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.