"War is a Racket" Redux

I posted this essay about a year & a half ago.  It's still brutally relevant today, especially with the NeoCons in the current Administration--- Bolton, Pompeo, Pence and the like ---up to their usual Warmongering.
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"As I look back on my 33 years of service in the Marines---from Second Lieutenant to Major-General---I realize that I've been nothing but a thug for Bankers and Big Corporations."  ~ General Smedley Butler

See brainyquote.com for more quotes by General Butler.

Only people who don't know what's going on still believe that our brave & well-meaning military folks are fighting for freedom, democracy, etc.  In actual fact, they are the unwitting enforcement arm of our Fed Reserve Bank and other Western World Mega Banks, as well as other major Corporations whose leaders believe they are the real rulers of the world.  Butler clearly pointed that out in his book, War is a Racket.

Now (& for some time) that both Repubs & Dems in DC pretty much ignore and/or violate key parts of the U.S. Constitution, the Corporatists are free to complete their establishment of Global Private Rule.  Public Governments still will exist, but only as window dressing.  By the way, none of this is a "grand conspiracy"; to the Powers-That-Be, it's simply "good business practice" and "the best thing for the world".  It's also important to grasp the fact that Corporatists are NOT Free Market Capitalists; instead, they are Fascists.  The very last thing they want is a Free Market.  They prefer a series of Monopolies supported by their puppet governments.

To those who believe Trump is fighting all this, and is the champion of the Common Man, you are sadly mistaken.  Trump is the quintessential elitist, Corporatist, Establishment, Crony Capitalist...the worst kind of capitalist.  He's a serial liar, a Super-Rich snob, a gaslighter, and doesn't care at all about the bottom 90-99% of the USA's citizens.  He's just telling you what he thinks you want to hear.  His whole history proves all the above.  Study it, and then you'll see.  A good start is the documentary, "Meet the Trumps:  from Immigrant to President"; it can be found online.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

p.s.  I'm an Army Vet and a gun owner.  Not only Vets, but ALL of us need to wake up to the fact that War (especially the current & recent ones) is not about "spreading democracy".  Instead, it's about economics and finance.  The main beneficiaries of it are Mega Corporations, especially Mega Banks.

War is a Racket

"As I look back on my 33 years of service in the Marines---from Second Lieutenant to Major-General---I realize that I've been nothing but a thug for Bankers and Big Corporations."  ~ General Smedley Butler

See brainyquote.com for more quotes by General Butler.

Only people who don't know what's going on still believe that our brave & well-meaning military folks are fighting for freedom, democracy, etc.  In actual fact, they are the unwitting enforcement arm of our Fed Reserve Bank and other Western World Mega Banks, as well as other major Corporations whose leaders believe they are the real rulers of the world.  Butler clearly pointed that out in his book, "War is a Racket".

Now (& for some time) that both Repubs & Dems in DC pretty much ignore and/or violate key parts of the U.S. Constitution, the Corporatists are free to complete their establishment of Global Private Rule.  Public Governments still will exist, but only as window dressing.  By the way, none of this is a "grand conspiracy"; to the Powers-That-Be, it's simply "good business practice" and "the best thing for the world".  It's also important to grasp the fact that Corporatists are NOT Free Market Capitalists; instead, they are Fascists.  The very last thing they want is a Free Market.  They prefer a series of Monopolies supported by their puppet governments.

To those who believe Trump is fighting all this, and is the champion of the Common Man, you are sadly mistaken.  Trump is the quintessential elitist, Corporatist, Establishment, Crony Capitalist...the worst kind of capitalist.  He's a serial liar, a Super-Rich snob, a gaslighter, and doesn't care at all about the bottom 90-99% of the USA citizens.  He's just telling you what he thinks you want to hear.  His whole history proves all the above.  Study it, and then you'll see.  A good start is the documentary, "Meet the Trumps:  from Immigrant to President"; it's found on Netflix and elsewhere.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

This is Not Free Market Capitalism

This will be short.  For decades, I've been an informal student of economic systems, and in particular, Free Market Capitalism.  From all I've read and seen, there is no such thing in the world today.  Perhaps in the days of Adam Smith (the 1700's) it existed, but no longer.  Even in the mid-to-late 1800's, during and shortly after the Industrial Revolution began, Free Market Capitalism was gone.  That can be shown quite easily.

1.  The great railroad barons, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould, essentially were given large tracts of land on both sides of the rail tracks by the Gov't.  That's not Free Market Capitalism (FMC)...it's Crony Capitalism.
2.  The tycoon banker, J.P. Morgan, sometimes would lend vast sums of money to the Fed Gov't.  That's not FMC either.  That's also Crony Capitalism.
3.  The great steel entrepreneur, Andrew Carnegie, was known by his critics as the "Crony Capitalist".

Today in the USA, and all countries with an intrusive central bank, Free Market Capitalism does not exist.  The proof of that is simple.  When interest rates essentially are set by central planning bureaucrats in, for example, the Fed Reserve--- instead of by the Market--- that's not Free Market Capitalism.  The fact is, we have a Mixed Economy in the USA.  So do almost all "democracies" in existence, including the social democracies (or democratically socialist countries) in Scandinavia and the rest of Europe.  I'm not saying that's good or bad; it's simply a fact.

My point here is this:  I believe Capitalism is a great economic system, but Free Market Capitalism is no more.  I'm really tired of the so-called "Right" claiming they practice FMC (as opposed to "Socialism"), and the so-called "Left" claiming that most of our ills are due to "Capitalism".  Neither one is correct.  Some of what Big Business practices is Capitalism, some is Crony Capitalism (aka, Fascism), and some is Socialism.  The same is true of our Gov't.  As to the Left's claims, many or most of our ills are due to Crony Capitalism and super-huge companies that may as well be monopolies.  That means the Gov't (Republicans AND Democrats) is partially responsible.

We definitely live in a Mixed Economy.  For example, we do have some Capitalism (mostly in the SMALL Business sector), but we also have not only the Fed Reserve interfering with the Money Market, but we have the V.A. Health Care System (a good thing), as well...which is pure socialized medicine.  The patients go to Gov't clinics/hospitals where they are treated by Gov't employees who use Gov't equipment and Gov't-purchased medicines.  Except for a small co-pay, it's all paid for by the Gov't.

Capitalism is here to stay, but it's not Free Market Capitalism.  It's a mixture of this and that.  Even China is embracing Capitalism to some degree.  Russia is now Crony Capitalism gone wild.  So to those on the Right, I would suggest this:  stop complaining about Socialism; we've had some degree of that in this Land for a long, long time.  To those on the Left, I would suggest:  stop complaining about Capitalism; it works, we've had some degree of it for a long, long time, and the problem is Crony Capitalism.  If you know what that means, then you know that the Gov't is a big part of the problem.

Not only my opinion.  Be well

 

Hoaxes and/or Lies by the Oligarchs (Plutocrats)

Here are just a few crucial ones---

1.  The Income Tax

Disregarding earlier, temporary income taxes in the 1860s (to fund the Civil War), the Big Kahuna was the Revenue Act of 1913.  It passed into Law shortly after the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was adopted.  [I won't get into arguments about whether or not the 16th was legitimately ratified.  That's a can of worms and could be argued until the End of Time...and is a waste of time.]  The purpose of the 16th Amendment apparently was to correct a glitch having to do with direct taxes and income from property & interest in the 1909 CORPORATE Income Tax law.

In passing the 1913 Revenue Act, the intent of Congress was to levy an income tax only on the very richest Americans.  [I forget the income threshold, but it was high.]   Only the top 2% of households were required to pay the tax; everyone else was exempt.  Furthermore, the tax was on income from property, rents, and interest, not wages.  [The top 2% had no wages.]  That was the original Income Tax Law.  Obviously, successive Congresses changed it...23 times if I recall correctly.  I sincerely doubt that We the People wanted all those changes...to the point where the IRS does what it does today.

The point is this:  I'm fairly certain that most Americans are largely unaware of the information above.  We've been sold a Bill of Goods relative to the history of the Income Tax Law.  The original intent of it never was to tax the wages of average Americans.  That was rammed through by the Oligarchy later.

According to Reagan's Grace Commission, 100% of your income tax dollars is used to pay the interest on the National Debt.  [97% of all money in circulation in the USA is debt.]  Gov't services are paid for by other taxes, and more borrowing.

2.  The Cold War (1945-1989) Resulted in a Victory of Capitalism over Socialism

Not true, and here's why.  First of all, we had then and still have a Mixed Economy.  At best, it's Crony Capitalism, not Free Market Capitalism.  The only Capitalists in the Western World are SMALL business people.  Western societies, including the USA, have both a weak Welfare State AND strong socialism for the super-rich.  Corporate welfare abounds.  The State-Corporate Complex rules the day.  That is not Free Market Capitalism.  Secondly, when Lenin and his Gang seized power in Russia, socialistic institutions created during the 1917-1918 Revolution were eliminated.  Bolshevism morphed into Communism...which is a political system, not an economic system...and it's totalitarian.  Socialism is not a political system.  The Cold War resulted in the triumph of Democracy (of a sort) over Communism.

The point is this:  the Oligarchs in the Western World today continually claim that they are Free Market Capitalists and that the only other alternative is Socialism...which they claim was defeated by the Cold War.  None of that is a true picture of reality.  Crony Capitalists are not Free Market Capitalists; instead, they are married to the State.  Soviet Russia had a super-elite Class which practiced Totalitarianism...that's what was defeated by Democracy (of a sort) and a Mixed Economy.

Mega, transnational corporations and their propagandists falsely claim that they are Capitalists opposing Socialism.  What they really are (in general) is Fascists opposing the rest of us.  Both FDR and Mussolini defined Fascism as:  the marriage of the State to BIG Business.  That's pretty much what we have in almost the entire Western World today.  Even China now is more Fascist than Communist.  I don't remember any Communist countries ever having billionaire real estate moguls.  China does.

Don't buy into the Propaganda.  Despite their claims, the super-rich are not Free Market Capitalists and they're not opposing Socialism.  They are Neofascists and are opposing the rest of us.

3.  The Scam of Neoliberalism

In the USA, it dates back to at least the 1970s.  The overthrow (essentially by Nixon & Kissinger) of Allende and the installation of Pinochet in Chile on 9-11-73 (the other 9-11) was to be the first practical test of a portion of Neoliberalism.  What a disaster.  The implementation of this political and economic philosophy continues, but Oligarchs here have managed to keep it mostly in the shadows... until recently.  None of that is a conspiracy; to them, it's simply good business practice.  In general, most all Oligarchs today are Neoliberals.  Those at the highest levels are Democrats, or Republicans, or Liberals, or Conservatives in name only.  They don't care at all about those obsolete categories... except to use them as divisive propaganda.

Neoliberalism exploded in growth during the reigns of Reagan and Thatcher.  It continues today.  The goal is nothing short of domination of the worldwide economy and finance by super-rich elites and mega transnational corporations.  Its adherents agree with David Rockefeller, who stated publicly in 1991, "Surely it is preferable to have the world run by unelected elites than by the corrupt politicians of today.".  At least he got the "corrupt politicians" part correct.  He also thanked the Mainstream Press for keeping the Elites' work under wraps "for the past 40 years".  [You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried.]

The irony of this is that it seems some, perhaps many, of these Elites actually are altruists.  I'm convinced that some of them really believe that the world would be better off if it were run by the unelected super-rich.
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If all this seems convoluted, that's because it is.  It's so Orwellian that I'm afraid most people don't believe it.  Or, if they do believe it, they either don't grasp how it affects them directly or they think nothing can be done about it, or both.  And so it goes.

Not 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