Hope and Change Part 2, the Return of the Republicans

So, another mid term election has come and gone. After a mere two years of Democrat rule, we find ourselves back with the Republicans in charge of the House of Representatives, but not quite the Senate. Many people might be celebrating what they might perceive as some kind of great victory. They may think that when January comes around and the new representatives take their vows to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America we will enter into a new era of freedom and prosperity. I don't buy it. I think that, for the most part, we've seen this song and dance before. I think that the hope and change expected is just as elusive as the hope and change promised by Mr. Obama and his Democrat buddies.

I've been called delusional, told that I was but a dreamer, and accused of being Utopian in my thinking, but I am not so deluded or so much of a dreamer as to believe that the recent election is going to bring about significant change. As for the Utopian thing, I've never felt that providing individual liberties and free markets would lead to a Utopia. In fact, I don't think a Utopian society is possible. We're an imperfect species living on an imperfect planet in an imperfect universe. On the contrary, I think it is the collectivists who are the Utopian thinkers as they seem to think they can create a perfect society through forcing their vision upon the rest of us.

It is the collectivist elites who control society. They are the ones who have set up this duopoly to give the masses an illusion of choice. They are the ones who have set up these false Republican/Democrat, left/right, conservative/liberal paradigms. When issues are discussed, they should be framed in the individualist/collectivist paradigm. They should be framed in the freedom/tyranny paradigm. These were the hot and heavy debates prevalent in the 1700s during the enlightenment when our founding fathers decided to go down the individualist path and ushered great prosperity into our nation. Republicans and Democrats are both, for the most part, big government animals. Both parties represent a form of collectivism. Both parties are owned by the corporate elite who sit atop the power pyramid. Politicians in both parties will simply say what they think you want to hear while campaigning in order to get your vote and will do as they want or as they are told by their elite masters once they get into office.

So, now the Republican collectivists are in control of the US House of Representatives. La-di-dah. They still want big government. They still want to maintain an empire. They still want troops stationed around the world and conducting occupations. They still want to maintain a police state. They still want their control grid in place so they can spy on each and every one of us. They still work for the corporate moneyed elite, not the common folk.

I hope I'm wrong. I do hope the Republicans do manage to start scaling back government once they get into office. I hope the populace can keep the pressure on them and that they'll respond. I'm just not going to hold my breath waiting for it. They say they're going to start by trying to repeal Obama's unconstitutional health care bill, for instance. That's good. I spoke out against it and I would love to see it repealed. I just don't think it's going to happen. When was the last time a federal law was actually repealed? So they claim they'll repeal the health care bill. I'll believe it when I see it. Even if they do, it will have to go through the Senate and then when Obama vetoes the repeal they'll have to have enough votes to override the veto. I don't see that bill being repealed any time soon.

Not only that, but it's not just about the health care bill. Sure, that was a bad piece of legislation which takes away personal sovereignty and gives the government and the insurance companies too much power, but in my opinion it's really just a distraction to keep the populace from focusing on the real issues. Don't forget, in 2006 and 2008 the Democrats were ushered into power because of the Bush administration's bad policies. When Republicans take back the power of the House of Representatives, are they going to forget that? Are they going to ignore the wishes of so many that other unconstitutional laws be repealed? Are they going to continue the occupations and maintenance of the empire that so many have spoken out against?

My guess is yes, they will just let those issues go. They will not bother to try to repeal the Patriot Act or the Military Commissions Act. They will continue to dishonor individual rights by ignoring posse comitatus when it suits their purpose. They will not try to roll back the power of the executive and will continue to allow centralization of power to the office of the president. They will continue to ignore the Constitution. They will continue to allow our rights to erode and implement a police state to further quell anyone who may speak out against their policies. They will use the specter of arguing about repealing the health care bill, something that likely will not be accomplished, while other equally important issues are not addressed and unpopular policies continue in force and continue to drag our economy down.

There will likely be no investigation into the bailouts. No one from the Federal Reserve will be required to tell congress where all the money went. No one from the Federal Reserve will be prosecuted for fraud. The Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world will likely maintain and even increase their grip on power. In my humble opinion, most of the politicians still work for these entities, and those that don't may soon be bought off. Such is the nature of the system.

Yet I don't want to seem like too much of a gloomy Gus. I am, after all, an eternal optimist. Perhaps there is some good coming from this latest election, especially if the harm that can be caused by the lame duck session is minimized or completely held at bay. Dr. Ron Paul has promised to reintroduce his bill for a full audit of the Federal Reserve to the House of Representatives and Dr. Rand Paul has pledged to introduce the same legislation to the Senate. This will at least focus the populace's attention on the practices of the Federal Reserve which I feel is the most important issue. Keep in mind that without the Federal Reserve the policies that have put our nation into such debt would likely not have been possible. Their fiscal policies have made it much easier for our nation to conduct our military operations, the bailouts and the implementation of the police, security, nanny state.

Even if those simple things don't happen, even if this new congress fails to implement the changes those of us interested in seeing a restoration of at least some of our freedoms wish to see, one has to wonder if we are witnessing a new awakening of the common man. Indeed, one may well wonder if the hearts and minds of the common folk are being changed significantly as they begin to realize that the system is broken and there isn't much the system allows anyone to do that can fix it. Those at the top wish to stay there, and they'll do anything, lie, cheat, break promises, fix elections, perhaps even far more evil and nefarious deeds, to achieve their wishes. The more of us who come to this realization, the more of us who realize the system has let us down, the more of us there are that will be willing to go beyond the rules of the system and engage in real activism.

When at last we come to the realization that it is the system itself, and not those running the system, that is at fault, perhaps that is when more drastic measures will be taken. I am not talking violent revolution, for it has been shown that a society born in violence is likely to eventually succumb to violence. I am talking about civil disobedience and peaceful non cooperation. I am talking about refusing to simply go along to get along. Now is the time to learn the meaning of becoming the change you wish to see. If you wish to end the income tax, then don't pay the income tax. If you wish to see and end to the Department of Education, then start home schooling your children. If you wish to see an end to the police state, start insisting the police honor your rights and video record them whenever you interact with them.

There are many things you can do to create change. Start extricating yourself from the system as much as you possibly can. Start doing business and interacting with others who are of the same mindset as much as possible. There is a growing movement out there of people who are tired of being told what to do by the system, and the system is trying its best to keep as many of them as possible in its fold. The harder they squeeze, the more people slip through their fingers, like grains of sand. Yes, elections, protests, etc. are important for voicing dissent, but when those at the top stop listening and it becomes obvious they don't care, such actions may not be enough. We should all be prepared to move forward and change tactics when the inevitable let down occurs.

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.

The World's Most Dangerous Animal, a Lame Duck

There are many dangerous animals in the world. What would you say was the most dangerous? Some kind of carnivore? Perhaps a tiger, with its large size, its quickness, and its sharp teeth and claws? Perhaps a bear, with its great strength? Maybe you would think a poisonous snake of some type with its stealth and unexpected strike would be the most dangerous. Some people might suggest sharks are more dangerous than any other animal. Others might tell you that smaller creatures, insects that swarm like killer bees or giant Japanese hornets, are the greatest threat. All the above creatures are quite dangerous, but they're not nearly as dangerous as the animal I believe to be the most dangerous. That animal is a lame duck.

How can you make such a claim? you might ask. After all, a lame duck is but a small water fowl that walks with a limp. Tigers and bears are mighty animals that can tear a man to shreds in a matter of seconds. A bite from a poisonous snake can result in a slow and painful death for even the strongest man. A shark can cut a man in half in one swift bite. Swarming insects with their stinging instincts can cause even the bravest man to flee for their lives in terror. Certainly, even the lesser of the poisonous stinging creatures, animals like jellyfish, scorpions and spiders are more dangerous than a lame duck. Not so.

Sure, animals like tigers and bears can be killers. They may kill one human, or the may develop a taste for human blood and kill even more. A poisonous snake might attack a human if it feels threatened. A shark might mistake a swimming human for its food. Swarming insects will attack when defending their homes or territories. Even the less glorified stinging creatures can cause discomfort.

These animals can be dealt with. A tiger or bear can be hunted down. Poisonous snakes can be avoided, many will actually warn you before they bite. Sharks are denizens of the water and so only threaten the few who may unwittingly wander into their territory. Insects can be attacked and killed with chemicals. All these animals tragically destroy but a few human lives. One lame duck, however, can affect millions, and one lame duck is nearly impossible to avoid.

A lame duck, you see, has weapons far more powerful than teeth and claws. They have poisons that can spread further and quicker than any snake's. The signals they send can mobilize more of their friends than the chemical ones emitted by swarming insects. The lame duck can create legislation. Legislation creates bureaucracies. Bureaucracies suck the life blood from the private sector. Millions are harmed. Liberty is compromised. Choices are reduced. Opportunities are lost.

What makes the lame duck session of congress so dangerous is the lack of even the presumption of accountability. The bums have already been voted out. Congress critters who know they will not be returning are voting on legislation the common folk will have to live with. What's to prevent these people from perhaps becoming bitter and extending a big middle finger to the people who decided they didn't want them back in office? These men and women have nothing to lose now. They can go ahead and vote through Internet censoring legislation. They can go ahead and vote through a national ID act. They could, if they wanted to, pass legislation requiring monitoring equipment in private homes. Hell, unconstitutional laws have been passed when they had to worry about being re-elected, why shouldn't they pass the most grievous state empowering legislation now that they don't need to worry about that anymore? Maybe they'll even get a nice little bonus from their elite masters if they do.

Think about it for a moment. In what other business do fired employees get to hang around for a couple of months and make important decisions? No other business could survive long using such practices. Is it any wonder government fails, especially the federal government? How much damage can be done by these failed employees and how hard does it become to repair that damage?

For those who think we might find protection from this lame duck through the justice system, keep in mind that unconstitutional legislation has been passed and implemented in the past and it has taken forever for challenges to these laws to make it through to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, even if the law is found unconstitutional in the long run, damage has been done and those who stood to make money have already taken it and run.

Politicians have never cared what you think, but many do have to pretend to care if they want to keep their jobs. Of course, even that little fact didn't prevent them from passing massively unpopular bills like the bailouts and the health care monstrosity. Why is the lame duck session even allowed? Too many congress critters can no longer even claim to be representing the people of their districts or state anymore. I think we can all get along just fine if congress would take the next couple of months off until the new, elected congress is sworn in.

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.

The Imminent Currency Collapse, a Possible Solution

I apologize to my readers in advance for this article as I am going to take a slight left turn to my usual opinion. While I remain a staunch advocate of free markets and a voluntary society, I accept that there is a need to acknowledge the reality that exists. While I believe that the current power structure needs a major overhaul, I understand that change needs to come about gradually and peacefully, otherwise the violence inherent in the system perpetuates itself. When it comes time to examine these issues and consider solutions to existing problems, one should try to consider how to make changes that will impact the common folk in the least painful way.

I don't normally like to suggest solutions involving government. I feel it is more important to minimize government involvement and empower the common folk to take control and responsibility for their own lives. That's what independence is about, to be independent of government intrusion instead of dependent upon it. But the current economic situation is so dire that it becomes nearly impossible to imagine a solution that won't drastically affect common folk without involving the monopolistic power of force that government wields.

I think that whatever solutions are implemented, they will involve pain. The question is, who's going to feel the pain? I believe that the moneyed elite, the very people who engineered this system, should be the ones to feel the greatest amount of pain, not the common folk who simply used the system they were born into, the one they were trained from birth to use, for they could hardly imagine living outside this system and were led to believe they had no power to change it.

The first step in implementing a solution, in my opinion, is to stop living in denial. We as a society need to acknowledge that there is a problem, and we need to recognize where the problem stems from and who is to blame for the problem. The economic problems we face today, in my opinion, stem from the monopolistic, centralized fiat currency systems set up in nations across the world. These central banks have the ability to issue currency to their respective governments and to indebt that nation's populace with little or no risk to themselves. Such absolute power should be abhorrent to people who wish to remain free and independent, for the lack of accountability in such systems allows for corruption to creep in and corrupt absolutely. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The problem is debt. It's not just debt, it's the way it's created. Because of the fractional reserve nature of modern debt, money is created to be lent but the money needed to pay for the interest on the debt is never created. Debt just keeps growing, much like government. It is so pervasive, that I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of nations are as good as insolvent. While you or I can manage debt by producing and earning money to pay it back, governments don't know how to legitimately produce and have to depend on stealing from the private sector in the form of taxation, levies, fines, tariffs or some other questionable means in order to pay their debt. Sooner or later, the bust part of the boom/bust cycle has to occur. It's inevitable in such an unstable system as a fiat, debt driven system is.

There's a man out there named Webster Tarpley who has his own ideas about the best way to run an economy. While there is much he advocates which I disagree with, he does advocate one idea I very much agree with. He believes there should be a debt moratorium instituted. I can see that. I think it should be taken a step further. It seems to me that, at least in this nation, the system of central banking that was created is fraudulent and illegal. There are many legal and moral arguments to support this position, most of which have been perverted by a justice system in this nation that has been compromised by the same corporate interests that stood to gain when the Federal Reserve system was adopted. This fraud and corruption needs to be investigated, exposed and explained and those responsible for its implementation and continuation need to be held to account.

While the economy seems entangled and complicated, one thing seems certain, debt is out of control and it seems almost everything is actually owned by a few large banks. It is these banks that should shoulder the burden of the collapsing economy, not the common folk who are currently paying for the mistakes of the moneyed elite. Foreclosures are occurring in ever increasing numbers and unemployment continues to soar while the richest among us seem to profit from the misery of the masses. Money is flowing to the top of the pyramid while the base wilts in a drought of epic proportions. This tendency needs to be reversed.

I think it is time for government to work for the masses, rather than against them. It is time for government to show they are not just puppets for the big corporate banking establishment. I think it is time for them to help clear up the mess they helped to create. It can start by sorting out this foreclosure/derivative mess. Perhaps in the course of implementing a debt moratorium we can find the political will to help those who have dutifully followed the rules and yet find themselves now getting screwed. Perhaps some rules could be set up, something like anyone who has paid more than twice the amount of the principal for a mortgage now owns the title to the home, free and clear. Perhaps something similar could be done to those who have paid a certain percentage more than the principal borrowed on credit cards or other lines of credit, but still find themselves deep in debt due to the high interest rates charged. After all, it certainly wasn't the borrowers' fault that the profits made by the big banks were squandered. Sure, the banks and those who invested in their fraudulent schemes might take a beating, but that would certainly be one way to funnel the "stimulus" money to those people it was supposed to help.

The establishment politicians said a couple years ago that bailouts were necessary, that the corporate banks who needed the help of middle class Americans in order to survive were too big to fail. I think they were wrong. I think the corporate banks had already failed. If they hadn't been bailed out, someone who knew better what they were doing would have stepped in to take their place. Sure, many at the top of the heap may have found themselves knocked down a few notches, but the bad debt would hopefully have been cleansed from the system and the economic downturn would now be naught but a bad memory. Instead, the politicians stepped in, bailed out their rich elite buddies, and made sure to drag out the economic crisis so that our great-great grandchildren will still be paying.

Auditing the fed is but a necessary step. After that is done and the obvious theft and corruption is exposed, arrests need to be made. Not just any arrests, arrests of the very richest banking elites. These people need to be held accountable, and they need to be made to forfeit their vast wealth for the illegal nature in which it was obtained. If one wishes to talk about a redistribution of wealth, then the elite players who have used the government monopoly on force to stifle and destroy competition for far too long should be the number one targets. After that, the fed should be eliminated and the currency they created should be replaced by some kind of commodity based currency or a competitive currency marketplace.

I'm all for eliminating as much government power as possible, especially when it comes to centralized federal power. I'm all for governing through a free market, voting with one's dollar and one's feet, and with maximizing individual liberty, but the reality is that a police state is descending on this nation, if it hasn't already, and the politicians are protecting the elite while cracking down on the common folk. That apparatus needs to be turned around. The United States federal government was supposed to be set up to protect the common folk from super powerful interests, not the other way around. It's time government and its various arms lived up to their responsibility.

The banking system has failed, or is failing. Our government has failed time and again. There is a better way. I believe we can achieve a voluntary society, one which would be much fairer and more equitable by providing opportunity for all who are willing to work hard. Realistically, however, I don't believe this can be done in the blink of an eye. Since it will take some time to achieve such a freer society, we might as well try to use what exists to prosecute the fraud that was created by the elite few for their benefit. They want all the world's wealth delivered into the hands of a few elite. Government, so long has it exists, should help keep that from happening by providing an environment conducive to rewarding honesty and hard work.

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.

The Scientific Method Versus the Religion of Science

Knowledge is power. That is something that men have known for a long time. If I know something you don't know, there's a chance I'll be able to take advantage of that fact. I can do so honestly by providing a service, for instance if I know something about electronics and you need something fixed, or I can do so dishonestly, for instance by engaging in some questionable activity like a shell game. I can chose to impart my knowledge upon others and help benefit mankind, or I can keep my knowledge secret and try to use it to my advantage, or I can deliberately misinform, obfuscate and lie in an effort to try to control the behavior of others and elevate myself in their eyes. It is this third option that is the most insidious when exercised.

People should not take anyone at their word, especially not opinionated bloggers like myself. You should always do your due diligence and check out any claims you may read for yourself before forming your own opinion. Seek out facts and figures, use your own feelings and observations, and even check out opposing viewpoints. Always question. This is the very essence of the scientific method, to never take anything for granted and to always seek out ways to prove or disprove established tenets. This is something that can be done by everyone, not just scientists.

The scientific method is one of testing and observation. The tests verify or disprove theories which are formed by observation. But tests aren't always conclusive. Things don't always happen the same way or follow the same rules. This is especially true with large, complex systems. In many cases, there are simply too many variables to draw definitive conclusions 100% of the time. Even gravity, something we all know exists and we're very aware of, is something that scientists constantly test, looking for tiny variations and a better understanding of its nature. True scientists are always open minded and though they may reach conclusions from their research, they should always remain open to changing those opinions when new research becomes available.

The religion of science, however, is quite a bit different. It works like any other religion would. It is based on beliefs that usually can't be proved or disproved. It is preached by the clerics of the scientific communities and remains unquestioned by the general populace. Most of all, the members of its church are often evangelized and radicalized to forward political agendas that have nothing to do with solving the problems these peddlers of scientific propaganda claim afflict the human race. They claim consensus and seek to force their worldview upon all, increasing their personal stature and power in the process, and they seem to have no conscience as they tend to stop at nothing to achieve their agenda.

The religion of science works because of trust. An individual or a group of individuals will somehow become pre-eminent in their field and suddenly anything they say must be true. They become trusted by the general public. Anyone who disagrees with them will be discredited and shunned. Their data will be supreme and contradicting data and studies will be ignored, even to the point where legitimate and valid research is denied the exposure needed for the scientific community to suggest and test informed hypotheses. This can quickly degenerate to the point where other scientists see the trend and start tailoring their research to meet the needs of those dominating the field so that they can reap the benefits.

When the religion gains too much power, resources tend to be used in efforts to further an agenda or to solidify the base of the power rather than being allocated to those who wish to conduct research that may actually help mankind's understanding of a problem or natural phenomenon that needs to be explained. After all, the claim will be that there is a consensus, so why should additional resources be used up in an effort to discover something that's already been explained? Instead, resources will likely be used to create propaganda for public consumption in an effort to garner public support and increase public demand for the solutions to the perceived causes of the problems offered by those with the agenda.

We are all scientists. We can all make observations. We can all form hypotheses and test them. We can all formulate theories about why things are the way they are and use these observations and tests to judge for ourselves how accurate or inaccurate our theories likely are. The trick is to not close your mind. The trick is to not fall so in love with a theory that you become emotionally attached to it. Yes, you can feel strongly about a given theory and defend it vehemently, but be ready to admit when someone else makes a good point or offers contradicting evidence and be willing and prepared to explore that avenue of possibility a little more if you are so inclined. Remember, just because something occurs that is inexplicable within your theory, doesn't make your theory wrong, it just makes it less likely that your theory is correct, or more likely it isn't the only correct one.

It is helpful when evaluating the worth of science to look at a few things outside the realm of that science. It is not just data and a desire to understand the nature of things that drives science. Human nature is also involved. Look at the things that motivate people's behaviors. Ask a few questions. Does someone benefit from presenting the theory and the data in a certain way? If so, who? In what way do they benefit? Money? Power? Control? How much do they benefit? Greatly? Only a little? Will morality be a issue? How big of an issue is morality? What evidence is there that the benefits outweigh the morality issue? These are questions that can help an individual decide what to believe when science is muddled and data conflicting.

There are many issues in the modern world where science, government and industry are entwined. Energy. Overpopulation. Food. The impact of modern society on the natural environment. These are important and complex issues that have many variables. Any one size fits all solution to these huge issues is going to be flawed. There are likely as many solutions to these problems as there are questions about them. Who should we leave the answers up to? Well, one thing is certain, with government's record of failure, it certainly shouldn't be up to them. They should not be allowed to monopolize science, especially not a bureaucratic centralized world governmental organization. Carbon taxes, for instance, are not a solution, they are a way to empower governmental and corporate bodies and stifle competition.

We all have a stake in our future. The market should be open for all who wish to try to solve these problems to compete and the consumer should be able to chose which solutions he feels would work best for his personal needs and spend his money where he believes it is best spent. In this way, we as individuals are maximizing the possibilities. We are maximizing our power. We are maximizing our independence. We are maximizing the efforts to find solutions and we are producing many different answers to the problems we face. Our wealth will expand, both our economic wealth and our wealth of knowledge. Governments, despite all their power, will limit and restrict the possibilities. They will monopolize the answers. They will produce only the solutions which will help those in power or their friends. That is the nature of government, for it is the nature of power to corrupt.

It is worth repeating, we are all scientists. Let us not forget that. Let us not fall prey to those in power who would try to pervert science for their own gain and keep true information from being disseminated. Don't simply believe the religion of science or the word of the scientist preacher, but try to look at a bigger picture and engage in the scientific method on your own. Let us try to remain informed by our own tests and observations. Remember, education doesn't stop just because you're no longer in school. Become involved in your own education and remain open minded when it comes to alternative explanations. Weigh evidence from all sides and maybe even try to come up with an alternative explanation of your own. After all, we all have brains and the more they're used, the smarter they become.

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.

Electronic Voting and Stealing Elections With Media Complicity

I don't trust establishment politicians. I don't trust the establishment media. I don't trust that the two groups don't have unwritten agreements to scratch each others backs. I don't trust the establishment, period. The establishment is not out to look after my best interests, your best interests, or the best interests of the common folk on the street. The establishment is out to look after the best interests of the establishment, and unscrupulous people inside the establishment will stop at nothing to make sure they maintain their power and keep their wealth stream flowing. There isn't a principle they won't forsake nor a law they won't break in order to protect their interests, including trashing any system that may help protect the interests of the less powerful individuals within society.

One of the basic principles of a democratic republic is the right of the people to be able to fairly and honestly select a representative that a majority of the populous can agree on. While the merits of this system are debatable, the reality of its effects is not. The vast majority of people will see this system as legitimate and go along with its dictates so long as the laws passed and requests made of the populous remain reasonable. In order for this type of system to maintain its perception of legitimacy, it also must remain transparent. Both these requisites have become extremely compromised over the past decade and more and more people are adopting the perception that our system is no longer legitimate.

I first began to suspect that the electoral system in this country had problems back in the late eighties, early nineties when Ross Perot was running for president and founded one of the most successful third parties in modern times. I voted for Mr. Perot. I remember asking many others who they voted for and the vast majority voted for Mr. Perot. I don't believe that most of the people I know are anything other than average Americans. I couldn't understand how so large a percentage of the people I asked had voted for Mr. Perot and yet he had obtained so low a percentage of the vote when the ballots were counted. I realized that I knew only a small percentage of people and understood that my sampling wasn't scientifically sound, but I still had a bad feeling in the back of my mind that something had gone rotten with the system.

(As an aside, I was reminded the other day of something Ross Perot said about passing NAFTA and a giant sucking sound of jobs leaving the country. Seems like his statement was very prophetic considering the present high unemployment rate and the gloomy outlook for creating jobs in the future.)

I think that the elections in which George W. Bush was elected showed us just how devious our electoral system had become. I'm not talking about the Electoral College or hanging chads, I'm talking about pure and simple corruption and the compromising of the very principle of free and open elections.

Now I am reading stories of electronic voting machines flipping votes. A few years ago, it was the Republicans who were benefiting from such mishaps. Now it's the Democrats. I've read stories of early voters in Nevada being unable to vote for Sharron Angle and instead Harry Reid and the whole slate of Democrats is registered by the machine. I've read stories of service technicians talking about how easy it is to hack into the machines.

As one who's had experience with computers, machine level programming code, RAM and ROM memory and other digital electronic basics, I understand perhaps a little better than most the holes in securing data on electronic voting machines. It is nowhere near as secure as good old paper ballots and a paper trail. In fact, I would suggest that electronic voting provides near zero security and the voting public should show near zero confidence that their vote is even being counted. But don't take my word for it. Bev Harris and Black Box Voting have done a marvelous job documenting the flaws and corruption of our current election processes. There is also a wonderful documentary available called Hacking Democracy. If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you find the time to watch it.

How are we to have even the illusion of legitimacy when we can't even be certain that the candidates elected to be representatives of the people were put into office by a majority of participating voters? How are we supposed to "throw the bums out" when we can't be sure that our votes against corrupt and criminal incumbents won't be flipped and counted for them? How can we hold anyone accountable when our electoral process is secretive and controlled by individuals and companies whose interests may conflict with or be served by certain politicians on the ballots?

Yet the problem goes deeper than just the voting machines. It takes confidence in the system by the majority of voters for the system to maintain its appearance of legitimacy. The voting machines might easily be done away with if the problems with them were widely reported. Yet one hardly hears anything about such problems in the establishment corporate media. With a few notable exceptions like the documentary mentioned above, one needs to go to alternative sources if one wants to really get the low down on these highly suspect election practices.

The press was supposed to be the de facto fourth branch of the American republic, a kind of watchdog over the other three branches of government in case the checks and balances failed. It was specifically mentioned in the first amendment of the Bill of Rights. President Kennedy, emphasized its importance in a famous speech admonishing secrecy and concealment. The establishment press has failed miserably in carrying out this important duty. In fact, I would suggest that the modern day press has done the opposite of being a watchdog and has empowered the federal government to usurp the control one should have over his own life and to grow well past the limits written into the Constitution that were put there to constrain it. That's one reason why the citizen press, the blogs and opinions one finds on the Internet, is so important.

The establishment press has a tendency to attack those who may threaten the status quo. It seems to embellish insignificant faults and mishaps involving candidates who might threaten the establishment while ignoring glaring corruption of the candidates who likely serve the interests of globalists and the corporate elites. This is not new. It has been going on for quite some time. Remember how Ross Perot was painted as crazy? Remember how they did the same with Ron Paul back in 2008? More recently, it was Debra Medina in Texas who was painted with the crazy brush. It seems that any time a candidate espousing freedom principles and advocating more power to the individual and less to the government gains steam and starts to become popular, the establishment media jumps all over that person and tries to demonize or discredit them. It's the same MO, over and over. Perhaps that's why establishment news programs are losing viewers and establishment newspapers are losing readers. People aren't stupid, and they do remember.

I don't even trust the pollsters anymore. It seems to me that they have no accountability either. It seems to me that they can do and say what they want, and that they can do and say anything those paying them would like them to say. The polls seldom seem believable to me. They almost never seem to mesh or reflect the sentiment I encounter in my personal life. I don't know why.

Consider this, polls say that the approval rating for Congress is only 11%. I can believe that. That seems right. But when polled, often more than 11% of the people are planning on voting for their incumbent congress critters. That just doesn't seem to make much sense. Why would so many disapprove of the job their "representatives" are doing, but then go ahead and re-elect them? Where's the disconnect? Is it apathy? Could it be because they see both major parties as bought and paid for so they don't think there's any difference between the two candidates? Is it the "devil you know versus the devil you don't" meme? Perhaps it's the "lesser of two evils" saying at work. Whatever the case, it seems to me that a decent third party or independent candidate (with the exception of one Joe Lieberman) might help and a principled one reported on in a favorable light by the mainstream media outlets might have a chance.

So, go to the polls next Tuesday and vote. Vote the incumbents out of office. Vote for candidates that seem to you to be the most anti-establishment. Vote for those who claim to want to shrink government and give the common folk more power. Vote for whatever candidate you feel will best represent your interests. Just don't expect too much. Don't expect too much to change. Don't expect the system to roll over. Don't expect honesty. Don't expect truth. Don't expect any real investigative reporting from the media. These are things the common folk will likely have to do on their own. The system will not change until the common folk stop paying for and putting up with it. It will not change until we make it known in no uncertain terms that we've had enough.

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.

Democrats Can Be Tea Partiers Too

There is a popular notion going around that the Tea Party has great influence in this election year. Candidates endorsed by the Tea Party are quite popular. It is also popularly believed that Tea Party candidates are basically revamped Republicans and Neocons. That may be what the Tea Party has become, but it certainly isn't what the spirit of the Tea Party is all about. Indeed, the Democrats could have hijacked the Tea Party early on if the had been politically savvy enough, but it was the Republicans that saw the power in the grass roots movement and took control of it early to use public sentiment to their advantage.

The Tea Party movement, however, is likely to prove more powerful than even the Republicans can contain. That is because at its core, and at its inception, the Tea Party is not about left or right, conservative or liberal, or Democrat and Republican. It was created as a vehicle to discuss freedom over tyranny, individualism over collectivism. That is the framework where we need to focus our discourse. These are the philosophies we need to make the politicians address. The concept of the United States of America, as a nation or as a lose affiliation of a group of nations, was to provide a structure under which the individual was honored and big government was not allowed to flourish. That idea has floundered in recent times and is in grave danger of being lost.

This is what the people of the United States need to regain, the spirit of individualism. We need to realize that by granting others the freedom to deal with their own lives as they see fit, to earn and to spend their resources as they feel is best for their lives, we can start to build a more prosperous society for all. We, above all others, should understand the importance of honoring the rights of others. We, above all others, should understand the power of individual liberty over big government directives. After all, America prospered while other places languished and failed in their collectivism because of the individualist nature of our founding documents. Now we have fallen on hard times along with the rest of the world and those in power seem to want to throw away what is left of our heritage and adopt collectivist ideologies that have already failed worldwide.

So, in a few days we will go to the polls and once again vote. This time we'll show them. This time we will put the Republicans back into power and things will be right. Yeah, sure. Remember how that went last time? Remember how the Democrats got into office because of our anger at the Bush regime? Remember change and hope? Well the change was for a bigger, more intrusive government than even the Republicans could dream up and the hope was dashed upon the hard concrete of the Wall Street where the elite pull the strings of the political establishment.

Do you think putting Republicans back into power will bring about the change necessary to restore our great nation to the prominence it once held? Do you think prosperity will return because we shuffle the deck of bought and paid for politicians? Oh sure, there are a few out there who may actually believe in following the Constitution and limiting the federal government to the powers enumerated in it, but I fear that there are not going to be enough in positions of power to make that change happen. I fear that there are not going to be enough good men and women in congress to force political obedience to that document. I fear that, like the British in the 1700s, our modern day political and elitist establishments will ignore the men throwing the tea into the harbor and go forward with their plans to fleece the affluent middle class despite the warnings that the anger is roiling beneath the surface.

Big government Republicans are mostly the same as big government Democrats. Both these parties want to grow the government in one way or another. The Republicans wish to do it through war, espionage and turning peaceful people who harm no one into criminals by cracking down on victimless crimes. The Democrats wish to do so by forcing everyone into a welfare state where all wealth is thrown into a bureaucratic pot and then redistributed where they feel the need is. Oh, and they don't seem to mind the war thing either. Oh yeah, and recent events involving marijuana legalization suggest they also don't mind keeping the prison/industrial complex healthy. And through it all the wealth of this nation is funneled to the top of the food chain, the central banks and the multi national corporations they protect. All the marbles seem to be going to an ultra rich elite class who own the politicians and the media.

We have been propagandized for too long by the left/right Republican/Democrat paradigm. Framing the debate this way has kept us from focusing on real issues. It has prevented us from seeing the transfer of wealth to an elite ultra rich class that has been happening for decades. It has kept us from understanding the true nature of the societal change the elite want to foist upon us with their collectivist agenda. They seem to want all the wealth for themselves. They seem to want you dependent and indebted to them. They seem to want to own everything, including all of humanity. That is the nature of collectivist ideologies.

The elites of the world have been using their political pawns to take our wealth and use it against our best interests. They have used it to corral us into a system that was destined to break down. They created the financial system so that they would end up with all the real wealth and now they look for scapegoats for the populace to focus on. They don't want the public eye on them and their incredible wealth as the rest of the world is impoverished. They want to maintain their control of the system. That's what their collectivist system is really about, making sure they have all wealth and can dictate where and how the money flows. An individualist system, on the other hand, puts wealth into the hands of those who earn it and lets them determine who is the most deserving and where the money is best spent.

A Democrat can be a tea partier too. The Tea Party, as it were, was originally set up to protest the actions of the state. Like the original Boston Tea Party, the modern day version was supposed to be about saying "No" to those in power. It was about telling the big government of the day that enough was enough, that we weren't going to take it anymore. The British government responded with violent force, and the people defended themselves. Hopefully, it does not come to such extremes in these times. Hopefully, the politicians stop thinking they can keep doing what they've been doing, keep growing the government, keep making pretty speeches but taking no positive actions, keep breaking their word and their oaths.

Politicians everywhere, Democrats and Republicans alike, Independents and Libertarians, left, right and center, need to adhere to the law of the land. They need to serve the interests of the people instead of the powerful elite class they presently serve. It's time for them to take action rather than making slick speeches full of promises they can't keep. Stop these occupations we can no longer afford. Repeal the laws that violate the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Investigate the fraud of the recent bailouts. Do a full and complete audit of the Federal Reserve. Audit the gold in the treasury. Recover the wealth of the middle class. Shrink the over bloated federal bureaucracy. These are the issues that must be dealt with. They are the issues which affect us all and our way of life. Words and promises are no longer enough.

Free market economics might not be perfect, but they've proven to be the best system we've found for bringing prosperity to the majority of people. The politicians of this country have been slowly shutting it down for a very long time now, likely exercising the wishes of the ultra rich special interests that seem to own them. They've even gone as far as demonizing and blaming the very system that made us prosperous in the first place and removing restrictions that were actually working to keep the ultra rich corporations in check. Genuine Tea Partiers and other liberty activists should want to see these policies halted. They should want to see the fraud stopped. They should want to see freedoms restored and respected. They should want to see independence restored to the populace. That should be the spirit of the Tea Party, the spirit we as Americans need to rediscover in our hearts and souls, no matter what other party we might be affiliated with.

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.

Austerity and Riots, a Matter of Broken Trust and Fraud

There are some who might wonder at the recent riots in France. They might want to blame them on the French people being lazy, or greedy, or unwilling to make sacrifices. They might wonder if the French people don't realize that the world is in a financial mess, that we are all going to have to work a little harder and change our lifestyles if we are going to muddle through these tough times. Personally, I don't believe these protests and riots in France are about such things. I don't think they're about being unwilling to make sacrifices or work harder. I think they're about recognizing the fraud that has been perpetrated upon humanity and demanding justice on those who perpetrated the fraud. I think it's about finally saying "Enough!" and demanding that promises made be kept.

It seems that people worldwide are beginning to realize that the global central banking cartel along with their government and international corporate buddies have been taking us all for a ride. First the Greeks, then the Icelanders, and now the French have reacted in a predictable manner after being told they'd been lied to all these years. They are angry and upset. Who can blame them? The French pay what, up to 80% of their paychecks in taxes? They were promised they'd be taken care of after the age of 60 if they just gave over that much of their income. Is it any wonder they're pissed off when that promise is broken and they figure they could have done a better job keeping that money and deciding for themselves how to invest or save it?

We Americans have had promises made to us and broken also. We've also had our trust violated by the moneyed elite. Our forefathers were cautious and very suspicious about central banking and fiat currency. For those who may not know, fiat currency is money by decree, or money backed by nothing to be used in exchange for real goods and services because the law says it must be accepted. If there needs to be laws made requiring people to take the money, one has to wonder about the true nature of that money. Is it any wonder we've been warned about this system? Is there any wonder that it is prone to corruption?

The French are mad because they have worked hard all their lives and looked forward to the day they could retire, and now they're being told they'll have to put it off a little longer. I know that there is an image created that the French aren't as hard working as everyone else, but they have roads to make and maintain, buildings to be built, products to be produced, services to be rendered just like any other modern western nation. They have hard working people and lazy people just as any other community has. That's not the point. They have likely figured out that the workers, those who earn the money, are being ripped off by an elite class whose members haven't earned a dime in over a century, a class who was taught by their predecessors to continue a fraudulent ponzi scheme in order to live off the backs of the working class.

Although the French are historically some of the most liberty oriented people in the world, they allowed the promise of socialism to lure them into creating a collectivist system that has taken power from each individual and put it into the hands of a very few. Now they are finding that the promise of socialism is not economically sustainable. They are finding that the price for their demands of state run retirement programs, health programs, and other socialized benefits is a lowered standard of living for the common man. They are seeing their dreams destroyed by the austerity an elite class wants to impose upon them. They are waking up to a frightening reality and taking to the streets to express their disgust and disapproval to what they see as criminal activity.

There was a reason governments were supposed to be set up to represent the interests of the common man. This reason was to prevent a powerful moneyed elite from taking over society and violently imposing their will upon the masses. This is in essence what was experienced in feudal times when lords owned most of the land and you either lived on their land and paid tribute to them or you lived on your own in the wilds and took your chances that a larger, more powerful gang wouldn't stumble upon you or your little community and take everything you had, including your life. It was this slavery, this theft of labor that modern man and civilized society was trying to stop.

Liberty isn't about equity, or fairness, or justice, it's about opportunity. It's about the ability to earn an honest living and keep for yourself the fruits of your labor. It's about the ability to own your own private property and not having to worry about some large, powerful group being able to forcefully take that property from you. It's about earning your own keep and not having some parasitic organization demanding a portion of your earnings just so they'll leave you be. The government was supposed to prevent these types of powerful entities from such tyrannical practices. Instead, they have become the very predator they were meant to protect against. Worse still, they have colluded with other predators, huge international corporate interests and central banking cartels, to help bring down a formerly affluent middle class and horde the wealth for themselves.

The French have joined the ranks of the Greeks and the Icelanders in taking to the streets and letting the elitists on top know that they are not pleased by the fraud and broken promises that have been perpetrated upon hard working common folk. The riots are unfortunate occurrences that have likely created innocent victims. They are predictable consequences to government failure, the failure to prosecute the real criminals, the elite class that has brought all this about.

One might wonder what nation will follow in France's footsteps. Will it be Spain, Italy, Portugal or Ireland, as some have suggested? Will it be Germany, England or the United States, as may surprise some analysts? Will it be one of the traditionally more obedient countries, like Japan? One can wonder which populations are going to take to the streets and which are just going to bend over and take it. One can also wonder what the reactions of the various governments will be and what force will be used to suppress protests and opposition when austerity measures are put in place. One can hope all will remain peaceful, but the chances of civil unrest occurring grow greater with each measure governments take to punish the common folk and protect the interests of the moneyed elite.

I don't blame the French for their actions and I hope Americans can stand up and be counted when push comes to shove. I certainly don't condone violence of any kind, nor do I wish to see it in the streets, but people can and should only take so much before they reach a breaking point. I can only hope that the elected officials in this nation take note of what's happening in Europe and start taking steps to back off their attempts to restrict our decision making abilities. I can only hope they take steps to start repealing the freedom killing legislation that has been passed over the past decade. I can only hope they take steps to start exposing the fraud and prosecuting the super elite who have engineered this economic disaster. I can only hope they do the right thing to defuse the situation, but I don't think it's very likely they will.

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.