The institutional practice of allocating power within a society, which generally includes the assignment and exercise of authority [legitimate power] by various means, including violence.
I must admit, I was almost as perplexed as the Democrat Party operatives were in struggling over whether they should continue supporting Joe Biden despite the debate disaster or to urge him to step aside for a younger candidate to defeat the would-be dictator—then Joe did what now seems to have been inevitable. Since the … More It’s Time for the Dem’s to Get Tough, and to Strategize
All this talk of Trump getting revenge is puzzling, at least on the surface. What could have possibly befallen the presumed multi-billionaire that could cause him to seek political revenge? Could it be that he actually knows he lost the election and resents the fact so much that he wants to inflict revenge by destroying … More Resilience vs Resentment and Revenge
Well, here we go again. The twenty-eighth United Nations “Conference of the Parties” (COP28) began last week in Dubai, the oil-rich city in the nation of the United Arab Emirates, led, believe it or not, by Sultan al Jaber, first CEO to ever serve as COP President. Dr. al Jaber directs Adnoc, the national oil … More Twenty-Eight Conversations Late: Words Without Deeds
Last Thursday, a practiced persona of cruelty and vindictiveness appeared to saturate the only mug shot of a former president in the history of the United States of America. “The Face,” his employees had called the scowl they had seen too often. We might wonder what that implies about his worldview and behavior, if that … More The Mug: Cultural Collapse and the Autocratic Attempt
COP27 did not disappoint. Disappointment implies that one had expected something positive. After decades of dodging the action question of the necessity of major reductions in carbon emissions and therefore producing and using fossil fuels, there had been (and still is) NO indication that any nation would commit to action. Thus, they did not disappoint. … More The Legacy of COP27: COP28 and Chronic Failure
Sure, in most midterm elections the party ‘in power’ typically loses seats in the House and Senate, especially if the president has low approval ratings. Yet at first, this season looked very much like it would end differently. Then the Republicans gradually gained in the polls, so that now, just before Election Day, most races … More What is Up with those Democrats?
The “deep state” has gotten a lot of press lately, mostly bad since it is deemed anti-democratic. Why is nobody talking about the “shallow state”? I’ll define what I mean by that in a minute. But first, let’s be clear about what the ‘deep state’ really is. Recently the radical right weaponized the concept of … More The Deep State or The Shallow State: Is That the Question?
I just read Steve Schmidt’s “The Warning,” a quick and powerful lessen in American history, directly applicable to our current crisis of political culture. It explains so much, that I will only offer you the SubStack URL where it appears, so you can read it yourselves, because Steve’s eloquent expression of what it really means … More The Warning: History Informs Us Again
The old saying, “when it rains it pours,” seems ever more appropriate now than ever. Several years ago, I read a book by Christian Parenti, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence (2011), which pointed out the growing range of crises around the world that appeared to be converging in a … More Look Up! Converging Crises Confront Us All
In these times of chaos and confusion, it is important to know who has your back. However, it is not always so easy to know. Everyone from corporate executives to politicians, to social media ‘influencers,’ claims to have your interests at heart. High sounding ‘mission and goals’ statements belie various special interests in so many … More Who’s Got Your Back? Not the Usual Suspects
Robert MacNeil Christie, Author 