[Peace-discuss] Democrats' strategy to sideline dissent from US war-making & war-provocations

[C. G. Estabrook]

<https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/12/02/ukraine-the-new-cold-war-and-the-politics-of-impeachment/>

...As evidence, the central finding of the impeachment inquiry to date is that Ukraine is woefully undersupplied with the weapons needed to fight ‘Russian aggression.’ ‘We’ learned that despite Pentagon rumblings at the time, the Obama administration did its patriotic duty by selling ‘non-lethal’ military equipment to self-described fascists in Ukraine. Mr. Trump’s crime was that his ham-fisted shakedown effort stood between the Ukrainians and American ‘freedom missiles.’

To be clear, Donald Trump has a lot to answer for. He appointed neocon warmonger John Bolton, meaning that he has his name on the U.S. backed coup in Bolivia, the attempted coup in Venezuela and the genocide in Yemen that he inherited from Barack Obama. But if these are a problem— and they are, so is the Obama / (Hillary) Clinton coup in Ukraine. If Mr. Trump had outright stopped the delivery of U.S. weapons to Ukraine, he would have made the world a better place.

...as the alliance between American neocons and Ukrainian Nazis illustrates, the political optics are managed through the New York Times and the Washington Post, not on the ground in resource-rich countries.

...as passionately as the American left wants to elevate Mike Pence to the office of President, Senators, Republican and otherwise, understand the political value of partisan rancor...

If one looks at the U.S. Constitution as the basis for both this legitimacy and social neutrality, it is a document written by oligarchs to liberate themselves from the British proscription against owning slaves. ‘Freedom to’ was the freedom to own slaves, subjugate women and exploit ‘free’ labor. Rich, white, men gave themselves the right to vote...

A current example of the relation of law to power can be found through the legalization of bribery within the political class. Thomas Ferguson has spent a career demonstrating the relationship between campaign contributions and legislative outcomes. Adam Schiff, Donald Trump’s primary antagonist in Russiagate, and now impeachment, is wholly owned by the defense industry. His interest in selling American weapons to Ukraine ties directly to campaign contributions he receives from the corporations that manufacture these weapons.

If fealty to the law were applied, all of the senior members of the George W. Bush administration plus those in oversight positions in Congress would be in prison for the U.S. War of Aggression against Iraq and illegal torture. This would include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who, as a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, was told about the CIA’s illegal torture program and signed off on it. The history of the rich using the law as a lever of social control renders the liberal theory of it implausible, no matter how passionately it is argued for…

...I can’t imagine that Barack Obama saying that he is going to take Bernie Sanders out has had an effect other than to make people want to start lighting shit on fire. I’m not suggesting that people do this. But that is the feeling.

The establishment Democrats are determined to have it their way. Screw democracy, screw the will of the people, screw the wellbeing of the people, screw acting on the people’s behalf, they’re going to elect themselves a billionaire. And, they’d be fine with a right-wing rebellion— rich people love fascism. We’re on our own. Work for Bernie. Vote for Bernie. Thanks for the political clarification Obama!

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