Changing Directions

The duopoly sees no way to “win” if they change directions and take a stand against genocide and war. They say, "That's politics for you." But we can tell them where to shove it and go our own way.

Changing Directions

by C.A. Matthews

Some folks won’t admit they’re lost. They’ll keep driving miles and miles out of their way rather than own up to the fact that they took a wrong turn somewhere. For them it’s better to stay lost than acknowledge there was a different (usually better) route they could have taken to reach their destination.

I often find this same attitude whenever I encounter others who hold to a less-than-desirable political outlook. No matter what “direction” you try to give them, they will choose to remain “lost” rather than admit they took a wrong turn or listened to the wrong person(s).

Psychologists call it “cognitive dissonance” when you refuse to contemplate that you could be wrong. It’s just too painful to admit to yourself that what you believe to be true could actually be a falsehood. Instead, you’ll lash out at others who might have innocently pointed out where you became lost in your thinking or offered you directions to get back on the right path.

Friendships and relationships often end when one person shares directions with an acquaintance or relative who doesn’t want to be corrected. Even if your friend or loved one holds onto beliefs that are potentially dangerous or destructive to themselves or others, they just want validation—not correction—from you. So, do you remain silent, bite your tongue, and say nothing? Is there ever a good time to share your beliefs with a few gentle pointers as to where your relative or acquaintance might have taken a wrong turn?

Let me know if you’ve found a surefire formula on how to handle these kinds of situations because I could certainly use one! (And I’m sure I’m not the only one.)

While contemplating what to write about this week (remember that I’m a flesh and blood entity who doesn’t use AI), I came across a social media post that made me yearn to help others change directions—or change their minds, if you will. The post was a political cartoon that an old friend posted on her Facebook page. We’ve never really discussed politics per se, but even after we both moved to different parts of the country we’ve kept in touch online.

Some of her posts have led me to believe that she is a follower of the “Blue-No-Matter-Who” cult (BNMW). I call this organization a “cult” because I’ve noticed how its members tend to repeat whatever their leaders say no matter how “lost” it makes them sound. In other words, they repeat talking points that make them come across as brainwashed members of a cult.

Being familiar with the BNMW cult, I shouldn’t have been surprised by my friend’s remarks about the political cartoon. But really? She chided Trump (whom I know she despises with a passion) for wanting to make peace with Iran. She intimated that he was a wimp and a chicken for giving in to the Iranians. In the cartoon Trump is seen kissing a white flag of surrender. Surrendering is seen as a grave weakness or “the wrong direction” to take by the BNMW crowd, apparently.

The US shouldn’t be making peace—it should continue the war against Iran according to more than a few BNMW politicians. Here are some quotes from the cult’s leaders: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) called the Memo of Understanding between the US and Iran “essentially a surrender to Iran.” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) labelled it “a thorough capitulation.” Even a friend of theirs from the Red MAGAt cult agreed with them. Former vice president Mike Pence said, “We should let our Armed Forces finish the job on our terms.”

Why is stopping hostilities and making reparations to those you harmed seen as going in the wrong direction? No matter what you call the Memo of Understanding (MoU) or think of Trump as a person (is he really a person or a troll?), suing for peace should always be thought of as “good turn” of events, in my opinion. Endless war is not traveling in a safe direction because it leads to more deaths, casualties, and the destruction of vital infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants for civilians.

So, why did my otherwise sane and intelligent friend who loves cats and her kids (good signs of empathy) want the war to continue and risk losing more American and Iranians lives? What purpose does teasing Trump in order to make him back out of the MoU with Iran and start the bombing all over again serve? Or rather, who does it serve?

I can’t possibly post this meme enough. It explains it all.

A few minutes later, I found an answer. I came across an X post with a very good explanation of why the BNMW cultists seem hell bent for the war on Iran to continue. It seems neoliberals such as the BNMW cultists are trying to “have their cake and eat it too.” By taunting Trump and dismantling any chance of the US achieving peace with Iran, these neoliberals are making big points with Zionist Israel. Zionists and neoliberals (BNMW cultists) are members of two destructive cults that think pretty much alike: They both desire power and control, and they are willing to do anything, at any cost, to gain them.

Israel wants the US to be forever warring with Iran because it keeps Iran busy defending itself. While the bombing of Iran is going on, Israel can continue committing an ethnic cleansing of Lebanon and a genocide in Palestine without Iran’s interference. It all makes sense. My friend may or may not realize that she is “lost” and has become identified the Zionist cult that wants forever wars that work in their favor.

But why would anyone with a conscience want to be identified with Zionists? As in most things in life, the simplest explanation is the best: “Follow the money.” The duopoly or uniparty (this includes both the Red MAGAts and the BNMW cultists) takes huge amounts of money from individual pro-Israel donors and Zionist super PACs such as AIPAC and J Street. Duopolists must keep their Zionist donors happy so the tremendous flood of money keeps flowing into their campaigns.

Duopolists dare not risk losing all that filthy lucre by traveling the road which leads to peace and justice. The lives of Iranian school girls (such as the Minjab 168), thousands of Lebanese villagers, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians (particularly children, babies, and pregnant women) have all been forfeited by the duopolists in order to please their pro-Israeli/Zionist donors.

Or anyone other than their wealthy donors—most of whom are Zionists.

The duopoly sees no other way for them to “win” if they change directions and declare unequivocally that they are against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and their ethnic cleansing in Lebanon. Duopolist leaders and candidates must make pro-genocide/pro-war/pro-Israel/pro-Zionist statements in order to keep their coffers filled with wealthy Zionist donors’ cash. Even if you point out how morally repugnant they sound by supporting the deaths of thousands of innocents, they’ll probably reply with a shrug, “Well, that’s politics for you.”

And politics totally sucks in the US.

Truly it does—especially if your only choices on the ballot are 1) a Red MAGAt cultist or 2) a BNMW cultist. Fortunately, that isn’t always the case. Third party or alternative party candidates do run for office. You may not realize how many do because in some states the duopolists have outlawed other parties from appearing on the ballot, forcing third party candidates to run as independents or write-ins.

gp.org

One good thing is that most alternative party candidates are against genocide and endless war. Green Party candidates go a step further and refuse to accept any PAC monies or Zionist donors’ dollars. If you do vote, consider voting Green next time. You won’t have to compromise your morals with the “lesser evil is still evil” business. And don’t forget Eugene Deb’s famous quote: “I’d rather vote for what I want and not get it than to vote for what I don’t want and get it.” (Italics for emphasis.)

I’m still freezing up about leaving a comment on my friend’s post. She should know where I stand. I share information on social media about the Green Party and other groups that give voters a way out of supporting pro-genocide/pro-Zionist politicians and politics. I share the way out of the BNMW cult and the infuriating “Ratchet Effect” of duopoly voting. Perhaps my friend doesn’t read all my posts, so she doesn’t realize how she can change directions. Obviously I haven’t gotten through to her yet.

I don’t want to give up. I can’t really believe that my friend is okay with the genocide of the Palestinian people. And surely she doesn’t want the US bombing more innocents in Iran—but what if she does?

Do I want to know for certain that my friend isn’t as “friendly” as I assumed all these years? Do I really want to learn that she’s a Zionist or a bigot? Nine times out of ten, it’s just a case of peer pressure that causes a cult member to go along with what is being said by their cult’s leaders. But what if in this case it isn’t?

My own cognitive dissonance is giving me a big headache!

Changing directions and admitting how you got lost isn’t easy, but I feel it’s always best to stay on the moral high ground. So I’ll keep dropping subtle hints, hoping they’ll act like bread crumbs to give my friend a trail to follow out of the dark forest of the duopoly/Zionist cults. I’ll give her some time to change directions before I make a decision to call our friendship quits. Until then, I’ll keep heading down the highway that leads toward peace and justice for all, not only for the powerful and wealthy few.

Power to the people—not the racist billionaire warmongers!

###

Along the lines of changing directions, I’m curious if you’d enjoy reading some original fiction. The following poll is to help me get a feel for the audience. I first thought of publishing short excerpts only to paying subscribers, but if there’s enough interest then maybe…?

Sony Thăng tells us to "refuse the script"  (x.com/nxt888/status/2068380562839245124)

Republicans tell you to hate liberal elites. 
Democrats tell you to hate right-wing extremists. 
Both are trying to prevent the same realization. 
That Wall Street funds both. 
That empire survives both. 
That surveillance expands under both. 
That war budgets rise under both. 
That the child-predator class is protected under both. 
The uniparty survives by keeping ordinary Americans emotionally activated and politically illiterate. 
Real opposition begins the moment people refuse the script.

Go Your Own Way—Read and Support Indie Journalism!

Trump’s Iran Deal” A Peace Activist’s Perspective https://medeabenjamin.substack.com/p/trumps-iran-deal-a-peace-activists

Quo Vadis, Donald? Defeat and opportunity for the US Empire. https://matthewhoh.substack.com/p/quo-vadis-donald

Democratic condemnation of Trump’s Iran deal exposes bipartisan conspiracy for war https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/06/19/yaok-j19.html

The Joke is on Us https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-joke-is-on-us

America’s Suez Moment https://redneckgonegreen.substack.com/p/americas-suez-moment

Congress Is Preparing to Surrender American Sovereignty on the Eve of America’s 250th Anniversary https://kucinichreport.substack.com/p/congress-is-preparing-to-surrender

How The Empire Recruits Its Soldiers https://matthewhoh.substack.com/p/how-the-empire-recruits-its-soldiers

Israel’s Suicidal Rupture with the U.S. https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/israels-suicidal-rupture-with-the

Iran and China blew up the petrodollar system https://kdwalmsley.substack.com/p/iran-and-china-blew-up-the-petrodollar

The Military-Industrial Complex: Watching the Watchers https://www.militaryindustrialcomplex.com/

88 Corporations That Paid No US Federal Income Tax in 2025 Spent $852 Million on Recent Lobbying, Elections https://www.commondreams.org/news/tax-dodging-corporations-spend-big-on-lobbying

Luxury Kushner Project Collides With Albanian Discontent https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/world/europe/albania-kushner-project-protests.html?unlocked_article_code=1.r1A.KcS9.iu9SMUiJrjXi&smid=bs-share

The Hidden History of Juneteenth https://www.blackagendareport.com/hidden-history-juneteenth

Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out https://theintercept.com/2026/06/18/police-killing-michigan-john-jenuwine/

Flotilla Activists’ Harrowing Experience in an Israeli Torture Dungeon Revealed (w/ Thiago Ávila) | The Chris Hedges Report https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/flotilla-activists-harrowing-experience

A Courageous Witness Against Silence: ‘When the World Sleeps’ https://thinkingpalestine.com/a-couraugeos-witness-against-silence-when-the-world-sleeps/

Is Capitalism Natural? (short video) x.com/ProudSocialist/status/2068336994602639650

The Dialog Leak: Inside the Private Power Network Where Senators, NATO Commanders, and Tech Billionaires Plan the Future Without Us https://mandissent.com/p/the-dialog-leak-inside-the-private

The 1 Thing That’s So Dangerous It’s Only Legal in 2 Countries (and it’s not what you think!) https://realleecamp.substack.com/p/the-1-thing-thats-so-dangerous-its

China Just Bet $17.5 Billion That Quantum Teleportation Is Real. It Is. https://thenovscience.substack.com/p/china-just-bet-175-billion-that-quantum

Conscientious Objectors: Call the G.I. Rights Hotline at 1-877-447-4487 or the Center for Conscience & War at 1-800-379-2679.