General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow can anyone with even a minimal awareness of Surveillancegate
not see that the Adults in the Room are doing everything they can to shut down whistleblowers and critics of the Establishment?
And that Establishment is a single coin with two sides. When the "D" side is up, peripheral policies are enacted so that things get a little better for gays, women & little kids, and when the "R" side is up, the peripheral policies tend to favor the fundamentalist authoritarian part of the Booboisie, but no matter which side is up, the core agenda moves along.
Social Security is at risk. The corporations tighten their grip. High-tech surveillance sends its tentacles around the globe like a metastasizing cancer, ultimately invading the brain of every human being on the planet. The playing field continues to tip. Money finds ways to accumulate more money, at the expense of all humane values.
Nobody except a few "fringe leftists" (who are carefully kept far from the levers of power) dares challenge the oil companies, the military machine, or the industries that support them. Keystone rumbles ahead with the blessing of the State Department despite the clear warnings from a few honest souls in the Department of Interior.
People like DiFi and Eric Cantor are, first and foremost, oligarchs, and only secondarily Republicans or Democrats; their party branding has about as much significance as the "flags of convenience" flown by the superships that bring Walmart's plastic trash from China.
Fire Walk With Me
(38,893 posts)Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)I'm with you, eyes wide open until the end of the roller coaster ride.
tk2kewl
(18,133 posts)We are not far from a time when dissent==terrorism.
When the climate and/or economy really tanks in the next decade or two, I fully expect Cairo's in the western world.
zeemike
(18,998 posts)This country is too well controlled and manipulated for mass uprising
They know full well how to keep us divided and fighting among ourselves for such a thing.
Vinnie From Indy
(10,820 posts)Cheers!
snooper2
(30,151 posts)And meanwhile some lucky folks at Motor Trend are burning the tires of a range of cars in this years Best Drivers Car of the year contest.
MotherPetrie
(3,145 posts)About, not consistency to core principles -- for some who are eager to defend what would be condemned if it came from/when it came from the other side.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)Pledging blind allegiance to a Person or a Political Party
over PRINCIPLE is alien to me.
My parents and mentors taught me that THAT was something that should raise Red Flags.
Historically, other cultures and societies have demanded that type of blind allegiance.
Historically, they ALL ended badly.
OneGrassRoot
(22,923 posts)G_j
(40,372 posts)N_E_1 for Tennis
(9,804 posts)Money aside, power aside, what and why is the real agenda that we are kept in the dark about?
Tin foil hat time I know.
But, really and why?
Then what the hell can we do? How do we fight back to regain the liberties we enjoyed?
Shedding a light on the problem is a first step, understanding is the second. I have no idea.
All I have are questions. I feel we, in this time, will have no answer. I'm too old to wait for the answer, I fear.
I will continue to support the "D" side of the coin because it will make life a little more tolerable than the other side.
Thank you for your post.
Nay
(12,051 posts)overpopulation, resource scarcity, etc., and they are putting the scaffolding in place that will control the masses sufficiently to avoid 1) their own overthrow, and 2) a complete dieout of the human race. IMO, the second reason is a distant second; their own safety is paramount. If you will be useful to them, maybe they will take you on as a servant, but otherwise you get to die with the rest.
They are building the apparatus while looting the commons. When the water wars get going, well, won't that be interesting? In WWII when America had rationing, everyone got ration stamps. My mother, who was just a little girl, had her own booklet. She was a citizen, so she was entitled to an allotment of the ration.
This time? Pft. Rationing will be done by bank account. If you can afford it you can buy it, if not, tough shit. Oh, we're talking about water? Well, if you weren't such a loser you could afford it. Tough shit for you, bully for me. This is the culture you get when everything is for profit, when things have more value than people, when greed is good.
"Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can?"
Personally, the way we've treated the planet & the other living beings on it, I think we deserve to be tossed into the evolutionary dustbin of history. Too bad we decided to trash the joint.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)most profoundly so in individual and cultural values.
JEB
(4,748 posts)The bulwarks of democracy have been overrun.
leftstreet
(36,119 posts)Fuddnik
(8,846 posts)Powerful truth!
WillyT
(72,631 posts)LWolf
(46,179 posts)If they have an investment in the Establishment, they aren't going to acknowledge anything that doesn't make the Establishment look good.
It's dishonest, it's immoral, it's unethical, it's hypocritical, and it's imbecilic. In my opinion.
onyourleft
(726 posts)...with your opinion.
AND its ALL over DU like that idiot who runs around naked at a football game.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)drift off to sleep. What I dislike about it here is that is shuts
down honest disccourse and instead a snark fest ensues.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Thanks for this ugly truth.
Arctic Dave
(13,812 posts)MisterP
(23,730 posts)acceptable discourse have been moved to deliberately exclude that, while the two parties fight tooth and nail to 1) make it seem like a choice and 2) generate content-free partisan fanatics to defend the system
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)I got an email from my state party chair this morning & glanced at it before deleting it. He had the temerity to make a football analogy out of Walker & Ryan, comparing them to "the Vikings and the Bears." It almost made me gag, not just because of his thoughtless banalizing of true evil, but because of the transparent "Rah Team Rah" appeal to "team spirit" at the level of sports fandom.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)DirkGently
(12,151 posts)Great post, though. +++
Summer Hathaway
(2,770 posts)Is writing headlines for FOX News your day job?
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)my NSA file.
Summer Hathaway
(2,770 posts)I think I got the info from Obama - he called me right after reading all of your emails and listening to all of your phone calls.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)I'm so flattered--I had no idea he was paying so much attention to Li'l Ol' Me. I was sure he had my case farmed out to some underling.
Summer Hathaway
(2,770 posts)I will never breathe a word of what he told me to another soul - unless, of course, there's a tell-all book deal in it for me!
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)You don't know anything about a fraternity party and an owl, do you?
Summer Hathaway
(2,770 posts)Actually, I do.
But I didn't get that story from Obama. I got it from Yahoo News.
As they say, there is no real privacy on the internet.
Really, JP, you are one very naughty (but highly creative) boy.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)You can not see that the Adults in the Room are doing everything they can to shut down whistleblowers and critics of the Establishment?
All you have is this BS for us? Calling JPR a fox news employee really does make you look awful. You should be ashamed of yourself. An apology is in order.
Summer Hathaway
(2,770 posts)DU has also lost its sense of humor.
No surprise there - I find that one usually follows the other.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)polichick
(37,152 posts)has yet to be tackled.
The old "vote them out" plan doesn't work when neither party works for the people.
WHAT NOW? is the question.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)markiv
(1,489 posts)it's the 'put them in' process that has the problem
bvar22
(39,909 posts)In many Latin American countries, their People have successfully wrested their governments back from the hands of the Global 1%
in near bloodless Ballot Box Revolutions.
It begins with "None of the Above".
The had one advantage that we don't have.
They have transparent, verifiable democratic elections in most Latin American countries.
We no longer have those in the USA.
Our elections were Privatized with the active support of BOTH dominant Parties, so we will have to deal with that first.
When the Working Class & The Poor realize WE have more in common with each other
than we have in common with the Ruling 1% and their Mouth Pieces in Washington,
THEN we can have "change" too!
Spread the WORD.
It CAN happen here too.
VIVA Democracy!
I pray we get some here soon!
You will know them by their [font size=3]WORKS.[/font]
polichick
(37,152 posts)markiv
(1,489 posts)boy, isn't that the truth
and i'm so tired of being scolded by those who are most concerned about those peripheral policies that i'm obligated to turn a blind eye to everything else and obediently vote in support of those peripheral policies
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I wish more people had asked that very question in 2006...
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)All we needed to do was elect Democrats in 2008.
Johonny
(20,965 posts)and don't see every move by Obama as a secret move to undermine humanity. A guy that violated the law went to jail. I'm shocked. Damn you Obama!
Seriously this is the democratic underground and while pointing out areas your disagree with party policy is common the tired two sides of the same coin is generally laughed at. Or at least it used to be...
Hydra
(14,459 posts)While demanding life in jail for Bradley Manning for exposing those crimes?
1 + 1 = 2. Pretty simple math going on here.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)Now they are all on a blog CALLED Democratic Underground...trashing ALL Democrats! Its like a coup attempt. If they hate the Party so much why are they still in the pool? Shouldn't they just throw their own?
neverforget
(9,437 posts)so confusing to keep up with the new meme
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)and then cannot understand why "everyone doesn't agree with them". It is entertaining I will stay that.
neverforget
(9,437 posts)Can you point out the words they use to display their hatred of Democrats?
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)neverforget
(9,437 posts)I've seen it all including people like you who start labeling people Libertarians and Anarchists because they disagree with your view.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)where were you when "NSA Humpers" "Athoritarians" etc. was being thrown around?
neverforget
(9,437 posts)VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)How superior of you! Good Gawd indeed.
neverforget
(9,437 posts)Do you feel regret or superiority for your view ie name calling?
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)neverforget
(9,437 posts)Libertarians or Anarchists? Is that adding anything by calling other people names?
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)over being called that?
at least try to write something half entertaining..it passes the time better.
neverforget
(9,437 posts)bvar22
(39,909 posts)Great last line:
[font size=3]"their party branding has about as much significance as the "flags of convenience" flown by the superships that bring Walmart's plastic trash from China. "[/font]
You will know them by their [font size=3]WORKS.[/font]
Catherina
(35,568 posts)kentuck
(111,111 posts)Great analogy! Their Party label is nothing more than a "flag of convenience". Very, very true.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Brilliant analogy, man! And, brilliant OP! Well and succinctly said!
Yes, "the core agenda moves on." I pity the folks who cannot or will not see this. It's just going to keep getting more and more difficult for them to keep trying to distract from, and paper over, the hard truth. The apologists for power can revile and mock those who refuse to go gentle into this dark night, but I'll side with those who'd rather die on their feet than live on their knees.
sw
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)against the dying of the light.
Hi SW. Been meaning to be in closer touch, but things got away from me this year.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Please don't worry about not being in touch - you are always close to me, whether we're in touch or not. And I'm always immeasurably cheered to see a post from you here!
sw
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)Always a delight to see one of yours, knowing that you have dropped another kernel of sanity & wisdom into the ferment.
Bonobo
(29,257 posts)They think they're eating a juicy steak.
chervilant
(8,267 posts)"Ignorance is bliss!" for good reason.
(Also, I see lots more folks on DU seeking the wisdom we're gonna need to weather these turbulent times -- so the sanctimonious snarks from the hothouse flower(s) herein above do not surprise...)
PETRUS
(3,678 posts)RainDog
(28,784 posts)enigmatic
(15,021 posts)in a speech called Mouseland:
AnotherDreamWeaver
(2,854 posts)Bonobo
(29,257 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,075 posts)Think there's no difference between the parties? This doesn't count?
www.democraticunderground.com/10023501371