Where, Oh Where has America Gone?

Oh Where, oh where, can it be?

“Madness in individuals is rare, but in groups it is the rule.” ~ Nietzche

This morning, as I awakened from my night’s slumber, I asked… “Where the fuck am I?”

I don’t recognize this place. The surroundings seemed familiar: the room, my bed, my wife, but I had no idea where I was. This new reality is a product of mainstream media hocus pocus, mumbo-jumbo, and legerdemain.

Was my estrangement the result of a temporal anomaly or a rift caused by Google’s Quantum Computer, in an attempt to explain the irresponsible and hateful rhetoric from the mainstream media and elected leaders? These sources seem to endorse violence, substance abuse, murder, lawlessness, and seditious elements that further divide America and do not reflect its true values. Their agenda drives their narrative, shaping the discourse to support their goals, where lies are passed off as truth and the truth is irrelevant.

The Right’s actions defy logic and turn the US Constitution into a doormat, or possibly into a parrot-cage liner to be shit on by every eager, promising partisan politician seeking fame, fortune, and glory. And every snotty-nosed Millennial, Gen X, Y, or Z, not-so-social media influencer with a cellphone, looking to create the next big story of the moment, capture the news cycle, and wrestle old glory to the ground – subdued.

The Left and the Right are committed, or should be, as their perpetual partisan petulance builds the gallows from which this republic will hang. Right and wrong are subjective, objective, and inconsequential, and are redefined on the fly to support the narrative. Their inbred bastard child is this new America, a place where nothing is what it seems and, upon closer inspection, is really nothing at all.

And all the while, the Independents wait to see which way the billowing smoke from the burning cities will blow, biding their time to see which way the hangman’s rope will swing and finally flop.

We’ve made a colossal leap from sublime to ludicrous in a few brief years. We’ve abandoned reason for rhetoric and national pride for partisan politics. We’ve supplanted assimilation with hyphenated ethnic tribal labels and have invented fourteen, maybe more, socially acceptable ways to permit, excuse, and advance deviant sexual proclivities. The medical-industrial complex supports the mutilation of our children without parental consent to champion this cause and, of course, profit from it.

We blame everyone but ourselves for our choices. Every cause becomes a war. The war on poverty, homelessness, drugs, and so on, ad infinitum, with no end in sight. The real problem is self-control.

We say what we want with total abandon, careless of the consequences. It is our right, as we choose to interpret it. We have the freedom to use it, but we lack the wisdom to do so wisely.

We’ve taken an absurd leap toward embracing socialism as a viable alternative administrative ideology in our republic, even though history shows it has failed wherever it’s been tried. We’re unimpeded and undaunted in our quest to test the limits of our constitutional freedoms, unaware that they, too, have a breaking point we’re approaching.

We heed the rantings of mainstream media talking heads who lack the acumen to pour piss out of a boot, even when the directions are written on the heel. They are nothing more than pretty faces in nice clothes, reading well-prepared, carefully crafted scripts written by partisan hacks, parroting and advancing their corporate masters’ socialist narrative to support an anti-American agenda.

And our top ideological recommendation to right this foundering ship of state is socialism, a system that has failed in every empire where it was tried. Its only success has been in authoritarian states willing to trade people for power – but isn’t that the redefined goal of government? It’s no longer for the people but about how to use them to attain sovereignty and wealth.

So why socialism?

Could it be that the top 10% hold 70% of the wealth, while the bottom 50% hold just 2.5%?

The wealthiest families have 71 times the wealth of middle-class families, a ratio that has increased 36-fold since 1963.

Here’s the textbook definition: Traditional Socialism advocates state ownership of the means of production, including factories and resources, to benefit society as a whole rather than private individuals, with the aim of greater equality and shared prosperity through collective decision-making. It often involves strong government regulation, welfare programs such as healthcare and education, and worker empowerment. Implementation ranges from centralized planning under state control to market socialism. Core ideas include democratizing the economy, ensuring basic needs for all, and reducing capitalist inequalities, with diverse models such as worker cooperatives or state-run industries.

Socialism proposes to level the inequities in society, making everyone equal. Unfortunately, there will always be a few who are more equal than others. This is the level that everyone espousing this ideology seeks to achieve. You see, there will always be a ruling party controlling every aspect of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE).

So, you see, we are genuinely incapable of living under anything other than a directed or managed form of government. The closest we come to autonomy is our representative democratic republic.

What America’s Left proposes is not really socialism; it’s Democrat-Socialism. In true socialism, the state maintains control, and any profits are reinvested in the collective; however, in Democrat-Socialism, an elite cadre of government leaders keeps the money for themselves, assuring the collective that they will invest these funds as soon as possible after the next meeting of elite government leaders. But again, there will always be a few who are more equal than others, and they will decide what’s best for the rest.

Think of any 20th or 21st century socialist country, and notice that the elites running it are massively wealthy while their citizens eat dirt stew. They are so poor they can’t buy a vowel. They live amid breadlines, shortages, controlled availability, scarcity, and the threat of an all-expense-paid vacation to the gulag, disappearance, or execution.

In theocratic countries like Iraqistan, those who do not comply learn to fly from the tops of very tall buildings. Nonconformists, such as those who love to protest everything in America, are prime examples and the first to learn the costs of dissent. Have you ever noticed that ALL of their women wear the Abaya, Jilbab, or Shalwar Kameez, usually with a face veil like the Niqab or Burqa? Modesty is mandatory, and violators, adulterers, and homosexuals are stoned to death.

Oh… and the ones making these decisions are the Elite Clerics, who have all the money and power. The average monthly salary for men is about $550 (US); most women are not allowed to work, drive cars, or attend school.

This is only a small sample of socialism’s reality, and although Islam is not socialism, it shares several of socialism’s tenets.

A recent Gallup poll reported that 39% of Americans have a favorable view of socialism, down from 60% a few years earlier, yet it seems to be the leading ideology replacing representative constitutional democracy in America.

“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize that half of them are even stupider than that.” ~ George Carlin

Here’s an excellent distinction between ignorance and stupidity…

Ignorance is a lack of knowledge or information, often temporary and correctable through learning, whereas stupidity implies a more profound lack of intelligence, poor judgment, or a willful refusal to learn or accept facts, even when presented with them, making it a more stubborn state. In short, an ignorant person doesn’t know, while a stupid person either can’t grasp something or actively resists knowing, often repeating mistakes.

Now, reread Carlin’s quote above…

“Speech has power. Words do not fade. What begins as a sound ends as a deed.” ~ Abraham Joshua Herschel

I believe the real question is no longer why; I’ve substantiated that above. It’s about power.

Here’s how it’s done:

* Messaging – A message is a unit of communication that conveys information, ideas, or requests from a sender to a receiver. The process is so refined that everything now carries a message. The average person is exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 messages per day from various sources.

– What’s App > 140 billion daily.
– SMS > 25 billion daily.
– Facebook > 100 billion daily.
  Email > 320 billion daily.
– Branded and Promotional messages between 4,000 to 10,000 daily.

> Means more than or greater than…

* News means noteworthy, interesting, or significant information, especially about recent or notable events.

Messaging is communication: the process of exchanging information, ideas, thoughts, and emotions through a variety of methods to create shared meaning. Derived from the Latin word communicare, meaning “to share,” it is the fundamental way humans and other organisms connect and interact.

Political messaging is the strategic use of communication, including narratives, values, and visual symbols, to influence public opinion, mobilize voters, and shape political outcomes. It is more than a tagline; it is a campaign’s core identity, distilling complex policies into memorable statements that build emotional connections with the electorate.

Core Components of messaging are:

– Narrative and Vision: A campaign message provides a “vision statement” outlining where a candidate wants to take the community or country.
– Problem-Solution Framework: Effective messaging typically identifies a specific problem of public concern and positions the candidate as the “problem solver” with a credible solution.
– Values over Policy: Research indicates that framing policies around shared values (e.g., patriotism, family, or tradition) is often more persuasive to voters than technical policy details alone.
– Non-Verbal Cues: Messaging encompasses visual elements such as logos, attire, mannerisms, and even hairstyles to develop a specific “political identity” or image.

Political spin is the strategic, often deceptive manipulation of information to create a favorable public perception of a politician, event, or policy. Unlike broader political messaging, which establishes a candidate’s core identity, “spin” typically reinterprets unfavorable facts or gaffes to minimize damage and preserve a desired narrative.

The excessive use of spin is often cited as a primary driver of the “erosion of public trust” in political institutions. In 2026, many political analysts argue that this constant “doom loop” of deceptive communication undermines the informed decision-making essential to a functioning democracy.

“We’re watching two movies on one screen…” ~ Scott Adams

The phrase “two movies, one screen,” coined by cartoonist Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, describes how different groups interpret the same information (such as a news event or a tweet) in completely opposite ways, as if watching different films on the same screen, thereby revealing a polarized reality. Adams popularized this idea in his book Win Bigly, illustrating how people filter information through existing beliefs to reach opposing conclusions.

Meaning: People viewing the same data (on one “screen”) but experiencing two vastly different “movies” (realities or interpretations).

Example: One person sees a leader’s speech as a display of strong leadership, while another sees it as buffoonery, all from the same video.

The sheer volume of data is unimaginable, as is the task of absorbing it, assessing its accuracy or authenticity, and determining how it applies to every possible situation, especially those we face. Is it true or a lie? With advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is almost impossible to tell.

I became aware of this some time ago while watching YouTube videos. As I watched, I noticed the speaker’s face looked almost mechanical. I began to notice repeated movements, and that they never blinked, or blinked too regularly, almost on cue. There were other indications, such as regular, repeated gestures, and they rarely turned their head. Victor Davis Hanson published a video exposing this scam, explaining that someone was using his image to publish material he would never say.

The more videos I watched, the clearer it became. Then today, I watched a doom-and-gloom video about California and Gavin Newsom’s role in its destruction. The piece focused on transportation regulations and the disaster they have caused in California. The video claimed that store shelves were bare, grocery items were rationed, and starvation was imminent. Fortunately, my wife is in Southern California on personal business. She reported that Costco’s shelves were well stocked, gasoline prices were similar to those in Phoenix, and there were no shortages or rationing.

Something didn’t add up… so I asked the omniscient AI to explain.

AI can be used to create a video of you appearing to give the Gettysburg Address by leveraging technologies such as deepfakes, facial recognition, and synthetic media generation tools.

The general process involves combining your image and voice with a video of a person speaking, or creating an entirely new synthetic video set in a historical setting:

– Voice Cloning: First, AI voice generators, such as those from ElevenLabs or Murf, can produce a voiceover of the Gettysburg Address using a voice trained on your speech samples.
– Avatar/Video Generation: Next, you would use an AI video-generation platform such as HeyGen, Synthesia, or D-ID.
– Many of these tools let you create a custom avatar (a graphic representation) from your own image or video clips. You could also upload a photograph of yourself in period costume, and the AI can animate it to sync with the generated audio.
– Context and Setting: The AI platform can then place this video within a historical scene, potentially using period-accurate visuals and narrative structures to create a compelling historical narrative video.
– All you need is the copy or the story, in this case, the Gettysburg Address

I can now use AI to say anything I want… It is limited only by my imagination, morals, and ethics, if I have any… There are legal implications and ethical considerations, but if no one’s the wiser… YouTube does not prohibit AI-generated videos entirely, but it requires creators to disclose when content that seems realistic has been meaningfully altered or synthetically generated with AI. Failure to comply can result in penalties, including content removal or suspension from the YouTube Partner Program.

Creators must use the “altered content” setting in YouTube Studio during upload to flag their video. A label will then appear in the video’s expanded description for viewers. BUT… the viewer has to open the expanded description to find the tag; it’s not prominently displayed.

So here we are, ‘watching two movies on one screen’, interpreting the message through personal bias, seeing what we’re told to see through our programming, and acting on those instructions.

The US ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) situation in Minneapolis is a perfect example. The public’s reactions are based solely on partisan political views and biases. We see the images, hear the rhetoric, and, depending on our partisan political persuasions, we see one of multiple movies based on the media’s talking heads’ narration and some creative editing. There is truth in there somewhere, but the media’s agenda and narrative expertly mask it, steering us in their chosen direction.

This is just a recent example of what’s been going on for decades. AI replaced hours of editing, a few key clicks, and some creative writing – and voila, you have a news story to sell, whatever you choose, however you want it framed, with the narrative of your choice.

Now, regarding the moral and ethical considerations… let’s just say the mainstream media has never really been concerned with such inconveniences. They have money to make and an agenda to manage for their partisan political partners, who have elections to win, a country to run, and the other party to blame for their mistakes.

Their constituents are the useful idiots who keep them in power by dutifully following their programming and re-electing them to office.

The circle is complete, and the messaging keeps the whole world wobbling to the tune they set.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…

Where, Oh Where has America Gone? – Part deux…

Responsibility?

“At any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth, or step back into safety.” ~ Abraham Maslow

Will we, as Americans, step forward toward growth or retreat into the safety of excuses and blame?

My last post addressed the loss of the stability America once had and the move toward a dismantled version of the republic I dearly love. I don’t recognize this place people call America. It’s changed, and for me it’s almost unrecognizable. I don’t necessarily resist change, only change for the sake of change; I find it ludicrous and dangerous. The caveat is that recent changes affecting this republic are meant to alter or undermine constitutional protections that safeguard citizens from nefarious politicians. The changes I perceive are driven by a lack of responsibility and are sanctioned by a partisan political rift engineered to segment America into fiefdoms and partisan enclaves. That’s the crux of this post.

“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” ~ George Bernard Shaw 

Responsibility… What an ugly word in America…

It’s the state or fact of being accountable or answerable for something within one’s power or control; possibly the best synonym is accountability… another nasty word. There is a temporary sense of freedom in blaming others; it protects our ego, avoids accountability and guilt, and gives us a feeling of superiority, shifting the focus from our flaws and mistakes to someone or something else. But this illusion keeps us from learning and growing from these errors.

The mainstream media and academia assuage this guilt with contrived doctrines and platitudes, convincing us to rely on modified morality and egalitarian ethics rather than on the Judeo-Christian values America originally espoused. It’s much easier to shirk responsibility than to own it, yet we demand the right to complain vehemently and to blame the government when things go wrong. Remember who put them in power.

It’s often defined as accepting ownership of your choices and actions. Quotes highlight that it’s the path to growth, leadership, and freedom, such as Winston Churchill’s “The price of greatness is responsibility” and Abraham Lincoln’s “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” These emphasize that taking charge leads to true empowerment and success rather than to excuses or blame.

– Accountability: Taking ownership of your life and actions, good or bad, is crucial for growth.

– Empowerment: Taking responsibility puts you in control and allows you to change your future outcomes.

– Action: Responsibility means doing what needs to be done rather than waiting for others or making excuses.

As I said above, responsibility is an ugly word in our society, almost as bad as patriotism. The only constant is change, which is a matter of perspective, neither good nor bad, but how we choose to accept it.

The critical issue in my mind is… Can a person hate anything as much as the Democrat-Socialists (Dem-Socs) hate Donald J Trump (DJT)? It’s an all-consuming, all-encompassing obsession for them.

The Dem-Socs precedent rests on their favorite description of DJT as everything they despise. The term has been so overused recently that its actual meaning is lost amid anecdotal interpretations, innuendo, accusations, and implications.

Their favorite is Nazi, and just so it’s crystal clear, here’s what it actually means.

The National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), D for Deutsche, was the racist, antisemitic, totalitarian ideology of the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. It was characterized by extreme ultranationalism, belief in a Nordic “master race” (see Aryan Race), anti-communism, anti-Slavism, and eugenics, and culminated in World War II and the Holocaust, a systematic genocide of Jews and other targeted groups.

We’re facing an interesting psychological dilemma in America. It appears the Dem-Socs are becoming exactly what they accuse DJT and the Right of being.

There isn’t one single perfect word, but terms like hypocrite, cognitive dissonance, irony, self-sabotage, or even specific coined terms like misanthrope (hating humanity) or contrarian (disliking popularity) often describe situations in which someone becomes what they despise, highlighting the contradiction or self-defeating behavior.

Commonly used terms are:

– Hypocrite: Someone who pretends to have virtues or beliefs they don’t possess, often by condemning in others what they themselves do.

– Cognitive Dissonance: The mental discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors, which can lead to justifying actions that contradict one’s values.

– Irony/Ironic: The outcome is the opposite of what was intended, such as trying to be non-consumerist but becoming one.

– Misanthrope: A person who dislikes or distrusts humanity.

– Contrarian: Someone who opposes or rejects popular opinion or trends, sometimes becoming entrenched in opposition.

– Self-Sabotage: The act of undermining one’s own goals or values, often by acting contrary to them.

– Enantiodromia: pronounced (uh·nan·tee·uh·drow·mee·uh): A psychological term for the conversion of something into its opposite. It’s the principle, introduced by Heraclitus and Carl Jung, that an extreme or dominant tendency inevitably turns into its opposite, a concept meaning “running counter to”. It describes the natural law in which excess leads to reversal, as seen in day becoming night, life becoming death, or extreme conscious attitudes giving rise to powerful unconscious counterparts, often visualized in the dynamic balance of yin and yang.

Enantiodromia precisely describes the Dem-Socs party.

The Dem-Socs claim to hate authoritarian rule, but their policies belie that claim. They want a larger government with more rules and tighter controls over even the simplest daily activities, including banking, shopping, schooling, business, taxes, personal and social spending, and faith. It parallels the Nazi Party’s becoming exactly what they hated in the Jews and others they saw as inferior. The Nazis became what they hated.

Dem-Socs love the idea of the US Constitution yet pay little or no attention to its precepts. They demand equality but define it as Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE), with them controlling the outcome, rather than as equality as constitutionally defined. Even though it is the basis for our legal and social systems, they surreptitiously rewrite it and apply it in the court system, using judges they appoint to interpret these legal tenets in ways that favor their ideology and social philosophy.

Then there’s liberty and freedom, another concept reinterpreted to constrain its constitutional intent. I wrote about these in my previous post, so I won’t belabor the point.

All we need to do is listen to what the Dem-Socs propose to appreciate its parallel to the Nazi ideology and political principles – see the definition above. This is the direction they plan to take America.

Is this what you voted for?

Is this what you want?

There are many excellent online accounts of Hitler’s regime and his rise to power. I don’t want to rehash any of that, but I do want you to be aware that American democracy is in peril, not from the Conservative Right or the Democrat-Socialist Left, but from their partisan political posturing and pandering, which are creating the tension that is fracturing this republic as each partisan political party becomes what it hates in the other! The Left hates everything it accuses the Right of being and thus turns this country into what each partisan political party hates; see the definition and explanation of Enantiodromia above.

Dem-Socs put Jan 6th Capitol Protestors in prison for 210 days, and some were sentenced to 22 years for the same thing they condone in Minneapolis. ICE went into this city to enforce federal law, but the Dem-Socs redefined enforcement as an invasion to vilify what they don’t like. Unlike the Capitol protest in 2021, where the president encouraged a peaceful gathering, the leadership in Minneapolis is inciting this action. Their elected representatives in the state and US Congress, the opposite of progress, Dem-Socs fan the insurrection flames.

Dem-Socs call ICE, ERO, and HSI officers Nazis and frame them as the cause of the violence, not the illegal aliens, the fraudsters, the paid protesters, the convicted felons, their own elected officials, or the media, which created this derision… but they blame federal law enforcement agents who are there to arrest these convicted criminals. It’s the rhetoric driving this situation. Calling it an invasion by Trump’s Nazis and Gestapo only inflames these rioters. The Dem-Socs equate these illegal aliens with the Jews in 1930s Nazi Germany. They even accuse our federal government of hiring Nazis and White Supremacists for these ICE, ERO, and HSI positions. They call them Secret Police. They construe it as a combination of Slavery and the Holocaust.

Here’s your secret acronym decoder:

o ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement

o ERO – Enforcement and Removal Operations

o HSI – Homeland Security Investigations

Now, revisit the definition of Enantiodromia above, and you’ll see a clear example of this psychological phenomenon in action. These protestors call the enforcement agent Nazis, yet use the same tactics they hate in the accused. They’ve become what they accuse others of being.

If we truly understood the US Constitution and how this government is supposed to function, we wouldn’t be facing this problem again. It’s a frightening fact that the Dem-Socs in America have aligned the Department of Education and the Teachers’ Union, using them to indoctrinate our children from elementary through post-graduate levels. The last bastions of classical-style education are private and parochial schools. We are fortunate that there is an emerging segment called charter schools, some of which offer a more comprehensive education. Regardless, we have little knowledge or control over what goes on in the classroom, and our country is now paying the price.

In 1986, Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ I’d like to append this phrase… “myself to everything you have that I want…””

So, the new phrase will read, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help myself to everything you have that I want…’ And just to be clear, I’m using the collective “I” –  inclusive of the US Government.

There seems to be an endless supply of hate, lunacy, and depravity from the Affluent White Female Urban Lefties (AWFULs), who appear unapproachable and intentionally unattractive. An interesting parallel struck me as I was writing this, involving a character in Tolkien’s fantasy “The Hobbit” and its follow-up trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings,” namely Gollum, who was severely disfigured in “The Hobbit” due to the long-term, corrupting influence of the One Ring and centuries of isolation in the dark caves of the Misty Mountains, which twisted his body and mind beyond natural limits.

One Ring to rule them all, the Ring of Power, is this all-encompassing socialist crusade, and Gollum is the AWFULs. I’ve heard their quest described as women in search of someone to nurture, a fundamental feminine drive to care for, support, and encourage the growth of others’ projects, stemming from biological needs for connection and evolutionary societal conditioning. It’s expressed through actions like providing comfort, teaching, protecting, and offering validation, fulfilling a deep need for purpose and connection for the giver, though it can sometimes lead to overextending oneself if boundaries aren’t set.

I see a parallel between Gollum and the AWFULs, who seem bent on fighting for hopeless, lost causes and isolating themselves from any good in the world. Their professed hatred of men in general separates them from any potential meaningful relationship, so they turn to their own gender for solace. This isolation from society and the natural discourse of heterosexual relationships reinforces it. As for their appearance, let’s just say they couldn’t be more unattractive to men if they tried. (Enantiodromia?)

I found an interesting quote from Jeff Bennett’s brother, Roy, at least they share the same last name… Anyway, Roy Bennett said, “Every choice comes with a consequence. Once you make a choice, you must accept responsibility. You cannot escape the consequences of your choice, whether you like them or not.”

That, to me, constitutes a contract.

– Here’s a note: an implied contract is a valid and legally enforceable agreement, holding the same weight as an expressed (written or verbal) contract, but it’s formed by the conduct, actions, and circumstances of the parties rather than explicit words, requiring a clear showing of mutual understanding and exchange of value to prevent unjust enrichment.

So, folks, we are bound by our actions, whether implied or expressed, signed or unsigned. It makes me wonder when and how we will pay for our choices. In India’s culture, there is a term called Karma), which refers to the principle of cause and effect, where an individual’s intent and actions (cause) influence their future (effect). Derived from the Sanskrit word karman, meaning “action,” “work,” or “deed,” it encompasses physical, verbal, and mental acts.

Western dogmas hold that God is the ultimate arbiter of our choices, judging their value against biblical or religious precepts. There are myriad permutations of this, depending on the specific faith’s adaptations and its requirements for salvation. While most religions do not explicitly excuse bad choices, many provide theological frameworks that can be used or misused to justify, forgive, or deflect responsibility for them. This is where it gets really, really complicated, depending on the faith. But as usual, the simplest answer is the most appropriate, and in this case, it seems there’s no escaping the consequences. You will eventually pay for your mistakes. Just ask any divorced man in America.

Sorry… It looks like Karma just backed over your dogma… but then any evidence is anecdotal and, at best, subjective. That, as Paul McCartney said, is “the world in which we live in…”. He’s English, and we are two countries separated by a common language.

Regardless, there’s no escaping the consequences of a decision; you can run, but you can’t hide…

William C. Taylor said, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

Taylor’s quote should serve as a poignant reminder of the moral responsibility that accompanies scientific and technological advancements, especially those with the potential for profound consequences. This applies to our personal lives as well, yet we never listen to those who created our republic or try to understand their rationale; we’d rather heed the mainstream media. They’ve never misled us, have they…

Have they ever lied to us?

I’ll respond to this rhetorical question… they do it all the time. Trust in the media is down to 28% overall, yet we continue to rely on the Mainstream Media Complex (MMC) for our news. Then there’s social media and YouTube, which supply about 55% of Americans with their news. Interestingly, social media leaves the question of honesty to those who post the information. YouTube now allows AI-generated stories to be posted and requests that creators advise viewers that the content contains AI-generated material. I can’t call them news in the proper sense; they are stories that contain misleading information, using a familiar face animated with AI. I wrote about this in my last commentary, too. We are at the mercy of those we trust, and for me, that’s a minuscule number of people, certainly none of the MMC, and even fewer of the independent news outlets.

If I can’t believe what I see or what I’m told, where does that leave me? What options do I have? Print news is no better and is certainly susceptible to prevarication and misinformation. I’ve searched high and low – especially low – for reliable sources, and I thank the maker for AI. It confirmed my suspicion that integrity is a subjective attribute, too. It’s now a partisan political preference. Most people see the MMC as polarizing rather than unifying, splitting almost equally along partisan lines. You can decide for yourself, but realize you’re buying the proverbial ‘pig in a poke’.

At this point in the steady decline of this Republic, it’s likely to end in a very ugly way. We’re bailing out our sinking ship by drilling more holes in the hull to let the water out, and no one seems to be aware or to care. We’re far too concerned about all the foolishness – BULLSHIT – the government and MMC feed us.

Our national debt will soon exceed our ability to pay the interest, yet we’re borrowing more to fund politicians’ theft and fraud. I admit they are not all swindlers; they’re much like roaches in a tenement – they run and hide when the lights come on, and from house to house when the exterminator arrives, only to return when the lights are off, and the exterminator leaves. DOGE – Discovering Outrageous Government Excess is a perfect example.

Where, Oh Where has America Gone? – Part trois…

Mechanized Waste, Fraud, and Abuse…

In commercials from the 1970s and 1980s, Memorex popularized the slogan “Is it real or is it Memorex?” Memorex claimed that the sound reproduction from their recording tape was so good you couldn’t tell whether it was live or recorded. In fact, they used Ella Fitzgerald’s recorded voice to shatter a crystal glass. The slogan became a cultural catchphrase; its meaning has since been extended to AI and deepfakes.

A deepfake is a form of artificial intelligence (AI) synthetic media – video, audio, or image – that replaces a person’s likeness, voice, or actions with someone else’s, making them appear to do or say something they never did. Created using deep learning, specifically Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), these hyper-realistic, often malicious fabrications can spread misinformation, fuel identity fraud, and damage reputations.

It’s quite difficult to tell what’s real and what’s fabricated, which makes me question the rationale for lying. After all, aren’t these fakes just lies…?

This extends to the intentional misinterpretation of the US Constitution for personal gain. And yes… this covers local, state, and municipal laws and statutes. As Nietzsche said, “There are no facts, only interpretations.”

There’s a fine line between a law and a statute. Here’s the definition:

 – A statute is a formal, written law enacted by a legislative body (such as Congress or a state legislature). While all statutes are laws, not all laws are statutes; “law” is a broader term that includes regulations, ordinances, and common law. Statutes are often called Acts and provide the primary written rules that govern society. [More Info]

Since this is more about wordplay and linguistic legerdemain, I’ll leave it to the lawyers and attorneys to handle – but it’s precisely the problem with what America has become. We live by the law’s interpretation rather than its intent, and when that interpretation doesn’t fit our needs, we can shop for a legal practitioner who will make it fit.

This is where we are today in America: if the law doesn’t work for you, find someone who will twist and contort it to fit your needs. So now, you’re only culpable if you’re caught.

Fraud in America has existed since the earliest colonial days, deeply tied to the nation’s development. Significant corporate fraud, land scams, and mail fraud emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries. Early examples include land speculation scams, and by the 1880s, schemes such as Sarah Howe’s “Ladies’ Deposit” paved the way for major investment fraud.

Key early milestones include:

* Colonial/Early America: A Princeton book chapter notes that widespread, though poorly documented, fraud occurred as settlers and entrepreneurs sought quick wealth.

* 1863: The False Claims Act was enacted during the Civil War to combat contractors who supplied the Union Army with shoddy, misrepresented goods.

* 1872: Mail fraud laws were enacted to combat the growing number of fraud schemes transmitted through the mail.

* 1880s–1920s: Sarah Howe ran a prominent early Ponzi-like scheme in the 1880s, and Charles Ponzi defrauded investors of millions in 1920.

While early financial fraud often involved land and, later, banking, the nation’s rapid growth and new technologies accelerated these schemes, making scams common from the 1870s through the 1920s and continuing to the present day. – [The History and Evolution of Fraud]

Fraud levels in the US reached record highs in 2025, driven by AI-powered scams, organized crime rings, and a sharp rise in identity theft. More than 1.15 million identity theft cases were reported in the first three quarters of 2025, and 67% of financial institutions reported increased fraud.

Clench your sphincters. Here are some shocking statistics.

– 1.15 million identity theft cases were reported to the FBI.

– 41% of adults have been victims of fraud, and 73% have reported online scams.

– 60% of financial institutions reported increased fraud, and 22% reported losses exceeding $5 million.

– Potential synthetic identity (AI) fraud exposure for lenders totaled $3.3 billion.

– The Department of Justice recovered more than $6.8 billion in FY 2025, the highest amount on record.

– The Medicare Fee-for-Service improper payment rate was estimated at 6.55% ($28.83 billion), and Medicaid at 6.12% ($37.39 billion).

– DoJ reported $6.8 billion in settlements and judgments, marking the highest in False Claims history.

– The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported $162 billion in improper payments, with $2.8 trillion cumulative since 2003.

– Check Fraud remains 66% higher than in 2021.

– 68% of US adults reported receiving scam phone calls, 61% scam emails, and 61% scam text messages.

– Total consumer losses reached $12.5 billion, with cryptocurrency accounting for $9.3 billion more

– 99% of financial organizations now use AI, specifically machine learning, to combat fraud.

* It’s estimated that between 42% and 50% of all fraud attempts involve AI.

– There is a 10-80-10 rule.

* 10% of the population will never commit fraud.
* 80% might commit fraud under the right circumstances.
* 10% are actively seeking their next opportunity.

There are no states in America free of fraud, waste, or abuse, but America seems to be a target-rich environment and a home base for Equal Opportunity Offenders, especially in our government.

I’ll ask again. Isn’t this part of the problem? When we allow nefarious people to lead our republic, what else should we expect? They see America’s coffers as their piggy bank and an unlimited source of congressional funds. When those funds run low, they borrow more from the corrupt banking system they created to supply them. Yes, I’m talking about Congress, the opposite of progress, and the Federal Reserve System, the central bank, which we must thank for our steadily increasing $39 trillion national debt.

Are you starting to see the picture?

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence rather than authority; still more so when you add the certainty of corruption by authority. Absolute power demoralizes.” ~ Lord Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg, (1st Baron Acton)

When will we (I use the word we inclusively here) apply penalties appropriate for these transgressions? When I say ‘we,’ I mean the people we elect to manage our affairs and their appointees. Seriously, when will we see people held accountable for their offenses? I’m convinced that when misdeeds and violations go unpunished, misbehavior continues and eventually increases. When you see unruly children, the immediate inference is that the parents are lax.

The republic is out of control; who’s responsible?

Isn’t it those who elect these miscreants to office who are ultimately accountable?

How is this adolescent bickering over partisan political control any different?

Please understand that I support states’ rights, but there is a pesky provision in the US Constitution that makes federal laws and treaties the “Supreme Law of the Land“. It requires state courts to uphold federal law over any conflicting state constitutions or laws, thereby ensuring a unified legal system. {found in Article VI, Clause 2 of the US Constitution}

Is this true in the municipal meltdowns across many of our states? Obviously not!

Municipalities and even some state judiciaries fear being accused of racism, which they consider more egregious than applying federal statutes and laws. So, self-preservation compels them to support and maintain their voter base; they choose to support an extra-legal view rather than what the US Constitution requires, which then becomes the de facto standard for subsequent cases. It is all about politics, that is, being elected and maintaining that office for as long as possible.

It fascinates me that we demand simple, measurable government and understandable laws, yet we always seek ways to justify changing them, especially when they prevent us from achieving our objectives.

Is our moral compass stashed in the kitchen junk drawer or in some box of forgotten crap in the garage? It’s painfully obvious that Americans choose to ignore what’s right for convenience’s sake, to the detriment of everything else, particularly the US Constitution.

I’m searching for a way to say what must be said while using as few expletives as possible, but sometimes I need to abandon decorum and just say it.

What the Fornication Under Consent of the King is wrong with this country?

We have abandoned all our senses, propriety, and humanity to protect the Worst of the Worst criminals who came to this country to take advantage of our liberalities. We ignore our own laws by twisting them into catchy mainstream media talking points, then use these interpretations as weapons against each other. We have new, insanely creative ways to crush 250 years of progress in the pursuit of Partisan Political Party Platforms that appear to be Anti-American. I’ve used this next section in countless past commentaries and posts, and it continues to ring true in everything we see happening before us today.

Are We Friggin Crazy?

The answer is YES, emphatically!

“Give all power to the many, and they will oppress the few; give all power to the few, and they will oppress the many.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

George Washington warned of the dangers of the two-party system in his farewell address to the nation, in which he so honorably served as the commanding general of US Forces against the British in our war for independence and as our First President.

In his 1796 Farewell Address, George Washington warned against the “baneful effects of the spirit of party,” fearing that political factions would divide the nation, incite jealousy and animosity, and be exploited by ambitious men to subvert government for personal power, thereby weakening the republic and opening the door to foreign influence. He urged citizens to prioritize the common good, avoid excessive partisanship, and recognize that parties could obstruct laws and manipulate public opinion, threatening the Union’s stability.

In his address, Washington said: “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, and afterwards to destroy the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

The current state of America corroborates and validates Washington’s concerns; in fact, it exemplifies and embodies them. The insatiable appetite of the partisan political parties for power has turned this republic into a sectarian arena, much like the ancient Roman Colosseum, where political power and prowess are displayed for all to see in “no-holds-barred” battles to determine which particular partisan political philosophy will control the republic.

“A nation can survive its fools and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.” ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

When you view our current Discord in this republic through the combined lenses of Cicero and Washington, the picture becomes clear, and you appreciate how a solid knowledge of history should have prevented this disaster. But here’s where the dumbing down of education is a key performance indicator (KPI) for the Democrat-Socialists’ success; they’re playing the long game and nearing their goal

This process began in the 1950s and was refined when President Carter created the Department of Education under the 1979 Department of Education Organization Act, which separated education functions from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Now the government could control what was taught and how it was delivered to students in public indoctrination centers (schools).

“When the state or federal government controls the education of all of our children, it holds a dangerous and illegitimate monopoly over the thought process of our citizens.” ~ Michael Badnarik

And this brings today into focus.

Our government controls what we know; how and where we learn; we know only what it wants us to know. The mainstream media is complicit, so the delivery mechanism is theirs.

They can interpret information to fit their narrative.

Now it controls what we think and how we respond.

It controls who votes and, thus, the three distinct branches of the republic.

The purpose of this exercise and commentary is to explain that the events of the past several decades have coalesced in the theater of public opinion across the country. This is where we’re headed and where we will be in the next few years as this partisan political subversion of our Constitution continues unabated. We are at the threshold of oblivion for the American Way of Life, and it may already be too late to stop this juggernaut called Democrat-Socialism.

As Julius Caesar said, “the die is cast…” as he crossed the Rubicon and as we cross ours. Caesar’s war was against Pompey; ours is in America, and it is a steady march toward Socialism and Democratic control of this republic.

Remember these new rules:

There are no invaders; they are potential loyal voters of the Democratic-Socialist Party (DSP).

There’s no need for ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ERO – Enforcement and Removal Operations, or HSI – Homeland Security Investigations. These organizations are superfluous and unnecessary, since every inhabitant is a Democrat-Socialist voter and law enforcement will be handled by…

The American State Stasi (ASS), the equivalent of the notorious secret police and intelligence agency of communist East Germany (the GDR, or German Democratic Republic), which operated from 1950 to 1990, was known for its pervasive surveillance and control of citizens through a vast network of informants, used to suppress dissent and maintain the ruling party’s power. It functioned as both a domestic secret police force and an external intelligence service, employing extensive methods, including espionage, wiretapping, and mail interception.

State-run Indoctrination Camps will cultivate DSP loyalty and equip its progeny with the skills to advance its ideological, cultural, and societal goals.

I could continue, but I think my message is clear. We are in serious peril, and unless we wake up and reclaim control of this Republic, legally and peacefully, we will all be marching to Socialist drums while whispering our ideas.

I’ll close this with a quote I discovered many years ago that I believe captures the steps leading to our plight.

“Destroying nature does not require atomic bombs or long-range missiles… It only requires lowering educational standards and allowing students to cheat on examinations.

Patients die at the hands of such doctors…

Buildings collapse because of such engineers…

Money is lost by such economists and accountants.

Humanity dies at the hands of such religious scholars.

Justice is lost at the hands of such judges…

“The collapse of education is the collapse of the nation…”

– A note posted on the gates of a South African University.

“A mind that never questions never awakens.” ~ Osho

‘The dickens you say…’

For the Amalgamated Heavy

 

 

January 29, 2026

~ the Author ~
Charles R. Dickens Was Born in 1951, Is a Veteran of the Vietnam War, for Which He Volunteered, and the Great-Great Grandson of the Noted Author, Whose Name He Shares.

He Is a Fiercely Proud American, Who Still Believes This Is the Greatest Country on the Planet, With Which We’ve Lost Control and Certainly Our Direction. He Grew Up in Moderate Financial Surrounding; We’re Not Rich by Any Stretch, but Didn’t Go Hungry – His Incredibly Hard Working Father Saw to That. As Most From That Era, He Learned About Life From His Father, Whose Story Would Take Too Long to Tell, Other Than to Say That, He Is Also a Fiercely Proud American; A WWII and Korean War, Veteran Marine.

Charlie Was Educated in the Parochial System Which, Demanded That You Actually Learn Something, and Have Capability to Retain It Before You Advance. He Attended Several Universities in Pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree, and Chased the Goose Further to a Master’s, and Has Retained Some Very Definite Ideas About Education in This Country.

in Addition, Charlie Is a Retired Blues Guitar and Vocalist – a Musician. This Was His Therapy Career. Nothing Brings Him as Much Joy as Playing Music, and He Wishes That He Could Make a Living at It… but Alas… Life Goes on!