Category: A Conversation About the Conversation

  • Something I Said

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    What if we are giving the Zionists too much credit? What if they believe war with Iran is their last stand, and what if it was something I said?

    Giving the Zionists Too Much Credit
    Was it something I said?

    I have a new theory. It’s possible that at least some of the craziness is a reaction to, well…me, and what I’ve been saying in my blog. I know this sounds self-important, but if I really thought I was important I would have come to this conclusion much sooner.

    I don’t know if I will continue to blog. Things have gotten far too serious in the world, and nothing I can say will change that. It can only add to the furor. It’s in their hands now, as it always has been.

  • Smoke and Mirrors

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Our political situation looks bad, but there is literally nothing of substance behind it. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Whenever the establishment gets in a bind it creates distractions. Well, currently its behavior is the official version of stomping its feet, roaring, and waving its arms around. It’s really quite astonishing to see grown men and women behaving this way. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.

    NAFTA: The Establishment’s Folly

    I have been increasingly astonished at your behavior since 2015. I’m speaking to both parties here. I was amazed, when Hillary called progressives ‘children’ during the 2016 Democratic primary. She and Bill had slit the throat of our Democracy when they were in the White House by signing NAFTA into law among other things. But Hillary blithely expected working class people to vote for her from the depths of a poverty that she helped create. And yet we are children?

    I assume you think we are children because we don’t kowtow to the bosses in the CFR like you do; because we don’t blindly follow the rules of wealthy know-it-alls, like you do. The gall of prancing around on stage like some kind of savior when the voters were cheering for another candidate!

    Ignoring the Signs

    Of course he Republicans were right behind you. They thought they were being all covert, but they were uncovered just the same. There were a few miraculous signs during the 2020 campaign. I didn’t foresee them and I certainly didn’t cause them to happen, but I did appreciate what they revealed. For example, I didn’t know the Mormons were behind the craziness until the earthquake in Utah knocked the trumpet out of the Angel Maroni’s mouth.

    You do love to make mischief in secret and then present a sympathetic face to the voters, don’t you. The earthquake didn’t hurt anyone but how annoyed you were just to be outed. That’s not how you people operate is it? You believe if you can cause fear and pain and death it demonstrates your power.

    Your Crowning Achievement: The Earth’s Destruction

    But the height of my amazement is caused by your plan for our common home, Mother Earth. What great senseless oafs you must be! What resounding bozos! You can’t be serious!

    You have acted as if our suggestions were nothing more than political challenges from your inferiors and therefore meant to be defeated by you, yourselves, with all your clever plans and tricks and money, none of which you created on your own. Our suggestions were not frivolous. They were based on something you know nothing about, common sense. And you call yourselves ‘good’! You give goodness a bad name.

    Your Lack of Belief

    You have taken all your resources from people who believe in you, and from a planet that is defenseless against you. The most glaring flaw in your plan is your failure to recognize real power; a power that heals and comforts and watches over us. This power doesn’t belong to you. It wasn’t invented by your ideologies, and it doesn’t point to your being supreme. You would do well to recognize this important flaw because it demonstrates the lie of your leadership. You are not convincing anyone. We see you.

    Your Tech Lords are Some Kind of Joke

    And then there’s the comical performance of your tech-lords who honestly believe their ideas are the answer to any questions worth asking. Their ideas are cosmic pratfalls. They are not proposals for life. They are proposals for metal and plastic and shiny reflective surfaces–things that can’t speak or breath or talk or think. And yet they use the resources needed for life. These are the fantasies of children who persistently block out the warnings and pleadings of anyone who ever cared for them.

    Come Down From That High Place Where You Don’t Belong

    You are all hot air. There is nothing real or substantial to you. Come down from that high place before you hurt yourselves.

  • With Best Wishes, I am, Sincerely, Donald Trump

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I was surprised recently to learn that Donald Trump has been signing his tariff documents “With Best Wishes, I am, Sincerely, Donald Trump.” The reason for my surprise is the last time Jair Bolsonaro ran for office in Brazil he boasted that only God could oust him, and he was promptly ousted.

    Bolsonaro Loses His Election

    I commented on Bolsonaro’s brazenness at the time. He seemed to have no fear about what God might actually think about a politician claiming His support. It seemed reasonable to assume that when someone makes such a declaration in public and for their own advantage, they present an opportunity for God to agree or disagree. We can’t say for sure if God had anything to do with what happened, but the election didn’t go well for Bolsonaro.

    I Am, He Whispers

    It could be argued that Donald Trump learned from what happened to Bolsonaro, even if he didn’t quite believe it had anything to do with God. He’s been signing his tariff documents “I am”, but in an unobtrusive way, as though it’s part of his signature. Perhaps he’s doing it that way because then he can deny that’s what he meant. However, it is not us he will have to convince if worse comes to worse. So what exactly does Trump mean by his use of this phrase?

    What Does “I Am” Mean?

    Several Old Testament texts use the phrase “I am.” In Exodus 3:14, Moses asks Yahweh (God) for His name and God responds, ‘“I AM WHO I AM.” In John 8, Jesus uses the Greek phrase ἐγώ εἰμι (egō eimi – literally: “I – I Am”) to refer to himself. This phrase occurs 21 times in that Gospel. Considering Trump has been telling the world he’s the ‘chosen one’, it’s not likely he doesn’t understand the significance of signing “I am” on his official documents. Maybe he really believes it. But then why the timidity?

    Either he really believes it and is willing to take the consequences, or he knows it’s not true. But as it is, instead of openly stating egō eimi, it’s more like a whisper. Why whisper if it’s true? And if it’s not true, I think it would be a bigger offense than Bolsonaro claiming God’s support for a political office. Especially since the Trump Administration is not behaving in a Godly way and they know it. They’re acting more like the devil.

    If Trump were to continue this practice now that it’s out in the open, he would be openly declaring that he is Yahweh/Jesus. I don’t think he wants to go there. This needs to stop.

  • The Most Important Skill for 2025 is Ignoring Trump

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Since 2015, we’ve had good reasons for our continued participation in this one-sided conversation. I say one-sided because progressives have been the only ones actually carrying on a conversation. I believe Trump and his cronies, among others, function as a distraction and an elaborate insult to voters. Therefore, I argue that the most important skill of 2025 is ignoring Trump.

    The reason we put our hope in a conversation in the first place was the belief that America’s foreign policy had proven to be a failure and that our leaders would see the error of their ways. In addition, the climate crisis and agricultural policies were looming threats, which no one was addressing. It was obvious that we needed a course change. In other words, this was supposed to be a conversation with our leaders–at least with the leaders of the Democratic Party. But their willingness to change direction was a false hope.

    We remained in the conversation at that point because of a lasting threat from the radical right. For three election cycles, we supported the Democratic candidate for president in an effort to deny Trump the presidency. However, a funny thing happened on our way to shore up the conversation. First, Donald Trump ran for office. Then he won, twice. This made a joke of our conversation.

    Of course, it’s not only Trump and his cohorts who made a joke of the conversation. America’s determination to obliterate Gaza made a joke of it too. On October 7, 2023, a certain YouTube channel was drumming up indignation against the Palestinians. They went so far as allowing their guests to call the Palestinians sub-human animals. This was the Bulwark channel. (This is a link to the channel. The video may be hidden.) To be fair, the speakers were not the regular hosts of the channel, but in my opinion this segment left a lasting stain on the channel’s image.

    It also inspired fear, both for the Palestinians and for our progressive agenda. Pundits have drummed up indignation in the past and we know they want to lead us into another conflict. So, we continued to talk in hopes of a peaceful resolution. But that didn’t happen either. It’s almost as if American and Israeli leaders relish our dismay.

    Now, with a second Trump presidency looming, I feel I have no choice but to disconnect from American politics. Not a single thing I’ve been talking about for more than a decade remains on the table. Instead, we see an elaborate display of sheer patriarchal force. The he-men among us have drowned the conversation in testosterone. Their answer to our concerns is the caveman’s club.

    The only clue we have that they were listening at all is the realization that they have closed down everything that’s important to us. In retrospect, I have to admit that the political conversation may have been dead when we started, but Trump has finally relieved us of trying to revive it. His second presidency is the final joke. Boorishness has triumphed.

    For a more positive analysis on the political situation watch Yanis Varoufakis’s approach on DiEM25