Step #1: Wealthy capitalists identify public assets that they want to steal (see banana wars in early 20th Century, Iraqi oil 2002, Ukraine right now).
Step #2: Independent Media ignores Step 1 until years after war ends.
Step #3: MIC PR kicks into gear demonizing opponent, including xenophobia, often years before war starts (Russia 2013 to now)).
As this video shows, wars are extremely profitable.
Ask almost anyone, and they will tell you that people in the past lived lives of brutality, poverty, and short. It's only with capitalism that people's lives began improving. Right?
Well, actually no. Not even close.
Just three days ago there was an open thread on climate change here at C99%. At any rate, climate change isn't going away, regardless of how fiercely the local Barnes and Noble outlet promotes the newest fashion in climate denial.
My generation. Born of world war. Born of a conflagration so great it caused humanity to pause and reassess itself. Standing on the brink will do that. My generation was born of the "greatest generation", and was weaned by middle class affluence. It was one of those times in history when the pendulum swung in favor of the common man. It was a time when capitalism worked, and not just for the wealthy. Capitalism had prevailed over communism. It was that dualism that gave birth to my generation. Enlightened pols had gone against the grain of opulence and levied hefty taxes on the rich that paved the way for decades of prosperity. That prosperity defined my generation, but it also set us on the trajectory to the present.
David Beasley, the Chief of World Food Programme, warned that “a wave of hunger has turned into “a tsunami”.
Let's all rejoice in this "uplifting" story below.
In the middle ages nations used to default on their debts all the time. The reason is because the major banks of the days lent money to the monarchies, not to the nations themselves.
Perhaps this diary should be a play:
The "Right": Omigod Ministry of Truth! Stop the steal! Biden's a FASCIST!
The "Left: Omigod cult of personality! Racism! Steve Bannon! Trump's a FASCIST!
Zelenskyy supporters: "Putin's a FASCIST!"
Putin supporters: "Zelenskyy's a FASCIST!"
Four-part harmony, key of C7th: fascist -- fascist -- fascist -- fascist --
Much as I love to watch Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti dissecting the neoliberal elites as said elites fail to have answers for the problems they themselves caused, I must dissent from this interview conducted recently on Breaking Points:
