Super Money!

I have no idea what to make of this, but the Federal Reserve System has released Comic Books to tell the fascinating tale of how money works. Kids - Hold on to your hats and by prepared to be entertained by titles such as The Story of Inflation, The Story of Checks and Electronic Payments, and Once upon a Dime. The best part, they are free. I personally couldn't click the 'order' button fast enough. (link)

The Mockingbird's Song

Here is a passage I read last night from Mark Twain's 'The Mysterious Stranger' where the character of Satan is talking about the susceptibility of people, war and the 'minority' that call for it:

"Oh, it's true. I know your race. It is made up of sheep. It is governed by minorities, seldom or never by majorities. It suppresses its feelings and its beliefs and follows the handful that makes the most noise. [...]

"There has never been a just one, never an honorable one--on the part of the instigator of the war. I can see a million years ahead, and this rule will never change in so many as half a dozen instances. The loud little handful--as usual--will shout for the war. The pulpit will-- warily and cautiously--object--at first; the great, big, dull bulk of the nation will rub its sleepy eyes and try to make out why there should be a war, and will say, earnestly and indignantly, "It is unjust and dishonorable, and there is no necessity for it." Then the handful will shout louder. A few fair men on the other side will argue and reason against the war with speech and pen, and at first will have a hearing and be applauded; but it will not last long; those others will outshout them, and presently the anti-war audiences will thin out and lose popularity. Before long you will see this curious thing: the speakers stoned from the platform, and free speech strangled by hordes of furious men who in their secret hearts are still at one with those stoned speakers--as earlier-- but do not dare to say so. And now the whole nation--pulpit and all-- will take up the war-cry, and shout itself hoarse, and mob any honest man who ventures to open his mouth; and presently such mouths will cease to open. Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception."

He pretty well sums up the topic of war in my opinion and the current world situation where the gallant and loving knight of US of A dupes it's own people into believing the lie of spreading freedom and democracy while killing, maiming and destroying innocents their land and culture. Fear drives us. The "conscience-soothing falsities" and ignorance drives us to believe and support statements like the one made about the suicide of three prisoners at the Guantanomo Bay prison camp. A statement that I think pulls down the 'Mask of Sanity' and shows the true psychopathic nature of those in charge of the military and government - the minority. Blame those you have wronged with the charge of which you have committed.

(Here) "They hung themselves with fabricated nooses made out of clothes and bed sheets," Navy Rear-Admiral Harry Harris, the base commander, said. "They have no regard for human life, neither ours nor their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation but an act of asymmetric warfare against us."

Unbelievable!!! Actually, not anymore for me. Although this statement was made about the suicides that took place in Cuba against individuals that have not been proven guilty of anything, have been held for four years without a trial and probably have little if any hope of ever leaving the place, I think we might want to look at the good Admiral and General's comments as applying to our strategy in Iraq. What the unprovoke invader that doesn't give two Sh**ts about following any international law set down since WWII (that would be the US) does is they basically strangle any hope of life out of a country and hold the people and culture hostage and torture them into submission and destruction. If you were in Iraq or Gitmo what would you feel? Desperation seems to be a good word for it. If you were a member of the community in Haditha (and other locations where similar atrocities have taken place not mentioned or covered by our media) where the Marines went crazy and killed innocent women and children performing the Iraqi version of Vietnam's My Lai, how would you act and feel? "Asymmetric warfare" - this is the US's deed, not the other way around.

(Here) "Despite articles written by defence attorneys and young translators arguing the contrary, these are, in fact, dangerous men in our custody. Make no mistake about it - we are keeping enemies of our nation off the battlefield. This is an enormous challenge. These terrorists are not represented by any nation or government. They do not adhere to the rules of war."

Rules of war. What a joke, when you make the rules up as you go. We are yet to see any proof that these are dangerous, terrorists. 4 years - I don't think proof of this will ever come out. And if statements and confessions made by these individuals does come out of the Gitmo Prison Camp, what good are they? If I was being tortured and told to confess for something I didn't do, I'd sing the song they wanted. Just ask John McCain, James Stockdale, and other Vietnam POWs I heard speak at what is called the Forrestal Lecture Series at the US Naval Academy for leadership development and/or read about in ethics classes. They sang and I naively held on to the fantasy that we would never torture, have never done this. That the US held the standard. That we were and are good. The US condemned Vietnam and condemned that torture. Now we practice it openly in the name of fighting some illusory enemy, a myth, while believing the lies and song of the minority.

Here is one brave and honorable individual that isn't swayed by the song:
"Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 7th U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada will become the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to the unlawful Iraq war and occupation. He will announce his intention to disobey the illegal order to deploy to Iraq in coordinated press conferences in Tacoma, Washington and Honolulu, Hawaii."

Last night I was trying to sleep and thinking about all of the above when a very loud bird across the street started to sing. Changing the tune rapidly and repeatedly. Calling out as if to sway other species of birds that it is one of them. This was the mockingbird and if you've ever had one outside your window when trying to sleep, good luck.

I've been reading a book that talks about what I see as the human version of the mockingbird's song, the minority among us and the role they play in bringing about and acceptance of things such as war, torture, and destruction of the majority. Think about how often the tune has changed about every topic including Iraq, torture, enemy combatants and how absurd our acceptance of it is. Place yourself in the position of the people of Iraq. Watch this video of a beach that was shelled by an Israeli ship. Put yourself in the place of one of the family members there. The pain, empathy and sorrow you feel isn't and can't be felt by the psychopath. We are being duped by "cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities." We are in the grasp of psychopaths and the book that explains why and the process is Political Ponerology. Linked Here is commentary on the book uncluding excerpts and necessary reading if you want to understand the minority's twisted song.

Other coverage of the Gitmo suicides worth reading: Editorial: Lies, Damn Lies and Spades