RE: I Have To Speak Up About Ben Farmer and Adam Kokesh
Count your blessings. My 85 year old sister has been politically active for her entire life. All to no avail. Of course, she's at the other end of the political spectrum, a Bernie Sanders supporter, but she's stood on street corners waving signs, has signed up to be a delegate and all of that crap and it hasn't done squat. It does make her feel like she's doing something positive but what she is finally coming to realize is that the game is rigged, that no amount of petitioning or grass-roots political activism is going to change a damn thing.
The little guy is powerless and you're time is far better off spent stocking that root cellar, stockpiling ammunition and developing a local community of like-minded individuals who are self sufficient.
Obama got into office wanting to derail Bush policies but, aside from creating social havoc and increasing taxes, he kept them all in place.
Ron Paul wanted the US to stop interfering with foreign governments, go back to the gold standard and let Americans be free. That's an "anti-government" stance. You can't run for government unless you're going to grow government. Those in control would never allow that.
Trump would never have become president if he weren't a billionaire who financed his own campaign (and probably liberally greased the skids). His idea was to Make America Great Again, stop sabre rattling, let people be self-sufficient and work for themselves and not the government. Once he got in, I'm sure, like Obama, the guys in the black suits took him aside and explained that, despite his vision of how America should be that this was how it was going to be and how he was going to do it.
No matter who gets in the policies are always either going to favor a large bureaucracy that over-regulates people and small business in favor of big business, or a downsized government that deregulates rich individuals and giant corporations freeing them to prey on the public and their treasure.
You as a citizen are simply a commodity. Either you tithe to the government run corporate interests or you tithe to those business directly. You have no other choice.
Anyone who makes it onto the ballot is suspect, somebody's puppet, probably a self-centered psychopath, Adam Kokesh notwithstanding. And anyone who won't further the agenda of those actually pulling the strings tend to leave the planet prematurely.
Really. Spend your time doing something important like feeding your chickens. Politics is a swamp and will always be so. It will will never drain and the gator's hunger never abates. Just like Steemit, when you play their game, they always win.
I will try to be more succinct this time.... for the long version see my reply to cecicastor below lol! Election time is an opportunity to educate people. THAT is what we did with Ron Paul's campaign that was a smashing success. I have been open to using that avenue to wake people up, but even that door is closed.
What I'm discovering on Steemit is that people don't want to be educated. They want their already-formed beliefs reinforced. I've had discussions with at least two Facebook people about it. When I told them that Facebook tracks them and then pipes them information that corresponds to their browsing history, their apparent beliefs and interests, they came back with, "Why would I want to view stuff I don't agree with?"
Both Google and Facebook use this algorithm. It must work and reflect the desires of the majority. Only a few of us want to learn new ideas that perhaps unsettle our beliefs and cause us to grow. The vast majority crave acceptance within a chosen group. Scares the living crap out of me.
Glad you will have the time to do other important things. My sister is now a volunteer at the library and has made herself available to seniors who cannot drive but need to get to the doctor or the grocery store. So much more rewarding and better than politicking.
Steemit has as built in rationale for the behavior at least - going and picking fights gets you flagged. Still, it seems like the art - and love of - lively debate is lost. The sad irony, to me, is how the truther community falls into the trap, too. (1 finger pointing out, 3 pointing at me.) I don't want to argue with anyone, about anything. If we cannot have a civil discussion, I prefer to walk away. I have gotten pre-emptive, and walk away the instant I perceive someone is too far gone in to "belief" to have a look at facts.
I agree. Pissing contests are pointless. Might as well have a conversation with a fireplug.
I strongly agree. I am a free speech absolutist. So, it makes me sad to hear that. ...Any "flagging" of anyone is the mark of a crippled "unfree speech" forum that doesn't deserve to live. I guess I'd better keep searching, or start building my own alternative!