The last Valor book (#38), Moral Equivalent of War (2006), examined the nature of corporatism. Conservatives, like John Dean, admit that our country is now near 25% authoritarian. We show it to be over 50%. Corporate "esquires" subverted the 14th Amendment to make America an oligarchy (since 1886, Santa Clara vs Southern RR). Substantial structural changes followed and democracy was fatally undermined by 1922. Mussolini defined fascism as one form of such government, and he was hired and fired by a king. Indeed, oligarchy and aristocracy are closely related. The PRODUCTS page includes a Table of Contents of Book #38 (Books.htm), which is curently being redone.
The mortal symptom of American militarism was obvious by 1947. We confirm this claim with websites, books, and films to suggest the obvious solution that could restore a democratic republic. To that end, this page contrasts effective organizing to politics as usual. For those who have studied history, the obvious first step is to remove the private parasites who serve oligarchs while pretending to be public servants. The next step is to restore informed democracy. One way to reverse their occupation is to reclaim community with representation ratios similar to those that existed before 1825. This requires work, but it is a simple process based on the true 1st Amendment that the political directors want to keep hidden.
They will lose power as justice is restored. We need to roll up our sleeves to ACT against aristocracy, the historic enemy of democracy. The true 13th Amendment (1810), unquestionably passed by Congress and ratified by most states (including PA) before 1820, could begin the return path to liberty by denying citizenship to robber barons. Restoring the current 14th Amendment could then eliminate most of the 86,000 "separate and unequal" corporations that act as governments.
vs.
The Goal is Justice
The last six words of the Pledge of Allegiance explain our position on social justice. To secure the blessing of justice to posterity
and ourselves, as promised in the Constitution, Liberty's torch still gives enough light to see the dark road ahead. This country
was founded on "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" and not property or capitalism. Liberty requires equal access to courts, healthcare, and work at a living wage.
Our "toolbox for democracy" has ballot initiatives to revoke corporate charters, dismantle monopoly fraud, and remove the many corrupt judges. To reclaim our children's heritage, we may also recall a moral vision that sees the interests of future generations as common to our own. The struggle against oppressive pillage of the global village is based on Four Freedoms (1941), including freedom from fearand freedom from want everywhere in the world, starting nationally.
Despite Supreme Court "legislation," nothing in our Constitution allows pirate politicians to grant charters. Many of the 86,000+ local "governments" are little more than divide & rule corporate monopolies to obstruct justice. The People can restore true elections to rightfully revoke such charters for any reason - even no reason - and make criminals accountable. Make the politicians show us the votes.
Through Everyday Grassroots Democracy
The first seven words of the Constitution define American government. The People made the lawand the only "contract" politicians have in a republic is to accept our pay to carry it out. We want equal "one person - one vote" participation in economic and environmental decisions at the same ratio of representation that the founders defined in 1789. We can restore the true 13th Amendment (1810). Since the Republicans of 1890 and 1921 subverted apportionment, democracy falls daily! From an intended 50,000 people per representative (until 1825), it is now rising beyond 600,000. The Senate is a scandal in this regard. Ffor example, WY, AK, ND, SD, MT, ID have two senators each, but LA County or east NYC have none (with more people than all 6). Civic forums, taxpayer groups, and consumer associations can build community action. Any gift polticians accept, or lobbyists offer, can add up to a felony. Their pensions and medical benefits are another form of aristocratic privilege.
The legalistic fraud of corporate "persons," invented by corrupt lawyers in 1891 (+/- 5 years), deserves to be indicted. It replaced democratic and republican values. There was always enough technology to allow real participation in political, economic, and environmental decisions. For example, in accordance with the 9th Amendment, "none of above" votes or ballot initiatives could allow voters to voice no confidence or cut excess layers of government that obstruct justice, especially on declaring war. To act nationally, we can end "slavery" of the false 13th Amendment (1865) and add a Grassroots Amendment (28th) to the Constitution, based on the original First Amendment passed by Congress (unratified by slave states). This would help empty the prisons and restore democratic apportionment. This would reverse corporate plunder.
Through Everyday Nonviolence
Politicians subvert the Constitution by helping corporations milk a military cash cow. Isn't it criminal how U.S. military spending equals that of all the world combined? Imagine if the tentrillion dollar national debt (2008) had protected justice. Instead it promotes global crime! How many Americans have died because this money was diverted from healthcare? Using violence to steal resources or protect robber kingdoms is ultimately self-defeating, shortsighted, and morally wrong. We can indict Congress for over 60 years of terrorism since the Hamburg bombing (1943) to Iraq (2008). Did any single act of Hitler or Stalin tyranny match the evil of Nagasaki? The warheads on a single Trident submarine equal 300 Chernobyl's and intend genocide on a national scale. At the same time, a few hydrogen bombs could end life on the planet.
Such issues demand nonviolent outrage. The so-called leaders that took us into Indochina and Iraq deserve the guillotine but we agree with the spirit of mercy in what Thomas Paine said about Louis XVI: "Kill the tyrantand spare the man."
Through Everyday Wisdom
True democracy allows "nothing to us without us" based on an ethic of cooperative understanding. Common sense replaces values of domination. This includes environmental abuse and resisting the evil exploitation of others. As a matter of personal responsibility: Man is a strand in a web of life. We can weave with the environment or unravel it and ourselves.
One key to personal wisdom is a respect for diversity to honor the natural variety of the Earth and the racial, cultural, and spiritual variety of its people. Monopolies operate locally and globally, so there we resist their unnatural drives for corporate homogeneity. Since global wisdom is learned locally, we bypass corporate media diversion to help each one, teach two. We try to show commitment to these ideals by example in our lifestyle, including respect for each other.
To build a better world for future generations and restore informed democracy we think globally, coalition locally, and act nationally.
The crises of industrial society
Corporate pillage of our global village threatens human existence. Compared to 50 countries that gross over $50 billion a year, there are more than 150 corporations that do. Most of them earn money the old fashioned way: they steal it! Casino stocks, junk bonds, militarism, monopoly fraud, and environmental destruction. These are symptoms of a robber corpfederacy that makes life into a brute struggle. Its ledger accounts squandered resources, divorce, harvesting old forests, 1 of 30 workers in prison or probation, and military waste, as economic progress(!).
A fascistic occupation government (FOG)manufactures consent by distraction, disinformation and division. In 1964 the arsenal of 30,000 nuclear warheads was poised to smother life on the planet. Much of it is still in place. A $10 trillion war budget deficit burdens our economy. We lose our way in a materialistic culture that makes people an expendable commodity.
Can we see spiritual truth behind the hype? There is hope...
One Alternative
If you believe in:
* liberty and economic justice for all people
* government of, by, and for the people
* grassroots democracy
...Welcome to the Grassroots Coalition!
Overgrow Corporate Tyranny!
These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crises, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
- Crises I, 1776 by Thomas Paine (of PA, NJ , & NY) -
Should you join these coalitions?
The three political "parties" are based on pirates, property, andthe People. Despite traces of democracy in the republican Democratic Party, We the People have been out of power for 140 years and welcome support of citizens who want to restore a democratic republic. Even we don't want to be activists, to nurture informed citizenship we could help weed out racketeers or change the soil to grow honest representatives. The first part of a solution is in the Constitution so, if you want to restore Justice, join a coalition with that specific mission.
If not you, then who?
What kind of coalition?
The main failure of young activists is that they rush off and try to attack countless symptoms at the same time. They join protests and demonstrations, sometimes getting arrested in the process. They often burn-out against walls of indifference or frustration. Protests can be fun and we offer dozens of methods for non-violent resistance. Form your teams locally to build community. Our definition would be limited to Congressional districts (not counties, towns, cities, etc.) but that's a topic for discussion. There are at least nine significant national coalitions that we can group as three: (1) Grassroots Democracy (Civil & Human Rights), (2) Nuclear Disarmament & Nonviolent Security (Peace!), and (3) Wisdom & Sustainability. Each of these has at least three major sub-categories. Try to narrow your focus, so you don't become frustrated, but do...
...Unite!
Build Community. We need to share knowledge about a vision of justice. Don't merely "speak truth to power". It already knows (and cares less). Don't buy the "all politics is local" lie. The top devils dance on the tip of a national political pyramid. The founders weren't dumb enough to believe that the tyranny of King George could be ignored locally. If we can focus on the senior criminals, the juniors will be reduced to distractions.
This page was last updated on: August 5, 2020
(c) Copyright 2003-2014
United Virtue is Stronger(We will keep adding here as our search continues.)
In general, when it can't buy judges and politicians, the occupation government (COG or FOG) spends much of its plundered money in brainwashing strategy using diversion, distraction, disinformation, deconstuction, and division. Therefore, rebuild community with those around you having similar interests. Join in websites to coordinate activity at a Congressional District level and keep corporate "government" and media from imposing their agenda.
Our book, the Moral Equivalent of War is being redone to show why most of the well motivated truth-tellers haven't found a handle for mobilizing. Generally, it's better to rally around a lion than a sheep. If you must herd with "sheeple," try to make sure they are not grazing in the land of Bewilder. Ask them if making "peace" is a likely means to follow justice. Imagine if the founders had been dumb enough to believe that "all politics is local." Would "local politics" have worked in Nazi Germany after Hitler trashed the Weimar Constitution? To understand our frame of reference, review some of the writing by Thomas Paine and the list of his accomplishments on the HOME page. The book is dedicated to him. Those willing to go to jail for peace are admirable, but it makes more sense to put criminals in jail. For example, politicians who betrayed their oath to defend the Constitution deserve jail more than peace protesters (Gross negligence is a felony!). Our solution is in the Constitution, which (btw) does not mention an Air Force, CIA, corporations, lawyers, or judicial review.
Solving the problem may take time, but the process is relatively simple once there is proper mobilizing. (Take a look at CD #G-1 on the PRODUCTS page to see some research.) The road to justice is blocked by a bodyguard of lies. As every good soldier knows, we won't reach the goal until we remove such obstacles. It is in that spirit that we present this page. We have also tried to combine some of the key ideas in our newsletter.htm. There are lots of good examples from the past. As you do the research, remember, this is about action not words. Plan your acts, then ACT on your plan.
Free Information
Read War Is a Racket by Smedley Butler on lexrex.com or thousands of other sites on the Internet about this top Marine Corps General (2-time Medal of Honor winner from PA). Our most revealing aspect was about how the Republikaners tried to hire him to take out president FDR. His simple solution to the military industrial complex still applies. The ideas of General Butler will make particularly good sense to veterans. Read him and don't trust "interpretations" spread by third parties or other corporate organizations.
Our poster of Uncle Sam (carried at several protests) goes back about fourteen years. If you want to liven up your meetings there are lots of remixed propaganda posters on the web. Micah Wright's had great artwork (even though he lied about his military service). Convey your specific message in several ways and remember that the biggest mistake of activists is that even after a successful protest or action, they fail to offer an endgame solution. Most of them also don't have a sense of structure so consider identifying with your Congressional and State District. My "unit" is 7PA134th. What's yours?
The following lists were created for new members of the Grassroots Coalition for general information and education.
Motion Pictures
Few films penetrate the “bodyguard of lies.” Those addressing genuine social problems and American war crimes are panned by corporate critics or soon buried. The following may have slipped through censorship grids but we can't be sure how complete the final version is when cut or "edited for television." Most foreign archives remain untapped. Another productive source may be in less professional web films from sources such as Peace takes courage, bushflash.com, Google video, andyoutube. Even "conspiracy films" such as Loose Change, TerrorStorm, or Carlyle Group
(www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3995.htm), are useful because they undermine brainwashing. For example, if some facts in the latter three films were demonstrably wrong, the correct portion would still reveal a pattern that demands investigation. Invading Iraq showed a criminal conspiracy that planted false evidence and similar steps can be traced from the Nazis to General Lemnitzer on Cuba and the Tonkin Gulf Incident Why were such Vietnam era criminals unpunished? That is exactly the kind of question that needs "brain-drying" back into the public consciousness. These films may help that process.
1900(1976, 510m, Bertolucci) Historical opus used brilliant cast to chronicle rise of fascism and class struggle through family stories.
1984 (1984 British, 115m, Radford) Excellent rendition of Orwell's view of a 1948 totalitarian society and theme of rewriting history with
phrases such as "War is Peace," "Freedom is Slavery," and "Ignorance is Strength." Also see Anderson's 1956 version (91m).
Abe Lincoln in Illinois: Spirit of Liberty* (1940, 110m, Cromwell) Contrast Lincoln's values to the criminal degradation of modern "Republican" politics
as this Pulitzer prize biography follows him until Washington departure (G. Vidal's 1988 film is good sequel).
Alien Visitor, aka Epsilon(1995, 91m Rolf de Heer) Australian/Italian sci-fi play (cast of 4½) with interesting and strong Green message.
All the President's Men (1976, 135m, Pakula) Insight into Watergate cover-up (tip of iceberg). Dwells on symptoms rather than pervasive criminality and
distraction but gives insight into management of corporate media.
Amenaka Stellvertreter (2002, 132m, Costa-Gavras) English. This award winning film French film that briefly covers the vast topic of Vatican complicity
in the Holocaust and is considered by some to be superior to Schindler’s List and the Pianist.
America: Freedom to Fascism (2006, 106m, Aaron Russo) A documentary with insights on fascism that sinks to a diversionist rant by the Libertarian
presidential candidate (answer to Russo's "question" is in U.S. Constitution Article I sections 8 & 9, para 1 of each).
American Dream(1990, 98m, Barbara Kopple) Examines downsizing and employer scheme against union.
(The) Awful Truth (2000, 300m, Michael Moore) Entire first season, 12 episodes, of award winning producer is now available on DVD.
Baraka (1993, 89m, Ron Fricke) Thought-provoking silent images of humanity and nature.
Battle of Algiers (1966 near-documentary, 123m, Pontecorvo) Uprising against French in 1954-57 Algiers with clear lessons for Iraq.
Betrayal: The Battle for Warsaw [Zdrada: Walka o Warszawe] (2005, 50m, Rothstein) Over 300,000 Polish lives lost in a 63-day uprising against Nazi
dominion. Allied betrayal condemned Central Europe to Soviet domination {www.answers.com/topic/warsaw-uprising}
Blue Collar(1978, 114m, Paul Schrader) A look at the robbing of human spirit through union politics.
Bob Roberts (1992, 105m, Tim Robbins) Hidden under "Comedy." Insight into political corruption of Pennsylvania Senate race between a patrician
incumbent and singng robber baron.
Born on the Fourth of July* (1989, 145m, Oliver Stone Vietnam trilogy) Insightful true story of paralyzed veteran Ron Kovic.
Bowling for Columbine (2002, 116 minutes, M.Moore) Examines how 1999 massacre at Columbine High School (CO) was caused by a U.S. gun culture.
Boyz N the Hood (1991, John Singleton) Powerful example of the impact of social environment.
Brazil (1985, 131m, Terry Gilliam) Kafkaesque comedy of surviving paper-choked bureaucracy.
Brave New World (1998, 89m, Libman & Williams) Good rendition of A. Huxley's powerful story of a society that forbids display of human emotion.
Consider soma in the context of addiction to television and add the perpetual war and doublespeak from 1984 (above)
Burn(1969 drama, 112m, Pontecorvo) Set in 19th Century Caribbean and depicts an imperial “rescue” by British provocateur (played by Marlin Brando)
who foments colonial war. Translate such behavior to modern corporate globalism.
Burnt by the Sun(1994, 134m, N.Mikhalkov) Russian; subtitled. Illustrates Stalinism through impact on a populist general.
Capitalism: A Love Story(2009, 127m + 10 bonus features, M. Moore) An essential study by the leading populist film maker, a modern Thomas Paine).
The only significant error is that he confuses "capitalism" with corporatism, which is the real engine of mega-greed (so don't miss The Corporation).
Catch 22 (1970, 121m, M.Nichols) Based on Joseph Heller's best-selling novel, this provocative antiwar satire tells a frenetic tale of a World War II bomber
group in the insanity of the Mediterranean conflict. Arkin is brilliant and other heavy-hitters keep the film a strikingly relevant condemnation of war.
Civil Action(2001, ) A True story contrasting law and justice in poisoning of the environment.
Class Dismissed: How TV Frames Working Class(2005, 62m, by Alper & Leistyna) How media keeps people from proper mobilizing.
Clear and Present Danger(1994, 141m, Noice). Fiction. A few insights into post Cold War personality types.
Come and See (1985, 145m, Klimov) subtitled. Teenager's view of partisan warfare. SS execution squads destroyed over 9000 Byelorussian villages.
One of the very few films on the Slavic Holocaust.
Conformist (1971, 107m, Bernardo Bertoluuci, subtitled) Mindless conformity and a fascist philosopher.
Conspiracy(2001, 96m, Frank Pierson) Lawyers/SS directors of Nazi state plan a "Final Solution" in a 20 Jan.'42 meeting chaired by Heydrich. The HBO
version, despite Branaugh's excellent portrayal, should be viewed with a more accurate subtitled German version titled Wannsee Conference (1984,
87m, H. Schirk) based on a real-time simulation from recorded secretarial notes and eyewitnesses.
The Corporation (2004, 145m + 6hrs on DVD, Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott & Joel Bakan) Highly acclaimed 2-Disc documentary. Case studies and
anecdotes illuminate the corporation's pathological character. The second disk adds case-studies and dozens of valuable "strategies for change."
Cradle Will Rock (199?, 134m, Tim Robins) Mostly true examples of fascism in 1936 America, mainly in the format of actual stage play with Orson Wells,
provides good insight into the political climate of New York City during that time frame.
Danton (1982, 136m, Andrzej Wajda's allusion to Polish socialism by sweep of French Revolution.
Dekalog (1989, 550m, Krzystof Kreslowski) TV Series on Ethics set in Poland. It won many awards and was Kubrik's lifetime favorite.
Distorted Morality (2002, 55m, Noam Chomsky) - lecture about U.S. government hypocrisy presented at Harvard University. Hundreds of others on web.
Do the Right Thing (1989, Spike Lee) Focuses symptom of racism illness on a Brooklyn city block.
Dr. Strangelove or How I Stopped...(1964, B&W, 93m, Stanley Kubrick) Masterpiece of personality studies about A-bomb insanity.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005, 109m, Alex Gibney). Shows how most of them got away with stealing billions.
Europa, Europa(1991, German, 115m, Holland, subtitled) true story of Jew in Hitler Youth; Germans tried to suppress it because of its insights in their
racism and national gullibility.
Eyes on the Prize I & II (1987 & 1990, 14-hours, H. Hampton) Series about the African-American Civil Rights Movement produced in two-stages. First six
episodes go from Brown v. Board to Selma to Montgomery marches. Other 8 episodes examine "Racial Crossroads" during 1965–1985.
(The) Execution of Private Slovik (1974, 122m, Lamont Johnson) Uses flashbacks to illustrate events leading up to the killing. Martin Sheen plays Slovik.
Fahrenheit 911(2004, 118m, Moore) The highest grossing documentary ever made. We would encourage a visit to Michael's website to review the
dozens of facts the film depicts. (Bush lies; who dies?). Pick a few questions to confuse the neo-cons.
(A) Few Good Men (1992, 138m, Bob Reiner) Insight into military fanaticism (Semper Fi to whom), to an extent it is lawyer whitewash because military
law, as actually applied, often has little relationship to justice. It often puts uniformed amateurs above the Constitution.
Gabriel Over the White House (1933) Visions of a fascist America under President Hamond (vs. Roosevelt).
Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971 best Foreign Film, 90m, DeSica) A love story useful in distinguishing fascism from Nazism. For example, there were
about 10,000 Jewish Fascists in 1939 Italy and the country was not overtaken by racism until a few years later.
Gandhi* (1982, 190m, Sir Richard Atenborough) 8 Oscars. Biography of famous activist. Illustrates passive resistance in British colonial context. By
Gandhi's admission it would not work in a situation like Nazi occupation where over 10% of the population has joined with the occupier.
Grave (aka Tomb) of the Fireflies* (1988, 88m, Takahata) subtitled. Somber and poetic anime about struggle of two children to survive U.S. bombing of
Kobe in 1945, with followup by Dr. Cooke and his Japanese wife on the historical context. Not for children.
Hearts and Minds (1974, 112m, Peter Davis) Oscar. Lies of generals alternate with reality of VN devastation.
Heaven and Earth* (1993, 142m, Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy) Autobiography of Le Ly Haslip exposes many hidden truths.
Heaven's Gate (1981, 220m, Michael Cimino) Panned as "Western." Valuable political insight to 1880s cattle war, but it nearly broke United Artists.
Heimat Homeland (16 hours, 1984, Edgar Reitz) Rhineland, subtitled. Largely sympathetic view of German village, WWI to Cold War.
(Where are similar films of the countless destroyed Slavic villages?)
Hiroshima (1995, 180m, Spottis. & Kurahara) Depiction of circumstances involved in dropping the bomb.
Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003, 180m, Christian Duguay) (TV, won 2 Emmys) A useful, if simplified, profile of Hitler’s rise through Nazi Party ranks to
1933. Not as detailed as the Joachim Fest based 1977 documentary Hitler - Eine Karriere (in German).
Holocaust* (1978, 475m, Marvin Chomsky) 8 Emmys. Dorf & Weiss families;1933-45 insights into Nazism but badly titled.
In the Name of the Father(1993, 133m, Sheridan) Exposes black hole of British justice in the Irish conflict but applies to mentality of exploitation as
practiced in other colonial contexts.
(An) Inconvenient Truth (2006, 100m, Guggenheim) Gore's global-warming documentary. Thoughtful and compelling presentation of non-political facts.
Plain and simple vision of what's wrong; must-see rallying cry to protect earth against an imminent climate crisis.
Interrogation (1982, Polish, 118m, Richard Bugaski) A defiant heroine in Stalinist Poland; banned there until 1989.
Inside Job (2010, 109m, Charles Ferguson) Analysis of 2008, $20 trillion global financial crisis, which caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression. It traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia.
Investigation of a Flame* (2001, 45m, Lynne Sachs) Powerful documentary (also play) of the "Cantonsville Nine" trial. In 1968, nine Vietnam protesters,
with Berrigan brothers, took hundreds of records from a draft board office and incinerated them with napalm.
Iraq for Sale (Oct 2006, 87m, Robert Greenwald) Excellent documentary about corporate plunder by corporate mercenaries.
JFK* (1991, 190m, Oliver Stone), riveting, if factualy flawed aspects of assassination, but maybe it was a Mafia hit. Fact remains that the official hearings
were flawed and war criminals remained in power after America’s unconstitutional, unpopular Indochina invasion.
John Adams* (2008, 501m on 3 DVDs, Tom Hooper) Acclaimed HBO series based on McCullough's book (who largely leaves out Thomas Paine).
Koyaanisquatsi('83, 87m), Powaqqatsi ('88, 99m, Godfrey Reggio) Stirring study of regressive "progress."
La Marseilles(1937, 130m, Jean Renoir) Contrasts opulent aristocracy to peasant despair. More sweeping than Grand Illusion (1937).
Latino(1985, 108m, Haskel Wexier) Fiction. Insights into a Green Beret who questions morality of US sponsored terrorism in Nicaragua.
(The) Leopard (1963, subtitled Italian *PdO, 185m, Visconti) Epic recreates Risorgimento - when aristocracy lost grip over power.
Liberty (1997, 360m, WNET) Outlines foundation of this country. Corporate sponsorship explains its British sympathy. In fact, at the time of the War of
Independence only about a third of America was of English descent. Out of six hours, Paine gets 6 minutes.
Lions and Lambs (2007, 92m, Raedford) Three simultaneous stories centered on controversial Afghanistan strategy, media failures, and public apathy.
Machuca* (2004, 115m, Andres Wood) Memorable coming of age and loss of innocence in Chile during the Pinochet takeover in 1973
Man of Marble (1977, 160m, Wajda) / Man of Iron* (1981, 116m, Wajda) subtitled. Both integral to the Solidarity struggle, these two Polish films by the
famous Andrew Wajda examine the rise and fall of a "worker-hero" and penetrated censorship to offer a view of Soviet tyranny.
Man of the Year (2006, 115m, Levinson) Another of Barry's brilliant satires (see Toys, Wag the Dog); takes off from the increasingly obvious voting
machine fraud that became public knowledge in 2000. It was panned by corporate media and Republican radicals.
Mandela(1987, 135m, Phillip Saville) Drama about an activist confronting occupation government.
Malcolm X* (1992, 201m, based on Spike Lee & Alex Haley's biography) Striking insights into forms of racism and life of someone who made a
difference. Should have won the Academy award (over Scent of a Woman).
Manufacturing Consent (1993?, 160m, 2-part Canadian video) Noam Chomsky & Hermann (U pf PA) analysis of corporate propaganda. Analysis of media
as it serves the market as tool to deliver buyers or create material desire, while diverting from anti-corporate efforts. This is an inevitable consequence of
our particular economic and social structure. Much of it is about the efforts of the good doctor (also don't miss www.zmag.org/chomsky).
Men with Guns (128 minutes, Sayles), subtitled. A doctor's journey. A doctor's perspective of 150,000 killed in Guatemala.
Mephisto* ('81, 144m,) / Hanussen('88, 110m, Istvan Szabo, German) Shows 2 transformations (actor & psychic) in Nazi Germany. Examines selling out
to corporate state. "Price of power" trilogy extends to WW1 in inColonel Redl(1984, 114m) and Hungary since 1900 in Sunshine (2001, 180m).
Missing* (1982, 122m, Costa-Gavras) Fact-based drama on U.S. imperialism in Chile military coup.
Mother Teresa (1987, 83m, Petries. Powerful insight into Indian poverty and heroic self sacrifice.
Mussolini and I (1985, 130m, Alberto Negrin) The "I" is Ciano. Docudrama of Mussolini & Italian aristocracy.
Murderers Among Us (1989, 170m, B. Gibson) S. Wiesenthal story. Heroic example (makes comment that Nazis won Cold War).
Napoleon (1927 Polyvision, 236-360m, A. Gance) Invaluable perspective on French Revolution (August 1792 - April 1796). Technically advanced silent
film that was to be the first of six, but it was bought out, to be highly cut and censored after a limited release (was available on web).
Network* (1976, 121m, S.Lumet) A scathing indictment of TV (greed before democracy) and the mindless generation it produced. Superbly acted.
Nixon* (1995, 190m, Stone) docudrama. Mostly true and sympathetic summary of evil regime. It only briefly mentions his crimes as VP. Contrast to
Altman's rendition of last day in office in Secret Honor (1984, 90m).
No End in Sight* (2007, 102m, Ferguson). An essential documentary of Iraq quagmire for those who have not read G. Packer's The Assassins' Gate) or
Thomas Rick's Fiasco. The arrogant (ignorant in Bush's case) criminal negligence resulted in great loss of life that still deserves indictment.
Nobelity (2005-6, 85m, Pipkin) Lessons to make world a better place. Nine Nobel Prize winners offer solutions to global challenges.
Oleanna (1994, 88m, D. Mamet) When academic values are confined to an ivory tower, when does education turn into sexual harassment?
Official Story (1985, 112m, Luis Puenzo) Drama about an adopted daughter in Argentina's "dirty war".
One Bright Shining Moment (2006, 125m, FRF) Essential viewing on forgotten summer of George McGovern and 1968 background.
Orwell Rolls in His Grave (2005, 103m, Robert K. Pappas) Documents repressive power structure of corporate doublespeak. Media consolidation is a
key element of U.S. despotism. This incredible collection of first-hand testimony and documentation shows what is happening under our noses and is
essential viewing for anyone who cares about how political ignorance spreads in the country. (see note below).
Pan's Labyrinth (subtitled 2006, 119m, del Toro) A powerful allegory set in fascist Spain (1944). Is the killing of children a litmus test for fascism?
(The) Panama Deception(1992, 91m, Barbara Trent) Exposes the Reagan and Bush lies about Panama.
(The) Pawnbroker(1965, 116m, Sidney Lumet) Posttraumatic impact of WW2 political violence, set in NYC.
(The) Perfect Candidate (1996, 90?) Tracks the criminal Oliver North in a 1994 Virginia Senate campaign.
Platoon* (1986, 113m, Oliver Stone Vietnam trilogy by a veteran) Although it compresses decade of real incidents into one fictional combat unit, this helps
provide insights to character and issues better than other period films (Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Green Berets, etc.) by someone who served.
Photographer (1999, 2 hrs., Polish, subtitled) documentary. Study of German occupation of Lodz until its liquidation in 1944, using color photographs
taken by Austrian accountant at the scene.
Power(1986, 111m, Sydney Lumel). Study of how media consultant can manipulate image of politicians. More timely than his similarly revealing Network
with useful insights into political framing and spin.
The Power of Nightnmares (2004, 3hr, Adam Curtis) Excellent BBC presentation about using of Fear in manipulating public perception.
Private Warriors - Modern Military-Industrial Complex(2005, 60m, M-Smith) Frontline Documentary on Halliburton/KBR, Aegis, Blackwater, Erinys.
KBR has 50,000 employees in Iraq & Kuwait supporting U.S. military. What does KBR do with the $13 billion billed to taxpayers since 2002? What is
implication of private armed security forces and mercenaries on democracy?
Ragtime (1981, 156m, Milos Forman) Simplifies a complex novel. Useful insights into U.S. political climate in 1906, which contrasts treatment of Negroes
to newly arrived immigrants. The Broadway play also addresses these issues.
Rape of Europa (2006, 117m, Berge) Shows how Nazi greed and fanaticism threatened to wipe out the artistic heritage of Europe.
Reds(1981, 195m, Warren Beatty) Useful history mixed with insights into American socialism and aspects of John Reed's life.
Richard III (1995, 105m, Richard Loncraine) Shakespeare monarch acted in modern dress to show link of aristocracy to fascism.
Riff Raff(1991, 96m, Ken Loach) Thatcher blight on London. Multi-ethnic construction crew; inept Labour party.
RKO 281: The Battle Over Citizen Kane* (2000, 87m, Tony & Ridley Scott) The true story behind one of the greatest films.
Romero('89, 102m, John Duigan) assassinated Archbishop's bio: Champion of destitute congregation killed by state tyranny.
Roger & Me* (1989, 100m, Michael Moore's famous documentary) Biting populist satire of GM's economic rape of Flint, MI.
Salvador(1986, 123m, Oliver Stone) Fact-based drama of reporters in war-torn El Salvador.
Salt of the Earth(1953 B&W melodrama, 94m, Herbert Biberman) Miner's strikes and powerful illustration of women's liberation.
Schindler's List* (1993, 195m, Spielberg) 7 Oscars Insight into economic motivation and brutality of genocide. Blend of emotional artistry about flawed
man who shelters 1,000 Jews. Its stress on helping victims, rather than removing Nazis, deserves discussion.
Separate but Equal (1991, 194m, Stevens) Brown vs. Board of Education. Well performed 1954 history lesson about Thurgood Marshall.
Shoah(1985, 570m, Claude Lanzmann) Eyewitness documentary. Investigates a still often denied chapter of human horror; compelling insight into causes.
The courier from Warsaw account (J.Karski) shows that Roosevelt knew of crimes before 1942.
SiCKO (2007, 124m, M. Moore) Provocative examination of America's second-rate and overly expensive healthcare system, as compared to several others.
Slaughterhouse Five (1972, 104m, George Hill) Kurt Vonnegut's black anti-war comedy that illustrates the cruelty of war in the bombing of Dresden.
Slavery: The Making of America (2004, 214m, J. Dante, G. Pellett, C. Gazit, L. Farrell) Four episodes document history of American slavery from
colonial origin to end in the Southern states and post-Civil War Reconstruction. Sees slavery as integral to national development to challenge view that
slavery was exclusively Southern. Offers new perspectives on slave experience and active African American role in surviving and reversing bondage.
Sophie Scholl: Final Days (2005, 117m, Rothemund, subtitled) Protest by German students in Feb.1943 Munich shows what real political protest looks
like with insights that into a German defeat (at Stalingrad) before U.S seriously entered the war. Nominee for best foreign-language film. Also see
alternate perspectives in Five Last Days(1982, 112m, Percy Adlon's) and White Rose (1983, 108m, Michael Verhoeven). A story of true heroes.
Spanish Earth (1937, 53m, J. Ivens) Propaganda film on Spanish Civil War favoring democratically elected centrist/liberal socialist Republicans, which
resorted to recruiting communists. It was narrated by John Dos Passos and E. Hemingway. It followed after Spain in Flames (1937, 65m, HvDongen),
that combined a government documentary "The Fight for Freedom" and Soviet made "They Shalt Not Pass." The images still pack a wallop today.
State of Siege(1973, 120m, Costa-Gavras) subtitled. Study of US AID support for Latin American fascism.
Struggles for Poland(1988, 540m, WNET) with over 100 interviews. Now virtually banned despite careful editing. Traces history of large country that is
culturally, historically and geographically WEST European.Once Upon a Time(1920-23), False Dawn (1921-1939),Different World (1919-1943),
Occupation(1939-45), Friends and Neighbors (1939-45), Bright Days of Tomorrow(1945-56);Sweeper of Squares(1956-70); In This Life(1900-
1979), Worker's State (1970-87). If Solidarity could cast off Soviet fascism (state capitalism), can we similarly get rid of corporatism?
Sum of All Fears (2002, 123m, novel by Tom Clancy) This action-drama grossed 120 million dollars despite being censored by poor reviews. It deserves
to be examined for the treatment of political paranoia and realistic view about the impact of "mushroom cloud" terrorism.
Syrianaaka See No Evil(2005, 126m. Stephen Gaghan)* A political epic that offers insights into CIA, oil, Islamic culture, and causes of Mid-East terror.
Taxing Woman& sequel (1987, 127m, J. Itami) Japanese. Lightweight, but with insight on national politics.
Testament(1983, 90m, Lynne Littman) Explores obscenity of "winning" nuclear war. Suburban mother tries to hold family together after nuclear war.
Shattering speculation on organizing survivors after devastation.
Thirteen Days (2000, 143m, Roger Donaldson). Magnificent political thriller of 1997 Cuban crises with a dozen memorable quotes from the transcript that
reveal the brutality of men like Acheson & LeMay, which is why Pentagon refused to provide resources. Not to be missed. Also see Missiles of
October (1974, 55m, A Page) for a drier rendition with less factual coverage.
Toys (1992, 121m, B.Levinson) Poetically surreal satire about making video games into real war. Visually striking imagery and first rate soundtrack ("Happy
Worker" & "At the closing of the Year" far redeem excess slapstick. View the general as in Air Force for a more accurate personality-type context.
Truce(1998, 117m, true story adapted by Rosi & directed by Scorsese) Primo Levi’s powerful Awakening on 1000-mile return to Italy from WW2.
Reveals the simple joys that are destroyed by war and provides a historical view that is unfamiliar to most Americans.
(The) US vs John Lennon (2006, 96m, Leaf & Scheinfeld) Useful study of political consciousness during Nixon era. Compare to Patriot Act morality.
Unknown War (12 hourly segments, Burt Lancaster narration)* Epic documentary about Russo-German War (1941-45). Shatters myth that America beat
Germany. It was mostly decided before 1943, and maybe even before Pearl Harbor. So why was war prolonged? A sanitized version on the same subject
was made for PBS with useful documentary footage but discredited by Kissinger's narration.
V for Vendetta (2005, 132m, Wachowski brothers & J. McTeigue) This thought-provoking drama is set in a futuristic, fascist Britain. The memorable lines
remain long after you forget the Zorro-like theatrics ("Governments should fear the people and not the other way around").
Valley of Elah (2006, 121m, Haggis) - A fact-based study on symptoms of post traumatic stress after returning from occupation of Iraq.
(A) Very British Coup (1988, 149m, Mick Jackson) A PBS view of ruthless Thatcherism showing how the royals play the game.
Wall Street* (1987, 126m, Oliver Stone's dedication to broker father). Fast-moving drama of 80's greed driven materialism shows exactly how Wall Street
still sells-out Main Street America with less accountability than the film would have us believe.
Walmart: The High Cost of a Low Price (2005, 97m, Robert Greenwald). Exposes the truth behind the world's largest store chain.
Wag the Dog* (1997, 100m, Barry Levinson) Shows logical conclusion of allowing corporate TV, politics, and "manufactured consent".
Offers memorable and fast paced insights into political spin that frames issues to distract public attention ("smoke & mirrors").
(The) War at Home (1979, Brown & Silber) Documentary on Vietnam War and its effect on Madison, WI. Uses massive TV news footage to recall
climate of the 60's and corporate deception.
White Rose(1983, 108m, Michael Verhoeven) see Sophie Scholl above.
Why We Fight original (1943-45, 328m, Capra & Litwak) Required viewing by American troops. Early ones give insights into fascism: Prelude to War, The
Nazis Strike, and Battle of Russia. What became of the "Four Freedoms," especially for Poles, Czechs, and Jews?
Why We Fight (2005-6, 99 & 40m+ segments on DVD, Jarecki) Starts with Eisenhower’s warning of military-industrial-(Congressional)
complex to show how democracy failed. Also see C-Span archives for extended Q&A with LtCol. Karen Kwiatkowski. [see Note].
World War II: Behind Closed Doors (2008, 300m, Laurence Rees). Stalin massacred millions of Soviet people during three decades as dictator. He played a
critical role in manipulating Nazis in 1939-40 and Western allies after June 1941. The series repeats Stalin's conversations to describe his consequences.
Wit - The Runaway Bunny* (2001, 98m, M. Nichols) Study of medical and academic ethics as Professor with terminal ovarian cancer reassesses her life.
(The) Year of Living Dangerously* (1983, 114m, Peter Weir) Good view of 60's Indonesian political turmoil.
Z (1969 Best Foreign Film, 127m, Costa-Gavras) Based on true story; banned by Greek fascists & CIA pals.
*****
Note: Books, movies and TV are mechanisms of distraction, like the soma in Brave New World. Some also provide significant British content to stir sympathy for aristocracy and the kind of corp-federacy that replaced plantations (1886-1922). Epics of the “Old South” and Westerns’ depiction of Native Americans stir racism. They are guardians for the current form of American fascism (corporatism). Also recall how a tyrannical state controlled media in Orwell’s 1984 against a Marxist-like Brotherhood, which provided imaginary resistance. A heavy-handed version of diversion is found in films like Russo’s America but less clear than in the daily barrage that pounds average citizens through mass media and “noise” such as sports. Our “Big Brother” silences or distract the majority from politics and recalling our Constitutional blueprint. It “frames” distortion.
As for the media-sponsored films or websites that claim to promote activism, avoid distraction and the risk of reinforcing corrupt institutions. Ask yourself if a particular movie or website helps build community or if it empowers distant corporations.
Some of the above films stress on World War 2 but that is an appropriate context. As defined by Mussolini (per his 1928 autobiography) the mix of militarism and praetorian legalism - that he called corporatism - is essential to overt fascism, which was more militant than in the U.S. until U.S. war aims changed from “Four Freedoms” to “Unconditional Surrender” in January 1943 (after the Axis disaster near Stalingrad) it translated to unlimited war. American atrocities, such as the massive bombing of civilians, began in 1943 after clear German defeats. The unprecedented nature of this brutality is almost never discussed but, once Truman was able to get away with mass-murder at Nagasaki, more conventional forms of fascistic corruption became easy (see Newsletter page for further discussion).
One reason that films like Struggles for Poland and Unknown War are hard to find is because they expose a false pretext of the Cold War and National Security State. Politicians avoid mention of the “military-industrial complex” of which they are an integral part. This is adequately described in the new Why We Fight documentary. It is especially emphasized by the “missing C” out-take (in DVD version), which revealed that his original speech had included the word Congressional after “military-industrial.” Then there is the other “C.” Consider if the founders would have wanted corporations to have more power than state governments? After all, the revolution was fought for independence from corporate-like charters granted by the king. American citizens, unable to recall the proper ratio for effective democracy (as it falls daily), at least should recognize how militarism and corporatism cooperate. That is why many of the above films can offer much more than entertainment.
Even if we do not recognize corporate crime, our children will risk revenge if we fail to stop those who commit crime in our name. The politicians usually try to blame the victim for failures. BUT the federal Constitution is supposed to be the supreme law of the land and implemented by the states. Therefore, it is a simple matter to see if those sworn to defend the Constitution are doing that job or if they are obstructing justice.
One purpose in watching the above films or reading the named books is to help find the motivation needed to restore justice. Another goal is to recognize how those who come between the people and the law obstruct justice. The personality of politicians or officers who are derelict in duty (if not seditious) can often be revealed in films. Change will not come by watching films or reading books but it may illustrate the kind of public ammunition that has worked in the past. At the least, it may help express our outrage in public protest by offering common points of reference.
Please E-mail comments or suggested additions for coalition members or snail mail to above address.
A dozen more reasons to support these coalitions
+ 1 of 30 working-age Americans is in jail or paroled, half of them for mental illness or nonviolent economic acts. Who's next?
+ The fact that an equivalent of 35 states (over 50% of eligible voters) didn't vote in 2016 screams "No Confidence!" in the racket.
+ Magna Carta promised (1215): "To no one will we sell, to none will we deny or delay, right or justice."
+ Washington warned (1796): "Overgrown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and
particularly hostile to republican liberty."
+ Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (1863) recalled a Declaration of Independence of, by and "for the people" and commemorated Confederatedefeat.
+ Even Eisenhower warned (1961) against a Congessional "military-industrial complex" & "scientific technological elite."
+ Suppressing truth is a lie(suppressio veri, expressio falsi). Who's lying about costly militarism, with a sinister bodyguard of lies built around a
overly expensive Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency that are both unconstitutional?
+ Massed morality can overcome the power of money but, if you don't stand for something then you'll likely fall for anything.
+ Peaceful corporate tyrannicide beats societal suicide! Deal with corporate tyranny or it will deal with you.
+ Each minutemore than a dozen children die from starvation. Mothers! Don't such issues deserve global outrage?
+ Grassroots coalitions can unite public action by focusing the diverse kindness of everyday activities mentioned above.
+ Get it? The politicians act as if they don't or whine "What can be done?"
We ask "What is right?" and that is the difference between the FOG and the light.
Conclusion
On top of the page we promised that reforming corporatism is easily defined. Here are a few paragraphs to show what we meant. Essentially, the government cannot lawfully charter economic entities more powerful than itself. The original argument was given by Hamilton in 1787:
“There is no position which depends on a clearer principle than that every act of a delegated authority, contrary to the tenor of the
commission under which it is exercised, is void. …To deny this would be to affirm that the deputy is greater than his principle;
that the servant is above his master; that the representatives of the people are superior to the people themselves."
-- Federalist Paper No. 78 --
The whining critics, who offer no solutions, will likely reject the idea that the real government is "we the people," as defined in the written Constitution. We say that whatever comes between the people and Constitution is an "obstruction of justice." In the international scheme, the American empire will come to a grinding halt when it runs out of money, which is what typically ends empires, but let's catch the killers and crooks before that. Globally, we can block their escape by accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal and World Courts, which may require that we hand over U.S. war criminals, including the previous president and vice-president. You can be sure they will not go quietly. Their corporate media will scream to avoid capture and corporations will try to move off-shore. We can besiege their empire by learning from our founding history. The roaring repetition of public opinion can drown out corporate lies.
The Q&A htm has definitions and more specific solutions but, generally, we must refuse to buy what corporatism sells, starting with its top-down "free market" and war-based education. We can demand respect for human rights as codified by the numerous treaties that forbid war crimes and nuclear proliferation. "Power to the people!", is one rallying cry for removing obstacles to our political power, preferably without violence (as we remove most criminals). Then we can regain control of the money. As you confront bureaucrats who oppose reform, look them in the eye to say that the people, united, have never been defeated. If they claim to also be taxpayers, ask them whose money pays their salary for those taxes. Part of the boundary is between true education and corporate indoctrination. Since reform requires returning to a democratic culture in which the community determines crucial economic policy, education funds should go directly to students in a life-long process.
We live in a time when opportunities for mobilizing are abundant. Since you can be sure that political racketeers will not easily relinquish stolen economic power, reform must start at the grassroots. To replace symbolic democracy within the horse race of political theater, there are lots of ways to restore real representation. To confront the empire, we first need to identify the essentially fascistic structure of families behind corporate globalism. It has many symptoms besides militarism and terrorism. For example, John Dean and Chris Hedges have been warning us about religious fanatics. Those in the corporate empire like war profits, but their ugly footprint disgusts most Americans. Millions marched against the Iraq invasion before it started and the protests gathered momentum into a widespread demand for impeachment. The president is trying to get ex-post facto laws passed in order to protect his gang, but that dirty secret is leaking into public knowledge.
Even without legal brilliance we can passively resist a brutish Military-Industrial (-Congressional) Complex. Repeat Eisenhower's phrase until their ears turn red from lack of an answer. When you hear the "If you’re not with us, then you're with the terrorists” mantra, you can say you reject both mad Mullahs and crazy, neo-conned Christians. With sheer defiance, keep asking who would Jesus bomb or torture. Challenge them with a five or ten dollar bill to tell you what the Iraqi people ever did to America to justify invasion and occupation. Ask fellow citizens how they feel about corporate welfare or how their children will repay the trillions being borrowed to bolster the boundaries of the robber-baron empire.
An immediate solution is as clear as the sun. The Bush gang engaged in blatant international war crimes by invading Iraq based on lies. Nothing short of prosecution for murder will restore national credibility. But that is not enough. As with Agnew and Nixon, the criminals behind them want to retain honor and collect outlaw pensions. That is why we need a clean sweep and pension revocation. The politicians who delayed impeachment must also be indicted as appropriate for: dereliction of duty (gross negligence), obstruction of justice, seditious conspiracy, and malfeasance. Somehow they got an idea that their loyalty is to a Party or corporation, not to the Constitution.
Reform requires removal of obstacles that come between citizens and the Constitution, so let's organize accordingly. Once mobilized by Congressional Districts, it will be easy to implement strategy and tactics involved in removing the rubbish that impedes good government. Since the population base of each District is relatively equal we can almost make it a friendly, competitive race toward reform. Ridicule their Neocon notions of a "culture war" (tell the truth and shame their fascist devils). Meanwhile, let the arrogant and corrupt law-takers of the Rino/Dino property party think that they can keep the stolen wealth and power.
Let them pretend to rule from above as we rise from below. For punishment, let's enforce the true 13th Amendment (1810-1819) to replace the aristocratic lie of 1864. The majority of good lawyers will support this and the esquires will not. The key point is that in a republic, we must demand to understand our government and its Constitution. Those who deliberately confuse the citizens and conspire against justice should learn to fear the law. Above all, we must not be silent. Don't agonize when it's time to mobilize. If you get discouraged just remember that there are lots of us, few of them, and corporate elite produces nothing that we need.
Plant justice to overgrow the corpfederacy!
Time for a clean sweep of federal corruption?
If we agree that reform is essential, why waste time whining or pretending to do deep research. Unlike most of the world our country has an especially powerful Constitution. Because its written ideas hold great moral force, our fortunate challenge is one of restorationrather than revolution. A basic goal is that every citizen should understand that government. This simple message will travel too slowly if it cautiously submits credentials at the challenge of each political roadblock. Congressional contempt for the Ninth Amendment reflects an aristocratic deviation that requires sanctions, starting with duly-filed criminal complaints. The easiest tactic is to form our battalions around an idea that:
...anyone who comes between the citizens and the Constitution is an obstruction of justice.
Restoring the Constitution requires restoring democracy. Taking to the streets in mobs to shout and otherwise proclaim outrage may get attention but is less potent than the organized voice of the people. A reclaimed grassroots Congress is more likely to bring real reform.We can assume that those who have been robbing society for two hundred years have a clear agenda for keeping their power, if not their money. Therefore identifying specific obstructionists is a solid first step. We should assume that few of the legislators who served during the past sixty years can be trusted. As with the presidential term limit (for similar reasons), we could limit terms to about eight years for any combination of elected offices. After that most of politicians are either burnt-out, bought-out, or forgot their oath of "public" service. That oath goes beyond the campaign contributor and extends to defending the Constitution. The criminal charge can begin: "Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice by...".
Judges, officers, and politicians who cannot be voted from office should be supervised by honest juries. Hamilton’s and Marshall’s idea of rule by black-robed lawyers is offset by the existing 6th, 7th, 9th, 14th Amendments and the original 13th Amendment (of 1810 not 1864). Most of the current politicians, mainly the lawyers among them, pretend that only esoteric academics or cunning judges can properly interpret the Constitution. This is a Big Lie about a document written for common people in a largely agricultural nation that opposed abusive State Rights. With the exception of Texas and Hawaii, none of the states had existed separately outside of the United States. They therefore owed their wealth and power to the federal government. (Texas would also not have long resisted Mexico without U.S. military backing.)
Most of the sedition originated at the state level. For example, neither slavery (serfdom) nor denial of suffrage was approved by the specific wording of the 1790 Constitution, these powers were left to the States and they enslaved Negroes and kept women from voting. The founders did not allow the word slavery to stain the document and it doesn't appear there until 1864. The original wording of the Constitution had not approved slavery or denied the vote to women. The 14th & 15th Amendments were adequate for the purpose of ending slavery so the 13th Amendment of 1864 had instead legitimized it, giving lawyers a "captive" audience for their imposition of "undue" process. Meanwhile, the promised equal protection of the law and genuine due process in the 14th Amendment continues to be resisted by corpfederacy of U.S. aristocracy.
The obligation of American citizens is to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. Federal officers have failed and much of the problem is an outgrowth from State-level corruption which festers from "local" corruption. Most of the 88,000 governments units in the country are generally derelict in their duty because they "obstruct justice" and knowingly come between the people and supreme law of the land. Military officers have also failed in their duty to disobey criminally mendacious and murderous commanders. Lawyers continue to enforce the lying legalisms of "precedents" that citizens never voted for. Therefore, we have real law of the federal (and some state) constitutions that is being offset by orders and regulations of the Executive branch, legalistic decisions of the Judicial branch, and whims of local judges and politicians. If there is a conflict between federal and state laws, under the Article VI "Supremacy Clause" only Constitutional law is legitimate.
[Stop reading until you can digest that point.]
Public "servants" who refuse to serve the public are often private parasites. They should be regarded as law-takers rather than law-keepers. As "officers of the court" lawyers are not properly allowed to also serve in the legislative branch, so this revolving door needs to reverse. Another malevolent example, repeated many times since 1950, is Congress allowing the President to go to war without their declaration of war. According to the Constitution this is a power of the people that Congress cannot delegate to a president. If it is unclear or somehow unspecified then, according to the 9th Amendment, the power reverts back to the people. The true 13th Amendment (1810) includes sanctions against similar aristocratic arrogance (false claims of "honour") so plantation aristocrats and black-robed lawyers tried to erase it from the Constitution. (They tried to pull a similar stunt with the 15th Amendment in 1902, but that's another story.) The criminal element, within our many outlaw governments, tries to ignore such charges but patriotic citizens should react in writing against their contempt.
The earlier form of plantation aristocracy classified some people as property until 1865. The solution is not "class war" because those in power are not part of a legitimate social class. They are mostly hired running dogs for a corporate elite (under .02%) who lack legitimate standing in a republic. In fact, this country was created (1776 & 1865) to destroy British corporate charters and plantations granted by local "lords." Now corporate welfare and "double-dip" pensions steal public wealth for this elite and their hired bureaucrats. The solution requires restoring justice. Our plan suggests informed, proportional representation, including "instant run-off" voting with a "no confidence" option on all serving politicians. First we have to eject the false masters, which requires curing some amnesia.
Unfortunately, most Americans even don't know how much they don't know. Citizens no longer remember how the founders defined democracy. For example, most citizens don't know how they defined a proper ratio of representation. Even after the original 2nd Amendment became the 27th (1994), the original context of the Bill of Rights remains secret. You may disagree with their ratio (about 1 to 50,000); but here our point is how it was brainwashed away. Schools don't teach how the original 1st Amendment,signed by Congress in 1790, was blocked by a closer vote than the 2nd/27th. Moreover, hiding such strategic truth is financed by our taxes. The deception is mostly by "federalist" Republicans, but weak-willed Democrats share a similar contempt for genuine representation because many of them fear fair elections.
Awarding select employment with special pensions is a key way that the plutocracy protects its corporate welfare. For example, in a midnight-vote (Aug. 2006) the Congress sent a 900-page bill to the president to protect corporatepensions. Rather than punishing those who broke their many company lockboxes and misused promised money, the planned scheme used accounting "smoke and mirrors" to shift the burden from business to taxpayers. Moreover, bureaucrats are not content to plunder current taxpayers, now the "steal and spend" politicians systematically rob future generations through taxes, as budget deficits necessarily must. (Social Security was created as a separate insurance-type program that was intended to be kept separate from other taxes. The Reagan regime managed to break that lockbox and create a tax system that grossly favors property holders and rentiers over the 70% of Americans who work for wages. He could not break the federal lockbox but did smash into many of those at the local level, which is way may of those pension funds are now in default. This indictment goes beyond that.
Now public money keeps filling the "pension boxes" of corporate America. This continues the Enron-type accounting that left the federal budget in such a mess. Enron was not an exception. Its pigs were exposed for excessive zeal in doing what most corporations do on Wall Street: that is printing paper as near-money that results in an indirect taxation by inflation. When the public saw the game, their racket had to switch to a more direct form of pension subsidy. This process generally uses politicians to endow unequal future favors on themselves and chosen cronies.
Are they all real criminals? Mostly yes or too ignorant to qualify for their positions.
The many political leaders who are not crooks, become cunning mercenaries after about eight years. Some of them are too brainwashed to ignore the pernicious nature of misconduct and deserve pity. Pitied or not, even those who are merely incompetent should face a clean sweep. The very least that concerned citizens should do is put their accusations in writing. If someone stole your car isn't that what you would do? Here the politicians took something even more valuable. Will your complaint be ignored? Probably they will try to ignore the first few thousand but then more will know how corrupt the policing agencies have become. Start understanding the enormity of the politicians' imposition.
As the famous reformer Jeremy Bentham noted (c. 1808), the “power of a lawyer is in the uncertainty in the law.”
However, recall that lawyers are not mentioned in our Constitution. Its text favors juries over judges. They are appointed by Congress and removable for bad behavior. Excess empowerment of judges was part of a racket to secure legal power. It's traceable to the original Judiciary Act, which lawyers tried to force before the Bill of Rights was passed. Judicial reviewwas an outlaw imposition by the fourth Chief Justice that he cunningly connected to an admission that the Judiciary Act was itself unconstitutional. Why? Because such Judicial Review gives a legal bureaucracy power to "legislate" laws favorable to those who select judges. Although the Bill of Rights defined specific legal protections against lawyers, the fiction of a lawyer Judiciary co-equal to the Legislative and Executive was imposed. As discussed in the Federalist Papers, such equality had been rejected in the Constitutional Convention. The Judiciary was to be based on opinions of the people defining justice in the venue of juries. Judges were to be referees, not deciders. Instead, black-robed lawyers simply kept repeating their lies in order to trick the country.
Now this nation has more lawyers than the rest of the world and they replace most of democracy with their bureaucracy. You might need get our book to understand how deep this problem goes. Just consider how bureaucrats break their oath of public service. At both the federal and state level, members of Congress were hired to be lawkeepers of the Constitution so there should be little conflict between federal or state governments. If there is, then the U.S. Constitution takes priority over States in a "Supremacy clause" of Article VI.
So, how were they able to obstruct justice? It started with the Federalist Party and its lawyers. They tried to impose lawyer law with a set of midnight appointments by John Adams (1800) that the 4th Chief Justice (who was part of the scheme) had approved in 1800 before becoming Chief Justice. The case was Marbury vs Madison (1803). The true 13th Amendment (1810), which would revoke the citizenship of corrupt judges, was part of the reaction against the pro-British Federalist Party (its extinction followed when 26 of its representatives from MA, CT, RI, NH, and VT met at Hartford in 1814 to propose seven new Amendments to the Constitution and discuss a separate peace with Britain). It was also partly a reaction against the plantation aristocracy, which showed no sign of stopping the slave trade after 1808, as stipulated in the Constitution.
The story of the true 13th Amendment would require another few dozen paragraphs. Essentially, it would punish those who tried to claim undue "honour" or nobility with loss of U.S. citizenship. After the 13th Amendment was fully ratified in 1819, the son of John Adams (John Quincy, himself a former Federalist and ambassador to England), with help Supreme Court Justice Story, managed to ignore it during his undemocratic term as president. He asserted that he did not properly certify the Amendment (1818, as Secretary of State). However, such certification was not needed. In fact the amendment continued to be published in many federal and state documents until scheming lawyers replaced it in 1864.
Starting around 1880 a robber-baron aristocracy rose from Civil War and decided to hire politicians willing to act as lawtakers (a new but correct word. One of the first big impositions of this new breed was to charter corporations with the legal protection of U.S. citizens. Granting such charters is a typical characteristic of royalty. Remember that this country was created by dissolving royal charters. However, most hired politicians would not stoop to such high treason so soon after the Civil War. Instead, by inaction, they allowed the Supreme Court to "legislate" corporate oligopoly in 1886. The issue is that such "freedom of association" applied to corporations acts as an instrument of exclusion. Imagine the exclusion applied to people with dark skin or Jewish religion. The impact is similar if it excludes most of citizens from earning the same profit as owners or operators of a corporation. The idea that "you need money to make money" is inherently unconstitutional. The capability of governments (at whatever level) to grant such exclusive charters is an instrument of a tyranny. Its similar forms were strongly opposed by the founders. It did not become acceptable until after a corporatist occupation.
For the purpose here, consider that aristocracy is the enemy of democracy and, since ancient times, it has used judges for its dirty work of inventing new laws. Master and slave are two sides of the same coin and when the South seceded from the Union one of the first things that their new "federal" government did was to change the Supremacy Clause (Article VI). The Confederate Constitution put the following new article in its place to read:
Section 2: The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens of the several States, and shall have
the right of transit and sojourn in any State of the Confederacy, with their slaves and other property, the right of property in
said slaves shall not be thereby impaired....
Section 3: In all such [newly acquired] territory, the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in the Confederate States, shall be
recognized and protected by the Congress and by the territorial government..
President Lincoln, a real republican, was quick to point out that, except for Texas, "states" had never existed separately outside the Constitution and federal government. Secession was largely about plundering the benefits that had been bestowed as result of previous unity (read his 4 July 1861 Address to Congress). Thanks to an extremely soft "reconstruction" and lies about their "Lost Cause"the South rebuilt state sovereignty to conceal its traitorous nature and this love of slavery. They were joined in this action by the new northern plutocracy with a mechanism of corporate structures. This return to State Rights went well beyond lawmaking into law-taking through the above mechanism of corporate structures. To insure longevity, they imposed "divide and rule" by slicing states into thousands of unequal corporate governments administered by retail law-takers. Naturally the excess governments are inefficient and expensive. Probably the most familiar outrage associated with this process is the seizure of homes away from citizens because they cannot pay increased property taxes or bank interest rates.
(The next section also examines the broader impact of the problem at federal and state levels. )
Ask yourself: If aristocrats infiltrated the country after the Civil War, as we claim, what would they do for personal protection? To keep stealing from the poor, they will fight to grab more natural resources. They will corporatize communication, energy, and even most of the food supply. They will begin controlling the dreams of our children by imposed education and implanted video images. In other countries, the corporations begin to control the water people drink and pollute the air they breathe. After large-scale spoilage, they try to make the people pay for a clean supply of both. Global warming is simply another profit opportunity. They'll probably be speculating in life-preservers as the ocean rises above their ears on Wall Street. That is not to say that America risks being 100% totalitarian. We'll remain under 65% fascist because corporate globalization needs media to appear free, with courts that look as if they protect justice.
Most authoritarian governments need to hide behind a loyal military and police force to quell mutinies and impose unpopular reforms. Therefore, some democracy will remain for motivational reasons to deceive the sheeple. So, what is it about 100% fascism that we forgot?
Mainly, it is a system wherein corporations replace representation. Under Mussolini, it meant fully replacing the Chamber of Deputies with a Chamber of Fasces and Corporations. In America this role is typically assumed by Chambers of Commerce. It's less obvious than in World War 2 Europe because part of the national amnesia involves planting certain code words to confuse the public (ex. using privatize instead of "corporatize"). However, we can follow the money. Militarism is inseparable from fascism and the United States spends as much as the rest of the world combined on our military force. Moreover, global corporations have often used the imperial outreach of the military as an international police. Free markets also weaken national sovereignty because they favor the stronger economies and usually undermine democracy in the weaker states. That's why the founders so strongly resisted British efforts to impose mercantilism on colonial America.
The system now is based on giant global corporations that control global economies to undermine national independence. For example, after fighting World War I to impose European democracy, corporate America allowed Hitler to overthrow it. This deserves a few words. We would suggest that the greater appeasement before World War 2 was by Baldwin in 1935, than by Chamberlain in 1938. By March 1935, the Nazis imposed a personal oath of allegiance from the military to Hitler and allowed his #2 (Goering) to create a separate Air Force. Both of these acts clearly violated the Weimar Constitution and Versailles Treaty. Poland and France were ready to act but Britain refused and even allowed Hitler to re-occupy the Rhineland. Although America did not sign the Versailles Treaty, it should have supported its enforcement as an interested party. American Republicans refused sanctions because they saw Hitler as a defense against Stalin, so their drummers set a beat to protect their own corporatist powers. After Stalin joined with Hitler, in August 1939, they had second thoughts (see Newsletter page).
After World War 2 a continuous procession of corporatist politicians continued the drumbeat with newer instruments. The drums embeddedin television are particularly powerful because they allow the repetition of corporate nonsense. This involves various manipulative techniques (not explained here). In short, fascists hate equality. Not only are there Americans who still approve of slavery but, as indicated by the long lasting plans for nuclear war, some are willing to kill innocent people through genocide to preserve their power. It takes significant brainwashing to get a moral people to either accept such brutality or conceal it from those who pretend to be good Christians.
Part of this can be done overtly. About 25% of the nation is susceptible to hypnosis. For example, as early as 1976 there was a patent (#3,951,134) on an "Apparatus and Method for Remotely Monitoring and Altering Brain Waves," which is beyond the usual kind of political "amnesia." Most of the brainwashing is instead done by "framing" as when people learn to repeat a term like privatize in place of corporatize. By introducing a "laugh" track into a serious satire, it can trivialize an underlying message. A "game frame" is used to make the diversion of sports into patriotic behavior. Ask yourself: what does the national anthem really have to do with sports? The military is particularly good at escalating this "game" teamwork frame into the idea of war as a game, where players must do what the coach or "star" quarterback says.
The previous paragraphs have indicated that before World War 2, U.S. leaders began drinking the Koolaid of corporatism. Now we have long lists of"High Crimes and Misdemeanors" of the federal government,starting with rampant judicial corruption to approve both foreign infiltration and informed collaboration by domestic enemies. The dirtiest secret is that the U.S. government never had the authority to charter corporations for more than a specific task within a limited time period. This "Big Lie" goes back to the invention of JudicialReview and various rulings that let to a decisive one in 1886. This is all briefly explained in the Newsletter.htm. One key point here is that if the federal government could not do it, then it would be more bizarre for state or local governments to create corporate institutions powerful enough to violate human rights.
But they have been doing it since 1886, and now it's pervasive. Even the two major political parties have become giant corporations.
Neither party challenges militarism and a decline of decent jobs at a living wage. Both parties ignore popular priorities. Both agree to replace fair trade with “free trade” that undermines labor standards. Both refuse to end the failed war on drugs so this country now has the highest prison rate in the world (5x that of 1968); more than China and Russia combined. Counties are being allowed to establish prisons; a third are run by private corporations. Both parties show contempt for equal representation in accordance with the 9th, 10th (last three words) and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Both parties further lobbyist agendas by confusing and dividing the electorate. Despite fraudulent elections, the Congress hides behind a National Command Authority. There is also the selected theft of the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections. By now there is ample evidence available in several books and the refusal of the entire Senate to investigate the 2000 fraud made it obvious. Remember that not one senator agreed to investigate the 2000 Florida election. Again, allowing election fraud is just one of many other crimes.
Environmental laws have been gutted with "clean air" initiatives to a point that may bring the planet to extinction; if the "nuclear winter" of missile MADness doesn't do it first. Global big business becomes richer and raises campaign contributions so neither Party will cut corporate welfare from existing levels. Hundreds of billions of dollars are diverted to feed the corporate cash-cows and pigs, who give back bribes. In the 2004 presidential election 40% of registered voters didn't participate. Except for "not being Bush", Kerry gave them little reason to. In a 16 July 2005 Economist survey only 17% of U.S. voters said that they felt that elected officials represented their issues. What about the rest?
Over 100 nations do better than the U.S. in turning out the vote. No wonder, the purported “greatest democracy on earth” treats its voters like children. For example, if they overwhelmingly want choice A (say, single payer health care) and politicians take lobbyist payoffs to offer choices B (pay as you go) or C (HMO/corporate cooperatives). That’s how parents quiet nagging children. In the recent past, because almost all of Abramoff’s bribes went to Republicans and such lobbying was mostly their tar baby, they got most of the blame. Meanwhile, Senator McCain could still get away with assertions that the current electoral system - for both parties - was:
“…nothing less than a massive influence peddling scheme where both parties conspire to sell the country to the highest bidder,”
Despite his Bush loyalty and a plainly right-wing voting record, corporate media kept calling him "a reformer."
Why is it that we no longer hear politicians talking about the military-industrial complex as they run for office in the one-party (corporate) state? Why the amnesia? The short answer is "follow the money." The military administration, however effective its combat performance might seem, showed itself to be particularly incompetent in fiscal accountability. Besides those about over a trillion dollars that disappeared in the Pentagon's black hole, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) projections have hundreds of other questions about our economic future. These include estimating a looming 46 trillion dollar debt. Its interest rates are currently being compounded against us. Such spending on the annual budget deficit is unproductive and can be compared to the interest payment on a credit card.
One effort to limit that interest payment was by the Republican plundering a Social Security "lock-box" (under Reagan) through an imaginary Trust Fund. That "success" merely whetted the Wall Street appetite. The last ten years showed it catching-up on the pillage.
Deficits remain grossly understated but the symptoms are clear.
The U.S. medical system sank to about 35th in the world, much of it due to rising mortality caused by a lack of care. The world recognized this financial irresponsibility and it nearly drove us into bankruptcy. Like the Roman and British empires before us, that will end the American empire. Unless military spending gets explosively rampant, it will be with a whimper rather than a bang. Democrat corruption exists but, while most politicians may lie, Republicans do it more because they were the ones who dismantled democracy (as described in the htm file).
Real activists realize that such failed governance is criminal. Besides “dereliction of duty” and “obstruction of justice”, it adds “malfeasance,” and “seditious conspiracy.” The "United States of Amnesia" section in the Newsletter lists some federal issues associated with the previous President with some material on Democrats. Obviously, there is the outlaw invasion and occupation of Iraq; but that is mainly a big symptom of a failed system. Of course, since few members of Congress have participated in combat, their confusion between war and terrorism (or piracy) is understandable. Allowing judges or a president to invent their own laws and definitions is not. Most members of both parties therefore deserve to imprisoned or replaced by elections, if fair elections are still possible. The lists document why the Executive Branch is badly broken. It requires criminal prosecution of the previous president, VP, and their cronies. Since that is unlikely, the logical alternatives are:
Immediate impeachment.Our view is that the failures were not limited to the President Bush cabal (do the math on the issues: record deficits, most lost jobs, unprovoked wars, tax burdens on our children, etc.). Some 35,000 lobbyists buying Congressional legislators for corporate and private causes. Robberies like Enron are less sinister than the invasion of Iraq but have a similar cause. It could not have lasted so long without a vast cadre that gave allegiance to the president rather than to the Constitution. Their main objection against impeachment is it would distract from a "war" on terror. This assumes that it is a real "war" and that U.S. invasion of Iraq is not an International war crime. The fact that he and Cheney are out of office does not preclude impeachment. It would end many of the retirement perks and place blame where it belongs
Disband the Republican Party. Given overwhelming evidence, those who refused impeachment as a form of indictment, share in the guilt. The significant part of the process would have gone to the Senate, that decides on the facts. By refusing to act on the massive evidence, compared to the trivia for which Clinton was impeached or the four heavy charges against Nixon, we feel that the Republican Party is now even more disgraced than the Federalists in the War of 1812. It deserves to be disbanded. The way to start is by filing criminal complaints against the guilty (including Democrats) and these are clearly defined in the law by existing definitions of gross negligence and dereliction of duty.
Recognition of foreign threats. Both parties decided not to defend the borders or punish outlaw employers over the past 20 years (when clear laws were in place). There are about 40,000 soldiers patrol the Korean border but fewer than 10,000 guards secure the far longer U.S. border. The federal government has also allowed state governments to selectively ignore federal laws. Who is more likely to stop terrorists: an 10,000-person border patrol, or the 80,000 state and 800,000 local police? The 9-11 hijackers would have been easier to find if they could not hide among a vast refugee community ignored by the local police.
Prohibit future political benefits - One of the key characteristics of aristocracy is granting titles and pensions "in perpetuity" in association with hereditary rights. It works just as well with lifetime pensions. The founders did away with this royal privilege except in the case of military compensation for disabilities and one-time grants. Much of the original pension debates were about receiving back pay and property replacement incurred as a result of service in the Continental Army. What happened over the years is that Congress and the legislatures allowed peacetime pensions to retired soldiers and bestowed similar benefits on itself. For example, an act of Congress gave President Truman (and Hoover) such a pension. Before bestowing such privileges on itself Congress had to buy-off potential opponents in the bureaucracy, consisting mainly of Defense Department and Civil Service "servants". The simple truth is that this blatantly violates the 9th Amendment. It's also a form of theft!
Stop Theft - Public servants deserve adequate compensation, as much as four times the median national salary, but forcing taxpayers to also pay for their pensions and health benefits is wrong unless the public masters have similar protection. Therefore allow adequate money for personal pensions without stealing more from the children. We can restore and expand Social Security insurance for all citizens and condemn how politicians broke into this "lockbox." The servants who deserve such pensions are combat soldiers whose lives were destroyed by political lies. They were tricked into public service for unjust wars. Part of the real PTSD is caused by this betrayal.
Assure Fair Compensation -By what authority can public servants claim entitlement to greater health and retirement benefits than those who they serve. In the case of salaries, for example, the top politicians gave themselves eight raises (about $30,000) without allowing even one increase in the minimum wage. Generally public "servants" should earn no more than the median income of those that they claim to serve. This may sound unreasonable but it does not include per diem allowances for travel and living, which are sometimes higher than the salary. Those who are on call 24-7, depending somewhat on organizational rank, could further have this basic pay increased (perhaps by about 350%).
Punish the Homeland Security Failures - Ignoring the failures of FEMA during recent disasters was criminal. The failure to provide timely assistance during Hurricane KATRINA rises to this failure level and should be especially troubling when millions were squandered on private mercenaries, such as Blackwater, who assaulted desperate citizens. It was a predictable catastrophe that should have been more manageable than one in the motion picture Sum of All Fears, an event for which Homeland Security was created. Now that the Neo-cons are creating more global enemies, genuine terrorism is more likely. A strategic solution could merge National Defense plans. For example, we should think about how we would behave if another country did to us what America did to Iraq. The proper "security" might be to spend millions to punish our own corporate and war criminals. Handing over the latter to a properly empowered International Criminal Court could be part of this solution.
Expose the Religious Fanatics - Enlightened religious coalitions understand why Americans want freedoms promised in the Constitution. Fortunately, except in terms of a twisted millennial prophecy, the religious fanatics haven't thought through their clear aim to replace the republic with an empire. Some of those in power want to reverse the clock on privacy, civil rights, and scientific progress. For example, in classrooms they repeatedly tried emplacing "creationist" religious ideology for science. They even tried to hand over end-of-life decisions (Shaibo case) over to the a born again government. Most Americans are intelligent enough to understand the evils of Old Testament fundamentalism, so it's mostly a matter of exposure of this evil education source. Our children also learn from bad examples presented on television, but at least there mass murder or rape are not usually depicted as a form of God-given morality.
Reverse Corporate Tyranny - The corporate power of capitalism and its foreign aristocracy has been so deeply established by private and government institutions that it will be difficult to reverse. Fortunately most Americans recognize that an old crime is still a crime and enough of them remember that this country was established in opposition to corporate "charters." They can see that most "taxes" are now levied as indirect interest payments to enrich corporate directors. We can recall a "taxation without representation" slogan. Because corporations can threaten to move to another state or even offshore, they must be disciplined at a federal level. An obvious first step is to disband all corporations that have greater annual income than any state government. Those who refuse to divided assets into smaller entities would face charter revocation. Next, corporations with more annual income than the smallest viable country would have all their taxation managed by the federal government rather than by state or local governments. This could stop "shopping" for favorable tax venue or block escape to other countries.
Reduce Corporate Size - Greed, a root cause of excess salaries for government officials, is mainly a symptom of a corporate aristocracy that imitates British colonial policy. Generally, our plan includes elimination (splitting) corporations with larger annual incomes than states (say Montana or Wyoming). To close the door to corporate invasion and migration of its tax base to real colonies (like the Bahamas or Cayman islands). There would also need to be a shift of all tax authority for these giants, from states to the federal government. The benefit for them would be simplified taxes. For the states, it would reduce a mindless tax-based competition for employers. (i.e. they might gain more workers but the wage-tax benefit would go to the feds). Control of the money would revert back from Wall Street to many Main Streets. Ejecting robber barons altogether might become an appropriate long term goal.
Smedley Butler's Solution - One of the obvious ways to bring war profiteers and other mercenaries of the military-industrial-congressional complex under control is to assure that they are unable to earn more than the median pay of soldiers who risk their lives. At the very least we must assure that politicians provide open and candid admissions about their relationship to corporations and carefully examine the meaning of public service. Morality is not a complicated issue. When a someone like President Truman engages in mass-killing (like Hiroshima and Nagasaki), they should face a war crimes trial. What kind of message did it send to the young when he was not held accountable. Any criminal would like to say "the buck stops here," but he said in our name.
(The corporate elite will loudly oppose such changes or try to silence their discussion, as would any criminal.)
Comment.
In simplest terms, you either accept the Constitution or you don't and the three main causes of disloyalty are described in the Q&A section. Each of the above solutions requires further explanation and part of that is in the Q&A.htm and Newsletter.htm. The point is that the politicians have failed so badly that they are unlikely to be a legitimate source of reform. Most of them have a motivation to keep power and position without hesitating to accept bribes from lobbyists and corporate interests. The corporations won't hesitate to break all the rules to get global hegemony. They believe that the Constitution is subordinate to a "higher power" of the free market. Their lobbyists serve corporations who worship the almighty dollar, religious zealots who seek to impose Old Testament values over our government, and even other countries unencumbered by a written constitution.
We the people need to act, both for the sake of our children and because the whole world is watching. Otherwise we will be blamed for the crimes. Corporate profiteers see soldiers and civilians - at least foreign civilians - as an expendable commodity that assures their own profit (greater conflict, higher profit). They claim to act in our name. so those who this country has killed in the Middle East will go after the country. The victims are survived by families and there is tradition of honor in the region that requires revenge be taken for a wrongful death. Given the lack of resources, this often translates to forms of suicide bombing or desperate attacks to cause havoc. Corporations did not think this through to a logical conclusion and those who plan the wrongful killing will keep blaming others.
Effective reform requires proper mobilization of people at the grassroots level. That is defined here as restoring the ratios or levels of federal representation that existed before 1830, both at the House and Senate levels. The number of judges would also increase as needed to restore the power of juries for all, and their power would revert back being more like referees than deciders. These original representation ratios are not necessarily the best, but they are a logical, proven, starting point from which to launch reform without reinventing the wheel of government. This will decrease the size of government. The elected politicians are already adequately paid, but they were allowed to operate within a bloated "staff" structure in Congress or within the 85,000+ delegated local governments.
Numerically, the staffs will decrease in greater proportion than the number of representatives increases. Imagine multiplying the 535 members of Congress by twelve to serve at the federal and state level, while eliminating most of the 88,000 local government units and unrepresentative state senates. The number of local governments would be no more than twenty per Congressional Districts without "separate or unequal" home rule charter impositions. (This is an obviously oversimplified summary.)
Our solution is based on idea of removing dozens of government layers to restore one degree of separation between the people and the Constitution because such extra layers have a capability to "obstruct justice" even if they do not immediately do so. This not immediately be the ideal solution, but it will at least end the "mystification" that has become so essential to continuing corrupt government. When the people begin to clearly understand the mechanism of power, politicians will again learn to respect them. Until then, patriotic citizens should file paper "ballots" in the form of criminal complaints.
Media Coalitions
What is it about brainwashing that we do not understand? To remain in power the occupation government (FOG or COG) spends a significant portion of its plundered wealth to manipulate people. Its methods include distraction, diversion, desception, disinformation, and deconstruction (5 Ds). These help to demoralize potential opposition. It's mostly done to keep the everday masses bewildered and away from informed democracy. Since about 1900, local newspapers have pandered to the few percent who pay for their advertising. Just thirty years ago there were about fifty large media corporations. Now six giants dominate most of American media (AOL Time Warner, Disney; Viacom, Bertelsmann, Murdoch's News Corporation, and Vivendi). Their monopolies manipulate market access and cunningly shape political messages through sterile emotions. They operate over numerous paths at the same time (radio, TV, magazines, etc.).
A grassroots coalition must penetrate the bodyguard of lies. This is increasingly simple thanks to new technology. The hard part in spreading truth is reaching those who remain unconnected to the network of alternative media, especially older citizens. This section will provide some sources for bypassing "noise" in order to discover the facts. We will mention websites, books, and films. The FOG will often try to ignore incriminating truth. When that proves impossible (for example with revealing documentaries) they try to deconstruct the material to attack the weaker facts and invent "errors" to discredit the source. Concurrently, they will blame the messengers and repeatedly attack them through other media mechanisms such as hate radio (Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Savage, etc.).
At the local level, like political gatherings, they may shout down truth tellers. Sometimes they use police agencies to jail film makers or protestors for exercising free speech. The least a patriot should do is file criminal (not civil) complaints against such attacks. Politicians who lie, cheat, and steal should also face criminal law. Try to remember that removing criminals is key to restoring the Constitution. Neither the Supreme Court's "judicial review" or corporations are mentioned in that basic document.
Suggested websites:
We have hundreds. To lessen danger to your head exploding from "information overload," we suggest starting with the non-profit citizens' organization >www.commondreams.org<. Visit each of the listed links to see which appeal to your activism. It's essential to "follow the money" and a good place for that is Center for Responsive Politics, >www.opensecrets.org< a non-profit D.C.-based research group that tracks the impact of money on political policy. Its computer-based research on campaign finance informs media, academics, and activists. The Center links activists to specific zip codes. A newer site (2004) is >http://mediamatters.org<, web-based, nonprofit, research center for analyzing a cross section of print, broadcast, cable, radio, and Internet media to correct conservative misinformation — every day, real time with rapid-responses, followed by longer analysis. Media Matters thus offers resources to rebut false claims. To study the "secret government", see the National Security Archive >https://nsarchive.gwu.edu< at GWU and Project Censored's >www.projectcensored.org/top-25-censored-stories-of-all-time/<. Such "top 25 stories" are only a quarter of annual edition, that include website lists. For daily cutting edge news, don't miss >www.informationclearinghouse.info< with its great quotations. Also choose one of the many news blog sites that examine gossip and noise so that you stay aware of the buzz.
Aristocracy is the historic enemy of democracy. Foundation-funded websites sometimes try to be nonpartisan or "balanced," which often gives criminals a seat at the table. To avoid wasting time on rubbish, separate facts from opinions. Avoid the many "conspiracy" sites where conclusions do not logically follow from confirmed facts. The COG wants activists to waste time chasing shadows rather than mobilizing against the obvious threat. For a quick view of national corruption in 2012 see http://www.stateintegrity.org/ (Info on PA is below).
Don't go overboard with the word fascists. Corporatist or corpfederacy is the real root. Even useful books like Hedge's American Fascists or Dean's Conservatives Without a Conscience do not mention corporations enough. Generally correct uses of "privatize" with corporatize. The mass media knows the significance of repetition and "framing" so learn how it's done, Track down George Lakoff's work on how political "frames" are shaped from childhood. We especially suggest study of http://www.poclad.org/ and the G. William Domhoff book and website (below) to understand the framework within which corporate crime takes place and how the ruling robber barons operate.
Again, there is no shortage of excellent information. However, if you don't know what to look for the tendency is to confuse passive information-gathering with genuine activism. To generally avoid the gigo risk, become aware of the credentials of any blogger or YouTuber in relation to the topics they present. Avoid anonymous blogs and videos because even well-meaning ones often ramble and you should value time. For local activism - where you know the name behind the blog - there might be no reason to use true identities in routine exchanges but, if you need genuine security, there is no safer method than a personal meeting. It's possible to build a politically meaningful "community" over the web but try to remember that the goal is actionof a kind that brings ethical people together to produce moral political results. If you join an organization be aware of its stated mission - it should be under a hundred words - and see that the leaders stick to it without some kind of "bait-and-switch" to another agenda.
State and Local Issues (Pennsylvania as main example)
The current national failure can ultimately be traced to outlaw State governments. The State Integrity Investigation of 2012 was an unprecedented, data-driven analysis of transparency and accountability in all 50 state governments. The Center for Public Integrity partnered with Global Integrity and Public Radio International to assign each state a letter grade — based on 300 government integrity indicators (see details at www.stateintegrity.org/). For example, Pennsylvania got a grade of 71% (C-) and failed (F) in areas such as Judicial Accountability, Political Financing, State Budget Processes, Redistricting, and Lobbying Disclosure. The Investigation had to do with the kaws that are in place.
Begin with their detailed analysis of the ethics failure. Here are some further points to consider.
The issue that launched America was " no taxation without representation" . In contrast, the crises of the Civil War was caused by state aristocrats attempting to steal federal property and to expand slavery. Local governments have become the tools to subvert representation. While most of them do some good things, on the whole their impact is negative because they confuse citizens about the importance of equal rights under a Constitution and mystify the proper judicial authority. Ultimately it is about money and power.
Should those with money and property (or slaves) be allowed to make the rules?A case could easily be made that the transformation of local governments into corporate entities, a process starting over a hundred years ago, was deliberately aimed to "divide and conquer" the republic. If that is true then we have a form of infiltration-based sedition. We claim that aristocrats reestablished control by this cunning strategy that seized control of States by subverting the federal Constitution. For example, local police are routinely allowed to exempt themselves from enforcing federal laws (those dealing with immigration are the current example). In Pennsylvania, the bizarre patchwork of over 4,800 local governments operates within 67 counties, themselves ranging in population from 7000 (Forest) to 1.5 million (Philadelphia). Such structures exhibit contempt for equal representation in accordance with the 9th, 10th (last three words) and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
(Some states, like Connecticut, have done away with County governments. So should we. They can be merged with equal regional districts, perhaps coinciding with federal jurisdictions, to maintain whatever historic or symbolic stature that the citizens may value.)
Excess governments further lobbyist agendas by confusing the electorate. For example, ask politicians why PA needs 500 School Districts (one with no schools). None of them can give a logical answer. Why does this state have about 30% of the nation's water & sewer Special Districts (Authorities)? You get the idea. The robber barons were not satisfied with merely holding the levers of power at the level of state capitol buildings. They needed to slice up that real power and control it by holding key segments. Now there are about 87,500 slices within the fifty state governments as follows: 3,030 counties, 19,450 cities, 16,500 towns or townships, 13,500 school districts, and 35,100 special districts. If the officers of these local governments were true public servants, sworn to defend the Constitution and protect U.S. citizens, then the situation might be tolerable. Although such oaths are usually filed somewhere, the lawkeepers became lawmakers and lawtakers who invent new laws or statutes in order to rob the public treasury and fatten their own wallets. (From personal experience, I can say that Pennsylvania is one of the most corrupt states in the country. Further discussion of the problem is separated in the Q&A and newsletter htm files or is itemized below.
After the Civil War, under political bosses, such as Quay and Penrose, the state sank into deep corporate control from which it never recovered. For example, in 1891 the Pennsylvania Railroad alone employed over 110,000 workers whereas both the U.S. armed forces and a patronage-based postal system had fewer than 135,000 people. Boies Penrose (1860-1921) was a Republican senator from 1897 to 1921. He opposed woman’s suffrage and promoted high tariffs to protect Big Business. A popular magazine quoted him (1931) as admitting "Public office is the last refuge of a scoundrel." The corruption was known at the time. In Wealth Against Commonwealth (1894) Henry Lloyd denounced both patronage and laissez-faire economics. He noted of Standard Oil that: “…the trust had done everything to the Pennsylvania legislature except refine it.”
The American aristocracy generally works through such corporate power. Their purchased politicians seize control of state legislatures. They rule and dictate with little regard for the state or federal constitutions. We feel that it's time for lawmakers to force out the lawtakers and show leadership. A state constitutional convention can give Pennsylvanians back their government if the current politicians can be excluded from participating. Meanwhile citizens can file criminal charges to get existing outlaw statutes off the books. A convention is not needed in order to put these criminals in jail. One idea of the lawtakers was to invent new laws and keep them secret and identifying all these laws may take some research (many statutes are also hidden at the local level through "home rule".) Also, much of the state judiciary is fully involved in the corruption so getting "a day in court" will rarely be easy. For example, in clear contradiction to both the federal and states constitutions, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has banned jury trials (since 1968) unless more than six months in jail is involved. That is all the more reason to repeatedly put the charges in writing. Make the people aware of the whole catastrophe (fraud, racketeering, obstruction of justice, dereliction of duty, malfeasance, seditious conspiracy. etc.). The lawtakers and politicians will pretend to be "shocked."
We can get them over it with a clean sweep. What follows is a short list of Pennsylvania issues that can be addressed by modern reformers:
Control lobbyists and campaign funding.
We should aim go from worst to first in the control of influence peddling. Pennsylvania is the only state without laws to control special interest lobbyists. Its Supreme Court struck down a previous law (2002) by claiming for itself an exclusive right to regulate lawyers and many lobbyists are lawyers. The People should have exclusive authority to regulate lobbying and they should be held to the highest standards of public integrity by criteria used by groups like Center for Public Integrity (>www.publicintegrity.org<). For similar reasons, prohibit political candidates from raising more than five percent of their campaign funds from sources not resident to their legislative district. This will make it more likely that whoever is elected will represent their constituents and not special interests from outside the district. It also gives challengers a chance to compete on a more level playing field, not compete against cash stockpiles of outside special interests. The citizens overwhelmingly want to prohibit lobbyists from giving gifts to public officials.
Force legitimate votes while banning stealth legislation (law-taking).
To focus on legitimate priorities, limit the number of bills that individual legislators may introduce during a biennial session. In the past 10 years, the General Assembly enacted an average of 140 general laws per year. But as of August 2005, members introduced more than 1,900 bills in the House and 850 more in the Senate. That’s 20 times as many bills as likely laws (and the 2-year session was only 8-months old). Some bills were introduced merely for public relations value. Others were intended to clog effective government or to sneak in corrupt laws to benefit some lobbyist. Limiting their number also forces lawmakers to focus on real priorities. Once these bills are properly introduced, require legislative committees to move proposed legislation according to deadlines. For example, all bills might have to get a committee vote within 90 days of referral. Bills also would have to be voted on in the chamber of origin within, say, 180 days of introduction. This puts bad ideas to rest and guarantees good ideas don’t get buried in committee. “Stealth” legislation can be banned by prohibiting a final vote on any bill (House or Senate) until 14 calendar days after it is in final form. Amendments would require added waiting periods. This would ensure better media and allow time for the public to express opinions about proposed law or pay raises (!). before a vote.
Ban “lame-duck” sessions.
Require legislature to end its 2-year session by 1 October in election years to ban “lame-duck” sessions. These happen after an election but before its man-dated end (30 Nov.). Most other states (39) prohibit such sessions. In 2004, Pennsylvania was the only state to enact more legislation after the election than before it. Without knowing a legislator’s complete record, voters can’t make informed decisions about re-election. It would also make the governor’s full record available on election day.
Require the courts to enforce the Constitution and public access.
Give the juries, not judges, the duty to rule on the constitutionality of legislative procedures and impose penalties through the Attorney General for efforts at the intentional violation of constitutional provisions. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court judges have rarely enforced the plain language of state or federal constitutions by claiming that they must defer to the legislature on procedure. This provision would force the court to do its job at risk of public scrutiny if not impeachment. In this connection we need to re-write the Open Records Law to make public records open to all citizens. Pennsylvania now has the sixth narrowest definition of a "public record," which makes it hard to know what state and local governments are doing, why, and at what cost.
Forbid campaigning from office.
Elected public officials should not seek other elective office while serving in their current position. Campaigning for another office creates an unfair advantage for the incumbent and diverts him from the job being paid for. Similarly, if getting the other office they must resign their current position mid-term, which creates replacement problems. It’s a dereliction of duty. At the very least, they should refund the pay of every day they take off to campaign.
Term-limit politicians, especially leaders, and forbid them from “ghost voting.”
There is clearly a political class in this country that has replaced self-service for public service. Since the president is limited to eight years, we can also limit politicians to the same standard. By eight years many of them burn out or get bought out. Let's also limit how long legislators can serve in leadership positions such as Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, majority and minority leaders. Force their return to the rank and file. This will make them less likely to “punish” other legislators for voting their conscience. It also will prevent a handful of lawmakers from getting too powerful or greedy. Ban “ghost voting” that occurs when legislators allow their leaders to cast votes for them instead of casting votes their own. Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that allows leaders in both the House and Senate to cast votes for rank-and-file lawmakers. This is a dereliction of duty because representatives are elected to vote on behalf of their citizens, without authorization to pass it on to others.
Create competitive legislative districts as equal as possible.
In 2004, only 15 of 193 House incumbents had opponents in both the primary and general elections; in the Senate, only 3 of 25. This is because re-districting plans tried to make many seats “safe” for incumbents and deprive voters of a real choice (see Wisconsin’s plan for such legislation). The voters should pick the politicians, not the other way around. When evaluating legislative re-districting plans, require courts to give preference to plans that ensure legislative districts are at least as politically competitive as sports teams. As a general principle of equal justice under the law, local governments (of whatever name) should be roughly equal in the number of citizens. Under the well known Brown vs Board of Education decision (1954) the segregationists tried to defend racism by claiming that school systems could be separate if equal. The dirty little secret is that they were never equal to begin with. The court essentially said that segregation was unlawful even if the school systems could establish some apparent forms of equality.
Outlaw unequal "home rule"
The legislature allows quasi-commercial government "agencies" at the local level by granting special charters to commercial corporations to deal directly with so-called local governments (authorities, districts, boroughs, etc.) in the name of citizens living in their purported jurisdiction. To a large extent the British system, which opposes written constitutions, has been infiltrated into the Commonwealth in order to “divide and rule.” This was accomplished by cunning manipulation of Article IX of the State Constitution in 1967 and 1968. At the highest "local" level, we do not need 67 counties ranging from 5000 to 775,000 people, sometimes of uncertain citizenship. Now there are over 5,000 local governments in PA (2nd only to IL). Who pays for the extra unelected officials? Until about 50-years ago most states (40) operated under Dillon’s Rule. Without bothering to call for a Constitutional Convention, the politicians decided to legislate drastic changes to the 9th, 10th (last three words), and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution to protect their patronage racket. It allowed local governments to act as mini-States to maintain financial dossiers on their citizens and even create giant prison facilities. Dillon's Rule instead had stated that a municipal corporation:
…possesses and can exercise the following powers, and no others: first, those granted in express words; second, those necessarily or fairly
implied in or incident to the powers expressly granted; third, those essential to the accomplishment of the declared objects and purposes
of the corporation—not simply convenient, but indispensable. Any fair, reasonable, substantial doubt concerning the existence of power
is resolved by the courts against the corporation, and the power is denied.
Stop private raids on the public treasury.
A great fears of the founders was that democracy would fail if people could vote to rob the public treasury. A domination by unelected bureaucrats now allows the politicians to raid the public treasury for their own benefit. For obvious reasons, local judges typically forbid a jury test of this racket. The enforcement of Dillon's Rule has become particular lax in Pennsylvania with the invention of new legalisms (the Cooley Doctrine is one example). In some places local government has become little more than a patronage racket where some can earn more in pensions than the governor himself. These local governments often keep separate financial dossiers and some counties have even converted their jails into large prisons for profit and patronage. Their members exert further influence through financial control and sham democracy that simply rubber-stamps the confiscation. Those citizens who did not vote for such expenditure can file criminal complaints against the extortion of their money for corporate projects.
Replace Judicial Review with Jury Review.
Theft through local "taxes" is mainly connected to the national rise of imitation unions such as the 1.3 million member federation of state, county, municipal employees (AFSCME), the million-member teacher's federation (AFT), the 2.4 million member National Education Association and a host of smaller organizations engaged at enriching themselves from public funds. The most dangerous are local police, sheriff's agencies, and various groups connected to a "prison industrial complex." Their action, if not properly supported by warrants and constitutional law, can be characterized as extortion, theft, and accompanied by the criminal assault of imprisonment. These organizations are not real unions because their combination is not against corporate business but more as a gang that extort money from fellow citizens. A simple example is when a sheriff seizes the house of an aging couple who cannot afford increased property taxes required by the pay of these corporate cronies, and who often had no control as to how the tax was levied. What these false unions are doing is undemocratic because these fictitious government cannot pass real taxes. They are confiscatory levees contrary to Dillon's Rule with a general goal of assuring outlaw salaries or pensions. The judges - more often local magistrates - go along because they see their own salary connected to the false tax. Only The People should be allowed to decide how their money is spent. If they feel that an elected state representative is not representing them then, at the very least, there should be a quick and simple recourse to a jury trial against them.
Fit the size of the legislature to people's pocketbook.
Recently a state senator (Pippy, R-Allegheny) considered reducing PA's legislature from 253 (203 House members, 50 senators) as part of a so-called Jefferson Reform Initiative. In fact, Pennsylvania now has an appropriately sized legislatures, but it is the fourth most expensive because of base salaries and those of high priced crony camp-followers. The real issue is cost not size. To keep local government politicians and teacher unions quiet, they allowed them to jump on the gravy train and share the “trickle down” corruption. This allows public servants to earn far more than those who they serve. Pennsylvania has the most expensive full-time legislature in the nation. The Republicans have a historically demonstrable hatred for democracy and tried to confuse the issue, but both parties work together to protect their high pay. One proposal would not cut the size of legislature but align it with the wishes of the founders such as Ben Franklin and in the original 1st Amendment in the Bill of Rights that they ratified. It would establish a legislature consisting solely of a Representatives with one representative for every 50,000 citizens. Nebraska is a state with a such legislature of just one House. New Hampshire's is larger (424), but their lawmakers get only a $100 a year. PA law-takers get an average of more than $72 thousand a year and after the last attempted salary hijack, citizens decided to shake up the whole system. We deserve public servants worth their pay, not politicians patrolling the state capitol for family enrichment. Their cronies and the wheeling & dealing lobbyists especially need to be reduced. Eliminating the senate will require a constitutional amendment (adoption in two successive sessions of General Assembly and then statewide referendum passage). Initially the lawtakers should be able to overcome an instincts for self-preservation, because the original bill would not eliminate any of them, but this is an idea that is overdue.
Create a Public School System.
The state currently has no public school system because the public does not control education funding. The famous Brown vs Board of Education (Supreme Court, 1954 & 1956) ruling struck down the idea of "separate but equal," but the dirty little secret was that systems were never equal. There are over 500 school districts in Pennsylvania and individual student funding is over a wide spectrum. It generally averages $10,000 per student, which is almost three times as much as is spent on students in private schools. That fact alone makes it grossly unequal and is a reason to dismantle the current system. One solution could require direct allocation of funds to students or certified citizens. The funds would consist of at least four categories: health & public safety, books & materials, building costs, and teacher costs. Ultimately, students should decide what education they want and not have a ton of useless courses shoved down their throats. The only clear requirement that the state can impose is that no citizen be left behind in terms of health and knowledge of the law, meaning comprehension of the state and federal constitution. Only then can students be fully accountable for obeying the laws (an extensive but documented issue). Reading instruction may well become a lifelong teaching responsibility. For those who fail to understand the Constitution, reading is essential to citizenship. After reading, writing, and some arithmetic, people can decide what learning they need for themselves. They can replace media brainwashing with genuine Civics education and truth. These powers already belong to the people because the airwaves are theirs so its mostly a matter of reclaiming stolen property. The Founders managed quite well without corporate education and so will our kids if they are given a fair and equal share of the funds.
Defend the Borders.
This is less a matter of border security than corporate exploitation motivated by the corpfederacy's desire for cheap labor. There is no reason to believe that new laws will reverse this massive obstruction of justice after a refusal to enforce laws that have been on the books since 1986. It will remain impossible to restrict illegal immigration because state agencies refuse to enforce federal law. They often pander to local corporations' desire for cheap labor, we now have an increased threat of terrorism. (Immigrants are not terrorists but out of control borders and identification methods give terrorists more access.) Over three-fourths of it would be stopped if the employers were prosecuted, but only six companies were fined before 9-11. To understand the scope of this malfeasance and dereliction of duty, just look at a comparison of three large border states, viz. NY, TX, and CA. Who is more likely to enforce federal immigration law to stop terrorists: the roughly 180,000 local police and sheriffs of these three states or the 6,000 federal agents distributed across their borders within a ridiculous patchwork called Homeland Security?
They pretend that their state rights trump federal law. It's crazy, New York City has about 44,000 police but they are partly barred from enforcing federal law because state and local politicians have decided that they can pick and choose which federal laws they want to enforce. As a result immigration has increased in clear violation of federal laws. Corporate domination of the legislature and its desire for cheap labor has also vastly expanded the legal immigration of H1-B Visas to displace skilled American workers with foreign specialists.
There is no reason not to impose retroactive fines against these criminal operators. When local police are told that they need not enforce immigration law this is a matter of Sedition. See Lincoln's War Address (4 July 1861, in Newsletter.htm) to Congress to get the big picture about how the South was trying to steal public property for its own use. Would Americans prefer secure borders here or in Korea, Iraq, or Afghanistan?The answer should be obvious except to politicians of state governments who have been allowed to ignore immigration laws with the ridiculous claim that it's not their job to enforce federal law. Also remember the 1956 Supreme Court decision, Penn. v. Nelson (350 U.S. 497, 505) that confirmed that sedition “is a crime against the Nation” and not a local offense. There are about 12 million refugee immigrants here. Whatever is done with them, we should understand the real issue and punish the guilty politicians.
Empower the people against the Police State.
Remember Bentham's quote: “the power of a lawyer is in the uncertainty in the law.” To understand the enormity of the political imposition, you should recall that lawyers are not mentioned in the Constitution and black-robed ones at the level of invented local governments act in the capacity of magistrates or esquires (shield-bearers), similar to those who served under the imperial charters of King George III. These modern local "charters" are inventions of lawyers and false unions to enrich themselves at public expense. When combined with family and retired members, the massive voting block of teachers, police officials, and lawyers is highly intimidating to career politicians and honest judges, even if they were not similarly inclined.
To give an example in the case of the aforementioned police agencies, consider that there are nationally at least a million full-time officers authorized to carry firearms and make arrests. However, only about a fifth of them work at the state and federal level (assume half & half for state and federal). The civilian component is similarly proportioned. The state agencies include mostly State troopers and some special agencies. The federal component is divided among fifteen significant (over 1,000 members) agencies with half the personnel in Customs, FBI, Prisons, and Immigration. These smaller federal agencies cannot enforce the law when the state or local agencies refuse to cooperate. In other words, they took the law into their own hands, which is what outlaws do. Regardless of what judges or politicians say, they are not legitimate if they oppose the Constitution.
Fair pay for fair work.
Please note that this is not a concern about high taxes or genuine unions. Also, as bad these the "associators" are, they are a small threat compared to the transnational business corporations. The point is that most citizens have no reluctance to pay high taxes if they have a real choice (as amember, I'd like to see real unions prosper). Real unions have been getting battered since 1975 as these public corporations have been working with commercial ones to stealing discretionary income from the economy. The issue is corporatism, or fascism, which requires a critical mass of servants to implement its will. It is common sense that public servants, as any other kind of servant, should not earn more money than those who they claim to serve. It is also unlikely that anyone would willingly employ a servant who would systematically steal from them. This is a contentious issue but let's suggest that the average state or local employee should receive no more than three times the median income (salary, rents, interest, etc.) of private citizen in the state and no pension. Why three times maximum? Because we can assume that many public servants, especially those in public safety, are "on-call" 24 hours a day (7 x 24 = 168 hours minus about four dozen hours for sleep and personal care). The transition to allocate pay scales from new to experienced employees, with compensations for education or travel,may take time but the principle is sound. Essentially it is based on hours worked and the simple truth is that most public officials only work part time. This is a matter of equality and enforcing awareness of how much the public earns.
No initial spending cuts.
It will be recognized that governments, much less corporations, have no authority to steal from their citizens and their children. The fundamental idea is that the Constitution, federal and state, connects directly to the citizen. Anything that breaks that link is regarded as an obstruction of justice. The dirty little secret is that states never had the right to charter corporations for more than a specific task within a limited time. The idea is not to drastically cut taxes (although that will likely follow) but to assure fair distribution. This would at least force politicians to be aware of the financial health of citizens. It may seem that many good employees will go elsewhere, but this is a small cost to attract genuine public servants and chase away those motivated mainly by money. The common sense principle is that servants earn no more than those they serve, especially if they are unelected and depend on extortion. The shift of resources at the state level could aim at eliminating duplication and corporate welfare.
Contract all but indispensable functions -
Special skills can be contracted from the private sector through competitive bids. One result of state-wide contracts could be greater flexibility in deploying assets to needed regions based on population. It would generally close the door to the pervasive cronyism and patronage. This policy would require public officials to know how many actual U.S. citizens reside in their state and to assess fair taxes from those who wish to vote as state citizens. The property taxes, because they would revert back to a genuine (state) government from local corporations (pretending to be "home-rule" governments) could be adjusted to allow for equal collection and fair distribution. Making the local governments equal in terms of population would also create a meaningful competition between them. Bureaucracies learn how to "feather their nest" so returning decision making back to the people is sure to be resisted. At the end of each year or two of public service, the employees should be required to renew their contract. The salary would depend less on market conditions than on how well those served have done in financial terms.
Prohibit "defined" future benefits
A key characteristics of aristocracy is that it pretends to grant titles and pensions, often "in perpetuity." The founders did away with this royal privilege except in the case of military pensions, which started mainly as payments to compensate for disabilities. After Congress allowed pensions to itself, many of state legislatures decided to do the same. First they had to buy-off potential local opponents. These consisted mainly of teachers, judges, and police. These groups can earn adequate compensation from which they could set aside adequate retirement plans for themselves. Forcing taxpayers to do it for them is wrong. It is clearly unlawful is for public servants to join in any association in order to extortpayments from their fellow citizens. So we also argue that such pensions are an aristocratic policy that extorts the wealth of future citizens.
Moreover, denial of pension is being used to punish those who refuse to go along with the pension-granting elite. After they are indicted for extortion, a general solution would require pay scales to be comparable to the rates of private compensation within the states according to a demonstrable median rate.As true representation kicks in, probably after years of wrangling, politicians will fear economic loss. By then much of the deadwood will have been expelled but the outlaw pay raises and pensions will have already been collected.
Much of their strategy is now to keep the gravy train rolling on the backs of citizens for as long as possible. A directly related issue is that large corporations typically apply long-term contracts (a form of business pension) in order to rob local governments. For example, they have even built in escalation clauses to protect themselves from inflation. Examining the mechanics of this process at the international level shows an imitation of neo-colonialism by transnational corporations. In a monarchy, the royal family tries to endow the progeny of its aristocracy with future wealth and power. In a republic, one that claims to represent its current citizens, there is no authority to endow unborn future recipients. That's why corporatized pensions and long term future contracts are a form of robbery in America. They steal from our children.
Lists of suggested books (A partial list that varies as time and research allows.):
Avoid re-inventing the wheel. Chances are that there is already a mass of information on topics that need activism so most of the alternative media should aim at spreading facts rather than stretching details. Start with the archives. The basics are Almanacs and Quotation Books (Seldes is my favorite). The Censored annuals by Peter Phillips and Sonoma State are great source to expose what mass media ignores and why it does so. Zinn's People's History of the United States, 1492 to Present and Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me are valuable for revealing academic mendacity. The two books sold well over three million copies. Hermann's Manufacturing Consent resonated with my background as a Foreign Area Officer and PsyOps training. The video of that same name was co-authored and featured Dr. Noam Chomsky, whose many books are full of factual details. The best source for his current talks and videos is >www.chomsky.info<. A few days of study there is sure to drain most of your political brainwash. My list tends to focus on World War 2 (like Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich) for reasons of family history, but you can choose sources based on your own background.
C-SPAN was created by cable television companies in 1979 to produce non-commercial programming via its three cable/satellite networks, C-SPAN FM & Satellite radio networks, and affiliated Internet websites. A National Treasure: Booknoteswas C-SPAN's author-interview program for 16 years (April 1989 - Dec 2004). It focused exclusively on contemporary nonfiction books to create a serious TV forum for writers of history, biography, politics, and public affairs. Its format was one book, one hour, one appearance per author's career, in an intentionally spare and simply furnished studio, every Sunday night, nonfiction writers were asked to discuss their most recent work. Beyond a book's content, authors were queried about research, writing process, their lives and influences. As a result, this archive collected 800 interviews with some of the best known 20th century non-fiction writers and contemporary political leaders in their own words. The series host was C-SPAN founder/CEO Brian Lamb (the slot is now a Q&A interview series). After gaining a reputation for nonfiction coverage, in 1999 C-Span createdBookTVon C-Span2 to cover books and related events every weekend. The C-SPAN BookTV Bus is a traveling production studio that visits public libraries, bookstores, and regional book festivals across the country. Most of the 3-hourIn Depth interviews since 2000 are also available at C-Span's website.
For summaries of famous books don't miss the lists at >www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-year< which has all the categories (currently 23) by year of award. Even if you disagree with the politics of a particular author, old facts tend to be encountered again in new venues.
(The) Age of Jackson (1946, Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Jr.)
(The) Age of Reform (1956, Richard Hofstadter)
(A) Constitutional History of the United States (1936, Andrew C. McLaughlin)
Abraham Lincoln: The War Years (1940, Carl Sandburg)
Banks and Politics in America (1958, Bray Hammond)
Battle Cry of Freedom (1989, James M. McPherson)
Between War and Peace: The Potsdam Conference (1961, Herbert Feis)
(The) Dred Scott Case (1979, Don E. Fehrenbacher)
(The) Era of Good Feelings (1953, George Dangerfield)
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation (2001, Joseph J. Ellis)
Freedom From Fear (2000, David Kennedy)
Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (1999, Edwin G. Burrows & Mike Wallace)
Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History (1955, Paul Horgan)
(The) Greenback Era (1965, Irwin Unger)
(The) Growth of American Thought (1944, Merle Curti)
(The) Ideological Origins of The American Revolution (1968, Bernard Bailyn)
In Our Image (1990, Stanley Karnow)
In the Days of McKinley (1960, Margaret Leech)
Jefferson and His Time, Vols. I-V (1975, Dumas Malone)
Main Currents in American Thought, 2 vols. (1928, Vernon Louis Parrington)
(The) Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America (2003, Louis Menand)
Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution(1997, Jack N. Rakove)
(The) Radicalism of the American Revolution (1993, Gordon S. Wood)
(The) Republican Era: 1869-1901 (1959, Leonard D. White & Ms Jean Schneider)
(The) Road to Reunion. 1865-1900 (1938, Paul Herman Buck)
Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom (1971, James Macgregor Burns)
Russia Leaves the War: Soviet-American Relations, 1917-1920, (1957, George F. Kennan)
(The) Significance of Sections in American History (1933, Frederick J. Turner)
(A) Stillness at Appomattox (1954, Bruce Catton)
(The) Transformation of Virginia, 1740-1790 (1983, Rhys L. Isaac)
(The) Uprooted (1952, Oscar Handlin)
(The) Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business (1978, Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.)
My world view changed forty years ago when I bought a 1908 edition of the Writings of Thomas Paine(ten-volumes discarded by a library for $15, appraised at $300) and now available on the web. His pragmatic analysis is still widely censored by a ruling class that would rather you waste time philosophizing about Karl Marx.
Here are some more recent titles that will help you understand the system:
American Fascists and the later books by Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges). His 2012 3-hour In-Depth interview is also on C-Span2.
Censored Annuals: The top 25 Censored stories (400p+, Peter Phillips & Project Censored); 2007 was the 30th Anniversary Issue.
Conservatives Without Conscience (2006, 280p John Dean). Key study of authoritarinism by a conservative (also Broken Government).
Don’t think of an elephant! Know your values and frame the debate: the essential guide for progressives. (2004, 140p. George Lakoff). Also see newer\st book Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision.
Friendly Fascism (1980, 435p, Bertram Gross) A classic, except much of the world doubts how friendly it is today.
Gangs of America (2002, 275p. Ted Nace) - The U.S. was founded in opposition to corporations (charters) of the British Crown. So how did these aristocratic creatures creep back in the country. This book gives the answer; as does Thom Hartmann's more recent work.
How the South Finally Won the Civil War: And Controls the Political Future of the United States b(1995, 450p. Charles Potts) From personal military experience, I know that this traitorous personality type still infests the former Confederacy.
House of War: Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power(2006, 650p, James Caroll) This is detailed story about the Military Industrial Complex by someone born at the time of the Pentagon's foundation.
Old Nazis, the New Right, and the Republican Party (1991, 166p, Russ Bellant). Domestic fascism's effect on Cold War.
The Republican Noise Machine: Right-wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy ( 2002, 402p, David Brock).
The Underground History of American Education(2005 update, 440p, John T. Gatto). How did the founders manage without public education? His analysis of the problem is brilliant, even if not necessarily the best solution.
Who Rules America?:Power, Politics and Social Change, 7th Edition (2014, 350.p?., G. William Domhoff). A key sociological source that organizes power propositions into a concise framework beyond conspiracy theories. Visit https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu
Google the author names and check YouTube prsentations. Also, keep studying the founders. Whatever their faults (esp. slavery), these were men who risked their lives "and sacred honor" to oppose royal corporate tyranny.
Oath to Constitutional Republic
One Nation, Indivisible
National "Melting Pot"
Of the People(hired for what they know)
Summum bonum
Pursuit of Happiness(shared)
Fair and Balanced Budgets
Long term planning
Veritas vincit omnia
Ethical science
Taxing wealth progressively
Egalitarian lawkeepers
Reason and Golden Rule
Understandable written law
Expanding a web of life
Sustaining global village
Meeting human need
Demanding Justice
Nonviolent tyrannicide
International nuclear ban
Pledge to Corporate Symbols
States, Separate & Unequal
National "Mosaic"
On the people(hire for who they know)
Jedem das seine (See Buchenwald)
Defense of property (zero-sum)
Steal & Spend Bail-outs
Short-term profits
Arbeit macht frei(see Dachau)
Cult of technology
Taxing people regressively
Authoritarian lawmakers
Ignorance and gold rule
Executive orders & decrees
Expending world resources
Depleting globe by pillage
Serving corporate greed
Whining for fairness
Societal suicide
Global nuclear MADness
We the People can again act in a national coalition. The values of Common Sense (America's political Genesis), the Declaration of Independence (Exodus) and the U.S. Constitution (Book of Law), have come full circle. It is time to remember and restore values of an egalitarian tradition as a free and indivisible nation.
To defend the Constitution against enemies (foreign and domestic, corporate and royal), we can bring together people of good will. They often join grassroots coalitions to build a better future and overcome corporate evil.
Although their affinity groups vary in focus, most members share one part of a specific global vision of social justice.
Save our earth! This planet is home to all people, all love, all art, all laughter, all life.
These are all from YouTube and sometimes the original site changes. If they remain posted you can simply go to their site and enter the name.
Some of the videos might also be very slow to load on older computers, so several clicks will often take you directly to YouTube where they often play freely if your screen is set properly.
Please tell those who have no computer to check out this website in their library.
Dr. Britt's 14 Signs of Fascism General Smedley Butler Speech War is a Racket!
Whitehouse Coup (1933): The "Business Plot" against FDR as documented in Congressional Record.
You decide...
Most Americans live in bewildered historical Amnesia. They forgot the last six words of the Pledge of Allegiance and Gettysburg Address. Compare these ideas:
