"Hitler was defeated by the U.S. government, not by the private sector. The government brought in 14 million men and spent $14 trillion in 2020 dollars...." Jesus jumping frogs in a frying pan!
Where did you go to school?
The Soviet Union "donated" 27 and one half million human beings---dead---and you write that propagandistic drivel?
Are you collecting that propaganda money that Obama and Rob Portman put up in 2016, that seed money of $150 million for bloggers and journos willing to talk the *Company* line?
Throwing shit like the above that you did rather detracts from your *message.* You ought to be ashamed to denigrate all those who lost their lives. The Russians lost more troops in the Battle of Stalingrad than the U.S. lost in all of WW II. And killed 300,000 Germans and captured a helluva lot more who surrendered.

So, we should move from an a-hole to a jackass?

will the CIA asset, Cole, discontinue asserting his banal lies and admit that amerika cannot be saved when trump is re-elected? Cole implies that the US had something to do w the defeat of Nazi Germany--a shameful liar
How much does the CIA pay to TD for this nonsense?

"...There isn’t anything more important. Nothing. ..."
Is this true? is global warming more important than heating your home? Or working beyond walking distance from your (cold) home? Have you turned off the heat yet? Pahked the cah permanently somewhere? Have stopped shopping at grocery stores? Certainly not turned off the computer and internet, because your transmitting your article.
Lead by example. Lead by conviction. It's a powerful thing. People love Greta for it. she won't fly.

Few people are rich enough to be able do any of those things and still survive. It takes a lot of money, not to mention access to private property, to be able to go off the grid and still live a well-rounded life. Driving, grocery shopping, heating/cooling our homes, having access to computers and cell phones are all essential for survival in this 21st century world. Greta Thunberg is fortunate that she comes from a family that can afford to support her in her commitment to go green in every aspect, or most aspects, of her life. Not only that, even at her young age, she has become one of the most recognized ambassadors and activists for combating climate change,and many of her trips and various travel expenses are financed, or at least partially financed, by certain organizations.

It is not hypocritical, as many climate change deniers like to claim, for people to be strongly in favor of the Green New Deal but still drive cars, heat their homes with electricity, use their computers, etc. At present we ALL have to rely on our dependence on fossil fuels to survive and to lead meaningful lives. But we know that there exists a cleaner, healthier, and (once it is fully implemented) a cheaper technology that can replace those fossil fuels, and in such a way that we could still enjoy our creature comforts and the modern-day devices that have become essential to us. The technology is there. What's lacking is the political will, or more accurately the political courage.

As for leading "by example," individual efforts might be good in themselves, but the only thing that's going to make a difference is for there to be a sustained mass movement, with the government enacting legislation to get the whole nation on the same page with this. It won't change a thing if 2 or 5 or even 10 million people decide to stop flying or eating meat or they decide to stop driving their cars. As long as fossil fuels are still being drilled for and used by the vast majority of the public, we're screwed. It is going to take decisive, immediate, nationwide (even global) action to combat this. Anything less and we're screwed.

Just lead by example. If even in a small way. The rest...tl;dr

Very few people can "lead" by parking their car and never driving, or freezing in the winter or risking heat stroke in the summer, or not buying groceries, or taking a sailboat instead of a plane when traveling overseas. And tens of millions of people don't just use planes for vacation trips, they are business people. celebrities, and pro athletes who depend on flying for their careers. How many of them do you think could "lead by example" and take a sailboat to their destinations? That is absurd.

Individual sacrifices might make the individual feel better about herself/himself, but, given the urgency of the situation, individual sacrifices aren't going to cut it. We are all dependent on an energy system that is literally going to destroy us if we don't change it ASAP but most people cannot afford to NOT depend on it. There are going to have to be major systemic, structural changes made. And those changes are going to have to come from government having the balls to stand up to Big Oil and all of the polluting corporate fat cats and enact the Green New Deal in full force.

try this: lower your thermostat by 3 degrees F. Make it so you have to wear a sweater. A small discomfort, but it shows dedication. The only person I've ever heard of that puts his money where his conviction is, is Ed Begley. Look him up.
You only talk about rich people having the ability to make changes -- typical liberal class warfare-ist.

Come on, Juan, you don't think the current Iowa front runner, a young, child-like, gay, white Alfred E Newman look alike could stand up to Our Mad King Donald and not draw out every possible anti-gay GOP, Evangelical, Middle American older white voter and every older Southern Black voter to continue the reign of Our Mad King as he dances to the Star Spangled Banner (because he doesn't have enough respect for the US or our institutions)? We have Steve Bannon and Cambridge Analytica to thank for this Mindf*ck and are just too dumb to realize it. The corporate dark money behind Mayor Pete (they must be LTAO in their smoke filled back rooms at the Trump International!), the Citizens United corruption of the SCOTUS, and the pure ignorance of Middle America explains this hilarious moment in the Stop-Sanders rodeo. Go Bernie and the Green New Deal! It ain't over 'til it's over!

Bernie Sanders is the only candidate who can save America... From what, itself?

That said, Phoenix is not going to see a 15°F increase, Climate change is going to be pretty awful - not that it's all that friendly now - but making wild projections has not helped galvanize people to act. Rather, it has provided handy targets for those who would minimize the risks of climate e change or reject them outright; remember when the Arctic would be ice-free ion 2016? It will be hotter in Phoenix but the real threat will arise if the projected megadrought arises (for those not aware of the concept, megadroughts are those that last 2 decades or longer).

While I appreciate Mr Cole's points, and understand why many have put their faith in Sanders, it seems that having a left-leaning head on a corrupt and massive body that's heavily swinging to the right is not going to be of much benefit. What we need is a grassroots paradigm shift, one that rises from the bottom strata and powers its way magmatically to the top. However, there is no ideologically coherence vision that has any resonance. Perhaps it's time to move away from the old models and listen more closely to what is being said amongst the young.

The whole cynical facade was just more, really crappy theatrics. Warren was simply a spoiler, to divide the nascent "left." Biden, a punching bag for slavering kleptocrats like Harris or Mayo Pete. Comcast, TimesWarner, AT&T, Disney jackals all smirking K Street tropes to 20+ dead-eyed schill, on cage-match "reality" Infomercials; so DNC can unleash their now even wealthier superdelegates & install boogieman Trump, like Robby, Debbie & John did... line their pockets & blame US, again?

https://mobile.twitter.com/...

https://mobile.twitter.com/...

https://www.wsws.org/en/art...

The US did not defeat Hitler. It was the Soviet Union that defeated Hitler, as those of us who have read a little (or more than a little) are well aware. Why does TD give us authors who don't know history? Just as bad as Trump.

Exactly. And without the help of France, America would not have won its independence. Funny how our government has manged to demonize the two countries without whose help this country would never have risen to prominence. Immediately after WW2, Truman and the rabid anti-communists in both parties decided to make the USSR the "evil empire," when in fact Stalin never expressed any intentions of global dominance or expansion. And Americans have always resented France because the French people tend to be more intellectual, and of course that makes them "snooty" in the eyes of most dumbed-down Americans who seem to take pride in being ignorant.

Thanks very much for your response. As those few of us who know something of Russia and Stalin, the Soviet leader wanted to "build socialism in one country" and disbanded the comintern. Stalin has also been criticized for eliminating most of the top military leaders (some 40,000) prior to Hitler's invasion. The critics don't understand that Stalin wanted to assure the loyalty of the military in which many ethnics paid only lip service to the USSR. And why do so many Americans glory in ignorance? It's a mystery I've never understood.

Intellectual laziness. Plus we're *exceptional."

The very title of this article SCREAMS OUT the fact that Americans have NO CLUE what a democracy is nor the substance of its principles. Even Bernie Sanders knows this! For democracy, when uncorrupted, is a collectivist social system that is not, and cannot, be dependent upon one person. However, the present system was set up so that members of the "bewildered herd" would be continually calling a "cat a dog and a dog a cat". For the status quo is wholly dependent of DIVISION in our thoughts, and actions, held together with the mortar of our own little but dangerous egos.

https://thegrayzone.com/202...

It is too bad that he allows his supporters to be marginalized and also that his people don't even read alternative, real alternative and truly progressive media stars like Max Blumenthal in grayzone. If Sanders' people are aware of this stuff, i call on them to stop being part of the game plan. btw, i gave money to his last go round and earlier last year. i will vote for him in primary in my swing state. Then i will vote third party when he throws in the towel eventually just as i did last time.

Or you can write-in Sanders.

Thank you, Mr. Cole, but you missed some other wide spread evidence of global warming: the increased precipitation over the entire Upper Midwest and attendant crop yield reductions, which amounted to 25-30% here in Wisconsin during the wettest year on record (2019) and as we head into another potentially record setting wet year. Only a program as dramatic as the Green New Deal can wake folks here up and turn this man-made disaster around in time. Go Bernie and the Green New Deal!

We have nothing to save but saving itself! I admit that this is gobbledygook but so is this article. It sounds like "there is but one Messiah and his name is Bernie."
Mr. Cole, we are not the Israelite's waiting for the Messiah to come. You are promoting a religious-political morass.

And, Mr. Heymann, you are a hopeless ignoramous, who not even Bernie can save. Sad. Go Bernie and the Green New Deal. Now you can go back an work on your oil rig.

Someone who believes only One can Save Us is a Fascist.

In the Case of CIA Cole, NO SURPRISE.

😀

"Bernie Sanders Is the Only Candidate Who Can Save America"

LOL! That's what the dems thought when they elected Obammy.

We see how that turned out.

Actually the President whose name you spell like a kindergarten kid would spell it that way did save the nation from sinking even deeper into the depression created under the aegis of President Bush II. It turned out economically much better than widely predicted in 2009 at his inauguration.

Obama delivered on his promise of fundamental change.

Change for the worse. He's just another Alinksyite pushing the narrative.

I am referring to his injection of federal funds into the economy. Of course you have the right to lie about what I wrote.

Yeah, his "stimulus" package really racked up that national debt didn't it.

No Grass Roots for Elitist Cole.

Check my several thousand comments on Disqus . Never any profane words. The hypocrite staff of " Truthdig " are censoring ideas and opinions as if the readers themselves can not judge the intellectual worth of comments. I just pointed out " Truthdig " hypocrisy on You Tube .
Notice that almost ALL of the recent articles on " Truthdig " web site sound like hack writer support for the " progressive " wing of the Democrat Party .

* Break up the corporate media.
* Quadruple public funding for public broadcasting.
* Require public broadcasting to hire investigative journalists to investigate presidential candidates to make it where we don’t have to rely on the predatory jackals who currently cover campaigns for non-information and trivial bullshit about candidates.
* Take the debates out of the hands of political parties and the corporate media.
* Have public broadcasting host the debates and require academics and scientists ask questions about foreign policy and the collapsing ecosystem. Do not let corporate journalist be the majority of moderators. They only ask questions about the headlines of the day. They suck. It’s why no one watched the recent Democratic debates.
* Pass laws with teeth saying that a journalist speaking in public can preface any statement by saying “in my view” and say anything without being fired. We need to make a distinction between journalists and the corporations who own them. Investigative journalists deserve protection. Corporations do not.
I know some of you might be reading this and saying “NPR and PBS suck.” And you are right. They do. But they haven’t always and they could improve if they didn’t have to rely on corporations and right wing a-holes for their funding.
The bottom line is breaking up the corporate media and protecting journalists would be a good start at converting this oligarchy back to a democracy.

NPR and PBS have always sucked.

Now propaganda for NY and DC neolib national security circles floats out of MSNBC COMCAST.

Never forget Comcast is behind Chuck, Rachel, Katy and Lawrence. Such serious journalists. At least Clown Joe doesn't pretend to be a journalist in his ultra nationalist rants.

Unfortunately, there are no real journalists left anymore.

I wish it could be that simple -- Bernie to the rescue! But even IF he were to get elected, he will face extreme opposition from BOTH parties. Even the majority of Democrats hate Bernie and everything he stands for. Then, even if, by some miracle, he were to get the Green New Deal enacted, one of the first things he would have to do would be to end COMPLETELY our wars in the Middle East. That is one of the biggest contributors to global warming. He does speak out against them, but only off-handedly. They don't seem to be a priority for him. We will also have to end them if we hope to turn the economy around, as nothing else that we do domestically will make a dent if we don't stop throwing trillions of dollars down the black hole of endless war.

Yes, some of us are aware of how close the water is to boiling. But the very ones who control the temperature are the ones who are either oblivious to it, or they just don't care. And there is no place for us to jump to.

The next heart attack will be soon n'fatal. Loved ya Bernie. But Wellstone tried too.

👽

You're right. But it's gotta be Bernie/Tulsi!

Almost perfect.

sure, that's all we need--a socialist messiah.

You already have one, if you're a Christian, but apparently you're not.

I prefer Lenin if that's what we need. Actually, given climate disasters upon us soon, Stalin is the One. You don't ask the oil and gas companies to shut down by "legislation" or Monsanto to shut down pretty please. Lots of good paying jobs for our inarcerated for a new NKVD-USA

👿.

It is interesting that you bring up Lenin who relied heavily of several trusted lieutenants for getting to power. For example Leon Trotsky who had become widely known among Russians by his leadership of the Petersburg Soviet in 1905. And, yes, Stalin too who provided the Party with much needed rubles by robberies. It was pretty widely known who would be in a Lenin government if he came to power.

I do not see Sanders' Trotsky and Stalin. Who are his trusted and well-known lieutenants who might be part of a Sanders government?

Yes that is my point. The decent social Democrats can't solve massive problems that require very undemocratic, possibly unjust solutions. Just surviving may be a win, but not because of elections or the liberals'beloved "rule of law".

😩

Ah, the snappy comeback of the Dumb American.

So I guess the fact that the author of the column actually defined what real socialism is didn’t quite stick with you, did it? Here’s the difference: if your house catches on fire, a democratic socialist gathers the whole town together and puts out the fire. if our system continues the way it’s going, we will soon reach a point where the fire department requires a credit card number before putting out the fire.
Senator Sanders has never proposed the elimination of private property and the government control of all manufacturing. That is socialism. What Sanders is proposing, for most of the history of the United States, has been called democracy.
I realize it’s a strange concept for anyone who relies on the corporate news media to define words for them.

Stopping climate disaster and preserving private property will not be compatible.

LOL!

All I see here on a regular basis are commenters arguing amongst themselves what "real" socialism is. Even self-described socialists can't agree. And as for RE-defining words, leftists torture definitions like normal people breathe air. And "democracy" is nothing but mob rule. It destroys individual liberties. We're supposed to be a Republic but that concept is all but lost. Sadly.

One thing is certain: Socialism has never worked anywhere and all attempts at it have been dismal failures.

After one faction liquidated the other, meaning achieves universal clarity. Revolution doesn't ask. It takes.

Yeah, we're all waiting on the 'revolution'.....

Mother Nature and mangled ecosystems will put a dent into labor surplus and capitalism. A silver if hot lining.

....Because the capitalist messiahs have worked out so effin well for everyone...

First of all no one can save America but American people themselves who will overthrow despots, usurpers of wealth and power and establish new guards for new social order that serves 99% not oligarchic elite whom 230 years old US regime is dedicated to serve.