I get it. I really do. But every time I meekly comply and dutifully pay
income tax on my dwindling income even as I watch helplessly while the
quality of my life decreases, I feel guilty for not refusing to pay those
taxes as a demonstration of my horror at what our government is doing. I
want to obstruct. But I don't because I need to protect myself. So no one
blames me for this, but I feel complicit while my money pays for our cluster
bombs that are murdering all those poor Yemenis and Syrians and Palestinians
etc.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2016 8:06 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Attack on the Twin Towers
When a distraught female acquaintance of mine told her girl friends, "Men
are all the same. You can't trust any of them", I was not offended, nor did
I feel the need to defend myself or any of the one or two other men I know
who did not deserve to be included in her scorn. After all, she had just
been trashed by a man she had believed to be, "Mister Wonderful". But for
some strange reason I draw the line at being told that I'm part of a Greed
Driven, vicious, ruthless Empire, bent on controlling the entire planet, and
plundering whatever it chooses.
As I said before, I had no more choice in where I was born, than I had over
who my parents would be. And even though I have found myself much better
off, especially as a blind man, than I might have been had I been born in
any of dozens of less wealthy nations, I do not give credit to the Oligarchy
and its Greedy Ruling Class. Any prosperity on my part was not due to their
goodness. I do credit much of my good fortune to the collective power of a
working class that stood together in past years, fighting for better pay and
working conditions, demanding humane treatment of our elderly and disabled
members. But I also see the devastation brought about because of the
uncaring nature of a Ruling Class that is consumed by Greed. The very
program that I work in has been stripped to the bare bones, and is providing
less and less services to a growing population of elders. I see this same
Ruling Class sucking the marrow from the bones of working families that
struggle with health costs. I watch our children being driven into debt in
order to gain a worthless education.
Am I really expected to stand tall and sing the Star Spangled Banner and
Pledge Allegiance to a Flag that represents an Oligarchy owned and serving
uncontrolled Greed? I understand that others around the globe, those whose
lives have been torn apart by the constant and relentless bombings, do not
see me as anything but one more Ugly American. I cannot stop them from
striking out, blindly, at anyone living here in this God Fearing Land.
But I know who I am, and that is all that really matters...to me. And to
all of those who disagree with me, I say only this, know who you are and
whom you owe your allegiance to. What others think and say about you does
not matter.
Carl Jarvis
On 9/11/16, Alice Dampman Humel <alicedh@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I agree with Miriam.no matter how much any of us dislikes and protestsstill "we."
the actions of the US government, no matter how much any of us
distances him/herself from actions and positions we find repugnant, it's
And if you don't believe Miriam or me when we say so, think about howlike you here in the USSR?
an enemy would treat even the most outspoken protester among us if
he/she were captured or if the US were invaded by an enemy force that
blew through his/her city or neighborhood. It truly is shoot first and
ask questions later. Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, or Bill O'Reilly or
Rush Limbaugh, they're all the same to the "other side," whatever that
happens to be on any given day. And we, the US, ourselves have done
exactly the same thing.when the government decided to imprison all
Japanese in camps during WWII, they did not make exceptions for those
families who had sons, husbands, fathers, who were at that very moment
fighting in the US forces, defending the very country that was
imprisoning their families. So, like it or not, we're all part of the
we until someone decides to renounce his/her citizenship and leave the
country to find one whose citizenship he/she would find more palatable
and, I might add, a country who would accept his/her application for
citizenship or political asylum. How many starry eyed Communists tried
to move to the Soviet Union only to be told, we don't want rabble rousers
Donne said it best: no man is an island.
On Sep 11, 2016, at 8:29 AM, Frank Ventura
<frank.ventura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Yes, but we keep giving them more and more power due to some twisted
sense of idol worship or worse still cut off our nose to spite our
face portests.
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Roger ;
Loran Bailey
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2016 7:45 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Attack on the Twin Towers
Just because we may benefit from some concessions that the working
class has wrung out of the bourgeois state does not make us a part of
their system.
On 9/10/2016 4:12 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
Yes, well we can all disapprove of our government's policies. We can
disavow them. But at the same time, we all benefit, some of us more
than others, from being US citizens. One simple example, we have all
received services for the blind. The quality of those services may
vary greatly, just as our ability to use them varies in terms of our
individual situations. All of us on this list have computers, a
place to live, enough to eat. Those things might not be true if we
lived in India, Bahrain, or Kenya. In the same way that white
people don't want to admit that regardless of whether they want it,
they have white privilege. American leftists don't want to admit
that whether or not they approve of what our country does, they
benefit from living here.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Roger ;
Loran Bailey (Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2016 3:12 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Attack on the Twin Towers
I understand completely and I congratulate Carl because he has been
prone to using the word we when he should be saying they too. What
the U.S.
government does is what they do, not what we do. What the
imperialists do is what they do, not what we do. To constantly refer
to them as we shows an identification with the enemy and that is
exactly what the enemy wants you to do. It makes it easier to rule
over you and to exploit you if you think you are a part of what they
are doing.
On 9/10/2016 12:10 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
Carl,empire, except in your heart.
I'm not sure I understand. You are a US citizen. You pay taxes. You
vote.
It is the US government that has declared an unending war on terror.
It is the US government that has approximately 1,000 military posts
throughout the world. True, you're not wealthy and you have little
to no control over what your government does. But if you're a
citizen and the US has more military power than any other country,
why aren't you part of the empire? Maybe you're an unwilling part,
but the reality exists that as an American, you cannot dissociate
yourself from the
MiriamTennessee.
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl ;
Jarvis
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2016 11:34 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Attack on the Twin Towers
You'll find the information I've included at the end of this note
to be interesting if you are wanting to attend community college in
But first I wanted to suggest that it was not the policies of ourAmerican Empire.
Country in the Mid East that has brought about the violence and
hatred of America. It is the policies of the American Empire that
have done so. Speaking for myself, I do not consider myself to be
a member of the
I was born a citizen of the United States of America, into theconcerned, I am one of the hated Americans. .
Working Class, not the Oligarchy, which has ruled this nation since
the writing of the Declaration of Independence. As such, my
interests are not especially those of the Ruling Class. Nor do
they listen to me, or want my input into their affairs. The Ruling
Class can buy anything they wish, which is a very difficult thing
for the Working Class to do. Of course I understand that as far as
the World is
Carl Jarvisprograms.
And now for information about Pellissippi State:
Pellissippi State is a vital institution accustomed to
transformation and growth. Since its founding in 1974 as State
Technical Institute at Knoxville, the College has expanded the
teaching of technology, the use of technology in instruction, and
the transfer of technology to local business and industry in
support of regional economic development.
Having enrolled only 45 students in its first year of operation,
the institution experienced steady growth in the '70s, adding
business technology programs to its original core of engineering
technology
As community awareness grew, so did expectations. In 1988, theresidents of East Tennessee.
Tennessee Board of Regents approved the expansion of the technical
institute's mission to include college transfer programs.
This mission expansion was accompanied by a name change to
Pellissippi State Technical Community College, and enrollment grew
quickly. In 2009, the Legislature voted to shorten the name. The
institution is now known as Pellissippi State Community College.
The College continues to support and develop career-path
associate's degrees, associate's degrees for transfer,
certificates, and continuing education opportunities for the
citizens of Knox, Blount, and surrounding counties. Pellissippi
State offers credit courses to high school students as well. In
partnership with the community, the College sustains the effort
toward an ever-improving quality of life for
In fall 2012, 11,259 credit students were enrolled at Pellissippi
State, as well as thousands of non-credit students.
On 9/10/16, Martian.Lady <martian.lady@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi
Where was I when the attack on the Twin Towers happened? I was
doing my OJT at Palasippi, no idea how to spell it, couldn't find it"
State Community college which was just outside of Oak Ridge Tennessee.
That was a bit scary.
For the rest of this message, please don't come down on me with
all four feet.
yes the attack was a terrible thing to happen. Yes almost
3,000 innocent people were killed. After the attack, the world
supported us in this tragic event. We refused to take advantage
of this support, choosing to take our own course.
We, as a country, refuse to mourn the possible millions of
innocent people we have killed.
This is rambling because my mind is going slightly crazy. I
nee a cat to sooth me.
Marsha
