IN A RECENT POLL, conducted by aol or some other big company, forty nine per cent of americans believe that people who are caught texting while driving should receive jail time. forty nine per cent is real close to fifty per cent, or half, half of america.
it would be great to think that maybe america doesn't really believe that, that, for some strange reason, the poll produced innacurate results. forty per cent of america thinks testing while driving should be punishable by prison time? what? c'mon, gimme a break.
are we really, do we really want to be, a country which locks up a huge percentage of its own populations, for trivial, or imaginary crimes? hell, we already put metal fibers in twenty dollar bills so that federal agents can track money with radar guns, and we, we the american government, the security state american government, acting on behalf of the american people, spy on the population with every sort of electronic device imaginable, some you've heard of, like lasers and computers, some , you haven't.
locking people up for texting and driving would be insane, utterly insane,even by american standards, which are quite high. we need to start letting people OUT of jail, and putting fewer in, not the opposite. legalize recreational drugs, and stop punishing white collar crime by incarceration.
there is no need to lock up people like martha stewart, for heaven sake. take all her money, make her go out in the wrold and start over, financially; but, in the name of sanity, don't lock her up like a wild animal. hell, even wild animals shouldn't be locked up...
america puts more people in prison than any other country, and maybe this poll reflects the reason, maybe the american people really are incarceration crazy. but, somehow, one would like to think not.
there are surely more creative ways to get people to stop texting while driving. after all, wonderful people do it, ministers, nurses, care givers, and such, they don't belong in jail. few do.
it is to be hoped that mainstream society will eventually reject the barbaric practice of inprisonment.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES ARE PUBLISHED EVERY DAY ALL DAY.THANKS!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Done Too Soon? Or Maybe Not
THE GREAT COMPOSER FRANZ SCHUBERT died at the tragically young age of thirty one, from some microbic disease, like typoid of syphylis, that could be easily treated today. he was buried in austria next to his hero, beethoven. later their graves were moved, and today schubert, beethoven, brahams, and johann strauss the scond are all buried close together.
another in the tragic tradition of great musicians dying young, including mozart, gershwin, hendrix, winehouse, among others. in every case you wonder the same thing; what more could this brillaint person have given the world had premature death not intervened? can you imagine what mozart or george gershwin could have accomplished had their lives been twice as long as they were?
it is, however, worth noting that often times a great creator's greatest creations manifest early in life, and latter life becomes a bit less creatively tumultuous and productive, and a bit more calm, and quiet. maybe shelley and keats had already written their best poetry by the time they died before the age of thirty. maybe mozart's symphonies number forty two through eixty would have been....disappointing...though its hard to imagine.
on franz schubert's impressive tomb there is a message, which roughly, says something like:
"Here lies a great composer, and greater hope."
meaning, of course, there is great art here, and even more potential, but never created, art.
here is greatness which never had a chance to come into being. here is unfulfilled talent, a man who did not have enough time to do enough.
one day the great composer robert schuman was visiting his friend schubert's tomb, and, after reading the epitaph, declared: "no, he did enough."
that is something to think about. and maybe its equally true of all the rest, of mazart, of gershwin, of us all, of all those who seemingly died too young, and were done too soon. I've never looked at it this way before. now i shall. grieve not, but rejoice!
and maybe, just maybe, so should you...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR MORNING AND EVENING. THANKS MUCH!
another in the tragic tradition of great musicians dying young, including mozart, gershwin, hendrix, winehouse, among others. in every case you wonder the same thing; what more could this brillaint person have given the world had premature death not intervened? can you imagine what mozart or george gershwin could have accomplished had their lives been twice as long as they were?
it is, however, worth noting that often times a great creator's greatest creations manifest early in life, and latter life becomes a bit less creatively tumultuous and productive, and a bit more calm, and quiet. maybe shelley and keats had already written their best poetry by the time they died before the age of thirty. maybe mozart's symphonies number forty two through eixty would have been....disappointing...though its hard to imagine.
on franz schubert's impressive tomb there is a message, which roughly, says something like:
"Here lies a great composer, and greater hope."
meaning, of course, there is great art here, and even more potential, but never created, art.
here is greatness which never had a chance to come into being. here is unfulfilled talent, a man who did not have enough time to do enough.
one day the great composer robert schuman was visiting his friend schubert's tomb, and, after reading the epitaph, declared: "no, he did enough."
that is something to think about. and maybe its equally true of all the rest, of mazart, of gershwin, of us all, of all those who seemingly died too young, and were done too soon. I've never looked at it this way before. now i shall. grieve not, but rejoice!
and maybe, just maybe, so should you...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR MORNING AND EVENING. THANKS MUCH!
The Legacy of Ray Bradbury
THE DEATH OF RAY BRADBURY evokes sorrow among readers of science fiction, and the thought comes to mind that science fiction is perhaps another of america's great cultural contributions to the world, even though jules verne and h g wells were not american.
ray bradbury, robert heinlein, and robvert silverberg ARE american, arthur c clarke was not, and isaac asimmov was 99% american, 1% russian.
science fiction became important during the last one hundred years as science and technology began advancing ever more rapidly but has stalled out a bit recently,as have human travels into space. fantasy has interbred with science fiction of late; arthur c clark believed that true science fiction utilized only known principles of science; no magic allowed, nor sorcery, nor wizardry.
bradbury, who was ninety one when he died yesterday, wanted to be buried on mars. fifty years ago bradbury was convinced, as was i, that by the year 2012 mankind would have a permanent colony on mars. well, we got a bit ahead of oursevles.
bradbury surely died still believing that the human race will colonize space, and so shall i so die, but not too soon, i hope. he called us the "in between people", in between the cave man stage and the space exploration stage, as humanity advances towards ever more technology, power, and environmental control.
the idea that we humans will put our descendents in a position to explore and colonize outer space is what ought properly to inspire us all to do better, in everything we do. like it or not, i am human, and i feel impelled to root hard for the success of those who come after us. and really, i like it.
I make friends with people. And, I wear a derby
on my head, as others do. I say
They are strangely stinking animals. And I say
No matter, I am too.
(Bertolt Brecht)
ray bradbury had a glorious vision of a future humanity scattered across the solar system and galaxy, those still on earth happy, prosperous, peaceful, although you couldn't tell it from reading his books, which often depict struggle, like all great fiction.
but on a deeper level his books depict joy of living, and hope, and we, as did he, would do well to bequeath these virtues to the future.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR MORNING AND EVENING. THANKS!
ray bradbury, robert heinlein, and robvert silverberg ARE american, arthur c clarke was not, and isaac asimmov was 99% american, 1% russian.
science fiction became important during the last one hundred years as science and technology began advancing ever more rapidly but has stalled out a bit recently,as have human travels into space. fantasy has interbred with science fiction of late; arthur c clark believed that true science fiction utilized only known principles of science; no magic allowed, nor sorcery, nor wizardry.
bradbury, who was ninety one when he died yesterday, wanted to be buried on mars. fifty years ago bradbury was convinced, as was i, that by the year 2012 mankind would have a permanent colony on mars. well, we got a bit ahead of oursevles.
bradbury surely died still believing that the human race will colonize space, and so shall i so die, but not too soon, i hope. he called us the "in between people", in between the cave man stage and the space exploration stage, as humanity advances towards ever more technology, power, and environmental control.
the idea that we humans will put our descendents in a position to explore and colonize outer space is what ought properly to inspire us all to do better, in everything we do. like it or not, i am human, and i feel impelled to root hard for the success of those who come after us. and really, i like it.
I make friends with people. And, I wear a derby
on my head, as others do. I say
They are strangely stinking animals. And I say
No matter, I am too.
(Bertolt Brecht)
ray bradbury had a glorious vision of a future humanity scattered across the solar system and galaxy, those still on earth happy, prosperous, peaceful, although you couldn't tell it from reading his books, which often depict struggle, like all great fiction.
but on a deeper level his books depict joy of living, and hope, and we, as did he, would do well to bequeath these virtues to the future.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR MORNING AND EVENING. THANKS!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Indian Exploitation, the sequel
UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE leon panetta is in india, shaking hands, telling the representatives he meets what a lovely country they have here, and how nice it would be if the united states and india developed a closer relationship, particularly a military relationship.
if the indians have a brain in their head, if the indians know what's good for them, they will run as fast as they can away from any relationship with america. the united states and india have had a lukewarm relationship for decades, as america tried to straddle the fence in the ongoing enmity between india and pakistan, which used to be part of india.
now that relations between the U.S. and pakistan have soured, america turns to india.the united states fires a few dozen drone missiles into pakistan, without permission, kills a few thousand civilians, and the damned pakastanis have the nerve to get mad about it, after all the billions of beautiful crisp newly printed american dollars we have so generously given them?how rude!
...according to records kept assiduously by The Truthless Reconciler and American Explicator, there is exactly one person in india who reads this blog. OK then, so be it. whoever you are, start warning your countrypeople fast and furiously, online; the americans are coming!
after all, an empire has to have somewhere to be an empire. lose one piece of empire, replace it with another. soon enough we'll be hearing that american fleets are docking at indian ports, american aircraft are refueling at indian airports, and then the next logical step; american troops will be stationed at military bases on indian soil.
whatever the americans want, they aren't telling the indians that that is what they want, and whatever he americans want, they are up to no good, as usual. a further expansion of empire, would be my guess.
cleverly disguised as "mutual security and peace", or some such rhetorical nonsense.
throw enough money at india, good ole american make believe hot off the press money, and the U.S.'ll have 'em where they want 'em. the american corporations can move in later and exploit whatever resources they find, probably human beings in large cheap numbers, and maybe even natural gas and oil.
maybe the chinese will start to notice that its too late to conquer the world; its already been done...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR! new articles appear daily. THANKS!
if the indians have a brain in their head, if the indians know what's good for them, they will run as fast as they can away from any relationship with america. the united states and india have had a lukewarm relationship for decades, as america tried to straddle the fence in the ongoing enmity between india and pakistan, which used to be part of india.
now that relations between the U.S. and pakistan have soured, america turns to india.the united states fires a few dozen drone missiles into pakistan, without permission, kills a few thousand civilians, and the damned pakastanis have the nerve to get mad about it, after all the billions of beautiful crisp newly printed american dollars we have so generously given them?how rude!
...according to records kept assiduously by The Truthless Reconciler and American Explicator, there is exactly one person in india who reads this blog. OK then, so be it. whoever you are, start warning your countrypeople fast and furiously, online; the americans are coming!
after all, an empire has to have somewhere to be an empire. lose one piece of empire, replace it with another. soon enough we'll be hearing that american fleets are docking at indian ports, american aircraft are refueling at indian airports, and then the next logical step; american troops will be stationed at military bases on indian soil.
whatever the americans want, they aren't telling the indians that that is what they want, and whatever he americans want, they are up to no good, as usual. a further expansion of empire, would be my guess.
cleverly disguised as "mutual security and peace", or some such rhetorical nonsense.
throw enough money at india, good ole american make believe hot off the press money, and the U.S.'ll have 'em where they want 'em. the american corporations can move in later and exploit whatever resources they find, probably human beings in large cheap numbers, and maybe even natural gas and oil.
maybe the chinese will start to notice that its too late to conquer the world; its already been done...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR! new articles appear daily. THANKS!
Super Secret Sensible Cyber Warfare
YOU'RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS, but the united states of america maintains an ongoing program of cyber warfare; essentially, doing mean and nasty things to its enemies on the internet. equally surprising is the fact that this program is supposed to be top secret, but isn't, having recenly been exposed by tenacious and crafty whistleblowers.
just think, the U.S. government can't even hide a little harmless cyber crime, and there are those who accuse it of concealing an invasion of extraterrestrial aliens. but since the good folks who think aliens are being hidden, somehow KNOW that they are, doesn't that prove that the goverrnmen can't, and therefore isn't......well, anyway...
republican senators mccain and saxby are terribly concerned about the american government's sieve-like cyber warfare-security leaks; placing more emphasis upon the temerity of the whistleblowers and how to deal with them than on the philosophy and competence of the government.
who is america attacking online? iran, north korea, and syria are likely candidates, the usual suspects. maybe throw in venezuala and cuba, who expouse socialism, and don't leave out china, which has lately discovered that the remarkably productive forces of state capitalism (mercantilism) are quite useful in preparing to assume the role of world's greatest superpower.
if the united states can succeed in sufficiently disrupting computer operations among her enemies, perhaps organized islamic hatred of america will crumble into insular, atomized hatred. independently operating, own your own small business acts of terrorism might become en vogue.
and maybe socialist countries will suddenly see the light, and accede to american corporate imperialism.
american culture, from humphrey bogart to elvis presley to paris hilton, has already conquered the world. now we need only reel 'em in. how about one, final coup de grace to cement american corporate capitalistic hegemony? inundate the email boxes of the world with ads for botox wrinkle remover treatments and teeth whiteners, and we got 'em, cold.
"against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain", said the ancient greek philosopher agathon.
"the fools would be humorous, were they not in such deadly earnest" said the twentieth century philosopher h. l. mencken.
either way, ancient or modern, its the same idea. the human race is a natural experiment, and it will never succeed without at least a smidgen of sensible behavior. if the amreican government is going to mess with foreign computers, at least throw in a little advertising. facebook, for one, could use the help.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR DAILY. THANKS!
just think, the U.S. government can't even hide a little harmless cyber crime, and there are those who accuse it of concealing an invasion of extraterrestrial aliens. but since the good folks who think aliens are being hidden, somehow KNOW that they are, doesn't that prove that the goverrnmen can't, and therefore isn't......well, anyway...
republican senators mccain and saxby are terribly concerned about the american government's sieve-like cyber warfare-security leaks; placing more emphasis upon the temerity of the whistleblowers and how to deal with them than on the philosophy and competence of the government.
who is america attacking online? iran, north korea, and syria are likely candidates, the usual suspects. maybe throw in venezuala and cuba, who expouse socialism, and don't leave out china, which has lately discovered that the remarkably productive forces of state capitalism (mercantilism) are quite useful in preparing to assume the role of world's greatest superpower.
if the united states can succeed in sufficiently disrupting computer operations among her enemies, perhaps organized islamic hatred of america will crumble into insular, atomized hatred. independently operating, own your own small business acts of terrorism might become en vogue.
and maybe socialist countries will suddenly see the light, and accede to american corporate imperialism.
american culture, from humphrey bogart to elvis presley to paris hilton, has already conquered the world. now we need only reel 'em in. how about one, final coup de grace to cement american corporate capitalistic hegemony? inundate the email boxes of the world with ads for botox wrinkle remover treatments and teeth whiteners, and we got 'em, cold.
"against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain", said the ancient greek philosopher agathon.
"the fools would be humorous, were they not in such deadly earnest" said the twentieth century philosopher h. l. mencken.
either way, ancient or modern, its the same idea. the human race is a natural experiment, and it will never succeed without at least a smidgen of sensible behavior. if the amreican government is going to mess with foreign computers, at least throw in a little advertising. facebook, for one, could use the help.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR DAILY. THANKS!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Shared Sacrifice and Mob Rule
AS THE RECALL ELECTION IN WISCONSIN finally comes to an end, both sides of the issue believe themselves to be on a mission from God, and, in reality, neither one is.
governor walker and the republicans are simply trying to balance the budget, the only question is, are they doing it the best way, on the backs of teachers, firefighters, and cops?
even if a government prohibits collective bargaining, there is nothing to prevent a group of people in the same profession from forming and maintaining a uniform approach to bargaining. people communicate, and, at last glance, have not yet been prevented from it.
certainly the republicans would never for an instant consider taxing the wealthy instead of eliminating collective bargaining rights for public employees, a move which would undoubtedly hold down wages and benefits for teachers, and save the state money.
you can understnd why the teachers and other union members are upset, but does is justify removing the governor frfom office before his term is over? after all, governor walker is merely attempting to implement his policies, by legal means.he isn't engaging in criminal or traitorous activity.
certainly the union people are trying to protect what they consider to be a fundamental right of all workers, private or public. anyone who doesn't understand their point of view has never worked.
but surely the union folks must realize that getting rid of governor walker won't do any good; there are more out where whrer he came from, and removing him from office will do nothing to quieten those who oppose unions for public employees. if anything it will enervate them.
we all encounter politicians who are tying to enact policies we don't agree with, but do we try to force them out of office every time they do this, or do we simply oppose their policies through the normal political and legislative processes? ins't that what those poloitical and legislative processes are for, to enact public policies which reflect the will of the people, and their best interests?
it could be fairly argued that this recall election is nothing other than an attempt at mob rule. you can certainly see both sides of the issue; we will all have to sacrifice or go bankrupt as a nation; what sacrifice will the union mambers make? there must, ultimately , be a limite to how much society can compensate them.
AND how much of a sacrifice will the wealthy make? higher taxes for the wealthy seem appropiate and fair, and the unions, acting through regular political processes, could very well tie these two concepts together, and reach a compromise.
you get the impression that every american president from now on will be threatened with impeachment. how many more leaders will face a similar fate in our divided mob-like culture, without even engaging in criminal or traitorous activity?
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
governor walker and the republicans are simply trying to balance the budget, the only question is, are they doing it the best way, on the backs of teachers, firefighters, and cops?
even if a government prohibits collective bargaining, there is nothing to prevent a group of people in the same profession from forming and maintaining a uniform approach to bargaining. people communicate, and, at last glance, have not yet been prevented from it.
certainly the republicans would never for an instant consider taxing the wealthy instead of eliminating collective bargaining rights for public employees, a move which would undoubtedly hold down wages and benefits for teachers, and save the state money.
you can understnd why the teachers and other union members are upset, but does is justify removing the governor frfom office before his term is over? after all, governor walker is merely attempting to implement his policies, by legal means.he isn't engaging in criminal or traitorous activity.
certainly the union people are trying to protect what they consider to be a fundamental right of all workers, private or public. anyone who doesn't understand their point of view has never worked.
but surely the union folks must realize that getting rid of governor walker won't do any good; there are more out where whrer he came from, and removing him from office will do nothing to quieten those who oppose unions for public employees. if anything it will enervate them.
we all encounter politicians who are tying to enact policies we don't agree with, but do we try to force them out of office every time they do this, or do we simply oppose their policies through the normal political and legislative processes? ins't that what those poloitical and legislative processes are for, to enact public policies which reflect the will of the people, and their best interests?
it could be fairly argued that this recall election is nothing other than an attempt at mob rule. you can certainly see both sides of the issue; we will all have to sacrifice or go bankrupt as a nation; what sacrifice will the union mambers make? there must, ultimately , be a limite to how much society can compensate them.
AND how much of a sacrifice will the wealthy make? higher taxes for the wealthy seem appropiate and fair, and the unions, acting through regular political processes, could very well tie these two concepts together, and reach a compromise.
you get the impression that every american president from now on will be threatened with impeachment. how many more leaders will face a similar fate in our divided mob-like culture, without even engaging in criminal or traitorous activity?
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
Plutocracy
LIKE AN IDIOT, i jumped right in and bought a buncha facebook stock on the first day of issue, but for some mysterious reason i didn't even get lucky enough to get the opening price of thirty eight dollars. i paid forty two twenty i think it was, which makes me go "huh"?
what then, do only the important people get the IPO, assuming the price will initially rise? hell, for that matter, i wish i had been even farther back in line, and hadn't bought the crap until it hit thirty on the way down.
the limited liabilty stock issuing publicly owned corporation is among the wonders of human invention. most of the stock is owned by the wealthy few, but that is to be expected; everything else, including political pwer, is in the same hands.
but corporate ownership is a game at which all can play, to a degree, even the smallest of the small, which is one of its wonders.
if our economic system does not guarantee economic equality, should our political system guarantee political equality? or should political power be allowed to concenetate accoring to factors like economic power?
what is really needed, particularly in america, is a political system in which poor people can run for office, get elected, and represent the interests of the poor. traditionally, wealthy people, or people representing the interests of the wealthy, are elected to high offices, and the poor are assumed have no interests, and definitely have no representation.
please recall that america was established as a country in which neither woman nor men who owned no land were allowed to vote. the theory was that they simply had no vested interest in the nation; only the wealthy did.
nowadays we at least feign popular sovereignty. the poor are allowd to vote. the wealthy corporations chose their candidates for them, candidates who represent the interests of the wealthy corporations, of course, and the poor get to select one, or the other.
the next step towards establishing a true republic, a true representative decmocracy, is to allow the poor to chose their own candidates. "The purchase of political advertising is prohibited".
the poor will eventually have no choice but to represent themselves, nobody else will.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR DAILY.THANKS!
what then, do only the important people get the IPO, assuming the price will initially rise? hell, for that matter, i wish i had been even farther back in line, and hadn't bought the crap until it hit thirty on the way down.
the limited liabilty stock issuing publicly owned corporation is among the wonders of human invention. most of the stock is owned by the wealthy few, but that is to be expected; everything else, including political pwer, is in the same hands.
but corporate ownership is a game at which all can play, to a degree, even the smallest of the small, which is one of its wonders.
if our economic system does not guarantee economic equality, should our political system guarantee political equality? or should political power be allowed to concenetate accoring to factors like economic power?
what is really needed, particularly in america, is a political system in which poor people can run for office, get elected, and represent the interests of the poor. traditionally, wealthy people, or people representing the interests of the wealthy, are elected to high offices, and the poor are assumed have no interests, and definitely have no representation.
please recall that america was established as a country in which neither woman nor men who owned no land were allowed to vote. the theory was that they simply had no vested interest in the nation; only the wealthy did.
nowadays we at least feign popular sovereignty. the poor are allowd to vote. the wealthy corporations chose their candidates for them, candidates who represent the interests of the wealthy corporations, of course, and the poor get to select one, or the other.
the next step towards establishing a true republic, a true representative decmocracy, is to allow the poor to chose their own candidates. "The purchase of political advertising is prohibited".
the poor will eventually have no choice but to represent themselves, nobody else will.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR DAILY.THANKS!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Empire of Lies
FOR WHATEVER REASON, a fair number of the people who read The Truthless Reconciler are russian, and for that The Truthless Reconciler is eternally grateful, and our hope is that our russian friends stay with us.
most of our readers are american, but you would expect that, since The Truthless Reconciler is an american endeavor. and to america, TTR says, with all sincerity, thank you, for everything.
almost all americans believe that the united states won the cold war, because we've had that message shoved down our throats, like many of the other myths about history we have endured.
generations of americna youth have ben subjected to the lie that the united was an innocent victim at perl harbor, that the atomic bomb was necessary to win world war two, and that the soviet union started the cold war, and lost the cold war. none of it is true.
there might come a time when americans are forced to accept the truth about these events, but that time has evidently not come yet.
according the typically laughable american historiogralhy, rondal reagan won the cold war by staring down the soviet union, imtimidating it into capitulation. utterly laughable.
there was never any treaty signed stating that anyone won the cold war. in fact, everyone lost, lost the benefits to humanity, such as culture, education, food, clothing, and shelter, which would have accrued had the cold war resources been properly utilized.
when president eisenhower warned us about the military industrial complex, he wasn't just whistlin' dixie.
right now the american corporate empire reigns supreme in the world, which is partly why americans are told the lie about the cold war, and all the other lies. it is to be feared, however, that this empire will crumble under the weight of bankrupcty, which rapidly approaches.
oh well, it was good while it lasted..
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR OFTEN. THANKS!
most of our readers are american, but you would expect that, since The Truthless Reconciler is an american endeavor. and to america, TTR says, with all sincerity, thank you, for everything.
almost all americans believe that the united states won the cold war, because we've had that message shoved down our throats, like many of the other myths about history we have endured.
generations of americna youth have ben subjected to the lie that the united was an innocent victim at perl harbor, that the atomic bomb was necessary to win world war two, and that the soviet union started the cold war, and lost the cold war. none of it is true.
there might come a time when americans are forced to accept the truth about these events, but that time has evidently not come yet.
according the typically laughable american historiogralhy, rondal reagan won the cold war by staring down the soviet union, imtimidating it into capitulation. utterly laughable.
there was never any treaty signed stating that anyone won the cold war. in fact, everyone lost, lost the benefits to humanity, such as culture, education, food, clothing, and shelter, which would have accrued had the cold war resources been properly utilized.
when president eisenhower warned us about the military industrial complex, he wasn't just whistlin' dixie.
right now the american corporate empire reigns supreme in the world, which is partly why americans are told the lie about the cold war, and all the other lies. it is to be feared, however, that this empire will crumble under the weight of bankrupcty, which rapidly approaches.
oh well, it was good while it lasted..
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR OFTEN. THANKS!
Addictively Clinging to Power
THE DICTATOR OF SYRIA, who is laughably called a "president", has spoken, finally, after a long silence, during which thousands of syrians have been massacred by the syrian military. like all dictators, bashar assad denies responsibility for his own brutality.
Inspired by the mass protests in egypt which overthrow a tyrannical government, thousands of syrians took to the streets a year and a half ago to attempt the same thing, and they refused to give up quietly.
instead, when confronted by guns and tanks, the protests grew, supported by like minded folks all over the world. the internet seems to be a conduit for organization and inspiration of fighters against tyranny.
according to assad, the syrian people overwhelmingly support his regime, and all the trouble comes from foreign terrorists, who foment violence only to destroy the syrian nation.
so who are thes alleged foreign terrorists? thousands of israelis loaded on buses and caravaning into syria? CIA operatives from america, by the drove? whowver they are, there art tens of thousands of them, seemingly.
assad's metaphor about a surgeon whithout blood on his hands is clever, but not clever enough. assad is saving nobody, particularly his own country.
every dictator has an imaginary enemy upon whom to pin blame for any and all trace of opposition to tyranny. hitler had his jews, nixon his effete corp of impudent snobs trying to undermine the moral majority, abraham lincoln, somewhat of a tyrant himself, had his southern sympathizers running around washington D.C..
lincoln simply rounded them up, put them in jail, and threw away the key.
assad can't do that, there are too many of them. he is reduced to violence, the last resort of the incompetent.
power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. assad will die before surrendering power, so great is the addictive quality of political power. similarly, most members of congress in america do not leave until they are dragged out of office by their constituents. tyranny is always lurking, everywhere.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OT THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
Inspired by the mass protests in egypt which overthrow a tyrannical government, thousands of syrians took to the streets a year and a half ago to attempt the same thing, and they refused to give up quietly.
instead, when confronted by guns and tanks, the protests grew, supported by like minded folks all over the world. the internet seems to be a conduit for organization and inspiration of fighters against tyranny.
according to assad, the syrian people overwhelmingly support his regime, and all the trouble comes from foreign terrorists, who foment violence only to destroy the syrian nation.
so who are thes alleged foreign terrorists? thousands of israelis loaded on buses and caravaning into syria? CIA operatives from america, by the drove? whowver they are, there art tens of thousands of them, seemingly.
assad's metaphor about a surgeon whithout blood on his hands is clever, but not clever enough. assad is saving nobody, particularly his own country.
every dictator has an imaginary enemy upon whom to pin blame for any and all trace of opposition to tyranny. hitler had his jews, nixon his effete corp of impudent snobs trying to undermine the moral majority, abraham lincoln, somewhat of a tyrant himself, had his southern sympathizers running around washington D.C..
lincoln simply rounded them up, put them in jail, and threw away the key.
assad can't do that, there are too many of them. he is reduced to violence, the last resort of the incompetent.
power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. assad will die before surrendering power, so great is the addictive quality of political power. similarly, most members of congress in america do not leave until they are dragged out of office by their constituents. tyranny is always lurking, everywhere.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OT THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Incidental Damage
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA has the most advanced military technology in the world, and aint afraid to use it. consider the "drone", many of which america fires into places like pakistan, trying to kill members of el qaeda, or the taliban, or who knows how many other enemies of america...
the drone is a flying bomb with a computer and camera which flies to whomever america says and kills him or her or them. it often misses, as one would expect, but evidently it has quite a good record of success as well. often in the news we hear that some top ranking member of el qaeda or the taliban or whomever has been killed with a drone, and who are we to doubt the truth of these reports, and i, at least, think to myself "rock on america", then get on with my day.
unfortunately innocent people are also frequently killed, because the bad guys usually hang out with a lot of other people, including women and children. maybe future updated drones will be able to wait till bad guys go to the bathroom, and sneak in and kill them in, with a small, localized explosive...in america, nothing is impossible.
pakistan apparently isn't too thrilled about all this, understandably, but, they like american money, for the time being.
the story now is that the number of civilian casualties in drone strikes, ("incidental damage", in U.S. government jargon), as reported in the world media, is much higher everywhere in the world than in the american media, much higher. SO, is the world press overstating the civilian deaths, or is the american media understating them? hmmmm, lemme think...
the mainstream american media is supposedly liberal and anti - american, so why would it understate killing by america?? you would think it would overstate american killing, to make america look bad.
could it be that the american media is owned by the same american corporations who put american politicians in power and keep them there by trying to make their policies seem less disastrous than they actually are? nah, never, no way...
so, who knows?
let's just be thankful that nobody ever fires drones into america, and hope that nobody ever will.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES POSTED OFTEN. THANKS!
the drone is a flying bomb with a computer and camera which flies to whomever america says and kills him or her or them. it often misses, as one would expect, but evidently it has quite a good record of success as well. often in the news we hear that some top ranking member of el qaeda or the taliban or whomever has been killed with a drone, and who are we to doubt the truth of these reports, and i, at least, think to myself "rock on america", then get on with my day.
unfortunately innocent people are also frequently killed, because the bad guys usually hang out with a lot of other people, including women and children. maybe future updated drones will be able to wait till bad guys go to the bathroom, and sneak in and kill them in, with a small, localized explosive...in america, nothing is impossible.
pakistan apparently isn't too thrilled about all this, understandably, but, they like american money, for the time being.
the story now is that the number of civilian casualties in drone strikes, ("incidental damage", in U.S. government jargon), as reported in the world media, is much higher everywhere in the world than in the american media, much higher. SO, is the world press overstating the civilian deaths, or is the american media understating them? hmmmm, lemme think...
the mainstream american media is supposedly liberal and anti - american, so why would it understate killing by america?? you would think it would overstate american killing, to make america look bad.
could it be that the american media is owned by the same american corporations who put american politicians in power and keep them there by trying to make their policies seem less disastrous than they actually are? nah, never, no way...
so, who knows?
let's just be thankful that nobody ever fires drones into america, and hope that nobody ever will.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES POSTED OFTEN. THANKS!
Hard Work + Good Decisions = Wealthy
SEVERAL MEMBERS of my immediate family have worked very hard, made good decisions, had a break or two, and become rich. and bless them, more power to them. same with several of my friends. the big house, expenxive cars, assorted nick nacks, and lotsa vacation travel, all that sort of thing..
and everybody who has done this will tell you the same thing. they did it by working hard, making good decisions, with a good break or two, like good health and no crimimal convictions.
they will also tell you that anyone can do it; anyone can work hard and make good decisions.
that seems to imply that anyone who has not done it, has not become affluent through hard work and good decisions, has failed either to work hard, or to make good decisions, or both.
assuming all this is true, imagine for a moment that suddenly all the poor people, working class, lower middle class, and middle class people decided to start working hard and making good decisions.
within a few decades everyone in the world would have the living standard of an upper middle class american, with the big house, expensive cars, nick nacks, travel. billions of people, all over the world, with an upper middle class /upper class american lifestyle.
would that be a good thing? a world in which everyone is rich, because everyone works hard and makes good decisions? could we get away with it without destroying the environment?
well, we can try. better get to work...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
and everybody who has done this will tell you the same thing. they did it by working hard, making good decisions, with a good break or two, like good health and no crimimal convictions.
they will also tell you that anyone can do it; anyone can work hard and make good decisions.
that seems to imply that anyone who has not done it, has not become affluent through hard work and good decisions, has failed either to work hard, or to make good decisions, or both.
assuming all this is true, imagine for a moment that suddenly all the poor people, working class, lower middle class, and middle class people decided to start working hard and making good decisions.
within a few decades everyone in the world would have the living standard of an upper middle class american, with the big house, expensive cars, nick nacks, travel. billions of people, all over the world, with an upper middle class /upper class american lifestyle.
would that be a good thing? a world in which everyone is rich, because everyone works hard and makes good decisions? could we get away with it without destroying the environment?
well, we can try. better get to work...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Fewer Guns, More Butter
WORLDWIDE, the total amount of money spent on military procurement is incredible, trillions of dollars. The united states spends more than the ten next biggest spenders combined, and if all this investment were put into human development and potential, such as the potential to eat, the world would be a far more prosperous place.
greater material wealth is needed, world wide. More factories, more manufacturing, more agriculture. a bigger economy, more capitalism, indeed, more corporate capitalism, and more small business.
sometimes socialists make the mistake of disavowing all thought that capitalism possesses any redeeming value whatever; The truth is that capitalism produces great wealth, as well as great economic inequality.
we need more capitalism and more socialism, both. capitalism to generate the wealth, socialism to distribute it. for verily, dear reader, some redistribution of wealth is necessary, but the greater the equality of income, the less need for redistribution of wealth to achieve greater equality overall.
absolute economic equality is neither possible nor necessary, nor desirable. but behold danmark, where both caoitalism and socialsim thrive, compliment each other to create a per capita living standard far higher than in the united states.
the united states should cut its military budget in half, and invite all other nations to do the same. if they don't ,america still has sufficient military power to destroy them all. the united states should consider freezing entitlement payments at their current level for, say, two years, foregoing all cost of living increases.
in america no radios or televisions are being manufactured, and hardly any clothing or shoes. eventually the cost of labor will rise in the rest of the world, and american companies will stop out sourcing manufacturing. then, the level of global prosperity will rise, and production will as well; environmentally friendly production.
we still have a chance to fix this mess.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR OFTEN. THANKS!
greater material wealth is needed, world wide. More factories, more manufacturing, more agriculture. a bigger economy, more capitalism, indeed, more corporate capitalism, and more small business.
sometimes socialists make the mistake of disavowing all thought that capitalism possesses any redeeming value whatever; The truth is that capitalism produces great wealth, as well as great economic inequality.
we need more capitalism and more socialism, both. capitalism to generate the wealth, socialism to distribute it. for verily, dear reader, some redistribution of wealth is necessary, but the greater the equality of income, the less need for redistribution of wealth to achieve greater equality overall.
absolute economic equality is neither possible nor necessary, nor desirable. but behold danmark, where both caoitalism and socialsim thrive, compliment each other to create a per capita living standard far higher than in the united states.
the united states should cut its military budget in half, and invite all other nations to do the same. if they don't ,america still has sufficient military power to destroy them all. the united states should consider freezing entitlement payments at their current level for, say, two years, foregoing all cost of living increases.
in america no radios or televisions are being manufactured, and hardly any clothing or shoes. eventually the cost of labor will rise in the rest of the world, and american companies will stop out sourcing manufacturing. then, the level of global prosperity will rise, and production will as well; environmentally friendly production.
we still have a chance to fix this mess.
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES APPEAR OFTEN. THANKS!
Killing the Currency
WHAT WE ARE DOING, of course, with our ingenious currency system, is ruining it. in america, and everywhere in the world, we are ruining perhaps the most ingenious tool ever invented by humanity.
Einstein said that compound interest is the most brilliant invention of mankind. One might rank the limited liability publicly owned corporation right up there, as well as paprer currency, and now, electronic currency.
electronic currency? say what? how incredible is it, that we have this, just like its incredible that we have created the internet...... rock on, homo sapiens!
the euro was invented in 1999 as an advancement in currency. it was intended to make the economy work better for everybody, by facilitating a much wider range of financial/material transactions.
and it was a great idea. there is absolutely no reason under the sun why it shouldn't work.
its only failing now because of human stupidity, governments which spend money they don't have, and so on, and so forth.
afraican curriences don't work well because there isn't enough productivity in africa, ditto latin america and india, the chinese currency will ultimately fail because the chinese government is cheating, artificially controlling the value of their currency to an extreme degree, the american currency is collapsing because the brilliant american government has for decades spent more ,much more, than it has, and so forth,and so on.
and since all governments are the product of the people they govern, our world wide destruction of currency is a matter of individual human abuse, times seven billion. we are all at fault.
smart enough to invent money, dumb enough to ruin it for everydbody. how much longer will i be able to walk into a grocery store, and pay for a boatload of delicious food with a piece of plastic? well, its fun while it lasts...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
Einstein said that compound interest is the most brilliant invention of mankind. One might rank the limited liability publicly owned corporation right up there, as well as paprer currency, and now, electronic currency.
electronic currency? say what? how incredible is it, that we have this, just like its incredible that we have created the internet...... rock on, homo sapiens!
the euro was invented in 1999 as an advancement in currency. it was intended to make the economy work better for everybody, by facilitating a much wider range of financial/material transactions.
and it was a great idea. there is absolutely no reason under the sun why it shouldn't work.
its only failing now because of human stupidity, governments which spend money they don't have, and so on, and so forth.
afraican curriences don't work well because there isn't enough productivity in africa, ditto latin america and india, the chinese currency will ultimately fail because the chinese government is cheating, artificially controlling the value of their currency to an extreme degree, the american currency is collapsing because the brilliant american government has for decades spent more ,much more, than it has, and so forth,and so on.
and since all governments are the product of the people they govern, our world wide destruction of currency is a matter of individual human abuse, times seven billion. we are all at fault.
smart enough to invent money, dumb enough to ruin it for everydbody. how much longer will i be able to walk into a grocery store, and pay for a boatload of delicious food with a piece of plastic? well, its fun while it lasts...
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN TODAY'S ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. THANKS!
The Cash Cow and the Credit Card
WHATEVER ELSE MONEY IS, money is a tool, a tool like any other, really, in that it works best when kept in good working condition, and used properly. All tools have a definite purpose, a correct way of being used.
what is the purpose of money, and what is the correct way to use it? the purpose is to facilitate the creation and reasonable distribution of meterial wealth, perhaps. human beings, after all, are social animals , and must either work together, or perish.
either that, or humans are not social, and money is a means of facilitating transactions between people who are working on their own behalf, but not each other's.
somehow, it just seems that the very act of inventing, agreeing to use, and exchanging money for goods and services is an act of cooperation, proving the socialistic nature of humanity, and that therefore all advanced economic behavior, all transactions involving money, which is currency with only symbolic value - are "socialistic."
Doesn't "socialism" provide the foundation for all "advanced" economic behavior? everytime I place a pile of food, hamburger meat, on a table and hand a small rectangular piece of plastic to a person, run it through a machine, and walk out with enough food to feed an army, having somehow, miraculously "paid" for it, i am amazed at the sophistication of our modern economic system.
earlier, i would have had to promise to plough the cashier's field in exchange for the cow whence came the hamburger on the table. even earlier, i woulda been out hunting the meat myself, or, in my case, probably picking the nuts and berries.
with an economic system as advanced and sophisticated as ours, is there any way we might be able to avoid destroying the value of our currency, avoid remembering that is it inherently worthless, and only symbolically valuable, only symbolically valuable because we all agree that it is?
we invent a tool that is so clever that it only exists in our collective heads, and we use it for thousands of years. why not keep it going now? (even gold is only valuable because we say it is).
let's work on it!
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES POSTED OFTEN. THANKS!
what is the purpose of money, and what is the correct way to use it? the purpose is to facilitate the creation and reasonable distribution of meterial wealth, perhaps. human beings, after all, are social animals , and must either work together, or perish.
either that, or humans are not social, and money is a means of facilitating transactions between people who are working on their own behalf, but not each other's.
somehow, it just seems that the very act of inventing, agreeing to use, and exchanging money for goods and services is an act of cooperation, proving the socialistic nature of humanity, and that therefore all advanced economic behavior, all transactions involving money, which is currency with only symbolic value - are "socialistic."
Doesn't "socialism" provide the foundation for all "advanced" economic behavior? everytime I place a pile of food, hamburger meat, on a table and hand a small rectangular piece of plastic to a person, run it through a machine, and walk out with enough food to feed an army, having somehow, miraculously "paid" for it, i am amazed at the sophistication of our modern economic system.
earlier, i would have had to promise to plough the cashier's field in exchange for the cow whence came the hamburger on the table. even earlier, i woulda been out hunting the meat myself, or, in my case, probably picking the nuts and berries.
with an economic system as advanced and sophisticated as ours, is there any way we might be able to avoid destroying the value of our currency, avoid remembering that is it inherently worthless, and only symbolically valuable, only symbolically valuable because we all agree that it is?
we invent a tool that is so clever that it only exists in our collective heads, and we use it for thousands of years. why not keep it going now? (even gold is only valuable because we say it is).
let's work on it!
Bb
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR. NEW ARTICLES POSTED OFTEN. THANKS!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Repair Work
IN 1956 a black family moved into a previously all white town in new jersey. among the family's children was a thirteen year old boy who now, at sixty eight, remembers how his family was received and treated in the small middle class community. "the whole town was resentful that we had moved in, and broken the color barrier", he recalls.
when the family went to the public swimming pool, the parents were told that their son was not allowed to swim in the "all white" pool. the mother turned to her son, and told him to slip under the turnstyle, and get in the pool.
the kid was horrified, torn betweeen following his mother's instructions, and starting trouble. but he was more inclined to do as his mother instructed, so he went in.
soon a police officer approached the woman, and told her that she would have to get her son out of the pool. the lady replied to the officer "if you want him out, you get him out, and tell him why you're doing it."
the boy stayed in the pool, and the racial barrrier was down. the police had made a choice, a choice that saved a great deal of unpleasantness, kept the police, and was morally upright. in this instance, as is so often the case, the heros are the police.
you are simultaneously ashamed and proud of america after this story, and in a sense, this story is the story of america, a nation which makes huge and horrible mistakes, and then fixes them.
BB
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR! NEW ARTICLES POSTED OFTEN. THANKS!
when the family went to the public swimming pool, the parents were told that their son was not allowed to swim in the "all white" pool. the mother turned to her son, and told him to slip under the turnstyle, and get in the pool.
the kid was horrified, torn betweeen following his mother's instructions, and starting trouble. but he was more inclined to do as his mother instructed, so he went in.
soon a police officer approached the woman, and told her that she would have to get her son out of the pool. the lady replied to the officer "if you want him out, you get him out, and tell him why you're doing it."
the boy stayed in the pool, and the racial barrrier was down. the police had made a choice, a choice that saved a great deal of unpleasantness, kept the police, and was morally upright. in this instance, as is so often the case, the heros are the police.
you are simultaneously ashamed and proud of america after this story, and in a sense, this story is the story of america, a nation which makes huge and horrible mistakes, and then fixes them.
BB
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF THE TRUTHLESS RECONCILER AND AMERICAN EXPLICATOR! NEW ARTICLES POSTED OFTEN. THANKS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)