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Here's hoping that someday, the US will have no space capabilities whatsoever. The world will be better off without genocidal settler-imperialists polluting space.
While I first saw it mentioned on Alexander Mercouris' channel, it seems to be floating around as of today that Medvedev named Macron as one of the sponsors of the Crocus attack- anyone know more about that?
The only substantial difference I see between the two is that the brand of rightism behind Trump seems to want to formalize a totalitarian state.
Even there, I'd argue that the Democrats, "centrists," and faux-left have done more than Trump ever did in actually transitioning the US in such a direction, all in the name of avoiding the scary orange man and various hyped-up "threats to democracy" like... the peaceful development of China and the global south, actual leftists and anti-war/anti-genocide sentiment, TikTok, and the increasingly mainstream demands for of any sort of accountability, transparency, or economic reform.
Other than that, I agree, the "substantial" difference between Trump and the liberals, is that Trump says nastier things about those he targets- and he actually stirs up hate against the LGBT community, Muslims, immigrants, etc. in this sense. Trump is the demagogue, and the liberals are the backstabbing politicians whose sole selling point is that they won't engage in the same level of demagoguery. But they're both clearly, willfully totalitarian, equally with a promise of violence and the tyranny of capital- the liberals are (outside of the LGBT community and bodily autonomy for women- major issues, granted) every bit as bad, and certainly willing to stir up anti-Chinese, anti-Palestinian, etc. hate. And ultimately- apart from the LGBT community and womens' rights as mentioned above- both are warmongers; both will crack down on the border and exploit migrants all the same; both are guaranteed to further rollback Americans' rights (or perhaps more accurately, "privileges," considering how easily and frequently they are taken away) and in the Democrats' case, when they get to it, they tend to receive little mainstream pushback even when their actions are far worse than that of the American "right"- because they've positioned themselves as the (false) "left" side of things, and they're "as good as it gets" and the "compromise" party, and people are told they just have to just deal with it and all the other bullshit "lesser evil" reasonings and excuses they promote.
Christian missionaries all deserve Sentinel Island treatment. Wherever there were colonizers they were a step ahead of or just behind them.
This so much, as someone whose family/childhood experiences are a direct result of such missionaries (to my mom, and a bit longer on my dad's side of the family).
Missionaries are the scum of the earth. It takes a certain kind of mindset, to target the mentally vulnerable and tell them that their native culture and the daily lives of their relatives are "demon worshipping" and whatnot. And that's before getting into all the other horrendous (and infinitely worse) antics Christian missionaries all over the global south get up to.
With any luck, NASA will be left at the wayside in favor of the private space sector and the US' brightest and most innovative minds- like Elon's SpaceX, Richard Branson, and the exceedingly competent and reliable Boeing. The rest of the world will have little to fear in such a scenario.
Agreed, AmeriKKKa is the embodiment of evil as far as I'm concerned- not only a state, but a society that will take greater effort to redeem and reform (if it can be redeemed- which it can, but definitely not in the present state apparatus) than Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, than the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese empires- an empire with more blood on its hands than any that came prior and of which its existence plagues all of humanity and is a stain on our species.
When Iran calls it the "great Satan" they're doing a massive understatement. The US = the champion of genocide, settler-colonialism, white supremacy, capitalism, terrorism and tribalism, and all other evils combined.
Most LatAm countries didn't try to outright exterminate and ethnically cleanse the natives the way the US did. The Spanish/Portuguese were seeking to enslave natives, or establish suzerainty over them in a fashion more similar to most empires in history, rather than clear the natives off the land entirely. That's not to say the Iberians weren't brutal and horrific- and their actions did equate to outright near-total genocide in places like the Caribbean- but genocide was not the goal; in fact it generally was counterproductive as they sought to acquire slaves and peasantry under them, not to clear the land entirely.
Even the British didn't start off as brutal as their settler-colonials would develop into- the policy of lebensraum (or Manifest Destiny), of settler-colonialism of the genocidal variety, started with the Americans and those rebel colonials who would establish that accursed state. Not the French, not the British (at least not quite intentionally), not the Iberians- the Americans. That type of genocidal-colonialism would then be imitated by other western powers- from British Canada and Australia, French Algeria, German/Dutch/Anglo southern Africa, etc... but it originated with the Americans.
Honestly? IMO, it's about time Russia started striking Kiev. And actively wiping out each and every western "mercenary" in Ukraine that can be singled out. The world stands behind Russia, world war or whatever comes next- the western elites have hopefully shown their terroristic nature for the last time- it must be the last time, no matter the cost. The western plague must be ended; if humanity's future is only ever to suffer under the imperialists' boots, world war and risking the species altogether would be infinitely preferable.
I look forward to Russia's response, and hopefully this will further commit it and the global alliance of resistance against the west in Palestine as well. Decades are happening as we speak- and I hope at the end of these all, the west will be neutered- frankly, neutered is likely as good as it gets here for the foreseeable future. Our states and their elites are rabid dogs that offer nothing to humanity but suffering, forever wars, and exploitation. The age of imperialism and hegemony must end, once again- no matter the cost.
Can't wait for US downfall as well.
I couldn't look forward more to seeing the superficial and especially the colonized-mentality, white-worshipping, west-idealizing aspects of American cultural hegemony fade away.
I think I'd heard of Americans providing Israel with targeting (certainly, alongside the UK in regards to Ukraine). But the explanation of the significance of Pine Gap and how Australian land is being used to target Palestinians is- depressing, not surprising as white supremacist settler-colonial countries tend to stick together, but depressing.
It really just hammers it in as always- there can be no peace, without decolonization. Maybe the USA can be reformed as a nation (certainly not the present state apparatus- it is rotten and inhumane to the core) but the empire must be destroyed and disarmed- it is a threat against humanity itself, against the self determination of any and all peoples, against multipolarity, and against the very notion of peace. I can only hope I see it in my lifetime, a day when AmeriKKKa is just a bad memory.
I think it's simple really- all the Euro politicians think that, worst comes to worst- even if their countries collapse into anarchy, or become irradiated wastelands, they'll have a luxurious life awaiting them in the US if need be. IMO, there is little to no difference between much of the present stock of European leaders, and figures such as the Jordanian royal family, the Marcos family, the historical South Vietnamese government, and countless other cases of wholly compromised, comprador leaders the west has imposed on the global south. The era of independent-minded figures like Charles de Gaulle (rest in piss) or Churchill (also rest in piss) is long over.
FWIW- IMO much the same can be said of the US and Anglosphere's political elites- one way or another they all plan to live out their comfortable lives, if not in the US, in Switzerland, or some islands in the Caribbean, or New Zealand, etc. I would describe what we are dealing with as a truly post-nationalist liberal order- these people care about nothing other than their own wallets and act accordingly.
I was aware of it for a while- either from (probably) GenZedong or the deprogram.
I think the question is- does such a seizure (however justified) and resulting turmoil and consequences benefit China- whether it be in regards to its role in the emerging multipolar order, and its continued development under state-controlled markets/capitalism?
Personally, I don't think so. The present course is seeing China outcompete the west, diplomatically, economically, and increasingly technologically- it harnesses the productive, competitive advantages of capital, while maintaining the dictatorship of the proletariat, and its present approach has also shackled western capital to it (despite their attempts to contain and destroy China), and rather than alienating non-AES states and non-socialists across the global south, presents a development model and partner that they not only can work with, but can engage deeply with and admire.
The seizure of all Chinese billionaires' assets out of nowhere, would imperil all this. And for what? China already has capital controls and countless other regulations in place to manage its capitalist class. Unlike the west and most of the world, China also actually enforces these, with harsh- if necessary, even lethal- consequences for criminals regardless of wealth. The rules are already in place, capital is subordinated to proletarian rule, while still being open for business. Such disruptive actions in contrast could stand to imperil the unique balance that has over time, been perfected (not that it's perfect- but it is undeniably an achievement, perhaps unmatched in human history), and this is during a time of critical development in various fields- increasingly competing with the west technologically, working alongside many partners for the integration of Afro-Eurasia and the global south, expanding China's development and prosperity to every remote corner of the country, resisting encirclement and entanglement in the face of a increasingly deranged and declining west, and creating the foundations of soft cultural/economic/political power that can compete with the west, and building China's infrastructure and industries up to ever greater heights. Why risk all this, for some puritanical short-term (if even that- I doubt it) gain?
Once again I feel I have to state- the present system China has fashioned, has produced results unlike that which any other state has delivered, and this is without imperialist loot, plunder, and lebensraum no less. And the present system is not done yet- China has not yet reached its full potential, but also, its work is not done in uplifting all of China and playing its part in the uplifting of the world in turn. That's not to say that it is perfect and can be left stagnant- but such rash actions could threaten everything.
Richard Medhurst's channel is great. Since he's demonetized on YT you can watch his stuff on Rumble instead: https://rumble.com/c/richardmedhurst
Hell, I also support Welsh, Manx, Cornish, occupied northern Irish, occupied Malvinas, Chagossian, Jersey and Guernsey, the remaining British Caribbean, and occupied Gibraltar independence. And if it were possible I'd be entirely down with England proper getting balkanized into a dozen or more squabbling statelets as well. In reference to the famous quote about partitioning Germany- I "love" England so much, I want there to be several of them...
They can try, at least. If it's to happen (I hope it doesn't for the sheer destruction it would cause, though every day seeing what goes on in Gaza, I won't deny a small part of me can't help but wish for it as well) I hope the empire is truly overstretched, its forces diluted, and its arsenals and morale as diminished as possible going into the fight.
Israel, Taiwan, Ukraine... they're certainly setting themselves up for a world war while the entire global south is increasingly rising up in (socioeconomic) revolt.
To my understanding the majority of it isn't privatized, but rather run by state-owned corporations. Is it for-profit, when being sold elsewhere? Of course, that's just good business (and no doubt the Chinese arms industry is little different- arms sales are arms sales). And there would have been no reason, even if Russia had remained the USSR, to send freebies to such a deeply compromised country as Ecuador of all places (the fact that the subject of this thread- Ecuador trying to send arms to bloody Ukraine of all things- exists should be proof enough- this is a completely dollarized country as well, let's not forget). But the development, production lines, etc... that all is geared to serve the interests of the state, not the interests of capital (hence why Russia is vastly outproducing the entire west in munitions, and why they retained such capacity till now).
In regards to suing and sanctioning Ecuador for trying to send their Russian-manufactured arms to Ukraine though- that also is just basic common sense. What country- regardless of economic system, privatization or state corporation, for-profit or otherwise, would not?
As a Canadian, it's a western thing in general (though the US is the most glaring example of it). An increasing number of people know better, and I do think reddit is full of CIA- but the honest truth also is that there's also a sizable portion, or perhaps even a dominant majority (it becomes difficult to tell sometimes) who really believe all this shit.
Western chauvinism is a hell of a drug. Think about how white-worshipping, west-idealizing people are, then consider how bad those who are actually white and western and who buy into all of it just as badly or worse are- that'll give you an idea. And it gets worse- a sizable amount of even the occasionally dissenting voices are still part of this mentality in varying degrees, since it crosses the partisan divide.
Hot take but- personally, while of course I disagree with sex work due to its exploitative nature- I think that the normalization of sex work, and thus those driven into it, is a good thing. And while it's a rocky road ahead in that regard, I think things are moving forward in that regard.
How does the OnlyFans "generation" (if you have to call it that, I don't think OF can be called a defining feature of 2-3 generations engaging in it) differ from previous generations whose women were driven into sex work? And can we really say that OF is "normalizing" creepy behavior online- that the internet is any creepier than it ever was for that matter, or that such behavior isn't also normalized in real life?
If anything, I'd argue that- very slowly as well, things are moving in the right direction, online and in real life.
And yes, sure, sex work is a mistake. Just like slavery is a mistake, or landlordism* is a mistake, etc. But the blame does not lie on those forced into it (or otherwise driven into it). If anything, as communists, while we should recognize the need for its abolition in due time- I would argue that we should be approaching the subject and all those affected with empathy and support in creating better conditions and destigmatization; hell, within a capitalist society I would even argue that there are very good arguments to be made for its "legalization" (or rather- decriminalization and ceasing the persecution of those victimized by it). They don't call it the world's oldest profession for no reason- sex work exists, sex workers will exist regardless of how you rail against them, so long as the conditions to coerce people into it exist. But they are still human and suffering under the system just like the rest of humanity, and they are engaging in such activities because their material conditions force or coerce them to- just as the material conditions of the rest of humanity overwhelmingly coerce other conditions.
You cannot browbeat someone for putting food on their table (or getting a bit of cash for whatever purposes, using their own bodies and labor- and yes, it is labor, even if not necessarily productive labor) and expect results. People will try to get their bread regardless of the morality of it- and in this case I'd even argue that it is a "good" thing, at least in comparison to the alternative this present system offers (starvation, deprivation, etc). You have to offer alternatives- and not just the theory of alternatives, but you have to offer tangible, immediately realizable alternatives. This is obviously impossible without first establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat; so the issue is on the backburner, or rather I'd argue we have little place in rallying against it (except to improve the conditions of those under it) till then- and certainly no place (ever) in stigmatizing and condemning the victims of it.
(edit just for clarity)- for the "landlordism is a mistake," obviously when I refer to those forced "into it" I mean the tenants. And whether it be sex workers, slaves (who constitute a large overlap), tenants, the homeless, those forced into other demeaning labor, etc... they are the victims, not the perpetrators- and the "mistake" is not theirs- it is the system's.