More than any other artist on this planet, I am well-known in elite circles, yet relatively unknown to the general public. Blacklisting is a political act, taken by the ruling class, when they can’t refute the message. Instead they censor it. The US Executive branch and the Intelligence Committee’s of both houses of Congress, have known who I am for awhile. Of course, nothing can be stated on the record. National (in)security.
Many big celebrities also know who I am, particularly in sports, music & TV/film. but it’s the same there too. When you’re tied into the corporate machinery, you give up your right to free speech. Obey the #MeToo campaign, and everything else you’re told: That’s the Faustian deal.
The NFL players are only the latest (and most-highlighted) example of this censorship, as players can’t even protest police killings before a game, without becoming the target of media attacks and league blacklisting. Colin Kaepernick never got a job offer, even though he was a top-10 NFL QB. That sends a clear message from ownership to the players. More players need to step up for this to change.
That’s mainstream, which I’m not allowed to be part of. I’m pushed underground by the government-corporate elite machinery– Google, Fakebook, YouTube and the rest; in order that I never be allowed to influence any of this. If you are making any kind of art these days, then you know what I mean. Revolutionary politics is the same. I’m both. These are the sacrifices you make to be in the right. Selling your soul is never good business, because once you start down that road, forever will it dominate your destiny.
The true path often means doing what’s unpopular. It hurts personally & economically. But it is the only way to artistic freedom & true happiness. If you are an atheist like me, then you have only one life to live, so don’t waste it in cowardice. It’s your words & actions that people remember.
To be punk means to get into sick people’s faces for a good reason. The methods vary in music, film & whatever, but that spirit is what endures & defines it. Punk means working class ethics, DIY, and move everything forward starting with the kids. Punk doesn’t make appeals to anyone over age 30, because they don’t know what’s cool anymore, if they ever did in the first place. Politically educated workers can join too, but they aren’t the target audience, as there are too few of them.
Kids define the times in music, television, film and everything else in popular (human) culture– with their approval. It’s what turns the kids on that counts, and everything else is corporate hype. When artists like myself are blacklisted, it signals the ruling class is trembling in fear. They fear the music because they know its power & influence. Kids embrace the music for the same reason.
It’s close-minded fools vs. open-minded kids when it comes to cultural criticism. That’s the war, and punk rock leads this fight in the name of the kids. Please share this message!!
For 150+ years, baseball has had three outs in an inning, and once the third out is called by the umpire, all action is stopped. Everyone from little league on up knows this. But now, that long-standing rule has been changed in practice. Of course, it involved the San Diego Padres, and (of course) the call went against them in New York. Here’s the situation & what happened.
Top of the 3rd inning, Mets lead 3-0, but the Padres have the bases loaded with RHP Zack Wheeler struggling… Two-out single to left by Wil Myers, Manny Margot trying to score from second base is incorrectly called out at the plate by umpire Manny Gonzalez, for (apparently) the third out. This screenshot below is the bad punch-out call.
After Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco shows the ball to the umpire, the incorrect ‘out’ call is signaled by Gonzalez. The inning is (hypothetically) over, but Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco then throws to third base, to nail Carlos Asuaje for the 4th out [!] of the inning. Carlos Asuaje is puzzled, as he thinks he’s heading to the visitor’s [3rd base] dugout to get his glove, because there’s three outs. Padres manager Andy Green is also puzzled, and challenges the call at home.
After a LONG delay, the call is overturned (Margot obviously safe) and the run scores (3-2), but Asuaje is now deemed the third out– inning over. This is the Mets/Padres at Citi Field on July 24, 2018, with NY replay booth umps. Who are these replay umpires? That should be determined here, for posterity.
Obviously, Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco knew the call at home was incorrect (because it was in front of him), and that’s why he threw to third base. Heads-up play by him, you could say. But how was the runner on second base (Asuaje) supposed to know?
Here’s the MLB write-up, with video of the play & review. Padres beat reporter AJ Cassavell is one of the best in the business, and he clearly defines the replay rules in question and their interpretation.
“Section IV of MLB’s replay regulations covers the placement of runners after incorrect calls. Here are the segments in question: The Replay Official shall place the base runners on the bases he believes they would have reached had the reviewed call been made correctly. … Any doubt regarding the placement of runners should be resolved in favor of the last base legally touched at the time of the challenged call.
Subsequent Calls and Outs: If the Replay Official determines that an incorrect call on the field had no effect on the subsequent behavior or conduct of the offensive or defensive players, the Replay Official shall change the incorrect call, but let stand any on-field calls or plays unaffected by the incorrect call. The Replay Official may not declare a runner out based on a play the umpire believes would have occurred subsequent to the play subject to Replay Review.
[Andy] Green had asked to protest the interpretation of those rules. According to section II.L.4. of the replay regulations, no protest shall ever be permitted on judgement decisions by the replay official. He was denied.”
Carlos Asuaje had these lucid comments, post-game. “I guess the safest thing would be to just stay at second and, if there’s a close play or something, just wait on the base, I really don’t know how else to do that. Nobody’s going to play that ball through — especially with the third baseman standing there. My only move would be to go full-speed and slide into the guy. What if that was the third out at home? What are we going to do? Are we going to fight these guys? I mean, I’m not going to start a brawl.”
Here were Andy Green’s post-game comments. “I don’t know how you think he’s [Asuaje’s] making a full-bore effort to advance to third base. I think it’s a lethargic jog toward the third-base coach, which is pretty customary when the third out of an inning is made. You go hand the guy your helmet. That’s effectively what was happening.”
That’s how you get rooked by the Black Hand. The correct call would have been to send Carlos Asuaje back to second base: two outs, runners at 1st & 2nd base, with Eric Hosmer up. Any replay call that overturns a call on the field must freeze the base runner situation, as everything that occurs after that depends on the call. That’s rational.
Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler was on the ropes, and the umps (on the field & replay) let him off the hook. That unfair & biased call for the home team completely changed the game, as the Mets won easily 6-3. Why aren’t the replay umpires held accountable?
Note that if this situation occurs with only one out, you still have to hustle until the 4th out. For the record, Wil Myers was standing on first base when Asuaje was tagged for the 4th out, so nice base-running Wil. You never want to run into the 4th out of an inning. That’s a new rule. Wil Myers couldn’t possibly run into the fifth out, but he was one of two people who could have run into the fourth out, if that makes any sense.
As we can see, the rules in MLB are now hypothetical, and as far as getting a call goes, it helps to be an east coast team. Mets starter Zack Wheeler pitched 7 innings, allowing only 2 ER, so his trade stock goes up, which is also a factor here. This is what has happened to all sports these days. The traditional rules don’t apply anymore, and it mirrors everyday reality. Only the interests of the privileged count for anything. These “contests” are largely manipulated & fixed. The people & fans have noticed, and it won’t hold up much longer, as there’s too much unfairness & hypocrisy.
Final next-day thoughts:
Baseball is an amazing game because anything can happen, and that’s why we watch. Sometimes you witness something at the ballpark that you’ve never seen before. You can’t say that about most sports.
After thinking about this affair in it’s totality, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the WORST UMPIRING DECISION IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME. It’s so, not just because of the blatant bias involved, but also because it violates & distorts the game’s most basic rule to it’s essence, which is, “three outs ends the inning.”
WikiLeaks’ “crime” is releasing DNC emails which revealed how top Democrats fixed the 2016 primary for Hillary Clinton. Seth Rich and other DNC staffers were the source of the leaks, not the Russians. This persecution of Julian Assange has been a US-led frame-up from the start. It goes hand-in-glove with the “fake news” media blitz, Internet censorship, right-wing feminism & identity politics.
U.K. foreign minister, Jeremy Hunt (above) has threatened WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, daring him to leave the Ecuadorean embassy, “At any time he wants to he is free to walk out onto the street, and the British police will have a warm welcome for him.” Those are the words of a fascist, who employs others to do his dirty work.
Newly-elected Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno (above, in wheelchair) has been under heavy US pressure to expel Assange, as this fascist persecution campaign against WikiLeaks crosses both aisles in official American politics. Moreno has called Julian Assange “a stone in his shoe,” evoking mafia methods for his removal. The Democrats want Assange silenced because he exposed their electoral manipulations of 2016. The Republicans want Assange imprisoned because they are fascists. That’s called an elite consensus in bourgeois politics.
So basically Julian Assange (an Australian citizen) is a man without a country, being persecuted by the governments of the world and their corporate paymasters. The mass media acts as attack dog & purveyor of state propaganda. If these forces are allowed to have their way, then Assange will be forever silenced. The question then becomes: Who’s next?
Julian Assange & Wikileaks reported the truth about what’s going on. Since when has telling the truth been outlawed? The prosecution of Julian Assange represents the most reactionary & violent ideological contortions of the global ruling class. Every pretense of democracy is being threatened in a tyrannical campaign of lies & distortions against this whistle-blower journalist.
Assange’s courage, intelligence & willpower to sustain this fight against global capitalism has won him millions of supporters world-wide. It is now time for these supporters to stand up & speak out in his behalf. It can only be through direct challenge to this elitist apparatus, that Julian Assange’s freedom will be won. It is the working people & youth of the world, who value freedom of information & expression. They must unite and collectively fight for these rights, which are under siege.
Do it now!!
Update July 23, 2018 ~ 4:30 PM ET
Vladimir Putin is the shadowy figure in this conspiracy to evict Julian Assange. Russia could offer him asylum, as they did for Edward Snowden, the man who supplied the leaks on ubiquitous NSA spying. Reporting from Russia Today since their announcement on Friday has been muted.
My sixth sense tells me that Trump & Putin have an arrangement here. Putin fears Assange as much as the rest of the global ruling establishment. His interests are complex. If the US wins this campaign, then Assange is silenced, which he approves. If Assange is freed, then Donald Trump, his fascist cabal, and the US government-intelligence complex all suffer a humiliating set-back– which would be a diplomatic victory for Russia.
The only way to get above this international intrigue is for the youth & working masses of the world to free Assange themselves through collective solidarity & revolutionary action.
Here’s an interesting political theory question. Whom does Julian Assange most resemble in history, right now? Leon Trotsky’s life ended in August 1940, at the outbreak of the second world war; with him in permanent exile, endlessly persecuted by the capitalist & Stalinist bureaucracies– meaning all the governments of the world. The working masses didn’t organize & arm themselves in time to save Trotsky from his horrible death, which he foresaw. Julian Assange doesn’t claim to be a socialist, but his actions and circumstances make him an internationalist of the same quality.
What will be needed, when Assange is inevitably hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London are: 1) large numbers of militant masses, 2) a small army of courageous lawyers, and 3) anyone with media credentials (& clout) broadcasting the events honestly in real time.
It’s going to be a heated, potentially violent situation when it happens. The UK police state will be out in full force, as will be their masked cronies as fascist hooligans. This is an international US/UK provocation on the human rights of an Australian citizen. The masses need to be organized & disciplined, yet ready to defend themselves– and Julian Assange. Anything can happen, and it probably will, soon enough.
Stay tuned!!
Tuesday, July 24, 2018 ~ 1:10 PM ET
We’re currently at the point where fascism is gathering its forces, as quietly as possible– it appears. The news that Julian Assange is about to be expelled has been widely reported, even in America, as USA Today ran a story on it on Saturday, July 21. But the newspaper of record, the New York Times has been remarkably silent. The last story the NYT published on Julian Assange was on March 28, when his Internet was cut off.
The Washington Post doesn’t see these events as newsworthy either, with nothing on Assange’s imminent eviction in a search of their online archives.
The Wall Street Journal won’t let you search their site without a subscription, but I would expect the same results there too. This proves these institutions are not journalists reporting facts in the interest of the public, but instead a corporate propaganda arm of the government-military-intelligence complex. Their job is to hide the truth and confuse the issues as much as possible.
July 27, 2018 ~10:30 AM ET
Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno is in London, ostensibly to attend a disability summit, but really to secretly negotiate the hand-over of Julian Assange to British and (eventually) US authorities. The more this situation is exposed and the facts are reported, the more problematic this covert hand-over will be. Julian Assange needs a massive show of support from youth & working people everywhere, in order to protect the democratic rights of all.
July 28, 2018 ~ 10:00 AM ET
Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, who granted Julian Assange asylum back in 2012, has weighed in with Russia Today on this matter.
“You can be sure that he [Lenin Moreno] is a hypocrite. He already has an agreement with the US about what will happen to Assange. And now he’s just trying to sweeten the pill by saying he’s going to have a dialogue” about conditions of the transfer, Correa told RT Spanish. “I’m afraid … that Assange’s days in our embassy are numbered. [Moreno] talks about a dialogue, but everything has already been agreed with the UK government, especially after Vice President Pence’s visit to Ecuador a few weeks ago.”
Friday August 3, 2018 ~ 3:30 PM ET*
* I keep wondering to myself if I should mark the time as Daylight or Standard. I hate Daylight savings, and believe it is yet another capitalist soft power set piece. The further hypocrisy now is that Daylight savings lasts longer than Standard time in the US. We all have biological clocks that tune into daylight, and this messes with that for no good reason. It hurts working people the most.
Mostly quiet on the Julian Assange front. The latest media rumblings were Ecuadorian President Moreno’s “concern for Julian Assange’s health,” as he has no access to daylight. That makes me wonder what Julian Assange thinks about Daylight savings in America, if he knows/cares?
Right now you can feel both sides working behind- the-scenes, for what promises to be a pitched battle. Moreno has made it clear that he want s Assange’s Ecuadorian citizenship to be revoked, insisting he can’t stay in the embassy “indefinitely.” US Vice President Mike Pence and other high-ranking cabinet members have put heavy pressure on Moreno to deliver Assange to the UK police.
What’s at stake here is a question personified: Are people allowed to tell and know the truth? Neither side is flinching, as the waters are being gently tested through the bourgeois media. When it’s time for the police state to move in and forceably remove Julian Assange, the working masses of the world will immediately spring into action through social media & the Internet. There will be massive political protests, followed by wildcat strikes. This is political economy and revolutionary theory vortexing around the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Sunday August 5, 2018 ~10:00 AM ET
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was apparently the target of a drone attack using explosives during his Saturday public address. Describing the incident, Maduro said a flying object exploded in front of him. “I thought it was a pyrotechnic fire, in a matter of micro seconds there was a second explosion to my right. You could see people running because they felt the shockwave,” he said.
The Venezuelan president accused the far-right opposition and external forces. “I have no doubt that everything points to the Venezuelan ultra-right in alliance with the Colombian extreme right, and the name of [Colombian President] Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack,” he said. Maduro also claimed that initial results of the investigation show that several of those who paid for the attack reside in Florida. Colombia is annually the third largest recipient of US military aid, behind Israel & Egypt.
This incident (once again) has many red flags that suggest a CIA covert operation. Venezuela’s economy is in ruins, with hyperinflation heading towards 1,000,000% by end of year. The US has crippled the country with sanctions, claiming Maduro (like his elected predecessor Hugo Chavez) is a dictator who came to power illegitimately and is starving his people. US President Donald Trump has openly considered a military option against Venezuela, and calls for a coup have made it to the headlines of US mainstream media.
This ongoing violence must be seen in the light of the pressure being put on Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno to hand Julian Assange over the the UK police, so he can be extradited to the US to face a sealed indictment. The more this South American region is destabilized, the easier it is for US imperialism to hold sway. The message is clear, if Moreno doesn’t do Washington’s bidding, then he can expect to be put in the cross-hairs too.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 ~ 10:30 AM ET
Breaking news (at least on Russia Today), that Julian Assange has been summoned by the US Senate Intelligence Committee to testify behind closed doors. This Committee is headed by leading CIA Democrat Mark Warner (Va), and also includes prominent US senators: Marco Rubio (R-Fl), Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca), Ron Wyden (D-Or), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), John McCain (R-Az), and Charles Schumer (D-NY).
As we can see there is bi-partisan consensus among the elites to silence Julian Assange behind closed doors, and censor the Internet. WikiLeaks is preparing it’s response as of this writing.
The US Senate Intelligence Committee is so-named because supposedly it provides Congressional oversite on the Intelligence apparatus. This is a misnomer for two reasons: 1) because there is no real oversite, as the deep state does as it pleases, and 2) there are very little brains on this committee of fascists pretending to be legitimate representatives of the American people.
Thursday August 9, 2018 ~ 10:40 AM ET
I live in Florida, so I caught this headline from yesterday’s Tampa Bay Times in my newsfeed this morning:
But no evidence of this is presented– classified national (in)security. Marco Rubio and the rest of the fascists on Senate Intelligence Committee are also in on this.
Senator Bill Nelson is locked in a tight race with outgoing Governor Rick Scott for his seat. This puts a criminal corporate raider (Columbia/HCA)) to the left [!] of his Democrat incumbent opponent– until he acquiesces. This is another ruse to create the pretext for mass repression of political dissent & Internet censorship. The “Russians” are dissidents like you & me, and we are not the enemy. This is the Big Lie technique being used for mind control– as another propaganda offensive,
Speaking of newsfeeds, have you noticed how much harder it is to find relevant stories now? It’s like the Internet has been scrubbed, and your searches don’t yield the fertile results it used to. That’s Google, Amazon, Fakebook and the rest of the tech giants working with the deep state to control the free flow of information. Do you agree with that policy?Who decided on this? How can we hold these people accountable? How can we change things? These are the questions that run through my mind daily.
What am I doing, really? That’s a question I ask myself, from time-to-time. I’ve noticed the answer is always changing. Situations change and scenarios become played out, and that’s when changes become part of the equation. Seeing & knowing the changes is called dialectics, which I’ve stressed the importance of– over & over.
It’s when everything is moving at once (falling apart & coming together), that a dialectician can lead by action & example. This mastery seems mystical, but really it’s scientific. Marxism is the science of political economy under capitalism. It’s philosophy is dialectical materialism. The aim of Marxism is to find the truth in all things. All the classical Marxist masters from Engels, Plekhanov, Luxemburg, Lenin & Trotsky were dialecticians. This allowed them to see further (and more clearly) into the future than their contemporaries, even up to the present.
Marxists as dialecticians are problem solvers. Today the world is in crisis, as fascists have captured the US government, while the military-intelligence apparatus is hurtling all of us towards another World War. World War III ends in mutually assured destruction for the planet. Plus, we’ve got global warming on top of all this. These problems are going to take serious brains and real courage to solve.
It’s a political problem, not a technological issue, as mankind could easily socialize today if it had the political awareness. It’s still an issue of educating & organizing the masses for an overwhelming takeover of power. The coming global socialist revolution is going to be a numerically overpowering hostile takeover of the Wall Street banks, Washington’s ruling apparatus, social & mass media, and the stolen wealth of global billionaires who have trashed our planet, while enslaving most of its population in the selfish interest of enriching themselves. That aggression will not stand. The people of the world will not allow themselves to be enslaved & consumed in perpetuity.
The mass media, Internet and social media are key tools in fighting fascism. It must be clearly understood by all in the US, that the most dangerous enemy of the working class is the Democratic party and all that orbits it. Pseudo-intelligent leftists and those preaching identity politics are hypocrites with deep personal & financial interests at stake. They can never be swayed, as they sold their souls to capitalism long ago. They are only to be considered an enemy to be defeated.
The allies of revolutionary socialists are the exploited youth & working masses of the world. The way forward requires “pressing in” in all fronts. Authority needs to be freely questioned, discussed and challenged– everywhere. Abuse-of-power is become standardized by fascism. Fight this by taking the power back.
Fascists don’t listen to reason, they only understand hate & violence. This needs to be met (EVERYWHERE) with fierce resistance, and any necessary back-up. The Second Amendment means regular people have guns too, and the explicit reason is to protect their freedoms from any unconstitutional government intrusion.
We no longer are a nation of laws. This has been evidentially true since Bush v Gore in 2000, and really true since 9/11. In 2013, Edward Snowden revealed to the world (through WikiLeaks) the massive NSA global spying operation. Everything we do on an Internet-connected device is recorded into their database. Video & audio recording is also always happening in real time (24/7/365) from your camera app. Americans live in a modern-day police state.
Who monitors the NSA? This institution (like all the rest–really), has no public accountability, and merely serves as a spy & military police tool for the ruling elite. Top Democrats including Mark Warner & Nancy Pelosi are intimately tied into this deep state apparatus. These are today’s leading voices for more domestic spying & foreign drone wars, both policies which were expanded under Obama/Biden. The Democrats live on half-truths, making them the most despicable form of liars.
The secret to conquest of power by the working masses is realizing its own power. The lowliest janitors and first-class privates have keys & access to the most sophisticated military/intelligence centers. The elites don’t keep these places clean & operational, it’s working people who do this. They are already inside, but lack of political awareness incapacitates them.
The most deluded elitists have now turned to artificial intelligence technology as they savior, because 1) paranoia; and 2) they have run out of brains themselves. Elite “leaders” with every resource in the world available to them, can’t even find answers to simple problems anymore, because their “thinking” is so warped.
Thus these elitist scum have someone program a computer to think for them. No more need to think & problem-solve!Convenient, huh? This degenerated ruling bureaucracy is completely enabled by workers, who still don’t quite realize what’s going on; and how bad thing actually are. They need to speed up their learning curve, because things have already gone dangerously too far. What’s required is an attitude that is 100% defiant to the irrationality that surrounds us.
It’s my job to teach & explain this, so that’s what I’m doing. We can win, if we realize our combined strength– and always act in everyone’s best interest. When we forget to help others, eventually they disappear, and then there are less people to help when Big Brother turns on us. That’s why protecting the rights of others (who are less fortunate) is paramount. Only by realizing the true value of solidarity can the evils of capitalism be overthrown in permanence.
Sports are used to distract the masses. As of this publication, there are two major international sporting events competing for our attention: Wimbledon, and the World Cup being held in Russia. At the All England Club, the story has been the manipulation of seedings on the women’s side.
Serena Williams is currently WTA-ranked #181, but insisted on being seeded for Wimbledon. It was an unprecedented move for the oldest tennis tournament and the professional tour, but Serena was seeded #25. Even that generous seeding now appears to be an understatement of the bias in her favor.
Serena Williams has cruised into the 4th round, without facing any opponent who ranks higher than #62 in the WTA. She faced #105 Arantxa Rus in the 1st Round, and #135 Viktoriya Tomova in the 2nd. Her opponent in the Round-of-16 is Evgeniya Rodina– WTA Rank #120.
Meanwhile stacked brackets everywhere else have resulted in numerous upsets among the top-seeded women. Major bitch factor is now on-the-scene, as the women’s draw feels like a manipulation scheme by ESPN to glorify Serena Williams– new mother, black female role model, blah, blah, blah…. The women know, and aren’t happy about it– you can tell.
Serena Williams is being used as American propaganda to distract people from the success of the World Cup in Russia. The problem is: England is in the semis, and the whole world is watching. The US didn’t qualify for WC 2018, so they’re out in the cold. Old partnerships are fracturing at the seams– it seems. These are high-level, multi-pronged political maneuverings– for sure; so the truth will be hidden and covered-up with lies by a compliant mass media.
Make no mistake, sports are used as propaganda, and nothing is bigger than the World Cup. Every country gets a chance to qualify, and every government wants its national team to show well. Winning is perceived as national glory for all, and a safely-valve for mass discontent. Brazil is perhaps the best example of fùtbol’s dangerous contradictions.
The last four teams remaining in WC 2018 are France v Belgium and Croatia v England. World Cup 2022 is to be held in Qatar, where the average summer temperature is ~110 degrees Fahrenheit, but global warming will surely make it even hotter by then. Qatar is still in the process of constructing the necessary facilities, all-the-while war & starvation are ravishing the Arabian Peninsula. World Cup 2026 is to be held in the US.
Note that the host county automatically gets in, per FIFA. Russia’s national team had a great run, losing to Croatia in the quarterfinals on penalty kicks. Our world (rich & poor) is addicted to sports, so the propaganda value attached to these nationalist matches is immense. This phenomena needs to be more broadly understood to be overcome.
When the World Cup is held (men’s, & women’s since 1991), travel & visa requirements are temporarily suspended. Teams and their fans must be freely allowed in & out, for the good of the event. Consider this in the context of ongoing attacks on immigrants by the reactionary governments of the world. The World Cup (at its best) is an international celebration of peace through athletic competition. That’s a Marxist materialist perspective.
Final Update: Saturday July 14, 2018 ~1:30 PM ET
The propaganda wars continue after Angie Kerber decisively defeats Serena Williams: 6-3, 6-3 in the Wimbledon women’s finals. Shown below was Kerber’s Wikipedia page moments after her victory. It was changed minutes later, after I posted this screenshot on my Fakebook page.
“Angelique Kerber… is a German professional tennis player… A left-hander, known for her aggressive counter-punching all-court game, and loves the boaby, Kerber has won 11 singles titles across all surfaces on the WTA Tour, including three Major titles at the 2016 Australian Open, the 2016 US Open, and 2018 Wimbledon in which she took Serena Williams to CHUUUURCH. She has also won an Olympic silver medal while representing Germany at the 2016 Summer Olympics.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is off to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland as the World Cup comes to it’s glorious conclusion with France v Croatia in the finals. Who knows what criminality these two hoodlums will be discussing in private, as the world cheers this match? The mass media will only continue to poison its airwaves & the Internet with yellow journalism and lies. Sports are big business– meant to distract the masses from this most-serious hidden business, and that’s why they can’t be ignored or underestimated.
By now everyone has heard about the byebyebikini campaign for the 2019 Miss America pageant, which has been instituted by the MeToo-ers.
Also the “evening gown” competition has been changed, to allow the contestants to wear whatever they choose. The organizers claim this will allow the contestants to better display their talent in representing Miss America.
Of course, “talent” for women means their ability to make a man get a hard-on, and then satisfying his whims. All this leads to the obvious question: what if a contestant chooses to come out IN A BIKINI!?! It could be a winning move, considering her talent.
Final point: you can’t remove the bikini from the optional wardrobe section of the Miss America competition, without taking away a woman’s right to choose. Checkmate
Nothing irritates these hysterical brainless hashbags more than being mated without their consent.
Julian Assange has been a political prisoner for nearly eight years. For the past six years, he has been trapped in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, under conditions that have deteriorated into cruel & inhumane confinement. Julian Assange has committed no crime. He is being persecuted for exposing the crimes of the global ruling class- primarily those of the US & UK.
This attack campaign began with sensationalist rape charges in November 2010, by Swedish authorities on behalf of two women with which Assange had been intimate. These initial allegations have since been revoked by the accusers, after they were proven to be false and part of a frame-up. The criminal case has been dismissed by Swedish authorities, yet Assange’s detention continues– as the US/UK deep states are the motor forces behind silencing Assange.
This video, titled “Collateral Murder” forever earned Assange (& Wikileaks) the enmity of US imperialism. After viewing this footage, most people around the world responded with shock & horror. It’s instructive to notice how liberal apologists (CBS here) respond with blathering nonsense such as, “It’s important for all of us to remember; it was a hectic, violent, and uneasy day…”
Julian Assange can only liberated from this sadistic punishment through a direct assault on the institutions that are imprisoning him. The US government-military-corporate-intelligence apparatus has worked together to censor opposition to his illegal detention, while slandering him in the media. These corrupt bastions of reaction must been courageously confronted, ruthlessly exposed, and finally smashed.
This offensive against fascism must be relentless & global. Every government of every nation has abandoned Julian Assange and shifted to the right, and thus his only political ally is a united international working class armed with a program of revolutionary socialism.
Everyone who freely lives & breathes needs to join this fight, as Julian Assange has represented those who didn’t have a voice. Therefore, it is now our turn to speak up and act in his behalf, as he personifies the yearning for freedom that burns inside all of those who resist oppression, and strive for peace & equality.
What’s going on with North Korea? That’s the question everyone is asking, but not getting any factual answers to. Any bourgeois analysis is (at best) conjecture, which is useless. Can anyone explain why Donald Trump keeps flipping his position on North Korea? I can, and here it is.
This mess began on September 3, 2017 when an underground nuclear test at Mount Mantrap in North Korea collapsed the mountain, killing over 200 workers and causing a “Chernobyl-like meltdown” of the facility. This tragic mishap instantly wiped out North Korea’s nuclear capability. I published my account of all this on November 5, 2017.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is known for his regime of repressive state censorship, so it comes as no surprise that he would hide this accident, and there have been no official reports of this catastrophe in any North Korean media. The true conspiracy is the fact that the US-led media in the West has chosen to censor this fantastic story. There can be no doubt that every nation’s intelligence apparatus around the globe knew/knows of this event.
Even Russia Today (RT) is censoring this story, as there are explosive international ramifications. Below is a RT story on the recent team of international journalists that went to North Korea’s secret nuclear test site to witness its “demolition. ” It is their only one that even mentioned the possibility of the September 3, 2017 accident. It did not report it as fact. I conveniently copied & pasted this story when I first read it, as it mentioned the nuclear meltdown in its final paragraph. It has since been edited, to hide that fact in the middle of the story. No other Russia Today story mentions this event, to date.
RT arrives in N. Korea to witness closure of Punggye-ri nuclear test site (VIDEO) Published time: 22 May, 2018 20:43 Edited time: 22 May, 2018 21:12
RT arrives in N. Korea to witness closure of Punggye-ri nuclear test site (VIDEO) Kim Jong-un inspects a ballistic missile in 2017. / Reuters
After a two-hour charter flight from Beijing, RT’s Igor Zhdanov and a small team of international journalists have arrived in North Korea, where they will witness Pyongyang close its only nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.
After Tuesday night’s trip to the nuclear site was called off, the team is staying in the resort city of Wonsan overnight. When they finally reach the nuclear site some 600 kilometers away, the Kim regime has promised a spectacle.
“The whole site will be razed to the ground and technical buildings reduced to rubble,” North Korean officials said.
The destruction will be witnessed by a group of around 20 journalists from Britain, Russia, China and the US. South Korean journalists were snubbed after Kim cancelled a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week in response to joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.
READ MORE: Bolton wants all of North Korea’s nukes shipped to US in exchange for ‘security assurances’
While the closure of the Punggye-ri site is a much-touted gesture of goodwill, it is unclear if the site even remains usable. Following a powerful nuclear test there last year, a collapse left as many as 200 North Korean laborers dead.
That one line of conjecture in Russia Today is the only press coverage of the entire North Korea/US diplomacy that even hints at the critical fact of a catastrophic nuclear accident. Upon this charade “demolition,” US President Donald Trump called off the supposed “peace summit,” which is to be held on June 12 in Singapore. This was entirely predictable using dialectics, if one understood the underlying facts & political motivations,
The dialectical turning point in this entire sordid affair was on May 10, 2018 when Science magazine published its topographical analysis of North Korea’s mountain test site: “The rise, collapse, and compaction of Mt. Mantap from the 3 September 2017 North Korean nuclear test.” The conclusions are obvious: this was a colossal collapse which likely buried the facility, and surely rendered it useless. On May 13th, I published “US Conspiracy to Hide North Korea’s Nuclear Meltdown on September 3, 2017.”
During this time, it was announced by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that they would be “demolishing” their test site on May 23-25. They invited international journalist to witness the event. Many, many more than the 20-or-so journalists who were selected wanted to go. This set May 23rd, 2018 as “dialects day” for Marxists, as this was clearly when the Trump administration was going to have to make its counter move. I posted this warning on Fakebook on May 23rd:
The journalists were delayed a day by bad weather, so the site wasn’t reached until May 24. The “demolition” was photographed, and explosions were made. The Trump administration responded by canceling the summit, in this public letter shown below. There was a lot of fanfare that went with it.
Reuters, May 24, 2017: On again? Trump says still chance of June 12 North Korea summit[1]
Then…. yet another zig-zag from the Trump administration, which has been caught with their pants down. They wanted “maximum pressure,” but (of course) it blew up in their faces. Actually, it blew up in North Korea on September 3rd, 2017, a disaster that is now widely known in the media, but yet still isn’t being reported. Why is that?
The upshot is that everyone now knows the North Korean military has no nuclear capacity. Thus, Trump can’t posture tough anymore, without looking like the bully picking a fight with a defenseless enemy. That’s why he’s “re-thinking” the summit, which he must attend. Got all that, James Cogan of the World Socialist Web Site?!
Conclusion: This lack of dialectics & clear Marxist analysis on US/North Korean diplomacy is creating dissension among WSWS readership. That creates openings for unprincipled agitators to wreak havoc.
Taking a wait-and-see approach to the facts, while interpreting Trump administration press releases as serious business, is bourgeois reporting. Marxists seek out & uncover the facts, then rationally & scientifically analyze them to discover the truth; so when 2+2=? presents itself dialectically, they can surmise the answer to be four. Political careerists always fail at this, proving the WSWS needs more dialectical revolutionaries in its ranks & leadership. That’s where the working people of the world are with North Korea, and US intrigue diplomacy.
I’ve made a lot of enemies on this site. What I sing, write, and film isn’t popular with the people who run the world. They make sure I suffer for it.
It’s to them I owe this to. They blacklist, censor, and lie about me. This sends a message to all their Republican/Democrat minions to hate on me, and I feel it in real life & online– everyday.
You see I brought this on myself, and therefore deserve to be censored, spied upon, and targeted as an “enemy of the state,” or any other vague & unconstitutional (illegal) term that’s used.
I am a Marxist, a revolutionary socialist. But those terms aren’t allowed to be used in the media, so I’m instead referred to (in fake news terminology) as a “Russian troll bot,” or whatever…
You see, I never learned that you can go “too far” with the truth. Most people like the truth, but aren’t in love with it– if you get my meaning. They want the truth, so long as it’s convenient, and fits their agenda & bias. But when it blows that, the truth becomes a liability. This is why things are so fucked-up.
So this letter is for all the former friends, colleagues & acquaintances that I’ve offended. It’s hard to put into words how I truly feel, as it’s a combination of disgust & disappointment, tempered with creative optimism that adheres to a dialectical Marxist method.
What this means is real life, is that I’m going nowhere financially, and therefore will not be able to afford a beautiful woman, raise a family, and find happiness. No worries, I simply carry on with my work (in every field), without adulation or even recognition. This makes me like 80-90% of the world’s population, who mostly keep their mouths shut, which is why they are starving or in the neighborhood. For all this, I’m made to feel compelled to apologize to the paymasters.
There are many in power who recognize Ric Size, but my name (in any version) is not to be mentioned publicly–EVER! Ric Size is the great unmentionable artist & political leader of today, as he represents Trotskyism & total creative freedom. No other artist in music, film, painting, literature (or anything else!), dares to stand with Ric Size on principle, proving them all phonies– at least to that extent. For this I must apologize, as many sensibilities will be bruised over this.
Of course, it’s too late for apologies, as I can never be forgiven by the deep state ruling apparatus. I let the proverbial genie out of the bottle too many times already for forgiveness. I’ve also called-out too many celebrity athletes & entertainers for their hypocrisy, to which they have no reply– except censorship.
My comments & criticisms have made some of them “uncomfortable,” devalued the brands & companies of others, and have basically made them look bad. This rabble-rousing commentary is considered counter-productive to capitalist market efficiency. What do you think Warren Buffet or Mark Zuckerberg would pay to make all Ric Size content disappear?
Nobody does what I’ve done, and gets away with it. So therefore, I owe an apology. Here it is.
Jimmie Johnson is NASCAR’s greatest active legend– a 7-time series champion. His career sponsor Lowe’s is canceling its iconic affiliation with the #48 car after this season. What is not discussed is the unthinkable, which is Jimmie Johnson being forced into retirement, much like Danica Patrick, due to lack of sponsorship in NASCAR.
Note that Jimmie Johnson can’t even begin to court new sponsors until the season is over, because he has to fulfill his obligations to Lowe’s. All while he is running with Chevrolet, who are clearly inferior to Ford & Toyota in 2018. Jimmie Johnson mentioned this manufacturing disadvantage last fall, so it’s no surprise to those who follow.
His drop-off in performance isn’t because he suddenly stinks, as Jimmie Johnson is a serious athlete who keeps himself in top condition; biking, running, skiing, etc. He has managed to dominate his sport because he out-works and out-thinks everyone else. Plus he’s a great driver, who respects his competition.
When NASCAR is diddling around with Goldman Sachs trying to figure out if it should sell out, this creates instability in the market. This makes it HARDER for Jimmie Johnson (and everyone else) to find sponsorship. It’s pretty simple, when the bosses are completely selfish & blind, then there’s nothing you can do.
Jimmie Johnson is taking most of this with professional ease, as he’s been through the wars. He knows which battles you can’t win, and when to move on. This may be the end for Jimmie Johnson, yet no one wants to say this is the end. Brian France immediately denied they were exploring a sale of NASCAR, by sending a memo to all employees. Fans wondered if Goldman Sach’s got a memo?
Most NASCAR faithful want Brian France & family out, so the question becomes: what is NASCAR worth? A lot of what NASCAR is worth depends on who you ask. I don’t see a whole lot of assets (beyond the TV deal), so France may refuse if he feels the price is too low. On the other hand he may just want to dump this expensive mess, because eventually (2024) the TV money will dry up, with only a fraction of that will replace it. That’s the gun being held to Brian France’s head by corporate America.
Corporate may be offering 2 cents on the dollar, which of course is an insult France must refuse. The problem is: all the leverage is with corporate, and they are going to be nasty about going to even two-and-a-half cents…
Another problem for France & family is their “Danica gap.” Danica Patrick is an icon who brought tens-of-millions of kids into NASCAR, something no other driver could possibly do. What those kids saw (over & over) was her being sabotaged by her own team, and wrecked by her competition– all sanctioned by NASCAR. It was a big joke to those haters and could never control their hard-ons.
The ‘Danica gap” immediately revealed itself when she left the sport (which showed her no love), and all her fans went with her. That’s what happened after Daytona, three months ago. All her fans care about now is her final run at the Indianapolis 500, while NASCAR is begging for a respectable buyout offer. The sponsors & corporate America see Brian France as a sitting duck, waist-deep in his own excrement and rising…
NASCAR is holding their annual All Star race this fortnight in Charlotte, NC which has been their real headquarters for awhile now. Matt Kenseth, who just came out of retirement last week [!] is in the race. That’s NASCAR for you.
The qualifying race has no interest because Danica Patrick isn’t in it this year. She always should have been in the main event on fan voting, as she had more fan popularity than the entire field combined, but that ballot was always rigged. For instance, last year (2017) Chase Elliott was given the nod on the fan vote, immediately after he failed to win a stage in the qualifier. Just another example of how NASCAR shot itself in the foot.
The confluence of all these disasters & maneuverings leads to the question of questions for all you racing guys. Which would you rather have: NASCAR or Danica Patrick?
On rain-out policy & taking care of the fans:
Many long-time NASCAR fans have exclaimed the need for this sport to scale back, and regionalize itself again in the Southeast. They are correct. This would reduce travel expenses and allow NASCAR to reconnect with its roots. If NASCAR held 3-4 races per season at 6-8 regional tracks, then rain-outs could easily be accommodated.
Running a race on Monday when everyone has left to get back to reality, dismisses the investment fans make to attend a race. A washout ticket should get you free entry to the next race held at that track. THAT would get race fans excited, while protecting their investment in a ticket & advanced travel expenses. This should roll over to the next season if the final race at that site is a rain-out, or apply to any other regional track if that is more convenient for the fan.
NASCAR has to get real and start taking care of its fans, or else it’s going to be lights out. I don’t believe the sponsors & networks are willing to cooperate or be reasonable. Instead they want full control. Brian France & family are apparently too greedy & ignorant to care. This power struggle is tearing NASCAR apart, which sucks for the fans.
On NASCAR backroom politics:
What’s going on here is a behind-the-scenes power struggle. On one side is NASCAR, with all it’s good ‘ol boys on the family payroll. On the other side is (Yankee) corporate, represented by NBC, Fox, and all the sponsors, who demand accountability & profits. Who is going to manage & control this sport? Brian France & his entire NASCAR organization is being called into question by big money. This will be a fight to the death.
The issue that isn’t being brought up is organizing driver representation. If there is to be any progress, then drivers & pit crew grievances & issues must be brought to the bargaining table in an organized & unified manner– with full fan support. Fans want to support their drivers & teammates, but certain “stars” (who really ain’t shit) need to come back to Earth and join their underpaid brethren competitors, otherwise there will be no future for NASCAR.
This is the scorecard fans hold up when it is announced that the France family is exploring the sale of NASCAR. Selling depends on value, and all sides must agree. otherwise it’s an impasse. The sides that are never consulted are the fans & drivers.
The chatter from corporate on an impeding takeover is their salivation over obtaining “360 deals” with the drivers. For those not understanding this meaning, 360-deals are an entertainment industry contract term, which gives corporate all rights over every aspect of the star’s life.
Any private ventures, book deals, etc., fall under corporate ownership & control. They are called “360-deals,” because like 360 degrees in a circle, they encompass every aspect of your life. Corporate makes lots of money off that, while sucking the performer dry. This is corporate America’s vision for NASCAR’s future, complete enslavement of the drivers to maximize their profits. That’s capitalism, baby!
On BK Racing’s bankruptcy hearings:
This could be an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. Ron Devine (Boss Hogg) shedding crocodile years for his team which he has repeatedly ripped off. Subplot: Can Gray Gaulding (Coy/Vance) keep his professional racing dreams alive, while Daisy is off running the Indy 500? Tune in next week!
Misc Notes:
For people new to NASCAR, here’s a cheat sheet. The modern era of this sport began after Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona Super-speedway on February 18, 2001. The greatest champion of the old timers was Richard Petty, who doesn’t even own his team anymore. Of the current era (which is now coming to close); Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart & Jimmie Johnson are it’s greatest champions. Dale Earnhardt, Jr & Danica Patrick have been it’s greatest ambassadors. One was adored & endlessly glorified, while the other was hated, wrecked & dumped upon.
On PED’s in NASCAR:
Adderall is in the amphetamine class of drugs, a central nervous system stimulant. Adderall is medically prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Adderall has been banned in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NCAA. In a podcast interview last fall, Denny Hamlin estimated ~70% of NASCAR drivers use Adderall.
On Talladega:
On Sunday, April 29, 2018 the winner was Joey Logano. There was no “Big One” this year at spring Talladega, (photo above is 2017). This was NASCAR’s first “post-Danica” restrictor plate race. Without her on the track, there’s no reason for these rednecks to wreck each other.
NASCAR update 5-20-17:
Rob Kauffman says RTA’s new executive hired to help owners align Bob Pockrass ESPN.com
This is the latest development in the sale of NASCAR. The team owners feel the need for legal representation, if there is indeed going to be a sell-out to corporate by Brian France & family. Rob Kauffman loves the charter system, so owner & NASCAR interests are covered.
What’s missing is legal representation for the drivers & crew. As we’ve seen in the BK Racing bankruptcy court transcripts, owners don’t always pay the help, so they better organize their own leadership which bargains collectively. Otherwise the drivers & crew members will get eaten up. That’s the economic game behind-the-scenes, and the drivers are asleep-at-the-wheel on it.
