Tag: donald jeffries

Corruption, Incompetence, Insanity, and The Cure

Roger Mitchell3 Comments

“You can’t have corrupt, incompetent, and insane leadership without a corrupt, incompetent, and insane base. Or a corrupt, incompetent, and insane support system.” — https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/p/psychos-in-charge-of-sinking-uss

I admire Donald Jeffries. Whenever I see one of his posts, wherever that might be, I try to read it. He gets long-winded at times, but his work is always relative and hard-hitting, as is the one linked above. In it, he lists a long line of characters, political, social, financial leaders and describes one or two, maybe three of their very public failings, most of which have never had any form of real justice acted upon and which were quite likely swept under the rug.

Typical.

However, toward the end of the article is the line quoted which I thought was quite appropriate. We live in a society and culture which tends to point fingers, tries to blame others for our troubles, tries to squirm out of responsibilities controlling our own lives. Jeffries hits this on the nose…and draws blood.

It would be impossible for those at the top of the heap to be corrupt, incompetent, and insane, unless those who comprise the base layers of the support system were not also corrupt, incompetent, and insane, to some degree, which basically means nearly everyone alive today. In a culture which prized integrity, honesty, and personal responsibility, anyone who tried to siphon off the cream would be quickly called out, examined, found guilty, and sentenced severely, severely enough so that it was actually painful and sufficient to act as a warning to others to avoid copying that behavior.

If the shoe fits, wear it.

Think about it this way. Most people, if they had to directly lie, cheat, and steal from their neighbors and friends to achieve a financial gain, would probably refuse to do that. However, because government steps in, promises them whatever they want, and convinces them that the burden will fall on someone else, indirectly through a proxy, they do not hesitate to sign up for the program and the promised benefits, even though they know, deep down, that the action taken will eventually catch up to them. Or, maybe they really do believe that Utopia can be achieved on Earth: a pain-free, luxurious lifestyle without cost–courtesy of the ruling authorities, the voting proletariat, income tax withholding, and the FED based fraudulent economy.

There are only four types of persons on this planet.

  • Those who are blind. Completely blind with no chance of seeing.
  • Those who are blind willfully because they refuse to open their eyes to the light of truth.
  • Those who open their eyes to the truth but make every effort possible to justify their actions which are opposed to the truth.
  • Those who open their eyes to the truth, understand it is truth, embrace it as truth, and put it into action.

The first group is hopelessly lost. It is a waste of time, effort and resources to try to reach them. The second group is simply obstinate and stubborn, preferring to wallow in the pit of ignorance rather than open themselves up to the possibility that they could escape it. The third group understands but acts rebelliously and with determination in order to maintain the facade of deceit.

It is only the fourth group which has potential to change the world by recognizing that no amount of gerrymandering or groping about in the dark will change anything for the better. It is the members of this group, understanding that personal change must be initiated and accomplished by self-introspection and adaptation where necessary, who will change the world in a positive way because they have changed themselves first in the light of the truth.

Our world’s future depends on these. The present system is dying. The likely successor (at least, temporarily) is a system based on AI and Palantir-type surveillance and control. Ultimately, they, too, will pass on and, like Jeffrey Epstein1, the truth will still be there, waiting calmly and patiently for anyone who is willing to pick up the pieces and begin building a new reality for themselves, their families, their friends, their neighbors, their societies and cultures, even their enemies.

“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:32

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Galatians 5:14

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” — Galatians 5:9

Need I say more?

  1. Every time I see a photo of Jeffrey Epstein, I see his sardonic, sarcastic, sneering smile. This reminds me of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, which would slowly disappear with the smile the last to fade from sight. Jeffrey Epstein waits…and smiles. ↩︎

America loves war. Just admit it.

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

“The Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war. Congress, representing the weakest of the three branches of government, has refused to follow its obligation since WWII. The Senate has shown a bit of backbone here, with the Democrats (and five Republicans) voting on a War Powers resolution to limit what Trump can do in Venezuela. Trump will undoubtedly veto it. Congress loves war as much as the people who keep voting them back in office do.” — https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/p/the-gangsters-of-manifest-destiny

Hoo, boy! Isn’t that the truth? But, just to make sure everyone understands the statement clearly, let me rephrase it.

The people who keep voting the politicians into office love war as much as Congress does!

Ahhhhh! Now we’re getting somewhere. And there is no better example of that assertion than the continual and long-standing re-election of uber-hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, who has never seen heard about a war he didn’t love, especially those which wreak havoc, death, and destruction on people and societies which are, supposedly, the “enemies” of the self-righteous, so-called Christian community of the state he hails from and the “national interests of the US. Whatever that means.

Compassion for the poor, down-trodden, hungry masses of foreign peoples outside the “respectable” circles of the Pharisaical confines of the most-segregated community in America today, the Christian church1, is not considered. What is more important is the constant and constantly increasing flow of “blessings”, read dollars, to the industries and services which are a large part of the economy of South Carolina (and every other state as well), from the bellicose machine known as MICIMATT, of which the US Department of War is its very public face, and for which the president (Donald Trump being the latest example) is the main cheerleader.

Hip, hip, hooray! Let’s go kill some despicables today! Kill them over there so we don’t have to kill them over here! Yeah, you know, because we’re a Christian nation and they’re not, except for Venezuela, of course, which is also Christian, but just happens to be full of oil which it was selling to “our” adversary, China. Thank God that “our” modern-day Herculean hero, Mr. Donald John Trump, was given power to put a stop to that bullshit. If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank the President!

War is the health of the State, Randolph Bourne told us a century ago, and that is no less true today than it was when he penned the words.

“…the nation in war-time attains a uniformity of feeling, a hierarchy of values, culminated at the undisputed apex of the State ideal, which could not possibly be produced through any other agency than war. Other values such [as] artistic creation, knowledge, reason, beauty, the enhancement of life, are instantly and almost unanimously sacrificed and the significant classes who have constituted themselves the amateur agents of the State are engaged not only in sacrificing these values for themselves but in coercing all other persons into sacrificing them.” — https://www.panarchy.org/bourne/state.1918.html

Sadly, this prevailing attitude is directly opposed to the teachings of another famous person, who may or may have never written anything down for posterity to read, but who fundamentally changed the world–Jesus Christ.

  1. “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.” — Luke 6:27
  2. “Blessed are the peacemakers2, for they shall be called the sons of God.” — Matthew 5:9
  3. “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” — Matthew 26:52
  4. “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” — Luke 23:34

Etc., among many others, and there is also this order from the Ten Commandments, which bears repeating: “Thou shalt not steal.” — Exodus 20:15. Stealing, of course, is an involuntary taking of something, anything, from someone else which belongs to them, whether by force, fraud, or law. Taking the life of someone else would fall into this category.

Donald Trump, at the very least, is honest with his principles. He has stated that he is NOT a Christian, which can be seen in his actions,3 which he makes no excuses for, and which he does not try to hide. (Except for anything which might be exposed in the full and complete release of the Epstein files, if there’s anything there.) Not so for the millions upon millions of skin-deep Christians who claim to worship the Prince of Peace as the King of Kings, but who harbor a deep reverence and love toward the militant State which constantly practices deceit, theft, and murder on a world-wide scale.

“There is a moral order. Beware of unintended consequences when it it violated.”4

    1. Segregation of churches according to skin color is a prominent part of Christianity in the Christian church today, especially in the South. This is a dirty shame and may be a reason why the Church in America has no power today. ↩︎
    2. Peacekeepers, as commonly understood today, are not identical to peacemakers. Peacekeepers use the threat of violent force to maintain an artificial truce between warring factions while they discuss and negotiate the methods by which they might live in a state without overt war. On the other hand, peacemaking is the process by which war itself, is completely eliminated from the community of individuals/nations and is accomplished by voluntarily submitting to the will of the Prince of Peace Himself and loving your neighbor (enemy) as you love yourself. ↩︎
    3. “By their works you will know them.” — Matthew 7:16 ↩︎
    4. Jordan Peterson, We Who Wrestle with God, Penguin Random House, 2024, chapter 3.8. ↩︎

    The Practice of Politics: Continued

    Roger Mitchell3 Comments

    This was first published as a reply to a comment seen on an article by Donald Jeffries at his Substack. I like Donald Jeffries. He has become, without his knowledge, one of my most-beloved mentors. I have a few others: John Waters, Elizabeth Nickson, Caitlin Johnstone, Edward Curtin, etc., from whom I am learning, not so much about facts and opinions, but how to write lucidly and comprehensively about things that matter. More than anything else, I am learning how to be unafraid in the telling of the truth. If this resonates with you, please leave a comment.

    https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/p/the-orwellian-doctors-of-disinformation

    I describe politics as the practice of getting what you want by manipulating other people and is always at their expense, to their detriment, which is an adaptation of this quote by Frederic Bastiat–“Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavours to live at the expense of everybody else.”

    Most people consider “politics” as having to do with government, law, the State, but most never, ever think about the way that they practice it on a daily basis. For instance, Billy Joel’s waitress in his hit song, Piano Man, made a habit of and living from “…practicing politics as the businessmen (her customers) slowly get stoned.”

    Government is only the official recognition that politics is practiced everywhere, at all levels of society, by an overwhelming majority of people, both large and small, who endeavor to get what they want at the expense of everyone else, using every possible means at their disposal. Sometimes they get busted and learn, correcting their ways but, more often than not, they protest that their actions are really only for the benefit of those around them and the good of society. Like supporting the Military-Industrial Complex because it has a factory in their home state or loudly backing the genocidal catastrophes which the “most-favored” nation in the history of the world, Israel, practices on its weaker neighbors.

    How do you correct this problem. Quite simple. Vote. Vote harder. Vote more often. Vote until the right people are put into office and all the scheming, conniving, rascally scoundrels are turned out into the street or thrown into a maximum-security prison. Yes, that ought to do it and so many are faithful to the concept, never realizing that voting is an attempt to force others to behave the way that you want them to. Getting what you want at someone else’s expense, to their detriment. Politics.

    For those who haven’t already caught on, the paragraph immediately above is sarcastic. The only way to correct the practice of politics is to address the sin within yourself AND to take action to eliminate it from your own life. All of us are guilty. All of us have to change our course. As a succinct example of what I am advocating, I offer another paraphrase from an even greater man than Frederic Bastiat.

    “Love your neighbors, don’t kill them.”