Every time I end up talking to someone in “our system”, I end up trying to make them see how completely out to f-cking lunch their program is as though they don’t already know. They cannot be as stupid or oblivious as they seem, can they? Have they merely resigned themselves to showing up for a big cheque and not creating any waves until they can retire at a reasonably young age?
I am certain this applies to all serious nonfiction writers who dig deep into a topic, and it also explains the weak journalism we are bombarded with today. Those writers don’t want to look at the ugliness . . . they prefer instead to write what is desired by their editors and publishers, collect their large cheques, and go live their superficial lives; never producing anything meaningful because there is no longer a market for it.
My latest roadblock to finishing The $1.99 Author came from twitter in a not widely shared tweet about independent bookstores attempting to rebel against the rise of a trillion dollar corporate entity bent on complete ownership of the written word.
It inspired me to write something.
There is nothing fun nor funny about it that I can use in my new book. Here it is in all it’s sadness.
Progress on The $1.99 Author has been slowed, in part, by how discouraged I’ve become with the book biz, and where it is heading.
I’ve experienced adverse reactions from some authors, who I know to be intelligent individuals, when I have posted anti-damazon sentiments. I presume they are married to the mega-corp because of their time and money spent, or the income they derive from ‘affiliation’.
It should not fall on the shoulders of authors and bookstores to wage a war against an entity attempting to gain a monopoly on thought and what can be published, but it has. Governments are ‘influenced’. Book distributors refuse to take a side while taking money from both. Publishers like money.
In a poolroom, another shark once asked me, “Why don’t you hustle that fish?” I replied with, “I don’t want to take food out of his kids’ mouths.” His comeback was unforgettable. “If you don’t, someone else will.” This is how the majority rationalize immoral acts.
‘The easiest place to sell books is on damazon.’ This statement is not wrong. ‘Everyone is there.’ Almost.
Does struggling to make something of yourself in the present justify flushing everyone’s future?
If you really look around at what people look the other way from, the answer is a resounding yes among the majority. Should the majority rule? That is a question for another day.
1 Major book publisher.
1 Global book distributor.
1 Major book retailer.
On the upside, supporting damazon is less overtly destructive than say Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Data, Big Food, or the Military Industrial Complex. Maybe this is how we arrived at the prevailing author, publisher, and book distributor rationalization.
The X-Files slogan needs to be updated now that politicians and mainstream media have jumped on the UFO/USO/UAP/Aliens bandwagon. I would suggest something along the lines of:
I’m writing this because many of my favourite—usually rational—YouTube channels have taken the main stream media plunge and are now neck deep in the UFO/USO/UAP/Aliens “disclosure” nonsense brought about by a soon-to-be-released report ordered by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. Their report is alleged to detail information about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and is due to be published by a government task force. I have even seen this topic in my LinkedIn feed.
You crack me up.
You’re kidding, right?
Are you effing kidding me?!
It is their job to misinform, obfuscate. . . to make others dig in the wrong field.
Hells no!
They will be directed and led. . . only considering the information placed before them, without ever insisting on further investigation.
It’s their job to bury it quick－to close the book on the matter, whether their conclusions satisfy the public or not. Previous examples include: The 9/11 Commission Report a.k.a. Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States., The Condon Report: The Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects (1969), The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, a.k.a. The Warren Commission Report.
No.
They follow orders and would not risk the penalties for violating their secrecy oaths without the blessing of higher-ups.
We must ask: Who then is approving the stories being released?
This very term screams lying shills.
Show me one who lost their pension for speaking out and I might listen if you can prove they don’t have a Swiss bank account.
All but two are right below unicorn experts on my list.
Will a MD tell you drugs are bad for you? Will a lawyer tell you the legal system is bullshit?. . . You get the idea. They all have a vested interest in maintaining doctrine.
The mere fact that the most note-worthy ufologist of them all, Stanton Friedman, seemingly dedicated his entire adult life to exploring the UFO rabbit-hole . . . only to come up with nothing more than compelling “stories” lacking any hard evidence, should serve as a warning to all who dive into this topic.
Suspiciously, Mr. Friedman was a nuclear physicist who worked in the military industrial complex before moving to the lecture circuit; lecturing at more than 600 colleges－some military－and to more than 100 professional groups around the globe. A regular Johnny Appleseed . . . who instead went about “planting” ideas of alien visitation everywhere he roamed. What if he was a shill－his “Cosmic Watergate” government cover-up conspiracy theory a seed to be planted to redirect the world from the real culprits?
‘Famed skeptical UFO investigator Philip Klass issued in his last will and testament:
“No matter how long you live, you will never know any more about UFOs than you know today,” Klass wrote. “You will never know any more about what UFOs really are, or where they come from. You will never know any more about what the U.S. Government really knows about UFOs than you know today. As you lie on your own death-bed you will be as mystified about UFOs as you are today.”
Klass died in 2005, and so far his curse remains in effect.’ – Benjamin Radford – LIVESCIENCE
See politicians above.
See Intelligence agencies above.
They videoed something, but what?
The 1960’s era A12 thru the SR71 spy planes had a camera which it was said could take a photo of a licence plate on a clear day from an altitude of 80,000 feet or higher, and yet sixty years later all the US government can supply is crappy gun camera video as “evidence”? I’m not buying it.
Sure, and say hi to Tony Stark for me when he flies by in his Iron Man suit.
Skip ahead to time index 5:51 for a high-speed UAP which needs to bank like an aircraft for some reason. ???
Oh brother.
I have a big problem with the idea of a beyond-human-science craft needing to perform a banking manoeuvre as it did in this video and allegedly at hyper-sonic velocities no less. Winged aircraft do this. The video is not consistent with the majority of sighting data on UAP/UFO’s performance or behaviour. If the location is known, it should be possible to make reasonably accurate speed and distance vs. time calculations leading to a prediction of g-forces on the “air-frame” in the turn. Further, I suspect the turning radius is too small for any aircraft travelling at the implied speeds unless its mass could somehow be reduced to next to nothing. I smell CGI.
CGI started in 1973. If you find a clean UFO video before that, it will most likely be a copy of a film where the original went missing under “mysterious” circumstances so it cannot be verified.
Of course.
Just don’t leap to extra-terrestrials.
‘But what about the flight characteristics? No human can withstand the g-forces.’
How do you know they have a being inside? Inertial dampeners from a physics we haven’t been told about is also plausible.
Look at any fifty year period in aviation. If it were a superior race of advanced space-faring aliens, thousands of years ahead of us, would they still come out with new saucer models every year?
No!
Their technology would have plateaued after millennia, and they would have settled on only a few models at most—all of which would be flawlessly refined and not subject to crashing due to collisions, lightning, radar waves, pathetic human weaponry. . . .
Humans build shit that breaks down. It’s ridiculous to think advanced aliens suffer from our level of trial-and-error technological advancement.
The aviation industry, a.k.a. military industrial complex, expects us to believe propulsion systems advancement more or less stopped in the 1960’s, and in the last fifty years all we lowly stupid humans have been able to accomplish is tweaking jets and rockets with nary a thought of anti-gravity. . . which, by the way, was on tons of scientific magazine covers in the 1950’s before an apparent gag order came down the pipe to the publishers.
Why hasn’t a nanny cam or a partner ever documented one of these cases?
‘Because these are inter-dimensional beings and the abduction happens outside of our space-time.’
How do you explain the missing time stories if that’s the case?
‘Um. . . . What about the lie-detectors?’
They only confirm these abductees believe their own story.
‘What about the hypnotic regression transcripts?’
Really?
Sleep paralysis: predormital paralysis, postdormital paralysis, or REM sleep atonia are far more likely explanations.
Never.
Holography has been in front of the public since 1968. I would imagine what has not been shown to the public has come a long way in the last fifty-three years.
I do believe people are seeing seemingly inexplicable things in our skies—even I have on a couple of occasions—however, this does not mean extraterrestrials!
While sightings can be perplexing—even chilling, once our fear-of-the-unknown fight-or-flight physiological responses kick in—we must not leap to the extraterrestrial hypothesis first or else we set ourselves up to be manipulated the way many fringe religious groups manipulate their flocks . . . by exploiting our fear of the unknown and setting themselves up as having some hidden secret knowledge which they will impart to their following for a fee.
How about raising taxes to fight aliens while explaining away trillions in missing tax-payer funds?
As interest and, more importantly, fear subsides surrounding COVID, a new distraction, a.k.a. imminent threat is needed so the general public won’t demand action after wandering off to find out what countries like Israel are up to, or how a trillion dollar industry has emerged from a pandemic.
‘As of 2015, the amount reported missing by the US Office of the Inspector General was $6.5 trillion—and that was just for the army. Mark Skidmore, a professor of economics at Michigan State University, found $21 trillion in unsupported adjustments had been reported by the Defense, Housing, and Urban Development departments between 1998 and 2015.’
“According to a 2013 Reuters report, the Pentagon is the only federal agency that has not complied with a 1996 law that requires annual audits of all government departments.“
“The Pentagon has spent tens of billions of dollars to upgrade to more efficient technology in order to become audit-ready. But many of these new systems have failed and been scrapped.”
Sure they did.
Alien invaders is an easier pill to swallow which brings us back to The US Space Force, and perhaps the best recruitment slogan in history:
“Leaked” photos and videos are coming too suspiciously fast and furious for them to be believable.
Are we expected to believe the Intelligence community is leaking like a sieve and not chasing down and punishing the culprits?
These are approved leaks.
A.k.a. projected terror weapons, hidden human tech, and psy-ops so rogue government elements, their banking masters, and those living large while hiding out in the military industrial complex can steal or waste more of the taxpayers’ money in the name of galactic security.
Psychological operations (PSYOP) are operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. – Wikipedia.
Millions of pages of redacted Freedom of Information Act released documents would suggest so.
I doubt elected officials could, but The Pentagon is an entirely different animal altogether. They managed to hide their private 60,000 strong army－30,000 of which are special forces－seemingly from Congress and definitely from the public for ten years.
Who approves these missions?
Is there any oversight?
Is this where we will find an inventory of black helicopters?
If The Pentagon has gone rogue, and turned its disinformation intelligence capabilities on the American taxpayers who fund them, it would explain the ramping up of UAP “disclosure” talk everywhere in the media.
If there was actually an alien secret, the subject would quickly be killed dead in mainstream media as they did with anti-gravity.
I keep telling people to follow the money if they want to know the truth. Few are aware of how difficult this really is. The higher you climb, the less visible the money becomes.
However, I’ve been wrong before. . . circa the US election of 2016, so I attempted to bring in my specialist in all things America, Ms. Shelby Kent-Stewart. She might be an alien/human hybrid lizard shape-shifter with the ability to control minds, but I’m a sucker for that type.
She bailed, claiming her computer was hacked.
Poor Shelbot. (My pet-name for her. . . created at a time when I began to distrust everyone and everything on the Internet. She liked it so it stuck.)
I will now use this “unfortunate coincidence” to illustrate the danger of diving into any conspiratorial rabbit hole. It makes you para-paranoid.
It’s possible the Signature Reduction Force got to her: “cyber-warriors who use false personas and “nonattribution” or “misattribution” techniques online to disguise themselves so they can track high-value targets, collect “publicly accessible information” and engage in influence campaigns to manipulate social media.” – Mark Moore, New York Post.
I find it weirdly flattering we might be considered high-value targets. She IS highly political, and it’s no secret I have written for years about how the elites’ lack of empathy and compassion are directly proportional to their wealth.
This is going to be fun. 😀
Ergo, it’s also possible she is working for the Signature Reduction Force.
This would explain why she always wants to write something with me every time I’m trying to get a new book out. A paid distractor? Hmm.
Perhaps her publisher was pressured into giving her a call. . . .
‘Shelby, ARE YOU NUTS? You can’t get involved in UFO’s. You’ll lose all credibility and splash mud on us as well. Don’t ask me how I found out—just don’t write anything with that Canadian nut-bag friend of yours.’
If Shelby’s “official story” turns out to be anything other than an unfortunate coincidence. . . the pet-name I gave her will be shown to be accurate, and I sensed it long ago.
This is the smoking gun proof aliens are my muses—something I’ve long suspected.
I hope you enjoyed this “out there” blog.
Is it so “out there”?
I’ll see you all soon with the usual book news.
Will you? They may be re-targeting a particle weapon right now.
I do like to stir up trouble, but then again, it is also the reason I started this site way back when. I need to vent . . . and apparently punching people is frowned upon these days. I miss John Wayne.
Binary thinkers measure your ideas as being either for or against their beliefs so no matter what data you put under their noses, it will be rejected out of hand because they believe you do not see things as they do. You’ve chosen the wrong side so you are now their enemy.
In the COVID-19 debate—and yes, there needs be one—I do as I always do with any subject. I look for and measure the relative merits of points being expounded upon in the mainstream and bring forth possible ramifications of what is not being discussed. So far, my talking points have been:
First, I was told: ‘You are looking at it all wrong. You can’t make it about economics. It’s about out health systems being over-run.’ So I waited, watched the data, and learned our health system “normally” operates near its theoretical ideal of 85% capacity as set out by our provincial government’s guidelines. This data created a new question:
I was then thusly informed: “No. You’ve got it all wrong. People are losing loved-ones. It’s about the 400,000 people who are suffering. . . and the people who cannot function [due to long-COVID.].” Again I returned to the data because I don’t spew baseless assertions. Since January 15, 2021, 440,000 people have indeed “suffered” to varying degrees and 380,000 of those cases have been resolved. I guess he missed that part, but new questions did come from this most recent dive into the data:
Let it be known that I, E. A. Barker, am a “callous asshole” . . . additionally, and I want everyone to know, I am completely okay with the label because, for the first time, his data is not inaccurate. This kind of shit just bounces right off.
The idea of respecting the rights of others to have a differing world view from their own is beyond their capabilities, and heaven forbid you should shout these views from a metaphorical or literal soapbox. This is their call-to-action. They feel a need to suppress your heretical notions for the good of their imagined society. They will quickly become emotional and even resort to childish name-calling upon overhearing and feeling the need to butt in to a conversation you were having with someone else. Sadly, I’m dealing with the first generation raised with the Internet:
They are a product of their times and an educational system which is continually allowed to erode. People my age let that happen. Some of what we see these days is on us. You would think Star Wars might have taught them how fragile freedom is when Senator Padme Amidala said:
Although when I read the comments of Star Wars fans, many say they skip over “all the Senate stuff”. We should still applaud George Lucas for trying though.
Liberty can only be bought with blood, but it can be easily lost with ink.
There have been many more since. Don’t misunderstand. . . I feel for the heath care workers and patients doing their best in a shit-show created by our governments, but until COVID-19 fatality numbers begin to approach what Canadians have paid for liberty, don’t talk to me about accepting a loss of freedom for the “greater good”.
Well, I feel better . . . cleansed even. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to focus on completing my new book. . . now the poison has been squeezed out.
Millions have sung it, mostly because group-think tells them it is the right thing to do at sporting events. . . but few understand what this means. My take, after years of indoctrination in schools and at home with parents who served in the military, is we must be vigilant in order to protect our way of life. It’s our duty to speak out when we see injustice or plots to bring down the free world.
Sure, we have always had to carry identification and have a few bucks in our pockets so we can’t be called a vagrant and locked up by an overly zealous storm-trooper. We also are supposed to have a drivers license to drive on public highways and byways; yet oddly, they won’t lock you up if you get caught driving without one. The message is clear, “We don’t want no homeless vagabond drifters ’round here, but if you have a vehicle, you can go.” Since 1862 we have needed passports to travel outside our country—except to the U.S. which did not require one until 2009.
That was all in “the before times”. Things are different now. There is a new global pandemic which is capable of killing our highest at-risk group (Those typically over seventy who are in poor health.) like the flu, pneumonia, and hospital super-viruses once did, but, for some reason, we don’t hear much about those maladies anymore. Maybe “the COVID” is killing them off too. Increasing unemployment, killing entire business sectors, increasing debt, locking down, masking, inoculating, and tracking the movements of 7.8 billion people is the only logical thing to do.
Then, if you don’t follow the herd to get a shot or two, you are publicly labelled an anti-vaxxer covidiot, a.k.a. conspiracy theorist, subject to ridicule, suppression of speech on the web, likely verboten to enter public places, and possibly placed under house arrest with all of your movements tracked until they decide to round you up with others like you, placing you in an internment camp “for the greater good”.
The price is too high.
When I went looking for a talk given by Nick Hudson of PANDA I found this:
Even li’l ol’-me encountered “a mystery” when I went looking for some of my more brash posts on the subject of COVID from a year ago. These two memes and their associated posts have been scrubbed from the web—even WordPress killed one as far as I can tell. We will see what comes of this re-posting.
You will be penalized for not “playing ball” like good little sheeple should.
It is akin to falling into a bottomless pit. When you first realize what is happening it’s terrifying, but after some time goes by it becomes “the new normal” and you hardly notice your descent any longer.
Only by exploring both will the truth reveal itself. We really need to be asking ourselves why one side of this story is going to such lengths to hide the other.
Let’s face it—thanks to COVID lock-downs—we all know there is an oblivious gaming couch potato out there who probably needs a heads-up so he can at least shower, shave, and put on clean sweatpants to run out and buy a card, flowers, and some chocolates. It is more likely he will place an online order with overnight delivery, and when it doesn’t show up, he will email the purchase receipt to his significant other as proof of his undying love.
As always, I’m here for you, humanity.
You can thank me the next time I upload into this reality.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
😀 😀 😀
It’s an automatic response similar to that of those who fear spiders and snakes. First you freeze, while your programming decides on fight or flight, and then an action is initiated.
People who choose a career in the military or law enforcement are faced with this. Literally thousands of dollars are spent on their indoctrination, which society prefers to call “training”, to enable these people to react quickly when presented with a zombie threat. They must see zombies to be effective in combat.
We spin this as a psychological defence mechanism required for front-line workers to remain functional and relatively sane despite the horrors they witness regularly. Doctors, nurses, and specialized EMS personnel are aware of this and know how to cope better than their lesser educated counterparts: ambulance drivers, fire personnel, police, and military personnel. The relationship between education and healthy coping mechanisms is evident in studies of alcoholism and/or drug use in each of these professions.
This is true for everyone in society, but most of us will never have to fight zombies or view the charred, bloated, maggot infested severed remains of a dead zombie.
This is how one man can kneel on the neck of another until he is dead. His sympathy and empathy subroutines were switched off because of a perceived crisis. His training kicked in. He declared war. He subdued and ultimately killed what he saw as nothing more than a zombie. Would this murderer have knelt on an infant’s neck? It is unlikely, unless he is a complete monster who somehow slipped through cracks in the psychological screening process cops must undergo. Barring this unlikely scenario, choices were made and options were ignored.
Perhaps what bothers me most about this incident is none of the bystanders took any meaningful action. I may know why outside of the obvious self-preservation concerns.
The computer age ushered in “logic” machine code: 1’s and 0’s acting as “On” or “Off” switches.
“The rise of the machines” may be less about technology taking over and more about how humans exposed to it are emulating its primitive logic.
Media string-pullers make billions from hate and fear. Perhaps in this case there was racism. This is why there will be a trial even though some of us would like to see the perpetrator put to death in the same way he killed another human being. More commonly though, in situations like this throughout history, it was the binary thinking of “trained” individuals which led to atrocious acts of savagery. They simply saw a zombie rather than a human being, and allowed their empathy and sympathy subroutines to switch off.
‘If SARS and COVID both began in China, then is it not possible they released bio weapons on their own population to spread it over the world?’
This is the kind of crap I’m seeing in ads on YouTube and it’s f-cking disgusting—blatantly obvious—anti-Chinese propaganda to any non-binary brain.
An If-Then Statement is a hypothesis followed by a conclusion.
A hypothesis is a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence intended as a starting point for further investigation.
When we stitch these two definitions together differently we see through the media’s manipulation of the masses.
The mission of mainstream media is clear.
This is what awaits if you choose to remain binary, distracted, rendered ineffectual, and incapable of action.
The space between the lines is where the non-binary work before it becomes a battlefield. The UN Security Council managed some genuine diplomacy in the Iran Nuclear “crisis” in 2015. Sadly, a binary thinking US President, who sees zombies everywhere, pulled out of that deal; antagonizing both friends and foes.
Human beings are remarkable creatures. A few throughout history exhibited a force of will that brought about change even in the darkest of times when free thought was totally suppressed. Today, thoughts need not be overtly suppressed in order for the few to manipulate the many. There is an information system in place which renders even the brightest minds incapable of decision and action . . . a quicksand for the mind.
At the very least, this article will not sit well with emotionally well-adjusted people. If you are already trending down emotionally, please give it a miss.
Well, here we are faced with a virus which will make about 60% of people have to miss a day or two of work—that is if they still have a job after the fear mongers have done their bit—30% won’t even know they have it; the final 10% could be in mortal danger with maybe half of those in this high risk group likely to succumb to it.
What was it that pushed you over the brink where you ran out and bought all the toilet paper? Inquiring minds need to know. Was it knowing in advance that a mild disease was coming for you? Is it the fear of loss of some elderly or health-challenged person you know? Perhaps it’s the inconvenience of not being able to eat at Mom’s every Sunday until the danger subsides which has you willing to follow ANY economically destructive protocol spewed by so called “world leaders”?
I guess Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek messages of: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” “Or the one.” didn’t hit home. It showed up in like three movies, people; starting in 1982. Nothing? No?
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, have dedicated their time and money to warn you about what was coming, including yours truly.
I posted the meme above when they first started talking about closing businesses, and while things are far worse now, the death toll globally is still only +/-15% the 1968 Hong Kong flu. Yes, it’s far from over, but there are differences in the attitudes of societies then and now worthy of some scrutiny.
People of the post-war era went to work and school. If they were sick, they stayed home. 1,000,000 people died, but our way of life—the one all of us have enjoyed until recently—continued. The media was still rational back then and not prone to overtly spreading fear; unlike the travesty which passes for the news today. There was no Internet. Social media meant you stayed after school to work on the school newspaper with others. Parents of that day saw a war. For many, they saw death up close, personal and completely unfiltered.
There was a cold-war going on with the threat of nukes. Kids practised “Duck and Cover” drills in school and knew the way to the basement boiler room. The Vietnam war was raging, and despite or perhaps because of all of this, people went about their lives without governments using their power to curtail freedoms or kill economies.
The truth has been right in front of you for years; sometimes veiled, and sometimes not so much. Did you read? No. None of your cool friends do that. Did you watch a documentary? No. Instead you sneered without doing any research and called us conspiracy theorists. The idea of government leaders being mere installed puppets of the 0.1%, who ARE the true masters of this world, and have been for millennia, was more than your puny brain could grasp. You went to your happy place. You stuck your head in the sand. You lived inside a beautiful bubble. You love you some Mary Jane or do opiates when reality gets too close. You think of yourself as a debunker, when in fact you are just in denial.
Unless they pull out projection weapons to create a false flag alien invasion next, this will most likely be my last blog attempting to spread awareness to the unreceptive masses who are unwilling to save themselves. I have zero fucks left for those who prefer to live in oblivious ignorance and fear.
Oligarchs run things everywhere. They are the 1%. They’ll pocket your money and they won’t lose sleep over it. They will also saddle you with debt to save themselves stating ‘we are too big to fail’ or some other nonsense.
They allow you to live on their lands—with the illusion of ownership—on a lease plan which requires you to pay a purchase price probably with usury; property taxes based on their assessment of its worth; and capitol gains taxes if you sell because they don’t want developers getting too rich too fast unless they have money invested in said venture.
They will lend the one million they actually can produce to ten others with interest in ledger columns—declaring themselves to be “worth” over ten million which they will lend out ten more times, and on and on it goes. It doesn’t take long to become a billionaire doing this which is why they have their government functionaries create laws to keep all of us from doing it.
They know physical money is necessary to keep the poor in line—us—the 99%—so they manufacture it in Treasury factories controlled by The Federal Reserve or some variation of the theme in almost every country on Earth. It’s not a free service though, they charge the nation for increasing the money supply. They always get a cut.
The elites have elites. A tiny group . . . the 0.1% if you will, can orchestrate ANYTHING they want—from wars to economic upheaval—anything that turns a profit where they have money invested or which serves their warped sociopathic sense of how the world should be.
As of 2017, the 3 remaining countries on Earth without central bank enslavement were:
Let’s see who “joined” since 2000:
No trouble spots on those lists. Insert eye-roll here. Does it appear to you they went willingly?
Well our media. . . STOP. We cannot call it ours any longer. Call it “the media” or better yet “their media“. Whatever. WE ARE TOLD those are some nasty places full of “evil doers” so I guess these bankster guys really are “making the world a better place” once America and it’s allies are done bombing the shit out of them, or their leader is overthrown . . . or both.
“You know nothing, John Snow.”
It’s not your fault. Your parents were required by law to enrol you in an educational system designed to churn out people accepting of a comfortable form of life-long indentured servitude where you receive a very limited education in various indoctrination camps for your first twenty-five years before becoming a full-time tax payer for the next forty years or so. The higher your level of education, the more compartmentalized or “in the box” your thinking becomes until you cannot recognize that which is in front of you because it goes against your programming. It is usually late in life when people have seen so much of the same bullshit repeating itself that they might be willing to start asking big questions.
I’m plagiarizing myself here because it might be the best question I’ve ever written.
LMAO! I’ve already claimed the copyrights to the above. While I thoroughly enjoy keeping a close watch on possibilities, and more importantly, the probabilities—however ridiculous some believe them to be—there just isn’t substantive proof . . . YET.
That was your comedic break. Now, I’ll finish up with some serious concerns.
In the simplest terms, there will not be a cure before our economies collapse. If we need to quarantine and financially support our +/- 10% high risk population until the danger subsides, we can afford that. What we cannot afford to do is lock up 90% to save them.
IF Covid-19 was not a bat soup related “accident”, THEN we must ask who stands to gain from various potential outcomes.
To pursue this line of thinking, begin by asking questions of the type listed below. Greed makes people stupid so you can catch them.
An old, now long dead, mentor was fond of saying: “May you live in interesting times.”
Fuck you, Harvey. 😀
“I wish you success in the wars to come.”
Bless Greta Thunberg and our lesser known Canadian activist Autumn Peltier for somehow managing to accomplish what adult activists only wish they could.
I’ve spent the better part of five years attempting to awaken the sleeping masses to a number of very real concerns without success. I even wrote a book which I hoped would get parents and young adults thinking about big picture issues. It did not fly because nonfiction must either be written by a PHD or a celebrity for it to have any value in the publishing world. David Suzuki has the whole package and yet the masses, politicians, and corporations somehow continue to ignore his words as well, despite the fact he has won awards, written 87 books, and has been talking about all this for about 60 years.
He was a participant in what I call the golden age of activism: the 1960’s and seventies which laid the groundwork for the equal rights and equal opportunities which we enjoy today. This same generation also taught the American government that high body counts and collateral damage in their endless conflicts would not be tolerated.
Oh sure, various anti-pollution measures were a direct result, as was the green movement, but these were not enough to save today’s young people from what is to come in their lifetimes. Sadly, it takes a crisis with an impending disaster before people will get off their asses and do something about it. We all should know what was going on in the American South in the sixties, unless our education systems have completely failed. There was a public outcry and outrage; the only things politicians worry about.
Some “dropped out”; many joined “the establishment”, but most ended up working for “the man” absorbed by society: having babies, buying houses and cars. . . leading busy productive successful lives—living the unsustainable consumerism dream.
Hopefully, these so-called kids will get it right by seeing how we all failed.
You go, girls.
P.S. If you have any advice for me or David, we’re all ears.
Yesterday was National Book Lovers Day, and on social media it came in like a lamb and went out with a whimper. On twitter, it never made Trending status in the many hours I was on which says a great deal about where everyone’s heads are these days. As expected, facebook and the mainstream media ignored it completely. Why? The answer is a simple one.
“Book Lovers Day is celebrated on August 9 every year. This is an unofficial holiday observed to encourage bibliophiles celebrate reading and literature. People are advised to put away their smartphones and every possible technological distraction and pick up a book to read.” Wikipedia
I did my bit by contributing a half dozen tweets which were repeated on my facebook page that, not surprisingly, ranged from serious to amusing. Most saw no engagement. Yes some genuine book lovers tweeted, as well as some booksellers, but this was an opportunity missed by almost every author, publisher, educator, and library I know and about a million others I don’t.
Changing how we parent, educate, treat the environment, allow ourselves to be governed. . . all have become political, and this is why intelligent people no longer participate in these discussions. The prevailing rampant stupidity in politics has silenced the majority who need to speak out and be heard.
I know many are introverted. I also know they are smart. Why is it they do not realize their apathy endangers their beloved books. Here’s how the world works, kids:
Social media tips from an antisocial misanthrope?
You are definitely spending too much time online.
These online “societies” have rules and will not welcome, nor do they tolerate, anyone lacking their level of sameness; yet nowhere are their expectations of your behaviour written down so you might quickly learn how best to conform. There is a reason for this.
They are eagerly awaiting their opportunity rant over your misstep whether you goof up publicly, among friends, in groups, or in private messages—for you have proved yourself an unfit miscreant who needs to be beaten back into submission, if not ostracized completely, in the hope shame will drive you back under the rock from whence you came.
It means you can DM (Direct Message) an egotist anytime of night or day. WAIT! I’m just kidding. Back when PC’s were the tool of choice to hop on social media, this was okay, but now that smartphones dominate and control their owner’s every thought, they are rarely ever out of reach and almost never turned off, so the likelihood of waking someone up becomes very real. Besides, it’s way too early in the relationship to be talking privately. Take it slow; you’ll be able to show them your boobs or penis soon enough. You must build up to a DM by liking, sharing, and commenting on their posts for a period of not less than thirty days. Take it from me, this is how to get a narcissistic egotist turned on enough to get them naked.
There is a fine line between being a devoted follower and a stalker, and the line is different for everyone. I like to visit pages to see if people are really as uni-dimensional as social media algorithms make them appear—before I dump them. I am absolutely certain that on occasion, I have liked enough of their posts to be considered a creeper, but I don’t care. I’m a social media heretic. Don’t over-like or you may be cast out—leaving you no choice but to attempt to build an online relationship with people like me . . . and really, what are the chances you’ll make the cut?
Twigger people want you to retweet their tweets so their thoughts might reach a wider audience. Conversely, fakebook people are often incensed when you “steal” their posts, which they found elsewhere on the internet all by themselves. Somehow, to them, searching for and saving a post grants them copyrighted proprietary ownership of a meme created by someone else. People have actually timidly asked me if it was okay to share posts I had already stolen from someone else on f-ckbook—so sweet, nice, and polite—I wonder if any of them survived this year’s slashing and burning of the deadwood?
If you are following a hottie on social media, you will never get anywhere by telling them how gorgeous you think they are in their latest of a long string of half-naked selfies they just posted. The best you are likely to get for your effort is a liked comment. If you really want to have any chance of getting on their list of possible candidates for an online fling, you will have to follow them closely—a.k.a. stalk them—to find out where their passions truly lie.
In the olden days, engagement meant you had a fifty-fifty chance of getting some action. The same is true on social media. When you see them posting, it is a safe time to engage. Once you have stimulated your crush’s interest enough, by publicly commenting on their passion projects, or by feigning empathy and compassion when they are unhappy, they will begin to engage with you. This is public banter, flirting, or intellectual foreplay so it’s best to only be offering to stroke their ego at this point. Pretending to be truly fascinated by whatever you have been commenting back and forth about publicly, creates an opening to DM them with more private thoughts on the subject. Congratulations! You are alone with them. No, you can’t send nudes yet . . . unless they have confided the are lonely, drunk, and horny—even then, you should encourage them to go first. Most of the time, you will have to cultivate the relationship further before the sexting begins, but at least you can talk dirty a little. Remember, Mark Zuckerberg can watch the show, so you might want show some restraint.
In this age of immediate gratification, there seems to be some added urgency placed on online sexual activity. It’s as though these participants are afraid their WiFi signal will be lost just as they are about to climax. Do they think they will never have another chance like this again, so they just get right down to business? Perhaps they are hiding in the washroom trying for a quickie behind the back of their significant other. Who really knows? You wouldn’t believe how many times I was flirting harmlessly—or so I thought—only to be gifted a spread eagle pussy pic with the classic two-finger labial parting stretch, when I was really just angling for a nipple pic. I’m not complaining, but a little bit of A to B to C makes it better. While I have only a dozen or so such experiences notched into my laptop, I feel it is safe to say: The younger the woman is, the quicker she will be whipping out the pussy. If I were to use a baseball analogy, they are getting a hit and running straight to third base.
I suppose a case can be made for such utilization of Messenger. I have some platonic online friends I chat with now and then, as well as a few business clients. The one thing I can tell everyone is: If you run a business of any kind, NO ONE wants to be pitched in Messenger. I’ve even been bitched at for sending people event invitations through Messenger. Apparently, the protocol is you must have chatted a little before any business can be discussed which goes back to what was said earlier about the cultivation of a relationship.
There are a few redeeming aspects to online hookups:
As I inch ever closer to parting company with social media, with the exception of blogging, I try to find some highlights from the four plus years invested to take away with me. Aside from getting to know a handful of truly good people, only a couple of moments stand out. Years ago, I triggered a viral post with my comment which reached over 22,000 people. A short time later, I was one of a very few people Taylor Swift followed on twister. I thought it was kinda cool, and I used it to poke fun at, my then, semi-significant other who was, and likely still is, quite literally insane when jealous. Taylor, who I now laughingly refer to as “the bitch”, dumped me shortly after I tagged her in a tweet. She probably followed me by accident or expected me to behave like a guru with a PHD in psychology. I probably should have dick-pic’d her when I had the chance. The thought never occurred to me because enough famous female performers have already seen it—live, up close, and in a very personal way. Perhaps this is why I struggle to understand the males who engage in this behaviour and their reasoning behind perpetuating this phenomena.
I just do not see how this applies to social media sites.
Is wrestling manly? I probably couldn’t wrestle my way out of a drunken all female Mazola party these days, but that may be more due to a lack of desire than capability. To avoid any more middle-aged sex related injuries, which are embarrassing to explain to your doctor, I now spend much more time wrestling with ideas and questions. They are much safer, even though Doc thoroughly enjoys hearing of my exploits . . . perhaps a little too much, now that I think about it.
Some of what goes on in my cerebrum is farcical while other thoughts are incredibly deep for a male—or so I’ve been told. To better illustrate how man-brains work, for our female readers, I will let you peer in to see what is rolling around in here in these next sentences. Could a female friend pin me in a bare knuckle match without the benefit of any lube to help me escape? Would I want to escape? Would I throw the match and submit? Does this make me submissive? Can a submissive man still be manly? If she won fair and square, without resorting to tickling, would she be considered manly? Would her conquest relegate all six-foot-three two hundred pounds of me to the effeminate loser list? Why are there winners and losers? Who thought that up? Who are the beneficiaries, and who or what suffers in a social construct such as this?
Ecosystems show us how all things are connected and how there is intelligent design behind them which endlessly strive to maintain a healthy balance.
I look at humans in much the same way, but we are different. We have the power of choice and yet we seem to endlessly choose poorly. Why is this? What if our program has been, and continues to be, tampered with? In my book I put forth the idea The Princess Program has been responsible for holding women back from reaching their full potential for generations.
Thus began our long string of bloody conquests which continue to this day. Has patriarchy always been with us? If you were to rely purely on the mainstream Western history we are taught in school you might think so. “They” tell us about “recorded history” which currently sits at about 5500 years with a focus on empires rather than civilizations which shift from Egypt, to Greece, to Rome. “Coincidentally”, the first written records of religious practice date to almost the same time: circa 3500 BCE in Sumer, but no historian can say how long Mesopotamia had religion before that. Regardless, all significant religions would be male dominated from 3150 BCE forward. I call all of this “patriarchy approved history” because academia discredits, downplays, ignores, suppresses, and will not fund research into early civilizations which may have done things differently.
You and your children probably never heard anything in history class about African matriarchies dating back to 8000 BCE, nor are future generations likely to. The countries that could have shown us a better way have been completely conquered or destabilized by Western “interests” . . . destroying their cultures and much of their histories in the process. Prior to my rewrite of this section, I had compiled a list of what could be construed as signs of matriarchy throughout history, but it occurred to me that:
So I scrapped it. There was hierarchy, militarism, and taxation systems evident in each, and these are the signs of patriarchy. The patriarchy loves pharaonic Egypt where one man was worshipped as a god. This became the touchstone.
Patriarchy gave us aggressive autocracy, a class system, and the near total subjugation of women. What happens when a patriarchal society can no longer expand its borders and wealth through conquest? It turns inward on itself to exploit its own citizens and lands.
It over-taxes, it makes cuts to education, it cuts social programs, it gouges for medicines, it suppresses reliable news sources and replaces them with propagandists, and it buys politicians and lawmakers as tools of the trade.
I now see racism, patriotism, sexism, political divide, corruption, inequality, a military industrial complex, the entertainment industry, higher education, the Internet, security agencies, and the porn industry as being functionaries of an unnatural and long-standing Patriarchy Program.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
I have been studying human relationships for nearly as long as I’ve been alive. Lately this, ahem, purely intellectual pursuit has led me to study the world of porn. My indoctrination into the objectifying sexist world of the patriarchy began at age twelve when a friend across the street discovered a stash of his father’s old Playboy magazines hidden deep in a crawlspace.
Each of us who were invited to take a look, stuffed a few magazines down our pants which helped a short time later to cover our erections as we walked hurriedly passed our moms to our rooms for about one minute of auto-erotic fun before finding a safe hiding spot for our new loves. Yes, we developed and talked about our attachments to our paper fantasy women. I would talk about how my girl Brandi loved to swim naked, and my friend would say how his Cindy-Jo likes to roll around in the barn wearing only cut-off shorts and suspenders.
A couple of years later, our supplier’s dad upgraded to Penthouse which was showing vagina so most of the neighbourhood boys switched as well. By the time Larry Flint hit the scene with Hustler, I had a regular supply of real vagina life support systems, a.k.a girlfriends, so I left porn mostly behind. The previous sentence shows how my objectification indoctrination into the patriarchy had taken hold at an early age. My view at the time was girls were in possession of boobs and vaginae and I really liked and wanted these things. A pretty face ranked third on my list of wants, and there was no thought whatsoever given to their minds. On the odd occasion when I had an opportunity to peek into Hustler, I remember not fully comprehending why any guy would want to look at these “hard core” women who weren’t nearly as pretty as the girls in Playboy or Penthouse.
Things have changed, and not for the better, but fortunately so have I. Did you know 90% of boys and 60% of girls are exposed to Internet porn by age 18? Do you also realize the extent to which the hard core porn industry dominates Internet browsers? I am a fan of Fine Art Nude Photography, but it is next to impossible to find photographers like Radoslaw Pujan through Bing or Google image searches because of the SEO strategies employed by the porn industry.
This does however explain all the submissive cum-dumpsters worshipping at the alter of cock we see everywhere these days.
I believe this to be the ultimate goal of today’s patriarchs which is best illustrated by young people who claim their sexual explorations, tattoos, piercings, and silver coloured hair are signs of their individuality. If you didn’t do it first, you are just proudly telling the world how easily you are led, how desperate you are to fit in, and how oblivious you are to being manipulated. These are badges of conformity－not independence －an acknowledgement of your submission to The Patriarchy Program.
We are all indoctrinated into this system before we are wise enough to question it. If you want to break your chains or ensure your children do not succumb to these many forms of psychological programming, just teach them to never stop asking the question three-year-olds love to ask:
A questioning mind is a gift which will lead them to awareness and conscience. People so equipped can navigate life making fewer poor decisions which ultimately frees them from the unhappiness plaguing most of humanity. These true individuals can beat back the patriarchs merely by not playing along, and they will be needed in greater numbers than ever before in the next two generations. We have reached the tipping point.
Any “us and them” divide which blinds people with hate and rage is another victory for the patriarchs in their covert war on humanity.
Saying no is the true mark of individuality and freedom of thought.
Years ago, I too once thought change was an achievable goal if I reached out to humanity through social media. Now, I mostly share funny or inspirational memes on facebook as well as pretty photos on twitter in an effort to offer triage－a happy place－for the shell-shocked social media veterans limping back from the front lines carrying their injured souls; who arrive in desperate need of some R&R.
So many of my author “friends” have “thrown their hat in the ring” on one or all of the most hotly contested issues facing America, or, to a lesser extent, the UK. When they put their rational viewpoints out there, they will inevitably encounter the opposition who do not give a rat’s ass about reason. It’s not why they lurk. This is their job, and one day we might just find out there is automation behind it all. This is purely speculation on my part, but what follows is not.
If you feel you must speak up on an issue, by all means do so, but don’t do it daily. Schedule one day each week to visit the political or societal hellhole of your choosing. Your voice will be heard. You will be happier. Your followers will be far less likely to mute you.
Today, it would be so easy for me to weigh-in on all the areas I’m passionate about, but I rarely do. The war on women; government corruption; church influencing state; injustice in the legal system; how I was lied to about living at the dawning of the age of Aquarius. . . It’s all bullshit that has been with humanity for, what we told is, our entire recorded history by the patriarchy which has been running the show for 5000 years, give or take.
Thank the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, who facebook co-founder Chris Hughes recently slammed in the New York Times:
“Mark alone can decide how to configure Facebook’s algorithms to determine what people see in their News Feeds, what privacy settings they can use and even which messages get delivered. He sets the rules for how to distinguish violent and incendiary speech from the merely offensive, and he can choose to shut down a competitor by acquiring, blocking or copying it.”
“… how the News Feed algorithm could change our culture, influence elections and empower nationalist leaders.”
“Just last month, Facebook seemingly tried to bury news that it had stored tens of millions of user passwords in plain text format, which thousands of Facebook employees could see.”
“The most problematic aspect of Facebook’s power is Mark’s unilateral control over speech. There is no precedent for his ability to monitor, organize and even censor the conversations of two billion people. Facebook engineers write algorithms that select which users’ comments or experiences end up displayed in the News Feeds of friends and family. These rules are proprietary and so complex that many Facebook employees themselves don’t understand them. In 2014, the rules favored curiosity-inducing “clickbait” headlines. In 2016, they enabled the spread of fringe political views and fake news, which made it easier for Russian actors to manipulate the American electorate. In January 2018, Mark announced that the algorithms would favor non-news content shared by friends and news from “trustworthy” sources, which his engineers interpreted — to the confusion of many — as a boost for anything in the category of “politics, crime, tragedy.”
An investigation by the Associated Press revealed the platform automatically generates videos and pages which elevate extremist groups.
“Mark Zuckerberg cannot fix Facebook, but our government can.”
I have my doubts.
In other words, take a step back to see the play. So . . . the real war waging is monopoly vs. government. As things currently sit, monopoly can decide what government they can “work with”. This is not good.
What if every intelligent, experienced, and knowledgeable person on social media just posted puppies, kittens, babies, rainbows, daffodils, and unicorns sprinkled with fairy dust instead of being incensed by, and debating with, morons? If your page(s) is always negative, create a new one where you can be you and post whatever brings you joy and peace. This will force you to balance your time spent on social media to offset the negativity.
Gather your real verified people; create an email group chat to move your agenda forward without being distracted by the lurkers. Write letters collectively as a group and send them to the appropriate level of government demanding action and a reply.
Arguing about issues online only serves the monopolists.
FYI: There were 3001 when I posted this. LOL
Conservatively, I estimate I “invested” 1400 hours of my life into Facebook over the past four years which is 500 hours more than it took to produce my book. Let that sink in a moment. I have dwelled on this for some time now. It is because of this significant amount of time that I did not just delete my Facebook account when the final straw arrived. I was close though. For better or worse, there is a legacy we leave behind on Facebook for our “friends”, if not the general public. However, if you posted as I did in a willy-nilly devil-may-care sort of way, you will spend days trying to clean it all up in order to leave a “best of” collection of posts worth scrolling before saying your final farewell. Be prepared for Facebook to “limit” your profile and page(s), a.k.a. putting you in Facebook jail, when you attempt such radical changes.
I am not talking about authors writing under pen names － which is absolutely necessary to avoid harassment － I am talking about people with multiple online personas. Don’t make the mistake of PROJECTING your level of integrity or values, a.k.a. honesty, discretion, and honour onto people you meet. It will bite you every time.
If aliases appear, search each one. If you know multiple locations where they have lived, search each city by each alias. It could take a while to compile all the data, and you should prepare yourself as the results can be nothing less than staggering. Look for, and even search, relatives, known associates, and phone numbers to confirm the site has not made an error. There are pay sites starting from $2.00 that generate a full report including criminal activities. You might want to consider one of these if you are in deep with someone you met online. May your god be kind with what you find.
If you look up naïve in the dictionary, I’m sure you will see my picture there. I viewed joining the author communities on social media as an opportunity to connect with bright, engaging, open-minded seekers of wisdom . . . kindred spirits who would share thoughts as pen pals would, only using modern technology. Overall, nothing could be farther from the truth. Yes, you will encounter a few worthwhile decent types, but in a game where we count followers in the thousands, they represent a minuscule percentage.
I remember being excited about making “friends” on Facebook when I first started out. So excited in fact, I would send friend requests to anyone who had the words author or writer on their profile. Back then, the prevailing theory suggested the key to success was a numbers game; the one with the biggest following would get a publishing deal. People were actually buying followers 10,000 at a time. I didn’t buy into this. I viewed social media as a popularity contest which does not translate into book sales ─ the equivalent to putting flyers in your neighbor’s mailboxes. I have yet to see data which is convincing enough to see it any other way. If I knew better, I would have cultivated relationships with influencers, readers of my genre, publishers, publicists, agents, reviewers, and bloggers ─ all the people I did not have as “friends” but who might have made a difference to the success achieved by my book. Had I known then what I know now, my friends list would look very different than it does today.
If you are going to choose an addiction, social media is the worst possible choice. THERE IS NO HIGH, and the more time you spend on social media the less happy you become. Anyone who has read my book, knows I am anti-escapist regardless of whether the high is produced naturally or artificially. Regular cocaine users know the drug has a diminishing return. The high is never as good as the first time they tried it unless they increase the quantity used; and the more they use, the more frequent their cravings become until it affects their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no hypocrite. I let my demons out for an occasional stroll, but I pick my poisons carefully to ensure that none take charge of my life. Social media hooks us on being connected and never being alone. It is dangerous because humans must be alone in order to think, learn, and grow. Social media stagnates the mind and, Facebook at least, seems bent on depressing the populace. Endless distractions thwart creativity and productivity. If you: feel obligated to post on social media; look in regularly for comments on posts; have never turned off Messenger or notifications or your device, then you should pick different poisons for a while until you get a handle on the monkey on your back.
I used my Facebook profile page as a playground where I could share multiple aspects of my personality. This allowed me a place to vent . . . and vent I did; or more correctly, am continuing to do here in what will become my last post to Facebook. Early on I promised the real me would be on display at all times to my “friends”. The people on my friends list did not get an artificial construct or watered down perfect illusion of who I am. Nope, they got the full Monte, or at least as much Monte as Facebook would allow. My inner bad boy posted what little nudity Facebook community standards would tolerate for two reasons: Firstly, I am a rebel who sees freedoms dying faster than the planet is losing species; and secondly, nothing in the world is more beautiful to me than the female form. I shared my sense of humour as well, even when I knew it might be crossing someone’s line every now and then. I also shared my philosophies, and those from others which resonated within me, in what I now see as a futile effort to awaken the sleeping oblivious sheeple. The proof is in the likes. There were next to none. Recently, I wanted to find out if I was out of Facebook jail so I posted: ‘Somebody, anybody, tell me if you can see me.’ This post got more attention than a year’s worth of meaningful posts, and at the same time, it made a sad statement on the superficiality of the average Facebook user.
As an author, I should have divided my time equally between Goodreads, twitter, and Facebook because Goodreads has proven itself to put your books in front of readers, and unlike Facebook, you can reach out to everyone and anyone on twitter. Time is the one thing you can never get more of and it does not allow do-overs. Spend yours wisely.
Fuckerberg, and the Nazis in the shadows behind him, are using facebook for data collection on each and every one of us, as are most of the major corporations in Silicon Valley. The difference is Facebook knows far more about us than Google, and possibly even the makers of our devices and the companies that supply operating systems as long as they do not breach their published privacy policies which most have already been caught doing. Facebook considers EVERYTHING you share to be their property. This includes Messenger. Yup, your selfies and home-made porn videos are all sitting in a data farm somewhere and you can never truly delete them. They lured us away from My Space with the promise of something better. A promise which was never kept right from the beginning. Their endless adjustments to the algorithm, have severely limited our outreach to readers while they stayed busy categorizing and compartmentalizing us into something reminiscent of a box filled with hamsters where everyone is climbing all over each other. Good luck. I’m out.
That doesn’t have the same innocuous ring to it as social media site, does it. In my time on Facebook, I have been appalled by posts in my News Feed ranging from animal cruelty to the shooting of an unarmed man by police, with a far too great number of others in between. Were they fake news as with the Trumpeter’s election campaigners who mysteriously showed up only to disappear shortly after the election? We can never know. What is clear however, is we are affected, influenced, and manipulated by what we see and hear in all forms of media. Worst of all, we become desensitized to atrocious human behavior and I believe this is NO ACCIDENT; but where they are intentionally herding the minds of the sheeple. When three billion users worldwide have been programmed to no longer give a shit about life, the world can easily fall into anarchy. On that day, the frightened sheeple will willingly turn over the last of their freedoms for safety. The single biggest difference between other forms of media and Facebook is there are no restrictions placed on what Facebook is allowed to broadcast. Facebook can do what they want with the get-out-of-jail-free-card of being a social media platform not responsible for the content created by users. There is no Editor In Chief to hold accountable for what is thrust before our eyes. Facebook’s new take on morality is not for me. It shouldn’t be for you either.
If I look at my years on Facebook as I would my life, there are some parallels. I have a few regrets but there was also a great deal of laughter. There were a handful of people who made the time spent on Facebook almost seem worthwhile. I hope they keep in touch. There were also some standouts who stepped up when it really mattered, and they have my deepest gratitude.
If you are just an individual who wants to keep tabs on people you already know in the real world, or if you want to find people you have lost touch with, then have at it while being VERY cautious of what you post or message to people. Keep your circle small and be wary of people you have not met in person when they send you a friend request. If you have the misfortune of being a writer who is following conventional wisdom, a.k.a. forced kicking and screaming into the social media spotlight as I was, then things will be tougher. Absorb and retain the previous 1800 words and I will leave you with the immortal words of my favorite Zen master: ‘Mind what you have learned; save you it can.’ – Yoda.
First thing this morning my neighbor sent a text to inform me the Internet is still down, but they claim to be working on it. Apparently a major cable was cut last evening leaving our entire area without service.
Thanks for the update., I thought to myself as I ran my morning self-diagnostics to see if I was fully functional before getting out of bed. I worked out yesterday so you never know. Out of HABIT I turned on my computer anyway and headed to the coffee-maker.
As I stood in the kitchen waiting for The Nectar Of Awakening (© 2019 E. A. Barker LOL), I pondered the importance of the Internet to him because he is a well-to-do guy who loves his toys. His home is run by Google and he likes his fully-automated lifestyle, and I don’t think he likes it when I speak of the potential for abuse of the users privacy. He only has his phone now. All that is good in his life has perished. Perhaps this is why he sent this out of character early text which woke me from some badly needed sleep.
Coffee in hand, I sat down on the couch and drank the entire over-sized first mug while staring blankly at the Windows start up screen. The only thought I can recall during this semi-conscious period was: They chose a nice shade of blue.
What will I do this morning? Maybe go for a walk? Too cold. Read? Eyes still too sleepy and brain not receptive to input. Write something? There it is. But what? We’ll wing it.
Anyone who reads my crap knows of my contempt for the Internet and my fervent belief that it is a mind control weapon employed against the oblivious masses in the final stages of our enslavement. Yet, it has also become a part of my ROUTINE to have my coffee while scrolling twitter and chatting with online friends.
It was not always this way. I remember having a satisfying life before all this book writing nonsense took over.
I RATIONALIZED this CHANGE IN MY BEHAVIOR by TELLING MYSELF this was necessary to launch and promote my book. I further RATIONALIZED I should continue promoting my work beyond the one year period I had originally planned for as there were still occasional requests for interviews and the like coming in. I continued my RATIONALIZATION to stay on social media because we were entering the peak selling season. That’s no time to quit. My latest RATIONALIZATION, after almost four years since I first appeared on social media, is I now have a handful of people whose words and thoughts I enjoy. It would be wrong to abandon them.
A flaw in my thinking just made itself known on mug three. I am PROJECTING my character traits onto them; people I have never met. I ass-u-me they share my values: morality; ethics; scruples; sense of decency etc., when in truth, I really have little hard evidence to support the mental picture of them I have created in my mind. It is hard enough to discover the TRUE NATURE of people we meet in real life, without compounding the problem by believing what we see or are told through an electronic medium.
Recent─all too public events─began with provocative hurtful posts which I could have been spared from seeing. I retaliated. That was wrong. The enraged are not in touch with rational thought. Things escalated from there into a tangled mess of unimagined proportions. If you witnessed any of it, my apologies. I now have first-hand knowledge of the gossips, spies, stalkers, trolls, and double agents we have all heard about when chatting about facebook dramas.
I am disgusted on many levels by many things, but mostly for allowing myself to be temporarily lowered into The Pit Of The Petty (© 2019 E. A. Barker LOL) where the worst parts of humanity reside.
I am only guilty of the first two. I plead temporary insanity. I have and continue to work hard to be fully conscious and self-aware, and I pride myself on my ability to stay grounded in reality. This heightens your powers of perception so you can see things for what they are, and not how you would like them to be. However, this trait will not be considered endearing to anyone who lives in a fantasy world of imagined futures. Normally, I am so good at this people have called me a mind reader, or suggested I have them under surveillance, or even that I can predict the future. In truth, once you have really explored WHO YOU ARE and wrestled your demons into submission─with only occasional escape attempts─you are given a gift of heightened sensitivity which is composed mostly of sympathy, empathy, and compassion. Some call this being loving or caring; I just call them good people.
Humans like to think of themselves as complex creatures when in fact most human behavior is transparent and predictable to the few of us who bother to know ourselves. Once you know the best and worst you are capable of, and even though your self-control can slip at times, you can make shockingly accurate assessments of people as well as predictions of behavior and consequences.
To the superficial and narcissistic, life will always be a mysterious sequence of tragic events. They create petty RATIONALIZATIONS of their abhorrent behavior with statements like: “The heart wants what the heart wants.” or “We are only human.” or “They told me to do it.”. . .
Every single one of the seven billion souls on this planet are capable of moving beyond this most basic form of existence. I sincerely hope the readers of this will be some of those who do.
This was the second time I became embroiled in a facebook drama. There won’t be a third. Farewell facebook friends and followers. It was quite an experience which I can no longer RATIONALIZE.
Keep in touch by email if you like.
I disagree. Not knowing fosters anxiety even in a guy like me who is wildly over self-examined. You receive a cryptic message about an emergency situation telling you they will get in touch as soon as more information is available. You wait; all the while consciously trying not to think the worst, but as the hours pass you inevitably let your guard down allowing the darkest possible outcomes to play out in your mind.
Times like these test your beliefs. As my handful of readers already know, I am not religiously inclined, and I have attempted to shed almost all beliefs—viewing them as traps which serve no other purpose than to allow us to be manipulated, usually through fear. I no longer fear for myself, but I do fear for others; especially those close to me. After ten hours of checking my phone, I did something that helped to ease my mind which could be labelled in a number of different ways depending on the beliefs of the person applying the label. I looked at the sky and thought:
Most would call this praying. A far smaller number would say I was putting positive energy into the universe to create a desired outcome. For me, it was merely a mental exercise to firstly accept a situation that was outside of my control, and secondly, a way to master my anxiety once again. I never say there is no God or gods. Instead, I leave room for the possibility. While I would like to think we live in a deterministic universe where we each have free will and where, if we channel our collective energies in a particular direction, we can control destiny or fate. Sadly, thus far at least, there is no absolute proof of this one either. What I find fascinating at times like this is I am willing to give them a go without any belief in them. My “Leave no rock unturned.” approach may be the reason. If it can’t hurt and could help then why not?
Studies into prayer and meditation show the human brain behaves very differently when we partake in these activities, indicating there is “something to them”. Maybe we level up our consciousness, or maybe we just reduce our brain activity to a level where we find clarity; where we can accept that some things are outside of our control, and where we can let go of our irrational fears. After all, it is fear that spawns our worries, and it is the quantity of those worries we created in our head which can lead us into full-blown anxiety.
I will not and cannot allow this label to be applied to my story, for if I do, I would become narrow or closed-minded with a singular viewpoint, and I like to think I have outgrown being that guy.
It took two more hours of waiting, but the news I finally received was not terrible. Did God intervene at my request? Not likely. Did I use my incredible mind powers to have the universe alter our reality? I seriously doubt it. So what did happen then?
Things are not in our control. They never have been throughout recorded history. Everything is temporary, including each of us. The control freaks who rise to power and prominence do so by having a narrow focus. It serves them for a while, but historically, it inevitably leads to their demise because a time ALWAYS comes when they need to consider possibilities outside of their doctrine. We see maniacal despots in the media each day who are single-mindedly hell-bent on creating division and hatred everywhere they can. They only have power over the closed-minded, and this is why they work so hard at recruiting or creating the like-minded.
It’s been a rough year, so why should December be any different? However, today’s news was not as bad as some of the outcomes from my anxiety based mental conjuring. For this I am grateful. As we enter the holiday season, I hope you and yours are safe, healthy, and happy. If you fall into this lucky group, please take a moment to realize how lucky you are. Not everyone is as lucky as you. Life really is about luck, and the funny thing about luck is it can change in the blink of an eye.
P.S.
If you know someone who espouses the notion that we make our own luck, remind them that while hard work and focus can help them climb the ladder of success, only a healthy person can cling to the rungs.
Happy Holidays.
Contrary to popular belief, tryptophan induced turkey comas are not a result of turkey containing a greater quantity of the amino acid than other foods, but only our overindulgence at this time of year. You most likely do not go back for seconds when you eat other poultry, nor do smaller birds allow for days of leftovers in sandwiches and soups or stews.
Enjoy your holiday.
You are the 1%–the morally bereft industrialists, bankers, spiritual leaders, and mega-corp board members who view the world and its people as THINGS to be exploited and controlled. You are not likeable, but we labour not for the 50% we give to you, but for the remainder which allows us a few simple pleasures. You limit what we can know, and yet we still manage to find out more than you would like. YOUR scientists and politicians put on quite a show through YOUR media. They keep many of us spinning, but not all of us. Your arrogance has blinded you to a few simple truths.
We see you destabilizing economies. We see your security states. We see how you cultivate conflicts. We see you attacking our Constitutions. We see you passing laws to benefit only yourselves. We see you feverishly working to divide us. We see you killing. We know you envisage a world without us, but we also know you cannot DO for yourselves. We know about many of your safe havens. Who do you think built them?
And herein lies your problem. NONE of your assets are maintenance free. Not a single one. If you examine each of them closely, you will see at least a small crew of work-a-day people who possess specialized skills and knowledge that you do not. Your architects, designers, builders, and landscapers create your dream, but they don’t maintain it. There are the lawn and garden people; the pool, sauna, and hot tub people; the chimney, fireplace, roof, and eves people; the security, cable, satellite, electronics, electrical, plumbing, and appliance people; the driveway, patio, helipad, and tennis court people . . . You get the idea, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
We are the working class and you cannot maintain your lavish lifestyles without literally hundreds of us. You are reliant on each of us. We feign friendliness and loyalty, but never assume you can buy all of us. Each of us share a different morality than yours. We still feel sympathy and empathy towards our fellow humans despite your attempts to program these out of us on YOUR social media sites. Yes, we picked up on this too.
Perhaps, it is time you consider how easy it would be for us to get to you if we were to be incensed by the loss of our friends and loved ones. You can vet us all you want–hand picking us–but there will always be one of us near you who is waiting for the right moment.
Sleep well.
Sincerely,
The Huddled Masses.
While I support all altruistic initiatives, I dislike the politicizing of subjects such as hunger. It is time we addressed the elephant in the room. The West is fat and drunk on immediate gratification.
The UN creates AWARENESS of the EFFECTS without ever talking about the true CAUSE . . . the hording of wealth.
The World Bank offers loans to organizations trying to feed people, but NOT WITHOUT INTEREST. This group could single-handedly solve hunger. They don’t.
The largest religions of the world sit on a pile of money that could immediately cure hunger. They don’t. They do however claim it is a top concern and tell their followers to give more.
Corporatized food stores do not fill the shelves of food banks. They expect their customers to do that AT RETAIL PRICES, and they use their INFLUENCE to keep farmers from donating directly.
So while the AWARENESS created each year since the 1940’s by the UN is a good thing, it also illustrates that 70+ years of TALK hasn’t solved anything. Individuals must do what we can. Organizations won’t.
One big question of many that perplex me when it comes to the State of Israel and Jewish people is: Why are 14.2 million people more newsworthy in the West than the other 6.86 billion people of the world? Is there more to this than media control, ownership, or the claimed disproportionate number of Jewish people working in Western media? I don’t know. When I don’t know something, I read, and keep on reading until I find answers. This tiny segment of the world’s population endlessly reminds us of their stories of persecution; some of these stories are based on historically documented facts, while others have so little empirical evidence they border on the mythological. A media spotlight affords a tiny state some protection from transgressors, but in doing so, it can also cast a shadow on any freshly dug graves.
The world’s religions mastered indoctrination long ago, so this, I thought, would be a good area to acquire a better grasp of a people without diving into the more volatile areas of politics and economics.
Yesterday’s read began with enthusiasm as I found a book which was touted to be: A Guide to Jewish Wisdom; something that appealed to me on a couple of different levels even though I am not Jewish, and have—putting it mildly—a general dislike of almost all religions for their exploitive, for-profit business model which excludes aid to anyone who is not a paying customer. Firstly, this book appealed to the researcher inside me as I am usually forced to open dozens of books over several days just to find puzzle pieces which I then have to make notes on and later assemble into something that makes sense. It’s a good day when you find an author who has done all the work for you. Secondly, I have not given Judaism its due, relative to the volume of reading I have done on all of the larger religions. Oh sure I have skimmed the Tanakh and read the greatest hits of the Torah in my fact-finding missions to compare stories from other religions, but I really did not have a “feel” for this group’s beliefs. I really hoped this book on the mystical side of Judaism: Kabbalah, would give me a better understanding of the big picture.
This book dodged a bullet. When we choose a nonfiction book to read, we are encouraged to pay attention to the credentials of the author as though only a credentialed person can put forth a valid thought—or so the publishing world a.k.a. print media would have us believe. The author is a Rabbi and an educational psychologist so I expected a balance of theology with logic and reason. What I got was a heavy dose of mysticism, magic, and the supernatural with a smattering of references to empirical research that, at best, offered a weak endorsement of how the magic worked. The spiritual mumbo-jumbo, of course, told the believer how to think and live “correctly”:
In fact, there was an entire paragraph on how to appropriately greet and compensate a Kabbalist or Hassidic rebbe if you were ever fortunate enough to garner their attention.
And yet the author saw fit to publish a photo of himself with the Dali Lama instead of one where he was feeding or counseling “displaced” Palestinian children.
In fairness, I expect hypocrisy in all books from theologians, however once you strip away the nonsense, there were about fifty pages of good reading where the author succinctly explained: The Ten Sefirot, the meaning of the Star of David, and he interpreted a number of commonly used Jewish religious terms while passing along some insights into Judaic “philosophy”. The book was just 200 pages so I’ll give it a 1.25 star rating.
What did I learn? Nothing Earth shattering, but it would appear that Judaism:
This lackluster book did however point me at a new target of inquiry. It seems that in the 1700’s a scholastic elite were the only ones with access to Jewish literary works. This wreaks of potential tampering akin to Constantine or King James. I’ll let you know if anything interesting turns up once I have chased down this lead.
While I don’t live in the United States of America, Canada and most countries in “the West” do share common legal approaches. My OPINIONS should not be considered legal advice, but should make for a good starting point for those of you who have been witness to the latest travesty in indie-authordom. Unless the reprobates currently running the U.S.A. have completely flushed America down the proverbial turlet, then what I am about to share with you will probably still be upheld in their courts.
I rarely use Wikipedia as a source, but they did offer a sound definition in this case.
“A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a recognizable sign, design, or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others, although trademarks used to identify services are usually called service marks. The trademark owner can be an individual, business organization, or any legal entity. A trademark may be located on a package, a label, a voucher, or on the product itself. For the sake of corporate identity, trademarks are often displayed on company buildings.”
IF some poor misinformed soul did want to Trade Mark the word cocky, they are completely within their legal rights to do so. HOWEVER, as no person or corporate entity may hold title of a commonly used word, the Trade Mark office requires that the word in question be presented in an original form, a.k.a. artwork and even a custom font or in an existing font USED WITH WRITTEN PERMISSION.
We might as well cover all the bases while we are on this ridiculous topic.
“A government authority or license conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.”
So unless the individual in question INVENTED the word, they can’t go down this road.
“The exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same.”
Every time a writer PUBLISHES, they are protected by Copyright law. HOWEVER, we live in an age where everyone sues their neighbor over the slightest thing. Thanks for that America. This translates into a shit pile of lawyers making money on every tiny fender-bender or slip-and-fall. Authors would be well advised to actually get Copyright protection in their own country at the very least, as it carries a bit more weight than a mere publishing date.
Yes, if it is the title of your work and no one has ever used it before. HOWEVER, this only protects the Copyright holder from having others use the EXACT SAME TITLE. It does not give the Copyright holder EXCLUSIVE rights to the word.
What is a frivolous lawsuit?They are not called “sharks” for nothing.
“Is the practice of starting or carrying on lawsuits that, due to their lack of legal merit, have little to no chance of being won.“
Yes kids, this is probably what is going on here. Some law firm is exploiting this poor author knowing full well the case has no chance.
There are any number of possibilities. But first, why am I not worried about using the word Amazon in this piece? It’s simple, they don’t own the word—just the presentation of the word as a Trade Marked corporate logo in context with a certain type of business. The Amazon river was there long before the company, and it will be there long after the company is gone.
Smashwords and Ingram Spark are looking better and better, aren’t they?
. . . I get a cease and desist order telling me to take down this blog because it contains the word cocky, I will have my lawyer fire one back telling them what a cocky prick I am, and that I suggested ‘they should all have intercourse with themselves’. Of course what I would actually say to my lawyer in this hypothetical instance would be: Tell them they can all go f*ck themselves.
A frivolous lawsuit is there to incite an EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. My lawyer is there to START A NEGOTIATION, as is the lawyer of this author. My lawyer will water down my message to make me appear more reasonable so A RESOLUTION CAN BE REACHED.
As usual, my mind is questioning the motivations involved here. Is this a PR stunt? Did the-powers-that-be create a new distraction just for indie authors so we won’t pay attention to a US administration just itching for a war with anybody? I guess time will tell. Until then, stay cocky everyone.
It’s been a long, long, long time since I have had a day like this－literally years since I published a slightly impaired blog titled: An Intoxicated Tirade, or words to that effect. A conscientious blogger would create a link, but I don’t care.
Life as a struggling author is tough, and full of duties and obligations. Today was different though; I fulfilled all those daily tasks by 2:00 p.m. on a sunny and warm Sunday afternoon which allowed me a shopping trip including a visit to the liquor store.
It should be noted that I mark the return of warm weather with a cocktail we Canadians call a Caesar－made from tomato/clam cocktail, vodka, and spices, including salt, pepper, celery salt, Worchestershire sauce (Did you seriously expect me to spell it right?) and Tobasco sauce. (Ditto.)
I spent TWO magical hours alone with my thoughts (and the booze) in direct sunlight which has always been my drug of choice when I needed to re-energize and refocus. There was a part of me who screamed I should have a book with me or what will the neighbors think? F*ck ’em.
I moved to this neighborhood to be amongst the poor and down-trodden. Granted, houses in this area sell between one and two million dollars, but that does not mean the people here are rich; they just have good credit. As property values have gone from ridiculous to insane while I have been here, it led me to think about the retirees on a fixed income being displaced because they could not keep up with their property taxes as their property’s value exploded, forcing many to take out equity loans just to keep their homes.
After the second drink, I noticed a deep exhalation that I am certain has not been a part of my existence for some time. Some people meditate to accomplish this state-of-being, but I have not been making the time for any spiritual journeys of this nature lately. I am just too damn busy.
So, about the squirrels . . . Ever notice the squirrel who is busting his (or her) ass (Who can tell?); digging up chestnuts and running across a busy street to bring home the bacon? He/she is unlike the other squirrels who have trained humans to feed them, and who unknowingly have become reliant on their trainees. I respect the hustler’s choice. I hope he/she doesn’t get squished by one of the vehicles travelling much too fast in our school zone.
It occurred to me upon sipping my third drink, I could really use more days like this. This prompted a revised want ad stolen from my book.
Dinner Update: One part is burnt, and one part is still frozen. Balance is key.
On to the airplanes－you can’t help but notice them while you are positioned to be face-first into the setting sun in the West, which coincidentally, is also where our airports are, relative to where I live. There are fast-movers, a.k.a. military stuff, at serious altitudes leaving twin contrails. Those are our F-18s. I did however see a fast-mover with a single contrail; I hope we didn’t buy one of those piece of sh*t single engine F-35s.
FYI: The texture of my chicken patties can be best equated with cutting cardboard with your standard cutlery. And again, I don’t care. Two hours of direct sunlight and four cocktails will do that to a person.
My man-bun-daddy neighbor with way too many health issues for his age and I just talked about using some of our more useless neighbors as food when the apocalypse comes. I suggested a barbecue sauce.
What are the passers-by thinking as they acknowledge my smile, nod, or wave as I sit in my lawn chair basking in the sun? Are they jealous of my leisure time inactivity, or do they think I am hurting property values in the neighborhood? At the moment, I can confidently state I don’t give a flying f*ck about what others think.
One neighbor who regularly parks her car in front of my house chatted about her court day with our street’s bandit parking cop, and how she was kayaking on a river today. She does lead an interesting life.
I chatted briefly with my hot neighbor about how confusing this time of year was for her when it came to choosing what to wear. She was in sandals and a sweater coat. I suggested she remove the coat.
I saw some kids playing road hockey while armed with squirt guns. I guess I didn’t get that memo.
Birds chirping; the sounds of motorcycles and children at play; and the guy with saws. Dude, give it a f*cking rest already.
I thought up a killer book idea, but I’ve thought that before . . .
Much can happen in two hours if you go outside to figuratively stop and smell the flowers.
I admit I have been neglecting this blog, but sh*t happens. My Ms. Creant site blog has kept me busy with a ten-ish part series on the book publishing game. If you are a soon-to-be-published author not picked up by the big 5, you would be well-advised to tune in.
It’s now 10:30 p.m. and my nightcap is almost gone.
Ever notice how I only use contractions when I’m drinking?
Talk soon.
https://days.to/election-day-in-us/2020
Any problem-solver will tell you that big problems are made up of a number of smaller more manageable and completely solvable issues.
But the sheer quantity of things causing them to be outraged is what keeps them from getting off their butts to do anything about ANY of these issues. There is a new big problem, reported in their media, which causes them to be outraged almost every day—new threats—new scandals—new protests. . . Their news sources bombard them with new and exciting things to be outraged about to keep them from becoming FOCUSED on any one GOAL.
Let’s look at why being reactive has not moved America towards positive change for over 60 years; while also looking at some of the time-wasting ineffectual reactive responses of outraged, but well-meaning, Americans who simply lacked a clear vision of how to create change.
https://www.wikihow.com/Join-The-Republican-Party
https://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Registered-Democrat
http://www.reformparty.org/contacts/join-the-reform-party/
http://www.constitutionparty.com/
Almost all of America’s biggest OUTRAGE inducing problems are a result of a government representatives lacking either a conscience or the bravery to stand up to the bankers, agencies, corporations, and other groups who believe themselves to be out of the reach of the taxpayer’s wrath. Keep this in mind when you are asked to choose, nominate, or support a candidate.
https://www.voterparticipation.org/our-mission/
http://www.fairvote.org/solutions
http://bigbatusa.org/electoral-reform/strategy-tactics-activist-elements/e-other-reference-points/
Please get off your butts and create change while you still have the freedom to do so.
Most of the other 6.7 billion people on Earth are very concerned about you.
What fascinates me these days is the total disconnect of the so-called academics. Osteology has published evidence of humans going back much farther than the current 200,000-year “approved” paradigm which was only relatively recently freed from the 5000-year biblical view. Non-Egyptian geologists have dated the sphynx before the last ice age, but Egyptology cannot accept the probability that Egyptians were not responsible the greatest architectural works present in their country. As a result, they are closing off access to these areas to anyone who does not share their view of world history. Worse yet, artifacts are “disappearing” from public display only to be allegedly “lost” through poor cataloging by inept museum officials. The same type of problem exists when you look at the Easter Island geological record. Re-dating of these megalithic sites is spooking those who wish to maintain the status quo. The same is true right here in America with the Smithsonian being apparently incapable of record keeping. Archaeology has its problems too. They are completely divided into two groups. One side holds fast to the hunter-gather tribal out of Africa point of view up until 5000 years ago when a “miraculous” change occurred in human development; while the other is offering up solid evidence of sea-faring peoples who may have traveled much farther than previously thought possible, and who seemingly interacted on a near global scale. Genetics is proving the second group is onto something, but again, evidence from outside the archaeological community a.k.a. their compartmentalized box, carries little weight and does little to sway them from their indoctrinated viewpoint.
I have published a great many words on the methods of control utilized by the ruling elite—not the irrelevant elected officials chosen for us, but the unelected powers who tell them what to do, and who never go away. THEY KNOW knowledge equals power, and the manipulation of humankind is easily accomplished when they hold all the knowledge cards. Religions don’t want these truths to see the light of day or to gain any real momentum, for the truth will undermine their power base, forcing them to re-write their books and admit to their followers they have not been honest with them. There is a reason why only approved referred academics are allowed to even make a request to see texts housed in the Vatican. What is absolutely hilarious is they do not publish a listing of the ancient written works contained in their vaults. You must somehow ALREADY KNOW that a text exists in order to request a look at it, and browsing is not allowed except by an elite group of church officials. Everything is kept concealed from us. WE DON’T HAVE A NEED TO KNOW and they are not telling, so we stupid amateurs must continue to dig and accept being ridiculed for our efforts.
If you wish to find out more, I recommend you begin with these two REAL academics; Doctor Robert Schoch and Doctor Michael Cremo. They are grounded by scientific method, and present their evidence without attempting to attach an outlandish connection to anything mystical or otherworldly.
Man·i·fest Des·ti·ny
noun
the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.
Well, mostly.
Germany and Japan did, and look at them now. They are shining examples of “team players” who became allies, and as a reward they get to share in the “American dream” just a few generations later.
Conquered peoples need time to adjust to their new reality. This is best done by firstly assisting them in rebuilding; it keeps them busy and takes their mind off what being conquered actually means.
I just witnessed an act of Christian terrorism on my street.
While many of us were erecting ladders to put up Christmas lights, others had even more politically incorrect intentions.
A woman with her three girls from a few doors down, just skulked passed my house carrying a large standup carboard cutout of Jesus which they covertly placed in front of another neighbor’s house, a few doors up the street from where I live. I am guessing this mom is an artist, and the girls all participated in this craft project. I do not know either of these neighbors, but I grinned as the perpetrators ran by in a full retreat. A short while later, the terrorist leader mom walked by again to take a picture of their evil-doings; presumably to be used in a propaganda victory speech which would undoubtedly be posted on their radical facebook page tagging the victims. As she returned from her photo recon bomb damage assessment mission, she commented to me, rather matter of factly, “He hates religion.”, to which I replied, “Oh my.”, still wearing my amused grin but laughing hysterically on the inside as this woman had no idea who she was talking to. To me, this Sunday was quickly becoming more entertaining than any of the ones spent in the hundreds of Houses of Worship I have visited in my travels. It would not take long before a woman, who I presume is the wife of the aforementioned “He”, would walk by looking a little embarrassed as she carryied the big Jesus back to the terrorist’s encampment. I suspect this was just a good-natured prank among neighbors as big Jesus was leaned carefully against a tree in the yard of the terrorist’s command and control bunker, and no hostile words were uttered or shots fired as she departed.
We must now look at the victim of this atrocity who was targeted by these extremists because “He” believes differently. “He”, who apparently “hates religion”, could be an atheist, and if this is the case, we should be respectful of his choice of belief system. But what if “He” is not an atheist? What if “He” is like me? What if “He” has come to despise most religions as I have, because they have corrupted the messages of God and their various prophets in order to amass wealth and power—often promoting division, hate, the subjugation of women, and even violence. Am I next? How long before I can expect big Jesus in my garden? I think it’s time to pick a religion just to be on the safe side.
So. let’s see what comes up when I google: What religion should I follow? Oh look, Belief-O-Match; they should be able to tell me. After taking their quiz, they decided I am a Seventh-day Adventist? I don’t know this one. Let’s find out what they are all about.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-seventh-day-adventism/
Not even close. So much for Belief-O-Magic.
Back to the drawing board. I will eliminate all religions with significant wealth that don’t spend most of it to feed starving children. Let’s see what google has to say.
https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/world/the-10-richest-religions-in-the-world/
Let’s try googling the most charitable religions. It is interesting that this search netted little of substance; just a few articles about do-gooders, putting Muslims, Agnostics, and Buddhists well in the lead. You would think that some of the other major religions would step up and single-handedly save a famished nation just for the bragging rights, but none do or have.
Although I could probably squeeze my beliefs into the Agnostic box, as a historian, I feel as though I should be able to find something—and I did—but unfortunately it is in decline with just 190,000 followers left. Maybe it is not about the popularity.
Zoroastrianism worships a single deity: Ahura, The Lord Creator, and The Supremely Wise. This religion predates most all of the best known prophets with its roots going back to 2000 BCE. (I like that.) It has no major theological divisions. (I like that.) In Zoroastrianism, the purpose in life is to: “Be among those who renew the world; to make the world progress towards perfection”. (I like that.)
Its basic maxims include:
I am a Zoroastrianist . . . I think.
I have much reading to do, and perhaps I should check my terminologies while I am at it, before telling everyone. Once I have confirmed that Zoroastrianist is actually a word, I’m going to go tell the neighbor up the street—maybe he is one too, and just doesn’t know it yet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism
This is it for a while.
To everyone, regardless of your philosophies, faiths, beliefs, and indoctrinations, I hope you all enjoy a safe and happy Holiday Season.
Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta.
I like it.
😀
I knew I would be spending Christmas time away from family and friends this year but I was very determined to FEEL festive. I started playing Christmas music and posting nothing but holiday related things on Facebook. I rejected thoughts of posting about serious topics in favor of spreading some laughter and joy.
IT WORKED! I got the Christmas spirit or the holiday bug, whichever you prefer, and I did not have to buy or receive gifts in the traditional sense to achieve this state of hope, well-being, and willingness to smile at strangers.
I awoke this morning thinking about all the children who would be excited about Santa’s visit and how they would either wake their parents or creep quietly to the tree to see what was under it. I forced myself to dwell on the POSITIVE.
For those readers who do not know me, I am more aware than most about the plight of humans around the globe–especially children. I know there are many who did not have this experience this morning, but for today at least, I will not dwell on this as I do during the other fifty or so weeks of the year.
This is not an act of selfishness, but one of self-preservation. Your spirit, soul or chakra, whichever you prefer, can become tired and you need to take some time occasionally to recharge it. Some do this through religious practices while others explore their spiritual side through the development of a personal philosophy of life–whatever works. The key is to acknowledge that you have this part of you, and to listen carefully to it in this world full of craziness which is designed to test this part of you.
Early this morning, I went outside for some fresh air just as a woman was passing by walking her dog on the sidewalk out front . She looked at me and said, “Merry Christmas.” I smiled and returned those same words back to her. Both our days will be better because of this moment. This is the KEY which we need all people everywhere to get back in touch with.
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD but you have to be aware of them when they are happening, and acknowledge each and every one of them.
This chance meeting created a moment of clarity within me which I will share with everyone here.
This “Christian” holiday which has its roots in Pagan rituals, need not be yet another reason for division, because the FEELING of joy to the world and goodwill toward all humans is a global, if not universal constant. The FEELING transcends the labels we mere humans use in our feeble attempts to quantify, understand, and compartmentalize everything in and outside of this world. The FEELING of Christmas will fade only when we let the evildoers of the world engage us and affect us. This does not mean you can live inside a bubble of obliviousness and remain happy in there–quite the opposite in fact–you must go out into the real world to influence it with the VIBE you project.
The evildoers on the planet are a dedicated group who work really hard to spread NEGATIVITY in the form of lies, hate, deceit and propaganda to illicit a response that will give rise to fear. Only our worry and fears can lead us into violent conflicts–something they know all to well.
In 2017, those of us around the world who want peace, freedom, and security for all people, need to start anew to beat them at their own game. Smiling and wishing people well, no matter what the circumstance or how difficult it is, will undo them because of their lust for attention. Self-important egotists are shattered when they discover they no longer have an audience. Let’s turn off their media. Let’s disengage from their debates which are just another form of conflict which only serves them. Their use of these tools has conditioned us to believe we live in a state of perpetual conflict which is simply not true unless we allow it.
FEELING, carrying, and spreading peace and joy is a CHOICE which does not have to be reserved just for the holiday season, and it is the most powerful weapon ever created to wage a war against war.
To all who wish for Peace on Earth, just show goodwill toward men.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year; Saint Nicholas Day; Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe; St. Lucia Day; Hanukkah; Three Kings Day/Epiphany; Boxing Day; Kwanzaa; Omisoka; Yule; Saturnalia–whichever you prefer–we are not so different.
I know I had previously posted that I probably would not be writing again until the New Year but let’s just say the spirit moved me.
Times are tough.
There is a great deal of uncertainty, at the very least, if not fear or outright paranoia in our world at the moment.
Please try to reign in these thoughts, especially over the holidays.
If you are able to read this on-line, it most likely means you can afford devices and services which connect you to this online world. These are luxuries you should be conscious of. This also implies your immediate security needs of shelter, food, and clothing have also been met. Be grateful for what you have as there are a great many others who are not as fortunate and who will not be able to read this.
The holidays are a time for giving—our way of expressing love, caring and thanks to people we know.
Even strangers sometimes treat us a little better at this time of year. They might smile as they hold a door for us when we have both hands full of shopping bags. Acknowledge these small kindnesses. It’s too easy to be self-absorbed—preoccupied with finishing the damnable shopping so we can jump right back into the hustle and bustle of travelling to parties and family gatherings. We might overlook this tiny kind gesture which is really what this season is about. Seize the moment to look them in the eye, smile, say thank you, and wish them a happy holiday. It might be the only present they receive this year.
The holiday season puts increased demands on our time because of all the commitments we make to family and friends. This causes us to be stressed and possibly irritable. We need to remember that we are fortunate to have those friends and family members with us as many others may not.
Some people will not be able to travel to see their friends and family this year. They may feel very alone. They can change that by volunteering their time to a cause they believe in. Many worthwhile causes do not close during the holidays and spending time with the other volunteers will almost certainly turn into new friendships.
We pick up the holiday spirit by being compassionate. Give some canned goods to the food bank, give some blankets to a shelter or contribute to your local toy drive. The smallest things make a difference in this world. We often forget this. We do not have to solve global warming to improve the planet; the kid who receives your toy this year might be destined to do that, if they are not emotionally scarred by Santa missing their home. This is how we are all connected.
Goodness spreads like a virus through all walks of life, across all religions, and it does not see the colour of someones skin or their gender. By spreading that which we know to be good, we spread hope. The hope we create can alter the path of another, and they in turn influence the 10,000 people they will meet in their lifetime.
I wish to extend my gratitude to all of you who have followed me online—both past and present. To you, and everyone you care about, I wish you a safe and happy holiday season.
E. A.
I think I might have been put here to sort stupid humans out before they destroy themselves. I never have all the answers, but it does seem like I have many more than the average person surfing the Internet.
I will preface this by saying that my entire belief system was shaken by the recent US election. My mind has been reeling ever since. I am now questioning everything and reexamining all the things I once thought to be TRUE. I had believed that no FREE DEMOCRATIC country would ever vote in a known reprobate, let alone make him the leader of the FREE world. Boy was I WRONG! I had dismissed the need for reiterating the example of Germany in 1932 believing it to be a lesson learned and remembered, but I obviously got that WRONG as well.
To disconnect from my personal concerns, I spent the entire weekend immersed in pseudo-documentaries looking for facts amongst all the conjecture contained in the popular conspiracy theories floating around these days. Some I knew to be TRUE. Some I had long suspected to be TRUE, but most I viewed as implausible for a variety of scientific reasons. However, because I have been SO WRONG lately, I felt it necessary to review all the beliefs I had once clung to.
1) Money makes the world go round.
2) Money is power and power corrupts without exception.
3) Wars always turn large profits for a small group of people.
4) For at least 5000 years religion has been a big money maker.
5) It was religion that switched human civilization from matriarchal to patriarchal more than 5000 years ago.
6) Coincidentally sexism is the same age.
7) Humans incapable of rational thought will embrace the irrational.
8) Fearful humans will throw the rest of mankind under a bus to save themselves.
9) The wealthiest people are also the most fearful.
10) I like dogs better than humans. Dogs understand the different meanings of humanity better than humans do.
1) Freedom may have always been an illusion.
2) A democratic system which is incapable of legislation and change benefiting its populace is totalitarian, and elections become nothing more than a show.
3) Only 33% of humanity is worth saving and the people who will decide are not in that group.
4) Putting economics ahead of ecology and society; the genetic manipulation and waste of food; water treatments; inoculations; burning fossil fuels; wide spread drug use and allowing our governments to spend us into servitude to the world banks and their New World Order is ALL our own doing. You lived too well for far too long. Don’t whine about it because some smart immoral pricks are making a buck from your stupidity. Parties don’t last forever.
5) The grant system and field of study specialization has rendered scientific research ineffectual and the compartmentalization makes it controllable.
6) Advanced human civilizations have been coming and going every 12,000 years or so and perhaps this has been going on for 120,000 years.
7) Mother Earth flushes her toilet periodically as the need arises.
8) Fearful humans feel the need to look for external causes for their problems rather than looking at how they themselves have contributed to or created those problems.
9) Obliviousness is easier—at least until the end comes.
10) We need a female only think tank to combat the madness.
1) The Flat Earth group created the biggest face-palm of my entire life—next to the American election that is. I really thought humans were better than this—exhibiting such a preponderance of infinite denial. There I go being WRONG again. I want this bunch to get back to me when they have done any of the following experiments: Sail up to any edge of the Earth, lean against the dome and take a selfie or play catch by bouncing a ball off of it. That would be fun. Next, if the world is not round, try to fire a laser from one continent to another near sea level and see how that goes for you. Now, about your GPS issue, there are 31 moving satellites at an altitude of 12,550 miles which manage 95% coverage of the planet most of the time. That is one tall dome you are proposing by the way, and how do the satellites move without crashing into it? They cannot stop or back up. At 12 billion dollars each you might be more understanding of minor lapses in low traffic zones especially when new satellites have to be launched every day to replace the ones destroyed by hitting the dome. This would help to explain black budgets though. Now some astrophysics 101 for the group: Why are we not ripped apart by the speeds we are said to be travelling at? Why can you not feel the Earth spinning? You were born at a galactic speed of 1.34 million miles per hour in a solar system traveling at 514,000 miles per hour within the Milky Way on a ball traveling at 66,600 miles per hour around the sun in the vacuum of space while spinning you and everything on it at 1040 miles per hour. This is your natural state. If we ever hit something, I guaranty you will feel it. When you jump straight up, why doesn’t the Earth spin away under you? It does an infinitesimal amount, but due to the huge size of the planet and the fact that you are still moving at 1040 miles per hour along with the Earth while being held by her gravitational pull, you land in the same spot when gravity pulls you back down. Gravity is also the reason you do not fly off the spinning ball. Gravity is not fully understood by our present level of understanding—or so physicists claim publicly. Finally, yes there is a massive resort in Antarctica where the extremely rich will live with aliens after they kill us all. They deserve the skin cancer and minus 80 degree temperatures for all their evil deeds.
2) UFO’s are real. They are unidentified flying objects as advertised. This does NOT make them extraterrestrial nor extra-dimensional—just unknown to most outside of the military industrial complex.
3) Aliens! Where to start? This is the embodiment of the need for irrational fearful humans to invent evil doers instead of looking for the real human ones. Antigravity flying saucers DO NOT prove their existence; nor do a million blurry photos; balls of light or a million stories of government cover-ups.
4) I do keep the door open a tiny crack for ancient aliens—especially the benevolent teacher types, but until we dig one up, we are simply inventing a new mythology to replace the long existing ones we have grown out of. Mysterious symbols and loose interpretations DO NOT an alien make.
5) Hollow Earth subterranean beings are right down there with number 1. Kill one and drag its body up to the surface. Dissect it revealing an anatomy we have never seen before and you will get my attention. Better yet just capture one or invite it out for lunch.
6) Bigfoot, Yetis, Sasquatch etc. You people are way behind the UFO guys in your body of questionable evidence, but I like the idea of a missing link anthropoid. It’s not cool to ride on their coattails by saying that a Bigfoot was seen shortly after a UFO was sighted in the area.
7) Secret societies: The Knights Templar, Free Masons, The Illuminati, Rosicrucians, Ordo Templis Orientis, Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn, Opus Dei and Yale’s Skull and Bones are ALL religious based. Refer to Section 1, Number 4.
8) Billionaires pulling the strings: Carlos Slim Helu, The Rothschilds, Liliane Bettencourt, Bernard Arnault, Queen Elizabeth, The Pope, Bill Gates, Amancio Ortega, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos and about 1800 others who when combined, are worth about 6.5 trillion dollars. They meet regularly as The Bilderberg Group for a general accounting audit called for by their Decepticon alien overlords. They also plan false flag events and dream up the media scare tactics to pull them off.
9) The New World Order where less than a billion people inherit the Earth. I could be WRONG about this—especially these days—but I cannot comprehend the level of survivor guilt that this new society would carry with them after mass genocide. It would destroy them. If that is not enough, the wealthiest people on the planet are also the weakest, most fearful, least scrupulous, most immoral, least ethical, pettiest, and are replete with entitlement issues. They would quickly turn on each other causing the sun to set on yet another advanced human civilization that will be dug up in another 12,000 years. Perhaps their descendants will be taught to see the error of their ways before their new civilization dies out, which can then be passed on through an accurate oral history which later can be carved into stone tablets or written on papyrus.
10) Dog spelled backwards is God.
When we do not want to talk about sex to a child who overheard a sexual reference, we simply let them spin. This is what people with actual knowledge do to the conspiracy theorists. They use you as a vehicle for disinformation so they can continue whatever they are up to without prying eyes. They leak just enough information to make you waste your life in a quagmire of misinformation without resolution.
This has been both fun and cleansing.
I am off to the pet store to play with puppies.
E. A.
P.S. If I don’t write anything else before the holidays, I want to wish you a safe and happy festive season.
Three year-old’s love to ask this question. It seems the aged like it too.
An old woman from Norway that had never left her country before was given a trip to Los Angeles by a distant relative. While touring the Hollywood Hills looking at massive homes with multiple vehicles she was asked what she thought. She uttered one word.
Why?
Where she grew up, a house was shelter and only need be big enough for the number of occupants that reside there. She could not fathom a thirty room house that was mostly empty and she did not see the necessity for more than one vehicle.
She viewed it as wasteful.
She seemed quite interested in the roofs of these homes. She asked what they were made of and was told that they were Marley tile roofs, copper roofs and solar paneled roofs among others.
She asked: Why not use grass?
No one in the car could answer her question.
Later the same day, she overheard a conversation about private Health Insurance and asked: Why would you not want to use the Public Health System? It was explained to her that the best most immediate care was private.
She asked: Why?
No one in the room could adequately answer her question.
In touring L.A. she saw many homeless people that were her age on the streets.
She asked: Why do they live like that?
It was explained to her that many older retired people did not have pensions that could afford them housing. Some needed medications for mental disorders that they could not afford.
She asked: Did they not work their whole lives?
An answer came back that stated: “Just because you work your whole life in America is no guaranty that you will have a nice retirement.”
She asked: Why do they not live in the empty rooms of those big mansions?
A very young Great Great Niece of hers answered this one. She said: “Because rich people are afraid of poor people.”
She asked: Why?
The car was uncomfortably quiet for some time after that.
At dinner there was talk of sending her Great Niece to University and which of the schools on the list was the most affordable.
She asked: Why do you have to pay to educate your children if they are going to live and work in this country their whole lives?
No one attempted to answer.
She told her Great Niece about her University days so many years ago, and how excited she was back then at receiving her P.H.D. Everyone at the table was stunned. They had no idea that this very modestly dressed woman of few words that lived in a small three room grass-roofed house in Europe had an advanced degree.
She went on to point out that her family did not have to pay for her higher education as it was part of a government social program that included: free health care where you just walk into any hospital you want and an old age security plan that kept most everyone living comfortably after retirement with around 50% of their pre-retirement wage. Everyone that worked in the country paid about 15% of their wage into these programs. She added that there were not any homeless people and very little crime where she lived, and left it to us to connect the dots.
The rest of her short visit was spent talking about the family tree for the most part and visiting some tourist traps.
As we were driving her to the airport, she asked that we stop the car just ahead. She got out, walked over to a homeless lady and gave her all her remaining American money and got back in the car without uttering so much as a word.
As she was about to board she turned to us and said:
“This is the one of the richest countries in the world. You really should ask your government where they are spending all the money.”
Her doctorate was in economics.
My book:
Ms. Creant: The Wrong Doers!
Life with Women: the long awaited instruction manual.
Talks of relationships, health, life, biology, philosophy, sociology, theology, genetics- even physics as well as SUPPLYING SOME ANSWERS TO THE QUESTION: WHY?
Have a great week.
E. A.
My study of people led me to become slightly detached socially. I would prefer to sit on the outside looking in so as not to influence the outcome of the experiment I was observing. While I had, and have, the ability to mix and mingle with the best of them, my preference is to watch others make the attempt. It is far more entertaining. Live social interaction between young men and women in clubs was at the top of my list. A room filled to bursting with horny people and yet only a very few leave with someone. Two attractive people lock eyes; one musters up enough nerve to approach the other; one says something stupid and then they part. Few will make the effort again after one failed attempt.
There is a paradigm in psychology which states:
‘People with the highest IQ’s are the most prone to substance abuse. They abuse alcohol or drugs to come down to the level of the rest of humanity in an effort to better fit in.’
Is it possible all the alcoholics and drug users I encounter are the pinnacle of human development? As a youngster, I was told I possessed a genius level IQ. I rarely drink and never do any type of drug. Could it be the substance abusers are so far above me intellectually, I cannot comprehend their thought processes? Perhaps I have had it all wrong throughout my entire life. Maybe I am the “dim bulb” on the tree struggling to understand humanity without the necessary smarts to comprehend what is right in front of me. It would explain much.
IT IS SIMPLER to follow your glands and have a child at an early age; be a slave to your job in order to pay the bills and get divorced ten years later only to do it again with someone else. You will never have idle hands and your brain will reorganize itself to the life you have chosen so you have a hard time changing. Most of the inhabitants of the planet choose this for themselves. It is why they nest and attempt to hide from the outside world usually without success. They romanticize their relationships with significant others, pets, and children, picturing themselves surrounded by loving creatures in their golden years without ever acknowledging the realities of their choices until it is too late. This is why old ladies are found dead with their corpses half-eaten by their pets.
IT IS BETTER to live obliviously? Regrets will not surface until middle or old age, if at all. Without introspection, you will not look back and wonder if you could have done more with your life, had you only chosen differently. It is possible to live, die, and be forgotten like billions before without leaving a timeless legacy.
The young well-educated people who could change the world end up too busy with their diversions to make a difference. They genuinely embrace being oblivious. I hope they like the oblivion they are helping to rush humanity toward.
I push awareness in a world content in its obliviousness.
I push knowledge in a world content with misinformation.
I push tolerance in an intolerant world.
I push change in a world resistant to it.
I push rationality on the irrational.
I push for abstinence in a world of full of addicts.
I push responsibility to irresponsible people.
I push being scrupulous in a world where everyone angling an agenda.
I push spiritual health in a world without conscience.
I push physical health in a world craving drug soaked fats.
I push mental health to people intent on doing crazy things.
I push emotional health to people with an endless capacity for self-absorption, self-obsession, self-doubt, and self-pity.
I push for excellence in a world striving for mediocrity.
I push humor on people who rarely laugh.
Is the Dalai Lama aware or just oblivious because of his meditative serene environment?
Are any of the sciences aware or are they oblivious because of the singular vantage point of their discipline?
Is a family guy who is a good husband and father oblivious or is he aware he is doing what he was meant to do by always swimming downstream?
I am a flawed human as all humans seem to be. I pose questions looking for answers and am rarely surprised by the facts when they are published. I genuinely hope I will have learned all the requisite lessons in this life so I do not have to come back here again. I appreciate the fleeting bits of love, joy, goodness, laughter, happiness and SERENITY that come my way, but overall, this place is no fun. If there is a higher plane of existence, I hope I am ready to be allowed in. If Earth and this plane of existence were a vacation destination, I would rate it one star in a five star rating system.
I am incapable of following the words of Reinhold Niebuhr. Instead, I remain the UNWISE one who cannot ACCEPT mankind must go obliviously into oblivion. I will continue to swim upstream in the hope I can influence a select few to go out and change the world before the human race reaches the point of no return.
I wrote this on a dismal rainy day. I am fine. Really, I am. I know this reads like a suicide note. {He wrote, laughing out loud.} Writing a blog is a better way of venting than getting drunk and having a domestic; which, should you not be aware of the statistics, is the number one call to the police across the planet on a daily basis.
I promise to write the next one on a glorious sunny summer day after getting laid just to continue the experiment with a different set of controls.
See you then.
P. S. Does anyone have a morally loose woman you could refer?
What if the oblivious automatons were created with a subconscious awareness that life in a bubble is infinitely happier? This would explain why it is so difficult to pull them outside of their happy place.
Did I chose the wrong electives in the human trait lineups prior to being born?
There are some words I recently posted on my Facebook page as a reminder to myself that I am obviously not as wise as I would like to think.
Known by some as “The Serenity Prayer”, these wonderful words were written by a theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr.
This brings me to my first problem.
Nothing remains the same. Change is a part of nature. Evolution and entropy prove this. Everything is in a state of change; except it seems . . . us.
In my next life I am shooting for oblivious because it looks as though all the bubble-dwelling ostriches seem much happier than I am. My personal hell was created partially by my choices and partially by genetics. The choice part is I maintain perpetual hope for humanity. As such, I have EXPECTATIONS for humans which are almost never met, and still I continue to “fight the good fight”. I do not know why. It is my nature. Someone once said, and it may have been me:
I believe the underlying message here is you must be self-reliant, self-assured, self-aware etc. These are good “self” words—not on the same list with self-obsessed, self-serving, or self-indulgent.
This brings me to my next problem: I do not believe one individual can change the world; it will take a massive team effort which will force us to EXPECT things from others once again.
I was born with the ability to learn and retain both useful knowledge and the ridiculously trivial. A short time ago, I was in my car with a friend talking about The Monkeys’ song I’m a Believer when to my amazement, I discovered I could remember the names of all four members of the band and the instruments they played after more than forty years. This from a middle-aged guy who regularly walks into a room and does not remember what prompted him to be there. I am inquisitive by nature, endlessly asking questions and thirsting for knowledge without, it seems, any control over what will be stored in permanent memory. The human brain is fascinating.
School was too easy for me. I found it incredibly boring so I rarely went; yet somehow I managed to just scrape through. My sister by comparison, worked incredibly hard for her average grades, and I could not understand why she found learning difficult. It seems that as intellectually capable as I was, I was not that AWARE. I ASSUMED every human had it as easy as I did. This is yet another character flaw I would carry throughout my young life.
In my teens and early twenties I lived to party. Sex, drugs, alcohol, and Rock & Roll music were my regular escape from reality—a reality I am all too aware of now. I was oblivious but happy.
At twenty-five, I had to clean up my act, cut my hair, and put on a business suit to work with many people who were consummate professionals, and who, on the surface at least, appeared to be my intellectual equals. Almost all had a University degree of some kind so I LEAPT TO THE CONCLUSION they were intelligent people. I did however begin to notice how they frequently “dropped the ball” through, what I ASSUMED was, inefficiency, a lack of vision, planning, and/or organization. I could see patterns emerging that would lead to problems for them both professionally and personally, but for some reason they did not seem to see these indicators until things reached the crisis point.
I recalled a physics law which states:
I was applying this to the humans I met. They would take action without considering the possible outcomes. This is where I became conscious of the fact I had inadvertently become an student of human nature. I began in earnest to study people while hitting the books to learn about human behavior.
In no time, I was becoming keenly aware of the actions and reactions of others while remaining completely and happily OBLIVIOUS that I too had a subconscious program running. I would remain this way until my early forties when I would finally get around an exploration of self where I discovered I had PATTERNS of my own.
The various academic disciplines all have different view-points about how our being is developed. Psychologists and sociologists believe, initially, we are a blank slate and we learn our behavioural patterns as we mature. Geneticists and the brain sciences see us as little more than the sum of our genetic and chemical health. Theologians believe a soul is placed in a human body by a deity. Spiritualists believe we are part of something bigger, a “cosmic being” if you will. Not one of these disciplines has unlocked the truth of the human mind, and some have been at it for hundreds of years. The truth is most likely an amalgam of all of them.
The CONSEQUENCES of my own actions allowed me to write a book and change career paths in mid-life. “The jury is still out” as to whether or not that brave move was a good idea. Did I lead my life according to a plan programmed into my being just so I would arrive at this point—to supply the world with a book encouraging readers to become more aware? I hope not as this makes me feel used, manipulated, and diminished—little more than a character in a “SIM” game—just entertainment for some advanced intelligence, the universe, or whatever.
Somewhere along the line, and I know not where, I picked up a personal philosophy I will share.
I have had many precognitive events in my life to date suggesting:
1) I have lived these events before.
2) I have a some kind of disorder encouraging me to believe I have seen these events in advance.
3) I have subconsciously imagined ALL the possible outcomes of my actions, and when in a semi-conscious state, I occasionally glimpse a few of them. Later my conscious mind interprets this as actual memories.
I am good with 1 or 3.
Blogus interruptus . . . continued next week.
Have a good week and be brave enough to take notice of something going on in the world around you.
Currently, we can recycle aluminum, some plastics, glass, news-print, and corrugated cardboard.
________ Draw a light-bulb in the space provided.
We can create and manage STORAGE SITES for Styrofoam, rubber, used petroleum products, paper products and plastics that cannot be broken down with our existing facilities. These products are still in abundance in our land-fills, and most unfortunately, in our lakes, streams and oceans.
Spend $25,000,000.00 (I wonder where that number came from?) {Ed. note: The cost of the Spicer Commission.} on the plan below, and no Canadian with a conscience will object to spending that amount or even more, every year from now on.
1) There will be A NEED FOR neighborhood containers for all the above mentioned recyclables with sections to allow the public to do the sorting- enabling more efficient collection.
2) True or false? Municipalities will more readily welcome a RECYCLABLES STORAGE FACILITY far more quickly than a landfill.
3) DEVELOP the recycling TECHNOLOGIES right here in Canada for those materials that are not easily broken down with our existing technology.
4) When new processing methods have proven themselves, BUILD the FACILITIES in various municipalities, districts etc. as large as necessary based on the recyclables produced in that area now, and in the years to come.
5) TRAIN people to operate these waste management plants. Many people, who are on UIC because of plant closures, may be well-suited to these new jobs.
6) Once the system has proven it is efficient, we could OFFER to take sorted recyclables from other countries that are DESPERATE enough to rid themselves of waste any way they can. Ocean dumping is popular among these countries.
7) SELL the recycled RAW MATERIALS to the highest bidder.
8) SELL the system to other countries as we would sell high technology or nuclear power. Unlike nuclear power stations, recycling plants cannot melt down.
Take all the upper-case words above and write them down.
Reads like business doesn’t it?
How the jobs are created:
1) Local plastics, fibre-glass and metal fabrication companies can BID for the work of making the collection and sorting containers.
2) Universities and laboratories looking for FUNDING could develop the processes needed to break down what we currently consider non-recyclables.
3) Building trades from architects to painters would be needed in the CREATION of these new plants.
4) Manufacturing people, laid off as a result of companies closing or moving, can be RETRAINED to collect, process, and manage these recyclables in the new facilities.
5) Trucking would be needed to bring recyclables from the USA if a DEAL can be struck.
6) Canada can hire out consultants to countries that are PURCHASING our new waste management systems.
Now was that so difficult?
{The governments set themselves up as “watch-dogs” for ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION rather than getting their hands dirty. Everything to do with waste management has been PRIVATIZED where it cannot be easily REGULATED. The government sells LICENSES to a handful of firms. The biggest of which is an American company worth 30 billion dollars. They missed a huge OPPORTUNITY, and continue to spend money South of the border. When did we decide governments must be a COSTLY enterprise rather than a PROFIT generator? I must have missed that referendum.}
With few exceptions, the majority of our current educational system in Canada was designed in a post-world-war era to supply people for manufacturing jobs in a budding “industrial revolution”. Like the “agricultural revolution” before it, the “industrial revolution” has run its course. Due to our lack of DECISION MAKING, (more on this later) or outright laziness, we have allowed the Japanese and Germans to take over high-technology markets that could be dominated by Canadians. If you do not believe me, check their money against ours on world markets.
It is not too late. We are now in the early stages of a TECHNOLOGY BASED society and must NOW strive to NOT take a classroom filled with potential, and prime our youth for industrial jobs. The fact that many plants are leaving Canada for “greener pastures” in the USA and Mexico soon eh, {Free Trade reference.} could prove to be only a minor setback if we start exploring the INDIVIDUAL TALENTS of all young Canadians NOW! It is time we tapped Canada’s greatest resource: our youth, and STOP THE EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTION LINE that is our present school system.
Example:
Imagine if Wayne Gretski was raised in India, his talents would most certainly have gone un-noticed.
Those people in charge of developing a better educational system for Canada, (Are there such people?) should read Alvin Tofler the author of Future Shock and The Third Wave, available at enlightened book stores everywhere. No, we are not related. However, I stole most of my ideas for this section from him. Thanks Alvin.
{Well, change is slow. Today Canada’s high school kids rank in the top ten in the world. Not bad, but never above sixth in any one subject. We can do better. Also, there is NO SIGN WHATSOEVER we are working towards a system that IDENTIFIES APTITUDES at a young age. Most of our young people head into their post-secondary education without a clue as to what they truly want to be doing in the near future, nor do they know where their gifts and passions lie. Canada has embraced the high-technology sector which has helped the economy a little as we continue to wave goodbye to manufacturers.}
There is no time like the present to strengthen the U.N. so “super-powers” are not calling ALL the shots. The majority of nations COLLECTIVELY should be able to “police” conflicts anywhere in the world.
Problem 1:
The quote-unquote “super-powers” are some of the worst AGGRESSORS in the world, yet they are the countries with the power of VETO in the United Nations.
Problem 2:
Canada must stand on its own two feet and NOT blindly follow US policy and initiatives. If memory serves correctly, we used to do fine without the US holding our hand. However, since the Free Trade deal, they seem to be able to “pull strings”. WHY IS THIS?
Problem 3:
If Canada is going to survive—literally—we MUST NOT follow the US policy in the Middle East because we have ALREADY SEEN their foreign policy is governed ONLY by a multi-billion dollar “defense” (“offense” more correctly) industry that will sell arms to the highest bidder with little regard for how they will be used.
It is my feeling Canada acted correctly in the FIRST PHASE of the Mid-East war, but it is “not over ‘til it’s over.” DON’T KID YOURSELF, WE WILL HAVE TO GO BACK AGAIN.
That region of our world is so volatile, and the policy to deal with it so wishy-washy, we haven’t heard the last from the Middle East. I recall Israel telling the world that “they reserved the right to strike back at Iraq” after the first SCUD attacks. Is the war over for the Palestinians? I think not.
Why didn’t “The New World Order” do anything about:
Perhaps the “peace-nicks” were not so wrong when they said THE WAR WAS ABOUT OIL.
The Persian Gulf war propaganda machine made a big deal of the oil slicks in the Gulf, but I don’t see anyone stopping the US from dumping garbage into “their part” of the World’s oceans for countless decades.
“What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.” should be the new policy of the UN and perhaps Canada can play a constructive part in bringing this about.
Problem 1:
“Tell you a secret.” PUT A STOP to “closed door” bargaining sessions on ANY topic that could dramatically affect Canada’s future. The Canadian public HAS THE RIGHT to be consulted on matters of VITAL importance to the country.
Problem 2:
“I’ll scratch your back if you will scratch mine.” Environmental Regulation CANNOT come from a GOVERNMENT APPOINTED OR RUN AGENCY. “Interference” is almost certain. The same is true of government audits, and just about ANYTHING that can be BENT to appear “rosy” at election time.
Yes, I could fill a book about the problems we and the world have; but who would read it?
{24 years later, I look prescient. The simple fact is that everyone in my age group felt the same way at the time. A girl I had dated took a copy of this to a writer friend at The Globe and Mail but was told “The paper would never run a piece like this.” She insisted this was exactly how young people felt, but it made no difference. We were young and naïve without any idea the news agencies we trusted were a part of a societal control and conditioning mechanism.
I wrote that book about the worlds’ problems, and I’m still wondering if anyone reads anything meaningful anymore.}
WIMPS too worried about losing their positions and the associated POWER that comes with those positions TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE.
Opinion: History favors people who make positive change over dictators, and yes, even Prime Ministers who used to talk to the dearly departed.
New Governmental Theme: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few {Ed. note: or the one.”} – Milton I don’t know if there is a Milton, but the Star Trek episode where I first heard the name, was quite good. Two thumbs up, and yes, I will steal from anybody.
{I blew it on this one. The quote was incomplete and the author cited was wrong. I was thinking this quote, made famous by Star Trek, was attributed to Milton when in fact it was Dickens. The upside is it is doubtful the readers at the Spicer Commission would know better. This is laughable in retrospect. At the time I wrote as though the P.M. might actually read it.}
The intent of all this nonsense was, and is, to draw attention to several areas of concern for Canadians. My attempts at humour through sarcasm are there in the hope more people will read my letter, thus making them aware of their own feelings towards Canada and what lay ahead in our future. My feeling is IF Canadians look at themselves lightly, and FAR LESS conservatively, without losing site of our goals and aspirations, then there IS hope for this country yet.
We should face the fact that the only times in history that a government has turned to its people for advice or opinion, have been in times of great difficulty.
{I am pretty sure this is the line used in a Mulroney televised address.}
The Citizen’s Forum on Canada’s Future should not be taken lightly as it sounds like a CRY FOR HELP. Our present government should be EXTREMELY CAREFUL to heed the words of Canadians, and should recall the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. I love our country; however, there are plenty of reasons for concern.
Formula:
Concern squared = Worry.
Worry squared = The need for a good gastrointestinal specialist.
To anyone who found this work offensive, insulting, or belittling . . . my apologies.
To the government leaders I slapped in the last section I can only say: PROVE ME WRONG, I’D LOVE IT!
D. T.
Of course I used an alias. Where does it say “stupid” on my forehead? I have no wish for sudden audits from Revenue Canada; or to be “black-listed” by the R.C.M.P. as a “commie pinko” sympathizer; or WORSE YET . . . they ask me to work for them.
{I believe it is the line above in bold type that later came out of Mulroney’s mouth on TV to my shock, horror, and amazement. That guy had never had an original thought in his life—a talking head—and hearing my words come out of his mouth made me feel like I had been shot in the stomach. My naivety and innocence were lost in that moment. It would open my eyes as to how bereft of intelligence our puppet world leaders really are. In point of fact, I believe I was careful not to give them a set of finger-prints as well. I was a silly naive youngster.}
Science Fiction writers give us a multitude of possible outcomes when we are finally confronted by superior beings from another planet, galaxy, dimension, or universe. If the last 2000 years are how humanity is to be judged, then it does bode well for us as a species. WE ARE NOT IMPROVING.
Despite our leaps in technology and minor improvements in civilization, we are little more than a plague on this planet, and it is time for a more worthy species to take our place.
The reason I no longer follow politics and current events is I have always been Utopian in my hopes for humanity. I am still trying to reach humans with a message of hope and change twenty-four years later, in a world that has lost hope and is resistant to change. You get tired of swimming against the current.
I hope you enjoyed this “blast from the past”. Go out and make a difference this week. Take a case of canned goods to the food bank, and then go get to know a dolphin.
In January 1991, the Canadian Government asked for my input. Well not me specifically, but all Canadians were invited to submit their ideas and concerns to The Spicer Commission: Citizens Forum on Canada’s Future. Only 400,000 of 20,000,000 did so. Since the 1950’s and Diefenbaker, Canadians have lost faith in government, seeing politics as pointless, corrupt, stupid, and wasteful. This explains why only 2% of the more NAIVE types, like me, participated. I genuinely thought they were trying to make the country better.
If you were wealthy, you had a home computer with a price tag of at least $3000.00. On-line dating did not exist.
Bars, restaurants, parties, laundry mats, shopping, and playing sports were how we met other people. The Gulf War had just ended. WE DID OUR FACT CHECKING AT THE LIBRARY actually seeing printed facts in BOOKS.
As a young bachelor, living in a Miami Vice inspired beach apartment in Toronto that all too often smelled like sewer gas, I sat down to write my ideas and vent my frustrations to this Spicer guy who claimed to be trying fix Canada on behalf of the Brian Mulroney government, or so I thought. In a previous article somewhere, I mentioned how the P. M. ’s speech writer had ripped me off, and I will bold that section for you, if I can remember it.
Apparently, I had much to say about being Canadian and where the country was heading. I remember papers everywhere. The living room floor and furnishings were almost completely covered in notes, headings, sub-headings and rants. I did not have a typewriter or a home computer back then, so everything was hand-written.
Upon discovering this relic and giving it a read, I found that as a first time writer, I was “a little rough around the edges”; but I also found out my sarcastic humor has been with me longer than I thought. I sometimes have to work to be less serious these days because I have become jaded by the years, but back then it came more naturally. Now, I consider the potential ramifications of my words; however back in the day you got the “full Monte”. I may have been better then than now. You be the judge.
I AM NOT UPDATING THE BODY OF THIS REPORT. I am however, giving it a minor line-edit as I go, as it seems in my haste I did not pay much attention to punctuation and grammar. You will see it (in italics) more or less as I sent it, so many years ago.
This is why I have no respect or use for government types, and why I am so sick of their lies, pandering, and self-serving nature. The idea of politicians being Public Servants is a joke. The public now serves them.
Politicians and government employees DO NOT appreciate that:
Politicians and government employees are PUBLIC SERVANTS who need to remember:
The Tuesday Report
Dear reader or is anyone in there?
Enclosed is a personal vision of Canada that encompasses past, present and future which originated in my heart and then was edited by my remaining grey matter.
I have taken great pains not to “candy-coat” my feelings, ideas, or observations while openly displaying contempt for non-productive government. This could pose a problem to closed-minded individuals or to a reader who believes in earnest that ANY government in this century has been truly effective at anything other than riot control.
Though I have many more topics I could have addressed; consider the ones found herein as the greatest hits. The underlying messages contained in the section headings to follow are intended to be positive in nature as I have endeavored to identify problems, solutions, and benefits in overview so as not to be considered “just another whiner”.
I must confess a few “cheap-shots” are taken in the interest of humour for which I will apologize later. People become more humorous in direct proportion to the money they DO NOT have.
A few late nights were spent on the pages to follow. It is my sincerest wish they not “fall on deaf ears” or become condensed so the fun is squeezed out of them or (horror of horrors) they find their way into your waste basket.
I wish you well in this open forum style of government.
May you enjoy reading these pages as much as I have enjoyed writing them.
Contents:
Canadian First: What a Concept.
Foolish Behaviour:
Taxation: the Unemployed and the Military?
Brain Dead.
“Talk about job creation, Batman!”
Education and who is Alvin Tofler?
The Little Country that Could:
Government Leaders: A Definition.
Closing Snide Remarks and Apologies:
I cannot believe I am about to write this next sentence. Canada can learn from the American system of immigration. There I did it.
The American system, while allowing a person to maintain their religion, heritage, and customs, leaves little doubt of the fact that: where ever you came from YOU ARE AN AMERICAN NOW!
Most people of ethnic origin I encounter say they are Italian, Greek, Chinese, or from virtually any other place in the galaxy EXCEPT Canada. If Canada is to continue, we need to increase our level of national pride. The people who want to live in this country should feel a sense of pride in saying they are CANADIANS of Italian, Greek, Chinese, or Martian descent.
By creating a Canadian immigration system where incoming people are ORIENTED SUFFICIENTLY to allow them to LEAVE ANIMOSITIES BEHIND due to their partially severed ties with their former country or planet; we will have fewer race related problems when they settle in Canada.
The importance of immigrants KNOWING Canada’s history, our heritage, our direction for the future, and what part they are expected to play in that future, CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH. Once done, new Canadians will be able to live together HARMONIOUSLY in the years to come.
It won’t hurt a bit.
{Well they did not listen to me on this one. We let “THE TAIL WAG THE DOG” and now we have a country full of people who take no pride in saying they are Canadian; if they even think to mention their citizenship at all. We have different sections of our cities for each “distinct society”. The new Canadians are pandered to by government people. Reverse racism is everywhere, and it is the predominant weapon of choice in our ridiculously politically correct tolerant society.}
The “Quebec Question” can be equated to looking for an answer to the question “WHY” or trying to find the last digit of Pi (π).
Here is a textbook example of what happens when a small group of people are not (and perhaps never were) Canadian FIRST.
Canadians of French descent are constantly coining the phrases “French Canada” and “English Canada”. They refer of course to the languages spoken predominantly however they leave out one small aspect: that being neither France nor England has anything “real” to do with our country or government any longer. Nor do I imagine they want anything to do with our country or government.
If a group of Canadian citizens living in the Canadian Province of Quebec want so desperately to be French; we should arrange for their ship to sail immediately. In France, home of the guillotine, guilty until proven innocent, and “Let them eat cake.”, I am certain these EX-PATRIOTS will find the life they so richly deserve.
This “Pandora’s Box” (of which I believe we have already broken the seal) can easily be compared to existing problems in the Soviet Union and the Middle East. For fun get a fifty or one-hundred year old map of the Middle East; you will not recognize very much.
Quebec has had countless millions of CANADIAN DOLLARS not French Francs dumped in its lap for years, and now some Quebecers decide they want a distinct society with or without sovereignty association.
Didn’t a war decide this once already?
It is time the rest of Canada explained to Quebec they have to PAY to acquire CANADIAN ASSETS as they have NO RIGHTS to the lands of Canada.
Enough about Quebec. . . what action do you suppose a STRONG GOVERNMENT would take if Native Canadians decided to reclaim their rightful lands and oust some newer Canadians doing it? Well that is another story; or is it?
{This was written prior to the Quebec referendum. “English Canada” was pissed off and we actually considered the possibility of a civil war. It is interesting I foretold the Native land claim issue though.}
Consider: A Canadian citizen who drives a car, smokes cigarettes, is a social drinker, and earns less than $40,000.00 per annum (gross), pays in excess of 50% of his or her earnings in one form of tax or another.
Government Position: ridiculous, absurd, preposterous etc.
Check it out! IT IS TRUE.
The rich are still getting richer and the poor are still feeding the wealthy.
The people who work in the only busy departments of government: the tax section of Parliament Hill, should be tied to chairs and forced to watch Robin Hood (the Errol Flynn version) until they scream.
The “well-to-do”, unfortunately, are the policy makers in Canada. The same people election after election talk of tax reform but inwardly know that fair taxes for all Canadians would mean the new Jaguar for the Mrs. would have to wait. We cannot have that now, can we?
A publicly APPOINTED group is needed for effective tax reform. Meaning other than the publicly ELECTED group now “addressing the situation”; if you get my drift.
Formulae:
Work + Productivity = Good Economy
Inflation + Unemployment = Bad Economy
The unemployed are living comfortably on U.I.C. and Welfare to the tune of $40,000.00 for a family of four at a maximum. Why am I eeking out a living on my own?
What do you imagine would happen to the unemployment figures if it were to become law that: ANY able-bodied person without dependants under the age of forty be inducted into the Canadian Armed Forces after receiving the appropriate above mentioned benefits for a period not exceeding 120 days?
They could provide an inexpensive work-force, and learn a skill at the same time.
Another human resource that is costing incredible amounts every year, and is being wasted, is the convict guilty of non-violent crimes. These people, given a choice, may even prefer the C.A.F,. and may participate in road building or some other necessary project. God knows our roads need work.
The RECOVERED REVENUES should be allocated to the Canadian senior citizens who made this country what it is (or was) with their blood, sweat and tears—great cliché and great band. These people’s old age pensions would have them living near the poverty line. This, I find embarrassing as a Canadian.
Besides, if everyone is working, then even people on assistance and convicts cannot help but be productive which will net us a good economy; if my formula is correct,
“Out of the mouths of babes.”, oh never mind.
{This was too totalitarian for the weenies in power. My theory that being a “productive citizen” means you remain FREE to choose your destiny; while the “non-productive” types would lose their freedom, did not sit well in the weak government of the time. Today there are generations of welfare recipient families, criminals have far too many rights, our armed forces are under-manned, and our roads are still f-cked.}
IF the Goods and Services Tax is a necessary evil (and the jury is still out on that one), then why not take a lesson from any kind of sales professional who can readily overcome an objection. I objected to the G.S.T. and was overcome. Turn a negative into a positive (integers), and MAKE BUYING CANADIAN MANUFACTURED GOODS G.S.T. FREE.
When the tally was taken January 1, 1991: products from Japan, the USA and U.K. all had prices down 6% to 16% while Canadian built goods generally were HIGHER than their pre-G.S.T. price. Was the intent of the G.S.T. to STOP people from buying Canadian or was that what Free Trade was supposed to do?
Let us use our brains shall we. Work with me on this one.
Should a company wish to MANUFACTURE in our country (rare these days), EMPLOY CANADIANS and SELL their product in Canada; would it hurt to encourage them to STAY in Canada by making the purchase of their raw materials G.S.T. FREE?
If a wholesaler wants to SELL this CANADIAN MADE product across Canada, would it hurt to make his cost G.S.T. FREE?
When a retailer decides to MERCHANDISE this CANADIAN MADE product for SALE, would it not be an added incentive to make the retailers cost G.S.T. FREE?
Envision if you will, a consumer confronted with a product tag which read: “BUY CANADIAN AND SAVE: GST FREE!” Do you not think he or she might SHOP CANADIAN and quit spending millions across the border? This plan might even encourage consumer spending, which “I believe” has a positive effect on the economy.
I would like to thank my Basics of Economics & Marketing 101 instructor and the Academy.
{Well some credit is due, as there was a push created to “Shop Canadian”. However, the GST (now HST) was a nightmare for Canadian businesses to adapt to, and it created a taxation imbalance provincially. It did generate A SIX BILLION DOLLAR SURPLUS the government “LOST” somewhere, and I am not certain if they ever reported finding it.}
Blogus interruptus… to be continued.
I am too pragmatic to do rainbows, daffodils, unicorns, and Zen. I do not know if this will make their cut. It is a challenge for me being a student of human nature. As such, I all too often see the glaring negatives of mankind without acknowledging the more subtle positives. I suppose I take the easier path that pairs well with my attempts at sardonic witticisms. Sarcasm is a tool used by comedians and writers alike to make light of serious subjects, but for the purposes of this blog, I have to explore humanity’s “up-side” and that just may end up being good for me.
To a poor unpublished author, a blog becomes an outlet for pent up frustration so I will not go out and buy the assault rifle I sometimes wish I owned.
A personal philosophy which has yet to be disproved goes like this: 33.3% of the world’s population are genuinely good people with good hearts. 33.3 percent of the population are evil malevolent creatures; and the remaining 33.3% can waffle from one side to the other on any given day.
Place a new-born baby in the hands of the most case-hardened worldly-wise man and you will see the inspiration for How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His heart will grow ten sizes in that moment as he gazes at the little creature who is totally innocent; a blank slate and free of evil. This subconsciously engages his protective instincts. Not to be sexist, if it we substitute out man for woman in the above, chances are that subconsciously she will find her nurturing side bubbling to the surface.
On the subject of the more politically correctly named “Holiday Season”, in the G8 countries at least, Christmas carols and old holiday season songs are infectious—playing on the human desire for peace, joy, and our yearning for simpler times. People smile a little more easily and they are a little nicer to strangers despite the hustle and bustle of crass consumerism, and the plethora of social obligations. I was hoping to report that crime rates fell as a result of “good cheer”, however the statistics indicate there is a huge increase in alcohol consumption which netted an over-all increase in the crime rate.
In a world filled with stupidity, waste, and evil there are continual stories of “random acts of kindness” from around the globe which is evidence of them being a natural human trait. Humans have the capacity for sympathy and empathy which when taken to extremes, can manifest into tremendous acts of bravery and sacrifice. There are countless stories, especially in conflicts, where someone laid down their life to save another. The person who made the sacrifice, did so in the belief the person they were saving was indeed worthy of their sacrifice.
They feel they must live a good life from that point forward in an effort to be worthy of the one who saw something in them worth saving . . . even if the saved individual could not see it in themselves at the time. Better humans are created through “random acts of kindness” whether they witness a supreme sacrifice or a minor one.
Those without it are jealous and envious of those who flaunt having it. Young love is rarely more than a hormonal overdose. {The following are excerpts from my book Ms. Creant: The Wrong Doers!} DOPAMINE is the love hormone. Just seeing the one you think you love will cause its production. It is interesting that its production naturally sags after approximately two years with the same person. If you want to “Bring back that loving feeling…” boost intake of vitamin B6 and magnesium. PEA- (Phenylethylamine) has been nick-named the “Molecule of Love” and the “Love Drug”. Found in chocolate and your brain, this organic compound creates the stirrings of sexual excitement including that rise in heart rate that we all have felt. Studies indicate that the onset of DEPRESSION may be due to decreased concentrations of PEA.
It is more than companionship. It is loyalty, trust, mutual respect and a sparkle in their eyes when they look at one another that is eternal. SOUL MATES ARE REAL.
Artistic types are typically more damaged, flakier, more anti-social, and more oblivious, but they can also be more talented and more cerebral than the average human.
Film, photography, paintings, sculptures, theatre, music and literature occasionally capture or help us to envision the stunning and wondrous.
“Pay it forward.” or “One good turn deserves another.” are proven concepts that may define humans. We all live in a hell of our own making, but when we stop feeling sorry for ourselves just long enough to smile or hold a door open for another, we prove that we do not belong in such a place; and that we are capable and worthy of existing on a higher level.
Hope leads to belief;
Belief leads to optimism;
Optimism leads to learning;
Learning leads to wisdom;
Wisdom leads to growth;
Growth leads to increased hope.
IT IS A CIRCLE!
ADDITIONAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
For those of you who have not yet changed your mind about living fulltime in The Great White North, and called a time-share real-estate agent somewhere down South, I will dispel a few more myths of the Ontario North country.
“Interesting”, if you are a sociologist writing a book perhaps, but you should expect to meet uneducated, unwashed, unkempt, alcoholic, drug using scammers, and gossips anywhere you go.
THIS SHOULD BE TELLING YOU SOMETHING!
The locals left behind have a huge inferiority complex that makes them jealous and envious of “citiots”; a term they often use that refers to anyone who left the confines of the area or who is new to the area. They will take your money when you hire them, but will gossip endlessly about you as a “thank you” for employing them. They will always happily take your money in their shops, but will not reciprocate by supporting your business.
The rampant morbid obesity is a tell-tale sign of their low self-esteem and self-worth issues. Anxiety and depression are also common, and of course made worse by alcoholism, illegal drug use, or going off their prescription meds. The closest town has two methadone clinics servicing an area population of only 20,000. This says a great deal about area residents.
If this means working at a career or job requiring the support of the locals; forget it. If you did not grow up there, they will resist employing you or supporting your business. They think that by hiring you, they are taking food out of the mouths of a local boy’s family. If you bring specialized skills that are unmatched in the area, they will hire several locals before finally caving in and hiring you to fix their problems. They will try to negotiate your invoice AFTER the work is done, so be careful who you work for, and don’t trust a hand-shake deal.
If you think your big city experience is marketable, you are sorely mistaken. They do not embrace knowledgeable people; they envy and ostracize them. Women and minorities will have it even worse as the local folks are about 100 years behind in their thinking. THEY ARE LEARNING TO HIDE IT though, thanks to the societal movement towards political correctness. Their sexist and racist ideas have been a part of their upbringing and are subtly evident in how they do business.
You will hear things like: “We have tried all this before.” even though they have not. You may even hear my personal favorite: “That’s not how we do things up here.” which shows how they cling to ignorance and resist change. This, of course, is why they struggle so. If you attempt to “raise the bar” they will reject your ideas in favour of continuing to crawl under it. Their inferiority complex makes them petty and small-minded. New ideas that did not come from one of them just makes them feel inferior. They ask for suggestions but view answers as CRITICISM. Their idea of success is survival; NOT GETTING AHEAD!
You may be hungry but where can you go to eat? Restaurant quality may be my biggest reason for getting the hell back to civilization. Roadside converted service stations selling DEEP FRIED EVERYTHING with “Home Made” GOOD SOURCES of FAT and SODIUM litter the area. You will have to drive some distance for a truly good meal. The smell of the forty-year-old grease and oil impregnating those old concrete garage floors “pair well” with the grease and oil these “greasy spoons” are cooking with.
If you think you are headed to a place of serenity, then most of you will find you were WRONG unless you buy acreage away from lakes, trails, roads, and PEOPLE. With ownership, you are simply TRADING city stressors for country stressors.
I will rent or buy a condo and let someone else handle all the maintenance. I miss restaurants, spare time, movie theatres, income opportunities, and women who look after themselves. If I never see another snowflake or pine needle again, I would be just fine with that too.
The new dream is of sand beaches, palm trees and warm temperatures.
I wonder how long their bug season is?
See you there!
P. S.
If anyone has a large estate on a tropical island or a huge yacht you rarely use and you want someone to watch over the place, please get in touch. FYI, I am very experienced with boats and would make a good motor-launch pilot. I could probably get used to “hanging” with women named Missy and Muffy.
Do you know why most tall strong men are gentle giants? If we weren’t, there would be none of you mouthy little f-ckers left! It must be wonderful to be five-foot-six and sixty-five years of age or more, and be able to say anything to anyone without there being much of a chance of getting a badly needed wrap in the teeth.
Here is the background dirt I dismissed, AS I ALWAYS DO, as gossip. People who gossip are usually a waste of skin, but in this case they were relaying accurate information. I believe you should judge people by their actions rather than what you HEAR. Some people are trying to change and improve. I am someone who encourages those who SEEM to be making the attempt. I have hired ex-cons, reformed alcoholics, and former drug users, and some made the transition back to productive members of society. Some did not.
My former neighbor has a small horse farm he runs on a pension. He is a total country boy. He was born here and he will die here. He traps, hunts, has a vegetable garden, mills lumber, and slaughters his own livestock—a very self-sufficient guy. These are traits I admire. I have hired him on several projects and found him to be reliable and hard-working. I have been invited to his yearly barn party that was a very “rural” thing to do, while not really my thing. When he had a heart problem, I offered any assistance I could give.
I had heard alleged reports of spousal and animal abuse. A good friend said simply: “He’s an a–hole.”, though I never knew the reason. I do know he has children who never visit. I recall he was always grumpy, even twenty-five years ago when I first encountered him at a local bar’s pool table. He was a bad loser who would get angry and leave without uttering a word that might have gotten him knocked out. It was that kind of place.
He exhibited the classic Napoleon complex—possibly abused, probably picked on or bullied, and unhappy his entire life at the hand he was dealt.
A couple of years ago when he was stressed about his health issues, he had been snarly with me. I let it pass because he is much smaller and too old for someone like me to bother with.
Recently, I introduced a young friend to our little Napoleon to get some chainsaw chains sharpened; bringing him still more business. A couple weeks later, the same young friend had brokered a house trailer sale between his client and Napoleon. His client, whose wife was in hospital with terminal cancer, asked us to retrieve some blankets from the trailer which had sentimental value so off we went to Napoleon’s to get the keys. When I asked if we could get the keys to retrieve some items, he flatly said NO. I asked if he was kidding to which he replied NO and told me to F-CK OFF as he closed the door on us.
We left, a little stunned by what had transpired. My young friend was enraged. I was still in a state of disbelief. My rage would bubble up later. I explained to my young friend that this little twerp would gladly involve the police were he to do anything, and any judge who saw the age and size difference would not rule in his favour.
I, on the other hand, am only ten or so years younger than Napoleon, but would not consider pounding him into the ground like a tent peg for the same reasons. I explained he is likely a sociopath, and punching him out will not fix his condition.
I know the readers were hoping for the strike three call to see what I would do, but we will ALL have to wait to find out. Even I am not sure what I might do. I may be writing that segment from a prison cell.
What do we do in our tolerant and overly-policed society with a provocative prick who uses his small size, age, and the law to run his mouth, and who is such a piece of shit that he would keep f-cking blankets from a dying cancer patient?
I got nuthin’.
WE CAN ONLY HOPE KARMA IS A REAL THING.
For most people considering a move to the country, peace means SECURITY—worry free living. You can leave your door open. You will be moving to a place where neighbours get together to help each other out, just like “the olden days” of barn-raisings and quilting bees. Right?
There was a reason that EVERYONE CARRIED A GUN BACK IN THOSE DAYS. Some guns were actually named: Peace Maker. Back then, just as today, about 33% of the people you met were good people who would help their neighbor. Unfortunately the other 66% are people you must keep an eye on. 33% are out to screw you over. The remaining 33% are either indifferent or could waffle from one side to the other on any given day.
You are moving to the POT GROWING CAPITAL OF ONTARIO which means organized crime. While exploring trails on your ATV, you may cross paths with a biker-type carrying an automatic weapon. When he tells you: “You should not be here.”, LISTEN TO HIM and go back the way you came—QUICKLY!
Add to this the local teens with little to do to kill the boredom, who will get drunk, high, or both, and come up with some really bad ideas as to how to keep the party going.
Lastly is the saddest group, the alcoholics, drug addicts, sociopaths and schizophrenics displaced by cut-backs to the Ontario health system. They too are here for low-cost living. THEY ARE YOUR NEW NEIGHBOURS. They are easily managed if you BUY A GUN AND FIRE IT OFTEN to make them think twice.
The “QUIET” will make up for these other minor negative points, so long as your idea of quiet includes logging trucks that literally shake the place when they go down a nearby highway, chainsaws and gunshots just like in The Red Green Show, ATV’s every weekend for 8 MONTHS, snowmobiles the other 4 MONTHS, plus heavy power boat traffic for 2 MONTHS, and the never ending over-flights of commercial, military, and police aircraft THAT WERE NOT THERE TWENTY YEARS AGO. Oh yeah, do not forget your neighbour who is building a mansion with diesel powered heavy equipment.
If by “fresh” you mean COLD, then yes. Northern Ontario has some of the freshest air short of the Arctic Circle because THAT IS WHERE MOST OF OUR AIR COMES FROM.
The winter of 2013-14 was horrible everywhere in the province, but here are some statistics from my area:
For most of 6 months, “dressing up” meant putting on your “good” long-underwear and snow pants.
Sunshine happened occasionally for 30 minutes a day, if you were lucky, and you may have had to travel to see it. In winter sunshine comes with a price. Clear skies often mean extreme cold. There were entire weeks that went by without seeing the sun. A favourite joke when it did come out was “What is that fireball in the sky?” SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) runs rampant without the sun and its natural vitamin D production. In December you will get four hours of sunlight, if you are lucky, and you will not want to be outside. “Feel the burn” is usually a phrase associated with a work-out, but here it means frostbite or sunburn due to the giant hole in the ozone layer overhead.
The fantasy of having rabbits, foxes, and deer playing in your yard was my reality. So was the more disturbing unwanted less cute critters like bears, wolves, fishers, skunks, raccoons, snakes, and what some people thought was a cougar.
Being surrounded by nature means GOOD HUNTING: BUG SEASON is open all year round!
Black fly season begins as soon as the snow melts and lasts for 2 TO 3 MONTHS! For those not familiar, this is a CARNIVORE about the size of a flea that does not like their homes being disturbed by anything; especially raking. A distant relative of the piranha fish, they will attack in great numbers and devour ANY EXPOSED FLESH. Working outdoors means covering up or using massive quantities of CANCER CAUSING AGENTS a.k.a. bug spray to keep just some of them away. Locals like to make black fly season even scarier to tourists by making jokes like: “The black flies are so big this year I just saw one humping a partridge.”
Some years you will be given a choice between bleeding bites from black flies and lumps from the West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes. Mosquito season can last for 5 MONTHS and it begins with the heat of summer that will kill off most of the black flies. However, the mosquitos will only be killed off by cold.
In July, the mosquito will be joined by other man-eating species like deer flies and horse flies. Deer flies are about the size of a house fly, but they are a fast delta-winged biter that lives in wooded areas.
The horse fly likes, you guessed it, horses, but have now adapted to eat other mammals as horses are not as common as they once were. Horse flies appear as an over-sized house fly until he takes a chunk out of you. They are relatively slow which means you can often swat them with your hand. They do not drown easily and yes, I have done this experiment. The horse fly loves a sunny day at the beach, especially when humans are on the lunch menu. If you want a high kill ratio, then wait until they start to bite before swatting. Like a human eating a good steak, they are savouring the taste of your meat, and are not paying attention.
Dragon flies, bees and butterflies are often COLLATERAL DAMAGE when using insecticides. Though they are beneficial, sometimes they are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I never used these products as a camper, but once you live in the woods fulltime, your views on environmental impact change.
Just there to piss you off are June bugs, moths and ants. Enjoy the hunt and the kill. FYI: moth season is open year-round as somehow they will last into December when all the others have died or are in a cryogenic sleep.
Spiders, ants, and house flies are available for hunting year-round without having to go outside.
The stinging varieties are many:
Wasps, especially ground wasps that nest under rotting logs, hornets and yellow jackets are like ISIS members: TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY. It is them or us. In late summer or early fall, many of the stingers cannot cope with the idea their lives are about to end so they act insanely and commit suicide by attacking you for no reason . . . the suicide bombers of the insect world.
Enjoy your week. I have to go kill something.
Blogus Interruptus… continued next week.
Blah, blah, blah. So where are you taking us E. A.?
In part one I defined the true Canadian spirit as I see it. We are NOT A FEARFUL PEOPLE. We are not interested in SACRIFICING OUR FREEDOM IN THE NAME OF SECURITY. In part two, I did my best to learn about the Muslim population of the planet, in order to offset the propaganda machine created by political pundits and main-stream media FEAR MONGERS. This final part of the series will take you into the dark world of fear mongers; main-stream media and political speech writers, or as they are better known: SPIN DOCTORS.
Although I could not find the origin of this philosophical idea, it very much applies to the West’s dealings in the Middle East. If you help an old person cross a street; are you doing it for them or are you doing it for the nice feeling you get from doing a good deed? So with this in mind, I will take the few advanced and enlightened humans on the planet on a journey into main-stream media, politics, propaganda, and manipulation.
The words used previously to describe how my children’s story MANIPULATED those young minds by appealing to their BASE FEARS can be applied to ALL TV news broadcasts, ALL radio news broadcasts, ALL large newspaper stories, ALL political speeches, and MOST of what you find on the internet.
The more money they make, the more corrupt they become, and the more easily their words can be DIRECTED to comply with an agenda. Most top political speech writers have six figure salaries, and those who do not, have every PERK imaginable in lieu of salary. Unlimited expense accounts and private jets are not off the table.
How important is a speech writer to a politician trying to manipulate a population?
This famous quote was DELIVERED by President John F. Kennedy, but was WRITTEN by a guy named Ted Sorenson.
I am one; but I CHOOSE to attempt to create AWARENESS with almost everything I write, and I assure you, my writing has not yet given me a five digit income let alone a six. Perhaps I suck at this, or perhaps there is no money in peddling the TRUTH. Time will tell.
Whatever happened to fact-checking sources? In their haste to be first with “Breaking News” the media will run any loosely-sourced bit of information, and sell it as TRUTH until they retract it later . . . quietly and without all the hoopla.
In the epitome of sensationalized news “entertainment”—I no longer call it journalism—every evening for weeks, Wolf Blitzer found a missing plane, and then, apparently, he was astounded each night when he discovered the debris turned out to be only a Styrofoam cup or something equally ridiculous to claim as plane wreckage. The producers at the very least knew what had been found, but they needed a headline.
While I am the last person who should be lecturing readers about staying on top of current events, I encourage readers to DIG DEEP into the facts of a story which interests them, and not to believe anything they read, hear, or see, until there is UNDENIABLE PROOF.
It seems that North American societies, and most humans for that matter, believe well-written and well-told stories without ever checking the facts. WE ARE GULLIBLE! You must question the credibility of everything you hear and most of what you see in a news report. Beginning in Vietnam, the staging of live-fire events for news cameras began as the military did not want reporters in active war zones where they could become casualties, prisoners, give away positions, or see “things best be kept secret” and out of the watchful eye of the public.
Instead of a title they call it a headline.
The media now sells:
from sources who:
to reporters who were:
using words like:
all in an effort to move you emotionally, engaging your most BASIC FEARS.
Whether you are eight, eighteen or eighty years of age, you can be manipulated by the presentation of seemingly factual information disseminated by an authoritative figure like a news anchor, a politician, or a religious leader, if you are not cognizant of their agenda, and a vigilant fact-checker.
It is natural. Belief brings HOPE. Hope brings a continued EFFORT in the worst of times. Mankind is the dominant species on the planet because of our ability to continually STRIVE through hardship. Without belief and hope we would not succeed as a species.
I, as a child, would hang on every word Walter Cronkite ever spoke. Rightly or wrongly, I RESPECTED AND TRUSTED HIM, but now I fear this former influence may have simply been a PRESENTER OF CAREFULLY CRAFTED WORDS, either as a willing or unsuspecting participant in a propaganda machine.
As stated previously, I am spiritual, but I am not religiously affiliated. I do listen to major addresses by the Pope when he is seemingly sending a message of PEACE. I now wonder about the Church’s motivations in our modern world, and I wonder about his speech writers. Long ago I RESPECTED AND TRUSTED THEM, never thinking even the Pope may just be a DELIVERER OF CAREFULLY CRAFTED WORDS.
We must change this. By undertaking a STUDY IN FEAR, we can teach our children to recognize manipulation strategies in an instant. Future humans may well need this as a survival instinct. How fear was created by this writer was explained to children in the second part of this series. Now we will see how some of those SAME SCARE TACTICS are used by the main-stream media TO SELL FEAR TO ADULTS.
When we cannot see, we tend to rely on what we hear. Everything seems louder, bigger, closer, and more dangerous.
Examples:
It made for exciting coverage, but IT WAS THE DARKNESS THAT PLAYED ON OUR FEARS.
When trying to interpret sounds, we use our imaginations; our brains create possible pictures in our head of what we might be hearing, and then we choose one TO BELIEVE IN based on our knowledge and experiences.
Iraqi launched SCUD missiles were unlikely to land anywhere near their intended target, in fact 20 miles away was common. However, THE WORLD WAS SHOWN A LOOK OF FEAR AND PANIC THAT WAS NOTICED BY ALL OUR ENEMIES when an air-raid siren at a forward airbase had American reporters and camera people scrambling for shelter and gas masks.
Psyops – abbreviation – Psychological operations (PSYOP) are operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.
We need to put someone with balls on camera for the world to see, and not some scared over-paid coward running for cover. It will send a different message.
The air-raid siren conjures up memories of London during the blitz in our adult minds, whether we were there or just saw it in movies. As a youngster in school in Toronto, they would test the air-raid siren on the school’s roof, and we kids would be hustled down into a basement boiler room shelter.
Somewhere on that air-base near Riyadh, there were aircraft ground crews working while the siren sounded, and this is what needed to be shown by the media. A couple of Canadian boys would have looked up and said: “No biggy.” and went back about their business. This is why western civilization is viewed as being WEAK, and why these enemies think we are VULNERABLE TO TERRORISM. I would bet my last dollar that Stormin’ Norman would not sweat that moment. He was the last “real” guy with a pair I have seen on TV since. It is possible I was manipulated into thinking this by his evil word-smith. This is the danger of mass media.
If nothing is REAL, and there is no TRUTH, then you cannot BELIEVE, which means all HOPE is removed and continued existence becomes pointless. I have enough of a belief system (I hope) to offset this potential pitfall because STRIVING to find and expose TRUTH is a worthwhile pursuit in my estimation.
“The title made you believe in something imaginary. You were told the writer had encountered these things in the title when, in fact, he had not.”
I refuse to call this clown by his office title. G. W.’s SPIN DOCTORS went to work to CONCOCT A FICTIONAL STORY that would be used to SELL FEAR to the American public and to other nations in the West in the wake of 9/11. THEY CREATED THE AXIS OF EVIL. THEY INVENTED WMD’s. G.W. wanted to equal his father’s legacy and came up way short, unless his sole purpose was to remove freedoms from Americans. He embarrassed the office; destabilized the Middle East region; created new enemies for all Western countries, assuming terrorists are not a construct of his cronies; wasted money; wasted lives; had his dirty little hands in the stock market crisis, and has been linked to the bin Ladin family. THIS IS HIS LEGACY.
“The writer began to scare you with creepy words like: snakes, big dangerous things, lions, tigers, bears, cougars, wolves, bats, owls and how they come out at night when it is dark and you cannot see well.”
IF they were ever used, then the military hushed it up as directed by political leaders in order to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
“The writer told you this was the third time he had run into this, so you thought it could be true.”
The frightened fear-mongering media never let you forget this.
“A grown-up was telling you that he was scared and went to hide, so you would think the thing must be real and it scared you.”
The next shell or SCUD missile MIGHT BE THE ONE that had a chemical or nerve agent, or so the media was telling us.
They were selling an unfolding drama filled with suspense while creating anxiety.
“The writer told us there must be more than one of the things, to play on our fear of being out-numbered.”
A one-million man army that was SCARED, under-trained, and under-equipped, and hungry had little hope against the World’s best soldiers.
Here are some FACTS for you to mull:
Middle-Eastern civilization predates Western civilization by a “few” years. Sumer was around 4000 years before Christ. That is 4826 years before the first English monarch. People from the region view us as unruly children who cannot be controlled, and we continue to prove them right.
However, turn-about is fair play.
Christianity appears to have produced The Old Testament up to 150 years before Christ, and the individual stories appear to have been created up to 10,000 years before that, depending on who you talk to. Muhammad’s life was chronicled almost 700 years after Christ. That makes the Islamic religion MUCH YOUNGER by comparison. Christians did HORRIFIC things to their fellow man in their FORMATIVE YEARS. In the early years of Christianity, the Church was very POLITICALLY ACTIVE; there was killing and conquering in the name of Christianity; there was bickering among the Church’s top officials which led to today’s 41,000 Christian denominations; there was MASS MIGRATION of early Christian peoples to escape persecution, and the good words of the BIBLE were twisted by EVIL DOERS to suit their own agendas.
The West has had much longer to put our religions IN PERSPECTIVE in our personal lives; within our modern society, and we have mostly separated religion from politics.
Islamic followers are mostly born into their faith. Most do not know they have been indoctrinated, and some are content with the idea. Some Muslims will argue their way is SIMPLER and EASIER than ours. That may well be true, but it requires an individual to become a FOLLOWER, and to give up many of their rights as an individual in the process.
I harbor ANGER towards all those evil word-smiths who participate in fear-mongering.
I harbor ANGER towards all those who use religions to manipulate the masses.
I harbor ANGER towards all those who spread terror.
Postscript:
The topics of politics, religion, and propaganda are soul crushing to me. I struggle almost daily with humanity’s right to succeed as a species, yet I continually search for HOPE.
This is why I rarely venture into world events, until a guy like our Prime Minister (Harper) tries to write himself into a history book by wasting young Canadian lives in a place like Afghanistan, while taking away rights our parents or grandparents paid for in blood, all in the name of FEAR and SECURITY. He is G. W. incarnate.
It is time to shelve our differences and work collectively to figure out what the puppet masters are up to, before it’s too late.
‘FEAR leads to hate; HATE leads to anger; ANGER leads to the dark side.’ – paraphrasing George Lucas from his Star Wars movies.
I will be taking you on a long round-about journey with this blog series, but please stay with it, as there is a fascinating destination.
In this blog, I believe I EVENTUALLY managed to achieve a balanced discussion of some very hotly contested issues facing the West, but you must wade through some passionately written parts to get there.
I am FEARFUL my words, and the meaning of those words could be twisted by some to incite violence. As with most of what I write, the intent is to create awareness; to make busy often oblivious people stop and think. WHEN YOU WRITE PASSIONATELY, you sometimes cross a line or two (or three as I am known to do). There are professional considerations as well. I write these blogs as part of a publishing platform for a book that I hope to have published. I do not wish to be considered “a cowboy” writer. I also write these blogs as articles to pitch to a media I often have little respect for, but they pay some bills. Perhaps this is why our political leaders appear so wimpy and wishy-washy. Twenty years ago, I would not have given any of this a second thought. Perhaps I am FINALLY growing up. (Don’t bet on it.) It could be all the social conditioning about political correctness and responsible journalism is affecting me. (I doubt it.)
As always, the readers can leave their comments on how I did.
For those of you who do not follow twitter, I have recently tweeted many times on the topic of fear. Young people use twitter and I want to reach them with this message.
The most significant to me was this one which summed the game up nicely:
The cultivation of fear, hate, and anger allow the masses to be more easily manipulated and maneuvered. The problem I have with the growing “global consciousness” is FEAR IS SPREAD FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE.
Canadians are working very hard at leading the world in the adaptation of the “tolerant society” concept. We are not always good at it but we are trying. There are people in this country who will test our resolve to be tolerant. They come in three forms: visitors, citizens, and people in public office. I will later demonstrate for all why testing the RESOLVE of the Canadian people is NOT A WISE MOVE ON YOUR PART.
Not so long ago, an UNARMED Canadian soldier was killed in a place of honor in Ottawa. This is the tragic part of this story. All Canadian’s hearts went out to his family and friends, as did my own.
The CANADIAN good for nothing f-cking piece of shit who did this was killed. I hope he died slowly and in severe pain after being shot in our Parliament building a short time after murdering our soldier.
In fact we can be nasty when PUSHED and history proves this. We have the respect of much of the world as peace makers, but there is another side to us which needs to be understood and remembered by the readers who are not Canadian, and those whose educational systems did not tell them about us.
The world has trouble with this. Our politicians have trouble with this. New Canadians have trouble with this. Our mainstream media has trouble with this.
We are a small country in terms of population. We are hugely OUTNUMBERED ten-fold by our neighboring countries like the U.S.A. and Russia. A country that does not understand a Canadian may think we are just pawns in the Soviet / U.S. chess match. They would be grossly mistaken. We have the respect of both of these peoples, and we are neighborly to both, but we back down from neither. In fact the Russian people and Canadians share a similar knowledge of hardship and resolve, and this is what created our common thread.
To your average Canadian, global politics is just not that important to us. We have more important things to attend to like working hard to feed our families. We are not isolationists, we invite everyone to come and stay, if they can handle it. We have a simple global outlook: if you do not bother us; WE WILL NOT BOTHER YOU.
As part of the British Commonwealth, we have a little bit of their “stiff upper lip” mentality coupled with a RESOLVE stemming from our fierce living and working conditions. We can relate well with the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh because they have tougher living conditions than English people. Most Canadians would happily trade our snowy winters for the rain and fog of England. You see, we do not have a sun-belt as our Southern neighbors do. We do not have a California, Florida, or Arizona but we like going to those places for a break.
We should never dominate any sport because of our limited funding and small population, BUT WE DO. This comes from a stubborn RESOLVE once we set out mind on an OBJECTIVE. It should also be noted we have a NATIONAL PRIDE that is best seen through our national pastime: hockey. It is a tough game for tough men. Our style of hockey is being watered down to accommodate growing interest in the game outside of Canada, but we are always a team NEVER TO BE UNDERESTIMATED. This Canadian national pride and stubborn resolve comes from HARDSHIP. We are survivors. We have a rich heritage of succeeding where others fear to tread.
The Swedes, thought to be the most physically fit lumberjacks in the world, were brought to Canada by large lumber companies to teach our Canadian boys a thing or two about hard work in the B.C. forests. It did not work out too well for them. They had trouble with the altitudes and insects, and took home a new found respect for those Crazy Canucks.
Our crime rate here is quite low, outside of drug and alcohol related incidents. Our sober assaults on each other are very infrequent compared to most countries. We turn the other cheek until we reach a breaking point and are FORCED INTO A CONFLICT. The reason is simple, once a Canadian is in this headspace, we are dangerous.
In World War One where my grandfather participated in trench warfare, 100,000 French soldiers were killed or wounded at Vimy Ridge. The Canadians were brought in after training specifically for the task of taking this important German-held position. The Canadian soldiers showed such incredible RESOLVE and feats of bravery in accomplishing their mission, that the French government gave that little piece of France to Canada forever. It seems these soldiers kept on ADVANCING when their officers were killed, and perhaps most bizarrely of all, when they ran out of bullets. Yes, there are true stories of Canadian soldiers charging machine-gun positions with bayonets.
Imagine walking on a rain soaked muddy narrow dock with only one board every 16 inches carrying a 24 kilogram (or 53 pound) anchor, while machinegun bullets flew over your head and artillery shells fell all around, in the rain, with your clothes soaked with mud. If you slipped off the little dock, you would probably drown, not in water, but mud, and your pals were ORDERED not to help you. This was the reality of Allied soldiers who were there. Over 300,000 British, Australian and New Zealand casualties were recorded before the Canadians Corps would be called in. After 14 days of continuous battle, Canadians did what some thought was impossible, and paved the way for the allies to make a run into Belgium. Try to picture one million water-filled muddy shell holes in a one square mile area. Only the surface of the moon comes to my mind, but this was even more concentrated. 15,654 Canadian casualties were the cost of this victory. 1000 are still there in Flanders fields. A relatively small number when compared to the Allied losses, but a lot for a country with a small population of just under 8,000,000 at the time.
Other lesser known places that you should be aware of are: Gravenstafel Ridge: 6064 casualties, Amiens: 9,074 casualties, and Canal Du Nord and Cambrai: 13,672 casualties. They were all success stories; Canadian victories; with a cost Canadians were willing to pay for IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM.
619,000 young men enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WW1. 233,000 were casualties, or almost 37%, and almost 10% died in service to the British Throne and this country. No town or village across the entire country was unaffected by the losses.
Within a month of Britain’s declaration of war with Germany in WW2, the Canadian Army would grow from 5,000 to 70,000 people; not men. We have a proud tradition of Servicewomen in this country going back more than 100 years.
Both of my parents served: my mother in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and my father in the Canadian Army Corps.
In World War Two, we Canadians again were the ones who did “the impossible”. A mountaintop fortress named Assoro in Italy had to be taken in order for allied troops to advance. Canadian soldiers climbed a 900 meter (or nearly 3000 foot) mountain to take this objective which would allow Canadians to have a high-ground position that led to a German retreat from the area.
My father landed on Juno Beach . . . one of the most heavily defended beaches of the five in the invasion of Normandy. “Stiff resistance” was overcome, and the Canadians were the ONLY unit of the five to achieve their Normandy landing objectives. Bad weather left those Canadian soldiers ADVANCING inland without tanks against the German’s 21rst Panzer Division. We ADVANCED anyhow.
Allied commanders would recognize the value of the Canadian Army, and would employ them as “SHOCK-TROOPS” in tough places throughout the war.
At Breskens Pocket, Canadians would again fight in mud . . . and win. In order to take the port of Antwerp, Canadians launched a frontal assault across the heavily defended Leopold Canal and got the job done.
An all too short time later In Korea, a Brigade of Canadians and Australians fought a delaying action with desperate defensive battles in a place called Kap Yong, while surrounded by an entire division of the Chinese army trying to take the city of Seoul. They stalled the advance, and won a U.S. Presidential Unit Citation; rarely given to non-U.S. forces.
So what was the point of this little foray into Canadian history?
We are Canadians. We try to avoid a fight for as long as we can. We do not run from a fight. We are very good at fighting. We do not scare easily. We do not concern ourselves with THREAT LEVELS or PARANOID WATCH LISTS. If you show up here with bad intentions, we will beat you in the streets with hockey sticks if we have to. WE WILL ADVANCE ON YOUR POSITIONS AND YOU WILL LOSE.
We are always OUTNUMBERED. We are used to that. In WW2 our kill ratio was 1:25 or one of ours for twenty-five of theirs. Additionally our capture ratio was 1:235 or one of ours to 235 of theirs.
You have NO IDEA who you are messing with. Do not judge us by our politicians and media; those are poor examples of real Canadians. Do not become an OBJECTIVE. We quickly and efficiently dispatch obstacles. Do not light a fuse that ignites our NATIONAL PRIDE as it will not end well for you.
We deal with HARDSHIP every day. A Canadian FORCED INTO CONFLICT is not the nice friendly person projected by our media. ADVANCING is in our nature. Retreating is not. The few times we have were usually a delaying tactic because we were outnumbered, and WE ALWAYS CAME BACK AND WON.
Canadians have paid a high price for FREEDOM. There is nothing we value more. ANYONE who messes with our freedom, whether foreign or DOMESTIC, is in for a nightmare. This includes our politicians. They should NEVER consider themselves impervious to the wrath of angry Canadians who are aware of the daily erosion of FREEDOM in this country. To understand the term SHOCK-TROOPS, think of it this way: If you think you are safe . . . THINK AGAIN.
Now, let us circle back to the beginning where I said I was “both saddened and concerned.” My concern over this tragedy is what happened politically, and in the media, in the wake of the news item.
The President of the United States of America called (presumably) to express condolences and offer any assistance we might need. This made me scratch my head. Does our Prime Minister make such calls every time there is a school shooting by some drugged out mental loser in the States? I think not. Lots of innocents die down there on a regular basis.
One innocent man died and one asshole got what he deserved. Yes, there was uncommon bravery involved in bringing the gunman down. We are Canadians. WE EXPECT NOTHING LESS FROM OUR PEOPLE.
Was this asshole another Lee Harvey Oswald—a drugged patsy?
During the last Bush administration, South of the border, executive powers were granted after 9/11 IN THE NAME OF SECURITY to fight the war on terror, which led to us becoming aware of FEMA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been managed since by the then new U.S. Department of Homeland Security; both of which have EXTRAORDINARY POWER any time an imminent terrorist threat is declared; which is ALL THE TIME NOW.
Has our federal government used the event in Ottawa to help convince Canadians we are vulnerable to terrorism?
Has our federal government used the event in Ottawa to help convince Canadians that bombing ISIS was the right thing to do?
Opinion polls AFTER THE OTTAWA EVENT suggest 66% of Canadians are now in favor of a continued and prolonged effort.
Our defense minister said “ISIL constitutes a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER to Canada and our allies.” The Harper government’s decision was not popular with Parliamentarians, nor was it popular with the Canadian public when it was first introduced. The “clear and present danger” cliché from a Hollywood movie, was a nice added touch though; it RESONATED in the Canadian psyche.
Has our federal government used the Ottawa event to launch its new SECURITY BILL just 5 days after the Ottawa incident?
Has our federal government used the Ottawa event to attempt to give CSIS and law enforcement even more power to ABUSE in the name of SECURITY?
Conspiracy theorists have even gone one step BEYOND WHAT I WANT TO BELIEVE, suggesting a soldiers life was sacrificed to accomplish the goals of the Harper government, and whoever is pulling his strings.
Let us get something straight here people; this was a tragic shooting incident, NOT A NUCLEAR DETONATION. Our response does not fit the crime nor the threat.
It is not a good trade.
To whoever is pulling the strings of North American politicians I say this:
Spreading FEAR and PARANOIA will not work here like it has elsewhere because we Canadians DO NOT SCARE THAT EASILY. Until I see ISIS on the streets of a Canadian city, I will not be AFRAID. If it happens, I will get ANGRY and this broken-down old Canadian will lead a charge with a bayonet into a machine-gun emplacement, and WE WILL TAKE IT from the f-ckers. This is the Canadian way of solving problems.
When G. W. came looking for help with his war on terror, we passed. We had good sense then so WHAT HAS CHANGED? Leadership comes to mind.
I am too old and broken to fight this with anything other than words, but I AM A CANADIAN and we do not like to be PUSHED! We will not tolerate being PUSHED by people outside this country nor will we tolerate being PUSHED by elected officials inside the country.
IT APPEARS POSSIBLE OUR FREEDOM IS BEING ATTACKED BY HOME-GROWN TERRORISTS WE CALL OUR GOVERNMENT LEADERS AND THEIR MEDIA.
Blogus-interuptus.
To be continued.
E. A. Barker's The $1.99 Author a.k.a. Blog Madness 
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