i don't even know if folks read here anymore or not- but i am going to string this post along anyway. the whole world seems to have lost its mind. i am no expert- although i play one on tv (or is it the internets?)- but the more i take a hard look at things- the more i see the all white overlords in power getting really, really nervous. and the more they get nervous- the more i see the rights of individuals being snipped and clipped. after all, they do kind of have us by the balls.
i understand why folks feel a smidge relieved to not have bushco in the oval office and rethugs at the helm in congress- i mean those folks are batshit crazy and greedy to boot. but it doesn't mean that they aren't able to influence policy, etc. many are now lobbyists- and harry reid sees nothing wrong with congress critters being influenced by lobbyists. and i have a feeling some of the congress critters are being blackmailed and/or bullied by our surveillance- you know the warrantless eavesdropping that's still in place.
there is change happening in this country. i would be remiss if i didn't say that president obama has been changing things for the better- not nearly enough to restore any kind of democratic republic- but hey, congress shares in that blame. the other change i see- batshit crazies are gearing up to start another civil war. i don't think i am being melodramatic this time (although i do have a certain flare for it)- one only has to look at the epicenter of batshit craziness to see that. the tea parties only showed the underbelly of the movement that is at the heart of destroying this country- the white supremacist types who hate black folks, brown folks, leftist folks, non christian folks, catholic folks, jewish folks- no wait.... those are all ok- they believe in the same mythical god guy-- muslim folks.... the bigger problem are the folks in charge. i don't mean just washington- because the d.c. 'ethics' have 'trickled down' to the state and local goverments here in america. these are our neighbors- our fellow americans- who are closer to us than the easy-to-hate folks in faraway d.c.- and they are just as guilty of betraying our trust as the folks in d.c. and that's scary.
we can no longer hold on to our illusion of america- that everything is going to be ok. that we are going to be able to go back to our old lives of living the 'american dream' and believing that america is 'the land of the free and the home of the brave'- those words ring hollow. no, the reality cuts deeper- and as rod says 'the first cut is the deepest, baby, i know' the reality is that america as a democratic republic is over. take a look at the realities that the folks in power don't want you to see- bring them out into the light and examine them closely.
america is a greedy sucker of consumerism and unbridled friedman style capitalism that has rendered probably 3/4 of the rest of the world poverty stricken and stripped of their cultures and resources
america has stripped the civil liberties of its citizens and has been directly and indirectly responsible for stripping the rights of the citizens of other nations through backing coups and military dictatorships from chile to iraq to indonesia. it's history- google it.
america lies to its citizens and promotes jingoism, nationalism- and not just a little fascism- through propaganda and corporate owned media. flag waving and rah rah rallies- did i mention that america also does not allow its citizens to protest? nope. citizens must file a permit first and limit the amount and scale and scope all to within governmental parameters. uh huh. kind of defeats the purpose.
america spies on its people and others around the world. america also deploys troops within her borders to augment the military style swat teams and other 'special forces' used against her citizenry under the auspices of security and homeland security. and we stockpile that info to use it against folks we disagree with.
much hasn't changed in this country too- if you think that the voting and election system is any better- it's not. old folks in florida are being disnefranchised by the gop there- and arizona federal court dealt a death blow to democracy recently.
did i mention that america tortures folks? we have been teaching folks in other countries how to do it for years- and we decided to give it a whirl ourselves. but, hey, we are so used to outsourcing- it wasn't long before that was a better option. afterall, can't funnel money to your secret investments and accounts if you are paying yourself. but, luckily, the folks who designed the torture- and have been so pissed that they won't be able to use those techniques anymore- and the operatives who carried it out- have only a small chance of being prosecuted.
hate to be a downer on this lovely spring morning- but reality comes a'callin' and she is in a really bad mood. we cannot ignore this. i hate to say it- but war will come to america- on american soil- either in the form of another civil war or another revolution. i am inclined to think the former. americans could give two shits about their civil liberties but boy, do they love to hate each other.
3 comments:
Happy Earth Day, Betmo!!! (See, someone still pops in here now and again!)
Honey, everything you mention here is true, but I'm really not so sure it's anything new. For a great, honest speculation on where we are going, check out (it's a great read!!) Earth, by David Brinn. If his vision of our future is anything like where we are actually going (and he pulls no punches about how we get there), I can pretty much live with it.
The two most evil forces in the World are at work in Washington D.C. - Money and Power.
The fact that lobbyists and special interests groups have so much power in Washington D.C. is the people's fault.
It shows just how bad a job we have done as citizens. We have abdicated our power to the power (money) of the lobbyists and the special interests groups.
When Mrs. Clinton says that these people are Americans practicing their rights, she is right. But they only represent their interests and have an unbalanced effect on our legislators, thus government by the minority.
Our legislators are wrong when they listen to only those that are bringing money to them. We should not be surprised since these legislators have to spend every single day they are in office, raising money to be reelected.
Citizenship is not just voting. We must be involved on an everyday basis. We hired (voted for) them, we can fire them, and it is our duty to supervise them. Is that an easy job? No.
It won't work if we just rail against the injustices of the system, blog everyday, protest Congressional hearings, and other necessary actions.
Ralph Nader has good ideas on how to motivate legislators to vote our concerns and hold them responsible for their actions.
Will it work? I have my doubts. The system is far to corrupt and unresponsive to the wishes of the people.
It is our fault. Only we can make the changes needed. It will take more than just electing a new President. Who on the surface says he knows and will fight for the people's interests, but as we have seen he is held by the money and power of Washington also.
Obama identifies the criminals of the government, but won't prosecute them. He spends 100's of billions on saving crooked corporations, and sends the people $15 a month. If Bush were still President he would also be bailing out these corporations, what does that tell us about Obama? He says the right things, and follows up with half measures. He's to busy trying to keep the status-quo alive, rather than making the radical changes needed. He's a people pleaser, a moderate, a politician trying to secure HIS future. The people who voted for him are becoming disenchanted. I never expected enough from him to be disappointed.
I should have written my own post, I'll stop now.
what you say is true. all of it. and now, many regular folks are standing around with their thumbs up their butts not knowing whether to shit or go blind. no idea. working within the system has not worked. i advocated that back in the day when i was naive enough to not know the full extent of the state of things. i feel a sense of inevitability for where we are headed and futility. no, not apathy- but fighting against this machine is like tilting at windmills. doesn't mean we don't keep tilting.
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