The great half-mast/full-mast kerfuffle over McCain, the hero that never was.

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[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or his own reasons (some could rightly call it capricious, not exactly what a rational, true leftist would see as desirable), Trump basicalled snubbed McCain's elevation to patron saint of the American empire. He was barely formal in his condolences, and could be seen struggling to get an complimentary word out about a guy he probably despised. That's one of the many things about Trump which the imperial managers hate: he's not a smooth actor. He tries to be a good liar, but he just doesn't have the chops, like an Obama or a Clinton. And he doesn't have the patience to keep trying so eventually he just shows his cards. In any case it is worth observing how unified (again) the media have been on this issue, and how the hounding—that's what it is—finally got Trump to make some half-hearted gestures toward the memory of the "departed hero."

It's curious, even comical, how Trump often hits the nail on the head by accident. McCain was a contemptible figure, an unrepentant agent for the plutocracy, a death-lover, and an obsessive warmonger. That's why he is so loved by the establishment. Besides, his military career has long strecthes that can only be regarded as murky, in both quality and ethics. Many fellow vets have disturbingly low opinions of McCain, the warrior. In lowering the flag to half-mast at the White House for only the briefest of periods (an act which immediately outraged the media-frenzied McCain worshipers), Trump was asking for a storm, and he got it. But, things being what they are at the heart of the empire, pathetically soon enough, under obvious pressure and advice by his handlers, he was forced to allow the lowering of the flag to half mast, once again, this time for a respectfully long time. After all, the hagiography of McCain should not be interrupted by heretics, let alone one so highly placed.

As usual, this little story—part of the much larger drama enveloping Trump—was captured by the ubiquitous courtier media, and raised to headline rank. In a culture that clearly lost its moorings long ago, all s ib=verted: the superficial is bandied about as profound; and footnotes become the main subject.

So observe these clips, and tell me if they don't absolutely disgust you. Who would have any respect for journalists who act as a pack of morons, yelling and screaming over the pettiest of subjects, while ignoring and distorting the great issues of the day? One thing is for sure—from the top gallery of overpaid pundits to the White House press corral and beyond, these people, as a class, have no sense of self-respect and totally lack dignity. But most alarming is that probably NONE of these reporters are aware how they are serving as peons in the ever present effort of the ruling class to maintain the nasty myth of US exceptionalism alive. And if they know, they don't care.

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1. CBS weighs in with the cudgel of "nationally accepted certainties", in this case the pseudo fact that McCain was a bona fides "American hero." So who would be so coarse as to wish to offend such an exalted memory? An oaf like Trump, that's who, implies CBS, to the delight of millions of Trump haters across the nation and the globe.  As we say in propaganda, once you control the frame, you control the story.