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

George Orwell: the Greatest Political & Social Prophet of All Time

Following are just a few bits of evidence supporting the assertion in the title above.  This all applies throughout the Western World, but especially in the Land I love, the USA.

1.  The word "war" no longer means war.  Instead, it means "leading the world", or "fighting terrorism", or "protecting our allies", or "spreading democracy", etc.  More importantly, war now can be waged at the sole discretion of the Executive Branch in the USA...a direct violation of the Supreme Law of the Land.  They say it's not war.  That's very Orwellian...any time our Gov't bombs another country, anyone with any common sense at all knows that's an act of war.  Congressional approval is no longer sought.  The concept of Unitary Executive Power reigns supreme in our Orwellian Gov't; it has for years & years.  As in Orwell's novel, 1984, the meanings of key words are being manipulated/changed by the highest levels of our Gov't and by other Elites.

Very recently, our President gave an anti-terrorism speech to the Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia.  The extremist Sunni Sect of Wahhabism (adhered to by ISIS & Al Qaeda), which is spread around the world by "True Believers", is Saudi State-sponsored.  Trump then announced billions of dollars in military hardware sales to the Saudis...pretty much on the heels of Obama's similar action when he was President.  Then The Don joined in some kind of silly, celebratory "sword dance" (or something).  All of this is Orwellian to the max.  On top of that, our military is helping the Saudis (logistics, targeting, & equipment) in their devastating war in Yemen.  The Saudis are bombing schools, hospitals, public water facilities, and civilians in general.  The country is on the verge of famine, cholera is spreading, and hundreds upon hundreds of children have been killed by bombs.  This is a Sunni-Shia war; it has little or nothing to do with terrorism, that is to say, the type of terrorism Trump claims to be fighting.

2.  For some time now in the USA, due to CIVIL Asset Forfeiture, a person's property (perhaps certain tools, or a "large" amount of cash, and other things) can be seized by the Authorities without any warrant or arrest just because the items seem SUSPICIOUS.  Law Enforcement people will say, yes, but if everything turns out to be innocent, then you can get your property back.  Try that sometime.  See how much time, effort, and money it takes.  Sometimes the property is auctioned off before your months-long quest to retrieve it is completed.  Often you are stalled in your efforts into infinity, and nothing ever gets resolved.  Local and regional governments are so strapped for income that they resort to exorbitant fines, asset forfeiture, and outrageous fees in order simply to survive.  That's primarily because their manufacturing tax base has moved out of the country.  Local governments often are just as dictatorial as the Fed Gov't sometimes is; that's especially true of County governments.  1984.

3.  Presumption of Innocence until proven guilty, especially in the international arena, is pretty much dead.  One example:  the gassing of civilians in Syria.  It has not been proven that Assad was responsible.  Some people simply assumed it because, by most accounts, the guy is a brutal dictator.  Trump then fires missiles, attacks a sovereign country...an act of war...without any Congressional approval.  By the way, about half the missiles missed the airbase, and the other half hit nothing of critical importance.  Most planes were not hit, the runway was undamaged, and planes flew out of there the very next day.  Nevertheless, none of it should have happened; it was all illegal.  Plus, where's the proof that Assad was the culprit in the gas attack?  The Unitary Executive concept rules.  That's totalitarian absolutism.  Just because it was exercised against a supposedly bad apple does not excuse it.  The President is not above the Law, regardless of what the elite government lawyers claim.

4.  On the domestic front, due process has been disappearing for years.  Without any proper warrant, our private data can be mined, our property sometimes can be seized, and we can be spied upon at will by the Fed Gov't.  Americans don't seem to understand that it isn't only the suspicious people who are being spied upon by the Feds...it's everyone.  Orwellian.  To top it off, high officials such as James Clapper are allowed to lie while testifying before Congress about this spying...with no penalty.  Lying while testifying before Congress is a felony.  Where is the Rule of Law?

In addition, too many people (suspects) are being shot in the back, TASED & then shot, handcuffed & then TASED repeatedly, forced to die of thirst while being held in jail, beaten to a pulp after surrendering, repeatedly harassed for exposing wrongdoing by authorities, arrested on bogus charges which the authorities know will be dismissed, etc., ad nauseam & ad infinitum.  Orwellian.
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If we are to have any chance of overcoming all this, then it seems to me we should consider doing the following.
1.  Start with the premise that most Elites (public & private) are not working in favor of Main Street.
2.  Stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid coming from the Elites on the political Right and Left.
3.  Shun the disastrous, dictatorial, so-called Two-Party political system in the USA.  It's a sham.
4.  Shun Corporatism whenever possible.
5.  Understand that effective Propaganda always has some elements of truth in it.  That doesn't mean any conclusions put forth are accurate or logical.
6.  Think critically.  Don't be gullible, and beware of great-sounding catch phrases.
7.  Hold all politicians not only to the Rule of Law, but to high ethical standards as well.
8.  Speak out.  Be a whistleblower.  Governments are not above the Law...except in an Orwellian world.
9.  Abraham Lincoln once said, "Factions destroy republics.".  Instead of Red or Blue, consider Purple.  Be an Independent.
10.  Boycott.
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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 CURRENT WARS of Obama's Fed Government

The USA's Fed Gov't is involved in the following wars.  They are wars because Obama is having the U.S. Military (not Law Enforcement personnel) shoot at people and kill them.  That's war.  These all belong to Obama now.

1.  The Third Iraq War, the one launched just recently.

2.  The ongoing War in Pakistan, the one where the highest levels of our Gov't order Hellfire missiles to be shot (from drones) at SUSPECTS.

3.  Ditto the War in Yemen.

4.  Ditto the War in Somalia.

5.  The War in Afghanistan, our longest war, and the one nobody is quite sure anymore why it is that we're still there.  Obviously, the Carlyle Group, Halliburton, Raytheon, CACI, GE, Boeing, McDonnell-Douglas, and several other transnational mega corporations are enjoying tremendous benefits from that never-ending war, but surely that's not a good enough reason to STILL be there.  Is it?  Well, yes, if you are a member of the Plutocracy in a soft Fascist State such as the USA---where the public constantly is being bombarded with Edward Bernays style propaganda---then it is a good enough reason.  Follow the money; war is Big Business...very big.

Those are the wars of which I am aware and/or can remember at the moment.  Perhaps there are others as well.  Some may attempt to argue that those five wars really are all one war--- the War on Terrorism.  It's a tempting argument, and we certainly have been propagandized enough to believe it.  If, however, we engage in some critical thinking, that argument quickly falls apart.  Consider the following.
1.  The fanatics we're fighting are all in separate entities; there is no "central command".  There is no group with the title, "Terrorism".  So, for example, the Taliban (whose leaders we hosted here in 1997 in order to negotiate a pipeline in Afghanistan) have completely different objectives as compared to ISIS.  They only want to run Afghanistan, as they were doing in 1997 when we invited them here for a business deal.  [Query:  did our Gov't consider them nasty brutes then?  If so, why were we treating them as potential business partners?]
2.  The propaganda is this (especially amongst so-called "Conservatives"):  there is one group we're fighting; it's "the Muslims", in particular, the fanatical element of the Muslims.  Really?  So, are they Sunnis or Shiites?  The fanatics, the extremists in Islam (not the mainstream) are at each other's throats.  They are not one group.  They appear to be worried more about each other than about us.  Plus, from what I can see, the Taliban don't give a damn about anything except Afghanistan.  Us still being in that country is complete nonsense.  To think of "the Muslims" as a monolithic, homogeneous entity also is nonsense.
3.  Specifically, whose military are we fighting in this supposed "War on Terrorism"?  The people we're fighting are not in an Army; they are a bunch of heterogeneous criminal gangs (of a sort).  They each have their own agenda.  Should any of them ever attack the USA again, it is a matter for Law Enforcement, not our Military.  Most all of the plots against our country have been thwarted by LAW ENFORCEMENT Agencies, not our Armed Forces.  Soldiers are not cops, and shouldn't be expected to fulfill that function.

Finally, the five wars listed above are all illegal, unconstitutional wars.  Three uses of the military are permitted by the Constitution:  to repel invasions (of this country); to quell insurrections (in this country); and to enforce the laws of the land (in this country) when minor rebellions make that necessary---for example, the Whisky Rebellion of the late 1700s, or the refusal to integrate schools in the South in the mid-sixties.  No law trumps the Constitution, so the War Powers Act cannot be used legally to justify going to war for some reason other than the three scenarios listed above.

That leaves only TREATIES to justify wars outside the USA (if we haven't been attacked at home).  Treaties do trump the Constitution.  IF that's what's being used to justify the five wars above, I'd like to see those Treaties...especially the one with Somalia or any of its neighbors.  [As to Afghanistan, it wasn't the Taliban who attacked us on 9-11-01.  Their refusal to turn over Osama supposedly justified us going to war with Afghanistan.  The truth is:  the Taliban replied to our Fed Govt's request by saying essentially this:  show us some proof of his guilt and we'll turn him over to you.  Our Gov't refused.  Being a guest of an Afghan tribal society is a really big deal in their culture.  I think the Taliban's request for proof was reasonable.]  The funny thing is, I've never heard the DC Plutocrats use any Treaty to justify the wars in question.  Usually they claim the right to go to war based on the War Powers Act and/or the duties of Commander-in-Chief.  They certainly couldn't use a Treaty to justify invading Iraq in 2003; Saddam hadn't attacked any other country then, whether our ally or not.  The Bush Administration's justification was that Saddam was guilty of PRE-Crime.  [Explained in a previous post on this Blog.]  As Bush put it, "If we wait for the smoking gun, it will be too late."...sounds good, but that's a completely illegal reason to attack and invade another country.

Any way you examine supposed justifications for the above-listed wars, they turn out to be illegal, unconstitutional, unethical, and even immoral.  Welcome to the Soft Fascist States of America, a land I love, but sincerely regret the fact that we no longer have a representative government...and that's been true for decades.  Carroll Quigley was right in 1966.

It's a genuine shame.

Be Well

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

Good News and Bad News

1.  After three years in prison and being beaten, tortured & initially held incommunicado for a month, earlier this year a Yemeni journalist by the name of Shaye finally was released.  It wouldn't surprise me if you've never heard of him; the Corporate Media here pretty much ignored the story.  Jeremy Scahill, a journalist for The Nation, covered the story in depth.  Shaye is the journalist who broke the story of the U.S. cruise missile attack in Yemen (a few years ago) that killed a couple dozen civilians.  Whether or not any of them were members of Al Qaeda is hotly contested.  Shaye was set to be pardoned in 2011, but Obama's intervention apparently put a stop to that.  The dictator of Yemen (one of our several Death-Squad-type allies), ever mindful of how to get more U.S. aid, caved in to Obama's "concern".  The journalist, Shaye, had been convicted of abetting terrorism, or some such similar fantasy...according to a number of non-corporate media.

2.  Jeremy Scahill's movie, Dirty Wars, has been short-listed for a possible Oscar nomination in the documentary film category.  [Scahill is the guy who, awhile back, exposed the gross misdeeds of the private security company Blackwater in Iraq.  The company has since changed their name.]  The film, which is superb, details the largely unknown operations of JSOC, the U.S. military's Joint Special Operations Command--- assassinations of SUSPECTS, unreported attacks on various groups, etc.  Whistle blowers are key to the content of the movie.  The piece is on Netflix, and probably can be found elsewhere online.

3.  The Corporate Media mostly missed or ignored this story yesterday.  In about 100 cities here in the USA, fast-food workers protested wages less than $8/hour by walking out and marching.  About half of all such workers also are on public assistance because of their low wages. This while the executives of such companies are subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer---companies get to deduct (on their taxes) "performance-based" bonuses paid to executives.  My guess: some lobbyist wrote that amendment to a legislative bill. Then it was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President.  Both FDR and Mussolini would have called that Fascism---the power of the State married to the power of BIG Business.

4.  In his second term as President, Obama continues his Justice Department's apparent policy of "too big to jail" relative to speculative banking fraud.  J.P. Morgan Chase recently was fined $13 BILLION dollars for NYSE violations, that is, misleading investors...purposely.  [With a fine that large, it makes one wonder what their annual net profit amounts to, given that they're still in business.]  Criminal investigations are "ongoing", but my best guess, don't hold your breath.  Not a single high-level mega bank executive has been criminally charged yet.

5.  Also in his second term as President, Obama continues his completely unconstitutional program of assassination of terrorist SUSPECTS.  Legally, only Congress can issue "Letters of Marque and Reprisal".  It's called Checks & Balances in our system of government.  Even as Commander-in-Chief, any President is limited by the Constitution...and again, no law supercedes the U.S. Constitution, not even the War Powers Act.  He's not a King, and never should be treated as one.

6.  In what seems to be an attempt to mollify the restless masses, just recently President Obama publicly expressed concern over "income inequality" in our land.  It sounds good, but I agree with John Pilger who said this, "Brand Obama...and it's all fake."... and this, "Don't listen to what he says.  Watch what he does.".

7.  As expressed by Jeremy Scahill, there is an ongoing, escalating war on journalism worldwide, that is, on non-corporate journalism.  [ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and even The News Hour on PBS mostly are safe from attack.]  Number 1. above is but one example.  In this country, the attacks usually are manifested as accusations of compromising "national security".  The National Security State appears to trump the First Amendment.  Even without that, the news is managed almost completely by the Corporate Media.  Whistle blowers usually are portrayed as somehow violating the "American Way", or worse, "National Security"...never mind that in most of those instances the Gov't is violating the U.S. Constitution, or mega companies are violating not only U.S. Law, but common decency as well.
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For the best possible newscast in the USA, I heartily recommend Democracy Now, the War and Peace Report, with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales.  They do not shrink from covering controversial subjects, and they do so in a manner not influenced by mega corporations.

Just my opinion.