Clusterf*cked: The Cruelty is the Point

 

Clusterf*cked: The Cruelty is the Point

by C.A. Matthews

Editor's Note: This week we ran into a very interesting person who expresses a very disturbing point-of-view. We asked her what she thought about some recent headlines to get a reading on how she felt about the issues. Her answers might surprise you. Or not.

The Revolution Continues: Thank you for chatting with us today, Nellie Neoliberal. Tell us a little about yourself.

Nellie Neoliberal: I’m just your “typical progressive” who votes “blue no matter who.” I raise money and awareness for Democratic candidates and support liberal causes and fight for equal rights. In my spare time I like to shop, watch The View, and play tennis and golf at our local country club. 

TRC: Let’s start with  equal rights and some recent news stories. Would you say you’re supportive of trans rights and the right of people of all ages to have access to gender-affirming care?

NN: Of course, you can’t legally discriminate against men who want to play women’s sports in tennis dresses, but I really don’t think they should because it’s just not fair. I can barely return the serve without hitting the net some days. And definitely children shouldn’t be allowed to change their birth gender. That’s barbaric.

TRC: Even if the child strongly feels they’ve been misgendered and their mental health professional believes gender-affirming care would be good for them and their parents agree?

NN: What does mental health got to do with it? Next thing you know you’ll be saying the taxpayers should pay for these cosmetic surgeries. I paid for my own face lifts and tummy tucks, by the way, so that’s that. Besides, these parents are just plain abusive. 

TRC: Abusive? How so?

NN: The child needs a good shrink and signed up to play football or hockey or something equally rugged so they can discover their true masculinity and get over their cross-dressing fantasy. There’s enough sissies already on the streets.

TRC: Oh...kay. Switching subjects, a federal judge ruled recently that social media platforms should not be forced into censoring or blocking free speech just because the FBI, CIA or other government organizations advises them to do so. What are your feelings on free speech? Do you feel people should be able to post whatever they like online and readers should be able to read it and share it freely with others?

NN: Of course people should be able to post and read whatever they like on the internet, but the government ultimately knows what's best. There’s got to be some parameters to what can or cannot be posted online. 

TRC: Explain what you mean by “parameters.”

NN: Well, there’s got to be rules. You can’t go spreading unfounded rumors and making up crazy conspiracy theories without proof. And bad language… There’s enough online already. It's “violence” according to A.O.C.

TRC: So you would allow government agencies to censor whatever they feel is “misinformation”?

NN: Who’s talking about censoring? I’m just saying that people shouldn’t be saying things online that make other people uncomfortable.

TRC: Uncomfortable? How exactly?

NN: They shouldn’t be able to say things and point things out about the issues or a candidate that causes doubt in his supporters’ minds. We shouldn’t have our faith shaken by outsiders.

TRC: Outsiders? People who don’t belong to the same group as you belong to? What group do you belong to that needs government censorship protection from outsiders’ opinions?

NN: Blue-no-matter-who voters, of course.

TRC: Oh, you mean people shouldn’t post content that could lead Democratic voters into believing Joe Biden is suffering from dementia, for example. They shouldn’t mention anything about him walking off a stage abruptly, shaking invisible hands, having to be led by the arm around a public venue so he doesn't get lost, or shouting out “God save the queen” for no reason whatsoever?

NN: (Volume and pitch rising.) Joe isn’t senile! He just has a playful sense of humor.

TRC: And the hair sniffing behaviors, groping women, making them feel uncomfortable that has been observed and recorded on numerous occasions?

NN: Those are photoshopped videos. I know they look real, but they’re fakes. The people in them are right-wing actors. That’s not our Joe in them.

TRC: They very well could be “right-wing” as you say. You seem very sure about it.

NN: (Sniffing.) I have to be. I’m in charge of membership retention of our local Democratic Women’s Club. Some of them are already insisting they want the DNC to hold primaries and debates with Bobby Kennedy Jr. and that Marianne woman. Some even say they’ll vote for Cornel West because he was a fan of that awful Commie Bernie Sanders.

TRC: Are you saying there’s trouble afoot among the ranks?

NN: (Shrugging.) Nothing a good fundraising party and a stern talking to can’t solve.

TRC: Following along the line of government-sponsored censorship, what about censoring what the public can know about the proxy war in Ukraine? Only recently The New York Times admitted what independent journalists have said all along about the strong Neo-Nazi elements in the Ukrainian army and government. Prior to February 2022 the Azov Battalion and Right Sector were reported about in the mainstream media, but at the start of the hostilities suddenly reporters who reported on these groups were labeled “Putin puppets” or  “disinformation spreaders.” What do you say about that?

 NN: They were disinformation spreaders. The American public didn’t need to know about the Nazis. It makes them nervous and doubt our motives. That just clouds the whole point of going to war.

TRC: And what is the point of giving Ukraine hundreds of billions of dollars in aid and weapons?

NN: To punish Putin, of course! We have to destroy him and the Russian economy before it destroys us. 

TRC: Are you saying that Putin is to blame for rising food and gasoline prices and the recent rent price hikes across the US?

NN: (Frowning and crossing her arms.) Say what? Joe Biden is on top of the economy. It’s bigger and better than it’s ever been. Go Bidenomics!

TRC: Do you happen to do your own food shopping?

NN: No. That’s what my housekeeper is for. If she doesn’t get herself deported by running into Ron DeSantis, that is. (Whispering) Hiring illegal aliens is a real bargain. They’re ever so appreciative.

TRC: Uh-huh. In your opinion, is Russia preventing US workers from striking and organizing? 

NN: Always about the striking! Always about the unions! You’d think people would be happy just to have a job. Instead, they’re getting all whipped up about wanting a (miming air quotes) “living wage” and better working conditions. So much conspiracy theory getting out there on the internet that isn’t being stopped like it should. American workers have it good. It’s all Russia’s doing.

TRC: Putin and Russia must be destroyed is your contention? At all costs?

NN: Whatever it takes. 

TRC: You don’t believe the hundreds of billions of dollars sent to Ukraine so far could have been used more productively at home? Spent on programs to give Americans health care, for instance.

NN: More disinformation and exaggeration. Everyone in the US can get health insurance through their jobs or Obamacare. (Harrumphing.) You’re not one of those Bernie types who thinks Americans have some kind of inborn right to food, housing, and health care, are you? How can businesses make profits if people get things like that for free?

TRC: We’re running short of time, so let’s not go there right now. What do think about the US supplying deadly cluster bombs that have been outlawed in over 110 countries to Ukraine?

NN: A cluster-what? Just sounds like something rude to me.

TRC: President Biden announced it this week. Cluster bombs are large shells that contain hundreds to thousands of smaller bomblets. When they’re dropped from the air they can scatter across football field-sized areas. The bomblets often don’t explode until children—thinking they’re toys—pick them up and then they can explode. Many innocent children throughout the world have had their arms and legs blown off by cluster bombs. It's even estimated that civilian rather than military targets are hit by cluster munitions up to 90% of the time.

NN: (Looking uncomfortable.) Never heard of them. Have they been around long?

TRC: Yes, they have. During the secret US war on Laos during the Vietnam War, the military blanketed the country with almost 300 million bomblets. Many didn’t detonate right away. Instead, they killed and injured tens of thousands of Lao people in the decades after the US pulled out of Southeast Asia. 

NN: (Frowning.) That doesn’t sound like something we’d ever do. Another conspiracy theory that shouldn’t be shared online. Besides, you said they were outlawed. America always does what's right. It follows rules based order.

TRC: What are these rules? Who created them?

NN: I'm not really sure, but President Biden says we follow them, so I believe it.

TRC: Unfortunately, they don't jive with the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) which prohibits the use, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. The US, which has killed more people with cluster bombs than any other country, is not a signatory. During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, cluster bombs killed and injured hundreds and littered the countryside with deadly unexploded ordnance some of which are still there, bomblets waiting for an innocent bystander to pick up or accidentally step on. The US has also been implicated in the use of cluster munitions through its support for Saudi-led forces in the Yemen conflict. 

What are your feelings toward cluster bombs now that you've been informed about their lethality and cruelty?

NN: Oh… (Biting her lip.) That's the whole point of war, isn't it? So what if a few Russkies get their arms blown off? That’s the price you pay for invading another country.

TRC: I'm not sure you understand. Cluster bombs are more than likely to cause more deaths and injuries to Ukrainian civilians than Russian soldiers. These cluster bomblets don't end war—they prolong the killing years after a war ends. 

NN: (Shrugging.) Not our problem really once the war is over, now is it?

TRC: Isn't it? In Iraq, the devastation of cluster bombs was compounded by the use of depleted uranium munitions. This led to the people of Fallujah experiencing higher rates of cancer, leukemia, infant mortality, and sexual mutations than those recorded among survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the years after those cities were nuked by American atomic bombs. The US and the UK have said they would supply depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine. 

The introduction of cluster bombs and depleted uranium could lead to an escalation of hostilities to the point of nuclear conflict. Do you understand now why these weapons should be outlawed and never delivered to Ukraine?

NN: (Sighing and nervously tapping a finger on her lip.) Dear, oh, dear. Well, I guess that’s the price you pay whenever you ask the US for more weapons, right? That dishy Mr. Zelensky wants more firepower and we deliver… Just like Joe Biden delivers! (Flashing her BIDEN 2024 button and grinning.)

TRC:  He certainly does. Thank you for your candid responses, Nellie Neoliberal. You've explained a lot about what’s going wrong in the world today.

Related Articles and Interesting Links:

Ukraine Clusterf*ck - The Grayzone Live https://www.youtube.com/live/5Q4tsJQ4GeU

Biden Defends Decision to Send Cluster Bombs to Ukraine https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/10/biden-defends-decision-to-send-cluster-bombs-to-ukraine/

Cluster Munition Use in Russia-Ukraine War https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/29/cluster-munition-use-russia-ukraine-war

Sending cluster bombs to Ukraine, Washington makes clear it will stop at nothing https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/08/oewz-j08.html

US Depleted Uranium to Make Ukraine War Dirtier https://popularresistance.org/us-depleted-uranium-to-make-ukraine-war-dirtier/ 

Today in War Propaganda https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/today-in-war-propaganda  

The Democratic Party isn’t interested in protecting trans folks; only in furthering U.S. imperial violence https://rainershea.substack.com/p/the-democratic-party-isnt-interested

Federal Judge Rules Against Biden Admin Attack on Free Speech
https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/05/louisiana-judge-limits-contact-between-biden-officials-and-social-media-companies/

US Court Victory Against Online Censorship https://popularresistance.org/us-court-victory-against-online-censorship/

Biden Administration appeals the federal ruling on censorship https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520.296.0_3.pdf

Establishment Dems Outraged as Court Bans Biden & FBI From Coercing Big Tech Censorship; NYT Defends Illegal Domestic Surveillance | SYSTEM UPDATE #110 https://rumble.com/v2ybni6-system-update-show-110.html

Censorship & Blacklists: Chris Hedges, Stella Assange & Matt Kennard https://youtu.be/k4lgsyo-3SE

Attila the Stockbroker Speaks Out On Corporate Censorship https://open.substack.com/pub/almartinez/p/attila-the-stockbroker-speaks-out

First There Were Neo-Nazis, Then There Were No Nazis, Then There Were https://scheerpost.com/2023/06/06/patrick-lawrence-first-there-were-neo-nazis-then-there-were-no-nazis-then-there-were/

Biden taps Elliott Abrams, champion of death squads, for US diplomacy panel https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/08/bwzp-j08.html

World’s Richest Added Average of $14M Per Day to Their Wealth Over Past 6 Months https://truthout.org/articles/worlds-richest-added-average-of-14m-per-day-to-their-wealth-over-past-6-months/

Report: 1,500 Big Oil Lobbyists “Double Agents” for Supposed Climate Champions https://truthout.org/articles/report-1500-big-oil-lobbyists-double-agents-for-supposed-climate-champions/

COVID Hasn’t Disappeared — But Empathy, Care and Solidarity Have https://truthout.org/articles/covid-hasnt-disappeared-but-empathy-care-and-solidarity-have/

Rank-And-File UPS Workers Prepare To Strike And Refuse To Back Down https://popularresistance.org/rank-and-file-ups-workers-prepare-to-strike-and-refuse-to-back-down/

UN Forcefully Hits at US Blockade of Cuba and Prison in Guantanamo https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/05/un-forcefully-hits-at-us-blockade-of-cuba-and-prison-in-guantanamo/

Stop Cop City Is Everywhere https://popularresistance.org/stop-cop-city-is-everywhere/

Patrick Lawrence: We Need to Talk About Nahel https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/06/patrick-lawrence-we-need-to-talk-about-nahel/

Jill Stein Explains Why She Thinks Cornel West Is 'The Right Person For America' In 2024 https://youtu.be/e2PVcxPJkns

Seen on Twitter: 

Twitter won't allow this Tweet that shows what cluster bombs really do to human beings to be embeded, but you can see it here:

https://twitter.com/LynnSchore/status/1677775891894796289

Wow. #bluemaga has ZERO concern for human rights. They think it's a cute game. pic.twitter.com/C8Ucys6iMX

— gaijingirl2004 Bronx Leftist/Green. 🦺 🇵🇸✡️ (@gaijingirl2004) July 8, 2023

THE RULES-BASED ORDER
1. The USA rules the world.
2. The USA makes all rules including these rules.
3. No one can know what the rules are, only that they exist.
4. No one is allowed to ask what the rules are.
5. The USA will be in charge of the flexibility provided by the rules’…

— Nury Vittachi (@NuryVittachi) July 10, 2023

The Unwelcoming Society

The Unwelcoming Society

by C. A. Matthews

When my mother first got off the ship in the United States of America, I wonder… Did she feel welcomed?

It was right before the start of the second World War. Mom had lived in Brazil all of her young life. Now, her parents thrust her into a strange, new world full of different people, weather, flora and fauna. Being scolded by her mother to “speak only English,” she soon lost the ability to converse in Portuguese, remembering only snatches of songs and nursery rhymes in later years. Mom learned that she had to speak English only because now she was American, for better or worse.

Nowadays, it almost always seems to be “for the worse” whenever an immigrant attempts to enter the US. They may be desperate to escape persecution and violence in their home country, but once they arrive in the US or at its border, their fears not only aren’t relieved—they’re often magnified.

I wrote about the end of the infamous Title 42 program and the new Biden Asylum-Transit ban a couple of months ago in The New Title 42. The mainstream media’s continual emphasis on the urban myth of the US southern border becoming inundated with immigrant hordes after the pandemic ban was lifted has not happened. However, the re-traumatization of asylum-seekers seeking safety has just begun.

How welcoming is that?

From the terrorists masquerading as Customs Border Patrol agents at our borders, to the outright Jim Crow decrees from our state legislatures, it can’t get much more unwelcoming in the United States of America in the year 2023 CE. If you think I’m kidding, get a load of this:

A group of Chinese citizens who live, work, study, and raise families in Florida, as well as a real estate brokerage firm in Florida that primarily serves clients of Chinese descent, are filing a lawsuit to combat Florida’s discriminatory property law, SB 264. Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the legislation unfairly restricts most Chinese citizens — and most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, and North Korea — from purchasing homes in the state. Unless the courts act, the law will take effect on July 1, 2023…

Today’s lawsuit argues that SB 264 will codify and expand housing discrimination against people of Asian descent in violation of the Constitution and the Fair Housing Act. It will also cast an undue burden of suspicion on anyone seeking to buy property whose name sounds remotely Asian, Russian, Iranian, Cuban, Venezuelan, or Syrian. 

Gov. DeSantis has argued that this law is necessary to protect Florida from the Chinese Communist Party and its activities. But this misguided rationale unfairly equates Chinese people with the actions of their government, and there is no evidence of national security harm resulting from real estate ownership by Chinese people in Florida. From Chinese Immigrants Sue Florida Over Unconstitutional, Discriminatory Law

This horrible law brings to mind the first immigration law passed in the United States, The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882:

From 1882 until 1943, most Chinese immigrants were barred from entering the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the nation's first law to ban immigration by race or nationality. All Chinese people--except travelers, merchants, teachers, students, and those born in the United States--were barred from entering the country. Federal law prohibited Chinese residents, no matter how long they had legally worked in the United States, from becoming naturalized citizens… The Geary Act, passed in 1892, required Chinese aliens to carry a residence certificate with them at all times upon penalty of deportation. Immigration officials and police officers conducted spot checks in canneries, mines, and lodging houses and demanded that every Chinese person show these residence certificates. --From Digital History

We’re really come a long, long way in the good ol’ US of A, haven’t we?

Working in immigration advocacy, I am always shocked at how woefully ignorant most Americans are of how poorly we treat and have treated immigrants. Consider this sobering fact: It wasn’t until the middle of America’s involvement in World War II (1943) that Chinese-American persons—people of Chinese ancestry, born and raised in families that had lived for several generations in the US—were allowed to become naturalized citizens.

Just because your last name was Li or Chin, and it wasn’t Smith or Schmidt, you couldn’t vote even though you were born in the US, went to school all your life in the US, and raised your own family in the US. You and your children weren’t entitled to any benefits of citizenship simply because your ancestors were born far, far away, across a big, wide ocean. Funny how those “Smiths” and “Schmidts” whose ancestors also came across an ocean were able to claim US citizenship and vote without any problems, though.

Wonder what the big difference is between these two groups, persons of European ancestry and those of Asian ancestry? Hmm... Do you think it has anything to do with their skin color perhaps?

And you think the Chinese had (and still have) it bad? When did American Indians become US citizens? Their ancestors have dwelt on the North American continent for tens of thousands of years, but most who live within the boundaries of the USA were not able to call themselves American citizens until… No, not 1776 or 1865, but 1924. It actually took until the second decade of the twentieth century for Native Americans to be considered “American.” 

Now, convince me just how “welcoming” American society is if it can't even acknowledge the original inhabitants of this continent or keep any of the treaties it made with their leaders. I'll wait.

The US is so “welcoming” that we don't even believe that having enough food to eat is a human right. Imagine that! We voted against that proposal in the United Nations, of all places. That attitude certainly goes a long way in explaining our homeless and hunger problems, doesn't it? It's not that Americans can't feed and house our own people, it's that we don't want to.

But it isn’t always about race and ethnicity in the US when it comes to being unwelcoming. Senator Rick Scott (another Floridian) this past week has decided that those who are professed “socialists” aren’t welcome in his state. This announcement has really put a crimp in my vacation plans. I wanted to go south and visit my aunt, uncle and cousins in Florida, along with my sister and brother-in-law who recently retired there. Senator Scott says he doesn’t want any of my no-good socialist money in his state. It’s not good enough for the likes of Florida, like Chinese people’s money isn't, or Cubans’, or Venezuelans’, Syrians’, Iranians’, Russians’, and North Koreans’ money.

If you are trans or non-binary, you’re not wanted in the Sunshine State, either. It’s almost as if your gender identification is seen as a contagious disease. Give Florida its due—they’re racist, fascistic, and terrified of people who don’t meet their expectations of what a boy or a girl is supposed to be like. You could call it “Equal Opportunity Bigotry.”

I know it’s not only the state of Florida that has passed these prejudiced decrees recently, but it is the perfect example of evil in action. Florida is full of hateful opportunists who are riding a wave of terror of “otherness” and hoping to make a profit while doing so. Look at what color Florida is on this map and what it stands for:

It's nothing to be proud of, in my opinion. I wouldn't be planning a vacation to Disney World or Universal Studios, in other words, unless you're a raving homophobic/transphobic, anti-Asian, anti-socialist. Then, by all means, go right ahead! (Just don't bother to return home. We can isolate all you bigots in Florida with a simple “border wall” at the top of the peninsula. We don't want your kind of “immigrant” in our states.)

A year ago, it was all “Hate the Russians! Love Zelensky! Who needs to spend billions on universal health care when America can spend it on the military-industrial complex and make our Congress members with insider stock trading deals richer!” And soon it will be, “Stop eating Chinese food and hate the Chinese! We’re at war with China over… over...”  

Gee, I forget! Why is the US mad at China? Is it because the have decent reserves of lithium? Silicon chip manufacturing? Or because they’ve been trying to bring about a diplomatic end to the conflict in Ukraine, saving lives and ending the madness in the process?  

It doesn’t take much to start a hate campaign against another country or ethnic or racial or political or gender group in the US. I sure wish our so-called “leaders” could do something to stop all this hate-mongering and sit down like rational adults and work out their differences with others in the best interest of every living thing on the planet before a nuclear war breaks out. (And no, corporations aren’t people, so they don’t count as “living things.”)

You could say that I’m just more than a little tired of the United States leading the way in all this worldwide nastiness; aren’t you?

The initials “US” are very appropriate. The initials “US” can also stand for the “Unwelcoming Society.” It's what we've become—or perhaps we've always been this way? It's time we stopped and took steps to reverse this horrid trend, don't you think?

 

Related Articles and Articles of Interest

Digital History: The Chinese Exclusion Act https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3291

Chinese Immigrants Sue Florida Over Unconstitutional, Discriminatory Law https://popularresistance.org/chinese-immigrants-sue-florida-over-unconstitutional-and-discriminatory-law/

ICE, Homeland Security Accused Of Targeting Outspoken Migrant Worker For Deportation https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/27/ice-homeland-security-accused-of-targeting-outspoken-migrant-worker-for-deportation/

Afghan families traverse most of Latin America to seek asylum at the US border https://theworld.org/stories/2023-05-17/afghan-families-traverse-most-latin-america-seek-asylum-us-border

Why are these Afghan refugees still stuck in limbo? https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/05/24/two-years-after-us-withdrawal-afghan-refugees-still-stuck-in-limbo/ 

Dozens of GoFundMe Users Seek Funds to Flee States Passing Transphobic Laws  https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/31/dozens-of-gofundme-users-seek-funds-to-flee-states-passing-transphobic-laws/

Target Accused of “Selling Out the LGBTQ+ Community to Extremists”  https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/27/target-accused-of-selling-out-the-lgbtq-community-to-extremists-after-pulling-pride-merchandise/

 

Many transgender health bills came from a handful of far-right interest groups https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-model-legislation-5cc4a7cb4ab69150f670d06fd0f361ab

About Quislings
https://popularresistance.org/about-quislings/

East Palestine, 100 Days Later
https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/25/east-palestine-100-days-later/

US Troops To Train Peruvian Armed Forces, Proves US Behind Coup  https://popularresistance.org/us-troops-to-train-peruvian-armed-forces-proves-us-behind-coup/

$1.1 Trillion Was Spent On Militarism And War Last Year
https://popularresistance.org/new-report-1-1-trillion-or-62-of-the-federal-discretionary-budget-was-spent-on-militarism-and-war-last-year/

 

Washington-Insider Jeffrey Sachs on US Provoking Ukraine War | SYSTEM UPDATE https://youtu.be/kU7UzrJeX6E

Ukraine: Why Negotiations Are the Only Rational Option in the Face of Climate https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/25/ukraine-why-negotiations-are-the-only-rational-option-in-the-face-of-climate-chaos-and-nuclear-dangers/

 

Yes, Those Bioweapons Labs in Ukraine are a Real Thing

https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/yes-those-bioweapons-labs-in-ukraine-are-a-real-thing-fad3785f3818

Media's Complete U-Turn After Russia Wins Bakhmut
https://youtu.be/O3kr4ZZl5FA

Fossil Fuel Companies Owe $5.4 Trillion In Reparations, Study Says
https://popularresistance.org/fossil-fuel-companies-owe-5-4-trillion-in-reparations-study-says/

10 Years After Snowden: Some Things Are Better, Some We’re Still Fighting For https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/23/10-years-after-snowden-some-things-are-better-some-were-still-fighting-for/

The Democratic Party’s Crucifixion of Matt Taibbi https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-democratic-partys-crucifixion

Manufactured crisis over US debt ceiling sets stage for bipartisan assault on Social Security and Medicare https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/05/25/pers-m25.html 

Kissinger vs. ‘The Most Dangerous Man in America’ https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/28/kissinger-vs-the-most-dangerous-man-in-america/

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe at via the buttons on any post online at https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

More details to come. Power to the people!

Acts of Forgiveness

We need stronger advocates for the poor and struggling in the US! Who can we turn to?

A Look Into Faith and Activism
by C.A. Matthews

We take a short break from the relentless stress and insanity of COVID-19 quarantining this week to take a look at the intersection of faith and activism, two forces that generally work together for the good of the community, locally and globally. When I was contacted as editor about having The Revolution Continues become a part of the blog tour for the release of the Rev. Ted Karpf's memoir, I  jumped at this opportunity to learn more about one of the early AIDS/HIV activists who helped save thousands of lives.

Clergypersons who live their faith out loud, boldly and with distinction, have

always been personal heroes of mine. I can start with such notables as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Archbishop Oscar Romero, both of whom lost their lives in the struggle to bring the injustices suffered by the poor and people of color to light in the larger society.  I also have to include activists who are very much currently in the news, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber and the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call to Moral Revival movement.

And of course, my admiration for people of faith who "walk the walk" as well as "talk the talk" began with my father, the Rev. Dr. John C. Cooper and my grandfather, the Rev. John Knox "Jack" Johnston. Dad was always outspoken on environmental issues, the Vietnam War, and the hate-filled actions of the Ku Klux Klan. I remember celebrating that very first Earth Day with him and how he wouldn't flunk his college students in fear they'd be killed or injured like he was in yet another distant country. Dad was a double Purple Heart recipient who served with the Marines in the Korean War, so he felt it was his duty to keep his students alive and help them become better people prepared to serve all of humanity--not just the insatiable greed of the military-industrial complex.

My grandfather, the Rev. Jack Johnston, worked tirelessly as a missionary in the slums of Sao Paolo, Brazil, during the 1920s-30s. Addressing the social and spiritual needs of the poorest of the poor were paramount to him and my grandmother. At the start of World War II he returned home and joined the Army, serving as head chaplain of General George S. Patton's division in Europe during such actions as the Battle of the Bulge. I remember my grandfather being rather soft spoken and not a particularly physically imposing person by any stretch of the imagination, so you can imagine the quiet inner bravery he must have possessed advocating for the hearts and souls of his soldier-charges while conversing with "Old Blood and Guts" Patton in those bloody battlefields. 

I think wearing a clerical collar and carrying a Bible can instill courage in a social justice activist every bit as much as carrying a sign or a loaded weapon--if not more so. Read my review of Ted's story below and see if you don't agree.

And now a special book review for the  
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING BLOG TOUR

May I Die In Your Church?  
A Closer Look Into The Life And Times Of An Activist/Priest

Acts of Forgiveness: Faith Journeys of a Gay Priest
Ted Karpf
Foreword by Ray L. Hart
Toplight Books
ASIN: B081Y8LHZN, ISBN-10: 1476679592, ISBN-13: 9781476679594

“I have learned that while we can’t always see the real outcomes of the victories of our battles for justice, inclusion, acceptance, and respect, each of us in our own way has won those liberties, not with the ease of largesse and privilege, but with an understanding that no matter the cost, what we did/do and why we did/do it was critical for the larger humanity."

Retired Episcopalian priest Ted Karpf’s engaging memoir, Acts of Forgiveness, can be read on several levels. First, it’s the life story of a gay man overcoming an abusive childhood and coming out to a hostile society, receiving some modicum of success while working during different seasons of his life for the church, the federal government, and the World Health Organization. Second, it can be understood as the experiences of a social justice warrior who jumped into the early fight to bring health and dignity to the thousands dying of HIV/AIDS in the Dallas gay community and later to the millions infected in South Africa and surrounding countries. Third, and perhaps most of all, it is the journey of an individual seeing God at work in the world and its people while accepting the fact that to have faith doesn’t mean one will be protected from heartache, harsh criticisms, or even tougher judgments, but knowing that one will find love, peace, and joy along the way.

“How many times do we forgive?”Jesus of Nazareth’s disciples asked him. He replied, “Seventy times seven” or an infinite number of times. “Father Friendly,” as Karpf was nicknamed, would agree, but would also agree that forgiveness doesn’t always come quickly or easily. From an early age, Ted knew he was different. His parents sensed his homosexual orientation and attempted to keep him from becoming a “sissy” through verbal, emotional, and sometimes physical abuse. After he left home, he found hard-won self-acceptance with the support of his mentors during his academic years at Boston University School of Theology. He learned to follow his heart when supporting others and to love them unconditionally even when it hurt, a lesson that would be tested again and again in his relationships with his lovers, colleagues, and particularly later in life with his adult son and daughter.

When Ted’s marriage dissolved after he fell in love with a fellow activist and was outed as a gay man in the paranoid climate of the late 1980s, Ted lost his church in Dallas, St. Thomas the Apostle, a congregation that had become particularly noteworthy for its open acceptance and support of those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. He was fortunate that his soon-to-be-ex-wife Kaye wanted Ted to co-parent their young children as much as possible, but life outside of the church brought a new chapter in his service to others and new challenges both professionally and emotionally.

Ted’s work within the Dallas area HIV/AIDS community had gained him the attention of—and then a position with—the US Public Health Service as a regional liaison specialist to call attention to the magnitude and impact of the AIDS epidemic in five states. After three years at the USPHS, Ted returned to AIDS advocacy within the Episcopal Church in the Washington DC diocese. From there he was called to serve the Anglican Community in South Africa in the 1990s where the spread of HIV/AIDS had become a tragedy of almost unimaginable proportions. His service there was praiseworthy and necessary, but then it was terminated abruptly and he was falsely accused of a crime that he could have never committed. 

Ted was eventually exonerated—through the testimony of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, among others—but once again he found himself seeking a way to forgive and move on and to serve humanity, which eventually he did through the auspices of the Diplomatic Corp of the United Nation’s World Health Organization. He advocated strongly for the “3 by 5” program, a program to reach 3 million needing treatment out of the estimated 6 million infected with HIV/AIDS globally by 2005. The goal was obtained by 2006 and saved literally millions in developing world. Ted worked tirelessly from Geneva until his retirement from WHO in 2010.

“May I die in your church?” 

A man covered with lesions from Kaposi’s sarcoma and suffering from tuberculosis and the severe wasting associated with AIDS walked into Ted’s church office in 1985 making that simple request. “Everything in my life before that moment paled,” Ted states, “The desperate sincerity of the question combined with his grim motivation resonated deeply within me.” The acceptance of death in the midst of day-to-day existence is a recurring theme throughout Ted’s life, be it the death of friendships, of work relationships, or most poignantly, of an ailing stranger or a dear loved one.

From the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic, Ted has sat by more bedsides and performed more funerals of individuals, some cruelly rejected by their own kin, than perhaps any other priest. He also sat by the side of his mother as she lay dying, forgiving and loving her in spite of his unhappy childhood experiences. Ted has been there for many others in their time of personal tragedy, a source of comfort and advice, but he is quick to note that he isn’t always as accepting of loss as he could be.

After his abrupt dismissal from his position in South Africa, Ted felt directionless and decided to accept an offer to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He didn’t want to go at first, but a series of coincidences finally convinced him that going on a pilgrimage was exactly what he needed. Hiking the 800 km trail, Ted experienced blisters and then found God along the way in the way the Creator worked in the lives of his fellow sojourners. An impromptu baptism of a pilgrim in the fountain at Santiago at the end of the journey brought his life into sharp focus. Ted reconfirmed his service to humanity by demonstrating God’s love through his calling as a priest and advocate for all who are in need.

Perhaps the greatest act of forgiveness is the one we grant ourselves when we discover and re-affirm our own purpose in the eternal dance of life and death. Ted's story bears witness to this truth.

About the Author: Ted Karpf

Ted Karpf is a priest, public servant, international diplomat, journalist, university administrator and educator. He was educated in New York, Texas and Massachusetts. A gay man, Ted is a father and grandfather. He has been and remains a man who reflects the times in which he has lived while offering a hopeful vision for the future. Ted watches clouds and tests the winds and prays while residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

You can find Ted at his website https://www.tedkarpf.com/

Acts of Forgiveness is now available to purchase on Amazon.com, Target.com, and Barnes and Noble.

***

Criminal-justice reform experts have been warning for weeks: Prisons and jails will become deadly COVID-19 vectors if immediate action is not taken to reduce their population sizes.

It's already beginning. Inmates and guards alike are testing positive at federal and local facilities from California to New York. Fearing the coming virus, nine women escaped from a South Dakota jail and two terrified Alabama inmates threatened to commit suicide with homemade nooses.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that when we care for the sick and for those in prison, we care for him. We might be social distancing, but we can still practice social solidarity by slowing the spread of this devastating pandemic in America's prisons.

Tell America's governors: Fight COVID-19 by reducing state prison populations

More than two million people are currently incarcerated across the U.S. Many prisoners are vulnerable and at heightened risk -- especially the elderly, immunocompromised, sick, and pregnant. They are held in overcrowded conditions ripe for rapid viral spread, with limited access to healthcare or necessary sanitation.

But there is momentum for change: Earlier this week, Los Angeles County announced that it has reduced its incarcerated population by 10%, releasing 1,700 people from jail. A handful of other jurisdictions -- Cleveland, Nashville, the state of New Jersey – are also beginning to take action.

This is a good start, but a few places here and there is simply not enough. To avoid preventable deaths, we need widespread action in every city, county, and state, and at the federal level.

The National Council of Churches, the Brazilian Bishops' Conference, Chicago's religious leaders, and many more have been courageously speaking out for coronavirus prison reform. Add your name to echo their faithful calls for justice in the halls of your governor's office today.

Tell America's governors: Fight COVID-19 by reducing state prison populations >>

We will also send this petition to the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor and put your faith into action during these uncertain times.

In peace,
- Rev. Nathan and the Faithful America team

"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." - Amos 5:24

***

The Trump administration just gave polluters a free pass to pollute our air and water with impunity.

Using the COVID-19 pandemic as cover, Trump's EPA announced it will no longer enforce legally mandated public health and environmental protections nationwide — indefinitely, while the pandemic crisis lasts.

Letting oil refineries, chemical plants and other industrial polluters off the hook is disgusting and shamelessly opportunistic.

Tell EPA Administrator Wheeler we can protect public health and the environment at the same time.

Never before has the EPA just given up and stopped enforcing its own rules at this scale.

The pandemic has upended what is normal for everyone, but that's not an excuse to toss aside environmental protections.

We've seen countless attacks from the Trump administration on wildlife and the laws that protect it. The Endangered Species Act is already under tremendous threat from being weakened in its ability to save plants and animals.

Now, with the EPA turning a blind eye to industrial pollution, our public health could be even more seriously threatened. This cynical ploy is a new low, even for this administration.

Tell the EPA to reverse course and keep in place its enforcement of laws intended to keep our air and water clean.

***

We are in the midst of an unfolding public health crisis due to the coronavirus — but our current state of emergency results from a deeper, much longer-term crisis — that of poverty and inequality, and of a society that ignores the needs of 140 million poor and low-wealth people. We know that we must enact the demands of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival to fully address this crisis.

We support the call to pass House Coronavirus Bill - HR6201 - Families First Coronavirus Response Act because it provides critical resources for food assistance, testing, unemployment insurance, immediate paid sick days, and protection for health care workers. Importantly, this bill also includes things the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has been demanding for a long time — a suspension of work requirements for SNAP, worker protections in the form of paid sick leave, increased resources for Medicaid and free testing for all, including the uninsured.  

In this moment, we must join the call to demand that our government face this crisis — we cannot go back to business as usual. We call on each of you to reach out to your Senators to vote and pass this bill immediately (see below for a call script you can use).
 
This bill alone, however, will not fully address this crisis, nor the ongoing crises of poverty and inequality in this country. We call for important additions to the bill, listed below. Many of these demands are already a part of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival’s Moral Agenda. It’s clear we need them now more than ever:

• We demand more targeted and specific protections for low-wage and temporary workers, including child care workers and care providers. Rapid, direct payments to individuals is the most effective way to ensure low-wage workers who are especially sensitive to changes in work schedules have the resources to provide for their families and households and to manage their care and treatment.
  
• We demand targeted and specific protections for homeless people, including and especially children, who will not have access to online learning, meals, or running water outside of their schools; this can and must include a call on city and local governments to open and prepare vacant properties to house the homeless.
  
• We demand a national moratorium on evictions, tax foreclosures, and rent hikes.
  
• We demand a national moratorium on water and utility shut-offs and maintained access to communications and Wi-Fi.
  
• We demand a national moratorium on medical debt collection that would compromise an individual, family or household’s ability to provide for their health and care during this emergency.
  
• We demand a suspension of Medicaid work requirements.
  
• We demand the reauthorization and protection of community health centers and rural hospitals, including the suspension of any pending closures of rural hospitals.
  
• We demand targeted protections for people in mental health facilities, prisons, jails, immigrant detention centers, juvenile detention centers, and nursing homes, especially in the form of supplies, personnel, testing and treatment.
  
• We demand that immigrant communities are able to seek safe testing and treatment by suspending CBP and ICE enforcement and declaring all emergency provisions as disaster relief, thereby making immigrants who are otherwise ineligible for health care, nutrition and other government programs eligible for these emergency programs.
  
• We demand that nobody — no individual or corporation or financial interest — is profiting off a public health crisis by ensuring that vaccines and treatments are affordable and/or free for those who cannot afford the costs.
  

Text COVID19 to 747464 or call 1-844-633-2048 to easily reach your Senator.
Thanks to MomsRising for providing this service.

You can adapt the following script with your Senator's info when you call. Most importantly, strongly encourage them to vote for this bill!

“Hello, my name is ______ and I am from [city/town]. This is urgent: Please tell Senator _____ to vote for the House coronavirus bill without watering it down at all. You must take action to ensure that no one goes without food, that everyone can get testing, medical treatment, paid sick days or unemployment insurance if they can’t work during this emergency and that our health care workers are protected. The House bill is a necessary start — you must do more [add 2-3 examples from our list above], but please vote for this now.”

Let’s continue to mobilize, organize, register, and educate for our demands in this uncertain time.

Forward together,
The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival