Watching football games is a very popular activity. And I think
there is a social pressure to watch wars the same way we watch
football. I am not suggesting that anyone feel guilty for watching
football. It's entertainment. Pick a team, root for your team, and
everyone goes home after the game.
We Americans have never managed to get along for very long without engaging, as a group, in stealing property and voice from various groups of people here and there. On the other hand, we humans in general, of which group we Americans are a part, seem to tend not to like having our property and voice stolen. So then we kill our victims, steal their lives so to speak.
Those are just simple facts to begin with. Something to think about is whether we ought to be really trying to do something different than that; just keep on with the pretend trying; or actually phase out the practice of theft regardless of temptation.
I really do not have a lot of hope for that particular thing, the phasing out of the practice of theft, regardless of what I might do personally, whatever that might be. But I do get disgusted over the cold and vicious hypocrisy of the good/guys bad guys scenarios that most of our politicians and other major propagandists generate in everyone's sight with such terrific expertise.
But perhaps you disagree. Perhaps you think that living lies is better than accepting any fact-based responsibility.
My main thought right now is about our thieving from areas outside the boundaries of the United States, though of course there is also some of the same question with respect to some groups stealing from other groups within the United States, creating other us vs them good guy/bad guy scenarios.
But we have been forced to accept that America is effectively a plutocracy for awhile now, no longer a democracy, so perhaps there is nothing better to do than watch it like football. Much is secret, and mainstream Democrats are right in it with mainstream Republicans, so voting does not present a choice about these things. Besides, however would we live if we weren't stealing, what would we have to do?
----------------------------------------------------
Here is a news article on our thievery from the Ukraine, typical goings on these days--just for background, not the main thing here. I am getting to that.
"Charges of 'Open Aggression' Spoil Hopes for Cease Fire in Ukraine," by John Queally, Common Dreams, September 1, 2014.
"NATO's "Military Hysteria" Undermines Hope for Peace in Ukraine, says Russia," by John Queally, Common Dreams, September 2, 2014.
I would like for you to please remember and keep well in mind, now that you can see our progress since, that it was our new Ukrainian government that earlier this year demoted the Russian language and removed Russian from the list of official languages, leaving English. We created that new government, partly by paying some enthusiastic private neo-Nazi Ukrainian killers money to take part in a "revolt" against the previous elected government and partly by bribing officials. Many or most of the residents of the eastern part of the Ukraine are Russian speakers and have been since forever, and now all of a sudden they are not supposed to speak Russian any more. That was a major thing that gave rise to everything that has followed. It's almost like we were trying to start another big war. That's aside from having immediately broken our promise to Russia not to turn the countries on the Russian border into NATO counties. As I said, it's almost like we were trying to start another big war. Remember this is at least in good part about fracking the eastern Ukraine, thievery as I said.
This is to remind you of things I have sent you previously on the Ukraine situation, all authoritative, authoritative meaning including other people who are smarter and more knowledgeable than I am about this one particular example situation. Everything that has happened around and about the Ukraine since was predictable, in broad outline anyway:
sent 3/18/14 must read Robert Parry: [Ukraine:] The Danger of False Narrative
sent 5/3/14-5/5/14 Europe and Ukraine: And now, here is the rest of the story; It's not Russia that's pushed Ukraine to the brink of war
sent 5/26/14 China Russia gas deal--a major geopolitical event & stupid U.S. foreign policy
So. Truth? Or lies? What is your personal preference?
You can treat that question as rhetorical if you like, or you can respond.
In the meantime I think I'm going to find myself some diversion for awhile. :-) Perhaps I'll come back later.
Larry
--
sent 8/17/14 FCNL action alert; "From the Left, From the Right: Calls to Demilitarize Ferguson, and America"
Laugh. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.--Wendell Berry
We Americans have never managed to get along for very long without engaging, as a group, in stealing property and voice from various groups of people here and there. On the other hand, we humans in general, of which group we Americans are a part, seem to tend not to like having our property and voice stolen. So then we kill our victims, steal their lives so to speak.
Those are just simple facts to begin with. Something to think about is whether we ought to be really trying to do something different than that; just keep on with the pretend trying; or actually phase out the practice of theft regardless of temptation.
I really do not have a lot of hope for that particular thing, the phasing out of the practice of theft, regardless of what I might do personally, whatever that might be. But I do get disgusted over the cold and vicious hypocrisy of the good/guys bad guys scenarios that most of our politicians and other major propagandists generate in everyone's sight with such terrific expertise.
But perhaps you disagree. Perhaps you think that living lies is better than accepting any fact-based responsibility.
My main thought right now is about our thieving from areas outside the boundaries of the United States, though of course there is also some of the same question with respect to some groups stealing from other groups within the United States, creating other us vs them good guy/bad guy scenarios.
But we have been forced to accept that America is effectively a plutocracy for awhile now, no longer a democracy, so perhaps there is nothing better to do than watch it like football. Much is secret, and mainstream Democrats are right in it with mainstream Republicans, so voting does not present a choice about these things. Besides, however would we live if we weren't stealing, what would we have to do?
----------------------------------------------------
Here is a news article on our thievery from the Ukraine, typical goings on these days--just for background, not the main thing here. I am getting to that.
"Charges of 'Open Aggression' Spoil Hopes for Cease Fire in Ukraine," by John Queally, Common Dreams, September 1, 2014.
"NATO's "Military Hysteria" Undermines Hope for Peace in Ukraine, says Russia," by John Queally, Common Dreams, September 2, 2014.
I would like for you to please remember and keep well in mind, now that you can see our progress since, that it was our new Ukrainian government that earlier this year demoted the Russian language and removed Russian from the list of official languages, leaving English. We created that new government, partly by paying some enthusiastic private neo-Nazi Ukrainian killers money to take part in a "revolt" against the previous elected government and partly by bribing officials. Many or most of the residents of the eastern part of the Ukraine are Russian speakers and have been since forever, and now all of a sudden they are not supposed to speak Russian any more. That was a major thing that gave rise to everything that has followed. It's almost like we were trying to start another big war. That's aside from having immediately broken our promise to Russia not to turn the countries on the Russian border into NATO counties. As I said, it's almost like we were trying to start another big war. Remember this is at least in good part about fracking the eastern Ukraine, thievery as I said.
This is to remind you of things I have sent you previously on the Ukraine situation, all authoritative, authoritative meaning including other people who are smarter and more knowledgeable than I am about this one particular example situation. Everything that has happened around and about the Ukraine since was predictable, in broad outline anyway:
sent 3/18/14 must read Robert Parry: [Ukraine:] The Danger of False Narrative
sent 5/3/14-5/5/14 Europe and Ukraine: And now, here is the rest of the story; It's not Russia that's pushed Ukraine to the brink of war
sent 5/26/14 China Russia gas deal--a major geopolitical event & stupid U.S. foreign policy
So. Truth? Or lies? What is your personal preference?
You can treat that question as rhetorical if you like, or you can respond.
In the meantime I think I'm going to find myself some diversion for awhile. :-) Perhaps I'll come back later.
Larry
--
sent 8/17/14 FCNL action alert; "From the Left, From the Right: Calls to Demilitarize Ferguson, and America"
Laugh. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.--Wendell Berry
