"Keep Your Eye On The Ball; That's What Matters"

I have to confess that I write a lot about politics, our government and the generally sad state of affairs that has prevailed for far too long in this country. I am extremely frustrated at how difficult it is to penetrate the barrier erected by the mainstream news media that, for all intents and purposes, effectively filters out truth in order to espouse the “company” line for every conceivable special interest operating within our society. It all comes at the expense of the average American who simply wants to earn a respectable living, provide for some degree of upward mobility for his/her family and set aside a fair sum for retirement. Is that asking too much? I really don’t think so.

I place a significant part of the blame at the feet of the opinion makers in the entertainment industries that create and peddle an endless array of pure crap though their myriad media outlets in movie, television and other avenues that does nothing more than corrupt our moral fabric, seduces us into believing that what they serve up to us is, indeed, the truth. Our aversion to any real attempt to seek out truth leads us to accept, at face value, all they market. Is it any wonder we are in such dire shape, with our society falling down around our heads?

I am genuinely concerned that the forces are converging toward an irreversible two-class society that may well culminate in some form akin to an elitist state that will clearly draw the lines of demarcation between those who “have it all” and those who are left to pick up the crumbs.

Much to my regret, I voted for Barack Obama in the last presidential election. For that, I assume full responsibility for all that goes with it. However, that does not prevent me from seeking the truth, and holding all of those who pervert truth and justice to account for what they do.

Were it not for the Internet, I dare say there would be little or no real news for us to digest in the course of our daily lives. Let’s face it. ABC is owned by Disney and all of its various business interests. Entertainment is but one small part of their empire. Then, there is NBC and MSNBC, and their never-ending love fest over Obama. Largely owned by General Electric, they have their tentacles right into the White House where Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO and Chairman of General Electric, serves as one of President Obama’s chief economic advisors. Is it any wonder that NBC News and MSNBC never hold the President and his administration to account for their myriad failures on behalf of the American people?

Although Westinghouse largely owns CBS, they seem to do the best job of any of the major networks in trying to maintain some degree of objectivity in their news division. The fact that they have a long and distinguished history as a news organization may account for that fact.

CNN seems to be leaning toward a more conservative slant on the news. But the most glaring example, with no attempt at all to be fair and balanced, rests squarely with Fox News.

I am impressed with Current TV for making what appears to be a sincere effort to become a serious and reputable news organization. I am encouraged by what I have seen. However, I leave it to the reader to draw his/her own conclusions.

At the end of the day, the best repository of good journalism and the investigative journalists who make it all happen is clearly to be found on the Internet. It is well worth the time and effort to become more than casually acquainted with the wealth of knowledge and information to be found there.

I place a real premium on morality. By that I mean what is important to me; what I consider right vs. wrong. I have no need to preach to or convert others. That is a journey each of us must take on our own and for which we bear complete responsibility. Of all the moral virtues, I place the greatest premium on truth. Sadly, that seems to be the most elusive of all. Mining for truth is an arduous endeavor that is far too strenuous for most Americans. Just look around you. The four contenders running for the Republican nomination for President are a national joke. Obama gets a free pass because he manages to give a good speech whenever things get a bit shaky, but he can always be counted on to go back to the udder of his buddies on Wall Street, Corporate America and the Military/Industrial Complex for another dose of imperial sustenance. I shudder at how quickly he has become comfortable with the title, “Commander-in-Chief” and his adoption of some of the most intrusive measures, all wrapped in a shroud of secrecy, that he, Defense and Intelligence are prepared to invoke should circumstances (in their exclusive opinion) require. Anything less than a limited life of secrecy applied to issues of “national security,” should be outlawed. In the final analysis, our entire government apparatus should be transparent to those who cast their votes on Election Day. Otherwise, the master may soon become the slave to a system that was intended to be a servant of the people.

I have long believed that Bill Clinton and his administration, in collusion with key Republicans in government, set the stage for the total collapse of our financial system in 2008. From that, I concluded that Barack Obama became their surrogate, as evidenced by the massive infusion of former “Clintonites” into his administration. It only takes a cursory examination of the history of his administration and its relationship to the barons of Wall Street to realize that they have done their job well. Anyone wishing to get a clear picture of all those in key positions carried over into the Obama Administration are referred to an excellent piece of work done by firedoglake.com in 2010. It is all there and well worth the read.

Permit me to recount just a few of the danger signals that I think should be cause for concern to all of us:
1. The fact that there has been no effort, whatsoever, to indict and prosecute all those who set this nation up for a financial fall leading to the economic crash in 2008. They still remain free and very much an influence on our national, economic and financial lives. Compared to the sterling record and the test of time during which we relied on the Glass-Steagall Act to regulate the financial industry, the Dodd-Frank Act is hardly ominous. Poor former Senator Chris Dodd is now suffering under the burden of a mere 762 per cent raise in his newfound job with the entertainment industry. Barney Frank is giving up his House Seat. For what and for how much only time will tell.

2. The fact that the President of the United States has, for all intents and purposes, totally ignored every significant campaign promise he made while running for President, all to the detriment of the American people.

3. His “secret” meetings behind closed doors at the White House with the various players in our national health system, resulting in a total abandonment or watering down of everything he promised, and a virtual monopoly for an industry that continues to fleece us at every opportunity.

4. The total absence of any serious attempt to reign in the excesses of the military establishment, the intelligence apparatus and all the industrial giants who serve them and feed off our tax dollars.

5. His advocacy on behalf of big money and big business, and his token support of anything having to do with labor unions and the plight of those they represent, at a cost of untold billions (if not trillions) of dollars from the pockets of working people, the poor, the elderly and the disenfranchised.

6. His early support for extension of the Bush Tax Cuts and his persistent and veiled threats against Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are some of the most glaring examples. Every significant government service that has proven to be a benefit to the country, as a whole, is fair game. The U.S. Postal Service is but one of the more apparent and glaring examples.

7. The use of our civil police by federal and state governments in order to protect those who spawned the outrage from the Occupy Wall Street movement.


If one closely examines the lessons of history, the cries for economic justice and social change usually come from the rank and file of the oppressed. However, when the movement becomes formalized and aligned against the people, that same movement morphs into a government, co-opted and supported by big money, big business and the military services. Economic and social justice becomes subordinate to the pursuit of empire.

Every member of our society has a solemn obligation to be aware of and sensitive to the danger signals. We must free ourselves from the mindset of “tell me what I want to hear, not what I need to hear.” When we abandon our ability to engage in critical thought and a healthy dose of skepticism, we have only ourselves to thank for the loss of our democracy. Democrats, Republicans and every institution of government share a common thread; an inherent goal of taking care of their interests at the expense of those of us who put them in office and pay the tab. They all feed from the same trough of corruption at our collective peril. Vigilance is not just an ideal; it is the imperative for our survival as a nation and as a people.

As we approach the forthcoming circuses of the two major political parties, I would urge every concerned American to check out two fledgling political parties and what they stand for. Although in their infancy, they just may hold out the promise we are looking for in order to take this country in a new and better direction, for our individual and collective welfare.

• Rocky Anderson and the Justice Party

• Buddy Roemer and the Americans Elect and Reform Party

Without doubt, we certainly need something better than what we inherited and what we have. When it comes to wealth and power, we may be dwarfed by an elephant in the room. However, it may, also, prove to be the mouse in the same room that is his downfall. Hope may be all we have, but it is the same hope that has kept the world in focus throughout recorded history.


Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
March 18, 2012