Do you notice that we’re all plagued with questions that either have no answer
or have only one answer, not the one we wish for?
I know this is not the point of your message, but what is the novel you’re
reading?
There are accounts, memoirs, stories out there written by contemporary victims
of war, oppression, atrocities, but, as you say, not that many, and they’re not
as readily available or broadly publicized as they should be. Maybe more time
has to pass? Not that that is any excuse…especially in our age of instant
information all the time available on so many platforms…
It all makes me feel so defeated, so impotent in the face of this gigantic,
grinding destructive machine that decides everything behind closed doors, then
faces us with the toothy grin of false participation, of false placating balm,
lies, and everything already done and dusted…oh, but of course you have a
voice. Yeah, right, sure we do.
On Jul 27, 2016, at 11:22 AM, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Joe,
Absolutely. I'm reading again one more novel that takes place during WW2. I
have to say that a hell of a lot of authors have made money because of that
damn war. And people just eat this stuff up. And every time I read
something like this now, I hear echoes of Trump. But I have another point
to make as well. We read stories about how these people, in this case,
Poles, French, Jews, and Americans were affected. We cry at what the Nazis
did. But no one, except a very few people, is writing books describing real
people, Iraqis, Afghanis, Yemis, Palestinians, and what life is like for
them. Actually, there are a few novels about Palestinians on Bookshare. But
there aren't all these commercially produced audio books, like the ones
about WW2, now on BARD, but also available to sighted people, which make the
victims of war human and cause people to think about the war makers. You
have to read a nonfiction book like Dirty Wars, to get even a ssense of what
it's like to live in a village and be attacked by a drone. No one is writing
fiction, or making films, which will cause the public to sympathize with the
victims because they are our victims. We, the US, are the aggressors, along
with our allies. Putin is demonized, or the Syrian leader, but Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia with its beheadings, its extreme religious practises regarding
women, its support of the 9/11 attackers, Saudi Arabia is an ally. Israel,
which, if anyone bothers to read reports of what goes on, on a day to day
basis in that country, is the epitome of a Fascist state, Israel trains many
of our police forces so they can do in our black ghettoes, what Israel does
in the West Bank and Gaza, and we're increasing our military aid to way
above 3 billion dollars a year to them, so they can continue their genocide
of the Palestinians. And it's the Democratic Party that refused to deal
with that in the platform because Hillary gets so much money of Haim Sabin
and the rest of AIPAC. And then Sanders says in his speech that Hillary is
going to work to get money out of politics?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 10:31 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Republicans and Democrats
Well said. And I'm still conflicted. I'm so full of angst at all of this
because you are correct as well as folks like Carl and Kevin.
And I long ago was a total "bomb thrower", not unlike our millenials of
today, and maybe even more radical....Actually a lot more radical.....
Now I'm just old and cynical and disgusted.
Here is something scary though. I talked to a radical friend last night...or
rather a former radical blind person....
She has cancer now and lots of other health issues.
But, I digress....
She told me that she is voting for Trump.
I know many others like that too.
It scares the shit out of me.
And I don't disagree with you or anyone on this analysis of the Dems. I
really don't as I left that Party long ago.
But, just saying....
There is some really scary echoes of Weimer Germany going on here. Some
scary echoes of proto-fascist thinking in desperation and nostaglia,
combined with the toxic mix of a strong man with narcistic, sociopathic
pretensions of grandeur.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 9:40 AM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Republicans and Democrats
It is ironic that when Republicans are in power, Democrats are so quick to
criticize the wars they start, their positions on economic and racial
issues, on civil liberties, on immigration, and just about anything else.
But when we have Democratic administrations who take precisely the same
positions, and on occasion move further to the right, but clothe what they
do in the language of freedom and equality, Democrats support them
loyally,
refuse to criticize their actions, and attribute what they do to
Republicans. Someone, in a speech or article yesterday, blamed the 2008
financial crash on Bush, as if Bill Clinton's deregulation of the banking
industry had nothing to do with it. Bernie Sanders, and many other people
yesterdday, including Robert Reich, talked about how Hillary Clinton has,
"fiercely defended the rights of women and children", as if the rights of
Honduran women and children, Iraqi women and children, Libyan women and
children, Palestinian women and children, and poverty stricken African
women
and children were irrelevant. Yes, I know about her children's health
legislation. But how does that stand up to her support of dismanteling
AFDC
and mass incarceration. And while people are horrified by Trump's
language
regarding Muslims, Mexicans, and refugees, as well they should be, why are
they not horrified about what our current president is doing to Muslims
around the world. Why is murdering innocent people in the name of American
security moral while talking about banning them seems worse. What about
all
of the unlawful imprisoning that has taken place right here of people who
donated to a charitable organization that might have supported a group in
another country that has nothing to do with us, but which our government,
in
its infinite wisdom and goodness, has determined to be terrorist. Russia?
Syria? What about our poor and wretched, people with no homes, no
security,
people in our prisons treated like animals, people imprisoned because they
are poor. Corporations make money from imprisoning our surplus, unwanted
people, and the people are forced to do virtually unpaid labor for other
corporations who make a profit on what they produce. How is it that
Americans who consider themselves to be Progressive, who read articles,
and
sometimes, even books, who are so quick to call out what they consider to
be
racist and sexist speech, can so easily rationalize away what politicians
do
when those politicians are members of the Democratic party?
Miriam