Sunday, March 29, 2015

Five Men Destroying America

Power, greed, and an abiding disinterest in humanity, these five sociopaths are the greatest threats to America today.

Jamie Dimon - CEO, JP Morgan Chase
Dimon ticks all the boxes of a sociopath. He is charming, intense, and incapable of anything even remotely resembling a conscious. It was his manipulation of debt derivatives that nearly crashed the global economy. His not at all veiled threats to finish the job got him billions of dollars in bail-outs from the US treasury.  Throughout all of this, Jamie did not waste a single breath worrying about the millions of middle-class Americans forced out of their homes by his machinations.

His appearances before Congress have been bipartisan ass-kissing contests as most members of Congress, in both parties, are bought and paid for sycophants. Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders being notable exceptions.

And Jamie's planning on doing it again. He is working tirelessly to lift the restrictions on his banking empire so he can again play his wildly destructive games.

Antonin Scalia - Supreme Court Justice
This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is 'actually' innocent. ~ Antonin Scalia, 2009
Scalia likes to claim he is the smartest man on the court yet in reading his decisions you'll find an astonishing lack of scholarship. He is ignorant of society, science, history, and even the Constitution.  He is actively using his seat on the nation's highest court to impose a Catholic Caliphate on the United States.

But beyond all that, the most disturbing aspect of Scalia is the malicious hostility he has toward the concept of innocence.  His firmly held belief that even the innocent deserve execution is so astonishingly evil that is elevates Scalia beyond sociopath into the highest reaches of psychopathy.

Ted Cruz - Texas Senator
I like laughing at Ted Cruz, who doesn't? His real story is too silly to even be a character on South Park. But of all the member of Congress, from the dopey (Louie Gohmert) to the treacherous (Tom Cotton), Ted Cruz is the most terrifying. 
 
Cruz is a megalomaniac. He sees himself as the ultimate leader of the Tea Party, of Republicans, of all of Congress, of the United States, of all mankind. He believes he has godlike infallibility. He sees himself as a real life Ozymandias who will ruthlessly lead the world to his vision of utopia even if billions need to die in the process. Of course, his definition of utopia would be most people's definition of Hell.

Bibi Netanyahu - Israel Prime Minister
It didn't.
Bibi loves war. But he doesn't want his own nation to bear the horrible burdens of war. Bibi wants the United States to fight his wars for him. Bibi wanted war with Iraq. Shortly after George Bush Jr. was elected the United States fought Bibi's war for him. Bibi wants to destroy Syria. As a consequence, Israel has argued against the United States opposing ISIS until after it has conquered Syria, only then does he want the US to fight ISIS. Now, Bibi wants war with Iran. As with Iraq, Bibi wants US soldiers to be his weapon while Israel again sits on the sidelines applauding.

From Bibi's point of view this is a sound strategy. Unlike the others of this list, Bibi is not a sociopath. It is not Bibi's fault that the United States is a doltish brute that can be easily manipulated into fighting his battles for him. However, if the US is destroyed fighting Israel's wars, Bibi won't have a moment's regret.

Sheldon Adelson - Billionaire
I have to be careful here. Sheldon makes more money in one minute than I'll make in a year. He could crush me like the insect I am to him.

Sheldon is worth as much as the gross national product of Lativa. He has been tied to money laundering in Vegas, bribery in China, and gangsters in Macau. (Note to Sheldon: I'm sure these are all just baseless, vicious rumors and you are really a teddy bear.)

And Sheldon is a collector. He collects politicians like normal people collect souvenir coffee mugs. He doesn't donate to them or bribe them or even rent them. Sheldon buys them outright. And he loves buying Republican presidential wannabes.

They make pilgrimages to Sheldon's Vegas casino to kowtow to the great man, kiss his ring, and pledge total fealty to his majesty. Sheldon and his ilk (Koch brothers, et al) have not corrupted American politics but they have changed it into a feudal kingdom where even presidents are vassals serving their billionaire masters.

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