"Freedom blah blah fairness blah blah peace blah blah blah"...said the head of an organization that is spying on all of us and the entire world, extorting billions daily from ordinary Americans to give to the powerful and politically connected, and running a global empire that kills and/or terrorizes innocents daily in its so-called War on Terror.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
The State of the Empire address
I don't know how these plutocrats in government get away with pretending they give a crap about poor people. They don't. Their policies intentionally benefit the powerful and politically connected who in turn fund their campaigns, and they throw crumbs to the needy to placate them and get out the vote.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The militarized economy flowchart
Money is extracted from the American people —> politicians give it to a bomb maker (who donates to their campaigns in return) —> the bombs needlessly blow up people and destroy property —> Americans are now poorer, having lost the cost of building the bomb and the opportunity cost of not building something useful —> the bill arrives for the next batch of bombs. Repeat.
Bomb makers love this system. Families of dead/wounded innocents and American soldiers, as well as all of us that pay to build useless things and blow them up, don't.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Metal detectors required at big league ballparks by 2015
In 2015, we’ll have to walk through mandated security screening to get into the ballpark “which results from MLB’s continuing work with the Department of Homeland Security”.
And before the game can start, we’ll be expected to place our hand over our heart and sing a song to the government about how free we are. Oh, the irony.
And before the game can start, we’ll be expected to place our hand over our heart and sing a song to the government about how free we are. Oh, the irony.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Given the choice
Report: Feds investigating Dennis Rodman for violating sanctions
Dennis Rodman does some weird things, and he’s possibly a bit crazy, but I’ll take a cross-dressing former-NBA star who visits people in other countries over a Peace Prize-wielding warmonger who kills people in other countries any day!
Dennis Rodman does some weird things, and he’s possibly a bit crazy, but I’ll take a cross-dressing former-NBA star who visits people in other countries over a Peace Prize-wielding warmonger who kills people in other countries any day!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
War and Empathy
by Mike Marion
When I used to believe that the U.S. could and should intervene in other countries, I never even stopped to consider it from the perspective of the millions of normal people living there.
I mean, can you imagine if some government invaded our country tomorrow with tanks and bombs and guns, killed any Americans who resisted the attack, demolished our infrastructure, and then installed its own handpicked politicians to rule us? Or how about if that government daily patrolled our skies with drones, blowing up a Starbucks, a local church, office buildings and homes, maybe even a section of Disneyland looking for people who that government claimed were bad guys in its "War on Terror", even though most of the victims were just our family, friends and neighbors who had done nothing but be in the wrong place at the wrong time?
How terrifying would that be? We’d still have to go to work, and go to the market, and visit family and friends, but the fear of a brutal, violent death would be constantly on our minds, and we'd know there was absolutely nothing we could do about it but hope and pray.
I realized I just had no empathy for people in other countries — or rather, that any natural empathy I had was quickly overpowered by nationalism. Sure, I donated to causes for disaster relief and for starving kids in Africa, and I went on some church mission trips to poverty stricken areas in Mexico. But I also supported my government going into other poor countries and literally destroying them for its own political purposes (maybe I didn't think of it in those terms, but that's what actually happened).
When these politicians — who I otherwise knew were constantly lying, and screwing things up, and looking out for their own power and special interests — said a certain country was a danger to my safety, or whatever other excuse, I believed them! I rooted for "our team”. I was glad the government was keeping me safe, and the death and destruction and terror it brought to countless people just like me didn’t even cross my mind.
Anyway, it’s mind-boggling when I think of it this way. How on earth does the State convince us to betray our instincts, our morals and values, and our consciences when it shouts something like “terror!” or “national security!” and rallies us to the flag? An entity that can do this to a society is much scarier to me than a small network of poor militants thousands of miles away who are primarily motivated to attack the U.S. in the first place because of what it does in their countries.
You know what I mean?
When I used to believe that the U.S. could and should intervene in other countries, I never even stopped to consider it from the perspective of the millions of normal people living there.
I mean, can you imagine if some government invaded our country tomorrow with tanks and bombs and guns, killed any Americans who resisted the attack, demolished our infrastructure, and then installed its own handpicked politicians to rule us? Or how about if that government daily patrolled our skies with drones, blowing up a Starbucks, a local church, office buildings and homes, maybe even a section of Disneyland looking for people who that government claimed were bad guys in its "War on Terror", even though most of the victims were just our family, friends and neighbors who had done nothing but be in the wrong place at the wrong time?
How terrifying would that be? We’d still have to go to work, and go to the market, and visit family and friends, but the fear of a brutal, violent death would be constantly on our minds, and we'd know there was absolutely nothing we could do about it but hope and pray.
I realized I just had no empathy for people in other countries — or rather, that any natural empathy I had was quickly overpowered by nationalism. Sure, I donated to causes for disaster relief and for starving kids in Africa, and I went on some church mission trips to poverty stricken areas in Mexico. But I also supported my government going into other poor countries and literally destroying them for its own political purposes (maybe I didn't think of it in those terms, but that's what actually happened).
When these politicians — who I otherwise knew were constantly lying, and screwing things up, and looking out for their own power and special interests — said a certain country was a danger to my safety, or whatever other excuse, I believed them! I rooted for "our team”. I was glad the government was keeping me safe, and the death and destruction and terror it brought to countless people just like me didn’t even cross my mind.
Anyway, it’s mind-boggling when I think of it this way. How on earth does the State convince us to betray our instincts, our morals and values, and our consciences when it shouts something like “terror!” or “national security!” and rallies us to the flag? An entity that can do this to a society is much scarier to me than a small network of poor militants thousands of miles away who are primarily motivated to attack the U.S. in the first place because of what it does in their countries.
You know what I mean?
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Gang violence
If a gang beat to death an unarmed, homeless, mentally ill man as he pled for his life and cried out for his dad, it would obviously be called murder, right? Well, not if the gang was wearing uniforms and badges, apparently.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/us/california-homeless-beating-verdict/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/us/california-homeless-beating-verdict/
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Nullification works
"If you put that plant in your body, we'll put you in a cage," says the U.S. government. "Screw you. We’re adults and we'll do what we want," say the people of #Colorado. What a great start to 2014. Next up: #nullify the #NSA! h/t Tenth Amendment Center
State Nullification Works: Colorado Marijuana Stores Prove it
State Nullification Works: Colorado Marijuana Stores Prove it
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Enough is enough
Iraq has had enough of US 'engagement'
There was no al-Qaeda in Iraq before the U.S. invasion and occupation. Now there is, and militants control some of Iraq's major cities. The U.S. continues funding the conflict there, and some senators argue that even more intervention is needed. Our government overlords are a dangerous combination of reckless, incompetent, and insane.
There was no al-Qaeda in Iraq before the U.S. invasion and occupation. Now there is, and militants control some of Iraq's major cities. The U.S. continues funding the conflict there, and some senators argue that even more intervention is needed. Our government overlords are a dangerous combination of reckless, incompetent, and insane.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)