A threat to civilization

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump posted on social media. (link)

Do we really understand what the president of the United States has just said?!? Is this clear enough for everybody how terrible this is? Following threats to destroy civilian infrastructure (energy and even desalinization plants!), which would be war crimes, following killing more than 150 children in the first day of attack on Iran (collateral damage, as it will most probably be declared), the president of the biggest (still) economy in the world and captain in chief of world's most powerful army does not leave us much hope for the world and our future. This person has thousands nuclear weapons under his control, and some are still thinking everything's good?!?

The only hope is that more resistance to the totalitarian and anti-human tendencies of this presidency will build up, in US and Europe. Spain has shown the way, and they deserve all our respect for this, but other European countries are reluctant to follow this model, still doubting the fact that not confronting a bully is not a way to discourage him. And that concessions made to the bully will only ensure a continuation of the bully behavior, at an ever-increasing pace. Chapeau, Spain!

A whole civilization may die tonight. Ours.

USA - lower and lower expectations

New incredible news come from the USA - the administration cancels environment protection regulations regarding the automotive industry. This time, based on a flimsy [il]legal base, disregarding any consideration of health of the population or climate change. Again in an anachronic move, just like the decision, few days ago, of subsidizing use of coal for electricity production! And, interestingly, in a self-destructive way for the American industry, who will lose the technological advantage in key industries over other parts of the world.

In the United States of America that we knew, home of the best scientists and science laboratories in the world,  it would have been impossible that, based on a discretionary wish of a small group of people and interests, these decisions were taken. But it is possible in the USA now, where in the open streets state agencies perform executions without due process, to horrify and threaten the other citizens who may feel the urge to protest against state terrorism.

Yes, they can! As long as they don't see a massive push-back from the American people.

NIMBY

To all who think politics is „not for them”, that it's too dirty to involve in, and politicians too stupid for one to be interested in what they're saying (and doing): these days should be enough evidence for you that politics affect your life, and the future of your children is jeopardized now, no matter where you live...

Continue to behave like that, and we will all be disposable assets in worldwide hunger games.

Race to the bottom

Dear Americans,

Will you allow this bunch of clowns to destroy America and the trust in democracy and the free world?!

This is the question. You, and only you, citizens of the USA, can now revert this course.

I mean, really?!?! Halt vaccine developments that could save hundreds of millions lives, now that AI would actually speed up the development?! Are we stupid, or what?! We give up to one of the most useful uses for AI, and use it instead for improving weapons of mass destruction?

The message of the US administration (and many other leaders of the world, unfortunately) is quite clear: they don't care about people's lives (cut investments in medicine and education), they care just about billions and power (and the most rapid way of gaining both money and power, which is war - the recent surge in "defense" spending is an obvious proof).

As much as I have hoped in 2022 for a Russian massive protest against the war in Ukraine, I am now hoping for an American protest against the so many stupid things happening these days in USA. 

Expanding War

I have just heard the results of a study in Germany, stating that 71% of the population does not follow news anymore, because these are mostly about war and are therefore depressing. I am sure this is the case in many (if not most!) of the countries, at least in the „developed world”.

So, most of the population is sick and tired of wars, fear war (which is the correct feeling towards the brutal horror that war represents), but their solution against news about the current situation is to close their ears! And accept, meanwhile, that more and more of the national budget(s) they work and pay for goes to buying weapons - more meand of killing other people... 

Now the war is expanding in the Middle East, the genocide in Gaza being now shadowed by the war (not yet full-scale, but evolving) between Israel and Iran, started by the attack of Israel just one day before a new round of negotiations between Iran and USA. The move of a US air carrier formation to the Gulf is a sign for extending trouble. Not so far away, war in Ukraine continues, and signs of escalation become more and more frequent - more weapons in the Eastern Europe increasing the chances for a regional war. 

Will a North-South wall of war and fire soon divide East and West? The third world war may be fought in Eastern Europe and Middle East (if the superpowers manage to contain it). Hopefully not, but maybe yes - because nobody (or not enough people) complain and urge for peace - even if the majority of us do not want another world war (or any war). 

Do we live in a sick society? It surely seems so.

Citizens, Beware!

As many are saying these days, the transition to totalitarianism is not a rapid shift, but rather a gradual, step-by-step process which may pass unnoticed until it becomes too late to stop.

One major purpose of the mess and chaos produced in the United States in recent months is to obscure a few things: (i) massive transfer of trillions of dollars from the „average Joe's” to the ultra-rich billionaires - be it in tax cuts, military contracts or plain fraud; (ii) the climate issue, which becomes an ongoing disaster, too late to avoid; and (iii) a new arms race which will lead to a new world war, terminal for the civilization as we know it. Actually, (iii) may be just a side effect of the first two.

About climate, the new administration already took out USA from the Paris agreement, an agreement which was still too weak to avoid crippling average temperature increases. We also know a stupid ruling, that the EPA is only allowed to issue a new regulation after cancelling 10 previous ones (this is really one of the most stupid laws I've ever heard of!). The funding for research in general, and medical and weather/climate specifically, was severely cut (see also the continuous bullying of the administration against the top universities in USA, with new shocking episodes every week!). Related to this, here is an interesting article about the Unidata project - providing weather data, now halted because of fund cuts (and suspension of existing already signed funding contracts).

And it is quite obvious why - people do not have to see the real (very bad) status of climate, and that we are on a way to disaster with increasing speed. That we cannot afford anymore fossil fuel burning, that we must act immediately if we want to have the slightest chance to avoid climate disaster. We have to be instead induced to be afraid of Chinese, Russians, immigrants and build up military power, and eventually go to war - this is more productive for the billionaires who will retreat on their islands and in their bunkers and survive when billions of people will die.

Time is short, and becomes very short. The window of opportunity for „us, the people” to reverse the present direction on the „highway to hell” is almost closed already.

Democracy

Nowadays, most people seem to think that living in a Democracy [solely] means that one can protest and speak freely against what the government and politicians decide and do. With the caveat that corporate media favor some discourses at the expense of the others, and influencing "public opinion" is a multi-billion dollars business - so actually, only the interests of the rich class are efficiently promoted.

This is a trap. Democracy is NOT just about protesting against decisions. Democracy means that the politicians, all who are elected by the people, must represent us in their decisions! We must ask from them to follow what the people wants, not take decisions in the interest of billionaires and against the interest of the people and then let us protest (freely and peacefully, and many times without effect) against these! They are our representatives and should act accordingly. Otherwise, if we are not active politically and just protest from time to time, the following three outcomes are inevitable:

- Our "threshold" of accepting decisions against our interests will inevitably increase - the natural effect of repetition and tiredness of protesting

- More and more frequently the protests will be ignored by the politicians. A good example is the one with the pension reforms in France few years ago, when millions protested, with no outcome.

- The rights to protest themselves will be progressively limited, while the Democracy will fade and regress towards an Oligarchy.

The solution: in our rapidly transforming world, we the people must exert control on our representatives in the Parliament and at the local/regional levels much more frequently than once every 4/5 years (during the elections, which are also crippled by misinformation). We must keep informed and push for implementing means of changing our representatives who are not speaking for the ones they represent - even monthly if it is needed. It may seem extreme, but it is the only way in which we can keep our representatives to really be our representatives - not following the interest of the big capital instead. And it is technically possible nowadays - but, as with all the rights, this will not come by itself, it has to be obtained.