In Life and Death moments fight the puppeteer
But the one who treats you like the puppet
There are wars going on. A major nuclear power has been a major aggressor in one of them. That war started in 2014 but expanded massively this year. We’ve been countering it, sending aid to Ukraine. The most recent ex-president blocked that aid illegally, aid to defend against Russian aggression. He did this in pursuit of a reelection campaign advantage. Trump before country.
He loves himself so much he aches for his touch.
It’s been the deadliest touch anyone alive today has seen.
And the response we get from one Texas Senator? Ted Cruz verbally attacks Elmo the Muppet because he pretended to get a vaccine so young kids wouldn’t be afraid of getting a shot.
This is considered adult behavior in 2022. Not by me.
The Elmo public service advertisement was produced in partnership with the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Cruz was questioning the science. The point is fear. Fear the government . You know, the government of, by, and for us.
Hundreds of elected politicians have been appearing at rallies all over the country for the past 18 months, even in blue states, telling people the last presidential election was stolen. Stolen by all the Republican and Democratic poll workers across the country. Stolen by Republican and Democratic Secretaries of State. Stolen by judges appointed by Republicans and Democrats.
The point is fear. Fear the government . You know, the government of, by, and for us.
And fear Tickle Me Elmo.
Repetition is very effective propaganda. It worked in fascist Italy during the Depression. It worked in Nazi Germany then, too. And it’s working here now.
From US News and World Report yesterday:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Public schools in Texas would describe slavery to second graders as “involuntary relocation” under new social studies standards proposed to the state's education board.
A group of nine educators submitted the idea to the State Board of Education as part of Texas' efforts to develop new social studies curriculum, according to the Texas Tribune. The once-a-decade process updates what children learn in the state's nearly 8,900 public schools.
The board is considering curriculum changes one year after Texas passed a law to eliminate topics from schools that make students “feel discomfort.”
More:
Part of the proposed draft standards obtained by The Texas Tribune say students should “compare journeys to America, including voluntary Irish immigration and involuntary relocation of African people during colonial times.”
Texas' public education system has become heavily politicized in recent years, with lawmakers passing legislation to dictate how race and slavery should be taught in schools and conservative groups pouring large amounts of money into school board races.
This, too, is propaganda. Don’t fear government and all its middle class civil service workers who make it work so well. Don’t even fear the propaganda snake-oil sellers. Just learn to spot them. They’ve earned your ridicule and rejection and I’m a firm believer that we should pay people what they’ve earned.
Propagandists say people who talk about what people did 160 years ago are making kids feel guilty. They are not.
Propagandists say everyone ELSE (besides them) are out to get you! I’ve been looking high and low for these enemies of mine and frankly, I’m at a loss to find any among the ordinary people I encounter daily. No one is invading my home. No one is taking away my weaponry or threatening to. People opposed to fascists and neo-Nazis and bullies get called ‘antifa’ with a lot of alarm, but as near as I can tell, only one guy who called himself that has killed someone and he was killed a few days later. Anti-fascists are counter-protesters willing to take on the forces of fascism.
The Black people I know or have encountered have never threatened me in any way in my 50+ years of adulthood. I can qualify that by adding that I’ve rarely lived in big cities where gang violence is a thing. I’ve lived in two: North Portland, Oregon and certain areas of Sacramento. In areas where gangs are rampant, yeah, added precautions are necessary. But most Black people in most of the country have been very pleasant and neighborly. The propagandists will tell you a Black kid with Skittles is a threat to you. Black kids with toy guns are a threat. Black joggers are dangerous.
And when people in countries south of the United States decide to flee violence and oppression and can’t find an opportunity to live safely and earn a decent living, they sometimes try to move to the US. And yes, everyone knows we can’t afford to take in everyone. But they’re not coming here to get you. There are always a few exceptions but the rate of violence from those few is lower than the rates of violence from all the people already in the US.
Propagandists are out to get money and power and their message is the same as it’s always been: Fear, fear, fear, send me money, fear, fear, fear, vote for me, fear, fear, fear ooga-booga, lock up everyone who disagrees with me, fear, fear, fear, they’re going to rape your children.
P.T.Barnum said ‘there’s a sucker born every minute’ and propagandists target them. Nearly everyone has been a sucker before, suckered by a political propagandist, a retail ad, an employer or a romance gone bad. There’s no reason to feel guilty if you’ve fallen for somebody’s bullshit. But if you refuse to recognize your error and insist on repeating it, then yeah, the shame is on you. Grown ups understand this. People eager to destroy the advantages of being born here don’t.
They’ll happily turn over the country to a Mao, a Pol Pot, a Mussolini, a sharia law Prince, a Hitler, or a Putin. Just don’t say gay in a classroom, don’t remind anyone how horrific slavery was, convince yourself it’s okay if a President roots for the murder of his Vice-President and especially, don’t let a puppet tell a kid that vaccines save lives.
Just be a sucker.
Last Monday in Akron, Ohio, the police officers gave up their careers and maybe their freedom by committing murder. Everyone understands this doesn’t mean all cops are bad, but the ones who kill without flinching, or abuse their power with impunity, or extort money, etc, have no business being on a police force anywhere ever.
After they murdered him, or while he bled out, then they handcuffed him. Reports say he owned a gun, it was in his car, but it wasn’t in his hand. He had no police record. He was murdered for a traffic violation. Fearful, he tried to run from them, by car and on foot.
He wasn’t teaching anyone about racism or gay people. He wasn’t trying to steal an election that he lost 2 years ago or have a Vice President hung. He wasn’t performing abortions or running a pedophile ring. He died because he was Black. Maybe he was carrying Skittles or a Tickle Me Elmo doll, I don’t know.
Per Ben Blanchet at Huffpost:
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, in a press release earlier this week, announced Walker’s death was a homicide and he died from gunshot wounds.
And if you don’t feel awful about his murder, you stand for nothing. No Christ, no God, no country, no functional moral value system.
Americans fought King George for independence. Americans helped defeat Kaiser Wilhelm II and the military dictatorship in Germany of WWI. Americans helped defeat Hitler and Hirohito. And they defeated the traitorous Americans who started a war in defense of their right to own Black people that some also tortured and killed.
There are Americans without conscience today who will be remembered by historians for being suckers, racists and/or fascists. Nobody will miss them. The families of some will repudiate them and wonder how they became so gutless and ignorant and even evil. The devil doesn’t make them do it. They’re adults and make their own choices.
They dishonor millions of Americans who fought for their rights as human beings and fought to protect the innocent. Choose your battles. Don’t kid yourself about what side you’re on. Most -MOST- people will know who stood for honor and courage and who surrendered the best aspects of these United States.
Or you can be the classless clown that challenged a puppet and lost.