for many years americans have tried hard to ignore the mounting problems with their system of government and society. this shared public fantasy seemed to reach an apex in the 2016 election of a reality tv star to the country’s highest office.

but as george orwell once noted about the impact of war on society, at some point physical facts simply cannot be ignored.

we now confront three daunting challenges at the same time: a public health disaster, economic collapse, and a social crisis reopening some of the most painful wounds of american history. at the root of all these problems is the failure of the american state – weakened by decades of elite criminality and neglect – to provide the necessities of life for its people. (intercepted)

the u.s. thought and acted as if it owned the world. the u.s. lost it.