Oh, It's That Time Of Year Again......

The government shut down scare is almost more regular than the arrival of Santa Claus. It is a sad state of affairs when society accepts as the status quo elected officials whom year after year fail to do their job, yet increase their own salaries and benefits. The 27th Amendment insures that even during a government shut down that will shut down absolutely vital areas of government, Congress will still receive their compensation. Should it be an accepted defense for criminals that it was the victims' fault for having nicer things or more money or driving nice car or some other absurd rational for committing thief, larceny or robbery. Politicians use much more ridiculous excuses everyday for not doing their jobs and thus robbing the American public of their hard earned tax dollars. If politicians put half as much effort into doing their jobs as they do into spinning the excuses for failing at their jobs we would have the most prosperous country in the world, with the best education system and fastest growing economy ensuring the best quality of life for ALL members of society.
The politicians should change how they determine the value of the bills that they pass. They have incredible salary and benefits packages with high quality pension and healthcare. When Obamacare was first proposed in its mostly current form, to prove a point, a republican senator proposed a bill that would require ALL members of congress to use the Obamacare for their own healthcare. It was totally voted DOWN! But the American public is accepting Obamacare as a wonderful improvement even though those that wrote the provisions will not use them themselves. And the public accepts this as if it is worthy of the public.
This shows just how much respect and dignity has been lost in society as a whole in the last 50 or so years. We do not treat others with dignity or respect and we accept that others do not treat us with dignity or respect. We do not want to work honestly for anything, we believe that we are entitled to the best of material things and think that those material things make us better. We do not know the difference between character and reputation, nor between honor and rhetoric. We place more value in what is said than in what is done. We do not accept responsibilities for our actions and we do not place responsibility on the individual for their actions instead we blame "things" like the weapons they used or the movies they watched or the games they played, why not the news they watch???? At least in the video games if you screw up your virtual character dies. Oh sure you will respawn or can just restart your level, but you will have to play the map all over again or at least from your last check-point. And that much is more answering for actions than elected officials face in this country.

Who the US Government Really Supports In the Middle East......

So as can be my normal state of thinking.....I was catching up on the news the other day and saw the Human Rights Report on Bahrain and the thought came to my mind...doesn't a vast majority of the most extreme and radical and violent of Islamic Terror Groups seem to have a commonality that should make us take notice. What is that commonality? They are sub-sects of Sunni Islam. The groups that I am including in the afore mentioned group include by are not limited to the Taliban, Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda, Barelvi, ISIM, Al-Nursa Front, Wahhabi, Deobandis, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the list goes on and on. On its own this may not be an ah-ha moment, but when you look at the countries, whose populations are mostly Muslim, that are our allies in the Middle East and Central Asia you see that they also ruled by royal families or 'elected' leaders that in majority are conscripts of, yes, Sunni Islam. Now you can have your ah-ha moment; however, if you still are missing the point let's continue.
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal, they received diplomatic recognition from only three states; Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. All of which are our allies. Yes, that diplomatic recognition was revoked, but it still existed and the ruling families of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are still in power. Further more, this year the Taliban opened “offices” in Qutar, another of our allies, and this office is recognized internationally as it was to be the location for talks between the Taliban and the current government of Afghanistan.
The Saudi Royal Family are followers of a Sunni Islamic sect and have supported with money, arms and other resources the insurrection in Syria. On the other hand, the Syrian government, specifically, Al-Bashar and his family are not followers of any Sunni sect, but are in fact Alevites which ascribe more to the Shia Islamic traditions. The Saudi regime does not allow internal criticism of its policies or practices. As is the case with most Islamic States.
The Al Khalifa ruling family of Bahrain and its supporting tribes adhere to the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence, spread by the Uyunid dynasty and is of Sunni foundations. Returning to the origin of this article, Bahrain has been sited in the HR report as detaining and torturing children for participating in the protests in that country. The country has seen protests for months now, yet they are very heavily oppressed by the authorities and most foreign press that attempts to cover the story either receives no support from their main stream media employers or they are strictly limited in their movement within the country itself by the authorities, for of all things safety concerns.
Turkey's ruling party is Sunni and their government has been criticized repeatedly for their handling of journalists that report negatively about government actions and affairs. In addition, the Turkish government was also very heavy handed in their handling of protesters this spring and summer. Protests that were rarely even mentioned, must less covered in our media outlets. Turkey has also quietly, to the outside world been invoking stricter laws moving the country from a secular state of example, to a more typical Islamic State of the area. Ironic, considering that most ethnic Turks, do not consider themselves Arab and therefore not in close alignment of those whom do. 
There is a complete lack of understanding within American society to understand several very relevant factors; first, not all Muslims are the same, second, Islamic factions tend to be much more separate from each other than we are used to with christian denominations, third, religious ideology impacts more directly on political and social aspects of life. Why is it necessary to understand these differences? Cause the US government and her allies are using societal ignorance as a basis for imposing the wishes and desires of the same allies in the region. The result is that legitimate governments are being replaced by governments that are more in line with the goals and stances of the US and her Middle East allies. As a footnote, Iran and Hamas follow Shia' Islam. 
In addition to the fact that we are stepping in the internal affairs of other nations to effect regime change to suit our allies, we are also supporting governments that oppress their own people. And by doing so we are also supporting our own professed enemies to accommodate our hard line allies. 
And we have the nerve to call those who speak against our actions, evil and oppressive. Sen. McCain not only supports stepping in in Syria, he met with Syrian rebels, was pictured with known terrorists and murders, yet calls Mr. Putin a hypocrite. Then canidate Obama criticised President Bush for being a war monger and running a hawkish, secretive government. However, as President, Obama has continued the war in Afghanistan, intervened in Libya, oppressed and prosecuted whistle-blowers, continued the Patriot Act and FISA even expanding their reach and drone attacks have substantially increased in Pakistan, Yemen and other countries where our "enemies" are located without regard for the loss of civilians on the ground. President Obama's administration now with a heavy handedness has judged and convicted the Syrian government even before there was any independent support of attacks even happening and completely disregarding previous reports that would contradict their agenda of stepping in in Syria.

Navy Yard Shooting Exposes Real Government Failing

What happened yesterday at the Naval Yard, should not be reason for more control. It should be an argument for the fact that had military personnel, which are properly trained in the handling of firearms would have been armed they would have been in a position to prevent the event or severely limit the amount of damage that was done. Why were these military personnel not armed on a military installation? The answer is that then President Clinton issued an Executive Order that prohibited the carrying of firearms by trained military personnel on military installations. With this decision there is NO common sense allowed to react to events. Think about this; logically if you are one person with even a couple of firearms and even of questionable mental capacity, you would think twice about walking into any area where most or all others are not only armed but are also well trained and experienced with defending themselves and others.
However, there is absolutely NO logical or rational justification for Clinton's Executive Order, it was all "Political Correctness" to make military installations less intimidating and to have them appear more like regular government facilities instead of the home of our defense and security for our nation as a whole.This "Political Correctness" movement has completely and totally destroyed the forward progress of not only the Civil Rights Movement but other progressive seeking societal forward steps as well. The government uses political correctness as a way to point out our differences and create false fears based on the differences and to convince us that we see only the differences and not our similarities. It is a simple divide and conquer tactic to keep the whole public distracted so that there is no real effort to keep the government in check. The only way to keep any government honest and in the service of the society is for the society to insist through constant vigilance of and participation with the actions of the government and those elected officials that are to serve us.
The responsibility of citizens of the society are not limited to showing up to the election booth on election days. It the responsibility of citizens to be engaged and informed and knowledgeable of all actions of the government that affect them. You cannot keep your proverbial head in the sand and then wonder how the country fell apart. Complacency is the greatest aid to corruption and misuse of power and the usurping of the leaders for perverse ends. That puts the prevention and the solution solely and completely in the hands of the society.
Expecting the corrupt leaders to end corruption and reform the system or to work for unity over division is akin to expecting the criminals to guard the prisons or the drug addicts to man the pharmacy. Rarely do those individuals that have benefited greatly from their immoral or illegal acts suddenly become honorable and clean up their own disasters.

Don't Do It Syria.......

I do not think that Syria should give up one weapon of any kind. Giving up a weapon is akin to giving up sovereignty. No country should give up one percent of its sovereignty that limits their independence and weakens their stance on the global playing field. The idea that the "world" is still supporting the 'rebels' in Syria against the government is totally and completely absurd and shows that the world population is not only ignorant to the repercussions of such actions but is guilty of destroying a sovereign nation by complacency.
If you look at the time line of events you see a completely contradictory version that what the US and allies is stating publicly and is being supported by all major media outlets in the west. There were supposed to be talks long ago to reach a diplomatic solution to the situation; the Syrian government agreed to these talks, it was the "rebels" that rejected attending these talks. It was Syrian "rebels" were found with chemical weapons in their possession in Turkey in May. It is the "rebels" that are killing Christians. It is the "rebels" that are supported by and members of groups that the western powers have labeled as "terrorists" and while we are screaming the need to support these "rebels" in Syria, they are the same combatants that the soldiers are fighting in other places.
How is this even possible? Cause the public is too consumed about their own petty little issues to pay any attention to real issues that are destroying our world and numerous societies around the world. The media is pitching the propaganda of the politicians and not doing their job of informing the public of truth and facts. Masses are too busy consuming products instead of valuing life and lives. Public education teaches conformity and repetition, not thinking and inquiring.
We claim that we are evolved and civilized and tolerant and peaceful more so than anytime in history. But we identify people by how they are different than us, we focus on the division betwixt groups, we encourage labeling and naming. This is not evolution or civilized behavior. The fundamental flaw with our tolerant attitude is that the definition of tolerance informs that there is an existing hatred or dislike. These are ALL illusions. There is no truth in this evolution. There is no civilization in hate. There will be no peace until their is a complete and total revolution. 

Euro Illusion.....

The EU is stating that Greece will need another bailout; this would be the third one for the country since its fall into the Euro Economic Chasm. If the amount of debt that Greece has occurred were limited to its current total of 350 Billion Euros it would take Greece about 175 years to climb out of debt. Of course, this would only be possible if not only does Greece not incur one more Euro of debt but also actually creates from today a sustainable national income that includes a surplus of an average of 3 Billion Euros per annum. These figures are simple and basic, they do not include interest or penalties or fees or other charges; but the simple numbers are enough to show the real horror that is the Euro Zone.
This is just another example of the EU not being the best thing in Europe. It is another argument against the Euro Zone and the EU in general. The EU was a very clever shift from military to political and economic dominance of smaller and weaker countries within the continent. This can be seen from Hungry to Cyprus, and Greece to Portugal. What the 'big boys' did not think about was how much it would cost them to have such dominance.
They are dragging their own economies down with them. Of course in reality most of the economies of the world are not real economies. These economies are illusions based on credit, which is based on debt. This means that all the "wealth" does not actually exist. The reserves are printing money that is backed by the debt of the public and the governments in banks that are listing profits that are based on the future payments of the same debts.
To put this in simple terms for the visualisation of this set up look at the following example. In previous centuries, prior to the 20th, governments were expected to have gold bullion to back up their economies and banks were limited in the amount of their deposits that they could lend out. This restriction was to protect the customers, insuring that the banks would always have sufficient funds on hand to be able to meet the majority demands of the depositors. With the removal of the gold bullion backing of government, the money of almost all countries is literally not worth the cost and supplies of printing it, or simply put...not worth the paper it is printed on. As for the banks, they are now allowed to use a majority of their deposits for loans. In this set up if even a small percentage, as little as 10% in some cases, of depositors were to seek to remove their deposits it would destabilize the enterprise and have a ripple effect on the local economy, thus creating waves in the larger economy.
There are now calls for the removal of the Euro and for countries to go back to their original currencies. The reasoning for this is that there are not true standards that encompass all of the members of the Euro Zone, Cyprus isn't as stable as France and Germany is more solvent than Spain and most of the little countries are drowning. The ironic thing is that little and not so little countries are still standing in line to jump off the cliff into EU purgatory.

We Made The Red Line So It Could Be Crossed.........

Early in the midst of the Syrian conflict, when asked about the US getting involved, the government officially stated that the "use of chemical weapons" would be a game changer. If you think about that comment, that is a really interesting "Red Line". There was no mention of the things that usually occur in these situations, like the death of innocent civilians, the violation of human rights, or the standing down by the military leaders instead of carrying out immoral acts; chemical weapon use was not a red line in Libya or Egypt or anywhere else in recent history. Yet, for Syria it is the "game changer".  This should have raised a Red Flag about intentions already in place behind closed doors of Western governments.
For those of you with short term memory, but long term memory loss, let me remind you of one of the possible scenarios for the WMDs that were not found in Iraq after the invasion; there were reports that since Iraq and Syria were allies, both ruled by members of each country's Bath party, that Hussein's people moved supplies of WMDs across the border into Syria, it was also suggested that the final destination of these weapons was Russia. I think we can consider these reports to be the prologue for now. No, I am not specifically saying that today's troubles were planned 10 years ago, however, I think it was one of those moves to be banked and saved for a future rainy day.
Hence, the current paradigm where suddenly we have a "Red Line" "Game Changer" in the form of chemical weapons attack. Interesting little fact that was not well reported in May, at least not in western media, was the confiscation of sarin gas in Turkey, in the possession of Syrian rebels, whom were members of Al-Nursa Front. Yet, western main stream media not only ignored this event, they have implied again and again that the rebels would have NO WAY of acquiring chemical weapons; therefore, the only party that could use such devices would be the Syrian government. It has been ignored and forgotten that when the first "chemical weapons attacks" occurred earlier this year, it was the Syrian government that invited the UN Investigators in to document the source and perpetrators of the crime. And lets not forget that one of the foremost UN Investigators stated that the evidence suggested it was indeed the rebels whom probably used the chemical weapons and not the Syrian government. Fast forward to the latest attack last week, the powers at be that want an escalation have gotten their wish. Therefore, even in light of previous information Sec. John Kerry in his public statement yesterday basically acted as judge and jury against the Syrian government; as well as, daring anyone that would question the US government's charges to be without logic, intelligence or common sense, not to mention a complete lack of heart and or moral compass. As Sec. Kerry continued, the obvious reasoning was that ONLY the Syrian government would be so cruel as to kill women and children; yes, there has never been a report of extremist militants or suicide bombers ever killing innocent civilians or women or children. Nor has there ever been one side in history that has ever committed a little evil for the greater good of their cause. In this case, rebels actually could have committed the chemical attack in an area that was both close to Syrian government control, as well as, close enough to the operations of Doctors Without Borders, as to have 'innocent 3rd party' confirmation of the attack on civilians by the government.
Currently, the US, UK and France are chest-thumping and posturing for military intervention in Syria after a "blatant chemical attacked carried out by the Al-Assad regime"; without any real proof and widely varied reports as to just how many "innocent civilians" were killed or injured. Some outside reports state that "dozens" were killed while various "rebel" groups put the numbers in the hundreds to even over 1000. And the fact that UN Inspectors were delayed getting into the area, by the government, even though the area was controlled by the rebels, supposedly  further implies the absolute guilt of the government. On the other side of that coin, all of the western powers that are making all the accusations are in very close contact with the rebels, yet there was no effort or act on the side of the rebels to step forward and offer protection for the UN Inspectors or agreement to clear the area making it safe for their investigation. This speaks of the same type of violent and destructive "cover-up" of evidence that would prevent the showing of a truth that cannot see the light of day in the near future, as we have seen before. This same awful cover-up took place in Iraq with the mass looting that was not prevented after the initial fall of the regime there. People think it was a callus approach by the US Army or just disorganization, but neither is true; it was the methodical destruction of paper and other evidence that would have shown that several European governments ignored the UN mandates and still conducted, not just business with the Iraq government, but military and highly specialized scientific and technological endeavors. 
In addition to the afore mentioned propaganda for military intervention, Sen. McCain and Graham released a joint statement supporting military intervention. McCain was also noted as stating that this was Obama's fault by not doing anything after the first "chemical attacks". The actions by McCain, as well as his remarks, show that his position and moral compass has changed greatly in the past decades. It is greatly disturbing that our leadership with such experience as McCain would be so naive about whom he is wanting the US to get in bed with as well as, whom he thinks are viable bodies for the US to back and support in the conflict. Sen. Graham's hard line stance against Syria is no surprise at all. Graham's position has always been to attack any opposition to the US. His actions and remarks have always been harsh and without any regard for any descent of American policy. Distracting the American public with an escalation of the Syrian conflict will take the heat off the politicians and the President for not accomplishing their Constitutional duties, like reaching an agreement on a budget, resolving economic and internal issues and improving the quality of life for the majority of the American public.
It is a shame that the Syrian country and people have to be the sacrifice for Western politicians that are not taking care of issues at home.

2 years after in Libya.......

So, two years ago, NATO stepped in to help the rebels over throw the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi. Yet, with the removal of Gaddafi's regime an immense power vacuum in the country has opened up that no one seems to be able to fill. The result is that militias and war lords now run areas of the country, a lot of whom are extremists and affiliated very closely with, of all groups, Al Queda. Of course, it is pretty common knowledge that all the Islamic extremist groups are affiliated and work together when the need arises even if they do not share identical ideologies. Not only does the US government have basically NO presence in Libya to help stabilize the situation and ensure a transition to a fair and legal government; there is some question as to if they did not intentionally, at least, endanger embassy and security personnel or at most, sacrifice them for some convoluted reasons. At the same time we are still waging a war on terror.
Just what is the US government and its allies doing to combat terror globally? They have waged a driven and extremely motivated war on journalists, whistle-blowers and the law abiding citizens of countries all over the world. They have done very little to truly limit the growth of extremism, Islamic or otherwise. The public statements from agencies of the US government would have you believe that their methods have prevented and or interrupted some 20 plus terrorist operations that would have inflicted injury on US targets. However, there is some dispute about the honesty and accuracy of these numbers; some media sources have stated that at least 17 of these successful interventions were actually created by the US government. That agents of our law enforcement and security agencies have in fact sought out "susceptible or easily manipulated" individuals, befriended them, coached them and encouraged them to carry out acts of terror against the US; then arrested them for terrorism or various other crimes. These actions by our law enforcement and others while may not be illegal is certainly immoral. And the implications of their actions should concern ALL citizens of any country of the "free world". 
And now we are speaking of military intervention in Syria. How? By supporting the very groups that have been labeled as terrorists. The fact that the governments of the US, UK and France while they are violating the rights, privacy and trust of their own citizens now are openly stating that they will support, arm, aid, and even ally with terrorist enemies. Yet, not one leader of those governments will come under investigation or be charged with treason, even though they are openly and publicly committing treason on each news broadcast. 
When will it be enough for the public to have had enough? When will it matter enough for the public to get mad? When will it be enough for the public to realize that the government no longer does it job? When will it impact the public enough to fight back? Unfortunately, the answer seems to be, when it is too late.

Violence for FUN..........

In the last week horrendous random violent crimes have made the news, one in which the suspects have stated that they shot a man "for fun" cause "they were bored." It is the second part of the quote that I find the most telling. It is not a good thing for humans to be idle or bored. We are a curious and adventurous creature. We need to be challenged and encouraged to grow and develop. The acts of violence for reasons of "fun," "boredom," "just to see how it feels" are symptoms of a much more fatal issue within our society. 
In stead of spending real time with our children and nurturing them in healthy and proper ways we are so consumed by our image to people who could care less about us that we pawn them off to family members or day cares or preschools so that we can make more money to buy more things. To show how much we 'love' our children we buy bigger houses so that there is enough room that we do not have to spend time together in the same room, we buy bigger cars so our children have their own speakers and video screens to keep them quiet while we run them from one event/activity to another for someone else to teach them, coach them, lead them; we buy them "things" so they can have the coolest toys or the latest phone or the newest fashions. We push our kids to do what will reflect best on us, to go to the schools that we think are right, to have the 'dreams' that we think are worthy, to get the 'right' job, to have right images presented to the rest of the world that reflect well on them and us. We do not brag about our children being honest or compassionate or honorable; instead we brag about the things they have and their job titles, whether they are any good at their job or not, it is the title that matters.
We have totally forgotten the nature of the child. We have totally forgotten what is true and real. We have totally lost our way. The child is not here for us, we are here for the child. The child is not for our benefit, we are for the benefit of the child. The child is not our fodder for our own greed and desire, we are here to feed the child's needs and desires. 
We have lost our focus as a society and that is our downfall, yet we seem too blind and too deaf to see our own peril. We are allowing our children to be sacrificed to the greed and oppression of immorality. We are limiting our own happiness and evolution. We are in fact willingly providing more 'livestock' for the benefit of the greed of the powerful. 
We should instead be spending time with our children and encouraging them to explore and experience all things of interest to them. We should allow them to develop their own talents and desires. We should encourage them to dream and help them chase their dreams. We should teach them what real happiness is. Of course to be able to do that we have to learn ourselves what real happiness is. We have to realize that real happiness is not things it is time, it is not image it is heart, it is not money it is affection.
Our rise in violence is based on how hollow we have become as humans in our material world. If we really want to decrease our violence then we cannot blame things or place laws on things, we have to look inside ourselves. We have to ask, do I know my child, do I know the child next door, do I know the child down the street. What do I give to my community, what do I give to my family, what do I give to my friends, what do I give to strangers. The answer to these questions should be pieces of ourselves and not money or things.
 

Is Real Journalism Gone......

No wonder it is so easy for the powers that be to keep the masses in the dark or so divided as to be of no threat. This weekend Michael Grundwald,  'respected' reporter for Time tweeted that he "can't wait" for the drone attack on Julian Assange. The fact that someone whom claims to be a protector of the interests of society and watcher of government and big business would be so callus about the life of another watchman, gives great pause about the motives as well as the integrity of our press. This latest tit for tat also makes you understand how little lasting the inquiry into the death of Michael Hastings a watchman of renown was, at least among some circles. This blatant disregard for the dissemination of various points of view, even if you disagree with them goes against the basis for a free press and honest journalism. When our faith in the integrity of journalists becomes suspect those with evil intention have the belief of safe quarter.
It is bad enough that we have the Obama administration either intimidating, dictating or straight up violating the rights of journalists and media outlets by ease dropping or other collecting of the communications of journalists working on pieces; now the British government is forcing British media outlets to destroy information under threat of being shut down. Is there anything more oppressive than the recent actions of the governments of the "free world."  The irony is that Turkey is not allowed to join the EU......WHY.....for its stifling of their press!!!! One word comes to mind Hypocrisy. This is typical behavior by the big boys.
One set of rules for them and one for everyone else. This is why the 2nd and 3rd world countries so easily hate the industrialized nations. In this instant, how can the EU and US criticize any other country for its treatment of whistle-blowers or journalists. Most countries that limit free speech and free press have great arguments for justifying their censorship. The arguments range from National Security to security of society or keeping the peace. Oh wait, those are the arguments used in Europe and US. The lines between "free" countries and tyrannical regimes are becoming blurred in to oblivion. In the near future there will be no difference other than the names of the countries. And that will be the greatest travesty.
The saddest part of this movement of oppression is how similar it is to the rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany, except that this time around the evil is not limited to just one country but will encompass the whole globe. And the masses will have NO ONE to blame but themselves. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. The masses seem totally complacent in the events that will further enslave them to illusions of freedom and evolution. There is nothing free or evolved about the actions of our current governments. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that the powers at be do not want want citizens that think and question and act. The only want citizens that comply. That is not what human nature is based on.
The solution rests solely in the hands of the masses, you cannot sit on the sidelines and expect the corrupt and greedy to change themselves. Matter of fact real change, true change can only come from the inside, which means that we have to change ourselves. We have to open our eyes. We have to open our ears. We have to listen. We have to watch. We have to think. Then most importantly we have to ACT.

Hungary Has Seen The Light!!!!

So over the weekend the news reported that Hungary, having repaid their debt, wants the IMF out of Budapest. There are also rumblings about the possibility that they will hold a referendum on whether to exit the EU. I cannot adequately express my admiration for the enlightenment of the government of Hungary with regard to the EU. It is totally and completely refreshing to see a country decide to take back their independence from the regional overlords, Germany and France. Once again, I state it is the best choice by far to exit the EU. One need only look at the current situations in Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal and others to see that the EU is not the best viable option for economic advancement of member nations.
We have created a House of Cards Economy and the cards are ready to fall. We no longer have bullion supported nations; instead we have debt based international conglomerates that are pushing humanity to the brink with their greed for money and power. The ironic thing is that both are illusions of their own creation. Shifting numbers from one column to another on a ledger sheet does not create wealth that wasn't there to begin with. The Boards of these financial institutions have been their own tailors creating their own Emperor Clothes. 
Where the well deserved irony will come into play will be when the house of cards actually falls. Those rich and powerful men in their designer suits and over-priced sports cars, with trophy wives and designer kids will have absolutely no ability to survive in the chaos that they will ignite. It will be the little man, whom was the stepping stones for the tyrants that will adapt and prosper. The little man whom knows hunger and the difference between want and need. The little man whom knows cold and the difference between a friend and someone to use. The little man whom knows hard labor and the difference between a done job and job done right. It will be in this new world order that humanity will have hope and expectation and dreams and desire. For it will be like the phoenix rising out of the ash that those whom suffered oppression for so long will see the sun shine on them without fear and know the glory of the night sky. Those whom were stifled that will inspire and ignite evolutions from revolution.
That will be a day worth rising for and a time worth remembering.

How to decide the value of a human life.......

There are numerous points of view that insist that the pharmaceutical companies creates more illness and disease than it cures or prevents. Well if we look at it logically, where is the profit or job security in preventing disease for the pharmacological industry. But this is not the only contributing factor to an increase in our diseased population. Pollution, industry, change in life style all contribute to the decrease in our health and happiness. 
One of the increases that we have seen in the news lately has been the practice of organ transplants, specifically in the case of children and teens. 
Not long ago there were two cases where children age 12 or younger were allowed by court order to be placed on "adult" lists for transplants. The rule about having 2 lists for organ needs is logical and biologically necessary. Children are still growing and do not have the size, capacity or internal space to receive adult organs, as in reverse, adults require organs that have finished developing and growing and are capable of sustaining adult life. These guidelines are rational, logical, and medically relevant to the acceptance of the new organ in the patient's body. 
The conflict arises when the patient is in the gray area of being on the border of the child adult division. It is hard for the family when it is their loved one that is in need. When in this situation emotions become the primary driving force, sometimes at the expense of logic or reason or quality of the patient. In the two cases previously mentioned the families used the courts to impose their will on the medical establishment to move their children to the adult lists to increase their chances of receiving the much needed organs. 
It would seem that having to go to court to allow examination and compromise within the individual cases is overkill. But this is a simple example of control combined with compliance instead of independent thinking and assessment by those members of the medical team that are closest to the situation and also the most informed. We can thank this issue on the insurance industry, but that is a whole other article. 
Now we have another case in the news where a young man, 15 years old, was originally denied addition to the transplant list "due to his failure to comply" previously. Another words, he was not deemed acceptable to allow to grow into a full grown man, cause the "board" that makes the decisions for this Georgia Hospital, tells the future and knows what a person will become if allowed to live. This is a prime example of what is wrong with a lot of parts of society. 
This is not a race issue, this is a human issue. We have limited our value to numbers and bottom lines and profit margins and investment returns as we can put dollar signs on them. We have lost the knowledge that a person's ideas or thoughts or actions or words are not just profit margins they are gifts to the whole world, their impact cannot be measured or logged in a ledger. We do not know what impact saying hello or shaking a hand or holding a door open or smiling at someone can have. The ripples of the smallest pebble will reach all shores of the ocean.

Benghazi Is A Phony Scandal........But

In the last few days the US government has closed twenty-one embassies and consulates in North Africa and the Middle East. This Ramadan has been the most violent in years in Iraq. So much for the Holy Month. The positive is that the Holy Month is coming to an end. Ramadan is the ninth month of the calendar and "The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran" thus making it holy. It would appear that what has been lost is that Ramadan by being the month of revelation is a time of new beginnings. It should be a time of reflection on life over the past year and contemplation of how to better live your life in the upcoming year. 
It is ironic that during this Holy Month so many that profess to be devout followers or Islam, instead use this time to incite violence and commit violence. To do the opposite of what this month should represent. I am not a follower of Islam, but I do believe in my rightness of my opinion of Allah's intention of how we should act during this time. It is NEVER the wish of any loving God, that violence should be committed in his name against the innocent, regardless of their own path. But I have detoured from my direct topic.
The closings of embassies and consulates in North Africa and Middle East is a result of a warning of a threat based on the intelligence community. It does seem ironic that warnings of "chatter" is more believed than the warnings of "experts" on the ground in the locations. It is interesting that people with authority tend to be sitting in offices thousands of miles away and due to ego or arrogance or power trips they seem to be more interested in their positions or in images or in bottom lines or other mundane details that they do not value the pricelessness of human life or the opinions of the individuals that are actually on the ground in the specific locations. 
No, I am not saying that we should risk the lives of many just for the one. However, in the case of Benghazi, there was a lot that was done wrong before, during and after that could have probably changed the outcome of the events 11 months ago. It is callus of the Administration to say that the event is over and done with and should be forgotten and move on. We seem to have forgotten that it is better to be human than it is to pretend you are perfect. Humans care, humans make mistakes, humans say they are sorry, humans learn from their mistakes; perfection focuses on image, perfection touts rightness of itself, perfection claims no responsibilities. These conflicts of purpose create chaos that prevents improvement of our world. 
It also, is ironic that suddenly we have "chatter" in a volume that has not been seen since 9/11. It seems that most embassies will be closed until Thursday, the end of Ramadan. Unfortunately, considering the recent challenges concerning the public image of the government and the intelligent community, there will be doubt about this well timed new threat. It is my wish that this new threat is not some hyped up show to justify the over zealous actions of government in the guise of National Security. The near future will be challenging to say the least. But I believe it is a challenge that we will survive and it is my hope that we rise above it and move forward in a brighter light than the dimming of our current lighting.

Government Taking the Humanity Out Of Humans

It seems that everyday you can find a report where the government is either punishing Good Samaritans or encouraging division and hatred and violence, while claiming the opposite. Every crime that is committed between individuals that can be labeled as being of different races is fodder for keeping the masses fearing and avoiding each other. Every crime should be treated as one or more humans injuring one or more other humans. That should be the end of the issue, each crime should be treated individually as the crime that it is. Does this mean that I do not believe in hate crimes or on the pure hate of people; No, I know that hate exists in the hearts of those that have not found real love, that live in ignorance and full of fear. I know that those are afraid of others for things such as the color of their skin or the language they speak or the religion they practice it is not based on real facts. When you accept others platforms of hate, even if they are the violent acts of the hate you are giving them power that they do not deserve.
When you allow that a person committed a crime because they are a certain "type" and their victim was a different "type," what you have done is to give their ill-gotten "cause" substance that it does not deserve. And when we allow the government to point out the differences between us we are agreeing that we prefer hate and oppression to love and freedom. This is why we have such chronic issues in our society. En mass we accept that people hate, that people are different, that people are violent, that people are many groups instead of one group.
The largest of the cancers rotting our society while the masses are distracted with non-issues, is the actions of the government to limit our freedoms and restrict our rights. One of the most widely used tools to limit our freedom and rights is the required "permits" needed for almost every activity in basically every city, town, village or community in the country. Requiring permits gives the government control over what descent and how much descent is voiced. It also gives the government control over how much unity is created between the masses as well. You might think that sounds crazy; but, when you have to have permits and permission to play sports in parks or to help your fellow man then it is obvious that the control to limit how much unity we have in our society is of grave concern for our government and should offend and insult every member of society.
If we, as a whole people, would stand together then we would be stronger and more powerful than the government. And with that power we could right most if not all the wrongs we currently accept as unsolvable. Then the possibilities of what we could accomplish as the human race would be greatly expanded.