One important note: while at this point there are “countless virologists and epidemiologists” who “have said, the greatest threat Covid now poses isn’t immediate death. It’s chronic illness and permanent disability,” that’s not who said it first and consistently -- it’s been chronically ill and disabled people OURSELVES. Because a bunch of us who have ME/CFS and other complex chronic conditions got it from other viruses. We saw this coming but no one listened to us. They still don’t.
And the first major study about Long COVID was released as a preprint in May of 2020 by Patient Led Research Collaborative (of which I am a member), where people with long COVID documented our own experiences. It later became a peer reviewed Lancet study.
"The ownership class would preside over the continued mass infection of every other class, while keeping themselves safe with the latest vaccines on top of masks and air cleaning technologies. [...] Not only would they profit off vaccines, but the virus would guarantee them a steady stream of new patients to bill. As a bonus, insurance companies would benefit from a culling of the elderly."
Of course, this sounds unbelievable and crazy. But Klein well documents this is the strategy used by our corporate overlords. Their amoral evaluation only cares about profits. The only "good" to them is what increases profits. If it's more profitable to feed orphans to the orphan crusher, that's what happens.
They are incapable of realizing the gravity of their error...because they don't see it as one.
I was a poor kid who went to Wall Street. I worked and worked and met rich, not wealthy people. 1 day I met wealth. They gifted me a book: The Bottom of the Pyramid by Prahalad. I read it and recognised it's utility. Once I finished The Shock Doctrine by Klein, and Diplomacy by Kissinger I understood that these are playbooks. The wealthy weaponise the thinking of great people and Klein makes that clear. Between the lines of Eisenhower's speech we can find a plea for humanity ignored by the wealthy and very wealthy and by some rich people. We require humans to make the voice of the people, and not the voice of power, the most important thing we hear. Great article. Provocative phrasing and illuminating prose.
I figured that disaster capitalism was already going to get to work shortly after the pandemic started. I mean, opportunity of a lifetime. And with Trump in office, there'd be free rein. Greatest irony is that under Biden all the brakes got ripped off. The man's been bought and sold by Big Corporate his whole career and his cartilage might as well be credit card plastic.
And behind the billionaires are the media barons, especially Murdoch and his minions, pumping out the toxic sludge that keeps warning voices muted and undermined.
Thank you for your robust and informed compassion!
Have you ever read the book ‘Want’ by Cindy Pon? It’s a teen book that my son picked up last summer and I subsequently read as well. I think about it often. It’s set in a future where the rich wear full body protective suits, clean their air/environment and the poor are infected by constantly mutating diseases. Oh and the rich sometimes spread or engineer new viruses to improve profits….
Other great books about the quiet counter Revolution to the New Deal (aka the Empire of Big Capital Strikes Back):
- Invisible Hands by Kim Philips Fein
- Democracy In Chains by Nancy Maclean
- Dark Money by Jane Mayer
- Evil Geniuses by Kurt Anderson
- Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
All of these books are meticulously sourced and written by award winning highly credible journalists.
It’s the story of our time.
This silent or “novocain” revolution facilitated run amok global warming, spiraling income inequality, gun violence, opioid deaths and a news media that no longer reports on reality.
Absolutely classic book. Pinochet in Chile was just about the classic example of shock doctrine gone awry, or functioning exactly as intended, depending on who you are and what you believe. This reminds me, I need to revisit so much if this old stuff I haven’t read in over a decade.
the Ukraine war is good for business. Arms manufacturers are literally making a killing. That can also spin out of control. Think of what the billionaires are thinking about 'nuclear' options. It's the only thing Stanley Kubrick forgot to put in DR. STRANGELOVE.
Think too, of how China and Qatar were demonized during this pandemic. Both countries appear to have taken sensible precautions. Qatar did not have a huge surge in cases after the World Cup. China's cases are well below those in Japan and the USA (the top two, according to Johns Hopkins.)
What is so hard for billionaires to understand? Do they think that they, their families and future offspring will go unscathed while the rest of us die? No. Once you destroy the Amazon you have destroyed the lungs of the planet for them too. (And .... the list is endless of things being destroyed), glaciers, fish, pollutants that won't dissolve, food that poisons adults and children alike, and so on.)
What is it about this that is so hard to see? Just narcissism? Stupidity? A feeling of invincibility? I just don't get it.
I went to see the Wizards over Christmas Jessica and made my Climate pitch. They were unconvinced.
We discussed Rome and its fate.
Their position was simple. Even if Climate Change caused the population of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin to decline 50% and the Central Government to collapse.
BUSINESS AND TRADE NEVER STOPPED.
The only path they see forward is "full speed ahead". They are betting civilization that another Borlaug or Einstein will appear and Fusion will be cracked.
If we try "degrowth" and "reallocation" billions will die. If we "push on". There's a good chance technology will save us and no one has to die.
How can you not want to take that chance?
How can you want to bet against human ingenuity?
Do you want your grandchildren to hide in fear when lightning flashes in the sky. Afraid of "sky gods"?
Don't you think it's better to try for a future where they own the solar system. A solar system of infinite resources.
A future where they can reach for the Stars.
That's the sales pitch. I think people are going to like it. Expect to hear a lot of "happy talk" about FUSION.
You should check out my last 2 Climate Articles. They aren't in the Bomb Time or Crisis series. It's Personal Notes -09 and Short Takes - 07.
You will understand when you read them. I'm writing on China. Things are escalating behind the scenes a lot. Our internal weakness has made us so fragile and stressed. That they may decide to try giving us a push to see if we collapse.
Also, I read several more big studies linking all sorts of neurodegenerative conditions to viruses. Including Alzheimers.
They don't have the virus but the study shows conclusively that it seems to spread in a viral pattern. The way you would expect it to, if it was a virus.
There's a lot of chatter in that community about possible prion based infections (mad cow).
This is so damn good. I hate to admit it's what we're dealing with because on one hand it seems nuts....but it's 100% obvious this is true. Hard for most people to see the big picture. And I'm NO conspiracy theorist. Depressing. Hopefully we get some kind of good news soon.
One important note: while at this point there are “countless virologists and epidemiologists” who “have said, the greatest threat Covid now poses isn’t immediate death. It’s chronic illness and permanent disability,” that’s not who said it first and consistently -- it’s been chronically ill and disabled people OURSELVES. Because a bunch of us who have ME/CFS and other complex chronic conditions got it from other viruses. We saw this coming but no one listened to us. They still don’t.
And the first major study about Long COVID was released as a preprint in May of 2020 by Patient Led Research Collaborative (of which I am a member), where people with long COVID documented our own experiences. It later became a peer reviewed Lancet study.
That’s why we released the Pandemics Are Chronic pledge , vowing to center disabled and chronically ill people in pandemics instead of writing us off. https://longcovidjustice.org/pandemics-are-chronic__trashed/pandemics-are-chronic-a-statement-of-commitment-to-long-covid-justice/
"The ownership class would preside over the continued mass infection of every other class, while keeping themselves safe with the latest vaccines on top of masks and air cleaning technologies. [...] Not only would they profit off vaccines, but the virus would guarantee them a steady stream of new patients to bill. As a bonus, insurance companies would benefit from a culling of the elderly."
Of course, this sounds unbelievable and crazy. But Klein well documents this is the strategy used by our corporate overlords. Their amoral evaluation only cares about profits. The only "good" to them is what increases profits. If it's more profitable to feed orphans to the orphan crusher, that's what happens.
They are incapable of realizing the gravity of their error...because they don't see it as one.
Sounds like a less fun plot of The Fifth Element.
I was a poor kid who went to Wall Street. I worked and worked and met rich, not wealthy people. 1 day I met wealth. They gifted me a book: The Bottom of the Pyramid by Prahalad. I read it and recognised it's utility. Once I finished The Shock Doctrine by Klein, and Diplomacy by Kissinger I understood that these are playbooks. The wealthy weaponise the thinking of great people and Klein makes that clear. Between the lines of Eisenhower's speech we can find a plea for humanity ignored by the wealthy and very wealthy and by some rich people. We require humans to make the voice of the people, and not the voice of power, the most important thing we hear. Great article. Provocative phrasing and illuminating prose.
I figured that disaster capitalism was already going to get to work shortly after the pandemic started. I mean, opportunity of a lifetime. And with Trump in office, there'd be free rein. Greatest irony is that under Biden all the brakes got ripped off. The man's been bought and sold by Big Corporate his whole career and his cartilage might as well be credit card plastic.
And behind the billionaires are the media barons, especially Murdoch and his minions, pumping out the toxic sludge that keeps warning voices muted and undermined.
Thank you for your robust and informed compassion!
50 claps! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽x10 at least!
Have you ever read the book ‘Want’ by Cindy Pon? It’s a teen book that my son picked up last summer and I subsequently read as well. I think about it often. It’s set in a future where the rich wear full body protective suits, clean their air/environment and the poor are infected by constantly mutating diseases. Oh and the rich sometimes spread or engineer new viruses to improve profits….
Another excellent piece.
Well done and so appreciated.
Other great books about the quiet counter Revolution to the New Deal (aka the Empire of Big Capital Strikes Back):
- Invisible Hands by Kim Philips Fein
- Democracy In Chains by Nancy Maclean
- Dark Money by Jane Mayer
- Evil Geniuses by Kurt Anderson
- Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
All of these books are meticulously sourced and written by award winning highly credible journalists.
It’s the story of our time.
This silent or “novocain” revolution facilitated run amok global warming, spiraling income inequality, gun violence, opioid deaths and a news media that no longer reports on reality.
Jane Meyer's "Dark Money" and "Big Dirty Money," by Jennifer Taub - essential reading about the history of these rich MF's.
Absolutely classic book. Pinochet in Chile was just about the classic example of shock doctrine gone awry, or functioning exactly as intended, depending on who you are and what you believe. This reminds me, I need to revisit so much if this old stuff I haven’t read in over a decade.
Cartoonists get it, too bad most people don't take them seriously. https://www.projectcensored.org/billionaires-featured-four-times-often-poor-tv-news/the-uss-inequality-sinking-ship-inequality-cartoon/
the Ukraine war is good for business. Arms manufacturers are literally making a killing. That can also spin out of control. Think of what the billionaires are thinking about 'nuclear' options. It's the only thing Stanley Kubrick forgot to put in DR. STRANGELOVE.
Think too, of how China and Qatar were demonized during this pandemic. Both countries appear to have taken sensible precautions. Qatar did not have a huge surge in cases after the World Cup. China's cases are well below those in Japan and the USA (the top two, according to Johns Hopkins.)
Disaster capitalism is a disaster.
Collective planetary suicide. That's something I've never understood yet seems we're heading there.
What is so hard for billionaires to understand? Do they think that they, their families and future offspring will go unscathed while the rest of us die? No. Once you destroy the Amazon you have destroyed the lungs of the planet for them too. (And .... the list is endless of things being destroyed), glaciers, fish, pollutants that won't dissolve, food that poisons adults and children alike, and so on.)
What is it about this that is so hard to see? Just narcissism? Stupidity? A feeling of invincibility? I just don't get it.
I went to see the Wizards over Christmas Jessica and made my Climate pitch. They were unconvinced.
We discussed Rome and its fate.
Their position was simple. Even if Climate Change caused the population of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin to decline 50% and the Central Government to collapse.
BUSINESS AND TRADE NEVER STOPPED.
The only path they see forward is "full speed ahead". They are betting civilization that another Borlaug or Einstein will appear and Fusion will be cracked.
If we try "degrowth" and "reallocation" billions will die. If we "push on". There's a good chance technology will save us and no one has to die.
How can you not want to take that chance?
How can you want to bet against human ingenuity?
Do you want your grandchildren to hide in fear when lightning flashes in the sky. Afraid of "sky gods"?
Don't you think it's better to try for a future where they own the solar system. A solar system of infinite resources.
A future where they can reach for the Stars.
That's the sales pitch. I think people are going to like it. Expect to hear a lot of "happy talk" about FUSION.
You should check out my last 2 Climate Articles. They aren't in the Bomb Time or Crisis series. It's Personal Notes -09 and Short Takes - 07.
You will understand when you read them. I'm writing on China. Things are escalating behind the scenes a lot. Our internal weakness has made us so fragile and stressed. That they may decide to try giving us a push to see if we collapse.
Also, I read several more big studies linking all sorts of neurodegenerative conditions to viruses. Including Alzheimers.
They don't have the virus but the study shows conclusively that it seems to spread in a viral pattern. The way you would expect it to, if it was a virus.
There's a lot of chatter in that community about possible prion based infections (mad cow).
Just FYI
This is so damn good. I hate to admit it's what we're dealing with because on one hand it seems nuts....but it's 100% obvious this is true. Hard for most people to see the big picture. And I'm NO conspiracy theorist. Depressing. Hopefully we get some kind of good news soon.