Why are the billionaires always laughing?

Because they know the corporate media will never call bullshit on their bullshit.

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Why are the billionaires laughing?

It’s easy to laugh when the corporate press treats you as a glorious success instead of the epitome of a broken social order. Billionaires laugh because they know the corporate media prefers to fawn over them rather than hold them to account.

Today, we ask you to support our nonprofit, independent journalism because we are not impressed by billionaires flying into space, their corporations despoiling our health and planet, or their vast fortunes safely concealed in tax havens across the globe. We are not laughing.

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William Astore

William J. Astore is a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF), who has taught at the Air Force Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School, and now teaches History at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Articles by this author

US army

After Defeat in Afghanistan, Can US Envision a Future of Peace?

We must unite and dismantle this American Empire before it dismantles us.

William Astore · Sep 20, 2021

nowar

End Military Extremism By Ending War

Today's extremism feeds on war, anger, aggression, fear, hatred, and racism. To end it, we must first abolish war, reject lies, and embrace one another without rancor.

William Astore · Sep 3, 2021

US-military

Let's Reinvent the US Military for Real National Defense

Ten ways to create a people's military.

William Astore · Jul 29, 2021

US army

Tough Truths Are Desperately Needed About America's Lost Wars

America is stabbing itself in the back.

William Astore · Jun 18, 2021

U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Task Force 3-7 soldiers ride atop an armored vehicle during a training exercise near the Iraqi border March 13, 2003 in northern Kuwait. U.S and British forces within the region continue to poise for a possible strike on Iraq. (Photo: Scott Nelson/Getty Images)

Endless War Is A Feature of Our National Programming

On pulling the plug on the war machine.

William Astore · May 10, 2021

"The U.S. military's new emphasis on near-peer conflicts will undoubtedly help funnel trillions of dollars into yet more weaponry, including a revamped nuclear arsenal," writes Astore, "but it does not bode well for reasoned diplomacy or anything like peace on this planet." (Image: CodePink)

Back to the Future—and the Cold War—at the Pentagon

Why 2021 looks so much like 1981—and why that should frighten us all.

William Astore · Apr 8, 2021

U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning stealth fighter flies over the San Francisco Bay on October 13, 2019. (Photo: Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rewarding Failure: Why Pentagon Weapons Programs Rarely Get Canceled Despite Major Problems

As scores of billions of dollars are thrown away on failed weapons systems, America's roads, bridges, and other forms of infrastructure continue to crumble. 

William Astore · Mar 4, 2021

Then Vice President Joseph Biden attending a dignified transfer for Army Pfc. Tyler R. Lubelt of Tamaroa, Illinois, at Dover Air Force Base November 15, 2016 in Dover, Delaware. Lubelt, 20, died November 12 of injuries sustained from a suicide bomb attack at Bagram Airfield near Kabul in Afghanistan. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A Ten-Point Plan to Make Joe Biden a Peace-Time President

After two decades of war and four administrations, it won't be easy to work for peace—but it sure is worth the try.

William Astore · Feb 2, 2021

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