COVID-19 - New Developments Indicate It's Rolling On

1.  In three cases of infection in the U.S. (2 in N. CA, 1 in NW Oregon), the source of the virus has been designated "community", which means unknown.

2.  The first genome study of covid-19 strongly suggests the virus was undetected in the U.S. for six weeks.  That alone (if true) means it's far more widespread here than reported.

3.  The death toll here from this virus went from two to six overnight.

4.  The virus now is known to be in sixteen States.  A couple days ago, it was known to be in seven States.

5.  In Texas, a person who tested positive for the virus mistakenly was released from quarantine... and then went shopping at a mall.

6.  It's now in 65 countries.  A couple days ago, it was in 50 countries.

7.  The number of new cases of infection in China has slowed, but that number still is increasing the total number of cases.

8.  Italy and Iran have been hit hard with new cases.

9.  Worldwide, the number of known infected people is well over 90,000.

10.  Worldwide, the number of deaths from covid-19 is well over 3,000.
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Bottom Line---
COVID-19 is not anywhere close to being contained.
A vaccine is months away from being available, perhaps even a year or more.
Trump can brag about his Admin's containment efforts all he wants to, but the fact is:  covid-19 is nowhere near being "contained" in this Land, it hops around extremely rapidly, and (despite what some people think) an infection can be extremely severe in probably at least half or more of all people.

Speaking of that, I've read some online comments here and there by people who think the disease is no big deal.  Why?  According to them (paraphrased), it's only bad in kids and old people.  [I guess they don't value any kids or old folks.]  Whoa!  Let's think about that.  Currently in the U.S., people 65 or older make up 15% of our population.  Children - 22%.  Then we have to include a category the poo-pooers left out:  people with an underlying medical condition.  I have no idea what percentage of our population they constitute, but I'm guessing it's safe to say that number (not counting kids & seniors) is at least 15%...probably higher.  So, do the math.

While many infected with covid-19 may experience only mild to moderate symptoms, over half the population are at risk for severe effects, even death.  As it becomes more and more obvious in the coming months that the virus is spreading here and is far from being contained, I expect some Powers-That-Be to start spouting the line:  "Hey, for the overwhelming majority of people, the symptoms are no worse than a really bad cold.  Relax.".  If that happens, don't believe it for even a minute.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

NeoCon & NeoLib Warmongers & Regime Changers Continue On

It never ends.  Now our Gov't has assassinated the Iranian General Soleimani, who essentially was the equivalent of our Secretary of Defense, and a folk hero in Iran.  Supposedly, he was an "imminent threat" to Americans overseas.  He probably was a threat to anyone associated with our Corporate-Government Complex, but the question is why?  The simple answer is twofold:  1) our Gov't keeps sticking its nose into Arab and Persian affairs; and 2) our Fed Executive Branch has been attacking and strangling the Iranian Gov't for decades.  Why?  According to the Feds, it's because they're "terrorists".  It would behoove anyone who believes that to study a little history.

I suggest to anyone who launches such a historical search:  start with the British discovery of petroleum in Iran in 1908 and the formation of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP).  Then look into the Pahlavi Dynasty--- 1925-1979.  Don't overlook the Anglophile CIA-MI6 conspiracy that overthrew Mosaddeq in the 1953 Coup, after the Iranian Parliament voted in favor of nationalizing oil facilities in Iran.  Don't forget the Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988.  Saddam invaded Iran, and was more or less backed by the USA.  More recently, don't forget to consider our economic & financial sanctions on Iran, which are punishing the entire population.  Then there's Trump's withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Agreement, at a time when (according to independent sources) Iran was meeting all of the requirements.  Finally, don't ignore the Sunni-Shia Conflict, which has been going on for hundreds of years.  Dubya Bush didn't know anything about it; he thought all believers in Islam were of the same cloth.

This whole mess isn't about "terrorism".  It's all about economics and finance.  It's about natural resources.  It's about the Dollar as the world's reserve currency.  It's about Neoliberal plans to privatize the world.  It's about the fact that the USA's position as the preeminent Leader of the World is on a downhill slide.  Many countries have had quite enough of our Corporate-Gov't Complex trying to run everyone else's affairs.  Those countries are forming their own economic and financial alliances in order to bypass the control of the USA's Gov't-Sachs Cabal.  It's also about the NeoCon obsession with Regime Change, and "defending Christianity".  NeoCon nutcakes never would admit it, but I suspect many of them really do believe they are on a "Crusade".  If you recall, Dubya Bush used that word after 9-11, and was roundly criticized for it.

The Ivory Tower Powers-That-Be appear to be trying everything they can to start a war with Iran.  Don't let them do it.  Speak up every way you can.  When they harp on Iranians being "terrorists", keep in mind that Shia Iran is fighting against Sunni ISIS.  Also keep in mind that Iran has much more reason to be interested in Iraq than we do.  Iraq is their neighbor, and they were invaded by Iraq.

In his almost constant gaslighting, Trump goes back & forth between withdrawing militarily from the Middle East to escalating the trouble there.  It's all designed to distract us from his utter incompetence and violations of the Constitution.  Don't fall for it.

Lastly, consider the following.  The Orwellian politicians (both major Parties) in DC have been quietly changing the definitions of words for at least a couple of decades now.  Example:  "imminent", as in "imminent threat", no longer means "immediate"; rather, it now officially means something akin to "perhaps sometime in the future".  Another example:  "war" (the way it's used in our Constitution) no longer means war; instead, it officially means something akin to "counter-terrorism".  As such, Rules, Laws, the Supreme Law of the Land, and even morals & ethics no longer apply.  At least, that's according to the Powers-That-Be.  In reality, it's Orwellian nonsense ...and criminal.

SIDE NOTE---  In reference to his massive escalation of drone attacks, Obama once stated,  "Well, it's not really a war.".  Here's a clue, Mr. Obama:  when you cross a border and kill hundreds of people (1400 in Pakistan alone), that's a war.  The war clause in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution applies.  Nothing in Article II can contravene that provision...unless the USA is hit with a surprise invasion.  You know that; after all, you're a Constitutional scholar.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

FINALLY---Someone in Congress Asks the Right Question

U.S. Congressional Representative, Ted Lieu of California, asked a Trump Admin official (in a Hearing) the following:  "Under the Constitution, does the President have the authority to declare war?".  The Trump guy hemmed, hawed, beat around the bush, and never answered the query.  Then Rep. Lieu said he would make it easy:  "The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, right?".  More hemming & hawing from the U.S. Envoy to Iran.  Kudos to Representative Lieu.

Those who rely on the War Powers Resolution (often called the War Powers Act), or any other "resolution", to declare war are violating the Constitution and their Oath of Office.  In our system of government, it isn't up to the President to decide when to go to war.  The Founders believed that could be subject to abuse, and so they made certain that only Congress had that power.  At least then, We the People supposedly would be represented in the decision.  Plus, Congress was not given the authority to transfer that power to the Executive.  The President only has power to manage a war...once Congress has declared war.  Finally, no Law supercedes the U.S. Constitution.

According to recent News reports, Trump & Crew are considering using the 2001 Resolution as authority to go to war with Iran.  That's ludicrous.  Not only is it ludicrous (and illegal) because of the paragraph immediately above, but also because that Resolution had absolutely nothing to do with Iran.  Nothing at all.

The last time Congress declared war was in December, 1941.  Over the decades since then, members of our Gov't have ignored the war clause of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States.  That means each of them has violated his/her Oath of Office.  Very few people seem to care.

The case for war with Iran is so flimsy that it really doesn't exist.  The Warmongers' efforts to make the case have a strong stink about them. More importantly, the President does not have the Constitutional authority to declare war on any nation.  Once any part of our bedrock Supreme Law of the Land is by-passed, then the same can happen to any other part.  Hello.  This whole scenario reeks of "The Grand Chessboard:  American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives".  Empire on steroids.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Sanctions Are Acts of War

Modern-day "sanctions" should be thought of as essentially the same as laying siege to a major city in the distant past.  They are acts of war.  Our Fed Government's sanctions relative to Venezuela and Iran are nothing but Empire Building...egregious interference for the purpose of maintaining "American Primacy" in the world.

When a government interferes with another country's economy and finance, and even threatens allies who might not agree with that approach, the whole thing becomes a de facto declaration of war.  In the cases cited above, it's interventionism of the worst kind--- strictly to advance "American Primacy and its geostrategic imperatives".  It's the main reason our Gov't keeps sticking its big nose into the affairs of the Middle East, Central Asia, South America, and Central America.

It appears that both Neoconservatives and Neoliberals look upon Brzezinski's book, The Grand Chessboard (1997), as the Bible in terms of geopolitics and our Neocolonial Empire.  In this Neocolonial Age, our Gov't doesn't have to directly control a country via politics or military force (as in the old colonial times).  Now it can do so indirectly by means of economics, finance, and propaganda.  No matter who is in power in DC, that's the game.  It's wrong, and except for a fairly brief time around the turn of the Twentieth Century (1898-1906 or thereabouts), it's un-American.  [Perhaps I should, but I'm not counting our very early history of so-called "Manifest Destiny", when the Powers-That-Be simply assumed that this whole continent belonged to us...because "God" was on "our side".]

Sanctions can lead to a shooting war.  Here's a message for our Warmongers; it's taken from the Bobby Darin song, "Simple Song of Freedom".
Let it fill the air
Tell the people everywhere
We the People here don't want a war

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Reasons Why USA's Fed Government = World's Biggest Bully

In this essay, I'm not claiming these reasons are the only ones or necessarily the most egregious ones.  Nor are they equal in magnitude.  Nevertheless, taken together they do show a pattern of self-righteous bullying, and sometimes outright illegality.  The items in the list below are not in any order of importance.
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1.  Not long ago and undoubtedly at the direction of the White House, Nikki Haley (no relation to me) threatened countries with consequences if they didn't go along with the policies of the current anti-Science Administration.  Thank heaven she'll be resigning her post, but I imagine she'll be replaced by someone else who, like Trump, thinks the USA is King of the World.  Threatening allies and others is bullying; doing it in public is egregious, political claptrap.

2.  At the same time that the White House and Congress are braying about Russia, and now China, interfering in our elections, John Bolton is talking about overthrowing the government of Iran.  Is not overthrowing a gov't the ultimate example of interference?  Not only bullying, but the word "hypocrisy" comes to mind...big-time.  [Then there's the fact that the USA's & Britain's governments, back in the 1950's, participated in the coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected gov't.  Why?  Because the new leader wanted Iran's oil to be for Iran... what audacity.  Then, too, there's the fact that the USA's gov't engineered coups in other countries, such as Guatemala and Chili.  More bullying and hypocrisy.]

3.  Starting with Obama and continuing with Trump, the Executive Branch is developing so-called tactical (low-yield) nuclear weapons.  Some of the Fed policy makers apparently believe that the use of such weapons will not have any serious, long-term, detrimental effects on life on Earth.  In other words, they seem to think that nuclear weapons can be used without much harm to the planet and its ecosystems.

No one knows any such thing.  That use would be a most dangerous experiment.  So far, evidence regarding radiation indicates any such use would be a disaster.  The point here is that development of these weapons is bald-faced bullying.  Do what we say, or we'll nuke you.

4.  The idea of "Preemptive War" probably didn't start with the Dubya Bush Administration, but that Admin claimed that the execution of the concept was legal...hence, the disastrous Iraq War.  In the simplest terms, Preemptive War means:  we are going to attack you because you might be planning to attack us.  Furthermore, we're so special that we're positive you are planning that.  We can predict the future.

Preemptive War is not only unconstitutional, it's also immoral, unethical, and in defiance of common sense.  It bespeaks a gross distortion and subversion of "American Exceptionalism".  As far as I can determine, every fairly recent Administration at the Fed level has believed in it.  There's no doubt at all that Trump embraces it.  This is bullying to the max.

5.  Regarding recent Fed treatment of Native Americans/American Indians---
when it comes to oil pipelines (such as DAPL), the Executive Branch seems to be saying:  we don't care about the risk to your water, or the desecration of your burial grounds, or the desecration of other holy sites.  We are issuing the permit for this, no matter what you say or do.

Furthermore, we are going to bypass the Fed Law requirement for an Environmental Impact Statement on this project.  We can do that because we claim that each section of the pipeline is like a "spur line", which has no such requirement.  Plus, we now have an autocrat-wannabe President who thinks he's above the Law.  Finally, oil is "National Security".  When it comes to that, we can ignore any Law we choose.  More bullying.

6.  Since the Supreme Court's Kelo v. City of New London decision, Fed Eminent Domain applies to taking land for economic development.  That means your land can be (after just compensation) seized and then sold or given to a company for private development.  That's now considered "Public Use"... because of the taxes generated.  This Court decision was/is outrageous.

Our Fed Gov't doesn't bully only other countries and American Indians.  It does so to all of us.

7.  The tactics of the IRS sometimes are Gestapo-like.  I've experienced something like that personally.  They don't mind being bullies at all.
[SIDE NOTE:  By the way, the first permanent Income Tax (1913) applied only to about the top 2% of the population, and did not include taxation of wages.  Only passive income was taxed under that Law.]

8.  Regarding treatment of asylum seekers and other immigrants, separation of 6,000 family members, caging kids, misleading parents, etc.---
This current Administration has acted horribly, immorally, and in an unchristian manner.  It's truly incredible, and all just to make a political point.  Shabby bullying for political gain.  Inexcusable.
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Why We the People enable politicians such as these to "represent" us is beyond my comprehension.  As I've said before, massive boycotting could correct the situation and bring down the whole House of Cards.  Unfortunately, that probably never will happen.  Oligarchs/Plutocrats will continue to rule.  The root blame for that is Edward Bernays style Propaganda.  C'est la vie.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Jackass, the Albino Jackass, and the Plutocracy

Below is my reply to a dear friend's email.  Her email was a forwarded political joke which stated that the Dem Party had adopted a new symbol for their organization--- the condom.  According to the joke, the condom was adopted because it allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, gives a sense of security while you're being screwed, etc., etc.  The original sender of that joke quipped something to the effect of: it couldn't be a more accurate description of the Democrats.

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That's good!  What's unfortunate is:  Repubs (just like Dems) are so propagandized they don't realize that description also applies to their Party & its top Plutocrats.  It fits both Parties to a tee.  It easily could be argued that it fits the Repubs better than the Dems... much better.

No matter which major Party is in control in DC, our country is run by Plutocrats or their puppets.  For the most part, they are all serial liars, elitist violators of the Constitution, con artists, empire builders, violators of International Law, and holier-than-thou warmongers.  

Example:  both Parties have supported the Saudi Coalition War in Yemen with major U.S. logistical & intelligence aid.  Including hospitals, water works, & schools, civilian infrastructure has been bombed, resulting in:  the largest cholera epidemic in modern history, millions of people starving, and the death of a large number of children...all because of an Islamic Sunni-Shia conflict, a proxy war between Saudi Arabia & Iran.  Our involvement in killing children and starving people is being sold as "fighting terrorism".  What a sad, tragic joke.  One of the main reasons the Fed Gov't is involved is to fulfill its role as the world's largest Arms Dealer.  Trump brags about that label.

Example:  While each major Party (at different times) has been in control in DC, laws & policies have been implemented that promote the largest transfer of wealth to the Upper Crust in human history.  This has been going on since at least the 1970's.  As We the People are thrown a few crumbs now & again, the incomes of the Rich Plutocrats have increased 700%.  At the same time, wages/salaries (adjusted for inflation) have remained essentially flat.  The Middle Class now comprises less than 50% of the population.  All that has happened under both Repub and Dem Administrations.  It's painfully obvious that we live in a plutocratic system.  All the propaganda to the contrary is nothing but "Reality Show" hype.  That's especially true now that we have a President who barely can read a prepared text from a sheet of paper, and who says one thing one day, and the exact opposite the next day.  He does it on purpose; he's gaslighting, trying to distract us from the plutocratic agenda... which he fully supports.  Instead of reporting in depth on significant issues, the Corporate Media report mainly on Trump's bizarre, buffoon-like behavior.

The Dems should stick with the jackass (male donkey) symbol, and the Repubs should adopt an albino jackass as their symbol.  

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Clever, Ignorant Madman Strikes

The clever, deceitful, ignorant, gaslighting, lying Trump ups the ante in Syria.  Here are the problems with that--

1.  There's no legal authority at all for the USA to attack Syria.

2.  There's no legal authority at all for us even to be in Syria.

3.  Trump & His Crew want a major war in the worst way.

4.  It's all about economics & finance...nothing else.

5.  A significant part of the world is waging an economic/financial war on the USA, the purpose of which is to end Dollar Hegemony.

6.  The Fed Reserve is out of ammo (so to speak), so war is now the response by our Gov't...unless Russia & Iran act responsibly by not being goaded into a major conflict.

7.  Once again, Trump has ignored/violated the Constitution.

8.  Once again, Congress has abrogated its Constitutional duty relative to war.

9.  The War Powers Act does not supercede the Constitution.  Neither do Presidential orders.

10.  Only Congress can initiate hostilities;  The Commander-in-Chief then manages the war after Congress declares war.

That's how it works IF the Constitution is followed.

11.  Republicans and Democrats have changed the Constitution without legally amending it.  They've done that by passing unconstitutional laws, laws that contradict the Constitution.  No one person or group has challenged those laws...either because they don't want to, or they don't have the time, effort, & money to take it all the way to the Supreme Court.  A Justice Harlan warned about all this in 1901.  He called it "Legislative Absolutism".

12.  Finally, Republicans and Democrats have changed the common sense definition of War via Edward Bernays style Propaganda.  The whole thing is Orwellian to the max.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Observations on the Insanity of the Elites and on the Progression of Corporatism

Let's first define one term.  By "Elites", I'm referring to those who are either super-rich, or in positions of super-power and/or influence, or both.  These people are in public or private positions, or both.  It's a general definition; there are always a few exceptions to any general rule.  The exceptions, however, do not invalidate the general statement.
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1.  We've had the National Security & Surveillance State since at least 9-11-01.  Yes, security is important; however, excesses in that field by the Elites have created a monstrous problem.  It is this:  the Fourth Amendment essentially has been eliminated.  Other constitutional guarantees of protection against an errant gov't have been seriously compromised as well.  The Elites have done all this by various means, but often it's by passing laws in the dead of night before any of our "Representatives" have had a chance to even read a particular law.  Those who originate these laws (e.g., The PATRIOT Act, FISA, the National Defense Authorization Act, etc.) seem to have the insane idea that even though the laws are in conflict with the Constitution, somehow they trump that document, which of course, is the Supreme Law of the Land.  We the People appear to be putting up with this nonsense.

Perhaps it's past time to recognize that the "Security" State is more concerned with security for the State as opposed to for us.  We are fast going toward a Hard Fascist State, and leaving behind the Soft Fascism which we've had for at least a decade or more.  Many people don't believe that because, I think, they associate Fascism mainly with the anomalous weirdness of the German Nazis & their obsession with the elimination of Jews.  Let's not forget Franco's Spain and Mussolini's Italy; they were more truly Fascist.  Fascism means the marriage of the power of the State to the power of Big Business.   It's a totalitarian rule by public & private Elites.  That's what we're rushing toward in the USA.

2.  Not since the Cold War with the old Soviet Union have we been so close to a nuclear war disaster in the world.  The current crop of politicians in DC seem to hold the insane view that:  (a) "tactical" nukes can be used without any significant, serious, long-term, detrimental consequences to humans and our planet; these business folks probably haven't had a science class since high school, & they are clueless on this subject; and (b) a "first-strike" war is permissible under the Constitution and International Law... not true.

Critics of this critique probably will say something to the effect of:  Iran, Russia, and especially North Korea are a distinct danger to us, and threaten us repeatedly.  Some of that is true, but not to any serious degree.  What those countries are doing, for the most part, is pushing back against our threats to them.  We have economic and financial sanctions against them (especially N. Korea & Russia).  Sanctions are an act of war.  The Bully-Boy US Gov't seems to believe it can act against any other gov't in the world (including allies) and there will be no blowback.  That's an insane belief.

As reported by the dissident, Noam Chomsky (on Democracy Now), not long ago N. Korea offered to sit down and talk about their stopping weapons-delivery testing in exchange for our Gov't lifting sanctions against their country.  Our DC politicians refused to even consider it.  Naturally, to my knowledge that whole business never was revealed by the Corporate Media.  I'm not defending N. Korea; I'm against any totalitarian regime.  The point is, our Gov't appears to be escalating the situation, rather than diffusing it.  Worse, with Buffoon Trump, the politicians now are talking about a first-strike...with a possible nuclear option.  That's unmitigated insanity.

3.  Our top-level politicians, including both Democrats and Republicans (and those in the Corporatist Cabinet), seem to have lost all common sense.  Here are just a few examples of that.

(a)  The Democrats keep harping on the concept of Russia "interfering with" or "influencing" the last election here.  They can't or won't face the fact that the real reason they lost the last election (& not only at the national level) is because We the People no longer buy into their Corporatist and/or Neoliberal crap.  Almost without exception, top-level Dems are shills for the Wall Street Casino Capitalists.  They truly do represent the Status Quo...which most Americans have no patience for anymore.  Dems whining about the Russians displays hypocrisy to the Nth degree.  Our Fed Gov't has a history of interfering with elections, influencing electoral outcomes, and even overthrowing democratically elected gov'ts.  During the Clinton Era, our Gov't made sure that Boris Yeltsin got elected in Russia.  Top-level Dems are insane to keep on with this Russian interference narrative.

(b)  Trump and the Corporatist/Neoliberal Repubs are in the process of making it easier for the Financial Sector, especially the monopolistic Mega Banks, to screw over the bottom 99% of Americans.  They are doing so by removing the paltry restraints on the Crony Capitalist, Mega Banks.  They are guaranteeing the next Bust in the Boom-Bust American Business Cycle.  We're right on the cusp of being overdue for that Bust, and they are hurrying it along.  They do this because, for the most part, the Super-Rich benefit greatly from such a Bust.  How?  It's simple:  during a major recession or depression, the Elites can buy up assets cheaply.  We've seen it over & over in our history.  For example, not long after the 2008 Crash, Mega Banks bought up smaller and/or troubled banks at pennies on the dollar.  The "Too-Big-to-Fail" Mega Banks grew by 37%.  During the Great Depression of the 1930's, super-large landowners and banks bought up small farms and a myriad of other assets at bargain prices.  Assisting that type of scenario, as the current Repub Corporatists are doing, is insanity.  It will further ruin our country and cause great suffering among the majority of us.

(c)  Similar to the point above, both Repubs AND Dems refuse to bring back the Glass-Steagall Act.  In my view, their refusal is because they are Wall Street shills.  If Mega Banks want to play at Casino Capitalism using bizarre financial derivatives, then they should do so with their own money, not ours.  That's just common sense.  Anything else is insanity.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

King Donald the First---the Lunatic King

Trump beats out even Dubya Bush and Obama for the title, Lunatic King.  I didn't think that was possible....especially so soon after the election.  Naturally, I'm exaggerating with the title of this essay; however, exaggeration often drives home a valid point.  Here are just a few of Trump's "lunacies"---

1.  He's acting like an idiot with Iran.  Trump claims that Iran is the greatest generator of terrorism in the world.  In reality, that title belongs to either Saudi Arabia---with its spreading of Wahhabism (a fundamentalist form of Sunni Islam)---or to the USA, with its weaponized drones and American Empire view of world relations.  For about forty years, the Iranian Gov't has tried to turn its own people against the USA.  It failed to do so.  Trump has done it in ten days.

2.  In a really dumb/lunatic move, King Donald not only placed a Gag Order on the EPA & other Gov't agencies, but he placed a freeze on any new contracts for the cleanup of SuperFund toxic/hazardous waste sites.  There are over 1,800 such sites in our Land.  This means that hazardous wastes will not only continue to leach into our groundwater and/or flow into our surface water, but overall will accelerate.  Some of these sites are military installations with pollution dating back to the '50s and '60s.  [As a HazMat Specialist with Sacramento County about 15 years ago, I conducted regulatory compliance inspections of one of those sites, McClellan Air Force Base.  These pollution problems are real, and need to be addressed.]

SIDE NOTE:  The pollution going back decades is a direct result of an almost total lack of environmental regulations and/or enforcement in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's.  Even today, enforcement of environmental regs is lacking to one degree or another in some areas of our country.  It's a fairly safe bet that Trump & his Administration will worsen the situation.

3.  The blanket ban on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries is making enemies around the world.  Even many in Israel condemn it.  Fortunately, the judicial section of the Deep State here is fighting Trump on this one, and for the moment at least, is winning.

4.  Trump's (for the most part) Corporate Cabinet is beyond ridiculous.  These people will favor Mega Banks, other Mega Corporations, and the Super-Rich over Main Street in a heartbeat.  It all shows where Trump's true loyalties exist.  In terms of the Oligarchy v. the rest of us, it's SSDD.  On second thought, this time it will be on triple steroids.

5.  King Donald's views (and already, actions) on Climate Change display an exponential amount of ignorance.  He's not a stupid man, but he's quintessentially ignorant on too many crucial issues.  Either that, or he's propagandized beyond the pale... or both.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Fed Gov't and Corporate Media Propaganda + Lies by Omission Accelerate

I say this often, but it's true in every case:  if this situation weren't so tragic, it would be comical.  The highest levels of the Fed Gov't and Corporate Media keep pushing this narrative:  our intelligence agencies have proof that the Russian Gov't (now including Putin personally) have hacked our cyber infrastructure and interfered with the recent election.  This claim apparently refers to the hacking of emails and subsequent release of same, not the hacking of voting machines.  Let's examine the two parts of this distraction from what's really important---the content of those emails.

Hacking Our Cyber Infrastructure---
Even if true (& it probably is), here's what our Powers-That-Be are leaving out--- our intelligence agencies hack any institution or person they so desire, at will.  WikiLeaks, The Intercept, The Guardian, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Der Spiegel, and a few others have revealed that (via the Snowden documents) over and over.  Our Gov't even has hacked our allies.  They've even hacked Angela Merkel's cell phone.  Do you think for one minute our Gov't has not hacked Russia, Iran, and China?  Please.  The implied self-righteousness and holier-than-thou attitude of our high-ranking politicians is downright sickening.

Interfering With Our Election---
IF it did "interfere with" or "influence" the recent election, how?  Was it by revealing scurrilous, hidden truths about the Democratic Party Machine and/or Hillary Clinton?  If so, I have no problem with that.  Here's what I do have a problem with:  the hypocrisy and lies-by-omission of the highest levels of the USA Gov't and the Corporate Media.  Over and over in our history, the Fed Gov't has not only interfered with elections in country after country, but also has covertly and overtly overthrown governments... some of those governments were democratically elected.  Let's not forget what our Gov't did in Guatemala, Iran, and Iraq in the 1950's... and what it did at other times in Italy (1948), Laos ('57-'73), Haiti (1959), Cuba (1902-04 & 1961), Ecuador (1961), Congo/Zaire (1961), Dominican Republic (1963), Brazil (1964), Indonesia (1965), Greece (1965 & 1967), Uruguay (1969), Cambodia (1970), Bolivia (1971), Chile (1973), Australia (1975), El Salvador (1979), Haiti (1986 & 1993), and after 9-11, Afghanistan and Iraq.  The previous list represents cases where our Fed Gov't interfered with elections and/or overthrew governments, most of which were democratically elected.  The list is incomplete.  The holier-than-thou attitude of our politicians does nothing but make enemies around the world.  The hypocrisy of our high-ranking representatives surely must be legendary in foreign countries.

I love this Land with great fervor, but despise the (in general) hypocrisy displayed by too many Higher-Ups in our Gov't... both Republicans and Democrats.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

This & That About the Public and Private Powers-That-Be

1.  Notice how the Corporate Media and the Democratic Party Machine have responded to the leaked transcripts/excerpts of Clinton's highly paid speeches to Mega Bankers and other Mega Corporations:  "Russian hackers did it; they're trying to influence the election here."...little to no discussion of what Hillary said in those speeches.  That's because some of the content of those talks largely contradicts the Propaganda that she's some sort of Populist.  If Hillary Clinton is any kind of Populist, then I'm a Chinese astronaut.  I can see why most likely she was never going to release those transcripts.  The texts/quotes are online; see for yourself.

2.  From the leaked Democratic Party Hierarchy emails, it's now obvious that the Sanders campaign was targeted for destruction by the Corporatist Democrats from the very beginning.  Of course, it was fairly obvious as it unfolded... well before the leaks.  Keep in mind that Party Hierarchies are supposed to be completely neutral regarding Primary candidates.

3.  Trump is complaining that the Corporate Media favor Clinton (which is true), but fails to mention that during the Republican Primaries he was given more exposure to the voters than all the other candidates combined.  That's because his idiocy was a money-maker for them.  The Corporate Head of CBS freely admitted as much.  Candidates such as Rand Paul, because he favored a non-militaristic foreign policy, were given such short shrift by the Media that at times I wondered if he had dropped out of the race... before he did drop out.

4.  The current Administration continues its unconstitutional War in Syria.  Yes, the Assad Regime is brutal and ISIS is brutal---bombing civilians (including children), hospitals, schools, etc.  Here's what the Administration here fails to mention:  the US Gov't-backed, Saudi-led Coalition is doing the same thing in Yemen.  Our Gov't helps by refueling bombers, providing intelligence, and providing weapons.  Obama recently approved a $38 billion military aid package for Saudi Arabia.  Not long ago, a funeral home was bombed in Yemen; dozens & dozens of civilians were killed.  Just before that, a hospital was bombed.  Since the beginning of that war, over 900 children have been killed.  All that because of the Sunni-Shia conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran... and our Govt's "help".  Shame on the highest levels of the US Gov't.

5.  Both public and private, the Powers-That-Be continue to use ISIS as an excuse for US Gov't Hegemony throughout the world.  At the same time, they criticize other major countries (China, Russia, Iran) for wanting to have a big influence in their respective regions.  The US Powers can't stand it when some other country wants to exercise its own hegemony.  Imagine that---some country wants to be influential in its own backyard.  Well, we can't allow that!  [Hypocrisy abounds.]

6.  The Corporate Media here are so desperate to support the lie that our economy is "recovering" that they recently reported on thousands of temporary, holiday season jobs opening up.  You know, the way those jobs open up every holiday season.  This year they're being touted as something really special.  According to the major stores with the openings, 90% of those jobs will be converted to full-time, permanent positions after the holidays.  I seriously doubt that.  It's much more likely that some permanent employees will be laid off after the holiday season.  Our economy is worsening, not getting better... unless you're in the upper 10% or so.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Extreme Ignorance of the Don... and the Rigged Game

Let me state again at the outset:  I don't support Clinton, either.  In fact, there isn't a single candidate running this year that I would even consider supporting... not necessarily because of the individual, but rather because the entire System is rigged.  In the present Crony Capitalist atmosphere, it doesn't really matter at all in any significant way who gets into high office.  For that to matter, first the corruption must be changed by peaceful pressure from outside the Rigged Game.  People have been trying to change it from the inside for at least about 100 years...no luck.

Donald Trump can't be a serious candidate...not with the statements he has made for months now.  I'm beginning to suspect that his only function is to guarantee the coronation of Clinton.  Following are just a few of (supposedly) the Don's beliefs... which are extremely ill-informed.

1.  He stated today or yesterday that Iran is the biggest supporter/promoter of State-sponsored terrorism in the entire world.  One only can assume that by "terrorism" he means that of ISIS and Al Qaida... you know, the ones who are Sunnis... the ones who are the sworn enemies of Iran... that same Iran that is in the Shia sect of Islam.  Apparently (& we certainly don't know this for a fact) Trump is unaware that there's a Sunni-Shia civil (or religious) war going on throughout the Muslim portion of the Middle East.  I find it quite incredible that a major candidate for national office here would be unaware of such a thing.

2.  Not long ago, he stated that Obama was the "Founder of ISIS".  He didn't explain why, but I'm fairly sure where that reasoning lies.  [By the way, I'm certainly no fan of Obama's...I think he's a Corporatist and a Perpetual War Hawk, as well as a gross violator of the Constitution.]  It is true that when Obama took office in January, 2009, he was in a big hurry to exit Iraq.  After we left that country, the U.S.-installed Shia gov't there began to oppress the Sunni residents even more...and the Muslim civil war continued, thus giving rise to ISIS (disaffected Sunnis).  Trump's reasoning, however, ignores the Americans who were 99% responsible for generating ISIS:  Dick Cheney, Dubya Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Bremer, and a whole slew of behind-the-scenes NeoCon theorists.  By the time Obama first got in office, the whole thing already was a complete shambles.

3.  His statements regarding "extreme vetting" and Cold War style identification & handling of those "hostile to our values" essentially is a call to return to the McCarthyism of the 1950's.  Any major candidate calling for such a thing nowadays would have to be a total ignoramus.  That rhetoric appeals to perhaps 10-15% of the electorate...and turns off everyone else.  No serious candidate would ever make such a proposal... because instituting that policy would be completely un-American.  [Instead of "Hoo-ah", the Don's call to action is "H.U.A.C.".]  Anyone who can't see why that would be an extremely dangerous, slippery slope simply is not thinking on all cylinders.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

On What Legitimate, Ethical Authority?

What legitimate, ethical authority do the highest levels of our Fed Gov't have to...

1.  launch a pre-emptive war?  [as in the case of the 2003 Iraq invasion by the USA];

2.  tell Iran that it can't have a nuclear program?  [when Israel has ~ 200 nuclear weapons, and the USA is developing or upgrading so-called "tactical" nukes];

3.  impose sanctions on Russia for intervening in a civil war?  [when the highest levels of our Fed Gov't do the same thing on an almost regular basis];

4.  develop (paraphrased) "tools to guide Venezuela in the direction it needs to go"?  [Venezuela is a sovereign nation...it can go in any direction it so desires];

5.  insist (via the IMF and/or World Bank) that any particular country undergo "austerity"?  [when the USA is the largest debtor nation in the world...and there's no visible austerity imposed by our Gov't];

6.  spy on our allies?  [and then condemn other nations for doing the same to us];

7.  act as the world's Police Force?  [without any U.N. authorization];

8.  refuse to return Guantanamo (which essentially was stolen by us) to Cuba?;

9.  refuse to recognize the sovereignty of Native American Indian Nations?  [said sovereignty being guaranteed by numerous Treaties...all of which have been broken by the Feds];

10.  launch weaponized drone strikes into countries (e.g., Pakistan), killing both SUSPECTS and innocent civilians, when the "intelligence" identifying the suspects largely is from cell phone meta-data?  [Pakistan has told our Gov't to cease and desist more than once.]
..................................................................................

The answer to all of the above is...NONE.  There is no legitimate, ethical authority for those actions.  Every patriot (as opposed to nationalist) should point that out... loudly and repeatedly.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

When Will the Feds Ever Learn!?

It was reported on the 1-9-14 CBS online news broadcast that the upsurge in violence and deaths in Iraq is NOT due primarily to Al Qaeda activity after all, but rather due to the ongoing, never ceasing clash between the Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites.  [Congratulations, CBS, you finally discovered that; independent investigative journalists have known it for a very long time.]

Meanwhile, our Fed Gov't is supplying massive arms to the Shiite Gov't of Iraq... you know, the one backed by Iran.  So once again, those at the highest levels in our Fed Gov't have (unconstitutionally) stuck their big noses into what is essentially a civil war.  I know the mega corporate Oligarchs love to sell arms and munitions, but come on, this is beyond ridiculous.

As I look back over the past decade or so, my conclusion is that an astute 12th grader could run our foreign policy better than the Bush and Obama administrations have done.  That conclusion is both tragic and comic at the same time.

I suggest to those of you still stuck in the anachronistic, basically farcical, political paradigm of Republicans v. Democrats that you seriously re-think the matter.  What's going on in the political arena should be blatantly obvious.  Never mind Iraq for the moment, let's consider probably the worst economic & financial advisors in our country's history, those of the last Bush term...then Obama, in his first term, keeps them.  So we wind up with Hank Paulson, former head of Goldman Sachs, as Secretary of the Treasury--- oh my, no conflict of interest there [:)].  He and the FED give billions to mega banks AND make trillions in loans available to them at almost zero percent interest.  At the same time or shortly thereafter, some of those elitist banks buy out other banks, thus becoming even bigger while eliminating some of their competition.  On top of all that, we later go through legislative "financial reform"... which turns out to be mere window dressing.  Finally, we're now enduring "too big to jail". 
Good grief... wake up, America. 

Just my opinion.

Part 4: Paying Homage to Gonzo

For decades I've watched politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, flush my beloved country down the drain.  It continues.  Years ago, I believed in the Mainstream Political System, but I was looking only at the surface...& I was drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid, gulping it down.  For the last several years, I've looked beneath the surface and discovered the utter fraud, sham, and tragedy/joke that is American Politics.  The widespread deceit, corruption, and criminality is truly incredible.  Some of it gets reported by the prostitute Corporate Media (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, etc.), but much of it doesn't.  One has to go to other sources.  I'll illustrate, using only one other source.

The following items have been reported just recently on Democracy Now, the War and Peace Report, with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.  Perhaps you saw one or more of these topics on Corporate Media broadcasts, but I'd be willing to bet not.

1.  This year in Iraq there have been over 8,000 deaths as a result of the ongoing civil war there.  That's their highest number of casualties in the last five years.  The Sunnis and Shiites have not stopped killing each other.  Electrical service still is not provided to large parts of that country on a consistent basis.  Corruption in their government appears to be rampant.  [It makes one wonder why it was that our Fed Gov't expended so much of our blood & treasure over there.  Other than lots of big bucks for mega corporations, what did we accomplish?]

2.  Only a short time ago, Obama had millions of dollars of arms sent to the Shiite gov't of Iraq...to help fight the "terrorists".  I'll bet the Arms manufacturers here were very pleased.  Our Fed Gov't fully supports the Shiite government of Iraq...so does Iran's gov't.  I find that somewhat odd.  Basically, our Gov't is taking sides in a foreign civil war, and stoking the fires of that war by helping to arm one side.  A couple of Arab political analysts (in Western dress) found that to be rather bizarre.  I agree.

3.  Just the other day, our Fed Gov't killed four more terrorist SUSPECTS in Pakistan with yet another Drone attack.  This despite the fact that the Pakistani Gov't has told us to stop infringing on the sovereignty of the Pakistani people...by launching Drone attacks.  [You see, when our Gov't commits a crime, it's not a crime.  That only applies to other countries.  As Nixon said in a David Frost interview years ago, "When the President does it, it's not a crime."...I guess that principle still holds in DC today.]  Sorry Pakistan, you don't have any sovereignty; so says the Big Bully U.S. Gov't.

4.  A few days ago, fifteen SUSPECTS were killed in Yemen by a Drone attack.  It turns out that they were merely a wedding party going to a reception.  I imagine that the warmongers in DC will chalk it up to "collateral damage", maybe pay the victims' families a few thousand dollars, and then forget about it.  [This is shameful.  It's both immoral and unethical to go around killing suspects.  Terrorists are not soldiers, they're criminals.  The so-called "War on Terrorism" is not a war at all.  That's propaganda.  If you believe it is a war, please tell me, with which country are we at war?  When soldiers go to war, it's against soldiers from another country.  That's war.  This terrorism situation is a law enforcement issue.]

5.  Former President Bush (Dubya, not Daddy) recently cancelled an overseas trip.  He did so because sixty Human Rights Organizations around the world have been compiling evidence to be used to indict and arrest him for using/approving/ordering the torture of terrorist suspects during his administration.  [It's about time.]  Any such arrest would occur outside of this country, and the country he was going to agreed to give it a go.  [This story is not a spoof; it's true.]  Bush admitted to approving "waterboarding" in his fairly recent book.  Whether or not you agree that suffocating a person to a point just shy of death is torture or not is not relevant.  This is relevant:  every other country in the world believes that waterboarding is torture...even the few countries that do it.  I agree.  The fact that our Gov't did it is shameful and obscene...and UNAMERICAN.  Just because certain criminals are Neanderthal brutes doesn't mean that we should be.

Some of you may disagree with my views above, but that's not the point.  My point here is that I doubt you were aware of those stories if you listen to/watch only the Corporate Media.  Those networks are in league with the Fed Gov't to one degree or another, or in league with the Oligarchs of the mega corporations, or both.  We get only the news they want us to hear.  [Not long ago, CBS reported that for some unknown reason a man set himself on fire in DC, and died.  There was no follow-up story.  I suspect that the act was some sort of protest against either the Fed Gov't or mega corporations, or both.]

Incidentally, my investigator reports that the rumor regarding Ibocaine use in DC appears to be true.  He estimates that somewhere between 90% to 99% of the Fed politicians use the drug.  You may recall from Part 3 of this series that Ibocaine ingestion causes one to lose integrity and become a scumbag.  Don't confuse this drug with Ibogaine, a psychoactive substance that has been very successful in getting many people off heroin, the most addictive drug in the world.  [Ibogaine is probably banned in this country, which makes about as much sense as the ban on industrial hemp...we're the only developed country in the world that prohibits farmers from raising industrial hemp, a crop that is small-farmer-friendly and the products of which could replace many energy-gorging petro-chemical products.]

Just my opinion.
Dr. Gonzo

A Few Propaganda Delusions in the USA

1. Unemployment is now at 8.5%. Facts--- When figuring unemployment, Feds do not include (because they can't) those who are no longer in "the system"--- such as those who have given up looking for work, and those who are grossly underemployed, and those who have temporary or part-time jobs. No one knows what the real number for unemployment may be, but it is certainly much higher than 8.5%.

2. The war in Iraq is over and our efforts were worthwhile. Facts--- Multiple, coordinated bomb attacks are ongoing; the Shiites and Sunnis are still at war with each other. Water and electricity still are not available 100% of the time in cities and towns. Almost two million Iraqis have emigrated from their country and they don't appear to be returning in any significant numbers. We still have a relatively small number of combat soldiers there. "Trainers" are combat soldiers. Finally, what happened to: "Iraqi oil will pay for most of our activities in Iraq."?

3. The dollar is still sound. [I'm not sure if the Oligarchs are pushing this falsehood anymore.] Facts--- In the last ten years, the dollar has lost 40% of its value. If you've had a bank savings account for the last ten years, 40% of the purchasing power in that account is gone. The dollar nowadays has no intrinsic value; its only value is that it's still (for the time being) the world's reserve currency. Several European countries, China, and Russia (and probably others I'm not aware of) are saying publicly that that has to change. According to them, the world will have a new reserve currency before too long.

4. The government of Iran is a threat to us and the world. Facts--- Iran is surrounded by military bases of the only country in history that has used nuclear weapons on civilians---and used them twice. No wonder they want a nuke. More to the point, the old USSR (whose leaders were at least as fanatical as those in Iran) had about 30,000 nukes; we were able to contain them. Iran is a lightweight compared to the old Soviets. The real reason we're rattling sabers at Iran is because, like Saddam did, they are preparing to accept Euros for oil---instead of dollars. That would not bode well for the health of the buck.

5. The Obama Administration works for all of us, especially the poor, the needy, the unemployed, the sick, the in-the-trenches military personnel, etc. Facts--- Our President is the best friend that the Oligarchs ever had. BP and other oil giants, health insurance companies, crooked investment bankers, and many other transnational corporations all have been served well by the current Administration. Example: they're all too big to jail after they commit crimes. Example: Obama expanded the war in Afghanistan and especially the secret wars in Yemen and Pakistan. [The one in Pakistan no longer is much of a secret.] Example: the President supports the actions of the Fed Reserve Chairman, who purposely has been devaluing the dollar for years. That negatively impacts us all.

Don't misunderstand, the Republicans are just as bad as the Democrats.

6. We elect Senators and Representatives; therefore, they represent us in a representative government. Facts--- This one is laughable. The last approval rating I saw for Congress was 9%---not 90%, but 9%. Now, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, election costs (including the Presidential election) can run into the billions of dollars---for a single election cycle. That's madness. The Oligarchs paying out those billions get their money's worth; they do not waste their large sums on the elections of people who will represent common folks. Surely we all know that. It should be an axiom. Our government no longer is representative in any sense of the word.

7. Finally, we live in a democracy. Facts--- The USA is (or was meant to be) a Republic. The differences between that and a democracy are significant. For example, in a democracy the emphasis is on the will of the majority; in a republic, the emphasis is on individual rights. In a republic, individual rights cannot be ignored simply because the majority so wishes in some specific instance. In a republic, one is free to do whatever one desires as long as the rights and property of others are not infringed upon. In a democracy, if the majority votes to give up a right (for example, the right to privacy or freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures), then all individuals must abide by that vote. That can only be done in a republic if the government resorts to Executive or Legislative Absolutism, which is exactly what has transpired in this country. In such a case, the republic ceases to exist.

One easily and accurately can argue that the USA no longer is a Republic. It was converted to a democracy primarily by Legislative Absolutism (passing laws with no regard for the limitations imposed by the Constitution), then became a Bribe-ocracy, and finally an Oligarchy or Plutocracy. In the current situation, nonelected Democrats and Republicans arguing over anything is both silly and pointless. The Oligarchs run the show.