Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Night at the Alfalfa Club: Oligopolitics

Every conspiracy theory about a shadow government, deep state, dark state, ruling donor class and the repression and marginalization of the unwashed masses, is vindicated in a crass display of hegemonic avarice at the Alfalfa Club. If you want to see what an oligopoly looks like, here it is. A perfect marriage of politicians with their true and only constituency. I call this Oligopolitics. Like George Carlin said: "It's a big club and you ain't in it." Now it actually has a name and faces.

These guys are insatiable. Just look at Warren G. Harding. You were never taught this in public school history class.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Money and Drugs in Politics


PBS News Hour, CBS 60 Minutes and the Washington Post have blown the lid off Big Pharma and the revolving door to Washington:

And they call me a conspiracy theorist. Please.All conspiracy theories are predicated on this glaringly obvious template of human behavior.

Friday, March 31, 2017

The Trouble With Town Hall Meetings

Representatives are elected to represent those who elect them in Washington. Sounds simple enough, right? Aren't kids still taught that in school? Are kids taught that they have free will to choose their representative for congress?

Oh. They aren't taught that they only get to choose from people who can afford to make themselves known through the mass media, or get to choose only from people who are bankrolled by greed.

So when voters must hold their noses when they vote, they are not happy, and the results are similar to what's going on with Illinois' 13th district representative Rodney Davis.

When voters are angry at the people they elect, this is known in some circles as Cognitive Dissonance. They are not happy with their choice of representative. It's a symptom of rigged political system.



Saturday, March 18, 2017

Politics and Cognitive Development

It's becoming clear that a large segment of the human species has limited or suspended cognitive development. Around the world, much of this can be attributed to lack of educational resources, There may be brilliant minds out there who simply never learned the meanings of numbers and words.

How do we explain this problem in the United States, where nearly everyone goes to school, yet it seems more than half of the population are struggling with certain aspects of thinking. What are they thinking?

They forgot or lack knowledge of the tragedies which caused the creation of safety and environmental regulations.

If they, their immediate family or social circle are not affected by something directly, they believe it's a conspiracy or a lie, is evil or they simply don't care, despite that they are still affected by it in some way.

They never question or challenge their authority figures or opinion leaders on any claim based on false, misleading or incomplete information, which makes them the best candidates for employment by exploitative narcissistic sociopaths (which you must be in order to not be bothered by capitalism in its current form.)

They are incapable of empathy or compassion. Despite being taught all the information about a different group of people, they are incapable of, or unwilling to imagining what the lives of those people are like.

They are incapable of abstract thinking, unable to extrapolate the cause and effect of things over time or across relational distances.

They are easily manipulated by distorted statistics, misleading or omitted information, or information from two different unrelated issues placed in close proximity, either in time or side-by-side physicall, such as the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the invasion of Iraq.

They are easily distracted by stimuli which appeals to basic needs, and easily conditioned into abject consumerism, leading them into permanent indebtedness.

They are unwilling to make an effort to change their ways, despite losing their jobs to outsourcing or innovation, or they simply cannot because they lack the savings necessary to move out of a bad area or situation.

They are conned into voting against their own interests and blaming others for their own mistakes.

They make up the vast majority of the population. Why? Capitalism. Abject Capitalism.

The result? The current government.

See Fischer's Theory on Cognitive Development. See also Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development.

These people have all the hallmarks of children younger than age 11, yet they are adults.

This is the consequence of Manufacturing Consent, traced back as far as Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays and William Randolph Hearst.


Thursday, January 5, 2017

Is Populism Dangerous?

What happens when you give a child what ever he or she wants for meals? A terrible tummy ache, diabetes, obesity, rotting teeth, high blood pressure and kidney failure among other ailments from consuming good tasting yet extremely unhealthy products.

Why do such products exist in the first place? Because they are popular despite the hazard they pose to consumers. Is it unreasonable to assume that most popular things are not good for you?

Infants first explore with their sense of taste, without supervision they will put anything in their mouths. Since most people don't seem to mange their impulses well, why not nurture their sense of instant gratification and capitalize on it? Thus is born the consumer economy.

The logic that populism is bad, is used to argue against populism in politics, but typically this argument comes from people who have already grabbed the power for themselves and don't want to share the wealth. They would rather watch everyone else for whom they don't care, starve or freeze to death. This didn't work out too well for the Romanov family on July 17, 1918, or Benito Mussolini on April 28, 1945.

People just want a living wage, but giving them too much money will give them enough ease to start thinking about other things besides scraping, kicking and scratching for their survival.

The world is full of historical accounts of revolutions where the chief cause was too few people hoarding resources at the expense of everyone else, and here we are again at the end of 2016. Too few people have hoarded the money, the raw resources, the industry, the government and the political system.


Monday, March 21, 2016

PSYWAR: You Are Living in Learned Helplessness


Wikipedia
A basic description of the term

Yale University
Mailers sent to voters that threatened to publish to their neighbors whether or not they voted, increased voter turnout.

Harvard University
Quote from abstract: "If free-will beliefs support attributions of moral responsibility, then reducing these beliefs should make people less retributive in their attitudes about punishment."
( Studies show that scientific education about free-will mitigates vindictiveness. ) This may also apply to aggravating Learned Helplessness in the public through propaganda.

Wikipedia
Psychological manipulation on a large scale, of attitudes and social behaviors. AND an overview of the book by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky

Wikipedia
The psychological study of small groups and how they often make bad decisions.

Demos
You should never let anyone convince you that voting is a waste of time.
Repeat these words as often as you can, no matter what the circumstances:

"Learned Helplessness."

I was feeling beaten-down by blogs and news websites that continue to post crazy gaffs and quotes from politicians, like watching a runaway train carrying crude oil inevitably heading for disaster, disaster for America.

We are being conditioned by demagoguery like "Congressional Obstruction," "Gridlock." "Fascist," "Socialist" and many more. Now I'm beginning to understand why college students are creating "Safe Spaces." They are completely fed-up with such "Trigger Rhetoric."

I think they understand the psychological warfare tactic of conditioning Learned Helplessness through relentless disparaging news reports about politics.

I like Bernie Sanders because he has very clear and unwavering concerns and ideas for us. It would be very easy for me to completely turn off the news and un-follow both the main-stream and alternative media (with one or two exceptions).

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Trump, Sanders, Politics And Proxy Class Warfare

I was confused. I thought Donald Trump was part of the Establishment. He's got money, you would think he should fit right in, but listening to him speak about "the establishment" and "special interests" reminds me that there are sub-cultures within the top 1%.

Donald's father, Fred Trump made his fortune mostly in developing affordable housing for the working class, However, in the upper crust, there are certain criteria for amassing wealth that must be met to earn respect and entrance into exclusive realms of the Old Money class.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to be wealthy enough to get within sight of New York royalty at cocktail parties or business meetings, only to be snubbed, whispered about, or openly mocked.

I know too well the sting of rejection, the denial of affinity and validation from admired people and organizations, and the gleeful leer of schadenfreude from people once thought friendly acquaintances.

Bernie Sanders perspective is rooted in a deeply felt family and cultural experience of oppression. Keen to recognizing brutality as it quietly forms under the veneer of institutions, he spent his life fighting for civil rights.

Generation after generation, the Establishment has built a network of organizations and political dynasties designed to keep power in the clutches of the Old Money, but it looks like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are about to capsize this "Titanic" society.

The followers of Trump and Sanders are not really distinct. We all want to end the Establishment's crushing, greedy rule that sabotages individual achievement and comfort through the use of corporate monopolies and outsourcing.

We move on, we make new friends, but bitter memories of betrayal and meanness don't go away. I live vicariously through this political season, watching as the main-stream media (MSM) fails to attack both Trump and Sanders. Time and again the MSM shows its powerlessness against the Internet and the will of the people.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Straw Documents



Wikipedia
60 Minutes reporter Dan Rather was discredited when documents he held up as evidence against George W. Bush's military service record appeared to have been forged.

Your News Wire
Documents that appeared to have been forged are for sale by Oswald LeWinter, who coincidentally was also allegedly involved in the October Surprise Iran Hostage Release that is said to have won the 1980 election for Ronald Reagan.

Media Matters
It turns out the documents Dan Rather used in the 60 Minutes segments were not necessary after all. They may have been forged but not necessarily false.

Wikipedia
While this form of argument seems far from creating partially forged documents which relate actual events in order to discredit the belief in those events,

Switching Gears: It looks like some sources we rely on for fact-checking are not necessarily supportive of the truth.
Snopes
An Iranian official stated that Repiblicans wanted the prisoner exchange to be delayed until after the U.S. election. Snopes author Kim LaCapria says "claim didn't seem very plausible."

FAIR
The 1980 October Surprise is still held up as a Conspiracy Theory by most main-stream media, and Wikipedia. The fact that this tactic has been used in the past with great success makes it much more plausible than the Snopes author suggests.
The site Your News Wire recently posted a video describing how documents were allegedly recreated with minor alterations that would have totally discredited the claims of the person presenting them as evidence. In this case it was the death of Princess Diana.

Suddenly I was reminded of the 60 Minutes episode that ended Dan Rather's career at CBS. He too presented documents as evidence that turned out to be forgeries, but years later it was discovered that the facts behind those documents were  none-the-less true.


Monday, February 1, 2016

The "Bernie Bros" Shill Gallery


BuzzFeed News
There are always trolls on the Internet, but some trolls are plants.

The New Republic
"Bernie Bros" allegedly infiltrate Clinton Campaign Rallies.

The Atlantic
Trying to Conscript regular Internet trolls into the ranks of "Berniebros"

Boston Globe
The "Bernie Bros" Army Invades College Campuses. One Sanders supporter becomes a "Bands of Bernie Bros."

The Slot
The origin of the Term "Berniebro" is identified as being coined from The Atlantic in October. This article identifies them as "his social media goons."

Paul Krugman - The New York Times
Even a (quickly becoming formerly) respected economist like Paul Krugman isn't above the overgeneralization.

Student Activism
Hillary's people are not being aggressive, they are being Passive-Aggresive.

Medium Corporation
An attempt to counter-argue the refutation that "Bernie Bros" are somehow organized by the Sanders Campaign.
The Stranger - SLOG
AMBIGUITY: Not much detail in this article, but it seems to suggest that All Bernie Sanders male supporters are trolls.
I don't pay attention to main-stream media anymore since I earned my BA in Communication and recognized the media for what it really is.

I woke up this morning to a post by The Intercept on my Facebook feed: The “Bernie Bros” Narrative: a Cheap Campaign Tactic Masquerading as Journalism and Social Activism.

I had to Google search "Bernie Bros" and some of the results are in the box on the left.

I learned my lesson. Now I have no choice but to keep an eye on even the BBC and the New York Times for this acrid Bullshit.

U.S. Uncut: The ‘Bernie Bro’ is a Media Myth. It Needs to Die
Jacobin: The Myth of the Bernie Bro
NYMag - The Cut: The Bernie Bros vs. the Hillarybots


Saturday, January 30, 2016

The Rich And Powerful Are Getting Into Your Head.


The Guardian
Philanthropists have evolved from unconditional giving to conditional giving.

Tech Times
Professor wrote a book about philanthropic influence on education

Pando.com (02/2014)
The demise of PBS was well underway long ago as underwriting congealed to only a few very large influential donors.

AAUP (2012)
Did you notice more outspoken conservative professors at your college lately?

Crooked Timber
When looking at collges and universities, get a list of the members of the board of trustees, and ask who the big donors are.

In These Times
As long as Progressive professors still remain on campuses across America, the oligarchs must settle for disparaging education and intellectual achievement.
The rich and powerful may be spending a lot on politics to make the world a better place for themselves, but politics is not the only means to their end.

As the middle class alumni of colleges and universities are too far in debt to support their alma maters', colleges are relying on ever-more wealthy "philanthropists" for support.

It seems the common assumption about philanthropy is that donors find a worthy cause to support, and that's it. But it's not it. There are strings attached. More now than ever before.

Institutions of education such as museums, public television, colleges, universities are falling under increasing pressure by rich donors to modify themselves to influence their agenda. Under threat of withholding donations and grants, they influence the makeup of board members, deciding who gets hired and fired, and which professors get tenure, and which professors are relegated to part-time Adjunct work so minimal they are forced to resign.

How does one cut off such tentacles of influence? Literally?

Monday, January 11, 2016

Timothy A. Canova To Challenge Debbie Wasserman Schultz


Florida's District 23

Debbie Has A Primary. You're Invited!
Crooks And Liars
By Howie Klein (01/11/2016)

Tim Canova
Ballotpedia
Data for candidate

Florida's 23rd Congressional District
Ballotpedia
Data for candidate's district

Timothy A. Canova
Faculty at Nova Southern University
Profile information

Tim Canova for Congress
FEC Filing Data
Form 1 Statement of Organization

Designation of Principal Campaign Committee
FEC Statement of Candidacy
FEC Form 2
We have a brand new challenger to the "Machine" on the stage (Don't forget to scroll down in the box for more details).

Timothy A. Canova only recently filed, so I couldn't find any data at OpenSecrets.org about who has contributed to his campaign. Do you think we of the Internet can propell him to victory without any contributions to the main-stream media for advertising?

It will require a ground-game in Florida's 23rd district. Here's the thing. He's appears to be a real progressive, not just a Democrat. More like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alan Grayson and sadly I can't think of more.

His primary is on August 30, so we better get moving.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Ben Carson Campaign News


Something had to be done to shake the carrion-eating media birds from their perches over Donald Trump, and there's nothing like in-fighting to get their attention. They thrive on conflict.

It's interesting to see how the various news media frame their stories. Guess which news outlet here qualifies as a giggly pillow fight and which outlet has hurled it's entire hyperbole stockpile.

Using the most visceral rhetoric all the time has a desensitizing effect on the audience, so dish it out intermittently and wisely.


Friday, November 20, 2015

The Clinton Dynasty: What You Need To Know




The Clinton Dynasty
The Washington Post
Inside the Clinton Dynasty

BallotPedia
Biographies and Legislative Actions

GovTrack
Bill Sponsorship and Senate Voting Record

Money In State Politics
Money at the state level

Open Secrets
Some search results may be unrelated. Revolving Door usually implies a political-corporate conflict of interest, AKA Cronyism.

Open Secrets
A world of Intrigue

Vote Smart
Hillary Clinton's Biography and More
See also Votes, Positions, Ratings, Speeches, and Funding
The Washington Post article inspired me to re-post some links for your voting information benefit.

In the end you may be impressed or horrified, but at least you will be informed enough to know you made the right decision when you vote for Bernie Sanders. #FeelTheBern

UPDATE: You must see this: Mother Jones: Hillary Clinton's Strange Definition of "Middle Class"

Monday, November 16, 2015

Oblique Political Strategy: Disparage Your Opponent's Staff to the Media



CNN
"A person who was on the call told CNN" Paris is ahead by 7 hours. The attacks occured at 9:20 PM Paris Time which would be 2:20 PM on Friday Afternoon

Yahoo!
"A staffer for one of the other campaigns who was also on the call described the exchange to Yahoo News as “heated” and even “bizarre,” and a second source on the call confirmed the nature of the exchange."

Rolling Stone
"A second source told Yahoo News that both the O'Malley and Clinton campaigns were in favor of CBS's decision,..."

Politico
"But Sanders' team forcefully opposed any changes – and, to the amazement of the network and the other Democrats who decried his tone-deafness, crowed publicly about limiting the foreign policy component..."

The Hill
But Sanders’s aide, the report said, still objected, and “he got very hot and there was like a five- or seven-minute back and forth and he just wouldn’t let it go,” the campaign source told Yahoo News.

Google Search
The search results can tell the rest of the story.
The Paris Attacks started at 9:20 PM Friday according to CNN, which would be 4:20 PM Eastern U.S. time according to CNN. According to Yahoo, the conference call was on Saturday Morning. If the conference call took place in Iowa that would make sense.

I need to get my time zones figured out:


The entire mass media jumped on this bandwagon. What kind of story is this? It seems like a swarm of Piranhas to a single drop of blood that may or may not even exist.

It's obvious how complicit most of the media is against Bernie Sanders, how likely would something like this be a complete fabrication?

Monday, November 9, 2015

Ben Carson's Days: Are They Numbered Yet?


News.GroopsSpeak
Ben Carson brings up Barack Obama's "sealed records" and asks the reporters why they are not looking into them.

FactCheck.org
Here is why the reporters are NOT looking into Obama's sealed records.
Well, this pretty much wraps up Ben Carson. He's resorted to repeating old right-wing false rumors from Barack Obama's campaign days.

He was caught being ambiguous but not untruthful on numerous occasions, which the media exploits by making false inferences, then turning the false inferences into false statements.

I call such activity on the part of the news media "Inference Opportunities." It may be an underhanded gimmick, but it does raise questions about Ben Carson's ability to communicate with other world leaders as President.

He must be unequivocal,

Monday, November 2, 2015

Bernie Under Attack


They tried racism, now they're trying sexism? You can read about all the details in the links.

There comes a point in time where a candidate's message is so simple, so clear and concise, that it becomes the sharpest sword on the field of battle, and can never be dulled by any ambiguity of position,

Bernie Sanders has made up my mind. Unless someone new steps in, or something truly dark from Bernie's past rears its ugly head, there really is no reason for me to follow presidential politics anymore.

The important work lies ahead. As voters we must find a Congress that will work with Bernie.

We must look into our own states and our own congressional districts to find Representatives and Senators who have the courage to endorse Bernie Sanders.

Please use the following resources to find your Legislators:




Monday, October 26, 2015

Presidential Candidate and Ohio Governor John Kasich (R)



Ohio Governor John Kasich
Americablog (2/24/2015)
Some of his more volatile political moves.
The Humanist
The program originally started as collaboration between schools and the private sector, but then the Governor changed the rules.
The Humanist
Trans-Abdominal Ultrasounds and support for "Pregnancy Crisis Centers" run by religious organizations.
Alternet
I really have no words for what showed up here.
Ohio Governor John Kasich recently has been missing from my collection of news sources on Facebook, including the comments. Did he drop out of the race? I'm not sure, but the Alternative Media apparently has said all they need to say about the Ohio Governor long ago. This doesn't bode well for keeping voters informed about the candidates, especially those that don't bother to search the Internet.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Are Trey Gowdy's Chickens Coming Home to Roost?


Trey Gowdy (R) South Carolina
BallotPedia
. These are all basically profile links, but there may be differences between them.
Representative Trey Gowdy, the lead on the Benghazi investigation, is getting a little more attention in the Press, so here's some info.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

American Politics Apocalypse


It's not quite Sunday morning but the Sunday morning news shows should be interesting this weekend. It's becoming trendy to opine the demise of the Republican Party due to certain recent activity.

Friday, October 9, 2015

History Is Catching Up to Bernie Sanders



Senator Bernie Sanders (I) Vermont
Running for President in 2016

It seems history is catching up. People are doing some digging and spreading negative info, so I gathered some fact sources about Bernie Sanders that should put your mind at ease, or fill you with sheer terror depending on your ideology.