Wakeful Video Weekend 2020-02-09 (19 videos)

Lots of stuff on political and economic corruption and how to deal with it. Also candidates (slimy B.G. and great B.S.), the messy welfare state, world news, and more. Most of the Iowagate (Iowa Circus etc.) stuff is published in the dedicated preceding article also linked from here.

Stars & Channels: Bernie Sanders, CODEPINK, Double Down News, Harvard for Bernie, JRE Clips, Kim Iversen, Majority Report, On Contact (Chris Hedges & Richard Wolff), Redacted Tonight, Secular Talk, The Grayzone, The Jimmy Dore Show, thejuicemedia, and more…

Topics:

1. Money in Politics Becoming Obscene
2. Capitalism: The Planet’s Cancer
3. Socialism the Product (or Shadow) of Capitalism
4. Odd Event (maybe entertaining?): ‘Bernie Broads’ at Harvard 😉
5. How to Clean Up the Messy Welfare State (Audio)
6. Free Press & Wikileaks: Is Julian Assange Not a Journalist?
7. World News (Venezuela, Bolivia, War on Diplomacy)
8. Great Speech on our Corrupt Political System (Kim Iversen)
9. Candidates: Butigigigi (a “sweet talker”)
10. Bernie (Scared of Bernie, Joe Rogan “Scandal”)
11. The Jimmy Dore Show
12. Humor (Government Ad: Perfected Mass Surveillance)

 

1. Money in Politics Becoming Obscene

Billionaires Spend Nearly Half A BILLION In Self Campaign Funding ~ Secular Talk

 

2. Capitalism: The Planet’s Cancer

Capitalism, because of its constant robbing of people, requires endless economic growth. But on a limited planet this leads to disaster:

Capitalism is the Planet’s Cancer: Operate Before it’s too Late | George Monbiot ~ Double Down News

 

3. Socialism the Product (or Shadow) of Capitalism

… a (usually vague with no concrete program?) effort of bringing egalitarian way of life and democracy back into capitalist-ruled neo-feudalist environments:

On Contact: Understanding Socialism with Richard Wolff ~ RT America

 

Main points:

• The manipulation of culture by the ruling class (religion, nationalism, racism, consumerism, fascism…) to gain a sufficiently large army of foot soldiers and/or divide the people into a tug of war with each other (for example red vs blue) that neutralizes them.
• The lack of concrete programs by socialism supporters which makes it easy for fascist tricksters to dangle a concrete program in front of people’s eyes, like Brexit or Trump’s Wall, which – regardless of them being totally useless – gives dimly-thinking, ignorant, or overly distracted people a straw to grasp.
• The emptiness of serf-like lives.
• To move forward, reject capitalism and take the courage to push for a socialist system.

Comment: The last point is a bit weak as the step to take. The major problem with “socialism” is its many diverse definitions (sometimes totally off the wall when held by anti-socialists) and common vagueness by “socialists”. As long as our ultimate goal and the steps to take towards it remain vague, we – the people – will continue to remain ineffective and easily diverted into flawed easily rolled back solutions or, even worse, fascist movements that pretend to help the people while in reality only helping the ruling class at huge expense (including killings) of the people. The clear ultimate goal, I would say, is egalitarianism (the realization of the early socialist motto of “from each according to their ability and to each according to their needs”); and clear steps are combined measures like public funding of elections, public banking, an economic bill of rights, promotion of democratically run worker co-ops, speed limits on excessive wealth and income (cap-taxing them to eliminate excessive power in the hands of a few, such as their Big Money in politics) and a gradual transfer of corporate stocks into public funds that redirect a growing share of our economy’s dividends into everyone’s pockets rather than only towards a few rich people (term: “Universal Basic Dividend”). No single measure is likely to succeed. A workable combination is needed. (which is why in 2016 after Bernie Sander’s defeat via the D-Party’s huge cheating in its primaries I made an attempt to get people putting together a “people’s platform” for an American People’s Coalition to work outside the political parties duopoly)

 

4. Odd Event (maybe entertaining?): ‘Bernie Broads’ at Harvard 😉

It’s a bit surprising event. A pro-Bernie, pro-solidarity event at Harvard University of all places. There is some good informations sprinkled in here and there (for instance 40:41 on the historic record of racial division of the people and 1:11:35 a good short description of how our antidemocratic fiefdom capitalism works; also 34:02 on “Bearnie Bros”), but not a whole lot. Still, it’s nice to meet a panel of ‘Bernie Broads’ instead of ‘Bernie Bros’ (reminder: more women than men support Bernie, regardless of what our lying corporate media have been telling you!). And to an older person, the young folks with their self-obsession are a bit amusing. It also exposes one of the reasons why I got into politics rather late in my life: namely that political wonks and – particularly young – activists tend to be socialites (if I use the right word)… you know, strange human beings who are completely focused on parties, reputation, status, and such… typically completely blind to the cosmic challenges we must deal with: disability, illness, aging, mortality, the shortness of our lives, chronic and degenerative diseases, epidemics, natural catastrophes, the ongoing mass extinction and climate crisis (at least the latter is beginning to get noticed, although I suspect that in part it is not completely blacked-out by the media elites simply because they hope to divert attention from our poverty-creating capitalist money aristocracy and corrupt politics)…

Krystal Ball, Meagan Day, Katie Halper, Nomiki Konst | Class Warfare | Harvard ~ Harvard for Bernie

So, not all that much informative, at least not dense in information, but interesting at least to encounter and possibly entertaining. Also an opportunity for me to come up with a female alternative to the weird Bernie supporter smear ‘Bernie Bro’ which I of course have embraced just like ‘gays’ embraced their smear. Yep, I’m proud of being a ‘Bernie Bro’, and I appreciate all the ‘Bernie Broads’ 😉 — And, yes, of course, the least well known (Meagan Day & Katie Halper) were the most informative. No surprise there.

Meagan Day is truly unusually insightful and skilled in sharing her insights. I find it sad that she can’t be heard more often. Digging around I found a fairly recent good conversation with her (January 30), some of which may be a little out of date now that the Iowa circus (oops, I meant caucus *wink*) is over; but her talk about cleaning up our corrupted welfare system (and the D-“elite’s” force behind it’s corruption) is definitely worth listening to:

 

5. How to Clean Up the Messy Welfare State (Audio)

2265 – How to Clean Up the Welfare State & Biden’s History of Corruption w/ Meagan Day ~ Majority Report AUDIO

 

6. Free Press & Wikileaks: Is Julian Assange Not a Journalist?

Wikileaks Editor in Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson on Julian Assange ~ acTVism Munich

 

7. World News (Venezuela, Bolivia, War on Diplomacy)

Venezuela: Disgusting Dog & Pony Show in Washington D.C. (Both R & D!)

It’s virtually a comedy: R & D Party ‘elites’ celebrating a criminal presidential self-appointee of a foreign nation as that foreign nation’s true president:

Dems unite to support Trump’s imperial Venezuela policy ~ The Grayzone

 

Bolivia: Violently Rigged Election Being Created by Coup Regime & Empire

… to prevent a free and fair election and pretend legitimacy of the fascist coup regime. Also, fascists’ murderous violence continues. (that’s the nature of fascism: imposed government married to the capitalist lords and widespread violence to keep the capitalist lords in absolute power)

WTF?: Bolivian Elections ~ CODEPINK

(too bad that the English have lost their ability to speak English)

 

U.S. War on Diplomacy

Note: the 1st half. (the following interview of a professional rapper had practically nothing in it for someone like me)

[193] These Could Be The Next U.S. Political Prisoners ~ Redacted Tonight

 

8. Great Speech on our Corrupt Political System (Kim Iversen)

Establishment Democrats Are Scrambling To Stop Bernie Sanders ~ Kim Iversen

 

9. Candidates: Butigigigi (a “sweet talker”)

Who is he really?

Buttigieg Asked A VERY Uncomfortable Question During Democratic Debate ~ The Young Turks

Buttigieg’s time as a town’s mayor revealed his speeches are just pitches to get votes while his agenda is purely selfish:

“Buttigieg Will Not Fool Me a Second Time” (TYTI Daily) ~ TYT Investigates

People also call him “Mayor Cheat” and “Pet the Cheat”. (a standard lying politician who talks a lot with zero substance)

Bugig Manufacturing Support (lack of authenticity)

Buttigieg Gets BUSTED Doing Something Slimy ~ The Young Turks

Butticreep

Buttigieg Smiles Creepily Instead Of Talking To Reporters About Iowa ~ The Jimmy Dore Show

Comment: You can catch the same grin in the movie Dorkness Rising. 😉

 

10. Bernie (Scared of Bernie, Joe Rogan “Scandal”)

Establishment Scared of Bernie

Trump’s Worst Nightmare ~ Bernie Sanders

Joe Rogan Responds to Bernie Sanders Endorsement Controversy

Joe Rogan Responds to Bernie Sanders Endorsement Controversy ~ JRE Clips

 

11. The Jimmy Dore Show

DNC Accommodating Billionaires

DNC Already Cheating In Favor Of Billionaires ~ The Jimmy Dore Show

R & D Imperialists

Pelosi Applauds Trumps Imperialism/Militarism At SOTU ~ The Jimmy Dore Show

Question: Does Bernie really believe his imperialist foreign policy advisor or merely have him to be informed about the imperialist machine’s latest workings? Just wondering.

 

12. Humor (Government Ad: Perfected Mass Surveillance)

Honest Government Ad: Perfected Mass Surveillance

Honest Government Ad | Anti Encryption Law ~ thejuicemedia

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