Something In the Air

capitalism and climate change cartoon

A 1969 song written and sung by John ‘ Speedy ‘ Keen of the group Thunderclap Newman fits too well today… much too well:

Call out the instigators

Because there’s something in the air

We’ve got to get together sooner or later

Because the revolution’s here and you know it’s right

And you know that it’s right

We’ve got to get it together

We’ve got to get it together now

Lock up the streets and houses

Because there’s something in the air

We’ve got to get it together sooner or later

Because the revolution’s here and you know it’s right

And you know that it’s right

We have to get it together

We have to get it together now….

The song also mentions guns and ammo, but this writer is of that non violent Gandhian vein. The important thing about this 51 year old song is that it echoes perfectly NOW! The revolution it refers to can today become similar to the one Mohandas Gandhi organized and led in British ruled India over 100 years ago. Working stiffs, in this twilight time of Amerikan empire darkened further by a pandemic, can begin to peacefully non cooperate with the current Military Industrial Empire. How? Well, as a tidbit, teachers nationwide should refuse to get back into doing what most of them love until Uncle Sam and Uncle Gov provide the safety mechanisms needed. And isn’t it time that our friends and neighbors start taking this virus a little more seriously? I mean, even if the ‘ hoaxers’ were correct and this was just a more potent version of a seasonal Flu, shouldn’t they take the necessary precautions anyway, i.e.: social distancing, facemasks inside public places, constant hand cleansing?

The real mission for all us working stiffs is to ‘ Speak truth to power’. We need to call out the greedy, self centered hypocrites who run government and business. Imagine if working stiffs nationwide take the advice of the IWW ( International Workers of the World AKA The Wobblies) of 100 years ago and stand together as ‘ One Big Union’? Gandhi called for a ‘ National Day of Prayer’ and all work and communications stopped cold for that day. The police, transit and sanitation unions in many US cities have used the old ‘ Out with the flu’ sick days when the city would not grant their wage and benefit demands. This goes for any type of employment that greatly touches the general public. No violence, just peaceful NON COOPERATION. Sympathy strikes have been outlawed by the empire to strangle any type of success on a grand scale. Yet, if the teachers let it be known that their colleagues are all coming down with bad colds, let us say the week before schools are to open… Well, see what will be done. The wolves currently in power in DC will have no choice but to do something to make the schools and their teachers and students safer or…. the general public will demand such action. Why? Well, parents who are now employed will have to have the schools open or they won’t be able to go to work, as they cannot leave the little ones home alone.

Let’s face it: We live in an empire that has less than 1 percent of its citizens controlling the rest of our lives, economically, militarily and educationally. The Super Rich made out like bandits after the 2008 Subprime debacle. They swarmed in, like the vultures they are, bought up foreclosed and underwater housing for peanuts, and then transformed tens of millions of them into rentals. As far as ‘ affordable ‘ home ownership, here is the skinny on that: If a young couple, in any urban area, especially larger cities, is not earning a total of $ 200 k a year, they can never afford to buy within that city. A relative of mine, mid 30s along with her fiancé, together earning $ 120 k a year in Seattle, would have to move 2 hours outside of town in order to afford a home, the prices are that outrageous! What we need is twofold. First off, we need nonprofit community owned mortgage banks ( subsidized by Uncle Sam), charging overhead, and holding onto the paper until the mortgage expires. However low mortgage rates are now, the new community owned banks would charge Less than half the current rates. Imagine how many current renters would be able to actually own their own abode. As far as absentee landlords, if the localities (again with the help of Uncle Sam through forgivable loans ) bought up private landlord owned rental housing using eminent domain, the tenants would be paying most likely at 50% the current rents. Plus, if the community then held 10% of each month’s rent in escrow for the tenant, that money could be used in future by the tenant towards a down payment to actually buy the apartment or home. That really would be MAGA, Mr. Trump and crew.

To this writer it is morally reprehensible that we have perhaps 1/4 of 1 % of our citizens earning mega millions. When Henry Paulson was appointed by W Bush to become Treasury Secretary, he retired from his CEO chair at Goldman Sachs. Guess what his last year’s compensation was? Remember, this is the same Hank Paulson who stood in front of the cameras after the Subprime crash of ‘ 08 with sad wet eyes. He was terribly troubled by the massive layoffs and defaulting Wall Street shark tank investment houses. Perhaps ole Hank could have dipped into the $ 500 million compensation package he was gifted and offered to help out a few laid off families. He didn’t. He set the stage for the Bush gang and then the Obama Scam to bail out the very ones who contributed to the horror. Mnunchin and Ross, Trump’s Treasury and Commerce heads, are two of the skunks who made out after the smoke cleared in ’09, just as a matter of record. One wonders if all those ‘ Trump Thumpers’ that got hurt then, or are being squeezed now from their family abodes, really know who in the hell they supported ( and will support again) ? The tragedy of foolishness… repeated?

We need to nurture private small businesses and take over the rest of corporate Amerika. Socialism is really the only solution to this dilemma. Capitalism is NOT freedom! Matter of fact, we don’t even have a capitalist system like the one Adam Smith referenced centuries ago. We are knee deep in this corporate empire’s **** , and it has been peddling it to the suckers since perhaps day one of our republic. After all, the Founding Fathers as they are referred to, were just super rich white males, many as slaveholders. The only ‘ Liberty’ they wanted was transferring from one autocratic culture ( England ) to their own new one in the colonies. Enough of that already! Change is needed… ASAP!

Philip A Farruggio is a contributing editor for The Greanville Post. He is also frequently posted on Global Research, Nation of Change, Countercurrents.org, and Off Guardian sites. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, class of 1974. Since the 2000 election debacle Philip has written over 400 columns on the Military Industrial Empire and other facets of life in an upside down America. He is also host of the ‘ It’s the Empire… Stupid ‘ radio show, co produced by Chuck Gregory. Philip can be reached at [email protected].


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