MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA .....

The White House is boosting its own propaganda network, one that is bankrolled by the president's family, they are doing this because they're finding their private current propaganda networks insufficiently suppor-tive, and not manipulative enough. Nothing to match the leadership's xenophobic agenda, or his dreams of reelection and total fascistic supremacy.

It's been no secret that Mr. Trump and his machine, had dreams of directly controlling his own TV network for quite some time, and more so since the 2016 election campaign, now it appears that this dream is coming through with an investment group associated with Trump Junior, who are looking to buy a major stake in One America News (O.A.N.), so the president, his family and oligarchy can take their brand of propaganda and extreme right-wing autocracy to the next level.

Can we imagine a strong media outlet directly controlled and operated by Mr. Trump himself ?? or through his family and oligarchy, while people across the country, and the world are being ravaged and impacted severely by the COVID-19 pandemic, and everywhere people are looking to inde-pendent news outlets for advise and correct information, plus an election looming in view, and the tax breaks to corporations and rich executives, and the mishandling of approved budgets to help small businesses and out of jobs individuals, one can imagine the work this network will produce.

In America, machines like Fox News, Breitbart and OAN, all bankrolled by millionaires, belonging to the same club and playing by the same rules, specializing in pushing out ultra-right wing programming and fake news to perpetuate their propaganda and ideologies, by brain washing their audiences and infecting young innocent minds with all types of cons-piracies and dangerously playing and twisting sciences about all world problems, only to suit big businesses and their interests.

In today's pandemic, large crowds gathering, protests, potential drug complications, drug and preventive medical equipment availability, effectiveness and prices, even spreading racist and completely false rumors, accusing countries and international organizations, all rejected by most serious scientists, and even our own intelligence community. All these are public domain news, very delicate and subject to high mani-pulation. Even Fox news is very careful about the origin of the Wuhan laboratory story, or its counterpart and accomplice in North Carolina or Boston.

They have all been without exception downplaying and manipulating the news about the death toll approaching now 100.000 Americans, and more than 330.000 world wide , and the recurrence of cases in some parts, all to suit Mr. Trump's agenda, demagoguery, hate and vengeance against anyone opposing him and his future reelection plans.

All of this is not enough, as the Trump machine now wants to control this powerful semi official tool personally and directly. This type of organised and politicized propaganda cannot be permitted to continue spreading disinformation unchecked, they must be all accountable for their blatant lies, whether it is an adventure in Iraq for its WMD, or a war with Iran, invading Venezuela or a world pandemic, they should all be thoroughly checked.

Let's admit it, all governments lie, it is the job of journalists and the media outlets to do the hard, tedious reporting to expose these lies, and not the contrary. More than half the president's tweets this past week, targeted Obama/Biden, only 16% focused on Corona virus responses and solutions, is this the general pattern and policy of his private propaganda machine & network once established !!!!!
                             
As always , my many thanks to all my readership, especially the many new comers from Germany and the Netherlands, stay safe.             

PLAYING CHEAP POLITICS WITH A CRISIS ....

Since day one of this presidency, the Trump administration has treated all America's problems and social malaise, and wealth inequality with unprecedented vengeance and disdain, and when incapable of destroying these programs, distancing themselves, blaming others, and waiting for better times to try again. They have treated COVID 19 pandemic, almost exactly the same way. Like a PR crisis at best, a political opportunity to boost the president's approval ratings while giving false information and fake hope to millions of blind followers.

They knowingly ignored the disease and refused expert opinions and intelligence reports, and previous presidential warnings and pandemic committees, until it was too late and continues, by totally failing to provide and implement sufficient testing, even to high risk areas, ignoring that it's considered now an essential element of relaxing confinement and self social distancing.

The U.S. compared to most European countries, and the Pacific rim, has the highest numbers of infected people, more than a million three positive cases, and more fatalities than anyone else exceeding 80.000 deaths,and very soon 90.000 and a staggering 100.000  leading the country to the highest unemployment rates since the great depression of 1930. We are still in denial, still lost between opening our economy and States without adequate testing and other preventive equipment, and willingly admitting to the eventual killing of tens of thousands more, of Americans from all ages, colors, and ethnic backgrounds.

In America today, many people are still living and behaving as if the whole pandemic will vanish in few weeks or a month at most, it will disappear from our lives as it came, all with the help of the official propaganda, and the following ultra right media machine. Of course religious zealots and their institutions, and Divine power are always there to help.

Even our internal politics of high interference in the judiciary system, of dismantling every social contract previously achieved, to a dangerous degree of destroying what remains of our democracy, and the delusional totally in cloud nine foreign policy, based on false military superiority, readiness, and overconfidence, plus the insufficient economical and monetary means, a huge totally ignored national debt, and continuous unsolved social inequalities and failing infrastructures, all while further empowering corporate and private wealth to reign and take over.

America simply cannot afford another 4 years of a president and his oligarchy who make decisions based strictly on what is best to the president, his reelection, and themselves, and not to the country or its people. Past presidents had their high moments and their low moments, some did better internally and some dragged the country and its armed forces into horrific and very, very costly adventures, but non kept lying to themselves and to their people while believing themselves like this president and his entourage. Somehow at the end they managed to take ownership and accountability for their doings and the well being of the country. History proves it, and the last 3 plus years of this presidency tells it all clearly.

Using all types of political tools, dismissing experts, using executive powers for personal benefits, catering to businesses and corporations and fossil fuels , pardoning admitting criminals, all these and other methods form an area of natural comfort to this president and his administration, the economy will not come back, here or anywhere until the death toll slows, so let's stop hiding behind our fingers. But if we don't believe in science and not in social interference or collective programming then let's all drop it all and live our stupid individual lives .   

We need to invest much more in proper and adequate testing, and only when the death rates start coming down significantly, only then, we can apply proper testing and know who's positive and who's not, and create meaningful isolation and start reopening the economy. Now it's up to the American people to come together, in full force to help save the country and the world, from some grave and imminent disaster, by electing someone sane and responsible to lead .....
                     
             As always my gratitude to all my good readers...  stay safe.   

            

THINKING AND ACTING STRAIGHT .....

Some things that govern our lives, are clearly very obscure, for instance I don't know whether there is a God, nor does anyone else know, I don't know what will happen after death, shall I survive death and move forward or not, nor does anyone else, I do not have a good answer as to my having a soul, if it sticks to me or leaves me or transforms itself into something else after my body decays, and no one else knows either.

Many religious adherents have unshakable convictions, or what they proudly call faith, in such matters they are sure they know, but convictions emanating from blind faith are not real knowledge. Somehow it seems incredible that Sapiens do not know what they are, or the nature of their being. These questions were as old as humanity, the Greek pre-Socratic Xenophanes said; "The Gods did not reveal from the beginning all things to us, but in the course of time, thorough seeking, may lead to learning and knowing things." Until today, there is a strong consensus among most philosophers, including religious ones, that the existence of a soul, life after death and absolute divine power cannot be proven.

We basically had no saying about coming into existence, we just woke up and found ourselves in this world. So what gives us the pretense of knowledge and certitude of a next one. The self as it is seems to be and remains forever unknowable. We feel ourselves, here on earth, but do we know our inner selves? and what happens to it when we die!! Yes it's easier to convince ourselves of the pretension of knowing what will happen, but we all know deep down that it could be not so after death.

It's difficult to live with such incertitude and being lost with such questions, but as Socrates said;"The unexamined life is not worth living" And being lost in daylight is very different than being lost in total darkness. Some people believe there is a God, the creator, the designer of our will, the basis of morality, and there are others who believe there's no God, and our morality is not of a godly source.

Historically, we know that human morality has advanced and developed toward the better, and we talk about it openly. many of us (but not all) are more compassionate and caring than most of our ancestors were 4k and 3k even 2000 years ago. But God cannot be gradual, and not from low to upward, so if it is a godly affair, it should have been the reverse, starting with the perfect and better morality, and slowly deteriorating or fading, if at all.... and not the contrary.

The fact that we can never be sure that something is right, though we can be sure that something is wrong confirms Socrates saying; that he had an inner voice which occasionally told him not to do things, but it never told him what to do. I personally have never found myself able to believe in the existence of a God, or a divine will and power, though I admit that I can not prove his non-existence, the challenge in these matters is to live with it, die with it, without really understanding it. This is our fate in life, and our situation. The existence of God cannot be explained by simply asserting the existence of God.

For centuries people were congratulated on the strength of their faith, and the more blind it was the better, but these beliefs have very little or no evidence, and there's nothing really to congratulate in it. Most people are only stubborn about the entire affair, because they were totally and perfectly brain-washed, ordered and indoctrinated since early childhood. And leaders of all sects, political and religious want and strive for such followers.

Obviously arguing with these people is absolutely futile, as they are not committed to the pursuit of truth. But no one should expect all sides to agree with baseless faith, whether positive or negative. Locke puts it nicely;" Where is the man that has incontestable evidence of the truth of all that he holds, or of the falsehood of all he condemns." We have no choice but to live and act based on the best of our knowledge and understanding, but far from believing these to be true, we need always to keep in mind the fact and possibility that they might not be.

 The entire blog here, was inspired and influenced by an excellent work by B. Magee, entitled Ultimate Questions , I'm grateful for his insight and wisdom. My as always, many thanks to all, stay safe.