nationalobserver--2020-09-10--End times for American democracy? An interview with Chris Hedges

Canada 's National Observer spoke about it with Chris Hedges , 63 , a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for the New York Times , where he served as the paper ’ s Middle East and Balkan bureau chiefs .
The interview was edited for length .
It certainly seems so : A staggeringly high pandemic death toll , race riots , rampant police brutality , a political class locked in a vicious knife fight with itself , and a mainstream media egging on the whole circus .
Prevailing over the mess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to behold .
Is the United States , as the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek once wrote , living in the End Times ?
Are these the empire ’ s last days , its moral authority to claim pre-eminence withered and gone ?
And I think the way to look at it is the difference between the lies — and the Clintons lie like they breathe in the same way Trump does .
But those were tactical lies .
For instance , ( Bill ) Clinton lied about all the great jobs he created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of four million new jobs under NAFTA , but he did n't continue to lie about NAFTA after it was clear that it was probably the worst assault on the American working class since the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act .
A : It would have been very different , and I am not fan of the Clintons .
They were architects of the neo-liberal policies that have plunged this country into such distress .
However , they remain rooted in verifiable fact and science in a way that Trump and his millions in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : If Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 election , would the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic been any different than under Trump given America ’ s structural problems ?
A : Well , ( Donald ) Trump is a daily surprise .
Just when you think he ca n't sink any lower , he does .
The kinds of policies and even statements that he 's engaging in are just wilfully self-destructive .
He 's a prisoner of his own megalomania and his own narcissism .
So in that sense , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've all been surprised at that — how far worse ( it is ) than we suspected .
Q : In regards to Trump 's term in office , how would you characterize it ?
Has it surprised you ?
So , yeah , there are a series of mechanisms that they 've already used and set in place , which Trump will attempt to employ .
They 've got this program where if you do n't vote in the last election , you 'll show up at the polling place and you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because you did n't vote , or you wo n't get your mail-in ballot , which is not even legal .
A : Do n't put anything past him .
I don ’ t think anyone is , including the Democratic leadership .
He will do anything : Whether that 's voter manipulation — the Republican Party has long had a history of pretty egregious voter manipulation , erasing people from the rolls .
Q : In regards to Trump getting re-elected or stealing the election , as it has been suggested he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what will happen if he somehow remains in office ?
That 's the difference between Trump and the Christian right , which is , in essence , his base .
That 's the “ permanent lie ” — a fact , verifiable fact , evidence — none of that matters .
The same way with George W. Bush : He lied about weapons of mass destruction , but when the weapons of mass destruction were not uncovered in Iraq , he did n't continue to lie about that they were there .
Q @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little it seems that the Republican Party has done to try to control him ?
The American political system before Trump took office was a kleptocracy , but now you will see just wanton , undisguised pillage , which I think is already pretty evident within the Trump White House given the personal enrichment that he and his family have made off of the office and his catering to his fellow billionaire class without any kind of restraint .
If Trump wins , then I think you will see a very naked and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his followers as a cult leader .
And remember , Trump gets a lot of money from the oligarchs because he carries water for them .
A : No , because the policies of both parties , and we know this from the polls , they are wildly unpopular — the tax cuts , the catering to the oligarchic and the corporate elite , the endless wars , the destruction or assault on social services — none of it has any popularity .
So politics has devolved in the United States to cultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tied themselves , starting with Reagan , to this retrograde neo-Confederate , white nativist Christian right .
The party hierarchy , the Bushes , the Cheneys , look at ( the Christian right ) as the useful idiots .
But what they didn ’ t realize is that ( the Christian right ) have the numbers and that one day the useful idiots will take over .
And that 's exactly what happened .
Q : In the background is the health of the American empire and what Trump and the Republicans represent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the empire doing ?
A : The fatal mistake on the part of the empire was the invasion of Iraq .
Now we have nearly 20 years of warfare in the Middle East , which has cost tremendous suffering , hundreds of thousands of dead , millions displaced , seeing the creation of failed states , whether in Libya or northern Syria .
And that 's characteristic of all late empires , that they embrace or engage in military fiascos in a kind of desperate attempt to recover a lost glory or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what 's happening now in the United States around the pandemic is that it has exposed to the rest of the world that the American model does n't work .
We are unable to cope .
There are very few countries , maybe Brazil , that have a worse track record than we do .
We can ’ t cope with the pandemic .
So we can cope neither with a pandemic because of our for-profit health-care system , which is not about delivering health , but of course gouging the public .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic fallout , which is going to be — even by the government ’ s figures — extremely severe .
So as this pandemic continues to hit us in wave after wave and just spirals out of control , we 're now facing an estimated 300,000 American dead by December and 400,000 by January .
Tens of millions of people have already been thrown into destitution , the ruling elites are bickering over an extension of unemployment insurance , the moratorium on evictions has been lifted , which means that some 40 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of their homes by the end of the year .
Twenty-seven million Americans are expected to lose their health insurance because health insurance in the United States is tied to employment ; it is employer-sponsored .
And real figures of unemployment are probably 20 per cent , because they fix the figure .
The system was hollowed out anyway by corporations and oligarchic elite so that it could n't withstand any stress , and that I think has been exposed ( by the pandemic ) .
So the credibility of the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , embodied in the inability of the United States to cope with a pandemic .
Q : You mentioned the Iraq War , which brings up the issue of defence spending , which is now in excess of $ 738 billion US a year .
How much of the fact that so much of the Treasury is spent on defence and not on infrastructure and health care plays a role in all of this chaos ?
A : Huge , huge .
This again is a characteristic of late empires .
Go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there was a one-million men standing army , and all of your resources are being funnelled into it .
The military in the United States is beyond control , it ’ s not even audited .
( Editor 's note : Since 1990 , the Pentagon was audited twice — and failed both times . )
Back in the 1960s , and early ’ 70s , you had liberals within the Democratic Party , which would fight against wasteful weapon systems .
That is completely gone .
They are completely subservient to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the country from the inside — our bridges , our roads , our public transportation , our utilities .
I live in Princeton , N.J. , which is an enclave of the one per cent , and when it rains , the power goes out , and not only that , but the phone lines go down .
It ’ s all falling apart .
And it 's all falling apart to feed essentially this rapacious military complex and defence contractors .
The only thing we make any more are weapons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capitalism .
Democrats were never going to allow Bernie Sanders to win nomination Q : With the Democratic Party , you 've seen the emergence of a left represented by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a few others .
But once more , an establishment candidate , Joe Biden , was chosen as the party ’ s nominee .
What do you suppose happened and did the left ever really have a shot this time around ?
A : No .
The Democratic Party was never going to give Sanders the nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic donors and leaders had made that publicly clear — people like Lloyd Blankfein , the former CEO of Goldman Sachs , who had said several times quite openly that if Sanders got the nomination , which was n't going to happen , he and the rest of the donor class of the Democratic Party were going to support Trump .
So they had fixed it so the super delegates , which are appointed by the Democratic National Committee and are composed of lobbyists and the Democratic Party leadership , could vote on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had gotten enough votes on the first round , he would have been trounced in the second .
So it was organized to push out the other candidates and leave Biden alone .
There were all sorts of tricks they used in 2016 that they used again in 2020 .
But Sanders winning was never going to happen , and I think all the publicity around AOC obscures the fact that these people ( on the left ) are utterly irrelevant , both within Congress and within the Democratic Party .
Again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than they disagree on — whether it 's on trade agreements or defence spending or austerity programs or tax cuts .
Biden essentially functions for the Democratic liberal elite as a kind of symbol of nostalgia for a return to what I call the pantomime of democracy .
But the political rot that is now eating away at the nation is not going to be solved by elections .
And , by the way , ( the political class has ) already instituted all sorts of totalitarian forms of control , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civil liberties , to the use of paramilitaries on the streets of our cities — these are all part of the twisted pathologies of all civilizations sputtering towards oblivion .
And I saw this in the old communist regimes I covered in Eastern Europe and later in Yugoslavia .
So the removal of Trump is n't going to do anything .
In fact , it 'll probably exacerbate the lust for racial violence and white nationalism , because both parties have built a mafia economy and out of that , a mafia state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under Biden as it did under Trump , under Barack Obama , under George W. Bush , under Bill Clinton , under Ronald Reagan — to give essentially carte blanche to corporations and oligarchs to pillage and loot .
Even if Biden wins , underlying problems in U.S. will remain Q : If Biden wins in November , what does that mean ?
A : It will restore the decorum of our version of monarchy , and it will restore the civic religion that is built around our government power .
That 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it a rational response to the pandemic .
But remember , the pandemic may be beyond control by then .
The militarized police that terrorize people in poor neighbourhoods are n't going away .
The endless wars , they 're not going to end .
The bloated military budget we just saw passed is not going to be reduced .
The world 's largest prison system — 2.3 million people incarcerated with four per cent of the world 's population , we hold 25 per cent of the world 's prison population — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police , which are the two bulwarks of social control .
The manufacturing jobs are not going to return , the social inequality is already growing exponentially , the for-profit health-care system , which are huge donors to the Biden campaign , will continue to gouge the public and price millions of people out of the health-care system .
The language of hate and bigotry has already been normalized as the primary form of communications .
So I think that what has happened in the United States is not solvable by an election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The Farewell Tour , which comes out of ( French sociologist Émile ) Durkheim ’ s great work on his book on suicide , where Durkheim examined what drove individuals and societies to carry out acts of self-destruction and self-annihilation .
And that 's where you get his term “ anomie.
” Anomie is a rupturing of those social bonds , the bonds that give individuals a sense of having a place in a collective , in being engaged in a project that 's bigger than the self .
And you find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this collective and valued by this collective , you express it through rituals , elections , democratic participation , patriotism , all these shared national beliefs .
And these bonds , as Durkeim writes , provide meaning , they give a sense of purpose , they give status , they give dignity .
In essence , they offer psychological protection from the meaningless that comes with being isolated and abandoned , as well as impending mortality .
And once you break these bonds , you push individuals and societies into very deep and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writ large across the United States .
The self-destructive pathologies of opioid addiction , gambling , suicide , sexual sadism — the rise of armed white hate groups .
Durkheim wrote that people who seek the annihilation of others , are driven by desires for self-annihilation , nihilistic mass shootings — this is all a product of this anomie , as is our political dysfunction .
And that 's not going away with Biden .
Police violence against African-Americans reveals system is beyond reform Q : On top of all this , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other African-Americans killed by the police .
You ’ ve had the emergence of Black Lives Matter .
What is the significance of the reaction to this police brutality ?
A : Well , again , that 's a product of this dislocation , this anomie , this shunting aside of poor people of colour and African-Americans and having a state that treats them as human refuse .
And the two forms of social control , as I mentioned before , the prison system and these militarized police , what you 've seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the elite .
So you will have the police take the knee or NASCAR and the U.S. Marine Corps ban the display of Confederate flags , and Nancy Pelosi don a kente scarf and Biden meets with George Floyd ’ s family at his funeral , or the mayor of Washington , Muriel Bowser , has the words “ Black Lives Matter ” painted in 35-foot tall letters on a street near the White House .
But at the same time , of course , she 's proposed a $ 45-million increase to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a $ 500-million jail .
( But ) I think that the gaslighting is n't working .
It worked in the past , but it 's not working anymore , and my sense is that those who are in the streets have come to the realization , the correct realization , that the system is beyond reform , that we ca n't reform the police .
All these tricks — more body cameras , consent decrees , revised use of force policies , banning chokeholds , civilian review boards , banning no-knock search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've all been proposals that have been proffered in the past , and in several cases , have been adopted in the wake of other police murders , like the killing of Eric Garner and Michael Brown .
So again , it 's the structure .
Police unions are very powerful because they are big donors to political campaigns .
And they have been able to push aside any reformers within the system , like community review boards , even mayors and police chiefs who are reformers .
So these are all smoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a faux anguish and empathy by the ruling elites .
But I do n't think people are buying it .
I think my sense is that in the street , there 's a kind of political sophistication , and that 's why you see people calling for the abolition of police , not the reforming of police .
Q : The mainstream media , and especially outlets like FOX News , how are they covering all of this ?
Are they doing an adequate job , or does it depend ?
Or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A : They 're not covering it .
They cover the eruption of a crisis , but do n't cover the issues .
And that does n't matter which wing of the media landscape you 're in , including the New York Times .
I worked there for 15 years .
It does n't cover day in and day out the suffering and humiliation and economic distress that is now visited on half the country , and , in particular , poor people of colour in urban areas .
And that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re catering to their advertisers .
I think it 's important to note that the media landscape has changed from when Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky wrote Manufacturing Consent ( in 1988 ) .
It 's changed quite radically .
You do n't need the old print media to connect sellers with buyers .
Sellers can go directly to buyers , they have all of our profiles , courtesy of our digital platforms .
And so that whole notion of faux objectivity and impartiality is gone , and the media landscape is splintered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demographic , whether it 's MSNBC or whether it 's FOX News or Breitbart or whatever .
And in order to solidify that demographic , they have become purveyors of hate .
So you have a media that still , as Chomsky and Herman pointed out , manufacturers consent , but it does this by setting group against group .
And it does this by catering to the particular opinions and prejudices of that group , which are reinforced and then sold back to us .
So it 's kind of packaged anger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , CNN does this , Fox does this .
And the danger is that as those divides widen , you ca n't communicate across them .
And that 's how you have huge sections of the country essentially cut off from each other , unable to communicate and entranced by the fake dissent of the cultural wars and conspiracy theories .
It ’ s all become , especially the electronic media , kind of a tawdry reality show .
Politics is reduced to political personality , civil discourse is defined by insults and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of power , of corporate power , is never examined and never challenged , and that creates political impotence among the populous .
So the media is a junior partner in the destruction of American democracy , and , of course , we 're a huge factor in publicizing Trump — because he 's good for profits .
And that kind of moral swamp that the media has created is a very fertile place for demagogues like Trump .
America 's billionaires are clueless of what is going on Q : Do you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class –– are they worried about what 's happening to the United States in any regard ?
A : The billionaire class does n't live in the United States , it lives in its self-created entity , as a writer for New Yorker magazine once called it , Richistan .
They do n't fly commercial airlines , they only hang out with other billionaires .
You know , it ’ s like Versailles or the Forbidden City — they 're just utterly disconnected from what 's happening around them .
They make insane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has made them even wealthier .
So I think they 're fairly clueless .
I think they think Biden is the solution .
They do n't have any contact with the working class other than the people who serve them .
So that 's again , always very dangerous when you allow an elite to essentially seize complete political and economic power , and they are utterly disconnected from the reality around them .
If you read Joseph Tainter ’ s The Collapse of Complex Societies , where he looks at 24 civilizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phenomenon as one of the major reasons of collapse — the elite is essentially able to hoard so much .
American billionaires have gotten almost $ 500 billion richer since the pandemic .
And , of course , they 're driving all the policies , and yet they really are clueless about what they 're doing and where we 're going .
Q : All of which leads to one question : Is America a failed state ?
A : America is a failed state , and it is what the political philosopher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inverted totalitarianism.
” And by that he means it 's not a classical totalitarian society like fascist Germany or Stalinism , it 's more like the end of the Roman Republic where you still have the old language , the old institutions , the old iconography and symbols , but they 're rendered meaningless .
Even under Nero and Caligula there was still a Senate .
So that 's what 's happened .
The facade has remained , but our democracy seized up and stopped functioning , beginning in the early 1970s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going all the way back to Clinton .
That 's when it really kind of stopped working completely .
So you had Clinton — and Biden was at the epicentre of this — speaking in the traditional feel-your-pain language of the Democratic Party while assiduously serving corporate power .
That was done , as I mentioned , through NAFTA , it was done through the 1994 omnibus crime bill that militarized the police and exploded the prison population , the deregulation of the Federal Communications Commission , which allowed a half-dozen corporations to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destruction of welfare was done under Clinton — and under the old welfare system , 70 per cent of the recipients were children — the ripping down of the firewalls between commercial and investment banks , which was the revoking of Glass-Steagall Act , all of this came under the Democratic Party .
So I think part of the problem was that betrayal by the Democratic Party elite saw the white working class gravitate towards the worst elements of the Republican Party — because that betrayal cuts so deep .
And then we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11 per cent of the American workforce is unionized , and I think six per cent of them are in public sector — and most of them ca n't use the only weapon that workers have to further their interests , which is to strike .
So America has long been a failed state , and I 've written book after book — Death of the Liberal Class , Empire of Illusion , Days of Destruction , Days of Revolt — which were all reported all over the country essentially talking about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And , of course , now we 're there .

A: Well, (Donald) Trump is a daily surprise. Just when you think he can't sink any lower, he does. The kinds of policies and even statements that he's engaging in are just wilfully self-destructive. He's a prisoner of his own megalomania and his own narcissism. So in that sense, I think, like most Americans, we've all been surprised at that — how far worse (it is) than we suspected.
Q: In regards to Trump's term in office, how would you characterize it? Has it surprised you?
Canada's National Observer spoke about it with Chris Hedges, 63, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for the New York Times, where he served as the paper’s Middle East and Balkan bureau chiefs. The interview was edited for length.
It certainly seems so: A staggeringly high pandemic death toll, race riots, rampant police brutality, a political class locked in a vicious knife fight with itself, and a mainstream media egging on the whole circus. Prevailing over the mess is a president whose incompetence is shocking to behold.
Is the United States, as the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek once wrote, living in the End Times? Are these the empire’s last days, its moral authority to claim pre-eminence withered and gone?
And I think the way to look at it is the difference between the lies — and the Clintons lie like they breathe in the same way Trump does. But those were tactical lies. For instance, (Bill) Clinton lied about all the great jobs he created — I think he threw out a number of four million new jobs under NAFTA, but he didn't continue to lie about NAFTA after it was clear that it was probably the worst assault on the American working class since the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act.
A: It would have been very different, and I am not fan of the Clintons. They were architects of the neo-liberal policies that have plunged this country into such distress. However, they remain rooted in verifiable fact and science in a way that Trump and his millions in the Christian right do not.
Q: If Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 election, would the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic been any different than under Trump given America’s structural problems?
Q: In regards to Trump getting re-elected or stealing the election, as it has been suggested he might, or not going anywhere, what will happen if he somehow remains in office?
That's the difference between Trump and the Christian right, which is, in essence, his base. That's the “permanent lie” — a fact, verifiable fact, evidence — none of that matters.
The same way with George W. Bush: He lied about weapons of mass destruction, but when the weapons of mass destruction were not uncovered in Iraq, he didn't continue to lie about that they were there.
They've got this program where if you don't vote in the last election, you'll show up at the polling place and you have been erased from the voter rolls because you didn't vote, or you won't get your mail-in ballot, which is not even legal.
A: Don't put anything past him. I don’t think anyone is, including the Democratic leadership. He will do anything: Whether that's voter manipulation — the Republican Party has long had a history of pretty egregious voter manipulation, erasing people from the rolls.
So, yeah, there are a series of mechanisms that they've already used and set in place, which Trump will attempt to employ.
If Trump wins, then I think you will see a very naked and frightening authoritarianism. Trump already functions for his followers as a cult leader. And remember, Trump gets a lot of money from the oligarchs because he carries water for them.
The American political system before Trump took office was a kleptocracy, but now you will see just wanton, undisguised pillage, which I think is already pretty evident within the Trump White House given the personal enrichment that he and his family have made off of the office and his catering to his fellow billionaire class without any kind of restraint.
Q: Have you been surprised at how little it seems that the Republican Party has done to try to control him?
A: No, because the policies of both parties, and we know this from the polls, they are wildly unpopular — the tax cuts, the catering to the oligarchic and the corporate elite, the endless wars, the destruction or assault on social services — none of it has any popularity. So politics has devolved in the United States to cultural wars, and the Republican Party long tied themselves, starting with Reagan, to this retrograde neo-Confederate, white nativist Christian right.
The party hierarchy, the Bushes, the Cheneys, look at (the Christian right) as the useful idiots. But what they didn’t realize is that (the Christian right) have the numbers and that one day the useful idiots will take over. And that's exactly what happened.
Pandemic shows American model doesn't work
Q: In the background is the health of the American empire and what Trump and the Republicans represent in regards to its health. How is the empire doing?
A: The fatal mistake on the part of the empire was the invasion of Iraq. Now we have nearly 20 years of warfare in the Middle East, which has cost tremendous suffering, hundreds of thousands of dead, millions displaced, seeing the creation of failed states, whether in Libya or northern Syria. And that's characteristic of all late empires, that they embrace or engage in military fiascos in a kind of desperate attempt to recover a lost glory or a lost hegemony.
I also think what's happening now in the United States around the pandemic is that it has exposed to the rest of the world that the American model doesn't work. We are unable to cope. There are very few countries, maybe Brazil, that have a worse track record than we do. We can’t cope with the pandemic.
So we can cope neither with a pandemic because of our for-profit health-care system, which is not about delivering health, but of course gouging the public. And we can't cope with the economic fallout, which is going to be — even by the government’s figures — extremely severe. So as this pandemic continues to hit us in wave after wave and just spirals out of control, we're now facing an estimated 300,000 American dead by December and 400,000 by January.
Tens of millions of people have already been thrown into destitution, the ruling elites are bickering over an extension of unemployment insurance, the moratorium on evictions has been lifted, which means that some 40 million Americans are at risk of being thrown out of their homes by the end of the year. Twenty-seven million Americans are expected to lose their health insurance because health insurance in the United States is tied to employment; it is employer-sponsored. And real figures of unemployment are probably 20 per cent, because they fix the figure.
The system was hollowed out anyway by corporations and oligarchic elite so that it couldn't withstand any stress, and that I think has been exposed (by the pandemic).
So the credibility of the American empire is embodied in a figure like Trump, embodied in the inability of the United States to cope with a pandemic.
Q: You mentioned the Iraq War, which brings up the issue of defence spending, which is now in excess of $738 billion US a year. How much of the fact that so much of the Treasury is spent on defence and not on infrastructure and health care plays a role in all of this chaos?
A: Huge, huge. This again is a characteristic of late empires. Go back and look at the Roman Empire, there was a one-million men standing army, and all of your resources are being funnelled into it.
The military in the United States is beyond control, it’s not even audited. (Editor's note: Since 1990, the Pentagon was audited twice — and failed both times.) Back in the 1960s, and early ’70s, you had liberals within the Democratic Party, which would fight against wasteful weapon systems. That is completely gone. They are completely subservient to the military industrial complex that is hollowing out the country from the inside — our bridges, our roads, our public transportation, our utilities. I live in Princeton, N.J., which is an enclave of the one per cent, and when it rains, the power goes out, and not only that, but the phone lines go down. It’s all falling apart.
And it's all falling apart to feed essentially this rapacious military complex and defence contractors. The only thing we make any more are weapons, and that's because it's not capitalism.
Democrats were never going to allow Bernie Sanders to win nomination
Q: With the Democratic Party, you've seen the emergence of a left represented by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a few others. But once more, an establishment candidate, Joe Biden, was chosen as the party’s nominee. What do you suppose happened and did the left ever really have a shot this time around?
A: No. The Democratic Party was never going to give Sanders the nomination, and the largest and most important Democratic donors and leaders had made that publicly clear — people like Lloyd Blankfein, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, who had said several times quite openly that if Sanders got the nomination, which wasn't going to happen, he and the rest of the donor class of the Democratic Party were going to support Trump.
So they had fixed it so the super delegates, which are appointed by the Democratic National Committee and are composed of lobbyists and the Democratic Party leadership, could vote on the second round. So Sanders if had gotten enough votes on the first round, he would have been trounced in the second.
Vermount Senator and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. Photo by Alex Tétreault
So it was organized to push out the other candidates and leave Biden alone. There were all sorts of tricks they used in 2016 that they used again in 2020.
But Sanders winning was never going to happen, and I think all the publicity around AOC obscures the fact that these people (on the left) are utterly irrelevant, both within Congress and within the Democratic Party.
Again, the two ruling parties agree on far more than they disagree on — whether it's on trade agreements or defence spending or austerity programs or tax cuts.
Biden essentially functions for the Democratic liberal elite as a kind of symbol of nostalgia for a return to what I call the pantomime of democracy. But the political rot that is now eating away at the nation is not going to be solved by elections.
And, by the way, (the political class has) already instituted all sorts of totalitarian forms of control, from wholesale government surveillance to the revoking of civil liberties, to the use of paramilitaries on the streets of our cities — these are all part of the twisted pathologies of all civilizations sputtering towards oblivion. And I saw this in the old communist regimes I covered in Eastern Europe and later in Yugoslavia.
So the removal of Trump isn't going to do anything. In fact, it'll probably exacerbate the lust for racial violence and white nationalism, because both parties have built a mafia economy and out of that, a mafia state. And that's going to continue under Biden as it did under Trump, under Barack Obama, under George W. Bush, under Bill Clinton, under Ronald Reagan — to give essentially carte blanche to corporations and oligarchs to pillage and loot.
Even if Biden wins, underlying problems in U.S. will remain
Q: If Biden wins in November, what does that mean?
A: It will restore the decorum of our version of monarchy, and it will restore the civic religion that is built around our government power. That's all. It may also bring with it a rational response to the pandemic. But remember, the pandemic may be beyond control by then.
The militarized police that terrorize people in poor neighbourhoods aren't going away. The endless wars, they're not going to end. The bloated military budget we just saw passed is not going to be reduced. The world's largest prison system — 2.3 million people incarcerated with four per cent of the world's population, we hold 25 per cent of the world's prison population — that will remain, along with militarized police, which are the two bulwarks of social control.
Democratic nominee for president, Joe Biden. Photo by Flickr / Gage Skidmore
The manufacturing jobs are not going to return, the social inequality is already growing exponentially, the for-profit health-care system, which are huge donors to the Biden campaign, will continue to gouge the public and price millions of people out of the health-care system.
The language of hate and bigotry has already been normalized as the primary form of communications. So I think that what has happened in the United States is not solvable by an election, and my last book, America: The Farewell Tour, which comes out of (French sociologist Émile) Durkheim’s great work on his book on suicide, where Durkheim examined what drove individuals and societies to carry out acts of self-destruction and self-annihilation. And that's where you get his term “anomie.” Anomie is a rupturing of those social bonds, the bonds that give individuals a sense of having a place in a collective, in being engaged in a project that's bigger than the self.
And you find that once you consider yourself part of this collective and valued by this collective, you express it through rituals, elections, democratic participation, patriotism, all these shared national beliefs. And these bonds, as Durkeim writes, provide meaning, they give a sense of purpose, they give status, they give dignity. In essence, they offer psychological protection from the meaningless that comes with being isolated and abandoned, as well as impending mortality. And once you break these bonds, you push individuals and societies into very deep and self-destructive psychological distress. And that is writ large across the United States.
The self-destructive pathologies of opioid addiction, gambling, suicide, sexual sadism — the rise of armed white hate groups. Durkheim wrote that people who seek the annihilation of others, are driven by desires for self-annihilation, nihilistic mass shootings — this is all a product of this anomie, as is our political dysfunction. And that's not going away with Biden.
Police violence against African-Americans reveals system is beyond reform
Q: On top of all this, you've had the George Floyd murder and other African-Americans killed by the police. You’ve had the emergence of Black Lives Matter. What is the significance of the reaction to this police brutality?
A: Well, again, that's a product of this dislocation, this anomie, this shunting aside of poor people of colour and African-Americans and having a state that treats them as human refuse. And the two forms of social control, as I mentioned before, the prison system and these militarized police, what you've seen is a gaslighting on the part of the elite.
So you will have the police take the knee or NASCAR and the U.S. Marine Corps ban the display of Confederate flags, and Nancy Pelosi don a kente scarf and Biden meets with George Floyd’s family at his funeral, or the mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, has the words “Black Lives Matter” painted in 35-foot tall letters on a street near the White House. But at the same time, of course, she's proposed a $45-million increase to the police budget and the construction of a $500-million jail.
Protests in Los Angeles in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Photo by Shutterstock
(But) I think that the gaslighting isn't working. It worked in the past, but it's not working anymore, and my sense is that those who are in the streets have come to the realization, the correct realization, that the system is beyond reform, that we can't reform the police. All these tricks — more body cameras, consent decrees, revised use of force policies, banning chokeholds, civilian review boards, banning no-knock search warrants, training de-escalation tactics — they've all been proposals that have been proffered in the past, and in several cases, have been adopted in the wake of other police murders, like the killing of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
So again, it's the structure. Police unions are very powerful because they are big donors to political campaigns. And they have been able to push aside any reformers within the system, like community review boards, even mayors and police chiefs who are reformers.
So these are all smoke and mirrors, it's a pantomime of a faux anguish and empathy by the ruling elites. But I don't think people are buying it. I think my sense is that in the street, there's a kind of political sophistication, and that's why you see people calling for the abolition of police, not the reforming of police.
Q: The mainstream media, and especially outlets like FOX News, how are they covering all of this? Are they doing an adequate job, or does it depend? Or are they doing a terrible job?
A: They're not covering it. They cover the eruption of a crisis, but don't cover the issues. And that doesn't matter which wing of the media landscape you're in, including the New York Times.
I worked there for 15 years. It doesn't cover day in and day out the suffering and humiliation and economic distress that is now visited on half the country, and, in particular, poor people of colour in urban areas. And that’s because of their advertisers, they’re catering to their advertisers.
I think it's important to note that the media landscape has changed from when Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky wrote Manufacturing Consent (in 1988). It's changed quite radically.
You don't need the old print media to connect sellers with buyers. Sellers can go directly to buyers, they have all of our profiles, courtesy of our digital platforms. And so that whole notion of faux objectivity and impartiality is gone, and the media landscape is splintered into people who seek out their particular demographic, whether it's MSNBC or whether it's FOX News or Breitbart or whatever.
And in order to solidify that demographic, they have become purveyors of hate.
So you have a media that still, as Chomsky and Herman pointed out, manufactures consent, but it does this by setting group against group. And it does this by catering to the particular opinions and prejudices of that group, which are reinforced and then sold back to us. So it's kind of packaged anger just for us.
MSNBC does this, CNN does this, Fox does this.
And the danger is that as those divides widen, you can't communicate across them. And that's how you have huge sections of the country essentially cut off from each other, unable to communicate and entranced by the fake dissent of the cultural wars and conspiracy theories. It’s all become, especially the electronic media, kind of a tawdry reality show. Politics is reduced to political personality, civil discourse is defined by insults and invective, and meanwhile, the superstructure of power, of corporate power, is never examined and never challenged, and that creates political impotence among the populous.
So the media is a junior partner in the destruction of American democracy, and, of course, we're a huge factor in publicizing Trump — because he's good for profits. And that kind of moral swamp that the media has created is a very fertile place for demagogues like Trump.
America's billionaires are clueless of what is going on
Q: Do you think the corporate elites, the billionaire class –– are they worried about what's happening to the United States in any regard?
A: The billionaire class doesn't live in the United States, it lives in its self-created entity, as a writer for New Yorker magazine once called it, Richistan. They don't fly commercial airlines, they only hang out with other billionaires. You know, it’s like Versailles or the Forbidden City — they're just utterly disconnected from what's happening around them. They make insane amounts of money, and this pandemic has made them even wealthier.
So I think they're fairly clueless. I think they think Biden is the solution. They don't have any contact with the working class other than the people who serve them. So that's again, always very dangerous when you allow an elite to essentially seize complete political and economic power, and they are utterly disconnected from the reality around them.
If you read Joseph Tainter’s The Collapse of Complex Societies, where he looks at 24 civilizations that collapsed, he actually uses that phenomenon as one of the major reasons of collapse — the elite is essentially able to hoard so much. American billionaires have gotten almost $500 billion richer since the pandemic. And, of course, they're driving all the policies, and yet they really are clueless about what they're doing and where we're going.
Q: All of which leads to one question: Is America a failed state?
A: America is a failed state, and it is what the political philosopher Sheldon Wolin calls the “system of inverted totalitarianism.” And by that he means it's not a classical totalitarian society like fascist Germany or Stalinism, it's more like the end of the Roman Republic where you still have the old language, the old institutions, the old iconography and symbols, but they're rendered meaningless. Even under Nero and Caligula there was still a Senate.
So that's what's happened. The facade has remained, but our democracy seized up and stopped functioning, beginning in the early 1970s, but certainly, I would say, going all the way back to Clinton. That's when it really kind of stopped working completely.
So you had Clinton — and Biden was at the epicentre of this — speaking in the traditional feel-your-pain language of the Democratic Party while assiduously serving corporate power. That was done, as I mentioned, through NAFTA, it was done through the 1994 omnibus crime bill that militarized the police and exploded the prison population, the deregulation of the Federal Communications Commission, which allowed a half-dozen corporations to seize control of the airwaves. The destruction of welfare was done under Clinton — and under the old welfare system, 70 per cent of the recipients were children — the ripping down of the firewalls between commercial and investment banks, which was the revoking of Glass-Steagall Act, all of this came under the Democratic Party.
So I think part of the problem was that betrayal by the Democratic Party elite saw the white working class gravitate towards the worst elements of the Republican Party — because that betrayal cuts so deep. And then we have the assault on unions. Only 11 per cent of the American workforce is unionized, and I think six per cent of them are in public sector — and most of them can't use the only weapon that workers have to further their interests, which is to strike.
So America has long been a failed state, and I've written book after book — Death of the Liberal Class, Empire of Illusion, Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt — which were all reported all over the country essentially talking about the dangers of where we're headed. And, of course, now we're there.


nationalobserver--2020-09-10--Young people in Canada envisioning the future of work at online summit

Chanèle McFarlane is one of more than a hundred young leaders taking part in an online summit this week that 's tackling the tough problems young people face in future workplaces as Canada emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ The future of work for me is exciting , but also really terrifying , ” said McFarlane , who is on maternity leave from a full-time role in recruitment marketing .
“ As I look to going back to work next year , I do n't even know what that looks like , ” she said .
“ Will I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Will I be able to get child care ?
Will I be able to have a flexible role where I can work from home and still support my child ?
” McFarlane and social workers , a self-described climate policy wonk , holistic caterer and slew of community advocates at the online summit are building “ solutions for progressing a welcoming and collaborative Canada , ” according to Community Foundations Canada , one of the organizers of ffwd2020 .
The young people aged between 18 and 29 are hoping to harness government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to solve problems related to youth unemployment and precarious work , financial literacy and other obstacles .
• MAGA 's spewing propaganda and we ca n't look away • As B.C .
shutters nightclubs , Trudeau defends choice to phase out CERB Running until Sept. 11 , the summit — designed so the young people can “ grow their network , build on their experience , develop their careers and advance solutions for the future of their communities ” — is a collaboration between Community Foundations of Canada , the young “ data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Royal Bank of Canada .
According to Youthful Cities , the summit will involve youth-led brainstorming of tangible COVID-19 recovery plans and policies to get youth back to work and to “ create sustainable and meaningful change within our communities.
” An “ ideation board ” on how to improve financial literacy , with a focus on helping youth .
Photo via Twitter account of @ DavidSThibodeau It says youth , and especially at-risk youth , have been left out of such discussion and the event will expose participants to other “ ambitious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new future for yourself and your peers.
” Five key themes emerged from pre-summit Slack conversations , McFarlane said .
They were universal basic income , financial literacy , community mobilization , systemic inequalities , and the gig economy .
“ The future of work for me is exciting , but also really terrifying , ” Chanèle McFarlane @ chanelemcf @ CommFdnsCanada @ youthfulcities # ffwd2020 The themes are connected , McFarlane said , with the idea of a universal basic income reducing the pressure on someone experiencing inequality in the workplace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project is now asking participants to imagine what things could look like six months out , and then work out the policies and initiatives needed to get there .
“ It ’ s a participatory summit , which means our participants won ’ t just be sitting back and listening ; they ’ ll be hands-on collaborators and creators of the summit ’ s programming and will get an immersive experience unlike any other , ” Youthful Cities , a youth advocacy group and another of the organizers , says on its website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also getting paid at least $ 500 to take part ( and another $ 250 for costs to connect ) in the online summit backed by one of Canada ’ s biggest banks , which is meanwhile pushing for Canada to expand its digital export of post-secondary education .
An RBC report released this week calls on Canada ’ s post-secondary schools and ed-tech companies to work with provincial and federal governments to boost the country 's export of online learning .
The bank argues that the financial crisis the pandemic created for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to reach many more students abroad while providing a pathway to completing studies at a Canadian school .
Canada U , as the bank calls it , would involve schools enrolling international students in early-year online studies in their home countries that can count towards a Canadian credential or transfer to a domestic university .
At the summit , the young participants have been split into random groups of between six and eight people to envision problems and possible solutions before narrowing down to one policy and one initiative per group .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ most promising proposals and formation of larger groups to develop the plans that can be executed post-summit .
McFarlane , who has also built a secondary business as a personal branding specialist , said she has been thinking a lot this week about the gig economy and how to better support those doing flexible work , who often miss out on employment benefits or decent pay .
She said the pandemic lit a fire that is compelling her to build solutions and that others at the summit are just as motivated to move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans .
“ A lot of us are so ambitious and really passionate about these topics that I definitely see a lot of us continuing past this and getting the support we need to actually bring these ideas to life , ” she said .
“ I do n't want to just sit back , ” she said .
“ Ten years from now I want to look back and be like ‘ You know what ?
I actually helped to build some of the solutions to build back the opportunities for youth @ @ @ @ @

Chanèle McFarlane is one of more than a hundred young leaders taking part in an online summit this week that's tackling the tough problems young people face in future workplaces as Canada emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The future of work for me is exciting, but also really terrifying,” said McFarlane, who is on maternity leave from a full-time role in recruitment marketing. “As I look to going back to work next year, I don't even know what that looks like,” she said. “Will I be able to go back to work? Will I be able to get child care? Will I be able to have a flexible role where I can work from home and still support my child?” McFarlane and social workers, a self-described climate policy wonk, holistic caterer and slew of community advocates at the online summit are building “solutions for progressing a welcoming and collaborative Canada,” according to Community Foundations Canada, one of the organizers of ffwd2020. The young people aged between 18 and 29 are hoping to harness government efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic to solve problems related to youth unemployment and precarious work, financial literacy and other obstacles.
Running until Sept. 11, the summit — designed so the young people can “grow their network, build on their experience, develop their careers and advance solutions for the future of their communities” — is a collaboration between Community Foundations of Canada, the young “data decoders” at Youthful Cities, and Royal Bank of Canada. According to Youthful Cities, the summit will involve youth-led brainstorming of tangible COVID-19 recovery plans and policies to get youth back to work and to “create sustainable and meaningful change within our communities.” Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions
An “ideation board” on how to improve financial literacy, with a focus on helping youth. Photo via Twitter account of @DavidSThibodeau It says youth, and especially at-risk youth, have been left out of such discussion and the event will expose participants to other “ambitious, change-making youth” and “build a new future for yourself and your peers.” “The future of work for me is exciting, but also really terrifying,” Chanèle McFarlane @chanelemcf @CommFdnsCanada @youthfulcities #ffwd2020 Five key themes emerged from pre-summit Slack conversations, McFarlane said. They were universal basic income, financial literacy, community mobilization, systemic inequalities, and the gig economy. The themes are connected, McFarlane said, with the idea of a universal basic income reducing the pressure on someone experiencing inequality in the workplace to stay in that job. The project is now asking participants to imagine what things could look like six months out, and then work out the policies and initiatives needed to get there.
“It’s a participatory summit, which means our participants won’t just be sitting back and listening; they’ll be hands-on collaborators and creators of the summit’s programming and will get an immersive experience unlike any other,” Youthful Cities, a youth advocacy group and another of the organizers, says on its website. Participants in the ffwd2020 summit are also getting paid at least $500 to take part (and another $250 for costs to connect) in the online summit backed by one of Canada’s biggest banks, which is meanwhile pushing for Canada to expand its digital export of post-secondary education. An RBC report released this week calls on Canada’s post-secondary schools and ed-tech companies to work with provincial and federal governments to boost the country's export of online learning.


nationalobserver--2020-09-10--Erin O’Toole says both John A. Macdonald and Louis Riel 'made good and bad choices'

Statues of historical figures with contentious legacies should not be torn down , but should be accompanied by plaques explaining their context , Conservative Party of Canada Leader Erin O ’ Toole told his caucus Wednesday .
“ Perhaps we should do that next to the Trudeau International Airport , ” he said , referring to the Montreal airport named after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’ s father .
O ’ Toole made the comments at the party ’ s first meeting of MPs and senators since he became leader of the party , which took place in the Sir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In recent weeks , statues of Macdonald — Canada ’ s first prime minister , who introduced residential schools and a suite of other racist policies that killed Indigenous people , including starving them to make way for a westward railroad — have been targeted by activists protesting Canada ’ s colonial legacy .
In Victoria , B.C.
, city council voted last month to remove a statue of Macdonald .
And in late August , protesters in Montreal tore down and decapitated a Macdonald statue .
In his remarks , O ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who co-chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission , had previously recommended putting context plaques next to statues of controversial historical figures .
• MAGA 's spewing propaganda and we ca n't look away • As B.C .
shutters nightclubs , Trudeau defends choice to phase out CERB O ’ Toole also compared debates over Macdonald ’ s legacy to that of Louis Riel , a Métis leader and the founder of Manitoba who later led several rebellions countering the Canadian government 's encroachments on Métis land .
Macdonald charged Riel with treason in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For a long time , Riel was regarded as a traitor , but in recent decades , he has become known as a hero .
“ Sir John A. Macdonald and Louis Riel were Canadians who made good and bad choices and the history books have rightfully scrutinized them each accordingly , ” O ’ Toole said .
“ They should continue to do so .
But theirs is also a story of what happens when Canada is divided .
When western alienation takes root and people feel ignored by a distant government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand the fears and desires of thousands of people miles away .
This is why we must never erase their stories by tearing them down.
” In a phone interview with Canada ’ s National Observer on Wednesday , Sinclair said controversies over Riel ’ s legacy , or even that of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau , are “ not even anywhere in the same league ” as those about Macdonald and systemic racism .
Though Sinclair said he believes O ’ Toole ’ s approach to Indigenous rights is more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , O ’ Toole promised a “ serious approach ” to reconciliation — he added that the proper context needs to be understood .
“ There ’ s no situation where Riel , for example , participated in the same kind of crimes Macdonald participated in , ” Sinclair said .
“ Why ( O ’ Toole ) included ( Pierre Elliott ) Trudeau with Macdonald , suggesting there was some kind of criminal activity there , is way beyond me.
” Missing from O'Toole 's remarks was a discussion of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sinclair added : “ None of them come with clean hands.
” “ There ’ s no situation where Riel , for example , participated in the same kind of crimes Macdonald participated in , ” said Sen. Murray Sinclair , who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission .
# cdnpoli Clarifying his past comments on how to handle statues of certain historical figures , Sinclair said he ’ s not against taking down monuments to people who have committed crimes against humanity , such as genocide .
“ There are probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ourselves about continuing to honour , ” he said .
However , Sinclair said the issue is much more complicated when talking about someone like Macdonald , who made significant contributions to Canada and did so by harming Indigenous people .
In those cases , he said , the historical figure shouldn ’ t be made to look like a hero , but should be accompanied by context and Indigenous historical figures .
“ I do n't think we should allow ( a Macdonald statue ) to stand alone saying , ‘ Look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this nation , ’ ” Sinclair said .
“ It should say , ‘ I am the person who was the prime minister when this nation was created and expanded , and in order to do that , I had to eliminate all the Indigenous people who were in the way.
’ And then see what people think of the statue.
” Sinclair also said he supports work to include more statues that recognize Indigenous heroes and history .
The Prime Minister 's Office redirected a request for comment to the office of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we truly desire an inclusive Canada , those of us who are privileged to sit at decision-making tables must step up , as allies , and do everything they can to make workplaces , communities , and public spaces safer , ” Guilbeault 's office said .
“ That also means recognizing that systemic racism exists within our institutions , and existed throughout our history .
Moving forward will require more active listening , concrete actions and better representation .
”

Statues of historical figures with contentious legacies should not be torn down, but should be accompanied by plaques explaining their context, Conservative Party of Canada Leader Erin O’Toole told his caucus Wednesday. “Perhaps we should do that next to the Trudeau International Airport,” he said, referring to the Montreal airport named after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s father. O’Toole made the comments at the party’s first meeting of MPs and senators since he became leader of the party, which took place in the Sir John A. Macdonald Building in Ottawa. In recent weeks, statues of Macdonald — Canada’s first prime minister, who introduced residential schools and a suite of other racist policies that killed Indigenous people, including starving them to make way for a westward railroad — have been targeted by activists protesting Canada’s colonial legacy. In Victoria, B.C., city council voted last month to remove a statue of Macdonald. And in late August, protesters in Montreal tore down and decapitated a Macdonald statue. In his remarks, O’Toole noted that Sen. Murray Sinclair, who co-chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, had previously recommended putting context plaques next to statues of controversial historical figures.
O’Toole also compared debates over Macdonald’s legacy to that of Louis Riel, a Métis leader and the founder of Manitoba who later led several rebellions countering the Canadian government's encroachments on Métis land. Macdonald charged Riel with treason in 1885, and Riel was executed. For a long time, Riel was regarded as a traitor, but in recent decades, he has become known as a hero. “Sir John A. Macdonald and Louis Riel were Canadians who made good and bad choices and the history books have rightfully scrutinized them each accordingly,” O’Toole said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “They should continue to do so. But theirs is also a story of what happens when Canada is divided. When western alienation takes root and people feel ignored by a distant government in Ottawa who does not try to understand the fears and desires of thousands of people miles away. This is why we must never erase their stories by tearing them down.”
In a phone interview with Canada’s National Observer on Wednesday, Sinclair said controversies over Riel’s legacy, or even that of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, are “not even anywhere in the same league” as those about Macdonald and systemic racism. Though Sinclair said he believes O’Toole’s approach to Indigenous rights is more progressive than previous Conservative leaders — last week, O’Toole promised a “serious approach” to reconciliation — he added that the proper context needs to be understood. “There’s no situation where Riel, for example, participated in the same kind of crimes Macdonald participated in,” said Sen. Murray Sinclair, who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. #cdnpoli “There’s no situation where Riel, for example, participated in the same kind of crimes Macdonald participated in,” Sinclair said. “Why (O’Toole) included (Pierre Elliott) Trudeau with Macdonald, suggesting there was some kind of criminal activity there, is way beyond me.” Missing from O'Toole's remarks was a discussion of the elder Trudeau's record on Indigenous rights, Sinclair added: “None of them come with clean hands.” Clarifying his past comments on how to handle statues of certain historical figures, Sinclair said he’s not against taking down monuments to people who have committed crimes against humanity, such as genocide. “There are probably some historical figures we need to question ourselves about continuing to honour,” he said.
However, Sinclair said the issue is much more complicated when talking about someone like Macdonald, who made significant contributions to Canada and did so by harming Indigenous people. In those cases, he said, the historical figure shouldn’t be made to look like a hero, but should be accompanied by context and Indigenous historical figures. “I don't think we should allow (a Macdonald statue) to stand alone saying, ‘Look, I am the great founder of this nation,’” Sinclair said. “It should say, ‘I am the person who was the prime minister when this nation was created and expanded, and in order to do that, I had to eliminate all the Indigenous people who were in the way.’ And then see what people think of the statue.”


nationalobserver--2020-09-10--How student unions are helping campus life go digital

The start of the fall term for college and university students in Toronto was markedly quieter this year .
With campus parties out of the equation because of the COVID-19 pandemic , frosh week , student orientations , residence move-in day and other rituals of a new academic year faced cancellation .
But some post-secondary student unions are mobilizing to deliver limited services in-person while promoting a virtual campus life experience .
The abrupt end to classes at the beginning of the pandemic pushed groups such as the York Federation of Students ( YFS ) — the union representing 55,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate on behalf of students through its academic support centre , and help to petition professors to correct grades , or issue them in the first place .
“ A lot of professors were not pulling their weight , ” said YFS president Kien Azinwi , a 2020 sociology graduate of York University .
“ We had to work really quickly to move our academic support online to still be able to support students because they needed us more than ever.
” The YFS is hosting York Fest Welcome Week online , featuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also led orientations with online classes in Zumba and yoga , and planting workshops .
• MAGA 's spewing propaganda and we ca n't look away • As B.C .
shutters nightclubs , Trudeau defends choice to phase out CERB “ As much as we 're advocating and as much as we 're ensuring that students are transitioning properly , we 're still providing the fun aspect for people to just debrief and relax , ” Azinwi said .
The union lobbied York to reduce tuition fees , but was unsuccessful .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create grant programs for students by tapping into the resources that would otherwise be used on physical services .
Some , such as the food support centre ( akin to a food bank ) , will still be delivered on campus but with scheduled pick-up times .
OCAD University has also created a grant program , pitched by the student union ’ s director of operations Kais Padamshi , to support Black and Indigenous students experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic .
One of the student union ’ s priorities during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initiatives , said Emily Condie , a drawing and painting major at OCAD and the student union ’ s communications co-ordinator .
Collage of the OCAD Student Union team .
Photos by OCAD Student Union/Anusha Rajeswaran .
Collage by Brent James It has since shifted to offering delivered food boxes or electronic grocery gift cards to students , depending on where they live .
Students can apply for the service weekly .
“ A lot of professors were not pulling their weight , ” said @ YFSlocal68 President Kien Azinwi .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our academic support online to still be able to support students , because they needed us more than ever.
” “ We 've had tons of people messaging us and thanking us on our Instagram about the food boxes , and the usage of that has been very consistent , ” Condie said .
The union is also facilitating educational opportunities and pays students to lead virtual art workshops .
The fate of its annual graduate exhibition , which draws more than 40,000 people , is still unclear after it was cancelled in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilitation by David Garzon of White Ribbon .
Photo by Lex Burgoyne Closed studio space on campus means art and design students who rely on materials such as metals , plastics and printing for their projects have reduced access , though the union is hoping to work with the faculty association to create solutions .
“ We 're really committed to making sure that students know what is expected of their profs , ” Condie said .
The College Student Alliance has submitted recommendations for digital learning standards to the provincial government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and member engagement .

The start of the fall term for college and university students in Toronto was markedly quieter this year.
With campus parties out of the equation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, frosh week, student orientations, residence move-in day and other rituals of a new academic year faced cancellation. But some post-secondary student unions are mobilizing to deliver limited services in-person while promoting a virtual campus life experience.
The abrupt end to classes at the beginning of the pandemic pushed groups such as the York Federation of Students (YFS) — the union representing 55,000 undergrads at the university — to remotely advocate on behalf of students through its academic support centre, and help to petition professors to correct grades, or issue them in the first place.
Though faculty and staff were helpful in navigating virtual learning, “A lot of professors were not pulling their weight,” said YFS president Kien Azinwi, a 2020 sociology graduate of York University. “We had to work really quickly to move our academic support online to still be able to support students because they needed us more than ever.”
The YFS is hosting York Fest Welcome Week online, featuring special guests and giveaways. It has also led orientations with online classes in Zumba and yoga, and planting workshops.


nationalobserver--2020-09-10--Feds reach out to Indigenous communities to help reduce Trans Mountain noise pollution

The federal government announced a collaboration with several Indigenous communities to address the problem of noise pollution along the Trans Mountain shipping route , which has led to the detriment of marine life in the area , including endangered Southern Resident killer whales .
Transportation Minister Marc Garneau announced Tuesday that the federal government will dispense $ 2.5 million over three years to help Indigenous communities protect their coastlines as Trans Mountain projects continue .
The funding is part of the Quiet Vessel Initiative , a five-year plan with $ 26 million pledged to help Indigenous groups affected by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of underwater vessel noise with the federal government during consultations on the Trans Mountain expansion project .
While Trans Mountain itself doesn ’ t own any tankers ( large cargo ships ) , the expansion led to increased tanker traffic along the commercial shipping route from the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver 's harbour .
The route cuts through the Salish Sea , a marine environment with a delicate ecosystem that runs along southwestern British Columbia and the northwestern part of Washington state in the U.S .
The federal government has launched several killer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report , models showed higher levels of noise and disturbance would be enough to slow down population growth and worsen the level of whale decline .
The federal funding announced Tuesday is intended to help Indigenous communities along the coast evaluate “ promising ” technologies , ship designs , and revise shipping practices to help reduce noise pollution from underwater vessels .
The government provided a list of 29 Indigenous communities that are eligible for funding as part of the initiative .
The groups have until Nov. 20 to apply .
Noise pollution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Salish sea .
@ Transport_gc is looking towards Indigenous communities to help stop it .

The federal government announced a collaboration with several Indigenous communities to address the problem of noise pollution along the Trans Mountain shipping route, which has led to the detriment of marine life in the area, including endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
Transportation Minister Marc Garneau announced Tuesday that the federal government will dispense $2.5 million over three years to help Indigenous communities protect their coastlines as Trans Mountain projects continue. The funding is part of the Quiet Vessel Initiative, a five-year plan with $26 million pledged to help Indigenous groups affected by the projects.
Indigenous communities raised the issue of underwater vessel noise with the federal government during consultations on the Trans Mountain expansion project. While Trans Mountain itself doesn’t own any tankers (large cargo ships), the expansion led to increased tanker traffic along the commercial shipping route from the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver's harbour. The route cuts through the Salish Sea, a marine environment with a delicate ecosystem that runs along southwestern British Columbia and the northwestern part of Washington state in the U.S.
"With the expansion of the pipeline, tanker traffic WILL increase from about five per month to about 34 partially-laden Aframax tankers per month," according to Trans Mountain.
Coast Salish communities have previously sought meetings with the federal government after noticing the Southern Resident killer whale population was declining.


nationalobserver--2020-09-10--Green Party leadership candidates to square off in foreign policy debate

Eight candidates in the race to succeed Elizabeth May as leader of the Green Party of Canada will face off tonight in a debate over foreign policy .
The new leader of the party will be chosen Oct. 3 , with online voting opening Sept. 26 .
May , who had led the party for 14 years , stepped down last fall after the 2019 federal election .
The Green Party has three MPs in Parliament , its highest number ever .
The new leader will take over with the possibility of a snap election on the horizon , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environment-focused economic recovery from COVID-19 have gained new momentum .
The debate , hosted by alternative media outlet Rabble.ca and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute , will take place online .
It ’ s focused on “ Canada ’ s place in the world , ” the Green Party said , covering COVID-19 , the climate crisis , Canada ’ s relationship with the United States , tensions with China , and Canada ’ s failure to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council .
The debate will be hosted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publisher .
• MAGA 's spewing propaganda and we ca n't look away • End times for American democracy ?
An interview with Chris Hedges The current front-runner in the race is Annamie Paul , a Toronto-based lawyer with extensive experience in international affairs .
Paul , who ran for the Greens against former finance minister Bill Morneau in last year ’ s election , had raised $ 121,000 for her campaign , more than twice as much as any other candidate .
If elected , she ’ d be the first Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political party .
Two former Liberals — former Ontario environment minister Glen Murray and David Merner , a B.C .
lawyer who left his old party over its support for pipelines — are also in the running to replace May .
The other candidates include astrophysicist and diversity advocate Amita Kuttner ; Meryam Haddad , a Quebec-based immigration lawyer who is running as a socialist and supports plans for a Green New Deal ; lawyer Dimitri Lascaris , a former justice critic for the Greens ; lawyer Andrew West , the attorney general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Courtney Howard , an emergency physician from Yellowknife .
May hasn ’ t endorsed any of the eight candidates on the ballot .
The debate will be streamed online here , starting at 7 p.m. eastern time .

Eight candidates in the race to succeed Elizabeth May as leader of the Green Party of Canada will face off tonight in a debate over foreign policy.
The new leader of the party will be chosen Oct. 3, with online voting opening Sept. 26. May, who had led the party for 14 years, stepped down last fall after the 2019 federal election.
The Green Party has three MPs in Parliament, its highest number ever. The new leader will take over with the possibility of a snap election on the horizon, and at a time when calls for an environment-focused economic recovery from COVID-19 have gained new momentum.
The debate, hosted by alternative media outlet Rabble.ca and the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, will take place online. It’s focused on “Canada’s place in the world,” the Green Party said, covering COVID-19, the climate crisis, Canada’s relationship with the United States, tensions with China, and Canada’s failure to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
The debate will be hosted by Judy Rebick, Rabble.ca’s founding publisher.


nationalobserver--2020-09-10--Former finance minister Bill Morneau broke election rules in 2019, commissioner finds

Former Liberal Finance Minister Bill Morneau broke election rules last year by using government funds on two events where he promoted his party ’ s candidates , the Commissioner of Canada Elections said Thursday .
The events happened in the summer of 2019 , in the run-up to the 2019 federal election .
In response to the commissioner ’ s findings , Morneau signed an undertaking , or agreement , to pay a $ 300 fine and post a link to the ruling on his website and social media accounts for 30 days .
“ Ministers are prohibited from using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budgets for partisan purposes , ” said Commissioner of Canada Elections Yves Côté , an independent officer , in a ruling posted online Thursday .
Morneau resigned his place in cabinet and his seat in Parliament last month .
He said he had never intended to stay until the next election , but the former finance minister was also under fire for his role in the WE scandal .
Myriam Croussette , a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections , said the complaint that prompted the commissioner 's investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked why the findings were n't made public before Morneau left officer , Croussette said the commissioner can only publish information about investigations once they are done , and if he decides to take action .
• MAGA 's spewing propaganda and we ca n't look away • End times for American democracy ?
An interview with Chris Hedges • As B.C .
shutters nightclubs , Trudeau defends choice to phase out CERB “ In this case , as soon as the undertaking was finalized and signed by both Mr. Morneau and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Croussette said in an email .
The events examined by the commissioner were a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Oakville , Ont.
, on July 29 , 2019 , and a tour of a Caledon , Ont.
, business on Aug. 27 , 2019 .
In both cases , Morneau appeared in his official capacity as finance minister and promoted Liberal candidates .
The candidate Morneau promoted in Oakville , Anita Anand , won a seat in Parliament .
She ’ s now a member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public services and procurement .
The “ known quantifiable costs ” of the events totalled $ 1,661 , the election commissioner found .
“ Introducing and promoting prospective ( Liberal Party of Canada ) candidates at the events promoted the LPC 's electoral prospects in these electoral districts , ” wrote Côté .
“ This caused the expenses related to these events to benefit the LPC.
” Former Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau broke election rules last year by using government funds on two events where he promoted his party ’ s candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
# cdnpoli In the ruling , Côté noted that the Liberals had paid the government back for the expenses .
Morneau and his staff also co-operated with the investigation and Morneau ’ s staff had been given training to ensure it doesn ’ t happen again , Côté said .
“ There is no indication that Mr. Morneau intended to use public resources for directly partisan purposes , ” Côté wrote .
“ Nor is there any indication that Mr. Morneau personally participated in planning any of the tours in question.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a request for comment to the office of Dominic LeBlanc , Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and the President of the Privy Council .
In a statement , Corinne Havard , a spokesperson for LeBlanc 's office , said the government accepts Côté 's decision .
She also noted that the Liberal government strengthened Canada 's election rules prior to the 2019 election .
`` During the last Parliament , we strengthened the Canada Elections Act to increase transparency and accountability , '' Havard said in the statement .
`` We respect the Office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who operates independently to ensure compliance with the act . ''

Former Liberal Finance Minister Bill Morneau broke election rules last year by using government funds on two events where he promoted his party’s candidates, the Commissioner of Canada Elections said Thursday.
The events happened in the summer of 2019, in the run-up to the 2019 federal election. In response to the commissioner’s findings, Morneau signed an undertaking, or agreement, to pay a $300 fine and post a link to the ruling on his website and social media accounts for 30 days.
“Ministers are prohibited from using public resources and funds from their departmental budgets for partisan purposes,” said Commissioner of Canada Elections Yves Côté, an independent officer, in a ruling posted online Thursday.
Morneau resigned his place in cabinet and his seat in Parliament last month. He said he had never intended to stay until the next election, but the former finance minister was also under fire for his role in the WE scandal.
Myriam Croussette, a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections, said the complaint that prompted the commissioner's investigation was filed in August 2019. When asked why the findings weren't made public before Morneau left officer, Croussette said the commissioner can only publish information about investigations once they are done, and if he decides to take action.


nationalobserver--2020-09-11--Shorter lifespan of faster-growing trees could add to climate crisis

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Live fast , die young is a truism often applied to rock stars but could just as easily describe trees , according to new research .
Trees that grow rapidly have a shorter lifespan , which could spell bad news for tackling the climate crisis .
Trees grow faster in warmer conditions , and this should act as a natural brake on global heating , as they take up and store more carbon dioxide from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new study casts doubt on this beneficial cycle , finding that the faster trees grow , the sooner they die – and therefore stop storing carbon .
Some fast-growing trees , including conifer species in cold regions , have long been known to show shorter lifespans , but what was not known was the impact of warmer conditions that can spur growth as global heating accelerates .
An international team of researchers , publishing their work on Tuesday in the peer-review journal Nature Communications , has found that the relationship between faster growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across tree species and latitudes .
• End times for American democracy ?
An interview with Chris Hedges • Erin O ’ Toole says both John A. Macdonald and Louis Riel 'made good and bad choices ' Roel Brienen , associate professor of geography at the University of Leeds , the lead author of the paper , said : “ We started a global analysis and were surprised to find that these trade-offs are incredibly common .
It occurred in almost all species we looked at , including tropical trees.
” Trees growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ size sooner , and that appears to increase their chance of dying .
Trees that grow more quickly may also be more vulnerable to factors such as drought , disease and pests .
When trees die , they give up their stored carbon gradually , in the form of methane , a greenhouse gas .
This means that many standard climate change models of how we can use forests as carbon sinks , to absorb the carbon dioxide we produce from fossil fuel burning , are likely to overestimate the benefits .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future might grow faster as temperatures increase , they could also store less carbon as the trees die off sooner .
“ Our findings indicate that there are traits within the fastest-growing trees that make them vulnerable , whereas slower-growing trees have traits that allow them to persist , ” said Steve Voelker of the department of environmental and forest biology at Syracuse University New York , a co-author of the study .
“ [ The ] carbon uptake rates of forests are likely to be on the wane as slow-growing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable trees.
” David Lee , professor of atmospheric science at Manchester Metropolitan University , who was not involved in the study , said : “ Currently , Earth system climate models predict continuation or increases in the size of the carbon sink of mature forests and this study shows the opposite , that increased CO2 compromises forests as a carbon sink … The idea that fossil fuel-based emissions can be offset by planting trees or avoiding deforestation really does not stand up to scientific scrutiny.
” However , Keith Kirby , woodland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the results did not negate the value of growing trees to stave off the climate crisis .
“ We can not rely as much on increased growth per unit area to maintain and enhance the forest carbon sink potential , but this might be offset by slowing deforestation and increasing the expansion of the extent of forests , where this can be done in a sustainable way , ” he said .
“ Our findings indicate that there are traits within the fastest-growing trees that make them vulnerable , whereas slower-growing trees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Steve Voelker For the study , the international team of scientists analysed data from more than 200,000 tree ring samples representing 110 species of tree , across all continents except for Africa and Antarctica .
They found that faster growth was linked to shorter lifespans in trees of the same species , and across different species , and was not dependent on the climate or soil .
The researchers also conducted a computer simulation , using data on the black spruce ( Picea mariana ) , to see what impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The results showed that the greater propensity for the trees to die off after growing more quickly could reduce the capacity of global forests to absorb and store carbon dioxide , as temperatures rose .
Growing trees , and preserving existing forests , is one of the most important ways of staving off the worst impacts of the climate crisis .
But several studies have cast doubt on the capacity of global forests to act as carbon sinks as the climate alters .
A study published in March found that tropical forests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and research published in May showed that the world ’ s forests were becoming shorter and younger .

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer's collaboration with Climate Desk. Live fast, die young is a truism often applied to rock stars but could just as easily describe trees, according to new research. Trees that grow rapidly have a shorter lifespan, which could spell bad news for tackling the climate crisis. Trees grow faster in warmer conditions, and this should act as a natural brake on global heating, as they take up and store more carbon dioxide from the air as they grow. But the new study casts doubt on this beneficial cycle, finding that the faster trees grow, the sooner they die – and therefore stop storing carbon. Some fast-growing trees, including conifer species in cold regions, have long been known to show shorter lifespans, but what was not known was the impact of warmer conditions that can spur growth as global heating accelerates. An international team of researchers, publishing their work on Tuesday in the peer-review journal Nature Communications, has found that the relationship between faster growth and shorter lifespan appears to hold good across tree species and latitudes.
Roel Brienen, associate professor of geography at the University of Leeds, the lead author of the paper, said: “We started a global analysis and were surprised to find that these trade-offs are incredibly common. It occurred in almost all species we looked at, including tropical trees.” Trees growing faster in warmer conditions reach their maximum size sooner, and that appears to increase their chance of dying. Trees that grow more quickly may also be more vulnerable to factors such as drought, disease and pests. When trees die, they give up their stored carbon gradually, in the form of methane, a greenhouse gas. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions This means that many standard climate change models of how we can use forests as carbon sinks, to absorb the carbon dioxide we produce from fossil fuel burning, are likely to overestimate the benefits. This study suggests that although the forests of the future might grow faster as temperatures increase, they could also store less carbon as the trees die off sooner.
“Our findings indicate that there are traits within the fastest-growing trees that make them vulnerable, whereas slower-growing trees have traits that allow them to persist,” said Steve Voelker of the department of environmental and forest biology at Syracuse University New York, a co-author of the study. “[The] carbon uptake rates of forests are likely to be on the wane as slow-growing and persistent trees are supplanted by fast-growing but vulnerable trees.” “Our findings indicate that there are traits within the fastest-growing trees that make them vulnerable, whereas slower-growing trees have traits that allow them to persist,” said Steve Voelker David Lee, professor of atmospheric science at Manchester Metropolitan University, who was not involved in the study, said: “Currently, Earth system climate models predict continuation or increases in the size of the carbon sink of mature forests and this study shows the opposite, that increased CO2 compromises forests as a carbon sink … The idea that fossil fuel-based emissions can be offset by planting trees or avoiding deforestation really does not stand up to scientific scrutiny.” However, Keith Kirby, woodland ecologist at the University of Oxford, said the results did not negate the value of growing trees to stave off the climate crisis. “We cannot rely as much on increased growth per unit area to maintain and enhance the forest carbon sink potential, but this might be offset by slowing deforestation and increasing the expansion of the extent of forests, where this can be done in a sustainable way,” he said. For the study, the international team of scientists analysed data from more than 200,000 tree ring samples representing 110 species of tree, across all continents except for Africa and Antarctica. They found that faster growth was linked to shorter lifespans in trees of the same species, and across different species, and was not dependent on the climate or soil.