It's not just the drones....
Someone, I've forgotten who, made the observation that the "intelligence gene" is responsible for most of our current ills, and will result in our extinction unless we recognize and correct the problem.
No, the suggested answer is not to destroy our universities and other schools, burn all the books, dumb down the broadcast media to the level of a hungry (or horny) 13-year-old, and make sure that no highly-intelligent person has access to the work of other highly-intelligent people who might also be radicals or "dissidents." Or even to catalog and "study" them, so that the next generation of tyrants can do them in, and have all the "evidence" of their "sedition" and "breaches of national security."
We need intelligence and intelligent discourse - now, more than ever. But surely it is killing us, as well. Whether it is the murderous, predatory corporations and their "signature legislation" - the creation of a "one-world-government" based on the conquests of machine intelligence - the so-called "killer drones" in the service of the nuclear mafia - well, this is all well-known. The operant doctrine is (officially) called "Full Spectrum Dominance." That is the present military policy of the United States
Otherwise, we are proving to be non-competitive in every area except professional sports and corporate hegemony over every aspect of our lives (what used to be proudly supported by many of our ancestors as Fascism or National Socialism), or a monolithic "one-party-state" (Communism) for the rest (the so-called Left). After World War II, these policies were certainly not popular in the rest of the world, except that Americans promised a "higher standard of living" and new techno-gadgets - an area in which we proved to be much inferior to Buddhists and other Asians in the "real world" of "free-market capitalism" (surely a contradiction in terms).
Yet, the American people - those great innocents, spic and span in their moral superiority and being "chosen by God" or at least "Manifest Destiny" - continued to be welcome most places, and enjoyed great social status on a global scale.
"We are the people, not the government," they said. It's the same line used by the millions of refugees fleeing Russia or Nazi Germany. "Look, we're not like them. We're not part of the ruling class." And for a long time, that was true.
But military occupation teaches a different lesson, and it's the 700+ American military facilities in every part of the world which signals our true intent: Full Spectrum Dominance - economy, language, law, science, the arts, media - even "human rights" and "ethics" - qualities which are rigorously excluded from any real "government oversight, " but they are used to justify the rest of the murderous program.
The first thing we did upon "conquering" the Philippines in 1898 (as though we had some "right" to do that) was to dispatch 1200 English teachers there! A decade or two earlier, American missionaries who had become wealthy ranchers, sugar and pineapple farmers and packers, urged the US Congress to "Annex" the independent monarchy of Hawai'i to become an American "possession" - "before some other country gets the same idea," supposedly. The Queen was actually imprisoned and deposed by US Marines, with no future role in her country. Imagine suggesting we do that to QEII!
Although many would like to do that, the idea itself is preposterous. That is who we (of British heritage) are. If nothing else, it is none of our business. But not so Hawai'i, Cuba, Puerto Rico, or the Philippines! And this is was the days of American "isolationism" and rebuilding from our own disastrous Civil War, the effects of which still plague us a century and a half later. The Last Samurai, another film, tells how American arms merchants (as well as British and others) set Japan on its reckless imperial adventures in the 20th Century.
What happens when all the dirt on all the past heroes comes out? I wonder how many millions of votes the Democrats will lose on account of the revelations following the 50 year exclusion rule on exposing the Kennedy Administration's many crimes and corruptions? Peter Jennings told much the same story for ABC in about 2000 - shortly before he died. I wonder if it wasn't knowing he would die that allowed him to produce this remarkable document (much richer in details on Kennedy's essentially mafia-controlled and imperial presidency than the recent fare). I taped it off the air, and still have it. I doubt it is easily available otherwise.
But isn't that a GOOD thing, the Twilight of the Idols? Shouldn't liars and deceivers LOSE votes and public esteem? This isn't the mafia, making their own movies to justify themselves. It's actual history, where all the facts and inter-relationships count. There will be adjustments to correct willful lies, cover-ups and distortions. We can't simply say - well, that's history. We must proceed from where we are, today. Even though that is what we SHOULD do (and many of us are forced to do in our professional or public lives).
But not by the same dishonest and exploitative rules and practices. Those who go and sin no more will be recognized, if not rewarded. Those who don't will be liquidated - by the machines if not by the small number of still-surviving patriots and freemen. You cannot destroy freedom in the name of freedom with impunity. It's almost a natural law.
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Thoughts on the Create Channel (PBS)
The "globalization" community in Great Falls - liking African and Asian cultures, being "international" in whatever ways, no doubt watches channels 21-3 (Create) and 21-4 (World) channels the most. And I'm certainly part of that. I watch Rick Steves and some of the other travel programs on Create, and have even watched a few of the cooking programs - where I'm astounded at seeing them use handfuls of salt like there was no cardio-vascular tomorrow.
Today, I was "treated" to a Globe Trekker program about "Panamerica" - Central and South America, or what we used to call "Latin America."
Just before watching this, they ran the Nature program on Hummingbirds on 21-1 (the main MT-PBS station) as part of their "pledge drive"- a sort of extended "infomercial" using popular programs as "bait." And the Hummingbirds show was spectacular, with all sorts of evolutionary theory and advanced field biology included.
Imagine, then, my disgust and horror when 30 minutes later, in the "Panamerica" show (with some imperialist history, and very little real educational content), the hostess enters a shop in some remote village selling stuffed hummingbirds as "good-luck charms" or even "love tokens" (since live hummingbirds are so enjoyed and loved by those who have them as neighbors).
"How much?" our cheerful hostess asked? $3. "I'll take one." We can only hope and pray that she will be arrested at her home airport, and receive some hard time for her dirty deeds. If in doubt, leave it out. Even the dumbest corporation understands that!
But no, the purpose, here, is to make environmentalists and animal rights activists look stupid. It's a perennial theme here in Montana, where the main environmental watchdog organizations talk endlessly about mercury and coal dust, wolves, bison and grizzly bears, but refuse to ever comment on global warming, or the global environmental disasters we face from the nuclear arms race, and continuing to burn fossil fuels and use other unsustainable technologies. Thus, Greens are constantly pitted against unions, "jobs", "free trade", "economic growth", "national security", and even public health and safety. Even when the Greens are correct, and most people agree with us, there are huge campaigns through the corporate media to discredit environmentalists and their work - most notably, the anti-global warming campaign (characterized as a War against Coal - which it surely is) and the Single Payer Healthcare campaign (characterized as a "government takeover" - which it surely is) - all coordinated by ALEC and a host of other corporate crime syndicates.
Governments, as the servants of powerful corporate interests (especially the drug cartels, AMA, Hospital Associations, and others ) "took it over" decades, if not a century, ago. What we have, now, is almost entirely criminal and exploitative in intent, as well as in execution. And it is all governed by the rotten, lying, gangster-ridden "health-insurance" extortion racket - the only case, outside of automobile liability insurance, where it is reasonable - where people are forced, under penalty of a fine, to buy a defective product which is at least 4 times more expensive than the actual services it is supposed to provide.
And even worse, it explicitly depends on lower-income working people to pay for the healthcare of those who are far poorer, sicker, and in need of it! This is actually defended by the promoters of the ACA as "vital" to its working! It can only work if it further enslaves working people and those who take care of their health on their own! Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, more than half of existing healthcare costs (under this rotten system) is paid BY THE TAXPAYERS. Since we spend about 4 times what almost any other country spends (per capita, or as a percentage of GDP) on healthcare, it is clear that we need no new programs or spending. We only need to quit doing what we're doing now, and put everyone on Medicare, with strict regulation of prices and quality standards. Those who don't want Medicare should be free to start their own associations, or use a real "free market" (unencumbered by patents, licenses, etc.) to provide them with what they want and need.
I've probably spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours on this one idea - HEALTH INSURANCE IS A CATEGORY MISTAKE. The only way they can even sell something as absurd and fraudulent as "health insurance" as a way of providing health care, is if there is no other way to access and pay for healthcare - something which the providers, themselves, mandate by forcing cash customers to pay an average of 4 times more for the same services - and collectable in law - even from the estates of those who died of their overpriced and often fraudulent "treatments" (like radiation for cancer). If you can't get healthcare any other way, then, buying a promise of ACCESS to healthcare may be necessary, but only because THERE ISN'T ANY OTHER WAY TO GET IT. All we need to do is make sure that everyone has access, and that the monopolies don't control the supply and price, as they do, today.
That's another issue, but one which deserves mention, here. A century ago, nearly every voter and educated person understood the harm which monopolies were doing to our economy and to those who weren't part of the monopolies. Laws were passed against them and for a time, enforced. Since Ayn Rand denounced "Anti-trust Laws" (really, anti-monopoly and anti-corporate laws - both of which Rand supported) in the 1960's (especially Kennedy's political use of them against the steel industry and General Electric), they have been in disfavor.
There is virtually nothing of the real spirit of freedom and competition left in our legal system. Even professional sports is thoroughly monopolized, as are most other "industries" like health care, the "criminal justice system", education, universities, etc. The only way to be "free" of this "government takeover" is to pay your taxes, but provide for your own medicine, education, etc, - much of which is quite illegal, by now. We are, indeed, a military-industrial-education-prison complex. It's all part of the same deal, and we are its victims.
I wrote the above before reading this "Day of Mourning" statement from Leonard Peltier. Then I revised it. But it's all part of the same message....
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Day Of Mourning Statement From Leonard Peltier
EDUCATE! CORPORATISM, CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PRISONS
By Leonard Peltier, www.OfficialLeonardPeltier
November 29th, 2013
http://www.popularresistance.org/day-of-mourning-statement-from-leonard-peltier/
Greetings my relatives friends and supporters
It is yet another year. It seems like a thousand years ago but only a year in time in reality from the last time I dictated one of these statement for the day of mourning so, again, I want to say as last time, that I am honored that you would want to hear my words.
Sometimes when I lay on my bunk and I am between sleeping and awake, for a small moment of time, I am free and I am there with you. I know this sounds kind of melodramatic and I am not trying to be so, but things affect you differently inside of here and things affect you differently as you get older. But I want to say with all my strength, some things don’t change, at least not for me.
When I think about all we have lost to this corporate world, when I think about the losses of clean water and rivers and oceans and when I think about the losses of clean air when I think about the losses of freedom for hard working families that once had a father that could take care of his family with as single job but now has to work two or three jobs and the mother must work too and the children that come home from school with their own key and have to wait the return of one of their parents.
When I think of these losses, when I think of the wage slaves that are being created daily all over the world in the name of progress, when I think of these losses I think… we damn sure have a good reason to mourn, but I really believe that the word mourn should have a different meaning for us, not something where we cry and throw our hands up and say “ WHY WHY, WHY ME, WHY US, WHY THIS” but something that we say NO MORE to. Something we make a vow to, renew our efforts, renew our minds, renew our directions to take back our water take back our air take back our forests and our mountains and valleys, restore this mother earth to the natural balance the creator meant it to be. We need to talk to the churches, talk to the various religions, we need to get them to recognize that the strongest form or worship isn’t singing songs and bowing your head, the strongest form of worship is to respect and restore to balance the beauty of nature and the earth that was given to us, that is part of us, that we are a part of, and to be responsible for.
This may sound like the ramblings of some old 69 year old man in prison for 38 years but I have had a lot of time to think about these things and when my grandchildren come to visit me, it gives me a sense of urgency for all of us to start doing something NOW!
If each one of you would take a vow to get six other people along with yourself to do at least ONE meaningful thing to restore this balance and get each one of those people to network and get 6 more people and let it go out from there like the branches of a tree then together we can make a difference. We can make a difference starting today.
This day of mourning would become the morning of a new day!
I have quoted others before and I do so again because I respect the wisdom of elders and people long past. Someone once said and I don’t remember who said it, “All evil needs to triumph is for good people to do nothing.”
[Edmund Burke, the grandfather of all modern "conservatives", and no less true for that. -ed.]
If this is more than you care to do, or if you think you can’t be involved with others for some reason, I respect that, but I would encourage you to at least plant one fruit bearing tree that someone in the future, perhaps some child would have something to eat. That maybe some other living creature might have a place of shelter and food to eat. there will always be changes throughout the earth and throughout mankind, some uncontrollable and some with design.
I know we can make a change for the better if we put our hearts and minds together and let this day of mourning be a time of renewal, we can spread the concept that mankind must live in harmony with the creators handy-work and with one another. If this time I have spent here in prison could produce anything of value I pray that it would move you to become involved. Find the right things within government and support them, and find the wrong things in government and change them. This government as it stands right now is on the verge of losing what constitutional rights people have. This government is violating the constitution over and over and over. These violations started before you or I were even conceived. As some of you may know the Constitution is a copy of the Iroquois 6 nations Confederacy law. The constitution originally was designed so that men would have maximum freedoms as long as they did not infringe on the natural rights of others or in essence harm someone else. The freedoms and respect that the law implies that we should have for one another in this nation should extend to all those outside of this realm because what is right for one man should be right for others.
We should allow other people to be free from fear. I remember an old Jewish man I once met in hardware store, I engaged in conversation with him. He had fought in WW2 and he said to me, and I always remember his words, “this isn’t the nation I fought for, this nation has become a nation of people who are afraid of their gov’t and anytime the people are afraid of their gov’t they are not free and I have noticed that what people will do to someone else wrongfully, sooner or later if circumstances change they will do it to you also."
These violations of human rights must stop. I know the task may seem overwhelming and I can’t say that I have the answer for success at making a change but I do know the answer for failure.. that's to do nothing.
So if my imprisonment serves nothing else but to be living proof of these violations, then so be it, but it is a reality. Right now, it has been selective violation, but there are powers at hand that seek to inflict those violations upon everyone. This reminds me of a story that I heard once where a man said:
“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
I ask you to remember these things because they are truisms that have happened and they will happen again to you and your children and your children’s children if we do not take a stand. a famous warrior named Emiliano Zapata from the Mexican revolution once said “I would rather die on my feet then live on my knees” …. I could go on and on but I suppose you get my meaning. I encourage you to be active, to stand your ground and help us recover the ground we have lost.
God, I wish I could be there with you.
I am going to close for now. Be thankful you have the time you have, be thankful you have each other, and give each other a hug for me.
I will see you when I see you
Your friend
Leonard Peltier
