corporate media

Orwell Rolls in his Grave is a documentary film well worth watching. There are many interviews with former news producers and contains a wealth of information that I will have to review.

Somewhere in the 55 minute area is a summary of key legislative events such as the repeal of the fairness doctrine in the Reagan administration and the deregulation of media in the Clinton years. Min 51 covers the Powell Memorandum and the rise of the neocon think tanks.

history review

It good to revisit history from time to time. Todays lesson concerns the second amendment and the civil war. Here are the top five causes of the civil war, perhaps.

There is some indication that the second amendment was written to enforce slavery.  Crazy shit, huh?

It's another esample of ignorance.

  Sheldon Adelson shouldn't escape the consequences of his actions. They're simply criminally traitorous. that's that

cheat to win

The GOP is now on record admitting that their gerrymandering efforts succeeded in subverting the popular vote of the American people.

Sheldon Adelson



Could this be the best of all possible worlds as Leibniz thought and Dr Pangloss professed? If you do you best, perhaps it can be.

We're Not Broke so don't believe the shills. Click on the trailer it's got a groovy soundtrack...

 

I didn't realize there is an inequality.org, but I'm wondering if the spirit level folks had anything to do with it....

The Richard Wilkenson TED talk has some startling statistics within....

 

On another note, the plastic island in the Pacific was in the news again. Communondreams published a piece about it and you can find a variety of videos on the matter if you care. I always like the TED talks....

and then there's the groundwater.....fracknation.com provides us with a video....

Fun Stuff

I thought WhyDummies Want To Forget The Tea Party Ancestry was pretty entertaining so I thought I'd share.

Finally, finally I embedded something.
Hi, I'm a Tea Partier is worth a watch too.

A well regulated militia

The gun debate is raging once again after the kids were murdered in school. Wyoming lawmakers are flirting with legislation that could help seed another civil war like the secessionist fringe in so many states. Too bad that they're blind to the wisdom and open mindedness of Jonathan Haidt.

Take a good look at the second amendment and you'll see, "a well regulated militia". It seems to me that a well regulated miltia is profoundly absent in our country. It seems that we should work to rectify this unfortunate neglect.

A well regulated militia could provide the systems to ensure that responsible citizenry are provided the right to bear arms while criminals and mentally unstable people are denied access to weapons of mass murder. It's not rocket science, just common sense.

The war on terror misused the National Gaurd by using it as a reserve active duty force. That abuse has undermined the faith in the US military to conduct honorable service and contract.

A well regulated militia could provide any responsible citizen with military training. It could be free professional training for any citizen in good standing to learn proper firearm practices. This would be provided as a public service without any obligation for military duty. People could progress into more advanced traings such as the use of ordinance or heavy weaponized machinery. This would provide the country with a greater potential reserve force than present. 

This system could also help with the nation's obesity epidemic. The National Militia or American Militia could also provide a venue for physical training and martial arts.

Strict controls would be part of this system. Only citizens in good standing would be permitted to utilize these trainings, but all of society would gain. Responsible citizens would be more empowered while criminal elements would become hopelessly out-classed, out-manned and out-gunned.

A robust civic education program should compliment this new American institution along with psychological evaluation processes. Veterans could be utilized in these efforts and may be aided in the process of reintegrating into civil society which is grossly neglected by present systems.

Censored

I forgot about the format of IA blogs. It was something I practiced for a short while. State the problem amd explain how it came to be, then give the solution.

Chris Hayes reminded me that some of the most important stories are those that are never covered by coporate media and then I found a link to Project Censored thanks to Thom.  Global Issues popped back onto the radar screen with a search concerning media coverage and the media. There's just so much to keep up with. While corporate doesn't have the will to properly inform us, there are those who think science policy is important and those who would like to save the planet.

Truth Out tells a story about a Transnational Capitalist Class that are waging a subtle war against the rest of us. I appreciate the presentation by Dr Phillips. 

If we're going to solve our problems then maybe we should listen to Jonathan Haidt explain how we can all cooperate. It's one of the best talks I've seen on TED. It's a must watch. 

Class War

We The People have been loosing the class war. Thank goodness Thom is fighting the good fight and using his talents to help inform us all.

Compact for America looks more like an assult on the USA. They're pushing for a balanced budget amendment which might seem like a good idea if you're poorly informed and they are working hard to keep as many as possible mis-informed. A big clue comes about 3 minutes when he says we have a spending problem and not a revenue problem. I guess he doesn't know the history of tax rates in this country.

If you'd like to know why a balanced budget amendment is a bad idea, you can read this, or this, or this. Need any more?

Tea Party 3.3

Saving Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam needs your help. If you are a true patriot you will honor your civic responsibility and respond appropriately to this call to action.

There are poisons in the body politic and our country is sick. We cannot cure the ills until we correctly identify the causes of the disease.

Every President, Congress-person and soldier takes a solemn oath that they,

"will protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegience to the same..."

There is presently a large group of persons who are domestic enemies of the state. Some of them are aware of their sedition, while others are not. There is also a great deal of confusion among the general populace as to the true nature of that which threatens and undermines the well being of our country.

Anti-government sentiment is a poison in the body politic. Those who demonize our federal government act in opposition to our good fellow countrymen and the spirit of the constitution because our government was founded to be a government OF, BY and FOR THE PEOPLE.

Grover Norquist appears to be an enemy of the state and is well known for having said, "I'm not in favor of abolishing the government. I just want to shrink it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

Don't let Grover and his henchmen drown Uncle Sam.

The Koch brothers have been exposed as men who seek to undermine the spirit of democracy by using undue power and influence for the purpose of their personal financial gain. They were instrumental in the formation of the modern Tea Party who are highly misguided.

We true patriots have an opportunity to help our misguided countrymen to realize the error of their way and to restore the proper understanding of a profoundly important event in American history.

The Boston Tea Party was really an anti-corporate protest. The British government gave unfair tax breaks to the East India Trading Company while heavily taxing independent importers. Why else would they throw the tea into the harbor? It wasn't just because taxes made the tea too expensive. The logical thing to do would be to steal it or to just not buy tea. It was the Tea Act of 1773 that upset the colonies. The British government gave big tax breaks to the big corporation. That was the straw that broke the back.

If there is to be a modern Tea Party with integrity that is true to history and the spirit of revolution then it should be a populist movement opposed to the collusion of government and corporate interests that benefit a few at the expense of many. This could be accomplished by forming The Tea Party 3.3 This third incarnation of the Tea Party can then overwhelm and subsume the perverse Tea Party that is part of the present dysfunction of our political system. The Occupy Movement is the logical base to mobilize and call to arms. The new initiative will have renewed focus and purpose. We will Move to Amend and occupy corporate media centers until the true story of The Boston Tea Party is undoubtedly clarified in the minds of all Americans.

The demonstrations should be timed in accordance with significant historical dates. April 19, 1775 was when the shot that was heard around the world was fired. April 19 should be a good day for massive protests. The Civil War began on April 12th...perhaps the 12th-the 19th of April would be a fortuitous period to get the message out.

July 20, 1969 was the date when the first man walked on the moon. Neil Armstrong said, "We came in peace for all mankind". This would be another good date for planned protests when we can come together in solidarity and peace for all mankind to liberate one another from the inadvertant tyranny of corporate malaise. This date could be the most significant because the USA ushered in the new order of the ages and we are largely responsible for building the Frankenstien-like monster of multi-national corporatism that is an affliction to our newly global world. We have the opportunity to rectify our transgression and restore our role and dignity as the leader of the free world.

Guns

There's quite the debate about firearms and the second amendment these days. Lets see what the data says if we can seperate it form the commentary....

An article from the British claims to look at the data but you'll have to look for yourself.

The Violence Policy Center throws out some significant statistics.

The Brady Campaign is tring hard to bring sanity to the madness.

The National Institute for Justice tells us that two-thirds of gun homicides are of spouces.

Just Facts is a little more than just that, but definately deserves more scrutiny. Questionable....

Futures Without Violence is trying to raise awareness...but is all of this enough?

A CNN opinion piece is worth reading concerning the forgotten victims.


 

Litmus test or essential insights or civic cirriculum, whaterever. The point is that one should have an adequate knowledge about a subject before offering or advocating positions and actions concerning those subjects. Some of my personal favorite include:

Taxes

Corporations;

Money, banking, economics and finance

The Boston Tea Party

Firearms and the ATF

The realities of the USPS

Forbes published a fun page that enables one to scroll through a couple of decades of the wealthiest. In 1983 there were just 13 billionaires. Today there are more than 1200. How has that happened? What are the implications?

Not only are a small number of people obscenely wealthy, corporations have made more money than ever. The Business Insider helps show these trends. The Heritage Foundation tells us we're all doing better. ...it's a nice piece of propaganda.
 

Tea Party 2.0

We all know that our political system is broken and the 112th Congress had the worst approval ratings in history. The bigger and broader problem is that the American public is as much a part of the problem as the politicians. So are the monied interests that have and are corrupting our systems and spreading mis- and dis- information campaigns. One of the great example of this conflated mess is the Tea Party.

We all know that the tea-baggers were manipulated by people like the Koch brothers. Supposed populists led by an elite.

It makes me wonder what they think of organizations like Homeward Bound or if they support Asheville Homeless Network or Westen Carolina Rescue Ministries that seems to be working a Goodwill type of model, but maybe helping homeless people.

Yeah, I foster a dog, but what do I do for people?

Look at the number of non-profits here in the USA. It's a lot. The Non Profit Times claims that the number is declining. Whatever, there are still a lot. How do you decide to support?

We might want to finish with a little bit of humor...

Intergral Activism makes it easy to get the biggest bang for your buck!

A crisis of conscience

I suffer from a crisis of conscience. I suppose it began in childhood. My parents often encouraged my to do what I thought was the right thing. It drove me nuts. I was a kid looking for advice from the wise elders. If I knew what was the right thing to do, I wouldn't ask for advice. It certainly helped me to think for myself though. It instilled a strong and rather unique sense of morality that took a long time to mature and is still evolving.

I went through a decade long and very intense spiritual search in my late twenties and early thirties. I still have a deep appreciation for Buddhist philosophy and cringe when it is refered to as a religion. I tend to dislike and distrust religion, but consider myself a spiritual person. That is a subject with a story all it's own that I will tell in another time and place.

The Eight-Fold path served as a powerful koan for me for many years. I have spent countless hours contemplating what proper perspective, proper concentration, proper effort, etc. means in the modern and secular world.

I eventually found my way into the Integral subculture of Ken Wilber and became rather zealous in pursuit of greater understanding of the Kosmos. There was a lot of discussion concerning the nature of enlightenment and the best way(s) to get there. I eventually became disenchanted, disappointed and discouraged by Wilber and his cadre of luminaries. They hardly seemed like relatively enlightened beings to me. Wilber himself said that all growth could be neatly summarized as a growth from selfish to selfless, but they all seemed to be very self-serving to me.

So I found another koan to contemplate for another decade: What would an enlightened person do today? What would a Jesus or a Buddha do if they walked the planet in these interesting times? I still haven't found anyone who fits my criteria for an enlightened being, but I will point toThom Hartmann, the person that seems to be most inspired to tell the truth and work selflessly for the greatest good of all.

contemplatingcPart of what drives me is the appreciation for the life I was given. I was born into a wonderful family in one of the richest countries on this planet. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to lead this life of privilege. I am well aware that billions of people are far less fortunate. I am also painfully aware that the well being of this biosphere is great peril and that many ofthe gains of civilization are at risk of being lost. It is a love of life and the wonders of nature that have brought me here to this crisis of conscience.

It is the crisis of conscience that drives me to labor to build Integral Activism.

The Deficit

There's a lot of talk about the deficit, the national deficit and what to do about it. It wasn't long ago that we had a budget surplus. What happened?

Take a look at this or read this from TPM...what a surprise

We shouldn't forget to follow the money behind the voices of those arguing about what to do.

The con in conservative

It can be both entertaining and informative to consume conservative media. I get a kick outta Jack Coleman and can't really figure out what his game is. I'll have to dig deeper into these News Buster propaganda pieces. Don't waste your time with that link though,unless you're really bored.

Here's something worth spending a little time on...ourfuture is important after all.

Extinction

I don't want to become extinct, but I will. There's not much I can do about that, but I sure as hell would like to help mitigate the sixth mass extinction that seems to be underway.

There is a 6thmassextinctionmovie that you might want to check out. Discover magazine published an article about this and they seem to indicate that there is still hope if we act properly. actionbioscience.org has an excellent and conscice page on the subject. livescience has a good entry too and I suggest that you explore the links listed below the article.

It took some digging because I forgot the title, One Planet One Life, but that is one of my all time favorites on the subject.

Here's a youtube video....I wasn't aware of speciesalliance.org but you know I'll be advocating for them.
here's another sixth mass extinction video found on youtube...

Personally, I love animals and if you do you might want to watch Super Smart Animals from the BBC

here's a good entry into the sixth mass extinction video library....and here's a super short one from scientific american....

Class warfare

We have often heard the Republicans speak about class warfare and wealth redistribution. The truth of the matter is that they are waging that war on behalf of the wealthiest people. It's time that the poor and the middle class started fighting back.

It should prove helpful to reflect on the history of taxation in this country, particularily concerning the top marginal tax rates. I'll provide one that I like because it includes personal inome tax, corporate tax, and capital gains tax rates over a long history, but please to feel free and search and research these rates for yourself.



I'm not sure how that turned out so I'll make it easy so you can just click here, here or here for further reference.

As you can see, there has been a large decline in tax rates for the wealthy over the last fifty years. You may also notice that tax revenue has risen at a much lower rate than the GDP. Where has all that money gone? Not to the middle class and not to the poor.

The truth of the matter is that wealth is being concentrated into the control of too few. Many statesmen have warned us about the dangers of that. It's the inequality stupid argues Mother Jones.
How many billionaires were there 40 or 50 years ago? Click here to view what's been going on. You should also note that there are more than 1,000 billionaires in the world today. Many of those people feel that they have more in common with each other than they do with their fellow country people. Chrystia Freeland wrote an article published in the Atlantic if you'd like to read more. Here's just a bit from that article, "According to the economists Emmanuel Saez of Berkeley and Thomas Piketty of the Paris School of Economics, between 2002 and 2007, 65 percent of all income growth in the United States went to the top 1 percent of the population."

Considering the present situation, I don't think it would be unreasonable for the 99% to rally for a 55% or a 60% top marginal tax rate on the wealthy. That would certainly be less than historical rates 50 years ago. Perhaps we should ask congress to restore the tax structures of the 50's or 60's.

Let's go back even farther and review the Boston Tea Party. Few people today seem to understand what the Boston Tea Party was really about, perhaps you are one of them. Now is the time to get the story straight. The truth is that it was an anti-corporate revolt. Here's a video if you're getting tired of reading....it's the first I've heard of a coffee party. It doesn't have the same pizzaz as a tea party so perhaps we should try something different....how about a tea party 2.2 that might realign the first misguided bunch. Maybe a little schoolhouse rock will help, but I doubt it. Maybe Thom can help, he does his homework. I sure love Thom. He tells us secrets and informs us so well.

Conservative Myths has added content and now has a page concerning Rusticus. So now I wonder....how do we duplicate the good works of the Sons of Liberty and Rusticus? Could we plan a day when many of us post blogs and hang pamphlets and posters on doors....December 16 doesn't seem like a great day to rally comtemporary Americans who will be overwhelmed with the holiday season....hummm, wht to do. It is nice to see though, that Encyclopedia.com has a proper entry about the Boston Tea Party. Good job people!

Wealth and Democracy is another book that I'd like to get my hands on. On a side note, there is a bookswap website, cool! The author is supposedly a Republican. If that's the case, he found a way to reject the con in conservative.

Okay, here we go....lot's of links....

The Case Against Billionaires - thanks to Thom Hartmann and his newsletter....

Article: "World's 100 richest people got $241 billion richer in 2012" by Bloomberg News.

Article: "Who Got Rich This Week: A New Billionaire" by Edwin Durgy.

Article: "U.S. Could Enact More Austerity Than European Countries In 2013" by Travis Waldron.

Article: "Here Is the Full Inequality Speech and Slideshow That Was Too Hot for TED" (Nick Hanauer).

Video: "Hartmann: 1%er - Tax me...I Don't Create Jobs ".

Article: "Essay: THE FUTURISTS: Looking Toward A.D. 2000" by Time.

Article: "The wedges between productivity and median compensation growth" by Lawrence Mishel.

Article: "CHART: Typical Hourly Wage Went Up Just $1.23 In The Last 36 Years" by Laura Pereyra.

Article: "Corporate Profits Hit Record High While Worker Wages Hit Record Low" by Pat Garofalo.

Article: "How Rich is Too Rich For Democracy?" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Scrooge & Marley, Inc. -- The True Conservative Agenda" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "The wealthy are 288 times richer than you" by Tami Luhby.