The Coup is Almost Complete

A friend wrote me an email in which he decried the show trial in DC...the sham, cover-up (so far) performance in the Senate.  My response is below.
................................................

Yessir, it's flat-out Orwellian.

I would disagree, though, that these Fascists are "Republicans".  Republicans (before they dried up & blew away) believed in a Constitutional Republic.  These folks are Trumpistas/Corporatists/Fascists...a horse of a different color.  Republicans didn't believe in Interventionism overseas, or shooting people in the back, or doubling/TRIPLING the Debt, or a National Surveillance State, or ignoring the Geneva conventions on war, or a host of other nightmares.  

The Repub Party was hijacked a long time ago, even before Reagan.  [The Reagan years almost tripled our National Debt, & essentially launched Neoliberalism in economic policy.  Both Reagan & Thatcher joined in what was known as the "Washington Consensus", pure Neoliberal policy.]

"Pinochet's neoliberal policies came to be codified as 'structural adjustment', and Thatcher became one of structural adjustment's most enthusiastic promoters, not only for Britain but the world, popularising her approach with the slogan 'There is no alternative'. With Thatcher and the US president Ronald Reagan as its main boosters, and the World Bank and IMF as its executors, structural adjustment or the Washington consensus was generalised throughout the developing world."

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/apr/16/legacy-margaret-thatcher-neoliberalism  

The story is similar with The Democrat Party.

Carter, David Rockefeller, Brzezenski, & the Trilateral Commission created much of the philosophical underpinnings for Neoliberalism.  The Trilateral Commission's 1st Annual Paper ("The Crisis of Democracy", book-length) proposed:  the crisis of democracy was that there was too much democracy in the world.  According to the scholarly authors (all supposedly "Liberals"), that had to be remedied if the Establishment were to survive.  "The Crisis of Democracy" was published in 1975.

Today, the terms "Republican" and "Democrat" are nothing other than Edward Bernays style PROPAGANDA.  The NEOconservatives & NEOliberals both started up in the 1970's (the difference between them is almost nil); they now rule much/most of the Western World.  In practical terms, "Conservatives" & "Liberals" no longer exist; they've both either converted or given up & faded away.

With Trump & Crew, the Neoliberal/NeoCon Coup is now almost complete... and it's not a "conspiracy"; it's in plain sight.  Meanwhile, the main worry of too many Americans is:  when is the new I-Phone making its debut.  Hey, maybe this next one will be able to fry pancakes.  

And so it goes.

......................................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Genuine Democracy Does Not Exist in the USA

I love this Land and, in general, its people.  Because someone loves their country does not mean that they have to love the rulers in their government.  Our rulers not only are plutocratic, they are fast becoming autocratic and despotic.  All one has to do is listen to and watch the current Occupier of the Oval Office for proof of that.

This never was a democracy; not only that, but our 

"democratic republic" is long gone.  The majority of our 

Founders described democracy as "mob rule", or "two 

wolves & one sheep deciding what's for lunch", or 

"despicable", or "tyranny of the majority", or "the devil's 

own gov't", or "the most violent of despotisms", or 

"violating the concept that whoever owns the country 

should rule it", etc.  [All quotes by various Founders.]

Schools left all that out of American Gov't 101.  

................................

Our democratic republic is long gone because---

1.  The Constitution is violated almost equally by Dems 

& Repubs...and often.  That has been going on for decades; some of them even admit it.

2.  The proper use of the Executive Order is violated 

almost equally by Dems & Repubs.  [The Constitution 

allows only two Executive Orders in Article II, Section 2.  

Dems & Repubs claim that those two imply an unlimited 

& unspecified number of others.]

By violating this provision of Article II, Section 2, Presidents have been able to create "laws" without Congress.  For decades, past Presidents each have done this literally hundreds of times.  That makes them autocrats.  Presidents represent the State, not the People; that's why only Congress is authorized to create Laws.  Members of Congress supposedly represent We the People.

3.  In general, the majority of both elected Dems & 

elected Repubs are warmongers & corporatists.  With 

rigged Primaries, rigged elections, gerrymandering, 

voter suppression, black box voting, etc., that's not going 

to change.  Never mind the unrelenting propaganda.

4.  Both Parties believe in Mega Corps being too big to 

fail and too big to jail.  That applies not only to Mega 

Banks, but to Mega Insurance Corps & others as well.

5.  Probably over 99% of national candidates are 

selected, groomed, & financed by Super-Rich Plutocrats.

6.  Both Parties gerrymander House districts.

7.  Both Parties rig Primaries.

8.  Both Parties support corporatist globalization.

9.  According to a Princeton study, national politicians 

ignore the expressed will of the People 70% of the time.

10.  If voting really & permanently changed anything of 

significance, the Powers-That-Be would make voting 

illegal.

11.  Despite any small victories won by the People, 

Corporatism ultimately winds up ruling.

12.  Except for some indigenous societies (mostly in the 

Past), throughout history---& right through to today--- 

Plutocrats always have ruled.  C'est la vie. 

13.  What we've had ruling our country for decades now is a Plutocratic, CRONY Capitalist, State-Corporate Complex.  It reigns supreme, and it's not a "conspiracy"; it's right out in plain sight.

.................................

Under present conditions, voting won't change any of 

the above.  Meaningful change only will come from 

outside the whole corrupt system, a system that should 

be shunned...and that change should be peaceful.

Not only my opinion.

Be Well

Anarcho What???

Below is my response to an organic farmer friend who responded to the last blog post here with the statement that our country is a Republic, not a Democracy.  [I did some minor editing...nothing important.]
..............................................................

Precisely.  Too bad 99.99% of politicians keep saying it's a democracy, trying to deceive people...here & abroad.  Telling people that in America every vote counts.  It's plain that's not true. 

I don't know why folks in CA even vote:  Trump was declared the winner long before all the CA votes were counted... fully one-third of those votes had not been counted when the Don was announced as winner... and there were uncounted votes in many other States as well.  Every vote counts, my ass.  Politics & politicians are despicable.  Now ask me what I really think.    [It's a rhetorical statement:]

Despite the propaganda to the contrary regarding Anarchism, what would be better is Anarcho-Syndicalism---an organizational form of direct democracy... and have it go all the way up to the national gov't level.  Then every vote would count.  Of course, we'll never see that in our lifetime.  [Oligarchs would be the big losers, even though property rights still could be protected.]  The majority of Main Street Americans probably don't even know what Anarchism really is; I'm not criticizing them, just stating a fact.  All they know is the propaganda saying it's chaos & destruction.  Not true at all.

Apparently, we'd rather stick with the "Meritocracy" concept.  When that term first was coined, it was in a negative, disparaging way... as it should be.  It bespeaks elitism loud and clear.  At that time, it meant not only selection of rulers based on merit, but also based on membership in the aristocratic class.

.............................................................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Latest Count: Clinton Has 395,000 More Votes Than Trump

Her lead is up from 225,000... and all the votes still have not yet been counted.  Welcome to American "democracy".  We can stick our heads in the sand and ignore this (again), or we can work to change our electoral system.  It would be helpful if we all stopped drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.

Long ago, James Madison said that the opulence of the wealthy must be protected from the majority.  He also stated that democracy is the most vile form of government.  John Jay, also a signer of the Constitution and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, stated that those who own the country (property owners) should rule it.  Benjamin Franklin defined democracy as two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch.  Other Founders referred to the tyranny of the majority.  Benjamin Rush, one of our Founders, said that a simple democracy is the devil's own government.  John Adams, the second U.S. President, claimed democracy soon degenerates into an anarchy.  Gouverneur Morris, the writer of the Final Draft of the Constitution, stated that the tumults of democracy terminate in despotism.  Fisher Ames, the framer of the 1st Amendement to the Constitution, claimed that democracy is the most violent of despotisms.  Even the respected Thomas Jefferson said that democracy is mob rule.  Long story short--- our Founders were against having democracy as our form of gov't.  They succeeded in that quest.

Despite the above, our current/recent leaders at the highest levels keep referring to "our democracy".  They rarely ever refer to our form of government by its proper name, our Republic.  The two types of gov't are not the same.  We don't have a democracy in the USA.  We've never had one.  Most other developed countries do have a democracy...and they haven't devolved into anarchy, or tyranny, or mob rule.  What they have done is a better job of protecting the majority from the Super-Rich... a better job of it than our gov't has done.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

It Turns Out That Trump LOST...

the popular vote.  Plus, almost one-third of the California vote has yet to be counted.  The Don won the election due to the constitutional electoral college system.  It's all legitimate; it just isn't democracy.  I suspect that many Americans don't understand the electoral college system, and further, don't realize that our Founders were not in favor of democracy.  That's why they created a Republic.  Perhaps it's time to reconsider our electoral system.

This is not sour grapes--- I didn't want either one of the major candidates to get elected.  My main point is that Trump and his following most likely believe they have a popular mandate... but that's not true.  He lost the popular vote.

It's a testament to the power & persistence of Propaganda that most Americans believe they're in a true democracy.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

The Kabuki Theater production of "The 2016 Election in The USA" is only a bit more than a year away.  Attention actors:  get your Kabuki masks or makeup early.  The Kabuki-loving crowd in America promises to be a large one.  Come one, come all!

We Americans should be thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed that:  1. we allow this type of charade to take place; and 2. we participate in it believing that "if we can just get the right people in office, things will be much better".  After over 200 years of such thinking, one perhaps would recognize that it just isn't true.  Politicians say what the ad agencies tell them to (after opinion polls, focus groups, etc.), and after the election, they serve their true constituency---the Oligarchy.  Probably 99% of national political candidates are selected, groomed, and financed by the Rich & Powerful.  The remaining 1% quickly are marginalized or eliminated by the Corporate Media and Institutional Inertia.  The Rigged Game then continues.

The sad truth is that voting at the national level in this country doesn't matter at all.  The best and easiest way to send a powerful message to the non-representative Gov't in DC and to the non-elected Rulers in the Corporatocracy is don't vote at the national level.  That truly would shake up the Establishment and show who really possesses the power in this Land.  If we could get voting down to 5% or even 10%, the Powers That Be would have a collective fit.  They would understand that the jig is up.  The propaganda just isn't working anymore.

Of course, I don't expect any of that to happen.  The Edward Bernays style propaganda is too ingrained, too relentless, and too long-running.  Even if it were to be recognized fully, we Americans lost our nerve long ago when it comes to changing a political system which has become corrupted and perverted.  Besides, even though we're still in an economic disaster here, we're too distracted by "hot-button" social issues to care about anything else political.  Plus, we've more or less adapted to stagnant wages and salaries.  Finally, we appear to be distracted by sports events & sports "news", soap operas, "reality" shows, and other similar fluff.  Oh, I almost forgot, we're also distracted by "The Boogie Man is coming".  [Yes, some tragic events have happened...but that has been true throughout History.]

Despite all the above, I still have a dream and a hope that my fellow countrymen (& women) will come to understand several elementary truths, as follows.
1.  Along with our Republic, the old ways in politics are long gone.
2.  A Neoliberal Coup has taken place right under our noses, and it wasn't a "conspiracy".
3.  At the highest levels in politics, the old labels are completely meaningless.
4.  The new political paradigm is the Oligarchy versus the rest of us.
5.  Wealth is being transferred from the poor & middle classes to the upper crust at an unprecedented rate.
6.  Voting will not correct any of the above.  (Neither will violence.)
7.  Only boycotts, shunning, and other means of passive resistance will begin to correct the situation.
8.  Propaganda by the Corporate Media, other mega corporations, and the highest levels in DC is rampant.
9.  Capitalism and Socialism are economic systems, not political systems.  The primary cause of our problems is political Crony Capitalism, not economic Capitalism.  It's the current political system here that must be changed, not the economic system.  [As I pointed out in a previous post, we have a Mixed Economy; we've never had Free Market Capitalism, not even in the days of the "Robber Barons".]
10.  As long as Big Money is pervasive in our politics, politicians (in general) will serve Big Business instead of the rest of us.
11.  The first step in reclaiming our government is to stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.
12.  Our situation cannot be corrected from within the current system.  Before that can happen, Oligarchs have to be shown who really has the power.  Voting will not do that...99% of your choices at the ballot box are servants of the Rich and Powerful.  The other 1% are toast; they will be marginalized by the corrupt cronyism in the current system.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Whole Political Spectrum is Wrong RE the Constitution - WHY?

From Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution...(in the war- making clause)--- [The following is one of the duties of CONGRESS. Article I enumerates the responsibilities of both Houses of  Congress]--- "...make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water". Last I heard, the CIA, Military Intelligence, the President, or any part of the Pentagon are not members of Congress.  That means Guantanamo, CIA Black Sites,  "enhanced interrogation", etc. were/are all unconstitutional. [Most "Liberals", Democrats,  and Republicans appear to support all of what's below. What's remarkable is that  most so-called "Conservatives"  and "Libertarians" seem to be  the biggest supporters of  those items below.  One would  think they would be the greatest supporters of the Constitution,  the bedrock document of the Republic. Nope, no luck there.] Add the unconstitutionality described above to the fact that, thanks to the PATRIOT Act, FBI Agents now can write their own Search Warrants (no judge required), a clear violation of the 4th Amendment, and U.S. citizens (here, on our soil) now, thanks to the NDAA, can be held indefinitely without trial or  any kind of due process, a clear violation of the 5th Amendment, and several other  blatant violations of the Supreme Law of the Land, and it's plain that the  Republic of the USA exists in  name only. "Conservatives" and "Libertarians" are the most vociferous defenders of these VIOLATIONS of the Constitution. That's quite remarkable, and a testament  to how powerful the Oligarchical Propaganda has been in the last 15 yrs or so. [The two segments of the political spectrum at the beginning of this paragraph are in quotes because: 1. there are no more Conservatives in the USA to my knowledge... only NeoConservatives, a horse of an entirely different color; and 2. Libertarians here are not the original, traditional Libertarians of the past... again, a horse of an entirely different color.]  Not just my opinion.  Be Well p.s.  In talking about any and all members of the groups mentioned above, I'm referring  primarily to those individuals at the highest levels,  not those at street level.

Why the USA is a Soft FASCIST State

Some would say that I should omit the word "soft".  I leave it in place because we still have a considerable amount of Freedom here... although, that is changing fairly rapidly.  Adherents of the so-called Right think we still have a Republic as our form of government; adherents of the so-called Left think we still have a Democracy.  If you're no longer drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid, it's readily apparent that the USA has neither of those forms of government.

First, let's examine the false belief that we're still a Republic.  The bedrock of the Republic of the USA was the U.S. Constitution... and obedience to its provisions.  All three branches of our Fed Gov't (at the highest levels) have been ignoring large portions of the Supreme Law of the Land for decades and decades.  That practice has become increasingly more blatant in the last thirty years or so.  It makes no difference at all if the Administration is Republican or Democrat... or should I say, Republicrat or Demopublican.  In 1901, a Supreme Court Justice Harlan warned of "Legislative Absolutism", a term he coined and by which he meant passing Laws that were unconstitutional.  He said (in a dissenting opinion) that there were two governments in the USA now (1901):  one obeying the Constitution, and one not.  It only has gotten worse since then.

The list of violations of our Supreme Law of the Land by the highest levels of the Fed Gov't is virtually endless.  I've described many of those violations on this Blog in the last almost eight years.  I don't intend to re-list them now.  One Representative in DC even admitted to an interviewer, "Half of what we do [in Congress] is unconstitutional."... at one time (several years ago), a recording of that was on YouTube.  There is no question whatsoever that the Fed Gov't violates many of the provisions of the Constitution... no matter which political Party is in power.  The icing on the cake is the provision of the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) which gives the Feds the power to detain indefinitely, without access to an attorney and without a trial, any U.S. citizen chosen by one person, the President... and even to execute that person on the say-so of only one person, the President.  No due process, no attorney, no trial, no appeal.  That's according to many legitimate news sources, including an article in Forbes.  When Obama signed the last NDAA into Law, he stated something like, "I would never do that."... I'm not reassured.

Without obedience by the Feds to the provisions of the Constitution, there is no Republic of the USA.  It exists in name only.

Second, let's examine the false belief that we're a Democracy.  I'm referring to a truly participatory democracy.  Yes, we get to vote... well, some of us anyway.  Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of national political candidates are selected, groomed, and financed by the Oligarchy.  That means it doesn't really matter who gets elected.  Even FDR wrote to a friend back in the '30s, "In this country, Presidents are selected, not elected."... so are most Congress people.  The whole process is dominated by those in the Power Structure by means of ballot-access laws, Cronyism, rules of various kinds that further restrict Third Parties, and Propaganda from both the Government and the Corporate Media.  On top of all that, there is Black Box Voting--- rigged voting machines.  See the site, blackboxvoting.org and the documentary by the same name.  See especially the documentary.

Both Mussolini and FDR defined Fascism as:  the marriage of BIG Business to the State.  That's precisely what we've had in the USA for years and years.  We just recently had an example of that on 12-15-14 (this past Monday).  The Senate passed the already House-passed $1.1 trillion spending Bill into Law.  Attached was an amendment written by lobbyists of Citibank that essentially rolled-back the paltry protections against the Financial Sector that were in Dodd-Frank.  The Amendment also provides that any future losses on risky investments suffered by Mega Banks will be reimbursed by the Feds (meaning, the taxpayers).  So, if the speculative Wall Street Banks fail again, they'll be bailed out again.  That's Crony Capitalism, aka, Fascism.  It's not only at the national level.  At every level of government in this country, elected officials kowtow to their primary constituency... BIG Business.

A few different, scholarly, legitimate studies in the past several years have shown that anywhere from 70% to 95% of the public is ignored when elected officials formulate public policy.  In other words, the opinions of most of us do not count in the minds of those elected by us.  The primary constituencies of most politicians are the Super-Rich.  That's Fascism.

Sorry to say, but we live in a Soft Fascist State.  As far as I can tell, the same applies to most developed countries.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

The Emperor is not Wearing any Clothes

By "The Emperor", I'm referring not only to our President, but also to the U.S. Treasury, the Fed Reserve, the Justice Department in general, the NSA, The FBI, the SEC, the CIA, and the Pentagon.  Without too much effort, I also could include the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court.  At the highest levels, most of our Fed Gov't consists of people engaged in obvious deceit and outright fraud.  On top of that, many of their activities are utterly and blatantly unconstitutional.

For examples of the deceit, fraud, and unconstitutionality, I could refer you to the past posts on this venue... for over seven years now.  That, however, really isn't necessary.  Anyone who has made a sincere effort to stay abreast of the political and economic news (not just from the Corporate Media) in the past few decades knows what's happening.  Despite that, let's at least cite a very few of those examples.

1.  Read Article II of the U.S. Constitution.  It's the section that enumerates the powers delegated to the Executive Branch by We the People.  Nowhere in Article II is the President delegated the power to put this Nation at war.  War-making powers reside with the U.S. Congress.  Despite the Orwellian view of Obama (and just about all past Presidents since the end of WW II), the "Commander-in-Chief" is not Constitutionally permitted to commit the military to war...by himself.  Those at the highest levels in our Gov't surely cannot help but know that for a fact.  That means they all are violating their Oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Supreme Law of the Land.

2.  Neither does Article II delegate power to the President to write "Executive Orders" on any subject he pleases.  Only two subjects are enumerated:  a written report from any of the Executive Department Heads on any topic relevant to their Departments; and, the power to issue Presidential Pardons (except in the case of Impeachment).  Today's puppets of the Oligarchy claim that Article II implies that other Executive Orders may be written as well.  That belief has prevailed for decades and decades.  In the beginning, back in the 1800s, the Orders were innocuous---things such as declaring a certain day to be in honor of the Mighty Oak Tree, or some such trivia.  But for years now, the fraudulent power has been used to bypass Congress.  It has made the modest Office of the President into that of a soft dictator.  Let's be clear:  the Constitution does not imply powers; instead, it enumerates them.  Republicans & Democrats at the highest levels know that full well; they simply don't want to give up the usurped power.

3.  The FBI now can search your home without a proper warrant.  The Agent simply writes what's known as a "National Security Letter"; that supposedly serves as a search warrant.  If you're not home, they don't have to inform you that your house was searched.  Not only that, if you are home and aware of the search, the Agent can tell you to never reveal the fact of the search to anyone...under penalty of being sent to prison.  This is what's known as a Police State.  [The late writers George Orwell (1984) and Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) must be amazed that their fictional dystopias have more or less materialized.]

4.  The U.S. Treasury - Fed Reserve System - Banking monetary system is a complete fraud and scam.  There's so much legitimate info on that subject so as to make it unnecessary to explain it further.  Nevertheless, consider the following quotes.

"I am afraid the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that the banks can and do create money. And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of Governments and hold in the hollow of their hand the destiny of the people." Reginald McKenna, as Chairman of the Midland Bank, addressing stockholders in 1924.

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies." Thomas Jefferson, US President 

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and the corporations will grow up around them, will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." Thomas Jefferson in the debate over The Re-charter of the Bank Bill 

"The government should create, issue and circulate all the currency and credits needed to satisfy the spending power of the government and the buying power of consumers. By adoption of these principles, the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity." Abraham Lincoln, US President
......................................................
According to the Constitution, Congress is charged with regulating the value of our money.  Congress does no such thing.  Plus, according to Alan Greenspan on a PBS News Hour interview several years ago, "No one has authority over us [the Fed Reserve]."  So, private banks both issue money (through the fraud of "Fractional Reserve Banking") and regulate the value of it...by the arbitrary interest rates set by the Fed.  The Fed is simply the Middle Man between the U.S. Treasury, other banks, and the People.  The private stockholders of the Fed make 6% interest (by Law) on all those Middle Man transactions.  Six percent doesn't sound like much, until you consider that billions of dollars are involved in those Middle Man transactions.  All of that is unnecessary...and nothing but a scam.

I suspect that many or most Americans feel that little or nothing can be done about everything written above...so about 50% of us "vote", thinking that we just need the "right" people in office.  History shows anyone who looks carefully that "voting" is not the answer, at least, not presently.  We've had well over 200 years of "voting"...things only have gotten worse.  Whether we care to admit it or not, Oligarchies control politics with propaganda, ballot-access laws, and money.  Neither is violent revolution the answer...for reasons that should be obvious.

An activist once said, "We be many; they be few."... it was a call to peaceful resistance.  The first step is to stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.  Next, people need to identify what they want...what type of governance?  That's a most difficult question.  A republic protects individual rights, but throughout History, republics have been controlled by Oligarchies...the Meritocracy.  The overall results rarely have been good.  A pure, participatory democracy can be little more than mob rule...unless individual rights are protected regardless of what the "majority" wants.  So, it's a conundrum, a genuine dilemma.  There are other choices.  [Obviously, totalitarianism is not even up for consideration.]  One thing should be clear, though:  what we have now in the USA is not for the benefit of We the People.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

Fanatics, Oligarchs, Propaganda, and What's Really Important

Below is my Reply to a friend's email & an article he attached.

Another attempt to paint all Muslims as terrorists.  Mohammed was warlike because when Islam was founded, polytheistic beliefs reigned supreme at the time in that region of Arabia, & their adherents all attacked Muslims...attempting to run them out of the region or kill them.

Yes, fanatics/extremists exist...a tiny fraction.  You often ask why Moderate Muslims don't speak up.  Perhaps in most cases they're afraid of being murdered by the nutcakes.  Perhaps they fear they'll be attacked by "Right-Wing American Patriots" for defending Islam... a distinct possibility in this country.  Some have spoken out, denouncing the fanatics...I've seen the videos.  Then there are those clips cherry-picked by Fox, Beck, etc. that show the opposite.

If Muslims (of any stripe) break the law, then arrest them, try them, sentence them, & incarcerate them.  It's a Law Enforcement issue, not a military one.  The whole thing is Oligarchical, Boogie-Man Propaganda...and apparently, it works quite well.  Sorry, but you'll never convince me otherwise.  It's nothing but a huge DISTRACTION [from the ravages of Corporatism].  Yes, criminals exist; but to think that all Muslims are criminals is sheer nonsense.  To quote the "Koran" (as many do), thus "proving" one's case, is ridiculous.  Anyone can quote similar crap in the "Holy Bible"... one of the bloodiest tales in existence.  It doesn't prove anything.  Taking things out of context is such an easy gig.  It boggles my mind that some Americans can be misled so easily.  

This country really deserves to be ruled by Oligarchs and Propaganda...it's such an easy sell to the majority of We the People... and, the Entertainers on the Fox network so obviously are not objective, not professional news people, and not at all concerned about the Republic of the USA.  They're as bad as the clowns on CBS, CNN, NBC, etc.---the ones that serve pablum in place of news---Fox is just a different extreme [of the same distraction].  They are all the networks of the super-rich... and, as Machiavelli knew, the super-rich must sell the concept of the-Boogie-Man-is-coming if they are to remain in power.  "The Prince" must be very pleased with the USA today.  [End of Reply]

.........................................................................

The most important political issues for Americans today have nothing to do with Muslims or terrorism.  Instead, they are:  the loss of much of our manufacturing base; the crimes inherent in Financialization; Crony Capitalism and the State-Corporate Complex in general; the fraud of Globalization; the ignoring of the Constitution whenever convenient; and the ongoing conversion of the USA into a Police State.  Genuine participatory democracy does not exist here.  The Middle Class continues to shrink.  Jobs created by the super-rich more often than not are worth a tinker's damn.  Wages essentially have stagnated for thirty years, but the Oligarchs' incomes have increased by 700%.  Americans now can be arrested on our soil and held incommunicado indefinitely... no warrant, no lawyer, no habeas corpus, no trial.  Most other issues are nothing but distractions.

Partly just my opinion.  Be Well    

What Happened to the Republic of the USA? Is It a Feudal Society?

Below is a recent email I sent to a "Conservative" friend of mine.  It directly relates to the title of this piece.

Hate to say it, but I fear that it may be too late, Bob... for education, the economy, sound money, politics, the whole ball of wax.  Free Market Capitalism has been almost totally replaced by Crony Capitalism (aka, what FDR & Mussolini said equals Fascism).  The State has now inserted itself into every phase of human affairs.  Whether you see it or not, Mega Business, along with their puppets/cronies of both political parties, are well on their way to transforming this country into a feudal society.

Voting is the opium of the masses in this land.  The Oligarchs don't much care who wins any election.  Most politicians are not beyond their control; the very few who are, easily can be marginalized & made impotent.  [Examples:  Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich]

The "Republic" portion of the USA already is gone, or 90% gone.  Individual Rights matter little anymore.  Voters keep voting in the same type of people (in both parties) who erode our individual sovereignty.  The reasons given for such erosion are swallowed whole by a completely propagandized public who apparently no longer have the ability to think critically.

This whole scenario is nothing new to History.  Persia, Athens, Rome, etc. all went the same way... oligarchical, imperial decay... caused by the super-rich, and allowed by bamboozled commoners.  The USA is doing pretty much the same thing those empires did--- taking away individual rights in the name of "security/defense", and over-reaching in terms of imperial control...thus bankrupting their economies and their reputations.  But while Middle Class incomes essentially stagnate, the super-rich increase their incomes by 700% in 10 years.  Welcome to 2014.

But the world will continue after the collapse.  The only question is, after the Fall of the Republic of the USA (sooner or later), will We the People finally have learned that politicians & the super-rich as a whole are not to be trusted?  Or will we again be propagandized into supporting another political arrangement that results in a feudal society and an empire-building, aggressive, and hegemonic government?

For the sake of your kids & my grandkids, my hope is that Americans will wake up to a few facts:

1.  the super-rich usually do not care who wins most elections... they control the winners, whoever they are;

2.  thus, "voting" will not solve our problems;

3.  public & private Institutions, for the most part, are not on our side... they mostly favor Oligarchs.

4.  both Republicans and Democrats (at the highest levels) almost constantly spew out propaganda favoring the super-rich;

5.  we are almost at the point of being a feudal society;

6.  American politics is a complete farce;

7.  for the most part, the Constitution has been abandoned;

8.  we are living in a soft Fascist State;

9.  the new political paradigm is the Oligarchy v. the rest of us;

10.  radical but peaceful action is required to regain our freedom and sovereignty;

11.  what the Oligarchy dreads is people organizing around just causes... and such organization is our best hope...not politics, not voting, not Republicans v. Democrats or Conservatives v. Liberals (those labels are completely outdated);

12.  the Corporate Media (Fox, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, etc.) all are propaganda tools of the Oligarchs.  Ignore them.  The differences you think you see amongst them are phony.  It's all part of rigging the Game.  The super-rich long ago learned how important it is for them to control the "Press".  They've been doing it for decades and decades... and it's not a "conspiracy"; it's mostly in plain sight.  To them, it's just good business practice.

Be Well

Throw Out the Constitution...

because ignoring it has the same effect.
One thing is glaringly obvious regarding the discussion about Syria & the authority to attack: no politician in DC and no one in the Corporate Media has said much of anything (perhaps nothing) about the Constitution. Instead, we hear about "precedents", the War Powers Act, Humanitarian imperatives, etc. There's a very good reason for that. Nowhere in the SUPREME Law of the Land is power delegated to the Fed Gov't to attack a country that is no threat to the USA and has not attacked us. If I'm wrong about that, I'd like to see anyone in the Gov't or anyone in the Corporate Media point out exactly where that power is enumerated in the Constitution.

I'm not asking commenters on various public forums to show me the constitutional authority... because my experience with comments there the last few days has shown me that (if those forums are representative samples of Americans' constitutional knowledge) most Americans nowadays know almost nothing about how this Republic is supposed to operate legally.

Someone needs to tell "Bomb-Bomb-Iran" McCain that the War Powers Act, along with every other LAW, does NOT supercede the Constitution. If Laws trumped the SUPREME Law of the Land, there would be no point at all in having a Constitution. For decades, the puppets in DC have ignored the Constitution at will. Not long ago, I saw a clip on YouTube in which a Congressman (can't remember his name) said to an interviewer, "Half of what we do is unconstitutional. What's the big deal?". That pretty much says it for politicians.

The Supreme Law of the Land is crystal clear on the permitted uses of the military, there are only three...1. To execute the laws of the land (as in the case of the Whiskey Rebellion in the mid-1790s). 2. To repel invasions. 3. To quell insurrections. [Numbers 1 & 3 appear to be so similar that in the last 50 years I've usually said there are only two permitted uses.] People sometimes retort that this is modern-day America; all that old stuff is completely out-of-date. Perhaps so; that's why there are two mechanisms for updating the Constitution---the Amendment process and the Constitutional Convention. Both were purposely designed to be cumbersome...changing the Supreme Law of the Land should not be easy.  For a time, the DC puppets did use the Amendment process to update the Supreme Law, but then they quit. It was easier to pass laws. They gambled that the American public would not know the difference; apparently, they won.  I guess it never occurred to the Founders that We the People would allow our servant government to ignore the Constitution.

The Commander-in-Chief is constrained by the permitted uses of the military enumerated in the Constitution. I've been appalled to read or sometimes hear people say something like: The Constitution doesn't prohibit the President (or anyone in Gov't) from doing thus-&-such; therefore he/she/they can do it. We are a Gov't of Enumerated Powers [Google it]; the enumeration of things that the Gov't can do IS the prohibition. Creating a comprehensive list of prohibitions would be impossible---the list would be endless. [Isn't American Government taught in schools anymore?]

President Obama claims to be a constitutional scholar; I see no evidence of that at all. Or, if he is one, then he's deceiving the public. Again, I challenge ANYONE in Gov't or the Media to show me legitimate, constitutional authority for attacking Syria...constitutional authority. Anyone in Gov't or the Corporate Media.  [I'm not naive enough to expect a response.]   I like Woody Allen's old joke:  I feel much better now that I've given up hope.  :)

Obama & "Socialism"...and Other Outrageous Stuff Regarding Syria

Here are quotes regarding President Obama from two well known socialists, men whom I admire---
First, Noam Chomsky, a brilliant analyst of the world political & cultural scene.  He calls himself a Libertarian Socialist, which is another, less controversial label for Anarcho-Syndicalist---
"He's worse than Bush.  Bush kidnapped suspects and had them tortured, but Obama just has them killed...suspects...even an American citizen [in Yemen] whose sole, known crime was that he ran an Al Qaida website."
"The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is gone with Obama."
"After running as a peace candidate, he initially expanded the war in Afghanistan."
"Obama is Head of the largest terrorist organization in the world, our central government."
"He's, at will, having suspects killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen."
"Obama purposely was marketed in a vague manner by the public relations firms that run campaigns.  They read polls, so they came up with 'Hope' and 'Change'.  Well, Hope for what?  What kind of Change?"
Next, John Pilger, a peace and social justice advocate, a journalist, a documentary film producer & director, and a self-declared Socialist---
"Brand Obama...it's all fake."
"He's a product of the Public Relations propaganda system first instituted by Edward Bernays long ago."
"In his book, he said that his first job after graduating from Columbia was with a business consulting firm.  For some reason, he didn't reveal the name of the firm or what he did there.  The company is Business Systems International, a known front for the CIA.  I know this because it's highly active in my home country, Australia.  Perhaps there is nothing sinister in what he did for that company, but it seems it would be worth knowing in order to get a full measure of the man."
"During his brief stay as a Senator, he voted for the PATRIOT Act [what a misnomer], the Iraq War, and the death penalty.  He voted against a single-payer health care system."
'The worst thing about having Obama as President is: that has silenced large portions of the Left and the Peace Movement."
Given those statements by two prominent socialists, I'd say that there's a high degree of probability that Obama is promoting fascism, not socialism.
----------------------------------------------------
On another topic, very recently I've been participating in the online Comment forum at CBSNews.com regarding the article, "Can Obama Attack Syria Without the Approval of Congress?".  The focus of my comments has been the Constitution...Enumerated Powers, etc....and the War Powers Act.  The entire proposed action, with or without the approval of Congress, is (in my opinion) unconstitutional...& plainly so.
I bring this up because of my experience with other commenters...literally hundreds of them.  IF the comments on that forum are in any way representative of the knowledge that Americans have regarding how our Constitutional Republic is supposed to function, then we have no hope (no pun intended) whatsoever of surviving as a relatively free people.

The misconceptions were absolutely astounding...and were presented with sincere and great passion.  Here are some examples...all paraphrased---
1. The Commander-in-Chief can do anything he wants with the military.  If he couldn't, he wouldn't be Commander-in-Chief.
2. The President doesn't need the approval of anyone to attack another country... unless war has been declared.  Without a declaration of war, he can do what he wants to.
3. What are enumerated powers?  Whoever heard of that!?
4. The War Powers Act gives the President the authority to attack Syria, or anyone else.
5.  The President is a kind & wise man; therefore, he should be able to attack Syria.  He knows more than we do.
6.  The Commander-in-Chief doesn't need anyone's approval to do anything with the military.  The only exception to that is if he were to use soldiers to take over the USA.
7.  We haven't declared war since WWII [that's true], so attacking Syria is permitted.

It goes on & on like that.  I find it appalling.  I only can guess that incessant propaganda and an extremely poor education system in the USA are to blame.  What a shame.  Just my opinion.

This and That

1.  I see by yesterday's headlines that Afghanimization is going about as well as did Vietnamization---Nixon & Kissinger's plan to turn over the fighting in Vietnam (back when) to the South Vietnamese Army.  Similar conditions exist in Afghanistan as existed in Vietnam during that war---a corrupt government, a native Army incapable of defending itself, a native people who do not support the corrupt/puppet government, and a native people who want us out of their country.  And yet we continue... completely ignoring the lessons of History.  Young troops being maimed & killed for the sake of the Corporatocracy...the Oligarchy...the Plutocracy...whatever you wish to call it...and, the estimated one trillion dollars worth of unmined minerals...the natural gas & oil pipeline corridors...Brzezinki's "American Primacy and its Geostrategic Imperatives".  Shameful...and utterly so.  Apparently most Americans still believe that the present war is protecting us from TERRORISM, the Boogie Man that replaced the other Boogie Man, Communism.  Please.  That's about as true as the line that the Vietnam war was protecting us from Communism.  Let's see, N. Vietnam won...and life everywhere else went on pretty much the same.  No dominoes fell.  We now trade with Vietnam and visit there at will.

2.  Kudos to Snowden, the guy who blew the whistle on the NSA.  The NSA's actions were the result of orders from the FISA "Court", a secret "court" with absolutely no oversight by anyone...not Congress, not anyone... except of course, the Dictator-in-Chief (any President, not just Obama).  Where are the "checks and balances"?  Over the last 2-3 decades, the Executive Branch has seized an incredible amount of unconstitutional power.  Defenders of that obscenity can go on & on about how this or that secret action---with no oversight---prevented this or that calamity.  They miss the point---our Constitutional Republic cannot legally operate that way.  We have, in effect, an Outlaw Government.  Defenders of the current obscenity can go on & on about how, as Obama put it, "no one's conversations are being listened to".  Really?  How do we know?---there's no oversight.  Plus, the NSA actions included the internet.  I didn't hear anyone say, "no one's web surfing is being watched".  Again, how do we know...there's zero oversight.  Our Republic exists in name only...the checks and balances are long gone.  Long gone.

Be Well