In an older article I wrote last year, I explained how they were doing it i.e. the cultivation of peoples' selfishness, or darker side, has been intentional.
It's how they destabilise society and we first saw it exemplified via Brexit.
I only started writing so vividly on Reddit last year because I had seen what they did there - and was trying to warn Kiwis, but most of it fell on deaf ears because people need to see it before they believe it.
It's like me seeing so many headlines today and yesterday feeling 'shocked' at Trump - no, that was always what he stood for. And the playbook of his backers are well articulated in the frightening think tank product: Project 2025.
It's a real pity that there is so much snake-oil-manship in our world that people can no longer easily discern the wheat from the chaff.
The state house in which Prime Minister John Key grew up in was among many HNZ properties sold by Bill English.
Key lived at 19 Hollyford Ave in Burnside with his mother from age seven. The three-bedroom, 1950s villa was then valued at $325,000. Today it has a valuation of $600k.
Key said he had fond memories of the house...I wonder if the kids around him have fond memories of him
All true, and I appreciate some constructive suggestions. I’m not much of a ‘believer’ but watching Trump and Vance act out their bullying fantasies I found myself hoping that there is an afterlife - so they can be held accountable, forever
This is probably hard to hear but sometimes I have to admit that for people like that, and including David Seymour, "there but for the grace of God go I" i.e. we all have base instincts and we all have potential to be better beings...
Thanks for always being a source of support and friendship.
Thanks for all of that. I wonder if you might look into the information covered within a FB page -
My words - Wow how about this revelation - Why haven't they stuck this to Trump -
So, the real tragedy in the way in which Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky was mistreated by Trump/Vance today is that the United States, per the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, is contractually bound to defend...wait for it...Ukraine! That Memorandum was signed three years after the collapse of the former Soviet Union and at the time, Ukraine had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the WORLD behind the United States and Russia. To coerce Ukraine into transferring its arsenal to its former fellow Soviet state Russia (for further arms reductions), President Bill Clinton, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and Great Britain's Prime Minister John Major assured Ukraine of its sovereignty and defense in exchange for eliminating its nuclear capabilities. No one alive at the time would have imagined that within 30 years, Russia, under its Dictator Vladimir Putin, would break the treaty--twice--by invading Ukraine and that the U.S., led (in name) by a sick Putin sycophant named Donald Trump, would take sides with Russia by falsely blaming Ukraine for the latest war, and by demanding that Ukraine beg and bow for U.S. assistance that, per that old Budapest Memorandum, it "should" be providing anyway!
Trust, if Ukraine was still sitting on the world's third largest nuclear arsenal, Russia NEVER would have invaded and Trump wouldn't be trying to pimp the nation's vast mineral resources. But just like the U.S. has broken treaty after treaty with Indigenous American tribes over the past 200 plus years, I believe that Ukraine MUST turn to the European Union to supply all of its armament needs! Indeed, as a longtime student of world history, I also believe that several old U.S. allies like Taiwan, South Korea, Germany and Japan had better be prepared for anything because the U.S., at least while under MAGA control, is NOT to be trusted to uphold treaties that provide for mutual defense and stability.
*Pic of Clinton, Yeltsin et al signing the Budapest Memorandum circa '94
There's no sticking it to Trump - he doesn't care about the things others might value.
Second, Europe is having to pick up the slack - that will significantly weaken Europe and could put the entire EU at risk.
The EU provides economic and security stability to the entire region and its member states.
Weakening it weakens global trade potential as well as heightens the risks of wars extending past the borders.
Taiwan is probably going to be boarded by China - there is no "Taiwan better be prepared" - they already know.
One of the first things Elon Musk did when Trump won was to order Starlink suppliers to move away from Taiwan manufacturing.
Yes on the Budapest Memorandum - which again just shows we are in a new world order where international law does not matter to the United States of America, once considered the leader of the free world.
No-one wins in this scenario - except perhaps Russia and those that align with them.
I understand all of that, I suppose what I'm saying is when Trump comes out with his verbal diarrhea he should have put to him what this treaty guaranteed on usa etc.
I know that's frustrating to hear but I can't see it going any other way. Also pretty sure he blocked Reuters and some other news organisation from his media conference with Zelensky.
Bloody hell Tui ya bloods worth bottling (sorry if you can't unsee that)
What do we do ??
Two options as I see it.
1. We get active and nasty. Fight on their terms, eftpostle bishops behaviour is an example.
2. Do nothing. If all gets too much for diddums. Slash ya wrists and go quietly to sleep.
The time for intelligent debate is over. They'll keep debating (slimour) whilst implementing their fascist/serfdom ideology, and we sit benignly by while it happens.
We need to become the forward pack an All Black scrum. Take no prisoners.
I guess I'm espousing passive aggression. I'm a Ghandi fan of civil disobedience but also I treasure Thomas Jefferson (American president and participant in formulating the American constitution) who said. "It is every citizens duty to ignore stupid law".
It has amazed me that the gangs have rolled over for a tummy rub about the gang patch law. What would plod do if 70 members went to a tangi and said no you can't take my patch, you better arrest me.
I don't advocate for violence, but if every citizen asked. What can I do to mess their minds.
Nice as it seems, we don't need some great messiah to lead us, if everyone thought. What can l individually do to make a difference??
Thank you for elaborating John. I hear you - I can only assume no-one wants to be the first 70 to be arrested (although from a gang perspective, I think the govt would call the bluff as they are itching for confrontation to demonstrate strongmanship)
Unions and staff etc on the other hand.....but then I learned the laws constrain them!
But yeah I hear you - civil disobedience could be an option soon.
The Monkey on my Back that incessantly needs to know what's going on around me, is not happy with your suggestions, but concedes that you're absolutely correct about "Preparing to unplug" from the Matrix.
Being a Modern History Buff & an Activist in my youth & throughout my Adult life, my head is exploding as I watch the world I grew up in go the same path as The Roman & Greek Civilisations over 2000 years ago.
Class Status, Creeds of Belief, Human Slavery & Sexual Slavery and Trafficking, Hedonism etc, led to Armed Conflicts and shifts in Booty that the winners took home to fill their Treasuries. 2000+ years later, are we doing anything different, better, or worse?
It seems to me that Kaushal's "Vigilanteism" Campaign, is just lowering the Bar on who gets to bust some heads under ???somebody yet to be vested as the responsible authority's protection. ???
Vigilanteism didn't start with Dudly the Cop, Mitchell & Kaushal convincing the Cabinet to do something to help them stem the flow of Ram Raid events. This was already on Labours Plate, on the Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda side of the Budget, that was stopped by the new Sheriff in town & his Finance Minister, during the 1st 100 day scourge of 1000 cuts. Apparently, it was in the budget, but never funded and progressed by October '23, when the new Sheriff and his Deputies were sworn in over a month and a half period of time while they considered their Interests and Options in the Who Got What Big Board Game..
Vigilanteism, you could say, may have started with Tax Cuts for Landlords without any Rent Cuts for Tenants. Then aided by Chris Bishop pushing new rules into Renters Policies & putting the Brakes on Kainga Ora's Building Plan & Budget. Nicola Willis Deputised & further Profitised the Country's Rentiér Class & when the dust settled it cost the Taxpayer around $12Bn. Who's the Victim in this case???
I was thinking today how some are saying others could replace Luxon, but after watching Helen Clark today on Q&A I realised not one of them could match her intellectual rigour and concern for the country.
The Q&A link will be on line. She did not duck/avoid the curly questions that challenged her point of view and she was forthright and clear esp. about our place and responsibilities in the South Pacific . Sided with Peters on that
There isn't a States Person anywhere near NACTNZ1, unless it's possibly Winston, who should have retired over a Decade ago. He's burned out & too Grumpy for Public Service work. Been hanging with Shame Jones to long!
Thank you for your clearly written information and suggestions. (A heads up to others - the link to Erica Stanford’s email address yesterday was incorrect as it left off the .nz at the end, so, Erica.Stanford@parliament.govt.nz)
💪👏 Agree with your arguments & solutions. I am ambivalent about the Substack model & decided not to do my own newsletter because of some of the problematic questions & choices that have been identified, but for the moment the writers & commenters I CHOOSE to follow and/or give $$ to are keeping me sane 🤷 Hopefully by the time things implode a better alternative will have emerged 👀 but in the meantime the "nazis" on the platform are not bleeding into my feeds & I do have sympathy for the core argument of they will/do find a space somewhere anyway, so why not take their $$ (% cut to Substack) & do some good with it (legal help for contributors ⁉️) while ensuring content creators have control to block & remove them if they try & invade their comments sections. Problem is, ONE DAY someone will make them an $$offer they can't refuse & it might be a problematic buyer or organisation 🤬
... To be cont... (lunch & elderly relative visit 🫂)
I feel like social media and the internet is the downfall of the human race.
In the beginning, the potential of it was fantastic. It was amazing to be able to email friends and family, and then Skype. But the bad guys quickly found ways to exploit it.
I used to work in law enforcement, and I’ve seen some horrific stuff that is available online.
I want to disengage from it all, however that also means not being able to access information that is meaningful to me, like your articles.
Reading posts by writers like yourself gives me hope. The community here helps me to realize that I’m not alone, and other people also feel like the world is going insane. It’s also a “safe” space, away from trolls.
And adding AI into the mix scares the fuck out of me…
Thank you for helping to keep me sane. I desperately hope that our world doesn’t end up being like Mad Max.
💙💛 The US-Ukraine debacle can be summed up pretty well as a "hero" v a "zero" when it comes to courage & competence (amongst other things) Generally "leaders" meet behind closed doors & the shouting matches (if any) and deep disagreements (if any) are smoothed over in carefully agreed statements to the media afterwards which both teams stick to in public. This was, as many have said, a deliberate ambush and/or strategy to constrain Zelenskyy from contradicting Trump in front of the media. Both in his former "job" as a very successful comedian (ironically playing the President of Ukraine!) & his current one as President of a country that has been invaded by a much larger neighbour, Zelenskyy has learned to navigate hecklers & bullies, and as Prof Timothy Snyder pointed out, he is representing his COUNTRY & cannot be seen to give in to his COUNTRY being humiliated so must stand up & correct the record to honour those who have already given their lives, their homes, their husbands/wives/fathers/sons/mothers/friends to the job of defending Ukraine.
Agree with your analysis & solutions - be a Zelenskyy & stand up for the truth, gently if possible, but firmly if necessary.
We must recognise that demanding perfection from our politicians means the less discriminating voters have the advantage - they don't CARE about voting for someone who will tick every box & achieve every promise (regardless of whether they have the numbers to pass it all) but seem to prefer representatives who will favour vested interests and/or be mean to people who are "not like me" or perceived to be undeserving or unworthy.
Unplug 😱⁉️ Shudder 👀 Won't that mean we can't talk to each other and the liars will have the floor unopposed? I think we need some quidance as to HOW we can do that & stay informed 😱
👏💪All of this essay is on the money & useful to reflect where our own personal journey might take us in dealing with the media/social media landscape in our personal lives - is this only the 2nd time in my life I will join a political party to do more than just vote⁉️ (The first time was the Values Party - a pre-cursor to the Greens) Seriously thinking about it 🤔
On a positive (?) note, I saw a short video of THOUSANDS gathered in Times Square New York - most wearing 💙💛 & supporting Ukraine as a backlash against the abomination, plus Te$la dealers all over the US being picketed against Mu$k🐀 & simultaneously supporting Ukraine 💙💛. I know there is concern Trump et al will try to interfere in the coming mid-term elections but it seems the populace is starting to get active right now 👍
Great post Tui 🙏. I’m really not sure about the Russia Ukraine situation though. A friend of mine who is Belarusian had family and friends in the Donbas and confirmed that the native Russian speakers were frequently attacked and randomly killed by the far right Ukrainian Askovs. She was horrified when I suggested Russia had “invaded” the Ukraine, saying it wasn’t that simple. From her perspective and that of her family, it was Russia defending the rights of a Russian speaking minority. Jeffery Sachs also has an interesting take on the Russia/Ukraine situation. It also appears that Russia does not want to occupy the Ukraine. We do live in the time of propaganda wars and it is increasingly difficult to trust the majority narrative and find the truth. Look at how long Israel has been able to control it regarding atrocities in Palestine.
It's a complex one - I know some people in the region who tell me Russian forces are some of the worst in the world, and allowing them through is horrific.
I am simply not close enough to evaluate it all - but I do feel that Zelensky is trying his very best, and it pained me to see him in that situation. There has been so much death, and the fear is that Putin's ambitions don't end with Ukraine. I feel very sorry for all involved and yes it'll be a job to discern which sources are verifiable and credible - and I don't know enough in this area to comment reliably.
Undoubtably, Putin is ruthless but I don’t believe he has ambitions beyond securing Russias borders, and interests and protecting the native Russians on the borders. I just don’t buy the ‘Wests’ version. Also, with NATO forces inching closer to Russian borders, the suggestion of US missile base in Ukraine (where its nuclear missiles would be in reach of Moscow) seemed like a deliberate provocation IMO.
The US facilitated regime change in 2013 I think, because Crimea was too friendly with Russia. After Russia ‘annexed’ Crimea they held elections with a referendum. 95% said they aligned with Russia. Btw I do think Trumps treatment of Zelensky is truly awful, school yard bullying and embarrassing. I guess we can’t know for sure without being there. I’m just really cautious about the Wests narrative these days, not that I’m a Putin fan, as I said he’s ruthless.
I hear you, KSJ. I guess don't feel that Europe would be "traumatised" (as Helen Clark put it today) and palpably on edge if Russia wasn't a genuine aggressor.
Also as the EU notes, and Helen Clark also mentioned today, the terms of war are very different today - they don't have to only be soldiers on the ground anymore.
A lot of it is about destroying society and sowing upheaval and control via others means.
We've seen that in the US - it's a bloodless coup. For now.
I'm not a geopolitical expert though but I guess those are my thoughts for now!
When I look at Russia as part of BRICS, all I see is countries cooperating and trading freely, no tariffs, no meddling in each others politics, no regime changes’ to suit their own ends or grab the energy & natural resources. I think the US captured Europe a long time ago and now they’re cutting them loose as the US empire declines. Russia is not the same ‘bogeyman’ that Europe feared. However, it would be traumatic to realise the ones you aligned yourself with have abandoned you and perhaps you should have been seeking cooperation with your actual neighbours all along…. 🤷🏼. I guess time will tell. I really recommend listening to Jeffrey Sachs addressing the UN on this topic. The US has dictated Europe non-cooperation with Russia and I really don’t think the US care if they destroy Europe, just think self serving narcissism but as a national identity. I’m not saying I’m 100% correct but as I said I don’t entirely buy into the western narrative. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The only thing I know these days is how little I really do know 😉.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/529507/why-sir-john-key-thinks-donald-trump-should-win-the-us-election
So much enshittification had happened over my lifetime simply because people imagine they will be better off
I appreciate your suggestions for what we can do.
In an older article I wrote last year, I explained how they were doing it i.e. the cultivation of peoples' selfishness, or darker side, has been intentional.
It's how they destabilise society and we first saw it exemplified via Brexit.
I only started writing so vividly on Reddit last year because I had seen what they did there - and was trying to warn Kiwis, but most of it fell on deaf ears because people need to see it before they believe it.
It's like me seeing so many headlines today and yesterday feeling 'shocked' at Trump - no, that was always what he stood for. And the playbook of his backers are well articulated in the frightening think tank product: Project 2025.
It's a real pity that there is so much snake-oil-manship in our world that people can no longer easily discern the wheat from the chaff.
I really detest John Key.
A class traitor who was raised in a statehouse and pulled the ladder up behind him.
He was raised in a state house?
Very interesting.
The state house in which Prime Minister John Key grew up in was among many HNZ properties sold by Bill English.
Key lived at 19 Hollyford Ave in Burnside with his mother from age seven. The three-bedroom, 1950s villa was then valued at $325,000. Today it has a valuation of $600k.
Key said he had fond memories of the house...I wonder if the kids around him have fond memories of him
Wow. I didn't know that Winston, v. interesting. Thanks.
Great Post. Thank You. xx
You're welcome, Patricia, hope you're well.
Yes, we are hanging in there to vote this lot out lol. I know you are not partisan, but the jenga behaviour of the CoC is terrible.
It is Patricia.
Yes I’m with you Patricia – many thanks MT!!
All true, and I appreciate some constructive suggestions. I’m not much of a ‘believer’ but watching Trump and Vance act out their bullying fantasies I found myself hoping that there is an afterlife - so they can be held accountable, forever
This is probably hard to hear but sometimes I have to admit that for people like that, and including David Seymour, "there but for the grace of God go I" i.e. we all have base instincts and we all have potential to be better beings...
Thanks for always being a source of support and friendship.
One of your best. Happy to support your work.
Many thanks, Suzi. Much appreciated.
Thanks in particular for the 8 points of things we can do 💜
Most welcome, Catherine. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for all of that. I wonder if you might look into the information covered within a FB page -
My words - Wow how about this revelation - Why haven't they stuck this to Trump -
So, the real tragedy in the way in which Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky was mistreated by Trump/Vance today is that the United States, per the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, is contractually bound to defend...wait for it...Ukraine! That Memorandum was signed three years after the collapse of the former Soviet Union and at the time, Ukraine had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the WORLD behind the United States and Russia. To coerce Ukraine into transferring its arsenal to its former fellow Soviet state Russia (for further arms reductions), President Bill Clinton, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and Great Britain's Prime Minister John Major assured Ukraine of its sovereignty and defense in exchange for eliminating its nuclear capabilities. No one alive at the time would have imagined that within 30 years, Russia, under its Dictator Vladimir Putin, would break the treaty--twice--by invading Ukraine and that the U.S., led (in name) by a sick Putin sycophant named Donald Trump, would take sides with Russia by falsely blaming Ukraine for the latest war, and by demanding that Ukraine beg and bow for U.S. assistance that, per that old Budapest Memorandum, it "should" be providing anyway!
Trust, if Ukraine was still sitting on the world's third largest nuclear arsenal, Russia NEVER would have invaded and Trump wouldn't be trying to pimp the nation's vast mineral resources. But just like the U.S. has broken treaty after treaty with Indigenous American tribes over the past 200 plus years, I believe that Ukraine MUST turn to the European Union to supply all of its armament needs! Indeed, as a longtime student of world history, I also believe that several old U.S. allies like Taiwan, South Korea, Germany and Japan had better be prepared for anything because the U.S., at least while under MAGA control, is NOT to be trusted to uphold treaties that provide for mutual defense and stability.
*Pic of Clinton, Yeltsin et al signing the Budapest Memorandum circa '94
Written by
Chuck Hobbs
Where to start?
There's no sticking it to Trump - he doesn't care about the things others might value.
Second, Europe is having to pick up the slack - that will significantly weaken Europe and could put the entire EU at risk.
The EU provides economic and security stability to the entire region and its member states.
Weakening it weakens global trade potential as well as heightens the risks of wars extending past the borders.
Taiwan is probably going to be boarded by China - there is no "Taiwan better be prepared" - they already know.
One of the first things Elon Musk did when Trump won was to order Starlink suppliers to move away from Taiwan manufacturing.
Yes on the Budapest Memorandum - which again just shows we are in a new world order where international law does not matter to the United States of America, once considered the leader of the free world.
No-one wins in this scenario - except perhaps Russia and those that align with them.
I understand all of that, I suppose what I'm saying is when Trump comes out with his verbal diarrhea he should have put to him what this treaty guaranteed on usa etc.
I know that's frustrating to hear but I can't see it going any other way. Also pretty sure he blocked Reuters and some other news organisation from his media conference with Zelensky.
Reuters!
He'd just shout the person down, I imagine....
Trump has promised Putin he can have access to Ukraine rare minerals for a price - I made that up.
The fact remains, Russia invaded Ukraine 3 years go in the same way Hitler invaded Poland in 1939 after solemnly promising not to
Bloody hell Tui ya bloods worth bottling (sorry if you can't unsee that)
What do we do ??
Two options as I see it.
1. We get active and nasty. Fight on their terms, eftpostle bishops behaviour is an example.
2. Do nothing. If all gets too much for diddums. Slash ya wrists and go quietly to sleep.
The time for intelligent debate is over. They'll keep debating (slimour) whilst implementing their fascist/serfdom ideology, and we sit benignly by while it happens.
We need to become the forward pack an All Black scrum. Take no prisoners.
Let's explore this one further, John.
How does that work?
Genuine question!
I guess I'm espousing passive aggression. I'm a Ghandi fan of civil disobedience but also I treasure Thomas Jefferson (American president and participant in formulating the American constitution) who said. "It is every citizens duty to ignore stupid law".
It has amazed me that the gangs have rolled over for a tummy rub about the gang patch law. What would plod do if 70 members went to a tangi and said no you can't take my patch, you better arrest me.
I don't advocate for violence, but if every citizen asked. What can I do to mess their minds.
Nice as it seems, we don't need some great messiah to lead us, if everyone thought. What can l individually do to make a difference??
Thank you for elaborating John. I hear you - I can only assume no-one wants to be the first 70 to be arrested (although from a gang perspective, I think the govt would call the bluff as they are itching for confrontation to demonstrate strongmanship)
Unions and staff etc on the other hand.....but then I learned the laws constrain them!
But yeah I hear you - civil disobedience could be an option soon.
The Monkey on my Back that incessantly needs to know what's going on around me, is not happy with your suggestions, but concedes that you're absolutely correct about "Preparing to unplug" from the Matrix.
Being a Modern History Buff & an Activist in my youth & throughout my Adult life, my head is exploding as I watch the world I grew up in go the same path as The Roman & Greek Civilisations over 2000 years ago.
Class Status, Creeds of Belief, Human Slavery & Sexual Slavery and Trafficking, Hedonism etc, led to Armed Conflicts and shifts in Booty that the winners took home to fill their Treasuries. 2000+ years later, are we doing anything different, better, or worse?
It seems to me that Kaushal's "Vigilanteism" Campaign, is just lowering the Bar on who gets to bust some heads under ???somebody yet to be vested as the responsible authority's protection. ???
Vigilanteism didn't start with Dudly the Cop, Mitchell & Kaushal convincing the Cabinet to do something to help them stem the flow of Ram Raid events. This was already on Labours Plate, on the Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda side of the Budget, that was stopped by the new Sheriff in town & his Finance Minister, during the 1st 100 day scourge of 1000 cuts. Apparently, it was in the budget, but never funded and progressed by October '23, when the new Sheriff and his Deputies were sworn in over a month and a half period of time while they considered their Interests and Options in the Who Got What Big Board Game..
Vigilanteism, you could say, may have started with Tax Cuts for Landlords without any Rent Cuts for Tenants. Then aided by Chris Bishop pushing new rules into Renters Policies & putting the Brakes on Kainga Ora's Building Plan & Budget. Nicola Willis Deputised & further Profitised the Country's Rentiér Class & when the dust settled it cost the Taxpayer around $12Bn. Who's the Victim in this case???
Kaushal strikes me as a grifter and a fool.
I was thinking today how some are saying others could replace Luxon, but after watching Helen Clark today on Q&A I realised not one of them could match her intellectual rigour and concern for the country.
The Q&A link will be on line. She did not duck/avoid the curly questions that challenged her point of view and she was forthright and clear esp. about our place and responsibilities in the South Pacific . Sided with Peters on that
There isn't a States Person anywhere near NACTNZ1, unless it's possibly Winston, who should have retired over a Decade ago. He's burned out & too Grumpy for Public Service work. Been hanging with Shame Jones to long!
Thank you for your clearly written information and suggestions. (A heads up to others - the link to Erica Stanford’s email address yesterday was incorrect as it left off the .nz at the end, so, Erica.Stanford@parliament.govt.nz)
Thanks Leslie - it comes up for me with the nz.
Is this on the David Seymour article?
💪👏 Agree with your arguments & solutions. I am ambivalent about the Substack model & decided not to do my own newsletter because of some of the problematic questions & choices that have been identified, but for the moment the writers & commenters I CHOOSE to follow and/or give $$ to are keeping me sane 🤷 Hopefully by the time things implode a better alternative will have emerged 👀 but in the meantime the "nazis" on the platform are not bleeding into my feeds & I do have sympathy for the core argument of they will/do find a space somewhere anyway, so why not take their $$ (% cut to Substack) & do some good with it (legal help for contributors ⁉️) while ensuring content creators have control to block & remove them if they try & invade their comments sections. Problem is, ONE DAY someone will make them an $$offer they can't refuse & it might be a problematic buyer or organisation 🤬
... To be cont... (lunch & elderly relative visit 🫂)
Yes I agree, Cindy (I can't think of a time I have disagreed with you though!)
Hope the lunch went well and the visit is smooth and enjoyable for all.
I feel like social media and the internet is the downfall of the human race.
In the beginning, the potential of it was fantastic. It was amazing to be able to email friends and family, and then Skype. But the bad guys quickly found ways to exploit it.
I used to work in law enforcement, and I’ve seen some horrific stuff that is available online.
I want to disengage from it all, however that also means not being able to access information that is meaningful to me, like your articles.
Reading posts by writers like yourself gives me hope. The community here helps me to realize that I’m not alone, and other people also feel like the world is going insane. It’s also a “safe” space, away from trolls.
And adding AI into the mix scares the fuck out of me…
Thank you for helping to keep me sane. I desperately hope that our world doesn’t end up being like Mad Max.
Ditto Angela.
"Zelensky lamented that Trump was "living in a disinformation space"."
Sorry Zelensky but Trump is the daddy of all disinformation spaces.
💙💛 The US-Ukraine debacle can be summed up pretty well as a "hero" v a "zero" when it comes to courage & competence (amongst other things) Generally "leaders" meet behind closed doors & the shouting matches (if any) and deep disagreements (if any) are smoothed over in carefully agreed statements to the media afterwards which both teams stick to in public. This was, as many have said, a deliberate ambush and/or strategy to constrain Zelenskyy from contradicting Trump in front of the media. Both in his former "job" as a very successful comedian (ironically playing the President of Ukraine!) & his current one as President of a country that has been invaded by a much larger neighbour, Zelenskyy has learned to navigate hecklers & bullies, and as Prof Timothy Snyder pointed out, he is representing his COUNTRY & cannot be seen to give in to his COUNTRY being humiliated so must stand up & correct the record to honour those who have already given their lives, their homes, their husbands/wives/fathers/sons/mothers/friends to the job of defending Ukraine.
Agree with your analysis & solutions - be a Zelenskyy & stand up for the truth, gently if possible, but firmly if necessary.
We must recognise that demanding perfection from our politicians means the less discriminating voters have the advantage - they don't CARE about voting for someone who will tick every box & achieve every promise (regardless of whether they have the numbers to pass it all) but seem to prefer representatives who will favour vested interests and/or be mean to people who are "not like me" or perceived to be undeserving or unworthy.
Unplug 😱⁉️ Shudder 👀 Won't that mean we can't talk to each other and the liars will have the floor unopposed? I think we need some quidance as to HOW we can do that & stay informed 😱
👏💪All of this essay is on the money & useful to reflect where our own personal journey might take us in dealing with the media/social media landscape in our personal lives - is this only the 2nd time in my life I will join a political party to do more than just vote⁉️ (The first time was the Values Party - a pre-cursor to the Greens) Seriously thinking about it 🤔
On a positive (?) note, I saw a short video of THOUSANDS gathered in Times Square New York - most wearing 💙💛 & supporting Ukraine as a backlash against the abomination, plus Te$la dealers all over the US being picketed against Mu$k🐀 & simultaneously supporting Ukraine 💙💛. I know there is concern Trump et al will try to interfere in the coming mid-term elections but it seems the populace is starting to get active right now 👍
Great post Tui 🙏. I’m really not sure about the Russia Ukraine situation though. A friend of mine who is Belarusian had family and friends in the Donbas and confirmed that the native Russian speakers were frequently attacked and randomly killed by the far right Ukrainian Askovs. She was horrified when I suggested Russia had “invaded” the Ukraine, saying it wasn’t that simple. From her perspective and that of her family, it was Russia defending the rights of a Russian speaking minority. Jeffery Sachs also has an interesting take on the Russia/Ukraine situation. It also appears that Russia does not want to occupy the Ukraine. We do live in the time of propaganda wars and it is increasingly difficult to trust the majority narrative and find the truth. Look at how long Israel has been able to control it regarding atrocities in Palestine.
Kia Ora KSJ,
It's a complex one - I know some people in the region who tell me Russian forces are some of the worst in the world, and allowing them through is horrific.
I am simply not close enough to evaluate it all - but I do feel that Zelensky is trying his very best, and it pained me to see him in that situation. There has been so much death, and the fear is that Putin's ambitions don't end with Ukraine. I feel very sorry for all involved and yes it'll be a job to discern which sources are verifiable and credible - and I don't know enough in this area to comment reliably.
Undoubtably, Putin is ruthless but I don’t believe he has ambitions beyond securing Russias borders, and interests and protecting the native Russians on the borders. I just don’t buy the ‘Wests’ version. Also, with NATO forces inching closer to Russian borders, the suggestion of US missile base in Ukraine (where its nuclear missiles would be in reach of Moscow) seemed like a deliberate provocation IMO.
Didn't he annex Crimea?
The US facilitated regime change in 2013 I think, because Crimea was too friendly with Russia. After Russia ‘annexed’ Crimea they held elections with a referendum. 95% said they aligned with Russia. Btw I do think Trumps treatment of Zelensky is truly awful, school yard bullying and embarrassing. I guess we can’t know for sure without being there. I’m just really cautious about the Wests narrative these days, not that I’m a Putin fan, as I said he’s ruthless.
I hear you, KSJ. I guess don't feel that Europe would be "traumatised" (as Helen Clark put it today) and palpably on edge if Russia wasn't a genuine aggressor.
Also as the EU notes, and Helen Clark also mentioned today, the terms of war are very different today - they don't have to only be soldiers on the ground anymore.
A lot of it is about destroying society and sowing upheaval and control via others means.
We've seen that in the US - it's a bloodless coup. For now.
I'm not a geopolitical expert though but I guess those are my thoughts for now!
When I look at Russia as part of BRICS, all I see is countries cooperating and trading freely, no tariffs, no meddling in each others politics, no regime changes’ to suit their own ends or grab the energy & natural resources. I think the US captured Europe a long time ago and now they’re cutting them loose as the US empire declines. Russia is not the same ‘bogeyman’ that Europe feared. However, it would be traumatic to realise the ones you aligned yourself with have abandoned you and perhaps you should have been seeking cooperation with your actual neighbours all along…. 🤷🏼. I guess time will tell. I really recommend listening to Jeffrey Sachs addressing the UN on this topic. The US has dictated Europe non-cooperation with Russia and I really don’t think the US care if they destroy Europe, just think self serving narcissism but as a national identity. I’m not saying I’m 100% correct but as I said I don’t entirely buy into the western narrative. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The only thing I know these days is how little I really do know 😉.