If only we were all socialists ... truely enlightened socialists ... who actually wanted a better world

I'm not just metaphorically ... or defacto ... a socialist ... I really am a socialist. I care more about my fellow man than faceless, amoral corporations.  I care more about working families than people who have more wealth than ancient kings and emperors ever could have dreamed of yet pay no taxes ... yet pay not their fair share ... for the wealth gathered off the backs of the masses.  I care more about preserving the environment for every future generation of man and animal ... than I do for short term profits  or for local peoples rights to exploit nature for luxury homes and golf courses and yet another strip mall.  It is a bleak new world in which we live ... when most of the world has no free will ... nor a free mind ... Wall Street comprised of faceless immortal titans of destruction known as corporations decades ago linked hand and hand with religious zealots. Today they continue to set the world aflame. From literally burning people to burning forests ... catastrophic oil spills ... to altering the entirety of nature itself.  All while the masses either starve to death or die from obesity. The post industrial world wallows in orgies of self pleasure (America, Japan, Europe, etc.) while most of the rest of the world is forced to deforest priceless environments ... forced to over fish the oceans ... forced to lay open the earth and wreak havoc upon the planet ... just for daily survival.  This bleak new world has very little hope ... as reason, logic, rational thought and enlightenment thinking fall upon the funeral pyre ... the great book burning of truth ... I can't help but shed a tear and feel nothing but bitter regret.  Socialist ... communist ... democrat ... republican ... how do any of those terms ... those fleeting identifiers have any meaning at all with the backdrop of utter destruction and cataclysm that is the world today??  Man will either learn (and quickly) to live for each other ... or die while living only for ones self ... my money is sadly on the later.

American Facism ... a reality?

"The really dangerous American fascist... is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power... They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."

-- U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, quoted in the New York Times, April 9, 1944

That quote nearly sums up my fears about what America is becoming. It is insane if you look at that quote and look around, listen to your co-workers ... listen to half of your family members ... people on the street ... the media. What do you see? A larger percentage of what people are saying is really in support of the neo-fascist movement which has swept over America. This time fascism has wrapped itself in racist/religious clothing ... but its still fascism all the same.

Speaking of which people these days love to toss around Socialism like its the great evil facing America. Next time you encounter that toss out the definition Facism. For a refresher here you go straight from Wikipedia:

Fascism, pronounced /ˈfæʃɪzəm/, is a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology.^[1][2][3][4] Fascists seek to organize a nation on corporatist perspectives, values, and systems such as the political system and the economy.^[5][6] Fascism was originally founded by Italian national syndicalists in World War I who combined left-wing and right-wing political views, but gravitated to the political right in the early 1920s.^[7][8] Scholars generally consider fascism to be on the far right of the conventional left-right political spectrum. 

Fascists believe that a nation is an organic community that requires strong leadership, singular collective identity, and the will and ability to commit violence and wage war in order to keep the nation strong.^[15] They claim that culture is created by collective national society and its state, that cultural ideas are what give individuals identity, and thus rejects individualism.^[15] In viewing the nation as an integrated collective community, they claim that pluralism is a dysfunctional aspect of society, and justify a totalitarian state as a means to represent the nation in its entirety.^[16][17] They advocate the creation of a single-party state.^[18] Fascist governments forbid and suppress openness and opposition to the fascist state and the fascist movement.^[19] They identify violence and war as actions that create national regeneration, spirit and vitality.^[20]

Fascists reject and resist autonomy of cultural or ethnic groups who are not considered part of the fascists' nation and who refuse to assimilate or are unable to be assimilated.^[21] They consider attempts to create such autonomy as an affront and threat to the nation.^[21]

Fascism is strongly opposed to core aspects of the Enlightenment and is an opponent of liberalism, Marxism, and mainstream socialism for being associated with failures that fascists claim are inherent in the Enlightenment.^[22] Fascists view egalitarianism, materialism, and rationalism as failed elements of the Enlightenment.^[23] In contrast, Fascists promote action, discipline, hierarchy, spirit, and will.^[24] They oppose liberalism — as a bourgeois movement — and Marxism — as a proletarian movement — for being exclusive economic class-based movements.^[25] Fascists present their ideology as that of an economically trans-class movement that promotes ending economic class conflict to secure national solidarity.^[26] They believe that economic classes are not capable of properly governing a nation, and that a merit-based aristocracy of experienced military persons must rule through regimenting a nation's forces of production and securing the nation's independence.^[27]

Fascism perceives conservatism as partly valuable for its support of order in society but opposes its typical opposition to change and modernization.^[28] Fascism presents itself as a solution to the perceived benefits and disadvantages of conservatism by advocating state-controlled modernization that promotes orderly change while resisting the dangers of pluralism and independent initiative to order in society.^[28]

Fascists support a "Third Position" in economic policy, which they believe superior to both the rampant individualism of laissez-faire capitalism and the severe control of state socialism.^[29][30]

Following the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II and the publicity surrounding the atrocities committed during the period of fascist governments, the term fascist has been used as a pejorative word,^[31] often referring to widely varying movements across the political spectrum.^[32]

Is anybody there? Does anybody care??

Why do I feel that line so easily applies to Washington these days? The world looks to Washington ... the people of America look to Washington ... and I see a man in the White House today who is fighting an uphill battle. Is anybody there? Does anybody care? I see Americans ... ALL Americans ... FREE forevermore! I see the world ... all the people in the world FREE forevermore!

Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see? ....

"Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion." Edmund Burke, Speech to the Electors of Bristol, November 1774.  

To the right ... ever to the right ...

This is why Wall Street will always win ... this battle was lost so very long ago. Yes this clip isn't that historically accurate ... but to me it captures the spirit that has always pervaded the upper echelons of the American power elite. Right now as I watch this debate on a national level I think of this ... "Most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality that they'll always be poor." That seems to be the basis for American politics these days. So many truck drivers, school teachers, laborers, lower middle class and lower class voters ... continue to throw their lot in with the Republicans, year after year. Why? Yes indeed religion is a large part of it. But listen to the Tea Party ... listen to the Glen Beck-ites and the Rush Limb-ites ... the vast majority of them just average joes ... they dance to the tune of the RNC whether they know it or not. Why? I can only think of that quote ... here we are in 2010 ... still dancing to the tune of the Eastern old money power elite ... nothing has changed ... and I doubt anything will.

Time for change ... a return to representation

First a few links: Link 1  and Link 2

I don't disagree with anything presented there (or discussed on that blog) ... however I feel that even beyond this it is time for America to strongly move towards a multi-party system. Having only two political parties makes it entirely to easy for corporate interest to manipulate the system. More importantly in such a complex world how can two parties adequately represent our interests? Everyone I know whether dyed in the wool republican or democrat ... feels that their party does not remotely represent their interest anymore. I agree that a large part of it is what Dr.Lessig is talking about, but I would be so bold as to say ... what if its more ... what if two parties just are no longer capable of giving reasonable representation to such a large and diverse populace in a world with extraordinarily complex problems. It is time for a system that is divorced from manipulation by corporate interest AND a system that is actually capable of representing we the people!!

I believe that breaking corporate dominance of our political process is the only way we the people will reclaim our government. I also firmly believe that two parties are simply incapable even in the best of times ... of doing a remotely adequate job of representing America. It is time to become a multi-party nation ...  we have been for a very long time ... however the corporate powers and entrenched political powers have resisted representing the citizens because they really don't want to. The corporations want exactly what they have and the politicians simply want to be re-elected ... what incentive would there be for either of those groups to self reform? our system will not break ... the sky will not fall. What will happen is government will do a better job of listening and representing ...

Tea Party Hatred and Deception

The Tea Party most of all stands for the ugly America that George W. Bush represented. That America that a good portion of the American citizens hate and almost universally the citizens of the rest of the world hate. 

Why would from what Fox News tells us so many people want to return to that? My only conclusion can be  fear. I'm so tired of the endless media attention the Tea Party is getting. The Tea Party leadership is a group of very wealthy Southern attorneys who have been accused of having links to the KKK.  Whether or not that is the case the leaders of the "movement" have repeatedly made public racist statements. Its clear that at the basic level the Tea Party is an angry white religious political interest group ... that would happily bring back Southern Apartheid and violate the Constitution by forcing all Americans to be Christians. Turn on FOX news even and that is all you see angry white hillbilly types with racist, religious zealotry slogans painted on their placards ranting and raving made up "founding father" quotes senselessly. Its just an obstruction movement being funded by Wall Street and the Moral Majority. If it was a truly patriotic movement it would be a-political .. and its not ... its a whose who of the far right of the Republican party .... plain and simple. Just the latest political publicity stunt. Just angry McCain (McCan't) voters who are incensed that we have an African American president now and that the party that cares more about the average citizen is in power.  

The absolute deception about the "founding fathers" that has been going on for so long by conservatives is really laughable to me. Certainly if they were alive today many of the "founding fathers" would identify with the ultra right wing conservative Southerners, however Jefferson would likely be an Obama administration cabinet member and Franklin would as well. As for the rest its highly debatable and really a moot point. But this just demonstrates the idiocy bordering on insanity that the right wing uses. I feel it boils down to the religious connection. If your willing to basically tell lies and sell a system which is clearly a bunch of BS ... for your religion. Why would you have a problem making things up and telling lies to people about your politics?

The bottom line is the forces that control the Republican party are essentially in control of the Tea Party and the same hillbilly crazy right wingers are showing up at all the Tea Party gatherings and protests. The Republicans called the passing of the health care bill Kabuki theater ... well if you want to see real Kabuki theater take a look at the Republican led Tea Party movement. Its a "movement" that can say the things the Republicans can't yet the Tea Party is 100% beneficial to the Republican party. There is no criticism of the Republicans by the Tea Party ... essentially just a desire to return them to power ... so how is this a "movement" at all ... at the end of the day its just a carefully orchestrated get out the votes for conservatives "movement." 

Healthcare reform ... free at last ... free at last ... not yet

A friend on Facebook posted something to the effect of "thanks congress for passing the health care bill ... now I can pay for other people's health care."  I mean first of all I'm shocked that anyone would complain about paying taxes for health care for EVERYONE (just shows how selfish many Americans are) and second it shows how deeply the corporate rhetoric has permeated so many people in this country. Huge numbers of sheep following religious zealots and corporate shills ... they blindly parrot whatever they are told by Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck and Fox News. Anyway here was my quick and angry reply:

--------------------------------

Thanks for paying for my health care then ... I'm an unemployed father of four ... who earned 80K (with my wife's income well over 100K) per year for the past ten years paid tax up the ying yang and now make 30K. I myself don't currently have health care ... though just last year I had great health care. My wife and kids do through her work ... but... we can't afford to cover me ... every time any of them needs to go to the Dr. they have to pay 35 bucks which might not sound like alot but for us ... we feel it. I guess I'm irrelevant. I don't expect Republicans to care about me ... or my kids ... or anyone else ... they have their money ... they have their stuff ... everyone else can just die right :( We are all godless illegals (even though I'm a 6th generation Caucasian American of German-Finnish ancestry) by what I see on Fox and read in the anti-liberal rants. Basically its come down to the rich (or wannabe rich) teaming up with the right wing religious vs. everyone else. I feel I did everything right in life, went to school ... worked my way through college earned a BA and a Masters Degree ... worked hard to get a good job. Now thanks to Wall Street (the rich guys who took power with the help of the religious folks) ... I'm out of work with really little hope in sight ... so people decide to throw me a life line ... and now the same guys who put me out of work are throwing rocks at me while I try to get into the tiny little rubber dingy.