VIOLENCE AND SELF CONTROL

Being involved with family violence control puts me in an odd situation.

I have avoided physical fighting my whole life. Childhood became the most significant influence on this. My father had told me, and I took it as holy law, that you as a guy, do not strike women. I cannot say that my older sisters and I did not have shoving matches, but for me that would have been self defense. Our family dynamics was heavy on the mental sparing which can seem actually more devastating.

The physical violence in our house was later done, after my mothers death, by a step mother-guardian. She would not hesitate to hit, throw objects and threaten with knives. She sent my father to the hospital with a big gash across his forehead. I slept with the largest kitchen knife under my pillow as a self defense plan for a knife attack while I was asleep. She had hit me in the face while I was asleep, then locked me out in the snow in my pajamas. My father committed suicide not long after that.

Earlier I had incidences when someone seemed to be threatening my life as a freshman high school. I was literally about 100 lbs. and someone morbidly obese around 500 lbs, held me under water to near drowning during pool time in a crowded pool. He had done this more than once. It became so serious to me (swallowing-inhaling watter) that I thought I would have to take matters into my own hands. One more time, and I was going to put him in a headlock with my legs around his neck and hold him under until it meant something. I was a totally inhibited kid and did not trust authority to do anything but blame the victim. So I had to weigh in my mind, possibly causing someones death and being called and treated as a murderer.

As it turned out, he never did that again. But I was sure it would have been me to blame and I would have felt I had no options in my own self defense. No one seemed to notice him doing this during the pool commotion, so I believed no one would accept my story. It just never came through to experience. In physical confrontations during boyhood, I found I had to keep the potential for rage out of me, especially since I had no doubt that I would take down someone twice my size. It took someone quite a bit larger and older to overcome me. I was afraid of my rage and how if unleashed it would seem out of my control.

(As evidence that I am not just delusional about this strength proclamation. When it rained a lot during physical education, outdoor activities were called off and we were put into the gym, we freshmen and the sophomores, to have a thing called “bombardment”. This is where there are two sides chosen, a line across the middle of the gym, where the two sides throw rubber balls a little smaller than a soccer ball at each other. Out of about 150 students divided in two, little me was one of the last picked, last or second to last.

Well the first game I discovered that being in the lower 10% in size had me a bit afraid, so I hung back as many did. All it took was the guy next to you ducking and a ball out of nowhere taking you out, while leaving a big red mark somewhere. I decided to risk all and take it to the line next game.

You could see most of what was being thrown up front. I found out I could catch any-ones ball thrown at me, but no-one could hold onto mine. I was also very accurate. I won that game. The last guy standing. I was picked second of all players next game. The team first picking, picked his seeming best friend first, so I was first on the other team picked. The next game was the last. It oddly ended up being me the last standing on my team, and a very out of shape guy hiding and dodging in the corner on the other side when the period ran out. I could no longer throw fast enough to eliminate time for him to move. That is how little old me was as a skinny five feet two.)

TRUTH VS ADVICE

What I just said I cannot say to someone involved in family violence. As far as physical violence goes, I do not hit women. I have told ones who gave me any actual physical provocation that, “If you do that again, we are over!” I do not tolerate fighting, especially in the home relationships. I try to avoid physical confrontations with anyone. Now that I am a “senior citizen” I find you are not seen as a threat overall, or there is a kind of automatic respect. Most of that sense of being on guard is much diminished now. I take peace as my way and it path is most often open.

I have found that emotional abuse has prove a bit more difficult to not take part in, compared to a sense of law that one just never does such a thing. I grew up that way, making fun of someones mistake or being ridiculed. It is then a model of behavior I have had to contain and reverse. To do that requires a will and an understanding of the Golden Rule or Categorical Imperative. I need to establish the sense that not only does “what goes around comes around.”, but it is already damaging my life. Abusing others in any way is profoundly self abuse.

I need to see (learn to recognize) when I am treating another like I would not wish to be treated, and immediately review what my self respect or control problem really is. We are often given the information from another that we are on some kind of attack and they becoming defensive, or initiating their own retaliations.

Still, when expressing guidance to someone, it will often fall flat if it is preached or describes as something I am so above, and can’t understand how someone could do such a thing. That fits as a key with very few dysfunctional programs. I have to speak out of and through my own life, the love in your heart has to be in it, to be a gift expected to have a chance at being received.

PROGRESSIVE OR REACTIONARY

In some ways I have described political tactics and ways of manipulation. All manipulation is in some way an abuse of the truth. Its vibrational disturbance will not go unnoticed, except perhaps, by like minded dysfunction. The same situations and rationalizations that come to effect home life are used in the greater life of our world. Even if everyone does it, doesn’t make it right.

We will find manipulative arguments covered if various guises meant to hide their intention, and instead, be represented as your own interest. Fear and insecurity are great hiding places for manipulative interest. Optimistic vision can also be used as a trick to catch someones interest, then later prove to have been a ruse. We need to be both critically minded on the one hand, and have our heart held out open in the other. True adults can do this.

The upcoming election seems to be being based on fear and insecurity vs. hope and optimism, both of these being held as paramount in differing ways by the candidates. I am not saying that we are not justified in having these inclinations. What I am encouraging is the “true believers” and the doubtful to have their wits about them. As citizens and voters, it is up to us to determine the fact from fiction, the hidden agendas from the promises of safety and security. For power will seek to inject its corruptions into all areas of life if let be.

We each are freedom, love, and truths best and last hopes. Better to stand with understanding under their tall light, than the ignorance that festers in the shadows of misunderstanding.

HILLARY, BARACK OR NOT?

It is still a contest, is it not?

Well. I expect the campaign to be “tough” in that we get to lie and make up things here and not be held accountable. We also have the opportunity to vote and have our ballots thrown out. So what is this debate all about?

If Democrats are that foolish to not vote for their parties nominee because it is not the one they like, you will get what you vote for. In some respects karma is instant, whether one knows it or not.

What goes around is already past you. No need to wait for it to “comes around”.

If democracy was done under officially in 2000, and we just let it happen as we did, we get what we got; more lies, manipulation, unaccountability, incompetence, media afraid or on the “mightier” side of money making bottom lines, just like in a dictatorship, only self stupefied, since we were kept in the dark by our own imposed ignorance of information access and power advantages. Oops I got off on a rant.

IF IT IS NOT FAIR AT THE FINISH LINE, HOWEVER, IT IS NOT A DEMOCRACY

I say let them debate and maneuver all they want, if its a cheat, they are cheating on us. If we cannot take the heat of debate that is fair, don’t get into the frying pan. If we as a public cannot tell what is valuable and important in debate from what is not, the shame will be owned by us. If we vote for someone who is even less on our side just because we feel the other one in “our” party didn’t treat us right (even on just one topic!). Once again, we will get what we got coming.

Why not get a thorough view of how they handle conflict, discord and the trials and tribulations a conscious president would need to face daily in the Chief Executive Office? Oooh, they are bickering, I’m going somewhere else. Well, mighty big of me, oh mature voter. This is an opportunity to learn important distinctions in behavior and response that will be coming around in the actual world. Let’s have a little thanks for that, and not buy into various soap opera narratives and scenarios constructed to confuse the issues into one of negative division. It is a campaign. Hello!

It has been an amazing thing to watch poll number change on cheap shots and under the belt punches. These will be the same ambivalent group that would switch vote because they dislike how someone laughs. “My gosh!” as ‘Rummy’ would say.

It is not the candidates who need to rise to the occasion. It is us.

The days of reckoning are coming. We will see if the public is pushed to one side by the usual fear ticks, or the incident card still capable of being pulled by dictatorial-imperial interest. We will also see how easy or not it is for democracy and critical thinking to be erased from this, its once nearest stronghold.

Whatever the case. It will actually be, what we as a once conditionally free people, asked for instead.

To the interest in either party who would vote for the opposite in spite. Get a grip. Grow up. Even form a third party or more and have the others bargain for your votes.

In that case to work, we should become a real democracy and require a majority, not a plurality to win the presidency. Anyone for growing up?

CIVIL WAR HEROES OUST PREDATORS BEHIND CULTURE WARS?

{As during the Civil War, our nation is under an attack from within, but who is the adversary? And will it be the haunting of the ghost of heroic fallen Americans that drives them from their predatory feeding grounds? If only fantasy’s were true.}

(”I am not a crook!”) SINCE NIXON, the rise of stupid think builds a tower to heaven.

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I am thinking of taking conservative out of my tags. No, not particularly upset from a challenge, but getting tired of out of context idiocy being pushed around as wisdom, let alone patriotism.

I’m not linking to the post out of good taste, I am not including a trip into the mind melted mud pit. The conservatives I speak of are so brainwashed (stripped clean of nuance, ambiguity or honest introspection’s) and heart impaired, they would only see in my words, a porcupines barbed arrows quill stoke of ignorance, to even consider anything valid of mine held in their views reality. Or so I assume, may I be wrong in that.

I feel sorry for people who say things like, as I paraphrase; ‘McCain is out meeting world leaders, the Dems. are arguing, so not being presidential, equals, McCain knows how to meet leaders and be presidential.’ Context down and out for the count!

Holy Crap!

One campaign is over currently, for all intents and purposes known, another not quite until someone says uncle, or hangs on even if damage continues to add up. Kinda like the last presidential 7 years. Then, so by right wing standards; even the Dems. are being presidential, a decider who never owns up to correction, right?

When you’ve been wrong all along, while many thousands of lives have vanished, and many, many more are devastated, and your campaign is more of the same. But oops you forgot who is who and who is doing what and if the talking points of old are still, if ever were true. After all that betrayal of honesty, forthrightness and lives, and freedoms most basic premise, that truth be our guide, not doing that honest work is doing the work of the president? Correct answer!

Good enough for some.

And we wonder how we got here!

ANOTHER ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM. HOW MANY CAN FIT IN THERE?

WELL, AS LONG AS THEY ARE RENDERED INVISIBLE…

Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac.

~George Orwell

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Here is something to add into the mix.

Probably, if you are an allegedly average citizen, most all your news will be coming from companies that are for imperial ambitions, owned by just a few. Frankly, they want the money to sustain their lifestyle at everyone and everythings expense, (especially discarding factual context grounded in an objective attempt at reading history), the same as many other imperialist dependent Americans, or any of humankind’s other imperialist now, or of history.

Their cognitive dissonance is that easily traced. So any old reason will suffice for being the case in that skewed or spun context; suitably presidential. If reality be made up then, of deception and diversion, then so be it. It is about what works in grandios theory and not what is truth. Here then, is the means of creation of the manipulative arts and sciences of Orwellian doublespeak.

They don’t mind deceiving to get you to be fearful enough to sacrifice reason for ad hominem fear sown security blankets. They want you to become a vultures best friend. A scared and half decaying status quo monkey, critical thinking ability impaired, rotting rights to be picked off, useless and consumed for fears command. You need to be a cowards errand boy or girl. It is easy to lead the blinded by fear, especially the blinded and thought impaired by poisonous delusions of right, who only admit wrong as coming form not being “hard” enough. This observation comes from well over half a century of conservative self grandeur thrown constantly in front of my own life to walk over to get to honest reason and truthful analysis.

If you are suckered into might makes right, too bad how wrong you can be, yet will never own up to it. Instead, you seek out like minded and heart twisted conformist to bond to an illusions base of separation and alienation. Denial and blame are constant conservative companions, their right and other right hand. We live in their constant exhaust, which they have come to call the truth; “just check the facts! No not those ones! These!”, all conveniently laid out with emotional wind vanes attached to nearly every phase.

It is a known fact; that repeat a lie long enough, it will appear as the truth, and remain so generally, even when proved to be false. And may I add; the lied to, bonded by identity to the deception, will carry out crusades to expose their now opponents seeming callus disregard for the facts. All done with no further attempts to understand nor justify actions by a review of objective realities beyond ideological borders. They will write emotional songs and pleas of honor and glory endowed by the abstractions that now only they believe they care-take.

CONTINUOUS MISSTATEMENTS SEEM VALID BY REPETITION

To think of the travesty of all the propaganda and jingoist patriotism the right wing feels all superior about. And worse still, how the young, faithful and aspiring are so easily seduced by biased sources at home or in the compromised medias of society. It won’t pay the bills of the growing ranks of the poor. It is poor comfort to the tens of thousands of families now touched by the damage to their own blood kin by the fight to control oil reserves, now blatantly suggested as cause enough for the taking. (Our economy or corporations access to resourses=nations vital interest.)

To those who faithfully serve our country, we can be proud of them all, no mater how mislead and deceived our nations defenders are often kept. But our freedoms stand even taller, for those who speak the truth to power as they say, as so many of the brave returned and maimed have had the courage to come to grips with the factual context they had been put in. They are heroes twice, compared to the stealthy mud of the propaganda machinations of defensive pro active defense=offense, still maintained by some as a just and honorable cause. Even under the false label of guilt put upon them, they speak as free women and men, because the hold a Cause Higher than so called loyalty’s to propaganda instead of truth.

To these who dare to step up to a Higher Cause even amid the accusations and ill will directed toward them from the mind blanked conformist and indoctrinated, who are kept too afraid to speak truth for themselves, or form a contrapuntal question. To these who risk it all again after having answered the call to serve us, still to rise in risk to serve us again, either in battle or to stop the never ending rationalizations for more war as good. To these our nation is forever in debt, but not as a nation of bent over sycophants and rights inhibited shivering go alongs, but as proud Americans. Proud to still, for a while, speak their truth before being hauled away to internment camps, authoritarians are always holding as a co-opting veil over freedoms real face, the one in your mirror.

While the next “conservative”smirking one (who was then being presidential by the post referred to definition?) chants an old tune to; bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran, as if it were another insultingly inhuman joke expected from right wing country clubs and gathering hole think in knots tanks. His pandering to the most callus and convoluted opportunist among us is surely the quality we have come to know in being presidential. And that itself, is what may well be causing what is wrong with America to its very core.

When making war and its carnage is material for humor, someone is pandering to the astoundingly inhuman monstrosity in someones dysfunctional state of being.

When pushing lethal buttons, joking about looking under chairs for WMD, singing little tunes about bombing our fellow humans; where kids, mothers and fathers not even for a war cast on them, will be maimed, aborted, tortured with deformities, and missing family for the rest of their lives, while all breeding more hate and resentment to us the victims to be. When this is the kind of leadership some seemingly worship as the saviors of what is good in America. I know in whose hearts the terrorist have already won. And whose soul will be covered in blackness for a few coins of gold.

I can see why they want to hide from the flag draped caskets of the fallen they keep from our sight. I can see why they hide the truth, with blood stained out of context facts, of who was the threat to us and how the ball has been so horribly dropped with corruption, gross negligence and incompetence. I can see after being seemingly constantly wrong, their loyal foot-soldiering sycophants of conservatism, lacking of conscience and connection to humanity itself, wed and thread wrongness to their very cause. Calling poison purity, and madness, sanity.

THE BLAME AMERICA (BLAME AMERICAN LIBERALS) FIRST CONSERVATIVES

I give thanks to the American founders, that the freedoms degenerating under our very watch, were once intended to not perish from this earth. They knew not the danger within would organize to disown the founding vision, until a Civil War was fought and won. That the public is increasingly now held knee deep in deception, and questioning, how being free of thought and mind, would be called aiding the enemy:

That attacking sovereign nations without proof of cause, which they founders abhorred as anti the American Spirit, would be, with the failed fourth estate, let to stand as honor, adorned with parties and joke filled toast and good times, titles and decoration. That the nation of conformity that has emerged, cannot even know what is or is not torture, nor if torture is dishonorable, defensive or breeding of more of the same to be turned upon itself.

IF FREEDOMS HISTORY ATTACKED THEIR PREDATORS

The founders would, if they could, scratch out of coffins. Overturn gravestones, march as dust risen into bodies of the memories of noble and true deed in the name of independence, storm as a front to Congress and the White House. Joining them would be those who died for freedom; the nearly countless hero’s who could not pass on their heroic nature to the nation due to war itself. These would raise the rust off of bayonets. Throng the institutions of power to out the chicken hawks and corporate stuffed wig socks all white and clean in white washed corruption. Driving out those filled in pomp and propaganda, bleaching out the constitution for one more penny.

The bellicose enablers of the new emerging tyranny would scrabble down the hollowed steps to their waiting limos. For these whole classes of leaders with nary a one with child on any front line, these would spirit away with their shame running even in front of them, and their legions of conservative fawning fear mongers, and sell outs of responsibility and accountability. To their fearful provided estate hideaways, protected by guards and the states own defense they have stolen.

The gray and the blue fallen would join hands, march through hotel halls and plush suburban enclaves. They would pass through the walls themselves, to herd the lobbyist(*) and other sell outs of democracy for coin. Perhaps they would raise up the ships of fallen heroes, to pack the golden calf worshiping cattle off to colonies where these predators and opportunist could feed off themselves, to come to understand the vile alienation’s of their nature, hidden behind flags and forsaken sacred books, as if those would ward off the karmic justice already eating away at their souls, by being aiders and abettors of separation from the Love of all Life. What goes around will indeed come around.

The very thought that joking about death, war and torture and the reasons for same, are now “presidential” is tantamount to calling a golden calf God; and tears, a crown of thorns and a spear to the side, a good sign for buying stocks in a good fall harvest.

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*Those bidding for special privilege and access to the commons for their own profit.

THE FAKE ARGUMENT (attack and run)

THE FAKE ATTACKS

ARE REAL!

It is meant to deceive, but seem as a revelation. One needs to first be aware of the “feel” of disingenuous reasoning. Barack Obama, in particular, is now up against bloggers and pundits who give their ad hominem ways, away. But J.M. and H.C. are targets of such attack as well.

When your argument uses an opponents middle name, but you do not use the middle names of other candidates, you are leading the argument out of reason. One post on my tags today, quickly set up its game plan with this manipulation.

If you are going to use one candidates questionable associates (or genetic or family history) as evidence of some grand conspiracy, point out how the others, in comparison, do not have questionable relationships. Accuracy as an aspect of fairness, denotes what an argument is made of. It is that simple.

The facts are, that all of the current crop of candidates have associated, one way or another, with people who have their own fascist like beliefs. Like it or not, Americans have beliefs that span the spectrum of political and religious notions. One would need a miracle shield to always have avoided all of them, or who could seem unsavory in a certain light. That is a reality, to put one out of it, is fakery. Someone you talk to does not also translate as to being your brain, heart and soul if you come into office.

Cartoons, and manipulated or out of context photos are used by many sides to depict their sides choice as wholesome or otherwise cued to their interest, while the opposition is treated unfairly by image perceptions skewed to the presumed negative. If this is how I chose to see the choices, I am at the mercy or propaganda disguised as fact. I might have a right to think whatever I wish or believe it, just does not make it the truth. I can be quite sure to be some bit away from truth if I am easily influenced by ad hominem associations.

WHEN PASSION TURNS TO POISON

I put this out there for everyone to consider, to let some know how pretensive an argument can seem when it is built on the above charades, or cardboard card walls. To those who couch opinion in suspicion and specious reasoning while never owning up to what the truth actually is; you are both easily debunked and simple to see through by the manipulative mechanisms you chose for standing in for proof or truth. You count on the deception staying hidden. Hit and run, is the moral and ethical ground you are, by association, implicating to your own side.

The object is to scare people so fear overrules reason. I must then wonder why you chose a path where truth checking will meet the most resistance? Why critical thinking is the last thing you seem to intend to have about your own ideas presented as the way it is?

What is the truth about manipulative campaigns designed to disguise actualities, and present instead, slanted opinions masquerading as truth? Campaigns have psychologist, focus groups, some “think tanks”, linguistic experts and whatever else will allow them to present language in ways that make their own candidate seem more close to you than the others.

The easiest way to generalize and focus campaign expenses into the most bang for the buck is to use manipulative technologies because they work if not brought into the light. They can even have an impact if the light comes on too much after the attacks damage has been done. We see tactics in use meant to turn a persons strengths into impairments by negativising the context of those strengths. “Swift Boating” tactics seem to have now become a crutch campaigns rely on to smack their opponents in the leg with!

SO WHO IS REALLY SCARY?

To manipulators of mass deception, their greatest fear is pure inspiration. They live in a subconscious horror that their ruse will be seen through, rejected, and honest truth take its place. The “vision thing” is feared for being the uniting element it could be. Manipulative politics is about both dividing and controlling for ones own agenda. You may well notice how the whole of society is generally not inspired directly by an impassioned vision that includes everyone, not just in abstractions, but in heart-full wisdom. We have candidates who at times plea to their base in these ways, but not so much in ways that include everyone. That is the dividers nightmare.

Here is to seeing through both false and selective vision, to seeing how united we have to be to address the issues of our day. Here is to lending an ear to anyone who speaks to the needs of the whole, above the biases of their base.

IMAGINE IT!

VOTING?

No matter your religious, racial, ethnic or philosophical beliefs and lifestyle, ancestors or your group, even Native Americans, have fought to save the nation.

Now that is something, given all the talk that so many of us do not deserve the gifts and responsibilities of our country for one viewpoint or another. And yes, many pacifist served during wartime as medics. They were the first to be called when you got hit and sometimes died on their way to you or your father, or grandfather.

Imagine that a headache, or that apathy, or ambivalence, or lack of desire or motivation for whatever reason, has some of us sit out our chances to have a say. To vote, even if it is to help move the nation one molecule towards where we feel it should be. Many lives were and are being lost, just to give each of us that chance, and we seem to be losing it.

We better make sure voting counts and leaves a trail to reality and not manipulation.

Imagine. There are traditional interest that hope for low voter turnout; some hope rural voters don’t turn out and others that city voters stay home. In recent elections, we have votes unverifiable, some interest interested in stopping those living here, in a democracy, from voting.

At the local level, some bond and other special issues that do not pass during “major” elections, are passed on off prime time elections, because they rely on the low turnout, presumably the bond issues supporters getting their say in. I sometimes am for these issues, but that does not make the low turnout right!

WE TRUSTED YOU WERE NOT COMING!

How can it even be that when you go to vote there are not enough machines or ballots? Imagine, that is not likely just an oversight. One party or interest is benefiting from the turn away by frustration, or questionable provisional ballots. Is this what we have let democracy devolve into? I have seen ballots of mine in the past, where there is not a straight line to the candidates box or oval. How can that be? You still might have to double check just to be kinda certain the mark is at your choice.

Does it cost too much in ink to have a line go to the right spot? Imagine, that is no accident, unless we are being ruled by complete idiots and fools. Oops! Wrong suggestion! One thing one can always count on when it comes to tripping elections; opportunist are clever and often manipulate below the radar.

BUT IT IS SUCH A BOTHER!

Imagine it! “I’m not going to stand in line to vote for any of these jerks!” Or. “I just got my hair done and am not going out in the rain! It would make it curl!” I hope we cannot imagine these things as reasons to let predators take over the leftovers of our Democracy, picking over the lives of all who gave their all for our privilege to be here and have a say.

Take your chance. Say it! Don’t imagine it. Or that is what we will be left with–an imaginary democracy.

THE ERA OF THE CANDIDATE SURROGATES

THE TWILIGHT CLONE

We now enter sideways through scratches on tainted windows, past slashes of sunlight that leave the scene inside be-speckled to its murky corners. Alas, one thing comes creeping through the air full of dust lit debris; it is the era of the candidate surrogates.

We will not actually know why they say so and so is so; and so the other one is better. The reference will be all about name recognition of someone supposedly stable, and well reasoned of character. Being that they know so much more about it all than us. Words are to believed as being sensible and particularly sane.

If we stand back, we might make out the scuffling of back-lit teams. Some speak of special experience relative to their favorite, while the other side says the reasoning is specious, drilled through and through. Filled with nothing more than the substance of tubes full of worm castings.

Most learned professionals in their fields, albeit often hired punditry and of good patronage, will demonstrate in most sober and reasoned language, how completely fallible the other one is. Indeed. It will conclude there is hardly a true comparison to be made. But how mistaken so many of us seem to be, for being just too naive or taken in by excitement, or novelty.

Sophistry at its most sophisticated will attempt to sway your interest with well placed insecurity issues clothed in murky facts and conclusive innuendo. Even some liberals will be provoked to side with a more conservative host, since, at least conservatism seems to be a more certain known.

Fear works its magic though vibrating strings of mistrust, its music residing unfaithfully between two ears. Words seek us out from multiple directions, or is that dimensions?

So which so is so?

I don’t rightly know.

I am a mere victim of both my past and the medias unknown and at time unknowable accomplices, party to a competition for the image of someone other than I, but alleged to be on my side, or not.

My only advice to myself; chose who seems most honest. To do that, I will look back at what they said and did. I will compare them in the interest, not just of my place in life, but the whole nation and world.

It will take some scrutiny, this outsider check for honesty, and I will most likely not let you know who I decide is more truth telling and trustworthy in my said requirements. For you have your own chance to compare.

But I am afraid my emotions regarding contradiction, and bias masquerading as secret agents of covert fact, will prompt me to declare:

That is dishonest and I know!, because I know the experience from my own, well, taste of my own dishonesty.

Beware, out there in the jungle of misinformation, the surrogates are on the lose, and we are their oh so willing prey.

WAR OF THE WORDS: whose will you follow?

It is happening as usual.

Who is for what?

Who is the opposite of the other ones?

Who is lying?

Who is being proven false to their words?

Who has the experience?

Who has the right kind of experience?

Who does not have the wrong kind of experience?

Who is hard enough?

Who is too soft?

Who is trustworthy then?

Who is to be feared?

Who is promising what I need?

Who is saying what cannot be delivered?

Who believes in what?

Who is inspiring?

Who is fooling who?

Who do you think you are?

Who will actually make a difference?

Who has not a clue?

I do not know who I am to ask these questions, but they are being asked day and night.

Words will be the weapons. They will be used to dig trenches. They will be used to throw tar whether true or not, the stains will stick. They will be laced with images, making the words grow into realities, whether true or not, and the perceptions may stick. Words will be taken out of context, packed with explosives, then delivered to the public at large, possibly leaving damage beyond repair for some.

Words are, come election times, mine fields of unique impact.

We are entering that dimension of time and space, were the normal is suspended more than it normally is. We are called to spend extra time in words. And if we do not connect the dots as to the intentions behind those words that bombard us, to form our opinion in one or another direction. Who will be the fool?

As the Who (old rock group) once said; We will be fooled again!

I hope you did not believe me there! I believe they said the opposite!

We won’t get fooled gain!

But with all the questions that will remain unanswered.

Who is really hopeful that truth will be served?

WITHOUT MONEY–YOU ARE CUT OFF AT THE WAIST COME ELECTIONS

TRUE

We no longer have any guarantee that our vote will be counted= not a true democracy

There is no fair platform for the consideration of governing principles= not a real democracy

The fourth estate (implied above) has no need to consider the poor or disenfranchised= no democracy

If is fair to say that volume and repetition, can load ideas to one side while seeming balanced= undermining democracy.

It is about money and how our future will be as servants to those interest, and not those of the Bible, the Constitution, or any Bill of Rights, or whatever your high ideals are grounded in, be you conservative, liberal, libertarian or from that great middle of nowhere.

Either we understand the pollutive effects of our attention diverted by moneyed interest upon our own consciousness, or we pave the way to you know where. All with outstanding intentions, or just ordinary fear based greed.

Insecurity feeds the mother of all deception. Ignorance impregnates her with offspring who are the carriers of darkness. There lanterns seeming bright as hate. Illuminating negative pathways, convoluted and leading to the the way of persecution.

Where am I walking?

BLIND TOURIST GUIDES OF DEMOCRACY

Who are the blind tourist of which I speak? They are the one issue voter tourist, the special interest voter tourist. They are blind and being lead by the same, to the cliff of democracy voting tourist. Their vote is that next step off of what we might call the free (relatively that is) individual.

Their political, and thus social and constitutional myopia, is so severe, just one issue determines who they vote for; the man, the woman, the tax cutter, the balanced budget promise, the one who chainsaws, the one who looks like he prays with our crowd, the business man-woman one, the one who poses for pictures with someone who looks like my kind of friend, the one who has a dog like mine, the one who smiles a lot, the serious looking one, the one my favorite interest group endorses, the one the paper says is the best. All these and more are the blind tourist guides of what is left of American freedom, liberty and collective responsibility. Those essential ingredients of a true democracy.

Issues that are presented to us by a compromised media are not the only issues facing our nation at all. Amazingly, as I write this, the first vote counts are coming in from Florida’s Republican contest. These come with one interest only caveats; McCain will benefit from the ex military living here, Huckabee by the evangelicals living there. What a way to make a vote choice? If we remain about how many interest our country can be divided into, well, there is the recipe for conquering. How in the world am I a responsible citizen if I only will vote for someone who, lets say; had the same job as I? Where is the ship of democracies lighthouse? It is in you.

I receive some replies to my post that mention; ‘Well I am voting for the one who, (fake issue) who washes its own dishes after eating. Anyone who does not do that is not worthy of my vote.’ Another proud American opinion with a cloth wrapped over the eyes, pin in hand to chad dangling tail on the donkey-elephant. Spun several times, then pointed forward into the abyss.

We have issues so fundamentally relevant to the value left in our supposed democracy, that being willingly guided by our pet issue is tantamount to surrender to whomever you like; the monarchy, the communist, the fascist (same as corporatist), the theocracist, tag the authoritarian/totalitarian one, cause that is what we will find at the bottom of the ledge, shatter boned and numb dumb struck.

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

It was once said that money is the root of all evil. There remains insight in that statement.

It can lead us to greed and envy, a sense of lack and neediness, a feeling of failure or euphoric entitlement. Kept just poor enough, and we have no time for discussing the sell out of the fourth estate. With empty pockets and bills to pay, I can have no time for musing over whether my vote is being counted at all. Working two jobs, when does one have time to read past the newspaper or the news show? Aren’t they covering the news?

And oh how I can resent being taxed, when someone seems to be getting something from the government that I had to work for! I resent it no matter how rich I get. Seem to resent it more and more the more I have. How easy a mark I am then, for anyone knowing how to take advantage of my money ideology all wrapped up around my eyes and life. How simple for them to point the way.

HUMANKIND BLIND IS AS HUMANKIND BLIND DOES

If we do not comprehend how money influences our views of the world and ourselves, we are indeed in the dark. We are then the prey buried in the sand, blindfolded head not knowing what the little bites are. The rope that lands near us is of the one throwing the noose around democracies neck. When pain is so close, it is even more tempting to grab the life line, later to find; I had been fooled again.

So vote your gut? Not at first sing of unqueasiness. Listen to the candidates code words; are they a conglomeration of special interest or a more inclusive vision? Do they seem capable of doing what they say with a passionate heart, and not the Kremlin kind? Does their plea to you go beyond asking you to open up even to those you would rather not think of? Do they do this, not when just holding your pocket book as bottom line, but holding your heart to heart, to care for other lives? Are they trying to keep you in perpetual fear? If so, you will so be kept blinded to the light and afraid.

If you have no time to do these kinds of reflections, search in your communities for someone(s) who might be willing to enlighten you. At least that is a start to return back up the legacy of what has been eroded under our watch.

Find the time to care about the value of your vote before it is just considered, as a president once said; “Stop throwing the Constitution in my face. It’s just a g-d- piece of paper!”