From Chris Hedges:

Scum versus scum. That sums up this election season. Is it any wonder that 100 million Americans don’t bother to vote? When all you are offered is Bob One or Bob Two, why bother? One-fourth of Democratic challengers in competitive House districts in this week’s elections have backgrounds in the CIA, the military, the National Security Council or the State Department…

The securities and finance industry has backed Democratic congressional candidates 63 percent to 37 percent over Republicans…

Democratic control of the House will do very little to halt our descent into corporate tyranny, especially with another economic crisis brewing on Wall Street.

This is typical Hedges, one of our greatest living journalists, holding forth of things as they are, before heading for the great thinkers.

Bertram Gross (1912-1997) in “Friendly Fascism: The New Face of American Power” warned us that fascism always has two looks. One is paternal, benevolent, entertaining and kind. The other is embodied in the executioner’s sadistic leer…

The political philosopher Sheldon Wolin, refining Gross’ thesis, would later characterize this corporate tyranny or friendly fascism as “inverted totalitarianism.”

Yes, and Wolin, professor emeritus, was shunned by his colleagues at Princeton for it.

Trump is a clownish and embarrassing tool of the kleptocrats. His faux populism is a sham.

The formula is familiar, but not very pertinent.  Demonization of Trump prevents any real discussion.

On our Potemkin military: “Warfare is the natural extension of corporatism.”

Under the militarism of German, Italian, and Japanese fascism violence was openly glorified. It was applied regionally—by the Germans in Europe and England, the Italians in the Mediterranean, the Japanese in Asia.

Unfortunately, John Walker gave the Soviets soup to nuts regarding US secure comms in 1968, rendering us defenseless pretty much thereafter.

“If you stand for something, you have to be willing to fight for it. But there is no fight in us.” How can you fight if you’re a debt slave?

Hedges’ schtick is getting old. Trump is burning daylight to isolate the US and end globalism. Our military is a joke.

For people in Liberty, dystopia began in the ’70s.

We’re seeing some organic approaches, best described as inverse feudalism, but they are anything but popular.

Tribalism is the biggest obstacle to understanding new ways of living.

The world will not be saved by revolution, but acts of kindness, based on enlightened self interest.

If the elites wish to have a community outside their gates, they’re going to have to pay for it.

While everyone waits for catastrophic collapse, we’ve been suffering catabolic collapse for fifty years.

American capitalism depended on suckers, most of whom have been taken advantage of.

Chris Hedges says the internet destroyed democracy, but it has made alt media possible and saved our business.

From EJ Magnier:

Trump is determined – even if these measures are harmful to the European economy – to prevent any transactions between Iran and Europe…

The UK, Germany and France have stood firm against the US establishment’s decisions and sanctions for the first time since World War II…

Trump’s sanctions have terrorised his allies more than his enemies.