You know what is fake

[malaise]

The idea that the US or any other western power was or is interested in spreading democracy anywhere. Their interest is to impose governments that will do their bidding.
They don't give a flying fuck about democracy and if you need a reminder, examine the ReTHUG response to Jan 6.

Oh and tell MoscowMitch to STFU!

[Lovie777]

1. And yet states are running out of hospital beds . . ....

children are being exposed. The deaths continue. Pre-Existing Conditions rising from the virus.

And republicans care about Afghans? It is soooooooooooooo fake. The media has forgotten about the life and welfare of Americans.

[malaise]

4. All fake

The good news is that they continue to be exposed aka UNMASKED

[ananda]

25. But Bengha... Afghanistan!

...

[Beastly Boy]

2. "The idea that the US or any other western power... is interested in spreading democracy anywhere"

Not even in their own countries. We know it for an undeniable fact now.

[BlueMTexpat]

40. And all the hand-wringing about

the fate of women when our very own GQPer Taliban is imposing its choices on women in the US!

[MLAA]

3. True, true.

[Roy Rolling]

5. And why impose governments to do their bidding?

To buy the products American business has paid them to promote. Foreigners aren’t real people to them, they’re only customers.

There’s always someone getting rich from the corruption, chaos, calamity, and death.

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. That is because

Corruption, chaos, calamity and death are profitable. Remove the profitability from those things, and they will change. However, those things are VERY profitable. Good luck stopping any of it. (We could also remove the worship of that green piece of paper... LOL, like that will ever happen here...)

[malaise]

8. or steal resources

There’s always someone getting rich from the corruption, chaos, calamity, and death.

Perfect

[wnylib]

56. Absolutely true. When we invade a country,

it is not to spread democracy. It is to spread profits into the hands of government contractors, to open up new markets abroad, and to control access to foreign resources.

[The Wizard]

7. The feigned indignance

of Republicans and their media handmaidens is par for the course. My guess is the more outrage coming from Congressmen and Senators is commensurate to the bribes they get from defense contractors funneled into offshore money laundry accounts. After bin Laden's death it was all about looting our Treasury.
Let's be happy that this drain on our resources has ended. In fact, it's time to close most of our military bases around the world and focus on making America better from the inside.

[malaise]

9. True but it's all the more vulgar and hypocritical after Jan 6

MoscowMitch should just STFU!

[niyad]

18. Moscowmitch should choke on his bile and venom.

[BlueMTexpat]

41. If only! eom

[Lonestarblue]

10. So true. We should remember that the CIA overturned Iran's democratically elected government.

The CIA worked with the UK’s MI6. The justification was protecting the profits of British Petroleum and our own oil interests. BP was paying the Iranians peanuts for their oil, and Iranians elected Mohammed Mosaddegh in 1951, who wanted to nationalize their oil industry. We initiated a coup and ousted Mosaddegh in 1953 and then installed the brutal Shah of Iran, who tortured and murdered thousands of his own people, but he was our puppet for many years. His reign killed democracy and opened the door for the repressive religious regimes and hardliners who have followed. Big mistake in 1953 to overturn the government of Iran, but we have done it many times, such as backing corrupt governments in Central America to protect the profits of United Fruit Company. We are now reaping the results of those efforts with hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing their corrupt countries.

[malaise]

11. There are many many more examples

Now they have exposed themselves with the failed coup in the US

[betsuni]

12. Oh, everyone's the same? Both sides?

[malaise]

26. I don't think both sides are the same

but there are folks among us who support the corporate agenda at home and abroad.

[Act_of_Reparation]

50. Historically, with regard to military interventions abroad, the differences have been scant.

There are reasons for this, of course. In decades past, Democrats and Republicans largely agreed on foreign policy issues; both were staunchly opposed to communism and committed to upholding the Truman Doctrine; both were primarily concerned with the protection of American strategic and economic interests abroad; and it has long been tradition to respect to the foreign policy decisions of one's predecessor, as they are often very difficult (if not painful) to reverse.

This has changed somewhat in recent decades, with liberal Baby Boomers having dealt with the Vietnam War, and liberal millennials having cut out teeth in the anti-war protests throughout the War on Terror (TM). But you have to remember: a lot of the shit we're dealing with now started decades ago with decisions made by presidents long dead, and yes, many of them were Democrats.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

13. Yup. McFascist and the rethugs are busy fighting against democracy in the US.

Why would they want democracy anywhere else?

[Irish_Dem]

14. "Spreading democracy" has been a lie to hide US oligarch desire for wealth and power.

We now know for certain that a big chunk of America could care less about democracy, the social contract, or the well being of American citizens.

[malaise]

15. Yes indeed

[Irish_Dem]

16. Hi Malaise!

[malaise]

22. Hi there Irish_Dem

[Celerity]

17. +2

[BlueMTexpat]

42. Absolutely! eom

[Bluethroughu]

19. It's always been a cash grab.

Trillions missing.

Nazis, were/are the manifestation of corporate greed executed through division of people through ethnicity, racism, sexism, education, union, or disability.
FOCUS ON ANYTHING BUT THE GREED.

It's the same as it ever was.

January 6th, couldn't be anymore in your face, paid for Coup de Fail. Whites bused in staying in expensive hotels, wearing Rump merch, intitled enough to attack their own Country because the vote didn't go their way, they weren't smart enough to hold the Capital even though they had the corporate, and pResident's aid.

We have many terrorist traitors among us, that will step up to attack us again because there has been no deterrence through consequences, AND NONE OF THE CORPORATE AIDers have even been discussed on the news.

[malaise]

24. Great post

[Bluethroughu]

27. Thanks, you said it well with less.

[PatrickforB]

38. Indeed. We need to clean house a bit faster and more

thoroughly than is being done. Hawley, Cruz, Gosar, McCarthy, MTG, Boebert and the rest of the treason caucus are STILL THERE, still obstructing. And Fox? Still downplaying the treason.

[Bluethroughu]

39. They need to be removed from office and prosecuted

For traitor behavior they have continued with to this day.

[niyad]

20. absolutely agree!

[doc03]

21. Imagine if we spent all that time and money on our

neighbors to the south there wouldn't be such a border problem.

[malaise]

23. Look the greedy aren't merely satisfied with keeping labor impoverished

in our hemisphere. They have destroyed unions in the USA.
When citizens in the richest country on the planet have to start GoFundMe accounts for healthcare and funerals, something is seriously wrong.

What we are seeing is greed on steroids and many of our politicians are complicit.
We'd better wake up globally or it's all over.

[Bluethroughu]

28. 100%

[burrowowl]

60. Yes and under Raygun

Greed became a virtue instead a capital sin.

[malaise]

65. And not just in the USA

[Progressive dog]

30. The US and it's allies did bring democracy to most of Europe

The former axis nations that were occupied by the Soviets were the nations that did the bidding of their conqueror, not those occupied by the US, Britain, or France. Most of us do "give a flying fuck about democracy."

[malaise]

32. Agree re Europe

Let's talk about the rest of the planet as well

[Progressive dog]

46. When did we become reponsible for everyone on the planet?

The United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF are all organizations that the US and it's allies started to help the planet. Like President Biden said (broad paraphrase)--"How far should we go to help people who cannot not help themselves?"
Many peoples are prevented by ideology, religion, or culture from embracing human rights, democracy, or free enterprise.

[malaise]

51. Well the rest of us didn't come up with either the Munroe Doctrine or Platt Amendment

The UN is merely an extension of the League of Nations which was racist to the core.
The IMF was not set up to help anyone but the developed countries and their biggest banks. Indeed Keynes lost out to the big banking interests in the arguments at Bretton Woods.
Every one of these institutions is a tool for the Western agenda. If that were not true more than a few Western leaders would be locked up in the Hague.

I agree with you that many peoples are prevented by ideology, religion or culture from embracing human rights. You left out the big one - racism. They may shroud it in those you mentioned but that needs its own separate heading. Western ideology, religion and culture have been racist to the core and we can't run from that.

The entire notion that the white man is superior to all others is a violation of the human rights of every other race and all women. It is also the underpinning of so called Western civilization.

Have we made strides to correct this mess - yes but we have a long way to go.

Everything that has taken place on this planet from the 1600s to now is colored by racism.
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Marcus Mosiah Garvey. And yes he spoke for me.

[Progressive dog]

54. The Monroe doctrine was to prevent the european powers from

interfering with any existing governments in the Americas. I don't understand what is wrong with that.
The Platt amendment, I can't defend, but it was well over 100 years ago. Cuba has been run by the communists for much of that time. Cuba even allowed the Soviets to put nuclear weapons on ballstic missiles on Cuba and aimed at the US. Many Cubans fled the communists for the USA, risking their lives to come to the nation of the Platt amendment.

[MiroJarvis]

63. Monroe Doctrine was an imperialist policy.

The "preveting European powers from interfering with governments in America" was just an excuse to transform Latin America in US' backyard and reserve their markets and resources for the use of American companies. Then we had Banana wars, military coups, genocides of indigenous peoples in Central America, dictatorships, all supported by the US. So, that's what's wrong with Monroe Doctrine.

[betsuni]

35. Thank you. In Japan it was perfectly fine to sell daughters as servants and prostitutes

until after WWII.

[BlueMTexpat]

47. That was an era where -

in spite of many mistakes - liberalism and internationalism were lauded and encouraged a la Keynesian philosophy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keynesian_economics

That era began ending starkly during the Nixon Administration with its replacement by the "Chicago School" of economics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_school_of_economics

As Wiki points out, however, the "Chicago school of economics" is a school of thought rather than an organization.

Former Fed Chairs Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke were both thought to be proponents of this philosophy. See, e.g., Investopedia - Criticisms: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/chicago_school.asp

Greenspan is also an admirer of Ayn Rand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Greenspan#Objectivism

The "Chicago school" philosophies have full sway among GQPers - and even some Dems - today.

And it shows.

[murielm99]

61. Take a look at what the "Chicago boys" did to

Chile's economy and democracy.

[BlueMTexpat]

66. Exactly!

Total f*#kup!

Naomi Klein describes it well. See, e.g., https://www.developmenteducationreview.com/sites/default/files/article-pdfs/storey%20review%202.pdf

[MiroJarvis]

64. The US made sure Europe remained capitalist.

"Bring democracy" became synonym of "making sure we have a regime that is subservient to American political and economic interests". In Latin America, there's not a single US intervention that was really aimed at bringing real democracy, since the 19th century to nowadays.

[Progressive dog]

67. They made sure that Europe had human rights

including property rights. Unfortunately for those who dislike capitalism, the USA and other developed nations all practice it. It works much better than socialist systems like communism to provide humans with material goods necessary to live comfortably, especially when coupled with welfare systems to help those who need help.
Of course there were no interventions aimed at overthrowing other governments and replacing them with democracies in Latin America.
Actually, in Cuba in 1906, the US did intervene when the president who lost his re-election bid refused to leave office, causing a collapse in the economy and government of Cuba.

[marble falls]

31. They have no idea of the backlash they're raising. Things are going to change.

[malaise]

33. Because of Jan 6

and their support for it - +1,000

[marble falls]

37. The whole package they stand on stinks, Jan 6, anti-vax and anti-mask, Afghanistan ...

... using financial pressure to force the working poor to work in unsafe conditions. Jan 6 was definitely their one bridge too far.

[malaise]

43. We need a book

The Unmasking of the ReTHUG American Right Wing: Covid and the Coup

[marble falls]

45. We're still working on the correct ending!

[malaise]

34. Because of Jan 6

and their support for it - +1,000

[PatrickforB]

36. Glad to see you! I hope you're OK.

As to your sentiments, agree 100%. We are only really exceptional at killing lots of people really fast.

The ideal would be for us to get rid of the American empire, get the American republic back, change laws to make voting easier, fight institutional racism in just about every system we have with new laws and policies, and rebalance the tax system so that the government is once again doing stuff that materially benefits us.

Think we are wise enough, far seeing enough for that, Malaise?

[malaise]

53. I'm well

Tropical Storm Grace is passing through our island right now although the worst of it is on the North Coast. The good news is that it's moving at 15mph so it will be out of here by tomorrow. It's a weak system but with lots of rain.

All empires are eventually evil. That's a sad historical truth

[ancianita]

48. Amen. Like Obama says, it's got to be from the ground up or it won't be democracy.

[housecat]

55. sad but true

[Ferrets are Cool]

57. K and R

[AllaN01Bear]

58. most of what we have been taught in history , about our country has been a lie .

im glad that there are good folk out there trying to correct this .

[Blue Owl]

59. Preach it, Sister!

[mrsadm]

62. Doonesbury from 2004!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x777870