Complexity Connections are why Powers-That-Be cannot seem to grasp the urgency of Earth's Global Crisis

If you're anything like me, for years occasionally you've pondered over the following questions.  With all the problems we've caused in the ecosphere, and the severity of same increasing at a fairly rapid rate, why do governments keep pushing each other to the brink?  Why do they keep going to war, which exacerbates ecological damage and ruins lives?  Why don't they wake up and realize global cooperation is required if we are to survive and thrive as aggregate humanity?  Why do they keep tinkering around the edges of the socio-eco-econ-ethical Crisis?  [I do realize there are many governments around the world to which the above does not apply*** , but it seems to me the overwhelming majority are guilty as charged.]

*** Norway comes to mind, and there are several others.  Overall, the U.S. Government is not in that ecologically literate club, and never has been.

I imagine there are several possible answers to the above questions; however, I believe the following has to be in the top three.  They simply don't understand the complexity and fragility of the ecosphere.  They just don't get it.  They grew up in a world of relative abundance in natural resources, and a population less than half of today's world population.  They seem to be stuck in the Past.

In addition, most politicians and their advisors cling to the idea of perpetually unlimited economic growth.  They believe any damage from such will be mitigated or eliminated by Technology.  So, full steam ahead!

To illustrate the interactions and connections they're missing - concepts which must be understood if we are to avoid the collapse of organized human existence - today I created the following diagram.  [The title is Complexity Connections.]  It harkens back to Barry Commoner's First Law of Ecology in 1971:  Everything is connected to everything else.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Message from Right Livelihood Laureates and members of the World Future Council to COP 27

 If we as a species are to significantly address not only the climate problem, but other eco-socio-ethical existential threats as well, then governments must adopt these eight policies.

https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Save-the-Planet-Statement.pdf

This is what it will take to avoid catastrophe.  Stop-gap measures and tinkering around the edges of the problem will not suffice.  So say those identified in the title of this essay.  They are correct.

All previous Climate Conferences have accomplished little to nothing regarding implementing real solutions to the Crisis.  Let's hope this one is different.  One of the hindrances to effective solutions continues to be the popular view of mainstream economics.  Its supporters appear to see it essentially as a secular religion.  As such, it is promoted and promulgated as faith-based, a "given".  Any challenges to it are treated as sacrilegious.

Governments must overcome that obstacle.  Science does not support such a view.  Mainstream economists in general are dead wrong in their belief that economics is larger than and separate from the natural world.  Reliance on linear mathematical equations and linear thinking has led them to such an erroneous conclusion.  Our Earth System is nonlinear.  As such, it has emergent properties either not accounted for or ignored by the bulk of today's economists and many business leaders in various industries.

Massive problems have arisen regarding our atmosphere, soil, water, wildlife, forests, prairies, the spread of disease (not only in humans, but also in other animal life and in plants, including crops), cities, and more.  Either directly or indirectly, neoclassical (AKA, neoliberal) economics and linear thinking largely are responsible for these problems.  [Over the last fifteen years, I've posted details of such causation throughout this blog and here:   https://ecologicalliberalism.blogspot.com/ .  Even more details are in my book, which I published in April.]

Hopefully, COP 27 will not drop the ball.  If they do, any further such conferences probably will be way too late.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The U.S. Department of Sustainability

In the article at the link in my last post, the author cites a few governments which are exceptions to the contention that politics and politicians essentially are incapable of effectively dealing with our worldwide Crisis.  The exceptions are:  "New Zealand, Bhutan,  most of the Scandinavian countries, [and] Germany perhaps...".  In my opinion, here are a few more (in no particular order):  Netherlands, Austria, Costa Rica, Portugal, and Uruguay.  There are several others, as well.  The USA is not one of them.

Despite the praiseworthy efforts of the exceptions above, the world as a whole is not yet where it needs to be relative to significantly dealing with the socio-eco-econ-ethical Crisis.  There are about 200 countries in the world today.  [That's not counting a few dozen which are not recognized by the U.N., but have declared themselves independent.]  The Crisis we are in is global, and surmounting it will require a global effort.  Furthermore, the "Market" will not solve the problem.  It will take Main Street, NGOs, all manner of other groups, the U.N., Business (of a flavor different from much of what we have today), and yes, Governments as well.

We all know that.  Or rather, all of us do except for most economists, most politicians, and a few others.  The problem here is 1) lack of knowledge in high places, and 2) the focus is on the wrong aspect of our existence, as follows.

1)  As pointed out in the essay by Julian Cribb, Leaders around the world (with a few notable exceptions) essentially are clueless when it comes to Ecology and Environmental Science.  They seem to think going Green means only solar panels, electric vehicles, and recycling.  A few probably add reuse and using less.  They appear to know little-to-nothing about the importance of biodiversity in Nature, the extent of toxicity in our environment, the nuclear waste problem, the nuke weapons problem, desertification, soil degradation, the extent of both income and wealth inequality and their impact, the problem of inequity, and on & on.

To compound the problem, the advisors of many Leaders are mostly lawyers or mainstream economists.  All they seem to know is the status quo.  On top of that, there's no (in the USA, at least) comprehensive, centralized Gov't agency with the purpose of implementing sustainability.  I don't even know which current agencies are working on it, probably in isolation.  None of the above bodes well for sustainability.

2)  It seems 99.9% of the time when government begins working on some aspect of the socio-eco-econ-ethical Crisis we're facing, too much emphasis is on the economy only.  Everything else is shoved to the back of the bus, or thrown under it.

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For those who still believe government plus technology is going to solve the Crisis, I suggest this:  "lobby" hard for a national Department of Sustainability.  Sustainability has three major components:  environmental, economic, and social.  In such a department, all three components must be equally represented.  It's a transdisciplinary field, and comprehensive thinking is paramount.  This proposed department should be staffed with botanists, wildlife biologists, ecologists, agriculturalists, anthropologists, ecological economists, industrial ecologists, and perhaps an environmental geographer, a climatologist, and an ethics philosopher.  [I imagine I left out an important field or two.]  With all that, government might come up with significant solutions.

How will the new department be financed?  There are numerous possibilities, none of which involve increasing taxes on wage earners.  For example, tax the billionaires 0.1% on their incomes.  They should be anxious to help finance the discovery of solutions.  Why?  Because civil society is at stake.  Or, cut the Defense budget by 1% (or some such number).  Or, cut the budgets of every current Department by some appropriate fraction of 1%.  Or, believe it or not, there are many millionaires who are divesting themselves of a large portion of their wealth.  Solicit their donations.  Or, root out the financial waste in all departments and use that.  Or, mix & match from the above.  Or, just "print" the money.  The Fed Reserve has been doing something similar to that for a few decades.  It's not good for the value of the dollar, but then, neither is the collapse of organized human existence.  Hello.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The OVERDUE Recession is Starting NOW

Preface
Below is the latest email (slightly edited here) I sent to family & friends.  The Recession hasn't officially started, because the Powers-That-Be in Gov't need at least two calendar quarters (I think) of data before declaring it.  Anyone who doesn't have his/her head buried in the sand, though, probably would agree:  this is the beginning.  Act accordingly, as follows.
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Be safe, & keep stocked up.  This is the start of a Recession...possibly even worse, a Depression.  Irrational exuberance re the economy already is evaporating.  Distribution of goods already is being affected.  "Runs" on grocery stores already (just barely) have started.

If anyone never has believed me in the past about the overdue Recession, believe this now:  it has started.  

The covid-19 Black Swan, predicted by Daniel Zhang, is at the beginning of crushing the economy.

We'll all survive that, but those of us with a cache of extra household goods (not just food) will be much more comfortable than others.  Distribution of goods eventually will slow way down...temporarily...maybe only for a couple of weeks, maybe for a bit longer.  It hasn't kicked into high gear yet, but it will...no one knows exactly when.  Stock up... food, OTC meds, paper goods, anything you use daily or weekly.

Thanks to the slow response (& lack of previous preparedness) by most governments--- especially in the USA ---covid-19 sooner or later will infect multiple millions, and will devastate the world economy.  If we all don't pull together on this situation, many fewer millions will die (directly or indirectly).  That's not hyperbole.

p.s.  Worldwide:  140,000+ cases; 5,300+ deaths; 123 countries (including "territories").

USA:  1,650 known cases; 41 deaths; 47 known States.
Compare these numbers to those in the March 10 post/essay immediately previous to this one.

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Not only my opinion.  "Be Prepared"  (A long, long time ago, I was a Boy Scout.  For those who don't know, that's their motto:)

Finally - It's About Time!

A day or two ago, there was a unanimous SCOTUS decision against excessive fines, fees, & civil asset forfeiture imposed by State, County, & City authorities.  Texas, in particular, is infamous for such practices, plus "Debtor's Prison" if you can't afford the freight.  Example:  a fine of $569 (if I recall correctly) for grass too high in a vacant lot (the back lot of a residential double lot).  The "court fees" are added to that...hundreds of dollars more.  If you can't pay immediately, chances are great that you go to jail.  In California, if you run a red light, the fine is $100; but $390 is added to that in the form of "fees".  $490 for trying (and failing) to make a yellow light.  Outrageous.

I didn't see this story on the Corporate TV News, but it was a lead story on Democracy Now.  The Corporate Media seem to avoid any stories that have even a hint of the growing poverty in the USA.

In some local jurisdictions, you can be fined hundreds of dollars for having anything dangling from your interior, rear view mirror...including a simple, small chain.

Civil (not Criminal) Asset Forfeiture (CAF) applies even if you're not convicted of whatever "crime" or code violation is involved.  Your assets can be seized in addition to fines imposed, or simply because they "look suspicious".  When you apply to get your property back, it has already been auctioned off...& you get no cash compensation.  This has been going on in the Land of the Free for about 25-30 years.  It started because counties & cities lost huge tax revenue when manufacturing moved South of the border or overseas---Corporatist Globalization.  So, excessive fines & fees AND CAF have been used to raise local revenue.  SCOTUS finally ruled against it.

Apparently, even NeoCon Justices do something ethical once in awhile.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"Fear", "Quiet Resistance", Plutocrats, & In Plain Sight

While Bob Woodward's book, Fear, and the NYT Op-Ed by Anonymous are welcome by anyone who believes in a free society and an honest, transparent government, let's keep something in mind.  Most all the recent information about Trump has been blatantly obvious for a long time to any outsider with even just a modicum of interest in American politics.  His serial lying, half-baked ideas, fear-mongering, erratic behavior, crass behavior, ignorance, incompetence, etc. are---for the most part---in plain sight.  Yes, it's good to have all that confirmed by insiders, but most of this has been evident for years.

Years ago, Trump was trained by the Mob lawyer, Roy M. Cohn.  Cohn taught The Don to use lies and appalling behavior in counter-attacks against critics.  Anything to distract people from the original criticism of Trump.  Anything to change the subject and the focus.  If one looks closely at the history of Trump, that pattern jumps right out at you...to this very day.

Example:  Trump claims that Bob Woodward, a respected journalist, "has a credibility problem".  No, Mr. President, you're the one with that problem.  That statement by you is another in a long series of outright lies.  Everyone knows that, unless they have been propagandized to the hilt.

In a way, Woodward and Anonymous essentially are whistleblowers.  Those who expose wrongdoing, bad behavior, illegality, etc. rarely ever are treated well by Plutocrats...in or out of government.  Instead, such people are attacked, smeared, and even criminalized.  Plutocrats like Trump can't stand transparency, especially in government.

I've been closely following American politics since 1956, and never have I seen an Administration as egregious and dangerous as Trump's.  The current crop of Plutocrats in DC truly is beyond the pale.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Again, a reminder--- I'm not a Democrat or a Republican.

The Appalling Gall of the U.S. Government

From beyond the grave, George Orwell must be having a belly-busting laugh.  I wonder if he knew that his writings were so prophetic.

On the News tonight (Sunday, April 22), there was a piece titled "Accidental Americans".  It was about a few folks who had been born decades ago in the USA, and then shortly thereafter, they and their families went back home to (in these cases) France.  By "shortly thereafter", I mean days or a couple of weeks.

Enter the Fed Government's IRS...that's the part of our Gov't to which I'm referring in the title above.  The IRS has decided that income taxes should be levied against not only residents, but anyone born here as well...even if they left as babies, never to reside here again.  So now these adults in France (and probably some other countries) are faced with US Income Taxes on their French incomes.  That makes no sense whatsoever.  I challenge anyone to explain sensibly how that action is justifiable.

The US IRS has a long history of exhibiting very little common sense.  This is another example of that; additionally, the agency too often adopts Gestapo-like tactics in "enforcement" actions.  It also glaringly shows how the Fed Gov't often displays zero respect for an individual's sovereignty.

I suspect that some people, perhaps many, fail to grasp the concept of "sovereignty".  It seems that too many people believe only The State has sovereignty, and that the concept does not apply to individuals.  In an ethical world/society, The State only REPRESENTS the sovereignty of We the People.  It's individuals who possess sovereignty, not governments.  That's why Plutocracies and Oligarchies around the globe constantly are propagandizing their citizens to believe that they live in a "democracy".  The USA is a prime example:  we don't live in a democracy; instead, it's a Plutocracy through and through.  It always has been.  The few politicians in our history who tried to change that were either marginalized or eliminated.

Wake up, Americans--- the Rich & Super-Rich rule us...to their benefit, and our detriment.  Now they're trying to do the same to people who don't even live here, and never have worked here.  Kudos to the lady in France who stated in the News interview:  "I'm not going to pay it [the U.S.-imposed income taxes].".  Why should she?  She never worked here in her whole life!  The gall of the IRS is beyond the pale.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Nukes and Trumpistas

As reported on Democracy Now, 122 nations have signed a Treaty banning the use of nuclear weapons.  [It's astounding to me that the People of any nation anywhere allow their government to build and possess such weapons.  I guess it's a testament to the power of Edward Bernays style Propaganda.]

Naturally, none of the Nuke Nations signed the Treaty.  Perhaps their leaders should watch or re-watch (it's on YouTube) the 1983 ABC movie, "The Day After" with Jason Robards.  That's the movie that caused Reagan (according to him) to begin the process of re-examining his belligerency toward Russia.  The Trumpistas (Fascistas) in our Gov't definitely need to see it...even though it probably wouldn't do most of them any good.   It's difficult for many "True Believers" to let go and consider alternatives.

The movie starts out a wee bit sappy or what I call "schmaltzy", but quickly becomes a riveting drama depicting the aftermath (in the Midwest) of a nuclear war.  It's not for the fainthearted.

I know all the arguments against banning nukes...and they aren't worth spit.  It's entirely possible to defend a nation without using or even just possessing nuclear weapons.  It's also entirely possible for a People to peacefully force its government to go non-nuke...but only if those people truly have the will to do it.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Clinton's Lead is Now Over Two Million

Though the election is over and Trump is the President-Elect, Clinton now has over two million more votes than the Don... and there still are uncounted votes.  We have quite an unusual "democracy", eh?  I suggest our leaders stop the hypocrisy, and stop calling our form of gov't a democracy.  Obviously, it isn't.

[I'm in favor of a genuine democracy, but not in favor of either Clinton or Trump.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Existence of Nukes & the War on Painkillers Support the Case Against...

Governments/Elites/Corporatists/the Ruling Oligarchy.  What is that case?  It's the proposition that governments no longer represent the will of the People... that is, on most significant issues.  In general, that's because governments are puppets of the Corporatocracy, and in fact, a part of the Corporatocracy.

I suspect that, except for a few "True Believers", no sane person on Main Street thinks any gov't should be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.  It's simply common sense.  And yet in this country, we have a situation in which I'm not allowed to buy over-the-counter (OTC) codeine for my chronic pain, but the Fed Gov't is permitted to not only possess WMD, but also to launch a one trillion dollar program to develop "tactical" nukes.  Then the weapons will be more usable... supposedly.  We'll make smaller areas uninhabitable for 10,000 years.  Such wisdom.

In my lifetime, codeine was available as an OTC drug.  [It's probably the most innocuous narcotic painkiller in existence.]  Then the Neoliberals began to take over our puppet gov't.  [It began with Reagan & Thatcher and the "Washington Consensus".]  Of course, I could get a prescription for codeine...except that wouldn't do me any good.  The only rural clinic I'm able to access around here doesn't carry any painkillers other than OTC drugs.  And why is that?  Because the DEA compliance requirements are too burdensome, that's why.

What's ironic is that the "Washington Consensus" (developed & promoted by Neoliberals) and its True Believers promulgated deregulation and privatization.  At the same time, they accelerated the so-called "War on Drugs".  What a contradiction.  What hypocrisy.

To those who argue that opiate painkillers are "dangerous", I would counter with the following:
1.  So is booze, America's drug-of-choice.  Adults are allowed (in a "free" country) to manage their own affairs and buy all kinds of "dangerous" substances without a Permit.  Every year, about a dozen people celebrate their 21st birthday by drinking too much...and then keeling over, dead.  Thousands of drunk drivers kill thousands of innocent people every year.  Hundreds of thousands of alcoholics die each year from alcohol-related disease.
2.  Until moving to this rural area, I was taking codeine for chronic pain for 12 years.  Guess what?  I functioned just fine, worked, lived Life, & didn't die.  Now, and for the past four years, I'm debilitated every day by pain...simply because Neoliberal Nanny won't allow OTC codeine.
3.  Pencils don't misspell words.  People do that.  If some adults can't manage narcotic painkillers properly, that's not my problem.  My problem is distracting, debilitating pain.
4.  To extrapolate this issue--- prohibition of substances doesn't work; it never has, and never will.  But, you see, the so-called War on Drugs is a huge government industry.  It's also a way to incarcerate people, and thus benefit another huge government industry.  Finally, it's easier to catch blue-collar, drug "criminals" than to catch those with white collars in the Financial Sector.  Besides, the white-collar criminals contribute greatly to political campaigns.

Again on the subject of nukes, the current situation in the world is Orwellian.  It demonstrates the inability of We the People to peacefully combat Oligarchs and their puppets.  [Violence against the Ruling Oligarchy is NOT a sane option.  It would usher in the Mother of All Police States, much worse than the one we have now.]  Thus, we are treated like "the bewildered herd" (a term coined by the "Progressive", Walter Lippmann).  We are propagandized into believing that we can't properly defend our country without these insane weapons.  That's BS.  There's nary a peep from us when Obama launches a trillion-dollar nuclear weapons upgrade program that will take ten years to complete.  A trillion dollars.  Meanwhile, bridges collapse, roads crumble, trains run off the tracks or into each other, water systems turn to poison, vehicles are unsafe, highways are inadequate, air pollution continues, nuclear waste storage is inadequate, veterans are mistreated while more of them die from suicide than from combat, the mentally ill are shot, the Fed Reserve tanks our economy while giving free loans to Elites, and on & on.  Oh, yessir, we really need to spend gobs of money on more and different nukes.  Don't you know, we don't have enough of them.  Yeah, right.

It isn't that we can't bring Neoliberal Oligarchs under control peacefully; rather, it's that we don't have the will to do it.  I guess that's due mostly to Propaganda, partly to distraction, partly to apathy, and perhaps partly to a feeling that it's hopeless to oppose the Powers-That-Be.  All of that must be overcome if we are to have a truly free, participatory democracy.  Until then, we're the bewildered herd, the spectators, the ignorant masses, etc. (all terms from Oligarchs of the past).  In the 1970's, the Trilateral Commission---a Globalist Think Tank---came out with its first Report.  It was book-length, and the title was The Crisis of Democracy.  It was written by Globalist "Liberals".  According to them, the "crisis" was that America had too much democracy.  They said that had to change.  It did.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Carroll Quigley on Our Government

[This piece was edited at 9 AM, Mountain Time.]

The brilliant historian, Professor Carroll Quigley, had this to say about our Gov't in 1966:

"The tragedy is that we no longer have a representative government in this country; the hope is that the little people will come to accept that...because there is nothing they can do about it."  

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No one understood the Power of the Shadow Gov't better than Quigley.

Bill Clinton thought so much of Quigley that he mentioned the good professor in his Inaugural Address.

Quigley considered himself a member of the Elite Class, hence his use of the phrase, "the little people".

The Shadow Government is much more powerful today than it was in 1966.

Not only my opinion. Be Well

Redux: Our Jury Rights are Being Trampled Upon

I'm re-posting this piece because it's extremely important to the concept of Freedom... especially now, given the plethora of unconstitutional "Laws" currently in force in this great Land.  [The previous title was "The Last Bastion".]

The last sane bastion against an errant government (not counting armed revolt, which nowadays is insane) is jury nullification. Very early in our country's history, the role of jury nullification as a defense against oppression by the State was unquestioned. It remained so until the 1850s, a time during which many juries began not convicting in prosecutions under the Fugitive Slave Act. Judges, seeing a mighty demonstration of the power of juries, began to change the rules of the Court. The primary and most devastating change was that juries would no longer be permitted (by judges) to judge the law; they would be confined to judging only the facts of the case.

The new rules were (and still are) a blatant infringement on the rights of juries. That's not just my view...

"The jury has a right to judge both the law and the facts in controversy."
~ John Jay, First Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1789

"The jury has the right to determine both the law and the facts."
~ Samuel Chase, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1796
"The law itself is on trial quite as much as the cause which is to be decided."
~ Harlan F. Stone, 12th Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1941

Juries routinely are told by judges that jury members cannot judge the law, only the facts of the case. Not true. Numerous case decisions have upheld the right of any juror to nullify a "bad" law and vote to acquit. Example: "The jury has an unreviewable and unreversible power...to acquit in disregard of the instructions on the law given by the trial judge." U.S. v.Dougherty, 473 F 2nd 1113, 1139 (1972). Example: "...it is presumed that juries are the best judges of facts; it is, on the other hand, presumed that courts are the best judges of law. But still both objects are within your power of decision. You have a right to take upon yourselves to judge of both, and to determine law as well as the fact in controversy." [Emphasis added.] State of Georgia v. Brailsford, et.al. 3 U.S. 1 Dall. (1794).

So, why do jurors not know these things? The reason is simple: in

Sparf v. United States (1895), the Court decided that courts need not inform jurors of their de facto right of jury nullification even though the jurors' inherent right to judge the law remains unchallenged. All judges are aware of this. Rather than inform juries of all their rights, judges tend to intimidate jurors by telling them that they cannot judge the law.

All of this is crucial to individual sovereignty and freedom because governments practice Legislative Absolutism (a term coined by Justice Harlan in 1901), passing laws without any regard for constitutions (Federal and State). Other than bringing suit in a court of law, the aggrieved citizen has no legal and peaceful recourse except to rely on jury nullification. Bringing suit usually is very expensive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, relying on jury nullification depends upon having a fully informed citizenry, and jurors with courage and integrity...therefore, spread the word! We need fully informed juries.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

The Powers-That-Be are Lying

The Oligarchs don't lie about everything, but there are several crucial subjects about which they do lie often.  Following are some of those.

1.  Price inflation is stagnant.  The State-Corporate Complex can say this with a straight face because when they figure how much prices have increased, here's what's not included:  the costs of food, housing, and energy.  Those items are not part of what's called "core inflation".  To give credit where it's due, the Powers-That-Be are correct regarding energy costs...even though those are not counted.  Oil has tanked, no pun intended; that's good, but a guy like me drives only about 20 miles per week.  "Low" gas prices don't make up for the constant increases in food and sundry grocery store items.  Manufacturers of those goods either are raising prices outwardly or doing it surreptitiously by shrinking the size of product packages.  Plus, rent for housing in the USA (with a few exceptions) is skyrocketing.  An old dog like me cannot believe how high rental costs are nowadays.

2.  Unemployment in the USA is now 5.X%.  This lie is so egregious as to make one physically sick.  Reputable, credible economists and former Fed Gov't officials all across the political spectrum estimate that the true unemployment rate is somewhere between 20% and 43%.

3.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement will be good for everyday Americans.  The details of that abomination now are finally public; some were released earlier by WikiLeaks, but now we have the entire disaster available for scrutiny.  The critics (such as Lori Wallach of TradeWatch) are saying, "It's worse than we expected.", and they were harsh critics before the full text was released.  I've written about this before, so I won't repeat myself.  The details of this miserable Treaty can be found in lots of places, not the least of which is Citizen.org/TPP.  Promotion of the TPP by many in Gov't, the Corporate Media, and various other Mega Corporations is proof positive that Oligarchs don't give a damn about us.

4.  We are not at War...it's "counter-terrorism"; therefore, Geneva Conventions, Due Process, the Constitution in general, Ethics, and even Morality do not limit us when dealing with "enemy combatants".  That lie is so outrageous and defies Logic so much that I'm beginning to think that George Orwell was the greatest political prophet in all of History...bar none.  The Powers-That-Be are trying to sell us on the concept that the people we're fighting are neither soldiers nor criminals.  Sorry, Oligarchs, they have to be one or the other.  The term, "enemy combatant" is a fiction.  Due Process applies to everyone, even soldiers or criminals.  If it doesn't, we no longer are civilized, ethical beings.

5.  It is necessary to monitor everyone in the National Surveillance State.  Good grief, that is pure, unadulterated Propaganda...it's bullshit to the Nth Degree.  Why people are buying into that is beyond my comprehension.  Have mercy.

6.  We are in an Economic Recovery.  That statement is so blatantly ridiculous it defies not only Logic, but the imagination as well.  All one has to do to see it's not true is take a little time to do a serious, critical study of our economic condition...utilizing a wide variety of credible sources while ignoring Propaganda from the State-Corporate Complex.  The USA, and most of the world, is in a deep Recession and heading for a Depression that very well may be worse than the one in the 1930's.
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It's important to keep in mind that when it's "crunch time", when Institutions are in a bind, any Institution will protect itself rather than individuals or Individual Rights.  Natural Rights, possessed by all people, will be sacrificed by any Oligarchy upon the altar of expediency.  It is Institutions that constantly must be monitored...by us.  Remember the words of an Eastern philosopher:  we be many; they be few.  That is precisely why we are inundated totally with Propaganda from the State-Corporate Complex.  It's important to us and future generations that we think critically, speak out, deny unwarranted power to Institutions run amok, boycott those entities that trash Natural Rights, and do it all peacefully.  Violent actions beget more violence and complete suppression of the individual.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Political-Financial Complex

Ike was right when he warned us about the danger of acquisition of power by the Military-Industrial Complex.  Steve Keen, an Australian Economics Professor, is right when he warns us about the Political-Financial Complex...a term coined by him.

A perfect example of the Political-Financial Complex is as follows.  Not too long ago, a lobbyist for CitiBank essentially authored a Rider to a Legislative Bill in the U.S. Congress.  This was not just any old Bill the Rider was attached to---it was the Omnibus Spending Bill for the U.S. Gov't...if I recall correctly, it was a $1.1 trillion Bill.  The CitiBank Rider basically rolled back some protections that were in the Dodd-Frank law.  Dodd-Frank was nothing to write home about, but it did give some protection from out-of-control elements in the Financial Sector.

Mega Banks are major contributors to both Dems & Repubs in the U.S...at the same time; in other words, the Banks contribute to both Party candidates in the same election.  The reason for that could be innocent, but somehow I doubt it.  Then, too, we have estimates from a few different sources stating that in the 2016 national election cycle here, about $10 billion dollars will be spent by all major candidates.  That's not only a reflection of how debased the dollar has become; it's also an abomination.  It would be interesting to know how much of that total is/will be coming from Mega Banks.  At the end of 2014, five of the largest banks here had total assets of about seven trillion dollars.  Those banks are:  J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup (CitiBank), & U.S. Bancorp (U.S. Bank).  They could easily fund a very significant percentage of 2016 election expenditures.  [There are probably a dozen ways around rules limiting political contributions...if any of those rules still exist.]  I think it's very naive to believe that politicians are not influenced by major campaign contributions.  As someone (can't recall who) once stated,  "The Big Banks don't influence elections... they own them.".  Perhaps that's an exaggeration, but not by much.

According to CNBC, the banks listed above account for 45% of the banking industry.  Think: Sherman AntiTrust Act, Clayton AntiTrust Act, and Federal Trade Commission Acts.  Think: monopoly.  Think: common sense.  Since 2008, the "Too-Big-to-Fail" Mega Banks have grown by 37%.  So much for the politicians "protecting" us.  Those banks need to be broken up...ASAP.  Either that, or make banks public utilities. North Dakota has just such a public bank; it outperforms Wall Street while being heavily regulated.

All of this is not only a U.S. problem...it's a worldwide problem.  Those at the seats of public and private Power collude to convert publicly owned infrastructure into privately owned assets controlled by Mega Corporations.  "Austerity" is imposed on countries in order to save not their economies, but instead, to save the out-of-control Financial Sectors in those countries.  Banks weren't meant to be financial parasites engaged in speculating on bizarre, highly risky derivatives and other no-job-creating ventures.  They once served a legitimate, almost modest function:  servicing home, auto, and business loans.  The Mega Banks have become giant casinos... to the detriment of the Lower and Middle Classes around the world. Unfortunately, politicians everywhere aid and abet them.

Boycott Mega Banks.  They create almost zero new jobs.
Lobby to have them broken up.
Following the successful example in N. Dakota, lobby to have banks converted to public utilities. 

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Last Bastion

The last bastion against an errant government (not counting armed revolt) is jury nullification. Very early in our country's history, the role of jury nullification as a defense against oppression by the State was unquestioned. It remained so until the 1850s, a time during which many juries began not convicting in prosecutions under the Fugitive Slave Act. Judges, seeing a mighty demonstration of the power of juries, began to change the rules of the Court. The primary and most devastating change was that juries would no longer be permitted (by judges) to judge the law; they would be confined to judging only the facts of the case.

The new rules were (and still are) a blatant infringement on the rights of juries. That's not just my view...

"The jury has a right to judge both the law and the facts in controversy."
~ John Jay, First Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1789

"The jury has the right to determine both the law and the facts."
~ Samuel Chase, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1796
"The law itself is on trial quite as much as the cause which is to be decided."
~ Harlan F. Stone, 12th Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1941

Juries routinely are told by judges that jury members cannot judge the law, only the facts of the case. Not true. Numerous case decisions have upheld the right of any juror to nullify a "bad" law and vote to acquit. Example: "The jury has an unreviewable and unreversible power...to acquit in disregard of the instructions on the law given by the trial judge." U.S. v. Dougherty, 473 F 2nd 1113, 1139 (1972). Example: "...it is presumed that juries are the best judges of facts; it is, on the other hand, presumed that courts are the best judges of law. But still both objects are within your power of decision. You have a right to take upon yourselves to judge of both, and to determine law as well as the fact in controversy." [Emphasis added.] State of Georgia v. Brailsford, et.al. 3 U.S. 1 Dall. (1794).

So, why do jurors not know these things? The reason is simple: in

Sparf v. United States (1895), the Court decided that courts need not inform jurors of their de facto right of jury nullification even though the jurors' inherent right to judge the law remains unchallenged. All judges are aware of this. Rather than inform juries of all their rights, judges tend to intimidate jurors by telling them that they cannot judge the law.

All of this is crucial to individual sovereignty and freedom because governments practice Legislative Absolutism (a term coined by Justice Harlan in 1901), passing laws without any regard for constitutions (Federal and State). Other than bringing suit in a court of law, the aggrieved citizen has no legal and peaceful recourse except to rely on jury nullification. Bringing suit usually is very expensive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, relying on jury nullification depends upon having a fully informed citizenry, and jurors with courage and integrity...therefore, spread the word! We need fully informed juries.

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
......................................................
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

What Oligarchs Fear the Most

Recently I watched a couple of excellent documentaries on Netflix:  Genius on Hold, and Downloaded.  The first was the story of Walter Shaw, showing how the old AT&T (Ma Bell) ground this brilliant entrepreneur into virtual dust.  The second was the story of Napster and one of its founders, Shawn Fanning (& others who started the company).  The Napster tale isn't primarily about music "piracy"; instead, it's mostly about vertical vs. horizontal organization of society.  Both films are fascinating.

That brings me to the title of this piece.  Oligarchs, no matter where they are or whether they're in private or public Institutions, in my opinion fear this above all else:  that any society will gradually switch from vertical organization (or mode of operation) to horizontal organization.  With vertical organization/operation, corruption is more likely, unwarranted power is more easily obtained, and unfair control of the population or any subgroup is easier to impose.

I'm an old dog, but I really admire these young pups who are challenging the rule of Oligarchies... in communications, in the music industry, in the news media, in public institutions, and in business in general.  The Old Regime, with its head in the sand, is being run over by a bullet train.  Mostly it only knows how to be reactionary; so, for example, after they finally figured out how popular was Napster, the Music Industry Oligarchs sued about 18,000 of their customers or potential customers.  To their credit, they at last capitulated by deciding that perhaps I-Tunes would be good for the industry.  They still, however, are opposing systems that allow budding entertainers to produce and market their music directly... cutting out the Oligarchs.

We're in a Revolutionary Era.  Entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs have figured out that vertical integration of Institutions is a scam... and unnecessary.  The myth that we need a "Ruling Class" in business or even government is dying.  The Old Guard is kicking and screaming... and striking back.  But the bullet train just keeps coming.  Establishment tactics are being exposed.  For example, take NAFTA.  Oligarchs in Gov't and Big Business sold that scam to We the People on the basis that it would increase trade and create jobs here in this country.  It wasn't long before we determined that pretty much the opposite was true.  Basically, here's how NAFTA works---
Mega companies move their factories (along with the associated jobs) to Mexico, hire Mexican workers at very low wages and benefits, ship their goods back here, and sell them.  That's the "trade" generated by the scam known as NAFTA.

In the case of the News Media, I think most people have realized that when it comes to the term "mainstream media", the name "Corporate Media" is entirely accurate.  The mainstream outlets all are owned by mega, vertically integrated, transnational corporations.  To believe they have no oligarchical bias is, I think, being extremely naive.  A plethora of alternative, mostly independent, journalistic outlets have sprung up.  Those media often provide information that is never seen or heard in the mainstream "press".  Again, the Old Guard is kicking and screaming... and attacking... with Propaganda on an unprecedented scale.  Once in awhile, however, the Corporate Media realize how futile it is to stand in front of a bullet train in order to try and stop it, so they actually join forces with people like Glenn Greenwald or Julian Assange.  The tide is turning.  Oligarchs are beginning to try to become relevant to human affairs.

Most Oligarchies around the world, at least in the developed world, most of the time do not resort to brutal force and violence to control their human subjects.  They know that in all likelihood the People would not stand for it.  So instead, they rely on Propaganda, distraction, and circuses.  [As I've said over & over, it's NOT a "conspiracy"; for the most part, it's in plain sight.]  Keeping people apathetic and compliant is a priority.  What worries the "Ruling Class" now is that everyday folks are NONVIOLENTLY challenging the status quo in every field of endeavor... often successfully.

POSTSCRIPT---
All of the above is the main reason that the Internet is being attacked by Oligarchs.  The Web is the primary tool by which vertical organization of society eventually will be toppled... or at least, that type of organization will become less and less relevant.  The attacks often are not obvious; sometimes they appear as a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Politicians, in particular, must be carefully watched if the internet is to remain free and unfettered.  Just my opinion.

Be Well

Radiation

Having constructed and taught an Environmental Technician Training Program for a private vocational college, as well as having taught numerous HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) classes over the years, I know a little something about ionizing radiation. The main thing to remember about it is this: there is no such thing as a "safe dose" of ionizing radiation. There are instead doses which present an ACCEPTABLE RISK. Some people in government, the field of medicine, and the nuclear industry misleadingly use the term "safe dose" or the phrase "not dangerous". They should know better.

The probability is extremely high that everyone of my generation has radioactive strontium-90 in their bones. The cause of that was above-ground testing of nuclear weapons by various nations (including ours) in the 1950s. Depending upon how close one was to the explosions and numerous other factors, we "downwinders" have various amounts of the substance in our bones. What are the long-term effects? No one knows for certain. Who qualifies as a "downwinder"? Certainly everyone living at that time in both the temperate and tropical latitudes...because of global wind patterns. Those in the arctic latitudes most likely should be included as well.

We humans like to believe that in this day and age we know a lot about most everything on Earth. Well, guess what? People in the '50s felt pretty much the same way. I suspect that people in almost any modern time period felt that way. In the beginning of the Nuclear Age, it was thought that above-ground testing of nuclear weapons was "safe". I'm convinced that a small number of folks in positions of power and/or prestige knew better, but that knowledge never was conveyed to those who not long ago were characterized by the head of BP as the "small people". My point simply is this: those who now are saying that ionizing radiation from Japan will be dispersed to the point of rendering it "not dangerous" either are speaking without a sufficient level of knowledge (because no one has that amount of knowledge) or are being deceitful. I suspect it's the former, not the latter.

Various "experts", especially those in medicine, sometimes say something like: "You get more radiation from natural sources than you will from _________." They seem to think that makes __________ OK...and "safe". It puzzles me that anyone would come to such a conclusion. While it's true that we do receive some amount of ionizing radiation from natural sources, that does not mean it's "safe" to receive additional radiation from non-natural sources. No one knows the long-term effects of low doses/concentrations of ionizing radiation. No one. Such exposure may be an acceptable risk, but it's still a RISK.

A quick note on iodine tablets (usually potassium iodide). They only protect the thyroid (not other organs), and only against radioactive iodine (not cesium, plutonium, etc.).

History has shown us that we should put little stock in whatever the Government or the mega corporations say about ionizing radiation, especially if their pronouncements involve risk assessment. When their representatives claim that such-and-such ionizing radiation is "not dangerous", ALL they mean is that if you're exposed to it, you won't die vomiting and with your skin hanging in shreds. They have no way of knowing the long-term effects. Just remember one thing: "safe" or "not dangerous" only means acceptable RISK.

A Nonresponsive Government

Please view the Petitions for Redress of Grievances at http://www.givemeliberty.org/ (left side of page); they were signed by over 1,700 concerned citizens and formally presented to various branches of the Fed Govt over a period of a few years. No one from the Government has responded to any of them. Other Petitions have been submitted by various people (including this writer) with no responses. [I did receive ONE response from a member of Congress, but it was not relevant--- the response completely avoided all legitimate questions.]

Right now in Plainfield, NH, Ed and Elaine Brown virtually are under siege by U.S. Marshalls. In a tax trial during which they were not allowed to submit relevant Supreme Court case rulings or revealing portions of USC Title 26, Subtitle A, Chapter 1 (the Income Tax), they were convicted of tax evasion. They are in their home and have vowed resistance to being arrested.

What most people don't know, because the Corporate Media edit it out (if they cover the case at all), is that the Browns began writing the IRS in 1994---asking legitimate questions about the Tax Code---and continued for two years...BEFORE they began not paying taxes in 1996. They also cited relevant Supreme Court cases in their letters to the IRS, asking more questions about the Tax Code vis-a-vis the Court rulings. Their questions were never answered. The government was nonresponsive. For twelve years the government virtually ignored the Browns---ten of those years they did not pay taxes.

In 1774, our Founders established a precedent for withholding monies from a government that does not answer legitimate Petitions. Nonresponsive governments display arrogance, and should not receive any monies due---this according to our Founders. Furthermore, Jefferson himself stated that if a government ignores pleadings from the People regarding injustices, it is the duty of the People "to alter or abolish that government".

The Petitions at givemeliberty.org deal with Constitutional torts committed by our government in the areas of: the tax clauses, the war clauses, the Fourth Amendment, the money clauses, and other areas such as immigration. These Petitions are meticulous in their formats and legitimacy. By ignoring them, the Fed Govt displays not only hubris, but disdain for We the People as well. Meanwhile, the Constitution is being abrogated...again.

Many people are fed up with this situation. It is time to boycott the Fed Govt and its lap dogs, the Corporate Media and the large multi-national corporations, whenever possible. EXAMPLE: ABC, NBC, & CBS already are concerned that---according to their own studies---they have lost 2.5 million TV viewers over a period of a year or so. Let's make that five million...or more. Commercial network TV is 90% drivel anyway. EXAMPLE: Boycott Exxon-Mobil, the largest oil company in the world---and the one with the most obscene profits. EXAMPLE: Bombard Congress with emails, phone calls, or letters demanding the repeal of the REAL ID Act, which goes into effect in May, 2008. [See: http://www.downsizeDC.org/ ...scroll down, almost to the bottom.] Electronic tagging should be for animals, not humans. Besides, the Fed Govt has no Constitutional authority to have anything at all to do with citizen ID.