Politicians, those who think they are patriots above all others, those who parade their religious convictions for all to see and those who want the public's favor are always invoking "God bless America" at every opportunity. That blessing is so routinely thrown around it's become a joke.
Furthermore, I believe it's what you do personally that makes you worthy of God's blessings, not what this nation's government or any other does as a nation or as a group of people.
God didn't say go ye forth and invade all nations, steal your neighbor's resources and take up arms against them. God didn't command us to rule the earth, subdue and oppress those with whom we philosophically disagree, wreak destruction and havoc upon their lands without regard for collateral damage that kills and maims.
Jesus didn't say gather up much wealth at the expense of your fellow men, take advantage of those you deem less worthy, punish them by withholding your hand unless they can pay, and extract from the earth all you are able with no regard for its welfare, for as surely as our father has anointed the wealthy and the powerful as his chosen people and has provided this earthly paradise for our wanton desires, he will provide a replacement once we have destroyed this one.
In truth, God blesses those who love his creation and are good stewards of this earth. God blesses those who love one another and lives in harmony and peace with all mankind and all God's creatures. Those who value their relationship with God above all else are those who God blesses. Wealth and power is no evidence of favor with God. Where the Hell did that come from? Ruthless dictators throughout history commanded great wealth and power. Is that what God's about?
God's blessings are often not recognizable by greedy commercial standards.
A won war is not a blessing. The killing and maiming of our fellows is not rewarded with God's favor. God does not bestow blessings by way of military might and the power to occupy other nations, or by way of Hummers and BMW's, great mansions and wealth, or by power and control over others. God does not reward baseball players with home runs or stolen bases, does not bless a company's bottom line, does not keep an airliner safe at 20,000 feet in the air, and does not keep it from raining on the day you scheduled a picnic.
I believe God blesses each individual spiritually. God does not bless entire nations, not ethnic or religious groups. God does not bless cities or sports teams and does not decide which airliner crashes. God did not grant you a promotion and is not holding a set of lottery numbers just for you. God has no favorites.
Instead of waving a flag of power, defiance and aggression and robotically repeating, God Bless America, we should all be praying, "God protect us from ourselves, lead us from this darkness and teach us to live rightly in peace and harmony with all others and in the pure light of your love. "
Gary
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Large North American Country For Sale - Cheap!
Are you aware that America is being sold right out from under us and no one is protesting? Here's just one recent example.
Our tax dollars, yours and mine, have been used since the beginning of our nation to build ports, highways and bridges so we the citizens of this nation can move freely about, engage in commerce and conduct our affairs. This "infrastructure" as it's called was built and paid for by Americans. We own it!
Or - we thought we did.
You recall the recent deal to sell our sea ports to a company owned by the Arab state of Dubai? There was a public outcry that effectively stopped that sale but there is no public outcry over the more recent deals taking place.
You've probably heard very little about the deal that recently took place when an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8 billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. In addition an Australian company bought a 99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.
I also heard of a deal in the works to "lease" (they are calling all these deals "leases" to lighten the political impact) a public transportation system in Chicago and there are other deals being arranged without public knowledge or approval.
Key infrastructure now being operated as toll roads and toll bridges, built and paid for and owned by American taxpayers, are being sold by our elected representatives to foreign investment firms. Those politicians arranging these sales claim it's because a private firm can maintain and operate this infrastructure more efficiently and profitably. That's bullshit!
I'm sick and tired of the idea that private companies can do the job more efficiently than big government bureaucracies being used as an excuse for selling off America's social systems, our government and our infrastructure to private investors. If our government and our politicians weren't so corrupt, any government facility or service could be managed and run, not only as cheaply, but more cheaply and more efficiently than any private firm. It's not rocket science and when no open-ended profit requirement is there, I defy anyone to argue that it's not a fact. The only thing that is required is good, intelligent, common sense management and that key element that is so lacking in the majority of people we elect to office - honesty!
These corporate owned and corporate worshipping elected representatives fearlessly and unashamedly admit that one big reason a private firm is so eager to lease this infrastructure is that a private firm can raise tolls without deferring to public pressure, that a private company effectively depoliticizes the tolling decision. To describe this in more easily understood terms, if a state's legislators decide to raise tolls on bridges and toll roads, there is a public outcry and a political fallout. They can avoid this by selling our roads and our bridges, that we built and paid for, to private companies that don't have to answer to the public.
Who is profiting here and who is getting screwed? Who ends up paying more to use their own roads and bridges? And not paying this increased amount to our own government to be used for the benefit of our own citizens, but paying this increased use fee to a foreign company - and in addition these profits are leaving the country instead of being pumped back into our economy.
These politicians are selling these "leases" of our roads and bridges for immediate cash on the barrel head that they claim will be used to fund other public projects like road repairs and other infrastructure without raising taxes. Again, Bullshit! Who knows whose pocket that money will eventually end up in?
These repairs should have been paid for with tax revenues - the same excessive revenues that are being stolen and siphoned off by the industrial war complex, the defense contractors, oil companies and other pirates that are criminally ripping off this country and it's citizens while the majority of us stand stupidly by and argue with each other over gay marriage, flag burning and prayers in schools among other equally stupid issues I won't elaborate on here. These divisive, relatively inconsequential, socially low impact issues are effectively being used to engage and distract us while our pockets are being picked and our country sold to the highest bidder.
Can't you see it??? They want us divided as Republicans and Democrats! They know exactly how to cause us to fight with one another. If we drop this folly, come together and turn our attention on what is really happening in this country we would see the truth.
Americans are the biggest fools of all. Maybe we don't deserve the country our forefathers entrusted to us. Maybe we deserve to have it sold off piece by piece while we argue over a woman's right to choose. One thing is certain, if we don't wake up and take this country back from the corrupt madmen now in charge - we are most certainly doomed.
The money that is being stolen is money that is being borrowed in our name from China and other nations that now hold the note on America. You and your children and our children's children are the ones who must honor that promissory note, not those who are selling our country down the tubes.
They're taking the money and running, laughing all the way to the Swiss banks.
Gary
Our tax dollars, yours and mine, have been used since the beginning of our nation to build ports, highways and bridges so we the citizens of this nation can move freely about, engage in commerce and conduct our affairs. This "infrastructure" as it's called was built and paid for by Americans. We own it!
Or - we thought we did.
You recall the recent deal to sell our sea ports to a company owned by the Arab state of Dubai? There was a public outcry that effectively stopped that sale but there is no public outcry over the more recent deals taking place.
You've probably heard very little about the deal that recently took place when an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8 billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. In addition an Australian company bought a 99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.
I also heard of a deal in the works to "lease" (they are calling all these deals "leases" to lighten the political impact) a public transportation system in Chicago and there are other deals being arranged without public knowledge or approval.
Key infrastructure now being operated as toll roads and toll bridges, built and paid for and owned by American taxpayers, are being sold by our elected representatives to foreign investment firms. Those politicians arranging these sales claim it's because a private firm can maintain and operate this infrastructure more efficiently and profitably. That's bullshit!
I'm sick and tired of the idea that private companies can do the job more efficiently than big government bureaucracies being used as an excuse for selling off America's social systems, our government and our infrastructure to private investors. If our government and our politicians weren't so corrupt, any government facility or service could be managed and run, not only as cheaply, but more cheaply and more efficiently than any private firm. It's not rocket science and when no open-ended profit requirement is there, I defy anyone to argue that it's not a fact. The only thing that is required is good, intelligent, common sense management and that key element that is so lacking in the majority of people we elect to office - honesty!
These corporate owned and corporate worshipping elected representatives fearlessly and unashamedly admit that one big reason a private firm is so eager to lease this infrastructure is that a private firm can raise tolls without deferring to public pressure, that a private company effectively depoliticizes the tolling decision. To describe this in more easily understood terms, if a state's legislators decide to raise tolls on bridges and toll roads, there is a public outcry and a political fallout. They can avoid this by selling our roads and our bridges, that we built and paid for, to private companies that don't have to answer to the public.
Who is profiting here and who is getting screwed? Who ends up paying more to use their own roads and bridges? And not paying this increased amount to our own government to be used for the benefit of our own citizens, but paying this increased use fee to a foreign company - and in addition these profits are leaving the country instead of being pumped back into our economy.
These politicians are selling these "leases" of our roads and bridges for immediate cash on the barrel head that they claim will be used to fund other public projects like road repairs and other infrastructure without raising taxes. Again, Bullshit! Who knows whose pocket that money will eventually end up in?
These repairs should have been paid for with tax revenues - the same excessive revenues that are being stolen and siphoned off by the industrial war complex, the defense contractors, oil companies and other pirates that are criminally ripping off this country and it's citizens while the majority of us stand stupidly by and argue with each other over gay marriage, flag burning and prayers in schools among other equally stupid issues I won't elaborate on here. These divisive, relatively inconsequential, socially low impact issues are effectively being used to engage and distract us while our pockets are being picked and our country sold to the highest bidder.
Can't you see it??? They want us divided as Republicans and Democrats! They know exactly how to cause us to fight with one another. If we drop this folly, come together and turn our attention on what is really happening in this country we would see the truth.
Americans are the biggest fools of all. Maybe we don't deserve the country our forefathers entrusted to us. Maybe we deserve to have it sold off piece by piece while we argue over a woman's right to choose. One thing is certain, if we don't wake up and take this country back from the corrupt madmen now in charge - we are most certainly doomed.
The money that is being stolen is money that is being borrowed in our name from China and other nations that now hold the note on America. You and your children and our children's children are the ones who must honor that promissory note, not those who are selling our country down the tubes.
They're taking the money and running, laughing all the way to the Swiss banks.
Gary
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