Saturday, January 6, 2024

Joe Biden's Funhouse Mirror

 The most telling moment in Joe Biden's official rollout of his re-election campaign was when he blurted out: "As America was attacked from within, Donald Trump watched on TV in the private small dining room off my Oval — off the Oval Office."

It was a particularly awkward gaffe, since the whole theme of his speech was protecting our alleged democracy - and the whole world - from authoritarians and despots who think they own the place. "My Oval Office" is a Freudian slip for the ages in the context of a speech purporting to criticize the toxic narcissism of his predecessor.

 And then there was the inconvenient truth, unmentioned by Biden., that his administration is financing and green- lighting a genocide against the Palestinian people.

The sole theme of the event- and what looks to be the main if not the only theme of the entire re-election bid  was the January Sixth Capitol riot.

Although lauded by the mainstream media with the usual stock raves as "impassioned" and "searing," the fact that Biden raised his decibel level did  not disguise the insipidity and hollow boastfulness of his ode to American aggression and imperialism. Perhaps it was the wall-to-wall American flag drapery that so bedazzled the  media into their state of manufactured awe.

And what about that live enthusiastic auudience in the closed setting? The CNN feed I watched showed only the backs of a multitude of  balding or grizzled heads. And since the exact location (a town near Valley Forge., PA) was a closely guarded secret until right before the performance, it is fairly obvious that these were not regular townsfolk. The Biden team was not about to risk any anti-genocide types disrupting the show. So my guess would be they were comprised of campaign operatives, Democratic Party officials and assorted hirelings.

In lieu of making shallow promises to make voters' lives better, Biden invoked the solemn and very scary occasion of the third anniversary of the January Sixth capitol riot as the rationale for picking him and not Donald Trump. He modestly cast his own re-election n as a "moral choice and a sacred cause" to, it would seem, differentiate himself from Trump's ungodly behavior. As a self-proclaimed Zionist, Biden is certainly taking the whole "shining city on a hill" Puritan settler ethic to a whole new level.

But it was slave-owner and white supremacist George Washington whom Biden evoked in his speech. In doing so, he revised US history by completely erasing Washington's campaign of  ethnic cleansing of native populations, claiming that the first president's aim was "liberty, not conquest.""
"Freedom not conquest!" Biden croaked on, to the cheers and applause of he carefully vetted audience, before going on to boast at length about American conquests in more modern times. 

"But just hink of it, folks.We almost lost America" Biden searingly saId, when the MAGA crowd staged an insurrection at the behest of Donald Trump -  Mad King George III to Biden's  George Washington.

Fulminating at length about how Trump stayed silent during the riot, Biden failed to mention that he, too, had stayed silent during the wild rumpus - even though he was President-Elect at the time. He had, after several hours, only meekly imlored Tump to send his minions home. He saved all the searing bits for his re-election campaign.

Three long years have gone by, and despite his fretting about the "sacred cause" Biden offered no explanation for why such a delay in criminally charging Trump for sedition.  He offered no explanation for why law enforcement was complicit in the "insurrection," or why elected Republican officials at the highest levels of power colluded with Trump and yet  remain unindicted themselves.

If the wheels of justice had sped on, of course, Biden would be lacking both a campaign platform and the ability to collude with his "mainstream" Republicans in creating and enforcing right-wing policies that punish the poor and reward the rich under the "sacred" mantle of democracy and bipartisanship.

"Trump’s not concerned about your future, I promise you," was Biden's fear-mongering substitute for a promise of his own.
" Trump is now promising a full-scale campaign of'revenge” and “retribution' — his words — for some years to come.  They were his words, not mine.  He went on to say he would be a dictator on day one."

So apparently, Biden's unshakeable devotion to Bibi Netanyahu's crusade of revenge and retribution against Palestinians does not translate into supporting Trump getting even with his fellow oligarchs and their paid political and media lackeys. That would definitely include revenge on the Biden clan itself.

"So, hear me clearly.  I’ll say what Donald Trump won’t.  Political violence is never, ever acceptable in the United States political system — never, never, never.  It has no place in a democracy.  None.  (Applause.)
But it certainly does have a place in state-sanctioned agression, both domestically and internationally. It simply doesn't look good to the rest of the world when American politicians talk violently about one another and inspire their followers to act out violently... against such important political figures as Nancy Pelosi's husband in particular. That, and not millions of people killed in America's never-ending wars, is the a slap in the face of all that Biden considers sacred.

"Great nations," Biden tendentiously garbled "never pretend they're something they're not. That's just what great nations do.. They look in the mirror. And we're a great nation. And we're a great nation. We' really are. We're the greatest nation on the face of the earth."

And before the mirror ever had a chance to "crack from side to side", Jill Biden rushed to Joe's side to escort him off the stage.

26 comments:

annenigma said...

Genocide Joe says 'Insurrection' as if that's a bad thing! 'No place for violence in our political system' he says at Valley Forge of all places.

It seems clear that if fearmongering about 'democracy' doesn't work well enough now that the J6 anniversary propaganda opportunity has passed, they'll turn up the gaslighting about 'reality' itself soon. But unlike them, most of us 'back row kids' do have and use our common sense.

Common sense tells us that when Americans attempt a real insurrection, they'll be armed to the teeth. Guaranteed. If they're not, they're either not real Americans (FBI) or it's NOT a real insurrection. Nice theatrical production they whipped up though. War veterans must be laughing watching endless repeats of the weepy Capitol Police 'heroes' tearfully repeating how scared they were of the crowd. Good thing there were no guns or they might have fainted from fear. As Karen said, it was a riot. A protest that got animated and wild but they didn't kill anyone, unlike the trigger happy cop.

Common sense tells us that when Biden proudly boasts that he's sending even more million$ and billion$ of borrowed money to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan unconditionally, with no strings attached, no applications, no hoops to jump through or hurdles to jump over as required of us to receive assistance, he's telling us we mean NOTHING to him. It's just another insulting slap in the face and a punch in the gut to Americans. Is he stupid, crazy, or senile? All of the above.

Common sense tells us that it increases risks to our national security to allow millions of unvetted strangers from all over the world to enter our country illegally, yet Biden seems strangely oblivious or uncaring. Illegals used to try to evade capture because they would be deported, but under Biden they turn themselves in and claim asylum because it buys them time and services. Their assigned court dates are already well into 2026 and 2027 due to the backlog and lack of judges so they have plenty of time to disappear. And since another million will arrive this year, few will ever end up being processed. In the meantime Biden is dumping the whole mess on our schools, cities, and states to try to deal with and pay for all the repercussions. It's a recipe for disaster. More insult added to injury.

Common sense tells us that all kinds of bad actors want to get into the seat of Empire. Since 3 million have eased in just during Biden's Reign of Error and there's more on the way, there has to be plenty of bad actors already here or on their way, blended into the massive caravans. It's a no-brainer, like Biden, and human nature. But we're supposed to believe it's all good and virtuous, like the Statue of Liberty. Well we're not in Kansas anymore. We're a warring global Empire which doesn't care about anyone and have proven it to the entire world and now to many of us.

Thanks to ZioNazis, we're reminded of what evils humans are still capable of. Now we also know from the cruel fate of Palestinians that we're also on our own, just like they are. The uber-capitalist Anglo-American Empire is only interested in cashing in on disasters, almost always of their own making.

We don't need to worry about Trump, we need to worry about what Biden has done and what he will do further before he leaves office. Retaliation and revenge have no statute of limitations.

Valerie Long Tweedie said...

All I can think - and this repeats itself over and over in my mind - What has America come to that our choices for POTUS are a megalomaniac lunatic and a senile old man with sociopathic advisors? We are indeed a dying empire. What a tragedy that so many innocent people must pay the price for Biden et al's bad decisions.

So many politicians willing to throw the Palestinians under the bus.

MissingJay said...

"These are the times that grow our souls" Grace Lee Boggs

VLT said...

Yet another long comment I wrote that I managed to delete. I can't blame technology - IT IS ME! Sometimes I wonder if it is Freudian.

I write this at two in the morning.

I will leave you with the first three paragraphs of, I Can't Sleep - by Paul Biggar

I can't sleep. I'm lying in bed every night, and images of Gaza are running through my head. Fathers holding their babies, dead, caked in dust. Bombs dropped on homes [1], on hospitals [2], on schools [3]. Tens of thousands of dead [4] in indiscriminate bombings [5]. Children crying, pulling through rubble to find their families [6].

The inhumanity of the soldiers is unbearable. They shoot civilians in the street [7], imprison and torture children [8], and strip and humiliate innocent men [9]. But the soldiers are having fun [10]. They're posting to TikTok [11], doing some war crimes [12], then celebrating on the beach [13]. I hate them. I hate them.

I can't work. I code for 5 minutes before their bodies come back. I must work, but who can do a startup through a genocide, when 20,000 are dead [14], when the Israeli-imposed starvation is setting in [15]. I try though; the distraction is good for me.



Erik Roth said...

In her January 8th newsletter, Caitlin Johnstone's headline asserts: "Tony Blinken is a cold-blooded sociopath." She goes on to say: "Nothing epitomizes the depraved manipulations of the US empire better than Antony Blinken."
It's a quibbling distinction without much difference, but I would call him a psychopath.
"Genocide" Joe Biden and his entire administration are likewise.
After three years, why Trump hasn't been held accountable by the Justice (sic) Department now becomes obvious. They desperately need Trump to have a greater evil to run against.
But the inevitable blowback deservedly will come without mercy.
Already we see articles describing with concern how Biden is losing the youth and minority vote that got him elected in 2020.

I fear this 2024 year will be as catastrophic as 1968.
Then I was too young to vote, but old enough to be drafted.
A student deferment spared me of confronting that, so my first vote in a presidential election was for George McGovern in 1972.

For what it's worth, I never have, nor ever will vote for any repugnant Republican, but I voted for Jill Stein rather than Hillary Clinton in 2016.
While I did vote for Joe Biden in 2020, by his unconscionable betrayals (like those abominably by Obama) I will never vote for him again.
I suspect a significant, and even critical mass of voters likewise will not in 2024.
That means, unless we soon get a worthy alternative, like Eugene McCarthy or Robert Kennedy (and his son is NOT), we are screwed.

Ever since the Democratic Party effectively eliminated Bernie Sanders, he has caved to those corrupt powers-that-be, and still refuses simply to call for a CEASEFIRE in Gaza.
The Democratic Party elites are clueless, but of course, in their comfortable, privileged, gated "community" bubble, they make out either way.
Witness Trump's obscene tax cuts for the super-rich.

On January 6th, Michael Moore wrote that it "must be a federal holiday - Democracy Day - so we never forget."
I wrote in reply:
We do not need a token holiday, and to remember what?
You must know that if that MAGA mob had been black they all would have been shot on the spot.
It has been three years of failure to hold anyone but the peripheral or pitifully at the bottom accountable.
Even those have been given substantially more lenient sentences than prosecutors sought.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
That is what Americans of all stripes so disturbingly sense as to seriously undermine our concession to rule by law.

Whatever your opinion might be about Marianne Williamson, she has correctly asserted: "The crisis of Democracy in our nation is institutional.”

If this country is to survive, we must demolish the duopoly, revoke the outrageous law saying that money is speech and corporations are persons, eliminate the Electoral College, make all elections publicly funded, based on ranked choice voting, and with proportional representation.
That would help establish democracy, which we really do not have now.
Until all of that is accomplished, and sooner than later, a hollow holiday is simply an insult.

Meanwhile, I take comfort - literally "with strength" - from all the voices, especially Ms. Garcia's, saying we are fed up and aren't going to take it anymore.
Carry on, keep your sense of humor sharp and your BS detector keen.








Anonymous Secundus said...

“If this country is to survive, we must demolish the duopoly, revoke the outrageous law saying that money is speech and corporations are persons, eliminate the Electoral College, make all elections publicly funded, based on ranked choice voting, and with proportional representation.
That would help establish democracy, which we really do not have now.
Until all of that is accomplished, and sooner than later, a hollow holiday is simply an insult.”

—Erik Roth

Good luck with all of that.

annenigma said...

I've heard repeated claims that Biden is letting illegal immigrants in so they can vote for him. I called bullshit of course. They can't vote, they aren't citizens!

Well today I found out I was wrong.

It turns out that at least in Arizona, they can register to vote - online even - and if they don't provide proof of citizenship, they will receive ONLY a ballot for Federal elections but not for local or state offices, which seems backassward to me. They do have to provide a mailing address. Their ballot can be mailed. Easy peasy!

I called my county Voter Reg office to verify. It's true. No saying that they'll even bother voting though. Most American citizens don't.

I made a comment earlier about the number of illegal immigrants entering under Biden but had that wrong too. It's 8-9 million in the 3 years since Biden laid out the Welcome mat. That doesn't include the numbers who prefer to evade authorities, like so-called bad actors.

BTW, the Census, which apportions # of legislative seats by population, does not even consider citizenship.

We're all just numbers.

Karen Garcia said...

@Anne,
Maybe there's provisional ballot access or registration in play, I really don't know. It could even be a a ploy to get undocumented people to register and give a physical address d so that customs and border enforcement can come and pick them up more easily. I cannot imagine that many refugees wiould chance it. It also doesn't make much sense, given that many if not most states, convicted felons who are US citizens are not allowed to vote ever again. They finally getting rid of this particular loathsome disenfranchisement practice here in New York.

From my own research, I found that even permanent "legal" non-citizens cannot vote in the US, with the only exceptions being in local elections.

https://www.usa.gov/who-can-vote

annenigma said...

@Karen

Arizona sends them a ballot but it's illegal if they cast it. Gotcha!

Actually, with the recent turnover in election staff everywhere, including here, I'm not sure they even know what's up.

MissingJay said...

@Erik,

I relate to everything you wrote.

I just had a long conversation with a friend who is willing to turn a blind eye to the genocide in Palestine as long as Biden gets re-elected and Trump is defeated.She is not alone - most of my friends feel the same way. At one point in the conversation, she announced she was well-read (presumably because she gets all her information from the NYT - which she pointed out had editors and fact checkers) and she didn't appreciate me suggesting otherwise. THIS is what the Democratic Party has evolved to be.

John Stuart Mill delivered an inaugural address at the University of St. Andrews and stated: “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.” Very similar to the quote attributed to Edmund Burke.

I plan on voting for Jill Stein in the next election. Let's only hope that as we approach November, the stronger independent parties that are anti-war will unite. I feel like this is the moment - with the duopoly so clearly horrific - that there might be a space for a Third Party. I think the younger people will be on board.

VLT said...

In reference to the illegal immigrants being able to vote. It is easy to smell a rat in this and I imagine there will be no or extremely few takers.

I just read that the young people in the volunteer force that supports Biden's re-election are quitting in droves over Palestine.

VLT said...

"Biden is everything people feared Trump would be. A genocidal monster facilitating racially motivated murder and ethnic cleansing while rapidly accelerating toward a nuclear-age world war. Nothing Trump did was as evil as what Biden has been doing. Biden is the real Trump."
Caitlin Johnstone

Ain't it the truth!

annenigma said...

@VLT

Bingo! Thanks for sharing that.

Anonymous said...

When I initially commented I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me
when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the exact
same comment. Is there an easy method you can remove
me from that service? Thank you!

annenigma said...

Genocide Joe is trying to outbomb the Obomba who had 7 notches on his bomb belt. Biden now has 6 with Yemen, plus the time and appetite for more. After all, wars help with re-election. Usually.

But Genocide Joe really stepped in it last night. He knocked on the door of Hell with his bombs. Yemenis answered in deadly seriousness: 'Welcome to WWIII, we've been expecting you.'

The end is near. Let's hope it's just the end of the Evil Empire. Insh'Allah.

Valerie in Australia said...

I understand CNN, Deutche Welle, Sky News and even the BBC didn't broadcast the ICJ trial where the South Africans made such a thorough and unequivocal case for Israeli genocide of the Palestinians. However, it did manage to broadcast the Israeli (cut and paste from the usual propaganda themes - nothing new or original - Israel defending itself) side of the case. Does anyone know if this is true? Did other news outlets broadcast the South African side of the case?

I just went to CNN and the clip on the South African side was so short that the true nature of the atrocities were made vague. Only the clip of the Israeli Army chanting something Netanyahu and the Israeli leadership had said on Israeli TV. Any legitimate news source should have broadcast at least the highlights in context. In contrast, the Israeli side seemed to have been given more press - it was a "robust" defence, the Israeli defence "explained" it was a "distortion of the reading of the Genocide Convention" and that Israel's intent was only to defend itself.

There were a lot of well-behaved protesters outside the courtroom. I must say, the protesters throughout - in every country - have been exceptionally well-behaved. I know at the protest in Sydney, there were accusations that some of the protesters were saying "Gas the Jews!" This was investigated by the police who said no one but the Israeli supporter who made the accusation "heard" this. Also, the organiser who said some protesters who were yelling "f . . . the Jews" were personally confronted by him and asked to leave. I hope to join a protest in Adelaide. I will let you know what instructions are given beforehand in terms of protester behaviour. I am getting the impression from the MSM that the protesters are mainly Palestinian or Arab so I figure they could use an old white lady in their ranks. I'll let you know about that aspect of the group as well.

VLT said...

As for the U.S. and U.K. attacking Yemen - The US bombs and weapons that Saudi Arabia used on them for seven years pretty much did the job. With Yemen being such a poor country, they haven't exactly been able to rebuild in the last year.

Amazing isn't it? The U.S. and it's Rule of Law are fine with the slaughter of innocent civilians but they don't like it when protesters block commerce and respond militarily. I can't believe that Biden et. al. thought they could get away with passing over the Congress part in attacking a foreign nation. This isn't exactly an emergency where the War Powers Act is applicable. Honestly, I hate Trump but . . . Biden is acting out the whole Fear of Trump argument. Yet, the party faithful and MSM continue to have his back.

annenigma said...

It's all propaganda all the time. Lies, half truths, deliberate omissions, deceptions, and hate-mongering as prelude to war-mongering.

I have devised an easy guide to decipher what the Powers say (Gov't. Media, etc = the MICIMATT):

(1) Assume the opposite is true. If they say they don't want a war, they want war. If they say they're trying to prevent a war from expanding, they're going to expand it. If they say the economy is great, it sucks but don't us to know lest we do something stupid, i.e. not in their interest.

(2) Assume every allegation made against 'enemies' is a self-admission/confession. Who are the ones threatening 'democracy'?

Unfortunately, Americans are the most propagandized population on earth. The only reason many people even started distrusting and disbelieving Media and Gov't is because of the massive propaganda campaign against Trump, still in progress (as is the distrust).

As a result, far more Republicans than Democrats are skeptical. Independents are now at 43% nationally which I take as a good sign and is probably due to younger voters. I heard kids prefer Tiktok because it connects them to people all over the world versus the limited circle of Facebook family and friends. Another good sign.

Here's the thing. Trump thought he was Boss since he was the President and believed he could become friends with 'enemies' to make deals instead of bombing them. Oh oh, that's not how the Empire rolls! So he had to find out the hard way even though Schumer already warned him who was really in charge.

My point - The Anglo-American Empire (and I$rael) MUST have a real warrior President. Voters must never again be allowed to screw up the war racket.

F**k the Empire!

annenigma said...

It's all propaganda all the time. Lies, half truths, deliberate omissions, deceptions, and hate-mongering as prelude to war-mongering.

I have devised an easy guide to decipher what the Powers say (Gov't. Media, etc = the MICIMATT):

(1) Assume the opposite is true. If they say they don't want a war, they want war. If they say they're trying to prevent a war from expanding, they're going to expand it. If they say the economy is great, it sucks but don't us to know lest we do something stupid, i.e. not in their interest.

(2) Assume every allegation made against 'enemies' is a self-admission/confession. Who are the ones threatening 'democracy'?

Unfortunately, Americans are the most propagandized population on earth. The only reason many people even started distrusting and disbelieving Media and Gov't is because of the massive propaganda campaign against Trump, still in progress (as is the distrust).

As a result, far more Republicans than Democrats are skeptical. Independents are now at 43% nationally which I take as a good sign and is probably due to younger voters. I heard kids prefer Tiktok because it connects them to people all over the world versus the limited circle of Facebook family and friends. Another good sign.

Here's the thing. Trump thought he was Boss since he was the President and believed he could become friends with 'enemies' to make deals instead of bombing them. Oh oh, that's not how the Empire rolls! So he had to find out the hard way even though Schumer already warned him who was really in charge.

My point - The Anglo-American Empire (and I$rael) MUST have a real warrior President. Voters must never again be allowed to screw up the war racket.

F**k the Empire!

MissingJayOttawa said...

Worth the read. If you don't want to do this, at least listen to the Irish barrister. She is remarkable. I am SO impressed by the quality, sincerity and integrity of the South African case brought before the ICJ.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/01/your-man-in-the-hague-in-a-good-way/

MissingJay said...

I think the most profound observation Murray made was that it was the ICJ that was on trial. There are rumours of bribery and all kinds of political punishment and blackmail. We will see. I hope that the judges will be most influenced by their place in history. I feel, with so many things wrong in our world, that this case is of vital historical importance.

One thing is for sure, South Africa has ensured that this genocide cannot be hidden and no matter how hard it tries, the West cannot put this genie back in the bottle.

God's chosen people might turn out to be the South Africans! Who seem to be the only ones with the courage to do the right thing.

me again! said...

Yes, very good presentation by Barrister Blinne from Ireland at the ICJ hearing. The case is solid because for the first time in history, the evidence is being live-streamed on social media by the victims themselves in real time, at least before they too are killed. That's the true value of social media - Reality over Propaganda! But it's infuriating to watch Media whitewash, twist, deny, and/or ignore it. No wonder the Powers are so desperate to control or kill it off entirely, such as with 'Communist China's' 'dangerous' TikTok.

The Irish will never forgive or forget what the British Empire did to them nor should they. As part of the Anglo-American Empire, Britain also has numerous military facilities around the world based in their current and former colonies. As a matter of fact, Britain just used their base in Cyprus to launch fighter jets to bomb Yemen.

Another old warmonger and member of the Anglo-American Empire that's coming back to life militarily is Germany. They just announced officially that they will support Israel at the ICJ hearings in defending them against charges of genocide. To clarify, the two ICJ sessions this past week were just to hear evidence for conditional measures, aka ceasefire, not to judge the crime itself. That process will take years before concluding.

Anyway, in response to Germany's denial that Israel is conducting genocide against Palestinians, the African country of Namibia issued an official statement reminding Germany that their Nazi Holocaust wasn't Germany's first genocide. Their first was of the Herero and Numa in Namibia in the early 1900s. OUCH! They also pointed out that Germany obviously did not learn their lesson from that genocide.

In regard to getting away with murder and profiting from crimes, Germany recently increased by 10x their weapon$ sale$ to Israel just since November. Ka-ching!

The Anglo-American Empire is just one big White Supremacist crime family - Gangsters for Capitalism.

me again! said...

Addendum re: Genocidal Germany

Germans make up 2% of Namibia's population but own 70% of the land. Germany opposes reparations for Namibian descendants of 20th century’s 1st genocide.

MissingJayOttawa said...

“We don’t have to tell you the West is declining and the immediate future dark. But over the clouds, the sky is blue: Peace will come back in research, media and politics when the U.S. empire and NATO have fallen."

Jan Oberg Transnational Foundation for Peace

VLT said...

Does this ring a bell? The Appalling Silence of the Good People

"If the moderates of the white South fail to act now, history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. Our generation will have to repent not only for the acts and words of the children of darkness but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light."

Martin Luther King Jr

Missing Jay said...

"Gaza City’s main reservoirs, Al-Balad and Al-Rimal, were completely destroyed last weekend during an Israeli bulldozing operation in the area, the Euro-Med Monitor team confirmed. Al-Balad Reservoir, which houses a water well, a warehouse for water line maintenance equipment, and administrative offices for the city’s water department, and Al-Rimal Reservoir, which includes the sanitation department’s offices and a warehouse for sewage network maintenance equipment, have both been bulldozed during the Israeli ground incursion." 15 January 2024 Euto-Med Human Rights Monitor

Sure doesn't sound like the Israelis are only hunting Hamas, does it?