From personal experience I can tell you that being a serious or angry liberal is just not an acceptable persona in much of America.  Those around you may consider themselves liberal if they vote Democratic, but that’s about the extent of their comfort level.  Any suggestion that they pursue more exposure to information or any passion shown is considered completely unnecessary and unwarranted.  Speak of the urgency or god forbid “plutocracy” and most people immediately start making noises about a different topic and move away as soon as possible.  No matter how cautious you are in presenting the seriousness of our current situation you’re likely to be met with someone loudly declaring “Oh now…it’s just politics!” or quickly attempting to divert attention to sports. Your tempted to feel your own head for a tin foil hat.  Try to convince someone who listens to 30 minutes of news a night and only reads the living section of the local paper.  It’s really impossible to get into the weeds with those who have never dangled a toe there.

It gets rather lonely when you’re one among many who would dare to say there is serious reason to believe the sky truly is falling.

Fran Lebowitz once wrote: “Spilling your guts is exactly as charming as it sounds.”

Yet week after week Chris Hedges spills his guts without any editing function and the ditto-heads here bobble and, like Mortimer Snerd, say “uh-Yup!”

So you don’t have to waste time reading this whole thing here’s what you can take away from this:

o America is in a mess because we don’t have enough anarchists and communists working to turn it all upside down.

o Chris Hedges has just figured out what BOTH the Comedy Central Guys AND the Fox clowns know (but the Fox clowns don’t want you to know, but the CC guys play up): That they are all ENTERTAINERS. Hello! A bit late to the party, aren’t we, Chris?

o Chris Hedges is damned jealous that Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert can pull nearly a quarter million people to the Mall, Glenn Beck can pull 87,000, but poor old Chris would be lucky to get a 1000 people to the Mall to listen to him.

That’s it.

I believe George Carlin got “America” right. To paraphrase his many rants about our country:

We’ve become a fat and lazy nation full of spoiled brats who can’t see through our own bullshit.

France: Home of the Brave, Land of the Free. Just
look at them, millions of French demonstrating in the
streets against a government that wants to take away
a small part of their freedom.

Why do we always appropriate the slogans that are the
opposite of our reality?

murphy:

“with real progress for all to enjoy”

And, once again, who will pay for the progress that ALL will enjoy?

Capitalists- Working hard so you don’t have to Ted.

Rico, - “As long as the left ridicules “Live Free or Die” it in turn will be marginalized by the vast majority of Americans.”

-

Bravo, Rico!

TruthDig, Hedges, Olbermann and most of the rest of the media establishment seems clueless to the fact that roughly 20% of the nation identify themselves as “liberal”.  That leaves 80% of the nation in the categories of moderate, libertarian and conservative.

-

This election is largely about the economy and distrust of Washington, however, independents and conservatives are going to turn out in droves.  80% of the nation is irate over being called racists for voicing the very concerns they’ve held for, at least, the past two decades.

Barry Goldwater said he wanted Washington back.  During the eight years of Bush the left said they wanted their country back.  The Tea Party said they wanted their country back. -
Only a true bigot would imagine this to mean “I Hate Niggers”.

The radical Left, as evidenced on this Web space, seems obsessed with “The Black Man” in the White House.

When you do eventually get a socialist system, which will incorporate real democracy, and stop going round in circles with this ridiculous system that you persist in promoting, then you can start to welcome in change for the better, with real progress for all to enjoy, and not just left to the chosen few as is the case at present.

“And they get us to speak in absurdities.”

Boy ain’t that the truth!

Chris makes great points about how “news” is really only entertainment and we live in a bread and circuses world.

But, his call for a revival of the 60s radical left will fall on deaf ears. America is a conservative country and prosperity has made it so. And vice versa. Remember, the closest socialism came to becoming a meaningful force here was during the Great Depression, during really bad times.

Remember Chris, the loony left caricatures the loony right for being too enamoured of the stupid Constitution, what with it’s archaic gun and states’ rights baloney and its built-in limitations on government power.

As long as the left ridicules “Live Free or Die” it in turn will be marginalized by the vast majority of Americans.

Have you ever been part of a rap session? A rap session is something that an organization sets up to let its subservients vent their frustrations with the company or organization that they are part of. You are allowed to let off steam and let your masters know what your beefs are. You expect your superiors to make changes and make your life more to your liking after they act to correct your complaints. Some of your complaints may in fact be corrected, but for the most part the system will not change at all. The structures that cause the pain and anger will not change in any meaningful way at all. You will still be subjected to the whims of those who have control over your life and their agenda will prevail.

Much of what we see in the mainstream media nowadays is just another version of a rap session. And, that includes these comics who make their living by entertaining you. Think of Keith Olbermannn venting away on your behalf, for example.  You might feel better after having let off steam a bit, but nothing substantial will happen or change in your life. Even here on the internet you can vent your frustrations, but to what effect?  Do you feel better now?  Are your masters and the politicians listening and waiting for your suggestions so that they can make your life a better place to be?  What do you think?  Obama proved in no uncertain terms that vast numbers of Americans are still suckers and live in a system that is not working for them. I think that is the message that all of us should come away with. The elections will prove nothing except point out what a terrible spot we have landed in.

Obama’s eleven-step ‘strategy’ was obvious during the Health Care Non-
Reform:

1 Alienate the Democratic base,

2 Alienate the Independents,

3 Support the industry,

4 Diddle with a few fringe Republicans (e.g. Snowe, Collins)

5 Abdicate leadership to a Senator representing the industry.

6 Declare Victory.

7 When a declaration of victory fails, whine that voters dont understand how
significant is the Non-Reform !

8 Muse that ‘communications failed’ to make it clear.

9 Do not ever mention or even acknowledge;

Just sixteen short months ago, in June 2009, a New York Times/CBS poll found:
” 72% of Americans ‘supported a government-administered insurance plan—
something like Medicare for those under 65—that would compete for
customers with private insurers.’ “

10 Pretend voters didn’t know anything (It’s so complex, dont you know).

11 Declare you always do ‘What you believe to be right!’.

Obama’s strategy has proven not to be a winning strategy for the middle class;
and Obama’s beliefs have proven to be anti-middle class, pro-corporate/pro-
wealthy.

America fits the age old slogan of, “what you see is what you get”.

  Went to a neighborhood get together sometime ago and in conversations
with several individuals came to the conclusion that more of em know or have
heard of Rush Limbaugh and the other clown named Glenn than Chris Hedges.

  Realized that as some one stated that, “hyperreality is the inability to
distinguish between what is real and what is not”. Not only specifically to the
above named but in all things that come under the heading of communication
and who is the communicator in the USA.

  Mass media in the form of the Limbaugh’s, Beck’s and to a certain extent the
Cobert’s, and Stewarts have had a hypnotic effect on whats real and not real
and/or a joke.

  As the saying goes, “That’s Entertainmant” and entertainment is not reality.

The Democrats we campaigned for and gave money to, the ones in the
majority, gave us the following:

1   The American people wanted Health Reform, and the Democrats gave us
taxpayer support for private sector insurers at an overhead rate of 20% (20% of
our premium can be spent on administration, CEO salaries, bonuses, sitting on
Boards to set rates and decide who gets covered and who doesn’t).

Just sixteen short months ago, in June 2009, a New York Times/CBS poll found:
” 72% of Americans ‘supported a government-administered insurance plan—
something like Medicare for those under 65—that would compete for
customers with private insurers.’

2   The American people wanted to disentangle from the Bush-declared “War
on Terror” and ‘preventive’ wars, and the Democrats gave us an expansion of
the war in Afghanistan.

64% of the American people opposed expanding the war in Afghanistan

3   Don’t have a % on this, but suffice it to say the vast majority of Americans
opposed the transfer of taxpayer wealth to cover private company debt – a la
the bailout.

The Democrats kept the six too-big-to-fail banks - they’re now bigger than
the ever before; the Democrats kept a huge grey area between commercial and
investment banking; the Democrats didn’t want to ‘punish’ the financial
industry - the financial industry is now more profitable than before and
bonuses are among the biggest ever.

The financial industry wasn’t punished, just those of us who voted Democrat.

We thought the Democrats were liberals; we thought they were for us.

While the Sanity rally attendance ‘obliterated’ the Beck rally, you can be sure it
will not have nearly the impact. And here’s why:

The Beck rally had this process going for it:

1 Fox creates an event (statement, etc) and broadcasts it to their viewers,
2 CNN, MSNBC, Wa Post, NYT, talk radio pick up the Fox created event and
broadcast it to their viewers,
3 Fox retorts to CNN, MSNBC, etc and broadcasts its response to its viewers,
4 CNN, MSNBC brag that FOX has acknowledged the response and broadcasts
FOX’s response, and
5 So it goes ....
The other media outlets perpetuate Fox Story A, until Fox creates the next
which becomes Story B, which fills the airwaves of CNN, MSNBC, on through to
Step 5. (Why do these other stations really need ‘editors’? Anyone can just get
on FOX and see what the next CNN, MSNBC, etc story will be about.)

Jon Stewart noted the phenomenon, and called out the media. But Fox just
chuckles; other media dont see their own dysfunctional behavior and think
Stewart is just talking about Fox. Fox throws the next punch and the suckers
fall – fall in line.

That’s a key reason the Sanity rally wont have the legs of the Beck rally – media
will:

1 Give the rally a line or two at the most,
2 Find someone to say it was counter to America’s traditional values (e.g.
mixing politics with entertainment, when every red blooded American knows
politics is sacred, second only to free enterprise) and
3 Drop the subject.

But there’s another bigger reason. The Beck rally had billion-dollar donors
funding bus loads of people to attend, i.e. lots of money is behind Beck and
none behind Sanity.

Hyper-inflation is going to introduce us to an equality with the dis-possessed very shortly thanks to “quantitative easing” / “QE 2” set to be unveiled by The Iceman, Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke. 

We are in no way prepared, and really, there is no long term way to prepare for it.  “The first phase of the crash is denial.” Complete Denial of Reality: The Same Thing as in Weimar, 1923.  That’s where we’re at right now.  Waiting for the sucker’s punch of hyper-inflation whereby, unless you’re very wealthy, you are dead broke.  And, really, even then, how much security is there when there’s a world of starvation at your doorstep? 

“Conservative Catholic” blogger Gonsalvo Lira, who analyzes the Signs Hyperinflation Is Arriving projects where we’re likely to be at a year from now.

I think Chris Hedges would agree with this sentiment: This Us Not A Time For Games; The Nazis Are Out In Full Regalia

If we don’t get it together very quickly, this will be the soundtrack to our new lives N.W.O.

vincenti,love you man,you,not all the longwinded gooblygook comments hit the nail on the head!!!!!like you,this old hippi/native american lived through the incredible,intense 60’s/70’s,a time when millions upon millions did more than just talk&bitch; about the evil,corrupt punks f’ing up this planet,we put our ass onm the line for 10 or more years and stopped these punk nazis&if; this generation doesn’t get some guts to do more than talk we will all be in a world of hurt!!!!forget dems&liberals;,i lay all our problems at the feet of this all talk/no action generation!!!!!!!

of all the long winded/fancy words that say nothing comments on the sad state of affairs of the former radical left,only vincente hits the nail on the head!!!!!love you vincenti,i too amm a ‘old hippi/native american radical from the sixties&for; 10 or more years millions of us did more than talk about our evil/corrupt system of gov.,WEPUT OUR ASSES ON THE LINE&TOOK; THE EVIL ONES ON&guess; whatthey folded like the phoney punks they were!!!this generation makes me SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*** CH said:  “The celebrities from Comedy Central and the trash talk show hosts on Fox are IN THE SAME BUSINESS [caps added]... They provide the [same] empty, emotionally laden material that propels endless chatter back and forth on supposed left- and right-wing television programs.” ***

Nah, not even close.  Right, both of those “celebrities from Comedy Central” are now fat cats.  They and their families are set for life.  Yet, while knowing they are beholden to their corporate masters, they still come out swinging about every show.  Reaching an important demographic, they tell the truth, ridicule and satirize (often viciously) the deserving buffoons and anti-American degenerates masquerading as patriots now running the US / US media.

They do so four nights a week, and in ancillary appearances.  Their vids are plastered all over the Internet, podcast and shared nearly instantly after each broadcast via peer file sharing around the world (so perhaps not all the world considers all of the US to be populated by ignorant, regressive, racist, authoritarian personality F-kheads).

In doing so they reach a substantial block of actual voters.  (Many of whom now decide between ignorant, dysfunctional and regressive corporatist prostitutes, or a much less destructive option.)

Right, the *Rally* will not make a bit of difference.  Now too late.  But disparaging them for the effort to hit a mainstream note… Pal, if others did so and kept it up starting about a decade ago, the world would now be a different place.

Sure, hitting the streets: Step 1.  But not gonna happen.  At least, not until there is no longer any fear of police booking records - and resulting exclusion from future employment beyond minimum wage / non-background-check jobs, and automatic exclusion from varied other societal benefits—like keeping your kids in school.

Give it 10 years, yeah.  Then we will be in the streets.  Then there will be nothing left to lose—except your life and freedom.  But what good is that when your kids are sick and hungry, and the Chinese and Saudis now running the show could not care less?

There is, after all, only so much these two “celebrities from Comedy Central” can do.  Seems to me, they did their best.

For now…  Brace for Depression Tuesday.

It has become obvious to me that Chris Hedges watches way too much television. Jerry Mander pointed out, back in 1977, that “television is not nature”. So for Hedges to get all bent out of shape over a TV spectacle is weired. Perhaps he should have tuned into some horror films on TCM instead. “The Devil Commands” starring Boris Karloff, is a nearly forgotten gem.

The Left ain’t no phantom… it’s just pissed off
that it’s golden-one has forsaken it for the power
of big government.
The left pitched Mr. Soetoro (aka obama) as the
first black president and moderates who were
completely fed up with Bush’s gestapo govnt. decided
to be part of history. Hispanics as a whole came
onboard with the promise of re-form, and
disenfranchised blacks in Fla. and elsewhere saw
their chance to payback for the lies of the
Bush/Gore election.
The political dawn broke with hope for sincere
change for the first time in a long time, but as the
days went by and things like the patriot act not
only stayed in place but were expanded, and we find
out that people like Bill Ayers are writing policy,
as well as much more in bail-outs going out the door
even though we the people wanted this crap to stop;
it soon started to show that this hopey-changey shit
was just another great big lie.
No, the left ain’t no phantom, but it is looking a
bit shabby for all the tire tracks on it’s back.

Am an old man so don’t laugh.  Since 1975 I have been reading from 4 to 8 hours perday. For some reason this article brought tears to my eyes. I felt it very personal.  I have been a full time 24/7 activist for 41 years.  I started 1968 with the Chicano movement and later with the Native American movement.  And also part of the real Hippie Movement.  We had heart and wanted to change the world and make it right for everybody.  We were radicals and revolutionaries.  All that disappeared.  Mr Hedges you right on.  You said it just like it is. The other side of what you said was once us-me. Thank you and God Bless.  Tlamatini-vicente

As Neil Postman stated in Amusing Ourselves to Death, rational, meaningful political discussion is not possible on the medium of television, which, being an image medium, turns everything into entertainment and hinges on emotion, not logic. The printed word, on the other hand, is by it’s very nature the realm of logic.

While John Stewart’s heart is clearly in the right place, it is the nature of comedy to be difficult to use as a medium of motivation or action. Therein lies the caveat of the Rally to Restore Sanity.

None of this has the harsh bite of 60’s protests. Why? There is no draft. While young men die in Iraq and Afghanistan, the wars are far less intense and far less blood has been shed than Vietnam.

Telos of the ruling classes in all asocialistic-inegalitarian societies remains
egzactly the same. This phenomena cld be deemed or named an invariant.
However, the fruits of our labors may be divided or meted out differently. In the
old days, sharing depended on rain, drought, obedience, and royal mood.

Amount of freedoms, peace, security, etc., given us [there, we’r back to that
invariant: u giver-me taker] also depend on the mood-needs of say, one% of the
people.

And to render ruling easier, warlords and owners of people bring in hundreds of
voelken and allow dozens of cults. Such a mass of disparate folks, each having
at least few grievances against at least one other volk, makes ruling them easy.

More cld be said. tnx

Time for a general strike—they can’t fire all of us; they can’t fire half of us; they can’t fire 10% of all of us.

Legbreakers for scabs necessary, too.

I have always maintained that Pollyanna is the poster child of American culture. Bright-eyed optimism in the face of so many evils (alternatively called reality),a narcissitic trenchant belief in its own exceptional goodness, and of course what epitomizes all of it - denial.
It’s anti-intellectual dedication to Revivalist religious movements - and all its panolply of denominations and sects, keep the national consciousness in this drugged trance of irrational complacency.
The liberal class, the Left ought to function as the cold shower, the wake up siren to the immanent threats to freedom both collective and individual - very much like pain is that signal- but when you’re drugged to the gills on illusory stimuli of media-driven commercialism, you don’t think too clearly.
The response therefore is an equally irrational, albeit understandable anger - against—-what? a boogey man of - the Fags, the Socialists, the Left - that form no real united front except in its imagination.

I suppose it is fitting, considering the proximity to Halloween, that Hedges calls the Left a phantom. Certainly a scapegoat, certainly weak and disorganized, certainly silenced, but out there still I believe.

As our economy continues to slide in an orgy of greed and corruption that sees more and more of our wealth concentrated in fewer and fewer of our people I would think that the left will once again be heard from.

THANK YOU CHRIS ! I get framed as a Republican for bringing things like this up but now I can shoot back even more at the party idiots with this article. The Democratic Party will pay dearly tomorrow for this and if they keep this up, a sequel will follow in 2012.

If anyone has time, I filmed some people at my local Social Services.  These people are my neighbors, and they are suffering.  Some are confused because they know it doesn’t make sense.

And it doesn’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swoVkuw3bqI

http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/joomla/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=28&Itemid=66

The Liberal Democratic Party will do what the Democratic Party failed to do.  http://bit.ly/cmtnLP

Chris Hedges is once again a voice of wisdom and sanity in a time of irrationality and blind madness. May more like him appear.

As for the rest of us, let us rediscover thinkers like Bakunin, Emma Goldman and Rosa Luxemburg, let us truly challenge the system!

I realize I spelled combining* wrong, cut me some slack. Lets do this guys!

I think thing’s are so decayed, that perhaps all of us who read and produce on truthdig should form a video upload and/or forum section. Were the only ones even talking in a sane voice… we can begin a movement right here. Seriously. AND consider combing that said movement with the groundwork infrastructure being implemented by the zeitgeist movement who already has chapters through out the world. It’s something, and something is more than anyone else seems to have.