And you thought corporations and money held all the power.
For far too long in America we've been told that the rich are knowledgeable and powerful and our only hope is to try and imitate them in their capitalistic ways.
This came along with income inequality. To anyone who lived through the sixties...today's landscape is incomprehensible. The sixties philosophy was love your brother, today's philosophy is pee on your brother. Yes, Reagan legitimized greed and ever since people have gone for it. One of the worst examples is musicians. Musicians used to be considered artists, who spoke truth to power, who weren't in it for the money, but to make a statement. Turns out anybody with intellect today avoids the arts, because it's no better than a casino, and enters the business world, to our national cultural detriment. All we've got is money-grubbers, just the way the rich like it. Come on, the goal in music is to sell out! To get endorsement deals, to play privates... Standing up to these people? That's unfathomable, everybody wants to be these people, when the truth is you just can't make that kind of money in music, but you do have a lot of power, if you choose to exercise it.
In case Navalny is off your radar, he was a dissident poisoned by Putin who was treated in Germany, but then returned to Russia. Talk about balls! Americans are all about excuses...someone else did it, it's not my fault, let me off the hook. There's little personal responsibility. Everybody lies, everybody cheats, so why not me? Our values are screwed up. As for religious institutions... The preachers live lavish lifestyles and are caught breaking the law and in addition, these "believers" want to dominate choice as a result of their religion, and not only biologically. Betsy DeVos was all about religious schools. But where are the underlying values of the Bible that everybody says they read, that they quote all the time, turns out the religious too often hate instead of love.
And if you've got no money, you're seen as irrelevant. But this is patently wrong. Never underestimate the power of one.
This used to be the American spirit, its mantra, the rugged individual, the unrestrained cowboy who does it his way. You don't see that here anymore. As for those bubbling up online...they're all mercenaries, trying to sell, sell, sell...message is either nonexistent or vacant.
So, yesterday in court Navalny made his statement. The "New York Times" printed it in full in the Op-Ed pages, and you have to read it:
"Vladimir the Poisoner of Underpants - It's the duty of every person to defy you'": nyti.ms/2YJH6Ca
But since it's in the "New York Times," at least half the country won't read it, even though it's just Navalny's words, with no edits. Why does the right hate the "Times" so much? BECAUSE IT PRINTS THE TRUTH AND TRIES ITS HARDEST TO BE UNBIASED!
There, I said it. Is the "New York Times" flawed? Absolutely. But we're all flawed. Do you see Fox apologizing when it gets it wrong? No way! But the "Times" does this on a regular basis. And forget opinion, when it comes to the news there's no better outlet.
But the right doesn't want the truth. It's the right that has truly brainwashed its constituents, to vote against their own interests, to hate truth, to believe that Trump won the presidency.
Did you catch today's Fox story?
"Voting technology company Smartmatic files $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell over 'disinformation campaign'": cnn.it/2MqTogx
You won't find this story on Fox News, it doesn't appear, I just checked. The "Times" gets sued and prints it, but the "fair and balanced" (a term no longer used for obvious reasons) outlet does not.
Smartmatic is hitting them where it hurts, the pocket book. And Smartmatic's case is nearly lock tight. After all, when threatened Fox corrected its false news, but the message didn't get through and Smartmatic was hurt.
But Smartmatic is not only interested in compensation, it wants to make a point. This is how you fight in today's world, you get the enemy on the front page, you hash out the issues!
Now Putin's approval rating is at an all time low, it has shrunk from 36% to 20% in a year. And it appears the screw is now turning, that Putin is on the run:
"Aleksei Navalny Is Resisting Putin, and Winning - The opposition leader was sentenced to prison, but he has mobilized a vast movement that's not done growing": nyti.ms/3oJ2Rgc
This is not a big enough story in America. Because most people haven't been anywhere and don't care about the rest of the world, to their detriment. And Trump never criticized Putin, he lauded Putin!
To tell you the truth, I've been able to relax a bit, it's back to business as usual a bit, I'm not thinking about the news all the damn time. Biden and his team are competent and they're taking swift action in the right direction, he's trying to turn the ship around, even better than anybody could have hoped for.
First and foremost Biden has jettisoned the conciliatory policy of the Obama era. This is why I'm not 100% positive on St. Obama. Afraid of pissing someone off, Obama constantly tried to appease the right, which constantly stonewalled. Everybody knew it, but he kept on trying. Biden and his team are not doing this. They've got the votes, as Obama had for his first two years, and they're taking no prisoners. You don't play to un-American nincompoops who are trying to destroy this country.
Yes, pay attention, Republicans are trying right now to make voting harder. Like Trump said, if everybody votes the Republicans can't win.
But Biden is not enough. America needs to be remade.
Let's start with the election process itself, the ridiculous Electoral College. Or the Senate, where North Dakota gets as many seats as California. The right keeps clinging to the Constitution that the framers would even agree was and certainly is imperfect.
But we've got no one leading the charge. And we're constantly told to get inside the system if we want change, but sometimes the system itself needs to be changed. As for the Democrats...too many of its constituents are told to be quiet, that compromise is key, when they are starving and their economic opportunities are low.
We need Mr. Smith in Washington. But we haven't had that spirit here since 1969! Truly!
And while Navalny is fighting for freedom in Russia, Trump and his cronies are fighting for fascism in America. If that does not spin your head, I don't know what will. At this late date I still have people e-mailing me that the election was stolen, that Trump really won. And they quote discredited information, but in their bubble it's put forth as true!
But screw politics. There's a bigger issue at work here.
The power of one.
One person can make a difference, can move mountains, can change people's perceptions, can alter the course of history. But in America we've been taught we're powerless without money and connections when this is patently untrue! Never mind that if you don't have money you are not respected, never mind paid attention to.
But you must be telling the truth. You can't be compromised. And the powers-that-be do their best to silence you. Because you threaten them. Because business is based on relationships and illegalities and they don't want them exposed. THIS IS HOW THE RICH LIKE IT!
And they keep telling us how good it is.
And too many Americans are nitwits, who think that not having to work and living on a tropical island is happiness. IT'S NOT!
Ray Davies sang that unemployment was unenjoyment. We need a purpose, we need a personal higher calling, otherwise life is meaningless. All this veneration of partying... Sure, everybody likes to cut loose now and again, but every night? Do you know any of these people? I do. Their lives are scaringly empty, they hang with their brethren elite where life is about getting loaded and being ridiculous. I pity them.
But there cannot be unions because stockholder value is the greatest goal, and the company might not make as much.
It all comes down to values. And America is morally bankrupt.
You can make a difference. You truly can. And even if you don't want to lead, you can follow in the footsteps of those who do. Don't let anyone ever tell you you're powerless. They just want to keep you in line or have had their optimism eviscerated by too many defeats.
It comes down to message, not marketing. It comes down to credibility. It comes down to truth. These are not only the building blocks of society, they're the building blocks of art! Come on, try and find modern artists who tick all these boxes. They're few and far between. Meanwhile, the system, the agents, the studios, the labels, have a separate agenda, they just want to sell sell sell when sometimes you've got to say no, you've got to leave some money on the table.
Pay attention to Navalny. He's putting his life on the line, literally. He's standing up and making a difference. Where are these uncompromised people in America?
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