The Year of Living Dangerously - And Confronting Illusion and Reality
It's been over a year since I last posted an essay on caucus99percent. The drought is over - at least for now. JnH
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Two of the things that most humans desire and strive for in their lives are predictability and stability. Both were in short supply over the past twelve months.
One can say with a great deal of certainty that the past year was a truly bizarre one. Old political and social mores and conventions seemed irrelevant, even as a clear path to the future hasn't as yet been defined and carved. What lies ahead for the country, and the world is anyone's guess. Who will be the winners and losers of society? Will a select few thrive while others regress? What changes and surprises lie in store for most of us? As the year thankfully draws to a close, unpredictability and uncertainty hang over the future like a dense fog hiding what's underneath this morass. There is a certain tentativeness in the air, as many crave and long for solutions where none perhaps exist - or are anywhere in sight.
Humorist Dave Barry offers his unique take on events during the past year that consumed our attention like a good horror movie, always unsure of the next nightmarish scene.
Looking back on 2017 is like waking up after a party where you made some poor decisions, such as drinking tequila squeezed from the underpants of a person you do not really know. (At least you hope it was tequila.)
The next day finds you lying naked in a Dumpster in a different state, smeared from head to toe with a mixture of Sriracha sauce and glitter. At first you remember nothing. But then, as your throbbing brain slowly reboots, memories of the night before, disturbing memories, begin creeping into your consciousness. As the full, hideous picture comes into focus, you curl into a ball, whimpering, asking yourself over and over: Did that really happen?
That’s how we feel about 2017. It was a year so surreal, so densely populated with strange and alarming events, that you have to seriously consider the possibility that somebody... was putting LSD in our water supply. A bizarre event would occur, and it would be all over the news, but before we could wrap our minds around it, another bizarre event would occur, then another and another, coming at us faster and faster, battering the nation with a Category 5 weirdness hurricane that left us hunkering down, clinging to our sanity, no longer certain what was real.
Over the past year, some Rightwing groups flirted with Fascism and old historical symbols were a source of endless controversy, with several now confined to the dustbin of history. Did this cleansing effect create greater understanding and harmony? If anything, it only hardened old, intractable attitudes. Irrationally, or for other inexplicable reasons, people find comfort in clinging to myths, which, not unsurprisingly, are easier to understand and process than the unvarnished truth. Should that surprise anyone? Probably not.
To the extent it is possible to do so, nothing defines this uncertainty clearly as numerous cases of "men behaving badly" started to emerge in the media and several icons in the entertainment industry, politics, and media succumbed to new and old charges of sexual misconduct. What are the future rules of acceptable behavior? Are there any? Who will be tarred and feathered next? Are there new bombshell revelations to come? As they say, time alone will tell.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=141&v=027ikJwr6fQ width:690 height:550]
As the New Year approaches, it seems like every year is dubbed “a year like no other.” But 2017 truly was more dramatic than many other years in recent memory. In the last 12 months, we faced a renewed threat of nuclear war, debated whether to take a knee during the national anthem and resisted the temptation to look at the sun during the total solar eclipse.
From increased tensions with North Korea, to a hurricane season unlike any other, to the bombshell allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood and beyond... has seemingly emboldened others to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against prominent men. In recent months alone, at least 30 powerful men in entertainment, business, politics and the news media have been publicly condemned for their alleged sexual misconduct and many have lost their jobs as a result, including Weinstein.
“The Silence Breakers” of the #MeToo movement, who gave a voice to sexual assault and harassment survivors, have since been named Time magazine’s 2017 Person of the Year. Link
As a nod to a distant blogging path of mine buried in the past on DK, here are a few additional observations and questions of importance that I ask of you through the use of editorial cartoons.
- Are you optimistic about the future?
- For now, are progressives politically ascendant, or is it just a mirage?
- Will the current political climate lead to a world reborn in coming years?
- Are the problems of the country best resolved within, or outside the political process?
- Does your participation in politics even matter?
- How can you effectively contribute to this ongoing debate?
- Looking deep into your crystal ball, do have any predictions for the future?
- Will Some Things Never Change?
- Are Some People Simply Better at Playing the Game of Capitalism?
- Is the Democratic Party Incapable of Meaningful Political Reform?
- Is the 99% Ever Going to Get Its Just Due?
- Finally, is This the ONLY Way Out?
I expect to post more editorial cartoons in the comments section. Wishing all of you a very prosperous and Happy New Year.
Comments
Are You Paying Attention?
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
A Confession
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
99% vs 1%: Who Will Win This Fight?
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
A tour de force...
thank you JnH.
@JtC
Thanks, Johnny. Here's another editorial cartoon that you'll enjoy.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
All of those are in the process of being privatized. I don’t
see things getting better. The glass is neither half full or half empty. It’s broken.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Moving work, appreciated. Best for the coming time and
many thanks, JnH.
Hope You're Doing Well, smiley
The State of the Union couldn't be better. That's what we're told every day.
Thanks.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Good to hear from you again, JnH
You hit this out of the park! It seems that we're going through an all out assault from this administration and congress, doesn't it? The hits just keep on coming and I'm afraid to see what next year is going to bring.
Are we there yet?
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
Thank You, snoopydawg
This is our choice.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Thank You, JekkylinHyde and thanks to all of you.
Wishing you all a happy and merry revolution in the next year. One in which we 99 percent can survive and prosper and be happy. I can't wait til this year is over. Good Riddance with it.
Let's seize the year 2018.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Someone, Something Needs to Change the Country's Trajectory
Otherwise, wealth and income inequality will deepen and the average working person will suffer even more. This is what this sorry excuse of an administration really believes in.
Thanks, mimi.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
the trajectory's changes might
follow the pattern of an uncontrollable self-reactive chemical substance. (ie, A thermally unstable liquid or solid substance liable to undergo a strongly exothermic decomposition even without participation of oxygen (air).) I hope I am wrong and just in a bubble of negative thinking.
But it looks to me as if it's out of our hands.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Yeah, that's "how it looks" to me too
I tend to think in terms of branching probability trees rather than singular paths but I have to say, an awful lot of the more probable branches in my current tree involve a lot of blood. Heck, we're already seeing a lot of blood. That's OK though. That that blood is mostly brown people in the Mideast so they don't really count.
I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure history also suggests that some sort of bloody catastrophe is the next most likely step in our cultural progression. Our inequality isn't looking very good.
[video:https://youtu.be/50-DJdth_9E]
Good ol' Lee Camp
(any actual historians here?)
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
How the rich control the government
Nearly every issue we face as a nation is caught in the grip of corruption.
They spend billions influencing America’s government. We give them trillions in return.
Source
Learn how we can fix this ourselves.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
There's a Class War Going On - and We're Losing Big-time
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
So happy to see you again. Thanks. n/t
What a Splendid Graphic Essay from JnH.
It's always fun to see you pop up, JnH. As for reeling from 2017, I'm still caught up in 2016 like a medical examiner. I think that the answers to many of our questions were revealed in 2016. But so many were struggling to accept what what they were seeing that evidence was missed. It's hiding in plain sight in places we're conditioned not to look. The most important things happening in this country are happening outside this country. Domestic issues are trailing indicators, symptoms. Pass the opioids. I can go on and on.
Anyway, did you plant this list in your essay because you wanted predictions and feedback? I'd love to hear folk's ideas and predictions, too. Predictions are a good. They have energy.
I have only one significant prediction and its that change that matters will be coming from outside the nation.
Oh, and I think I may have solved the mystery. You actually are Dave Berry! Either the Jekyl or the Hyde version.
Yr friend,
Pluto.
Answers to Pluto's Questions
Answers (imho):
Happy New Year, Pluto.
Of course you should always consult Nostradamus. He will make you all wise and superior.
The Real Nostradamus Tells you All
After that you can shoot your computer and play with Lego and build a new world.
https://www.euronews.com/live
What's the answer to question 8?
Unknown, of course. Just like when the police come a knockin' at your door and ask "Why did you do it?"
Say again.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYr7I4gOSXk]
Thanks, Pluto
Dave Barry is a real writer. A few pretenders are only looking for their 15 minutes of fame.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
This is no way to say good-bye to any year, so I remembered
this:
JUDY COLLINS & LEONARD COHEN - "Hey, Thats No Way To Say Goobye" (1976)"
[video:https://youtu.be/IVJImYNGqwk]
https://www.euronews.com/live
Great review JnH
...excellent essay and so nice to see so many of your excellent political cartoons.
I think we will need to band together with like minded folks as we ride into 2018. I personally think the corporate coup is complete and all political channels have been clogged by the elite and their minions. Community avenues still exist to improve our lives and those of our neighbors.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
We've Allowed This Corporate Coup to Happen
The reasons are many, among them apathy, indifference, squabbling amongst ourselves, and acting like passive observers.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
with a heapin' helpin' of media misinformation
After all it is easy to manipulate uninformed people...
Thanks again!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
"Are you optimistic about the future?"
No. I think we're within a few decades of a massive collapse.
First, I'm fairly sure we're long past the point where power can be wrested from the rich without massive violence. The 1% have a section of the population willing to commit mass murders, even genocides. Willing to lay waste to entire countries, even the planet, even willing to use nukes. And the 1% has embedded these maniacs in every position of power.
Second, even if humanity survives the coming struggle, so many have been propagandized into idiocy that what comes after will surely be horrible.
I have kids. I try to just live in the present with them, because the future is unbearable to think about.
Yep, Not Everyone Has a Lifeboat
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Not simply in every position of power
They've sold those concepts as either virtuous or necessary to about half the population.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Thanks for the essay and cartoon collection!
Happy New Year everyone!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
It's So Much Fun Living in This Hi-Tech World, Marilyn
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
LOL
Good one.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Future predictions from Fox News or shit from them.....
thankfully these are short
a friend sent me a 6 min video of Gingrich saying that Trumnp is the best ever. I actually watched the whole thing and responded to my friend. It was sorta a joke, but could not understand what world they are living in.
Let's allow our kids to use some of their future Social Security earnings to pay off their student loans
and,
Why Mike Pence is the most important man in America
Disney World's Trump robot target of screaming rant. Is there any place that's safe from leftist insanity?
help from a pastor
Make 2018 the year of the comeback
Cooling my heels indoors, waay too cold outside (9)
I await, at some point perhaps today, a replacement car battery to be delivered and installed. Of course, my snowplow guy's truck is broken so I will still be stuck here because my car will never make it back up my driveway. And my walking is not so safe now.
Are you optimistic about the future? Not for me.
For now, are progressives politically ascendant, or is it just a mirage? Not sure.
Will the current political climate lead to a world reborn in coming years? Yes.
Are the problems of the country best resolved within, or outside the political process? Outside.
Does your participation in politics even matter? It's a good debate question.
How can you effectively contribute to this ongoing debate? Withhold funding.
Looking deep into your crystal ball, do have any predictions for the future? Climate change will get us.
Good riddance to 2017. We had our eyes opened to some of the problems that have infected our system of self-regulation by governance. Loopholes.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
I think I don't know what JiH meant with a world reborn
I thought it to mean something like reborn as in born again Christians. As I kind of don't like those who claim to be reborn, I had a negative connotation to the way JiH talked about a reborn world.
Is a reborn world something good, positive, desirable to have?
I guess I misunderstood these words.
https://www.euronews.com/live
It Simply Means Something New and Better
I think I don't know what JiH meant with a world reborn
The implication is that the current political order is not sustainable and what replaces it would be a vast improvement.
I first heard the term "a world reborn" during a European history class in undergraduate school. It was in reference to the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna, which sought peace and political stability in Europe towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Granted that the meeting in Vienna reflected a Realpolitik approach balancing the major powers against each other in Europe so as to avoid future wars. While this peace accord did not prevent all future European conflicts, it did put an end to almost 25 years of continuous fighting preceding it.
In that sense, it succeeded.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Thank you, a wonderful teacher you are ! -nt
https://www.euronews.com/live
And I have to apologize for this stupid subthread of mine
Sometimes I am really, really without thought. I wished JtC could erase my comment above.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Don't request erasure, mimi.
Herr Drumpf may take care of that for you.
We are in trouble now! Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
the more often I look at all the cartoons, the more fantastic
I find this essay to be. It's a real gift to have you here and showing all these heart and mind hitting cartoons, so much to the point that it almost hurts. But one can't help to still smile and nod in agreement with them. Thank you again.
Sometimes I wonder ... I once worked for a foundation in DC on Massachusetts Ave and in the basement level of that building, several rooms were rented out to someone who had the walls plastered with probably several thousands of little cartoons. I have never met the man, but in my mind I always wondered, if that might have been you.
Someone also from that building knew Ana Marie Cox (that was before 2002 and before she became the Wonkette woman of fame). It's all foggy in my mind but there was an interview between a man and her that was 'testy'.
My memory lane is always full of fog these days.
https://www.euronews.com/live
I Didn't Know That Cartoon Guy You Mentioned Above
Nor have I ever met Ana Marie Cox, although I know the Mass Ave NW area near Downtown DC quite well.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
"Are you optimistic about the future?"
Today is yesterdays' tomorrow, far as I can tell. Thanks for the toons!
The Big Question
We sure have a lot of early risers around here. Hat tip to Naked Capitalism, a related suggestion:
The embedded link:
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/thomas-jefferson-street/articles/2017-12-...
The Center Left Neoliberal Democrats are the problem, not the solution. The M$M is the problem, not the solution. Personally, I raise my Spiced Rum & Apple Cider hot toddy in a toast to the Democratic Socialists of America as the only genuine antidote to Trumpism.
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
Progressives?
I'm not sure what progressives are. It appears now the term is most closely associated with the democratic party. The partisan democrats on Daily Kos consider themselves progressives as do many on this blog. Hell, Hillary Clinton says she's a progressive. So when you ask, "are progressives politically ascendant, or is it just a mirage?" it seems you are talking about a supposed movement within the democratic party. Relative to that definition, the progressives have already had their turn, under Obama, and they showed their true colors. So yes, of course it's all a mirage.
I Always Appreciate Your Point of View, Al
However, the term "progressive" (as I've used it) implies something quite different than your interpretation. In this context, it means and strongly suggests a Bernie Sanders supporter - which may include Democrats, independents, and others of all political stripes. In my case, I was attracted to Bernie primarily because of his economic policies, while being fully aware that you don't like certain aspects of his foreign policy positions as you understand them. I respect the heartfelt opinions you hold.
I should mention that until I stopped posting on DK in June 2016, I did a great deal of work in support of Bernie's 2016 candidacy - a lot of it done quietly behind the scenes. As I joined DK in May 2002 a week after it came online, I probably knew DK and its dynamic probably much better than most people currently posting on c99%. Those left on DK are not progressives regardless of what they call themselves. Most are, at best, political centrists like Hillary, or quick to explain away anything that Obama ever did. I don't share their opinions.
If you really want to know my political leanings, do read this two-part essay I posted here last year - here and here, or for that matter, here and here (another two-parter). Among many other such postings, these hardly reflect centrist political thinking.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Was the democratic party hijacked by DLC neoliberals?
I used to have the idea that the democratic party was jihacked by the DLC and its off springs and corporate sponsors. After following the primaries as a Sanders supporter on DK, I did not believe that there was some surreptitious power grab. Rather the Hillary wing and all it stood for and didn't stand for was the majority. Yes, progressives have no organizational/structural power as they have been systematically purged, but neither do they hold very much power among democrats in Congress.
DK may look "liberal" on the outside, but when establishment democrats are criticized from the Left, very soon afterward there is counter attack and support for establishment democrats. In fact, was there any criticism for democrats supporting massive increases in the defense budget on the site? Not that I remember.
You Make Some Really Good Points, MrWebster
progressives have no organizational/structural power as they have been systematically purged, but neither do they hold very much power among democrats in Congress.
This assertion is absolutely true. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is rather small in the US House of Representatives with 75 out of 193 (39%) House members and only 1 (Bernie) out of 49 Senators (2%) in the US Senate. As you point out, their political power is even less than their numbers would suggest.
If the Democratic Party regains both national legislative chambers in the 2018 Mid-Term Elections, you can bet that opposition to progressives and Bernie Sanders will intensify on DK. To a large degree, that will happen anyway regardless of the election results. However, should the GOP retain control of both chambers, I think support for Bernie will somewhat increase as winning back the White House will loom large in their future decisions. Should Bernie decide to run, he already is in a pretty solid political position to get the 2020 nomination. Or, at the very least, seriously contend.
I readily acknowledge that based on some of the comments in this essay, several members on this blog are quite unimpressed by either major party. Some prefer to work completely outside the current political structure. I don't have any problem with anyone following what they perceive to be the best course for them.
Let a thousand flowers bloom. Live and let live!
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
you make some good points too
we all have to do what we can where we are. There is no "best" course of action...it's whatever action you can muster. We face a big challenge...
Play the part you can.
Glad to see you back JnH.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
My recollection of TOP . . .
is different. Do you remember the DK presidential preference polls that were taken before the bannings, purges, March 15, and Kosexits? Bernie won solidly and repeatedly. I think the ability of Bernie supporters to keep posts on the rec list is part of what infuriated Markos.
He had to get rid of a lot of us. He did us a favor.
Indeed you are right.
What I fumbled in articulating was the fact that in following the primaries on DK I saw Hillary winning many of them.
The kos kids admit that they are centrists
they laugh at the things that we want from congress. That includes a fair economic policy and sane foreign one. This is in the simplest terms, but I'm sure others can live with that. What they want is more of what the democrats have been giving us since the Clintons came on the scene. I can't live with that.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
They still call themselves Progressives
which is now a neutral word like Liberal. They actually cannot conceive of Progress in the way I define it.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Yes, Kossaks are progressive!
Progressively stupider. So please don't claim that they are the pre-fossils of the soon to be interred Democratic Party. They are busily actively building their progressive self-inflicted burial into political demise.
I've seen a few long time members admit
that they are centrists and damn proud of it. They literally can't stand anyone who doesn't agree with them. They're the ones who absolutely hate Bernie for thinking about running against Her and then there's their contempt for Jill Stein. How dare she run as a 3rd party candidate? There is no room in their minds for anything but a two party system.
"We are not a parliamentary system!"
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
Why don't you tell us more about that time?
I had so many difficulties to figure out what to think about some of the authors there. I joined in spring 2004, but don't remember a lot. My son was back from the Iraq war and on his way to Korea, which made me all listen up to politics, it brought me to DK. It was the war and my intense anger about GWBush and Rumsfeld that kept me reading DK back then. But I was so unprepared educationally and as a foreigner without the cultural background to understand much, as well as not a highly knowledgeablee and educated political junkie as most blogging authors are.
Just was curious and interested and got hooked. And I learned a lot, especially about Native American issues in the beginning. I remember Ojibwa well and just have unpacked all the books I was pointed to by him and Meteor Blades, which I bought to read in my retirement. Well, my retirement turned out to be a little different than I imagined back then, but the books wait for me, I am so glad about that.
At DK I remember Jerome a Paris and was always wondering how he related to Markos. I watched their facial expressions and body language once on the Yearly Kos and thought that these two are not at par with each other. And I remember some drama queens and drama kings as well.
I never understood Meteor Blades, though I respected him a lot and read almost all his essays. I found him to be an authoritarian after a while and when I left DK I never returned and didn't continue to read anything over there, even not Meteor Blades articles. I feel that's stupid of me, but I just have started reading other authors. DK has not much meaning anymore for me to read.
I know that some people hated me there. I don't mind so much, if people dislike me, but I don't like hate.
But DK became my sole contact to Americans and their thinking. Though I lived in the US, I was always totally isolated and never met Americans aside from one American former UPI journalist at work. He never talked with his coworkers about politics, though he wrote constantly about it, newswire style, less so opinion or commentary style. I worked for Germans in DC and I lived among Africans. That is in two isolated diaspora communities in DC. All Americans I 'know' are anonymous online people.
That isolation btw. has not changed and became the same thing for C99p. I became somewhat addicted to read Dk there and now C99p here. The isolation became even harder, as so many around me died. This is the only place on the web I talk and comment. I never communicate online elsewhere. I don't read facebook, seldom twitter, just a couple of news outlets. I also don't do news research online. I intensly desire to go back and read books and not more news. Since I am back often in Germany, I relearn all I missed and didn't know about the Germany of the last 35 years. I feel that my life in the US has dumbed me down.
I hope therefore that you all forgive me for talking differently than you do. I learn through you and the links you provide and enjoy the friendliness you have shown towards me here. But I have no way of reaching your level of knowledge, conversation and writing. I wonder often how fair it is from my side to talk so much here nevertheless. Consider me a lonely elderly, for the time being quite unhappy, German being at home nowhere. I would control my commenting patterns better, if I could work again.
In 2018 I will work on trying to live independently from the internet. That is a juuge, big deal and a very difficult task. But I feel it's somehow necessary.
Thanks for listening. And again my best wishes for a better year 2018 than the last one to all of you.
https://www.euronews.com/live
I love reading everything you write here
It is all so soulful.
I cherish your comments Mimi. Happy New year!
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Hello!
Good to see you here, JnH!
It's So Great to See You
Just feels like old times! By the way, are you a risk taker?
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Happy New Year, JnH ~~
It's good to read you here.
Marilyn's answers reflect my feelings. Everyday is a day if anticipation. At least for me. I don't dwell, but I check on things. What can I do? Write letters? Check. Call my congress critters? Check. But things can turn on a dime. Thanks for being here.
Happy New Year, c99p!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
I join the rest, JnH, in wishing you
a wonderful New Year!
I always rec your cartoons/illustrations, and like the Photography OT here, they always give me quite a lift--and, a chuckle.
For us, if all goes as planned, 2018 will be an exciting, if not seminal year, since as the countdown clock illustrates, the 31st will be the beginning of what we 'hope' is the best season of our lives--retirement!
So, in keeping with a topic dear to my heart ('dawgs')--here you go,
Best Wishes For a Prosperous, Happy & Healthy New Year!
via GIPHY
CHEERS!
[Edited: Corrected by adding 'the 31st.']
Mollie
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."--Lao Tzu
COUNTDOWN TO FULL RETIREMENT
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
hey JnH. I'm out now in between a job,
but wanted to at least check in tonight for a minute.
First, let me say how good it is to we you back. At TOP I was a big fan, and would look forward to your collection of political cartoons. Your thorough piece on the Spanish Civil War is a tour de force.
After Obama I said I would never go in that deep again for electoral politics, dedicating myself to canvassing door to door, donating, making calls, etc. But Bernie's Occupy message melted my heart. I never heard a poltcian speak so clearly and with such focus on the fundamental problems. I'm still angry at how it was stolen from him (let's call it what it was).
Biggest disappointment for me about the people in this country who'vr been led by the nose by the MSM is how gullible and fear-laden they've been made by such a feckless and craven attempt to distract with this farcical Russian Red Herring Mania meltdown from a) that $hills was a horrible, thoroughly disliked candidate who couldn't get 500 people in a gym, and b) that Bernie was cheated badly by both the DNC and the MSM, while packing stadiums and generating a massive coalition of young voters and volunteers. All of that amazing energy was snuffed out by those thugs, potentially a whole generation turned off to corrupt politics. For all that I'll never forgive the Democrats.
I have to say also, that the Las Vegas shooting almost turned me into a misanthrope. Mass murder accepted as routine. And then the MSM buried the story. With Net Neutrailty on the chopping block and the most sinister money grab of the #GOPTaxScam, I'm not feeling too good about the human race, especially the denizens of this country. With two kids now its not the best place to be. But I'm resolved to teach them another way, and mist importantly always question authority and learn empathy and compassion.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
When historians look back at this time
they will see that Hillary wasn't just a horrible candidate, she was also a horrible loser. To deliberately put this country what it's going through with this Russian propaganda crap says a lot about her character.
I've been thinking about what happens when this not only fails to get Trump impeached and removed from office, but is shown to be a hoax played on the American people, how will those that bought into this feel? How many friends and family members have they destroyed just because they didn't buy into this? Will anyone hold Rachel Madcow responsible for how she pushed people into hysterics over this? Gawd, I hope so!
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
happy new year to you as well
@eState4Column5
You know, annieli, the Soviet spy book is just as boring
... as its US counterpart of the same period. A solid yawn.
But what is truly insidious is the introductory text that surrounds the bait it promises. It's a placebo pill wrapped in the poison of mind-fuckery. And as Readers search for the dumb boring text, which is printed sidewise and totally unreadable, they will wade into the large legible typeface of his ugly propaganda, complete with "pull quotes." Yet despite the good typography, his words become an incomprehensible jumble in certain places, where the Reader can only let them flow through her mind, unanalyzed.
We are amongst people who seem to have propaganda-protective skills — if not some formal training in counter-intelligence. Perhaps they would have called this out. But maybe not. So, what of those who are not met at the door and handed a flare to spark a higher level of critical thinking before venturing into that soulless trap that you accidentally planted? Either you simply didn't know, or you did. If one perceives you as astute, to the extent one can get a fix on your evasiveness, that would be something.
For example:
It's largely incomprehensible except where it's not.
As for the twit who writes it, and scratches out a living writing the worst sort of pointed disinformation and propaganda — his credibility can be found in the (also incomprehensible) title of his book:
Inside the Army of Terror
and of The Menace of Unreality:
How Russia Weaponizes Information,
Culture and Money.
It is not unnoticed in publishing circles that the guy has gone rogue. He should be scooped up and treated.
It’s interesting that our fear of Russia didn’t re-emerge when
Dubya looked into Pooty-Poot’s eyes and saw a man he could bargain with. At the time I was rather horrified as I considered Putin to be a rather dangerous creature. But no, we didn’t fear him then. It was only when the established Republican candidates lost control of the primary process to P.T. Barnum’s reincarnation, Donald Trump, that Putin became a serious threat.
I’m sure Dubya had it all under control. But not Teh Donald! How could we possibly know what that man is thinking?
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Thank you JekyllnHyde
for your dedication and optimism in the face of extraordinary circumstances.
I hope this new year is not dedicated to Trump, as these past two were. But I suppose that is hoping for the impossible. So, may further progress be made in the opposite direction, and may everyone's eyes be opened wide …
Last year’s fireworks light up the sky during the New Year celebrations in London (Image: PA)
Happy new Year all!
[video:https://youtu.be/V1bFr2SWP1I]
Happy New Year Everyone!
Havent posted here in months though I lurk from time to time, but seeing a J&H thread inspired me to log in, especially to discuss this last crazy year.
1. Are you optimistic about the future?
This is not an easy question for I see both hopeful and desperate possible futures, though our current direct path is absolutely disasterous there are a couple of positive glimmers. Trump is the oligarchy unchained lacking the usual tempering of the political class trying to keep up appearances, so by the time hes done in office no one who cares will be wondering how bad it really is, the country will be as awake as it can be. The other is what looks like a progressive movement to get real people into political positions while Bernie looks like hes dotting his Is and crossing his Ts for 2020 with Our Revolution being pragmatic to get allies in Congress (I have more to say in this later).
So my view of the future looks like being on a runaway train no one really realized was runaway until our sleeping conductor accidently knocked the lever to full steam, which has caused dangerous swaying making people aware of the imminent danger so there are now people running to the locomotive to hit the breaks, but we can only wait and see if they get there in time before the whole thing flies off the track.
2, For now, are progressives politically ascendant, or is it just a mirage?
Absolutely though that doesnt mean it cant all just fade back to a mirage anyway, but at the moment progressives have more voice and influence than in decades. Bernie went from 3% to just barely losing even with the entire establishment cheating and working against him, you know that scared the shit out of them.
I see Bernie making sure next time he doesnt lose, using the momentum from the primary to build an unstoppable juggernaut that they cant even cheat to stop, looking where he got from 3% playing it by ear, imagine him starting at 45% with all the experience he has gained. The Dems will know hes unstoppable and wont let him run in the party next time, but I think he knows this too and is using the party to gather as much support as possible before being forced to break (I believe this is why he didnt accept the draft, he needs inside access to the party while he can get it).
Then he will be forced to run 3rd party but with the cover of the Dems forcing him, thus alienating far fewer voters and then we will see if America is ready to save itself or if its just too late and resistance is futile
3, Will the current political climate lead to a world reborn in coming years?
Reborn to me means from the ashes which very well could be the future, but i think its far more likely we take back control of the government starting a repair process, more standard wonky legislation over time than some sudden glorious rising phoenix. Of course if all goes to shit, then it will probably take some future pseudo second revolution that then will cause a rebirth, but the time between could be decades in some dystopia.
4, Are the problems of the country best resolved within, or outside the political process?
Best? Yes they are best resolved within the political system which allows a changing of directions with out too much chaos, because if we are forced to go outside it will get ugly. We as a nation of people have the power to override the oligarchy simply through voting, that is the most effecient means of applying our power with reasonable control, outside the system control is lost and unbridled power can cause all sorts unintended consequences and as such is the last resort.
5. Does your participation in politics even matter?
As a voter, not really since voting lacks broader influence. As a political butterfly adding my personal flaps to the collective storm is far more meaningful, just in showing another voice of reason in the wilderness can help push a movement or an idea in ways just a private vote cant.
6.How can you effectively contribute to this ongoing debate?
By flapping my little butterfly wings
7. Looking deep into your crystal ball, do have any predictions for the future?
There is never absolute victory, no matter how good or bad things look at any moment, it can all change very quickly, so i predict the slave planet utopia the global oligarchs are working towards will never come to pass because on the path the giant game of monopoly will become so unsustainable that either the players put the game away neatly in self preservation or the masses will burn the board and pieces to the ground.
Thanks for Dropping By, TLitCenter
... and taking the time to offer your thoughts, as did so many others. It's been really interesting and educational for me to read your responses.
Forgive me if I don't respond individually to all comments posted since early last evening for I'm tied up today with family stuff and getting ready to re-enter work life tomorrow morning.
Thanks again, everyone.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
A few fleeting thoughts
I am still spending time with family and have been traveling over the last week, so I have not read all the comments on this essay before putting my own thoughts down. Bur here goes anyway...
Are you optimistic about the future?
I believe we are in for an upheaval in the near future, but being an optimist by nature, I believe that it may lead to a better world in the long term.
For now, are progressives politically ascendant, or is it just a mirage?
In general, progressive ideas have always been popular with the general public when presented to the masses individually. For example, do you support Medicare? Or do you support Social Security? These are progressive ideas that are broadly supported across the political spectrum among the general public. The problem lies with our elected officials who act as gatekeepers against the public interest and in favor of the donor and lobbyist classes.
Will the current political climate lead to a world reborn in coming years?
It must if humanity is to survive.
Are the problems of the country best resolved within, or outside the political process?
The wording of this question could be taken two ways. The first implies public/private partnerships or the privatization of government services. But my answer is not predicated upon that assumption so I may be misreading this question.
I have posted here and elsewhere that I am a firm believer that all real change comes from the bottom up. In other words, in order to get change, we the people must form social movements to push the gatekeepers into a political corner in which there is no other recourse than to act to effect that change.
Does your participation in politics even matter?
At this point, I believe our participation in organized politics of the duality has little effect, except perhaps at the local level.
How can you effectively contribute to this ongoing debate?
This question gets to why I participated in a local Peace vigil for over four years. I may not be able to change the entrenched minds of the politicians who are dependent upon the donor class, but I can educate and potentially change the minds of the people. This gets back to my belief in social movements as the way to effect real change.
Looking deep into your crystal ball, do have any predictions for the future?
This is a tough one. We are already seeing a slow unraveling of entrenched powers among the political class and some of the deep state. I am referring to the revelations of the Q anon posts on 4chan and 8chan. How far this will go is anyone's guess, but there does seem to be a neutering of sorts happening. Will it lead to real change or will a new evil class supplant the old evil class? Without the dismantling of the deep state and MIC, it may take an outside force (economic, perhaps?) to reel in the crumbling US empire.
Will Some Things Never Change?
I hope. Without a belief in the innate goodness of most of humanity, we can not have hope for a better world. I personally believe that most people are good. It is just the evil ones who have been driving the ship of state for far too long. It is time for goodness to prevail.
Great essay JnH!
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy