Reconsidering The Topic Of Fake News

Here is an alternative point of view from a youtube channel titled, of all things, "Truthstreammedia" on the topic and scope of this FAKE NEWS bullshit. Take a look at the video. It's not that long. Is this report bullshit? Or do you think there's something to it?  Before you go here's a report from Boiling Frogs Post on the topic identifying those whose actively promote fake news with terrible consequences.

The freedom to criticize the government or perhaps some businesses may be rescinded if some kind of limitations on speech follow.  A case in point I found on AMTV. 

That's the danger.

Really! Do you need someone to explain things for you?

Are you that stupid?

Someone thinks you are not able to decide for yourself. Someone who wants to make sure the news says the 'right' thing.

Let me give you an example. If you learned that North Dakota had suffered from 85 pipeline failures in the past 20 years would you be persuaded that pipelines were necessary and above all safe?  It's true.  Since 1996 there have been 85 pipeline failures in North Dakota alone.  Ask yourself why it is the Water Protectors who are getting the heavy handed treatment? Come on. You know.  Talk about it with your friends and neighbors. Water is important, we can live without tar sand.

Fake News can consist of simply not reporting the news.  You did not know of the 85 pipeline accidents in North Dakota.  The Fake News did not inform you.   

Frankly I've been told the 'truth' by religions which turned out to be untrue and I've been told the 'truth' by governments that turned out to be untrue.

When it comes down to picking the right liar in order to find out what's going on it really improves your chances of becoming totally confused and easily manipulated. That's the purpose of FAKE NEWS.

As a result the best approach is don't start off as a believer. Begin the reading of the daily news with skepticism and make your own decision. That makes sense doesn't it? 

Another thing. Begin to question authority more frequently. In a republic like the U.S. the citizen is the boss the government always wants to alter that relationship.

One positive mental exercise is to trace back your opinions to their sources. What mental effect have accessing those sources of information had on you? 

Getting a grip on things like this can help you get back in charge of understanding information. You've got a brain, you've lived a life. You should be able to understand the news all by yourself.

There is more than one opinion on this topic of FAKE NEWS. The only one that matters is yours, because it is your opinion that makes your world. 

Don't let some jerk talk you out of having a good day.

Foreclosure On A Sunny Day (poetry and photography}

Foreclosure On A Sunny Day

a poem by David H. Roche

Foreclosure on a sunny day
a place no more my head to lay,
weary body, weary soul,
life indeed does take its toll.



Walking by the river deep
wishing for a place to sleep
I found a bed with cold water blankets 
to cover my head.

Now the dungeness nibble 
and sea lions thrash about
octopi gather 
plucking off my snout. 

I don't feel cold
the cold water blankets are warm,
tonight I sleep, 
but tomorrow no dawn.

Taking Stock: December 6th 2016 (life in these states)

I sat down to write a poem and ended up writing this.
___________________________________________
The 6th of December

Taking stock :
I think I can limit myself
to two cups of coffee a day
or none...I have plenty of hot chocolate.

It's the food I worry about, I have $60 left
and $50 of it is dedicated to cat supplies.
Tomorrow I will have $16 of food stamps.

I hope the canned beans and dried rice are on sale.
I have pasta and canned tomatoes in the cupboard
and a half a brick of pepper jack cheese and 9 eggs in the fridge. 

If i'm careful I can make it.
I think.
I'm afraid next month will be the same.

Requiem For Mother Earth (a video)

As most sane people know the earth as a living system, and those dependent on that living system are being systematically destroyed by those who place the value of the profit motive over the value of the principles that support life and well-being.   I made the video to respond to the systematic despoiling of the living environment by those for whom profit is the meaning of life. 

In a metaphorical sense those who destroy the earth for profit are motherfuckers.  Why is it these metaphorical motherfuckers are welcome in the offices of our elected representatives? If we could stop these motherfuckers from having influence with lawmakers we might be able to save Mom, the kids and the future. Does that sound like a good idea?  

If the problem of environmental collapse is real it seems that we can solve it easily by forbidding political intercourse between motherfuckers and lawmakers.   We can ban motherfuckers, or we can hire honest lawmakers.  Either of those solutions would offer an improvement over the present "drill baby drill" environment of the motherfuckers. 

Came across this news today.  In case you did not know North Dakota alone has had 85 pipeline accidents in the last 20 years.  About four a year.  So you can see the Water Protectors are not the troublemakers. 

Enjoy this old song.

Conspiracy Vault: the value of FAKE NEWS

Note: the statement attributed to Benjamin Franklin is not an exact quotation.  I thought it was when I discovered it.  However it is difficult to think he would disagree with the thought being the outright radical he was.

Conspiracy vault.  A collection of radio shows with conspiracy researcher Mae Brussell dealing with some of the more suspicious events in American history.  All of Maes work predates the Oklahoma City bombing. Her work, much of it, if not all of it was done before the days of the internet, is the result of painstaking decades and long hours of daily reading and filing and cross-referencing.  It's a treasure of information that you were not taught in most history classes. 

You'll find an assortment of conspiracies investigated dating from the murder of Abraham Lincoln to the Iran / Contra era of  political intrigue.  Produced by ConspiracyScope the Mae Brussell archive is home to 295 episodes.  This kind of information about forgotten events from the past is helpful for understanding what is happening today.  After all, the more things change the more they stay the same. 

After listening to a few of these programs you may find yourself spontaneously cursing at different times of the day for no apparent reason.  

If you're suspicious don't be afraid to speak up and above all don't be afraid of information.  Fake news is not a bad thing.  You don't have to approach the news as a believer, you have a brain.  It may turn out for the best to consider all news fake and make your own decisions.  Believers are wanted, even required, in a society such as American society.  Benjamin Franklin, one of the so called founding fathers, claimed it was the citizens first responsibility to question authority.  If you're a citizen believe nothing, question everything the government tells you.  It's what patriots and good citizens do.  When a government gets antsy when it's citizens begin to ask serious questions those citizens become in grave danger. But a good citizen will STEP OUT OF LINE and SPEAK HIS or HER mind.

Save Yourself

Save Yourself  click

The Wise and the Foolish: God bless the Water Protectors

The situation facing humanity is revealed in the following report by Amy Goodman.  It is followed up in this article by Chris Hedges.  The ability of the earth to keep us alive is under threat by corporate and capital interests which are making huge amounts of money from extracting the natural resources of the earth.  As it turns out we trusted our leaders, fell asleep and woke up in a god damned nightmare such as China finds itself in.

If staying alive and healthy is important to you speak up.  If you would like to save the earth from becoming a slag pile speak up. If you like fresh air speak up, if you like fresh water speak up.  Killing off the earth for profit is a crime against humanity and is the same as spitting in the face of God.


Chris Hedges at this link describes the apparatus supporting this all out attack on the environment. We the people which are inseparable from the environment are also in peril from the forces which are hell bent on extracting carbon from Mother Earth to burn. 12 million people die annually from environmental causes.  

Below is a video I made on the topic of capital and how it relates to the needs of humanity.  Christian literature addresses the problem in Revelation 11.  

Mankind's relationship to the earth is evidence of what he thinks of the God who made it.  

The answer to the question "Why?" is at this link.

U.S. To Become A Total Surveillance State On December First Unless You Speak Up

I made a picture about the Security State legislation which congress is about to mandate rendering all your personal communication open to the purview of the state. This will take place on December first unless the bozos in the legislative halls can be convinced it is not a good idea to spy on all of us in every area of our lives.

Here's the facts. 

if you don't like the prospect of total state surveillance, email someone, or call someone in the lawmaking business and bitch. Let-em know you don't like the idea. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden is against it too.  You can sign a petition here at this link.  

Total surveillance is an obscenity to the American spirit. Saying 'fuck you' to surveillance is a totally American response to the misappropriation of authority by the state. I suspect it is also a human response as well.

This phenomenon is not a purely American phenomenon.  What we are seeing is an international cabal of spies for whom the citizen is the target.This report from the UK reveals the claims the international state apparatus has on your individual thoughts and feelings and dreams knows no boundaries. The state possesses no couth.

The concern over 'fake news' is justified.  However I'm just as concerned about those who are supposed to be the ones who decide which is fake and which is not fake news.  It was the fake corporate news that lied us into the scenario of endless war as this Corbett Report reveals.

"Angst" an artist considers the thought of a Trump Presidency

Angst

How could a nation of otherwise sane and decent people elect this individual as their savior? The answer is the old maxim that the pen is mightier than the sword.  This is exactly the role the electronic disinformation outlets performed to promote the two most unsatisfactory candidates in American political history for the highest office in the land. Next time around remember they're telling you lies other people are paying them to tell and we can avoid this catastrophe. We're stuck with this guy and his entourage of nutcases now.  Between now and the next time we vote we must learn how to avoid being suckered by disinformation or we'll do it all over again.

Have a nice day and for God's sake wise up before you vote again.  By the way.  I voted for Jill Stein, the blood of this earth is not on my hands. 

Jesus save us!

Resist Environmental Pollution

Resist Environmental Pollution

Final Thoughts On Clinton And Trump: Good Luck America

The election of 2016 has been a rollercoaster ride of insults and corruption and displaced moral outrage. Much has been made of Trump's personality and his failures as a decent human being.  But little has been said substantially by the mainstream media about the corruption of Clinton and her relationship with her big dollar supporters.

Let's take one issue, the North Dakota pipeline and examine each candidates sentiments. The most significant issue facing mankind today is environmental protection from energy producing companies such as those involved with the construction of the pipeline. 

Trump's feelings on the pipeline are revealed in an article in the Guardian: 


"Trump’s financial disclosure forms show the Republican nominee has between $500,000 and $1m invested in Energy Transfer Partners, with a further $500,000 to $1m holding in Phillips 66, which will have a 25% stake in the Dakota Access project once completed."


Where a mans treasure is you will find his heart. With his heart set on producing a product which is certain to strike a blow to the bio systems which support and sustain life on earth we can dismiss Trump for those decisions alone. 

Now how about Clinton? Where can we expect Clinton's loyalties to lie when it comes to the pipeline? The website Common Dreams reports:

"Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton released a statement on Thursday about the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) fight—and it says "literally nothing.""


Those familiar with the track record of Clinton will see this as part of a pattern with her behavior. Traditionally Clinton has only sided with those who have been in power and making the decisions as this June 6, 2016 Salon article reveals.  Her association with the Bush cabal of (see Mother Jones article at link) neo-liberal advisers is something which should not be overlooked when assessing the impact her leadership will have on the nation and the future of the American people.

So we've come down to the end of the election propaganda season here and thanks to WikiLeaks and reporters like H.A. Goodman we have the straight dope on how to correctly assess the problems a Clinton Presidency would create for most of us in the country.  This segment titled: WIKILEAKS 1-30: Podesta's Devilish Spirit Cooking Dinner and Hillary's Faith in God and Bible"   

If you are not familiar with Hillary Clinton's religion here is an article that explains her faith and subsequent worldview.  She worships with a theocratic Christian group named "The Family".  As revealed in the Alternet article at the link.

What has this got to do with anything?  Well if memory serves me right it was George Bush's God that instructed him in the early years of this millennium to begin the wars that have laid waste to countless members of the human race and evoked feelings of hatred and division so great it has destroyed the soul of the nation. Like Bush, Clinton is also influenced by the teaching of the Methodists. Who will God tell her to attack? Is this what one nation under God means?

Interestingly enough people are already considering which are the areas into which war will be extended. 5 Places Where World War Three Could Break Out.  From what you know about Clinton what do you think her Presidency will look like?

I'll be voting for Jill Stein

If you're lucky enough to wake up in a state whose citizens have deemed themselves able to smoke marijuana without losing their minds you will be able to handle the weighty responsibility of dealing with a Trump or Clinton Presidency by following the advice of Bud the Woodland Gnome.  

The rest of you are just out of luck

Pot Is Fun

Be sure to obey all local regulations.

Marijuana once a topic of horror promoted by falsehoods provided by government and law enforcement has had a face change.  Today many states say marijuana is good for you.  On election day 9 more states will decide if their adult population can be trusted to use pot for fun as well as for health. The nice part is that it's the people who will be seizing this freedom back from the same hands that took it from them under false premises in the first place. 

We've come a long way since the Rockefeller laws.  But the fact that these laws have been used to destroy lives for the benefit of society shows us how pernicious, or just plain malicious and anti-human structures of authority and power can become if not kept on a short leash.

Maybe you'll wake up on November 9th a little more free than the day before. And if either the Republican or Democratic candidate becomes President you can get stoned and make the world go away.

Before and After (art and video)

As you know the viability of the earth has been placed in jeopardy by the financial interests of the world and their rapacious desire to extract the earths resources and turn them into consumer items.   At this link is a google search page listing state of the environment reports from multiple nations around the world. Read it and weep. These factors are inextricably linked in a cause and effect relationship at the present time.

All over the entire globe financial backed corporate interests are despoiling the environment and in many cases leaving it unsafe to live in.  Places like Flint Michigan and the jungles of Ecuador have had the quality of life removed.  In the case of Ecuador U.S. courts have agreed that Chevron has little legal responsibility for its actions.

12.6 million people die each year from the effects of their environment. 7 million people die prematurely annually from the effects of air pollution alone. These are deaths caused primarily by industrial activities.  If there were an enemy at war with us killing us off at this rate there would be an alarm raised and the nation would rise up to defeat the enemy. 

That of course is not the case.  We've been trained to trust our institutions so it is with great difficulty we begin to question their veracity.   

One of the most underreported events of this year is the attempt of Americans in North Dakota to keep their land and water in a condition that they can still use it.  

Democracy Now has been doing some first class reporting on this.  If not for their reporting the national discussion on this topic would be virtually absent.  Take a look at the reporting done by Democracy Now on this current attempt to take native land for the interests of capital.

My feeling is that this is a spiritual problem.  It is only a political problem because those in charge are spiritually bankrupt.  But primarily the problem, as I see it, resides in the hearts of the decision makers who have decided to do what they have done.

Well I made a video from some nature photography and art as a citizens complaint about the earth being laid to waste by corporate interests.  You can watch that below.

When you're done take a look at the safety record of pipelines since the beginning of the G.W. Bush administration.  If this track record does not make the pipelines seem as unfriendly interlopers in our environment you can probably never be convinced.  Read it and open your eyes.  Here's what the Keystone Pipeline has managed to ruin this year and it's not even finished.  Below is the video, it is not about the pipeline specifically but about the reasons it is being done. Our way of life is killing us. But we could change our minds if we wanted to. It's up to you. Enjoy my video.

In a sense God provided humanity with a garden and man is doing this to it.  I present this current condition of environmental devastation as evidence of contempt for the Creator. If this was an isolated incident it would not be much of a problem. But it is not an isolated incident it is global in scope and shows no signs of voluntarily ceasing. This means the earth and it's inhabitants are in for a real tough time due to the earth no longer being able to support life.  I guess this current state of affairs is part of what was included in the meaning of the 1960's corporate jingle 'Better Living Through Chemistry'.

 Benjamin Franklin's sentiments seem relevant at this period in history just as they did when he spoke them.

After posting the following news report showed up live from North Dakota.

Some Thoughts On The Election of 2016

The 2016 Presidential race has been an unprecedented insult to the American people.  Donald Trump the choice of Republicans has squeezed the pustule of bigotry and its contents have been smeared over the face of the land.  As an ironic side note I found that this years Republican Party Platform resembles the platform of the Know Nothing or American political party of the 1800's.  This is just another irony in the farce of the 2016 Presidential election. It's time for Common Sense.

Meanwhile the Democrats have provided us a candidate in Hillary Clinton who has the attitude that the average American cannot be told the truth but that large financial institutions can be told the truth.  

Donald Trump has said the election is rigged casting doubt on the integrity of the electoral process. The media is aghast that such a thought could be uttered. But former President Jimmy Carter has spoken about the form of democracy in the U.S. today and is reported on in this Salon article.  The former President is quoted as saying:   "America at the moment does not have a functioning democracy,"

Let that thought sink in.  

I am appalled at the audacity of the media and the political establishment in making the idea of a 'rigged' election seem like some kind of thing that should never cross the mind of an American.  

The sentiments of the founding fathers seem to have been dropped from the meaning and intent of the democratic process.  We are now asked by the media to trust the institutions rather than question them. 

What do you think of that twist to the meaning of a democratic society?  Do you really think these institutions can be trusted?  Why would the questioning of authority in a democratic society be seen as contrary to a government of the people? That's called a conundrum. 

There has been an observable bias against Donald Trump which even the so called liberal part of the mainstream media has made note of.  An Op-Ed in the  October 23, 2016 Los Angeles Times does a great job showing how this phenomenon is constructed. (note this is a right wing opinion and I do not regard myself as a right winger but I agree pretty much with this analysis)  

Now here is my personal take on the bias against Trump.  I think of him as a complete waste of natural resources such as food, air and water.  So I'm not defending his obscene assault on common human decency in this Presidential campaign.  Rather I see the bias against Trump as a smokescreen to hide the awful facts about Hillary Clinton and what future she will provide for America.

Why do I have this feeling?  For the following reason primarily. The emails released by Wikileaks have exposed her absolute contempt for the people she needs to vote for her and the coverage of this and what it means has been covered up in the 'moral outrage' over Donald Trumps sex life.  

Hillary Clinton defends the double standard she uses when speaking to elite donors and the way she speaks to the rest of us schmucks who vote.  She dissembles when she talks to the voter, she speaks the truth when she speaks to her donors. Here is a partial list of political donors to whom Hillary speaks without dissembling.    Do you see your name there?

The 'rigging' of an election can be done in many ways.  As political operatives become more amoral the ways in which deceit in the electoral process may be accomplished increases.  I believe we are witnessing that phenomenon this year.  Here's an analysis of the situation I find believable at Global Research.

This brings me back to former President Carter's thought that there is no functioning democracy in the U.S.  What do you think?  Should you say anything?  What happens if you don't?  What happens if you do?

After finishing the post about the media I got the following report from Democracy Now on government interference with reporting the news. The outcome is that the state offenders were made to pay a fine and the press was silenced by the attack on the reporters.  Is this the kind of democracy we want? Should we speak up? What will happen if we do? 

The Ecclesiastes 1 Poem

I like to write a poem this time of year that has something to do with the passing of seasons and the seasons of life. The Ecclesiastes 1 Poem is what I have this year.  If you are unfamiliar with the biblical book of Ecclesiastes clink the link in the last sentence. It's a great read as well as being an insightful look into human nature. 

As far as the poem goes I used an old picture as a backdrop. After finding myself awake in the wee wee hours I spoke the beginning of the poem into my recorder and picked up the thought after falling asleep and waking up.  It might change some, but I like it now.

Dangerous Ideas, Necessary Ideals

A long time ago in a society that no longer exists teenage school children were encouraged to read Henry Thoreau's essay "On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience."   (click link to hear essay read)

This article on the interdiction of WikiLeaks has arrived in the last few hours  I include the details as we know them here from the website Wired.  When secrets are revealed those in power often pee their pants and then they get angry and then there is.... 

We'll have to wait and see what comes next.

Children are no longer encouraged to allow themselves to be influenced by the ideals set forth in this purely American document. Not, at least, in the United States in which Thoreau's philosophy was conceived and where in the 1960's these words inspired people to stand up for the good and speak truth to the power brokers which had taken over society. 

The ideal of personal responsibility is alien to the children being taught citizenship in today's America. Children are taught to obey authority instead of questioning when it runs contrary to common humanist values.  As a result we get candidates for President who have no honor or values that resemble the good that is inside the human heart.

We are now facing a future in the U.S. and in the world in general of following leaders who have no legitimate moral compass.  One is an accused sexual predator who claims he is not a sexual predator and one is an outright liar who is proud of being a liar and all the success her lies have achieved for her personal life at the expense of 'we the people'. 

The duty of Civil Disobedience has never been greater than it is now.  Today the corporations of the earth are on the verge of killing the earth outright due to their business practices resulting in climate change.

One candidate denies that climate change is happening and the other supports the corporations whose livelihood depends on polluting the earth but tells 'we the people' the story the people want to hear. We, the general public, have come to characterize the New Testament notion of a people with 'itching ears'.  

At the rock bottom of this is an outright attack on democratic principles of government including the freedom of the press and the right to assemble.  Amy Goodman, one of a few journalists left reporting on important topics, has been arrested for going to a place where news was being made and reporting on it. 

Democracy is in peril in the U.S. when reporters are arrested to protect corporate interests and keep information from the people who will be adversely affected by corporate / state activities.

Today 'the good' is held in dishonor while liars and those accused of sexual predation are held up to be acclaimed as saviors of a truly lost populace. If the potential outcome of these two candidates is not averted the U.S. might just as well say good night.

I'll be voting for Jill Stein.  When Clinton becomes President the future which can be expected is revealed in this Corbett Report.   

The Clinton Emails

The U.S. is in the position of having two unsuitable candidates who want to run the nation.  Clinton of course will win the election, Trump has no chance whatsoever.  But Clinton will win because the media has taken up her cause.  

For example on the Google news feed this morning you would expect to see the top news story be the newly released Clinton emails.  Not so.  I had to search for it and then it came up.  I only knew to look because of TYT's reporting. (see video below) Ask yourself why Google news did not think the email caper was important enough to be a headline.

The Emails Hillary Clinton never wanted anyone to see have now been made public.  The emails reveal how little she cares about the working and middle classes.  She has nothing in common with them. She did praise the banks that destroyed the American Dream and now she wants them to help her when she become President.

TYT politics reporter Jordan Chariton recommended sharing the video so I am.  

Whether a Trump Presidency would be worse than a Clinton Presidency we will never know.  Clinton will be the next President and it will mean more of what G.W. Bush gave us and more of what Obama gave us.  


As we learned from the emails Clinton tells the public one thing and her corporate sponsors another thing and that is because she thinks the citizen is a problem when it comes to getting things done. In her point of view the government could be run a lot better if there was no citizen input from the lower classes.  Most of us are in that category.


I'll be voting for Jill Stein because the one who wins this election will be the President that finally sells the working men and women of the U.S. down the river or across the ocean. The American people have been offered no real choice by the official political parties. That in itself is a kick in the teeth to a populace that desperately needs social reform.