You're quite right, Miriam. Some time back I would get all hot and
bothered over some horrid wrong being committed, and I would sign the
petition. Then the numbers of desperate cries for help increased.
And the amazing thing was, changes were not happening.
Well, one change was occurring. The number of organizations claiming
to be Progressive, began overrunning my inbox And the numbers of
"Progressive" politicians came calling. "Just $3.00", they all cry.
Even my two moderate Democratic Senators send me what they claim are
updates, or alerts, which wind up being begging letters.
We used to support several charities on a monthly basis, but as our
costs increased and our contract money remained at the same low level,
we decided that "Charity begins at home", and we have cut back to
twice annual contributions.
But in all of that, the "real news" is being buried under the piles of
individuals vying for our attention and our dollars. Truth is as hard
to come by on the Left as it has been on the Right.
Where it all leaves me is right back where I was some 60 years ago.
Back then I hoped that the People of the World could live together in
Peace, respecting their differences, and accepting them as equals. I
believed back then that Education would solve our troubles. Today I
still work for Peace, but I have become less hopeful that it will come
about in my remaining years...or even those of our grandchildren. As
for Education, what is being taught to our children is not education
of the sort that will teach them to live together in Peace. It is
Conditioning. Teaching our children to become self-serving and to
believe that being Warriors is what gives them purpose.
While it is sad to have to admit that those long ago dreams are not
bearing fruit, still, we have a good life...the two of us, and we
continue to live by our standards. It is about all we can do. And
about the time I feel that my efforts have been ought for naught,
someone comes up to me at a bus stop and says, "You were my teacher at
the Center back in 1982, and I just want yoou to know how much I value
what you taught me". Or the phone rings, as it did just a couple of
days ago, and a sweet woman's voice softly says, "I was so lost until
you folks came to see me. Now I am full of hope that I can go back to
school and work full time again".
And that causes me to pause and think of those people who made such an
impression on my life. If each of us could be such a person, we
really could change the world.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/15/18, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Well, I must add something. I look at my inbox each morning and there are
these emails written in such a way that we will all be scared out of our
minds. Many of them are written by organizations which are theoretically on
our side, wanting to help all of us resist what the Republicans and Trump
are doing. They choose subject lines and pieces of information about laws
that may potentially be passed or partially passed, and they ask us to sign
petitions and send money on the basis of our terror, which they are
increasing by emphasizing what may occur. Somewhere in all that jumble of
facts and partial facts and guesses and scare tactics, there is some
information about what is actually being done, but not much concrete fact.
There are truly terrible things being done both in other countries and right
here. Much incredible damage has already been done to the social welfare
state we had, to our civil liberties, to our freedom of speech, to the
quality of the lives we live. While disasters are occurring, people keep
talking about how they are organizing, resisting, standing strong. They talk
about resilience. I listened to Max Blumenthal describe what Gaza is like
today. Nothing is getting better. Resistance isn't stopping what iss
happening, not there, not here. I am tired of denial and pretense. The only
people resisting war are members of Code Pink and they won't be successful.
No one lese cares. Everyone else is just trying to figure out how to get
through the day. The working class is working, two and three jobs a day.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 11:07 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Donald Trump, ethical putrescence
I'm not certain if I'm angry or frustrated by the insulting, patronizing
attitude of the Empire's Goons. On the other list I'm on, I've been charged
with dwelling in the past and being negative. While these charges are
untrue, there is value from studying the past history of ours, and other
civilizations. That is, of course, if our intention is to identify the
weaknesses and the strengths, and use this information to build a better
"mousetrap".
Although I was a young child during the build up and the war years in the
1940's, I later studied the use of the "Big Lie" approach to propaganda, as
it was practiced so successfully in Nazi Germany. Of course at the same
time I was kept in the dark concerning the growing sophistication of the
American Empire's Propaganda. After all, we were taught that we did not
color the truth. We did not censor the news. That was what the Communists
did.
Today, our American Empire has developed the world's most sophisticated
propaganda machine in history...if anyone cares to look back past yesterday.
All of the mass media is under the control of the American Corporate
Empire. The American People have been given fluff and nonsense in place of
thought provoking information.
Rescuing a kitten from a tree is nice to see, but in place of viewing the
death from our drones? Are the latest Tweets from Donald Trump honestly
more important than the destruction being dumped on the Middle East, in the
name of keeping America safe from Terror? Donald Trump, like the Pied Piper
of Hamlin, has tweeted and tootled us down his own yellow brick road, to a
Land of Never Was. "I will return America to her former Glory"! "I will
make America truly the most powerful nation on Earth"! And while we shiver
and thrill to these platitudes, Donald Trump's silliness distracts us from
the plundering that is, at this very moment, taking place. And he is
setting in place the judges and officials who will continue to promote this
plundering for many years to come.
Barack Obama set the tone early on when he refused to look back into the
illegal actions, the treason committed by the former administration. His
posture was to Protect the Establishment, not to allow it to be weakened by
exposing its corruption. So Barack Obama quietly lied to us and sold the
American People out. With "Leaders"
such as Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon,
Johnson, Kennedy, and Truman, all protecting the growing American Corporate
Empire, the Old-Line Oligarchy, the Ruling Class. At the expense of the
Working Class.
An old friend of mine, long dead now, but in his day one of the wealthiest
men in Washington State, told me, "Never use your own money when you can use
someone elses." And that is exactly how Donald Trump built whatever sham
personal empire he claims. And that is exactly the approach used by his
Cabinet of Robber Barons.
Still, history does demonstrate that for every Dark Periods, there comes the
Enlightenment. And I still have confidence in the Working Class, the folks
next door, all of us, to build a far superior form of government.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/14/18, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Richard,
Yes, because I an angry. Whether or not people understand what is
being done to them or believe the facts, we, the people, are being
used as tools by the wealthy and powerful to achieve their ends which
are more wealth and more power and the fact is that whether they are
sophisticated, educated, socially liberal Democrats or right wing,
viscious, racist, Republicans, we are being destroyed as public
services, social programs, financial security, and our environment are
all being destroyed. I'm glad that I don't have any grandchildren. I worry
for the children I'm leaving behind.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of R. E.
Driscoll Sr
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 3:01 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Donald Trump, ethical putrescence
Miriam:
Pretty strong condemnation.
Richard
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 14, 2018, at 7:30 AM, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Trump has shown the rest of the world what America is really like and
yes, he's a horrible person. But American foreign policy under Obama
was horrible, just better hidden. Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of
State, did terrible things. The fact is, neither she nor Obama are
insane. They are educated and sophisticated and slick. They aren't
white racists. Clinton's greed is well hidden, her business deals
more subtle than Trump's. The people in the Obama administration were
highly skilled professionals. The people in Trump's administration
are not. And trump's mental illness plus the far right wing which
supports him are more dangerous.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Hachey
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 8:48 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Donald Trump, ethical putrescence
Hi Carl and all,
Accuse me of Trump derangement syndrome if you like. Anything bad
that happens to Donald J. Trump is good for America so long as he
holds public office. This Charlatan has made himself rich and gained
the presidency by snookering and ripping off all kinds of Americans
from business owners to those in his employ to those he snookered
into voting for him by outright falsehood. Granted that HrC was not a
good choice either on election day, but Trump is spewing a harsh
brand of hate that could bring America to its knees. Perhaps it is
that America deserves to be brought low as punishment for electing this
bastard.
I don't see how members of the secret service can protect this
bastard and maintain a good conscience.
Bob Hachey
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl
Jarvis
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2018 1:08 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Donald Trump, ethical putrescence
Greetings Bob,
You wrote, "Common Americans are quite satisfied with Trump's
smuttily vernacular rhetoric."
First, I had to pause and choke down my incredulity over those words.
You see Bob, I am one of those "Common Americans", a member of the
American Working Class.
I agree with very little that comes from the lips of Donald Trump.
He serves as President of the American Corporate Empire(ACE) and is
committed to destroying what little there remains of a democracy in this
nation.
I am an advocate for specificity. Generalizations usually do more
harm than good.
But more to the point, Donald Trump is a Celebrity President. Like
Ronald Reagan, only not as slick, he has been selected by the
American Corporate Empire to represent their interests. It is the
ACE that does not censor Donald Trump's crude comments. It is to
their benefit to have our attention focused on the Rambo style of
Donald Trump, in order that they have a clear road to the pillaging
and plundering of what remains as the property of the American
People. The public schools, the parks and National Forests and
Monuments, the Post Office, etc. The Billionaire Vultures appointed
by Donald Trump, to serve in his Cabinet and on federal courts,
feverishly go forward as we look on at the desecration, helpless to stop
it without an open revolution.
There is an old saying, "The Worm Turns"**. Most surely that day is
coming. But we need to organize a better People's Government for the
day when the Empire comes apart. This will not happen as long as we
are focused on the silliness of Donald Trump.
**THE WORM TURNS – “Someone previously downtrodden gets his revenge;
an unfavorable situation is reversed. The saying represents an
evolution of the old proverb, 'Tread on a worm and it will turn.'
Carl Jarvis
On 2/11/18, Bob <ebob824@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Donald Trump appalled the world with his unparalleled competency to
diss anyone. Before his hideously presidential term, he shamelessly
affronted major rivals with the smuttiest expressions you could ever
hear. At this point, I must ask southern evangelists, what are you
backing this hellion for? Is his repellant disposal somewhat
justified in your polemically theological convention? To those who
fend for Trump's disgraceful palaver, your adequacy to represent
genuine religiousness is intemperately oppugned.
We wholly recall what he viciously uttered, raptly denigrated
African nations, Haiti and El Salvador with enormous impertinence
during what was suppose to be a formal meeting on eh, immigration.
He absurdly triggered storm of mass outrage with his intolerably
derogatory remarks. This isn't particularly the prob. It is rather,
his unbearable inselence is vastly endorsed by lay evangelists and
their unconsciously disinformed assimilators. Common Americans are
quite satisfied with Trump's smuttily vernacular rhetoric. What are
we to commend or repudiate about Washington's capitol and its
proclaimed version of ultimate paragon? These people are ruthlessly
approving carpet bombing to extensively secure their corporal
establishment.
They have no actual adherence to excellence. They walk wherever it
leads to attaining their private interest. Thence, I do not expect
them to ever treat me properly. I rather expect them to be broadly
duplicitous, corrupt and counterfeit. I decline to collaborate with
plain hypocrites. I wrote this piece just before I head over to work.
Everyday forward, the genuine portrait of Americanism unveils its
very actual figure to the world. As time goes on, the situation
become more problematic to them. In virtually every perspective,
Americanism is disrespected and vastly blackguarded across the
global sphere. We aren't threatened with instilling fear. Funding
and promoting terror is indeed their primal career.
Bob
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