The Farcical Kabuki Theater Election Campaigns Continue

NOTE:  number 3 below was edited on 7-31-16.

1.  It's all about the individual personal traits of the candidates.  There has been close to nothing said about the ISSUES, especially not anything with any semblance of depth.

2.  Trump continues to speak as though he's purposely throwing the election...about hacking Clinton's emails, and wanting to "hit" speakers at the Dem Convention, etc., etc.  The Don is not Presidential.

3.  Clinton continues to say whatever the Main Street Dems want to hear...even though her record is almost totally the opposite of what she is saying.  Hillary is a Neoliberal Corporatist and a Perpetual War Hawk... ask the following people what they think about that statement:  Chris Hedges, John Pilger, Jeremy Scahill, Cornel West, Michael Hudson, Steve Keen, John Perkins, Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange, Eddie Glaude, Jill Stein, and many others.  They all agree.

4.  As far as can be seen by an examination of a wide variety of news sources, about two million votes STILL have not been counted in the California Primary Election a short while ago.  Clinton "won" over Sanders by 440,000 votes or so.  Well...maybe.  We don't know that for certain.

5.  The Repub Hierarchy continues to ignore (some with disdain) their Party's candidate.  Again, this is highly suggestive of throwing the election.

6.  Kaine has the gall to reference his experiences in Honduras (1980-1981) and what it was like to witness life in a dictatorship, but fails to mention that the dictatorship was installed and supported by the U.S. Gov't.  He says all this on the heels of Clinton supporting a different, 2009 (I think that was the year) military coup and dictatorship in Honduras.  That country keeps getting SSDD from our Gov't, including from former Secretary of State, Clinton.

7.  Some Main Street Repubs (maybe 20% of registered voters), many who are so-called "Conservatives" (which nowadays means NeoCons or Neoliberals), continue to support a guy who is neither Republican or Conservative.  Furthermore, Trump shows little knowledge of or respect for the U.S. Constitution.  [In that respect, he's exactly like most high-level, national, "Establishment" politicians.]

8.  At the Dem Convention, Obama claimed that Hillary was the most qualified candidate for President, man or woman, in our history.  Please, Mr. President...you can't possibly be serious.  Your statement bespeaks a lack of knowledge concerning the history of this Land...or, a deal you made with Clinton back when...or, who knows what.
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Politics in the two major Parties (which really are only one Party) is nothing but the illusion of choice and a distraction from the truly significant issues affecting our country.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well 
 

The Deceitfulness of Clinton is Astounding

At the Democratic Convention, Clinton made the following statement regarding the VP choice, Kaine:  "He's a Progressive who...".  If that weren't so comical, it would be tragic.  It's a bald-faced lie.  Kaine isn't in the same ballpark as Progressives; hell, he's not even on the same planet.  I'm not a Progressive, but even I know that.  So does Hillary.  Kaine is a Corporatist of the first order.  Anyone with any astuteness at all in the field of politics knows that.  All you have to do is look at his record.

That's how the Oligarchy operates.  They make false statements, and then repeat them until people start accepting them as true.  It's a tactic as old as politics.

So we have the deception of Clinton, and the ignorance of Trump... unless Trump's pronouncements are an act... which certainly is possible.  What a choice.  Of course, there are others running for President.

[For any new readers, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat, and don't support either Clinton or Trump.  I firmly believe we all should boycott the national election in November.  The new President already has been selected... by the major Party hierarchies, the Plutocrats, the Corporate Media, and the corrupt parts of the Financial Sector.  Basically, the election is over.  Right, Madam President?]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

With the Kaine Choice, Sanders Already Has Been Marginalized... and the Repubs Have Given Up

The Democrats now have two Corporatists in the top slots, Clinton and Kaine.  The Sanders' contingent now is marginalized almost completely.  I suspect that some, perhaps many or most, Democrats think that the supposed demise of the DLC---and the return of the DNC---as the Head Honcho of the Democratic Party meant that the Dem Corporatist days were over.  The DNC may be running things, but the strategies, the policies, and the tactics are pure DLC...and, of course, Hillary and Bill were key figures in the DLC.  The Corporatists and the War Hawks win again.  C'est la vie.

The Republicans finalized their plans to split their Party and throw the November election.  Let's see, who didn't even show up at the Convention?--- all three Bush Boys (perhaps Poppy Bush is incapacitated, I don't know), McCain, Kasich, Rand Paul, Rubio, Romney, Graham, Toomey, and a few others whose names escape me at the moment.  So much for unity.  The Republican Hierarchy has decided to give the election to Wall Street's number one choice---Hillary.

Barring any extreme unforeseen circumstances, the November election essentially is over.  The Financial Sector and the War Hawks are the winners.  About 99% of the rest of us are the losers.  Even if by some miracle Trump & Pence win, the previous statements still stand.  Don't vote at the national level in November, or if you must, vote for a worthy alternative to the Corporatists.  There are several of them from which to choose...no matter what makes up your political beliefs.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Big Problem is Not Immigrants, or Black People, or...

Poor People, or Any Minority, or Even "Terrorists".  Our biggest problem is Oligarchs and/or Plutocrats.  They promote and practice the politics of War, the economics of NeoFeudalism, and the governing of Fascism.  If you want to send them a peaceful, legal, and effective message, don't vote at the national level in November.  That's the most powerful message you can send.  If you simply must vote, then vote for a worthy second Party; Republicans + Democrats are the first Party.  At the highest levels, they are Neoliberal Corporatists.  They're on the same Team...and it's not yours.

On a somewhat different note, notice how the Corporate Media are straining to connect the mass murdering, mentally ill guy in Nice, France to extremist Muslim "terrorism".  Here's the definition of that word from Webster's Dictionary:  "the unlawful use or threat of violence especially against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion."  In the case of extremist "jihadists" (a tiny minority of Muslims), I suppose we should throw in "religiously motivated" as well as "politically motivated".  From what has been in the news thus far (& I haven't yet seen tonight's news), it's an incredible stretch to believe that the depressed, violent, crazy guy---those terms are from his family---driving that truck was either politically or religiously motivated.  But you see, the Oligarchy needs that connection.  Without it, the War Propaganda doesn't work as well.

On another different note, and using the reasoning of those who favor stricter "gun control" laws, I propose a ban on "Assault Trucks".  Obviously, they can be used for mass murder...and it's fairly easy to gain access to one.  At the very least, we should institute stricter "background checks" for those wanting a truck driving license...and maybe even strict checks for people who buy gasoline, which could be considered the "ammunition" or "gun powder" of a truck.  While we're at it, perhaps we should ban knives, swords, baseball bats, dynamite, short clubs of any type, chemical acid, rat poison, smaller trucks, cars, chlorine gas, sodium hydroxide (found in drain cleaners), gun powder, denatured alcohol, etc.  They all are fairly easy to obtain...and could be used to wreak havoc on the public.  [Criminals of any kind don't care, or worry, about bans or background checks.  They'll find a way around them.  Also, keep this in mind:  there are lots of guns in Canada, but those folks don't have the gun violence problem to any degree close to that in the USA.  An important question is:  why is that the case?]

On a more serious note, sincere condolences to the people in Nice...and everywhere there are innocent victims, whether they are victims of unconstitutional drone attacks, or of temporarily insane mass murderers, or of medieval, backward, indoctrinated terrorists.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Alton Sterling: TASERED First, THEN Shot and Killed

Just finished watching (on Democracy Now) the interview of the shop owner who filmed a portion of the incident which resulted in Mr. Sterling being killed in Baton Rouge.  We don't know the full story yet; details have been a bit slow in coming.  Following is what we do know from the eye witness account and the film.

The shop owner and Sterling were friends of six or so years.  The owner allowed Mr. Sterling to sell DVDs in front of the shop.  For some unknown reason, the police showed up, grabbed Sterling (why is not known at this point), slammed him onto the hood of a vehicle, backed off, and TASERed him.  That was not filmed because apparently it happened rather quickly.  Then two cops pinned him to the ground.  That's when the shop owner started filming.  Next, one of the officers yells "Gun!", pulls out his weapon, and shoots point blank, killing Mr. Sterling...after he had been TASERed.  Again, after he had been TASERed.  I've yet to hear or see that bit of info on the Corporate Media...not even the allegation that's what happened.

After that, Mr. Flahti (the shop owner) is detained for hours & hours (4 of them in a hot police car), his cell phone is seized, his shop is commandeered for about six hours, and all his shop video/security equipment is removed...without him ever being presented with a Search Warrant.

SIDE NOTES:

Being TASERED totally incapacitates a person.  People have died from that.  Some years ago, the total number of TASER-induced deaths was 12;  I think it's up to 20-something now in this country.  After the very first death, TASERs should have been banned.

Eric Garner, the NY man who died two years ago as a result of a police choke-hold, was approached by police because he was selling loose cigarettes on the street.  The guy who filmed that incident is the only one going to jail (on unrelated charges, after being harassed by police for two years).  He's not Black.

Judge Andrew Napolitano, who most police surely must admire, has stated more than once:  filming police doing their job in public is perfectly legal and guaranteed by the Constitution.  And yet, some police berate, harass, and even abuse people who film them in public...especially when the cops involved are being brutal.
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As I stated in the piece immediately before this one, all these incidents are not only about racial prejudice.  The Oligarchs are cracking down on the "little people".  Whether it's political, economic, environmental, or anything else, dissent will not be tolerated...and those who practice it either will be marginalized or crushed.  Such is life in the USA today, the Land of the Free.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Is it Race or Class? Or Both?

I get suspicious whenever the Corporate Media and/or the Fed Gov't promote some idea...over & over & over.  In this case, it's the supposed racial divide here in the USA.  Yes, some people of all "races" are prejudiced; but I don't believe the problem is as massive as we're being told.

The current unrest is not primarily about Race.  I'm sure there are some bad-apple racist cops; however, I suspect the following is mostly playing out worldwide--

Cops are much like soldiers:  THEY HAVE ORDERS from higher up.  The Oligarchy's 

political corruption, economic & financial failures, empire hegemony, & intolerance of 

democracy are no longer being tolerated by the People...who are demonstrating on a wide variety of fronts (racial, economic, environmental, immigration, incarceration/prison reform, 

political, police brutality, etc.).  The Powers-That-Be are clamping down on all protests; 

they no longer tolerate protests of any kind...be they group or individual.  [Once in a great while, we see an exception 

to that general statement.]

The Oligarchy is attempting to put "the little people", "the bewildered herd", "the ignorant masses", "the spectators" [all terms from a few "Liberals" and "Libertarians" of the past] in their place.  This is a Class War of epic proportions...the monitoring of essentially everyone, a 

crackdown on demonstrations, no tolerance for arguments from anyone, a massive transfer of wealth, white-collar criminality by the 

Super-Rich, war for profit, privately-run prisons, privatization of public infrastructure & other 

resources, a War on Cash, the hollowing-out of the Middle Class, and on & on.

As Warren Buffett said, "We are in a Class War in this country, and unfortunately, my class 

is winning.".  He's correct.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

What Happened to the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution?

Essentially, those Amendments have disappeared... due to the fact that they both largely are ignored... by elected and appointed national officials, both Republicans and Democrats.  Here's what the Amendments looked liked when once upon a time they were visible---

The Ninth Amendment---

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
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Notice it doesn't say, certain rights granted in the Constitution; rather, it says certain rights listed in the Constitution.  The Supreme Law of the Land does not grant rights.  It merely enumerates some of them.  So, what are these "others" (other rights)?  There are hundreds of thousands of them.  For example, we as individuals have the right to go to sleep when we so choose... etc., etc., etc.  [If we're at work and choose to exercise that right, there may be dire consequences related to being employed; but nevertheless, that still is our right.]  Those all are Natural Rights; they belong to all individuals at birth.  They are not granted by governments.  Because there are so many Natural Rights, we need a general rule-of-thumb to identify them.  I like this one:  we are free to do whatever we wish, as long as those actions do not infringe on the genuine rights or property of another being.

The Tenth Amendment---

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
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Notice that any powers the Fed Gov't possesses have been delegated by the Constitution.  Ours is a government commonly referred to as one of Enumerated Powers.  If the power is not listed in the Supreme Law of the Land, then the Feds do not possess it.  This is a relatively simple concept; it's not rocket science.
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If people don't like the Constitution the way it is now, no problem...lobby to get it changed.  There are two, and only two, legal ways to change it--- by Amendment or Constitutional Convention.  Both methods purposely were designed to be difficult.  Frankly, I don't care if the document is changed or even dumped, as long as it's done legally.  The one thing that's not permitted under our system of gov't is ignoring the Supreme Law of the Land.  That document is the very basis of our method of governing.  Politicians should never be allowed to ignore it.  [Years ago, a Congress person stated in an interview:  "Half of what we do is unconstitutional."...the implication was---so what, who cares?]

For decades, both Republicans and Democrats elected to national office largely have ignored all the concepts described above... and yet, we keep electing them.  Something like 58% of Americans don't want either Trump or Clinton as President.  It's way past time for a change.  Boycott all Neoliberals... that means boycott the overwhelming majority of D.C. politicians...and Corporatists in the private sphere.  They have exported jobs & manufacturing, debased the Dollar, supported a global, supranational economic & financial cabal/cartel, eliminated freedoms, promoted war, and generally flushed this great Land down the drain.  Haven't you had enough of Republicans and Democrats yet?

Not only my opinion.  Be Well