Spot on! Don't forget Ike's parting caution about the military industrial complex. In the early sixties several naval shipyards built nuclear subs, now only one private builder does. And we spend a fortune on every late, overbudget sub.
Or plane drone tank radar. . . And safety standards are crap. Why? Because our soldiers, or their families, cannot sue when the super expensive transport carrying sailors from big ship to small boat dock capsizes. That happened, ~20 sailors died. That was the majority of our fatalities in whatever fracking war, aka pissing contest, that was.
I completely agree. Just think of how much tax money it took to keep the economy afloat in the last few fiscal crises brought on by the Wall Street Gamblers and their cronies. With mountains of Treasury debt that the rich do not want to pay for - they expect the middle and working classes to pay for those financial messes for the remainder of the century. And there is another gigantic financial mess in the making right on our doorstep this minute.....
".... every socialist experiment in the 20th century - without exception - has been crushed, overthrown or invaded or corrupted, perverted or destabilized or otherwise had made life impossible for it, by the US. Not one socialist gov't or movement ... was permitted to rise or fall on its own merits; not one was left secure enough to drop its guard against its all powerful enemy abroad and freely and fully relax control at home.
It's as if the Wright brothers first experiments with flying machines all failed because automotive interests sabotage each test flight. And, then the good, God-fearing folk of the world looked upon them, took notice of the consequences, nodded their heads and wisely intoned solemnly 'man will never fly' " .. This is from Wm Blum "Killing Hope: US military and CIA Interventions since WWII" 2004
Every time I hear Trump use the word "communism," I just want to find a way to tape his mouth shut. He works on scaring the people who don't understand Democratic Socialism. The only way I see to overcome it is to get enough Democratic Socialists in Congress to show people what we can do!
Corbin, I think you miss the point. The wageslaves who vote MAGA long ago gave up the hope that this system, or indeed any system, can do anything for them. Proof of Drumpf's corruption is irrelevant, proof of the current régime's failure is beside the point. Proof of how the country could work for all of us is a waste of time. MAGAs, drug-soaked and obese as they are, aren't stupid. They know all politicians are crooked and steal. They know what Senator Pettit of Indiana said 160 years ago; the Declaration of Independence is a self-evident lie. They are resigned to being robbed and enserfed. Thirtyfive years ago H. Ross Perrot warned them the capitalists would sell them out. They voted for Clinton and NAFTA. Drumpf and Pence gave Carrier Corp 7 million taxpayer dollars to keep union jobs in Indiana; within six months the jobs went to Mexico, and union workers in their millions voted MAGA anyway. The secret? This country needed a war that cost 600,000 dead to abolish Black slavery, after every other country (save Brazil, but including Czarist Russia) had abolished slavery without a shot being fired. That war is not yet over; as long as there is one Black or Brown person in this country, the aforesaid drug-soaked, obese bigots will sell their lives and their children's lives for that despicable cause. My first witness is President Lyndon Johnson: “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Your witness.
No, I think you miss the point. The key is the last part of the Johnson quote: “Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Certainly, this is most evident regarding Black people because skin tone is easily and visually distinguishable. As to slave uprisings in this hemisphere, you omit the obvious case of Haiti as well as the many slave revolts (wars where shots were certainly fired and millions died) and political maneuverings before eventually securing emancipation in every country in the Western Hemisphere except maybe Canada. Let’s kill the self-aggrandizing propaganda that slaves were "given" freedom benevolently by "good" White people rather than the slaves themselves and others fought for it no less than the founding fathers.
So here’s the point. Every conceivable human characteristic has been and is used to “give him somebody look down on” from skin tone, facial features, country of origin, language, religion, culture, level of wealth/poverty, ad infinitum…there’s no end to the creativity of the depraved and selfish human mind. If you drew a timeline, it would be over 450 years long of exploited peoples seeking solidarity to resist injustice in this country. That timeline would be filled with suppression, progress, and backsliding, and unfortunately too many instances of one group ganging up on some other exploited people to be better than. It’s all about how we learn from history, keep pushing against our lesser selves to fight amongst ourselves, and take control of the table rather than fighting over the crumbs that trickle off it. I am admittedly an optimist.
I think the Democratic Socialist candidates can win everywhere if they clearly and specifically explain exactly what their policies are. Poll after poll shows the majority supports all the things you just laid out.
God bless you Corbin!
... and my fallback response regarding Socialism:
Socialism: Expecting government services in exchange for the money you pay in taxes.
Is that really such a radical idea?
Bravo!!!!
Spot on! Don't forget Ike's parting caution about the military industrial complex. In the early sixties several naval shipyards built nuclear subs, now only one private builder does. And we spend a fortune on every late, overbudget sub.
Or plane drone tank radar. . . And safety standards are crap. Why? Because our soldiers, or their families, cannot sue when the super expensive transport carrying sailors from big ship to small boat dock capsizes. That happened, ~20 sailors died. That was the majority of our fatalities in whatever fracking war, aka pissing contest, that was.
I completely agree. Just think of how much tax money it took to keep the economy afloat in the last few fiscal crises brought on by the Wall Street Gamblers and their cronies. With mountains of Treasury debt that the rich do not want to pay for - they expect the middle and working classes to pay for those financial messes for the remainder of the century. And there is another gigantic financial mess in the making right on our doorstep this minute.....
The best post I've seen, thank you!
".... every socialist experiment in the 20th century - without exception - has been crushed, overthrown or invaded or corrupted, perverted or destabilized or otherwise had made life impossible for it, by the US. Not one socialist gov't or movement ... was permitted to rise or fall on its own merits; not one was left secure enough to drop its guard against its all powerful enemy abroad and freely and fully relax control at home.
It's as if the Wright brothers first experiments with flying machines all failed because automotive interests sabotage each test flight. And, then the good, God-fearing folk of the world looked upon them, took notice of the consequences, nodded their heads and wisely intoned solemnly 'man will never fly' " .. This is from Wm Blum "Killing Hope: US military and CIA Interventions since WWII" 2004
Every time I hear Trump use the word "communism," I just want to find a way to tape his mouth shut. He works on scaring the people who don't understand Democratic Socialism. The only way I see to overcome it is to get enough Democratic Socialists in Congress to show people what we can do!
Corbin, I think you miss the point. The wageslaves who vote MAGA long ago gave up the hope that this system, or indeed any system, can do anything for them. Proof of Drumpf's corruption is irrelevant, proof of the current régime's failure is beside the point. Proof of how the country could work for all of us is a waste of time. MAGAs, drug-soaked and obese as they are, aren't stupid. They know all politicians are crooked and steal. They know what Senator Pettit of Indiana said 160 years ago; the Declaration of Independence is a self-evident lie. They are resigned to being robbed and enserfed. Thirtyfive years ago H. Ross Perrot warned them the capitalists would sell them out. They voted for Clinton and NAFTA. Drumpf and Pence gave Carrier Corp 7 million taxpayer dollars to keep union jobs in Indiana; within six months the jobs went to Mexico, and union workers in their millions voted MAGA anyway. The secret? This country needed a war that cost 600,000 dead to abolish Black slavery, after every other country (save Brazil, but including Czarist Russia) had abolished slavery without a shot being fired. That war is not yet over; as long as there is one Black or Brown person in this country, the aforesaid drug-soaked, obese bigots will sell their lives and their children's lives for that despicable cause. My first witness is President Lyndon Johnson: “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Your witness.
No, I think you miss the point. The key is the last part of the Johnson quote: “Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Certainly, this is most evident regarding Black people because skin tone is easily and visually distinguishable. As to slave uprisings in this hemisphere, you omit the obvious case of Haiti as well as the many slave revolts (wars where shots were certainly fired and millions died) and political maneuverings before eventually securing emancipation in every country in the Western Hemisphere except maybe Canada. Let’s kill the self-aggrandizing propaganda that slaves were "given" freedom benevolently by "good" White people rather than the slaves themselves and others fought for it no less than the founding fathers.
So here’s the point. Every conceivable human characteristic has been and is used to “give him somebody look down on” from skin tone, facial features, country of origin, language, religion, culture, level of wealth/poverty, ad infinitum…there’s no end to the creativity of the depraved and selfish human mind. If you drew a timeline, it would be over 450 years long of exploited peoples seeking solidarity to resist injustice in this country. That timeline would be filled with suppression, progress, and backsliding, and unfortunately too many instances of one group ganging up on some other exploited people to be better than. It’s all about how we learn from history, keep pushing against our lesser selves to fight amongst ourselves, and take control of the table rather than fighting over the crumbs that trickle off it. I am admittedly an optimist.
I think the Democratic Socialist candidates can win everywhere if they clearly and specifically explain exactly what their policies are. Poll after poll shows the majority supports all the things you just laid out.
Bravo!!! You are exactly right!!! Why is this so hard for people to understand? Brainwashed I know.
Excellent reminder of who we really are!
Right on! And please don't forget the wonderful public education system that we built that is now being "privatized." Such a shame.
Stand up people!
very well done Sir
Outstanding history lesson!! Outstanding article!!
Truth! Let’s keep sharing it, people are more open to hearing than they were even two years ago.
Amen, brother.