By Ramin Mazaheri for the Saker Blog
(Hey hey, my new book is out today! Socialism’s Ignored Success: Iranian Islamic Socialism. Buy a copy for yourself and 50 of your closest friends and Iranophobic/Islamophobic/socialism-phobic enemies.)
On May 14 France’s nurses held a protest march in Paris despite ongoing fears about coronavirus — so are they no longer rightly-guided heroes but far-right neo-fascists now?
For several months we’ve been banging pots in gratitude and watching corporations praise them in TV ads but – there they are: gathering in public, not really keeping 2 meters between each other, demanding economic policy changes, defying the advice of their well-paid bosses and generally being very, very bad children who should go straight to bed after dinner.
France’s medical staff won’t be infantilised and have no time for jokes – they are tired of enduring economic hardship and poor working conditions.
Those with overprotective parents claimed the Great Lockdown was to save just one life, but the most common justification among mature adults was to avoid overwhelming medical systems – in France they failed to heed years of public protests saying exactly that.
Excepting the Yellow Vests, nobody in France has protested more in the past couple years than medical staff – austerity has gutted a medical system which in 2000 was ranked number one in the world. I got tired of covering them. My Sputnik Français colleagues hid the tedium of our job as far as the second paragraph: “… protested in order to denounce a lack of resources. It’s a demand which is far from new.” But, you know, people gotta listen to the protesters, so work has us back on the streets again….
Had people listened earlier, France would have far fewer dead grandparents today.
In the US people were explicitly told by Western journalists to not listen to the first anti-Great Lockdown protests, in Michigan. I immediately supported the protesters (in We’re giving up our civil liberties. Fine, but to which type of state?) because, you know – we’re trying to have a democracy here. However, the fake-leftist media looked on them with loathing and terror – calling them irresponsible, science-stupid, selfish, death-crazed, martyrdom-seeking, dangerous curmudgeons and neighbors who would not loan you a cup of sugar.
So the same applies to these French nurses, right?
You would accuse them of being nonchalant about corona? (Or is their crime that they aren’t single-mindedly obsessed with corona enough?)
We can’t really say, because there is no mention of the protesting nurses in Western media, or even in French state foreign-language media. From a mixed economy model to these nurses – more of “the French bad example”.
The widespread insulting of Michiganders refused to take into account their economic situation and the fact that their type of state put them in such a vulnerable position. A stunning 25% of their workers had just become jobless, so why wouldn’t they be demonstrating to get the government’s attention? On top of that their governor imposed an extremely harsh stay-at-home order, as though this was something routine for Michiganders instead of being a (hysterical, economically-suicidal overreaction) shocking, unprecedented first which is undoubtedly more restrictive on movement than being sentenced to house arrest for having committed a serious crime.
Do I think France’s nurses are heroes? Not really – I never asked them to do my job and stand at the front lines during the Yellow Vest protests and do live interviews, giving a big target for the rubber bullets. But, then again, my local garbagemen never asked me to heroically hoist refuse cans for decades even though it’s hardly fun and statistically likely to lead to an early death. And no housewife ever asked me to take care of the kids for even one month, and that seems harder than being a garbageman. Am I a curmudgeon or conceited? No, when one accepts socialism one can’t help but view all workers are equal (capitalists never enjoy this feeling). We all deserve our 15 minutes of fame, I suppose, but caring about fame is decidedly not heroism.
But the kiddies do need heroes, so should the West start cheering: “Nurses are our heroes – except French nurses!”
There is a very worrying outcome of the recent hero worship of medical practitioners: more doctors are now entering politics. The problem with this is simple: you can’t tell a doctor anything – they are the world’s worst-know-it-alls/sufferers from God complexes. They march into a room, quite late, hand down a diagnosis with absolute certainty, which then turns out to be wrong and kills you later (CNBC: The third-leading cause of death in US most doctors don’t want you to know about), but not before you are debt-yoked to a hugely inflated bill, and then doctors imperiously march into the next room and do the same thing all over again. This is NOT a mentality conducive to the consensus-building demanded by democracy.
Well, that’s in socialist-inspired democracy. In liberal democracy technocrats rule with executive decrees, so look for more doctors in office – they can afford to campaign, after all. Thus, “the recent hero worship of medical practitioners” isn’t going to lead to sensible, humble, hard-working nurses to get into office in the West – liberal democracy systematically puts the rich into office.
‘Liberty or boogaloo’? God bless America!
The coronavirus has really laid bare how dictatorial and anti-democratic their executive-dominated system really is, no? What checks and balances, much less public opinion reflected in public policy?
Across the country governors (the presidents of states) have imposed lockdowns without a single legislative vote of approval (at least that I can find). Michigan’s governor, a front-runner to be Biden’s vice-president, seems disturbingly rankled by the existence of other elected officials: Gov. Whitmer blasts Michigan Legislature for meeting during stay-at-home order, says she will veto power-limiting bills. Historically, this trend towards executive decree “began” with Dubya Bush and the Patriot Act, but that’s an inaccurate and sentimental reading of Western liberal democratic history. However, it clearly has become de rigeur across the West, and especially in Hollande/Macron France.
Wisconsin has become the first state, finally, whose judicial branch finally got involved and struck down their governor’s unilateral decree. (What’s amazing is how the Mainstream Media coverage of this was nothing but political sniping – Republicans undermining Democrats – from the very lede sentence.)
If there really are checks and balances in Western liberal democracy they are non-existent or move too slow. The reality is that judges in general are overwhelmingly hyper-conservative and in a non-revolutionary nation do nothing but defend the status quo – why has no judge interceded to prevent the weekly mauling of the Yellow Vests, for example?
(The Vesters will be out there this Saturday, of course, but we already knew what naughty children they are. I wonder if the media will cover it? If they do I doubt they will cover them two weeks in a row.)
It was historically predictable that Michigan and Wisconsin are the first to demand their rights – the Midwest has historically been the hotbed of American “progressivism” (but they still can’t say socialist over there). The state of Missouri was the first to sue China which, LOL, is misguided but at least they are sticking up for residents of the “Show-Me State”. Texas is semi-Midwestern, and non-Americans would expect them to be the first to resist for their sovereign rights, but Texans mostly just talk a lot – like Dubya Bush: all (cowboy) hat and no cattle.
By far the most delightful, “only in America” news item actually comes from the incredibly unfunky state of New Hampshire – “armed demonstrators passed out ‘Liberty or Boogaloo’ fliers at a statehouse protest”. You must be a fake-leftist if you can’t support that, LOL!
I know that when my liberty feels too infringed I immediately break out my best boogaloo dance – it works surprisingly well. I have a “Where’s My Bailout?” t-shirt from 2008 – I need a “Liberty or Boogaloo” t-shirt to sartorially commemorate the Great Lockdown. I really have to question the alleged superiority of the American entrepreneur when I cannot yet find such a t-shirt for sale?
Western journalists have thrown away skepticism during corona, except towards protesters
French nurses go against the script and thus they get ignored, but most often anti-corona hysteria protesters just get discredited.
The reality back in April was that the Michigan gun-wavers were just a small fringe group – the overwhelming majority of protesters stayed in their car as it was primarily an “auto protest”. The Mainstream Media focused on a tiny portion of overall demonstrators in order to totally discredit the anti-establishment message.
In today’s New York Times lead economics columnist, Paul Krugman (who surely cannot boogaloo his way out of a wet paper bag) also discredits the protesters, opposes ending the Great Lockdown (“never mind what the experts say”, he condescendingly pouts) and even fails to bring up a single word about the obvious economic justification for American discontent in his article Covid-19 Reality has a liberal bias:
“Indeed, the antilockdown demonstrations of recent weeks appear to have been organized in part by the same people and groups that have spent decades denying climate change.
Virus trutherism is also reminiscent of the various kinds of trutherism that ran rampant during the Obama years. Inflation truthers insisted that the government was hiding the truth about rampant inflation; unemployment truthers, including a guy named Donald Trump, insisted that the steadily improving job numbers were fake.”
In my last article (which elicited no happy dancing) Scarce jobs + revenue desperation = sure Western stagflation post-corona, I noted how Western inflation gauges exclude food, energy, housing, medical care and education costs – call me a “conspiracy theorist” for saying some hiding is going on, Paul. US unemployment data counts working just one hour per week as being employed, which allows part-time work and underemployment to pad their (pre-Great Lockdown ) alleged “full employment” rate – Paul must know this, but reporting that doesn’t keep in you in New York Times clover.
The Guardian’s anti-Michigander piece (yes, I enjoy writing the word “Michigander”) I linked to from April 17 used this same “discredit-via-the-organiser” tactic – as if participants were sheep and not humans with free will – in the 5th paragraph of their story.
This is the same tactic we saw against the Yellow Vests. In the 21st century West being lower class and making economic demands automatically makes one a far-right, anti-Semitic, anti-Black, deplorable neo-fascist. Unfortunately, political understanding will progress not one millimeter with such an unfactual position, yet there is huge popular Western support for such a political interpretation.
People also think I eccentrically enjoy writing the term “fake-leftist”, but it’s really quite necessary: in the US the term “leftist” is refused by Democrats as too radical, so they prefer what Krugman used in his headline – “liberals”. US liberals have only the scantest leftist economic component to their ideology – when you press them to be honest they are resolutely anti-socialist and inevitably support not just neo-imperialism but even many aspects of far-right neoliberalism. Yes, they do not openly claim to be “leftist”, but they certainly falsely and opportunistically present themselves that way. This is why “fake-leftist” can and should be used synonymously with “liberal”.
Liberals, fake-leftists and corona hysterics have two things in common: they are now hissing and booing at the French nurses, and they cannot boogaloo.
**********************************
Corona contrarianism? How about some corona common sense? Here is my list of articles published regarding the corona crisis.
Capitalist-imperialist West stays home over corona – they grew a conscience? – March 22, 2020
Corona meds in every pot & a People’s QE: the Trumpian populism they hoped for? – March 23, 2020
A day’s diary from a US CEO during the Corona crisis (satire) March 23, 2020
MSNBC: Chicago price gouging up 9,000% & the sports-journalization of US media – March 25, 2020
Tough times need vanguard parties – are ‘social media users’ the West’s? – March 26, 2020
If Germany rejects Corona bonds they must quit the Eurozone – March 30, 2020
Landlord class: Waive or donate rent-profits now or fear the Cultural Revolution – March 31, 2020
Corona repeating 9/11 & Y2K hysterias? Both saw huge economic overreactions – April 1, 2020
(A Soviet?) Superman: Red Son – the new socialist film to watch on lockdown – April 2, 2020
Corona rewrites capitalist bust-chronology & proves: It’s the nation-state, stupid – April 3, 2020
Condensing the data leaves no doubt: Fear corona-economy more than the virus – April 5, 2020
‘We’re Going Wrong’: The West’s middling, middle-class corona response – April 10, 2020
Why does the UK have an ‘army’ of volunteers but the US has a shortage? – April 12, 2020
No buybacks allowed or dared? Then wave goodbye to Western stock market gains – April 13, 2020
Pity post-corona Millennials… if they don’t openly push socialism – April 14, 2020
No, the dollar will only strengthen post-corona, as usual: it’s a crisis, after all – April 16, 2020
Same 2008 QE playbook, but the Eurozone will kick off Western chaos not the US – April 18, 2020
We’re giving up our civil liberties. Fine, but to which type of state? – April 20, 2020
Coronavirus – Macron’s savior. A ‘united Europe’ – France’s murderer – April 22, 2020
The same 12-year itch: Will banks loan down QE money this time? – April 26,
2020
The end of globalisation won’t be televised, despite the hopes of the Western 99% (2/2) – April 27, 2020
What would it take for proponents to say: ‘The Great Lockdown was wrong’? – April 28, 2020
ZeroHedge, a response to Mr. Littlejohn & the future of dollar dominance – April 30, 2020
Given Western history, is it the ‘Great Segregation’ and not the ‘Great Lockdown’? – May 2, 2020
The Western 1% colluded to start WWI – is the Great Lockdown also a conspiracy? – May 4, 2020
May 17: The date the Great Lockdown must end or Everything Bubble 2 pops – May 6, 2020
Reading Piketty: Does corona delay the Greens’ fake-leftist, sure-to-fail victory? – May 8, 2020
Picturing the media campaign needed to get the US back to work – May 11, 2020
Scarce jobs + revenue desperation = sure Western stagflation post-corona – May 13, 2020
Ramin Mazaheri is the chief correspondent in Paris for Press TV and has lived in France since 2009. He has been a daily newspaper reporter in the US, and has reported from Iran, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, South Korea and elsewhere. He is the author of the books ‘I’ll Ruin Everything You Are: Ending Western Propaganda on Red China’ and the NEW ‘Socialism’s Ignored Success: Iranian Islamic Socialism’.
Just when I wanted to ask you if you would consider writing a book about Socialism with Iranian characteristics :)
Salut Ramin,
Have a look at HR6666 as well as what the Ventura county government plans to do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kf_gWrBio4&t=275
Makes you drop your jaw if not worse…
Cheers!
Jac
Ramin,
Another fantastic piece. Your analysis has been spot on throughout this Covid-19 madness, including your economic analysis about the dollar strengthening as a result of the crisis and your projection of stagflation. You and I are very like minded. Thank you for all your hard work and research!
I should have commented on your May 4th article “The Western 1% colluded to start WWI – is the Great Lockdown also a conspiracy?” but I will do it here. You listed three possible reasons for why the initial super high fatality rates did not come to pass and you stated you were not sure which one it was. My answer: It is all three!
I just ordered your book on Amazon. Maybe I can be the first person to review it. If there is anyone who can convince me to become an avowed (real) socialist it is you. I do not currently consider myself to be fully either capitalist or socialist. I have long believed that real capitalism does not exist in the USA and reading your work has shown me that real socialism does not exist here either. We have the fake versions of both systems. What a horrible combination!
If you ever come to Florida to meet with the Saker I would love to meet you.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Percy
Thank you for all these kind words Percy. That is really amazing if anyone has convinced you to be an open socialist it is me! Wow, I am quite happy to hear that. Well, somebody had to do it, LOL – too bad that nobody in the MSM can be an open socialist to have raised these ideas earlier.
It would be great if you could review my book on Amazon – hopefully with a good rating.
Thank you for the kind invite – that would be very nice. Inshallah
If the ‘real owners’ actually were concerned about their country and its people, they would have put their money where their mouth is, and paid people to stay home, paid rents for families and businesses. Supported the small and medium size businesses that employ those who now muscle their way into the Michigan Capital.
It’s not simply work. It’s about money. It’s highly unlikely that the armed demonstrators would show up as they did, if their health care, rent and businesses and salaries were taken care of….the money is there to be printed for Wall St. Why not for the rest of us?
Because, whether the crisis is premeditated or not, they don’t care. Just like 911. The First Responders die of the toxins they inhale. The soldiers die in illegal war, and the perpetrators enjoy their privileges.
That’s the story of the West historically anyway.
“the incredibly unfunky state of New Hampshire –”
Hey, man, the state motto is “Live Free or DIE”
I am not from NH, but the view from Mass is that NH has a decidedly redneck hue. Same for most of Maine.
This is northern New England, where it gets seriously COLD in the winter. Lots of guns.
Re Michigan, I too noticed the knee-jerk revulsion and Trump-labeling of the protesting Michinganders.
No mention of the details: the absurdity and even sadism and control freakishness of the extent of the lock-down measures.
History note: Flint sit-down strike, 1937.
Michigan has been one of the states hardest hit by DC’s abandonment of the American workingman and -woman, and the gleeful throwing away and dismantling of all that union activism gained for them from the 1030s to the 1970s.
Katherine
Re the situation here in the US with the protesters, it’s complicated. Of course people’s grievances are both real and largely ignored in the coverage. Meanwhile we have a great paucity of actual, not fake-left formations and a climate of rabid (not rugged) individualism assiduously built over decades of imperial heartland “education.” Workers want to work and feel they can take care of themselves and their families. That’s admirable enough if unrealistic, especially in the de-industrialized, financialized economy. Mix long standing racist ideology with unrealistic expectations about living standards and “normality” post pandemic-financial meltdown into this toxic stew and many become even more prone to fascist demagoguery that, take it from me Ramin, circulates widely italic text>sub rosa while also obviously encouraged by Trump. Certain economic and ideological parallels to pre-Nazi Germany exist which I don’t think I need to spell out. I’m not sure about the boogaloo business other than that people do want to dance. But I am sure we can’t count on mainstream media to give us a clear account of it.
I enjoy reading your articles, especially because I wholeheartedly support the Yellow Vests, but also because I have lived for months at a time in Paris and having a fond spot for France in general. Your reporting is excellent.
I don’t also agree with your socialist oriented analysis, I’ve found it to be generally consistent and cogent. However, I find myself puzzled by your support for the most right-wing elements here in my country, who are most decidedly rapidly anti-socialist anything (except for the military if you can call it that), because they are seemingly anti-US-establishment perhaps?
But this rebellion against efforts to contain the virus in this country appears to me indeed in line with what the ruling class wants the working class to do, i.e. go back to work to keep the profits rolling regardless of their health and safety. These people should really be protesting the lack of health care and financial support for their families, and not simply be demanding to go back to their in most cases low paying no benefit jobs.
As an American steeped in hyper-individualism I do somewhat admire our natural inclination for self-reliance instead of collective action, but the fact that most people distrust the government (or course richly deserved) and cannot conceive of it being a force for good in this epidemic is surely part of the reason we are getting hit hard by this. And is also surely the very opposite of the attitude that must be present in any socialistic society.
Hi VictorNoel,
My support for the Michiganders is based on the right to free assembly – they deserve that. Furthermore, they are not protesting to topple a progressive government – not at all. So both of these things put them in common with the Yellow Vests.
I imagine many of the Michigander-type protesters are similar to Vesters – from the lower classes, and thus they need get their voice heard. Just because SOME of them have a gun I am not going to be turned off by them, unlike many journalists – gun culture is a part of American culture and that must be accepted. Waiting for that for that to change is simply not an option for a journalist.
Are Michigander-type protestors anti-socialist and not as incredibly politically knowledgable as Vesters? Probably yes to the first but probably no to the second – these protesters are obviously very politically-involved. I would love to hear what they have to say, and I bet – like the Vesters – they would regularly surprise me with their knowledge and analyses. I don’t see why Vesters would be so very superior in this regard….
But this is certain: demonising and ignoring the Michigander-type protests, instead of talking, exchanging and trying to win them over to the socialist side is the only option. Well, there is mowing them down in a civil war, which is what many fake-leftists secretly view as the only option, surely. They are wrong.
Ramin, you touched on an important topic: the US media’s deliberate use of the word ‘liberal’ to connotate ‘leftist’, while nothing could be further than the truth. In fact, ‘neo-liberalism’ which is the current official moniker, is liberalism on steroids. I keep meaning to write about this.
Thank you Deena! Please do write about it.
“Liberals”… often not very far from “totalitarians”.
OK mr mazahero, let me tell you one simple thing that obiously has escaped your wisdom.
What the heck makes you hate so much whatever is pictured ”left”… does
Sig Freud explain that?
Whenever a worker, feels himself endangered in two fronts: 1) his life is grossly threatened and 2) his working conditions and wage pay are bad and insufficient…
then , mr Mazasomething, their , the workers protests are NOT left leaned and are NOT right or the damn elsewhere they are merely instinctive and based on the deepest and strongest of human instincts: self preservation of life.
Whoever criticizes them is wrong, and both right of them, provided are well placed in social scales (rich or medium or low medium class) are WRONG.
give them better conditions.
They will continue , will go one in the heroism pedestals anyway – the only error of society is giving the ONLY prize of heroism LABEL. Which understadably is led by the upper classes, not by your so hated ‘left’
to talk about heroism only –
So americans show a natural reliance on the individual (and that must be admired) instead of anything collective… action or other.
But by constrast the Chinese, the poor gooks, have shown a natural inclination for reliance in collective action — in this pandemic and therefore picked a brilliant victory! (which would not in consequence deserve admiration, right?)
And further, for instance a tribe of south american indians , living since centuries relying with basis on collective belief and actions, a usually happy and nature preserving life … what kind of appreciation do they deserve?
In conclusion, there are several magnificent ways of social life, beliefs and postures in the world other than those existent in the space between the Liberty and the Golden Gate.
looking forward to/hope your books become available @ non amazon sellers.
I will visit a book shop on monday and see if they can order it for me, i will not use amazon tho..
Hi Per,
Well, perhaps consider this please:
My publisher is a tiny house based in Indonesia. Yes, Amazon parasitically takes 60% of each sale, but my publishers really, REALLY need those royalties. So while using Amazon to buy everyday goods is indeed a not a good idea, perhaps making an exception in certain cases is something you could make.
I have asked my publishers repeatedly if we could not use Amazon – they are adamant that they have searched and they cannot do that any longer. So there is no other place to buy this book. Is it unfortunate? Yes. Do I think it helps Amazon to not buy this book? Yes, it helps them to not use them here because it is preventing my publishers and myself from doing more good leftist work.
Just my 2 cents – many thanks for trying.
“Across the country governors (the presidents of states) have imposed lockdowns without a single legislative vote of approval
I wonder whether some of them are seeing the writing on the wall and are positioning themselves to be regional “presidents” as things get weirder and and weirder in the USA.
Except, are they smart enough to think that far ahead?
Politicians don’t have to be smart, actually; they just have to have good noses for certain types of things.
BTW the word “lockdown” is now being used in Germany (Der Spiegel).
I hate this toxic word. It used to be used only for prisons. I guess it is one more gift of English to the world.
Katherine
In related news, Jeremy Corbyn’s brother, Piers Corbyn, was arrested in London today for taking part in a protest against the lockdown. “You’re not allowed to protest,” the Police said.
This is indeed a strange virus which has to be protected by uniformed (but unmasked and ungloved) officers of the so-called law.
Dear Ramin, what an incredible drive of productivity you have been on recently. Thank you for the relief on 1917 and many more mind gnawing issues that demand somebody insightful & experienced by on the gound reporting to translate the message in a wider global political perspective.
You are the go to source for report o, the social movements in France, so thanks to the lock down and stay sane lack of interest in social media & main-stream-toddler-media. I came to learn the nurses protest from you first.
Some interesting discussion points pass on France-Info Radio now and then, not rarely to be used just as placeholders: sure we said it, are you now happy and can we move on to business as usual while makeing France great again? Still couldn’t bring myself to listen long enough to hear the nurses protest news perspective from them so here’s the benefit of the doubt it could have been a better than average report as the eyes of the nation are sure to be fixed on this class of “heroes”.
I would like to let you know that we are thankful for bringing some much needed salt & to the political conversation!
The story I tell in the Café where “I had to learn the small sticker prints on the Yellow Vest burnt bank building from Iran Press TV, or the entrapment story of the hospital run by Yellow Vest from Iranian Press TV correspondent the only journalist braving the police bullets and by that means protecting the protesters from even more violence, are already turning into “classics”, better than TV stuff.
Of course conversation partners get hit by this highly entertaining story only after enjoying the usual chit chat and loads of empathy towards their personal interests, struggles and political views.
Just make sure they bring the other viewpoint home with them a perspective that holds some hope for back to a normal most seem to have forgotten: a normal where we knew we wanted something for the collective good and went for it. (or did not want something like Iraq invasion , more foreign invador nukes in our background etc..)
Yes of course we do talk to yellow vests / yellow gasmasks too if not in the middle of a cloud of tear gas: younger people full of positive fighting spirit that are now forbidden to combine the respectful 2 job combination of selling (honnest as possible) farmer product on our local market and then travel to Paris for their weekend protest gathering. So no more going to local markets & talking to them Yellow Vests for mutual support by uplifting stories.
Yes it’s so hard to organize an open market following virus logic : such a logistic mission impossible to assign a few people to watch over distancing when grandma goes for her regular weekly fresh vegetables and small talk in open air… so complicated to put up some of those metal barriers as they can easily do for every weekends football match on who’s expense, those interested in football surely?
As for the book: initial reaction was: instant buy after all that caffeine boosted amygdala brain part wants instant ratification, ..
then 2nd thought forced through by Amazon link alert: maybe I’d just rationally and ethically try to hear what my local traditional book shop says when I try to order it… Another chance to talk about the book and how to break this circle.
After all I am not in book reading mode as much as financial survival mode so the book can wait a few days/weeks.. Probably after “I tried to support local” I ‘d still be forced to put this political interests marker next to my Pikkety inventory and help them ever grow larger and draw statistics / read our future minds?
What does help is have the book in ePub format, it can then be read by a great program such as LibreraPro open source book management software on Android for example. At least we can learn a few things while picking dandelions in the park for our next healthy salad.
From the book I will learn why atheism made socialism’s often brutal implementation hard , maybe I’ll find an answer to why this brutal enforcement of atheism is so brutal. I suppose the people trying to give socialism a go w/o respecting “religion whas there first” factor where smart enough to take into account the pro and cons of banning religion or put it on the back burner. As for me it seems like religion was forced / or gently installed in there first and the idea is that what goes on in your innocent mind and gut early on in growth months and years is very decisive for one’s later life. People are born thinking, not religions is my perspective.
Ethics, non corruption, thinking for the greater good need no complicated encrypted book citations so for “primitive atheist -if you like- minds” like mine, a rule set will be evaluated,
So I’d be interested to learn how the balance exercise is done succesfully in Iran, and if I should reluctantly try to become member of the religious club for the greater good!
Hope the email is not written to inconsistently but the sun is shining, birds are singing, bread is rising waiting to be baked, just posting if you all don’t mind.
Hi Prutzer,
Thanks for that wonderful message. Much appreciated, and quite flattered.
The reason I have done so many written articles is that I am on a temporary, corona-induced break from doing TV reports for PressTV. So… lotta time on my hands!
Regarding Amazon – there is nothing that can be done, one has to use Amazon. That’s what my publisher says, and there’s nothing we can do about it, sadly. But, if you get the chance in the future to buy it, please keep in mind that the publisher and I are splitting 40% of the book sale and that this will allow us to do more good leftist work. Amazon is just to powerful at this moment in time, but I think using them for a book like this one is a good exception to the rule of avoiding them.