Sunday, February 5, 2012
Scopic Thoughts: Humanity Overdue
Scopic Thoughts: Humanity Overdue: Short Documentary exploring the current state of the world and some of the social, environmental and economic changes which could be put ...
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
responding
I don't think Steve Jobs is exactly the kind of person that OWS is complaining about! I believe it would be more like Osama Bin Laden who used his wealth to promote his own self hatred. Or maybe some of the so called job creators that have children working in the sugar cane fields for a bowl of rice a day. Or the job creators that expect slavery for a wage that cannot even contribute to a healthy affordable life style. They plot worker against worker to aquire more & more profits without even considering the spill over costs related to the bad behavior. Like heroin addicts they hunger for more & more wealth not caring at all about anything BUT themselves & the bottom line. Job creators are not under attack. Inside greed and coruption on Wall Street is. You can paint a rosey picture to those that have not yet been affected but I think the pain of the masses around the world will not hear it unless you can find more than one good example of how this is supposed to work.
Friday, October 7, 2011
TEA PARTY
I don't expect you to believe me. I want you to read this, take it with a grain of salt, and do the research yourself. You may not believe me, but I want your movement to succeed. From a former tea partier to you, young new rebels, there's some advice to prevent what happened to our now broken movement from happening to you. I don't agree with everything your movement does, but I sympathize with your cause and agree on our common enemy. You guys are very intelligent and I trust that you will take this in the spirit it is intended.
I wish I could believe this Occupy Wall Street was still about (r)Evolution, but so far, all I am seeing is a painful rehash of how the corporate-funded government turned the pre-Presidential election tea party movement into the joke it is now. We were anarchists and ultra-libertarians, but above all we were peaceful. So, the media tried painting us as racists. But when that didn't work they tried to goad us into violence. When that failed, they killed our movement with money and false kindness from the theocratic arm of the Republican party. That killed our popular support.
I am sharing these observations, so you guys know what's going on and can prevent the media from succeeding in painting you as violent slacker hippies rebelling without a cause, or from having the movement be hijacked by a bunch of corporatists seeking to twist the movement's original intentions. If you think this can't happen, it happened to the Independence Party and the tea party movement. Don't let it happen to your movement as well.
Here's how they turned our movement into a bunch of pro-corporate Republican Party rebranding astroturf, and this is how I predict they are turning your movement into a bunch of pro-corporate Democratic party rebranding astroturf. I believe many of these things are already happening, so take note.
1- The media will initially and purposely avoid covering your dissenting movement to cause confusion about what your movement is about within mainstream audiences. It might feel like this is to enrage you and make you appear unreasonable. Perhaps you will feel even invisible.
2- While the obsfuscation is happening, stooges will infiltrate and give superficial support, focus and financial backing to the targetted movement. In the tea party movement's case, it was the religious Republicans and Koch Brothers. In this case, it's many unions that cozy up to the Democratic Party (the organizations as quasi-human entities, not the members themselves) and Ultra Rich liberals who pretend to care, but frankly do not serve liberators and freedom seekers but rather the interests of some union leaders and the Democratic Party. Democrat, Republican, these parties are all part of the same corporate ruling system. Case in point: http://www.debates.org/
3-The media will cover the movement only after this infiltration succeeds. Once the infiltration is completed the MSM will manufacture public media antipathy towards the movement by using selective focus on the movement's most repulsive elements or infiltrators on the corporate Conservative media side, while the corporate Liberal media will create a more sympathetic tragic hero image -- this is the flip side of the tea party, but same media manipulation tactics. I go into greater detail on this tactic: http://vaslittlecrow.com/blog/2011/09/08/how-the-media-and-ideological-groups-manipulate-your-beliefs/
4- Someone in the Democratic Party will feign sympathy for the movement and falsely "non-partisan" entities provide tons of funding and unwanted organization, just as was done with the tea party movement by Republicans. Once people assume that the pro-corporate government operatives are their friends, they will hijack the movement and the threat of your movement will be neutralized.
If this new Occupy Wall Street movement is to survive, here's what needs to be done.
1- Loudly denounce violence and disavow the violent rabblerousers of the movement. They do not help the cause.
2- Be image conscious. Present your best face and call out those who act like fools within the movement. People are more likely to pay attention to you in your Sunday dress and bringing homemade food, than when you are drinking a bottle of Snapple and chomping on Big Macs while you are looking like a slacker rich hipster/unwashed hippie stereotype.
3- Accept that you've already been infiltrated by the corporate-funded government, and work hard to say, and state what your movement is and is not about. "No, this isn't about unions or liberals, conservatives or bored spoiled brats. This is about 99% of our population being exploited and manipulated for the sake of profit." "No we will not resort to violence." "Yes, all we want is for for the end of government collusion with corporate entities that are illegitimately recognized as people." And, so forth...
4- Don't forget who you are as the illusions are thrown at you. Corporatists are masters of illusions. That's the most powerful weapon they have. That's how they sell products you don't need and convince you to justify accepting atrocities for the sake of products Don't fall for it. Otherwise, your cause will be lost. Be wary of large donations from special interest groups or non-profit corporations that were not involved this movement from the inception. Special interests groups are not your allies. Non-profit corporations are still corporations, and unfortunately, too many of them care more about donations than doing the right thing. Killing a movement with kindness is easy.
5- Remain independent and focused. If you can, pick a face to represent your movement. Rosa Parks wasn't just a random lady in a bus. http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/bus-boycott/ -- She was chosen. You too can use the power of illusion against those who oppose you.
6- On the web, you can prevent a lot of hijacking simply by checking the small print, or going to the about pages of a group or individual. Non-profits and political action groups are legally obligated to disclose a lot of things, and you need to be aware of this. If the information is nowhere to be found, do a whois page search -- if the information has a third-party privacy service or if it belongs someone in a partisan group, be alert. For example, I found one individual who was claiming to be non-partisan, but when I went to his website, I discovered that he wasn't an individual at all and that his organization was actually funded by the biggest partisan fundraiser organization of its kind in the United States. If someone says something fishy, it probably is.
7- If you hear people who you know are part of the machine saying stuff like, "Progressives need to be more like the tea party," don't accept it on face value. Always follow the money, study past statements and groups they claim to be part of. If such people are suddenly telling you to emulate organizations that they once consistently denounced as evil or racist, without any rhyme or reason, they are lying to you.
I wish your movement better luck than we had with the tea party movement before it got hijacked by the theocrats and corporatists. We used to be non-partisan too. We were the older version of you. But, I believe that as the media apparatchik and infiltrators start to twist your cause, you will understand the frustration us early adopter tea partiers felt and that we were not your enemy after all. A fascist oligarchy on the verge of winning is our common enemy. This should be your focus. Don't be dazzled by the illusion as we were. For the sake of our future, know who you are.
Thank you for reading. I would love to read your ideas on the subject. Correct me where I am wrong. Explain what is going right. This is ultimately your fight.
EDIT: To understand how movements get hijacked, check out this fantastic video that JamesCarlin shared: http://vimeo.com/20355767
tl;dr Hibernator's excellent and much less paranoid sounding summary below:
"Someone starts a movement. It starts small, and there's a lot going on in the world, so the mainstream media gives it minimal coverage. Today's mainstream media is also understaffed, so they don't investigate and they wait for someone else to slap a label on it.
Eventually a sound byte X pops up above the noise and the mainstream media uses this to engage viewers and define the movement. This defining characteristic X spreads like a meme.
People in power now notice what's going on, and think to themselves "Hmm, this new movement is defined by X, and that's almost in line with my goals, so maybe I can use them to further my ends."
But people in power are all labelled as Democrats or Republicans, so now the media applies the polarizing filter of American politics to associate movement X with one of the parties.
The original movement has now been labelled X, and associated with a political party, and none of this happened because of any 'government conspiracy.' It just happened because that's what you get as output when you plug something new into the American political system."
Thanks to Whiskey With My Coffee, Feed the Protest, The Free Patriot Press, OccupyWallSt.org, Don't Feed the Animals, Politics in Zeros and all the other redditors who have been shared this letter.
I wish I could believe this Occupy Wall Street was still about (r)Evolution, but so far, all I am seeing is a painful rehash of how the corporate-funded government turned the pre-Presidential election tea party movement into the joke it is now. We were anarchists and ultra-libertarians, but above all we were peaceful. So, the media tried painting us as racists. But when that didn't work they tried to goad us into violence. When that failed, they killed our movement with money and false kindness from the theocratic arm of the Republican party. That killed our popular support.
I am sharing these observations, so you guys know what's going on and can prevent the media from succeeding in painting you as violent slacker hippies rebelling without a cause, or from having the movement be hijacked by a bunch of corporatists seeking to twist the movement's original intentions. If you think this can't happen, it happened to the Independence Party and the tea party movement. Don't let it happen to your movement as well.
Here's how they turned our movement into a bunch of pro-corporate Republican Party rebranding astroturf, and this is how I predict they are turning your movement into a bunch of pro-corporate Democratic party rebranding astroturf. I believe many of these things are already happening, so take note.
1- The media will initially and purposely avoid covering your dissenting movement to cause confusion about what your movement is about within mainstream audiences. It might feel like this is to enrage you and make you appear unreasonable. Perhaps you will feel even invisible.
2- While the obsfuscation is happening, stooges will infiltrate and give superficial support, focus and financial backing to the targetted movement. In the tea party movement's case, it was the religious Republicans and Koch Brothers. In this case, it's many unions that cozy up to the Democratic Party (the organizations as quasi-human entities, not the members themselves) and Ultra Rich liberals who pretend to care, but frankly do not serve liberators and freedom seekers but rather the interests of some union leaders and the Democratic Party. Democrat, Republican, these parties are all part of the same corporate ruling system. Case in point: http://www.debates.org/
3-The media will cover the movement only after this infiltration succeeds. Once the infiltration is completed the MSM will manufacture public media antipathy towards the movement by using selective focus on the movement's most repulsive elements or infiltrators on the corporate Conservative media side, while the corporate Liberal media will create a more sympathetic tragic hero image -- this is the flip side of the tea party, but same media manipulation tactics. I go into greater detail on this tactic: http://vaslittlecrow.com/blog/2011/09/08/how-the-media-and-ideological-groups-manipulate-your-beliefs/
4- Someone in the Democratic Party will feign sympathy for the movement and falsely "non-partisan" entities provide tons of funding and unwanted organization, just as was done with the tea party movement by Republicans. Once people assume that the pro-corporate government operatives are their friends, they will hijack the movement and the threat of your movement will be neutralized.
If this new Occupy Wall Street movement is to survive, here's what needs to be done.
1- Loudly denounce violence and disavow the violent rabblerousers of the movement. They do not help the cause.
2- Be image conscious. Present your best face and call out those who act like fools within the movement. People are more likely to pay attention to you in your Sunday dress and bringing homemade food, than when you are drinking a bottle of Snapple and chomping on Big Macs while you are looking like a slacker rich hipster/unwashed hippie stereotype.
3- Accept that you've already been infiltrated by the corporate-funded government, and work hard to say, and state what your movement is and is not about. "No, this isn't about unions or liberals, conservatives or bored spoiled brats. This is about 99% of our population being exploited and manipulated for the sake of profit." "No we will not resort to violence." "Yes, all we want is for for the end of government collusion with corporate entities that are illegitimately recognized as people." And, so forth...
4- Don't forget who you are as the illusions are thrown at you. Corporatists are masters of illusions. That's the most powerful weapon they have. That's how they sell products you don't need and convince you to justify accepting atrocities for the sake of products Don't fall for it. Otherwise, your cause will be lost. Be wary of large donations from special interest groups or non-profit corporations that were not involved this movement from the inception. Special interests groups are not your allies. Non-profit corporations are still corporations, and unfortunately, too many of them care more about donations than doing the right thing. Killing a movement with kindness is easy.
5- Remain independent and focused. If you can, pick a face to represent your movement. Rosa Parks wasn't just a random lady in a bus. http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/bus-boycott/ -- She was chosen. You too can use the power of illusion against those who oppose you.
6- On the web, you can prevent a lot of hijacking simply by checking the small print, or going to the about pages of a group or individual. Non-profits and political action groups are legally obligated to disclose a lot of things, and you need to be aware of this. If the information is nowhere to be found, do a whois page search -- if the information has a third-party privacy service or if it belongs someone in a partisan group, be alert. For example, I found one individual who was claiming to be non-partisan, but when I went to his website, I discovered that he wasn't an individual at all and that his organization was actually funded by the biggest partisan fundraiser organization of its kind in the United States. If someone says something fishy, it probably is.
7- If you hear people who you know are part of the machine saying stuff like, "Progressives need to be more like the tea party," don't accept it on face value. Always follow the money, study past statements and groups they claim to be part of. If such people are suddenly telling you to emulate organizations that they once consistently denounced as evil or racist, without any rhyme or reason, they are lying to you.
I wish your movement better luck than we had with the tea party movement before it got hijacked by the theocrats and corporatists. We used to be non-partisan too. We were the older version of you. But, I believe that as the media apparatchik and infiltrators start to twist your cause, you will understand the frustration us early adopter tea partiers felt and that we were not your enemy after all. A fascist oligarchy on the verge of winning is our common enemy. This should be your focus. Don't be dazzled by the illusion as we were. For the sake of our future, know who you are.
Thank you for reading. I would love to read your ideas on the subject. Correct me where I am wrong. Explain what is going right. This is ultimately your fight.
EDIT: To understand how movements get hijacked, check out this fantastic video that JamesCarlin shared: http://vimeo.com/20355767
tl;dr Hibernator's excellent and much less paranoid sounding summary below:
"Someone starts a movement. It starts small, and there's a lot going on in the world, so the mainstream media gives it minimal coverage. Today's mainstream media is also understaffed, so they don't investigate and they wait for someone else to slap a label on it.
Eventually a sound byte X pops up above the noise and the mainstream media uses this to engage viewers and define the movement. This defining characteristic X spreads like a meme.
People in power now notice what's going on, and think to themselves "Hmm, this new movement is defined by X, and that's almost in line with my goals, so maybe I can use them to further my ends."
But people in power are all labelled as Democrats or Republicans, so now the media applies the polarizing filter of American politics to associate movement X with one of the parties.
The original movement has now been labelled X, and associated with a political party, and none of this happened because of any 'government conspiracy.' It just happened because that's what you get as output when you plug something new into the American political system."
Thanks to Whiskey With My Coffee, Feed the Protest, The Free Patriot Press, OccupyWallSt.org, Don't Feed the Animals, Politics in Zeros and all the other redditors who have been shared this letter.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Seriously? Fishing?
I sat aside my Saturday for a play date with Hunter. I gave him a choice of what he would like to do, however, when he said,"go fishing", I wondered if I would be able to follow through with any enjoyment or not. I was thinking next time I will tell him what we are doing and where we are going. I so do not like the "f" word. I was totally dreading it but figured I was committed. I even thought maybe I would be to sick to go.
Dressed in my long johns and two other layers I picked Hunter up at his Nana's house at 0730 thinking we could make this painless when his belly cries out for food I could talk some sense into him over breakfast in a nice warm restaurant(long johns in case I can't). Alisha had told me the steel head were running and I knew just the place to find a warm, cozy, restaurant on the river downtown(perfect).
When we arrived at the river I parked at the restaurant. I had already convinced Hunter to have breakfast first(it was working my way). We walked about 50 feet down to the river to get a sneak peek at what we would be doing after food. We came upon a man fishing. I engaged him in conversation so I can learn a little about something I knew nothing about so I could be somewhat helpful to Hunter's fishing experience. His name was Fritz. Seeing my situation Fritz took right over mentoring Hunter. Fritz helped Hunter catch his first steel head snapped a picture and sent it to Tina. Then he took us to his truck to show us the "big one" he had caught earlier. He had to admit though that it had shrunk since he put it in the truck(fish stories). Fritz handed over his left over bait to Hunter and finally we were off to breakfast. Yummy, Hash browns with cheese, sausage, and pancakes. Good food, good food!
We returned to the river to catch some more fish. The sun was starting to peak and I was happy to feel a little warmth. The fish nibbled the bait a little but no catch. We decided to call it a day but realized we had a bunch of worms to use yet. Here I go again, I promised to take him out later in the day when the fish would mist likely be biting again. As the day evolved Calli decided she would join us for the fishing in the evening. We went to Tina's and spent the day there while Hunter finished his homework reluctantly but knowing it was required of him to go back out later.
The three of us went to Lake Dubonet in search of a dock that Rick told us was there. We never found the dock, the fish were not biting, and Hunter's line kept getting tangled. I thought this would put a damper on our time together so I took Hunter's suggestion to relocate to the Boardman river. The kids maintained a good attitude and I realized it was not about the fish, it was about having fun, minute to minute. The whole adventure changed. There were no bummer attitudes or frustration about tangled lines and no fish. It become more about enjoying a beautiful day together, no matter what.
Those were two of the funnest kids I have been around in years. Kind of like my own kids used to be. Calli is a spunky 13 year old that likes to push the limits and does not give up easily. Hunter a goof ball that is always wound up in some sort of a dilemma. They complicate and compliment each others experience continuously. Yes, there were many laughs to say the least. I am sure Hunters manufactured dilemmas will teach him a lot of worthy lessons that will make him very practical in the least. As for Calli , I believe her ability to rise above anything will get her far in life for sure. It was a fun day with the kids. Their Mom must have trusted me because unlike some other moms she was not doing the constant checks(interruptions) that I get in other situations which allowed us to have a quality experience together. I know I pushed the limit a bit keeping them so long but we were having to much fun. I so do not like time restraints when on my little adventures. This truly was a day to remember!
Dressed in my long johns and two other layers I picked Hunter up at his Nana's house at 0730 thinking we could make this painless when his belly cries out for food I could talk some sense into him over breakfast in a nice warm restaurant(long johns in case I can't). Alisha had told me the steel head were running and I knew just the place to find a warm, cozy, restaurant on the river downtown(perfect).
When we arrived at the river I parked at the restaurant. I had already convinced Hunter to have breakfast first(it was working my way). We walked about 50 feet down to the river to get a sneak peek at what we would be doing after food. We came upon a man fishing. I engaged him in conversation so I can learn a little about something I knew nothing about so I could be somewhat helpful to Hunter's fishing experience. His name was Fritz. Seeing my situation Fritz took right over mentoring Hunter. Fritz helped Hunter catch his first steel head snapped a picture and sent it to Tina. Then he took us to his truck to show us the "big one" he had caught earlier. He had to admit though that it had shrunk since he put it in the truck(fish stories). Fritz handed over his left over bait to Hunter and finally we were off to breakfast. Yummy, Hash browns with cheese, sausage, and pancakes. Good food, good food!
We returned to the river to catch some more fish. The sun was starting to peak and I was happy to feel a little warmth. The fish nibbled the bait a little but no catch. We decided to call it a day but realized we had a bunch of worms to use yet. Here I go again, I promised to take him out later in the day when the fish would mist likely be biting again. As the day evolved Calli decided she would join us for the fishing in the evening. We went to Tina's and spent the day there while Hunter finished his homework reluctantly but knowing it was required of him to go back out later.
The three of us went to Lake Dubonet in search of a dock that Rick told us was there. We never found the dock, the fish were not biting, and Hunter's line kept getting tangled. I thought this would put a damper on our time together so I took Hunter's suggestion to relocate to the Boardman river. The kids maintained a good attitude and I realized it was not about the fish, it was about having fun, minute to minute. The whole adventure changed. There were no bummer attitudes or frustration about tangled lines and no fish. It become more about enjoying a beautiful day together, no matter what.
Those were two of the funnest kids I have been around in years. Kind of like my own kids used to be. Calli is a spunky 13 year old that likes to push the limits and does not give up easily. Hunter a goof ball that is always wound up in some sort of a dilemma. They complicate and compliment each others experience continuously. Yes, there were many laughs to say the least. I am sure Hunters manufactured dilemmas will teach him a lot of worthy lessons that will make him very practical in the least. As for Calli , I believe her ability to rise above anything will get her far in life for sure. It was a fun day with the kids. Their Mom must have trusted me because unlike some other moms she was not doing the constant checks(interruptions) that I get in other situations which allowed us to have a quality experience together. I know I pushed the limit a bit keeping them so long but we were having to much fun. I so do not like time restraints when on my little adventures. This truly was a day to remember!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Redefining/Redesigning
One piece at a time I examine thoughts and beliefs compared to everyday incidents of discomfort and discontent. There is a part of myself that has reached out to others to help or sustain them in times of challenge. My son, Eric has repeatedly condemned this behavior saying I need only to consider myself. I blow this off as a matter of inexperienced youth. As he ages he continues to stand on this issue as always. I too, maintain the world to be a better place due to the actions or inaction of people like me.
I do not play God thinking I am saving someone from themselves like I did in the beginning. I have discovered I do not have the capability of over-riding any ones decision to live their lives as they wish or deny them their self defeating behavior. I learned some real HARD lessons in that department. For example, my Mother,Wanieta Mae Lee:
A beautiful woman with black hair, dark skin, and snappy dark eyes. Her wit was charming but rugged. She loved in a very untypical way that was often confused by those who wish always to condemn. Being born as her uncles child, created an unfair pessimism in her life through her mothers anger and phobias. I am sure her wit had become a way of survival. Many were those who loved her. Rarely did she complain but rather stated the undeniable truths in a very simple but cynical(hilarious)way. Though tough, she occasionally cried. It tore me apart to see her cry. I depended on her to make me feel safe. She had been beaten, abused, and crucified by do-gooders when she finally gave up and divorced this man. Alone to raise 5 children on welfare, she became a target for men that were discontent in their marriages. Many men tried to take advantage. She became known to be a little promiscuous(slutty) more for what she DID NOT put out than what she did. I believe it was a ploy of the white male to keep her in her womanly place and dependant. Finally she found the ONE MAN who treated her with dignity and respect. He brought out from her a beauty unmatched by the common women of that era. Her love was so beautiful! This came crashing in when Mike was murdered by her X husband. The eventual outcome of all this was a life full of pain(never complained). I encouraged her to see a doctor saying, " You may die". Her response was, "Did you ever think that might be what I want?" It was not long after she came to me at work with my 3 year old in tow. She was very ill and I had to leave work to drive her home. On the way home I again tried to get her to see a doctor and she refused. I said, "Fine, I am taking you to the doctor and there is nothing you can do about it!" As she died in that moment her voice echoed out my name.
After a long recovery I had learned a huge lesson from my mother. It still makes me smile to this day. She taught me that I cannot control other people. I really feel this was her final way(harsh way) of getting across to me I cannot make her decisions for her.
I do not play God thinking I am saving someone from themselves like I did in the beginning. I have discovered I do not have the capability of over-riding any ones decision to live their lives as they wish or deny them their self defeating behavior. I learned some real HARD lessons in that department. For example, my Mother,Wanieta Mae Lee:
A beautiful woman with black hair, dark skin, and snappy dark eyes. Her wit was charming but rugged. She loved in a very untypical way that was often confused by those who wish always to condemn. Being born as her uncles child, created an unfair pessimism in her life through her mothers anger and phobias. I am sure her wit had become a way of survival. Many were those who loved her. Rarely did she complain but rather stated the undeniable truths in a very simple but cynical(hilarious)way. Though tough, she occasionally cried. It tore me apart to see her cry. I depended on her to make me feel safe. She had been beaten, abused, and crucified by do-gooders when she finally gave up and divorced this man. Alone to raise 5 children on welfare, she became a target for men that were discontent in their marriages. Many men tried to take advantage. She became known to be a little promiscuous(slutty) more for what she DID NOT put out than what she did. I believe it was a ploy of the white male to keep her in her womanly place and dependant. Finally she found the ONE MAN who treated her with dignity and respect. He brought out from her a beauty unmatched by the common women of that era. Her love was so beautiful! This came crashing in when Mike was murdered by her X husband. The eventual outcome of all this was a life full of pain(never complained). I encouraged her to see a doctor saying, " You may die". Her response was, "Did you ever think that might be what I want?" It was not long after she came to me at work with my 3 year old in tow. She was very ill and I had to leave work to drive her home. On the way home I again tried to get her to see a doctor and she refused. I said, "Fine, I am taking you to the doctor and there is nothing you can do about it!" As she died in that moment her voice echoed out my name.
After a long recovery I had learned a huge lesson from my mother. It still makes me smile to this day. She taught me that I cannot control other people. I really feel this was her final way(harsh way) of getting across to me I cannot make her decisions for her.
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