Mitch McConnel Is Behaving Like a Russian Asset

But Is He One?


Coming Soon Here

Trumpism Explained

The Erudite Noam Chomsky Dissects the Move Toward Trump

In this great analysis, Chomsky gives the historical foundation for Trumpism -- how it came to be and how it is being maintained.

Implicit in his analysis is the chiefly domestic cause of his rise, not Russian interference.  Included in domestic interference are the various voter suppression efforts which were so tragically effective in the 2016 race.  These various efforts have been described on this blog many times.

A most valuable video.





Many thanks to Democracy Now and its many supporters for making this video available. 

Do Dutch Media Value the Truth More Than the American Media?

From The David Pakman Show

Host of his own Internet and television show, David Pakman, here makes a useful point about what American media have become in the main.  The Dutch, he shows, do it much better.

World and National Events Continue Apace

Fascists Invade Local Book Store


All my life, the older generation has declared how much faster things move in the present compared to when they were young.  Certainly today events move at no slower pace, and indeed they seem to move faster than ever due to the instant nature of communications.

So it is not surprising that the far-right seems to metastasize at a rate not seen in recent times.  This intensification is in some ways understandable due to the unsettling nature of our times, especially economically, but also in terms of mores and manners (not that the far-right has normal manners).

Recently, a far-right gang, whose members were brought in from other states, interrupted a talk at a book store in Washington, D.C.*  According to The Washington Post, such incursions into book stores, libraries, and book fairs have been seen with increasing frequency in recent years.  Up until today, I had never really thought of book talks as being targets for white supremacy and Nazist groups.   Yet, this is so.

Sadly, in this case, the reaction to the protestors seems to have been too mild, even though the hoodlums left voluntarily after only a few minutes, and apparently without doing any physical damage.  Yet, damage was done.  Freedom does die in darkness.   And the forces of darkness are always with us. 

I will be following this particular story and reporting back here with more details and analysis. 

A band of "white nationalists" just interrupted a talk by @JonathanMetzl about his new book called "Dying of Whitness" at @PoliticsProse.  @PoPville pic.twitter.com/nlXRXdAkcX

— Katy Cain (@KatyCain526) April 27, 2019

*Washington Post, Tuesday, April 30, 2019, p. B1.


Video of Incident May Be Found Here

Appealing to the World Court of Public Opinion

URGENT

Dear Readers Everywhere,


The United States government has entered into what shows every sign of being A protracted state of crisis.  With the House of Representatives subpoenaing documents as part of their legitimate power, and the Military Leader (President) stonewalling every attempt by Congress to interview the important actors in the Russian influence-peddling investigation, these two facets of the government are at loggerheads. 

Making matters next-to-impossible, the media is heavily involved -- not in helping to solve the crisis -- but in giving each side "equal weight and treatment."  This approach puts the media as both victim and propagator of the crisis of paralysis. 

The only thing left to do is appeal to world opinion.  The United States government will not be able to solve the crisis by itself under the current circumstances.  And the media has so much power, the American people will not be able to solve it either. 

Of course, given enough time any intractable problem can be solved.  The problem here is the impasse is threatening to carry over into election year.  Even though Our Military Leader is corrupt, incompetent, and thoroughly contemptuous of the Constitutional system, this Gordian knot will defy untangling for a long time to come.  At the very least the creates a miasma of confusion.  At worst, it prevents clear action. 

Our only hope is that the International community of nations will begin to apply appropriate pressure.   Naturally, anything which threatens the security of the United States can and must be opposed.  But world opinion can be powerful.  That is what eventually undid Hitler. 

Please do not overly rely on the Internet to bring pressure to bear.   This technology is much too fragmented and diffuse for such a purpose.  If you want to send a polite, respectful, constructive e-mail to your democratically elected leaders, you are encouraged to do so.  Letters, and phone calls can also be constructive.  I will try to come up with some sort of suggested template (although creating a different one for each country will be a challenge).   Just don't expect that reading online and posting online will alone do the trick.

Also, I would like to make contacts who can help translate into other languages.

So this is an outline for action.  Please help America.   We the people did not elect this president, he is very unpopular, but is being propped up at this time by corporations, including very much the corporatized media. 

 Be thoughtful, be strategic.  Any legitimate, responsible support is welcome. 

 

Oh, What a Tangled Web

Like many Americans, I am in process of going through the news items about the Mueller report.  Setting aside for the moment the fact that Our Military Leader was not legitimately put in the White House in the first place, there are already several troubling matters which come to the fore.

The Mueller report, because of its completeness and veracity, is falling into the category of being a work of science.  And like any work of science its product is "worth it."

I don't ever recall Peter Rodino, House Judiciary Committee Chairman, saying of Richard Nixon that he "wasn't worth it," as Nancy Pelosi has said of Donald Trump.  It is true that there is a federal election a year and a half from now.   But that, my dear friends, is a life-time in politics.  The issue is not and should not be Donald Trump.   The issue is the Presidency itself.  The Presidency --  formerly known as the office of leadership of the "free world."   The Presidency -- wherein resided America's greatest aspirations in the form of the most powerful single office in the land.  What of the Presidency?  Is not the Presidency itself "worth it?"   How are we to proceed for another year and a half with this level of demonstrated misconduct, rule-breaking, malfeasance, bullying, and contempt for the Constitution?   Is it not just such a President for which the Founders provided the power of impeachment? 

The process of impeachment neither begins nor ends with the passing of an impeachment resolution by the whole House.  It begins in the Judiciary committee.  So, let the Judiciary committee take up the Mueller report.   Let's have open hearings properly televised so the people can get the information they deserve and then make up their own minds.  Let's have testimony from informed witnesses and the best legal minds, so we will have a basis for any action.  We should not have the Speaker or any other person foreclosing the possibility of impeachment.

Meantime, there is no reason to be hysterical about it either.  Histrionics will not help.   Let us support our Congress, including our esteemed and path-breaking Madam Speaker, as it and she conduct the people's business.   May we continue to celebrate the new People's House under Nancy Pelosi's leadership.   But may we also put a search for the Truth first. 

Technology as the New Religion

Jonathan Taplin states in his book Move Fast and Break Things, that the love of technology has become a new religion.  This is not the time to try to explain the details, but it seems clear that certain persons such as Parker, Thiel, and Zuckerberg have expressed something akin to religious devotion and have attached to it a zeal bordering on the fanatical.  Certainly, such persons have expressed a kind of hubris surrounding the ability of technology to astonishing things, even create immortality, that indicates a fervor even beyond the normal religions of our time.    





If we accept that the devotion to technology is deeply held by outfits such as Twitter, it would seem to follow that no amount of arm-twisting would persuade Twitter to abandon the President of the United States or ban him simply on the basis of what other people might do in response to his words.  The problem becomes, then, meeting the cult-like mind-set gripping the oligarchs of social and other media.  If this seems harsh, let it be shown that the opposite is true:  that is, that a nearly fanatical devotion is not being shown toward social media by its creators and others.  It is my belief this in fact cannot be done.


Image credit: The Best Schools.org  

Administration Tilting More and More Fascist

Today, I have been following several headlines concerning freedom of the press and Presidential appointments.  Oh, how to place these developments!  To devote time and energy to what seems obvious, is, well, so obvious.  And yet to many, I realize things may not be so obvious.

Then, too, there is the matter of repetition.  And yet, certain things do need to be repeated! 

At the same time, it is a premise of this current blog that the Presidency was stolen in 2016.*  If we believe that America is a country so far above and beyond all other countries as to be practically inhabited by angels, we will have a hard time accepting the fact that such a thing could happen.

If we believe, however, that Americans are, after all, only human and subject to the same temptations as most every other person, if given the same power and opportunity, we can begin to believe that something terribly wrong could have occurred.  Readers here already know about the size of the vote suppression which occurred then.  And regular readers have seen the evidence that D. Trump did not win either the popular vote;  or the Electoral College -- legitimately.

If wealthy people could help Our Military Leader (OML) to an ill-gotten victory, it is not such a stretch to imagine that the United States is seriously threatened by a fascist take-over, or that perhaps such a take-over may have already occurred in essence.

Truth can be said to be in the eye of the beholder.   The reality is that Truth exists as an objective entity, no matter how many or how few people see it. 

*See:
gregpalast.com

Abolish the Electoral College?

Messages in my in-box are urging abolition of the Electoral College.   (There are other suggestions, too.)   As best as I can tell these suggestions are not coming from Constitutional experts, or even historians.  They appear to be coming from various interest groups.   Well-meaning though they may be, these suggestions are -- dangerous. 

Here's why.  As regular readers of this blog know, there were all kinds of shenanigans, mostly among Republican operatives in the 2016 election.  Eventually, they were able to suppress and "lose" enough votes -- in states with Republican Secretaries of State -- to make it appear that D. Trump won in the Electoral College.  But, think for a moment.   Does the fact that vote-stealing thugs were able to "disappear" over 70,000 votes in primarily black districts in Detroit mean the Electoral College should be abolished?  That's like saying the home-owner should be jailed because he forgot to lock his house and a thief got in and stole the family jewels. 

An even worse idea is for states -- instead of following the will of its voters -- to follow the will of other states and declare all Electoral votes as bound to whoever is announced as the winner nation-wide.  Think what would happen in a situation as happened in Florida in 2000.   Think about the stolen elections of 2004, and 2016. 

No, the short story is that we must clean up the corruption in elections at all levels and stages.  This means federal and state financing of all elections, along with limited free air time for worthy candidates determined under a pre-arranged system as specified by law.

We can have fair elections, but not if we pin the tail on the wrong donkey.   

Staying Abreast

News of note from Washington, D. C., comes at a fast and furious pace these days.  There is enough material on any given day for three to five blog posts, at least.  This is currently beyond the ability of your Musical Patriot friend to supply.

However, I am going to try to put together a series of short notices, similar to the "Quick Post" and "Quick Link" formats I have used in the past.  Perhaps this will be a way to keep information rolling, so to speak.

I also plan to continue the announced new series of posts on Jimmy Carter and his important White House Diary.  What a book!

This overall plan should help keep you the reader, and myself, at least somewhat well informed.  Please check back here soon to see how this is all working.


Best wishes,

The Musical Patriot
in the USA


Art courtesy 1001freedownloads.com

Jimmy Carter, Man Ahead of His Time

New Series

I continue reading Jimmy Carter's White House Diary, an amazing look behind the scenes at a President's daily life.  There are many passages from this book which I see as important, even newsworthy.  While I don't agree with every initiative of Mr. Carter (the handling of deregulation comes to mind), I see Jimmy Carter as a man more of the 21st Century than the 20th.  

Today, I begin a new series highlighting key passages from this book, and offering side comments.  Today's excerpt concerns the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) which failed to gain approval of the necessary states. I'm not sure Jimmy Carter is exactly the last word on the role of women in culture, but his comment about the ERA is priceless, and valuable now.

The ultimate rejection of the amendment [ERA] to our Constitution was a great disappointment for Rosalynn and me, since we had supported it actively while I was governor and president.  Despite widespread public support for granting American women equal rights with men, some church leaders -- Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim -- opposed the amendment.  By exerting their influence, they probably made the difference.  The discrimination by male religious authorities, who erroneously claim it is the will of God, is one of the root causes of the worldwide abuse of women and girls.  

                                                                                      --  White House Diary, p. 254.

"Blogging" the Internet

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-27577-4

Over the coming days I plan to write about the Internet itself, how it is affecting our economy and our democracy.  My major resource will be Jonathan Taplin's "Move Fast and Break Things."   (You may follow on the link above for more information.)

It has become clear that our democracy is under threat from several sources.  Not the least of these it turns out are the major Internet companies.  Taplin's book focuses on three major Internet concerns which have broad impacts on our nation now.  The three are Facebook, Google, and Amazon.  Coming from someone who has significant experience in both the computer and music worlds as Taplin does, this book is of special interest to The Musical Patriot.

I will be sharing some of what I learn or re-learn as I read the book for a second time.  I can start by mentioning how the book begins with the premise that these Internet companies have essentially returned us to the Gilded Age in which a few monopolies controlled the economy, and thus politics in the United States.

Since this is such a big subject, it is best for the reader to consult "Move Fast and Break Things," directly.  For now I will simply say America is indeed in an emergency which seemingly goes beyond any so-called Constitutional Crisis.


Coming:   Technology's Counter-cultural roots  

Mueller Report One Piece of the Puzzle

Robert Mueller

News of the release of the Robert Mueller report to the Attorney General, William Barr, broke some four hours ago in the Eastern U.S.  Few details were made public except for the fact that the report does not recommend any further indictments, according to several major news sources (NPR said).   

The news media here are understandably anxious to find out more about what is in the report and whether it will be released to the public.  

In the meantime, we need to keep in mind the larger picture of deep and widespread corruption within the American political process which has become increasingly dominated by vested interests at essentially all levels.  Regarding the Presidential election process, this has been made abundantly clear by the internationally recognized reporter, Greg Palast.  

So while the Mueller report is certainly of vital importance relating to the influence of any foreign power in American elections, there have been plenty of American bad actors from right here in our own country.  Whether there are any connections between these American bad actors and Russians will be the big mystery to solve over the coming days, weeks, months, and even years.  We already know, for instance, that the founder of the Koch enterprise had business dealings with Russia in earlier decades.  

Above all this, however, we must keep in mind the safety of the whole world and all the people in it.  Those things which promote peace should be held dear, and those things which undermine or delay peace should forever be kept at arms' length.   

Future days should be interesting, to say the least.  

Corporate Personhood: A False Notion

This month's focus

As the short articles at the link below attest, the idea that a corporation is a person under the law is patently foolish and demonstrably false.  Further, this concept -- though hinted at for decades -- reached a new pinnacle of notoriety when it was mentioned by a mistaken clerk in a Supreme Court summary late in the nineteenth century.  Otherwise, the notion that corporations could have certain rights just as a real naturally-born person would havehad never been sanctioned by the Court.  

Yet gradually, and especially in the twentieth century, corporations gained more and more so-called rights, including the right to sue and be sued.  This inevitably led to a severe imbalance in power as corporations with their superior resources moved aggressively into the legal arena to intimidate those who would question their decision-making power, even in the area of product safety.  

While the philosophy of corporate personhood did not create the profit system it did become in America its technical underpinning in a legal sense.  Never voted on by anyone, corporate personhood has achieved the status of stare decisis, or accepted legal practice, as well as received wisdom.  

But wise it most surely is not.  Whatever we may have gained in predictability, we have lost in practice.  Corporations are now more powerful than ever, though it does seems they have not yet been able to completely overcome certain forces of justice and truth inherent in the nature of things.    


Corporate Personhood: What It Is

Coming Soon: The Farce of Corporate Personhood

This post will appear soon.   Please check back later.



I am currently in research mode.  Posting will resume soon.  Thank you for your patience