Dissecting John Stossel's Anti-Communist Lies

[Toddsterpatriot]

You're definitely the fruit cake, by slandering and demonizing Stalin, with your Khrushchev, "social democracy" propaganda bullshit.

​

Advanced automation technology will force society by necessity to adopt a non-profit, communist system of production. Without it society will be unable to survive.

A few retired commies miss their tiny pensions, I guess that makes the tens of millions slaughtered.....irrelevant, eh comrade?

 

[Red Front]

A few retired commies miss their tiny pensions, I guess that makes the tens of millions slaughtered.....irrelevant, eh comrade?

Todd and his disingenuous, hypocritical comments. Those Russians missed much more than just their pensions. Reducing it to just that is dishonest. As far as the scary campfire stories about "millions" of "innocent" people slaughtered, that's bullshit. Those "innocent millions" only exist in your fantasies. Death toll arguments don't strengthen your position, because as a capitalist, you have a mountain of bloody, rotting corpses under your feet. Many of those people were innocent, so where is the moral high ground upon which you supposedly stand, pointing your crooked, feculent finger at communists? You have no moral high ground, so do yourself a favor and find another line of argumentation.

American enforced sanctions in Iraq killed over a million innocent people, many of them children.​

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Todd and his disingenuous, hypocritical comments. Those Russians missed much more than just their pensions. Reducing it to just that is dishonest. As far as the scary campfire stories about "millions" of "innocent" people slaughtered, that's bullshit. Those "innocent millions" only exist in your fantasies. Death toll arguments don't strengthen your position, because as a capitalist, you have a mountain of bloody, rotting corpses under your feet. Many of those people were innocent, so where is the moral high ground upon which you supposedly stand, pointing your crooked, feculent finger at communists? You have no moral high ground, so do yourself a favor and find another line of argumentation.

American enforced sanctions in Iraq killed over a million innocent people, many of them children.​

Capitalism is to blame for Saddam starving his own people? LOL!

 

[Pete7469]

Your capitalist nonsense needs to leave.

 

[Red Front]

View attachment 818338

 

[Red Front]

Capitalism is to blame for Saddam starving his own people? LOL!

Right, because the brutal US enforced, UN economic sanctions had nothing to do with it, not to speak of America's air campaign, "desert shield" that bombed Iraq's infrastructure into the stone age. Yep, you're making a lot of sense.

 

[Soupnazi630]

Advanced automation eliminates capitalism.

Quite the opposite

 

[Pete7469]

View attachment 818339

I know I'm right.

The fact you choose to remain a bed wetting leftist is why you're wrong all the time.

 

[Red Front]

I know I'm right.

The fact you choose to remain a bed wetting leftist is why you're wrong all the time.

 

[Lesh]

Read his words, dumbass. They were ALLIES, before they were enemies. Remember how they divided up Poland?

DURRRRRR

How do you live with yourself?

They divided up Poland as a matter of convenience.
Hitler often said that communists were the natural enemy of Nazis

He made Allie’s of the capitalists like Krupp

 

[westwall]

They divided up Poland as a matter of convenience.
Hitler often said that communists were the natural enemy of Nazis

He made Allie’s of the capitalists like Krupp

Oh? Convenience? Do tell. What was convenient about it?

Be specific.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Right, because the brutal US enforced, UN economic sanctions had nothing to do with it, not to speak of America's air campaign, "desert shield" that bombed Iraq's infrastructure into the stone age. Yep, you're making a lot of sense.

​

Right, because the brutal US enforced, UN economic sanctions had nothing to do with it

The "brutal" sanctions didn't stop him from buying food or growing food.

Impact on agriculture[edit]​

Throughout the Ba'ath Party's rule over Iraq, the agricultural sector had been under-performing. Those in the U.S. who supported sanctions believed that low agricultural production in Iraq (coupled with sanctions) would lead to "a hungry population", and "a hungry population was an unruly one".[44] The Iraqi government, which understood the serious effects the sanctions could have on Iraq, was able to increase agricultural output by 24 percent from 1990 to 1991. During the sanction years, the agricultural sector witnessed "a boom of unprecedented proportions". Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) introduced several decrees during this period to increase agricultural performance. These decrees may be separated into three categories:

Oil-for-Food Programme[edit]​

Main article: Oil-for-Food Programme
As the humanitarian impact of the sanctions became a matter of international concern,[32] several UN resolutions were introduced that allowed Iraq to trade its oil for approved goods such as food and medicine. The earliest of these, Resolution 706 of 15 August 1991, allowed the sale of Iraqi oil in exchange for food,[21] which was reaffirmed by Resolution 712 in September 1991. The UN states that "The Government of Iraq declined these offers".[19] As a result, Iraq was effectively barred from exporting oil to the world market for several years.[21]

 

[Hum Dinger]

You're definitely the fruit cake, by slandering and demonizing Stalin, with your Khrushchev, "social democracy" propaganda bullshit.

​

Advanced automation technology will force society by necessity to adopt a non-profit, communist system of production. Without it society will be unable to survive.

Technology will allow greater creative work that it will enhance productivity, but it will never be a non-profit system.

Some people may not be interested in producing creative works, and they may receive government handouts to survive, but eventually the creative people will separate from the lazy freeloaders. Eventually the lazy free loaders will find that being creative is a much better way of life.

 

[Red Front]

Right, because the brutal US enforced, UN economic sanctions had nothing to do with it

The "brutal" sanctions didn't stop him from buying food or growing food.

Impact on agriculture[edit]​

Throughout the Ba'ath Party's rule over Iraq, the agricultural sector had been under-performing. Those in the U.S. who supported sanctions believed that low agricultural production in Iraq (coupled with sanctions) would lead to "a hungry population", and "a hungry population was an unruly one".[44] The Iraqi government, which understood the serious effects the sanctions could have on Iraq, was able to increase agricultural output by 24 percent from 1990 to 1991. During the sanction years, the agricultural sector witnessed "a boom of unprecedented proportions". Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) introduced several decrees during this period to increase agricultural performance. These decrees may be separated into three categories:

Oil-for-Food Programme[edit]​

Main article: Oil-for-Food Programme
As the humanitarian impact of the sanctions became a matter of international concern,[32] several UN resolutions were introduced that allowed Iraq to trade its oil for approved goods such as food and medicine. The earliest of these, Resolution 706 of 15 August 1991, allowed the sale of Iraqi oil in exchange for food,[21] which was reaffirmed by Resolution 712 in September 1991. The UN states that "The Government of Iraq declined these offers".[19] As a result, Iraq was effectively barred from exporting oil to the world market for several years.[21]

• 
  Humanitarian Impact: The harsh reality remains that even with initiatives like the Oil-for-Food Programme, Iraq still faced severe shortages in essential items. Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Denis Halliday, resigned in protest over what he termed a "genocidal" sanctions policy, stating the situation was destroying an entire society. According to Halliday, by 1998, 5,000 to 6,000 children were dying every month because of the impact of sanctions.
• Medicinal Restrictions: Some chemicals present in medicines were restricted due to potential dual-use in WMD development, depriving Iraqis from receiving the medical treatments that they needed to live. The sanctions disproportionately impacted civilians. Children, the elderly, and the sick, were the first to feel the effects. Between 1991 and 1998, the child mortality rate doubled in southern and central Iraq, with a significant chunk attributed to the sanctions.
• Infrastructure and Sanitation: After the first Gulf War, Iraq was in dire need of rebuilding. Sanctions made it nearly impossible to import necessary materials to repair critical infrastructure like electricity and water purification systems. As a result, waterborne diseases became rampant. The inability to import chlorine, led to further deterioration in the water quality. Consequently, cases of cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases increased, leading to many deaths.
• Agricultural Sector: With a 70 percent dependency on imported foodstuff to cover the basic needs of the population, the Iraqi government was unable to provide the basic nutrition for its people as the UK and US governments were rigorously blocking and delaying vast amounts of vital supplies for survival. More than $5bn worth of supplies was blocked from entering Iraq in mid-2002. As a direct consequence of these policies, Iraq’s infrastructure – sewage, water, electricity, and oil systems – had been largely destroyed or incapacitated.

By 1995, the living conditions of the Iraqi population had degenerated to a point that experts around the world were warning of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe of historical proportion. The “Oil-for-Food Programme” by the UN Security Council, presented as generous humanitarian response plan yet fully funded by the Iraqi state, exacerbated the strangulation of the country and deepened the hardship of ordinary Iraqis.

Almost 30 percent of each dollar was diverted to the dubious UN Compensation Commission residing in Villa “La Pelouse” in Geneva, which was to deliver financial compensation to aggrieved individuals and states. By mid-2004, the commission had conferred $48.2 billion to claimants – while the Iraqi people were starving. Further shares of Iraqi money got invested into the pockets of international UN staff. In the meantime, Iraqi wages (at an average of $5 and $25 a month) hardly sufficed to afford families’ basic necessities7.

As UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Hans von Sponeck was a daily witness to what he calls “a harsh and uncompromising sanctions regime punishing the wrong people”. In his book8, he outlines some of the most salient consequences on the daily lives of innocent Iraqis.

 

[Rigby5]

Did you cry when the Berlin Wall came down?

The Berlin wall had nothing to do with communism.

 

[Red Front]

Technology will allow greater creative work that it will enhance productivity, but it will never be a non-profit system.

Some people may not be interested in producing creative works, and they may receive government handouts to survive, but eventually the creative people will separate from the lazy freeloaders. Eventually the lazy free loaders will find that being creative is a much better way of life.

Technology will allow greater creative work that it will enhance productivity, but it will never be a non-profit system.

It's self evident that we will be forced by necessity to adopt a non-profit system of production, once production becomes automated enough, to replace most menial jobs, including many professional, white collar jobs as well. Technology will eventually replace wage-labor, hence the need for a non-profit system of production.

Some people may not be interested in producing creative works, and they may receive government handouts to survive, but eventually the creative people will separate from the lazy freeloaders. Eventually the lazy free loaders will find that being creative is a much better way of life.

The "free loaders" are the capitalists who live off of other people's labor. Once advanced automation technology eliminates the need for wage labor in many different sectors of the economy, that will necessitate the adoption of a non-profit system of production. Without enough wage-labor, there aren't enough paying consumers or a large enough market worth investing in. And of course, we should also factor in the civil unrest that will ensue when tens of millions of Americans are unemployed, due to being replaced by technology. Without a certain degree of stability, there's no functioning economy.

 

[westwall]

• 
  Humanitarian Impact: The harsh reality remains that even with initiatives like the Oil-for-Food Programme, Iraq still faced severe shortages in essential items. Former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Denis Halliday, resigned in protest over what he termed a "genocidal" sanctions policy, stating the situation was destroying an entire society. According to Halliday, by 1998, 5,000 to 6,000 children were dying every month because of the impact of sanctions.
• Medicinal Restrictions: Some chemicals present in medicines were restricted due to potential dual-use in WMD development, depriving Iraqis from receiving the medical treatments that they needed to live. The sanctions disproportionately impacted civilians. Children, the elderly, and the sick, were the first to feel the effects. Between 1991 and 1998, the child mortality rate doubled in southern and central Iraq, with a significant chunk attributed to the sanctions.
• Infrastructure and Sanitation: After the first Gulf War, Iraq was in dire need of rebuilding. Sanctions made it nearly impossible to import necessary materials to repair critical infrastructure like electricity and water purification systems. As a result, waterborne diseases became rampant. The inability to import chlorine, led to further deterioration in the water quality. Consequently, cases of cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases increased, leading to many deaths.
• Agricultural Sector: With a 70 percent dependency on imported foodstuff to cover the basic needs of the population, the Iraqi government was unable to provide the basic nutrition for its people as the UK and US governments were rigorously blocking and delaying vast amounts of vital supplies for survival. More than $5bn worth of supplies was blocked from entering Iraq in mid-2002. As a direct consequence of these policies, Iraq’s infrastructure – sewage, water, electricity, and oil systems – had been largely destroyed or incapacitated.

By 1995, the living conditions of the Iraqi population had degenerated to a point that experts around the world were warning of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe of historical proportion. The “Oil-for-Food Programme” by the UN Security Council, presented as generous humanitarian response plan yet fully funded by the Iraqi state, exacerbated the strangulation of the country and deepened the hardship of ordinary Iraqis.

Almost 30 percent of each dollar was diverted to the dubious UN Compensation Commission residing in Villa “La Pelouse” in Geneva, which was to deliver financial compensation to aggrieved individuals and states. By mid-2004, the commission had conferred $48.2 billion to claimants – while the Iraqi people were starving. Further shares of Iraqi money got invested into the pockets of international UN staff. In the meantime, Iraqi wages (at an average of $5 and $25 a month) hardly sufficed to afford families’ basic necessities7.

As UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Hans von Sponeck was a daily witness to what he calls “a harsh and uncompromising sanctions regime punishing the wrong people”. In his book8, he outlines some of the most salient consequences on the daily lives of innocent Iraqis.

Your socialist nirvana, Venezuela, is systematically starving the peons to death.

Sounds wonderful.

You should move there.

 

[Rigby5]

It's not how you start the race, it's how you finish it that matters. It took centuries for capitalism to replace chattel slavery and feudalism, and it will take time for socialism and then communism to replace capitalism. It's just a matter of time.

All primitive human societies are communist hunter/gatherer societies.
Capitalism came about when we became sedentary agriculturalists, and that is what also started "chattel slavery and feudalism".
Returning to communism will be a return to normal social values.

 

[Rigby5]

Your socialist nirvana, Venezuela, is systematically starving the peons to death.

Sounds wonderful.

You should move there.

The problems with Venezuela have nothing to do with socialism.
Their oil is tar sands, so very difficult to extract.
Their government is not really socialist at all, but secret capitalists.

 

[Rigby5]

A few retired commies miss their tiny pensions, I guess that makes the tens of millions slaughtered.....irrelevant, eh comrade?

Stalin's paranoia and need for absolute power had nothing at all to do with any economic or political system one may choose.