AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM

That phrase has been making the rounds quite a bit this week. And every time I hear those word energies I cringe. What American Exceptionalism are they talking about? It can’t be our ability to manufacture quality goods as we’ve shipped those jobs over sea’s.

It can’t be about “liberty and justice for all” because America has become a militarized police state, our prison system is the largest on the planet and a for profit business model with our judicial system having become loaded with conservative activist judges. 

Income inequality continues to grow at an exponential rate, with the hard working – if they can find a job – disappearing middle class citizens still losing their homes to corrupt “banksters.” All of this while not ONE high level “bankster” has been charged and/or sentenced for their economic crimes against Humanity. 

And what about the only business referenced in our Constitution – a free press? Not only has this administration legally challenged more reporters than all the other presidents combined, most of media organizations – whether print or television – are now owned by just 6 multinational corporations! As such, American’s worldview is contracting at an ever faster pace as they are relegated to “fluff” news like Miley Cyrus scandals or what Honey Boo Boo ate last night.

Last but not least is the concept of American Exceptionalism in regards to spreading the enlightening concept of Democracy as a fair and just government model. Since the end of WWII, we have invaded and installed more dictators than I can count. Through our “honorable” actions millions of men, women, and children have been killed, murdered, and deplaced. Dozens of countries endured long civil wars after our departure in the Middle East, Asia, and Central America in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s ….. 

Anyone remember Vietnam and our “patriotic” usage of napalm and agent orange??  Or that America assisted Saddam Hussein with gassing Iranians in the 80’s?  More recently, we’ve been kidnapping “presumed guilty” innocent people, taking them to “friendly” allied countries to be tortured and, in some cases, murdered. Currently our government “leaders” have the “audacity” to invade yet another nation because a few hundred children and others were supposedly “gassed” by their government.  

In a Washington Post op-ed piece today, Richard Cohen tried to make the case “that only the US can play cop”.   Since the fruit doesn’t fall too far from the tree I say maybe Israel can take that unwelcome mantle from us in light that they were proven to have used chemical weapons on innocents. Unfortunately for Spaceship Earth that’s been the problem over these many decades – we’ve been playing the role of the “bad” cop far too well.

As a nation we wonder why we are one of the most hated and reviled country on the planet. Makes me wonder if the reason Lady Liberty is blindfolded is because she’s ashamed at what our country has become.

FAMILY FIRST

Dear President Obama:

It is time for American’s, as a nation, to have a mature discussion in regards to our failed drug policies, in particular with Marijuana.  These policies have torn apart families and communities by imprisoning segments of our society, primarily males, many for minor drug offences.  By taking a more enlightened and common sense approach to America’s War on Drugs we can raise revenue, create jobs, and rebuild communities, one family at a time.

The past 40 years have proven that drug sentencing guidelines of imprisonment as a means to stop and prevent the illegal drug trade has not worked.  Instead of rehabilitation, as a nation we come in 1^st with the highest number of our citizenry being incarcerated because of these sentencing guidelines and drug policies. We currently have 2.5 million people in prison along with 5 million on probation. This is not only extremely costly in regards to budget deficits, but has lead to the disenfranchisement of many members of our communities who, once having served their time, can’t find jobs or vote.

Additionally, as a business model, the drug trade is following the basic law of supply and demand.  Because of this failed policy, we have become a nation of addicts, hooked on much more dangerous and lethal drugs such as meth, opiates, and heroin.  Such  drugs are finding their way to our borders with the blood of thousands of innocent women, children, and men on our hands. Not only on our own soil but more importantly those of our neighbors to the south, victims not just in Mexico, but Central and South America as well.   

The benefits of correcting our policy will be:

1.       Take away the incentive for profit and violence from criminal elements and put much needed revenue back into local, state, and federal coffers to the tune of 45-100 billion dollars.

2.       It will lower the prison population thereby saving some states as much as $45k to $60k per year per inmate.

3.       Those funds can instead be used to construct rehab centers for those inmates and others with difficult to treat dependencies for as little as $7000 per month.

4.        This in turn will create more jobs in construction, medical, clerical, and facility maintenance.  

5.       It will be regulated like alcohol with age restrictions, THC levels, and penalties for abuse. And many studies have shown that Marijuana is far safer than alcohol.*

History tends to repeat itself when we don’t learn from our moments of ignorance as in the case of Prohibition in the 20’s. Our failed Marijuana drug policy is one of those moments that can’t wait for another decade of broken families, communities, and diplomatic relations with our neighbors to the south and around the globe.

So are you with me on this common sense solution to our drug problems? If you legalize the smoke you have my vote!

"WAR OF CHOICE"

Dear President Obama:

Your “seeds of hate” speech at the Holocaust Museum was very apropos for the venue. Sadly, I doubt that those in attendance would subscribe those words to themselves or Israel.  As a nation Israel needs to collectively look in the mirror every once in a while and/or read their holy book more often before pointing lying fingers at others.  

Over 70 yrs ago Jews, as a people, experienced horrendous atrocities committed by their fellow man. But instead of that era being a difficult “lesson learned” moment, Israel perpetrates “similar” actions against all non-Jews in the Mideast region.  They routinely murder innocent women, children, and men for simply throwing stones or jail them, many in solitary confinement, including young kids, for minor indiscretions. Very much akin to the apartheid policies of South Africa decades ago.

Not being satisfied with the borders granted them by the UN in 1946, they have over the decades systematically and forcefully taken more territory away from the original inhabitants. By doing so they have created virtual ghetto zones by destroying homes, orchard groves, and power grids.

If that were not enough they routinely cordon off the Palestinian area’s to humanitarian aid of food, medicine, and building supplies then murdering those aid workers. Even more reprehensible is the way Israel deflects the world’s attention away from their egregious behavior by creating a fictitious boggie man – Iran – been doing that for decades. And, as always, America backs them up with weapons of mass destruction and money. Common sense tells me that’s the major reason why America is so disliked by the Muslim members of The Tribe.

Also keep in mind that Israel routinely steal US state secrets, murder Americans (USS Liberty) and others, meddle in US politics, and try to censor unflattering news in regards to their unsavory actions.

Most western nations and world leaders have awaken to the fact that a divided Palestine will never work as the area is too small and the animosities too great for there to be 2 nations.  All of which brings me to the “simple stupid” solution to peace in Palestine – one state, equal rights, and reparations back to 1967 for homes, businesses, and farm land taken from the original owners.  Additionally, Jerusalem would become its own City-State, ruled by the worlds 2 major and 1 minor religions – Christians, Muslims, and Jews – duly elected by the current residents of the city.  

Now some unenlightened types might suggest that the above is nothing more than a pipe dream, but with all due respect Sir you do have the ability to pull this off with ….. SANCTIONS! Just as you are currently using this tactic with Iran, and quite effectively I might add, use the same to cajole Israel into doing the honorable thing of making true peace with the neighbors and fellow countrymen!

By following the lead of other nations and the Methodist church for “all nations to prohibit the import of products made by companies in Israeli settlements on Palestinian land” amid other sanctions, I KNOW Spaceship Earth would finally see true peace in the Mideast and around the globe.

Please take that leap of faith before it’s too late. WW3.O SHOULD BE A NO GO! (and a no brainer)

NOBLE LIES NO LONGER APPLY

A long distant friend and I were catching up when she questioned whether my endeavors were worth the hardships I had to endure. She suggested I read a poem titled “The People” by Tommasso Campanella.

THE PEOPLE is a beast of muddy brain
That knows not its own strength, and therefore stands
Loaded with wood and stone; the powerless hands
Of a mere child guide it with bit and rein;

One kick would be enough to break the chain,
But the beast fears, and what the child demands
It does; nor its own terror understands,
Confused and stupefied by bugbears vain.

Most wonderful! With its own hand it ties
And gags itself—gives itself death and war
For pence doled out by kings from its own store.
Its own are all things between earth and heaven;

But this it knows not; and if one arise
To tell this truth, it kills him unforgiven.

 After perusing the words over several readings I finally understood its meaning that it doesn’t pay to be a Cassandra as it just gets you killed because Humanity wouldn’t know the Truth if it bit them on the ass.  But I beg to differ with my friend’s assessment of The Tribe as I call Humanity.  Ours is a time when Truth can, and IS seeing the light of day, due in large part because we are living in the age of the internet.  Information can be dispatched and disseminated with the click of a button or tweeted in nano seconds around the globe.

The Tribe is finally waking from its stupor of “muddy brains” and finding that when Truth is found we collectively change our reality at any given moment.  We now know that our words, thoughts, emotions, and more importantly, that our individual and collective actions DO have impact on society.

Members from all levels of society are breaking their "bits, reins and chains" that have held them down and are parting the veils of “the selfish interests of Kings, Nobles, and Priests” to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson.  By exercising our freewill and freedom of speech, members of The Tribe from the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street are taking back their inalienable rights.

Irving Kristol and his kind should take this “awakening” as a sign that their Noble Lies are falling on deaf ears so they better change their unseemly ways of greed and ignorance as these concepts are outdated . Just as The Tribe has, and will continue to evolve, so must they.  Wake up dudes, your clock has ticked its last stroke.

"There are different kinds of truths for different kinds of people. There are truths appropriate for children; truths that are appropriate for students; truths that are appropriate for educated adults; and truths that are appropriate for highly educated adults, and the notion that there should be one set of truths available to everyone is a modern democratic fallacy. It doesn't work.”

Yes it does!!

SHADES OF IGNORANCE

I would like to think that I’m a highly evolved human, both emotionally and spiritually mature enough to exam society at large in a balanced manner. Therefore I won’t call the Tea Party and GOP Neanderthals for their current worldview of divisiveness as this would be an insult to that previous branch of The Tribe. Nor will I attach the label of misanthropes for their misguided view of the sick, elderly, women, children of poverty or the gay warrior members of The Tribe.  And, being such a highly evolved woman of my time, never in a million, trillion years would I call them out as racist bigoted pigs. No No Never Never, (well maybe sure ok)* the void

But I will state, for their enlightenment and to save their souls from utter damnation, that they are absolutely CLUELESS in regards to their perceived perspective that they are the anointed and chosen majority of America! Not only are they a minority in this country but their narrow minded ideals alway have been relegated to a small segment of our society.

If they would just take off their opaque white colored glasses they’d find that America is made up of a far richer fabric of various shades of browns, blacks, tans, and yellow.  However, as this fabric ages it requires loving, tender hands and hearts to repair the damaged and worn sections that come with time and not to be considered a rag to be thrown in the trash.  But the most important part of this stunning tapestry called America that the Tea Party and GOP have forgotten is the universal motto “United we stand, divided we fall”.

In their current mind set the GOP think these words have no energy or have faded from The Tribes collective conscience but the rest of The Tribe holds this tapestry and the inscribed words in a different, brilliant, and aware light.  Time for the Tea Party and GOP to take off their shades of ignorance and share in the sacrifices to assist with the continued evolution of OUR great tapestry called America.

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty." George Washington

"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution." John Adams

NOTE: Both quotes found on Washingtonsblog.com