Beating a Dead Horseshoe Theory

 First, a tiny bit of metaphorical background.

The game "Among Us" (for those living under a rock the last few years) is a popular computer game, made particularly popular just before and during the COVID disaster where you play a bunch of astronauts trying to complete tasks to repair the ship before alien infiltrators who look like them kill them and throw each other out an airlock trying to mob justice the alien to keep from all dying a horrible death.

I say this, because we now live in an age in which fascists are willing to go to any lengths to kill, imprison, cancel, enslave and humiliate anyone who isn't them.  This isn't a new problem, but the fascists have a number of new tools and allies.  The traditional allies of the fascists are the authoritarian sympathizers and those who fetishize law and order.  The other traditional allies are those who blame "The other"; those who hate people not like themselves.  Of late, Fascists have begun to do this to any other they could find; LGBT, BIPOC, Liberals, Antifa, Cartoon Characters, MNM's, you name it.  And the new tools are just as frightening.  With AI enhanced research tools, as well as demographic data gleefully handed over to them by the filth gnomes of silicon valley; they in some ways know more about us than we know ourselves.  Palantir, Blackrock, the Wagner Group and an entire dark ecosphere created by the filth Koch brothers have allowed them to know just where to squeeze society in its most vulnerable sectors with messages tailor made (sometimes at the individual level) to exploit fear and ignorance.  And they also have billionaires on their side.  Indeed, most (if not all) Billionaires see the handwriting on the wall and realize that the internet and modern sensibility, as well as demographic trends away from a clear white majority mean that more and more people are understanding that the very idea of a billionaire even existing is problematic to society.  As such more and more of them are turning towards the Big Lie and helping undermine our democracy.  And some crypto fascists are pretending to be Very Concerned Citizens who are not Maga but are Maga enablers.  So, just like in Among Us, you have to ask the question...who do you trust?

In modern times, the number of people sympathetic to Trump varies between 25% and 40% depending on the benchmark you use.  You would think that as dark and dire as that is, that 60% to 40% is more than enough to out vote them in any election; but between exploited flaws in the highly problematic (and rotting) 1789 constitution along with capricious short attention spans, lack of intelligence or simple desperation due to economic slavery at stagnant pathetic wages; the number of people who want to kill and enslave everyone else vs the number of people actively trying to keep that from happening is about actually (to my observation) at parity.

Group A is Maga and Filth Billionaires and group B is ....practically everyone else.  That's Neoliberals, Neocons, Libertarians, Progressives, Leftists, Liberals, Corporate Democrats, Blue Dog Democrats, Non Fascist Evangelicals and even Socialists and Communists.  ANYONE who doesn't want to be a maga slave finds themselves having to hold their nose and vote for someone or indirectly work with someone they want.  Aside from the fact that this proves our system in the United States is fucking terrible, it also brings to mind a popular Benjamin Franklin quote.

"We must, indeed, all hang together or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Because they were all white, male and (presumably) straight, we assume that they were of a similar mind, but the Continental Congress represented a similar gaggle of anti tyrannical forces we find ourselves arrayed against now.  

But in an age where the MSM is co-opted to be either pro fascist or treat fascism and not fascism as equally the same sides that must be compared one with another, we run into an issue.  This brings me to the extremely outdated idea of the horseshoe theory.  This old trop explains that authoritarian principals exist on both the left and the right and that only the trusted sane center can hold the disparate elements of the right and left together against the rampaging hordes of frothtards.  And MAYBE in the 20th century that might have been correct, but now? No, I really don't think so.  First off, the very lie of the theory holds that there is an equal balance of idiocy on both sides of the spectrum.  Regardless of whether or not that's true in the past, it certainly isn't now.  Those babbling about how Ukraine is run by Nazis and how Putin is a swell guy are vastly outnumbered by tin foil dunce caps on the right than the left.  For every goofus Glen Greenwald, Tulsi Gabbard or Julian Assange, there are a dozen to a hundred Tucker Carlsons, Roger Stones and Steve Bannons.  

The Center is not the glue that holds us together.  The people actually in the streets, the people taking this fight to the people who shoot, kill and harm actual civilians are the actual ANTIFA folks who counter protest against the filth Proud Boys and filth Oathkeepers.  And while this group is as varied as the continental congress, far more come from the left than the right.   The center is not what holds us together, its the progressive left that does.  

The horseshoe theory is quite dead.

But in an age where imagery matters, and highly complex ideas need to be conveyed to short attention span low information voters; words matter, symbols matter.  How do you convey the need to stay away from fascism and that simply being in its orbit is unacceptable without alienating allies you need to survive?  Specifically speaking, both siderism is totally unacceptable.  Treating both sides as the same legitimizes fascism and anyone doing it is (wittingly or not) an ally of fascism.  To some, centrism means putting themselves between both sides, and this kind of centrism is capitulation to fascism.  To some, centrism is simply denial of the inevitable failure of capitalism and to place themselves between communism and Fascist capitalism; somewhere in the territory of Social Safety Net Capitalism (which by European standards is actually Center Right, but by American Corporate Standards is The Center).

I, personally, like to bash Centrism because anything having to do with Fascism, anything remotely in its orbit, is bad.  But I also rationally recognize I need people who define themselves as The Center but aren't Both Siderists by any stretch of the imagination to stand with me against Fascism.  We all hang together or we all hang separately.  So as many memes and sayings roll off the tongue intuitively against Centrism (aka Both Siderism), I cant use the term Centrism BECAUSE of Centrists who define themselves with The Center (Bothsiderism Centrists vs The Center Centrists.)  I recognize my need to use clearer terms (Both Siderism) and hope my Centrist (The Center) allies understand that they need to give up the idea that The Horseshoe theory applies anymore.  Our leaders are progressives....not Centrists (of either variety)

Each Must Be primaried

 

The Rogue Court - Everything I Said Was Correct About the Constitution

 I started this blog several years ago, and while I have changed my mind on certain points, both in terms of the bombasticness with which I deliver them and the self righteous assuredness that I had; the core of everything that I was saying remains true, and is no more clearly demonstrated by six rogue seditious court members one of whom by all accounts should be put on trial for Rape.  Everyone is innocent until proven guilty by Kavanaugh was given free reign in a highly dubious manner by the FBI and the Trump DoJ and has shown the repeated flaws in our system.

I created the podcast series 11 Fixes for a Broken Everything as a vaccine against those who said I was trying to repair a totally broken system with a new one without trying to stay in the current frame work.  Everything in that series could be done by just a regular law and the president.  Of course, at the time I made it, I was unable to imagine the corrupt and thoroughly coopted political lives that Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema demonstrated showing why the Senator truly is the Floater house.

Indeed, while I am not the first to say that the constitution needs a reboot, I find that all the points I made when I started when I made this blog still stand; the legislature is corrupt, the courts are coopted and the executive is either fascist or inept.  Too much power is collected in the wrong places and too much separation of power exists in other places.  If you dont separate the ability to prosecute from the ability to enforce then you have an executive who never investigates itself and that a following executive is reluctant to prosecute since the next administration might do the same thing and they might deprive themselves of useful tools (as they sit it) to implement their agenda.  The senate is blindingly undemocratic (as it was intended) and its control thereof makes things only worse.

That's why I'm making Rhombus Tick's "A Constitutional History of Terra" for the Tossing Grenades at Windmills Podcast.  It will start with a humorous anecdote about why a more functional democracy in a far more dangerous (and therefore interesting) world than our own adopted a constitutional change along with me pontificating about why we should apply the change in our own reality.  I planned this long before the complete abomination that is Dobbs.

The thing about the current court is; they're now comfortably saying the quiet part out loud.  We know they're going to allow a republican legislator to select Electoral Electors, we know that they will allow them to bypass state constitutions.  Its not just Dobbs, is abomination after abomination and frankly the democrats are completely and utterly unprepared to handle this.  We need to be in this for the long haul and overcome not only Republicans and foreign powers anxious for the complete destruction of the American Hegemony but Centrists, Civility Democrats and Semantics Democrats as well.  But America is a nation of dreamers, and I believe we can rise to the challenge.

The road will be long, painful and likely bloody as they literally try to kill us for doing the right thing.  But in the end, it will be worth it.

The Case of Oligarchy

Short: When Democracies allow themselves to be coopted by special interests at the cost of its citizens, alternative forms of government begin to look appealing.

Medium: The ability to respond to the 'market of ideas' is democracy's greatest strength, but in the interest of doing that, democratic political parties often look at making alliances that allow them to game their particular brand of democracy at the expense of their citizens.  All democracies do this, even the most functional ones, but the more this creep is allowed to continue unchecked, the more alternative 'command' style systems look.  The older the root system, no matter how effective, the more vulnerable it is; particularly the 1789 Constitution.

Maximum Verbosity: I am as ardent a proponent of Democracy as you will ever find.  My alignment is Pragmatic Good, and while I side recently with progressives, I will say or do what I think is reasonable for the Intelligent Greater Good (as compared to Libertarian Slippery Slope bullshit which Good can and does sometimes get mired in...) but I am writing this because of the number of people I see who look at China sometimes with Envy.  

This post is to help you understand why.  In my opinion, Oligarchy and alternatives to Liberal Democracy are being considered at the end of the day because of one thing: Security.  Liberty without security is pointless.  Yes, Franklin's saying (Those who would trade security for liberty will have neither) is always true, there are also exceptions.  The primary exception is when democracy is coopted.  It IS the greatest most reliable form of government long term because of the safe transition of power.  There simply IS no form of government yet devised that allows for the transition of power between governments as efficiently.  There are no exceptions.

But sometimes governments can provide the illusions that such is the case.  In China and Russia, elaborate rituals were carried out to give the perception that there was stability.  China in particular managed to go through the "rule of two" (i.e. the Sith) style where there was an heir apparent and an heir that had term limits.  China has so many challenges coming up that the CCP readily agreed to set these rules aside for Xi, despite harsh lessons learned in the 1960's about putting too much power in the hands of one man.  Russia also learned this lesson, but Putin managed to achieve his ends through corruption bribery and fear.  But China is a much more interesting case because while Xi is already falling into the "absolute power" corruption trap, he is paying attention to things that the USA Democratic party is not.

Specifically, for example, China is paying attention to the genetic health of its citizens (ie security) at the expense of economic prestige and prosperity.  It is also limiting technology abuse and Algorithm addiction imposed by the Dark Valley in an attempt to boost the bottom line.  Both of these are good things and largely ignored by Democrats because the Confederation of Special Interest means pleasing everyone and no one as much as possible and part of that confederation includes the tech companies that pay a hefty bribe to democratic leaders on a regular basis.  Regulatory Capture and the corruption of the 2nd Gilded Age are leading to a similar scenario in the United States to that of the Old Republic in Star Wars, with the American Empire but one or two elections away which will herald the creation of a Fascist State to make all others in history pale in comparison to the potential brazen abuse of decency for every person in the entire world.

The thing is, Xi isn't just paying lip service to standing up against the tech companies or Big Pharma.  And it is more than just the generic 'lets snuff any potential threat to the party' behavior of the CCP either.  Xi genuinely wants the youth of China to be free of technocratic enslavement desired by the Dark Valley.  The problem of course, is that he is approaching these things with such ham fisted water melons on his feat ineptitude that he is creating serious long term resentment inside of China against the Party, particularly in Shanghai.  But this trade off is seen as something to be considered due to the sheer ineptitude of the democrats in the United States.  They look at the Do Nothing Democrats, who can't even prosecute someone who blatantly stole the elections or pass legislation to protect their children from being slaughtered by psychopaths with guns due to sacred worship of the slaver filibuster.  So who can blame them for considering drinking the sweet sweet salt water of the CCP system?

The paramount duty of a government is security for itself and its citizens.  If a government is not able to secure itself or enforce its will, it will be replaced whether internally by a coup or externally by conquest.  If a government does not provide security for its citizens, then those citizens will undermine the government in every way they can, eventually causing the government to cease to exist.  In a democratic form of government, this latter requirement is even more important because if the citizenry fails to buy in to the social compact, the government lacks power to enforce the very same desires of the citizens that it claims to represent.  Democracy has proven its efficacy time and time again but the rotten termite infested wood that the society of the United States of America has become is the worst of the lot.  Indeed, the corruption in the United States has become so terrible, its a threat to democracy all around the world as authoritarian sympathizers, which all regions and nationalities entertain, point to our rotting living corpse and say "See, lets make our government more like China and less like the United States because children are being murdered and their government cant do anything."

When a party exists only to facilitate fascism and undermine the democratic process itself, that party becomes an enemy of the state and should be made illegal; at the least placed on legal probation.  The Republican Party clearly fits this description but the creaky Dead 1789 Constitution as well as the fanatical cults of the First and Second Amendments which allow abuse of the truth and Malloc style worship of Guns and their paraphernalia to threaten the lives of the actual majority.   The youth of America, justifiably do not buy into a system that they didn't vote for, didn't ratify and that leaves them worse off than their parents for the first time in history.

Xi will inevitably become more and more corrupt and more and more ham fisted but this could take decades.  In the meantime, if proponents of democracy fail to act for the long term good not just ineptly focusing on poorly executed strategies for the next election, more and more intelligent and pragmatic people in the United States will have medium term sympathies with parties that pretend to care about security like the Republicans or allow Centrist dems to roll back vital and needed reforms of criminal justice in local elections.  The solution to this is more than just coopting the democratic party or 'voting blue no matter who'  It will require visionary leadership and a willingness to reform the 1789 constitution.  The 1789 document is so resistant to change it will not allow for sufficient reform.  A whole new constitution that actually reflects the interests of the Actual Majority as well as the ability to adapt to the needs of that majority on a more fluid basis is vital for the United States as well as the sanctity of Democracy itself. 

Dear Mr President

Dear Mr President,

I understand the enormity of what you inherited.  I have been very patient as you work through COVID, the economy and infrastructure.  But let's look at evolution...in Evolution, it doesnt matter if you are the strongest, fastest or even smartest, if you dont pass on your genes, you dont become part of 'natural selection.'  The natural selection of the democratic party is voting.  If you don't protect the integrity of the vote, there will BE no more fair elections.  You would NOT HAVE WON without Georgia and Arizona.

Yet when I see you patiently working with Sinema and Manchin and the GQP, I think you arent understanding the scope of what you are dealing with.  Without fair and secure elections; your infrastructure will be torn apart in 2024.  Without fair and secure elections, Obama Care and space will be torn apart.  Without fair and secure elections, EVERY DAY will be 1/6/2021.

I want to believe you have a secret plan, but when I see Garland dismiss suits against Trump I am forced to think you really don't.

Please wake up Mr President.  Or you may be the Last President of the Republic and history will not be kind to you.

A Modest Proposal: Declaration of Independence of the United Cities of America

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one segment of a society to dissolve the ties that bind them; it is advantageous to recount the reasons for doing so and to measure the threshold wherein such is justified such that posterity can hold their head high on the demands that such seemingly radical actions create about the ramifications to a society once so declared.   It is not enough that there be evil intent or evil action in one's enemy but such contemptible behavior that one is forced to declare war when one has war declared upon them in turn.

Whereas the 2016 Trump Tax Cuts blatantly robbed from from Blue States to Give to Red States;

Whereas the entirety of the Republican Party sans one Senator refused to impeach a President clearly and evidently guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors;

Whereas a corrupt and conservative court did ignore the well being of the Republic to force a partisan election to maintain a conservative advantage in the State of Wisconsin held an election in the midst of a virus outbreak not since in a hundred years;

Whereas the same virus outbreak saw the same corrupt president fraudulently share sham medicinal cures on a terrified public wherein he financially profited

Whereas that self same president routinely holds rallies in rural areas demonizing the inhabitants of our cities with fascists rhetoric and hate speech;

Whereas the brave soldiers and sailors of our republic are mocked and led with inept acting cabinet aficionados that bypass the United States Senate;

Whereas the coequal subpoenas of congress are ignored by self said corrupt executive;

Whereas the corrupt leadership of the Senate is more interested in appointing as many self serving corrupt judges that ignore the will of the Majority for corruption and fraudulent interests;

Whereas the tyrannical executive corrupts the apparatus of Justice for his own ends and means in a manner hitherto never seen before in our nation's history

Whereas the dishonorable opponents our glorious cities routinely speak of a Republic in which they have more vote than that of the enlightened urbanity;

Whereas the fundamentals of the constitution itself are blatantly ignored in the ignoring of bribery, self interest and gifts in the Emolument clause and the instruments of government itself are shackled to be able to enforce it;

Wherein our protectorates are ignored and our treaties are violated;

Wherein our international reputation is ruined and our sacred Head of State is reduced to a perpetual  joke that no successor will ever truly be able to redeem;

Wherein the very conventions of war and humanity itself are violated in convention of treaty and federal, state and local law with the unlawful and merciless imprisonment of children;

Wherein the press, being necessary for the monitoring of government to maintain a free state has been systematically threatened and oppressed with the counter factual apparatus has been organized and maintained in direct contravention to the interests of the people;

Whereas credible evidence exists that the Republican executive, legislative and judiciary have as a whole engaged in treasonous intercourse with enemies foreign; Russia, China, Turkey, Brazil and Hungary; and domestic; Facebook, Blackwater, Twitter and more; have blatantly and without regard objectified and vilified persons of color, women, LGBT and anyone of a political mindset not their own in the most systemic personification of evil incarnate since the third Reich;

We, the United Cities of America do declare independence and answer these acts of war with the fact that we shall make war in kind.  We shall not engage in unlawful military transaction but acknowledge what already is, that this nation is in a state of open warfare by enemies foreign and domestic and do pledge sovereign action from which henceforth there shall be no turning back.  Namely, we the foresigned do swear:

Those who from this day forth aid or abet treasonous powers such as the Republican Party, Fox News, The Koch Regime, Project Veritas, Facebook, Twitter or any other element in the Axis of Fascism such as Hungary, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, Brazil, the Philippines, The People's Republic of China or Turkey shall be dealt with as enemies of the Republic.  That upon ascension by a United Cities Candidate to the Presidency to the Republic that an Independent Proprietorial Panel shall be establish to prosecute violations to the fullest and vicious extent of the law.

That the Declaration of Human Rights shall be inviolate in EVERY American City and that no federal power shall be tolerated to rescind one iota of human dignity thus forth;

That the truth shall be sacrosanct and that those who spread lies or 'alternative facts' in wholesale deception shall be prosecuted for fraud to the fullest extent of the law within our borders.

That Every Single American City shall be granted Statehood coequal to rural states that seek to shackle the best of American Culture and Economic

That Every Federal Department (such as the Department of Homeland Security and BNS) that has deliberately and willfully enabled evil in the Republican Regime will be dissolved and replaced in its entirity with political ascendancy by the United Cities.

That any political party that desires the vote of the United Cities will have a separate primary than rural areas and that their interests will come first.  Small rural states will NEVER be allowed to determine the presidential candidate for a party supported by the United  Cities ever again.

That Mayors that support the Republican Regime will not be tolerated and that cities that elect them will be boycotted in their entirity.

That Governors of States that try to break the power of the Union of Cities will be boycotted from all business by city governments.

That news organizations that represent or warp the truth (Facebook, Fox News, Project Veritas) will not receive press passes or endorsement or tolerance in any american city.  That their right to free speech and the free press is accepted must be so; but they will not be endorsed or encouraged or treated as equals to the legitimate or even to burgeoning and independent press

That we support a universal basic income.

That we support universal healthcare provided by the government and only augmented by private industry as determined helpful by the people at large.

That we will DEMAND independent enforcement and monitoring of critical federal agencies such as justice and the military such that while the Presidency may direct them he may not coopt them.

That the congress shall have a separate court for immediate redress of abuse by the executive with a direct appeal to the supreme court.

That the supreme court be purged of rapists.

That the Supreme Court be expanded in number until it represents the interests of the people of the United States

That statehood shall also be granted to Puerto Rico and the District of Colombia.

That all historical grievances of Cities against the States that have shackled them shall be investigated with prejudice by the Presidency and enforced in the interest of cities.

That the Senate shall be replaced with a different method of election that favors Urban Areas since Red States felt that they were entitled to more votes than Urban areas.

That emotional and mental fitness shall be required for anyone who; owns property that is rented by others; teaches, owns a firearm, runs for elected office, works as a state, local or federal law enforcement official or owns a company with more than a hundred employees so that no sociopath or psychopath shall ever unwielding power on our citizens ever again or may darken our nation by achieving political office.

That no law shall be passed that cannot be enforced.

That unionization is not only encouraged but shall in no way be interfered with by any government or company and is understood to be a human right.

That the senate shall confirm any appointment by the president within 30 days; that no individual senator can stop it and that no ACTING appointee to head a federal agency will be political and may only come from the civil service.

That Climate change shall be the National Prime Directive and that anyone who works to stop its reversal shall be treated as an Enemy of the State and the Enemy of the Species.

That We, the United Cities of America declare ourselves Morally and Culturally superior to Red States and will no longer tolerate their interference in our affairs.

Where has your unlimited freedom of speech gotten you, and us?

Dear Centrist
Dear Moderate
Dear Mister Incremental Change

Where has your dithering gotten us now?

You believe in the 1787 US constitution.

You say dont blame non voters for our mess.

You say exposing the truth of wrong doing will change hearts and minds.

You say unlimited freedom of speech is worth the risk because the alternative is a slippery slope of death and oppression.

Well here we are.

The republicans know they are lying, and they dont care.

The non voter doesnt care or, worse, simpy does NOT believe their vote can change anything, and, like an anti vaxxer will resist exposure to the truth and do nothing.


Treason, fraud, murder, espionage and extortion are all and have been blatantly exposed and an entire multi BILLION dollar industry exists to perpetuate a lie for the minority: a minority large enough to lock the gears of the antiquated 1789 system.

Do you REALLY think getting money out of politics will fix this?

Get a clue. They will lie more.

Freedom to lie, as allowed by radical interpretation of the 1789 constitution is WHY we are in this mess.

Democracy is a battle of narratives and one of those narratives is a BLATANT DANGEROUS and fascist lie.

Your incremental change cannot fix this.

If there are no more free elections, there are NO MORE INCREMENTS.

If you morally excuse the non voter, the fascist minority UTTERLY PREVENTS amending the constitution to fix this.

The 1789 constitution places enforcement if the law under the executive.  It actually says nothing about prosecution but until we legislate to fix the courts as well as the department of justice it is just inadequate.

Unlimited freedom to have your spiritual experience by yourself or to criticize the government as you see fit are needed. Unlimited freedom of the press TO TELL THR TRUTH is needed.

Freedom to lie is toxic to democracy and it is TIME YOU ADMITTED the 1787 constitution can no longer cut it.

Time for a new one.

Sincerely yours,

Harsh Fucking Reality