The Only Republicans and Democrats are on Main Street

They certainly aren't holding Office at the Fed level.  Of course, there are a few exceptions to that statement... very few.  Those exceptions all have been marginalized by the Plutocratic System.

The political "Right" and the "Left" on Main Street today are stuck in the Past.  Today's politicians at the highest levels are not Repubs, Dems, Conservatives, or Liberals.  Instead, they are Neoliberals/NeoConservatives/ Corporatists/Oligarchs/Plutocrats (or their puppets) who use those old labels to manipulate the public... to divide and conquer.  This is so obvious that it's sickening.  

The whole political scene here in the USA is a complete sham.  The purpose of it is to facilitate the greatest transfer of wealth (from most of us) to the Upper Crust in the history of Mankind.  And it's continuing under Trump...big-time.  None of it is a grand conspiracy.  Rather, it's people with common interests working sometimes together, but mostly independent of one another, to attain mutual/common goals.

I've been closely following American politics since 1956 (1956 is not a typo).  The pattern is clear:  Edward Bernays style Propaganda has been (& is being) used by those in Power to mold the public mind, to move all of us toward the goals of the Plutocrats.  The Powers-That-Be figured out many decades ago that, in a relatively Free society, brute force generally cannot be used to increase and guarantee their opulence.  Rather, that has to be done by means of ubiquitous Propaganda.

The above thoughts/statements are not original with me.  Over the decades, I've learned these ideas from many, many reputable people... all across the political spectrum.  All of them have been marginalized to a great degree by those in Power.  That has been accomplished by means of unrelenting Propaganda and Rules concocted by the Powers-That-Be... especially in the USA, but largely throughout the Western World as well.  Since 2007, I've given example after example on this venue of the use of Propaganda in this great Land.

Until we stop drinking the Bernays Style Propaganda Kool Aid supplied by the Plutocracy/Oligarchy (which adheres to neither Republican or Democratic philosophy), we have little to no chance of preventing the move to a NeoFeudalistic Society.  If we don't wake up, NeoFeudalism will reign supreme.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well 

The Egregious Corporate News Media re N. Korea, and Elitism in the USA

I've heard/seen almost nothing from the Corporate Media about the "diplomatic efforts" regarding the situation with N. Korea.  Instead, all we hear are the war drums.  Where are the details of the very recent Asian Summit held because of this crisis?  Rexxon Mobilson claims that N. Korea has rejected diplomatic efforts.  Details, please.  What have we rejected diplomatically?  I suspect that N. Korea again offered to curb its nuke weapons program if the U.S. would lift sanctions and cease the war games/exercises off the coast of that totalitarian regime.  I also suspect that our Executive Branch replied, no deal.  Unfortunately, we don't know...because the Corporate Media have glossed over the diplomatic side of the story.

The question arises:  why would they do that?  Could it be that it's because Corporate News organizations either are owned by, or heavily influenced by, war contractors (referred to as "defense" contractors since the end of WW II)?  For example, not too long ago, GE---a major war contractor---owned NBC outright.  Now it's a bit murkier...because GE and Comcast formed some sort of joint venture to share ownership, and then there was a merger in some way or another.  Could it be that it's because Corporate News organizations are doing what they've done just prior to all recent major wars---which is: promoting war---in order to increase the number of their viewers and thus their ad revenues?

Whatever the case, they are doing what the late Edward Bernays described as "molding the public mind".  War is good for a failing economy, and a great distraction from things such as the gross income inequality in this country, the ongoing theft by Wall Street & Mega Banks, the nefarious activities of some politicians, and the fact that 50% of working adults in the USA make $30K or less per year.  As Machiavelli knew, perpetual war is the best way to control a population, serve the Rich, and keep the Elites in Power.
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I would venture to guess that about 99% of all elected DC politicians in office are millionaires, or if they're new, on their way to being so.  It has only been fairly recently that they finally passed a law that forbids members of Congress to avail themselves of the benefits of insider trading on Wall Street.  The other perks available to these Congress people are quite substantial.

When newbies come to Congress, each Party tells them flat-out that their number one priority is to raise re-election campaign money.  Everything else is secondary.  That's especially crucial for the House of Reps people; two years isn't much time.  They have to maintain the illusion of one "Party" battling the other.  That "battle" distracts the People from the greatest transfer of wealth in human history.

There was a time when genuine differences did exist between Dems & Repubs.  The Dems WERE Populists; and the Repubs (except for a few) really did THINK that they were Populists...especially for small business interests (which employed 80% or more of us).  That scenario is long gone.  Now (with few exceptions) they're all for the Super-Rich, the Mega Banks, & other Mega Corps.  So, in my opinion, the high-level Dems of today believe that Populism is for suckers as far as they're concerned.  What they're after is phony Populism, just like the Repubs...because that ensures the continuation of the transfer of wealth, while at the same time placating We the People...who are the real suckers.

Plain and simple:  this is a battle between the Super-Rich and the rest of us.  And most importantly--- at the highest levels, the Dems & Repubs are on the same team...and it's not ours.  They are securing the future for the Super-Rich, themselves & their families, and no one else...and at the cost of everyone else.  To me, that's so obvious that it's excruciatingly painful.

From the beginning of the so-called Two-Party System all the way to the present day, the higher-ups of both Parties (with very few exceptions) have all been Elites/Oligarchs.  A few of them often helped the Common Man, but very, very few.  Even before the Two-Party System, all our Founders were Elites; once the USA was founded, all the 1st politicians were Elites.  Our entire political system is based on Elitism.  It took me decades to realize that.  It certainly isn't taught in school...quite the opposite.

I firmly believe if we ever are to break out of this tilted-toward-the-Rich system, the first two steps have to be:

1.  stop drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid coming from the Repubs AND the Dems; and,

2.  shun and/or get rid of the Elitist Two-Party System.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me", OR, More on the Shadow Gov't

"It is this power structure which the Radical Right in the United States has been attacking for years in the belief that they are attacking the Communists."
Carroll Quigley
Citation:
Carroll Quigley. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/carroll_quigley.html, accessed September 22, 2016.
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Quigley understood (and stated) that the International Financial Coterie (his phrase) was the real controlling force in the world.  Way above political groups, they often would use/manipulate various institutions (whether on the Right or Left) to attain their goals.  Edward Bernays, the Father of the Public Relations field, gave them a massive boost in 1928 with the publication of his book, Propaganda:  Molding the Public Mind.

To the Coterie, none of this is a "conspiracy"; rather, it's merely "private", and "good business practice".  [In essence, they have little or no ethics.]  Today, it's fairly obvious that world central banks (especially the Fed Reserve System), the IMF, the World Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, the Financial Stability Board of the G-20, about thirty Mega Banks (e.g., JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, etc.), and a few others essentially control world Finance and Economics...regardless of political Parties.  He who controls the purse, controls it all.

As an international banker of long ago once remarked, "Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." – Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild, 1744-1812.

Unfortunately, as recent headlines affirm, mega banking today is rife with fraud and wealth transfer schemes.  On top of that, world central banks create massive Asset Bubbles which skew the Free Market...and eventually destroy economies.  The dynamite documentary (now online at Netflix.com & elsewhere), Money for Nothing, explains it all.  If you're at all confused by what's going on in Finance and Economics, that film is a Must-See.  It's right on the mark.

Banking should be a public utility.  [The Fed is a cabal of private banks.]  At the very least, a public bank should be an option...much the way it is in North Dakota.  That bank, by the way, outperforms Wall Street.  Google/Bing:  Ellen Brown public banking.  She's the leader of that movement, and has written numerous brilliant pieces on the subject.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Evidence of Oligarchy

At various times throughout the history of the USA, the following men made the following statement (paraphrased) regarding U.S. citizens:
"The ignorant public must not be allowed to truly participate in Government.".
~  James Madison, one of our Founders
~  Walter Lippman, a so-called "Liberal" and known as the Dean of American Journalism
~  Edward Bernays, the author of Propaganda: Molding the Public Mind (1928) and generally recognized as the Founder of the Public Relations industry

Carroll Quigley, a well respected Professor at Georgetown U. and Bill Clinton's mentor, wrote this in 1966:
"The tragedy is that we no longer have a representative government in this country; the hope is that the little people will come to accept that... because there is nothing they can do about it."
From Tragedy and Hope (1966) by Quigley
Professor Quigley considered himself one of the Oligarchs, thus he referred to the rest of us as the "little people".  He had been given unfettered access to the papers of various Institutions and members of the "ruling class" for the purpose of writing his book.  In addition to the above, he claimed that the Council on Foreign Relations (the CFR) was a front for the J.P. Morgan [Chase] Company.  In other words, a mega bank was highly influential in the determination of U.S. Foreign Policy.  Keep in mind that Quigley was not some conspiracy theory nutcake; he was a very well respected historian.  Toward the end of his life, he came to believe that this particular book of his was being suppressed in the United States; however, he never claimed that was any kind of conspiracy.  One thing was clear:  various Oligarchs were not happy with Tragedy and Hope.  It was too revealing.

Alberto Gonzales, the former Bush Attorney General of the U.S., not long ago testified before a Congressional Hearing that "The Constitution does not grant us the Right of Habeas Corpus; therefore, the Gov't doesn't necessarily have to observe it."  [The U.S. Constitution DOES NOT GRANT us any Rights whatsoever; instead, it protects the Natural Rights we acquire at birth.  Governments cannot grant Rights, only privileges.  Natural Rights are held by people completely independent of any government.  That is a very well established principle dating at least as far back as the Magna Carta.]

Not long after the Gulf Oil Disaster of fairly recent history, the International Head of BP Oil (can't remember his name) stated in a news interview:  "I can understand how the small people [the Gulf residents] would feel that way."  That was in response to a newsperson stating that the people along the Gulf coast felt that BP was not doing enough regarding the spill.  I clearly recall the guy making that statement on TV; I was truly astounded.  His condescension was palpable.

Those are but a very few snippets of evidence (or at the very least, powerful suggestions) that this country is subject to the rule of Oligarchs.  I believe the same applies to most other countries in the world as well.  I suspect that many people don't believe it's true because they keep drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.  Part of that Kool Aid is the misinformation that the whole business is just another "conspiracy theory".  I again emphasize:  it's not a conspiracy.  It's in plain sight for the most part.  It's more along the lines of super-rich people having similar interests and objectives (power & money), working sometimes independently of each other and sometimes cooperatively to reach mutual goals.  Simply because they don't go out of their way to reveal their methods does not mean that the whole thing is some sort of conspiracy.  The phrase "conspiracy theory" is used by Oligarchs and their dupes to squash serious discussion of controversial subjects.  More often than not, it works well.

Happy Trails

John Kerry Should "Man Up"

Very recently, John Kerry stated publicly that Edward Snowden should "man up", come back to the U.S., and face the charges against him.  I doubt it, but perhaps Secretary Kerry is unaware of the common knowledge that the U.S. Fed Gov't Justice System is almost completely broken.  It's overwhelmed, often corrupt, often vicious and unfair, and just about totally political.  It has very little to do with justice.  Furthermore, Mr. Kerry, making such a statement as a representative of the highest levels of our Gov't, displays the height of hypocrisy.

I suggest that Secretary Kerry man up and admit the following.
1.  The mass surveillance "Program" of the NSA not only violates the Constitution, but also any concept of common decency.
2.  "The Program" of the NSA is used for non-terrorist related activities, such as monitoring economic meetings of our allies.
3.  The so-called "FISA Court" is a travesty.  It's nothing but a rubber stamp for an out-of-control Executive Branch...no matter who is in the Oval Office.
4.  No law in this country supercedes the U.S. Constitution.  Politicians, including Mr. Kerry, need to cease citing the War Powers Act, FISA, the so-called PATRIOT Act, the NDAA, etc. as justifications for blatantly unconstitutional actions by the Feds.
5.  The political Game in the USA is completely rigged.
6.  The Fed Gov't has little to no interest in helping to bring about Peace in the Middle East.  [I covered the reasons why in a previous post.]
7.  The invasion of Iraq was perhaps the greatest war crime in recent history.  At the very least, it was utterly unconstitutional.  Anyone who can read and has an I.Q. of at least 100 knows that.
8.  Recently released Snowden documents reveal that the NSA trained operatives to "collect it all"--- all the digital data it could get on as many people as possible...terrorist suspect or not.
9.  At the highest levels, representatives of our Fed Gov't work for the Oligarchy, and it's NOT a "conspiracy"...it's right out in plain sight.
10.  No matter who is in office, the Executive Branch (as well as Congress) protects mega bankers from criminal prosecution.
11.  Obama's recent pronouncement at West Point that the U.S. Gov't will now "act unilaterally" when it sees fit most likely will result in future violations of International Law.  [This is somewhat akin to the Bush-Cheney-John Yoo-Wolfowitz concept of a "Unitary Presidency"...except that this is much worse.]
12.  No matter who is in office, Edward Bernays style Propaganda is used by the highest levels of the Fed Gov't to mold the public mind.
And finally, the Oligarchy---including its wholly owned subsidiary, the Fed Gov't---is beginning to worry because We the People often no longer buy into their load of crap.  People not corrupted by politics are beginning to organize around just causes and to peacefully resist the propaganda and soft despotism of the central government.

If anyone should man up, Mr. Kerry, it is you.

Partly just my opinion.  Happy Trails

USA Democracy, State-Corporate Complex, & Bernays Propaganda [and a Note on Chris Hayes]

First, a note on my previous post and Chris Hayes.  After viewing about an hour's worth of MSNBC Chris Hayes clips on YouTube, I've concluded that Mr. Hayes appears to have two different personas.  When he's a guest on Democracy Now and other non-corporate venues, talking about Twilight of the Elites, his message hits the mark & he definitely has credibility.  On his own show on the prostitute corporate medium MSNBC, he's mostly an apologist for Obama...and fails to recognize (or perhaps conceals the recognition) that Obama is part of the Meritocracy that he deplores so in his book.  That's my take on it, anyway.
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Let's begin by recognizing the unfortunate fact that the USA is no longer a Constitutional Republic.  About half of everything that the Fed Gov't (at the highest levels) does is unquestionably unconstitutional.  In large part, both Democrats and Republicans ignore the Constitution and instead pass laws or issue Executive Orders that they believe trump the Supreme Law of the Land.  Once in a blue moon, to their credit, they do get things right.  For example, just recently a Congressional Panel determined that the NSA's bulk collection of data is illegal.  That's rare.  Of course, don't look for anything significant to be done about that finding.

Despite the propaganda from the Gov't and Corporate Media, and despite the belief of most of our population, let's also recognize that neither is our form of gov't a Democracy...at least, not a genuine Democracy.

Not long after WW I, Walter Lippmann, writing about politics in America, described the general public as "ignorant, meddlesome outsiders" who should only be "spectators" in the political process and leave such matters to the ones who know what they're doing...in other words, the smart, informed people...the Meritocracy.  Lippmann was part of the intelligentsia at the time; he was known as the "Dean of American Journalism"...and was a so-called "Progressive".  So much for American style Democracy, at least, from his point of view (which was quite influential).

In 1928, Edward Bernays found a publisher for his book, Propaganda: Molding the Public Mind.  In it, he made the case that propaganda is essential to the successful functioning of any Democracy.  He said that the true rulers of the country are the ones who control the propaganda; the elites bought the proposition lock, stock, & barrel.  Bernays later was recognized as the Founder of the Public Relations industry.  His type of propaganda played a major role in our Govt's overthrow (in the '50s) of the democratically elected President of Guatemala.

The State-Corporate Complex flourished in the '50s and '60s...and beyond.  Ike warned us about it, but We the People pretty much ignored his warning.  The molding of the public mind was in full swing by then, with one of the promotions being that we lived in a "Democracy".  The elites' version of democracy is this:  every two years or so, the "ignorant, meddlesome outsiders", aka, the "spectators" truck on over to a designated site and pull one of two levers...and then go home.  Each lever represents a candidate chosen, groomed, and financed by the Meritocracy...and sold to the public via Edward Bernays style propaganda.  The public doesn't really know where either candidate stands politically...because all info given to the public is based on polls, studies, & focus groups that determine just what it is that the public wants to hear.  Adjustments are made for the phony differences between the two candidates.

By the '80s, voters weren't even really "spectators" anymore...because the Reagan and Thatcher administrations became private and secretive.  How many of you know about the Reagan-Thatcher concoction known as the "Washington Consensus"...it had a major impact on the world.  It promoted Neoliberalism around the globe, much to the dismay of most third world countries.  Not too many folks "spectated" that one.

By the '90s, transnational corporations (via institutions such as the GATT, WTO, IMF, and World Bank---that are completely secretive & absolutist--- as well as so-called "Free Trade Agreements") were creating a completely non-democratic, worldwide economic structure whose rules trumped U.S. laws.  That's continuing on steroids today.  So much for American style Democracy.

During all of this time, right through to the present, the American public (and the world public) is fed a steady diet of propaganda which basically and simply says, this is all good for you...and it will "create jobs".  What a deceit and a scam.

So, what's to be done about it?  Well, the first step is to stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.  I'll say it 'til I'm blue in the face.  :)

Just my opinion.