The other week I felt like my blood pressure was dropping so I decided to peruse Facebook. Within a very short amount of time I could feel my pressure rising well above the generally accepted level.
I was rather taken aback at some of the comments and the banter politically speaking, of course.
I guess I'm stunned to the max that people do not, at the very least, check out a person's record before declaring how fabulous he or she might be as a president. This goes for all who find themselves in one of the two cults known as political parties. (To be clear again, I feel that any president is simply a figurehead or, to put it not so delicately, a puppet so it really matters not who is in. They all seem to continue to do the bidding of the Military Industrial Complex and Israel, of course.)
These types will declare that Such and Such is a tremendous candidate because he has a D near the name and of course, the same rings true for those in the R Cult as well, don't get me wrong. I should also clarify for the 1,687th time that I am not on a team although I am “legally” registered as a Democrat because I HAD to be in order to support Bernie Sanders back in the day. See, Pennsylvania doesn't allow independent minded people to vote in the primary which leaves out a “yuge” swath of the population.
Prior to that, I had been a registered Republican in order to support Ron Paul and I simply didn't change the affiliation deal until I needed to do so. At this point I think I qualify as a Political Atheist or something similar which allows me to be even handed in my criticism across party lines.
As I've also mentioned a time or two, I highly recommend the method of dropping political identities and being issue oriented. It is quite freeing to do so as one doesn't feel compelled to ride to the defense of otherwise indefensible hooligans, aka political figures. Now that you know my entire history, which really should be private, I shall inch forward.
I took note of how Person A was declaring that Joe Biden should be elected so that integrity, truth and honesty could return to the Oval Office. (Note the lack of POLICIES mentioned. It's strictly about personalities all too often.)
After I cleaned up the coffee that I spewed forth all over my computer, I read the next comment which said how wonderful President Trump is and how he's making things great here in the US of A.
Again I found myself mopping up a mess but after that, I continued to read the back and forth with great interest. I rarely say anything anymore as I have been in a cult and I know how damaging it can be to have a person suddenly snap you out of it, so to speak. It can literally cause damage to said person so I always keep this in mind in terms of commenting or not commenting. This is why there are actual professionals who deprogram those who have been in cults. They deal with this jazz on a regular basis and I don't.
I have been known to even type in a total comeback packed with actual proof O' policies, etc., but I feel people aren't really that interested in real details so I simply erase the comment. I guess it's therapeutic to at least get it off my chest in print, even if no one will see it.
I don't understand how anyone can objectively look at either of the above-mentioned political figures and claim that they are terrific in any way, shape or form. The following list is something that I actually keep handy so that I can share with others if I feel they can handle the truth.
I also have one pertaining to President Trump but I'm going to focus on “The Other” this week. All people hear these days are things about Trump, Trump and more Trump, thrown in for good measure, from the mainstream, corporate talking heads. I'm here to provide you with something else.
There is plenty of info on Trump to fill an upcoming column so don't you “blue no matter who” people fret. I'm nothing if not an equal opportunity offender; remember? The fact that the Trump administration is lying about Venezuela is enough to mention this week. (I highly recommend a website called The Last American Vagabond. He also has a YouTube channel of the same name. He is laser focused on foreign affairs and garners his info from independent journalists who are not owned by the large corporations.) Now, without further ado, here is a bit of Mr. B's record, for the record.
One: Voted for the Iraq War. Two: Voted for the Patriot Act which really cracked down on us as citizens and allowed for freedoms to be infringed upon, to put it mildly. Surveillance galore and more difficult to travel, Fourth Amendment basically tossed aside, etc., were the results to name just three.
Three: Supported the repeal of Glass-Steagall and is generally for Wall Street deregulation, which led to the housing and credit debacle. Four: Supported NAFTA. Five: Opposed busing desegregation in the 1970s. Six: Supported Wall Street bailout. Seven: Supported the Crime Bill.
Eight: Pro TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). Nine: Supported permanent trade relations with China. Ten: Was FOR regime change of Assad, to name one. Eleven: Proposed a bill to make it illegal to burn the flag. Mind you, this was to the RIGHT of Justice Scalia for crying out loud! Remember him? He wasn't exactly a “liberal thinker.”
Twelve: Joe LIVES for Israel, the apartheid state. (Please check out Miko Peled, “The General's Son” book or lecture on YouTube for the REAL history of that area as told by him. Peled was born in Israel to a very Zionist family and after learning the real truth when he was in his late 30s, became a peace activist who is pro-Palestine. Hey, I believed the propaganda for decades until looking outside of my own comfort zone so if I can do it, you certainly can.)
Well, I think that's all for this week. I'm prepped for people to line up with the old pitchforks in hand but I didn't fake the above-mentioned record. Don't shoot the messenger. I shall leave you with this quote from our dear, sweet and deceased Gore Vidal. “There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party … and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat.”
THE END (Interstate Crosscheck, “War is a Racket,” by General Smedley Butler, AIPAC Lobby)