He made some good speeches, but I didn't care for his wars.
An-com, age 75, Nashville TN. Free Palestine and Mangione. Opposed to fossil fuels, nukes, borders, both ruling parties. Don't look up. I have friends everywhere. Never stop talking about capitalism. Leaflet: https://leftymathprof.wordpress.com/endcap/#top
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He made some good speeches, but I didn't care for his wars.
Dear Dems, Socialism is good.
I am once again asking you to stop sending us money. But we do need your time. ⏰ zohranfornyc.com/events
As long as I am alive, there is always the possibility that things will get better -- i.e., that my allies and I can make things better, somehow, some day. So I can always find hope. I wish I could always find faith; that would be much more comforting.
That you can choose between Coke and Pepsi not only creates the illusion that you have a real choice. That Coke and Pepsi are so much alike also strengthens the illusion that each has something worthwhile in it.
On the other hand, you could make up more facts, and all the non-nerds would be impressed.
Sorry, I didn't know that the word I used was a slur. What is a non-slur word I could use there?
The USA has more mass shootings than any other country, by far. Very few of the mass shooters (or none of them?) are trannies. The idea of disarming trannies is absurd. Except maybe if you're looking for someone to scapegoat.
Most Americans hate communism with no idea what it is.
I don't look at NYT, WaPo, etc. I get my news from non-commercial sources such as Rad Indie Media and The Greanville Post.
I don't know if the Japan Times story was true.
And blue poverty, ecocide, genocide would be so much better than red poverty, ecocide, genocide!
I love most of what Graeber wrote, but I must disagree with this quote slightly. Yes, the world is something we make, and yes we could make it differently, but not "just as easily." Years of propaganda have trained us to see the world one way.
The Dems are the lesser evil, but they're not lesser enough. Both of the genocide parties are horrible. We need to find our way to something else.
I'd like that, but I don't think it will happen soon. The ruling class will block anything that challenges their grip on power.
My leaflet (linked below) is based on the assumption that we are all capable of being friends. But now I'm reconsidering that. If it's true, how can we persuade more people that it's true? And if it's not true, what would be the next best thing? leftymathprof.wordpress.com/endcap/#top
Do you believe the Russian invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked? Do you believe the NATO missiles lined up along the Russia-Ukraine border, just a few minutes' flight from Moscow, were no threat to Russia? Do you believe Kiev's bombing of the Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine was entirely appropriate?
If anyone is SERIOUSLY still under the delusion that Harris would have stopped the Israeli genocide, bear this in mind. The DNC are STILL refusing an arms embargo on Israel, even as the IAGS confirm Israels' Gaza operation IS genocide. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/...
Retired general? In which war? One of the good wars? Actually, I don't think the USA has had any good wars; all its wars have been imperialist. This is not a praise for MTG, but I am sick of politicians praising themselves for being veterans. "Veteran" means "retired mass murderer."
"Don't listen to people who tell you to focus on only ohe thing ... Capitalism is the root of ALL our problems." I think those two sentences contradict each other. I agree with the second sentence.
AN IDLE QUESTION. Where would you draw the line between "leftist" and "not a leftist"? Does one of these traits imply another? Which are most important? * anti-capitalist * anti-imperialist * empathy * likes Marxist literature * believes in sharing * other (specify)
Are you suggesting that anyone who agrees with me on one issue, will also agree with me on all other issues?
And most Americans hate socialism and communism, with no idea what they are, thanks to a century's worth of propaganda.
I was greatly inspired by a recent statement Elon Musk made about empathy. I believe just the opposite, but now I feel better about saying so.
Why not both?
I'm sorry to report that I had a discolored region on the back of my hand, just like Trump's, and mine got better.
There is, indeed, no honor in military service. The USA has involved itself in many many wars, and in all or nearly all of them the USA was on the wrong side. The USA was founded on slavery, genocide, imperialism. "Are we the baddies?"
Dem: poverty, plutocracy, ecocide, genocide GOP: poverty, plutocracy, ecocide, genocide, kidnappings So the two parties ARE different; the Dems are the lesser evil. But not lesser enough. Both ruling parties are horrible. We must find our way to something else.
I can imagine a civil war breaking out, between those who believe Trump is the legitimate authority and those who do not.
Socialism and communism are based on empathy. Democrats pretend to be full of empathy, and they are angry at the people who their deception doesn't fool.
I don't count that as a gift.
Dem: inequality, plutocracy, ecocide, genocide GOP: inequality, plutocracy, ecocide, genocide, kidnappings So the Dems are a lesser evil, but not by much, and they're definitely evil. I voted Green in the last few elections, but now I'm thinking about how to make revolution.
My impression (from television series) was that the king was appointed by God (because he won some great battle, or was descended from such a winner). None of the barons, priests, etc had such an appointment.
fascism = capitalism = loss of empathy
Yeah, Trump seems farcical to me. I think you can guess what predecessor of his I have in mind for the tragedy.
Well, I think that most of the things our military forces do are disgraceful. All those wars against any nations that are weak.
I sometimes find it helpful when I'm getting into or out of the car. (I'm 75 years old, plus I haven't yet fully recovered from a serious illness.)
Trump's goals differ from those of Hitler. Hitler's goals: Build a powerful empire. Trump's short-term goal: More money for billionaires. Trump's long-term goal (perhaps not conscious?): Destroy the ecosystem, killing the human race and most other species on Earth.
Enjoy the camps, those of you who voted for either of the genocide parties.
If you were going to put one issue ahead of the rest of your politics, what would that one issue be? For me, that one issue would be [end capitalism] / [end fascism] / [cultural: get more people to have empathy]. I see that as one issue, because as I see it, capitalism = fascism = lack of empathy.
Nearly all the wars the USA has fought have been dishonorable.
I'm only speculating here. But if you're raising children, you might not want to take actions that endanger your future salary.
... a better world if everyone had more empathy (much the opposite of a belief Elon Musk recently stated). I would like to persuade more people of that, but I don't know how. Maybe name a party "more empathy" ?
... but the name might also be an attempt to persuade people that those are desirable policies. On the other hand, the naming may be part of a publicity campaign, attempting to change people's views about what causes what. For instance, I've become convinced that we would have ... [continued]
(I'm in the USA, but we face similar questions.) Choosing a name has at least two very different purposes. On the one hand, we'd like to get elected to political office, so that we can have more influence over policy. The name should give some indication of what policies we want; ... [continued]
I think the main reasons Putin invaded Ukraine were: (a) NATO was lining up missiles along the Ukraine-Russia border, missiles that were only a few minutes' striking distance from Moscow, and (b) Kiev was bombing the Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine.
"Nobody wants that" is not correct. The people who profit from adding to the blanket of pollution do want that. They are concerned only with short-term profits, not long-term consequences. So they bribe the politicians to continue the current arrangements.
youtu.be/QwpanShgOp4?...
On Monday, JB Pritzker (gov. of Illinois) made a speech that I thought was pretty good. If you haven't heard it yet, listen to it now. scheerpost.com/2025/08/26/i...
Capitalism = Fascism. The main feature of both is a lack of empathy, a rejection of empathy.
Taxing the rich is not enough. They will still be rich. They will still be powerful, greedy, and stupid. They will still be destroying the world. We must take away ALL the property of the rich. We must replace the notion of private property with a notion of the needs of the community.
Fascism, poverty, plutocracy, genocide, nuclear war, ecocide, climate collapse, extinction, not in that order. "Which is worse?" That's the Wrong Question. They all have the SAME ROOT CAUSE. Figure out what it is and how to stop it.
Japan Post just announced they will no longer deliver mail to the United States, joining Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, France, and Sweden.
If we continue with capitalism, it will soon kill us all, either by runaway global warming or by nuclear war. The capitalists will make big short-term profits on fossil fuels or weapons, but the long-term consequences will kill them. Thus, there are good selfish reasons for becoming unselfish.
POTUS has become the most dangerous domestic terrorist disorganization in our country.
... you can't necessarily get any of those. Good luck. Buddha would say (in slightly different words) play the cards you've been dealt.
I'm 75. Here's what I found: The 3 most important things seem to be (a) a meaningful life (e.g., politics that you believe in) (b) a happy life (e.g., the right spouse for you) (c) security (e.g., a job you can rely on). Those are not necessarily compatible, and ... [continued]
The USA has been mistreating many other countries for many years. So that part is no surprise to the rest of the world. Trump's only new action is his mistreatment of the USA, and particular the mistreatment of people of color. It hasn't been this bad for decades.
![[there is no correlation between being an asshole and being a theist or atheist]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ysze52cguqe4vxeowp3fvklz/bafkreic7fpsqvruf6oeaiqdtp3nbvfdwvnxklh2kwptiiiqvp7ipholshi@jpeg "Click to view full size")
#BREAKING | Germany has officially suspended all arms exports to Israel "We won't let Israel use our weapons in Gaza anymore"
... "They want you fighting a culture war so you don't fight a class war." (I haven't been able to find Reich's original post.) Still, he hasn't made it all the way to leftist yet -- he continues to blame our troubles on "greed," not on our economic system.
A decade ago @rbreich.bsky.social was making books and movies defending capitalism. But I haven't seen any of that in recent years. Indeed, lately he has been a bit leftist. Just today someone quoted him quoting this classical leftist saying: ... [continued]
I don't remember precisely what word Chenoweth used. Inconvenience? Perhaps it was disruptive or confrontational.
I've begun reading Binding Chaos, though really skipping through it. I see that she begins by explaining that democracy is not the panacea that many people today believe it to be. I agree with that conclusion, though I had not previously analyzed it in any depth.
The oil companies make big profits on fossil fuels. That's how capitalism works: Focus on sort-term profits and disregard long-term consequences. The oil companies bribe the politicians. We must end capitalism, or it will soon kill us all. It will even kill the capitalists -- they don't plan ahead.
If I recall correctly, Erica Chenoweth's research showed that on any issue (not just climate), effectiveness in bringing change required that activism should =inconvenience= the audience. I think that's the same or almost the same thing as confrontational.
I've been doing "just read this short leaflet" to everyone I can, with no progress. Listening to the response that they're not saying aloud, I think it's "but everyone knows..."
leftymathprof.wordpress.com/endcap/#top
My intuition says that the real root problem is capitalism -- or more specifically, that most people haven't seen what is wrong with capitalism. My leaflet explains it in brief, simple terms, but my leaflet hasn't gone viral. Could it be that my intuition is wrong?
I'm tired of seeing posts on bsky that begin something like "Here's what we need to do in order to win" when they really mean "Here's what we need to do in order for the Democrats to win without changing their policies and priorities." Why do you assume that I want the Lesser Evil to win?
Maybe if the choice is between two Hitlers maybe maybe you should be doing something besides voting once every four years and arguing with strangers on the Internet about why your Hitler is better
🇺🇸 a #capitalism
Our species will not survive if many of us continue pursuing "mine, mine, mine." Seeking short-term profit is bringing us closer to both climate apocalypse and nuclear apocalypse, either of which will bring us extinction. There are good selfish reasons for becoming unselfish.
I don't know what Brian Tyler Cohen post you're referring to, but I can tell you that we communists do not want the world destroyed.
It bothers me when someone accuses the Republicans without accusing the Democrats. But I have to admit, the R's are worse. D: war, genocide, plutocracy, ecocide R: war, genocide, plutocracy, ecocide, kidnappings
Is that a picture of Newsom? The guy who throws in the trash homeless people, trans people, and Palestinians? I suppose Trump is even worse, but I think we can do better.
It was a few years ago that I finally understood that the melting of the ice not only was CAUSED BY global warming, but also was ONE OF THE CAUSES of global warming. You know, because of the loss of albedo. I think much of the public has not understood this yet.
To the National Guard personnel from other states who complied with orders to deploy to DC: How could you? How could you turn on your fellow citizens? Go home. That’s how you serve your country. Refuse these orders and go home.
Oh well. I think what our society really needs is a change of attitude, about a lot of related issues. Here is a silver lining: If Trump's craziness sends a lot of our immigrants into hiding, people may notice that their lives are harder as a result. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_Wit...
I'm not sure that legal status would make much of a difference. Trump wants to be able to say "it's all the brown people's fault, let's deport them." He doesn't need proof, he just needs a bunch of rednecks to back him up.
"Whatever needs to be done, we need to do." I'd have to agree with that. But first we need to figure out what needs to be done. I think more of us need to hand out copies of my leaflet -- it hasn't gone viral yet. leftymathprof.wordpress.com/endcap/#top
... truth yet. The whole truth includes an understanding of how to spread the whole truth. If anyone had that, we would already have peace on Earth and harmony, prosperity, sustainability. Just get in there and do your best.
I don't agree with that. I think we need to focus on everyone -- the people who didn't vote, the people who voted for Trump, the people who voted for someone other than Trump. We need to try to bring everyone (including ourselves) closer to the whole truth. Nobody has the whole ... [continued]
If there is any chance of the left capturing the Democratic Party, it must begin with understanding the LIE of that party. That party's politicians pretend to believe in empathy, but all but a handful are lying about that.
This was a few weeks ago, but I thought it was pretty good; I'm now watching it for my second time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsQG...
Hey everybody!!! Wake up!!! Hmm, it didn't work. Well, I'll try again tomorrow.
... The D's (the politicians, that is, not the voters), also do not believe in empathy, but in their rhetoric they pretend to believe in empathy. Anti-empathy is a basic ingredient of capitalism.
The R's and D's both work for the plutocrats, but the R's and D's have substantially different rhetoric. Here is one of the big differences: The R's don't believe in empathy, and sometimes they say so quite openly, like Elon Musk in his recent statement quoted below. ... [continued]
I'm not sure of that. I wonder if homophobia or transphobia or some flavor of xenophobia would work as well. For instance, in Ukraine they're drumming up hate of Russians, though Russians are pretty much the same "race" as Ukrainians.
I agree that it's not likely to succeed. But that's true for the other two approaches I mentioned, as well. Pick whatever approach suits you. Mamdani seems to be doing well in the Democratic Party, but I'm just concentrating on my leaflets.
You all gotta stop this trump socialism/ communism shit. Under socialism/communism, you'd at least have housing, food, water, healthcare, and education. Ain't got shit right now. So, he's not socialist or communist. He's a wealthy fuck transferring wealth to himself and his pals.
... start with the same first step: Spread the ideas you believe in -- by handing out leaflets, or making a video, or whatever. If you concentrate on spreading ideas, you don't have to specify whether you're going with (1) or (2) or (3). I've been handing out leaflets.
(2) Work in a third party (e.g., Green or PSL), find a way to make it a lot bigger and stronger, and use it to change things. Difficult, unlikely, but possible. (3) Revolution. And then have an election a year or two later. Difficult, unlikely, but possible. All three approaches ... [continued]
I've been voting outside the duopoly for 15 years and it doesn't seem to have done much. I see three approaches: (1) Work inside one of the capitalist parties, take it over, and move it in a new direction (e.g., as Bernie Sanders tried to do). Difficult, unlikely, but possible. ... [continued]
FAMINE is coming to the rest of us -- to everyone -- within a few years. Global warming is accelerating, and that will kill all our crops, hence famine. Maybe our species will survive if we all work together, if we end capitalism quickly, but that doesn't look likely.
... and share everything. And that arrangement has other advantages too. But it would be very different, and so the transition to this new (actually very old) arrangement would be complicated.
... most people in the USA are descended from European invaders. They (we) are very numerous, and I don't think Europe wants us back. And anyway, what would you do with half-breeds? I think the only thing that comes close to being "fair" is to abolish private/personal property, ... [continued]
Here are some of the complications: Should there be a "statute of limitations" on genocide? If you want to give "land back," where will you send the people who don't deserve to keep "their" land? In the USA, the living descendants of the original inhabitants are a small minority; ... [continued]
Does Israel have a right to exist? NO, I don't think so. Does the USA have a right to exist? That one is more complicated (I live in the USA). Questions like these get a lot simpler if we begin by abolishing private property (and probably "personal property" too).