Go Right Young Man

“All the same,” said the Scarecrow, “I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one.”
—The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

Some suggested reading on the satirical allegory of the story and the history in which it was devised.

http://www.usagold.com/gildedopinion/oz.html

For:  By Go Right Young Man, October 25 at 2:49 pm #

I present you with your pride and joy in all of it’s tattered and faded glory.

http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2009/10/26/9-signs-of-america-in-decline

Folktruther—“When we are taught from childhood a respect for authorized power, we simultaneous are taught a disrrespect for the people ruled by power, the vast majority of people.  this contempt for people is incorporated into our worldviews to induce us to side with power against the people.”

Absolutely incorrect! That view speaks entirely on how you feel about yourself and, I would guess, how you may have been raised to look on others. It’s certainly not universal.

Felicity, you asd Virgina are quite wrong.  The power system is not screwed up because the electorate is screwed up. the electorate is screwed up because the power system is screwed up.

The power struture controls the learned and mass media and other truth organs that indoctrinate the population over historical time.  Power indoctrinates the population to identify with the power interests of power rather than the the common power interests of the people.

When we are taught from childhood a respect for authorized power, we simultaneous are taught a disrrespect for the people ruled by power, the vast majority of people.  this contempt for people is incorporated into our worldviews to induce us to side with power against the people.  It has been very effective in the US, getting the Gops to identify with Faith-based power, both Divine and earthly, and the Dems to identify with the Hope-based truth of Progressive power.

And the leaders of both the Dem-Gop truth consensus, the Progs and Cons, both ideologically repress the reality-based truth.

Some people live in a dark, brooding and selfish place. A place of bigotry and separateness. A place wherein they are comfortable with their own self-worth.

I live an a great nation.

A nation largely inhabited by decent and fair people. Where the rule of law, personal property and freedom of speech is held in the highest regard. A nation which gives more of itself to others in need than any nation in all of human history. A nation that’s quick to come to the aid of other humans after a disaster. A nation that, through its own sweat and labor, feeds the world.

I live in a nation with an all volunteer military full of some of the best young men and woman on earth. I live in a nation where any man or woman, regardless of race or creed, can pick themselves up out of the worst kinds of poverty, travel to my nation, and rise to the highest levels of comfort.

I live in a nation wherein crooked politicians are voted out of office when the public becomes aware of their malfeasance. I live in a nation which has an absolutely independent judiciary that lives to protect the rights of all.

I live in a nation wherein a person or people can stand in the middle of the town square and shout at the top of their lungs how much they hate the current president and NOT get shot in the head or watch as their families are killed.

I live in the United States of America. I love my life. I love my friends. I love my home. I love and cherish my freedoms. I love the vast majority of the American people. I will fight, and perhaps die, to pass what I have onto my children and the children of others.

Some people live in a dark, brooding, selfish and bigoted place full of hatred and self loathing.

I wake up every day thankful. I realize how truly lucky I am.

DaveZx3:

The Five Monkies
(I swiped this from a google search)

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, you’ll see a banana hanging on a string with a set of stairs placed under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, all of the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt to obtain the banana.  As soon as his foot touches the stairs, all of the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. It’s not long before all of the other monkeys try to prevent any monkey from climbing the stairs.

Now, put away the cold water, remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him as he makes his way toward the stairs.  After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.

Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana.

Why? That’s just the way its always been…

Funny, I can’t remember one instance of anyone getting in a rowboat and risking their life to row to Cuba for a better life. 

But I am apparently only now starting to be indoctrinated into what a disgusting, bloody, imperialist country we live in.  But that means that we (you and me) are disgusting also, because we hold the key to the power of this country. 

As AFriend has reinforced for me in a previous post, the president holds the absolute power in the USA, and we elect him.  Nothing ever changes.  Presidents come and go, but we remain disgusting, bloody, imperialist bastards.

There is a fundamental flaw in the American people if we cannot elect an acceptable government, given the best foundation ever given any nation.  There is nothing wrong with our constitution, it is the way it is abused and ignored by a people who have lost their will.  That is the problem.

We are weak, spineless, gutless wimps who like to sit in our living rooms typing our little intellectual opinions out to the world. 

But when push comes to shove, nothing changes because no one has the stomach to sacrifice their comfort for the battle.  They want a benevolent dictator to do it for them. 

What naievity.  Wait till you see the horrors of revolution or conquest.  Our enemies hate us deeply, they are fanatical, and they have the will to fight.  As soon as they can get the weapons, it will happen.  I am old enough to have seen it first hand.  You will not like it.  For the first time in my life, I am pessimistic about our future.

you are so right, Felicity

RAE - You’ll get no argument from me or many historians, political scientists, even some respected philosophers who have agreed that a benevolent dictatorship is the best form of government.  The snag, of course, is trying to find a dictator who’s benevolent.

Frankly, American government is screwed up because the American electorate is screwed up.  Too many of us refuse to acknowledge the “corruption, lying, mis-representation, fraud and theft, oppression, invasions of privacy and other inequalities..” rampant in our government/corporate power structures.

We will never admit to ourselves that we are anything but “a city shining on a hill” so we’ll never elect, say, a Kucinich or a Nader - let alone acknowledge that there’s little difference between us and Cuba or Franco’s Spain.

Folktruther and DaveZ

I understand your perceptions regarding the U.S. president being a figurehead and not the actual holder of power, however, there is actually nothing in American history that supports the theory (it’s merely a perception some hold). In fact history is replete with examples of exactly the opposite. Nobody, I repeat, nobody walks into the Oval and tells the U.S. president what to do. There are, however, certain obligations the incoming president has toward those who supported his candidacy. But the power remains in the hands of one.

The U.S. President, by the separation of powers, holds tremendous abilities to enter into agreements and treaties with other nations. On the domestic front, however, it’s the Congress that writes law and spends the money. The White House can’t spend a dime on it’s own. This too, rightly so, inhibits the presidents domestic power.

—-

Many Kings and Presidents hold tremendous power. Some do not. The U.S. President is one example of true and tremendous power. It’s the most powerful office on the globe. And it truly is, to date, held by a single man.

—-

Folktruther, I think if you continue to believe that Cheney and Rumsfeld held the true power in the Bush administration you’ll loose all context. If we study the Bush governorship we see that his presidency was run much the same way. It’s important to note that neither Cheney nor Rumsfeld surrounded the Governor is Texas.

—-

There are hundreds of books that cover the U.S. Presidency. We won’t find a single historical account, by historians or “insiders”, which supports the theory that the president is a puppet to a more “authentic” power.

Give Bush a break. He’s “challenged.” No Child Left Behind was mere projection.

While acknowledging that NO political system is perfect I hold a certain fondness for, the idea at least, of a BENEVOLENT DICTATORSHIP of sorts.

The recent regimes of Franco and Castro didn’t produce “dreamlands” in which to live - far from it - there was oppression, censorship, inequity and probably much worse that I don’t know about.

The USA likes to present itself as a democracy (which it isn’t) with “freedom and justice for all” (which it CERTAINLY doesn’t have). Granted, if you’re a “good little boy or girl,” follow all the rules and/or don’t get caught breaking them, don’t shit disturb too much, and don’t financially challenge or threaten those in authority whose hearts are fashioned from gold bricks, then you’ll mostly be left alone to “live the good life.”

But piss off the right people and I suspect you can get yourself “disappeared” pretty damn quick in the USA. And this goes for everyone from the President on down. I don’t read anywhere where life was “hell” in Spain or Cuba… maybe not fabulous… but not hell either.

BUT… I also suspect that the people in neither one of these countries were ripped off for TRILLIONS of “dollars” to support the greed and corruption that today seems to be the hallmark of “America.” I also don’t remember either Spain or Cuba spending BILLIONS on armed forces with which to invade one country after the other such as the USA has done ever since WWII (I lost count at a dozen but in any case the USA is by far the world leader in AGGRESSION against sovereign countries).

I really don’t see how the corruption, lying, misrepresentation, fraud and theft, oppression, invasions of privacy and other inequities could possibly have been much worse in Spain and Cuba that what is going on the USA today. But I’m sure someone in this forum will set me straight.

DaveZ, a president has become a public relations face for his administration.  they stand in front of the camera and what they say and do is largely determined behind the camera.  This corresponds in America’s obsolete and undemocratic power system to the difference of the ‘president’ and ‘premier’ in parlementary Democracies, the US vice-president become the lesser chief administrator.  As in the Roman Empire, there was a chief military dictator who was emperor, Augustus, and a subordinate one, Ceasar.

Bush was a dodo, an ex-drunk and cokehead.  But the chief force of his regime was conducted by Cheney in conjunction with Rumsfield.  they allied under Nixon and introducted over thirty years a dnagerous fascistic force in American power.  They were the ideas behind Bush and behind PNAC.

they were also as crazy as loons.  They were so committed to their neoliberal imperilaistic ideas that they didn’t realize the world had changed since Nixon.  They resorted to war and violence to save US neoliberal imperialism.  this policy was a disaster and Obama is continuing to pursue it. And like Felicity, the Progs are too cowardly to challenge it.

In the next five years, China will replace the US as the world’s leading power.  Don’t tell anyone, this is a secret of the powerful and excluded from the mainstream truth.  the danger, which China recognizes, is that of thermonuclear war, war being the usual way the powers historically succeed each other.  The Chinese are trying to keep a low profile and call themselves a developing country.

The Bushites tried to prevent this by the demented policy of cornering the world’s oil deposits.  Of course Cheney and the oil people got richer in the process, even though this was a dingbat policy.  China countered it by making agreements with a great number of oil exporters in exchange for developing their fields.  Obama is stuck with this policy which he does not have the strength, motivation or skill to modify successfully.

Folktruther, October 24 at 4:12 pm #

Your valid points in the above post are indicative of my view that presidents are only puppets with no real power to do much, at all. 

I mean, you do hear of change, but you never actually feel that anything has significantly changed.  Is this something that I imagine? 

I consider myself conservative (notice that I did not say a conservative, to be confused by a movement.) I believe in conserving that which we all have consensus on, and not having change for change’s sake.  But certain things are desperately in need of change no matter what your political or ideologigal leanings are?  America is being raped.

But life goes on, today as it was yesterday, and maybe it is an illusion.  Like the theory of evolution, that change happens so slow that it is not something you can actually observe. 

My gut feeling is that politics is an employee of money.  An election takes place, and the candidate with the best story and looks gets to sit in the chair.  And day one, money walks into his office and informs him of his obligations.  Money also tells him of the consequences of not obeying.

That is the only way I can understand the Obama turn around, and also the presidency of George Bush.
 
Bush was not evil.  I followed him in his pre-presidential days.  He was a regular guy, not an intellectual, but the guy you would have over for a barbecue and have a beer and some good conversation. 

How his presidency could turn into what it did is a mystery to me.  I don’t buy into most of the CW on him.  He had someone pulling his strings, and it put him into an awkward positiion which he was not comfortable with. 

If the same people are pulling Obama’s strings, then we can’t expect much different.  I was initially encouraged by an Obama presidency, because I was naive enough to think that a change was good for America, and he billed himself as a uniter.  He has turned into a polarizer with no immediate relief in sight. 

Americans need to somehow get control of their government again, if they ever had control.  Unfortunately, in this age of “your reality is not my reality” there will probably never be any consensus and we will bicker and blame each other for eternity. 

This plays very well into the hands of powerful persons above the president (real or imagined) who are the real power in America.  As long as we are fighting each other, (ie: WH vs Beck) we don’t have time to look up and see what THEY are doing.

I don’t know Obama’s intentions, Felicity, any more than you do. I just go by what he says and what he does.  The two directly conflict.  That’s called duplcity, not unknow historially in politics. 

What is there to wait for.  More inequality, violence and duplicity?  Obama is not correcting the Bushite disaster.  He is leading us deeper into it.  the longer people don’t oppose it, the worst it gets.

If you want to know the truth about the Pawn of Satan
George W Bush here is a a little from the May 15th
Prophecy

”“President Bush who is the proud man spoken of
by God prophet Habakkuk who will bring shame to his
house; is the same man who is cursed for taking that
which is not his; will continue to load up on debt he
cannot repay (with what he must repay!)”
(See: The Fire Starter, The Perfect Position and the
Ominous Reminder)

“ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not
dwell in them”
(See:The May 15th Prophecy Another Year in Review,
What Is Now)”

Folktruther - thanks for listing your reasons for believing that Obama is but continuing the Bush plutocracy.  I get it, but at the same time I’m, perhaps naively, willing to give Obama (and a democratic Congress - I’m not holding my breath on that one) more time.

I actually think Reagan set us on the road to plutocracy and what has taken more than 20 years to set in place will not be wiped out in less than a year.  The state of this American State is in serious democratic decline, perhaps to the point where it can’t be rescued - by anyone. 

You obviously don’t think Obama is the guy because he doesn’t intend to be the guy.  I’m not sure.

Happy to list some of the ways that Obama is continuing Busite polices, Felicity, and what he could have done differently. 

Ombama could give taxpayer money to the morgage holders rather than the banks.

He could reduce military spending instead of incrresing it.

He could withdraw from the Bushite wars instead of extending and escalating them.

He could pressure Isrel into a two-state solution instead of impicitly funding their increasing settlements.

He could not promote coups like that of Honduras, the way bBush promoted one in Venzuela, and not put more military bases in Colombia to threaten Latin America.

He could stop torture and lawless imprisonment insttead of bulshiting about them and continuing them.  He could stop the intelligence agenceis and the police from spying on the American population.  He could introduce transparency in the political process instead of continuing Bush secrecy.

He could stop sanctions against Cuba.  He could stop police brutality against demonstrators.  He could initiate the populations imput into the US truth system, currently owned and entirely dominated by the plutcoracy.

He could actually try to stop global warming instead of just bullshiting about it.  He could actually try to reduce nueclear weapons instead of threating countries who develop them in defense.  He could tax the rich to begin the reduction of US mostrous economic inequality.  He could set up a comminsion to ensure fair elections.

He could have supported an effective medical system instead of allowing it to drift into the hands of the insurance companies.

But I have other things to do this week, Felicty, so I don’t really have time to list all the ways Obama has betrayed the people and the Change You Can Believe In.

What Obaama’s operaative historical function is, as opposed to his proclaimed function, is to feed the Dem rank and file Inspring bullshit so they don’t notice how they are being snookered, and their future and children’s future are being destroyed.

In your case, since you haven’t noticed Obama’s gross selling out to the plutocracy,  it has apparently been successful.

Folktruther - “... (it) may be exceeded by the Obama regime which is continuing its policies.”  Could you name, maybe, three policies Obama should be carrying out that he isn’t and which could indicate to you that he’s not just more-of-the-bush?

(I’m curious because your ‘gripe’ is all over the blogs, but never followed up with any analyses, which really makes the assertion legless.)

What a cheap pathetic extra load of shit to throw into people’s faces all around the
world and it goes so well with w’s cheap pathetic view of the world of which his
place down there with stalin, hitler and others was secured even before he and
dick stole the 2000 and 2004 elections.

The photo above still neatly sums up the hopeless and lethal political stupidity of the United States.  We are living through the sequel to “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”.  Bush gets the brain transplant and becomes Obama.

Thousand’s dead and 100’s of thousands killed because of lies, Bush’s “bring em on” obscenity and all he regrets is standing before a sign “mission accomplished” which admittedly was done at the behest of the White House according to Karl Rove. Me,me,me,me,me,me,me…...............that’s Bush.

The Mad Loon,

Oh and Time Magazine got it wrong. I had five buddies on the ship at the time. The crew requested, requisitioned, and hung the sign themselves. It doesn’t matter who had the sign manufactured.

I think it was GREAT that the White House did that for the good men and woman on the ship. Outstanding!

Thank you President Bush. You’re a class act.

The Mad Loon,

Exactly as I wrote. “at the request of the crew”.

The back story is exactly as I had indicated. It seems it’s your hatred that has you brain washed and unable to read properly…LOL

BTW: Your name here suites you. Mad Loon - full of blinding hatred….LOL

For eight years Bush did it right. And you can’t stand being a known looser….LMAO

Go Right Young Man like most on the right you you have been thouroughly brainwashed into only believing what your masters want you to believe. The banner was paid for and produced by the whitehouse and hung as a backdrop to Bushes 30 mile flight to the carrier. If you don’t belive me heres what the whitehouse said regarding the banner

White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN “We took care of the production of it. We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up.” According to John Dickerson of Time magazine, the White House later conceded that they actually hung the banner but still insists it had been done at the request of the crew members.

BUCK FUSH

Seriously, who really gives a shit what Bush thinks
(oxymoron) or says? Get a life; for sure!

It’s good to see him back speaking.  I missed his
misunderstandations.

The “Mission Accomplished” sign was regrettable. It’s too bad the real story behind the sign has long been lost.

The infamous sign wasn’t meant for Bush. It was meant for the brave men and woman returning home. Most people have forgotten how the sign was acquired and paid for by ship personnel. Not the White House. The regrettable part was the president’s advance team in their decision to use the sign as a backdrop.

What completely astounds me is not that GWB is out there hyping himself as any red-blooded American is required to do, but that FOUR HUNDRED (400) people actually are stupid enough to fork over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1,000.00) each to hear what he has to say.

I wouldn’t waste my time to go hear him blather if HE PAID ME $1,000!

If Mr Bush is going to begin ‘regrets’, perhaps, he would like to add the following:
illegal wiretaps of American citizens, torture, renditions (kidnapping people and
disappearing them), denial of habeas corpus, firing attorneys general for not
persecuting and prosecuting Democrats, appointing neo-cons, fundamentalists
and racists to the US courts, killing a hundred-thousand people in Iraq, killing
thousands of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, lying to the American
people, cutting taxes while waging war to create the largest deficit in American
history, and appearing as a ‘motivational speaker’.  Is a person who is ‘born again’
and ‘again’ and ‘again’ and ‘again’ and ‘again’ always a baby or just perpetually
infantile?

But…

The “Mission” was accomplished.

Get American control of Iraq’s enormous CHEAP
oilfields and make sure they DON’T pump any of it out
of the ground.

That would ruin everything, since the American Dollar
remains the global reserve currency to buy OIL.

And expensive oil means that Wall $treet gets to
print even more of it.

He has a “regret” OMG ! ! !
Every day that the Bush creature was in power was a regret for me and most of the people on this planet.
I hope he is the last of his kind to ever have power in the USA.

Dubya has always been consistent about admitting his few ‘mistakes.’  they have always been public relations errros.  He was the front man for catepulting the propaganda while Cheney-Rumsfield did policy behind the camera. 

The distinction between ‘in front of the camera’ and ‘behind the camera’ was Reagan’s and he didn’t concern himself with what went on behind the camera.  as proably Bush didn’t either, which is why his mistakes were always public relations ones.

  The Bushite regime was probably the most disastrous in US history.  but it may be exceeded by the Obama regime which is continuing its policies.  Obama producing the Inspiring bullshit that keeps the Hopes of Dem duptes alive, while the agents of plutocracy produce policy.