John Bolton will go down in the annals of history as an unparalleled devotee of war and endless escalation. It’s often been said that he’s never seen a conflict he didn’t like. He’s now published a rabble-rousing OpEd in the Wall Street Journal that’s so wantonly incendiary as to deserve its own article response. It is a total declaration of war on Russia, with the openly stated intent to see Russia completely destroyed, balkanized, and absorbed.
Consider that the Federal debt really began to grow with the New Deal, so not only was Roosevelt putting unemployed labor back to work, but unemployed capital, as well. Then World War 2 came along, as this county's greatest public works project ever and the die was cast.
The fact is that an economic medium, aka, money, is a public utility, by function. Like roads, water, air, etc. It is the network connecting all the nodes of economic entities. We own it like we own the section of road we are using, or the air and water flowing through our bodies.
Yet this country simply cannot ideologically accept that public spaces, works, commons, etc. have any utility or function. But there is one the ideologues do accept and that is the military. Obviously it really doesn't have much to do with actual defense, but it makes a perfect expression of the mob mentality that is inherent to any large group of people.
So there is a lot of deeply repressed psychology at work here.
The simple fact is that there isn't the investment potential for everyone to save individually, but we all save for many of the same reasons, so the public commons, in varied forms would be a useful method of working out how society functions. Even a reasonably focused and effective military, not some ginormous blob, intent on metastasizing around the entire planet.
Though that would require accepting that a healthy society is based on collective responsibility, with rights as reward, not rights as ordained and responsibility as optional, as is the current understanding on most parts of our political spectrum.
It is nice to see though, that we are reaching the point of reductio ad absurdum, as Mr Bolton so effectively exemplifies. The mother of all reality checks is in the mail.
This, after the "files" leak, (neither of which could happen without direction/approval from "Powers that Be") pose some serious questions.
Is this A/B testing (something Trump was master of) ideas, floated in the public space, to see if they can push the Overton Window to where THEY need it to be to survive/continue their designs on the world?
Or has the usual mafia-esque infighting between US government entities erupted/been pushed into the public gaze?
We are seeing classic "End of Empire" choices being made by US/Euro/WEF-Davos entities, plus elite level cognitive dissonance across many political entities.
I don't see this ending in nuclear fire, but a Truly Great Depression would have the same outcome for many across the world.
Bolton has always been a war mongering lunatic happy to promote endless American fueled wars that other American men and women will die and be maimed fighting. His editorial now outs him as a psychopath as well.
DEAR GOD when is John Bolton, or as I like to refer to him, John Dolton going to go away??? I find him absolutely horrifying. This man thinks of nothing else but destruction and mass death. He was desperate for Trump to start a war with Iran - he wanted to use nukes (!!), but he had to settle for continued destruction of Syria. People like this should be dropped into the middle of a country they've helped destroy - Iraq, Libya, Syria - with a quarter in their pocket, a bottle of water and a packet of peanut butter crackers and told, "now, live amongst the suffering you've created and survive like everybody else". He is a prime example of the neurosis known as "American Exceptionalism" and that always has a side helping of true white supremacy. I don't mean to sound "woke" but wealthy, western old white men like Dolton really do think they deserve to be the most powerful and wealthy people on the planet; people who don't look/speak/live just like them are "other" who should be subservient and worship them as demi-gods. If not, bombs away! Never has the thought crossed his tiny reptilian brain that he has no right to rule or kill or destroy the lives of other human beings. Projection, indeed, Simplicius! He and Pompeo are two peas in a pod. It terrifies me to think people like them have an actual voice in society and that they are actually listened to, as you said. Daniel Larison just posted something about Dolton on notes and I commented why does society let that man participate? Sorry to rant, but Dolton, Pompeo, the State Dept. Straussians....they all just get my goat as they are a clear and present danger to all humanity. As the old Mudhoney song says, "King Sandbox, wants more! King Sandbox, wants YOURS!"
Excellent point about the 100 years of humiliation. I'm surprised no one really thinks about that and how it would shape the Chinese worldview. And imagine seeing the Japanese re-militarizing and deciding to play nice with the UK and allowing UK troops in Japan if you are Chinese.
Apr 16, 2023·edited Apr 16, 2023Liked by Simplicius
Revolting....he is so full of hate it fills his words with the stench of it. I find it hard to comprehend why ANYone would choose to give him the time to "air" it!
America remains a great country with amazing people and phenomenal achievements that unfortunately are led by odious people toward insane foreign policy objectives. Bolton like McCain or Nuland is one of those people. Ukraine thought that it would be smart for them to befriend people like Bolton and comp - people that are thousands of miles away from them while ignoring their immediate neighbor and brother. Poland essentially is making the same mistake antagonizing both Russia and Germany and perhaps other smaller neighbors. Nobody gave anything for free to the Chinese. The Chinese worked really hard and smart over the past 3 decades or so and their economical and to some degree military achievements have matched if not surpassed those of the collective West. On a military basis, the bottom line is that the West cannot take on the largest (nuclear) land armies in the world with an expeditionary force, except on the periphery (Ukraine, Taiwan). Bolton has no audience anywhere in the world except perhaps where he lives.
Bolton and Lindsey Graham are lunatics. But much of the American public pays little attention to politics and will never hear his ranting, or even if they do they will just accept whatever their chosen political party tells them to think.
What is more concerning is that none of our elected officials are “cancelling” him as a psychopath. We have a failed government that either agrees with him or is too impotent to put a stop to the destruction of our nation.
Bolton must think todays young Americans are fans of total war and worldwide US hegonomy. I can see him urging them on despite massive casualties; die! die for the expansion of American power! Glory to the US forever! Kill the filthy scumbag non-western peoples!
Another great article, thank you for taking apart Dolt-on.
One thought: Perhaps Dolt-on does not actually mean all the stuff in this fantasy. Perhaps this article is meant to set expectations for even more war spending / aggressive policy than currently being considered. He may be anchoring expectations higher.
That is no secret. What is remarkable is that Bolton said this out loud.
I get the impression the MSM keeps giving this lunatic air time in order to make the rest of the neo-cons appear sane and restrained by comparison.
Consider that the Federal debt really began to grow with the New Deal, so not only was Roosevelt putting unemployed labor back to work, but unemployed capital, as well. Then World War 2 came along, as this county's greatest public works project ever and the die was cast.
The fact is that an economic medium, aka, money, is a public utility, by function. Like roads, water, air, etc. It is the network connecting all the nodes of economic entities. We own it like we own the section of road we are using, or the air and water flowing through our bodies.
Yet this country simply cannot ideologically accept that public spaces, works, commons, etc. have any utility or function. But there is one the ideologues do accept and that is the military. Obviously it really doesn't have much to do with actual defense, but it makes a perfect expression of the mob mentality that is inherent to any large group of people.
So there is a lot of deeply repressed psychology at work here.
The simple fact is that there isn't the investment potential for everyone to save individually, but we all save for many of the same reasons, so the public commons, in varied forms would be a useful method of working out how society functions. Even a reasonably focused and effective military, not some ginormous blob, intent on metastasizing around the entire planet.
Though that would require accepting that a healthy society is based on collective responsibility, with rights as reward, not rights as ordained and responsibility as optional, as is the current understanding on most parts of our political spectrum.
It is nice to see though, that we are reaching the point of reductio ad absurdum, as Mr Bolton so effectively exemplifies. The mother of all reality checks is in the mail.
Hilarious as usual. "Nuclear Armed Terrorist Organisation"...
Yes Bolton should be more worried about the USA breaking up into 4-6 seperate countries then Russia
Perhaps this process may begin with Washington,Oregon and California refusing to accept a trump win in 2024
This, after the "files" leak, (neither of which could happen without direction/approval from "Powers that Be") pose some serious questions.
Is this A/B testing (something Trump was master of) ideas, floated in the public space, to see if they can push the Overton Window to where THEY need it to be to survive/continue their designs on the world?
Or has the usual mafia-esque infighting between US government entities erupted/been pushed into the public gaze?
We are seeing classic "End of Empire" choices being made by US/Euro/WEF-Davos entities, plus elite level cognitive dissonance across many political entities.
I don't see this ending in nuclear fire, but a Truly Great Depression would have the same outcome for many across the world.
Bolton has always been a war mongering lunatic happy to promote endless American fueled wars that other American men and women will die and be maimed fighting. His editorial now outs him as a psychopath as well.
DEAR GOD when is John Bolton, or as I like to refer to him, John Dolton going to go away??? I find him absolutely horrifying. This man thinks of nothing else but destruction and mass death. He was desperate for Trump to start a war with Iran - he wanted to use nukes (!!), but he had to settle for continued destruction of Syria. People like this should be dropped into the middle of a country they've helped destroy - Iraq, Libya, Syria - with a quarter in their pocket, a bottle of water and a packet of peanut butter crackers and told, "now, live amongst the suffering you've created and survive like everybody else". He is a prime example of the neurosis known as "American Exceptionalism" and that always has a side helping of true white supremacy. I don't mean to sound "woke" but wealthy, western old white men like Dolton really do think they deserve to be the most powerful and wealthy people on the planet; people who don't look/speak/live just like them are "other" who should be subservient and worship them as demi-gods. If not, bombs away! Never has the thought crossed his tiny reptilian brain that he has no right to rule or kill or destroy the lives of other human beings. Projection, indeed, Simplicius! He and Pompeo are two peas in a pod. It terrifies me to think people like them have an actual voice in society and that they are actually listened to, as you said. Daniel Larison just posted something about Dolton on notes and I commented why does society let that man participate? Sorry to rant, but Dolton, Pompeo, the State Dept. Straussians....they all just get my goat as they are a clear and present danger to all humanity. As the old Mudhoney song says, "King Sandbox, wants more! King Sandbox, wants YOURS!"
Excellent point about the 100 years of humiliation. I'm surprised no one really thinks about that and how it would shape the Chinese worldview. And imagine seeing the Japanese re-militarizing and deciding to play nice with the UK and allowing UK troops in Japan if you are Chinese.
Revolting....he is so full of hate it fills his words with the stench of it. I find it hard to comprehend why ANYone would choose to give him the time to "air" it!
John Bolton. What happens when Adolph Hitler and Captain Kangaroo have a baby.
America remains a great country with amazing people and phenomenal achievements that unfortunately are led by odious people toward insane foreign policy objectives. Bolton like McCain or Nuland is one of those people. Ukraine thought that it would be smart for them to befriend people like Bolton and comp - people that are thousands of miles away from them while ignoring their immediate neighbor and brother. Poland essentially is making the same mistake antagonizing both Russia and Germany and perhaps other smaller neighbors. Nobody gave anything for free to the Chinese. The Chinese worked really hard and smart over the past 3 decades or so and their economical and to some degree military achievements have matched if not surpassed those of the collective West. On a military basis, the bottom line is that the West cannot take on the largest (nuclear) land armies in the world with an expeditionary force, except on the periphery (Ukraine, Taiwan). Bolton has no audience anywhere in the world except perhaps where he lives.
Bolton and Lindsey Graham are lunatics. But much of the American public pays little attention to politics and will never hear his ranting, or even if they do they will just accept whatever their chosen political party tells them to think.
What is more concerning is that none of our elected officials are “cancelling” him as a psychopath. We have a failed government that either agrees with him or is too impotent to put a stop to the destruction of our nation.
I wish this creep would crawl back into that hole he came from and disappear forever, he is a persona non grata.
Bolton must think todays young Americans are fans of total war and worldwide US hegonomy. I can see him urging them on despite massive casualties; die! die for the expansion of American power! Glory to the US forever! Kill the filthy scumbag non-western peoples!
Trump: John I need to see you in my office, please
Bolton: Yes, Mr. President
Trump: John I mustache you to resign
Another great article, thank you for taking apart Dolt-on.
One thought: Perhaps Dolt-on does not actually mean all the stuff in this fantasy. Perhaps this article is meant to set expectations for even more war spending / aggressive policy than currently being considered. He may be anchoring expectations higher.