Chris Hedges: The Empire Self-Destructs

Monday, February 17, 2025

Chris Hedges: We share the pathologies of all dying empires with their mixture of buffoonery, rampant corruption, military fiascos, economic collapse and savage state repression.

Posted by Corky at 03:30 PM | 15 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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The billionaires, Christian fascists, grifters, psychopaths, imbeciles, narcissists and deviants who have seized control of Congress, the White House and the courts, are cannibalizing the machinery of state.

These self-inflicted wounds, characteristic of all late empires, will cripple and destroy the tentacles of power. And then, like a house of cards, the empire will collapse.

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"Blinded by hubris, unable to fathom the empire's diminishing power, the mandarins in the Trump administration have retreated into a fantasy world where hard and unpleasant facts no longer intrude.

They sputter incoherent absurdities while they usurp the Constitution and replace diplomacy, multilateralism and politics with threats and loyalty oaths. Agencies and departments, created and funded by acts of Congress, are going up in smoke."

Full article and video at the link

#1 | Posted by Corky at 2025-02-16 06:26 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

Very good article. Should be on the front page.

#2 | Posted by REDIAL at 2025-02-16 06:34 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

www.yesmagazine.org

The political establishment's sellout to corporate interests is reflected in every aspect of policy from military, to health care, to financial regulation, to education, the environment and much else. And the sellout is not exclusive to the Republican Party. We experienced it as well with the Clinton and Obama administrations"which explains why so many didn't trust Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

When two corrupt parties control the political system, debating which is the more corrupt simply diverts attention away from addressing the source of the corruption. In this case, the source is extreme inequality combined with a system of law that allows for a virtually unlimited concentration of corporate power. At the same time, corporations are granted more rights than people are, and are exempted from accountability to the communities in which they do business and from liability for the harm they cause.

#3 | Posted by LauraMohr at 2025-02-16 06:39 PM | Reply

Hedges' article.... not bad for a Presbyterian Minister.

#4 | Posted by Corky at 2025-02-17 12:11 PM | Reply

And I was having such a nice day ...

Seriously, Corky, thank you for posting this essay. There is a lot in it well worth pondering and so much already recognizable.

#5 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2025-02-17 12:29 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

I didn't realize he is married to the Canadian actress who does the Reading so well:

www.google.com

#6 | Posted by Corky at 2025-02-17 12:36 PM | Reply

"The array of tools used for global dominance " wholesale surveillance, the evisceration of civil liberties including due process, torture, militarized police, the massive prison system, militarized drones and satellites " will be employed against a restive and enraged population.

The devouring of the carcass of the empire to feed the outsized greed and egos of these scavengers presages a new dark age."

#7 | Posted by Corky at 2025-02-17 12:39 PM | Reply

We are just seeing the end game in realtime. Each side saying its the end....

Reading the history of the US, it started crumbling once Bush stepped the carrier and said "Mission Accomplish".

#8 | Posted by oneironaut at 2025-02-17 05:45 PM | Reply

There is a lot in it well worth pondering and so much already recognizable.
#5 | POSTED BY DOC_SARVIS

I would imagine for you there would be. You're understanding of the world is so small reading anything would be welcome.

#9 | Posted by oneironaut at 2025-02-17 05:46 PM | Reply

Having only 1Nut is not what one would call having a good understanding of the world.

You are SO underwhelming on these pages as to make Shady JD look like a genius.

#10 | Posted by Corky at 2025-02-17 06:01 PM | Reply

This empire may come crashing down. And it could be sudden. I'm thinking an absolute stock market crash, or some disgruntled played dropping a nuclear device. Both very real possibilities right now. And to be sure, Trump will blame Biden.

#11 | Posted by moder8 at 2025-02-17 09:56 PM | Reply

MODER8

Considering that Trump has been emotionally retarded since his childhood, of course it's always going to be somebody's else's fault.

Trump is incapable of taking responsibility for anything. He's a self-perpetual victim

The same will hold true on the day of his impeachment.

#12 | Posted by Twinpac at 2025-02-17 11:39 PM | Reply

Good lord this guy is all over the place and yes I actually listened to the whole thing on YouTube. A few things, one he fully acknowledges that USAID, The World Bank are all slush funds used by certain three letter agencies to specifically keep Latin America in check for the sole purposes of plundering their natural resources (the same thing was done by these organizations to Eastern Europe in the 90's and early 2000's. What's most interesting though if the likes of the lefties on this site (minus censored and Lamp) all coming to the defense of these organizations as though the are the harbingers of all that is right within American international diplomacy. Hopefully those of you that clap in unison like barking seals see the utter hypocrisy of pointing this out.

So much more I could get into, but this guy basically takes gasoline to everything wrong with modern Democrat diplomacy, sets it on fire and then screams Its the fault of "TrUmP," "ElOn" and "ChRiStIaN NaTiOnAlIsTs!!!"

#13 | Posted by Bluewaffles at 2025-02-18 01:21 AM | Reply

Actually... I tend to agree. I have thought this for a long time mostly because of our social behaviors and the things people seem to value. It reminds me of stories I've read about the fall of various empires... they all fall eventually.

Everything is about personal adornment... aggrandizement... decadence.
All the things we must have... because we deserve... to be happy.
Insistence on feeling only good feelings... all the time. You must feel good during bad times.

I got the first hint of it when obesity became normalized. People need pharmaceutical intervention or surgeries to lose weight! I mean wtf?
I guess if you don't have a vomitorium you do what you gotta do.

#14 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2025-02-18 06:35 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

@#6| Posted by Corky

Hedges is a lucky guy. She's way too pretty for him.

#15 | Posted by shane at 2025-02-18 02:49 PM | Reply