Good riddance to Neil and Jonnie

 It has been a long time since I had a chance to sit down and rant in this forum, but here goes since we are continuing to see the erosion of free speech in the USA.  The ironic thing is that it's now coming from those who used to champion that same right.  Recently Neil Young asked for his music to be pulled from Spotify followed by Joanie Mitchel and a few others.  News flash to Joanie and Neil, you two stopped being relevent long ago but hey, its within your right to make the request.  

  Don't get me wrong, I still actually enjoy their music and appreciate their contribution they have made in the past.  I just find it hypocritical that two of the champions of free speech in the past have now joined the cancel culture mentality of the present day.  I also question if either one of them even took the time to listen to Joe Rogan's podcast or if they just tossed this out as a means of drawing themselves back into the spotlight for a last hurrah. I have listened to the Joe Rogan podcast and didn't find it offensive. I don't necessarily agree with all that was said on it, but I do appreciate the alternative voices and ideas being put forth on the podcast. The CDC and Fauci have done their own share of flip flopping on the issue of Covid and have disseminated their own brand of misinformation along this rocky path that has been the last two years. That is not my opinion, that is simple fact. 

 Alternate views and the ability to express those ideas are vital to the progress of expanding the common intelligence of the world community.  Things like discussions on ivermectin would have been a lot better if Fauci and the CDC did not dismiss them out right in the battle against covid and had properly explained that the success they were seeing in other parts of the world was due to the fact that in many of those areas parasitic infections were high in numbers. those types of parasitic infections neutralize the immune system as its busy combating the parasites and opens the subjects up to covid and other disease entities, allowing them to foster without natural resistance. That is important enough to repeat, the ivermectin, which is an anti- parasitic kills the parasites and allows the body to heal naturally, by letting the body to fight off covid infections by killing parasitic infections that suppress the immune system. 

  Overall covid cases have proven to be actually mild in the vast bulk of the cases. (By saying that I am not trying to diminish the horrible impact that covid has had on the most vulnerable in society which it has killed over the past two years, by and large for the most part though most people who contracted covid had mild symptoms and were well within a few days. The ones that were hit the hardest were the ones with preexisting conditions and the elderly which often have the aforementioned preexisting conditions)

  It seems that these days people like to live in echo chambers and only like to hear what they already believe or have been taught to believe by the constant drum beat of corporate media. News flash to anyone reading this, the corporate media is basically just propaganda at this point. It cuts both ways, to the left and the right with people are being directed to think in a desired manner. This often leads to a divide and conquer mentality that keeps the masses against each other rather than working together to solve issues.  Things like my body, my choice and follow the science don't apply when it's turned around to those who question the effectiveness of vaccines and those who say that science says the unborn child is a life.  The left doesn't want to hear those issues and facts tossed back at them in the same manner they boldly use to defend abortion and climate science, but that does not erase the truth that lays within those views of those who twist their own logic against them. 

 The people who question the effectiveness of vaccines do so for some valid reasons. Personally, I am not an anti-vaxer  but when the argument is put forth that the covid vax is just like the Smallpox vax and others that have come before it, they are wrong!  The vaccines that are often cited actually worked!  It was a one and done shot that prevented you from contracting and spreading the disease.  Thats why many look at the current covid vaccination shots and say, "Well, they want us to get the first shot, and then a second shot .... and then boosters ... and more boosters ... and even more booster and I can still get covid and pass it on to others?   WTF!?!?! " 

 And yet many just blindly accept the do it or you will cause everyone to die mentality. Now you have some on the so-called compassionate left saying .. " Those who don't get the vaccine should just be allowed to DIE, fuck them, they did not get the vaccine that we got, it doesn't work as promised but hey, we should have the hospital beds when we contract covid ... that the vaccine was supposed to protect us from .. but never mind that little fact .. those hospital beds should be ours!"    Such a nice attitude from those that profess to be so liberal, enlightened and compassionate! 

   Free speech, everyone has it or nobody does. 

  The same protections that allow others to profess that you can be whatever sex you want or defend your rights also applies to those that disagree with you, and say they are not comfortable with a vaccine that while proven to be somewhat effective is not as effective as everyone expected or had hoped for.  The right that gives one group of people the personal say and protection over of their bodies is the same rights others have as well.  

 Neil and Joanie have a right to pull their music from Spotify, and Joe Rogan has a right not to be canceled and say what he feels while he keeps bringing us alternate ideas and opinions. Those who seek to silence others do so at their own peril. Those who seek do deny others the right to stand up and say,    " Is this really correct and are we being told the truth here? " Do so to their own detriment! 

  As I said before, Free speech, everyone has it or nobody really does! 

The same protections that one group claims apply to everyone.  I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it.  I will consider what you say, but I reserve the right to disagree with it.  It's not too much to ask that you do the same! Unfortunately, in today's society that simple concept seems to be lost on many and those who spoke out in favor of free speech in the past but now seem to want to cancel others. Shame on them for falling into the double standard mentality that they once expounded as the right way to be in regard to free speech and ideas.    

   So, when Neil Young says he supports free speech and is against censorship but then tosses out ultimatums saying its either Joe Rogan or him ... Thats when I say good riddance to Neil Young and endorse Joe Rogan to keep speaking his mind. I do so because I actually support free speech and quite frankly find Joe Rogan more informative and entertaining than Neil Young has been in the recent past.

   Until next time, be safe and keep yourself informed. 

      Lasco X

Happy New Year , we survived 2017

So we made it through another year as we say goodbye to 2017 and ring in 2018. Personally I don't mind seeing 2017 in the history books, it was not the best of years. It was not bad by all means but it certainly had its low points. First thing that comes to mind was the Geopolitical volatility that was going on. I really don't see a lot of hope on that calming down in the near future but one can hope it will.

 The issues with North Korea might tone down a bit with the Olympics coming to South Korea.  I would think it would be a good opportunity for everyone to step back a few steps from the edge and get a little bit of sanity back in that region. Will calmer heads prevail over there, lets hope so because that area is still a major flashpoint that could set off the Pacific rim.
 Also in the Pacific rim there is China still trying to lay claim to the bulk of the China sea. This will most likely be a volatile situation in 2018 and the subsequent years. Not all of China's claims are valid per the world courts ruling but that is not going to deter them as China is going to continue advancing its self on the world stage. They are also shooting for the stars next as they advance their space program. This is not necessarily a bad thing if done in a measured and peaceful manner. Only time will tell on that front.

 Then we have the USA in the process of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That's a decision I am on the fence about. While I personally see it as a valid recognition I also can see the political shit storm that is attached to that recognition so I question the wisdom in the formal move. The move is going to add in more volatility to an already uneasy region. Things in the middle east are far from settled with a mix of ideologies, religions and political factions all competing for control and recognition. This region has always been a powder keg with a short fuse and I have a feeling that 2018 will be a pivotal year for that area. Saudi Arabia has been under going major changes in 2017 so 2018 should be interesting on how things solidify with the change in power over there. You add into that mix Iran's current political turmoil and the middle eastern region might be in for turbulent times.

 Russia will be re-electing Putin again, Its safe to say that its a forgone conclusion.
He will serve another term , step aside for a place holder for a term and be back again down the road for another two term run. He is basically Russia's defacto El Presedente for life for the near future. The more things change the more they stay the same in politics. What this means on the world stage is that Russia will continue to modernize their military as they try to shore up their position as a world power. Russia already has a formidable force and they are going to keep building on that.

  In Europe they are still reeling from the influx of middle eastern and African migration. The European Union has show some cracks in its make up, but so far they have been able to keep things together, minus the exit of Britain. The political climate over there at the moment seems to be a little chaotic at times but 2018 should be an interesting year to see how things come together. Europe is used to being a patchwork quilt so they should be ok provided they don't let things come apart at the seams.

 Over here in the USA, 2017 saw mass Trump Derangement Syndrome by the fine folks over on the left. It literally has gotten so bad that the talking points from the Democrats and Liberal Left have just become white noise that the bulk of the people in the country now largely ignore. Not everything Trump does is the ultimate evil that the left tries to portray it as. The Left largely appear to be living in a giant echo chamber , only content to listen to the ideas they agree with. I watched an evening of MSNBC a while back and it was nothing but a vitriol Trump hate fest with a thin "media news" façade. Meanwhile they seem to actively ignore that the economy is doing well and unemployment is at the lowest it has been in 15 years.
 I personally don't agree with everything Trump does but I certainly don't discount the positives he has brought to the table. For the people on the left though it seems they are incapable of looking beyond their sheer hatred of Trump , and at times anyone that doesn't agree with them 100%.                 Oddly enough , the "Liberal Left" seem to be the most intolerant group in the country at times as they brand anyone who disagrees with them as a Racist , Misogynistic, Nazi, Homophobe, White Supremist or any other moniker that is handy. Free speech to them appears to only apply to things they like to hear. Hopefully 2018 will bring a little sanity to the Left because in 2017 the bat shit crazy was sure showing from them. Don't get me wrong, the left does have some good valid talking points at times. I'm just saying that many people aren't  listening anymore because all of the one sided hatred has people outwardly dismissing what they are saying.

  I hope that in 2018 there is a return to sanity and that diplomacy on all fronts win the day. Otherwise 2018 could really turn into a terrible year very quickly. The world has come a long ways and the advancements we have made make for a very promising future. The flip side of that though is that society's are fragile and all of mankind's advancements could be set back centuries if we go down the wrong path. Lets just hope that 2018 is a good year for everyone.

So in that mindset I say Happy New Year , I hope everyone has a happy and prosperous 2018

 Until next time
     Lasco X

A need to find common ground

   The other day in Atlanta , Elisabeth Warren stated in a speech that (and I am summarizing here) that the left needed to stay hard left and not move to the center. I respectfully disagree with that notion and in fact if the Democratic party embraces that philosophy it will almost certainly lose the next elections and ensure four more years of Trump as president. While I personally don't see that necessarily see that as a bad thing, as I am not of the school of thought that everything evil in the world revolves around Trump, it does ensure that the polarization of  American politics will continue.
      The simple fact is that both sides need to move towards the middle more if we want to move forward as a stronger country. The old saying of united we stand divided we fall still rings true.

 I am a firm believer in free speech, but to follow that principle you have to be willing to listen to things you may not agree with. You don't have to change your mind in a spirited debate on a topic, but you at least need to be open minded enough to see the other persons position. In fact , if you cannot see the opposing perspective, you cannot look at all of the angles of an issue to counter argue a point effectively to attempt to sway the others point of view. Far to often both sides generalize the other sides perspective and outwardly dismiss anything coming from the other side even though there might be valid points being made. When personal bias's  dominate an individual or groups mindset then those sides are just living in echo chambers of opposing view points.

 The media is quick to take advantage of this as they stir up the pot of dissent and amplify it to help keep the opposing sides apart. The media is controlled by the elites and part of their job task is to keep the opposing sides apart so that the masses are kept busy tearing the other side down. This is done  so the opposing sides can't find common ground in which to unify and find actual solutions to the problem at hand. In doing this the elite are given full reign amid the Chaos to control the situation despite what either side wants. The phrase "from chaos comes order" is a favorite saying of theirs. Disorder has often been used to manipulate the masses to get a desired effect many times through out history. It goes along the lines of create the problem and then step forward with the solution to the problem so that the masses will follow the person or group offering the solution.

 Take for example where in Charlottesville, Virginia,  violence erupted by opposing demonstrators of the Alt Right and Alt left. In the aftermath one innocent woman was left dead, two police officers died in a helicopter crash  and many more were injured in the ensuing chaos of the days events. It was all pretty senseless and should have been avoided. This happening was a perfect storm of what can happen when people are not willing to sit and talk and just want to shout their opinions out.  
 Personally I am no fan of white supremacists such as the KKK but I will say they have a right to talk. I do not agree with their positions and find it hard personally to let them espouse their untasteful brand of rhetoric but there is either free speech for all or free speech for nobody and who is to decide who gets to voice an opinion. The same laws that allow them to speak also allow the ultra left the right to speak their minds as well.
  The media was quick to criticize Trump for not being more forceful on his condemnation towards the Alt right groups but little was said on the Alt lefts role in the conflict.  Both sides had the few individuals that were looking to start something and both sides had people that wanted to make a peaceful point. When Trump brought that fact up, the media had a field day saying he was supporting the Alt Right when he was in fact saying both sides were partially at fault for the breakdown of order.

Lately there has been a hard press to try and erase the history of the country in the name of PC politics. The problem is you can't erase what happened in the past, but you can use it to learn from past mistakes. Getting into a mob mentality and ripping down public statues is counter productive to your cause as it stirs up resentment from the other side of the issue. A statue is not oppressing anyone but apparently in the new hyper sensitive society that is emerging they cause PTSD just from sitting there. Someone went so far as to say that the statues were on pedestals and you put gods and idols on pedestals so that the statues were idols of white supremacy. Personally I feel that is a load of psyco-babbling horse shit but they have a right to their opinion.
   I can understand if a predominantly black community wants to rename a park away from someone who once owned slaves, even though that person just happens to be the first president of the united states but going in with a mob and ripping down stuff is the wrong way to go about it. Also the wholesale destruction of every statue of every slave owner is not going to change history one bit. I even heard that someone called for Mount Rushmore to be taken down. That's getting a little extreme in my book as the people on that monument also did a lot of good for this country.

   Part of the recent rise and resurgence of the Alt right can be blamed squarely on the Alt left. As much as people on the left might not like hearing that, it happens to be true. There has been a high degree of lawlessness on the part of Antifa which is ironic because they are basically using some of the same tactics that they claim to be against. In doing so they are creating the very thing they claim to be fighting against as it gives the Alt right fuel to point at the lawlessness on the left as a reason to band together. The protests and small riots of the left after the election did not sit well with a large majority of Americans.  That's why the true hope is for people to find middle ground and bring the country towards the center. It's been a common tactic for the left to accuse anyone and everyone on the right as being a racist and a fascist which is utter bullshit. Every election cycle the Democrats seem to play the race card and try to also portray all Republicans as heartless and cruel to anyone who isn't rich. Often though it actually is the Republicans who seem to be more open minded at times while the Democrats ride around on their high horse claiming moral superiority and open mindedness. The last election showed that, as the behavior on the left was extremely atrocious at times.   They seemed to be taking the win by any means necessary approach even though that meant doing the exact same things they were falsely accusing the other side of. I am not trying to say that all Republicans are enlightened saints by any means, they aren't, but I didn't see any Republicans  protesting Hillary rallies and attacking her supporters like I saw the left do to trump rallies. I'm sure that in the extreme lefts minds that was all justified , but when you stop and realize that the alt right think in their minds their actions are justified due to the unlawful actions of the hard left, it causes a reason to pause and say, hold on , how about everyone pull their heads out of their asses, calm down and just be reasonable. The actions of both sides are causing a downward spiral in political relations.

 The vast amount of  Americans live in the wide middle ground and are reasonable thinkers. The media however loves to sensationalize the extreme edges and stoke the flames of discontentment and distrust as they try to polarize the people towards the extremes. "Trying to get high ratings while ripping at the fabric of the country" would be an appropriate slogan for many of the news outlets these days. Our commonalities is what should be stressed to bring people together rather than to tear people apart. Yes , there will be disagreements but shouting at each other does not produce any resolution to anything, it only makes the problem worse.
 I was pleasantly surprised when talking to one of my second cousins who is very liberal a few weeks back when he expressed the same attitude that the country needs to find a more middle approach to the issues , because as he said , it is getting to the point where people cant even reasonably discus the issues anymore. He also went on to say that as much as there is to hate about Trump , that Trump isn't wrong about everything. At the time we were talking about the immigration problems that Europe has been having and the terror attacks that have been wide spread over there with people just flooding into Europe. He had seen the issues over there first hand and he told me that the situation was out of control over there. His comments gave me hope that common ground could be found to discuss the issues that affect our own country.
 Seriously, is it such a bad idea to crack down on illegal immigration when it is bringing us groups like MS13 into the country? Is it a bad thing to deport repeat violent offenders that have no respect for any of our laws? Is it such a bad thing to make sure we have proper vetting on people coming in from middle eastern countries when many from those regions have openly expressed a hatred for the western culture and want to spread Sharia law around the globe that oppresses women and goes against the tenants of Democracy in favor of religious governance?

 One of the things that Trump did get right out of his speeches on the events of the past few weeks was that fixing the economy and getting everyone being prosperous is the best way to help heal the divides. Even those comments though fell on deaf ears as a lot of people just hate Trump and think that any thing he says or does is just evil. Its unfortunate that the media is set on stirring the pot of discontentment and dividing the masses rather than bring them together.  I still think that Trump is more of a moderate politically than the media gives him credit for. It just plays well to paint him as an out of control extremist to get ratings and it serves a purpose of distracting the masses from bigger issues like the national debt, the looming shift in world reserve currency status and the bipartisan bickering and ineptitude of the representatives in Washington DC. There are important issues to be handled in this country and the media is stirring up racial and political strife that distracts everyone from concentrating on the deeper issues the nation has. Things like the medical care issues. It was no great secrete that Obama Care aka The Affordable health care act was not working as promised. Rates were going way up , insurance providers were backing out of the plans leaving less providers to actually provide and share costs. The plan was rammed through into law with Pelosi saying we would have to pass it to find out what is in it! Seriously WTF was up with that? Then after there was issues with it , and you had the republicans screaming to repeal and replace and the democrats sticking their heads in the sand like nothing was wrong ,could nobody in Washington DC stand up and say ," You know , this program has issues and they need to be fixed, lets try and do our jobs by working together and fix this mess before the American people suffer!"

 People forget about the principles of pendulum politics. It goes like this, the farther you pull the pendulum to one side , the farther it will swing to the other side in response. For eight years under Obama the pendulum was drawn far to the left as "Social Justice" issues were pushed harder than fixing the over all issues with the country. Special interests groups such as the LGBT and BLM were coddled at the expense of conservative groups and the police and a lot of people resented that. The white house would be lit up in rainbow colors to celebrate gay marriage  or lit up in purple to pay tribute to Prince when he overdosed and died, but  when six police officers were assassinated protecting a crowd of protesters that were protesting against the police, the white house refused to show support to the police by lighting up the white house in blue. That didn't go unnoticed by a large percentage of the population. When the doors were kicked open to illegal immigrants in violation to existing laws on the books that stuff didn't go unnoticed. It wasn't unnoticed just by the right but also by the African American community who watched an influx of low wage workers flooding into the country that were going after jobs that many people born here could have used.
  Now after the pendulum had been pushed far to the left, it swung back towards the right. Granted , this country does not need a hard right swing that's for sure but it certainly does need to get back towards a more middle position. The left is desperately trying to prevent the pendulum from swinging the other direction but the hard left positions are not going to prevent that from happening , they will only accelerate the momentum.The problem with a group like Antifa is that they just indiscriminately declare whomever they want  to be a Fascist. If you don't agree with them - your a Fascist, You voted for Trump because you wanted a business man in the drivers seat instead of a career politician who has enriched their own wallet in the name of serving the country  - your a Fascist, You support the police and the military - your a Fascist, You are walking down the street minding your own business and happen to be in the path of an angry out of control mob - well - you might be a Fascist , especially if your white so its not innocent until proven guilty , its guilt by association and your a fascist. The point is , the majority of the people that Antifa claims to be fascists , probably are not! There might be a few fascists out there but they are a very small minority of the people in this country.

  Extreme leanings to either side is dangerous. When those leanings are pushed on by the media , they become volatile. Its ironic that a lot of evil things are done in the name of "Doing what's right" or " Doing what needs to be done" without regard to asking - "is this really right to do and does this really need to be done in this manner?"  The media has also pushed the concept  of vigilante , do it by any means necessary justice in movies and television for decades so is it any surprise that people take that position?    
  We need less extremes and more middle ground. In fact, we don't just need that in this country but the world at large. While I am a supporter of a strong military , I also realize just how much money gets pissed away globally because the human race bickers and argues and generally distrusts one another. The base elements of why that money is pissed away every year can be broken down to the same dynamics seen in the hard right and hard left butting heads. It comes down to opposing sides not willing to sit down and talk rationally and just try accepting the differences of the multitude of people in the world. It comes down to differing opinions hell bent on making others conform to how they think rather than seeing how the other side thinks and feels. Basically it boils down to greed and ignorance on all sides and a stubbornness to not change for the betterment of all. The really sad thing is , its the minority on the extreme sides leading the masses into conflict. Most people want to live in peace, get along with others and really don't want to mess with any one or be messed with.
  I sincerely hope that calmer heads prevail , not only on the streets and in government here in the USA but around the world at large. We are living in a volatile time where mankind can either get together and reach for the stars for a better future for everyone , or send the world crashing back several hundred or thousand years as we tear the planet apart. Lets just hope we chose to get along, drop the ego BS and stop the senseless arguing before it becomes to late.

   Until next time
       Lasco X

Media or Propiganda, the line is just a big blur now.

  If you look at the media / supposed news information being disseminated to the mass populace you see that more and more its nothing but propaganda and mental manipulation.
   6 major companies now control 90% of the media outlets with roughly 232 media executives controlling the information diet of 277 million Americans.  (Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6)

 The implications of that are staggering when you contemplate the ramifications of those numbers. Is it a real surprise when you flip channels and see all the commentators using the exact same terms and words to describe what is going on in the world. It's that way because they are reading off the same script that has been written to shape public opinion,  In all reality , the free press no longer exists and has been replaced by a massive media propaganda machine designed to social engineer the mass populace. This is a dangerous situation as most people pay absolutely no attention to the manipulation going on around them. The medias job now is to shape public opinion rather than report on the news of the world. This was on full display in the last presidential election cycle as the media tried to install Hillary Clinton as the president of the USA.  In the early days of the campaign the media helped to tear down good potential candidates on the Republican side and helped build up Trump , figuring he would be an easy target to take out in the general election. Then after the primary's were over they turned the focus on tearing down Trump and building up Hillary.                    
There was a mind set in the media that Hillary had already won going into election night in November. Polls had been manipulated and rigged so they reported Hillary to be the projected winner. This was meant to discourage voters from voting for Trump by projecting it as a futile effort. The media was sure that Hillary had the election in the bag , it was blatantly obvious of that in the early hours of the election by their demeanor. Then the unthinkable happened, the plan did not work as expected. It was obvious by the expressions and change in demeanor of the reporters that things were not going per script midway through the evening. The plan to install Hillary had backfired and Trump was now looking like the projected winner. The demeanor of the reporters changed to a visibly shaken state and then media went silent around 12 am EST as it tried to regroup and desperately wait for a last minute manipulation that would make Hillary win but it didn't happen.  After that the media went into full blown shock for the next day that morphed into anti Trump mode.

  Four and eight years before , President Obama was given a free pass and a long honeymoon period by the press. Actually they gave that to him for the bulk of his presidency even as he put up the most opaque wall from the press after promising to be the most transparent president ever , the press still gave him a pass.  Now though the media was out for blood and was encouraging the left from day one to not accept the outcome of the election.  Basically from the very start of the final election results there has been an ongoing manipulation by the media to effect the mindset of the populous against Trump.  I am not going to try and defend Trump or his action in office as its off point on this subject. While I don't think the media is giving him a fair shot , it is also fair to say that Trump can be his own worst enemy at times.  In my opinion America had no good options in the last election and a lot of the blame for that boils down to media manipulation of the political process. I have to admit that I enjoyed seeing the shocked expressions on the face of the media stooges when they realized that things had back fired and blew up in their faces. They had made the fatal mistake of believing their own hype and thinking that they controlled the American people. Fortunately enough people were not buying what they were selling and were thinking for themselves.

 Will that always be the case though? The media does have a lot of stroke when it comes to swaying people minds. Propaganda is used by all governments and power bases. Unfortunately no populous under a governmental system is immune to it as it is present across the globe. Its just more blatant in some countries over others. While the propaganda machine is more masked in the USA it is still present. In countries like North Korea, the loyalty to the state and the anti American propaganda machine is obvious. In America however the propaganda machine is so glossed up many people take it for granted and don't even recognize it for what it is. In the USA and most of the developed world we are inundated with propaganda. We just call it advertising but its still a form of propaganda. We also have the a spin on the traditional propaganda machine as Oligarchs  who own the media guide the masses in the direction they want to lead them. These are the same Oligarchs who back politicians and play chess with  companies and power bases.

 Often these days people get their news off of the headlines and just assume that what is emblazoned in bold letters is true but the actual facts are hidden deep in the article. The media will spend paragraphs telling you how and what to think but will only spend a few lines letting you know the actual facts of the situation. When this happens you are not reading the news , you are reading a propaganda piece.

 Propaganda is a tool used to unite and divide. It is the medium of group think that pits one group against the other. Its used for social engineering which is not always a bad thing but it certainly can be. The biggest factor to counteracting propaganda is an educated and freethinking populous. Blind loyalties by any group is a dangerous thing and when that group is fueled by propaganda it can be very dangerous. Propaganda has been used throughout the history of civilization. It's the whisper in the streets going around at its smallest form to high profile glossy campaigns that rally whole nations and ideology's at it's greatest.

  Paul Joseph Goebbels who was Hitler's Propaganda Minister in Nazi Germany had this to say....

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

 Propaganda is a dangerous tool. The consolidation of the media is sharpening that tool so that it is highly effective as it appears that the same idea is coming from many sources while in fact it is coming from the same source. Its a very short stretch from propaganda being a tool to becoming weaponized in the wrong hands. The same powers of persuasion that get you to buy one brand of diapers or soda are the same powers that get you to accept one Ideology , Theology  or one of the many Ism's in the world. The best thing to do is not to believe everything you hear. Question everything and look at it with a good deal of skepticism. Just because your hearing the same thing over and over does not make it true. Often you are hearing it over and over because that is exactly what someone else wants you to believe is true. 

 Always think for yourself and don't rely on one type of news source or view point to shape your opinion. Your opinion should be your opinion, not just a regurgitation of the media machines view point and flavor of the day media spin. It is dangerous to live in an echo chamber. For those who don't know , that is where you are only hearing what you want to hear , you hear your own views and opinions only and never want to hear an opposing thought. Some people get mad when they hear the other voice say an opposing view point but if you aren't willing to look both ways then there is a good chance you will walk out in front of oncoming  traffic. Its said there is three sides to every story... Yours ... mine ... and the truth!  I have found that the truth generally lays somewhere in the middle and that it is rarely just black or white. Most often its found in the many shades of grey that there is in the world. 

Just food for free thought

   Until next time

      Lasco X

The Left is getting out of controll

The events since the election have really spiraled out of control. To the  shock and dismay of many , Donald Trump was elected president. The left and the cult of Clinton were left rattled to the bone as the election turned in favor of Trump. Immediately those to the left started casting blame on backwards uneducated racist misogynistic males and self hating women whom ignorantly voted in favor of Trump. Maybe though the left should have looked in the mirror to see the reason that Trump won the election.

 First,  look at the media that was firmly, even blatantly biased towards Clinton from the very beginning. They eagerly glossed over the many issues with Clinton such as the Private Email server, the bleach bit erasing of the mass Emails that were under congressional order to be turned over. The media served Hillary up as the smartest , most qualified woman in the world and then allowed her to give a bimbo like answer of " You mean like, with a cloth" when asked if she had her personal sever wiped down. The bias of the media was obvious in the debates as the media outlets lobbed softballs to the Democrats and then went after the Republicans and tried to get them to turn on each other. It was the media that helped build up Trump over the more qualified candidates in the primary elections. The media offered up a bunch of free coverage to Trump in the primaries and help tear down the other more qualified republican candidates as it was reasoned that Trump would be easy to take out in the General election. The media figured that Trump would easily self implode or that they would be able to manipulate a media bombshells to defeat him.
 The media manipulation was blatant to anyone objectively looking at it. Things like the meeting with Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch were glossed over.   It didn't matter that within days of that meeting , all Emails related to the Clinton Foundation were sealed for roughly two years. Evidence that might have exposed a pay for play scheme would not see the light of day until well after the election. As the WikiLeaks papers came streaming out, the media downplayed the revelations coming forth. Things like the DNC swaying thing towards Clinton and away from Bernie Sanders were downplayed. The media chose more to focus on the leak and blaming the Russians rather than the information coming out. The funny thing was , we didn't hear any denials about the information coming out, just the outrage that the information saw the light of day.
 Going into election night the media was certain that the winner would be Hillary. After all , they had done their due diligence to ensure that she was going to win. As the election night wore on and it became apparent that Trump was going to take the election their whole demeanor changed as their plan to push Clinton into the White house blew up in their face. The media looked shell shocked as the results came in and Trump was declared to be the winner of the electoral collage. Had camp Clinton not ignored the rust belt and had not just assumed that the Blue wall would hold in the union controlled industrial belt she would have won. The simple fact that the Democrats had left that region  ignored, not just during the election but for the past eight years as employment languished and withered away, was totally lost on the Democratic powers that be. Instead it was blamed on FBI director Comey bringing up the fact that other evidence had surfaced close to the election. In fact everyone was blamed except for the candidate herself. It wasn't Comeys fault there was evidence there to look at in the first place, that fault lay in Clintons lap. To the Democrats and the cult of Clinton the long list of baggage their candidate carried was nothing. To the rest of America it mattered.

    Second , a lot of Americans didn't appreciate being called an irredeemable basket of deplorables.  Basically anyone that wasn't in camp Clinton was 1- a Nazi, 2- A misogynist , 3- A racist , 4- an illiterate backwards fuck , 5- A member of the KKK , 6- An old white person clinging to the past, 7- A woman hating pussy grabber , 8- A gay hating bigot. These were just some of the names bestowed on anyone that was not a Democrat Clintonite. The fact that people just didn't like Hillary because she appeared to be totally in the pocket of big business, wall street, foreign interests and  was the epitome of establishment politics didn't matter. The left just branded anyone one disagreeing with them one of many hateful names. Just for the record , the Nazis sprang from the National Socialist German workers Party - They were socialists. Misogynists come in all Political affiliations , can you say Bill Clinton and John Kennedy. Racists come in all flavors and colors as well, people forget that the KKK was the militant wing of the Southern Democratic Party. The Democrats have done a good job of trying to affiliate the KKK with Republicans but its history is firmly in the Decorates house. There is no doubt that many people voting for Trump were white but he also polled surprisingly well with other demographics as well.  When it comes to Trumps statements regarding woman , granted they were bad, but where is the lefts outrage regarding the acts of Bill Clinton, he doesn't exactly have the cleanest record in regards to women. I am not totally clear on Trumps stance where it comes to gays, but I think its a whole lot more liberal than they give him credit for.  Bottom line is that the left did themselves no favors when they alienated the independent voters and insulted a large part of the population.

 The left simply forgot the dynamics of pendulum politics. The farther you push the pendulum one direction , the harder and farther it pushes the other direction. Project Veritas exposed the left on stirring up issues at Trumps rallies,  but you didn't need to rely on just those , the mainstream media and you tube showed the violent actions of the left. The funny thing was though is that was skewed by the media to be all Trump's and Trump supporters fault. The left was painted as innocent in all things.  Is it really a surprise that so many Americans voted in a backlash against what was perceived by many as a full on assault against traditional values from the previous 8 years.  Police have been demonized during the past administration. While I don't support the full on militarization of many of the departments , and there does need to be civil restraints and protections of personal freedoms, still Americans do need to respect the rule of law. When you think about the last administration lighting up the White house in Purple for the passing of Prince and going Rainbow colors for the passing of Gay marriage it sends a really bad message when the refusal to light the White house up in Blue to honor the assassinated officers in Dallas was reported. Would it have been such a bad thing to say , yes , we support law enforcement in light of this heinous attack .

 The left also shot themselves in the foot by the massive over reaction to everything Trump.  I haven't seen this type of Hysteria since the days of Reefer Madness. The overblown reactions to any and everything Trump does is just over the top.  A word to celebrities who feel they need to expound every chance they get to bash Trump and the Republicans, the vast amount of people really don't give a shit what you think. Yes your entitled to your opinion, I am all for free speech, but we really don't care what rich elitist people who don't live in the real world think.  Just watch as the ratings on awards shows tank this year because people don't want to hear the incessant whining and overblown rhetoric of the left. I am not in favor of everything Trump is doing, but Washington needed to be shaken up a bit and Hillary certainly wasn't the person to do it.

 The left has the right to voice decent, and protest. It doesn't have the right to shit on everyone else and disregard the law in the process. The left tends to live in an echo chamber, they only want to hear what they themselves say and think. As Churchill Said " Some peoples idea of free speech is that they are free to say what ever they like but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage."

 We can only hope that reason will win out from all sides. America is a great country. There are many that say America was never great, they are wrong. America is a great country. Trump ran on make America great again. Personally I think it can be better and stronger but I still think the USA was already a great country. Trump is right to work to bring industry back to the USA. Our economic base has been under assault for decades and we need to reverse that. Immigration does need to be enforced , we have existing laws that are just being ignored. A short moratorium on immigration from known terrorist counties isn't the end of the world.  Securing the Southern boarder is not a bad thing. People act like its the end of the free world just because Trump was elected but its not. People are still free to disagree and say so publicly. When Obama was elected anyone saying anything against his policies was immediately branded a racist. The left loves to brand anyone disagreeing with them a Racist or Nazi. It's been my observation that often the left is actually far more intolerant at times then the right.

 This country doesn't need division, we need to work together.  There are plenty of dangers in the world without us bickering within. America will survive Trump and life will go on. What the left needs to understand is that Trump was elected because people were voting against Clinton, they were voting against a media propaganda machine and the DNC that was trying to fix an election, they were voting against the status quo of being promise the same thing every four years and nothing being done about it, they were voting against the willful ignoring of immigration laws. People were tired of politics as usual and that's what got Trump into the Whitehouse.

 People can say , "Not my President" all they want, but honestly, if you are a citizen of the USA , he is.                                         
                                Like it or not , that's the way it is.

Black Lives Matter? Yes , But all Lives Matter, don't they?

  So Milwaukee had rioters, looters, arsonists and people guilty of physical assault out in force last night. Many were under the banner of Black Lives Matter, a group that is trying to raise awareness of police violence against blacks. The ironic thing is that the very unlawful actions of these people last night is a stark reminder of why blacks represent a disproportionate amount of the people  in the criminal justice system.   There is video of the mob targeting white people , which is racist , although many blacks try to say blacks can't be racist.  I have always found that statement to be total bullshit, anyone can be racist. Anyone targeting or discriminating against another person because of race is in fact a racist. That's just simple logic so please don't try to feed me a line of BS about blacks being above that and being incapable of racism because of their position in the power structure. Speaking of which, this is 2016 , we have a 1/2 black person in the highest office in the land. This nation has come a long ways in terms of the racial divide.  Blacks have come a long way from the civil rights movement in the 1960's when we had the earlier rounds of racial riots. The actions of last night by the individuals involved are born out of frustration and hate but are counter productive to the greater goal of a more equal and equitable society.

 I can understand the frustration in the black community about police targeting them unfairly , but I have a hard time being sympathetic when looking at the big picture after examining the full facts in some of these cases. The Michal Brown story of the "Gentile Giant" seems to be urban myth seeing that he had just robbed a store and from what was witnessed by black people, assaulted a police officer and had tried to get his gun. According to a lot of reports the whole " hands up , don't shoot" was a myth started by some people in the neighborhood.  I wasn't there so I can't testify to the whole facts of the matter that happened in Ferguson, but there is generally two sides to every story and the truth is almost always somewhere in the middle of those opinions.

Last night in Milwaukee the rioting was sparked by someone getting shot by a police officer. That person was fleeing a traffic stop and was carrying a stolen semiautomatic pistol. So essentially the crowd is tearing shit up and assaulting white people because a man with a long rap sheet , is resisting arrest and was armed  with a stolen loaded gun. I'm sorry they are frustrated , but with those facts in mind, I just can't get behind them! What they are doing is total BS! This is not the way to get sympathy for your cause!

 Where is Black Lives Matter on the Black on Black crime? Apparently Black Lives only matter when a cop is doing the shooting? Chicago had one of the most violent weeks on record a couple of weeks back , where was the Black Lives Matters outrage on that?

 Apparently a lot of Black Lives Matters and Politically Correct people get all butt-hurt and offended when someone says "All Lives Matter" .  I guess it offends them and diminishes the point BLM are trying to make. So what was the point of last night ... was it ... " We are a black mob , pissed that a repeat offender with a stolen loaded weapon was shot by a police officer doing his job, so we are going to loot, burn , beat up white people and cause chaos to vent our rage"?  If so , good job , you got that point across loud and clear and now Black Lives Matters looks more like a domestic hate group then it did the previous day!

 The PC crowd at a university recently punished a student for saying "all lives matter". They want them to jump though all sorts of hoops to get them to get them to recant the statement. Personally I think the student should just tell the university to fuck off and go to school elsewhere. People have a right to their opinions and should not be forced into a little PC pigeon hole. Especially for saying "all lives matter"!
                           ALL LIVES MATTER! point blank ... ALL LIVES MATTER!

 Black, Yellow, Red, Brown, White and every variation  of those colors and shades matter. We are the human race, and at the end of the day we are fundamentally the same inside! God is no respecter of color, he doesn't care what the color of your skin is , he judges the heart.  The color of your skin doesn't matter , whether you act like a racist destructive asshole does matter !

  I get that the Black community is frustrated with what is seen as organized police discrimination , but part of that they bring on themselves. Not from the color of their skin but by their actions and attitudes. Would  Michal Brown still be alive today had he not ripped off a store and then resisted arrest? Most likely!
 
  Cops have a tough job. I am not saying there isn't bad cops , but there is more good cops than bad. The Black community doesn't want to be judged by a few destructive assholes among them , why should the police community be judged harshly by the few bad apples? Cops are routinely tossed into bad situations with very bad , out of control people. The last thing they need is someone getting an attitude while they are doing dangerous work!  If you run from a cop , carrying a gun , and look like you are going to shoot at them , guess what, you are most likely going to get shot! If you try to take a gun from a cop, you are going to get shot! If you display a bad attitude with a cop when you get pulled over, then you are going to get attitude back! However , if you treat a cop with respect when he pulls you over and realize that they have a hard job , one that puts their life on the line virtually everyday you are going to be fine. Every time a cop pulls someone over they have to be ready for some dumb ass to possibly shoot them! It helps to be respectful to the cops when they are doing their job.

  Having said that , I have seen the videos posted on line where cops get carried away and rough people up for no apparent reason. Respect needs to be a two way street in these dealing. Somewhere along the way society has just spun out of control and we really need to get back to where things are a lot more civil.

 Racism is never good, neither is sectarian violence and nationalistic BS that discriminates against someone of a different color, creed or national origin. The old cry of " Can't we all just get along?" is a good damned question. People being self-centered assholes seems to be an age old issue that has plagued this planet for centuries. For all the bad in the world though , humanity has in fact come a long ways. We are now a more open and accepting society. Speaking from a United States of America view, society today has opened up a bunch in  the past half century. The opportunities for people of all races, colors and creeds has opened up.

 Much of the time what is holding people back is the engrained attitudes and negative ideas of the person who is doing the complaining. There is the phrase ..." It's not where you come from , its where you are going. "  That rings so true. Many times people are their own worst enemy's. You can't just sit idly by and wait for life to happen to you. While good things come to those who wait, its also  even more true that God helps those that help themselves.

 A lot of society's problems come from the destruction of the family unit. Men need to not just be "Baby daddies" and have shit loads of kids with a bunch of different women. They need to take responsibility and raise the kids they put on this planet! There is to many single moms out there trying to do the job of two people. I have a friend who did serious time in prison that did his own little study about the family while he was locked up. His conclusion was that the worst , most messed up people came from fatherless households who had no early role model guidance to get them on the right path. He was one of those kids who grew up without a dad. He observed that yes , there were people in prison from two parent families but those people seemed to have their shit together more than the ones that were raised by one parent. Does that mean your totally screwed if you came from a single parent household , of course not! Your life is in your own hands, you have the most effect on your future than any outside influence. If you sit around bitching about what life has handed you instead of trying to go out and better yourself then life is going to be messed up.  That brings the old saying to mind of , "Shit in one hand and wish in the other and see what fills up first!"  Meaning if you pile on negative thoughts and blame everyone else for your life ,while just wishing for better things, then your life will be shitty. If you work towards a better life , life will most likely get better for you.  Hard work and perseverance pays off most of the time.

  Bottom line is that Black lives do matter , but so does everyone else's. If BLM wants to riot and tear shit apart , assault people to vent their frustration and burn stuff to the ground then they are only fucking themselves in the court of public opinion. If they want to assault people in cars  then they better realize that a car is a two ton + weapon that can be used extremely effectively by the right person who isn't goin to put up with their shit! The outcome of trying to pull someone out of a car might be the exact opposite of what they are trying to accomplish and if it does , it won't be because a black life didn't matter , it was because they were trying to mess someone up  and committing assault on someone who wasn't afraid to defend themselves and the life of their loved ones in the car with them.

 The events of last night in Milwaukee was senseless bullshit in my opinion.  and that's my two cents worth.

  Until next time
     Lasco X

 

Summer - 2016 The State of the Nation

It's been a long time since I posted. Life has a way of keeping a person busy. It's time though  to make a few observation seeing how the election year is bearing down on us and the candidates have been set. I look at this years offerings to lead the nation and I have to ask , what the hell happened! Is this seriously the best we can do?

 First lets look at the Democrats offering.... Hillary , I guess this is no surprise seeing how the fix was in from the start. Seriously though , how is she even a candidate? I chalk it up to willful blindness on the part of the liberal left. They seem to be quite alright with sticking their collective heads in the sand and ignore issues like her being bought and paid for by wall street and foreign entities  through donations to the Bill ,Hillary and Chelsey foundation. We won't know just how bad the situation might be though for a couple of years because Loretta Lynch blocked access to the foundations emails for a long time. Can you say the fix is in and they have a nice long time to sanitize the situation?

 Bernie was right in his claims throughout the primaries but now they have him on his leash and have him heeling like a good boy. Are the occupy wall street base really going to follow suit and vote for someone who has made millions kissing up to the big bankers in the past few year? Personally I haven't forgotten that the USA's most classified nuclear info ended up in the hands of the Chinese under the first Clinton presidency. If you have forgotten they were big donors of Bill  and were provided access to Los Alamos that they never should have had. I personally can't trust another Clinton term in office.

As for Bernie , he was never going to win , the DNC had the fix in from the start. He was only there to make it look like Hilary had to work for it. The funny thing is , that formula worked to well as Bernie actually stirred up a lot of support because quite frankly , the masses are tired of the same old same old political BS. That and Bernie was promising the farm in freebies for all. The problem with that is paying for it! Hilary plans her fair share of giveaways as well. She has already let it be know that she will be raising taxes across the board.  Personally I want to see the rampant spending trimmed prior to any new taxes being imposed.

Hilary baggage is a large stack. The stinging report by the head of the FBI is a laundry list of BS that would have put anyone else in Prison or at least out of the race for the highest office in the land. The fact that no serious charges were put on her was interpreted by her followers that all is well , move along , nothing to see here. The rest of us though were left with the impression that there is two standards in America , one for the elite, well connected and one for everyone else. Bottom line though is that if vetted for a top secrete security clearance after what she did she would be denied it based on the email / server incident. And this is someone we want to have the nuclear football?

 Bottom line is I really don't trust Hilary , I am just not impressed by her and feel no compelling reason to trust her with the highest office in the land. In my mind she lies and will do whatever to get more power , more money and obtain her own goals.

 Now , lets look at the Republican offer for President, Donald Trump .... Seriously , Donald Trump!?

 Like many I figured he would self destruct long ago.  I don't think he will do everything he says he will. Deporting 11 million people isn't going to happen but if the government would start enforcing current immigration laws and enforce boarder security I would be a happy camper. I don't see anything like that happening from the Democratic side so anything in that direction would be a serious improvement from what we have now.

I do question his temperament in leading the nation. I don't think that he is the next Hitler or the Antichrist as the liberal left would have you think he is.  The left conveniently ignores the fact that Hitler came from the socialist party in Germany. Then again they also like to bury the fact that the KKK came out of the southern democratic party and try to associate the KKK on the republicans. I don't trust the media and after the hacked DNC letters showed collusion between the DNC and the media I trust it even less now. But I digress... back to Trump...

 I really don't think trump is the best person to lead the nation . He has had his companies go through bankruptcy several times. Then again , with a 19 Trillion dollar national debt , maybe its time for a business man to start trimming the budget and working the debt down.

 He is also sort of full of shit at times, or seems to be. I didn't blame Ted Cruz for not endorsing him one bit.  Like I stated at the beginning of this post , is this seriously the best both parties can offer? I am not thrilled by either candidate. We are looking at no good options in my mind.

 I am not of the mindset that there is a full consensus on global warming. Yes we should work to reduce carbon and all chemicals we pump into the atmosphere but we shouldn't take to radical changes to get there. The Global warming Nazi's lost me when they advocated silencing all opposing opinions with jail if need be. That's not science , that's suppressive BS to obtain political agendas. There is a lot of factors that control the weather on this planet. The planet has a long history of warming and cooling over the eons. Hilary's energy plans seem dangerous to me.  It seems like it will be an economy killer with no real significant ecological gain. With Trump I would fear radically deregulation which we don't need either. I just know for every scientist on the oil company's pay roll , there is probably 3-4 taking government grant money to prove there is global warming. The truth most likely is in the middle ground. Both sides skew results to the side they want. Lets just be reasonable in the discussion!

 I am going to be curios how the debates play out between the candidates.  This should be interesting. At this point I tend to lean towards the guy who has been signing the front of checks over the woman who has been signing the backs of government checks and the back of checks from Wall Street and foreign donors for the past three decades. Why is it we are always saddled with the vote for the lesser of two evils? Personally I think the rise of Donald Trump to the position he is in, is to be blamed on the full speed ahead agenda of the hard left. Both sides though from the hard left and hard right both put on their blinders and think in narrow terms much of the time. As a life long independent I have seen this scenario play out time and time again.

 Ultimately , I think George Carlin had the system pegged. The rich owners of this country are going to do whatever they want with this country and election. They give us the illusion of a choice!

 Just like Bernie never had a chance to win , this outcome was most likely decided a while ago and we are seeing actors on a stage playing out the roles to the final result. Does this mean you shouldn't vote? Hell NO , VOTE! Do your part to support the way you feel, the masses still have an impact. At least we can try to make a difference even if the fix is in. After all , If the elite had their way , this would be another Bush / Clinton race.  We need to try and make a difference.

 Local politics is a good place to impact. Be aware of the things on a local level. People who live in the same community are a lot less likely to screw you over than the elite who rule from afar.

  Take care and pay attention America, God help us all in the coming months.

    Lasco X