Performative Politics

Performative Politics

by C. A. Matthews

I’ve heard the term performative politics quite often in recent times. It makes me wonder why this kind of politics has come into vogue.

 

Let’s take a look at the words and define them separately. According to Wikipedia:

Politics...activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.

Merriam-Webster Online defines performative this way:

1. Relating to or marked by public, often artistic performance

2. Made or done for show (as to bolster one's own image or make a positive impression on others)

Both definitions describe more than a few actions taken recently by neoliberal politicians. Before I describe these incidents, perhaps it’s wise to define what exactly is meant by neoliberal or neoliberalism.

From Britannica.com:

Neoliberalism: an ideology and policy model that emphasizes the value of free market competition. ...It is most commonly associated with laissez-faire economics... Its confidence in free markets as the most-efficient allocation of resources, its emphasis on minimal state intervention in economic and social affairs, and its commitment to the freedom of trade and capital.

Now that we’re on the same page with what is meant by these terms, politics, performative, and neoliberalism, here are three examples of recent performative politics and what I think each of the actors (that is, politicians) is communicating to their obvious and not-so-obvious audiences and why they choose to perform in such as way at this time.

First off, we have the extremely photogenic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or “AOC” as she is known. AOC gave a fiery speech at the recent March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City. Her obvious audience was, of course, the crowd that gathered there or watched her performance online. This crowd included environmental activists and protesters of all the destructive things “Big Oil” has done to our planet with their constant drilling, mining, and burning of fossil fuels. But who was the not-so-obvious audience AOC was reaching out to with her speech? And why did she choose to perform this particular speech at this particular place and time?

To understand, AOC’s motivations we have to do a little research and look back at her history in politics. AOC ran as a “Bernie Sanders Democrat” and was photographed interacting with the youth-led Sunrise Movement environmental organization. She led a very loud protest with these young environmental activists inside Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s offices early on in her career, so it makes sense that she would show up at the march where many of them were protesting that day.

But many things have happened since AOC’s time hanging out with the Sunrise Movement in 2018. AOC has been re-elected to Congress a couple times, and she’s made quite a name for herself, not so much as an environmentalist but as a very good Democrat who does as she’s told. She has voted several times for massive Pentagon/Defense Department budgets in spite of the fact the US military is one of the most polluting organizations in the world.

AOC declared earlier this year that she supports President Biden running for office again, although he has done the complete opposite of what an environmentalist would support. Biden has opened up more federal land to oil drilling than any other president, particularly with the Willow Project:

The Biden Administration released its final decision approving three drilling sites for the Willow Master Development Plan, otherwise known as the Willow Project that threatens local communities, wildlife, and the global climate. This is a massive oil drilling development on Alaska’s North Slope, which is a stretch of public land known as the National Petroleum Reserve that borders the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

This project developed by ConocoPhillips would be the single largest oil extraction point on US public lands, emitting 278 million metric tons of climate pollution over the next 30 years. That’s equivalent to the annual emissions from 74 coal plants — one-third of all remaining U.S. plants. Willow will disproportionately impact the community of Nuiqsut, a predominantly Iñupiaq village of about 500 people already suffering extreme pollution from existing oil projects.--from Biden Administration Breaks Climate Promise and Approves Willow Project

By supporting Biden's actions, it seems AOC doesn't care much about the environment at all.

AOC has never protested the billion of dollars Biden has sent to Ukraine to continue NATO’s proxy war there. She hasn’t really come out against the sale of cluster munitions (cluster bombs) and depleted uranium to Ukraine, either. Cluster bombs maim primarily civilians—children for the most part—and depleted uranium radiation can lead to generations of genetically malformed babies and horrible rates of cancers in persons of all ages.

By supporting these astronomical Defense budgets and the US sale of cluster bombs (munitions that have been outlawed in almost every country in the world) as well as Biden’s Willow Oil Project, AOC's actions tell us that she isn’t particularly concerned with the health and well-being of her fellow human beings or the planet. Her actions in Congress just don’t support her image or “performance” as an environmental activist, now does it?

Who is Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez’s not-so-obvious audience she was trying to reach with her fiery environmental tirade at the march? I think she was telling the major donors of the Democratic Party—the military-industrial complex, corporations like Raytheon, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing and the rest—that she is more than willing to act as a front to keep the public from looking too closely at what’s really going on behind the scenes in Washington DC. AOC is good at getting positive press by looking pretty on camera and saying what the public expects at the right time and place. What she says has no real depth or substance, since none of her actions back her words up. 

AOC’s example of performative politics shows that she is willing to act as the perfect front in order to take interest away from the true polluters and causers of death and destruction on our planet. She’ll make all those young environmental activists in NYC forget that nothing has really changed since she first marched with them. Magicians would say she’s the “smoke and mirrors” of the establishment, a perfect distraction. And by the size of her growing bank account since joining Congress, she has been well rewarded for her work.

This next example of performative politics is very easy to spot, and it’s easy to figure out who the obvious and not-so-obvious audiences are. The United Auto Workers are on strike. President Joe Biden—who didn’t permit the railroad workers to go on strike for safer working conditions in 2022—said he wanted to be the first sitting president to visit a picket line. So Biden spent about 12 minutes for a photo op at one of the picket lines in Detroit. Looking at the photos of some of the strikers, you can tell what the obvious audience thinks about Biden’s performance. Just look at the expression on the guy’s face standing to the far left in this picture!

Tim Black tells us exactly what Biden’s motivations were for making that oh-so-brief visit in this video clip on Twitter:

Does Joe Biden Really Care About Union Workers? #JoeBiden #CornelWest2024 #UAW pic.twitter.com/4s55qW127k

— RealTimBlack (@RealTimBlack) September 29, 2023

The not-so-obvious audience of the CEOs of the Big Three Automakers know that Joe Biden’s many years of not supporting the workers and always being there to help bail out the corporations at the expense of the public purse isn’t going away anytime soon. They understand Biden's trip to a UAW picket line was just the photo op that it so obviously was. The billionaires hope that it will trick enough workers into thinking they're being heard by Washington to stave off the revolution for a while. But does Biden and his campaign staff realize just how shallow this attempt came across? That remains to be seen.

Our last example of performative politics took place recently north of the border. Compared to the first two examples, it was a complete and unmitigated disaster. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government invited a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran to be honored with a standing ovation in the House of Commons… A man who turned out to be a veteran of the 14th division of Hitler’s Waffen-SS (1st Galician) in World War II, a group that was known for its genocide of Poles, Jews, and other ethnic minorities in what eventually became Ukraine after the break up of the Soviet Union. The soldiers of the 1st Galician were responsible for burning 1,000 Polish people alive.  Horrific!

Oops! 

After Canadian Jewish groups demanded an explanation, the prime minster tried to rationalize why his government acted so callously:

Trudeau, meanwhile, pointed to the “deeply embarrassing” event as a reason to “push back against Russian propaganda,” as though the Kremlin somehow smuggled an nonagenarian Nazi collaborator into parliament, then hypnotized the Prime Minister and his colleagues, Manchurian Candidate-style, into celebrating him as a hero. --from Canada's Honoring of Nazi Vet Exposes Ottawa's Longstanding Ukraine Policy

Using your critical thinking skills you’ve sharpened with the first two examples, who are in the obvious audience and the not-so-obvious audience Trudeau hoped to reach with this performance? We can assume that the public wasn't suppose to discover the genocidal history of this particular Ukrainian-Canadian veteran and that this “honor” given by Parliament would promote more Canadian corporations arms sales to Ukraine. Obviously, independent thinkers weren’t fooled and shared the information of the man's identity widely. Whether or not this negative publicity will affect Canadian arms sales to Ukraine remains to be seen.

Trudeau's not-so-obvious audience were the arms manufacturers who want the bloodshed to continue in Ukraine. The CEOS of the Canadian military-industrial complex were probably salivating at the thought of more arms sales. Endless proxy war is great for the NATO war machine, even if it’s not so great for the health and safety of human beings on the whole.

Hopefully you’re getting a handle on what is meant by “performative politics” by studying these recent examples. If you’re still confused why I labeled these three politicians “neoliberals” then go back to the definition for neoliberalism above and re-read the last line: [neoliberalism's]“commitment to the freedom of trade and capital.”

Think about that sentence. There’s a lot of capital to be made in the trading of armaments and munitions. All three of these politicians—AOC, Biden, and Trudeau—are on good terms with the military-industrial complex and are eager to see the trade in arms grow. They may say they support the striking workers, the environment, and veterans, but at the end of the day their actions make more money for the CEOs of the Big Three automakers, Big Oil, and the military-industrial complex.

And remember: actions always speak louder than words. Just ask this guy:

Keep sharpening your critical thinking skills and doing your research into the backgrounds and motivations of everyone who is involved in politics or the “activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.” 

Why? Because it seems politicians enjoy distributing the world's resources into their own pockets and keeping the status quo exactly the way it is while the world burns. Their fat personal bank accounts apparently help them sleep well at night, too. Stop believing the "performances" of politicians and hold them accountable before it's too late.

 

Related Articles and Interesting Links:

The Climate March, Joe Biden, and AOC's Dubious Endorsement https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/19/the-climate-march-joe-biden-and-aocs-dubious-endorsement

Biden Administration Breaks Climate Promise and Approves Willow Project https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/biden-administration-breaks-climate-promise-and-approves-willow-project 

Clusterf*cked: The Cruelty is the Point https://continuousrev.blogspot.com/2023/07/clusterfcked-cruelty-is-point.html

Nazi SS Veteran Receives Standing Ovation in Canadian Parliament https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/09/26/nazi-ss-veteran-receives-standing-ovation-in-canadian-parliament/

Canada's Honoring of Nazi Vet Exposes Ottawas Longstanding Ukraine Policy https://scheerpost.com/2023/10/01/canadas-honoring-of-nazi-vet-exposes-ottawas-longstanding-ukraine-policy/

How Joe Biden and The Democratic Party’s Climate Agenda Increases Environmental Racism More Than It Reduces Emissions https://blackagendareport.com/how-joe-biden-and-democratic-partys-climate-agenda-increases-environmental-racism-more-it-reduces

GOOD NEWS: Climate Lawsuits Against Fossil Fuel Industry Starting to Build Major Momentum https://stevendonziger.substack.com/p/good-news-climate-lawsuits-against

Biden’s Picket Line Visit Doesn’t Mean He Is On Our Side
https://www.leftvoice.org/bidens-picket-line-visit-doesnt-mean-he-is-on-our-side/

Canadian parliament’s applause for Nazi war criminal exposes NATO war against Russia  https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/28/xalg-s28.html

In Canada, Denialism Grows Over Residential Schools Ahead of Orange Shirt Day  https://truthout.org/articles/in-canada-denialism-grows-over-residential-schools-ahead-of-orange-shirt-day/

Senator Menendez and co-defendants plead not guilty as Democrats seek to contain fallout from bribery scandal
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/28/lwpt-s28.html

William Astore: What Would Real ‘National Defense’ Look Like?
https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/27/william-astore-what-would-real-national-defense-look-like/

People Are Dying For Inches In Ukraine, The "World's Largest Arms Fair"  https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/people-are-dying-for-inches-in-ukraine

Caitlin Johnstone: Neocons Love the Ukraine War
https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/28/caitlin-johnstone-neocons-love-the-ukraine-war/

US House Rejects Cluster-Bomb Ban https://consortiumnews.com/2023/09/28/us-lawmakers-reject-cluster-bomb-ban/

Fog Over Nord Stream https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/28/fog-over-nord-stream/

Files Expose Syrian ‘Revolution’ As Western Regime Change Operation https://popularresistance.org/files-expose-syrian-revolution-as-western-regime-change-operation/

Patrick Lawrence: The Undiscovered Country https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/28/patrick-lawrence-the-undiscovered-country/

Suing For a Livable Planet https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/28/suing-for-a-livable-planet/

A Major Win Against Factory Farming In Oregon https://popularresistance.org/a-major-win-against-factory-farming-in-oregon/

Uninvited and Unaccountable: How CBP Policed George Floyd Protests https://theintercept.com/2023/09/21/cbp-george-floyd-protests/

UN Report Urges End to Forced US Prison Labor—a 'Contemporary Form of Slavery' https://www.commondreams.org/news/racism-in-the-criminal-justice-system

Philadelphia Youth React When Charges Are Dropped Against Killer Cop https://popularresistance.org/philadelphia-youth-react-when-charges-are-dropped-against-killer-cop/

Why Our Popular Mass Movements Fail https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/why-our-popular-mass-movements-fail

 

The Cure For TDS

The Cure For TDS

by C.A. Matthews

January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, January 6, Orange man bad, Orange man bad, Orange man bad, Orange man bad, Putin, Putin, Putin, Putin, Putin, Putin...

This is the extent of Dem/liberal political analysis.

— Peter Daou (@peterdaou)

https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1699443420249411676

After I read the above Tweet*, I'm convinced that former Dem campaign manager Peter Daou has completely snapped out of his Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) and returned to the land of rational human beings. Some Dems’ obsession with Donald Trump became so intense and illogical at times over these past seven years that I often worried they had lost their minds.

It was as if TDS sufferers had fallen into a deep, dark abyss and could no longer see the light at the top to climb toward and free themselves. To this day, some add to their Trump obsession by listening to mainstream media pundits such as Rachel Maddow repeatedly making baseless accusations against the former president. 

According to Maddow, Trump was somehow in league with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the election, in spite of the lack of any credible evidence to back this assertion up. The entirety of the “Russiagate” fiasco has once and for all been disproved. That revelation should have put this unusual phobia of Trump to bed for good, but the mainstream media pundits continue to feed its sufferers by amplifying Trump’s current legal woes and his strident supporters.

Obsession is defined by Psych Central as “a recurring thought of something or someone, where it always seems to be in a person’s mind.” According the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.): “You may be dealing with an obsession if you experience stressful thoughts or urges that cause you to try to make these thoughts go away or calm related stress.”

Peter has broken free of his obsession concerning the former US president. His Tweet parodying the repetitiveness of thoughts of TDS demonstrate how he has gotten to the point where he is able to observe others' fixation on Trump, and he no longer is drawn into their obsessing over the “Orange man bad” any more.

This is good because Peter is now free to concentrate his abilities on important matters, such as working as Cornel West's campaign manager for the 2024 presidential election. Peter is free to help Dr. West in his advocating for universal health care, forgiving outrageous student loan debts, and providing homes for the homeless.

I bet Peter even has more time to enjoy his music. To be free of an obsession that clouds your thought processes is a liberating experience. It can bring about inner peace and hope for the future, instead of a life full of negativity and pessimism.

Peter has rightfully concluded that he has no control over Donald Trump’s actions or the consequences of Trump’s actions. That responsibility lies solely in Trump’s hands. 

Other recent Tweets indicate that Peter has concluded that the corrupt justice system in the US will probably keep Trump and his high level compatriots from suffering the indignity of prison, because wealthy white persons in the US don’t generally ever see jail time for crimes they’ve committed. 

Caitlin Johnstone says it well:

None of the world’s worst people are in prison. Most of them are quite wealthy and respected, because they benefit from the abusive status quo that laws are set up to protect." --Laws Don't Exist to Prevent Wrongdoing

To obsess over the lack of fairness in the corrupt US justice system, while doing little or nothing to expose and end it except to snivel, whine, cry, or obsess over its unfairness, is a waste of time and energy better used elsewhere.

So, how did Peter break himself of his TDS? Is there a vaccine or cure for it? How I wish there were!

I believe Peter cured himself by finally facing himself in the mirror one day and saying, “Is this all there is in life? To complain about an ex-president who has terrible taste in hairstyles and spray-on tans? Couldn’t I be doing something better with my time? And who is continually telling me that I should obsess over Donald Trump? I need to ignore that person or persons for my own good and warn others to do the same.”

This is how the cure works—in the self-acknowledgment that you as a TDS sufferer have been led to believe (by not entirely honest people) that Trump is an existential threat to you life and that constantly worrying about him is the proper response to this perceived threat. By rationalizing that you have better things to do, and that obsessing over Trump doesn’t solve anyone’s problems, you are able to see where you first contracted TDS and how to avoid contact with the “carriers” of TDS from now on.

Who transmits TDS? Rachel Maddow and her fellow neoliberals are quite good at it. However, the original transmitters of TDS were those who came up with using Trump as their excuse for their problems in the first place—the Democratic Party, particularly the Hillary Clinton faction.

The Dems don’t do political analysis Peter has concluded because it’s so much simpler to repeat the mantras “Orange Man bad!” or “Putin puppet!” over and over again. It's just easier to scream epithets at others who disagree with your position rather than to actually reply with a rational statement like, “We didn’t advise Hillary to campaign in the Midwest, so she lost the election to Trump in the Electoral College. That’s about the extent of it.”

Admitting their responsibility for Hillary's big loss in 2016 was just too much for the DNC bigwigs obviously. They simply went off the deep end. Or did they actually sit down and carefully plot this “Let's blame everything on Trump” game step-by-step? Either way, it became an convenient excuse and has worked to keep their followers united in a bizarre, cult-like way.

Nothing could be more cultish than coming up with a common enemy to focus all the group members’ hate and fear on rather than taking a calm and logical look at what actions could have been taken to avoid Clinton’s election loss.

Cults are often led by a charismatic leader or leaders who are thought to be are all-powerful and can do no wrong. These leaders are usually charged with fighting an “evil” against all odds for the protection of the cult members. Picture Hillary Clinton as the “guru” of this DNC cult and Trump as their “devil”. You can see how rank-and-file Dems were easily manipulated into putting their stamina into crying for Trump’s head and blaming him for every little thing the DNC ever did wrong.

Flip this scenario on its head and put Trump in the guru position and name Hillary as the devil, and you’ll readily see how the Republican faithful have stayed in Trump’s corner to this day. Why would they think their beloved leader Trump is guilty of any of the crimes he is charged with? Isn’t that how the devil operates—falsely accusing the innocent and blaming them for the devil’s own nefarious activities?

If there ever were a better reason to ditch the duopoly and become a proud independent or alternative party voter, avoiding the obsession-cult of TDS is it. Americans have much more significant matters to tackle. Our planet is literally boiling/burning up. Rich ex-presidents can take care of themselves.

Peter has freed himself from an awful burden of believing there are any significant differences between the two biggest political cults—I mean factions—in the United States. Once you have divested yourself from the belief that we have a democracy in this country (see the definition of democracy in last week’s blog), and you’ve decided that becoming embroiled in a cult-like organization that spouts off nonsense Tweets like, “If you’re for peace in Ukraine, you’re a Putin lover!” is wrong, then you’re essentially vaccinated against TDS for good.

I won’t claim you won’t ever need a “booster shot” from all this neoliberal nonsense from time to time. We’re all human, and humans do tend to slip now and then. But at least once you’ve cured yourself of TDS, you’ll rest in the knowledge that it is possible to walk away from a cult—I mean a political faction, red or blue—without any dire consequences. Peter has.

As a free and independent voter, your self-confidence will grow. You’ll trust your own observations and will be able to think things through for yourself without the extraneous commentary from the propagandists. You’ll feel stronger—strong enough to reach out to others who are doing positive things to bring about a better country and a safer and healthier world.

The cure for Trump Derangement Syndrome ultimately is to become your own person and to act—not react—when challenging times come your way.

 

*Who calls the formerly known as Tweets “X posts”? Nobody really.

 

Breaking News: 

https://twitter.com/CornelWest/status/1701045524713840690

Just announced, running on the Party for Socialism and Liberation ticket:  Claudia De La Cruz & Karina Garcia
@votesocialist24
https://votesocialist2024.com/volunteer

 

Related Articles and Interesting Links

(How Not To Say) I Told You So https://continuousrev.blogspot.com/2023/05/how-not-to-say-told-you-so.html 

Psychology of Obsessions https://psychcentral.com/ocd/psychology-of-obsessions#definition

Fighting Words https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2023/09/fighting-words.html

Honest Government Ad--Visit Canada https://youtu.be/u7s-BgfcFXw?si=TqOW-zXFh2ia8Tc9

‘A Reckoning’: 500 Groups Endorse March To End Fossil Fuels
https://popularresistance.org/a-reckoning-500-groups-endorse-march-to-end-fossil-fuels/

As student loan payments resume, millions face a lifetime of debt while Wall Street profits https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/08/bxjl-s08.html

US Intelligence Official: Media Misleading Americans About Ukraine’s Battlefield Success https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/08/us-intelligence-official-media-misleading-americans-about-ukraines-battlefield-success/

USA & NATO responsible for Ukraine war, German & French public say in poll https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/us-nato-responsible-ukraine-war-poll

Waves of Strikes Rippling Across the US Seem Big, but the Total Number of Americans Walking Off the Job Remains Historically Low https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/05/waves-of-strikes-rippling-cross-the-us-seem-big-but-the-total-number-of-americans-walking-off-the-job-remains-historically-low/

Ukraine’s ‘Biggest Arms Supplier’ Orchestrated 2014 Maidan Massacre, Witnesses Say https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/07/ukraines-biggest-arms-supplier-orchestrated-2014-maidan-massacre-witnesses-say/

US Open tennis players “fall by the wayside” as COVID-19 surges
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/05/gsjw-s05.html

Belgian Minister Says What Biden Won’t: Israel Is Wiping Entire Palestinian Villages Off the Map https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/05/belgian-minister-says-what-biden-wont-israel-is-wiping-entire-palestinian-villages-off-the-map/

From the formerly known as Twitter:

I was a lifelong Dem

I now vote 3rd Party

I had Trump Derangement Syndrome

I believed Russiagate

While exploring, I discovered I was being lied to and played for a fool by Dems

If you care about saving our make believe democracy and stopping fascism don't vote Dem

— Black in the Empire (@blackintheempir) September 7, 2023

https://twitter.com/blackintheempir/status/1699575590632804461

Jim Walton Wealth
2012: $23.9 billion
2023: $73.1 billion

Rob Walton Wealth
2012: $23.5 billion
2023: $71.1 billion

Alice Walton Wealth
2012: $23 billion
2023: $70.1 billion

Minimum Wage
2009: $7.25
2023: $7.25

The Walton family inherited half of Walmart's stock. #TaxTheRich pic.twitter.com/WGPBcCmOzF

— Warren Gunnels (@GunnelsWarren) September 7, 2023

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