Showing posts with label First Amendment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Amendment. Show all posts
Monday, October 24, 2016
Wars Against Americans Conducted by the Elites/the Corporatists/the Ruling Oligarchy
Following is a list of only some of the wars being waged by the Ruling Oligarchy in the USA against We the People.
1. The War on the First Amendment
2. The War on Journalists
3. The War on Whistleblowers
4. The War on Peaceful Protests and Dissent of Any Type
5. The War on Privacy
6. The War on Cash
7. The War on Drugs
8. The War on Prescription Painkillers
9. The War on the Fourth Amendment
10. The War on Health Food Supplements
11. The War on Alternative Medicine
12. The War on Alternative Energy
13. The War on Minorities
14. The War on Youth and Education
15. The War on the Mentally Ill
16. The War on Nonconformists
17. The War on Small Farmers
18. The War on Small Business of Any Type
19. The War on Industry
20. The War on Democracy
21. The War on Critical Thinking
22. The War on Military Vets
23. The War on Poor People
24. The War on the Middle Class
..........................................................
Following is a list of only some of the things that the Ruling Oligarchy promotes/promulgates/supports.
1. Crony Capitalism (aka, Fascism)
2. Edward Bernays Style Propaganda
3. Phony Elections
4. Elitism
5. Monopolies
6. Financialization
7. Neoliberalism
8. NeoFeudalism
9. Class War
10. Military Aggression and War Profiteering
11. USA Hegemony and American Empire
12. Intervention in Foreign Civil Wars for Economic Reasons
13. Spying on Our Allies
14. Economic and Financial Bubbles
15. A Revolving Door Between Mega Banking and High-Level Gov't "Service"
16. Bailing Out Mega Financial Institutions Guilty of Fraud
17. Authoritarian Government
............................................................
Notwithstanding popular opinion to the contrary, History has shown that Oligarchs and their puppets (e.g., Obama, McConnell, Clinton, McCain, Schumer, Pelosi, Cornyn, Cruz, etc.) don't care one scintilla about the old labels--- Right, Left, Conservative, Liberal, and on & on. At the highest levels, probably 99% of today's politicians are concerned only with this label--- Financier. Those are the people who run the world, not the puppet politicians. The International Financial Coterie (Professor Carroll Quigley's term) cares not at all about the old political paradigm. They care primarily about power, money, and the private governance of the planet. Ask David Rockefeller. In 1991, he stated publicly, "Surely it is better to have the world run by unelected elites than by the corrupt politicians of today.".
I suspect that Rockefeller was/is well-meaning, but like the famous Progressive journalist/author of the past, Walter Lippmann, he apparently believes that the commoners make up "the bewildered herd" and must be ruled by an "elite class of intellectuals". Toward the end of his life, Lippmann wound up believing that commoners should not be allowed to fully participate in democracy because they simply were not competent enough in such matters. That has become a dominant belief in Crony Capitalism. That is what the Corporatists-Oligarchs-Elites think... and that thinking is implemented by today's puppet politicians.
At the national level, the best way to oppose such people and their thinking is to boycott whenever possible... individually, or in organized groups, or both. We have been voluntarily complying with their nonsense for far too long. Stuck in Propaganda, Consumerism, and outright fraud, we have enabled the Fascist State. As I've pointed out several times before this, both Mussolini and FDR defined Fascism as: the perfect marriage of the State to Big Business. That's exactly what we have in this country...and much of the world. That's especially true in the Financial Sector.
We can take a small step toward restoring sanity by boycotting the current farce of an election with which we are faced. At the very least, don't vote for either of the major candidates... pick someone else. Almost anyone would be better than Trump or Clinton; 58% of us don't want either one of them. That's strong evidence of a phony election. The election IS rigged...but not in the way that Trump thinks.
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Monday, August 1, 2016
Here's Something That Trumps Trump...and Hillary, et. al.
The Don's latest utterances, which were largely critical of (or demeaning to) the Muslim parents of a U.S. Army Captain who was killed serving in Iraq, were truly beyond the pale. All Trump supporters should be thoroughly embarrassed. The father, Mr. Kahn, rightly had suggested that Trump should read a copy of the U.S. Constitution.
In particular, Mr. Trump, it would serve you well to study the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.
Hillary, as well, would be served by reading especially Article I, Section 8. I suggest, Ms. Clinton, you concentrate on the clauses regarding war, captures on land & sea, and assassinations (Letters of Marque and Reprisal). Please have your buddy, the President, re-read those parts, too. Our Leader, the Constitutional Scholar, apparently has no common sense when it comes to those clauses.
Finally, to all the above and all high-level politicians in D.C., it's way past time for you to review this simple fact, and apply it to your work: no law---not the PATRIOT Act, not the War Powers Act, not the National Defense Authorization Act, not even any Act (or Executive Order) proposed by Trump---over-rides the Constitution. The Supreme Law of the Land cannot be negated simply because certain propagandists ram a 342-page Bill through Congress that no one has had time to read...and only two copies were available to members of the House (who were in session all night)...and that was written long before 9-11. [I refer to the infamous, unconstitutional PATRIOT Act, officially known as the USA PATRIOT Act, which stands for: "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001".]
Again--- no law (or Exec. Order) trumps the U.S. Constitution, not even laws that Trump says he'll get through Congress...such as a law requiring all Muslims to be "registered" (which clearly would be unconstitutional...and un-American).
Not only my opinion. Be Well
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
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
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Protests, Ferguson, the Hypocrisy of Brand Obama, & Oligarchies
A few years ago at some sort of Socialist Convention, John Pilger (a well-known Australian documentarian) gave a speech in which he characterized Obama as "Brand Obama...and it's all fake". There are so many examples of Obama's hypocrisy and deceit that I couldn't possibly relate even half of them to you. Despite that, two very recent examples have prompted me to comment.
1. A day or two ago, our President stated publicly that he was very concerned over the use of militarized police in Ferguson, Missouri...relative to Mike Brown's death and the ensuing public protests. Incredible. For years and years, the Fed Gov't (including the Obama Administration) has been instrumental in purposely militarizing local police...with gear, vehicles, weapons, and training. The excuse given, of course, is the Boogie-Man who replaced the Communist--- the Terrorist.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for being protected against terrorism, but here's the problem. When police basically are turned into soldiers and use military-style vehicles in dealing with everyday citizens, a new dynamic becomes part of police-community relations. Common, law-abiding people are made to feel as though they ALL are some kind of "enemy". Peaceful protesters, exercising their Right to free speech suddenly are treated as if they are some sort of enemy. This violates long-held principles in this country, such as dissidents being able to voice their protests without fear, and the principle that the military should be used against citizens only in cases of EXTREME violence or insurrection.
2. Obama also stated just recently that journalists should not be harassed or jailed by the police just for trying to do their jobs. That statement is in direct contradiction to Brand Obama's actions via his Administration's relentless harassment of the New York Times reporter, James Risen. Never mind the Fed Gov't treatment of many other journalists whose "crime" appears to be that they're getting news stories from Fed whistleblowers.
All of the above illustrates some worrisome tactics of various Oligarchies. Too often, everyday people no longer are allowed to peacefully protest in this country. A day or two ago, a 90-year-old woman was arrested (with several other people) in a public space in front of the building that contains the Governor's Office in Missouri. They were protesting the situation in Ferguson. I'm wondering, did the police think this 90-year-old protester was a "terrorist", or some other threat to Missouri? I doubt it. The name of the Game in the USA today is to clamp down hard on lawful dissidence. The Oligarchs simply don't want to hear it. The abrogation of the First Amendment is nearly complete. Politicians still tell us that we have the Rights of free speech & assembly, and the Right to petition our Government...but in reality, we rarely are allowed to exercise those Natural Rights. Those at the highest levels in our Gov't, like Obama, say one thing and then do another...and they don't even try to hide it anymore. Instead, they simply spew out Gov't-Speak and Edward Bernays style propaganda.
Another long-standing tactic of Oligarchs and their Cronies in Government, a tactic being exacerbated in recent years, is instituting the idea of the "crime" of PRE-CRIME into our supposedly free society. So, for example, lawful and peaceful protests are confined to designated areas---usually distant from the event being protested---because someone MIGHT break the law. Or worse, public protesters are immediately arrested and hauled off because they MIGHT commit a crime. The protester is guilty of Pre-Crime. Another example--- pre-emptive invasions of certain foreign countries are deemed by the Oligarchs as Constitutional and ethical because the "enemy" country MIGHT attack us or our allies in the future. The "enemy" is guilty of Pre-Crime. This was Dubya Bush's primary public reason for invading Iraq in 2003. The private reason, I'm guessing, is a completely different story. Another example--- it is against the law to possess certain plant substances and imbibe them behind the closed doors of your home. The reason: you MIGHT commit a crime once you become "high". This concept, of course, does not apply to America's Drug of Choice, booze. You can possess all the alcohol that you so desire. That's because we discovered a long time ago that prohibition of substances does not work...never has, never will. I guess that lesson has been lost. Here's a clue, Oligarchs: in any sane Universe, possession of a plant substance is not a crime; it's not even the crime of Pre-Crime, which is a totally egregious and unconstitutional concept.
Partly just my opinion. Be Well
1. A day or two ago, our President stated publicly that he was very concerned over the use of militarized police in Ferguson, Missouri...relative to Mike Brown's death and the ensuing public protests. Incredible. For years and years, the Fed Gov't (including the Obama Administration) has been instrumental in purposely militarizing local police...with gear, vehicles, weapons, and training. The excuse given, of course, is the Boogie-Man who replaced the Communist--- the Terrorist.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for being protected against terrorism, but here's the problem. When police basically are turned into soldiers and use military-style vehicles in dealing with everyday citizens, a new dynamic becomes part of police-community relations. Common, law-abiding people are made to feel as though they ALL are some kind of "enemy". Peaceful protesters, exercising their Right to free speech suddenly are treated as if they are some sort of enemy. This violates long-held principles in this country, such as dissidents being able to voice their protests without fear, and the principle that the military should be used against citizens only in cases of EXTREME violence or insurrection.
2. Obama also stated just recently that journalists should not be harassed or jailed by the police just for trying to do their jobs. That statement is in direct contradiction to Brand Obama's actions via his Administration's relentless harassment of the New York Times reporter, James Risen. Never mind the Fed Gov't treatment of many other journalists whose "crime" appears to be that they're getting news stories from Fed whistleblowers.
All of the above illustrates some worrisome tactics of various Oligarchies. Too often, everyday people no longer are allowed to peacefully protest in this country. A day or two ago, a 90-year-old woman was arrested (with several other people) in a public space in front of the building that contains the Governor's Office in Missouri. They were protesting the situation in Ferguson. I'm wondering, did the police think this 90-year-old protester was a "terrorist", or some other threat to Missouri? I doubt it. The name of the Game in the USA today is to clamp down hard on lawful dissidence. The Oligarchs simply don't want to hear it. The abrogation of the First Amendment is nearly complete. Politicians still tell us that we have the Rights of free speech & assembly, and the Right to petition our Government...but in reality, we rarely are allowed to exercise those Natural Rights. Those at the highest levels in our Gov't, like Obama, say one thing and then do another...and they don't even try to hide it anymore. Instead, they simply spew out Gov't-Speak and Edward Bernays style propaganda.
Another long-standing tactic of Oligarchs and their Cronies in Government, a tactic being exacerbated in recent years, is instituting the idea of the "crime" of PRE-CRIME into our supposedly free society. So, for example, lawful and peaceful protests are confined to designated areas---usually distant from the event being protested---because someone MIGHT break the law. Or worse, public protesters are immediately arrested and hauled off because they MIGHT commit a crime. The protester is guilty of Pre-Crime. Another example--- pre-emptive invasions of certain foreign countries are deemed by the Oligarchs as Constitutional and ethical because the "enemy" country MIGHT attack us or our allies in the future. The "enemy" is guilty of Pre-Crime. This was Dubya Bush's primary public reason for invading Iraq in 2003. The private reason, I'm guessing, is a completely different story. Another example--- it is against the law to possess certain plant substances and imbibe them behind the closed doors of your home. The reason: you MIGHT commit a crime once you become "high". This concept, of course, does not apply to America's Drug of Choice, booze. You can possess all the alcohol that you so desire. That's because we discovered a long time ago that prohibition of substances does not work...never has, never will. I guess that lesson has been lost. Here's a clue, Oligarchs: in any sane Universe, possession of a plant substance is not a crime; it's not even the crime of Pre-Crime, which is a totally egregious and unconstitutional concept.
Partly just my opinion. Be Well
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