Global

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance in name alone. Recent events notwithstanding, the brewing conflict over territorial waters in the Eastern Mediterranean indicates that the military union between mostly Western countries is faltering.

The current Turkish-Greek tensionis only one facet of a much larger conflict involving, aside from the two Mediterranean countries, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, France, Libya and other Mediterranean and European countries. Notably absent from the list are the United States and Russia; the latter, in particular, stands to gain or lose much economic leverage, depending on the outcome of the conflict.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance in name alone. Recent events notwithstanding, the brewing conflict over territorial waters in the Eastern Mediterranean indicates that the military union between mostly Western countries is faltering.

The current Turkish-Greek tensionis only one facet of a much larger conflict involving, aside from the two Mediterranean countries, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, France, Libya and other Mediterranean and European countries. Notably absent from the list are the United States and Russia; the latter, in particular, stands to gain or lose much economic leverage, depending on the outcome of the conflict.

When I ponder the likelihood of looming electoral chaos — uncounted votes, a defeated president who won’t leave office, the possible termination of American democracy (coming soon!) — I can’t avoid putting it into a larger context:

We’ve always been, at best, a partial democracy, skewed in favor of the wealthy and powerful (and white). Furthermore, a destructive force has been growing in this country that has a global impact and is far larger than Donald Trump. This force — militarism, war — has been, at least in my lifetime, pretty much immune from the checks and balances of American democracy and has been growing increasingly out of control, regardless who’s in office, during the 21st century. It’s been met, at best, with a shrug, by the media and most politicians: set aside as a matter to be dealt with later.

I believe the time to deal with both issues is now.

THANKS, MICHAEL!

We’re getting killer e-blasts from the Democratic Party with your spot-on warning that Trump could win again. 

Like you, we’re terrified. But it’s NOT inevitable, and now we need you where it really counts … at the grassroots, where the election must be protected. 

In 2016, Hillary Clinton ignored our warnings that (as in 2000 and 2004) the election was being stolen. In Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, where the theft was most obvious, she refused to fight for recounts and left us all twisting in Trump’s evil, idiot wind.

This time around, she’s thankfully urging Joe Biden not to concede. And the public has begun noticing the myriad ways the Republicans are lining up to steal it again.

That’s where we need your help. Especially in the Upper Midwest, the Trump Cult wants to corner the “trifecta” of election theft.

First, they’re stripping the voter rolls, disenfranchising some 17 million voters, nearly all of them (of course) non-millionaires of youth and color.

Original written and printed by Free Press 4 years ago, prior to 2016 election.

Definitions of Terms Used in this Column:

A cult of personality arises when a country's regime uses the techniques of mass media, propaganda, the big lie, spectacle, patriotism, and organized mass demonstrations and rallies to create an idealized, heroic, and worshipful image.

A cult leader is a dynamic leader whose authority is respected and unquestioned. Obedience to the leader is often required, even when it involves deviant or unhealthy activity. Usually, a cult leader is a person of tremendous charisma who makes followers feel loved and accepted. Cult leaders use brainwashing tactics to attract and keep followers.

The above photo shows one of the two Twin Towers on 9/11/01, obviously exploding into fine dust (it is not “burning” down). The explosions were obviously caused by pre-planted explosives in an obviously controlled demolition operation, which means that many weeks – even months - of expert work involving well-trained demolition experts had to have taken place. (In 2001, only a handful of demolition companies in the world could have accomplished the task, but investigations into what actually happened on 9/11/01 were officially prevented, so that even the investigations into those companies did not take place. 

Note that the arrow in the photo above points to one of the many “squibs” of exploding gas which are commonly seen with controlled demolitions. 

Disturbing a Crime Scene is Itself a Federal Crime and Rudy Giuliani is Yet to be Charged

If we were to look beyond words to actions, there would be no doubt that virtually all U.S. politicians have, in effect, taken the Trump/Kissinger view of U.S. troops for as long as there have been U.S. troops.

“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” –Donald Trump, according to Jeffrey Goldberg.

“Military men are just dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy.” — Henry Kissinger, according to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

It we were to let the non-U.S. 96% of humanity into our vision, it would be even clearer how little value is placed on human life by those who wage U.S. wars in which nearly all the casualties are on the other side.

It is difficult - and futile - to argue which American president has historically been more pro-Israel. While former President Barack Obama, for example, has pledged more money to Israel than any other US administration in history, Donald Trump has provided Israel with a blank check of seemingly endless political concessions. 

Certainly, the unconditional backing and love declared for Israel is common among all US administrations. What they may differ on, however, is their overall motive, primarily their target audience during election time. 

“Plastics!”

Yeah, it’s everywhere ... not just in grocery store aisles and department stores and every other commercial outlet you can think of, not to mention your own cupboards and closets and trashcans, but on the grass and on the sidewalks, in the landfills, in the lakes and rivers, in the oceans. And it doesn’t go away. Ever.

You know, it doesn’t biodegrade. And “the vast majority of all plastic made up to now, will likely not be recycled,” Zoë Schlanger writes at Quartz. “And it will exist virtually forever, crumbling into microplastics that show up most everywhere scientists look for them.”