Modwiz' Musings: Topical Discussion

[modwiz]

Since I am cultivating the tent to be an open conversation with a slant towards the mystical and personal I wanted to start an ongoing thread that will deal more with topical and current events in our dynamically changing world. The struggle is on and it is getting fierce. This thread will look to track this battle by using articles from around the web that bring a focus on this.

I will open with this article that appears to be written by Paul Krugman because his picture but, not his name appears on this article. Perhaps the name is not there for usage issues. The title is quite alarming, on one level. It’s time for Elites to take matters into their own hands

Here is a paragraph that lets one know where this toad is coming from:

Nobody disputes that ordinary citizens have some rights and freedoms, but just what these freedoms should be is a matter still hotly debated by social and political scholars. For instance, the right to own dangerous firearms has been granted to Americans for centuries, but with the epidemic of mass shootings in America, a large number of social experts are urging congress to retract this right, in line with most other countries. It’s also hard to deny that ‘freedom of speech’ has been abused by far-right groups and conspiracy theorists, who continue to push toxic agendas that destabilize societies and economies. Each and every one of these ‘rights’ that many take for granted, need to be reviewed and reconsidered in the context of a modern, globalized world.

Got that?

Some more:

Global leaders need to re-assert their authority and remind the general population that democratic rights are not universal or sacred. The governing structures, legal institutions and central banks that make modern democracy possible are upheld and maintained by a select group of political, social and economic experts. The rights that ordinary people enjoy are granted by those who run the political machinery, and as such may be suspended at any time for the greater good. Global leaders have a responsibility to stand in the way of populist uprisings that threaten to wipe out decades of political progress; and not to passively affirm the will of the people. What happened in Britain and what is happening in America are both a consequence of weak leadership, and it is going to take assertiveness from world leaders, not acquiescence to popular opinion, to restore the global order.

Do we see where this is going?

Now, there is some legitimacy to an uninformed and ignorant populace getting to vote, IMO. This could be partially remedied by proper unbiased reporting of events happening in countries around the world. A big view reporting that allows people to see the whole and how the parts relate dynamically. I say partially remedied because, however painful it may be to countenance, some people just do not have either the intelligence or emotional stability to integrate information in a way that would not be disruptive. However, the "weight" of a properly informed population should be able to provide the balance needed to allow misfits to vote. I want to make it clear, I believe every single voice needs to be heard, no matter how dysfunctional. Those confused voices need to know they are loved and cared for.

Now, the elites. In short, elite is about performance in service to the greater collective. Or shorter even, elite is about performance.

Here is the link to the above article which has two additional paragraphs in addition to the one above in the post. https://accreditedtimes.wordpress.co...e_preview=true

[modwiz]

Today, in the USA is the Fourth of July. Given the abdication of responsibility on the part of politicians and populace alike for the hard won freedoms the founding fathers gave to the the European people, commemorating the day is a celebration of cognitive dissonance. Here is a sample of what freedom in the USA is today.



Here is a good article on it from zero hedge but, first an except.

Do we not also live under the authority of arbitrary government? A president and Congress?

An endless conga line of bureaucrats and apparatchiks?

Sometimes, we get to vote for some of them. Our vote made effectively meaningless by the thousands – the hundreds of thousands and tens of millions of other votes.

The king or parliament would issue an edict and the colonists were legally required to obey it. Are we not legally required to obey whatever edicts the Congress pass and president decrees?

Can anyone explain the difference?

Moral law no longer governs. Only the law. And that can be anything. There are no limits whatsoever on what may be done to us; only that a law be enacted (and not even that).

We are bound to obey, regardless.

The king’s men could simply take our things, search our persons on whim. The colonists objected to such treatment and cited such treatment among the reasons for their decision to secede.

Is it not a fact that the government’s men (and women) can simply take our things? Search us on whim? Have you traveled recently?

Can anyone explain the difference?

Final words of the article.

So, celebrating our freedoms strikes me as hollow and pathetic. Like holiday greetings instead of merry Christmas!

I plan to stay home and read a book.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-0...rating-exactly

[Greenbarry]

[modwiz]

Found this in an article mainly directed at fifth columnists. That would be the media. I think it is something anyone can meditate on.

Are you the kind who are so devoted to your own career, your family, your home or your children that you will let the most unspeakable horrors be brought about to destroy your career, your family, your home and your children — because you are too busy now to prevent them?

Title of the article is: To All Innocent Fifth Columnists
http://www.solopassion.com/node/9476

BTW, this thread is open to discussion and dialogue.

[modwiz]

Are we tired of war yet? Can we tell our young men that?

Einstein said: Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war. The pioneers of a warless world are the youth who refuse military service.

“War has never been possible,” writes Robert Meagher in Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War, “ unless men have been willing to kill each other and, while they’re at it, possibly to be killed.” And as I have said over and over again: you can’t have a war without soldiers. It is only by young men not enlisting or refusing to enlist that war can be ended once and for all.

Old Men Start Wars, Young Men Die In Them
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-0...g-men-die-them

Now, some say, it is the only way poor people can make something of themselves. That works in duality thinking where it is either or. Trinary of "thinking in the field between polarity poles" allows for nuance and not getting stuck. The USA is not under attack or a declared war by a foreign nation. They are waging undeclared war all over the planet.
So, joining the military means you will be deployed to war. In peacetime, which given the power of the USA military would probably last forever, joining the military then means we can keep a credible defense and enjoy everlasting peace.

Simple polarity thinking creates the cognitive dissonance that allows for what may seem like a reasonable argument/reason/excuse for our young men and women to join the military.
This same cognitive dissonance allows for a hag like Hillary to aspire to office. Or the same creepy congresspersons getting re-elected. Lindsey "cupcake" Graham was re-elected in the last election of his state. WTF????

Which comic said, "You can't fix stupid"? Doesn't matter, it may be time to fix how people qualify to vote or how we put people into office in the first place. Something needs to give, that is for sure.

[lift the veil]

Here is an interesting piece by Ian from Verterans Today, which I though was very pertinent for the 4th of July.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/07...e-4th-of-july/

What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July?

By Ian Greenhalgh on July 4, 2016

164 years after they were spoken, the words of Frederic Douglas remain highly relevant to American society



Happy 4th of July to all my American cousins. Now, here’s some food for thought to mull over while you’re digesting all that holiday food and drink.

When Frederick Douglas delivered this 4th of July speech in 1852, America was still a nation that had the institution of slavery; millions of blacks had no freedom, no rights, they were mere property. Needless to say, it was an extremely racist time and place.

Today, 164 years later, slavery has long been abolished but has white America become less prejudiced against their black brethren? Many would argue yes, but for many blacks, especially those at the lower end of the social strata, the USA remains a deeply racist nation that doesn’t value it’s black citizens much if at all. Douglas summed it up eloquently in his speech (which was to a white audience):

The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence bequeathed by your fathers is shared by you, not by me.

When you consider how many young blacks are in prison, which is the modern form of slavery; the numbers of blacks shot down by police with sickening regularity; the callous disregard shown by the Federal government for the poor, mostly black citizens of New Orleans after Katrina, just to name a few of the very many injustices black America has to suffer and endure, then is it a flawed argument that America is still an extremely racist place. Douglas understood this and warned that if America does not learn from it’s shameful past, it will continue to have a shameful future:

Whether we turn to the declarations of the past or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future.

Then there’s the hatred of Mexicans and Latinos in general; this is something that has really shocked me in recent times; not just Trump’s disgusting appeals to the lowest common denominator by spouting racist rhetoric but the vocal support for his anti-Mexican stance from white people who should be ashamed of themselves. Several people I previously respected have managed to really disgust me recently by voicing very racist views on Mexicans; I have no truck with racism and never will have.

Another area where America’s latent racism clearly shows through the veil of political correctness is in the foreign policies that have seen US armed forces slaughter people from Libya to Afghanistan and many points between. However, the fact that they are dark skinned and Islamic has meant that the protests against their murders are most notable by their absence. Douglas recognized the same behavior in his time:

There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States at this very hour.

It is my fervent hope that the way that Trump’s disgustingly racist pandering to the lowest common denominator has shone a spotlight on the latent racism that still exists in American society will spur those who hold more noble ideals into action, to make their voices heard and to effect very real change in the attitudes of White America. I leave the last word to Frederic Douglas:

for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.

The complete text of Douglas’ 1852 speech can be found below Ian's piece here. http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/07...e-4th-of-july/

[Dreamtimer]

The first article linked to is written by Million Dollar Bonus, who is...?

He(?) could have made that up and said it was written by one of the elite. It may be just what they believe but I'd like to know where it came from.

I was just hanging' with some republicans and they are quite elitist though they aren't in the echelons of the ruling elite. It's an attitude that is easily acquired with success. They are also terrible listeners and among the first to attack the messenger if republicans are criticized. I don't engage in political dialogue with them because it's pretty pointless from my perspective.

What I need is a qigong way. I need to merge with and redirect their energy towards enlightenment. Not sure how...

I've complained more than once here about the "I don't have time to think, I don't have time to listen" litany that I've heard from my brother my whole life. Why should he bother when he's smarter and better and knows more and has more success and...yada yada yada.

Most of us are guilty simply by the lack of turnout at the voting booths and the lack of involvement in local government/politics. The people on either end of the spectrum are who is voting. Not the sensible middle. (Not very sensible)

My patriot friend George came over when the police trials in Baltimore were getting underway. This same man who goes on about the importance of the Pledge of Allegiance which ends "...with liberty and justice for all" say to us, "I don't know why they're bothering to go through with these trials. It's not gonna make a difference to those people."



I said, "You can't know that." He said, "Yes I can."

Really? 'Those people'? He can really sympathize first hand with the life of an inner city black, huh?

He's a patriot and a libertarian.

Rand Paul says things like, I feel terrible about racism. I just don't think the government should do anything about it. Who, then? A private, for profit entity? A community organization?

They send young men to war because young men go easily. They're hot. They're inexperienced. They get to use big weapons. They get to be tough men. They may get to be heroes.

If people looked harder at the state of veterans they might have a less idealistic perspective.

How do you tell patriotic capitalists that they're part of a racket?

[PurpleLama]

Million Dollar Bonus is a frequent commenter on Zero Hedge, and what he writes is actually satire. This is the article that the Accredited Times article was spoofing.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-0...gnorant-masses

[modwiz]

Million Dollar Bonus is a frequent commenter on Zero Hedge, and what he writes is actually satire. This is the article that the Accredited Times article was spoofing.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-0...gnorant-masses

Thanks I had read that article days ago. Appreciate the heads up on satire, which often includes big doses of truth. Good to hear from you.

[PurpleLama]

Keep an eye out for MDB's posts on ZH, they are a hoot if you get the joke, and of course it's equally funny to watch the replies of those who think he is serious (on ZH, no reference to the OP).

[Cearna]

Since I am cultivating the tent to be an open conversation with a slant towards the mystical and personal I wanted to start an ongoing thread that will deal more with topical and current events in our dynamically changing world. The struggle is on and it is getting fierce. This thread will look to track this battle by using articles from around the web that bring a focus on this.

I will open with this article that appears to be written by Paul Krugman because his picture but, not his name appears on this article. Perhaps the name is not there for usage issues. The title is quite alarming, on one level. It’s time for Elites to take matters into their own hands

Here is a paragraph that lets one know where this toad is coming from:


Got that?

Some more:

Do we see where this is going?

Now, there is some legitimacy to an uninformed and ignorant populace getting to vote, IMO. This could be partially remedied by proper unbiased reporting of events happening in countries around the world. A big view reporting that allows people to see the whole and how the parts relate dynamically. I say partially remedied because, however painful it may be to countenance, some people just do not have either the intelligence or emotional stability to integrate information in a way that would not be disruptive. However, the "weight" of a properly informed population should be able to provide the balance needed to allow misfits to vote. I want to make it clear, I believe every single voice needs to be heard, no matter how dysfunctional. Those confused voices need to know they are loved and cared for.

Now, the elites. In short, elite is about performance in service to the greater collective. Or shorter even, elite is about performance.

Here is the link to the above article which has two additional paragraphs in addition to the one above in the post. https://accreditedtimes.wordpress.co...e_preview=true

It is worth repeating this disturbing so- called right to speak.

As much as the actual words being uttered, there have been out in books of classical literature, we have been reading, plays and movies engendering this in the idealism written into the plots, and they have been given the stamp of approval, taught as symbolism of the "brave new world", the ideas are engendered and inbred within certain families in every generation since way back when, and for at least for 300 years in our past have been formalising agendas, which have not been halted in any way.

Why wouldn't they stand their believing in this as a way of life. To them the yokes and shackles were never removed, however, they have not realised that places such as the "colonies" actually were not kept under tight enough reins, and even in old countries the enforced cheap labour, eventually brings even the simplest of folk to cry out "enough is enough" and when that happens, the restraints suddenly becomes uncontrollable anger and yes chaos results, but in the resultant calm the people are never the same again. They become street wise, instead of being the intellectually smart of the elitists, and so much becomes seen, that was never seen before, because those such as the satirists and cartoonists of the 18th and 19th century, begin to shed light, and once light is shed , watch out you

governing structures, legal institutions and central banks that make modern democracy possible are upheld and maintained by a select group of political, social and economic experts

, because once given the "right of free speech" your control will have to be absolute before you stop the common man.

[modwiz]

It is worth repeating this disturbing so- called right to speak.

As much as the actual words being uttered, there have been out in books of classical literature, we have been reading, plays and movies engendering this in the idealism written into the plots, and they have been given the stamp of approval, taught as symbolism of the "brave new world", the ideas are engendered and inbred within certain families in every generation since way back when, and for at least for 300 years in our past have been formalising agendas, which have not been halted in any way.

Why wouldn't they stand their believing in this as a way of life. To them the yokes and shackles were never removed, however, they have not realised that places such as the "colonies" actually were not kept under tight enough reins, and even in old countries the enforced cheap labour, eventually brings even the simplest of folk to cry out "enough is enough" and when that happens, the restraints suddenly becomes uncontrollable anger and yes chaos results, but in the resultant calm the people are never the same again. They become street wise, instead of being the intellectually smart of the elitists, and so much becomes seen, that was never seen before, because those such as the satirists and cartoonists of the 18th and 19th century, begin to shed light, and once light is shed , watch out you , because once given the "right of free speech" your control will have to be absolute before you stop the common man.

I really enjoyed the passion you included with your analyses there. I am winding down my night and a better reply is not forming. I could not just thank this excellent post, though.

[Dreamtimer]

Thanks to Purple Lama for the info. The last sentence of the Zero Hedge/Financial Times article by James Traub reads, "Did I say “ignorant”? Yes, I did. It is necessary to say that people are deluded and that the task of leadership is to un-delude them. Is that “elitist”? Maybe it is; maybe we have become so inclined to celebrate the authenticity of all personal conviction that it is now elitist to believe in reason, expertise, and the lessons of history. If so, the party of accepting reality must be prepared to take on the party of denying reality, and its enablers among those who know better. If that is the coming realignment, we should embrace it."

I would love for leadership to 'un-delude' people but it seems to me they've been doing the opposite.

If the 'party of accepting reality' takes on the 'party of denying reality' won't it kind of be like arguing with a fool? I mean, who wants to try to argue with someone like Sarah Palin?

I'd love to vote for sensible leadership. Where is it?

[PurpleLama]

A popular overturn of the status quo could be organized and accomplished, I believe, through a grass roots and online effort to take as many seats in the House of Represenatives which staggers it's election cycle every two years, and some Senate positions also land on these odd years as well. Such a tactic could take out many congressional incumbents, as turn out is much, much lower during the elections in between the presidential election years.

[modwiz]

A popular overturn of the status quo could be organized and accomplished, I believe, through a grass roots and online effort to take as many seats in the House of Represenatives which staggers it's election cycle every two years, and some Senate positions also land on these odd years as well. Such a tactic could take out many congressional incumbents, as turn out is much, much lower during the elections in between the presidential election years.

Agreed, brother. Internet and grass roots can work well together. Those online can keep very up to date and disseminate any timely info to those either not online or less so than others. Real change will come from the local level. Mayors/town supervisors are key to accountable representation. Town Hall meetings are where anonymity ends and real social contracts can be formed.