“How Much Longer Can We Ignore the Storm Clouds?”
This was originally intended to be a tribute to Michael Hastings, the young investigative reporter who was recently taken from his family by one or more unnamed assailants who did not like his skill as a reporter and a truth teller. Am I suggesting some sinister force? I don’t rule that out. When our Commander-in-Chief can order the assassination of nameless and faceless individuals through the use of unmanned drones, then I most assuredly don’t regard it as a stretch that Michael could have been a marked man by the same dark forces who stood to be called out by him, as well. He was one of a kind, which is further underscored by coverage in the main stream media that completely ignored his passing. But, what can you expect from paragons of independence and integrity such as the bill of fare we get from the “schmooze” merchants, all of which are subsumed under the label of news organizations that exist more to advocate for adversaries of the people than to serve the need to be the informed and active citizens our democracy demands. They all hold themselves out as legitimate news organizations. The substitute we, the public, got from most of them was repeated coverage of the recent loss of James Gandolfini who wowed us with his acting prowess in “The Sopranos.” Hardly a valid comparison to Michael Hastings, if you ask me.
Michael was in a league shared by few like him. But he could boast of being part of an elite club of some of the finest minds, clearest consciences and most professionally honest to rightfully claim a special place in the ranks of journalistic excellence in today’s world. There are others who deserve no less recognition, but I will leave that to others to make that determination for themselves.
Then we have the ceremonial washing of hands by the military court that prepared for the crucifixion of Bradley Manning, to be followed by Edward Snowden and Glen Greenwald if they can round up enough kangaroos to fill a couple of court rooms. Don’t laugh. This may be more prophetic than poetic. Only time will tell.
I have reached the point where any pretense of deference to those we have elected or appointed to public office would be a sham. They are simply no longer credible, and their blatant disregard for the will of the people only grows by the day. The admirers of President Obama continue to give him a free pass on everything. In just the last few days he has “surprised” us with an announcement about proposing a reduction in the corporate tax rate in order to “stimulate job growth.” That was preceded by his announcement that he was going to appoint Larry Summers to head the Federal Reserve; one of the most notorious and shady operators to ever reside in Barack Obama’s and Bill Clinton’s previous administrations, not to mention a stint within the hallowed halls of Harvard University. As the old adage goes, it isn’t what you know; it is who you know and how much you are willing to cough up. I further predict, when the evil deed becomes reality, the American people will simply shrug their shoulders and give him another pass. That is pretty much the standard for the attention span that reels around our heads on a routine basis. The malaise endemic in the population staggers the human mind. I am persuaded that the populace simply no longer cares about the plight of others so long as they get what they want, the common and collective good be damned.
History usually reflects a trend of civilizations progressing from a lower state of being to a higher state through the process of evolution. Sadly, I don’t see much evidence of that these days. There is no shame in what we do and what we tolerate from some of the most skilled and tarnished hucksters this country has ever seen. There isn’t one branch of government, elected or appointed, that is not firmly in the hip pockets of vast wealth and corporate capitalists. They are blatant about their loyalties, simply ignoring the will of the people in exchange for the going rate for their services to those who have captured, and now hold hostage, virtually every aspect of what is left of our democracy. Lying has been elevated to a new art form.
Despite their persistent efforts to convince us otherwise, the corporate and establishment spin doctors will never relent in their efforts to convince us that the “free enterprise” economic model is actually what it is. It is the device that those who feed on the flesh of the population use to rationalize the continued pillage and plunder of the resources of this country. They will persist in their efforts to wrench from the hands of the “true believers” any other claims to ownership by the average citizens of this country. The “free enterprise” model is the best tool the oligarchs, plutocrats and corporate capitalists have at their disposal in order to discredit any other superior model for equitably distributing the wealth of this nation. It is not and never will be accepted as the sole tool they will continue to use in order to feed the gluttonous appetites and the insatiable greed of those who want us to believe the nations’ wealth rightfully belongs to them based on no other rationale than their station in life. Pure, unmitigated hogwash if you ask me.
· The Executive Branch of our government is owned completely by those to whom they are beholden because of all they have commandeered and for all they have taken for their loyalty and services. Their actions are simply no longer consistent with their words. No one is more skilled at that slight of hand than the President. What is he? Is he the water boy for the rich and powerful? Is he a Democrat or a Republican? One need only catch a glimpse of those whose company he keeps and the answer becomes self-evident.
· The Legislative Branch doesn’t even try to be subtle about the extent to which they have been bought by vested interests whose actions are diametrically opposed to the will of the people who elected them to office. Where can you go to find a motlier bunch that is as skilled at peddling a bunch of religious nonsense in an attempt to convince the electorate that they have “God” on their side? What rational mind would even remotely consider that any of them have the slightest connection to the Deity? What do they do vs. what they say they are going to do? And for whom? Nobody has elevated the art and science of deception and self-serving practices to the pinnacle of personal gain more than those who lay claim to the honor of “serving the people.”
· The Judicial Branch has found it much more interesting and rewarding to legislate than to adjudicate. Ah, the intoxicating influence of power in all its sullied forms! They are a disgrace to all they pretend to be. Subtlety and finesse, obviously, isn’t a part of their armamentaria.
· Then there is the massive urban sprawl over the vast countryside of Virginia , Maryland and suburban Washington
The underpinnings of what we are today were spawned by a “cowboy” mentality from the earliest stages of the evolution of what this country has become. The caricature of the frontiersmen, with gun in hand, subduing the natives is the personification of what we seem to revere to this very day. Where, I ask you, are the merits of allowing those who covet great wealth and power to completely exploit the human condition and reduce the people of this country to the subsistence level, all for the sake of ever more and more of what this country has to offer and what they have deemed belongs to them? Has human life and dignity become just another expendable resource for the engines of greed and avarice that we simply accept without protest?
The “frontier” vanished a long time ago. What we have today belongs to all the citizens of this country. No one, mind you, has the right to lay claim to one scintilla of what this nation has to offer, by virtue of inherited wealth, personal investment or family pedigree. Those who labor under this notion need to pause, for just a moment, and realize that what this country is all about is not “yours” but “ours.” It is under common ownership by us all. This country is community property and it is high time those who delude themselves into believing otherwise need to come to terms with this inescapable fact of life.
It is time to stop expecting other rational human beings to simply accept that you are the rightful custodians. You are what you are, and I rather suspect that “God” in all his manifestations would be hard-pressed to claim any of those who think they are privileged and rightfully entitled to the lion’s share of all this country has to offer. Stop using virtue for your own greedy pursuits. Start revering your Creator and His message of “What you do for the least of my brethren, you also do for Me.” That message is there for all of us, not locked away somewhere on Wall Street, Constitution Avenue and the other environs of those who still believe they are the “chosen ones.”
The frontier mentality died with the Frontier. Get used to it. Today belongs to all of us. The time is upon us to accept the principles of social democracy; that whatever the public depends on must, by definition, be owned by the public it serves, not private investors. The Bank of North Dakota has given us an excellent example to follow. It works for the people of that state and, frankly, I see no reason why it shouldn’t work for all of us. Given where we are today, I don’t see how that could be anything but a quantum leap forward.
Let’s shut down the bull puckey machine and return to the virtues of truth, honesty and a belief in the inherent decency and wisdom in the collective will of the people. Then, let us set ourselves to the task of building a society that will respect and deliver on the goods --- for all of us.
It is time to take hold of the rudder on this Ship of State, turn it around and make it work for all of us. We have the power and the will to make it happen. If we succeed we may realize that there are better ways for all of us. If we fail because of our complacency, we have only ourselves to thank for the disastrous consequences that are coming at us, at meteoric speed. The Founders of this country gave us the means to be a great nation and a great people. Let’s use those means, not only for our sake, but for the sake of generations yet to come. Money is not the means for getting there. Rather, it is the decency inherent in the very fiber of what we are as a people. I think the time has come to revisit some of those principles, don’t you?
Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
August 2, 2013
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