Layers

Greetings good citizen, today's post is an examination of the 'structure' that facilitates tyranny, a method developed during Monarchy that allowed royalty to 'spread the blame' for widespread oppression.

Needless to say, every time you add a 'layer' of government, the ones underneath are suborned.

So instead of 'uniting' Europe under a single government, the EU 'superceded' the now, er, 'irrelavent' governments the public was allowed to participate in electing.

Imagine a 'world government'. How would we choose that leader?

Or would he be 'hand picked' for us, as so many of today's heads of state are? [The monopolistic control of the media by the capitalists ensures that no one seizes even 'nominal power' without first having their 'loyalty' tested and cemented to the status quo.]

All it would take is one 'loose cannon'.

Our Betters have already promised us that they wouldn't allow another 'class traitor' like Roosevelt to come to power.

How's that affect your confidence level about the upcoming presidential race?

Yet while your doing your utmost to hold you nose and pick one of the two [or not vote altogether] Our Betters are already establishing a 'shadow government'. One you have no say in and one that has the power to override the legislation passed by you're elected officials (exposing them for the 'sock puppets' they truly are.)

Which is to point out there will be no escaping the 'monopolization' of the economy. There will only be one source and if you don't like the price/quality, DO WITHOUT!

Remember, these people aren't like you and me, they aren't 'slaves to money', they already have more than they can spend, they don't 'need' more. You do? Well, too bad being you!

Naturally you vow to revolt but the ones who are fearful of losing what little they have clung to (usually at great cost) will continue to bow and scrape so they can hold on a bit longer.

Here's a message to the shrinking violets out there...FREEDOM COSTS and the longer you wait to protect it, the more it's gonna cost! [Sadly, in terms of lives lost/human wreckage that the fat cats could care less about.]

UNDERSTAND: THEY KNOW 'you' won't take the 'apologies' of your elected officials 'meekly' and they're ready to order troops to open fire on your protests [to teach you who is really in charge] Don't worry, all you need is a crowd and the 'violence' will happen, even if none of you starts it.

If nothing else they know how to 'choreograph' a news segment.

You'll only find fleeting clips posted on the internet [taken down almost as quickly as they're posted] of the gunning down of innocent protestors.

So once again I admonish you, DON'T PROTEST IN THE STREETS [without being HEAVILY armed...and preferably, armored!] You're probably gonna die anyway so do the rest of us the favor of not throwing your life away on 'useless gestures'.

If you're gonna fight, fight!

What are you fighting?

Let's travel back to the 'original' revolution and peek in on the John Jay's...the 'father' of American juris prudence.

Ol' J.J. was a 'true believer' when it came to the principles of capitalism. Especially the variety that was customized to fit 'the Protestant work ethic.'

History tells us little of Mr. Jay [largely because his contributions to the revolution were so 'miniscule'.] He 'copied' the basics of *British law and re-labeled them American...(what did we revolt for again?)

(*Remember, Britian's conversion to a parlimentary style of government came AFTER 'the colonies' revolted.]

He is also noted for ONE other thing and only one.

He expressed this rather unpopular opinion, which is why Mr. Jay is more 'infamous' than famous.

He said,"Let those who OWN the land, RULE the land!"

Which is pretty much the nuts and bolts of British law [ownership is 9/10ths of the law.]

How ironic 90% of the founders got burned in land grab scams...go figure? You'd think they were buying fiefdoms...

Thinking may not be your strong suit but it sure looks like our 'liberty lovin' founders had something else on their minds once the shootin' stopped.

But the 'victors' write history and they also get to pick and choose which parts are 'glossed over'.

The words 'World Government' sticks like a bone in the throats of people around the globe [mostly because the models of government currently in use are deeply flawed. Enacting ANY of them on a global level would amount to suicide on a massive scale [with the 'victim' being freedom/personhood.]

Sensed but not widely understood is the current movement to eliminate the individual's influence on the circumstances they will live out their lives under, choice snuffed out by an all consuming monopoly An 'unbridled tyranny' if you will where only the rich will be 'free'.

They'll grind your bones to make their bread, not because they have to but because they WANT TO!

We may not understand the 'rich' but assuredly THEY understand us! You want more and it's going to have to come from them [because face it good citizen: everything worth 'having' has already been 'spoken for' in this world of ours and 'having' is what makes rich people rich!

If you interpret 'having' as 'owning' the people who control money...

Try to imagine your worst nightmare, good citizen, a 'global mafia'...[with nukes!]

Sort of puts the whole ball of wax in a different light, eh?

Now do you understand the need for this 'global government' to remain in the shadows?

Should also cause you some pause when you reflect on what's coming and what you'll have to give up to survive it.

It's a double-dipped Hot Poop Sundae with Jimmies!

Make no mistake about it, you'll eat it AND Like It!

Some of you are thinking, 'how bad can it be? If we hold out long enough we'll wear 'em down, things will HAVE TO get better! [Tell it to the Haitians! They've been waiting 500 years for 'salvation'...]

Which is to point out they can remain inhuman a lot longer than you can remain patient.

Worse, failure to protest is defacto 'acceptance' of your circumstances...so consider wisely before you put 'freedom personal' on the chopping block. [That said, have no illusions, they won't hesitate to kill us all!]

Is your children's future worth the price of 'a few' being so rich they can't spend it?

Life isn't easy and believe me, nobody 'asked' for this [although I blame the 'Greatest generation' for not punishing the banksters when they did it the first time...now they're back and we have no way out! [Except the path I have shown you.]

Sort of comes off as 'self-serving' when put that way but I get 'nada' out of A Simple Plan except the same thing everybody else gets, 'freedom/personal!'

If that's not enough then we don't deserve to survive as a species. [Yeah, I get to write that cuz it's MY BLOG!]

If I didn't think we were worth it I wouldn't waste my time...despite that naging suspicion I am, wasting my breath that is.

Oh well, Lucky for you I've got nothing better to do!

Thanks for letting me inside YOUR head!

Gegner

PS: A little 'self-serving' yet again but if you like what you read, do a starving writer a favor and buy (one of) my books from Amazon.com

My collection of short stories is sure to tickle your funny bone as well as your sense of awe...and it's only $.99!

100!

Greetings good citizen! Today's entry is the 100th post on the Futurist and in breaking news, some wingnut has a developed a flying car! It's [at the moment] slated to retail in the vicinity of a starter home. You'll also be obliged to obtain a pilot's license and follow FAA regulations...so we're still a few lightyears miles short of the 'hop in and launch' concept that the original flying car promised.

If you have to go through all the hassle of becoming a pilot, why would you buy a vehicle that [probably, don't know for sure] doesn't perform either task well?

I have no links so you're gonna have to look it up for yourself [Gegner doesn't have the wherewithal to put himself through pilot's school never mind buy a second home with freakin' wings!] so my curiosity is less than 'burning' but a friend of mine (who does fly) insists the product is in development.

And this is the 'disconnect' most of us dreaded when flying cars were first proposed. We thought GM, Ford, Mopar AND American Motors would all come out with their own 'competing versions' of their earthbound 'flying chariots'!

While you might expect to pay twice as much for a car that did both, it would be worth it!

Understand, even a Piper Cub is capable of doing 120 miles per hour for a sustained time period, something you wouldn't even want to attempt in your average passenger vehicle for a variety of reasons.

Then there's the freakin wings. It's gonna be a pretty strange looking contraption because you're going to have to haul the wings (or propellers) around with you when it's not rigged for flying.

Naturally, Futurist's past thought the wings would be 'retractable'. Sadly Physics gets in the way. Supposing the design favors flight (the car's body would be as aerodynamic and LIGHT as possible...sort of minimizing the protection level afforded by most ground vehicles) you would still require a wingspan roughly twice the length of the vehicle!

Worse, reduced wingspan needs to be offset by increased horsepower/prop thrust!

Which is why I'm of the OPINION that a 'compromise' vehicle will be a disappointment in both departments.

It won't fly well AND it will be a bear to park! If the wind is blowing hard enough it may also affect the vehicle's stability on the ground.

Until we conquer gravity, good citizen, I think 'flying cars' will remain the objects of fancy they've long been!

Switch mental gears with me as we examine an old phemonenon with a 'new name' Agnotology!

I refer you to today's Some Assembly Required for a link to the article on Barry Ritholtz's site explaining the origins of this new term.

As old as civilization itself, the practice of 'attitude adjustment' via 'obsfucation' [muddying the water, creating confusion, then pointing to the confusion and crying 'Panic'.] Well the only thing new here is the word, otherwise it's the same old, same old and due to our staggered level of development, people keep falling for it. {with the sad rejoinder being 'MOST'.)

Look at Trump's unlikely candidacy. He's telling the none too bright what they want to hear, which by no means is even an indication that he intends to DO ANYTHING about it! But they're voting for him anyway.

Sadder still, this subset of the electorate also comprises a component of the Never Hillary crowd...a movement more popular than she is, apparently.

Still the public doesn't notice [just how unpopular the non-existent party's candidate is or that their party no longer represents them! How 'disconnected' can you get?]

Which brings us back to PT Barnums observation, about some of the people and all of the people when the most important part of this exercise in armchair demographics is 'most of the people'.

You can, repeatedly it seems, fool most of the people most of the time, and woe unto us for that!

Athiests are firm in their disbelief while 'Agnostics' profess their 'doubt'...and that's all it take to overturn a conviction, doubt.

Altruists often stick it to you with their 'hidden agendas' and so it appears do the spreaders of 'doubt'

Leads us full circle to the Devil's so-called 'greatest achievement' of not so much 'convincing' people he didn't exist but sowing the seeds of doubt was all it took to produce the desired result!

That said I have no truck with 'Spirit in the Sky' nor his 'evil' alter ego, like money, both are 'human constructs'. So do not take this as an endorsement of the Devil or belief in it's existence.

You have more important things to concentrate on like how you're going to save you and yours from the superstitious peasants that surround you...

Remember good citizen, United we Stand, divided we PERISH!

Thanks once again for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

No way out (cont'd)

Greetings good citizen, my proposal of 'One people, One world' is reflected in the flip-flopping surrounding the Brexit vote. Unity is good but only as long as it serves the people, all of them, not just the greedy few.

The Brexit vote comes in recognition that the Euro-Zone is a scheme intended to funnel the, er, 'wealth' of Europe into the pockets of the 'usual suspects'.

So the question remains...how do we unite as a people without the 'powerful few' (The ones who control those who make/enforce the laws) robbing us blind?

The answer is obvious, we need to kick a thousand years of 'legal precedent' into the dustbin...and their badged and robed monkeys along with them.

In order for our species to live under the true 'rule of law' we must first have a say on what the laws should be!

Naturally Slick Nick will pipe up with, "that's an easy one, how about no laws at all? We're all upstanding and honest people, we'll police ourselves!

Mr. 'Freedom personified' is not your friend. He would like nothing better than to dupe you into paying him everything you earn for the rest of your natural days with there being nothing you could do about it.

Ah, Freedom! If there is one thing we've learned over the millenia it's that the 'altruistic' can't be trusted.

I do not make these [seemingly] 'idiot reccomendations' out of the 'goodness of my heart'. The only thing I'm after is a civilization that works for everybody! A place where nobody will be anybody else's 'income stream'. [This goes a long way towards shaping the kind of life you'll live!]

The proverbial 'pursuit of happiness' if you will, in as much as finding work you enjoy brings you a life you love!

The principal difference between the new way and the old way is we would no longer allow others to determine/enact laws we had no say in crafting, we would remove the position 'legislator' from the duty roster and banish it along with that of Judge.

Let NO MAN make their living by being a professional 'interpreter' of the rules we all must live under. [So, yeah, you can take your law degree and do what you've been tempted to do with it since you got it...]

Understand, good citizen, it all starts with '$' and the only way to eliminate the influence of money on human affairs is to alter the 'nature' of money.

Simply put, all cash would be eliminated. Money would become digits in an account, erased as you used it, added on payday and only on payday BECAUSE the ONLY WAY to get money is to WORK FOR IT!

The individual's ability to buy and sell would be prohibited. You would still 'trade' your pay for what you desired at the 'store' (which would now sell EVERYTHING!) And when you died, your money would die with you. [When you 'spend' your money, NOBODY gets it. It is simply erased because Mother Nature doesn't have a CASH REGISTER!]

When you start examining some of the 'realities' behind the myths we are taught to never question you can only marvel over how STUPID people are! It really takes your breath away!

Let's quickly tick off the basics and the problems that would be instantly remedied by switching to A Simple Plan.

Number one 'new law' would be the human anti-exploitation law, the real 'emancipation proclamation' for all humans! This wipes out the employer/employee and the landlord/tennent relationships. Replacing these fossils of 'inbreeding' would be a 'ladder of skills' that once mastered, ALL would climb as high as their skill/ambition would take them.

Putting an abrupt end to the global unemployment problem...the other end of curing the unemployment/poverty/hunger problem is dropping the retirement age to 50.

Not that you'd 'have to' but being able to draw your social security [which is guaranteed to be enough to live on] would enable many of you to change careers without taking a major hit on the head financially.

Life as we know it would be divided into skill groups [Nothing new; all we need do is use the Standard Industrial Codes already in existence!]

You'd work for the division that covers your 'specialty' with many divisions requiring the services of certain specialties across the board...but again if you were a secretary for a construction outfit, you'd report to the local construction division for re-assignment, should it be necessary.

Your 'old job' still exists, chances are, for the time being, your old boss would still be your boss, the difference being that like you, he won't own the company. [Meaning he gets a paycheck too.]

'Choreographed' across the calendar, different levels of different divisions would test for the next level they're qualified for on an annual basis...ending the 'working for the incompetent, forever' syndrome.

It will take a couple of decades to smooth out the wrinkles in the testing procedure, and while that's happening there may be some mighty unfortunate outcomes but nothing ventured, nothing gained! (and if Boo-boo 'tests well' but turns out not to know his anus from a hole in the ground, it would be fixed by awarding the position to the 'runner up'.

Then we come to the homelessness situation. Since 'profiting' from your fellow human would become illegal you would no longer be allowed to 'rent' them property. This will 'free up' a tremendous amount of 'real estate along with all of the neglected OREO the banks are trying to auction off.

Housing would become a 'gimme'. Suitable housing for your situation would be your 'right'? [if available, sometimes it's just not there but if they have it, you're entitled to it!] No more mortgages and no more car payments!

Which is to backtrack slightly and advise that the on it's butt construction industry would be on a hiring 'frenzy' as millions of new jobs would be created in the 'home maintenance' industry.

Since nobody 'owns' a home, they would no longer be obliged to maintain it. 'Society' would cut your grass and paint your house (inside AND out!) trim your bushes and keep your trees healthy! [This includes 'upkeep' like swapping out appliances and putting a new roof on as needed. If your house was 'out of date' they'd also handle relocating you while the one you were using was 'remodeled'.

[Probably a 'one way trip', it would be too tedious to allow residents to remodel their units 'to taste' beyond the cosmetic...largely because people are idiots and fashions change too rapidly.

Back track again to cars...what do I mean no more cars? I didn't say no more cars, I said no more car payments! Cars would become a 'pooled resource' that anyone could use on an 'as needed' basis, for FREE! [You'd still have to 'pay' for fuel but but that's to head off 'joy riding'.]

While College would be 'free for life' most people would be trained in the profession of their choice [that they displayed a measurable apptitude for] On The Job.


While the workplace of the future would be a far more 'homogenized' place than it is in the 'propreitary present', it still isn't 'Burger King', you won't get to do the job 'your way', you are still obliged to learn how to do it 'the right way'.

Life is still pretty much 'as you've come to know it'. The main difference is the bulk of the 'financial burden' has been lifted from your shoulders. It was money that let the 'idle class' be exactly that...idle at your expense.

Checklist time:

End unemployment: check!

End Homelessness: check!

End poverty: check!

End wage slavery: check!

End Crime: check! [in as much as the bulk of crime is 'cash and carry', crimes of passion are in the same category as 'world peace', the only way to achieve it is to give everybody their own personal planet!

Why is it 'Negative Nelly' gets a pass when she tells us 'it will never happen', people are just too selfish!'

Because I'm here to tell you that if we, as a species, FAIL to reign in the 'greedy few', our extinction will be richly deserved!

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

PS: I neglected to mention who would make the laws if we 'fired' full time legislators and the answer is obvious, the same people that must live under them!

First a new law must pass muster with the 'anti-exploitation law' then it would be put to the public, on a semi-annual basis for a vote. If the law turns out to be flawed, it would repealed, re-drafted and then put up for a vote again.

Sorry but I'm a little anal about loose ends!

The Answer to 'no way out'...

Greetings good citizen, this is not another 'Debbie Downer' piece that makes you want to go stick you head in the oven [even if it's electric!...did I mention we're neck deep in stupid around here? Well, not here specifically but you follow my drift.]

It wouldn't be hard to fathom if, upon reading some of my posts, the reader would begin to wonder why this sad sack hasn't off'd himself, hell, he makes a dandy case for shooting one another on sight!

Well, this post is not about that. It's about why I'm actually optimistic about this cesspool we share and the very real potential for it to become our paradise, not just for the privileged few but for us all!

[Now you're thinking, Sad sack should swallow the whole clip, he's gone off the deep end! PMS (piss and moan syndrome) you can deal with and it's kind of a relief reading about others who are worse off than I am, keeps me humble, ya know?

It's much easier than dealing with Glib, feel good BS that ain't never gonna happen. If you wanted to go sing Koom-by-ya with a bunch of deluded freaks you could go to church. You don't need to add this twisted scribbler's warped rants to an already overloaded cart of useless BS! (and believe me, much of what you've been 'promised', especially the stuff that's supposed to happen 'after you're dead' fits right into that category!)

Well, this kid doesn't deal in 'Pie in the sky' (especially of the 'by and by' variety!)

What brought this on, you might ask? I just reviewed the comments section of a blog I contribute to and the topic turned to the immigration problem and how a poster opined the problem was 'insoluable'.

Really? Is there really 'no solution'?

Think for a moment about the turmoil our species is embroiled in (constantly) and who keeps stirring this turmoil up?

Have an answer yet? Some of you won't and a lot of you will get it backwards but that's the media's fault, that and the wide disparity in mental development our species suffers from.

The problem is and always has been 'the privileged few'.

Three words, end of story.

Worse, we're not talking adults who watch over and shepard our species toward its glorious future, we're talking kids on a global playground playing with weapons that could end us all...

How do we put a stop to this insanity?

The 'answer' is within the solution to the insoluable immigration conundrum.

Why is it so difficult for people to wrap their heads around the One World, One People idea?

In fact you should marvel over why it hasn't happened 'organically'...why aren't we 'naturally' one people?

Again, the answer is the same three words.

We no longer live in a 'tribal' society. Ivan, Jacques, Luigi, Chin...[fill-in-the-blank] on the street are not very different from you. They aren't going to come screaming over the borders [which shouldn't exist in the first place] impregnate your daughters, take your job [which they are welcome to, your boss isn't doing you any favors...] steal your house and murder you in your sleep; those days are over!

Today the 'fearmonger' has to work pretty hard to get anyone with two neurons still in communication with one another worried about people that ride camels who are going to come charging across the ocean to attack and kill us, so we have to 'fight them over there' so we don't have to fight them over here...

[Believe you me, the history books are going to have a field day with THAT particular line of clueless Republican logic!]

STOP: Now let's take a moment to consider that this is the logic of THE SAME PEOPLE THAT HAVE THEIR FINGER ON THE NUCLEAR ARSENAL!

Now allow yourself to be VERY AFRAID.

Yes good citizen, a lot of things don't make sense and that's one of the biggest puzzlers to ever hit the blocks. Why isn't mankind 'united'?

More amazing is the contortions the privileged few have executed to cement their position 'on top' of the rest of us.

One People, One world, our dream is their nightmare...yet it's the only direction that leads to the future, good citizen! All the others lead to extinction.

Not so 'glib' is it...but it IS 'the answer'.

The best part is it's not 'impossible' nor do we have to wait until after we're dead to achieve it!

Only those who want to claim what belongs to us all for themselves have a vested interest in keeping us a one another's throats.

Isn't it time we put a stop to the nonsense?

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Common ground

Greetings good citizen, today we shall explore common ground and just how precious that scant bit of real estate is.

Just as yesterday's piece shone a light on how tenuous the average individual's grip on sanity is, we should not be surprised to learn that 'common ground', ain't.

Common that is.

We all arrived here the same way and with precious few exceptions, the majority of us have remarkably similar backgrounds. So why so little 'common ground'? Could 'lack of empathy' [the precise quality 'monsters' are made of] be more prevalent than is currently understood?

The root of the problem is the fact we all live in the world of 'I' and it takes a good deal of effort to put yourself in the other fellows shoes. So much so that we have to be constantly reminded we aren't the only ones dealing with (fill in the blank.)

Like the Donald, many of us only THINK we are 'empathetic' but the reality is 'not so much'...because we see the world through our own, 'personal' set of filters.

What matters to you, I could care less [and there goes our 'common ground'!]

Before you tune out, thinking this is yet another exercise in cynicism, STOP. Most of us do possess 'a degree' of empathy because many experiences are shared and not alien to us. The part that should surprise you is, because of your 'personal filters' you AREN'T feeling the other person's pain, you're just reliving your own!

Now ya getting me?

The road to understanding is a hard one but it's worth the trip. [Show of hands people, how many of you KNEW that what passes for 'empathy' was really just you reliving how you felt when something similar had happened to you?]

I'll discount that because the other thing we humans are 'good at' is lying, especially to ourselves!

We're also pretty fair actors, push come to shove.

But this isn't about our seemingly endless capacity for 'self-delusion' more commonly known as 'cognative dissonance'.

It's just part of the larger picture. More importantly is just how much of this do the puppetmasters understand? They're a few steps ahead of the rest of us when it comes to manipulating delusions so they have a leg up on the awareness thing, important if you want to understand what's going on...

Or, more succinctly, why a world wallowing in squalor and abject poverty isn't rising up against a system that keeps them pinned to the ground?

How ironic is it that we return to the 'personal filter'?

You've been told your whole life things either A.) aren't so bad, with your 'teacher' pointing out whole swaths of people worse off than your humble self or B.) it was patiently explained that yes, you were poor but that's the way it has to be. That many needed to suffer (a 'blessing in disguise' from God himself!) so a few could prosper. You'd get your 'mansion in the sky' for being faithful while all those rich people were going straight to hell to pay for being sinners their whole life.

Not hard to imagine why there is so much 'discontent' among the masses but it's easy to see why they aren't on the same page...Did I mention the manipulators are a few steps ahead of us in this brain twisting game?

It is here that we start to ponder the 'designer's intent'. Did the genetic engineers responsible for our species purposefully block out empathy knowing it would prevent us from making common cause with other abused members of our species?

Not a question one poses lightly, good citizen.

'Human development' may be much older and more advanced than anyone [here] knows. Add 'human engineering' into the equation and we can only wonder what life is like [now] on the 'planet of origin'. [Not that any of us will live to see it...despite the promise of 'the Lord's Prayer'.]

Part of keeping you focused on the future, good citizen, is understanding why things aren't different. Why stasis prevails when the whole situation screams for change.

You must first understand why things AREN'T happening before you can understand how to make them happen!


I wish it were as simple as saying 'you simply need to care more' but that's not the whole problem, we also need to address the 'stupid' problem. If you're a regular reader and you can follow what I share then you are NOT stupid (the first dragon that needs slaying is the one of 'self-doubt'.) You may not process as fast as others do but the ability to process/understand is enough.

Here we go again, unclear on something I shared? That's what the comments are for, if asking questions is embarrasing, use an alias! I'm happy to explain and the only 'dumb question' is the one you're afraid to ask!

At that I once again thank you for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

PS, Sorry about the mess but at least it's not as bad as it was when I found it!

Slender threads

Greetings good citizen, today's topic is one that concerns us all and it is the gnawing feeling that everybody else is (if not going) insane.

Trouble with 'insanity' is it's a qualitive judgement often made by people who aren't themselves too tightly wrapped. Yes good citizen, the very definition of 'sanity' is whatever 'the majority of society' feels is 'normal'.

So you see, we are tugging on some mighty slender threads with many 'gray areas' being very hard to define.

Ready? We're going to delve into the sticky equation of 'mental illness' and what separates the mentally ill from the profoundly stupid.

Which is to point out that 'stupidity' is itself a form of 'mental illness'. The inability to understand/failure to recognize irrationality is a handicap we are all faced with to a varying degree.

If you thought the definition of sanity left a lot to be desired, Truth makes that look like clarity defined!

Everything is a 'little bit' true, how true is where the trouble begins.

So we have a quest, one to protect our civilization from the aberrant minds that do not understand normal thinking. Because 'normal' is yet another definition the dictionary is much less than helpful with.

Before I rip the rudder out from under you completely, let's have a look at what makes us 'sane'.

First part of understanding 'sanity' (or its kissing cousin, 'insanity') is 'degrees', many people are INSANE but not to the degree where they pose a danger to society [most of the time...]

You may even suspect your own sanity from time to time for a variety of reasons, which is, ironically, perfectly normal. Those who never question their own sanity are the ones rowing with 'only one oar in the water' if you hear what I'm saying...

Another hallmark of sanity is you always question EVERYTHING along with possessing a fixed mental 'basket' of values against which you weigh all 'new' information.

[The media messes with this basket all the time, leading to the growing unease with the state of the collective mind.]

None of this growing sense of unease is alleviated by the media's propensity for lies...or contradiction.

Which is to point out that we all have an internal 'rudder' if you will that helps us focus on the relevant while discarding the, er, 'abberant'.

Those wishing to, er, 'exploit' you (and yours) employ social engineers whose sole purpose is to keep you mentally reeling, to the point you are no longer sure what 'right' is.

The polite term for this is 'manufacturing consent', which is the process of confusing you to the point where you'll agree with pretty much anything so long as it doesn't require you to actually THINK about it!


This rabbit hole only gets deeper and I think we'd best tackle it in steps rather than all at once because some of you will never be up to the trip...worse, some of you might not make it back!

Unfortunately we've only scratched the surface. Mental capacity is linked to mental stability. While Eugenics led to the institutionalizing of relatively harmless people, they weren't completely wrong. Without benchmarks and clearly defined rules regarding the facuality of public information not clearly labeled 'for entertainment purposes' our ability to sort fact from fiction might become permanently disabled...and no one will be held accountable.

Without benchmarks [competency measurements] separating who can and can't participate in running our society...given the current state of affairs, the voter lists would become very short indeed!

If we were to allow those currently in charge to draft the competency test, we'd find that all rational people would be barred from participating while those fitting the profile for institutionalization would be granted full access!

If only because the completely insane are agreeable if nothing else!

Not that this is the kind of world anyone wants to live in but the criminals obviously don't mind, as long as they don't have to rub elbows with the crazies, it feeds the 'more for them' meme they were raised with.

While 'diminished capacity' is often profound, stupid is considered a 'step up' from being being virtually helpless. The stupid function adequately but tend to get stymied easily. How 'easily' defines the degree of their affliction.

Currently the stupid, even the profoundly so, are allowed to vote.

Ironically this single factor is used by the media to explain poll results that don't jive with reality. But I digress. Actually, the whole electoral process has nothing to do with reality so barring the mentally incompetent from voting has zero effect on the, er, 'leadership' of this nation.

Whereas the mental competency of those running this nation/world/civilization is seriously in doubt...and incontestable.

But this alters nothing either. Just as making you aware of what you've long suspected changes nothing.

So I leave you to contemplate a rather uneasy future. One where mental competence is a rapidly disappearing commodity.

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Top Down

Greetings good citizen, I'm sure none of you will be shocked to learn that the destruction of our civilization proceeds as planned. What might surprise you is learning that there's a plan and 'somebody' is executing it.

We writers often lament how speech, written or otherwise, is 'imprecise'. While no 'official' plan exists, the 'economic engines' of the world's consuming nations are indeed following a plan to 'integrate' the globe's economy into one finely tuned engine that serves the plan's creators (if no one else...)

The common theme of 'economic integration' has been the 'consolidation of market share'. We used to have a different name for this consolidation [monopoly] and we even outlawed it but those who have hijacked and brought to heel the world's justice systems have assured the 'nervous nellies' among us that they WOULD NOT use their [usurped] power to CRUSH Dissent wherever it pops up.

Yeah, "of course I love you, the check is in the mail and I would never, ever do THAT!"...need I go on?

A fellow commentator noted/opined that the Euro-Zone scheme was in fact an 'economic integration' plan that had been instituted by the elite upon an 'unwitting' populous.

Think about that one for a minute. Do any of you recall getting a 'choice' regarding what operationg system YOU'D prefer? Nope is pretty much the universal answer and it wasn't shaped to fit you, you had to adapt to it!

Perhaps the most interesting part of this exercise is how it didn't 'fix' anything, all it did was make the already rich, richer! (Yeah, there have been 'casualties', a LOT of 'smaller players' got pushed over the edge and the world's economies are still reeling over the jobs that are now lost forever...but you're not supposed to notice that.

The 'brands' have remained pretty much the same despite their all being produced by the 'sole survivor', now that's 'market share' Baby!

Sort of reminds you of voting and the 'illusion of choice' that exercise in futulity provides you with.

All that blood, sweat and tears backing YOUR candidate when the reality is there isn't a difference which one you choose because they both take their marching orders from the same cadre of elites!

Scarier still, good citizen, it may even have been reduced to a single member of a single family already.

Who? Doesn't matter because YOU weren't going to be given a choice anyway! Besides, you're supposed to 'hate yourself' for being boob enough to vote for the moron that forgot ALL of their campaign promises! You're not supposed to know a 'puppetmaster' even exists!

But how can you watch TV and NOT know?

Haven't you marveled at the news reports when NOBODY YOU KNOW admit's they're voting for either one of the frontrunners? It should be BERNIE IN A LANDSLIDE but that's not what the media tells us.

If it seems like 'something's rotten in Denmark' it's probably because there is.

So, sit back, relax and enjoy the 'free kool-aid', just try not to think about Jonestown...and don't forget to go on strike the day after either frontrunner [especially you truckers!] are coronated I mean 'elected'

Thank you for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Power, Authority and Justice.

Greetings good citizen, this could be a brief one considering all we have to say [realistically] on the subject is the old truism 'A rich man will never see the inside of a prison cell'.

Any questions?

Okay, we're done here, as you were.

Is something wrong? I think I know what it is, it's that rigid middle finger that keeps getting shoved in your face everytime you object to a 'privileged individual' just walking away from a situation YOU'D get strung up by your short hairs for.

Here's a little reality check: What's the difference between YOU and the President?

Shall we start with the irrelavent notion that you aren't on an equal footing with Congress AND the Supreme Court?

Not that this should buy Bozo any special treatment but it does...for [naturally] all the wrong reasons!

Apparently (and this is mighty screwed up) the 'dignity of the office' supercedes the individual's need for justice.

This is why Banksters weren't prosecuted, nevermind made to admit guilt for their wrong-doing. What would it say about the institution? That bankers are crooks? Banks live and die on their 'reputation'. If people didn't think the bank was 'honest' the bank would have to close!

But no, regardless of who 'runs' the bank, the government has our back! [Until the Bankster sticks it to you again because he KNOWS the government can't afford a 'scandal'.]

What am I pointing to here, good citizen?

You are looking at the Mother of all 'Slippery Slopes'.

Left to your imagination is what was the 'right thing to do' here? Should we have closed the banks, jailed the bankers and wiped out the investors? Or should we 'turn our heads' and pretend like nothing happened?

We know what DID happen and it looks like the criminals got a 'blank check' to commit fraud at will!

But that's not the whole picture, good citizen. Since Morning in America, hundreds of millions of US workers have been defrauded out of their pension funds [remember Enron?] so a few could be rich...

Which is to point out that people in positions of power across the spectrum have abused that power to enrich themselves at the public/workers expense.

And NOTHING has been done about it...because the criminals have been 'generous' with their ill gotten gains, they used them to buy politicians! [While under the mantle of 'deregulation' the media cannibalized itself into one syndicate that reports what it's owners want us to know and ONLY what they want us to know!]

No irony should be lost on the fact that this whole scenario played out on W.'s watch (and exploded on Barry's) but just as conspicuously, neither did anything to stop it...so who's running the show here?

Bad enough the whole electoral process exists as 'window dressing', the illusion of choice, but this is also true of the Justice system. So I ask you good citizen, are you good with just the 'illusion of Justice'?

You know the other side of this good citizen, The police have started 'shooting' unarmed citizens, (sometimes after they have been tased and in a few instances, handcuffed) because they 'feared for their lives and our 'image phobic' judges have turned a blind eye to what this implies.

Is this like where we started, 'same as it ever was'? Or do we find ourselves on that same precipice we have mounted oh so many times before only to keep returning, over and over again?

Why? Dignity of the office and the public trust.

The thing to remember here good citizen is Justice is Justice...there is no 'half a loaf, it's all or nothing.

Nobody (except criminals) wants to live in a world without justice...as I pointed out yesterday, Justice is in our DNA, we'd gladly DIE if it meant justice was being served!

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

The economics of Love

Greetings good citizen, again I belabor the obvious by addressing what everybody thinks they know. If you ever wondered why the 'dismal science' was so screwed up the answer lies in what the driving force behind economics really is...

Two out of three of you would opine economics is driven by greed and while raw avarice plays a part, it is only a minor role until we pull out the measuring tape of the 'biological imperative'. Yeah, the drive towards 'overkill' (insuring the 'success' of YOUR progeny) is definitely a factor but just about every financial decision you make is driven by 'love' [or it's cuter stepsister, lust.]

For those of you unable to distinguish between the two, love satisfies while lust disappoints. You want what you lust for badly but once attained it's not what you thought it would be so it lets you down. Love is always more than you hoped for!

What's this got to do with the handful of winners and boatloads of losers out there?

More than you imagine since you're deluded into believing economics is about 'money'.

It is the mismanagement of money that has created so many bad outcomes in the real world but few realize that it is your 'lust' for money that is your downfall!

Don't get me wrong, 'loving' money won't make things right! Your 'lust' for money is a 'learned thing', you don't come by it naturally.

Well, most of us don't but freaks can popup anywhere...

Why, if economics is driven by love, do we attach a price tag to everything? Did I mention 'mis-management' and the trend towards 'overkill'?

Those wishing to insure the success of THEIR children don't give a rats furry behind about your kids...worse, love's ugly cousin Hate sneaks in and her twin sister Spite makes sure YOUR kids won't compete with THEIR kids.

But I digress, it's easy to devolve into specifics when the problem lies in the realm of the general.

Simply put, we are born into one huge 'humpfest' with various 'hoops' placed before us if we want to 'make our mark' in this world. This is one place where 'Monkey see, Monkey do' is most unfortunate. Reach a certain age and oh you want to succeed so bad you can taste it!

What is success? The spouse, the house, the job, the kids and 'the life'.

Why is 'success' so difficult? Because your 'competitors' [usually their parents but it's all the same] keep 'raising the bar'. In the not too distant past a college degree from anywhere was a guaranteed ticket to the good life, now it serves as a 'pedigree' with where the degree came from being more important than the subject of study...

The few at the top will continue to make it harder for the throngs at the bottom. A situation made worse by global labor arbitrage [the polite term for the global race to the bottom, wage wise. Even more ironic is there is no such thing as 'the cheaper there' because ALL money is 'Funny' yes, with a capital F.]

How do we repair our Love driven economy?

Perhaps a better question is 'should we'? Over population is a major problem BUT the privileged few are vested in the now ancient model.

We CAN'T introduce a new (saner) model until our 'self-professed Betters' are removed from the controls.

Understand, to fail [at replacing the current model] is extinction! How sad is it that many of us would welcome wiping the planet clean of the stain placed there by the 'greedy' few if we knew it meant the 'villian' got theirs in the process.

Yes, good citizen, we would welcome elimination if it avenged us.

How weird is it that this too is a 'side effect' of Love?

So if economics is driven by love, humans are driven by Justice.

Again I belabor the obvious when I explain that the three things people hate are cameras, mirrors and the truth.

Sounds ugly alright but it's the truth!

Those that have conspired to exempt themselves from Justice have denied it for the rest of us.

Will their crimes go unpunished?

Most of 'em get away with it and a lot of 'em have been getting away with it all their lives but as 'the terror' testifies, every once in a while there comes a 'day of reckoning' and the sins of the parents are visited upon the children. [In the actual Terror, children were spared but not this time.]

So it is, good citizen, when you get up in the morning and mentally prepare yourself for another bite of the steaming excrement sandwich, remember it's not 'greed' that makes you do it, it's LOVE!

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Happy Pappy's Day!

Greetings good citizen, here we are with yet another holiday made up by the greeting card industry!

Actually, some men would have gotten their underoos in a twist if they had to lay out cash for 'Mother's Day' without a corresponding day celebrating the male's role in the propagation of our species.

Mom still has mom chores to do on mother's day just as Dad is often dragooned into cooking on the grill on his 'Special Day'.

When our children ask the question 'when is Kid's Day?' we tell them 'everyday is Kid's Day!' despite their seeing just the opposite, every day is Parents Day because they ALWAYS have to do what their parents tell them to do!

If you take a page out of the 'they're only young once' book and go easy on your progeny, when you do ask them to 'help out' you instantly see the resentment shirt appear!

Why? Depends on the kid.

For those of you spending the holiday alone, buck up. It's never too late to mend the fences [if you sincerely want to.] Understandably, sometimes the bridge is too badly burnt to mend and the chasm has grown wider over time but if you really want it, love will find a way.

Which, ironically, has nothing to do with it being any particular day on the calendar. But I digress.

We were discussing the socially created 'days of appreciation' for the various parties involved who are also the 'building blocks' of our society.

Some cultures celebrate just about every aspect of society...doesn't make them any more civil but again I suspect I expect too much.

It's also a bad assumption to opine that 'we' often celebrate the wrong things for the wrong reason.

We 'appreciate' Mom everyday but seldom show her just how much...but on occasion, life itself delivers the incentive to show our love...so you don't have to 'wait' for Mother's Day to show your love, any day is fine!

Pappy is a bit tougher to appreciate but when he delivers, he delivers BIG! Quirky Dads have their habits that endear them to you but generally Dad is a milestone maker. For someone who mostly took up space in the family photo's, Dad was the force behind the major milestones of your life.

Not all of us, but some of us anyway.

Again, what you 'love' about your pappy has nothing to do with a day on the calendar.

So, if you didn't get your father a Daddy's Day gift, remember, YOU are his greatest creation and your love is all the 'reward' he'll ever need!

Give ol' Dad a great big smile and he'll light right up! [which should make you both happy!]

I'll speak for myself when opining that nothing makes pappy happier than a happy baby!

Enjoy your day!

Gegner

Cesspool

Greetings good citizen, I operate on the premise that what's obvious to me isn't necessarily obvious to everyone else. So if I sometimes pick a topic that strikes you as 'mundane' please bear with me, I assure you it isn't 'as plain as the nose on your face' to everybody else.

Let's take a moment and survey the landscape for a moment, shall we? You know what's underneath the greenest spot in our yard, don't you?

Um, if you live in the city it's your [leaky] water main but in the burb's it's your septic tank.

A little harder to see is the gigantic 'green spot' at the heart of every community. It too is a 'cesspool' of sorts.

You're combing your mental records to determine if you missed the invisible gray water accumulator downtown but in this instance I'm referring to the 'everybody knows' crap tank, the cesspit of corruption we find even at the local levels of government. [Now you (hopefully) catch the 'downtown reference...]

As I marvel at the highly unlikely political outcomes of the current presidential race I once again observe how all of this is possible. Corruption is EVERYWHERE!

Am I shocked? No. I am somewhat disturbed that it is SO COMMON PLACE that we all take it for granted.

But perhaps I set the bar too high. Maybe I'm expecting too much of my, er, less than sensible...(obviously less developed) sub-species.

Which begs the question. Is the underregulated mess we call civilization the result of our ignoring the differences in the level of development within our own species?

We may all be human but some of us aren't particularly proficient at this thing we call 'thinking'.

Since 'Morning in America' we have seen a decided preference in the hiring and placement of the 'thinking optional' segment of our species with many of them being placed in 'chokepoints' in the decision-making process.

Like W. calling himself 'The Decider'. WTF?

Or the inexplicable [well actually, he's emblematic of what I'm taking about] rise of Donald Trump.

He LOVES the 'uneducated' because he knows they're not smarter than him.

How ironic is it that he's cratering in the polls after sharing his opinion that had there been an armed citizen been in that nightclub, the carnage would have been diminished.

Guns and alcohol don't mix. But naturally we 'misunderstood', Donald was saying if there were a SOBER armed citizen [preferably a marksman too boot] things may have turned out differently.

Which is to circle back to my primary point, WE DON'T LIVE IN A 'THINKING OPTIONAL' SOCIETY!

A 'miscommunication' could have disasterous consequences, Like St. Ronnie's gaff while performing a mic check in Europe during the still dangerous 'Cold War' [Where he jokingly announced, 'we launch in five minutes'] He should have known better. Numbnuts WOULD HAVE LAUNCHED if Mr. Gorbachev had made the same wisecrack!

Good thing for us all that 'Morning in Moscow' didn't occur until after this incident...

Or there wouldn't have been a Morning for anyone afterwards...although the hopelessly stupid know they don't have the authority to do anything without express permission. Which leads us back to the people responsible for the cesspit, the same people responsible for installing these mindless wonders in the chokepoints.

Which is to opine that if we ever do encounter an event where the 'president' has to decide 'quickly' whether or not to launch, would he first have to get 'permission'?

Because you KNOW the 'meatpuppet-in-chief' is just a figurehead. He may 'panic' and order the launch but will anything happen?It's rather doubtful actually considering the testimony of the chairman of the joint chiefs, who said point blank if The Donald ordered a launch, they'd refuse!!! [circumsances not withstanding, if NORAD was showing incoming, they'd launch alright!]

But as the film 'War games' showed, even those (now ancient) computers can be, er, 'hacked'. [Which is a little weird, can you think of a reason why such a sensitive piece of equipment needs to be attached to the outside world? Short answer, no.]

STOP...let's regroup, shall we?

The world as we know it is a cesspool of corruption, headed by the terminally stupid at the behest of the criminally insane.

Not a particularly flattering portrait of 5,000 years of so-called 'progress' but more accurate than not, however unfortunately.

IF we posit that the pending solution to the end of capitalism [due mostly to the end of cheap abundant energy more so than the widespread inequity it fosters] is a 'faux' nuclear attack [in an insane attempt to cut the 'surplus population' down to a manageable size.]

Any RATIONAL PERSON would be shaking in their socks that the Republican nominee is a certified Circus clown [that some independent news outlets are likening to Reagan, another clueless oaf that was crowned King by the bought and paid for media.

When the 'mushrooms'(clouds) pop it will be too late to ask questions...not that they couldn't engineer a war on Hillary's watch either.

Hell, truth be told, given the circumstances, they COULD paint Bernie into a corner, giving him no choice but to launch!

A few more points to make before we close this rant. First, for all of those 'fiscally conservative but socially liberal' morons out there. Taxes have been slashed [on the upper income levels by more than half] AND ONLY the upper income levels so what GOOD has it done YOU?

Still waiting for that 'rising tide'?

Then there's the corruption itself. It's not only ubiquitous, it's omnipresent! Public servants/elected officials regularly make the news for getting bagged with their fingers in the proverbial 'cookie jar'. The disturbing part is for everyone that gets caught, a dozen others are getting away with it and have been for YEARS if not GENERATIONS!

Naturally, like most of my essays, drawing attention to this issue does little to alter the outcome. We can't fix this while retaining the rotten structure that supports it.

You know in most cases the ones that get caught were thrown under the bus, payback for not going along with some other nefarious scheme.

So what do we do? Pray 'The Lord' returns and 'delivers' the rest of us from the 'wicked'?

How long are we supposed to wait for that to happen?

I don't know about you but I can't hold my breath that long.

In this particular instance I can't see much less offer a solution.

With a heavy heart I once again thank you for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Toolbox

Greetings good citizen, for those of you that suspect there's nothing 'random' about the now amazingly regular massacres taking place across the world. [Why everywhere? Capitalism is everywhere...if it's happening here, you can bet it's happening everywhere!] The media ignores (minor) events that occur in foreign lands lest others begin to notice the rather awkward pattern.

A deceiving one but awkward none the less. Yes the common link is capitalism and the 'be very afraid' tactics used to justify huge military budgets but what you aren't seeing is the truly scary part.

We see 'haters' exacting their own savage brand of 'justice' against those who have offended either them or their God...but this has nothing to do with reality.

The reality is the same as it ever was, the 'haters' are the result of the 'devisive toolbox' the manipulators of popular opinion use to keep the 'superstitious peasants' among us in line.

Left to our imagination is whether or not these attacks are 'orchestrated' by the same people who preach this madness?

Shouldn't be. The people playing both sides of every 'hot button issue you can think of are merely 'stirring the pot', keeping you 'off balance', distracted from the larger issues you SHOULD BE paying attention like the soaring unemployment rate or the swelling number of homeless as well as the mounting hunger crisis.

Back in the Cold War days I used to wonder if 'Ivan on the street' [a.k.a. your typical Soviet] was so jacked up about his country that he's sacrifice himself and his family simply for the 'greater glory' of Mother Russia?

Using logic [I know, definitely contrary to the ideologues playbook but it turns out I was correct.] I sensed that Ivan in the Street was just like me, nothing was worth the carnage although if it ever came down to it we'd both fight to save our families from oppression. As long as he stayed there I'd be perfectly happy to stay here and leave him unmolested.

Switch back to the 'toolbox'. Next thing you know (and wouldn't they spring this during the middle of a presidential election cycle) was the sudden, unilateral decision that a Federal Judge in Boston handed down a verdict that allowed Gays to marry.

Now, I don't care WHO YOU marry. I think the whole thing is outdated, a throwback to a more primitive time...you know, back a hundred years ago when women were property. But it seems the Aids epidemic triggered some unfortunate outcomes with the Insurance companies and as a result the Law was called into question.

Rightly so, marriage is a 'legal construct', intended to protect children but it also provided survivorship benefits to spouses.

In a perfect world none of this would be necessary but as I pointed out yesterday, this world is far from 'perfect'.

Wait for it...what does this have to do with the Islam-o-fascist?

Because like Ivan on the Street above, neither actually exists outside the propagandist's toolbox!

So where are the 'whack-jobs' coming from?

Remember what I asked earlier? Are our 'propagandists' taking the next step and making their bogeymen real?

Don't have any proof but it sure looks that way.

The average individual has enough on his/her plate just trying (and sadly failing in most cases) to keep their own head above water. Sure they listen to the 'rhetoric' and SOME (a rather small percentage I'd add) are constantly grousing about 'why doesn't somebody DO SOMETHING about (fill-in-the-blank!)'

You know this guy because he's the same crank that bitches about EVERYTHING! That and his endless rants have only one setting, LOUD.

EVERYBODY knows he's unhappy...and if he isn't griping about something, better check his pulse because he's probably DEAD!

The 'attention starved' are hardly a novelty. I'll bet nobody's more surprised than El Rushbo that he was able to parlay his penchant for attention into a multi-million dollar radio deal!

But again, I digress.

Let us return to the problem at hand, are the 'trendsetters' among us taking matters beyond their 'mandate'?

Let's begin with the mounting dishonesty of the corporate owned media. Multiple offenses go completely unmentioned but the spotlight is constantly burning brightly upon 'wedge issues'...is THAT what YOU want from the 'media'?

You know you're being played but the problem is YOUR KIDS DON'T!

[Which is the topic of a whole 'nuther essay so we'll leave that one alone for now.]

I digress yet again if I ask how we can put a stop to this manufactured madness and the answer is disturbing to say the least.

Short of an all out alien invasion, we can't...not even temporarily put a stop to the process that manufactures 'consent'.

The only way to put an end to their murderous ways is to end the current 'for profit' enterprise system!

[Watch for the PS...]

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

PS. How sad is it good citizen that the only 'profit' that truly matters is the advancement of our entire species? [Not just the few at the top, our self-appointed betters!]

SHOOT!

Greetings good citizen, while few of you have personally experienced a physical 'gun to the head' in real life, it's a common enough analogy that it needs no explaining...it is also attributed with the current level of, er, 'tolerance' we enjoy as a society. Before guns, know early on as 'equalizers', the ancient wisdom reigned supreme, one BIG man could slay many small ones.

Guns 'leveled' that playing field.

But I digress, what we're really examining here is the individual's right to defend himself. Under the [mythical] 'rule of law' the individual doesn't need to protect himself, the law does that for him...but we don't have the 'rule of law', do we.

No, that's not a question but a statement of fact. Worse, there is a whole subset of not necessarily rational personality types out there with both badges and guns who will shoot whoever they're told to shoot without question.

That is also a fact.

You don't need me to tell you we live in a far from perfect world...but anyone who has a facebook account is wondering what happened to the kids they grew up with when those 'kids' post clips from OAN [Fox in disguise] espousing candidate Trumps' assertion that had someone in that bar been armed, the carnage would have been far less!

Logic 101: Guns and alcohol...what could go wrong?

Seriously people? Some of you SHOULDN'T BE ARMED. How scary is it those are the same people who are set to elect a man to the highest office in the nation that thinks packing heat in an environment where everyone there is suffering from diminished judgement and almost nonexistent fine motor skills is a 'good idea'?

This is the stuff 'Cranium up the ol' rectum syndrome' is made of; which is where the expression 'excrement for brains' comes from!

I share a lot of 'out there' [non-mainstream] observations but if you think about them, I'm right. Contrarily, I also subscribe to that other sage bit if wisdom, better to keep one's mouth shut and have people wonder if you are a fool than to open your mouth and prove their suspicions!

But I digress. The question is whether or not we should remove guns from the general population?

The answer is a resounding NO. Remove an individuals' ability to defend themself and you turn the individual into a chattel. PRISONERS aren't allowed weapons. They must do whatever the armed demand of them...and that's a line we're NOT ready as a species to cross.

The trust isn't there and 'the legendary' is still too close for comfort.

Worse, removing weapons from the law abiding WILL NOT improve a rapidly deteriorating social environment.

The 'crackpots' who commit these acts will still find ways to, er, 'vent' [and removing the 'simple' way will only force them to step up their game!...what if Bobo had an IED? We'd consider 50 a 'small number.' If he had a big enough bomb or some kind of incindary device, the carnage would have been total.

The real question here is what do sitting and hopeful legislators hope to accomplish by removing weapons from the law abiding? Are they really saying they aren't fit to govern?

It is the perfect example of flawed logic!

Although nobody is suggesting 'disarming the public', they are simply pointing at the system being 'flawed'.

Why can't they admit what we already know? life isn't perfect and no amount of legislation (or technology for that matter) is going to change that.

Like so many other aspects of modern life [and modernity really has nothing to do with it] you have to roll with the punches and get back up when life knocks you down.

And maybe you should really think twice about voting for somebody that isn't bright enough to recognize an insoluable situation.

We can no sooner outlaw weapons than we can outlaw insanity [because if they did a whole bunch of us would be instant outlaws...hee-hee!]

Once again we see the danger of allowing the self-interested to draft our laws...

Thank you for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Out of Touch

Greetings good citizen, today's headline refers to that nagging feeling something's missing but you can't quite put your finger on it.

Did you forget to do something or did you miss the gist of the latest news item while you hurried to finish something else? [damn that multi-tasking, too many things at once and none of them well!]

Sadly, the one that nags at you the most is, 'What's the point? Why am I doing this and who does that A-hole think he is?'

The list only grows from there but the existential 'why' is always nagging at you. Why does it have to be like this?

The list for our, er, 'well-being' [keep us alive although not necessarily 'thriving'] is astoundingly short and can be, er, satisfied by a collection of simple stop gap measures.

That said, 'Our Betters' (those who profit from our labor) have plugged the paths of least resistance, denying us the ability to merely 'get by'. It all started when Farming made the hunter superfluous.

Yes good citizen, we have a 'surplus population' problem dating all the way back to the very beginnings of civilization!

Most hunters turned their hand to farming but not all of them could get the hang of it. Tending vegetables just isn't the same as tracking game through the wilderness. While there were plenty of pests that needed killing this was somehow not as satisfying because bug guts don't gush like the blood of fresh killed game.

Good at it or not, domestication became 'the way of the future' and it was adapt or die time (again.)

Ironically, many of our more primitive ancestors remember what happened to those who chose not to 'weaponize'...the first step away from the tree, where we learned that gathering (and the hungry times reliance on nature's bounty caused was overcome by learning how to kill.) wasn't the only way to survive.

Cultivation and animal husbandry solved the need to wander where the game went and freed up a ton of valuable time.

[This mini history lesson is going somewhere, I promise!]

Well, the places where crops grew well and animals thrived were few and far between, the best spots became towns and then cities, which sort of screwed up the farming thing but our ancestors weren't too bright either!

You can see where this is headed. War and the resultant birth of the 'I'll keep you safe' clan, (more commonly known today as 'kings'.)

Ironically we're still fighting the adaption from hunter gatherer to farmer today [largely because a mere century ago we were still a world of farmers.]

But along came the Industrial Revolution and now the family farm was 'redundant'. That's okay, Industry needed your useless backside in front of a machine 12 hours a day, six days a week! And so it went.

But that was just the beginning, mechanization gave way to automation and now workers were 'redundant' and had nowhere to go!

Believe me when I tell you NOBODY [wearing a capitalist hat] gave a nano-second of thought to what this meant for the future of our species.

[Promised pay-off] So, you are still being 'pitched' [read sold, like a vacation deal] the idea that it's up to YOU to make yourself useful in a world that no longer 'needs' you.

Understand, the capitalist thinks the world NEVER needed you and if you missed your chance to 'make something' of yourself, well, that's YOUR bad!

This is the rigid middle finger those who were 'fortunately born' commonly extend when challenged. 'Yeah, my parents LOVED ME, too bad about yours!

So why are you, and let's face facts, beating your head against a brick wall day after day, doing stuff that NOBODY gives a crap about, [Funny money has created a ton of 'busy work'.] For a paycheck that sees you slipping further into debt with each passing day?

It's getting harder to build a future in a world where the majority of us are considered [and despised for being] 'surplus'.

You're either selling 'the dream' or you're distracting from it, far too few are actually living it...and that's just the way the few like it.

So why can't you go live in the woods and hunt like our ancient ancestors did? You already know the answer, those people have their own 'reality' TV shows [so you know the ones who don't have TV shows ARE STARVING TO DEATH!]

Speaking of which, how do those clowns on the crab boats make any money pulling up traps from the ocean floor with only two crabs in them? Crabmeat doesn't retail for a million dollars a pound...good thing they have a TV show or the boat would be out of business!

Now, if your grand-pappy left YOU a cattle ranch in Alaska, you could 'homestead' like that famous family on TV does...but remember, their bed was made for them. They aren't starting off 'cold' like you would be if you had to do it from scratch. Also left to our imagination is whether or not the Grandfather already had a hatfull of cash when he started.

Just because the 'homestead' was free doesn't mean old Atz was broke when he came halfway around the world to Alaska.

Having 'back-up' can make a big difference.

Which is really weird when we take into account that a vast majority of us would be unemployed if money weren't 'funny'. If you don't have access to the 'wishing well' you can still get yourself a hatful of cash by standing close enough to it when somebody who does have access likes your smile!

The essential key to capitalist success, right here, for free! Only in America!

It's the 'buddy system' in action and, as we have seen repeatedly, it doesn't even have to be a particularly good idea!

People who can access the well don't care if you fail, the money isn't 'gone' as far as they're concerned, they can go back to the well and haul themselves up more!

And THAT my friends, is why YOU'RE OUT of TOUCH!

Because YOU don't believe that this is 'reality'. Why should 'the few' have it so easy while you have to struggle (and fail) trying to keep your head above water?

Ready for Spirit in the Sky? Because that's what they'll tell you, it's all God's fault!

Do I look like the, er, [family blog here, have to watch it] jerk for pointing out YOU stepped in dog poop?

Well, my shoes are just as poopy. Because I know mine are fouled doesn't make me the bad guy...or the one who is failing yet another 'reality check' here good citizen!

It isn't 'true' because I say so, 'make something of yourself' is a much bigger lie than the fact that all money is funny!

Worse is the one about 'hard work' equaling success. Yes, it is true that if we returned to our origins and did 'everything' for ourselves we'd toil from sun-up til sundown with very limited success considering the over population epidemic.

What you need to understand is the 'benefits' of our cooperative lifestyle are sequestered by the few at the top of our civilization.

And yes, this DOES beg the nagging question we started with, is there something going on that we don't know about?

Do the 'fortunate few' have a secret they aren't sharing with the rest of us?

We won't find that out until we knock them off their throne, will we?

Again, I apologize for this rather steep departure from 'the reservation' [the world you accept as 'real'] I know your mind can only handle so much and this borders on overload but if you take some time to digest it, it will become clearer in your head.

Once again I thank you for letting me inside your head,

ever grateful,

Gegner

Eyes wide shut.

Greetings good citizen, I'd like to think at least some of you see the shortcomings we are faced with when it comes to altering the path, er, 'our' civilization is on.

Perhaps the most striking one is the realization that you're here for the ride, as long as it lasts and wherever it takes you. In the Driver's Seat you aren't.

Worse, there isn't an 'alternative' that offers salvation (or even sanity for that matter.) Nobody is taking on the powers that be.

Nobody but the 'terrorists' if the current global state of high alert is to be believed.

Understand good citizen, the state of 'misdirection' is at an all time high as well.

I'm drifting all over the place and so are you!

What I want to direct your attention to is something that should be obvious. We don't have the tools to fix our civilization because the 'toolbox' can only be accessed by our bought and paid for legislators. [As the term implies, only those who bought and paid for our politicians get to tell them what THEY want.] What YOU want doesn't even show up on radar...or sonar for that matter.

This is why we (as a species) have to put the toolbox beyond the reach of the 'self-interested'. Central to A Simple Plan is the concept that the law is the domain of ALL the People [which means everybody and not the monied few that will always have more money than everyone else because they control money!]

THIS is what you aren't supposed to know. That all money is 'FUNNY', literally wished into existence, as needed, whenever the, er, 'self-interested party' desires it.

What does this make all of those 'self-made men'? Thieves at best and Oh so much worse! It is the (hopefully) 'unintended' (more likely who gives a crap) consequences of this ham-handed method of doling out riches that brings us our current predatory, 'I got mine' society we are saddled with.

This is why ASP redefines what money is and how its used. It's also how we get away with outlawing debt.

I developed ASP precisely because there were no 'alternatives' on the horizon. As far as the 'ignorant masses' are concerned, there's capitalism and those other guys they know nothing about.

How sad is it good citizen that for the stupid, ignorance is a virtue?

Even sadder is how this way of thinking is really a just 'hangover' from the Dark Ages that (allegedly) 'ended' more than three hundred years ago.

You can banish superstition with the light of science but you can't argue with stupid...so it remains we are saddled with a great many 'superstitious peasants'.

Until we raise the collective IQ another dozen points we are left to struggle against self-extinction with precious few resources.

ASP puts us on the path toward survival but you have to know its out there if you are to consider it as a choice/alternative.

Thanks for letting me inside your head,

Gegner

Moo?

Greetings good citizen, Today's rhetorical headline refers to how we are being herded like cattle to our eventual slaughter.

Cooperate and you MIGHT BE chosen to continue on as a serf/servant, resist and it will be summary execution.

Understand, even if you don't resist, if you weren't born with a silver ANYTHING protruding from at least one of your orifices, you're marked for, er, 'deletion' for being 'redundant'. [Actually super-redundant...but I quibble.]

Ironically the 'quality' that will preserve your miserable life is your willingness to throw the next guy under the bus. Turning on your fellow 'surplus humans' will be viewed as a 'desirable trait'.

How will this 'culling' of our species by our species be managed?

We can only speculate. Those who consider themselves 'more valuable' than the rest of us are terrified of plague so it's unlikely that will be the avenue of choice. Far more likely, given their near total control of the media, it will be a nuclear event made out to be much worse than it actually is.

Just to give you an idea, the 'lucky ones' will be those at Ground Zero. Overall a vast majority of the fatalities will be attributed to 'bad intel' after the 'faux' collapse of the communications network.

In the beginning it will be easy as those pulling the trigger will still be full of bloodlust and not inclined to question what they're being told. But as the campaign progresses and the facts on the ground become apparent, well, by then the body count will be astronomical and it will be too late.

Soldiers that question orders will be 'released' from their military obligations so they can attempt to find their kin and start putting a not as badly broken as advertised world back together.

Those not clever enough to figure out what's going on will be assigned to continue fighting, knowing that many of their comrades are out there among the 'invisible' combatants.

Back to one's willingness to throw the next guy under the bus...if you're good with living in a world like that then it will be just what you deserve.

IF, at the end of the nuclear conflict it is determined that the 'goal' has not been reached, then a conventional war will break out that will make all of the wars preceeding it look like a water balloon fight.

Naturally, it will also mark the first time 'tactical nukes' are deployed, killing millions and making the war swing violently from side to side!

Should YOU survive this long, count yourself as either extremely lucky or 'valuable' and again the metric used to determine this quality isn't widely known. Who among them gets to pick which of us lives and which die?

Is the truth too frightening to know? That dum-dum is letting 'God' sort them out?

Worse are the 'unintended consequences' of a mass genocide intended to cull BILLIONS. We don't have the manpower to inter that many dead since a vast majority of the manpower it would take to handle that job are likely to be among the victims.

Better to let nature do her thing although who knows what even a temporary glut in the food supply would give rise to in the bacterialogical world?

Heavy in this 'speculation' is the idea that much of the 'mayhem' during this contrived conflict will be the result of 'friendly fire' , 'brushed-off' as being caused by 'unreliable intel'.

It's bad to speculate but it's even worse to ignore the facts in front of your face. First contrary assumption is what passes for 'our government' these days has any interest in the 'well-being' of our species.

No, those who hold themselves above us in fact consider us as 'cattle'. Worse, a breed of cattle particularly difficult to dispose of!

The handwriting on the wall tells us all [even as the media remains mute] that overpopulation has overrun our social model and like it or not the necessary changes threaten the criminal activities of those in charge.

They have a 'vested interest' in not standing answerable for their multiple crimes. Better to off the majority of us and pray we forget during the mayhem just who was responsible.

But don't worry good citizen, even before the smoke clears they'll be pushing their scapegoats into the spotlight to take the heat.

Needless to say we can't let that happen either.

I know, too much too quickly and for that I apologize!

Thanks for letting me inside your very confused head, sorry for making it worse but ignorance KILLS!

Gegner

Commencement

Greetings good citizen, the speech given at end of an educational institutionalization is commonly called a 'Commencement ceremony' where the participant's are launched into the world to go forth and 'seek their fortunes'...or misfortune, which is far more commonly the case.

Yesterday I attended my daughter's High School graduation [making some of you wonder what it must be like to be married to a Eeyore like me. I think I can sum it up by sharing that my wife considers herself the most disappointed woman in history. To appreciate that sentiment you'd have to know my (OCD) wife. "Now honey? No, it's too late, you should have done it ten minutes ago!"]

See, the 'right man' for my wife has to be psychic and it's difficult to imagine anyone so blessed not foreseeing the outcome and RUNNING for his life!

I am blessed with the 'next best thing' to psychic ability, I'm patient.

Sorry for the slight derailment there but it had to be addressed. Back to my daughter's graduation and what they're 'commencing' themselves into.

Since 'Morning in America' the world has become a strange place indeed, which is to explain that 'Morning in America was NOT confined to just the USA. Uber-wealth seized the entire world during the decade that followed the Reagan coronation

What should truly frighten you good citizen is what will follow the coronation of Donald Trump?

They risk revolt if they attempt to install their girl Hil, a female democrat on the heels of the first Afro-American president...the NY Times has a piece in today's paper pointing to how the pseudo-democrats are grooming an openly gay candidate for the next election cycle.

WTF!

Remember my last post, the one on 'manipulation'? Here's yet another shining example of what One Party Politics, pretending to be two, looks like.

Anyway, it seems the current 'meme/pattern' commencement speechs are following today is one of 'guarded optimism'. We haven't yet sunk [at least not in the boondocks] to the rhetoric that makes pep rallies such a cliche, 'Go out there, RIP the other guy's head off then poop down their bloody neck-hole!'

Like I said, yesterday clung to the familiar 'go forth and let your light shine' format of the past rather than the Carpe Deim being preached by today's rabid capitalists...who are well on their way to becoming tomorrow's Nazis!

If social media is anything to go by we are being groomed to accept jail for every failure of politics and capitalism.

There has been a disturbing increase in 'support police brutality' and 'humiliate' welfare recipients while (as always) ignoring the cause of either.

Well, here's a little 'commencement address' for the rest of us as we head off into a decidedly dark future:

Do you curse your decision to bring children into this world? If you don't then you haven't been paying attention!

Why street crime [and the resultant cop shootings]? Why homelessness? Why poverty? Because capitalism and it's bought and paid for justice system has FAILED!

More (for profit) jails and more armed thugs [with tin badges] roaming the streets are NOT the answer!

Neither is the fact that the last three people who asked for a raise don't work with you anymore.

Are you mentally preparing yourself for 'debtors prison'?

Did you know debtor prisons were never declared illegal, [just as usury a.k.a loan-sharking is no longer illegal, thank you W.] because they are both capitalist schemes?] Did you know capitalists financed the rise of Nazi Germany and walked away unscathed when that adventure collapsed?

Did you know that the desendants of those people are behind 'Morning in America'?

Make no mistake about it, people are already being sentenced to prison for debts they couldn't possibly pay back. Maybe you think that's a good thing but if you do it only proves that you're a very stupid monkey.


Now no job = prison.

Because nobody at the base of this capitalist scheme is without debt, it's more ubiquitious than sin!

It's slavery on a grand scale because capitalism can't provide jobs for everybody...and guess what they're going to give you once you're in debtor's prison? you guessed it, a job but it only pays for your 'upkeep'. If you get fired in jail you'll find yourself cut off from the commissary and then who knows what you'll have to do to/for the guards if you want to live?

Yes, we need to combat 'the Legendary' every step of the way...and it starts today!

Here it is absolutely true that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem!

Thanks for letting me inside your head.

Gegner

Herd Management

Greetings good citizen, I focus my attention on the individual although as my readership increases it will have the same effect upon the masses. One of my 'standard themes' is raising awareness that you are being manipulated. By pointing out this obvious fact I am manipulating you too, but being aware that you're being manipulated does nothing to change the fact that its happening.

When you're aware it's happening, you have a choice whether or not to go along with the idea. It's when you are being discretely mislead that you face an increased difficulty in determining a proper course of action.

You are often manipulated via 'either/or' choices with the desired outcome being 'painted' as the better course of action.

'Better buy solar panels now BEFORE the 20% rate increase hits!' Whether or not you'll shave 20% off your electric bill remains an unknown since every installation is different.

Or more succinctly, Hillary has the votes so she's our nominee. It's going to be a woman eventually, why not her?

Oh let me count the ways! Trust me, the top ten reasons 'why not' have absolutely zero to do with her plumbing. The first and foremost reason is she's a 'New Democrat' (also known as a DINO) which is the same thing as saying she's a Republican.

Wall Street loves her, yet another reason I can't vote for her. Her husband single handedly dismantled the New Deal and crashed the global economy (again!) by repealing Glass-Stegall.

And your quibbling if you say that was her husband's doing; it has nothing to do with her!

Did she divorce him? No so by extension she's cool with what he did.

And Wall Street really appreciates a 'team player'.

But this is my attempt to 'manipulate' you! If you plan on voting for HIllary there probably isn't much I can say that will change your mind. Bernie says he's pressing on and I'm behind him 100% [mostly because the One Percent has promised us 'never again' and Bernie would be just the guy to make them eat those words!]

He may not succeed at returning the marginal tax rate back up to 90% but I'd bet we'd see 50 again! [And when billionaires can't pay themselves the money , guess who gets it? Yup, they invest in loyalty!

And everybody 'wins'.

So what are the chances Wall Street's Darling is going to pursue (never mind introduce) legislation aimed at closing the yawning wealth gap that is tearing our nation apart?

And that's not the only thing you're being 'duped' into believing, a lot of what's going on lies in what they DON'T tell you.

Just caught the latest Last Week Tonight [which by rights should be last weeks episode] so you might have seen this too. John Oliver established a collection agency and bought $ 15 million dollars worth of 'bad' medical debt for $60,000.

He (and I hope he did it right because you know the same crumbs who sold him the debt in the first place will probably walk back in and buy it up again for less than they sold it to LWT for.

Anyway, John's company 'forgave' this (basically uncollectable) debt, just to 'one-up' Oprah's famous publicity stunt of giving away half that amount...and she's a billionaire!

John was drawing your attention to the fact that the debt buying business is severely under-regulated and a lot of these 'debt buyers' use some pretty sleazy tatics to collect what they shouldn't have purchased in the first place.

Under a Simple Plan debt is illegal [under the human anti-exploitation law] and the act of creating a 'debtor' is an exile offense...so trying to collect an illegitimate debt is grounds for summary execution!

See, now I'm attempting to get you to see that things COULD BE different. My ideas might take some getting used to but once in place you'd quite quickly I might add, begin to wonder why anybody put up with the old way of screw you, pay me!

Trust me good citizen, the only reason you put up with this nonsense now is because the bought and paid for 'justice system' backs-up these kinds of unfair and unreasonable practices .

It's the LAW that allows your creditors to lock you up and deprive you of the ability to live.

AM I manipulating you when I point out that a lot of you AGREE with Me that the legal system is crooked beyond repair?

WHy do you let this go unquestioned?

The answer is in the title, good citizen...welcome to the herd where freedom of the press only guarantees those with the gold can 'legally' own the pubic square...so 'seldom is heard a discouraging word and only the paupers pay, often with their lives!

Is THAT 'manipulating?' I guess it is if you decide to do something about it somewhere down the line...

Which is to say not everybody who tries to manipulate you isn't looking out for your best interests in the process. If nobody says anything and you come up with these ideas on your own, you wonder if it isn't you that's, er, 'out of touch'.

Let me assure you, I'm not.

With that said I thank you once again for inviting me inside your head to [hopefully] freshen the air, even if only a tiny bit.

Gegner

Incendiaries

Greetings good citizen. Once again I remind you that your citizenship is restricted to here, the playground of your mind. Outside this realm you are left to ponder if you're a zero or a one. [it's not so much 'if' but when since zero and one refer to on and off.]

More poignant is 'the inevitable', how Hillary is facing off against the Donald. It's a trainwreck in slow motion and we already know the outcome...and the pointless path a second Clinton term will take in the White House [nearly as pointless as Obama's two terms.]

[Reality check] The ONLY thing attributed to Obama is Romneycare, which is to point out it wasn't even his idea! Just as Bill Clinton had nothing to do with drafting NAFTA!] Thus:

Obama's right up there in the 'do nothing' presidency race. Not that we've had a 'take charge' president since Roosevelt [the one on the dime for the confused among you.]

How's the future looking to you now, good citizen?

The implications of the past few elections have made it evident to anyone paying attention that the ballot box is broken beyond repair. We can't go on like this expecting different results.

Totally unverified election results (when logic tells us the whole process is being 'gamed'...especially when we see what's NOT on the ballot, repeatedly!) are unacceptable.

The incendiaries have already been planted in your mind. Every election cycle your mind gets blown by results that make no sense!

What are the odds that there are that many post menopausal women out there that Hillary is even in the running? Astronomical...and worse, there are a lot of younger women out there saying I'm not voting for her...so who is?

Like Reagan & Bush (W.) neither one of them was 'popular' enough to be elected...never mind serve two terms.

So what gives? What do we do when it becomes obvious the process is broken?

Change the process, naturally!

But what do we change it to?

Again, the answer is right under our noses. We should scrap the popularity contest and replace it with a real competition, judged by experts, for the top slots in government.

Unprecedented you say? Au contrair! Native Americans used a 'trial process' when choosing new chiefs. Ironically, they thought the myopic Europeans who thought the position was 'heriditary' were crazy.) The 'Savages' knew good leadership was 'demonstrable'. Don't tell us how good you are, SHOW US!

I'm sick of supporting people who have nothing in common with me and also have NO demonstrable talents to prove they can do the job they're running for. Hillary may as well be a Martian as far as haing anything 'in common' with the average voter and Donald may not be from Uranus but some planet is definitely missing it's butt-hole!

There you have it, good citizen, lots of ideas and they're all FREE! [Rigid middle finger to capitalism and capitalists wherever they might be! How ironic is it that we can rightly call them Nazi's ?


Thanks once again for letting me inside your head,

Stay strong, change is coming!

Gegner