Struggle Vs Solution

Watching people react to politics over the last couple of years has shown me time and again that if thrown a bone of contention and a packet of facts, people will jump at the bone of contention every time. Facts are always rejected outright. They are unusual and as such, the familiar realm of emotional and uninformed opinion remains the ineffective norm in our political system.

I don't think this is an example of 9-11 Truth being undermined by outsiders. It seems to be nothing more than normal stupid human behavior that prefers a juicy argument, some dirty laundry and some rapid mud flinging (which goes nowhere and accomplishes nothing), over solid data that would bring all that mad activity to a screeching halt. It explains why political pundits never seem to get to the real issues and are happily engaged in endlessly arguing positions of values and opinions instead of the actual point at the base of such things. They argue the symptoms instead of pinpointing the problem and demanding solutions to them. It ensures the circus will go on indefinitely and anyone who wants to join will find room.

Stem cell research is an example of missing the point. The real point is why should the American people fund this research when we get nothing back for that investment? What happened to all that privatization all of a sudden? It appears that when it comes to cutting checks to major corporations, george is hot to trot. But when it comes to big science footing their own bill for research that will bring in billions in profits down the road, all of a sudden george plays the "values" game and pretends to "give in" by allowing us to fund it. Let them fund their own research. We have never profited from the endless research and development we've paid for. It's always turned over to private business after we pay for the development of whatever it is, technology, science or medicine, you name it. We should all be millionaires getting money back on those investments, just like the big players do. But that's the game that big money plays. Step one is always getting someone else to pay for it.

With real investors, at least dividends get paid back. But with stupid taxpayers it's a free ride to profit land. That's the issue they don't want us to realize. "Right or Wrong" is not a concern of this government or science or industry or business. These are people who spend trillions on making war, polluting the earth, and letting Katrina victims suffer without help. Trust me, "right or wrong" aren't on their daily to do lists. They just want our money again. Stem cell research will happen without any public discourse, it is proceeding and right or wrong has nothing to do with it from their perspective. Religious beliefs or otherwise, our input is restricted to footing the research bill for big business. Wake up and let private business pay their own way for a change. If you really want to stop this, try coming at it with demands that all this genetic tampering needs to be suboordinated to the people's desires on the subject. We'll see how far that legitimate demand gets you. At least you'd get millions on board with you.

The "values" people are a curse on this country. They are without a doubt the most perfected missers-of-the-point that could exist. Always obsessed with symptoms over substance, they cry out for things framed in ways and on terms that are impossible to legislate. Values and morality are not up to the government. The government has no interest in or involvement with values or value systems and it never will, it can't. That's not what it's there for. Government is about shoveling as much of our money away from us as they can get away with. Are these folks confusing Congress with one of those great big mega-churches in the south? Values are not a legal issue. Values are individual ideas that ostensibly are lived by those who believe them; they are not legislated and never will be as long as the supreme law of the land has any connection to the constitution. Can you values folks please snap into reality?

It's a waste of time, to say nothing of being flat stupid, if the candidates folks vote for are people campaigning on moral issues or values platforms. They can't do anything for you on those things, and they know that. That's what your church is for. Try to get that simple but really important point. Try voting for people who engage in straight talk about the problems that affect all of us for a change.

It never occurs to millions of people that the government is not in the business of legislating "values". And heaven knows, the government is the last place anyone should go looking for examples of high virtue. Good grief. But the feelings of self righteous indignation that flutter through our simple hearts and minds are so intoxicating on those so called wedge issues, they become irresistible. If we ever refused to fall for that nonsense and addressed the core issues underlying all those symptoms of a greater problem, these pointless nonsense debates would end tomorrow and all the fun would be over. It leads me to wonder why there is greater satisfaction in the struggle than in a solution.

It could be that leaders of emotionally based political movements know very well that their cash cows and political power would end if these things were addressed with reason and with the goal of seeking solutions. They have little motivation to clarify the issues or remove the emotional debris that keeps the basic issue from being clearly visible and comprehended. And the opposition is utterly delighted to engage in the same emotion based displays of position holding and dissent. They rarely, if ever, proceed on a sober platform that sweeps nonsense aside and comes to the real point at hand. They also enjoy the activity and uproar in doing battle with their matched opposites. Both are easily motivated by panic and fear and both present emotion based arguments to legislators who can't do anything about turning belief systems into laws.

And "Values" people, whether you believe it or not, the big boys of religion who brunch with heads of state, take money to manipulate their trusting flocks into desired political positions. It's a fact, do your homework. It's the truth no matter how ugly it is. You need to check your leaders out, both political and religious and not expect them to be what they say they are. What big fat lying crook is going to come out and admit he's a slime wad? They tend not to do that until they're caught red handed, or get busted by the police in acts of perversion, drug use, pedophelia, and all manner of corruption. Then come the tearful confessions that put it right in your faces. They're liars, hypocrites and worse. If you'd stop forgiving them immediately and stop denying reality, stop claiming they were framed or it just isn't true, maybe we could get rid of these dirty politicians and phony baloney preachers before they did damage for a change. What exactly would it take to get you into your critical thinking capacity enough to see what's right in front of your faces?

It is not hard to understand why there is so much disdain inside upper level government for the intellect of the general public, nor is it a stretch to understand why elected officials have turned their positions to profit mongering and routes to access bigger and better inroads for their personal careers. Even in the aftermath of the orgies of republican corruption and the democrats pouting agreement with all of it, the public is not sufficiently aroused to be able to rise up the couple of required notches to gain actual perspective and get a bead on the REAL problems. They are still thinking only in terms of immediate wins for their "side", which is a clear statement of a team mentality. It's become two opposing sides going for the gold. The trouble is we're all on the same team.

Maybe it's this penchant for selfish, short sighted back biting that allows the government to continue it's centuries long track record of failure to address, much less fix, what's really ailing this nation, at enormous cost to us. They're like burglars who toss hamburger meat to guard dogs to distract them while they break in and get the cash. They spike it with sleeping powder too to ensure they can get out safely and the dogs are none the wiser. It's really that easy to provoke the American people into distraction with proven non-issues that create foaming spittle faced enraged, divided masses, too busy arguing over who's right, to notice they're getting soaked and spun, again.

It certainly is lucrative for the elected officials and there is little fear of the public "catching on". If we haven't caught on by now, I doubt we ever will. It does make me wonder what they're doing and spending all their time and our money on, if they aren't taking care of what we think is important. When have they ever devoted so much as a single year to focusing on the condition the country is in, and the quality of our lives? When have they ever said, "We can be so much more than we are, let's go for it"? I'm not aware of any such time.

It's become somewhat of a tried and true system of fleecing the people for the benefit of major corporations and private institutions of all kinds. It gets them endless cash for funding wars and war contractors, cash for intelligence entities and secret twisted military RandD, and cash for pulling off very underhanded, questionable political mafia style foreign policy schemes. They've been at it for decades and we can still be depended on to never look the truth in the face and ask them what the hell they think they're doing. We still insist that they are good and that they must have a reason and gee we should just trust them. They invade Granada or Columbia, kill civilians in a blood bath, and come back home to tell us they've just hand delivered democracy and freedom, and we all cheer hoorah for the good guys. It's so bad that now anyone who asks the most basic questions or calls it for what it is gets pounced on by rabid hate mongerers that accuse them of everything from being mentally ill, to being morally corrupt, to being liars trying to use political trickery to make their guy look bad. If this isn't the definition of national self-deluded slow suicide I don't know what is.

The bottom line is, we are way worse off than we were fifty years ago, the coffers are empty and we are in two wars with a third on the horizon; and with a military that is threadbare, exhausted and insultingly sold out to private contractors who are doing everything our military used to do for itself, better and cheaper. We are paying war profiteers the highest imaginable prices for the worst quality and ethics in history while acting like our military can't do it all better at no extra cost beyond parts. Is that progress or are we morons? We're bankrupt, getting our asses kicked, being soaked for more cash, and can't even get our veterans health care or feed them properly. Why on earth are we paying contractors to scrub army toilets when recruits have been doing that with toothbrushes for decades? At no extra cost. Recruits have peeled millions of potatoes and army cooks used to lay out a hearty, healthy spread with personal pride. Now contractors are sloughing off nasty food and contaminated water to soldiers who must wait hours in long lines in active war zones to be fed. How is that better for our country?

And what about all these private armies george is hiring? Foreigners, people with no loyalty to the country, who are taking money to kill whoever they're hired to kill. What part of that seems like a good idea? Paid mercenaries on our streets are hardly reassuring and if you don't smell tyranny, then you need some serious nasal spray. We are being taken down.

Why is asking these questions seen as a threat to anyone who isn't responsible for these things? Wouldn't the most reasonable response be to want answers instead of making excuses while our children die?
Apparently not.

Perhaps we can only see it as a game anymore. It's always been a game in our lifetimes and we're deeply conditioned to see it all as a battle of opposing teams and philosophies instead of what it's supposed to be. A nation of individuals with common interests, investing in a government who is supposed to work those common interests into the best possible results. Everyone is supposed to win. You wouldn't even guess that to be the point of all this today if you just showed up and observed the process. Nobody wants to get real and those who attempt it are severely punished. We beat each other to death so that some may win and everyone else loses. Are you so sure that's freedom and democracy or are you enabling psychopaths? You should decide while there's still time.

The abortion issue is another red herring but have we figured that out yet? No. It's too substantial and real and therefore won't be broached. Is this about the states right to determine our reproductive rights or is it about making Jesus frown? If it's politics, Jesus isn't here. But the "Values" crowd keep trying to drag him in, by the hair. They are determined to make Congress into a cathedral that determines our morality. It seems all too obvious a distraction to me. One of those "Do not look at the man behind the curtain!" things. We just can't seem to look beyond the given framework they hand us. If they say it's about morality, then that's the boundary. Even when so many lives are at stake we seldom seek anything "off the menu" in political terms and continue to seek solutions only by addressing symptoms as given us by them. If they say they aren't criminally insane psychopaths and it's rude to say so, then we take their word for it, apologize and walk over the bodies, relieved.

Our country is deeply conditioned to be helpless and leave the thinking and problem solving to "officials" whom many deem should be trusted, don't ask me why. If you ask people why they think it makes sense to trust the government they don't know. The fact that the government doesn't know them personally, doesn't even know "they" exist, never hears from them and certainly isn't involving itself in matters that affect their personal lives in a positive way, all seems to be irrelevant. We need only to ignore the ever growing reams of historical and current evidence and facts to the contrary of this emotionally biased idealism to maintain this position, and we do a damned fine job of it.

As profoundly bizarre as it is to me that there is such a thing as a pro-war movement, it is even stranger to be arrogantly lectured by one of these intellectual pinheads. They've used terms like "peace freaks", suggesting that desiring peace is in some way a symptom of mental illness. How strange. What is wrong with peace? And when questioning the official "story" of 9-11 I've often been on the receiving end of rants that go something like this. "If you believe that 9-11 is an inside job then you're crazy. It's impossible! Do you really think the government would hurt it's own people?" Well Sparky, yes I do think that. Not because it's an emotional need, but because it's a fact that can easily be verified, if you ever learned how to read.

The standard response is of course, "Conspiracy Theorist!" We need to settle this once and for all. The fact is there is so much conspiracy based crime on record that not knowing about it means you're just not paying attention.

You do not have an informed opinion if the thought of conspiracy seems like nonsense to you. Conspiracy is real. It happens every day. It's on trial today in courtrooms all over the country. Government conspiracy. Judges, policemen, officials, bankers, high ranking elected representatives. They get a game plan and they do terrible things to people. It's not even slightly farfetched. It's what's been going on for decades. It's been published in the mainstream papers year in and year out in steady streams of disgusting, criminal behavior, exposed, indicted and proven. Admitted. Repeatedly. Frankly, the same sleazy individuals that pulled off scams like Watergate and Iran/Contra are still doing it. Because even though they're caught time and time again, and even though they get let off by rigged conspiratorial hearings, you can't navigate the reality part of all this into your brain where it would be most helpful.

The same crony men and their families have long standing criminal records and are getting richer by the day, by lying, cheating and stealing from decent ordinary people who can't defend themselves against these powermeisters, and they are making a mockery of justice, freedom and democracy while destroying lives left and right. Many are household names and have been for thirty or more years, with felony convictions and a trail of unbelievable pardons by discredited presidents, and they're still connected to or are flat out in the government today. If you don't know about any of it, that doesn't make me crazy, it makes you ignorant. Conspiracy is real. It requires effort to get informed, but few are willing to go that route. It is much easier after all to attack anyone who does get informed than it is to face your own lazy ignorance. Even if it does mean watching the country swirl the bowl.

I'm sorry folks, but we cannot be patient with these people anymore. Too much is at stake.
I resent their arrogant refusal to get themselves informed; especially now in the face of the most serious threats to our country that I ever dreamed I'd see. Those who cling to staying uninformed as if getting the facts and studying them for themselves were somehow a defeat for their side, are people I neither understand or respect. Theirs is a losing position by any measure. We must stop engaging their mindless twaddle and insults and work in spite of them. They are bringing nothing of value or substance to the table, which means they aren't helping. They're not even interested in doing the real work of fighting for everyone's freedom and sustaining a real democracy. In fact they are undermining the democratic process completely. They WANT to be controlled. I don't and I never will.

These people may see themselves as die hard patriots but they are not. Be it hypocrisy, self satisfying team based attack, or just plain ignorance, they do not have the power or the right to expect our process to come to a crashing halt in order to avoid upsetting their tender sensibilities. They can take their small minded nonsense and shove it. With them or without them, those who know the truth and can find the real target must be the ones to push for justice and make the government subordinate to the people. Whether they like it or not or ever appreciate it, we're charged with looking out for their own good as they're obviously incapable of doing it for themselves. That's what got us into this mess in the first place. Giving consideration to twits with a "Values" agenda is a distraction that we cannot afford.

If that sounds cold, it isn't. There are churches in every town and city across America, millions of them. They're everywhere. These folks have their own special buildings just to get together and do all of this 'Values" business. That's where it belongs. Their ludicrous shrieks about their religion being undermined by the state are a contrivance to terrify their followers and turn them into a force for political aims. The fact of the matter is that no one can take your beliefs away. Even if it became illegal to believe in religion, who could stop it? It's a totally asinine argument and shouldn't be given the time of day.

There is a big difference between personal things and public things, and never the twain should meet. Especially not in government which is there for everyone to do business that affects all of us in the public realm. We all use roads but we don't all go to church. We all pay for bridges and army tanks, but we don't all give a crap about the Ten Commandments. If you think abortion is wrong, then don't get one. But choke yourself before spouting off about me getting one. One body one choice. It's none of your business what my choice is. That's how this works, everyone gets their needs met. And you don't NEED to concern yourself with MY decisions on this or any other personal subject. Why is that so hard for these people?

It is better to be respected than liked and those who do earn respect are fair people who are respectful of others yet not inclined to suffer nonsense from anyone. We cannot allow ourselves to be taken over by childishness on any grounds. It serves no one. The current adversarial climate in politics reveals many people who are incapable of being respectful of others and frankly some even seem determined to obliterate everyone of unlike mind. This is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. If you want to talk about feeling offended, this offends me.

Recognize nonsense when typical arguments essentially boil down to, "If you don't see things exactly like I do, you're not American." Theirs is a peculiar interpretation of the first amendment. It's bait that generally seeks to inflame and detract the genuine political involvement of the people, and keep them from gaining ground and power. Try to resist the urge to get in and wallow, it only amuses them and effectively stops you from doing what you really need to be doing. They have not changed their minds after thousands of hours of exposure to reason and evidence. You'll be wasting your time.

Unless we begin to push back hard at unacceptable, childish people trying to fuse politics and religion, I'm afraid we are eons away from something as simple as living in harmony on the same continent and agreeing to disagree without needing to kill everyone who is not your ideological clone. And we really need to get there. The "Values" crowd are not special, and religion has no place in government, period. They know that and count on us to allow them to take precious time and energy away from the real business we need to be paying attention to. It will happen faster by setting the example of not tolerating idiocy or it's tactics and sticking to business. Roll your eyes and walk away and all the power walks away with you. This is the fastest way to disarm these folks, don't give them the time of day if they don't deserve it. If they want to come to the table with something legitimate, they are more than welcome. But "Values" ain't it. Determining what's best for our country is.

Personally, after years of raging resentment, I'm finally so weary of these single brain-celled amoebas, that I just cannot waste my time trying to assist them any longer. At least I don't have to fight the urge to slap them upside the head anymore. They just honestly bore me. It's not possible to have a debate with a hysterical twit who can't utilize simple facts, show common respect or exchange ideas with the aim of coming to reasonable solutions, and then go out to lunch. Anyone who wants to send an equally taxpaying citizen abroad because they don't like what they think is as far from American principles as it gets. The real irony is, we really all want the same things.

I suppose chasing off the opposition with whatever means one can get away with is about the only way that emotion based warriors can feel they have an unobstructed chance at getting virtuous laws passed. The opposition must feel pretty pesky to them, when it comes at them with facts and figures and all they can operate in is the realm of repeating state and religious dogma in a roiling cacophony of emotion, ignorance and arrogance. But the rest of us are not going away and frankly I'm sick of hearing them suggest it as a solution. It doesn't get much more offensive than that. To some there is no such thing as having a different opinion from them, only a wrong one. This would be due to their erroneous belief that they are imbued with perfection and I would have no problem with that, if they could just prove it.

The existence of religiosity in government is something many are tired of. These vocal warriors of twithood need to be put back in their padded cages. They can see Poseidon and Athena as mythological characters, but their own mythological characters are absolutely real. Belief is not enough though as those icons must be forcibly imposed on everyone on earth by armies of true believers. One would expect that having such strong determination to have their beliefs respected would make them more respectful of other people's rights to their own beliefs. But no. Their reactions to other belief systems verges on hysteria, or perhaps it jumps right into it. Brave souls like Wiccans who desire to open public business with a witch's prayer instead of a Christian one risk their lives and are immediately black listed as demonic beings. And for those who don't subscribe to believing in any cloud beings, being forced to watch any of this is truly scary. It would be laughable if the religious fascists weren't so dead serious about it. That aside, anyone who's pushing the development of a factional army of God to fight the rest of us is working in direct opposition to the constitution and everything it stands for. It's a flaming neon sign. It doesn't deserve to be tolerated.

I have to say I really resent the government and any institution that bows to the heat and pressure of true believers. But I know from first hand experience that these people cannot grasp that they are not the end all and be all of righteousness or that in fact, no one is obligated to follow their religious ideas. Everyone on the opposite side of their religious fence is blacklisted and literally feared. Gentle non-believers are attacked and vilified, and considered soulless. It's quite ridiculous. Imagine if the human spirit were not an inherent part of humanity and indeed could only become a part of a person after hearing a speech or reading a book. That's just down right wacky.

I would also like to point out that the vast majority of violent criminals in this country are Christian, as are 100% of the child molesting, lying, embezzling criminals in government. Instead of seeing this glaring reality as a valid point, they quickly forgive their Christian dirt bags, and still point to non-believers as the root of all evil. What can you do when they are so determined to exercise their right to remain childish and obtuse?

They have every right to live their beliefs, but will you please join me in helping to remind them that it doesn't include a right to get in my underwear and tell me how to live my life? That would be my job. If they could just grasp that one little principle there would be hope. In lieu of that, there's no other choice than to just be rude and tell them to shut up and go away. Maybe if they hear it often enough, they will.

In the meantime our heads of state and the entire elected body plays the same game, poking emotion based arguments that cannot be agreed on with sharp sticks and then watching the fallout. Citizens rally and take political swings at each other and are hell bent to emerge victorious on the non issues and wrong issues of American politics. We're as addicted to evading reality and solving real problems as we are to the junk food that's killing us. Until we can switch our preferences to truth over games, our political health will continue to fail. It can't go on forever.

To stave off the death of this nation requires taking in ALL incoming data and using discernment to filter out the nonsense and emotional tripe. It requires having a genuine respect and desire for truth. It requires acknowledging that truth is more important than clinging to personal beliefs, no matter how strongly we feel them. And above all it requires working together to reach common goals and understanding that what we don't hold in common is very likely NOT a political issue. It's not too tricky for any of us, but in this current atmosphere of self adoration and internal war it's not very likely either. That's bad for everyone no matter what position they think is so important that some must win and others must lose. The goal must be that everyone wins or we're not pursuing the great American ideals we claim to be, and no one will win in the end.