We Do Not Live in a Democracy; We Live in a Dictatorship of the Corporate Elites !
source: http://theactivists.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/we-do-not-live-in-a-democracy-we-live-in-a-dict...
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- kennymotown
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The benchmark for democracy is and will always be found in Pericles’ Funeral Oration, the First Statesman of Ancient Atgens:
“Our polity does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. It is called a democracy, because not the few but the many govern. If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences; if to social standing, advancement in public life falls to reputation for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit; nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition.”
Pericles’ Funeral Oration as recorded by Thucydides, 2.37γ[›];
Although this speech heavily influenced to Magna Carta, the Code de Napoleon and hence the Constitution of the US, it has been twisted and violated on every principle. The legal system, which was supposed to be independent of wealth and class, is now determined by who can hire the best lawyers. The political system, meant to be run by the people under full transparency and disclosure, now uses government resources to undermine Wikileaks, one of the only outlets of honest media on the planet, under trumped up charges of espionage.
As if disclosing the secrets of an anti-democratic ruling elite was a traitorous act. The media, who’s raisin d’être is supposed to be the raising of education and social awareness for everybody, is owned by a bunch of well-connected billionaires. And since the education system is now based on money and position then it no longer deserves that worthy title. Instead it now merely represents a deeper, more subtle layer of conditioning designed to pick up where the media leaves off. The health system too is not funded by taxes to assure equal treatment as it was meant to be. Instead billions are diverted into the pockets of the banking system, while the rest is given to the armed forces under the guise of “national security”. However, what a disgusting level of self interest to create the troubles that you are actually meant to solve, to reduce national interest to consumer patterns in order to make a meaningless buck.
No, we do not live in a democracy. We live in a world where technology first alienates people and then “reconnects” them via quantifiable circuits (that is, so capitalism can now profit from communication itself). We live in a world in which democracy has been slowly but surely substituted by peer group pressure, instigated by mass media. Whereas people were meant to listen to debate on an important subject, to use their reason and sound judgment to vote on an issue and give the prize to the best orator (because sound reasoning DOES have an effect in the real world), we instead have a game as to who can use any means necessary to attract the biggest peer group, like school children with advanced weaponry. Hillary Clinton said “don’t forget, we are the good guys”. No Hillary, we don’t buy your two-faced advertising campaign any more, your pretense of the two party system which have “bilateral support” on all the important issues like….well let me think, maintaining the ruling class. No, we don’t live in a democracy but a dictatorship of the conditioned majority. To you, the constitution is just the game plan.
trumped up charges.
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Paratus
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Supposed to be a republic not a democracy. Return to a limited government and many of these problems will be solved.
- 4 months ago
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Paratus
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noxidereus
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Paratus:
A republic is a form of democracy. In fact it is a representative democracy. Voting and other such practices are referred to as democratic processes. A government for and by the people is not the problem. The problem is the co-opting of our government by the elite capitalists. It is greed/capitalism that is the problem.
- 4 months ago
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noxidereus
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VFORVENDETTA
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noxidereus:
Thank you nox.
- 3 months ago
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VFORVENDETTA
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galwayman
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not only do we live in a corporate dictatorship it is too late to reverse it given that people are brainwashed and kept apart by race,religion,political beliefs,so that we the people are unable to unite together to revolt against the one percent. I ask everyone I talk too to wake up before it is too late!
- 4 months ago
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galwayman
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ampersand
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All great comments.
If indeed it is possible for the entire electorate to vote on real choice, either through write-in, (which doesn't seem likely given the ham-handed confusion of fifty different state ballots and a system not designed for it), or through a selection/convention via the internet that is being attempted now, that would be real change.
I also believe if it were functionally possible real change would be the overwhelming choice of the majority of Americans.
Whether this is a "republic" or a "democracy" why can't the will of the people be expressed?
As has often been said, power grants nothing without a demand. - 4 months ago
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ampersand
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kennymotown
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ampersand:
Demand it, we must!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Ihatethemall
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I always thought we lived in a Republic NOT a democracy. Course it doesnt matter what its called when it is a dictatorship. Maybe if people would start voting for independant candidates instead of the same old same old with a differant name things might change.
Its either that or just all start pickin up our guns and take the government back. I believe its not only allowed by the constitution, its also recommended that we the people take back the GOV when it is no longer a GOV of the people, by the people and for the people. IT hasnt been "for the people" in decades.
When it comes to politicians, I HATE THEM ALL
Elephants and asses, fucking the masses and the foolish Americans sit around all day with one thumb in the mouth and one in the ass waiting for "their party" to yell switch
- 4 months ago
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Ihatethemall
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kennymotown
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Ihatethemall:
Good one! :)
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Ihatethemall
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kennymotown:
Thank you Kenny, Hope all is well with you and yours.
- 4 months ago
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Ihatethemall
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kennymotown
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Ihatethemall:
Not quite all, but we are surviving!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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wolfess
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Ihatethemall:
Its either that or just all start pickin up our guns and take the government back. I believe its not only allowed by the constitution, its also recommended that we the people take back the GOV when it is no longer a GOV of the people, by the people and for the people.
THIS is why I keep saying ad nauseum: DISMEMBER the 1% and their political WHORES ----- "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the EXISTING GOVERNMENT they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their REVOLUTIONARY RIGHT TO DISMEMBER OR OVERTHROW IT!" Abraham Lincoln
It is my considered opinion that he, at this exact moment, is rolling over in his grave seeing what we are UNWILLING to do to take back OUR COUNTRY!
Pwr 2 the 99%! FUCK the 1% and their automatons!
DIS[fucking]MEMBER the 1% and their political WHORES!
- 4 months ago
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wolfess
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Ihatethemall
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wolfess:
YUP, I would agree that he and most likely many others from back in the day, are indeed rolling over in their grave as they watch the country the once established for the people, be destroyed by the powers that be and the people are just willing to sit back and let it happen.
- 4 months ago
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Ihatethemall
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noxidereus
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Ihatethemall:
A republic is a representative democracy, and you're right -- it's a mute point. We live under a dictatorship. I hate politicians too. We certainly do have to take our government back!
- 4 months ago
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noxidereus
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spoon
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There will be an election. The question is... what will we do with our votes? I think we have never needed an en masse protest vote more than we need one now. "None of the Above" is the only rational choice. Otherwise we give up and choose to vote against our own best interests. Unless something changes between now and then, I am going to write in Bernie Sanders (and will encourage as many others as possible to do the same thing). That is the message we need to send, and that Washington needs to hear. What would they do if "not viable" votes win?
- 4 months ago
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spoon
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kennymotown
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spoon:
They'd leave it up to the Supreme court, and probably hand it to Mittens! They've done it before.
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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spoon
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kennymotown:
Mittionaires or Billion Dollar Bamas...not enough difference to spit in our eye (and we lose either way). There's barely any difference (not enough to spit in our eye) between Obama and Bush's public policies either (only difference is talk, not walk). The 99% only have one or two people who would even begin to represent us honestly (and bring about the change we so desperately need but were so falsely promised)...and the 1% have 98% of us convinced those two are "not viable". I say the only thing they need to make them viable is us.
- 4 months ago
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spoon
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kennymotown
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spoon:
It's a 50-50 chance of all out Revolution!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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fiberbundle
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spoon:
we need a website to coordinate and consolidate the voting power of issue voters. It should bypass the Republicans and Democrats. It should be a combination of Facebook and a dating service. Then people in the same geographic area with similar viewpoints could work with each other on those issues they can agree on. It should be a non partisan tool that can be used by someone in the USA and India just as easily. I'm sure such a site will emerge soon, because there is just too much pent up anger and frustration with no practical outlet. and the web is just sitting here pregnant with many possible solutions.
- 4 months ago
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fiberbundle
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wolfess
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fiberbundle:
I think you just described the 'citizens elect' website, only it needs to mature from where it is right now, and I'm not quite sure how to bring about that maturity ...
Actually your last thought might be exactly what I was thinking about -- at this point in time the 'web' IS pregnant with possibilities and solutions; it's up to us to flesh those out and bring them to bear. All I know is that I am beyond sick of going to sleep every night and waking up every morning being afraid that EACH day is going to be my last in my home. I am way too close to 60 years old, without a job, with a very real possibility of losing everything if my husband dies. If this is MY LIFE, then how many MILLIONS of men, women and CHILDREN are out there that have already gone thru this? That there is even a remote possibility is UNCONSCIONABLE, and DAMN any fucking person who has the ability to help but CHOOSES not to!
- 4 months ago
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wolfess
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fiberbundle
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wolfess:
Your story is heart rending; and as you say millions of good people all around the country have a similar experience of hardship and fear for their future as a consequence of the big fraud perpetrated by the Davos crowd, and their political accomplices.
This international crime syndicate has harmed millions of people just like us in Europe and civilized Asia as well. Maybe the hammer of justice we're all anticipating will drop sooner rather than later on these criminals.
- 4 months ago
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fiberbundle
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VFORVENDETTA
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spoon:
yep, spot on!
- 3 months ago
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VFORVENDETTA
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VFORVENDETTA
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wolfess:
Absolutely true, it is a damn shame what has been done to our fellow citizens, by a handful of subhuman corporate criminals, you can best believe their day of judgment is coming, and I don't mean from fucking 'GAWD" either!
DEATH TO THE 1%! FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY TO THE 99%!
- 3 months ago
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VFORVENDETTA
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JanforGore
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If we're "taking it back" maybe there won't be an election. (?) How can anyone agree with what Michael Moore said- " The 1% has two political parties representing it; the 99% has none" and then vote for one of them? Taking it back will require a complete break and starting over.
- 4 months ago
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JanforGore
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kennymotown
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JanforGore:
Wouldn't that be great!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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artemis6
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JanforGore:
Very much agree with you . The pathetic excuses for candidates we have at the moment are proof of it ! A break IS needed if we want to survive as a free people .
- 4 months ago
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artemis6
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noxidereus
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Excellent article.
- 4 months ago
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noxidereus
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spoon
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A "dictatorship of corporate elites" is AKA fascism. As Michael Moore recently said, The 1% has two political parties representing it; the 99% has none".
- 4 months ago
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spoon
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kennymotown
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spoon:
Yes indeed, we're taking it back!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Truthitswhatsfordinner
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kennymotown:
Not by voting for 1%er Dems we're not.
- 4 months ago
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Truthitswhatsfordinner
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kennymotown
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Truthitswhatsfordinner:
I'm sure Obama has a Swiss bank account, and one in the Cayman Islands, and one in Luxembourg!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Truthitswhatsfordinner
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kennymotown:
Come on man, he's a 1%er even if he's your 1%er. I have already agreed that Romney has more money, but it is not a contest of which 1%er is less of a 1%er.
- 4 months ago
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Truthitswhatsfordinner
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Ihatethemall
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kennymotown:
So does that mean you wont be voting for him? I will not be voting for a dem or rep until they put up someone worth a shit. Last time I voted for a dem or rep was Clinton. Voted for him twice.
- 4 months ago
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Ihatethemall
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kennymotown
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Ihatethemall:
It's going to a landslide if there is even an election!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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VFORVENDETTA
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This is exactly what I have known and have been saying for years.
- 4 months ago
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VFORVENDETTA
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kennymotown
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VFORVENDETTA:
In agreement!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Itsbatman_Durr
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the centralized government machine is like watching tv. we sit around and feel like we are part of the show, but we arent, and until we are so fed up with the shit we are force fed and get up to change the channel, we put up with mediocracy and worse
- 4 months ago
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Itsbatman_Durr
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artemis6
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Let us throw off the reigns of tyranny then !
- 4 months ago
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artemis6
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kennymotown
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artemis6:
Absolutely, the reigns will be coming off!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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remanns
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interesting point -
[ We live in a world where technology first alienates people and then “reconnects” them via quantifiable circuits (that is, so capitalism can now profit from communication itself). ]
+^d
- 4 months ago
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remanns
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Itsbatman_Durr
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preach on, brother kenny! much love
- 4 months ago
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Itsbatman_Durr
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kennymotown
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Itsbatman_Durr:
Thank you!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Milieu
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This succinctly depicts my feeling about the 1%:
- 4 months ago
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Milieu
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kennymotown
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Milieu:
LOL, love it!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Truthitswhatsfordinner
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Milieu:
Even the ones in the Dem party? How about the one in the White House?
- 4 months ago
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Truthitswhatsfordinner
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wolfess
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Milieu:
He's way too cute to embody my feelings about the 1% :-).
I truly and seriously want to see the koch[suclers], Lloyd Blankfein, Jamie Dimon, Larry Summers, Tim Geithner, Ben Bernanke, Newt Gingrich, Mittsy, and Clarence Thomas and all our elected repTEAtards lose their heads to an elegant, but decisive GUILLOTINE! I want it to be a clean cut, but one that leaves nothing left to repair. I want it to be violent, and televised for ALL to see so that any other 1%er realizes if he isn't in that line-up he had damned well better keep his worthless fucking mouth shut and HOPE we don't have reason to come after him! And then of course, I want world peace :-).
Pwr 2 the 99%! Liberal lobotomies for the 1% and ALL the repTEAtards!
- 4 months ago
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wolfess
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jimstoner
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The American voter has become the equivalent of a personnel department. The Corporations give the voter a list of potential employees called candidates, and the voter decides which of them to hire. And then, just like in any other business, the Corporation tells the new employee, the elected official, what to do.
- 4 months ago
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jimstoner
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kennymotown
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jimstoner:
Yes indeed!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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VFORVENDETTA
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jimstoner:
Precisely, I could not have said it better myself.+^
- 4 months ago
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VFORVENDETTA
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VFORVENDETTA
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kennymotown:
Great post Mr. K! voted wayyyyyyyy up!
- 4 months ago
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VFORVENDETTA
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kvb1
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jimstoner:
jimstoner,
I would say it is more like the board of directors giving a list of candidates to vote on at a stockholder meeting. Not matter who the CEO is or the new Board Directors are, they will be well taken care of regardless of how well the company is run. It is the stockholders that take it on the chin.
- 4 months ago
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kvb1
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kennymotown
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VFORVENDETTA:
Thanks Mr. V. :)
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Anonmaly
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Didn't really need to read it again, was kinda obvious..... ^'d anyway....
- 4 months ago
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Anonmaly
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COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
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Very true KM. But, the salient question is: WHY do we live in an Oligarchy. And the stunning answer is: Because we permit it! The secondary salient question is: What can be done about? The simple answer is: We can kick ass, take back control of our government, and demote corporations to the status of economic tools of, by, and for the American People, and not the reverse.
- 4 months ago
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COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
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kennymotown
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COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM:
Absolutely spot on!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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kvb1
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COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM:
+^d. But how do we realistically "kick ass" without a violent revolution? I fear that there are not enough people in this country to maintain a serious enough effort, and unless that effort is constantly changing, the attention span of the MSN will forget it.
We would need an uprising like the Arab Spring, massive (millions of people) demonstrating in DC, every state capital, Wall St., Wacker Dr. (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), and every Federal Reserve Bank in the country. Only in this way could we affect real change in this country.
- 4 months ago
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kvb1
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The_Wanderer_Kansas
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--walks away grumbling incoherently--
- 4 months ago
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The_Wanderer_Kansas
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remanns
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The_Wanderer_Kansas:
I hear-by " +^d " that grumble !
- 4 months ago
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remanns
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VFORVENDETTA
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The_Wanderer_Kansas:
Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha.......
- 4 months ago
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VFORVENDETTA
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Leen61
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" We Do Not Live in a Democracy; We Live in a Dictatorship of the Corporate Elites!" I've known this for awhile, now. I'll say it's a "Dead End!"
- 4 months ago
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Leen61
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kennymotown
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Leen61:
The American Spring is just around the corner!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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Leen61
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kennymotown:
Oh, I believe it is kenny!
- 4 months ago
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Leen61
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kvb1
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kennymotown:
We would need an uprising like the Arab Spring, massive (millions of people) demonstrating in DC, every state capital, Wall St., Wacker Dr. (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), and every Federal Reserve Bank in the country. Only in this way could we affect real change in this country.
- 4 months ago
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kvb1
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kennymotown
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kvb1:
It's coming, I feel it in my bones!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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artemis6
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kvb1:
I believe you will see it soon enough .
- 4 months ago
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artemis6
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MSII
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kennymotown:
bring it on!
- 4 months ago
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MSII
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kennymotown
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MSII:
Hell yah!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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bailey78
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Aww man not the truth again.
- 4 months ago
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bailey78
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kennymotown
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bailey78:
I know, it sucks!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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kennymotown
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Rise Up America, take your country back!
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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KB723
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kennymotown:
Vote for anyone other than BO??? =)
- 4 months ago
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KB723
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kennymotown
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KB723:
So you going to vote for Newt?
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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KB723
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kennymotown:
LOL... Of course not, he will not make the Cut, but maybe who ever does... ;)
- 4 months ago
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KB723
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kennymotown
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KB723:
Really? Mittens then?
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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KB723
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kennymotown:
Nope not him either... Hmmm probably this Guy... =(
- 4 months ago
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KB723
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kennymotown
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KB723:
The guy with real family value's! :)
- 4 months ago
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kennymotown
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KB723
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kennymotown:
Sure... Why Not??? =)
- 4 months ago
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KB723
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MSII
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KB723:
I'll happily, joyously vote for President Obama as the vastly lesser evil. I am for the record a absolute progressive/liberal/commie-pinko-socialist and PROUD of it. He has been a great disappointment, but he is still a vastly lesser evil then those he's up against!
- 4 months ago
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MSII
