For me, this was the last straw. I sat at the counter of a Denny's restaurant, eating chicken noodle soup as I watched Anderson Cooper on CNN. On the screen was a woman with blonde hair, flawlessly done, dressed in obviously expensive clothes and jewelry, pointing a well manicured finger at the screen as she went on and on about how too many people only want to sit around and live off the benefit of her taxes. She was so mean and so wrong in the way she made it sound like all poor people were just scum who did not deserve to live on the same earth with her.

All week I have listened to an ongoing diatribe from people attending the Republican convention accuse the poor and down trodden of being lazy and only wanting to live on welfare and to steal from them. I listened to  Anne Romney and her phony appeal to Americans to think she or her husband actually cared about us even as every other action by them clearly proved the opposite. Then we saw Paul Ryan give a speech that according to a Fox News correspondent seemed designed to set a new record for most lies in a single speech. Then came Mitt himself piling more lies on and promising exactly the opposite of what every thinking person knows is his real agenda. I've had it. Enough is enough.
My question is, where are the real people? Where are the people of integrity who despite their political or religious beliefs are loyal Americans first? When will enough be enough for the hard working honest people of this nation? What is more insulting to honest hard working people than to have an overdressed privileged bitch stand on television and accuse us of loving to sponge off her. It is easy to just say she just doesn't realize that its impossible to have any quality of life on welfare and food stamps, that very few people would choose welfare or food stamps over a decent job.

 Watching this woman reminded me of the woman my mother worked for when I was a child. My mother worked for several years for a family in Wichita Falls, Texas as a housekeeper. She nurtured their children, cooked their meals, cleaned their houses and  and provided support to this family in whatever way was asked of her without complaint. She made just barely subsistence level wages. She never took a dime from welfare, food stamps or any other government program and every day she got on that bus in time to have a hot meal on the table when I got home from school. Then one day the lady of the house became angry at my mother because she felt her children had begun to show more affection for my mother than for her, so to punish my mother she tells my mom that from that day on my mother must take her lunch break on the screened in porch where the family kept their dogs. Of course my mother quit, but she felt hurt and betrayed, and watching her cry is a memory I will never forget.
What is really crazy about all of this is that without the rest of us these rich, privileged people would not have their wealth and status. No matter how any successful person makes their money, they benefit from all of the things our society collectively provides. Even if you are on welfare, you spend that welfare money on food and supplies that these peoples businesses sell and even this pittance ends up back in the economy, circulating and contributing to the strength of our economic system. Consumers are two thirds of our nations Gross Domestic Product, without our spending we have a pitifully weak economy, that means every single one of us.
We all pay taxes that whether through the federal government, or through sales taxes and all other taxes and fees, make the roads possible for these superior people to be able to drive their expensive cars back and forth, for trucks to get their products to the places where they are sold. Our revenue provides the post office which allows them to send out bills and other correspondence more efficiently than any other such service on earth. We make the courts and police possible to protect their assets and give them a way to sue when a debt isn't paid to them. We, as a nation, from the very poorest among us to the wealthiest, collectively make this the best nation on earth to do business and we provide to the rich a quality of life unattainable anyplace else on earth so easily and with so many choices.

For these people, the ultra rich, to now point their fingers at us and accuse us of being the problem is amazingly foolish and short sighted. Even many Republicans of more sane times like Dwight Eisenhower and Henry Ford, knew that in order for the rich to thrive they must protect the rights of the middle class. But today's Republicans, led by right wing conservatives determined to return America to the stone ages socially are leading the greatest attack on Americas constitution ever in this nations history.  We must understand that what we are witnessing in America is no less than a coup attempt by ultra rich oligarchs who want to end majority rule in America. No matter how hard you find this to believe, it is exactly what is happening. Think about it; making it harder for people to vote, ending your rights to bargain collectively, dumbing down education while attempting to rewrite history. Whether they claim to be Republican or Libertarian, what they really want want is to drastically reduce or eliminate the governments as a way to take away your ability to have a say in running this country. And just as Hitler promised the German people peace and prosperity, so are today's far right extremists promising peace and prosperity through reverse social engineering that very few seem to understand can only destroy the ability of their children and grandchildren to live in a free nation and have any chance to improve their lot in life. It is exactly what a majority of the framers of America constitution feared most, and of which this nations foremost patriots from Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, on down over history to even Republicans like Eisenhower warned us to be ever vigilant to make sure never happens. This is not the first time this element of our society has tried this; rigging the supreme court and attempting to buy and rig elections so that they could establish themselves as the ruling class of America, but never before has this nation been so vulnerable to this attack. The racial climate, the decision by the supreme court legitimizing Citizens United, and the attack of right wing Christians making the ridiculous assertion that God wants to us to turn our backs on the poor and needy while taking away the rights of anyone we choose to not like has put this nation on the edge of disaster. Why is it so hard to believe that the same people who ruthlessly pollute our environment, who foment wars to make it easier to exploit other nations, who ruthlessly wage war on your right to collectively bargain for decent wages and who move their money to off shore banks to make sure it cannot contribute to the vitality of the nation that made their wealth possible would plot to end majority rule, and once they have used you, will immediately move to make sure you can never make trouble again. It ought to be so obvious.
And now these people have become so bold that they accuse us of being responsible for the conditions their actions have put upon us. What kind of person moves jobs to whatever nation is cheapest, keeps their money out of circulation in our economy, pushes for policies that make it harder and harder to survive no matter how long and hard you work and then turns around and says that  you are the problem.

The Final Solution

As we look upon the spectacle that is the 2012 Olympic games, I can't help but feel that we may never see the world is such harmony again. I am sure many of you will say, what harmony, the world is in chaos? And this is true, but nothing like the days to come.

Syria represents, in my opinion the striking of the match that will ignite the fire that will ultimately consume the middle east and eventually the world. The acceleration will be the Israeli/US military strikes against Iran. I believe military action against Iran is inevitable regardless of who wins the US presidential election. It will come with great cost no matter who is US president. If Obama is America's president, I believe America has a chance to recognize its mistake before it is too late and save itself from total annihilation. If the president is Mitt Romney, the only result can be all out world engrossing war. I will explain why.

The US industrial military complex has put in motion the tide that will carry America into conflict with Iran. This is further fed by the fervor of evangelical Christians to see biblical prophesy fulfilled. Nothing is more powerful than the belief that something is already certain, and too many with control of the purse strings not only believe it, but believe their money can insure that they are the ones who will survive and enjoy the thousand years of peace to follow. The fact that Iran poses no credible threat to America is immaterial. Israels Zionist paranoia will insure that it will act, and not even President Obama will be able to stop this country from rushing to Israels aide once it is staring down the barrel of those who will not let this aggression expand. Evangelicals, with the help of Fox news and the other clones will beat the drum for the idea that it is the duty of America to save Israel at all cost. North Korea, China and Russia will all fear such dramatic expansion of the power of American and Israeli ambitions in their part of the world, and I expect they will oppose it at all cost. I do not believe that China and Russia will allow both Iran and Syria, their biggest allies and best customers in the middle east to fall under US and Israeli control.

Once the move by Israel is put in motion, it will become quickly obvious that a mistake has been made. If Obama is president, his superior skills of diplomacy will immediately begin to work for a solution to avoiding all out war.

But I truly believe that If Romney is president, his advisers led by Dick Cheney and John Bolton, urged on by evangelical Christians and Neo-cons will leap at the opportunity to exert maximum force in an all out effort to subjugate and dominate its enemies and competition with the intent of creating a modern day empire to exceed even the greatest ambitions of ancient Rome. In their zeal to become Kings and Queens of the universe, the ultra rich neo-conservative movement will create a massive military made possible by mass unemployment, idle hands ready to be put to work; and ready cash fresh from gutting every possible program that does not support their nefarious plan. Medicare, medicaid, social security, the post office; all gone and their massive funds diverted to fight this war to extend American exceptionalism. The media that began being commandeered under Ronald Reagan and even now serves their masters by putting out massive ongoing propaganda will crank into full force to convince the American public that indeed it is America and Israel who are the victims, and our very survival is at stake.

And indeed, the prophecy of the bible will play out in self fulfilling certainty. The anti-Christ is the phony Christian movement, who completely ignored the true teachings of Christ to force the realization of prophecy formulated by opportunists who counted on not being around to ever see it come to pass, and who believed by describing it in painstaking detail, no one would ever be foolish enough to actually allow it to happen.

The racists will insist that purity must be restored, and those bearing the marks of Gods enemies, dark skin, must be eliminated. The elitist will assert that their survival with their fortunes not only intact but extended by the spoils of war prove they are clearly the ones with the right to be the ruling class. And all will be right with the world.

When will Americans see the light?

THE GOVERNMENTS MOST IMPORTANT MISSION

It is astounding how thoroughly many Americans have been misled regarding the specific intent of America's founding fathers. It is truly surreal to hear so called patriotic Americans attempt to wax eloquently about the intent of this nations founders to limit the power of government, while at the same time ignoring that the very people who promote that argument are attempting to use government to take over every aspect of Americans lives. Conservatives would control womens rights to make decisions regarding their own health and bodies. They would turn control over citizens health care to people whose only purpose in life is to make money, which of course they expect will spill over into their hands. Under the efforts by conservative, right wing, tea party republicans every aspect of American life would be controlled and regulated by those who have the least amount of interest in any of our actual well being. And they do it by saying that this is what the the founding fathers wanted.

Yet, read the personal writings of Americas founding fathers and most will reveal that exactly the opposite was true. In fact, what conservatives are attempting to do to this country is exactly what Americas founding fathers attempted to protect this nation from.

One of the ideas aggressively promoted by republicans is that the idea of redistribution of wealth is an evil thing. But in fact, our founding fathers most feared that if this government did not serve to protect the rights of the poor and middle class that they would be subjugated by the extremely wealthy in exactly the way they are attempting to do right as we speak.

While living in France, and seeing that the French revolution was inevitable, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to James Madison. In it he said that America must have a progressive tax system. What he meant was, poor people, and those below a certain income amount should pay NO income taxes. The more money a person made, the larger percentage of that money they should pay in taxes. This was based on the idea that the government should be responsible for protecting peoples abilities to raise themselves up in their society. They believed the government should be redistributing money because the more money we make, the more we utilize the infrastructure that all of us own and contribute to. People love to say they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, but without infrastructure like roads, utilities, police protection, etc. there would be no boot straps to pull yourself up by. No one succeeds without the contribution and sacrifices of the others around them.

Economies thrive when money circulates. The more hands that money moves through, the more everyone, including the rich benefit. Henry Ford thrived because included in his vision of his company was that  those who worked to produce his cars had to be able to afford to buy them. Look back over Americas history and you will find many truly patriotic wealthy Americans who understood that the country was stronger when the economy thrived, and the key to that is a strong middle class. Nothing right wing conservatives offer will benefit the survival of the middle class. Privitizing health care, the postal service, and everything else possible is a recipe for disaster. Simply look at gas prices, which is unregulated and compare them to electricity which is regulated, and the truth should be obvious. Look at the banking industry when it was regulated as it was during Americas most prosperous years, and then look at what has happened since the so called Reagan revolution when regulatiuon was removed or undermined.

AMERICA IS IN THE FIGHT OF ITS LIFE!

What do you think people like Rick Santorum mean when they say that higher education creates liberals and atheists? I have long been aware that one of the foundations of modern social conservative thought is the idea that higher education in the wrong hands leads to civil disorder and instability. This crowd is convinced that all of America's social problems are the result of allowing access to higher education to all of our citizens. They are convinced, and are probably right, that if not for the University experience, America would never have embraced racial integration, women's rights, gay rights and other changes that have made America a more inclusive experience for so many who are not white, male and straight.

When I was young I was very optimistic about America's future. This was largely because I was convinced that education was the key. My mother raised me to believe that racial prejudice was largely a result of ignorance and that the better educated people were, and the more people were able to have shared experiences, the more racial injustice would fade away into the past. To some degree this has been proven to be true. The part I didn't realize is how much basic greed, and the desire to hold power would move some among us to resist movement in positive directions, and just how hard they would fight to keep a status quo that they felt kept them with the upper hand.

I now see clearly that America is presently in the fight of its life. While it is easy to believe that the election of Barack Obama proves that America has turned the corner and can never go back to its legacy of racial and gender based injustice, it is clear to me that the social conservative movement has been invigorated. What they see is the chance to convince as many as possible that Obama is the proof that America should never allow such people to have power. And they realize they don't need a majority to agree with them, they only need enough of the wealthiest and most powerful to share their agenda and that such a minority can create a smokescreen that will allow them to do all that they would like to while convincing the majority it is in their best interest. It may be a tired, worn out example, but no example rings as true in modern times than the example of Adolph Hitler and how successful he was at executing exactly this type of plan, and the people were not only fooled but invigorated until the horrible truth came to light.

I urge all Americans to clearly see and understand what is at stake in America right now. Santorum has become so confident he is openly hinting at what he believes. Realize that what he is really saying is that this is why we must reduce funding of schools. This is why we must abolish the department of education. This is why we must shrink government so that there are no impediments to the local citizens council executing whatever policy they see as just, without interference by the people at large. Realize that there is no way this kind of thought will lead to a better economic climate in America for anyone but the privileged few, who will rule like the oil barons, railroad barons, manufacturing barons of our past did before there was organized labor and federal regulation to protect the average person. We have already seen in our history what happens when we leave our fates up to the whims of the rich and powerful, and  no one other than the privileged few who really understands what America was like before organized labor would want to return this nation to those days.

Understand that the policies advocated by the right wing, social conservative movement as promoted by Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and all the others who preach this doctrine can only lead to a violent, bloody revolution in this nation. I, like many others, will not allow America to go back to a nation that would allow my grandchildren and their children to face what my mother faced growing up. I will fight to my last breath, and trust me, the dynamics of America today are much different than they were in the 1920's. There is no chance this type of social conservatism can work or last in the long term. And the attempt to implement and enforce it will destroy America as we know it along the way, and is in no ones best interests, not even the people advocating it.

And also understand that the Ron Pauls of the world, who may seem as if they are pursuing different goals by explaining their ideas in different terms, are pursuing exactly the same result as the Rick Santorums economically and politically. Who do you think takes control of the power vacuum that results when the federal government is rendered all but powerless as advocated by Ron Paul? Surely you realize it will be the same privileged few that social conservatives like Santorum insists should be the only ones allowed access to higher education in a responsible society.

If we do not learn from the mistakes of the past, we are doomed to repeat them

Let me start by admitting that I am worked up today. Pissed off. Because I believe there is a fundamental problem facing us all that is undermining our ability to flourish. Many of you will disagree with what I am about to say, but I'm still gonna say it. Quit lying to people. Quit spreading this phony propaganda that some lame opportunistic motivational speaker came up with to help himself sell books and book speaking engagements that tells you to let go of the past and only focus on your future. This is among the worst advice that anyone, but especially people trying to take their life to a higher level can ever get. Its just bullshit.

The greatest gift we get from our elderly is the benefit of their experience. More than anything else, learning from their past mistakes and the unfortunate things that happened to them gives us an edge in moving our families and our society forward. It is the fuel of growth. I admit that I like, most everyone went through a time in my life when I thought I knew more than my parents and grandparents. From 14 years of age to about 19 I thought it was amazing that my parents even survived being so clueless about how life really worked. But as I left home, went out on my own and had to suffer the consequences of making my own decisions, it was amazing how truly wise I began to remember my elderly family really were. I say remember because I now realize I had more common sense at the age of 10 than I did at 15. And somewhere around 22 I regained the proper perspective. The ages at which this happens may be different for you, but most people would admit they had this same experience. If you meet someone who is beyond 30 and they cannot say they had this experience, whatever the reason, run. You have entered the life of someone living in the dysfunctional Twilight Zone.

It is very important that we as people mature to the point of being able to let go of the pain of the past. It is critical to our growth that we not dwell on whatever suffering occurred, but only a fool fails to hang on to the lesson learned. If we do not hang on to the lesson learned, the suffering was for nothing. We must not only hang on to the lesson learned, we must talk about it whenever appropriate. Teach the lessons to our young and promote respect for the wisdom of those who have experience throughout our society.  We must make it a goal of our society to return to the idea that only by understanding what the past has taught us and how to turn those lessons to our advantage can we survive and grow as a nation and individually.

Every problem that we face as a nation today has happened before. There is nothing new under the sun. It is amazing to me how few Americans realize how many times this nation has had to face difficult economic decisions, or that many of the things we complain about today actually began as a way of trying to solve an often bigger problem of the past. What changes is modern technology's ability to inform ever greater numbers of people of the problems at hand almost instantly. Truly at no time in our history have so many known what the nation was facing as today.

The problem however is that most people only know about the problems from the perspective of who ever they get their news from. Too often it is hard to get the complete unbiased truth, and so many people weigh in with their suggested solution while reporting the news, we are really not encourgaed to reflect on our own, drawing from the wisdom passed on to us by those who raised us and taught us about life. I believe that in this way we are cheated of the common sense wisdoms that many have to offer. In fact, rather than encouraging a discourse that will encourage more citizens to contribute to a solution, we are often made to feel as if we just are not smart enough to truly understand and so must depend on the wisdom of those who too often are serving an agenda not necessarily in our best interests.

And in the midst of every crisis, we are bombarded with messages at every turn, sometimes even by well meaning people promoting the idea that the holy grail is in letting go of the past. We must embrace the lessons of our past. We must honor and never forget the struggles of our people and the price they paid for us. And we do that by looking for the wisdom in the lessons learned from their experience and passing those basic truths on to each succeeding generation. Not only will we benefit from such wisdom, but we sow the seeds of self respect in our young because we have encouraged them to respect where they come from.

America is under attack in an unprecedented way

On January 1, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Contrary to poular belief, it did not end slavery immediately, but made clear that ending slavery was a central goal of the US government in fighting the Civil war. In January 1865 the US Congress approved the 13th amendment officially abolishing slavery in the United States .The end of the Civil War was followed by a period that has been known historically as reconstruction. The central goal put forward for reconstruction initially was to protect the civil rights of former slaves in places still hostile to the very idea of freedom for black people. By the end of the period generally recognized as reconstruction, that goal had been manipulated to primarily become to insure that the Republican Party would be in permanent control of certain southern states under the widely accepted notion  that only they could guarantee that the result of the Civil War could be insured long term.

It took from 1866 to 1884 for the new freedom of Black Americans to be changed into a system of terror and apartheid so shameful that most of the details have still been kept from succeeding American generations.

Today we see the reemergence of the principles that led to the undoing of reconstruction. It seems clear to me that among the underlying motives of the so called social conservatives of today is to return as much as possible to the kind of localized control of government that guaranteed the ability of those who created and maintained the system known as segregation in America free of federal government interference. What I find most disturbing is the lackadaisical way most Americans view what is taking place; Blacks, Women, Gay people, Immigrants seem to be totally unaware how easily this goal can be accomplished if social conservatives and Libertarians realize success in their efforts to return America to good old days that were never very good for anyone, not even most whites. Even some Black Americans are seduced by the seemingly pro-American rants of people like Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Scott Walker, Palin, Bachmann, O'Donnell and others of their ilk. But if you look carefully below the surface, if you look carefully at the actions of these people when they have been given power, and listen to the things they say when talking only to those they consider their own, you see a picture that is clearly American only if you think America is white, male, wealthy, straight and stingy. These are people who shamelessly cast themselves as basing their goals on Christian values while violating every tenet of the teachings of Christ. These are people who, when given the chance, seize every dollar and benefit for themselves while fighting valiantly any effort to extend those same benefits to the vanishing middle class and the despised lower classes.

Nothing I can think of would ever cause me to vote Republican. I, just at the bottom of my heart, cannot support the basic tenet of Republican politics that government should be diminished in order to increase the coffers of the obscenely wealthy when I have seen over and over in my life what happens when average Americans are left without adequate protections from those who would rig every aspect of life for their profit. I have paid the price repeatedly in my life for opposing the unfair treatment of those who are powerless in my own jobs in management, clearly understanding that if I don't stand up for the rights of others, mine cannot be guaranteed. But I submit that this trend we see taking hold of the Republican party goes far beyond the basic disagreement I have with Republican politics. It is no less than tyrannical and anti American in its desire to limit its guarantee of freedom to the chosen few in opposition to the very purpose of the establishment of the United States of America.