The purpose of this installment is to try to illustrate and analyze the paralytic power of talking points from both 'sides' to see if there is any hope that 'we' as democracy-loving Americans ('we' is used rhetorically throughout this article) are even capable of having a rational, constructive conversation to get to the bottom of the game afoot and the underlying problems our country/government/democracy/future freedom faces. Or better yet, what type of mind-set, it will take to make that happen. We obviously have to get the money out of our political process; I believe most rational, people that really want a democracy believe that the money has to go, but how do we even begin a dialogue to achieve that?
If 'we' can't achieve a truly independent mind-set, drastically different than the one the handlers (aka cultural engineers) have laid out for us to choose, I believe we are indeed doomed. I don't claim to have any concrete answers and I'm not sure what all it will take to once again reclaim the democracy we once enjoyed (and quite honestly that deeper I go down some of these rabbit holes I'm not at all sure our "democracy" has been but an illusion for some time now); but I spend enough time researching (with a skeptically open mind) where the talking points come from, to realize that it isn't as simple as left and right; and what we've been doing so far, as of late, isn't working at all. There is big money behind pushing people to walk around parroting their side's talking points. Hamsters on a wheel we are, and it doesn't much matter if your wheel is red or blue - it's still a wheel going nowhere.
I conduct my research on the premise that the very most basic and oldest political strategy on the planet is being brilliantly and successfully played on us: Divide and Conquer. Until we outright reject that either side is fully to blame, and by the same token, neither side has all the answers, we will be headed to certain destruction as a nation, culture and people.
How will it be to own the legacy of a culture that achieved one of the most successful democracies in the history of the world only to be undone in a little over 200 years - on our watch? There are those that would love to see that happen and are achieving it behind the scenes while they successfully loot our prosperity, and all the while have us pointing the finger at and blaming each other for the demise. They have no allegiance to our country or political process. Unless you are a fortunate member of about 3000 families in the top 1% of the world, your 'side' is not rigged to ultimately win. Don't kid yourself. Even if you are in the top 1%, but not of these families, mark my words, part of their plan is to strip you of that distinction and wealth. Look at what is happening in health care as a good example.
It doesn't matter if you label what is happening Communism, Socialism, Marxism, Plutocracy, Crony Capitalism, Feudalism, or whatever - it is not good, and it has nothing to do with what we were born of, or the country we believed we were growing up in. I don't believe there even exists an accurate, overall label that fits what is going on in today's world; we are in a different place than we have ever been in. Perhaps Mussolini's description of Fascism is the closest accurate "system" description. But, the fact remains that the shadowy factions that are many, and work to destroy and enslave us have come together - why can't we?
I refuse to hate Obama. Not because I don't recognize the heinous, destructive path that he has continued to lead us down, but because some very shady and unsavory characters have spent billions trying to make me hate him, and I absolutely have come to the conclusion that I do not want to buy what they are selling. Now, if they were truly even selling what they claim to be, it might be a different story - but I believe it to be an extraordinary bait and switch; their actions past and present prove it if you do enough digging. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as it were.
Unfortunately, in our present political climate and situation - by design, we are not left with any good options, I am sorry to say. But that makes it all the more important for us to look for the common ground we have as basically decent people (those that remain) and stop holding onto the petty differences. We will never be able to hold any type of government to account as long as we are blindly driven by the messages 'they' hand-pick and spoon-feed us. The very messages that divide us and keep us bickering while they turn that fire under the frog soup up just a wee bit higher, and we don't seem to notice.
What I do hate is what these now-meaningless labels are doing to us. Some of the most amazing, caring people I know are 'liberal'. Some of the most amazing, caring people I know are 'conservative'.
Once upon a time, I was registered Republican. I still hold to the core conservative beliefs the Republican Party was founded on and once stood for (as opposed to the sanctimonious, self-centered, hate-mongering, war-mongering, pro-exploitation entity they represent today). I don't believe that anyone has the right to shove their beliefs down other peoples throats via a conservative Christian Theocracy as some are trying to convince us we have been all along. Nor do I believe that any law that strengthens the division between church and state to be a 'war on Christianity'. I believe the founding fathers had it right from the beginning by keeping the separation of church and state. The problem I have is, that it would seem, the party has been hijacked by some not-so-nice people that shrewdly play on certain Christian sensibilities and, by design, have an effective conduit of mass-messaging that begins at the pulpit. After all, a Christian Theocracy would definitely be better than the scary Sharia Law Theocracy the secretly-Muslim Obama secretly has us headed toward, right? There is a movement toward this end, but it hasn't gotten much traction. I have to be honest, "Dominionists" (those that believe our country should be run and our culture engineered according to their brand of Christianity) scare me as much as radical Muslims do.
At this point, I'm not comfortable handing my rights to any group - even if they say they represent my values. Part of the problem is that any group that has a real chance of defeating the status quo will be co-opted by the enemy from the inside. They have done it time and time again. Like I said, there aren't any easy answers, but I believe a truly independent mindset is a place to start. People are tribal by nature so this almost flies in the face of our basic need to be part of a group, but they count on that.
I'm not saying that the Democratic party hasn't been hijacked by equally as unsavory of characters as the Republican party has, indeed they have. And if you dig deep enough you find that it's actually the same puppet masters for both sides - that's the game. They just have a different role in the grand illusion/production that will eventually end up in the same place if we don't stop playing into 2 (3?) losing 'sides'. It can be noted, that I was never a Democrat, so I suppose I don't feel as betrayed by them as I do the Neocons.
So let's look at what I believe it would take to lose the labels and begin a dialogue:
If you still buy into the myth that today's Libertarians, Republicans and Democrats serve ultimately different masters, and the outcome could change depending on who's "in charge" and "elected", then 'we' probably can't have a rational, constructive conversation.
If you are incapable of not using derogatory insults to describe the constituents of any of the above factions, then 'we' probably can't have a rational, constructive conversation. Call the politicians whatever you want.
If you do not realize or believe that a handful of families have funded both sides of a majority of the wars throughout modern history to be able to control any particular nation from behind the scenes no matter which side wins, then 'we' probably can't have a rational, constructive conversation.
If you call yourself Independent, but reject anything labeled as 'liberal' out of hand because of its label, then 'we' probably can't have a rational, constructive conversation.
If you call yourself Independent, but reject anything labeled as 'conservative' out of hand because of its label, then 'we' probably can't have a rational, constructive conversation.
If you believe that you watch the only news program that is going to deliver unbiased truth then 'we' probably can't have a rational, constructive conversation.
If you haven't noticed the glaringly, hypocritical inconsistencies of the Tea Party's/Democratic Party's/Republican Party's rhetoric as opposed to the Tea Party's/Democratic Party's/Republican Party's actions, then 'we' probably can't have a rational, constructive conversation.
If you have noticed these things, but pretend not to because you would fall out of favor with your chosen clique, then 'we' definitely can't have a rational, constructive conversation.
Until we can lose the labels they have laid out for us, we can't step outside the boxes (cells) they have neatly and systematically herded us into.
