Category: #editorial

Better is Better

jamie

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.

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.

Uncommon Sense

jamie

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.

Or 1 N Big 9 S 8 Brother A 4 Well

jamie

…”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.”…

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

Aimee Allen

Problems Solved. Available for hire.

jamie

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.

Spin is Not, in fact Truth

jamie

If you’re only getting your news from one source, or from a handful of sources that publish opinion stories that you agree with, you aren’t getting the Truth. The Truth can only be confirmed by multiple, objective, independent sources. The Truth can only be confirmed with facts.

Rumors you read on Reddit or Facebook, or theory-based reporting from partisan ‘news’ outlets like MSNBC, FOX, OAN, NewsMax and others should be taken as such: they are THEORIES. That means you still need FACTS to confirm or disprove.

Being objective means you base your world view on EVIDENCE.

Because a bunch of comments on Tiktok posts say the same thing, doesn’t mean it’s true. ‘A lot of people say’ doesn’t make it true. It just means a lot of people THINK it’s true. If they’ve been lied to, and didn’t fact-check their information, how would you know?

I’m an independent. To stay objective, I read news from all around the world. I take each story in context of ‘Who Published It’ and ‘Who else can confirm it’. If I read an article in Russia Today, I take it as probable Russian spin, possible propaganda. Yet some of the stories are perfectly factual, confirmed by multiple other news outlets.

Musician & Independent Thinker, Jamie Gray

MSNBC will put a left wing spin. Fox will spin it to the right. If you watch BOTH of them and CNN, the facts will be the one’s they all agree on. Sometimes you may have to ignore one side or the other because they are ignoring the facts. Some of the ‘News agencies’ do that more than others, but that’s a rant for another time.

The bottom line is pretty fucking simple: Confirm EVERYTHING by other sources. MULTIPLE sources. Multiple OBJECTIVE sources. That’s the key. What facts are confirmable? Which ones are guesses? Spin?

The truth will set you free. It’s out there…you just have to take the time to look FOR the facts. So you can look AT the FACTS, not the spin they WANT you to believe. If they have to TRY to convince you, it’s probably bullshit. ~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.

Kids in the bar? As long as they aren’t a nightmare.

jamie

#IMO I don’t think adults should be barred from most bars due to the presence of their offspring (UNDER SUPERVISION BEHAVING WELL).
Parenting is hard. Mastery of substance abuse is foundational to your success.?

As a caveat, there are some places kids just don’t belong. You know the places I mean. There are also some simple courtesies that must be followed.

Take responsibility. And take your screaming babies outside while I’m eating, or especially if there is live music. It’s just rude. Overall, control your fucking kids. They should behave like human beings, not crazed pack animals…and keep them away from the booze. They are YOUR responsibility, and the bar is within their rights to kick you and your unholy brood to the curb if anyone gets drunk or stupid, so DON’T.

And if you don’t have kids, don’t be a dick to people who bring their beloved block chips to the bar. Treat the little fuckers like they deserve to be there until they don’t. At least treat their parents like the thirsty fools they are, and cut ’em some slack for taking the hard road.

Parenting is hard. Alcohol and herbs make it softer and easier to swallow.

Jamie’s thoughts are his own.

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.

Discussing ThisArticle from Lifehacker:

How to Tell If You Can Bring Kids to a Bar https://lifehacker.com/bars-are-for-adults-not-children-1846957440Bars Are For Adults, Not Children https://lifehacker.com/bars-are-for-adults-not-children-1846957440

Republicans: The party of fear and lies.

jamie

Once upon a time, the Republican party stood for small government, family values, low taxes and States’ rights. Not anymore.

Honest Abe would shudder at the state of the Republican Party, The Party of Lincoln.

As an independent, I’ve voted for Republicans because they were people of honor and character. These days, it’s hard to see any truth for all of the lies.

Trumpian Republicans aren’t real Republicans. They are just using the GOP, a party that had already lost its center thanks to right-to-life extremists and an obstructionist platform, to sully the American drinking trough with the foul and muddy water of propaganda and lies.

Republicans embraced the Big Lie because they are being held hostage by the Big Liar.

Instead of embracing new technologies and sustainable energy, they spread fear and lies. Green energy will cost jobs. Clean energy is too expensive. Whatever it takes to keep things how they are.

But, it turns out that everything they say is a lie. It turns out they’ve never embraced truth or science or morality. It turns out that none of that matters to them.

The only thing they live for is party loyalty, as the party desperately clings to power. Power vested in a minority of rich white male egomaniacs, who believe they are better than the rest of us. They talk about America, but not about the America of many cultures. They mean WHITE America.

Jamie Gray – Musician, Writer and Critic of The Idiocracy.

The America most of us live in is NOT the America they pursue. In their America, the strong dominate the weak. It’s every wolf for himself. Mercy and compassion are a weakness to be overcome.

They say ‘If you’re poor, you’re a failure. Probably lazy.’ The wealthy love to blame people for their predicament.

Capitol under siege by Trump loyalists on January 6 2021

It’s time to stop blaming, and start doing something about it. It’s amazing to me that we COULD fix so many of our problems, but our leaders CHOOSE NOT TO, and Republicans lead the way in the obstruction of every policy that benefits anyone except their rich, corporate overlords.

It’s pretty obvious that the Republican party needs to change in order to survive. They will probably continue down what looks like a path to their own destruction, but it’s important to note that the GOP could seize the opportunity, and do a LOT better. Maybe even become a force for positive change.

More likely, they’ll just keep changing for the worse. ~jg