July 4th, 2023 - State of Our Union
"America open your eyes." This isn't "business as usual."
“America, open your eyes” proclaims the pull out poster from my personal copy of a 1941, “Poster for Fortune, by Jean Carlu.” Fortune Magazine at one time was anti-fascist! Who knew?! A partially degraded swastika floats in the upper left of the picture, while a stately-looking cleft-chinned white man’s expressionless and disembodied face draws your attention. The face’s eyes are obscured, with the words, “business as usual.”
There’s a lot to unpack in this great piece of art, on this decidedly un-peaceful July 4, 2023. A holiday, I’m told. Okay. I enjoy holidays. I was in Canada for “Canada Day, once.” I have to say, I felt like America doesn’t REALLY love itself like other countries do - as we claim we do. I feel empire-related self-loathing. I’ll own it.
We Americans shared a pandemic experience. What did we learn? We learned our government will take care of itself, the oligarchs, the corporations, the military industrial complex, the prison industrial complex, cops, and cannibalistic capitalism - but not the people. We witnessed the greatest wealth transfer from the proletariat to the oligarchy in human history.
We learned we’re rubes. It’s great to learn, but that’s too much to know, yet continue to look away. I’m done, I assure you. I “won’t get fooled again.”
American chaos can't be controlled. Mandates turn-off both individual and group egos under the best of circumstances. Let's mandate safe employment standards, fair pay, food, housing, and healthcare - so Doctors and patients can decide what's "mandatory" for their own lives. Luckily, politicians are too impotent and stupid to legislate medicine or control our economies. Their organized-crime-laden global economy isn’t ours, and the wealth of our communities isn’t theirs.
When billionaires with trillion dollar military budgets tell you they don’t have the money for humanity to thrive; they’re lying. It was stolen from the American people and there’s literally an endless supply but for manufactured scarcity. It’s all a lie; this economy. Their alleged “wealth” is OURS.
Weak governments and cultures can only use mandates to stoke civil unrest and establish fascism. Trust is gone from all constituencies. Thus, we're fracturing. We get to witness something new come into formation. Hopefully better. Possibly worse. When? How? That is uncertain and based upon your conscious choices. Biden or Trump?! Lesser evil? I don’t play stupid games.
Witness U.S. foreign policy's reliance upon war and genocide. Who's still fooled by the oligarchs, corporations, and the military industrial complex? How? On what basis would they maintain your trust? Which war? Who believes cops have a few bad apples? Which police-perpetrated street execution delivered justice? Who believes we each have equal protection under the law in our justice system? Who believes we all have civil rights? Who believes more war will bring peace? Who believes we can go on with our heads in the sand?
“AMERICA, OPEN YOUR EYES.” We can’t survive more, "business as usual."
May you have a peaceful and independent day.
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