2016: The Grand Theft Auto election

These past few weeks have been rather problematic and somewhat difficult to write about.  You see, I am a Democrat, and have been one since I turned 18 years old back in 2001.  Each year for the last 18 years, I have voted every Election Day, and recently in a many Democratic primaries in New York,  I can remember the first person I voted for was Thomas Suozzi for Nassau County Executive. I was very proud and satisfied with that vote; and I hope to be satisfied this November when Mr. Suozzi hopefully gets elected to Congress, likely in turn deposing Republican Rep. Peter King.

And yet, something has changed rather drastically in this concurrent election cycle.  The Republican party seems to be turning more populist and leftward; the Democratic party feels like it is coasting by.  Perhaps we are assuming a victory for Sen. Hillary Clinton is a given, at least that was the intention as early as a year ago.  An so, I am left every week looking at primary results and just being flabbergasted.  Sure, Sec. of State Clinton is leading the Democratic primary results.  But as we all know, Donald John Trump (I will not mention his whole name henceforth:) is leading the polling , the raw votes, and the amount of states and delegates won for the Republican primary.  At this stage in the election, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee, as certain as Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee.  We will then, as a nation, be in uncharted territory.  The likelihood of a Clinton victory is lessened when Trump is in the picture.

How did this come to be?  I have y reasons, some of which I feel need to be shown by me posting a video one day.  None the less, I have begun noticing some truths and ideals being presented regarding our lives through rather unique means.  One of the better social and political commentaries utilized has been the Grand Theft Auto games.  Most recently, there is Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online, a game I got for Christmas 2014 and still have yet to finish.  Sorry to say that; gaming is an interest, not my life.  What I have gone through either by playing the game or watching YouTube videos is a startling discovery on the Donald Trump campaign.  In my opinion, Donald Trump reminds me in one form or another of Jack Howitzer.

For those unaware, Jack Howitzer is basically the one important celebrity in the GTA universe who has never gotten over the end of the 80s and early 90s.  In one of the better non-gaming elements in GTA V, you can watch TV and see Jack Howitzer in a reality show attempting, and failing I might add, in staging a comeback.  At one point, his agent says that some of his ideas for a movie will not work and that it is not the 1980s anymore.  Howitzer's response is funny yet sad:

"The 80s are never over.  I'll say when the 80s are over.  The 80s are never over.  You just don't turn off the 80s!"

In point of fact, did I not tell you that Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman were bound to do a CNN documentary miniseries about the 80s, since the 60s and 70s were already done?  Well, it is happening and will be televised later next month.  It seems for many the 80s were the halcyon days.  I am here to point out that days and eras of the past were not always that good.  Indeed, tomorrow is not as bad as it seems.

Yet, Donald Trump, along with many of his supporters and others intrigued by him, feel they want to return to a bygone past that resembles the 1980s for all intents and purposes.  And whether that be in the business and junk bond prototype, the redneck prototype, the corporate Hollywood prototype, or as is quite likely the Miami Vice/Scarface prototype; people are lusting for this past.

I suppose we all can understand why.  Go for a walk in your neighborhood and you will see a microcosm of the haves, the have-mores and the never-will-haves.  There is an increasing amount of the latter category the deeper one looks. People in that category were sold from birth to now the concept of "The American Dream".  In short, if one works hard, sacrifices as much as can be, and is obedient to many; financial and emotional success will come.  Well, we all know it is a lie.  In the structure that the United States is governed today, many will be sold a bill of goods promising everything and delivering little.  The best we can do for our selves and our loved ones is to follow the paths that have been both chosen for us and we ultimately decided to embark upon.  More importantly, being educated and becoming smart will go a long way in living a better life.

With little to do and practically nothing to show, what can those at the bottom of the food chain do?  Well, not much that will not eventually harm them and their loved ones.  Do not be alarmed when I say this: it becomes easy for someone to have unprotected sex, self-medicate with alcohol and unregulated drugs, steal money, get involved with petty crimes, turn rightward in social-political thought, become more greedy and protective of assets, and quite honestly make life a miserable hell for themselves and their loved ones.  Not all that I have mentioned will happen; but at least one will, if even only for a brief time.

This however is nothing new.  A fragile economy, distrust in leadership, threats of wars and chaos, and an overall fear of changes will cause people to react, and not in a manner that will be evolving. The reaction, if I were to put a visual aide to this, would be as follows:

For those unaware, this is video of a young woman on the autistic spectrum having a meltdown.  For people on the spectrum such as myself, these sorts of actions are not condoned but are always bubbling under the surface. There is of course no excuse for this behavior, yet at times it cannot be helped but to let it happen.

Many in this life are prone to these sort of meltdowns, albeit not in the way that is much too obvious.  A simple vote of refusal to submit to a changing world, or at worst an out-and-out revolt involving violence, is the more sophisticated format of a tantrum.  And since violence is never the answer, voting for a reactionary conservative party and its people is the equivalent of a personal meltdown.  It goes deeper than these reactionary measures.  In short, many would like to subconsciously return to their childhood and their perceived innocence.  Point being, the conservative movement can trace its individual origins to a certain point in a person's life when criticism and consequences were not life altering.  Be honest with yourself; it has always felt this way.

The 2016 election for the American Presidency has been one in which sadly all political parties are pandering to the idea of a better tomorrow with little sacrifice and consequence.  Obviously, the Democratic primaries are a lot more realistic in telling prospective voters the truth.  The Republican Party is offering their prospective voters an I.O.U. which will not be enacted upon.

As I write this, it has been a little under 18 hours since the false-flag attack at an airport in Belgium.  Already both leading parties and their front runners are asking for increased military and counter-intelligence to combat this purported terrorism: although I agree with Sec. of State Hillary Clinton that we should not be demeaning an entire religion and its practitioners.  Donald Trump and Sen Ted Cruz on the other hand have been condemning innocents in each of their own unique styles.  Each time a false-flag inside job happens, we need to ask: who benefits?  I am sad to say that each time, who benefits are the war profiteers and their enablers mainly in the Republican Party.  It only adds to the conservative mindset that is bent on enforcing their will and their leaders on us all by Election Day.  I am particularly concerned that there will not be an election in which domestic and everyday life issues will be at the forefront: we know that on those all too immediate issues, the Democratic Party will win.  Once division and fear are presented, the Republican Party eventually wins.  We cannot have that happen.  And neither should we be allowing the internet media tell us otherwise and go all out for Trump.  Now, I find Donald Trump preferable to all other Republicans for sure; that does not mean I will vote for him.  Yet I think there will be many that will, although I can be sure in the immediate aftermath of a plausible Trump Presidency that regret and shame will take place within a year.  That is if there is no false flag in the interim.

My thoughts, prayers, and condolences go to the 35 or so individuals that were killed in this false-flag attack and the loved ones they have left behind.  As well, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford passed away today at 46 after suffering from cancer these past two years.  I was never a fan of Councilman Ford's politics and really felt he could be an asshole at times.  Heck, Mayor Rob Ford may have paved the way for Donald Trump to be where he is now.  None the less, Mayor Ford was an entertaining figure, and will be missed.

At least these infamous times did not involve the nuclear football.

More coming, stay tuned,

Robert

PS.  Please vote in the New York Primaries on April 19.  The stakes are too high to not be involved.

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

This will not take 11 hours

Thursday was a day that was wasted.  Not by me; I worked that day.  No, it was wasted by many in the alternative media and the conservative/military apparatus in thinking perhaps faintly that some form of political victory would occur on their end.  I of course speak of Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton being questioned by 7 or 8 House Republicans and about 6 Democrats on the issue of the 9/11/2012 inside job that was the proposed beginning of a hostage rescue mission that was completely altered by the rape and assassination of four people involved with diplomatic and military matters in Libya.  This included United States Ambassador Chris Stevens.

In short, Sec. of State Clinton had no role in what had taken place in Libya, starting the year before with the complete overthrow of Libyan life signified by the assassination of Col. Muamar Gaddhafi. Matters of these foreign policy miscalculations should be placed on a number of other hands, not that of Sen. Clinton nor the Department of State.  Indeed, the State Department was what was keeping the US in good standing with the world until 3 years ago.  Yet, not one congress member on the Benghazi Libya committee managed to discuss the fault that lied with these groups or people:

Pres. Barack Obama
The Department of Defense
Certain figures in the Senate and House at the time, including then Sen. John Kerry I am sad to say.
CIA
Ambassador Stevens; a hard pill to swallow, yet it would have been best to consider asking for greater security before going into a war zone.  Irrelevant at the time, yet now a problem.
The US House of Representatives in their votes to cut funding for security measures.
Mitt Romney: I think  this was initially  a Neocon inside job and still believe certain factions carried out these provocations as was made obvious with their politicization of the assault.
The makers and financiers of a badly made trailer for a badly made movie done by a presumed Coptic Christian.
The individuals in Libya whom later were recruited to organize their terror-for-hire activities under the banner Islamic State.
Libyan leadership in the post-Gaddhafi era; this extends to a number of post Arab Spring governments.

I could name others, yet do not have the time.  In what came forth yesterday, only One congress member, Washington Democrat Adam Smith, mentioned any of the above as needing to be blamed; specifically mentioning Gen. David Patreaus.  As well, Sec. of State Clinton did imply the lack of in initial planning for security measures by Ambassador Stevens.  The rest of time, as it has been for a long while now, the blame has been shifted to Hilary Clinton.  Well, blaming her for the faults of others is a waste of time, paper, money and lives.  This will only help Sen. Clinton in her run for the Presidency: a good deal of Republican leaders and insiders have even mentioned the absurdity of this committee and its inane focus on Sec. of State Clinton, and if not her then Sidney Blumenthal.

What did 11 hours of a hearing and statements accomplish?  Not One Motherfucking Thing!  Excuse my language, yet nothing new was told, and no minds were changed.  I can tell you, at least one or two of the Republicans on that committee are looking at either facing a primary challenge or an outright re-election defeat.  Rep. Peter Roskam, Rep. Trey Gowdy and Rep. Martha Roby come to mind.  As well, I think now would be a fair time for Rep. Elijah Cummings to join Rep. Tammy Duckworth in leaving the House to run for the Senate.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, mind you, did not go this far and this wastefully with their hearings with Sec.of State Clinton two years ago.  In any matter, I think Rep. Cummings would be a darn good Senator, as would Rep. Duckworth should either of them get elected or much less run,

And yet, you know what was not even talked about once?  Just why we have been in Libya, Syria and the surrounding countries in the first place.  And just why our foreign policy these past 14 years has been mainly problematic; a continuation of American hegemony that finds no place in a changing and educated world where the US is, correctly, not the leader of all matters.

Interestingly, the last couple of days and nights I have been watching a series of interviews with the recently passed Ali Treki from 25 years ago regarding many of the same issues facing the world and the at the time failed Reagan and H.W. Bush policies.  I present these here for your consideration and ask you to find the time to watch and listen.

By the way, the interviewer, former SUNY professor Harold Channer, is still involved with interviewing important people on New York public access television.  Do have a look at Mr. Channer's YouTube page for some rather interesting interviews over the years.  A lot more informative than what you may have seen yesterday.  And if you managed to watch all 11 hours: you just wasted a day in your life you will never get back.  Same with those who were there.

HRC for 2016: Because at the least, our dream will become WRH's nightmare (I will say why soon),

Robert

PS.  This is too funny to not include as a postscript.  Too funny, and yet too sad.

PPS.  My thoughts on the Steven Spielberg film Bridge of Spies, the Guillermo Del Toro film Crimson Peak and the Danny Boyle film Steve Jobs are forthcoming.

We blew it!

The title refers to one of the iconic lines in movie history, when Captain America (Peter Fonda) disagrees with Billy (Dennis Hopper) on their success of their cross country trek in Easy Rider.  A little afterwards, both main characters are killed by a ragtag group of ignorant rednecks.  In retrospect, it may not have been the best idea to have the two leads make their money off of drugs and getting in on a wild mind trip.  These sorts of ambiguities are not shown in most movies.  Indeed, the rare times these ambiguities are shown involve the drug war.  We can go on a long discussion regarding the drug war and its abject failure; that will be for another time.

For now, our focus is the drug war's effect on law enforcement and public policy.  Two weeks ago, the newest film from Denis Villeneuve, Sicario, was released.  It marks Villeneuve's second collaboration with Academy Award nominated Roger Deakins, and involves a great screenplay from newcomer Taylor Sheridan.  As well, Thad Luckinbill (J.T. Hellstrom on The Young and the Restless) was one of the producers of this movie, along with his twin brother Trent, as part of their new Black Label Media company.  By all accounts, this is a great movie; in fact one of the best films of this year, along with some of the best acting people like Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro have shown in quite some time.  Like many of these sorts of fictional works, Sicario tells us a heck of a lot more about our failed drug policies than what we can usually expect from our leaders.  Rarely if ever will you see a political figure declare the "War On Drugs" to have failed and been bad policy from the word go.  Because to do that would reveal greater truths that would cause the public great outrage.

By this point, I am going to expose some important plot points this movie explores; although going in you should know that Denis Villeneuve does not go for happy endings. Just about every film of Villeneuve's involve moral ambiguity.  Sicario brings this to the forefront in the last hour or so. While not going into full detail, what seems like a clear cut operation to curtail the finances of Mexican drug lords turns into a continuation of US Government policy in effectively running the drug trade.  It is evident when Victor Garber's character pretty much sanctions these extrajudicial means of obtaining a drug cartel's finances; it is more pronounced when Emily Blunt's character gets into a one-night stand with a corrupt Texas cop played by Jon Bernthal that is found to be a bag man for the cartel's leaders.  And it is most obviously evident when twice in Sicario Benecio Del Toro's character is mentioned by his code name Medellin.

If you are not familiar with the word and meaning of Medellin, or if you only remember it as Vincent Chase's first movie he directed yet was panned (see Entourage), the Medellin drug cartel in Colombia was during the late 1970's through early 1990's the most profitable drug running operation known to man.  And while it was Pablo Escobar that ruled society with sort of an iron fist before he was gunned down in 1993; the financial whirlwind was benefited most by (gasp!) the United States Government.  This is pretty much explained after the second time we hear Del Toro's character mentioned as Medellin after Alejandro (Del Toro) pretty much seeks out his wife and daughter's killer alone.

It is that second time when Kate (Blunt) hears the phrase; leading to her punching Josh Brolin's character, a CIA task force leader, in the face.  Afterwards, Brolin's character states that the US Government needs to resurrect the Medellin cartel in order to curb the turf wars in Mexico.  And it is due to, as Matt (Brolin) states "20 million people snorting and smoking this stuff"; this stuff being cocaine, of course.  And yes, Alejandro does get to murder the drug cartel leader and his family while having dinner.  And it is implied that Kate leaves the agency after signing papers legislating the legality of the drug operations.  All the same, nothing is truly ended.  The side story of a father and cop from Juarez doing supply routes in order to get some extra money just to get by ends in that cop being killed by Alejandro.  The last scene shows his wife and son attending a soccer game the son is playing; you can hear gunfire as the game goes on.  Indeed, that reminded me of how for many in thee countries the way out is through sports, association football in particular.  Even so, there is no guarantee one will get out alive through sports.  The year after Pablo Escobar was killed; Andres Escobar (no relation) was gunned down by a rival cartel after accidentally causing Team Colombia to use their quarterfinal round in the 1994 World Cup: the infamous own goal game.

It is quite amazing yet sad that a great deal of policies and funding for programs and other matters pertaining to the United States is continually done through the proliferation of illegal drugs.  I know the easiest thing to do would be to have everyone stop taking this shit; yet it is this same shit that finances these extrajudicial operations the United States Government does without consequence.  I firmly believe a movie can tell people a greater truth than what we may witness in our real life news reports.  For me, this is the second film in as many years that exposes our country's double standards at least regarding drug usage and proliferation.  Last year Kill The Messenger, one of the better movies of 2014, did not get as much public attention as it should have; apparently the truth is still a bitter pill to swallow among moviegoers at large.  Fortunately, Sicario is still playing at theaters near you; and you can also eventually see it on demand or on Blu-Ray; same goes with Kill The Messenger.  Do go see this movie.  I will have more to say regarding the drug war culture soon enough.

Talk to you shortly,

Robert

Miscavige's Successor

 Recently, I have written my thoughts and concerns regarding the Church of Scientology.  I have noticed that since the release of the Alex Gibney documentary Going Clear, the Church is now effectively in an crisis of its own doing.  Membership is down to 50,000 at best; and any attempts at smearing the whistleblowers have been met with needed ridicule.  I cannot say for certain if David Miscavige is about to have his religion be relegated to the status of outright cult.  I do however believe there has ben a successor religion to pick up where Scientology left off.  And indeed, a leader has already been chosen.

The religion I refer to is the Roman Catholic Church, and its leader(s) are Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger, retired/deposed) and most notably Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Brogolia, active).  It is Pope Francis and his leadership capabilities which I am concerned about. Now, people that know me know that I am considered a Catholic, having gone through all the official rites of church membership and living nearby an important diocese with offices in Rockville Centre.  Yet, I have not been to a Sunday Mass in quite a number of years, for quite a number of reasons too numerous to mention.  Indeed, if you were to press me on the issue, I would say Roger Ebert's memoir Life Itself explains best my antipathy towards the religious hierarchy.  It does not, however, mean I am in tune with Church doctrine; for one thing, I am pro-choice. Many Catholics sadly are not pro-choice.  As well, I am of the belief that a female can be just as important of a religious leader in the Catholic order as any male. 

Yet, those are only minor issues at this time.  My leading concern, and one I think is shared by many, is the intertwined relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and our secular world we live in.  In the two years since the installation of Pope Francis, the Church has seen a massive publicity campaign that did not occur for decades earlier.  What gets me is that not one year before, Alex Gibney had directed and produced a documentary regarding the abuses the Church has done to younger men; focusing mainly on those that were abused at a Catholic school for the hearing impaired.  If you can look for it, Mea Maxima Culpa was shown on HBO and might be found on Blu-Ray and DVD at Amazon. 

This push for a Catholic revival has occurred just under a decade after questions regarding the Church's financial properties and management of banking institutions came to the forefront.  As of today, the Church owns more property and businesses outright than what we can imagine.  In effect, membership in the Church does require a hefty frigging fee every time the collection plate gets passed during Sunday Mass; the more you pay, the more you get to obtain their version of Clear, or perhaps OT VIII. 

So for me, I have a problem with a religion that demands your money for their wisdom.  Yet you know what else; I am deeply aghast at the child abuse that goes on with younger men.  My disgust has been with me in that regard for some two decades, after seeing the Canadian TV miniseries The Boys Of St. Vincent.  I remember it only aired a few times in the mid 1990s on A&E in the US; yet I did find a decent web transfer of the complete 3+ hour miniseries on a Japanese hosted video site.  Here is the link at the bottom of the essay.

I post the link only because there is not a way to embed the video on this site.  None the less, it is downright disturbing, and on a different note it is still Henry Czerny's most iconic role. 

Even with all that has been mentioned, I am concerned that the Roman Catholic Church is on a path of obtaining world political leadership.  We may not have seen this in our lifetimes; yet it was not that long ago in human history that the Church was the globalist order in this world.  For hundreds of years, particularly the Middle Ages and Dark Ages prior to the Renaissance and even afterward, Kings and Queens, Dukes and Duchesses, Princes and Princesses, Military leaders and Civilian leaders, Legislators and Judges alike, all bowed down and pledged their allegiances and lives to the Church.  Whomever was Pope had final say on all social, political, economic and war decisions.  Clergymen gave their opinions and statements on issues; and governments were set forth to do the deeds of the Church.  This began to thaw slowly but surely with the German Lutheran Reformation, along with the establishment of the Church of England and Anglicanism. 

Now, under Pope Francis' leadership, more so than in any other time, the Catholic Church is now seemingly the final arbiter and ruler on all matters relating to mainland Europe.  Interestingly, that includes Germany; whose Chancellor, Angela Merkel, might not have been re-elected had not the Pope endorsed her and her Conservative minded party.  This order, for instance, that all Catholics must house the Syrian refugees in Europe seems more akin to a forced political maneuver rather than a recommendation.  I, for instance, would not be too certain to house a refugee, for reasons too varied to list here.  It now appears that the Church now dictates policy in Cuba.  I do not believe this was ever the intention of the Castro brothers when the 1959 Revolution took place. 

This public relations program the Church is now engaged in seems to the layman a good and decent success; if only one considers the public humbleness and more liberal minded attitudes and beliefs Pope Francis espouses.  But you see, that is the problem with Pope worship; only in the last year have Catholics overall been willing to accept LGBTQ people, for instance.  Just because the Pope says so, Now they can accept.  Well, I and many of my family and friends accepted the LGBTQ community long before it was considered cool to be accepting these groups of people.  In fact, so did many others become supporters and advocates of LGBTQ individuals prior to 2014.  I never needed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI or Pope Francis to tell me When to accept the LBGTQ community.  I do have a brain and use it regularly.  Nor do I then or now need a Catholic leader to tell me to support their agenda regarding their anti-abortion and anti-contraceptives dogma.  To me, being pro-choice is being pro-life; for I choose the life of the female rather than the implied life of a fetus.  As I have often said, our birthdays do not come on the anniversary of the date when our parents "did it". 

And yet, after this trip to Cuba, Pope Francis will make his way to the United States and will pretty much dictate the lives and beliefs of some 69.4 million Catholics; this includes Jeb Bush.  I often half jokingly wonder if, say in Washington DC or in New York, the Pope says a command like "eat a stick of butter" and many though not all would do it in fear of being excommunicated if refused.  Again it is a joke, and I know some may be saying to me "well Robert, if your favored political figure or celebrity said it, you would do it too".  No, because there is a difference.  They are not religious leaders and thus if I choose not to eat a stick of butter, they cannot force me to do otherwise.  A religious leader, such as a Pope or Cardinal or Archbishop, has this unique sway in allowing people to do things just by saying "Do It".  So if Pope Francis goes up on his pulpit and tells Catholics to vote for Jeb Bush or any other candidate beholden to the Church; I am concerned these fellow Catholics will be like lemmings willingly falling down to their premature grave. 

Well, now that I have made my concerns known, I would like to hear from you.  I have noticed that while I am getting page views, something seems to be wrong with the comments and interactivity.  Do any of you fellow readers have any suggestions?  I do have a Facebook page, search keyword Robert Kelly.  You can mention your concerns there, or even here if possible.  Might I need to change the website to a new server or hosting platform?  It does get a bit lonely only talking to myself at times.  Let me know if anything can be done about this.  I would really like to hear your views. 

I end with a rather problematic yet pertinent question.  If you were invited to the house of any of these three people:

Pope Francis
David Miscavige
Robert Durst

Which one would be honest with you?  Well, for me there is no definite answer, except maybe a fourth opinion.  Choose neither and free your mind.

It is a TED talk, yes.  But since the other choices were David Icke (an acquired taste I know) or a song which sounds a heck of a lot like Queen Of The Night (Whitney Houston off of The Bodyguard), this will suffice.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Robert






http://www.56.com/w33/play_album-aid-9150379_vid-NTY5NDg3MzY.html

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

Choose your leader

Here is what I think of some though not all of the political figures that will want to jockey for the Presidency of the United States.  For some not aware, the Presidency has sharply fallen in relative prestige since the 1960-1980 era; the era that Arthur Schlesinger Jr. would call The Imperial Presidency.  In my opinion, only President Bill Clinton from 1992-2000 was able to revive The Imperial Presidency, the most optimal and economically sound of presidencies that the United States has.  I do not consider the Presidency of Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) a success at one bit.  But that is another essay for another time.

Pres. Barack Obama:  I believe he will run for a third term, considering Obama's need for a legacy which has been failing precipitously every year from a promising beginning.  At this point in time right now, the 44th President of the United States would outright lose a November election.  I say outright since the 2012 election had fraud occur on all political sides. 

Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Rodham Clinton:  She is the best choice; frankly, Clinton is the only choice to have both a return to The Imperial Presidency, a clear Democrat leader and a far better future by reconciling with the recent 90s past.  I am concerned that Secretary of State Clinton will not get the Presidency due to her being a nearly 68 year old female with more testicular fortitude than certain male leaders.  Already political internet journalists like Michael Rivero are foaming at the mouth at the prospect of a Clinton Presidency, wanting to stop it at any price.  I thus ask Mr. Rivero of What Really Happened: what are you hiding? And why have you and the website lost what once made you great?

Sen. Rand Paul:  He talks well in approach; yet Sen. Paul is a fraudulent man.  Libertarianism is not a workable approach to anything.  Sen. Paul's father, Dr. Ron Paul, is even worse.  Yet, the internet world is in awe of the Paul family; a family leading their flock to the same cult like fate of their predecessors. 

Sen. Marco Rubio:  Not worth my time and paper.

Sen. Ted Cruz:  He will be a surprise to many, though I have no plans to vote for him.  Not many Senators can lay claim to altering political life in only 4 years; Sen. Cruz has, though not to my liking.

Gov. Scott Walker:  The only Republican talking about the need for ethanol and the near literal conservative in the field.  Gov. Walker might get the nomination if more people listen.  Provided of course people are willing to lend an ear. 

Jeb Bush:  This third Bush in line may very well steal the Republican nomination.  If so, GOP should thereby stand for Gluttons Of Punishment.

Gov. Sarah Palin:  A decent enough person, though decency has not gotten Gov. Palin the coveted nomination.  I think she may have sold out a while ago.

Carly Fiorina:  A non-starter.  She lost to Sen. Barbara Boxer 5 years ago; why would Fiorina do any better now?

Dr. Ben Carson: Being a Doctor does not make one a President.  A cut above the rest, but that is not saying much.

Sen. Bernie Sanders:  He will stay till the bitter end, running as an Independent.  I would be surprised and excited should Sen. Sanders lead a poll; though again, not my first choice.

Gov. Chris Christie:  A fat, egotistical, bullying, condescending piece of shit. 

George Pataki:  Why???????????? 

Martin O'Malley:  The prior Governor of Maryland would have been a formidable Democratic candidate; had a Democratic won the Governorship last year.  Now there is nothing to back O'Malley up.

Jim Webb:  A potential dark horse candidate; I am not sure what to expect from the former Senator.  Though Webb's track record is exemplary.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren:  She is running, let it be known.  While I like Sen. Warren, I do not think she or any other Democratic candidate not named Clinton can win a November election.  However, it seems we are heading to multiple primary challenges from many political fronts.  This, including a Sen. Warren candidacy, will cheapen the Presidency further still.

Vice President Joe Biden:  No; I am sorry, but no.

Mike Bloomberg:  Do not think the former NYC Mayor has Not considered a Presidential run.  An arrogant man who did little for New York as far as I am concerned.

Dr. Jill Stein:  A brilliant individual.  Dr. Stein however is not going to be President.

Al Gore:  A most important person, and a personal hero of mine.  Yet, the Nobel Peace Prize winner's time has passed to ever become President. 

Rep. Paul Ryan:  I am concerned about this well spoken yet politically obtuse Congress Member.  Rep. Ryan does not know economics like he thinks he does.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo:  I find it odd no one has taken Gov. Cuomo's imminent run into consideration.  This will alter everything; just like Gov. Cuomo's election in 2010 did in New York.  Not my choice though.

Pope Francis: This one is obviously a joke, yet it appears as if the Catholic Church is returning to its ways of being arbiter and ruler of all.  I am from the Church; yet I am greatly concerned about what has been done these last two years. 

David Miscavige:  Only if a Scientologist becomes a politician, and I do not ever see that happening.  Miscavige is still a most frightening, megalomaniacal and short man.

The Rothschilds:  Our rulers whom have decided all of this from the beginning.  Much like wars, the Rothschilds finance all political parties; thus even if the people win, they also win. 

I will obviously have more to say as the days go on.  Suffice to say, my first choice is Sen. and Sec. of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.  And yes, the way to move forward is to reconcile and follow the 1990s.  The fifteen years since Bill Clinton's Presidency ended have been times of growing up and becoming aware; yet we as a people have lost so much since then. 

One thing we have not lost is our imagination to tell a story.  And I am anxious to see how this story plays out ten years since the last story.

Talk to you again soon,

Robert

It is that month again!

Baboon, spittoon, balloon
Harpoon, typhoon, lagoon
Moon, June, goon
Noon, loon, prune, soon
It must be April

The Brain; Pinky and The Brain, "Broadway Malady"

April is a month quite a number of different things occur.  Of course, that is an understatement.  More than a number of world events have occurred when April arrives that alter the rest of the year; and not always in the best way.  Some examples during my lifetime include:

1993, April 19:  The siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas ended when the BATF bulldozed, razed and firebombed the compound killing all inside.

1995, April 19:  The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was bombed by at least two paramilitary militia sorts; killing 168 people.

1999, April 20:  Two high school students enrolled at Columbine High School in Colorado, along with implied help, shoot a bunch of fellow students, before they themselves are found dead from a likely self inflicted wound.

2001:  The Bush Tax Cuts were put into place, beginning the process of altering and screwing up the world economic system.

2003:  Gulf War II was suddenly declared over, even though it never was in an ending phase.  This came only when two different news journalists died while embedded with the US troops; thus allowing much of the US media the need to get out of Iraq.

2013, April 15:  A false flag terrorism assault occurred in Boston, Massachusetts; following the Boston Marathon, 4 died and many were injured near the finish line.  This resulted in Boston being in near lockdown measures for a few days until a scapegoat was named.  This, for me, solidified my abject disappointment, if not outright condemnation, of international policy that President Barack Obama has initiated.  These actions mainly have had the right intentions; yet they seem to go awry at some point.

2015, April 1 and April 2:  A deal on nuclear armaments with Iran has been announced, at least some of it.  I have my doubts on the authenticity of such a deal; were Mahmoud Ahmadinejad still President of Iran, I would feel differently.  In a somewhat related matter, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has been indicted on Federal corruption charges.  Sen. Menendez is someone I expect to fight to the bitter end against these charges; perhaps even be found not guilty of these purported crimes.  Interestingly, Sen. Menendez has also been skeptical of the deal brought forth.

We are not even done with April, yet world geopolitical concerns are being felt already.  In a later post, I will analyze my thoughts and opinions on these two recent events; and the intertwined relationship that has been known to many on these events.  Now, while there is time left, here is what I referenced above. 

Please disregard the spotlight in the center.  This is one of the few ways to show an older series on YouTube without avoiding copyright, I think. 

More to come before the holiday weekend,

Robert

The Netanyahu Era

On November 1, 1988, Benjamin Netanyahu, a journalist, political scientist, educator and son of noted Israeli nationalist educator Ben Zion Netanyahu (1910-2012) was first elected to the Knesset representing the Likud Party.  On St. Patrick's Day 2015, Mr. Netanyahu was reelected to the Knesset for the ninth time; the fourth of which recognized as Prime Minister of Israel and leader of the Likud Party.  In these 27 years, the nearly 66 year old PM has been largely responsible in remaking Israel, and by extension the identity of the Jewish People themselves, into a mirror image of himself.

What I mean by that is Bibi, as he is known by admirers and detractors alike, has become the effective one person leader whose actions, statements, and beliefs are enacted as instantly as one can snap a finger.  Certainly other Israeli political leaders have come and gone during this time; most notably Yitzhak Shamir, Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon, each one representing three different political ideologies.  And yet, it has been Benjamin Netanyahu that has been defining the agenda for Israel at least throughout this time frame.  There can be little doubt that as of today, the political mind frame of the Israeli and Jewish identity has become more right leaning and nationalist in approach and needs. 

Why is that?  Sitting at my desk tonight, in a country that I hope has turned more leftward and inclusive though it could be easy to say on my end being in New York; the fact that the leadership of the Jewish State has been mainly right-wing conservative these years while many American Jews identify themselves as Democrats, seems odd.  Yet, that seems to be the kicker: the US is a land mass that has yet to be systemically attacked militarily and in forms of actual terrorism.  The US is surrounded east and west by two oceans.  It is not bordered by neighboring countries that have a claimant on the land for religious reasons, to say nothing of secular reasons.  It has not used nuclear ambiguity: officially denying nuclear weaponry while keeping a large supply in facilities over the decades such as Dimona. 

Moreover, the US, protestations from Christians notwithstanding, is mainly a secular nation.  Religion does not matter as political policy.  To put it another way, laws and guidelines from the great Jewish texts such as the Talmud and the Torah Is official political policy in Israel.  It is not stated in the Basic Law of the land; yet with at least four political parties that lean right and some of which are more conservative than Likud, you can see why Judaism plays a role in everyday life in Israel. 

There is another huge difference in the political leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu as opposed to other leaders.  Mr. Netanyahu is, like it or not, a theorist and educator first before anything.  In speeches and writings, the PM has referenced noted politicians and historians to make a point, valid or invalid.  One such historian mentioned is Bernard Lewis.  I can remember needing to read Bernard Lewis' writings in one of my Hofstra courses on International Relations; not everything was agreeable, yet I came away from Mr. Lewis' writings at least understanding his viewpoint.  One such viewpoint is the issue of Iran relative to its acquiring of a nuclear weapon.  The mindset of the current Iranian leadership, namely Ayatollah Khamenei and the leadership of the Supreme Council, views time not as how we view it in instances for days and weeks and months.  Time is viewed more fluidly; a day is but an hour, a year only a mere day.  Memories and remembrances persist, long after the forefathers pass away and the centuries continue.  Thus, acquiring a nuclear arsenal does not matter if it comes in 2015 or even 2115.  For the Iranian leadership, the idea will manifest and be enacted upon.  And once something is legally acquired; its usage is imminent when the time comes.  The Bernard Lewis quote is something to the extant of " Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon is not a deterrent; it is an inducement."  Not many politicians will say such things.  Benjamin Netanyahu is such a person who says these things.

And it is these ideas and statements from a geopolitical leader that draws attention to those that need the attention: the voters.  You know, it was a similar ideal taking place during the Iranian presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; A Muslim theorist and educator whose ideals and writings prompted Iranians from 2005-2013 to consider these processes.  The irony of it all is Mr. Ahmadinejad was a politically liberal minded President more in tune, so to speak, with our current leadership.  By contrast, Iran is now more directly in the hands of right-leaning clerics who do indeed feel acquiring nuclear technology as an inducement to be enacted upon when the time comes.  Knowing that, could it be any surprise that more turnout was present last Tuesday in the Knesset elections; with the idea that the very existence of the Jewish identity was being threatened, imaginary or otherwise.  Could it be a surprise to anyone that the idea of a Zionist Union led government, while far more preferred for myself and the world at large, would strike concern to more nationalist right-leaning Israelis that a surprising turnout, likely fueled by election fraud, would alter the predictions of many that would lead Likud to have the plurality in the Knesset once more. 

As I said, this was not the outcome many expected.  Yet, Benjamin Netanyahu is still Prime Minister of Israel; maybe the most influential PM Israel has put forth in its 68 year history.  I think this is mainly due to his educational and journalistic acumen; a rare feat these days.  So, now that Bibi is here to stay; what will the US and World response be?  If you want to, do leave comments below regarding this essay.  I do like being a bit more interactive in this approach.  I shall also in a later time look at what may come for the Middle East as it heads to a war which, sad to say, is imminent.  One can only hope peace breaks out.

Talk to you again shortly,

Robert

The coming inside job, if left unchecked

I was 18 years old and starting my first year at Hofstra University.  It was my second week there.  The Sunday prior, I was at my grandparents' home as I have done every Sunday these past 17 years; watching Meet The Press with Tim Russert.  The issue that Sunday was the revelation that the purported Social Security lockbox and budget surplus inherited by the George W. Bush presidency had been entirely cocked up.  The next day, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted that the Pentagon misplaced over $2 trillion.  The public seemed to understand that not a year after Bush was elected, a mistake was made in choosing a president. 

Tuesday came, and I was heading for my Political Science course when fellow students and educators mentioned that two planes hit both towers of the World Trade Center.  We began a discussion on what was to come, politically economically and socially.  It was cut off when another student informed us of a hit on the Pentagon, along with an unconfirmed report of an attack on the Washington Monument.  Class was dismissed that day; by which many of us packed into Bits N Bytes to see the South Tower collapse.  Within minutes, the North Tower would also collapse. 

For days on end, throughout the rest of 2001, we all were asking ourselves what had occurred, who did this, and more importantly; were we wasting time on so much shit that never mattered.  Everyone had their own answer; mostly a fairy tale sort of story that had us as the victims and certain people and groups as the villains.  Overtly simplistic and without merit. 

I should say; that day I was saddened but not surprised.  I had felt the World Trade Center was prone to be attacked by the first year of a new presidency, as had occurred when Bill Clinton was president.  Thus when it happened, it was only meant to be more destructive than before.  It became clear before the year was out; to me at least, that 911 was not the simplistic tale with a simplistic outcome to soothe a grieving and stupefied public.  911 was, indeed, an inside job. 

Of course, when finding this out and accepting the truth, It became obvious why such a false flag had indeed been made to occur.  Foremost above all, two facts came forth that were and are without question: the reserve currency of the US Dollar meant little, and the Earth was dying. 

Perhaps the latter claim meant little to anyone; only until The Day After Tomorrow was completed in 2004 did the threat of Global Warming, which does include the Earth needing to cool itself after unprecedented warmth with unprecedented cold, become accepted to many.  With that knowledge, those that own us all, the global bankers of the Rothschild dynasty, feel that killing off 90% of the world population is no big deal when the Earth will need less humans.  Witness, if you will, the amount of propaganda being spewed out of denial of climate change, along with statements that amount to a useless shrug. 

It has been 14 years, and I am concerned this is starting again.  The Earth is now at that stage where the warming of the world will lead to a massive cool down; not unlike when you get angry and outrageous that you become cold and virtually immobile afterwards.  We see this in places like the US Northeast, where March has turned into Smarch. 



We notice this when one US Dollar is worth less than one Euro, one Yuan, one Pound and one Dinar.  We notice this when an increasing number of people, typified by celebrities, begin to pass away when times are tough.  And we notice this when change in political and social leadership cannot come soon enough.  In a way, 36 years after President Jimmy Carter made a televised speech telling any one watching to grow the hell up; few of us have listened.

Where does this leave us?  It leaves us with yet another false group of rebels backed by us and our leaders attempting to make "war" on those not involved with Islam.  Not to mention stories to be told to neo-luddites about the dangers of the internet; now it is the Islamic State that is the current boogeyman.  And, oh yes, fabricated stories being presented about kidnapped children and unwitting recruits; all of which is nonsense. 

We are being set up with another inside job; one that should cause much of the non learned world to cease thinking and be lead to their untimely deaths.  What saddens me is the proponents of this war are now those that 10 years ago were against this destruction.  Thus, I am concerned this inside job may occur.  Yet, it should not.  I know that I will be aware that what we are told is a lie.  Yet, as it always has, more will be willing to believe a lie than face the truth.

Before 2001 ended, I became more engaged with some important films and music that I feel have shaped my outlook.  There was one song post 911 which when I heard again during the Holidays I was weeping uncontrollably; for it described everything.  Uniquely, it was recorded 15 years prior.  And it was a Jackson Browne song; Lives In The Balance.

This potential false flag need not happen.  Maybe with enough knowledge, this may yet be averted.

Talk to you all later, and be well,

Robert