What if . . . ?

 

I love reading stories to kids.

How about you?

Here's one of my favorites.

A modern classic.

Ha ha ha. I love that story!

It's so thought-provoking.

Can you imagine a world like that?

Sadly I can't find any kids that want to sit down and listen to a story any more.

Hmm.

[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Connect The Dots

 

I'm not going to point the finger and accuse people of being inept. Because
the simple, disturbing truth is there is a skill that has been largely
overlooked by the American educational system.

I refer to the science of connecting the dots.

I sure didn't get it school. Did any of you?

So let's begin to address this educational oversight. I've provided a basic
exercise below. Let's start here and we'll build on it. Good luck! It's
not as easy as it looks.

Character Witness

 


I make no secret of this.  I have a book which was just published this year that I 
hope will change the world.

Two-and-a-half years in the making, it's not just more pulp fiction to add to the
pile. I wrote this with serious intentions of making a difference __ a
huge difference __ in the way America goes about its elections.

The great thing about writing a novel is being able to speak through the characters. 
Martin Truth is my main character for An Unlikely Truth. Martin is a third-party 
congressional candidate making his fourth attempt at ousting a duplicitous, 
blowhard, right-wing incumbent in Ohio's conservative 3rd District. Like many 
__ how about most? __ politicians these days, the incumbent says one thing, then
does the exact opposite. His loyalty is to big campaign donors, corporate
sponsors, and deep-pocketed oligarchs, at the expense of his
well-meaning but gullible constituents. In baffling but predictable
lockstep, people keep voting this guy back in, even though it's
ultimately against their own interests __ sound familiar?

Martin wants to put some integrity back into politics, at least in his
district, and fights an incredibly difficult battle against near
impossible odds and the ruthless tactics and brutal smear campaign of
his opponent, driven by a naive but firm belief in the fundamental right
of voters to be properly represented.

Here is a key passage from the book . . .

"What did Martin Truth stand for?

As the Green Party candidate he obviously believed in protecting the
environment. Something had to be done to stop global warming, if it
wasn’t too late already. We had to end our addiction to fossil fuels,
especially oil. There should be huge private and public investments in
renewable alternative energy sources: wind, ocean, solar. We had to
reverse deforestation. End desertification. Halt the privatization of
water and other basic necessities. Encourage local food production,
promote organic agriculture, and reduce the use of pesticides and GMO
seeds. In general, the world needed to back off corporatizing everything
and return to local production and control. With bold and determined
political leaders on the front lines, it needed to confront and defeat
the multinational corporate juggernaut that was polluting and destroying
the Earth.

As might be expected, Martin’s progressivism extended broadly from his
commitment to environmental causes to a number of co-related social
issues. He categorically took exception to the every-man-for-himself
madness of the right wing and believed that all of us through
representative government should take a greater role in helping others,
especially those who were less able to fend for themselves. This
included the old, the infirm, victims of racism and other forms of
discrimination. And those who had lost their jobs and fallen on hard
times. The poor. The undereducated. Children. Most definitely children!
Without a doubt, Martin would be labeled as a bleeding-heart liberal by
the crass law-of-the-jungle conservatives, who he thought lacked both
compassion and common decency, people who called themselves Christians
but somehow missed the most obvious and critical aspects of Christ’s
teachings: Feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal the sick, tend to the
needs of the less fortunate.

'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something
to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you
clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you
came to Me … Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of
these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'  –  Matthew 25:35/36/40

Hardly what could be called a Bible-thumper, questionably even a Christian at
all by any conventional standards, Martin had used that passage in his
campaign literature last election season. Very few voters seemed to
appreciate its relevance to the progressive ideals he espoused. If they
did, they still managed to forget about him when it came time to vote.

Martin was also deeply committed to human rights, under relentless assault
long before humankind even recognized what they were. It was ironic that
now in many countries which had long had an onerous record of human
rights abuses, there were significant improvements, while in America
itself, allegedly champion of humane and just treatment, fairness, and
respect for all, human rights was suffering dismal setbacks every day.

He was especially concerned about the intrusive levels of officially
unacknowledged surveillance, and the constant push for locking up more
and more citizens. There seemed to be a new mentality taking over which
destroyed any sense of proportion and reason with respect to
incarceration. It certainly was destroying justice and equality before
the law. The operating principle was: If we build it, they will come. Or more to the point: We’ve built a helluva lot of these prisons, now we’ve got to fill them! They were filling the prisons all right. Mostly with people of color.

Admittedly, there was a lot on his wish list, a substantial catalog of action items
which embraced the things Martin thought had to be done immediately to
reverse the downward, self-sabotaging course of the country. It was a
daunting set of tasks requiring the energy of the whole nation working
together, unified and determined in their dedication to rebuild a great
America.

Daunting or not, these were the things which drove him to seek a seat in Congress.

These were the things he thought crucial for a better world."

People love to label others. Somehow this puts them at ease. Once they've put
someone in a box, they feel they can deal with them. Or just dismiss
them and walk away. I full agree with Martin Truth. So what does this
make me? A liberal? A socialist?

I think it just makes me a decent human being.  

If I ever have to stand trial, I hope to call to the stand a character
witness who merely says that. "Like Martin Truth, John   is a decent
human being. He just wants a better world."

An Unlikely Truth has been out since mid-February. Just go here for all  
of the ways to pick up a copy. If the reviews are to be believed, it's a 
good read with a solid message.

I certainly hope your reading it will be as inspiring as it was for me to write it.

Peace.




[ This originated at the author's personal web site ... http://jdrachel.com ]

From Bill To Hillary With Love

 

As we all know, everyone is being watched, monitored, recorded. No one can
escape the eyes and ears of the national security state.

Here is an excerpt from the transcript of a conversation between Bill and Hillary
Clinton recently culled from the files of the NSA.

Classified (TS-SCI Poly Clearance Required):  Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
Cell phone interception, June 27, 2014, 10:34 pm.

Hillary:  "I don't know. That hope and change thing sure fooled a lot of people."

Bill:  "Yeah, but fool me twice. You know the drill."

Hillary:  "So what should I do?"

Bill:  "You know what worked for me. Tell people what they want to hear. Then
steal the agenda of the conservatives so you don't get attacked from the
right. Deregulate, bomb, suck up to Wall Street. It's a sure winner.
And you know what else clinched it for me?"

Hillary:  "What's that?"

Bill:  "Playing saxophone. People loved that. Especially black people."

Hillary:  "I can't play saxophone. You know how I hate putting things in my mouth."

Bill:  "That's for sure. Hey! How about guitar?"

Hillary:  "As long as I don't break my nails."

Bill:  "I've got it! We'll put you on a crash course and you can learn Stairway To Heaven.
That's it! It could be your campaign theme song. That would lock up the
hippie burnout vote. You know, all those delusional airhead idealists
who want peace, love and justice. OMG! I'm a fucking genius!"

Hillary:  "Yes, Bill, you really are. Which is why I still love you . . . sort of."

People ask . . . 'Is Hillary Clinton a neocon-lite?'

My unequivocal reply? Nope. No way! Not a chance. Actually . . .

Hillary Clinton is a neocon-heavy.

She is a neocon wet dream!

If she's elected, she'll make Margaret Thatcher look like Mother Theresa.

Especially, since as the first female president she'll be determined to show
how tough she is, how she can hold her own, bombing, bullying, and
bullshitting with the most bestial of the bellicose buckaroos and their
bursting ball sacks of belligerence and bombast.

Hey! How many children starved to death under sanctions on Iraq after 
Operation Desert Storm? Half a million? Ha! Mere child's play, my friends.
Ane then after we destroy Syria, there's Iran. That's just getting warmed
up. Then the real fun begins . . . Russia! . . . China! How many nukes
have we got ready to lob at them?

Hillary is putting on a good show. She has the best handlers money can buy.

But don't be fooled. Sweet talk is just that . . . talk.

It's all on record. At least some pundits are paying attention . . .

Clinton as 'Poster Child for the Military-Industrial Complex by Jacob Chamberlain
Hillary Clinton, the unrepentant hawk by Steve Chapman
Are Neocons Getting Ready to Ally With Hillary Clinton? by Jacob Heilbrunn
"More Of A Neocon Than The Republican Nominee" by Joe Scarborough
Hillary Clinton Flaunts Her Surveillance State Baggage by Robert Scheer
Good Riddance To Warmonger Hillary Clinton by Bob Dreyfuss
Hillary Clinton's Militarism Exposed by Stephen Zunes
Hillary Clinton: Warmonger For The Bankster Elite by Charleston Voice
Hillary Clinton 2016: A Recipe For Endless War by Abby Martin

Sure, it would be nice to have our first ever female president. But let's not have 
putting a bullet item in the history books override common sense and good judgment.

Yes, we should have a female president but the right female.

Certainly not the pompous Mrs. Clinton.

Maybe this one here.

Better yet.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Militarizing The Police – Part 4

Kelly Thomas was killed by police brutality.

Let me be clear about something here. When I talk about militarizing the
police, I'm not just referring to equipment. I'm talking about a
mentality __ a world view.

Militarizing anyone is a tough, convoluted process. As they grow up, even if boys
are taught to be boys, they are also taught to love thy neighbor, be
respectful of human life, thou shalt not kill, and so on. Then when
taken into the military, everything is turned upside down and they are
told: Okay, now forget about all of that, at least with respect to some
subset of the human race __ the Japs, the Nazis, the Arabs, the Gooks,
whoever. They are told that none of those old rules of kindness, even
God's sacred commandments, don't apply. Those people over there
are your enemies. You will show them no respect, no mercy, in fact, you
are to destroy them, kill them without hesitation or remorse. And if
you do a good job of slaughtering them, you will be lauded, decorated
with medals, become a national hero, the object of admiration and
praise. Chicks will dig you.

Okay . . .

What happens when the police start seeing themselves as an extension of the
military, here not to protect and serve, issue the occasional traffic
violation, give talks to kids in school about being good citizens, but
to PROTECT THE HOMELAND against THEM?

And then what happens, when the average American citizen comes under suspicion?
Suspicion of being a misfit, a troublemaker, a dissident, a traitor? Of
not being "with us" but "against us"? Of being a commie-sympathizer, a
towelhead, a jihadist? What happens when databases are being kept of
potential threats, of people who allegedly fit some profile of being a
terrorist, lists of citizens who allegedly fail to fall in line, and may
well be trying to undermine our great country, sabotage the government,
destroy the land of the brave, home of the free? What happens when the public is now seen as the potential enemy?

That's the kind of militarization of the police we most have to fear. Because here's what you get . . .

Enough said. I don't want to be accused of being a fear monger or some wild-eyed Chicken Little paranoid. There's more than enough of that going on already. But we've all been put on notice. The signs are there and we've been given fair warning.

Given how far along I believe the militarization of the police has already progressed, what is the government __ both the law enforcement branches and many agencies who provide non-security related services like the Social Security Administration and postal service __ preparing for?
Social order breaks down when people become desperate or angry. When they are both desperate and angry, the doors for massive insurrection swing wide open. What could precipitate such catastrophic and violent breakdown of our society?

In my view, there are a number of scenarios which are not entirely out of the question __ some say they are likely __ which could drive desperation and anger. These are, I might note, what the government think tanks themselves say they're worried about.

1. The abandonment of the dollar
   as the world's reserve currency or machinations by private banking and
   investment resulting in the complete collapse of the American economy.
2. The foundering of delivery mechanisms or severe interruption of the supply chains for the critical necessities for survival: food, water, electricity, heating oil, natural gas, gasoline.
3. Violent insurrection or civil war based on widespread discontent and hysteria.
4. World War III or any far-reaching global conflict precipitating any of the above.

The U.S. dollar as the reserve currency is already under assault. We have become grossly irresponsible and abused the enormous privileges we enjoyed for decades. Now the BRICS and several other nations are trying to get out from under the oppressive thumb of the U.S. banking cartels.

The supply chains for food and other necessities are long and fragile. It has been claimed, for example, that if the trucks, boats, planes and trains supplying the supermarket were to somehow be compromised, the shelves would be completely empty in just a few day. Then what? Hunger is a virulent and uncompromising enemy of social order.

The government has created such a vast pool of fear and paranoia, people have armed themselves to the teeth. Back in the 90s, the police beating of Rodney King set off huge riots across the country. Those were much calmer days than we have now post-911. With the grotesque polarization of the population on a vast array of issues, the U.S. has become a tinderbox. It's hard to predict what the spark might be that will set it all off. But it sure doesn't take a Nostradamus to see what's coming.

With Syria, Iran, the Ukraine, the encirclement of Russia and China by the U.S. military, it is obvious to anyone looking that there's a psychotic rogue element within the architecture of the U.S. government that is itching for a war. When it happens, with economies across the landscape on the brink of collapse and the fragile balance of peace in the world ready to shatter, this will mean conflagration and chaos like never before in history. If America in the midst of this insanity, were to go nuclear __ and yes, my friends, there are plans for it __ even if there's no sizable retaliation and we survive, the U.S. will become a leprous pariah in the international community. However you stack it up, if we continue on our present course and are the instigator of a major war, America will end up bankrupt, scorned, isolated __ a pathetic shell of a once glorious nation.

Though you wouldn't know it, with all of the "exceptionalist" blather and chest-beating jingoism that passes for patriotism in the media and spews from the pulpits of political power, America is widely resented, feared, despised. When the rest of the world can't handle any more of our belligerence and turns on us, it won't end well. We'll go down kicking, screaming, throwing an epic tantrum.

That's how federal agencies responsible now for civil order see things.

That's what the local police are being militarized for.

That's what they are preparing for.


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]