We Don't Know, What We Don't Know

I want to be fair. I will also be brief because we, here in Atlanta, are about to get hit by a huge thunder storm.
I criticize President Trump and his fellow Republicans a lot. I also criticize the Democrats, a lot. I have criticized every President in recent years and will continue to do so. Oddly, this is not a political post. It is just about fairness.
I base these criticisms on the information the public has. that is all any of us can do. However, in a World that has grown amazingly complex and a World that seems to be moving faster every day, combined with a media that gives us news in 20 second sound bites, we do not really know what is going on. Add to that all the information that Presidents get that is off limits to the public, and there is just know way to be able to make a truly fair judgement.
What is going on behind the scenes is a fascinating subject and er can, and will continue to, try to figure that out. That is human nature and sometimes I think we get close to the btruth. But, we seldom get full answers.
We simply do not know what sort of struggles and battles go on behind the scenes and in foreign lands. Heck, there may be news of a looming UFO invasion or plans to try to trigger the Yellowstone super volcano. There may be word of potential bio weapon attack. The public's access to such horrific intelligence mist be limited or their would be chaos.
Let me quickly say the I know of no such crises on the horizon. My point is, there are things we just do not know.
It all boils down to whether we trust our  leaders to handle the stiff we are not told.   Mostly, I do not. We have been promised things over and over again by leaders and they do not deliver. I will give President Trump a good bit of credit. I do not find him likable, nor do I like his rhetoric. But, more than any President in recent memory, he has delivered on his promises. I do not agree with all that he has done, bot by a long shot. But, in a begrudging sort of way, I trust him. That counts for a lot.
No matter how today's elections turn out, just keep your cool. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, but we will all be fine, if we just keep some perspective and get on with our lives. Blessings to one and all.

Election Fever

Actually, I gave a touch of fever. Last week I was morning brunch and evening dinner for a swarm of mosquitoes. Later in the week, the CDC announced that, in our area, the wretched little vampires were testing positive for West Nile virus. It is not serious since I am not a toddler, pregnant or ancient  in years. Just a bit achy, dizzy and feverish and that will pass in a day or so.
However, the fever I am writing about will linger until at least November and there is no treatment or cure. We have the dreaded election fever, subtype; midterms.
The race that has my eye is quite odd. Long, long time Georgia political hack, sorry , I mean political activist, Casey Cagle is running for Governor against a supposed outsider and genuine 'good ole boy,' Brian Kemp.
Both claim support from the White House, How Cagle is managing that I am not sure since the President has openly stated his support for Kemp and VP Pence just came and campaigned for him .I believe that the President said something like Cagle is better that a Democrat, which is at best a left handed compliment. Remember, this is only a primary run off and old pros like Cagle are spinning the facts like a top in the hands of a 4 year old on a sugar rush. If course, those in the Peach State know Cagle's record, or lack there of. He has been serving as Lt. Governor for our current and outgoing Governor Nathan Deal, know in Georgia as Nathan "Let's Make a' Deal
Deal has not been a whirlwind of ambition, so Cagle has had an easy gig.
I know nothing about Kemp except that he seems like a true Southern boy. Is he? I don't really know, but he has the act down perfect. I do know that the old time political hacks are dead against him. so I will pulling for him.
So, early in the madness we call our elections, we have an controversy and flim flam and things are just getting started. Like whatever little bug I have caught the only thing to do us let it run its course. My virus will last 2 or 3 mire days. The elections, 4 more months. I would rather have the virus.
Ps; I was 1 for 2 in my predictions. Tiger Woods did not win the Open. I got that one. However, my pick, Martin Kaymer, did not even ,make the cut. Qin some lose some. At least I placed no bets

The Federal Government

Any sane person will agree that the Federal Government is bloated and nearly useless. The Founding Fathers meant America to be a loose confederation of states. The Federal Government was given the right to oversee interstate commerce, so silly trade wars between the states would be kept minimal and the right to conduct international affairs, It has grown into a monster and seized absurd power. Some love this and wish it to grow larger. This would create a National Socialist state and, yes, the Nazis were just that.
The answer? In this election year. vote for anyone who wants to shrink the Federal grip. Certainly, some of these conservatives are a bit over the top, but when the Federal Government shrinks, they will find themselves with little power and the inability to carry out their wackier plans.
That will leave a power vacuum which will. if sane heads prevail,  be filled by state and local governments. This is how it was intended. The States have different needs. Florida has much different problems than Montana. Even here in Georgia, Brunswick, on the SE Coast, has many different issues than Atlanta. Keep power close to home and keep you tax money close to home. The Federal Government should balance their budget, defend the Country from direct foreign attack, settle the rare interstate commerce issues and stay out of our lives.
This election year, vote to shrink the Federal monster and return power, and your tax money, to lacal authorities, where they belong. Keep everything close to home.

America -- Time to Move On

At long last, our nightmarish election is over. Yesterday, I admit that I spent a bit of time listening to our various pundits rattling off their opinions. Enough, it is done, and we have too much work to do to keep rehashing the whole mess.

I heard some trying to turn this whole mess into a racial issue. It is not. It is a cultural issue. The Nation is horribly divided. I lived through the violent demonstrations of the 60s, the Watergate troubles, the Iran-Contra scandal, the Clinton impeachments, and the several clashes between traditional values and several different 'new' movements such as feminism and gay rights.

Right now, this is about the worst I have seen. There is a violence simmering and about to boil over if we do not start respecting each other. To those who value the old traditions, I am with you, but, you have to respect those who are different. No one is saying you have to be best buddies, but there has to be some tolerance when you share common spaces. At the same time, I understand the frustration that comes when you realized that the Obamas and Clintons and their ilk view you as primitive, dangerous, simpleminded throwbacks to another era. We have got to just let that ride, ignore it, and get on with living our lives in what we believe is the correct manner.

Maybe, just maybe, we have elected a President and a Congress that will allow us to do just that. I still do not quite trust them, but I fervently hope that they prove me wrong.

To the more liberal members of our culture. You need to stop treating traditional Americans as if we were some sort of anthropological example of primitive culture. You are very sadly mistaken. Traditional values are traditional simply because they work. That does not mean that change is rejected, but it does mean that there need be a good reason for the change. You are free to live how you want but you really need to stop looking down your nose at people, good people, that you do not understand. Respect is a two way street. Do your thing, just don't rub people's noses in it.

The new Administration may work, it may not. We will just have to see, but I will almost assure everyone of one thing. Anything resembling a free ride, except for those with extreme physical and mental difficulties, is about over. We are all going to have a lot to do, so, if your side lost, get over it. Last night there were several large demonstrations around the country. Fine, that is a Constitutional right, but there is no right to set fires, smash store windows, and block both auto and train traffic. All violence needs to be stopped immediately, either by the protestors themselves, or the police. It is intolerable.

Other that that, give the new Administration a chance. And remember, we inhabit this Country and we will all be served by trying to get along with each other. That means respect and tolerance need to be practiced by all.

America - Just 3 More Weeks, Then the Fun Really Starts

I have said it before and I will say it again, I have never seen a thing like this Presidential Election. I feel like all that acid I took in the 60s is causing flashbacks and that I have stumbled into some sort of alternate reality. That would be a comforting thought compared to the reality of what is happening.

We have story after story of Hillary and her crew acting in blatantly unethical, and frequently completely illegal fashion, and her lead in the polls keep growing. There is no need to enumerate her crimes. If you watch the news, you have heard the stories and if you have not, you have no business voting; just stay home and watch your favorite reality TV show.

On top of this, the woman had obvious medical issues and now, leaked emails from Leon Podesta, one of her chief campaign officers show him doubting her sanity. In one he said she sometimes does not seem to know what planet she is on.

And, you can top that with the stories coming out that several State Department officials did not want to work with her because of her temper problems. Yet, her lead grows.

We now have proof that her campaign sent bogus demonstrators to Trump's rallies to cause violent disruptions. And, still, her lead grows.

Donald Trump continues to be his own worst enemy. Time after time, he gets sidetracked by personal vendettas. All he had to do was stick to 2 issues, jobs and homeland security. That's all. Instead, he responds at great length to any and all attacks on his problems with women, his tax issues, his bankruptcies, and his problems with fellow Republicans. He could direct the conversation by simply not responding at length over these foibles, and shifting the conversation to issues.

I do not like Donald Trump. I find him only slightly less loathsome that Ms. Clinton.  But, I will vote for him, because I find his crimes somewhat less heinous. I will also vote for every Republican on the ballot, in hopes that they will stop her plans. Gridlock is much better that what she has in mind.

However, it is looking very possible that both the House and Senate will be Democratically controlled after this farce of an election. If so, God help us all. This used to be a great Nation.

America and the Politics of the Absurd

We are entering the home stretch of our interminable Presidential Campaign. God, help us all. It is finally sinking in; Trump or Clinton will soon be President. Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, seems to have trouble forming coherent thoughts and coherent sentences and Jill Stein has about as much chance of being elected as Brittany Spears.

A new survey tells us that over 40% of voters don't know who the Vice Presidential candidates are. Just think. These are people who are being allowed to vote.

Donald has learned to give decent, reasonable speeches. Then, in the wee small hours, he goes on Twitter rants picking on a former Miss Universe. A few of his tax returns have been leaked and it turns out that this billionaire pays no income tax. It is true that he has broken no laws and that shows how screwed up our tax laws are but it sure looks tacky. His solution to our befuddling tax woes: cut taxes mostly for high incomes. This is Reagan's 'trickle down' economics, recycled. It was disastrous the first time. Folks forget that when Ronnie left office, we were in a recession. David Stockman, his economic advisor, the guy who thought up the plan, said in later years, that the whole idea was ridiculous. He was right but, you can't tell Donald that.

He is proposing huge spending increases with lower taxes. If you think that is possible, you need to seek therapy immediately. He is a belligerent, misogynistic bully and he seemingly lacks any semblance of self control.

Hillary is worse. She promises free college and young Bernie Sanders supporters go wild. In private, we have tape of her saying that the idea is ridiculous. She lies almost every time she opens her mouth and has been at it for years. Now, we have old tapes surfacing that remind us of how foully she treated the women who came forward telling of their misuse by Bill.

She is military crazy and in favor of using military force wherever she thinks we need it. True, that is part of the role of Commander in Chief but most Presidents at least make a pretense of wanting peaceful resolutions of problems. I will guarantee you that this woman will have the World in an uproar in her first six months and, guess what? Our military, fine as they are, is burnt out. We have been fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq longer that we were in Vietnam and have about as much to show for it; a bunch of dead and maimed troops. We have gained nothing from these wars and we will gain nothing from fighting in Syria, Libya, or whatever other hellhole she sends troops to and the thought of her negotiating with Putin sends shivers up my spine.

She claims she is going to tax corporations and the wealthy. No. She is not. They are her financial backers and she will not be biting the hand that feeds her. What she will do, and I am quite sure of this, is raise taxes on the upper middle class. The folks running her have all but eliminated the middle class. Next, they will be going after those who are still doing well. The well off but not wealthy. Why? Power. That is about the last group that they believe can produce people who are healthy enough and educated enough to stand up to them. They are wrong, but that is another story.
In short, Hillary is a belligerent, misogynistic (just look at how she treated those women who told tales about Bill) bully with absolutely no self restraint.

Like it or not, out choice is between Tweedledee and Tweedledumb. Or, maybe just Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber. I will vote Republican, holding my nose and trying not to vomit, only because I think that Donald will bore quickly with the job and turn the running of the Country over to advisors.

Again, God help us all.

The Campaign Revisited - Idiocy Runs Amok

I have laid off the elections for a while, hoping, foolishly, that our 2 buffoons might get things together. Well, that's not going to happen, so here goes.

The Donald is still being sued for  a lot of money and still hasn't made a coherent explanation for the obviously stupid Trump U. Was this criminal? I don't know. I'm not a lawyer, but why would he even run such a slipshod operation. Why would a man worth that much money create an entity and not give the folks who bought into it a decent deal. Is he just incapable of turning down a chance at a quick buck even when he has 9 billion of them?

In the last few weeks, he has insulted a Federal judge and again insulted Mexicans. He is still fighting with fellow Republicans more than with Democrats and he seems to have trouble raising money for the campaign. He is back to calling for the right to torture prisoners and, yes, he is still planning on building that wall. It's a shame because he has made some darn good economic recommendations, but, at some point, you would think he would learn to keep his foot out of his mouth. Yet, through all of his lunacy, he shines like a beacon of sanity and innocence compared to Hillary.

Every time I see her, a line of the 3 witches in Macbeth comes to mind, "by the twitching of my thumb, something wicked this way comes." The Benghazi Report came out this week. Is there anything criminal in it? Legal scholars say no but, the committee says that they have not gotten to the bottom of the whole mess yet. At the very least, this makes her and the whole White House look grossly incompetent and inhumanly uncaring. Hillary basically says, Let's move on, Nothing going on there except more of that "vast right wing conspiracy" she babbled about when Bill was in office. Okay, let's move on. We quickly come to the email issue and some big problems.

She said she has released everything and yet again, more emails have been found. Then, in a fit of lunacy, Slick Willie was seen chatting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was supposed to be the one deciding whether to bring charges against her. Now, even though he was disbarred, Willie was a lawyer. He knows better, unless he has started having 'senior moments,' and Lynch should have run screaming in the other direction when he wanted to chat. Now, she has had to remove herself from the whole matter and Hillary's potential prosecution will be up to the FBI and Federal prosecutors. Will she be indicted? Who knows, but things look grim for her future.

Or they should, but, I don't know. She still has high numbers in the polls. I cannot believe that she can stand there, as she did the other day and say, I want to earn your trust, after all that his happened. Yet, she does, and. evidently, a lot of folks are buying her crap.

Speaking of those polls, how can she have a 12 point lead one day and a 1 point lead the next. Of course, all the polls said that Britain would vote to stay in the EU so, just maybe, we should dispense with this mind numbing parade of polls. It is interesting to note however, that when polls include independent candidates, Trump and Clinton are tied and neither comes close to getting a majority vote.

Ah well, just 4 more months of this idiocy, then we have the Holidays. Best enjoy them this year folks, enjoy them all you can, because I don't see a whole lot of celebrating happening for a few years after the winner takes office. Will it be Hillary and her continued policies, you know hers and Bill's and W's and Barack's? You know the ones that have made us a bad joke internationally while destroying the middle class. Or will we have The Donald, the megalomaniacal, demagogue who will be so loathed by Congress that we will accomplish nothing for the 4 long, long years he holds office? Stay tuned for further developments. This ought to be a hoot.

America - Are You Awake Yet?

Americans seem to be sleep walking. Listen to the crowds at the current political rallies. Forget which candidate is speaking and what they are saying and just listen to the crowds. Every time the candidate pauses or makes an emphatic gesture, the crowds go wild. The problem? Nothing was said. Hillary or Trump have but to bellow, "We will win," and they go nuts. "We will create jobs," gets standing ovations.. Okay, folks want jobs. I get that. But, just how do they propose getting those jobs going is never mentioned. A decent explanation would get my applause, but a banal promise? No.

I have come to realize that real explanations and honest, workable proposals do not mean a damn thing. People, especially in crowd situations, just want an excuse to yell and cheer. A candidate could promise them all a box of Cracker Jacks and, if they bellowed and sounded wildly enthusiastic, the crowd would jump to its feet and cheer wildly. No one listens, they just hear and see clues and respond accordingly, like Pavlov's dogs.

This has always happened at campaign rallies and this crowd mentality is something that scared our Founding Fathers. This is why we are not, despite everything you may have been  taught, a democracy. We are a representative republic. Those old guys had sense enough to see what might happen if all power went to the crowds. Crowds, in the hands of manipulative masters, can become mobs caught up in a moment's frenzy and the results are never good.

Don't believe me? Look at the reports from North Korea and witness the slavish devotion of those sheep to their 'dear leader,' the despicable little lunatic who is starving them so he can build nukes. Better still, take a look at Leni Riefenstahl's infamous and brilliant film, Triumph of the Will, her record of Hitler's Nuremberg Rallies where the German people, thought to be among the most culturally sophisticated on Earth, were turned into a rabid mob. Remember, this all happened when the German people were in a long lasting economic down time.

We are not quite that bad off here, but we are not that far off either. Neither of our candidates have yet shown Hitler's manipulative skills, but, if you look at and listen to the crowds, the desire to be led, to be told that they are great and that all will be well if they just do as told, is there and that is dangerous. Americans, wake up and realize that the only solutions to our problems are not easy ones and demand that those campaigning stop bellowing slogans and tell you just exactly what the hell they propose. If you do not want to do that, then you may as well go back to grazing and learn to say, 'baah.'

America - The Election and the Jokers in the Deck

I have been reconsidering my belief that this election will come down to Hillary and The Donald, with Hillary winning. It seems that the other candidates just refuse to roll over and play dead and that makes this farce that is playing out even more fascinating. When I say fascinating, I mean in the way a train wreck is fascinating. As much as you do not want to look, you have to.

Trump cannot seem to keep his foot out of his mouth and Hillary is looking a tad zombie like, except in the occasional moments she lets her considerable temper fly. Ted Cruz is making inroads and might have a chance if he was not so unlikeable and Kasich, while certainly to be congratulated for taking the moral high ground, is being mostly ignored because he simply cannot compete with the surrounding lunacy. On the Democratic front, Bernie will not go away and with the amazing amount of money he is raising, he has no reason to get out.

Donald may not get the first ballot nomination and, if that happens, all hell will break lose in the Republican Party. It does seem unfair for the Party to be ganging up on him but I cannot blame them because all polls show that the American people do not like him and either Clinton or Sanders will beat him. However, he has enough backing to kill the Party if he does not support the eventual nominee. If, in their insanity, the Party holds its collective nose and names Cruz, polls show him losing also. The polls show that Kasich, the forgotten man, would beat any Democrat but how can they nominate a guy who has barely shown in any of the primaries?

It is still a fairly safe bet that Hillary will win the Democratic nomination but, poll after poll shows that people do not like or trust her and that most of her supporters are none to excited by her campaign. Sanders, if beaten can cause her a world of grief if he tells his near rabid followers not to support her. Even if he gives her lukewarm support, it is unlikely his fans will turn out for her. But, the Party big shots, the 'super delegates,' will likely see to her nomination. That would be a poor move if she had any competition, but, she will probably eke out a win over either Trump or Cruz.

However, this deck has a couple of wild cards. If Trump does not win the nomination, he is very likely to be so outraged that he will either deny support to the Republican nominee or run a third party campaign, which would effectively both destroy the Republican Party and insure a Clinton win, except for the other Joker, Bernie.

It is easy to forget that Sanders is not a Democrat. He is an Independent Socialist who, in Congress, caucuses with the Democrats, and thus has no Party loyalty. Suppose he decides to run as an Independent. Why not? He has shown that he can raise the needed money, his supporters are almost sure to turn out and vote, and he might just do it. That would about destroy the Democratic Party.

So, we have the possibility of the devastation of the 2 Party system that has paralyzed National politics for far too long. There is nothing in the Constitution that limits us to 2 parties and it is about time the American people are given some new choices. The big money backers who fund the PACs must  be horrified at the thought of their cozy little arrangement being upset.

I urge every one reading this to urge every one they know to pay attention for the next few weeks. If there is a snowball's chance in hell that a 3rd or 4th Party can step in and derail the coronation of yet another shill of the Powers that Be being seated in the White House, jump on it and do every thing you can to see to it that we finally have a voice in our own Government again. We may not get the another chance any time soon. Win or lose, it would be fun to rock the boat a little.

America and the Election, The Laughs Just Keep Coming

I loathe politics but I have to say that this years campains have become a hoot. I have not laughed so hard since the last time I watched the 3 Stooges. Now, instead of Moe, Larry and Curly, we have Donald, Ted, and Marco.

The Donald is amazing, a true phenomenon. He is profane, professes ignorance of many key issues, and has no real plans, except for building that now infamous wall. He insists that Mexico will pay for it, despite some fairly explicit and colorful rejections of that plan by Mexico. He has now started ranting about restoring torture to the battlefields, which will be fascinating since Military leaders are saying that they simply will reject his orders as illegal. He is basically saying that when President he will do just what he wants. Funny, we have a President now that is doing just that and folks do not like that, yet, they continue to support Trump. His basic point seems to be that he will win because he is winning. I am sure any student of logic will find fault with that line of thought but, it is working.

Then we have 'honest Ted Cruz,' who increasingly reminds me of an especially sleazy used car salesman. He has been caught in lie after lie and still has the gall to stand up at podiums telling us what a devout Christian he is. He summons up fake humility, which must be hard for an Ivy League lawyer who's wife is a Goldman Sachs employee. Remember those nice folks? You know, one of the good American businesses who brought us the banking scandle, the housing bubble collapse and the Great Recession we still haven't really climbed out of.

Then we have Marco. I believe I have finally seen politics hit rock bottm, at least I don't think it can sink lower. Marco is now attacking Trump's tan, saying it comes from a spray can. Maybe, maybe not, but what in the name of all that is holy, does that have to do with being President. Then to make things weirder, he starts saying that Trump has small hands, adding 'and you know what that means,' a schoolyardish reference to the thought that small hands on a man means a small penis. On second thought, maybe he just hit the nail on the head, so to speak. All of this lunacy is an attempt by silly grown men to see who is The Man. So, let's eliminate the whole stupid campaign and all the ridiculous speeches and have them all gather on one stage, on Nationwide TV, and drop their pants. The guy with the biggest one wins. Good idea, Marco, best one you've had. That has the added bonus of putting Hillary out of the race.

Then we have the Democrats. Bye-bye, Bernie.  You see, Bernie was banking on young, white voters and they came in droves to his Campaign Rallies. However, they seemed to confuse Campaign Rallies with Pep Rallies and never seemed to understand that, after the party, they had to go to the yucky old polls, stand in line, and actually vote. You built your house on sand, so, by Bernie.

That brings us to Hillary, aka the Wicked Witch of the West. Hillary seems a shoo in to take the big prize, the White House. In fact, she is so sure that, like Pavlov's dogs when they heard the dinner bell, she seems about to salivate at the mere mention of the word, President. Actually, she has stopped givinng speeches, and has started almost growling them, I truly would be little surprised if, while campaigning under a full moon, she morphed into a werewolf, which would be really cool. I am quite sure that if she thought that might gain her votes, she would arrange it. Ah well, at least I can be amused at the thought of Slick Willie having to function as the First Lady, or First Man, or First Whatever, what does it really matter anymore?

This parade of idiocy at long last has a scattering of Democrats and Republicans mutterring about a 3rd Party ticket, to which I say, 'what the hell are you waiting for?' In the country, they have an old saying, 'root, hog, or die.' Well, if you folks are serious about this election, or any other damn thing in this Country, then you best get to it, or just shut up, crawl into your little holes and admit that every one of you are as spineless as a sponge. By the way, I am writing  in SpongeBob Squarepants on my ballot and I urge you to do the same. Our slogan can be, 'We've tried humans, and they've failed miserably, so why not an invertebrate?' 

 

 

America - The Majority

I want to make something clear. I love America, both the idea of it and the majority of its citizens. I have taken to task the media, the government and the big corporations, for good reason, but the vast majority of folks are decent, good people. and the structure that made the Nation great is still in place, sort of.

The media is dominated, in fact, owned by, big, big corporations. I have little doubt that the on air news people are basically decent people, for the most part, so I do not really fault them. They, like most of us, are just trying to make a living, and, like most of us, have to play by the boss' rules. I will say that in times of emergencies, they do a pretty good job, at least until the crisis passes and they have to start spinning the information again. It is the giant corporations that are to blame for the focus most broadcasts choose. Certain events are covered, others ignored, and always, those favored by CEOs are given smooth passage.

I am also sure that many public officials are, at heart, decent people. I doubt that few of them go home and kick the dog or make their kids live on gruel. I am sure many of them would love to actually help people and, every now and then, they manage to push through a piece of legislation or two that does help. The problem is this. To get elected, and keep getting elected, costs a bunch of money and, always, there are business representatives, lobbyists, PAC funders, etc., who are just waiting with big checks, provided you do as they wish. Power, which does come with elected office, is perhaps the most insidious of drugs, and the lust to obtain and keep that power clouds the minds of even those with the best intentions. In the Lord of the Rings, even the great elves, even Gandalf, had no desire to take the ring from Frodo, lest they be tempted by all of that power. So, government grows more and more corrupt and less and less concerned with the welfare of the vast majority of its citizens.

Even amongst corporate leaders, I am confident that many, if not most, are reasonably honest men and women who simply want to put out a good product at a decent price and who try to treat their employees fairly. It is when we get into the upper reaches of business, the mega-corporations and the mega-banks that we begin to detect the truly rotten apples that spoil the business world. These are the manipulators, the men and women who are always trying to steer the world in the direction they want, no matter what the cost to others. In the board rooms of these ridiculously large institutions, the most despicable lust for power is put on display. These giants of business have polluted the environment, released a mind boggling array of pharmaceuticals, crushed smaller businesses in the drive to own the World, have manipulated economies in ways that have enslaved most of the Earth's population, and are looking for more.

The majority of American citizens are, at heart, or so I fervently hope, still as ornery and cranky as ever. Likewise, they are still the hardest working and most creative people around and also, the most fun loving. But, right now, they seem to be slumbering, sleepwalking through the beginning years of this millennium. Understandable, since, as I have previously explained, we have been bombarded with change at a furious rate over the course of the last century. But, unfortunately, we cannot yet rest. There are countless troubles on the horizon and we must face them or this great experiment, The United States, will be nothing but a fond memory. Forget troubles abroad, we must solve our problems here. Walt Kelly's wonderful old comic strip Pogo had the wonderful line, "we have met the enemy and he is us." That is the truth.

The structures that made this Nation great are still in tact and we need to reclaim their use. The elections we are seeing unfold are nothing but a farce. I urge you to vote, but not for either of the 2 parties. Vote for any 3rd party candidate you can find. They will not win, but it will send a message that you wish to participate in elections but refuse to put up with the current dog and pony show of Trump, Clinton, Bush and the rest of the confederacy of dunces ( not an original line. A Confederacy of Dunces is a wonderfully funny novel by John Kennedy Toole. I just love the phrase). If there are no 3rd Party candidates, write in Homer Simpson or SpongeBob Squarepants. Just let the ruling elite know that you are wise to their game and you have had about all you can take.

Will that work? Who knows, but right now, it seems to me to be the only palatable response; if mockery does not get their attention, then, as was done in the 60s, it might be necessary to get in the streets, to start demonstrating. I sure hope not because, trust me, that is not pleasant. In the meantime, simplify your lives, avoid debt like the plague, learn as much as you can about everything and take care of yourself, your friends and your families. Remember, you are the physical and spiritual descendent of the brave and brilliant people who created and built this Nation.

 

America - Think Outside the Box

It has been said, I believe by Albert Einstein, that the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing, over and over, while expecting the results to change. If you go out this morning, and you have a dead battery, you can go back every 5 minutes and try to start your car and, trust me, it won't start. If you keep expecting your engine to roar into action, you have a bit of a mental issue.

Well, we go out every 4 years and go through the same process of choosing a President and Congress, and, guess what? Nothing changes, at least not in the way we hope for. Things certainly do not improve. As a result, I have come to the conclusion that we, as a Nation, are actually quite mad.

Now I have no problem with madness. Most of the folks I have counted as friend throughout my life have been unusual, to put it nicely. I myself, have been long considered eccentric, by some, and a lunatic, by others, and I accept those descriptions with a bit of pride. But, as weird as I am, I do not bang my head against the wall.

There must be a new way, a different way, to affect change in America. The problem is, the elections, the whole process of them, requires a lot of money, and, for the most part, money is funneled through PACs to the candidates. The PACs, of course, represent special interests, in other words, big corporations. They do not want change that will benefit the average American. To do so would cost them money and power. I do have a little interest in Bernie Sander's campaign which seems to be financed by small donations. Interesting, and I will watch to see how far he can go before the well runs dry. Maybe, in his candidacy, there is a glimmer of hope that the process might work, but do not count on it. I will be shocked if, as time goes on, the big business does not just start flooding money into other campaigns.

It is interesting that young folks seem to be Bernie's supporters and are the ones contributing. That is great but, to be blunt, there are 2 problems there. First, young people are generally not that affluent and it is not sure how long they can keep donating. Second, past history shows that young people have attention spans much like that of a puppy. They go wild about something for a brief while, then  turn their attention to the next thing that grabs their eye. I am not faulting them; I was the same way. It is just the nature of young humans. So, in short, while I am interested, I am not holding out great hope for Bernie.

No, I think that, in the end, this election cycle will be just like the others, a waste. So, how will we right the American ship of State. By turning our attention away from the tried and true. Take your life into your own hands. If you have an idea, no matter how unusual, for a business, try it. Start small and stay small. That way, you retain control. Start considering alternative approaches to economics, such as bartering. Look into forming cooperatives, like minded folks who work together to buy various things in bulk, at better prices. Look into things like community gardens. Consider, as much as possible, to barter for goods, and especially, for services. Look after your own health; even with good insurance, doctors and medicines are costly. Avoid hugely expensive entertainments, such as big concerts and top level professional sports. You can often hear great music by lesser known artists and a school baseball game can often be as entertaining as a Yankee game. Better still, learn to make some music yourself, or get out and play sports with friends.

Vote locally and try to find folks who will attempt to change things at a local level. That is where you still have a chance to make something actually happen.

Stay out of debt. If you are in debt, get out as soon as possible. Do not buy on credit unless it is a dire emergency. Once you are in debt, you are trapped.

Most of all, stay small and stay away as much as possible from the mainstream. The big companies and the big politicians will eat you alive. When you are free from the machinations of those who are running the big show, then your mind is free to think outside the box. When we start to do this, there is a chance for real change. But, if you continue to keep doing the same thing, day after day, year after year, with the hope that one day it will work, you are quite mad, but not in a fun way.

America Waits for the Other Shoe to Drop

Iowa. We are obsessed, according to the news media, with Iowa. Today, they have their caucuses and the results will prove absolutely nothing. Many former Presidents have lost Iowa, not surprising since, no offence to any Iowans, they are not representative of most of America. However, like sharks smelling blood, Fox and CNN are devoting the day to coverage, which is very strange since there will be no results until much later in the evening.

Elsewhere, wars are raging, terrorists are threatening and the weather around the World is downright bizarre. The only other story I have seen mention of is the Zika virus, so let's look at that. I did a bit of research this morning and learned that it really is none to serious, Only 1 in 5 who have the virus show symptoms and that those symptoms, when they develop, are fairly mild and gone in about 2 weeks. There is some concern about pregnant women, but that is true with every illness. Yet, the media and the World health Organization are wringing their hands and declaring a possible pandemic.

Think back. In recent years, we have had pandemics of MRSA, bird flu, swine flu, Ebola, and SARS predicted. They never materialized. Yes, some people got sick and some died, and I do not want to make light of serious illnesses, but pandemic is a little bit of an exaggeration. Let's keep some numbers in mind. There is about 7 billion people on Earth. AIDS, as horrible as it is, has killed about 35 million. A horrible thing? Of course, but that is 1/2 of 1% of the total population.

We will have a true pandemic one day, but not now. Zika will not be the scourge of humanity.

Why then are we beset with doomsday prophecies and inane election coverage? Simple, something big is going to happen. What? I am not sure, but what we are seeing in the media is misdirection. Those who run the World in general, and the US in particular know something and do not believe we, the general population, can handle it. Either that or they are afraid we will stop it. Is it a Natural disaster? A political coup or some new military adventure? Perhaps the long awaited Extraterrestrial invasion (odd threat they just brought back the X-Files and the CIA just released its old UFO files)? An economic collapse? I really have no idea and have no wish to engage in wild speculation, although that is a lot of fun, but I have been around long enough and seen enough strangeness to know when something funny is in the works. I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and, given how weirdly edgy most people seem, I think a bunch of other folks are doing the same.

American Gullibility _ Part 3

American are gullible simply because they believe these upcoming elections will change the path the Country is on. I will explain in a minute, but first a word about the major candidates.

Much is being made at the moment about Bernie Sanders' surge in the polls. He is surging in Iowa and New Hampshire, 2 tiny states. Clinton is beating him silly in the rest of the Nation so, bye-bye Bernie. Clinton is amazing. a phenomenon, simply because she is leading. How this woman, who has been implicated in so many sleazy doings is not in jail is amazing, but there she is, about to be nominated for President. At least Bill Clinton, if you overlook his disbarment and impeachment among many the other blemishes on his history, has a certain sleazy kind of charm. Hillary is about as charming as a rabid hyena. Yet, there she is, on top of the polls and with an excellent chance of being our next President. God help us all.

The Republicans are down to 4 possibilities. Rubio has an outside chance. However, he suffers from John Kerry syndrome in that he seems determined to take all sides of every issue.  That likely will not work, but who knows?

Jeb Bush is actually the most experienced candidate. I lived in Florida where he got that experience as Governor. You do not want this man as President. His major accomplishment as governor was signing a whole bunch of death warrants. He did, most of the time, sort of stay out of the way, which was a good thing, but at this point we need an actual President. I addition, he is a Bush, and call me biased if you will, but I refuse to, under any circumstance vote for a Bush. On top of that, hearing him speak is about as interesting as watching a toad.

Ted Cruz is a great Populist, a Tea Partier, a Man of the People, friend of the Average Citizen, or so he portrays himself. Nonsense. He is an Ivy League educated attorney, in the pocket of big business, and his wife works for Goldman-Sachs. Remember them from the bank scandals that led us into the last great recession? If you do, wave so long to Ted.

That leaves the Donald. Trump can give a speech and he darn sure has charisma. He says a lot of the right things, but I just don't trust him. He reeks of demagoguery and that is what we definitely do not need. Besides, I have a question. When elected, a President is supposed to put his assets in a blind trust, so his investments do not influence his policies. Does anyone really believe Trump will actually do that? Maybe, but I have serious doubts.

There was a candidate I found interesting, Virginia's Jim Webb. Webb is a conservative to moderate Democrat, ex-Marine, Viet Nam vet, former Secretary of the Navy, former Assistant Secretary of Defense, historian, and 2 term Senator. In other words, qualified and sane. However, he quit the campaign in disgust after seeing how things really work. He has hinted at a third party run. I hope so, and would vote for him, but he has less chance of winning than I do, and my odds are not good.

But, as things stand, none of this matters. it costs incredible sums of money to run for office. This money comes, obviously, from people with a lot of money, and they give to both sides. As a result, they own both Parties. When Republicans and Democrats fuss and fight, when the President and Congress quarrel and quibble, it is all just a dog and pony show. In the long run, everyone will do what they are told, what they are paid to do. Your vote is of little, if any, importance. Yet still, every few years we go through this charade, pretending that we are doing something important.

Is there an answer? Yes, but it a real long shot. If s third party could come up with a full slate of candidates, not just for President, but also for House and Senate, good people with real ideas and at least some charisma, and if that excited the average American enough to get some decent funding, then maybe things might start to change. Will that happen? No. Not this time around.

So, if you believe that this election is vital, that your vote is important, I have an announcement. I have just signed a deal with Newt Gingrich to handle those Moon Condos he's been wanting to build and I can get you a great deal.

American Gullibility - Part 1

America sees itself as a worldly, sophisticated country. Well, sorry folks. I love this Nation for many reasons, one of which is our childlike innocence. Many Americans still live in a world of limitless possibilities, and this does give us an exuberance, an enthusiasm. This idea that if we work hard and follow our dreams, we will achieve greatness, is a wonderful attitude and even when we fail, we pride ourselves on our ability to  pick ourselves up, dust off our clothes and get back to it.

However, it is a fine line between optimism and idiocy. We, often refuse to accept hard truths and we can never get back to moving forward until we take some time, look back a little and really see what has happened.

Lord knows, I do not want to dwell on the past, so let me hit a few of the main points. World War 1 was a bit of lunacy, fought over European colonial disputes. We never should have entered it and did so only because huge money German bankers, the Rothschild's, wanted a Jewish state in Israel They betrayed Germany by getting England to pass the Balfour Resolution in exchange for having their man in Washington push Woodrow Wilson into the War. By this time they had pushed Wilson onto creating the Federal Reserve, an un-Constitutional body, and in effect, they owned him.

Then, these same folks, in collusion with big time investors, made a ton of money by manipulating markets. The bottom finally fell out of these markets, after a bunch of folks made a bunch of money, and we were in the middle of the nightmare of the Great Depression.

In the meantime, these same interests, who loathed Tsarist Russia, started funding a new social movement, and the Soviet Union was born. Then to keep them in check, and, I truly believe a love of mischief was also a factor, as the Depression worsened, they funded that little fool, Hitler. The Powers that run the World, love to see a good fight because by manipulating the outcome, they grab more wealth and more control. Keep in mind, America, through such luminaries as the Harriman's and Prescott Bush, yes the Daddy of George Herbert Walker Bush and the Grandfather of George Walker Bush, were still trading with Nazis throughout the War. This is not Conspiracy Theory. This is well documented and Americans just do not want to admit it.

Then, when the War ended, we decided that we needed an Enemy and that our Wartime Ally, the Soviet Union was it. So, we hired the ex-Nazi spy master, Rudy Gehlen, to come up with something scary, and the whole stupid Cold War, in which both sides spent unthinkably huge amounts of money on arms, was born. All we got out of it was a huge pile of bombs that no one can use, unless, of course, we finally decide we're tired of the fuss and blow the World to bits.

All of that wealth, all of that time, wasted, by both sides. I really do not fault the Soviets. After WW2, why would they think they could trust us. Remember, without their nightmarish, but successful, defeat of Germany, we could not have pulled off the Normandy Invasion that clinched the deal in Europe. From their point of view, we stabbed them in the back. Just think, we could have well fed, healthy and superbly educated populations had we not wasted all of our efforts on unusable weapons. We could be colonizing the Solar System and setting sail to the stars.

While all of this was going on, we spent the lives of countless young men in a series of wars that have never been logically explained. I have never heard explanations that made any sense for our behavior in Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. Every reason we have been given for the lunacy of these military adventures has been shown to be lies.

Look at our behavior in our own hemisphere. We have intervened in Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, El  Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Chile, Nicaragua. Why? Always because we were defending 'American Business Interests.' Well guess what? These are the same businesses who yanked the jobs out from under good, hard working Americans and sent them to places where people will work for $2 a day under slave-like conditions.

And yet, still, I hear on a day to day basis, about how wonderful our military is. Are they good soldiers? Yes. Brave? Beyond a doubt. But, they are being used to extort other countries into doing the bidding of the Powers That Be, the Corporate Elite who want to rule the World. We are fighting for the very people who want to control us, to see us weak and impoverished. The 1% who control most of this Country's wealth, and most of the World's wealth are tightening their control on the backs and with the blood of those who they are taking wealth from

It makes no sense, and yet, in this the year of our elections, no one talks about what is right in front of our noses. Instead we have a never ending paraded of idiots prattling on about how much they are going to change things, about how they are going to make us great again. And the worst thing, the American public is still buying it.

In Part 2, I am going to go over some domestic history and in Part 3, I am going to discuss some of the things about our Presidential Candidates you will not hear on the CNN and Fox News or any of our other producers of news-like programming.