The following is my Comment/Response to this article by Metin Basoglu, which appears in Issue number 2768 of The New Scientist Magazine, dated July 13, 2010:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727684.700-you-cant-fight-violence-with-violence.html
Allow me to clarify and qualify myself by stating the following; my purpose is not served by jumping into one extreme or the opposite, but by serving the cause of truth, to which I subscribe, and also serving the cause of peace, which are not mutually exclusive! In other words; most people tend to inadvertently over-complicate things by taking things to easy in an effort to simplify and thus they tend to join one irrational and illogical camp against the other! I seek to avoid such extremes; as my interests lie in a world that is relatively moderate and reasonably safe, secure and sensible! In almost all wars the initial perpetrators of unjustified violence can be found on both sides, albeit more so on one side than the other!
I do not agree with much of what Metin states in this article. This article over-simplifies things and makes it seem like there is a moral and ethical equivalence between those fanatic pseudo-religious extremists who initiate unjustified violence with those who are forced by circumstance to prevent greater violence and danger by justified violent self-defense.
No doubt about it: the Nazis began by fabricating Big Lies about who caused Germany to suffer following their defeat in World War One and they were the ones who started the fire by murdering innocent people! No doubt the excessive punishment was a major factor, but unlike the German Communists, Socialists and Social Democrats the Nazis deliberately omitted crucial facts about how and why World War One began and distorted reality so as to generate greater hatred, anger and fear, mostly directed at easy targets, vulnerable scapegoats and other innocent groups. While it is true that the Bush Administration managed to make things even worse and its overall domestic and foreign policies actually weakened our ability to fight the enemy and prevent further harm to our democracies; there should be no doubt about the fact that it was the enemy, pseudo-Islamic fanatic extremists who hijacked and distorted Islam, who started the fire! While there are some significant differences between the Nazis and the sick pseudo-Islamic violencesors; there are also common factors, including the use of anti-Jewish anti-Semitic lies and fabrications and forgeries. Violence begins with deliberate defamation of the prospective enemy. Sure; some acts of defamation have been perpetrated by those who over-react to the malicious acts of the other side, but the fact remains that one side is more to blame than the other. Of course, pending on which side you already happen to have been born to, the determination of which side is most to blame may seem itself a rather subjective thing.
Nevertheless; the reality is clear: the majority of the victims are not the minority on both sides who perpetuate malicious ideas and acts!
We cannot afford to be weak in the face of the sick violencesors who brainwash susceptible fools and who are themselves self-justifying fanatics! To cave-in to the pseudo-Islamic and pseudo-Christian and pseudo-Jewish, etc., violencesors would lead to the same result that efforts at appeasing Hitler and his Nazis lead to! And that is something we can never allow to happen! Justified Violence used against those who perpetrated Unjustified Violence cannot, in of itself, achieve the long-term goals desired, and thus Justified Violence (i.e. our forces fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan) must also be accompanied by non-violent efforts that work to empower people in constructive, progressive and meaningful ways!
Ultimately we must, sooner than later, create a truly Ethical Global Society based on the most Sensible Principles; such as upholding Individual Human Rights, Liberties and Freedoms! Otherwise increasing confusion, paranoia, corruption and crime will lead to total chaos and a final collapse!
Showing posts with label Fenyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fenyo. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Global Economic & Financial Crisis; Everything Is Interconnected.
Solving Our Crises Requires “New” Thinking.
By Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, Philosopher.
"Problems cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created them." -- Albert Einstein
The World Economic Forum in Davos 2009 was a total failure! Instead of the brightest and best qualified minds telling the whole world what the real situation is, what the real causes of the crises are, and what the obvious solutions must be, we had one mediocre minded technocrat after another detailing information that lower middle class and poor people, as well as a very few formerly rich people, already know, all too well! Where are the fresh new ideas, where are the true intellectuals, the contemporary geniuses, Einsteins, Gandhis, Karl Poppers and others of the world?? I cannot accept the idea that the world today is devoid of such great, creative, innovative and deeply perceptive thinkers! Are they being suppressed and silenced?? And if so, by whom??
I turn on the TV and watch CNN, BBC, ABC, CBS, SKY, etc., news, news and more news! And all I see are images of throngs of very frustrated, disillusioned and desperate workers and students in France, the UK, throughout Europe and the US and elsewhere sounding off the naïve mantra of radical revolution and failed political ideologies! I hear calls by masses of apparently superficially educated neo-Marxists demanding the resignation of governments, the defeat of Capitalist enterprises and institutions and the rise of totally unrealistic systems of governance and economy! At the same time I see a glimmer of real hope in Washington, as an intellectual man takes the oath of the office of The Presidency of The United States, and seems to fully understand the real causes and the real solutions to this most urgent and dangerous global set of crises! Unfortunately, I also see a Middle East on the brink of total disaster, which would surely engulf the rest of the World, and a link between events there and the global financial and economic crises.
At this point I find it necessary to disabuse you, the reader, of the notion that this article will also end up being just another well-intended failure to deliver sound advice, valid answers, and real solutions. It will not. This particular global financial and economic crisis, which can easily turn into a catastrophic global security meltdown, has its roots in systemic failures that are interlinked and deeply connected, that are socio-political and socio-economic, and which require a sophisticated set of both political and financial solutions, as well as the ability of responsible political leaders able to bring the public sector and the private sector to the negotiating tables and to hammer out truly sensible, intelligent, wise, long-term solutions, as well as immediate remedies requiring strong government intervention and massive infrastructural works and an overhaul of wasteful antiquated and environmentally unsound technologies, consumer productions and business practices! Again, let there be no mistake about it; for governments to be able to deliver urgently needed results, public trust and confidence in both the public and private sector must be restored, and that cannot happen without also strengthening Democratic and Pro-Social and Pro-Individual Freedoms, Liberties and Rights! For even as the masses rightfully sense that things are not right, they are generally mal-informed, deliberately so by political opportunists from both extremes (Right and Left), about the real causes and the real solution to the interlinked (connected) local, national and global crises we all face! It is exactly at a time like this that we need stronger voices of Universal reason and Humanistic wisdom, of true moderation and responsibly progressive liberal political orientation. Only when the masses of the people understand that the wealthy few cannot be violently overthrown or destroyed and the wealthy few understand that they need to share more of the world’s wealth and help restore public confidence in both government and the private sector, and that that can only happen if there are bright minded intellectual heroes who are afforded by the privately-controlled mass media a greater voice, only then will we be successful in diminishing the voices of extremism, of ultra-nationalism, of economically unsound protectionism, of religious intolerance, of racism, ageism and other chauvinistic and barbaric voices, that for too long have managed to gain public credence on account of a sickly mass media that feeds on extremism, sensationalism and vanities galore!
It needs to be said that the very first step to global financial and socio-economic (thus political and security) stability must surely involve a mass media willing to give much more of a voice and podium for those true intellectuals, some of whom are self-educated, who understand just how complex things really are and just how multi-disciplinary-minded one must be in order to see through the complexity the light at the end of the tunnel, the light of greater reason and understanding that shines brightly and reveals the true solutions, which are themselves based on an understanding of the interconnectivity, interdependence, and correlation of things that otherwise seem, to average mediocre minds, totally unrelated and unconnected! As long as the general public is distracted and divided by illusions of get-rich-quick schemes, or the false hope offered by extremists who sell intolerance and who get way too much media attention, the general public will not pay attention to those who offer real solutions to real problems and will not pressure their governments and leaders to take all the action urgently needed.
Capitalism has never failed humanity at all! For what has been going on, more so these past eight years under the Bush Administration, has not been real Capitalism at all, but what should properly be identified as and called Global Mass Piracy, in which a significant number, albeit not all, of the world’s richest few have plundered and pillaged societies, wrecked havoc upon and destroyed much of the Middle Class, who are the backbone of any healthy Democratic and Capitalist Social Democratic society!!! This Global Mass Piracy, which still operates as a vast conspiracy of thuggish thieves, cannot be brought down to its knees by mere public anger and government reprimands! This Global Mass Piracy has only managed to get its way because of a combination of weakness and selfish opportunism on the part of a fear- and hate-mongering mass media and inept, technocrat-riddled, cowardly governments!
The world needs to be regularly and properly educated and informed by the mass media and by governments about the interconnectedness of things, about the real dangers of extremist ideologies, about the real nature of and benefits of true Democracy, about the fact that without Capitalism and Private Ownership there can be no Privacy Rights, Personal Liberties, Freedoms and thus no Personal or Public Security at all! Social Democracy, regardless of whether it is slightly Right-of-Center or Left-of-Center is the only viable option! Social Democracy is what insures both the rights of Private Individuals and Capitalists, as well as the rights of the greater public in general, especially the rights of properly paid and relatively protected working class people and properly educated and compensated middle class people, without whom society, Democracy and Capitalism, is doomed to fail! When moderate political forces lose, the extremists win and subsequently plunge the world into total chaos and a final catastrophe!
It does not take a genius to understand all that I have said thus far!
And once the mass media is once more on the side of reason, of wisdom and of moderation, then it will be able to help herald the news of all those massive public works projects and giant infrastructural works that will provide the kind of employment and income needed to restore the world’s economic health! And then the overhaul of big business away from manufacturing junk and antiquated transportation and energy technologies towards quality, green, environmental technologies will be possible! Yet there is one other very important change needed; and that concerns the availability of truly affordable housing, both in the suburbs and within our great city-state cities! For without relatively safe, efficient, comfortable, compact and truly affordable housing there will be no healthy and new mass of long-term home owners! It is clear as can be that over-speculation in private housing drove up the cost of housing beyond the real means of the working and middle classes, and that this also created a false economy in which millions prospered at the expense of billions, and vast fortunes of digitalized wealth were amassed at the expense of entire economic sectors and financial institutions, which have since begun crumbling down unto our own heads!
We need to do in principle much of the same things that were done by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and The New Deal, but in a fresh, new and much more sophisticated, visionary, long-term-considerate way!
Remember, it all starts with the right attitude on the part of the mass media and the governments, properly informing the general public about what are the real causes and what must now be done, and then going to the negotiating tables to negotiate with the world’s wealthiest few about the terms of not just a Global Sociological Ceasefire, but a long term Viable and Just Peace! The days of violent revolutions (not that they ever really worked) are over, but so must the days of unscientific and illogical and inhuman attitudes and conditions be over! We do not have a moment’s time left to waste: is the mass media going to do the right thing and share this understanding with the world, or is it going to ignore the voices of reason and wisdom still alive and kicking?? Perception sells the product first, and the product continues to sell if the perception has any real basis! The mass media are responsible for perceptions, and we must be responsible for the product!
"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities." -- Albert Einstein
Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, also known as The Free Advice Man, is a Self-Educated Philosopher currently residing in London, where he is busy writing his books and ceaselessly communicating his ideas on the need for responsibly progressive liberal social democracy and unity-in-diversity!
By Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, Philosopher.
"Problems cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created them." -- Albert Einstein
The World Economic Forum in Davos 2009 was a total failure! Instead of the brightest and best qualified minds telling the whole world what the real situation is, what the real causes of the crises are, and what the obvious solutions must be, we had one mediocre minded technocrat after another detailing information that lower middle class and poor people, as well as a very few formerly rich people, already know, all too well! Where are the fresh new ideas, where are the true intellectuals, the contemporary geniuses, Einsteins, Gandhis, Karl Poppers and others of the world?? I cannot accept the idea that the world today is devoid of such great, creative, innovative and deeply perceptive thinkers! Are they being suppressed and silenced?? And if so, by whom??
I turn on the TV and watch CNN, BBC, ABC, CBS, SKY, etc., news, news and more news! And all I see are images of throngs of very frustrated, disillusioned and desperate workers and students in France, the UK, throughout Europe and the US and elsewhere sounding off the naïve mantra of radical revolution and failed political ideologies! I hear calls by masses of apparently superficially educated neo-Marxists demanding the resignation of governments, the defeat of Capitalist enterprises and institutions and the rise of totally unrealistic systems of governance and economy! At the same time I see a glimmer of real hope in Washington, as an intellectual man takes the oath of the office of The Presidency of The United States, and seems to fully understand the real causes and the real solutions to this most urgent and dangerous global set of crises! Unfortunately, I also see a Middle East on the brink of total disaster, which would surely engulf the rest of the World, and a link between events there and the global financial and economic crises.
At this point I find it necessary to disabuse you, the reader, of the notion that this article will also end up being just another well-intended failure to deliver sound advice, valid answers, and real solutions. It will not. This particular global financial and economic crisis, which can easily turn into a catastrophic global security meltdown, has its roots in systemic failures that are interlinked and deeply connected, that are socio-political and socio-economic, and which require a sophisticated set of both political and financial solutions, as well as the ability of responsible political leaders able to bring the public sector and the private sector to the negotiating tables and to hammer out truly sensible, intelligent, wise, long-term solutions, as well as immediate remedies requiring strong government intervention and massive infrastructural works and an overhaul of wasteful antiquated and environmentally unsound technologies, consumer productions and business practices! Again, let there be no mistake about it; for governments to be able to deliver urgently needed results, public trust and confidence in both the public and private sector must be restored, and that cannot happen without also strengthening Democratic and Pro-Social and Pro-Individual Freedoms, Liberties and Rights! For even as the masses rightfully sense that things are not right, they are generally mal-informed, deliberately so by political opportunists from both extremes (Right and Left), about the real causes and the real solution to the interlinked (connected) local, national and global crises we all face! It is exactly at a time like this that we need stronger voices of Universal reason and Humanistic wisdom, of true moderation and responsibly progressive liberal political orientation. Only when the masses of the people understand that the wealthy few cannot be violently overthrown or destroyed and the wealthy few understand that they need to share more of the world’s wealth and help restore public confidence in both government and the private sector, and that that can only happen if there are bright minded intellectual heroes who are afforded by the privately-controlled mass media a greater voice, only then will we be successful in diminishing the voices of extremism, of ultra-nationalism, of economically unsound protectionism, of religious intolerance, of racism, ageism and other chauvinistic and barbaric voices, that for too long have managed to gain public credence on account of a sickly mass media that feeds on extremism, sensationalism and vanities galore!
It needs to be said that the very first step to global financial and socio-economic (thus political and security) stability must surely involve a mass media willing to give much more of a voice and podium for those true intellectuals, some of whom are self-educated, who understand just how complex things really are and just how multi-disciplinary-minded one must be in order to see through the complexity the light at the end of the tunnel, the light of greater reason and understanding that shines brightly and reveals the true solutions, which are themselves based on an understanding of the interconnectivity, interdependence, and correlation of things that otherwise seem, to average mediocre minds, totally unrelated and unconnected! As long as the general public is distracted and divided by illusions of get-rich-quick schemes, or the false hope offered by extremists who sell intolerance and who get way too much media attention, the general public will not pay attention to those who offer real solutions to real problems and will not pressure their governments and leaders to take all the action urgently needed.
Capitalism has never failed humanity at all! For what has been going on, more so these past eight years under the Bush Administration, has not been real Capitalism at all, but what should properly be identified as and called Global Mass Piracy, in which a significant number, albeit not all, of the world’s richest few have plundered and pillaged societies, wrecked havoc upon and destroyed much of the Middle Class, who are the backbone of any healthy Democratic and Capitalist Social Democratic society!!! This Global Mass Piracy, which still operates as a vast conspiracy of thuggish thieves, cannot be brought down to its knees by mere public anger and government reprimands! This Global Mass Piracy has only managed to get its way because of a combination of weakness and selfish opportunism on the part of a fear- and hate-mongering mass media and inept, technocrat-riddled, cowardly governments!
The world needs to be regularly and properly educated and informed by the mass media and by governments about the interconnectedness of things, about the real dangers of extremist ideologies, about the real nature of and benefits of true Democracy, about the fact that without Capitalism and Private Ownership there can be no Privacy Rights, Personal Liberties, Freedoms and thus no Personal or Public Security at all! Social Democracy, regardless of whether it is slightly Right-of-Center or Left-of-Center is the only viable option! Social Democracy is what insures both the rights of Private Individuals and Capitalists, as well as the rights of the greater public in general, especially the rights of properly paid and relatively protected working class people and properly educated and compensated middle class people, without whom society, Democracy and Capitalism, is doomed to fail! When moderate political forces lose, the extremists win and subsequently plunge the world into total chaos and a final catastrophe!
It does not take a genius to understand all that I have said thus far!
And once the mass media is once more on the side of reason, of wisdom and of moderation, then it will be able to help herald the news of all those massive public works projects and giant infrastructural works that will provide the kind of employment and income needed to restore the world’s economic health! And then the overhaul of big business away from manufacturing junk and antiquated transportation and energy technologies towards quality, green, environmental technologies will be possible! Yet there is one other very important change needed; and that concerns the availability of truly affordable housing, both in the suburbs and within our great city-state cities! For without relatively safe, efficient, comfortable, compact and truly affordable housing there will be no healthy and new mass of long-term home owners! It is clear as can be that over-speculation in private housing drove up the cost of housing beyond the real means of the working and middle classes, and that this also created a false economy in which millions prospered at the expense of billions, and vast fortunes of digitalized wealth were amassed at the expense of entire economic sectors and financial institutions, which have since begun crumbling down unto our own heads!
We need to do in principle much of the same things that were done by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and The New Deal, but in a fresh, new and much more sophisticated, visionary, long-term-considerate way!
Remember, it all starts with the right attitude on the part of the mass media and the governments, properly informing the general public about what are the real causes and what must now be done, and then going to the negotiating tables to negotiate with the world’s wealthiest few about the terms of not just a Global Sociological Ceasefire, but a long term Viable and Just Peace! The days of violent revolutions (not that they ever really worked) are over, but so must the days of unscientific and illogical and inhuman attitudes and conditions be over! We do not have a moment’s time left to waste: is the mass media going to do the right thing and share this understanding with the world, or is it going to ignore the voices of reason and wisdom still alive and kicking?? Perception sells the product first, and the product continues to sell if the perception has any real basis! The mass media are responsible for perceptions, and we must be responsible for the product!
"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities." -- Albert Einstein
Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, also known as The Free Advice Man, is a Self-Educated Philosopher currently residing in London, where he is busy writing his books and ceaselessly communicating his ideas on the need for responsibly progressive liberal social democracy and unity-in-diversity!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Between Extreme Capitalism and Extreme Socialism: The Missed Comfort of Lukewarm Waters.
During The Cold War, from around 1946 to 1996, The United States of America and some of its West European NATO allies understood that while Capitalism is a pre-requisite to human freedom, especially the liberty of individuals, some aspects of Socialism were legitimate in insuring sufficient social cohesion and preventing too many people from ending up homeless and hungry. This was more true in Western European nations than America, but even in The United States certain social welfare programs were devised in order to insure domestic tranquility and to be able to convince potential political asylum seeking Soviets and East Europeans that as hard as life can be in the West, the freedom gained was worth the risk.
As part of the post-war deal the West sought to promote the views of relatively progressive liberal thinkers, writers, artists and entertainers, whose views were strongly opposed to all forms of Fascism, especially Nazism. This was not just about de-Nazi-fying Germany, Austria and de-Fascistifying Italy, Spain and other nations of the former Axis nations, but about a legitimate concern for free-market principles, best benefited by tolerating non-violent troublemakers, especially moderate Socialists, Social Democrats and Libertarians. However, as soon as The Soviet Union collapsed, and with it the entire Warsaw Pact, as soon as The United States emerged as the solitary global Superpower, certain elements of the Right-wing political establishments decided that those same creative and outspoken individuals, people like John Lennon, Andy Warhol, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Gore Vidal, Paul Newman (see my tribute coming soon/or above), who once served their interests in allowing for the appearance of real freedom and liberty (wherein fact the USA has had a contradictory and mixed record on its own stated principles and values)were suddenly at best mildly tolerated by those with real power and massive influence.
What is certain is that truly progressive moderates and liberals, Social Democratic Capitalist Intellectuals such as my self, have been the target of cleverly devised methods to disenfranchise, silence, ignore... (especially by the mass media...who at first were only too eager to give me a voice!)... and gradually totally undermine and eventually destroy them, given that their (my) views are highly critical of extremisms, especially Right-wing Capitalist and Left-wing Communist extremisms! After all, we could be the new Spinozas, Gandhis and Einsteins of the world! We could, if the media would dare do what is truly in the world's best interests, easily become the kind of intellectual heroes, social role models, capable of inspiring, instigating and motivating younger people to avoid joining the ranks of the extremists, to oppose all forms of extremism, and to seek to make a much better world than the one we currently find ourselves barely living in! We could be the kind of hero Philosophers, Poets and Pundits who, through our fine use of words, through our powerful use of great and deeply thought-provoking ideas and images, through our sense of future-seeing and hope, might turn young people away from seeking superficial vanities, undeserved fame and fortune, or from giving up on the world and becoming violent extremists! We might finally be able to convince young people that seeking true wisdom, greater knowledge and genuine enlightenment are just as important as seeking the means to live healthy, comfortable and exciting lives! We might be able to bring about a True Era of Lasting (hopefully Everlasting) Enlightenment,Peace and Prosperity based on legitimately Spiritual and truly Scientific Reasoning and Wisdom! An era when Unity-in-Diversity, Tolerance of Tolerant Others, and True Freedom, Liberty and Democracy reign supreme, for the benefit of all decent persons and all Free-Thinkers!
Only through Social Democracy can The United States of America work to best serve the legitimate interests of practically all Americans, from what should never be less than Lower Middle Class Working Americans to the few Truly Deserving Upper Class Inventors, Innovators, and other quintessential Geniuses! (Oh, yeah...such a I myself! Facetious sarcasm allowed. LOL! Slight element of truth.)
Till then, we must not assume that just because someone thinks they have good reason to be concerned about their relative safety and abuses of their legitimate rights, that they are necessarily exaggerating things or, worse yet, truly delusional and paranoid. One tactic mentioned in several extreme Right-wing manuals involves using very cleverly devised, hi-tech methods to cause "troublemakers", "boat-rockers", "misfits", "non-conformists" and other Responsibly Progressive Liberal Social Democrats & True Libertarians to appear to their friends as being conspiracy-theory-addicted paranoid delusional schizophrenics and potential psychopaths or sociopaths! Anyone interested in the specifics of these cleverly devised, hi-tech methods, being used right now by extreme Right-wingers all over the world, should write me in private and I will try my best to provide details and proof! Remember how right John Lennon was, after years of being the target of similar efforts to defame, disenfranchise and destroy him! As for how to tell the difference between a real victim of such sinister methods/tactics and someone who really does go too far; I'll be happy to send you my views on that too. Nevertheless, one must understand that when a specific person is being targeted for such sinister methods/tactics eventually, over time, the sum effect can be to cause a legitimate victim to actually become, little by little, a double-victim, as it gets harder and harder for that specific individual to avoid assuming things about other people, whose statements and actions might otherwise give legitimate cause for concern and reason to fear, that may or may not be true! The recent movie "Ridicule" alludes to that, and one should always take the trouble to read George Orwell's "1984" again, as it serves to remind us how far people in power are willing to go to remain in power long after any legitimate mandate, if there was a mandate to begin with!
Of course none of us who are truly sensible like having to live under the constant knowledge of, concern about and fear of powerful and influential people who are so bored, mundane, vulgar and vain that they get their kicks out of playing around with the lives of others! In case you have already begun to forget what Machiavelli's The Prince and Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population, or for that matter what movies like "Brazil", "Meet John Doe", "Citizen Kane", "The Matrix", "Bob Roberts", "Soylent Green", "Network" and "The Net" are really trying to warn us about!
For younger readers and older readers alike, looking for wisdom without too much of the darker side imagery; there is always my favorite book, Antoine De Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)!
So, between extreme Capitalism and extreme Socialism, let me and my many fancifully fantastic friends frolic in the luke-warm waters of Freedom, Liberty and Unity-in-Diversity!
As part of the post-war deal the West sought to promote the views of relatively progressive liberal thinkers, writers, artists and entertainers, whose views were strongly opposed to all forms of Fascism, especially Nazism. This was not just about de-Nazi-fying Germany, Austria and de-Fascistifying Italy, Spain and other nations of the former Axis nations, but about a legitimate concern for free-market principles, best benefited by tolerating non-violent troublemakers, especially moderate Socialists, Social Democrats and Libertarians. However, as soon as The Soviet Union collapsed, and with it the entire Warsaw Pact, as soon as The United States emerged as the solitary global Superpower, certain elements of the Right-wing political establishments decided that those same creative and outspoken individuals, people like John Lennon, Andy Warhol, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Gore Vidal, Paul Newman (see my tribute coming soon/or above), who once served their interests in allowing for the appearance of real freedom and liberty (wherein fact the USA has had a contradictory and mixed record on its own stated principles and values)were suddenly at best mildly tolerated by those with real power and massive influence.
What is certain is that truly progressive moderates and liberals, Social Democratic Capitalist Intellectuals such as my self, have been the target of cleverly devised methods to disenfranchise, silence, ignore... (especially by the mass media...who at first were only too eager to give me a voice!)... and gradually totally undermine and eventually destroy them, given that their (my) views are highly critical of extremisms, especially Right-wing Capitalist and Left-wing Communist extremisms! After all, we could be the new Spinozas, Gandhis and Einsteins of the world! We could, if the media would dare do what is truly in the world's best interests, easily become the kind of intellectual heroes, social role models, capable of inspiring, instigating and motivating younger people to avoid joining the ranks of the extremists, to oppose all forms of extremism, and to seek to make a much better world than the one we currently find ourselves barely living in! We could be the kind of hero Philosophers, Poets and Pundits who, through our fine use of words, through our powerful use of great and deeply thought-provoking ideas and images, through our sense of future-seeing and hope, might turn young people away from seeking superficial vanities, undeserved fame and fortune, or from giving up on the world and becoming violent extremists! We might finally be able to convince young people that seeking true wisdom, greater knowledge and genuine enlightenment are just as important as seeking the means to live healthy, comfortable and exciting lives! We might be able to bring about a True Era of Lasting (hopefully Everlasting) Enlightenment,Peace and Prosperity based on legitimately Spiritual and truly Scientific Reasoning and Wisdom! An era when Unity-in-Diversity, Tolerance of Tolerant Others, and True Freedom, Liberty and Democracy reign supreme, for the benefit of all decent persons and all Free-Thinkers!
Only through Social Democracy can The United States of America work to best serve the legitimate interests of practically all Americans, from what should never be less than Lower Middle Class Working Americans to the few Truly Deserving Upper Class Inventors, Innovators, and other quintessential Geniuses! (Oh, yeah...such a I myself! Facetious sarcasm allowed. LOL! Slight element of truth.)
Till then, we must not assume that just because someone thinks they have good reason to be concerned about their relative safety and abuses of their legitimate rights, that they are necessarily exaggerating things or, worse yet, truly delusional and paranoid. One tactic mentioned in several extreme Right-wing manuals involves using very cleverly devised, hi-tech methods to cause "troublemakers", "boat-rockers", "misfits", "non-conformists" and other Responsibly Progressive Liberal Social Democrats & True Libertarians to appear to their friends as being conspiracy-theory-addicted paranoid delusional schizophrenics and potential psychopaths or sociopaths! Anyone interested in the specifics of these cleverly devised, hi-tech methods, being used right now by extreme Right-wingers all over the world, should write me in private and I will try my best to provide details and proof! Remember how right John Lennon was, after years of being the target of similar efforts to defame, disenfranchise and destroy him! As for how to tell the difference between a real victim of such sinister methods/tactics and someone who really does go too far; I'll be happy to send you my views on that too. Nevertheless, one must understand that when a specific person is being targeted for such sinister methods/tactics eventually, over time, the sum effect can be to cause a legitimate victim to actually become, little by little, a double-victim, as it gets harder and harder for that specific individual to avoid assuming things about other people, whose statements and actions might otherwise give legitimate cause for concern and reason to fear, that may or may not be true! The recent movie "Ridicule" alludes to that, and one should always take the trouble to read George Orwell's "1984" again, as it serves to remind us how far people in power are willing to go to remain in power long after any legitimate mandate, if there was a mandate to begin with!
Of course none of us who are truly sensible like having to live under the constant knowledge of, concern about and fear of powerful and influential people who are so bored, mundane, vulgar and vain that they get their kicks out of playing around with the lives of others! In case you have already begun to forget what Machiavelli's The Prince and Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population, or for that matter what movies like "Brazil", "Meet John Doe", "Citizen Kane", "The Matrix", "Bob Roberts", "Soylent Green", "Network" and "The Net" are really trying to warn us about!
For younger readers and older readers alike, looking for wisdom without too much of the darker side imagery; there is always my favorite book, Antoine De Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince)!
So, between extreme Capitalism and extreme Socialism, let me and my many fancifully fantastic friends frolic in the luke-warm waters of Freedom, Liberty and Unity-in-Diversity!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
French President Sarkozy Is Turning Out To Be Quite A Darling!
by Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, Philosopher.
As many of you know about me, I’m a Progressive Liberal Social Democrat, and no friend of right-wing politicians, but French President Sarkozy, true to his weird Inauguration Speech last year, keeps doing things that impress me!
Last time, it was Monsieur Le President de la Republique Sarkozy’s announcing the creation of a Mediterranean Union, especially suitable for helping resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
And now this! :
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that ‘those responsible for the crisis that has swept global financial markets should be punished’!
He said these words as part of an acceptance speech at an award ceremony attended by U.S. and French business leaders, calling for the "truth" on the crisis to be uncovered.
"Today, millions of people across the world fear for their savings, for their apartment, for the funds they have put in banks. It is our duty to give them clear answers," he declared, and then asked, "Who is responsible for this disaster?”, followed by a strong call for action: “May those who are responsible be punished and held accountable!" All of this only hours in advance of a speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
This worst financial crisis since The Great Depression has prompted the U.S. government to request a $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street firms in order to rid them of the toxic mortgage-related debt which toppled investment bank Lehman Brothers and which threatens to plunge the world into disaster!
The bailout package has yet to be approved by Congress and has been criticized by some observers, who point out that it would be quite a travesty if the bankers who ignited this mega-crisis were not held fully responsible for the consequences of their astronomic folly.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson contends that his plan will result in far less damage to taxpayers than would happen if companies were left to deal with the financial damages of the crisis.
The French President’s daring comments were not received with great enthusiasm from those members of the business community in attendance, who could easily afford to pay between $1,500 to $75,000 each, just to see Monsieur Sarkozy awarded The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity’s top annual award at a VIP gala event held in New York City.
As many of you know about me, I’m a Progressive Liberal Social Democrat, and no friend of right-wing politicians, but French President Sarkozy, true to his weird Inauguration Speech last year, keeps doing things that impress me!
Last time, it was Monsieur Le President de la Republique Sarkozy’s announcing the creation of a Mediterranean Union, especially suitable for helping resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
And now this! :
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that ‘those responsible for the crisis that has swept global financial markets should be punished’!
He said these words as part of an acceptance speech at an award ceremony attended by U.S. and French business leaders, calling for the "truth" on the crisis to be uncovered.
"Today, millions of people across the world fear for their savings, for their apartment, for the funds they have put in banks. It is our duty to give them clear answers," he declared, and then asked, "Who is responsible for this disaster?”, followed by a strong call for action: “May those who are responsible be punished and held accountable!" All of this only hours in advance of a speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
This worst financial crisis since The Great Depression has prompted the U.S. government to request a $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street firms in order to rid them of the toxic mortgage-related debt which toppled investment bank Lehman Brothers and which threatens to plunge the world into disaster!
The bailout package has yet to be approved by Congress and has been criticized by some observers, who point out that it would be quite a travesty if the bankers who ignited this mega-crisis were not held fully responsible for the consequences of their astronomic folly.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson contends that his plan will result in far less damage to taxpayers than would happen if companies were left to deal with the financial damages of the crisis.
The French President’s daring comments were not received with great enthusiasm from those members of the business community in attendance, who could easily afford to pay between $1,500 to $75,000 each, just to see Monsieur Sarkozy awarded The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity’s top annual award at a VIP gala event held in New York City.
Friday, August 29, 2008
What I Predicted & What I Predict
In December of 2007 I created the following mock Rollingstone magazine cover showing Senators Obama and Biden:
CLICK TO VIEW MOCK ROLLINGSTONE COVER
I predicted that Obama would be our nominee, and I predict that he will be our next American President!
CLICK TO VIEW MOCK ROLLINGSTONE COVER
I predicted that Obama would be our nominee, and I predict that he will be our next American President!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Remember this one? “There you go again!”
Dear Iowan Democratic Voter,
Yes, you’re right! I do not know you in person, but as a fellow Partybuilder I would like to share with you my thoughts.
1. Something very unpleasant and worrisome is brewing in Pakistan, and one can imagine this scenario: Bush’s people have been allowing the Taleban (read: with the help of Pervez Musharaff) to keep sick/dangerous bin Laden ‘safe’ in hard-to-reach Waziristan Province of Pakistan, until the very final few months before the 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections, so that they can then use an elite joint Pakistani-and-American forces to capture bin Laden, dead or alive, and make it appear that Bush finally delivered on his post-9-11 ‘promise’! Thereby confusing America’s ‘swing voters’ and other voters, just enough so as to give a significant over-the-edge boost to whoever shall be the Republican candidate! And just in case that does not work; they’ll have a ‘Plan B’ in which it will appear, convincingly enough, that a major 9-11-style attack was just foiled!
2. If we Democrats choose Senator Clinton, then it will be very easy, if point ‘1’ happens (and, to some extent, even if it does not), for the Republicans to wipe out any advantage we Democrats have had so far! To a lesser extent the same is true is we choose Senator Obama, whose actual lack of experience and some superficial nonsense being concocted against him (as far as I am concerned Obama would actually make a fine President, even better than Senator Clinton…who, if she won, would try her very best to do what is good for our country, but would constantly face unfair opposition from our opponents)would be used against him. And Edwards is a mixed-bag candidate in terms of his style and manner of speech, which, my intuition tells me, would be too risky for us Democrats. The only choices left are Senator Joe Biden and Governor Richardson, because they both have serious international political experience, knowledge and wisdom. But Governor Richardson does have the baggage of being misperceived as weak on border security and related immigration issues (which is a shame, because he really is a nice guy). Basically, the conclusion I have is that Senator Joe Biden, who would probably choose Obama, Clinton or Richardson as his running-mate, is the candidate our political opponents most fear and can least manage to attack, without appearing nasty!
3. Senator Joe Biden and Senator Barack Obama would make a double-sure knockout election victory and would really deliver the goods to our fellow Americans and make our Democratic Party feel renewed, energetic and help prevent further damage to our Great Constitution and Ship of State! But the mass media, especially Fox, CNN and the Former ‘Big Three’ networks, many in the hands of such dangerous people like Rupert Murdoch (who practically handed Bush almost unlimited power to abuse authority and diminish Liberty), seem to WANT US TO IGNORE SENATOR JOE BIDEN! Why?!? Why should we let these irresponsible, selfish-minded, opportunistic, sensationalism-addicted, hype-spewing, corporate-interest-dependent, freedom-sell-out commercial mass media giants DICTATE TO US who should be Our President??? I see no reason why we should silently acquiesce to these monstrous machines of public opinion manipulation!
4. As I see it, by voting for Senator Joe Biden…even as a surprise final moment decision on your part ( hey…why not?!....go ahead and surprise yourself! ), we can send a clear message to all those who have been like vampires, feeding off the life-force of all decent, working-class and middle-class Americans! Throughout my life I have known how truly progressive Iowan Democrats can be! Now….I know you, as is true about many of your fellow Iowans, are not one to be fooled and played around with…so let me close by saying this: Yes, I have been a Biden and Obama supporter from the start, BUT I am NOT being paid up front by either of them for pushing these stated opinions of mine! And, yes, I hope that by sending you this thoroughly analytical letter you will think it over, a lot, and come to the same basic conclusion, and that you will let others know what I have to say. And, YES, I hope Senator Joe Biden, as President, will offer me a small job as an advisor to him!
Whatever you do, whoever you Caucus for and vote for, I wish you the very best always and hope that some day all of our children and all humanity will live in relative peace and prosperity!
Best,
Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, Philosopher
http://www.infinitysociety.org/FREEADVICEMAN
(The Fixer was kind enough to forward this for me to you…given that I have been prevented from doing so myself, directly…by who knows who??).
Yes, you’re right! I do not know you in person, but as a fellow Partybuilder I would like to share with you my thoughts.
1. Something very unpleasant and worrisome is brewing in Pakistan, and one can imagine this scenario: Bush’s people have been allowing the Taleban (read: with the help of Pervez Musharaff) to keep sick/dangerous bin Laden ‘safe’ in hard-to-reach Waziristan Province of Pakistan, until the very final few months before the 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections, so that they can then use an elite joint Pakistani-and-American forces to capture bin Laden, dead or alive, and make it appear that Bush finally delivered on his post-9-11 ‘promise’! Thereby confusing America’s ‘swing voters’ and other voters, just enough so as to give a significant over-the-edge boost to whoever shall be the Republican candidate! And just in case that does not work; they’ll have a ‘Plan B’ in which it will appear, convincingly enough, that a major 9-11-style attack was just foiled!
2. If we Democrats choose Senator Clinton, then it will be very easy, if point ‘1’ happens (and, to some extent, even if it does not), for the Republicans to wipe out any advantage we Democrats have had so far! To a lesser extent the same is true is we choose Senator Obama, whose actual lack of experience and some superficial nonsense being concocted against him (as far as I am concerned Obama would actually make a fine President, even better than Senator Clinton…who, if she won, would try her very best to do what is good for our country, but would constantly face unfair opposition from our opponents)would be used against him. And Edwards is a mixed-bag candidate in terms of his style and manner of speech, which, my intuition tells me, would be too risky for us Democrats. The only choices left are Senator Joe Biden and Governor Richardson, because they both have serious international political experience, knowledge and wisdom. But Governor Richardson does have the baggage of being misperceived as weak on border security and related immigration issues (which is a shame, because he really is a nice guy). Basically, the conclusion I have is that Senator Joe Biden, who would probably choose Obama, Clinton or Richardson as his running-mate, is the candidate our political opponents most fear and can least manage to attack, without appearing nasty!
3. Senator Joe Biden and Senator Barack Obama would make a double-sure knockout election victory and would really deliver the goods to our fellow Americans and make our Democratic Party feel renewed, energetic and help prevent further damage to our Great Constitution and Ship of State! But the mass media, especially Fox, CNN and the Former ‘Big Three’ networks, many in the hands of such dangerous people like Rupert Murdoch (who practically handed Bush almost unlimited power to abuse authority and diminish Liberty), seem to WANT US TO IGNORE SENATOR JOE BIDEN! Why?!? Why should we let these irresponsible, selfish-minded, opportunistic, sensationalism-addicted, hype-spewing, corporate-interest-dependent, freedom-sell-out commercial mass media giants DICTATE TO US who should be Our President??? I see no reason why we should silently acquiesce to these monstrous machines of public opinion manipulation!
4. As I see it, by voting for Senator Joe Biden…even as a surprise final moment decision on your part ( hey…why not?!....go ahead and surprise yourself! ), we can send a clear message to all those who have been like vampires, feeding off the life-force of all decent, working-class and middle-class Americans! Throughout my life I have known how truly progressive Iowan Democrats can be! Now….I know you, as is true about many of your fellow Iowans, are not one to be fooled and played around with…so let me close by saying this: Yes, I have been a Biden and Obama supporter from the start, BUT I am NOT being paid up front by either of them for pushing these stated opinions of mine! And, yes, I hope that by sending you this thoroughly analytical letter you will think it over, a lot, and come to the same basic conclusion, and that you will let others know what I have to say. And, YES, I hope Senator Joe Biden, as President, will offer me a small job as an advisor to him!
Whatever you do, whoever you Caucus for and vote for, I wish you the very best always and hope that some day all of our children and all humanity will live in relative peace and prosperity!
Best,
Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, Philosopher
http://www.infinitysociety.org/FREEADVICEMAN
(The Fixer was kind enough to forward this for me to you…given that I have been prevented from doing so myself, directly…by who knows who??).
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
SICKO! is more than just a MUST-SEE documentary!
"SICKO!" is a very powerful and intelligent documentary produced by a man whose face may yet be carved into a stone-topped mountain! It is not perfect and does make some of the few mistakes we have come to expect from Mr. Moore, but all in all SICKO! is the real opening shot, the spark that will ignite a peaceful revolution in American political reality...or so we must hope! SICKO! shows us Americans that we should incorporate the best of what exists in the national health systems of Canada, the UK, France, Norway and even Cuba (which is one country that has more negative social and political realities than Mr. Moore cares to show), but SICKO! does make one serious mistake: it fails to inform us Americans that the kind of relatively decent public health systems found in those relatively progressive countries cannot be made reality here in America without also incorporating their overall Social Democratic social and political reality! America has only one true choice: become a relatively progressive liberal Social Democracy or implode under the excessive weight of a failed corporate-controlled health-denying monstrosity!
Whatever you do this Winter Holiday Season be sure to buy as many copies of SICKO! you can afford and give them as gifts to those you love and care for!
I, Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, The Original New York City Free Advice Man, strongly advise everyone to watch SICKO! by Michael Moore NOW! And do something, anything reasonable, to end our national health and wealth crisis TODAY!
Relevant Links:
http://www.sicko-themovie.com/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/petitions/pnum649.php
http://www.pnhp.org/nhibill/nhi_bill_final.pdf
Whatever you do this Winter Holiday Season be sure to buy as many copies of SICKO! you can afford and give them as gifts to those you love and care for!
I, Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo, The Original New York City Free Advice Man, strongly advise everyone to watch SICKO! by Michael Moore NOW! And do something, anything reasonable, to end our national health and wealth crisis TODAY!
Relevant Links:
http://www.sicko-themovie.com/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/petitions/pnum649.php
http://www.pnhp.org/nhibill/nhi_bill_final.pdf
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