It’s the oligarchy, stupid.
Friends,
One of the unacknowledged advantages of the horrendous era we’ve entered is that it is revealing for all to see the putrid connections between great wealth and great power.
Oligarchs are fully exposed, and they are defiant. It’s like hitting the “reveal code” key on older computers that let you see everything.
Today, Jeff Bezos, the second-richest person in America, who bought The Washington Post in 2013, announced that the paper’s opinion section would henceforth focus on defending “personal liberties and free markets.”
Anything inconsistent with this view would not be published. “Viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.” (Full statement here.)
The Post’s opinion editor, David Shipley, promptly resigned, as he should.
You’ll recall that Bezos barred the Post from endorsing Kamala Harris in the last weeks of the 2024 election. Subsequently, the paper wouldn’t print its cartoonist’s drawing showing Bezos and other oligarchs bowing to Trump — leading the cartoonist to resign.
Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, bought Twitter in 2022, laid off everyone who was filtering out hateful crap on the platform, renamed it X, and turned it into a cesspool of lies in support of Trump.
Mark Zuckerberg, the third-richest person, has followed suit, allowing Facebook to emit lies, hate, and bigotry in support of Trump’s lies, hate, and bigotry.
All three of these men were in the first row at Trump’s inauguration. They and other billionaires have now exposed themselves for what they are.
They are the oligarchy. They continue to siphon off the wealth of the nation. They are supporting a tyrant who is promising them tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks that will make them even richer, and destroying democracy so they won’t have to worry about “parasites” (as Musk calls people who depend on government assistance) demanding anything more from them.
When billionaires take control of our communication channels, it’s not a win for free speech. It’s a win for their billionaire propaganda.
When they talk of “personal liberties and free markets,” they mean their own liberties to become even richer and more powerful, as the rest of America slides into worse economic insecurity and fear.
When they speak of “freedom,” what they actually seek is freedom from accountability.
This “reveal code” moment is, in a way, a blessing. It allows everyone to see where the money and power have gone.
It is a prerequisite to the long and difficult but necessary process of creating an economy and democracy for the many rather than for the few.
The Washington Post is dead to me. Jeff Bezos is part of the oligarchy. He is dead to me. Darkness has swallowed a once great newspaper.
The first American Civil War was primarily begun by wealthy landowners wanting to retain their right to own slaves to work their fields.
This second American Civil War, which has not yet led to violent battles with weaponry, has begun with the wealthy furthering their wealth by redistributing $50 TRILLION from the poorest to the richest. And they’re not done yet. They want more!
The multi decade lies spawned by the likes of Fox News, (and later Newsmax, One American News, etc), have brainwashed their MAGA cult followers for the furtherance of the wealthy attaining even greater wealth.
This has been choreographed in Messaging!
While WE are engaged with legitimate news sources, THEY are engaged with illegitimate news sources.
Fox News, Newsmax, One American News, etc, are continually LYING and BRAINWASHING their followers.
WE cannot exact change when THEIR messaging is intentional lies that is BRAINWASHING THEIR gullible audience.
THEY have been brainwashed!
This is OUR challenge.
How do WE un-brainwash the BRAINWASHED and end this war?