Democratic & Republican Hierarchies FEAR Third Parties

Evidence of the truth of the title above can be found in the refusal to allow any Third Parties to participate in the upcoming Presidential Debates.  That refusal is the policy of the private corporation that manages the debates.  Republican & Democratic "aristocrats" run that corporation.  Evidence also can be found in harsh Ballot-Access Laws put in place by Dems & Repubs.

What are they afraid of...why do they fear Third Party participation?  It's simple:  Third Parties primarily talk about significant issues instead of personalities.  The very last things that elite Dems & Repubs want to talk about are the issues.  Look at the current campaign.  Except for a few Hot-Button social issues, the candidates of the Repub-Dem Party mostly talk about how horrible is each one's opponent.  Major issues either are not mentioned, or glossed over in a cursory way.  Neither candidate talks in depth about our controversial military adventures overseas, or our failing economy, or our support of dictators in various parts of the world, or our crumbling infrastructure at home, or the failed "War on Drugs", or the broken Fed Criminal Justice System, or the Israeli-Palestinian problem (& our part in it), or Climate Change, or the fact that for 2-3 decades wages have been stagnant while the incomes of the Super-Rich increased 700%, or the trashing of the Fourth Amendment, or Legislative Absolutism, or Executive Absolutism, or the Fed's failed Monetary Policy, or the WTO problem, or the TPP problem, or the Trans-Atlantic Trade Agreement problem (the acronym once was TATA, but they keep changing the name of that Agreement...I don't know what it is currently), or the Eminent Domain problem, or the Money/Debt Bubble problem, or the Wall Street Mega Bank Casino Capitalism problem, or Crony Capitalism in general, or the $1.5 quadrillion Derivatives Bubble problem...and on & on.

Noam Chomsky is right when he states that major political candidates are marketed just like toothpaste--- the objective is to get uninformed consumers/voters to make irrational choices about vaguely-described products/candidates.  [I refer you especially to Obama's 2008 Campaign...he won a top marketing award from the Ad Industry for that Hope-Change-Yes-We-Can effort.]  The last thing the Powers-That-Be want is for voters to be informed on the issues and thus make rational choices about candidates whose positions on issues are described in depth.  The second-to-the-last-thing they want is to have Third Party candidates who concentrate on the issues get on the ballot in all 50 States and speak in debates watched by millions of Americans.

There is no true, participatory democracy in the USA; there is, however, a Rigged System.  Boycott the national elections...or at the very least, vote for a worthy Third Party candidate.  Dump the Repub-Dem Party.  [As the Pulitzer-Prize-Winning journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out on Democracy Now today, the Clinton Dem Party is to the Right of Dubya Bush regarding Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank.  There really is only one major Party in this Land.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Financial-Economic Crash Update

Below is an email I just sent to a few family and friends.  There's a tiny bit of editing... nothing important.
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Maloney is correct (see link below):  this is undeniable evidence that we're in a Recession; there is no "recovery".  Since '08-'09, we've had a series of weak "dead cat bounces", not just of the Stock Market, but of the entire economy.  They haven't been sustainable.  The current Stock Market is a poor indicator anyway--- it's in an artificial Bubble created completely by the Fed... and the chickens are coming home to roost... probably within a year or so... at most, by no later than 2020 or thereabouts.  Just a guess.  No one knows "when", but there is no more "if".  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1He-bpM8MI

Sorry, folks, but now there's little to no doubt that we're in for really bad economic times.  Don't believe the Propaganda from the Powers-That-Be.  NeoFeudalism is on its way.

Get out of Mega Banks, get out of the Stock Market, stock up on household goods, hang onto and/or acquire as many hard assets as you can, cash in any T-Bills (Fed Bonds) you might have, squirrel away some cash, and watch the Bond Market rather than the Stock Market.  The current Housing Bubble is predicted to burst anywhere from very soon to no later than 2024.  The Dollar Crash could be anytime... all that's needed is for China, Russia, India, etc. to accumulate a little more gold.  Once China launches a (to some degree) gold-backed currency, the sound of the rush from the Dollar will be deafening.  That's only one event that could bring down the Dollar; there are several.

Once one Sector goes, the obscene, bizarre Financial Derivatives Market (estimated at $1.5 quadrillion) will bring everything down...probably worldwide.  Banks, Mega Hedge Funds, Insurance giants, et. al. are making billions off Derivatives sales (while creating essentially zero jobs in the process), but don't have enough reserves to cover all defaults.  It's 2008-09 on steroids...super steroids.  Be Prepared.

Don't let the State-Corporate Complex mold your mind anymore.  Reject all Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.  You can't miss it; they don't even try to lie with subtlety anymore.  It's blatant lying:  "There's no price inflation worth mentioning"; "The unemployment rate is now only 5%"; "The dollar is strong"; "The Fed has it under control...they're doing a great job"; "The recovery is proceeding"; "Some banks are too big to fail [and prosecute]"; and on & on.  Please, enough of the lies.

By the way, this is not a Right v. Left issue.  Forget that paradigm; this is way above that distraction.  To use an educational metaphor:  this is at the post-doctorate level; the Right-Left paradigm is at the second grade level.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"A Fraud...Upon the American People"

I remember well the days when the League of Women Voters, a totally nonpartisan group, was in charge of moderating Presidential Debates in this country.  That was in the 1970's and 1980's.  At the end of the League's stint, the Repubs & Dems rejected about 80 proposed questioners for the debate...as well as numerous tough questions.  Later, the Republicrats came up with a nontransparent contract sanitizing the debate, saying who should be in the audience, and determining the exact questions that would be allowed.  The League resigned with this statement:  "A fraud is being perpetrated upon the American People.".

That's how we wound up with a private corporation run by the Dems & Repubs, the Commission on Presidential Debates, being in charge of the debates.  The word "Commission" makes it sound as though it's some sort of public, representative, all-encompassing entity.  It isn't...not by a long shot.  This private company determines who is allowed to debate, who will moderate the event, what questions will be allowed, and who is allowed in the audience.  This is rigging to the Nth degree.

At least the top three "Third Parties" should be allowed to participate in the upcoming debates...regardless of any percentage in polls.  Why not?  Isn't that democracy in action?  If the Republicrats claim that there isn't enough time for that amount of participation, that's pure hogwash.  Look at how many candidates were in the Primary Debates.  Four, five, or even six candidates wouldn't hinder anything in the major Presidential Debates.  Quite the opposite:  such a scenario would enhance the choices for the electorate.  The fact is:  without being in those debates, a candidate has little to no chance to garner votes.  That's how the monopoly eliminates its competition.

[See the first featured segment on today's broadcast of Democracy Now, Thursday, August 18, 2016.  Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and others have something important to say.]

A private corporation should not be allowed to have complete control over those debates.  That's not democracy...that's Soft Fascism.

Okay, you're all excited about politics.  In this Rigged System I can't imagine why, but good for you.  Now, why not insist that Oligarchical control be relinquished, and instead, genuine participatory democracy be instituted?  Why not?  Habit?  Break out of the box.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Extreme Ignorance of the Don... and the Rigged Game

Let me state again at the outset:  I don't support Clinton, either.  In fact, there isn't a single candidate running this year that I would even consider supporting... not necessarily because of the individual, but rather because the entire System is rigged.  In the present Crony Capitalist atmosphere, it doesn't really matter at all in any significant way who gets into high office.  For that to matter, first the corruption must be changed by peaceful pressure from outside the Rigged Game.  People have been trying to change it from the inside for at least about 100 years...no luck.

Donald Trump can't be a serious candidate...not with the statements he has made for months now.  I'm beginning to suspect that his only function is to guarantee the coronation of Clinton.  Following are just a few of (supposedly) the Don's beliefs... which are extremely ill-informed.

1.  He stated today or yesterday that Iran is the biggest supporter/promoter of State-sponsored terrorism in the entire world.  One only can assume that by "terrorism" he means that of ISIS and Al Qaida... you know, the ones who are Sunnis... the ones who are the sworn enemies of Iran... that same Iran that is in the Shia sect of Islam.  Apparently (& we certainly don't know this for a fact) Trump is unaware that there's a Sunni-Shia civil (or religious) war going on throughout the Muslim portion of the Middle East.  I find it quite incredible that a major candidate for national office here would be unaware of such a thing.

2.  Not long ago, he stated that Obama was the "Founder of ISIS".  He didn't explain why, but I'm fairly sure where that reasoning lies.  [By the way, I'm certainly no fan of Obama's...I think he's a Corporatist and a Perpetual War Hawk, as well as a gross violator of the Constitution.]  It is true that when Obama took office in January, 2009, he was in a big hurry to exit Iraq.  After we left that country, the U.S.-installed Shia gov't there began to oppress the Sunni residents even more...and the Muslim civil war continued, thus giving rise to ISIS (disaffected Sunnis).  Trump's reasoning, however, ignores the Americans who were 99% responsible for generating ISIS:  Dick Cheney, Dubya Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Bremer, and a whole slew of behind-the-scenes NeoCon theorists.  By the time Obama first got in office, the whole thing already was a complete shambles.

3.  His statements regarding "extreme vetting" and Cold War style identification & handling of those "hostile to our values" essentially is a call to return to the McCarthyism of the 1950's.  Any major candidate calling for such a thing nowadays would have to be a total ignoramus.  That rhetoric appeals to perhaps 10-15% of the electorate...and turns off everyone else.  No serious candidate would ever make such a proposal... because instituting that policy would be completely un-American.  [Instead of "Hoo-ah", the Don's call to action is "H.U.A.C.".]  Anyone who can't see why that would be an extremely dangerous, slippery slope simply is not thinking on all cylinders.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"Political Correctness is Fascism Pretending to..."

be Manners"  ~ the late, great George Carlin

Amen, George...and Rest in Peace

Do a YouTube Search for the title in order to see the brief clip.  Unlike his others, this one has no cussing... for those who may be offended by "bad" language.  It absolutely destroys the concept of PC...and does it with great humor.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Reject Two-Party Politics in the USA

If ever there was a year to do it, this is the year.  Consider the following points.

1.  In Modern times, both the Repubs and the Dems each have individually held the majority power more than once.  Campaign rhetoric came to nothing in almost all such cases.  BOTH Parties have led us to where we are today.

2.  Except for a few Hot-Button social issues, the two major Parties pretty much agree on significant issues.  For example, they both believe in institutionalized deficit spending.  Repubs sometimes claim otherwise, but they've never stopped it.  Our National Debt grows every single year...and the principle on the foreign portion of that debt never will be repaid.  Another example--- they both believe in an aggressive foreign policy...and using (not just carrying) a Big Stick.  Another example--- they both believe in economically favoring Wall Street Banks over Main Street citizens.  Anyone who doesn't see that is not paying attention.  Another example--- they both believe in Crony Capitalism.  Big Money in politics has resulted in Mega Corporate Welfare that far outstrips welfare for common people.  There are many more examples, but because of time constraints, I need to keep this relatively short.

3.  Both major Parties almost always distract voters from crucial issues and get them to squabble over issues that may be somewhat important, but are not so crucial that they'll result in the downfall of the country if not addressed in a particular manner.  For example--- gun control.  Whether or not Joe or Jane Doaks can pack a pistol while going into Starbucks is not crucial to the survival of this country.  On the other hand, the elimination of Crony Capitalism is crucial to the survival of this country.  Another example--- Whether or not Joe and Dan...or Nancy and Jane...can legally marry is not crucial to the survival of this country.  On the other hand, the elimination of the aggressive, belligerent use of the military (while violating the Constitution) is crucial to the survival of this country.  It's way past time that our Fed Gov't stops acting as though it is the World Police.  We have no such authority.  According to a worldwide Gallup Poll, 80% of the people in the world believe that the greatest threat to global peace is the Fed Gov't of the USA.  [The Corporate Media here managed to suppress that bit of info.]

4.  There is no provision in the Constitution that restricts us to only two political Parties.  The Repubs and Dems have become dominant primarily by rigging the System.  For example, harsh ballot-access laws are written by...guess who?...Repubs & Dems.  It's almost impossible for a Third Party to get on the ballot in all fifty States in a national election.  Another example--- the Propaganda against Third Party candidates is both rampant and gross.
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On a related but different note... if we want to be a truly democratic society, it would be wise to legally alter our "winner-takes-all" electoral system.  Many, many developed countries have a system (or something similar) in which a Party winning a percentage of the vote gets that amount of representation in the Gov't.  [Even a coalition government is not a political sin, nor is it a bad idea... despite Propaganda to the contrary.]  The way it is now, we really have only one major Party--- the Republicrats, or some say, the Demopublicans... and that's the only Party in elected office.  It's a genuine political monopoly.

People say Third Parties don't have a chance in hell.  That's the Propaganda.  As long as voters believe that, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  If they no longer accept it as inevitable, then the door is wide open... all things become possible.  So, who promotes the no-chance-in-hell idea?... the Republicrats (Demopublicans), of course!  They, especially those at the highest levels, want to keep their monopoly.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Trump Wonders Why We Can't Use Nuclear Weapons???

As reported on Democracy Now, according to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough--- months ago a foreign policy expert went to advise the Don, and three times Trump asked (regarding nuclear weapons), "If we have them, why can't we use them?".  If true, that's the only reason anyone needs to dump Trump.

Clinton should be dumped as well...simply because she's a Neoliberal, Perpetual War Hawk.  Don't take my word for it--- ask Bill Moyers, Cornel West, Chris Hedges, Jeremy Scahill, Ralph Nader, and many others... listed on a previous post on this site.

This is the year to opt out of the corrupt, Rigged Game.  If you don't think so, Google this Neoliberal Think Tank Report---  "Extending American Power: Strategies to Expand U.S. Engagement in a Competitive World Order".  Just what we don't need--- an extension of American Power.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well