Special Needs Kids and Bullying

Bully Stuff

The fact that this website is needed demonstrates a whole new level of depravity. Period. 

Check it out. 

A Read...

Going to extremes to ignore climate change

Global Warming is Real

A real picture

Here's why I think so. 

We are running a grand experiment on ourselves. Is climate change real? Is it man made? Or is it all a grand hoax by people like Al Gore? I'd answer yes, yes and no. How about a little reading first? 

1. Has good links and a reasonable source. 

2. Good overview.  

3. Global Warming.

4. Failed media. 

The reason I know global warming is real is science and my own built in bullshit meter. It is through science, we build knowledge. Scientists overwhelmingly agree this shit is real, WE are changing the climate (Direct link). Yes, they could be wrong. That is not impossible. But why run such a high risk? Are we willing to doubt the best way we have developed for learning, the scientific method?  If your doctor, for some reason, told you "I do not believe in science." Would you not get a new doctor?  I pretty sure I would. Perhaps it is his wallet that precludes his faith in science. Somebody is paying him to say science is bullshit for their own reasons. If they pay enough, he may do it. Our beliefs are tied directly to our wallets. Which brings me to my bullshit meter. 

I like to always ask, "Why is someone telling me this?" I also consider the following. Do they have my best interest at heart? What do they have to gain or lose? If one is truly a "scientist," they seek unbiased knowledge. I accept the scientific community as a whole is basically unbiased. So when they tell me something is real and happening, I can accept it. I don't see a politicization of plate tectonics as an explanation for earthquakes. This is a pretty well universally accepted explanation. The same can be said of theories in biology and physics. Is the Big Bang Theory a hoax because some don't believe it? Then why is there SO much anti-global warming material out there? If you follow the link, you may want to read here about the founder's wallet. His linked in profile says what he does "Approvals and Compliance Consultant at Australia Pacific LNG Pipelines." No conflict of interest there. I know that alone does not disprove whatever he says. I'm sure he's bright sincere guy. But is does make me wonder why he thinks the way he does. What if you're a player like Exxon, with profits in the BILLIONS at stake? You are legally bound to maximize profits for shareholders, and if Global Warming is true, that could impact the bottom line. You have to deny it. 

Next time, we'll take a look at how this plays out and who is affected.         

A Read 10.10.13

Hot, Hot, Hotter!!

Climate Change as Slow-Violence

Cyclone Catrina in the SOUTH Atlantic 2004. Yes, the South Atlantic

I read this good article on Asia Times, and it got me thinking on the idea of Slow-Violence.  The article on AT does a much better job of explaining how this happens than I could. I'll let it do the talking for now. Just remember always follow the money. I'll put my own spin on it soon.

Carry on.

-P.  

Dark Money

I live in North Carolina, USA. We have undergone a far right-wing take over of state government. While over all this is a Conservative state, all of the larger municipal areas are left leaning. But you would not know that by looking at the actions of our State Legislature, and governor. Some of the legislative wreckage includes: 

• Cutting Federal Unemployment Extensions off via re-writing the state's Unemployment Laws.
• Cutting the weekly unemployment benefit amount.
• Cutting teacher pay, and promoting the further privitazation and comodification of k-12 schools. 
• Needless Voter ID laws. 
• Chronic Chronism - Hiring politically connected people for positions they are not qualified for, AND overpaying them. 
• Repeal of the Racial Justice Act
• Abortion restrictions.
• "Anti-Muslim fear-mongering."
• Denying Medicaid coverage to half a million low-income people.
• Tax cuts for the wealthy.
• Etc Etc...

...And it is another year to the mid-terms. 

I think some of this would even make the old right-wing Senator Jessie Helms blush. This in not following the will of the people of North Carolina. Let's keep in mind we are NOT the customers Governor Pat Mccrory speaks of when referring to North Carolina Citizens, and residents. The real customers are those that bought and paid for this election. Arthur (Art) Pope is a customer. According to this article, one of the biggest. We have been lead astray when the US Supreme Court in Citizens United, made money free speech. We are seeing the result here in North Carolina. Reform = Cut. What kind of business will want to relocate to such a state? A state that refuses to recognize same-sex couples, devalues education, devalues diversity, and refuses to safeguard it's mist vulnerable citizens, AND is anti-science cannot attract the top-tier companies looking for a highly skilled work force.  

I'm not a big fan of the Democratic Party either. I see them as Republican light. How can they be different when they too are also paid by many of the same "Customers?" Both parties support the only party that seems to matter anymore, The Business Party. Our challenge is to get money out of politics in an environment of shrinking individual freedoms and increasing domestic spying.    

Back on

too much weirdness to stay quiet any longer...

more very soon.

P.

Get involved

Did the Authorities' Lockdown of Boston Give Us a Taste of the Police State Culture to Come?

Take time to read the above article... Yes, it is long.

Things are not looking so good for the world I'd like to live in. But there a few movements that get it. Dr. Giroux mentions them late in the article. 

There are things we can do..

Here... 

Occupy  

Idle No More

Anonymous

Immigrant Solidarity Network

GLAD

Re-focus

I've slowed down on reading depressing news that there is little I can do about. I'd like to shift the focus of this blog from all that is wrong to what we can do as individuals to make our lives better as well as those around us. All of us must continue to speak truth to power and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. 

-P.   

Don't think for one second you are powerless!

Don't think for one second you are powerless! When we thank that, the bastards win. We must all rise against injustice via non-violence. The State does the violence game all too well. We have to change that game following guidelines sat down by greats such as Dr. King and Gandhi.

I write here and hope to do more in the coming months. What about you?

-P.   

Boston and other News

Man, we are living in dangerous and scary times. The Boston Bombers are scary enough but not near as much as the State's reaction as well as the people's. Two idiots allegedly carry out a high profile attack killing three and injuring over 100 more and the terror response system goes into over drive. Nine thousand police are called in and large portions of the city and surrounding communities are put on "lock down" (a word that broke out of the prison industrial complex a few years back). The old American notion of innocent until proven guilty has also disappeared. The two suspects have already been found guilty by the police and the regurgitating press. The first one is dead already and the second one clinging to life has as of yet not been read any rights. I'm not defending the crime and if you are too dumb to understand that, get the hell off my blog. I am defending our imperfect justice system as it is supposed to work. The cops and press don't decide who is guilty. We tried this guy a few years back for a far more destructive act and the world did not end. We have a legal system for those who break the law. These guys are not warriors, just common thugs. And what's with all of those shouting USA USA? Did we win the world Cup and I missed it? I've been half sick the last week or so and could have missed it. If it was for the capture of the 19 year old suspect, we are truly sick and depraved far beyond redemption. Talking about how free we are (with cities on lock down) and waiving flags seems to be all we are good at anymore. Oh, we are still good at killing brown people! Then there are the gun toting Conservative idiots chiming in absurdities about cowering  Boston Liberals who now wish they had Ar-15's. From a safe distance of course. I can think of nothing more shameful than all these chicken-hawks trying to make political points from this tragedy. Is this what we have devolved into? So the mighty shall fall and all I can say is what a hard bloody fall it will be. And for you so called believers, please do a little reading before you dis those of other faiths. While your attention was glued on Boston by those with a story to sell what else happened?

A fertilizer plant in Texas blew up taking an unconfirmed number of lives 14+. The place was not inspected by OSHA since 1985! Nope nothing to see here, move along people. Oh but you don't want to miss the grand parade of Texas politicians talking about how well Texans pull together in a tragedy and they do as all Americans. (without actually discussing why the tragedy happened in the first place). Can you say deregulation and freedom from nosey inspectors? Cheers to the free market and the bought off politicians who bring it to us! And no one will go to jail for this so they can save money by not sending in nine or ten thousand cops to find those responsible. That question will never be asked in a court of law where someone will face a prison sentence. Our grand project for democracy in Iraq is collapsing under poor security and increasing violence. No worry, we are no longer there except for these guys and God only knows how many more. We are sending more "aid" to Syria to include advisors I'm sure. After all, we sure need to get ourselves involved in another Middle Eastern conflict. And don't forget those wild and crazy North Koreans. Who knows what they are going to do next. At least they make even us look like a democracy. Let's hope the Chinese don't drop the leash. It may be scary and dangerous but all is NOT lost.

Get educated and get active! The situation is far from hopeless. Powerlessness and hopelessness are exactly how those running the show want you to feel. We can change things. We've done it in the past and we WILL do it it in the not so distant future. There are many of us who now see clearly through the lies and soon a we'll hit a critical mass restoring real democracy and basic human rights for all. The current corporate power structure cannot last and they know it. Let's keep it peaceful. The state knows violence. Let's befuddle them with non-violence!


UPDATE. Thank somebody for small miracles. There is a small hope for civilization yet!

Readings 3.29.13

Mad Stories and the Politics of Disposability in Paul Ryan's World

BRICS Go Over The Wall

Iraq 10 Years Later

The Last Letter

The Truth about The Fast and the Furious Scandal

Gun Nuts in the Home of the Brave

=

Kids and staff get slaughtered by a gun wielding nut a few months ago in just the latest of a list of massacres across the country stretching back more than thirty years. Any new proposals on how to deal with the epidemic of butchery are met with mass hysteria from those who think their right to own a gun outweighs our right to live free of mass shootings. Only in America do we ban toy assault rifles and keep the real ones legal. Why? Where does this come from? Fear plays a big part and if you have been reading this blog, you know the next most important thing is of course money. Once you get beyond our pretend democracy and realize everything here is solely about making the rich richer the seemingly crazy things our government does makes sense. A lunatic wants to blow up a plane with a shoe bomb (not successful)  and now we spend millions taking off our shoes and getting them screened at airports across the country. Twenty plus kids get blown away in class, movie goers shot dead, death stalking collage campuses; so what happens? Well... nothing. My favorite question. Why is that, man?

We call ourselves the home of the brave but I think nothing could be further from the truth. We are actually pretty chicken shit. In the course of making more money for those who don't need it a nice healthy dose of fear is necessary. Call it economic fear. Fear of losing your job, fear of losing health insurance if you are lucky enough to have any and fear of keeping a good credit score all come to mind. I have to keep my job for security for myself and my family and there are people out there who want not only take my shit but hurt us as well. Watch any local news channel you want and pay attention to how they reinforce our collective fears. First will be some unfortunate bloke who was murdered (most likely by a gun) followed by other assorted crimes and on to economic worries such as plant closings and the like. But it is not enough to have us all scared to death of each other. Let's also fear the government! After all they are out to take our shit too; "freedom," guns and even our damn money. There are people around that literally stockpile assault weapons and ammunition for who know what reasons but it is not because they are free from fear. These people would do well to remember Uncle Sam wins every time. The people at Waco had their own guns. So did the people at Ruby Ridge. More recently, Christopher Dorner tried to take on the government / police and he too lost. If Uncle Sam comes calling you and your bushmaster are up shit creek. What the hell are you gonna do against his gun ships and M1 Abrams Tanks?  Too many harbour dark fears of an evil government, people of other races, different religions or a take over by skinny uptight fashion models. I'm not sure why but it is too bad they don't put their time and cash into something more positive for society than hoarding guns and ammo. Who benefits? So lets look at this through a profit motive prism.  

Where does the money lead? Fear generates revenue. Check it out.  Here and here too. And one more for good measure. This is not rocket science people. Just normal operation procedure in our casino capitalist country. If you took a moment to check out the links or better yet, found your own seeing how government serves the wealthy every time becomes painfully obvious. So we lose thirty thousand a year to gun related deaths, there is money to be made!  $11.7 Billion is not a small number. These companies are not in it to protect lives or defend  rights, they are in it to make money for themselves and their share holders. Like Steve Martin says so eloquently in The Jerk "...It is a profit deal!" You may want to keep this in mind the next time you are watching some blow hard on TV talking about second amendment gibberish or self defense bullshit.

Look at the numbers. 

Consider the following from The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.

OBJECTIVE:

Determine the relative frequency with which guns in the home are used to injure or kill in self-defense, compared with the number of times these weapons are involved in an unintentional injury, suicide attempt, or criminal assault or homicide.

METHODS:

We reviewed the police, medical examiner, emergency medical service, emergency department, and hospital records of all fatal and nonfatal shootings in three U.S. cities: Memphis, Tennessee; Seattle, Washington; and Galveston, Texas.

RESULTS:

During the study interval (12 months in Memphis, 18 months in Seattle, and Galveston) 626 shootings occurred in or around a residence. This total included 54 unintentional shootings, 118 attempted or completed suicides, and 438 assaults/homicides. Thirteen shootings were legally justifiable or an act of self-defense, including three that involved law enforcement officers acting in the line of duty. For every time a gun in the home was used in a self-defense or legally justifiable shooting, there were four unintentional shootings, seven criminal assaults or homicides, and 11 attempted or completed suicides.

CONCLUSIONS:

Guns kept in homes are more likely to be involved in a fatal or nonfatal accidental shooting, criminal assault, or suicide attempt than to be used to injure or kill in self-defense.        

Don't like the source? Then find your own. The results will be pretty much the same. Having guns does not make you safer PERIOD. Get over it and take up reading instead.

Gay Stuff

It is really sad that the issue of gay marriage has to go all the way to the Supreme Court. What was all that noise about being "home of the brave and in the land of the free?" Oh, we only bring that up right before launching one of our illegal wars, my bad. There is no logical reason gays should not be able to screw up their lives via marriage just like so called straight people do. I don't give a shit about who loves who or a "committed relationship" (whatever that's supposed to mean). Relationships ebb and flow, grow and change through time and splitting up should be easy as well. I care most about something lacking here and that's equal protection under the law. If two dudes living together want to adopt a kid and can handle the responsibility, why not? If a woman wants her life long partner to be there for a life and death decision in the hospital, who the fuck gives the hospital even the option to say no because they are not a "spouse" I'm sure there are more examples but these two come to mind. Now here comes the funny part. Are you ready? 

This homophobia comes from those who claim there is too much government in our lives. These are the same people that need a defib every time "Obama Care" is mentioned. They're too ill informed to understand that this only reinforces the same business model of health care we now use. There are death panels as good Sarah told us but they are not what she thinks; rather they are the insurance companies killing us. On the business end  are the anti-regulation types who believe it is fine to let banks and other business crash the economy and fuck up the environment. "Get government out of the way!" Banks laundering drug money? Runaway climate change? Selling poisonous drugs or other products? Nope. Hands off government! We're not a bunch of socialists here. So why the logical disconnect? Easy religion.

No one ever accused religion of being logical and you KNOW I'm not about to start. The Catholic Church is against gays marrying? Given recent history (and long ago history) why dose it matter what they think? Raping kids during the week and telling me how to live a good moral life on Sunday is something I'm going to take a pass on. Sure sure the guy you see on Sunday has never done such a thing. But what does he know of such crimes and what has he done about it? Why is he a part of an intuition that has knowingly hid child rapists and worse sent them on their merry way to continue their hideous crimes. This is not a team I want to be on and that's for damn sure. I find most religions to be pretty much bat shit crazy (Consider this and this). But hey this is America and you have the right to cling to the illusion of freedom, even religious freedom. Religion, no matter the flavor, has no place in law making PERIOD. We're pretty fucked up here but at least we don't yet live under a theocracy (yet). Believe what you want; God, Jesus, Mohammed, tree ferries, good witches, bad witches, or that Elvis died for our sins but leave those who feel differently alone. If you are against gay marriage simply marry someone of the opposite sex and let it ride. And don't tell me that Bill and Ted getting married will fuck up your marriage. If that's the case you got much bigger problems. 

Next time- most likely gun nuts!                      

                

The Future Unveiled...

So what kind of narrative for the future do the previous readings unveil? Ugly.

Drone warfare is just getting started and the old rule book for when and how to fight wars has been tossed out. I have a few questions. So what happens when people here in the USA become targets? Will we quietly accept the blood money offered when the wrong people are killed along with promised through investigations that never seem to end in anyone being held accountable? When the first foreign drone srtike does occour or plain old fashoned terrorist attack unfolds will there really be people asking why on TV? Sure drones are cool and all but do leaders here thing the can go on being over used and misused without any repercussions here at home?

If you had any doubt that we do not live in a police state already, consider what happened to Chris Dorner. He's no hero but the cops turn out to be worse. He wasted people that had nothing to do with what happened to him. Five O decided he was not going to live and burned down the cabin he wa hiding out in via slick new toys from the military. Burn alive or put a bulet in my head, I'm not sure on this one but I think I'd go with plan B. And the cops get to call it a suicide! This is wrong on so many levels and in so many different ways, it is hard to know where to begin. Our so called free media did what the police wanted them to backing off coverage when they set the place on fire and for the most part gave Joe Public the police version of events. Real journalism is basically dead here in the USA. What we now get is the "official" version of events. Fabricating the news is the government's job and the media is just to repeat what they've been told.

Goldman Sachs really does run the world. So what does that mean for us? These guys (among others) have bought almost every so called democratic government in the world leaving the rest of us to live with decisions that help big finance and big finance only. They know the economy is winding down going hand in hand with resource depletement but rather than address the problems, we are putting down the accelerator on the way to civilization collapse. The Earth getting warmer? It pays! People dying from high food prices? It pays! Resource wars? More pay! It does not pay today to think about tomorrow.

Obama better than Bush? Not so fast. 

Readings 3.22.13

Steubenville Rape Culture, "Consent"

The Last Letter

The Shame of America's Gulag

Reinventing America

What We Did To Iraq

Costs of War

Costs of War

War on Youth

War on Youth 

Other projects calling.

Doing other projects. Check out lavackgroup.wordpress.com.

Readings 2.16.13

One day this week I want to explore the relationship between these articles. Things are not looking good. 

-P. 

U.N. expert launches investigation of drones, targeted killings

How Law Enforcement and Media Covered Up the Plan to Burn Christopher Dorner Alive

Gangster Bankers: Too Big to Jail

The NDAA and the Death of the Democratic State

Henry A. Giroux | The Shooting Gallery: Obama and the Vanishing Point of Democracy

Conflict in Business

It seems to me our entire culture is build on conflict; west and even more so here in the USA. The language of business is full of conflict as already pointed out, the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on terror (my fav) and so on and so on. What causes conflict? Real or imagined inequality. And here in the USA we grow more unequal by the day (if not the hour). It is a part of our business model; competition is good. The main process of getting a job, resumes, applications, interviews second interviews is utterly dehumanizing. Apply on line, email resumes, network and better maintain a happy positive attitude all the while is only the beginning. Once on the job, things pretty much remain the same. The less your income, skill level and perceived value the more dehumanization you face. People are more often treated like interchangeable parts than flesh and blood human beings. Many companies set competition within their ranks. Who can make the most sales, produce the most widgets and so on and so on. The argument being they produce more. What are the results withing a cooperative model? Has it even been tried? I'm sure it has somewhere and I would like to know the results. One cost of the ultra-competitive model cannot be directly measured in dollars but in plain old human suffering. This does effect the bottom line with people out from stress related illnesses, sabotage and in extreme cases, horrendous acts of violence. With a sharp focus on the bottom line, companies strive to be leaner and meaner, stress meaner. I think to nip conflict in the bud, will take a major change in our culture. I'm still hopeful it can happen.

Unpeople. Names of Children Killed in US Drone Strikes.

Unpeople. Names of Children Killed in US Drone Strikes. 

I cannot support a president or a government that allows this to continue...   

PAKISTAN

Name | Age | Gender

Noor Aziz | 8 | male

Abdul Wasit | 17 | male

Noor Syed | 8 | male

Wajid Noor | 9 | male

Syed Wali Shah | 7 | male

Ayeesha | 3 | female

Qari Alamzeb | 14| male

Shoaib | 8 | male

Hayatullah KhaMohammad | 16 | male

Tariq Aziz | 16 | male

Sanaullah Jan | 17 | male

Maezol Khan | 8 | female

Nasir Khan | male

Naeem Khan | male

Naeemullah | male

Mohammad Tahir | 16 | male

Azizul Wahab | 15 | male

Fazal Wahab | 16 | male

Ziauddin | 16 | male

Mohammad Yunus | 16 | male

Fazal Hakim | 19 | male

Ilyas | 13 | male

Sohail | 7 | male

Asadullah | 9 | male

khalilullah | 9 | male

Noor Mohammad | 8 | male

Khalid | 12 | male

Saifullah | 9 | male

Mashooq Jan | 15 | male

Nawab | 17 | male

Sultanat Khan | 16 | male

Ziaur Rahman | 13 | male

Noor Mohammad | 15 | male

Mohammad Yaas Khan | 16 | male

Qari Alamzeb | 14 | male

Ziaur Rahman | 17 | male

Abdullah | 18 | male

Ikramullah Zada | 17 | male

Inayatur Rehman | 16 | male

Shahbuddin | 15 | male

Yahya Khan | 16 |male

Rahatullah |17 | male

Mohammad Salim | 11 | male

Shahjehan | 15 | male

Gul Sher Khan | 15 | male

Bakht Muneer | 14 | male

Numair | 14 | male

Mashooq Khan | 16 | male

Ihsanullah | 16 | male

Luqman | 12 | male

Jannatullah | 13 | male

Ismail | 12 | male

Taseel Khan | 18 | male

Zaheeruddin | 16 | male

Qari Ishaq | 19 | male

Jamshed Khan | 14 | male

Alam Nabi | 11 | male

Qari Abdul Karim | 19 | male

Rahmatullah | 14 | male

Abdus Samad | 17 | male

Siraj | 16 | male

Saeedullah | 17 | male

Abdul Waris | 16 | male

Darvesh | 13 | male

Ameer Said | 15 | male

Shaukat | 14 | male

Inayatur Rahman | 17 | male

Salman | 12 | male

Fazal Wahab | 18 | male

Baacha Rahman | 13 | male

Wali-ur-Rahman | 17 | male

Iftikhar | 17 | male

Inayatullah | 15 | male

Mashooq Khan | 16 | male

Ihsanullah | 16 | male

Luqman | 12 | male

Jannatullah | 13 | male

Ismail | 12 | male

Abdul Waris | 16 | male

Darvesh | 13 | male

Ameer Said | 15 | male

Shaukat | 14 | male

Inayatur Rahman | 17 | male

Adnan | 16 | male

Najibullah | 13 | male

Naeemullah | 17 | male

Hizbullah | 10 | male

Kitab Gul | 12 | male

Wilayat Khan | 11 | male

Zabihullah | 16 | male

Shehzad Gul | 11 | male

Shabir | 15 | male

Qari Sharifullah | 17 | male

Shafiullah | 16 | male

Nimatullah | 14 | male

Shakirullah | 16 | male

Talha | 8 | male

YEMEN

Afrah Ali Mohammed Nasser | 9 | female

Zayda Ali Mohammed Nasser | 7 | female

Hoda Ali Mohammed Nasser | 5 | female

Sheikha Ali Mohammed Nasser | 4 | female

Ibrahim Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 13 | male

Asmaa Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 9 | male

Salma Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 4 | female

Fatima Abdullah Mokbel Salem Louqye | 3 | female

Khadije Ali Mokbel Louqye | 1 | female

Hanaa Ali Mokbel Louqye | 6 | female

Mohammed Ali Mokbel Salem Louqye | 4 | male

Jawass Mokbel Salem Louqye | 15 | female

Maryam Hussein Abdullah Awad | 2 | female

Shafiq Hussein Abdullah Awad | 1 | female

Sheikha Nasser Mahdi Ahmad Bouh | 3 | female

Maha Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 12 | male

Soumaya Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 9 | female

Shafika Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 4 | female

Shafiq Mohammed Saleh Mohammed | 2 | male

Mabrook Mouqbal Al Qadari | 13 | male

Daolah Nasser 10 years | 10 | female

AbedalGhani Mohammed Mabkhout | 12 | male

Abdel- Rahman Anwar al Awlaki | 16 | male

Abdel-Rahman al-Awlaki | 17 | male

Nasser Salim | 19

"Stop the world, I want to get off." Part I

Inactive Activism. 

A few thoughts. 

Is activism truly dead? We re-elect Obama and it seems far too many people think everything will be cool now. Occupy has all but disappeared with a few wonderful exceptions, Occupy Sandy and here locally, Occupy Greensboro's Energy Working Group are two that come to mind. Did the FBI destroy the movement or did it just run out of steam? It seems no where near as strong as it was in 2011- early 20012. The movement managed to change the national dialogue from one of austerity to addressing the concerns of the 99%. Obama caught on fast and co-opted the message of Occupy for his own political gain. Romney was not that sharp clinging to the losing strategy of no billionaire left behind.  Sadly, the billionaires still won. Everything is business as usual. 

This got me to thinking about different types of descent, actions and protests that are the most effective. I'm no expert, just a questioning kind of schmo. Speaking truth to power is a good start and that was in my opinion, one thing Occupy has done so well. Simply put "...they got bailed out, we got sold out." That's the easy part. The hard part is offering a workable alternative. Occupy did but the message was not put forward by the main stream media. Real change is not in their interest. If those of us who want things like the end of corporate personhood, the rotting out of our democracy by money, neo-liberalism and continued trashing of the environment; we are going to have to stop playing the game. 

Delegitimize it. Stop voting in rigged sham elections. Turn off the TV. Stop borrowing from banks. Walk the walk on fossil fuels. Stop buying stuff made over seas in unregulated dangerous sweat shops. We are addicted to our comfortable lifestyles and like any addict know the drug is bad for us but cannot stop ourselves. Yet at the same time wonder why change for the better seems only a far off illusion. But all is not hopeless. What is the first step? 

We admit we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable. 

I think we are only on step one. All along the political spectrum can agree thing are not going well. We come at problems form different narratives but at least recognize many of the same problems. We have to move beyond the narrow confines the current paradigm allows for. We have to conclude neither political party can save us and or bring on the massive change needed to avoid catastrophic loss of life here on Earth via climate change, deadly wars and slow violence. I think the only way forward is to stop playing this game of self-destructive addiction. We have to do more than demand change. We have to embody change. More on that soon.