Bye-Bye Miss American Pie

 

I love pie charts!

They are so deliciously informative. A good pie chart makes statistics so digestible!

The short and sweet of it is this:

There are 400 incomprehensibly wealthy people in America which possess more wealth
than the 150,000,000 individuals in the bottom half of our population.

The now infamous 1% controls 43% of America's vast riches. And their share is increasing daily.

By the way, I got the pie chart already baked and ready for consumption from an
article that appears at the website for the Curry County Democrats
based in Brookings, Oregon. You can read the whole article here, and I thank them for their tasty work.

Of course, unlike a lot of the social and political crimes against the average
American by our corporate-government oligarchical junta, income
inequality is no secret.

Elizabeth Warren has railed against it. Obama has thrown his expensive hat into the ring. Even the Chair of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, has expressed alarm, a plea for sanity which was more twerking than real love.

From the people themselves, Occupy Wall Street created the most viral meme
in modern history __ the 1% vs. the 99% __ but we saw how that ended
up. The 1% brought some big guns to the skeet shoot and the clay pigeons
turned to dust.

There is hope. But it's down the road. The house of cards, aka the American economy, will collapse and the people at the top will have the furthest to fall.

In the meantime, we can expect more of the same. Which means more to them and less to the rest of us, the slobbering masses who amble idly like anesthetized sheep outside their gated communities and opulent private estates.
 

I will say this. The well-fed titans of economic tyranny at the top get paid well
to stick it to the rest of us. As this graphic shows (sorry it's not a
pie chart but more of a stale cracker), the income ratios between CEOs
and their worker-slaves in America is way off the charts.

When looking at the obsessive hoarding and soul-numbing, society-gutting greed of our privileged patrons of profligacy, we have to ask ourselves: What is the point?

Yes . . . what is the point?
 


To paraphrase that classic song by Don McLean . . .

I remember when the music died
That was the day that I cried 

R. I. P. . . . the American Dream. 

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

Absentee Patriotism

 

It's no secret that I am very critical of the policies of this
administration, and the general direction America has been taking for
the past three decades.

As a result, infrequently but uncomfortably too often, I get this remark from
some rabid, myopic super-patriot who gets their understanding of our
political system from the box that his hot glue gun came in:

"You don't even live here. You have no right to criticize America."

It's one of those battle cries from desperately small minds which on the surface
offers some common sense logic but with bare minimum scrutiny falls
apart like stale Saltines.

Let's imagine . . .

It's 1938 and I am a Jew who has been living in Nazi Germany. I am getting
increasingly uncomfortable with developments both locally in my village
and nationally. So I leave and become an expatriate, a German citizen
living in a foreign country.

While living outside the sphere of the Reich and its pervasive propaganda
machine, I see that my discomfort was more than justified, that there
are horrible things going on in my home country which threaten not only
my fellow Jews, but threaten other individuals and the peace and
stability of the whole European continent. I learn from other
expatriates about the forced labor and concentration camps, and what
appears to be a well-planned program being put in place for the
extermination of millions of people. I learn of a massive build-up of
military machinery which portends provocations of neighboring countries
and promises massive military confrontation.

Are the people who question my now living overseas saying I would have had
no right to warn people about the developments I had learned about? That I
was disqualified by my foreign mailing address from speaking out against the
policies of "my country"? That I would not have had the right to at
least warn other Jews __ my fellow citizens __ and urge them to
escape as soon as possible or face possible extermination?

I would argue that not only would I have the right to be critical of my country, I would have a moral obligation, a duty to do so, openly and aggressively.

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."  -  Edmund Burke

Am I making a comparison between today's U.S. and Nazi Germany?

Yes and no. Of course, anytime anyone wants to provoke a hysterical public
outcry on any matter these days, they just yell 'Nazi' or 'Hitler' or
'holocaust' and the knee jerk response is right there for the having.
That's not what I'm doing here. The U.S. is slowly descending into a
form of autocracy, a totalitarianism quite unlike Nazi Germany in many
respects. But I believe it is potentially as thoroughly and ultimately
menacing.

We can fret and argue about whether that's correct but that's not the point I'm making.

The simple point here is that, regardless of where I live or choose to travel, I share 
with every other American citizen the duty
to keep a watchful eye on what my government is doing in my name, and
to speak out when and where I see objectionable plans, policies,
declarations, or provocative acts towards other countries. It is
especially incumbent on me __ it is my responsibility as a citizen __ to
share from out here what is not available from within
U.S. borders, because of what is clearly massive censorship of the news
there by the government and main stream media, which have become
Siamese Twins joined at the pocketbook.

It is particularly my duty to warn others in America who are not as I am in a 
position to live elsewhere, of developments which portend the worst and pose 
threats to them.

We all see the signs. Often we don't know what to make of them. The incessant
puerile prattle of politicians and pundits creates a constant stream of
obfuscation and confusion.

But it is the duty of every single American citizen to try to make sense
of our increasingly precarious situation, and to share their insights with
their fellow citizens. It is our duty to call out the official
lies, the gross imbalance of power, the horrific inequality of wealth,
the ongoing and systematic efforts by our government to promote and
prosecute in our names policies and initiatives, foreign and domestic,
which if the public had full knowledge of, it would steadfastly reject.

It takes a lot of courage these days to speak out against the government,
especially the current administration, which has done a phenomenal job
of PR and spin, and certainly makes no secret of its intent to squash
dissent in America.

Yet,  despite massive surveillance of citizens by the security agencies, the
watch lists, the no-fly lists, the kill lists, the persecution of
whistle blowers, the beatings and arrests which the most peaceful
demonstrators now endure at the hands of the police, the suspension of
habeas corpus, gross abuses of the FISA Act and the National Defense
Authorization Act, there are still many courageous individuals and
organizations which continue the daunting but necessary battle to expose
the deeply entrenched and dangerous corruption which now poisons our
system of government.

I make no claims to be on the same level as these exemplary patriots, speaking
truth to power under the threat of persecution, an unconstitutional
repression of free speech and basic human rights, the whole of which is
more and more is beginning to exhibit parallels with some of the more
oppressive regimes in history.


 

Right or wrong, I'm just an ordinary citizen merely doing my duty.

Just like you.

I watch. I listen. I speak out. I vote.

I do what little I can.

I wish it were more.



[ This originated at the author's personal web page . . . 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 ]

Will they put a meter on my peter?

 

Pepsico, Nestlé, Coca Cola, and several other major suppliers have frequently
been caught bottling tap water and selling it back to the public under
exotic and appealing monikers such as Ice Mountain Water, Aquafina, 
and Dasani.

Then there's the former Nestlé CEO, Peter Brabeck making the surreal claim
that water isn't a human right but a foodstuff, claiming it's just another
item we must purchase from corporate profiteers, like padded bras
and tennis rackets.

Why did this selfish, narrow-minded corporate manikin even get air time to spout
this sort of self-serving nonsense? Why wasn't he viciously mocked? Why
wasn't he discredited and shamed into hiding so we never have to look
at his tanned, country club face as he explains how every aspect of
human life must serve rampaging corporate greed?

The drive by corporations to own and monopolize everything is a classic case of . . .

To a hammer everything looks like a nail.

To a corporate CEO, everything is a commodity and an opportunity to make money.

So several giant multinational corporations have
unilaterally decided that H2O, which happens to cover 75% of the
Earth's surface and comprises about 67% of the human body, is just
another item in their catalog of products.

The heads of these monolithic corporate monsters, who are willing to cannibalize
their own species just to make a buck, seem to have forgotten __ or
probably never learned __ that in a self-determining system of
government, if we decide that everyone has a right to water, then it's everyone's right!

Thus, many groups are actively fighting back.

The corporations, naturally, are putting a friendly face on their attempt at absolute 
control over the Earth's most abundant single resource. They talk about spearheading 
and funding conservation efforts, trying to achieve minimum quality standards worldwide, 
and so on.

They promise profound improvements in the standard of living and the quality of life.

They always do, don't they?

Corporations can spin it however they want, but having a corporation's first
priority __ the bottom line __ trump every facet, even the most fundamental aspects, 
of human habitation of the planet is an indisputable recipe for species extinction __ ours.

What can we expect if the corporate coup is tolerated __ even lionized as it is in today's 
business press __ and we accept their dysmorphic portrayal of progress?

Will Monsanto file a patent claim on breast milk and every time a new mother wants 
to nurse her baby, she has to ante up?

Will Pantene trademark hair? So unless you are 100% bald every place on your body, 
you have to pay a licensing fee for your body hair?

Will GlaxoSmithKline convince the FDA that air should be a prescription item, so that 
if we don't wish to suffocate, we'll have to buy breathing tanks from our local pharmacy?

Will they put a meter on my peter, so that every time I take a wiz or make love to my wife, 
I have to pay a users fee?



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

Rod Serling Is Alive!

"Hi, kids! I'm your new English teacher. Let's talk about poetry."

Rod Serling is alive and well!

What's my proof?

That's easy!

It's this article in Great Britain's The Guardian reporting that:

"School police departments across the U.S. have taken advantage of free
military surplus gear, stocking up on mine-resistant armoured vehicles,
grenade launchers and scores of M16 rifles.  At least 26 school
districts have participated in the Pentagon’s surplus program . . ."

If this isn't the stuff of the Twilight Zone, I don't know what is.

Maybe I missed something. But has common sense and asking obvious, 
quite reasonable questions been outlawed in America?

Take the grenade launchers. Do the geniuses who are arming our schools
with weapons of war think that if some psycho is holed up in a classroom
holding hostage a bunch of school kids, they'll just lob some hand
grenades in there to flush him out?


 

And how many kids fit in a MRAP? I know children are small but is it
realistic to think you can put 250 elementary students in one of these?

Moreover, as everyone knows from way too many examples,
usually the whole thing of killing a bunch of kids goes down in just a
few minutes. How long will it take to get this monster truck fired up
and out of the garage? Unless this thing is parked in the hall next to
the school cafeteria, it's not going to do the job these school
administrators have in mind __ whatever that is.

Parallel to the point I made previously
about militarizing our communities, if I were a psycho killer __ and
really, I'm not, the many rude comments left on my Facebook page
notwithstanding __ and I saw one of these vehicles coming at the school,
my attitude would be: "Well, now I'm screwed. Guess I'll have some fun
while I can."

Then I'd blow away every living thing in sight.

Of course, I don't personally know Adam Lanza.
Maybe if he had spotted a MRAP outside Sandy Hook Elementary School,
he would have immediately hugged the kids he hadn't killed yet, fallen to
his knees and repented.

But I really doubt it.

And taking the long view, I just can't believe that having kids go to schools
filled with machine guns, grenade launchers, tasers, MRAPS, heavy
artillery and the like, will give them a healthy, wholesome perspective
on life. Their world will be so violent, so filled with relentless
anxiety and apocalyptic paranoia, with every aspect of human interaction
viewed through the lens of killing machines and conflict, their
expectations so fatalistic and full of potential horror, their elders __
that's you and I living in the regime of GWOT and SWAT and MAD and
 ISIS __ will by contrast look like carefree, frolicsome oompa loompas.

So, welcome to contemporary America, land of the free, the greatest, truly exceptional nation in history, where being totally insane can land you a high paying job running a public school.


 Alright . . . I got a little off topic.

Seriously, I merely wanted to wish the best of luck to Mr. Serling on his new high concept reality TV show: "Please Don't Shoot Me, I Only Work Here".

Keep up the great work, Rod!

Love ya, babe.



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

Conscious . . . Conscience

 
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, being 'conscious' means being "awake
and able to understand what is happening around you."

And 'conscience' is defined as "the part of the mind that makes you aware of
your actions as being either morally right or wrong."

People who have no conscience because they are unconscious due to no fault of
their own can hardly be criticized for their lack of morality __ e.g. the brain dead, 
coma victims.

People who are fully conscious but have no conscience are often referred to as sociopaths.

People who are fully conscious but choose to have no conscience might be categorized 
as full-blown psychopaths.

My quandary is how do we deal with people who are fully conscious,
basically stable and mentally sound, have a conscience, but who ignore
what that conscience is saying to them.

# Native Americans slaughtered and dispossessed of their land:  Tens of thousands.

# Vietnamese killed in unnecessary and unsuccessful Vietnam War:  882,000

# America soldiers killed in unnecessary and unsuccessful Vietnam War:  58,220

# innocent citizens killed by death squads of U.S. backed El Salvador government: 35,000.

# innocent citizens killed by death squads of U.S. backed Guatemala government: 60,000.

# Iraqi children starved to death by U.S. sanctions 1993-2000:  500,000.

# Iraqi citizens killed in illegal and unjustified Iraq War:  Over 460,000.

# innocent citizens killed in illegal drone warfare (Pakistan, Yemen):  400-600

# innocent people killed (so far) in Eastern Ukraine by U.S. installed coup government, one which includes neo-Nazis:  Almost 2600.

# innocent people about to be killed in Iraq War 3:  To be announced.
 
"No man is an island . . . ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." 

Riiiiight! No man is an island.  Great stuff.  Ha ha.  Totally!  I hear ya, babe!
Boo hoo hoo. Anyone with a violin up for playing "Hearts and Flowers"?

"Exactly what's your point, John Rachel? . . .

. . . are you in the running for this year's Bleeding Heart Liberal Award?
Mother Theresa and all that cow poop. Maybe you and Bono can do tequila
shots in the back of his limo."

Hmm. What's this about?

Oh, now I remember!

I'm not in a coma.



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

The Bully Pulpit vs. American Idol

I have long criticized Obama for not using the bully pulpit. When he had the vast majority of the country at his feet after his election in 2008, instead of laying out a positive vision for the country and leading the charge for rebuilding the nation, he embarked on a charm offensive directed at Wall Street, big banks, neoconservative empire builders, and became the Appeaser-In-Chief towards those responsible for the Afghanistan and Iraq disasters, a wink-and-nod apologist for the criminal bankers who crashed the economy in 2008, and a card-carrying member of the inside circle who continue to inflict our country with the fraudulent War on Terror.

It was all in the name of love __ the cuddly love Obama craved from the oligarchs, whose approval was more important to him than the enormous groundswell of support he had from the people. Remember them? The ones who have to work to make ends meet, the ones who see their kids off to school in the morning __ the same ones who flocked to the polls and elected our first black president, duped into thinking he was one of them, a man of the people with their best interests at heart.

In a fascinating analysis of Obama's presidency that appeared in Truthdig, author David Bromwich
discusses what a shallow and self-serving enterprise it has proved to be.

What an understatement.

There is no coherency to this president's policies. In a clear attempt to promote image as a substitute for substance and apparently with an insatiable desire to be loved by everyone, President Obama often fashions positions totally at odds with one another.

Protect the environment vs. drill baby drill.

World peace vs. bomb bomb bomb.

Individual freedom vs. the NDAA.

Jobs for Americans vs. TPP and TTIP.

To add insult to confusion, in critical areas of leadership, we see policies diametrically opposite to the high sounding and noble words of Obama's breathtaking rhetoric and crafted public image, offering inconsistencies, even outright hypocrisy and treachery.

You've got a Nobel Peace Prize winner who has become a drone assassin.

You've got an putative constitutional scholar who using his phenomenal intellectual gifts to trample on the Constitution, squashing dissent, and openly harassing journalists and undermining freedom of the press.

You've got a president who spoke eloquently during his first campaign about inclusive democracy and transparency in government __ promising to change the way Washington DC does business __ who has built upon the worst aspects of Bush's nascent police state and now oversees a vast growing domestic surveillance complex spying on its own citizens, who is classifying record volumes of government documents, restricting citizen access to the inner workings of our government, conducting questionable military adventures often in secret, fostering aggression against the express will of the American citizenry who are sick of war and the self-defeating politics of confrontation, and prosecuting well-meaning whistleblowers at an unprecedented rate.

You got the self-declared "environmental president" who refuses to even attend the Kyoto summits, who is promoting risky East Coast and Arctic drilling, nuclear power, fracking for natural gas, so called “clean coal”, and now boasts about America being the number one oil and gas producer in the world __ so much for concern about climate change.

You've got a man who offered the world the outstretched hand of peace in the first months of his presidency, who has since bombed his way into creating more enemies and hatred for America than ever before in our history.

But we get what we pay for. Obama is just another brand, like Cheerios and StarKist Tuna.

We wanted a great president. We got a rock star.

We desperately needed leadership. We got self-aggrandizement.

I will say this. Obama talks a good game. He is incredibly articulate. Charming. Funny. Always gives an Oscar level performance at all of his public outings.

And he is beautiful . . . his wife is beautiful . . . his family is beautiful!

But when presidential elections are run as beauty pageants, talent contest spectacles, when making history is just more reality TV, we can't expect real leadership. We can only expect a president who struts and works the audience, plays the judges, postures and poses for his fan base, puts on dazzling, crowd-pleasing shows, and soaks up the all the love he can get. We certainly can't expect thoughtful, principled stands on the vital issues, responding to the greater needs of the country and serving the general welfare of the public.

There's no business like show business.

And politics has become American Idol.

We no longer look for results. We look for good ratings.

What an epic disappointment. We certainly had high hopes, didn't we?

There is one thing I will concede. Who can deny it? . . .

He sure looks great in a suit and tie!


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