Tag Archives: medieval v modern

Putin’s Mirror?

15 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, 21st Century Modern, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Facsimile Bipolar Political Sociopathy, Political Psychology, United States of America

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Authoritarian

Hobbesian

Narcissistic

Nationalist

Reactionary

Shady

Shielded

Thuggish

Wealthy

White

Which of the two or both?

Perhaps all that separates Presidents Putin and Trump are America’s still-intact Constitutional checks and balances and related authentic cultural precepts, tenets, and values having to do with equality, freedom, and justice bound to a modern and spacious appreciation of universal human character and potential.

Posted to YouTube by Republican Voters Against Trump, July 15, 2020.

The tapped popular perception of both of these heavy handed and extraordinarily wealthy politicians is that each exists to protect his image, his power, and his cronies and may be otherwise concerned with the needs of their respective nations overall to only a minimal extent.

The democracy of the United States of America requires — as do others — a soundly educated population on one hand and (it is this one on the other that’s tough) highly experienced and well educated statesmen on the other. The Republican vote coming for Biden, an “old school” politician with a manner familiar from far better days, will represent a mass of voting against the incumbent Donald Trump, but that will not hack it for American democracy except to forestall its dissolving into another shitty pseudo-democratic dictatorship.

Whoever wins 2020, it will be America’s 2024 election that will spell whether Americans will be governed by a fully responsive and responsible leadership or one bent by measures of dogma, excessive narcissism, and greed.

Regarding the psychology of dictatorship, BackChannels offers a page with a few interesting, even novel, concepts (like the “Paranoid Narcissistic Reflection of Motivation“) on it: https://conflict-backchannels.com/coins-and-other-terms/anthropolitical-psychology/ .

“Facsimile Bipolar Political Sociopathy” might be worth a look as well.

At the end of his congressional testimony in February, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, floated a nightmarish possibility.

“Given my experience working for Mr. Trump,” Cohen said, “I fear that if he loses in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power.”

Block, Daniel. “How Trump Could Lose the Election and Remain President.” Washington Monthly, April/May/June 2019.

Donald Trump falsely accused Democrats of trying to “steal” Tuesday’s special election in California amid the Covid-19 pandemic by adding a polling place in one of the most diverse sections of a district.

But the county actually added the polling location at the request of the area’s Republican mayor.

Levine, Sam. “‘It’s all rigged’: Trump foreshadows how he could undermine presidential election.” The Guardian, May 12, 2020.

The announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin won last week’s national vote to rewrite the country’s constitution and allow himself to run twice more for president was not exactly a surprise. Putin has a long track record of winning elections through a mix of genuine popularity, electoral skullduggery, and—most important of all—ensuring that no real alternatives are allowed on the ballot. This most recent plebiscite took Putin-era elections to new depths of meaningless.

Miller, Chris. “Lukashenko Is Putin’s Future.” Foreign Policy, July 9, 2020.

Charter, David. “Trump wants meeting with Putin before US presidential election.” The Times, July 15, 2020.

Hodge, Nathan and Mary Ilyushina. “Russian voters overwhelmingly back a ploy by President Vladimir Putin to rule until 2036.” CNN, July 2, 2020.

Lutz, Eric. “Is Trump Setting the Stage to Dismiss the 2020 Election Results?” Vanity Fair, May 20, 2020.

Web search and screen capture, July 15, 2020 at 1 p.m.
Posted to YouTube by Republican Voters Against Trump, May 29, 2020.
Posted to YouTube by Republican Voters Against Trump, July 15, 2020.

Related: Kelly, Mike. “Some in South Jersey have a message for Trump: Pay your old Atlantic City casino bills.” Northjersey.com, January 26, 2020.

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FBI, ANTIFA, and Swamp Gas

01 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, 21st Century Modern, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology

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Screen capture, July 1, 2020 at about 10:30 a.m.

Someone, beyond the little that exists, may step into the ANTIFA mystique and become the riot-inciting ANTIFA framed by the Trump Administration, but until the FBI reports out organizational data, the use of the term should seem to the concerned public dangerous and subversive in relation to America’s democratic mission.

Mother Jones published an interview with the leader of an ANTIFA cell some years ago (May/June 2017), and it looks like there is a “Rose City Antifa (RCA)” that has been around since 2007 (Wikipedia, and the organization may be easily found elsewhere online as may state-based Facebook fronts), but where’s the connection with crime?

Klippenstein, Ken. “The FBI Finds ‘No Intel Indicating Antifa Involvement’ in Sunday’s Violence: Trump wants to designate antifa a terrorist organization, despite lack of authority and evidence of wrongdoing.” The Nation, June 2, 2020.

Sheth, Sonam. “FBI ‘has no intelligence’ indicating antifa was linked to weekend violence in the George Floyd protests, despite Trump and Republicans’ claims.” Business Insider, June 2, 2020.

In recent days, the violence, threat to life, and destruction of property that we’ve seen in some parts of the country jeopardizes the rights and safety of all citizens, including peaceful demonstrators. It has to stop. We’re seeing people who are exploiting this situation to pursue violent, extremist agendas—anarchists like Antifa and other agitators. These individuals have set out to sow discord and upheaval, rather than join in the righteous pursuit of equality and justice.

FBI. “FBI Director Christopher Wray’s Remarks at Press Conference Regarding Civil Unrest in Wake of George Floyd’s Death.” June 4, 2020.

Demonizing an apparently nonviolent adversary — a conclusion to be drawn by way of the FBI’s own findings in relation to recent unrest — would seem other than a part of above-board democratic behavior and process.

Is there a civil war brewing in the United States between a White Christian Nationalist Front and a morbidly post-Soviet Communist-Socialist Distributed Enterprise?

That’s what it looks like, but where are the “ringleaders” not already well known on the fringes of American politics?

Who are the agent provocateur?

On the Putin-loving Far White Right, who’s now driving the machinery that led to Charlottesville and might lead to the next one?

And who are the counterparts in the post-Soviet Far Out and Lost Left?

Putin’s World: Authoritarian; Clouded; Criminal; Centralized Absolute Power; Feudal; Nationalist; White Christian; Thuggish; Wealth Obsessed.

Trump’s World?

Related Online

Devereaux, Ryan. “He Tweeted That He Was the Leader of Antifa. Then the FBI Asked Him to Be an Informant.” The Intercept, June 9, 2020.

Addressing himself to the FBI’s main Twitter account and the bureau’s Charlotte office, Wirostek wrote: “Hi, I am the leader of Charlotte, NC Antifa. DM me for my address, or I can turn myself in. I’d be happy to let you test your bullshit terrorism statute in a U.S. court. Anyone who thinks antifascists are the bad guys are fascists.” Wirostek signed the tweet, “#IAMAntifa.”“What makes you email the FBI saying you’re the leader of antifa in Charlotte?”

Two days later, the bureau came calling. “First, they called my mom,” Wirostek told The Intercept.

Kolko, Rich and Jack Lowenstein. “Antifa doesn’t have clear organization but FBI closely monitors activity.” WINK News, June 8, 2020.

Lee, ArLuther. “FBI finds no evidence of Antifa’s involvement in national unrest.” Atlanta Journal Constitution, June 6, 2020.

Lucas, Ryan. “No Sign of Antifa So Far in Justice Department Cases Brought Over Unrest.” NPR, June 9, 2020.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has repeatedly blamed anti-fascist activists for the violence that has erupted during demonstrations over George Floyd’s death, but federal court records show no sign of so-called antifa links so far in cases brought by the Justice Department.

NPR has reviewed court documents of 51 individuals facing federal charges in connection with the unrest. As of Tuesday morning, none is alleged to have links to the antifa movement.

Miller, Cassie. “Accusations in a Mirror: How the Radical Right Blames Rising Political Violence on the Left.” Southern Poverty Law Center, June 11, 2011.

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Globalization: A Short List

04 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, 21st Century Modern, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, International Development

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Globalist!

Anti-globalist!

Who here speaks Orwellian?

In one short bash at the keyboard, this, “anti-globalists”, is what “globalization” looks like and, for the most part (the Valdai Discussion Club may be an exception, but it is what Russia offers at this time), with focus on democracy, freedom, and justice in opposition to authoritarianism and the capricious, exploiting, and venal pursuit of power.

Alliance for Securing Democracy

Amnesty International

Atlantic Council

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Council on Foreign Relations

Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

International Civil Aviation Organization

International Code Council (Building Standards)

International Committee of the Red Cross

International Criminal Court

International Labour Organization

International Monetary Fund

International Olympic Committee

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

INTERPOL

NATO

Pacific Council on International Policy

Stockholm Center for Freedom

The World Bank

UN Environmental Program

United Nations

United Nations Security Council

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

Valdai Discussion Club

World Customs Organization

World Economic Forum

World Food Program (USA)

World Health Organization

World Intellectual Property Organization

World Trade Organization

Oppenheim’s International Law: United Nation’s 1st Edition

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982

In place of fear about “globalist ambitions” (is someone summoning anti-Semitic tropes back to life?), I would suggest a change of axis toward feudal absolute and modern democratic systems of economic, political, and social organization. Modern and visionary outlooks needs must be global while remaining careful of the cultural, ecological, ethnic, racial, and religious diversity extant on our one “pale blue dot” of a planet.

Thomas Berry

The Candace Owens post and my response provided the impetus for this post.
March 2, 1978.

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18 Minutes of Honesty, Integrity, Perception, and Reason: Candace Owens on George Floyd

04 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, 21st Century Modern, American Domestic Affairs

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Early in this video, Candace Owens mentions the propensity in the black community for turning criminals into heroes, and she notes that whites are not on the march for George Floyd’s (alleged) murderer Derek Chauvin.

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FTAC: A Note Regarding Support for Trump by the Nation’s Defenders

18 Tuesday Feb 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Modern, American Domestic Affairs, FTAC - From The Awesome Conversation

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Inspiration: the posting of the URL to a story about Idlib, Syria and the deflection of the same back to HIM (whose presence looms so large it no longer needs HIS name).

From the Awesome Conversation

Defenders of the Nation might be especially interested in its abuses or darker spaces. Even with 300 million souls, it’s hard to account for 490,000 missing between the ages of 12 and 21 (FBI statistics, 2017). Perhaps I’m missing the meaning of those numbers and need a briefing on their potential meaning, but even so, it’s a hefty number.

The number of homeless, about 554,000 American (or other) souls, at one point included about 60,000 American Veterans. That niche has been getting attention (along with post-service suicides at this time), which is fine, but how did these numbers develop? Behind each data entry, there is someone’s personal story.

I know you’re a good egg, but our national character, once the world’s hope for democracy as a defender and leader in relation to the human treatment of human beings — has appeared a bit challenged of late. WE don’t bomb hospitals into rubble; WE don’t even think of destroying World Heritage Sites; WE do not believe we are here to fully despoil Earth; WE don’t groom nor keep slaves; WE consistently endorse responsible and responsive governance; etc.

Related Online

Choi, David. “Former top Navy SEAL who oversaw the Osama bin Laden raid says the US is ‘under attack from the president’.” Business Insider, October 17, 2019.

Harbaugh, Ken. “The U.S. Military Is Not Ready for a Constitutional Crisis.” The Atlantic, February 11, 2020.

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Active Measures

13 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, American Domestic Affairs, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Epistemology, FTAC - From The Awesome Conversation, Political Psychology, Political Spychology, Psychology

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As BackChannels Would Define It

Active Measures — The collection of Russian Agitation, Disinformation, and Propaganda Methods made evident through covert or subtle Influence Campaigns applied to wrecking the political coherence and cohesion of EU/NATO for the purpose of reestablishing Political Absolutism in the same and then using the most thuggish of feudal and medieval methods to leverage loyalty and wealth from them for contribution to the Greater Imperial Glory of Moscow, the Russian “mafia state” it has come to represent, and the immense enrichment of its oligarchy.

Indeed the west, the melange of classically liberal democratic open societies built and structured around fair dealing, freedom, and integrity and related humanist and liberal ethics, principles, and values has been unprepared for covert agent provocateur, e.g., covert agitators Far Right and Far Left, disingenuous publications, false front organizations, trolls, etc.

I’ve chosen to demur from producing “long copy” and a lengthy reference section for this post. Awareness of “Active Measures” — the kernel of Russia’s covert campaign to degrade and ruin the democracies of the west — should suffice for both the interested and the unwittingly vulnerable.

Related Online

Linville, Darren and Patrick Warren. “That Uplifting Tweet You Just Shared? A Russian Troll Sent It.” Rolling Stone, November 25, 2019.

Lipton, Eric, David E. Sanger and Scott Shane. “The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.” The New York Times, December 13, 2016.

Shane, Scott. “The Fake Americans Russia Created to Influence the Election.” The New York Times, September 7, 2017.

Wikipedia. “Active Measures”.

Addendum — From the Awesome Conversation

Through the Cold War Era and now with Putin leading the Russian Federation, the purpose of Soviet / post-Soviet “Active Measures” has been to fragment EU/NATO for the purpose of Russian expansion and its feudal practices. A video like this one — the same as above on this page — will help a little bit with understanding the greater east-west politics and the tension between the worlds of “Absolute Power” and the open democracies of the west.

Active Measures” represents an international (RF v EU/NATO) dispute over the future, not only an American one.

If we are at one the other’s throat, Moscow will have succeeded in exploiting our natural political arguments and issues by heightening them and undermining our national political cohesion and coherence, thereby weakening our state and degrading our democracy.

Regarding “Far Out Left” and equally distant Far Right tendencies, the related foreign and disingenuous domestic manipulations of political perception targets us all.

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ALW & FTAC: On Pharaohnic Power, the Jews, Israel, God, and Supersessionary Conflict

06 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Feudal, 21st Century Modern, A Little Wisdom

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Inspiration lay in opportunity for a wrap up.

When I have figured out how to address unutterable greed and jealousy, I’ll be certain to produce the Nobel-winning results of that cogitation here.

A Little Wisdom From the Awesome Conversation

There are differences between empirically explored histories (and their debates) and what people believe in relation to their own cultural, religious, or spiritual histories. With that much noted, I have long believed that the Jews chose to stand against Pharaoh, a tyrant, and in this day a figure representing the “Malignant Narcissist”, a term of art for the general affliction in psychology associated with those who represent Absolute Power Systems. The Jews — or God through the Jews — were to separate the power of God (“Master of the Universe”) from Pharaoh, a source of torment to the Jews and others — note: the Exodus involved not only the Jews but a “mixed multitude”, i.e., all who would join the Jews in flight from Pharaoh.

Then comes the “Promised Land”.

For the Jews, Israel is the authentic Land of the Hebrews. There is in history no other Jerusalem nor Israel. Christian and Muslim recognition of Israel and “The Holy Land” has been legend and as widespread — and accepted (by Muhammad, no less) — as the supersessionary competition by the same for proof of the direct imprimatur of God.

The position — that of demanding to be shown God’s exclusive favor — has been always absurd, God (or the idea of God) being always the greater entity in the relationship.

For those willing to give a little in the interest of greater love and greater peace, Earth at this moment supports the following human inventory: fewer than 7,000 living languages; about 4,300 religions. I should look into the number of ungodly dictatorships (and mafia states) in relation to the number of modern democracies struggling to sustain common public political consensus while delivering rule-of-law and the greater development, justice, peace, and prosperity that is known to follow from both.

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FTAC: Middle East Conflict – The Fade Forward in Light of Rawabi, Palestine and Neom, Saudi Arabia

05 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in 21st Century Modern

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Inspiration for the author of this blog: a nice patch of short observations related to the Middle East Conflict, i.e., “Israel v Palestinian ‘Leaders'”.

Regarding the Framing of the Conflict: Notes on the Treatment of Time in Arguments About Control and Ownership of Contested Space

Time has been the New Space for a while, DM, and I have found two kinds of people plainly dangerous: 1) those who cannot keep themselves from dwelling in the past 🙂 ; 2) those who want to get to the end of their civilizational story as fast as possible!

😀

One is too far behind and the other way too far into the future — and both may be too attached to ancient and medieval dogma.

For the purposes of Administration and Adjudication, issues (real estate disputes) that can be worked in the courts have been submitted as such, and those that cannot be worked out in a civil fashion may be better set aside for what good may be achieved for everyone.

There are leaders, other personalities, and organizations invested in sustained conflict, and as long as the “middle east conflict” is around (forget about the others in the ME), they’re good to go.

Add the thieves who have factored in their own corruption in their estimation of personal revenues given conditions that don’t change.

I see no reason for either Israelis or Palestinians to remain subject to animosities that supposedly drive one or the other to violence while actually benefiting those who would manipulate them most for their own aggrandizement and enrichment.

https://ahvalnews.com/palestine/turkeys-transfer-ottoman-archives-palestinians-undermines-israeli-land-claims

Everyone should see how Time is used to frame issues and OBSTRUCT their resolution in exchange for political gain, and neither for the betterment nor welfare of Israelis and Palestinians but primarily for themselves and often in service to their own image.

For what is not already in the courts, there are no legal remedies — only political ones!

Feudalism and Tribalism figure highly in sustaining the conflict, but neither today offer healthy benefits to anyone but those institutionally invested in sustained conflict.

I believe Israelis would be happy with the cessation of Palestinian or related violence (within as well as without) and modern Palestinians might finally appreciate moving on with decency in employment, freedom, and prosperity. I also feel certain that both “options” or channels into the future are real.

Re. Time: Canaanite-Hebrew Civilization? Solomon? Roman? English? Saladin? Muhammad’s exceptions for Israel? The Ottoman? British and Allied Powers? After 1948? 1967? 1973? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Israel

By dwelling Back There in Time, Arab Palestinians and Jewish Israelis delay their own potential experience of reconciliation, resolution, and peace and security — and those who benefit are those who perpetually care about themselves at the expense of caring about others.

While my own sweet words belie difficult questions — e.g., what to do with civilizational ambition, greed, and pride? — there’s truth to them in relation to broader regional development plus improvements to be realized in Qualities of Living for Israelis and Palestinians.

Two projects already under way and related to the economic and political development and evolution of the middle east should make their way into a greater global consciousness: https://www.businessinsider.com/west-bank-palestine-rawabi-city-israel-news-2018-10 ; https://www.neom.com/en-us/ .

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