War will make you free

[arendt]

"War Will Make You Free"
by arendt

"Einsatzgruppen (German for 'task forces' or 'intervention groups') were paramilitary groups operated by the SS before and during World War II. Their principal task...was the annihilation of the Jews, Gypsies, and political commissars. They were a key component in Hitler's plans to implement his racial policies in the conquered territories...starting with the Polish intelligensia"

- Wikipedia

There were no written records or explicit orders setting up the Holocaust. The perpetrators understood that the undertaking was so heinous that deniability was essential. So the planning and execution was all done via "shared values", party discipline, and euphemisms.

Similarly, you will not find a document from Rupert Murdoch or Dick Cheney defining exactly how the neocons planned and have almost completed their project to exterminate any semblance of honest reporting from the American media and the American government. You won't see the political hitmen in the corporate media or the neocon apparatchiks in the government admitting to membership in an einsatzgruppen. Nevertheless, since open information is the food supply of democracy, this mass slaughter of truthful facts is akin to a crop burning - a starving out of American democracy. Stalin did much the same when he instigated the infamous Ukranian famine, to eliminate his class enemy, the Kulaks.

Your typical "good American fundamentalist" is as oblivious to the intellectual genocide going on around him as the typical "good German" was to the mass murder of racial inferiors. If they think about what happens to the victims at all, they probably figure that harsh treatment of the designated enemies is essential for the security of the Homeland. In both cases, they may know the eternal war against cunning enemies is going poorly, but the Leaders who got them into this mess are never held responsible. It is always the Enemy's fault: atheists, liberals, homosexuals. One is never called upon to be intellectually engaged (You might notice its the same old "enemy".); but only to be afraid and to support the ruthless actions of the rulers.

Six years ago, after our version of the Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act, the Bush Gang threw American Democracy into an "Arbeit Macht Frei" camp. Now, our government has lost about 12 trillion dollars of tax revenue. Our military has deliberately been run ragged, while private mercenary armies have had tens of billions put into their crooked pockets. The value of the dollar is down almost 50% against the Euro since 2001; and we have outsourced every factory in sight. And, finally, the great housing ripoff/bubble is bursting. So, it looks like the camp capos have gotten all the forced labor and gold fillings they can get from the American middle and lower classes. Now, its time for a shower, in the Iran bathhouse.

It may seem like a sick joke that, with opposition to the Iraq War running at 70% and the army and various deficits at the breaking point, the media is cheerleading for another Middle East war. But, when you understand that American democracy has been reduced to a zek, you understand that what the media is really doing is announcing that its time for the Final Solution for American Democracy: the Iranian shower-room.

Invading Iran will instantly result, internationally, in the start of a new Cold (or God save us, hot) War with the Russians and the Chinese. This is beyond stupid. The Chinese hold our debt and our manufacturing capacity, and the Russians have lots of oil and nukes. Both are right next door to Iran. The Russians and the Chinese may not want to fight, but they are realists and autocrats. If you thought attacking Iraq was swatting a hornet's nest, wait until we and the Israelis start the next fight.

The domestic outcome of such an attack will be a de facto, if not de jure, suspension of all Constitutional rights. We already see mercenary bases being set up inside the U.S. - we are to become just another colony of the multinational corporate empire. Anyone who has read Solzhenitsyn (as the right wing did so fervently) will remember that, in the Gulag, the common criminals were allowed to beat up and rob "the politicals". Progressives, meet your bunkmate, Blackwater.

In a fitting reversal, Americans will be the ones to "freeze in the dark" as we either run out of money to pay for oil or are shut out from the oil supplies by war or sanctions. America, its democracy asphyxiated in Iran and cremated by martial law, will soon resemble today's Iraq, with roving gangs fighting while sane people flee.

But, look at the upside. It is so very considerate of the media to offer us our choice of towels (red for the GOP or blue for the DLC) on the way to the showers. And isn't the little OJ-shaped bar of hotel soap just darling? Keep thinking about the meaningless 2008 elections, willfully-ignorant suckers, as you march naked to your deaths.

[atreides1]

1. Very Good

[nebenaube]

2. yes

it seems the III Riech's Fifth Column has been utterly successful.

[arendt]

3. Thanks for two positive posts. Its always hard to get noticed in GD...

I had hoped, what with everyone complaining about the only discussions being
the asshole at the Kerry event or OJ that a little generic Bush-bashing might get
some readers.

As usual, one must push the borders of propriety to get noticed on a non-SOTD
(shiny object of the day) topic. So, let's just sit back and wait for someone to
object to the analogies here.

arendt

[lapislzi]

4. Wow--I've missed you, arendt

Such a relief to read good analysis in GD after all the pointless threads. Glad to know you're still here.

Your last paragraph is uncharacteristically editorial. Does this speak to your own level of fed-uppery? I know it speaks to mine.

[arendt]

5. Thanks. Its nice to know there is some long-term memory left at DU.

I'm home sick today. My job has gotten so hectic that I haven't got time to write much
anymore.

But, as you observe, I am fed up. Fed up with the sheep-like acceptance of the Permanent
Campaign. I am so glad to hear that the media has decided Hillary has won.

I am so glad to hear that Congress will not pursue the flouting of subpoenas by the
Executive Branch until "later".

I expect the corporate media to throw up both irrlevance (OJ) and smears (MoveOn),
while ignoring/spinning away real events (100k march on DC).

But, what I do not expect is for the great bulk of threads at DU to slavishly use the
corporate stories as feedstock.

I write what I think is important, not what is in the media at the moment. I am fed up
that large numbers of people at DU want to talk about Tasers and meaningless polls in
a Potemkin campaign, instead of the looming war with Iran and the imminent meltdown
of the dollar.

So, thanks for giving me some space to vent.

arendt

[lapislzi]

6. Flout! You used flout, and you used it correctly!

I love you!

It does my heart good to see intelligence surfacing, try as some on both sides might try to quash it.

I for one am very apprehensive about both issues that you raised (Iran/US$). Waiting to see how this will play out, wondering if it's feasible to flee, and where. Years ago, when I was a Reagan exile in the UK, I was dating a South African and an Australian. Both wanted to marry me and have me move with him to his country. I flipped a coin and it landed for the South African. (Yes, that's mercenary, I know...it was a little more complicated than that, but not much). I survived South Africa, although the marriage did not. Now I wonder what would have happened had things gone the other way. Where can one go to be safe?

[arendt]

7. Where can one go to be safe?...

In the age of the global megacorp, nowhere is safe. Anyplace that a cell phone
or internet cable can reach is "on the grid". And that includes places where the
cell phone tower is run off solar panels. They will send their private goons out
if you give them any trouble.

So, you try to fight them where you stand. And the problem is, no matter where
you stand, they are barricaded behind layers of legal and technical infrastructure.
They own the legal system, the media, the police, the leadership of the political
parties. All bought and paid for.

The only time the people have a chance is when the leadership, either deliberately
or accidentally, causes a given locality (country is such a quaint concept) to have
an economic or environmental disaster. Only at that moment can the people organize
around a too-obvious-to-spin grievance (like the privatizing of water, or GMO
suicide seeds and GMO proliferation).

I am trying to come to terms with being without institutional support in this
nightmare world. Geez, at least Occupied Europe had the BBC and the Resistance.
The internet is our fragile lifeline. They are now trying to shut it off (no net
neutrality). At this point, net neutrality is more important than honest voting
machines.

----

Sorry to hear about your odyssey to UK/SA. Bad timing. But, I don't think there
is any good timing left as we come to Peak Oil and Climate Change, with the
Neanderthals driving the bus.

Are you still ex pat?

arendt

[lapislzi]

8. Back in NY since '94

Like so many others, I was lulled into the false sense of security provided by the Clinton years. What did I know? My political consciousness had been anesthetized by motherhood, spousal abuse, and my years in South Africa. All that being said, it was an exciting time to live in SA. I voted in the first free election there.

I would even consider going back. I understand they need good minds, and probably there is more goodwill than you might expect.

It would feel like chickening out, though, to dive under the radar now. Yes, stand and fight them where you are. At least you have a hope of taking a few with you when you go down. Damn, it's rough when the best you can hope for is a disaster to wake people up.

[arendt]

9. I hope its not the part of NY that James Kuntsler talks about...

the upstate part that is already bad, and going to become Mad Max territory when gas prices
hit their inevitable breaking point. OTOH, even Kunstler admits that the northeast has
the best chance of surviving the coming collapse, due to its water resources, climate,
farming, and generally shorter distances.

Even in the northeast US, where does one pick to make a stand? Big city? Vulnerable
to power cuts, terrorism, police curfews and sweeps. Suburbs? Total car dependency,
and big city dependency. Rural? All the problems laid out by James Kuntsler (unless
you ARE a farmer). Should you keep your house (in case of inflation), or cash out
before its too late (in case of deflation and/or dollar collapse)?

Given the thought process of even people who are supposedly politically aware (i.e., DU),
it looks like progressives are pretty much without institutional support, except for
internet swarms like Kos or MoveOn.

I have been thinking for a while of walking away from DU and just going to Kos. But,
I don't understand all this "Diary Rescue" stuff. I find the place hard to navigate. That's
why I stay with DU. At least I understand how it works.

arendt

[lapislzi]

12. All things being equal, I'd take my chances with Mad Max

I live in the northern suburbs of NYC (not Westchester). Parts of my area are still semi-rural. There are working farms in the town. No point in cashing out; you can't sell real estate up here these days and the money's not going to be worth anything anyhow.

We (like minded family and friends) have talked about an emergency plan. My house with 2 acres and a wood stove is as good a place as any. We need to install a hand pump for water, but otherwise we could survive off the grid. Not terribly comfortably, but we could manage, at least for awhile.

You can't predict, but you can prepare.

[arendt]

14. Sorta similar here...

Live in a "rural residential" (over 2 acres) area in Essex County.
Its commuting distance to Boston, with commuter rail. Its also near the ocean
and Merrimac River (for transport when the Dark Ages come).

There are a few large (but not corporate) farms in the neighborhood, and
a couple of food co-ops. There some upscale bedroom communities nearby,
which support some "artisans" that do interesting metal and wood work.
We have well water, and (like a lot of New Enlgand) oil heat. So, all we need
to go off grid is electicity. I have been looking at this company which claims
they will install and run a solar panel setup on your property, and charge
you for only the electricity. I can't judge if this is a scam or not:

http://renu.citizenre.com/index.php?c=1168291804

I keep switching back and forth between what will happen when "the lights"
go out: banditry/every man for himself or a police state. Either way, just
sitting on your own property doesn't seem viable. There needs to be
community. Which is why I come to DU (even tho infrequently lately).

I have a doctor's appointment. Back later.

arendt

[Hell Hath No Fury]

23. Sadly, too many who used to provide...

such good anaylsis have been chased away, sent away, or ignored until they gave up and left on their own. :(

That post is like a cool sip of water for a parched throat. :)


Thanks, arendt! :hi:

[arendt]

24. Your welcome.

I, myself, have been almost ignored out of DU. When I get three responses,
I tend to ask myself "why bother"? Your comment is appreciated.

The posts at DU these days are dominated by one-liner wonders and the candidate-droids.
Deep analysis consists of two sentences, without one being an insult.

I'm not sure that, in the current format of DU, you can have any serious discussion
that doesn't end in a flamewar. People escalate everything, and I think a lot of it
is deliberate, by deep-cover trolls. Given what passes for posts, it doesn't take
much to generate 1000+ on your postings. (Hell, they probably hire a Chinese
"gold miner" to do that.)

arendt

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

10. Ignorance is knowledge. War is peace. All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.

[arendt]

11. Different brand name, same product: concentration camps n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. Great post. K&R The Iranian bogeyman is serving the bosses well.

Now that the Iraqi bogeyman has been found to be unbeatable, they are erecting another to threaten us.

Of course, it won't matter because the Vietnamese bogeyman has taken all of California, the Soviets now control New York, and the Cuban bogeyman is forcing the Floridians to eat black beans and rice, listen to salsa music, and endure free health care. Not to mention the evil Grenadians overrunning Houston. Aren't they?

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken

[arendt]

15. "Nobody ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the American public." HLM. n/t

[Gonzo Gardener]

16. WOW. K&R

I will be looking forward to reading more posts from you.


:thumbsup:

[arendt]

17. Welcome to DU, Green Meanie

My previous posts are all in my archive. It is a feature of DU.

arendt

[arendt]

18. Oops, I meant journal, not archive. The journal icon is at the top of the page. n/t

[Gonzo Gardener]

21. Yep, got it. I mean FUTURE POSTS!

:toast:

And thank you, I will check your journal.

I have a few entries in mine as well.

[paparush]

19. But, oil was $27/barrel when Bush** took office. Now its pushing $80.

That's progress!!

:sarcasm:

[arendt]

20. Rush hour front page kick n/t

[mmonk]

22. That's putting it out there.

[BeHereNow]

25. GREAT to hear from you Arendt!!!! I was thinking about you the other day!

KICK ass writing, as USUSAL!
K&R!!!!!!!!
BHN

[BeHereNow]

26. Kicking through the flood of bullshit posts in GD.

The cream always rises to the top-
even if I have to push it there by myself...
ARENDT!
ARENDT
ARENDT!

:hug: :loveya: :hi:
BHN

[arendt]

27. Wow! I feel the love.

GD is just a flood of banal stuff. But, GD-P is so toxic, with all the candidate-slagging,
that I thought it was safer here.

By diligent kicking (and friends like you), this thread has gotten some visibility.

Thank you

arendt

P.S. Hope all is well.

[BeHereNow]

28. Well, other than the fact that we have lost the country, all is well I suppose.

And DU is ever so much more palatable when you are here...
BHN

[arendt]

30. As someone said, "politics has failed, now all we have is the movement"...

I expect nothing from the Democrats. They are the good cop in the age-old scenario.
It looks like they will cram Hillary down our throats. That means: a person who refused
to apologize for voting for the war in the first place; a person whose health care plan
is a giveaway to the medical industry; an extension of the Bush/Clinton oligarchy to
a grand total of 28 years - nearly 1/3 of a century; a continuation of corporate slimeballs
like Rahm Emmanuel placed in positions of power.

There is only "the movement", whatever that means. If Bush pushes the button on Iran,
the movement is as dead as Ghandi would have been if he lived in Austria. So, I guess
we should keep pressuring the sane people in Washington to do something to save
their own (and, incidentally, our) asses.

I don't suppose you recall my sporadic postings on better-organized government?
I was just reading a review of Naomi Klein's new book, in which they said:

...conservative/libertarian economist Milton Friedman...first articulated (this) in his 1962 book "Capitalism and Freedom." His thesis: "only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When a crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around....our basic function (is) to develop alternatives to existing policies (ones Friedman rejects, and have them ready to roll out when the) the impossible becomes politically inevitable." Klein calls crises "democracy-free zones," and Friedman's thesis "the shock doctrine."

I was wondering where the left's ideas for a post-First Republic government are. I'm beginning
to think that my ideas are as good as anything out there, but they need to be pushed harder
than I can push them.

Today's movements aren't replicas of the past, and one of the differences "is an acute awareness of the need for protection from shocks of the past" - coups, foreign shock therapists, torturers, debt and currency shocks.

They've learned from the past and are building "shock absorbers into their organizing models." It's in movements less centralized, Venezuela's grassroots community councils, Brazil's Landless Peoples Movement, and the streets of Oaxaca, Mexico where thousands battled police since a year ago May and still won't quit. In addition, governments are rejecting old trade models and adopting new ones like Venezuela's ALBA bartering system making it less vulnerable to turbulent markets.

In my proposal, I said we had to write new safeguards against hijacking of government, hijacking of the media, and out of control intelligence agencies; that we needed to decentralize without disarming vis-a-vis corporations. Sounds in sync with Ms. Klein.

Do you know anywhere I could get engagement on my old ideas (that is, if you remember them...they are
in my journal somewhere).

Regards,

arendt

[BeHereNow]

33. I remember, however, I have never seen a bleaker horizon-

I think it is about surviving at this point, and that aspect looks
pretty grim too.
BHN

[arendt]

37. What I'm saying is that we better have an alternative to the failed status quo or...

the Friedmanistas will carry the day.

I'd rather do something crazy (organize a new form of web-based political action)
than do something futile (work inside this corrupt, broken two-party system).

Do you understand how the Kos board works? What is the relationship between
the forums and the diaries? How does activism get empowered through Kos?

arendt

[BeHereNow]

38. Sorry to admit- I can't navigate the damned KOS site either...

I know there's good stuff there, but damn, talk about user UNfriendly.
As far as organizing on the net- how much longer do you think we have?
And do you really think that format could work?
I hate to say, I don't.

Sorry, but I don't.

BHN

[arendt]

40. Thanks for the honesty.

If you remember the details, can you say why you don't think {elected bureaucracy/specialized voting} would work?
I am always looking for feedback on this topic.

And, I feel less stupid about the Kos site after your post. Thanks.

arendt

[BeHereNow]

41. Simply? Because the powers that be would never allow it.

We have crossed the rubicon.
BHN

[arendt]

42. But, I am not asking anyone's permission. I am organizing a movement...

Do you think the Committees of Correspondence asked the permission of George III?

I agree with you. We have crossed the Rubicon. You and I are quicker to realize it (or just to admit it)
than many others.

Do you want to be led by those many others? Or do you want to try to create something new?

I think that the U.S. has over-reached badly. At this point, all it has left is military force; and
that is all but stalemated in the current situation. If they attack Iran, you won't recognize the
world (if the world is left) in a year.

If they attack Iran with conventionals, the Chinese will call our loans; the Russians and the Venezuelans
will stop selling us cheap oil; the Europeans will cut a deal with the Russians for oil and for protection;
the South Americans will cut a deal with the Chinese and tell us to pound sand. The U.S. will crater.
In that situation, I do not see a Bush police state. I see anarchy. In that anarchy, there willl be vast
room to organize a movement.

If they attack Iran with nukes, I would be in the streets, as would many others. That situation is
beyond prediction. So, I will not try to prepare for it.

By my logic, preparing for a new version of distributed Consitutional democracy is the only thing
worth doing now. The current political process is a rigged farce.

Anyway, thanks for listening. You seem sort of, uh, crushed, defeated. Do you want to talk about
it?

arendt

[truedelphi]

62. Wish I had seen this OP in time to recommend

Itis very deserving.

[earth mom]

29. Wow-This is the type of post DU needs more than ever right now!

:thumbsup:

[BeHereNow]

31. That is why I am rejoicing at Arendt's appearance.

So MUCH BULLSHIT lately, eh?
Makes you wonder, does it not?
BHN

[earth mom]

48. "They" are out in full force I'd say.

So much is getting lost through diversions, b.s. or down the memory hole. I can't keep up with it all! This thread is a keeper for sure.

[Wiley50]

32. Does Free Mean The Same As Worthless? If So You're Right n/t

[arendt]

34. The original (arbeit macht frei) was gallows humor: free = dead. n/t

[druidity33]

35. K&R, good stuff! nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

36. Excellent commentary

I'm glad I looked in GD, and this is the first time I've felt that way in days.

[snappyturtle]

39. K&R Interesting read. Unfortunately, you have confirmed my

dread of the future. More to the point, how does one prepare? It's a catch 22.

I fear Americans will have to hit bottom before they develop a cooperative nature needed for survival....that might take longer than some of us have years left.

On the upside, I'm glad you're posting again. Thanks.

[CoffeeCat]

43. Arendt...

Thank you so much for this post. I have always appreciated your
insight and your incredible way with words.

I'm one of your fans, but admittedly--I'm also one of the flibbertigibbets
posting about tasers and commenting on missing blonde girls. I do this
because sometimes the grief and the fear are unbearable. I'm tuned in to how
bad it is.

I know what is coming too. I have two young daughters who are in elementary
school. I often wonder how I will explain this world to them. I don't know
how to raise children in a world that will be so foreign from the one in which
I was raised. I'm terrified for them.

I truly hope that you will continue writing here.

[arendt]

45. When three or four people find one of my cynical essays to be an event, times are tough :-)

I won't beat you up for posting about tasers. No one person is guilty, rather it is
a mob phenomenon. Maybe the mods could limit the number of posts on a single
topic, or something?

To your other point, NO ONE knows how to live in this foreign world, where our
country has become a pariah and a pack of gangsters, where the media has become
a propaganda machine for violence and bigotry, where religion has been hijacked
for political ends.

All I am doing is to do what MOST motivates me. If I stray off that, my will to act
almost disappears. I have had to avoid calling people on the embedded propaganda
that they spout, because I would alienate everyone around me. So, I come to DU
and try to get people to think for themselves, and to act when and how they can.

But, above all, you must act and not become paralyzed. Keep moving. Don't freeze.
Doing something is better than doing nothing. Its harder for them to contain us if
we don't behave docilely and predictably.

I would like to keep writing, but I need topics. The only topics worth discussing are:

How to impeach Cheney and Bush
How to get us out of Iraq and never into Iran
How to get some sane people in charge of the economy before it completely craters
How to start protecting the environment before we all die
How to restore some semblance of civil liberties and free press

The rest of it - all the candidate bullshit, all the non-news about celebrity this and
celebrity that, all the sports and entertainment - has got to get shoved out of the
limelight.

I hope these words mean something to you. Thanks for your kind words. We are
all scared.

arendt

[Oilwellian]

44. Great, great post

K&R :kick:

[arendt]

46. Bedtime for me; but (shameless plug) you can recommend this thread until 10 AM Thurs. n/t

[NuttyFluffers]

49. i'm reading this as a bedtime lullaby! :)

i always love these stories, gives me pleasant nightmares. in my horror scenario i imagine Cthulhu running around like Godzilla stomping on strip malls while i'm riding mass transit and watching 'Clueless' on my iPod. if you're gonna die it's better go out poetically.

[arendt]

55. Another member of the rose colored spectacles brigade. March on, happy camper. n/t

[NuttyFluffers]

70. aww, you find no solace in destruction? D:

:-(
from ashes comes rebirth! but first it mixes with water and turns to caustic lye... why be so gloomy about the obvious and inevitable? even this too shall pass.
:7
on mondays, tuesdays, and every other wednesday i wear rose-colored contact lenses!
:bounce:

[Quantess]

47. You're a good writer. (no text)

[cali]

50. More hysterical hyperbole

If things were actually as you state they are, there would be no internet.

"Intellectual genocide"? Please. I mean please. So there's no 'kos, no DU, no TPM, no Democracy Now!, no NYT (and yes they fucked up big time with J. Miller et al, but their editorials are and have been, strongly anti-bush, and they still do investigative work)

Who is your typical "good American Fundamentalist"? In fact, why bring fundamentalists into the argument at all?

Comparing 9/11 (I assume that's what you're doing in your screed) with the words over the gate at a Death Camp, is spurious. In fact, though you have an argument in this paragraph, you torpedo it with your own language.

As for your conclusion that the 2008 elections are meaningless, and your crystal ball prognostications...well, I'm not big on those who think they have a crystal ball, and no the elections aren't meaningless, as yesterday's votes in the Senate should have demonstrated to you. Had there been a few more dems, the Habeas Restoration Act would have passed. Had there been a few more dems there would have been no need for Webb's Dwell Amendment. Had Al Gore been President there would be no Iraq War.

All in all a really poor piece. I'm sure lots of DUers will swoon over it.

Thumbs down.

[bettyellen]

51. yeah it's a bit unibomberish, isn;t it?

i think if you like fan fiction, it might be your thing.
i agree-it's irresponsible and overheated rhetoric and the metaphors are stretched to the breaking point.
Whatever.

[arendt]

53. That's all for you. You're in my ignore file. No time to waste on cheap shot artists. n/t

[cali]

54. LOL

and as you've put me on ignore, this isn't for you, but for others reading the thread. I criticized your piece- and not with cheap shots, but with refutation that you are seemingly unwilling/unable to respond to. Your reaction? Put me on ignore and accuse me of taking "cheap shots" at your essay.

If you can't take criticism, don't put it out there.

[arendt]

56. Not cali. Bettyellen. I can read your stuff. Its intelligent, if misguided. n/t

[arendt]

52. A day late and a dollar short.

You guys always show up at the end of my threads and dump on them. If you had any honesty, you would
show up at the beginning of the thread. You post a lot of "woulda, shoulda, coulda" about how
the good cop corporate dems are going to save us, IF ONLY. Yeah, if only they had spines.
If only they enforced the law about subpoenas. If only they started talking about peace instead
of talking tough on Iran.

As for yesterday's votes, they prove my point. Did you see one of the two Maine senators
switch her vote AFTER the totals were in. Typical of the "point shaving" and posturing.
I guarantee you that all these "close" votes are as scripted as a sitcom episode.

I am so glad you believe the political theatre that is going on in D.C. You keep waiting
for Saint Hillary, Inc. to save us all. You keep pretending that we have anything left but
impeachment. You keep the dollars flowing to Rahm Emmanuel.

Whatever it takes to keep the fantasy alive.

I really haven't paid attention to what you post about on DU. Now, I know I won't bother.

arendt

[arendt]

57. here, cali. this is my reply to you. Repsond to this. n/t

[cali]

58. Sad. Your demand that people show up on your thread

immediately after its inception, is just ridiculous. I responded when I saw it. And how do you know that this is the end of the thread? Strikes me that it could well be one of those long contentious threads.

And of course you didn't respond to my criticim. OK, you made some comment about the chicanery of the repuke Senators, and I agree that they are playing games, but you ignore that ALL of the dems voted the right way on all three bills/amendments yesterday.

Hate to break this to you but I strongly OPPOSE Hillary Clinton. I can't stand Rahm Emanuel. So shove your false accusations where they belong. You should be ashamed of yourself for making them. It's such a repuke thing to do to a person who disagrees with you.

And I haven't noticed you much before either, but if I see more of your hysterical shit, I'll be sure to refute it. And if you keep making stuff up about what *I* think, I'll be there to call you on that shit too.

[arendt]

59. I would love to have a long, contentious thread. Let's go.

Gee, my post is about number 10 on the greatest list and it took you half a day to find it?

First, as I said, I am unfamiliar with your positions. If you say you hate HRC and RE,
then, we have something in common. Sorry for the misattribution. (That's an apology.)

You admit you are unfamiliar with mine. First, arendt is for Hannah Arendt. A lot of what
I write makes reference to Nazis and Stalinists. Perhaps that is why you think it is hysterical.
But, it is something I have been passionate about. Arendt's work is seminal in understanding
totalitarian thinking and organization. The Bush Gang sets off every alarm there is for me.

As for hysterical, let's deconstruct my essay.

Premise: if we attack Iran, its all over.
2nd premise: the media and the Dems (by a 97-0) vote are all for "keeping all options on the table" about Iran.
(i.e., there is no credible and effective political resistance capable of preventing Bush from attacking Iran.)
Conclusion: we are screwed.

You call that "hysterical", I call it reasoning from the facts. Do you disagree that attacking
Iran is a point of no return?

Six years ago, I was confident that normal politics and a normal Democratic party could
stop these nutjobs. After two more stolen elections, the trashing of Howard Dean, and
the failure give more than lip service to Ned Lamont, I no longer automatically assume
that the Dems are going to be on the right side. Have we forgotten the secret trade deal
the DLC did with Bush? Have we forgotten the Yellow Dog Dems?

When I hear the Dems plead "these things take time", and then I look at the non-results
they get, I ask "how are these guys going to stop Bush from attacking Iran?" They have
zero leverage. He is the military commander, he has installed fundie loyalists at the top
of the military. Cheney is still in his bunker, unimpeached.

So, as a person who has written letters, protested, campaigned, contributed, harranged friends, etc.
and then watched the Dems behavior over the last nine months; I conclude that we are
going to attack Iran. From that follows the essay.

You call my position hysteria. I call your position wishful (on edit: magical) thinking.

-------------------

Now, I have to go to work. But, if you have a journal, I will try to read it and figure out where
you are coming from. I have a journal. Maybe you could skim back a few years and see how
my position has evolved.

Anyway, if you want to check in tonight, we can continue. I don't mean to leave you hanging,
this is not a setup. You can have the last word this AM.

arendt

[cali]

60. thanks for the apology.

I've never admitted I was unfamiliar with Arendt. Not only that, but amusingly, my father knew her quite well. They hung out in the same milieu, though my father was quite a bit younger than Arendt. I'm familiar with her work, not simply because I was encouraged to read it at a young age, but through academic study as well. You keep making presumptions. It's not a terribly wise thing to do.

As for your essay; you don't seem to grasp what deconstruction is to begin with, but anyway...

OK, If we attack Iran, it'll be a very, very dark day. What precisely will be the ramifications is difficult to forecast. Will it be a "point of no return"? What do you mean by that? If you mean, we'll immediately be thrown into a world war of cataclysmic proportion, I don't know. Possibly, or possibly not. And btw, many experts don't think that the U.S. attacking Iran would result in China and Russia striking back at the U.S. In any case, it would be a dismally bad move with serious ramifications. I don't know what those ramifications would be. Neither do you.

I DO understand your frustration after these last 6+ dismal years. I too have written letters, protested, etc, and felt, at times, despair, but none of that has much to do with my criticism of your essay.

And sorry, I do see it as largely hysteria, hyperbole and inaccurate historical comparisons.

[arendt]

63. Care to re-assess the likelihood the Dems will stop an attack on Iran after today's Senate vote?

There's not much in your journal. So I go only go by your post.

I do think you are thinking magically. You say, if we attack Iran, it would have "serious ramifications",
but it "wouldn't be a point of no return". You offer no evidence that there would be anything other
than martial law in this country. I call that a point of no return. You call it hysteria. Guess we will
have to disagree about that.

No historical comparison is completely accurate. But, why don't you take a look at my essay: A Permanent
State of Lawlessness

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/arendt/90

It lays out the historical precedent in great detail. You call this hyperbole. I call it worth thinking about
after today's display by the DLC Dems, led by Harry Reid. They couldn't do anything about restoring
Habeus Corpus, but they sure as hell could condemn Free Speech. "we only need four more Dems" my ass.
We need about 24 more REAL Dems.

I don't know what kind of happy juice you are drinking. But, it is getting pretty hard to do hyperbole
when your own leadership throws you under the bus.

And, yes, I should have said something like "simplify" instead of "deconstruct". I too have been to college.
My intent was clear. Your emphasizing an irrelevant mistake is not winning you any points with me.

So, unless you want to put some facts behind your magical thinking, I will be getting out of this conversation.

arendt

[cali]

65. Seriously, you have a terrible reading comprehension

problem

You write: but it "wouldn't be a point of no return". You offer no evidence that there would be anything other
than martial law in this country. I call that a point of no return

And you put in quotation marks "wouldn't be a point of no return". Of course I didn't say that. And then you drag this martial law thing into it, accusing me of not offering evidence that there wouldn't be a state of martial law. Well, of course I didn't provide evidence, just as YOU haven't; it was never part of the discourse. I WILL get to why we won't be under martial law in a moment, but first what I actually did say:


What precisely will be the ramifications is difficult to forecast. Will it be a "point of no return"? What do you mean by that? If you mean, we'll immediately be thrown into a world war of cataclysmic proportion, I don't know. Possibly, or possibly not. And btw, many experts don't think that the U.S. attacking Iran would result in China and Russia striking back at the U.S. In any case, it would be a dismally bad move with serious ramifications. I don't know what those ramifications would be. Neither do you.

That's right, unlike you I don't have the hubris to forecast what will happen should we attack Iran... because I don't know, and by the same token, neither do you. I do say it'll be a very, very bad thing, but that's just not cataclysmic enough for you. As for martial law, the fed gov't does NOT have th resources to effectively institute martial law. This country is geographically far too large, and there are over 300,000,000 million people.

Anyway, I'm done here. I've provided you with detailed counter arguments and you've been unable to respond to them with even a scintilla of critical thought.

[arendt]

67. I have seen this act before. This is real deconstruction. You torture the language.

Thanks :sarcasm: for putting the proper quote marks on your nested post, so it might be easy to read.
But, needless complication seems to be your forte. You spin and spin and spin on what's inside
a quote, and then you leave out the quotes in your own response. I don't think that is an accident.

Your basic position is that my take on the future is baloney and your take on the future (which
is that, magically, nothing bad will happen) is correct. Your take is that martial law will not be
declared because it could not effectively be enforced. Yeah, and Bush couldn't possibly bomb Iran or
invade Iraq. That we be irrational. But, guess what, Bush is nuts, and it is quite likely that, when
he bombs Iran, he will declare martial law. Remember, these are the guys who "create reality".

Keep whistling past that graveyard. Your almost safe. Only fifteen more months.

arendt

[cali]

68. Bwahahaha

Do you really think that repeating the same spurious charge is an argument? Rinse, repeat, lather, does not a cogent argument make.


I. Have. Never. Said. Nothing. Bad. Will. Happen.

In fact, to the contrary, I said if we bomb Iran it will be very bad. But keep going with the prevarications; you seem to be quite practiced at it.

And I haven't made any prognostications; that's your thing. As I said, I don't know what will happen.

Neither do you. You seem to have a tough time accepting that you don't have a shiny little crystal ball.

Oh, and I suspect your namesake wouldn't think much of your "scholarship".

[arendt]

69. "it will be very bad". Now that is real insight. Much clearer than what I said.

You have a pattern. You begin with a personal insult. Really endearing. (So endearing that I will adopt
your practice. Are you flattered?)

Then you play judge. You pronounce that I have proven nothing. But, no one can prove anything about the future.
Why then is my scenario any less likely than yours? According to you, it just is. And you don't
have to prove it; but for some reason you have it in your mind that I have to prove mine. And, yours is
such an insightful scenario, "it will be very bad." Well, you go to the head of the class.

Sorry. I won't play patsy for you any longer. I'm sure you will claim another PoMo victory. You didn't find
my essay compelling. I don't find your insults and your refusal to extrapolate the behavior of a gang that has
been doing as it pleases for six years compelling either. No more time to waste butting heads.
No minds will be changed.

I'm sure you will diss my grammar, my logic, and even my spelling. You know what? I really don't give a damn.


arendt

And you end with a personal insult too. Don't you have good manners?:sarcasm: BTW - it is really cheap to insult me via Hannah Arendt. That is low.

[bettyellen]

78. cali DID NOT SAY THAT

sheesh. "nothing bad" -read it again.
baloney was spot on though!

[bettyellen]

64. Funny! I strongly OPPOSE Hillary Clinton. I can't stand Rahm Emanueltoo! What I see as Unibomberish

is the apocolyptic hysteria in the OP. It goes well with the strange delusion that we were actually lying in wait... planning to post towards the end of the thread... Heck, I just stumbled across it.
That shit it just weird, like belongs in the dungeon weird.
:shrug:

[cali]

66. Yeah, but look at all the fawning

responses from the Amerika first crew.

[bettyellen]

79. some people like florid hyperbole and an abundance of metaphors disguised as deep thought...

me, give me it straight and simple.
no need to drag crop burning metaphors into it, i have a bottole of ambien for that.

[earth mom]

61. Morning Kick!

:kick:

[BlooInBloo]

71. "One-sentence group"?

[kineneb]

74. Einsatz

from my big German dictionary: military usage "engagement, mission, action"

so "action group" or "mission group"

[BlooInBloo]

75. I think that's a compound (sub-)word too - at least in origins....

... does your dictionary have etymology?

[kineneb]

77. ah, the joys of German compound nouns

Sorry, my dictionaries are all of the functional, translation variety. For etymology, one needs a specialty all-German Worterbuch, to which I do not have access here in the boonies. There may be one online, but it will all be in German, which is not helpful unless one is moderately fluent.

German is a really fun language in which to make up compound nouns.

ein= a, an, one
Satz= (can mean many things, depending on usage)
1. leap, bound, jump (spring)
2. dregs, lees, grounds (coffee), sediment
3. (music)movement, composition, matter, setting
4. set (tennis)
5. stake (game, betting)
6. sentence, phrase, clause, period (speech)

-It kind of means "thingy/ies" like "the thingies in the bottom of the coffee pot".

Gruppe= group, gang, team, crew, squad, band, troop, cluster, flock, herd, covey, bevy, batch, shoal, galaxy, bunch, stack, lot...

-another generic word for "bunch of ____ (people, birds, fish, etc.)

Hope this helps.

Dang, got to use that German minor!

[kineneb]

72. great essay, as always

This is what a friend and I have been discussing over the last several years. She chooses not to be active in political matters, and hopes to ride out whatever happens "hiding under a flat rock". I keep telling her that is possibly not an option.

I am unable to do much as I am a caregiver for my husband, who is slowly dying from congestive heart failure and renal failure (he is on dialysis). But I am much more of an activist at heart, and hope to come up with creative ways to some monkeywrenching. We are fortunate to live in an isolated, low-population rural county in CA, where there is still lots of agriculture, and still a sense of community due to that isolation. I could see what was coming before we moved here, and intentionally chose a location in what would be considered a village- all the basics are within walking or bicycling distance, including a large lake. (The wine grape growers may have to convert to selling vegetables to the locals; oh well, at least there is plenty of ag land.)

Having lived in Iran, I can say that attacking that country would be absolute folly. The people there are, above all, loyal to their country, to their sense of being Iranian, not to which ever governmental form happens to be in power. They would not "turn against the regime" there, as the NeoCons somehow wish. They would take up arms, right down to the oldest grandma, to defend their country and their history.

[arendt]

76. Thanks for sharing. Wish you well monkeywrenching.

If you can afford it, some solar electicity would be useful for when the grid goes down.
You have my condolences about your husband. That is such a tough situation. I
hope the village helps out, or at least gives you some companionship.

Interesting about Iran. We sure don't get to hear much about them from the corporate
media. I would guess that places that never got up to first world status would have
quite a reservoir of old-fashioned, non-propaganda-driven patriotism for the land.

Wish I could look away from this impending trainwreck, but I can't. Perhaps
caring for your husband gives you calmness in the face of the lunatics running
our country.

Peace

arendt

[KoKo]

73. Arendt...what's amazing is that what we are living through has come before...

and in such short time in many folks memory here. And, that so many who have a heritage of living through such a dark time...would support these maniacs who are a throwback to that horrendous time in the mid-20th Century just blows my mind.... How do people who suffer through such tremendous horror spawn children who support the horror again by joining up with forces who totally oppose them in so many ways?

snip from your post:


The domestic outcome of such an attack will be a de facto, if not de jure, suspension of all Constitutional rights. We already see mercenary bases being set up inside the U.S. - we are to become just another colony of the multinational corporate empire. Anyone who has read Solzhenitsyn (as the right wing did so fervently) will remember that, in the Gulag, the common criminals were allowed to beat up and rob "the politicals". Progressives, meet your bunkmate, Blackwater.

In a fitting reversal, Americans will be the ones to "freeze in the dark" as we either run out of money to pay for oil or are shut out from the oil supplies by war or sanctions. America, its democracy asphyxiated in Iran and cremated by martial law, will soon resemble today's Iraq, with roving gangs fighting while sane people flee.

But, look at the upside. It is so very considerate of the media to offer us our choice of towels (red for the GOP or blue for the DLC) on the way to the showers. And isn't the little OJ-shaped bar of hotel soap just darling? Keep thinking about the meaningless 2008 elections, willfully-ignorant suckers, as you march naked to your deaths.

[slipslidingaway]

80. Thank you and kick n/t