To a friend re: #occupy

Dunno why I was surprised to see such a massive concerted effort to shut this thing down recently. There was the 18 cities conspiring together to "protect the protestors" by tearing up and throwing away their ****. But the thing that really surprised me was the echo-chamber on the left and the right attacking with all the means at their disposal. The memes launched in the face of OWS was truly awe-inspiring and disgusting. I suppose it could be said that all sides smelled the end was near after the coordinated attack that took place, but the sinister side of me suspects it to be evidence that blue and red, left and right, the political machine operates at the behest of a very privileged few.




There has been everything in the meme department from #occupybandname to spouters from both slants talking about how this movement could have been different/better.



And what happened? WE DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE! We're not going to go anywhere. We're not going to stop connecting. We are building a grand and new dream for this nation, and yes, we do presume to speak for you. It's simple though, if you disagree with something, just come down to your local GA and add your voice to the cacophony that's currently sounding the end of subjugation. We appreciate your opinion.



"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." - FDR



He said that because fear drives people to do things they don't think about. It drives people to hate and rage at the things they don't understand. What America is beginning to understand is that we don't have a way out. There is no modern-day emperor coming to lead us from the ordeal of being. We must find a better way to be because the old way is dying, and threatening to take us with it.



You can't just lump us all together as "hippies" or "druggies" or "whatever-ies" and cast us out of your group. We are you. Just like you. And we need your help!

Occupying a Democracy

After reading the article titled "Democrats take swipes at Scott" in today's Palm Beach Post (Sunday, Oct 30, 2011), by George Bennett, I was reminded of a few meetings and events I attended in the past, and few few notes I made on them.

I met Mr. Mark Alan Seigel at a meeting of the Democratic Executive committee earlier this year. I attended the meeting mostly out of a burning desire to ensure reasonable voices were being heard in these meetings. Though I did nearly become a delegate, I chose to remain independent due to my perception of the limitations being a delegate would bring.

I am not a registered democrat because the national democratic party wooed me with their slick political agility. I am a registered democrat because I agree to the premise by which most of the members of the party view problems and values.

This premise seems rooted in the idea that every voice should be included (no matter how difficult a political opinion their inclusion may produce). And, since I believe that all humans are equal in worth/value/opinion/etc... the appeal appears obvious to me.

The article mentioned above contains a quote from Republican Party of Florida Chairman Larry Curry, who alluded to Democratic "control of the House and Senate," with an assertion that the party squandered it's time in power.

To take the bait on that line is to follow done a well-worn path of realpolitik that serves to take focus off of the real problems being created by men in the name of "the people."

Due to the Filibuster, no party has controlled the Senate without 60 senators in agreement, and, unlike Republicans, Democrats don't always vote together the same. Party loyalty doesn't prevent representatives from including themselves in the conversation of politics with the interest of their constituents in consideration (drawing no intentional comparisons).

I agree with Democratic party chairman Rod Smith, that Rick Scott is giving dems a heap of help with his policies and ever present background issues, but I also believe the party should do more to highlight the strawman that is this "Democrats controlled the House and Senate" argument, and remove it as a political football going forward.

The accomplishments of this country in the last 2 years are fairly impressive given where we were as the horrid 2008 bled economic tragedy into 1st quarter 2009. The stat that gripped me in late 2008 was the second month of 500,000+ jobs lost (almost exactly 3 years ago to date, Oct, 2008), and the visualization of the collapse of a system of production and distribution. From Nov, 2008 to Mar, 2009 the US economy lost an average of over 750,000 jobs a month (source), which made many many more people sit up and take notice.

President Obama, in early 2009, said that our economy would fall short by $1Trillion in demand by the spring of 2010. We settled on ~$850Billion in economic stimulus and another ~$400Billion in omnibus spending on internal projects and infrastructure, which effectively stopped the 2008 bleeding.

The measures to bring our economy back from the brink of total collapse, though, did not fix the problems created by years of weak government and deregulation... not to mention 2 wars held in such close fiscal check that Billions of taxpayer dollars were literally given away, or "went missing."

The irony, of course, is that the party "in charge" while all of this was happening absolutely opposed all the measures to address the grievous delapidation in our economic structure and regulatory framework, and do to this day.

I hope that many more people, at least in Florida, are starting to sense a similar view of our recent history, and I'd bet they know the futility of trying to hold tightly to the previous world order, who's very nature requires one group annihilate another every few decades. And these people will not want to see national parties arguing over who got everything right or wrong, and who is most to blame for the global shift in economic balance.

We are here now. We can't go back to 1998-99, and we still need to manage the greatest nation on the planet... the fairest portion of the Earth... like responsible adults.

The Republican talking point of restoring some lost values as the means of bringing back the prosperity of a dead system lack appeal for those interested in paving the way for the future. The focus of our debate should lie in this resolution and beyond.

The Story of a Coup

I was all set to sensationalize the story I've been pushing on a few forums online: the Florida Prison Privatization deal passed by the legislature, signed by the governor and rejected yesterday by a Leon county circuit judge.

In my zest for raising awareness and mistrust for the governor of this state, I'd constructed quite the lame novella about corruption and greed involved in trying to make Florida's prisons privately owned for-profit facilities. Reality, all sexed up. (But I digress)

The truth of the matter is, Geo Group is a private security company who specializes in prison systems, and is a subsidiary the larger Wackenhut corporation. You may know Wackenhut from the security guards at your local mall, which will give you the wrong impression of the company in many cases (no offense meant to ethical mall security guards).

Wackenhut was started in Florida in the 50's by 3 former FBI agents, and has grown into one of the largest private security firms in the world. It got a mention in Jeremy Scahill's book demonizing Blackwater a few years ago.

I read the story of the judge's ruling in my local newspaper, but I should back up a bit.

The sensationizing I've been doing online has been in following a certain aspect of this case, ie former DOC chief Ed Buss. The Palm Beach Post reported on his "resignation" last August, and Governor Scott's attempt to keep Mr Buss from being deposed in the privatization case.

And from there, the stories can get pretty wild. (extrapolations)

But rather than try to paint some silly portrait full of caracatures, I'd like to step back and view this within a global perspective. I just can't. This company will have the ability to decide the fate and livelyhood of an unfortunately sizeable number of Florida's citizens if privatization occurs. I reject this plan for reasons beyond simple greed and corruption, or even sensationalized stories about them.

There should be no private islands in this state where Floridians aren't in Florida any more than the citizens of this state should have the dictates of a private organization forcably impressed upon them in any way. It is our citizens who should decide and have direct oversight of the housing of those of us who cannot understand the proper ways to live within our structure of laws and rights.

So when I see things like:

Buss also said in his deposition that Cloid Schuler, a GEO representative whom Buss knew from Indiana, rented a room at the same extended-stay hotel where Buss lived when he first came to Tallahassee in February, something that surprised Buss, according to his testimony.

and:

When asked if he expeced Schuler to be at the same hotel, Buss said: "Not unless he wanted to meet me. ... I mean, I don't know that I'd stay in the same hotel, but I bet they could stay at better places, though."

it disappoints me, because it's yet another case where the stain of the governor's past clouds the debate on this serious issue for the state.

The story of the governor's involvement includes a campaign fund raiser named Billy Rubin, who went to work for Geo Group after the governor was elected. This leads one to believe that Mr Billy Rubin either became the tie, or forged the tie between the company and the governor's office. (Shouldn't Billy Rubin be a health care lobbyist?)

But again, rather than taking that tired old road of beating on a man with a bad reputation already, I'd rather focus on the meaning of the law after he and anyone else involved today is gone.

moar to come

(wikipedia cites are taken as a given)

Clear and Present Anger

The television is your enemy!

That's the lesson I learned from watching the character Howard Beale in the 1976 film "Network," who ranted nightly against the evils posed by the televisification (TM) of a new class of humanoids. Beale was referring to people who've gotten everything they know from "that box," the television.

Nowadays the box blares on about this war, or that war, or the other war... about this tragedy, or that tragedy, or the other tragedy, and most Americans simply change the channel, or switch the "tube" off. It seems that either we have faith that someone will step in to correct the woes of the world, or we're sure there's nothing any one of us can do to help out.

The box carrying on about bad news someplace else is easy to excuse away, or ignore. That's what's so troubling about the ramping up of Mexican Drug violence over the last few years. It is someplace else, but not. Murder rates in Mexico, and all crimes in general have escalated year after year, showing no signs of slowing down. And, with the proximity to the US as close as any someplace else can be, I've started to pay attention.

As it turns out, a huge part of the power Mexican drug gangs wield is purchased with the profits of the sale of one particularly useful and popular "drug" called Marijuana. Estimated profits of the sale of Marijuana account for up to 50 to 60% of these organizations' total profits, which are in turn responsible for as many as 40,000 deaths in the last 5 years.

In this age of economic uncertainty over deficits and debts on a nation level, the US would be hard pressed to provide the kinds of resources to assist the situation, not to mention the lack of political will to put Americans in harms way on yet another front.

One suggestion, rather than fighting another war, was made during California's prop19 debate, in support of the measure to legalize the recreational use of Marijuana. It was made clear at that time (2010) that the revenues from the Marijuana sales were on par with those of other, more illicit substances.

This, in my opinion, is where one person can focus their efforts to make a change, and support the stabilization of our nearest neighbor to the south. As it stands, not only do 16 states already allow a monitored form of legalization, but cartels are actually using our own lands to grow the "drug" as well.

Upon hearing that Marijuana is one of, if not the leading monetary contributor to the violence that just recently claimed 52 lives, indiscriminately torched in a Monterrey casino... that the drug is not only legal in parts of the US, but grown here by these perpetrators, makes me as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore.

If you feel as mad as hell about these atrocities that are currently threatening the security of both Mexico and the US... if you agree with former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda, find out how you can help the effort to stem the flow of US dollars to people who kill with impunity. The brave can call their state or federal representatives. Others, check out NORML.org, or just write a blog or term/research paper like this one (or better). The more the word is spread, the more it will be heeded.

Who's OK with Default?

Today, I heard someone on The Diane Rehm Show refer to an interesting statistic regarding the debt ceiling debates. The guest said that 22 Republicans voted against raising the debt ceiling, including 2 Representatives from the State of Florida. Wondering just why someone would be so adamant about not acting to protect the "Full Faith and Credit of the United States of America," led me to consider the debate differently.

Why not default? What's it going to hurt?

In a short article by The Motley Fool, republished online by MSNBC.COM, fallout from a US default would likely include higher interest rates all around, higher commodity prices and the extension of 0 credit to the nation's 308,000,000 people. With these ramifications looming heavy on the American people, the thought of what they actually mean sheds a bit of light on the decision of the aformentioned 22 Representatives.

Since we're reminded daily about the fact that most individual Americans are in debt up to their eyeballs, raising interest rates would mean that those fiscally responsible people who've worked out their family's budget would see a stark change in the expense side of those equations. And, while this seems obvious, the prospect is actually difficult to come to grips with due largely to the huge task of reworking the house books.

With the vastness and darkness of the future this change represents, people tend to adopt a wait and see approach to the shifting sands, rather than beginning to plan for the horror the downside represents... All except for the 22 GOPer's and (presumably) those they represent.

So, why is it that these people would not be concerned about a rise in loan and credit card payments due to increased interest rate? One can only assume they have no, or little debt. I don't know this to be the case, but I wonder if the people represented by these 22 individuals share in the good fortune of owing so little that increases in interest rates don't concern them.

Next on the big scary default prediction list, higher commodity prices, also raises interesting and important questions about the represented. Of the general list of commodities there are too many products and industries to choose from in order to make a valid point, so I'll focus on just 2: Gas and Food.

Rather than search all over the world (wide web) for statistics on prices and production, the previous question begs a reintroduction of this one as well. The availability of gas and food determines the prices (along with a few other variables), so it seems the people least concerned about an increase in commodity prices would be those who already own the commodities, or the means to produce them. Off the top of my head I'd say land-owners, farming corporations and the oil and gas industry, but again, these are just hypotheticals (mostly).

Of the 196,000,000 drivers in the US, and 308,000,000 eaters, what percentage own the commodities they consume, or the means to produce them. Frankly, I don't know yet, but it seems a worthy question.

What I do know (or feel safe in assuming) is that they (the people who own the commodities and/or means of production) aren't housed neatly in 22 Congressional Districts. Just who are the people who lived and work in, say, Florida's 14th Congressional District, or Ohio's 4th Congressional District? And do they own a bunch of food and gas?

I'm guessing probably not, but the comfort to not fear these increases must mean something.

I'd continue on about the unavailability of credit, but even fairly well-off people haven't been able to get personal credit for a while. I wonder, though, if these hypothetical people who have no debt, and own all the food and gas in America, really worry about credit availability anyways.

So, to sum it all up, rather than be concerned about how these 22 Congressional Republicans could possibly be ok with our country going in to default for the first time ever, I'm more curious about the people living within their districts. It seems to me, unless they actually do hold 0 debt and own all the commodities, they'd be screwed just like all the rest of us living from paycheck to paycheck... even with an 8 month buffer.

The curiosity of the thing is what gets me motivated. Fortunately, the bill passed and the debtocalipse was averted. But, maybe we should be looking into these sort of anomalies just to make sure everything's on the up and up, or that we don't have entire Congressional Districts asleep at the wheel. After all, it's all available to be known today.

The Divinity of Truthiness

With the Nation-wide debate over the debt ceiling and the economy at large raging across the country, I figured I'd put my two cents in while it's still worth, well, two cents.

It's seems it's been the job of pundits and "experts" on ideological teams to classify exactly who is at fault during this debate, and who is the champion of "right reason" (right as in correct). The line of victims and perpetrators has been laid out, and depending on your personal world view, you have a clean path drawn for your fingers to point to villains and poor innocents alike. It's become so easy to tell who you root for and who you despise that we're collectively tottering on the edge of a cliff, feeling perfectly justified in our righteous indignation for "those" who are causing the problems.

So, what do we do when everyone's right and the problem still exists? Re-adjust our thinking and support people with real ideas for solving these finite problems? Nope... We turn to divinity!

Governors all over our country are meeting with religious leaders and calling for days of prayer for intervention in the debacle that men created by fooling the trusting majority, who counted on these "leaders" to keep us from having to make that ethereal 911 call. But with so many factions and entities to choose from, which agent of the divine do we pick for our heavenly national audit?

Well, of course there's Jesus and the big man in the sky (ala Zeus/Jupiter), his half-brother Mohamed, or the Hebrew father of them both, Yahweh... er Abraham maybe. We could lean east and pick one of the many Hindu gods or goddesses, but just who would be best suited?

Since, by the extreme percentages, around 135M people world-wide would physically assault someone for the words they speak about these entities, it's worth realizing, regardless of your personal beliefs, all these expressions, these apparitions, these deities, these examples of divinity... all these gods have power. People have proven themselves again and again fully capable of killing and/or being killed in the names of the divine.

Bearing this in mind, I propose a new suggestion. Actually, a very old suggestion. Ma'at. 

Ma'at "was the Ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice." In the grand scheme of things, a little Ma'at could go quite a long way. This deity is depicted wearing the "feather of truth" in her headband, and basically called things like they actually were.

If you dance near a cliff (to continue a metaphor), Ma'at says there's a chance you'll fall off. If you smoke cigarettes (which I sometimes do, sadly), Ma'at says there's a chance you'll get cancer or emphysema. If you do something that increases your risk of calamity, Ma'at says there's a chance you'll experience just such a calamity, and rightfully so. That is the way the universe works.

Now I know that very few people even know the name Ma'at today, but that wasn't always the case. The whole Egyptian empire (millions of people) knew her well for nearly six thousand years. Even with this day's population, on an individual basis, I'd bet as many people have channelled Ma'at through time as have any other idealized figure.

Based solely on the concept, though, it's hard to argue that having our society focus on the truth of our situation, thereby marginalizing the spurious sales pitches, wouldn't be a good thing.

The facts as I understand them are these. Around 3M Americans over the past 30 or so years have set a system in place whereby they make extremely vast sums of money, largely at the expense of people who don't know what they are doing. They made sure no one knew what they were doing so well that many of them couldn't help in the current fiscal situation if they wanted to... which most don't.

The giant wealth factory that is America has been shaped and shifted to funnel the results of the average person's lifetime straight back to those 3M Americans. All the value. All the worth. All the savings and security oozes ever so unnoticeably from the embattled to the jackals who've spent so much time and effort making permanent changes to the rules of the house. (Duh, winning)

I call them jackals, but they're really just people taking advantage of the board they set up for as long as they can. More the problem now, and what could use the benevolent help of the Ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, are the pitch-men selected for there ability to talk for hours and not say anything. Our politicians.

All sorts of descriptions get tossed around when discussing this class of individuals. I prefer unscrupulous, but then I've known a few in my day.

They will brood for hours, days or even years in order to come up with a way to say that a yellow bucket is green... and they do it so well they convince half the country it is so.

And, as always, here's where the factioning comes in. Our national conversation goes from whether a bucket is yellow or green, or whether 3M Americans are now holding more wealth (without creating jobs) than some 290M other Americans, to whether or not two dudes should be able to get married, or whether anyone should pay any taxes at all!

Politicians have tried to make this a battle over ideology, but it's really not. It's a battle to control the public perception of "truth." The people with the money have hired a giant PR firm calling itself a political party to sell the American public on the idea that they're supposed to want to work until they die for two weeks vacation a year and a flat-screen.

My revolution in thought is simple. I don't want to work for a robber-baron or a central government. I just want to work the with people around me to make a stable and secure world for my children and all the children of the world to inherit. That starts in the void left by lust and greed. Rather than being greedy for a personal wealth, I'm eager for the well-being of everyone... after all, many hands make light work and we've got a job to do.

Identity and Reality

I have the suspicion that “getting on board” with a philosophy and “buying in,” literally, to show support has less to do with the money or time one spends involved with an activity, and more to do with the power of having real conscious men and women focusing on a better world. There could actually be a special pride ('spe-ci-al like species, not 'speh-shul, but I might be making that word up) in us that can charge forth out of the ruin of what has both never been, and always was the common goal. There's one planet. There's one species on the planet that has been able to illustrate their notions about the wobble with which our spinning rock revolves around the Sun daily, and there's value in that. We have acquired tremendous means of destruction to defend against the perpetual enemy of the future to no avail... we die anyway. What if we stop acting like our children will have a different world to live in than we have? What if we acknowledge reality instead... Primary Source Reality.

I say we stop making decisions that affect the one and only planet we all have to share into the future as though the realities of those choices are inconsequential. I say you who tell us lies for the sake of money should feel the shame of doing so only as long as it takes for you to tell the truth. I do not blame anyone for making poor choices. I will simply choose not to rely on that one source alone.

What is of utmost importance to my idea of the way I'll teach my daughter about life is not that if she were to try hard enough she could be absolutely perfect to everyone around her. What is of utmost importance is the fact that nothing anyone has ever tried, or ever will try has ever been a failure. Lives are never lived in vain, we just find more consistent expectations. Thomas Edison remarked that he hadn't failed a thousand times, but had “... successfully discovered a thousand ways to not make a light-bulb.” That is my philosophy of life experience as well. If I want a better world, I've got to live to my ideals within a broad reality. The only way the coming generation will have a chance at living in peace is if we truly believe that it will happen. Then we may more easily allow ourselves to openly and honestly discuss identity and reality. As long as glaring tribalism, or nationalism , or rugged individualism ignores the sameness of our planet's life systems, the relative ease with which one may understand much more fulfilling philosophies of life fades into that selfsame ignorance.