There's been a lot of talk lately coming from the federal government about creating jobs. There's been congressional hearings on the subject. This is a subject near and dear to my heart. What's it been, ten, eleven, twelve years since this economic downturn started? Four or five years into this current depression? It's hard to tell how long it's been since government and their lapdog corporate media sources like to obfuscate and manipulate economic statistics and realities so much. Well, I've been out of a good paying job for two and a half years now, so for me at least that's how long the depression has lasted. I've had to worry about my own job creation and producing what I can for that long now.
You might think that in my situation I would be all for taxing the rich so that I could work. You might think I'd be jumping for joy, salivating at the chance to get government work so that I can eat and pay my rent every month. You might think that, but you'd be wrong. I took the red pill a long time ago, so long ago that I can hardly remember what it's like to not be able to see through the matrix. Still, government work, if I could get it, would look awfully tempting right now. I would no longer be a burden to those who presently support me and could become a burden to all those who pay taxes. It's not a positive step toward a voluntary society, but maybe I'd be able to survive a few more years and live to a ripe old age without ever having to say "Welcome to Walmart."
I watched testimony from Peter Schiff during the congressional hearings on job creation. It was very interesting testimony. He said, to paraphrase, that the government is preventing him from creating jobs. He said he was fined for hiring too many people and that he paid over half a million dollars in legal fees defending his hiring practices. His claim is that one of the riskiest things an employer can do these days is to hire somebody. As an employer he is worried about litigation and the hidden costs of employing someone that comes with government regulation. He offered testimony and evidence, in essence, that the best thing government can do to create jobs is to step aside and let private businesses compete without fear of repercussions.
He further discussed how much he was taxed. He points out, in different words, that government is not the most effective organization to determine where to best spend resources and that taxes do not always go to the best places to create jobs. He also intimated that if he gets taxed anymore he would move out of the country, stating that he had already moved many of his operations overseas. It makes sense to me that if jobs are going to be created, the rich who provide the jobs need incentives to stay in the country and keep their businesses here, not move away from it.
Now, it seems to me that the current administration has taken a position that tries to pit the rich against the poor. That would be a divide and conquer strategy. This is a dangerous strategy to use. If it were to work it would be a lose/lose strategy for the common folk, but if it fails it could be disastrous for those using it. It is used, in my humble opinion, to divert attention away from the international central banking cartel and their corporate crony elite and to focus it on the productive sector of society that has yet to achieve the status of international corporations. Think about it, isn't wealth relative? To a homeless person, someone making 30 grand a year might seem wealthy, to the person making 30 grand someone making a 100 grand might seem wealthy, and on up the line. I would venture a guess that the wealth of the central bankers would make Bill Gates et al., look like paupers. When you blame "the rich," who are you really blaming?
When was the last time you got a steady job from someone who was poor? I realize there are exceptions, but as a rule it is usually the richer person who acts as the employer and the poorer person who acts as the employee. So what are we to do, direct our anger at those who appear to us to be wealthy, demand they be taxed even more than they already are and drive them out of the country? Drive away the only people that have a chance of setting up businesses able to compete with huge multi-national corporations? Do you think those faceless, heartless corporations are going to offer Americans decent paying jobs? They will offer as few as they possibly can, as long as they can set up shop in India or China and make a cent more profit for their shareholders.
It is the middle class businessmen that need to compete with the corporate juggernauts. They need to innovate. They need to offer higher quality, competitive products. The government needs to lower the barriers to entry in the market, not make entry tougher by imposing more government regulations and restrictions. Competition will make even the mega international corporations answerable to market pressure. Think that's not possible? We are already seeing it happen in the information dissemination business. In fact, my website, szandorblestman.com, is part of it. The giant, establishment media corporations are hurting as people look to the Internet to find a higher quality, more honest product than the establishment media can provide.
Lately I've seen many people protesting and making the claim that they have the right to a job. I realize that many will be angry with this, but I feel that the only job anyone has a right to is the job they create for themselves. I have tried to create a job for myself by disseminating my opinion, a job which pays nothing except what people voluntarily give me for what they think my write ups are worth. Apparently, my opinion isn't worth much as I haven't made much doing this. If I made a dime for every time an article of mine had been viewed, I'd probably be doing alright. If I got a dollar donation from everyone who ever visited my website I'd probably be making a decent living. Still, I keep plugging away hoping to one day be able to better my circumstances. I have no right to force another to give me work. I have no right to enslave others to my will.
If someday I have the means to be able to employ someone in my business, I don't want to be forced to give people work. I want to have the freedom to be able to hire the people I feel would do the best job for me and have the skills needed to make my business better. I don't want to be forced by government mandate to hire folks who bring no value to my company. I think that many of us want to be wealthy. We want to better our circumstances. It should be remembered that in order to live free we have to allow others to live free also. Employers should not be made slave to employees, and vice versa.
I do believe, however, that corporations have gained far too much power in the modern world. They have far too much control over the government. In fact, it seems to me that international corporations have essentially become part of many Western governments around the world. They have the bulk of the wealth, along with their central banking masters, and they have worked with governments worldwide to create overwhelming obstacles to market entry for those who could help break their cartels. They control the jobs and they're going to make sure that the countries which have the cheapest labor get them. International corporations have no loyalty to any country, culture, society or principle. They are a creation of government and they are given privileges no individual or self owned business could hope to obtain. These entities and the individuals who run them are unaccountable for their actions, as has been demonstrated by the bailouts. They are, in my humble opinion, the establishment, and their privileges need to be removed if they are ever to be held accountable for the fraud and abuse they have visited upon the common folk of this nation, and indeed the world.
One needs to be very careful these days who one considers wealthy. One needs to be careful about the demands they make on government. One needs to become more self reliant and to be more aware of who one supports and which principles one advocates. As individuals we should all try to become more aware of the needs and desires of others and try to provide as best we can the goods and services necessary to live decently. Those who are able to provide for the community should thrive while those who are not should be afforded opportunities to do so. It is time to shed the growing dependency on corporations and big government. It is time to recognize that while those failed institutions might seem to have all the wealth and power, they only have failed policies, broken promises, and fraudulent paper. The common folk have the numbers and the spirit, they just need to find the imagination, the will and the determination to use them.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there and make a donation to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The Untimely Death of 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
It has now been more than ten years since about three thousand people were killed in a crime perpetrated by, well, it really isn't quite clear who perpetrated the crime. There are all kinds of theories and suggestions proffered as to who is responsible for the crime and how it was really carried out. I think that if one looks into these theories and possibilities with an open mind it might surprise many the evidence that contradicts the "official" theory as to what happened. As one looks more closely at all the events of that day and weighs the preponderance of evidence the "official" story that was reported by the corporate media becomes less and less likely to be the real story as to what actually happened. Still, many people simply shut their eyes, put their heads down, and refuse to believe that they are being emotionally manipulated by the powers that be.
I mention 9/11 because of all the propaganda that I saw surrounding it's ten year anniversary. Has it been ten years already? Can't they just let that old wound heal? Do they have to keep opening it up, keep making the dread and horror felt on that day bubble to the surface? Of course they can't. The powers that be want to keep you in fear, want to keep you confused and uncertain. They want you to turn to them in your hour of emotional distress and ask for their help. Of course, they will only be too glad to help you, if you simply let them impose upon your individual rights, just a little, just enough to take naked body scans of you and grope your sexual bits at the airports.
The worshippers of the state will cry "Foul!" at the slightest suggestion that there was any sort of conspiracy at any level of government that led to the 9/11 attacks. They can't admit that the state, their god, is anything other than perfect and loving. No one involved in government could be that evil to plan that type of attack. Even if it's pointed out how the federal government was at the very least so inept that they utterly failed that day the state cultists will make excuses for their divinity of choice, talk about all the good people that are trying to do their best for humanity inside the bureaucratic structure such as it is, and that if we just give them more power to violate individual rights that all mankind will be safe from all the boogiemen of the world and we will no longer have to worry. There are some people who simply refuse to grow up.
There is good reason to believe in conspiracy, even at the level of the attacks of 9/11. First off, there is history. History shows us that as far back as Nero and the burning of Rome, perhaps even further back, those at the top echelon of the government structure were willing to sacrifice the common folk if they felt such sacrifice would be to their benefit. There were the Maine, the Lusitania, the McCollum memo, Operation Northwoods, the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Liberty, to name a few. Those conspiracies were meant to goad the nation into war. Then there were the assassination conspiracies, the Kennedy's, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, and even Ronald Reagan which seemed to pit men advocating freedom and individual rights against the secret power elite.
Of course, of the above the John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy is the most famous. For decades many argued in favor of the Warren Commission and that Lee Harvey Oswald acted as a lone gunman. Those who disagreed with this were oft times labeled as crazy conspiracy nuts. Presently it appears that the majority of the populace in the United States actually believe the conspiracy theories surrounding the JFK assassination, yet nothing is done to hold anyone accountable. We even have the deathbed confession of E. Howard Hunt, a known CIA operative, yet nothing is done to try to hold those who are still alive and showed either malice or incompetence accountable. What good would that do nearly 50 years later? Well, it might just show some people that heinous acts are not to be tolerated and that justice can catch up even decades after the fact.
The debate about the 9/11 conspiracy theories, however, have been lively over the past ten years in large part due to the Internet. With this tool, people can examine and review the events of the day as never before. Contradictions between the official story and video and eyewitness evidence are glaring. Omissions from the official 9/11 report and the questionable manner in which the investigation was carried out is disconcerting. Even the manner in which events unfolded on that day and the speed at which the perpetrators were identified are matters for concern. Yet it wasn't the corporate establishment media and their crack investigative teams that uncovered these troublesome anomalies, it was normal people like you and me. We have entered into a new era where we no longer are forced to believe what the establishment tells us due to a restricted number of media outlets, we have entered an era where we can investigate on our own and determine for ourselves what we believe the truth is using a myriad of sources.
So, with all this magnificent technology opening the minds of so many, why is it that lately I've been hearing so much about the death of 9/11 conspiracy theories? Well, as was pointed out to me recently, perhaps it's because it seems as if nothing gets done about it. It's sad to say, but it reminds me quite a bit of the JFK assassination. Many people disbelieve the official story, but no one seems to care that no one is being held accountable. No one seems to care that there are no "official" investigations going on. No one seems to care that those speaking out are still being shouted down by the establishment media and the propaganda machine is still backing the "official" explanations. People continue to just duck their heads and go along to get along.
So what if the conspiracy theories are even true? What are you going to do about it? Do you think the establishment powers are going to investigate themselves? Did anyone even get fired for the gross incompetence that was apparent on that day? Did anyone at the top of the food chain, any of the political elite, get so much as a slap on the wrist, a finger in the face and a tsk, tsk, for messing up big time? I think not. In fact, it seems to me that those who should have, at the very least, been fired and shamed for their gross incompetence and bald faced lies were in fact slapped on the back, given a "good job" compliment and even promoted. No one could possibly have imagined planes being used as bombs, we were told. That, too, was a lie.
Instead of firing the entire administration that allowed such an event, one that should have been extremely difficult for foreigners living in caves halfway around the world to accomplish, the lawmakers of this nation decided to give the executive branch even more power by passing draconian, freedom crushing legislation. Instead of dismantling the intelligence mechanisms that had failed so miserably and investigating them for possible culpability in perhaps the most heinous crimes in history, the elected "representatives" of this nation decided to centralize and militarize the policing agencies to an even greater extent multiplying by many times the extent of the corruption that can now take place. Instead of launching an investigation to pinpoint who masterminded, who helped, and who should be held to blame for the crime and then going after the individual culprits through international policing means, the politically elite of this nation launched wars that would kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of innocents who had nothing to do with the event.
Now we live in a police state where those who are supposed to be public servants have become the privileged masters. Now we are suffering from a failed economy. Now we have to pay for jailed people who have harmed no one, for the unemployed, and for many others who have been removed from the productive sector of the economy and moved in one way or another to the sector that leeches off the tax dollars of the common folk. Now we have shoveled trillions of dollars that had to borrowed into wars that have produced nothing but misery for millions, but have provided profits for a few in certain established corporate interests. Now we have to live in a world where those who were grossly incompetent and failed utterly were not held accountable for perhaps the most epic fail in history, they were rewarded for it and obtained greater power. Oh yeah, and nothing changed in 2008 when those who weren't paying attention were fooled again by nebulous promises and propaganda.
So, what are you going to do about it? Have the 9/11 conspiracy theories met their deaths? Are they meaningless and ineffectual? Those in power aren't about to give it up. They are a one trick pony that only have fear, coercion, threats of violence and actual violence to enforce their will upon others. It will take some innovation to combat that. It is easy to react to it, to meet violence with violence, but those in power will only use such a reaction as an excuse to escalate the violence. I don't think that's something very many of us want. Besides, that would be playing to the state's strength. It would be nice, however, to get the boot of tyranny off our collective throats.
I believe there are several things that need to be done if we are to shake loose of this collectivist system and return to the individualist model fought for by the founders of this nation. First, we need numbers. As it stands, there are always more people waking up, so to speak, but there are still too many who are dazed by the establishment propaganda or remain apathetic. Talk about 9/11 conspiracies calmly and rationally if you must, but back off anyone who becomes agitated and overly emotional. They are not going to be convinced regardless of any evidence you might present and you will want to show others around who might be more open minded that you are the rational one and the supporters of the official version are the ones likely to resort to emotional bullying techniques.
Don't try to force your views down people's throats. Express your point of view, but don't harp on it unless those you are talking to seem interested in listening. Make your points, and then shift the conversation over to a discussion about the value of liberty. Talk about freedom and free market solutions. Use the morality aspect. Some people will hem and haw about such ideas, but seeds will be planted. People tend not to listen when they first hear something, but if it is repeated to them a few times, especially from different sources, their interest becomes piqued. Certainly the corporate media is going to try to avoid such a discussion, and they will try to spin it to make it look like collectivist solutions are better if the subject comes up, so the more real, common type folks discussing these ideas in pubs and meeting rooms across the nation, the better.
If you can, become active. Participate in gatherings and protests if possible. Brace yourself, because as this movement becomes more influential the state will try to squelch it and may resort to violence. They can get pretty sneaky about this, so keep an eye out for any fellow protestors who might want to engage in violence and if you spot some like that, try to use other peaceful protestors to help keep them in check. You don't want any agents provocateurs ruining your day. If the state does start something, be ready to take some pages from Gandhi's and Martin Luther King's books and take some lumps. Public perception is extremely important and you don't want to be seen as the aggressor, but the innocent victim simply trying to exercise a God given human right.
Bring a video camera. One that streams directly to the Internet is best. This isn't the 1960's anymore. The corporate media is going to continue to try to ignore any freedom protests as they do not want to give the impression that such a movement is gaining popularity or public support. It is up to the common folk to do the reporting now. Let everyone see just how violent agents of the state can be. Once again, public perception is important. Perhaps even some of the mindless zombies who can only follow orders and lack the ability to tell right from wrong can be shamed into inaction. If the militarized police start to disobey and decide to honor their oaths to protect the Constitution instead of cracking innocent heads, then the establishment is indeed going to have problems.
So long as 9/11 conspiracy theories can continue to open the minds of some who are willing to consider them and expose the incompetence and utter failure of the established political structure, I don't think they should be proclaimed dead. Winning back our freedoms and returning to the principles our nation was founded upon likely will not be easy. Showing others how illegitimate the authorities have become is also a difficult proposition. We need to become an authority unto ourselves. Justice might never be served for the crimes that some of the ruling elite have engaged in, but the least we can do is to try to wrest their power and authority from them. We should use all the tools available to us to accomplish this. Nothing will change until those in power realize they can no longer get away with secrecy and conspiracy and the government won't become open and transparent until enough of us care to make it so. The corruption will not go away until those who engage in it are exposed and shamed by their actions and the risks of engaging in such activities outweigh the benefits.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there and make a donation to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
I mention 9/11 because of all the propaganda that I saw surrounding it's ten year anniversary. Has it been ten years already? Can't they just let that old wound heal? Do they have to keep opening it up, keep making the dread and horror felt on that day bubble to the surface? Of course they can't. The powers that be want to keep you in fear, want to keep you confused and uncertain. They want you to turn to them in your hour of emotional distress and ask for their help. Of course, they will only be too glad to help you, if you simply let them impose upon your individual rights, just a little, just enough to take naked body scans of you and grope your sexual bits at the airports.
The worshippers of the state will cry "Foul!" at the slightest suggestion that there was any sort of conspiracy at any level of government that led to the 9/11 attacks. They can't admit that the state, their god, is anything other than perfect and loving. No one involved in government could be that evil to plan that type of attack. Even if it's pointed out how the federal government was at the very least so inept that they utterly failed that day the state cultists will make excuses for their divinity of choice, talk about all the good people that are trying to do their best for humanity inside the bureaucratic structure such as it is, and that if we just give them more power to violate individual rights that all mankind will be safe from all the boogiemen of the world and we will no longer have to worry. There are some people who simply refuse to grow up.
There is good reason to believe in conspiracy, even at the level of the attacks of 9/11. First off, there is history. History shows us that as far back as Nero and the burning of Rome, perhaps even further back, those at the top echelon of the government structure were willing to sacrifice the common folk if they felt such sacrifice would be to their benefit. There were the Maine, the Lusitania, the McCollum memo, Operation Northwoods, the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Liberty, to name a few. Those conspiracies were meant to goad the nation into war. Then there were the assassination conspiracies, the Kennedy's, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon, and even Ronald Reagan which seemed to pit men advocating freedom and individual rights against the secret power elite.
Of course, of the above the John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy is the most famous. For decades many argued in favor of the Warren Commission and that Lee Harvey Oswald acted as a lone gunman. Those who disagreed with this were oft times labeled as crazy conspiracy nuts. Presently it appears that the majority of the populace in the United States actually believe the conspiracy theories surrounding the JFK assassination, yet nothing is done to hold anyone accountable. We even have the deathbed confession of E. Howard Hunt, a known CIA operative, yet nothing is done to try to hold those who are still alive and showed either malice or incompetence accountable. What good would that do nearly 50 years later? Well, it might just show some people that heinous acts are not to be tolerated and that justice can catch up even decades after the fact.
The debate about the 9/11 conspiracy theories, however, have been lively over the past ten years in large part due to the Internet. With this tool, people can examine and review the events of the day as never before. Contradictions between the official story and video and eyewitness evidence are glaring. Omissions from the official 9/11 report and the questionable manner in which the investigation was carried out is disconcerting. Even the manner in which events unfolded on that day and the speed at which the perpetrators were identified are matters for concern. Yet it wasn't the corporate establishment media and their crack investigative teams that uncovered these troublesome anomalies, it was normal people like you and me. We have entered into a new era where we no longer are forced to believe what the establishment tells us due to a restricted number of media outlets, we have entered an era where we can investigate on our own and determine for ourselves what we believe the truth is using a myriad of sources.
So, with all this magnificent technology opening the minds of so many, why is it that lately I've been hearing so much about the death of 9/11 conspiracy theories? Well, as was pointed out to me recently, perhaps it's because it seems as if nothing gets done about it. It's sad to say, but it reminds me quite a bit of the JFK assassination. Many people disbelieve the official story, but no one seems to care that no one is being held accountable. No one seems to care that there are no "official" investigations going on. No one seems to care that those speaking out are still being shouted down by the establishment media and the propaganda machine is still backing the "official" explanations. People continue to just duck their heads and go along to get along.
So what if the conspiracy theories are even true? What are you going to do about it? Do you think the establishment powers are going to investigate themselves? Did anyone even get fired for the gross incompetence that was apparent on that day? Did anyone at the top of the food chain, any of the political elite, get so much as a slap on the wrist, a finger in the face and a tsk, tsk, for messing up big time? I think not. In fact, it seems to me that those who should have, at the very least, been fired and shamed for their gross incompetence and bald faced lies were in fact slapped on the back, given a "good job" compliment and even promoted. No one could possibly have imagined planes being used as bombs, we were told. That, too, was a lie.
Instead of firing the entire administration that allowed such an event, one that should have been extremely difficult for foreigners living in caves halfway around the world to accomplish, the lawmakers of this nation decided to give the executive branch even more power by passing draconian, freedom crushing legislation. Instead of dismantling the intelligence mechanisms that had failed so miserably and investigating them for possible culpability in perhaps the most heinous crimes in history, the elected "representatives" of this nation decided to centralize and militarize the policing agencies to an even greater extent multiplying by many times the extent of the corruption that can now take place. Instead of launching an investigation to pinpoint who masterminded, who helped, and who should be held to blame for the crime and then going after the individual culprits through international policing means, the politically elite of this nation launched wars that would kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of innocents who had nothing to do with the event.
Now we live in a police state where those who are supposed to be public servants have become the privileged masters. Now we are suffering from a failed economy. Now we have to pay for jailed people who have harmed no one, for the unemployed, and for many others who have been removed from the productive sector of the economy and moved in one way or another to the sector that leeches off the tax dollars of the common folk. Now we have shoveled trillions of dollars that had to borrowed into wars that have produced nothing but misery for millions, but have provided profits for a few in certain established corporate interests. Now we have to live in a world where those who were grossly incompetent and failed utterly were not held accountable for perhaps the most epic fail in history, they were rewarded for it and obtained greater power. Oh yeah, and nothing changed in 2008 when those who weren't paying attention were fooled again by nebulous promises and propaganda.
So, what are you going to do about it? Have the 9/11 conspiracy theories met their deaths? Are they meaningless and ineffectual? Those in power aren't about to give it up. They are a one trick pony that only have fear, coercion, threats of violence and actual violence to enforce their will upon others. It will take some innovation to combat that. It is easy to react to it, to meet violence with violence, but those in power will only use such a reaction as an excuse to escalate the violence. I don't think that's something very many of us want. Besides, that would be playing to the state's strength. It would be nice, however, to get the boot of tyranny off our collective throats.
I believe there are several things that need to be done if we are to shake loose of this collectivist system and return to the individualist model fought for by the founders of this nation. First, we need numbers. As it stands, there are always more people waking up, so to speak, but there are still too many who are dazed by the establishment propaganda or remain apathetic. Talk about 9/11 conspiracies calmly and rationally if you must, but back off anyone who becomes agitated and overly emotional. They are not going to be convinced regardless of any evidence you might present and you will want to show others around who might be more open minded that you are the rational one and the supporters of the official version are the ones likely to resort to emotional bullying techniques.
Don't try to force your views down people's throats. Express your point of view, but don't harp on it unless those you are talking to seem interested in listening. Make your points, and then shift the conversation over to a discussion about the value of liberty. Talk about freedom and free market solutions. Use the morality aspect. Some people will hem and haw about such ideas, but seeds will be planted. People tend not to listen when they first hear something, but if it is repeated to them a few times, especially from different sources, their interest becomes piqued. Certainly the corporate media is going to try to avoid such a discussion, and they will try to spin it to make it look like collectivist solutions are better if the subject comes up, so the more real, common type folks discussing these ideas in pubs and meeting rooms across the nation, the better.
If you can, become active. Participate in gatherings and protests if possible. Brace yourself, because as this movement becomes more influential the state will try to squelch it and may resort to violence. They can get pretty sneaky about this, so keep an eye out for any fellow protestors who might want to engage in violence and if you spot some like that, try to use other peaceful protestors to help keep them in check. You don't want any agents provocateurs ruining your day. If the state does start something, be ready to take some pages from Gandhi's and Martin Luther King's books and take some lumps. Public perception is extremely important and you don't want to be seen as the aggressor, but the innocent victim simply trying to exercise a God given human right.
Bring a video camera. One that streams directly to the Internet is best. This isn't the 1960's anymore. The corporate media is going to continue to try to ignore any freedom protests as they do not want to give the impression that such a movement is gaining popularity or public support. It is up to the common folk to do the reporting now. Let everyone see just how violent agents of the state can be. Once again, public perception is important. Perhaps even some of the mindless zombies who can only follow orders and lack the ability to tell right from wrong can be shamed into inaction. If the militarized police start to disobey and decide to honor their oaths to protect the Constitution instead of cracking innocent heads, then the establishment is indeed going to have problems.
So long as 9/11 conspiracy theories can continue to open the minds of some who are willing to consider them and expose the incompetence and utter failure of the established political structure, I don't think they should be proclaimed dead. Winning back our freedoms and returning to the principles our nation was founded upon likely will not be easy. Showing others how illegitimate the authorities have become is also a difficult proposition. We need to become an authority unto ourselves. Justice might never be served for the crimes that some of the ruling elite have engaged in, but the least we can do is to try to wrest their power and authority from them. We should use all the tools available to us to accomplish this. Nothing will change until those in power realize they can no longer get away with secrecy and conspiracy and the government won't become open and transparent until enough of us care to make it so. The corruption will not go away until those who engage in it are exposed and shamed by their actions and the risks of engaging in such activities outweigh the benefits.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there and make a donation to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Ron Paul and the Booing Teocons
The mainstream media tried to ignore him. They thought they could keep his message from getting out to the public. When they couldn't keep his message hidden any longer as his supporters got the word out and more and more people saw the signs waving and went to the web to sate their interests, they denounced him. They called him crazy, just like his ideas and his supporters. They claimed his ideas could never work. They claimed he was just too radical and was unelectable. All their attacks have missed their marks or backfired. The message of liberty resonates in the spirit of the common folk. Freedom has worked in the past and it can work again in the future. Our nation was built upon these principles and it became a great nation because of them, not in spite of them. The principles that have brought this nation down, that have steered us to this point in history, to the brink of economic disaster and societal collapse, are the principles of collectivism that have been slowly forced upon us by the established power and political elite, particularly in the last century or so.
Yet the established powers don't want to give up their collectivist ideals. Perhaps this is because their powers stem from those ideals. They seem almost childlike in their fear as they scramble to make excuses for their failed policies. They do all they can to make the ideas of liberty, the ideas expressed by Ron Paul, seem irrelevant. Even as their tricks become more obvious to those watching, the establishment and their media lapdogs continue to try to frame the debate in a way that favors their collectivist, corporatist, crony capitalist point of view. They just don't seem able to innovate. They seem to be almost panicking as more and more people catch on and turn away from their influence to try to find a better way.
The establishment is not going to give in easily. They have already tried to infiltrate the Tea Party to make it seem as if the grassroots movement isn't so populist as one might think. At a Republican debate sponsored by the Tea Party, Ron Paul was booed by the very movement his 2008 candidacy started. What's more, he was booed while answering a question that had been well established. Once again a candidate questioned Ron Paul's assertion that the foreign policy of the United States federal government led to the attacks on 9/11. As Dr. Paul tried to explain the concept of blowback and why meddling in the affairs of others can lead to feelings of resentment a chorus of boos cascaded from the crowd. This makes one wonder if the crowd was full of plants or if there are really that many people involved with the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement who simply haven't been paying attention for the last few years.
It was Rick Santorum who challenged Ron Paul on this issue, and I was hoping to see another lambasting like was given to Rudolph Giuliani in a 2008 debate. After all, the ex senator seems to require an education on the subject. He could have used a reading list as Dr. Paul gave to Mr. Giuliani to show just where the idea of blowback comes from. It should be understood that it wasn't Ron Paul that claimed US foreign policy caused 9/11, he is merely repeating the opinions of certain CIA operatives and foreign policy experts. Booing and jeering the messenger will not alter those facts. Trying to make it sound as if Ron Paul dreamed up the idea of blowback on his own will not make that concept any less dangerous. We as a nation don't need a president who closes his eyes to reality in an effort to gain political popularity. We don't need media outlets who obfuscate the truth for political and financial gain. We need a president who understands reality and tells it like it is, one who will offer real solutions to real problems.
They continue to question Dr. Paul's sanity and the validity of his ideas, but it seems to me that it is their ideas that are crazy. It's crazy to bomb people into oblivion and expect them to be thankful. It's crazy to occupy their lands and lay claim to their natural resources and expect them to be welcoming. It's crazy to send soldiers to foreign lands, have them shoot up the place, torture and kill without accountability and expect the people of that land to be less than resentful. It is beyond me how those who continue to make excuses for these occupations cannot see how such behavior makes enemies, not friends. It is beyond me how they can truly believe these wars are anything less than the strong bullying the weak.
Perhaps a few might truly be stuck in a World War II mindset. Perhaps they truly believe that the common folk of a nation are going to cheer our troops as they march in the streets as if they are the great liberators. But in World War II the American military was driving out occupying forces. It's different when you become the occupying force. Certainly, some of the common folk may benefit from the occupation and these people may want the forces to stay, but most will likely wish to simply be left alone and will resent the presence of foreign military forces.
The same can be said for the economic policies put in place by the collectivist powers that be. It is crazy to believe you can get out of debt by going deeper into debt. It is crazy to believe you can clear up a debt problem by spending more, or even by maintaining current levels of spending. It is crazy to believe that higher taxes on anyone will solve the problem when so much money is being wasted on interest payments and war. Somehow those who booed Ron Paul seem able to understand that there is too much spending, yet they don't seem able to understand the wastefulness of spending money on bombs, death and the destruction of war. Spending money on defense is not a bad idea, but spreading military force across the world is not defense, it is what empire does.
It is the very definition of crazy to keep trying the same thing and expecting different results. The policies that the establishment politicians keep advocating have been tried before and have failed. Their policies have led us to a place where we are less free, less innovative, less productive and less prosperous than ever before. They have led us to a place where we are trapped in fear and dependent upon them rather than independent and responsible for our own well being and flourishing in an atmosphere of tolerance and love. It has been a slow ride to get here, and could possibly be a slow ride getting back, but that ride won't even start unless we try doing something different or something that we know has worked in the past. That something is to start honoring the principles of individual freedom.
The establishment truly doesn't want the common folk thinking. They want to keep them reacting at an emotional level. They want to keep them believing the jingoistic flag waving that gives them the most control over the masses. They want to keep the common folk fearful of their shadows so that they will allow their freedoms to be trampled and violated without question. A thinking public is dangerous to the establishment who wish to maintain their power. An intelligent, thoughtful public will eventually see through their fallacious policies. An intelligent public will ask to be left alone and treated like adults to determine for themselves how to live their lives and spend their money rather than be babied and treated like idiots being told how to live their lives and spend their money from cradle to grave. An intelligent public will be able to look at Ron Paul's past, his voting record and his unwavering principles and determine for themselves that he is not the typical establishment politician. Naturally, the establishment does not want someone in power who they don't control, and so they will continue to pull out whatever tricks they can in order to keep the thinking public from flexing its muscle.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there and make a donation to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
Yet the established powers don't want to give up their collectivist ideals. Perhaps this is because their powers stem from those ideals. They seem almost childlike in their fear as they scramble to make excuses for their failed policies. They do all they can to make the ideas of liberty, the ideas expressed by Ron Paul, seem irrelevant. Even as their tricks become more obvious to those watching, the establishment and their media lapdogs continue to try to frame the debate in a way that favors their collectivist, corporatist, crony capitalist point of view. They just don't seem able to innovate. They seem to be almost panicking as more and more people catch on and turn away from their influence to try to find a better way.
The establishment is not going to give in easily. They have already tried to infiltrate the Tea Party to make it seem as if the grassroots movement isn't so populist as one might think. At a Republican debate sponsored by the Tea Party, Ron Paul was booed by the very movement his 2008 candidacy started. What's more, he was booed while answering a question that had been well established. Once again a candidate questioned Ron Paul's assertion that the foreign policy of the United States federal government led to the attacks on 9/11. As Dr. Paul tried to explain the concept of blowback and why meddling in the affairs of others can lead to feelings of resentment a chorus of boos cascaded from the crowd. This makes one wonder if the crowd was full of plants or if there are really that many people involved with the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement who simply haven't been paying attention for the last few years.
It was Rick Santorum who challenged Ron Paul on this issue, and I was hoping to see another lambasting like was given to Rudolph Giuliani in a 2008 debate. After all, the ex senator seems to require an education on the subject. He could have used a reading list as Dr. Paul gave to Mr. Giuliani to show just where the idea of blowback comes from. It should be understood that it wasn't Ron Paul that claimed US foreign policy caused 9/11, he is merely repeating the opinions of certain CIA operatives and foreign policy experts. Booing and jeering the messenger will not alter those facts. Trying to make it sound as if Ron Paul dreamed up the idea of blowback on his own will not make that concept any less dangerous. We as a nation don't need a president who closes his eyes to reality in an effort to gain political popularity. We don't need media outlets who obfuscate the truth for political and financial gain. We need a president who understands reality and tells it like it is, one who will offer real solutions to real problems.
They continue to question Dr. Paul's sanity and the validity of his ideas, but it seems to me that it is their ideas that are crazy. It's crazy to bomb people into oblivion and expect them to be thankful. It's crazy to occupy their lands and lay claim to their natural resources and expect them to be welcoming. It's crazy to send soldiers to foreign lands, have them shoot up the place, torture and kill without accountability and expect the people of that land to be less than resentful. It is beyond me how those who continue to make excuses for these occupations cannot see how such behavior makes enemies, not friends. It is beyond me how they can truly believe these wars are anything less than the strong bullying the weak.
Perhaps a few might truly be stuck in a World War II mindset. Perhaps they truly believe that the common folk of a nation are going to cheer our troops as they march in the streets as if they are the great liberators. But in World War II the American military was driving out occupying forces. It's different when you become the occupying force. Certainly, some of the common folk may benefit from the occupation and these people may want the forces to stay, but most will likely wish to simply be left alone and will resent the presence of foreign military forces.
The same can be said for the economic policies put in place by the collectivist powers that be. It is crazy to believe you can get out of debt by going deeper into debt. It is crazy to believe you can clear up a debt problem by spending more, or even by maintaining current levels of spending. It is crazy to believe that higher taxes on anyone will solve the problem when so much money is being wasted on interest payments and war. Somehow those who booed Ron Paul seem able to understand that there is too much spending, yet they don't seem able to understand the wastefulness of spending money on bombs, death and the destruction of war. Spending money on defense is not a bad idea, but spreading military force across the world is not defense, it is what empire does.
It is the very definition of crazy to keep trying the same thing and expecting different results. The policies that the establishment politicians keep advocating have been tried before and have failed. Their policies have led us to a place where we are less free, less innovative, less productive and less prosperous than ever before. They have led us to a place where we are trapped in fear and dependent upon them rather than independent and responsible for our own well being and flourishing in an atmosphere of tolerance and love. It has been a slow ride to get here, and could possibly be a slow ride getting back, but that ride won't even start unless we try doing something different or something that we know has worked in the past. That something is to start honoring the principles of individual freedom.
The establishment truly doesn't want the common folk thinking. They want to keep them reacting at an emotional level. They want to keep them believing the jingoistic flag waving that gives them the most control over the masses. They want to keep the common folk fearful of their shadows so that they will allow their freedoms to be trampled and violated without question. A thinking public is dangerous to the establishment who wish to maintain their power. An intelligent, thoughtful public will eventually see through their fallacious policies. An intelligent public will ask to be left alone and treated like adults to determine for themselves how to live their lives and spend their money rather than be babied and treated like idiots being told how to live their lives and spend their money from cradle to grave. An intelligent public will be able to look at Ron Paul's past, his voting record and his unwavering principles and determine for themselves that he is not the typical establishment politician. Naturally, the establishment does not want someone in power who they don't control, and so they will continue to pull out whatever tricks they can in order to keep the thinking public from flexing its muscle.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there and make a donation to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Aiming Hatred Correctly
The other night I was accused of being a dangerous right wing extremist. This accusation came from someone I considered a friend, someone I play golf with. I knew he was a was an ardent follower of the Democrats, and I had seen him in the past become very emotional when discussing politics, so I always did my very best to avoid that topic with him. On this particular night we had just finished a round of golf and I was discussing the dismal season both Chicago baseball teams were having with another golfer when this man sat next to us and he brought up the topic of politics.
It seemed the ideas I espouse were quite radical to him. Wanting to know exactly what's so radical about freedom and in an attempt to pin down the details of his political beliefs, I tried to ask him some questions. The more I probed, the more excited and emotional he became. He seemed to believe that big government was the only answer to our economic problems and that my ideas of smaller governments with less power, free market regulations instead of government imposed restrictions and the empowerment of individuals to make their own decisions, both financial and personal, were dangerous. I suggested to him that big government was the purview of socialistic systems that had failed in the past, even the recent past. At this point he became very angry and claimed I had just accused all Democrats of being socialists.
I have to admit I was a little bit confused. I had not mentioned Democrats or Republicans. In fact, as most of you know, I believe that the two party paradigm is a big part of the problem and that we really have a one party system with two faces. I could tell, however, by the tone of this man's voice and the redness in his face, that he was not in a condition to listen to reason. Not wanting the situation to devolve and being one who wishes to de-escalate situations, I tried to find common ground. With the now clear knowledge that this man was cemented in the left/right paradigm as a Democrat, I decided to bring up my opposition to war and how we can scale back spending in that sector. I was surprised when he made the claim that these wars were necessary. I suppose I shouldn't have been.
By this time, however, I was completely befuddled by this man's insistence. I had tried to find common ground, but was unable to do so. I explained to him that I wasn't very good at explaining my point of view verbally, but was much better at the written word. That's why I had started writing my perspective in opinion articles, so I could avoid discussing them in inappropriate venues and manners. I tried to give him a card so he could look up my website and read my articles, but he refused to take it. His mind was made up and I was wrong and a dangerous extremist, there was nothing more to it. The conversation ended uneasily and I nervously changed the subject back to sports.
As I drove home, I began to wonder why it was my friend felt I was dangerous. I could understand that from his point of view I could be considered a right wing extremist, but dangerous? I'm a peaceful man. I advocate for peace. I advocate for civil disobedience and peaceful non-cooperation. I abhor violence against the state almost as much as I abhor the violence of the state, though I do understand the need for self defense. I merely want the government to leave me and anyone else who wishes for freedom alone. Is that so dangerous?
It struck me that perhaps, in his eyes, it was. I realized that he had not been arguing from reason, but from emotion. He was arguing to maintain the beliefs that had been pounded into his head since his youth. He had never been exposed to the possibilities of free market solutions and his imagination just couldn't fathom how they would work. He had been taught his entire life and indoctrinated into believing that big government was the answer. That is the way things have operated his entire adult life. He couldn't come to terms with the fact that his whole way of looking at politics and government might be an illusion, that they are just shadows dancing on the wall of the cave while the real answers to our societal and economic problems lie outside the cave of collectivism in the bright light of freedom. He was afraid to admit to himself that there might be a better way.
Fear and ignorance can lead to hatred. This is not a rational hatred, but one based on emotions. That hatred can easily be aimed at the wrong people. If you don't understand some culture, or concept, or philosophy, it becomes easy for manipulators to use a few extreme examples to get the ignorant to believe that all connected with that culture or concept or philosophy are the same. All anarchists become assassins and bomb throwing madmen. All Muslims become blood thirsty murderers wanting to kill the infidel and impose Sharia law. All libertarians become selfish money grubbers with no compassion for the poor and downtrodden. These are hardly enlightened points of view and lead to grave errors in judgment. Just look at what happened to the Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 40s when they became the reason for everything bad that happened in the economy.
Aiming hatred in this way leads to innocents getting caught up in an attempt to punish a few who may or may not have done wrong. Peaceful people should not be targeted for attempting peaceful change. People longing for independence should not be targeted for asking to be left alone. Those with open eyes should not be targeted for whistle blowing or for pointing out the wrongs that are done by governments and their agents. Most of all, human beings should not be targeted for exercising their God given freedoms, the freedom to own themselves and the products of their labor, to pursue their happiness as they see fit, to express themselves, to defend themselves, to practice their beliefs, to report the truth as they see it, etc. This is especially true in the United States of America where such rights were codified into the supreme law of the land and expressly forbade any government from violating these most important natural rights of individuals. Fat lot of good that's done us when no one in government is held accountable when they decide to violate those rights anyway.
Yet there are times when hatred is a reasonable response for wrongs that are done, albeit hardly ever a good one. I believe that forgiveness is a powerful healing force for yourself and others, but I can understand when people target their hatred at those who have harmed their family and friends, and I can't blame them for doing so. Yet I think it's more important and perhaps more effective to step back and examine the power structure of the organizations that have caused the harm. It seems to me that it hardly seems worthwhile to hate the human drones who seem to have lost their ability to think or tell right from wrong. They simply follow orders. It would make more sense to target your hatred higher up the power chain. I think it would be even more effective if the hatred one harbored was to be aimed at the hidden powers, the men behind the curtains so to speak.
Indeed, if one is to harbor hatred, wouldn't it make more sense to aim it at those who have brought the present situation to bear? Hasn't it become obvious by now that what we have been trying for the past few decades has utterly failed? Shouldn't the hatred be aimed at those who insist on doing things the same way and maintaining the status quo rather than at those who want to instill some genuine change into the establishment and actually try make them follow their rules and hold them accountable when they don't? Better yet, shouldn't that hatred be aimed at those who are able to pull the financial strings of the establishment and get whatever they want for their benefit and to the detriment of the rest of us?
Again, I don't think hatred is a good thing and I try not to let it live in my heart, but it seems to me that the ruling elite of this world, those in control of the central banks and the international corporate establishment, may harbor an extreme hatred for the masses of humanity. It seems that they hide in the shadows because they are not proud of what they do. In fact, it seems to me that they know what they're doing is wrong and they're afraid of being discovered by the common folk as being the real power behind the world's powers. Not that I blame them. They're likely afraid of the hatred that would be targeted at them should they be discovered for all the fraud and deception they've engaged in and how they've manipulated humankind into wars, occupations and other military operations for their own benefits and profits. They know how they treat those they harbor hatred for, so it'd only be natural for them to be afraid of how they would be treated by those who harbor hatred for them.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there and make a donation to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
It seemed the ideas I espouse were quite radical to him. Wanting to know exactly what's so radical about freedom and in an attempt to pin down the details of his political beliefs, I tried to ask him some questions. The more I probed, the more excited and emotional he became. He seemed to believe that big government was the only answer to our economic problems and that my ideas of smaller governments with less power, free market regulations instead of government imposed restrictions and the empowerment of individuals to make their own decisions, both financial and personal, were dangerous. I suggested to him that big government was the purview of socialistic systems that had failed in the past, even the recent past. At this point he became very angry and claimed I had just accused all Democrats of being socialists.
I have to admit I was a little bit confused. I had not mentioned Democrats or Republicans. In fact, as most of you know, I believe that the two party paradigm is a big part of the problem and that we really have a one party system with two faces. I could tell, however, by the tone of this man's voice and the redness in his face, that he was not in a condition to listen to reason. Not wanting the situation to devolve and being one who wishes to de-escalate situations, I tried to find common ground. With the now clear knowledge that this man was cemented in the left/right paradigm as a Democrat, I decided to bring up my opposition to war and how we can scale back spending in that sector. I was surprised when he made the claim that these wars were necessary. I suppose I shouldn't have been.
By this time, however, I was completely befuddled by this man's insistence. I had tried to find common ground, but was unable to do so. I explained to him that I wasn't very good at explaining my point of view verbally, but was much better at the written word. That's why I had started writing my perspective in opinion articles, so I could avoid discussing them in inappropriate venues and manners. I tried to give him a card so he could look up my website and read my articles, but he refused to take it. His mind was made up and I was wrong and a dangerous extremist, there was nothing more to it. The conversation ended uneasily and I nervously changed the subject back to sports.
As I drove home, I began to wonder why it was my friend felt I was dangerous. I could understand that from his point of view I could be considered a right wing extremist, but dangerous? I'm a peaceful man. I advocate for peace. I advocate for civil disobedience and peaceful non-cooperation. I abhor violence against the state almost as much as I abhor the violence of the state, though I do understand the need for self defense. I merely want the government to leave me and anyone else who wishes for freedom alone. Is that so dangerous?
It struck me that perhaps, in his eyes, it was. I realized that he had not been arguing from reason, but from emotion. He was arguing to maintain the beliefs that had been pounded into his head since his youth. He had never been exposed to the possibilities of free market solutions and his imagination just couldn't fathom how they would work. He had been taught his entire life and indoctrinated into believing that big government was the answer. That is the way things have operated his entire adult life. He couldn't come to terms with the fact that his whole way of looking at politics and government might be an illusion, that they are just shadows dancing on the wall of the cave while the real answers to our societal and economic problems lie outside the cave of collectivism in the bright light of freedom. He was afraid to admit to himself that there might be a better way.
Fear and ignorance can lead to hatred. This is not a rational hatred, but one based on emotions. That hatred can easily be aimed at the wrong people. If you don't understand some culture, or concept, or philosophy, it becomes easy for manipulators to use a few extreme examples to get the ignorant to believe that all connected with that culture or concept or philosophy are the same. All anarchists become assassins and bomb throwing madmen. All Muslims become blood thirsty murderers wanting to kill the infidel and impose Sharia law. All libertarians become selfish money grubbers with no compassion for the poor and downtrodden. These are hardly enlightened points of view and lead to grave errors in judgment. Just look at what happened to the Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 40s when they became the reason for everything bad that happened in the economy.
Aiming hatred in this way leads to innocents getting caught up in an attempt to punish a few who may or may not have done wrong. Peaceful people should not be targeted for attempting peaceful change. People longing for independence should not be targeted for asking to be left alone. Those with open eyes should not be targeted for whistle blowing or for pointing out the wrongs that are done by governments and their agents. Most of all, human beings should not be targeted for exercising their God given freedoms, the freedom to own themselves and the products of their labor, to pursue their happiness as they see fit, to express themselves, to defend themselves, to practice their beliefs, to report the truth as they see it, etc. This is especially true in the United States of America where such rights were codified into the supreme law of the land and expressly forbade any government from violating these most important natural rights of individuals. Fat lot of good that's done us when no one in government is held accountable when they decide to violate those rights anyway.
Yet there are times when hatred is a reasonable response for wrongs that are done, albeit hardly ever a good one. I believe that forgiveness is a powerful healing force for yourself and others, but I can understand when people target their hatred at those who have harmed their family and friends, and I can't blame them for doing so. Yet I think it's more important and perhaps more effective to step back and examine the power structure of the organizations that have caused the harm. It seems to me that it hardly seems worthwhile to hate the human drones who seem to have lost their ability to think or tell right from wrong. They simply follow orders. It would make more sense to target your hatred higher up the power chain. I think it would be even more effective if the hatred one harbored was to be aimed at the hidden powers, the men behind the curtains so to speak.
Indeed, if one is to harbor hatred, wouldn't it make more sense to aim it at those who have brought the present situation to bear? Hasn't it become obvious by now that what we have been trying for the past few decades has utterly failed? Shouldn't the hatred be aimed at those who insist on doing things the same way and maintaining the status quo rather than at those who want to instill some genuine change into the establishment and actually try make them follow their rules and hold them accountable when they don't? Better yet, shouldn't that hatred be aimed at those who are able to pull the financial strings of the establishment and get whatever they want for their benefit and to the detriment of the rest of us?
Again, I don't think hatred is a good thing and I try not to let it live in my heart, but it seems to me that the ruling elite of this world, those in control of the central banks and the international corporate establishment, may harbor an extreme hatred for the masses of humanity. It seems that they hide in the shadows because they are not proud of what they do. In fact, it seems to me that they know what they're doing is wrong and they're afraid of being discovered by the common folk as being the real power behind the world's powers. Not that I blame them. They're likely afraid of the hatred that would be targeted at them should they be discovered for all the fraud and deception they've engaged in and how they've manipulated humankind into wars, occupations and other military operations for their own benefits and profits. They know how they treat those they harbor hatred for, so it'd only be natural for them to be afraid of how they would be treated by those who harbor hatred for them.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there and make a donation to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)