexuality has been politicized – 'Don’t ask any questions!' 'No discussion!' "
D--king Bimbos
And yet, questions occur as information floats to the surface of the media. One reads: " 'I would rather not have to vote for her, although she is a friend I respect,' the former secretary of state wrote Democratic donor Jeffrey Leeds on July 26, 2014. 'A 70-year person with a long track record, unbridled ambition, greedy, not transformational, with a husband still d–kng bimbos at home (according to the NYP),' reads the explosive e-mail obtained by the Web site DCLeaks." In "Colin Powell: Bill Clinton ‘still d—ing bimbos (according to the NYP)’," by Daniel Halper, Carl Campanile and Bob Fredericks, New York Post, 14 September 2016.
As to some "bimbos" returning to the news, one reads: "A former Arkansas nursing home administrator who has accused Bill Clinton of raping her nearly 40 years ago lashed out at Chelsea Clinton on Wednesday for minimizing her father Bill's past sex scandals. 'Your father was, and probably still is, a sexual predator. Your mother has always lied and covered up for him,' Juanita Broaddrick wrote on Twitter. Chelsea said in an interview with Cosmopolitan on Tuesday that focusing on the former president's reputation as a sex abuser was a 'distraction' from issues important to voters in the November election." In " 'Your parents are not good people': Bill Clinton 'rape' accuser Juanita Broaddrick lashes out at Chelsea Clinton after former first daughter calls dad's sex scandals a 'distraction'," by David Martosko, Daily Mail, 28 September 2016.
An amusing synthesis of the two opinions, one by a daughter of an ex-president and current presidential candidate, could conflate the views, such that "Your father was, and probably still is, a sexual predator" is indeed a "distraction" for the Clinton campaign.
Distraction from Lewinsky by Bombing?
But there are questions not referring to sexuality per se. One reads: "An article in the Muslim journal where Huma Abedin was assistant editor claimed Bill Clinton bombed Saddam Hussein to deflect from his Monica Lewinsky affair. The claim made made in an article published in the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, where Abedin was a member of the editorial board - the group of people who decide what is published in the academic journal. It is the latest bombshell to emerge from the archives of the journal, whose editor-in-chief is Abedin's mother, Saleha Mahmood Abedin, an academic in Saudi Arabia." In "EXCLUSIVE: Bill Clinton bombed Saddam to distract from the Monica Lewinsky scandal - what Huma Abedin's Muslim journal claimed about her boss's husband," by Louise Boyle, Daily Mail, 26 August 2016.
From an earlier source, one reads: "The Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs is more than a journal. It is a book commissioned by the house of Saud and published by the Institute for Muslim Minority Affairs (IMMA). The book contains plans for Muslim conquest and includes a blueprint for the infiltration of non-Muslim lands. It all starts with the father of Huma Abedin, Sayed Zaynul Abedin, and this Journal paid for by the Al Saud dynasty in Saudi Arabia. Huma Abedin served on the board of the Institute for Muslim Minority Affairs for many years at the same time she worked for Hillary Clinton." In "Huma Abedin and Our Government," by John Velisek, Independent Sentinel, 20 June 2015.
Returning to the Boyle article, one reads: "But the version of events published in her journal is one which is unlikely to be embraced by the presidential candidate, and especially not by Bill Clinton. It is outlined in a provocative article published in 2002, and headlined: 'Arab/Muslim 'Otherness': The Role of Racial Constructions in the Gulf War and the Continuing Crisis with Iraq.' The article was written by Sina Ali Muscati who was the time described as a 'second year law student' at the University of Ottawa. His academic credentials were not declared."
No Authorization for Use of Military Force
That article written by Sina Ali Muscati is in the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Volume 22, Number 1, 1 April 2002.
As to Clinton's attack on Iraq, which followed G. H. W. Walker Bush's attack and was followed by G. W. Bush's attack supported by then New York Senator Hillary Clinton, one reads: "Although there was no Authorization for Use of Military Force as there was during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom or a Declaration of War as in WWII, on October 31, 1998 Clinton signed into law H.R. 4655, the Iraq Liberation Act. The new Act appropriated funds for Iraqi opposition groups in the hope of removing Saddam Hussein from power and replacing his regime with a democracy. Despite the act's intention being support of opposition groups, Clinton justified his order for US action under the Act." In "Bombing of Iraq (1998)," Wikipedia, n. d.
Of course, U. S. and coalition actions in Iraq have been hailed as a "success" by several administrations. Refer to Failing to plan
[ 2 ] "Bill Cosby settled a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who said the entertainer drugged and sexually assaulted her at his home outside Philadelphia. Terms of the settlement will remain confidential, according to a one-paragraph statement issued Wednesday by the woman's law firm." In "Bill Cosby Settles Lawsuit," by Jennifer Hoar, CBS News via AP, 8 November 2006.
Settling for Confidentiality
Clinton's settlement rather well matches Cosby's in such a case, wherein money allows each to argue that not being convicted equals innocence, rather than the more dryly legal clarity of being "not guilty." One therefore waits as continuing allegations, investigations and suits will likely continue so long as these Bills remain in the public's eye and media's attention.
As one waits, legal wrangling goes on, as one reads of attorneys battling one another. " 'We think that they are attempting to use civil discovery to get around the limits on criminal discovery in the criminal case,' Allred told reporters after Tuesday's status conference on the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Agrusa suggested Allred had something to hide and accused her of trying to 'have it both ways. Ms. Allred can't go around saying these women's stories are critical to her client's case and then just because they might be called in a criminal case now claim we can't depose them,' Agrusa told Reuters. 'To take the position that ... their allegations can't be challenged denies Mr. Cosby his fundamental right to ask questions of his accuser'." In "Sexual abuse lawsuit against Cosby takes backseat to criminal case," by Dana Feldman, Reuters, 21 September 2016.
But a clear statement for earlier is noted: "Documents from a 2005 civil lawsuit against Cosby were made public in July and included a testimony in which Cosby admitted to obtaining sedative drugs to to use on women he wanted to have sex with. Cosby has never been charged with a crime." In "Bill Cosby files defamation suit against women who accused him of assault," by Amanda Holpuch, Guardian UK, 14 December 2015.
The tale continues.
[ 3 ] An intellectually impressive and rigorous feminist, Paglia sees the parallel between Clinton and Cosby and says so. The rhyme, addenda and footnotes paint with a broad brush the modern faux-feminist game of Empowering feminism
Only months after Paglia's observation, one learns the political side of comparing the "boys" weighs on a political campaign.
One reads: "Hillary Clinton's campaign began worrying in the run-up to Iowa and New Hampshire that the former first lady would start getting questions from the press about rape allegations against her husband. A January 12, 2016, email taken from John Podesta's account that was posted to Wikileaks reveals an internal debate about how to handle questions that could arise about Bill's conduct. They were specifically worried that the former president would be compared to rapist Bill Cosby." In " 'How is what Bill Clinton did different from Bill Cosby?' Emails reveal how Hillary's aides panicked over his alleged sex attacks," by Francesca Chambers, Daily Mail, 27 October 2016.
