The Death of Hulk Hogan

Reporting on the death of Hulk Hogan got it all wrong. Of course, mainstream media is mostly a lot of drivel, so it was expected. But even alternative sites and their usually astute commentators really missed the boat on this one.

Hulk Hogan’s passing was not just a pop culture icon kicking the bucket at the relatively young age of 71.

It was the death of a man of historic importance, comparable to Jesus, Gutenberg, Galileo, Einstein, John F. Kennedy.

It was the death of America’s newest Founding Father!

Hulk Hogan represented a cosmic shift in the way America conducted its internal affairs and its entire relationship to the rest of the world!

No more wussy negotiating. Now we yell! No more timidity and cooperation. Now we threaten and coerce! Forget about polite speeches and fluffy oratory. Now it’s bombast and bellicosity!

And no more false humility: America is exceptional! America is indispensable!

AMERICA IS #1!

You got that? We own the world and we’ll run it the way we see fit!

So . . .

Good-bye to all those barriers to the full expression of America’s greatness and power. Try to stop us? We’ll bomb the shit of you!

Indeed! Hulk Hogan was in the ring what America now is on the world stage. Loud, raucous, boisterous, belligerent! Arrogant, menacing, ruthless!

Yes folks, it’s show time for the New Hulk Hogan-style America! We’re the greatest! We’re the most awesome! We’re the most powerful! And we’re dangerous!

So don’t even think about messing with us. WE’LL FUCK YOU UP REAL GOOD!

Granted, everyone knows pro wrestling is fake. But this just reinforces my point. American democracy is fake. American diplomacy is fake. It’s all posing, posturing, chest-beating. Just like with pro wrestling, the American citizenry is locked into a stupor of willful denial, a suspension of disbelief. We don’t need substance. We don’t need reality. We want drama! We want a good show! We want spectacle! We want the GOOD GUY — that would be the U.S. — to WIN and WIN and WIN.

So let’s give Hulk the credit he deserves. While it’s doubtful that Hulk Hogan single-handedly was responsible for this profound shift in American politics, he was entirely emblematic of what America has become and now will always be.

Hulk Hogan was the Founding Father of the New American Century.

God bless this amazing, patriotic man! And may he rest in peace!

[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . https://jdrachel.com ]

The Death of Hulk Hogan | John Rachel

The Lizard Brain Has Imposed a No-Fly Zone Over the Cerebral Cortex

 
What does the title mean?

Who knows?  Great title, though!

I've been thinking about Christmas gifts.

Mind you, this occurs despite the fact that here in Japan we have no equivalent to Black Friday, though unfortunately I'm afraid it's coming.  Japan loves to imitate the U.S. and is about as materialistic and consumer-oriented a society possible.  I keep hearing about the "lagging economy" and give it much thought as I'm on a shuttle bus from a remote parking lot at the mall, because there are so many shoppers, they have to rent distant fields to find parking spaces for those of us who arrived late -- that would be anytime more than five minutes after the stores have opened for business.
 

Last year, I went out on a limb in making a recommendation of a gift for the "person who has everything" -- which is just about everybody with a credit card.  To put it mildly, what I personally thought was a great find -- the Deluxe Home Lobotomy Kit from Black & Decker -- drew a firestorm of criticism.

This stemmed not per se from the calming effects of the lobotomy itself, but from some of the side effects -- the uncontrollable, steady drooling and the shameless fixation on genital areas, both those of the lobotomized and anyone in visual range.

 

Frankly, I recall seeing both of these everywhere I went when I lived in America, and while I'm just ballparking it here, I'd say they afflict way beyond 50% of the population over 25.  It seems unlikely that all of these folks have been lobotomized, not surgically anyway.

But I can take criticism without getting all weepy.  So this year, while my recommendation is somewhat along the same lines, I'm confident that while still tuned into the needs of "people who have everything", I'm  considerably more sensitive to the need to avoid embarrassing and unattractive side effects.

 

Along the same lines as a lobotomy?

Quite honestly, considering the abundance of entertainment, diversions, computer games, movies, music, videos, social sites, live shows, virtual shows, virtual reality, reality shows, and every conceivable form of spectacle, stimulation, illusion, fantasy, recreation, getaway, escape, meditation, discovery, rediscovery, relaxation, rejuvenation, regeneration, reboot, invention, reinvention, on and on, I'm genuinely astounded by how much disorientation, distemper, disorder, dismay, dysfunction, anxiety, and fitful frenzy appears to overwhelm the average person, just trying to make it from one end of the day to the other.

We're talking . . . MAJOR STRESS!

I guess it could be that very abundance of so many ways to bludgeon the brain into being delighted which is the source of the problem.

 

That's neither here nor there.  The result is the same.

People are desperate to deal with it and will go to great lengths to do so.  Just look at the opioid epidemic which the U.S. is now confronting.  It's obvious all these addicts are not popping pills because of tennis elbow.

Which brings me to what I think may be the most ingenious gift anyone could buy for that someone "who has everything" -- everything but peace of mind.

Mind you, it's not available yet.  But it will be in time for Christmas.

So get out those smart phones, that credit card that isn't over limit yet, and get ready to pre-order this amazing gift, because they'll be going fast.

This year's "boy-will-they-be-surprised!" gift recommendation from John Rachel . . .

 

THE DELUXE HOME ELECTRO-SHOCK THERAPY KIT!

And offering another clue why Jeff Bezos is now personally worth $100 billion, this unique and assuredly invaluable addition to the array of modern home appliances that every family simply must have is exclusively available from Amazon.

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



The Lizard Brain Has Imposed a No-Fly Zone Over the Cerebral Cortex

The fix is in … Hillary will win … vote for Jill Stein!

 

I've finally emerged from my naive stupor and faced the facts.

Hillary Clinton will be installed as the next POTUS, regardless of how many people do or do not vote for her.

To the extent that I see the insulting choice between the Queen of Chaos and the King of the Racist Rant as somehow pivotal, I have been subconsciously mulling this diabolical verity for some time now. 

What finally cracked the edifice of my willful denial was a highly insightful interview of Julian Assange by the award-winning Australian journalist and film maker, John Pilger.  Please take the time to watch this.

Assange discusses the incriminating emails he has dumped into the public sphere, denies that Russia had anything to do with providing them, highlights Hillary Clinton's criminal use of the Clinton Foundation for influence peddling and her demented plan to establish herself as the go-to candidate for the presidency by destroying Libya and attacking Syria, Wikileaks' role in exposing systemic corruption wherever it occurs, the U.S. defying the UN and ignoring international law, rendering him a fugitive in the Ecuadoran Embassy.

Assange as always is brilliant.  He claims Hillary's victory is predetermined, a foregone conclusion.  History and the facts are on his side.  Think George W. Bush in 2000. 

What will happen after Clinton's coronation in January is anyone's guess.  All informed predictions portend the worst.

The world is heading for war.  No one I know seems to have any clue how that decision is made and who makes it.  But the writing is on the wall.  The military build-ups in Europe and Asia, the constant vilification of Russia and intimidation of China, the hysterical and thoroughly unfounded clamoring about the necessity to stop the aggressive actions of Putin -- though no evidence is presented because no real evidence is available -- all paint the same hideous portrait of apocalyptic violence and unprecedented carnage.

World War III.

Why?  Why must it again come to this?  Because . . .

It's time.

And Hillary Clinton is the perfect minion to inflict this upon the world.

The preparations are being made as I write this, while the mesmerized masses either can't wait to get to the polls because they've already made their decision, or ponder the weighty choice between a sociopathic narcissist and a criminally insane warmonger.

As if it made a difference.

So . . .

Vote for Jill Stein.

You have nothing to lose.
It won't change the results of the election.

As I've said, the fix is in.  The power brokers, the investment banks, Wall Street, the media, the transnational corporations, the security agencies (except for some rebels in the FBI), the .01%, the oligarchs, have made their choice.  The polls have been fixed around that choice, as will be the final results of the election.

Why Jill Stein?

If the programming of the voting machines hasn't completely removed any possibility of her getting sufficient voter support, and the Green Party manages 5% of the popular vote, it will qualify for federal matching funds in the next election.

If there is a next election.

Am I being pessimistic?

Of course not.  There is hope!  The Loch Ness Monster might come out of hiding, and lead humankind to a new spiritual rebirth.  Or in an unexpected turn of events, Sasquatch will win the presidency on a write-in ballot, then require all armaments to be melted down and turned into snow shoes.  An extinction-threatening meteor could glide in from outer space and make a soft landing at Dulles Int'l Airport, Jesus Christ, Ghandi, Buddha and Nelson Mandela could emerge healthy and invigorated, take a limo into DC and talk some sense into the lunatics running our country.

Or . . . or . . .



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



The fix is in … Hillary will win … vote for Jill Stein!

Thought Experiment

 

Let's say that you spend $20 on two fifths of whiskey, get so drunk that you have a horrible automobile accident, hitting a school bus, killing over fifty elementary students, causing serious injury to several others.  Three of the children who survived are now quadriplegics, two others have permanent brain damage, a number are disfigured because the bus caught on fire, and they couldn't get out in time.  Moreover, enraged by your clearly irresponsible behavior, several of the parents, solid members of the NRA -- thus well-equipped with assault weapons and handguns -- have vowed to avenge the death and crippling of their children.  You find yourself being hunted down and must be on the alert at all times for a potentially lethal attack.

Now let's imagine that through the magic of quantum theory and Einsteinian relativity, we could take you back to before this entire incident.  You have that same $20 in your hands.  You're given a choice.  You have full knowledge of what will happen if you buy the whiskey but you have an option:  You can walk up to a complete stranger and hand him the $20.

To make it interesting, let's say the stranger is a bum.  Let's say that from all appearances the guy is not employable, lives hand-to-mouth on what he can panhandle.  It is also easy to imagine he will spend the $20 on cigarettes and beer.

Knowing what will happen if you keep the $20 for yourself -- the whiskey, plowing into a school bus, mangling a bunch of innocent kids, creating enemies who now want to kill you -- would you hand the $20 to the bum?

Since all of the good people who visit my website are the most intelligent, rational, decent and sensible humans on the planet, I will assume to a person that all of you would opt to hand the $20 over to the bum.  Not only would you be sparing yourself a monumental amount of grief, and a stain on your conscience from which you might never recover, I have no doubt that the warm bubbles of Good Samaritanism would fill you with giddy abandon, a tactile bonanza for your good sense and generosity.  What a splendid feeling!  Why, it would be better than a kick-ass dose of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors!

So what if the guy is a bum.  A lot of people never find their groove.  That $20 will make him feel like he won the lottery.  He can spend it on whatever he likes.  It's really none of your business, right?  And it's not like you haven't made some bad choices at one time or another.  What about that time-share you bought in the Bahamas that turned out to be a shed for garden tools?  Let him buy some cigarettes, a Hustler magazine, and Wild Horse.

Alright.  Now through the magic of Blog World -- where anything can happen because the person writing the blog can make up whatever he wants and being somewhat disconnected from reality or just plain nuts is no barrier as long as he can afford the $27.95 a year for an internet domain -- let's say YOU are suddenly in charge of the entire federal budget.

Now you don't have just $20 to spend or giveaway.

You have $1.16 trillion dollars!  That's the total discretionary federal budget for 2016.

Here's the choice.  Do you continue to spend the majority of the money on defense, buying unnecessary junk, building and maintaining military bases -- the U.S. already has close to 1000 in 143 countries -- starting wars, bombing nations into complying with our agenda, killing tens of thousands of innocent people, spreading even more terrorism across the planet?  Do you inflict carnage and suffering on undeserving citizens in distant countries, blowing up not just school buses, but whole schools, hospitals, villages, whole cities?

Or do you give some aid and comfort to those who for one reason or another have fallen on hard times here in the U.S.?

Despite the putative recovery from the 2008 crash, despite America still being by far the wealthiest country in the world, despite having the largest economy in the world with a whopping GDP of $18.56 trillion, there are some 45 million Americans living below the poverty line.
There are over 500,000 homeless people in America!

Does that compute?  Over a half million human beings, many of them children, without a place to live in the richest nation in the history of the world?

Just considering the enormous amount of waste the direct result of Department of Defense incompetence and skewed priorities, it seems obvious something could be done about this.

The $1.5 trillion which is being spent on the biggest boondoggle in military history, the F-35 fighter jet, could push every single one of the 45 million poor above the poverty line for at least the next five years.

The $1.0 trillion which is being allocated to upgrade our already excessive nuclear arsenal, which currently has over 7,000 nuclear bombs -- enough to destroy the entire planet forty times over -- could put every homeless person in a $1,000,000 mansion and give them $50,000 to live on every year for the next twenty years.

Is this so outrageous?  The idea of "helicopter money" to the homeless?  Helping those folks who struggle every day to make ends meet pull even with the rest of us?

Finland is right now testing out the idea of a guaranteed minimum income for citizens who are now unemployed, a no-strings-attached, tax-free stipend of $630 per month.

Yeah, some of those homeless and poor people might not be employable.  And a few might buy beer and a Hustler magazine. 

But the truth is most of them will feed their kids and replace the bald tires on their car.

I'm not suggesting we give million-dollar mansions to every homeless person.

The point of this article is to put things in perspective.  We hear these figures bandied about all of the time.  $3 trillion for the Afghanistan war.  Another $4 trillion for the Iraq war.  Figures so mind-boggling, it's almost impossible to wrap our heads around them.

Can anyone out there say with a straight face we can't find some money in the vast wealth of the U.S. of A. so that everyone can have at bare minimum a decent life?  So that we can be proud of our country and the way it treats its citizens, especially its most vulnerable?

We can do whatever we decide to do.  That's what a democracy is, if we still have such a thing in America anymore.  It's a matter of getting over the brainwashing we have been subjected to all of our lives.  It's a matter of reconnecting with the values which allegedly are the foundations for our Christian nation.  Granted, Jesus wasn't a U.S. citizen but it seems a lot of people here claim to align with his teaching.  Does this sound familiar?

“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” - Matthew 25:34-36

So, returning to our "thought experiment" . . .

Does the comparison of America's leadership to an inebriated driver plowing into a school bus full of children hold up? 

Is there any doubt?

Our foreign policy has the U.S. military careening across the planet spreading death and destruction, chaos and fear, violence and terrorism.  The whole bunch -- Obama, Biden, Carter, Clinton, Power, Rice, Nuland, Kerry, Clapper -- are drunk on power.  Yes, they are drunk on their sense of entitlement and destiny.  They are drunk on psychopathic fantasies of conquest and empire.  They are drunk on delusions of becoming deities.

And a school bus of innocent maimed and dead school kids, however horrifying and tragic, is small potatoes compared to the tens of thousands murdered, mutilated, crippled, driven from their homes, subjected to the worst possible conditions, by U.S. military aggression over the past 15 years, with the fraudulent War on Terror, pursuit of regime change, and wholesale destruction of nations which posed no threat to the U.S. or its citizens.

Yes, these lunatics are DUI alright.  They are driving America and the world to the brink of destruction, under the influence of greed and profit-seeking by the defense industries and a fanatic loyalty to the bogus pseudo-ideology of neoconservatism, a brain-eating, morally debilitating virus spread by sociopaths like Robert Kagan and Paul Wolfowitz.

So there's the choice.  Help some people who need help.  Or continue to let the crazies get behind the wheel of the mightiest military machine in history so they can perpetuate the destructive rampage that makes the U.S. the greatest threat to peace in the world today.

I titled this piece Thought Experiment.  But in reality, this is no cerebral exercise at all.
Because when you step into the voting booth on November 8th, you will have this choice or some version of it staring you in the face.  Every decision you make is another iteration of this choice.  Who you choose as your congressman, who you select as your senator, who you vote for to become president.  Their priorities become your priorities.

No one who has read even a handful of my articles will have any doubt about where I stand on the election.  I believe everyone who has regularly breathed the toxic brew of cronyism, self-serving lies, and monomaniacal propaganda, which currently permeates our nation's capital, must go.  We cannot make progress without complete and total regime change in Washington DC.  A clean sweep!  But I'm extreme that way.  I keep thinking we can have a government which truly represents the people, looks out for their best interest, one which puts the enormous wealth and resources of the U.S. to proper use, promoting the general welfare of its citizens.  Realistically, for starters that would require kicking our addiction to war and then becoming the world's greatest purveyor of peace.  Without that, we can never escape the moral and financial bankruptcy which will inevitably destroy our nation, if not the entire world.

Just remember.  There's a reason why America is one of the most feared, and increasingly hated, reviled, and targeted nations in the world.  There's a reason why the world is in the screwed-up state it's in.  And if you return the same people to office who caused this mess, then you become part of the reason too.

It doesn't have to be this way.  We don't have to have perpetual war.  We don't have to live under the thumb of the rich and powerful.  We don't have to be the victims of grotesque wealth inequality.  We don't have to sit back and watch as our country is looted and our democracy becomes a standing joke.  We don't have to march to the constant beat of war drums and drink the Kool-Aid of ultra-nationalism and exceptionalism.

Which America will you choose?

November 8th.  Voting is not a thought experiment.  It's the real deal.

By the way, as noted in the fine print on the image at the head of this article, that is an unretouched photo of contiguous rich and not-so-rich neighborhoods in Santa Fe, NM.  Bernie Sanders made wealth inequality central to his recent presidential campaign.  People responded to his message for good reason.

It's not just embarrassing.  It's unacceptable.  It's immoral.  It's unconscionable.

It's un-American!

Maybe we can't all live in mansions.  But the poor and homeless certainly deserve better.

Let's spread the wealth around a bit, eh?  We begin that with peace in the world and peace right here at home.  Peace with one another.  Peace with our own souls.

Does this make me a socialist?  A hippie?  A peace-and-love Pollyanna?




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



Thought Experiment

Arm Wrestling Jesus

 

I think it's about time we settle the whole Jesus/Son of God/Savior of Mankind 
thing once and for all.

After all, there's so much dispute about what Jesus said, what He did, what He 
meant, why He was here, even who He was.

Basically all of this comes down to the question about His divinity. That in one 
giant gulp swallows everything else. It's the elephant __ or maybe whale 
(see Jonah 1:17) __ in the room.

So I'm issuing a challenge to Jesus Christ personally, upon His return to Earth.

Here's my challenge . . .

When the Man-Who-Died-On-The-Cross-and-Lived-to-Tell-About-It returns to 
our sorry planet __ as we all know, this encore appearance is referred to among 
the reverent as the Second Coming __ we're going to first straight away settle the 
whole omnipotence thing.

After giving Him a few days much needed R and R to get His bearings and get
back up to Savior speed __ God knows what the jet lag must be coming that 
distance __ we're going to sit Him down to an arm wrestling contest. Yes, that's 
right. An arm wrestling contest!

Let's see what He's made of.

Let's see once and for all if He's really got the right stuff!

If Jesus wins, He will be crowned King of . . . of . . . well . . . everything.

If He loses, He owes us a big apology. Really big!. . . considering all of the 
time and money we've spent on cathedrals, churches, prayer books, pipe 
organs, hymnals, the Pope Mobile.

Let me state unequivocally, I think it's important here to pit Him against 
the best that the atheists have on their side. To be quite honest, I can't
really say I'm up to speed on atheist arm wrestling, so you folks out
there who are familiar, help me out here, by choosing from
among your heathen flock who you think can finally put Jesus in His
place. Seriously, give it your best shot! He may come off as a wimpy
preacher/philosopher/guru kind of guy __ generally these touchy-feeley
types are not exactly known for their athleticism __ but if He truly is
the Son of God and all-powerful as widely claimed, He's bringing more to
the table than steroid-soaked, pumped-up muscles. Certainly don't
underestimate Him. You might want to think David and Goliath. This calls
for brain and brawn. Jesus supposedly had a formidable bag of
tricks at His disposal first time around __ raising the dead, changing
water to wine, cripple maintenance and repair, leper healing, fishes and
loaves, water walking __ so He's definitely not a lightweight!

Folks, I'd say we're in for a real mega-event here, the veritable Super Bowl 
of Metaphysics! The World Series of Cosmology!  Why, I wouldn't be
surprised if Arm Wrestling Mania sets new pay-per-view records.

Then when this battle of the biceps is over __ and I have no personal stake 
in the outcome except for the life savings I placed on a bet with a rather 
tawdry bookie here in Japan __ I hope once and for all we have the 
answers we've been looking for and can move on to tackling the
bigger, more pressing questions of our troubled times.

Like . . .

Why did they kill off Will Gardner in the hit TV series "The Good Wife"?

WHY?!!



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

If Jesus Had Been Packing

 

If Jesus had had a gun, they never would have been able to nail Him to the cross.

Then again . . . would He have refused to use it to defend Himself?

This is a gray area and things get a little confusing. Let's face it, He became a real rock star as a result of the "turn the other cheek" sound bite. On the other hand, Jesus threw quite a temper tantrum and tossed the moneylenders out of the Temple __ physically tossed them out, from what I gather. It was His Steven Seagal moment.

Certainly we can conclude from this, the Guy was no wuss. At the same time, we have no record of Him punching anyone in the face or dropping kicking anyone's family jewels, much less offing them by whatever instruments of slaughter were available at the time.

Yet seeing some big hairy brutes coming at you with massive hammers and nails the size  of a jack handle is definitely going to push some buttons. If He had anything resembling a fight-or-flight reflex, it's not unreasonable to assume that had a handgun been available, He would have emptied a few rounds into his beefy assailants and made for the hills.

What kind of weapons would Our Savior have been packing, assuming all options were    on the table? Hard to say with any certainty. But He wasn't much for mincing words. So it seems reasonable to assume He would not have made some lame choice when it came to arming Himself. I'm no expert so I'm just guessing here. But I surmise He would have had the nice and punchy Sig Sauer P228 within easy reach __ strapped to His thigh under His robes __ and had a kick-ass semi-automatic assault weapon slung over His shoulder. This would've given Him both the solace of being able to mount a quick response and the necessary firepower in case He needed to spray some serious lead around.

What kind of assault weapon would have been the Savior of Mankind's first choice. The popularity of the Bushmaster AR-15 certainly makes it the obvious frontrunner. But I personally think he would have gone with the Israeli IMI Tavor TAR-21. After all, Jesus was a Jew and there's got to be some basic loyalty at work. But practically speaking, the IMI Tavor TAR-21 is one sweet killing machine. It's compact, relatively light and great at close and medium range. Those Romans getting ready to nail the Big Guy to the cross wouldn't have stood a chance. Blam! Blam! Blam! Bye-bye, motherfuckers!

How about munitions?

Being generally disposed in His preaching to encourage His devoted flock to always show compassion, I think He would have chosen standard issue bullets and only considered using hollow-points as a last resort.

The most important thing to appreciate when thinking about Jesus Christ packing any kind of weaponry is the powerful message it sends. After all, who could possibly take seriously the word of a man who isn't willing to stand up for what he believes in? Who won't stand strong in the face of opposition. Who lets himself be bullied and threatened. Who isn't man enough to look some smart aleck punk Roman soldier in the eye and say, "Make my day!"

I'm certainly not saying Jesus would have gone around and indiscriminately brandished His weapons of choice every time He got in a fix. Being the Prince of Peace, He would have been the last to lock and load. But that's the beauty of guns. You don't have to use them to make your point or at least to let others know you're not going down without a fight.

All I'm saying is that if Jesus had been packing that day they crucified Him, those Roman thugs would have had second thoughts about nailing Him up like a raggedy ann door prize at the county fair. He wouldn't have died for our sins and . . .

Uh-oh.

We'd all go to Hell.

Hmm . . .

That would be bad.


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