Podcast
by
charleshughsmith
Executive Summary
- How the Deep State/"shadow government" came to be
- A number of "quiet coups" have concentrated power over the decades
- The moral hypocrisy of today's ruling elite and the public's growing rebellion against it
- The key success factor the current people's coup will need in order to triumph
If you have not yet read Part 1: The Power Struggle Unfolding Before Our Eyes available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
In Part 1, we reviewed six narratives that seek to “explain” Donald Trump’s unexpected victory in the 2016 presidential election. We then distilled these narratives down into three categories: moral claims, elite machinations and structural economic/social issues.
I propose that the most comprehensive explanatory narrative of Trump’s improbable victory is The People Staged a Coup D’Etat.
Threats to Democracy
To understand this narrative, we must first examine the structure of the American system of governance and the previous “quiet coups” that consolidated power in new elites.
In broad brush, the U.S. Republic was designed to be run by elites—hence the Electoral College and the bicameral legislature with a senate overseeing the rabble of the House of Representatives.
The founders—particularly James Monroe and his allies—were acutely aware that the greatest threats to an enduring democracy were a tyranny of the majority, a majority that undermined the civil liberties for all, or an elite whose powers could not be constrained. This is the purpose of the balance of powers between the Executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government.
But these structural efforts to restrain a tyranny of the majority or an above-the-law ruling elite, the U.S. has experienced both a tyranny of the majority—the Jim Crow racial discrimination that was institutionalized in the Southern states until the mid-1960s—and a ruling elite that is above the law.
I would argue that the current ruling elite (neocon, neoliberal) personified by Hillary Clinton, is effectively a force unto itself, i.e. above the law.
The roots of this ruling elite’s expansive power can be traced to the 1940s rise of the National Security State, the catch-all term for the institutions (CIA, Department of Defense) established by…
Why The Ruling Elite Are Becoming Frightened
PREVIEW by charleshughsmithExecutive Summary
- How the Deep State/"shadow government" came to be
- A number of "quiet coups" have concentrated power over the decades
- The moral hypocrisy of today's ruling elite and the public's growing rebellion against it
- The key success factor the current people's coup will need in order to triumph
If you have not yet read Part 1: The Power Struggle Unfolding Before Our Eyes available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
In Part 1, we reviewed six narratives that seek to “explain” Donald Trump’s unexpected victory in the 2016 presidential election. We then distilled these narratives down into three categories: moral claims, elite machinations and structural economic/social issues.
I propose that the most comprehensive explanatory narrative of Trump’s improbable victory is The People Staged a Coup D’Etat.
Threats to Democracy
To understand this narrative, we must first examine the structure of the American system of governance and the previous “quiet coups” that consolidated power in new elites.
In broad brush, the U.S. Republic was designed to be run by elites—hence the Electoral College and the bicameral legislature with a senate overseeing the rabble of the House of Representatives.
The founders—particularly James Monroe and his allies—were acutely aware that the greatest threats to an enduring democracy were a tyranny of the majority, a majority that undermined the civil liberties for all, or an elite whose powers could not be constrained. This is the purpose of the balance of powers between the Executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government.
But these structural efforts to restrain a tyranny of the majority or an above-the-law ruling elite, the U.S. has experienced both a tyranny of the majority—the Jim Crow racial discrimination that was institutionalized in the Southern states until the mid-1960s—and a ruling elite that is above the law.
I would argue that the current ruling elite (neocon, neoliberal) personified by Hillary Clinton, is effectively a force unto itself, i.e. above the law.
The roots of this ruling elite’s expansive power can be traced to the 1940s rise of the National Security State, the catch-all term for the institutions (CIA, Department of Defense) established by…
by
Chris Martenson
Few books have left as large an imprint on Chris' outlook on the world as has Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
Our so called modern economy requires the equivalent of two full planets of resources to operate. Therefore, it's living on borrowed time, which means that someday, that experiment must end as must every living arrangement that borrows too heavily from the future.
Giving that we're indoctrinated from birth that "Growth is good", how can an intelligent person grapple with this contradiction? Get ready for a discussion that upends much of the conventional programing we grew up with, and asks us What different path should we be taking?
Daniel Quinn: Pursuing A Better Path
by Chris MartensonFew books have left as large an imprint on Chris' outlook on the world as has Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
Our so called modern economy requires the equivalent of two full planets of resources to operate. Therefore, it's living on borrowed time, which means that someday, that experiment must end as must every living arrangement that borrows too heavily from the future.
Giving that we're indoctrinated from birth that "Growth is good", how can an intelligent person grapple with this contradiction? Get ready for a discussion that upends much of the conventional programing we grew up with, and asks us What different path should we be taking?
by
JW
by
Chris Martenson
Executive Summary
- Recognizing manipulation
- Absorbing information on your own terms
- Dealing with propagandized friends & family without ruining relationships
- Healing the polarization the propaganda creates
If you have not yet read Part 1: We're Being Played available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
Staying In Control
Personally I do not have a TV precisely because ‘they’ are so good at what they do. I do not trust myself to resist their efforts because their methods are beyond my ability to resist 24x7x365.
I can maintain my vigilance for only so long, before I give up and give in. What I’m trying to say here is that it is not a sign of any weakness on your part if you have been taken in by their methods, only that you are human. There is no shame in being played, it’s a function of how you and I are wired.
If I did have a TV, I would absolutely not allow the sound to be on during commercials, and even better I would get a TiVo or its equivalent and skip past commercials.
But we can control how much we get played by simply not exposing ourselves to too much of the junk.
Awareness is your first key to not being played. It’s your first line of defense. Avoiding unnecessary propaganda/subliminal stimuli is your second key.
So staying in control of ‘your’ thoughts and emotions is as simple, and as hard, as being aware of the efforts to sway and/or implant ideas in your head and then avoiding those efforts as much as possible.
The benefit of doing so is a happier and more authentically connected life. After all, it is your ideas and gifts the world needs, not your regurgitation of someone else’s.
Also, advertising is largely built upon the idea of…
How To Protect Yourself From Persuasion & Propaganda
PREVIEW by Chris MartensonExecutive Summary
- Recognizing manipulation
- Absorbing information on your own terms
- Dealing with propagandized friends & family without ruining relationships
- Healing the polarization the propaganda creates
If you have not yet read Part 1: We're Being Played available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
Staying In Control
Personally I do not have a TV precisely because ‘they’ are so good at what they do. I do not trust myself to resist their efforts because their methods are beyond my ability to resist 24x7x365.
I can maintain my vigilance for only so long, before I give up and give in. What I’m trying to say here is that it is not a sign of any weakness on your part if you have been taken in by their methods, only that you are human. There is no shame in being played, it’s a function of how you and I are wired.
If I did have a TV, I would absolutely not allow the sound to be on during commercials, and even better I would get a TiVo or its equivalent and skip past commercials.
But we can control how much we get played by simply not exposing ourselves to too much of the junk.
Awareness is your first key to not being played. It’s your first line of defense. Avoiding unnecessary propaganda/subliminal stimuli is your second key.
So staying in control of ‘your’ thoughts and emotions is as simple, and as hard, as being aware of the efforts to sway and/or implant ideas in your head and then avoiding those efforts as much as possible.
The benefit of doing so is a happier and more authentically connected life. After all, it is your ideas and gifts the world needs, not your regurgitation of someone else’s.
Also, advertising is largely built upon the idea of…
by
Chris Martenson
Marco Vangelisti worked in high finance for 25 years before self-ejecting from that industry and dedicating his focus to providing capital to local and sustainable ventures. He is a founding member of Slow Money, as well as a founding member of the National Coalition for Community Capital.
His entire portfolio now is invested at the local level or in sustainability-oriented vehicles where he has visibility into its direct impact. This kind of investing is a lot more complicated than simply buying shares off of ETRADE with a few mouse clicks, but is worth the effort. By deploying our capital locally into ventures that we value, we use our savings to help create the kind of future we want to live into.
Marco Vangelisti: Investing Outside Of Wall Street
by Chris MartensonMarco Vangelisti worked in high finance for 25 years before self-ejecting from that industry and dedicating his focus to providing capital to local and sustainable ventures. He is a founding member of Slow Money, as well as a founding member of the National Coalition for Community Capital.
His entire portfolio now is invested at the local level or in sustainability-oriented vehicles where he has visibility into its direct impact. This kind of investing is a lot more complicated than simply buying shares off of ETRADE with a few mouse clicks, but is worth the effort. By deploying our capital locally into ventures that we value, we use our savings to help create the kind of future we want to live into.
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