"The Cult Of Selfishness Is Killing America," Paul Krugman
Caribou
At the bottom of this email, you will see an email from American Express concerning my call to them day before yesterday.
As capitalists go, American Express is pretty much a lesser evil. They provide good, remarkably attentive customer service which, as we just witnessed, can be forgiving.
Speaking of capitalism, I just learned (from journalist-scholar-progressive-activist-author-ordained-Christian-minister, Chris Hedges) that as recently as the 17th century, financial "speculation" (an everyday practice among modern capitalist marketeers) was a capital offense!?!
In essence, capitalism was a capital offense.
Speculate... and get burned at the stake.
The inter-related history of "usury" -- which for 1500 years the Catholic church anathematized as a particularly abominable sin -- is also worthy of review:
"Is Contraception The New Usury?"
https://newsfrombarbaria.blogspot.com/2020/10/in-catholicism-is-contraception-new.html
If the church's former proscription of usury were re-instated, the world -- particularly the capitalist world -- would be turned upside down. Totally.
A strong (and I believe persuasive) argument can be made that, once Capitalism got into full swing during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, either the Church or the new capitalist economy had to go, and Catholicism "caved." https://www.britannica.com/topic/capitalism
Of course, "orthodox" believers in the immutability of church doctrine will not (can not) admit this. But it's what happened.
It is astonishing to me that "conspiracists" (who now congregate on QAnon) will devise conspiracies about ANYTHING, but will NEVER attack the core corruption of Unbridled Capitalism Itself.
"QAnon Anon"
Daniel Webster Prompts A Review Of Conspiracism And Its Destructive Role In American Politics
They can't bring themselves to get to the heart of the matter.
Constitutionally, they are -- in the main -- cowardly pragmatists who cannot bring themselves to "bite the hand that feeds them."
And so they - and the rest of us - get bitten in the ass.
Conspiracists - and they whole conspiratorial nature of QAnon, now a secular religion with its own "Q-drop" Scripture - never get to the root of things; instead using the distraction of conspiracism itself to avoid The Big Capitalist Questions.
Not surprisingly, they come down on the side of "socialist fear-mongering."
Socialism In American Politics, 2020
My Dad who was a Roosevelt Democrat, voted -- in chronological sequence - for Roosevelt, Socialist candidate Norman Thomas, and Dwight Eisenhower. I believe his reasons for each of these ballots were sound.
***
Here is a pertinent Facebook post I made this morning over a cup of coffee at the Duke Sleep Disorders Center:
Fr. Thomas Merton Explains -- In 16 Words -- Why "Christian" "Conservatives" Are Always Wrong
If you don't get it, the following meme may help.
Alan: Conservatives would love to be more charitable
- you know, like Jesus was when he fed the multitude -
but the lazy n'er-do-wells just don't deserve it.
"The Hard, Central Truth Of Contemporary Conservatism"
- you know, like Jesus was when he fed the multitude -
but the lazy n'er-do-wells just don't deserve it.
"The fundamental stumbling block in the lives of "Christian" "conservatives" (who are neither) is judgmentalism.
As soon as a Christian conservative can categorize someone as damned, these "good Christians" no longer perceive any urge or need to be kind, charitable or helpful.
To the contrary, as soon as “others” are categorized as "goddamned ne'er-do-wells," they consider it their mission to collaborate in God’s (perceived" wrath, and thus make other people’s lives hell on earth
This is the fundamental revelation of the Trump administration and how his normalized cruelty spread rapid-fire to reveal the long-submerged but always lurking underbelly of the United States."
***
I just got home from my overnight "sleep study."
As an experience, it was not horrible, but not good either... except for the fact that Carolyn, my somnology tech, got good data.
Within 7 to 10 business days, I will hear about "the next step" -- quite likely another sleep session to fit me with a CPAP "apnea remedy device" in order to determine what kind of machine -- and what "dial pressure" - best suit me.
I had fun talking with you!
Thanks!
Yuuuvvvvvoooooo!!!
Dman 
Teddy Roosevelt Inveighs Against "The Malefactors Of Great Wealth"
https://newsfrombarbaria.blogspot.com/2020/10/teddy-roosevelt-on-malefactors-of-great.html
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