RELIGION

FW ENGDAHL—In that Boston speech, Navy Secretary Matthews called on the United States to launch a preemptive war against the Soviet Union, saying it would make the American people the “first aggressors for peace.” Matthews declared a rather bizarre logic that George Orwell would have enjoyed: “To have peace we should be willing to pay any price—even the price of instituting a war…

P. GREANVILLE—WARNING: John Oliver, a comic firmly entrenched in the imperialist/liberal Democrat stable is not one of our favorites by a long shot. He and his ilk, which certainly includes folks like the treacherous Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher, often use their enormous platforms to distort reality and advance the agendas of the American plutocracy, whom they naturally serve at every turn despite frequent proclamations of independence and populism. That said, not even evil can be absolute when enacted by humans, and so is the case with this guy who in this episode tackles a subject of import to society, a topic that most mainstream tv networks remain afraid to touch: the historical role of religion and religiosity in the US and the lurid abuses of trust by the Christian fundamentalists (although of late, with the Catholic pedophelia scandals, we can categorically say that few denominations are exempt from criticism). So, keeping that in mind, watch and take what you can from this presentation.

For the first time in modern history, a fringe wing of Christian extremists have obtained the highest seats of power in the US government—from Mike Pence to Betsy DeVos. This new development is coupled with the emergence of the Alt Right, the Trump movement, and the rise of fascist movements abroad. Renowned journalist and author Chris Hedges has embedded himself in what he calls “Christianized Fascism” and warns that this is the biggest danger we face under Trump.

JIMMIE MOGLIA—To suggest that Russia influenced the American electorate to vote for Trump, brings sublimity to the ridiculous. Yet even the “The New York Times,” which usually exhibits a shrewd eye to the limits within which dishonesty is the best policy, has succumbed to the temptation of promoting a legless fabrication. While the insupportably disagreeable lackeys of the information industry continue to lie without being belied, deceive without being unmasked, and wear the medals of their own crimes.

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