“Daddy is a drunk!”

I’ve spent at least ten years talking about “regime change in Washington DC”, trying to explain exactly what that entails, and why it’s necessary for the survival of our nation.

Here’s my last go at it. Daddy is a drunk! It’s an allegory.

Before I start with this heartwarming story about a dad who’s a drunk, let me just make one qualifier. When I advocate regime change in our nation’s capitol, I’m not suggesting a violent revolution. In fact, the idea is to AVOID that, because if there is a violent overthrow of authorities here in the U.S., I have no doubt it will be the bloodiest, most horrifying one in history. We as a citizenry are armed to the teeth, are obsessed with and glorify violence in our myths about ourselves as people and as a nation. Even those who claim to abhor violence seem inexplicably tolerant, with all sorts of rationalizations for never getting serious about eliminating guns or attempting to refashion a culture which is predicated on less adversity, competition, and confrontation. I’m not here to argue any of that. I’m just stating the obvious. If there’s another civil war, it will be a bloodbath.

Regime change, from my perhaps naive perspective — and I do mean total regime change — can be accomplished peacefully, humanely, and legally. But understand what I mean is truly, in fact, without qualification or compromise: REGIME CHANGE. It is removing every single person now holding public office from power and replacing them with qualified public officials who will actually serve the citizens of the country.

Today’s message is directed to the hugely vast majority of fellow citizens, who to my utter and complete astonishment, don’t see any need to replace ALL OF THEM. They don’t see that there are times in life, when things can’t be repaired. Something is so broken, it simply has to be tossed in the trash and replaced.

On to the most touching story you’ll read in the next several minutes.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Daddy Is A Drunk!

Daddy in his twenties was pretty much like most guys his age. He liked to go out and have a good time with his buddies. Have a few beers. Cheer the home team at a sports bar.

When he married mom, they’d occasionally share wine with the meal at a nice restaurant, or even once or twice a month have cocktails with their friends or other young couples.

Twenty years later, daddy was a different human being. The kids were in high school, he worked very hard and since he’d been very successful at his job, he didn’t “hang out” with his personal buddies anymore, but spent a lot of time socializing with colleagues from the corporation he worked at, and VIPs from the international customer base they serviced. Lots of travel now. High pressure and high stakes. But he got paid very well for it.

There was one problem. Now he drank constantly. Morning to night. He literally started the day with two stiff tumblers of bourbon, either of which would put most people on their tushies. Drinks at lunch. Drinks at happy hour. As soon as he arrived at home, he’d pour large glasses of whiskey, drink through dinner, then cap the night off with a few “sweet dreams” shots of liqueur before collapsing in a sloppy stupor on their king-size bed.

Daddy was a drunk.

But it wasn’t just his problem. It was a problem for every member of the family, for the few friends he and mommy still had, sometimes even for neighbors. Like when he drove his new Porsche onto the lawn of the neighbors next door, and wiped out $3000 of their professionally-landscaped lawn and garden.

Daddy had changed from a affable, well-liked, often funny, always entertaining young man into a ego-maniacal, self-possessed, graceless, humorless prick. Oh yes, he could still pour on the charm, even be funny, and in his own self-aggrandizing way be entertaining, nice, sympathetic, affable, whatever the occasion might call for. But the Mr. Fun Guy act would eventually fall apart, and behind the scenes he’d again become Mr. Hyde. Life at home was unbearable. He ranted. He paced. Appeared angry most of the time. Never took any real joy or satisfaction out of being there with his wife and kids.

It was tearing the family apart. Correction. Since this had been going on for three years — it started right when their oldest boy started high school — it had already torn the family apart. There was nothing left to salvage. The kids hated daddy. The wife hated daddy.

Over the three years, there had been five sessions of marriage counseling. Daddy had even agreed on and off to get psychiatric help. At least six times Daddy had been in and out of Alcoholics Anonymous. He’d even been to a hypnotist. Except for very brief periods off the bottle — only days, not weeks — it was the same story. And getting worse by the day.

Within the family — at least at first — they’d talk to daddy, plead with him, try to reason with him. They said all the right things. They thought what they said was persuasive and would make a difference: Daddy, you’re destroying yourself. Daddy, when you drink, you’re not the same person we know and love . Daddy, we just want to be with you and want what’s best for you. Daddy, you’ll be a much happier person — we’d all be happier — if you stop drinking. Daddy, you’re going to die if you keep this up. Please, daddy!

Through it all, with the rare glimpses of the pain and havoc he was creating in their lives, with a fleeting awareness that he had a serious problem, that he was hurting himself and those he who loved him, daddy would listen and apologize, promise to do better and claim he really appreciated their concern and help. He would do what was best for all of them and quit. Of course, that never happened. After only a few days off the bottle, when he went back, it seemed like he even drank more.

And so the family was — and still is — facing one stark, disheartening, unavoidable reality.

Daddy is a drunk.

Mommy can’t take it anymore. The verbal abuse. No affection. Nothing resembling companionship. No possibility of communication. Nothing could be done to fix things.

It was time for a drastic solution.

Daddy had to go. He had to be removed from the family before he did any more harm.

Mommy filed for and won a divorce. Daddy was gone.

If life was generous, mommy would find another man to love, to love her, and be the father to the kids they deserved.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What’s the moral of the story? Sometimes things get so bad, there’s so much damage and bad history, you have to start all over.

That’s where we are at with our government, with the elected officials now in office, who time and again, over and over, make it clear they do not and will not serve the people who elected them to do just that. They are beholden to their deep-pocketed patrons, both major parties serve the ruling class. The connection between WE THE PEOPLE and those who are chosen — not by us but by the pay-for-play insiders of the Democratic and Republican parties — for us to vote for on election day, exists as a figment of fantasy, the product of very effective and very deceptive messaging. Regardless of what these puppets say during their money-drenched electoral campaigns, they are not on the side of the people.

We can’t take this anymore. We should be mad as hell!

The abuse of power. No loyalty to the voting public. They sidle up to us when they want our votes, then disappear inside the Washington DC bubble. They talk at us. They don’t listen. The iron grip of the rich and powerful on our current elected officials is absolute. There’s no fixing anything with those now in office.

It’s time for drastic action.

These lapdogs of the rich and powerful need to go. They must be removed before they do anymore damage. Examples: More looting of the Treasury to serve Wall Street and the big investment banks. More stalling on climate change, minimum wage, health care, abortion, criminal justice reform, election reform, infrastructure. None of it will get done. What will get done is privatizing social security, more tax breaks for corporations and the rich . . . MORE WAR!

Throw these bums out! You could randomly go through a telephone directory and select names and come up with a better Congress and White House than this circus of clowns who now pose as our national leaders. No . . . I’m not being funny. I’m dead serious!

And you should be too.

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

“Daddy is a drunk!” | John Rachel

It Is What It Isn’t

They say money makes the world go round. Actually the world makes money go round.

They say the truth will set you free. Ask Julian Assange about that.

Liberals are the messengers of a progressive vision for the future, which is why they embrace war, promote lies about Russia and China, and look to the CIA and other intelligence agencies for guidance and protection.

Conservatives believe in the rock-solid principles of individuality, less government interference and control, and fiscal responsibility, as they demand the government run up colossal deficits to subsidize them and protect their businesses from competition.

The U.S. is the beacon of democracy, respect for the rule of law, self-determination and citizen empowerment in the world, which is why it topples other governments, removes democratically-elected leaders and replaces them with despots.

We have policing by media watchdogs to stamp out fake news, and that effort has itself become fake news.

We must go to war to guarantee the peace. Do I even have to unpack that one to show how patently absurd it is?

I could go on. But the point is, any and all interaction or communication among individuals is predicated on the idea that everyone is acting in good faith, that to the best of their abilities, people are being forthright and honest. Absolutely nothing can be discussed or agreed upon if the parties to the discussion are lying.

Yet, the bar has sunk so low, we now ASSUME others are being deceptive. The idea of an honest politician is an oxymoron. We expect everyone to be bending the truth as far as they can get away with it. We are considered foolish and reckless if we’re not constantly on guard, incredulous, suspicious, always looking for the “angle”, trying to figure out what’s really being said, or what the hidden agenda is. In more innocent times, we could easily spot the exaggeration, the “white lie”, the “friendly persuasion” going down. White lies are now every shade of gray, and public announcements a blurry opaque fog, a smoke screen in a house of mirrors.

Yes, we’re buried in mountains of bullsh*t, propaganda, fake this, fake that, deep fakes, false flags, manufactured crises. Lies are flaunted openly with brash impudence and total impunity, even celebrated. Being a great liar, if not openly lauded, seems to be quietly admired. There are best-selling books on how to jockey, manipulate, deceive, con your way to the top. Success justifies anything it takes to get there. When our “The Art of the Deal” 45th POTUS was caught telling 504 lies in a single day, I frankly wasn’t sure how we were supposed to react. Frown? Get angry? Shake our heads in disbelief? Nod and chuckle? Shrug and check the sports page?

Which makes what I do truly a thankless task, an exercise in futility. I actually try to the best of my ability to be truthful, accurate, informative. As do a host of others whom I religiously follow and admire. Most of the criticism I get are attacks on my integrity, questions about my “real motives”, speculations about my hidden agenda, allegations questioning my affiliations and loyalties. No one bothers to talk about the ideas.

That’s the world we live in. It is what it isn’t. It’s probably not what it appears to be. Truth is relative. Facts belong to the highest bidder.

Tragically, I concede: it’s not harsh to criticize someone for not believing anything anymore. At one time, being so closed-minded, so obdurate, so impregnable, so pig-headed, would be judged cynical, negative, pessimistic. Now it’s considered practical, necessary for survival, the only way to deal with the reality of post-modern dystopia.

Truth is negotiable.

A man’s word is worthless.

Scientists and politicians are for sale.

And good luck trying to fix it.

Because you’re on your own.

Seriously, who can you trust?

So … is there a solution to this mess? Anything we can do to reverse this descent into cognitive chaos?

If I told you, would you believe me?

I might just be peddling a bunch of lies.

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

It Is What It Isn’t | John Rachel

The CFAR National Electoral Strategy

 
I produced the above video for Citizens Against Plutocracy, explaining my candidate contract concept, now that it has been adopted and integrated by that organization as a featured component of their comprehensive strategy for putting in place a "people's Congress" via the coming election.  They call it the CFAR National Electoral Strategy.  CFAR stands for Contract For American Renewal.

This particular video reaches out to everyone who is running as a populist-progressive in the November 2018 election, an attempt to persuade them that the candidate contracts represent a powerful, decisive method for defeating centrist neoliberal establishment opponents and winning the election.

The text of the video follows.

Hi there!

Are you a people’s candidate?  A populist or progressive candidate for Congress in the coming election who is serious about winning?

Then you’ve come to the right place!

Citizens Against Plutocracy is an organization dedicated to restoring representative democracy to America and taking our country back from the ruling elite and big corporations.

We are promoting nationally a comprehensive, game-changing electoral strategy which will set a new high standard for integrity, transparency, honesty, and accountability in electoral politics!

The election cycle has become a three-ring circus.

In ring one are the two major parties, in the second ring the media, and in the center ring the politicians themselves, who now as part of standard operating procedure lie to and mislead the voting public.  They put on a spectacular show but it’s a dazzling fraud.

The American people are the victims of this hoax.

We intend to put a stop to this thoroughly destructive charade, this mockery of our citizen-based form of self-government.  We’ll do this by replacing those corrupt politicians, who have become both the perpetrators and the beneficiaries of our fake democracy.

The American people know and widely agree on what they want.  Those now in office, installed by the corrupted major parties exclusively serving the interests of a ruling class — a plutocracy of wealthy and powerful individuals and corporate entities — will never deliver what the American people desire and deserve.  This is now a matter of record, completely beyond dispute.

Our government exclusively serves a tiny clique — literally the .1% — of incomprehensibly rich and powerful aristocrats.

You candidates running for federal office in November 2018, who are on the side of the vast majority of citizens — we call you populist candidates because you reflect the popular will — who are willing to guarantee faithful service to your future constituents, represent the voting public honestly and transparently, bring to elected office unwavering integrity and commitment on key issues . . . YOU ARE THE FOLKS WE’RE HERE TO HELP.

We’ve identified 11 initiatives which are supported by 62% - 80% of Americans across the political spectrum, and if you agree with the vast consensus of the voting public on these causes, you easily meet the new high standards we’ve established with our electoral strategy.  YOU are the ‘good guys’ in this ugly contest of political will — the electoral cage fight — and YOU are the ones we intend to send to Washington DC in November 2018.

Let me now give you our list of what the vast majority of everyday citizens want done, and see if you agree on most, if not all of the following.

Reputable and highly reliable polls say . . .

63% of Americans want a federal minimum wage of $15.00 per hour.
75% of voters want fair trade agreements protecting jobs, workers, the environment.
76% of voters want a cut back on military spending.
76% of voters want the U.S. completely out of Afghanistan.
79% of voters want no reductions in Social Security, 70% support expanding it.
79% of voters want no reductions in Medicare.
80% of voters oppose the "Citizens United" U.S. Supreme Court decision.
68% of voters think taxes on the wealthy should be increased, and corporations should be required to pay their fair share.
71% of voters support massive infrastructure renewal.
65% of voters want laws to combat climate change.
62% of voters want tuition free public colleges and universities.

If these represent what you’d like to get done when you get elected, then YOU ARE BY DEFINITION a populist candidate.  YOU have the strength of the numbers behind you.  YOU have the American people behind you.  YOU have forward-looking, proactive organizations like Citizens Against Plutocracy behind you.

Now all you have to do is convince the voters that you’re for real, and that your opponents are not.
Sounds like it should be easy . . . but as we all know, it’s not.  If you don’t have huge piles of money in your campaign coffers and the nitro-methane burning engines of either major party propelling your campaign, it’s nearly impossible.

That’s precisely where our strategy comes in!

That’s where our strategy will make a grand entrance on the political stage, break down the media barriers, put you dead center in the voting public’s eye, and give you the spotlight and a platform to effectively reach the voters.  YOU will finally have that voice you need, and that new voice will resonate over the din of cheap campaign rhetoric coming from your opponents.  Citizens will finally get some straight talk — not the usual mumbo jumbo — and know with certainty that YOU are on their side and will work for them.

You see . . . if you agreed with most of the items I just mentioned, you’ve passed our test with flying colors.

But . . . and this is a very big decisive ’BUT’ . . .

YOUR OPPONENTS FAIL SPECTACULARLY.

Especially the incumbents!  Despite what they say, despite their vague but pleasant sounding rhetoric, their vaporous campaign slogans and sound bites, despite all the PR and hype they pump out using enormous sums of cash from their deep-pocketed ruling elite benefactors, we will show unambiguously and decisively that THEY ARE FULL OF HOT AIR and NOT ON THE SIDE OF THE EVERYDAY CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY!

Think about it . . .

If so many everyday citizens want these things done, why does none of it ever make it through Congress?  Why if anything does make it through the legislative labyrinth, the very opposite happens?  How do all of these very popular ideas get compromised, chipped away, whittled down, eventually replaced by legislation which shafts the 99% of our once great nation?

That’s easy!

Because the current batch of elected officials don’t work for the people.  They work for their rich and powerful patrons, the transnational corporations, Wall Street, hedge funds, investment banks, the ruling elite who are stripping our country of its resources, looting all of us of our wealth and any hope of a better life . . . and destroying the American dream.

How do they get away with this?

That’s also easy.

The American public either isn’t paying attention, or when they are, through ruthless and self-serving lies, voters are constantly misled, kept confused, overwhelmed, immersed in fear, rendered hopeless.
AND THAT HAS GOT TO STOP!  THAT WILL STOP!

No more lies.  No more games.  We’re drawing a big, wide line in the sand.  Voters will see in clear, stark terms who’s on their side and who isn’t.

Which brings us now to the strategy.  The CFAR National Electoral Strategy.

We have created a powerful mechanism for demonstrating to the voting public that YOU, the populist candidate, are the real deal, and your mainstream centrist neoliberal opponents are a FRAUD.

This is a completely original, unprecedented, outside-the-box creation.  So don’t bother Googling it.  You won’t find it anywhere except at this website.  At least for now.  We don’t have any doubt that this will quickly become the new standard in this coming election cycle for replacing ‘bad guy’ neoliberal pay-for-play politicos, with ‘good guy’ populist progressives . . . like YOU!

What we’ve come up with is called the CFAR . . . Contract For American Renewal.

Yes . . . it’s a contract.

But before that C-word generates a lot of misgivings and misunderstandings, let me make two very critical points.

PLEASE pay very close attention.

1)  The contract is not really about you.
2)  The contract is about defeating your opponents and winning the election.

So . . . as I explain how it works, keep these two very simple but vitally important thoughts right there in the front of your mind.  Otherwise you may misunderstand what a powerful and decisive methodology we’re offering you.  So I’ll repeat:

1)  The contract is not really about you.
2)  The contract is about defeating your opponents and winning the election.

Yes, you’ll sign a contract.  But bear in mind, the things on the contract are the very things you already stand for.  They list the things you already plan on doing when you get elected. You saw what huge majorities of everyday citizens want.  These are the things that any true populist-progressive candidate also wants.  They reflect the popular will of the American public.

Moreover, YOU’LL CUSTOMIZE AND CREATE THE CONTRACT THAT YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH, listing just the items that are central to your campaign and pivotal in getting you elected.  We provide a template listing 11 items, based on the above polls.  But you decide which ones work for you in your particular campaign.  We are not dictating terms to you.  You’re in charge here.  There may even be other populist-progressive items which are specific to your district and your future constituents.  We understand that.  The contract is flexible.  We trust your judgment and know that as a populist-progressive candidate, you’ll do what’s in the best interests of your constituents.

The important thing is . . . THAT YOU USE THE CONTRACT!

Why?

Because it delivers a clear, unambiguous message to voters:  You are on their side.  Your opponents are not.  You are the ‘good guy’ working for them.  Your opponents are the ‘bad guys’ who’ll say anything to get elected and deliver nothing for the people.

THAT’S why we’re pushing this strategy.  Because for once, truth and honesty will defeat money and propaganda, and we’ll get a Congress that works for everyone, not just the rich and powerful.  It’s been a long time coming!

Why are we so confident this is going to work and reshape electoral politics?

I’ll tell you why.

In the first place, voters want certainty.  They’re sick of smoke and mirrors, they’re fed up with hollow campaign promises.

THIS CONTRACT TAKES THE GUESSWORK OUT OF VOTING.  Voters will see what you’ve put in your contract.  They’ll know with CERTAINTY, exactly what you’ll be doing for them from day one when you arrive in Washington DC.

But keep in mind, the contract — while decisive and powerful in getting you elected — only locks you in on those items in the contract.  Is this restrictive?  Is this controlling?  How can it be?  These are the things you yourself have chosen for the contract, the things you’d be doing anyway, with or without the contract.  Would you hesitate to sign a contract requiring you to breathe?  We assume unless you’re a fish, you intend to breathe anyway.

Second, we’re pushing this nationally.  You’ll be part of a populist juggernaut, organized across the entire nation to take on the assault by the rich and powerful on our democracy.  WE’RE DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THIS!  We’re aiming to have a candidate in every single district with a contract in hand, ready to take on the establishment candidates.  All 435 districts!  It’s not going to do much good if you and only a handful of others get elected.

WE’RE GOING FOR BROKE!

The thing to recognize is this:  We’ve got history on our side.  This is the second time we’ll be saving America from the tyranny of autocratic rule.  We did it once.  Time has come for a SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION, putting power into the hands of everyday citizens, the folks who built this country and kept it strong until the banksters and corporate raiders swooped in like vultures and stole our democracy.

So the question you need to ask yourself is this:  Are YOU with us?  Are YOU ready for the fight of your life?

Are YOU ready to win this coming election and do your part in saving our democracy?

We have just you need to get started.  And since we’re sure you have lots of questions, guess what? 

We’ve got lots of answers and many more ideas that I couldn’t touch on in this video.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU!

Just click on this link and get started putting together a winning campaign.

---

For more information on the CFAR National Electoral Strategy, please click HERE.

You can download the CFAR (Contract For American Renewal) template in the format of your choice using the following links, then get to work customizing it for your campaign, reflecting the constituent values and priorities of your particular district.  Or you may choose to adopt the entire contract as it is:

House of Representatives - Word
House of Representatives - PDF
House of Representatives - Text
 
Senate - Word
Senate - PDF
Senate - Text



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



The CFAR National Electoral Strategy

Mobilization Without Method Is Meaningless

 

Everyone knows this expression:  There was method to his madness.

What does it mean?  It means that regardless of how crazy the person acted, no matter how much he appeared to be nuts, behind that facade there was a solid plan, and that plan presumably resulted in successfully achieving what he set out to achieve.

It is this sense of 'method' I'm referring to in the title of this essay.

If there is any doubt about my message, here it is:  To mobilize people behind any cause, regardless of how worthy that cause is, regardless of how intrinsically appealing it may be to get these folks marching, singing, chanting, shouting for that cause, if there is no clear strategy which targets an equally clear and obvious outcome, with a realistic expectation that the strategy will achieve that outcome, then the mobilization is a waste of time.

I didn't say it wasn't fun or satisfying.  I didn't say it didn't have notable and perhaps positive collateral effects.  But I am saying that anyone who thinks that mobilization is some guarantee of making substantial change and achieving desired reforms is surely kidding themselves.

This is why, despite being the biggest mass movement in recent history, OWS completely failed.  Spokespersons for OWS will say it didn't fail at all, because it had no preconceived agenda or goals.  But that is a frivolous cop out.  By the time OWS went international and 'occupy' was attached to everything from towns to shopping malls, labor unions, and even Facebook, there was certainly a goal.  It may not have appeared on any official documents, but that was because as an experiment in unstructured, horizontal command-and-control, married to spontaneous democratic expression, any attempt at formalizing anything at all was discouraged and successfully thwarted.

Nevertheless, it was evident to everyone who watched the marches, read the protest signs, listened to the speeches, or was constantly bombarded by the most successful, ubiquitous meme to erupt in colloquial English in the last five decades -- the 1% vs the 99% -- exactly what all of the brouhaha was about.

In the broader sense, it was about the ruling class -- the 1% -- forcing its elitist world view and self-serving agenda on everyone else -- the 99% -- using their privilege and raw power to callously and ruthlessly turn everyday people into serfs.

In a more specific sense, it was about overwhelming, abusive, and anti-democratic wealth inequality.  It was hardly random that the movement was started in the heart of America's financial district and the anger and vilification was directed at incomprehensibly wealthy investment bankers and Wall Street high-rollers.

Of course, any thoughtful exploration of these two parallel themes -- monopoly on power and obscene accumulation of wealth -- would naturally conclude that they are inextricably related and mutually reinforcing.  Not that there was much analysis going on.  The OWS protests were pretty much an 'it's-us-against-them' affair, with lots of noise and bluster, but with absolutely nothing remotely resembling a grab for power anywhere in sight.

Thus, in terms of specific demands, it was quite common for news commentators to ask:  What do the protestors want?

This was a legitimate if mostly rhetorical question.  As a matter of record, there were no actual demands aired by the movement, much less tacit undercurrents of a coup d'etat.

There weren't any coherent demands, no specific policy proposals, not even obvious ones.  It wouldn't have been out of place, as an example, to at least talk about GBI -- guaranteed basic income -- as a conspicuous path to begin addressing the grotesque level of wealth inequality.

There were no hard and fast calls for student debt forgiveness, free college education, mortgage default relief, capping credit card interest rates, free access to universal health care, and a host of other palliatives which would have somewhat reduced the wealth gap.

This is not a criticism of OWS or anyone who bobbled up, even if temporarily, from the rank-and-file to take credit -- or blame, depending on where you stand in judgment -- for what happened.  OWS was an intriguing and inspiring new experiment in activism, which attempted to skirt the usual pitfalls of hierarchical, top-down organization.  It was what it was, and I believe should be respected for that.
But that doesn't prevent us from learning from it, and taking every precaution to not make the same mistakes again.

If you're going to assemble a mob, give them something to do.

Give them something which will make a substantial and decisive difference.

Camaraderie is a good thing.  It's a social high.  Feeling like you're part of something offers relief from a sense of isolation and helplessness.

But it's only a feeling.  It's not politics.  Politics is about power.  Only power can confront power.
After the marches are done, after the protest signs are put away, when we're in our cars or on buses headed back home, we always need to ask ourselves:  Do we now have power to implement the changes we want?

If the answer is 'no', then we didn't have an effective plan.

The best time for an effective plan is BEFORE we hit the streets, before we march and sing our songs, before we waste valuable time and energy in a frustrating and fruitless attempt to get those NOW IN POWER to do anything for us.  Asking the the ruling elite and their lapdogs in our governing institutions to listen to our demands and serve our interests is like asking a carjacker to be sure and wash our automobile and return it in the morning with a full tank.

Here comes my plug:  I have an end-to-end plan, a carefully-crafted strategy for engaging a broad base of U.S. citizens, uniting them into an overwhelming voting bloc, directed at stopping America's out-of-control militarism and endless wars of aggression.

You can get a general idea here:  The Peace Dividend

Next time we march for peace, we'll know where we're headed and how to get there.

At least, that's the hope that gets me from day to day in these insane times.

---

 

The Peace Dividend: The Most Controversial Proposal in the History of the World is now available both as an ebook and deluxe paperback at many of the usual outlets . . .

Amazon (Kindle) / US . . . amzn.to/2cpIRfQ
Amazon (Print) / US . . . amzn.to/2cEhnCb
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Barnes & Noble . . . bit.ly/2cWxvzd
Kobo (Indigo) . . . bit.ly/2cI8cB6
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Direct from printer . . . bit.ly/2c3mJsl


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



Mobilization Without Method Is Meaningless

Choose A Symptom, Ignore The Disease

 
This presidential election is about choosing a symptom and living in denial of the disease.

Willful ignorance, cognitive dissonance, reductive rationalization, diversion or delusion -- call your suicide pact Kool Aid whatever you want -- has little sway with the Grim Reaper.  Just ask Steve Jobs.  He thought he could beat the Big C.  He was dead wrong.

America made its bargain with unspeakable Evil and now is afflicted with the cancer of its own corruption and self-sabotaging choices.

To avoid the pain, it has euthanized its democracy.

To avoid thinking about extinction, it has embraced fantasy, magic, demagoguery.

To avoid the humiliation of moral bankruptcy, it has exalted profit over people.

To mask its treachery, it wraps itself in the flag, thumps on the Bible, and proclaims: "You're either with us or against us."  Anyone who doesn't fall in line is carted off to a for-profit prison.
To keep the sheeple giddy as we sashay to slaughter, it now promotes puerile pandering, grandstanding and simpleminded showmanship over a principled, thoughtful, honest and constructive national conversation.

Thus . . .

Elections have become a circus.  The center ring is reserved for the ones with the shiniest teeth-whitened smiles, biggest megaphones, and most dazzling tricks.
It's all so very entertaining, eh?  What will Donald Trump say next?  Ha ha ha!

America has hollowed itself out from the inside.  As is embarrassingly and frighteningly evident from the current presidential campaign, the political system can now only collapse into its own vacuousness -- the black hole of a sham democracy.

Trump, Cruz, Clinton, Sanders?  They're symptomatic of the times.  The inflammation.  The nausea.  The diarrhea.  The vomiting.  They're the struggling, heaving, gasping of a deathly ill body politic, telling us something's very wrong.  Quick!  Call an ambulance!  Vital signs are fast disappearing!

So I say . . .

Don't yell at Hillary.  Or Trump.  It's like yelling at a stuffy nose.  Or a rash. 

They're just symptoms.  It's a waste if time.

We need to get to the root of the problem.

"What's the disease?  Cancer you say?"

Cancer is not a simple pathology.  It's complex and multi-pronged -- which, of course, is why it so stubbornly resists a comprehensive and enduring cure.

The form of cancer which is destroying our nation is a like self-replicating Hydra which has metastasized throughout the entire infrastructure of our economy, ravaged the entire political system, leeched the media of any integrity and efficacy; it has polluted even the basic support systems of our churches and community organizations; it has completely poisoned the collective consciousness of our citizenry. 

This brazen and aggressive malignancy feeds on:

1)  Unchecked imperial ambitions.
2)  Exceptionalist hubris and arrogance.
3)  The crushing power of corporations.
4)  The militarization of everything.
5)  Plutocratic tyranny and greed.

Trump?  Clinton?  Cruz?  Sanders? 

Choose your symptom.  As if it makes a difference.

Each has his or her own special twist.  A plausible version of reality.

Adult fairy tales.  Bedtime stories.  Go to sleep now.  Dream the American Dream.

At the same time . . .

If we listen very carefully to them, as tedious and exasperating as that often is -- with their carefully-crafted rhetoric, focus-group tried-and-tested talking points, slick sound bites, patriotic pandering, tongue-wagging, finger-pointing, massaging and masking of the truth, manipulation of public perception, their smooth seductions and patronizing provocations -- we do indeed see what the real problem is.  It's right there staring back at us through the rheumy, half-closed eyes of a patient on life-support, whispered, but still audible, in the phlegmy rhythm of an incipient death rattle.

Our country is very, very sick.

And yes, I include Sanders as a symptom. Here is a decent human being who is being vilified as an extremist and a socialist nutcase because he promotes such controversial ideas as:  Every person has a right to a living wage, and every citizen should get proper, affordable health care.  Isn't that an obvious sign that the central nervous system of America is being ravaged by some malignant flesh-eating bacteria?

 

Yet make no mistake about it . . .

None of these candidates will talk about the disease itself.

Because none of them has a cure.

There's only one cure.

Us.  That's right . . .

You and I.



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



Choose A Symptom, Ignore The Disease

I really like them!

The other day I watched two historic segments from the Steve Colbert show.

One featured President Obama and the other Hillary Clinton.

Both were great! I mean phenomenal! Entertainment at its best!

Obama taking Colbert's place and ridiculing himself in the third person was
hysterical. Hillary's going toe-to-toe with Colbert in a namedropping
contest was brilliantly funny.

Whoa! I've still got major giggles, folks. I'm burping up so many LOLs I'm 
even having trouble writing this!

But it goes deeper. Beyond being incredibly entertained, the astonishing thing for me 
personally was how much I really really liked them. Yes . . . I am being sincere!

I've certainly pulled no punches on either the President or Ms. Clinton in previous blogs. 
Anyone who has read my stuff knows I'm no fan of either. (What an understatement, eh?)

But on a 'like' scale of 1 to 10?

No doubt about it . . . they are both solid 10s!

Which brings me to the point of this piece.

What has likeability got to do with competence or leadership?

In this age where the science of crafting image and shaping perception has
reached levels of sophistication no one could have anticipated even ten
years ago, it hardly comes as a surprise that public figures look good,
always say the right things, know how to pour on the charm, excel at
doing everything needed to have people follow them around like they're
warm-toasted S'mores Bars at a fat farm for insatiable sugar-addicts.

Unfortunately, like a lot of things these days that are finger-lickin' good and a
belly full of lip-smackin' fun, that doesn't mean they're good for you.

As with way too much in our advertising-heavy, product-saturated consumer 
world, we must carefully read the label and do some serious research to see
what's going on behind all the affable hype and feel-good packaging.

As I have argued before, conflating beauty contests and entertainment
with politics is a dangerous game. Making the election of political
leaders like choosing the prom king and queen doesn't just trivialize
democracy. It destroys it.

Sure, feeling warm and cuddly about our government officials is a pleasant
thought, and maybe desirable on some superficial level. Both Obama and
Ms. Clinton exude charm, are amiable and very videogenic. Judging from
their acclaimed guest appearances on Comedy Central, both have all the
right qualities to host their own television shows, either serious and
thoughtful, or comedic and fun. That's well and good.

 

But the true measure of constructive, visionary leadership is not how
effectively they deliver one-liners, what nice people they appear to be,
how down-to-earth they are, or even how picture-perfect they are with
their families.

The true measure is on the larger national and international stages what set
of values they represent, what ideas they offer, what plans they embrace and
and promote, what promise of peace and prosperity they achieve, what path 
they lay out for shaping the future of America, both for us and generations 
to come.

I say we keep things in perspective.

Both of these American icons are very talented people. Isn't there some
Biblical injunction about proper use of talents? I sincerely believe we 
should put their real talents to work.

Sarah Palin __ god help us __ has her own subscriber television channel.
Much admired and forward-looking patriot that she is, dear Sarah has
laid the groundwork. Let's take the baton and run with it!

We've seen what these two are capable of on TV.

How about a Barack Obama Channel?

A Hillary Clinton Channel?

Why not?

This is what America is all about. It's what make our nation great!

Television!

On the other hand, as to our Nobel Peace Prize President and the lady 
who engineered the destruction of Libya as a nation . . . let's be clear 
about our political future.

We've endured Obama's stealthy alliance with the neocons, corporatists, the
imperialists and oligarchs. We've found every excuse in the book for his
putting the needs of banks and corporations before the needs of the
people. We've averted our gazes as he started more wars and killed
innocent citizens with drones. Not much we can do about that now.

But we still have a choice with Ms. Clinton. Forget the pretty picture on the 
outside of the package, folks. Start reading the fine print on the label before 
it's too late. Let's nudge this self-serving sociopath out of politics and into 
show business where she belongs. 

The Hillary Channel: Name-Dropping, Self-Aggrandizing Hillary, All Day Everyday 24-7!

I like it!

Enough said. To end this on a positive note, I will now throw a bone to the
diehard Obama apologists and lets-elect-a-pair-of-ovaries-for-president
Hillary supporters out there, who may have accidentally stumbled on my
blog site, showing what a doggone open-minded guy I am, proving along
the way that I am without question, a truly gracious blog host.

Appearing below are the two Stephen Colbert show segments that had me
belly-laughing, happy-slapping-my-knee, and rolling on the floor with
delight. Together they provide the perfect laugh track for the final
self-indulgent excesses of an empire in decline.

Enjoy!

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

Starts With ‘C’ Rhymes With Dancer

 

I often get very frustrated with politics. So I  do understand why people
prefer to look the other way, though indifference and ignorance
lubricate the self-destructive mechanisms which I believe are taking us
towards either World War III, economic collapse, social Armageddon . . .
or all of the above.

At the same time, there is so much which is confusing, horrifying, nauseating,
just plain stupid and wrong, it's impossible to keep up with all of it.
Most crises seem so far away,  not relevant to the day-to-day business
of just trying to survive and keep our heads above water. ISIS, the
Ukraine, China, Afghanistan, Palestine, all place a distant nineteenth
to paying the mortgage, feeding ourselves, trying to put clothes on our
backs that don't disintegrate in the laundry, keeping the neighbor's dog
from pooping on the lawn.

Regardless of how consequential all of these international disturbances may
ultimately be, the simple truth is they don't hit home until they hit
home. The primary reason Americans are now concerned about Ebola is
their fear that it may spread in America, understandably so, though
chances of infection are pretty remote. But until people started dying
inside our own borders, it was just more bad news piled on bad news from
"somewhere over there" where bad news seems to grow like mold on an old
chunk of cheese in the back of the refrigerator.

Recognizing all of this, I am still very puzzled why people aren't up in 
arms about things which are, without a shred of doubt, a clear and present 
danger to them, right now, right here in our own U S of A. I don't mean unlikely, 
remote threats, like the prospect they will be hit by a drunk driver or be the victim 
of a swarm of killer bees. I refer to very real, very imminent hazards which have 
the potential to kill them, shortening their lives by many years! Who wants to 
die before they have to?

In my travels, people ask me why I left the U.S. in 2006. I have a straightforward reply . . .

The political climate and the food.

Both were toxic. Both were poisonous to my health and happiness.

Since I've already written over a hundred political rants, here let's just talk about food.

The food in America is a death warrant.

Maybe not as poisonous as rat poison but ultimately just as lethal.

 

Some might think I'm being hyperbolic. I don't think so. Americans are being
slowly and methodically undermined by their diet. Meat is chock full of
hormones, antibiotics, toxins, often tainted with fecal matter and 
various parasites, both viral and bacterial pathogens. Vegetables are
often laced with herbicides, insecticides, chemical residues, too often
lacking any nutritional value, due to bad farming, and premature
harvesting to accommodate supply chains that stretch over continents.

As if that weren't bad enough, we fill our faces with so much fat and sugar,
snacks, sweets, and fast food of every shape and color, it's amazing the
sidewalks aren't littered with the carcasses of people who have just
simply keeled over from the sheer glut.

Beyond all of that, which basically is either a matter of choice __ eating junk
food __ or a lack of choice __ the prevalence of unhealthy and
contaminated food staples at the market __ I want to focus on one
specific issue which I see as emblematic.

How many people can say they haven't had cancer directly impact either 
themselves or someone they personally know, perhaps even a close relative 
or friend?

If you said 'no' I would be shocked. According to the American Cancer Society:
"In 2014, there will be an estimated 1,665,540 new cancer cases diagnosed
and 585,720 cancer deaths in the US. Cancer remains the second most common  
cause of death in the US, accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths."

There are certainly many causes for cancer. To whatever degree we can, we try
to avoid exposure to carcinogens or anything which causes or encourages the
growth of tumors.

But what do we do if we are not allowed to know about a potential source of cancer?

Monsanto has been very effective at suppressing any research findings about the
health implications of both its highly lucrative herbicide Roundup and
its expanding range of GMO products.

But reports are beginning to surface. This recent one on Roundup brings into focus
how dangerous this extensively used, putatively harmless chemical killer is.

 

GMOs are the evil stepsister of Roundup. Most GMO crops are genetically
altered to give them resistance to Roundup, so that the weedkiller can
be sprayed on in copious amounts killing the weeds but leaving the
edible plants intact and supposedly healthy.

Given the many reports __ here and here
are merely a couple references __ coming out of research laboratories
from around the world which are suggesting that these genetic
modifications are extremely dangerous, posing all sorts of risks, first
and foremost among them the promotion of grotesque and potentially
cancerous tumor growths, people are requesting that at least the foods
containing GMO products be labeled as such.

This is hardly an inconsequential concern. 88% of the corn grown in the U.S. 
is genetically modified. 93% of our soybeans are GMO. Because these and 
other food plants are the basis for the thousands of processed food products 
commonly included in the typical American diet, now "70 percent of processed
foods in your local supermarket contain genetically modified ingredients."

Mind you, people are not demanding a total ban on GMOs __ though a case 
can be made for one, at least until it is determined with absolute certainty
that these Frankenfoods are safe __ they just want it PUT ON THE LABEL, 
so they can make an informed decision.

 

Polls show that 93% of American voters want GMO labeling.  
93%! This cuts across the entire political spectrum __ Democrats,
Republicans, Libertarians, Tea Party, liberals, conservatives,
anarchists, Free-Tibet-Nuke-The-Gay-Whales Party of Patriotic
Polemicists __ a historic and unprecedented consensus. And we 
can't even get this done!

Our play-for-pay, follow-the-money, corporate lapdog politicians,
from the President, all the way through the entire gutless
reeking-with-corruption ranks of Congress, all beholden to the likes of
Monsanto, refuse to stand up to the scumbags who put profit before
people!

Uh-oh . . . I'm back to ranting about politics.

Sometimes it seems unavoidable, eh?

Anyway, let me wrap this up with a suggestion. While you're munching away
on that corn dog as you drive to your polling place on November 4th, you
might want to ask yourself: 

"Who should I vote for . . . and what the hell am I eating?!"



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