No Fly Zone

Just thought you might like to see this "saddle" I made for one of the hens. She's missing some feathers from being a "favorite" of the rooster, so I made her this protective shield. Needs some work...

This is a high iodine meal, just to increase the levels so one doesn't absorb the radioactive kind... vegetable/venison soup with kelp strands and biscuits with kelp butter. Good ol' peasant food.

by freeacre

Well, I just spent about 45 minutes searching for the latest news on the pending extension of the odious Patriot Act. Has it been extended? Got me hanging. I searched several 'progressive” news sites – Capitol Hill Blues, Huffington Post, Crooks & Liars, Alternet, etc. and couldn't find an answer. Ron Paul seems to be the only one who gives a rat's ass, since we received an e-mail message from him recently asking us to contact our Senators regarding extending the bill. But, now I can't find that either. Funny how in this “information age” I'm having such a hard time finding out details on extending the Patriot Act, the most startling example of the demolition of our civil liberties in the history of the United States of America.

What prompted this frustrating search was an article on cryptogon this morning about a former Marine who finds himself on the No Fly List due to e-mailing a Muslim cleric regarding how to raise his children in a mixed religion marriage. He's a dog trainer now, married to a Christian, and when he tried to fly to another state to train a dog, he was unable to get on the plane. When he protested, he was investigated by the FBI. They would take him off the list, if he would be a snitch for them. He refused, so he's on the list indefinitely. Just one more example of the outrageous infringement of our liberty since the fascist Patriot Act was enacted.

Then there is the story, on cryptogon and others, that China is dropping cell phone calls on anyone who uses certain words, like “protest” in their conversations. The calls are being monitored in real time, and apparently being dealt with by some humongous computer program triggered by certain unacceptable words. Of course, if they can do it there, they can do it anywhere. Here, for instance. One of these days, we are probably going to attempt to go out of the country for either medical or dental care. I doubt we will be allowed to get on a plane.

Ah, well, no sense dwelling on these indignities. At least that's what my health practitioner told me the other day when I went in for a routine blood test to get my prescriptions renewed.

“You sound pretty negative,” I was told.

"Well, yeah. After suffering chronic pain for 8 years and trying everything I can think of to get better to no avail, it tends to catch up with one at times. Anyway, you asked.."

“Have you tried 'The Secret'?”

"You mean, “The Secret,” like on Oprah? Well, as a matter of fact, as a student of metaphysics for the majority of my life and a Science of Mind practitioner for twelve years, I practically could have written the fucking book myself."

“Well, why aren't you following it now, then?”

"Because, Brenda, I got sick of what I consider to be an unconscionable disregard for the planet and the consequences of all this “abundance consciousness” that it engenders. I mean, $2,000 weekends to learn firewalking or some bullshit, after which all these Yuppies can sit around and enjoy their mahi mahi lunches. But, nobody is concerned about the fact that they have killed 90% of the large fish in the oceans and their kids will be slurping up jellyfish in the future. I think it's stupid to manifest parking spaces at the Mall, when you're there to buy toxic products made by slave labor and disenfranchising the working class. It makes me sick."

“Well,” she says, “Ignorance is bliss.” “I just don't think about it.” I'm a little surprised that she didn't attempt to put me on Prozak.

That's the problem in a nutshell with trying to convince the general population of anything rooted in reality. They don't want to hear it. Period. It's too painful. Too much of a downer. Let's just pretend that everything is OK. Things will bet better. We're Number One. All our problems are due to the Muslims. And Obama is a Muslim. Yeah, that's got to be it...

On a more positive note... well, maybe not positive, but at least intelligent and insightful, Chis Hedges wrote a memorable piece lately on the demise of the Liberals that still haunts me. The essay is entitled “Power Concedes Nothing Without a Demand.” It was on truthdig.com on March 14. He wrote, in part,

“The liberal class has busied itself with the toothless pursuits of inclusiveness, multiculturalism, identity politics and tolerance—a word Martin Luther King never used—and forgotten about justice. It naively sought to placate ideological and corporate forces bent on the destruction of the democratic state. The liberal class, like the misguided democrats in the former Yugoslavia or the hapless aristocrats in the Weimar Republic, invited the wolf into the henhouse. The liberal class forgot that, as Karl Popper wrote in “The Open Society and Its Enemies,” “If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”

This is another “inconvenient truth” that hardly anyone wants to face. Much like the burgeoning bullying problem that seems to have taken off after the big push in the last several years for well-intentioned programs on “conflict resolution,” so favored by the limp-wristed. Sounds good. Too bad it doesn't work. The Chinese took another tack. When housewives were bullied by their husbands, they got together and went to the home of the abuser, dragged him outside, and collectively kicked his ass. And, it was sanctioned by the State. Amazing.

Well, if the earth changes chronicled on The Big Wobble and The Alien Project, Half Past Human, and even the USGS volcano and earthquake sites along with the sun information on spaceweather.com, come to pass, we may all be getting our butts handed to us real soon. Maybe we shoulda left some of those dolphins and fish in the ocean, not poisoned the corrals, not cut down the rainforest, sucked up the water in the aquafirs, poisoned the lakes and streams, ruined the topsoil, destroyed the Gulf, etc.

It seems the Earth is fighting back. And, it ain't about some lame committee suggesting that we be nice. She's kicking our ass.

HOW BIG AN EMERGENCY?

Freeacre's desert dish last two nights. Rice and ? pudding. I can't remember what the yellow fruit is and she just left so I can't ask her. Maybe put it in later.

from Murph

Before I get into some other weightier thoughts, while reading the morning news and opinions at my regular site visitations, I had some musings to share with you.

I wish to commend and thank the regular readers of this site. It sure appears to me that most of the regular readers and comments indicate a high degree of inquisitiveness and desire for understanding events as they unfold about us. The sharing of information and sources by individuals here is awesome. In some respects, I have a sense of amazement that this blog has endured so long. There are other writers, blogs and web pages out there with very authoratative backgrounds and sources which I do not have. Even the precursor to this blog (Cyclone) had connections and sources of information that we all drew from. I do regret the loss of some regular participants to this blog over time. Why they withdrew I do not know. But it is with fondness that I remember their participation.

While I do a fair amount of reading these days, I don’t do as much as I used to. Maybe it’s something to do with getting older. Plus, to a large extent, a lot of what I’ve been picking up lately seems distorted, has way too many assumptions within it and often what sure appears to me as just outright lies, untruths, and spin concerning the main thesis. I think I’m getting tired of being hyped in my effort to find kernels of truth. I’m finding myself being drawn to playing bridge to while away some of my time not demanded for other endeavors.

Let’s see, where was I? Oh yeh. Emergency.

I am making the assumption that the readers are pretty much up to speed concerning the disaster in Japan. I am picking up snatches of information that imply that the Japanese government is hedging on the extent of their disaster, in particular, the nuclear reactors failure. Of particular concern of course, is the danger of radioactive contamination of our country by this fiasco, and most particularly, the west coast area where we live. Yesterday, Freeacre tried to find anything in Iodine available. It’s all gone but more is ordered. That would indicate to me that a whole bunch of people in our area also are concerned. Freeacre did find some dried kelp and made up a concoction last night that was a bit of an effort to force down my gullet. But what the hell, I reckon every little bit may help.

This danger of radioactive poisoning, right now as of writing this, is looming to be more and more a possibility. Oh goodie. As if we didn’t have enough on our plate right now. We were talking about this last night, and now we are wondering just how much effort we should be putting into getting ready for the summer efforts for food production. How much effort should be put into various community activities that we are involved in. Will there actually be community activities this summer? Or will other serious concerns take precedence?

To a large degree, if the Japanese reactors actually do melt down and spew huge amounts of radioactive stuff into the jet stream, it will affect the whole country to a greater or lesser extent, depending on wind patterns. I can’t help but ask the question whether this is the beginning of the great American die off? And not even a nuclear war is taking place. So much for the utter and complete safety of GE nuclear plants. The long range safety of these installations has been questioned for a long time, and the disposal of the waste product has never been solved. And yet, human kinds crazed demand for cheap power is such that we keep making these questionable and dangerous installations with the reassurance that they are completely safe. Read an article yesterday by a Nuc proponent that pointed out that the installations that blew up in Japan were 70’s vintage and technology has made them much safer, plus the American installations were way overbuilt for safety in comparison to the Japanese ones. So, no need to worry folks, we have it covered, move along now, nothing to worry about here. That’s when I start to duck and cover when I’m handed these reassurances. If these engineers and proponents of nuclear reactor power plants had any doubts, would they tell us? HELL NO!! Too much money and stockholder bite to do that. Only a very few whistle blowers are going to get in on the question and they, of course, will be shut down, marginalized and in some cases shut up by various means to keep us all clamoring for more cheap power. And, the movement of more power and money keeps going to the upper elites.

Perhaps indeed there is a source technology for abundant cheap electrical power floating around, but unless the elites can anticipate a windfall of profits and control, we will never see it. At least under the present political and economic paradigm we are operating under. As I have iterated many times before, it sure appears to me that changing this paradigm will not be easy or without massive casualties.

This possibility of national radioactive contamination and all the consequences involved are very real. If it indeed happens, it’s a whole new ball game and one I don’t really wish to participate in.

Let’s take a look at some scenarios. Suppose this radioactive cloud is extensive enough and has plutonium and is deadly enough to force evacuation of a great deal of the west coast habitable areas and extends far inland. Our personal choice is whether to evacuate or not. To what end? I sure look forward to being homeless, having to live in a refugee camp for the rest of my life since that contamination will make it impossible to ever go back home for the rest of my life. If you have doubts about this, read up on the long term affects of the Chernobyl disaster and what happen to areas of high radioactive contamination of large areas of land.

Or suppose it is determined and advertised that the contamination is short lived iodine isotopes and the danger to human health is short lived and the evacuation would only be temporary. Should I believe anything that the government says? If we get a plutonium contamination, it will definitely not be short lived. And that is a distinct possibility from what information I have gotten a hold of. If it is a radioactive iodine contamination, it will be short lived. In which case, evacuation would not be necessary if proper precautions were taken on an individual basis. Would the government tell us the truth of the situation? We have all been lied to so much could we believe anything the government tells us, particularly in a national emergency? Remember Katrina? Great job Brownie? Or the “too big to fail” fiasco?

The potential for the Japanese catastrophe affecting us directly is very real. Maybe it won’t happen that way, but I am not taking bets on it. What about you?

A side note from Freeacre;

I find these days to be painful. In addition to mind-boggling and heart-rending stories and pictures of the destruction and suffering of the people in Japan, we find ourselves bombarded by financial, political, cosmological, environmental, military, and health threats of all sorts. Sometimes I feel like returning to bed, assuming a fetal position, and pulling the covers over my head. Somewhere I hear p with his message that we are all energetic beings at our core, and that this is basically an "energy" issue. I don't exactly know how to respond to that. Somewhere I sense that there is a place in my self that contains a peace beyond understanding. I'd like to cultivate that sense of peace and empowerment to help get through this stressful time. After all, it is not helpful to be either hysterical or paralyzed with fear and loathing, regret, despair, or thoughts of vengeance. But how? I am open to suggestions. And, if I find any myself, I will share them with you. Right now it feels as though the camaraderie of our little cyber tribe is what keeps me going.
aho

MIRRORS AND REFLECTIONS

"Shrimp, avocado and quinoa salad. Gluten free. Avoiding gluten provides a whole new dimension to food storage preparations."

from Murph

In the last number of months, there is an overload of articles in printed material and digital stuff on the internet describing some problem and who to blame for it. Many of these are excellently written, good analysis in a prose that is easily digestible.

Which raises again the question in my mind, “Are institutions, governments and businesses a reflection of involvement and agendas of the general population, or is the population a reflecting the businesses, institutions and governments agendas?” I suspect that the preponderance is located at the institutions reflecting the agendas of the citizenry. If we had had vast citizen involvement from the git go, even our constitution would be different than it is now. Most of our country's citizen involvement in decision making is by small fractional groups with their own agendas and has nothing to do with national consensus. When the decision was made to switch to a strong central government instead of a Federation of States, much of the debate on this issue was done behind closed doors with little non elite input into the process, and the few non elites that did take part left in disgust and they sure didn’t sign it. The infant propaganda machine went into overdrive at the time to convince the various states to ratify the new document, and at the state level, there again, was little input from the non elites of the time. So, we ended up with what we now have as a covenant between the citizens and a strong central government. Even the preamble to the constitution was thrown in as a piece of sarcasm to placate the masses, (We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America), and how the Bill Of Rights was worded in such a way as to be able to bypass any legitimate intent of them. Notice how the Bill of Right’s statements are constantly being challenged and bypassed today.

As in any discussion of these issues, we have the problem of talking about what to do about the perceived problems. Arguments over ideas to cure the problems abound. Take a look at all that is written and discussed concerning energy. The plethora of cures is incredible, from the fantastic woo woo stuff to the far more practical consideration. So, someone concerned about this issue begins to wade through all the information they can find on this issue. I’ve spent considerable time on it, probably incomplete, but I have spent time looking at this information. The whole topic seems to want to revolve around a concept we call GREEN ENERGY or sustainable energy, (for the most part an oxymoron, similar to "sustainable growth"), in an attempt to supply substitute sources of energy for what we call fossil energy so that we can continue society in the same paradigm as we do presently, free use and very consumptive use of energy from whatever source. I have concluded this is another financial scam and bubble. It ain’t gonna fly. Your conclusion may be different. This does not take into consideration the concept of abiotic energy sources of which I cannot find absolute and uncontroversial support of it. Plus, even if true, I can find no information concerning field refreshment rate. It is alleged that if we have the technology to extract oil from extreme depths., there is a never ending supply. I haven’t seen financial figure on the cost of that technology yet either. We do know that oil extraction from deep sea reservoirs is very costly and has a good probability of screwing up the environment, ie. the Gulf disaster. I have also seen what seems to me to be ample evidence the natural gas extraction by “fracking” is of enormous detriment to the environment on multiple fronts. So much for technology trying to solve the energy problem and is instead producing other expensive, multiple and severe problems for human life.

So, after that little overview on the energy problem, what is to be done? It appears that trying to change how things are done by working within the system, public demonstrations, and voting, are mostly ineffectual. If that worked, we would not be where we are. The SYSTEM has just about everything locked up to prevent really mass support for anything. The SYSTEM has managed to fragment this society to an extreme degree, thus preventing consensus on any issue. This was done with full intent and malicious forethought. The old "divide and conquer" concept. There is no way that I can see where the general public can be made aware of what is/has been done to them at this time and most of that kind of information would be rejected by most people anyway. The only means I see to have significant change of some kind is for so huge a proportion of the populations in abject misery and hopelessness that they unite against the SYSTEM: that is called a revolution. Even if that takes place, a demi god will likely appear, representing the elites of course, to make “changes we can believe in” and there will be a shuffling of the power seating chairs and personnel and we will have some form of extreme control established over our lives anyway. Remember Napoleon after the French revolution or our own from English rule for that matter. We immediately stepped into a hierarchical form of government, with Washington at the head, an elitist if there ever was one.

In my opinion, until the mass of people realize that the elites ARE the problem, the essentials will not change. Otherwise, we will just go through the old shuck and jive that we have been subjected to for generations, with a few bones thrown over their shoulder to pacify the dissenters.

Is this change in perception likely to happen? Again, in my opinion, I am not optimistic about it. Not that I think it is 0% probable, just not very high probability. Of course that is a rather fluid dynamic and so some miraculous situational change could take place, principally in people’s attitudes about elite control of their lives. Around this, we have the predictions that this change is about to take place. Stay tuned, the universe may wink at us again.

That brings me back again to the title of this post. In my view of how things work, until a significant mass of humans do have this rather extreme change in perceptions, nothing will change for the better. The vast amount of humans on this planet will still be subject to exploitation, abuse, manipulation and torture to enrich the elite classes. I’m sure you have heard the defense of the elites and their vast wealth. It seems to center on the idea that they are the ones that supply jobs for us all to survive on. It is a bull shit argument, in my opinion, and hardly worth replying to. My god, whole societies have existed for thousands of years without that kind of wealth focus. Of course, the European mindset has wiped out most of these societies over a long periods of time and the non Europeans starting in pre biblical periods to the best of our written records. The whole top down hierarchy (coupled with patrimony) with the elites at the top is not a new idea, it is very old, and I suspect started with formalized religion, although I recognize that could be contested.

You may ask why I would write a post that is so general and broad, an overview. There is so much detailed information out there on any subject, masses of books written on any given subject, essays and commentaries abound, that my diving into any of these issues with a micro view is self defeating. I have a tendency to want to look at the macro view anyway. It gives me more information that has the potential to get myself and other people through the bad times that are coming by figuring what the bad times probably will look like instead of a complete focus on a single issue.

So I periodically put up posts of this nature hoping that someone new will read it and the following comments, so that those that have not been exposed to such thoughts before just might say “Eureka I get it!” and begin to investigate to determine validity. If you can stand the heat, keep holding the mirror up to peoples faces, some of them will get it. And of course, heat you will get. People have a fantastic ability to deny a reality that contradicts what they prefer to see and believe and often violently. Invariably, these perceptions and beliefs are to their own and most other peoples disadvantage. Sort of like the destruction and burning of the library of Alexandria, again, instituted and propagated by the elites of the time.

Archeologists are constantly turning up evidence of complex and large civilizations that have existed before the Sumerians, pre biblical stuff. It seems that our concepts of linear progression of human beings needs to be revised, and our whole time scale of events appears to be flawed. Of course these revelations tend to be viewed with derision by the biblical fundamentalists. Instead, for some reason I simply cannot comprehend, they like viewing god as the great trickster tempting us away from the faith. I am completely befuddled as to why god would do that, but whatever….. And here I thought Satan was the great trickster and tempter, ie. Taylor Caldwell, (sighing). Perhaps these folks just became a bit confused about who to blame. I find it rather amazing how politics and religion are so much the same. The strict adherence to a doctrine and ideology in the face of contradictory evidence, historically and immediate. Ok Palooka, back in the saddle on the horse of denial.

Charles Smith has two excellent articles pointing out the contradictions and hypocrisy of the liberal and conservative doctrines and ideology in his last two posts. Have to get to the archives from this month to see the first one. And, of course, there are volumes written concerning the hypocrisy and contradictions in religious doctrine. All of which point out the state of denial concerning the reality with which we are surrounded. Of course, as expected, when these points are made to adherents of such doctrines, they are vehemently denied and sometimes violently. Bringing into focus the famous line, "You can't handle the truth". And, of course, the field of what we call "science" gets mixed up in all of this too. Instead of "science" discovering and explaining the complexity of our lives and environments, it all to often creates complexity to prove an assertion.

I am going to presume this post might stimulate a bunch of links and comments on the subject. Go for it. Somebody new may just stumble across this little blog site and gain some insights.

Notes from the Doom-o-sphere

Back to dry land again, with a great picture fr om Hot Springs Wizard.

by freeacre

There are three concepts that stick out more than anything else for me this week:

1 . George Ure's writing that we are on a disastrous course economically because the wages of the workers can only increase linearly, while our debt to our financiers increases exponentially due to compound interest. Here's an excerpt from last week's Urban Survival:

“...the old right/left/socialist/fascist politics is being hauled out to get you to choose up sides and become a partisan in a rigged game. Wrong battle. Way off base.

Fact: The creation of money out of thin air in problem #1. It waters down the honest money, pure and simple, all the fancy formulas and secret spells of central banksters aside.

Problem #2 is when financial products invent "Interest on Interest".

Problem #3 (which also guarantees a nonlinear bad ending, in case you don't see where this is going) is when financial product are evolved which promise "Interest on Interest on Interest."

Think Warren Buffett is smart? (as well as Charlie Munger, of course...). Did they buy derivatives for Berkshire? Nope. Bought a railroad. There's a huge clue there about how to preserve wealth over time, maybe?

Historical Fact: No way in hell can any economy survive compounding on interest, but compounding wages paid to working people....the two lines over time - as my friend Ehor and I worked out in early 2001 when we described the Debtberg.

2. My own observation that while the government regulators and bureaucrats whom we citizens appeal to in our “public process” civil actions continue to get paid whether anything gets “processed” or not. Therefore, they can afford to stall and drag the whole thing out until the original citizens who initiated the proceedings are either broke, sick, or dead. Then they start the whole process all over again, and nobody remembers what the hell went on with the last group.

3. Responsibility. The American Indian perspective that one should be responsible in their decision-making to the well-being of the future generations. Right now, the imperative is to be profitable, not responsible, in the short-term and to hell with the long term. Listen to the message from Indigenous Nat, part 2, a video on the right side of the page at http://whiteknightsreport.blogspot.com/.

All these problems are compounded because we are unable to have a national dialogue due to the mass media being corporately controlled. It would not due to disrupt their revenue stream by changing the financial paradigm. So, that won't happen. In fact, they are beefing up their “weapons of media destruction” with the software that has been ordered to create legions of false network identities to give the impression that a consensus is established when that is not the case, and other really sophisticated propaganda techniques featured last week on cryptogon.com and also on Max Kaiser Report http://maxkeiser.com/ (interview with Glenn Greenwald). Jaw dropping.

So, we are on the equivalent of a runaway train to economic, political, and social disaster. We can't get the assistance of our government representatives because they have made an art form out of ignoring, diverting, stalling, or in other ways, refusing to allow our objections to be persuasive. And, we can't get any real consensus of opinion going to empower the citizenry because our messages get all distorted, denied, filtered, re-interpreted, or disappeared. It all becomes part of the background babble that keeps us fighting each other rather than those who are profiting from this mess.

It puts me in mind of a memorable rant that one of Joe Bageant's readers posted back in 2008 called Declaration of Defeat, by Scott in Appalacia. It read,

DECLARATION OF DEFEAT

“I (your name goes here), having CONCLUDED, based on the undeniable reality that all American problems invariably become exponentially clusterfucked and are always forcefully contagious, and that the American dream is a tiresome, unrewarding bad trip, not worth the efforts or the casualties. Understanding that participation is complicity, resistance is futile. Having consumed all the mind-numbing propaganda that I can bare. Being duly aware that, I, by having neglected to contribute to the coffers of the winning campaigns can expect no favors and no mercy. Having zero interest in the present electoral outcomes, even for their circus-like entertainment value.

We understand that descent into total class war and social chaos is inevitable, unstoppable, and evolutionarily necessary. We fully expect to eventually be enslaved, incarcerated, tortured, shot in the cross-fire, blown-up by CIA terrorists, euthanised, or simply left behind when Jesus, or Sun Myung Moon, finally comes.

With no fond memories or illusions of any real loss whatsoever. With all patriotic tendencies as thoroughly deceased as the countless Iraqi victims of the spreading of "freedom and democracy". With the foundations of my trust for authority as wobbly as WTC Building 7. With all community affectations rendered ineffective and foreclosed. With not even a hint of a faith-based initiative. With no demand for a raise in wages. No care for a tax break. With no pleas for food stamp allotment increases or cost of living adjustments. Having no part to play in the stimulus program. With no expectations of receiving medical assistance from any of the greedy, incompetent, indifferent, upper-class medical professionals in this sanctimonious society of hustlers and pickle vendors. With no hopes of a secure, comfortable, contented, or full life. With no care for how my body is disposed of when I am relieved of the need for it. Not giving a shit who inherits my earthly belongings, if any shall somehow remain in my possession at the time of my demise or abduction.

Having no desire to profit from such an aggressively militant, murderous, deceptive, oligarchical, purified, religiously confused, environmentally rapacious culture. With no inclination to consume slave made wares, to eat toxic or genetically modified corporate American food or to interact socially with a generally lost and misguided society of hopelessly hypnotized consumer slaves or their xenophobic sycophantic superiors -- preferring to be alone unto myself.

Knowing full well that I may be trampled in the cardboard box that I may be living in when the banks finally fail, the grocery trucks run out of gas, the plug gets pulled from the hologram, the shit hits the fan,and the urban masses stampedes towards the countryside in search of the farmers' chickens or things to steal to trade for a rat-meat sandwich or a new tattoo, do hereby OPT OUT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, goodbye and good riddance.”

---

I think that mrs.p's observation that these times seem to really be the End of Days and look a lot like the Hindu concept of the Kali Yuga (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_Yuga ). Or the Biblical Apocalypse, or the end of the Mayan Calendar, or whatever your favorite reference is. This is it. Personally I'm waiting for the Sun and its binary star, Nibiru, to put an end to our problems and allow us and our dear Mother, the Planet, to start over. Meanwhile we can eat pie and popcorn and talk amongst ourselves.

DEMOCRACY. WHAT DEMOCRACY?

Scenes from Freeacre's trip to the coast.

from Murph

Ok, I’m getting on my soap box today and have a rant going on in my mind that I will share with you-all.

There is much written on the internet and the MSM concerning the events going on in the East, particularly the rebellion in Egypt. Much speculation as to whether this was set up by the PTB and they will take advantage of it to further their agenda or is a genuine grass roots rebellion to get a “democracy” as a form of government for them to live under. Democracy? Really? I am seeing similarities to the Tea Bag movement, similarities to the local militia movements. Who takes them over?

There is much misuse of concepts like “the democratic state”. What does that really mean? Do elections really change the big money and power brokers agenda?

The following sure appears to me;

1. Most of the world’s population desires the means of raising their “standard of living” from whatever it is presently. This increase takes the form of acquiring some increase in some form of medium of exchange and the resources it will consume. We are now back to exponential increases in consumption and the issue of sustainability.
2. Populations look at who is/has been successful at this and admires how they do it and make attempts to copy the methodology. This takes the form of “ass kissing” and “bending over” in their efforts to emulate and gain some kind of advantage in acquiring the medium of exchange. It is admiration of the rich and famous. So what is the predominate methodology? It largely depends on allegiance of the minions under the striver in at least a quasi voluntary slavery. The system promises rewards that can not or will not be met, the carrot on the end of the stick image. The methodology operates on the fringe or outright outside of established legal framework and is often outright illegal. It has very questionable moral or ethical operation.

3. Rather obvious throughout history and the known mechanization of U.S imperial government that it is a common practice to manipulate other governments and populations by military threat or economic means. Do you really believe that our government and its security operations had no clue that an uprising in the Mid East was eminent and was ripe for manipulation?
4. Notice that the term “democracy” is thrown about with abandon, just as it was in Vietnam, Korea, most of the countries in South America when they were in upheaval, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. They had to have a term in opposition to Fascism or Socialism to compare to and is being done today concerning the Mid East. The ONLY significant point concerning this centers on the concept of “free elections”.
5. Now ask yourself and answer honestly; Do we here in the U.S. (the supposedly bastion of democracy in the world) have free elections? If you answer “yes” then there sure isn’t much more discourse available. If you answer “no” then what leads you to believe it will happen anywhere else? Were the elections in Iraq actually free elections or were they manipulated? Are these elections actually free or are they manipulated pre planned outcomes, chosen candidates and are mostly controlled by money interests?

Keep in mind that our entire constitution was formed by and mostly for the then wealthy participants. Every single non wealthy original participant in the constitutional convention left in disgust and the ONLY signers were landowners and the wealthy.

So Egypt (and other countries) get rid of the current despot and clamor for democracy and free elections and they actually get them and in the process drawing up some form of a constitution and system of law. Who gets to do this? How much actual participation of the “great unwashed masses” get a say in this? If you say not much or none I’d have to agree. Just how much real change can we expect in Egypt? Take a look at this link;

http://www.rense.com/general92/icke.htm

In our own situation, just how much do you trust any substantial group to formulate a system under which you must live? Do you want to turn this kind of decision making over to the elites and their agenda? Or maybe the “sheeple”, or just who? Of course, I want some say in this and I want the decisions made by people that see things the way I do. I want to be a stake holder, but can that ever happen? Supposedly, I am a stake holder if I get to participate in voting for the people who make these decisions. Does it actually work that way? Or is it an ideal that never quite makes it?

The simple fact is that under any kind of an IDEAL, uncorrupted social organization the society will do just fine, no matter what name you put to it. Even a benevolent dictator is ok. The key words are IDEAL, & UNCORRUPTED.

I’ve got to ask another question for contemplation. How do you limit or eliminate the agendas and corruption from the formation of a new government? Our constitution tried to do that and was relatively successful when compared to what was gong on in Europe at the time. But, we sure as hell can see how it has ended up, corrupt to its eyeballs.

Statesman and individuals in society have blathered continuously over time since our countries formation that democracy, despite its flaws, was better than the alternatives. I agree within certain parameters of observations. However, slavery, whether physical or economic is still slavery. Whatever freedoms a democratic system offers has always been, eventually, eroded into just another form of slavery to the agenda of the elites.

It sure appears to me that a truly long term solution to mankind’s woes does not depend on the concept of democracy as a governing paradigm.

It is not that I oppose democracy as an ideal, but how it has been, and is, manipulated by interest blocks to become something quite different. After all, in a democracy, what the majority or power blocks clamor for most often have little if anything to do with the “common good” concept, or the interests and well being of the minority.

Within a purely democratic system, where some kind of a majority establishes the rules of the game, someone has to lose their interests, which can be a good thing, but most of the time is bad for the minority. In a representative republic (democracy) these kinds of decisions at the governmental level are by some kind of majority and even if the populace is radically against the decisions, it is still implemented. Witness the popular opposition to Buskies bail out of the banks and financial services, or the popular uprising against the open boarder with Mexico or the objections to NAFTA or CAFTA. Simply put, those in the position of power and decision making “know better for what is good for us”, which has absolutely nothing to do with “majority rule” or any real concept of citizen participation in the decision making. This adulteration and denial of citizen participation is carried right down to the local levels of government. Our community has been fighting this crap for the 5 years we have been here. Ultimately, those with the power will find a way around objections and whatever legal difficulties are involved to pursue their agenda. The ultimate aim for citizen participation is to delay and limit the amount of damage they propagate on the society involved. This is far removed from any kind of democratic process that makes sense to me.

Again I emphasize, I do not have an intense opposition to any means for human societies decision on how to govern themselves as long as it contains and adheres to the concept of actual (not disguised) freedom of the citizenry to determine their own futures individually. It must contain the concept that “your freedom ends at the point of my nose” and visa versa. Which of course, is not what is or has been instituted in this world. All governments violate this in some form and to some extent, many to the real extremes.

My last question today I pose is how in hell can real freedom for people be realized for the long term and not just a generation or two?

I really wish I had a good workable answer for that. I assume it has a lot to do with a consensus of the population that freedom is important, desirable and achievable. I don’t see that consensus in our population at this time.

PONDERINGS ON THIS AND THAT

The Rabbit skin quilt is approaching completion.

from Murph

With Freeacre on a birthday trip to the coast with her son, the ambience is a bit quieter around here right now, which leads to doing some introspection and thinking about a new post.

As I run through the morning’s list of news, opinions and commentaries, I typically muse that a particular article or news item would make a good post article, and then invariably I come on a commentary or analysis that goes into it in more detail, better than I could, and another post idea goes down the drain.

Which led me this morning to examine how most blogs are set up. Since few blogs have contributors that are out doing investigation reporting or are insiders to the mechanizations of the elites, bloggers write about what they read or hear about, and what they are experiencing or observing. That means that a lot of blogs are using second hand, third hand or even fourth hand information as the subject material. Which means that the distinctions between most blog sites rests on the writing style and validity of the non first hand information, and the inclusion or omission of personal experience. Many blogs are almost exclusively first hand experience and often of a very personal nature and some of them approach the content of social networking sites.

Utmost in the minds of most people is concern about the financial/economic situation in the world and the U.S. in particular. Because very few people are on the inside of this circumstance, most people are simply going to have to rely on what others say on the subject. Depending on the individual’s belief system, preferences on political/financial ideology, this will of course determine just what set of information they accept as being part of reality. I sometimes wade through government releases of financial information, which I find to be largely incomprehensible, and read commentaries on those releases, supposedly by people that understand that kind of data and what it portends. Two of the writers on this subject I follow on a daily basis is George Ure at Urban Survival and Charles Smith at Of Two Minds. According to both writers most of the economic information put out by the government’s three letter agencies is half truths, massaged and spun data, and outright lies. It also appears to me that most of the economic writers with any reputation at all largely agree with this assessment. Although, I do pick up on sites that take a totally different perspective on the situation. They appear to be sites that are supportive of the business as usual paradigm and support a “everything is just fine” and “quit being a negative loser” attitude.

My inbox for email is overrun by ads and claims of means for making a lot of money. This does not include the horrendous amount of Cialis and other sexual aids ads per day and the obvious scams. The scam email has tapered off a bit, I only get around two per day now. Seemingly the only way I can eliminate all this crap stuff is by making a new email address. My email junk filter works ok, but I am getting this kind of crap in excess of 50 per day. If it wasn’t for the fact that it would be a real mess to change email address I would do it tomorrow. Freeacre and I have over 200 valid addresses that we keep in contact with. It would be a nightmare. I have received email address changes and if I don’t take care of it right away, they seems to slip off into some kind of limbo on the computer and then the hassle begins of reestablishing contact. Freeacres son, who has some expertise in the workings of computer, insists that a portal email account is the answer, like Yahoo or G mail. Frankly, when the scammers and ads people pick up on a new address, I don’t see that as helping much. You just have another account with all the junk stuff coming in to deal with. Plus, I have a real issue with privacy on the portal email accounts. And, if I changed over to one of them, I would still have the problem of changing addresses. And then I have the problem of what to do about ads that I want to get if I get reckless with the spam filter or changing address. What a conundrum.

Perusing through the news sites and commentaries concerning the Egyptian and other countries open street rebellion, I come on various sites that intimate that the U.S. government is complicit in all of them for various reasons. Of course this is in direct contradiction that these rebellions are strictly grass root motivated and a desire for democracy on the part of the population. Knowing full well that the U.S. is very much into manipulating governments and populations to the empire’s advantage, the U.S. instigating of such uprisings or directing them in some particular direction is not all that “far out” a supposition.

On the home front, our dog Brie hasn’t had anymore seizures since the horrific night on the first of this month. We had to increase her dosage of Phenobarb and I don’t like it. She does exhibit a shift in personality and she has gained way too much weight, 25%+ over her pre seizure weight. (sighing). We have to accept the possibility that she may not be able to survive a whole lot longer, or that it becomes an untenable life for her. She is exhibiting a somewhat depressed joy of life and play that was her trademark and a propensity to sleep much more.

Since we have had an extended amount of more moderate weather, the chickens have started laying again. For about 2 months there we were only getting one or two eggs a day for 15 hens, although several of them were in winter molt. I was starting to think in terms of eliminating most of the flock and starting over. We shall see. It’s hard for us to think of doing in Henny Penny, our oldest hen. She is quite the character, I guess coming to that point by sheer age itself. She is a bit of a pet after all, or at least as much as a bird brain can be a companion. Our rooster continues to be a feathered gentleman with us instead of a feathered rabid attack animal. (Thank goodness).

It’s getting closer to spring again, about time to start pots in the house in preparation for the spring planting. Some of the weather predictions are saying another cold wet spring and very hot summer. Creates lots of problems for growing food. Guess it’s where you are located. Considering we can have 30 degree nights here any day of the summer, we want to make better preps this year for the garden. What a challenge.

We conducted a 2 night viewing of Linda Runyon’s master class on wild food survival at the Grange. Not attended heavily but a success anyway was the feedback we got. This woman makes the departed Eule Gibbons of the 60’s and 70’s look a bit lame. She has lived over a lot of different areas of the U.S. and fed her family mostly off the natural environment. Interesting lady and the film is packed with actual useful information about eating off the wild foods and how to stock them up. In May, we have a big day of presentations about 80 miles away by the CLDS (Mormons) on how to preserve and stock food. Nothing like learning from the masters of some skill.

Until I have another rant on the daily atrocities around us, have a good day.

Walk Like an Egyptian

The comments are getting long and the conversation needs to continue. So, I am posting p's later comments as a post, to break it up into a more manageable state. It's lo0king like the "global revolution" meme that Half Past Human has been forecasting is beginning to manifest. It will be interesting to see how The Powers That Were will react. freeacre

From Palooka's Revenge (AKA: p)

quote: Hillary Clinton is on the MSM today talking about how the US is such a great defender of Democratic freedoms across the world.

part one...

in defending that freedom and democracy the west claims to be the leader of the world in the war on terror. and they tell its own peoples, hey, to keep you safe you're going to have to give up some of those very freedoms. this is exactly what ben ali told his people. does the end justify the means? good or bad, its still a form of repression. ironically, this is exactly what the subservives used to fire up the people to take bin ali down. it makes sense that even happy, well fed people don't like basic freedoms repressed and this makes them extremely vulnerable to being used by subservive forces. but really, when we dig even deeper into tunesia we have to question that even. we have to question that the whole thing is one big ugly charade.

happy? you bet. the people wanted better standards of living, education for their children, opportunities for themselves, peace and security and the right to worship in their own way without fear or intimidation. all that was written down in a national pact signed in '88. what the people wanted, the people got. as noted in sats 10 point list tunesia was a very successful country and one would think civil unrest would be the farthest thing from any citizin's mind and the last thing they'd be wont to do is overthrow the guy who brought them all this good forturne. these are the same happy people who re-elected him in 09 with an 80% majority. 2 out of his 3 opponents openly supported ben ali.

and what was the world being told? that ben ali and company were corrupt along with implications they were supporting islamic extremism. this in face of sats point #2 that tunesia was the least corrupt of any african nation and the fact that they'd thrown the extreemists out.

it should be clear by now; hillary et al are saying one thing and doing the opposite!! they know exactly what the cia is up to. they support it, they fund it with both white and black budgets. and they cover it up claiming defense of democracy. bullshit! the trojans had nothing over on this evil crowd. here's a slant we'll never hear from MSM for the truth would be more than most, who btw would say they share those same wants and needs, could stand...

traditional islam has had a high tollerance for other faiths for centuries. contrasting this one of the main weapons of islamic extreemism is to sow the seeds of hatred for other religions. so, to counter that bin ali and his policies ran the extremists out of the country. and in short order as reported in these 2 articles...

http://www.allbusiness.com/africa/1006537-1.html

http://www.aina.org/news/20070516103920.htm

(aangirfan's jan 18th entry touches on this as well.)

point is the solution to the terrorist problem and the hijacking of the country's traditional islam by islamic jihadists was also the solution to the country's social, economic, human rights, and poor standard of living problems. unfortunately it was not the solution to disarming the behind the scenes promoters of the jihadists. the very ones the so-called war on terror is 'sposed to be aimed at. its aimed all right. but the aim is to promote.

hardly a day goes by that a terrorist attack happens somewhere in the world and the MSM is all over it. most days there are multiple attacks. most of them happen in the arab countries. mano a mano. its been going on for years.

so it was in tunisia. when bin ali came to power he turned tunisa into a model for what to do about islamic extreemism and terrorism. extreem offensives demand extreem defensives. according to versi, "... Ben Ali stressed, as soon as he came into office, that the battle against terrorism would not be won simply by arresting and trying terrorists. It would only be won when conditions conducive to the growth of fundamentalism no longer existed."

and what are those conditions? he believed that: "Unless the breeding grounds of extremism were dealt with terrorism could never be wiped away. To defeat terrorism, the whole social, political and economic structures would have to be changed. The war on terrorism would also be a war on poverty and need, a war on ignorance, a war on despondency and marginalization, a war on disease, a war on inequality and a war on oppression. "

its amazing what was done toward achieving those goals in 20 years. when ben ali came to power tunisia had suffered from years of poverty, ignorance and so on and was under direct attack by islamic fundamentalism. the very religion of its own majority population.

versi... "As early as 1994, President Ben Ali had warned Western countries of the serious dangers of allowing fundamentalist terrorists to exploit the right of political asylum."

versi quoting ali... "Confronted by those who use religion to seize power by force," he told the (french) newspaper (Le Figaro), "and use violence to reach their ends, we have had recourse to a multi-dimensional policy: starting at the level of schools and going on to a wider policy which combines economic and social action at the level of the country's development."

versi... "He stressed that the goals of the fundamentalists were political and had nothing to do with religion - least of all Islam which is a religion of peace and tolerance and expressly forbids the taking of innocent lives for any reason. "The fact that the fundamentalists use violence and murder shows that their motivation is not religious but exclusively political," he said.
But he warned that fundamentalism had become a problem for the West whose countries "serve as rear bases for fundamentalist terrorists". Known terrorists, claiming human rights abuses and exploiting the political asylum system in the West, were setting up multi-national networks in order to destabilize legitimate governments in the Muslim world.

He gave a dear and, as events turned out, prophetic warning"Now fundamentalism is your problem," he said. "I mean that of Paris, London and Washington. France, Great Britain and the United States are being used as a safe haven by fundamentalist terrorists; in the name of freedom and democracy, asylum is granted to the enemies of that very freedom and democracy." "

all these are things ben ali was saying back in the 90's! on sept 11, 2001... well, we all know what happened as we, subsequently, listened to bushco tell us there was no warning. little has changed with the new administration. which has gotta leave us to highly suspect: are our leaders on behalf of we as a country presenting one thing and doing the opposite? or did we look in the mirror and fall in love with ourselves? WTF?? i think its BOTH!!

one thing is obvious, the best we get from our leaders toward any kind of "war on poverty and need, a war on ignorance, a war on despondency and marginalization, a war on disease, a war on inequality and a war on oppression" is lip service. i can jerk my own wanker thank you very much. but worse, the majority of US peoples on both sides of the political aisle,
each ate up with their own brand of self-proclaimed moral justice embedded in toxic narcisstic personality disorder, make the possible impossible.