His tribe has been in power for thirty years, with plans to transfer authority from father to son. Yet despite the public disfavor and condition of his country, he continues to make personal appearances. He is responsible for the deaths of thousands of his own people and countless others, including civilians, by bullets and bombs. He routinely used detention without charge or trial, and torture against his enemies. He ordered electronic surveillance and spying on his countrymen and hired mercenaries to fight his foes. Even after falling from favor, he still believes that he's some sort of religious mystic who was placed in power by God, from whom he receives personal instruction, and he speaks in gibberish that no one else can understand. He is delusional, militaristic, and totally out of touch with the people of his country. During his reign, the elite prospered while the poor starved and went homeless. Anyone with such a record must be called to account for his criminal behavior, and George W. Bush certainly has a lot to answer for.Speaking of war criminals, Dick Cheney was the surprise guest at this month's annual CPAC Convention in Washington, where he presented the conservative organization's coveted "Defender of the Constitution" award to his old foxhole buddy, Donald Rumsfeld. There was enough irony in the hall to build a bridge. Cheney entered the room to the blaring of Tina Turner's "Simply the Best," reminding music fans that Cheney is an abuser like Ike was. Jr.Walker & the All Stars' "Shotgun" would have been a better choice. The old-boy reunion was spoiled by a crowd of libertarian Rand Paul supporters who had just listened to the new senator from Kentucky call for cuts in the Defense budget to loud jeering from the crowd. Instead of welcoming Cheney like a returning hero, they shouted, "War criminal," and "Where's Bin Laden?" at him, while the true patriots reverted back to the imaginative chant of "USA," to drown out their opponents. Because of a new heart device that constantly pumps blood, Cheney technically no longer has a pulse. (Insert your own joke here.) The ultimate irony is that the former vice president may need a heart transplant, but may be too old to qualify. I wonder who appoints Dick Cheney's "Death Panel?"
Donald Rumsfeld emerged from relative seclusion to go on tour promoting his new memoir, "Known and Unknown." The man Salon.com dubbed the "Architect of Terror," has been met by protesters at every stop and has shown a predilection for musings about meeting Elvis rather than the falsifying of intelligence to sell a war. Rumsfeld's appearance in Orange County, California was planned around a special banquet costing $500 per person, or $1000 if you wanted to meet the secretary. The "Premium Seating Package," including two seats at the head table, an additional table for ten, and a "VIP reception" following the dinner, cost a meager $25,000; chump change to an O.C. Republican. Earlier, Rumsfeld had accepted the "Victory of Freedom" award from the Richard Nixon Foundation at a dinner at the Nixon library in Yorba Linda, California. Over 200 people payed "hundreds of dollars" for the privilege of breaking bread with the man called, "The worst Secretary of Defense in history." And that was by John McCain.
It's The Godfather's most dramatic scene. Michael Corleone arranges for the elimination of the heads of New York's five crime families while he is in a church, standing godfather to Connie and Carlo's baby. After the ceremony, he tells his brother-in-law, Carlo, to go back to the house and wait for his call. The unsuspecting sap is on the phone when Michael enters with the look of the Grand Inquisitor on his face. Michael explains that he has just "settled all family business," and utters the chilling words, "You have to answer for Santino, Carlo." Thus, forcing the unfortunate turncoat to pay a long-delayed price for his role in the assassination of Sonny Corleone, and proving that justice, though not always swift, is inevitable. The invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the subsequent horror that followed, was a war crime. If we are to continue as a nation of laws rather than men, it is essential that the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld troika be told, "You have to answer for Santino." The lives of 4,757 American soldiers and a half-million Iraqis demand it. Democracy may be sprouting in the Middle East, but only when the era of privatized privilege passes from this land can we look ourselves in the mirror and ask,"What have we done?"
20 comments:
Lest we forget... "Born Again Hippies" reminds us. Good job,Randy.
thanks for the perspective randy.
will one of our "anonymous" colleagues stand forth and defend the bush admin to the degree that refutes the substance of randy's observations?
When one takes a serious look, there are many a Ka-Daffy quacking their loony toon ideas and orders to whomever they successfully manipulate. And they can be found not only among leaders of nations but in all branches and departments of goverrnment and throughout the private sectors of business, religion, academia, medicine, finance, etc. This, in part, is the delusional attempt to satisfy their own unexamined ego. The other part is where they satisfy their Porky Pig puppet master’s and crony’s desires for more, always MORE. “Don’t you have enough yet?” we ask. “Th-Th-That’s not all, Folks!” they state, while thinking, “Just a bit more should do it.” Right...
It is baffling to some how these “toons” simply do not-see the results of their pscho/sociopathic agendas. They cling tenaciously to the overwhelming, yet unconscious desire to not-see. This attribute causes them to be intimidating, instilling fear in those around them, who in turn become “not-sees.”
One question looms and needs answering by a deluded, oppressed citizenry: What’s up D.O.C.?
I agree, another strong column, Randy.
Ron
No defense of either of the Bushs from me. They were both in league with the globalist Oligarchs. They were not friends of what is left of our constitutional Republic. George did untold harm to America and I susupect that his ultimate goal is to usher in a North American Union. Bush was just a mini-Obama and paved the way for Obama to continue the rape of America and to finish the job that Bush started. In a sense, you guys are too hard on him. He helped to bring America down. Isn't that praise-worthy in your sight? Both political parties have worked in lockstep to de-construct and 'fundamentally transform' our country. Apparently Sputnik's 'Yellow Dogness' prevents him from saying anything about the Democrats' complicity. This is either the manifestation of dishonesty or ignorance on his part. If you think that Democracy is coming to the Middle East, you are about to have a rude awakening. The current dictators will be replaced by the rule of Muslim radicals. The more likely scenario will be the formation of the nucleus of a modern Muslim Caliphate. The new dictatorship will just assume a religious cloak. Then the beheadings, stonings, amputations, and general oppresion of the populace will continue. We shouldn't have to wait much longer to see if this is what pans out. Am I correct in assuming that your comment in regard to eliminating privatized priviledge in America is another way of saying the elimination of private property? If so, I am again stunned. I have been reluctant to assume that you are an outright Communist and I still hope that this is not so. How could a priviledged, middle class, private school educated, East Memphis boy who has enjoyed all of the good things provided by a free market capitalist system possibly become a Communist? That would be biting the hand that fed you and provided you with a life of relative ease and plenty. But then, maybe that contributed to the problem...easy come, easy go. It would be more understandable if you had grown up in the projects.
The most intelligent thing that Stokley Carmichael said was that capitalism is not the best economic system for a large number of essentially useless people. He wasn't being snotty, he was merely stating a truth. Take Stokely's statement as seed thought for contemplation and it will explain a lot...even in regard to the views held by many on this blog. Socialism is unquestionabley the best economic system for large numbers of essentially useless people. Cradle to grave state nanyism is a perfect system for our increasingly bovine population. It is perfect for the terminally dependent. And, terminal is a good word for what socialism comes to in the very end. Too bad for humanity.
“ Am I correct in assuming that your comment in regard to eliminating privatized privilege in America is another way of saying the elimination of private property?”
Allow to speak for myself and, I think, for others that would not consider themselves “communists.” There is nothing wrong with private property, and there is nothing wrong with common property. It all depends on the property, the situation, the ability to be responsible, and the practicality. Some bicycles should be privately owned by individuals who use them often, and some bicycles should be made available publicly for one time use. The same holds true for washers and dryers. I am not sure if land should be held privately in any complete manner.
Please try to imagine that we can have a mixture of both. We already do.
We need to protect the commons as they are being pillaged, or as one wise fellow recently noted: reduce or stop the pillage, spillage, drillage, and wildlife killage (including water, air, and soil).
The pendulum, at this stage, needs to swing back from private property and private courtesy to common property and common courtesy. privately
Dear The, please explain what characteristics places one into your category of “essentially useless people.” By “useless” do you mean useless to you and your purposes or useless in every way and to everyone?
One point I would make, prior to hearing your explanation, is that I am more concerned about people doing harm purposefully than individuals who lack ambition for personal gain. Give me a thousand lazy, good-for-nothing loafers, mendicants, contemplative monks, or depressed folks who have had their jobs exported, and let my society be rid of those individuals filled with ambition to rise in their illusory hierarchy, amass a greater fortune in their destructive games, appropriate and exercise more and more power over others, all while expecting to be the admired for their financial successes, especially when these successes are gained by despoiling the environment, gained through cutthroat business tactics and corruption of government, gained by domination and oppression of weaker and poorer individuals considered to be inferior, or should they “burn out,” as useless.
Performs, I was paraphrasing something that Stokely Carmichaeal said. 'Useless people' was his terminology. Jump on him, or rather jump on his grave. The rapacious capitalists that you raved about are the monopoly capitalists that I have mentioned before. They are very, very bad people. They are the capitalists who financially backed the Bolshevik Revolution, provided financing for the growth of the Soviet Union and they also financed the Nazis. These are the guys who devise wars and then profit from both sides of the conflict. These are also the capitalists who finance world socialism and many people can't figure out why uber-wealthy capitalists would do such a thing. The answer is very simple. Once the nations of the world come under the control of Marxism, they will control these governments. In other words, the monopoly capitalists will one day control the controllers. Their ultimate goal is to control all of the world's resources and what to them will be a very cheap labor pool...all of humanity. The so-called dictatorship of the proletariat will actually be a dictatorship of the monopoly capitalists. What a joke on the poor, deceived socialists who think that humanity will dwell in a future workers paradise. The truth will be closer to a gulag nightmare. These guys are despicable and worthy only of universal loathing. In a word, they are the embodiment of evil and someday everyone on the planet will be living under their thumb. That day may be closer than most people think. You confuse them for the small fry, moderately wealthy folks....people who just have a few million dollars or so. They aren't the problem. It is the BIG, BIG capitalists. Think in terms of the Rockefellers, or the Rothchild's. These guys make George Soros look like someone of ordinary wealth. In fact, Soros is in league with them. His hobby is collapsing national economies and he is just about to succeed in toppling ours, with the help of Obama and the far left. If you could grasp this, I wouldn't argue with you. Distinguish between those capitalists who are a problem from those that aren't. By the way, America is as good as dead. It would take a miracle of biblical proportions to save her, and this will NOT happen. When America falls, the plans of the global monopoly capitalists will fall into place pretty rapidly. And, one last thing. All of the bullshit about social justice was just a ruse to get the help of the well-meaning masses to help them usher in socialism to all of the countries of the world. That has been a big part of their scheme and it worked like a charm. It will be a very bad situation for everyone after this deal gets fleshed out. In the mean time, you guys keep on helping the bad boys to realize their plans.
Watcher, I am so sorry to say that I just can not quite grasp your vision of what is happening. As far as I can tell Big Biz and Big Finance have gained adequate controll of the government of the USA. They secured enough judges, legislators, and state executives to get most of what they want, which is, as you correctly state, everything.
“you guys keep on helping the bad boys to realize their plans.” What is this
“helping,” and what do you see as an alternative? What do you do?
I ran across this fellow’s vision of what is going on, and it happens to be what I have been writing about for many years. I think he it explains it better than I.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pythia-peay/america-and-the-shift-in-_b_822913.html
Pythia Peay
Author and writer on spirituality, psychology and the American psyche
Posted: February 26, 2011 12:15 PM
America and the Shift in Ages: An Interview with Jungian James Hillman
James Hillman -- psychologist, scholar, culture critic, and author of more than 20 books, including the bestselling "The Soul's Code" -- is one of the modern era's most original thinkers on the human and collective psyche.
Now approaching his 85th birthday, I spoke with Hillman as he was recuperating from two years of illness. "It's a new life," he told me. "A lot of reflection instead of ambition." The American psyche has always stoked Hillman's reflections; the following is the second half of an edited version of our conversation on the current zeitgeist.
Pythia: In our initial conversation you said that America today has a certain "tragic aspect." Can you say more about that?
Hillman: Everything that everyone is afraid of has already happened: The fragility of capitalism, which we don't want to admit;.....
[for more go to link above]
You just can't give it up can you?
You focus on Bush because you don't have any solutions or any ideas how to fix things.
It shows you are weak.
Performs, I agree completely with the first paragraph of what you wrote. Big money does run everything...governments, economies, war, etc. The Oligarchs (super-rich) directly or indirectly run just about everything in the world. All I am trying to do is to get you to look a little higher up the money/power pyramid so that you can see who the REAL bad boys are. You seem to think that the relative small fry (those making a few measley million) are the source of the problem. These guys aren't even on the radar. It is those at the apex of the money/power pyramid that are causing the problems. Not the CEO's of American corporations. The problems come from the globalist Oligarchs. These are the type of guys who planned and implemented the Federal Reserve, who politically motivate wars, engineer national financial collapses, etc. Set your sights higher and you will see where the big trouble really comes from. Like I said, these guys push to socialize all national economies for their own ultimate enrichment because they will eventually control the whole Earth. And this will be a very bad thing for humanity. The promise of the workers paradise is a huge scam. These guys aim to own the Earth and enslave humanity. It will be the ultimate monopoly.
One more issue. The Oligarch's interest in socialism has nothing to do with social justice, compassion for the poor, etc. Their sole interest in socialism is that it is a mechanism of control of economies and people. They support as much welfare as possible, not because of compassion for the poor, but for at least two other reasons. First, welfare creates dependency and dependent people are easier to control. Secondly, as taxes upon the middle class are increased to support welfare programs, this dis-incentivizes the middle class to produce, and channels money away from economic growth, thereby weakening the capitalist economy. The difficult thing is to awaken the deceived, garden variety socialists to the fact that they are acting as dupes to further the plans of the super-capitalists. It really is cosmic humor to see what socialists do to weaken and destroy capitalism, which is the ultimate source of individual freedom and private property, in exchange for a monopoly capitalist plan that will ultimately create universal poverty and slavery. The Oligarchs don't give a damn about social justice. It is a ruse to get help from the useful idiots. A part of me hopes to live long enough to see that day and to see the dopey small-fry socialists freaking out about there being no workers utopia...instead, there will only be the worse form of capitalist excess. They will awaken to find that they have been working for their enemies all along. What a hoot. I don't believe that the Oligarchs' plans can be stopped at this point. Socialist victory will be swallowed up in a horrificly oppressive global government from which there will never be any hope of escape. I guess there is no way to eliminate 'sucker genes' from the gene pool.
Watcher, I do not find the notion that a several person cabal of REAL bad boys is the most important threat to peace, happiness, and REAL (inner) freedom. If it were, their apprehension would put a stop to their psychopathic enterprise. And, yes, I realize they have many goons and puppets that serve them, but that would not be enough to thwart a massive take down. I see the problem, instead, as a mental/emotional faith in a gospel that runs counter to everything that would align one with the truth. It is a gospel to which one can insidiously become an adherent, as it can serve as the rationale for satisfying one’s self-interest at the expense of anyone and anything. This has spread through the world like a disease. It is not only super rich folks who are inflicted. Rich or poor can ascribe to it.
The wealthy are seen by adherents as the “devout,” worthy of honor, the deserving winners of the spoils and accolades. The poor who adhere to this gospel are felt to be sinners who have missed the mark, and are deserving of shame and punishment. This gospel, this game, this delusion is at the root of nearly all our socioeconomic problems.
I am quoting here (let me know if anyone requires a reference): “Man seems more than ever enslaved by desire, more than ever driven by greed, held by fear, swept by anger. The strong dominate the weak; the rich oppress the poor; large masses of people are exploited for the benefit of the few who are in power. The individual, who finds no peace or rest, seeks to forget himself in excitement. Immorality increases, crime flourishes, religion is ridiculed. Corruption spreads throughout the social order. Class and national hatreds are aroused and fostered. Wars break out. Humanity grows desperate. There seems to be no possibility of stemming the tide of destruction.”
Yes, the Plan is working like a charm. It is good that you take notice. What you said in the last paragraph will boil over to world revolution and then the trap will be sprung. Prison Planet will ensue and there will be no escape. But then, slavery may not be as bad as we imagine, especially if we are all given a regular government ration of good weed (soma). I just don't like the part about a boot stamping on a human face forever. That would become uncomfortable after a while and I don't think that the soma would be strong enough to overcome the pain.
What is with this morbid obsession that liberals have in regard to how much money someone else earns? Is it envy? Why does anyone care what another person's income is? Do you think that when someone makes more money, then there is less for others to earn? I assume that you know that that is false. So what is it about what another man makes that gets your panties in a wad? And why do you want to use governemnt to take money away from one person and give it to another? When those in the private sector do such a thing they are arrested for thievery. Why are progressives so comsumed with a passion to use government to steal from others and then give it to them? Is it because you don't care to earn your own money? It must be, because I can see no other motivation. Have you no pride? How can anyone but the most unprincipled be happy with living off of stolen wealth? Why have liberals always been driven to express their largesse by spending other people's money? Why not spend your own? I would like to ask Al Gore why he wallows in wealth and doesn't give more to the poor like he wants everyone else to do. Alas! There is no fathoming the mind of a thief, or rather, a liberal.
Poor Mr. I.M., you will not get far in your inquiry by asking stupid questions.
Morbid obsession? Be honest, and say if you actually KNOW a single liberal morbidly obsessed with another’s earnings. I would guess that some of the psychopaths among us obsess over those highest earners lists that conservative publications tend to print and endlessly dwell on and take so seriously.
“Do you think that when someone makes more money, then there is less for others to earn? I assume that you know that that is false.” Holy shit! There was a time in our country that CEOs made about 70 times more than the average worker in their company. About 30 or so years ago there was the bright idea that they could and would make much more. Hence, wages have stagnated while production has grown a lot, and management and owners make WAY MORE. CEO’s making 700 times more than the average worker. Oops, maybe I am feeling a bit morbid, no just a little nauseous.
Governments pool resources among their citizens, hopefully fairly, to provide needed services and certain infrastructure. To call it stealing is infantile. But if you want to talking about stealing, let us consider the scams the banking industry and private contractors from the military-industrial complex, just to name two, are pulling off. If only they would be removed and placed in prison. This would be good time to ask your question, “How can anyone but the most unprincipled be happy with living off of stolen wealth? “ Answer: They are never happy accept when dwelling upon those they feel superior to, but that only lasts for a short time when their reverie is interrupted and they start thinking,”If only I had as much as So and So, than I would be happy.” Sure...
Our economic woes are nature's way of saying that something is wrong. When the natural order is violated severely enough, sickness and death will eventually ensue. Spending more than we earn is a modest and manifestly true example of the truth of this axiom. Another would be the imposition of an economic arrangement which violates natural rights. Freedom is a gift, or inalienable right, of God to man. Bondage is the inevitable result of godlessness. Therefore any economic arrangement which results in diminishing individual freedom runs contrary to natural law, as does any economic system which infringes upon the right of a man to his own body, and by extension, to the fruits or private property produced by that body. Another way of saying these things is that a house built upon sand is doomed to collapse. Our arms are too short to fight against God. The house of cards that we have created is heading for a momumental collapse. Our efforts are running afoul of natural law and all of the denial in the world will have no effect upon the ass kicking that we are about to get. Another way of saying this is, "Be not deceived (don't fool yourself) for God is not mocked (counterfeits are futile), what you sow you will also reap". A hard rain is about to fall upon Republicans and Democrats alike.
In response to what Zarathustra said, consider the term, “our economic woes.” Can this term be understood without some extra definition? Consider these following four examples: 1) lifelong factory workers whose jobs, two years ago, were moved to China, and who now work for minimum wage or sit home depressed, ashamed, or desperate. 2) Goldman Sachs execs pulling all the strings and calling in all the favors they can find to avoid federal investigations into some of their “illegal” scams. 3) Landowners who must drive 30 miles to acquire the fresh water they need, because the natural gas companies have poisoned their ground water while fracking for natural gas in their sole effort to gain greater profits for owners and management. 4) Toyota’s ownership and management contending with the burden of complying with a recall of yet another million or so cars. Where is the commonality among these examples, the “our?”
The concept that gets very distorted in Z’s statement is regarding the idea of God-given, natural, or inalienable rights. What is not being considered in this is the inalienable lefts. That is where we recognize that nature, peoples, genes, groundwater, soil, and air deserve to LEFT alone, unspoiled, unpolluted, not exploited, not dominated, and unpunished when objecting to the selfish mistreatment.
Freedom can be a gift, but is best when it is given to others without obliging them, rather than grasping more and more for me and mine. Just because there is so much mine-ing for m-ore going on, it does not make it right.
As long as one sees himself as separate and divided from his world and fellow creatures, his values and needs will not be lasting nor based on truth. “Individual freedom” can be an inner spiritual experience unencumbered by limitations where one has many choices, and seeks those choices that serves either the One in the many or the many in the One.
I know what the problem is. There are too many damn white people in this country. If we could get rid of them everything would be more equal.
See if this wisdom message goes where it is intended.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0-TgM4nbOs
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