When I was growing up in Wyoming , the natives would use a particular phrase
to describe their disdain and impatience about something that just would not seem
to go away. They would say, “There is
something sticking in my craw.” Having
grown up with that particular pattern of speech, it seems appropriate to invoke
it in this particular instance.
Frankly, I have reached a saturation point where so much of
what I see, hear and feel seems beyond repair that I have decided to publish
this blog. The title aptly embodies
those feelings about various issues that really piss me off.
1.
The whitewashing of the entire Clinton Family. I simply fail to comprehend, given that Bill
Clinton demonstrated to the entire world just how sullied and low-life he was,
why he is now revered as one of the “greatest presidents ever known.” His tryst with Monica Lewinsky and her
private lessons on the skin flute should have been more than enough to relegate
him to the dust bin of human decency.
Instead, he lied to us without a modicum of shame and threw himself on
the sword begging forgiveness from political and ethnic leaders as a way of
showing us that he was sanitized and really a great man after all. As if that weren’t enough, he got back in the
good graces with some of the worst personalities in government and politics, totally
decimated safeguards on the financial community that had served this country
extremely well going back as far as the Great Depression. He enlisted some of the biggest sharks in Washington , D.C. Chicago
all the tricks of the trade, and they were off and running while the nation
paid, and continues to pay, for their ability to ply their tricks of the
trade.
Billy Boy wasted no time in
convincing George H.W. Bush that he was, in reality, a darling and the two of
them have done a yeoman’s job of doing all sorts of illicit skullduggery with
other people’s money, not the least of which is a virtual monopoly on anyone
wanting to do business in Haiti that just might speed its recovery from that
long-ago and almost forgotten hurricane.
Moreover, if that were not enough of his questionable skills, he sent
over some of the biggest scions of industry and corporate raiders to “advise”
the new president on how the game was really played, all the while blowing
smoke up the backside of all those naïve but good souls who voted him into the
White House. And the so-called
progressives were pleased.
Hillary played the role of a
United States Senator with some degree of aplomb, and set herself up to become
President Obama’s first Secretary of State whose performance was, in the final
analysis, a skilled part but lacking much substance.
The caveat of the entire role of
the Clinton Family on the public stage was Chelsea ’s
career on Wall Street with a prominent hedge fund, for which I would imagine,
true to the Clinton
legacy, had to have been well paid. The life
of that career seemed rather short for reasons few, if any people, really understand. The mystery remains.
After all this, William Jefferson
Clinton is now hailed as one of the “Greatest Presidents” in history! If the history of that family does not prove
the prowess of the media in white washing, I don’t know what does! But for all of this, the so-called “Progressives”
are deliriously happy, resulting in glaring speculation that Hillary is going
to be our first female President! Any
rational mind must surely wonder why they are not held to account and called
out for what they really are. When, if
ever, will truth matter in and around the environs of our nation’s
Capital? I am not making any book on
that one.
2.
Giving Barack a free pass on every deception he has perpetuated
against the American people, from his reverence for power, money and the
military/industrial complex to his penchant for “Executive Orders,” “secrecy”
and “compromise” with all of those he has sworn to oppose, whatever that means.
3.
Although I voted for him, I am repulsed by Barack
Obama’s lofty speeches and appearance of being on the side of the people when,
in fact, he is an elitist of the worst kind, more often at the expense of the
average American?
4.
The broad-base of apathy and complacency on the part of
the American people within the ranks of those who should be outraged and
actively engaged in turning this country around.
5.
Failure to recognize the fact that we have a two-party monopolistic
political system that does nothing to open the doors for others seeking a shot
at the presidency or a seat in any of the other houses of government.
6.
Blithely accepting the power and influence of those
seeking personal favors and influence from government rather than expressing public
outrage at their backdoor and underhanded practices that spawn ever-increasing
pain and suffering on the health and welfare of the common people.
7.
A corporate owned and managed press which is contrary
to the intent of the Founding Fathers.
Why do we not respect and demand a “free and unfettered” press that
serves the people, not vested interests, power and big money?
8.
The lack of a system of government that insists on
public ownership and supervision by the public of all institutions that are
there to serve the interests of the people, not special interests, unimaginable
wealth and centers of power?
9.
Focus on making this country a beacon for the world and
mind our own business. We have no reason
to be the protector of the world and the impetus for moving this country, and
all countries, towards world government.
10.
Why we revere anything “private” and “entrepreneurial”
as the alpha and omega of everything good and progressive for the people, but
have disdain for anything that suggests public ownership and oversight that
will best serve the majority of the people rather than power and money? Why is anything remotely labeled as “socialist,”
“organized labor” and “progressive” attacked as evil and wicked, while rigging
the system to favor those whose greed and lust for power know no limits?
11.
Why we don’t demand anything that smarts of a “conflict
of interest” or “self-serving” by everyone elected to public office from their
personal conduct while in office.
12.
Prohibit any form of religion from interfering in our
politics and limit participation in our politics to the population at large. Lobbying has no place in our system of
government.
13.
Why we don’t insist that our government be an open
book, for all to see, scrutinize and hold to account.
14.
Why so few of our great academic minds choose to remain
sequestered in the halls of ivy rather than taking an active interest as change
agents in giving real meaning and purpose to this democracy, and what their
knowledge could contribute to making the system more democratic and more
responsive to the will of the people.
15.
Why do we tolerate continued financial support for big
banks with interest-free loans from the Federal Reserve while re-building our
infrastructure, valuable services that create jobs and support for the poor go
begging?
16.
Why do we tolerate the arrogance of a government that
clearly is in the hip pockets of the super-rich, corporate capitalists, the
military-industrial complex, largesse and sweet-heart support for those who
have been elected to “serve” us in public office? Why do we tolerate their blatant excesses in
terms of compensation, perquisites and privileges (working half-time), secret
meetings and deals behind closed doors that, by all rights, should be
transparent, open to the public and against the law?
17.
Why have we allowed public figures to sell out the
interests of the people by their penchant for “privatizing” every conceivable
service imaginable so their “buddies” can make fortunes at public expense while
the quality of those services go begging?
18.
Where are all the improvements to our infrastructure
that we were promised? Why is there
little or nothing being done or demanded by those of us who have a right to
expect that those promises will be kept?
19.
Why, when domestic industries and services are
withering on the vine, do we fall for the hollow promises and questionable
results that flow from “free-trade” agreements and the shipping of industries
and jobs overseas? How does that benefit
the United States of America
now and into the future?
20.
Why do we continue to give a free pass to those in
power for deceiving us with sheer abandon and taking care of their rich and
powerful cohorts?
21.
Why do we tolerate the blatant deference to the rich,
powerful and privileged while the needs of the common people of this so-called
democracy go begging, with all the attendant suffering and pain they endure?
22.
Why do we blithely accept the corruption and self-serving
practices of our elected officials and the so-called “justices” of the Supreme
Court”? We seem unable to discern the
difference between “judicial review” and “legislating from the bench.”
23.
Where is the “free and unfettered” press prescribed by
the Found Fathers that now is owned lock, stock and barrel by big business and
serves as the mouthpiece for all of those who seek to shape public opinion and our
appetites, rather than questioning and challenging their motives for advocating
them?
24.
Why do we tolerate so-called esteemed justices who
blatantly interpret the law, the Constitution and the intent of the Founding
Fathers that simply play to the most corrupting and powerful influences in our
society, yet deprive the broader public of power that rightfully belongs to the
body politic? Just look at what they
have done in terms of fair and open elections and all the safeguards to ensure that
those elections are always open and free.
Let’s hear one for North
Carolina !
25.
Why we are so deferential to wealth, power and
privilege yet so willingly demonized those at the bottom of the food chain and
the jobs they rely on for a living? I
thought we abolished slavery a long time ago.
26.
Why are we so willing to “privatize” public services
that are essential to the broader society and that serve as the foundation for
a free and healthy democracy? Who
benefits vs. those who lose?
27.
Why do we invest so little treasure and knowledge in
responding to the impending perils of “climate change” but subsidize fossil
fuels and food producers who continue to pollute the environment and destroy
the health of the people?
28.
Why do we tolerate the excesses of business interests
while depriving those who work for a living with the right to engage in
collective bargaining to ensure a fair and just work place and fair compensation
for their labors?
29.
Why do we allow the hollow offers from television,
movies, the internet and the myriad social networks to determine our basic values
and what they have deemed to be fundamentally sound and moral for a civilized
and functioning society?
30.
Why do we allow the religious institutions to operate
as “tax-free” entities and amass wealth and influence without returning a sound
moral compass and a clear voice to society that just might inspire us to reach
for higher and nobler standards in our daily life, rather than reveling in the
sewer that is sold to us as “entertainment?”
Surely there is a balance between what is good and decent vs. what is licentious
and “free,” whatever that means?
31.
What has happened to our fundamental belief in what is
inherently good and decent about all we are as a people, and our insistence
that the foundation for those virtues can only thrive in an environment where the
common people are the bedrock of society, looking out for each other and
supporting all that has been proven by the test of time to be the essence of
the health and welfare of our nation?
32.
And, last but surely not least, why have we chosen to
focus on and talk to inanimate electronic devices rather than just talking to
each other? From my point of view, that
remains the most bizarre mystery of all.
Keep hope alive and let’s all pray for better days ahead.
Cowboy Bob
January 19, 2014
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