PCR has put out the Edward Curtin review of David Ray Griffin's book, The American Trajectory: Divine or Demonic? I couldn't stop reading the review right through to the end so I nearly put the whole thing out here, but it's quite long so I decided not to. It's pretty damming: From the genocide of the Native Americans onwards the U.S. has been continuously at war, and the Anglo-American Empire has even been the cause of both world wars. Will it ever stop? Fortunately, both left and right are fed up with this. KV.
David Ray Griffin writes books faster than I can read them. Therefore, I am going to borrow Edward Curtin’s review of Griffin’s history of the United States: The American Trajectory: Divine or Demonic? which Curtin suggests should have been titled: A Diabolic False Flag Empire.https://www.amazon.com/American-Trajectory-Divine-Demonic/dp/0998694797/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536407631&sr=1-1&keywords=David+Ray+Griffin
Griffin’s book is a humdinger and will certainly upset brainwashed American super-patriots, but it throughly documents how Washington’s aggression toward other lands is covered up by politicians, media, and court historians with moral verbiage. In my view the hubris, arrogance, and ignorance of “American exceptionism” has the world locked on a trajectory to its extinction in nuclear Armageddon.
Curtin points out that Griffin makes an extraordinary mistake, unusual for a scholar as careful as Griffin, in his assessment of President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy was the president who tried to move America’s trajectory off of its demonic path and was murdered by his own government for his attempt. But as I have said, none of us knows everything. We often have to rely on others, and others, also, make mistakes.
An omission in Griffin’s account of Washington’s wars of aggression, or perhaps just unmentioned by Curtin in his review, is Washington’s aggression and war crimes against the Confederacy. The Union’s aggression included warring against civilians and the intentional destruction of their livelihoods. It was the same for its time as the US and British firebombing of German cities and Washington’s destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima with atomic bombs.
Washington has never let morality stand in the way of its empire.
“Curtin points out that Griffin makes a mistake in his assessment of President John F. Kennedy, who tried to move America’s trajectory off of its demonic path and was murdered by his own government for his attempt.” ~ Paul Craig Roberts
ReplyDeleteKennedy was not a saint. He oversaw the U.S. placement of nuclear-tipped Jupiter missiles in Italy and Turkey (aimed at the USSR) plus the failed “Bay of Pigs” invasion of Cuba (17–20 April 1961).
In response to these provocations, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to Cuba's request to place nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter a future invasion by Kennedy. The result was the “Cuban missile crisis” of 16–28 Oct 1962, in which the US and USSR almost went to nuclear war.
Kennedy also escalated the US war on Vietnam, and was president while the CIA assassinated Vietnamese leader Ngô Đình Diệm on 2 Nov 1963. (Kennedy himself was assassinated 20 days later.)
“An omission in Griffin’s account of Washington’s wars of aggression, or perhaps just unmentioned by Curtin in his review, is Washington’s aggression and war crimes against the Confederacy. The Union’s aggression included warring against civilians and the intentional destruction of their livelihoods.” ~ Paul Craig Roberts
Self-righteous idiots claim that the U.S. Civil War was all about slavery. Lincoln himself was not concerned with slavery, but with preventing the Confederacy from gaining independence.
The 13 original American colonies were “heroic” because they sought independence from Britain and won. However the 13 Confederate states were “evil” because they sought independence from the Union and lost.
In most Americans (and almost all Israelis) arrogance and self-righteous hypocrisy is infinite.
[“History is the lies that the victors agree on.” ~ Napoleon]
[“If we had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal.” ~ U.S. Gen. Curtis LeMay.]
Paul Craig Roberts then discusses how the USA violates treaties and agreements at will. (Israel is the same way.)
Paul Craig Roberts has come a long way in evolving beyond his previous madness. I’d like to see him embrace MMT. One day he recognizes that the U.S. government (like the U.K. government) creates its spending money out of thin air. The next day he says the U.S. government borrows its spending money, and has a “debt crisis.” One day he seems to understand how fiat money works. The next day he says that fiat money is worthless unless it is “backed by” gold.
This is unfortunate, because Roberts is a fan of Michael Hudson, who supports MMT. (Or claims to.)
He did embrace MMT in one article be wrote. I think this was due to his association with Michael Hudson.
ReplyDeleteSome of the conspiracy theorists paint the world as entirely black and say everything is controlled by the same cabal. They say things like, Putin is a 'crypto Jew', and horrible things like that.
I have read many of PCR's articles and I think, like me, he wants to find some good in the world. In fact, there must be lots of good will in the world because it's just how I understand people to be. I don't meet that many terrible people.
PCR always looks for something to be positive about. It keeps him sane, and it does me too. I have to believe in the overall goodness of humanity.
David Icke is mad, we all know, but he's a nice person. He believes the ruling elite are run by lizard people who are part alien. Why does he believe such a crazy thing, because like me, he can't comprehend that people could be so evil, so he has think that maybe they are 'lizard people'? They are psychopaths, and so are not like the rest of us. They are inhuman.
“Paul Craig Roberts did embrace MMT in one article be wrote. I think this was due to his association with Michael Hudson.”
ReplyDeleteDo you have a link to that article? I tried to find it on the Internet and at PCR’s web site. I failed.
“Some of the conspiracy theorists paint the world as entirely black and say everything is controlled by the same cabal. They say things like, Putin is a 'crypto Jew', and horrible things like that.”
Many people live in a comic book world, and have simplistic views of reality. Many go overboard in attributing all evil to Jews and “crypto-Jews.” This delusion is partly fueled by the international taboo against saying anything negative about Jews. Prohibition always generates obsession.
“David Icke is mad, but he's a nice person. He believes the ruling elite are run by lizard people who are part alien. Why does he believe such a crazy thing, because like me, he can't comprehend that people could be so evil, so he has think that maybe they are 'lizard people'?”
I’m not very familiar with Icke’s writings. Jews claim that Icke uses “lizard people” as symbols for Jews. I don’t know if that’s true.
Certainly Icke is evil, since he questions the sacred holocaust™ myth.
I posted it here, Konrad, but it's hard to find now. Blogger seems to delete posts entries after a while. I've just emailed PCR about something and i didn't like to pester him too much, but next time I write I might ask him about it.
ReplyDeleteHe also wrote an open letter to Putin with Michael Hudson where he stated that the Russian central back need not borrow money from the West, but can create it itself.
Yes I remember that. Paul Craig Roberts was actually in error, because he forgets the difference between domestic currency (Russian rubles) and foreign currency (dollars, euro, pounds, etc).
ReplyDeleteTo begin with, PCR worries that Russia is undergoing neoliberal “reforms” that include mass privatization.
“The excuse being cited by Russian officials for selling these companies at the present time is to finance the domestic budget deficit. This excuse shows that Russia has still not recovered from the disastrous Western Atlanticist myth that Russia must depend on foreign banks and bondholders to create money, as if the Russian central bank cannot do this itself by monetizing the budget deficit.”
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/02/08/privatization-is-the-atlanticist-strategy-to-attack-russia-paul-craig-roberts-and-michael-hudson/
Do you see PCR’s error?
The Russian central bank and government can indeed “monetize the budget deficit,” since the Russian government can create infinite rubles out of thin air. However the Russian central bank and government cannot create any foreign currency out of thin air.
Let’s clarify this for the umpteenth time…
The Russian ruble is not spendable outside Russia. Therefore Russia needs foreign currency in order to buy foreign imports. In order to get foreign currency, Russia must borrow it, or else obtain it via a trade surplus (i.e. obtain foreign currency by selling exports to foreigners in exchange for foreign currency).
Russia actually has a trade surplus. Therefore Russia is not forced to borrow foreign currency, since foreign currency is already flowing into Russia. This would not be the case if Russia had a trade deficit.
In order to for a nation to avoid having a foreign debt crisis, one of the following two factors must apply…
[1] The nation must have a trade surplus (e.g. Russia)
[2] The nation’s currency must be widely accepted by foreigners (e.g. the U.S. dollar)
PCR’s error is ironic, because he has spent his life being obsessed with lowering the U.S. federal budget deficit – i.e. obsessed with imposing austerity on the USA. Now PCR sees that his obsession was mistaken, since dollars are infinite. However PCR has not yet grasped that a budget deficit in a nation’s own currency is not the same as a trade deficit in foreign currency.
What this means is that Russia’s government and economy are not as vulnerable to neoliberalism as PCR thinks. The Russian government has indeed privatized some large firms. The proviso is that…
[a] Privatized Russian firms must remain under Russian jurisdiction, not operated by foreign owners.
[b] Privatized Russian firms must remain subject to Russian laws and regulations, including restrictions to keep their capital inside Russia.
[c] Privatized Russian firms must do business in rubles, or in foreign currency, as the Russian government directs.
[d] Privatized Russian firms must not be purchased with domestic state bank credit. Sales must be in cash, so that bankers do not have power over the firm.
Suppose the Russian government owns a steel mill, and sells it to a foreigner for cash. The foreigner may use the steel mill to sell its products to other foreigners, but a percentage of the mill’s profit in foreign currency must flow back to Russia.
Now suppose the Russian government sells the steel mill to a Russian for cash. In this case the Russian government sold the mill after deciding that the new owner would produce more materials for export, and therefore enhance Russia’s trade surplus.
Therefore the reason why the Russian government sold off some of its firms was not because of neoliberalism, but in order to keep foreign currency flowing into Russia, and to help maintain Russia’s trade surplus.
Putin is not as gullible as PCR fears he is.
Good post, Konrad, I'm amazed how PCR coyld get it wrong, considering his qualifications. I might ask him about it.
ReplyDeleteMatt once criticized a PCR article i put it here so i sent the criticism off to PCR. It had loads of figures in it. PCR wrote back and said that he didn't have time for idiots.
PCR clearly means well. Indeed his minor flubs help us clarify our own understanding.
ReplyDeleteThis brings up an aspect of human psychology. The mind has a surface aspect, plus a subconscious aspect that is infinitely deep. PCR spent most of his life believing that federal deficits are bad. This false belief filled much of his subconscious mind. Now PCS has matured beyond that belief, but not 100%. He retains vestiges of the old errors. False subconscious beliefs cannot be eradicated all at once. We sometimes need years to correct them, during which time our old erroneous thought-habits bubble up to the surface now and then. This is why PCR sometimes contradicts himself.
I do not attack PCR, since his heart is in the right place, which to me is all that matters. Indeed, I say that the refusal to understand economics is not a failure of intellect, but of moral character. Neoliberals, for example, do not "misunderstand" economics. They are simply a**holes.
He also praises Reagan, which baffles me. Detente with Russia was incredible, but everything else about Reagan was really bad.
ReplyDeleteI was going to send off to PCR the Jeff Gates video that I posted here and say how he was once a pure free market man and embraced supply side economics thinking it was wonderful too, until he found out it was con, designed to just to make a few people very rich. But I think PCR likes me, so I haven't been brave enough to send it to him yet, but I will. I will word it tactfully.
PCR retains nostalgic and romanticized delusions about Reagan, since PCR was Assistant Treasury Secretary under Reagan, who started the USA on the neoliberal path to destruction, just as Thatcher did in the UK.
ReplyDeletePCR was Assistant Treasury Secretary under Reagan, who started the USA on the neoliberal path to destruction
ReplyDeleteRight. PCR has a lot to atone for. But it appears that he has now set about doing this. He has burned his bridges in the process and is to be credited with that.
Will this Kennedy propaganda never end? More than once, his actions nearly ushered the end of the human race. He was by far the most dangerous president in U.S. history, and that is why he is praised by bloodthirsty liberals. Had he lived, there is a good chance that we wouldn't be here. Kennedy was intent on invading Cuba until Oswald put a stop to it. Kennedy's conclusion from the missile crisis was the opposite of what is commonly believed: it spurred him to a further invasion of Cuba and overthrow Castro. The invasion was set to begin in a short while, but fate intervened and Kennedy rode around Dallas in an open top car...
ReplyDeleteFortunately Kennedy postponed Operation Northwoods, which would have entailed the false-flag murder of countless American citizens. Had Kennedy lived, he might have gone ahead with it.
ReplyDeleteW. Bush commissioned his own Operation Northwoods, which we refer to as 9-11 (2,996 people murdered, plus 6,000+ injuries).
The War Of Terror has been going ever since.
I doubt that, John, and google doesn't seem to uncover support for that theory either. There's an article by Stephen Rabe, for instance, but he doesn't go anywhere near that far. There are enough know-it-all conspiracy nuts out there. Like PCR's ignorant, ancient but long discarded, recycled fantasies about the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteThe real hard part is getting people to understand things in front of their noses, to not deny mountains of evidence and irrefutable logic. Not imparting secret knowledge, which is a dime a dozen. There is enough to blame Kennedy (and relatively praise, in comparison to his advisors) for Vietnam & elsewhere, the Bay of Pigs & the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is a miracle the world got through that, thanks to Arkhipov.
Perhaps a patronizing and obnoxious comment; but only because I think you are a smart guy who might be worth it.