Tag: social commentary

BARACK OBAMA’S speech was weak, utterly lacking in compelling (or even admissible) evidence and unconvincing, especially to the world.

He’s looking for a way out and Russia appears to be in the driver’s seat with respect to diplomacy. Barack the Bloody has openly vowed compliance with international law. He has committed himself to exploring and pursuing the diplomatic solution… which means he has backed down. He has lost inertia and initiative.

There will be no 9-11 false flag attacks. The situation is too tense, too tinder dry. My guess is that the Obama administration is hoping for this to die down in intensity so it can be swept under the rug and proclaimed a victory.

But what I foresee is a crushing and humiliating defeat for the U.S. at the UN when the inspection reports come in and as more and more evidence piles up that the Assad regime did not use the gas, that this was a false-flag perpetrated by U.S. and allies. The UN can, and probably will demand presentation of the thus-far missing evidence. John Kerry is about to have his head handed to him if that happens.

You can’t yank the world around like this.

You can’t yank people around like this.

We are not going though weeks and months of this.

And just maybe, seven billion of us are beginning to realize that we can put an end to this.

Si se puede!

~ Michael C. Ruppert [3 minutes ago]

Moment of Clarity : The Shadows Are Taking Over

TRC contributor Lee Camp

We watch 15 years of television during our lifespan and that doesn’t even account for time on the iPad and the cell phone.  Are the shadows on the wall taking over?

View more Moments of Clarity at HERE.
Get his best-selling political humor book of the same name, here.
Congressman Alan Grayson did.  You know you wanna…

Occupy Journalism Q & A with TRC’s Gabrielle Price

[A question/answer session from an anonymous journalism student from Sweden for Occupy.  We both agreed it would be good to share this for all the young journalists and budding occupy media teams.  So, here you go.  I was honored to be asked to participate.]

Why did you decide to pursue a career in Journalism?

I wrote for a school newspaper in Jr. High and was curious about journalism then and after several creative writing courses in High School – but I didn’t actively pursue it until I was well into my 30’s – mostly because it flushed well with my photography.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words but many of the photographs I took at the time were art photos and descriptions came with them as a matter of course.

My actual career background is in the administrative field [much of that was correspondence and research]. The people I worked for liked the manner and style of my writing and I was highly praised for my ability as a researcher.

After my last administrative job was phased out, I actively pursued photojournalism as a means of sharing information.  Being a politically active book nerd, my skills simply married well with journalism.  I took the leap with my first blog and received a lot of good feedback.  Later, I started a music project which garnered some international attention for my writing and since then, I managed to cross the music writing over into activism.  Two things I am very passionate about.  This started me down a path of deeper research and intelligence gathering – and the study of journalism in history.

In many ways, journalism pursued me.  I’m also a Gemini – ruled by Mercury – the sign of communication and information.  Though, many don’t put stock in those things, I can attest to that being a strong personality trait.

Are you glad that you did?  Do you have any regrets?

This is an interesting question seeing as I feel like I had no choice but to write.  Like an artist creates, a writer writes.  I’m glad my work helps others and in this day and age of corporate news – it feels like my duty to continue.  I’m honored to witness history as it unfolds and try my best to report factually and objectively – which was near impossible to do in political writing.  The deeper I researched, the more I learned and it became a personal awakening process.  For that, I am also glad and couldn’t regret a thing.  It’s been as much a spiritual journey as a professional one.  Seeking to uncover the truth, by it’s very nature, is a spiritual undertaking.

It’s impossible to regret growth as a human being – it is experience that makes the writer, after all.  Though there are few posts by me on TRC, I like sharing others work.  I’m working on a book, building a radio station as well as news videos, which doesn’t lend itself well to news writing at the moment.  There are a lot of great reporters and writers out there and I like to share the ones that impress me.

What successes have you realized as a result of your career choice?

Mostly accolades and the honor of seeing my work alongside some of my personal heroes in the field.  Also using my work to help others less fortunate or that do not have a voice.  Success is a personal reflection because it is defined differently by an individual rather than what society deems successful.  For me personally, I have printed letters and emails framed from other writers and artists I admire – and have met one of them last year who was quite a mentor for me.  So I guess I feel my successes are in my growth and the personal connections with like minded people.

This is also a mixed blessing as some writers may not be socially in tune or egotistical which is a turn off.  But that’s life and all part and parcel of the experience.  That doesn’t make a person’s work any less valuable a contribution.  I mean, Hunter Thompson may have been considered an asshole by many – but his writing put Rolling Stone on the map, in my opinion.

What have been your greatest challenges (or what are your greatest challenges now)?

Money.  I think most writers would say the same.  The corporate media machine and technology has lulled a lot of people into a false sense of what journalism is or should be.  It does get a bad rap.  I feel that is changing however, so honestly, it’s an exciting time to be involved in media as much as it is precarious.   There are many who probably couldn’t hack it and aside from money, the greatest challenge for me was cutting through my own cognitive dissonance in order to report without mainstream bias.  This is much harder than it sounds simply because the mainstream has done it’s job well.  Being a little ‘gonzo’ helps.Hunter Thompson remains one of my favorite writers and he said that it is near impossible for regular people to get good information during wartime.  This makes the job of a journalist much harder as well.  Meeting and overcoming challenges to deliver honest reporting is pretty much how any journalist worth their salt will keep their integrity and the loyalty of their readers [or viewers].  Even when the political climate makes them fickle…and fickle is being kind.  It’s a tough audience out there right now.I’ve always admired Keith Olbermann’s ability to maintain loyal listeners.   I’m not sure European readers will know who he is – but he was on a cable station called Current which is owned in part by Al Gore.  He was fired abruptly two weeks ago and was one of the only remaining voices on [pseudo] mainstream that supported and reported on Occupy.  I hope he gives Current a Gonzo bitch-slap so hard that Al’s wife Tipper will feel it.Don’t get me started on Tipper.

Are there any “unknown” pieces or aspects of such a career that might be helpful for an outsider to consider?

Be prepared to handle the truth when you find it – and be prepared to tell it to others thoughtfully not cautiously. The duty of any journalist is to report what IS – to the best of their ability with the information available.  ‘Available’ does not mean you don’t have to research.  Dig until you are satisfied in your own mind and heart that you have discovered something of value to your readers.  It is ultimately about them.Lastly, if you want to improve a thing [your writing, the political landscape, the press] be critical of it.  In order for the art of journalism to survive corporate control – it needs more critics not suck ups.  This means you need to have a thick skin and an iron constitution.  Journalism is not for the weak of heart.  The old saying that the pen is mightier than the sword is true – words are very powerful things – wield them with respect for the truth and you will never injure yourself.Others may get hurt, however – but if a small few are hurting the 99%, the environment or our democracy – being critical of them is just helping karma along.  It is way past due for a nudge.

Any personal advice or last comments?

Keep a copy of the First Amendment where you write.  I recommend watching the movie “Good Night and Good Luck” at least twice to understand why one of the highest awards for American journalism has Edward R. Murrow’s name on it.  If we were all half as good as he was – we could mop the floor with MSM here.  That time is coming because this economy is seeing major publications laying people off.  Citizen press and underground media need to get their foundations established now – there is a window and I’m unsure how long it will be open.  Connect with like-minded thinkers, photographers, videographers and not worry about trying to “make it” in a dying corporate media culture.  Leave that old cold war corpse to rot…it’s time to get on with the business of telling people the truth.US media is about as useful as a stars and stripes band aid on compound fracture.

Guest post : To Undo The Folded Lie

by Phil Rockstroh

A stammered truth is more resonate to the heart than a well-told lie; unfortunately, an habitually dissembling mindset will view the situation in reverse.  All too often, our internalized system of viewing an unfolding event will determine our take on it.  If the institutions (e.g., familial, governmental, mass media) that have influenced our method of perception are themselves compromised by internalized biases, then a type of carnival funhouse mirror effect is in play (both on an individual and culture-wide basis) whereby distortions reflect distortions that, in turn, reflect those distortions…ad infinitum.  Reality is made grotesque, and gross distortions are perceived as reality.

This is why it is essential to develop a method of viewing that includes the heart, the gut, and all of one’s senses.  A lie only fools the mind; in contrast, truth reverberates throughout one’s entire being.

“All I have is a voice / To undo the folded lie.” – W.H. Auden

A truthful remembrance will free imprisoned ghosts from their torment (They will be bestowed with heart-felt feeling (i.e., remember their humanity) and therefore be reborn.)–while shallow, self-serving dissembling will raise an army of mindless zombies.

Only 41% of the population of the U.S. believe in the verifiable reality of global climate chaos.  The institutionalized, thus internalized, lies of the corporate/consumer state – the usurping of the innate longings of the human heart and replacing them with consumer desires – have not only left consumerist true believers bereft of the ability to honestly process information but have rendered them unable to locate the source of their own suffering.  It is impossible to sate empty appetite by more empty consumption.  The hollowness at the core of the consumer state can only be remedied by an awakening of the heart.

How does one take this course of action?  The answer is neither recondite nor inaccessible: by the time honored methods of grief and gratitude.  Fortunately, our lives give us ample opportunity for practice.

Apropos: Grieve for our abuse of the flora and fauna of this living planet into which we were born, and grieve for the suffering we bring to ourselves by these callous actions…for the abuse and neglect that we inflict upon the earth we heap on ourselves.  As long as we believe it is our birthright to exploit the planet, then we will continue to believe it permissible to ruthlessly exploit one another.

In short, when we demean the world, we demean ourselves by the same methods.  There is no need for a vengeful god above to punish us for our transgressions…we’re doing just fine on our own.  To trudge through life devoid of the warmth bestowed by a compassionate heart, is to divest one’s self of soul…to not be fully alive within life.  And that is an awful form of punishment: to construct, in the area within yourself where your heart should be positioned, a dungeon where you have become both the torturer and the tortured–all ordered by a merciless king (your willful mind untempered by the counsel of your heart) who lords over the wasteland of misapprehensions that you have mistaken for the whole of existence.

Phil Rockstroh is a poet, lyricist and philosopher bard living in New York City.

He may be contacted at: phil@philrockstroh.com. Visit Phil’s website or at FaceBook.

Guest post : Post Racial America / Fact or Fable

by Keith D. Wheeler

The encounter between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman has polarized the nation. As more and more evidence against George Zimmerman is brought to light, it paints a disturbing picture of what actually happened that sad evening.

(1) Mr. Zimmerman was instructed by the 911 operator to remain inside and let the police handle it.  He went after Trayvon any way, although Mr. Martin had committed no crime.  He was simply walking through the neighborhood & talking on his cell phone….and he was black.

(2) The voice heard crying for help on a 911 call just before Trayvon Martin was shot to death was not that of George Zimmerman, according to two forensic voice identification experts, but actually Trayvon Martin.

(3) Mr. Zimmerman insists that Trayvon Martin attacked him and therefore feared for his life yet, the police video at the station shows no blood, no broken nose and no wounds to the back of his head.  You have to remember that a police report stated that Zimmerman was found at the scene with a bloody nose and a cut on the back of his head.  Zimmerman did not seek medical treatment.  Which brings into question the validity of the police report.

(4) According to a news report, Sanford Police initially felt they had enough material to arrest George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, but prosecutors were apparently reluctant in quickly making charges.

(5) George Zimmerman’s arrest record of (2) counts of domestic violence & resisting arrest and battery on a police officer demonstrates that he has a history of violence.

Looking at what has been revealed and suspecting that more is to come, I believe that Mr. Zimmerman will finally be arrested.

I also believe that during the trial Mr. Zimmerman will use a diminished capacity defense and that will be propped up by some xenophobic world view.

After all, young black men are scary….even when they are unarmed, just talking on a cell phone, committing no crime whatsoever.  In conclusion, had this been a white, unarmed teenager and the shooter had been a black male…

So much for the post racial American society we “think” we live in.


Mr. K. D. Wheeler is a 20 year veteran in the protective services industry, a former bail enforcement agent, private investigator, former United States Marine, and an unapologetic black nerd.  He was interviewed previously for TRC in March of 2011 regarding personal security.