Michael K. Smith's Blog, page 28

Biden At The Top of His Game

“Covid has taken this year, just since the outbreak, has taken more than one hundred year, look, here’s – the lives, it’s just, it’s just, ya know, think about it, more lives this year than any other year, for the past hundred years.”


-------Joe Biden, CNN video clip, The Humanist Report (You Tube) September 2, 2020

Pandemic? Economic Collapse? Unemployment? Poverty? Naaaah..

 

 from action central: Washington Post

ya know, jeff bezos's newsletter?

 

"U.S. stocks wrap up a monster month, with S&P 500 posting its best August in more than 30 years

The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index capped a remarkable five-month winning streak as improving labor data, central bank maneuvers and Big Tech’s continuing dominance helped fuel a succession of milestones on Wall Street, even as the wait continues for a coronavirus vaccine and full economic recovery. The month’s advances propelled the S&P 500 to record levels, ending the shortest bear market in history"

 

See? Everything is fine..if you own any of the 500 stocks on the S&P..don't we all?

 

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Billionaires Lives Matter Far, Far More Than Yours

 

Billionaires Lives Matter Far, Far More Than Yours          

 

 

As we stagger towards the ultimate expression of our fake democracy in November it’s important to acknowledge what won’t be changing a bit whichever of the two parties of capital come out ahead with a minority of the American electorate’s support. The richest people in the nation, an ever-smaller group as inequality, showing massive growth of poverty, disease and the profits of warfare, will not only maintain their historic control but also exercise more of it than ever in the past. The capitalist pandemic and economic collapse will get worse before things get better and they won’t get better until we stop swallowing the republican-democratic party line about what high ideals this nation stands for in contradiction to the low reality of what it is. You know, all that stuff many are upset about, divided over and struggling to understand without needing more therapy, drugs, religion, guns, shopping, voting and other distractions.

 

Let’s get this straight: our country began in the 15thcentury and was officially founded by the original 1% in the 18th and has been controlled by that same percentage ever since. When the upper class was given land grants and whatever else the theft of a “new world” was labeled, it looked around at millions of acres and demanded that the mother country send help to do the work necessary to build a prosperous colonial outpost. Our nation of peasants and slaves started with a giant influx of cheap labor first coming from economic bondage in England and later in physical chains from Africa. The immigration policies that cause division in our modern society pitting those who profit from it against those who bear the loss for it has not changed a bit in economic essence. Cheap foreign labor is more profitable to capital than higher paid nationals and when some of those cheap foreigners eventually become national they tend to resent the newest shipment of foreigners who cheapen their wages and threaten their security.  

 

That was true when the original English immigrants became greatly upset as Germans began flocking into America back in the 17thcentury. At one point in the 20th century people of English and German descent represented a majority of the American population. The national origins of present generations of immigrants may have changed but the economic system guaranteeing profit they create for investors at loss to native workers is exactly the same as it was back then. It’s capitalism, no matter how much cosmetic language is used by those who disguise it with flowery fiction about freedom, democracy and other euphemisms for injustice to humans and the natural environment, and crippling insults to intelligence. Calling a terminal cancer ward a health spa doesn’t mean everything is okay for the residents just because investors in a multi-billion dollar market brand – cancer - are doing quite well, thank you.

 

 

 

And no matter how American some immigrants eventually become, most can be and are replaced when the need arises for more profit and capital ships jobs to foreign lands with cheaper labor or opens doors here to newer, lower cost help, whether as farm workers, coal miners, janitors, gardeners or silicon valley programmers -cheaper than our own college grads - and the folks who clean their toilets in silicon valley’s country club workplaces.

 

Current generations of humane and sincere supporters of immigration who have bought the mythology of America opening its arms to the poor and suffering in order to give them the right to vote for lesser evils and live in slums, ghettos and foreign language speaking isolation might as well learn how to make power-less salutes as they march to the polls or mailboxes to vote for lesser evils who represent the same economic system of private profit and public loss. Some electeds are slightly more kind about just how low the losers are allowed to sink while war and pet care take precedence over peace and health care in our great democracy, which has always rhymed with hypocrisy, especially at the present moment when it is more expensive, treacherous and dangerous than ever.

 

As divisions of class grow uglier and more obvious, with a handful of billionaires increasing already bloated and incredibly immoral wealth while millions sink into hardship and poverty, awareness of racial discrimination has finally come to the surface of American society, even beyond the earlier awakening in the civil rights era of the 1960s. The progress from those days, while enormous by comparison to earlier reality, has only meant better lives for some, not all dubbed with the evil racist labels denoting skin tones that erase the essence of humanity. Still, the newer consciousness promises much more substantial change than that of a past which, according to market dictates of profit and loss, only affirms some while negating most and seeing to it that those who have the most stay above it all. And just as in the days of slavery when class came to the plantation and house negroes lived at a much higher standard than field negroes, today there are professional people “of color” in government, industry, finance, whose lives matter far more than the majority in ghettos, prisons and poverty, just as with the rest of the population living with economic barriers every bit as damaging and anti-social. The fact that there are rich “people of color” has no more bearing on the society’s goodness than that there are rich immigrants. They are still a tiny minority among Americans who are native born, foreign born, of color, no color, bi-sexual, bi-polar, agnostic or religious and are part of the more than 90% who are not rich except in their dreams or hallucinations. Even indigenous people who are wealthy hardly means that Indian reservations are not still the most poverty suffering communities in the nation.

 

The facts are undeniable and being seen and understood by far more than in the past, and so authority is working extra hard to somehow obscure them before the people band together and conduct a truly revolutionary transformation of society that benefits the overwhelming majority of people, instead of the historical and present reverse which blesses a tinier minority than ever before. Dedicated and well meaning advocates of social change are engaged in trying to achieve short term gains at a critical moment by working in the capitalist parties but they are only assured what happened in the sixties if they maintain that program. There will be more supposed minorities rising to professional and upper middle class status while things will get worse for the majority of all Americans in a disintegrating social and natural environment with policies to extract minority profit guaranteed to inflict more grievous and deadly loss to the majority.

 

While we are being driven further apart by both major and minor anti-social media that highlight the worst aspects of society and focus on individuals and minority groups, a fast growing number are becoming more aware of the lies and distractions and are dedicated to working together, across artificial lines created by rulers and adhering to humanitarian and democratic ideals that best serve the majority. It remains to be seen if the rising forces of real democracy and opposition to political economic domination by minorities, which can only guarantee failure for humanity, are transformed into a new day and age not only for America but the much wider world. The present sinking global status of the American empire whose only remaining strength is ability to murder is a good sign but change has to come from within and not just from outside since the pending and greater collapse is not simply threatened nationally.

 

The global environment under assault by profit motives which operate for the dollar before any other consideration does not have a nationality; it speaks a universal language of all of us who breathe, eat, form communities and attempt to assure a future for our race. That race is not confined to one or another identity or national group created by dominating minorities; it is composed of all of us and if it doesn’t succeed in transforming material reality, far more than any minority will be lost. The sooner we realize that and work, together, to create a reality of public cooperation to benefit public good before any thought of private profit, the sooner our success. It will take longer than an election and certainly beyond this one in November, but the work being done by those who already operate on that principle can help bring the necessary numbers along for the next attempt. It will have to be much more radical and involve much more than a simple vote, but all positive steps will lead in the right direction. That direction is directly opposite to the present rulers and the capitalist system that wont even ultimately benefit them, but will certainly be disastrous for all of us if we do not make the changes necessary to not only see to it that black lives matter, but that until billionaires lives stop mattering so much more than all of ours, no lives will have a future of any hope.

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Eugene Debs Explains To The Court Why He Obstructed the Draft

"Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

 

"I listened to all that was said in this court in support and justification of this prosecution, but my mind remains unchanged. I look upon the Espionage Law as a despotic enactment in flagrant conflict with democratic principles and with the spirit of free institutions . . . Your Honor, I have stated in this court that I am opposed to the social system in which we live; that I believe in a fundamental change - but if possible by peaceable and orderly means . . . 

 

"I am thinking this morning of the men in the mills and the factories; of the men in the mines and on the railroads. I am thinking of the women who for a paltry wage are compelled to work out their barren lives; of the little children who in this system are robbed of their childhood and in their tender years are seized in the remorseless grasp of Mammon and forced into the industrial dungeons, there to feed the monster machines while they themselves are being starved and stunted, body and soul. I see them dwarfed and diseased and their little lives broken and blasted because in this high noon of Christian civilization money is still so much more important than the flesh and blood of childhood. In very truth gold is god today and rules with pitiless sway in the affairs of men. 

 

"In this country - the most favored beneath the bending skies - we have vast areas of the richest and most fertile soil, material resources in inexhaustible abundance, the most marvelous productive machinery on earth, and millions of eager workers ready to apply their labor to that machinery to produce in abundance for every man, woman, and child - and if there are still vast numbers of our people who are the victims of poverty and whose lives are an unceasing struggle all the way from youth to old age, until at last death comes to their rescue and lulls these hapless victims to dreamless sleep, it is not the fault of the Almighty: it cannot be charged to nature, but it is due entirely to the outgrown social system in which we live that ought to be abolished not only in the interest of the toiling masses but in the higher interest of all humanity . . . .

 

"I believe, Your Honor, in common with all Socialists, that this nation ought to own and control its own industries. I believe, as all Socialists do, that all things that are jointly needed and used ought to be jointly owned - that industry, the basis of our social life, instead of being the private property of a few and operated for their enrichment, ought to be the common property of all, democratically administered in the interest of all . . . 

 

"I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.

 

"This order of things cannot always endure. I have registered my protest against it. I recognize the feebleness of my effort, but, fortunately, I am not alone. There are multiplied thousands of others who, like myself, have come to realize that before we may truly enjoy the blessings of civilized life, we must reorganize society upon a mutual and cooperative basis; and to this end we have organized a great economic and political movement that spreads over the face of all the earth. . . . 

 

"Your Honor, I ask no mercy and I plead for no immunity. I realize that finally the right must prevail. I never so clearly comprehended as now the great struggle between the powers of greed and exploitation on the one hand and upon the other the rising hosts of industrial freedom and social justice." 

 

                        --------Eugene Debs, 1918

 

Quoted in Chris Hedges, "America: The Farewell Tour," pps. 107-9

Kamala Harris - Racially Correct, Correctly Gendered, Clueless on Policy

Joe Biden showed that he's sharp as a tack by picking Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate. Harris will help Biden win the all-important swing state of . . . . oh, wait, Harris is from California, and Trump had about as much chance of winning California as he did of getting elected Mayor of Portland. So Harris brings nothing to Biden's barely detectable campaign.

Oh, well, at least she had a strong showing in the primaries, where her support soared into the low single digits until "Russian asset" Tulsi Gabbard took her down and out via the cruel Putin tactic of reporting accurately about the record. Harris's record (as state attorney general) included such niceties as locking up pot smokers and parents of truant kids, hiding evidence to keep the falsely convicted in jail, prolonging the sentences of prisoners to take advantage of the slave labor they provide fighting forest fires for pocket change, taking donations from Wall Street criminals like Steve Mnuchin and then letting him get away scot-free while her own office urged her to prosecute him because he was openly committing fraud, foreclosing early on homeowners struggling to hold onto their homes, etc. etc.  

 

A self-proclaimed "top tier" candidate, Harris quickly saw her delegate count go from zero to zero.

 

Unbowed, she showed off her leadership skills by adopting any stance that seemed popular with voters and then abandoning it at the first sign the corporate media didn't like it. For example, she started off embracing Medicare For All, but then switched to calling for a Twitter ban on Donald Trump once she realized corporate America doesn't support Communist slave initiatives like taxpayer-funded health care.

 

Well, at least Harris knows what it takes to "go out and change" the world, as Joe Biden recommends millenials do instead of complaining all the time. When change was needed when she was young, she went to bed with former speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown, who later rewarded her with two lucrative appointments to state commissions. 

 

Democracy in action!

 

Capitalism Defined

 

View in browser | nytimes.com 

BREAKING NEWS

The S&P 500 hit a record, surpassing its February high despite economic devastation and record unemployment. Big tech shares helped drive the rally.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020 4:1

The “Lesser-Evil” Syndrome: Noam Chomsky’s Fall Into Self-Contradiction

 

 

 

Michael K. Smith

www.legalienate.blogspot.com

 

In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there “was a big difference” between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference “you could count in several million corpses in Indochina.” But, Chomsky added, “a lot of the young people on the left said, “I’m not going to vote for Humphrey. He’s a corporate Democrat. I can’t sully my hands on that. So I won’t vote.” In effect, said Chomsky, this meant that they “help[ed] Nixon win,” and more specifically, they “help[ed] kill a couple million people in Indochina, plus a lot of other (bad) things.”

WowFEST: Lockdown Presents Noam Chomsky “A Letter From America,” You Tube, July 14, 2020

Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian, “Propaganda and the Public Mind,” (South End, 2001) p. 136

This term is borrowed from Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report. See his debate with Michael Eric Dyson on Democracy Now, September 7, 2012

Chomksy, WowFEST, “A Letter From America.”

www.votetrumpout.org

Noam Chomsky, “Understanding Power,” (New Press, 2002) p. 194. For fuller discussion, see pps. 333-7

Matt Taibbi, “Spanking The Elephant – Dispatches From The Dumb Season,” (Three Rivers Press, 2005) p. 202

Taibbi, ibid, p. 202

Taibbi, ibid, p. 202

Taibbi, ibid, p. 202

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203-4

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204-5

O’Donnell video clip, Jimmy Dore Show, August, 8, 2020

Chomsky, WowFEST interview July 14, 2020

Saagar Enjeti, “Rising,” April 10, 2020

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Noam Chomsky, Self-Contradiction, and “The Lesser Evil”

 

 

Michael K. Smith

www.legalienate.blogspot.com

 

In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there “was a big difference” between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference “you could count in several million corpses in Indochina.” But, Chomsky added, “a lot of the young people on the left said, “I’m not going to vote for Humphrey. He’s a corporate Democrat. I can’t sully my hands on that. So I won’t vote.” In effect, said Chomsky, this meant that they “help[ed] Nixon win,” and more specifically, they “help[ed] kill a couple million people in Indochina, plus a lot of other (bad) things.”

“WoWFest: Lockdown presents Noam Chomsky, ‘A Letter From America’”, You Tube, July 14, 2020https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCdGv...

 

Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian, “Propaganda and the Public Mind,” (South End, 2001) p. 136

This term I’ve borrowed from Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report

“WoWFest: Lockdown presents Noam Chomsky, ‘A Letter From America’”, You Tube, July 14, 2020https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCdGv...

 

 

Noam Chomsky, “A Message To The Swing States,” www.votetrumpout.org

Noam Chomsky, “Understanding Power,” (New Press, 2002) p. 194. For fuller discussion, see pages 333-7.

Matt Taibbi, “Spanking The Donkey – Dispatches From The Dumb Season,” (Three Rivers Press, 2005) pps. 201-5

Taibbi, ibid., p. 202

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid. p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204-5

Lawrence O’Donnell quote: “DNC Corruption,” Jimmy Dore Show, August 8, 2020

 

“WoWFest: Lockdown presents Noam Chomsky, ‘A Letter From America’” You Tube, July 14, 2020

 

Saagar Enjeti, “Rising,” August 10, 2020

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Noam Chomsky, Self-Contradiction, and “The Lesser Evil”

In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there “was a big difference” between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference “you could count in several million corpses in Indochina.” But, Chomsky added, “a lot of the young people on the left said, “I’m not going to vote for Humphrey. He’s a corporate Democrat. I can’t sully my hands on that. So I won’t vote.” In effect, said Chomsky, this meant that they “help[ed] Nixon win,” and more specifically, they “help[ed] kill a couple million people in Indochina, plus a lot of other (bad) things.”

“WoWFest: Lockdown presents Noam Chomsky, ‘A Letter From America’”, You Tube, July 14, 2020https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCdGv...

 

Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian, “Propaganda and the Public Mind,” (South End, 2001) p. 136

This term I’ve borrowed from Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report

“WoWFest: Lockdown presents Noam Chomsky, ‘A Letter From America’”, You Tube, July 14, 2020https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCdGv...

 

 

Noam Chomsky, “A Message To The Swing States,” www.votetrumpout.org

Noam Chomsky, “Understanding Power,” (New Press, 2002) p. 194. For fuller discussion, see pages 333-7.

Matt Taibbi, “Spanking The Donkey – Dispatches From The Dumb Season,” (Three Rivers Press, 2005) pps. 201-5

Taibbi, ibid., p. 202

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 203

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid. p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204

Taibbi, ibid, p. 204-5

Lawrence O’Donnell quote: “DNC Corruption,” Jimmy Dore Show, August 8, 2020

 

“WoWFest: Lockdown presents Noam Chomsky, ‘A Letter From America’” You Tube, July 14, 2020

 

Saagar Enjeti, “Rising,” August 10, 2020

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A Plutonium Experiment

 1945: Nagasaki

    A piercing flash and supernatural thunderclap announce the world's first plutonium bomb in the skies over Nagasaki. At ground zero there are no screams or moans: for 1000 yards around the unsheltered perish before they can react.

    The swath of destruction roars through the northern part of the city at 9000 miles an hour, making it rain debris. Houses and buildings are smashed, crushed, and burned. Stone is pulverized and tiles shoot through the air like bullets. The sturdy beams of the Mitsubishi Steelworks twist and turn like silly putty while roofs of reinforced concrete buildings crumple and collapse. Trees are ripped from the ground, utility poles snap like broken matchsticks, and a hurricane of shattered glass embeds countless shards in human flesh.

    Stunned survivors cup detached eyeballs back inside their skulls.

1945: Washington

"Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts . . . it is the Survey's opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated."

------The U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey