Jim Grisanzio

“The war on the Native Americans, like the wars waged by colonialists around the globe, was waged to eradicate not only a people but a competing ethic. The older form of human community was antithetical and hostile to capitalism, the primacy of the technological state and the demands of empire.” — Chris Hedges, Welcome to the Asylum, TruthDig.

I think it may make sense to vote for Romney this time around. Now, I’m assuming he’ll actually be the Republican nominee in a few months, but considering the obviously flawed primary the Republicans ran I think it’s a relatively safe bet. I mean, really, Ron Paul draws 10,000 people to his events and that doesn’t make the news? Fascinating. And do you think all his supporters weren’t really voting in all those states? Right. Makes perfect sense. I think a better explanation is that the Republicans have an interesting way of counting votes, that’s all. And the media picked Romney long ago, so the two forces were a perfect match. But whatever. Put all that aside and let’s just go with Romney for the moment as the likely candidate to face Obama.

A vote for Romney would be valuable because if he wins then the following will happen immediately: the mainstream media and the Democratic Party — both of which have been sitting on the beach for the last three years — will suddenly discover that it’s a bad idea to snatch citizens off the streets and detain them forever, it’s a bad idea to kill Americans based on the decision of one man with no due process whatsoever, it’s a bad idea for the TSA to irradiate and/or assault perfectly innocent passengers with no probable cause, it’s a bad idea to deploy thousands of drones in U.S. airspace, it’s a bad idea to spy on Americans, it’s a bad idea to start yet another war, it’s a bad idea to bail out more failing industries, it’s a bad idea to continue deindustrializing the country, it’s a bad idea to print another trillion or two out of thin air, it’s a bad idea to extend the Patriot Act (again), it’s a bad idea to gut financial regulations like Glass-Steagall, it’s a bad idea to build more nuclear plants, it’s all just a big hairy bad idea. Oh, and out of the blue there will be protests in the streets by the tens of thousands. The anti-war crowd will be magically re-born, and there will be some serious efforts to directly challenge the Tea Party. Also, crushing Occupy camps will be considered bad now — they don’t have jobs, after all — and Poverty will lead the evening news every single night. Big Business will be bad, of course, as will Big Oil. In fact, all the “Bigs” will be back. And more. It’s all perfectly predictable.

So, why not support Romney so we can at least regenerate the anti forces among the population? Anything Romney will do will be bad, whereas when Obama did the exact same things that was all considered good. Yes, that’s a touch of Orwell, but that’s where we are in the United States. The biggest value Obama brought to the table for those who run the country is he pacified the left and the media. The place was red hot by 2007/8, and had McCain won, the country would have gone over the top. Seriously, do you think McCain could have gotten away with some of the things Obama has done? I doubt it. This is a critical point. And it’s the only way I can see Obama winning this year. If those who run the country want to keep the masses at bay for a few more years, Obama will probably be reinstalled as president. Otherwise, if that’s not an issue for some reason, then Romney has at least at 50/50 shot because Americans are generally split that way anyway.

PS: Yes I know there are some differences between Obama/Romney, such as fiscal and social policies. But on the biggest issues, such as monetary, military, and industrial, the two are pretty much the same.

I’ve worked for people on the left and the right at various points, but for my own sanity I dumped both sides long ago. There’s simply nothing either of them can say to get me to listen. I’m free. However, although people not associated with the left/right paradigm are actually approaching the majority, they are not unified or organized. Thus, all the power rests with the center-left and the center-right — that thin slice in the middle that controls both sides while providing the illusion of difference. So, step outside. Keep building among independents. The old guys inside can’t be reformed. They need to be replaced.

Still feeling free? Just comply. That’s the direction we’re going.

How fundamentalism produces ever narrowing views of pure delusion.

The cult of deadly force. Oh, how Americans love it so …

The NDAA went into effect the other day in the United States. Americans can now be “disappeared” with no due process. All in secret. All via a decision by one man. How’s all that “Hope” and “Change” working out?

Glenn Greenwald talks with Noam Chomsky about American justice. The discussion is disturbing. Clearly, it’s upsetting watching politicians gut civil liberties on a daily basis in the United States, but even darker is the pervasive and care free support those politicians get from the general population. It’s remarkable. Americans no longer seem capable of even questioning this stuff any longer. Some people have checked out, granted, and some actually believe the propaganda in the media. But I have a feeling many others are simply afraid. And in a country where it’s perfectly legal for the president to kill you without any due process whatsoever, I guess I can understand. Where all this leads is obvious. The only issue is time.

Using violence against oppressive regimes specializing in violence is stupid. Gene Sharp.

“It’s not just that the government is strong. It’s that the people are weak. People have to learn how to regain their power … If the people are weak, if they don’t know what the hell they are doing, if they make major mistakes, if they are intimidated by the first threat or use of violence, they they are going to fail. It’s not all under the control of the dictatorial regime. It’s heavily under the control of the population.” Gene Sharp

You are never alone …

Can’t help but think that bad stuff is going on out there …

It was interesting watching the Internet light up against SOPA/PIPA. I see even the mainstream media noticed. If this activism influences legislators and the American president to do the right thing (for the people, I mean) that would certainly be a good thing. Internet freedom is important because it’s a free speech issue and that touches everyone. However, by comparison, I can’t help but wonder about the relative silence when President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act a few weeks ago. The reaction to that little gig sounded like a field full of crickets chirping away across the Internet. What gives? Oh, well. I suppose if Americans aren’t outraged by an American president killing American citizens without due process, then why worry about something as innocuous as a little “indefinite detention” tucked away in the NDAA, right? As long as I can get net access in my cell I’m ok, eh? Rock on.

“Americans often proclaim our nation as a symbol of freedom to the world while dismissing nations such as Cuba and China as categorically unfree. Yet, objectively, we may be only half right. Those countries do lack basic individual rights such as due process, placing them outside any reasonable definition of “free,” but the United States now has much more in common with such regimes than anyone may like to admit.” — Jonathan Turley, Washington Post

If you had to, could you feed yourself? Or are you dependent on credit cards and supermarkets?