jr., I do agree that “blind followers” are required for the marionette masters to exist and prosper, but I also think we have to challenge the distanced apathy wherever we find it, by presenting (intelligently) individuals with other possibilities and avenues for action. Trying to reach the mid-level marionette string-pullers is even more essential. All this involves a large component of empathy: if we can’t see through the eyes of the enemy we don’t know where to start in fomenting change.

Bill is only another wise guy, big brain with stunted social development, just a loose cannon who craves an audience. They are all around you, especially in high school.

Pure case of immaturity, he will be so different when you check in on him in a decade or so. He will wise up, but nobody will want hear about his new insights.

WriterOnTheStorm: Empathy is what makes it possible to undercut the greed machine. But it is damned rare.

If Bill Maher is an atheist, does it mean he has no Baals? 

Of course not.

He may interview conservative nut-cases on his show, but he’s quick enough to expose them for what they are.  The Conservatives, as Nuts, not his Baals.

REF: RJF7R

You have it, my friend.

“a Capitalist Dictatorship”—in other words, fascism!”

Beware of Sen. Schumer’s bold effort to empower the healthcare industry, even further. They are all determined to complicate and obfuscate the already arkane health care insurance industry.

That is the life blood of the these political puppets. Their funding depends on the healthcare lobbies. Reject this system, it is intentionally complicated and impossible to handle yourself, like the IRS is intentionally complex.

Make it simple, single payer system makes it simple BUT that will leave the health care insurance puppet politicians like Schumer and Baucus dead on the vine. The healthcare politicians are dead without their hosts. It is a simple symbiotic relationship.

Want to really change things in Washington, D.C., then fight Schumer and the puppet politicians. They sold you out on bankster bailout, now they are selling you out on the collosal healthcare package.

Fight back.

truedigger3:

NO.

rjf7—You got the idea…

jr wrote:
” Sorry, i can’t be more specific, here; volumes of books can be written on the matter.”

jr,

Are you talking about freedom from wordly desires and
attaining “Nervana” according to the Budhist and Hindu teachings and thus any relativism of space and time seizes to exist and everything is just “IS IN THE PRESENT”

I appreciate “yes” or “no” from you and that will be the end of the matter and no further explanations will be asked for or required by me.

“a Capitalist Dictatorship”—in other words, fascism!

WriterOnTheStorm—I agree that greed is built into Capitalism..it is not built into mankind’s nature, in my view. Here is an interesting article I recieved in a paper today: (many others)

Freedom Socialist June/July, “Why Obama is no socialist” .
(How Rush Limbaugh & Co get it wrong)

“..People are not inherently greedy, selfish and downright nasty. We reach for universal human fulfillment…
...Obama’s no socialist. Socialism is a not-for-profit economic system under workers’ control, whose purpose is to meet the needs of the majority of people. Everyone shares the abundance they produce. Decisions are made democratically, through genuine participation from the producers.”

http://www.socialism.com/fsarticles/vol30no3/socialism.html

What we have now, is a Capitalist Dictatorship.

truedigger3:

1.)  If what you said is right, and you are truely confused, then there is nothing i can do that would unconfuse you.

2.)  No, my comment dated June 2 at 12:31am., is not satire; it goes much deeper than that.

3.)  Sorry, i can’t be more specific, here; volumes of books can be written on the matter.

We also write off the lives of 40,000 or more of our fellow Americans every year as an acceptable cost of our automobile dependent lifestyle and we do it without so much as a national holiday to acknowledge the loss.

By WriterOnTheStorm, June 2 at 12:00 am #

“From the comments on this thread that clear that some don’t know the sound of their own gears turning. Greed is not just an affliction of the elite. Greed permeates American society from the top to the bottom. It is the unifying principal, the sine qua non of the American social construct.”
============================
Thank you WriterOnTheStorm for your deep analytical perspective with which I find intellectual affinity. Yours is one of the best comments I read today on different TD’s threads!

jr wrote:
“Perhaps the key to freedom would be in letting go that relativistic education to experience life from a more absolute perspective.”

jr,

What do you mean by that? Are you satiring and you
did mean the opposite? I am confused. Would you care
to explain.

Sepharad,

Like Paracelsus, i, too, don’t enjoy having to admit a whole people as being greedy, however, i can’t deny the character of the system ruling over that whole. 

Unfortunately, for every so-called “master” is required blind-follwers.  Perhaps the key to freedom would be in letting go that relativistic education to experience life from a more absolute perspective.

From the comments on this thread that clear that some don’t know the sound of their own gears turning. Greed is not just an affliction of the elite. Greed permeates American society from the top to the bottom. It is the unifying principal, the sine qua non of the American social construct.

Greed is built into the 300 hp engine under the hood of your Chrysler hemi. Greed is in that 1200 dollar carbon fiber infant stroller you keep in the trunk. Greed is pressing your foot down on the accelerator as you pass the mom n pop on your way to Wallmart. Greed is what drives a college student to throw away a medical career for a million-to-one shot at acting superstardom. Greed festers in the hearts of those parents with 19 children blithely gawking on the morning talk shows. On a bigger scale, greed defines a military capable of destroying the planet seven times over. It lurks like a succubus over the politicians who sell your interests out to corporate lobbyist.

Up to a few months ago, it was absolute heresy to speak out against the capitalist totem, which is after all, the mantra of greed. But will the recent crisis be enough to make us reconsider our profits-uber-alles ways? Don’t count on it. When it comes to the religion of dog eat dog, it’ll take a whole lot more than a meltdown and a clever rant from Maher to get us to renounce the faith. It’ll take empathy.

@ Truedigger

I also pointed out that equal distribution of world
resources is impossible since it will be a call for ditributing poverty since there are not enough resources in the world for a decent life for everyone.

You are right. Pardon me. You did say that in your earlier post. Let this serve a retraction of sorts.

Paracelsus wrote:
“I think you could 4.75% of the world’s population as represented by America to consume 4.75% of the world’s resources. The other 0.25% would still maintain their high living standards”
___________________________________________________

If you have read my post carefully you would had found out that I advocated sane living and consumption for everyone and not just only for average folks.
I also pointed out that equal distribution of world
resources is impossible since it will be a call for ditributing poverty since there are not enough resources in the world for a decent life for everyone.

jr.—Sorry to disagree with your “all of us are feeding Baal” analysis, but Paracelsus is right: there really are “masters of the world” who use countries like marionettes. Go back and read his June 1, 8:47a.m. post. I’m not given to conspiracy theories but this particular one happens to be true, which is a real bummer. For one thing, it’s probably going to survive and perpetrate itself, and for another it tends to engender passivity and apathy in people because we feel that no matter what we do, we will not make a difference in the end. My antidote for such hopelessness is the certainty that if we do not act to make better those situations we CAN affect, life could become very much worse than it has to be for the people caught up in those particular situations.

I am in complete agreement with your accessment of our present situation. Please continue. If you do not have time, allow me to distribute you message.

I grant you a copy-left. Thank you.

“Maher has been a pain lately, ranting on how great Obama is—he is doing better with this one, but, he is sure not as edgy as he used to be.”

Agree with your comment. Maher has fallen into the trap of trying to present both sides of issues by inviting right wingers like John Bolton on his show and then adding a Republican Congresswoman to boot. We had eight years of Republican viewpoints and can recite them almost by heart. We don’t need Maher to refresh Republican points of view we would rather forget. He has also gotten on Obama’s case for not being the perfect liberal. Obama is not and never will be, Dennis Kucinich. Still he is light years better than Bush. Maher is in somewhat of a bind along with other comedians who are finding that Obama has the same teflon coating that Reagan had. Maher also needs to cool the constant marijuana, food, and religious comments. We know his pet peeves but can we move on. That said, when he is on, his is the best program on television. One of the few that is both intelligent and funny.

If a society is 5% of the world population and consume 25% of the world resources, then that society
is definitely greedy.

I don’t think it is practical to get a full population of America as the 5% to consume 5% of the world’s resources. I think you could 4.75% of the world’s population as represented by America to consume 4.75% of the world’s resources. The other 0.25% would still maintain their high living standards. LOL. I love it when many liberals talk of Americans living too high off the hog. It gives the globalists an air of inevitability. Yes, it is not the problem of the world living too poorly but the “selfish” American middle class living too richly.

Keep talking like that, and Obummer will work to further NAFTA by giving Mexico an equality grant to upgrade their living standards. But it is okay as we just live too richly.

I agree, some very good posts here. Just one thing—there are too many people on the planet for the “US lifestyle” to to promoted—although , that is exactly what we do. The problem is not really a lack of resources, it is how they are being used (up)....if you divided up what the top 2% have in “wealth” and goods, among the bottom 80%, we could give many more the basics of life.

It might be impossible to equally distribute all resources to all on the planet—but we have to do better than this!

The elites simply havent been asked to do their share.

Maher has been a pain lately, ranting on how great Obama is—he is doing better with this one, but, he is sure not as edgy as he used to be.

Reading truedigger3’s post, I agree. What some people (esp in the uS) think that they have a right to “own”, is morally questionable and absurd, on its face.

Addendum

When I say Obama is more related to Sadat, I mean he looks more kin to him than say Muhammad Ali.

Paracelcus - I don’t know what you mean by “is Obama really black,” I think the science is in on that one, but our recent presidents weren’t nobodys, it’s no coincidence that they are all related. Cheney, Bush, Clinton, Obama. Distantly, but still related. Creepy.

It can get pretty creepy. I am related to Harry Ford Sinclair by blood. By adoption I am related to a den of thieves, who stole my adopted mother’s trust fund. Aristocrats are known for having lots of babies. As for my line I am not saying. If you go to any old European city or New England village, you will find many poor relations to old money and aristocratic lineages. Obama looks like he’s more related to Anwar al Sadat, the former President of Egypt.

If a society is 5% of the world population and consume 25% of the world resources, then that society
is definitely greedy.
That does not mean that everyone in that society is
greedy
I am not calling for the equal distribution of world resources because that will be just ditribution of want and poverty, but what I am calling for is sane living and not overconsumption just to show off.
For example there is no need for those huge McMansions or those huge cars where a decent average house or car is enough and adequate.

Paracelcus - I don’t know what you mean by “is Obama really black,” I think the science is in on that one, but our recent presidents weren’t nobodys, it’s no coincidence that they are all related. Cheney, Bush, Clinton, Obama. Distantly, but still related. Creepy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/26/barackobama.hillaryclinton

As for Maher’s rant, I think it’s the best he’s done in a while, he’s been rather dull lately, but he does fail to make a distinction between the proles and the elite who have all the power and cause all the damage. That Americans are too fat, complaisant and ignorant to get properly pissed off is something he could have delved into more.

Post Script

Not to be the bearer of bad news;

Paracelsus, Tracy Lane, NotByJingo, Sepharad;

We can live in denial of the facts all we like, but as long as WE work, live and pay taxes in america, we’re helping to feed Baal, and thus, all for one and one for all.

Paracelsus, Tracy Lane, NotByJingo, Sepharad,

There are those who like to say, “We’re all in this together.”  There is a reason we are all being included in that they.  This be the good/bad old u.s. of america.

I never got the whole concept of “American exceptionalism”. It sounded like yet another Republican attempt at co-opting patriotism and tooting our own horn. Great countries don’t need to toot their own horn. Instead of touting our greatness we should be fixing our many problems. So I agree with Maher - we have way too many problems of our own so why should we be telling the rest of the world how to act. We are 5% of the worlds population but consume 25% of the worlds resources. We have the most people in jail of any other country, and the most number of people without health care of any civilized country. We have a growing disparity between the wealthiest and the poorest of any civilized country. American exceptionalism - I think not.

REF: Paracelsus

I am in complete agreement with your accessment of our present situation. Please continue. If you do not have time, allow me to distribute you message.

Maybe it will sink into the heads of more people if repeated enough. Excellent work, my friend. You remind me of that old Greek called “Diogenes.”

Maher has become quite the conservative.  “Everybody is bad” is the next step after the last installment (“The people can’t be trusted.”)  Before long, I expect him to discover God.

I don’t like to characterize a whole nation as greedy. I don’t think we should flagellate ourselves over the transgressions of our elites. Culture is a top down enterprise, and I see that most working class folks are going to reject these false notions. The U.S. is being set up as the next pariah country. Germany has had holocaust guilt for the crimes of its elites, and now we are going to be set up for our own stigmata that rightfully belongs to the puppet masters of the world. These masters use nations as tools to shape the world to their visions. Germany at the turn of 20th century was a nation that was challenging the commercial power of Britain. They had to be knocked down from their perch.

Have you ever noticed that great nobodies are somehow placed into power? Yesterday they were schlepping along with a very short resume, and then by magic a great man or woman is declared in this empty suit. Consider that Hitler was a great nobody, a cipher. He was not even a German citizen by birth. His real story of recruitment is more frightening than the talent recruited in the movie, the Parallax View. Look at our three most recent Presidents. One came from a backwater state known for the processing of chickens. Another had drug and alcohol and problems, and was a complete failure in the oil business. This most recent President has a very short record in the Senate, and we cannot be sure of his origins in this world. Is he really a black man? We get blamed for the puppets put in office, who implement these policies that blacken the reputations of all American citizens, and yet we had no real say in the matter. I am not going to castigate myself for a system that is run by monopoly capital, social engineering think tanks, and agenda driven government.

Maher’s comment is both true and ridiculous: SOME Americans are greedy, but many others are not. There are more people who’ve been victimized than there are predators, and more people who object to what our financial institutions and insurance companies have done to damage this country and its people than there are working in those industries. What may be endangered these days is the compassion and generosity Americans have shown in the past to one another and to the world—a casualty of the financial chaos and looming Depression that makes so many of us uncertain of what our future might hold and the natural tendency for people to look to the well-being and security of their near and dear first.

Imagine if ever there was a politician who asked the citizens what they would prefer to happen through good, efficient and honest government.

Perhaps they might learn that it is time to conserve and preserve those things which or cherished. Perhaps, like China, they might learn that the natural flora and fauna is cherished and that most people would be happier with a world-class education in a trade or craft. The obsession with a college degree was discussed in the Fifties - “Sheepskin Psychosis.” Judging from the obesity and type two diabetes, perhaps small family farms would be more important than coporations like GM, Chryslter, E.I. Lilly, etc.

Perhaps a person will step up with a plan to examine our underlying value system and change the public school system and never allow broadcasters to propagandize our children, neither by religion or the social engineering pseudo sciences.

American Exceptionalism is a joke! 

In the 18th Century, we were blessed to have leaders who studied hard, who learned from the lessons of History, and were inspired by the Enlightenment.

We were blessed by having a wide-open country ready to be exploited, a country with untapped riches.

We were blessed by having an indigenous population, poorly armed, unable to fight against our modern weapons.  We expanded Westward in the name of Manifest Destiny.

We were blessed in our first World Wars by an ocean that isolated us from our enemies.

We are NOT exceptional any longer.  We were lucky in the past, but we must revise our over-inflated opinion of ourselves if we are to be a winner for the next decade or so.

We must get over the idea that God favors us over all others.  We no longer have a grip on clever, inventive solutions.  We no longer have the best scientists or even the best system in which to create them.  We have frittered away the advantages that our heritage has bequeathed us.

Our lazy mindset had left us vulnerable, unable to respond to the demands of the world around us.  We deserve to fall into second place. 

Or worse.

All Americans aren’t greedy, just the big and bigger corporate capitalists,  and the rest of us are busy trying to keep our heads above water because of the legislated, deregulated greed of the big and bigger greedy corporate capitalists.

Watch Bill Maher! How would you dare to say this about America, knowing that the senior Z-Gang on these threads, who goes by the name of Inherit-The-Wind (i.e. hot air), is policing these threads,ranting and capitalizing on his fake patriotism- for his first loyalty is to little-great Israel that controls these sad United States of America! He just gave me a lecture, using the same old worn out rants on another thread, just because I dare to criticize his unholy Israel and the the unholy alliance between it and political-military-industrial complex of the USA!

The prison INDUSTRY authority, as it’s been defined; but, really, it’s no laughing matter.  Prison is where government, religion, businesses and science all converge for the research and development of drugs, weapons, techniques, theories and technologies in population control; that which will work there, on the so-called worst of the worst, will work anywhere, and on anyone, theoretically.