OT ~ Welcome to Saturday!

Sit-a-while
on swinging porch
where tin-dippers and
sweet water
in cool touches
meet lips
from hand dug wells.

Good morning good people!
Minus five degrees in twenty mile-per-hour winds this morning; hope everyone is safe and warm, my feet bitch already anticipating what they are in for today. Smile
Many thanks to el for rescuing this OT last week; had a senior moment and forgot the day it was, i guess, can't remember...

Had some evening quiet time this week to write and find some music for today; hope you enjoy and have a great day and weekend and take care if out in this widespread cold.
~

Gentle into the year
calm is the way
holding hands
together rising, Maya's song

Dance more
prance more
be more
be good

Gentle into the breach
carry peace
not war

Even in snow, green pedals show
ever emerging, adapting to grow
beyond understanding
so, let it go, be gentle in the night
and the bright of day
feel the comfort, warm clay
molding the way

Steadfast teams guide the sleigh
oh, yippee a aye!

~

And if you've the time for a turntable full...

“A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.”
~ Lewis Mumford
This stage is yours, please share whatever's on the mind; will return to comments later, and thank you for being here.

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Arrow's picture

As always, love your poetry.

So. the 'Peruvian Beach Shack Report'(TM - No rights reserved) - 'On the Mend' edition has been delayed do to continued steady convalescing(I'm lazy and I sleep a lot).

Got one for Aspie - "Your not disabled...You can still telemarket Condo timeshares from your hospital bed!"

I have two songs to share with all this morning. Both are by Pink Floyd (with full writing credit on the second to Clair Torry):

The first is a live version that in it's multimedia presentation shows the band's feelings on war.

The second is one of the greatest songs ever written with no words(except a little speaking piece at the beginning).

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z39KZAryzk]

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVBCE3gaNxc]

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I want a Pony!

NCTim's picture

@Arrow I would stop in the student union, order a piece of pizza and queue Any Colour You Like, on the jukebox.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

enhydra lutris's picture

@NCTim
explanation of why, among other things, any color is every color -

https://boingboing.net/2018/01/06/watch-this-high-schooler-expla.html

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

@Arrow
real estate. Thanks for the tunes and good luck on the pony.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

smiley7's picture

@Arrow

Love the music addition's, playing now as i write; goes with a comment during this evening's apre ski, "it's a Jack Nicholson's universe." A veritable cuckoo's nest, a Kesey dream come true.

Happy to read that you are on the mend!

Having just quickly viewed the thread today, appears your good comment and music set the scene for conversation, a good thread; sorry, i missed it in real time.

Thanks, as always for being here!

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I'm not a religious sort, but the calendar proclaims the Magi created this as a feast day? Hope y'all have something to eat!

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NCTim's picture

@QMS

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

@NCTim are vibrating. Oh god, what does it mean to be so alive?

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS
junior grew up wealthy (or at least bourgeoise), or got ripped off. Why are there no accounting records in the magik book? Enquiring minds want to know.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris methinks the Magi were trying to buy their way in. To the kingdom of heaven. On earth thru a potentiate human form. May have been foretold in their ancient history?

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Lookout's picture

Here's a friend Erynn Marshall playing the tune.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66oANY0ugRo]

Hey smiley - don't often come by on Sat AM, but it is too cold to go to Trade Day this morning. It was 15 and now pushing 20 degrees...so a heat wave compared to your situation. QMS sparked my curiosity and I had the research "old christmas". Funny how music travels in time. All the best!

...and some comments from a music list serve about the day...

last verse of Please To See The King, that odd carol sung by Martin Carthy & Steeleye Span , supposedly about the Wren, king of birds - tho there are several different & competing exegeses:

Old Xmas is past, Twelfth Tide comes the last
So we bid you adieu, Great joy to the New [ie presumably Happy New Year]

Twelfth Night [aka Epiphany, the 12th Day of Xmas of the song where the Lords come a-leaping or the drummers drumming, depending on yr version], has also been identified with Roman Bacchanalia, when everything was reversed, slaves were masters for a day &c ? hence, some think, the title of Shax's comedy, 'Twelfth Night, or What You Will', in which everyone is disguised, nothing is as it appears, nobody [becoz of existence of identical twins] is who they appear to be ? as Feste the Fool exclaims sarcastically at one point, but we, the audience, know, more accurately than he thinks, "Nothing that is so, is so!"

In Co Kerry, Ireland, where I grew up, January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany, is also called "Little Christmas", or "The Women's Christmas". My late mother used to solemnly place the little statuettes of the Three Wise Kings in the "crib" (nativity set) on the eve of January 6th, as this was the night that the Magi were traditionally supposed to have arrived at the stable in Bethlehem, and unlike in a lot of other local households, these statuettes were not permitted to appear in OUR nativity display PRIOR to that date !!

"The Women's Christmas" was in effect a kind of "Mother's Day" and it was the day when the mother in the house was celebrated and thanked by the rest of her family for all her hard work in providing us with the best of everything over the Christmas period, and all the cooking and other household chores on that day were done by her family, so that she became a lady of leisure and had a day of rest and pampering. Little inexpensive gifts were also exchanged on that date as well.....hence the reference to "Little Christmas"

Here in Cornwall, where I now live, "Twelfth Night" is celebrated in Launceston every year with a fine informal music and singing session in Launceston,

And a final interpretation...

Long, long time ago, the Romans had a calendar which was more or less moon-based, in which they introduced a leap-month every now and then to keep the calendar year more or less the same as the solar year. For various reasons, this calendar was no longer running synchronous with the actual seasons. In fact, it was several months ahead; the start of the calendar year, which was the beginning of March, fell long before the solar start of the year, the spring time equinox.

Julius Caesar introduced, in 46/45 BC, a calendar that had months slightly longer than a moon, so a single leap-day, at the end of a year, the end of February, would be enough to correct the year. At the introduction he also needed to correct the accumulated mistake, by introducing in the last year old style two extra months. However, to avoid having a year of fourteen months, he declared the year would from now on start in January, instead of March.

Now, this system is not perfect, and initially its implementation wasn't perfect either, but things were not all that bad, so in 325 the Council of Nicaea saw no particular problem in defining the date of Easter as: The first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, even though at the time the calendar was already slightly behind. However, a small error that kept accumulating, meant that around 1582 pope Gregorius XIII was beginning to feel Easter was celebrated on the wrong day. By his time, the calendar was 10 days behind, compared to 325! He introduced the Gregorian Calendar, which only differed in the timing of the leap-day: There would no longer be leap-days in century years, except if that year could be divided by 400. This would keep Easter in its place for millennia, once he correct the calendar back to that of 325. So, he ordered that one time only, every one should skip 10 days.

Will we get to the point? Is the pope Catholic? Yes, he is, but not all countries are. So while some countries followed the instruction immediately, other, Protestant, countries were more hesitant. For example, it wasn't until 1701 that we in Friesland changed the calendar. By then the error had grown to 11 days. When we did change it, we had a slight contractual problem: All contracts started on the First of May, and lasted a year. Nobody was going to pay a year's wages for only 354 days' work, so the full year had to be served till the old First of May, and then the new contracts could be entered into, which would again last a year, and so on. Thus came into existence the day of "Old May", 11 days after the new First of May.

In the British Empire lived even more Protestants that didn't want anything to do with all of this, so it wasn't until 1752 that reluctantly, Great Britain reformed its calendar by skipping 11 days. But many Protestants agreed with the Pope, in that they believed the Christian feasts should be observed on the correct day! The difference was, to them the right days were those indicated by the calendar as it was in 1751. Thus, similar to the Frisian case, days like Old Halloween and Old Christmas came into existence.

Now, curiously, by counting 11 days you'll find Old Christmas should be the day before Epiphany, and in the carol mentioned above this is indeed the case. Today, however, it's celebrated on Epiphany, or similarly. I've never seen an explanation for that. The only thing I can think of is that by 1800 still the old, Julian, calendar was followed by those observing the Old Christmas, and thus the 11 day difference became a 12 day difference. This may seem a bit unlikely on the surface, but it would have occurred within the same generation, and in fact to this day Eastern Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar. As this generation might have lived in the knowledge that they would have to take notice in 1800, this doesn't seem an impossible scenario to me.

In the nineteenth century, Christmas, which had been in decline, grew in popularity again, on the 25th of December, but the other date is still known as Old Christmas, and for those who observe it, it is still associated with older Christmas traditions, some of which are in fact even older Mid-winter traditions. By coincidence, the days of Christmas and Epiphany are twelve days apart, which is why Old Christmas is often considered to be the same day as Epiphany. At least one alternative custom exists, where Old Christmas is now celebrated on the Saturday closest to its real date. In this way, the attempts to keep Old Christmas on the same date have now given Old Christmas a date that varies yearly. History plays strange tricks sometimes.

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

NCTim's picture

@Lookout

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

smiley7's picture

@NCTim
promise an experience to remember!

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@Lookout maybe we could apply all those rules to voting day? Confuse the hell out of the talking heads! March to madness at the polls...

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smiley7's picture

@Lookout @Lookout

So glad you stopped by, we all need a sentry to help guide the way; especially enjoyed the Co Kerry interpretation, must be genetic. Smile

Thanks for being here and your weekly significant contributions.

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Lookout's picture

@smiley7

for your poetry and positive vibes here at C99.

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

NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

Clipped from The New York Times 1972, it is the back side of a long article "Warren K. Billings Dead, Figure in '16 Coast Blast". 23 inches long and 2 columns wide.
Biggrin
nytimes1972.jpg

Can you imagine a New York policeman doing that? No, but I can imagine a stunted little tyrant choking an innocent man to death on the sidewalk under the color of law, walking free for it. Thanks a lot Democrats!

http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Tom_Mooney_Is_Free.htm
It took a D to set him free, my how things change.

The old-timey version of Patreon, grandpa sponsored a book published in 1911:
calhistoryromance.jpg
California Its History and Romance
https://archive.org/details/californiaitshis01mcgr
There are beautiful photographic plates, the book itself is a work of art I think. But the contents, oh boy. It is like "To Serve Man", a recipe book on how to destroy paradise, which proceeds at pace today. It depresses me.

Also, it is depressing that my noisy MX neighbors were evicted and now the house sits empty. It is not uplifting to see a guy go through every garbage can up and down the street, he was out there in the dark with a flashlight again this morning. There are more empty rentals than I've seen in four years, and more homeless. When I see the wheelchair couple now, they can barely make it to the food pantry and back. He is so skinny it looks like they are starving but I don't know. Maybe it's just me down to 123, with major depressive disorder and no affordable healthcare or housing.

Victor Gonzalez Gonzalez was a carpenter, the neighbors who called, and the cops who killed him all knew he carried a hammer. The shooters are on paid leave of course. The cops hassled me the same day they killed Victor. I used to pick up trash and pull weeds between here and the river, but not since the Stasi turned me in. I look poors now too, can't keep up appearances.

Immigration conversation in Cloverdale

“If it weren’t for these individuals, we would not be as competitive. We couldn’t compete with fine wines from France and Spain, and if we did not pay and hire these individuals who are undocumented, the wine industry would not be as successful. If you go to the back of the house in a restaurant, many of them are undocumented and Latino. And the fine 5-star hotels? Who are actually cleaning the bathrooms of our hotels? It’s immigrants,” Malpica said.

“Native-borns do not want to do these (subsidized low paying) jobs (that profit BIG industry) , and this is the reality of immigrants, not only in the U.S. but throughout the world. We need to convey to the general public that these individuals are indispensable to the economy.”

My additions in parenthesis last paragraph. Now now, this native-born cannot eat anymore bullshit, not another dollop. It does not sustain me.

Nobody 2018
eat the rich

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smiley7's picture

@eyo @eyo
brilliance in your mind; straight up, it's a joy seeing you on Saturdays. Forgive me when i can't keep up, follow-up with all the good insights and new avenues you bring to C99.

Thanks for being here.

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@smiley7 thank your dawgs for me. Woof woof. One of my most cherished books is a garage sale find, it is called Helping Yourself With Foot Reflexology by Mildred Carter, 1969. I'm reminded to pick it up and practice again, unblock some energy.

"Reflexology is a scientific technique of massage", says Mrs. Carter, "that has a definite effect on all the normal functioning of all parts of the body. ... This book will show you the pictures and charts, in a simple way, how to massage these areas to bring relief from pain and diseases."

"in a simple way" must be why I like it. Keep it simple, that's the way forward for me, and practice is good. The pictures still crack me up, beehive with a bow? lol Actually most of the photos are bottoms of feet, just a few head shots. Cheers.

Law of Probable Dispersal:
Whatever it is that hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

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wishing the best to your feet....so they stand up to the punishment today.
Thanks for the poetry and music.....slept in this morning,,,,so now am drinking coffee and listening to all these pieces here....nice.

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smiley7's picture

@randtntx

melded with the taste of good coffee.

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enhydra lutris's picture

the tunes. Hope your feet make it through the day ok.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

smiley7's picture

@enhydra lutris

to my toes. Two great students today: Peter, age seven, mentally challenged from a hearing problem, now skiing by himself in the children's area, beautiful mathematical intelligence which i noticed yesterday in his first ever lesson.

When i asked, "you do understand, Peter, don't you? He replied, yes, s7, i do!"

He made my day!

And Anna, ten-year-old gymnast from beginning to parallel skiing in three hours, a feat rarely achieved by anyone. It's simple when balance and coordination live subconsciously in the feet because of student's prior disciplines like ballet, horse-back riding, gymnastics and martial arts to name a few.

As we jokingly say, "it was zee good day on zee mountain."

Thanks for being here, el, and all you do for c99!

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Raggedy Ann's picture

Nice poem and tunes this Saturday morning. I was graced with a beautiful sunrise.

Watch, while the new year
brings revelations that
surprise, without fear,
even the most informed,
among us, as will be clear.

Practicing my poetry!

Have a beautiful day, everyone and for those suffering from the cyclone, think of those without and help if you are able. Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

smiley7's picture

@Raggedy Ann
happy the sun greets you and finds your spirit in pleasure:

pardon me, i play this often on c99, but it's my favorite.

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smiley7's picture


~ Giotto di Bondone

Back to Joseph Campbell's thoughts on Epiphany: recalling society's need for God "stuff" but not much more as this juncture; but hey, does one need a reason to celebrate, hardly has gotten in the way in my journeys, but i'm selfish. Smile

Thanks for being here!

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smiley7's picture

Erynn, playing now, love this music our roots; please come on up the hill someday, Grandfather Mountain. Smile

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Lookout's picture

@smiley7

I spent a year of my youth in Mabel, NC and worked at Farmer's Hardware (which I understand isn't operational any more). For some reason I had you placed in Vermont.

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

smiley7's picture

@Lookout
They still have the Farmer's ski shop, but the old hardware store is now an emporium with a great yoga studio upstairs and a small restaurant serving health food, juices and $12 salads, making money hand over fist.

You probably worked with Bobby, the son of the owner, he two was a good man and friend, he was a radio man on the side and the best friend of Ned Austin, my dear old acting friend who did live television as a comedian in the early days of black and white, a soulmate, he was.

I live upstairs on main in a New York style cold-water-flat and greet Ned's Screen Actor's Guild star prominently displayed on main street coming and going, just like Hollywood; was there for the ceremony of it's installation around 1989, a tribute to a man whose acting was so truthful, so believable, he was a Spencer Tracer on screen. Had the pleasure of working with Ned, his wife and one of his son's and granddaughters worked for me as well.

Bobby's sons run the emporium, now, and i see them occasionally, Bobby passed on several years ago.

Come on up!

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Lookout's picture

@smiley7

I sure enjoyed my time there. Cecil Green ran the hardware in 75-76 when I was there and his son (Bobby?) was in Architecture? and spent alot of time at the store. It was a great place to work with a profit sharing plan. Every employee got a cut of the profit based on their length of employment. When I got a $1000 bonus as my share at the end of the year it sure made me a supporter of profit sharing and eventually worker owned coops. Doc Watson came in the store regularly and is where I first met him. Now I live near Norman Blake another great musician.

Well, thanks for the trip down memory lane. I hope you enjoy being there...it is a rich area. You wouldn't want me to go skiing with you ...I'm a old clutz. Funny how knowing where people are from helps you to know each other better.

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

smiley7's picture

@Lookout

same Bobby... Doc used to play in a joint in Blowing Rock on Sunday's, passing around the hat for money. Thanks for the memories and yes, it's still a great spot to live if you enjoy the outdoors.

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Lookout's picture

@smiley7

I think the Cecil's son was named David Green(e?).

As an aside, I used to have a friend in Spruce Pine that I would go cross country skiing with on the BR Parkway. That is the only skiing I've done in my life and it was fun. Wishing you the best in Watauga County - and Boone - the highest county seat east of the Mississippi.

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

smiley7's picture

@Lookout
If you could make it up someday, I'll teach you how to ski in control in no time, an hour-or-two, or we could go flyfishing or hiking or whatever.

I think they do use an e on 'Greene.' Mabel is a special community for its natural beauty, must have been a good experience to have lived there.

i've enjoyed this thread, sharing memories of mutual acquaintances and places.

My spirit has felt at home here in these old mountains as far back as i can remember, the first dirt road built up Grandfather Mountain in the fifties, scary ride round the cliffs.

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Lookout's picture

@smiley7

Why don't I write up something and PM it to you? Then you could add what you would like and you could post it or we could do back to back essays.

After our exchange it made me realize I better write it up while I can. Nothing too long a kinda land/people/culture snapshot from 50 years ago. It was a growing experience.

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

smiley7's picture

@Lookout

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Wink's picture

that most Repubs on the Sunday wonk shows speak with a strong southern accent? That southern Repubs are the ones making statements that end up as soundbytes on the Cable News Nets, 6:30 news? Did you get the sense over the last ten years or so, maybe since 9/11, that we're being ruled by southern idjits, ruled by the minority party? You're not alone.
Have you ever heard about the Johnny Rebs joining the Yankee patriots in fighting the British during the Revolutionary War? Didn't think so. Me neither. Oh, contrary, shortly after the war ended The South was making trade deals with the Empire. The British Empire.

Who "They" are
by Scott Crowder Who "They" are

Someone was asking this question on another diary. It was a question brought up in the 70’s to try to discredit the left back then and IMO it worked.

Well, nowadays we know exactly who “they” are and who they’ve always been. So I’ll let you younger folks in on it:

In the early 30’s Prescott Bush plotted a military coup to overthrow FDR. It never happened because the man they approached, Smedley Butler, blew the lid off the entire enterprise.

In 1933, Butler was approached by men representing a clique of multi-millionaire industrialists and bankers. They hated U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) with a passion, and saw his “New Deal” policies as the start of a communist take-over that threatened their interests. FDR even had the temerity to announce that the U.S. would stop using its military to interfere in Latin American affairs! Wall Street’s plutocrats were aghast! They had long been accustomed to wielding tremendous control over the government’s economic policies, including the use of U.S. forces to protect their precious foreign investments. Because of Butler’s steadfast military role in upholding U.S. business interests abroad, the plotters mistakenly thought they could recruit him to muster a “super-army” of veterans to use as pawns in their plan to subjugate or, if necessary, eliminate FDR.

Butler played along in order to determine who was behind the plot. He later testifying under oath before the MacCormack-Dickstein House Committee on un-American Activities. During that testimony Butler named those who were directly involved in the plot. He also identified an powerful organization that was behind the scenes coordinating and backing the plot. This organization, the American Liberty League, was comprised of some of America’s wealthiest bankers, financiers and corporate executives. (Click the American Liberty League link for details on the League’s main backers.)

Dig deeper and you find that a very large percentage of those people had KKK ties. These people then went on to form the CIA. This organization was never about counter intelligence. It was created from day one to be a rogue entity to use against the working class and the left.

The Deep State is an unholy alliance between the Deep South and banksters on Wall St.

[end quote]
More good stuff...

The point being, The South has Never been a friend of the North. Or, maybe more accurately, those that owned The South, the slave-owning plantation owners, Never have been a friend of the North, sided with the Tories and British in the Revolutionary War. And neither have been subsequent generations. It is a country to itself, and does everything it can to bork the federal government - a foreign government to them.
The North won the Civil War, and that should have ended it. But just a few years later gave everything back to the slave-owning plantation owners. And ever since, The South, having lost the war, has ruled this country; friends more with the Hitler Nazis than they are with the other 37 U.S. states.
In order to "get our country back" we need to send The South packing. Let them be The Confederacy they've always been. The Only way to get our country back is to lose The South. With a good riddance. The best of the South will eventually flee to the other 37 states.

So much to clean up before 2020, and these oligarch asshats have a good 20 year head start. At least.

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.