POLITICS IN OUR TIMES ......

Few people around the world are totally indifferent to the United States, its politics and politicians. As the U.S had in the past century always played a big role and interfered heavily in world's affairs. The supposedly greatest power on earth evokes strong and contrasting sentiments, either you love America, despite its flaws, or you hate it, not withstanding its arrogance and selfish partiality.

Lately America is showing signs of retreat and weakness, at least vis-a-vis China and few other powers ... let's quickly look at how the political game is being played in our times; Always and invariably, everywhere, the best way to reach somewhere is to listen to all sides, to both sides at least of any position or argument, and only then make an educated decision on any matter, our major problem nowadays is that most politicians everywhere are becoming little dictators, playing the nationalistic, fascistic side, imitating and competing as to who can do more and beat all others.

to name a few, our own Mr. Trump, Mr. Bolsonaro of Brazil, Mr. Putin, Orban of Hungary , Erdogan of Turkey, Netanyahu of Israel, Bin Salman of Saudi, Modi of India, and the list goes on with some traditional dictators as in Syria, political parties as in Lebanon, and theocracies as in Iran ... and more in Africa , Latin America and Asia. This is not good for the future of our world combined, but only serves these politicians, their families and oligarchies.

All these politicians enforce policies and tactics that only listen and get advise strictly from one side, their followers are driven and brainwashed to listen to one side, the side they like, and keep their opinions and actions and votes in check with the official propaganda. This is the typical partisanship of many engaged people in politics, and politicians who blindly endorse the one side to serve their survivability and strict interests.

We only listen to one side, our side, no matter how demagogue and sometimes irrational our side is, and always act accordingly. The U.S. will end up suffering  and paying for some of the worse effects in the world, because of its incompetent leadership and their one sided system and experts. The president, his administration and some States governors and mayors, who all follow a one prescribed policy dictated by incompetence and immaturity.

The U.K. and Brazil and some other spots are already paying for imitating our foolish model of leadership and shortsightedness. Of course some big, big money will make its way to some big pockets and their political benighted beneficiaries, at the expense of too many innocents who could have been spared and saved.   

The challenges in our lives, all over, are massive, but we must have the courage and enough compassion to fight for the world that is still possible, never has this been more clear and obvious than it is right now, in the midst of our global crisis and irresponsibilities. We will have enough time to calmly inspect and caution each and every country of its delays and cover up, it's not the time now to find culpable, culprits and victims to clear our conscience, and justify ourselves and our acts.

                       My, as always, many thanks to all my good readers, stay safe.             

ADDENDUM TO THE ADDENDUM ....

Again the focus of this blog is on the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is shaping our present lives and our futures. As we all sit contemplating our past with all its wars, hegemony, colonialism and imperialism, apartheid, fascism, and all forms of man-made aggression and brutality, a virus crippled the entire world, its population, armies and politicians, its corporate and very rich as well as its poorest segments.

Practically every country around the world is asking the same, where are the corona tests? where are the masks and the protective equipment? where are the ventilators? where are the vaccines and cures to treat patients? where's the direct support to people who lost or cannot go to their jobs? and to small businesses who lost any hope to recover, to people who's rents and bills were due weeks ago?

 China and India are helping many needy countries with medical equipment and medicine, while we the civilized, white, Christian and noble West cannot decide to lift our vindictive sanctions on many countries and trapped desperate people like the Gaza Palestinians or Iranians or Venezuelans, or Yemenis, we only think in terms of annihilation, domination and warring. 

We are facing an unprecedented moment in the life of humanity, health care providers are asked to create and make miracles, while being denied basic equipment and protective gear, parents are asked to school their children at home, isolate and attend their loved ones, while they don't know if they'll have enough money for food and rent and basic necessities.

Grocery and food delivery workers are told they are essential workers, and yes they are our heroes, while being denied the basic ability to stay safe at work by their companies and our legislation. So forgive me for a moment if bailing out Boeing or Wall-Street, or even the pharma and military industries, or reopening Mar-A-Lago club and hotel isn't a top priority of mine. In Mr. Trump's language and logic "America first" does not necessarily mean Americans first, certainly not all of them.

All over, God, tribes and political partisanship, big business and free enterprise failed to save the U.S. and the world from a minute virus. It's high time to stop thinking and theorizing that unlimited money to "Keep America and Americans safe" can and should only be spent on planes, bombs and stupid imperialist aggressive adventures, while one pandemic is wiping up tens of thousands of Americans and many, many more worldwide, while we're sitting and watching helplessly.

These unprecedented and dangerous times, should when we all, over the entire world, get over it and regain some normalcy in our lives, then hopefully we can all sit and reexamine what has caused it, and how to prevent it in the future, globally, as well as our deep fractional divisions worldwide and in this country.
             My as always many thanks to all my readers, stay safe .               

ADDENDUM TO THE PREVIOUS .....

The rules applied in America, and some other industrial countries, of total free markets and wild forms of capitalism, the abuse of social and economical laissez-fair and the free reign of corporate power, and their bought politicians, should start changing, and be rethought in light of the corona virus pandemic world wide and the deadly effects all over.

As the filmmaker A.Taylor eloquently said; It's clear that in a crisis, the rules don't apply, which makes one wonder why they are rules in the first place, this is an unprecedented opportunity to not just hit the pause button and temporarily ease the pain, but to permanently change the rules so that untold millions of people aren't so vulnerable to begin with.

Our Washington administration and intelligentsia, are adamant at buying people's forgiveness with cheap stimulus packages while ignoring the reality and the real battlefield, ignoring how to pay for these trillions and who will provide them, and later who's going to live with several trillions of more debt and who will finance it, I don't have an answer and no one is giving one either.

To borrow the Atlantic Peter Wehner's words, "Taken together, this is a massive failure in leadership, that stems from a massive defect in character. our president is so impulsive, short sighted, and undisciplined, that he is incapable and unable to plan or even think beyond the moment, beyond his little interests,and he is so narcissist and unreflective that he is totally incapable of learning from his mistakes".

The nation is slowly recognizing these facts, and reacting to the indecisiveness and open signs of disarray and contradiction within the leadership. Treating him as a bystander, the nation's businesses, sports, schools and colleges, even mayors and governors are all taking it upon themselves to shut down, and find appropriate measures to save people and save the situation. People are self quarantining themselves, their children and their loved ones, all independently from the president or the White-House or the CDC guidance. This president, his oligarchy and family are shrinking on daily basis before everyone's eyes.

Since the outbreak of this virus affair, the president and his followers of republican politicians, the conservative movement, including many evangelicals branches, mega churches and schools, and the ultra right media, and social networking platforms have all conspired to miseducate, even brainwash rank and file conservatives, and who ever was willing to listen, of how trivial this pandemic is, as a result, many believe it's no big deal, just another form of ordinary flu, it's all a hoax and an organised effort by the liberals to undermine Trump's reign and reelection bid.

The president Oval office address, press talks and exchanges, even his constant tweets that are all meant to calm and reassure the markets, Wall-Street and the citizenry are all failing gravely, they are becoming more awkward and contradictory, prompting members of his administration continually to revise, correct and attempt to explain what was meant,  Lets all wake up and face reality......
               My usual many thanks to all my good readers, be safe .