COVID-19 - Macska Moksha Press

Blame the Oligarchs, Not the Unvaccinated, for the COVID Crisis

September 15, 2021 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

First off, let me stress that I’m vaccinated myself, and that I support vaccination as a vital component of COVID response in the US.

That being said, US COVID policies⁠—which at this point are centered on vaccination⁠—have not been very successful to say the very least. We do, after all, rank #1 in deaths and are mishandling the current wave as if nothing could be learned from the previous ones. Our failure threatens the health of people not only here but around the world given the global scope of the pandemic. Other countries have employed much better methods, but we have so far failed to put them in practice them here. Adding insult to injury, much of the establishment political class and its partnered media is laying blame on a section of the population, rather than on the system where it belongs.

It’s a fact that⁠—currently, anyway—being vaccinated greatly reduces your chance of dying or suffering serious illness from COVID. It’s also a fact that you can still pick it up and give it to other people, though⁠—again, so far⁠—at a lesser rate. So, in and of itself⁠—that is, in the absence of other measures⁠—vaccination does not stop the pandemic. It has the undeniable social benefit of reducing the number of hospitalizations, which reserves finite medical resources for other people, including those who are not vaccinated for whatever reason (more about that later). But vaccination by itself is insufficient.

This aspect of COVID vaccination⁠—that it does not halt the spread⁠—has been known from the beginning but was never adequately emphasized. Instead people had the impression that if they got their jabs, they were “safe.” They didn’t get this impression out of nowhere; they were given it by the US mainstream media, an institution that reflects the values of the ruling class, who prioritize economic considerations over people’s well-being.

“Capitalism on a Ventilator”

December 15, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

Asian countries have been far more successful than the US in responding to the COVID pandemic, but you’d never know that from the US media. Even most alternative media has been largely US- & Euro-centric. While our domestic issues here are important, we have been missing out on important lessons from other places.

A partial remedy to this dearth of information is provided by the just released, “Capitalism on a Ventilator: The Impact of COVID-19 in China & the U.S.” The book is an anthology of writing by over fifty activists and independent journalists, edited by Sara Flounders & Lee Siu Hin. (I interviewed Sara about this book for my podcast here.)

What if Trump had donned a mask in March?

December 8, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

What most surprised me about 2020 was the eruption of partisan warfare over wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID. Metaphorically, it was like making a political issue of covering your mouth when you cough. WTF?

Was this inevitable? It’s not like this particular topic has been a hot button issue for decades like feminism or fluoride or gays. Surgical masks have been absent from the last half century of culture wars, unmentioned by Phyllis Schlafly, Ronald Reagan or Alex Jones.

So, having been off the table this whole time, the mask “issue” was up for grabs and I venture to suggest that it could have gone the other way. In an alternate universe, Republicans would now be die-hard mask-wearers and Democrats… well, I’m not so sure.

This is What Collapse Looks Like

July 22, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

It’s time to normalize the word, “collapse,” to describe the ongoing conditions in the US.

Some would counter it’s well past time—and I won’t argue with that—but I’d say we can no longer credibly claim that it’s too early to make this call.

“Decline” has been happening for decades at this point, as manifested in trends such as increasing class inequality, decreasing wages (as relative to inflation), higher infant mortality, lower life expectancy, a disintegrating social safety net, explosive growth of the prison-industrial complex, deteriorating educational system, etc. More and more people have been feeling the squeeze in their efforts to get by, even if establishment voices make claims to the contrary about “recovery.”

But “collapse” is more than “decline.” It’s when the system has lost enough integrity that it’s gone beyond the point of no return. With the multiple levels of disruption that have accompanied the COVID pandemic, we have passed that point.

COVID-19 Denialism is Rooted in the Settler Colonial Mindset

July 8, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

COVID denialism in the US is problematic to say the least. The nation is facing a public health crisis that’s far worse than it needs to be, as shown by the examples of countless other nations around the world that have largely suppressed the first wave. In fact, the US is one of the most dangerous places to be for this pandemic.

We have failed to pursue common sense policies and collective action here due to the ignorant attitudes not only of our leadership but of a significant share of our population.

Three recent interviews I did for my podcast, “Voices for Nature & Peace,” highlighted the connection between this unfortunate state of affairs and our status as a settler-colonial state. These three guests were Margaret Kimberley, a columnist at the Black Agenda Report and member of the Black Alliance for Peace; Joanna Pocock, the Canadian-born, London-residing author of “Surrender,” a memoir about living in the western US; and Alley Valkyrie, a US American activist, writer and artist in France.

The Proliferation of Conspiracy Theories & the Crisis of Science

May 20, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

We’re all familiar with what a “conspiracy theory” is: a narrative of social control in which shadowy groups are secretly rigging events to increase their own power and profit. An apt personification is “the man behind the curtain” in “The Wizard of Oz.”

Of course, there actually are groups attempting to rig events to their own enrichment, such as criminal rackets, political parties and corporations, but conspiracy theories go beyond this simple reality of economics and politics; the actors they describe are virtually god-like in their omniscience and omnipotence: to wit, any and every happenstance is interpreted not only in terms of how it benefits these actors, but—here’s the kicker—how that benefit proves that these forces planned and executed the events in question. At this point, the tales becomes tall indeed, and all logic goes out the window.

“Cui bono?“—a Latin phrase usually translated as “Who benefits?”—is the bread-and-butter of conspiracy theorizing. And as a starting point for understanding motivations and relationships in a profit-driven society, it’s certainly useful, but it only takes you so far.

I would draw the distinction between “opportunism” and “orchestration.”

For example, if my house is on fire and my neighbor charges me a Franklin to use his hose, what’s been clearly demonstrated is that he’s a greedy son-of-a-gun, but not—and this is key—that he personally set the conflagration himself. Maybe he did, maybe didn’t. But the mere fact of his making money from the situation does not prove his culpability: it just illustrates his opportunism, or, if you like, his entrepreneurship.

In a capitalist society where “money makes the world go round,” virtually every single event will boost the bottom line for somebody, and as a rule, multiple parties will actively be seeking the angle where they get to be that particular somebody, whether they had anything to do with starting it or not. It’s perverse, but it’s not always diabolical.

For People, Planet & Peace: Interview with Lisa Savage, Ind. Candidate for Senate in Maine

May 11, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

Lisa Savage is running for Senate in the state of Maine, against Republican incumbent, Susan Collins. Lisa is long-time antiwar and environmental organizer, as well as being a public school teacher and a grandmother. Although she has been an active member of the Green Party, Lisa is running as an independent candidate due to restrictive ballot access laws in Maine. The state does, however, boast the advantage of having ranked choice voting, which gives independent candidates a better shot.

I interviewed Lisa for my podcast, “Voices for Nature & Peace,” on May 7th, 2020, and we covered a lot of ground: COVID-19 relief (including her call for a People’s Bail-Out), healthcare, agriculture, campaigning during a pandemic, the recently released documentary, “Planet of the Humans,” the Green New Deal, and US militarism. If she wins, she will certainly be one of the most progressive people to ever serve in the US Senate.

What follows is a partial transcript of our conversation. Listen to the full interview here.

To My Fellow Leftists, Anti-Imperialists, Radicals, etc., re. the Pandemic

May 10, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

I submit that the most significant effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US is sociological. The break with the “normal” that the population is experiencing, virtually universally, is without precedent in the post-WWII era. With this amazing moment, we are being provided with an incredible opportunity to organize and to support real resistance to the Establishment. We should make the most of it.

All other effects—to health, civil liberties, electoral politics, etc.—are secondary (besides being matters of seemingly infinite debate). By contrast, the fact that people’s faith in the system is being seriously shaken right now is a big deal, and—as a phenomena—is undeniably real.

Those of us who oppose war, capitalism, injustice, authoritarianism and ecocide have often wished that the population could be roused from their seemingly unquestioning acceptance of the status quo and consider new perceptions and ideas. Well, here we are. There’s a real chance for something to happen. The last thing we should be calling for right now is a return to “normal.”

Personally, I’ve been opposed to “normal” since I was made aware of its existence at the age of 11. My understanding—or “analysis” as the intellectuals like to say—has grown more sophisticated over time, but the core has remained the same, and that is a visceral revulsion for the status quo, its values and its actions, which—I don’t need to tell you—are anti-people and anti-planet.

The System of “normal” has seemed unassailable: a machine of massive scale and seemingly unstoppable inertia. But it is vulnerable. We are seeing that now. We need to seize this moment.

In the context of taking action during the pandemic, many details are unimportant, like whether these particular statistics are accurate or those specific polices are over-reactions, or even if the whole thing was planned by Bill Gates.

Of course the elite is taking advantage of this crisis to consolidate power and riches. That’s their MO every other day of the week too, and that doesn’t make this moment special. But every ruling class in history has faced a day of reckoning when they fall from power, sometimes abruptly. The circumstances have varied, but what most instances had in common was a population that experienced a break with “normal.”

Right now, in 2020, a door has opened a crack. We don’t know what’s on the other side, but it’s a way out of this miserable place. We should grab ahold of it before the powers-that-be slam it shut again by “re-opening.”

So, is this just another flu? Did Governor so-and-so overstep his bounds? Are the counts in New York City exaggerated? Maybe, maybe not. What I’m saying is that such things are trivial compared to the magnitude of the opportunity that life is offering us now, with the spell broken for so many people. This really could be a once-in-a-lifetime shot at big change. Let’s go with that flow.

What exactly should we do? Ha! I know better than to make any specific suggestions. Anything I say would just become something else to argue with.

Personally, I’ll be looking for ways to support people who are taking advantage of the new space and who are trying to expand it—the people for whom “normal” is just not cutting it anymore. Maybe we’ll see each other along the way.

The Pandemic as a Lesson in Humility: An Interview with Gilbert Mercier (excerpt)

May 9, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

Gilbert Mercier is a is a French journalist, photojournalist and filmmaker. He founded the News Junkie Post in 2009 and is its Co-Editor-in-Chief. Over the years, he has been a guest analyst on television and radio programs for RT, BBC World News, the Progressive Radio Network, Sputnik, Al Hurra TV, CounterPunch Radio, and Radio Islam. Mercier’s articles have been republished by Alternet, Truthout, CounterPunch, Z Communications, Signs of the Times, Popular Resistance, and others. He authored the book, “The Orwellian Empire.” He is a member of the National Press Photographers Association and the Art Directors Guild of America.

Gilbert and I spoke on May 5th, and covered a variety of political and environmental topics, many of them in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. What follows is an excerpt.

Listen to complete interview here:

Or watch on Youtube here

Kollibri: We’re at a point now with this pandemic where Capitalism is facing a crisis, perhaps an existential crisis.

Gilbert: To me, this is excellent and it’s an opportunity for people like you and I and a bunch of other people worldwide to raise the consciousness level of the population…

Slaughter of the Innocents: COVID-19 & the Future of Agriculture

May 5, 2020 by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

**Above:** *Massive cattle operation in Imperial County, California [Photo by the author]*

listen to the author read this post:

or watch on YouTube

It’s early days yet, but the COVID-19 pandemic has already proven to be revelatory, exposing much that is ugly about the “normal” functioning of the US: the sorry state of health care, the unresponsiveness of corporate-owned government, the hyper individuality of the populace, the high levels of ignorance among the same, and the racism of the entire system.

Regarding that lattermost point: This nation was founded by white Europeans who stole the land from the Indigenous and then built wealth with African slaves, and guess who’s doing the worst in this pandemic? The Native Americans and the Blacks. And look who’s protesting the loudest to get things “back to normal”: Whites, many of them with Confederate flags. Let that sink in.

Agriculture was at the heart of the settler colonialism: The land was seized for farming and the people were kidnapped to work the fields. From brutal beginnings, the situation has only worsened, especially in the last few decades. Small-scale, family-farming à la Old MacDonald is the stuff of myth at this point, with precious few exceptions. Pesticide use is up, ground-water levels are down, top soil is blowing away, wildlife biodiversity is shrinking, and human workers are abused.

Corporate ownership of the means of food production has led to concentrated ownership, de-localization, and supply chains that are brittle in response to stress. A handful of corporate giants (in fact, only four) have gobbled up most of the US meat industry.

These corporations have set up “economies of scale” that utilize mass mechanization and impose horrific living conditions never before seen—and not seen enough, thanks in part to “Ag Gag” laws that forbid photographic or video documentation of what goes on in such places. One could be forgiven for assuming these companies don’t want their customers to know the details of how their meat is processed. Especially when the results are thing like fecal matter in 100% of the ground beef (as found in a food-safety test conducted by Consumer Reports in 2015). Jim Hightower went so far as to say that factory farms aren’t farms, but “concentration camps for animals.”

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