Authority

There is a lot of "Business Stuff" [BS] in our public discourse at the present moment. Too many of our present day authorities are Grifters, Oligarchs, demagogues, charlatans and Pirates. If we listen to them uncritically we'll get steered over a cliff and eaten for dinner. This is true whether one is talking about religion, politics or economics. There is just too much money to be made by conning people [See Grifters], and at the same time, there are many folks who either believe the grifters or are so spun and gaslighted they pass on the nonsense. Yet we ourselves are not usually authorities. And if we set ourselves up as authorities, we set ourselves up to join the ranks of con artists and grifters. Worse our lies may be amplified by unreliable disciples and turned into myths and legends and join the corpus of fractional and misleading ideas that constitute our present messes in philosophy, religion and politics. How does one thread the needle of actual correctness, wisdom and find real authorities?

Oligarchs!

Oligarchy is from the greek ολίγοι ("Oligoi") + (άρχς) archy = rule/ruler --> Oligarchy; rule by the few.

Grifters!

A Grifter is someone who swindles people through deception or fraud. The term is a contraction of "Graft" and "drift" and refers to the need of classic con artists to leave town before they got caught. Graft meaning "to secure illicit gains in business or government through fraud and/or deception; by corruption."

Grifters Oligarchs and Pirates

Our problem is the Grifters Oligarchs and Pirates, the GOP.

We can overcome our country's problems, once we understand what they are. Our problem is not the Republican Party. It is fascism. It's not only fascism it is the predatory attitude of some of our wannabe oligarchs. It is not only this predatory attitude of predatory Oligarchs, but the frauds and dishonesty with which they attack their goals.

We can Afford to cover healthcare for everyone in the country

We can afford health care. We just need to make our wealthy pay their share. The cost per capita of health care is approximately $10,490.00 per capita. Which is a lot. Our gross income per capita is approximately $49,550.00. That doesn't include income from capital gains. If our system were fair to 90% of us we could easily afford healthcare in this country. Unfortunately the bottom 90% of us earn an average of $33,000 and most of the income in our country goes to the top 1% and the top .01%. And since the wealthy make their money from rents, interest and "capital gains" that under-reports their income. The bottom 90% of us cannot afford healthcare without income transfers from the wealthy. Which is why the GOP is stiffing us. Our real issue is our GINI coefficient and oligarchy.

The Ghosts In The Paintings

My friend's paintings haunt me
The Ghosts of the past alive on canvas
Haunted hands painted them
Guided by restless spirits
Burning memories

Active Measures and the Left

I wasn't surprised by the revelations of "active measures" involving Right Wing Organizations and Donald Trump [see Psyops & Trump]. What dismayed and alarmed me was that the Russian FSB directed it's active measures efforts at US reformers, liberals/progressives and "the left."

Active Measures are the agitation and propaganda, electoral, terrorism, activism and other "less lethal" efforts of a spy service, directed against its "frenemy" neighbors around the world. Active measures support rebels and undermine the legitimacy of target nations.