tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post4269558543265381593..comments2024-03-27T18:00:02.032-04:00Comments on Sardonicky: Do As We Say, Not As We DoKaren Garciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612731479365562803noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-9114534691014506892014-09-22T09:39:14.177-04:002014-09-22T09:39:14.177-04:00I came across a sentence attributed to Solon, the ...I came across a sentence attributed to Solon, the ancient Athenian jurist. His line may be appropriate here –– or following just about any of Karen’s essays over recent years.<br /><br />Solon, it seems was also troubled by the slumbers of the comfortable in the middle of war’s din and the cries of misery all around. The issues of disparity and civic numbness have deep roots in history and most scriptures. Solon and the Good Samaritan are not that far apart..<br /><br />So, anyway, Solon’s statement: <br /><br />“Justice will not come until those who are not hurt feel just as indignant as those who are hurt.”Jay–Ottawahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10360356126450612113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-19814242645182948132014-09-21T12:20:46.862-04:002014-09-21T12:20:46.862-04:00Zee: We are already in a 'civilian war" s...Zee: We are already in a 'civilian war" sub rosa and take your pick:<br />beween black,white,yellow in between and accompanying ethnic and religious differences; rich vs. poor; left wing vs. right wing and all shades in between; ad infinitum. These divisions prevent effective organizing of citizens against the government representatives who do not follow the needs and wishes of the majority population regarding war or no war, financial support or no financial support for legitimate needs of the people, etc.<br />If citizens begin to unite we will have large groups against large groups which will become a hopefully bloodless civil war.<br />Revolution can only happen when all the disparate citizen groups unite against the current administration and/or regime. Take your pick. The current chaos will continue to be dysfunctional until a choice of the above begins to happen or a political messiah appears if the country truly falls apart completely ala the Roosevelt-depression years.Flame thrower Pearlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-64256325864494844972014-09-21T09:44:25.330-04:002014-09-21T09:44:25.330-04:00@Pearl--
You speak of a coming "Civil War in...@Pearl--<br /><br />You speak of a coming "Civil War in America before too long," which denotes--by definition--a war between citizens of the same country, which is different from a "revolution," which would be the overthrow of a sitting government by the citizenry.<br /><br />While I don't see either a civil war or revolution in the offing for America, I would consider the <i> latter </i> more likely <i> if </i> the entire current system goes to hell. <br /><br />If you really mean "civil war," what factions of American citizens would be at war with each other?Zeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-13958544685275194442014-09-20T16:06:13.318-04:002014-09-20T16:06:13.318-04:00@Pearl
Did you read this remark by Congressman No...@Pearl<br /><br />Did you read this remark by Congressman Nolan of Minnesota regarding the proposed bombing of Syria? <br /><br />“Launching airstrikes on another country, by any standard, by any definition, is an act of war,” said Representative Rick Nolan, Democrat of Minnesota. “Have we not had enough of imperial presidencies doing what they want in the world?”<br /><br />I wonder who allowed him to actually speak the truth? I hope that doesn't cost him too much, but I expect it will. After all, AIPAC and the rest of the wealthy and powerful Military-Industrial Complex wants this war in the worst way.<br /><br />Re: the Roosevelts documentary. After reading William Hartung's Prophets of War: Lockheed-Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex, I was surprised that Ken Burns didn't mention their sales to both sides during WWII. I guess it's understandable considering that Lockheed-Martin is now a generous and frequent sponsor of so many PBS/Nova programs. Well, they would have a ton of money in their line of business - endless war. <br /><br />Didn't it seem like Winston Churchill, spending 3 weeks at the White House, was passing the torch to a new Empire and overseeing the war industry's birth? America, Inc., aka United States of the World, was the result. <br /><br />And now comes the fateful end of our Empire. Will there be anyone left to pick up the torch of war or will we all be toast? Mother Earth might effectively preempt war in her own way.annenigmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-56302704772451492642014-09-20T15:06:35.994-04:002014-09-20T15:06:35.994-04:00The American capitalist system is no longer viable...The American capitalist system is no longer viable just as the Israel policies are no longer viable, but until this fact will become obvious to everyone, we have to expect to watch the dance of war and illusion continue where no one wins. Not until the financial system collapses as in l929 will America and similar systems throughout the world have to decide which path to follow. But in l929, the right people at the right time rose to leadership and began change which has been wiped out since. Watching the Roosevelt documentary, especially the one last night leading to involvement in WW 2, was very revealing.<br />But do we have people up to the job of changing the system when things face the undeniable facts <br />for the need of survival? At least FDR didn't have an environmental crisis knocking at the door.<br />But he did have the support and trust of the people which is missing today. I am afraid we might be embroiled in a Civil War in America before too long.<br />Sorry to have to add to the indigestion we all feel in our souls but at least we are less alone than one might think. Many of the comments in the NYtimes surprise me with their knowledge and the Truthout, Truthdig, Common Dreams, Counterpunch sites are filled with painful but observant articles. <br />I feel good (as Karen well should) when we see what we write has positive reactions. What we all have to say to each other and in other publications are appreciated by many who need to hear the truth in order to make sense of the chaos.<br />Just look at the reaction of large groups of women and men to the domestic abuse issue in an elevator that may well affect how sports owners will be forced to react to these problems in their ranks. Small beginnings but could encourage more of this kind of not sitting on the sidelines in other areas as well. I just wish the original negative reaction to the earlier attempts to 'walk' into Syria could be repeated this time around.<br /> <br /><br />Pearlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-57586144499585252492014-09-20T08:19:30.033-04:002014-09-20T08:19:30.033-04:00Reality exists in a vacuum in which facts, the rea...Reality exists in a vacuum in which facts, the reality on the ground, simply no longer matter.<br /><br />Congress is pathetic and deserves our disgust. Sure of its omnipotence, impunity and invulnerability, in collective denial and utterly oblivious to its folly, these spineless hypocrites and whores for the oligarchy celebrate their magnificence in their bipartisan support of the Empire wars and its imperial ambitions. <br /><br />Congress disgraced the United States when it failed to show for Alan Grayson’s drone hearing. It was shameful! Quite simply, nobody cares. <br /><br />Our Empire of Chaos, which proclaims itself “the greatest nation on Earth,” has to be one the most arrogant empires in history. The elites control of the Emperor and his minions and over this country knows no limits. The democratic ideals of our founding fathers have become empty clichés, used to justify acts of greater plunder, corruption and violence.<br /><br />Supporting the home team and the troops:<br /><br />“To stand in symbolic solidarity at a ballpark with those on whom the burden of service and sacrifice falls is about as far as they will go — just far enough, that is, to affirm that the existing relationship between the military and society, along with the distribution of privileges and responsibilities that the relationship entails, is congruent with democratic practice. The message that citizens wish to convey to their soldiers is this: although choosing not to be with you, we are still for you (so long as being for you entails nothing on our part). Cheering for the troops, in effect, provides a convenient mechanism for avoiding obligation and perhaps easing guilty consciences.” - Andrew Bacevich, Breach of Trust<br /><br />The NFL is the perfect metaphor.<br /><br />As Dave Zirin writes, “This is an inherently dirty game with a real body count. Its main business isn’t a race to the Super Bowl but to present raw violence in a way that’s palatable for mass consumption. The more comfortable we are with violence, the more successful the NFL becomes. The minute we squirm, they lose. Like war, as long as the reporters are embedded and no one sees the coffins, business can proceed as planned. The tragedy is that often it’s only after players retire that they see the reality of an unequal partnership where only one side really walks away from the table.”<br /><br />Is there any hope that there will be change from within, when the vast majority of Americans have been brainwashed beyond repair by our corporate media? Is it at all possible to reform this system? Vote them out of office? To hold any such thoughts is, I think, the height of delusion. Few willing are willing to confront imperial power. Dissent is controlled with efficient and often ruthless means. Accommodation rather than strife is safer.Denis Nevillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-65563026209907194702014-09-19T12:58:00.488-04:002014-09-19T12:58:00.488-04:00Thanks, Anne. The tax-exempt part is of a piece wi...Thanks, Anne. The tax-exempt part is of a piece with the morality-exempt part. The professional football cartel is absolutely a bona fide member of the military-industrial complex. Maybe Muckety has a map comprising all the "players" in this web of deceit -- CBS, broadcaster of NFL games, whose news division president is the brother of Obama's national security guru, whose entertainment division hired Obama's teenage daughter as a summer intern, etc, etc. What a racket. Karen Garciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612731479365562803noreply@blogger.com