CAPITALIST SICKNESS

ERIC ZUESSE—When the U.S. invades a foreign country, or issues sanctions against a foreign country, it benefits some American investors, not only in corporations such as Lockheed Martin and ExxonMobil, but even in some foreign-headquartered corporations. America’s spending around half of the entire world’s military expenses gives an enormous competitive boost to America’s billionaires, which is paid for by all U.S. taxpayers. It takes away money that would otherwise go toward the rest of the U.S. population — people who might even become crippled or killed by their military service for the benefit of America’s billionaires. Marketing this military service to the public, as “national defense” (actually international aggression) — even at a time when no nation has invaded or even threatened to invade America after 1945 — is good PR for America’s wealthiest families, regardless of whether it’s of any benefit whatsoever to other Americans.

ERIC ZUESSE—America’s billionaires take advantage of, and exploit, the American people’s equating “socialism” with “communism,” and, so, Americans fear socialization of the healthcare function, though it would actually provide vastly better-quality health care at vastly lower prices.

Abby Martin and Mike Prysner bring you up to date about the DC Capital attack with shocking new and hidden details about the seriousness of the operation, the depths of the inside job, and who from the government may land in prison for it (including Trump). Brian Becker, host of The Socialist Program podcast, joins the conversation with deep analysis about the intervention of the imperialist power structure and the reality of the fascist threat.

The convergence of naked self-interest prevalent in mainstream media and their liberal (and usually clueless) audiences’ comfortable view of corporate fascism are accelerating their drive to censor not just dissenters from the official narrative, but all “upstart” competitors (such as popular YouTubers) capable of competing with them in audience reach. This cynical process is liable to be turbocharged under Biden and the Democrats. Welcome to Orwell 2.0.

PEPE ESCOBAR—The “unknown unknown”, to evoke notorious neo-con Donald Rumsfeld, is whether the exasperated plebs will eventually reach for the pitchforks – and make the 0.0001% feudal hacienda ungovernable. And then there’s a literally smokin’ element – those half a billion guns out there.

The 0.0001% knows for sure that Trump, after all, was never a radical revolutionary change agent. Inchoately, he channeled Red America’s hopes and fears. But instead of the promised glitzy palace adorned with gold, what he delivered was a shack in the desert.