I first posted this on another blog of mine, but it really belongs here...
I think most of you have heard the name Blackwater by now, but what do you know about it? Well, I did a whole lot of reading this morning, starting around 6am. I neglected to save most of the links, but here is one I culled as a Wikipedia source note: Blackwater as Modern Praetorian Guard?
This really is scary stuff. I know that people are up to their necks in conspiracy theories and a lot of people quit listening as soon as you begin to say anything untoward against... ahem... their chosen circles.
Well, folks do yourself a favor and learn a little about the history of fascism. Very few people really know what it is, they just think of Nazis and dictators. Actually, the roots of fascism are commonly found in strong religious belief (sorry, but the original fascists thought they were good Christians) combined with a burgeoning sense of nationalism. Add a teaspoon of paranoia, a whole lot of reinforcement of a national feeling of "righteousness", and then fry it up quickly over the burning hot flame of a national crisis. Really the only element we are missing is the crisis.
Did anyone see where Blackwater was during Katrina? They were doing riot and looting patrol down in New Orleans. Scared the Hell out of a lot of folks in their black soldier outfits dropping in on ropes out of privately owned military helicopters. This is for real stuff people. Look it up. Never has America had it's head more in the sand then right now.
Seriously, Google this stuff. Read a few articles. You'll quickly start to see that there is nothing conspiratorial about any of this, it is common knowledge and much of it was aired on national broadcasts. Problem is that Americans have an aversion, a sort of allergy almost, to anything that sounds like a conspiracy, or anything that makes it sound like America (or even ANY American citizen) might be the bad guy. So we bury or quickly forget the stories that make us cringe. "It could never happen here, this is America!" we tell ourselves. Hey, is it just me, my friends, or doesn't everybody feel that things are just not right ever since 9/11? I say that's more than a feeling. Our brains sometimes put together the pieces while our waking minds are busy telling us what we want to hear. Everybody wants to be happy after all, but the light and color has certainly drained out of things since then... huh, maybe that's why so many people are seeing things in black and white.
I'll make this clear folks. The bad guys come in all flavors. Even red, white and blue. Well, at least they wrap themselves in Our flag, even if they don't belong in it. Unless you look deeper, you're just swallowing what they feed you. Mmmm yummy. Tastes like sweet American nationalism. (oh you might want to look up nationalism too. Hope that's not asking too much, but if I write it all out to you then how will you know if it's true anyway?)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Dark Side
The PBS TV show Frontline did a story called The Dark Side. The title comes from a quote from Dick Cheney shortly after 9/11--as posted on PBS' site:
"…We have to work the dark side, if you will. Spend time in the shadows of the intelligence world," Cheney said. "A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion …"
That statement in and of itself could easily be explained away--war is war after all--but as I watched the program, which is available in its entirety to be watched online free of charge at the link provided, that statement became more and more spooky if not downright sinister.
I highly recommend checking out this story and the wealth of accompanying information at PBS' site. Don't just stop there, look around for other sources, good sources, out there on the net. You might start to understand why I hear Don Henley singing "... there ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes..." every time I look at Dick.
Just click on the link at the top of this post that says "The Dark Side" and you will be directed to it. You'll need either Windows Media player or Real Player to view it.
"…We have to work the dark side, if you will. Spend time in the shadows of the intelligence world," Cheney said. "A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion …"
That statement in and of itself could easily be explained away--war is war after all--but as I watched the program, which is available in its entirety to be watched online free of charge at the link provided, that statement became more and more spooky if not downright sinister.
I highly recommend checking out this story and the wealth of accompanying information at PBS' site. Don't just stop there, look around for other sources, good sources, out there on the net. You might start to understand why I hear Don Henley singing "... there ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes..." every time I look at Dick.
Just click on the link at the top of this post that says "The Dark Side" and you will be directed to it. You'll need either Windows Media player or Real Player to view it.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Flashback: 2000 Presidential "Election"
A good place to begin. Below is a small piece I wrote concerning the then pending results of the 2000 presidential election. The way a citizen perceives that event (and it's near twin the subsequent 2004 election) and how much they see is predicated on what that citizen wants to see. Some saw gross negligence, some saw a great divide in the nations beliefs, some saw a rigged and corrupt election and still others saw the truth: that election was a microcosm of the gridlock and effectively self-imposed impotence this country has accomplished once we the citizens ceded control to an over-class of the rich and empowered, who are motivated only by greed and power, with utter disregard, conscious or not, for the political, social, spiritual, economical, and diplomatic health of this nation.
The way citizens perceive that election points to whether they are blinded by the promises of so-called bi-partisan politics, or if they can look passed and see the ugly truth: this nation has been dragged kicking and screaming down a path we truly do not wish to travel and the current structure of our politics is designed to create a nation diametrically opposed to its own self. While our leaders are supposed to lead us and bring us together based on universal liberties, manage and maintain our infrastructure, and protect us from threat and danger, instead they pit us against each other by appealing to and/or preying on our weaknesses and fears: our differences in spiritual beliefs, our racial and cultural divides, our fear of terrorism, our misunderstanding of foreign cultures, our general citizenship's deep lack of comprehensive knowledge concerning the true state of affairs in the world.
Most of all, the powers that be have twisted and propagandized our perceptions of ourselves and our knowledge of how we are seen by foreign peoples. Too many American's respond to such statements with puffed up chests, pridefully and self-righteously stating that they don't care what other nations think, while our government, and our very own Commander in Chief, do more than encourage this exact same attitude; they outwardly inflict it on the world around us. While this might be proper advice to give a young child when they are being picked on by other children in elementary school, this juvenile reasoning, this devil may care attitude, has no place on a world stage with immensely dangerous and sometimes irreversible repercussions for such ignoble and disrespectful behavior. How the United States of America is perceived by the world is not something to be shrugged off, instead it may be the most important factor in determining the future of our nation and the course of the human race. I only use the words "may be" in recognition that it may already be too late. Let us hope that if we all come to our senses, and move to action now, our impetus towards certain ruin can be averted and our futures revived.
And so I begin with a flashback to a happier if also completely screwed up time:
Gore continues to run race--Bush grabs flag and starts victory lap.
November 2000
Most interesting was the choice of words in MSNBC's headline; "Gore pleads for time; Bush moves on." Appealing to public opinion, the media once again could not resist putting its own spin on this ongoing event. As more lawyers enter the fray, and the Supreme Court of Florida considers intervening--something that has never happened in the history of national elections--it appears more and more that the next president will be less the winner of the election than the winner of a convoluted legal battle. Americans are ready to see this election come to a conclusion.
President Clinton appeared quite comfortable with the ongoing legal battles, saying, "...the election challenge will play itself out," and, "it won't be long now." The Presidents cooler, calmer attitude is more appropriate. A smooth transition appears to be the best possible outcome for either candidate and the country, considering that neither candidate will have a "mandate" from the people in the form of a strong win. The "honey-moon" will be short and partisan politics in Washington D.C. look to be stronger than ever, after an election resulting in a decidedly divided Senate and House.
Various polls say that the American people, by as many as 60%, believe it is time for Al Gore to concede, but were the tables turned and Bush were behind by the same margin, those same American's can assure themselves that this battle would be in much the same place. Gore's speech, while riddled with such cliche flag-waving phrases as, "one indivisible nation," and, "God bless America," made a very valid point: every vote should be counted. While devout Republicans and Democrats find it seemingly impossible to give credence to the other side's arguments, as they clamor and clutch for victory, it is difficult to tell exactly what America is witnessing. At first glance, this looks juvenile and irresponsible and, depending on any given citizens party affiliation or biases, the other side appears to have egg all over its face. In the end, however, it should be remembered that it was neither the Republicans, nor the Democrats who "dropped the ball(ot)" here, it was the State of Florida and the voters themselves. It is now evident that the mechanics of voting in Florida will have to be changed. Punch cards have proven to be inaccurate. This, among other embarrassments, is the egg that flies in the face of Florida. Discrepancies such as the phenomena of the "hanging chad," are anything but new revelations, and should have been addressed years ago, in order to insure the proper count of every citizen's vote. As to those voters who are protesting so strongly, saying that they "accidentally" voted for the wrong candidate, because of misleading ballots, or who disqualified their ballots by punching them twice, they have spoken too late. The time to speak was on election night as they stood in the voting booth. If they were unsure if they had voted correctly or if the ballot was in any way confusing to them, they should have turned around and asked for help. Strange to think that, in this case, standing up for what you believe in could have been as simple as swallowing your pride and asking for help.
So now the candidates are merely doing their best to find a way to win a close race, a race with a photo finish. Unfortunately, when that photo was developed it turned out to be a photograph of the cameraman's thumb.
Think about it.
Register Independent Today!!!
I have to add something to the end of this post. This is one of those "if I only knew then what I know now" post scripts. Now in 2008 I believe that the whole hanging chad thing, while a disgrace in and of itself of sorts, was actually more of a smokescreen for the true crimes going on during the 2000 election. That election was stolen by the GOP and the proof is all over the place. Look it up! Do something. Spread the word.
The way citizens perceive that election points to whether they are blinded by the promises of so-called bi-partisan politics, or if they can look passed and see the ugly truth: this nation has been dragged kicking and screaming down a path we truly do not wish to travel and the current structure of our politics is designed to create a nation diametrically opposed to its own self. While our leaders are supposed to lead us and bring us together based on universal liberties, manage and maintain our infrastructure, and protect us from threat and danger, instead they pit us against each other by appealing to and/or preying on our weaknesses and fears: our differences in spiritual beliefs, our racial and cultural divides, our fear of terrorism, our misunderstanding of foreign cultures, our general citizenship's deep lack of comprehensive knowledge concerning the true state of affairs in the world.
Most of all, the powers that be have twisted and propagandized our perceptions of ourselves and our knowledge of how we are seen by foreign peoples. Too many American's respond to such statements with puffed up chests, pridefully and self-righteously stating that they don't care what other nations think, while our government, and our very own Commander in Chief, do more than encourage this exact same attitude; they outwardly inflict it on the world around us. While this might be proper advice to give a young child when they are being picked on by other children in elementary school, this juvenile reasoning, this devil may care attitude, has no place on a world stage with immensely dangerous and sometimes irreversible repercussions for such ignoble and disrespectful behavior. How the United States of America is perceived by the world is not something to be shrugged off, instead it may be the most important factor in determining the future of our nation and the course of the human race. I only use the words "may be" in recognition that it may already be too late. Let us hope that if we all come to our senses, and move to action now, our impetus towards certain ruin can be averted and our futures revived.
And so I begin with a flashback to a happier if also completely screwed up time:
Gore continues to run race--Bush grabs flag and starts victory lap.
November 2000
Most interesting was the choice of words in MSNBC's headline; "Gore pleads for time; Bush moves on." Appealing to public opinion, the media once again could not resist putting its own spin on this ongoing event. As more lawyers enter the fray, and the Supreme Court of Florida considers intervening--something that has never happened in the history of national elections--it appears more and more that the next president will be less the winner of the election than the winner of a convoluted legal battle. Americans are ready to see this election come to a conclusion.
President Clinton appeared quite comfortable with the ongoing legal battles, saying, "...the election challenge will play itself out," and, "it won't be long now." The Presidents cooler, calmer attitude is more appropriate. A smooth transition appears to be the best possible outcome for either candidate and the country, considering that neither candidate will have a "mandate" from the people in the form of a strong win. The "honey-moon" will be short and partisan politics in Washington D.C. look to be stronger than ever, after an election resulting in a decidedly divided Senate and House.
Various polls say that the American people, by as many as 60%, believe it is time for Al Gore to concede, but were the tables turned and Bush were behind by the same margin, those same American's can assure themselves that this battle would be in much the same place. Gore's speech, while riddled with such cliche flag-waving phrases as, "one indivisible nation," and, "God bless America," made a very valid point: every vote should be counted. While devout Republicans and Democrats find it seemingly impossible to give credence to the other side's arguments, as they clamor and clutch for victory, it is difficult to tell exactly what America is witnessing. At first glance, this looks juvenile and irresponsible and, depending on any given citizens party affiliation or biases, the other side appears to have egg all over its face. In the end, however, it should be remembered that it was neither the Republicans, nor the Democrats who "dropped the ball(ot)" here, it was the State of Florida and the voters themselves. It is now evident that the mechanics of voting in Florida will have to be changed. Punch cards have proven to be inaccurate. This, among other embarrassments, is the egg that flies in the face of Florida. Discrepancies such as the phenomena of the "hanging chad," are anything but new revelations, and should have been addressed years ago, in order to insure the proper count of every citizen's vote. As to those voters who are protesting so strongly, saying that they "accidentally" voted for the wrong candidate, because of misleading ballots, or who disqualified their ballots by punching them twice, they have spoken too late. The time to speak was on election night as they stood in the voting booth. If they were unsure if they had voted correctly or if the ballot was in any way confusing to them, they should have turned around and asked for help. Strange to think that, in this case, standing up for what you believe in could have been as simple as swallowing your pride and asking for help.
So now the candidates are merely doing their best to find a way to win a close race, a race with a photo finish. Unfortunately, when that photo was developed it turned out to be a photograph of the cameraman's thumb.
Think about it.
Register Independent Today!!!
I have to add something to the end of this post. This is one of those "if I only knew then what I know now" post scripts. Now in 2008 I believe that the whole hanging chad thing, while a disgrace in and of itself of sorts, was actually more of a smokescreen for the true crimes going on during the 2000 election. That election was stolen by the GOP and the proof is all over the place. Look it up! Do something. Spread the word.
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