Rants

 

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Why is it some people can look you in the eye and lie? Because for them loyalty takes precedence over truth. It doesn’t matter what the truth is, it’s who discredits whom.

Lying punk scoundrels never apologize. They never express remorse, which is seen as a sign of weakness, not honor. You are expected to “move on,” debased, insulted, even from calumny, because their credibility, they are convinced, is greater than yours will ever be.

I try to be polite in my interactions. Debase me, cut me off, shout me down. I’ll let you, once. Play the bombast hotshot once and your interactive privileges are withdrawn until expressing acknowledgement, accountability and remorse. I don’t care who you are, or think you are.

I’ve long ago tired of out-agress, dismissive hotshots who demand to tell you what to think or ban you. I marvel how punk scoundrels lie publicly, purge dissent and stay goon squad groupie supported, claiming deception as their right.

It is the privilege of the self-righteous to shout you down, cut you off and walk away in classic last-word opportunist coward finale style. Most goonsquaders I know can’t last three mutually respectful exchanges when their platitudes have been challenged.

I have a low tolerance for boasting and chatter. Triviality bores me. Initial encounters, OK. Beyond that if you are fearful of provocative, open up ambiguity politics and religion balanced participation sharing, avoid me. If you invite me, expect me to be myself.

Interaction is action. Thus, we affect everybody around us and justify ourselves. Discourse is crucial if we are to grow and it can unquestionably be by polite display of mutual respect. Can you express your unique individuality on issues? Is being asked your opinion on politics and religion a personal attack? Can you handle disagreement? Aren’t long-winded lecture-speeches, motor-mouthing and out-agressing behavior inappropriate, in fact rude? Can you listen 30 to 90 seconds and not cut someone off?

Commit/Omit. Imply/Infer. Survival/Self-Interest. Imperfection. We are accountable, can be used, and can use. Manipulate. Treachery. Deception. Will justify, up to and including “I was told.”

 

A political party is for all practical purposes a functional religion. Like all politics beyond reproach religions their objective is to win converts, votes and money by enthusing potential followers with acceptance of broad-based meaningless slogan branding.

Political parties take on the inherently self-righteous authority of religion to hoodwink and deceive and most importantly to effectively cloak and disempower individual accountability. The vote doesn’t have to be goonsquad groupies looking for enemies.

I’m not into goonsquad politics. I despise it, in all forms and guises. I actually got to say “If you’re looking for an agenda clone I’m not your guy” during a 2014 Santa Cruz County Supervisor so-called “Labor Council” organization endorsement interview. I marvel at the many people I have encountered, even recently, that express individuality, moderation and ambiguity in one-on-one settings who revert to cheering, leering goon squad groupies in support of a social cohort position on an issue.

Political/Religions retool as necessary their “end of discussion” positions. There must be conclusions to goonsquad rally around, to be saved from ambiguity by comrade liberation obedience. It is rude to disagree no matter how polite and will inevitably trigger a naysayer accusation to boot your ass. To provoke, to arouse thought, is not the same as to insult, to scornfully debase. Both stimulate reaction. Fake leadership can’t/won’t distinguish, out of fear, requiring strict agendas for control, aka “Agenda Control.”

“Dinner party set” politics is the true source of political authority, in Santa Cruz as elsewhere. Go along to get along and you’re in. Look the other way at double standard hypocrisy no matter how blatant or you’ll be a naysayer. We want to win!

What’s this “both sides of the aisle” nonsense? There is no “aisle.” There’s no such thing as “bi-partisan.” There’s no such thing as “party whips” in the Constitution. Political parties are fake constructs. Political parties are expediencies to power, fast tracks around individual integrity, cover-ups for accountability. They offer payoffs of inner circle power and favor for going along to get along and looking the other way at blatant hypocrisy.

One person, one vote has been achieved, imperfectly, but as practical participatory opportunity for the majority. Can you deal as an accountable individual with your vote responsibility or do you beg to be told, as in “I was told”? Can you handle ambiguity? Do you fear being wrong? Do you fear disfellowship? Is it OK to hoodwink, lie and deceive as long as you win?

Is there to forever be no individual accountability politics? In life? If it be so, one person, one vote doesn’t matter, except as an acceptable platform for consumer political persuasion. Thus it is proclaimed by some it’s the media and big money’s fault we vote and behave the way we do. The only hope is for US to tell THEM what to think. Individuality can’t be trusted, only manipulated.

It ultimately comes down to accountability of the individual and acknowledgment of ambiguity, imperfection and being wrong. Then we can flow, aware of fake leadership, goon squad groupie political alignment scams, and deal with being accountable.

Assuming imperfection, Mutual Respect and Personal Accountability is my political philosophy. How to think, not what to think. I avoid labels like Conservative, Liberal, Left, Right, Democrat, Republican, Progressive. What’s the issue, who’s the candidate, is what’s real.

“Leadership” is not posturing safe mediocrity. Leadership is an ongoing dialogue sifting through ambiguities and coming to decisions on advocacy. Platitudes like “family values,” “public safety” and “progressive” are not substance, not positions on issues.

Is the appearance of activism a substitute for activism itself? It certainly is, and you don’t have to waste “political capital” on actually sticking your neck out. Hence, the appearance of leadership becomes the endorsed substitute for leadership.

Donald Trump is the greatest leader America has ever known. His face should be the fifth face on Mt. Rushmore! Weed out Socialists! Make America Great Again!” Long live Big Donald!

Why do the poor revere the rich? What manner of sin and blasphemy is it to question plutocratic pomp authority? The new gilded age is upon us, lobbyist bought and paid for, in advance. Rejoice! Long Live Big Donald!

Sociology is hierarchy relations, in contrast to politics, which is power relations. Sociology assumes stability, Politics assumes turbulence. Social change, if there is such a thing, is the biological paradox of “Coming of Age in Samoa” and “Mein Kampf.”

 

The assertion of divine political authority is ancient, universal. Yet, the only thing truly provable about religion is its utility as a persuasive device. Religions retool so that onto this day their contradiction reconciling apologists influence politics unduly.

Wearing a religious brand on one’s person is an affinity advertisement for others to witness. It proclaims the wearer’s presence represents the  religion, and their political expressions are to be presumed, by “divine authority,” to represent the “faith.”

Dead deities make great endorsements. It’s your right to wear religious symbology at a political meeting not sponsored by a religious organization and my right to hold it in contempt.

Invariably, without exception, religious adherents claim divine right for their positions on issues. Whatever “good” comes out of religion is incidental, driven by leveraging those institutions for what we may look back on as positive social change.

Holy Altar-cation! Altar display endorsement marketing your “Personal Lord and Savior.” Saint Germain Foundation has Jesus second from left, Self Realization Fellowship, third from left.

Are you “entity conscious”? Read “Psychic Dictatorship in America” by Gerald B. Bryan, 1940. One-liner packed fun! Woo-woo types cashing in! Hail the undetected! Mount Shasta “vortex” pilgrims get fleeced!

 

Bob Lamonica’s still-favorite political action was hour and a half long Open Gatherings, moderated small group (ideally 3 to 8) discussions aimed at balanced participation (ideally 30 to 90 seconds each) offered in Bay Area cafes, including in Santa Cruz, from 1983 to 1991.

Bob Lamonica initiated and was co-producer of the first Santa Cruz Industrial Hemp Expo in 1998 and producer of the succeeding 3 annual events. Only in Santa Cruz. Legendary. Never replicated. 1998-2001 Santa Cruz Industrial Hemp Expo web archive.