My wish for 2018

As I type this column I am wearing 18 layers of clothing IN my home. My fingers are frozen as well which makes it a bit difficult to maneuver across the keyboard. I'm hoping you are whipping out your violins currently but I doubt it since we are all in the same boat, for the most part.

OK in between that paragraph and this one, I literally took a hot bath so that my fingers would work. Hmm you have yet to remove the fiddle from the case so I guess nothing will work. I'm not making that up though—see I used “literally” which should be a clue.

I like all of the seasons but this single digit jazz is a bit much. For some reason even being inside in the frigid temperatures somehow interferes with the regular thought process, in my not so humble opinion. That should be a clue that you are in for a weirder than usual column if that's even possible.

It's almost too chilly to conjure a subject for this space but I think I should be able to anger the masses in some way, starting about now.

During one of my recent live gigs on YouTube (has anyone gotten the hint yet about subscribing to my channel?) I asked my “loungers” to bring along a statement pertaining to how they had carried out something in 2017 or changed their attitudes in a GOOD way. There is a plethora of negativity floating about in the atmosphere these days, so I thought that might be a more cheerful approach. NO, I was not abducted recently by a “galactic brother” as I still have that ranting streak alive and well deep within. (Just wait.) I simply thought it would be a kinder and gentler approach is all.

Moving along, my big reveal in terms of something that helped me in 2017 was the fact that I ditched my political “identity” entirely. I'm not a member of a team; I don't have to defend the indefensible all in the name of party; I am even MORE of an equal opportunity offender than ever and it's so FREEING! I beg you all to give it a go. (By the by, I was always more or less an odd-ball—stop that thought, it's rude—in terms of an absolute political ideology anyway. I mean I liked Ron Paul back in the day for certain things and I enjoyed Bernie Sanders more recently for certain things. I really am wondering why we, as a species, long for people to rule over us but that is another topic for another time. It did aid in my mandatory digression in these brackets though so there's that.)

I think I have mentioned (in passing of course whilst whistling in a casual manner) that this is the best move a person can make. While I'm at it, as they say, I also recommend NOT joining any group. Boy I can feel the massive pearl clutching unfolding as I pound out this piece madly in my frigid living quarters.

Here's the thing, groups of all sorts most oft' have the very best of intentions. However, and you knew that was coming, they are frequently infiltrated by evil of some kind. It's either the Koch Brothers pulling the strings of the Tea Party or the infamous George Soros “guiding” many of the “spontaneous” uprisings all over the globe. That is NOT to say that your average person who joins a group or groups is a bad human being, as he/she rarely has a clue about the cabal running the show, so to speak. That is my point. Please release those pearls right now!

Plus it is evident that some join in order to stir up trouble and make the entire group look bad. Do people have memories at all these days? Does anyone recall how the FBI and other agencies seeped into the Civil Rights Movement (did I need to capitalize that?) and wreaked havoc? WHY don't citizens remember some of these blatant shenanigans? I believe they call people like this “agent provocateurs” or some such. Check it out. Perform a search on your computer before it starts running too slowly due to the net neutrality situation that has now unfolded here in the arms of Uncle Sam.

Stepping back to the political arena briefly, from the outsider that I've become over the past few years—but wholeheartedly this past year—it seems to me that both major parties are corrupt to the bone. Wow! I can feel the rage. That isn't a very nice thing to say so simmer down please. I'm tiring of hearing about this “resistance” gang or what have you, since NONE seemed to “resist” the HUGE increase in military spending that Trump wanted and received—plus some! If people really think that any member of the establishment is involved with resisting anything, then I don't know what to say. Just kidding, I ALWAYS have something to say, much to your delight. (Being anti-war is another issue on which I really started to focus in 2017 and that shall continue with a vengeance.)

As Jesse Ventura has expressed on numerous occasions, (this isn't a direct quote but close), politicians are like professional wrestlers because they pretend to hate each other in public and then they work together behind the scenes. George Carlin hit the nail on the head as well when he indicated that “they” are in a big club and YOU are not a member. Both have warned of “bipartisan efforts” as they generally spell trouble. I like both of these men—stop judging me for it. I will take in info from any person as long as they are trying to discover the truth of the matter. I don't care if they are deemed to be “left, right, liberal, conservative, insane,” or any of those male bovine excrement descriptions. Those “labels” mean nothing these days as nobody knows what the heck they mean. (I find myself defining terms on a regular basis during chats over the phone or on the internet. “I hate communists,” said Jenny. Lisa replied, “How do you define communist?” Get it? I didn't think so but it was worth a try.)

I'm moving back to the non-stop war situation at this time. I suppose I should remind people of Eisenhower's parting shot when he said, "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist."

Also, I have started to include Major General Smedley Butler's “War is a Racket” in the brackets under each column. (I also hold the book up for all to see at the end of all or most videos.) I am going to end this blather with a quote from that very book. While I have you, it's available online for FREE and/or a person will read it to you via YouTube if you'd like. It's easily unearthed. In my not-so-humble view, this short treatise should be handed out right along with diplomas when kids graduate from high school.

Major General Smedley Butler was a recipient of two congressional medals of honor, by the by. He served in WWI and was instrumental in thwarting the overthrow of FDR! Check it out ladies and gents.

OK his writing style is a bit choppy but who am I to judge? It's the information that is pertinent and not the style. Here you go, at long last: “War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and in the losses in lives. A racket is best descried, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small 'inside' group knows what it is all about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many...” I think you get the overall picture.

The following theme will be a focus in 2018 and it's my wish for all of you as well. We must drop political identities, focus on issues, leave labels at the door, research before you judge and remember that WAR is a RACKET. Whew, I'm done.

THE END (Interstate Crosscheck, AIPAC, Geo-engineering, War is a Racket, Thank you for reading this blather—wanted to see if you made it this far.)

P.S. I believe I have said this as well but another move that has aided in my quality of life going up a notch was when I turned OFF the TV and especially the corporate, CIA backed, so-called media. Perpetual still enjoys the talking box in the kitchen but I refuse to partake in the shenanigans. From time to time I do watch a recording of The Waltons though, I must confess.