Trump implies that he might legalize cannabis.

[Gypsy Nirvana]

I think the answer is what it's always been. When we're willing to risk everything we have in order to make something better, and when we target the right pressure point to make things roll, then the changes will come.

What you say is true because I can directly relate thru personal experience, and have thought along those lines for many years now.

Knowing what your opponent's weaknesses and concerns are. The ruling class/Oligarchy understands or feels 2 things, in my opinion; their own blood and their own money. They're willing to gamble with someone else's blood or money all doo-dah-day, but not their own.

You only have to look back in history to recognize this as a fact, a good example would be The Battle of the Somme.

So the equation is how to gather enough self-disciplined and motivated people to impact that group in such a way that they feel it to a degree where they admit it's in -everyone's- interest to bring what ever the required change is.

If you have a global group of inquiring minds who communicate on a daily basis....will that do?

There are literally economic formulas for this stuff. It's been shown that a concerted 3% impact on any given market can send it stumbling. So we don't even have to have the entirety of the population depriving themselves; just enough to put a kink in the works.

Kinda like a good sharp 'Tap' to a load-bearing knee in hand-to-hand combat.

But we'll have to get past our immediate gratification, personal wants and desires, etc., to achieve such a thing, because such actions typically involve incarceration, and even brutality and death.

Yeah....true, if you really have to do the crime....you might well have to do some time, and with all the associated nasties.

So how bad are these problems we bitch about? Are they bad enough to risk those things? And can we get past the quibbling about whether my neighbor was born a man or a woman, or who they choose to sleep with (providing it's an adult), or which restroom they should use, or whether playing billiards or poker is sinful, in order to tackle the real issues that affect today and tomorrow?

As long as we can live in peace, and agree to dis-agree if we have a disagreement.

As a former radio talk host I knew once said, "I've always been more obsessed with who -I- was going to fuck than who someone else was."

Right.....too many 'Stuck Up Sticky-Beaks' around, bloody 'Nosy Parkers'.

I'm fairly cynical. I believe it will happen eventually, as history says there's never been a government that didn't eventually crumble, often for its own excesses.

He says as Rome burns...

But I'm no longer holding my breath that it will occur in my life time. So I (now-a-days) think locally and act locally... Like, in my own front yard, having largely quit politics for the reasons exemplified in this thread.

There does come a point when you feel like saying...'Well Fug it!'......live and let live. Merely by us being able to have this mode of communication in this day and age goes to show that we have come leaps and bounds forward in our social evolution, even though you could argue that we have been socially engineered... to arrive. here.

 

[moose eater]

I think the information over-load is a calculated risk the Powers that Be were willing to toy with; bearing in mind that the internet/email was a military tool before it was ours.

There's a serious number of persons by my ad hoc appraisal during my doing activism and communicating, who see all the many and widely varied explanations, convoluted conspiracy theories lined up side-by-side with real conspiracy theories, minds often clouded by hubris, nationalism, less-thoughtful allegiance, limited experience, closed minds, lack of deductive reasoning ability, and more, become overwhelmed, shrug their shoulders, take another bite of oatmeal, and put on a movie.

And for many, as long as there's a piece of meat in the fridge, and a scrap of bread on the counter, then all the ethereal or universal morality stuff is moot.

They're functioning at the base-line of Maslowe's hierarchy, while others are striving for self-actualization, hopefully from a less selfish, more mature perspective.

And yes, I believe we're very much in repeat times of 'Bread & circuses' here now. Instead of gladiators in the coliseums, we have football, hockey, basketball, etc.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Yes it seems that way with most animal species, if they have a roof over their heads, food in their stomach and maybe some love in their lives.....they are content, so why complicate matters with international tri-lateral agreements, and the price of pork-belly futures in Taiwan?

Most all of us are merely a product of our own environments, its the human condition and I feel that the few of us that live in thriving Western metropolises are so detached from the actual reality of how the rest of the world has to live and yet think that they can still complain about their own more secure living conditions, it drifts from the sublime to the ridiculous....so often.

 

[moose eater]

There's what folks fight and argue about, and there's what folks fight and argue about.

And the more comfortable a person is, the more mundane the things are that they're wiling to fight and argue about.

In that regard, comforts have, in many ways, been our enemy. The comforts have allowed us to lose sight of what matters, often for the benefit of acquiring more comforts. (Now I sound a bit like Mao, Heaven forbid; everyone says something valuable some time.. Even those many love to hate).

There oughta' be a 12-step group for that whole 'addiction to comforts that disable' thing. ;^>)

I used to tell folks that if you were hanging out around a dumpster in New Delhi, or the landfill in Mexico City, and you sparked up a doobie, there's a solid chance that no one near you would give a fuck about the joint in question. They'd be far more apt to be glad that the person with the joint was busy getting high, giving them first dibs on the good stuff in the heap.

'What matters' depends largely on what you need.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

That's just what my old Dad said to me once, he said ..'Son if you have a roof over your head, some food in your belly and love in your life, then that is all you really need'...

Minimalistic as that saying may be if you can believe in it and be happy to live that way, then you may well be more satisfied with your life than complicating it with anything else that does not just achieve those aims.

*as a side note I'd also realize that once we have managed to achieve those 3 aims the trouble can begin due to our inquiring minds...

'Oh look there's one of them new-fangled drones over there.....I wonder if I can get one of those?'.....'Hmm, now what do I have to do to get the drone?'.

 

[moose eater]

The not-so-gray-gray area also, however, arises when there are persons claiming to represent a person, yet lying, stealing, or killing in their name, or robbing another of their freedom for less than just cause.

Those concerns go well beyond whether I'm fed, warm, or feel loved.

They venture into areas of honor, responsibility, moral obligation to support no evil, do no harm, and more.

How to get the hungry and the impoverished/struggling to get by, to be more focused on things larger than their immediate & very real needs? How to get the excessively comfortable to open their eyes & hearts, and call back some of that empathy and consideration, despite needing nothing material, knowing that considering these struggles/issues, and choosing to take action to correct them, can cause some degree of discomfort some times?

Getting people to care, in a world that seems interpersonally more and more isolated in any sense of deeper connection, can make it an uphill battle. Except for identifying some aspect, in sincerity, that leads them into a sense of "Yes, this is something I'm morally obligated to help to fix.. hopefully without making it worse."

But these days barbecuing and fishing are equally valuable endeavors, too. ;^>)

 

[brown_thumb]

Adam Smith vs. John Nash

In today's America, Smith is winning. Or more accurately, we're not part of the 'team' at all.

 

[Robrites]

 

[Stoner4Life]

Trump threatens to revoke journalists' press credentials

Tired of negative coverage, US President Donald Trump hinted Wednesday that he was ready to take his battles with the news media a step further by revoking journalists' credentials.

"The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake)," Trump tweeted.

"Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?"

Journalists are required to obtain and present press credentials in order to enter and report from the White House, government agencies, Congress and the Supreme Court.

Trump has frequently attacked the media and its coverage of him since his days as a presidential candidate when he appeared to condone or even encourage violence against journalists.

In a July 2017 tweet, he included doctored video showing him body-slamming and punching a World Wrestling Entertainment whose head was covered with the CNN logo.

Since taking up the presidency, Trump has strongly favored news outlets that provide glowing coverage such as Fox News, the Daily Caller, Newsmax and Sinclair, a group of almost 200 local TV stations.

He often uses Twitter to tout day-to-day stock market increases, jobs data and other positive economic indicators as evidence of his administration's success.

He routinely attacks the news media as "dishonest" and brands critical media outlets and reports as "fake news."

For the second year in a row, he skipped the prestigious White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event traditionally attended by the American president.

"Why would I want to be stuck in a room with a bunch of fake news liberals who hate me?" Trump said ahead of the event in a fundraising email authorized by the Republican National Committee.

Trump has attended the dinner before, but as a guest. Then a reality TV star, Trump was in the audience in 2011 when Barack Obama famously mocked him for renewing the "birther" conspiracy about the nation's first black president.

"No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald," Obama quipped, as Trump scowled in his seat.

"And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing?"


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5709191/Trump-threatens-revoke-media-credentials.html

yup, he's looking to take away 1st Amendment rights (AGAIN!) because he can't stand the heat. Limiting exposure to press briefings to only those who'll report his lies as truths is a violation of our 1st Amendment rights.......

 

[Hermen_eutics]

Trump Considering Pulling U.S. Out of Constitution


“I’ve seen a lot of bad deals in my life, but this Constitution is a total mess,” the President said.

 

[CosmicGiggle]

lucky for us that's satire ...... for now anyhow.

 

[Rubber Chicken]

There's corruption and then there's CORRUPTION....

I think Trump is so insanely corrupt and that his ego has gotten so big that he can hardly remember he is doing corrupt things.
I think he walks around with the theme song to The Apprentice playing on his hearing aid all day.

Talk about balls deep.

I just seen a picture of him with the russian guys in the oval office having a grand old time

 

[Rubber Chicken]

 

[Stoner4Life]

I already shared this but just thought i'd leave it here in case you didn't see it....

For someone so interested in facts, your supreme leader leaves a lot to be desired....

For your viewing pleasure,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQruDaf7bKs

that's some funny stuff.......
tRUMP is the biggest bullpoop artist of all time, the one guy calls him the Babe Ruth of Bullshit, gotta love it 2000, lies lol!

 

[Zeez]

the Babe Ruth of Bullshit

Yup. Nailed it.

 

[Rubber Chicken]

that's some funny stuff.......
tRUMP is the biggest bullpoop artist of all time, the one guy calls him the Babe Ruth of Bullshit, gotta love it 2000, lies lol!

Did you see the 'Drunk Trump' video yet?

 

[Stoner4Life]

Did you see the 'Drunk Trump' video yet?

got one better I think.......

Rudy Giuliani is Very Confused

[YOUTUBEIF]vPj0qzPiMhA[/YOUTUBEIF]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPj0qzPiMhA

A liar supporting his Liar in Chief, unreal but actually is

 

[Rubber Chicken]

Every time his eyes bulge you know he's lying..... dead giveaway

 

[Zeez]

Rudy is a douche bag. As soon as he gets the job, there he is on national tv jaw jacking and everything said buries trump and gets retracted. Funny, we finally get some truth and it has to be retracted.

 

[Spaventa]

I don't get why Trump hasn't been impeached, imprisoned impaled or imploded yet... I mean, he's done so much stuff from deception and fraud to molesting, dodgy dealing, corruption, collusion and his damn hair but STILL he walks free as a bird, President of the USA, leader of the free world. HOW????
Its not as if nobody is out to expose him right? He said himself 91 percent of his coverage is negative so how does none of this result in his fall? Don't tell me to wait, he's been doing terrible, immoral, evil things FOREVER and you guys know all about it so explain his continued presidency/existence.
It not like he has anyone helping him - everyone with position or a voice hates him. The only people who like him are deplorable so what use are they? exactly. There must be another answer.