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Page added on June 20, 2016

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Kunstler: Burnt Toast

At a most troubled moment in history, both major political parties appear set to nominate time-bomb candidates for president with a fair percentage chance of blowing up their own campaigns and the parties themselves.

We’ve been living in the era of anything goes and nothing matters — that is, the era of no consequences — but at some point between now and November 8 someone surely will press FBI chief James Comey as to why his agency issued neither a criminal referral nor an explanatory memorandum in the matter of Hillary Clinton’s private email server and its role in the money-gathering activities of the Clinton Foundation while she was Secretary of State.

Hapless Bernie Sanders blew his chance to call her on that months ago — “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!” — but it’s absolutely certain that Trump will jump up and down and shout woo-woo-woo about it during the general election campaign, if he manages to not get dumped at the GOP convention. Or his as-yet-hypothetical replacement will.

The email issue won’t go away because it entails serious issues of racketeering in public office, not just niceties of security procedure. One of the Secretary of State’s duties is to approve weapons sales to foreign countries. During her three years at State, Hillary signed off on $165 billion worth of sales by private commercial arms contractors to Clinton Foundation foreign donors. On top of that was an additional $151 billion of separate Pentagon-brokered deals for 16 of the countries that gave to the Clinton Foundation. It also happened that the weapons contractors themselves and companies connected financially to them made substantial donations to the Clinton foundation — and paid whopping speaking fees to Hillary’s husband ex-president Bill, during her years at State.

Salon Magazine has also reported that in contradiction of a 1995 directive signed by then-president Bill against arms sales to nations violating human rights, Hillary approved such weapons sales. Salon’s David Sirota writes:

As just one of many examples, in its 2011 Human Rights Report, Clinton’s State Department slammed Algeria’s government for imposing “restrictions on freedom of assembly and association,” tolerating “arbitrary killing,” “widespread corruption” and a “lack of judicial independence.

That year, the Algerian government donated $500,000 to the Clinton Foundation and the next year Clinton’s State Department approved a one-year 70 percent increase in military export authorizations to the country. The jump included authorizations for almost 50,000 items classified as “toxicological agents, including chemical agents, biological agents and associated equipment.” The State Department had not authorized the export of any of such items to Algeria the year before.

There’s no way that the shady doings of the Clinton Foundation will not become a campaign issue whether Trump emerges as the eventual GOP nominee or not, and of course the other noisome matter of exactly what Hillary told Too-Big-To-Fail banks in exchange for many quarter-million dollar “speaking fees” still lurks behind all that. Hillary’s partisans at the The New York Times and The WashPo have ignored these stories for months, but the telltale stench remains, like a dead body under the floorboards.. In contrast to her beaming victory lap after the California primary, all this stuff promises some serious frowny-face for Mz. It’s-My-Turn in the months ahead.

As for Trump, the hand-wringing and Maalox-gulping among GOP nabobs got a lot more intense since the Orlando Club massacre, and the (as usual) disjointed utterances by the presumptive Republican Party nominee. This guy is not just a loose artillery shell rolling around on the deck — he’s a dirty bomb wrapped in a smallpox blanket threatening to turn the Grand Old Party into a political Flying Dutchman. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan underscored his extremely conditional endorsement of Trump on the Sunday TV chat forums, hinting that even if Trump got where he is playing by the rules, the rules can be changed at the convention.

That would set the stage for a melee both inside and outside the GOP convention in Cleveland a month from now. The tragedy of a legitimately irate populace vested in such an obviously inept champion will lead to a political explosion when the party poobahs try to maneuver him off-stage. The only worse alternative is if they actually go ahead and nominate the ham-headed sonofabitch. Either way, the Republican Party comes out as burnt toast.

Remember, too, the Black Lives Matter movement and its affiliates promised months ago to bring a disruptive presence to both conventions. Imagine how they will get on with thousands of outraged Trumpsters moiling in the streets. Add a dash of Mexican hot sauce to this farrago and you’ve got a perfect recipe for mayhem.

Kunstler



20 Comments on "Kunstler: Burnt Toast"

  1. ghung on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 2:57 pm 

    Yep. Trying to not think about it; the leaders we deserve and all that.

  2. Plantagenet on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 3:10 pm 

    Bernie asked his followers not to engage in violence. I guess that means all the demonstrators attacking the Trump supporters are Hillary backers.

    Cheers!

  3. Sissyfuss on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 3:19 pm 

    As far as the GOP becoming toast, it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of money grubbing, neoconartists, control freaks. And concerning Hillbillery, come on Kuntsy. It’s nothing personal, it’s just business.

  4. Plantagenet on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 3:36 pm 

    Its not just business when foreign governments make huge donations to the Clinton Foundation at the same time that Sec. Hillary is deciding whether or no to approve weapons sales or foreign aid for that country.

    Especially when you consider that the Clinton Foundation only spends about 9% of what it take in on charitable work—the rest is all overhead, i.e. salaries for Hilalry’s staff, private jets for Hillary, sex toys and condoms for Bill, etc. etc.

    Cheers!

  5. Apneaman on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 3:48 pm 

    Con vs. Con

    http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/con_vs_con_20160619

  6. penury on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 4:22 pm 

    Well, if you understand the facts, following the case may provide a small glimpse into the corruption that is the modern day U.S. And people, stop just supporting your team and attempt to defend your country for a change.

  7. ghung on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 4:32 pm 

    “….defend your country for a change.”

    By doing what, exactly?

  8. penury on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 4:48 pm 

    Whenever and wherever possible use facts and attempt to show people how corrupt their government has become. We need to take control of candidate selection, so start local.

  9. makati1 on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 5:47 pm 

    In other times, she would be shot as a traitor. Now money buys anything. The USofA is over. What follows is not going to be pretty.

  10. Go Speed Racer on Mon, 20th Jun 2016 7:15 pm 

    Now that Trump proved he is incompetent, there is one way to win.
    Make Sanders VP for a Trump Sanders ticket.
    Otherwise, get used to saying ‘President Bitch’.

  11. JuanP on Tue, 21st Jun 2016 7:00 am 

    I have nothing good to say about American “democracy”, so I will say nothing. I just wish there was a way out of this for those of us whose lives are being destroyed by all these pricks, but we only have one planet and absolutely no place to hide from the USA and its damaging actions.

  12. Cloud9 on Tue, 21st Jun 2016 7:47 am 

    Where are the Whigs and Federalists? Washington warned us about parties. The unfortunate thing is he offered no viable alternatives. In massive complex societies factions have to organize if they are going to get anything done. As a consequence of this necessity political parties have come and gone in American history.
    The two dominant parties are more than a century and a half old. They have been in place so long that they have morphed into a single entity masquerading as champions of competing ideas when in fact they have been purchased by international oligarchs.
    Howard is in distress now that he has come to realize that his home team does not represent his self interest. It must be truly disconcerting to realize your anointed queen has been purchased by Wahhabis that would like nothing better than burn him alive.
    Take heart Howard. If your assessment of the long emergency is correct, at some point we will reach Seneca’s cliff. The politics of chaos are unmanageable. At that moment you will be more free than you have ever been in your life.

  13. techkno on Tue, 21st Jun 2016 11:42 am 

    Many of us have SHTF contingency plans. Good. Why not at least try to slow the headlong dash for the cliff? Vote for a third party. At a minimum it could send a message to the powers that be. We might delay the pain and suffering. I don’t believe that the Libertarians have good answers but at least they are ideologically somewhat pure and not yet owned by corporations as the Republicans and Democrats are.
    The Green Party recognizes the calamities we face and has a platform and a “Green New Deal” to try to transition to sustainability.

  14. Davy on Tue, 21st Jun 2016 12:15 pm 

    Techkno, I am to the point where I no longer feel I should participate in the election process. It does not matter who gets in. We are in a race to the bottom. The idea of Trump stirring shit up and drawing the US into political and economic isolationism is appealing but the other side of the coin is the guy is a wacko. Who knows what kind of crazy ideas might gain traction in a Trump administration. The system is rigged, it is brittle to change, and it is decaying. The establishment is probably going to install Hillary despite her being a criminal that should be sitting in a jail cell. You may feel better thinking you are doing something but you also may be setting yourself up for disillusionment.

    What I am doing on this board is my contribution with a message. Other than that I am working hard at providing good habitat for nature on my 400 acres. I am working on permaculture and localism. These things have a future and value in a collapsing world. I am telling anyone who will listen my doom and prep story.

    I find politics as intellectually bellow me. If that sounded cocky it isn’t because I am not super smart but I am smart enough to know when something is ridiculous, fake, and plastic. I am pretty good at seeing a lie. I can’t stand petty populism and fake patriotism. Propaganda and agendas make me sick. For me it is much better to drop off the radar screen. Except for my message here I am a nobody keeping to myself on an isolated 400 acres. I may be on some NSA list being a doomer and prepper but being old and uninterested in revolutionary activities will maybe keep them from messing with me. I say this because as the ship of state start sinking who knows how bad they will turn on their own people.

  15. Truth Has A Liberal Bias on Tue, 21st Jun 2016 1:07 pm 

    The thing about running for president is that to do so you have to be an American born citizen. Retards in- retards out. It’s the best America has. Where are all the good honest people? Why don’t they run for President? There aren’t any, that’s why. It’s a nation of bottom feeding scum sitting at home on their fat ass watching reality TV and picking their nose, or in the case of this pathetic blog- jerking off in a doom porn echo chamber with no basic grasp of why collapse is occurring or how it will proceed. Hillary and Trump are the best there is folks.

  16. PracticalMaina on Tue, 21st Jun 2016 2:01 pm 

    Truth, what makes you so damn superior?
    Techkno I agree with you

  17. PracticalMaina on Tue, 21st Jun 2016 2:02 pm 

    You play the markets right? And make your money off speculation and other peoples work, good on ya, if only everyone was like you, we would be right the fuck where we are now, funny how that works.

  18. Sissyfuss on Wed, 22nd Jun 2016 12:28 am 

    Davy,politically you sound like a nihilistic defeatist and I agree with you completely. And you’re pretty sharp,too.

  19. theedrich on Wed, 22nd Jun 2016 3:55 am 

    The chupacabra will be protected by the enthroned ape.  The Demonic Party needs her too much.  Besides, the Clinton Foundation foreign donors donate to all the other Demonics, as do the defense corps.  Never mind the State Department neocons who want more war.  For principled reasons, of course.

    Yes, it is true that the corrupt media and the masses of snowflakes on and off campuses feel “violated” by Trump’s bold talk.  Clearly they prefer nuclear war with Russia to Donald’s harsh truth-telling.  After all, what’s a little corruption on high when they are “sick and tired of hearing” about the collapse of honest government.  All that matters is the nightly agitprop and their welfare checks.  Anyway, what they don’t know can’t hurt them.

    Until the missiles begin to fly.

  20. Davy on Wed, 22nd Jun 2016 7:05 am 

    Sissy, thanks, and yea, politics is only something to laugh at now. I still take interest in it. I don’t watch debates but I will sure the hell watch Shillary and Drump go at it. I don’t watch the political conventions but I will sure the hell will watch the Republican convention and the likelihood of a destructive battle. Why, well it is first class theater of the absurd. It is better than any “House of Cards” on Netflix. It is better because it is real drama of something so absurd and crazy as to be comedy in the tragic sense. We have come to an amazing time in life that if it were not for the impending die off would be fantastically fascinating. Unfortunately along with the fun is coming the pain and suffering that not one of us here can hide from.

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