Thoughts on a Modern Revolution

Part I.  Why it won’t come easy…

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

–United States Declaration of Independence

There seems to be a division of thinking when it comes to the 1% vs everybody else.  Many people seem to think that their extreme advantage of resources, the power inherent in the existing structure, and the technology they have access to will ensure their continued dominance.  Others argue that because they are outnumbered 99 to 1 they can only maintain their control if the 99% remain compliant.  While I favor the latter view, questions remain: what percent need to resist in order for the existing power structure to be overthrown?   How does the average citizen overcome the massive advantages available to the existing authority?  Can this be accomplished with peaceful means, or will the conflict escalate into violence?  What does history teach us to expect in the resolution of this crisis?  If the existing structure is torn down, will it be replaced by something better or something worse?

In part 1 of this series, we will investigate the strength of the existing authority, and the inherent advantages that the authority holds over the average citizen who would consider resistance.  In part 2, we will look at the inherent strengths that the average citizen has in resisting the existing authority.  In part 3 we will look at some of the various methods and strategies that the resistance can pursue.  And in part 4 we will try to draw some conclusions about the path this crisis phase will take and what history teaches us to expect.

This is not authoritative commentary.  This is simply my observation and analysis of the challenges and opportunities that exist to the citizens that are contemplating resistance in an effort to restore the existing government to its constitutional origins or to another form entirely.  I welcome your commentary, perspective and wisdom in this study.

Let us look at the various ways in which the 1% are able to maintain their power.  First of all is momentum.  It is human nature to resist major changes.  Sure we like to change to the next new iPhone, but when it comes to major aspects of how we perceive our role in everyday life we ignore, deride, ridicule, or directly oppose both the change as well as those who are advocating it.  For that reason most of the major changes we have witnessed in our lifetimes are a result of tiny, seemingly insignificant changes that incrementally alter the way things are.  Freedom, taxation and legislation have all incrementally mutated from emancipated, transparent and accessible to incarcerated, opaque and ϋber statutory.

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It takes a major shock to convince people that a change is worthy of the effort required to enact it.  Normalcy bias, fear, laziness, and ambivalence all fight to keep things the way they are.  Our overall wealth as a society and the extreme amount of “assistance” given over to what has become a large percentage of the population—the disabled, unemployed, and derelict—have insulated us by and large from hardships that have driven other populations around the world to protest, resistance, and violence.  Our poor are not starving; they are obese.  Our unemployed are not desperate; they are better off with their benefits than with a job.  More people are added to the rolls of the disabled every day by the expansion of the definition of disabled, and by the fact that in many cases they can receive more income while doing nothing productive (SNAP, medical, and direct payments) than they could earn with hard work.

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Because of the distortion created and enforced by the various entitlement programs at the federal, state, and local levels, we have witnessed dramatic increases in the numbers of participants in these programs.  In turn we have seen the tax revenues that support these programs that are paid through the work of productive citizens drop as more and more  people become net recipients of government funds and fewer and fewer people are net contributors.  This trend is clearly unsustainable; however, each new person added to the dole is another person that would have to vote for change that would negatively impact their immediate circumstances.  History suggests that very few people will be willing to support actions that would hurt their personal short term circumstances in favor of society’s long term prosperity.  The consequence of this dynamic is that there will be no slow, transitional wind down of these programs.  Instead these programs and the numbers of people involved will continue to grow until the programs fail catastrophically.  For that reason, it is my assessment that the growing pool of beneficiaries will not be a significant part of any anti-establishment movement, protest, or revolution.

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A contributing factor to the momentum of the establishment and the slow response of the average citizen is the lack of hardship and suffering he faces.  Very few people in the United States go hungry.  Very few people are denied medical care.  Very few people lack clean water, sleep without shelter, lack adequate clothing, have no access to education, can afford no entertainment, or have no access to sanitation.  We are by global comparison a very rich country, and even the poorest in this country live beyond the means of billions worldwide.  In short we all have quite a bit to lose, and that changes the riskiness of choosing to resist.

In my personal situation I have a wife and two children, I own a business that employs 14 people, I have property and investments (not a lot), I have 5 sisters, my mom and pop are living, and I have many close ties in my community.  If I choose to resist the government I put all of those people, all of my property, and all of my ties at risk.  I also put my life and health at risk.  I put my freedom at risk (such as it is).  In essence I put everything that is near and dear to me at risk, and that does (and should) enter into my decision to resist or to comply.

With our poorest tamed by the entitlements they would lose if they resist, the burden of resistance then falls upon a group of people with plenty to lose.  Their incentive is the awakening to the reality that not resisting may cost them all of the same things; however, the risk equation remains “if I resist I will risk all of my treasured people and possessions” vs. “if I resist I may risk all of my treasured people and possessions.”

Another significant factor in favor of maintaining control by the existing authority is force.  The establishment powers, whether behind the scenes (the bankers) or in full view (the politicians) have near complete capture of all the federal (the military, DHS, CIA, FBI, et al), the state (National Guard, SBI, State Troopers, et al) and local (sheriff, city police, et al) agencies.  While there is some question floating around the blogosphere about whether or not the members of those agencies will be willing to fire upon civilians history and recent events make it clear that at least the majority will comply with the orders they receive.  For the same reason that the average citizen is overwhelmed when thinking of how and when to resist authority, the front line soldier or officer is similarly daunted by thoughts of bucking the chain of command.  When you combine that with the very real threat of armed resistance, the possibility of significant violence cannot be ignored.

While any violence on the part of the agents of authority will likely escalate the overall level of resistance in the general population, it is certainly going to discourage any people who are caught up in the festival aspect of the resistance from continuing.  The real and present threat of violence and death is a great deterrent; it is not a coincidence that tyrannical governments across the globe and throughout history have made effective use of violence in putting down discontent.  While it will cement the resolve of the committed and work to increase the number of people who have suffered significant enough indignity and hardship to risk their lives, a large number of people will be too fearful to support the resistance and will in fact look to establish their own safety by actively helping the establishment root out the resistance.

Along with direct force there are force multipliers like air support, heavy weapons, command and control capabilities, control over the infrastructure, night vision and infrared tracking, satellite surveillance, the network of in place surveillance and traffic cameras, body armor, on-line intercepts of emails, phone taps, the ability to shut down transportation systems, forensic analysis, and training.  How does a single citizen cope with the myriad ways in which the governing authority can deploy massive resources and multiply their effectiveness?  When he realizes that he must join with others to pool resources and capabilities, how does he find or recruit his team without leaving a trace that will be detected by the government or co-opted to its benefit?  It is, to say the least, a daunting challenge.

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Non-defense government (federal, state, and local) consumption and gross investment as percentage of GDP, 1929-2008

Anyone who has ever gone on an extended hike in the wilderness has come face to face with the importance and the challenge of logistics.  Like a rocket that uses 90% of the fuel to lift the fuel that lifts the rocket into orbit, a hiker must carry more food to offset the extra energy expended by carrying a heavy load of food onto the trail.  Furthermore, any tools or materials he needs must be carried along if they cannot be fabricated or acquired along the way, so if the hiker has any desire to do much more than walk (eg. take pictures, drink, sleep, cook, or bandage a cut), he has to carry the means to do so along with him.

For that reason the modern day resistance movement will begin as a largely local phenomenon.  People cannot afford to deploy themselves to faraway places and risk their source of income and/or support the additional expense.  There will necessarily need to be help in the form of food, medicine, shelter, and materials above and beyond what the average resister will be able to provide, and that lifeline of support is easily constrained or severed by the power in authority.

Conversely the government in all of its forms and agencies has nearly unlimited resources (at least in the short to medium term) in the form of cash, supplies, transportation, and secure storage to support its activities.  It rules the air and roads and sea and rails, and it can deploy immense amounts of resources in a short period of time if needed.  Furthermore there is no opportunity for any single citizen to limit the reach and ability of the government to deploy those resources.  It is simply the case of only being able to stop one grain of sand in a landslide.

The powers that be also have complete authority and control over all of the major channels of communication.  They can manipulate, halt, or utilize all TV, radio (broadcast), newspaper, internet, radio (point to point), telephone, snail mail and satellite communications at will.  They can monitor, intercept, jam, encrypt or decrypt nearly any message that a modern day citizen can compose.  That leaves the resister the option of sending messages that are very difficult to hide and protect, or sending messages that travel at very slow speeds by off the grid methods.

Hand in hand with the ability to communicate is the ability to coordinate.  Existing agencies have command and control structures in place that allow orders from leadership to be executed quickly and reliably.  Those agencies have extensive practice and established methods for preserving their chain of command and those in the chain are well versed in the execution of the orders they receive.  The command structure is redundant and well insulated from the agents in the field of operations, and is virtually immune to any action on the part of the citizen that has chosen to resist.

That citizen in turn is working with other autonomous people and groups (if he is working with anyone at all) who’s participation is completely voluntary.  They may agree to carry out the requests he makes, but they may only agree to part of the action.  They may decide to change the time table.  They may decide to back out without notice.  Or they may become otherwise engaged and be limited in the sense of accountability they feel and/or be limited in their ability to communicate their change in direction.  It is very easy to take out the leadership since the leadership is also likely to be the operator in the field.  There is little or no redundancy, and there is little or no practice in cooperative action.  Furthermore the more cooperative and effective the group becomes, the more likely they are to become a target of strategic priority by the forces of the powers in place.

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The last major category of strength this analysis will address is financial.  Despite the overwhelming debt, the deficits, and the lack of solvency in the government at the federal, state, and local levels the fact remains that the financial powers can (and will) continue to create money to fund their activities.  There are many questions about whether or not this course of action is sustainable or effective; however, there is little doubt that it will continue.  The wealth of the United States is tremendous, and even though it is being steadily diluted by the devaluation of the dollar, there remains an enormous amount of wealth yet to dilute.  Consider that the total notional wealth of the United States is around $56T.  Even maintaining budget deficits that are funded by printing new dollars, it would take around 30 years to consume the wealth through the expansion of the currency.

Now I know that it is a good bit more complicated than that; however, the fact remains that there is massive wealth left that can be consumed.  Furthermore it is likely that the existing debt will be defaulted and wiped out.  While there are numerous disruptions inherent is such a scenario the government will be free of its encumbrances and will be able to continue to print new money (even if it is called something else or initially backed by other assets).  What this means is that for all practical purposes the government will remain unconstrained in its spending while the average citizen will be anything but.  More importantly, as the government creates more and more money, the wealth of the citizen will continue to decline further limiting him from saving or deploying his assets towards effective resistance even as the devaluation creates more and more people desperate enough to consider action.

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An average citizen faces an enormous, frightening and disheartening challenge if he chooses to resist; however, that has always been true throughout history when the brave and often tragic souls of the past have decided that enough was enough.  No government in world history has lasted very long; most have failed in a much shorter span than the United States has lasted.  Neither success nor failure is baked in the cake.  In the next part, we will look at the inherent strengths that the average citizen has in resisting the existing authority.

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Novista

Sonic

Have you noticed that “kicking this can down the road” yields less ROI each time? I reckon that can is getting heavier and soon even the Incredible Hulk couldn’t move it.

They have the power — as long as everything is normal. But look what happens to that power when there is a natural disaster. They are never prepared. One example. Or, the headline, “3 Million without Power in U.S. northeast.” There’s 1% of a pissed-off population. LOL. What will happen with even a minor glitch in the transportation system in a big city — two-three days and the supermarkets are running out of food. And they don’t have the power for a quick fix. Seen it up-close-and-personal after our cyclone. I went to one just to watch, because I was well-prepared long ago.

As for the high-tech military, what good has that power been for ten years in the sandpits?

Symantec uncovers cyber espionage of chemical, defense firms. 50 organizations over four months, this summer. I don’t know if Raytheon was involved but I would not be surprised if some people with tech creds had not thought about that portable ‘toaster’ …

And no, I don;’t anticipate a stand-up fight against the military. That didn’t happen in the Revolutionary War and it pissed the Brits off no end, “They don’t fight fair.” It’ll be more like sneaky Resistance activity when and if. And who knows, in the crunch, if ~they~ really have power over the military? Imagine if they called for martial law and ended up with a coup?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20128176-245/symantec-uncovers-cyber-espionage-of-chemical-defense-firms/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&tag=nl.e703

I have mused for years about the Great Depression. Not the why so much, that probably the easier part. But despite that there were riots, people still believed in the system. Now, mostly not so.

Even the FSA doesn’t trust the man, despite SNAP cards and the rest — because they know the racial disparity of the for-profit prison complex.

So I’m not long government if TSHTF.

llpoh
llpoh

Colma – I thhink you are gonna do great.

Howie. – I will be right behind you (way fucking behind you. I have made my distrust of cops well known!). You take thhe tear gas and I will hold the “Fuck Banks” sign real high so you can see it from up front. But I have no problem being there. I just don’t want to get ________(shot/beat/arrested/watter cannoned: fill in the blank).

flash
flash

Sonic, great piece of writing.I’ll surely pass it around to those in my orbit.
The scope of the global plan is huge and therefore cannot fully be put into context in a comment section.It’s called Agenda 21 and was adopted by the UN in 1992.

https://www.google.com/search?q=angenda+21&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=2WE&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=X&ei=CR2xTozRK42w0AHqxcHaAQ&ved=0CCAQvwUoAQ&q=agenda+21&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=db212b61554476bc&biw=1280&bih=854

If you want a glimpse of the big picture i.e. final solution look no further than your local zoning regulations(see smart growth) ,including future land use plans governed by unelected regional planning commissions who tie compliance with their regional/national planning agendas to government grants and every elected moron on the local level clamors for the cash regardless the cost in property rights or loss of personal liberty.

When you hear you hear local politicians spewing catch phrases like smart growth, sustainable development,gateway corridors,green space, bio-diversity, public -private partnerships with stakeholders, you’ll know you’re being spoon fed the Agenda 21 plan.(See Joan Veon on PPP’s here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsLD7W-l_FM )

I am constantly amazed and appalled by the degree with which local people in my rural community have relinquished their property rights without the slightest whimper of protest due to smart growth zoning.

The plan is to densely pack people into corridors while freeing up the land for bio-diversity and agriculture in public-private partnerships managed by stakeholder groups.
http://www.unedforum.org/policy/nat.php

And the only weapon needed is food.
Checkmate.
Obama Signs Agenda 21-Related Executive Order

http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/7958-obama-signs-agenda-21-related-executive-order
Section 1. Policy. Sixteen percent of the American population lives in rural counties. Strong, sustainable rural communities are essential to winning the future and ensuring American competitiveness in the years ahead. These communities supply our food, fiber, and energy, safeguard our natural resources, and are essential in the development of science and innovation. Though rural communities face numerous challenges, they also present enormous economic potential. The Federal Government has an important role to play in order to expand access to the capital necessary for economic growth, promote innovation, improve access to health care and education, and expand outdoor recreational activities on public lands.

So, the if the plan you had about escaping to rural America and milking your own cow and raising a few veggies hasn’t been cleared with the Thugacracy ,you might want to keep quiet.

Home

And make no mistake this plan is global.Those empty cities in China and the feverish race to build high speed rail-lines by the Chi-Comm powers that be.
Yeah, you can bet your sweet ass that soon the agri- peasant will find himself living in a brand new high rise and will take the 225 mph train out to the fields to work and then back home gain.
A friend who works for a German manufacture and travels China extensively agrees and adds that no one will ask the peasant to move…more like told.
http://thedailybell.com/1710/Chinas-Empty-Cities-Are-Result-of-UN-Agenda-21.html

Most city dwellers never hear of Agenda 21 because they own no land to speak of and therefore have no property rights outside of home-ownership to manage, but make no mistake the plan for your future is well on the way to being achieved via global central planning.

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Stucky

Sonic, you asked for feedback on what you might have missed. But you did such a damn fine job you only missed one item.

Education. Thinker already mentioned it. Let me just add one quote from Karl Marx which shows the enormity of that aspect; — “Give me the child until he seven and he is ours for life.”

Seriously, that IS the MAIN reason we decided to home-school our kids until they were about 10 years old. Well, actually, it’s because we believed in the OT verse, Proverbs 22:6; — “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”. Pretty much the same idea.

Government (public) schools create government sheeple. One doesn’t have to home-school to escape them being brain-washed. But parents MUST be involved in what their children are being taught!! But, I can tell you from experience most parents just drop off their kids and hope for the best. My ex-wife was an elementary school teacher — and only about a quarter of the parents would shouw up for parent-teacher conferences. In the inner city, she’d be delighted if that figure was even 10%. That’s NOT good!

Stucky

Also …

You mentioned several aspects of politics; (the prison system, free shit, tax laws, regulation, etc.)

I would only add that the current two party system is a complete joke. Many people would argue that we have a one party system with two branches. I tend to agree. What hope do we have when our choices are a piece of shit or a bigger piece of shit?

Look at Israel. They have what? A half dozen or more different political parties? As do other countries. But our Dems & Repubs fight tooth & nail to absolutely motherfuck the chances of ANY third party being formed. Fucking cocksuckers, both of them.

Mary Malone

Gee, seems I hit a nerve on the God and need for prayer thing.

But I’m glad I did.

It works for me – maybe someday it’ll work for you too.

In the meantime, we can agree to disagree.

No, don’t speak for Tea Party. Just relating my experience with Northy Jersey group.

Carry on….great conversation.

indiejen
indiejen

CNBC website has had the following headline on its home page all day:

Democracy Wipes Out Gains For Stocks”

florencewass@hotmail.com

Your writing is a great example of how right winged thinking co-opts (subverts) writers who have actually have the intellectual capacity to provide insight into the current political and economic condition. I think some both dead and alive would be aghast to see you use their words to advance your right-winged republican agenda. It would be interesting to have some of those that are alive respond to your diatribes. For any of you interested in hearing from the EPI, a group who actually supports and speaks for working people, here is a link – http://www.epi.org/publication/epi-25-paul-krugman-video/

Novista

*sigh*

I would have hoped this article would stay current a bit longer. Such is life.

And have I ever mentioned how much I HATE WordPress? Archive Hell and the fucking stupid datestamp that never advances in comments. And and and …

Novista

florencewass

I admire your cyclopean deconstruction of the article. The progressive mindset is truly remarkable: “Anything that is not *us* is right-wing.” The ultimate simplification, so easy.

Unfortunately, three years of studying several progressive blogs and reading much of Krugman’s tinkerbell economic fables, I can only conclude that progressives cannot do simple arithmetic. As you set such store by a Nobel laureate, surely you have read Hayek?

What about Mises? Rothbard? Hazlitt? Bastiat? Garrett? John T. Flynn? Minsky?

Oh well. Just another drive-by, wandering through life with a closed mind that gathers no clues.

indiejen
indiejen

Like Novista, I was hoping to see this article affixed to the top of the page for a solid few days. I’m sure it’s doable: the Clint Eastwood film pics were up for days on end a few weeks ago. Not to be critical of that series of articles, but merely affirming that TBP would be well-served in sticking Sonic’s piece up at the top for awhile.

Hell, if Soros-zombie trolls like Flo are reading it, the world is already a better place. And the CNBC headline “Democracy Wipes Out Gains For Stocks” disappeared from its website within five minutes of posting my comment above. I daresay at least one member of CNBC’s editorial staff is subscribed to TBP feeds.

The reach of this site is growing exponentially; clearly it grabbed me. In the interest of promoting credibility, information dissemination and dialogue, particularly at this crucial stage of history, It’s worth keeping the gems front and center. Sonic’s piece qualifies.

llpoh
llpoh

[email protected] – I love it when left-wing nutjobs come around and tell us all how smart Krugman is. He is an idiot. Please spare us your wisdom.

AKAnon
AKAnon

Sonic-great piece. I recall thinking you were a bit of dipshit in the past, sorry ’bout that. Maybe I’m mixing you up w/ someone else, or maybe you’ll say something to remind me why I recall that, but in the mean time, great job-I look forward to the next part. I guess this was posted a couple days ago and has been bumped by Admin-Thanks. I have been out of town and out of internet since Sunday.

Full disclosure-I work for the state of Alaska-I am a gov’t drone. I like to think I’m one of the good ones, but who am I to judge-obviously I am biased. Also, I support OWS, have participated in Occupy Fairbanks. But I do have concerns about element of OWS and co-option. Not sure OWS will save the world, but I see the awareness and commitment as a positive development-so far. Anyway-

I was in Anchorage, AK, from Monday thru this afternoon, on business for the DOT. Big fuckin’ deal, Alaska is nearly the least populated state, and has, by far, the lowest population density, in the US. Whatever, this is where I live, and maybe it is representative of the western, low population states. Maybe not-you decide. Roughly 1/2 of AK’s population of 700K lives in Anchorage-the rest of the state calls it Los Anchorage. Anchorage isn’t really Alaska, but you can see it from there. (Sorry Sarah).

Anyway, Occupy Anchorage is small, but alive and well. I visited with the guys (only a few) who were “camped out” downtown. This was in the snow, temps in the 20s, and howling wind. Most of my coworkers I saw the OA crowd with made jokes about them (“don’t they have something better to do?/don’t they have a job?”). Not sure my support made any impressions, but you never know.

When I visited with the occupiers, they were coherent and intelligent. One told me that they did have a singular message-get big business out of politics. I can’t say he spoke for the movement, but I concurred. They had a tent with the 1st Amendment written on it. They appreciated my support.

While staying in a hotel, I came across a television cable channel I had never heard of before-RT channel. They have a website, RT.com, but haven’t visited yet. Rather left wing-pro Dem-anti Rep, but the first time I had ever seen pro-OWS coverage on TV. Frankly, I couldn’t watch it regularly, but it is interesting. If you like Rep/Bush bashing and limited Dem/Obama support, you lefty types should check it out. They literally described Warren Buffet and Michael Moore as patriots.

This morning, The Anchorage Times had the OA movement on the front page. Favorable article, not much meat, but explained that camping was not legal downtown, so OA folks stay awake around the clock, on the sidewalks where they are not violating codes. I was pleased to see the favorable coverage, respect for law, and lack of cops. Anyone else seeing this stuff in the paper?

Welshman
Welshman

Sonic,

Good article, took me away from my winter garden and the dirt under my fingernails.

Florence my ass,

Keep drinking the koolaid lady.

Mary Malone

Jeeze…

My turn to God in tough time posts gets 6 thumbs down, which puts me just behind florencewass.

Can prayer possibly be as bad as the daily kos?

Crimity – have a cabal of atheists taken up residence at TBP?

Not whining – I can take it on the chin – but c’mon..

Stucky

Yes, it’s that bad.

We have a number of atheists here (I won’t name names) who go bat shit crazy when God is mentioned.

We have a number of agnostics here (like me) who think it’s ridicules that some God out there likes America better than other nations. Even more ridicules to us is the idea that if we do X, Y and Z … only then will this God help us. Bribing God. Crazy funny.

Not that I voted thumbs down. I didn’t. But, yeah, bring God into an argument and you should be prepared for the worst. This is not a religious forum.

Administrator

God bless you Stuck and Mary.

Mary Malone

Memo received, Stuck.

Thanks for the intel…

TeresaE
TeresaE

Beautiful job Sonic, can’t wait for the rest.

As a small bus co-owner, I totally understand where you are coming from. Totally.

As for Ms. Left-Wing Flo.

Thank you so much for posting your actual email address and (I’m assuming) legal name. Are you kidding me?

Good thing I’m not a stalking, war-mongering, right wing bitch. Cause you just left me (and everyone else) a roadmap with a blinking trail outlined.

WTG!

TeresaE
TeresaE

Oh, and Sonic, don’t you know you are “right wing” and “rich” because you stated you owned a business.

My hub’s judge in his divorce stated, “we all know how business owners are” when her attorney was claiming that the accounting statements were “suspicious.”

Apparently it is well known to all government workers that ALL business owners are liars, cheats, tax cheats and are screwing over our employees and soon-to-be-ex spouses.

We all have pallets of hundreds out back, our workers are being abused, underpaid and otherwise screwed, and we pay no taxes while laughing all the way to the bank.

Which must explain why so many small businesses are now dark. Apparently, all the owners have absconded with their ill-gotten gains. Of course if you know them, their bankruptcy filings and black houses might not lead you to the same conclusion. To the Flos and Judges of the world, we have just all gone Galt.

Screw her, screw the system and screw PK.

Thanks again Sonic.

florencewass@hotmail.com

Birds of a feather flock together. Like flies to fly paper. The communion of right winged nutbars. Such scintillating discourse. Not! Privilege and graft dressed up as the common good. Shamelessly using the suffering of the marginalized and dispossessed to bolster your self-serving agenda.The natives are getting restless and I think it may be time for you and your ilk to head for the hills. I am sure you are well stocked up like with cash which will soon be worthless.

Administrator

Flowas

Obama will save you. You must be a huge fan of his most prolific success story – the SNAP program. He’s successfully doubled the program in his two and half years in office.

You are 0 -15 for your previous post. That is Smokey level scorn and derision. Well done.

Thinker

When did we start getting meth-head zombies on the site?

howard in nyc

alright, bitches. i could not find my old copy; i must’ve lent it out/given it away/left it at my family house in cali. so a replacement just arrived from amazon:

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i’ll get right on it.

Administrator

You better have bought that through my Amazon button.

Administrator

Almost three hundred people have either bought the Fourth Turning book or Kindle book through my Amazon button since I’ve started this site.

Thinker

Dude, that art is disturbing…

howard in nyc

dude

i fucked up.

i forgot all about your amazon button.

a $50 donation check to TBP will be in the mail tomorrow morning.

as pennance.

folks, please do not do as i have done.

click through TBP amazon button.

Thinker

This seems to fit best here… new report on Freedom in the 50 States.

Executive Summary
This study comprehensively ranks the American states on their public policies that affect individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres. It updates, expands, and improves upon our inaugural 2009 Freedom in the 50 States study. For this new edition, we have added more policy variables (such as bans on trans fats and the audio recording of police, Massachusetts’s individual health-insurance mandate, and mandated family leave), improved existing measures (such as those for fiscal policies, workers’ compensation regulations, and asset-forfeiture rules), and developed specific policy prescriptions for each of the 50 states based on our data and a survey of state policy experts. With a consistent time series, we are also able to discover for the first time which states have improved and worsened in regard to freedom recently.

Interactive graphs and downloadable report available here.

indiejen
indiejen

Flo must see the Raytheon Ray Gun as a giant vibrator.

Go for it Flo… press that button and feel the sensation.

If you believe that Obama’s actions over the last three years represent you, and the reasons you voted for him, you need a good session of mind-blowing.

The two-party paradigm has enabled our democracy to succumb to corporate oligarchy and political kleptocracy. I encourage you to mull over this concept, then continue to peruse this and other blogs from a more open-minded and rational perspective.

People of every political persuasion are actively participating here. I see patriotism, not politics, fueling the discussion on TBP. The support you see for Ron Paul reflects a larger, growing awareness amongst liberals and conservatives that Democrats and Republicans are the same: they all represent the 1%. Themselves included.

Democrats and Republicans have acted in collusion to bring us to the precipice where our nation now stands. And our only hope for survival, as a nation, is for earnest, inquisitive, pragmatic, passionate PATRIOTS to pool knowledge and resources to defeat forces that are antithetical to democracy and actively engaged in defeating us ALL.

Right now you are inhibiting your own knowledge quotient by assigning rhetorical labels, and it’s compromising your reading comprehension. It’s pretty clear from your comments that the thesis of this piece has eluded you.

AKAnon
AKAnon

Thinker-that is an interesting link, but one needs to dig deeper than the superficial ranking. E.g., Alaska is ranked 44th in freedom in general, but 5th in individual freedom. The high percentage of gov’t spending/gov’t employment grossly skews other factors. I haven’t looked at other states-maybe later tonight.

indiejen
indiejen

@Admin:

Kudos and thanks for bumping Sonic’s piece up on the ‘Recent Posts’…

Novista

Mary Malone

Aww, I didn’t give you a thumbs down. I just ignore the calls to prayer — why did God give humans free will? I’m fairly sure His answer to a prayer would be, “Fix your own problems you created.”

Axel
Axel

Thinker–that report that you quote is one of the biggest reasons why I chose Indiana. I actually consulted that site before choosing where to move.

Sonic-“It just is little bitchling. It just is.” That is one of the best smackdowns I have ever read. I’m gonna have to use that some time in the future, with your permission of course. Or not.

howard in nyc

hey thinker~

that’s a painting by my buddy, leon oks. http://artexponewyork.com/2010/04/success-story-leon-oks/

i met him at that art expo show, i was helping a friend exhibit her stuff. got to know leon a bit, later picked up one of his pieces i saw in a shop.

here is a similar canvas:

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flash
flash

once more.
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flash
flash

hmmm.Damn you word press!

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