We The Toxic_0019

 

  

 

Unrecognizable United States flag - Old Glory. Digital collage by Rick Arthur.

"'We The People' used to mean the entire group of us, collectively..."

F%$#& Around Find Out.

What we are living through is the strategic, decades-long dismantling of the justice system and the obliteration of the legislative branch of government. What is so impressive is that this campaign to crush justice/legal fairness is always advanced by lawyers who get paid to do the bidding of their clients, wealthy clients who use them as attack dogs set loose to rip and tear at the flesh of the law.

What is government for? 

Hammer. What kind of tool is government and how is it supposed to work? Note: I once used a hammer to smash scorpions sunbathing in my living room. Image from internet for teaching purposes. Rights by creator.

xxxxxx

This is the fifth draft of this blog post. I have wiped the previous ones. Too dark. Too cynical. Too depressing. AND not really what I want to focus on with the overall theme of my blog space. I want to talk about creativity and process. After this post, I am going to try to leave overtly political stuff to my other accounts. I am not giving up on America but if I feel so passionately, I will just write more CAPTAIN AMERICA posts to explore my ideologic interests. Here, in this space - the Billion Hero Blog - I will refocus on the truly important stuff in life: ART, which gives everything else meaning.

xxxxxx

Scribble. Cross outs. Arrows. Rewrites. Full digital trash cans of writing efforts, wasted. Image from internet for teaching purposes. Rights by creator.

Now, without ado, the sixth draft - a day after a sitting U.S. president and vice president foisted a photo-op ambush on a man who needs our help killing a deranged Bear who broke into his house.

---

HEY! Look at MEEEEEEEE! I eat CHEEEEEESEburgers in the White House and TEXT non-sense in the middle of the night! Yes, we all know. As a matter of fact, the whole vulgar act is rather dull and boring except that the bully who weaseled his way into being in charge of other bullies, now has real power at his disposal.

We got into this predicament because a ton of people WANTED to tear down government for a long time. By people, I don't mean the mislead, deliberately disinformed voters. I mean people with money. They funded think tanks, lobbying groups, and political action committees. They built radio and TV empires. Bought up newspapers. Marched legions of lobbyists to Washington. Wrote OP/EDS and white papers. Peer reviewed their own "science". Took over boardrooms. Bought and sold shares and bet on things to fail and break. Secretly penned legislation. Created smear campaigns against opponents. Engaged in soft and hard "leverage" to influence outcomes. Among other things, perfected the art of, gasp, deception in the political and business arena by creating something called The Wedge Issue. Divide, conquer, and distract seemed to work pretty well in other facets of business life so it has been applied vigorously to politics for at least fifty years, and we are seeing the fruits of all that relentless labor.

What is really kind of insane, is that during this multi-decades-long run up (I see you Mitch McEvil), the world has changed and changed rapidly. As a matter of blunt fact, change has accelerated so quickly that society as a whole has shown very little wisdom in terms of how to manage this change. We can't even keep track of all the innovations that are popping up. There is no time to think and absorb. The "innovation" that the current office holders wield is something that takes The Wedge Issue and puts it on steroids. The strategy that has found its purest disciple is - Flood The Zone. Basically, stir up so much controversy that people's heads spin. Aided by new tech and algorithms, The Wedge Issue AND Flood The Zone have simply obliterated what passes for reasoned or even impassioned debate. Those who care about civility have been left stammering and flat footed.

As always, we are presented with the question of what to do now. How do we move forward?

If WWIII broke out, which side would the United States be on? Things don't begin and end on certain dates like they do in textbooks. Out in the ever-changing, messy world, The Cold War never ended; Vietnam never ended; WWII never ended; WWI never ended; the goddamn Civil War never ended; the stupid Crusades never ended... They just took a break and then morphed into something else.

See a trend? The problem with "WWIII" is that an enabled, entitled, elitist man who has the attention span of a nine-year-old is not mouthing off to classmates at a military prep school. He is willing to hold the world hostage with his finger on the nuke-you-ler button just to get people to say that they love him. The more pain he inflicts and still gets people to say they love him is where he gets his rocks off. AND this powerful combination may kill us all.

What kind of danger are we in?

Grave danger.

Is there any other kind?

Cheeseburger. Ah, charred meat, melted cheese, onions, and maybe some bacon... Some say gluttony, others lunch. Who is to say? Image from internet for teaching purposes. Rights by creator.

xxxx

Saw a post which tried to gaslight what happened during the Zelensky meeting and somehow spin it as "high-level chess," which coincidentally is the SAME talking point FOX News was trying to inject into media discussions in weeks previous to this event in an effort to spin ANYTHING that happened as a bold move. My reaction was as follows - and I chose not to hit the send button and just copy it here. Re: "Alleged High Chess Moves"

Stop. Stop now. Stop if you can. Stop sharing these excuses. There is NO MASTER CHESSING PLAYING going on. Period. Full stop. If you feel he, JD, and Elon are ten moves ahead, you could not be more wrong. The action he took squarely and unequivocally weakened the United States and the World last night. I take no glee in this. Having even a rudimentary understanding of how evil and dangerous Putin is makes playing with the lives of people in such a cavalier manner totally unacceptable. Please block me. I do not want to ever hear these kinds of excuses for this kind of behavior again. This is not a game. Quit pretending that it is. Lives are at stake. I am flat out ashamed and embarrassed for anyone that keeps falling for these things.

In the back of your head, I want you to tuck away the idea that TAX CUTS are coming, and they are NOT going to be for you, but you will be paying for them with cuts to programs you never saw coming and consequences that are going to make your head spin. Face reality, there is no "master stroke" of genius behind what he does. He saw an opportunity to try to humiliate Zelensky on live TV and he took it. That was the extent of the plan. He is not sitting around hashing out pros and cons, he is tweeting 45 times a day. He is winging it. Has always been winging it. Because that is what a con man does. He tells you what you want to hear.

I stand with sovereign nations.

I stand with Ukraine.

I stand against hostile aggression.

I stand against Russia.

Not a hoax. My feet are firmly on the ground.

High-Level Chess. Nope. Nadda. Not in a million years if a million monkeys were moving the pieces on a million chess boards. No way. Image from internet for teaching purposes. Rights by creator.

xxxxx

Doomsday prep in the modern era.

Snippet from a post discussing buying guns and stacking up MREs in order to feel safe. My response as follows:

Best of times. Worst of times.

The current round of fear will be nothing compared to what happens in the NEXT 50 years as society at large is transformed beyond recognition by technology. This wave is coming whether we want it to or not, whether we wear red caps or not, whether we complain or not. There is no "going" back to a better time. No "Great Again." No safe places. No comfort zones. AND, people convinced that we are headed in a "good direction" right now are fooling themselves. They WANT to be lied to because it makes them feel comfortable.

Society will be wrestling with a steep influx of technological advances we cannot now comprehend. People have a limited ability to absorb changes, but change is going to come at an accelerated rate from now on. We are at the very, very starting point of massive upheaval on grand scale. Slogans won't stop the future. More guns and some MREs won't make you safe.

Side note, the rule of law has been chipped away for decades by THE RICH who have always ignored it except to protect themselves from lower classes. The RICH have their own clubs and organizations devoted to reinforcing their wealth and dominance. This is not new at all. This is old and well known. Old boys' networks. Money. Self-interest. Law "makers" and law breakers are predominantly lawyers. Lobbyists are lawyers. The fifty-plus year plan to transform government was hatched by lawyers and used the law to gerrymander, disenfranchise and block voters, craft legislation, push agendas that were/are unpopular, and divide people that otherwise agree.

Eggs for Breakfast. Technological change will/has outstripped our ability to control or understand what we have created. And the pace will do nothing but accelerate. Rights by creator.

Meanwhile, the march of technology continues.

Our ability as a whole, as a group, to understand what is coming next is limited at best. Our imagination has been deliberately dimmed. We fear each other and fight amongst ourselves. COVID should have taught us something important. We are all connected in deeper, more complex ways than we believed. We need other people in ways that are more profound than we can express. There are problems in front of us that need to be solved AND we cannot solve them in isolation. We need to cooperate, collaborate, and build consensus. We don't make good decisions when we are afraid, or angry, or exhausted but here we are, right now, and there is a tsunami of problems and opportunities growing we are not ready for. Meanwhile... shower, shave, walk the dog, eat breakfast, breath, think, dream...

Just my opinion.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

The Power of Storytelling

If you love storytelling, be involved, engaged, and informed.

Subscribe via the email newsletter.

Share your favorite posts.

Comment and ask questions or make requests.

Thank you for visiting, participating, and collaborating in the storytelling experience.

THE FUTURE IS VERY BRIGHT_0011

 

  

We have been waging a war in our everyday lives between safety/security and freedom. This unchecked discussion plays out in the headlines of newspapers, on the internet, and on TV news programs. We see poverty, disease, mass shootings, religious freedom, voting rights, immigration, prison reform, police reform, tax reform, mental health, drug addiction, sexual assault, gender identity, political corruption, monetary policy, the stock market, Bitcoin, the entire legal profession, healthcare, jobs, the price of gas, the price of food, homelessness, the role of the police, the military, religion, science, and more... Covid has killed more than one million Americans and we are lucky to have a vaccine. We grapple with the right to own a gun in this society and the apparent lack of restrictions or responsibilities attached to that right. Where are we headed?

"The future is very bright - - - and the food is delicious there"

Rights. The right to own firearms. The right to Life and Liberty. We are told by those who value the right to a gun that their right to do so carries no restrictions and NO responsibilities. We are told that there would be no freedom without unrestricted, unregulated gun ownership. That the government would move, at any moment, to TAKE AWAY guns and pacify its citizens into submission. We are told that tyranny is the exact opposite of open carry. We are told that there is nothing that can be done to curb violence and that it is the price we pay for freedom in this country. We are reminded constantly that guns do not kill and that we should compare these deaths to car accidents or the flu. We are told that mentally ill people kill. We are told that ONLY criminals will be able to get guns. We are told that the good guys just need to arm themselves. We are told that, paradoxically, we need to worship the police AND take matters into our own hands. We are told that armed insurrection is equivalent to political discourse and a redress of grievances. We are told that our FEELINGS don't matter and then offered thoughts and prayers. We are meant to be written off as morally empty and evil if we disagree or want these topics opened up for discussion.

My life is very important. My family is very important. My way of life is very important. My life is more important than yours. I am special. I am privileged. I am unique. The rules don't apply to me, but they damn well better apply to you. I want what belongs to me. I want mine. I deserve everything and you don't matter. I don't care what you think, feel, say, or do. You are different. You don't belong. Go back to where you came from. I was here first. I am a real person, and you are not. You are a joke, a punchline, a meme. You are coming to steal everything and take everything away. I am a winner, and you are a loser. You smell. You look funny, talk funny, pray funny. You suck. You are stupid. You are evil. I don't trust you. You seem to be everywhere, and I wish I could snap my fingers and make you go away. You are lazy, shiftless, rapists, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, prostitutes, and deadbeats. You don't pay your own way. You want free stuff. You are leeches. You are not "real." You are here to lie, steal, cheat, and kill me in my sleep. You break into my house. You rape my daughters. You get my sons hooked on drugs. You deliberately destroy the economy, wreck schools, take away jobs. You don't want to work.

We need to go back to a simpler time of right and wrong. We need to go back to family values. We need to go back to church and put God in the classroom. We need everyone else to shut the $#%& up and go away. We need a strong leader who will make you pay for what you have done, who will crush you and put you back in your place...

I need protection. I need to be prepared. Everyone else is stupid. I am smart. I am never wrong because I know what is right and wrong. I can tell the difference. I have common sense. My bible tells me everything I need to know even though I barely read it. I don't have to. I was here first. You are an invader. You loot stores, burn cities, kill each other over drugs, and do nothing but whine. I need protection from you. You are different. You are not like me. You vote for the wrong guys. You have the wrong friends. You think bad thoughts. You are liars. The lying is constant and loud. The lies are everywhere. I need to make you go away and make everything go back to being right.

I have a right to defend myself. I have a right to own a gun. I have a right to my own opinion. I have a right to protect myself and my family. I have a right to carry a gun anywhere I want to, whenever I want, and shoot anyone who tries to harm me. I am in charge. I am in control. No one is going to tell me what to do. No one. Especially if you are not like me - and you are not like me. We are not the same. We are different. You don't belong here. I do. You don't agree with me? Then #$%$# you. I wish you were gone.

In our country we have lived through a great deal of violence. We wiped out 90% of the indigenous population and forced them from their lands. We brought slaves in to be chained, worked to death, and raped for generations, forced to toil in the fields and later in factories, ghettos, and prisons. We fought an open civil war.  We rounded up Asians and put them in camps. We discriminated against the Irish, the Poles, the Italians, the Jews, the Blacks, the Muslims, the Chinese and more, much more. You name it. 

We poisoned the water, the air, and devalued people in the name of progress and "freedom." We let big corporations take away our jobs and plunder our natural resources. We grew our military complex into something hideous that was too big to fail. We drew red lines on maps and told poor people where they could live, who to vote for, and what education they could get. We let lawyers and lobbyists run roughshod over every facet of our daily life. We held out the promise of an American dream and turned it constantly into a nightmare of moving goal posts. We divided each other into groups and then divided again and again and again - hoping that each time, we would come out on top.

"We assumed that everyone cheated, stole, lied, and would stab us in the back."

We talked about love but had none in our hearts. We talked about justice but had no empathy or compassion. We talked about being great but never wanted to put in the work. We let lawyers find ways to screw us out of everything. We assumed that everyone cheated, everyone stole, everyone lied, everyone would stab us in the back. We let it happen. We never read the fine print or understood what we were signing. We never understood what consequences would come and everything could be fixed with easy credit. We just wanted things to make sense again. We wanted to believe in something important and larger than ourselves. We wanted to believe in equality, truth, justice, hope, love, and we wanted it all now, the easy way. My way or the highway. Like it or leave it. Put up or shut up. Agree or go home. No compromise. No discussion. No surrender. Do not give an inch or they will take a mile....

A blend of fear and paranoia. When we talk about a melting pot society, we talk about taking all the best from everywhere in the world and letting it flourish here in a land of opportunity and freedom. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. People are generally good. People are generally hard working, generous, friendly, kind, caring, and open. They want good things for themselves and their families. They want to follow their dreams and build something for the future. They want peace, security, and cooperation. People want respect, dignity, and to be heard and seen. People want to freely express themselves. People want to be in love. People want to live and enjoy their lives, to share moments with family, with friends, with community. People want to achieve great things and feel valued. People want to live without fear of being shot while picking up groceries, while sitting at prayer, while sending kids to school.

People don't want to be alone. People don't want to be isolated. People don't want to be divided. People want to see other smiling faces. People want to be happy. People want to live. People have a right to live. People have a right to pursue their happiness. People have a responsibility to each other. People have a responsibility, a duty to their communities, their states, their nation, their world. People can solve any problem they put their mind to. People can work together to do just about anything and everything and where they focus their time, effort, and energy, seeming miracles can happen. Cures can be found. Space can be explored. Nations can be healed. Nature can be restored.

People can decide to respect each other. People can each decide to be kind to one another, to forgive one another their small differences. People can embrace a future made by individuals who treat each other fairly and expect to be treated the same. The future is very bright (and the food is delicious there). Think about being less cynical today. Think about what it means to be a friend to someone in need. Think about what you can do to help....... 

We can and must do better.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

The Power of Storytelling

If you love storytelling, be involved, engaged, and informed.

Subscribe to this blog to receive notifications (so you never miss a post!).
Share your favorite posts with like-minded creatives.
Comment and ask questions or make requests.

Sign-Up for the unofficial Billion Hero Studios Newsletter by sending an email with the word "Newsletter" in the subject line to: billionherostudios@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting, participating, and collaborating in the storytelling experience.