Friday, October 26, 2012

How Fear Prevents Positive Political Change

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
Yoda

Something happened the other day that caused me to engage in a little self examination. I was talking on the phone to a woman I care about very much. She was telling me about a billionaire she had seen on CNBC who had come from a socialist country. According to her, the gentleman was talking about how he had come from this country to America because he wanted to make his fortune in our "free markets" and he did. Then he went on to say that he was voting for Mr. Romney because Mr. Obama had an agenda to bring socialism to America, or something like that. Then she told me he said something about how voting for anyone other than Mr. Romney was a waste of a vote. That's when the red flags went up. That's where I lost it.

Before I knew it, I was yelling at this woman across the cell phone airwaves. I knew I was wrong, that I shouldn't be yelling, but I couldn't help it. I felt as if my consciousness had left my body and was looking at this bratty kid yelling because he didn't get his way. I tried to stop, but I couldn't until I got out what I needed to say, getting louder and louder as I let out three of four sentences before I finally gained control of my temper and was able to shut up. By that time it was too late. I had upset the woman and she needed to hang up, despite the fact that I was already apologizing profusely.

When I behave in such a way, I try to look back and examine what factors caused this behavior. It just makes sense to me to do this. I want to understand that I am a flawed human being and then try to figure out what I can do to rid myself of those flaws. Sometimes when I examine myself in such a way I can suddenly recognize that not only are the flaws manifest in myself, but also in society in general. It seems to me that there are certain strings that go through all of society and can sometimes manifest in individuals as we go about our lives.

So, why did I get so angry and lash out when I shouldn't have? I suppose it has to do with the fact that morality is very important to me. I consider it immoral to lie to someone to get them to change their behavior. I consider it a lie to say that if you don't vote for this guy or that guy your vote is wasted. Each person has their own reason for voting and either no vote is wasted or all votes are wasted. Even not voting is not wasted and makes its own statement about the electoral process. Hearing that bit of propaganda made my mind shut off and allowed anger to take over. Analyzing this on a deeper level helped me come to the realization that most people likely have a similar reaction when their deeply held political beliefs are challenged.

The first step to getting past this is to understand that political beliefs are just that, beliefs, they are not fact, nor are they truths, they are beliefs. And, in some cases, they are immoral beliefs disguised as good intentions. Morality does not spring from immoral behavior, and political systems worldwide, including the one we engage in, are based mostly on the immoral behavior of stealing.

To be clear, I define theft as the taking of property from someone in an involuntary manner through force or the threat of force, (this is particularly heinous when those who make the threats have the power and have proven they will follow through on those threats) or through lies or gaining trust through promises which one never intends to keep (more commonly known as fraud or cons). Income taxes fall into the previous definitions, in my humble opinion, and if they are voluntary as claimed than anyone aught to be able to opt out anytime and not have to worry about any reprisals from any agency, whether governmental or private. Try to opt out of paying your income taxes and see what happens to you.

Someone asked me on facebook how such things as roads and schools would be paid for without an income tax. I tried to explain to her how these things would get done and she ended up telling me I was dreaming. Maybe I am dreaming to believe that we can live in a world where all interactions between people are moral and voluntary and necessary services are still provided. To be honest, I don't know how these things would be paid for, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that people should not be forced to pay for services they don't want to pay for and may not want to use. If things can't get done through voluntary interactions, perhaps those things simply aren't worth doing. We shouldn't be afraid to try something different even if the majority believes that doing something different will result in chaos.

It is fear that rules. The person who told me on facebook that I was a dreamer for believing that humankind can live morally without coercive force fears that certain services will not be available or will be too expensive without government intrusion. The politicians take advantage of this and fan the flames of fear. The Democrats stoke your fear of the Republicans by claiming social programs will end if Republicans are in charge. The Republicans stoke your fear of the Democrats by claiming America will become a socialist nation if Democrats are in charge. I have news for you. Social programs will not end whether or not the federal government funds them because there are people who care. We are already a socialist nation with a great many businesses, industries and services socialized. Both sides are creating fear and meanwhile there are alternatives that offer to respect your freedoms and your decisions that are being ignored.

Yet still voters will go to the polls in large numbers and cast their votes for a Republican or a Democrat. They cast their votes out of fear of what the worst of two evils will do rather than looking to cast a vote for someone who will change the paradigm for the better. There will be no positive change because both major parties are controlled by the same elite corporate interests. These are the same interests that profit from keeping you in a state of fear. These include the military/industrial complex, the prison/industrial complex, the medical/industrial and pharmaceutical complex, the energy industry and the large financial institutions that make money by providing credit and insurance to those other industries, among others. These industries know they wouldn't stand a chance in a true free market, nor in a free market of ideas, so they'll do anything to keep their people in power, including creating such an atmosphere of fear that may take us into a very destructive war.

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I understand this is taken from a Hollywood movie, but there is much wisdom in those words, nonetheless. Don't fear Obama. Don't hate him. Don't fear Romney. Don't hate him. Don't become so blinded by anger and hatred for one or the other that you can't see the same flaws you hate in one reflected in the other. Don't become so blinded by hatred and anger that you start yelling and screaming at those you love because they express an opinion. Don't become so blinded by anger and hatred that you can no longer see light, only paler shades of darkness.

Don't fear casting a vote for Gary Johnson. Don't take the path to the dark side. Choose a path to the light. Don't choose more economic doldrums and debt, choose a clearer, more vibrant path to prosperity. Don't choose more war and nation building, choose a path to peace and fair trade with all nations. Don't choose more rights violating, Bill of Rights shredding laws, choose more freedom. Choose more power to determine your own destiny. Don't be afraid of voting for Gary Johnson. Don't be afraid of the light.

My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.

For a time my books will be available exclusively at Amazon.com from Kindle Direct Publishing. Please help support me by downloading my ebooks. The more downloads I get, the better. Tell your friends. If you don't have a Kindle, amazon.com offers a PC version for free. Please download and enjoy.

The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Edge of Sanity

The Ouijiers

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Gatekeepers and Funding the Media

You want to know something about gatekeepers, I can tell you something about gatekeepers. I've been dealing with the publishing industry most of my adult life. I got involved with writing partially because I would read best sellers that were written like crap. I didn't understand how these people ever got published. I knew I was a better writer. I knew I could tell a better story. Yet somehow, no matter how well written the story, no matter how unique the idea, I only ever acquired rejection. Even when I managed to find publishers and editors who appreciated my work, even when I found those who knew the difference between a writer with an original vision and a hack who just imitates the popular meme of the time, those publishers proved powerless against the industry giants and the economic currents of the times.

The fact of the matter is, if you wanted to be a successful writer, a truly successful writer who makes his living off his craft, it was never enough to simply have the gift. It was never enough to be a good writer. It was never enough to be even an excellent writer. The skill wasn't what was important. Who you knew, that was important. What you wrote about, whether it passed their litmus test and fit into their agenda, that was what was important. I knew no one. I tried to keep my writings original. I received over a hundred rejection letters from all kinds of publishers, all of which burned in a house fire eight years ago. I never stood a chance because those who make the decisions of who gets published weren't at all interested in any of my ideas.

It's the same in any media industry. There are people who are successful and those who aren't. Those who are extremely successful and who have become quite wealthy either shill for the left or for the right, for the so called liberals or for the so called conservatives, for the Democrat establishment or for the Republican establishment. The key word in that last sentence is establishment. If I had decided years ago to write for a point of view that supported establishment ideas, who knows where I'd be today? I might even be sitting pretty with a good paying job and a nice place to live. But I didn't do that. I decided to write about principles that matter. I decided that honesty, freedom and individual liberty were more important than making money for the establishment. Well, much as I hate to admit, principle doesn't pay the rent or put food on the table.

For a while there, I thought I might have a chance. I thought that the alternative media could be a path that could at least support me. But even the alternative media has its gatekeepers. Even the alternative media has its famous personalities that get all the attention and all the funding. Unfortunately, after six and a half years of writing these op/ed pieces, I don't seem to be one of those people. There was a time when a couple of those gatekeepers ran my articles and I had quite a bit more exposure than I do now. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, those days are gone. The state is winning, and when a small nobody like me goes up against the establishment, or even an alternative establishment, it isn't that difficult to believe that the small man will get crushed. The path I chose is an uncertain one, and right now my future has never been more uncertain. I have never felt this alone.

It is with a heavy heart that I write this, but I see little alternative. I need money folks. My source of income is dwindling away. I need about $1200 a month to make my rent, pay for gas, electric, Internet, phone and food, just the basic necessities. I need about $2400 to make it through the rest of this year. I'm on the precipice people, and I need a miracle. I know that money is tight for many of you, but anything you can spare would be appreciated. Every dollar helps. Isn't my work worth a dollar, or maybe a dollar a month, or a once a year contribution of $12? If you can, purchase my books. That would be a tremendous help.

I've had one article this year with over 6000 hits on my site alone. If everyone who had read that article had donated just one dollar I'd have enough to support me for 5 months. If everyone of them had purchased one of my cheap ebooks, I'd have enough money to support me for about a year, if everyone of them had bought one of my more expensive ebooks, the government would be asking me to pay taxes on my income. And that's not including those who read this at one of the alternative news services that still carry my writings. If the people who read alternative media don't support it, then no one will. It will cease to exist due to lack of funds.

I do thank all the places that publish my writings, and you should all know who you are. If you're not reading this at szandorblestman.com then you're reading it at one of those places. I also thank all those who have given generously to me in the past. You don't know how much that was appreciated and how long that kept me going. I am truly only a month or so away from a fate I don't know. With my age and my criminal record most businesses won't hire me even for menial work and even my ability to live with family members is uncertain and restricted. Thanks to state laws I am unemployable and unable to live with those who love and care for me the most. As I said before, my future has never been more uncertain.

I have tried hard to make the best of a bad situation. I have tried hard to contribute what I could to society and to provide a product that would be worth paying for. If I had more time than maybe I could succeed without your help, but as it stands right now I am running out of time rather quickly. I am appealing to your generosity to help me survive by going to my website, szandorblestman.com, and making a donation or purchasing one of my ebooks, and this truly is a matter of survival. There is a donate button and links to all my ebooks in the right margin on the site. Please help if you can.

For a time my books will be available exclusively at Amazon.com from Kindle Direct Publishing. Please help support me by downloading my ebooks. The more downloads I get, the better. Tell your friends. If you don't have a Kindle, amazon.com offers a PC version for free. Please download and enjoy.

The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Edge of Sanity

The Ouijiers

Friday, October 5, 2012

A Vote for Romney is a Vote for Obama. Wait. What?

Yes, you read that right. What I'm about to write will likely piss off some of my more "conservative" readers, especially those who still think there's any significant difference between Republicrats and Dempublicans, or Obamney and Rombama. That's okay, people need to start getting pissed off. People need to look at the reality of politics in modern Amerika and recognize the criminality we're putting up with. People need to march into their representatives' offices across the country and demand they stop breaking the law. There needs to be outrage because otherwise they're just laughing at you and me as they continue to simply do as they please.

I suppose I should go beyond the simple one guy equals the other guy thing, but it is what it is. I mean, ever since I was little I've had a reputation for pointing out the obvious. I've heard the words "No shit Sherlock" come out of the mouths of my companions more than a few times. All one has to do is look at the major issues, the issues that actually mean something and that the president can do something about to understand that there is no real difference between these two puppets. All one has to do is look at who's giving large sums of money to both candidates to understand who's pulling the strings. The same is true for most federal level elected officials no matter their party affiliation, and even more so for people appointed to office by elected officials.

If there's one thing I'm sick of it's being told that by not holding my nose and voting for Romney because he's a Republican it's just like I'm voting for Obama. Now, don't get me wrong, I hate the Democrats and their support of war and constitution shredding legislation as much as the next guy, but truth be told, if someone held a gun to my head and made me vote for one or the other, Obama or Romney, I'd vote for Obama. Why? Because he's the devil I know. I hate being lied to, and I hate deception, and in my opinion Romney has been lying more and is more deceptive than Obama.

At least Obama doesn't pretend to be a conservative or a Republican, we've always known he was communist leaning socialist with an agenda leading our nation into a one world government. If he is Indonesian, which he's tried to hide by keeping his college records under wraps, then he's not a traitor when he sells out this nation. Romney would be a traitor by selling out this nation, but has just as much of a one world agenda as Obama, or at least we know his owners do. At least Obama and his handlers didn't need to lie, cheat, threaten, manipulate and connive against his own party's grassroots in order to gain his party's nomination. So you see if any of the two "major party" candidates have lost my vote, it'd be Obama. Fortunately that scenario is not yet reality in Amerika and I have more than two choices. Too bad too few people realize that.

These shows they put on called debates aren't really a discussion of real issues affecting Amerika nor are they about solutions that will genuinely solve the problems our nation faces going forward. They are about creating an illusion that globalist presidential candidate A is different than globalist presidential candidate B. They are about getting everyone to believe that there is a difference between one big government collectivist philosophy and the other big government collectivist philosophy. Real issues and real solutions are never brought up and the powers that be make certain it is kept that way by keeping third parties and Ron Paul types out of the debates. God forbid the Amerikan sheeple should be exposed to new ideas and different philosophies! We can't have them actually thinking in proverbial colors rather than in black and white! We can't have them thinking that freedom and independence could actually work!

I'm not in the business of predicting the future, but I can tell you what will happen no matter which candidate wins the upcoming election, unless that candidate is not a Democrat or a Republican. We will have more war. We will continue to see our rights violated by the state as they continue to impose an ever growing police state upon us. We will not see unconstitutional laws repealed and will instead see these laws used as an excuse for agents of the state to violate the supreme law of the land. We will see the secrecy of the state grow instead of transparency. There will be no accountability. We will continue to see more and more whistleblowers shut up and punished for doing the right thing. We will continue to see torture of ever more innocent people. We will see more bailouts for the already fabulously wealthy too big to fail. We will not see an end to this financial crisis. We will continue to wallow in economic oppression. We will fall into a state of decay until we finally accept, or even beg for, a one world government that promises to solve these problems, but likely will not be able to. We will continue to not see these things reported on by corporate media who will continue to tell us that everything is fine even as government intrudes more and more upon everyday life.

A vote for Romney is a vote for Obama. A vote for Obama is a vote for Romney. They're the same. It's a vote for the status quo. It's a vote for keeping the same power structure, however structurally unsound it's become. It's a vote that says "Beat me up more, I like it." It's a vote that says "I'm going to continue to listen to corporate media and do as they tell me." It's a vote that says "These guys have the right idea about how my money should be spent." It's a vote that says "I give up."

Now I'm not going to tell you that voting for this candidate or that candidate will solve anything. Voting has never solved a thing, it's only given the powerful excuses to become more powerful. I am going to state the obvious, at least it's obvious to me. When I go out and vote for Gary Johnson this November it will be a vote for Gary Johnson. It will not be a vote for Obama. It will not be a vote for Romney. It will be a vote for something different than what we've had for the past 159 years. I'll be voting for an end to the power structure that has driven this nation into bankruptcy, both moral and fiscal. Voting might not be the answer, but enough people voting against Democrats AND Republicans will certainly send a message. Even if the vote is fixed, those in power are certain to get it if they know enough people have awakened and are no longer listening to their lies nor believing their false promises.

My archives can be found at my website szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to read more and support me by making a donation.

For a time my books will be available exclusively at Amazon.com from Kindle Direct Publishing. As a special offer, for those of you who may have missed it the first time, on Oct. 3rd, Oct. 4th and Oct. 10th, 2012, the full versions of all my ebooks will be available for free to download. Please help support me by downloading my ebooks for free on those days. The more downloads I get, the better. Tell your friends. If you don't have a Kindle, amazon.com offers a PC version for free. Please download and enjoy.

The Colors of Elberia; book 1 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Legacy of the Tareks; book 2 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Power of the Tech; book 3 of The Black Blade Trilogy

The Edge of Sanity

The Ouijiers