The American Spirit - Stolen While We Slept

America was not a unique idea. Greece and Rome were notable members of history founded and/or shared many of the same values and ideals as us. They, like us, lost sight of those ideals. Human greed and lust replaced decency and hope. Sometimes, the mobs would rise up and revolt. These revolts were either crushed outright or they were distracted by foreign wars or entertainment. The average citizen usually had no clue what was going on in the capital.

When we study other histories, those of our enemies, we hear all about the propaganda their government spread. We hear about Hitler telling his people that Germany was crushing the allies even when we were at the doorstep to Berlin. We hear about Japan telling it's citizens the same thing and how Americans were going to rape and kill all of them. We learn of this and think to ourselves - how dumb can these people be? Can't they see what's happening? Even today we hear of tyrants killing their opposition and thank God such things don't happen here.

We listen to the radio and television programs where respected journalists report on the latest "nut job" conspiracy theorists and then laugh along with them. We don't question, we don't look, we don't see. We accept, without question that such things couldn't happen here. We know that our government is the one government in history not to lie and deceive its people. Someone says a building can't just fall down like that, that it looks like demolition. We think to ourselves - ya know, it does! But alas, there is an expert standing by to explain it away and that is good enough for us. We wait to pounce on the next person to challenge the official story as we are well armed with the education of the television. We have accepted, without question, the word of someone we don't even know. We don't bother to look up his or her credentials, affiliations or anything else. The reporter said he or she was honest and that is good enough. Some of us may even still be awake enough to say - if the government was telling them what to say, it seems someone from the government, eventually, would step forward and tell. Then an official White House press secretary does exactly that. No worries though. Soon enough someone will have a good explanation for that as well. Another "nut job" says - we are making anthrax in an Army lab here in America and using it on ourselves to promote the "terror" message. Again, we laugh along with our favorite radio guy and forget the whole thing. A few years pass and whata ya know -some scientist at the very same Army lab is accused of producing and distributing the anthrax. Again, no worries. Before any questions can be asked he kills himself. Never mind the nut job that told us this years ago.

We have other nuts come along and tell us that the central bank - aka The Federal Reserve is the cause for economic problems - that the bankers are calling the shots. Thank God our favorite TV reporter tells us this is ridiculous. We don't even take the time to learn that the Federal Reserve isn't federal at all. Nevermind that a private company has total control of our economy. Nevermind that somehow the richest 1% control more than 60% of the total money in America. Never mind that we choose a system that places interest on every dollar we print. Never mind that we went off the gold standard and went to a total credit standard. It doesn't even mater that the very president that signed it into law says it was a terrible mistake. It doesn't matter that the senator that debated against it and warned of all these downfalls had to survive two assassination attempts.

We live in a democracy! No wait, it's a republic. No wait again, we practice capitalism. Which is it? Well, we vote but our votes don't choose the president. The Electoral College system does. Who gets nominated and how? A group of chosen people, each with a different portion of voting power, decide this for us. Oh, but of course we vote for them then, right? No we don't. Never mind that though, we the people still call the shots. Our officials have to answer to us! Let's see if that is true. When Bush was told to - wait, asked by congress to testify about 9/11 and the Iraq war, he agreed. But there were conditions.

1. I won't testify under oath (why not)
2. You can't make a record of what I say (why not)
3. And the VP has to be there at the same time (why)

Okay, so we don't call the shots. Our officials do not have to be elected by us, they don't have to answer to us and that is still okay. It is okay because we still have rights. We can't just be arrested for any reason; we have a right to trial and a lawyer! Oh,wait a second again. The Patriot Act took that away from us. We may be terrorists and then we have none of those rights. Terrorists like the mom who disciplined her child on a flight recently. Clearly she was a terrorist and should have no rights.

Still we sleep. Our guy on the TV says everything will be okay. This is ALL just coincidence. Besides, didn't you hear about what's happening on your favorite reality show tonight? Watch American Idol and let "us" worry for you.

After all, not everything we say is a lie. For instance, we did find the chemical weapons stash in Iraq. We just didn't mention it because it had made in America on the side of it. Never mind the soldier that came forward and reported this - he's just one of those nut jobs and don't worry about verifying his record to see he was indeed there and don't bother to remember that we did supply Saddam with weapons to use against Iran.

Don't bother to think about Afghanistan either. Just because Conoco/Philips wanted to put an oil pipeline through there and plans were drawn up on how to control that territory before 9/11 is just coincidence.

Don't pay attention to those falling education standards either. Remember, we put The No Child Left Behind Act in place for you! So if the schools don't tell students exactly what we want them to know, we will just rid ourselves of that school. Now, now, you aren't going to lose your child's school. We both know that they will just fire the troublesome teacher and get their funding, don't we. As for the continuing trend of terrible grades and falling behind the rest of the world at an alarming rate - well that means you are a bad parent. It is only coincidence that our policy and this trend follow the same lines. Besides, we also both know you are just going to grab some chips, turn on the tube and forget the whole thing. Don't forget that we have more people in jail here both per capita and in overall numbers than any other place on earth. This is the land of the free - for those who comply. You do want to stay free, don't you?

So, what about jails and prisons. Why ARE so many in the land of the free not free at all? For some, it is because they are bad people that did bad things but not all. Let's suppose you have a starving family and you try everything else and then break the law. You are a criminal, but you aren't a bad person. Suppose you've been beaten by your husband and finally defend yourself and he dies. Sure, you should have just left or called the cops but we all live in different circumstances and it is arrogance and ignorance that makes us as judgment. In any case, you broke the law but you aren't a bad person. Most people aren't "bad" but find themselves in various circumstances that lead to one thing or another. We define adult hood as 18 because we feel children are incapable of making rational decisions and yet, we will take a child to trial AS an adult. Then, the NOT bad person goes to prison. There, they become a bad person as a matter of system. Imagine you are a white male with no violent tendencies, no racial feelings and generally get along great with everyone. Now you're in prison. From the start you have to make tough choices. Do you accept the offer to join your fellow white guys or rather gang? Do you reject them and get beaten or killed by them or someone in a rival race gang? If you do join them, you will soon be asked to prove yourself by attacking or maybe killing an opposing gang member. Why? No real reason at all. This scenario is not only happening every day, but it is a matter of fact and habit. Now, if you do make it out without a life sentence for murder and without being killed yourself, what is waiting for you? Nothing much at all. Every day, more and more employers are requiring background checks. If you're a felon, you won't be hired or likely even interviewed. They won't say that this is the reason why, they will just say you don't fit their criteria. We, of course, do not ALL believe that just because someone was in jail that they are worthless. So why do so many employers make this a requirement? They don't. Their insurance company does. It is only coincidence again that insurance companies have a large portion of the national wealth by the way. There you are, on the streets, hungry and homeless and you can't get a job. Do you starve? How will you pay your court fines? If you fail to pay them, you go back to jail. If you can't get a job, you go back to jail. If you can't get a residence, you go back to jail. How is one suppose to be a good citizen and survive in a capitalist society in they can't get a job? The whole thing sounds ridiculous and that's because it is. We are not governed by idiots so the whole thing must be intentional. Of course, this scenario only applies to the poor doesn't it? If one were wealthy, they wouldn't have been represented by an under qualified, underpaid and way over loaded public defender in the first place. Their fines would be paid and they would always have money and a house, wouldn't they. What you have to love about America is the equality. The guy without the money goes back to jail 2/3 of the time. Is it any wonder why? Seems that if someone were motivated to stop this, they would. It must be a question of motivation.

Let us examine that, loosely. Any military leader worth his or her salt will tell you that when you are faced with overwhelming opposition, you must divide if you wish to conquer. Divide and conquer. It is a common phrase around the world. It is clear to see that while the richest 1% and the government are a power to be reckoned with, we the people still overwhelmingly out number them. If, one day, the media and foreign wars are not sufficient to quell the mob (that's you and I), then what? Recently, former president Bush ordered some troops home to be used for crowd control. He saw that the tipping point may come soon. He planned to turn American troops on the American people. I know, I know - dismiss it, don't research it, but indulge me if you will. So how do we go about dividing then? It begins quite naturally doesn't it? We are born male or female, black or white, big or small, etc. Then we divide further from there. We may be smart, average, challenged. We may be an athlete or a musician or a punk. We may be republican or democrat. We may be a conformist or a rebel, popular or a nerd. Further and further we divide. We are helped along by the television, magazines, music, and news and so on. Our "rebellious" music tells us punks to hate the rich, rebel against the system. Our rap tells us to hate authority, beat women and live like a thug. Our rock and roll tells us to live hard and die young. Television teaches us that scientists are plotting against us, smart people are geeks, and jocks are arrogant. We are sure to hear the latest news of a white and black man at odds. Anything and everything that can keep us from uniting. We are swamped with all the reasons we should not like one group or another. We are taught to think of each one of us as unique and special and different. The irony is this though. Our politicians all have that same look. The suit, the hair-do, the smooth shave. Our cops and other employees of the state where UNIFORMS. Our military boot camp is all about beating out your individualism. Don't worry, this is all coincidence. We seem to forget something key though. Something we have to go all the way back to the beginning to understand. Before we are boys or girls, tall or short - we are humans. All basically the same - not different. But that is a unification kind of thinking and we don't want that. When people speak of unity, true unity, they get killed don't they? Ask Jesus, Martin Luther King, John Lennon, JFK and many others. No, let's forget those messages. Instead, tune in at 11 for our breaking news coverage Obama's preacher promoting hate of whitey, followed by a special report on why all Arabs want to kill you and how evil those darn communists are. We will also examine why republicans and democrats are at odds over whether the color blue is cool or not. Enough with the not so funny humor. So what happens when and if we do unite? When this happened over 200 years ago, a revolution happened and such revolutions happen wherever people unite and are lead by the corrupt. When it happens in this country now, we raid and kill the group and claim they are "nut jobs". Waco, TX - here was a bunch of nuts for ya. These people thought that they could actually practice their faith! Can you believe that? They thought that they could rely on faith in God's will to heal the sick. Well, thank God we live in a country that doesn't believe in separation of church and state! How dare they practice faith in the founding religious principles of this country? At least we didn't kill them right? I mean they did commit suicide right? That proves they were nuts, right? Oh never you mind the clear video of the gas being thrown into the building nor the clear video of the tank spraying fire in the windows right after that. It had nothing to do with why the whole place went up in flames. This was of course just one incident. There have been plenty of domestic "terrorist" groups that felt they had the right to bear arms. Still other large religious gatherings that, luckily for all of us, decided for no good reason at all to just kill themselves in spite of their beliefs. So if any of you out there are thinking of a revolution, let me remind you that we are tapping phones, monitoring emails, tracking gun sales and ensuring that THIS regime stays in power. Besides, you know that it is unpatriotic to question your government don't you? You should by now because we have been blasting that message over TV and radio for years. Never you mind that the original, true patriots of this country questioned the government - that is all a coincidence. Don't let the fact that we raided, detained and arrested independent news journalists - without warrants in many cases to prevent them from being at the RNC and DNC. We will give you the news you need. Just because Comcast was caught filtering web content unknown to its subscribers and then paid bums on the street to fill all their seats at the FCC hearing and got caught - doesn't mean we are filtering what you get to see and hear. This, as you know, is merely coincidence.

The sad truth is that very few will ever read this. For those that do, the majority will dismiss all this as coincidence. They will debate it with great passion armed with all the knowledge that CNN and Fox have given us. We need not waste our time researching and learning. We choose to be ignorant. We choose to accept. The allied army is not at our door, the invading soldiers will rape and kill us all and all this rhetoric is just coincidence anyway. Things will be different now. This president is different. He doesn't lie. Okay so we did catch him in many lies during his campaign - but that was different, right? Money doesn't control the world anyway. It is only coincidence that the guy with the most money contributions won, usually does, and that the economic status in this country affected the entire world. Money and those that control it do not control the world - that is just the "nut jobs" again.

For those that care, begin asking questions if you haven't already. Spread the word and unite the people if you dare. For those that don't care, go back to sleep but don't be surprised when you wake up. But consider this. If you were to discover that any part of this writing is true, would that be acceptable to you? It likely would be and doesn't something in you say there is something REALLY wrong with that? I believe we may be the last generation that is still awake enough and remember enough about our history to make a difference. If we do not, and we likely won't, then the idea of America is truly lost to history.

I won't leave this rant without offering a solution. I believe that we can make a difference. I believe we can affect change and that we can do it in a non violent or illegal manner. I propose the VOICE movement. Vote Out Incumbents, Change Everything. The basics are this: Forget the commercials, don't listen to the lies, and stop accepting the excuses. We must vote OUT of office those that fail to answer to us. Fix the schools, fix the economy, give us back our rights, fix the prisons, get rid of the central bank, etc or GET OUT. I know the next politician is going to lie to me, he is going to sell out, he is going to "play ball". We all know this to be true. So it doesn't matter if he is a better con man than the guy in the seat now. What matters is that the guy in seat now didn't do as we demanded. As we do this, those that have controlled the behind the scenes action for 20 years in office will be gone. The power base will be disrupted and maybe, just maybe, the few politicians that genuinely do want to make a better America - CAN. No more blaming the other party, no more blaming this guy or that guy. The message needs to be, bend to the will of the people, as you are sworn to do or just go away. If you want to know more about this movement or how to help, contact me here on Associated Content.