Years Go By, Memories Linger On

I can remember that day.  It was a warm, sunny and eventful day for myself, as I was into my second week of being a student at Hofstra University.  I had morning classes, and had just finished an English Literature course which would be followed by a Political Science course.  It was about 9:30 am that I and my fellow students and professors heard the first reports of two passenger airliners crashing into both World Trade Center towers.  None of us in the room knew what to make of the events, although for myself I did remember the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.  So for me it did not come as much of a surprise to hear of a second incident, this time more fatal than the first.  After a few minutes of discussion regarding our thoughts on the developing matter, a student in the nearby building barged in to announce that a plane had crashed the Pentagon.  There were unconfirmed reports of a bombing in the Washington Monument and a car bomb going off at the State Department; thankfully those turned out to be false.

We and others went to the nearby Bits N' Bytes on campus to watch the news reports coming in.  When I got there, the South Tower collapsed 1 minute later.  Within less than a half hour after that, the North Tower collapsed. All told, with the WTC, Pentagon and a plane crash in Shankesville, Pennsylvania; some 3,000 or so people lost their lives that day.  This included hundreds of NYPD and FDNY officials. The date has been etched in my memory for the last 15 years; September 11, 2001.  I personally did not lose anyone that was family or close friends that day, yet I knew of far too many that faced an irreparable loss.  My father, who had only retired from the FDNY two years prior,  lost several firefighters that he personally knew, including at least a select few from his same ladder company.

For myself, I got home at my usual time, and got back to attending classes the next day.  Life went on, although my perspective of life had irreversibly changed on 911.  I suppose for many, including those younger than me, a day such as the one 15 years ago had its purpose and is looked at as part of a history lesson: maybe life to them has always felt the way it seems now.  Yet, I guess you would have needed to be there during the years, months and even days before 911.  Bill Maher in his book of essays "When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden" I think put the 10 years or so before 911 to its proper meaning; the Seinfeld decade.  Yes, much like the famed Jerry Seinfeld sitcom, the era 1991-2001 was one of trends and scandals and ideals and innovations that, with few exceptions, did not matter in the slightest.  How low did it get?  In my opinion, 1998 was the nadir, a year in which the world and particularly Americans were so fixated on President Bill Clinton's affairs with other women.  In case you forgot, Pres. Clinton was impeached though not convicted for lying to a purported grand jury over an extramarital relationship (which was just oral sex) that any sane person would also deny until caught red handed.  As a confirmation of the abject stupidity of the year, Time Magazine had as its People of the Year not only Pres. Clinton, yet also Kenneth Starr; the independent counsel and Iran-Contra figure who quickly faded into academia obscurity.

Well, if the 90's were the Seinfeld decade, it can be said that 911 was the Seinfeld series finale.  All those incidents that were trivial came to nip us in the bud, and the consequences of our collective carelessness came to fruition that day.  For myself, the rest of 2001 was in effect my social political and economic awakening.  I had realized that all I was interested in, from the Clinton sex scandals to the Rep. Gary Condit incident to which politician had an interest in pop culture, meant not one thing.  I had probably started the awakening earlier in the year when I registered to vote and started watching Meet The Press with Tim Russert every Sunday, though I was in that phase of in one ear and out the other with the issues at hand.  That all changed after that September morning.  Many that know me know my ideas and beliefs regarding 911 and the years afterwards.  I am not here to regurgitate what I am aware of and what I feel on this matter.  I will mention that on every Election Day from 2001 onward, and on many Primary Days in recent years, I have voted.  For every elective office and proposition on any given ballot.  And I'm voting this Election Day as well.

The 2016 election however has been concerning to say the least.  Not least of which is the growing reality of a low turnout followed by a perceived apathy among the voting public.  And if it is not apathy, it is certainly a desire to be selfish in approach and temerity.  I am not pleased with this degradation of the issues both foreign and domestic that need to affect a campaign for any elected office.  Believe me, many may not care; but there are those that will do the caring for them, and will inevitably make life worse for the uncaring.  If that means the United States loses its influence on geopolitical issues to a number of developing countries, then that is the fate the US has chosen.

Of all the purported lessons and legacies 911 was supposed to exemplify, none that have appeared in nearly all publications and media are feasible and none are worthwhile.  For myself, 911 provided only one lesson to be learned, though it is a big lesson:  we have been and continue to be willingly conned.  When we stop caring, we should not be surprised that the void left in the socio-political structure will be filled by people and ideas that do not give a flying fig about you.  I am sadly seeing this again, which in these times will lead the populace on a path to ruin.  That is what we should remember when we remember 9 11.  Simply stated, all need to be aware and involved in our social political and economic world of whom we are and what we need to become.  We would be living in a better and more humane world if people stopped caring about their trivial matters and started focusing on the betterment of all in their lives and those that will come after we leave.

As a unique addition to this blog, which I need to write on more often, I can remember a time when popular music and rock music took stands on issues that needed to be addressed.  I rarely hear anything close to a protest song these days.  Here are some that I can remember hearing after 911 and the years that followed which mattered for me in artists stating the truth.

And of course many more .

Not the end of the matter, only the beginning,

Robert

Bots 2.0: The Trend Reversal

Nine years ago, in 2007, I became aware of a internet trend that lasted quite a while.  It was in February of that year when I went on to Alex Jones' primary website Infowars.  For quite some time, even to a certain extant now; I would frequent the site and become immersed in getting the truth out regarding 911, the Middle East, and honestly the machinations of what Mr. Jones names the globalists.  On that specific day, Dr. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican member of the US House of Representatives on and off from March 1976 through late 2011, had come on the program to discuss future plans.  Those plans included running for President of the United States in 2008; this time solely as a Republican, as opposed to running in 1988 on the Libertarian line.

This prompted Alex Jones to declare that Dr. Ron Paul, admittedly a rare political figure well known as an expert on foreign policy, finance and medicine; was the only choice for President that would fix everything.  That was not exactly what he said, but it was effectively what was said.  Pretty soon, virtually every important alternative internet website and political weblog was clamoring and begging people to vote for Dr. Paul.  I never took the bait.  How I saw it; if a Presidential candidate is going to offer you every wish your heart desires, nothing will ever be delivered.  If a candidate does not promise anything, yet offers realistic solutions; that candidate is who you need to vote for.  It also seemed patently absurd that the voting public would replace a Cheney-Bush Republican Presidency with a Paul Presidency from the same political party.  The only reason Dr Paul was anti-war, I deduced, was due to the knowledge of America's finances being in a collapsing stage.  Dr. Paul not once has ever, to my knowledge, opposed many of these Middle East conflagrations on a moral merit solely. As well, Dr. Paul's libertarian viewpoint on economic policy is equivalent to an old polemic on political ideologies:

A liberal will see a homeless person and provide him money, food, a coat, and/or a gift to alleviate his plight.

A conservative will see a homeless person and give him a book and/or pamphlet of religious and conservative writings.  That is if the conservative does anything about the plight. of the homeless person.

A libertarian will see a homeless person and will ask that a wall be built in front of and in back of the homeless population so that he does not have to see them when he next walks down the street.  In short, out of sight out of mind.

Not surprisingly, it turns out that nearly the bulk of the internet media were libertarian minded.  And lo and behold, they found Dr. Ron Paul as their champion.  The internet was awash with incessant pandering to the Paul family and their advancement in our political world.  Dr. Paul and Sen. Rand Paul have taken this hero worship and ran with it unabashedly.  However, their policies can be debunked and ridiculed if one takes the time to actually do it.  In 2007, I believe Dr. Paul's campaign cratered when he appeared on Meet The Press with Tim Russert and Mr Russert was quite proficient in poking holes at Dr. Paul's policies.  In 2012, Dr. Paul's campaign began to fail yet again when this time prominent Democrats like Mayor Ed Koch forcefully examined the perceived Anti-Semitism inherent in the Paul family; which then got other Democrats to publicly give Dr. Paul the same scrutiny as any other Republican.

However, it was in the 2012 Presidential Campaign that the internet media lost any and all sense of objectivity in effectively forcing Dr. Ron Paul into the Republican nomination at any price.  It started with the contested results at the Iowa Caucus, which I will admit had been won by Sen. Rick Santorum in a rather dubious manner.  Any momentum the Paul campaign had was neutered the next week in New Hampshire.  Dr. Paul came in third at best, and Mitt Romney began his ascension to winning the GOP Nomination in states won, delegates and the national popular vote.  In a related matter, the Paul family could deal with Mr. Romney as the Republican nominee as opposed to all the others; even Sen. Rand Paul endorsed Mitt Romney.  But of course, the internet media, so much in the tank for Dr Paul for over 5 years by that point, would have none of it.  When the primaries were completed and before the RNC convention, numerous YouTube figures led by Matt Larson and similar bloggers led campaigns to have Dr. Paul become the nominee by packing the delegates with Paul supporters.  The theory of this being that the delegates to each state would be those that voted and campaigned for Dr. Paul; and thus, in their own accord, would unilaterally place Dr. Paul as the candidate and not the rightful winner of the primary in former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.  This was a complete fantasy, one in which I and many other political science people knew would never work.  It would have been a brokered convention by any other name; and voters would defect from the GOP in droves.

But even then they were still not done.  Days after the convention, Michael Rivero of What Really Happened led a call for Dr. Ron Paul to declare an Independent Presidential run and announce it on his Labor Day week appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  I remember the calls and theories presented by these internet media types like Mr. Rivero throughout 2012; and was both amused and concerned over the more fantastical theories and hopes that had accumulated during the course of the year.  Well, by that point I had enough of at least Mike Rivero's tomfoolery.  Just before Dr. Paul's appearance on Leno, I wrote Mr. Rivero an e-mail telling him to effectively grow up and accept the loss.  I clearly asked him a question which no answer was needed:  did Rivero and co. want to have the Paul family in a rather volatile and bitter Holiday season if Dr. Ron Paul ran as an Independent while Sen. Rand Paul already endorsed Mitt Romney?  I would like to think that email helped in stopping Mr. Rivero's absurd thinking on these matters.  Neither WRH or other websites continued to drink the spiked punch afterwards, barring Ryan Dawson who has become rather embittered over the years.

Four years alter, and I am seeing this happen again.  Yet surprisingly this time, it is not the Republicans that are in this pickle.  It sadly is the Democrats.  For the past 16 years, if not more than that, the heir to the throne of the Democratic party and by extension the heir to leadership has been Sec. Of State Hillary Clinton.  I am one that believes Hillary Clinton should have run for President in 2000 rather than get elected to the US Senate: that way, everything that has happened in these past 16 years would not have happened.  After the 2012 election, which involved both Pres Obama and Mitt Romney resorting to e-vote fraud and resulted in a 50%-48% Obama victory; the immediate reaction should have been to allow Sec. of State Clinton to obtain the Presidency by Election Day 2016.  And for a while there in late 2012 and early 2013, that narrative was being utilized.  In fact, one YouTube poster projected that there would be two-term Democratic Presidents through at least 2048.  It would start with Sen. and Sec. Of state Hillary Clinton, then Sen. Cory Booker, then Chelsea Clinton and finally Malaia Obama.  That seems about right, and I would be accepting of this lineage.

However, the current President, Barack Obama, is not pleased.  For one, it it meant that two Clintons and Sen. Booker would get elected before the next Obama was elected.  Secondly, Hillary Clinton works in a different outlook than Democrats coming from Obama's coattails.  So what has followed, I think, has been for three years now a purging from within the Democratic Party of continuity. Starting with the Boston Bombing inside job, the Democrats have been loosing the social political and economic narrative; resulting in net losses for Democrats in elections.  This accumulated in 2014 when the Senate went to a 54-46 Senate Majority.  By the way, the Senate elections in 2016 are projecting a 52-48 Republican majority, a far cry from last year when it was assumed the Democrats could easily regain the Senate and perhaps even reach 60 Democratic Senators.

Knowing this, the Democratic Party would gain momentum and relevance with a Clinton Presidency.  And yet, it has not been the typical GOP gawkers that have been problem for the Clinton campaign, as it would be expected.  No, this time it is an insurrection of Democrats not ever having engaged in realpolitik.  For instance, there is Sen. Bernie Sanders running for the nomination and putting forth votes that are a mirage of ideas at best.  There is former Sen. Jim Webb running an Independent bid which, while not going that far, will put a dent in Election Day votes.  There is Vice President Joe Biden, who based on what Clinton insider Larry Nichols  has recently been saying, is running a shadow campaign for the Presidency just on the off chance that an indictment is handed out to Hillary Clinton over the fake e-mail scandals.  There is Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has not endorsed anyone yet precisely because Sen. Warren believes she is best qualified to be President.  There is Gov. Jerry Brown from California whom has never been a Clinton ally.  And yes, there is Pres. Obama, who has not endorsed anyone yet.

The immediate focus, and by all means the Paul family for the Democrats this year, is Sen. Bernie Sanders.  As I type this on the day of the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Sanders lost Iowa by only a tenth of a percent and is looking to win New Hampshire.  Now, as I said before, President Bill Clinton lost Iowa and New Hampshire but went on to winning the Presidency in 1992; in 2016 I would suspect Hillary Cinton to easily win New York, California, South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina and many other states; enough to effectively seal the deal by early May when New York has its primaries.  Yet, I am not entirely seeing it this year.  Instead, I am seeing a second attempt at dismantling the rightful heir to the throne in Sec. of State Clinton by fellow Democrats.  It is known that the Republican Party could theoretically be content with a Clinton Presidency, as they were under Bill Clinton's time in office.  We all know hat a Sanders Presidency will involve complete political gridlock.  If you think nothing is being done now, wait until a four year long standstill reminiscent of The Zax.

Now that I finish this, I am noticing that Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders have won their respective primaries in New Hampshire.  Both of them have them won by landslides, which is more than 10% of the difference between first and second.  While I still think these outcomes will be corrected next week, I am not pleased with these results.  As well, when the tide does turn, we will be seeing Sanders supporters getting even more obtuse and wanting their candidate at all costs.  I am telling you all: Sen. Bernie Sanders being the nominee will mean Michael Bloomberg runs as an independent. And when that happens, you will have Trump, Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or even (gasp!) Jeb Bush as our President come election day.  We will be in ruins before this year is out.

We simply cannot afford another 9 11 or worse to occur.  We also cannot be the one developed nation to treat their women as fourth class citizens.  This needs to change soon.

I will have more to say in the days to come,

Robert

Anyone for Idiocracy, wouldn't that be nice?

Some 12 years ago, a retired businessman and budding novelist was in the process of revising his political thriller "Bush 2004".  His name is Dr. Lawrence Britt; the Doctorate was for political science.  As a result of what the world was seeing in a rightward shift that was increasingly war-like and nationalistic, Dr. Britt wrote an article in Free Inquiry magazine taking notice of totalitarian dictatorships and adapted t what was happening in the US.  The article, Fascism Anyone?, was posted and reposted to many different websites and was considered one of the defining political statements of 2003.

At its heart was what Dr. Britt considered the 14 defining characteristics of fascism.  Interestingly, it was found that the Cheney-Bush administration had enacted all 14 characteristics.  Although it would take another 5 years and the 2004 election to alter the course of leadership, people became aware of the growing nationalistic and fascist tendencies of the right wing in America.  And now it appears we are witnessing this yet again; this time under the rubric of the Republican candidates for President.  In particular, we focus on one Donald Trump; currently leading both the Primary and General Election polls (!).  So, does Mr. Trump and his people and travelers define the 14 characteristics?  Well let us have a look.

Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. 
Well, the slogan for the Trump campaign is "Make America Great Again", which is also followed by massive generalizations of important topics.  The same goes true for many of the other Presidential campaigns in the Republican field, and some in the Democratic field included.  We see this often in campaigns and rhetoric that invoke the United States as being something it is not.  Any time I hear phrases such as "greatest country" and "freedom" applied to the US, I tend to respond in more thoughtful approaches.  In short, the US is not, has never been and could never be the greatest country.  Why is that?  It is because America is currently at war.

Disdain for the importance of human rights. 
This is shown in spades.  Donald Trump, along with many right wingers, have managed to alienate and belittle any and every person that is not a white rich man.  For myself, the Trump campaign has not shown even One ounce of dignity and support toward people with special needs, including individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and/or are on the Autistic Spectrum.  Indeed, we have seen utter ridicule and belittling when these issues are brought forth.  If this is how Asperger's Syndrome are perceived by Trump, other groupings are clearly given worse considerations.

Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. 
The easiest sorts of scapegoats we have seen these past 14 years have been Arabs, Muslims, Islamists and Middle Easterners.  At any point a false flag occurs, Arabs are given the immediate blame, particularly by the Republican Party.  The knee jerk reaction these past weeks has been to tell any Muslim they are not welcome into the US.  Donald Trump has been the sole candidate mentioning this proposal; yet you can bet your sweet bippy that Every Republican candidate is agreeing to this, even if they will publicly be against such proposals.

The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
The political class on the whole have never met a war they did not want.  The Trump campaign seems intent on altering the current and future international policies of the US.  Shockingly, there are worse Republican candidates that feel war is the first option of foreign policy.  Rest assured, if we get a Republican president; we will be at war within one year of the election.

Rampant sexism. 
Each and every campaign for the presidency on the Republican side has espoused anti-abortion, anti-women and sexist rhetoric.  Donald Trump is obviously not someone that understands women.  Being on your third wife is a big giveaway.  This is to say nothing of espousing anti-abortion views that would easily reverse 100+ years of women's equality.

A controlled mass media.
We often hear that the mainstream media is liberal minded.  Well, for each liberal minded viewpoint, I notice two conservative viewpoints given longer time to be presented.  To provide a more potent example:  Sen. Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat for that matter, may get a mention and some air time on the news channels if Sec. of State Clinton is on a campaign stop.  Donald Trump, along with other Republicans, will have an entire half-hour at least devoted to whatever speech they are giving; and if not a speech, news coverage will be devoted to live footage of Trump attending the opening of a napkin.  I would not be surprised if some form of payola among news organizations for access to the Trump campaign has been approved.

Obsession with national security.
An unfortunate rule of thumb present in ideal lacking campaigns is when your domestic policy is horrid or, worse, invalid; it is time to whip up the threat of the boogeyman luring at your front lawn.  I find it disgusting that a great deal of people willingly fall for this malarkey; only temporarily gaining their sanity back when their money runs out.  And as I mentioned before, it is easy to put blame on the other when the problem is and has always been the self.

Power of corporations protected.
Donald Trump has had the gall to put his name on most services and goods, including bottled water! While it would not be a surprise to see The Trump Organization expand in a Trump presidency should it happen, corporate expansion and claims of corporate person hood will be front and center in any Republican presidency.  What is worse is many of these corporations provide non-informational goods and services that only provide benefit for the corporations.  And none of these corporations give a flying fig about either you or me.

Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
The labor movement as it is now is rather fractured, as we see in unions and trade organizations splitting their endorsements for whom their leadership want to see become president.  However, it is certain not one of the labor unions will support a Donald Trump presidency, and with good cause.  Mr. Trump's business practices, or lack thereof, has caused stagnant wages and at least 5 businesses going bankrupt, while the Donald expands his riches.

Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
Donald Trump currently leads the polling demographic in people willing to vote for him that were never university educated; to say nothing of those without a formal education of any sort.  Incidentally, a dumb person tends to be far more religious than a smart person.  Mixing those two, negative feelings arise when confronted with intellectuals and people involved in the arts; which also incidentally happen to coalesce as well.  I should know, because for someone that is on the Spectrum, I do happen to think of myself as an intellectual and a patron of the arts in the limited scope I may have.

Obsession with crime and punishment. 
This also extends to disdain for attorneys and simplification of laws and regulations to mere children's tantrums.  The sorts of laws that are in the likeness of "well, if I cannot do this, then Nobody can!"  Indeed, there will be an increase in people being charged for one thing while it is really for a matter of ignorant plebs wanting to be rid of someone that reminds them of their collective guilt.

Rampant cronyism and corruption.
With a name like Trump, we could expect nearly every member of the family to gain an executive cabinet level position.  Not only that, we could expect business people to be appointed to governmental offices or even downright elected who have no clue whatsoever about public policy.  As it is now, Donald Trump has no damn clue what he is talking about.

Fraudulent elections.
The votes and opinion polls are completely rigged for a number of candidates.  Donald Trump has been polling at the top of national polls since July, and it is usually anywhere between 27% and 40% of the vote.  Extend this to general election mode, and Donald Trump can pull off an election miracle at the last minute using e-votes and effectively buying his way into the presidency.  Sure, it could be done by all sides, and we have seen this time and again most recently in the 2012 election when both sides used e-voting tactics to inflate votes.  Yet, a man like Donald Trump with nothing to lose will stand to do anything to win a race and claim his perceived kingdom.

In short, of the 14 defining characteristics of fascism present in our lives; Donald Trump, his campaign, and much of the Republican field has sadly been confirmed to invoke all 14.

In a related matter, in the 10 years since Idiocracy was completed, some 30%  of Mike Judge's observations and inferences have come true.  This seems to be not a coincidence that we are witnessing a potential presidency of Donald Trump which may be just as problematic as a Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho presidency.

Knowledge will be our awakening.  Ignorance, and will ignorance, will be our undoing.  And yet, so few care about the ills and needs of our planet.

On a positive note for the moment, a worldwide treaty was drafted to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the impact of global warming.  We now need to initiate the next important step and have a carbon tax.  I say this because right now, it is night in the lower 50s in December.  December weather needs to be below zero with snow.  Otherwise, our children and their children will never know what Christmas was like.

I will be writing more sooner than later.  Indeed, I will have a lot to say on my favorite movies, music, events, TV shows, websites and books for 2015 as soon as can be.  Hope you are looking forward to these opinions, and you might be a bit surprised.

Say no to Trump!,

Robert

Curses; Fooled Again!

In my most recent post, I had expressed concern over what we have been seeing with respect to the elites of this world wanting to initiate a war against Syria, and eventually Russia.  In all fairness, I was hoping most people would start waking up to the obvious false flags and emotional manipulation being used against them.  And yet, days after another inside job, this time in San Bernardino, California; it appears that Americans, particularly the uneducated and gullible, are willing to get their war and violence mindset into full view.  In response, functions in world governments and financial institutions, to say nothing of certain factions of the US Government, are more than willing to give them the rope to destroy themselves.

Many of you may be thinking "Robert, why is it you look at these events and think we are not told the truth?"  I have ample reason to conclude these recent IS/Daesh/Muslim purported attacks are not what we are being told.  When you look into any one of these purported acts of terrorism, the most important question to ask only consists of two words:

Who Benefits?

In each of these cases, it is never the people and groups publicly blamed for any such tragedy that will benefit.  Indeed, the result is either their deaths or their arrest. Such is the matter of the married couple that supposedly were the perpetrators of the San Benardino shooting.  So, with that out of the way, what and who is leading you to the abyss?  By that I mean, since there are more gullible people than smarter free thinking people, their answer for their problems will become our problemsif left unchecked.

The more I think of this, the more I come to believe these false flags we have seen this year: the Charlie Hebdo shooting, Charleston, Chicago, San Bernardino, Paris, and others, are being managed and conceived not entirely by the current Obama leadership.  No, I think much of these inside jobs have the hallmark of the New Conservative movement; alongside the financial dynasties and the ever omnipotent Mossad peeking by.  The same sorts of groups and financiers that financed and authorized 9/11.  It pains me to say this; yet I think these false flags are to continue until election day in the US next year.  And in response, someone is getting the propaganda of being the savior of us all, yet again.  Do I have to spell him out?

D-O-N-A-L-D T-R-U-M-P, oh no:(

Now of course, Mr. Trump is only one person, and cannot be the only person instigating these matters.  Yet, every move to a fascistic and xenophobic nation, which is where we are at now, needs a public face.  And that face is typically an educated loudmouth male who promises the moon and says stuff without consequences.

Pretty soon, within a day or so, I am going to do a retrospective commentary on a Lawrence Britt essay from 2003, "Fascism, Anyone?"  I find that in 12 years the ideas presented therein apply at this time than it may have even less than a year ago.  It is my hope that at least one person reading this will be certain to review their incorrect beliefs, and to think twice at least once more.  In my lifetime, the world survived a number of politically conservative leaderships with our faced and lives intact.  I honestly do not think we and the rest of the world can survive a Trump residency (pun intended).

Here is what I referenced in a section of the essay.

Quite honestly the best John Lennon song not by John Lennon.  35 years since Lennon  died; 14 years since George Harrison died.  If they were alive today, what would these two men think of us now?

My commentary o the Lawrence Britt article appears shortly,

Robert

PS.  I just recently found out John Venditto won the recount to his 2015 Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor election bid.  Why in the hell am I not surprised?  Well, here is hoping Venditto is indicted post haste.  It also says a lot about those that voted for this ne'er do well.

On this winter's night

Lately I have been not talking about the social political world as much as I normally do.  Mind you, this is not unusual; after Election Day of any given year, my focus of interests turn to smaller yet fruitful observations and ideals that are personally more important.  Matters like the holidays (Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, November 30, World Aids Day, Star Wars Day/Steven Spielberg's birthday, Christmas), my five year anniversary of my first paying job and my three year anniversary of my return to the GAP program, Going over my favored movies, music, TV, Web and pop culture events; decorating my home and finalizing a wishlist.  Infrequent visits to New York City.  And most notably, my relationships with my family, friends, colleagues, loved ones and others I meet.

None the less, I do have dreams.  A lot of them are abstract and involve a celebrity popping up at random times and inexplicable reasons.  There are others that involve running from an impending disaster. Some of these dreams involve the aftermath of a WMD attack of some kind, usually a nuclear detonation.  As often the case when such a dream or nightmare comes forth, I wake up in a sweat and feel momentarily odd; it quickly subsides.  Yet the memory, or at least the feeling, lingers.

Be it macabre or an odd obsession, I have been looking at YouTube videos that relate to the aftermath and even the buildup to a nuclear confrontation.  For instance, I have been looking at a mid-late 1970's series of public service announcements detailing the need to prepare and survive a nuclear holocaust in the UK.  I find it disturbing, for a myriad of reasons.  See for yourself.

This has prompted me to look at one of the first HBO TV movies, Countdown to Looking Glass.  A rather disturbing fake news account on an impeding nuclear crisis.

How do we know it is only a TV movie?  It stars Helen Shaver and Scott Glenn; you can also see Michael Murphy in a small role.  Everything else feels like a news broadcast; it matters not that it seems like a Canadian newscast.  It appears real.

In a form of symmetry that I find problematic, I have also been looking at Raymond Briggs' other well respected animated adaptation of one of his books.  It should be The Snowman, though itappears to be recently When The Wind Blows.

If that was not enough, I found this hidden gem; Nicholas Meyer's Laserdisc commentary of his film The Day After.  It is not present on the DVD, so this is rare.  Admittedly, it does not hold up as a full indictment on nuclear weaponry unlike Threads or The War Game.  Yet still it matters a bit.

With all of these videos seen and related matters, I keep thinking:  why am I seeing these videos, and more importantly why is it that many of them take place during the 1980's?  I suppose I can give an idea as to why this now concerns me.

Next year, a presidential election will take place.  So will other elections.  As I have mentioned many times, I am an ardent Sen. Hillary Clinton supporter.  With a Clinton presidency again, I and others Know there will not be a nuclear catastrophe inflicted upon us all.  Perhaps the same will go for any other Democratic or Independent candidate.  There may be even a few Republicans that feel the same way.  Yet, I am concerned we get certain Republicans elected that will harm us all.  A Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Ted Cruz or even a Sen. Marco Rubio presidency will begin the process of a more agitated foreign policy.  Indeed, a Carson or Cruz presidency, especially a Carson presidency, is a near guarantee of war as the First option.

I ask you: is it really a sane idea to elect a warmongering presidency?  Is it a sane idea to go back to a policy of wars and uncertainty?  Is it a sane idea to go looking for someone to blame, when it is obvious the blame is on you and I?  I do not think it is a sane idea, and those that I talk with do not think it is sane either.  Yet, despite assurances from many of my family, friends and loved ones stating that the people in the US will not fall into this trap; I have my concerns.

Perhaps in a year, this talk and these concerns will be for naught.  And yet, though not often, I still have these dreams of impending doom.

I do want to end this essay on a more uplifting note.  I had mentioned The Snowman, an animated British special from 1982 that is clearly one of the better Christmas tales committed to film.  I found this video a while back; overdubbing the music and songs in a sequence of the animation with one of Steve Hackett's best songs after he left genesis.  It fits perfectly well with the visual sequences you see herein.

Thanks for your understanding,

Robert

Same Old False Flag

Earlier today, I went to see the newest 007 James bond movie, Spectre.  It was quite good, though this Daniel Craig vehicle felt at times similar to the Roger Moore era.  There was something I had noticed during the course of the movie which revealed the nature of false flag inside jobs.

A proposed global intelligence operation is in the planning stages to be implemented in the United Kingdom involving 9 countries.  At one point, the proposal wins a majority of votes for approval, yet with South Africa being the lone holdout; the proposed Center for National Security can not go forward.  This obviously changes when CNS' financier, the longtime Bond nemesis Spectre, authorizes a false flag terror incident in South Africa.  Within days, South Africa joins the CNS.

Now, that was a movie; yet a movie at times reflects real life more so than what our leaders and news media would like for you to believe.  Just yesterday, a 27 year old British Arab agent for different organizations (MI5, Islamic State, CIA, KGB, does not matter) was targeted for death by a drone strike.  His name was Mohammed Emwazi, known to many as Jihadi John.  He purportedly was known for supposedly beheading supposed hostages on camera in a desert.  These videos, which I have seen, look fake; all of them.  They all follow the same script, with the same cutaway when the supposed beheading occurs.  In effect, in order to legitimize President Obama's recent news interview with George Stephanopoulous of ABC News that Islamic State is "contained" (and we wold know since IS is funded by US); Mr. Emwazi was killed.

A little over 24 hours later, and just one day before an important multi-nation conference regarding Climate Change which would include perhaps a plan to end the Syrian wars; purported IS sympathizers coordinated some 6 different hostage takings and dirty bomb assaults in the 10th and 11th districts of Paris, France.  As of now, 153 Parisians have since passed away; the largest one day death of French citizens since the end of World War II.  I am not sure who is responsible, and I am certain this was not a coincidence in respect to the killing of Mr. Emwazi.  However, it would be easy for so many to want to believe this was an us vs. them attack.  It usually never is; in fact, the culprits can be found in one's government and financial dynasties.  Who benefits, one may think?

The Rothschilds
MI5
IDF
the Military-Industrial-Security complex
A French government under President Francois Hollande that while liberal minded has seen a dip in public trust.
The United States Government.
the War Party.
Social organizations devoted to repressing minorities.
The New Conservatives and their Presidential candidate acolytes in the US.
The Departments of Defense in most Western countries.
Newspaper and traditional mass media; there is always a need to sell product that scares.
CIA
The financiers of IS, which are many and include our own leaders knowingly and unknowingly.
Law enforcement in the United States.
And a number of people and organizations that, you watch, will be willing to make money off of these events.  Mostly with bad intentions.


Another question to ask is; who loses?  Well, it is not a pretty picture.  Along with politically liberal minded and Democratic affiliated people and campaigns, the noted losers are ourselves.  Now, this sort of problem may not occur here in America for the time being; yet it sadly seems that a transformation of Europe to a more centralized structure reminiscent of the Catholic religious monolith in the Middle Ages might be forthcoming.  Of course, it was planned long in advance for these events to occur; most people will only alter their security concerns when a tragedy of significant proportions is in effect.  In all, I am extremely concerned about the reactions that will take place; exponentially from here in the United States should something in the likelihood of another 911 happen.

With that in mind, I urge all of my fellow readers to vote early and vote often for a number of political candidates from the Democratic Party and their supported propositions.  In particular, we need to now make it known our endorsement for Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in her Presidential bid.  Interestingly, this false flag in Paris took place one day before the second Democratic Presidential Debate; making the debate tomorrow a non-issue, as was intended by those against the Clinton or Sanders ideals.  Each day that passes seems more and more likely that without our voting, a Republican (Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson) will be elected President next year.  And then it is back to not only the 2000s, but also the 1980s.  And not in a good way.  30+ years ago, we all were as close to death as a populace could be.  This was squarely on the hands of the Reagan Presidency and his financiers.  Ask yourself; could you trust Trump or Carson with maintaining peace in this world?  I sure as heck do not.

A final word:  one way a person could tell this is a False Flag is when it is only the common people that are targeted for being killed. No one well known to all needs to deal with being near death, thankfully.  If these proposed terrorists were who people say they are; individuals like Presdient Francois Hollande and Josh Homme would not be secured.  But again, common people and those we know little about are sent to die; the elite will always be kept safe.  I am not condemning the Elite; I am just stating the obvious.

And another thing:  Where are any videos of the Eagles of Death Metal concert, if any?  Even one concertgoer would film something to bypass a no cameras policy.

Last thing to note:  you need to go watch this movie again, if you have not already,  We cannot allow our lives to end up like this.

https://vimeo.com/18781528

Ask Questions: Demand Answers,

Robert

Election Day 2015

As most if not all of the United States is focused on the Presidential election in 2016, a race mind you that has yet to become the circus it will be once Pres. Obama announces he is running for a third term; there are indeed elections taking place this coming Tuesday, November 3.  These elections are mostly of a local value, though there are a number of statewide elections taking place.  One is a Mayoral race and three more are Gubernatorial races.

Philadelphia, PA Mayor Race:  In my opinion, the election already happened.  Philadelphia is fortunately a leading Democratic city, thus the Democratic primary is pretty much the election.  The current mayor, Michael Nutter, has yet to challenge the two-term limit policy bestowed upon the office of Mayor.  With that in mind, James Kenney was able to win the Primary last May, and will be at least in an official manner be named Mayor-elect this Tuesday,  My congratulations to Mayor Kenney, and hope that we have not seen the last of Mayor Nutter.

Mississippi Governor:  Republican Gov. Phil Bryant will be re-elected.  This should not come as a surprise.

Kentucky Governor's Race:  The current Democratic Gov., Steve Beshear, is not running for re-election.  One reason is last year Gov. Beshear was contemplating a run for the Senate for 2016 before electing not to run.  In that point in time, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway announced his intention to run for the Governorship.  Along with that announcement, late in 2014 Attorney General Conway received the endorsement of Sen. Wendell H. Ford, a former Democratic Kentucky Senator and Governor who spent 23 years (1974-1997) in the US Senate.  Well, Sen. Ford passed away on January 22 at age 90, thus making Sen. Ford's endorsement one of his last for any candidate.
Jack Conway easily won the Democratic Primary, and should be likely to become the Governor on Tuesday. Indeed, until recently, most polling suggested a rather easy victory for Mr. Conway.  However, Mr. Conway is facing a rather important Republican favorite in the state with the Republican nominee, Matt Bevin.  Mr. Bevin, as you may know, ran in the 2014 Republican Senate Primary against Sen. Mitch McConnell, so a run for the Governorship was never out of the question.  Mr. Beivn's campaign has made inroads with potential voters, turning a race that seemed likely to remain Democratic into yet another Republican pickup. The most recent polling suggests both Mr. Conway and Mr. Bevin in a statistical tie.  So in this race, I am not sure who will be elected.  As I mentioned before, Kentucky has not been a state easily suitable for Democrats since Sen. Wendell H. Ford declined a re-election bid in 1997.  None the less, Sen. Ford was a titan among Kentucky politics, and was still well respected long after his Senate career ended.  Jack Conway has become the most important Democrat in Kentucky this year, and has the potential to change the Republican grip hold on the state.  Yet, now I am not so sure.  It is possible Matt Bevin gets elected Governor.  Should that happen, it would get more difficult for Democrats to get elected in years to come within Kentucky.

Louisiana Governor's Race:  Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal is leaving the Governorship to run for President of the United States, a race that is becoming rather quixotic as the days pass.  This is an interesting race in that Louisiana has a system of elections wherein All candidates of any affiliation are on the ballot for this Tuesday.  Thus there are multiple Republicans and multiple Democrats running for the same public office.  Unless the leading vote getter receives 50% of the vote, which is not likely this year, the top two candidates will continue their campaigns ending in a runoff election to be held November 21.  And as of now, the top two consist of a Republican and a Democrat.

The Democrat, state Rep. John Bel Edwards, is currently leading both the jungle primary and runoff polls.  Interestingly, the Republican is Sen. David Vitter; a rather risky venture that was supposed to go over well without any problems.  And yet, there is a problem; Sen. Vitter willing to trade in 11 years in the US senate for a more volatile elected office in being Louisiana's Governor.  Sad to say at times, yet a Senator becoming a Governor rarely yields the same rate of impact and success as when in the US Senate.  And in this case, there is an election for Sen. Vitter's Senate seat next year that needs to be considered.

You see, should Sen. David Vitter get elected Governor, he would be able to name his own successor to be appointed to the US Senate and likely have the benefits of incumbency against any potential Democratic or even Republican challengers.  However, were Mr. Bel Edwards be elected Governor effectively this Tuesday, then Sen. Vitter will need to consider his political future.  I would think Sen. Vitter will run for re-election to the Senate should he not be elected Governor; I do not know if his re-election would be a virtual lock.  So, I think Sen. David Vitter will remain a Senator after both the jungle primary and the runoff, and John Bel Edwards will be elected Governor.  I should point out thought that Louisiana is a Republican state; so this could change at the last minute.

Now I want to focus on elections far more closest to home.  I live in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York.  Unfortunately, while New York is a Democratic State, much of Long Island including Nassau County, is quite obviously Republican.  Quite obviously because Republican politics in this area of New York is terminally corrupt.  In some functions, the local political scene has not gotten over Sen. Al D'Amato's re-election defeat in 1998; thus what once worked does not in this day and age. Do not get me wrong; Sen. D'Amato and his people have helped out Long Island over the years.  Yet their political cronyism and neo-Tammany Hall outlook does not suit well with me.

Of course, now the Republican machine in this county is run by the likes of Kate Murray and John Venditto and Ed Mangano and their lieutenants.  Decent people on a personal level, yes.  I did appreciate Mangano, the Nassau County Executive, endorsing Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his re-election bid last year.  I was classmates with Oyster Bay Supervisor Venditto's eldest son, Nick; I even talked with him on several occasions, including our high school 10 year reunion four years ago. My family and I have even met Hempstead Supervisor Murray and her family quite a few times.  Yet, despite that, they are not to be trusted to do the right thing in our social, political and economic matters.

If you want to know why, there have been recent reports regarding the sheer audacity to continue obtaining contracts with a Mr. Singh, who has been negligent on his taxes involving his restaurants. This chiefly involves John Venditto and his seemingly iron grip on Oyster Bay leadership.  There is a YouTube channel devoted to exposing these issues, with videos such as this one,

Concurrently, Kate Murray is running for Nassau County District Attorney, running against the current DA, Madeline Singas.  DA Singas has had the experience of being a prosecuting attorney and is well versed in legal issues.  Ms. Murray, simply stated, does not know the law as she think she does.  And yet, here we are with both Murray and Venditto thinking they have their elections sewn to their liking.  Mangano, by the way, is not running this year.  And to compound these corruption revelations, the recent Venditto and Murray endorsements are rather troublesome.  Particularly NuHealth endorsing Kate Murray; a clear violation of neutrality measures needed for hospitals!  Including the same hospital where I was given birth and I got treated for lead poisoning!!

Needless to say, I have no intention of voting for any of these Republicans this year.  Yet you probably already knew that.  I am endorsing DA Madeline Singas to continue her tenure as District Attorney for Nassau County.  I am also endorsing Democratic challenger John J. Mangelli to be elected Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor.  As well, I am endorsing all Democrats running for the Town of Oyster Bay council and the offices of judges.

I do understand many who are reading this might think this may become a problem if the current Nassau Republican leadership is replaced.  A number of them are involved with town offices and will point to my participation with the GAP program since 2012 and continuing,  I need to mention; the corruption and ineptness needs to end.  I hope and believe this will not change the status of Town of Oyster Bay workers and volunteers, nor would it derail the GAP program and related services.  Yet, if changes will need to be made in order to end the corruption and allow for newer leadership; then we will need to adapt when the time comes.

Well, those are my thoughts on Tuesday's elections.  I implore my fellow readers to take the time and vote on Tuesday; and if needed, register to vote as soon as you can.

One final note:  As this was going to be published, I found word that Sen. and 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson passed away at age 73.  I did not agree with Sen. Thompson's views; yet the Senator was a decent person that had a lifetime of service dating back to his involvement with the Senate Watergate Committee.  My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones at this trying time.

We got the system to alter the system,

Robert

A constant shame

Every person that gives a worth for their fellow human needs to see this CBS News Sunday Morning report.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-navajo-water-lady/

My apologies once again for forgetting to embed the video.  I will need to do a lot better next time. 

None the less, the continued negation and shaming of the Native Americans is resoundingly disgusting.  Not one other news organization has made mention of this problem.  Why is that?  Since it is rather late, I will have another multimedia essay on this issue at a date sooner than expected.  None the less, you need to see this; and then contemplate about who you are and what you have done for these people.  How would You like it if you could not afford clean water? 

Thank you for understanding,

Robert

The one sane choice

It may be hard to believe, given not many alive now lived or remember this time period. Yet, the 1980s were not halcyon days for the United States or even the rest of the world. If or when Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman decide to do a documentary series about the eighties, I would expect people's perception of so called good times to be completely shattered. A great deal of the Republican mindset that engulfed America in the 1980s and early 1990s can be attributed to a 1979 Address to the Nation from then President Jimmy Carter. Nominally, it was the 14th in a series of Addresses involving energy usage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kakFDUeoJKM My apologies for not directly embedding the video; I am using Microsoft Windows 10 and its new browser Microsoft Edge. I will see if Chrome does things differently. None the less, the speech I linked to was and still is unique in that President Carter pretty much told the American people to stop blaming their leaders for their problems and start blaming themselves. What a concept: taking responsibility for one's own actions and thoughts! How it related to energy was effectively consume less and perhaps, maybe, turning off the heater once in a while and wearing an extra sweater. Well, within the next year, much of the American public rejected these recommendations for self preservation and much like someone being told not to do anything stupid; they tripled down on their stupidity and elected President Ronald Reagan. The Reagan era lasted a total of 12 long years. I think the only reason why it lasted this long was because it became clear, after the Iran-Contra scandal blew up in everyone's face, that an actual third term campaign for President Reagan would have resulted in a defeat. So in came George H.W. Bush to be President in 1988, retaining many of the Reagan brain trust without the public image of a failed leader. Four years later, and with the "Cold War" now extinct, the Republican Party, and with that much of the bipartisan bull crap in maintaining a "war" mindset, began to shatter immensely. I can remember those times; Dan Rather every night for a month in early 1992 introduced reports on a false and troubling U.S. financial economy. Lawrence Walsh, independent counsel investigating Iran-Contra, obtained grand jury indictments for key Reagan-Bush officials, and likely was going to indict both Presidents if possible. I do remember on Halloween Eve a re-indictment of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was obtained. It was also the year of the South Central L.A. Riots, among other social justice issues coming into view. Into this social political chaos emerged then Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas and by all accounts a Southern Centrist Democrat. And for the first time in 12 years, people were not only needing to hear the truth about their lives; they were willing to listen and make changes. If you need a visual aide on why the Clinton campaign and subsequent Presidency from 1992-2000 was successful; I would suggest watching once again the D.A. Pennebaker film The War Room, now a part of the Criterion Collection. Also of interest is Robert Downey Jr.'s opinion documentary The Last Party; though be aware this was when Downey was zonked out on booze and pills half the time. I have already alluded to and made note of the eight years of relative peace and security when William Jefferson Clinton was President. I, like you, are aware of what the past 15 years post-Clinton have been like. In short, apart from flashes of sanity within the Senate and the State Department, nothing good has come forward. You know, in only my second week as a student at Hofstra University, 9/11 occurred. One of my fellow travelers saw, like nearly all of us, the aftermath of the destruction and she said out loud "This would have never happened if Clinton was still President." And this woman, whose name I forget, was right. Indeed, there are certain times I play a what if game. That being, what if Bill Clinton decided to run for a third term? We know President Clinton would have easily been re-elected. Yet, as we know, a Clinton third term was set aside to focus on Hillary Clinton's 1999-2000 run for the Senate. She of course was elected. And I would say from that point forward, many of us that effectively were given the double deuce by the Cheney-Bush people, culminating in the 9/11 Inside Job, wanted to have the tide turn in favor of us once more. I had hoped Sen. Hillary Clinton would have ran for President in 2004. She did not, instead focusing on her 2006 Senate re-election bid. Fortunately after that election, Sen. Clinton began a process of running for the Presidency to which she was and still is entitled to I might add. In 2008, Sen. Clinton won the national Democratic Primary. Yet due to a myriad of reasons all found to be not worth my time, Clinton was barred from receiving the nomination in what amounted to a retread of the old back-room party bosses deals. We were left with then Sen. Barack Obama, the perpetual disappointment. None the less, President Obama was elected in 2008: the Clinton family's endorsement and a certainty for Sen. Hillary Clinton to be involved in the Cabinet was what sealed the deal for at least my voting for him. Yet Sec. Of State Clinton would not be in that title at the State Department for that long of a time. Sec. Of State Clinton left in 2012, which was followed as we see today of another Presidential run. Now, let me remind you I did vote for President Barack Obama again in 2012. However, I voted for Pres. Obama thinking that he would be defeated. It was more of an approval of the four years having gone by rather than the four years to come. We have seen though a continuation of a weak, egotistical, self-centered prick being a President more in line with wanting to be a celebrity more than anything. I do not know what a Republican presidency would have been like if one was elected in 2012. I sure as shit was not going to give the Romney and Paul people there fantasies. And I frankly have never liked Gov. Chris Christie; Now most people hate him, but it was not that easy being a lone voice at the time showing my disapproval on that lard. None the less, Pres. Obama winning re-election in 2012 assured a continuation of Democratic leadership for decades to come. We all were convinced after eight years of Obama there would be: Eight years of Hillary Clinton Eight years of Cory Booker Eight years of Chelsea Clinton Eight years of one of the Obama daughters. Well, now once again, there is a probability this will not happen. I have said before that Pres. Obama is actively seeking a third term. With the likelihood that he might lose, Obama and his people are setting up Vice President Joe Biden to fill the void. Interestingly, I think after Beau Biden passed away, there has been more of an incentive for VP Biden to run; fulfilling the last wishes of his son to have a Biden become President. I am not pleased with VP Biden running. This now means at least 8 Democrats are running for President! I expect Mayor Bill De Blasio to announce his candidacy shortly, and I am thinking there will be a Donald Trump equivalent for Democrats to consider before the year is out. My money is on Sen. Elizabeth Warren to make a move. By the way, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out in support of Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. So too has Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Indeed, most of the Senate Democrats and nearly half of all House Democrats are endorsing Hillary Clinton. Same goes for several Diplomats, a number of businesspeople and quite a huge list of celebrities. Go look at the Clinton 2016 page on Wikipedia for an ever evolving list of endorsements. Each of these endorsees have one mindset in common: they want their political party back to where it can be in being effective in its leadership and trustworthiness. In short, they want the 1990s back. As do I. In 2008, after being given the double deuce by party bosses, we were assured that President Barack Obama would promise us everything us Clinton Democrats wanted and even more. Apart from the four years of relative decent International Diplomacy, we have been disappointed in most areas. Even certain beneficial acts like "Obama Care" were compromised from its needed intentions. I for one will not be led down a path of abject disappointment and voting for style over substance, celebrity over leadership. Taking a page from the misguided fanatics Dr. Ron Paul still continues to have, albeit in a mercifully dwindling number; my choice for President, the Only Same Choice for President, is Hillary Clinton. Should Sen. Clinton not receive the nomination, even before the primaries, if possible I will write her name in. If a write-in is not possible, then I will vote for the Democrat; albeit it will be nothing more than a protest vote. Hillary Clinton for President 2016 or no one at all. Our lives may just depend on it, Robert

Goodell Must Go!

One week or so from now, something really special happens every time in early August.  The National Football League starts its season, unofficially mind you, with the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  August 8 will see an induction ceremony honoring 8 important people whose life and works regarding American Football are well known to all those that follow the sport.  The elite 8, as it were, are:

Junior Seau (1969-2012): Linebacker 1990-2009 (San Diego Chargers 90-02)
Jerome Bettis: Running Back 1993-2005 (Pittsburgh Steelers 96-05)
Charles Haley: Linebacker/Defensive End Dallas Cowboys/San Francisco 49ers 1986-1999
Tim Brown: Wide Receiver 1988-2004 (Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders 88-03)
Bill Polian: General Manager/Front Office 1978-2011 (Buffalo Bills/NFL 84-94, Indianapolis Colts 98-11)
Mick Tinglehoff: Center Minnesota Vikings 1962-1978
Will Sheilds: Guard Kansas City Chiefs 1993-2006
Ron Wolf: Director of Player Personnel/General Manager 1963-2001 (Oakland/LA Raiders 63-74, 79-89, Green Bay Packers 91-01)

In addition, ESPN football analyst Tom Jackson and AP lead football writer Dave Goldberg (1941-2015) will receive the media awards during the August 6 Gold Jacket Dinner. 

Now, in most circumstances I will not feel the need to address NFL issues.  This is different however.  Of the 8 inductees receiving head busts, one of them is not alive to see it.  Junior Seau, arguably the most durable linebacker to play football in his lifetime, died in 2012 at the age of 43.  Seau killed himself as a result of depression and neurological problems relating to a diagnosis of concussion syndromes. Upon his death, Junior Seau was diagnosed as having Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease effecting the brain and other motor neuron functions as a result of multiple concussions. Side effects, unfortunately, do include depression and lack of direction. Indeed, Seau was in danger of losing his restaurant business at the time of his death, and despite 20 seasons in the league and his number 55 retired by the Chargers; Junior Seau was not a wealthy man. In point of fact, a great deal of money was poured into his restaurant business just to keep it afloat. The results of the autopsy on Seau prompted his surviving family to seek compensatory damages by the NFL over injuries and neurological problems obtained during the course of his 20 season career, and most importantly the last 2 years of his life. The Seau family has even opted to forego cashing in on the class action lawsuit settlement by retired NFL players seeking compensation for concussion syndromes. As of this writing, the lawsuit is still ongoing. This has effected a moment next week when Junior Seau will be forever honored as a football great; induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Bettis, Haley, Brown, Polian, Tinglehoff, Shields and Wolf will be able to give their acceptance speeches, Seau's daughter, who is presenting her father, will not be allowed to give a speech. This was revealed After she gave her remarks on the customary video summary on Junior Seau's life. I find this to be insulting. There are those that will defend the policy put into place by the Hall of Fame in not allowing presenters of posthumous inductees give their speeches. I am not one of them. Do any of you know why this policy was enacted 4 years ago? Well, it was in that year the Hall of Fame, and with that the NFL, made a boneheaded move. Les Richter (1930-2010) was inducted posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame based on 9 seasons (1954-1962) as a linebacker with the Los Angeles Rams. Here is the kicker; at no point in time during those 9 seasons was Richter given the proper monetary compensation that an All-Pro linebacker was deserving of being awarded to. In point of fact, after Les Richter retired, he spent the remainder of his life involved with auto racing. He was not a driver or car owner; yet Richter owned several racetracks and venues for NASCAR, Indycar, USAC, IROC and other leagues. Surprisingly, in his lifetime Les Richter was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame and gladly accepted the honor. Yet, honoring an NFL great just after he died was not the real boneheaded move. That occurred, in the midst of a lockout of players which was resolved before the 2011 Induction Ceremony, with not allowing Les Richter's son John to give an acceptance and memorial speech on the night of induction. Because you see, the NFL just could not have John Richter mentioning to fans and players alike that the NFL does not pay fairly, and perhaps the best part of one's life in football is after the playing career is finished; possibly including walking away from the game entirely. In the same manner, the NFL just cannot have Junior Seau's daughter give a speech decrying the NFL in their manners of tossing players aside when they are out of the league and not looking into not only their post football lives yet also the amount of pain and suffering they endure so that we fans are entertained. You may have already guessed who is behind this malarkey, at least on a PR manner. That would be the current NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Roger Goodell, son of Sen. Charles Goodell (R-NY) has been commissioner since 2006. Each year that passes by sees Goodell arbitararly handing out edicts and punishments when sought fit; along with a general disregard for player relations on an overall matter. As is often the case, the true NFL leader is found with the Executive Director of the Players Union, DeMaurice Smith. The NFLPA usually has isues correctly assessed than does the front office. Heck, most of the owners whom Goodell is beholden to; to say nothing of corporate sponsors, have more fortitude and reason than Roger Goodell has. This Hall of Fame issue, along with some other concurrent issues of matters trivial yet expanded upon, leads me to believe that Roger Goodell must be ousted as soon as can be. The National Football League cannot become a laughingstock even more so than it already is. I will have more to say on why Goodell Must Go in an essay to be published momentarily. Suffice to say, protecting the image of a brand may end up hurting the brand long term. More coming; stay tuned, Robert

Sen. John McCain is not a war hero

I wanted to start this essay by getting the most obvious out of the way.  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is not a war hero, Vietnam or otherwise.  It is not entirely for the reasons you think.  To understand the real issues of Sen. McCain's purported 6 years as a Prisoner Of War, you need to look back at the events surrounding the US Military during the crucial year 1967. 

It was in 1967 that in the midst of both Vietnam and the Six-Day War, near the Strait of Hormuz, a military mishap occurred that until 2002 was unknown to many.  On June 8, 1967, the Naval ship USS Liberty was sailing near the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Egypt when an Israeli Naval ship approached the Liberty.  Thinking that the Liberty was an Egyptian Naval vessel, or so it was told, the IDF authorized the blockade and attack on the USS Liberty.  It resulted in the death of 34 crew members, mostly Naval officers; and another 141 wounded.  This is in addition to the destruction of the Liberty itself.  For all intents and purposes, and due to the United States supporting Israel in the Six-Day War, the incident was minimized considerably.  One surviving crew member, for instance, was awarded a Medal of Honor; the ceremony took place privately without the involvement of President Lyndon Johnson.  That is the only time a Medal of Honor recipient did not have his ceremony take place at the White House. 

To this day, many of the surviving crew members and a number of journalists and political figures in the US have expressed their opinions that a cover-up had and may still be taking place.  I happen to think the IDF attack was deliberate; a ploy to essentially tell the US Military to back off from Israel's advancement of territory and prominence in the aftermath of the Six-Day War.  A fairly well made report on the incident was presented by the BBC some years back.  Here is the video:

Now what does this have to do with Sen. John McCain?  Well, it directly has to deal with Rear Admiral John V. McCain, Sen. McCain's father and a prominent Defense Department leader in 1967.  It was Adm. McCain that essentially authorized the official cover-up by the Navy in the aftermath of the Liberty assault.  At the same time, Adm. McCain's son, Sen. McCain, was a fighter pilot with little accomplishment during the Vietnam War.  I am certain a deal was made in the DOD involving Adm. McCain to save face and avoid calls for dismissal by orchestrating a POW matter to take place wherein Sen. McCain would be held captive by Viet Cong leadership for an indefinite amount of time until the end of the US involvement in Vietnam.  That end would come in 1973.  In the interim, Adm. McCain would be able to avoid questioning because, after all, his son was a POW.  And in the Vietnam era, most US citizens would not be prone to asking questions about their leadership.  I say most citizens; there were a number that did question these motives back then, and are proven right today. 

Fortunately nowadays, the informed public does not give special treatment to a war veteran just because he or she is a war veteran.  While Sen. McCain may prove different, his Vietnam record does not have an affect on the past 30 years of Sen. McCain's life.  Come to think of it; being a war veteran does not give a person the prerequisite to run for political office.  I look at any and every candidate running for President of the United States, including pres. Barack Obama running for re-election.  Not one of them was ever in the military.  That for me is a positive trajectory; showing that the immediate reactive mindset of military procedure does not come into fruition from these individuals.

Sen. John McCain is, to say this yet again, not a war hero.  The USS Liberty cover-up tells the tale of why, in a related manner, Sen. McCain stayed captive.  By the way, does not Sen. McCain have a re-election campaign to run?  Well, if the public is not buying the war hero talk, they may not buy Sen. McCain staying in the Senate.  And this could come in a primary.

I will have more to say regarding this presidential race in the days ahead.  Being honest, I would rather prefer a Westminster style form of governance; along with a royal family, preferably the Clinton family.  Yes, that would go against US laws and precedents.  None the less; you try invoking the Bill of Rights in a family squabble.  It will never work, because reality does not function that way. 

Before I go, I want to show you a police interrogation that would lead to an African American, Sandra Bland, to her death.  It appears DWB (Driving While Black) can inadvertently result in a fatality. Word of advise to white cops:  do not do anything to a minority, ever.  Go after your own people in the force, which of course you do not do.  Also, to anyone wanting to be a cop:  Do not even think about it. 

Talk to you soon on something a bit lighter:),

Robert

In Cold Blood

I have been contemplating what to write about on the issue of the last five days.  For those not aware, on June 17, 2015; a 21 year old white male from the suburbs of Charleston, South Carolina went to a Bible Study event at Emanuel AME church in downtown Charleston.  Once Bible Study ended, Dylan Roof shot a fully loaded gun into the heads and bodies of 9 unarmed African Americans ranging from ages 27 to 86; 6 women and 3 men, including Pastor and State Senator Clementa Pinckney.  2 others were wounded and are still hospitalized; 3more are alive without wounds. 

Let me start these next two or three posts by stating that I do not own a gun, I am a Democrat, I am not racist and I have not posted diatribes against others that were and are innocent.  Dylan Roof has done this; so too has his mentors and handlers, for which there are many.  Yet, Dylan Roof is only a symptom of a larger issue at hand in this world, one I have been noticing for quite some time. 

I am speaking about the ongoing and widespread despair we are all seeing in our lives today.  Perhaps despair and heartbreak have always been at the forefront of our lives; yet it now seems more obvious than ever and more open to any person that sees it.  Let me give you an idea of this desperation foisted upon younger people today.

A 22-23 year old may have just graduated from one of the most prestigious private universities in the United States, or even went overseas to study and obtain a degree.  Post-graduate studies could be on the horizon for that person.  However, that young person has now accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt; not to mention forking over tens of thousands of dollars for room and board and other expenses.  Financially, that person is now flat broke.  In the immediate aftermath, this person will need to seek employment that would fit right in with that major and/or minor which was studied.  Yet, no jobs are being offered; perhaps certain interests do not need to hire or will pay cheaper wages to other more dependent workers.  Depending on where this person is living; the only job available is likely to be one that pays little and has no real value (e.g., licking envelopes).  So now this person is stuck in a dead end job with a dead end future in a dead end town needing to support a dead end family. 

It is then that a thought comes into the heads of these people in dire straits.  That would be to die and/or have others die.  Because you see, this ever changing world in which we live in will invariably become unbearable to many people, particularly those in a depressed state.  When it appears nothing is changing, and it is the same shit yet a different flavor; anybody would want a way out.  The biggest indication of this desperation I have found is when other people and living creatures pass away that mattered to the lives of so many on a personal and otherwise basis.  Here is something rather sobering.  What do these people of note have in common?

Gov. Mario Cuomo
Sen. Edward Brooke
Rod Taylor
The Editorial Leadership at Charlie Hebdo
Andrae Crouch
Anita Ekberg
Edgar Froese
Sen. Wendell H. Ford
Ernie Banks
Demis Roussos
Colleen McCullough
Sir Martin Gilbert
Louis Jourdan
Philip Levine
Lesley Gore
Clark Terry
Leonard Nimoy
Boris Nemtsov
Anthony Mason
Edward Cardinal Egan
Sam Simon
Sir Terry Pratchett
Al Rosen
Mike Pocaro
Andy Fraser
Alberta Watson
MP Lee Kuan Yew
James Best
Geoffrey Lewis
Gunter Grass
Percy Sledge
Sen. Robert P. Griffin
Jayne Meadows
Ben E. King
Grace Lee Whitney
B.B. King
Dr. John Forbes Nash Jr.
Anne Meara
Betsy Palmer
Beau Biden
MP Charles Kennedy
Sir Christopher Lee
James Last
Ron Moody
Ornette Coleman
"The American Dream"; Dusty Rhodes
Kirk Kerkorian
James Horner

These people passed away this year; and we are not even finished with June yet.  As we grow older, more and more of those we grew up with and even had a personal connection with seem to pass on to the unknown.  Left to continue are us who are living, of course.  Yet for some, it feels like an end has come.  And with that end, a sense of longing for the past in some form or another occurs: usually involving childhood innocence and a rose-colored glasses memory that may have been true yet perhaps not. 

I can certainly understand the feelings at times. Last year, one of our pet dogs, Doogie, passed away at 14 years old.  I can certainly tell you now that there have been days and nights, though not frequent, that I think about Doogie and feel a sense of emptiness if only for a brief while.  Yet, this is where people differ.  For myself and my family, we simply move forward and await the next day; knowing full well that we have our health and our commitments to ourselves and others.  There are however many that do not respond in kind.

The worst sort of feelings can be amplified when there is a gun involved.  I firmly believe that when a person is holding a gun in their hands, the gun becomes sentient.  No different than what happens to James Woods' hand by the end of Videodrome.




Quite scary, is it not?  And that is just the transformation sequence! 

None the less, it is much more saner to be without a gun than it is to have one.  Let me put it this way; if during the midst of a divorce between two people, an argument occurs and there is a gun in the room: does it not seem obvious that it will be used to end the argument permanently?  I say this because it has and continues to happen.  Just two days ago, Milwaukee Brewers baseball star Darryl Hamilton was killed by his girlfriend in what is deemed to be a murder-suicide over a petty squabble.  Had the gun not been in the room, both of them would still be alive today; and perhaps less inclined to turn violent.  More notably, the lives of their families and their children are now forever altered and forever ruined.  For anyone that has recently seen the newest Disney-Pixar movie Inside Out, all core emotions have now been permanently replaced by an idea to continue the cycle by leaving this life in some form or other. 

Hard to believe, yet there are more guns in the United States than there are people living here.  There are more gun manufacturers than there are community service organizations in the United States.  One can discuss many other issues that relate to these shootings.  SSRIs, economic mistreatment, family issues, mental health treatment, employment and the like are all matters to be discussed.  However, those matters need to wait until two important matters are needed to be attended to.

1.  Banning and outlawing guns in the hands of any person.
2.  Altering the culture of seeking death.

Banning guns is an easier task.  All one needs to do is declare gun possession to be a criminal act; followed by indicting the gun manufacturers as accessories to murder and racketeering under the Rico statures.  In that way, the NRA, the GOA and other like minded organizations can be put out of business.  As well, it makes things easier to allow for a repeal of the 2nd Amendment and perhaps a full altering of the Constitution which is much needed.  As an added bonus, the Republican Party and numerous Democrats would need to discuss some other matters of importance on the campaign trail.

It is the needed task of altering and hopefully ending the culture of death apparent in most people today that will be harder to achieve.  So long as beloved and admired individuals in life continue to pass away, while despised individuals are more inclined to live beyond their expiry date; this death seeking culture will sadly persist.  I know for a fact that the elites of this world that own us have exclusive access to drugs and elixirs prolong lives and cure illnesses that would shorten our lives.  A literal Fountain of Youth, if you will.  At some point, access to these drugs and elixirs will need to be put into the hands of the populace at large.  Perhaps it might take drastic measures for this to occur, yet I would be weary on that front.  Let this be clear: James Horner has just passed away, while the scions of the Rothschild dynasty continue to live.  That, my fellow travelers, is not justice.

Getting back to Dylan Roof; he will be personally locked up and behind bars for the remainder of his days, as it should be.  There are of course other concerns regarding the Charleston Shooting, particularly the targeting and assassination of  State Senator Clementa Pickney  (D-SC) that leads me to believe Roof had minders and a ton of help.   Those issues will be discussed at another time, sooner rather than later.  None the less, if there was ever a time to start banning guns and altering the death seeking culture we all are involved with to some degree or another; this would be the perfect time. 

For those who are not aware of whom James Horner was: Mr. Horner was a composer of innumerable film scores.  Many of which you all know and perhaps love.  Here is an example.

Talk to you again fairly shortly,

Robert

PS.  Baseball is Slavery and started out as a replacement for slavery.  More on that when we see the film at 11. 

Why have one when you can have at least two?

This is getting beyond ridiculous and is frankly becoming saddening and maddening.  Sen. and Sec. Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should have been given the coronation she deserves, which I hope is still probable given the recent Quinnipiac poll indicating Mrs. Clinton leading all possible Republican Presidential contenders.  Here is the big problem: not only are the Republican and Independent candidates piling up, so are the Democrats. 

Earlier today, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley threw his hat into the ring as another candidate running to the left of Sen. Clinton.  A proposition which is impossible given Sec. Of State Clinton is the most liberal candidate running in decades.  None the less, the clown car seems to be adding Democrats to the field when there should not be any other Democrats.  This includes President Barack Obama whom we know plans on running for a third term.  And to add another person, Sen. Lincoln Chafee who was initially a Republican that lost his senate seat to a Democrat (Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse) and two years ago became himself a registered Democrat; Sen. Chafee is also running for President. 

Holy shit.  Why cannot the political world and much of the real world accept the fact that for the last 23 years, we needed the Clinton family running us all?  When is it ever going to get to these opponents' head that nobody in any political and social ideal can ever return to a 1992 or earlier world mindset?  The 1980s era has ended.  The era where anyone that was not a conservative would be fucked over is never coming back.  What Ron Silver said during President Bill Clinton's inauguration ceremonies is true then as it true now.  The White House now belongs to us, the oppressed.  Look; people my age were never supposed to live this long.  If President Ronald Reagan and his people had their way; the world would have ended by 1983 or 1984 due to nuclear war.  Those that survived would be living in a Mad Max society, where people would ask "Who Killed The World?" 

President Clinton was able to end this madness if only a short while.  Sad to say, these last 15 years have been bad for the world and for us all.  We need Sen. Clinton to reclaim the throne and become the President she needs to be.  And yet, there is this sinking feeling that we will not be getting a Clinton return.  For anyone that relishes in the idea of sabotaging the much needed coronation; you should be shutting up before your problems get revealed.  I know I have mentioned Michael Rivero recently; the person who just will not get over his life being "ruined" in the aftermath of Vincent Foster's death.  To this I say to him: the check did not clear 22 years ago.  What makes you think you will get it now? 

For those not aware, when someone doth protest much, there is usually a hidden reason why.  If I am complaining about something that I might be doing in private; do not be surprised if when my secrets are revealed, I am looked down upon regarding my hypocrisy.  I may have more to say on this; though I do not think it is necessary. 

In any event, having too many candidates running for one office will negate the relevancy of being a President.  This may not end well. 

And just like the era of 80s excess has ended, the era of sitcom paint-by-numbers has ended.

Talk to you soon,

Robert

PS.  As I was finishing this essay, word came that Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and a potential Gubernatorial nominee, has died of brain cancer.  This is a very shocking event that I did not see coming. My condolences to the Biden family and his loved ones. 

An update to let you know what is going on

Hi there!

I know in the last couple weeks or thereabouts I was not posting as much on a daily basis.  It seems more like an every 6 days or so basis.  Rest assured, I am not ending this blog any time soon; as well, I should be soon back to posting on a daily or almost daily basis.

So what has been the hold-up?  Well, earlier this month I was involved with my third acting play from the Drama Program division of the Town of Oyster Bay Group Activities Programs for the Disabled.  This took quite a good deal of weekly rehearsals; including three dress rehearsals the week of the play before the performance on the night of May 8th.  I would show video footage to you on this weblog; we did a sort of truncated Footloose that had me play Chris Penn's character Willard.  However, I am not sure how to embed a Facebook video.  If any of you like or subscribe to my Facebook page; you can be able to see it.  We expect another DVD copy of the play within a month or so. 

Secondly, this being Memorial Day Weekend, quite a few different meetings and events have been taking place.  In particular, last Friday I went to see for the second time Mad Max: Fury Road.  This action film is awesomely amazing!  Hopefully by tomorrow, I will be able to post an essay on my thoughts in fuller detail regarding this movie.  In short, you need to see this! 

I will also be posting on the recent Cleveland, Ohio not guilty verdicts handed out to some 13 police officers having killed 2 unarmed African-Americans in 202 by shooting 143 (!) bullets into their car.  Needless to say, I am completely against the outcome of judgment in this effective sham of a judicial process.  When is it going to go to people's heads that being a cop does not equal being absolved of all guilt and consequences? 

I will have more to discuss with you in a short time from now.  I should point out that I was wrong on my Mad Men ending prediction.  It ended up more in tune (so to speak) with a more satisfying outcome implying the creation of an ad you might remember.

I do wonder if a follow-up will be made concerning the most recent 45 years.  We shall see.

Talk to you by tomorrow,

Robert