IF ONLY HE HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO LIVE

"Some who accuse others of inciting riots have by their own conduct invited them.…[T]his much is clear; violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleaning of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul. For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly, destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is a slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter. This is the breaking of a man’s spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man among other men. And this too afflicts us all."     Robert F. Kennedy  1968

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

Altruism

Altruism or selflessness is the principle or practice of concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions and secular worldviews, though the concept of "others" toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions.

 

Altruism, once an integral part of the American culture is now all but a distant memory. The principal was inter-woven into America's culture with threads of "one nation under God" and "E Pluribus Unum," out of many, one.

 

We have become a fragmented society, a nation of haves and have nots, and the government has responded...not with calls for a renewed social society, but with attempts to silence the have nots. Never before has this movement been so apparent. Videos of law enforcement wielding its power and force upon the less fortunate in a manner once attributed to communist countries are surfacing on a daily basis. And the calls for justice have largely gone unnoticed or unheeded.

 

Modern movements have been made not to empower the lower classes or lift them up, but to take away their votes, to keep them down financially with an unlivable minimum wage and the reduction in funding for social programs; temporary programs established to insure every citizen has enough to eat and can afford a place to live.

 

While the American people were voicing out about the uber-rich, the government has been quietly and consistently been inching its way towards a new class of Americans--the uber poor.

 

It is understandable when various factions of people succumb to their base human emotions of selfishness and a lack of empathy for others. However, when the government itself...elected officials responsible for representing and fighting for the best interests of their districts entire populous not only look the other way on their less fortunate but ratify and codify attempts to deepen their lots in life, society as a whole suffers.

 

This was the battle cry of the conservatives recently and the results of the election were voiced loud and clear. This philosophy is now its majority voice...or at least the majority of people voting.

 

This nation needs everyone to succeed for the economy to survive. The economy needs full employment, needs a vibrant and growing middle class and depends on everyone pulling together to produce for its common good.

 

And when an entire class of people are marginalized and left to their own resources, it creates a Darwinian nightmare formally seen only in the reddest of countries...the countries we used to abhor and criticize. That's what we are becoming. A nation on edge. A nation of individuals rather than a united group of individuals with common goals and morals. Can Marshall law and riot gear be far behind in order to quell the demonstrations and unrest that will inevitably follow?

 

We are no longer a "united" nation...we are no longer the greatest example to the world of what a democracy can be..."one nation under God, with individual with liberty and justice for all."

 

We have become a nation of selfish hypocrites, at once waving the flag and the constitution for all to see, while Uncle Sam has his size thirteens' clearly on the necks of the less fortunate keeping them down in order to create a new culture and economic class with no future and very little opportunity to improve themselves. We have created the uber poor. And so it goes.

 

 

ONE SICK POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT

SHE NAILED IT

A POLITICAL BREATH OF FRESH AIR FROM ACROSS THE AISLE

Rarely if ever these days do I agree wholeheartedly with any political person in the Beltway. I look incredulously at the stagnation, the obstructionist maneuvers and the vitriolic agendas that prevent us as a nation from becoming what we should be.
These elected representatives operate in the very bodies where true and great leaders once operated. Mitchell, Byrd, Clay, Kennedy, Webster and Calhoun. These men took the well of the Senate and worked tirelessly to solve the problems and issues of the day. They made oration an art form. And while they vehemently disagreed at times, they worked together to find an acceptable middle ground, all the while treating each other with the respect accorded and demanded of a United States Senator.
What I see now would be laughable...if it were not for the devastatingly negative effect it is having on a once great nation.
As a youth I considered making politics my life passion, so I majored in political science in college, which I thought was the appropriate place to start. A political career these days does not require any knowledge of political science...it requires a double major in communications and theatre.
Because what we have now are not leaders, they are actors. Flame throwing artists of the half truth, hateful, hurtful purveyors of hate. They seek not to come together to form a common ground to improve the nation, but to tell their constituents two things and two things only...what to be afraid of, and who is to blame for it.
And all of this has resulted in strict party lines of voting, strict scripted attacks on each other and vengeful investigations and lawsuits that do nothing but shift the focus away from what they should be doing, and squandering the citizens precious monetary resources, most of the time in efforts they already know are nothing more than a public grandstanding waste of time.
And while Rep. Issa and Speaker Boehner mount their trusted steads in an attempt to lead us nowhere, one man has publically chastised their efforts as the boon doggles they truly are...and I leave you with his Facebook posted letter to the Speaker.....along with one mans thanks and a "Bravo!!"
We need more men like this to come forward and question the direction our government is headed, so that our course may be righted before they spin their wheels accomplishing nothing until the next election cycle...before they spend another four years sitting blithely by while our nations issues continue and worse yet, multiply. Here is the letter...and thanks for reading. Kimba

“Dear Speaker Boehner: Yay…you got the votes needed to pass a resolution authorizing you to sue the President. Just what we need…more acrimony, petty politics and ridiculous media spectacles. Mr. Speaker, by all accounts, you have been advised that the chances of getting your lawsuit in to a court are about zero. And, if you could find a partisan judge to hear your case, the chances of prevailing? Let’s just say we have a better chance of seeing pigs fly.
So let’s see how suing the President fits in to the grand scheme of things:

1. We have an unaddressed full-blown humanitarian crisis on our borders;
2. The Middle East is literally and figuratively on fire;
3. The Russians are shooting passenger jets out of the sky and seizing the lands of independent nations by force;
4. Our economy is fragile and ailing (I’m being generous here);
5. Our Veterans are being denied the basic promises we made to them; and
6. The rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer.

Unfortunately, sir, this is a short list of the many profound issues facing our exceptional nation and you believe, as the 3rd most powerful person in our alleged leadership that the #1 priority should be to pursue a futile lawsuit?
An appalling, sad and a monumental embarrassment for our nation.
Mr. Speaker, feel free to pursue your folly but please understand that this registered Republican won’t send a dime to or cast a vote for any candidate that endorses this travesty.”  Robb Olsen

A NATIONAL TRAGEDY

Get over it, it's time for every school to be patrolled by law enforcement. This will help to secure our schools and give our children the opportunity to get to know their local law enforcement as human beings and not the enemy. Students must feel safe attending our schools. These tragedies must end. To do nothing...to sit blithely by and watch tragedy after tragedy unfold in our schools...to watch this epidemic of violence continue in our schools while doing nothing is unacceptable.
That silence you hear is our Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

SHINSEKI THE LAST VETERAN TO GET SCREWED BY THE SYSTEM

The ouster of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is just another case of a decorated veteran getting screwed over by the system.
The VA is a massive bureaucracy that cannot be controlled by one man. To hold Shinseki up to shame and public ridicule over the criminal actions of others in VA Phoenix is misguided and utterly unfair. Do they really think his forced resignation will help one iota?
Good luck finding someone to take his place. The VA has problems for decades now. Decades. These problems have been exasperated because so many veterans are coming home since President Obama is drawing the two decades long wars to a close.
And with Congress unable and unwilling to fully fund the system despite a huge influx of patients, the new VA director better keep their resume close and updated.

POLITICAL SCHADENFREUDE

I don't mind people standing up and voicing their opinions as to who should, or should not be our next President...I mind them standing on the graves of dead Americans to do it. I mind them using the tragedy at Benghazi as a political opportunity.

Where were they went we experienced THIRTEEN attacks on our embassies during the Bush years? I know where they were...cowered up in the fetal positions not saying shit. And they now are using the attack on Benghazi as a political opportunity, and I'm saying that is un-American and yellow.

Just in case anyone has forgotten these attacks....
Jan. 22, 2002: Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Attacks Indian U.S. Consulate
June 14, 2002: Suicide Car-Bomb Outside U.S. Consulate in Karachi
Oct. 12, 2002: String Of Bali Bombings Included U.S. Consulate
Feb. 28, 2003: Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, Attacked For the Second Time in One Year
May 12, 2003: 36 People Including 9 Americans Die After Terrorists Storm U.S. Compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
July 30, 2004: Islamist Attacks U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Dec. 6, 2004: Five Staff and Four Security Guards Die in U.S. consulate attack in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
March 2, 2006: Third Attack on Karachi U.S. Consulate Killed U.S. Diplomat
Sept. 12, 2006: Four Gunmen Stormed the U.S. compound in Damascus, Syria
Jan. 12, 2007: Greek Terrorists Fired a Rocket-Propelled Grenade at the U.S. Embassy
March 18, 2008: A Mortar is Fired at the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen
July 9, 2008: Three Turkish Policemen were Killed When Gunman Fired on the U.S. Consulate Istanbul, Turkey
Sept. 17, 2008: 16 People Including 2 Americans Die in an Orchestrated Attack on the U.S. Embassy Sana’a, Yemen

And no one....NO ONE called for the resignation of the REPUBLICAN Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. To say she was directly responsible; to stymie Congress with an endless procession of hearings and political attacks would have been counter productive. But look at what is going on today. And that is the difference between our two parties...the difference is one is based on political maneuvers and an agenda solely based on political wins and vitriol.
And that is my world. The "World According to Kimba." Thanks for reading.

SAD BUT TRUE

WE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE ...ALMIGHTY DOLLAR

The concept was simple. It was fair, equitable and designed to bring all of its citizens into the process. One man, one vote...majority rules...what concepts....that every citizen would have an equal vote, an equal voice and an equal choice in the leaders that govern FOR them.
This grand experiment..."democracy," was the pride of an emerging nation, and the envy of the world. A grand experiment which, while admittedly not pretty at times, extolled freedom and quality of representation as the tenets of the land.
Alas, that form of government, at least in the United States of America...has died. Stolen really. Stolen by the rich and affluent. Bought and paid for by powerful entities, empowered and enabled by the legislative and judicial branches of the country they bought with their power, their money and their gluttony.
According to a new study by Princeton University, we can no longer call ourselves a democracy. The scales of freedom and justice for all...is now officially an oligarchy. An oligarchic form of government for the rich and powerful to seize and run. The less rich, the less powerful now have very little say in the day to day running of the country. They have gone from having a voice and a vote, albeit watered down as the country grew...to having everything dictated to them. And for the most part, every effort, every initiative takes the benefit of the rich and the powerful corporations first and foremost into consideration, and the average Joe's welfare last, if at all.
Quoting from the study, please consider the following...

"The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence."

"Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association, and a widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policy making is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America’s claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened."


"In the United States, our findings indicate, the majority does not rule — at least not in the causal sense of actually determining policy outcomes. When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organized interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the U.S. political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favor policy change, they generally do not get it."

As someone who was born in the 1950's I have witnessed many incredible feats and events in America's history....civil rights initiatives adopted for many classes, putting a man on the moon, the tear down of the Berlin wall and on and on....unfortunately I can now add another event to the list...our country is now run by the ultra rich.
They control the government, they control the Supreme Court (how else can you explain the Citizen's Unite ruling?) and they control the election process (and the continuing initiatives to take away votes from the former electorate...voter ID initiatives and gerrymandering election districts to insure political outcomes).
This is a sad day confirmed by the Princeton study...a study that merely confirms what intelligent, aware political minds have known all the long...we have lost our country for the most part. Eroded away with each court ruling, with each legislative initiative, and eroded away with each Americans intellectual sloth and apathy.
We have watched the countries balance of power slip away from one man one vote, to a for sale sign. And the purchase has been made. The country was put in escrow and the new owners have taken over.
The grand experiment is over. It failed and there is no going back now. The 1% have won, and while our lives will, in all meaningful ways to most, be the same...we will never be the same.
Oh sure, the government will occasionally throw us a bone to keep us relatively satisfied, relatively peaceful and relatively happy. The country has now been taken away from us. It is no longer within our reach. The powerful oligarchs no longer have to pretend to care for us, or even care about us.
Through this slowly eroding of our democracy, this slow eroding of our consciousness and our mean intelligence as a nation, this slow eroding of our collective ability to give a shit....has given them victory...and the control of a once great nation.
And that is the world...the "World According to Kimba."
Thanks for reading.

A LEAVE OF ABSENCE, OR A LEAVE OF MY SENSES?

As you can see from the dates of this, and my previous post, it has been quite a while since I have visited my own blog (sorry to all those who frequent this blog on occasion).

It was never that I had lost interest in the political scene or lost my perspective...time just got away from me and I have been focusing on other endeavors.

To those who have been consistently generous with their attentions of my one man show...let me sum up my observations and vent a little...

Not everything is a damn crisis...this is merely a money word for the media to attempt to garner viewership.

Let's not overstate Mr. Putin's actions of late...he is doing what we would do if we were in similar circumstances...protect our interests. Crimea holds one of his most important military bases, his only warm weather base, which is situated on the Black Sea. Knowledgeable observers saw this coming a mile away.

Why is it that our immediate response to damn near everything in the world is to ratchet up the troops, at least it is our number one response considered...

Voices who are wondering what is next in the Putin troop occupation (primarily a spread of his occupation into neighboring lands) would be best served by remembering that this question is what got us into Vietnam.

Many of us liberals are very interested in Californian investigations into so-called "dark money" campaign donations through a series of hands (non-profits) in an attempt to disguise the donors. These investigations' reportedly involve the Koch Brothers, although if the right are doing it, certainly they are being mimicked by the left...

If the Democrats do lose the next election, please let it be to a moderate like Jon Huntsman and not flame throwing tea partiers like Paul or Cruz....

Having spent a few hours on CSPAN listening to conservative after conservative at CPAC, my fervent hope is for the GOP to change from a party of hope and change and less of the party of "here is what / who we hate." Leaders are for something...losers focus primarily on what they are against. Effective leaders know their own vision of where the nation should go and know how to get there.

Recent reductions in the SNAP program (you may know it as "food stamps"), while maintaining massive subsidies of many industries, including the banking and petrochemical industries, is one of the most heartless political moves in my lifetime.

The Obama administration is, and will continue to be, primarily in a reactive posture until the end of their second term, and that is a shame.

Having been an active participant in the social media, including serving as a beta tester of Google +, I am sick to death of the vitriolic comments, the inflammatory rhetoric (frequently from conservatives towards liberals), the utter lack of knowledge, the complete lack of awareness, and the lack of any nuanced analysis towards any current event that I used to enjoy in years gone by. Most voices consist of a picture with insulting rhetoric added to it.

Who ever came up with the phase "the dumbing down of America" years ago was a true visionary.

And that is my world...the "World According to Kimba." Thanks for reading.