The deep state’s decision in ancient Rome—dominated by a bloated military and a corrupt oligarchy, much like the United States of 2017—to strangle the vain and idiotic Emperor Commodus in his bath in the year 192 did not halt the growing chaos and precipitous decline of the Roman Empire.
Hedges is unquestionably skillful in delineating all that has gone wrong with our ‘land of the free and home of the brave’! A listing of error and shame that should be entered into testimony on the floor of Congress.
Then at the very end he assures us that getting Trump out of office won’t fix our problems. Though, IMO, it would certainly help somewhat!
There Hedges stops as if scolding us (progressives) is enough and now he is done. Yet another progressive pundit who state the problems but not even a word about how to fix the problems.
To Hedges … We know Chris. We appreciate your list and those of others telling other progressives what is wrong. We know already! Any ideas on how to fix those problems would be much appreciated… otherwise this fine piece ends up being only a rant.
A very good rant and truly informative but still…only a rant!
Trump out of office gives us Pence. How do you see this appalling mess getting any better with him in the Oval? I see a Pence presidency as even worse because none of the things that Hedges talks about will end PLUS Pence and his fellow religious extremists will do everything they can to turn what is left of our republic into a Christian Dominionist country.
OK, so all that being true, the question is: Can anything be done about it? Can it go on like this indefinitely or will global warming aka climate change and other diseases of the environment bring organized electro-industrial civilization to a crash and burn big finish?
Is that what “we the people” are waiting for, a crash and burn movie style action climax that will eliminate the doubts and fears with a great big The End?
Articles such as this are diagnosis without a real working prescription and while they may be meant to educate they may actually only serve to accustom everyone to be hopeless and get used to it. I hope that isn’t so.
Most of the actions urged upon us to turn things around: resist, organize, demonstrate en mass and so on are themselves only slogans. It may make folks feel better to shout these with upraised fists and flags of freedom flying, but they seem to me ti offer nothing practical as to how to use the slogans and ideas to bring about change. I hope I’m wrong about that and am just missing something.
Hunan history seems to me to have reached what appears to be a tipping point and, though current politics doesn’t offer much hope that change is coming, people are getting to where we must decide if the human story is to go on or are we to give up on ourselves as not worth saving.
Not at all. Depends on what you do with the information that Hedges supplies. That’s what counts. Any of those attacks on the republic that he lists are worthy of resistance and that is precisely where the current resistance movement is failing with its Trump obsession, constantly fed by a media that avoids discussion of the issues that created Trump. Hedges is spot on. If the only thing the current resistance accomplishes is replacing Trump with Pence or, down the road, with more corporate Democrats, it’s accomplished nothing. Pick any of those issues that Hedges lists and go to work.
You mix different things without cause. For example you claim that methods of public expression and protest are mere slogans but then you start assuming that you are correct (without cause) and move on from there. First you offer no solutions but denigrate those who offer solutions. Should we all just throw up our hands and say nothing/do nothing/be nothing?
People who get off their rears and march or protest are not amounting to only slogans. Right now the two political parties are facing the largest ‘rebellion’ to maintaining the status quo that they have ever seen! Huge marches and very visible protest have challenged the Trump/Republican (Dem assisted) billionaire coup outright. No of course it isn’t armed rebellion but it is very organized and highly motivated resistance that is removing the free hand Trump began with.
All these politicians function as they are wont when the public is quiet and asleep. That situation is over, so wake up or be left behind! It won’t happen overnight but look at how the public’s reaction is fueling the calls to impeach Trump. Do you think these no term limits politicians want to investigate and impeach Trump? They would much rather rant and rail and then do nothing but >>> still get reelected just the same!
Well these days they are running scared both Repubs and Dems that they just might have to put up or shut up concerning our democracy! The public’s dissatisfaction with their uselessness and corruption is scaring them big time. They sense election upsets for their seats.
That is how it works, not some childish notion of an uprising or some such absurdity. We (the people) need to take back our government not try to do away with it!
Get real and protest! Be active not passive (except for talk)! Join a march! Join a protest! Don’t wait for the ‘revolution’ … this isn’t a dorm or a gathering in your parents’ basement!
Be active… its working …or haven’t you noticed?
“The relationship between the state and the citizen who is watched constantly is one of master and slave. And the shackles will not be removed if Trump disappears.”
And since I, like stiffupperflipflop and unlike notwistalemon “don’t know the solution,” or certainly don’t know how to achieve “the solution”, which would seem to be election at all levels of executives and legislators who would vote for legislation effecting quite stunning changes in the current national, and in many state and local, jurisdictions.
From my perspective, the death of the Republic happened a long time ago with assassinations of JFK,MLK, and RFK and the subsequent cover-up! And no one was ever held accountable except for the three stooges. That is why: " the shackles will not be removed if Trump disappears".
Is it worth the effort to revive the Republic or should we just pull the plug? Nothing and no one lasts forever.
There’s plenty of Trump’s ilk to take his place. It’s the corrupt and unjust system that needs replacing, and how we do it—for it will have to be we who replace it—I would like to hear Hedges’ thoughts.
Why is it that only the truly enlightened humans that care deeply for the ‘people’ are assassinated?
I say, equality for the ‘a$$holes’ who care more about money than people, is in order.
Who among us wouldn’t cut the head off a snake rather than risk it’s bite, and possible death?
Wereflea, we agree that it is a rant, a superb rant, but until millions realize the current State of the Union, not much will change. There are 40 million plus student debtors. One candidate addressed the issue with a proposal to eliminate this debt, Dr Jill Stein. Had ONLY the student debtors voted for Jill, that among other progressive measures would have been acted upon. Knowledge is power but unfortunately, this particular knowledge is scarce among the masses. As to Chris, I think his animus to the system was jump started on 11/22/63 when our Pertinax was offed by the Deep State.
There is no solution until you take responsibility in a manner that stops you asking others what to do…
Leaders/doctrine = authority = the shit we have.
