What pains me the most is to see how many people of good will are still holding on to the notion that the Democratic party could still be a viable instrument to help bring about a sane and just society. Folks, it's too late for that. I'm not giving up on the concept of democracy, and the constitution, and human rights, and individual freedom, and peaceful protest, but when it comes to institutional power, the corporatist takeover has already been accomplished, and now what you are going to see is an ever faster consolidation of power in order to strengthen the corporatist police state.
This is not science fiction anymore, or political fringe theories: It's here now, and you are living under it.
You may think, "but wait, later today I'll be getting energized and hopeful by watching Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, or listening to Thom Hartmann on Air America." Or you may find some comfort in communicating with other like-minded people wanting to make a difference, or you may even be a member of an progressive-minded organization, and that may give you some hope.
That's all good, but until you fully accept the fact that we are now (right now as you read this) living under an actual corporatist police state, and that both major political parties are under its control, you won't be able to understand the type of actions that are going to be necessary in order to turn things around.
First understand (the obvious): The entire U.S. government, including the two major political parties are under the control of their corporate funders. This is very important. If you think that it is not, I believe you are deluding yourself.
The entire mainstream media, including so-called liberal and/or progressive stations like MSNBC, and Air America, are under the control of corporatist interests, and are not capable of providing legitimate progressive-minded programming.
Let me clarify something about this: I have the highest respect for people like Rachel Maddow, and Thom Hartmann, Randi Rhodes, and many other liberal broadcasters. I do think that they have their hearts and minds in the right place. However, their livelihoods depend on their corporate overlords, and therefore they don't have the tools necessary to be a genuine and legitimate agent of change.
Today, like every other day, Rachel, and Lawrence, et al, will be mainly following their corporate overlords programming formula: Talk about how "evil" and "dumb" this or that member of the Republican party (and occasionally, the Democratic party as well) are. They'll talk about Sarah, and Pawlenty, and Santorum, and Paul Revere, etc.
You will be nodding your head in agreement, feeling smart and encouraged by knowing that Rachel and Lawrence agree with you on many of these inane issues.
But you will never hear Rachel or Lawrance talk about really important issues, like really digging into what their parent companies, Comcast, GE, etc., are up to. How their influence is corrupting Washington. What type of corporatist right wing organizations they are supporting. How they are profiting from exploiting the citizenry.
Understand this: There are things happening every second of the day, and many of those things are incredibly important and have huge impact on your life. Most of what you see on a daily basis on TV, or hear on the Radio, not only doesn't cover those things, it is actually designed that way.
In the meantime you are being controlled and manipulated to a degree that the average person could never being to understand.
The neo-fascist corporatist state has been putting into place a highly effective repressive regime under the veneer of security on the one hand, and technological advancement that are purportedly good for you.
Constitutional protections have been gutted.
Almost every single technological tool you are using is being used by the corporatist police state to enslave you. Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, etc., Yahoo mail, etc., by themselves are just technology tools and services, and are not inherently bad. But the problem is that with your acquiescence (even if you don't know it), they are mainly being used to enslave you further and further.
It's like a drug. These tools are put out there, and because of their convenience, and because they fulfill one of human beings strongest desires (connect with other, validation), millions and millions of people open themselves up and share all kinds of thoughts, photos, content, views, likes, dislikes, etc.
In the meantime, "somebody" is collecting every single piece of data being generated by you, and in turn that information is being sent up to the corporate masters, and to the government.
This information in turn is used to control you. Say something "wrong", and you are blacklisted from employment. Express a strong political view, and you are branded as a potential radical (or worst).
When you see how other people are punished (by not being able to get a job, or by being targeted for investigation, etc.), then that alters your views and your behavior, and little by little it makes you fall in line with the corporatist state precepts.
Then the margin within which you can act as a citizen, or protest, or challenge the corruption and the oppression, keeps getting smaller and smaller, aided by the constant barrage of propaganda you are being subjected to every day through the mainstream media in the U.S.
Having written all this, I'm actually not frustrated or angry, or scared. From an anthropological point of view, to me, it's fascinating and liberating to be aware of these things. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in being able to understand how this corporate police state is being put together, and how it works.
The reason for that is because one of its main objectives is to remain hidden from view. That's the point.