Friday, December 31, 2010

Szandor Blestman's Positive Outlook for 2011

As I sit here typing this on the last day of the first decade of the twenty first century, I must say that I'm not sad to see it go. The years from 2001-2010 (the year 2000 having been, in my opinion, the last year of the twentieth century rather than the first year of the twenty first) were the worst consecutive ten years of my life, and I've been around for half a century. That's saying quite a bit as I've had some very tough times in my life and my share of struggles. But these last ten years go much deeper than my personal trials and tribulations. In the past I've always been able to figure something out and get along with my life. Now I feel trapped. Now I feel like a whole way of life has gone by the wayside. I have the feeling that a whole lot of people share my point of view.

I suppose it started on Sept. 11th, 2001. Well, as I have discovered since then, things were heading in the wrong direction long before then, but the incident that happened on that day has hastened the collapse of freedom and the rise of fascism and the police state. That date has been used as an excuse for the ruling class to create laws that violate the rights of individuals and make the common folk a criminal class. It has been used as an excuse to destroy and occupy nations and expand empire. It has been used as an excuse to spend the money our progeny will earn for generations to come by borrowing so as to be able to afford such military operations. The very few have prospered, the extreme majority have been screwed.

The authoritarian measures passed in the last ten years have served to change the political landscape of the nation that was supposed to exemplify freedom and liberty for all. These measures have turned my nation of supposedly independent individuals into a nation of sheeple, some of who will actually state on television news programs for the record that they don't mind their bodies being exposed to radioactive waves that virtually strip them naked or having their junk felt up by total strangers as long as they are provided with the illusion of security. These poor trusting souls somehow still believe that government is a good thing consisting of nothing but the very best, most caring people that humanity has to offer despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Over the last ten years, the ultra wealthy controlling elite have claimed more power than ever since the supposed collapse of the western monarchies. They are extracting more money from the common folk than most can afford. They are cracking down on the common folk and restricting growth as much as they possibly can to make sure they remain in control. At one time, I saw opportunity everywhere and private entrepreneurs who could hire me were plenty, now I worry that dependency on government programs will lead to much despair and perhaps the deaths of multitudes.

The crimes that government officials now engage in are too numerous to count. They continue to get away with committing them and continue to try to cover up their activities. They even try to justify their crimes by claiming them legal, citing some law that they pass in retrospect. You can't steal and then claim its ok because you write something down on paper. You can't commit fraud and then claim it wasn't fraud because you write something down after the fact. You can't do such things, but government and their corporate handlers can. When you break the law or don't follow the rules, there is a gang of men with guns who will see to it that you are fined, imprisoned, or otherwise held accountable in some substantial manner, but when government or their corporate masters decide not to obey the law or follow their rules, they hardly suffer more than perhaps a slap on the wrist.

Despite all that I pointed out above, I feel positive about the future. Even though I sit here unemployed, out of benefits, and out of funds, I have hope for the coming year. I've been getting responses to my resume and job applications lately where for the previous couple of years there was nothing. I was hoping to make money writing, but except for a couple of very generous individuals I haven't had much in the way of donations or ebook sales. Still, I feel optimistic. I guess it's just in my nature, or perhaps my genetic structure.

I think there is an awakening happening in this nation. There is evidence that across the globe people are beginning to understand the principles of liberty and freedom. More people are beginning to acquire a healthy distrust of governments and the multi national corporations that fund them. More and more people are beginning to "just say no" to government mandates. More and more people are videoing the misdeeds of police and other public officials and posting such things on the Internet for all to see. More people are starting to realize that there is a consolidation of power going on at the very top of the elitist control grid. More people are coming to the understanding that those in charge have been ripping us off for years and are speaking out against it. I think this has somehow surprised the power elite and they are becoming frightened that things aren't going precisely the way they planned.

I believe that as the power elite try to increase their grip on power, the more sand is going to slip through their fingers. I believe that the more they try to terrorize the common folk by increasing their brutality the more the common folk are going to push back. I believe that their crimes and their attempts at totalitarian control are going to be exposed and they will not be able to accomplish their goals. The more secretive they become, the more they try to shut up those who are exposing them, the more the general populace begins to see the true nature of the power elite and their plans. I believe that sooner or later they are going to have to relent and once again respect the rights of individuals and allow prosperity for all to take hold. I do hope that we start to see this accomplished sooner rather than later. I hope that we start to see the ship turning about in the upcoming year. I hope that once the light starts to shine on the secrets and crimes that have been going on for far too long that we will start to prosper once again.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Calling a Spade a Tyrant

Anyone who plays cards knows what the suits look like. They know what a spade, club, heart and diamond are. Yet some slick talking people might try to confuse the issue at times. Depending on rules to games and what they are trying to accomplish, some people might point out the similarities between the suits. Hearts and spades closely resemble each other in shape. Clubs and spades are the same color, as are hearts and diamonds. Stretching it a little, one could claim that there is a similarity between clubs, diamonds and spades in that they all come to 4 cardinal points. But cards and suits are easy to distinguish from each other. It becomes a little more convoluted when discussing concepts that aren't drawn and pictured on cards and that we've been indoctrinated to think of in ways different than their true nature.

Taxes are a good example of this. At one time they were known as tributes. These were given to powerful kings with many soldiers at their command. It was supposedly money given to provide protection, but we all know what protection money is really about. There is an innate threat hanging above the heads of those who were required to offer the tribute, and if they didn't make the offer or offered too little they were soon attacked by the very force that was supposed to be there to protect them. That is extortion. More succinctly, that is theft. It's a certain type of theft thinly disguised as a service offered, but it is theft none the less. Any time money is exchanged or taken on a non voluntary basis whether at the point of a gun, through coercion, or through some other form of threat, that is theft. Just because someone calls something a tax and claims to provide a service for that money doesn't change the true nature of the interaction.

The Federal Reserve Bank is another example. It isn't federal and there are no reserves. The excuses used to create it were to provide stability for the economy by mitigating the boom/bust cycle and to ensure low unemployment. This is hardly what happened. Since its inception we've seen World War I, the depression of 1920, the boom of the '20s, the great depression, World War II, the Korean War, the boom of the 50s and 60s, the Vietnam War, the massive inflation or stagflation of the 70s, the Chrysler bailout, several military incursions in the 80s, the S&L crisis, the crash of '87, the first gulf war, the boom of the '90s, the popping of the tech bubble, the recession of the late '90s early '00s, the big bank bailouts just a couple years ago and now the current depression we find ourselves in. If the objective of the Federal Reserve was to provide jobs and stability, I would call them an utter failure.

Federal Reserve notes represent nothing but debt. They are created from nothing. Businesses accept them by decree. They do not represent an amount of silver or gold deposited somewhere for the one holding the note to collect, as was how it was supposed to be. We do not have the honest money as we were supposed to have. We have a fiat, fractional reserve system that has broken so many economies throughout history. If you or I were to engage in such practices, we would be arrested for counterfeiting or fraud. Could that be because that's what such a system really is? That's what I would call it.

Banking and taxes aren't the only concepts that have been convoluted to try to hide their true nature. Recently Janet Napolitano has been forced to come out to defend her TSA. Despite the continuing complaints from the traveling public she insists that they will not relent when it comes to their naked body scanning and enhanced pat down policies that amount to nothing less than sexual harassment, sexual assault and a violation of our fourth amendment rights that the government and its agencies are supposed to honor. She claims that these policies are not big brother type policies. Bunk. They are as big brother-esque as cameras watching everyone everywhere, stating that war is peace or slavery is freedom, or claiming that two plus two is five if the state says so.

Janet Napolitano and other government tyrants want to call this farce national security. What would you expect from those who have spent perhaps hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars on these machines? What would you expect from people who may have to justify such expenditures that have so benefited themselves and their friends? What would you expect when the conflict of interest is so blatantly obvious and these people don't even have a twinge of conscience?

These policies are not making us any more secure. It is not preventing terrorism. Any terrorist with half a brain would be able to figure out a way to nullify these measures, including detonating a bomb while waiting in a security line and taking out a whole bunch of people if he was suicide minded. Some have called this security theater, I consider it more of a security con game. If anything, I agree with the people who say this is slave training. The powers that be are simply trying to see just how far they can push us and how much humiliation the common folk will take. They are trying to con us out of our freedoms, our principles and what little independence we may have left.

Government itself is one big scam. It is the modern day tyranny we live under. It might not yet be as brutal as it has been in the past in other places, but it is heading that way. What was set up to serve has been harnessed to enslave. The chains provided by the Constitution have been broken. Those in the upper echelons of government no longer respect the individual rights bestowed upon all by the grace of their humanity and instead bow to the will of the elite few who believe themselves to be above the rest of us.

The enlightenment that helped to birth our nation was meant to show the world that men could prosper without big government intervention. It was meant to show that the common man was just as capable of accomplishment as the royal class if given the opportunity. It introduced the concept that one class of people was not given divine right to rule over a poorer class, but that those who were born into the lower socio-economic classes knew best how to run their own lives and could achieve great things if given equal, free and open opportunities. Our federal government was supposedly formed to safeguard these individual liberties, but it has devolved into a collectivist, authoritarian mechanism controlled by multi national corporate interests whose best interests are served by curtailing freedoms and denying even the possibility of competition entering the marketplace. The enlightenment has dimmed and its promise faded due to the growth of a cult of state worship.

It was good to see some change take place in the political landscape over the past couple of years and it does give me some hope, but not much. I just find it hard to get excited over a bunch of war mongering Republicans taking hold of power, especially since the Democrats have shown their complete unwillingness to end the conflicts our nation has been drawn into. I find it more hopeful that more and more people are talking about these issues. I find it more hopeful that people seem to be shedding their apathy and getting involved in politics. I find it more hopeful that more and more people seem to understand that there is no real difference between Democrats and Republicans, that they are both controlled by the same interests and that these interests do not care for the well being of the common man.

There is a clash occurring between ideologies, however it is not the clash that many may believe. It is the clash of the collectivists who have taken power versus the individualists who wish to be left alone. It is the clash between authoritarians who wish to intervene in every aspect of everyone's lives versus the libertarians who wish to pursue their dreams on their own terms. As things stand right now, it doesn't look too promising for the libertarians and humanity in general. I will be far more hopeful if the new congress begins to repeal laws and scale back the tyranny. I will be far more hopeful if they begin the process of auditing the Fed and changing the monetary system. I will be far more hopeful if the public manages to maintain pressure on them to shrink their operations to a more constitutional level. Otherwise I shudder to think of what this tyranny could blossom into.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Zen and the Art of Celebrating Christmas

Christmas was a magical time for me when I was a boy. Everything seemed so much more serene back then. We had time off school, time to spend with family and friends. There were times when we'd go out and play in the snow, build a snowman, have snowball fights, maybe do some sledding, but I seem to recall much of the time spent finding indoor activities to keep us busy. We'd laze around and watch TV or play board games and enjoy holiday treats. Much of the time, as I recall, we'd be happy simply basking in each other's company. Those were the things that made such a dark and dreary time of year seem magical.

I have fond memories of the lights. Bringing a tree into the house and decking it out with colored lights and shiny ornaments just brings awe to the eyes of a child. I also remember driving around the neighborhoods and checking out the gaudy decorations on the houses. It was a delight to behold the extent to which some people would go to make their house and yard the brightest, most decorated in the neighborhood. Such things bring so much joy to the heart of a child.

I didn't realize, until I had kids of my own, just how hectic Christmas must have been for my parents, especially with eight kids. I can only imagine all the running around they had to do, the last minute planning, the shopping, buying and setting up the tree, the gift wrapping, the cooking, all the preparations for the visiting relatives, and all while trying to maintain an air of calmness. I suppose it was just the fog of childhood that kept me from noticing the rush.

When my kids were younger, I tried to help make their Christmas's special. I did my best to make everyone's Christmas's special. I spent what I could. I ran around and shopped. I bought real Christmas trees. I helped decorate. In short, I participated as much as I could in the frantic activities surrounding Christmas. Everything was hectic right up until late Christmas Eve, then it was Christmas, the gifts were opened, the feasts devoured, and then it was over. Another year had come and gone and it was only after all was said and done that I could relax.

Now my kids have grown. I live on my own. I have no money to spare and can't afford the commercialization that has become Christmas. I can only offer my love, friendship and companionship to those who are interested. I don't have to worry about all the trappings that is Christmas. There is a certain joy to this position also. I can relax once again. I can just let the season come and go. I can enjoy the quiet and solitude that is the winter season.

Christmas is still magical. It is a wonderful time of year to commune with nature. It's a wonderful time to mediate and reflect on what's really important in your life. Try to find time to relax in the midst of all the shopping, partying and running around. If you are so inclined, take the time to meditate and find your center. Open up to the lights of the season and let them flow through your spirit. Try not to worry so much about getting everything done and find some time for yourself. Try not to worry so much about those last minute details if you can help it. Everything will be just fine. Chances are the people around you will be happy just for the gift of your company. After all, it's the people we surround ourselves with who should be the real treasures, not the material things we can wrap in paper. Those are just tokens of our love for each other. The genuine article can't be bought or wrapped and is much better for the soul.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Precious Gift of Life

In memory of Allison Edwards
April 10th, 1988 - Dec. 3rd, 2010

Life is a precious gift. We are all unique and special individuals. Yet so often life is too easily discarded. Too often it is tragically ended. It is at these times we realize too late how many lives we all touch. It is at times like these we realize how much we are going to miss the smile of another, or her laughter, or any of the special little quirks that endears a person to those close to her. It is at times like these we realize how much we take life for granted and how tenuous our connection to this world truly is.

When someone older dies we feel sad, but we can look back at their life, speak about fond memories, and feel they had a long and fruitful life. When a young person dies in the prime of their life, it is much more tragic. They had so much of a future, so much to look forward to.

I only knew Allison briefly. In the time I spent with her, however, I felt she had a loving, caring, beautiful soul. A selfish act of cruelty took her from our world. Our world has become less due to her loss. A being of wonder was stolen from all of us, like a star suddenly extinguished leaving nothing but a pinprick of darkness in the sky.

Such a tragedy serves to remind us all how we should cherish one another. We should cherish the smiles, the laughter and the joy. If we could all simply learn to love each other and to remember how precious life is, perhaps then such tragedies could be avoided. Is it so difficult to learn to respect each other as individuals? Is it so difficult to remember that each person touches so many others in so many ways and that taking a life steals from all? Perhaps it is for some. We can only strive to teach such principles to all. We can only endeavor to become the best human beings we can possibly be. Let us try to remember the good in each of us and live as best we can each day, for one never knows when the last day will pass. May we all one day find peace.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Ron Paul Revolution Phase 2

Many people were a little depressed when Dr. Ron Paul didn't get the nomination to run as the Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential election. Many activists had fought hard to get his name out there and get him the recognition he deserved. Many people found real hope in his message and were sorely disappointed by the way the corporate mass media reported on the movement and misinformed the general public as to the real numbers and nature of those involved.

The nomination of the statist and collectivist Mr. John McCain was at least in part due to the corporate news sources pounding home the talking points that Dr. Ron Paul was unelectable because his ideas were too radical. Too many didn't take the time to think for themselves and realize just how absurd the idea of being unelectable was. Ron Paul's ideas made sense and were popular, but too many neocons came out to the polls to vote in the primaries with the idea that John McCain, with his left leanings, would be better able to steal votes from the even more left Barack Obama.

There were, however, many of us who realized that it didn't so much matter whether Dr. Ron Paul was elected or not, what mattered was that his message of freedom was broadcast for the populace to consume. The seeds would be planted. After the election, Dr. Paul was invited to speak on many news shows. Even the corporate media had to admit his popularity and that he made sense in many ways, especially in terms of economics. Even they had to realize that the common folk were thirsty for a different way to look at the issues. They kept inviting Dr. Paul back to boost their ratings. He is now likely one of the most recognizable congressmen ever, but more importantly people have had time to mull over the ideas he espouses in their minds and are beginning to understand their value and significance. The seeds planted during the 2008 election are beginning to sprout.

John Boehner is the presumed next Speaker of the House. He is very likely to gain the position because he has likely been bought and paid for by corporate interests. Since the Republicans have gained the majority of the house, Ron Paul is in line to become the chairman of the powerful Monetary Policy Subcommittee. For awhile, there was some question as to whether or not Mr. Boehner was going to give that position to Dr. Ron Paul. The announcement that Mr. Boehner plans on granting this position to congressman Paul has helped to ease this fear. It shows that even those paid for by the established corporate elite can be politically pressured into submitting to popular will.

Lest they forget, the Republicans need to little else than look to the current administration to see what happens when the base that brought you to power is snubbed. The true socialists are coming out of the woodwork and admitting what they are. They are mad at the Obama administration for what they see as a betrayal. They are mad that he has compromised the principles of socialism, the same principles of force that failed in the old Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. They have exposed themselves and shown how unpopular their ideas truly are.

This current crop of congressmen were swept into power by the grass roots movement known as the Tea Party. The Republican neocons tried to co-opt the movement and make it into less than it could have been by their statist, socialist ties, but at its core it is still a movement that was created by the Ron Paul Revolution. It was a movement to kick out the incumbents. It is a movement that demands a return to the rule of law, and that law is the Constitution of the United States of America, its outline for keeping the federal government small and its powers enumerated, and The Bill of Rights. The grass roots realize what must be done and have spoken loud and clear in this last election. The new crew is ready to go and hopefully the old boys are shaking in their shoes. Many have awakened, shed their apathy and are once again getting involved and looking closely at their political system. The time has come to finally scale down the government we have.

The message needs to be repeated again and again. Freedom works. Liberty is a good thing. Less government means more prosperity for the rest of us. It can start with the Federal Reserve. It can start with Ron Paul using his newfound power to subpoena and calling to account officials from the Federal Reserve. It can start by reintroducing Ron Paul's simple bill for a full and complete audit of the Federal Reserve and putting pressure on any opponents or anyone who wants to water the bill down to explain themselves to an ever more angry general populace.

But it can't stop there. Recent legislation needs to be repealed, all of it. The legislation passed by the lame duck congress needs to be repealed and the damage done reversed. Recent comments made by one senator leads me to believe that this congress believes that partisan bickering has created a situation in which not enough could be accomplished. Nothing could be further from the truth. Too much has been accomplished. These people don't seem to understand that the problems this country and the world faces aren't caused because government doesn't do enough, they're caused because government does too much. The laws created particularly over the last decade or so have done nothing but stifle innovation, shut down competition, consolidate power and near monopolies, and construct barriers to the creation of new businesses. These barriers need to be removed if we are serious about wanting our economy to prosper once more.

The people have been taxed enough and their money wasted on fruitless endeavors. Government and its elitist corporate masters have proven to be poor conductors of the world economic symphony. The cacophony of laws intertwine in such an horrendous and discordant fashion as to make it impossible for one instrument to tell what the other is doing. Politicians, both Democrat and Republican, seem to want to throw even more noise into the mix when what is needed is to simplify. Spending needs to be cut and the federal government reduced in size so that more local government and individuals can decide the most productive way to spend their money.

Politicians who will be taking the reins of power next year will also do well to remember that a powerful anti war message was also part of the Ron Paul Revolution. Dr. Paul spoke loud and clear about his feelings that foreign policy should be built on trade, not war. He is not a isolationist, as some war mongers would have you believe, but a non interventionist. This might conflict with the beliefs of some of the more "mainstream" Republicans, or neocons as I would label them, but I would remind them that the collectivism of a corporate warfare police state is just as bad, if not worse, as the socialism of a corporate welfare state. Our nation, such as it is, should not concern itself with the politics of other nations, however well intentioned such concern is. We have enough problems to worry about here. The time of empire and nation building needs to end. The money spent on such endeavors could be better spent here at home where the corporate elite have squandered our wealth, lowered our standard of living and given us high unemployment, a weaker dollar, lower productivity and little or no hope.

The Constitution cannot defend itself. Ron Paul eloquently points this out, but it is up to us to demand its mandates be adhered to by those elected to government offices. They will get away with whatever the common folk allow them to get away with. For too long now, politicians have nibbled away at the treasure accrued by our forefathers and now we are left with less than nothing. We as a nation and a populace have forgotten what it means to be free and independent. We have forgotten that in order to live free of government coercion one must take personal responsibility for their own life and stop trying to coerce others to live as one wishes them to live. Remember, the levers that control the force of government might be in your hands today, but tomorrow someone who would do you harm might control the very levers you used against them.

The Ron Paul Revolution tries to reestablish these ideals. It tries to bring back the principles this nation was built upon and teach us all how to live by those principles. It does not try to establish a utopia, that is something collectivists believe can be accomplished by using government force, but it does try to establish a society where everyone has the opportunity to become the best human one can possibly become. This might be best achieved by a slow deconstruction of the over bloated bureaucracy that has been established over the years. I can only hope next year will mark the beginning of phase 2 in the Ron Paul Revolution where such deconstruction starts and a new base to build a free society upon is created.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I See Something and I'm Saying Something

In the attempt to turn the United States of America into another Soviet Union, East Germany or fascist tattletale, surveillance state, Homeland Security (can you say motherland?) has expanded their "If you see something, say something" campaign. Walmart, that paragon of free markets and civil liberties, has decided to pitch in and help the authoritarian collectivists crank up the fear and turn us all into sniveling spies crying wolf and pointing at our neighbors. Well, if it keeps us safe, maybe it isn't that bad an idea after all. I mean, after all, this is America and if we can't take an idea developed by communist, fascist and socialist nations and make it better than no one can.

The program is meant to help people identify indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats so that they can report them to law enforcement authorities. Well, I see plenty of threats and criminal activities going on right under our noses, so I'm reporting it right now. I'm telling. I'm sure that someone out there somewhere is or knows some law enforcement authority that can help protect us all from those who perpetrate these crimes.

To start with, and perhaps most importantly, I see the Federal Reserve and other central banks of the world committing fraud. I see a Ponzi scheme. I see them taking honest money away from us, money that should be backed by some kind of commodity, and replacing it with fiat paper backed by nothing, printing as much of it as they want whenever they feel like it, or simply digitally adding a bunch of zeros to certain accounts. I see them indebting the world and enslaving humanity. I see them counterfeiting an economy that was working to create a prosperous middle class into one that oppresses mankind. I see them laughing at us from their sheltered palaces and villas wallowing in their horded trillions as the rest of us scrimp and try to get by on their crumbs. These people should be investigated, arrested and tried for defrauding mankind. Tell me, Ms. Napolitano, since I reported them, will you now do something to protect us from them?

I see criminal governments. I see them all across the globe, but the most egregious one is the one I see in Washington, DC. They have been engaging in criminal behavior for decades. They have been working on destroying the very documents that brought them into being. They break the law by completely ignoring the Constitution, the highest law in the land. They have completely trashed the Bill of Rights. They are aiding and abetting their friends and campaign contributors in the central banking business. They are helping their multi national corporate buddies to monopolize the economy in this nation and economies around the world. I see them stealing hard earned money in the form of taxation and wasting it paying for unnecessary destruction, interest on debt and other programs detrimental to societies interested in individual liberty. What authorities can I report to which will bring these people to justice?

I see a criminal military hierarchy conducting unconstitutional, undeclared wars and occupations. I see them creating far more civilian casualties than acceptable. I see them pumping nuclear waste into the environment to devastate future generations. I see them sending our children into battles that should not be fought for the benefit and profits of the multi national corporations, the military industrial complex and the central banking system. I see them unrelentingly engaging in torture, criminal abuse and psychological operations without remorse. I see them acting not as the moral defenders of their homeland fighting for noble principles, but as brutal occupiers engaged in practices that were at one time abhorred by our sensibilities and used by our enemies in earlier wars, practices that were admonished by free peoples as evil and pointed to as justification for battling tyrants. I am reminded that at one time we were told that simply obeying orders was not an excuse for engaging in war crimes. What mighty authority is there that I can report these people to?

I see a criminal TSA ready to walk out of the airports and onto the streets of America to force their abuses and sexual deviances onto the entire populace, not just air travelers. I see them violating the rights of common folk and degrading humanity. I see them blindly obeying their superiors and expecting blind obedience from their victims. I see them shutting down their machines and acting more reasonably when confronted, like children denying their transgression and hiding the goods behind their backs when caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I see them returning to their old ways when they think they can get away with it, like the same children raiding the cookie jar once again when their mother's back is turned. I report these people like so many others have, but because you support them, Ms. Napolitano, and approve of their criminality and unconstitutional policies, all any of us can do to effect change is to refuse to fly.

I see a criminal and complicit corporate media refusing to report on the things that really matter. I see them misinforming and disinforming the masses. I see them championing collectivism and demonizing the individualism this country was founded on. I see them supporting the very institutions mentioned above, aiding and abetting in their criminality. I see government agencies moving to try to cut off the online news sources that are more legitimate than the corporate sources in an effort to put the waking masses back to sleep. I see one hand washing the other and any authority I might complain to would simply shrug their shoulders and do nothing.

I see criminal multi national corporations spreading their poisons and pollution over the entire planet. I see them being allowed to do so with relative impunity. Although I see them every so often given a slap on the wrist with meaningless fines, I don't see any of their executives being stripped of their wealth and sent to jail. I see them allowed to do more or less as they please while smaller businesses aren't able to survive simply because they can't afford to comply with ineffective, burdensome regulations. It's difficult to hold them accountable even by refusing to buy their products when in many cases one can't determine if certain products are made by certain corporations, or one is forced to buy the products because of monopolization and necessity.

Ok, I've done my job. I've seen the threats and I've reported them. I've been shouting about them for quite some time now. The Department of Homeland Security has done nothing about them. I somehow don't believe they're ever going to do anything about them. They prefer to point to phantoms outside our door when the real threats occupy the inner sanctums of our own house.

I feel more threatened now by those holding the reins of power than I ever did by the enemies outside our walls. I feel my civil liberties are more threatened by those dressing in suits and creating law here at home than by aba wearing Bedouins living in deserts and caves in far off lands. Perhaps, however, if more people would stop worrying so much about their neighbors and start pointing out the crimes going on in the upper echelons of society something would get done. Perhaps if enough people pointed such things out to the Department of Homeland Security we'd have a better chance of seeing these threats alleviated or at least mitigated. Or perhaps if people would simply start ostracizing and treating with disdain those in the elite and political classes and stop honoring, idolizing and respecting them so much, perhaps then it might be harder for them to get away with the crimes they currently commit with impunity. Perhaps then we might see some change.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

He Who Leaks Last Leaks Best

War, like everything else, has evolved. It no longer involves the armies of nations and empires lining up on a field of battle and killing each other. It no longer involves troop movements and the taking of strategic territories to outflank the other side. It no longer involves bombing and killing until one side relents and then normalizing relationships. It no longer involves soldiers on one side or the other following unwritten rules of honor as they try to outmaneuver the other side. War has become a never ending endeavor.

War has evolved not so much because of technological advancements in weapons or because of epiphanies in superior tactics, but because of language. While the former factors might have served to change war to a point, they have been fairly meaningless in its evolution in the last few decades. Language has forced the meaning of war to change since the 1960s when President Johnson introduced the concept of conducting a war on poverty. Since then, the concept of murderous, destructive, genocidal, all out war has morphed to a concept of secretive, covert, manipulative wars complete with James Bond style agents and villains. War is no longer waged between nations, it is waged between ideologies. Scarier still, sometimes it is waged between elements inside governments against the people they are supposed to serve.

War is a racket. It is nothing more than a crime against humanity. The wars the government of the United States of America has decided to engage in are wars against the very principles the nation was founded upon. The war on drugs is a war on people and their ability to decide for themselves what products they want to consume. The war on terror is a war on freedom. It is a war fought by humiliating the masses into submission. It is not a war meant to keep you safe, as the propagandists would have you believe, it is a war meant to make you obedient to the point where you are actively aiding in your own enslavement. These are wars that claim you don't own your own self, but you are owned by the state.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not wars of defense, as many propagandists' talking points claim, they are wars of aggression. They are brutal occupations, pure and simple. There are no government sanctioned militaries lining up and fighting our troops in the hopes of glory and conquest. There are simply normal Afghan and Iraqi civilians arming themselves and banding together to defend their lands and assert their sovereignty. These poor slobs don't have the means to come over here nor do I believe they'd have the desire to if we hadn't gone over there in the first place. They most likely just want to be left alone to live their lives as best they can, the same as most anyone else. These are wars for profits and control of resources engaged in for the benefit of multi-national banks and the corporations they support and the military-industrial complex.

War isn't so much about destroying an enemy anymore so much as it's about disseminating and controlling information and manipulating public opinion. Enter into this environment Julian Assange and Wikileaks. It has been said that the first casualty of war is the truth. Mr. Assange and his organization have at least tried to repair that casualty and send it back into battle. I'm not sure how effective they've been at accomplishing this, but I can say that they sure have raised the ire of a lot of people. Mr. Assange has even managed to create a call for his assassination. Oh, the outrage! Yet what has he really exposed? What secrets are so important to illicit such dramatics?

Perhaps some people can't handle the truth. I don't know. There is much controversy swirling around Wikileaks, Mr. Assange, and the documents we can now all study. Some are claiming Mr. Assange and his organization are a CIA front and that this latest release of information is just a diversion. Others are claiming that Mr. Assange is a traitor even though he's Australian, so the only country he could be treasonous with is Australia.

Personally, I would find it suspicious if it turns out that George Soros actually does fund Wikileaks. The information put out there connecting the two is tenuous at best. It also may seem a little strange that there is information supporting some of the talking points that people use to justify their wars. What would one expect when so much information is leaked? None of that really matters. If this is a CIA plot it is an ill conceived one. We all know that wars are bad and crimes against humanity are committed while conducting them. We all know that governments lie and deceive in order to further their agendas even if their agendas lead to human suffering and death. I didn't need Wikileaks to prove that to me, but if it helps others to understand the true corrupt nature of government I guess that's a good thing.

It worries me more to think that this might be used in an effort to shut down the web. It worries me more that propagandists may try to use this to censor the truth. Those who demonize Wikileaks are demonizing the concept of open government. Those who are calling for the assassination of Mr. Assange are calling for the assassination of the concepts of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Governments in the supposed free nations of the west have been trying for years to control the information getting out on the web. They have been trying to corral the general public back into viewing and trusting their corporate backed news services. They've been trying to establish Chinese style censorship of independent news and opinion sources. Thankfully, they've failed miserably so far, let's hope that this incident does not give them the impetus to succeed.

We need whistleblowers. If for no other reason, we need them to point out the corruption prevalent not only in government, but in the corporate world as well. It is not the whistleblowers who should be demonized and punished, that would be like killing the messenger. The people who are engaging in the criminal activities they expose are the ones who should be demonized and punished. If these people were actually and harshly punished, perhaps that would be a deterrent to other government officials who wish to engage in corruption. As it stands currently, the corrupt officials, especially the high level ones, don't ever seem to be held accountable and come out smelling like roses.

Those opinion makers who are demonizing Wikileaks and calling for the assassination of Mr. Assange are, in my humble opinion, aiding and abetting the criminals Wikileaks attempts to expose. They are, in effect, engaging in activities that help to undermine the principles upon which this nation was founded. They are trampling upon and attempting to break apart the foundations of modern Western society. They are the treasonous ones, not Mr. Assange. They are the ones who wish to see authoritarian measures taken to curtail the freedoms we enjoy. They are the ones who wish to control the information you receive and manipulate the opinions you form. Yet they are also free to express their opinion as they see fit. Perhaps the best way to punish them is to point out how flawed and dangerous their thinking is, and then to ignore them and make them insignificant. That seems to me to be their greatest fear.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The TSA, Terrorists and Safety

We must give up our rights for security. That is the cry of the tyrant. That is the cry of the big government apologists. That is the cry of the sheep that don't realize the shepherd is eventually going to eat them. Benjamin Franklin said "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." You may be tired of hearing or seeing that quote, but it is especially pertinent today. Why? Perhaps because old Ben knew that those who provide security and ignore individual liberty are more of a threat to the common man than those they are attempting to catch.

I am personally a little tired of hearing the corporate media crying about the need for security. I'm tired of them putting so much emphasis on those who endorse giving up liberty so they can feel safe. I'm especially tired of them implying that only the big federal government can provide security or has the ability to determine what standards should be adhered to when providing security. I believe the airlines would be better able to determine the amount of security that would best serve their customers. But that's neither here nor there, for the argument has been framed wrong. This system hasn't been set up to provide security, it has been set up to train people to accept a police state and so that a few can make a lot of money at the same time.

To try to examine this a little closer, I'm going to try to think like a terrorist. For this little experiment, I'm going to use the definition that a terrorist is an individual or a group that uses terror to accomplish political gain. How do you suppose one would go about accomplishing such a goal? Would hijacking or blowing up a plane be the best way?

Well, ok, suppose I am an extremist Muslim who has somehow determined that blowing up planes would be the best way to bring Sharia law to the United States of America. Would sending suicide bombers aboard passenger planes be the best way to blow up those said planes? After all, suicide bombers worked so well in Israel where they are now occupied by crazed mullahs who rule that tiny nation with steel fists. Wait, that didn't happen. Instead, the suicide bombers only served to turn world public opinion against the Palestinians. Well, perhaps it is a strategy that will work in the United States of America where once enough suicide bombings have occurred the sheeple will beg the mullahs to rule the nation with Sharia law to keep the planes from falling out of the air.

Hmmm. Perhaps I should reconsider that. Why should I waste Muslim lives when I can maybe get a bomb on board a plane in the cargo area? That way perhaps it won't have to pass through such stringent screening. Or perhaps I can purchase a rocket launcher and some surface to air missiles, that way I won't even have to worry about getting a bomb on board a plane. These people are well funded, right? There's areas where such an attack could be carried out, isn't there? I admit, I don't know much about these weapons and it could be harder than I think to carry out such an attack, but it sure seems to me such an attack would be possible and would certainly terrorize air travelers whether it was successful or not. Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine.

Then again, what good would an attack on a plane do? How is taking down a plane going to benefit me if I'm a Muslim extremist? I can understand the vengeance motivation, but that would likely only pacify a single individual and not bring much benefit to an organization. In fact, it would likely draw the interest of very powerful people and lead to the destruction of that organization. It would also likely turn public opinion against the organization and make it harder for it to accomplish any of its goals, and it certainly isn't going to create a rush to become Muslim. That's not a very efficient way to go about things.

Ah, but suppose I was a different type of terrorist. Suppose I wasn't a Muslim extremist, but instead was an extreme authoritarian statist. Suppose I truly hated people's freedoms and I wanted to create a society of folks who could be easily controlled and manipulated. How could I go about accomplishing this?

Well, I could start by taking advantage of a traumatic incident that occurred years ago but still brings fear to the public psyche. I would make promises to keep people safe and prevent another tragedy from occurring. Then I would proceed to see just how far I could push the people. I would see just how much abuse the people are willing to take. I would have my people violate individual rights and see just how much the common folk would allow their rights to be violated in order to feel just a little more secure. Then I would figure out ways to make money as I gain control.

It might start with things that sound reasonable, like taking away normally harmless tools people carry with them that could be used as weapons, but as such a terrorist I would want even more control. I might go as far as carrying out schemes that would frighten the populace into allowing more and more humiliation and violation of their rights. I could foil plots to mix liquids to create an explosion on a flight, to create and set off a bomb in a shoe, and finally to set off a bomb in some nutcase's underwear. The plots would all have to fail for the desired effect to take place, because if they worked all witnesses would likely die and no one would know for certain what happened.

I could now humiliate anyone who wanted to fly by making them remove their shoes, empty their fluids, and have them pass through machines that virtually strip them naked. As a bonus I could hold a financial interest in the company that makes such machines. I could hire thugs to feel people up if they decide they don't want to go through the machines. I could keep them shaking in their socks so much that they would willingly allow such abuses to take place so long as they are kept safe.

Then, I could take these practices out of the airports and onto the streets by pointing out that there are many other soft targets the terrorists could try to hit, such as buses, trains and malls. Soon, such security theater could pervade every aspect of society. No matter one's business, one could not go anywhere without being virtually stripped or sexually assaulted by some TSA style bureaucrat. At this point, I would have the power to get the people to go along with about anything I want. I could get them to buy with their public dime whatever I wanted to sell them. I could get them so dependent on government that they wouldn't dare try to break free of its control. I would have created a total police state. I would have the power to herd people anywhere, anytime I wanted simply by claiming it was for their security. At this point I would have won.

But I'm not a terrorist. I don't know how the mind of a terrorist works. I am a man seeking liberty. I just want to be left alone. I want to be able to grow as a human being. I want to be able to decide how I can best apply my talents to make a decent living. I want to be able to compete with the big boys in the marketplace. I want to be able to find a niche in society that I can fill. What I see happening is consolidation and a minimization of opportunity. What I see happening isn't an increase in security, it's the opposite. What I see happening is an increase in control by a brutalizing class and a decrease in choice that would be provided by a free and open marketplace. What I see happening in the world is equivalent to economic and security terrorism.

The terrorists might not have won the war yet, but they are gaining control. They are quite a powerful force that has managed to erode our choices, opportunities and our liberties. They truly hate our freedoms and they are finding ways to violate them and excuse themselves through color of law. I, for one, am quite frightened and worried about the future, so I guess the terror tactic is working on me. But I am also quite hopeful. People are beginning to discover that the terrorists don't win unless the common folk let them win. It seems that perhaps people have been pushed far enough and they have discovered that they will not allow themselves to be pushed over the cliff.

The opt out day that occurred recently was a terrific success, despite what the corporate media would have you believe. Hardly anyone was in the airports on what was supposed to be the busiest travel day of the year. Just the threat of mass civil disobedience caused the brutal controlling class to shut down their machines and revert back to more civil behavior toward common folk just trying to get somewhere. The thought of so many choosing not to fly likely sent shivers down the backs of the airline executives who care about attracting passengers and making money. Just the thought of an open and objective discussion of the concepts of freedom versus security has caused the corporate political class and their propagandists to expose themselves as the collectivist control freaks that they are.

The pressure caused the ruling class and their bullying bureaucrats to back off. Yet now they are creeping back into our lives. They are returning to their old ways. They will not go away if we relent. The pressure needs to continue. The tax funded TSA needs to be abolished in favor of security provided by private enterprises. Everyday is opt out day. The civil disobedience needs to increase. Those in charge want us to go back to sleep. They want us to give up and accept their dictates. We must not let that happen if we are to achieve a free society. Speak up. Make them show themselves for what they are. Refuse to go along to get along. It is time to grow up and show them we can take care of ourselves. We do not need a ruling class to watch over us. It is up to you to defend your individual liberties. Insist that they respect you and don't violate your rights and the terrorists that so hate our freedoms will find themselves in full retreat.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Crushing the Disposable Americans

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The New Colossus
Emma Lazarus 1883
Engraved upon a bronze plaque contained inside the Statue of Liberty.

Like it or not, that is the history of most of the modern population of the United States of America. Our ancestors were immigrants. Our ancestors were considered the wretched refuse of the teeming shores of other nations. They were society's unwanted, to be tossed away by the royalty of the day. Many were likely persecuted in some way. Many others were likely criminals, not because they harmed someone else, but because they disagreed with some silly law or dictate of a tyrant. Perhaps they spoke out against it or perhaps they failed to pay some requisite fee or fine. In any case, these people were considered disposable by the established governments of the time and so were sent here or found their way to these shores to try to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Many of us may know something of the history of our ancestors. We may have learned a story or two of our parents, grandparents or great-grandparents or even relatives further back. We might have diaries or letters that were written to help us better understand the times they lived in. We might have pictures to help us see what life was like. We might be able to empathize with their trials and travails because of the words they wrote and the emotions they expressed. We might be able to share the joys and sorrows of their lives because they recorded them for posterity. Those of us who have such treasures are fortunate for they open the doorway into times, both good and bad, that long ago disappeared into the ethers.

The same is true of these times. We are living in the middle of history. We sprinted through the boom times and now many of us are struggling to make it in these bust times. It seems as if perhaps the populace of these shores are now the disposable people. Yet we do have something that our ancestors didn't have. We have the ability to quickly and easily share our stories with millions of people around the world. Modern technology affords us the ability to share our thoughts and feelings with anyone who cares and perhaps to help each other in the process. Our stories can now be told on a worldwide platform for humanity's collective eyes to see, not just for the eyes of a single loved one and perhaps our descendents. That is the idea behind a new website called "Disposable Americans."

The creator of this website is interested in helping the unemployed. As the ranks of the unemployed swell, they will be looking for more and more resources which can help them find work and income. He is asking people to tell their stories so that others may see that they are not alone in their struggles. He is interested in hearing how the economic events of the past decade has affected people, how their lives have changed, and even what they've done to make their lives better if that's the case. If you have a story to tell, he has provided a place to tell it.

People should not be considered disposable. Everyone not only has a story to tell, they likely have people who love them and may even depend on them. We all touch so many others in so many ways.

Just because our ancestors may have come from low stations in life and may have been considered disposable by some despotic monarch doesn't mean we have to be. This nation was supposedly created as an oasis against such abuses. It was created as an attempt to protect individual rights and provide opportunity for all who are willing to work hard. Those principles seem to have fallen by the wayside as society has modernized. I believe that we should no longer count on big government to fix the situation we find ourselves in. I think that big government has proven itself incompetent to handle economics. In fact, it seems to me that big government programs more often than not help the "too big to fail" and crush the little guy. It seems to me that the time has come when we should all reach out to one another and help each other rather than waiting for government programs to do so.

Sometimes it seems to me as if a real evil is at work on this planet. Sometimes I feel as though something is out there trying to crush the spirit of humanity. Let's show them that our spirits are alive and well. Perhaps with a little better understanding of each other and the stories that are out there, we can all become a little more productive and start the journey to a place where we can all be more prosperous.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Decentralization in an Age of Globalization

I'm not one known to make predictions about the future, but I am going to make a prediction here. I am going to predict that we're going to start hearing more and more about global government, or global taxes, or global solutions to the ongoing economic crisis in the mainstream corporate media. I make this prediction because of the current precarious position of the dollar as the second round of quantitative easing takes place. Already there is a sector calling for a replacement for the dollar as the world's reserve currency.

This is occurring mostly because of the fiat nature of all the world's currencies. Currencies worldwide compete with each other for value. You hear it all the time, the Dollar against the Euro, the Euro against the Yen, the Yen against the Yuan. It's all tied together. But they are all based on nothing. They are all created from thin air. Supposedly the value of a currency comes from the interest rates charged, but they all have to remain competitive against each other. So as quantitative easing takes effect and more dollars become available, other fiat currencies will have to follow suit to remain competitive. As a result of supply and demand, all currencies will eventually devalue. They will all become worth less.

Many foreign countries and international companies are holding dollars in reserve. They don't like that their savings are going to lose value. They may well begin to dump their dollars for something that will hold its purchasing power, but other fiat currencies are not going to fit that bill. Precious metals, gems and other commodities, on the other hand, represent real wealth rather than debt. But the corporate establishment and the central banks don't want the world's governments actually acquiring real wealth. That could mean a collapse of their system and a diminishment of their power. They want governments to remain indebted to them. Their answer to this problem, of course, will likely be a one world fiat currency, perhaps something along the line of the IMF's Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).

The solution proposed will be meant to centralize power into the hands of even fewer people rather than distributing power more evenly among the masses. It will be meant to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. It will widen the divide between the classes. This is exactly what the elite want. They seem to revel in their status and their superiority complexes. They seem to be jealous that so many are able to obtain the same luxuries that once only they could afford and are striving to make paupers of everyone but the elite few. In my opinion, centralization is the exact opposite of what we need. Centralization has been a dismal failure in every case and has led to impoverishment of the masses. Decentralization, on the other hand, has historically led to prosperity for all.

How can we decentralize? The secret may lie in the ability to say no, the ability to disobey. We are trained from birth to look up to authority. If a child is lost he or she is often told to find and trust a police officer. We are trained to accept the teacher's authority, or the authority of the principle. We are trained to unquestioningly obey the "law" as if it was some kind of omnipotent being looking out for your welfare rather than mere words put on paper by mortal, fallible, corruptible humans in a veiled attempt to control your behavior and your choices to their benefit and your detriment. Many of us are trained or simply learn through experience that it is best to go along to get along. It is this attitude, this natural human quality, that has helped lead us to the place we are today. We don't have to simply accept the dictates of the ruling elite just because they are super wealthy and this is what they want. If things are to change for the benefit of the many, it would be helpful if the masses recognized what was going on and simply stopped obeying the rules written by the wealthy elite for the wealthy elite.

The rich and powerful have set up the current worldwide economic system for their benefit, not for the benefit of the masses. They may have claimed otherwise at the beginning, and it might have seemed to have helped create the middle class to a point during the boom years, but now we are seeing what happens when the bubbles burst. Many have paid by losing everything they had earned after a lifetime of work to the too big to fail. The time has come to pay the piper, and the piper are the wealthy elite who control the Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world. They would love to establish laws and rules that supersede national sovereignty, limit competition and excuse the violations of individual rights by agents of the elite.

Their economic system, like so many government systems that have been usurped and are now controlled by the corporate establishment, has failed. They may be becoming desperate to prop it up. They would love to once again capture the respect of the masses by offering a solution, only it will be one that in the long run will lead to even more control for them. They would love to play the saviors while they dig their claws deeper into society's economic life blood like the parasites they are. They want to pretend to fix a problem they created while blaming it on someone else. The masses of humanity need to simply stand up and say "no" to their attempts to force their will upon us.

The banking cartels have a monopoly on the creation of money and it is time to take that power from them. One way this can be accomplished is through agorism. People don't have to use the fractional reserve fiat currencies that are circulated by governments and central banks worldwide. Other more stable currencies can be substituted for the current money people are required to accept by law. Precious metals pressed into coin form are historically the most stable form of exchange, with gold and silver being the most used. These exchanges can be made on a voluntary basis, the basis of agorism philosophy, between buyer and seller.

Such a free market has become known as a "black market" in the modern vernacular. I have the feeling that this name was made up by government propagandists who wanted to make such an organic and natural system seem bad because they couldn't get in there and demand their cut. That is what central banks and their government cronies want, to be able to take a percentage of every financial exchange made between any two entities in the world. That is how they become wealthier than gods and maintain their power over the common folk. That is how they win.

Refusing to take part in this system takes their power away. Cutting them out of the picture is how the common folk win. Imagine how much less everything would cost if you remove the taxes. Imagine how much easier it would be to save for retirement and emergencies if the purchasing power of money was stable and didn't need to grow to account for inflation. The purchasing power of gold has remained stable for thousands of years. I'm not certain, but I think the same is mostly true for silver also. I am certain that precious metals provide a much more stable economic environment than fiat currencies despite what the Keynesian economists claim.

We have been lucky in this country. We had mostly free markets and currencies based on gold and silver for long periods of time in this nation. The Constitution of the United States of America granted congress the power to coin money and spelled out that states could not make anything other than gold and silver a tender for debts. That helped us prosper and become the financial powerhouse we once were. The Federal Reserve has been chipping away at this base since its inception. The money now used by the United States is no longer backed by gold or silver, nor is any money of any nation that I know of. We are all in the same boat.

Globalization is not new. It has been going on for hundreds, if not thousands of years. There has been a global economy at least since the first trade routes between east and west were established. There has always been a competition between nations, always one trying to get the most value from the other. I my opinion, that competition has led to much innovation and better lives for all involved.

As the fiat currencies of the world spiral out of inflationary control, it will be interesting to see what nation bails first. It will be interesting to see if any nation decides to back its currency with gold or silver in an effort to put itself on top of the heap. That nation, the one that first makes such a move, will likely prosper greatly as demand for its currency grows. If none do, however, it will be up to individuals and private entities to re-establish an honest money system.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Los Angeles Times Editorial Staff, Shut Up, Stay Home and Suck Your Thumbs

This is a response to an editorial published in the Los Angeles Times on November 17th, 2010 entitled "Shut up and be scanned."

Normally, I'm not going to be quite that rude, but the Los Angeles Times editorial staff seem to think it's okay to be that rude to any of its readers who believe in exercising their right to express their opinion in this supposedly free nation. These big government apologists have now shown their true colors. They have managed through an editorial entitled "Shut up and be scanned" to further reduce their already shrinking relevance. They have proven that they just don't get it.

These people think that the TSA has not gone too far. They claim that the TSA hasn't yet crossed the line. According to them, that line isn't crossed until they start giving every passenger boarding a plane a cavity search. That's when you should start complaining, citizen, after they have bent you over a table and stuck a finger up your butt. Until then, don't express your concerns for either having your naked picture taken or being groped by strangers. These types of things are a "necessary evil" according to the wiser than thou editorial staff at the Los Angeles Times.

I say, evil is not necessary. I say, continue to express your concerns and exercise your first amendment rights. I say, continue to bitch, moan and protest those who want to violate your natural fourth amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. I don't believe for a moment that the TSA has made flying safer in this country. I think that they haven't done anything but make air travel in this nation more difficult. Why is it that in this once free nation, a nation whose press used to point out the travails of those poor souls living in the police states set up in the Eastern European bloc, why is it that the same press now advocates the police state measures introduced here?

Do you realize that our nation has become one of the most draconian in the world when it comes to air travel? Do you realize that our measures are now far more intrusive than even the Israelis? Do you realize how much money this nation has lost due to tourists deciding not to come here because of the TSA? Do you realize that we're in a recession and how many jobs the tourism industry could supply if not for the TSA? Do you realize that high level politicians and former politicians are now making millions, if not billions, from the sale of these machines? How much longer do you think Americans should wait before they speak up? If we wait until we have to strip naked and bend over cold metal counters to have our orifices probed before we can board a flight, we have waited too long.

Why does the TSA even exist? Why can't the airlines provide their own security? The airlines are supposed to be private corporations, why should a federal agency provide security? The federal government should not be in the business of providing security for private companies and it certainly isn't something authorized by the Constitution. Neither should they be in the airport business. This is something that private organizations could likely do a better job at and it would give consumers more choice. If you feel safer flying on Naked Airlines that does body cavity searches to its passengers, then you're welcome to, but if you'd rather fly on Armed Airlines that allows passengers to open carry, you could have that choice.

I have news for those folks at LATES (Los Angeles Times Editorial Staff). We live in a dangerous world. There are dangers that far outweigh the so called terrorist threat. Do you advocate putting the porno scanners at train stations because they may also become a target? How about bus stations? How about at public rest stops along the highways of this nation? Maybe they should go into malls across the nation because they're possible targets. You're so much smarter than the rest of us, when do you suppose the line has been crossed in those scenarios? It seems to me that the more power we allow these people to have, the more they want to take. The line was crossed when such invasive technology and techniques were first installed at any venue where people end up having no choice but to allow their rights to be violated. It seems to me that if the terrorists are attacking us because of our freedoms, they win when society allows its freedoms to be violated by the establishment.

If you want safety, that's fine, I suggest you provide your own safety. I suggest you stay in your homes curled in little balls and suck your thumbs. I wouldn't want you taking a chance of getting into a car accident. I wouldn't want you taking a chance that you might drown. I wouldn't want you to take the chance that you might electrocute yourself. I wouldn't want you to take the chance that you might trip and fall. According to some sources, you have a greater chance of dying due to those things than dying in a terrorist attack.

You want to tell people to shut up and be scanned, to just shut up and take it, to just go along to get along no matter your humiliation, to just stop trying to change what many consider unnecessary, unethical, or even illegal, to just allow those in power to set up bureaucracies that so overtly trample on individual rights, to just silently accept the tyranny? Well, I suppose that's fine. I support your right to express your opinion. I support your right to allow yourselves to voluntarily allow strangers to irradiate you, take naked pictures of you, and even grab your genitals if you so wish. Don't be surprised, however, when those of us who disagree berate you. Don't be surprised when the waking masses begin ignoring you for supporting such statist authoritarian policies. Mostly, don't be surprised when the state starts telling you what to say, when to say it and when to shut up. Or perhaps they already do.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

The TSA, Aiding the Cause of Freedom

Has the TSA literally helped Americans find their testicles? Have their over reaching, over reacting policies finally gone too far? These are questions that many in the media have been asking since the implementation of a policy of groping those hapless travelers who decide to opt out of going through the not so newly installed naked body scanners at airports across the nation. I ask, has the TSA finally stumbled upon the limit of what the American general public will tolerate? Is this what it takes for the common folk to finally wake up from the dream that was America, a bunch of robotic uniformed thugs taking nude pictures and feeling them up in public with everyone watching? Well, if that's the case I have to thank the TSA and offer the waking masses some coffee to get them going.

I decided a couple of years ago to stop flying and have driven several hundred miles when I've had to go places rather than fly. I simply wasn't going to put up with it. But that was no big deal. One guy who flies infrequently doesn't much matter to the airlines. Customer service seems to be a thing of the past, and no one really seems to care too much what one customer out of the millions of customers in this country thinks anyway. It did surprise me, however, when my seventy seven year old mother decided last year to drive down to Florida rather than fly. She has been known to travel back and forth between Florida and Illinois semi regularly, but she also decided not to fly anymore. Her reason was the same as mine, the Transportation Security Administration.

The people at the TSA, especially those on the front lines actually interacting with the traveling public, just don't seem to be the best examples of humanity to be found on the planet. I had heard numerous stories about the ridiculousness of their control freakiness, if that makes any sense, well before I had to decide whether to fly or drive. Sure, they may claim that they are just doing their jobs and following the orders of their superiors, but it sure seemed to me that they were taking things a little too far a little too often. It was almost as if they enjoyed their new found power so much that they weren't going to let some fellow human being assert his will or proclaim his natural rights without making him pay. It was almost as if such things were considered a direct attack on their "authority" and they couldn't stand being questioned. They were, after all, the protectors of the flying public, making sure those scary, scary terrorists were kept at bay. They were to be looked upon and honored as heroes. How dare anyone question their methods?

Then the body scanners came. There was only a few at first, but they were soon to be found in more and more places. Oh sure, they were controversial from the get go, but the traveling public was assured that the images weren't pornographic or stored and that this was a necessary evil to prevent nutty, suicidal extremists from stuffing their underwear with explosives and trying to emasculate themselves on international flights. I suppose whether or not the images can be considered pornographic depends on whether or not the person looking at the image is a pervert.

The naked body scanners just seemed to make the sky guards salivate even more. They seemed to love these machines, to love herding people through them. The traveling public, however, didn't take so kindly to the machines. The more they found out about them, the more they became concerned at what was happening behind the scenes. They found out that they'd been lied to, that the pictures were quite graphic, that the images were stored in a database, and that they were being dangerously radiated. Concerns arose that some TSA agents might not be the most trustworthy sort and that going through the radiation emitting devices might cause cancer. The more informed and concerned travelers began to "opt out" of the naked screening process.

This behavior, of course, could not be tolerated by many TSA agents. They don't seem to like their orders being disobeyed or their authority being questioned. Perhaps that's why some of them may have welcomed the newest "enhanced" pat downs. These are the pat downs that those who opt out of going through the body scanners have to undergo. These are the pat downs reported by many travelers as being not just too intrusive, but tantamount to sexual assault. Travelers who are unwilling to go through the naked body scanners have reported being groped by uniformed strangers supposedly there to serve and protect, including women having their breasts cupped and squeezed and their vaginas probed and men having their genitals painfully grabbed. Finally the abuses are being widely reported.

Now, I hear there are many who are opting out of the scan. There are many would be travelers feeling indignant about the enhanced groping, er, pat downs. There are many like myself who have declared they will no longer fly. There's even a website dedicated to the proposition that we will not fly anymore called wewontfly.com. They are sponsoring a national opt out day where they are trying to get as many people as possible to opt out of going through the naked body scanners. They also advocate educating the public as to the dangers and realities of the naked body scanners. This is an effort which really seems to be gathering steam and seems to have the establishment a little worried. I believe that the American public is finally realizing the power it has and how to exercise that power.

Could the American populace finally be waking up? Did the abusive TSA find the limit to our tolerance? Is the sexual humiliation inherent in there "security" procedures too much for most to take? Will enough of us finally realize that this is all just security theater, that none of this is necessary for our safety and has been implemented simply to train us to be obedient slaves cowering to authority? After all, if they can take naked pictures of you and store them for their amusement or grab your genitalia at their whim, is there nothing they can't get away with? And if you think that the groping is going to be limited to those who decide to opt out, you might want to think again. There is talk about making the enhanced pat downs mandatory AND doing away with the opt out option. That means that you'll either submit to having your naked picture taken and being groped by a uniformed stranger, or you won't be able to fly. Is that what it will take to make you stand up and say no?

One might wonder what will happen next. Now that the traveling public seems to have awakened to the abusiveness of the TSA, will it awaken to the other abuses our society has been enduring for years? I mean, sure, the TSA has been subjecting us to searches, demanding we remove our shoes and dump out our water, and now intruding upon our personal space (including our private areas) for some time, but that's nothing compared to the financial screwing we've been getting from the establishment elite, the Federal Reserve and their corporate buddies. Once this battle is won and the TSA either removes their machines and backs off on their groping policies or all airlines go out of business and there's no need for their services anymore, perhaps then we can move on to other important matters. Perhaps then we can exercise our power and call to account those who have stolen our wealth through fear and fraud. Perhaps then we can start to reclaim our freedom.

Now that so many know that they've been lied to about the naked body scanners, do you suppose they'll start to wonder what else they've been lied to about? Will they react to that realization with the same righteous indignation as seems to be happening with the TSA abuses? Will they start to realize that the establishment media has not been doing its job and that there hasn't been any investigative reporting worth crap in a long, long time? Will they start to dig deep into the alternative media and realize that the truth has been out there all along, that it's been covered up by government and the corporate establishment for decades rather than exposed because of greed and lust for power?

I don't know the answer to those questions, but I do hope so. I do hope that we can come to discover that the answer to our problems is not more power concentrated to the few, but rather more liberty given to the many. If this comes to pass then we should thank the TSA for being so abusive and corrupt, for that will have helped remind us that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The less centralized power there is to grab, the less likely such power will end up in the wrong hands.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

No Need to Question Authority, Government is Good

I've been reading more and more people come out and say it, something is broken in this country. People are beginning to question their "leaders" in government and wonder if they are to blame for the mess the world finds itself in. In fact, it's not just happening in this nation, it is happening worldwide, even in places where people traditionally have nothing but the greatest respect for those in power and accept their fate in the most humble manner a fatalistic philosophy allows. Well, I've had an epiphany. There's no reason to question authority. Government is good. It is made up of nothing but nice people with only the best intentions who simply want to protect you from the cruel, cruel world and lighten the burden that thinking puts upon you.

Put your heads down, sheeple. There's nothing to see here. There's nothing to worry about. Don't listen to the warnings of those who may think differently. They are just fear mongering. Pay no attention to rising prices or massive unemployment. We are in a recovery. Don't question the experts who are proclaiming the recovery. They are, after all, the same experts who have been predicting the economy for years, the same ones who proclaimed a few years ago that everything was chugging along fine, the housing market was doing great and would continue to rise, and there was nothing to worry about and no trouble on the horizon. They've done a wonderful job so far forewarning the world as to the reality of the economy. Why should we start questioning them now?

Don't question the constitutionality of legislation that's been passed over the last few years. Don't worry about losing your individual, God given rights. The government is here to protect you. It has to spy on you in order to protect you, don't you know? Being secure in your persons, houses, papers and effects, that's passé. The government has every right to strip you down naked and examine all your orifices, if it wants. After all, it has to make sure you're not a terrorist threat. Don't worry about all those provisions that allow them to secretly arrest and try citizens labeled enemy combatants, you don't need to know about them. The authorities would never use such provisions to quell political dissent. No sir. Our government is nothing but benevolent and would never even consider violating free speech rights.

Don't question the secrecy surrounding so many details of how government runs. Those secrets are there for national security purposes. Don't believe for a moment that the secrecy is there to cover up crimes. Why would anyone in authority want to do that? There are no criminals in our government. We have the most honest, best people ever in our government. No corruption here. There's no one in authority who would ever even think of using the national security excuse to cover up any wrong doing, immoral or unethical behavior. Besides, what you don't know won't hurt you. So, don't you worry your little head over government secrets. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Don't question the wars we're engaged in. Don't think of them as occupations and don't equate them to nation building or running an empire. There are bad, bad people over there. They did bad things to us and now we must exact our vengeance. They are Muslims and everyone knows Muslims are blood thirsty, mind controlled, vampiric monsters that want to kill everyone who isn't Muslim, all one billion of them. Muslims aren't just normal humans like you and I doing their best just to get along in the world. They must be destroyed over there so they don't come over here. The wars have nothing to do with money, or oil, or drugs, or hegemony, or any other natural resources. These wars are strictly for national security, to protect you, so shut up all you un-American war protesters.

Don't question the police state. Don't wonder about all the stories of police abuse and the disdain they seem to be showing the general public. The police are all good people. None of them could be control freaks. None of them could be on power trips. They don't just simply want you to obey their commands, they want to help people. That's all they're about, helping communities and citizens to peacefully exist. They would never persecute anyone simply because they stand up for their rights. They would never try to intimidate innocent people who haven't harmed another. They would never illegally disperse peaceful protestors. They would never use such devices as tasers for pain compliance purposes. That would be immoral and unethical. We don't need anyone watching over the police, so just don't you worry about who they're picking on. Just go about your business, citizen.

Don't question the results of elections. Why would anyone in authority want to fix them? I already told you we have only the best, most honest, most upstanding people in our government. Our system is the greatest ever. There's no way anyone would ever rig an election in this nation. That's something that only happens in other nations. So what if there's problems with the security of electronic voting? So what if it's not the most transparent method? At least we get to see who wins nearly right away. Besides, no one would dare to think they could get away with fixing an election in the freest nation in the world, right? They would certainly get caught if they tried, so don't question it.

Don't question their motives. Since they've already passed their Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we shouldn't question it's wisdom even after we've had the chance to read it in detail. Don't question whether or not it benefits corporations or the insurance industry. It was passed for your benefit, so that everyone can go through life knowing they'll be well cared for thanks to our benevolent government. Don't question the death panels, or the mandatory insurance, or the fees and fines, it's all for your own good. Nationalized health care, that's been the goal of every good socialist, er, American for years now. Certainly you don't think anyone would have ulterior motives for passing such legislation. Now that we have it, we may as well just move on, let's not revisit that debate and try to repeal it.

Don't question their plans for the future. Don't question their plans to regulate the Internet. Again, such things are for your benefit and protection. Why, we don't want people on the Internet hurting each other's feelings now, do we? We can't just leave it as a playground for all those nasty child pornographers, can we? We can't just let it become an information depot and recruiting tool for those scary terrorists. Just let the nice people in government infringe a little on your free speech rights. They're nothing but good people there and they'll make sure to only protect you from the bad speech of bad people. They would never try to keep truthful information about their wrong doing away from you. They would never even consider keeping someone from posting opinions just because those opinions might be critical of those in authority. That couldn't possibly happen. This is nothing but a necessary precaution to make sure the children aren't exposed to harmful materials and radical thought. God knows we wouldn't want that to happen. We wouldn't want future generations thinking critically. It's all for the children.

Don't question cap and trade taxes. That's money that's necessary to make sure the environment is well cared for and that the climate won't change. After all, isn't it obvious that carbon dioxide is changing the climate? Al Gore says so and he wouldn't lie. Do you know anyone better able to take care of the environment than government? Don't worry that they're the worst polluters right now. Once they get their tax passed, I'm sure they'll change their ways and become wonderful environmental caretakers. Such a system could never become corrupt.

Don't question taxation at all. Your money is well spent. Government services are the backbone of the economy. Isn't that what our system was predicated on? Isn't that why we became such a prosperous nation, because of government? There's no inefficiency in government. There's no waste of money. We have nothing but the best and brightest in our government. Isn't that why we have elections, to make sure we get only the most qualified leaders? Just stop complaining and pay your taxes, citizen. Don't worry about where the money goes or what it's used for. Those in government will make sure it's well spent for your benefit.

Don't question the judgment of the Federal Reserve. Don't question where the money for the bailouts has gone. Don't question the shroud of secrecy veiling their decision making process. They are all good people. They wouldn't think of robbing the nation. They wouldn't think of destroying the dollar so they can better sell their idea of a world fiat currency controlled by a world central bank. They wouldn't think of benefiting themselves by trying to control all the wealth there is. No one is so evil or greedy as to want to financially dominate the world. They wouldn't try to start a currency war to get themselves out of trouble and at the same time forward their agenda. There's no need to audit them. They couldn't possibly have anything to do with the mess the economy finds itself in. In fact, we should give them even more power because they're so benevolent.

Time now to stop questioning authority. It's all good. Don't get involved. Just relax and watch your sports and shows on the television. Just keep your heads down and move along with your normal lives. Go out and spend money. The economy needs it. Don't have a job? Not to worry. Just run up the debt on those credit cards. Don't try to become self reliant, whatever you do. Government will take care of you. Just listen to the authoritarians and everything will be fine. Really.

My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.