thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-04-29--Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s Anti-China Campaign Strategy is Part of a Broader Imperialist War Again

Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s Anti-China Campaign Strategy is Part of a Broader Imperialist War Against China

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are taking aim at China to deflect attention away from the American nightmare .
“ It has always been wrong-headed to see China and the U.S. as equal partners in a broader war on the working class.
” The U.S. and Western Left has rarely been a friend of China .
As arguably the most successful of the socialist revolutions of the 20th century , China is also a country with 1.4 billion people of a non-white hue .
The combination of centuries of white supremacist ideological conditioning and at least one hundred years of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against socialism has firmly placed a large section of the U.S. and Western left in the anti-China camp .
This poses a significant problem for humanity in the age of COVID-19 .
As the U.S. political class scrambles to cover up the social and economic collapse that COVID-19 has thoroughly exposed , Joe Biden and Donald Trump have kicked off their general election campaigns by taking aim at China to deflect attention away from the American nightmare .
Donald Trump made the first move with an attack ad on Biden that positioned Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friend of China ’ s rise , an obvious dog whistle to the notion that Democrats are the truest threat to the white man ’ s jobs .
Biden came out with ads of his own that condemned Trump for praising China ’ s pandemic response and for claiming that the United States should “ trust China.
” It is clear that all sides of the U.S. ruling class are frantically seeking to blame China for the systemic failures exposed in the U.S. response to COVID-19 .
While China has largely contained the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections , the U.S. has been truly “ exceptional ” in terms of COVID-19 cases and deaths .
So exceptional , in fact , that the crisis engendered by COVID-19 ’ s rapid spread in the United States has given the ruling class added motivation to intensify its broader imperialist war against China .
A leaked memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee indicates that blaming China for the coronavirus crisis makes up a key aspect of the GOP agenda , and Biden and the Democrats possess a similar strategy .
“ All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frantically seeking to blame China for the systemic failures exposed in the U.S. response to COVID-19.
” Rarely does the U.S. and Western left pay any attention to U.S. imperial aggression against China .
Many socialist-leaning groups and publications choose to talk about China as a collaborator in the theft of “ American ” working class jobs and a thoroughly capitalist pariah state .
These same forces have been silent about how COVID-19 has exposed their racist lies about China .
If China were a capitalist state , then it would not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( which follow a plan devised by a 90 million strong Communist Party and the central government ) to build two hospitals in less than ten days and redirect production so that the massive amounts of medical equipment demanded by the spread of COVID-19 at home and abroad were produced and distributed in no less rapid of a period .
While China sends millions of masks , ventilators , testing kits , and medical experts to 120 countries around the world , U.S. imperialism continues its sanctions regime against Venezuela , Cuba , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceased its engagement in “ hot ” wars in the Middle East , either , despite U.N. recommendations for a global ceasefire .
The U.S. thirst for war far outweighs its concern for human existence and is the reason why Biden and Trump are making hostility toward China a central issue of the general election .
It has always been wrong-headed for U.S. and Western leftists to see China and the U.S. as equal partners in a broader war on the working class .
China ’ s decision to open up its economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the central plan was made to spur technological development and thus take China out of the conditions of underdevelopment and poverty that had plagued the nation prior to the revolution .
While poverty had been reduced under the largely agrarian-centric model of socialist development during the Mao-period , more progress was needed in the development of modern industry to truly raise the standard of living of the entire Chinese nation .
The United States always saw China as a business opportunity and celebrated its decision to give capitalism a role in economic development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax policies surely hurt workers in the U.S. , but it was U.S. corporations and political administrations that were dictating the conditions of U.S. workers , not China .
“ The U.S. thirst for war far outweighs its concern for human existence.
” The friendliness of the U.S. toward China in the decades since normalization has always come with an asterisk .
U.S. imperialism watched closely as China ’ s mixed economy of socialist planning with capitalist characteristics grew at rates beyond the stagnating West and with a completely different purpose .
Toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the beginning of the Obama administration , China was no longer just a business opportunity as living standards , including wages , grew in proportion to its economy .
This scenario made China an existential threat to the future of U.S. imperial hegemony which had to be contained .
U.S. imperialism devised a military and economic strategy that sought to isolate China economically and ensure that the Communist Party-led nation was fully aware of the U.S. ’ military capabilities in the case of a “ hot war.
” To actualize this strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration put forward the Trans-Pacific Partnership ( TPP ) and the “ Pivot to Asia.
” The TPP sought to bring together twelve of the biggest and economically strategic countries across the Pacific under a regime of corporate governance .
Signatories agreed to relinquish nearly all governing jurisdictions to investors , allow software corporations free reign to spy on participating governments , and grant firms even fewer restrictions to exploit the natural environment .
The TPP was considered a free trade agreement , but it was really a policy of economic containment directed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the TPP was never ratified , economic warfare against China continued under Trump ’ s so-called “ trade war.
” Unlike the TPP , the trade war attempted to intimidate China by placing costly tariffs on key imports to the United States .
This policy hurt U.S. capitalists more than China and has been viewed unfavorably by a significant section of the lords of capital themselves .
The Pivot to Asia , however , has been a universally celebrated policy on the part of U.S. imperialism .
This strategy centered on “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. hegemony and at the expense of China .
Around sixty percent of the U.S. ’ military assets were deployed to the Pacific , with a special focus on naval capacity .
Key countries such as South Korea , Japan , Australia , and the Philippines were provided American military bases , naval assets , F-35 fighter jets , and an assortment of war-time weaponry to station on China ’ s doorstep .
The Trump administration has continued this policy of aggression toward China under the guise of “ Great Power competition.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three warships partnered with Australian naval forces to further escalate tensions with China in the South China Sea region .
“ The trade war hurt U.S. capitalists more than China.
” Make no mistake , all sides of the U.S. political class agree that China is an existential threat to the continued rule of finance and monopoly capital .
Imperialism has been in a state of economic stagnation for decades .
China ’ s push for a multipolar world has strengthened alongside its growing share of the global economy .
In many ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the United States or its imperial allies in the West .
While imperialism demands that developing nations bow to the dictates of international finance and the private profits of foreign firms , China promotes a model of shared growth that privileges “ win-win ” cooperation .
Instead of bombs and burdensome debt , China supports infrastructure projects and other key drivers of economic growth in exchange for natural resources needed to develop its own economy .
Now is the time to defend the sovereignty of China and learn from its COVID-19 response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the racist and imperialist U.S. power structure .
The opportunity to blame China for the crisis of COVID-19 is too attractive to pass up .
Joe Biden has nothing to offer working class people and really no avenues to differentiate himself from Donald Trump other than “ experience ” and “ civility.
” As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc , Donald Trump ’ s seemingly formidable approval ratings have significantly diminished .
COVID-19 has exposed the fundamental antagonism between capital and the exploited classes .
The legitimacy of the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both political parties in the U.S. are committed to maintaining it by any means necessary .
White supremacy renders much of the population vulnerable to cop consciousness .
Cop consciousness is what makes many white leftists search for “ bad actors ” such as China to help them draw false equivalencies with their imperialist fatherland .
In a moment when both political parties are foaming at the mouth to impress their crisis-ridden ruling class masters with acts of imperial aggression against China , anti-China racism becomes increasingly dangerous for the future of human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critique , blame , and shame China when the left possesses just as little to offer to the people as the imperialist system has to offer humanity .
The combination of COVID-19 and the 2020 general election has thus created an ugly situation for the struggle for peace and socialism in the United States .
The work from here is to expose the broader imperialist war behind Biden and Trump ’ s anti-China attacks and to make the end of hostilities with China part of a mass movement that demands the fulfillment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class for healthcare , housing , education , living wages , and the dismantling of the mass incarceration and surveillance regime root and branch .
This movement has yet to be born , but the imperatives of U.S. imperialism have impregnated the current epoch with possibility .
Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report 's Facebook page at http : //facebook.com/blackagendareport Or , you can comment by emailing us at comments @ blackagendareport.com

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are taking aim at China to deflect attention away from the American nightmare.
“It has always been wrong-headed to see China and the U.S. as equal partners in a broader war on the working class.”
The U.S. and Western Left has rarely been a friend of China. As arguably the most successful of the socialist revolutions of the 20th century, China is also a country with 1.4 billion people of a non-white hue. The combination of centuries of white supremacist ideological conditioning and at least one hundred years of military, cultural, and economic warfare against socialism has firmly placed a large section of the U.S. and Western left in the anti-China camp. This poses a significant problem for humanity in the age of COVID-19. As the U.S. political class scrambles to cover up the social and economic collapse that COVID-19 has thoroughly exposed, Joe Biden and Donald Trump have kicked off their general election campaigns by taking aim at China to deflect attention away from the American nightmare.
Donald Trump made the first move with an attack ad on Biden that positioned Obama’s former Vice President as a friend of China’s rise, an obvious dog whistle to the notion that Democrats are the truest threat to the white man’s jobs. Biden came out with ads of his own that condemned Trump for praising China’s pandemic response and for claiming that the United States should “trust China.” It is clear that all sides of the U.S. ruling class are frantically seeking to blame China for the systemic failures exposed in the U.S. response to COVID-19. While China has largely contained the virus and is currently working on imported infections, the U.S. has been truly “exceptional” in terms of COVID-19 cases and deaths . So exceptional, in fact, that the crisis engendered by COVID-19’s rapid spread in the United States has given the ruling class added motivation to intensify its broader imperialist war against China. A leaked memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee indicates that blaming China for the coronavirus crisis makes up a key aspect of the GOP agenda , and Biden and the Democrats possess a similar strategy.
“All sides of the U.S. ruling class are frantically seeking to blame China for the systemic failures exposed in the U.S. response to COVID-19.”
Rarely does the U.S. and Western left pay any attention to U.S. imperial aggression against China. Many socialist-leaning groups and publications choose to talk about China as a collaborator in the theft of “American” working class jobs and a thoroughly capitalist pariah state. These same forces have been silent about how COVID-19 has exposed their racist lies about China. If China were a capitalist state, then it would not have been able to mobilize its state-owned industries (which follow a plan devised by a 90 million strong Communist Party and the central government) to build two hospitals in less than ten days and redirect production so that the massive amounts of medical equipment demanded by the spread of COVID-19 at home and abroad were produced and distributed in no less rapid of a period. While China sends millions of masks, ventilators, testing kits, and medical experts to 120 countries around the world, U.S. imperialism continues its sanctions regime against Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran. U.S. imperialism has not ceased its engagement in “hot” wars in the Middle East, either, despite U.N. recommendations for a global ceasefire . The U.S. thirst for war far outweighs its concern for human existence and is the reason why Biden and Trump are making hostility toward China a central issue of the general election.
It has always been wrong-headed for U.S. and Western leftists to see China and the U.S. as equal partners in a broader war on the working class. China’s decision to open up its economy to capitalist markets under the guide of the central plan was made to spur technological development and thus take China out of the conditions of underdevelopment and poverty that had plagued the nation prior to the revolution. While poverty had been reduced under the largely agrarian-centric model of socialist development during the Mao-period, more progress was needed in the development of modern industry to truly raise the standard of living of the entire Chinese nation. The United States always saw China as a business opportunity and celebrated its decision to give capitalism a role in economic development. A long-period of low-wages and friendly tax policies surely hurt workers in the U.S., but it was U.S. corporations and political administrations that were dictating the conditions of U.S. workers, not China.
“The U.S. thirst for war far outweighs its concern for human existence.”
The friendliness of the U.S. toward China in the decades since normalization has always come with an asterisk. U.S. imperialism watched closely as China’s mixed economy of socialist planning with capitalist characteristics grew at rates beyond the stagnating West and with a completely different purpose. Toward the end of the Bush II administration and the beginning of the Obama administration, China was no longer just a business opportunity as living standards, including wages, grew in proportion to its economy. This scenario made China an existential threat to the future of U.S. imperial hegemony which had to be contained. U.S. imperialism devised a military and economic strategy that sought to isolate China economically and ensure that the Communist Party-led nation was fully aware of the U.S.’ military capabilities in the case of a “hot war.”
To actualize this strategy, former President Barack Obama’s administration put forward the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the “Pivot to Asia.” The TPP sought to bring together twelve of the biggest and economically strategic countries across the Pacific under a regime of corporate governance . Signatories agreed to relinquish nearly all governing jurisdictions to investors, allow software corporations free reign to spy on participating governments, and grant firms even fewer restrictions to exploit the natural environment. The TPP was considered a free trade agreement, but it was really a policy of economic containment directed at China. While popular protest ensured that the TPP was never ratified, economic warfare against China continued under Trump’s so-called “trade war.” Unlike the TPP, the trade war attempted to intimidate China by placing costly tariffs on key imports to the United States. This policy hurt U.S. capitalists more than China and has been viewed unfavorably by a significant section of the lords of capital themselves.
The Pivot to Asia, however, has been a universally celebrated policy on the part of U.S. imperialism. This strategy centered on “rebalancing” the Pacific in favor of U.S. hegemony and at the expense of China. Around sixty percent of the U.S.’ military assets were deployed to the Pacific, with a special focus on naval capacity. Key countries such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines were provided American military bases, naval assets, F-35 fighter jets, and an assortment of war-time weaponry to station on China’s doorstep. The Trump administration has continued this policy of aggression toward China under the guise of “Great Power competition.” Just last week, the U.S. sent three warships partnered with Australian naval forces to further escalate tensions with China in the South China Sea region.
“The trade war hurt U.S. capitalists more than China.”
Make no mistake, all sides of the U.S. political class agree that China is an existential threat to the continued rule of finance and monopoly capital. Imperialism has been in a state of economic stagnation for decades. China’s push for a multipolar world has strengthened alongside its growing share of the global economy. In many ways, China is a more attractive partner than the United States or its imperial allies in the West. While imperialism demands that developing nations bow to the dictates of international finance and the private profits of foreign firms, China promotes a model of shared growth that privileges “win-win” cooperation. Instead of bombs and burdensome debt, China supports infrastructure projects and other key drivers of economic growth in exchange for natural resources needed to develop its own economy.
Now is the time to defend the sovereignty of China and learn from its COVID-19 response, not demonize the country on behalf of the racist and imperialist U.S. power structure. The opportunity to blame China for the crisis of COVID-19 is too attractive to pass up. Joe Biden has nothing to offer working class people and really no avenues to differentiate himself from Donald Trump other than “experience” and “civility.” As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, Donald Trump’s seemingly formidable approval ratings have significantly diminished. COVID-19 has exposed the fundamental antagonism between capital and the exploited classes. The legitimacy of the entire system is on the line, and both political parties in the U.S. are committed to maintaining it by any means necessary.
“China supports infrastructure projects in exchange for natural resources.”
White supremacy renders much of the population vulnerable to cop consciousness. Cop consciousness is what makes many white leftists search for “bad actors” such as China to help them draw false equivalencies with their imperialist fatherland. In a moment when both political parties are foaming at the mouth to impress their crisis-ridden ruling class masters with acts of imperial aggression against China, anti-China racism becomes increasingly dangerous for the future of human life itself. It is easy to critique, blame, and shame China when the left possesses just as little to offer to the people as the imperialist system has to offer humanity. The combination of COVID-19 and the 2020 general election has thus created an ugly situation for the struggle for peace and socialism in the United States. The work from here is to expose the broader imperialist war behind Biden and Trump’s anti-China attacks and to make the end of hostilities with China part of a mass movement that demands the fulfillment of the basic material needs of the working class for healthcare, housing, education, living wages, and the dismantling of the mass incarceration and surveillance regime root and branch. This movement has yet to be born, but the imperatives of U.S. imperialism have impregnated the current epoch with possibility.
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thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-04-30--Does Capitalism equal human nature?

Does Capitalism equal human nature?

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
Originally : Glossary of Major Distortions { Part One } , Cyrano ’ s Journal of Politics Media and Culture Wars ( FROM OUR ARCHIVES—NOTE : First published in 1982 ; revised July 2013 ) Capitalism is preferentially identified by its euphemisms : “ Free Enterprise , ” “ market system , ” “ private enterprise.
” “ the American Way , ” etc .
Overt and pervasive partisanship in support of capitalism is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ideological bias negating professional “ objectivity ” but rather as something akin to the serene acceptance of natural law .
THIS PROPAGANDA EQUATION , making capitalism and “ human nature ” inseparable , is one of the oldest and most effective ideological weapons utilized in the defense of capitalism .
It pays off handsomely in a number of important ways .
First , if capitalism is congruent with “ human nature , ” then the capitalist system must be the most “ natural ” and “ logical ” form of social organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tendency to observe its basic rules .
Second , “ human nature , ” as defined in bourgeois terms ( which the press of course follows ) is characterized by two significant traits : immutability and unalterable egoism .
The first “ fact ” automatically discourages most efforts at seriously reforming , let alone revolutionizing , society .
Why should anyone bother if in the end the stubborn intractability of human nature will render all schemes for change and improvement of social conditions worthless and utopian ?
It ’ s evident that when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that an eternal , immutable and invincible “ human nature ” will time and again scuttle the best-laid plans for social improvement and the costliest sacrifices for change , then most threats to the status quo will be defanged at the outset .
They will be stillborn , which is certainly good news for those who live like kings under the current arrangement .
We regularly rerun articles of compelling and lasting interest .
We wish the truths told in such articles had become obsolete , had been retired by social change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happens .
This is one of such essays .
The second “ fact , ” addressing the supposed individualistic nature of people , provides a convenient justification for the harsh , dog-eat-dog conditions that prevail under the so-called free-enterprise system .
In this vision , all human motivation is supposed to flow from the desire for pecuniary gain and self-aggrandisement , the overwhelming egoism celebrated by Ayn Rand and her ilk .
Individuals are perceived uni-dimensionally as simple atoms of unrelenting hedonism , constantly pursuing the calculus of profit and loss , pain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maximize ” their options to fulfill the dictates of hopelessly greedy natures .
This is the fabled “ homo economicus ” of free market literature ; the heroic “ rugged individualist ” so dear to conservatives , and supposedly the creature on which all human progress and wealth depend .
But why do the media–and especially the wilier corporate apologists– embrace this tack with so much fervor ?
As suggested above , the very possibility of changing things is a highly contested ideological area .
Radicals argue that society can and should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media , which incorporates the mildly reformist liberaloid viewpoints ) contend that nothing basic can or should be changed because our behavior is rooted in an unchanging human nature true for all epochs , systems , and states of human evolution , and , besides , the system is quite sound as it is .
( More on this below . )
History , however , when properly read , is not very kind to conservative social science .
As economists E.K .
Hunt and Howard Sherman have pointed out , “ human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reflect each new set of prevailing social circumstances .
Thus , “ it ’ s no coincidence that the dominant view or ideology under slavery supports slavery ; that under serfdom [ it ] supports serfdom ; and that under capitalism [ it ] supports capitalism .
( … ) Since our ideology is determined by our social environment , radical economists contend that a change in our socioeconomic structure will eventually change the dominant ideology .
Further , if “ human nature ” is inherently greedy , competitive and egoist , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , selflessness and social cooperation , which can be readily observed to this day in many human institutions and societies throughout the world ?
It should be borne in mind that class-divided societies and private property made their appearance barely 10,000 years ago , roughly congruent with the rise of agriculture , food surpluses , sedentarism and animal-domestication , while the bulk of our time on earth as a species has been spent under tribal or primitive communitarianism which stressed familial bonds and a sharing of the commonwealth .
When confronted by recalcitrant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capitalism , ask them a few simple questions .
For example , exactly in what way did the people living in antiquity or the middle ages exhibit a different “ human nature ” than those living later under capitalism ?
Except for the veneers of modernity introduced by a higher level of technology , practically the same core values obtained in all these societies , all characterized by widespread oppression of the disorganized majority by a puny , but very well organized and ruthless minority ; the pacification of the majority through systematic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by myth ( religion ) , etc .
Defenders of capitalism like to think that its “ congruency with human nature ” explains its “ stability ” —three centuries and counting—a coy way of saying it has not been overthrown yet or disintegrated from its own numerous flaws , crimes , and contradictions .
For if this premise were true how do we explain the astonishing longevity of previous systems , some lasting thousands of years ?
Wouldn ’ t that fact attest to their congruency with human nature ?
Ot are we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before ours were less than human ?
And if the explanation to that is that “ human nature ” evolved , changed , etc.
, what made it change except its enveloping culture , as E , K Hunt and others have pointed out ?
All of these easily ascertained facts give the lie to the notion that human nature is immutable or impermeable to social and political realities .
( 1 ) In sum , while capitalism was spawned by and became the successor to feudalism , as feudalism itself sprang from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems share more features than the latter cares to admit : a belief in the inevitability of profound class divisions , institutionalized privilege , unlimited property accumulations , the “ right ” to exploit and oppress , etc.
, etc.
, suggesting a strong commonality of “ human nature ” but not a perfect identity .
The French revolution and the earlier middle class revolution in England triumphed over the old nobility in curtailing many of their inherited prerogatives , and establishing some rights for the “ commoner , ” but , being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merchant class , forerunner of the modern capitalist and the corporate state , did not uproot in their entirety the pervasive lack of egalitarianism that marred those societies .
Inegalitarianism was fine for such tiers of the population , as long as it did not victimized them .
Sharing such strong commonality in values , it was hardly a surprise when the sons and daughters of the newly rich commoners began marrying the offspring of the ancient feudals .
The thoughtful reader may immediately note that all these systems of social organization , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : they are scandalously anti-democratic .
That ’ s why so many impartial observers have deemed capitalism not the natural partner ( or guarantor ) of real democracy , as its innumerable apologists would claim , but its antagonist and immanent executioner .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
Originally: Glossary of Major Distortions {Part One}, Cyrano’s Journal of Politics Media and Culture Wars
(FROM OUR ARCHIVES—NOTE: First published in 1982; revised July 2013)
By Patrice Greanville
Does Capitalism equal human nature?
Capitalism is preferentially identified by its euphemisms: “Free Enterprise,” “market system,” “private enterprise.” “the American Way,” etc. Overt and pervasive partisanship in support of capitalism is not regarded by the American media as an ideological bias negating professional “objectivity” but rather as something akin to the serene acceptance of natural law.
THIS PROPAGANDA EQUATION, making capitalism and “human nature” inseparable, is one of the oldest and most effective ideological weapons utilized in the defense of capitalism. It pays off handsomely in a number of important ways. First, if capitalism is congruent with “human nature,” then the capitalist system must be the most “natural” and “logical” form of social organization, as people will have a built-in tendency to observe its basic rules. Second, “human nature,” as defined in bourgeois terms (which the press of course follows) is characterized by two significant traits:immutability and unalterable egoism.
The first “fact” automatically discourages most efforts at seriously reforming, let alone revolutionizing, society. Why should anyone bother if in the end the stubborn intractability of human nature will render all schemes for change and improvement of social conditions worthless and utopian? It’s evident that when sufficient numbers of people are made to believe that an eternal, immutable and invincible “human nature” will time and again scuttle the best-laid plans for social improvement and the costliest sacrifices for change, then most threats to the status quo will be defanged at the outset. They will be stillborn, which is certainly good news for those who live like kings under the current arrangement.
We regularly rerun articles of compelling and lasting interest. We wish the truths told in such articles had become obsolete, had been retired by social change and good leadership. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. This is one of such essays.
The second “fact,” addressing the supposed individualistic nature of people, provides a convenient justification for the harsh, dog-eat-dog conditions that prevail under the so-called free-enterprise system. In this vision, all human motivation is supposed to flow from the desire for pecuniary gain and self-aggrandisement, the overwhelming egoism celebrated by Ayn Rand and her ilk. Individuals are perceived uni-dimensionally as simple atoms of unrelenting hedonism, constantly pursuing the calculus of profit and loss, pain and pleasure, as they irrepressibly “maximize” their options to fulfill the dictates of hopelessly greedy natures. This is the fabled “homo economicus” of free market literature; the heroic “rugged individualist” so dear to conservatives, and supposedly the creature on which all human progress and wealth depend. But why do the media–and especially the wilier corporate apologists– embrace this tack with so much fervor? As suggested above, the very possibility of changing things is a highly contested ideological arena. Radicals often argue that society can and should be drastically changed. Conservatives (and the media, owned and managed by the ruling elites and their retainers, and which incorporates the mildly reformist liberaloid viewpoints) contend that nothing basic can or should be changed because our behavior is rooted in an unchanging human nature true for all epochs, systems, and states of human evolution, and, besides, the system is quite sound as it is. (More on this below.)
(See also: “Varieties of Violence“, in this edition. )
History, however, when properly read, is not very kind to conservative social science. As economists E.K. Hunt and Howard Sherman have pointed out, “human nature” seems quite adept at changing to reflect each new set of prevailing social circumstances.
Thus, “it’s no coincidence that the dominant view or ideology under slavery supports slavery; that under serfdom [it] supports serfdom; and that under capitalism [it] supports capitalism. (…) Since our ideology is determined by our social environment, radical economists contend that a change in our socioeconomic structure will eventually change the dominant ideology.
As Marx warned, the dominant ideas of any epoch are those of the ruling class. So the apparent uniformity and conformity of social views is no accident.
Before the Civil War most Southerners (including their social scientists and religious leaders) believed firmly that slavery, an essentially pre-capitalist, agricultural system, was natural and good; but after 100 years of dominance by capitalist socioeconomic institutions, most Southerners (including their social scientists and religious ministers) now declare that capitalism is “natural and good”. So the dominant ideas of any epoch are not determined by “human nature” but by socioeconomic relations and these can be changed by changes in these underlying relationships. There is thus hope for a completely new and better society with new and better views by most people.” (F.K. Hunt and Howard J. Sherman, Economics, Harper-Row, 1978, p. xxviii.)
Further, if “human nature” is inherently greedy, competitive and egoist, how do we explain altruism, sharing, selflessness and social cooperation, which can be readily observed to this day in many human institutions and societies throughout the world? It should be borne in mind that class-divided societies and private property made their appearance approximately 10,000 years ago, roughly congruent with the rise of agriculture, food surpluses, sedentarism and animal-domestication, while the bulk of our time on earth as a species has been spent under tribal or primitive communitarianism which stressed familial bonds and a sharing of the commonwealth.
When confronted by recalcitrant, fundamentalist believers in the appropriateness of capitalism, ask them a few simple questions. For example, exactly in what way did the people living in antiquity or the middle ages exhibit a different “human nature” than those living later under capitalism? Except for the veneers of modernity introduced by a higher level of technology, practically the same core values obtained in all these societies, all characterized by widespread oppression of the disorganized majority by a puny, but very well organized and ruthless minority; the pacification of the majority through systematic violence and intimidation, such rule reinforced by myth (religion), etc.
Defenders of capitalism like to think that its “congruency with human nature” explains its “longevity” —three centuries and counting—a coy way of saying it has not been overthrown yet or disintegrated from its own numerous flaws, crimes, and contradictions. But if this premise were true how do we explain the astonishing longevity of previous systems, like feudalism or slavery, lasting thousands of years? Wouldn’t that fact attest to their congruency with human nature? Or are we to believe that those multitudes of generations before ours were less human? And if the explanation to that is that “human nature” evolved, changed, etc., what made it change except its enveloping culture, as E.K. Hunt and others have pointed out? All of these easily ascertained facts give the lie to the notion that human nature is immutable or impermeable to social and political realities. (1)
In sum, while capitalism was spawned by and became the successor to feudalism, as feudalism itself sprang from the disintegration, and economic and technological obsolescence of ancient slavery, both systems share more features than the latter cares to admit: a belief in the inevitability of profound class divisions, institutionalized privilege, unlimited property accumulations, the “right” to exploit and oppress others, etc., etc., suggesting a strong commonality of “human nature” but not a perfect identity.
The French revolution and the earlier middle class revolution in England triumphed over the old nobility in curtailing some of their inherited prerogatives, and establishing some rights for the “commoner,” but, being led by the bourgeois, the rising merchant class, forerunner of the modern capitalist and the corporate state, did not uproot in their entirety the pervasive lack of egalitarianism that marred those societies. Inegalitarianism was fine for such tiers of the population, as long as it did not victimized them. Sharing such strong commonality in values, it was hardly a surprise when the sons and daughters of the newly rich commoners began marrying the offspring of the ancient feudals.
The thoughtful reader may immediately note that all these systems of social organization, as described, share a salient characteristic: they are scandalously anti-democratic. That’s why many impartial observers have deemed capitalism not the natural partner (or guarantor) of real democracy, as its innumerable apologists would claim, but its antagonist and immanent executioner.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-04-30--Chile Update: The constituent process on the tightrope …

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
Editor 's Note : The following is a report filed by Nelly Cárcamo , president of one of Chile 's most dedicated anti-Neoliberal organizations , the Unión de ex Presos Políticos de Chile ( Union of Ex-Political Prisoners of Chile , Unexpp de Chile ) .
Nelly and her organization ( find it , too , amazingly , at least for now , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/unexpp ) constitute a lucid and dependable witness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Latin American peoples at a decisive moment in their history against oppression .
—PG On October 18 , 2019 , Chile experienced the beginning of an unprecedented popular revolt .
This was the product of the accumulation of anger in broad sectors of society that for many decades had been victims of abuse , injustice , mistreatment , and inequity .
Until then , the people 's clamor was brutally repressed or at best , trapped in ineffective and useless official discussions , and their demands neutralized .
Then nothing changed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government and the `` opposition '' parties ( all long questioned and repudiated ) to offer , among other crumbs , a plebiscite to change the constitution as an emergency escape route to social pressure .
But , they imposed rules that allow them to maintain their privileges and absolute control of all processes .
The mobilization continued , producing the most massive demonstrations in the history of Chile .
Inclusively , it remained constant , although with less intensity throughout the summer period .
This gave the government a slight respite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , together with a sector of the `` opposition '' , new repressive and authoritarian laws , with the aim of containing what was coming with the arrival of March , which promised the reactivation , intensification and massification of protests .
One thing was clear , that `` the agreement for peace and a new constitution '' was not born to deepen democracy , nor to abandon the notion of a subsidiary State , nor to strengthen the fundamental rights of the people .
Nor was it intended to establish effective legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic , social and cultural rights .
Therefore , that agreement from above , was simply a desperate exit to buy time .
To understand this situation , it was enough to pay attention to three elements , 1 ) the qualified two-thirds quorum , 2 ) the application of the current electoral law for the election of the drafters of the new Magna Carta , and 3 ) the article that commits respect for trade agreements in favor of transnational corporations , thereby accepting the loss of sovereignty .
But , above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an emergency exit ” , which was never the product of an intention to abandon the model that gave them so many privileges .
What 's more , the imposed quorum is even more undemocratic than the “ binomial ” itself , since in the latter if you won at least you tied while in the two-thirds… although you win now you still lose .
This is the main reason why the social movement continues to demand that the change to the constitution be made through a sovereign constituent assembly .
Then the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nightmare for humanity is the best lifesaver for the most reactionary sectors of our society , its government and for its complacent and neutralized `` opposition '' .
The postponement of the date of the plebiscite was not due to health reasons , as it is widely affirmed ; the pandemic is an excuse , as they already intended to decree the restart of schools , and the opening of the Malls .
If it had not been the pandemic , it would have been `` the lack of guarantees and security , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Can anyone believe that a state of emergency and curfew was decreed due to the pandemic ?
Why so much concern for the few nocturnal passers-by , while during the day the workers crowd like cattle for the collective mobilization , exposing themselves to contagion , without anyone giving a damn about that ?
This fraudulent and deceptive plebiscitary process will be kicked down the field to infinity , or it will be even more disfigured or it will be transformed into something else , something that the duopoly agrees on , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establishment behind these maneuvers , despite the challenges , continues to enjoy very good health .
To realize this , you do n't need to be a political scientist , just look , listen , read and critically reflect .
Indeed , it is not necessary to be a fortune teller to intuit that the Government will keep the military in the streets until it stops needing them as a shield that allows it to govern and impose with the complacent votes of the opposition , all its nefarious laws protecting the large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens in general .
Finally , it will be the latter who will pay the costs of the pandemic and the costs of their `` insolence '' to mount a revolt demanding more democracy , more equity , more sovereignty , more justice .
The protests and social mobilizations gave rise to serious and systematic violations of human rights , with many people murdered , mutilated , tortured , raped , and thousands of political prisoners , only comparable to the crimes against humanity committed during the military-civic dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cake is , a neutralized opposition that is wintering ( with very few exceptions ) .
It only wakes up from time to time , just when the government needs the votes to pass all the laws ( repressive and undemocratic ) that it has recently presented , the weight of which falls on the shoulders of the working people and the mobilized people in particular and of citizens in general .
Meanwhile , we must also contend with the efforts and fervor of the opposition parties to “ sell the pomá @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) to approve , in addition to the change in the constitution , the alternative of a “ constitutional convention ” , which will allow them to remain attached to power and to the “ tit ” of the State and obviously also to the privileges of the owners of Chile , a position which forces them to continue waiting , exposed to uncertainty , for what the ruling party decides .
But what difference does it make , parliamentarians continue to receive their millionaire salaries , which they refuse to reduce , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of water , precarious sanitary conditions , or go hungry as large sectors of our people do at this time .
Only the mobilization of broad sectors of our society can prevent the ruling party from carrying out its [ clearly treacherous and antisocial ] plan .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
Nelly Cárcamo V.
Unexpp de Chile
Editor's Note: The following is a report filed by Nelly Cárcamo, president of one of Chile's most dedicated anti-Neoliberal organizations, the Unión de ex Presos Políticos de Chile (Union of Ex-Political Prisoners of Chile, Unexpp de Chile ). Nelly and her organization (find it, too, amazingly, at least for now, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/unexpp ) constitute a lucid and dependable witness to the courageous struggles of the Chilean and Latin American peoples at a decisive moment in their history against oppression. —PG
On October 18, 2019, Chile experienced the beginning of an unprecedented popular revolt. This was the product of the accumulation of anger in broad sectors of society that for many decades had been victims of abuse, injustice, mistreatment, and inequity. Until then, the people's clamor was brutally repressed or at best, trapped in ineffective and useless official discussions, and their demands neutralized. Then nothing changed. The revolt, however, urgently forced the government and the "opposition" parties (all long questioned and repudiated) to offer, among other crumbs, a plebiscite to change the constitution as an emergency escape route to social pressure. But, they imposed rules that allow them to maintain their privileges and absolute control of all processes. The mobilization continued, producing the most massive demonstrations in the history of Chile. Inclusively, it remained constant, although with less intensity throughout the summer period. This gave the government a slight respite, which took the time to pass, together with a sector of the "opposition", new repressive and authoritarian laws, with the aim of containing what was coming with the arrival of March, which promised the reactivation, intensification and massification of protests.
One thing was clear, that "the agreement for peace and a new constitution" was not born to deepen democracy, nor to abandon the notion of a subsidiary State, nor to strengthen the fundamental rights of the people. Nor was it intended to establish effective legal guarantees to protect, for example, economic, social and cultural rights. Therefore, that agreement from above, was simply a desperate exit to buy time. To understand this situation, it was enough to pay attention to three elements, 1) the qualified two-thirds quorum, 2) the application of the current electoral law for the election of the drafters of the new Magna Carta, and 3) the article that commits respect for trade agreements in favor of transnational corporations, thereby accepting the loss of sovereignty. But, above all things, this was only “an emergency exit”, which was never the product of an intention to abandon the model that gave them so many privileges. What's more, the imposed quorum is even more undemocratic than the “binomial” itself, since in the latter if you won at least you tied while in the two-thirds… although you win now you still lose. This is the main reason why the social movement continues to demand that the change to the constitution be made through a sovereign constituent assembly. Then the pandemic struck, and what becomes a nightmare for humanity is the best lifesaver for the most reactionary sectors of our society, its government and for its complacent and neutralized "opposition". The postponement of the date of the plebiscite was not due to health reasons, as it is widely affirmed; the pandemic is an excuse, as they already intended to decree the restart of schools, and the opening of the Malls.
Chile woke up, again...
If it had not been the pandemic, it would have been "the lack of guarantees and security, caused by the social movement"; Can anyone believe that a state of emergency and curfew was decreed due to the pandemic? Why so much concern for the few nocturnal passers-by, while during the day the workers crowd like cattle for the collective mobilization, exposing themselves to contagion, without anyone giving a damn about that? This fraudulent and deceptive plebiscitary process will be kicked down the field to infinity, or it will be even more disfigured or it will be transformed into something else, something that the duopoly agrees on, or endorses as consensual, while the very establishment behind these maneuvers, despite the challenges, continues to enjoy very good health. To realize this, you don't need to be a political scientist, just look, listen, read and critically reflect. Indeed, it is not necessary to be a fortune teller to intuit that the Government will keep the military in the streets until it stops needing them as a shield that allows it to govern and impose with the complacent votes of the opposition, all its nefarious laws protecting the large business community while it hurts workers and citizens in general. Finally, it will be the latter who will pay the costs of the pandemic and the costs of their "insolence" to mount a revolt demanding more democracy, more equity, more sovereignty, more justice. The protests and social mobilizations gave rise to serious and systematic violations of human rights, with many people murdered, mutilated, tortured, raped, and thousands of political prisoners, only comparable to the crimes against humanity committed during the military-civic dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1989 ).
And the icing on the cake is, a neutralized opposition that is wintering (with very few exceptions). It only wakes up from time to time, just when the government needs the votes to pass all the laws (repressive and undemocratic) that it has recently presented, the weight of which falls on the shoulders of the working people and the mobilized people in particular and of citizens in general. Meanwhile, we must also contend with the efforts and fervor of the opposition parties to “sell the pomá” ("sell the ointment") to approve, in addition to the change in the constitution, the alternative of a “constitutional convention”, which will allow them to remain attached to power and to the “tit” of the State and obviously also to the privileges of the owners of Chile, a position which forces them to continue waiting, exposed to uncertainty, for what the ruling party decides. But what difference does it make, parliamentarians continue to receive their millionaire salaries, which they refuse to reduce, therefore unlikely to suffer from a lack of water, precarious sanitary conditions, or go hungry as large sectors of our people do at this time. Only the mobilization of broad sectors of our society can prevent the ruling party from carrying out its [clearly treacherous and antisocial] plan.
Further reading: The author recommends the following materials—


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-05-01--Noam Chomsky, Lesser Evilism, and Democracy

er the years Noam Chomsky has advanced a scathing indictment of U.S. elections , saying that they are really more `` public relations extravaganzas '' than ideological contests , that they therefore mean very little , especially at the national level ; that he himself votes `` less and less '' at that level ; that the system is not generating issues that resonate with the public ; that there really are n't any political parties , but only `` candidate producing organizations '' driven by marketing concerns ; that the quadrennial farce that plays out at the presidential level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes time , '' and this , only to determine which candidate represents the greater threat , in order to vote against him ; and that , in view of all this we should reserve our main political energy for vastly more meaningful work , such as popular education , union organizing , and cultural resistance .
Nevertheless , in recent years the significance of voting has loomed large in Chomsky 's mind : he warned that failure to vote for Hillary Clinton was a `` big mistake , '' that allowing Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knell of the species , '' and that the nearly surreal 2020 electoral farce is the `` most important in human history . ''
Note the juxtaposition : voting is not worth more than a few minutes of our attention , and it 's likely to determine the fate of the earth .
Are these assumptions really reconcilable ?
Probably not .
If it is really true that we are at a `` tipping point '' vis-a-vis global warming , then it does not make sense to spend the vast majority of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of transforming the U.S. into a country where a decent person could live without shame .
Far better to throw ourselves unreservedly into the campaign to elect Biden now , in order to insure ourselves the time to deal with longer term matters later .
But most Bernie Sanders voters will not do this , to say nothing of those farther left , and even Chomsky is not recommending it .
Nevertheless , there is logic to the claim that those who abstain from voting actually are helping re-elect Trump .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chomsky says , since only Biden or Trump can win in November .
Therefore , subtracting a vote from Biden by staying home has the same impact as a positive vote for Trump .
In short , for Chomsky , November 's ballot should be understood to read as follows : The `` b '' vote is a vote for Joe Biden .
Abstaining is a vote for Trump , since it represents a failure to vote against him , as is a vote for a third party candidate .
Chomsky 's logic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assumptions equally so ?
Perhaps not .
In the first place , the Democrat-Republican binary is not a law of nature , but a result of awarding corporations ( legal fictions ) the same constitutional status as biological people .
This could and should be overturned , as corporations are nowhere mentioned in the U.S. Constitution , and only a handful of dubious legal decisions give them their unwarranted power .
This can not happen in time for November , but could happen later if the energy currently wasted on lesser evil electioneering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Incidentally , the triumph of popular fervor over duopoly has already been achieved once , as the Republican party itself was the product of a successful third party challenge to the Whig-Democrat `` binary '' around the issue of slavery .
The issues today - climate change , a collapsing economy , global pandemic - are equally grave , and could destroy the two corporate parties altogether .
In fact , Trump already destroyed the GOP that existed prior to 2016 , famously calling out each of his numerous Republican rivals for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then surging to victory in spite of total media hostility and constant RNC efforts to consolidate the Never Trump vote .
Bernie Sanders , lacking Trump 's killer instinct and facing the stronger wing of the U.S. establishment , failed to duplicate this achievement on the Democratic side .
But back to the dismal matter at hand .
Is it really true that Biden is the lesser evil ?
Chomsky nowhere takes note of the fact that Trump is the choice of the Republican base , not the elites , whereas Biden is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ openly defecated on the Democratic base , and not for the first time .
Therefore , as detestable as Trump 's rule is , it is at least somewhat democratic ( slightly more responsive to the concerns of working people than Pelosi , Schumer , and Biden ) , while the Democratic Party remains implacably hostile to granting its social democratic base the slightest representation , and this , eighty-seven years after the New Deal was enacted under a Democratic banner .
Incredible as it may seem , it is , not any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medicare For All , covering all coronavirus-related expenses , while Biden promises to veto any Medicare For All bill that reaches his desk as president , and Pelosi advocates subsidizing COBRA benefits , which would keep parasitic HMOs at the forefront of health-care delivery during a global pandemic .
And it is Trump and the Republicans that offered the larger direct cash payments to Americans , while Pelosi initially opposed them , then blathered about `` means testing '' token financial help .
So if there is any hope for achieving universal basic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rests with Trump , not the Democrats , who are ideologically opposed to populist concessions .
Lacking ideological convictions , the president can afford to indulge a little democracy , especially if it extends his political life .
Nor is it entirely clear that Trump is worse than the Democrats on foreign policy .
As Matt Taibbi noted in a recent podcast , he lacks an infatuation with launching new wars , unlike Hillary Clinton , and he sensibly advocates that the U.S. `` get along '' with Russia , as opposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regime change via belligerent confrontation and a steady stream of insults directed at Vladimir Putin ( HRC compares him to Hitler ) .
Furthermore , Trump , much to the consternation of Democratic leaders , favors a diplomatic solution between North and South Korea , which he may yet achieve , while Democrats prefer issuing threats and ultimatums in hopes of forcing North Korea to unilaterally disarm .
In short , with two nuclear adversaries Trump favors diplomacy , while the Democrats prefer adolescent bullying and an attendant risk of nuclear war .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is the point of keyboard revolutionaries like Chomsky lecturing the non-voting population about the meaning of its voting behavior ?
These people ( 44 % of the electorate in 2016 ) are in the bottom half of the wealth pyramid , that is , the most exploited part of the population , and they will continue to be no matter who wins in November .
As Biden himself told rich donors last year : `` Nothing would fundamentally change '' ( in a Biden administration ) .
So why should non-voters worry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lives will remain a pitiless struggle to make it to the end of the month ?
Of course , all this assumes that there are actually going to be elections in November .
There may not be .
With a deeply corrupt DNC constantly rigging and even canceling primary elections ( New York ) , Trump has the perfect pretext to cancel the general elections .
If he ends up ruling extra-constitutionally , thank a Democrat .

Up to You.
^3000US citizens have no real political representation.
We don't live in a democracy. And our freedom is disappearing fast.
I don't want to be ruled by hypocrites, whores, and war criminals.
What about you? Time to push back against the corporate oligarchy.
And its multitude of minions and lackeys.


Get Russian

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
Dissent is Russian , or have n't you heard ?
Russia ?
You bet your sweet ass that 's Russian .
It 's Russian to ask questions .
It 's Russian to tell the truth .
Truth is Russian in an empire of lies .
If truth is Russian , I do n't want to be Australian .
If truth is Russian , you can call me Svetlana .
If truth is Russian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kicking my feet out in front of me with my bum low to the ground whilst shouting `` Stallone was the bad guy in Rocky IV '' until my voice is hoarse .
If truth is Russian , then let 's all get Russian .
Get as Russian as possible .
Get so Russian it hurts .
Get so Russian they write Palmer Report articles about you .
Get so Russian that Rachel Maddow spits your name like it 's poison .
Get so Russian that Putin calls you and says tone it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nurmagomedov has nightmares about fighting you .
Camus said `` The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely Russian that your very existence is an act of rebellion , '' or something like that .
Fold your arms and get low on the dance floor .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
Caitlin Johnstone
Dissent is Russian, or haven't you heard?
Dissent is Russian.
Peace activism is Russian.
Exposing war crimes is Russian.
Inconveniencing Democrats is Russian.
Tara Reade? Russian.
Julian Assange? Russian.
Jill Stein? Russian.
Tulsi Gabbard? Russian.
Russia? You bet your sweet ass that's Russian.
Conspiracy theories are Russian.
Alternative media are Russian.
It's Russian to ask questions.
It's Russian to reveal objective facts.
It's Russian to tell the truth.
Truth is Russian in an empire of lies.
If truth is Russian, I don't want to be Australian.
If truth is Russian, you can call me Svetlana.
If truth is Russian, then I will ascend to the clouds
by climbing a Tolstoy novel,
kicking my feet out in front of me
with my bum low to the ground
balancing a bottle of vodka atop a fur hat
whilst shouting "Stallone was the bad guy in Rocky IV"
until my voice is hoarse.
If truth is Russian, then let's all get Russian.
Get as Russian as possible.
Get aggressively Russian.
Get offensively Russian.
Get Russianly Russian.
Get so Russian it hurts.
Get so Russian they write Palmer Report articles about you.
Get so Russian that Rachel Maddow spits your name like it's poison.
Get so Russian that Putin calls you and says tone it down.
Get so Russian that Khabib Nurmagomedov has nightmares about fighting you.
Camus said "The only way to deal with an unfree world
is to become so absolutely Russian
that your very existence is an act of rebellion,"
or something like that.
So get Russian, baby.
Fold your arms and get low on the dance floor.
Get low, shorty,
get low, low, low.
Get low,
get low,
and get Russian.
____________________


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-04-30--COLD WAR OF TRUMP/NAVARRO VS CHINA – MORE DANGEROUS THAN COVID-19.

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
It is getting ugly , extremely ugly .
It is increasingly looking like a war – at least a new ‘ cold ’ , ideological war .
But in the shadow of COVID-19 , it goes almost unnoticed .
The blind horseman , who hates China intuitively , without knowing hardly anything about it , is leading the pack , pushing his president into a confrontation with the most populous country on Earth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the president is ‘ innocent ’ .
Under him , the White House has become a haven of bigotry , of anti-Chinese racist sentiments .
Here , not only China , but also Iran , Venezuela , Cuba and Russia are hated .
It was already converted into the global headquarters of the combat against the much more logical and humane , socialist , systems .
Red warning lights are blinking .
All indicators are pointing downwards ; economic ones , social ones , as well as medical .
More disastrous is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressively it behaves towards the world .
U.S. warships are repeatedly being deployed , near Taiwan and the South China Sea .
They are right near the territorial waters of Iran and Venezuela .
And the insults , terrible insults , are flying .
Trump and Navarro are abusing China publicly , with no shame .
There is no diplomacy , and no restrains .
A nation which just a few months ago stood alone , facing an unknown enemy , battling and at great cost but rapidly defeating the pandemic , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smeared day after day .
All this is being done shamelessly and arrogantly .
The world is watching .
Part of it in disbelief and outrage , and the other part lethargically and submissively , as always .
On April 19 , 2020 , the New York Post reported : “ White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Sunday called on China to prove that a Wuhan laboratory played no role in the coronavirus pandemic — and accused the nation of hoarding personal protective equipment and profiting off the outbreak .
Navarro took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Sunday Morning Futures , ” accusing the country of taking several actions that worsened the ongoing crisis and “ led to the deaths of many people worldwide.
” “ First of all , the virus was spawned in China .
Second of all , they hid the virus behind the shield of the World Health Organization .
The third thing they did was basically hoard personal protective equipment and now they ’ re profiteering from it , ” Navarro said .
U.S. President Trump , perhaps taking Navarro ’ s advice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ World Health Organization ( WHO ) , something until recently unimaginable , considering that the Planet is in the middle of a war with the virus , and the WHO is at the frontline of it .
But the WHO is being accused of “ colluding with Communist China ” , which this administration increasingly sees as its greatest enemy .
One day later , on 20th April , 2020 , Reuters carried a report about Peter Navarro ’ s accusation of China for withholding data on COVID-19 : '' One of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us in and given us the data on this virus early , is they 're racing to get a vaccine and they think this is just a competitive business race , it 's a business proposition so that they can sell the vaccines to the world , '' Navarro told Fox Business Network.
” '' But we 're going to beat them .
We 're going to beat them because of President Trump 's leadership .
We 're going to beat them because HHS has already got a five-company horse race , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Health and Human Services.
” The attacks against China are bordering on hysteria .
Trump and his advisors appear to be thoroughly desperate .
And this extreme desperation , this fear of losing a grip on power , all over the world , is extremely dangerous for the survival of humanity .
China , but also Russia , have been extremely patient .
They use diplomacy , instead of threats and insults .
They are observing the behavior of the U.S. leaders with certain amusement , as if it was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throwing a tantrum .
But their patience has boundaries .
Once the U.S. attitude begins harming the lives of Chinese or Russian citizens , these two big and independent countries will be forced to act .
And the U.S. is pushing , as if , paradoxically , the confrontation was the only chance for its survival .
It is pushing , provoking , on all fronts : from the South China Sea and Taiwan to Hong Kong , from Venezuela to Iran , from insulting China and Russia , to a bizarre battle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One scratch , one tiny error in the Iranian territorial waters , or in the South China Sea , and the fragile peace may go up in flames .
Nerves are stretched .
The world had been tolerating , uneasily but tolerating , the aggressive behavior of Washington , for years and decades .
But now , with the COVID-19 confusion , and with the imminent global economic and financial collapse , almost all countries are extremely edgy .
This is not the same world as we knew it to be just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the others in their ‘ camp ’ should pay close attention , if they want to avoid a global tragedy .
Unfortunately , they do not seem to be trying to avoid a conflict .
They are trying to provoke one , by all means !
This has to be repeated , again and again : You can not call China , a country which was first attacked by the coronavirus , and which defeated it , alone and with great determination and sacrifice , “ a country which infected the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is profiteering from the crisis ” .
That would be insane , incorrect , and thoroughly vulgar .
If anything , China has helped almost the entire world to fight this pandemic .
It also quickly shared expertise , and helped those nations which have been hit the most , with both advice and invaluable medical equipment .
Statements such as those of the White House trade adviser Peter Navarro calling on China to prove that a Wuhan laboratory played no role in the coronavirus pandemic , are extremely irresponsible and dangerous , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Many experts worldwide , actually believe that it was the U.S. that brought the virus to China .
Earlier , the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted one of the theories , which says that it was the US military that brought the new coronavirus to the central city of Wuhan .
But in the end , the Chinese officials decided not to point fingers in the direction of Washington , at least for now , as these are extremely explosive topics and exceptionally volatile times .
The United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conciliatory moves of the Chinese government and the Communist Party , as weakness .
It has turned the tables around , and began the lowest imaginable set of ideological attacks , obviously convinced of its invincibility .
Eventually , Washington crossed all the lines .
And now it has become almost certain that its propaganda salvos will not go unanswered .
The attacks against China are unjust and racist .
They smell of cultural supremacy and of a superiority complex .
The Western world in general , and the United States in particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of millions of human beings , all over the world .
Washington has no moral mandate to lecture any country on our planet , particularly not China , which has no history of imperialism or harming humanity .
“ Hiding facts ” , or using chemical and biological warfare is something that is in line with Washington and its ‘ foreign policy ’ .
China has no chronicle of such behavior .
One should just recall Indochina , Iraq , Cuba and many other places , to see what Washington is capable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thoroughly ignorant about China .
Navarro ’ s lack of knowledge about the country he keeps smearing and provoking , has been exposed even by countless members of the ( otherwise obedient ) U.S. academia .
For both Trump and Navarro , China is the most convenient political and economic punch bag .
It is governed by the Communist Party , it is greatly successful , both economically and socially .
And it owes its success to the enthusiasm and hard work of its people , not to colonialism or imperialism , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Therefore , it is offering a totally new alternative model to our planet .
And alternatives are not allowed , by Washington , London and Paris .
In summary : to the neocons and Western supremacists , China is the greatest nightmare .
It clearly shows that different world is possible .
The old fundamentalist ideological theology of the West reads : “ If you can not compete with it , smear it ; destroy it !
” By now , it is all way beyond even pretending there is something like fairness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behaves , has nothing to do with the concern for our world , and for the people inhabiting it .
It is all raw , brutal and bad-mannered .
It is all about dominance ; about not losing that dominance .
Trump , Bolton , Pompeo , Navarro , Bannon… many others .
They are present-day crusaders .
Fighters for the white race , and the Western “ culture ” of expansionism .
Their deeds are not often defined in this manner .
But there is hardly any more honest way to describe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And the present pandemic ?
What is happening around us is predominantly not about saving lives .
The fight against COVID-19 has become an ideological war , a murky economic war , not a war for the survival of millions of human beings .
Again , and again , China , Russia as well as Cuba have clearly demonstrated where they stand .
Their airplanes brought hope and desperately needed help .
Grateful Italians sung the Chinese national anthem .
Many in the U.S. began paying attention to Russian humanitarian airlifts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the hardest hit areas of the world .
The response from the West ?
Ungrateful , repulsive cynicism .
Even some Italian reporters opted for writing sarcastic pieces questioning the Russian and Chinese altruism .
U.S. politicians were quick to begin disputing the fact that Russian aid to New York was fully free , or at least half free , in some cases .
While Trump was snatching the deliveries of Chinese medical equipment bound for Germany and other countries , from transit airports in Thailand and elsewhere ; while he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharmaceutical company , so it would produce COVID-19 vaccine exclusively for the United States , while the EU showed no solidarity with Italy and other members when the solidarity was most needed , China , Russia and Cuba displayed grace under pressure , behaving like human beings , like responsible members of the international community .
That , precisely that ; this tremendous contrast between two world systems , during the hour of great global crises , had to be covered up by Washington , so , god forbid , the world would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong with the North American and European imperialist regime , and its extreme , fundamentalist capitalism .
People like Mr. Navarro or Mr. Trump can not see the world in any other way , anymore ; only through the paradigm of profits , control and supremacy .
Instead of cleaning their own house , and improving their regime , they rather smear and attack those who are building a much better world .
We are still not sure , what real danger COVID-19 represents .
We can not precisely calculate the mortality rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We can only guess how many millions of lives will be ruined by the global economic downfall .
But we know what a confrontation between U.S. and China or between U.S. and Russia would bring .
We also know what Washington ’ s novel Cold War combatants are counting on : that Beijing and Moscow ( but also Teheran , and others ) will accept anything ; that in order to save the planet , they will always back up , trying to de-escalate tensions with the West .
After all , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now .
But lines are being crossed .
The recent statements , insults uttered by Trump and Navarro , accusing China of spreading the virus , or even manufacturing it in its labs , are pushing Beijing too far .
It is like defying logic , and then spitting in the faces of the true victims , and those heroes who fought and died at the frontline in Wuhan , for their city , their country , and the world .
Such lies , such insults can never be forgiven .
What next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the insane sanctions , then bring its NAVY to the South China Sea , or near Taiwan , and keep funding rioters in Hong Kong , as well as Uyghur terrorists in Syria… It is actually precisely what it is doing right now .
But watch out !
Trump and his people are playing with fire .
They are not almighty , not anymore .
A few weeks more of this , and they may inherit the storm , such a terrible storm , that it could make even COVID-19 look like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NEO – New Eastern Outlook – a journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences ]

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Andre Vltchek
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t is getting ugly, extremely ugly. It is increasingly looking like a war – at least a new ‘cold’, ideological war. But in the shadow of COVID-19, it goes almost unnoticed.
The blind horseman, who hates China intuitively, without knowing hardly anything about it, is leading the pack, pushing his president into a confrontation with the most populous country on Earth. His name is Peter Navarro.
Not that the president is ‘innocent’. Under him, the White House has become a haven of bigotry, of anti-Chinese racist sentiments. Here, not only China, but also Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and Russia are hated. It was already converted into the global headquarters of the combat against the much more logical and humane, socialist, systems.
Red warning lights are blinking. All indicators are pointing downwards; economic ones, social ones, as well as medical. More disastrous is domestic policy of the Empire, more aggressively it behaves towards the world. U.S. warships are repeatedly being deployed, near Taiwan and the South China Sea. They are right near the territorial waters of Iran and Venezuela.
And the insults, terrible insults, are flying.
Trump and Navarro are abusing China publicly, with no shame. There is no diplomacy, and no restrains. A nation which just a few months ago stood alone, facing an unknown enemy, battling and at great cost but rapidly defeating the pandemic, all over its vast territory, is now smeared day after day.
All this is being done shamelessly and arrogantly.
The world is watching. Part of it in disbelief and outrage, and the other part lethargically and submissively, as always.
On April 19, 2020, the New York Post reported:
“White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Sunday called on China to prove that a Wuhan laboratory played no role in the coronavirus pandemic — and accused the nation of hoarding personal protective equipment and profiting off the outbreak.
Navarro took aim at China on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” accusing the country of taking several actions that worsened the ongoing crisis and “led to the deaths of many people worldwide.”
“First of all, the virus was spawned in China. Second of all, they hid the virus behind the shield of the World Health Organization. The third thing they did was basically hoard personal protective equipment and now they’re profiteering from it,” Navarro said.
U.S. President Trump, perhaps taking Navarro’s advice, has already cut all funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), something until recently unimaginable, considering that the Planet is in the middle of a war with the virus, and the WHO is at the frontline of it. But the WHO is being accused of “colluding with Communist China”, which this administration increasingly sees as its greatest enemy.
One day later, on 20th April, 2020, Reuters carried a report about Peter Navarro’s accusation of China for withholding data on COVID-19:
"One of the reasons that they may not have let us in and given us the data on this virus early, is they're racing to get a vaccine and they think this is just a competitive business race, it's a business proposition so that they can sell the vaccines to the world," Navarro told Fox Business Network.”
"But we're going to beat them. We're going to beat them because of President Trump's leadership. We're going to beat them because HHS has already got a five-company horse race," said Navarro, referring to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”
The attacks against China are bordering on hysteria. Trump and his advisors appear to be thoroughly desperate.
And this extreme desperation, this fear of losing a grip on power, all over the world, is extremely dangerous for the survival of humanity.
China, but also Russia, have been extremely patient. They use diplomacy, instead of threats and insults. They are observing the behavior of the U.S. leaders with certain amusement, as if it was the behavior of a spoiled child who is throwing a tantrum. But their patience has boundaries. Once the U.S. attitude begins harming the lives of Chinese or Russian citizens, these two big and independent countries will be forced to act. And the U.S. is pushing, as if, paradoxically, the confrontation was the only chance for its survival.
It is pushing, provoking, on all fronts: from the South China Sea and Taiwan to Hong Kong, from Venezuela to Iran, from insulting China and Russia, to a bizarre battle already being fought on the COVID-19 front.
One scratch, one tiny error in the Iranian territorial waters, or in the South China Sea, and the fragile peace may go up in flames. Nerves are stretched.
The world had been tolerating, uneasily but tolerating, the aggressive behavior of Washington, for years and decades. But now, with the COVID-19 confusion, and with the imminent global economic and financial collapse, almost all countries are extremely edgy. This is not the same world as we knew it to be just a year ago. Trump, Navarro and the others in their ‘camp’ should pay close attention, if they want to avoid a global tragedy.
Unfortunately, they do not seem to be trying to avoid a conflict. They are trying to provoke one, by all means!
*
This has to be repeated, again and again: You cannot call China, a country which was first attacked by the coronavirus, and which defeated it, alone and with great determination and sacrifice, “a country which infected the world”, or “a country which is profiteering from the crisis”. That would be insane, incorrect, and thoroughly vulgar.
If anything, China has helped almost the entire world to fight this pandemic. It also quickly shared expertise, and helped those nations which have been hit the most, with both advice and invaluable medical equipment.
Statements such as those of the White House trade adviser Peter Navarro calling on China to prove that a Wuhan laboratory played no role in the coronavirus pandemic, are extremely irresponsible and dangerous, and could easily lead to dire consequences.
Many experts worldwide, actually believe that it was the U.S. that brought the virus to China. Earlier, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted one of the theories, which says that it was the US military that brought the new coronavirus to the central city of Wuhan.
But in the end, the Chinese officials decided not to point fingers in the direction of Washington, at least for now, as these are extremely explosive topics and exceptionally volatile times.
The United States, however, has misread these wise and conciliatory moves of the Chinese government and the Communist Party, as weakness. It has turned the tables around, and began the lowest imaginable set of ideological attacks, obviously convinced of its invincibility.
Eventually, Washington crossed all the lines. And now it has become almost certain that its propaganda salvos will not go unanswered.
*
The attacks against China are unjust and racist.
They smell of cultural supremacy and of a superiority complex.
The Western world in general, and the United States in particular, have brought death and destruction to hundreds of millions of human beings, all over the world. Washington has no moral mandate to lecture any country on our planet, particularly not China, which has no history of imperialism or harming humanity.
“Hiding facts”, or using chemical and biological warfare is something that is in line with Washington and its ‘foreign policy’. China has no chronicle of such behavior.
One should just recall Indochina, Iraq, Cuba and many other places, to see what Washington is capable of.
Both Trump and Navarro are thoroughly ignorant about China. Navarro’s lack of knowledge about the country he keeps smearing and provoking, has been exposed even by countless members of the (otherwise obedient) U.S. academia.
For both Trump and Navarro, China is the most convenient political and economic punch bag. It is governed by the Communist Party, it is greatly successful, both economically and socially. And it owes its success to the enthusiasm and hard work of its people, not to colonialism or imperialism, not to the plundering of other nations. Therefore, it is offering a totally new alternative model to our planet. And alternatives are not allowed, by Washington, London and Paris.
In summary: to the neocons and Western supremacists, China is the greatest nightmare. It clearly shows that different world is possible.
*
The old fundamentalist ideological theology of the West reads: “If you cannot compete with it, smear it; destroy it!”
By now, it is all way beyond even pretending there is something like fairness and ‘objectivity’. How Washington behaves, has nothing to do with the concern for our world, and for the people inhabiting it.
It is all raw, brutal and bad-mannered. It is all about dominance; about not losing that dominance.
Trump, Bolton, Pompeo, Navarro, Bannon… many others. They are present-day crusaders. Fighters for the white race, and the Western “culture” of expansionism. Their deeds are not often defined in this manner. But there is hardly any more honest way to describe what are these individuals trying to achieve.
*
And the present pandemic? What is happening around us is predominantly not about saving lives. The fight against COVID-19 has become an ideological war, a murky economic war, not a war for the survival of millions of human beings.
Again, and again, China, Russia as well as Cuba have clearly demonstrated where they stand. Their airplanes brought hope and desperately needed help. Grateful Italians sung the Chinese national anthem. Many in the U.S. began paying attention to Russian humanitarian airlifts. Cuba sent its legendary medical brigades to some of the hardest hit areas of the world.
The response from the West? Ungrateful, repulsive cynicism. Even some Italian reporters opted for writing sarcastic pieces questioning the Russian and Chinese altruism.
U.S. politicians were quick to begin disputing the fact that Russian aid to New York was fully free, or at least half free, in some cases.
While Trump was snatching the deliveries of Chinese medical equipment bound for Germany and other countries, from transit airports in Thailand and elsewhere; while he was trying to literally bribe a German pharmaceutical company, so it would produce COVID-19 vaccine exclusively for the United States, while the EU showed no solidarity with Italy and other members when the solidarity was most needed, China, Russia and Cuba displayed grace under pressure, behaving like human beings, like responsible members of the international community.
That, precisely that; this tremendous contrast between two world systems, during the hour of great global crises, had to be covered up by Washington, so, god forbid, the world would not notice that there is something essentially wrong with the North American and European imperialist regime, and its extreme, fundamentalist capitalism.
People like Mr. Navarro or Mr. Trump cannot see the world in any other way, anymore; only through the paradigm of profits, control and supremacy. Instead of cleaning their own house, and improving their regime, they rather smear and attack those who are building a much better world.
*
We are still not sure, what real danger COVID-19 represents. We cannot precisely calculate the mortality rate, or spread of the pandemic. We can only guess how many millions of lives will be ruined by the global economic downfall.
But we know what a confrontation between U.S. and China or between U.S. and Russia would bring.
We also know what Washington’s novel Cold War combatants are counting on: that Beijing and Moscow (but also Teheran, and others) will accept anything; that in order to save the planet, they will always back up, trying to de-escalate tensions with the West. After all, it has been like that, up to now.
But lines are being crossed.
The recent statements, insults uttered by Trump and Navarro, accusing China of spreading the virus, or even manufacturing it in its labs, are pushing Beijing too far. It is like defying logic, and then spitting in the faces of the true victims, and those heroes who fought and died at the frontline in Wuhan, for their city, their country, and the world.
Such lies, such insults can never be forgiven.
What next? Washington may now impose more of the insane sanctions, then bring its NAVY to the South China Sea, or near Taiwan, and keep funding rioters in Hong Kong, as well as Uyghur terrorists in Syria… It is actually precisely what it is doing right now.
But watch out! Trump and his people are playing with fire. They are not almighty, not anymore. A few weeks more of this, and they may inherit the storm, such a terrible storm, that it could make even COVID-19 look like a gentle breeze.
*
[Originally published by NEO – New Eastern Outlook – a journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences]