INFORMATION? BELIEVE IT OR NOT!!

Why are there so many apps pushing articles and stories to our smart phones and tablets?

Why does an already in your face billionaire such as Rupert Murdoch continue his quest to own more news media?

Why do other billionaires and their brothers keep spending money behind the scenes to get their partisan messages out and political puppets in?

Why do birds suddenly appear? Wait, sorry, that's not part of this rant!

And why do all newspapers offer digital versions of their publications?

It’s all about the dissemination of information.

Sadly this proliferation of information also DIS-informs.

Getting your message out has become so important it has surpassed nearly every other need a leader or megalomaniac has. It is the way he or she stays in the public eye and the way they amass fortunes for their war chests to be used on their re-election campaigns.

And this tactic is also used to hide things that are not to be known by the general public.

This simple fact is controlling the media has become the highest priority of the wealthy and powerful.

We have all seen articles informing us that not one of the perpetrators of the economic bust of 2008 or any other era has been sent to jail or brought to justice at all.  But you will probably not see that article again or a follow up unless you spend time ‘Googling.’

Did you ever see a television ad or get a 'cold' call from an investment broker you didn't know telling you about a fantastic stock opportunity guaranteed to make you wealthy?

Did you ever wonder why he or she was calling you instead of just buying the damn thing and retiring to Tahiti?

Why do so many people seem to believe that the Earth is flat or that climate change is God’s will and there is nothing man can do about it?

And with all the information being pushed onto and into us we find it hard to process everything.

Information overload is real and it is why we flock to social media sites such as Twitter for concise if not absurd brevity.

Don’t believe it? Try to tell a story using only 140 characters without abbreviations, emoticons, substitutions and links. 

IMHO U’ll C its hard 2 do, lmao! 

No one has the time to read an entire paper or its digital version therefore much of what’s happening in the World goes unknown to or unseen by the masses.

Most read a headline and assume the rest based on their preconceived bias.

We are a nation of under informed, uneducated serfs.

Remember that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it!

Sadly even our history books have been taken over and school children are being fed partisan lies.

Many States use text books for their schools edited and published by a Texas concern. (Click the link and learn!)

These books have taken many facts out and replaced them with clear sounding false statements and subliminal messages aimed at furthering their biased agenda.

Sad how many idiots believe this crap!

Did you know that man coexisted with the dinosaurs?  This must be true since the Earth is only 6,000 years old!

Social media sites are safe havens from the storms of stories of corruption and violence.

They are places where we can show our outrage and demand something be done.

Then we click on the viral video of those cute puppies and calm down.

Just look at the anger over the multitude of mass shootings over the last few years and note how much has been done by our leaders to stop the proliferation of gun violence.

Social media is a place to vent our frustrations at the lack of leadership to stem the tide of an ever widening wealth gap.

But they are akin to the ‘time out’ room we are sent to as children when the parents have had enough!  And the parents are the wealthy and powerful who control the message.

‘Run along middle class, mommy and daddy have lots to talk about. Maybe we’ll go for some ice cream later. Won’t that be nice?’

The one time information should not necessarily be made known is during military exercises or of course war.

But when it comes to government any group not in power accuses those in power of hiding things from the public.

For example ever since Democrat Obama was elected President the not so loyal anymore Republican Party has been calling for more transparency.

Why do you think Obama is
weak on a Muslim?
Because I think he basically is one!

From birth certificate to troop movements they demand to know what he and his administration are doing about the war on terror and how come he was born in Kenya as a Muslim. And lest you think Americans know the truth watch this short video of current Trump supporters talking about the Hawaiian born President of the United States.

This is basically a tactic that should be called what it is, an absurd lie.

This should replace
the elephant as the
GOP / T-Potty symbol!

One thing the public must realize is if the government tells us all it is doing or planning then the odds are the enemy will know as well!

Do you think Mr. Obama should have told the Americans his troops were about to raid Osama Bin Laden’s compound beforehand?

The Republicans know this but they must fool the public into voting for them next time so they can do the same thing!

Information is power.

He (or she?) who controls the information has the power.

We must understand what information is important to be known and what should not be.

And when the information is made known from where did it emanate?

Can it be trusted?

There will always be sheep following blindly or being shepherded by a lead dog to move in a certain direction.

But until the people of our nation realize they are being led around by their noses they will never see beyond them.

Don't believe me?

GOOD, YOU'RE LEARNING!

The truth is out there!

Seek it out!

The more you know the less you will be fooled.

Inform yourselves, no one else will!

The More You Have The Less You Are!

In general it has been my observation that people with less give more of themselves to those in need than those who are well off.
Maybe they are sheltered from the reality of the day to day lives of billions of people who merely wish to live and enjoy their time upon this Earth without worrying that the next guy will steal everything they own.
The average person wants a leader to at least understand how much a quart of milk costs and how the rising cost of gasoline affects their lives.  The average mother or father wants their leaders to understand how important a good education for their children is and that they should not try to hinder that in any way.
And for the most part, without using the terrible word socialism, the average family wants to know that should they need help from their government it will be there for them and not vilify them for needing assistance!
But for some reason the more people make or have or, for that matter steal and hide, the less likely they are to give to the needy.  And that goes for individuals as well as government.
The mentality of these cretins starts to lean toward that of a miserly greedy selfish being who can think of only one thing, amassing a larger fortune and keeping it hidden from the tax man.
But don't think this phenomenon is just an American trait, although we seem to have some who have perfected it and even used it to get themselves in position to be elected President.
No, this is a human, or as some may argue a sub-human trait that transcends physical borders.
This week a tiny article surfaced that did not draw much attention in the States as it did not concern the upcoming election or a useless 'Page Six' celebrity.

What's a few million among friends?

The article is about the former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. 
This 76 year old billionaire - let me repeat that in a slightly different order of words - HE'S A BILLIONAIRE AND HE IS SEVENTY SIX YEARS OLD - was convicted and sentenced to 4 years in jail for the heinous yet rampant crime of TAX FRAUD!
One might ask which came first, the obscene fortune or the scheme to make it by cheating on his taxes.
I posit that it has to be a hybrid of the two but no one can argue that the two do not go hand in hand.
In America we have all kinds of proposals to help our economy and many include an arbitrary income of $250,000 above which taxes should be raised while leaving those with less alone to muddle through their daily lives unscathed.
In that spirit I ask what is the level of income, or theft, or hidden assets, above which one turns to a life of crime.
For surely tax evasion is a crime.
But that crime is multiplied ten fold when the criminal is a career politician and especially when that career criminal politician is running for President on a platform that hinges on his success in business!
This type of ploy is worthy of the highest Chutzpah award!
For those not familiar with the term it emanates from the case of the young man brought to court to face the charge of killing his parents.  He pleads with the judge, "Have mercy your honor, I'm an orphan!"
The wealthiest Americans are using a small, to them, portion of their wealth to keep or place the most friendly, wink wink say no more politicians into office.
These soon to be bought and paid for political puppets will continue to allow the wealthy owners of government free rein as they seek out more and more lucrative tax shelters and tax havens and tax friendly countries in which they can park their money far from the reach of the IRS.

The Bain Brain will prove a to be a drain
on society and the bane of every
American's existence!

One need only look at the "legal" way Mr. Willard Mitt Romney has amassed a fortune most humans can only dream of and yet pay a lower tax rate than the writer of this blog or 98% of America!
And the fact that he is close in the polls and could even win the Presidency without once setting forth an agenda for our future but constantly spewing lies about his past is enough to make any normal human sick.
When Italy has finally said enough and is throwing their long time criminal in jail please don't tell me that America is about to hand theirs the keys to the kingdom!!!

If - Updated Version

If you can trust yourself to never say what you are thinking

Yet assume your audience hears what you want them to hear

If from the truth your very soul is shrinking

Yet from your lips glib lies flow clear

If you can hear truths men are saying of you

And still call them lies though you know they are not

Yet not hate the truth sayers for telling what is true

But smile and call their words a dangerous plot

If you can dream of personal gain

And never let on that’s what you crave

Injecting your own agenda into every refrain

With fingers crossed while at crowds you wave

If you can make a heap of magazines you never read

Yet say you know all from among their stories

And in your heart from their morals be freed

Yet claim the tales as your own past glories

If you can spin a tale of woe

Casting fear and doubt across the land

And with straight face calmly show

Twas by some enemy planned

Then make it seem as only you

With your personal hotline to the lord above

Beyond the danger get us safely through

And deliver coveted peace and love

If you can answer questions without ever speaking

Whilst all around are begging just to see if you can

And from your malodorous lies your soul is reeking

Then yours is hypocrisy and you sir are a Republican!

If anyone who loves Rudyard Kipling is offended by the above I apologize and ask that you consider getting a life :-)

Personification of Two-Faced

In a debate or even just a normal conversation we may use many different methods to get our points across.

We could use subtlety; "I'm a little tired right now, I'll wash the dishes later."

We could use sarcasm; "Don't pick up your clothes, I like stepping over them."

Or straightforward talk; "I want you to do the dishes and pick up your crap from the floor!"

Depending on the people involved each method has its place in society.

What shouldn't have a place in society is constant outright lying!  And more importantly it must never be rewarded once it is found out for what it really is!

Congress has deteriorated into a hall of roughly 40% lies.

The first truth is the Republicans are not in the majority for the moment and they don't like it!

In order to change the numbers they have resorted to a clever scheme of bait and switch except the product they are selling is a lie.

Here are a few examples of their latest absurd statements:

1 - Uncertainty is killing small businesses and they need clarity!

2 - They need to know what the government is doing about the deficit.

3 - Government spending is out of control.

4 - You cannot raise taxes in a recession.

5 - Extending unemployment insurance is welfare for the lazy; an incentive to stay home.

6 - Our military heroes and their families must be and taken care of!

Many of the above statements are nothing but rhetorical crap being spewed directly from the Republican talking points memo board.  They are used in response to actual legislation proposed every day by Democrats in Congress hoping to help the people of this country get back on their feet.  Points 1 through 6 and many more are given as reasons to block any and every bill that comes up for a vote in DC.

And since so many Americans get their news from the Fox channel which is a 24/7 propaganda arm of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Armey (not a typo) they have no idea how bad things will get if they vote out the Democrats.

Here is a group answer to the points noted above.  You may take whatever part of the following and match it up against the talking point of your choice.

The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy must be repealed.
This is not a tax increase but rather a wrong being righted!  It is a move back to the fair rate that was in effect before the war mongering team of Bush & Cheney gave the keys to the city, I mean nation to big business and big oil and Saudi Princes and on and on and on…

How can the same people who are using the deficit as fodder for their demands to curtail spending also want to give over one trillion dollars to the wealthy?

When confronted with that fact Republicans and Friends answer - you cannot raise taxes in a recession.

But the recision of the Bush tax cut does not raise taxes on anyone earning under $250K per year!  And on those lucky enough to earn over that amount it is a gradual increase and they know it full well!
And speaking of taxes how about changing the rules on that fake church all the crooks of Congress use for their not so secret liaisons?  The retreat known as C Street is labeled as a religious house so as to shield it from tax.  Start paying your fair share of taxes on that property!

You have to stop spending because government is too large is a great phrase but it does not even begin to tell the story.

The Republicans want to stop spending on the low and middle classes calling anything these people make entitlements.  But they will overwhelmingly vote to increase military spending especially when much of it goes into the pockets of their best friends.  Companies like Halliburton and their famous CIC (Crook in charge) reaped huge rewards in obtaining no bid contracts under the fiscally responsible friends of big oil and lobbies everywhere.
And speaking of entitlements millions of Americans are supposedly sitting on their asses doing nothing to help society.  They have no jobs and want handouts from the Federal Government.

This great campaign speech is as blatant a lie as just about everything else the so-called ‘right’ spews these days.

The same people who are out of work now due to the awful state of our economy worked for most of their adult lives pouring tax money into a system that if the Republicans had their way would ignore them!

And the same people who are benefiting from the Bush tax breaks and the bailouts and the Party of No’s stonewalling tactics are the ones who caused the economic crash with which we are now struggling.
But the best lie of the right was exposed this week by New York Representative Anthony Weiner when he passionately railed at the Republicans for their latest blockage of all things human by voting down aid to the sick and injured volunteers of 9-11.

They wanted to be able to tack on amendments to the bill knowing that they would pass on the coattails of the main item.  But when the Democrats refused to allow any pork to be added to the simple, direct, straightforward bill the Republicans balked.
The original bill was merely and simply aid to the 9-11 workers in need – DONE!

The Republicans basically said to those workers and heroes – DROP DEAD!

BUT BE SURE YOUR FAMILIES PAY THE UNDERTAKERS AND ALL THE OTHER BUSINESSES WHO WILL BE MAKING MONEY IN THE BURIALS!  WE WILL NEED THEIR BRIBE MONEY LATER!

The Republicans have followed this path of 'no' with one goal in mind, taking control of Congress.

Why do they want this so desperately?

Because they do not give a rats ass about the people of this country.  All they care about is power, the retention of power, and the money and influence that flows along with that power.

They say the Democrats did only bad things for the country in the two years of the Obama administration.

Like what?

Giving the poor a chance at health care?

Attempting to rein in Wall Street and the bankers who are already scheming to do it again?

Hasn’t the country seen enough of these phony bastards to understand where they are coming from?

Isn’t it clear that the wealthiest greediest among us are pulling the strings and the Party of No will do everything in their power to help them make more money while we wallow in despair?

If the Republicans take control in November this country may as well replace Old Glory with the corporate flag of the month.  December could be BP month followed by the NRA in January etc.  They’re already lining up!

The Republicans are as hypocritical a group of people as the world has ever seen.  (If you don't believe that Google Senator Grassley and find his speech about Death Panels for one.)  And how they can continue to pull the wool over the eyes of so many in this day and age of the internet and the 24/7 news cycle is beyond me.  In a way they must be commended for their staying power.

One can only hope that they are finally found out for what they truly are by the majority of voters before it's too late.

I hope for the day when some intelligent people not only pull back the curtain on these hypocrites but tear it off its rod and throw it away forever.

They want transparency?

Their evil methods ARE as transparent as they come.