Hope I don't come across as too naive but I hope the younger generations will turn the ship or state around as it turns society around. Millennials and Gen Z are generally more progressive and definitely more racially and ethnically diverse than the older generations. The base of GOP power white rural conservative Christians are fading from the scene. Many of the younger generations are leaving the Church never to return (let's hope). It is all a matter of getting the base energized. If your base does not come out you lose. Hillary turned off a lot of progressive voters who either stayed home or voted third party (foolish in hindsight). First presidential election where the Voting Rights Act was dismantled leaving the door open for voter suppression. Hillary (not a big fan of her but voted for her) won more votes than Trump but we are still living under a horse and buggy electoral college system that communication and transport technology made obsolete by the mid 20th century. Abolish the Electoral College, end Gerrymandering and have public funding of Federal elections. In the meantime go to www.spreadthevote.org to see what you can do.

God help us
Give us strength to persevere and insight to be able to carry on

Trump is the tip of a very sick iceberg.

"The father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Friday he worried his son would die in prison after nine years of "persecution" for daring to reveal US "war crimes".
John Shipton told reporters in Geneva that he had visited his son in a British prison two days ago and needed to "face the bitter truth" that he "may die in jail".
"This is not the bitter disappointment of a father, this is simply fact," he said.
"Assange used WikiLeaks to publish classified military and diplomatic files in 2010 about US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq that proved highly embarrassing to the US government.
Since then, he has been entangled in a web of judicial proceeding, and is currently fighting a US bid to extradite him from Britain on charges filed under the Espionage Act that could land him a sentence of up to 175 years in a US prison.
The 48-year-old whistleblower is currently being held at a top-security British prison since April after police sensationally dragged him out of the Ecuadoran embassy in London.
He had been holed up in the embassy since 2012 to avoid a extradition order to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning over accusations of sexual assault, which he has denied.
"Julian may die in jail over a nine-year persecution for revealing the truth of war crimes," Shipton said.
""It is beyond obscene."
His comments followed a warning from an independent UN rights expert last week that the treatment of Assange was putting his life "at risk".
"Unless the UK urgently changes course and alleviates his inhumane situation, Mr Assange's continued exposure to arbitrariness and abuse may soon end up costing his life," the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Nils Melzer, said in a statement."This is not the bitter disappointment of a father, this is simply fact," he said.
Assange used WikiLeaks to publish classified military and diplomatic files in 2010 about US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq that proved highly embarrassing to the US government.
His comments followed a warning from an independent UN rights expert last week that the treatment of Assange was putting his life "at risk".
Unless the UK urgently changes course and alleviates his inhumane situation, Mr Assange's continued exposure to arbitrariness and abuse may soon end up costing his life," the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Nils Melzer, said in a statement." Yahoo News

I also agree with many of Chris Hedges insights on the political and moral rot of late capitalism. But I suspect he is looking for allies in seedy , sectarian Marxist parties . I observe that the leaders and members of these " socialist " groups hate Christians and Christianity and the " deplorable " white working class more than they love the generic WORKERS OF THE WORLD. Every day TWO MINUTES hate for the white working class " deplorables " ? ( right out of Orwell's " 1984 " )
Chris Hedges has observed how ILLIBERAL liberalism has become in one generation. But the SOCIALIST Left lately can hardly hide its loathing for the FREE SPEECH , FREE THOUGHT tradition of Western Civilization.
Yes , FASCISM is everywhere raising its ugly head . But there are still many imitation Stalins waiting in the Left wings . Lock step, fanatical GROUP THINK is just as scary on the Left as menacing on the Right.

THis is a false equivalence, when you claim:

" Lock step, fanatical GROUP THINK is just as scary on the Left as menacing on the Right."

A list of violent right wing groups compared to vilent left wing shows currently the left to be less violent.

Also, the lcoking down of free speech has been used by the right to shut down doctors and clinics if they talk about medical procedures like abortions.

Has the left made it actually against the regulations to talk about medical procedures or anything comparable?

Good grief... this sort of logic is incredibly dangerous. Totalitarianism is totalitarianism -- arguing over the flavor of ones preferred boot to be licked is horrifying. Far leftist Bolshevik style ideology is rampant on the left, just as much as Fascist inspired rhetoric on the right -- and yes they are just as violent and dangerous ....Observe some of the antics of Antifa. Don't even get me started on the big tech backed censorship that "Leftist" minds are applauding. We need to call out and condemn these totalitarian impulses regardless of where they claim to be on the political spectrum.

BS almost from start to finish!

That is the Anti-Fa mentality speaking . " BS " on YOUR authority settles the matter ? Don't observe the FASCIST tendencies on the Left ? To be sure , the sectarian Marxist parties for the past 100 years -even avowed anti-Stalinists - show themselves to be incapable of finding roots in the REAL working class.
Effete images of Marxist intellectuals - ALL militant atheists- leading THE PROLETARIAN MASSES to the baricades- are now just a sick cartoon .
I have met very many RELIGIOUS working class people of all races and ethnic groups. I have never met any working people- not in touch with THE PARTY - who are languishing with a longing for the dictatorship of the proletariat with daily lectures sponsored by an American " Society of the Godless " as fringe benefits.
What kind of socialist EQUALITY party would immediately marginalize millions of the world 's Catholics , Protestants , Muslims, and Orthodox Jews ( many vocal opponents of Zionism ) ?
Investigate ANY of the sectarian Marxist parties that have survived the collapse of the Soviet Union. They are all led by a permanent GREAT LEADER ( with a very capitalist bank account ) and have followers much like those " Clears " in the daffy Church of Scientology ( And Chris Hedges lets himself be interviewed by SEP Chairman David North on the hot topic of FREE SPEECH rights on the internet ! )
True democratic socialists need a fresh beginning . Ponder this truth : that even SCIENCE is a god that failed in the 20th century. So nobody has a patent on SOCIALISM or the blessing of HISTORY.
Leon Trotsky - certainly a great revolutionary - has been over-glamorized in studies of the bloody and tragic Russian Revolution. In his hagiography of the " Young Lenin " Trotsky speculates if young Vladimir really did spit on the crucifix - for the edification of his now triumphal Bolshevik Party which Winston Churchill observed was dominated by young atheist Jews with a righteous grudge perhaps against the Russian Orthodox Church .
THE MASSES have had quite enough of " ogre Marxism "- ONE CENTURY of it is quite enough.

Look closer at Germany and you will see that the the right are
simply taking advantage of circumstances that the left has refused to
face honestly. The same is true in Hungary and Poland where it has been
the traditionalist, semi fascist clerical right wing parties which have
dared to challenge the neo-liberalism which the 'left' has promoted and
protected.Ditto Brexit and TRUMP and Yellow vests............

Why is this so hard for liberals to understand?

Never mind the left abandonment of free speech and pushing open borders.

trump has worn thin and as irrelevant as a president can be. He reminds me of a fat, old all-star wrestler long past his fake glory days making appearances for loyal old fans at his sickening rallies. Who actually reads the daily flurry of nonsense written about what trump does or doesn't do or say anymore? I agree with Hedges on the relevance and danger of the deep state to our everyday lives and situation. The sooner people get over the so called power of a presidency, the better. Unfortunately, our most immoral and dangerous adversaries are smarter and much more entrenched than trump. The U.S. was founded as a colony and every generation has learned and taken from every other western empire what brought profits and power. Profit and power have been sought relentlessly and foolishly. Too bad such effort had not been put towards existing wisely, rationally, and morally.

There is nothing irrelevant about Trump!

Just look at his appointment of conservative judges - this will affect America for a generation.

The 500 kids still in cages do not find Trump 'irrelevant".

Nor tdo the 1% richest people and corporations who want to see their sweet Trump tax deal remeain in effect for another 4 years.

So you think trump came up with those names? That is deep state stuff. That is the cabal (GOP and DEM) that profits from the plunder of wars and makes, interprets, and enforces the law as they want it made, interpreted, and enforced, in order to do whatever they want here and abroad. The loudmouth trump is just there to cooperate with their plans and garner votes from the deplorable non-thinkers while he emboldens them to intimidate the thinkers. trump is the non-thinker's William F. Buckley Jr. The next president will cooperate with the deep state too, and forever more. It will take an awesome power to kill that status quo. The power could be from within or from other state(s) or both. The people, the workers, the poor are not demanding power - therefore none will be conceded.

If both Trump and his Democratic opponent will 'cooperate with the Deep State", you cannot decide between them on that basis, unless you are willing to admit there are shades of gray such that one will cooperate LESS.

Barring that sophistication, one is left with forgetting about voting for the anti Deep State candidates, since there is none. And so one is left to ask, will the Dem or the Rep be better for America on the issues of:

- healthcare
- taxing the rich fairly
- keeping the nuclear weapons treaty with Russia (Trump canceled it)
- moving away from fossil fuels and not letting China eat our lunch with its dominance in renewal energy hardware
- ~5000 kids in cages

Oh good so can choose between the barbarian who quicky chops up his victims v.s. the one who tortures his victims? Individuals with a moral compass reject such evil empowering choices. Mr. "We came we saw he died," is the "lesser evil."

Man! I love reading Chris Hedges! I vehemently agree and disagree with him.
His foreign policy assessments are incisive. It is wonderful that someone with his background and experience writes with such freedom about foreign policy. I can think of other journalists with comparable knowledgeable and experience but the only way to get a sense of their expertise is to read their books. Their writing for newspapers is muzzled at best, forcing them to play the “he said she said” game and forced as well to show objectivity by quoting people who they know are sociopaths and pathological liars.
No disagreements with Hedge’s assessments of the colossal goat focks in the desert known as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
And I love this quote:
“[The deep state’s] animus toward the left is far more pronounced than its animus toward Trump.”
It’s a rich statement because from that point of view the deep state becomes the corporate news media and both major political parties. The DNC and its “liberal news media” scribes would rather lose with Biden than win with Bernie.
In the last few weeks Hillary has been yammering that Democrats need to pick a candidate they know will win, which is hilarious coming from a loser. And that is a generous interpretation. Another way of looking at it would be to say she is a sociopath completely willing to rip apart the Democratic Party to become president.
Sorry. Digression there. Back to Hedges.
I do call bullshit on this:
“Trump, in the end, is not the problem.”
Trump could cause a nuclear war at any second. We can call that a big ass separate problem that overrides the first problem. He is also alienating our allies and doing damage that could take decades to repair. Not to mention eviscerating government agencies that believe it or not do indeed sometimes save our butts, like for example, the EPA. Impeaching and convicting Trump would be a very very good thing and would at least allow us to start attempting to address some of the problems with the deep state.
Regarding this tone deaf Hedges clunker:
“We will get, with or without Trump, tyranny.”
We may or may not get tyranny. Events and people have a way of changing history quickly. There’s no certainty of anything, unless Hedges is carrying around a pair of crystal balls in his pocket.

Hedges does his predictions by comparing with the Greek and Roman empires, and his personal observations of disintegrating societies such as Yugoslavia. Myself, I think the US empire has more in common with the British, which didn't turn into a tyranny. I don't pay much attention to Chris' predictions -- who knows? -- but like his writing anyway. Time will tell whether he is correct.

Our protection is not in place, position, or power, but in the character of God. The reason the righteous remain safe is because they don’t deviate from the nature of God as He reveals Himself in the holy Scriptures. Those steadfastly committed to the sovereign goodness of God in all He does and all He allows are immovable. Death does not scare them; poverty does not trouble them; abuse and pain does not shake them; and sickness does not discourage them. Our emotional strength is based on our spiritual understanding of God’s character being an immovable fortress—fixed, sure, good, wise, strong, steady, and timeless. The wise settle the character of God theologically (not emotionally or experientially) and in doing so shelter in a tower immune to the deceitful attacks of the devil.

Thoughts on Proverbs 18:10 from “LIVE DEAD WISDOM: a daily journey through Proverbs,” a book in progress by Dick Brogden #livedead #livedeadwisdom

Graham Elwood‏ @grahamelwood

Graham Elwood Retweeted James O'Keefe

The ruling class will do anything to cover up how many of them are sex trafficking pedophiles. But at least we got to hear about their BS royal wedding rather than a global ring of evil run by ruling elite!

BREAKING: @abcnews anchor @arobach

caught on 'hot mic' in August disgustedly exposing networks decision to

strategically spike bombshell investigation into Jefferey Esptein over

THREE YEARS AGO.

Says what she had was "unbelievable"

#EpsteinCoverup: https://youtu.be/3lfwkTsJGYA

Graham Elwood‏ @grahamelwood

If everyone who had information about the global sex trafficking pedophile ring came forward with evidence then we could truly end the grip of the ruling class.

FBI releases 'Finders' files after 3 decades; Declassified investigation linked to Tallahassee child abuse case

"The mysterious Finders organization in Washington, D.C., has been the subject of unproven conspiracy theories for decades, often linked to similar theories involving shadowy government agencies and child sex rings.

"Another document refers to efforts by another congressman, Rep. Tom Lewis, R-Fla., to introduce a resolution requiring the Customs Service to reinstate its Child Pornography and Protection Unit after learning child abuse arrests and convictions had fallen by half and staff time to one-fourth of previous levels."

https://www.scribd.com/docu...

OFFICIALS DESCRIBE 'CULT RITUALS' IN CHILD ABUSE CASE

https://www.washingtonpost....

Chris Hedges has cited Sheldon Wolin's "inverted totalitarianism" approvingly before. I'd delete the "inverted"; totalitarianism is as flexible a term as Marxism or Christianity and can readily include our degraded corporate capitalism.

I have read quite a few of Hedges bizarre and often delusional description of reality. But I have never read any piece by him that did not have a single word of truth in it!

- We do live in a democracy.
- there is no deep state in the US, and there never was.
- Contrary to the neo progressive myth of Trump's anti-militarism, he increased military spending by 50%-75% since assuming the presidency, increased military deployment in the middle east, intensify bombardment of civilian targets in Yemen and Syria, renewed Iran's pursue of nuclear weapons by annulling one of Obama's most important denuclearization agreements, renewed the nuclear weapons arms race with Russia by withdrawing from past agreement, and with his nationalistic isolationism have devolved the world nearly to a pre WW II, pre UN era.

- It is not the so called deep state which invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, but the democratically elected government of the ultra conservative warmonger Bush and his neocon cabal.
- Trump's own abuse of power is the motive for impeachment, not the non-existent 'deep state'.

Bush was a neocon, not a conservative at all. Bush supported amnesty for illegals and "free trade" nonsense in case there was any doubt.

Hillary Clinton was the Bush neoconservatives war monger.

Who do you think Bush voted for?

Who invaded Libya? Does "we came, we saw, he died," ring any bells?

there are no bells to ring . . .

BENGAAAAAZZZZZIIIIII!!!!! Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch.....

I sure wish Chris would accept and promote the truth about the government's physically impossible and intelligence insulting 9-11 grand conspiracy myth. It was a false flag operation that served as the "catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor" desired by PNAC. It's also the most powerful tool We The People have (or probably ever will have) to help bring about the dramatic regime change we so desperately need here in the U.S..

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

I wish the punditry class would stop characterizing these metastatic wars for hegemony and resources, as 'mistakes and blunders' when their purpose are first, and foremost, to have the "enemy" participate in the destruction of his own land. So even when we don't get all the spoils we desire death, destruction, and chaos, are in themselves a great accomplishment. This was clearly explained by John Perkins in Zietgeist Addendum

Divide and Conquer @ MM 30:27, Causality & The Art of War @ MM 34:25

https://www.youtube.com/wat...,

Spot on.

Especially since those 'mistakes' are invariably years in gestation.

The Deep State didn't invade Iraq and Afghanistan, George W Bush and the slavering, pandering sycophants of the GOP did.
Don't try hiding the corruption and duplicity of the Democrat and Republican party (singular, both sides of the same corrupt currency) behind the fake "conspiracy theory" of the "Deep State." That is just intellectually lazy.

Bush and Cheney are the deep state.

So was Clinton’s.

Try something other than the same tired, stupid conspiracy theory shit. It's getting old.

Bush is the CIA family and Clinton’s are part of Bush family

Bill is GWs brother by another mother as GW say

Who do you think Bush voted for?

Trump?

Please spare me like Democrats didn't the wag the dog bombing of Iraq, that Obama didn't expand the wars, and that Johnson and Kennedy didn't start and escalate Vietnam.

Donny's a minority POTUS.
The US doesn't like minority presidents.
That's the flaw of the EC.

In what way is he a member of a minority?

Every president for the past forty years has been a minority president as none have garnered more than twenty seven percent of eligible voters.

“Donald Trump blathering on incoherently” or “Trump committed political heresy when he dared to point out the folly of unchecked militarism” You do understand Trump only mentioned bringing troops home to cover for his allowing Erdoğan to bully him right? At the end of today there are more troops in Middle East

“The power struggle, which includes blocking Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren from obtaining the Democratic Party nomination” Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris all did NOT show up to vote to repeal the $10,000 IRS cap on State & Local Tax. You act as though Warren & Sanders are some sort of “outsiders” but this proves they play politics just like everyone else you named.

“The Russia conspiracy, after the release of the Mueller report, proved to be a dud”
I saw a line as such: George Papadopoulos>Joseph Mifsud(disappeared?)>Olga Vinogradova(“Putin’s niece”)> Ivan Timofeev, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs but Mueller could not be bothered looking at ALL correspondence between Steve Bannon & Papadopoulos. The report was a “dud” because Mueller agreed it should be so

"Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris all did NOT show up to vote to repeal the $10,000 IRS cap on State & Local Tax. "

Oho! That's interesting. Where did you get that, may I ask please?

Cool, indicting a couple dozen scapegoats you have no chance of putting on trial.

8 yr old thinking infects the US sheeple.....many support impeachment...this vaudeville act merely proves that social change is impossible in theUSA...until after the empire collapses in the next decade! hooray!

Hi Vlad!

Suggesting that Trump not be removed from office makes the suggester, whatever reasons are argued, appear silly. The man is a wide-spectrum clusterf**k.

satire? or shallow stupidity?

IMO the legal system should serve for fair solution of disputes, not to 'get" someone you don't like.

And what, pray tell, will Pence do for us? A bigger clusterf$&@

What Pence will do for us is provide an easily-beaten incumbent.

You seem to be saying you'd impeach the President because you fear he would win the next election.

If you think that, you should think harder. Trump's behavior in office is the reason for removing him. Mentioning Pence's lack of electability is to assuage your concern.

I think Libya was much worse than anything T has done. Resurrecting the Col War too. I didn't hear any call for impeachment then. The D's have put all their energy into resurrecting the vile tactics of Joe McCarthy. Why don't they propose a program that does something, anything, for the people? It's because they have no intention of doing anything for the people