Presentation vs. Substantive Reality: Is What You See What It Is?

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. The bamboozle has captured us. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”—Carl Sagan, American Author and Astronomer

Who fought in the French and Indian War? In which month do the Germans celebrate Oktoberfest? In which country are Panama hats made? How long did the Hundred Year's War last? Things aren't always what they seem to be; hence the title of this article. The French and Indian War was fought between the French and the British; Oktoberfest is celebrated from the end of September to the beginning of October; Panama hats are made in Ecuador.; and the Hundred Years' War lasted from 1337-1453 (116 years). On the surface, the answers to these questions were seemingly obvious, but they weren't. It seems as though the title (the presentation) and the action (the substantive reality) were diametrically opposed one to another. It kind of gives credence to the popular Mark Twain quote that "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities, truth isn't." Keep in mind that just because you hear quacking, see feathers and webbed prints on the ground, doesn't mean that there is a duck there now. Could be a nearby duck hunter with a duck calling device around who scared all of the ducks away. So please, whatever you do, ask questions, investigate and find out the truth for yourself in all matters. People and technology can make anything seem real.

Question: If Al Jolson robbed America, and an African American male committed the same crime, would America be equally as outraged? George Bush has signed into law some of the most troubling legislation in the history of this nation, i.e. the Patriot Acts and the warrantless spying/eavesdropping. Some people expressed great displeasure at these and other acts of the President. If President-Elect Barack Obama promotes some of the same types of polices that Americans didn’t support under the Bush Administration, will Democrats, and more specifically African Americans be equally as outraged? “Change we can believe in” and “Yes we can” are some of the slogans that still resonate weeks after President-Elect Barack Obama handily dismantled his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain. Even MSNBC has a commercial that has employed the “Change” mantra. But what kind of change do we expect to see, and what kind of change will we get?

Now, I am not trying to beat up the President-Elect before he formally gets sworn in and takes office, but he was the one that purported the consistent message of “change.” So he set the bar, not me. “Change” was his main campaign slogan, it connected with the people, and the people positively responded to that message. I am trying to understand how his message squares with his actions during and after the election. My main contention and prediction in all of this is that nothing much will change. Here is a good example of what I mean: taxes and government spending. When the Democrats want to fund programs, they just raise your taxes and spend the money. When the Republicans want to fund their programs, they lower taxes, which is a good public relations move. But what the Republicans don’t tell us is that they will sell bonds to the Federal Reserve, which means that the American people will have to pay that money back plus interest through taxes to the private Federal Reserve. It’s a sleight of hand trick, and in both instances the American people are left holding the bag. But I will give the Democrats credit, at least they rob us straight up and we know that we have been violated. The Republicans give the American people red roses, get us drunk, and the American people wake up sometime later not realizing what happened. But the end result is the same: more money out of our pockets.

As far as change goes, here is a list of concerns that I have, and you should too. President-Elect Barack Obama:

• Promotes a redistribution of wealth philosophy.
• Promotes the possibility of an on-going and expanded war, which was never constitutionally declared.
• He is a member of the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations). A think tank that prides itself on abolishing the nation-state as we know it to make way for a new world governance structure from the international level.
• He was a strong supporter of the banker bailout and more government intervention in the financial markets.
• His main advisor is a perennial Washington insider: Zbigniew Brezinski, thought to be the creator of Al-Qaeda under the Carter Administration.
• He is appointing recycled Clinton Administration operatives to key positions, while he chants “change.”
• Received a majority of the banker’s financial support during the election. Follow the money!!!! Bankers don’t want change, they want dollars. Case in point, the bailout.
• Will leave the Unconstitutional Executive orders of previous administrations in tact, and may possibly use them, i.e., free-speech zones, John Warner Defense Authorization Act, and the Patriot Act.
• Will continue increased government spending.
• Has the ability to repeal much of what George Bush did since he has a nearly filabuster-proof Legislative Branch, but it doesn’t seem as though he is chanting “change” as far as that is concerned.
• Will continue warrantless eavesdropping and cameras on the street to spy on American citizens: a total disregard for a right to privacy as an over-exaggerated war on terrorism is still being fought.
• Promotes national compulsory service.
• Has the support of communist leader Raila Odinga. If a communist embraces you, then that is definitely a red flag.
• Has voiced anti second Amendment rhetoric.
• He is Pro abortion and in favor of carbon taxes.

If it was bad for Bush to do any of these things, and the Democrats complained, then it’s equally as bad for Barack Obama and the Democrats to allow any of this to continue. But I anticipate that the mainstream media will play the race card here. But America shouldn’t fall for it. In some instances, I can see Obama continuing some of the bad practices of the Bush Administration, the people will complain and the media will vilify those people and claim that they are racists. I hope that I am wrong, but I can see that scenario unfolding.

During the 2006 mid-term elections, the people were very upset with the Republican Executive and Legislative branches. The people voted the majority of the Republicans in Congress out, and I told my Democratic friends before the election that Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic majority would do nothing to overturn what Bush did. They all looked at me like I had 22 eyes, but I was right. The Democrats did nothing but stonewall and rationalize things away with that pathetic rhetoric about things take time to change. This is true, but the Democrats have changed very little since 2006 after they screamed bloody murder about things like the Patriot Act, and increased government spending.

See folks, our attention has been diverted away from real issues, while the politicians and bankers are bailing out their buddies with our money, and chanting “change.” Seems like another Bush bailed out his son and buddies too, back in the 1980’s. But this goes beyond partisan politics, because the President-Elect wholeheartedly supported this bailout, not once, but twice. Honestly, nothing will change unless YOU change. The status quo is what makes our politicians strong, but it keeps YOU down and dependent on them. Your party affiliation, gender, age, race, sexual orientation, profession, location are all irrelevant when it comes to making a change and standing up for the truth. To the African Americans and the Hispanics: the white man is not your problem. To the Caucasians: the people of color are not destroying this nation and bringing down the standard of living in the USA. To all of you, I say: the problem is that YOU are letting the bureaucrats on the local, state and federal levels have their way with YOU, with no regard for Truth, patriotism or the Bill of Rights. But remember, it starts with YOU. The politicians are like dogs and children: they only do what YOU allow them to do. Don’t forget what they did during their term when they are campaigning for re-election. They count on your forgiving heart and forgetful mind. YOU need to come out of this mindset and hold these people accountable. The two-party system won’t help us; this system is precisely what got us into the mess that we currently have. YOU have to want better for YOURSELF, YOUR community and YOUR nation. I don’t care what any politician says, if YOU would only realize how powerful YOU are, OUR political woes would be over in a very short period of time.

What can YOU do today to begin fixing this political mess? Well don’t be like the phony liberals and conservatives who just cheerlead for their party and sell their souls at election time by voting for the lesser of two evils. This is mindless buffoonery that causes good people to look the other way while the looting occurs. Get out of the phony left/right debate; those who are stuck there are not informed. They have memorized the talking points of their favorite TV and radio personality to sound informed to unsuspecting people. YOU must get educated and find out what is really going on. I’m not talking about listening to the fallacious mainstream media. If you don’t know where YOU are, then how can YOU know how to get where YOU need to go? Turn off the television and read the Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, this will help you to understand that America is off course. We were not established to be a communist/socialist nation, but progressively we have arrived here. Read the US Bill of Rights, and the US Declaration of Independence and see why this nation was formed and what made the colonists sever ties with the British Crown. Read 1 Samuel Chapter 8 to see that God wants to establish righteous rule in the land, but he can’t override YOUR will. YOUR mind has to change about governance. Get out of the black and white race issue; that is only a manifestation of the spiritual problems that we are facing. I have not asked YOU to do a lot, I am simply asking YOU to love YOURSELF and YOUR family and friends enough to investigate what I am saying. If I am correct, then YOU and I have a lot of work to do informing others. If I am wrong, then enjoy watching American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy, and the Dallas Cowboys lose every game for the rest of the season. Live well!!!!!!