Apokoliptik Analogs!

I wonder why as a loyal American citizen I have a hankering to read about a brave and bold struggle against a depraved power-hungry despot who wants nothing more than total control of everyone all the time? I wonder? 

I've bought Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga yet again. (More news about the Fourth World upcoming by the way.) This time in the mammoth single volume version put out by DC Comics several years back. I end up reading about the New Gods saga pretty much every year. Often, I return to the source, the works produced by comics genius Jack Kirby in the early 1970's soon after he'd left Marvel Comics, the place which had been built on the backs of his bountiful creations. He saw that comics could be something other than cheap pamphlets hawked by low-rent publishers who were given rebuff by "real" publishers. That his greatest creation has been collected time and time again in format after format proves he was right all along. That they formed the foundation of the most successful film series in history is just one more indication that Kirby saw the world in ways which spoke to the spirit of man. 

When I read the news of the day, I often get a yearning to see some Jack Kirby character deliver a haymaker to appropriated chins. There's is no doubt that Kirby would have been among the most ferocious voices against the predations of the current Republican cabal. When I look at Trump and his lackeys, I see the faces of those villains Kirby crafted long ago, at a time when another President tried to flout the law. 

Donald Trump is the canny center of the evil, though I don't think he's got the long-term strategy skills of Darkseid, but rather he's a villain who merely seeks to fulfill his rapacious desires in the moment. Trump also is slavish to Vladimir Putin, and Darkseid would never have allowed himself to be put into such a situation, at least not for long. Our "President" is the puppet and not the puppeteer. 

Marco Rubio works as the bumbling but ever diminutive Virman Vundabar. Rubio was once a somewhat respected legislator, but by aligning with this administration has forever stained his reputation. 

Cash Patel seems born to play the role of the malignant DeSaad, There's a manic cruelty in Patel's eyes which indicate he's eager to torment another soul. 

The often-inebriated Pete Hegseth would make a dashing but corrupted Kanto. Kanto was smarter and more competent than Hegseth, but still working with evil is its own reward in most cases. 

Susie Wiles fits as Granny Goodness. (Tulsi Gabbard is auditioning for his role in years to come.)

RFK Jr. could slither into the role of Doctor Bedlam. He is madness all wrapped up in one foul single little man. His quackery might well kill us all. 

Kristi Noem's got Lashina written all over her. She and the other chicks in the administration such as Linda McMahon (Mad Harriet), Kelly Loeffler (Bernadeth) and Elize Stefanik (Stompa). This is of course before the Furies reformed. And I'm not including Big Bard in this mix at all. 

Our real world's version of the savage Kalibak is Tom Homan, the brutal man who runs I.C.E. and likes going on TV to brag about dragging undocumented people out of the homes and workplaces. There's a glee in his eye when he talks about it that can really roil the stomach. 

I do a gender switch for the Glorious Godrey role and stick in the fare but fatuous Press Secretary Karoline Levitt. She smiles gleefully even as she delivers yet another death blow to democracy. 

And I haven't forgotten the mutating J.D. Vance who gets the role of Mantis just because he gives me the creeps. Our Vice President doesn't work for us, and he doesn't work for Trump either. His master is a billionaire who wants to rule his share of the planet. 

Scott Bessant, Sean Duffy, Doug Collins, Lee Zeldin, Russel Vought and Howard Lutnick can pick among themselves as to who wants to be who in the Deep Six. 

And there they are. I found analogs almost too uncanny as I thought through this post. These are dark times in America. But as Jack Kirby learned so well, the villains have to confronted, the enemy must be defeated and we as humans must always choose Life and not Anti-Life. We have heard the word...it is battle. 

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Another Galaxy, Another Time?

In between fretting about the downfall of the 20th Century order, I'm indulging myself in some Star Wars. I saw the first movie in the theater four times, and it was among the very first VHS tapes I owned. (Still have it.) I got the Marvel comic for a few issues, but I got distracted from that and didn't pursue it. One thing I've never done in all these years is to read the novelizations of the first trilogy. Lucas is credited with the first installment, the one we now call "A New Hope". When I read the first few pages though, I was struck by some startling parallels. Here is the "Prologue". 

I was gobsmacked at how much it reads like the news of the day. I guess we are enduring a story as old as time and fraught with enough drama for nine feature films and counting. Change a few names and we have the current crisis in the United States well and properly predicted, albeit from the depths of space from a time long, long ago. 

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Ignore Us When We're At Your Front Door!

Those who have told us what to think for decades need to have an attitude adjustment. They need to tell the truth about what's happening. They are cowed by an administration which threatens their revenue streams, but they have to know that we will put them out of business if they do not awaken and answer this most urgent call. It's incredibly frustrating to me that I cannot be at one of these marches due to my sundry physical infirmities. But I am going to do what I can to support them from this meager podium and other places as well. They have not arrested a natural citizen for using his or her First Amendment protected speech...yet. We must use it or lose it. 

Tap on any of the images above or use this link for more details. 

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No More "Justice"?

As you likely know, the Sweet Potato's administration has outlawed certain words from appearing in federal documents and further should be scrubbed from existing documents. The usual suspects are on the list such as "inclusion" and "multicultural", but it doesn't stop there. Of course not. 

In this new age there is no more "equality'' and "women" have been disappeared, as has "female".  I can only guess what they are using for substitutes, but I'd guess "dame" and "chick" might fill this new gap in federal locution. Also gone are "hate speech", "victim", and "race". It's a lengthy list and you can find it in a number of places, but this handy link will still serve. 

But even with all this nonsense, the one word that leapt out at me was "justice". "Justice" has been removed from the coming fascist state, but then we already knew that. Combine that with the Congress threatening to unravel the federal court system which has to this point been the only constraint on executive power demonstrated, and we see that "justice" is not a priority or even a consideration for his fascist regime. 

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Lighting The Fire Of Activism!

Here is a speech by Cliff Cash, a comedian and now one of the most potent voices speaking out against the fascism which is seeping into America. He has long been a critic of the current President and has set up a website called Donnie Loves Vladimir to document the many ties between him and the Kremlin. He pulls few punches and it's that frankness and humbleness which will hopefully get out the crowds into Washington D. C. He points up the difficulty of raising such mass protests in this large expansive country but calls for the continuing need. The legacy media has abandoned the country in no small manner, seeming to be disinterested in the large-scale protests which have been happening all across the land, in every capitol and more besides. These are protest I myself took part in, so I know they are real, and I know the fervor the people have to throw this dictator to the curb of history is real as well. As Cliff says...

FASCISTS FEED ON FEAR AND WE MUST FUCKING STARVE THEM! 

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There Will Come A Reckoning!

There will come a reckoning. It's easy to get mired in the avalanche of daily news as we watch barbarians attack our society from inside the walls. We let them in and they are all about tearing it down so that enemy at our gates can plunder and pillage at his ease. It's easy to get overcome with all that. But there's also this. 

There will come a reckoning. We will survive this and using the lessons learned rebuild and modernize our society so as to better protect ourselves from these predations. Future villains will find it harder to penetrate the refreshed and quickened civic defenses we will construct. But until that day.

There will come a reckoning.  And when it does come, these enemies we see so pumped up with power this minute will face justice, prison and more besides.  Their shabby icon is old and will soon shuffle off this mortal coil. When he does at long last or even before.

There will come a reckoning. The great American experiment is not over, and this testing time will only  make us stronger. 

"Bloodless"? Good luck with that Kevin. I hope you're right.  But just because there will be a second revolution, doesn't mean you're going to win it. And always remember, you guys picked this fight. 

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We March Again!

 

For those out there in the world who might think that American citizens are not rising up in opposition to the predations of the current evil administration, I offer the previous post and this one. We have marched, but we have been betrayed by our news media. Boycotts seem to be getting the notice of these greedy bastards and those are only beginning to get going. Companies will fall during these protests, the ironically named Target seems the first that might topple. When we train our economic might on another outlet they will take note. 

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We Are The Flood!

The media outlets in the United States seem to have gone silent. The shaking of the trees has brought some minor local improvements, but still the protests develop, and we march in the streets every day all over this big country. The Democratic Party leadership has been revealed to be complicit, and so those leaders have failed utterly in their responsibility to be the focus of a national uprising. Leaders such as AOC and Bernie Sanders have risen with a few others to take the place of the feckless establishment. The people came out before and our votes were stolen through computer gimmicks, he did not win. The courts hold the line for the moment, but it's feared they will not be enough. The uprising is coming nonetheless, inevitably like a mighty flood that sweeps away all before it. 

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I Am A Kentuckian!

I am a Kentuckian. 

That's been true all my life, but in my elder years it might become even more important, at least to my soul. I'm watching the United States of America get taken apart bit by bit, its mission to its citizens rarely if ever considered. Everything is done in service of whittling down the opposition when the creepy powers that be introduce their really outlandish and cruel notions upon the populace. Steps are taken to undermine the safety of those nations who once were staunch allies in what seems to be slavish service to a former KGB agent. 

Daniel Boone led settlers through the Cumberland Gap and into the land which would be called "Kentucky". The name is of course of Native American origin, but what it means is not fully established, but best guesses are that it originates from an Iroquois word mean "Land of Tomorrow". The settlements in Kentucky went on to become the only second state added to the original thirteen, which were the United States of America. 

But now I am embarrassed to be an American. I well understand the world's reaction to the insanity inside this nation as a convicted felon sells the nation off and into the hands of a foreign dictator. The world is not wrong to shun us. Foreigners should not come here. But do remember if you are able, that not all of us, in fact far from a majority voted for this, including me. (That's why I'm "embarrassed" and not "ashamed" -- two different things.) But that's of little comfort for the latest outrage.

Now it's come to light (as if anything else could be the case) that at least one innocent man and almost certainly more were bolted out of the country despite a judge's order to a foreign prison which the United States effectively rents. The blood-rage to send non-whites out of this country burns so hot that no time can be seem to be wasted on actual due process of law. This lawlessness must result in his repatriation and in the punishment of those who are responsible. But the former is almost certainly the best we can hope for. Disgust for those in my own country who allowed it and for those who will surely find some way to defend it. 

But this latest horror isn't just the problem of one election and its pitiful result. It's been coming for quite some time. Forty years ago, or thereabout, when I was a hale and hearty man in his twenties with a blooming family on the way, the nation made the tragic mistake of making a Hollywood actor its president. His nonsensical policies of trickle-down economics began the slow and steady slog to our current status as a debtor nation. Citizens decided they just didn't want to pay for services anymore and to justify that greedy decision began to blame those that needed help and those that gave it to them. We were taught to do that at the highest level and while some of us resisted, many did not. 

The aforementioned courts at the same time began a series of decisions which bit by bit made bribery legal. Our politicians (on both sides) were by and large reluctant to call this out as they benefited mightily. The media slowly but steadily abandoned its responsibilities and the only news we got most of the time was that which was pre-cooked or easy to scavenge up. More and more Congress allowed mergers to occur when none should have been allowed, but stocks were up so who cared really. 

Some did, but they were not enough. And now I live in what some call a rogue nation, unfit to have real allies and isolated. We can't be ignored because of our military might. The U.S. will continue to play a pivotal role in the future history of his planet, I just hope we are not the outright villains. Until the ship is righted though I am not an American first and foremost...

I am a Kentuckian. Maybe one day sooner than later in the land of tomorrow I can proudly be an American again...I hope. 

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The Fightin' Five Non-Negotiables!

We're in the fight of our lifetimes. The current darkness brought on by the regime of evil Republicans and weak Democrats marks a grim time indeed for the great experiment known as the United States of the America. But out of his darkness perhaps we can achieve some clarity of purposes and for the first time in decades unite the power of the people to unseat the all-too-comfortable rich who seem to imagine they are better than their peers. It happened in the 30's when the Great Depression demanded changes to the fundamental structures of our society. We are reaching that moment in time again when profound change is required. 

The UNFTR Podcast has outlined five pillars for Progressives going forward as we reconstruct our society to make it better for our children and those generations beyond that. These are aspirational but not unobtainable ideas from which a revived Progressive movement will not be shaken. These are the five "Non-Negotiables" for us to insist upon. 

1. Ending Homelessness. 

2. Building a Civilian Labor Corps. 

3. Medicare for All.

4. Election Integrity -- Getting Money Out of Politics. 

5. The Climate Trust

To read thoughtful extensive essays laying out these concepts and goals in detail just click on the links for each pillar or non-negotiable. But let me add a few words of my own. 

In a society which has built in so many structural limits to achieving even a modicum of success for most people, having a home to return to after a long day is a minimal expectation. No one should be forced live in cars or on the streets. And homelessness must never ever be considered a crime. The homeless we have in our country point to the failure of policies both conservative and liberal. The status quo is unacceptable and must be changed. 

Having a job in the coming years is going to be harder and harder for many as robots slowly but steadily take over jobs which in times past were sufficient to maintain a home. The vast wealth which has accumulated at the top of our society has been built on the backs of laborers who have gotten a decreasing share of that wealth. Idealistically a job should not in most cases give meaning to a life, but still a people need to be engaged with the society they are part of. 

Healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Changing the healthcare system in this country is the easiest pillar to achieve. Single payer healthcare solves nearly all the problems which afflict the delivery of health care in this country. It improves the quality and streamlines the delivery in such a way as to maximize the effort of those doctors and nurses and others who work diligently to keep up safe from our habits and the rigors of time. God knows there's more than enough money flowing through the system to keep everyone happy. 

Standing in the way of achieving all of these non-negotiables is the fourth one -- election integrity. I have watched for forty years now as the American political system has become increasingly corrupt. The rich want to own the rest of us and to that end they have purchased politicians and jurists, often in plain sight. Conservative politicians have hidden behind a veil of false comity to obscure the fact that what they want for their paymasters are de facto slaves. By buying media, the rich have successfully gulled too many into believing that their vote doesn't matter. They have rigged systems in state after state to make voting difficult. In a word, they cheat. We need to knock over the board and begin the game again. 

And beyond all of this is the world we live upon. Humanity has driven itself mad with hubris and has taken for granted life on this precious ball. (Eat it Flat-Earthers -- it is a globe.) We think we are mighty because in several millennia we have eked out a society. But the Earth can wipe all of human progress away in a few tragic moments. The planet we live on has given us great gifts, gifts we have consumed with little regard to the future. We are due for a reset. Mother Nature is not angry, she doesn't even care that we exist. 

But that's enough for now. This is a long game. It almost certainly will not be won completely in my lifetime, but that's not a reason to fight the fight. We can surely deliver some immediate victories if we remain firm, focused and united. The war is just beginning, actually I now see it has never ended. 

Note: This is a revised and updated post. 

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