As in the 1930s, a bankrupt liberalism, grotesque social inequality and declining living standards are empowering fascist movements in Europe and the U.S.
Unflinching, thorough chronology of what brought us to our treacherous present. Thank you, Chris. Your attention to detail, your many insights make your point so alarmingly powerful. Please continue your fine writing.
Great work as always from Hedges. In the 5th paragraph I would have also added that the US supported fascists over democratic peoples movements in the East as well - from Chiang Kai-shek, Syngman Rhee, Suharto, Ngo Dinh Diem. Heck, we even supported Pol Pot for a stint. Wherever there is a dictator in need, the US will provide weapons and support. Also of course the Shah, and the various Persian Gulf monarchies. Mobutu. The only dictators we have a problem with are the dictators who try using their natural resources for their own people, or ones that try to run their own economy without multinational corporations getting a piece of the pie.
I love Chris Hedges, but honestly - I wish he'd stop with the "Fascism!!!" already. He's starting to sound like Rachel Maddow.
Yes, the proxy war is cruel, ugly and perverse. Yes, the press is useless, and yes, the people seem to be dead set on following their worthless leaders over a cliff. It's a horrible time in the West. That's obvious. But surely we can come up with more thought-provoking, less histrionic descriptions of this mess than "fascism!' and "Nazis!" and "more fascism!" and "bigger Nazis!"?
This kind of terminology is so stale and tired people don't even hear it any more.
Hedges pulls no punches this week. The Ukraine proxy war--the rekindling of the so-profitable Cold War so long desired by the undead failsons populating our national security establishment--could not only prompt the use of nukes, but will make us all broke regardless.
There is a distinct vertigo that comes with learning NATO was staffed with Nazis the West rescued and protected. Soviet behavior during the Cold War takes on a startling new clarity with that single fact.
The aristocracy's greed and avarice Hedges has reported on his entire career is now directing its slavering maw toward the little bit that's left. It doesn't care about nuclear war or freezing/starving Europe, so long as it gets those pieces of silver.
Is "fascism" now defined as a belief in government serving its national interests above the interests of the Wall Street, political establishment WEF globalist cabal? Seem to be the case. And it also seems that Trump-haters and Democrats have accepted that new definition. So for patriots "fascism" is now a complement and contrasts nicely with the proven deadly collectivist authoritarianism that Democrats now prefer.
Okay. I risked coming in again. And yeah, Hedges is brilliant and far more educated and experienced than I am. I always come away from reading the report more informed and amazed at his breadth of knowledge. This comment is not to discredit the information but I also come away with a sense that something is missing. In his report and in the comments. One thing for sure - it is a good rant page but a rant page, even a brilliant one, without one suggestion of a solution, one glimmer of hope that there is goodness in most of us, along with our darkness, a goodness that might rise up - does not get me all stirred up to go and do anything. I just want to get lost in a video and write poetry about despair. Over and over again, when I am on social media and someone posts something divisive - no matter what tribe they are speaking to , the only thing I ever do is say "And how does this help?" I ask that here. How does this help? Humans are complicated, flawed, patterned in their behavior, acting out of their wounds, narcissistic, often failing to respond wisely to the societal situation they are in, but we , they, are also capable of accomplishing great things, expanding our vision, accepting responsibility, forgiving - evolving. For lack of a better word. How do I, you, have a conversation with our children or grandchildren about their future and their role in making things better, if I am stuck in despair which can lead to inaction for most people, or violence. For me, personally, I am learning to balance on that fine edge of hope and despair; despair keeping my hope realistic and not a cliche; and hope preventing my despair from pushing me into the abyss - and becoming part of the problem and a lousy role model for young people. Maybe managing to walk that edge is a quiet revolution that some of us can manage.
I just say, "Thank the God that Be for Chris Hedges and his too-rare ilk." By that I mean actual Truth tellers - informed, experienced, committed, courageous. As one of the thoughtful commentators has asked, "And now what?" I will ask myself to be a part of the solution in any way available to me. The old fashioned, unheralded volunteer down the block. Make an effort to shed the cynicism born from Obama's drinking water in Flint/"we're going to see how it plays out" suave response to Standing Rock/ "we killed some folks" /give-the-money-to-the-banks wake. And, good on you if you can manage to follow that running sentence. By and large this is an uplevel rant page, but once the ping-pong, competitive comments kick in, a rant page nonetheless. Just watched episode one of Ken Burns U.S. and the Holocaust before reading this latest Hedges post, and it felt like I was reading the same-same story applied to the world at large. Except now we can add nuclear weapons and climate change. All we have is each other and getting our own inner shit together to keep on to the best of our ability.
It's all terrifying.. and as Chris writes, it happens suddenly. One years Nazis had little support, 2-3 years later they are running the show. Peter Zeihan has some incredible demograhic and geopolitical insights that make America appear to be continue on as a super power but with a more regional focus, however, he speaks nothing about the moral decay festering under the surface which will seemingly collapse society overnight once the right amount of weight is set upon it. Anything at this point could be that final straw that breaks the camels back... it could happen in 2023 and I would not be surprised. If the US still has any light of hope in it by 2024, I will be skeptical it survives as we know it by 2028. The question all of us should have already asked and begun executing a plan for is "where do we flee to and live now"... the US is about to fall into civil war.
When president Cheney and the CIA were able to pull off and sell 911 to 93 percent of the Viewers, they only gained audacity to know the lies would fly without serious opposition. How much more feeble have we become since being vaxxed. Keep spilling the the beans, Chris. John
Fascism is made likely as it solves some intractable problems. Problems that would be solved through repentance by the oligarchy. Like drawing a line on a map from where we are to where we want to be and it goes through fascism. Unless reforming the oligarchy is possible. Reducing the influence of moneyed interests in government will be a safe route over fascism.
"She peddles the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory that non-white immigrants are being permitted to enter Western nations as part of a plot to undermine or “replace” the political power and culture of white people."
It's a "conspiracy theory" except when they brag about it.
"Article 48 was the Weimar equivalent of the executive orders liberally used by Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, to bypass our own legislative impasses."
I love Hedges work and have read virtually everything he's written, but this sentence is grossly false and ridiculously misleading. Presidential Executive Orders have no legal power to compel private sector behavior. They only govern the Executive branch, who must comply with regulatory procedures to compel private behavior, based on legislatively enacted law, and subject to judicial review.
The US President does have sweeping emergency powers, but their source is not in the power of Executive Orders. Congress has delegated that emergency power to the President, and the Constitution provides some of it, again, subject to judicial review.
Take a look at the powers conferred under Article 48 and see for yourself:
The way you prevent Fascism isn't by force, but by rejecting the political and economic hierarchies which make them possible.
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government..." - Thomas Jefferson
#DirectDemocracy (no political hierarchy, the people rule, the wealthy few drool)
#GiftEconomy (no economic hierarchy, the wealthy few have no means to corrupt Democracy)
The Ten Commandments of War Propaganda:
1. We don’t want war, we are only defending ourselves.
2. Our adversary is solely responsible for this war.
3. Our adversary’s leader is inherently evil and resembles the devil.
4. We are defending a noble cause, not our particular interests.
5. The enemy is purposefully committing atrocities; if we are making mistakes this happens without intention.
6. The enemy makes use of illegal weapons.
7. We suffer few losses, the enemy’s losses are considerable.
8. Recognized intellectuals and artists support our cause.
9. Our cause is sacred.
10. Whoever casts doubt on our propaganda helps the enemy and is a traitor.
Unflinching, thorough chronology of what brought us to our treacherous present. Thank you, Chris. Your attention to detail, your many insights make your point so alarmingly powerful. Please continue your fine writing.
A Scary Enemy is always necessary, both to justify why we can't have nice things and to justify increasingly heavy-handed repression.
"We don't have time for that now, don't you know we gotta fight Saddam/Milosevic/ Bin Laden/Saddam again/Kim/Ghadaffi/Assad/Putin".
Just that in the case of Putin, we have picked a fight with a country actually capable of shooting back.
Great work as always from Hedges. In the 5th paragraph I would have also added that the US supported fascists over democratic peoples movements in the East as well - from Chiang Kai-shek, Syngman Rhee, Suharto, Ngo Dinh Diem. Heck, we even supported Pol Pot for a stint. Wherever there is a dictator in need, the US will provide weapons and support. Also of course the Shah, and the various Persian Gulf monarchies. Mobutu. The only dictators we have a problem with are the dictators who try using their natural resources for their own people, or ones that try to run their own economy without multinational corporations getting a piece of the pie.
I love Chris Hedges, but honestly - I wish he'd stop with the "Fascism!!!" already. He's starting to sound like Rachel Maddow.
Yes, the proxy war is cruel, ugly and perverse. Yes, the press is useless, and yes, the people seem to be dead set on following their worthless leaders over a cliff. It's a horrible time in the West. That's obvious. But surely we can come up with more thought-provoking, less histrionic descriptions of this mess than "fascism!' and "Nazis!" and "more fascism!" and "bigger Nazis!"?
This kind of terminology is so stale and tired people don't even hear it any more.
Hedges pulls no punches this week. The Ukraine proxy war--the rekindling of the so-profitable Cold War so long desired by the undead failsons populating our national security establishment--could not only prompt the use of nukes, but will make us all broke regardless.
There is a distinct vertigo that comes with learning NATO was staffed with Nazis the West rescued and protected. Soviet behavior during the Cold War takes on a startling new clarity with that single fact.
The aristocracy's greed and avarice Hedges has reported on his entire career is now directing its slavering maw toward the little bit that's left. It doesn't care about nuclear war or freezing/starving Europe, so long as it gets those pieces of silver.
Is "fascism" now defined as a belief in government serving its national interests above the interests of the Wall Street, political establishment WEF globalist cabal? Seem to be the case. And it also seems that Trump-haters and Democrats have accepted that new definition. So for patriots "fascism" is now a complement and contrasts nicely with the proven deadly collectivist authoritarianism that Democrats now prefer.
Okay. I risked coming in again. And yeah, Hedges is brilliant and far more educated and experienced than I am. I always come away from reading the report more informed and amazed at his breadth of knowledge. This comment is not to discredit the information but I also come away with a sense that something is missing. In his report and in the comments. One thing for sure - it is a good rant page but a rant page, even a brilliant one, without one suggestion of a solution, one glimmer of hope that there is goodness in most of us, along with our darkness, a goodness that might rise up - does not get me all stirred up to go and do anything. I just want to get lost in a video and write poetry about despair. Over and over again, when I am on social media and someone posts something divisive - no matter what tribe they are speaking to , the only thing I ever do is say "And how does this help?" I ask that here. How does this help? Humans are complicated, flawed, patterned in their behavior, acting out of their wounds, narcissistic, often failing to respond wisely to the societal situation they are in, but we , they, are also capable of accomplishing great things, expanding our vision, accepting responsibility, forgiving - evolving. For lack of a better word. How do I, you, have a conversation with our children or grandchildren about their future and their role in making things better, if I am stuck in despair which can lead to inaction for most people, or violence. For me, personally, I am learning to balance on that fine edge of hope and despair; despair keeping my hope realistic and not a cliche; and hope preventing my despair from pushing me into the abyss - and becoming part of the problem and a lousy role model for young people. Maybe managing to walk that edge is a quiet revolution that some of us can manage.
I just say, "Thank the God that Be for Chris Hedges and his too-rare ilk." By that I mean actual Truth tellers - informed, experienced, committed, courageous. As one of the thoughtful commentators has asked, "And now what?" I will ask myself to be a part of the solution in any way available to me. The old fashioned, unheralded volunteer down the block. Make an effort to shed the cynicism born from Obama's drinking water in Flint/"we're going to see how it plays out" suave response to Standing Rock/ "we killed some folks" /give-the-money-to-the-banks wake. And, good on you if you can manage to follow that running sentence. By and large this is an uplevel rant page, but once the ping-pong, competitive comments kick in, a rant page nonetheless. Just watched episode one of Ken Burns U.S. and the Holocaust before reading this latest Hedges post, and it felt like I was reading the same-same story applied to the world at large. Except now we can add nuclear weapons and climate change. All we have is each other and getting our own inner shit together to keep on to the best of our ability.
It's all terrifying.. and as Chris writes, it happens suddenly. One years Nazis had little support, 2-3 years later they are running the show. Peter Zeihan has some incredible demograhic and geopolitical insights that make America appear to be continue on as a super power but with a more regional focus, however, he speaks nothing about the moral decay festering under the surface which will seemingly collapse society overnight once the right amount of weight is set upon it. Anything at this point could be that final straw that breaks the camels back... it could happen in 2023 and I would not be surprised. If the US still has any light of hope in it by 2024, I will be skeptical it survives as we know it by 2028. The question all of us should have already asked and begun executing a plan for is "where do we flee to and live now"... the US is about to fall into civil war.
When president Cheney and the CIA were able to pull off and sell 911 to 93 percent of the Viewers, they only gained audacity to know the lies would fly without serious opposition. How much more feeble have we become since being vaxxed. Keep spilling the the beans, Chris. John
Ah, that's like a breath of fresh air after an afternoon in a smoke filled room. Thank you.
Fascism is made likely as it solves some intractable problems. Problems that would be solved through repentance by the oligarchy. Like drawing a line on a map from where we are to where we want to be and it goes through fascism. Unless reforming the oligarchy is possible. Reducing the influence of moneyed interests in government will be a safe route over fascism.
"She peddles the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory that non-white immigrants are being permitted to enter Western nations as part of a plot to undermine or “replace” the political power and culture of white people."
It's a "conspiracy theory" except when they brag about it.
https://www.businessinsider.com/america-non-white-majority-future-by-2045-2019-5
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/the-us-white-majority-will-soon-disappear-forever/
https://prospect.org/article/theyre-blue-tidal-wave-if-they-vote
Hedged writes:
"Article 48 was the Weimar equivalent of the executive orders liberally used by Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, to bypass our own legislative impasses."
I love Hedges work and have read virtually everything he's written, but this sentence is grossly false and ridiculously misleading. Presidential Executive Orders have no legal power to compel private sector behavior. They only govern the Executive branch, who must comply with regulatory procedures to compel private behavior, based on legislatively enacted law, and subject to judicial review.
The US President does have sweeping emergency powers, but their source is not in the power of Executive Orders. Congress has delegated that emergency power to the President, and the Constitution provides some of it, again, subject to judicial review.
Take a look at the powers conferred under Article 48 and see for yourself:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_48_(Weimar_Constitution)
The way you prevent Fascism isn't by force, but by rejecting the political and economic hierarchies which make them possible.
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government..." - Thomas Jefferson
#DirectDemocracy (no political hierarchy, the people rule, the wealthy few drool)
#GiftEconomy (no economic hierarchy, the wealthy few have no means to corrupt Democracy)
No permission necessary.