Mentatul

Tag: usa

  • Germany, Nationalism and the NFL

    Germany, Nationalism and the NFL

    A far-right party has just entered the German parliament^. It is a frightening indicator that even a nation that has put people through – and gone itself through – terrible suffering at the hands of such ideology is not safe from a wave of worldwide nationalism that threatens to do great harm to our society in the near future. In the meantime, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean the very same nationalism is mocking sportsmen’s civic attitude^. I’m referring here to Trump’s comments about National (American) Football League players who kneel during the singing of the national anthem in protest of the racial segregation in their country.

    To call somebody that has gone through grueling physical trials to reach the pinnacle of a sport a “son of a bitch” is the lowest I’ve seen Trump sink since taking office. This is why for me this is even more important than the predictable election result of a German right-wing party. Regardless of Trump’s policies, as president of the United States he is also a trend-setter, especially in countries within the USA’s sphere of influence (which is not limited to NATO countries).

    Trump has an issue with sportsmen using the NFL as a sort of political platform in order to protest racial discrimination. It is sad that he has the slightest negative personal gripe with this and outright preposterous that he goes public with it. The very fact that people have become so desperate as to use sport as a means of protest should make every American think twice about the dismal situation in which their divided federation finds itself. Trump, of course, should read a bit of history, as there have been at least four major boycotts of the Olympic Games^: this is not the first time sport has been used to draw attention towards an outrageous situation.

    The players’ respect towards “the flag” is called into question. This is incredibly misguided and it’s sad that some people even consider the notion. I like to think that for some Americans their flag means more than a tool for encouraging people to consume and die for in unjust wars. I’m sure that quite a few Americans like to think of their flag as a symbol of everybody. Those players are defending what that flag – any flag for that matter – should really stand for: a symbol of union. Instead, they are mocked by a person who preaches division by trickling poison into the hearts and minds of those desperate enough to take it (and there’s plenty of those across the world now-a-days).

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/02398-GermanyNationalismNFL-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Germany, Nationalism and the NFL’ desc=’A far-right party has just entered the German parliament. In the meantime, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean the very same nationalism is mocking sportsmen's civic attitude.’]

  • Trump, Putin and Cold War 2.0

    Trump, Putin and Cold War 2.0

    I present you with one of the best geopolitical analysis articles I’ve read in the past couple of years. It’s also quite a long read. But if you care about the conflict between the world’s superpowers, this will be an excellent use of your time since it’s also very well written.

    The text goes in ample detail regarding cyberwarfare and how Russia has become a force to be reckoned with in the field of social media manipulation. You will also learn why it was possible for Russia to influence the elections in the United States. In turn, this will make it clear that democracy is facing a threat as a result of the intense polarization affecting many societies on Earth.

    This polarization is a result of people having become disillusioned with the establishment (both political and economic). Unfortunately, everybody stands to lose when power is transferred to irrational, perhaps even sick individuals.

    In the article below, you will also be presented with valuable historical information that will help in understanding the current geopolitical situation.

    http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/trump-putin-and-the-new-cold-war^

    Even though the text is written from an American point of view, I found it to be quite balanced. Of course, I’m aware that this judgement is based on my ideological preferences. In any case, there’s a lot of useful information to be extracted from the text, which is why I highly recommend it.

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  • How Donald Trump Becoming President Changed My World

    How Donald Trump Becoming President Changed My World

    Months ago, I wrote a short piece rationalizing why Trump will not be president of the USA (unless the Republican party wants to commit political suicide). I was quite sure it will be the last time I’d mention his name on this website. During the following months, I was given a stark reminder that “nothing’s certain”. Not only did Trump get the presidency, but the Republican party is doing quite well.

    I’m not ruling out political suicide just yet, but this doesn’t change the fact I’ve made a serious estimation error regarding Donald’s chances. It has been one of my most disappointing prognoses, so I chastised myself over it more than a few times. However, I spent far more energy into learning from this mistake. There are many teachings indeed.

    First of all, it seems like some countries are failing to adapt democracy to the Internet age. Starting with the spread of lies about candidates through social media and ending with cyber warfare, I think that the democratic process is in serious need of renovation.

    I wouldn’t really call it a teaching – since I was always aware of this – but the fury of the people should never be underestimated. Trump and similar candidates across the world are riding on this wave of anger. I just hope that Americans won’t regret installing Trump as their president like other nations regretted their choice dearly in the past. I can’t help drawing some parallels with a certain leader that got elected in Europe about 85 years ago. We’re still recovering from the emotional scars he left behind.

    But the most important change in my life since Donnie Tea became president is that the event miraculously stopped me from reading the news three times a day (I’ve been trying to cut down for years). I’m now at about twice a week, having gained about 2-3 extra hours per week. As I said in the title of this posting, this is about how my world has changed. It’s one of the more subjective posts I’ve written, which is why I filed it under the new category “Life Fragments”.

    I’m fed up seeing news feeds clogged with “Donald said that” or “Donald did that”. I’m done being coaxed into reading these venomous sensationalist stories. I can’t help sharing a comparison I made recently: “democracy without education is like capitalism without capital”. Unfortunately, many voters lack the education to properly detect fake and/or manipulative press.

    I’m going to pass this season of the “all-you-can-consume information age”. Sure, I’ll keep an eye out on the news, but I’m done letting these companies infect my mind and therefore my life.

    Before, during and after the election, many media cartels made tons of money writing about Trump. Most of the published stories consist of the endless repetition of a single event, or are of little relevance. Even in countries that had nothing to do with the circus of an election that occurred in the USA, his name was mentioned more often than the most important local politicians. For example in Sweden, Donnie’s name was mentioned in the press many more times than the country’s most important political figure, the Prime Minister.

    For a while, I will stop writing much about politics. Even when I will, my approach will be very cautious. I’ll close this short entry with a few of the more relevant links written in the past few days about the beginning of Donnie Tea’s illustrious career as threat to human rights and civilization.

    However, I know that I know nothing. Perhaps some of his and his party’s decisions will turn out quite beneficial for our civilization. So take my comments below as perhaps totally wrong. Let’s see how things look ten years from now.

    Denying human-caused climate change and therefore setting back efforts to clean up our ecosystem:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/us/politics/trump-white-house-website.html^

    Setting back the only recent attempt – however feeble – to improve healthcare in the USA:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-signs-executive-order-that-could-lift-affordable-care-acts-individual-mandate/2017/01/20/8c99e35e-df70-11e6-b2cf-b67fe3285cbc_story.html?utm_term=.7a657c600a5a^

    Turning government into a discount shop for selling the tax payer’s hard-earned rights to a clean, safe and fair country (and accelerating the destruction of the ecosystem – also setting a bad example for governments across the world):

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/23/trump-to-ceos-ill-wipe-out-75-percent-of-regulations-fast-track-u-s-factories/?utm_term=.89318c36c008^

    Jeopardizing an already fragile geopolitical climate:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/world-reacts-to-trumps-america-first-inaugural-speech/2017/01/20/5452f9ca-df95-11e6-8902-610fe486791c_story.html?utm_term=.aabf5ad12666^

    Using American influence to restrict women’s rights across the world (I’m not completely pro-choice, but I do believe that pro-life is a severe restriction of a woman’s rights, especially in special circumstances such as rape or very risk family environments):

    http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/abortion/315652-trump-signs-executive-order-reinstating-global-gag-rule-on^

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  • Amid Souring Relations, Russia Pulls out of Nuclear Treaty

    Amid Souring Relations, Russia Pulls out of Nuclear Treaty

    During the past few weeks and months, there have been some worrying rumblings among the world’s superpowers. We’ve witnessed a serious degradation of relations between Russia and the USA, while China is slowly but surely pursuing its own agenda.

    Part of a process of rebalancing itself in the planetary power-play, Russia has recently been involved in military exercises^ together with China. This sends a clear message that the Eurasian superpowers are waking up to the fact that they share more points in common than just the massive landmass they occupy. These military drills were held in the contested waters of the South China Sea. There, the USA has been involved in arbitration between other claimant nation-states. But the balance is quickly shifting^, even as Philippines’ human rights violator^ and political wildcard Rodrigo Duterte cares little about the meddling of far-away USA^ in regional matters.

    Last week, Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan held a joint press conference announcing a revival in economic collaboration^. Turkey has the second largest army in NATO. Rarely have I seen so much rebalancing of powers in the space of just a few months.

    From its side, the USA is launching all sorts of diplomatic efforts in an attempt to contain Russia. The first step was to halt collaboration on Syria^ (as marginal and ineffective as it was). Next, the US together with its close allies^ threatened to drag Russia to an international court for war crimes^ (as if Americans hadn’t blown up hospitals and ruined enough countries in the past).

    What should worry us most though, is the stench of atomic war that started to make itself felt. A few weeks ago Russia pulled out of an important agreement aimed at lowering the nuclear weapons stockpile of the two superpowers:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/world/europe/russia-plutonium-nuclear-treaty.html?_r=0

    It may be tempting to condemn Russia as a warmonger, but actually, at least one of its motivations for quitting the agreement is quite reasonable. The USA hasn’t kept its end of the bargain. Instead of totally disposing of its plutonium by using it in power plants, the US is considering stashing it at a nuclear waste disposal location. Granted, the Americans have helped Russia get rid of quite a bit of plutonium through the years. So, as always, the situation isn’t black or white but rather a gloomy shade of gray.

    This is not the first time^ in recent memory when Russia has brought its nuclear arsenal into the spotlight. However, it’s quite repugnant that they stooped so low as to allow TV anchors^ to spew crude nuclear propaganda into the minds of their viewers; that’s the sort of antics one would expect from North Korea. Sadly, I feel like Russia might have been pushed in this direction by what it perceives as continued advances into its sphere of influence by NATO^.

    Here’s another enlightening synthesis regarding Russian-American relations:

    http://www.businessinsider.com/us-russia-relations-trump-syria-2016-10?r=US&IR=T&IR=T^

    All in all, what’s happening is quite sad. You’d expect more from the 21st century than superpowers squabbling over petty differences while covertly (or not) fueling the destruction of Syria and many other developing countries (Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and the list can go on). Insatiable greed is a sign that a species hasn’t yet made peace with the barbaric traits of its survival instinct.

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  • Putin Says DNC Hacking Was Public Service

    Putin Says DNC Hacking Was Public Service

    About a month ago, Putin declared that the hacking of the Democratic National Committee was a service done to the American public. Russia maintains that it had no involvement in the breach carried by hackers based there. Putin’s words have sparked my interest though, for two reasons. But first, here’s the article about the statement:

    http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20160902/putin-says-dnc-hacking-was-service-to-public^

    First of all, I have to say that indeed, the hacking can be seen as a service to the public. The Americans have a right to know how they are cheated by the Establishment. The information uncovered is probably just scratching the surface, but it’s a start. It’s too bad that many people seem to have lost all initiative to do something about the way the system cheats them. But at least the information is out there.

    The second reason why Putin’s statement amused me is: would he say the same thing if somebody would expose deeply sensitive information belonging to the party associated with him, United Russia? I imagine that there’s a fair amount of “funny stuff” to be leaked that would also be in the interest of the (Russian) public. It’s easy to be all righteous when you’re not in the spotlight. To be honest, I believe United Russia’s records contain more dirt than the Democrats’.

    Later edit: well isn’t it cute. The USA is a sad panda over what they think is Russia’s meddling in their election. I guess Putin struck a chord. Ouch!

    http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/obama-administration-accuses-russian-government-of-election-year-hacking-229296^

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  • That Foul Thing We Buried in Greenland

    That Foul Thing We Buried in Greenland

    Late in the sixties, the USA, along with Denmark who controlled Greenland at the time, thought that it’s pretty safe to bury the remnants of a military nuclear reactor within the ice sheet. They assumed continual snowfall would only bury the waste deeper.

    http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0805/What-to-do-about-toxic-waste-buried-in-Greenland-s-rapidly-melting-ice-caps^

    Needless to say, the assumption was not only wrong, but the exact opposite is happening. Due to global warming, in as little as 75 years, the buried remnants will resurface and will have to be dealt with, or else. Or else they’ll enter our ocean.

    Taking care of the problem isn’t really rocket science. Extract the waste, haul it some hundred kilometers north and bury it again, this time in a concrete or metal sarcophagus. It won’t be cheap but it’s probably the easiest solution. A more complicated solution would be to mail it to Washington.

    Sadly, we’ve proven ourselves once again to be incapable of finding a good long-term solution for the mess we’re making through irresponsible use of technology (which is more often than not related to the military industrial complex). But humans eventually learn from past mistakes, even if sometimes the lesson needs to be repeated a hundred too many times.

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  • John Oliver Destroys Donald Trump

    John Oliver Destroys Donald Trump

    This may be almost four months old by now, but I believe it’s more actual than ever. So please enjoy and feel free to share the link to all your friends who care about the world they’ll leave as heritage to their children:

    http://m.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2016/02/john-oliver-donald-trump^

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  • Trump Will Not Win

    Trump Will Not Win

    Later Update: This turned out to be one of my worst prognoses ever. Here’s what I learned^ from this failure.

    Don’t worry, the world’s not going to end, at least not because of Donald Trump becoming the president of a nuclear armed superpower. What is worrying me is that such a statement even needs to be considered or said. When somebody like Trump takes a front seat in the politics of a superpower, there are serious questions that some people should start asking themselves.

    Even so, I like to think that the current situation is for the best. Donald is a mirror in which America can take a good look at itself. Perhaps less advantageous is how he represents his country abroad. Several economic partners already expressed strong distaste towards the fellow.

    Here’s what an American over at Vox has to say about Trump’s candidacy:
    http://www.vox.com/2016/1/30/10873476/donald-trump-never-president^

    I’m going to think positive and remain convinced that Trump has no chance of winning the election. Actually, I seriously doubt that he can even get the nomination. Even if he manages to win by numbers, I like to believe that the Republican Party won’t allow itself to sink that low as to nominate a hate-preacher to run for commander in chief of America’s vast military forces.

    If they do, then I guess it’s jolly time for the party to break in two, because its members’ stubbornness is beginning to cost too much. There are many valuable people in the Republican camp and the USA simply cannot afford to lose their voice among a crowd with outdated mentality and whose electorate will eventually dwindle.

    This being said, I have all the understanding for Republicans of any opinion and, by extent, for Trump’s supporters. They are all our brothers and sisters and we should not brush aside their concerns and opinions. I truly believe that the best way for Americans of all parties to move forward is to sit together and talk about their experiences and, together, discover what motivates their political choices.

    Racism, homophobia, misogyny and bigotry have an impressive following in the American society and political life. If America wishes to walk proud in the 21st century, it has to take a closer look at how it uses education, religion and mass media.

    But then again, maybe the entire point of Trump’s candidacy is to make sure that the corporations get their woman in front of the country, taking us one step closer towards the dissolution of this so-called democracy and the rise of corporate oligarchy.

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