Obit for John H.

John’s obituary and other information can be found on the Beinhauer Funeral Homes website here: 

https://www.beinhauer.com/memorials/john-hemington/4602463/index.php 

Obituary

PRINT

John E. Hemington, Jr, 76, died April 24, 2021, at Canonsburg Hospital after a sudden heart attack. He was born July 16, 1944, in Uniontown to John Edward and Mary Lenore (Griffith) Hemington.

John graduated from McGuffey High School, Class of 1962. He took a break while in college to serve in the U.S. Army as an audio specialist assigned to the 15th Psyop Detachment Strategic HQ in Okinawa. After returning home, his sister introduced him to Carrilee J. Lightholder, whom he married after graduation from WVU with a degree in Social Work. They would have celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary June 30. He earned a law degree at Antioch School of Law, which focused on public interest law. He went on to practice law in Uniontown and the South Hills area of Pittsburgh. He left the practice of law to help form several computer software and information technology businesses. Later, he derived much satisfaction from his many years of work managing computer systems for The Watson Institute, which provides education and support for special needs children and their families.

Societal injustice troubled him deeply. His passion was reading to understand life, history, politics, economics, and the world. He spent countless hours writing about and sharing what he read with a large group of friends by email. Through his active membership in The Battle of Homestead Foundation and as a founding member of the Izaak Walton League of Allegheny County, he worked to realize a small part of the social, economic, and environmental justice that was central to his life. In addition, he was a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills, where he loved discussing current events. Golfing with friends and watching NASCAR were two of his favorite pastimes.

Surviving in addition to his wife, Carrilee (Lightholder) Hemington, are his daughter, Carrie E. Hemington and her husband, Tyrone A. West of Ellicott City, MD; his son, John Bryce Hemington, of Pittsburgh; and three grandchildren, Gregory, Madeleine, and Daniel West.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Susan (John) Tait.

An outdoor celebration of life service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills (Sunnyhill), 1240 Washington Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15228, on Saturday the 1st of May 2021, with visitation at 1pm and service following at 2pm.

Please visit www.beinhauer.com for additional information

Read Less

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Edward Hemington Jr., please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Running Mate -- John H -- has passed suddenly

Sad News from Bryce:

Some of you may already have heard and some of you may not have yet. Yesterday morning my Dad/ John suffered a heart attack and unfortunately, he passed away later that morning. I do not really know how to express to you the void that his absence will leave for me and my family. I like you over the years have become accustomed to his informative emails and articles. This seemingly never-ending flow of information that he was carefully curating to keep those of us who he knew and cared for informed was at times overwhelming. I know I did not get to nearly as many of the articles as I should have.  To you all whom he sent these emails, I want to express my deep-felt gratitude for your part in his life.  I saw those emails as an expression of the love he felt for all of you and his desire for a more just and equitable world.  He was an idealist who often struggled with the inequity that is present in the system and the complacency that exists as part of our collective society. I hope that you too felt the love that he gave as he shared his gloom and doom-laden missives. It was his idealism and principled discussion that gives me hope that while the world we inhabit is far from perfect there are always those like my Dad who will devote their energy to make the world a better place. I am reminded sitting here that he would often find the articles then take the time to reformat them so that they were more accessible to those of us who were not as devoted to the research as he was. Whether you agreed or disagreed with the content he presented, it was always with love and concern for the world he inhabited.

Information about funeral services will be available shortly at Beinhauer Funeral home www.beinhauer.com

Fwd: End of the Road

A sad post from a friend.

Many of his comments and emails have graced this blog -- as I consider him a real running mate.

Mark

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: jehemington <jehemington@verizon.net>
Date: Sat, Apr 3, 2021 at 2:15 PM
Subject: End of the Road
To: John Hemington <jehemington@verizon.net>

Well folks, here's the deal, I will no longer be sending out these political e-mails calling out establishment policies.  This morning I got hit upside the head with the news that my family believes that I am a loopy, loony-tune heading down a wormhole because my "extremist" politics are so far outside the mainstream.  Now, I do not agree with this assessment at all, but I am also convinced that if this is the way my own family feels then there is no hope and no real point in continuing to put in the effort to try and alert others to what is really happening out there in the world.  This tells me that the plutocrats and the corporate warmongers have won.  That humanity's time on this wonderful planet is not to persist much longer – certainly not for many more generations.  The way things are now trending with the current administration's foreign policy we could well see a catastrophic nuclear war in our own lifetime.  Should we somehow avoid that disaster, we will almost certainly not escape the catastrophe of climate change much sooner than scientists now predict.

 

Sadly, mainstream politics, whether the Democratic Party variety or the more bizarre Republican variety have no answers to any of the most serious problems facing humanity.  Nor are they even willing to willing to pretend to actually address them.  Furthermore, there is no hope in this country for a viable third-party to develop and prosper.  So, we are left with the endless nonsense of political Kabuki Theater of impossible corporate subsidy solutions that never address real issues while more and more people starve in the streets.  At the same time, this most powerful nation on earth creates almost daily holocausts in nations all around the globe in the name of protecting "human rights".  We are, whether we like to acknowledge it or not, an evil people. We allow our government, in the name of patriotism and corporate profit, to destroy the lives of millions of others, both here and abroad, without any serious concern or dissent.

 

These have been issues I have struggled with ever since I left the Army in 1970.  And contrary to my family's belief that my obsession is of recent origin.  It is not.  However, I just don't have the energy to keep this up in the face of so much apathy at home and among those "progressive" legislators I have supported financially and otherwise.  Legislators who have refused to use the power of their votes to push the establishment Democrats to really adopt progressive portions that they claimed to support in Biden's campaign in much the same way as the conservative Democrats have used their votes to quash progressive ideas for years.  It is all very demoralizing and I am not willing to continue the battle from here on out.  This is not what I had hoped to be saying today, but my mental health and family health must take precedence over my political desires.

 

 

John

 

Dancing in the streets for Biden now, but what about in 1 or 2 years?

 John H posted:

Now that Joe Biden has been declared the victor by the media and people have been euphorically dancing in the streets in eager anticipation of the wonders of a return to normalcy in America, perhaps it is time to take a good look at just what a Biden/Harris administration will actually look like.  It may well be that all of the dancing and celebrating may not be as happily remembered a year or two down the road – only time will tell.  It may be that the new normal Biden is promising to bring to the nation and the world will be much too much like the old normal which gave us Donald Trump to begin with – and that could bring him back in 2024, or even something much worse.

John

“Organized Greed Always Defeats Organized Democracy."  --  Matt Taibbi

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Fwd: Tulsi Gabbard at Brown Univ. & Cenk Uygur on the media

---- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

Linked below are two excellent videos.  The first is Tulsi Gabbard speaking and answering questions at Brown University's Watson Institute last month.  The second is a dynamite speech given by Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks on the establishment media at its heart the National Press Club.  This speech was given just before the 2018 election, but it is exceptional in its analysis of the establishment media and establishment politicians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKDuLdPFyto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa5_4CK-lz8

 John

Fwd: Democrats once again trying to lose to Trump . . .

----- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

It's a terrible thing to be owned – to be a slave as it were – but that, once again, seems to be the situation the Democratic Party establishment (the 3^rd Way Democrats) find themselves in.  This is not to say that any of them really object to being owned by mega-corporate, military-industrial-security monoliths and Israel, it's just that they are once again saying to the nation that they would much rather see Donald Trump obtain a second term than actually field a candidate who can actually appeal to the mass of voters that this same Party has been dissing and ignoring for the past 30 or 40 years.  It is, or should be by now, clear that the most popular and electable Democrat in the field is Bernie Sanders.  Every time Bernie appears he draws massive crowds – even in thoroughly 'Red' states.  This is not because Bernie is a lovable old coot, it is because he touts policies that most American – except for corporate Democrats – want to see implemented.  If someone such as Joe Biden is the eventual nominee, it will signal the death knell for the Democratic Party and, perhaps, democracy in America.

In the attachment there are two articles by Paul Street expanding on this and offering even more explicit reasons why the Democratic Party is operating in intentional failure mode.  This certainly bodes ill for all Americans – and perhaps for the entire world.

John

Fwd: An awakening is happening . . . maybe

----- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

Perhaps the American public is finally beginning to wake up to reality.  I realize that this might be too much to hope for these days, but Adam Levine and Paul Street seem to offer at least a miniscule amount of hope.

John

Link, Ilhan Omar Owes No appologies

Link, 31 Actual National Emergencies

Fwd: U.S. Imperialism is running rampant in Venezuela

----- Forwarded message ---------
From: John H

Anyone who bothers to watch mainstream media news and particularly cable news is bombarded with endless propaganda about the dictatorship running Venezuela into the ground and creating misery for its people.   Perhaps I missed the disclaimer, but they don't appear to focusing on the right 'dictatorship' that is causing the real misery in that besieged nation.  That would be the United States and its military/security/corporate dictatorship which truly controls this nation with a heavy hand.  While we have elections in which candidates who receive the fewest votes manage to win elections, Venezuela has had elections which the world community had validated as some of the best and most honest in the world – multiple times in the recent past.  While, at the same time, the United States has been sending millions of dollars to opposition oligarchs in Venezuela in a twenty year effort to destabilize and overthrow a popular socialist government – and thus far has failed.  But one must ask just how much longer Venezuela can hold out against this illegal onslaught.  Here's hoping that the American people will catch on to this malignant deception and force our government to relent.

Attached is an exceptional essay by Jim Kavanagh explaining the situation now transpiring between the U.S. and Venezuela.  It is long and detailed, but I urge you to take the time to read all of it.  You won't regret the effort.

And, just to lighten the mood, I have included to cartoon below.

John

Article 1, The Siege of Venezuela and the Travails of . 542K

Article 2, Lessons from American Coups. PDF - 137k 

Fwd: When will we ever learn?

---- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

Somehow, no matter how critical the challenge, everything seems to come down to money; when, in fact it should only be decided by available resources and a willingness to attack the problem.  To paraphrase Pete Seeger, when will we ever learn?  If too late isn't already here, it is fast approaching.  Two good articles on quite divergent subjects.

John

Link 1, A serious green new deal would take up one third of the economy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByN94c3Pp4BpSzhQWmtBb2lXdmh1blBsTjEtOUhjMGtfanJZ/view?usp=sharing

Link 2, Trump's Brilliant strategy to dismember US Dollar

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByN94c3Pp4BpM3VvOFhTbEhYekctem4tNEVOdzRyVkNPSFVV

Fwd: . . . and the killing just goes on.

--- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

One more example of the Israeli government's naked fascism in the land it illegally controls.  There is no other word for it.

News of the pending overthrow of the Maduro government in Venezuela – planned, sponsored and paid for by the U.S. – and cheered for by virtually all mainstream media in this country has been burbling to the surface over the past week or so.  Yet all most Americans can talk about is the supposed piddling attempt by Russia to influence the 2016 election here.  Why is it that Americans are so unconcerned about our own election being interfered with when we have been heavily involved in much more serious and successful efforts to overthrow – not just influence – the governments of tens of dozens of nations ever since the end of World War II?  This blindness to our own culpability, ignoring the resultant murder of tens of millions of people by governments we supported following overthrows we engineered in almost every continent on earth – missing only Australia and Antarctica. 

Interestingly, most of the nefarious efforts at political and military interference the U.S. has undertaken over the years have taken place in nations which had successful democratic elections; electing leaders who were not completely interested in following U.S. dictates or seeking land redistribution so that an oppressed peasantry can have the ability to survive on the land and not simply serve as serfs for global corporate interests.  This, after all, is what neoliberal capitalism is all about.  No one and no country must be allowed to live independently of the neoliberal order – and we will use, and have, used military force to ensure that this status quo is maintained no matter what the desires of the people of the victim lands. 

The third attachment provides some valuable history for anyone who still believes that the U.S. only intervenes in other nations in order to help free people from tyranny.  As strange as it may seem to many Americans, it is highly probable that this nation has never done this anywhere.

John 

Link 1

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByN94c3Pp4BpQjhxZUM2VV9MZXMtVzJXVHd0YkE5dWFXZWow/view?usp=drivesdk

Link 2 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByN94c3Pp4BpdDlSRGF1SVlYYWNQM05OdGNuOGNDVzRkdy1v/view?usp=drivesdk

Link 3 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByN94c3Pp4BpZWhfQjVnRjdTbEdlNmt0UzdsejhzSGtHZTFR/view?usp=drivesdk

Fwd: Interesting comparables on the evil neoliberal concept

----- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

In recent weeks I have been asked on a few occasions what I mean when I refer to neoliberalism and why is it I tend to disparage it in operation.  Therefore, in order to help clear up this perplexing question I have attached two articles.  The first is an account of the rise of the 'Yellow Vest' movement in France which discusses what happens to a society when political ideology of neoliberalism is imposed from above (and it always is imposed from above).  One of the best ways to understand neoliberalism is to watch how it operates and observe the consequences of its imposition.  This is fairly clear in the 'Yellow Vest' protests and it is quite similar to how it works here and elsewhere in the world.  This may be one of the most important movements how happening in the world.  It is in the line of watch what I do and not what I say examination of neoliberalism.

The second piece, for those of you who like detailed explanations, is by Dr. Philip Mirowski of Notre Dame University, one of, if not the foremost, experts on neoliberalism today.  It is fairly long, and should you take the time to read it, you will understand why it is that neoliberalism is so difficult to define in just a few well-chosen words. 

For what it's worth, my shorthand definition of neoliberalism is 'corporate communism'.  Parse that one out for a while.

John

Links

• article 1

• article 2

Fwd: Wishing you all Happy Holidays!

--- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

As we head into the new year it is time for those of us hoping and working for meaningful changes to the neoliberal system of oppression now swarming over the world in a desperate attempt to save itself from its own internal contradictions, we must refocus on those issues which can be resolved and, for the most part this work must be done locally.  One of the not too surprising results of neoliberal generated inequality and effective disenfranchisement of majority populations is the ominous rise of right-wing populism in this country and throughout the world.  As this is happening the neoliberal mainstream media is attempting to liken right-wing populism with the rising populism of the left in an ongoing effort to discredit left activism.  This is a danger which we must confront vigorously and the first two attachments delve into this issue. 

The first excellent piece by Jim Kavanagh, The Polemicist, focuses on the populist rise of the 'Yellow Vests' in France and other European nations that are increasingly being strangled by European Union neoliberal economic and political policies.  The second article, by Paul Street, distinguishes between the two populisms and why it is important to continue to make this distinction clear in every venue possible.  The third piece, by Michael D. Yates, discusses why all elements of oppression engendered by neoliberal capitalism must be attacked firmly and uniformly in order to insure that those in opposition will not be divided and destroyed by differences of interests and perspectives.  These are all important issues to be considered and I urge you to begin the New Year by reading all of them.

With that, I wish you all the merriest of holidays and a fruitful new year!

John

• Link 1
• Link 2
• Link 3

Fwd: It's probably worse than you think!

----- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

Most of us understand that climate destabilization is a critical problem for humankind and other creatures of this planet, but things may be far more serious than most of us realize.  The first attached article discusses an issue which is even more critical in a much shorter time frame – that of biological annihilation which has been both preceding and following along with climate changes.  It now appears that we may well be fairly far along in the route of the 'sixth extinction' of life on earth and this is no simple problem for us to address.  The second attachment discusses the need for labor to both demand and to participate in a Green New Deal pointing out the many ways in which such a movement can and will benefit labor if it is willing to jump on board.

John

• Link 1
• Link 2

Fwd: Fascism comes to America

----- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

In Fahrenheit 11/9 Michael Moore brilliantly demonstrated just how close the United States Donald Trump, Mitch McConnel and the Republican controlled Congress is to adopting German style fascism.  The movie was completed prior to either of the two attached articles on this same subject were published.  The first attached article references the second, but both should be taken with utmost seriousness.  The prospect of this nation adopting a purely fascist one-party dictatorial government is not nearly as farfetched as most of us may believe.  We are, I believe, only one false-flag terrorist incident (think 9/11) away from the American version of the Reichstag Fire which brought Hitler to power in Germany. 

If you haven't been fortunate enough to have seen Fahrenheit 11/9 because, as I initially thought, it is just another Michael Moore film of the same vein and I'm tired of those, do your best to see it before it disappears from theaters (which it may already have done since it was panned in the media and lightly attended) or, failing that rent or buy it when it is released in the secondary market.  It is that good, that disturbing and that important.  In my opinion at least, our current circumstances are, for a number of compelling reasons, the most dangerous and difficult this nation and this people have ever faced.  When, combined with the massive climate destabilization, the nationalist politics of fear and loathing of the other, and the wholesale sellout by both political parties to global corporatist, financial, military and security interests, a move to totalitarian control will leave little or no hope for the future of a living planet and the lives of those inhabiting it.

This is deadly serious and its prospect can no longer be ignored.  We must somehow come together to do all we can as citizens of this nation and fellow travelers on Earth to insure that those responsible for this are stopped and the processes leading to our destruction are reversed.  In this, there is no viable alternative.  It's past time that we rise up as one and fight the powers which seem to be determined to destroy all life in the name of greed and power.

John

Article

Article 2

Fwd: Political 'Purism'

------ Forwarded message ---------
From: John H

Attached are two interesting articles in one attachment dealing with what is termed 'political purism', or the idea that those who pretend to be liberals or progressives when they are really moderate conservatives (think Democratic Party establishment) deserve to be called out on their falsity.  The first article by Paul Street, who is apparently responding to personal attacks on him for being a 'purist' for making such calls on a regular basis.  As most of you know who receive these missives, I have a great deal of respect for Paul Street and his willingness to speak the truth, as best as I know it, about our abominable two party political system which serves only the interest of the corporate, financial and military elite.  The second article by Rob Seimetz appears to take a contrary position (although I'm not certain that it actually does) in stating that this may, in fact, distract us from the goals of developing a strong political force to deal with the critical issues facing all of humanity today.  Try to read them both and form your own opinions.

John

Link: Articles: Reflections on Radical "Purism" - a PDF read

Fwd: Lest we Forget

------- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

Lest we forget how it is that we came to this current crisis of confidence in government, Marshall Auerback takes us back through some relatively recent history to point out that the criminality now being touted as a reason for the impeachment of a president (no matter how deserving that might be) is really small potatoes compared to that which Obama and his administration managed to studiously overlook following the 2008 Great Financial Crisis.  The Democrats managed to ennoble crime and criminals, not only enabling them to escape prosecution, but also allowing them to keep their positions and all of their ill-gotten gains – and more!  The result, as economist William Black as said, is a purely criminogenic society which can only find the nerve to hold low-level white collar and street criminals, particularly if they are of color, accountable for their crimes.  And, I don't know about you, but this was not the America I grew up admiring.

And this doesn't even begin to account for the international crimes that the United States has been responsible for over the past 60 years or so – and these are notoriously bi-partisan crimes of election which have taken millions of innocent lives.  It's long past time that all of these criminals be held to account for their actions!  And this can only take place if the American people can somehow wake up from decades of propaganda induced somnambulance and demand accountability from their leaders.

John

Article link below  

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByN94c3Pp4Bpa1hTcjhnM25UdDBocUJDUEdFMjRyMTg1dTNj

Fwd: John McCain retrospective

------ Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

Now that the political establishment and the mainstream media are steaming full-speed ahead to lionize John McCain as an indefatigable man of the people and political savant in a time of political morass, it is time to evaluate the "real" John McCain for what he was and what he really stood for.  Attached are two articles which attempt to paint a much more accurate portrayal of McCain.  

 John

Article 1

Article 2

Fwd: Something useful for a change

------ Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

This is a really interesting short article with a long list of following comments (it is altogether long – 22 pages).  Fortunately it can be read piecemeal but  it is something that many of us should find to be useful.  Many of the comments are particularly relevant to the current conversational/ argumentative milieu.  I strongly encourage you to take a look, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum.

John

Article: Reader Coping Strategies for Engaging with Committed.

The article byYves Smith begins:

An oft-repeated bit of advice in America is never to talk about religion or politics. Sadly, the
reason is that Americans are dreadful at talking across political lines. When I lived in Australia
in the early 2000s and adopted a pub, by contrast, I found the locals to be eager to debate the
topics of the day yet remain civil about it. That may be because Australians in generally have
mastered the art of being confrontational by lacing it with humor and/or self-deprecation.

By contrast, Americans, who pretend to fetishize individualism, are conformists. Dissent is not
well tolerated at work or social spheres. And its only gotten worse as media fragmentation and
political strategies based on hitting voter hot buttons means that many people are deeply invested
in their political views, whether they are well founded or not. Punitive unfriending and other
forms of ostracism have become a new normal.

Fwd: Why no protests . . . Why no concern?

-- Forwarded message ---------

From: John H

So why is it, Paul Street asks, that there are no massive turn-outs and protests by liberal Democrats where U.S. War Crimes are concerned.  Why are there no protests concerning our direct and indirect support for the bombing murder and starvation of perhaps millions in Yemen by our wonderful ally Saudi Arabia?  Why are we so sanguine about the slaughter of thousands by our steadfast so-called 'moderate' Islamic allies in Syria?  Why no outrage about our fifteen years + of devastating war in Afghanistan and Iraq?  Why is the Democratic Party so head-over-heels in love with the military/intelligence/corporate contracting conglomerates intent upon extending empire at any cost to American in treasure and non-white foreigners in lives and devastation?  Why no criticism of Israel's repeated slaughter and near starvation by policy of Palestinians?  Can someone please help me understand how so many 'good, concerned' liberals are seemingly OK with these outrages?  And why do I keep hearing that if we just had Democrats in charge things would be different?  They haven't been and more of the same will change little.  And can you explain how you can keep praising this country as a nation of peace and democracy? 

John

Fwd: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - rally on Sunday

Protect The First Amendment!!  Save Democracy in America!!

Come to the Rally, Sunday, June 10, 11 am, 34 Blvd. of the Allies

Distribute this notice widely!!   


------- Forwarded message ----------

From: John H

With the advent of the hard-core and proudly neoliberal Keith Burris as managing editor of the Post-Gazette and the censorship of Rob Rogers editorial cartoons which depict Trump in a bad light, perhaps it's time we reconsider whether buying the paper is a priority in our lives.  The recent changes in the Post-Gazette's editorial policies are really difficult to swallow.  See the attached article, which indicates that it has even been noticed in New York City.

John

Article: Trump's assulst on a free press takes a new

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByN94c3Pp4BpLWJqdDYzaV9DTGVJUU5EOG9JbWZuSXQ2TUZj