Just Let Me -- G -- Indoctrinate You!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

It's a Day to Be Unglued Thing

Dear America,

UNGLUED.

We are all unglued now.



From her opening thought -- on loan from Justice William O. Douglas, we get it:

"As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression.  In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged.  And it is in such a twilight that we all must be most aware of change is in the air -- however slight -- lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."

and you say, so...

So, upon this premise, we promptly received eleven chapters, narrowing the views of virtually ten steps into the dark abyss after reminding us of a few thoughts from the founders -- you know, establishing the "fragility of democracy" and all.

So, from the first step..."invoke an external and internal threat"..."establish secret prisons"..."develop a paramilitary force"..."surveil  ordinary citizens"..."infiltrate citizens groups"..."arbitrarily detain and release citizens"..."target key individuals"..."restrict the press"..."cast criticism as 'espionage' and dissent as 'treason' "....

to the last --  "subvert the rule of law" -- she maligns and attacks every nook and cranny and brings to light atrocities and abuse of power.   From her first thought to her last, our true liberties are contemplated, questioned, interrogated; while some might even say --  dare I say -- water boarded from top to bottom.

It's all in for Naomi Wolf, as her 2007 expose on an administration goes wild, The End of America.

And all I can think about is, she must be feeling pretty unglued now.

She says,

One reason dictators demand access to such private data is that this scrutiny breaks down citizens' sense of being able to act freely against those in power.  Such intrusions also erode citizens' loyalties to civil and professional groups and redirect their primary loyalty to the state... 
...With these early steps in place, people start to restrict their own activities voluntarily.  They start to think twice about bulk-emailing the 'Impeach George Bush' message, or checking Amnesty International's Website to see what Iraqis with relatives held in U.S. -run prisons are saying, or sending information about the Professor Ward Churchill controversy to a friend. 
In that atmosphere, dissent stifles itself before it can develop.  Surveillance leads to fear, and fear leads to silence: 
And silence is un-American.

Amen to that sister.

we are all sisters and brothers now.

But let's not dwell in a foxhole, moving on to nearly the end of her story, she says:

Bush has used more signing statements than any other president.  The way Bush is using signing statements essentially relegates Congress to an advisory role.  This abuse lets the president choose what laws he wished to enforce or not, overruling Congress and the people.  So Americans are living under laws their representatives never passed.  Signing statements put the president above the law...
[um, not done]

Fascists coming to power in a weakened democracy simply start to ignore those assumed agreements.
On the back cover of "one of the most important books that's been written, certainly in the last decade or two, and perhaps in my lifetime" so says Thom Hartmann, best-selling author and host of The Thom Hartmann Radio Program --

Wes Boyd, co-founder of MoveOn.org says, "Naomi Wolf sounds the alarm for all American patriots.  We must come together as a nation and recommit ourselves to the fundamental American idea that no president, whether Democrat or Republican, will ever be given unchecked power."

No, here's a good one:  "You will be shocked and disturbed by this book.  Most Americans reject outright any comparison of post 9/11 America with the fascism and totalitarianism of Nazi Germany or Pinochet's Chile.  Sadly, the parallels and similarities, what Wolf calls the 'echoes' between those societies and America today, are all too compelling," so says Michael Ratner, Center of Constitutional Rights.

So, what you all say now?

Political Hypocrisy is the new epidemic.

In another light, see also results of the social experimentation by voting blocks in Mississippi, here.

The reflection of the scum on the surface of the Republican party is not only revolting, it makes it nearly impossible to see the real thing.

This despicable GOP is not me.

Of course, this context immediately puts coming unglued in America into a whole 'nother dimension.  There are not words -- nothing -- to explain the slanderous intent and vile behavior of the republican establishment and the lengths they went to to destroy, annihilate, the Tea Party and the candidate, Chris McDaniel.  We can only hope at this point that The Establishment's fate might just be sealed -- super glued, perhaps -- and it's called winning the battle only to lose the war.

By all accounts -- if being totally honest and truthful with thy self --  "the Tea Party" just consists of people like Naomi Wolf, Wes Boyd, Michael Ratner and me.  [Only said that to make myself laugh, for desperate times call for desperate measures, doncha know.]

No.
What defines unglued is the latest news on our southern border.

And to think, a couple weeks ago, when joking about the high speed rail set up from Central America to America, who knew just how much of that was true!

We missed talking about the ad for escorts.  And just in case you missed it:


“provide unarmed escort staff, including management, supervision, manpower, training, certifications, licenses, drug testing, equipment and supplies necessary to provide on-demand escort services for non-criminal/non-delinquent unaccompanied alien children ages infant to 17 years of age, seven days a week, 365 days a year. … There will be approximately 65,000 [unaccompanied alien children] in total.”
Posted January 29, 2014 @ FedBizOpps.gov.
And thank you, Washington Times.


We missed talking about the invitation to come to America...with a response so huge...undermining our securing and leaving our border vulnerable in every possible way.  See shocking fliers telling Mexicans to come and America will feed you.

"The ones we are losing are convicted felons, aliens from special interest countries, and other high risk individuals. We are so overwhelmed and preoccupied by the flood of juveniles and family units that we cannot use our resources to catch the more serious aliens,"  the agent states.  FOR MORE, go here.
We missed talking about where they go from here.  Truth be told, here being 'here, there and everywhere.'

Crazy is the administration who masterminds this kind of chaos, usurping the rule of law while undermining America's security and economic future.

Ah yes, never let a crisis go to waste.


But now, if we are going to talk about getting unglued -- we would be remiss to miss lending any of our tantrum time to the IRS and Benghazi and the dishonorable trade of five terrorists for a "prisoner of war" without Congressional approval.  No matter, baby steps as little old G finds her way back to being the keeper on the day.


Now the mass exodus to freedom in America hit the mainstream just as I was taking a mass hiatus from civilization to entertain family, to celebrate my girl's graduation, and more or less, to leave the blog high and dry [with no regrets, btw].   But looking back, oh to be in two places at the same time.

And boom.
That's just it.

We can't be in two places in principle at the same time, unless of course, the two principles are one in the same --  for the same thing goes as the same thing goes, republican or democrat, no matter what.

The thing is, today, in America, we seem to have lost our ability to give ourselves our own checks and balances.  It's  not just about our representatives anymore; it's about each and every one of us to check ourselves at the door, on the border, on the prairie, in the boardroom, in chaos, in our living rooms, on call, on the campaign trail -- whether in the Oval Office, the halls of Congress, our own backyard, or not.  Are we asking ourselves the tough questions; is our response the same when faced within our own party affiliation?  Community?  Are we in integrity and fully aligned with our word, with our actions, with our opinion, with our response, come our side or another?

Everywhere and often, check.

Check and double check.

Got glue?
Check.

Feel the balance.

From John Locke:

To this end it is that men give up all their natural power to the society they enter into, and the community put the legislative power into such hands as they think fit, with this trust, that they shall be governed by declared laws, or else their peace, quiet, and property will still be at the same uncertainty as it was in the state of Nature.

But then again,

"Even the best of men 
in authority are liable
 to be corrupted by passion"

right, Aristotle?


SO, 

"We may conclude
 then that the law is reason 
without passion,
 and it is therefore 
preferable to any individual."


Or else, with darkness setting in,  it may just be the end of America.

Nite Nite.

Make it a Good Day, G
In Epi-Blog

While this administration shows a certain restraint when using Executive Orders to affect change and fundamental transformation (so far, roughly administering the same number as Bushie), using more informal "executive actions" through policy changes seems to be the way to circumvent the unfair attention and scrutiny (because he's black) (yeah, right).

Policy changes are what a community organizer does best.
Social Justice, unconscionable energy policy, redistribution of wealth,  marginalizing the strength of our military and ability to defend our borders and align with democracies worldwide -- whether by the slow, unsuspecting nudge or by the boot to the neck or in a response to a crisis, the end justifies the means...  and when we say the end, we mean, the end. 

Monday, June 9, 2014

It's America Acting with a Calmness of Mind Thing

Dear America,


"The more tranquil 
a woman becomes, 
the greater is her success,
 her influence, 
her power 
for good. 
 Calmness of mind 
is one of the beautiful 
jewels of wisdom."  

James Allen

hysterical, isn't it.

Now, the mistake, is not so much in the message -- but more the target; for wouldn't this natural ambition to keep essential a tranquility of being, a "calmness of mind," co-exist within the sexes equally?  Without knowing Allen's context of mind -- and jumping to conclusions with fearless abandon -- a closer analysis unwittingly translates -- no, deteriorates -- into more a smear; like a slap across the face against the hysterical, emotional, unhinged crazy town woman.  For surely, no good can come from that.

Having said that, let's put that little outburst aside for the moment, and acknowledge how true!

For Allen's observation of what many of us might call a daily personal triumph is huge.  It defines just how vital is the time set safely aside in order to marinate on decisions, to think before we speak, to pray for the right thing to do, or say; for the purpose of these gaps, these voids, these long periods of seemingly inactivity with the clear and present absence of hysteria consciously leading the charge, leads to gain for not only the woman herself, but for the greater good (men included).  And what's not to like about that?

Now -- in the present -- Steve Coburn, owner of California Chrome, could learn a thing or two from this. Needless to say,   a late apology is better than no apology, give him that.  After a good night's rest and a talkin' to from the little woman, he realized the wrong of his ways; if only he had the presence of mind to shut up after the mile-and-a-half-moment, he never would have made himself such a fool.

But I don't want to talk about him a moment more.

I want to take a moment to talk about a moment in a young woman's life when everything and nothing changes.  My girl is graduating from High School in four days.

The quote, was chosen just for her, by a mentor, a teacher, the queen bee in charge of the school's newspaper --  and currently ranking first place in the nation.  

All graduating seniors got one -- the teacher hand-selecting each one after working in close proximity, after laboring many a late nights while consuming an unimaginable amount of pizza, after witnessing each student one-on-one and in groups, from lowly staff writer to section editors to managing editors - - whether under stress and duress right up to press -- day in and day out.   

The teacher came to know the student.

And she did.

To know my girl is to know the presence of tranquility. 

As crazy as this may sound, even when she loses her cool, she remains easy, breezy, cover girl calm.  

And I have no idea where she gets it from.

No matter. 
Looking into her future, this spirit of repose not only suits her, but it appears to be something that, if faithfully continued, promises to be kind while accompanying her for the rest of her life.   How remarkable the potential for good is that?

But oh, the woe of the empty nest sends me swirling.  
It all happened so fast.
Like a twister hysterically ripping out my heart and scattering it across the fruited plains never to be made whole again, such is how the changing of this season begins.  

But that's life; pass the Maker's Mark and send in Sinatra, must make the best of it, right.

Today, marks the beginning of summer.  It also marks what just might be a time of perceived total inactivity for me being G -- paving the way for days of quiet contemplation and crazy celebration, leaving only enough time for the Intermittent G, at best.

Ideally, to track down my tranquility, to spend time with family and friends, to meditate upon what's next -- these are the things that will occupy my mind in the days ahead.  

Happy summer days to one and to all.

"The more tranquil 
a woman becomes, 
the greater is her success,
 her influence, 
her power 
for good. 
 Calmness of mind 
is one of the beautiful 
jewels of wisdom."  

James Allen

Hmmm
A more tranquil America,
wonder what that feels like?


Make it a Good Day, G

Thursday, June 5, 2014

It's Another Visit From the Screw Up Fairy Thing

Dear America,

"Ahhh...I see the screw up fairy 
has visited us again"

anonymous

i was waiting for a sign.

something

anything

and then....

In the words of our president, swiped off the pages of POLITICO -- we see, "no apologies;"  boom.

"We saw an opportunity
and we seized it.
And I make no apologies for that."

“I’m never surprised 
by controversies that are whipped up in Washington...
that's par for the course."

" 'We have a basic principle: 
we do not leave anybody 
wearing the American uniform 
 behind,' 
Obama said, 
repeating the defense 
he offered earlier in the week."

"I make absolutely 
no apologies for making sure that 
we get back a young man 
to his parents 
and that the American people 
understand
 that this is somebody’s child. 
And that we don’t condition 
whether or not 
we make the effort 
to try to get them back,"

For the whole read, go here.

YOU, sir, have got to be kidding me.

No, better still and under par for the course, maybe the American people should order you this tee shirt to wear on your next round of golf:

"I've learned so much 
from my mistakes.  
I think I'll make 
a few more."
anonymous

indeed.

How in bloody hell do you double down on this?

Have you read the headlines?

Have you not spoken with any of your advisors?

Have you no shame?

Intelligence reports tell us (apparently, all at the same time) that at least six troops died looking for Bergdahl -- a soldier and quite possibly a traitor -- who walked off his post (apparently, more than once).

Your own congress denied the approval of the release of these Gitmo detainees for his exchange (apparently, more than once) dating back to 2012; but more important, were NEVER consulted on this done deal, at the costly ratio of five to one.

What do you have to say to the parents of the those who actually died?  If you had a son,  could you relate -- would any of these guys appear to matter to you?

Here's an account to lose your daily MR for -- from a few days ago on The Daily Beast.  Feeling any pangs in the pit of your stomach yet?

The thing is, Mr. President -- this "soldier" was never placed on the POW list, was he; and you knew that.  I mean, come on, you are the president after all; this kind of inside intelligence is routine and just par for the course on any given day, right?

As president -- you knew the details were sketchy, at best; and you did it anyway?


And the five detainees, now in Qatar?

Scott free; skipping through the dusty daisies with nothing left to do but sit out a year?  Really?  

Who's the traitor now?

What about our soldier in Mexico?  Or is he the exchange -- paying the ultimate sacrifice sitting in a Mexican jail for the rest of his life -- for the hundreds, no hundreds of thousands, of children being allowed to not only cross the border into the United States, but now get room and board on the tax payer dime?  Costing...what?

Next thing you know, we will come to find out an entire transit system -- probably a high speed rail fueled entirely by solar energy and windmills -- has been set up south of the border just to transport the children from every nook and cranny of Mexico and South America, in order to flood the system, create the chaos, to force feed immigration reform under duress, under the boot, under the direction of an administration ripe with corruption and deceit.

...to which Obama will respond something like, "well golly, gosh, gosh, I found out about it when you all did."  Or no -- he'll say -- "yes.  yes we did. and I make no apologies for it...every child deserves to be raised by their loving parents, and every loving parent deserves to have their child by their side...it's just the right thing to do."

"Since Oct. 1, U.S. customs agents caught 47,017 children along the southwest border, an eye-popping 92% increase in the last fiscal year."

 — Hundreds of migrant children will be sheltered at a naval facility in California amid a spike in the number of minors caught crossing the border alone, authorities said Tuesday...

Children will be flown to the Port Hueneme site from other shelters while being cleared for transfer to sponsors, said Laura Goulding, a spokeswoman for the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the Health and Human Services Department. They will receive English language instruction, arts and crafts activities, and recreation at the shelter, she said.

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/06/03/3094084/california-shelter-readied-for.html#storylink=cpy



Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/06/03/3094084/california-shelter-readied-for.html#storylink=cpy
Since when does our Health and Human Services Department do all this?  And such a twisted turn of Department of Defense resources, no? Port Hueneme was refurbished in 2007 to house Navy reservists before heading off to Afghanistan...

Curious -- did congress approve of this re-allocation of government property?  Or was this just covered under the cover of darkness within the pages of the Affordable Care Act (just a little something something nobody bothered to read)   -- at the discretion of Kathleen Sebelius, under the direction of Obama, before making the unfortunate human sacrifice of the administration.  Oh the end justifies the means, doesn't it, Kathleen.

wonderful use of no child left behind.


"I've learned so much 
from my mistakes.  
I think I'll make 
a few more."

yup.
double downed on that one.

Why?

This -- from TIME:

Asked whether the Taliban would be inspired by the exchange to kidnap others, he laughed. “Definitely,” he says. “It’s better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people. It has encouraged our people. Now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bird.”

Did the president happen to think about all those left behind -- like behind behind --  like behind enemy lines behind?  The parents of all those left behind deserve their children to come home safe and sound, too.  In spite of the apparent draw down of troops with every intention to end the endless war come the end of the year -- today, we are still a nation at war, for gitmo jiminy sakes.

And what is wrong with you, Lindsay Graham?  Impeachment if he tries to do it again?  Are you for real?  How about beginning impeachment proceedings right now?  But wait a minute, don't look now, Lindsay, for you may just get that chance right quick...next up for consideration for good conduct well served, Fouzi Khalid Abdullah al-Awda.   Let the games begin.

Hope and Change...not...here's another angle:

One of the deadliest and most violent Islamic terrorist organizations is growing exponentially in Syria and Iraq, taking over large swaths of territory and turning the region into a de facto state controlled by extremists whose ultimate goal is a pro-emirate Middle East, U.S. officials told TheBlaze...

As Syria enters its fourth year of civil war with more than 162,000 casualties, there is growing concern that failure to properly address the issue has given ISIL time to establish itself, including capabilities to recruit Americans and Europeans far from its home base in the Middle East. President Barack Obama announced last month that the administration will be sending more trainers and equipment to members of the Free Syrian Army that have disavowed extremist groups.

Obama’s former ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, has been highly critical of the policy. In an interview with PBS on Tuesday, Ford said Obama’s hesitancy to aid moderate rebel fighters in the beginning of the conflict has resulted in increased threats to the United States and a loss of allies, so much so that he can “no longer defend the policy.”


If only the situation remained remotely serious, right?

Let's go back to the beginning -- another kind of beginning, shall we?  Picture 2009.

For a recap worthy of your time, let me direct you to The Heritage Foundation.  By  and 

Barack Obama's Top 10 Apologies: How the President Has Humiliated a Superpower


I know.  I hear you...what difference, at this point, does it make?  Besides, it's a lot to read.

Well,  let me tell you --
it means, we should have seen the screw up fairy coming a long, long time ago, albeit far, far away in the mind of the common man.

we are a trusting lot. aren't we now...  like sheep to the slaughter house.

Make it a Good Day, G

And you know --  some say the Bergdahl exchange occurred when it did -- and so suddenly, there was no time to get the obligatory approval from Congress -- just to distract the commoners from the VA Scandal; and that may very well be.  BUT, it also just so happens to coincide with a taking of a major holiday, by a major political/cultural commentator....Rush Limbaugh.  hmmmmm