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Corrupt Supreme Court Betraying The Rule Of Law In America
I have always said beware of those that dress up in uniforms, as they hide their true human failings behind them. SCOTUS has again proven this truism. These partisan justices cloaked in their black robes are failing the most basic applications of the law. Corrupt Supreme Court betraying the rule of law in America, as they consider the Trump claim of presidential immunity over election interference in the 2020 race. The US system of administration, which puts these 9 men and women at the very top of the judicial tree is dependent upon their decisions as final arbiters.
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SCOTUS Conservative Justices’ Flout Rule Of Law For Trump
Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito and to a lesser extent John Roberts have been bought and paid for by conservative billionaires to effect their wishes in America. How else can you explain their behaviour in the face of overwhelming evidence for Trump’s alleged criminality, as found by the DOJ and lower courts. It seems like the federal justice system operates largely without fear or favour until it reaches its apogee in SCOTUS. Then, these individuals have power without oversight to do as they please. The US constitution holds no standard of accountability for them, as seen by their altering the interpretation of section 3 of the 14th amendment in regard to Trump’s eligibility to stand for office despite being a determined insurrectionist by state supreme court findings.
President Trump Postlaunch Remarks (NHQ202005300037) by NASA HQ PHOTO is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0
American Justice In Danger Of Failing The People
The American people will be forced to rise up in protest over the actions of this court if they continue to flout the rule of law in favour of Donald Trump. The January 6 insurrection occurred 3 and a half years ago and Trump has still not been held accountable for inciting it. Meanwhile, the foot soldiers are prosecuted and locked up for it. America has a big problem holding wealth and power to account. The politicisation of all levels of government and within the courts makes it a corrupt system. Democracy is being gamed by people like Trump and his associates. The pundits point to the facts inferring that SCOTUS are deliberately slow walking the Trump immunity case, which means it will not be tried in court prior to the 2024 presidential election. This deprives the American people of knowing the full facts surrounding one of the leading candidates for president.
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When we talk about nations and national identities we are making gross generalities. America and Americans are made up of many millions of individuals. Even to split them into just 2 camps – Democrats and Republicans – is another blanket call. We love to categorise stuff, however, as it makes it easier to talk about things. The rule of law is supposed to cut through all categories of people. It is supposed to apply to all and be indistinguishable beyond race, gender, and tribal affiliations. Right now, it is failing due to the status and wealth of the former president Donald J Trump. If Trump is not brought to heel America will be cast into civil unrest and may implode. If the rich and powerful are seen to be above the law and declared by SCOTUS to be immune to those laws which govern everybody else – it will be game over for democracy.
“The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared skeptical of a ruling by a federal appeals court that rejected former President Donald Trump’s claim that he has absolute immunity from criminal charges based on his official acts as president. During more than two-and-a-half hours of oral argument, some of the court’s conservative justices expressed concern about the prospect that, if former presidents do not have immunity, federal criminal laws could be used to target political opponents. However, the justices left open the prospect that Trump’s trial in Washington, D.C., could still go forward because the charges against him rest on his private, rather than his official, conduct. However, the timing of the court’s eventual opinion and the resulting trial remains unclear, leaving open the possibility that the court’s decision could push Trump’s trial past the November election.”
- (https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/04/supreme-court-appears-likely-to-side-with-trump-on-some-presidential-immunity/)
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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Conservative Media Always Being Negative About Renewables
Have you ever read a positive article about renewable energy published in the Murdoch newspapers or on their networks, like Sky News Australia or Fox News? No? Why is that I wonder? Why do they consistently belittle and denigrate all efforts to transition to this cost effective and potentially planet saving technology? How is the conservative media always being negative about renewables helping the nation and the world? Where is the balance in their reporting and editorial policy on energy matters? Unless you are a complete idiot you have to see that something is going on here. Something underhanded and definitely not in the interest of the country and its people. Greedy men more interested in their wealth than the nation being smart for the benefit of the many.
Have you ever read anything positive about renewables in Murdoch’s newspapers???
Murdoch & Coalition Alliance Denigrating Renewable Energy
Have you ever asked yourself why the Liberal’s and National’s invariably take a similarly negative approach to anything smacking of renewables and the energy transition away from fossil fuels? They don’t even pretend to acknowledge the tremendous uptake of rooftop solar in Australia and how that is transforming the energy situation in Australia. No, it is always negative commentary and how bad everything is about renewable energy. Doom and gloom are peddled by these manipulators. I mean you would have to have your head buried in the sand not to be aware of this blatant disregard for the facts on this matter. Peter Dutton spruiking nuclear power is the clearest illustration of this. I mean, it would take decades to get nuclear reactors up and running and the expense would be ginormous. Never mind when things go wrong and they do go wrong. They poison the land for hundreds of years. Fukushima!!!
“Australia has the world’s highest per-capita solar energy penetration, with almost one in three homes hosting PV panels. Even in winter, more than a quarter of the electricity used in the eastern states is being generated on rooftops during the peak of sunny days such as Tuesday, according to the OpenNEM website.”
- (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/12/australia-nearing-record-amount-of-solar-panel-uptake-to-beat-rising-power-prices-analysts-say)
Clearly The Most Cost Effective Energy Solution Constantly Bagged By Conservatives
Why do these men, it is most often men, promulgate these ridiculous conceptions rather than acknowledge the direction we are heading in? We are well down the track toward a successful transition to renewables. It is about money and power, of course. It is not about what is best for Australia. Renewables are far and away the most cost effective energy solution for this country and the planet. The scare campaigns about solar and wind belie the technological advancements happening in battery storage technology. We need to invest more in renewables and energy storage, rather than waste time and money on nuclear pipe dreams. The reasons why the LNP and the fossil fuel multinationals haven’t embraced renewables to the extent they could is that they can’t see enough profitability in it. They love controlling every aspect of the process with fossil fuels and making a larger ROI. These guys are about making money and not about making energy more affordable for more human beings.
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Conservative Media Dominates In Australia
The trouble with Australia is that the media landscape is dominated by the conservative press. In yet another concentration of corporate power News Corp, Nine Fairfax, and Seven West Media control all the daily newspapers and much of the TV and radio networks. The ABC, our national broadcaster has been bullied and infiltrated by conservative interests at board and management levels to mirror much of the Murdoch line much of the time. We lack a progressive voice with any reach or real market share. Therefore, when the news is consistently manipulated and distorted by editorial policies designed to tell a particularly one sided message, as the Murdoch press blatantly does, our governments and the people are influenced by such directed noise. This has been going for years and nothing is done about it. Fox News, of course, was successfully sued for around a billion dollars for telling lies about the 2020 presidential election to the American people. Everyone talks about the dangers of fake news and the extinction of facts but governments are not actually doing anything about it.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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The Culture Wars & Demonising Woke
The culture wars pits extreme reactionary conservatives against progressives. The war on woke is an example of this, where ordinary folk are encouraged to see efforts in favour of redressing the situation, where those among us traditionally excluded from a seat at the big table, as unnecessary. White supremacists are, of course, big fans of this and in some instances driving this ‘anti-woke’ narrative. Diversity inclusiveness is being pilloried as somehow unfair to the dominant white male cohort within our communities – this is ridiculous. The figures do not back this up in any way. The culture wars and demonising woke play to the politics of grievance.
Anti-Elite Another Right Wing Beat Up
The anti-elitist strategy is another beat up and manipulation by those on the right. Politically, it enables parties traditionally associated with big business to extend their appeal to working class people. This championing of the often bigoted values of non-college educated folk is another false narrative. Blaming one side for all the ills in the politics of grievance debate is further misinformation and deflection from the truth of the matter. The socially progressive policies of those wanting to include those marginalised, like LGBTQI+, women, and new migrants, are demonised by those on the right. Religious groups align with those on the right so that they can defend their right to discriminate against those that do not conform to their religious laws, which were developed many hundreds of years ago. These Bronze Age values were tribal and do not reflect the reality of urban living in big cities in the 21C. We are no longer primarily goat farmers.
Anti-Women Patriarchal Policies Underpinning GOP
Patriarchal family values are outdated for good reasons and policies that seek a return to this power structure will not appeal to many, especially women. In the US, we are witnessing hardline conservative think tanks driving MAGA Republican party policy in this regard.
“Wealthy right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation has published a detailed plan for the next Republican president to use the executive branch of the federal government to attack the rights of women, LGBTQ people and the BIPOC community, by eliminating the agencies and offices responsible for enforcing civil rights laws and placing trained right-wing ideologues in staff positions throughout the federal government. “
(https://msmagazine.com/2024/02/08/project-2025-conservative-right-wing-trump-woke/)
Anti-abortion state policies and laws have galvanised opposition among women across America. Further efforts to ban contraception and limit the freedoms of women, more generally, are on the cards and it is hard to see how these will appeal to voters. The stacking of the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) by former President Donald Trump provides another non-democratic pathway for the imposition of these laws and policies to be enacted at the state level in red states. However, women in these red states are rising up and the GOP are losing seats and representatives on this basis. You can see why Trump and MAGA want to take over the US by a coup or insurrection because they will not win the 2024 presidential election with the policies they have. Indeed, it would be a good bet that the GOP will also lose control of Congress at the next election too.
“Lock Em Up & Throw Away The Key”
In Australia, we have a right wing opposition that takes its lead from the US. Their relentless attacks and negativity means they offer no credible alternative to the Labor government currently in charge. Peter Dutton, their leader, seeks to enflame fears and anxieties within the electorate whenever possible. Immigration policy has been a popular platform upon which to sew exaggerated fears now and in the past. Attitudes toward Australia’s Indigenous communities is another area in which the opposition divides the nation via polarising statements. Of course, they have no policies and only opinions on everything. Law and order remains a conservative touchstone, where knee jerk responses to sensationalised incidents of crime reported in the media play well to the gallery. Again, no ideas or solutions apart from locking everybody up are ever proffered by the LNP.
Old White Guys Want To Have Their Cake & Eat Yours Too
The culture wars and demonising woke are popular here in Australia too. Old white guys want to have their cake and eat yours too. The war on woke appeals to dumb entitled folk who don’t bother thinking too deeply about much. Fairness was supposedly a great Aussie tradition, but only if you were white and like everybody else. Apparently, mateship and equality were and are reserved for the assimilated Anglo Aussie. Slagging off at stuff and people outside this box is all good fun. If it doesn’t bother the bloke saying it why should it bother the person being slagged off! This logic pervades the racism endemic throughout Australia.
The culture wars are a beat up for political purposes. The real aim of the game is to get your vote and to put their insider mates in clover. Think PwC and all those billions being syphoned off from the public sector to private wealth via the consultancy business. Think the insider mates who got the billion dollar offshore detention money over many years. Think the labour hire sector where private interests grew fat on more and more government contracts across the board. This massive increase saw the private wealth of the few grow exponentially whilst the many were shafted. Wage growth during the Coalition years was moribund, union was power was decimated, and the rich got much richer at our expense. We now live in a much unfairer Australia. The divide between the haves and the have nots is a widening gulf.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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American Democracy Hijacked By Special Interest Groups
If you want the perfect example of this take the case before the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) right now. 7 doctors are seeking to have the medical abortion pill Mifepristone banned so that they do not have to face the risk of prescribing it themselves. They can and do, already, refuse to offer this solution to their patients. However, they want to ban this 20 year FDA approved safe medication for some 200 million American women because of their feelings on the matter and the risk that they may accidentally prescribe it themselves. This patently ludicrous review of a federal appeals court decision is what SCOTUS are busying themselves with whilst delaying dealing with Trump prior to the November 2024 presidential election. This is American democracy hijacked by special interest groups in the 21C.
“At the center of the legal battle is the pill mifepristone, which is taken along with another drug to terminate an early pregnancy. Approved by the FDA in 2000, more than 5 million patients have taken mifepristone, according to the agency, and studies cited in court filings have shown it is safe and effective.”
- ( https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-abortion-pill-arguments-mifepristone/)
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SCOTUS Has Robbed The American People Of Their Power
For those who do not know, the Supreme Court is the final arbiter in the United States system of government. The fact that Trump stacked SCOTUS 6-3 with conservative activist justices during his term in the presidency has rendered democracy mute on an increasing amount of lawful government business. SCOTUS is sticking its conservative nose into more and more areas of American life. It has removed the federal right to women’s reproductive rights and delivered that power to the states in overturning Roe vs Wade via the Dobbs decision. This has galvanised American women across the nation and will likely defeat Trump’s 2024 bid for the presidency. However, the SCOTUS imbalance in favour of extreme conservatives means that democracy has been denuded and the American people have lost their ability to effect legislation and laws as determined by their will.
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America At The Mercy Of Special Interests
America has been at the mercy of special interest groups for a long time. Congress has been largely bought by vested interests via the efforts of lobbyists and campaign re-election donations. Congress representatives who are backed by funds from the pro-Israel forces or the gun lobby are much more likely to win their contests. Similarly, the enormous financial reach of Big Tech and Big Pharma ensures that their favoured candidates prevail. America is all about money. Everything is for sale in the USA. This includes its political process, as millions and millions of dollars are spent on getting representatives and senators in the house. American members of Congress are free to invest on the stock market without much oversight. Corruption is a relative term in American public life without much bite.
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Women’s Reproductive Rights In America
Even away from what many of us would call the corrupt influence of financial imperatives driving the political process the basic role of special interest groups gazumps the silent majority. Those that make a lot of noise in the American democratic system, those with a single issue story, do better than the rest of voters who are largely defused in their impetus. We can observe this in the current zeitgeist around women’s reproductive rights. This empowering and motivating issue has turned red seats blue in red states. The polarisation of America by extreme conservative MAGA forces is being undone on this issue alone in contests held in 2022 and since. The right wing think tanks at the heart of the Trump 2024 campaign want to take away women’s rights more generally and return America to some imaginary time back in the 19C. This will not happen, as women in America are rising up in support of their freedoms and will fight at the ballot box.
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True Conservatives Cannot Back Trump
America is and has been a largely conservative place, politically speaking. The Republican party has been an ideologically anti-socialist and anti-union movement for much of the 20C and beyond. Progressive causes have been homed under the Democratic party in the main. Now, under Trump the GOP MAGA forces are anarchic and rabidly anti-government. Many conservative Americans are confused as to where they should place their vote and trust in 2024. President Joe Biden is tough to demonise, as this basically decent politician is an old man and doing good things for the American economy. Polls indicate that most senior Americans will vote for Biden in 2024. The instability of Trump and his backers are concerning for true conservatives who don’t buy the false narratives peddled by the GOP in 2024.
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The SCOTUS Conspiracy To Derail Democracy
American democracy hijacked by special interest groups continues and is ramping up under SCOTUS in 2024. Billionaires and big business want to roll back government regulation so that they can make more money unhindered by rules protecting the people. America has been a perpetual battle between the very wealthy and everyone else. Money talks in America, of course. The Gilded Age is celebrated by some as a time of great investment into the nation. However, this came at a cost and the Great Depression resulted in many Americans suffering. The GOP has never taken responsibility for this and their lies and denial established an MO which continues to this day. The Chevron deference and SCOTUS:
“The high court announced Monday that it is taking up a case squarely aimed at killing off the nearly-four-decade-old precedent that has come to be known as Chevron deference: the principle that courts should defer to reasonable agency interpretations of ambiguous provisions in congressional statutes and judges should refrain from crafting their own reading of the laws.”
- (https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/01/supreme-court-chevron-doctrine-climate-change-00094670)
This SCOTUS wants to rule on every aspect of American life, despite having no expertise on these matters. It is a conservative activist conspiracy to disempower the elected government and its agencies from running the country. The American people are being disenfranchised from their constitutional rights. Extreme right wing power brokers know that they will not win elections with their unpopular policies, so they are retaining power by other means. Trump is a sideshow. The SCOTUS 6-3 imbalance must be redressed if democracy is to be returned to its natural state and the American people are to get their will back.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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Trump The Bible Salesman: The End Must Be Nie
Donald Trump is selling $60 bibles to the American public. If you wanted to witness the lowest point of this saga and American popular culture this is pretty close. This guy has no shame because he has a complete absence of integrity in the first place. Trump would sell his own mother if there was a buck in it. He cheats at golf, constantly, which defeats the whole purpose of playing the game. Trump the bible salesman: The end must be nie. The United States of America has become an international laughing stock.
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How Low Can Donald Trump Go?
The love of Trump has to be founded on his decade of celebrity on TV. Deluded Americans have confused reality with reality TV. Believing in a compulsive liar and narcissist is a strange cult to follow. Trump selling bibles can be viewed as a desperate act or a weirdly American return to one’s roots. I think of Great Depression era salesmen selling bibles. The lowest of the low times and the selling of hope. Trump should have been a game show host – this is his true metier. He could have spruiked his rich mix of lies and ridiculous statements without damaging the nation that spawned him.
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Golden Sneakers & Sixty Buck Bibles
Trump has been peddling golden sneakers too. Surely there is something in the bible about such dichotomies?
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits."
- (Matthew 7. 15-20)
Right now, Donald Trump is definitely a ravenous wolf, ravenous for your money. Found guilty of massive fraud in his business dealings. Found guilty of defaming a woman he raped and defaming her some more. These civil findings have cost him around half a billion dollars. This is why we see Donald hawking sneakers and bibles to the schmucks that follow him. The faithful have shut their minds and eyes to the facts before them. They will go to their graves believing the evil fruit Trump serves them. This is the sure sign of a downfall of a civilisation, when folk do not care to know the difference between truth and lies. Historians wonder at how such great civilisations can fall, like the Romans who had conquered half the known world. We can see the why and the how in what is happening in America at the moment. Ordinary people lose the ability to see what is what via the extreme influence of their beliefs. You cannot turn away from progress and seek the past – this is a recipe for a quick demise. Turning away from the challenges of the future to try and claw back the past is throughout history a sure sign of the imminent destruction of a civilisation.
“The former president said every American needs to have a Bible in their home — and he has many copies available. “It’s my favorite book,” he said, later adding, “We have to bring Christianity back into our lives and back into what will be again a great nation.”
The $60 Bible is the King James Version will include lyrics from Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.,” as well as the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance.”
- (https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4557605-trump-god-bless-usa-bibles/)
The Death Of Democracy & Rise Of Autocracy
False prophets peddling the politics of grievance, like Trump, are hastening the collapse of America. Democracy has always been the great experiment bubbling on the stove. De Tocqueville knew it and had the excesses and failures of the French Revolution to enrich his view of the nascent America. We have the extraordinary circumstances of a presidential race between a grifter and a very old man. The orange Jesus selling sixty buck bibles vs a fairly decent Joe Biden. A nation, which has the led the world for a century or more, now challenged by the rise of China and India not too far behind. Probably, the hawks and money men want a change from a democracy to an autocracy so that they can compete with China. Totalitarian regimes are easier to manage militarily and, perhaps, economically in the 21C. The economic superpower status of the USA has always been maintained via its military advantage over all other comers.
The End Is Nie For America
Trump the bible salesman: The end must be nie. The old testament is largely a potted history of the Jewish people and their adversaries. Dynasties and family histories designed in the telling to pump up the tyres of these oft benighted folk. The end of times and the dystopian view of America that Trump is pushing is well suited by a bible selling false prophet. The MAGA line demands an a priori acceptance of a spoiled America. An America betrayed by immoral liberals and lefties. These overfed fools who have never faced war or invasion on their lands, apart from their own Civil War, are indulging in dangerous fancies. The Trump cult is entrenching division down the old slaver state lines. A failed coup – the January 6th insurrection has pitted the militias and their supporters against the state, once already. Donald Trump has promised to free the gaoled insurrectionists. Politics has gazumped the rule of law it seems. The world is witnessing the ugly, white supremacist side of American culture and this time it is no Hollywood movie. Guns and money are the two great touchstones of America. Trump, the Teflon Don, has evaded criminal convictions but been bitten by civil proceedings and big fines. Only money talks in the USA. Get your MAGA bible now!
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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Not Building Another Stadium Is A Win For Queenslanders
The recent decision by the Queensland state government not to build another sporting stadium for the Olympics is a sign of maturity. Brisbane and Australia are in the midst of an acute housing crisis, with too few houses and apartments available for demand. It would be a gross display of economic irresponsibility to build a massively expensive stadium when there are not enough affordable accommodation options available for the people of Brisbane. The builders and the investment should be engaged and spent on social housing rather than infrastructure for sport. Enough with the elitist sporting indulgence when a city, a state, and a nation is not taking care of its ordinary citizens. Not building another stadium is a win for Queenslanders.
“No one wants to see money spent on facilities that are only needed for four weeks.”
Premier Steven Miles
“The Queensland government says it won’t be demolishing the Gabba and building a new Olympic stadium in Brisbane, despite the recommendations of an independent review of venues for the 2032 Games.”
(https://www.governmentnews.com.au/queensland-says-no-to-new-olympic-stadium/)
Olympic Dreams Can Take A Backseat To Building Social Housing
The Olympics has its place but it should not gazump the responsibility that governments have to their subjects. The Olympics is cream and there is no cream if the basics have not firstly been put in place. The market has failed renters in Brisbane, in Queensland, and around Australia. The neoliberal economic policies of the last few decades have seen an abrogation by government’s of their responsibilities. Housing and providing shelter at an affordable rate should be at the top of the list for our society at both state and private sector levels. Profitability has replaced all other concerns and we have been let down by this.
Shameful Behaviours By Corporate Australia During Cost Of Living Crisis
There are families who have been forced to live in tents on the fringes of the city because of the unaffordability of rents in Queensland. The market has not taken care of business and governments have failed their constituents. The cost of living crisis has sucked the modest savings out of the working poor families. People are living hand to mouth. Australian corporations have recorded record profits during this time, which says something about the morality of our businesses. Profitability has become everything and basic decency has left the building. It is pretty lousy really. We got through a global pandemic only to come out the other side and have businesses target the government assistance funds via price gouging. Corporate Australia should hang its head in shame. Woolworths, Coles, Qantas, Commonwealth Bank, Ampol, Santos, PwC, News Corp and all the many companies that don't pay tax have been taking a crap on all of us at our expense. Wildly overpaid CEO's like Alan Joyce - it is a disgrace.
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The Fake World Of Commercial Free To Air TV
Let me share with you a little about my recent viewing experiences. I decided to trim my expenses in response to the cost of living crisis eating up my modest savings. I axed the streaming services previously subscribed to one by one. Then, after nearly 20 years of pay TV - I gave that the flick also. Suddenly, I was reduced to watching the footy on free to air. Channel 7 trumpets this FREE experience to the viewer but stuffs so many ads into a game my head started spinning. I entered the fake world of commercial free to air TV.
Profoundly Insincere Advertising Content On TV
Exposure to all these many, many commercials makes one privy to the profound insincerity of TV advertising. Combine this with the smarmy very fake TV show presenters and one is reaching for the vomit bag. I wonder about children growing up watching this stuff and how it must mess with their heads. This warped conception of a kind of presumed reality in TV land. Ads for rapacious short term loan providers presented in smiling situations with ex-footballers playing inane roles. Shame on you Luke Hodge! The legion of sports gambling ads by corporate bookmakers. The worst, however, are for the network’s own reality TV offerings.
Wow, the BS served up on free to air could not be further from free if you at all value your intelligence.
Channel 7 & The AFL
The AFL brags about the billion dollar deal they did with the TV network host and how it finances the game. Of course, we the viewing public are paying for this via all these bloody ads. Football is such a great game; I am sure that many players would play for much less recompense. Channel 7 whacks on ads every time a goal is scored – no wonder there has been such a push to stop low scoring hard fought games from being the norm. Indeed, I bet that the network probably has had its say on this matter and has used its highly paid game day announcers to use their influence wherever possible. Money talks loudly in professional sport and those with their snouts in the trough want their pound of flesh.
“In one of Gillon McLachlan's final major moves as chief executive of the AFL, the League has bolstered its future with a $4.5 billion deal across the Seven, Foxtel and Telstra agreement after meeting with key bidders on Monday to hear final pitches. “
(https://www.afl.com.au/news/837244/afl-reveals-new-broadcast-rights-deal-from-2025)
Giving Commercial Free To Air TV The Boot
The fake world of commercial free to air TV is chock-a-block with deep voiceovers. It is filled to the brim with insincerity and faux gravitas. Anyway, I tried to stomach this crap for the good of my personal finances but some things are a bridge too far. There is no way I could bear a full season of this merde. It stinks to high heaven and spoils the game I love. So many ads that you can forget that you are watching a match. It is like having your orgasm snatched away at the most thrilling moment – in that ads immediately follow your team scoring a goal. Not quite coitus interruptus but definitely fan acclaim sudden cessation (FASC). It could cause some serious psychological ruction in the supporter's psyche. My ban on streaming services had to be lifted because I couldn’t take another few hours being subjected to the fake world of free to air TV – which aint free in my book.
RSH
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Trump Is A Fake Billionaire
The failure of Donald J Trump to post a bond for the $466 million fraud fine judgement against him has confirmed what many have suspected for some time. Trump is a fake billionaire. He does not have access to this kind of money because his properties are already mortgaged to the hilt. The more concerning matter is the fact that the pretty useless American rules of standing for the highest office in the land have no provision for candidates in massive debt. How stupid is this! Apparently, you can become President of the United States owing huge amounts of money to all and sundry. You can owe hundreds of millions to foreign powers – no problem. The American system is a joke!
Trump As Massive Debtor Free To Run For President
There are so many holes in the way things operate for the most eminent and powerful it is a travesty. Laws of the land are only for poor and powerless people, it seems. Who went to jail over the January 6th insurrection? Oh yeah, the ordinary schmucks. Who didn’t? Donald Trump and the politicians. Election interference? Nobody important has been prosecuted yet. Now, that the elected Republicans are largely made up of totally disreputable individuals the justice system is mute and impotent because the political side of things overrides everything else. Liars in Congress fill the benches everywhere you look. Margorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, and Nancy Mace are indicative of the rot that has set in on the GOP side of things.
“Now consider the Republican brand for the 2024 presidential cycle. Voters’ perceptions of what the party stands for are based on coverage or exposure to Republican officials who generate the most media attention. By that metric, the Grand Old Party’s modern brand is toxic to at least half the electorate.”
(https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3959933-six-faces-of-the-gops-toxic-brand/)
Fake Billionaire Fermenting Further Trouble For America
Politics has long been a circus in the US but it has reached the level of a freak show in 2024. The system no longer functions the way it was designed to do so. Donald Trump is making damn sure of that. Dysfunction breeds the fertile ground for fascism and totalitarian regimes. This is part of the GOP plan for America – the country has been betrayed by its right wing party. A fake billionaire is pulling the strings of the party of big business. Americans vote traditionally for the party and the leader who will make them more money. They buy into the stories told them of the dangers of socialism and helping those less fortunate. Many Americans embrace an iconic narrative around hard-nosed individualism. This is despite the leg-up they get from family and their privileged positions in society.
Voting For A Crook
Voting for a crook appears not to phase many on the Right. Laws do not apply to our guy! This is the motto of the new toxic Republican party. The justice system is fine and good when it is prosecuting our enemies – those lefty liberals. Trump remember, began his time in office in 2016, attacking any media criticism of himself as fake news. He established the muddy swamp of disinformation – a climate where folk do not know what to believe. Putin has done the same in Russia for many years. Muddy the waters and sew confusion is the name of the game. Social media serves this purpose mightily. The fake billionaire sits atop his pile of highly leveraged assets and shouts loudly to the world about his wealth and power.
The Trump Appeal
The appeal of Trump seems to be in the mould of Archie Bunker from the TV sitcom All In The Family. A loud mouthed old white guy spouting off non-stop with entertaining BS. Obviously, a great affection exists for this American archetype in the collective consciousness of the nation. Trump adds some fake billionaire pizazz to the mix – old fat white guy with trophy wife on arm. There is nothing too subtle about his appeal to the American public – he gets their attention and makes them laugh a little by saying outrageous things. Trump mines the politics of grievance by blaming convenient touchstones of ‘the other’ for all their problems. White supremacy get served up again as everyone non-white gets the blame for the evils in the world. Illegal refugees flooding the country cried Trump and the GOP. Gay people and trans folk cop it, of course, for being different. Uppity women are an age old target too. Throw in Jews for good measure. Poisoning the blood of the nation! Everything woke is bad but nobody listening actually knows what the word means – it has become a catch-all pejorative for anything liberal and left leaning.
Trump is a fake billionaire and now owes a further $93 million to Swiss company Chubb. America will not allow someone born outside of America to run for President but it’s fine to be incumbent to a foreign power for lots of money. Where is the independence and agency in that situation? America needs to wake up fast. Trump is destroying the democratic system upon which the republic is based. He has exposed the many holes in the setup. There are already far too many unanswered questions about Trump’s relationship to Vladimir Putin and Russia. America matters to the world and watching it slide into dysfunction and autocracy is abhorrent.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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If You Watch LIV Golf You Are Supporting Higher Petrol Prices
The Saudi’s are purposely reducing oil production to drive prices up at the bowser. Of course, the Saudi’s are the backers of LIV Golf and paying all those hundreds of millions of dollars to already highly paid golfers like Jon Rahm. If you watch LIV Golf you are supporting higher petrol prices. Nothing happens in a bubble; everything is linked somehow. The money has to come from somewhere and in…
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Principal Of Privileged Private School Falls On Sword
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, well, they used to anyway. In this case, Sampson was brought down by the ABC’s Four Corners. The Cranbrook Headmaster was undone by the revelations exposed by the national broadcaster’s flagship current affair program. Protecting paedophiles and a teacher bragging about looking up student’s dresses at a former school were, in the end, too much for the board of trustees. They had toughed out the many complaints by female teachers about their treatment by male staff and students at the exclusive private boy’s school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Principal of privileged private school falls on sword in resignation at bad form exposed over decades.
Highly Paid Headmaster Of Cranbrook Resigns Following Shocking Revelations
Nicholas Sampson had been the highest paid headmaster in Australia by all accounts, as is only befitting at such an elite school. He was charged with looking after the welfare of the sons of the rich and powerful downunder. Sampson had done an earlier stint as head honcho at Geelong Grammar, another private school for the wealthy and influential. It was at Geelong that Four Corners revealed his preferential relationship with a soon to be convicted paedophile, then, teaching at the school. He gave this chap a golden handshake despite being aware of his sexual proclivities with a student at the time.
School Principal Protects Institution Over Student Welfare In Sydney
Protecting the reputation of the school! This is what it comes down to in these cases. Headmasters looking out for the institution over the individual. Who pays my wages? This question must come into it for these highly paid heads. A bit like bishops in the church these chaps become politicians rather than pastoral carers for their charges. It is all about the big knobs and their endowments to the school. It seems that there was a bit of a cultural problem at Cranbrook. Entitlement, perhaps, at this bastion of male privilege in the exclusive eastern suburbs of Sydney. Females were treated as sex objects by some of the boys and, apparently, by some of the male staff as well.
“In the school's response to the Human Rights Commission, Nicholas Sampson said the school was "not aware" of issues Ms Hyde reported "regarding extremely inappropriate noises, gifts and comments made by students to female teachers".
"If these had been escalated to a member of the Senior Leadership Team they would have been dealt with appropriately as such behaviour is totally unacceptable," he said.
The 'toxic culture'
But Cranbrook was aware of these and other problems its female staff were having years before Ms Hyde made her official complaint.
The PowerPoint slides of a seminar designed to educate boys on the experiences of female teachers at Cranbrook were emailed to all senior school staff in 2020.
The seminar's slides contained a series of anecdotes about boys disrespecting female teachers.”
(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-04/cranbrook-school-coed-boys-school-culture-four-corners/103516686)
Older White Men & Their Idea Of Humour At The Expense Of The Vulnerable
The rebuff from Sampson and Meakin is a common one by those defending these kinds of things. The refrain to humour and that it was all a bit of fun, normalises inappropriate behaviour. You get this, also, when accusations of racism are made – that the intention was not to harm and that it was only a bit of fun. Those in the dominant cohort just don’t get it, that it is all about how it strikes the target and nothing to do with the level of intent by the perpetrator of the abuse. Of course, it is not going to bother the white person as much because they don’t live in a persecuted world. Similarly, a male teacher or administrator at a boy’s school is not going to know what it is like to be sexually harassed as a woman in this environment – they have no bloody idea. Leaders like Sampson have defended this culture to the detriment of all those who have been there. The boys will grow up thinking that they can get away with this stuff, which perpetuates sexual abuse and harassment in our communities going forward. The male teachers and staff should know better and shouldn’t be working in education if they are complicit in this kind of behaviour. Principal of privileged private school falls on sword and finally does the right thing.
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#ABC#Australia#Cranbrook#eliteschool#FourCorners#moralfailure#NicholasSampson#paedophile#privateschools#sexualabuse#sexualharassment#Sydney
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It Is Not About One Man: Stop Distorting The Picture
It is a very human tendency to reduce the complexity of things down to one thing. It is not about one man: Stop distorting the picture. Take the political sphere for instance, right now we have the hoopla of the 2024 presidential race getting started. Everywhere you look you see Trump vs Biden. Do we really assume that the United States of America is run by one person. A nation of some 341 million people. No, of course not, we simplify things by naming stuff singularly under the auspices of one guy, in this instance.
However, this tendency, which is encouraged by the media coverage, reduces an important political decision down to a popularity contest.
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The Distortion Of The Facts & The One Guy Thing
I am reminded of the late David Graeber’s observation that elections are not truly democratic. Rather, they are aristocratic, in that two elite candidates spend a year and many millions of dollars posing as the best of the best of us. The focus of the country and the world is on these two figures. In reality, electioneering and running nations involves large teams of people. This reduction of everything to a single elite candidate is a distortion of the facts. The media have a substantial role in this and continue to emphasise the simple over the complex to the detriment of the political sphere.
The push from producers and editors to engage a bigger audience by dumbing things down becomes self-defeating in the end.
The Trump Celebrity Obsession Is So American
Donald Trump has become a highly divisive figure over the last decade, in particular. Trump has a cult-like following. At the same time, Trump is a villain in the eyes of millions of people, not just in America but worldwide. He has morphed into a polarising force far larger than the facts of being an older rich white guy who spent a decade on celebrity TV would normally suggest. Somehow Donald J Trump has captured the heart of America. A loud mouthed New Yorker from Anglo stock – he speaks to the plain spoken in their language. He is a compulsive liar and that seems to be a very American thing too, especially as an older guy. Men, traditionally, make up answers to questions put to them, so, as to appear in control and on top of things. Trump takes this inclination to a whole other level. He makes a great character in a story.
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Memory & Making Up Stories
Human beings like to see life as a bunch of stories, with many of them involving themselves, obviously. However, this is a fictitious tendency and not strictly factual. Our memories are not a completely historically accurate rendering of what has occurred, in most cases. Over time, many of us, put a positive spin on our most treasured memories. Our main focus is on ourselves and this skews things in terms of any objectivity. Any event will be perceived differently depending upon the perspective of the viewer or participant. The media’s tight focus on Biden or Trump determines our understanding of events in that light, in the same way.
Cooking The History Books With Kings & Queens
If you look back at our history, say over the last millennia, for those of us from European backgrounds, we will see a preponderous of kings and a few queens ruling the lands of our ancestors. There is, if you read the history books, a big focus on the individual lives of these royal leaders. Once again, we can observe this human inclination to reduce things down to one figure. To remove the complexity from things and see everything through the lens of this aristocratic ruler. What this does is give all of us a very distorted impression of life during these medieval times. It is not a balanced rendering of history by any means or in any manner. Our cultural life is heavily influenced by the assumptions made and promulgated about our histories. You can see that we are still repeating this today, even though, we are supposedly living within enlightened democracies. We focus on a single leader and call the government of the day the Albanese government or the Biden administration.
The media makes everything about one man, in this instance. It is an infantile inclination and lacks nuance and understanding. It promotes stupidity and ignorance.
Statue of Queen Victoria in front of the Royal Victoria Infirmary Administration Block by Mike Quinn is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0
Good Government Is Not About One Man Or Woman
In reality, good government is about consensus. Singular leadership is an outdated requirement in modern democracies. However, the Murdoch press, the Fox News’s and the Sky News Australia’s bang on about such stuff. They foster this return to authoritarianism by their simplification of far more complex issues for their viewers. Everything is bad vs good, black vs white, his fault and his fault alone. The Meta Facebook decision not to go on paying tens of millions of dollars to prop us News Corp in Australia is a sound one. All this BS about who is going to pay for journalism in Australia is a furphy. The journalism coming out of News Corp is heavily biased and not worth saving, in my view. These are commercial publishers running businesses dependent upon selling advertising, they are not providing a public service. They have their paywalls up to convince readers that it is worth paying for, anyway. The media in Australia is largely producing mindless entertainment, sensational click bait stuff, and very little good investigative journalism. It is like the bible, in that when under threat they only quote the rare good stuff within its pages and not the vile bulk of its entirety. Think about all those advertorials selling miracle weight loss products on the commercial news programs and in the pages of their newspapers.
Reams of rubbish about inconsequential crap fit only for wrapping your fish and chips. You could count the number of investigative journalists working for Rupert on one hand.
The Dangers Of The Singular Story
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?hasProgress=true#t-1101088
“Adichie believes that stories matter, but that all too often in our lives we operate from the perspective of hearing and knowing a single story — about a person, a situation, or perhaps a conflict. And that we operate from the perspective of the single story unconsciously. The risk of the single story, the one perspective, is that it can lead us to default assumptions, conclusions and decisions that may be incomplete, and may lead to misunderstanding. Operating from the context of a single story can prevent us from a more complex, nuanced view of a situation.
Adichie also makes a connection between single stories and the impact of power in our lives. In any situation, who tells the story, how and when, can impact situations greatly. The way we make sense of situations leads to narratives that may be harmful if left unexamined. Power enables some to define individuals and situations from a particular lens.”
- (https://ombuds.umich.edu/article/danger-single-story#:~:text=Theriskofthesingle,nuancedviewofasituation.)
Media Feeding The Authoritarian Trend By Their Autocratic Focus
It is not about one man: Stop distorting the picture. This endless focus on a single leader misses the point and omits the true depth and volume of the situation. It is a comic book rendition of our political sphere. The publishers want to sell newspapers and the digital media want eyeballs on their screens. It is not about telling a true and accurate account of things. It is a travesty and we all put up with it. Facts have been replaced by opinions in the media. There is less investment by media companies in investigative journalism than ever before. Style over substance has been happening for the last 30 years. Pretty pictures instead of hard news and facts. Producers wanting tight focus on a single man or woman to make them the only point of reference within stories.
We desperately need more complexity in the stories we tell and are told by the media. Stop making pre-digestible pap for modern audiences. Instead, challenge viewers to think for themselves.
Is There More Than One Key Character In Your Life Outside of Yourself?
Think about your own life for a minute. Is your job really all about the leader of your firm, business, or organisation? Is your hobby or passion in life about one person? No, I would hazard a guess that these things are much more complex and nuanced in your experience. In the same way, our experience of our lives within our communities and nations are not all about who happens to be PM or President. This focal point is part of it but not the be all and end all. Some folk might say that this is just the short hand for how we communicate about such stuff. Yes, but there are real dangers in getting lost in the singular story, especially when it comes to politics.
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Lies, Fake News & Fear Mongering During Campaign Season
The lies that get told about these characters, these candidates for leadership are legendary. Fake news thrives during electioneering periods. There are no standards of truthfulness in what goes out at election time. Fear mongering is a favourite with campaign strategists. Everything becomes distorted to the detriment of truth and understanding. The experts worked out long ago that voters are more motivated to vote emotively than rationally. This is why we have the negative attack ads and why they are so effective.
“A CNBC analysis of Trump’s tweets during his presidency found that his most popular and frequent posts largely spread disinformation and distrust. Many of his most-liked tweets contained falsehoods, while the topic he posted about most frequently, “fake news,” was a weapon for undermining information.”
- (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/13/trump-tweets-legacy-of-lies-misinformation-distrust.html)
“The United States is at a critical juncture. More than 1 in 3 U.S. residents—and nearly 80% of Republicans—wrongly believe that President Joe Biden did not legitimately win the election, and a majority say they “do not have confidence that elections reflect the will of the people.” Donald Trump’s Big Lie is working, and we have to respond. Just as we came together last year, rising up to vote safely and securely in record numbers during a global pandemic, we must now rise up to stop election disinformation efforts in future elections. This report is a game plan for success.”
- (https://www.commoncause.org/resource/as-a-matter-of-fact-the-harms-caused-by-election-disinformation-report/)
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.
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The Individual’s Right To Private Wealth
It is hard not to reduce the salient difference between those on the Right to those on the Left, as an overt concern with selfishness vs inclusiveness. Republicans in America always back tax cuts for the rich and big business. The LNP Coalition in Australia follow a similar predilection, when it comes to things, as exemplified by the Stage 3 tax cuts. Those on the Right are fed a diet of the individual’s right to private wealth over most other considerations. They see that capitalism is about such things, and are highly suspicious of the welfare state. Their ideological stance is that everyone must make their own way in life with no handouts. However, they have no problem with receiving a leg up from their family if they come from a wealthy background. A level playing field is not high on their list of priorities.
A Right To Lower Taxes & White Neighbourhoods
The message coming from the Right is invariably one of pushing for lower taxes and especially no wealth taxes. They see no problem with playing the game of life from an uneven playing field, economically speaking. They enjoy their advantages in life but do not respect disadvantage for others. It falls to those on the Left, politically speaking, to raise their voices for those disadvantaged by birth or by circumstance within their community. The political game, then becomes Republican and conservative politicians criticising policy measures in government to address disadvantage as wasteful or manifestations of dangerous socialism. This has occurred frequently, like clockwork in the US over many decades. The slaves were freed via Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War (the 14th Amendment) back in 1865. However any economic efforts to help those recently liberated black slaves were consistently voted down by the politics of the day, suggesting that any measures would detract from the wealth of white American men. Self-interest has always been a powerful force in America, politically. This is why there remains a large wealth divide between whites and African Americans, still to this day. White supremacists will tell you that it is because African Americans are lazy but this is not true. Rather, they have been locked out economically by racist policies and institutional racism over many decades. Segregation in housing is a clear example of this throughout American cities even to this day. School segregation is another widespread reality in America today, especially in the northern states. When the governments of the day in the 1960’s , 70’s and 80’s tried to do something about it – this was the beginnings of the white Christian Nationalist movement. A big chunk of white America is racist.
The White Right To Complain About Stuff
Donald Trump has not invented racism and white supremacy, no, he being the grifter he is, has only taken advantage of it politically. Trump champions the politics of grievance. White America has never been invaded by another foreign power. Most white Americans do not live in poverty. Their ancestors were not enslaved by other Americans back in the day. Still, they complain loudly when they have little to complain about. Christians complain about their diminishing right to persecute Americans who may be members of the LGBTQIA community in their midst. Christian Nationalists want to control the reproductive rights of all women in America whether they share their beliefs or not. The once slaver states of the Confederacy are almost always at the forefront of these state based attempts to take away the personal freedoms of ordinary Americans. They call them the red states, politically speaking, and with Trump’s crush on Vladimir Putin there may be more in that to see.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely—the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
Justice Samuel Alito (Majority)
(https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization)
Neoliberalism Is A Proven Economic Failure For The People
The individual’s right to private wealth is high on the agenda of the GOP. Privatising everything that they can see is the main thrust of the Federalist Society’s Project 2025. Government bodies will be put into the hands of the private sector. We know how well neoliberalism has gone for the majority of people over the last 30 years. The trickledown effect has left most of us a hell of a lot worse off than our parent’s generation were. The promises of greater efficiencies have been accompanied by massive profits and payments going to investors and CEO’s. Corruption is never far from the door when regulation is lessened and you let the foxes manage the hen house. Republican voters are either really stupid or they just don’t care, as long as they can get their snouts in the trough too. Corporate America has sent all the manufacturing jobs offshore to cheaper climes. Big business has screwed ordinary Americans in their desperate quest for ever more profits. The GOP is their party. People vote for this party knowing that they are crooks, but in the hope that a crooked boss will spread some largesse their way. It is a pretty dispiriting thing to observe. If you are only ever looking out for yourself, your world is shrinking. Eventually, that will catch up with you and it wont be pretty.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.
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#American#Coalition#GOP#moralfailure#neoliberalism#politics#power#racism#reproductiverights#stage3taxcuts#Trump#whitesupremacy
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Hugh White Hoists Up AUKUS White Flag
Australia has a lousy record when it comes to submarines. It seems submarines bring out the worst in our defence force and our national security aspirations. Hugh White hoists up AUKUS white flag in recent essay. Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU, Hugh White knows a thing or two about this topic and Australian national security capabilities. Younger Aussies may not remember our ongoing challenges with the Collins class submarines. They may not be au fait with our dalliance with the French in regard to supplying us with submarines pre-AUKUS. The Japanese were in the running there for a while too. Basically, submarines and Australia have a perpetually sinking relationship, it seems.
Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS by U.S. Forest Service (source) is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0
Lies, Scotty, AUKUS & The Anglosphere
Scott Morrison, the former PM was celebrated in 2021 for striking a deal with the Americans and the British to supply little old Australia with nuclear submarines. Australia has proudly been a firmly non-nuclear state for the entirety of its short independent life. So, it was somewhat surprising that nuclear subs would be put on the table and signed off on without any discussion or public debate. Scott the celebrated liar, who seriously pissed off the French President Macron over this about-face, was seen gladhanding Boris with the messy hair and President Biden in photo shoots near these sleek underwater boats. This was a much lauded return of the Anglosphere and we were loading up on some apex predator weapons to shake in the face of big bad China.
The Aussie Submarine Syndrome & AUKUS
A closer inspection of the details and timelines did confirm that we would not actually get any submarines until the mid to late 2030’s. In fact, we would not receive the ones we would be building probably until the 2060’s. Australia would be relying on picking up one or two second hand subs from the Yanks, if they could spare them because they were running pretty low on them for their own defence needs. Yes, the deal was costing around $360 billion and guarantees were a bit thin on the ground when it came to getting actual submarines.
Not The Clever Country & Luck Won’t Cut It
Submarines are seriously expensive pieces of high tech military hardware. Nuclear submarines are at another level of complexity again from our existing fleet of ageing diesel powered Collins subs. Australia does not have a great record when it comes to managing and developing these kinds of things. Hugh White has grave fears that our Royal Australian Navy is just not up to the job. We do not have enough submariners now and we definitely do not have the technical skills or workforce to meet the demands of AUKUS. Yes, there are years ahead to find what is required but it will be no simple task. The challenges facing us are enormous and a hell of a lot of things are going to have to go right. Unfortunately, submarines and Oz have a lousy track record together and things going right traditionally do not happen.
Australia Has Not Invested In High Tech Manufacturing
Australia has taken the easy option when it comes to our economy and the demise of the local manufacturing sector. The LNP Coalition government pulled the pin on our car manufacturing industry and a lot of skills were lost then and there. These decisions have long terms consequences for the future of our kids and the knowledge basis within the nation. We, as a nation have not invested in high tech manufacturing. We have been all too willing to take the cheaper option of letting some other country do the complicated stuff and we would just buy it off them. What this does is not invest in the minds and skillsets of our people. Governments and Australian business have not invested strongly in research and development. You cannot go in this direction for decades and then just turn around and say we are going to build nuclear submarines – it is completely unrealistic. You cannot just flick a switch! It takes decades and massive investment to be able to realistically take on a project like AUKUS. You have to build a foundation of highly skilled people who know what they are doing and this takes many, many years.
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Post Colonial Pipe Dreams In East Asia
Professor White wonders why we want to resurrect the Anglo trinity after such a long period of time. Britain have not been in our neck of the woods since the fall of Singapore in WW2. He thinks it is further fantasy to think that we will, along with the US rule the waves of East Asia in the 21C. The world is a changing place, the rise of China is being joined by the rise of India economically, and Indonesia will similarly rise by 2050. These nations with huge populations will be the dominant powers in this region. It is a pipe dream to think that America will maintain its hegemony in East Asia. Why are we investing massive amounts of money in these submarines? They are not really going to defend our sovereign borders. Rather, they are designed to assist the US in policing the South China Sea and keeping China penned in.
Trump 2.0 Will Sink AUKUS
If Trump regains the presidency all AUKUS bets are off, anyway. Trump is an isolationist and won’t be selling any nuclear subs to far flung Australia. Hugh White reckons we would be better off investing all that money in new generation non-nuclear subs – we will get a lot more submarines for our buck. We require a fleet of submarines, not one or two nuclear submarines, and the time frames for AUKUS are ridiculous. We are leaving ourselves undefended for decades because the Collins subs are at the end of their lives, as we speak. Submarines by their very nature are often in dry dock getting fixed, which means that you need at least 6 to have 2 operational at any one time. AUKUS is a pipe dream and it will not happen. We are wasting large amounts of money on it now and it will never happen. To be harsh the genesis of AUKUS is born of the post pandemic trauma, where nations realised that they are too dependent upon other countries for essential supply chains. When the shit hits the fan you don’t want to be reliant on places far away for what you really need. AUKUS is, also, a manifestation of that old white supremacist colonial powers in Asia mentality – which is another reason why it is not based in reality. Remember Bob Hawke and Paul Keating telling us that we are a part of Asia? Well, we are; and it is time for the LNP hawks to realise that Britain is not ever going to save us and America is only a 50/50 bet at best. We need to focus on defending our own borders and not building our defence policy around America. We want to be good strategic partners with those nations in our region. Even more, we want to, also, emphasise our excellent diplomatic relations with China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and all the nations in SE Asia. Talk quietly and carry a big stick – is a sound foreign relations approach. Let’s carry our own big stick rather than Americas.
“The latest issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines Australia’s momentous decision to form a security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom that includes an ambitious, expensive and risky plan to acquire nuclear-power submarines – a move that will have far-reaching military and strategic consequences.
Dead in the Water looks at whether the AUKUS deal will enhance or undermine Australia’s security as tensions between China and the US rise, at the impact on Australia’s ties with its regional neighbours, and at whether the submarines plan is likely to ever be achieved.”
- (https://www.australianforeignaffairs.com/essay/2024/02/dead-in-the-water)
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.
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AFL Ruckman Brodie Grundy Was Made For The Bloods
Over 40, 000 AFL fans packed the SCG for the Sydney Swans vs Melbourne Demons opening round of the 2024 season. What were the main takeaways from this novel opening match. AFL ruckman Brodie Grundy was made for the Bloods and played with real heart and soul to get them over the line. He nullified Max Gawn as the game went on and put in a massive last quarter to turn the tide the Swans way. Grundy had 22 disposals, 15 contested, 9 clearances, 6 tackles, 4 marks and 31 hit outs. Sydney defeated Melbourne 12.14 to 9.10. The Demons had outscored the Swans in the third term to threaten their chances of victory.
“The clash between Grundy and former teammate Max Gawn was a pivotal duel even if it took until the last term for it to greatly influence the result as Sydney surged late to clinch a 22-point triumph over Melbourne in the season-opener on Thursday night.”
(https://www.afl.com.au/news/1082826/afl-match-report-sydney-swans-v-melbourne-demons-opening-round)
Grundy Excelled In The Ruck For Sydney Against Gawn
Isaac Heeney played in the middle, as the big bodied mid the Swans so needed. He was a big part of why they won this match. Sydney went into this game without Luke Parker and Callum Mills. Early on they were outmuscled and outbodied in the middle by Melbourne. Viney, Oliver, and Petracca were dominant out of the centre in the first half. The Demons seemed poised to possibly over run Sydney, as they did in round 24 last year. That this did not eventuate was on the back of Grundy, Heeney, and a lift by the whole Blood’s team in the final quarter.
“Bayley Fritsch booted four goals for the Demons, including three in a blistering third term that looked like turning the match in the visitors' favour.”
(Martin Pegan)
Sydney Swans Beat Melbourne In Opening AFL Round
Chad Warner really picked up his effectiveness in that last term, as did Gulden on the wing. Nick Blakey was a standout performer breaking the lines and delivering the ball deep into attack on numerous occasions. It was a slippery night and the ball was like a big red oval of soap. Hardly anyone could hold a mark, especially anyone over 184 cm. Logan McDonald finished with a goal but was well held by the big Demon defence for much of the match. It was not a night for big forwards at either end. It was a humid evening more suited to players like Papley and Rowbottom. Hayden McLean managed a couple of goals and supported Grundy well in the ruck. Sam Wicks came on late and played like a real senior footballer kicking a goal and applying pressure up forward.
Grundy Plays Like A Ruck Rover & Competes Hard
Brodie Grundy plays like an old style ruck rover and is just what the doctor ordered for the Swans in the middle. As a longtime follower of the Swan’s fortunes the team has been lacking this kind of physical presence for at least a decade in the ruck. Grundy himself said in an interview last night – it is only one match – but hallelujah the much needed big man has arrived at last! Brodie plays with real intent and he got better as the night went on. Not even a blue bottle sting behind the ear on the morning of the match could stop Brodie from playing his heart out! Melbourne were tough and played hard to make this a hard fought victory.
Good Signs For Swans Going Forward In 2024 Season
James Jordon, the former Dee, tried hard and showed signs of becoming a valuable acquisition into the Swans lineup. Dane Rampe was good down back directing forays forward on the back of his experience. Lewis Melican got better as the game wore on. Ollie Florent was good early on and never stopped contributing. Will Hayward popped up in the second half for a couple of valuable goals. Justin McInerney played hard and never shirked a contest. There were good signs from Matt Roberts as a young player with a future for Sydney.
It Was Hot In Sin City Tonight
It was a hot, humid and slippery night at the SCG for the AFL opener and Sydney got the chocolates in the end. It was a hard in and under type of contest. The Bloods wanted to win more in that last quarter. It was a celebration of 150 years of South Melbourne/Sydney and a legion of past greats were at the game for a special function. Names like Greg Williams, Peter Bedford, Graham Teasdale, and Paul Kelly – all Brownlow Medal winners - were in attendance. Coach John Longmire was proud as punch in the end at the efforts of his young charges. A great victory over a quality opponent.
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Big shoes to be filled!!!
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Private Wealth Vs The Public Good
Life in Australia, a centrist Westminster style democracy, and a mixed economy of both planned and free markets has always been a balance between private wealth and the public good. Today, however, we are seeing the uneven fruits of imbalance in the housing sector in particular. Ever since John Howard brought in the capital gains tax discount some 30 odd years ago – inflation in the residential property market has run riot. It has now reached an apogee of unaffordability for many Australians, most of them younger and losing the aspirational dream of home ownership in their lifetimes. Private wealth vs the public good – tough conversations need to be had to address the severe problems around this matter.
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Private Interests Pushed By Coalition In Australia
The LNP Coalition has steered Australia toward the neoliberal extremes of the free market economy, as exemplified by the United States, whenever it has been able to get its legislation through. The popularity of this ‘hands off’ approach by governments of both persuasions over the last few decades has left us and other countries like us with real problems regarding housing our population. The market has not taken care of things because we have severe unaffordability issues for both renters and prospective home buyers. There is a shortage of housing stock across the board and housing has become much more expensive to build in addition to the massively inflated property prices.
Neoliberal Economic Failures Produce Uneven Outcomes
Markets do not, as neoliberal economists have promised, provide the best outcomes for all stake holders in the housing process. Human beings require shelter as one of the primary requirements of life. This surely must gazump the interests of those wishing to profit from the financialization of housing in Australia. If a nation cannot adequately house its citizens then something is not right with the economic model and that of government. If one third of the nation’s population are benefitting well from the current housing equation but the other two thirds are suffering – that is not a fair or good outcome for that country as a whole. In Australia, we seem to be slipping back toward the bad old days of gross inequality between the propertied class and the rest. People will not be put up with this for long, even apathetic Aussies. Generational change is occurring and if governments don’t make the hard decisions soon things will get ugly. Social unrest is beginning to happen at the edges of society already. Crime will rise and those disenfranchised from the wealth of the nation will take matters into their own hands – history shows us this to be true.
Remember The Commonwealth!
Private wealth vs the public good. The commonwealth! There are certain parts of our lives which should not be run on a ‘for profit’ basis. The basic needs of life should not be at the whim of markets and speculators. Housing/shelter is an obvious example of this. Health is another. In the United States we are seeing private equity corporations taking over hospitals and medical centres to the detriment of the healthcare provided. These large companies are driven by rates of profitability and they strip out the value of the institutions they purchase and leave them as second rate husks in numerous examples seen so far. Private equity borrows heavily to purchase these large hospitals and institutions and then saddles those entities with that debt. The US is a good example of what not to do and not to follow, when it comes to how they manage the health of their citizens. There is very little universal public health insurance in America. More Americans declare bankruptcy from not being able to meet their medical bills than for any other reason. What kind of nation allows that to go on! A country in the grip of Republican extremists who have controlled Congress for most of the last few decades. Congress makes the laws in the US not the President. The privatisation of Australian hospitals by private equity firms has begun via the encouragement of LNP governments.
Tony Abbott The Worst Of The Neoliberals
Thankfully Tony Abbott has been voted out in Australia, as he was the most ardent supporter of Americanising Australia. Abbott tried to turn our higher education into a little America, with our sandstone universities charging ivy league college rates for degrees. This would entrench university being the exclusive privilege of the very wealthy in Australia. The Coalition would love to dismantle Medicare if they could. ‘User pays’ is their neoliberal credo. The stage 3 tax cuts were all about flattening our progressive tax system to favour the wealthy over the working majority. The trickledown effect is their favourite idea – that you look after the wealthy and then everybody else will get just a trickle. In actual fact, studies have shown this not to be the case and only those at the top become much richer and the rest get stuff all. Ten years of Abbott, Turnbull, and Morrison saw the greatest increase to the wealth divide ever seen in Australia.
“Inequality has been on steroids in Australia over the last decade with new data revealing the bottom 90% of Australians receive just 7% of economic growth per person since 2009, while the top 10% of income earners reap 93% of the benefits. The data shows a radical reversal on the long term trend from the period between 1950-2009 in Australia. Australia is a now global outlier in the maldistribution of gains from economic growth, falling behind the EU, US, UK, China and Canada.”
- (https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/inequality-on-steroids-as-bottom-90-get-just-7-of-economic-growth-since-2009/)
Aussie Cost Of Living Crisis Deepened By Corporate Greed
The very real economic crisis facing many Australians at the moment have followed on from a decade of Coalition rule. The public service was gutted and billions siphoned off to the private sector by Morrison, Turnbull, and Abbott. Robodebt wrongly accused half a million ordinary Australians of owing large amounts of money to Centrelink. Vulnerable people killed themselves over this. It cost taxpayers $1.8 billion in a settled class action against the government. PwC was involved in Robodebt, doing reviews for the Coalition into how much money they could extract from poor Australians. Robodebt was an ideological attack on the welfare state and did lasting damage to thousands of innocent people. No investment in social housing and no foresight into what was happening in the housing market was apparent during their lengthy term in office. Most importantly, was the absence of doing anything about the concentration within markets and disappearing competition. Mergers and takeovers were greenlighted and the ACCC remained an underfunded toothless tiger. Big business got its way under the Coalition. Qantas under Alan Joyce did dreadful things to its workforce for many years. Australia has bugger all competitive sectors and consumers are getting shafted everywhere. Price gouging came about because these duopolies can set the price without fear of competition. Coles and Woolworths controlling the grocery and liquor markets at 65% and 70% levels respectively. Banks reduced to the Big 4 following multiple mergers and takeovers. Media in Australia today is Murdoch, Nine Fairfax, and Kerry Stokes. This means all the news you get in print, on radio and TV tells you what they want you to see and hear. What they will tell you is that Australia is a modestly populated country and is best served by these few big players running the show. Corporate Australia is best served – not the people. Free market economies only function properly if there is real competition in the markets. The RBA uses monetary policy to manage the economy – by raising interest rates on the cash rate to combat high inflation. They will not endorse price controls despite the fact that companies have been increasing their prices beyond increased costs and then some. Ordinary Australians are being crushed by increased costs of living everywhere they do business and purchase essentials. Corporate greed has cost us big time.
“Australians are continuously overcharged and subjected to “profit push” pricing by major corporations enjoying scant competition, resulting in higher inflation and intensifying cost-of-living pressures.
The findings of the ACTU-ordered price gouging inquiry have been published amid renewed scrutiny on the pricing practices of dominant businesses that enjoy a large share of the market, including supermarkets, banks, airlines, and electricity companies.”
- (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/07/lack-of-competition-allows-supermarkets-banks-and-airlines-to-gouge-australians-report-finds)
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Shareholders are held to be of more account than consumers in 21C Australia. Private wealth vs the public good. Governments downunder continue to favour the rights of investors over all others. The absence of competition and the concentration of corporate power is rendering our economy fixed in favour of these large entities. Workers are at a disadvantage in the employment market because of the dearth of employers in sectors. Too much power resides in the hands of too few. This has resulted in decades of slow wage growth. The Coalition has actively gone after Australian union power as well over the last 30 years – this too has increased the imbalance of power within Australia.
Aspirational Politics Is Us Vs Them
Aspirational politics have been sold to Australians on the basis that they individually will become wealthy if they go along with the Coalition and their policies. The public good has been run down, literally and reputationally. Infrastructure has not been reinvested in and replaced on the public level. The push has been all about private this and private that. The funny thing is that most Australians know that when things are done together in a spirit of comradeship it is ultimately more satisfying. Think about when the sporting team you follow wins the premiership it is a wonderfully enriching feeling to share that with your fellow and sister supporters. Philosophically, public good is a far deeper experience than squirrelling away nuts in your own little tree. Private wealth is very much about you vs them. It is a polarising thing in the end.
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Private Education Vs Public Schools
Private school education in Australia is another divisive thing and has been growing under the auspices of LNP governments. We have private schools spending tens of millions of dollars on lavish infrastructure and still receiving federal government funding. Meanwhile, we have a public education system still not adequately funded. In America, they have highly segregated schools, where race divisions reflect the wealth status of many schools. If you separate your kids at this formative time how will they ever really learn to get along – you are entrenching racism and inequality. If individual concerns always trump those of the community, then social divisions will remain and grow. In Germany, all schools are state schools and they have far better educational outcomes than we do in Australia. Similarly, in the Scandinavian countries they too have higher standards of academic achievement within a one school type system. Parents want the best for their kids, but it would be a better holistic outcome to lift the standard across the board than provide superior educational opportunities for the privileged few. Elitist private schools produce entitled insular young Australians. Billionaires endowering these Cranbrook’s, Kings School, and Scotch College’s is self-aggrandisement with serious consequences for future generations of Australians.
Green Ideas To Address Housing Crisis
“Speaking to the ABC ahead of his address, Mr Chandler-Mather blamed private property developers for the housing crisis.
"We don't need more high-end apartments that property developers sell but no-one can afford except for an investor," he said.
"What we need are homes that people can actually afford, and the way to do that is for the government to build homes where you cut out the profit margin."
But the Greens' own policy costing, prepared by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), cast doubt over the policy, warning it was "highly uncertain" whether it could be implemented as the Greens intended.
And key elements of the policy remain unclear, including how participating homebuyers would be chosen, and how rents would be set.”
- (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-06/greens-call-for-government-to-develop-property/103550560)
It is easy for those stuck in the tried and true 2 party political paradigm – another duopoly – to throw off at the Greens for making impractical suggestions. However, at least Chandler-Mather is giving it a shot and coming up with stuff outside of the box. Because doing the same old things is not going to fix this problem anytime soon. Governments like not doing actual stuff, and letting the market take care of everything, because they can remain unaccountable and merely a talkfest show. Housing approvals for new constructions have fallen off a cliff and the housing stock increases, we so desperately need, are not being built. If building companies are going broke because of the increased cost of construction materials and the profitability is no longer there for residential constructs, then governments will have to do something different to address the chronic situation. A return to real government involvement is long overdue, in my view.
It is instructive for Australians to take a good hard look at the Unites States of America right now. The dysfunction and polarisation in their politics is rampant and has been for some time. A disgraceful former Australian by the name of Rupert Murdoch has been profiting from this and making everything a whole lot worse via his Fox News network. May you burn in hell Rupert! Of course, hell doesn’t really exist and justice of any kind for wealthy old white men in America is pretty thin on the ground. What kind of Australia do we want to live in? The LNP would like to make Oz much more like the USA. A land of haves and have nots entrenched via race, politics, and who you know. Private wealth vs the public good is always the battle.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.
©MidasWord
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Madness, Race & Insanity: A Fair Description Of America
The more I delve into the history of the United States of America the more shocked I become at the depravity of southerners in how they treated African Americans over the journey. Many Americans get understandably righteous about the evil doings in Nazi Germany but what the south got up to via slavery, the black codes and Jim Crow was far more degrading over a much longer period. I have been tuning into Antonia Hylton’s Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum – listening to her speak about this important new book. I was thinking about the level of human depravity produced by slavery and the generational consequences of that dehumanizing institution. Children being born into slavery and how that indoctrinated disempowerment and low self-esteem for lifetimes and generations. Slavery is the most evil thing ever to be unleashed upon another human being.
The Evil Of White Southerners & Their Treatment Of African Americans
This book charts the creation and life span of the Crownsville Hospital, which was formerly known as the Hospital for the Negro Insane of Maryland. It opened in 1911 and the authorities forced the inmates to build it brick by brick. It operated as a working tobacco and cattle farm, again with the mental patients working it for free.
“Hylton notes that from its opening until the late 1950s, the hospital operated as a segregated farm colony, with new Black patients being committed each week and the farm expanding, year after year. Patients at Crownsville ran everything from the laundry to the morgue, and were forced to cook meals and serve the white staff.”
- (https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/1227498861/antonia-hylton-madness-crownsville-hospital)
The White Taint Of American Medicine Persists
Medicine in America still bears the taint of racism and the white medical establishment led the charge in pseudo-scientifically dehumanizing African Americans. The Nazis in Germany, of course, looked to the US in the 1930s for examples of how eugenics was being practiced as public health policy in many states. Still today, African Americans represent only 6% of the total number of MDs in the US. The white establishment has run a closed shop wherever possible, closing down African American medical schools and limiting placements at their own schools and colleges. The huge number of African American deaths from Covid during the pandemic was clear evidence of the lack of available and affordable medical care for non-whites.
White Supremacy, Trump & Going To Prison
It would be a national shame if this segregated and racist country gave a hoot about the plight of those who live on the periphery of their cities and towns. White supremacy is going through a bit of a renaissance with Donald Trump 2.0 on the hustings at the moment. The former President still has not been prosecuted, tried, and convicted for inciting an insurrection at the Capital and election interference. What do you have to do to get convicted in America if you are wealthy and white!!! In contrast to this the US has the largest prison population in the world. It is very apparent that it is much easier to get incarcerated if you are black, brown, yellow, red or poor and white.
“In total, roughly 1.9 million people are incarcerated in the United States, 803,000 people are on parole, and a staggering 2.9 million people are on probation.”
- (https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2023/03/14/whole_pie_2023/)
The Jim Crow South & Insanity If You Were Black
Antonia Hylton raises the horrendous spectre of what it was like to get locked up in an asylum in the Jim Crow south. All the doctors and nurses were white for the first 40 years of operation at Crownsville. The Black patients were more working slaves than anything else. They were all bunched in together whether they were violent criminals or just depressed.
“If you go back to the early 20th century to 1911, when Crownsville is first being created, you start to see the way in which the legacy of slavery and the ideas that white doctors and politicians and thinkers of the time, the way that their beliefs about Black people's bodies and minds completely shape the creation of this system, and it informs their decision to purposefully segregate Black and white patients, to create these separate facilities and then to treat them differently within those facilities. And so this was going on even before emancipation. Doctors would write very openly about their theories. Initially, the belief was that Black people were immune to mental illness because they so enjoyed being enslaved. They were protected by their masters, and they got lots of good time in the outdoors, while working on plantations.”
- (Tonya Mosley interviewing Antonia Hylton)
Yes, medical theories from white doctors at the time promoted the idea that African Americans enjoyed slavery – how very convenient. Today, we think of most doctors as the good guys or good people, but trawl through history and you can find plenty of horrendous attitudes and lots of stupidity. Self-serving white doctors looking after their white communities and treating Blacks as nothing more than animals is a common occurrence within the medical profession of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0wJeLIYEgM
Of course, asylums in the 19C and early 20C were unfortunate places whatever the colour of your skin. Mental illness remains today a largely chemically restrained condition, especially for those incarcerated within institutions. You can imagine what ex-slaver states thought about the idea of Blacks being too crazy to function normally within the confines of their Jim Crow societies. Insane or not they were put to work, like the animals they considered them to be. Controlled by white orderlies, doctors, and nurses.
"This was about getting access to free Black labor," she says. "In the hospital records ... what you often see was a lot more commentary about the labor and the amount of products that patients could produce than you would see about mental health care outcomes, which, I think, tells you a lot about a facility's priority."
- (Antonia Hylton)
“The United States has a long and troubled history of manipulating psychology to control Black Americans, quell resistance, rationalize unpaid labor and justify cruelty.
At the depths of chattel slavery, white physicians argued that Black people were immune to mental illness, kept emotionally healthy by the kindness of their enslavers and the fresh air and exercise provided by working in the fields. As growing numbers of enslaved people attempted to escape, this itself was classified as a mental illness, “drapetomania.” Dr. Samuel Cartwright, a Southern “expert” in Negro medicine, prescribed one of the cures as “whipping the devil out of them.” ”
- (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/books/review/madness-antonia-hylton.html)
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/145624993
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt & Financial Freedom
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Supreme Court Fails America & The Rule Of Law
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has failed to uphold the rule of law when it comes to the insurrectionist actions of Donald Trump. It is a pretty worrying situation when the highest court in the land plays politics over upholding the constitutional laws of the land. Supreme Court fails America and the rule of law. America has ended up with an activist conservative majority of justices, who are hellbent on protecting Donald Trump by hook or by crook. These 5 guys have been placed in positions of unassailable power, at great expense to those with vested interests, to ensure that Republican endorsed values and politics get the nod.
SCOTUS Deliberately Misinterprets Article 3 Of The 14th Amendment
SCOTUS has ruled roughshod over Article 3 of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution to reroute the law the way that will favour their guy, Donald J Trump. There is no reading of this Civil War amendment that concurs historically or legally with its stated intention in the this ruling by SCOTUS – it is a deliberate misreading and interpretation of it. All trust in the independence of this highest court in the land is gone. The rule of law, when it comes to Donald Trump, goes missing in action via the ruling and opinion of SCOTUS in this matter.
“The 14th Amendment's Section 3 bars from office any "officer of the United States" who took an oath "to support the Constitution of the United States" and then "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."
"We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency," the unsigned opinion for the court stated.”
- (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/us-supreme-court-unanimously-restores-donald-trump-to-2024-presidential-primary-ballots/2qvku6oql)
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Conservative Conspiracy: Trump & SCOTUS
The way this is starting to play out leads one to speculate upon whether the fix was always in. Did Trump’s insurrectionist and election fraud attempts occur with the knowledge that he always had these justices in his pocket? Is this whole debacle a much bigger conservative conspiracy to defraud the American people and disable democracy? How can these justices not uphold the rule of law by confirming that Donald Trump must face trial for the crimes upon which he has been indicted by the DOJ? How can any American have any faith left in the judicial system if it fails to hold Trump accountable at the final hurdle?
How Much More Will America Take From This SCOTUS?
Will the American people put up with a supreme court hijacked by extreme conservative activist justices? Especially, as its decisions are unrepresentative of the majority of the population. Abortion laws have been overturned at the federal level by SCOTUS, which mean that these terminations have been banned and criminalised by states controlled by GOP legislators. The majority of Americans want women to have unrestricted access to abortions and control of their own reproductive rights. IVF is now under threat in Alabama with GOP aligned judges banning it on the grounds that unfertilized human embryos are now, according to them, legally recognised human beings with rights. Republican legislators are, also, after restricting access for Americans to chemical contraception. There is a strong Christian fundamentalist anti-science push happening inside the GOP in these red states. These Republicans want to get back into the bedrooms of everyday Americans and decide what and with who they can do there. Backward policies from backward looking busybodies who want more power over the lives of their constituents. Will Americans really put up with this conspiracy enacted by conservative activists funded by billionaires aligned with the GOP?
#UNGA President Donald J. Trump by National Archives and Records Administration is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0
It Is Time To Act & Vote Democrat
It is time to act and to stop the rot! The Right think it is only their bully boys with guns that will determine the direction of America. There are many more Americans who want to protect their freedoms than these extremists. It is time to march and to take to the streets to protest against the hijacking of SCOTUS by the hard Right. Now, all Americans need to vote Democrat to ensure the electoral demise of Trump. Plus, it is time to extend the size of the SCOTUS bench to even the field once more. The future of America depends upon progressives, looking backward will not assist America going forward. There are no nations anywhere which have made a go of things by trying to live in the past. It is a fool’s errand and only the politics of grievance mines this for short term electoral advantage. Trump and the GOP are about white supremacy and a denial of the real racial demographics of 21C America. The culture wars are a political strategy devoid of any constructive policies that will ultimately benefit America. Nearly a million Americans died during the pandemic, under the incompetent Trump, and many of them were African Americans not adequately cared for by a heavily segregated nation. Schools and neighbourhoods in America are largely segregated.
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SCOTUS needs to be enlarged to reduce the unequal power held by the conservatives. Republicans, more generally, are a shrinking demographic, especially in their current extremist manifestation. It is only through gerrymandering and voter suppression that they have held control in many districts. The highest court in the land must accurately reflect the wishes of the people and not just a group of privileged people longing for a past where white America lauded its power over all others. The slaver roots of the USA remain in the hearts of these sons and daughters of the Confederacy. Florida and many of the former states from the half of America that practiced slavery for hundreds of years have banned students and schoolkids learning anything about their slaver history from the perspective of African Americans. Whitewashing is going on in a big way via GOP policies in this regard.
“Yes. The Constitution leaves this decision to Congress. It says, “the judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”
And from time to time, Congress has indeed changed the number of justices. It was six when Congress passed the first Judiciary Act in 1789 and the number fluctuated in the mid-19th century. But since 1869, the high court has had nine justices.”
- (https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-04-16/can-democrats-really-pack-the-supreme-court)
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt & Financial Freedom
©MidasWord
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