Time to chuck the U.S. from the UN - into the long grass. They poison everything they touch. They’ve made a farce of democracy by vetoing votes of 150 to 1, regularly. They committed thousands of war crimes in Nam, but not one American did hard time for them. Since then it has been a relentless series of crimes and war crimes. The only difference between the U.S. and the Visigoths has been the level of sanctimony.
You write - " . . . not one American did hard time . . . " for US crimes of Empire against Vietnam. I agree George but feel that all Americans are "doing hard-times" due to the immoral level of monies spent on the military - we have no universal health care, free child care, free education, crumbling infrastructure, etc., all of this is happening as the wealth gap grows even greater with the current criminal class in the US and abroad that will continue unabated as the corporate news whores tell us all why and how the invasion of Venezuela is justified. Supporting Independent Media is now more critical than ever if we desire any semblance of truth in our world. Chris Hedges continues to be one of the leading voices in our world today.
I am very empathetic and acknowledge the very large number of decent Americans suffering in the MICdom, whose values I share. I wish I could help but feel powerless, like many Americans do. I left the U.S. 40 y ago after a lot of soul-searching. I sense that the time is ripe for a major turnaround. I hope it can be done peacefully.
I am happy that you left this country many years ago George - smart move. My wife and I recently made a trip to a deep southerly Mexican state (after a 6-years break) and I cherished every moment of it - it is a thriving arts community with fine and kind people, good food and strong sense of community - at the end though, we returned to a failing USA and my mood soured - I feel rather powerless and trying to make it better here - trying to see what is good. Thank you George - Peace brother.
Thx John. I’d like to wind it all back to when America was a force for good in the world. The more I learn, the further back that date is pushed, and the less likely seem the prospects.
Hi Feral. There is very little carrot actually. America thinks they outfox everybody by fearmongering and warmongering so they can sell arms and maintain their position as number one arms salesmen of the world. This means that poor Eastern European countries forgo social needs to buy American weaponry/intel.
There are 2 obvious things to do first imo. Get the UN the hell out of NYC/USA. And start to cosy up to China, like Canada is doing, or even Russia. The latter seems impractical given the former Soviet Republics in the EU. The US is dying and is behaving like it’s run by madmen. I hear the fat lady practising her scales.
Of course the Americans have plenty of carrots. You think those Venezuelans were bribed in euros? Why, when the United States can print unlimited dollars at will and get others to accept them? There's a reason globabl commodity prices are denominated in US dollars.
Of course, we've been hearing the predictions of dollar collapse since before I was a kitten. It never comes. For that matter, yields on US government debt signal no such thing.
The other problem with your idea is that humans naturally gravitate towards the aggressive and strong. Russia and China are dithering and indecisive. Hence, when push comes to shove, humans will choose the United States. Not because it is right, but because it is strong and ruthless.
Time will tell. I’m betting you’re wrong. You seem to think America, whipped like a rented mule by China ( whose GDP PPP passed it 12 years ago and now exceeds it by $10 triilion) in all that matters, can maintain its status quo? Not a chance.
Thank you again to Chris Hedges for the comprehensive picture of context.
Particularly appreciated:
-The point regarding the true situation in Venezuela (the mass demonstrations of support for the Chavismo movement).
-That of the perpetuation of failed imperial misadventures, e.g. Iraq, as a result of the lack of accountability for the those responsible for those debacles. Or even a general acknowledgement of the failure of those projects.
-The point made with respect to the current lack of international/global mechanisms to restrain the ambitions of powerful (rogue) states, similar to the scenarios at the times prior to WWl and WWll.
In many ways, what we are witnessing is clearly a breakdown of the global social order that has been in place, similar to the conditions prior to those wars (which are in large continuations of the same conflicts and struggles).
Regarding the parallel with the global context at the onset of WWl: events at that time took on a life of their own. There were those on all sided who rattled swords and pounded shields, but the overwhelming consensus of must historical views was that when war actually broke out, and particularly when it ran on for years in an unprecedented scale of deaths and devastation, all nations were collectively surprised.
Hopefully a similar scenario won't be played out in the current day.
But, as with climate change, there seems to be a collective disconnect with the potential dangers posed by what is going on.
-The mention of Iran and the fact that those living in Latin America are much more aware of the role of U.S. Yanqui imperialism (via the CIA) in their history than are Americans. I had Iranian friends at the time of the Iranian revolution ousting the Shah. It was a small early education. As I watched what was going on, in general confusion, they would smile and gently explain an event "Oh, Bill, it is the C.I.A." and told me the history of the CIA’s involvement, such as the training of support the SAVAK under the Shah. One of them who had a relative who was held and tortured by SAVAK, and another relative who was subsequently prosecuted by the Iranian regime under the Ayatollah simply because he had designed a library under the regime of the Shah.
-The various pawns and other casualties of Imperial ambitions and wars.
-"When they go wrong, they go terribly wrong":
Yes, Iran is decidedly NOT Venezuela, Syria or Hezbollah. Yes, those in the imperial positions of power seem temperamentally incapable of gaining the perspectives they should be getting from the outcomes over the past decades.
A blindness born of hubris and a cultish reinforcement of a vision of reality that shows disturbing incongruence with the actual global situation, with potential fraught consequences.
Particularly in the view of the recent actions' effect on China and Russia, and the history of tariffs and other continuous affronts to the world order and insults to other nations: the recent policies of the U.S. really do seem almost designed towards hastening it's demise.
-VERY tangentially: George Galloway reminds me of a Scots, contemporary Jimmy Breslin.
“In many ways, what we are witnessing is clearly a breakdown of the global social order that has been in place”
I would argue “global social order” it’s always been window dressing, a fiction, a mask to cover up true psychotically insane intent of robbing and exploiting being the only “right” that matters as suggested by Mr Chomsky.
Why else set up the UN Security Council with fixed members and veto votes?
To maintain complete colonial power and to dominate and exert it to maintain the right to rob, rape, exploit and kill with impunity.
The US has run out of easy targets.
It’s turning on itself, its serfs are being pushed down harder than ever.
It’s ugly.
The main difference is everyone who had eyes connected a brian is and has connected the dots and can see the insane empire at work.
I have seen it since the early 90s and now the Gaza mirror shows us all what we are and how we are ruled by our gangster billionaire elites and none of us are free.
What you describe - and I would say, describe accurately - IS a form of social order. Empires are forms of social order, good or bad. The implication here is more a question of stability, not virtue. The issue is that of the actions that arise from de-stabilization and uncertainty, the parallel with similar periods in the past when the extant global political orders broke down.
The world as a whole is increasingly in upheaval, and these periods are always fraught. But the stakes are higher than they have ever been, the technology of war the most destructive and widespread, the stresses of population and environmental devastation more pressing, with a catastrophic level of climate crisis likely inevitable and near.
With respect to your observation that "everyone who had eyes connected a brian is and has connected the dots and can see the insane empire at work",
I would add that those who see this clearly seem fewer within this country than without.
And they see it more clearly now than ever.
....edit/addition:
I would say that America has always been a mixed bag: predicated on what we now see as setter colonialism, (and it can be argued, genocide) and always imbued with a culture of violence that was high even by historic standards, which is a pretty high bar.
And, the American ethos was always preeminently about money compared with other national cultures.
But at the same time, there was present some degree of sincere aspiration towards a society reflective of Enlightenment values, as they were conceived of at the time. And to some degree this was present for the greater part of U.S. history, though applied inconsistently, with particular blind spots in the areas of not inconsequential institutions like slavery.
It has always been mixed, always a matter of degree.
All societies are and have always been mixed.
It could be argued that a big shift came in the mid-18th century, following the Civil War, the policies of expansion and imperial aggression supplanting a more isolationist tradition. There were arguments regarding this shift at the time, the shift to becoming what you describe.
And that direction has been followed from Theodor Roosevelt forward.
And it is that U.S. dominated order, increasing exponentially since WWl and WWll that seems to be inevitably coming to an end. Every war following the Second World War has essentially been predicated on higher degrees of a lie, and that lie is now laid bare by the current administration.
IMHO THE 2 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN EXPOSING & CONFRONTING THE GLOBAL TRUMP/NUTANYAHU MEGALOMANIAC EMPIRE IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE ‘GINI COEFFICIENT OF WEALTH INEQUALITY’ IS THE HIGHEST & WORST, AT OVER 0.954, AND THAT CHINA’S GINI COEFFICIENT IS ONLY AT THE LOW MEAN OF ALL COUNTRIES AT 0.70 !!!! WHICH MEANS THAT CHINA IS FAR LESS LIKELY TO ACT LIKE A MEGALOMANIAC TRUMP/NUTANYAHU FAR DEADLIER INSANE EMPIRE IN THE VERY NEAR TERM !!!!
The world should know that in 2017 the US imposed the most severe trade embargo in the world on Venezuela - No company that trades with Venezuela can trade with the US, similar to the total trade embargo on Cuba that has been in place for over 60 years: All assets in US banks were ceased, costing the country 30-40 billion dollars. Between 2014 and 2020, Venezuela lost 99% of its foreign currency income. The economy shrank by 80%
8 million people deserted the country, 20% of the population, the largest migration in Latin American history. The country went from one of the richest in Latin America, to one of the poorest, almost over night. This was before any alleged electoral fraud took place in the 2018 election. (the 2013 election that endorsed Maduro as the president was declared free and fair by the independent observers) The sanctions, combined with the economic sabotage undertaken by the oligarchs inside Venezuela are not consistent with any definition of democracy.
The deliberate destruction of the once vibrant Venezuelan economy was designed to create maximum suffering, which it did. It has been made clear to the people of Venezuela that their suffering will only end if they vote out Nicholas Maduro, ending the Bolivarian Revolution founded by Hugo Chavez in 1999. This is blackmail pure and simple!
Further reading....The Deliberate Destruction of the Venezuelan Economy
Nice international perspective which most Americans never hear. But truly, just like in 2008, when America catches a cold, the whole world sneezes, this evil action by America is going to destabilize things across the globe and it will take our NATO allies saying, "we cannot align with this madness any more" before an opposition can hope to form and I don't think that will happen anytime soon, because it will mean finding common cause with other groups like BRICS. America is really isolating itself and life is going to get harder for Americans.
Thank you, Mr. Hedges.Great interview. The mass mobilization you speak of that may be the only recourse the American people have to rein in our rogue state is something I'd like to share a few thoughts about.
When Dumpturd declares martial law and cancels the 2026 midterm elections, we have to be prepared. We have to get ready.
We have to outthink the Dumpster. (Think about it: How hard can it be, really???!!! I’ve got a houseplant who could do it easy.)
Congress is not going to stop the fascist regime from solidifying its hold on power. The courts aren’t either. The press is AWOL.
We, the People. We, as in You and I are the only force strong enough to establish a true democracy in this fascist, make-believe, deluded land.
A general strike takes planning, it takes sacrifice, it takes us getting together and watching each others’ backs, looking out for one another. It takes stocking up on food (if you have the resources), medicine, toilet paper, a few good books which you haven’t read yet, enough toys to keep the kids happy, and most importantly, cat food! (That’s what my cat says, anyway; according to him, it’s all you really need.)
We need to decide the details of the strike: Will we stay home from work (or be out in the streets instead of “at work”) if we are a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, an Uber driver, a carpenter, a plumber? An “essential” worker (except when it comes to payday)? An air traffic controller? We need to target the strike intelligently, shutting down the banks, the credit card companies, the arms makers, and especially Amazon.
Don’t buy anything! At all!
When we stop being well-trained, docile consumers, that scares the shit out of the ruling elite. When we stop buying shit, it brings the whole, rotten machine to a grinding halt, and they pay attention. At that point, they have to.
Their attention will not be benevolent. It will come in the form of troops in the streets, tear gas, bullets (rubber at first…), power and water shutoffs, and numerous other hysterical responses.
We have to be ready.
Now is the time to start organizing (well, yesterday would be better, but…)
Above all, we must be non-violent. When confronted with violence, we must respond with fierce love and compassion. But we must not back down.
We must not be divided, and they will try to divide us, getting us to attack each other. The Left’s habit of ALWAYS forming circular firing squads when unity is the order of the day must be thrown out. The Right’s habit of blaming others for our troubles – immigrants, women, people of color – also needs to be dumped in the wastebin.
You can watch Trump rehearsing his speech for the indefinite postponement of the mid-term elections when you substitute the US for Venezuela in the sentence “We will be in charge in Venezuela until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition”.
Congress has failed to curb fascism. Now the ooor of Latin America have to try again to do it.
I wrote this to my member of Parliament in the UK:
While it’s easy to see that disagreeing with the US President can lead to inclusion on his retribution agenda, Britain needs to join with other outraged countries at the US’ truly fascistic overthrow of international law and diplomacy in kidnapping the President of Venezuela, by calling for the removal of the UN Headquarters from New York to a safe country and city. The mere idea could change Trump’s behaviour, when he considers the resultant loss of hotel occupancy in his New York hotels, being primarily self-concerned.
Whether in calling for it you would need to propose a new seat for the organisation, I don’t know but if pushed, London and Beijing being a bit peripheral, perhaps Berlin or Lyon or Antwerp or Budapest; even Singapore.
If we don’t distinguish our position, Trump will be sending troops to the UK as a staging area for invading Greenland, unbidden. We can’t be a part of that.
Also, we’re not a party to a treaty with Ukraine and cannot be a part of an occupation of it, winding up in a monstrous real estate or raw materials deal for Donald Trump at the expense of our blood and treasure.
President Putin has vowed to retaliate asymmetrically for Venezuela. That could mean sabotage or attacks upon us, our posturing Prime minister having stolen the gangsters’ stash to give it to the Russian leadership’s enemy.
I will repeat what I said before the last election. Chris Hedges refused to vote Democratic. Noam Chomsky had said the first time around, when Trump was on the ballot, that despite everyone's misgivings, they MUST vote Democratic. It is not that I or any of us respect the Schumer-led Democrats. It is that we feared what has come to pass: a barbaric, unconstrained, unconstitutional regime under Trump that would accelerate global heating (by giving billions to Big Oil) and thus would terminate life on Earth. I lost respect for Hedges after that. Smart guy but not in this instance.
Regarding the Democrats, both Obama and Biden did more fossil fuel extraction than their predecessors. Both parties have given massive subsidies to the fossil fuel companies even as those companies make massive profits without the need for those subsidies. So much for Trump being the only one who accelerated global heating. And Trump would never had made it to power either time if the Democrats actually served the citizens instead of their corporate oligarch masters/owners. Both brands of the corporate/oligarch uni-party serve their owners and not the citizens. And the Democrats have enabled the rise of Trump. I have lost respect for anyone who still votes for either so-called political party in this day and age. In case you can’t recall Obama signed the NDAA which effectively did away with the Posse Comitatus Act allowing the use of the military against the citizens. He ordered the assassination of US citizens a father and son. He destroyed Libya as well. Obama appointed all the same Wall Street crooks to his administration that Bush had in his. Obama oversaw the crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street movement. And regarding Venezuela Obama declared them a national security threat in 2015. Imagine that. Clinton signed a crime bill that incarcerated a disproportionate number of blacks like it was designed to do. NAFTA was a large step in the destruction of the USA too that Clinton was happy to enact. Biden ensured the genocide in Gaza went unchecked. He could have stopped it with one phone call in the first few days. Biden screwed over the railroad workers who wanted to strike for better wages and conditions. And as Feral Finster pointed out Kamala was onboard the genocide train too. My mother’s parents escaped from the Armenian genocide so I know a thing or two about that subject. No way could anyone with a moral compass vote for that. I could go on and on. Trump is a monster in many ways and will set the USA and world back decades if not outright destroy it. But to overlook the Democrats ongoing involvement that lead to Trump by calling out Hedges and anyone who didn’t vote Democrat is naive to say the least. The USA has been heading in this direction for decades at the hands of BOTH PARTIES.
Time to chuck the U.S. from the UN - into the long grass. They poison everything they touch. They’ve made a farce of democracy by vetoing votes of 150 to 1, regularly. They committed thousands of war crimes in Nam, but not one American did hard time for them. Since then it has been a relentless series of crimes and war crimes. The only difference between the U.S. and the Visigoths has been the level of sanctimony.
You write - " . . . not one American did hard time . . . " for US crimes of Empire against Vietnam. I agree George but feel that all Americans are "doing hard-times" due to the immoral level of monies spent on the military - we have no universal health care, free child care, free education, crumbling infrastructure, etc., all of this is happening as the wealth gap grows even greater with the current criminal class in the US and abroad that will continue unabated as the corporate news whores tell us all why and how the invasion of Venezuela is justified. Supporting Independent Media is now more critical than ever if we desire any semblance of truth in our world. Chris Hedges continues to be one of the leading voices in our world today.
I am very empathetic and acknowledge the very large number of decent Americans suffering in the MICdom, whose values I share. I wish I could help but feel powerless, like many Americans do. I left the U.S. 40 y ago after a lot of soul-searching. I sense that the time is ripe for a major turnaround. I hope it can be done peacefully.
I am happy that you left this country many years ago George - smart move. My wife and I recently made a trip to a deep southerly Mexican state (after a 6-years break) and I cherished every moment of it - it is a thriving arts community with fine and kind people, good food and strong sense of community - at the end though, we returned to a failing USA and my mood soured - I feel rather powerless and trying to make it better here - trying to see what is good. Thank you George - Peace brother.
Thx John. I’d like to wind it all back to when America was a force for good in the world. The more I learn, the further back that date is pushed, and the less likely seem the prospects.
John we are having to on the daily swim through this reality is harsh
No one wins Im over it but it remains
The UN members crave American carrot and fear American stick.
Hi Feral. There is very little carrot actually. America thinks they outfox everybody by fearmongering and warmongering so they can sell arms and maintain their position as number one arms salesmen of the world. This means that poor Eastern European countries forgo social needs to buy American weaponry/intel.
There are 2 obvious things to do first imo. Get the UN the hell out of NYC/USA. And start to cosy up to China, like Canada is doing, or even Russia. The latter seems impractical given the former Soviet Republics in the EU. The US is dying and is behaving like it’s run by madmen. I hear the fat lady practising her scales.
Of course the Americans have plenty of carrots. You think those Venezuelans were bribed in euros? Why, when the United States can print unlimited dollars at will and get others to accept them? There's a reason globabl commodity prices are denominated in US dollars.
Of course, we've been hearing the predictions of dollar collapse since before I was a kitten. It never comes. For that matter, yields on US government debt signal no such thing.
The other problem with your idea is that humans naturally gravitate towards the aggressive and strong. Russia and China are dithering and indecisive. Hence, when push comes to shove, humans will choose the United States. Not because it is right, but because it is strong and ruthless.
Time will tell. I’m betting you’re wrong. You seem to think America, whipped like a rented mule by China ( whose GDP PPP passed it 12 years ago and now exceeds it by $10 triilion) in all that matters, can maintain its status quo? Not a chance.
There is a reason that GDP PPP is not normally used as a metric.
The Chinese legitimacy stems from a promise of rising prosperity. This is why the Chinese basically hope that the crocodile will eat them last.
I’ve always enjoyed your posts Feral. Until this one. You’re missing the point completely about GDP PPP. Maybe I should keep you where you are.
Thank you again to Chris Hedges for the comprehensive picture of context.
Particularly appreciated:
-The point regarding the true situation in Venezuela (the mass demonstrations of support for the Chavismo movement).
-That of the perpetuation of failed imperial misadventures, e.g. Iraq, as a result of the lack of accountability for the those responsible for those debacles. Or even a general acknowledgement of the failure of those projects.
-The point made with respect to the current lack of international/global mechanisms to restrain the ambitions of powerful (rogue) states, similar to the scenarios at the times prior to WWl and WWll.
In many ways, what we are witnessing is clearly a breakdown of the global social order that has been in place, similar to the conditions prior to those wars (which are in large continuations of the same conflicts and struggles).
Regarding the parallel with the global context at the onset of WWl: events at that time took on a life of their own. There were those on all sided who rattled swords and pounded shields, but the overwhelming consensus of must historical views was that when war actually broke out, and particularly when it ran on for years in an unprecedented scale of deaths and devastation, all nations were collectively surprised.
Hopefully a similar scenario won't be played out in the current day.
But, as with climate change, there seems to be a collective disconnect with the potential dangers posed by what is going on.
-The mention of Iran and the fact that those living in Latin America are much more aware of the role of U.S. Yanqui imperialism (via the CIA) in their history than are Americans. I had Iranian friends at the time of the Iranian revolution ousting the Shah. It was a small early education. As I watched what was going on, in general confusion, they would smile and gently explain an event "Oh, Bill, it is the C.I.A." and told me the history of the CIA’s involvement, such as the training of support the SAVAK under the Shah. One of them who had a relative who was held and tortured by SAVAK, and another relative who was subsequently prosecuted by the Iranian regime under the Ayatollah simply because he had designed a library under the regime of the Shah.
-The various pawns and other casualties of Imperial ambitions and wars.
-"When they go wrong, they go terribly wrong":
Yes, Iran is decidedly NOT Venezuela, Syria or Hezbollah. Yes, those in the imperial positions of power seem temperamentally incapable of gaining the perspectives they should be getting from the outcomes over the past decades.
A blindness born of hubris and a cultish reinforcement of a vision of reality that shows disturbing incongruence with the actual global situation, with potential fraught consequences.
Particularly in the view of the recent actions' effect on China and Russia, and the history of tariffs and other continuous affronts to the world order and insults to other nations: the recent policies of the U.S. really do seem almost designed towards hastening it's demise.
-VERY tangentially: George Galloway reminds me of a Scots, contemporary Jimmy Breslin.
“In many ways, what we are witnessing is clearly a breakdown of the global social order that has been in place”
I would argue “global social order” it’s always been window dressing, a fiction, a mask to cover up true psychotically insane intent of robbing and exploiting being the only “right” that matters as suggested by Mr Chomsky.
Why else set up the UN Security Council with fixed members and veto votes?
To maintain complete colonial power and to dominate and exert it to maintain the right to rob, rape, exploit and kill with impunity.
The US has run out of easy targets.
It’s turning on itself, its serfs are being pushed down harder than ever.
It’s ugly.
The main difference is everyone who had eyes connected a brian is and has connected the dots and can see the insane empire at work.
I have seen it since the early 90s and now the Gaza mirror shows us all what we are and how we are ruled by our gangster billionaire elites and none of us are free.
I don't disagree.
What you describe - and I would say, describe accurately - IS a form of social order. Empires are forms of social order, good or bad. The implication here is more a question of stability, not virtue. The issue is that of the actions that arise from de-stabilization and uncertainty, the parallel with similar periods in the past when the extant global political orders broke down.
The world as a whole is increasingly in upheaval, and these periods are always fraught. But the stakes are higher than they have ever been, the technology of war the most destructive and widespread, the stresses of population and environmental devastation more pressing, with a catastrophic level of climate crisis likely inevitable and near.
With respect to your observation that "everyone who had eyes connected a brian is and has connected the dots and can see the insane empire at work",
I would add that those who see this clearly seem fewer within this country than without.
And they see it more clearly now than ever.
....edit/addition:
I would say that America has always been a mixed bag: predicated on what we now see as setter colonialism, (and it can be argued, genocide) and always imbued with a culture of violence that was high even by historic standards, which is a pretty high bar.
And, the American ethos was always preeminently about money compared with other national cultures.
But at the same time, there was present some degree of sincere aspiration towards a society reflective of Enlightenment values, as they were conceived of at the time. And to some degree this was present for the greater part of U.S. history, though applied inconsistently, with particular blind spots in the areas of not inconsequential institutions like slavery.
It has always been mixed, always a matter of degree.
All societies are and have always been mixed.
It could be argued that a big shift came in the mid-18th century, following the Civil War, the policies of expansion and imperial aggression supplanting a more isolationist tradition. There were arguments regarding this shift at the time, the shift to becoming what you describe.
And that direction has been followed from Theodor Roosevelt forward.
And it is that U.S. dominated order, increasing exponentially since WWl and WWll that seems to be inevitably coming to an end. Every war following the Second World War has essentially been predicated on higher degrees of a lie, and that lie is now laid bare by the current administration.
DEAR CHRIS,
IMHO THE 2 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN EXPOSING & CONFRONTING THE GLOBAL TRUMP/NUTANYAHU MEGALOMANIAC EMPIRE IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE ‘GINI COEFFICIENT OF WEALTH INEQUALITY’ IS THE HIGHEST & WORST, AT OVER 0.954, AND THAT CHINA’S GINI COEFFICIENT IS ONLY AT THE LOW MEAN OF ALL COUNTRIES AT 0.70 !!!! WHICH MEANS THAT CHINA IS FAR LESS LIKELY TO ACT LIKE A MEGALOMANIAC TRUMP/NUTANYAHU FAR DEADLIER INSANE EMPIRE IN THE VERY NEAR TERM !!!!
The world should know that in 2017 the US imposed the most severe trade embargo in the world on Venezuela - No company that trades with Venezuela can trade with the US, similar to the total trade embargo on Cuba that has been in place for over 60 years: All assets in US banks were ceased, costing the country 30-40 billion dollars. Between 2014 and 2020, Venezuela lost 99% of its foreign currency income. The economy shrank by 80%
8 million people deserted the country, 20% of the population, the largest migration in Latin American history. The country went from one of the richest in Latin America, to one of the poorest, almost over night. This was before any alleged electoral fraud took place in the 2018 election. (the 2013 election that endorsed Maduro as the president was declared free and fair by the independent observers) The sanctions, combined with the economic sabotage undertaken by the oligarchs inside Venezuela are not consistent with any definition of democracy.
The deliberate destruction of the once vibrant Venezuelan economy was designed to create maximum suffering, which it did. It has been made clear to the people of Venezuela that their suffering will only end if they vote out Nicholas Maduro, ending the Bolivarian Revolution founded by Hugo Chavez in 1999. This is blackmail pure and simple!
Further reading....The Deliberate Destruction of the Venezuelan Economy
https://binsblog.org/2026/01/06/us-interference-in-venezuela/
Nice international perspective which most Americans never hear. But truly, just like in 2008, when America catches a cold, the whole world sneezes, this evil action by America is going to destabilize things across the globe and it will take our NATO allies saying, "we cannot align with this madness any more" before an opposition can hope to form and I don't think that will happen anytime soon, because it will mean finding common cause with other groups like BRICS. America is really isolating itself and life is going to get harder for Americans.
Thank you, Mr. Hedges.Great interview. The mass mobilization you speak of that may be the only recourse the American people have to rein in our rogue state is something I'd like to share a few thoughts about.
When Dumpturd declares martial law and cancels the 2026 midterm elections, we have to be prepared. We have to get ready.
We have to outthink the Dumpster. (Think about it: How hard can it be, really???!!! I’ve got a houseplant who could do it easy.)
Congress is not going to stop the fascist regime from solidifying its hold on power. The courts aren’t either. The press is AWOL.
We, the People. We, as in You and I are the only force strong enough to establish a true democracy in this fascist, make-believe, deluded land.
A general strike takes planning, it takes sacrifice, it takes us getting together and watching each others’ backs, looking out for one another. It takes stocking up on food (if you have the resources), medicine, toilet paper, a few good books which you haven’t read yet, enough toys to keep the kids happy, and most importantly, cat food! (That’s what my cat says, anyway; according to him, it’s all you really need.)
We need to decide the details of the strike: Will we stay home from work (or be out in the streets instead of “at work”) if we are a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, an Uber driver, a carpenter, a plumber? An “essential” worker (except when it comes to payday)? An air traffic controller? We need to target the strike intelligently, shutting down the banks, the credit card companies, the arms makers, and especially Amazon.
Don’t buy anything! At all!
When we stop being well-trained, docile consumers, that scares the shit out of the ruling elite. When we stop buying shit, it brings the whole, rotten machine to a grinding halt, and they pay attention. At that point, they have to.
Their attention will not be benevolent. It will come in the form of troops in the streets, tear gas, bullets (rubber at first…), power and water shutoffs, and numerous other hysterical responses.
We have to be ready.
Now is the time to start organizing (well, yesterday would be better, but…)
Above all, we must be non-violent. When confronted with violence, we must respond with fierce love and compassion. But we must not back down.
We must not be divided, and they will try to divide us, getting us to attack each other. The Left’s habit of ALWAYS forming circular firing squads when unity is the order of the day must be thrown out. The Right’s habit of blaming others for our troubles – immigrants, women, people of color – also needs to be dumped in the wastebin.
WE ALL ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
Feel you with both hands
Fuck the devils unify the rebels Steve lets go
Confused
why the fuck you know?
You can watch Trump rehearsing his speech for the indefinite postponement of the mid-term elections when you substitute the US for Venezuela in the sentence “We will be in charge in Venezuela until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition”.
Congress has failed to curb fascism. Now the ooor of Latin America have to try again to do it.
I wrote this to my member of Parliament in the UK:
While it’s easy to see that disagreeing with the US President can lead to inclusion on his retribution agenda, Britain needs to join with other outraged countries at the US’ truly fascistic overthrow of international law and diplomacy in kidnapping the President of Venezuela, by calling for the removal of the UN Headquarters from New York to a safe country and city. The mere idea could change Trump’s behaviour, when he considers the resultant loss of hotel occupancy in his New York hotels, being primarily self-concerned.
Whether in calling for it you would need to propose a new seat for the organisation, I don’t know but if pushed, London and Beijing being a bit peripheral, perhaps Berlin or Lyon or Antwerp or Budapest; even Singapore.
If we don’t distinguish our position, Trump will be sending troops to the UK as a staging area for invading Greenland, unbidden. We can’t be a part of that.
Also, we’re not a party to a treaty with Ukraine and cannot be a part of an occupation of it, winding up in a monstrous real estate or raw materials deal for Donald Trump at the expense of our blood and treasure.
President Putin has vowed to retaliate asymmetrically for Venezuela. That could mean sabotage or attacks upon us, our posturing Prime minister having stolen the gangsters’ stash to give it to the Russian leadership’s enemy.
I will repeat what I said before the last election. Chris Hedges refused to vote Democratic. Noam Chomsky had said the first time around, when Trump was on the ballot, that despite everyone's misgivings, they MUST vote Democratic. It is not that I or any of us respect the Schumer-led Democrats. It is that we feared what has come to pass: a barbaric, unconstrained, unconstitutional regime under Trump that would accelerate global heating (by giving billions to Big Oil) and thus would terminate life on Earth. I lost respect for Hedges after that. Smart guy but not in this instance.
Lol, if Harris had condemned the Biden Administration genocide in Gaza, she might well have won the election.
That she did not is telling.
Regarding the Democrats, both Obama and Biden did more fossil fuel extraction than their predecessors. Both parties have given massive subsidies to the fossil fuel companies even as those companies make massive profits without the need for those subsidies. So much for Trump being the only one who accelerated global heating. And Trump would never had made it to power either time if the Democrats actually served the citizens instead of their corporate oligarch masters/owners. Both brands of the corporate/oligarch uni-party serve their owners and not the citizens. And the Democrats have enabled the rise of Trump. I have lost respect for anyone who still votes for either so-called political party in this day and age. In case you can’t recall Obama signed the NDAA which effectively did away with the Posse Comitatus Act allowing the use of the military against the citizens. He ordered the assassination of US citizens a father and son. He destroyed Libya as well. Obama appointed all the same Wall Street crooks to his administration that Bush had in his. Obama oversaw the crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street movement. And regarding Venezuela Obama declared them a national security threat in 2015. Imagine that. Clinton signed a crime bill that incarcerated a disproportionate number of blacks like it was designed to do. NAFTA was a large step in the destruction of the USA too that Clinton was happy to enact. Biden ensured the genocide in Gaza went unchecked. He could have stopped it with one phone call in the first few days. Biden screwed over the railroad workers who wanted to strike for better wages and conditions. And as Feral Finster pointed out Kamala was onboard the genocide train too. My mother’s parents escaped from the Armenian genocide so I know a thing or two about that subject. No way could anyone with a moral compass vote for that. I could go on and on. Trump is a monster in many ways and will set the USA and world back decades if not outright destroy it. But to overlook the Democrats ongoing involvement that lead to Trump by calling out Hedges and anyone who didn’t vote Democrat is naive to say the least. The USA has been heading in this direction for decades at the hands of BOTH PARTIES.