Comment on Aussie Right-wing Media

 

Opinion

Waiting in the pharmacist, refilling my medication, sat down and opened The Sun Newspaper, a popular Melbourne News Corp publication written for readers with at least a 5^th grade literacy level. It's Melbourne's true “rag,” focusing mainly on sports and celebrity gossip. Because the newspaper is Murdoch owned, its editorial views are conservative and decidedly right-wing. The company blatantly promotes conservative policies by and while denigrating labor, the designated Left in Australian politics. In an article today, a Sun editorial writer came out and blamed “progressives” for creating and promoting 'cancel culture'.

I would be surprised if a Sun reader even understood what cancel culture is because the phenomenon is an American one, and I've yet to see it in Australia. In brief, cancel culture is taking a strong, highly politicized view on some aspect of the culture, whether it be LBGTQ, women' rights, abortion or racism. In the US, certain academics, for example, have been targeted for their views on sex, history, or extremist political positions, such as the Right's Proud Boys or the so-called left's Antifa. What occurs is a group of people within institutions and/or have a major voice in the community, will 'pile-on' the individual with accusations, true or not, ruining their careers and in some cases their lives: thus canceling that political or cultural perspective, and ultimately, erasing the view entirely from the public discourse.

What this biased and absurd Murdoch journalist was claiming, is that left “progressives” use their political sway to destroy right-wing policies and perspectives. That “cancel culture” is solely a liberal phenomenon, and the conservative Right simply does not engage in such antics that destroys lives. Of course, any serious individual that follows politics and culture understand “cancel culture” as a despicable tool of the right and the left. It can be said that conservatives or the right-wing have been using “culture” as a tool to punish the left, that, for the most part is a distraction from the central issues that face us today.

Most Republican debate issues, generally, are culturally based. Their pet issues are immigration, claiming immigrants are stealing American jobs. They will bring Christianity into the debate, using scripture to target the LBGTQ community or a woman's right to choose in the case of unwanted pregnancies. What the Right will not talk about, unless spewing brainwash-propaganda, is the corporate-owned health industry. They will also promote war, targeting countries that they claim are threats to the US people. When it comes to climate change, they will dispute the science and continue subsidizing the fossil fuel industries.

During these difficult times. Neoliberalism has revealed its destructive reptilian head. In Australia, the conservatives continuing to subsidize the coal industry for profit, knowing full well the damage coal is doing to the environment. In the US, during a planetary pandemic, continue to sanction countries, forcing populations into starvation. The US government is so Neoliberal that they have failed to handle the pandemic by and while refusing much-needed aid to the people. While the rest of the free world have taken care of their citizens during COVID 19, the US government has turned their back on the people. This is not a Right vs. Left problem but a cancerous corruption within both wings of the government.

While a silly Murdoch journalist is playing cultural politics. blaming the Left for 'Cancel Culture,' we have people around the planet dying because of government corruption, practicing Neoliberalism, further separating the rich from the poor, engaging in perpetual war, and focusing our attention on our differences rather than the government's criminal failings.

 Focusing our attention on our differences is the goal of MSM, whether Right or Left. While focusing on cultural differences, we should be absolutely focused on real policies that will change conditions around the planet. The elites want our attention elsewhere while they ravage the planet and horde its resources for themselves.

Australia's News Corp has a transparent agenda to stir the pot, pitting people of different persuasions against each other. I don't believe they should be kicked out of the country, but people should be aware that they are attempting division, when unity is so needed during these difficult times.

2020 – Retrospect and the Great Unmasking

 

It would be safe to assume that most people worldwide, when you ask them how they felt about the year 2020, more than likely will have similar answers. The worldwide pandemic of COVID 19 has touched just about every living soul in one way or another. When I last checked, the total deaths around the globe stands around 1.73 M. The hardest-hit country from the virus is the United States with 18.5 M cases and 326,000 deaths. Due to our stringent lockdowns and governmental financial support for the population (insuring people would actually lockdown), Australia to date, records 28,238 cases and 908 total deaths. This has been no small feat, where most of the population followed the rules including isolating, 1.5-meter distance, and the obligatory mask. We currently have another small outbreak in New South Wales; however, the actual numbers remain low. All that said, this virus is a sneaky bastard, so the best we can feel is a sense of cautious optimism for the future.

The two most written about subjects for me this year has been, of course, COVID 19 and Julian Assange. Aside from my criticisms of the many western countries' unrelenting support for war worldwide, specifically “regime-change” and proxy wars, the leading subject that all of us should be greatly concerned about is the imprisonment and persecution of Julian Assange. Because he has revealed to the planet the corruption and war crimes of our respective governments, we as the population are more aware of governments' machinations. At the moment, he languishes in Belmarsh Prison in the UK, in solitary confinement, for revealing the Iraqi war crimes of the United States.

Publishing and journalism is not a crime but is that necessary Fourth Estate Pillar in our western systems to report and question power and governments. If Julian Assange is persecuted and put in a dark hole in some Super Max prison in the US, this will have a domino effect on the Rights of Free Speech and Freedom of the Press. To be sure, I find it utterly disgusting that more journalists are not speaking out for Assange, considering what is at stake. Even from a cursory glance, the MSM has become an extension of governments and their intelligence agencies, feeding us misleading information or leaving out the news that otherwise would send the population up in arms. A few independent news outlets are fighting the good fight, but they are becoming few and far between. As a great journalist and activist, they said (name escapes me) that if they 'get' Julian Assange, who will be next?

Because I grew up in Denver, Colorado, and lived in Los Angeles California, I have many friends and close family living there. This follows why I care and write about US foreign and domestic policy. To a great extent, I can say that 2020 is the year of the great unmasking. Governments around the world have revealed their neoliberal intentions economically, financially, and socially. In France, for example, the Macron government attempted to pass a law to silence protesters from taking photographs and video of the police. This would put the State at a considerable advantage and pave the way for police corruption.

In the US, under President Trump, the response to COVID 19 was lacking at best, bordering on the criminally negligent, and refusing medicare and survival money for the population during a pandemic. One only needs to look at other countries around the planet and their response to the virus to realize the extent of the US governments corporate corruption.

It was heart-wrenching to watch the videos of the vast numbers of people in lines, as far as the eye can see, to simply attain food for their families. My tears turned to anger when the corrupt US government decided to give other countries millions and billions (mostly for war), throwing the American people under the bus. The US government/politicians are not the friends of their constituents, and if you believe otherwise, you've been brainwashed or duped.

In 2020, the governments unmasked themselves by sanctioning certain countries around the world during a global pandemic. In two countries, in particular, Venezuela and Iran, the US sanctions were doubled down, and the innocent deaths for lack of food and medicine have yet to be accurately calculated – it's in the thousands. All western country's who followed the US economic sanctions are criminally complicit.

The eyes of the world were focused on the US presidential election. It's safe to say that most people outside of the US wanted Trump out of office. The president's deregulation's environmentally; pulling out of the Paris Accords, and the breaking of the Iran nuclear deal cast a long shadow over the Trump administration. We all wondered how far President Trump would move towards WW3? To the clown's credit, he didn't start any new wars (as far as we know) but simply maintained the seven wars that Obama started.

The world understands that Afghanistan is a corporate war to maintain the weapons industry and a strategic position against Russia. This proxy war has gone on for 20 years with no end in sight. The US and the Five-Eyes countries will tell you that Afghanistan is about “terrorism.” It's not. This war is about resources and money.

An Australian whistleblower, David McBride, who is currently being prosecuted, revealed Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. See: https://sychronicity1.blogspot.com/2020/11/australian-war-crimes-in-afghanistan.html In the end, we might see the whistleblower in jail and the actual war criminals go free, but that's where we are in 2020.

Lastly, when it comes to Medicare in the US, the people have been so beaten down with propaganda and faux left-wing pundits that many believe it is Communism and the root of all evil. Although the statistics reveal that at least 80% of the American people want universal health care on both sides of the political spectrum, US politicians continue to make lame excuses. When the US sees AOC as a fighter for the left, the world sees a democratic centrist with too much clout. Again, this is another great unmasking in 2020.

For many years, my focus is anti-war. Over the last 30 years, at least, diplomacy has all but disappeared, and the bully “iron hand” has become the rule. The US War Economy must be dismantled because it destroys the planet environmentally, raping, and pillaging countries around the world for its resources. This is psychopathic behavior and will ultimately lead nowhere but total death and destruction.

Most of us around the planet didn't have a good year. 2020 has revealed many government crimes, their unmasking, and desire for authoritarian control. A worldwide human movement is necessary on a grand scale, and maybe, 2021 might be the year it finally happens.

The planet needs to change because it can't keep going on like this.

Happy New Year.

President Trump & Julian Assange

Despite the perpetual tweets from Donald Trump and his followers, claiming the election was rigged, the Supreme Court and the Electoral College has spoken, for good or ill, Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States. It is a tradition that every president at the end of their tenure, pardon certain people who are under indictment or are incarcerated for a crime that they have committed or not. Social media has turned on fire over the last few weeks, requesting that Trump pardon Julian Assange.

In these unpredictable times, even the right-wing politician, Sara Palin posted a tweet describing her wish for a pardon for Assange. Evidently, the woman had a genuine epiphany that the prosecution of the publisher is a direct violation of the First Amendment of the United States. Many people were delighted to see this. However, the permanent governments of the US and Britain are hell-bent on his trial and imprisonment.

A recording was also released on Twitter of Assange calling the US State dept., informing them that certain classified and unclassified documents were about to be uploaded on the internet without redaction. He was concerned that certain people's lives would be at risk. Of course, this action proved the prosecution in the Assange extradition hearings in London as completely wrong, as Wikileaks spent months redacting the cables before releasing them. The State and Hillary Clinton did not heed the warnings, and a bad actor published the cables without redaction.

One of my favorite film directors, Oliver Stone, posted a tweet appealing to Trump to pardon Julian Assange. The tweet's framing was interesting: telling the president that by pardoning Assange, it would certainly ruffle the feathers of the permanent government and the democratic establishment. Over Trump's term as president, the permanent government went after Trump, claiming he colluded with Russia and essentially calling him a Manchurian Candidate. This non-stop McCarthyism went on for over 3 years without substantial evidence until the Mueller Report's release. After the Mueller report, the frenzy died down. Still, it was so entrenched in the national psyche that some were continuing to label people “Russian assets” who opposed their agenda or political views. Now that Biden has won the election, not surprisingly, Russia is, for the most part, irrelevant. That said, I believe Oliver Stone is onto something.

Those who really understand Trump's basic nature, realize that 1) he's a sore loser and 2) he likes to exact revenge upon his enemies. There is no better way to stick it to the democratic establishment and the permanent government than pardoning Julian Assange.

We need to understand, however, that a pardon is an admittance of guilt for the crimes you have been accused of or committed. Assange has not committed any crime; his only action was publishing and journalism, revealing government war crimes and corruption.

At this point, all those supporting Assange would like to see the charges and allegations dropped. That said, a Trump pardon is the next best thing and the right thing to do.

Douglas Kennedy – Isabelle in the Afternoon – Review

Although not a big fan of the “love story” as a readable genre, after reading Kennedy for well over 20 years, his latest novel, Isabelle in the Afternoon, is an entrancing tale of a man's journey in the complexities of relationships and the variables of love.

Sam is our narrator. A boy just out of high school in the early 70's, decides to travel to Paris without knowing the language, and by chance, meets an older, sophisticated French woman at a book launch in the heart of the city. Isabelle is not necessarily a “stunner,” but a beautiful woman who exudes intelligence and charm. Once they exchange numbers, Sam curries up the courage to call her, where they meet at her apartment, to begin a closed, deeply sensuous relationship with stringent rules.

Isabelle is married to a distinguished financier, a wealthy man, who she remains devoted to for a variety of understandable reasons. Their relationship is one of security coupled with a shared tragedy, when Isabelle loses a child due to cot death. She is comfortable with her marriage and has the ability to compartmentalize her marriage, her work, and her young American lover.

Sam is too young and falls in love with the older woman, and finds it difficult to understand this arrangement. Similar to many young men his age, he is reactive, quick to judge, and possessive. That said, Sam manages to hold the majority of his immaturity at bay. He accepts their afternoon rendezvous, but we discover that Isabelle, too, has fallen in love with the lad. However, as life demands and sometimes dictates, Sam returns to the States to attend university and later Law school.

We move through Sam's life where Isabelle is never far from his mind. Sam meets other women along his journey. Indeed he finally marries a fellow lawyer. However, before his marriage, Isabelle comes to Boston, where they embrace their pure passionate connection once again. Although their love is real, it isn't “practical.” Thus they move back to their self-created lives.

Kennedy is a sensitive writer and appears to have a deep understanding of the human heart and the pitfalls and challenges of commitment in long term relationships. He also grasps the vagaries of life and how “best-laid plans,” more often or not, never eventuate, and tragedy can befall one at the turn of a dime. He writes:

When things fall apart; the center truly does not hold. Life can have

an absolute veneer of relative stability. Of calm assuredness. Smooth

sailing and all that. And then something goes seriously askew; the veneer is

shown to be eggshell thin, and all comes asunder with a speed that leaves

you thinking: there are no certainties in life. Only the desperate music

of happenstance.

Isabelle in the Afternoon is not just a “love story,” but an exploration of the human condition. The novel is also a bold statement on relationships that true love exists and can last an entire lifetime.

Little School.

My teaching "career" went well over a decade, and then some.

At the start taught the privileged in a private school for the rich at one of Melbourne's elite institutions, feeling all was well.

As an "idealist" believed I was teaching the next generation of doctors, leaders, and social innovators. Generally, this was true, only to run across one lad.

This boy came from an influential family, a long line of politicians, lawyers, and business owners. I'll call him "Brad" as his behavior leaned in the direction of a sociopath...a disturbed young man.

In the private school sector, parents, pay exuberant sums to educate their young.

Only the best education will do for my little Tommy or Jill!

Brad would sit in my class, nothing prepared and cause havoc. Baiting me to later reach a climax of relentless disrespect and an anarchic feeling in the classroom, leaving with a victim's huff, blaming all and sunder for his behavior, though this never happened in my class. Why? Brad's fellow students knew his antics and were no- longer buying into the emotional blackmail.

Later in the year, Brad would fail in my class, was approached by a senior member of staff, telling me to pass the boy because his father gave the school so much money every second semester...I left a private school education with more than a bad taste in my mouth.

Later taught at a State School, a mixed bag of the poor and respectable middle-class children. A hard slog for any teacher because one's personal life disappears and one's students take first priority. Some wonderful children that now have grown into wonderful people with children; the world turns. Left this school because the teachers and the principal became harder to handle than my students! Why? Because most of these teachers are institutionalized, meaning they've been in "school" all their lives and know nothing else.

Finally at the end of my teaching career, I decided to take a break, played guitar at a few pubs, and wrote a novel.

Decided to go back to the profession as a substitute teacher. My only gigs were Primary (elementary) schools, teaching the little guys! What a pleasure.

True innocence, so curious, so wanting to do the right thing.

Today, by coincidence, I drove by the country little school that was my last day as a teacher...

Felt good.

More Thoughts on COVID 19

In the last three weeks, Australia and particularly Melbourne has experienced zero deaths and zero new cases of Covid 19. Compared to the rest of the planet, this is quite an accomplishment. Despite right-wing opposition in the form of Murdoch's News Corp, accusing premier Andrews of being a dictator, the severe lockdowns remained and were maintained until a significant drop in new cases of the virus. Despite a few wing nuts and reality deniers, the Australian people followed lockdown protocols. The difference between Australia to the United States, for example, is that the government gave small businesses and individuals cash as an incentive to remain inside to prevent the spread of Covid. In the US, the government has all but abandoned its population with zero subsidies while at the same time attempting to enforce lockdowns. As a result, the US is experiencing an average of 3000 deaths a day, and small businesses across the country are closed down and will most likely not see the light of day again. In a word, this government inaction is nothing less than criminal.

One might ask why I care what happens in the United States? The answer is a simple one, as I have close family members and old friends currently living there. Because I grew up in the US, now living in Melbourne, I've made it my business to follow their politics and specifically, their foreign policy. And what the American government hasn't done, in terms of its handling of Covid 19, their flagrant mishandling and refusal to help the people medically and financially, borders on the criminally negligent. Denying the people the right to free medicare, particularly during a massive pandemic, is pathetic while people are dying in droves. To force small businesses to close and not give them money to remain in business is also criminal. Is it any wonder that people are defying the lockdown orders, and on the far right of the spectrum, calling Covid 19 a hoax?

The reasons for this criminal neglect from the US government is quite clear. For the most part, American politicians are bought and paid for by big lobby groups and corporate interests. The greatest threat to American democracy is simply big money in politics. Many people know this, and I've certainly been writing about it for years. Politicians will not take care of their constituents if it goes against the wishes of their corporate donors. The US doesn't have a single-payer health system, a service enjoyed by most countries in the developed world, is the politicians are bought-off by big Pharma and other medical corporations that make huge profits from illness. I'm afraid it's that simple.

In terms of Covid 19, the Trump administration didn't take it seriously, waffled about with masks and numbers, blaming China but never doing anything effective to stop the spread of the virus. When you consider the lack of financial support for people, a government disregard of the pandemics significance at the start, you have a country economically going to hell in a handbasket. This is the fault of the US government and its corrupt system of governance. This is in no way the fault of the people.

This is not to say that the Australian government is perfect. In fact, under a conservative rule, they're far from it. That said, they handled Covid 19 responsibly, ensuring effective lockdowns and stringent rules. This was reinforced by ensuring small businesses and individuals were compensated with monetary incentives to remain indoors. In my home country, the US government has abandoned the people, giving trillions of $ to the corporations, banks, and their wealthy donors. They do not have medicare during a pandemic, are told to lockdown with no subsidy while having to wait in mile-long food lines to merely survive.

The US is not a democracy but a corporatocracy. The Will of the People has vanished, and is replaced by the Will of Corporations and the wealthy.

I do not believe I'm overdramatic, but the US government is guilty of negligent homicide on a grand scale. They had the opportunity to help the people in a serious worldwide pandemic and decided to go the other way.

Something needs to change and it's certainly not further $ in politics and crony capitalism.

Michael J. Collins – Hot Lights, Cold Steel - Review

This is a well-written and highly polished memoir about an Orthopaedic surgeon's four-year residency at the famous Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Dr. Collins is a good writer, giving the impression that he poured his heart and soul into this text: it's funny, at times sad and gruesome in parts, but again, reading about the training surgeon, one gets a distinct feeling that these men and women, having to run through the depths of hell to finally get qualified, must be born to the task - or simply masochistic by nature.

If this memoir is to be believed, and there's no reason why it shouldn't, every nightmare story that you have heard about the four-year residency is absolutely true. It's astounding that these people manage to survive - the torturous long stretches on their feet saving lives, sometimes reaching 60 to 70 hours is nothing less than miraculous. Treating patients day and night, constantly worrying that you'll screw up; taking peoples lives in your hands could send the most grounded individual around the bend - in some cases, it does, but for the most part, these people get through to become qualified surgeons, as did Dr. Collins, but through a lot of blood sweat and tears.

Hot Lights, Cold Steel, reads like a novel, as the characterization, structure of the plot and the pathos, the utter sadness of some of his cases, and the joy and exhilaration of his successes, had me just as enthralled as any top-selling thriller. Dr. Collins has a gift for description as he illustrates the amputation of a limb, including a section of the patient's pelvis, in such detailed imagery that it became difficult to read. He also has a great sense of humor, which I believe is so necessary to survive in this profession.

One of the more terrible of the Dr.'s experiences was the attempted resuscitation of a six-year-old boy who had been run over by a drunk. Collins and the ER staff did everything humanly possible to save the child, but his injuries were too severe. The undeserved death of innocence is hard to take, and it affected the attending staff in a big way. This was also terribly difficult to read. Then there was the young kindergarten teacher who just came in because of slight pain in her hip, to discover her entire skeleton was riddled with cancer. Unfortunately, she died six months later. After reading about these cases, one realizes that life is fleeting and fragile and should never be taken for granted.

I have always had great respect for those in the medical profession, but this book has doubled that respect and opened my eyes to their tenacity, courage, and skill. This is a great book and is highly recommended.

The Office Christmas Party

 One can gain great insight into the souls of one's fellow colleague's at a work function, more so, the end-of-the-year Christmas celebration.

Through my long though blink-and-it's-over life, have attended many an office Christmas party, and depending on the decade, have witnessed countless "rather not say" situations and, well, embarrassing moments.

One of "those" moments happened while working for a publishing firm in the early nineties.

The function was held at a posh bar, walking distance from the office. My ears ringing from the live music and phony screams decided to go back to my desk, pick up my briefcase, and head for home. Empty and quiet, I sauntered to my desk and checked a few messages to hear a scream. (I'm the type who is good in an emergency to only fall apart later.) Dropped my messages and ran to the source of the scream, galloping across the office to find a couple in the throes of passion.

To protect the innocent and the guilty, the bumping and grinding couple we'll call "Anne" and "Chris." Anne was a personal assistant, shy and unassuming, petite with mousy brown hair and thick glasses that made her head appear too small for her body. Chris was the office IT guy, a definite nerd, but a cool nerd.

"Coitus Interuptus" would be an understatement, as upon my arrival, both separated at lightening speed, covering their nakedness. All I could do was excuse myself and walk away.

The following Monday, both had returned to their subdued office personas', though when seeing me, their faces turned the hue of scarlet, the color of the guilty.

An unspoken passion, suppressed by social mores, over a year, to break out, fuelled by a little alcohol, continues to make the world turn.

Christmas, more so the Spirit of Christmas can drive the soul to the depths or the heights of existence.

Be safe, happy, and giving this Christmas. And a little word of advice, be wary of the office Christmas party.

NB.

Chris and Anne are married and have three children, all in school, all doing well.

Neil Schaeffer – The Marquis de Sade - Review

 

Schaeffer's Sade is a noble and successful attempt at historical revisionism; this work painstakingly strips away the mythological Marquis de Sade as [a] monster, and elegantly reveals a literary genius, a victim of the aristocracy, whose life mission was to explore and rationalize the dark side of human nature.

One would not be remiss in calling the Marquis the father of libertinism. His life and work exemplifies the libertine ethos, that is, "rules are meant to be broken, that the laws of religion and society are artificial limitations without intrinsic value, and that the only law is the law of nature that authorizes any action for the sake of pleasure." (359) The irony, however, is that the king of libertinism spent the majority of his life behind bars, pushing the boundaries, breaking the rules of imposed morality with only his pen and an imagination geared to fulfill his every bent desire.

As Schaeffer points out, the greater irony was behind the 18th century pomp and circumstance of the French aristocracy, de Sade's '120 Days of Sodom' barely scratches the surface of how these privileged wigged lunatics really spent their time.

De Sade's true nemesis was a woman: Mme de Montreuil - de Sade's mother in law. She wanted the man out of the way, and she succeeded without question.

As a study of character and how the human mind reacts while incarcerated, this book is a revelation. Of course, similar to most criminals, de Sade believed himself to be innocent; his predicament was always someone else's fault. To a large extent, he was right. But paranoia is a strong emotion, an exaggerated fear of the world against you: jailed for decades for no apparent "real." reason, one's mind will find a reason. Conspiracy theories provide answers and meaning to one's life - or at least an explanation for one's suffering. Sade's theories, understandably, went beyond the pale. If anything, this biography is a fine study of how far a creative mind will reach for answers when backed against a wall.

The letters between de Sade and his wife, Renee, while in prison, would be substantial material for any in-depth study or research project on the intricacies of paranoia. Renee would be the subject of another biographical study of equal stature to de Sade. What a fascinating individual. Reading only the fragments of these letters in the book is worth the time.

The Marquis de Sade wants us to believe that he is a martyr, a victim of hypocrisy and social power. This book certainly argues this view well. But de Sade is about extremes, taking our base desires, making them realities, and philosophically justifying these base desires as natural. This argument doesn't work because we must abide by the social contract because to live in society - otherwise, there is no society.

Sade, through his literature, showed us how far the imagination can travel to its darkest depths. Compared to the horrors of the twentieth century, however, de Sade's sexual and cruel exploits seem almost quaint.

Reading this book is well worth the effort if one is interested in the nature of power, the intricacies of paranoia, and an honest account of a man of letters who ranks amongst the best.

US Democracy is an Embarrassment

 

Opinion

It's certainly not difficult to understand why a good portion of the American people have lost faith in their democratic elections. Over the last four years, the liberal media relentlessly peddled the alleged “Russiagate” scandal, naming Trump a Russian agent, who colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. Relentless is a key descriptive term to describe all the cable networks pushing this propaganda. Rachel Maddow spearheaded this neoliberal conspiracy, even to the extent of announcing that the Russians were going to hack the northeastern power grid, placing millions of Americans without heat and light during the winter months. Then came the much-awaited Mueller report, managed to indict a few bad actors, but none of them collaborated with the Russians during the 2016 election. This was a non-stop hoax to illegitimate president Donald Trump. The Mueller Report's lack of evidence didn't stop these establishment types from continuing the hoax.

During the 2020 presidential primary's, Hillary Clinton continued to push this evidence-free conspiracy and alluded in an interview that presidential hopeful, Tulsi Gabbard, was being groomed by the Russians, and simply another “Putin Puppet.” Gabbard campaigned on her antiwar stance against America's regime-change wars. This narrative went against the Military-Industrial Complex. Hillary is a proven warmonger and cheerleader for regime change around the planet. She is also a paid stooge for Wall Street. That said, her only argument to smear Gabbard was to call her a Russian asset. Why? The arguments for regime change by the establishment are usually lies or at least becoming extremely difficult to rationalize. What is not difficult to believe, is that many people, who only get their news from cable networks would fall for this smear because the propaganda campaign has been all-prevalent and non-stop.

It is also interesting to note that now that Joe Biden has won the election, there hasn't been a peep about foreign (Russian) interference in the US presidential election. However, new conspiracy's from the Right have taken-up the American 24-hour news cycle.

President Trump and his band of lunatics have blamed his loss in the election on everything from a dead Venezuelan president, hacked voting machines to the FBI. As his right, the president and his team have filed various lawsuits in particular states like Georgia to Pennsylvania. The vast majority of these suits, claiming voter fraud, have been thrown out of court for lack of evidence. Similar to Russiagate, these allegations are evidence-free.

The problem is the powers that be, the oligarchy, the true people who run things, have used the media to spark this lack of faith in the American democratic process. This cannot be over-emphasized that the corporate-owned media has a lot to answer for their extremely biased reporting of politics over at least the last four years. Fox News has a right-wing agenda, and not so ironically, the liberal left has a right-wing agenda as well. Both serve corporations. Thus anything coming out of these outlets should be scrutinized or immediately taken with a grain of salt.

The problem is systemic corruption in the entire governmental edifice. American politicians are paid by certain lobby factions representing certain corporate interests. As a result, the politicians voted into office by their constituents do not truly represent them, but the piles of money given to them by these corporate interests. This is not news to anyone, but it is a basic problem in the system. Why else is the majority of the American people on both sides of the aisle wanting Medicare for all and a 15 dollar minimum wage, and it hasn't happened? The rest of the “free world” has medicare for all and a livable wage, while the richest country in the world refuses to implement these basic human rights. The special corporate interest groups in DC have bought and paid for the politicians not to implement these basic policies. This is corruption on a grand scale.

One adds the fact that the media pushes evidence-free conspiracies about foreign intervention in the elections, including waging cultural wars, blaming one group against the other for the injustices in the country; is it any wonder that the United States people are so divided?

These cultural war issues are distractions from the real issues that can make the US a better place for the people: Immigration, LBGTQ, Abortion, gun ownership are distractions, cultural issues that ignore the fact that the US is in endless wars, have a corporate medical system, a prison industrial complex for profit, and an infrastructure that has been crumbling since at least the Clinton administration. This is not to mention a public education system that is underfunded and failing.

It is ironic, but mostly hypocritical, that the US government invades countries around the planet to spread the goodness of democracy, when their own system is so blatantly corrupt.

A country divided over cultural issues and a government that blames the other party and other countries for their corrupt democratic system is an embarrassment. It is also convenient for the 1% to keep its citizens' attention off the main issues.

It's time to stop blaming each other and focus the blame on those who are intent on securing their own wealth at the expense of the American people.

Negotiating Karma (P.5 of 5)

 

This was certainly a “groundhog” moment. I was repeating a scene in the past for the third time. George, the younger, sat at the barstool next to me, nursing his scotch neat. In a few seconds, he would turn to me and say:

“I'm sorry, but do I know you. Sorry if that sounds weird, but really, you do look familiar.”

As this is the third repetition of this short moment in a long life; instinctively, I knew that something needed to change to set the future straight or in the right direction. At that time, I really didn't have the slightest idea. I replied:

“No, I don't believe we have ever met before. But I must say, you look a bit familiar as well.”

George the younger turned away, sipping his drink.

As the silence between my younger self and I continued, the beautiful woman, like the past two times, entered the bar. George the younger peered longingly back at the lady sitting alone at the seat next to the open windows. It dawned on me that perhaps by running interference between them, the adulterous encounter would never happen. It was then I thought, 'I'll initiate the encounter!'

“Excuse me, bartender.” I said.

“Yes sir.”

“You see the young lady by the window. Please give her a glass of your best champagne.”

“Certainly, sir.”

George the younger gave me a disapproving look. “She's a bit young for you. Don't you think?”

This statement had taken me off guard. I looked down at his sparkling gold wedding ring. “Well, George, is it? I'm currently single, and by what I saw on the beach today, your new bride is quite attractive.” He saw me peering at his ring, shrugged, remained silent, and continued to sip his scotch.

The bartender served the woman the champagne and told her who it was from. I raised my glass to her, and she did the same. It was then she beckoned me over to her table.

Our conversation touched on the banal, telling her that I was a heart surgeon practicing in Los Angeles. She told me she was a model, meeting a fashion crew over the next few days to shoot for some sports company. Over the years in my medical practice, I always know when someone is lying to me. This beautiful woman was not a fashion model, but the hotel's resident escorted anyone she deemed appropriate for her special services. Our conversation was coming to a close when she handed me a card with her room number. George, the younger, walked out of the bar with a noticeable scowl. I accepted the card and whispered in her ear.

“How much for an hour of your services?”

Rather than verbally respond, she grabbed the card out of my hands and wrote down something, and promptly exited the bar. I looked down at the writing, and it said: $1000 for the hour. The original memory of the scene returned, and I remembered the woman only charged George the younger a mere $500 for the hour. This didn't upset me because I was old and an established professional. This beautiful woman knew her business and understood her mark. But my next thought was filled with anxiety; did I change the course of my life?

Again, Jasper is sitting outside in one of the lounge chairs on the deck.

Jasper never offered his thoughts but offered his right paw instead.

Jasper and I am now standing at the rear of a huge church. At a younger age, I see myself sitting beside two boys I know to be my sons. I know this is a funeral because I can see a huge portrait of Christine at the front of the church. I can barely make out what the pastor is saying:

“Christine was taken from us by a freak accident, hit by a speeding car as she was crossing the street to a movie theatre to see a film. Going to the movies was her greatest passion...”

I turned to Jasper and thought, “What is this?”

Jasper lifted his paw, and now I see Christine and I standing in a park, watching children play. We are much older, in our late 70's, and the children we are seeing are our grandchildren. So, I thought, we did grow old together and enjoying the fruits of our hard work with our grandchildren. I can see and feel that we are delighted at this point in our lives.

The scene changes again. Jasper and I are back in my office. The old cat is sitting by the window, sunning himself. I'm sitting on a visitor's chair facing the window. And it occurs to me that without a doubt, I'm dead.

“This may sound really corny, George, but you had the opportunity to see what your life could have been like if you had made the right decision back at the time of your honeymoon. What is promising is the fact that you witnessed your terrible decision and attempted to fix it. This, in turn, allowed you to see how your life could have been by rectifying that decision. But the fact remains you decided to have sex with that escort on your honeymoon, and your wife witnessed it. That choice has led us to here and now.”

“So you're saying all this moving through time has not changed a single thing. I'm still dead, and that's it. Right?

Jasper jumped off the window sill onto the desk and stared me straight in the eyes. “You saw what you did and knowing it was wrong, changed it. That's good enough for me.”

“But what about Christine and Saul? What will happen to them.”

Jasper replied, “At this stage, it's none of your concern. But there will come a time when you souls, together, can work this all out.”

“So George, you need to move on. And let me say it was a pleasure knowing you. And don't worry about Christine and Saul. They'll negotiate their own karma.”

My perceptions changed, and I felt myself moving...

Negotiating Karma (P.4)

 

As I stood above my younger self laying next to his new bride, my first thought was how young we appeared, and that it was almost 25 years to the day of my death.

Jasper was behind me, jumping up and down like a jackrabbit because the heat of the sand was burning his paws. He eventually made his way to the path above the beach.

The younger George sat up and said, “It's getting way too hot. I'm going to the room for a shower and hit the bar for a cool drink. Care to join me?

Christine slightly changed positions and said, “No, I'm staying here for a while. But I'll meet you in the bar later.”

“Don't stay out here too long, or you'll burn.” he said.

I followed George, the younger, inside the resort, and up the elevator to his room. He didn't waste any time jumping in the shower, dressing and out the door, back down the elevator, and into the bar. The bar is relatively empty. He sat on a stool and ordered a scotch neat. I decided to sit beside him, wishing I could have a drink as well. When the bartender walked in front of me and asked, “What will you have, sir?”

This was a great surprise because let's face it, I was dead.

“Are you talking to me?” I asked.

“Who else would I be talking to, sir?” he replied with slight sarcasm, looking around the empty bar.

“Of course, sorry. I'll have a scotch neat.” I said.

The handsome bartender returned with my drink, saying, “I gave you a double on the house. You look like you need it.”

I smiled and sipped the drink and relished the taste.

George the younger turned and asked, “I'm sorry but do I know you. Sorry if that sounds weird, but really, you do look familiar.”

 As far as I know, one living has ever looked face to face into the eyes of one's younger self. I remember back in medical school taking psychology, and this is a treatment in certain therapy sessions. That is, asking one's younger self why they made certain decisions in life, etc... This wasn't a therapy technique, however, but the real thing.

I turned and said, “No, I don't believe we have ever met before. But I must say, you look a bit familiar as well.”

George the younger shrugged his shoulders, sipping his drink.

A few minutes passed when a young, beautiful woman entered the bar. I'd guess her age to be around her late twenties. She sat down at a table next to the open window overlooking the beach. I noticed George, the younger, turn around and began sizing her-up, admiring her beauty.

 The memory of this encounter with the sophisticated woman on my honeymoon in Hawaii flashed into consciousness at once. I absolutely knew the chain of events that would follow meeting this woman in the empty bar. We would strike up a conversation and immediately connect on a mental and physical level. In a few hours, she would hand me her room number, offering a more kinetic connection later that night. Once Christine fell asleep that night after dinner. I would sneak out of our room and meet the young woman in her room. We would have unmitigated sex like only strangers can or dare. After this meeting, I would come back to my room, relieved that Christine hadn't woken up, and slide back next to her like a garden snake.

Above all else, I believed it was necessary to prevent this encounter, this adultery, from happening because my future depended on it. But what could I do? And really, this betrayal had happened 25 years ago.

I sat at the bar, watching the entire event between my younger self and this beautiful woman transpire before my eyes. How could I intervene and stop this from happening?

In over an hour, I had consumed 4 scotches to see the woman pass George the younger her room number. He stood up and kissed her on the cheek, walking out of the bar and up to his room. 'What a sleaze bag!' I thought.

Leaving the bar, I walked outside to see my cat, Jasper, comfortably sitting on a lounge chair waiting for me. Sitting down next to him, I put my head in my hands, feeling confused but more guilty than anything else. Jasper waited without uttering a thought. He was waiting for me to come up with an answer.

“Jasper, this betrayal on my honeymoon started all the crap in my life. I wish I could change my mind about going to that woman's room. I really don't know why, because I never admitted the fling to Christine, over our 25 years of marriage. I don't understand.”

“There's something you need to see,” Jasper said.

He extended his paw, and instantly we were standing in the hallway of the hotel. The elevator doors opened, and out I walked with a strange expression. George the younger knocked on the door of a room, and the beautiful woman from the bar let him in.

Jasper whispered. “Look.” Standing in the shadow of the hallway was Christine, who I guess followed me to my adulterous rendezvous. She put her ear to the door, listening to the rough and tumble of my fling. After a few minutes, she walked to the exit sign leading to the stairs.

“My God, Jasper, Christine knew about the fling the entire time and didn't say a word for 25 years. I'm a total idiot!”

Jasper looked up and said, “She found the card and number in your pants and waited to follow if you decided to go through with it.”

Jasper extended his paw, and I bent down and connected. There I was sitting at the bar again at the same time earlier that afternoon. George, the younger, sat next to me as the handsome bartender asked me what I wanted to drink.

“Give me a scotch neat.” I said.

“I gave you a double on the house. You look like you need it.” he said.

Negotiating Karma (P.3)

Sitting on the bed next to my cat, overlooking the beautiful view of the ocean from my wife's bedroom window, it dawned on me that seeing this mass betrayal from Christine, keeping her lover in her own closet within our home for so many months, surprised me, yes, but there was no epiphany as to why I was continuing to hang about like a ghost in this world.

It did surprise me how she had got away with it for so long, but even more surprising was my utter ignorance and zero suspicion that she was even having an affair, let alone literally right under my nose. Add to the fact that she was also having an affair with my closest colleague at work. I trusted Goldstein. He's not only a great surgeon, but I thought, a good person, too. Why has he betrayed me as well? At that moment, I began to feel extreme self-pity. Interestingly, the more I felt sorry for myself, the more I felt like I was vanishing from the scene. It seemed that the “victim-emotion” is not suited to my current standing in this dimension. I could feel myself slowly moving into a dark void. It was then that Jasper spoke up:

“This emotional self-indulgence crap is not going to help anyone, George. Here, take my paw and close your eyes. There's something else you need to see.”

As I touched Jasper's paw, opened my eyes, and was standing in a bar/restaurant that my wife and I used to frequent on the weekends. The place is called the “Rusty Scupper” and has the best seafood in LA county. Once I got my bearings, I saw Goldstein and my wife sitting in a booth at the back. I decided to join them.

“ George signed the insurance policy over 6 months ago before his diagnosis. Like you suggested, it's worth over 1 million dollars. There's no way the death can be traced back to us because it was simply a failed heart transplant.” she said.

“Well, it helped that I postponed giving George the diagnosis until after you had made a few payments on the policy.” Goldstein replied.

“So, we're in the clear.” she said.

“Not so fast, Christine. Because it was a failed transplant, there's going to be an autopsy. It's standard procedure in any failed heart surgery. George would have wanted that considering he was the leading hospital instructor for all our current residences.”

Christine sipped her Vodka tonic and peered into her glass.

“You know I'm just careful, but will they find anything suspicious in the autopsy?” she asked.

Goldstein looked hurt. “I'd hoped you had more trust in me as a doctor, Christine,” he said.

Good old Saul. He always did have an ego the size of Texas! Knowing Goldstein, he would have left nothing to raise suspicion in my surgery. He is the best heart surgeon in the state. And even if they did find irregularities during the surgery, the hospital would over-look them to maintain Goldstein's reputation, and of course, their own. As far as I could see, now hearing the conspiracy from their own mouths, the whole plan appeared foolproof. My wife and a close colleague had been successful in murdering me for what, a million dollars? This didn't make any sense. Goldstein is a wealthy man from his practice and a vast inheritance he received when his parents died some years ago in a strange car accident.

My wife, according to my Last Will and Testament, would get everything. I made a quick calculation, and $ in the bank, including my many assets, amounted to over 10 million. I don't understand. At that moment. I felt another pang of self-pity and noticed myself falling again into nothing. Looking out the window, I saw Jasper sitting on the hood of a 2020 Mercedes staring straight at me. I ran out of the restaurant and finally reached my cat, who had his right paw extended in the air.

Before entirely disappearing, I reached Jasper just in time. The entire scene changed, and now I was standing on a beach looking down at my younger self, sunbathing next to my gorgeous bride, Christine, a newlywed couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii so many years ago.

Change and the Typewriter

 

Read today a small piece about Theodore Dreiser, a New York journalist and critic, whose pen controlled the fate of any "up-and-coming." author, painter, or filmmaker during the early twentieth century.

Some say Dreiser had too much power, his pen more a thundering sword or hammer than a simple writing tool. What interested me was a small point: He was the first to announce that he was writing with a new "machine," he called a typewriter!

The blow-back from this confession was extraordinary:

"One cannot write with a machine, absolutely impossible"!

"The purity of the written word would be lost forever!"

He received letters from around the world, some pleading to not use this diabolical invention.This reminded me of a time when a fellow student told me she could tell the difference between a piece of writing performed by a pen or a computer. I plunged into the challenge and the next day handed her two pieces of writing, one written with a pen and the other, the computer. A fifty-fifty chance, yes, but could she tell the difference?

My friend read both pieces intently. Looking up, she said,

"Honestly, Craig, you're trying to trick me."

"No," I responded. This is the real deal."

She reread both pieces and said, "This one is written with a pen and the other, a computer."She got it wrong! My point is whether writing with quill and ink or Microsoft Word, the writer's thoughts remain untainted.

Change is inevitable, adapting to change is what challenges us every day.