I make a genuine effort to keep abreast of what is going on around me, both domestically and internationally. I read the newspaper, I watch the news programs on television and I surf the Net. I talk to people on a regular basis and I cannot help but notice that most of them are reasonably aware of what is going on, perhaps not to the extent that a junkie like me is, but they are certainly far from living in a bubble of ignorance. They hear the same statistics, the same empty rhetoric and promises made by all politicians, regardless of their professed party affiliation. They have a pretty good fix on how corrupt the system is against the average American and they seem to be acutely aware of the extent to which their interests have been sacrificed to the oligarchs on the alter of greed, big banks, international corporations and a government that is owned lock, stock and barrel by moneyed interests aligned against them. They may be numb with apathy, disheartened by a malaise that seems to have consumed their very souls, but, they are not stupid. They just don’t see much hope in an uncertain future.
I don’t think most folks seriously consider what has been thrown at them since the end of WW II. The concept of “brainwashing” is by now an outmoded concept. However, the art and science have been perfected and refined to the point where most of us are not consciously aware of the effects they have on us and our daily lives. Their skills know how to shape our opinions, values and desires and, guess what? They have succeeded big time. We are captives to what they want us to believe and what they want us to know. We have become a people, not of “we” but “me.” We are far more “consumers” than “producers.”
It is a given that big money, big corporations and the institutions of government are all in bed together, their hollow campaign rhetoric not withstanding. They have managed to develop and refine their ability to determine and create our tastes. They have subliminally played to our basest instincts and desires for materialistic pursuits and hedonistic pleasures. We have acquired far more than we need and more than we can possibly put to good use. But, the message is never ending and we still continue to buy more, limited only by the amount of money we can spend or how much credit card debt we can carry, and believe all they want us to believe.
Hedonism, which used to be regarded as a collection of personal desires, is now put before us as something to be coveted and revered. Advertising shows men with lean bodies, washboard abs and naked above the waist. Becoming walking sex machines for anyone who might care to satisfy their basest needs is their most noble pursuit. Women now dress like streetwalkers, what with hemlines up to the cheeks of their bottoms and cleavages that would rival the Grand Canyon. All of this is beamed at our primordial desire for sexual pleasures. Well, folks, the ability to reproduce has always been with us and will likely continue to be so. But, basic common human decency had a dimension to it that made it special, personal and private. I don’t know about you, but I am overdosed on the various advertisements for enhancements to erectile stimulation for men and the various potions that will create a climax for women that will put them over the moon. I am not averse to people seeking the need to address problems in those areas; I just don’t want to be subjected to it as part of my daily entertainment and informational fare. I think that attitude is shared by more people than one might think. It is a private matter; nothing more and nothing less.
I have real issues with the extent to which drug companies routinely engage in advertising blitzes for prescription drugs. That should be a matter between what drug companies produce and the physicians who will prescribe them for their patients. Rather, we have the cultivation of a need beamed to the patient who, in can safely be concluded, will seek the doctor’s complicity in the purchase and use of the drug. Now, my experience has taught me that if most doctors can make a buck and call it patient care, they will usually succumb to the temptation. I rather suspect most patients are aware of that fact, as well. It is a long stretch from “altruism” to “materialism.” How many doctors of modest means have you known in your lifetime?
We have evolved into a people who are fractured and fragmented. We are a collection of special interests. We no longer have a sense of community with our fellow man. We are one among many, my wants and needs taking precedence over yours. We are willing to cast any measures of morality over the side in order to further our own ambitions and desires. We seem to accept as routine that which we abhorred in days gone by. Stealing? What’s the big deal? Lying? It is simply a means to an end. Doesn’t everybody lie? Look around you. Those who have mastered the tools of deception and exploitation of the human condition seem to be doing very well, thank you. Morality and ethics? What did that get us? Just look at what we have become. How moral and ethical are the various institutions of government? Do you honestly believe the Supreme Court seeks judicial impartiality for the common good? Who benefits most from their so-called “decisions?” It sure as hell isn’t the average folk of the land, is it?
What has presidential infatuation with the title of “Commander in Chief” got us? We now have a military establishment that is in bed with their industrial counterparts, covered by a shroud of secrecy that becomes far more opaque to the electorate every day. Personally, I think the title “President of the United States,” garners much more admiration and respect, if for no other reason than it speaks to the entire populace of the United States.
What has an imperial presidency and an aloof and arrogant Congress got us? They simply ignore the will of the people, tell us what they regard as best for us, pander to those who lace their pockets with vast sums of money and revel in their self-appointed notion of exclusivity and superiority over those who put them in office. Sure, they bring out the rhetoric of bovine scatology when it comes time to campaign for re-election, but that is just the price one pays for the privilege of feeding at the troughs of those who own government and dictate the legislative agenda for their interests, those of the people be damned. They have done a pretty good job of getting away with it, too, wouldn’t you say?
The sheer power of massively huge wealth has overwhelmed those who are now their victims. I think most people honestly feel that the forces of evil are aligned against them. There is faint hope that things will get any better to a discernable extent. The charts that reflect the stats showing the extent to which big money is aligned against the working people and poor of this country belie quite a different picture. The facts speak for themselves.
People are well aware of the fact that there have been no prosecutions of those on Wall Street who almost succeeded in bringing this country down. Moreover, they hold out little hope that will ever occur. They know that the military/industrial behemoth is untouchable. They are not ignorant of the fact that public rhetoric by our political establishment is only the prelude to the real deal to be hatched behind closed doors for those who really dictate and control the agenda.
People are cognizant of the creeping influence of ever-expanding free trade agreements, what that is doing to the manufacturing and economic base of the United States and the jobs that will never become reality. They, too, are not impervious to the pernicious effects of one-sided trade agreements that underscore the lopsided effects of our economic interests versus those of third world countries and their pools of cheap labor.
People are not blind to the erosion of the power of the common man in the form of labor unions, a regulatory system that looks out for their interests and that creates opportunities for ascending the ladder of opportunity. They know the price that has been paid to those who harbor disdain for those who dare to speak on behalf of Working America.
With the advent of an “all volunteer” military, people soon realized it consigned their offspring to the pool of human gun fodder to fight the wars for the rich and powerful. That has not been lost on those who have buried their young and reclaimed the maimed who have returned from far-off lands in the service of their “country.” Yeah, right. For whom and at what price? Their wealthy counterparts are now ensconced in business and industries that plunder the nation; a nation that rightfully belongs to those who never shared in those same opportunities.
The arrogance of massive wealth and power boggles the human mind. Those who covet material fortunes at the expense of being a responsible part of society have no souls. They are impervious to what it means to be part of a community. They may “have it all,” but they are dead inside. Nobody is home. At the end of life’s journey their heirs wait like hungry wolves waiting to plunder all they have left behind. Their legacy is a mass of “things.” They are not likely to be remembered for a treasure trove of fond memories and what they did to make the world a better place. Time has proven that the parasite is ultimately consumed by the host. The object of greed and lust is, at best, fleeting. The pack will always prevail at the expense of the leader. That is the eternal truth of the pack mentality.
It is the inherent good and decency of all those common folks who really did make an honest difference which is eternal, and that, my friends is priceless. That is for those who lived the good life, did the best they could and left a legacy of love.
I believe the worst is still before us, but when the tides turn, as it surely will, I, also, believe there are better times ahead for all of those who kept the covenant from the best among us and never succumbed to the worst within us.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
May 4, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
"Welcom to the Asylum"
May 2, 2012 From time to time I come across an article that I find particularly poignant. One such piece of writing was featured on April 30, 2012 at www.commondreams.org, titled "WELCOME TO THE ASYLUM" by Chris Heddges. It is the most profound and insightful reflection of what we have become as a people and a nation. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in contemporary politics and national affairs. I, also, regularly visit ALTERNET and AMPEDSTATUS.COM. Both are excellent websights and you can't go wrong by checking each of them out on a periodic basis. Cowboy Bob
Sunday, March 18, 2012
"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
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
Friday, March 9, 2012
What Is Meant By Education?
“Education” is a term used rather freely these days. It is almost as sacrosanct as Motherhood, Apple Pie and The Flag. It seems as if every one has an opinion about it, touts its many virtues, but has no clear understanding of what the term means.
I recall when I first entered university, a very astute professor who stood before our first class of the semester and announced he wanted to put what was meant by “education” in its proper context. With that, he simply stated, “before any of you buy into the notion that you are somehow special, just remember this. If you take a jackass and send him to college, all you end up with is an educated jackass. Where you take that pearl of wisdom is a serious responsibility and something that should impart to you a certain degree of humility. You will not only be a better student while you are here, but you will be an infinitely better person when you leave us.”
When they are in their best campaign mode, politicians tend to throw the term “education” around, as if it will impart a certain virtue to all the empty promises they peddle. They seem to believe that it will somehow cloak them with the same aura as that of the vestal virgin. At the end of it all, it can mean just about anything a person wants it to mean, with little or no common understanding of what the point of it all was meant to be.
From my particular point of view, I see education as having a multiplicity of meanings, depending on the aptitude and interests of those being “educated.”
The pinnacle of education is generally seen as the end product of a “college” education. College is perceived as the beginning and end all of the process by which we become treasured members of society. However, its one great flaw is to presume that “education” is a generic concept that applies to everyone exposed to it, and that they have the capacity to assimilate it to the point they really are anointed by the experience. I can only conclude that is the meaning as understood by every political personality when he/she promises a “college” education for everyone.
Recently, this notion was shattered by a news segment on television. It reminded me that there are, indeed, many different experiences subsumed under the label of “education.” It took place during an interview of one of the contractors involved in the construction of a new bridge from Oakland to San Francisco. The reporter, to his eternal credit, was concerned about the use of foreign labor against the backdrop of massive unemployment in this country. The offending country was, of course, China. The question that was raised was why modular portions of the bridge were being sub-contracted out to China. Good question! The answer was sobering. The reason given was, “because there are so few qualified welders left in the United States that, in order to garner that particular skill, the contractor had no alternative but to outsource that skill to China.
It never occurred to me that, because our industrial base has been so decimated by the avarice and greed of Corporate America, and its wholesale outsourcing that is so vital to their insatiable quest for yet more money, that may well be the root cause of this particular problem. Could it be that this is the result of an ingrained contempt by American business for vocational pursuits that might have anything to do with labor unions? Could this have diminished opportunities for American workers to serve a proper on-the-job apprenticeship under the tutelage of accomplished and certified journeymen? Therein lies a classic case of an opportunity for vocational “education” that is no longer available to those seeking a career within the broader economic context of our society. We have not only “outsourced” the skills, but we have dealt a mortal blow to opportunities for the vocational education necessary to develop and produce those skills. How does that provide opportunities for those seeking to enter the skilled job market?
The Europeans have always had a much healthier perspective on vocational pursuits and the requirements an aspirant has to fulfill before being permitted to work within any of their valued and respected vocations. I think the United States has lost sight of the relative importance that segment has within our educational system, and the means for acquiring the knowledge and skills that qualifies one to be a respected member of our vocational labor force so essential to our economy.
College may be very well suited to people who have an aptitude for more academic and intellectual pursuits. God knows we need those minds in order to have a balanced and healthy society, and to push forward the frontiers of knowledge. But not everyone is suited to go to college. For any of us who may have been reminded (as I have many times throughout the course of my life) about how inept we college types can be when faced with a vocational challenge, it gives pause for reflection on just how valuable those vocational skills are. I shudder to think of how many times my ass has been saved because of someone who could logically analyze a problem and fix it with his hands! I can attest that, without that help, I would have been dead in the water more times than I can recall. Some of those instances come to mind from a variety of predicaments I found myself in, one of which is particularly poignant and amusing.
One such occasion was when I put corn husks down the garbage disposal. When I tried to operate the disposal, it froze tighter than a drum. I labored for what seemed like hours to remove all of the debris, but it still would not work. The only option left was for me to call a plumber. When he arrived, he surveyed the problem, pressed a red “reset” button on the back and “voila,” it worked. When presented with his bill I argued that, surely, he was not going to charge me the full fee for a house call simply for pressing a red button. He politely reminded me that he was not charging me for having pressed the red button, but for the knowledge he had that there was a red button to be pressed that would solve the problem which, of course, was knowledge I did not have. That assault on my advanced degree from a great university proved to be a cardinal lesson in humility and gratitude; one which I have never forgot. There are indeed legions of skilled laborers who may lack the formal education I am fortunate to have acquired, but every one of them has a knowledge and skill that I can only envy. I could not have progressed in life without that battery of vocational knowledge and the skills I relied on to help me.
I see the opportunity for vocational studies as one of the biggest gaps in our educational system, and one which has been a major factor in the erosion and loss of so much of our industrial base. If we are to truly have equal opportunities within the population in order for this country to provide the means for earning an honest and decent standard of living, this is a part of what we call “education” that must be revisited and revalued.
“Education” encompasses many different aspects of learning and the mastery of knowledge. For one to claim to be seriously educated presupposes a certain amount of discipline and a serious commitment to what may be a long history of study.
There are three classic disciplines that are regarded as the pinnacles of achievement that only an “educated” person can rightfully claim in order to be considered a bonafide intellectual. They are those leading to (a) a Doctorate in Philosophy, (b) a Doctorate in Theology, and (c) a Doctorate in Law. The course of history has seen other disciplines lay claim to titles associated with that same level of achievement, none of which can honestly claim to have mastered the same level of intellectual prowess or the same degree of commitment as what is to be found among any of those three. To be sure, there has been a certain amount of bastardization of theology and law, but the purity of the knowledge base remains and is mastered by few.
As religion has become more secularized, the commitment to theological standards and the integrity of guiding principles have been compromised. As a consequence, religion has, in many cases, lost its standing as a moral compass. It has given license to a broad and varied interpretation of what is regarded as right vs. what is regarded as wrong. Fortunes have been built on peddling “faith and religion” to those who want a fast spiritual cleansing and instant wealth. One need only scratch the surface to see the vast storehouse of hypocrisy marketed as the “will of God.” The birth of the Tea Party and the zealots it has spawned says it all. As a member of the cloth once said to a rather self-absorbed parishioner, “I am less interested in how you talk your faith than I am in how you live it.” Well said.
The discipline reserved for the study and understanding of what is known as “Law” is, at its zenith, far from what has come to be regarded as the contemporary meaning of the term. The various meanings that now carry a market-based price tag can be found among the various political parties, the institutions of government, prestigious law firms, storefront lawyers and bail bondsmen. One can readily see quite a spectrum, with little or no relevance to what was originally meant by “law.” Ah, the lure of the almighty dollar vs. the purity of the profession!
If we are to restore integrity and respect for what we label “college” and “universities,” we need to pause and re-examine what is taught in those institutions with some effort to discern the difference between knowledge, mastery and training.
I happen to believe that the bedrock of our higher educational system is most completely embodied in the system of state universities and colleges, community colleges, and vocational schools. That is the system within which lies the greatest opportunities for an education that will best prepare the future custodians of our society. They are supported by the people and are, generally, more affordable.
There are, of course, those paragons of higher academia that are supported by private funds (rich people) and their progeny. There are provisions for the common folk to enter those hallowed halls on scholarships, but the bulk of those seeking a higher education are from the privileged among us. They not only learn marketable skills and disciplines, but they further assimilate and hone the value systems that cast an aura of certainty over their divine right to exploit the human condition in order to support their wealth and their station in life. An added bonus is being immune from conscription into one of the branches of the armed forces and the attendant dangers of being mortally wounded in the “defense of their country.” Oh, I almost forgot that all came about by the nation adopting an “all voluntary military.” Clearly, it is a class issue and a choice those from the bottom 99 percent choose to exercise. The fact that those counted among the “Hallowed Halls of Ivy,” sit on billions of dollars in endowment funds and that the preponderance of their student body comes from the secluded bastions of the super rich is purely coincidental. It is simply a matter of choice, freely exercised.
The most vile of all those holding themselves out as institutions of higher learning are counted among the “private colleges and universities” that develop and market “degrees,” at inflated prices. The underlying motive is to provide exorbitant returns to their investors who founded those rather sullied examples of academia, leading to the burdening responsibility carried by their students who are saddled with mountains of debt in the form of student loans they can no longer afford to pay. Seems an appropriate place to insert the word “greed,” doesn’t it? Moreover, the value of those so-called degrees is not worth the cost of the paper on which they are printed. The standing of the academic staff is, at best, dubious among the ranks of those who have a rightful claim to that distinction. Interestingly, politicians are the chief recipients of the financial largess for use in their quest for election or re-election. Does that really surprise anyone?
I have a particular contempt for all those who fall into what I call the “dot com techies.” To presume they are educated is an affront to the term. I see them as little more than highly skilled in the marketing and use of computerized systems and electronic gadgetry that serve as the basis for every conceivable kind of exploitation within the marketplace. They are plastic, empty and totally devoid of any compassion for the human condition. I find them superficial and arrogant. They have founded and operate some of the most exploitative business enterprises in our system of business and commerce. They have a sense of self-entitlement and what appears to be an inherent right to exploit those who work for them in their unending quest for affluence by the few at the expense of the many. At best, they “play boss,” but know little if anything about “being boss.” They are frauds that, at the end of the day, wouldn’t make a pimple on the ass of anyone who could reasonably consider himself/herself as a member in good standing of a real vocation. They are more fluff than substance.
Yes, I am an ardent supporter of real education that has legitimate standings in our society. But, although vitally important, I do not believe the health of our future rests, completely, on a foundation of scientific and technical disciplines. If we do not attend to a fundamental need to become thinking, feeling and compassionate human beings, there is no hope for our future. Those who seek out studies in the liberal arts are the real custodians of all that sets us apart from the predators who now seem to control every aspect of our lives. It is the Bill Moyers of this world who contribute so much toward the body of knowledge that feeds the finer aspects of the who and what we are as civilized people; not the Bill Gates.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
March 9, 2012
I recall when I first entered university, a very astute professor who stood before our first class of the semester and announced he wanted to put what was meant by “education” in its proper context. With that, he simply stated, “before any of you buy into the notion that you are somehow special, just remember this. If you take a jackass and send him to college, all you end up with is an educated jackass. Where you take that pearl of wisdom is a serious responsibility and something that should impart to you a certain degree of humility. You will not only be a better student while you are here, but you will be an infinitely better person when you leave us.”
When they are in their best campaign mode, politicians tend to throw the term “education” around, as if it will impart a certain virtue to all the empty promises they peddle. They seem to believe that it will somehow cloak them with the same aura as that of the vestal virgin. At the end of it all, it can mean just about anything a person wants it to mean, with little or no common understanding of what the point of it all was meant to be.
From my particular point of view, I see education as having a multiplicity of meanings, depending on the aptitude and interests of those being “educated.”
The pinnacle of education is generally seen as the end product of a “college” education. College is perceived as the beginning and end all of the process by which we become treasured members of society. However, its one great flaw is to presume that “education” is a generic concept that applies to everyone exposed to it, and that they have the capacity to assimilate it to the point they really are anointed by the experience. I can only conclude that is the meaning as understood by every political personality when he/she promises a “college” education for everyone.
Recently, this notion was shattered by a news segment on television. It reminded me that there are, indeed, many different experiences subsumed under the label of “education.” It took place during an interview of one of the contractors involved in the construction of a new bridge from Oakland to San Francisco. The reporter, to his eternal credit, was concerned about the use of foreign labor against the backdrop of massive unemployment in this country. The offending country was, of course, China. The question that was raised was why modular portions of the bridge were being sub-contracted out to China. Good question! The answer was sobering. The reason given was, “because there are so few qualified welders left in the United States that, in order to garner that particular skill, the contractor had no alternative but to outsource that skill to China.
It never occurred to me that, because our industrial base has been so decimated by the avarice and greed of Corporate America, and its wholesale outsourcing that is so vital to their insatiable quest for yet more money, that may well be the root cause of this particular problem. Could it be that this is the result of an ingrained contempt by American business for vocational pursuits that might have anything to do with labor unions? Could this have diminished opportunities for American workers to serve a proper on-the-job apprenticeship under the tutelage of accomplished and certified journeymen? Therein lies a classic case of an opportunity for vocational “education” that is no longer available to those seeking a career within the broader economic context of our society. We have not only “outsourced” the skills, but we have dealt a mortal blow to opportunities for the vocational education necessary to develop and produce those skills. How does that provide opportunities for those seeking to enter the skilled job market?
The Europeans have always had a much healthier perspective on vocational pursuits and the requirements an aspirant has to fulfill before being permitted to work within any of their valued and respected vocations. I think the United States has lost sight of the relative importance that segment has within our educational system, and the means for acquiring the knowledge and skills that qualifies one to be a respected member of our vocational labor force so essential to our economy.
College may be very well suited to people who have an aptitude for more academic and intellectual pursuits. God knows we need those minds in order to have a balanced and healthy society, and to push forward the frontiers of knowledge. But not everyone is suited to go to college. For any of us who may have been reminded (as I have many times throughout the course of my life) about how inept we college types can be when faced with a vocational challenge, it gives pause for reflection on just how valuable those vocational skills are. I shudder to think of how many times my ass has been saved because of someone who could logically analyze a problem and fix it with his hands! I can attest that, without that help, I would have been dead in the water more times than I can recall. Some of those instances come to mind from a variety of predicaments I found myself in, one of which is particularly poignant and amusing.
One such occasion was when I put corn husks down the garbage disposal. When I tried to operate the disposal, it froze tighter than a drum. I labored for what seemed like hours to remove all of the debris, but it still would not work. The only option left was for me to call a plumber. When he arrived, he surveyed the problem, pressed a red “reset” button on the back and “voila,” it worked. When presented with his bill I argued that, surely, he was not going to charge me the full fee for a house call simply for pressing a red button. He politely reminded me that he was not charging me for having pressed the red button, but for the knowledge he had that there was a red button to be pressed that would solve the problem which, of course, was knowledge I did not have. That assault on my advanced degree from a great university proved to be a cardinal lesson in humility and gratitude; one which I have never forgot. There are indeed legions of skilled laborers who may lack the formal education I am fortunate to have acquired, but every one of them has a knowledge and skill that I can only envy. I could not have progressed in life without that battery of vocational knowledge and the skills I relied on to help me.
I see the opportunity for vocational studies as one of the biggest gaps in our educational system, and one which has been a major factor in the erosion and loss of so much of our industrial base. If we are to truly have equal opportunities within the population in order for this country to provide the means for earning an honest and decent standard of living, this is a part of what we call “education” that must be revisited and revalued.
“Education” encompasses many different aspects of learning and the mastery of knowledge. For one to claim to be seriously educated presupposes a certain amount of discipline and a serious commitment to what may be a long history of study.
There are three classic disciplines that are regarded as the pinnacles of achievement that only an “educated” person can rightfully claim in order to be considered a bonafide intellectual. They are those leading to (a) a Doctorate in Philosophy, (b) a Doctorate in Theology, and (c) a Doctorate in Law. The course of history has seen other disciplines lay claim to titles associated with that same level of achievement, none of which can honestly claim to have mastered the same level of intellectual prowess or the same degree of commitment as what is to be found among any of those three. To be sure, there has been a certain amount of bastardization of theology and law, but the purity of the knowledge base remains and is mastered by few.
As religion has become more secularized, the commitment to theological standards and the integrity of guiding principles have been compromised. As a consequence, religion has, in many cases, lost its standing as a moral compass. It has given license to a broad and varied interpretation of what is regarded as right vs. what is regarded as wrong. Fortunes have been built on peddling “faith and religion” to those who want a fast spiritual cleansing and instant wealth. One need only scratch the surface to see the vast storehouse of hypocrisy marketed as the “will of God.” The birth of the Tea Party and the zealots it has spawned says it all. As a member of the cloth once said to a rather self-absorbed parishioner, “I am less interested in how you talk your faith than I am in how you live it.” Well said.
The discipline reserved for the study and understanding of what is known as “Law” is, at its zenith, far from what has come to be regarded as the contemporary meaning of the term. The various meanings that now carry a market-based price tag can be found among the various political parties, the institutions of government, prestigious law firms, storefront lawyers and bail bondsmen. One can readily see quite a spectrum, with little or no relevance to what was originally meant by “law.” Ah, the lure of the almighty dollar vs. the purity of the profession!
If we are to restore integrity and respect for what we label “college” and “universities,” we need to pause and re-examine what is taught in those institutions with some effort to discern the difference between knowledge, mastery and training.
I happen to believe that the bedrock of our higher educational system is most completely embodied in the system of state universities and colleges, community colleges, and vocational schools. That is the system within which lies the greatest opportunities for an education that will best prepare the future custodians of our society. They are supported by the people and are, generally, more affordable.
There are, of course, those paragons of higher academia that are supported by private funds (rich people) and their progeny. There are provisions for the common folk to enter those hallowed halls on scholarships, but the bulk of those seeking a higher education are from the privileged among us. They not only learn marketable skills and disciplines, but they further assimilate and hone the value systems that cast an aura of certainty over their divine right to exploit the human condition in order to support their wealth and their station in life. An added bonus is being immune from conscription into one of the branches of the armed forces and the attendant dangers of being mortally wounded in the “defense of their country.” Oh, I almost forgot that all came about by the nation adopting an “all voluntary military.” Clearly, it is a class issue and a choice those from the bottom 99 percent choose to exercise. The fact that those counted among the “Hallowed Halls of Ivy,” sit on billions of dollars in endowment funds and that the preponderance of their student body comes from the secluded bastions of the super rich is purely coincidental. It is simply a matter of choice, freely exercised.
The most vile of all those holding themselves out as institutions of higher learning are counted among the “private colleges and universities” that develop and market “degrees,” at inflated prices. The underlying motive is to provide exorbitant returns to their investors who founded those rather sullied examples of academia, leading to the burdening responsibility carried by their students who are saddled with mountains of debt in the form of student loans they can no longer afford to pay. Seems an appropriate place to insert the word “greed,” doesn’t it? Moreover, the value of those so-called degrees is not worth the cost of the paper on which they are printed. The standing of the academic staff is, at best, dubious among the ranks of those who have a rightful claim to that distinction. Interestingly, politicians are the chief recipients of the financial largess for use in their quest for election or re-election. Does that really surprise anyone?
I have a particular contempt for all those who fall into what I call the “dot com techies.” To presume they are educated is an affront to the term. I see them as little more than highly skilled in the marketing and use of computerized systems and electronic gadgetry that serve as the basis for every conceivable kind of exploitation within the marketplace. They are plastic, empty and totally devoid of any compassion for the human condition. I find them superficial and arrogant. They have founded and operate some of the most exploitative business enterprises in our system of business and commerce. They have a sense of self-entitlement and what appears to be an inherent right to exploit those who work for them in their unending quest for affluence by the few at the expense of the many. At best, they “play boss,” but know little if anything about “being boss.” They are frauds that, at the end of the day, wouldn’t make a pimple on the ass of anyone who could reasonably consider himself/herself as a member in good standing of a real vocation. They are more fluff than substance.
Yes, I am an ardent supporter of real education that has legitimate standings in our society. But, although vitally important, I do not believe the health of our future rests, completely, on a foundation of scientific and technical disciplines. If we do not attend to a fundamental need to become thinking, feeling and compassionate human beings, there is no hope for our future. Those who seek out studies in the liberal arts are the real custodians of all that sets us apart from the predators who now seem to control every aspect of our lives. It is the Bill Moyers of this world who contribute so much toward the body of knowledge that feeds the finer aspects of the who and what we are as civilized people; not the Bill Gates.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
March 9, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
"Why?"
I have been writing this blog for just over three years. What I have committed to paper has, for the most part, been the product of my own take on a variety of issues that affect me and/or the society in which I live. I don’t pretend to have all the answers nor have I posed all the salient questions of the day, so when I have published something that is the product of another person's perception of the world, I have tried to be meticulously judicious in giving credit to that person.
I have a particular interest in politics and the affairs of government. I have a deep and abiding faith in this country as envisioned by the Founding Fathers. Whenever the integrity of those principles is compromised at the expense of the body politic of this country, I become concerned, as any responsible citizen should be. In those instances I have no compunction about expressing my views as honestly and clearly as I can. What others may choose to take away from that effort is their responsibility, which I cannot control but for which I have a profound respect.
I happen to believe that the underpinnings for us all, as responsible citizens, is quite simple – morality. By morality I am referring to a basic sense of what is right and what is wrong. I shall leave the various sordid interpretations of that concept to those seeking a more titillating experience.
I cannot recall a time in my life when I have seen the fabric of the people of this country, in every walk of life, so compromised. Rather than being concerned about a fundamental sense of integrity and what is right vs. wrong, we seem to have evolved into accepting a broad tolerance for “whatever the traffic will bear.” With that, morality flew out the window and was relegated to the stuff of fools by all of those who have set themselves to the task of exploiting every facet of our society for their own individual and collective ends, the common good be damned.
With this introduction, I have come to the conclusion that there are infinitely more questions than answers that should be of concern to all of us. However, given that we have become progressively more complacent and trusting of those to whom we have entrusted our futures, I hold out faint hope that any discernible effort to restore integrity to our social and political fabric will succeed. So, I am simply going to pose a series of questions for which I have found no credible answers. The mere fact that my questions may seem redundant is precisely because the questions remain unanswered. Most of these questions can be traced back to various campaign promises made by Barack Obama in his quest for the Presidency, and for whom I voted on the strength of those promises.
1. Why has Bill Clinton been given a free pass for his complicity in the deregulation of the financial industries when he was President of the United States? Why did he collude with Phil Gramm, the Chairman (Republican) of the Senate Banking Committee in order to eviscerate Glass-Steagall and open the doors to the wholesale plunder of our nation’s wealth? Why did he bring such paragons of virtue like Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, Alan Greenspan and others of like mind into the inner sanctum to participate in the gluttonous banquet that was about to become theirs for the asking?
2. Why, as one of his first acts as the newly elected President, did Barack Obama reincarnate those same rogues from the Clinton Administration to occupy every significant post in his Cabinet and his White House Staff? What was and still is the thread of continuity in that relationship?
3. Why has Barack Obama relied on the alumni from heavy hitters in the field of business and commerce to serve as his “chief economic advisers?” For example, the former senior executive from General Electric, a company that has figured prominently in the ownership and management of NBC, and among the major defense contractors to our military establishment. What happened to the perils of “conflicts of interest?”
4. Why has there been virtually no indictments and prosecutions of senior executives at the major financial institutions on Wall Street?
5. Why have the banks, mortgage companies and other financial organizations been given preferential treatment and access to taxpayer’s funds?
6. Why has there been only a token effort to restructure and regulate the very financial institutions that brought this economic calamity down on the heads of the people of this country?
7. Why has the Chairman of the Federal Reserve been given carte blanche to disburse government funds to domestic and foreign financial institutions at his sole discretion?
8. Why did our newly elected president decide not to honor his commitment to bring to justice those who lied the nation into an illegal war based on false evidence? Maybe it is because, when you become a member of the “Old Boys’ Club” you don’t assail your new-found brothers?
9. Why did Barack Obama decide to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest among us at a time when the nation was crying for additional revenue to stave off the devastating effects of the “recession” he inherited from his predecessor?
10. Why did Barack Obama choose not to pursue the restructuring of NAFTA and CAFTA in order to make it more equitable to the working people of the United States of America and the pool of labor affected by those treaties?
11. Why did Barack Obama renege on his commitment to strengthen labor laws in order to level the playing field between those privileges given to business and industry, and those accorded organized labor?
12. Why did Barack Obama not honor his commitment to a single-payer option in his health care program?
13. Why did Barack Obama not stand firm on requiring drug companies to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs with the government?
14. Why did Barack Obama renege on his commitment to reign in the excesses of hospital management companies in their dealings with the government on matters of national health?
15. Why has Barack Obama failed to take China to task on issues of an equal playing field in trade between our two countries, and their persistent currency manipulation to our detriment and to their benefit?
16. Why has Barack Obama remained silent as renegade state and local governments engaged in repeated wholesale assaults on government workers and labor unions?
17. Why has Barack Obama failed to discontinue warrant-less wiretapping?
18. Why has Barack Obama failed to close the Guantanamo Gulag?
19. Why has Barack Obama continued to allow a double-standard of justice for those deemed to be “enemy combatants?”
20. Why has Barack Obama allowed British Petroleum to get away with a slap on the wrist for the devastation they caused in the Gulf of Mexico?
21. Why does Barack Obama’s penchant for “bi-partisanship” become most apparent when it comes to matters affecting the wealthy, international corporations, banking institutions and the defense establishment?
22. Why has Barack Obama only given lip service to environmentally friendly forms of energy development while he is, also, giving free reign for the exploration and development of fossil fuels?
23. Why does Barack Obama seem to, periodically, flirt with an assault on those government programs that have served the people responsibly, effectively and economically from their inception? I am referring to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and, yes, the Postal Service.
24. Why has the Department of Homeland Security grown in geometrical proportion to other functions of government while those previously associated with the agency reap huge profits by their association with companies doing business with that same agency? Has this agency, too, become "too big to fail?"
25. Why has the Department of Homeland Security been so intimately involved with state and local governments and local police in planning and executing their assaults on the peaceful protests of those subsumed under the banner of Occupy Wall Street? How has this become a "federal" issue and a threat to the nation?
26. Why is the entire military establishment treated so gingerly when it comes to requirements for cutbacks in defense spending? Their latest ploy to cut back on funding, but still giving them more money, in the aggregate, to spend isn’t even subtle.
27. Why has there been such a plethora of private contractors and their subsidiaries doing work for the Defense and State Departments that used to be vested with those serving their country in the armed services? I am referring to Halliburton, Black Water, and a whole host of others, the quality of whose work is often questionable, who operate under much less supervision, with less accountability and at humongous amounts of money compared to the cost paid for services provided by our military and government organizations. Who profits from all this? Moreover, how is this arrangement not only more effective but more cost-effective? It doesn’t compute.
I think the time has come for the American people to be treated to that long overdue promise of more transparency and accountability, and less secrecy. So far, I don’t think we got what we bargained for. Words are cheap and are the stuff of politicians. Courage and honor are the stuff of real statesmen.
When you look at our choices for the next presidential election, there isn’t a whole lot for us to celebrate. Unless we miraculously get character over greed, I think we are in for one hell of a fall. To effect the massive changes required in the culture of our politics, I am afraid, may require far more of that precious commodity, "time" which may no longer be on our side.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
March 4, 2012
I have a particular interest in politics and the affairs of government. I have a deep and abiding faith in this country as envisioned by the Founding Fathers. Whenever the integrity of those principles is compromised at the expense of the body politic of this country, I become concerned, as any responsible citizen should be. In those instances I have no compunction about expressing my views as honestly and clearly as I can. What others may choose to take away from that effort is their responsibility, which I cannot control but for which I have a profound respect.
I happen to believe that the underpinnings for us all, as responsible citizens, is quite simple – morality. By morality I am referring to a basic sense of what is right and what is wrong. I shall leave the various sordid interpretations of that concept to those seeking a more titillating experience.
I cannot recall a time in my life when I have seen the fabric of the people of this country, in every walk of life, so compromised. Rather than being concerned about a fundamental sense of integrity and what is right vs. wrong, we seem to have evolved into accepting a broad tolerance for “whatever the traffic will bear.” With that, morality flew out the window and was relegated to the stuff of fools by all of those who have set themselves to the task of exploiting every facet of our society for their own individual and collective ends, the common good be damned.
With this introduction, I have come to the conclusion that there are infinitely more questions than answers that should be of concern to all of us. However, given that we have become progressively more complacent and trusting of those to whom we have entrusted our futures, I hold out faint hope that any discernible effort to restore integrity to our social and political fabric will succeed. So, I am simply going to pose a series of questions for which I have found no credible answers. The mere fact that my questions may seem redundant is precisely because the questions remain unanswered. Most of these questions can be traced back to various campaign promises made by Barack Obama in his quest for the Presidency, and for whom I voted on the strength of those promises.
1. Why has Bill Clinton been given a free pass for his complicity in the deregulation of the financial industries when he was President of the United States? Why did he collude with Phil Gramm, the Chairman (Republican) of the Senate Banking Committee in order to eviscerate Glass-Steagall and open the doors to the wholesale plunder of our nation’s wealth? Why did he bring such paragons of virtue like Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, Alan Greenspan and others of like mind into the inner sanctum to participate in the gluttonous banquet that was about to become theirs for the asking?
2. Why, as one of his first acts as the newly elected President, did Barack Obama reincarnate those same rogues from the Clinton Administration to occupy every significant post in his Cabinet and his White House Staff? What was and still is the thread of continuity in that relationship?
3. Why has Barack Obama relied on the alumni from heavy hitters in the field of business and commerce to serve as his “chief economic advisers?” For example, the former senior executive from General Electric, a company that has figured prominently in the ownership and management of NBC, and among the major defense contractors to our military establishment. What happened to the perils of “conflicts of interest?”
4. Why has there been virtually no indictments and prosecutions of senior executives at the major financial institutions on Wall Street?
5. Why have the banks, mortgage companies and other financial organizations been given preferential treatment and access to taxpayer’s funds?
6. Why has there been only a token effort to restructure and regulate the very financial institutions that brought this economic calamity down on the heads of the people of this country?
7. Why has the Chairman of the Federal Reserve been given carte blanche to disburse government funds to domestic and foreign financial institutions at his sole discretion?
8. Why did our newly elected president decide not to honor his commitment to bring to justice those who lied the nation into an illegal war based on false evidence? Maybe it is because, when you become a member of the “Old Boys’ Club” you don’t assail your new-found brothers?
9. Why did Barack Obama decide to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest among us at a time when the nation was crying for additional revenue to stave off the devastating effects of the “recession” he inherited from his predecessor?
10. Why did Barack Obama choose not to pursue the restructuring of NAFTA and CAFTA in order to make it more equitable to the working people of the United States of America and the pool of labor affected by those treaties?
11. Why did Barack Obama renege on his commitment to strengthen labor laws in order to level the playing field between those privileges given to business and industry, and those accorded organized labor?
12. Why did Barack Obama not honor his commitment to a single-payer option in his health care program?
13. Why did Barack Obama not stand firm on requiring drug companies to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs with the government?
14. Why did Barack Obama renege on his commitment to reign in the excesses of hospital management companies in their dealings with the government on matters of national health?
15. Why has Barack Obama failed to take China to task on issues of an equal playing field in trade between our two countries, and their persistent currency manipulation to our detriment and to their benefit?
16. Why has Barack Obama remained silent as renegade state and local governments engaged in repeated wholesale assaults on government workers and labor unions?
17. Why has Barack Obama failed to discontinue warrant-less wiretapping?
18. Why has Barack Obama failed to close the Guantanamo Gulag?
19. Why has Barack Obama continued to allow a double-standard of justice for those deemed to be “enemy combatants?”
20. Why has Barack Obama allowed British Petroleum to get away with a slap on the wrist for the devastation they caused in the Gulf of Mexico?
21. Why does Barack Obama’s penchant for “bi-partisanship” become most apparent when it comes to matters affecting the wealthy, international corporations, banking institutions and the defense establishment?
22. Why has Barack Obama only given lip service to environmentally friendly forms of energy development while he is, also, giving free reign for the exploration and development of fossil fuels?
23. Why does Barack Obama seem to, periodically, flirt with an assault on those government programs that have served the people responsibly, effectively and economically from their inception? I am referring to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and, yes, the Postal Service.
24. Why has the Department of Homeland Security grown in geometrical proportion to other functions of government while those previously associated with the agency reap huge profits by their association with companies doing business with that same agency? Has this agency, too, become "too big to fail?"
25. Why has the Department of Homeland Security been so intimately involved with state and local governments and local police in planning and executing their assaults on the peaceful protests of those subsumed under the banner of Occupy Wall Street? How has this become a "federal" issue and a threat to the nation?
26. Why is the entire military establishment treated so gingerly when it comes to requirements for cutbacks in defense spending? Their latest ploy to cut back on funding, but still giving them more money, in the aggregate, to spend isn’t even subtle.
27. Why has there been such a plethora of private contractors and their subsidiaries doing work for the Defense and State Departments that used to be vested with those serving their country in the armed services? I am referring to Halliburton, Black Water, and a whole host of others, the quality of whose work is often questionable, who operate under much less supervision, with less accountability and at humongous amounts of money compared to the cost paid for services provided by our military and government organizations. Who profits from all this? Moreover, how is this arrangement not only more effective but more cost-effective? It doesn’t compute.
I think the time has come for the American people to be treated to that long overdue promise of more transparency and accountability, and less secrecy. So far, I don’t think we got what we bargained for. Words are cheap and are the stuff of politicians. Courage and honor are the stuff of real statesmen.
When you look at our choices for the next presidential election, there isn’t a whole lot for us to celebrate. Unless we miraculously get character over greed, I think we are in for one hell of a fall. To effect the massive changes required in the culture of our politics, I am afraid, may require far more of that precious commodity, "time" which may no longer be on our side.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
March 4, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
"Don't Tell Us; Show Us!"
As I look out and survey the landscape of these United States of America, I am, more and more, overcome by a deep-seated sense of despair and hopelessness. Sure, we are getting overdosed on political rhetoric about how bad things are from one political party, and how things are beginning to look up by the other. Who in the hell are we to believe and where is the evidence? I just don’t see it.
Those who were and are instrumental in this fracturing of our society remind me of one gigantic sewage treatment plant, fed by the excrement created by the gargantuan greed and avarice of Wall Street, and those that are subsumed under the mantle of the Federal Government, the ubiquitous functions housed within the environs of Washington, D.C., and suburban Virginia and Maryland where the overflow has migrated. All of this is capped off by the mysterious Federal Reserve and the two major political parties that have a death-grip on our entire system of government, from the pinnacle at the federal level all the way down to state and local levels. From that flows the effluent down onto all of those whose hopes, dreams and futures hinge on the hollow promises of those in power who just might toss them a crumb, from time to time. It is a cardinal lesson in the perils of too much faith, too much trust and too little caution. The chickens do eventually come home to roost.
Morality, which used to be at the very foundation of conduct by principled people, and that provided us with a compass to steer the course for us to what is right vs. wrong, is simply no longer valued. Admittedly, we have been all too willing to take whatever those in high places might care to toss our way. However, they have been the cunning and skilled purveyors of the empty values and appetites they have cultivated in order to seduce us into casting aside our basic human decency that served as the basis for the discipline that made us what we were.
Those who have so willingly served as the minions of big money, big business, corruptive power and the endeavors of all those who have pillaged and plundered the American Dream have seduced us into believing that morality is passé. It is the stuff of fools. Except for very few in business, industry, politics and government who are genuinely good and decent people, they haven’t a clue as to what morality means and the measures used to define it. They have made lying and deception respectable and desirable. They have created the appetites we value and constantly seek to satisfy, but which may not be in our best interests. They are masters of the game that we, all too willingly, buy into.
Sad to say, but I honestly believe that, for the most part, we have become a people who no longer want to go through the rigors of seeking the truth. It has become so much easier for us to indulge ourselves in materialism, hedonism and the never ending quest for fun. We do a great job of pretending that we give a damn, but provide little evidence to support it. Don’t burden me with truth, just tell me what I want to hear and make me feel good.
What has all this gotten us? It has gotten us a complete system of power; social, economic, and political that we can no longer trust.
We were led into a war for which there was no justification, by a dunce and a pathological mindset that coveted empire, power and affluence. I dare say most of us had a hunch that it was a hoax, but we were simply too complacent to question the basis for committing countless billions (or trillions) of dollars and thousands of innocent lives. We were all too willing to believe rather than question.
Most of us had watched the deliberate destruction of old gambling casinos, hotels and other aging buildings by use of an implosion so as not to damage adjacent structures. For that to be made possible, it took a battery of very skilled explosive technicians to rig the charges that would explode in a predictable fashion and that would cause the building to collapse into itself. Yet, few questioned the same phenomenon and the skill that went into making it happen when the World Trade Center buildings imploded in like fashion. I am mystified how any sane mind could not question what we were told vs. what we witnessed. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. I have no doubt that it took a lot more skill and planning to pull it off than a few solitary lunatics flying a couple of airplanes. And, the only way that could have happened is with the help of some one or several in high places who knew exactly what needed to be done and how to pull it off so that it would coalesce public opinion behind a bogus war effort. But, we all screamed in unison, “We are afraid!” Protect our freedoms!” We took the bait and readily deferred to our elected leadership. The rest is history and Iraq is now trying to pick up the pieces and recreate a viable nation.
People who hold great power seem to have no trouble rationalizing the use of that power in the pursuit of empire. The entire fleet of U.S. battleships that served as the bait for a sneak attack by the Japanese in 1941 was ordered into Pearl Harbor by Executive Order of the President. That can be verified by a short book titled, “The Final Secrets of Pearl Harbor,” published in 1945 by a former Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy; John T. Flynn. Why would we doubt that the same mind set could not surface in our time by those who have infinitely more power at their disposal than did President Roosevelt? The growing absence of transparency in our national affairs, the penchant for secrecy and the lust for power and influence, in my judgment, make that far more likely now than it did then. We are told that power for a sitting President to order the execution of an American citizen suspected of being a terrorist can now be exercised without any advice and consent from any other arm of government. Further, we have been assured by the incumbent President that he would never use that power. But, it remains on the books for those who follow him in office. Doesn’t that seem rather incongruous?
Make no mistake about it. Secrecy serves the interests of those who advocate its use. Transparency serves the people. Congress needs to do a better job of ensuring that secrecy is judicially used and they should enact a system of sunset laws that places a limited life on the use of that designation. We, the people, have a right to know what is being withheld from us, its attendant cost to us and why it was deemed necessary to shroud it in the cloak of secrecy.
Another concern I have is the extent to which we go to ensure that the people’s money is wisely committed and wisely spent. My confidence level on this issue is minimal, at best. I think the time has come for an independent body to undertake an audit of the entire budget and financial system, with a set of recommendations for legislation that will tighten up the system and comply with the provisions of the Constitution.
Another issue which I think is long overdue for study and revision is the system of rules, regulations and protocols that govern the way both houses of Congress carry out their business. From my perspective, it is unduly cumbersome and belies respect for governing by the majority. A group of constitutional lawyers and legislators could be brought together in order to accomplish the task, with the majority coming from outside the system.
That our entire system of government is badly broken is self-evident. But to try and clean it up is going to require a huge commitment, a lot of time and the will to make it happen. I think it is worth it. However, it cannot be left in the hands of one or the other of each political party, incumbent politicians or those who obviously have an inherent conflict of interest.
Politics, as it exists today, is a contest of who can most effectively lie their way out of or into a situation most convincingly. I, for one, would not be willing to entrust such an endeavor to that kind of mind set.
The Republican Party is, to my way of thinking, nothing short of pathetic. How anyone could possibly take seriously the current roster of those seeking the presidency boggles the human mind. Talk about an aversion to truth and morality! The only way they can function is with very simplistic solutions to very complex problems, a myopic view of the world and a healthy dose of fundamentalist religious dogma. As much as they might like to think so, I seriously doubt God talks to them any more than He talks to the rest of us.
The Democratic Party is no more credible than the Republicans. Both parties serve the same masters and feed on the same diet of graft and largesse. The liberals talk a good story but they don’t seem to want to be bothered with what is embodied in established law. Rather, they appear to be more inclined to whine about how unjust an issue is and believe that it can only be rectified through the machinations of a bleeding heart; the law and legal precedent be damned. That just doesn’t wash with me, either.
I don’t see how there can be justice without responsibility.
I was raised in a working class home. I was extremely fortunate to have benefitted from the G.I. Bill that gave me an education from one of the finest academic institutions in the world. I remain humbled by that opportunity. However, I am still mindful of the struggles that often went on in that childhood home when times were tough and money was scarce. But from that I learned the value of strength in numbers and a shared concern for the welfare of others. I regard the people with whom I grew up to be much better, over all, than most of those I encountered among the educated and accomplished I joined later in life. I listened to more acts of real compassion from those in the bunk house than I ever did in the board room. Ranch hands demonstrated more concern for a suffering animal than most doctors showed for suffering patients. Doing the right thing was the stuff of the former; making money was the stuff of the latter.
In today’s world, whenever I see people struggling to make ends meet, like the stranded middle-aged man trying to breathe life back into a very old pickup, or a young couple counting their limited funds in the aisle of the supermarket, trying to decide what is most important for the basic necessities of life, I am reminded of the tough times in my own life. There was more attention then to “we” and less to “me.” They demonstrated more empathy and concern for others, and would readily go that extra mile to help someone. I don’t see much of that these days. Rather, those who have the least are demonized. Those who manipulate the system and steal the most are revered by the centers of power that reward them with taxpayers’ money.
I honestly believe this country is at the precipice, looking down on the greatest peril in its entire history. It is beyond our entrenched political system to do anything meaningful to stop it. The moment when a significant change is even mentioned, they can be counted on to go into their defensive or compromising mode in an attempt to preserve all of the lucrative perks they enjoy, and which sets them above and apart from those of us they profess to represent and govern. Both pursuits are mutually exclusive. It isn’t going to happen unless we demand that it happen, and make sure the goal is for the collective benefit of everyone.
Anything short of a new political party that shares our common values and demonstrates the determination to convert those values into reality will never work. I think that is possible, but it won’t be easy. It will require an iron will and dedication from a great many committed and principled people. I don’t know if that is possible. But, if left with what we have, any semblance of what we once were will be relegated to the rubble of what remains of the greatest experiment in democracy known to mankind.
Time really is upon us to place the common good above our own vested self interests, lest the parasite already within us ultimately devours its host.
Rocky, when are you going to come off the sidelines and enter the game?
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
February 17, 2012
Those who were and are instrumental in this fracturing of our society remind me of one gigantic sewage treatment plant, fed by the excrement created by the gargantuan greed and avarice of Wall Street, and those that are subsumed under the mantle of the Federal Government, the ubiquitous functions housed within the environs of Washington, D.C., and suburban Virginia and Maryland where the overflow has migrated. All of this is capped off by the mysterious Federal Reserve and the two major political parties that have a death-grip on our entire system of government, from the pinnacle at the federal level all the way down to state and local levels. From that flows the effluent down onto all of those whose hopes, dreams and futures hinge on the hollow promises of those in power who just might toss them a crumb, from time to time. It is a cardinal lesson in the perils of too much faith, too much trust and too little caution. The chickens do eventually come home to roost.
Morality, which used to be at the very foundation of conduct by principled people, and that provided us with a compass to steer the course for us to what is right vs. wrong, is simply no longer valued. Admittedly, we have been all too willing to take whatever those in high places might care to toss our way. However, they have been the cunning and skilled purveyors of the empty values and appetites they have cultivated in order to seduce us into casting aside our basic human decency that served as the basis for the discipline that made us what we were.
Those who have so willingly served as the minions of big money, big business, corruptive power and the endeavors of all those who have pillaged and plundered the American Dream have seduced us into believing that morality is passé. It is the stuff of fools. Except for very few in business, industry, politics and government who are genuinely good and decent people, they haven’t a clue as to what morality means and the measures used to define it. They have made lying and deception respectable and desirable. They have created the appetites we value and constantly seek to satisfy, but which may not be in our best interests. They are masters of the game that we, all too willingly, buy into.
Sad to say, but I honestly believe that, for the most part, we have become a people who no longer want to go through the rigors of seeking the truth. It has become so much easier for us to indulge ourselves in materialism, hedonism and the never ending quest for fun. We do a great job of pretending that we give a damn, but provide little evidence to support it. Don’t burden me with truth, just tell me what I want to hear and make me feel good.
What has all this gotten us? It has gotten us a complete system of power; social, economic, and political that we can no longer trust.
We were led into a war for which there was no justification, by a dunce and a pathological mindset that coveted empire, power and affluence. I dare say most of us had a hunch that it was a hoax, but we were simply too complacent to question the basis for committing countless billions (or trillions) of dollars and thousands of innocent lives. We were all too willing to believe rather than question.
Most of us had watched the deliberate destruction of old gambling casinos, hotels and other aging buildings by use of an implosion so as not to damage adjacent structures. For that to be made possible, it took a battery of very skilled explosive technicians to rig the charges that would explode in a predictable fashion and that would cause the building to collapse into itself. Yet, few questioned the same phenomenon and the skill that went into making it happen when the World Trade Center buildings imploded in like fashion. I am mystified how any sane mind could not question what we were told vs. what we witnessed. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. I have no doubt that it took a lot more skill and planning to pull it off than a few solitary lunatics flying a couple of airplanes. And, the only way that could have happened is with the help of some one or several in high places who knew exactly what needed to be done and how to pull it off so that it would coalesce public opinion behind a bogus war effort. But, we all screamed in unison, “We are afraid!” Protect our freedoms!” We took the bait and readily deferred to our elected leadership. The rest is history and Iraq is now trying to pick up the pieces and recreate a viable nation.
People who hold great power seem to have no trouble rationalizing the use of that power in the pursuit of empire. The entire fleet of U.S. battleships that served as the bait for a sneak attack by the Japanese in 1941 was ordered into Pearl Harbor by Executive Order of the President. That can be verified by a short book titled, “The Final Secrets of Pearl Harbor,” published in 1945 by a former Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy; John T. Flynn. Why would we doubt that the same mind set could not surface in our time by those who have infinitely more power at their disposal than did President Roosevelt? The growing absence of transparency in our national affairs, the penchant for secrecy and the lust for power and influence, in my judgment, make that far more likely now than it did then. We are told that power for a sitting President to order the execution of an American citizen suspected of being a terrorist can now be exercised without any advice and consent from any other arm of government. Further, we have been assured by the incumbent President that he would never use that power. But, it remains on the books for those who follow him in office. Doesn’t that seem rather incongruous?
Make no mistake about it. Secrecy serves the interests of those who advocate its use. Transparency serves the people. Congress needs to do a better job of ensuring that secrecy is judicially used and they should enact a system of sunset laws that places a limited life on the use of that designation. We, the people, have a right to know what is being withheld from us, its attendant cost to us and why it was deemed necessary to shroud it in the cloak of secrecy.
Another concern I have is the extent to which we go to ensure that the people’s money is wisely committed and wisely spent. My confidence level on this issue is minimal, at best. I think the time has come for an independent body to undertake an audit of the entire budget and financial system, with a set of recommendations for legislation that will tighten up the system and comply with the provisions of the Constitution.
Another issue which I think is long overdue for study and revision is the system of rules, regulations and protocols that govern the way both houses of Congress carry out their business. From my perspective, it is unduly cumbersome and belies respect for governing by the majority. A group of constitutional lawyers and legislators could be brought together in order to accomplish the task, with the majority coming from outside the system.
That our entire system of government is badly broken is self-evident. But to try and clean it up is going to require a huge commitment, a lot of time and the will to make it happen. I think it is worth it. However, it cannot be left in the hands of one or the other of each political party, incumbent politicians or those who obviously have an inherent conflict of interest.
Politics, as it exists today, is a contest of who can most effectively lie their way out of or into a situation most convincingly. I, for one, would not be willing to entrust such an endeavor to that kind of mind set.
The Republican Party is, to my way of thinking, nothing short of pathetic. How anyone could possibly take seriously the current roster of those seeking the presidency boggles the human mind. Talk about an aversion to truth and morality! The only way they can function is with very simplistic solutions to very complex problems, a myopic view of the world and a healthy dose of fundamentalist religious dogma. As much as they might like to think so, I seriously doubt God talks to them any more than He talks to the rest of us.
The Democratic Party is no more credible than the Republicans. Both parties serve the same masters and feed on the same diet of graft and largesse. The liberals talk a good story but they don’t seem to want to be bothered with what is embodied in established law. Rather, they appear to be more inclined to whine about how unjust an issue is and believe that it can only be rectified through the machinations of a bleeding heart; the law and legal precedent be damned. That just doesn’t wash with me, either.
I don’t see how there can be justice without responsibility.
I was raised in a working class home. I was extremely fortunate to have benefitted from the G.I. Bill that gave me an education from one of the finest academic institutions in the world. I remain humbled by that opportunity. However, I am still mindful of the struggles that often went on in that childhood home when times were tough and money was scarce. But from that I learned the value of strength in numbers and a shared concern for the welfare of others. I regard the people with whom I grew up to be much better, over all, than most of those I encountered among the educated and accomplished I joined later in life. I listened to more acts of real compassion from those in the bunk house than I ever did in the board room. Ranch hands demonstrated more concern for a suffering animal than most doctors showed for suffering patients. Doing the right thing was the stuff of the former; making money was the stuff of the latter.
In today’s world, whenever I see people struggling to make ends meet, like the stranded middle-aged man trying to breathe life back into a very old pickup, or a young couple counting their limited funds in the aisle of the supermarket, trying to decide what is most important for the basic necessities of life, I am reminded of the tough times in my own life. There was more attention then to “we” and less to “me.” They demonstrated more empathy and concern for others, and would readily go that extra mile to help someone. I don’t see much of that these days. Rather, those who have the least are demonized. Those who manipulate the system and steal the most are revered by the centers of power that reward them with taxpayers’ money.
I honestly believe this country is at the precipice, looking down on the greatest peril in its entire history. It is beyond our entrenched political system to do anything meaningful to stop it. The moment when a significant change is even mentioned, they can be counted on to go into their defensive or compromising mode in an attempt to preserve all of the lucrative perks they enjoy, and which sets them above and apart from those of us they profess to represent and govern. Both pursuits are mutually exclusive. It isn’t going to happen unless we demand that it happen, and make sure the goal is for the collective benefit of everyone.
Anything short of a new political party that shares our common values and demonstrates the determination to convert those values into reality will never work. I think that is possible, but it won’t be easy. It will require an iron will and dedication from a great many committed and principled people. I don’t know if that is possible. But, if left with what we have, any semblance of what we once were will be relegated to the rubble of what remains of the greatest experiment in democracy known to mankind.
Time really is upon us to place the common good above our own vested self interests, lest the parasite already within us ultimately devours its host.
Rocky, when are you going to come off the sidelines and enter the game?
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
February 17, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
"Republicans or Democrats - We Can Do Better"
Well, our resident “chameleon” in the White House did not fail to disappoint those of us who still hold out faint hope that a real leader lurks somewhere within that human form. Not to worry; just more of the same. Yes, we got a lofty and inspiring speech. Yes, we got the usual dose of double-speak that sent mixed messages in order to assuage the opposition. We did get a bit more bluster rather akin to little more than the sounds of a terrified child shouting into the darkness hoping it will scare away the boogey men lurking in the shadows. But, that too, is old hat. He is either just naturally disingenuous, or he lacks the courage to be a real leader and a person of the people.
Barack is no more a real Democrat than Bill Clinton. They are political opportunists and elitist in the game for what will, ultimately, benefit them. Once Monica Lewinsky was history, Bill Clinton jumped into bed with Phil Gramm, Robert Rubin, Larry Summers and others of like ilk, and facilitated the complete deregulation of the financial industries. Their collective efforts laid the groundwork for the financial collapse of 2008 and beyond. Barack Obama was no sooner declared the winner of the election than he became the shadow president for Bill Clinton and all of the unsavory characters that enabled Clinton to become a very wealthy man. Obama imported every scheming character from Clinton’s Administration to serve as his chief advisors and surrogates, thereby ensuring a continuation of the Clinton agenda for another four and, hopefully, eight years. That army of corporate thugs was, in turn, augmented by bringing the very ones who helped to cause the financial crisis in as advisors or trusted members of the White House Staff.
Morality, as a tenet by which to live, fell out of vogue a very long time ago. One need only survey the landscape of Washington, D.C., its Virginia suburbs and Wall Street in order to draw that conclusion. To all of those who own the institutions of government and great wealth, morality is the stuff of fools. A cursory examination of the schism between the “haves” and “have-nots” proves the truth of that contrast.
Obama was convincing in his demonstration that he did, indeed, have a set of gonads. But, if one listened carefully, he threw out assurances to the opposition that he was still looking out for their interests with the casual mention of his intent to still “reform” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. That was echoed by his lengthy exhortation regarding his intent to open all of the oil reserves in the United States for exploration to ensure our energy independence for years to come. “Hey, all you oligarchs and energy barons (wink, wink), I am still looking out for your interests.” The broader social welfare and the environment be damned.
Permit me to list but a few of his promises having to do with more transparency and restoring democracy to our system of government:
• Reinstatement of Glass-Steagall and regulation of the financial industries. How many big banks have been broken up? How many big banks have been investigated for criminal conduct? How many bank executives have been prosecuted and are now serving time? Where is the resurrected Glass-Steagall Act? Where are the consumer protection programs? Where are the remedies for the home mortgage crisis?
• Where are the improvements to our health care system? I am not convinced that “Obama Care” is all that it is cracked up to be. The jury is still out on that one. Only time will tell. But, what is the outcome of his staunch support for a “public option?” Where is the requirement that drug companies must negotiate with the government on prices? Where is the regulation of the health insurance companies?
• What happened to his commitment to reassess the fairness of the free trade agreements codified in NAFTA and CAFTA on American industries and workers?
• What happened to his commitment to do away with warrantless wiretapping and the closure of Guantanamo Bay?
• What happened to assigning responsibility for the Gulf oil crisis and the culpability of British Petroleum? Where are the remedies promised to all of the residents and businesses in that area?
• What happened to ending the Bush tax cuts?
• What happened to the prosecution of members of the Bush Administration who are culpable for the deception and war crimes leading up to and the prosecution of the so-called “War on Terror?”
• What happened to a meaningful and effective economic stimulus program that would have given our economy the thrust it needed and still desperately needs?
• Why are those who commit the crimes the very ones whose counsel is sought in drafting the remedies needed to prevent future crimes?
• Why does this country (ostensibly the “most powerful” one in the world) have to have a massive Department of Homeland Security that is draining our economy of hundreds of billions of dollars far beyond a threat the magnitude of which may not exist? Why are we one of but a handful of countries resorting to such measures?
• Why have we yet to see any meaningful brakes put on the military-industrial complex in order to reign in the gargantuan excesses that deprive our citizens of the help they desperately need, and that will solve the real problems of this country for the all the people of this country?
• Why has our entire civilian law enforcement establishment turned against peaceful demonstrators while protecting the interests of those who are guilty of the very infractions against which the protests are directed? Why are military grade weapons being used in order to subdue a peaceful civilian population?
Enough said. I think I have made my point. But, I have to confess I am utterly mystified as to why we, the aggrieved, allow those we elect to serve us to enjoy privileges, perquisites and the licentious freedoms that we deny ourselves? Why do we defer to political minds and dismiss authoritative minds? For example, global warming and climate change, and the efficacy and need for ever more sophisticated military hardware.
Our academic institutions are replete with people who have made it their life’s passion to acquire the knowledge and expertise necessary to accurately and critically assess all the ramifications of those issues, based on objective and solid evidence. Yet, we dismiss the advice of those very minds and readily accept and acquiesce to what others only think they know. One need only reflect on Dodd-Frank vs. the combined expertise of the finest collection of economic minds in the world that are resident in our colleges and universities.
What happened to the concept of “conflict of interest?” and its relevance to a law-abiding society?
We can play the blame game all we want, but in the final analysis we are where we are because we have brought it on ourselves. The Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government are hopelessly corrupt and self-serving because we have allowed them to engage in such behavior within the conduct of their offices. The more licenses we have allowed them the more blatant they have become in exploiting that trust for their own personal gain. When we no longer have standards to which we hold ourselves, how can we hold anyone else to any meaningful standards? Complacency is, by definition, the abdication of respect for and adherence to those standards.
Is it not now the time for us to take seriously the need to get money out of politics, take back our government and clean up the corruption in order to fairly and justly meet the needs of everyone in this country, and reclaim the revered and trusted place for the United States of America on the world stage in the 21st Century?
Has not the time come to call out the Democratic and Republican parties for what they are? They all feed on the same largesse derived from those who seek to use them in the service of exploiting the people they are supposed to serve. Let’s stop the demagoguery and the charade by those who seek to destroy what so many have worked and died for, all for the sake of their rapacious and insatiable greed. Has not the time come to take control of our own destiny, re-establish honesty in leadership and politics for a nation of people rather than a collection of fragmented and vested interests who don’t give one hoot in hell about those who labor in their service? Has not the time come to simply say “the jig is up,” and go back to a real democracy? We sure as hell can’t stray much further before we sink into the mire of history as just another failed civilization consigned to the history books.
The appetite of the parasite is never satisfied until the host is dead. The acrid stench of decay is in the air.
Cowboy Bob
January 27, 2012
Barack is no more a real Democrat than Bill Clinton. They are political opportunists and elitist in the game for what will, ultimately, benefit them. Once Monica Lewinsky was history, Bill Clinton jumped into bed with Phil Gramm, Robert Rubin, Larry Summers and others of like ilk, and facilitated the complete deregulation of the financial industries. Their collective efforts laid the groundwork for the financial collapse of 2008 and beyond. Barack Obama was no sooner declared the winner of the election than he became the shadow president for Bill Clinton and all of the unsavory characters that enabled Clinton to become a very wealthy man. Obama imported every scheming character from Clinton’s Administration to serve as his chief advisors and surrogates, thereby ensuring a continuation of the Clinton agenda for another four and, hopefully, eight years. That army of corporate thugs was, in turn, augmented by bringing the very ones who helped to cause the financial crisis in as advisors or trusted members of the White House Staff.
Morality, as a tenet by which to live, fell out of vogue a very long time ago. One need only survey the landscape of Washington, D.C., its Virginia suburbs and Wall Street in order to draw that conclusion. To all of those who own the institutions of government and great wealth, morality is the stuff of fools. A cursory examination of the schism between the “haves” and “have-nots” proves the truth of that contrast.
Obama was convincing in his demonstration that he did, indeed, have a set of gonads. But, if one listened carefully, he threw out assurances to the opposition that he was still looking out for their interests with the casual mention of his intent to still “reform” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. That was echoed by his lengthy exhortation regarding his intent to open all of the oil reserves in the United States for exploration to ensure our energy independence for years to come. “Hey, all you oligarchs and energy barons (wink, wink), I am still looking out for your interests.” The broader social welfare and the environment be damned.
Permit me to list but a few of his promises having to do with more transparency and restoring democracy to our system of government:
• Reinstatement of Glass-Steagall and regulation of the financial industries. How many big banks have been broken up? How many big banks have been investigated for criminal conduct? How many bank executives have been prosecuted and are now serving time? Where is the resurrected Glass-Steagall Act? Where are the consumer protection programs? Where are the remedies for the home mortgage crisis?
• Where are the improvements to our health care system? I am not convinced that “Obama Care” is all that it is cracked up to be. The jury is still out on that one. Only time will tell. But, what is the outcome of his staunch support for a “public option?” Where is the requirement that drug companies must negotiate with the government on prices? Where is the regulation of the health insurance companies?
• What happened to his commitment to reassess the fairness of the free trade agreements codified in NAFTA and CAFTA on American industries and workers?
• What happened to his commitment to do away with warrantless wiretapping and the closure of Guantanamo Bay?
• What happened to assigning responsibility for the Gulf oil crisis and the culpability of British Petroleum? Where are the remedies promised to all of the residents and businesses in that area?
• What happened to ending the Bush tax cuts?
• What happened to the prosecution of members of the Bush Administration who are culpable for the deception and war crimes leading up to and the prosecution of the so-called “War on Terror?”
• What happened to a meaningful and effective economic stimulus program that would have given our economy the thrust it needed and still desperately needs?
• Why are those who commit the crimes the very ones whose counsel is sought in drafting the remedies needed to prevent future crimes?
• Why does this country (ostensibly the “most powerful” one in the world) have to have a massive Department of Homeland Security that is draining our economy of hundreds of billions of dollars far beyond a threat the magnitude of which may not exist? Why are we one of but a handful of countries resorting to such measures?
• Why have we yet to see any meaningful brakes put on the military-industrial complex in order to reign in the gargantuan excesses that deprive our citizens of the help they desperately need, and that will solve the real problems of this country for the all the people of this country?
• Why has our entire civilian law enforcement establishment turned against peaceful demonstrators while protecting the interests of those who are guilty of the very infractions against which the protests are directed? Why are military grade weapons being used in order to subdue a peaceful civilian population?
Enough said. I think I have made my point. But, I have to confess I am utterly mystified as to why we, the aggrieved, allow those we elect to serve us to enjoy privileges, perquisites and the licentious freedoms that we deny ourselves? Why do we defer to political minds and dismiss authoritative minds? For example, global warming and climate change, and the efficacy and need for ever more sophisticated military hardware.
Our academic institutions are replete with people who have made it their life’s passion to acquire the knowledge and expertise necessary to accurately and critically assess all the ramifications of those issues, based on objective and solid evidence. Yet, we dismiss the advice of those very minds and readily accept and acquiesce to what others only think they know. One need only reflect on Dodd-Frank vs. the combined expertise of the finest collection of economic minds in the world that are resident in our colleges and universities.
What happened to the concept of “conflict of interest?” and its relevance to a law-abiding society?
We can play the blame game all we want, but in the final analysis we are where we are because we have brought it on ourselves. The Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government are hopelessly corrupt and self-serving because we have allowed them to engage in such behavior within the conduct of their offices. The more licenses we have allowed them the more blatant they have become in exploiting that trust for their own personal gain. When we no longer have standards to which we hold ourselves, how can we hold anyone else to any meaningful standards? Complacency is, by definition, the abdication of respect for and adherence to those standards.
Is it not now the time for us to take seriously the need to get money out of politics, take back our government and clean up the corruption in order to fairly and justly meet the needs of everyone in this country, and reclaim the revered and trusted place for the United States of America on the world stage in the 21st Century?
Has not the time come to call out the Democratic and Republican parties for what they are? They all feed on the same largesse derived from those who seek to use them in the service of exploiting the people they are supposed to serve. Let’s stop the demagoguery and the charade by those who seek to destroy what so many have worked and died for, all for the sake of their rapacious and insatiable greed. Has not the time come to take control of our own destiny, re-establish honesty in leadership and politics for a nation of people rather than a collection of fragmented and vested interests who don’t give one hoot in hell about those who labor in their service? Has not the time come to simply say “the jig is up,” and go back to a real democracy? We sure as hell can’t stray much further before we sink into the mire of history as just another failed civilization consigned to the history books.
The appetite of the parasite is never satisfied until the host is dead. The acrid stench of decay is in the air.
Cowboy Bob
January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
"No Great Surprise"
For those of you who are concerned about what our government and the two major political parties have done and are doing to us, I strongly recommend you read both of the following articles. They say it ever so much better than I ever could, and they are short and to the point.
'HOW LARRY SUMMERS' MEMO HOBBLED OBAMA'S STIMULUS PLAN" The Obama administration's economic blueprint was fatally flawed: it led to a weak stimulus and premature deficit reduction, by Dean Baker - published on www.commondreams.org on January 25, 2012
'OBAMA'S FAUX POPULISM SOUNDS LIKE BILL CLINTON" by Robert Scheer - published on www.commondreams.org on January 26, 2012
Now there is a rumor floating around that Obama wants to appoint Larry Summers to head the World Bank. Now, I ask you, just how more incestuous can the relationship between Obama, Wall Street, Bill Clinton and all of his former cronies be?
We are being screwed without benefit of kiss, big time, folks. If ever there was a need for a new political party that is the real deal, it is now. Keep an eye on Rocky Anderson and his fledgling new political party, aptly named THE JUSTICE PARTY. Therein just might be our last and best hope.
Except for Dylan Ratigan and Martin Bashir, we can't count on anything but one endless stream of adoration and adulation for Obama by the other mainstream pundits on MSNBC, no matter what he does to us.
Keep well and keep informed.
Cowboy Bob
January 26, 2012
'HOW LARRY SUMMERS' MEMO HOBBLED OBAMA'S STIMULUS PLAN" The Obama administration's economic blueprint was fatally flawed: it led to a weak stimulus and premature deficit reduction, by Dean Baker - published on www.commondreams.org on January 25, 2012
'OBAMA'S FAUX POPULISM SOUNDS LIKE BILL CLINTON" by Robert Scheer - published on www.commondreams.org on January 26, 2012
Now there is a rumor floating around that Obama wants to appoint Larry Summers to head the World Bank. Now, I ask you, just how more incestuous can the relationship between Obama, Wall Street, Bill Clinton and all of his former cronies be?
We are being screwed without benefit of kiss, big time, folks. If ever there was a need for a new political party that is the real deal, it is now. Keep an eye on Rocky Anderson and his fledgling new political party, aptly named THE JUSTICE PARTY. Therein just might be our last and best hope.
Except for Dylan Ratigan and Martin Bashir, we can't count on anything but one endless stream of adoration and adulation for Obama by the other mainstream pundits on MSNBC, no matter what he does to us.
Keep well and keep informed.
Cowboy Bob
January 26, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
Merry Christmas
December 23, 2011
I was going to try and write something profound and inspiring, but my barrel of profundities seems to be empty and the cask of inspiration is dry. So, let me sincerely say that each of you is special in your own way, and you have enriched my life immeasurably. I am enlightened when we disagree and reassured when we agree.
I cannot recall a time in my life when our nation was in such disarray and when corruption was so pervasive and insidious. The bad guys really are in control and they are using every evil means available to warp the minds and demoralize the souls of those who live at their mercy. We really do have to be vigilant and seize every opportunity we can to purge our government and those they serve from the darkest and most sinister forces that seem to have an iron-clad grip on all of the institutions we rely on to keep this country healthy and vibrant, and those on whom we depend by electing them to office in the service of the people.
When human beings are reduced to the subsistence level and survival becomes their preeminent concern, we are not at our best. Let us raise our sights to a higher level, difficult though that may be. Let us see human suffering for what it is and not demonize those whose misfortunes we may not understand and whose burdens we may not appreciate. Let us set aside our own personal preoccupations and ask our Dear Lord to let each of us be an instrument of His will and His loving peace in every facet of our lives. Let us not be swayed by emotions, but enlightened by reason. Let us dedicate ourselves to rebuilding the "we" among us and keeping the "me" within us in perspective. I honestly believe that the better part of our nature does not lie within the physical and material dimensions of our existence but, rather, in the mystery of the spirit within us that we are taught to believe is the essence and the promise of eternal life.
As we join in celebrating the birth of Christ, let us, also, celebrate the magnificence of God's creation that resides within the human soul.
I wish each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with real hope and promise for a better future.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
I was going to try and write something profound and inspiring, but my barrel of profundities seems to be empty and the cask of inspiration is dry. So, let me sincerely say that each of you is special in your own way, and you have enriched my life immeasurably. I am enlightened when we disagree and reassured when we agree.
I cannot recall a time in my life when our nation was in such disarray and when corruption was so pervasive and insidious. The bad guys really are in control and they are using every evil means available to warp the minds and demoralize the souls of those who live at their mercy. We really do have to be vigilant and seize every opportunity we can to purge our government and those they serve from the darkest and most sinister forces that seem to have an iron-clad grip on all of the institutions we rely on to keep this country healthy and vibrant, and those on whom we depend by electing them to office in the service of the people.
When human beings are reduced to the subsistence level and survival becomes their preeminent concern, we are not at our best. Let us raise our sights to a higher level, difficult though that may be. Let us see human suffering for what it is and not demonize those whose misfortunes we may not understand and whose burdens we may not appreciate. Let us set aside our own personal preoccupations and ask our Dear Lord to let each of us be an instrument of His will and His loving peace in every facet of our lives. Let us not be swayed by emotions, but enlightened by reason. Let us dedicate ourselves to rebuilding the "we" among us and keeping the "me" within us in perspective. I honestly believe that the better part of our nature does not lie within the physical and material dimensions of our existence but, rather, in the mystery of the spirit within us that we are taught to believe is the essence and the promise of eternal life.
As we join in celebrating the birth of Christ, let us, also, celebrate the magnificence of God's creation that resides within the human soul.
I wish each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with real hope and promise for a better future.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
Sunday, November 13, 2011
“Vice is Nice, But Incest is Best”
As I have witnessed our system of government in action and the way in which we select the talent for the various positions in that system, it occurred to me that we really haven’t changed all that much since the Founding Fathers signed the papers that set this circus in motion. By what process did they deem that elected officials would, somehow, become the fount of all wisdom and virtue as they set themselves to the task of governing? Why do we so readily acquiesce to elected officials as having all of the knowledge, experience, honesty and integrity necessary to make the heady decisions endemic to our modern world? Why do we allow them to isolate themselves from the real folk of this grand republic, sequester themselves in the hallowed halls of their various branches of government and pander to vested interests for the information that best serves what is required in order to make “informed decisions” on our behalf and for the nation on the world stage?
It seems to me that what has evolved since the infancy of this country is the election of a collection of individuals who are anything but equipped to deal with the affairs of state and domestic health that are the very foundations of what government is all about. To presume political acumen is necessarily synonymous with what it takes to understand issues and make decisions based on evidence seems all rather naïve to me. We have, for all intents and purposes, created a system that is just crying out for compromise on principles and the ability to overlook corruption when it comes to individual integrity. They routinely do things that would not be tolerated by any reasonably good and honest business person.
What kind of business acumen would allow his/her employees to unilaterally determine their compensation and benefit packages, and bless the outcome with absolute authority? Does that make any sense to you? Why do they pass on issues of such monumental complexity and ramifications without having ever consulted experience and expert advice? Doesn’t that seem rather arrogant and self-serving? It is akin to using the barter system as the basis for a contemporary retail business.
What qualifies the Senate and the House to evaluate and rule on complex issues of our day? A general education and background hardly qualifies one for an intelligent, informed assessment of the myriad issues submitted to them for deliberation and action. What qualifies the President to sit in private meetings with the barons of Wall Street, the shysters of the health care industries, those who peddle prescription drugs at vastly inflated prices and still come to terms on issues that are vital to the citizens of this country, and who will be affected for years after those decisions are made? It is a system tailor made for the massive corruption we have today. Is it any wonder that huge amounts of money flow into their coffers in exchange for decisions favorable to their vested interests? It seems that elementary Aristotelian logic would require that good decisions be made on the basis of verifiable facts and sound knowledge. Corruption flourishes on graft. Academicians have the knowledge we require. Peddlers of influence favor the use of shady deals in order to buy the influence they need in order to plunder the taxpayers treasure and fuel their insatiable greed.
This country has some of the finest colleges and universities in the world, staffed by some of the greatest academic minds the world has ever known. Why don’t we require that those who legislate avail themselves of that talent and require that it be applied to the vital issues of the day in this country? Can it be done? You bet it can. All it would take is a good system of checks and balances that would prohibit conflicts of interest, and money in politics. It would, no doubt, prove to be far less costly than the so-called campaign contributions they demand for their services. We need to keep reminding ourselves that they work for us, the people who put them in office and who pay the taxes to support what they are required to do on our behalf. Moreover, we need to insist on a demonstrated ability to provide the leadership we expect before we cast our ballot for the next resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Further, the exalted and omnipotent position enjoyed by the Supreme Court needs to be toned down so they, too, are constantly aware of the fact that their “judgment” does not trump the will of the American people.
I place a lot of stock in leadership. It may well be that one can learn the principles of leadership, but the actual practice of leadership is not only the knowledge of what it is all about, but that rare intuitive ability to make it all happen against the backdrop of what is inherently known to be right and just. Compromise is the stuff of obsequious sycophants, not leaders. Haven’t we had enough of those who pretend to be leaders? Isn’t it time to declare an end to the charade and get back to basics? Isn’t it time to tell all the demagogues that “enough is enough?” Isn’t it time to tell those who seek public office that we hold absolute honesty and integrity paramount for daring to claim the right to represent any and all of us? Isn’t it time to call out all of those who pretend to have mastered the art and science of politics for what they are? Frankly, I am tired of seeing them wrap themselves in mantles of virtue and expect me to trust them? The proof is in the pudding, as the old adage goes, "Actions speak louder than words."
The President of the United States has failed the American people. The House of Representatives and the Senate have failed the American people. The Supreme Court has failed the American people. The entire banking system has failed the American people. The military/industrial complex has failed the American people. The Republican Party has failed the American people. The Democratic Party has failed the American people. The “Tea Party” has failed the American people. Corporate America has failed the American people. The oligarchs and plutocrats have failed the American people. They all swim in the same cesspool of humanity that has brought this nation to the brink of destruction.
No matter how imperfect their movement may be, is it not time for all of us on the sidelines to stand, take off our hats and salute every one in the “Occupy Wall Street” movement for at least recognizing that enough is enough? In my humble pinion, they are the personification of what real democracy is all about.
To paraphrase the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, has not the time come to give new meaning to “Believe none of what we hear and only half of what we see?” Is it not time for us to call out the demagogues who persistently and relentlessly engage in a frontal assault on our finest angels? Haven’t we had enough of their deceptive practices and empty words, and who flaunt our system of laws? Has not the time come for us to tell them to “pack up your tents and steal into the darkness from whence you came?”
The purveyors of hate and violence have no place among peace-loving people. And, it is the peace-loving people who genuinely seek answers to the tough questions that best serve us all and not just the will of a few. Those who labor in the quest for truth and justice are to be revered; those who revel in ignorance are to be pitied.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
November 13, 2011
Support a Constitutional Amendment to “Get Money Out of Politics.”
It seems to me that what has evolved since the infancy of this country is the election of a collection of individuals who are anything but equipped to deal with the affairs of state and domestic health that are the very foundations of what government is all about. To presume political acumen is necessarily synonymous with what it takes to understand issues and make decisions based on evidence seems all rather naïve to me. We have, for all intents and purposes, created a system that is just crying out for compromise on principles and the ability to overlook corruption when it comes to individual integrity. They routinely do things that would not be tolerated by any reasonably good and honest business person.
What kind of business acumen would allow his/her employees to unilaterally determine their compensation and benefit packages, and bless the outcome with absolute authority? Does that make any sense to you? Why do they pass on issues of such monumental complexity and ramifications without having ever consulted experience and expert advice? Doesn’t that seem rather arrogant and self-serving? It is akin to using the barter system as the basis for a contemporary retail business.
What qualifies the Senate and the House to evaluate and rule on complex issues of our day? A general education and background hardly qualifies one for an intelligent, informed assessment of the myriad issues submitted to them for deliberation and action. What qualifies the President to sit in private meetings with the barons of Wall Street, the shysters of the health care industries, those who peddle prescription drugs at vastly inflated prices and still come to terms on issues that are vital to the citizens of this country, and who will be affected for years after those decisions are made? It is a system tailor made for the massive corruption we have today. Is it any wonder that huge amounts of money flow into their coffers in exchange for decisions favorable to their vested interests? It seems that elementary Aristotelian logic would require that good decisions be made on the basis of verifiable facts and sound knowledge. Corruption flourishes on graft. Academicians have the knowledge we require. Peddlers of influence favor the use of shady deals in order to buy the influence they need in order to plunder the taxpayers treasure and fuel their insatiable greed.
This country has some of the finest colleges and universities in the world, staffed by some of the greatest academic minds the world has ever known. Why don’t we require that those who legislate avail themselves of that talent and require that it be applied to the vital issues of the day in this country? Can it be done? You bet it can. All it would take is a good system of checks and balances that would prohibit conflicts of interest, and money in politics. It would, no doubt, prove to be far less costly than the so-called campaign contributions they demand for their services. We need to keep reminding ourselves that they work for us, the people who put them in office and who pay the taxes to support what they are required to do on our behalf. Moreover, we need to insist on a demonstrated ability to provide the leadership we expect before we cast our ballot for the next resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Further, the exalted and omnipotent position enjoyed by the Supreme Court needs to be toned down so they, too, are constantly aware of the fact that their “judgment” does not trump the will of the American people.
I place a lot of stock in leadership. It may well be that one can learn the principles of leadership, but the actual practice of leadership is not only the knowledge of what it is all about, but that rare intuitive ability to make it all happen against the backdrop of what is inherently known to be right and just. Compromise is the stuff of obsequious sycophants, not leaders. Haven’t we had enough of those who pretend to be leaders? Isn’t it time to declare an end to the charade and get back to basics? Isn’t it time to tell all the demagogues that “enough is enough?” Isn’t it time to tell those who seek public office that we hold absolute honesty and integrity paramount for daring to claim the right to represent any and all of us? Isn’t it time to call out all of those who pretend to have mastered the art and science of politics for what they are? Frankly, I am tired of seeing them wrap themselves in mantles of virtue and expect me to trust them? The proof is in the pudding, as the old adage goes, "Actions speak louder than words."
The President of the United States has failed the American people. The House of Representatives and the Senate have failed the American people. The Supreme Court has failed the American people. The entire banking system has failed the American people. The military/industrial complex has failed the American people. The Republican Party has failed the American people. The Democratic Party has failed the American people. The “Tea Party” has failed the American people. Corporate America has failed the American people. The oligarchs and plutocrats have failed the American people. They all swim in the same cesspool of humanity that has brought this nation to the brink of destruction.
No matter how imperfect their movement may be, is it not time for all of us on the sidelines to stand, take off our hats and salute every one in the “Occupy Wall Street” movement for at least recognizing that enough is enough? In my humble pinion, they are the personification of what real democracy is all about.
To paraphrase the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, has not the time come to give new meaning to “Believe none of what we hear and only half of what we see?” Is it not time for us to call out the demagogues who persistently and relentlessly engage in a frontal assault on our finest angels? Haven’t we had enough of their deceptive practices and empty words, and who flaunt our system of laws? Has not the time come for us to tell them to “pack up your tents and steal into the darkness from whence you came?”
The purveyors of hate and violence have no place among peace-loving people. And, it is the peace-loving people who genuinely seek answers to the tough questions that best serve us all and not just the will of a few. Those who labor in the quest for truth and justice are to be revered; those who revel in ignorance are to be pitied.
Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
November 13, 2011
Support a Constitutional Amendment to “Get Money Out of Politics.”
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