By now, the current state of affairs in the United States (and much of the developed world) is not difficult to describe. A criminal cabal of powerful individuals has colluded to act as a "giant vampire squid" (as Matt Taibbi would say) to suck as much wealth and power as possible (as if sucking the living blood off a body) in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the entire population, plunging millions of citizens into poverty and despair, spreading ignorance, and manipulating them through a massive amount of propaganda fed to them through the (corporatist) mainstream media.
They have done this by implementing a long-term plan that has been in effect for decades, whereas powerful elites bought off the entire U.S. government, which then proceeded to dismantle the regulatory infrastructure in order to allow the "vampire squid" to steal trillions of dollars in plain sight.
And for good measure, after having bought off the entire mainstream media in order to turn it into the most effective propaganda machine ever seen, this criminal cabal has used it to set the parameters within which debates, solutions, and "political realities" are to be defined.
Obama and the Democratic party, like obedient servants to this corrupt (and artificial) system, have chosen to acquiesced to this "political reality." The question is, are you going to do the same? If so, we are doomed!
It's difficult to be more emphatic in the description of the rampant criminality at the highest levels of government and industry, which has been responsible for indescribable harm to the people of this country (and many other countries).
They have "raped" the country through elaborate ponzi schemes (implemented by Wall Street and others), and have caused untold misery upon millions and millions of people. This situation in turn has put an unbearable amount of pressure (and stress) on the citizenry, which many times results in more and more incidents of emotional explosions (which result in suicides, depression, fear, and acts of aggression).
In the face of these facts (would love to hear someone dispute them), how is it possible that the entire country has not waken up in revolt against this ongoing rape? How is it that these bankers and their henchmen in government and Wall Street are not the little bit worried?
By now, in a normal situation where the citizenry is aware of what's going on, there should been a relentless and sustained wave of massive (powerful and scary-looking) protests across the country, and especially in Washington, D.C.
As in the past, that's what it would take to turn things around and save the middle class, restore the rule of law in this country, and revive this moribund democracy, which is now dying and transforming into a criminal Oligarchy.
You know it. You feel it. But you are afraid. You are overwhelmed with daily challenges, with surviving, paying the mortgage and/or rent, buying food, saving for retirement (if you can), taking care of the kids, trying to stay afloat. You see the growing number of homeless and you recoil in fear. In the back of your mind you just want to make sure that never happens to you.
Fear is what keeps you from engaging in a more forceful effort to save this democracy, to do what it takes to turn things around. And that's just the way the ruling elites and their henchmen in government and Wall Street, want it.
They want to keep you afraid, confused, paralyzed, so they can keep robbing you, exploiting you, manipulating you.
Until the entire government is forced to deal with the result of a massive (well-organized, coordinated, and relentless) protest campaign (and activism) coming from the grass-roots, things are going to get worse and worse for the average person.
We are well beyond the issue of Republican vs. Democrats. You have to understand and realize that the leadership of both major political parties are under the control of corporatist interests, and those interests are contrary to your own interests.
The choice people have is whether to wait for the demise of the democracy, as they are enslaved further, or whether they are going to raise up and act against this oppression.
Pragmatists are hoping that the economy will recover (even if slowly), and that a second Obama term will allow him to move progressive agenda forward. They are hoping that there will be an electorate backlash against Republican overreach (in states like Florida, New Jersey, Wisconsin), and that that will lead to Democratic majorities in 2012 which will allow Obama to do the right thing when it comes to jobs, social safety net, etc.
Just like when a frog is boiled to death slowly (and just sits there while it happens), the citizenry has been subjected to an increased level of (economic) oppression and exploitation, and this has resulted in creating a political framework whereas the goal post has (radically) moved to the right, and hence a tiny little bit of a change to the left is seen as "progress" within the current "political reality."
Enough! Wasn't it Obama who used that term during the election?
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