It’s up to you, Russians, the children of Mother Russia. Time to stand up and say Fuck No. #FuckPutin. Save Russia. Save Ukraine, and the world. You can be the heroes of this nightmare.
#OverthrowPutin
If you are Pro-Putin now, the whole world is against you. Except maybe China, but they’re still playing it pretty close to the hip. Both Democrats and Republicans even agree, and they don’t agree on fuckingANYTHING.
I think Russians have an important choice to make. You can be on the RIGHT side of history. You can choose to #Resist tyranny, like your Ukranian brothers and sisters are doing.
It’s time for a new Russian government. Actual Democracy. Time to truly be a world leader, rather than just another rogue nation, with nuclear weapons.
It won’t be easy. Doing what is necessary often isn’t. ~jg
Jamie Gray is a New York writer, musician, and thinker of thoughts.
You may disagree and will still be treated with respect, unless you do not show the same respect. #SpeakTruth #BeKind
Authors Note: All opinions expressed here are just that: opinions. If you don’t like mine, I probably won’t like yours either. Let’s just nod, and walk away. Maybe come back with solutions instead of opinions. Because of the two, only solutions actually matter.
All insurance is a scam. Health Insurance is a fucking crime. You have insurance, you think, ‘Cool I’m covered’. But nope…you still have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars. How is that fair?
Insurance should be fucking insurance. I get sick. I’m insured. Insurance fucking pays, not me. It’s not really insurance if they get you coming and going. You pay all that money up front…every month…hundreds of dollars, maybe thousands per year. Sometimes they take it right out of your paycheck, before you ever see it.
Then you get sick. You give em the card, cross your fingers and pray. Deductible here. CoPay there. Deny this. Pro-rated that. You get out of the hospital, and before your recovery is even complete, they start coming: A bill from this doctor you don’t remember. A charge for this test and that screening. You haven’t even gotten back to work, and you’re buried in red ink.
What the fuck people. How is THIS the ‘best’ healthcare? If they save your life and then take your house to cover the cost…and that’s if you HAVE insurance. If you don’t, good luck even getting the services you need. When they know they aren’t getting paid, they somehow manage to do the barest minimum. Imagine that. For-Profit Hospitals putting profits above the best healthcare for all. WhoDaThunk?
Fuck Capitalism. Services like healthcare, police, fire, EMS, ambulance, military, prisons, education. These should NEVER be privatized. Everyone has the right to the best services we can provide when it comes to health and safety. People shouldn’t have to worry about paying the bills for these services. It should be included in our taxes, even if they are a little higher.
Separate but equal doesn’t work any more in healthcare than it does in education. Haves and have-nots alike should be protected from harm as citizens of an advanced and equitable society. Exploitation and greed have no place competing with the Hippocratic Oath for healthcare dollars. Those dollars are best spent on research, not drug commercials, dividends and CEO salaries.
The only way you do that is to get rid of the insurance companies and big pharma. Our universities, properly funded by tax dollars, could be an amazing core of medical research and medicine development…for the good of ALL, not just the shareholders and board of directors. No more price gouging on critical medicines. No more rationing of new medical treatments to the well-to-do and connected.
That’s what socialized medicine could be. It doesn’t have to be a poorly designed and inequitable system. There are plenty of examples of socialized medicine around the world that are models for a better standard of care than ours.
Healthcare is a human right, in a society that has advanced to the point where we CAN CHOOSE between profit and doing the right thing.
Do we really want to be THAT country? The one that chooses profits? Because WE have a choice. ~jg
New York writer and musician, Jamie Gray
Authors Note: All opinions expressed here are just that: opinions. If you don’t like mine, I probably won’t like yours either. Let’s just nod, and walk away. Maybe come back with solutions instead of opinions. Because of the two, only solutions actually matter.
It’s a circus. A dog and pony show, of lies, half truths, and propaganda, moderated mostly by the honor system, as actual journalism has devolved into a mass-media marketing scheme. Competing corporate overlords selling the particular brand of fear they think you’re most likely to buy. When in truth, they should be afraid of YOU.
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Here’s the thing about modern American politics: They want us to argue, to the point of complete distraction if at all possible, about big picture shit that is really hard to change. Both parties want the same thing. They want us at each other’s throats over masks and vaccines, instead of just wearing them. They chide us on, to defend or attack the right to be an idiot vs. social responsibility and acting in the common good. Respecting the rights of all the other idiots. But what they DON’T want us to do is to learn to communicate with each other.
Uncle Sam is a Corporate Tool.
They ply us with contradictory information. Some of it’s true, but they make it all seem true. That way when we discuss it, nobody can easily agree on the facts. Close scrutiny will reveal the truth eventually, but who has time for that? By the time the truth comes out, the ‘facts’ don’t even matter, thanks to the hype.
It’s a circus. A dog and pony show, of lies, half truths, and propaganda, moderated mostly by the honor system, as actual journalism has devolved into a mass-media marketing scheme. Competing corporate overlords selling the particular brand of fear they think you’re most likely to buy. When in truth, they should be afraid of YOU.
Corporate News is Not Journalism. Take the time to find The Truth.
Someday, I hope Americans will wake up and realize they deserve better than lip service. We deserve great things.
‘We live in the greatest country in the world’. That’s what they say. I beg to differ.
The greatest country in the world would be at the top of every list. Education. Happiness. Poverty. Healthcare. Crime. Violence. Civil rights. Wellness. Climate change. Sustainability. Incarceration. Mental health. Innovation. Productivity. Renewable energy. Manufacturing. We don’t lead the world in ANY of these important issues.
Poverty in America rivals many ‘third world’ nations. Education sucks. Don’t get me started about healthcare. It’s fine if you can afford it.
The United States of America: It’s fine if you can afford it.
We may have the most powerful military in the world, but even that’s not going to last long. We’re diving deeper and deeper into a national debt we can never repay, to fund wars on terrorism, which are really just thinly veiled political power plays, economic plunder at the expense of the indigenous people who really just want to be left alone to live their lives.
If every American could just go to the doctor without worrying about money, that would be great. If every kid had the opportunity for a GREAT education, and no one had to worry about being homeless in their old age, people would say THAT is great. If we sent food to the hungry, instead of missiles and tanks to their government: greatness.
People in many countries live a better life than we do, here in the States. Free healthcare. A social security system that works. Clean power fueling sustainable industries. Great free education for all. We have plenty of opportunities to become a great country. Truthfully, we’ve been a greater country before. The MAGA folks are at least partly right. We were far from perfect, but we used to lead the world in something other than greed and exploitation, before we lost our way.
We’ve given the keys to our future to a few powerful people, people who control corporations, which control our government. Corporations are very good at doing one thing: maximizing profits. THAT’S how they’ve managed to get people to work sixty hours a week and STILL not earn a living wage. Life isn’t better than it was fifty years ago for most Americans. Even most rich people don’t feel like things are better. Many wealthy people are preoccupied with losing everything, all the time.
Protecting rich people is so much more important than protecting poor people.
Why? Because, the rich are better than everyone else, of course. Wealthy people are simply more entitled to human rights than other people, simply because they have money, and…they’re just fucking entitled. That’s just ‘how it is’.
We let this happen. We allow a system to exist that causes this to be true, despite our ability to make demands enforced by democratic action (OUR VOTES). The system doesn’t have to be like this. It doesn’t have to be like it used to be, in order to magically get better. Think about that. It just makes no fucking sense.
Vote. It counts. Otherwise the minority, GOP assholes wouldn’t keep trying to suppress it.
The system has to get BETTER to get better. Better for EVERYONE, not just the elite. Not just for some people. Better in the things that matter. Change must benefit the majority to have a positive effect. Better.
I say, how about we try making things ‘better’ first and THEN maybe we can talk about ‘great’.
Greatness isn’t just a claim you make to impress people over cocktails. Greatness is easily recognizable. Greatness lasts. Truly great things stand the test of time. Some even improve with age. ~jg
Jamie Gray – Musician & Writer
Authors Note: All opinions expressed here are just that: opinions. If you don’t like mine, I probably won’t like yours either. Let’s just nod, and walk away. Maybe come back with solutions instead of opinions. Because of the two, only solutions actually matter.
Common sense is a paradox. Having common sense is not common at all. What seems common sense to you, may not be obvious to other people, and many people just don’t have any common sense at all. Some people just act irrationally. Even if they claim it’s by design, that doesn’t make it sensible.
So much about life today is paradox. Almost no one is who they seem, as much as who they want you to see them as. Even our leaders have abandoned Truth and Logic for lies and deceptions.
I’ve always thought that most people ‘get it’. I figured, a small minority may be clueless, while most people understand things. More or less. That’s what I thought. Used to think.
…our Leaders have abandoned Truth and Logic…
It’s easy enough to look back and ask if what you did made sense, but it’s also hard to look at our mistakes objectively. It’s much easier to ACT as if we’re smart and just ignore our own ignorance.
Lately, it’s become clear that those of us who truly think about what we’re doing, and whether it makes sense, we are a drastic minority.
Talk about a paradox. ~jg
Jamie Gray – Musician, Writer, Thinker
Authors Note: All opinions expressed here are just that: opinions. If you don’t like mine, I probably won’t like yours either. Let’s just nod, and walk away. Maybe come back with solutions instead of opinions. Because of the two, only solutions actually matter.
To all my so-called Christian friends who voted for Trump: The rise of Evangelical sheisters and the Trump presidency were both predicted by Jesus in Matthew 24:23-25
What would Jesus do?
23 At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!’ or, `There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
True Christians act like Christ. Name ONE thing Trump and his team did that was Christ-like. Can’t name one? Because Trump did the OPPOSITE of what Christ would do.
Open your eyes. Don’t be deceived. ~jg
Authors Note: All opinions expressed here are just that: opinions. If you don’t like mine, I probably won’t like yours either. Let’s just nod, and walk away. Maybe come back with solutions instead of opinions. Because of the two, only solutions actually matter.
…”They have some pretty slick AI that screens for connections and the tell-tale hearts of anti-american hostility and malcontent. It sniffs it out chunks of terrorist cholesterol from the Internet’s arteries, as gigabytes of data streams past their hidden packet snatchers.”…
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They know you already. You don’t have to believe it for it to be true, and knowing the truth doesn’t make you crazy. Unless they need you to be, and generally speaking, they don’t.
So…Once the NSA knows-that-you-know that they ‘listen’ to everything you do online, it’s basically #GameOn. Are you a subversive? Who are your followers? Who do you follow? Are any of them ‘terrorists‘? Because since 2001, that’s the best way for the .gov folks to shut down the voices that are violent. Preach revolt. Or maybe just make too much sense.
We’re Watching. ~The NSA
I know they’re watching me. Because they watch everything. Everyone. They have some pretty slick AI that screens for connections and the tell-tale hearts of anti-american hostility and malcontent. It sniffs it out chunks of terrorist cholesterol from the Internet’s arteries, as gigabytes of data streams past their hidden packet snatchers. Filters the digital goo. Combs thru it all, looking for nuggets of evil against Uncle Sam.
Uncle Sam Towers Above The Danbury CT Railroad Museum
Good ol’ patriotic malcontent used to be ok, back in the day. You can still say the government sucks, if you’re careful, but thanks to the MAGA Revolution, we now know that even patriots can be terrorists…and so does the NSA. Even a gentle grumble can raise the AI hackles these days, which flags you for human eyes to review your dossier. Everyone’s got a dossier if they have any sort of online presence at all. I bet you think you don’t, but if you’re reading this, you know me, so they definitely have you in their crosshairs too.
The good news is, as long as you don’t go too far, they would rather just keep watching. Of course, if you suddenly ‘radicalize’ by plotting violence, or maybe worse, disappear from the Web, don’t be surprised if that generic panel van parked on your street is full of feds with heat tracing cameras and parabolic mics. These are scary times…it makes sense. Sort of. In hugely Orwellian fashion.
Jamie Gray|Musician and Writer
I suppose I should worry. I talk a lot about revolution and rebellion. I DO think the government sucks. But I’d never condone violence, except in self-defense. And I’d never advocate for a coup. I think we SHOULD overturn our government…from inside. Through VOTES and legislation and policy. Kick the moneychangers out of the temple of democracy, so to speak. Voting and peaceful protest. Through free speech, empathy and kindness, educating people to see the corruption that is right in front of them, and show them how to be a part of the solution rather than a victim of a system that pretends to care.
I’m not a threat to anybody’s safety. I’m an advocate for a better America. One that takes care of the little guy…and the victim. An America like they told us about in Civics class. Do they even teach Civics anymore?
Most importantly, I’m not a threat to the status quo. Nobody actually listens to me. I’m just a crazy old guy on a couch, with a guitar, a remote control, and a lot of ideas. If I ask my followers to do anything, most of them might get around to doing something. If it’s not too hard or uncomfortable. Someday. Soon, for sure. One of my favorite songs puts it best: “I’d start a revolution… …If I could get up in the morning”. ~ Aimee Allen
Thanks for reading to the end. Please #Vote. ~jg
“I’d Start a Revolution (If I Could Get Up in the Morning)” Aimee Allen
I solve problems. I believe have a solution to everything. It’s who I am at the core, I suppose. Please don’t judge me if I try to solve yours.
When I look at the absolute mess in Washington DC, I see problems that need solving. Unfortunately, politicians aren’t very good at solving problems…at least not without creating more problems. Bigger ones usually. Expensive ones, dangerous ones, that cost us all.
“The US Capitol stands for what We The People are willing to sacrifice for the greater good.” ~jg
To me, things seem simple. There are gray areas, but by and large, there are simple, obvious solutions to every problem we face. We know must face them, but thanks to our bullshit pay-to-play political system, we usually choose to wait until it’s a fucking emergency.
Because God forbid we take one unnecessary fucking penny of profits from our corporate overlords. The economy will come crashing down and everyone will lose their jobs, if Amazon stock doesn’t continue to rise.
Well, Bezos can blast himself into space and fucking stay there, as far as I’m concerned. He’s a fucking pirate. No one should make billions of dollars in a pandemic. Even if it’s not TAXABLE income (so it doesn’t really count anyway). Give it BACK!
“Bezos can blast himself into space and fucking stay there, as far as I’m concerned. He’s a fucking pirate.”
I truly believe we can solve all of our problems. But the American people need to become engaged in our government. The People should vote for Solutions, not for people who make those choices for us, based on bribes (that’s what political donations really are) from powerful people and businesses.
We can hold Congress accountable to the vote of the people on those ISSUES. Right now, career politicians only REALLY answer to the fat cats who bankroll their elite lifestyles, and pay for their manipulative political propaganda.
And…Oh yeah. We gotta stop electing lawyers and career politicians. Congress should be people like you and me, who serve a term or two and do the best job they can for ALL of the Country (not just their party). Then they go back to their lives as teachers, truck drivers, and chefs. Lawyers shouldn’t make laws. They can write the laws AFTER regular people tell them what we want the Law to MEAN.
Bottom Line? We’ll solve a fucktonne of problems with TWO easy fixes. Get rid of political contributions, and implement term limits for every elected office. Simple shit, man.
But what do I know. I’m just a guy on a couch. ~jg
Jamie Gray | Writer. Musician. Just a guy on a couch.
