The Sad State of America

Preface: This is just my uneducated opinion...and the rantings of a mindless lunatic.

The sad state we find ourselves in today hasn't been the republicans or the democrats fault, but a combination of both corporate bought and sold political parties, not to mention a population that seems to be able to only think in terms of binary logic. "You're either with us, or against us".

The discourse (or intercourse) seems to only revolve around bashing one party or the other, which, is exactly what has been desired, to distract us and our creative energies from solving our most complex problems. Usually, everything in terms of "solutions" revolves around whether we tax the rich or give them tax cuts, neither of which hasn't worked out very well for the majority of the population.

But "reality" to me, stems from that which truly enslaves us, the fear of death or the fear of future loss. If I speak truth to power, I could die, or lose my job, thus lose my earning ability, which leads to possible death, because I can't afford food or health care. Are you ready to die for what you believe in? Most aren't, and most don't really believe in anything, except protecting what little they have. I got mine, so fuck off. The wealthy fear not death or homelessness, no of future loss because our population does it for them, and re-elects the very people that help bring about this dystopian nightmare, called the American dream. One has to be asleep to dream....

When I think about our problem of immigration, most of it originates from our failed foriegn policies that wreaks havoc in the countries where many immigrants come from. Europe is being over run from immigrants fleeing the ME where we have compleley destroyed several countries, where we have launched illegal wars of agression on trumped up pretextes.

We have a long and soridid history in South America of over throwing left leaning governments and then backing brutal right wing dictators that engage in mass murder, on the trumped up pretxt of some "communist" invasion. Oh no, the Russians are coming...

I know it's hard for many people in this country to acknowledge the harm we have wrought in other countries. As a population, we have been lead to believe in Team America, no matter what crimes our government commits in our name. We are a "tribal" nation that has a "sports team" mentality. We can never do any wrong, despite the blatant evidence of our wrong doing looking back at us from every quarter our of country. Flint anyone?

We freak the fuck out if an umpire gets a call bad, but seem to be oblivious to the unfathomable destruction we wrought around the world, "Keeping the world safe for Democracy". (Thank you Edward Bernays...)

It takes real courage to admit when one is wrong, or so I was taugh in grade school, but we have been lead to believe, as we have grown older, admitting mistakes is some how weak. Our failed foreign policies have wrought the immigration problems plauging our planet and our nation. We praise the Drone Murder King as some kind of "progressive", as he deported more immigrants than all our previous presidents combined, illegally bombed more countries, signed legislation that has destroyed the very constitution we supposedly hold dear, as long as it doesn't get in the way of our total domination, dominion, over the planet, in the name of Team America.

While many believe we are a "Christian" nation, but we do not act in a Christian manner. We do not show forgiveness, we show vengence. We do not seek justice, we seek retribution. Instead of charity, we show disdain and contempt. If you're not rich, or employed, you are unworthy and deserve to suffer. How Christian of us, no? If you're not rich, God doesn't love you.

Our value system is centered in self interest and the holy pursuit on personal wealth, at the expense of everyone else. Who cares who dies or suffers, as long as it's not me or my family, is the basis of our "American Values". I got mine, so fuck off. Truly, for America, God is "Gold, Oil, and Drugs". For me, simply making Good Orderly Decisions, to move in a Good Orderly Direction, performing Good Orderly Deeds along the way...

I am truly greatful my parents never made me go to church and worship at the alter of an angry and vengenful god, that will surly send me to hell, if I don't love me some Jesus, ya know, that socialist jew bastard who feed the poor and healed the sick, and didn't charge them a dime for it. But I digress...

When ever I allow myself to fantasize about winning the lottery, I think about all the people I could help, not all the useless shit I could buy, that I don't need.

How do you know how you voted for, when your vote was nothing more than touching a screen? Oh look, new episode of Jude Judy is on...(I worked as an art director on twenty episodes of the reality TV show, Eye for an Eye", lol)

Many are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, screaming #NotMyPresident, while distatesful as it is, according to that piece of paper most presidents merely wipe their ass with, the constitution, he certainly is, or so it would seem. While many are searching for a reason to impeach the orange monster, the 4th part of the 25th amendment is all that is required, but, do we really want the current VP to take over the reigns of the unholy Empire? I don't think so, at least that is, if what I think is actualy my "thoughts", and not some "triggered" responce to a trigger phrase, straight out of Pavlov's hand book. Salivate much?

I'm sure Leon Festinger would have a field day analyzing our current sad state of affairs. Oh look, the Russians did it! (Salivating yet?)

We only defend the "rule of law", when the unpire makes a mistake in our favor. Heaven forbid the people of Crimea be allowed to vote. The violations of the Ukrainian constitution be damned. There's oil in them there hills, just waiting to be fracked, not to mention cheap labor to be exploited. Oh, and the GMO we could unleash in the Euroasian bread basket! Now we're really salivating....Oh look, the orange monster said something stupid, "We're not so innocent"...

(Ps: I apologize if this seems like a hit and run, but limited internet access inhibits active engagement. As the Arnold once said, "I'll be back".)

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Comments

Yes, both parties are to blame for the current state. However, Democrats are more to blame for the change and for hypocrisy. The Republicans never hid who they were and they haven't changed. It's Democrats who changed.

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Christine.MI's picture

@HenryAWallace True that. Great comment.
Great essay.

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Big Al's picture

we could change things if we wanted, most people don't seem to want very much.
Who's to blame or fault? Plenty to go around but number one has to be those at the top breaking the law and committing the crimes. We Serfs are to blame for not doing something about it. Hopefully more people will start looking at our political system and start wondering if maybe there is a better way of governing ourselves.

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Cassiodorus's picture

sometimes has to start with an acknowledgment of how bad things have gotten. Well done!

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"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

and accept power rather than thinking that we have none (which is true in the singular but not in the plural!) What would we do as the owner of this country? I think I would demand that we no longer have representatives that go to DC, but insist that they stay home and be visible to their peeps! (We have all kinds of electronic means of getting together so I think it would give lobbyists heartburn finding all their "contacts".) They can't possibly be expert in all areas so they would have to get testimony from those who have some expertise so a vetting of some sort needs be done for those "experts" (hopefully better than Pence did of Flynn!) So hopefully people will accept ownership and responsibility and report to committees how they feel about that testimony. And transparency at all levels: county, city, state and federal would help with our taking responsibility. We would know what the folks are up to! We would know what bills are up and what they contain. We could do cloud sourcing to vet them prior to a vote even! Right now our shadow government has a shadow government!

We have a right to representation that works for us!

If you owned the country what would you do?

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glitterscale

earthling1's picture

Nothing is going to happen until we, as a people, hit rock bottom. Just like drug addicts. I've posted that here and at GOS, as well as other sites.
I've always thought that Hillary and her corporate cabal were practicing their incrementalism with the same purpose as slowly heating the pan of water , while Trump is turning the burner up full blast.
Rock bottom is coming fast. Will the American people see it? Will we jump out of the pan?
Or do we need to feel the lash on our backs first?
Will the real Jesus please stand up?
Great essay RR, thanks.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Lookout's picture

I heard an interview on a radio show that explained how capitalism became a tool of Christianity (or visa versa). The idea was to fight back against the New Deal and socialism. You have to earn your way to heaven...see it is capitalist.

http://www.alternet.org/belief/how-corporate-america-invented-christian-...

My big wonder today is climate change...how can the elites deny and race headlong toward extinction? I guess they are like the smoking tobacco execs...

Well thanks for your thoughtful essay.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

earthling1's picture

I really don't think a stampede of sheeple has the same effect as a stampede of cattle.
Just saying.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

gulfgal98's picture

I really do not know where to begin with my comment, but I wanted to acknowledge these two short paragraphs that summarize a lot of my own feelings.

While many believe we are a "Christian" nation, but we do not act in a Christian manner. We do not show forgiveness, we show vengence. We do not seek justice, we seek retribution. Instead of charity, we show disdain and contempt. If you're not rich, or employed, you are unworthy and deserve to suffer. How Christian of us, no? If you're not rich, God doesn't love you.

Our value system is centered in self interest and the holy pursuit on personal wealth, at the expense of everyone else. Who cares who dies or suffers, as long as it's not me or my family, is the basis of our "American Values". I got mine, so fuck off. Truly, for America, God is "Gold, Oil, and Drugs". For me, simply making Good Orderly Decisions, to move in a Good Orderly Direction, performing Good Orderly Deeds along the way...

The second paragraph summarizes the effect that neoliberalism has had upon all of us. This ideology is practiced as a religion by the oligarchs and the elected officials captured by the oligarchy. We have been sold this ideology in subtle and not so subtle ways, beginning with American exceptionalism and our out of control capitalist economic system. But neoliberalism goes even further in that it is based upon the idea of meritocracy and that only those who are deserving should be rewarded while the rest of us deplorables are left to wither and die in a system that is based upon a dog eat dog philosophy.

The first paragraph relates very much to the second in that many Christians believe that only they will be rewarded in this life and thereafter while the rest of us are left to burn in hell. The ugliest encounter I had in my four and a half years with the Peace vigil was with a young minister who told me he believed that the Muslims deserved to die because they had not been saved. I was absolutely aghast upon hearing that. I simply could not believe that a so called man of God had such a low opinion of his fellow human beings, even innocent children.

There is a lot of gross ignorance in this country too, much of which has been fomented by the media and its corporate owners. The vast majority of Americans do not have the time, nor the tools to seek out the truth. Like the wars, they are fed the propaganda that the government and the oligarchs wish them to hear. It is only when their own lives become so wretched that they are willing to try anything. This is exactly what we saw in the 2016 Presidential election. Large areas of the rust belt did not suddenly become racist or sexist. But the last eight years had proven to them that staying the course or more of the same was not an option. Desperate people take desperate measure and they voted for a change. When Trump proves to be more of the same, the next step may not be a peaceful protest via the ballot box.

Thanks for this great essay, Ranting Rooster!

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

the other day with a woman from Taiwan, or as she put it "Free China." She'd come over here by herself, knowing really no one, learned the language, went to college, got a job, and has her citizenship. It took her a while to get and she asked me about "illegals" and admitted that she, at one time, was in fact illegally here, but the question was why can't they do it legally. When I told her my take on it, that this country DESTROYED other countries but then tells the people running from the horror WE created to pound sand? No, I do not agree with that ever and to me that is the height of hypocrisy. Once I said that, she agreed with me there that "illegals" or refugees from countries we destroyed do not deserve our wrath and they don't deserve punitive punishment when coming here "illegally." Not to mention the fact that our immigration courts are already under-staffed and overloaded, how in hell is anyone supposed get through that, and while doing it be incarcerated?

And of course, we both agreed that Trump is a horror but Democrats got him there and they have NO intention of really doing anything for anyone. My only regret is I didn't specify Asia in my list of regions we've destroyed and reviled refugees and immigrants from, but then again, I imagine she's very familiar with that.

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

RantingRooster's picture

Great comments everyone, I wish I had more time to engage a lot more and reply to each of you, which, you've all made great points, none of which I can not find anything to disagree or debate as it were.

Personally, I believe our currnet crop of elected, so called represenatives, are nothing more than criminals going about committing "The Emperor has no Clothes" obvious crimes against the very people that elected them to office, and the rest of the planet as well, just so a few can have more than they will ever, in a hundred life times need.

The dicohotomies and contridictions of our society produce a crippling cognitive dissonance. Those that commit engreious crimes walk free while those that merely partake in consuming a plant that has never killed anyone in all of human history, are fired in states where it's legal, and sent to jail or prison where it is not. A simple plant with Cancer curing properties is still a scheduled one drug, while many states have recognized, as our ancestors did, the medicinal benefits of it's consumption. But we are forced by the state to puchase over priced poisons, simply because they are manufactured by a "corporation".

As a species, looking back through our history, in a sense, kind of proves evolution is just a myth. We've only evolved our ability to enslave and kill one another more effeciently. While we have reached a point that now war can be conducted by remote control, and thus reduce casualties, we haven't evolved to value peace as a way of life. Curing disease isn't "profitable" but war certainly is!

Automation, financialization, and relocation has made a tiny few more wealthy than any so called god would ever dream, yet we haven't evoled to create a society that can provide full employment for everyone, even though the solutions are as obvious as the "Emperor has no Clothes". How many houses and commercial building sit empty, while our streets are filled with the homeless?

I can understand why many other nations consider us the Great Satan, our values are based on the Christian concept of the seven deadly sins. Our society is structured around "consumerism", which according to some is about 70% of our economic activity, but we never seem to question that consumerism is driven, fueled by desire, not by need, and we become slaves to our "stuff" that we accumilate. We rent storge units to house all our excess (surlpus), but don't give a damn for the veteran begging for food or work, or commit suicide for the horrors we have forced them to endure with no help.

The "calvary" isn't comming to save the day, since they are just contracted "privateers", they can't be bothered, they're on coffee break. Or how about the black man that sells loose cigarettes, who is killed by a policeman, because our society can't create enough jobs so that black man doesn't have to sell loose cigarettes to survive. The killer goes free while our media degenerates the black man's life, he was a thug, a low life, an unemployed moocher, sucking from the tit of government.

Everywhere one looks, our society glorifies violence and sex, vengence, punishment, arrogance, gluttony, yet we spend the majority of our lives under the watchful eyes of our corporate, authoritarian overlords, and claim we know something about democracy just becuase we vote every few years. We buy "stuff" to feel good, not becuase we need it. Oh, its good for the economy, my dying ass, it's good for the one percent's pocket book. Smedly Bulter was right, war is a racket.

To me, climate change is the ultimate indictment of capitalisms failure to bring about freedom, liberty and brotherhood. The Paris climate agreement calls for 100 billion annualy till 2020 or 2030, while world government's subsidies the fossil fuel industry to the tune of somethng like 5 trillion annually. Drop meet ocean...

I think it won't be too long before we realize, the streets will need to run red with the blood of our oppressors, in order to overturn this cart of sour apples that chokes the life and livelihoods of our children. If corporations are people, it's time we execute a few to set an example for the others. (Send a messgae as Killary might say...)

Where's the Jacobins or Bolshevicks when we need them? In the immortal words of OPOL, because fuck this shit! And as Thomas Paine once said, "I belive in peace, but if there be trouble, let it happen in my time, so that my children should know peace." However, until we divorce the unholy marriage of capitalism, religion and white supremacy, we will never know peace.

RR Drinks

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C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote

SnappleBC's picture

... for a few days now. I think I find it too correct and too rambly to really comment on other than I agree. A ray of sunshine in all of this for me is my sons. When I look at what they know about reality, how much they trust legacy media, and how aware they are of America's actual presence on the world stage, I see hope. They know they have been lied to their entire lives. One of them voted Trump. The other threw up his hands in disgust and didn't bother to vote. But both are aware of the problems.

I did not train that into them. In fact, they came to that awareness long before I did.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

Alex Ocana's picture

Its strange and sad for me being from a failed state who won a sort of revolution and turned into a hopeful state, and watching some hopeful signs in some of the worst disaster areas like Rojava, to see the USA fall into such a pit of insanity.

Just want you all to know that Bolivia has been there and worse, and after two years of massive strikes, manage to win our revolution with sixty killed (by the government) and a 60+% of the vote in a heavily monitored, free and fair election.

Rojava was overrun by ISIS 4 years ago and is now free and running their communitarian anarchist non-state governance in spite of absolutely everybody being against them.

So there is hope as long as you have a good ideology to run with and buid up your local organizations and don't surrender in face of the worst sorts of oppression imaginable.

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From the Light House.

Alex Ocana's picture

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From the Light House.

@Alex Ocana @Alex Ocana

Funny, my thoughts were more along the lines of 'you can say that again' - and I hope that you do repeat this frequently!

We need all of the 'been there, done that' advice (and encouragement that it can be done) that we can get, and it certainly is appreciated!

Edit: decided to vary the 'same old, same old' traditional Typo Queen stuff, by this time missing a 'the' and having to add one rather than having to remove any extra words/letters, and I hope this was as refreshing a change to you as it was to me!

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.