“Is It Not Time To Just Get Back To Basics?”

As the aging process claims ever so much more of the life force remaining within all of us, I am, in particular, extremely grateful for every human contact I have had in the course of my journey.  I think of the knowledge, wisdom and insights I have gained from workmates, the casual conversations in the departure lounges of airports, the interactions with seatmates on long, international flights, and the numerous brief encounters with people of all sorts in the course of my everyday life.  There isn’t one who hasn’t made me a better person in some perhaps small, but significant, way.  For all of that, I am most grateful.

My treasure trove of lifetime memories with real people is far more important and valuable than what I see with a current generation totally fixated on electronic devices that enables them to tune out everyone around them and engage in some sort of perverted communication with another humanoid who shares their aversion to the life blood, soul and storehouse of life’s experiences with someone who has lived.  Little do they know they are much the poorer for it?  One of my rules for daily living is that I forbid the use of those devices in my company and I will leave the room if anyone fails to respect me and who violates that precondition.  Does it bother me?  Not one bit. 

I have written a lot about my concerns regarding all that is happening to our country, those in public office sworn to serve us, the people, and the ever-increasing exploitation of the human condition and the most vulnerable among us.  Given what I see, I take no reassurance that much of what I have written has probably fallen on blind eyes.  We have finally reached the pinnacle of corruption on a grand scale, from every institution of government, the entire financial empire and the corporate capitalists whose only goal in life is to pillage and plunder as much as possible of what they no longer need, but simply covet from a pathological and out-of-control need for money and power. 

People seem to have reached the point where they are willing to gamble on what the future holds for all of us, so long as they get all they can as quickly as possible, the rest of humanity be damned.  They rationalize their own greed with abandon.  They demonize those who are having a tough time just making ends meet.   But, so long as I have more than I need, who really cares?  What difference does it make?  Globalization, global warming, environmental pollution, disparity in wealth and the basic necessities of life, human dignity and worth, governments that steal with much more skill than they govern, etc.  Who cares?  They seem to simply ignore the mountains of scientific knowledge that is shouting to the rooftops – “What is coming down on us is a one-way street.  It cannot be reversed.  It will, eventually, bite us all in the backside.  Get real!”  The answer is dead silence.  Live for the moment.  Have fun and be happy – in all its self-indulgent and perverted forms.  We are quickly becoming economically, politically and socially bankrupt. 

The fact that virtually every facet of our government and the hoards of parasites that bleed it for all they can get are self-evident.  Secrecy and discretion long ago gave way to blatant disregard for any form of public morality or standards of honest conduct.  Go for broke, the bottom-feeders living on the edge be damned! 

Every sullied and tarnished form of private and public commerce is regarded as fair game.  Nothing is off limits.  Just look at our paralyzed government comfortably ensconced in our nation’s capitol and the surrounding environs of all those hoping the established hierarchy will throw them a crumb once in a while.  But, the average person seems to be hell-bent on giving them all a free pass.  Is it because they cannot fathom the seriousness of what they are doing to us, or is it because they are simply too passive and complacent to expend the time and energy to even try?   

The nomenclature for the standards governing ethical, moral and honest behavior is really quite simple and easily understood.  The following definitions are courtesy of Merriam-Webster.  Permit me:

·        Common:  of or relating to a community at large.

·        Common sense:  sound and prudent judgment based on a single perception of the situation or facts.

·        Conflict of interest:  a conflict between the private interests and the official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust.

·        Credible: offering reasonable grounds for being believed.

·        Integrity:  firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values

·        Simplicity:  the state of being simple, uncomplicated or uncompounded; freedom from pretense or guile; directness of expression; restraint in ornamentation.

·        Transparency:  the quality or state of being transparent.

·        Trust:  assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed.

The above list is, by no means, exhaustive but it does show that the indicators for being genuine, honest and forthright are not complicated but, rather, quite simple.  Why do those in public service seem to have such an aversion to adopting them?

I recall an English professor I had in college.  She was a middle aged woman, rather buxom, with flaming red hair and very animated.  She had done her doctoral thesis by living among the “Alaskan Sourdoughs.”  On the first day of class she made it abundantly clear that she most treasured the art and grace of simplicity.  As she said, “I am not the least bit interested in your attempts to impress me with your ability to manipulate the English language.  So, when you are inclined to convey to me your ability to perambulate down the boulevard, will you kindly just walk down the gawd damned street?”  I have tried to remain true to the spirit of that bit of wisdom.   

At some point, it seems to me that the average person has to become so saturated with being exploited and patronized by a ruling elite that they will say, “enough is enough,” and start to move this country in the right direction. 

Honesty and all its manifestations are not difficult to understand nor apply with a certain facility.  Those who would continue to deceive us, the populace, need to reflect on that fundamental tenet and assess who they are and where they are in the grand scheme of things before it all comes back to bite them in the ass, as it surely will.

Have you noticed that the so-called political parties operating on the fringe and that are vociferous during the campaigns for national political office, fall silent the minute the polls are closed and the votes are counted?  Where are they now and what are is their game plan?  Don’t they have a thought in their heads that just might help to raise questions about and put in place the means to change the complexion of this country, and become active change agents for all they profess and want us to be?

Where are the Green Party, Rocky Anderson and the Justice Party, and Buddy Roemer and the Freedom Party, with all of their prominent spokespeople?  Can’t they see what is happening to this country?  Why do they, and we, have to wait for the next election cycle?  Time has not stood still, as far as I can see.  Surely they still have a definitive role to play on myriad issues constantly before the people of this country.  If nothing else they can help to keep us informed, educated and sufficiently agitated to want to do something meaningful about what is going on.  

Did their ideas for a few new and, hopefully better political parties simply vanish when the polls closed?  Did they become devoid of any original thought when the votes were counted, only to wait another four years before they raised their heads in protest once again?  Are they more interested in public office than public service?  If so, we should rethink what they are all about and look for better alternatives.  It is an inescapable fact of life that this country must have some courageous, committed and determined political parties to seriously challenge the alliance of Republicanism and Democrats that have

a strangle-hold on the nation, its people and all we cherish.   

This country has the finest collection of universities, colleges and think tanks imaginable.  Therein lays one of our greatest resources that never seem to be called upon to commit to the service of this country and its people.  Their knowledge, alone, would vaporize the massive corruption and obscene wealth that keeps most of us in a constant state of living on the edge, with each passing day more of us falling into the abyss of abject poverty and despair.  Surely some force, or collection of forces, can mobilize them into getting us to move toward a better future.

What is preventing us from calling on the rank and file citizens of this country to serve on purpose-built commissions to study issues, and refine and revitalize the means for making it all happen?  When the purpose(s) have been resolved, they pack up their bags and go back to the lives they lived before.  Squatters rights on any government service, with the speed and skill they use to corrupt the system and lace their pockets with the money, perquisites and all of the under-the-table favors they incur never stop engaging in patently illegal and self-serving practices.  Most of that could and should be stopped forthwith and without further adieu! 

Just imagine how refreshing it would be to silence all of those orators who bore us with their deceptive practices that they have mastered so well, and serve up to us every day of our lives?  Just having a respite from Diane Feinstein’s political drawl would be a welcome relief.  Taking God from the Tea Party and putting their genie back in the bottle would be like a breath of fresh air blowing over the parched lands of the Western United States.

The political establishment has made “compromise” a dirty word.  It is a euphemism for lacing their pockets at the expense of the taxpayers.  They have been accorded far too much deference, secrecy, money and power for that not to have happened. 

All of those of you who have risen to the pinnacle of your professions and vocations, and who have this country at heart, have a moral obligation to get off your duffs, enlist agents of change and turn this sad state of affairs around.  To do less is an indictment of you and all that you represent.  A first step, and a crucial step, would be to publicly call out the crooks on Wall Street and in Washington, D.C., and reintroduce them to all the virtues subsumed under accountability, public service and public trust; how to recognize them, how to acquire them and how to practice them.  You certainly have the law on your side.   

At the end of the day, “Absolute freedom, if not nurtured, will become the barbaric state.”  That is a dimple fact of life and, sadly, I fear we are perilously close to having arrived at that point, or we already have given up and are prepared to let the chips fall where they may. 

This country and its entire people are made of good stuff.  The spirit of ’76 still courses through our veins.  It is time to revisit that fact, breath new life into it and put it back into service for everyone.

Virtue will always be found in simplicity and basic human decency, the spin doctors not withstanding. 

Cowboy Bob

The Sagebrush Philosopher

August 7, 2013  

 

         

     

“How Much Longer Can We Ignore the Storm Clouds?” 

This was originally intended to be a tribute to Michael Hastings, the young investigative reporter who was recently taken from his family by one or more unnamed assailants who did not like his skill as a reporter and a truth teller.  Am I suggesting some sinister force?  I don’t rule that out.  When our Commander-in-Chief can order the assassination of nameless and faceless individuals through the use of unmanned drones, then I most assuredly don’t regard it as a stretch that Michael could have been a marked man by the same dark forces who stood to be called out by him, as well.  He was one of a kind, which is further underscored by coverage in the main stream media that completely ignored his passing.  But, what can you expect from paragons of independence and integrity such as the bill of fare we get from the “schmooze” merchants, all of which are subsumed under the label of news organizations that exist more to advocate for adversaries of the people than to serve the need to be the informed and active citizens our democracy demands.  They all hold themselves out as legitimate news organizations.  The substitute we, the public, got from most of them was repeated coverage of the recent loss of James Gandolfini who wowed us with his acting prowess in “The Sopranos.”  Hardly a valid comparison to Michael Hastings, if you ask me. 

Michael was in a league shared by few like him.  But he could boast of being part of an elite club of some of the finest minds, clearest consciences and most professionally honest to rightfully claim a special place in the ranks of journalistic excellence in today’s world.  There are others who deserve no less recognition, but I will leave that to others to make that determination for themselves.   

Then we have the ceremonial washing of hands by the military court that prepared for the crucifixion of Bradley Manning, to be followed by Edward Snowden and Glen Greenwald if they can round up enough kangaroos to fill a couple of court rooms.  Don’t laugh.  This may be more prophetic than poetic.  Only time will tell.

I have reached the point where any pretense of deference to those we have elected or appointed to public office would be a sham.  They are simply no longer credible, and their blatant disregard for the will of the people only grows by the day.  The admirers of President Obama continue to give him a free pass on everything.  In just the last few days he has “surprised” us with an announcement about proposing a reduction in the corporate tax rate in order to “stimulate job growth.”  That was preceded by his announcement that he was going to appoint Larry Summers to head the Federal Reserve; one of the most notorious and shady operators to ever reside in Barack Obama’s and Bill Clinton’s previous administrations, not to mention a stint within the hallowed halls of Harvard University.  As the old adage goes, it isn’t what you know; it is who you know and how much you are willing to cough up.  I further predict, when the evil deed becomes reality, the American people will simply shrug their shoulders and give him another pass.  That is pretty much the standard for the attention span that reels around our heads on a routine basis.  The malaise endemic in the population staggers the human mind.  I am persuaded that the populace simply no longer cares about the plight of others so long as they get what they want, the common and collective good be damned.

History usually reflects a trend of civilizations progressing from a lower state of being to a higher state through the process of evolution.  Sadly, I don’t see much evidence of that these days.  There is no shame in what we do and what we tolerate from some of the most skilled and tarnished hucksters this country has ever seen.  There isn’t one branch of government, elected or appointed, that is not firmly in the hip pockets of vast wealth and corporate capitalists.  They are blatant about their loyalties, simply ignoring the will of the people in exchange for the going rate for their services to those who have captured, and now hold hostage, virtually every aspect of what is left of our democracy.  Lying has been elevated to a new art form. 

Despite their persistent efforts to convince us otherwise, the corporate and establishment spin doctors will never relent in their efforts to convince us that the “free enterprise” economic model is actually what it is.  It is the device that those who feed on the flesh of the population use to rationalize the continued pillage and plunder of the resources of this country.  They will persist in their efforts to wrench from the hands of the “true believers” any other claims to ownership by the average citizens of this country.  The “free enterprise” model is the best tool the oligarchs, plutocrats and corporate capitalists have at their disposal in order to discredit any other superior model for equitably distributing the wealth of this nation.  It is not and never will be accepted as the sole tool they will continue to use in order to feed the gluttonous appetites and the insatiable greed of those who want us to believe the nations’ wealth rightfully belongs to them based on no other rationale than their station in life.  Pure, unmitigated hogwash if you ask me.      

·        The Executive Branch of our government is owned completely by those to whom they are beholden because of all they have commandeered and for all they have taken for their loyalty and services.  Their actions are simply no longer consistent with their words.  No one is more skilled at that slight of hand than the President.  What is he?  Is he the water boy for the rich and powerful?  Is he a Democrat or a Republican?  One need only catch a glimpse of those whose company he keeps and the answer becomes self-evident.

·        The Legislative Branch doesn’t even try to be subtle about the extent to which they have been bought by vested interests whose actions are diametrically opposed to the will of the people who elected them to office.  Where can you go to find a motlier bunch that is as skilled at peddling a bunch of religious nonsense in an attempt to convince the electorate that they have “God” on their side?  What rational mind would even remotely consider that any of them have the slightest connection to the Deity?  What do they do vs. what they say they are going to do?  And for whom?  Nobody has elevated the art and science of deception and self-serving practices to the pinnacle of personal gain more than those who lay claim to the honor of “serving the people.”   

·        The Judicial Branch has found it much more interesting and rewarding to legislate than to adjudicate.  Ah, the intoxicating influence of power in all its sullied forms!  They are a disgrace to all they pretend to be.  Subtlety and finesse, obviously, isn’t a part of their armamentaria.       

·        Then there is the massive urban sprawl over the vast countryside of Virginia, Maryland and suburban Washington.  They are the ones who dutifully and loyally serve those elected to office in their efforts to seize just a modicum of the power they covet, as well.  It is from this vast reservoir of righteousness that they ply their trade in entrapping and crucifying those who dare to tell us, the people who pretend to own this country, the truth of what they, and their mentors, are really doing in the name of our “national interest.”  And, if that isn’t a healthy shovel-full of pure bull puckey, I don’t know what is.  In the meantime, our real heroes suffer the agonies of the damned for simply being honest and transparent, virtues their persecutors profess but can’t even begin to comprehend.     

    

The underpinnings of what we are today were spawned by a “cowboy” mentality from the earliest stages of the evolution of what this country has become.  The caricature of the frontiersmen, with gun in hand, subduing the natives is the personification of what we seem to revere to this very day.  Where, I ask you, are the merits of allowing those who covet great wealth and power to completely exploit the human condition and reduce the people of this country to the subsistence level, all for the sake of ever more and more of what this country has to offer and what they have deemed belongs to them?  Has human life and dignity become just another expendable resource for the engines of greed and avarice that we simply accept without protest? 

The “frontier” vanished a long time ago.  What we have today belongs to all the citizens of this country.  No one, mind you, has the right to lay claim to one scintilla of what this nation has to offer, by virtue of inherited wealth, personal investment or family pedigree.  Those who labor under this notion need to pause, for just a moment, and realize that what this country is all about is not “yours” but “ours.”  It is under common ownership by us all.  This country is community property and it is high time those who delude themselves into believing otherwise need to come to terms with this inescapable fact of life. 

It is time to stop expecting other rational human beings to simply accept that you are the rightful custodians.  You are what you are, and I rather suspect that “God” in all his manifestations would be hard-pressed to claim any of those who think they are privileged and rightfully entitled to the lion’s share of all this country has to offer.  Stop using virtue for your own greedy pursuits.  Start revering your Creator and His message of “What you do for the least of my brethren, you also do for Me.”  That message is there for all of us, not locked away somewhere on Wall Street, Constitution Avenue and the other environs of those who still believe they are the “chosen ones.” 

The frontier mentality died with the Frontier.  Get used to it.  Today belongs to all of us.  The time is upon us to accept the principles of social democracy; that whatever the public depends on must, by definition, be owned by the public it serves, not private investors.  The Bank of North Dakota has given us an excellent example to follow.  It works for the people of that state and, frankly, I see no reason why it shouldn’t work for all of us.  Given where we are today, I don’t see how that could be anything but a quantum leap forward.   

Let’s shut down the bull puckey machine and return to the virtues of truth, honesty and a belief in the inherent decency and wisdom in the collective will of the people.  Then, let us set ourselves to the task of building a society that will respect and deliver on the goods --- for all of us. 

It is time to take hold of the rudder on this Ship of State, turn it around and make it work for all of us.  We have the power and the will to make it happen.  If we succeed we may realize that there are better ways for all of us.  If we fail because of our complacency, we have only ourselves to thank for the disastrous consequences that are coming at us, at meteoric speed.  The Founders of this country gave us the means to be a great nation and a great people.  Let’s use those means, not only for our sake, but for the sake of generations yet to come.  Money is not the means for getting there.  Rather, it is the decency inherent in the very fiber of what we are as a people.  I think the time has come to revisit some of those principles, don’t you?

Cowboy Bob

aka The Sagebrush Philosopher

August 2, 2013     

"It Is Only We, And Not Me, Who Can Make It Better"

Looking over the current landscape of the United States I am struck by the many different versions of how “things are beginning to look up” for the country, as a whole. The number of new jobs is increasing, the stock market is active and on a positive upswing and the housing market is rebounding. Yet, when I drive around, taking the time and effort to look at what I see, I am struck at how wide the disparity seems to be in these different takes on the situation. I see the poor more disenfranchised. I see the housing market rebounding for those who can afford to buy, but less reasonable rentals available for those who cannot. I see small businesses on the rise with darkened windows and no sign of life. There is a wide disparity between what I hear and what I see.

Another indicator of the dichotomy between what we may want to see vs. what exists in reality is the growing complacency and malaise that seems to be on the increase throughout our society. There seems to be an growing sense of hopelessness. People appear to care less and less about issues that used to incur their ire. There is little or no outrage over a nation that seems to have forgotten the growing numbers of those who find themselves in the backwaters, without jobs that pay a decent wage and without the social safety nets of unemployment insurance, food stamps and other forms of relief that have been the margin of safety for those who look to a caring society in order to help them over the rough spots. There is almost a pervasive notion that, “as long as I have what mine; frankly I don’t care what circumstances you find yourself in.”

I am reminded of the fable of the general who said, “As long as the troops are bitching, I don’t worry. It is when they stop that I do.” As long as people blithely accept their lot in life, without protest, there seems to be no cause for concern. That, also, bothers me.

People on the bottom rungs of the economic and social ladder have been there for a protracted period of time. All indicators are that their place in the pecking order has been on a downward trend for far too long, and it is only getting worse. The system is not working for them. It is working for those who have the most and it is broken for those who have the least. How much longer are we, as a people and as a society going to tolerate this imbalance?

How much longer are we going to continue on the trajectory where we find ourselves before we accept the reality that we have a social, economic and political system that exists for the sole purpose of enhancing the wealth and power of the very few at the expense of the majority? When is the complacency going to become outrage?

The stuff of fairy tales that peddles the myth that “wishing will make it so,” defies the most elementary logic. Like it or not, we have an economic, social and political system that is owned and orchestrated by those who stand to gain the most from the continued exploitation and outright plunder of the least among us.

The criminal behavior of our financial systems, corporate power that exists by authority of the state and the political process that exists by authority of the privileged few have all turned their backs on those they are sworn to serve. They have abandoned the very ones who put them where they are, either directly or by outright collusion among them. The minute the last vote is counted in elections, they begin to focus on the next round and begin to formulate the next agenda for taking care of those who paid them to work on their behalf, all the while summarily ignoring all of those who gave them the position and power to act for the common good. And, they do it without one scintilla of shame or even the meek appearance of doing what they should be doing. They take care of themselves and their cronies at public expense, all the while simply ignoring the seat of power from which their authority came --- the people. Where can you go to look for a better deal than that?

The system is broken. It is not working and there is no serious effort to fix it. The longer it remains broken, the more we pay to have it fixed so it can, in the final analysis, simply work more effectively to disenfranchise the people. How, I ask you, can anyone possibly believe that is a democracy? A better fit is to pitch any faint belief that what we have is a democracy and call it what it is --- an oligarchy. I have to ask myself if that is what the Founding Fathers intended? I am inclined to wonder with the passage of time.

Then, to further complicate things, we have the massive influence of the religious lunatics that profess to have an inside track with “God,” none of which can be empirically proven. They are quoted with a hollow fervor in order to further intimidate those who still place hope and confidence in a system that has totally abandoned them? As my departed Grandfather once opined, “If a man waves a bible in your face, keep your back to the wall.” Not bad advice in these uncertain and perilous times.

I have a growing mistrust of all the new billionaires who now profess to be resident experts in every facet of our existence. Do those whose entire body of knowledge rests in computer science, plus all of the associated gadgets and programs they produce, really acquire, by some form of osmosis, all that it takes to be a true intellectual and a fount of all wisdom for the human race? When do they cease to be technicians and become thinking, rational and compassionate human beings? Aren’t they some of our most adamant supporters of free enterprise and privatization among us? Aren’t they the ones who are advocating the wholesale disembowelment of public services so private contractors can get their hooks on those assets and make, you got it, another mass killing at taxpayers and citizens expense? Look at our system of “privatized” prisons and “privatized” parking meter systems and assess how they work. Look at how the contracts are written to favor them and penalize the taxpayers. Look at how they operate almost free of any meaningful constraints and ask yourself, “How does this benefit the community and how does it benefit me, the taxpayer?” Those, folks, do not require the mental faculties of a rocket scientist. All it takes is a modicum of common sense. At the end of the day, these people are focused on one thing and that is how to make as much money as possible, with the least amount of personal investment and a minimal investment in the human equation.  A major fall out from all of this is a massive number of humanoids that is soul dead. Nobody is home.

As long as we remain complacent and paralyzed about doing something meaningful to turn this tragic situation around, it simply isn’t going to get better; it is only going to get worse. Until there is a genuine effort made to conduct a complete audit of our system of government and how effectively it is working for the people now, it will only continue to be paralyzed by chaos. You can’t get from point “A” to point “B” without a road map to guide you. Flying by the seat of our pants isn’t going to get us there. The rule of law must be our bedrock; the will of the people must be the principle that guides us and complete transparency must be the perspective from which we view and evaluate it.

From my perspective on a government that is supposed to be serving us at this point in time:

• The Executive Branch is broken.
• The Legislative Branch is broken.
• The Judicial Branch is broken.
• The Press serves power; not the people.

It is time to put the Ship of State in dry dock, make it seaworthy once again, set our national compass on a course that will serve the people, and become a beacon to the rest of the world that it is not rooted in war, but peace, that makes us great. Foremost, however, it is basic human decency among equals that gives us purpose.

At the end of the day, respect can only be earned; it can never be commanded. Collegial relationships are what make it flourish, not fear.

It is time to think in terms of “we” and not “me.”

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
July 14, 2013

“Nobody Reveres Power More Than Americans” and "Money is Power"

If one chooses to look at the phenomenon of power in the fabric and history of the United States, it is readily apparent that we, as a people, revere and defer to power. We seem to vicariously share in the exercise of power, in all its manifestations, whenever and wherever it is visible and apparent. Individually, we may have little or no power, but we waste no time or the expenditure of effort in deferring to power which, in most instances, becomes manifest by great wealth.

We presume that if one has great wealth they, ipso facto, are due the same deference as raw power. Historically, the great fortunes in American history have wasted no time in coming to that conclusion, and have used their wealth to exercise undue influence and power over the affairs of the nation. It has continued, unabated, from the moment each and every one of them has been duly registered in Dunn & Bradstreet.

However, as patently apparent the excesses of wealth (power) become, we seem to have an ingrained need, as a people, to accord it the deference the holders of same believe is their rightful due just because they have amassed fortunes that, contrary to public opinion, does not buy them the respectability they would have us believe they have acquired, no matter how ill-gotten their gains may be. From that flows a level of arrogance that would boggle the minds of the most astute among us. Just look at the sad state of affairs that exist in our society, our economy and our government. Need I say more?

We are owned lock, stock and barrel by oligarchs, plutocrats, bankers, financiers, corporate capitalists, entertainment personalities, and a government that seems to believe they have risen to a level of omnipotence beyond question simply by exercising their ability to steal with aplomb and manifest a degree of arrogance that precludes question and accountability from those who have entrusted them with the mantle of public duty and responsibility.

Before we take this further, let us reflect on some significant historical facts that we, Americans, have consigned to history because of our love for power:

Look what we, settlers from other continents, did to Native Americans who rightfully claimed this  country as their lands. Look at how we murdered them, herded them onto reservations and, with  the aid of a gun, consigned them to being perceived as savages who were incapable of being   integrate into the broader social fabric, and become respected citizens of a society that had beencarved out for the rest of us. To this day they are consigned to some of the poorest real estate  on the continent, only to become very much second-class citizens living their lives in abject poverty.This may only have come about through the superiority of firearms against bows and arrows.Where, today, are the oligarchs who could (and should) invest in their futures and lift them out of poverty in order to become rightful citizens and equal among the rest of us? Show me one.

Look at the barbaric behavior and power of the NRA and its role in the slaughter that occurs every day and in every venue in the Unites States.

Look at how we defer and pony up with our tax dollars for massive amounts and types of arms to ensure our military establishment is the largest and most up-to-date in the world. How many of those great innovations that soar through the skies above us and sail on the seas of the world have ever actually seen combat where the value of our investment was actually put to the test? I rather imagine the real winners in this vignette are, you got it, the super-rich. With all those in our government and military establishment it was, for them like taking candy from the proverbial baby.  And we, the people, willingly complied as we always seem to do.

Look at how Wall Street and the entire financial establishment fleeced the American people to underwrite their plunder of massive amounts of money from the coffers of the nation. None have been indicted, prosecuted or incarcerated because of their criminal behavior. And, you can bet your“bippy” that   none of them will pay for their crimes now or into the far distant future. The book is ckosed on that one.

The super-rich of every ilk own every aspect of our government, our economy and the resources (material, financial and human) that go into it. We have an entire system of government that, save for a few outstanding individuals; thumb their noses at all of us who have elected them to office. Every one of the branches of those who serve in the various institutions that are, ostensibly, there to do the “people’s business” have achieved a level of arrogance that boggles the human mind. They not only dismiss us, they simply ignore us as they dutifully serve as the faithful minions of those who ply them with massive amounts of money to keep them in office and line the pockets of those who make their continued viability possible.

There is a dedicated effort in this country to “get money out of politics,” and they are doing a laudable job, but it is an uphill climb. We not only need to get money out of politics, but we need to revamp the system to make it virtually impossible for that wealth to influence the lives and viability of all those who serve on our behalf in government. Authority must be returned to the people of this country and that can only come about by making it virtually impossible for those who see themselves as the top “x” percent of the population; however they may choose to define their favored status in the pecking order of wealth and affluence.

No matter how much they would have us believe otherwise, they are simply another, albeit poor example, of H. Sapiens.  They, too, will lie on their death beds just like the rest of us, but will be remembered for what and by whom?  A legacy of greed, avarice and self-indulgence at the expense of the society in which they lived?  Somehow, that all rings rather hollow and is a pathetic legacy, at best.  Compare that to all that is left by the legions of selfless people who, throughout the ages, have worked tirelessly to make this world a better place for all of us.   

I would encourage people to take the off-ramps to a few of America’s small towns and take in the vacant homes, the boarded-up store fronts, the empty schools and hospitals and all the indications of decay. Then, remind yourselves of the fact that each of these towns was, at one time, a viable place for people to live secure lives and to be an integral part of a real community. They worked together, socialized together, played together and took care of each other. It was a valued and cherished way of life. It was supported by what might have been a small, but viable, industrial base that provided jobs to underwrite that way of life for a great many good and decent people. However, with the so-called progressive evolution of society and the insatiable greed of big business and the vast wealth behind each, they ultimately wither and die. But, let us remember, also, that each of those people had a legitimate stake in the success of that industrial base and all that made that particular town possible. Those factories have been dismantled or closed, moved overseas to cheaper labor markets, and the owners of those enterprises pocketed the spoils, shaved all they could off their tax obligations and squirreled the proceeds away in foreign banks so they could further deprive those towns and, indeed, the nation of the portion that rightfully belonged to them. The stake is more than just a paycheck to those who worked there. They, too, have a legitimate stake in those business ventures that rightfully belongs to them as much to those who financed them. It is a symbiotic relationship that is the only decent and right thing to support. Money conveniently forgets that obligation, but their self-interests do not negate that simple fact of civilized life in these United States.

As you drive out of those towns, reflect on what you have seen and the tragic end to what was once the backbone of this country. Then, take the next off-ramp and reflect yet once again on the next one. It may bring sadness to your heart, but it will bring reality to your soul.

Have you noticed, in today’s vernacular, there are those who “work” for a living and whose numbers are causing the unemployment statistics to swell, and those who own the enterprises that once were the workplaces for those who committed to the life and success of those enterprises. I would submit to the reader that there is something much more noble to “working for a living,” than laying claim to the plunder and exploitation of all those who honestly gave of themselves for a fair share of what this nation has to offer.

Those who call themselves “owners” in reality only develop and exploit the resources of this country. It is the “workers” who give life and meaning to those resources, making the world a bit better for all of us. I have to confess to an inherent contempt for those who have mastered the art of exploitation, thievery and the absence of any remorse, whatsoever, for all they have brought down on the heads of every American to whom they should not only be beholden, but to whom they should be eternal grateful. You owe it to those people to pay your taxes, share your bounty and assume your fair share of the responsibility for making this system honest and one that works for all of us. To do otherwise is a national shame of gigantic proportions for which you will be called to task, eventually. Moreover, every corrupt public official who has served as your enabler will, also, atone for his/her transgressions in ways I rather suspect they cannot even imagine. I happen to believe in Divine Justice but I, also, believe in fate that may have nothing to do with a deity. However, as the old adage goes, “the chickens will always come home to roost.”

Now, those who are the most burdened by the corruption and greed of business, banking, government and wealth have to assume their share of the responsibility, as well. As has been said, “Talk is cheap.” The people must unite in an effort to right the wrongs of the past and restore integrity, honesty and credibility to those who we put in office to serve us and, yes, the nation in which we live.

We must insist on standards of basic conduct that clearly underscores our values in a system that is free of conflicts of interests. Those standards must embody the means and the methods for taking to task all of those who have the audacity to presume that what rightfully belongs to all of us is, instead, their private booty to be used and consumed as they see fit. They have lost sight of the fact that their very souls are dark and tarnished, shrouded in shame and, yes, finite. What one sows, one also reaps.

As the wealthy and privileged presume the power of their fortunes confers on them the right to exercise inordinate power over all those they exploit, they are not on the side of the average citizen. They do not perceive you as human beings who have an inherent sense of worth that is of tremendous value to the societies in which we live. Rather, you are the fodder for their canons. You are the expendable resources whose lives aren’t worth a plug nickel. Your misery and suffering are just part of the homage of deference you are expected to pay them for all of the misfortunes they command from you and all they plunder in the name of their ill-conceived notions of “success.”

If they dare to presume their material wealth is a legitimate form of power to be exercised in their total focus on more, more and more, has not the time come for you, by your very humanity to take stock of the power that is yours and to assess whatever means you have at your disposal and confront their power with yours? Know full well that a preponderance of the established “peace” officers are their minions, not your advocates. Know that your power is much more arduous and an uphill battle, but it takes organization and determination for it to take root and to be noticed. Passive resistance and peaceful demonstration is what gives you and your cause legitimacy within the broader context of society. That is a respected and honored use of power, not violence.

The time is upon all of us to draw a line in the sand. No more cut backs in social programs and the safety nets the downtrodden have every right to expect. It is time to re-empower organized labor. It is time to think of publicly owned businesses that are not only the property of all of us, but are fully committed to serving all of us, as well. We need to re-direct our resources to eliminating hunger among our underprivileged. It is time to remove the stigma from hunger and poverty that has been brought down upon us by a class of privileged and powerful people that simply no longer care about us, the body politic. They need to be reminded, over and over again that, at the end of the day this country belongs to us and, if they are to remain viable within the context of our society, they must respond to all our needs first, not just theirs.

There is no shame in being a good and decent person. Albeit, you may lack the creature comforts of the upper and privileged class but, from my own experience, I have met far more vulgar, decadent, dishonest, greedy and power-hungry people in urban executive suites than I ever did on the ranges, ranches and in the small towns of the Rocky Mountain West. None can ever convince me that the heart and soul of this country and throughout the world does not rest with the common people. Those who delude themselves into thinking otherwise do so at their own folly. At the end of the day they are nothing more than tramps with money. The human backbone of America needs to exercise the power and determination to remind them of that fact, and hold them to their part of the bargain in the social contract.

The United States of America is a concept. It is the embodiment of what the country should strive to be and what all of those who claim citizenship should honor. We all should hold near and dear to our hearts the sincere belief that it is not up for sale to the highest bidder. Rather, it is a system of beliefs that transcends any measure of monetary value and, therefore, has no price tag.

May it always be a concept that is “ours” that is embodied in the very souls of the common people of the United States? We need to be aware of the fact that is why we have no royalty, no aristocracy and no titled gentry. It is a sacred trust we inherited from those who have sacrificed and gone before us, and one that we are sworn to defend and uphold – a spirit that is eternal.

You can make a difference. You can change the course of this country. It is up to all of us to bear this burden and to share in the obligations that go with it. We all share in the responsibility for making this a better place for us to live. However, it is a formidable task and something that none of us should take lightly.

I think it is time to demonstrate a common resolve that will turn this “ship of state,” around into a brighter sun, and with the winds at our back.

More to follow.

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
June 30, 2013

"How prophetic are the words of Lord Acton, famous British Historian?"

June 14, 2013

Given the maelstrom created by the recent revelations of the outrageous conduct by our national intelligence apparatus and its army of politicos and minions, the famous words of Lord Action seem rather appropriate:

'POWER TENDS TO CORRUPT; ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY."

I would like to append the above with a quote from my blog posted on February 6, 2011 ---

"Trust, like the soul, never returns once it is gone."

Is it any wonder that the approval ratings for our political establishment in Washington, D.C. are so fractured and tenuous?  I tend to agree with the growing number of astute minds who have suggested that, perhaps, it is time to rethink the merits of a third political party.  The growing cost to the country of the current monopoly on political power by the two mainstream parties that dominate the national scene seems rather prophetic, doesn't it?  .  

Cowboy Bob

aka The Sagebrush Philosopher

“Let’s Transform Our Complacency and Fear into Resolve and Determination”

As my kids would say, “In the olden days,” when I was in the United States Navy, there were certain organizations with which we were told not to have any contact. I respected that admonition and never gave it another thought. One of those organizations was The John Birch Society.

Many years later, married and starting a family, it was brought to my attention that this particular organization was having a convention in a nearby city that was open to the public. I discussed it with my wife, reminding her of the caution I had received some years earlier. We decided that there was always something to be learned if we remained detached and critically evaluated whatever message might be forthcoming. It was in that spirit we ventured into their world. No, it had absolutely nothing to do with law enforcement officers dedicated to the conservation of the nation’s birch trees. It was clearly political.

We dutifully took our place in the back of the room on the outside chance that we might have to make a hasty retreat for the sake of protecting a sound mind and a reasonably intact body. When our eyes adjusted to the lighting, rather than seeing a hoard of neo-Nazis in brown shirts or card-carrying communists, they resembled us and many of our family and friends. They were dressed in casual clothes, many of whom were obviously from rural parts of the country. They were well groomed and quite friendly. None shouted slogans or raised closed fists. My antennae reminded me to be very careful lest my principles be corrupted or compromised, consigning me and my wife to eternal purgatory.

To be sure, their message was politically conservative which had little or no appeal to either of us, given our steadfast allegiance to causes all “liberal” and “progressive.” However, there was one subject that fascinated me. It was a discussion of an international secret organization of those who had the means, the desire and the will to, essentially, control the world. Their label was “Bilderbergs;” a world order that was in the business of furthering and protecting the massive wealth and power of the elites of, primarily, Europe. That bit of information was, in and of itself, rather daunting.

We left that gathering quite secure in the knowledge that we were firmly in the camp of some of America’s most enlightened and progressive citizens, with absolutely no interest in getting involved with this particular group. But we, also, knew that we should keep a watchful eye and ear out for anything having to do with the Bilderberg’s. I never gave it another thought until June 5, 2013 when I read an article about them, including a roster of their members. Much to my surprise, there was a plethora of familiar names from the ranks of the rich and powerful in Europe, plus a notable number of Americans from similar backgrounds.

I learned a long time ago that, when dealing with information that is emotionally charged and tinged with conspiracy theories, there are three fundamental questions that must be asked if one is to maintain a respectable posture of objectivity and a critical eye.

1. The first question: “Is this the truth?”
2. The second question: “Is this false?”
3. The third question: “Is it plausible?”

If the answer to either of the first two is “No” then be deeply concerned, or don’t let it clutter your mind or cloud your judgment. If, however, the answer to the third is “Yes” then it warrants keeping an open mind and critically evaluating anything tangential to the issue pending further information that might either corroborate or refute the fundamental premise.

Can you imagine my astonishment when I saw that the Bilderbergs were, indeed, still very much a part of our world order and seemed to have managed to keep much the same roster of members from the wealthy, powerful and influential that had been a part of that group many eons ago? Although the press attempted to reassure the reader that it was not a secret society and operated very much in the open, given the current and fragile state of world affairs, I could not help but contemplate as to whether or not this group of people might just have some serious concerns about current world economic affairs and social trends, in particular.

Of a more specific interest to me is why the following individuals were in attendance at all: (a) Former Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner, (b) former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, who figured prominently in and profited handsomely from deregulation of the financial industries by the Clinton Administation, (c) Former advisor and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, (d) Bush-era neoconservative titan Richard Perle and, (e) the recently disgraced and retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus. Augmenting this roster of notables of concern were those listed as being from Ivy League schools, the Kennedy School of Government and Stanford University. Why was the focus only on these few private and wealthy institutions of higher learning? Why are those invited to attend only from western nations where the world’s wealth resides and is managed by either European or American interests, or both?

The smell test tells me there may well be a broader concern that just might involve the rumored and growing deterioration in the health of western economies and the possible upheaval that might erupt from the proletariat if they don’t get their ducks in order and, more importantly, don’t do everything they can to contain any uprisings from the masses in order to protect their ill-gotten wealth and its attendant power? Is this just coincidental or within the realm of probability? I leave that to you.

Permit me to pose a few pertinent questions to those who may be reading this.

1. Who among you honestly believe that we have a political, social and economic structure that operates from a base of integrity and a common concern for the well being of all the citizens of the United States of America?

2. Who among you believe that Wall Street Bankers and Financial Pundits, Oligarchs, Plutocrats and Corporate America have been treated in like manner by our political establishment as those who have fallen victim to “free trade agreements,” the housing bubble, the illusion of a growing and robust economy, a trail of broken promises when it comes to health care, social programs, treatment of the underprivileged and working class Americans that are on a par with the bottom of the population or, as I like to call them, affectionately, “the bottom feeders?”

3. Who among you can seriously dispel any notion that the working men and women, and their cousins living in abject poverty, have not been relegated to the status of “consumable resources” on the balance sheets of those who have amassed absolutely obscene and vulgar amounts of material resources, and who could only be the envy of those who have been ‘brain washed” into actually believing they give one hoot in hell about the welfare of the world, this nation and all who labor in its service?

If any of you seriously answered positively to any of those questions, then I have a wonderful computerized machine that converts manure into pure gold, and I am willing to sell it for a very good price. No reasonable offer will be rejected.

Moreover, can you even entertain the notion that all of the resources brought to bear on the population by the various forms of the “entertainment media,” and corporate broadcasting could possibly conceive of and implement the skills necessary in order to shape your every taste in every aspect of your lives, the end result being clearly ingrained biases in their favor? I can.

Pause for a moment and reflect on the massive growth of government and all the attendant technology they require that has gone exclusively to what is referred to as “homeland security,” and “keeping us safe from terrorists?” Can you imagine the massive amounts of money that have been made by some of our earliest Secretaries of Homeland Security and the created demand for their “skills” with companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of every imaginable electronic device for monitoring just the passenger volume flowing through our airports? Compound that by the panacea of consulting jobs that have been part and parcel of that windfall, as well. Who said the “insiders” don’t take care of their own?

Frankly, I don’t buy into the notion that such a broad blanket of fear enveloped this nation as vastly and quickly as we are led to believe. I am rather more inclined to believe the fear factor was contrived and amplified by people in the Bush, Cheney and Obama Administrations. I dare say, if we could be privy to the body of knowledge in the repositories of information about government programs, we would find that some of the best experts in the business of “mind control,” and those who profit from them have been commandeered to assist in this effort just to keep the fear factor alive and well.

I don’t want to minimize the uncertainty of all that goes on in today’s world, but I, also, don’t want to over-react to the “bogey men” that might be nothing but the creative efforts of those who are sworn to scare the crap out of us at every opportunity. Let me ask you, in our saner and quieter moments, who in the world would honestly countenance the complete lockdown of a major city, such as Boston, looking for two fanatics about whom we had a pretty good fix in terms of numbers and the ability to do what they did? Does that really makes sense?

The massive amounts of our national resources that are siphoned off for “faux” security measures, and the malignant growth of security and defense industries in order to respond to those imagined threats would go a long way toward leveling the playing field and alleviating the suffering of millions of Americans. Think of the jobs that could be created, the numbers of unemployed who could be employed and the resultant benefits that would accrue to the people of this country by improved infrastructure, ecological friendly industries and education alone. If that isn’t sobering, I don’t know what it would take to get our attention.

If all this weren’t enough, we are now treated by the revelation of years of massive spying on the American people in pursuit of (you guessed it) stopping terrorism. Funny how little our elected officials claim to have known about all this. A mere oversight of seven or so years is nothing to get upset about, now is it?

Far too much of what we have not just a right, but moreover an obligation, to know about has been kept from us by self-appointed “keepers of the faith,” in the name of a national interest at our collective peril. Unless my mind deceives me, it seems to me that a chap by the name of Barack Obama, early in his ascendency to the Presidency, placed a passel of stock in the need for transparency in government. The question is rather straight forward, but I rather suspect the answers, for which we will wait for a protracted period, will be a long time coming.

We must stop sitting around quivering like a bunch of dogs passing peach seeds. We must eliminate the fear factor in our lives and demand ownership and transparency from our government. Enough of the monopoly of a two-party system. Enough of money in politics. Enough of lobbyists, and the entire spectrum of “business interests” of one sort or another that literally own and control our government and every agency thereof. Most importantly, enough of any control, whatsoever, of our news media. We simply must go back to independent ownership that lives up to the spirit of the Constitution – a free and unfettered press. Without that independence, the wolves will steal in under the tent, yet once again, only to create and perpetuate the same problems of bias and control we live with every day. Unless my memory fails me, it seems to me that the Preamble to the Constitution begins with “We the people …..” Not “We the banks; or “We the corporations or “We the oligarchs or “We the plutocrats or “We the lobbyists or “We the Defense Contractors.” Nor do I recall any wording or precedents which were adopted that would give those who have the most dominion over all of us, the greatest share of our shared wealth, however one may choose to define it.

If ever there was a time for the average American to cast off the numbing shackles on their minds, experience the wonders of being able to think for themselves and savor the magic of human interaction, the time is now. Cap it all off by claiming your ownership and control of the government that was created and nurtured by the blood of martyrs to serve the welfare and interests of all of us; and not just a select and self-appointed few.

This nation and all its resources, in the final analysis, belong to all of us, not the rapacious exploitation and destruction by those who perceive themselves the anointed ones by some mystical higher power, euphemistically labeled Wealth, Privilege and Power. It is time to put them in the dust bin of history where they all belong.

It is time to throw open the windows and breathe the fresh air given to us all by our Creator. It is time to rejoin the family of humanity that is still, to this very day, the most magnificent of all the creations in the entire universe.

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
June 8, 2013

“Has The American Dream Become A Nightmare?”

I have to confess that I have my good days and my bad days. If I permit myself, I can become as immersed in a sense of hopelessness and futility as the best among us. But, the crucial question is, “How does all this serve to solve the myriad problems we face and what can we, as individuals, do about them? Well, as the Brits say so well, “We can damn well buckle up, keep a stiff upper lip and get on with it.” For my money, that isn’t a bad idea and one which I think a lot of us can keep before us during the course of our daily lives. As was once so brilliantly coined, “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.”

I have seen this country and a good many of us slide, ever so slowly, into a deepening state of depression with the constant bombardment we get, each and every day, about how bad things are getting or, worse yet, the false promises of how things are beginning to look up. My question is, “And for whom?”

I have, at times, lost sight of what a complex world we live in and that has our every waking moment programmed in order to respond to all of those who whet our appetites for the panoply of every conceivable materialistic appetite and hedonistic pleasure the human mind can possibly contemplate. When we buy into those notions, we quite unconsciously dismiss or disregard some of the values that have served mankind so well for a very long time. As we become focused on outward validation of our sense of self worth, we become immune to the vast resources we have at our disposal to bring us back to reality and, in the course of time, make us better citizens. With that comes a renewed commitment to our humanity and the unlimited wonders of all that is good and decent about and within us. That is what will sustain us and make us better when the “fun” and “things” produced by commercial enterprises become transparent and clearly reflect back to us the seductive power of what we have been led to believe is what we want and need, all at the expense of our own individuality.

We need to be conscious of the fact that Our Creator, however one may choose to conceive of and define that higher power, there is nothing that is produced by Apple, Microsoft, Hollywood or factories producing tons of things we really don’t need that can even come close to the wonders of the human spirit. We can’t be made in cheap slave shops in poverty-stricken centers of economic power, shipped overseas and sold at inflated prices to enhance the wealth of greedy entrepreneurs at the expense of the common good. At the end of the day, no matter how they try to convince us otherwise, they are simply human trash. They are empty human souls with not a modicum of compassion for the human race and their untapped responsibility to become responsible citizens among the rest of us. They are not to be emulated nor trusted. In the final analysis, they are just another species of predatory animals. Nothing more and nothing less.

I cannot conceive of how any human being can ignore the cadre of law enforcement officials that were aligned against the demonstrators in the Occupy Wall Street movement, and whose avowed reason for being is to protect citizens against the forces of evil brought down on them by corporations, financial institutions, and governments duly elected by the people to protect the people. No wonder they gave up the ghost and faded into the night. Who wants to try and overcome those odds? If that isn’t putting the cart before the horse, I don’t know what does.

How is it that the institutions and officials we have elected to serve us, the people act, not for us, but against us? Why do we tolerate their arrogance? It sure seems to me that about all an election does is use our votes to legitimate their role in a government that they see as our adversaries and a license to shower themselves with every kind of inflated compensation and perquisite that is the envy of those who put them there? Where is the justice and fairness in all that? I can’t see it.

How about all those students who desperately want to get an education so they can better serve society and become better providers for their families? They are saddled with exorbitant loan fees they may never be able to repay, while the fat cats in banking and finance get cheap or interest-free loans from the government in order to better serve their affluent stockholders and officers?

Let us not forget the bloated cost of supporting a military/industrial complex that never finishes the job. There is always a better mouse-trip that will, somehow, stave off the latest identified terrorist and threat to our “freedoms” (whatever that means). There is no satiating their appetites for the money they ostensibly need for our common good and welfare. Now we have the Department of Homeland Security that will surely dwarf our military establishment when we are sufficiently convinced that the “bogey man” is to be found on our streets and among us, causing us to cry out for them to “protect our freedoms!” Where does it all end? Go figure.

When is there going to be enough for us to repair our decaying infrastructure? When is there going to be enough for us to provide the social programs and health care services that any civil society has every right to expect? Don’t you love it when they label those as “entitlement programs,” but conveniently avoid any such nomenclature for the licentious thievery by the financial industries and the burgeoning defense industries? I suppose there is something noble in the latter and so parasitical to the former. Ah, the power of words and the epistemological whores who ply that trade for our consumption ……. and without a modicum of shame.

Then there is my favorite of all time. The greatest ruse ever thrust upon the American people was convincing the populace of the superiority of all-volunteer armed forces rather than the draft. And the result? We have young men and women “volunteering” because they cannot find a decent job and need the money, going off to distant lands to put their lives on the line, in the national interest, for a mere pittance. Meanwhile, those of privilege and wealth go off to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and the like, live the good life on campus and graduate with all the skills necessary to pillage and plunder the nation of more of its wealth in order to further enhance their family fortunes. I ask you, what is fair about that deal? Ask those who come home from the front lines maimed, permanently disabled and pleading for the medical and rehab care they urgently require. But, if God had intended them to be valued members of society, He would not have made them poor. All the accolades, flags waving and parades cannot compensate them for their sacrifice on behalf of a nation owned and controlled by oligarchs, international corporations and a political establishment that is totally beholden to those who finance their ambitions and profit from their votes and their tax dollars. They are the very ones who have consigned their families, friends and communities to a permanent state of desolation, poverty and unemployment. Proof that the “free enterprise” models we are expected to revere and emulate are all, at the end of the day, one of the cruelest hoaxes ever perpetrated against civilized people.

The luster of what we call a “democracy” long ago faded into oblivion as far as I am concerned. I simply no longer buy into the notion that the rough and tumble, cowboy mentality of this nation necessarily serves the best interests of all of us. I am no longer inclined to believe the message, for the poor and underprivileged, so the top “1%” can blithely go through this life with a harbored disdain for those of lesser means. It is a bill of goods sold to us by some of the most skilled manipulators in our history, so they can continue to plunder what rightfully belongs to all of us in the name of “free enterprise” and “entrepreneurship.” I regard that mantra as no longer credible.

Practically every institution we have revered and respected as being integral parts of the American way has failed the majority of us miserably. Churches, once the moral compass of the community have proven themselves to be just as avaricious and hypocritical as all other institutions of society. Business and government, in all its forms, has done nothing to better the life of the people or to strengthen the fabric of this society. They have mercilessly exploited the working people of this country, callously shipping jobs over seas and hiding their wealth in offshore accounts so the burden of keeping this ship of state afloat falls on the shoulders of those who can least afford it. Our government takes tax dollars from those at the bottom of the economic pyramid in order to finance their political ambitions and support those who lace their pockets in order to ensure they remain loyal to their avaricious pursuits.

Meanwhile, our national infrastructure is crumbling around us, and our social and economic institutions are drying up so there is less and less left for people who are only asking for the right to honest and fairly compensated labor. All for the sake of those who believe they have some sort of divine right to a life lived in opulent splendor, the human cost be damned. To them, I cannot help but wonder, if human life is carried on their books as an “expendable resource.”

The resources of this great country belong to all of us, equally. Just because the majority may permit exploitation of those resources by a select few, it most assuredly does not mean that a fair and just portion of those resources are not to be returned to its rightful owners, and that means all of us, for our common welfare. Greed and avarice has no place in this equation.

Say what you will, but the sanest forms of government in the world are those found in the Scandinavian block of countries. They are more environmentally and socially conscious. Their entire political systems and social structure are sane, sound and supported so everyone can have a decent life and a fair share of the countries’ resources. With time, I believe that will become ever so much more apparent to all of us. When that day comes, I hope it will be a peaceful transition.

In the meantime we must remain vigilant and not be seduced by those who seek to abdicate their social responsibility to the country that opened the doors of opportunity to them, but remains for the benefit of all of us.

For the Tea Party and the other mutations of what is passed off as ordained by God, how about this one: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, you also do to Me.”

Permit me to close with some words by one of history’s most famous, if not notorious, public figures:

                          “Political power does not rest with those who cast the votes;
                           Political power rests with those who count those votes.”

                                                                                             *** Joseph Stalin

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
June 5, 2013

“Are These The Real Stars In Our Theater Of The Absurd?”

Every day I get up and brace myself for yet another dose of the sad state of affairs in this country being reported by the myriad sources of news. It is enough to want the sanest among us to seriously consider suicide just for the sake of the relief it would provide. Then, I am brought back to reality when I actually look at how all this has descended on this country and why it is still happening. That is when I make the transition from resigned despair to outrage. The root cause, in my opinion, is clearly due to the complete erosion of any sense of decency and integrity among those in high places, and further compounded by the prevailing complacency in the population at large. At best, it is a rare attribute among their masses.

There are certain “professions” that seem to have migrated to their ranks and have wasted no time in discovering the massive amounts of money and influence they can garner by simply chucking all of those old fashioned virtues over the side and becoming quite smug about their ability to manipulate others when conscience is no longer a serious or contentious issue in their lives.

I have tread the boards of this old earth for a sufficient number of years to have drawn some conclusions about some of the more “revered” and “honored” professionals upon which we rely to do the honorable thing for those they profess to serve.

I would have to say that those for whom I have developed the greatest disdain are those who have settled into the various classifications commonly subsumed under the classification of “lawyers” and the various derivatives thereof, none of which I regard as particularly virtuous or honorable. Just look at the sheer numbers of their ilk dominating every aspect of our government, in every branch, and the hoards of lobbyists (also attorneys) that schmooze them and grovel at their feet hoping to incur some ill-gotten gain by the use of loose and dubiously acquired money. Then, shift your focus on the barons of Wall Street and how many of them claim to be members of the elite club of those who would have us believe that their sole professional pursuit is that of justice. Give me a break. Let’s call a spade what it is. Justice, in all its forms, is far behind the ability of their kind to simply win at any cost, the rewards for which are infinitely greater than any misdirected notion of “justice.” Obfuscation, deception and feigned sincerity are their stock in trade. None are more adroit in their ability to master those dubious virtues of their “chosen” profession. One has to hand it to them. No other group is as skilled as they are when it comes to moving in and out of various fields of endeavor, applying those same attributes for a very handsome return. Because of that, they have managed to infect a broad spectrum of vocational pursuits in their endless quest for the almighty dollar.

Now, I will grant you that there are people among them who still have a respect for integrity and all the measures of that term. They are due the respect all of their kin would like to imagine they have. But, from my point of view, the garden variety “lawyer” or “attorney” doesn’t really stand for much other than his/her own aggrandizement in its various forms. It is whatever the traffic will bear, truth be damned.

Academic scholars in law hold a revered place among those in their profession simply because they have a commitment to the pure essence what they hold themselves out to be and their reverence for all that embodies. I suspect there are a few who might not pass the smell test, but we have to allow for some degree of imperfection in the interest of fairness.

Then, we have those chosen ones who sit on high and pontificate to all of us mere mortals who simply cannot comprehend or understand the nuances of all they have mastered in order to “sit on the bench.” One need only look at the purity and clarity of their decisions, arrived at through collegial discourse and contemplation, and the resultant weight of their “opinions,” which we digest without any serious question. You need only to look at the absolute clarity of the reasoning that put George W. Bush in the White House and bounced Al Gore out on his gazetzah. Then, if that wasn’t of sufficient profundity, we were treated to the wisdom inherent in their deliberations referred to as “Citizens United.” How is that for an encore? Wouldn’t you like to know how much the intrinsic reward for their collective wisdom was worth?

The sheer arrogance of those holding themselves out as paragons of objectivity and omnipotence when it comes to the law, automatically make them the most suspect among those who claim membership in the exclusive club of “lawyers.”

Then we have a whole host of sullied characters who claim membership in the financial industries, the worst of whom take shelter in the caverns of Wall Street and the vast array of corporations. I rather imagine the preponderance of them are lawyers of one stripe or another, but they have taken up residence with an entire cadre of thieves who boast some claim to knowledge when it comes to finances and financial affairs. They have managed to infiltrate entire empires of wealth and privilege, not to mention the various halls of government that we, the people, so naively believe are there to serve us. Tell me another one.

Some of the most egregious are those who have sought haven and massive wealth in the various sectors of the health care industries. I have had personal experience of sitting among the entrepreneurs peddling health care to an unsuspecting and trusting public, only to be exploited for every dollar that could be wrenched from their hands in order to procure the hope of a better life because of their promises given in exchange. For anyone who would have the slightest respect in and trust for what they get from this bunch, I have a great bridge at a bargain price for sale at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.

On a more serious note, I am reasonably certain there are many good and decent people among the ranks of those to whom I have referred in this epistle. However, I would also hazard a guess that, for the most part, the preponderance of them are among the bottom feeders of one sort or another. It utterly mystifies me as to why we have entrusted this fragile Republic to their hands. The only time we see them for more than a twinkling is when they want our vote and, moreover, they do all they can to stack the deck so the greatest number of those who are likely to vote against them are disenfranchised.

They feed from the coffers and the meager savings of the taxpayers who seem to never give up hope that things will, indeed, get better. But, as soon as the votes are counted, the acceptance speeches are made and the convention lights are turned off, it is back to business as usual. They turn their attention to their real constituency and partners in crime, and plunder this country for all they can wring from us. They have stacked the deck in terms of untold trillions of dollars in crooked financial pursuits, defense spending and international trade agreements and have converted those dollars into personal fortunes and influence peddling.

They have taken ownership of the taxpayers’ money for Wall Street, corporate capitalists, and personal wealth and perquisites for politicians. They have laced the pockets of big money with outrageous payments for services at inflated prices to an unsuspecting public that only gets left holding the bag.

Despite the fact that they are among the bottom feeders in all this, at the end of the day, they write the rules for us, steal the money from us to finance those rules, and assault us when we protest their actions. It sure looks like the cart is clearly before the horse on these deals.

Why, I ask you, do we sit by in a vegetative and complacent state, and simply allow them to go on without even so much as a whimper from those of us who are the rightful owners and beneficiaries of all this democracy has to offer?

The fragile body of Lady Liberty is being sacrificed for the sake of the maggots that have been allowed to control every aspect of our lives. Isn’t it about time we stopped the merry-go-round, got off and demanded more of what is clearly ours, including all the attendant costs of doing business?

And we, once again, ask ourselves, “Who among us is getting screwed without benefit of kiss? It sure looks like it is rather self-evident if we will simply open our eyes and react with all the ire we can possibly muster. Nobody is going to do it for us.

As an ancient Confucian philosopher once opined, “It is far better to be pissed off than pissed on!”

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
May 23, 2013

Ooops!

I owe all my loyal friends, acquaintances and curiosity seekers a profound apology. 

I subscribe to a monitoring service for my blog postings for what I hope will be a mechanism for keeping me organized and abreast of what I may be putting out there for an unsuspecting consumer public.  I would be less than honest if I did not acknowledge that I am interested in my readership, not only in terms of numbers, but in terms of the comments that are proferred, as well. 

What I write is a reflection of my own perspective on the world and world events.  I am not out to convert anyone to my way of thinking nor to inflict my own set of biases on those who may choose to read what I have written.  I place a lot of stock in integrity, in all its forms.  Beyond that, take it for what it is worth.  We all know that, if we want to be offended, there will always be a few out there who will be more than happy to oblige us.  I respect your perceptions of the world as as much as I would hope you would respect mine. 

Now, for the big cahunah!  I have been writing this blog since 2007, and the biggest mystery I have had to contend with is "where in the world are all those comments that seem to be missing?"  Well, folks, I have to confess that the frailties of my mind are such that I never looked in the right place for that information.  Today, quite by accident, I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat overwhelmed by the discovery of the repository of all the comments going back to 2007.  I was completely stunned at all of you good people who must have concluded sometime ago that I did not give one hoot in hell about what you thought.  I cannot think of one thing we can do to others that is more insulting than to completely ignore their good efforts on our behalf.  For that I am truly sorry and hope you will forgive me for what must surely be the increasing fragility of an aging mind!

On February 10, 2013 I wrote a blog titled, "Time Is No Longer Simply A Choice.," which I failed to post.  I took care of that oversight earlier today in case some of you might want to peruse it. 

Let me end this by stating, unequivocally, that you are a special bunch to me and, with the help of Providence, I will do a much better job of demonstrating that in the future.  In the meantime keep well, be happy and may the wind be always at your back.

Cowboy Bob
May 20, 2013

“When Is Enough, Enough?”

I like to think that I am a reasonably well informed person. I pay attention to what is happening in this country on all of the major news fronts. I regularly patronize major news personalities and news programs. But, when I pause and look around me and talk to people face to face, my impression of what is really going on in this country is vastly different.

I see a burgeoning lower class that is, more and more, dependent on charitable organizations just to feed their families, the bill of fare largely meager and limited in nutritional value. But I, also, see vast numbers of people who seem totally impervious to the magnitude of the suffering and pain that exists all around them. It is rather like, “as long as I have my needs met, screw you!” We demonize the poor and revere the rich and famous. Where are the values of kinship and concern within that group?

I see a population that has sunk so low into the perverse pleasures of hedonism and materialism that they appear to have no souls. Where is their outrage at what is being done to this country and all those who have worked to make this a “land of the free,” and a “land of equal opportunity” for the benefit of everyone? Rather, I am met with an endemic complacency and indifference the likes of which I would never have dreamed possible in this great country.

Why are we so indifferent and so calloused? Are we afraid of all the manifestations of power and influence we see around us? Fear manifests itself in many ways. One can be terrorized, but people can also be gripped by a fear that they will be deprived of all the creature comforts and pleasures they have become accustomed to, but cannot bring themselves to the point of seriously considering that there are more noble pursuits in life that serve a greater good.

There is no secret about the growing disparity between the “haves” and the “have not’s.” It is all around us. We are bombarded with news about how that disparity is growing. The rich ARE getting richer. The rich are squirreling away their vast fortunes in off shore banks, openly and with no shame. Every action of our government favors anything they might do to enhance their wealth, all the while sticking it to those who have the least.

Where did the naïveté come from that convinced us that a bunch of radical bible thumpers would better serve the people of this country than the corrupt politicians who have no constituency, save themselves and those who enable them to plunder the resources of the people while they are in office? Where else can this bunch of motley bastards go, work half time, enjoy the riches and perks of the elite of this country, and brandish the flag in our faces at every turn without the slightest shame? Who among us are the bigger fools?

Why have we given a free pass to the President who, since his first term, has consistently pandered to the wealthy elite and business interests of this country at the expense of working people? Why has he gotten away with appointing scions of business and industry to government posts that are, ostensibly, there to serve all of us, equally? Why have his chief advisors all hailed from the ranks of that same bunch? Why does he covet secrecy when he is cooking up deals that will put more money in their pockets and further reduce those who work for a living to greater poverty and deprivation? Why has he managed to pull off “deals” that were supposed to have been conceived for the common good, but have only served to enhance the wealth of the providers at greater cost to the consumers? Has anyone been paying attention? Do any of those aggrieved by his actions really care?

What happened to negotiated drug prices by the government in order to protect the interests of the people, but it is now the drug companies that have flourished in the wake of that promise?

What happened to the single-payer option that was supposed to level the playing field between the cost to healthcare consumers and the insatiable appetite for more money among the entire field of health care providers? Instead, we got “Obamacare that will, ultimately, prove to be just another scam that will demand greater and greater amounts of money and from whom? The consumers, who else? And for whom? The providers, who else? Let’s have another toast to the Chameleon in the White House based on a wide-spread and continued false belief that he is the chief advocate for the common people.

What happened to the Presidential promise to revisit the entire issue of free trade agreements because, ostensibly, the ones in place had failed to protect the interests of the American worker? Rather, he has only expanded the scope and numbers of such agreements for the benefit of international business interests, and at whose expense? The working Americans, who else?

Who does the great champion of the working people of this country look to for advice and counsel on economic and social issues? The best economic and public minds in the world residing right here in the USA? Not a chance. To the largest and most powerful corporations in the country, who else?

Why has this government, in all its branches, managed to so completely abandon the welfare of the people and so blatantly catered to the wealthiest and most self-serving interests among us? Why are regulatory agencies so starved for funding in order to police the inherent greed of business interests and preserve the health and welfare of the people of this country?

It absolutely boggles the human mind that the vast majority of the population of this country is so enamored of power, money and prestige that they cannot see that we have one political party in power --- and that is the Plutocratic Party of the United States. There isn’t one within the environs in and around Washington, D.C. that isn’t so compromised that it would be a stretch to even remotely believe they are representatives of the people in a democratic system of government.

Why do only the Democratic and Republican Parties have an exclusive grip on what in reality is an exclusive two-political party in this country? Why do we allow them to completely ignore the basic tenets of what is commonly known as “conflicts of interest” and lace their pockets with ill-gotten gains in terms of money, privilege and power, and to do so with complete abandon? Are we so numbed by their largesse at our expense as to actually believe they give one hoot in hell about any of us? Get real, people! They aren’t doing a damned thing for us. It is all about them and those who own their dark and tarnished souls.

As for the wide-eyed “Progressives,” I would suggest they get real and re-name themselves for what they really are – “Regressive.” Call your hero in the White House what you want but, a reality check quickly reveals him for what he is – an Elitist Democrat of the worst kind. And, I might add, that mind set permeates every aspect of those elected and appointed to government positions and the majority of the agencies ostensibly created to serve the governed, not those who govern.

This country needs a new and viable political party. It needs to be based on the virtues of honesty, integrity and service, and firmly rooted in the tenets of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Those who serve government must clearly understand that their primary purpose is to serve the people first by cleaning up the mess in Washington, D.C., and fostering the growth of a new political party within each state.

I cannot believe there are not a few wealthy individuals who share the concern and have the wisdom to contribute funds, properly accounted for on a regular basis, to such an endeavor without them having their egos involved in any direct control, enmeshed with the purpose and work of the party. An arms length relationship to the party and a clearly defined conflict of interest policy should be the order of the day. Surely, given the number of blue-ribbon universities and colleges in this country, a group of economists, political scientists and constitutional scholars could be brought together to create and get a political party off the ground within a reasonable period of time. A point of departure might be by having conversations with Rocky Anderson, Buddy Roemer and the leadership of the Green Party.

We should, also, find out why there have been no organized marches on Washington and other environs, led by the leadership of various labor unions and activist groups. Where is the Occupy Wall Street movement? Why are people not “mad as hell,” and why aren’t they manifesting their grievances by engaging in peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience? Are they afraid that law enforcement agencies are too firmly in the pockets of the power structure so as to leave them hanging out? If so, let that be an issue.

I was a student at the University of California at Berkeley during the student revolt by Mario Savio and his following. I can attest to the fact that protest efforts by well organized and determined activists work. But, it takes a “fire in the belly” by dedicated agents of change and the idealism of youth. Martin Luther King became a legend because he believed in that power. Who is to say anyone can’t do the same with conviction, dedication, decency and a genuine will to remake this country into what it was intended to be?

How much more do the basic citizens of this country have to take before they say “Enough is enough?” If not now, when?

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
May 3, 2013