Monday, April 28, 2014

X IS FOR X-Y-Z: THE MECHANIX OF AMERYCAN POLTICZ

My theme for A to Z this year is a wildly different, but very exciting, HERE'S TO YOU all month long. 26 posts to be precise. The most difficult part was narrowing down the 26. All of you deserve your own post. What you will find here is a post by the featured blogger, with traveling music chosen by me that complements said post, and two links. One will link back to the original post and the other to the main page. This year's A to Z is all about making new friends!

X-Y-Z: THE MECHANIX OF AMERYCAN POLITICZ was written by Stephen T. McCarthy over at FERRET-FACED FASCIST FRIENDS.  However, I could have used his URL for my "X" today: xtremelyun-pcandunrepentant.  You might wonder why someone would change their blog to F-FFF from that (I did). He says this in his FAQ:  "I think very few readers stumbling upon this Blog and seeing the self-applied "fascist" label would take it seriously. I think most people would immediately suspect, at the very least, that there’s more to the title than meets the eye."

Doing his best James Dean

It took me several months weeks to really understand what Stephen was TALKING ABOUT on his blog. Okay, it was probably months. *******Shhhh. Don't tell.******* Here's the thing about politics.... we all have IDEAS of how we think the government operates. And then there is the truth of the how the government actually operates. We have this IDEA that if you call yourself a Republican that means you stand for (insert your thoughts here) and that if you are Democrat you stand for (insert your thoughts here). Here comes the bad news folks.... YOU might hold to those beliefs but our representatives in government... they do not.

Therefore, Stephen dislikes politicians of all stripes (with a few exceptions). You only make his A-List if you are actively protecting our rights as stated in The Constitution. And he points out, regularly, that pretty much NO ONE in Washington is doing that. Trust me, I know that it is difficult to accept the idea that the political arena doesn't work as you thought.

Does that make a person uncomfortable? You bet.

Does that make his blog controversial? You bet.

Arlee Bird said this about Stephen's blog...



And that is true.

So, slip on your Thinking Cap because we are about to dive in. And keep this thought in mind: “No one party can fool all of the people all of the time. That’s why we have two parties.” 
~ Bob Hope


 
Cue the traveling music:



X-Y-Z: THE MECHANIX OF AMERYCAN POLITICZ (excerpted) by Stephen T. McCarthy
6/10/10

X-Y-Z (Or, “THE HEGELIAN DIALECTIC”)

The Hegelian Dialectic used in the realm of politics is a form of conflict resolution in which a condition (“Thesis” a.k.a. “Z”) is challenged or endangered by an opposing force (“Antithesis” a.k.a. “X”) and culminates in a resolution or compromise (“Synthesis” a.k.a. “Y”).

Today, we have an ideal example of The Hegelian Dialectic which we can look at in the form of ObamaCare. It is agreed upon at a certain level by our Social/Political Engineers behind the scenes that Socialized Medicine is the goal for a variety of reasons. But getting there can’t be accomplished in one big leap due to some citizen opposition. When a condition must be brought about in stages, the Elites, who manipulate our landscape for their own benefit, will utilize the Hegelian model.

The Republicans, pretending to fight for The Individual and professing a wish to retain the status quo, have set up at position “Z”. The Democrats, pretending to fight for The People and professing the need for an entirely reorganized and outright Socialized medical system, have set up at position “X”.

(Left) X ----------------------------------- Z (Right)
Everyone knows that a significant segment of the American People is still a bit squeamish about overt Socialism, so the move to “X” will have to be accomplished by degrees.

What will ultimately occur with the ObamaCare proposition is a compromise. The medical/insurance system we presently have will indeed be altered, but not to the degree that the Democrats are calling for. The Republicans will give some ground while engaged in “the good fight” and the Democrats will reluctantly accept a position to the right of their desired “X”. When the pseudo-fighting is all over, when the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared, you will find that we will have been moved left of “status quo Z” and met the Democrats at Y. The compromise at Y will be a semi-socialized system. This fake fight will eventually lead to this:

X compromises to the Y position as does Z. (If you want to see the cool graph link back to the original post. Blogger has foiled my every attempt to recreate it. Same goes with the one below.)

Afterwards, the Republicans will be able to say, "We defended America against the Liberals and managed to avoid X." The Democrats will be able to say, "We fought against the Right-Wing Extremists and we managed to get Y for The People."

But the next time this issue is brought to the table, the Democrats will set up at “W” and the Republicans will be defending the NEW status quo at “Y”.

(Left) W ---------------------------------- Y (Right)
After the phony fight is over and the two parties have made their compromises toward the “center”, the healthcare issue will stand at “X” which, of course, is where the socialistic Democrats had intended to take us all along and the point that the Republicans knew they would eventually reach during the process of “yielding a reluctant consent” (to again borrow a phrase from Edward Mandell House).

W compromises to the  X position as does Y.

Make no mistake about it, both political parties knew all along that our destination would be “X” because it was determined by the Council on Foreign Relations which guides (read: “directs”) both the Democrats and the Republicans.

This formula is played out over and over again in both the Big Colosseum (at the National level) and in the smaller arenas (in the state legislatures). And this, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the most ingenious tactics by which our elected representatives have been able, over time, to move this country ever Leftward into Socialism and Big Brother Statism.


I know that is a lot to chew on. Keep in mind that was written back in 2010 and look at where we are now :Y. In fact, your brain might even now be rebelling that this could possibly true. *It just isn't possible that the Democrats and Republicans are in it together to strip away our Constitutional rights and move us toward Socialism.* I know that it is tough to swallow. It means accepting that NO ONE in Washington is actually on the side of We The People and they are all working together to take away our liberty. OR maybe you are excited to read something by someone who isn't rooting for the Red or Blue team, but is on YOUR side. 

36 comments:

  1. He's absolutely right. Politicians in general hold no values. Certainly not ours. None in recent years have been worth a vote.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well it has been true for quite a while. The moment someone could make money by being a politician it started being less about the people.

    Brandon Ax: Writer's Storm

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's a very sobering and accurate look at American politics. In the end, they are in it just for themselves, and we are the ones that pay the price. And we're so willing to watch our rights get taken away.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've long since lost faith that the things we believe true are not true in politics. Headed over to say hello.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's scary how they plan on X all along. Even scarier how fast we are becoming a socialistic country.

    ReplyDelete
  6. yep- greed is what politics are all about any more in the good ol USA. Disgusting. and frightening. Who is minding the store? Certainly not our fearless leaders from the top on down. They are too busy taking "selfies" and dipping their hands into the till.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I remember when I was first old enough to vote. I was so excited to step into that voting booth and pull the lever. Now, I can barely muster the energy to push the button. I vote for who I feel the best candidate is in all our elections - local through national (it starts at home) but, man, it's been a long time since I've felt energized about voting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don't like Stephen T McCarthy's blog--that's why I never visit it. And McCarthy's such a jerk! Can't stand the guy.

    ARE YOU KIDDING!

    Seriously, Stephen T McCarthy is the reason I started my blog back in 2009. So if you don't like my blogs you can blame him.

    When he got banished from Amazon (how cool is that? How many people do you know who've gotten banished from Amazon?), I followed him to his new blog on blogger. He set the example for me and got me started.

    Thanks McCarthy! Now I'm stuck in a time-suck social media vortex, but I'm loving it.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog

    ReplyDelete
  9. It is difficult to hear that in our democratic country that those we elect are not doing what the people want, but it is true.

    Great posts!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yeah, well I've suspected since childhood that the promises politicians make aren't worth poop and if I want to know the truth about anything, I'd be better off asking my grandma or someone who is anything but a politician.
    Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great to see Stephen on here. And yes, I too once drank the Koolaid and was so excited to vote and make a difference. Then it became, "Man, this Democrat sucks, let's get a Republican in here!" only for that to turn into, "Man, this Republican sucks, let's get a Democrat in here!"

    It only takes a few rounds of that going back and forth before you realize that none of them are worth a damn, and no matter who you vote for they're only going to help themselves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ABFTS-

      One thing I'd encourage you to do is not give up, but pay attention to your local politics and get people in those positions who think the right way.

      You catch people early in their political career (before the system has a chance to corrupt them), and if they remain true to their vision, these people go on to larger roles.

      And maybe things change slowly.

      LC

      Delete
  12. It's very easy to criticize. It's a lot harder to come up with a workable, fair solution.

    ReplyDelete
  13. As if this guy didn't have a sweeled head already...now he's gonna need a second blog just for his ego! Oh, that's right-he has a second blog!

    When I first met Stephen T. some fifteen years or so ago, we worked in the same building and would have conversations about sports and music after business hours. They soon morphed into political discussions.

    Early on, I thought, "this guy is a certified tin-foil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist!"

    Well, I know him pretty well, and have never seen a tin-foil hat. And some of his theories are on the friinges. For example, the theory that our current incumbent in the executive branch of government may be an illegal alien with Marxist tendencies*.

    But a lot of his theories, while they sound crazy at first, when you look at the fact pattern and the questions are there that have gone unanswered (why did Building 7 fall on 9/11/2001?).

    Take a look at this post, and pick almost any controversial issue over the last fifty years (like premarital sex, homosexuality, divorce, religion in schools,), and look at the fact pattern.

    They all started out as taboo, and little by little, the "conservative" position gave ground.

    Now maybe "taboo" was too strong a position. Take divorce. It used to be divorced spouses had a stigma cast upon them. Not a good thing.

    However, somewhere between the stigma and the current state of $99.00 No Fault Divorce (I pass that retail storefront every day) is probably where we should be.

    You can see it in so many issues. And do not get me wrong-I do not espouse a "conservative" or a "liberal" point of view-I believe there are times for both.

    But the "left" point of view in this country is clearly dominating, and in many ways, to the detriment of the cognitive ability of the populace (turns out the people are content to let their government do all the "heavy-lifting" thought for them).

    So does Stephen take positions that make the reader uncomfortable?

    Sure does-but maybe that's the only way to get people to question.

    LC

    * on second thought, that may not be such a remote possibility....

    ReplyDelete
  14. Well a blog like that will get you thinking, unless you bought into the current 'don't make me think' mantra. I like his BOTBs, but the politics have changed quite a bit since I left the US, so I just watch from this side of the border.
    That photo of FFFF blogger does have that James Dean look. . .

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've just started following Stephen recently and am hooked. I'm a firm believer that our politicians can call themselves by whatever party they want to, because they're not listening to any of the voters anyway. What does it matter if they say they're associated with what I want if they're not going to stand up for it?

    The only thing that's worse are those who continually say these things "can't be happening" because "we'd know about it," or "they'd never get away with it." Um, no. They're happening right under our noses but you refuse to believe ti.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ROBIN, The "GIRL WONDER" ~
    First - before I go to bed after having endured another long "graveyard" shi(f)t - I want you to know how honored I feel to have been featured in your 'A To Z' theme! (In the next day or two, I will send you a follow-up Email. After 6 straight "graveyard" shi(f)ts, I'm actually getting a couple days "off".)

    Secondly, I want you to know that the song you selected was... AWW-STOUND-NG, PER-FEKT, ...N.A.S.A.NG COULDA BEEN BETTAH!

    [Yeah, that's right, Girl Wonder, I "got" it. Did you think I wouldn't?]

    I have actually heard of 'Matchbox Twenty', and may or may not have heard some of their music. At 54, they're pretty unwrinkled for the likes of me. But... the song - ESPECIALLY the accompanying video - was spot-on. (Don't you just love the little red and blue sparks that flew off the contraption when the Space Capsule shot off the Moon and headed back to Earth? Who filmed that lift-off from the Moon? Well, we're told by the National Space Agency that they set up a camera on the Moon to film the lift-0ff and the Capsule's return to Earth. If a government agency said it, and the news media reported it... then it MUST be true... right?)

    ARLEE BIRD ~
    Brother Boid, I LOVED your comment. THANKS!

    The funny thing is that when I scrolled down, reading the comments, ONLY your FIRST paragraph showed on my monitor. I ALREADY loved it and was - LITERALLY - laughing out loud! I didn't know there was any more to it, but that first paragraph alone amused me and... it would have been enough.

    But then the rest of what you wrote probably had me blushing. I thank you, Brother BoidLee!

    It's funny, but I really do consider being censored by Amazon as a feather in my cap, giving me authentic "street cred" (whatever that means ...but I know it's important to Generation "Zzyzx".)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zzyzx,_California

    I mean, are you truly a "controversial" and "dangerous" character BEFORE a mainstream propaganda promoter (like Amazon.scum) tries to muzzle you?

    I think my Amazon banishment was my high-water mark as "enemy of the state" street cred. But my second favorite "mark against me" came even before I had a computer:

    I'd heard John Hogue on a radio program, and I thought he was so ridiculous that I sent him a letter stating as much (and my reasons for my assessment). If you don't know who he is, go to the Wikipedia page for "NOSTRADAMUS".

    Apparently, I got so far under John Hogue's skin that he actually sent me "return hate mail" through the postal service. He said he would have replied sooner if I hadn't sent my complaint via Snail Mail.

    If I'd had a computer, I would most certainly have engaged him in further debate. (Wish I'd saved his letter, because it's probably the second greatest "feather in my controversial cap".)

    For now, I have just two more words to type...

    "NOSTRADAMUS SAVES"

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

    ReplyDelete
  17. I like the way this guy thinks! I have to go follow his blog.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow! That character I refer to as Mr. Stephen T. is all over the blogasphere! << Is that the correct word?? Okay. I have a couple of comments/questions for Mr. Stephen T.

    1) Are you saying you are 54 years old??
    2) Is that really you in the photo?

    Because....really....you could be a 99 year old codger and uglier than ....I can't think of any words! Let's just say UGGGGGLIE!

    I don't remember exactly when I first came across Mr. Stephen T., but I know it had nothing to do with his political blog. It must've been on a writer friend's blog. He's such a mixture of human being feelings, I imagine he could also just be a robot, or something! (And Robin, I'm sorry I haven't been by in quite a while again. I'm trying to keep up with my blog friends, but I'm not doing a very good job of it!)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have found that rarely does anything work as it's supposed to. :-) Politics and politicians are things that fall into my FUBAR category.

    Sia McKye Over Coffee

    ReplyDelete
  20. An excellent blogger and a very good man. And now that I've trashed his rep...

    ReplyDelete
  21. I have thought for quite a while that we have no representation in DC. They really don't care what we think.

    ReplyDelete
  22. BECKY-O! ~

    >>... 1) Are you saying you are 54 years old?

    NO! I am 29 (plus 25).

    >>... 2) Is that really you in the photo?

    Yes. But I wasn't 29 (plus 25) in 1983 or '84, when that picture was taken.

    And THANKS to all my BLOG BUDDIES for the very kind words!

    ROBIN ~
    You won!... 2 to 0.
    (Color me surprised.)

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

    ReplyDelete
  23. Everyone ~ Great comments all around. I would reply to you individually, but the A to Z has sucked everything but my Life's Breath from me. Well, not everything. But darn near. Never fear, though, I shall have a "Y" post for you tomorrow. And it is not "Y DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS DARN CHALLENGE?"... though that thought has crossed my mind.

    Stephen ~ Yes, I clicked over to your blog to check and see who followed. I would say that it wasn't a contest (as in there are no winners and losers here), but that would by lying. I won! I won! I won! ::Jumping up and down:: Now I am just ::smiling::

    ReplyDelete
  24. Smart and funny quote by Hope. I know of Stephen's blog, but haven't been there in a while.

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a good way to think about it.
    The road to communism appears to be traveling at a snails pace (since W. Wilson, at least) but there was much to be done. The change in the educational system was the first thing that slid right by back in the 60's. Generations had to be dumbed down first plus all the fluoride in the drinking water helped. But everythig is pretty much in place now and can't you just feel it going faster and faster. OBcare was 2nd to the last piece of the puzzle. Do you know what the last piece is?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I first read this comment, I was just out of bed and groggy. My mind was blank. Zip. Nada. Nothing. All I could think about was coffee.

      Two cups later and several blogs down, your question came back to me. And I thought, "Guns. It has to be guns. The last step is a gun ban. Stripping the people of their 2nd Amendment rights will take away all of the rest. When that happens The Bill of Rights will disappear. Freedom will be gone. The Constitution will be no more. Socialism will turn to Communism and we may even see a re-enactment of The Holocaust right here in what was the Once Great US of A." History just repeats itself over and over. I'd like to think we learn, but we don't. I can almost feel Rome burning.

      Delete
  26. OK, I have to chime in here and hopefully not tick off more than a few souls. ;)
    Stephen is so intelligent and his stuff tends to be very well thought out. I know many bloggers count on him for his knowledge of the political horizon. You can hear the but coming, can't you?!
    The thing is that maybe I just want to believe that things are not quite so dastardly and that people mean well. Or even that society kind of works like a pendulum and that this is just a rough period for freedom loving people.
    All I know is that where I currently live in the Seattle area you can clearly see the influence of the school system and the media at work when you have to put up with people who rail against you simply for deciding to drive to work rather than take a bus or a bike. Or the neighbor comes marching over to check out whether or not you are using environmentally friendly bark mulch. (Seriously, this happened to me.) Meanwhile, so many are now 'not above' being on some form of the 'government dole' and they've actually bought into the idea that having your freedom is not worth the hard work it takes. So the point is this: the x to y theory is intriguing to me and yet I see it as more that the people on the right are having to fight against many more outside sources and most people don't ever want to be called 'evil' and will do almost anything to avoid the pain of that. So I'm not sure that people on the right necessarily "plan" to get to the left. I think with outside pressure and people growing up becoming accustomed to accepting what the left has to offer and not knowing what true freedom feels like, well, it's a tough thing to fight against.
    NOW, let me reiterate. I appreciate Stephen's bravery in putting things out there and I think more discussion and opinions is better. AND, I could be wrong about all this. So that's my two cents. Maybe I'll think about checking in more regularly with Stephen and not be too afraid to be an outsider on some issues.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that people mean well. I think We The People's problem is a lack of awareness of all the things our government is doing (on all levels). I think people are good. I think the people running the government are not so good. Even the neighbor who was worried about your mulch - probably a very good person. I think people are being deceived by the media and that is being run by the government.

      Consider what Stephen is proposing... this Left vs Right dichotomy is all a bunch of theatre to keep people focused on a bunch of fake in-fighting so that TPTB can run things without We The People getting in the way. Because We The People are GOOD and we wouldn't like it if we know about The Wizard Behind The Curtain.

      Does that make sense? Try taking the labels of Republican and Democrat off of EVERYONE and then just watch what they DO. You will be surprised at how many R's vote with the D's on things they say they are against. And the D's are moving us toward a Socialist government. So what does that make the R's? (most, not all)

      Good stuff, Jasmine. You aren't on the outside of anything. You're a thinker.

      Delete
    2. Part 1 Of 2:

      ROBIN ~
      I’m assuming that the comments from Manzanita and Jasmine were directed to you rather than me, seeing as how it’s your blog. But I thought I’d weigh in a wee li’l bit as well.

      Your response to Manzanita was good because it was accurate. There is no question that Uncle Sam wants to disarm We The People. If He didn’t consider that important, He wouldn’t go to the trouble of staging phony incidents of gun-related violence (e.g., The Sandy Hoax Elementary School Shooting, and the Boston Marathon Bombing – which if you’ll recall, “supposedly” ended in a massive shootout between the “bombing brothers” and the cops).

      To be sure, Uncle Sam considers disarming We The People as much as possible to be an important plank in the plan. However, I myself would begin by questioning the question: Although we are far along on that road to Global Tyranny, I don’t believe that The Wizards Behind The Curtain are yet missing only one piece of the puzzle.

      The Holy Bible tells us how the story will go. “It Is Written” and it will go as “it is written”. What’s also missing at this point is (as The Bible describes it) the “strong delusion”, which is instrumental in giving to the world a “false messiah” and a “false prophet”. The two, activated by the satanic spirit, will formulate a false global religion, and with it, institute a global economy. And without the “mark of the beast”, no one will be able to participate in that economy (i.e., buy or sell anywhere on the planet).

      So, I would contend that there is more than just one missing piece of the puzzle at this point. However, all of the technology necessary to create the Worldwide Totalitarian State is already present, and the minds of the people are being conditioned to accept it day by day.

      Continued Below...

      Delete
    3. Part 2 Of 2:

      In response to Jasmine’s observations I would first say this: I have spent 20 years studying this and related topics in great detail. While I genuinely appreciate the compliment regarding “intelligence”, I would be the first to say that, if after two decades of study, I am this much mistaken in my conclusions, then in fact I really cannot be very intelligent after all.

      It’s a bitter pill to swallow, and I understand why so many people balk at swallowing it. But I like the following quote, which I believe describes my own outlook as well:

      “It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth ... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and to provide for it.”
      ~ Patrick Henry


      Also, the conspirators have not been shy about hiding their true aims from the people:

      “The chief problem of American political life for a long time has been how to make the two Congressional parties more national and international. The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers.
      .
      “Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy. The policies that are vital and necessary for America are no longer subjects of significant disagreement, but are disputable only in details of procedure, priority, or method.

      “These things any national American party hoping to win a presidential election must accept. But either party in office becomes in time corrupt, tired, unenterprising, and vigorless. Then it should be possible to replace it, every four years if necessary, by the other party, which will be none of these things but will still pursue, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies.”

      ~ Carroll Quigley
      ‘Tragedy And Hope: A History Of The World In Our Time’,
      1966; pages 1247 and 1248


      I like that Robin, when editing the blog bit she posted here, left in the names ‘Edward Mandell House’ and ‘The Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR).

      Anyone who seriously doubts the Hegelian Dialectic model for transforming America as I presented it here, or who doubts the behind-the-scenes collusion between the Democrat and Republican party that I have maintained here, should consider Googling those names: ‘Edward Mandell House’, ‘the Council on Foreign Relations’, ‘Carroll Quigley’, and ‘Hegelian Dialectic in American Politics’ and begin their own studies. But they better hang onto their hat. What they find will NOT be a pretty picture!

      ~ D-FensDogg
      ‘Loyal American Underground’

      Delete
    4. Actually it's late and I worked outside until the edge of dark. I'm tired beyond belief but had to get one word in (or maybe two). I wasn't thinking guns, really, because they are creating a shortage of ammo, so what good are the guns... say a magnum or glock against their weapons and all the armor they wear.
      I was thinking the death of the dollar. A total collapse of the economy, which could be achieved by WW3 and the stage is being set right now. It reminds me of the false flag of Pearl Harbor that left the people, who had previously been against war, now crying out...... "They can't do this to us." Who did they think was the enemy? The eyes of the people then blaze in blood-thirsty red and beg for protection from the government. There you have it..... freedom completely gone and fight the last battle. I shake my head in disbelief that people have not learned by history but that's why the dumbing down was necessary. What follows will be what is written, as Stephen said.

      My "Tragedy and Hope" is upstairs and i'm too weary to climb those old "taller-than-average" farm house steps but i'll check it tomorrow. I don't know you, Stephen but I see how your mind works.
      Zonk..... I'm gone.

      Delete
    5. Stephen ~ I hope you come back and read Manzanita's comment to your comment. It sounds like you are on the same page(s). I suppose the question is how it all falls out. When the economy crashes, will that be the catalyst that brings forward the gun ban? If so, that will bring down The Constitution. I can see one event triggering the other. And that would set us up for the Global Economy, which will likely be led by someone that many see as a Savior. I can see currency changing to a bar code scanner that deducts money from your account. Would that make credit cards obsolete? That people actually have to live on whatever income they have? Don't know the answer... just throwing the idea out.

      I think that Patrick Henry quote is GREAT. I know that my heart broke more than a little when I accepted the bigger truth that our two party system is actually a one party system and the President is just a figurehead. TPTB are running things for their own agenda. It wasn't a big happy moment for me, but it made everyone's ACTIONS make sense. I don't even care what they say anymore in Washington. I want to know what you DO.

      Manzi ~ I am surprised that this post didn't prompt you to follow Stephen's blog. He might be the only person you could have a dialogue with (that I know) who has read the same stuff you have and can discourse intelligently about it. My copy of My Tragedy And Hope is still on a bookstore shelf somewhere. Sounds like I need to go after it...

      Delete
  27. I live in THE MOST corrupt city in the states. Chicago is a den of thieves... Taxes are INSANE and the city is bankrupt.... okay where's the money then? We have the highest gas in the country, the highest sales tax, and the highest city tax. This city even has the nerve to place an five cent tax on bottled drinks OVER the sales tax!

    SO again, I say, "Where is the money?"

    I like a blogger/person who has conditions whether I agree or not. The passion is there and that's what's important. FEELING....

    Nice to read about you Stephen....

    ReplyDelete
  28. MICHAEL ~
    I thank you!
    And, yes, sir, you are quite probably correct that you live in the most corrupt city in the states. (If Washington were a city in a state, rather than being its own District, maybe it would be questionable. But since it isn't, Chicago probably wins the dubious honor.)

    Before either of us were born, Chicago had a notorious reputation for political corruption. Over time, it's only gotten worse.

    Every single president in my lifetime, both Republican and Democrat, was a criminal. Some worse than others, but every one of them lied under oath when they placed their hand on The Bible and swore to protect and uphold the U.S. Constitution.

    But I gotta say, the Criminal in Chief that we have in the White House today is a very "special" kind of crook and liar. It's not surprising that he rose to prominence in the political arena out of Chicago. He has exhibited every negative trait we have come to expect from Chicago politicians - and he's even added a few new ones to boot!

    You have my sympathy, Brother, because although I've never lived in Chicago, the city's reputation for political skullduggery is known even to me, a person who grew up on the West Coast and has lived all 54 years Left of the Midwest.

    Well, look on the bright side... at least you've always had a winning and competitive professional baseball team.
    (Ouch! Sorry. That was definitely uncalled for. :-)

    ROBIN ~
    Make that 3 to 0.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

    ReplyDelete

You can now add YouTube videos in your comments by copy/pasting the link. AND/OR you can insert an image by surrounding the code with this: [im]code[/im]. In the case of images, make sure that your code is short and simple ending with something like .jpg. If you want to use a pic from someplace like Google Images, click on the image, then click on View Image. That is the code you want!

Dazzle Me!