The Mega Corporation Election Circus is Over...For Awhile

Street-level Republicans are happy... just as they were in 1994, when pretty much the same thing happened in the mid-term elections.  Since then, after Corporate Clinton completed his gig, we've had Bush & Obama...SSDD.  Starting with Reagan and Thatcher, Neoliberals and Neoliberalism have prevailed to this very day.  [If you're not well-versed in Neoliberalism, you'll have a very difficult time grasping politics in this day & age.  It's a term well known by educated people throughout the world...except in the USA. There's nothing new and nothing liberal about it.  That's according to Noam Chomsky.  He's right.]

According to CBS News, about four billion dollars was spent on the recent election cycle.  That's truly an obscenity...and all for Propaganda Kool Aid.  Do you think that the bulk of that money came from donations by people like you and me...for mid-term elections?  Hardly.  The overwhelming majority of it was so-called "Dark Money"...from mega corporation "citizen" organizations.  Surely no one any longer can doubt that elections are bought by mega transnational corporations, the ones who don't give a damn about any country, much less the USA.  The ones who backed Reagan, Poppy Bush, Clinton, Dubya Bush, and Obama...they won again.  The Neoliberals still prevail.  They have taken over our politics, our military, our corporations, and our economy.  All of that was accomplished with Edward Bernays style Propaganda...and we're still drinking the Kool Aid.

So, what's it all about?  It's not a "conspiracy".  It's about Globalization, and that essentially means nothing more or less than monopolistic, Mega Transnational Business.  [It's anti-Free-Market-Capitalism.]  The objective is to make that as smooth as possible for the super-rich.  To those people, politicians-governments-common folks-countries-economies-Democrats-Republicans essentially are all irrelevant.  Oligarchs simply have similar goals, and they work sometimes independently, sometimes cooperatively to attain mutually beneficial objectives.  Just because they don't always make their methods for getting richer "public" does not make the whole thing a conspiracy.  They're out to do whatever it takes to get richer & richer in order to secure the maximum comfort & security for themselves and their families.  Ethics and morality rarely ever get in the way of that.

"Voting", at least under the current corrupt system, will not change any of the above.  Instead, voting aids and abets it.  There are peaceful ways to oppose the present dystopian Machine; I've enumerated a few here & there recently in this Blog.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

Elections, the Oligarchy, and Pointlessness in the USA

For decades and decades, "voting" in national elections in the USA has been largely pointless.  Here's why.

1.  Most all national candidates are selected, groomed, and financed by the Oligarchy...regardless of political party.  Should some other candidate (by some miracle) manage to get elected, that person is fairly quickly marginalized, rendered ineffective, and/or smeared by the Political System.  He/she is relegated to being little more than the butt of jokes and not taken seriously.

2.  Because of restrictive ballot-access laws created by Democrats & Republicans, any third party rarely is able to get on the ballot in all 50 States.  Even if an alternative party does manage to do so, the Corporate Media Machine pretty much ignores them.

3.  The approximately 50% of eligible voters here who do actually vote get the bulk of their information regarding candidates from political ads written by advertising agencies...in other words, from bald-faced propaganda.

4.  Whoever runs the most ads usually wins.  As a result, one election cycle at the national level can involve the expenditure of over a billion dollars.  That's insanity...and no way to select someone to represent We the People.  Why?  Because it fosters more & more reliance on money & propaganda...and results in more & more corruption.

5.  The major political parties merely are two branches of the only political party in America of any significance:  the un-named Mega Transnational Corporatist Party.

6.  No matter who gets elected at the national level, Republican or Democrat, they will promote, support, or at least not effectively oppose the following:  institutionalized deficit spending; the Fed Reserve System of privately owned banks;  the current, anti-American, Fed China Trade Policy; the current, unconstitutional activities of the FBI relative to conducting searches without a proper warrant; other violations of the First and Fourth Amendments by the NSA, FBI, & CIA; protecting mega bank CEOs from criminal prosecution; the Fed Govt's exemption of itself from International Law; so-called "Free Trade" Agreements, such as the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which has little to do with Trade, but a lot to do with Neoliberal policies favoring Mega Transnational Corporations; the greatest shift of wealth in History from the Middle Class to the upper one percent of adult Americans; unconstitutional wars; unconstitutional "Executive Orders"; the shipping of manufacturing overseas; corporate welfare; and on & on.

7.  At the highest levels, Republicans-Democrats or NeoConservatives-Liberals do their very best to keep the general public from truly participating in government.  Most all of them firmly believe in a Plutocracy, Oligarchy, or Meritocracy.  They are "True Believers" and convinced that unlike the "ignorant masses", they know best how to "run" the country.

8.  Once elected, a politician's first priority is to get re-elected.  Bellying up to The Federal Trough is too sweet to risk losing.  [That's one reason we desperately need Term Limits, something opposed by them all.]
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Not much will change if we keep doing nothing but "voting"; we've been doing so for well over 200 years.  Things are only sliding downhill.  "Voting" has accomplished very little for We the People...especially in the area of the Economy.  We're gradually moving to a Neo-feudal Society.  The Working Poor is the fastest growing economic class in this country.

Before voting can make a significant difference, ballot-access laws must be changed.  Campaign finance laws must be changed...or better yet, a Constitutional Amendment is needed relative to financing campaigns.  None of this will happen without immense pressure put on politicians; it is not in their best interests to change any of the current corruption.  In my opinion, the chances of it happening are very slim to none.

Step One:  stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid.
Step Two:  vehemently insist that the Constitution be obeyed.
Step Three:  organize.
Step Four:  peacefully resist, protest, and/or boycott.
[Imagine if at the next Oligarchical election, no one voted.  Now that is a message which could not be ignored.  Unfortunately, it won't happen...because of "True Believers" and Propaganda Kool Aid drinkers.]

Politics in America---and probably most of the developed world---has been co-opted by mega transnational corporations.  The Democrat and Republican Parties are totally irrelevant.  Third Parties are as well, because the System is rigged against them.  Without changes to ballot-access and campaign finance laws, that will continue.  In terms of formal politics, sorry to say, but the Oligarchy has won...they have completely conquered us by Distraction and Division.  That's only in terms of formal politics, though.  There are other peaceful means to do battle.  It pains me greatly to see people still stuck in formal politics, thinking they'll change things from the inside.  Sorry, it can't be done anymore; the Oligarchs are in complete control of formal politics.  The Fraud of Obama proves that beyond any shadow of doubt.

"Voting" is the opium of the masses in this country.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

Oligarchies, Wall Street, Crony Capitalism, and...

much, much more.

At the link below are many legitimate articles exposing Oligarchies, Wall Street, Globalization, the Feds, and Crony Capitalism in general.  Excellent research references...highly recommended...dynamite stuff...genuine antidotes to the Propaganda Kool Aid.  

Not just my opinion.  Be Well 

http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/ellen-brown

Who Owns the Fed? - A Great Scam

http://www.globalresearch.ca/who-owns-the-federal-reserve/10489

This explains one of the greatest scams in American history... in which We the People are being ripped off for the benefit of privately owned banks.  The piece cannot be "skimmed over"; you have to be alert in order to grasp it.  It's a great reference, or source...very legitimate, with impeccable scholarship.

Will Congress make the necessary corrections?...not without pressure.

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
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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

EBOLA: Warning to Oligarchs and Institutionalists

Edited at 4:35 PM, Mountain Time, USA, 10-17-14

I've never worked in the medical field.  I did teach Biology and Environmental Science at both the high school and college levels for many years, and I worked several years as a HazMat Specialist in both the public and private spheres.  As a private HazMat consultant, I've trained literally hundreds of employees in Emergency Response...including extensive training in PPE, Personal Protective Equipment.  I mention these bona fides only because I want you to believe what I say below.

Ebola is one of the most dangerous organisms on the face of the Earth, and Oligarchs in the Healthcare System (in this country) do not appear to be treating it with the proper respect.  For example, those dinky facemasks that healthcare workers are wearing will not suffice 100% of the time. At the very least, workers should also be wearing a full face shield... and they should be trained in what to do if that shield is sprayed with sputum, vomit, or blood.  Other huge problems include the fact that apparently some hospitals have not trained their staff sufficiently in the use of PPE.  Incredible!!!  Every hospital is required by Law to have a Bloodborne Pathogen Program; PPE training is part of that Program.  Every hospital is required by Law to have a Hazard Communication Program; PPE training is part of that Program.  There are other Programs as well that apply to hospitals, and they require PPE training.  It looks as though some Head Honchos are falling down on the job... and should be fired.

Given current events of late, I cannot believe that a sick person shows up at a hospital, says he's recently been in LIBERIA, he's examined, and sent home.  Whoever runs that hospital needs to not just apologize (which he did), he also should resign.  That same hospital in Texas is among those which appear to have inadequate PPE training.  [On second thought, I shouldn't be surprised.  I lived in Texas for only a few years, but it was long enough to observe that Texas in general is one of the most backward States in the Nation... especially when it comes to complying with Environmental/Health/Safety (EHS) Laws.  The public water in the town I lived in failed to meet Fed EPA water quality standards for two years in a row.  In their Annual Water Quality Report, the Water Department explained that they were working on the problem, but "no water anywhere is pure".]

Our Fed Gov't is trying to calm fears.  Good for them...but they aren't being totally honest.  As to the World response to this outbreak, it's pitiful.

My message to Oligarchs in the Healthcare System in America is simple:  wake up... you're asleep at the wheel when it comes to Ebola.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

The Obama Administration Violates the First Amendment

In an earlier post, I related the story of Frontline's piece, "The United States of Secrets"... truly a MUST-SEE film for anyone who loves Liberty.  This past Sunday, 60 Minutes essentially re-told a portion of that same piece in a story entitled, "The War on Leaks".  It involves the current case of the NYT reporter, James Risen... a genuine American hero.  Risen, as well as Tom Drake and others (independently), revealed the illegal and unconstitutional spying-on-Americans scheme of the NSA.  In both films, Bush-Obama-Hayden are revealed as the propagandists, deceivers, and violators of the First Amendment that rival anyone in recent memory.  [Hayden is the guy who, at the behest of Dick Cheney, came up with a plan to spy on Americans that exceeded the Executive's authority.  They knew it was illegal, but didn't care.]

Relative to all this, here's how the highest levels of an Outlaw Fed Gov't operate:  they concoct and execute a completely unconstitutional, secret plan to spy---without proper warrants---on citizens of their own country, and then, when the scheme is exposed, they criminalize & prosecute the whistleblowers.  They make it illegal to expose the illegality of the Govt's actions.  Perfect...for them.  On top of that, We the People have to endure the wishy-washy, sleazy, weak-minded propaganda "justifying" it all... put out by the puppets of the Oligarchy.  Michael Hayden, former Head Honcho of the CIA & the NSA, is the worst example.  On second thought, Barack Obama may be the worst example... he has pursued and prosecuted more whistleblowers than all other Presidents combined.  That's according to 60 Minutes.  This is the guy who said he would protect whistleblowers.  [When Obama starts talking, about 50% of the time he's lying... and if you look carefully, you can see it in his eyes.]  Dubya Bush started the case involving James Risen, and Obama is pursuing it vigorously.  The propaganda from both Bush & Obama surpasses that even of Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton.

A Free Press is (or should be) inviolate in this country.  It really is our primary protection from corruption in government and loss of freedom.  Unfortunately, our present Fed Executive---like the one immediately before him---is waging an unprecedented war on journalism.  The case against James Risen is a prime example of that, as was the pursuance of Tom Drake.

I suspect that some people , perhaps many, feel there's nothing we can do about any of this.  That's simply not true.  It's not a question of "can we", it's one of "will we".  Though we live in a soft Fascist State, we still have considerable freedoms; plus, even in a dictatorship, public opinion matters.

The solution will not be found in "voting".  It should be obvious by now that these politicians essentially are all the same; they are selected, groomed, and financed by the Oligarchy.  Obama is a prime example.  [The very, very few who aren't puppets quickly are demonized and/or marginalized and/or eliminated by the Political Machine & the Corporate Media.]  No, "voting" is not the answer; it might be someday, but not now.  Ballot-access laws (among others) will have to be changed first... an almost impossible task.  Peaceful, nonviolent expression and/or protest and/or boycott is the way to have an impact.

As Henry David Thoreau wrote, "Let your life be a counter-friction to the Machine.".  That can be done in many ways, not just by marching in the streets.  It can be done individually or in groups organized around just causes... or both.  It can be done by speaking up (and out) in encounters with Institutionalists, in conversations with anyone, in Art (including Street Art), in music, in boycotts, in writing... in all kinds of peaceful actions.  Use your imagination.  When the Pulse of the People is overwhelming enough, even Oligarchs pay attention.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well