In spite of Israel’s military dominance over its regional foes, is the Zionist entity actually at its most vulnerable point in history? And more importantly — can it sustain the Jewish state project?
Right on as usual - with lots of real world details of real world conditions and options. It seems to me ... from a Roman Catholic Social Justice perspective - we need to be in solidarity with both the Israelis and Palestinians who yearn for a one state solution where all have life with dignity for the full continuum. The whole notion of a 2 state solution as imposed on the Muslims, Christians, Jews, and seculars of Palestine is a 'no-go'. So - going forward - a one state ' Palestine'- solution - in which all have equal human and political rights; all have equal economic, cultural, educational, and social opportunities ... ; and we get the big imperial powers out of the region.
Mr. Chris Hedges, my admiration for you is that of a brother’s. When the topic of old age came up in your interview and you laughed, it genuinely made me happy for a moment. We rarely get to see you laugh, especially after all the difficult days you’ve face, and those that may still lie ahead. Thanks for your continued excellence in journalism and thank to your guest, Ilan Pappé.🙏❤️
Interesting. Neo-zionist Israel - a rigidly ideological, racist, apartheid state, does not have anything to do with Judaism - one of the early monotheistic religions/belief systems from which both Christianity and Islam sprang. Modern Israel is a neo-Zionist; neo- fascist state which states there are 'God's chosen people' which is contrary to Christian and Muslim teachings - that those who do the Divine do the will of the Divine, plus those who love the Divine as yourself and love each other above all else ... do the wish of the Divine ...
On the other hand, instead of Jewish Nationalism (Zionism), we also have Christian Nationalism and National Conservatism -- might these be called racist-like ?
and even Social Nationalism (or is that National Socialism?)
I have found it interesting that American Christian Nationalists are Pro-Israel but hate Jews qua Jews. Their interest in the reconstruction of the temple (complete with animal sacrifices) is part of their expectation of the return of Jesus and the "good Jews" will finally submit to Jesus and the "bad Jews" will be sent to hell. The Jewish people are essentially props for the Christian psychodrama of redemption.
Many Zionist factions have their own version of the Messianic psychodrama entailing mass retribution and the eventual coming of the peaceful kingdom.
Islam, influenced by Judaism and Christianity has its own psychodrama defeating immorality and establishing righteousness once and for all.
The unifying feature is the FINALITY of their various psychodramas which is inevitable for cultures locked into a linear concept of time and history. There MUST be an end. Each has its own final solution to the messiness of living in a chaotic world in an indifferent universe and anyone not with them in the coming apocalypse is the enemy of God and therefore must be eliminated.
Give these people nuclear weapons and one can easily see where it all ends.
no disrespect taken, as we do exactly understand the aim of dominion
but the fall only happens by the refusal of the greater panopticon that has bought out all for decades across all continents
scratch an act of "terror" and sniff a network of bought "counterinsurgency" that aims to subdue to a "cleansed" neofeudal state
thank you for the historical context to this next 4horsemen moment of the future as the usurpers reap the centuries long sow with the lifeblood of trillions mown down as grass in the ongoing genocidal ecocide that will own any/all survivors
fleeing to the spawn up nation wence they came and infiltrate is small comfort to the panopticon world they aim to create in their own god monster images of dominion
Sigo a Illa Pappe' y a otros judíos no sionistas en varias partes del mundo y coinciden en ver una desintegración del estado sionista y la dificultosa, pero posible creación de un estado multicultural. No va a ser fácil ni rápido pero aún así es más viable que la creación de dos estados vecinos.
The Velocity of Collapse: How Consumerism Elected the Crooks and Killed the Covenant
I. Prologue: The Illusion of Circulation
For decades, the U.S. economy appeared to thrive. GDP rose, markets soared, and liquidity flooded the system. But beneath the surface, something vital was dying: velocity—the rhythm of money moving through hands, communities, and civic life. This treatise explores how that decline unfolded, why it matters, and how we—consumers, voters, citizens—became both architects and casualties of a system that now devours its own cadence.
II. Velocity: The Pulse of a Living Economy
Velocity of money is not just a technical metric—it is the heartbeat of civic exchange. It measures how often a dollar is used in transactions, how frequently it moves through wages, purchases, and investments. High velocity signals trust, vitality, and shared participation. Low velocity signals hoarding, fear, and disconnection.
Since 1997, U.S. velocity has declined by over 35%, even as GDP and the money supply have grown. This decoupling reveals a system where money exists, but does not move—a body with blood, but no pulse.
III. The Rise of Financialization: From Breath to Echo
The decline in velocity coincides with the rise of financialization—the transformation of the economy from one rooted in production and exchange to one dominated by speculation, asset inflation, and synthetic instruments.
• Dollars now circulate within financial markets, not through communities.
• Corporate profits are used for stock buybacks, not wages or reinvestment.
• The Fed injects liquidity, but it pools in vaults, not in hands.
Velocity dies in this loop. The dollar becomes a ghost currency—visible, but untouchable.
IV. Congress and the Crooks: A Ritual of Deregulation
Congress did not act alone. It responded to voter demand—for tax cuts, cheap credit, rising home values, and market gains. In doing so, it:
• Deregulated financial markets (e.g., repeal of Glass-Steagall)
• Incentivized capital hoarding (e.g., capital gains tax cuts)
• Prioritized liquidity over velocity (e.g., QE without civic strings)
The result: a system where crooks were not anomalies—they were emissaries. They sustained the illusion of prosperity, feeding the market’s appetite while starving the commons.
V. The Consumer’s Covenant: We Asked for This
This is the hardest truth: we elected the crooks. Not just at the ballot box, but at the checkout line, the mortgage office, the brokerage app. We demanded comfort, not cadence. We chose:
• Spectacle over substance
• Growth over grounding
• Consumption over covenant
We didn’t just tolerate the system—we ritualized it. The crooks were not villains. They were priests of our appetite.
VI. The Collapse of Trust: When Microsoft Borrows Cheaper Than the U.S.
In 2025, Microsoft issued bonds at lower interest rates than U.S. Treasuries. This inversion—once unthinkable—signals a collapse in sovereign trust. The market now trusts a corporation more than a nation. The dollar still circulates, but not as breath—only as residue.
This is not just financial. It is mythic. The covenant has cracked.
VII. Aftermath: The Stillness of a Failed Economy
A failed economy is not one without money—it is one without movement. Without trust. Without shared ritual. We are rich in liquidity, poor in velocity. The game is over not because the system collapsed, but because it no longer sings.
Addendum: The Blank Canvas and the Muse
In the aftermath of collapse, we face not a void—but a canvas. And to create a new image, we must invoke not policy, but imagination. The Greeks gave us the Muse to honor the mystery of emergence—the 95% of the mind that does not ask permission. This is where art begins. This is where new civic ritual must begin.
Algorithms are not authors—they are brushes. They extend the hand, but they do not choose the stroke. The first stroke belongs to the unconscious, to the fragment, to the silence before the image.
“We are not just citizens—we are inheritors of a blank canvas. The crooks gave us liquidity. The Muse gives us cadence.”
“Art begins where certainty ends. The new economy will not be built—it will be imagined.”
Let this be our invocation. Let the canvas remain blank until the image is worthy. Let the Muse speak before the
market does. Let the next ritual begin—not with applause, but with a breath.
"Will it be possible to replace Israel with a secular state, one where Palestinians have equal rights with Israelis, a country of one person, one vote?"
Permit me to focus on this line, making an off-the-wall, but I think elemental comment. If justice could be cosmically rendered, if history were to approach some semblance of being set aright, there would not even be a question of replacing Israel with a secular state. Instead, all land, and not just that which has been stolen since 1948, but ALL land including the 56% of Palestine gifted inexplicably, unjustifiably to the Israelis by the UN Special Committee on Palestine, revert to its rightful indigenous owners, the Palestinians.
Then not only the land, but all economic assets of the illegitimate "state" of Israel and society are to be transferred to the Palestinian, as being fundamentally gained and garnered through theft and exploitation of Palestinian land.
All but 2% of the present Israeli population, representing the Jewish portion then living peacefully among Palestinian neighbors before the arrival of the Ashkenazis, should apply for citizenship to the newly revitalized, reconstituted Palestinian state, otherwise leave. As Norman Finkelstein has stated, "The only right that Israel has is to pack its bags and leave."
Impractical? For certain. Then again, given enough determination to do the right thing, maybe not. In any event, this has be recognized as a truth, Israel has no claim to hang around, there should be no vestige of it. Anything short of that is to allow an injustice to persist.
Love & gratitude Ilan for your commitment to Justice and Loving relationships for your neighbors.
🙏🇱🇧🇸🇾🇮🇷🇮🇶🇾🇪❤️🙏🕉
Right on as usual - with lots of real world details of real world conditions and options. It seems to me ... from a Roman Catholic Social Justice perspective - we need to be in solidarity with both the Israelis and Palestinians who yearn for a one state solution where all have life with dignity for the full continuum. The whole notion of a 2 state solution as imposed on the Muslims, Christians, Jews, and seculars of Palestine is a 'no-go'. So - going forward - a one state ' Palestine'- solution - in which all have equal human and political rights; all have equal economic, cultural, educational, and social opportunities ... ; and we get the big imperial powers out of the region.
Mr. Chris Hedges, my admiration for you is that of a brother’s. When the topic of old age came up in your interview and you laughed, it genuinely made me happy for a moment. We rarely get to see you laugh, especially after all the difficult days you’ve face, and those that may still lie ahead. Thanks for your continued excellence in journalism and thank to your guest, Ilan Pappé.🙏❤️
Interesting. Neo-zionist Israel - a rigidly ideological, racist, apartheid state, does not have anything to do with Judaism - one of the early monotheistic religions/belief systems from which both Christianity and Islam sprang. Modern Israel is a neo-Zionist; neo- fascist state which states there are 'God's chosen people' which is contrary to Christian and Muslim teachings - that those who do the Divine do the will of the Divine, plus those who love the Divine as yourself and love each other above all else ... do the wish of the Divine ...
-----a rigidly ideological, racist, apartheid state----
On the other hand, instead of Jewish Nationalism (Zionism), we also have Christian Nationalism and National Conservatism -- might these be called racist-like ?
and even Social Nationalism (or is that National Socialism?)
From what I know of them - yes.
I have found it interesting that American Christian Nationalists are Pro-Israel but hate Jews qua Jews. Their interest in the reconstruction of the temple (complete with animal sacrifices) is part of their expectation of the return of Jesus and the "good Jews" will finally submit to Jesus and the "bad Jews" will be sent to hell. The Jewish people are essentially props for the Christian psychodrama of redemption.
Many Zionist factions have their own version of the Messianic psychodrama entailing mass retribution and the eventual coming of the peaceful kingdom.
Islam, influenced by Judaism and Christianity has its own psychodrama defeating immorality and establishing righteousness once and for all.
The unifying feature is the FINALITY of their various psychodramas which is inevitable for cultures locked into a linear concept of time and history. There MUST be an end. Each has its own final solution to the messiness of living in a chaotic world in an indifferent universe and anyone not with them in the coming apocalypse is the enemy of God and therefore must be eliminated.
Give these people nuclear weapons and one can easily see where it all ends.
no disrespect taken, as we do exactly understand the aim of dominion
but the fall only happens by the refusal of the greater panopticon that has bought out all for decades across all continents
scratch an act of "terror" and sniff a network of bought "counterinsurgency" that aims to subdue to a "cleansed" neofeudal state
thank you for the historical context to this next 4horsemen moment of the future as the usurpers reap the centuries long sow with the lifeblood of trillions mown down as grass in the ongoing genocidal ecocide that will own any/all survivors
I'd love to believe it.
Oh, I get it.
Believe what?
fleeing to the spawn up nation wence they came and infiltrate is small comfort to the panopticon world they aim to create in their own god monster images of dominion
and finks of rot childs to bail up the fail
---In spite of Israel’s military dominance over its regional foes,-----
What about their military dominance over DOMESTIC foes or DOMESTIC territory ? as opposed to FORIEGN?
On the whole I found the article fine
Although I would question calling Israel far right for their foreign policy only
My decision would definitely include their domestic policy too
I would re-make my point that Zionism is what I call Jewish NATIONALISM.
That one does not even have to be Jewish to support that and thinking otherwise can lead to anti-Semitism
We even have Jews protesting this genocide with NOT IN MY NAME on their shirts- which I assume means In the Name of Being Jewish.
A rather bold statement IMHO by yesterdays standards.
Sigo a Illa Pappe' y a otros judíos no sionistas en varias partes del mundo y coinciden en ver una desintegración del estado sionista y la dificultosa, pero posible creación de un estado multicultural. No va a ser fácil ni rápido pero aún así es más viable que la creación de dos estados vecinos.
An excellent, informative, analysis of the past, present and the future of Israel!
The Velocity of Collapse: How Consumerism Elected the Crooks and Killed the Covenant
I. Prologue: The Illusion of Circulation
For decades, the U.S. economy appeared to thrive. GDP rose, markets soared, and liquidity flooded the system. But beneath the surface, something vital was dying: velocity—the rhythm of money moving through hands, communities, and civic life. This treatise explores how that decline unfolded, why it matters, and how we—consumers, voters, citizens—became both architects and casualties of a system that now devours its own cadence.
II. Velocity: The Pulse of a Living Economy
Velocity of money is not just a technical metric—it is the heartbeat of civic exchange. It measures how often a dollar is used in transactions, how frequently it moves through wages, purchases, and investments. High velocity signals trust, vitality, and shared participation. Low velocity signals hoarding, fear, and disconnection.
Since 1997, U.S. velocity has declined by over 35%, even as GDP and the money supply have grown. This decoupling reveals a system where money exists, but does not move—a body with blood, but no pulse.
III. The Rise of Financialization: From Breath to Echo
The decline in velocity coincides with the rise of financialization—the transformation of the economy from one rooted in production and exchange to one dominated by speculation, asset inflation, and synthetic instruments.
• Dollars now circulate within financial markets, not through communities.
• Corporate profits are used for stock buybacks, not wages or reinvestment.
• The Fed injects liquidity, but it pools in vaults, not in hands.
Velocity dies in this loop. The dollar becomes a ghost currency—visible, but untouchable.
IV. Congress and the Crooks: A Ritual of Deregulation
Congress did not act alone. It responded to voter demand—for tax cuts, cheap credit, rising home values, and market gains. In doing so, it:
• Deregulated financial markets (e.g., repeal of Glass-Steagall)
• Incentivized capital hoarding (e.g., capital gains tax cuts)
• Prioritized liquidity over velocity (e.g., QE without civic strings)
The result: a system where crooks were not anomalies—they were emissaries. They sustained the illusion of prosperity, feeding the market’s appetite while starving the commons.
V. The Consumer’s Covenant: We Asked for This
This is the hardest truth: we elected the crooks. Not just at the ballot box, but at the checkout line, the mortgage office, the brokerage app. We demanded comfort, not cadence. We chose:
• Spectacle over substance
• Growth over grounding
• Consumption over covenant
We didn’t just tolerate the system—we ritualized it. The crooks were not villains. They were priests of our appetite.
VI. The Collapse of Trust: When Microsoft Borrows Cheaper Than the U.S.
In 2025, Microsoft issued bonds at lower interest rates than U.S. Treasuries. This inversion—once unthinkable—signals a collapse in sovereign trust. The market now trusts a corporation more than a nation. The dollar still circulates, but not as breath—only as residue.
This is not just financial. It is mythic. The covenant has cracked.
VII. Aftermath: The Stillness of a Failed Economy
A failed economy is not one without money—it is one without movement. Without trust. Without shared ritual. We are rich in liquidity, poor in velocity. The game is over not because the system collapsed, but because it no longer sings.
Addendum: The Blank Canvas and the Muse
In the aftermath of collapse, we face not a void—but a canvas. And to create a new image, we must invoke not policy, but imagination. The Greeks gave us the Muse to honor the mystery of emergence—the 95% of the mind that does not ask permission. This is where art begins. This is where new civic ritual must begin.
Algorithms are not authors—they are brushes. They extend the hand, but they do not choose the stroke. The first stroke belongs to the unconscious, to the fragment, to the silence before the image.
“We are not just citizens—we are inheritors of a blank canvas. The crooks gave us liquidity. The Muse gives us cadence.”
“Art begins where certainty ends. The new economy will not be built—it will be imagined.”
Let this be our invocation. Let the canvas remain blank until the image is worthy. Let the Muse speak before the
market does. Let the next ritual begin—not with applause, but with a breath.
"Will it be possible to replace Israel with a secular state, one where Palestinians have equal rights with Israelis, a country of one person, one vote?"
Permit me to focus on this line, making an off-the-wall, but I think elemental comment. If justice could be cosmically rendered, if history were to approach some semblance of being set aright, there would not even be a question of replacing Israel with a secular state. Instead, all land, and not just that which has been stolen since 1948, but ALL land including the 56% of Palestine gifted inexplicably, unjustifiably to the Israelis by the UN Special Committee on Palestine, revert to its rightful indigenous owners, the Palestinians.
Then not only the land, but all economic assets of the illegitimate "state" of Israel and society are to be transferred to the Palestinian, as being fundamentally gained and garnered through theft and exploitation of Palestinian land.
All but 2% of the present Israeli population, representing the Jewish portion then living peacefully among Palestinian neighbors before the arrival of the Ashkenazis, should apply for citizenship to the newly revitalized, reconstituted Palestinian state, otherwise leave. As Norman Finkelstein has stated, "The only right that Israel has is to pack its bags and leave."
Impractical? For certain. Then again, given enough determination to do the right thing, maybe not. In any event, this has be recognized as a truth, Israel has no claim to hang around, there should be no vestige of it. Anything short of that is to allow an injustice to persist.