"Class is a dirty word in that it gets close to the truth about who governs and for whose benefit."
-Michael Parenti

Michael Parenti interviewed by Jason Miller

In the land of those who think they're free and the home of savage capitalism, class is indeed a dirty word. Remember, we're a nation of Joe the Plumbers. If we just work hard enough and fend off those socialist vampires who want to suck us dry by redistributing our hard-earned wealth, we can all be financial successes. And if you're a faux-progressive presidential candidate-like Obama, you're doomed to political perdition unless you sign a blood oath disavowing your ties to socialism.

Thomas Paine's Corner

[Warning: Satire Ahead]

"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."

-John Maynard Keynes

If you're nodding your head in agreement with Keynes and expecting validation of your opinion as you read this piece, you're in for a rude awakening.

The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal and crossposted at the Independent Bloggers Alliance.

Adam Smith published the Inquiry Into the Nature and Cases of the Wealth of Nations in 1776 and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels released The Communist Manifesto in 1848. Both publications advocated for economic models, capitalism and socialism respectively, that promised to advance the human condition. Although both paradigms made important contributions during the industrialization era, neither capitalism nor socialism appears equipped to guide humanity in a post-industrial information age economy.

When the coup came in 2002, it certainly came as no surprise to the Bush administration.  They'd help to plan it, they knew it was coming, and they were on hand to provide color commentary and praise for the replacement leadership.  Elected president Hugo Chavez was out, Bush's chosen businessman Pedro Carmona was in, and the United States couldn't have been happier.

Then Chavez easily restored order and revealed US involvement.  Oops.

The question is why were they so anxious to go after this man?  Sure, Chavez has leftist leanings, and he has oil, but there are a lot of governments more openly inimical to our own in control of oil reserves.  Why is Chavez the focus of so much effort?   Why has Pat Robertson called for Chavez' murder, naming him a "dangerous enemy" of the United States.  Okay, there's the fact that Robertson is a fruit loop, but in this case, he may be right.

Hugo Chavez may be the most dangerous man in the world.