Why I Decided To Quit Reading Media Shit- The Sunday Collage

 

I spend 20-30 hours on line each week, reading and writing. There are so many good thinkers and good writers out here and I try to find them. I don't like wasting time reading garbage churned out by 25 year old writers who really don't have a clue about what the rest of us may know.

I just can't read cheesy, generic writing from people who cannot think on their own. That includes any headline with some inflammatory twist or anything that smells like propaganda. Propaganda can be anything (an opinion) designed to make you think one way. Propaganda is a tool that our media owners use to divide us. Propaganda is never objective. Much of it is written by obedient employees. It is then filtered by a media editor who accepts or rejects it based on what his supervisors want. His supervisors want advertising dollars and they do not want controversial topics or truths. Big media is not interested in objective reporting nor do any of those ass wipes perform any "watchdog" function. That was quite obvious to me when President From Nowhere entered the race in 2007. The kind of investigative reporting- the kind that sought out the truth no matter where it led- clearly died with Nixon in the 70's.

If you want objective reporting and writing- you are going to have to find it on your own.

About a year ago, I was going through my media and blog feeds. Some of the feeds that I was receiving were absolute trash. I have a limited amount of time to read. There are two things I look for. Objectivity is the main thing. Propaganda by it's very definition is never objective. Propaganda tries to get you to "buy in." The other sorting out approach I use involves advertising. I quit reading a couple of blogs because they accept money from the enemy. I don't care what your rationale may be. If you are trying to be objective and write about the absolute death grip Wall Street bankers have on Congress let's say- and you subsequently accept advertising dollars from banks- I will not read your schtick. I don't care how well you write or how intelligent you think you are. I will offer two excellent examples.

CNN is a huge media conglomerate and probably my least favorite "news" outlet. They produce more propaganda which they cleverly disguise as "business" news than any other news outlet. I absolutely detest CNN business news stories. They are never objective- they are always pro Wall St. and the Fed (our national money supply manipulators) and you will never ever see anything remotely defined as investigative reporting because they simply don't engage in it. Their writers and editors are obedient workers. Their owners sit on Wall St boards.

I don't watch Fox for the same reason. It's just an anger generator. A different kind of propaganda with a different agenda. They have found their own unique niche. My father watches a daily diet of that garbage and I see what it does to him.

An example of a blog I quit reading is "naked capitalism." I actually quit reading it for three reasons. Chief among those reasons is that naked capitalism accepts advertising money from banks. This is a site that spends 90% of it's time writing about the evils of banks and Wall St. If I am fully aware of the fraud and evil that big banks and Wall St. have engaged in- and I pretend to be something not of that sort- then how do I justify taking their money? When I see that level of hypocrisy I question whether you write simply at the behest of ego. It certainly damages your credibility. One night I made the mistake of reading naked capitalism's rules for usage on the site. I have never read anything more arrogant, pompous, or superior than that. I have not returned to the site. Tonight I checked up on them and sure enough- they still have a Capital One advertising banner on the blog.

All week this week, on the computer and on television, I was bombarded with blurbs about Lamar Odom and his drug overdose in a whore house in Pahrump, Nv. I do not care about Lamar Odom and his drug use in a whorehouse. That goes on every day in every little nasty whorehouse in Nevada. My former in laws live in that crappy little town and I used to spend a week every year in Pahrump.

Lamar Odom's story is nothing but clickbait. That's the shit the media is counting on you to read. It's a different kind of propaganda.They know people read it because they count clicks and their masters make money. But every time somebody clicks on that crap- you perpetuate that same kind of garbage cycle and ensure that they will feed us some more. It's a sad commentary that people just love to read bad news about someone else. Or about idiots like the Kardashians.

So I've gotten kind of picky about how I spend my time on line each week. I might search Matt Taibbi's name if I want to know the latest banker games. I might go to Doug Ross's site and sort out which headlines interest me. I read some trading sites and gather investing ideas. But what I have decidedly quit doing is supporting propaganda generating sites and pretentious sites that engage in hypocrisy. I don't find them interesting or useful.

I am glad Lamar Odom survived this week. We can all breath a sigh of relief. It's over.

If Obeying the Law Places You in Peril, You Must Break the Law- The Sunday Collage

For those of you who might have wandered in here and think you have stumbled upon the rantings of a man- one dosage short of properly medicated- know this. I am sober, free of psychotropic medications, I have no rap sheet and I believe in law. Good law. Not the shit this country currently debates.

I am going to switch gears rapidly in this piece so try to keep up Troy.

One of the problems of living in a government loving, statist, paradise is that the government worshippers never give it a rest. Statists, people who love government, do so because they want to force their brand of control and compliance upon everyone else. So they saddle up with government. Right now in America, the government worshippers are in control.

Thirty years ago, Ronald Reagan stated "government isn't the solution- government is the problem."
Indeed. That was before the whiners and the free shit army over ran the rest of us.

The "life isn't fair" crowd are now firmly in control. They want free abortions, free health care, free money, free food and they want laws to make someone else pay for that. They are whiners. They pass helmet laws, flotation device laws, use stickers, trail fees, and they desperately want to take our guns away. They are so adamant about gun control that they would burn the Bill of Rights if they could. They must hate the fact that although they find themselves the majority-they still can't get our guns. All those God given rights, all that ridiculous legal precedent blocking them from imposing more laws on the rest of us. It must drive them bat shit crazy. Good.

Can you imagine Christopher Columbus landing in America, finding the Indians, and demanding free food and free health care? How about Davy Crockett dialing 911 at the Alamo and saying, 'Can you guys step on it, we've got a bunch of angry Mexicans bearing down on us and they may try to do us harm."

We were never great because we were dependent. We became great because we weren't.

Ok, ok, let me get back on point.

A few years ago, I was on my motorcycle in my hometown and stopped at a red light. I glanced into my rear view mirror and I saw a landscaping rig bearing down on me with no chance of stopping in time. I ran through that red light and found an opening. The idiot in the landscaping truck put a nice set of skidmarks right through the crosswalk and into the intersection. I didn't think twice about who was at fault. In fact, I was the Chief of Police in that town and I didn't even bother going back to hassle the driver.

I want to tell you this. Tonight, if someone breaks into my home, chances are good they will be shot and killed. Maybe they will come to their senses and survive. Then I will call the police.

By the way, that's exactly what I would have done in Roseburg, Oregon. I would have pulled my gun and hunted that guy down or at the very least kept him from killing me. I wouldn't have cared two shits about gun registration laws, gun free zone signs, or any other statist law which conflicts with common sense and my second amendment right which "shall not be infringed" according to the supreme law of this land. Where I go, guns can be found.

Ok, here's the big wrap.

We were once a great country because we embraced independence. We fought our own wars and we spilled our own blood. We didn't go looking for fights beyond our borders. We realized that if we wanted to live and thrive- that was our responsibility. We didn't blame others for our poor decisions.

We never expected anyone to provide us with happiness. We knew that came from within ourselves, not outside ourselves. We believe in a Creator, because believe it or not, that's where our courage comes from. We don't fear the loss of this life because we believe there is a better life waiting for us. And all bullshit aside- that's a hell of a lot better deal emotionally than some atheist who thinks this is all there is and when confronted by some maniac at Umpqua CC finds himself unprepared and begging for his life.

Maybe that's how some people want to live, but that's not the way I want to live. And I'll be damned if some loser is gonna stare me down, ask what religion I am, and shoot me.

I've tried to live my life according to the law and I have encouraged others to live that way. But the way things are going, I don't see this getting any better. It's going to get worse, much worse. I hope the people that survive to create a new United States when that day comes will remember what this country did right- and where it went wrong. In the meantime just accept that if you are anything like me, you are now in the minority. This does not make you wrong it just means that the free shit army has wrestled majority control of the U.S.-which in the history of the world- is always the beginning of the end. Take care of your responsibilities, try to obey the laws that you can until such point that compliance becomes impossible. They'll try to strip you of more of your rights and more of your money and it's coming fast. You'll know when that day arrives because free men, civil rights, and common sense are not required to part company- no matter how many bad laws they pass.

My H.I.P.P.A. Approved FG Update

The last few months have not been my best.

In late July I managed to get a blood clot in my left leg which left me out of commission and flat on my back through most of August. The blood clot also exacerbated a problem in my left knee which got worse.

When I returned back to work in mid- August, I left work one day and noticed these floating black objects in my right eye. I ignored these "floaters" thinking they would go away. At the end of August I moved into my old house. I was pulling weeds in the alley on Sept 2nd when one of the dead weeds I pulled up scratched my right cornea leaving me blind in that eye. I hoped that my eye would repair itself- instead it got worse.

I also tripped over my computer cord and killed my computer around the 2nd. (I didn't see it with my eye out of commission.)

On Sept 23, I went in to see an eye surgeon. He said that my eye was swollen, torn in three spots, and that my retina was on the verge of detaching. They had to perform surgery that day to save my eye.
They repaired all three tears and put a buckle in. The surgery lasted 3 hours and I came out at 730 PM..

Because of the location of the trauma to my eye, I was forced to sleep in a chair all week while the gas in my eye helped it heal. I couldn't lay down. The pain was so intense, like a throbbing migraine, that I easily went through 4-6 Vicodin a day and often-that still wasn't enough. Vicodin makes me drowsy so all I've done this week was basically sleep in a chair and try to manage my pain.

Yesterday I ventured out to the grocery store. I really had no business driving. I went straight home. This morning I saw my doctor who said my eye looked great. Today (10/2) he informed me that it would be at least 4 weeks before my eye was functioning somewhat normally again. My pain has lessened to about 1/2 what it had been.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am that the nurses and doctors took me in and saved my eye. I am a cash paying patient and this should leave me pretty much broke all year long. In many places, I don't know that they would have taken my case and thankfully- I live in an area with a little compassion. My boss has been pretty good too, but I'm not sure how long it will remain that way. He has a business to run.

I've been reading all day while I recover but the pain has been pretty steady and it's really hard for me to focus and see. This is the best I've felt in the last couple weeks so I just want you to know that the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I've been trying to keep up my football blog and I've been doing all right with that.

In the Valley of the Blind, the one eyed man is King.

I am going to try and get something new up by the end of the week. Thanks for stopping by.

Fantasy Football League and the Weekly Schtick- The Sunday Collage

A guy could get whiplash following our equity markets. The worst part is that our markets are completely directionless, manipulated, and although I think the trend is down- I can't short it here. I made some quick money and got out. These markets are so neurotic that you are forced to day trade- you don't dare leave open positions. Maybe some options would work best here.

I am in awe that the FBI is actually investigating Hillary. Hillary's team said it was not a criminal probe- apparently that little known arm of the FBI aka the non-criminal cops- are busy trying to clear her name for any potential civil suits.

Don't be surprised if the FBI actually comes back and says, "Ya know we did our very best but we could not find any evidence of wrong doing." At that point we will know with absolute certainty that our entire system is corrupt from top to bottom. However, the Obama administration, the one that has turned a blind eye on just about every high level and corrupt act has now suddenly decided to investigate Hilary's wrong doings- about the time Joe Biden feels like maybe he should run for President.

You cannot make this shit up. Call it a coincidence.

I'm moving. I hate moving. There are boxes everywhere. We are engaged in a four family musical house type of move where we are all friends, for now. We shall see if we remain that way. The next three days are going to suck. We have more furniture than room.

You know what people should do? We should leave all of our shit behind in every house. I used to do that. I did that in Vegas once, left the beds, couches, tables, all that shit behind. Did that in New Orleans too. Threw my clothes and a few guns in the urban assault vehicle and said adios.

Last but not least.

Football season. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on as I prepare for college and pro football. Loved Montana plus 15 last night against ND State. Montana won out right as the huge dog.

If there are 6-10 of you left who enjoy football and want to play in a fantasy football league, I can set one up for us. We can schedule a live draft, you can always autodraft, and fill a league spot of our own. I'd need 6-10 interested folks to leave something in the comments and then I'll put together a league and leave the entry codes in the comments or on the blog- with the scheduled draft time probably around 8 PM next Sunday night. (Sept. 6) if you have always wanted to try fantasy football but been afraid to do so, this is your chance. It's a lot of fun.

I'm also starting a blog with free football picks. Every week I am going to research a number of venues like I always have and publish my plays for the week. I love to bet right out of the gate before linesmakers draw better lines like the blown one yesterday in the Montana game.

If you want the link for that blog it is here. http://bustyoursportsbook.blogspot.com/

The Reckoning Has Arrived- The Sunday Collage

Like many of you, I have been waiting for this time. The time when accounts finally get settled. I cannot believe it has taken this long.

Late last week, the DJIA tanked over 800 points. An even bigger scale loss (%) occurred on the Nasdaq. You know it's serious when CNN headlines tout a "correction." They use the term "correction" to hedge their bets and to do their part in keeping the millions of lemmings locked long into the equity markets. I heard another calm, soothing voice on the radio say the "correction" would be healthy for the resumption of the"bull" market. Where do they find these people?

These are the kinds of statements that occur when people get really nervous. They don't want you to panic because they know if you beat them out the door, they will be left holding it. He who panics first- panics best.

I'm not sure that people understand that the world, with all of it's various markets and currencies, is a giant economy unto itself. People are able to trade internationally and when one or two giant economies sneeze, the other people in the room are about to catch the same cold. We are all connected. Here's a list of countries where markets are collapsing. http://etfdailynews.com/2015/08/18/23-nations-around-the-world-where-stock-market-crashes-are-already-happeni

I've been waiting for this for 6.5 years. The most fraudulent recovery ever- complete with counterfeiting, false numbers, and the suspension of generally accepted accounting principles- is about to be exposed. The great lie, the only thing Obama can lay claim to, is the ridiculous notion that this last 6.5 years has actually been some sort of a normal, healthy, economic recovery.

All that remains to be seen is what extraordinary things our government and the FED will do to try and stem the bleeding. Trust me, what ever insignificant rate hike the FED may or may not have planned for September- is off the table. The substance matters not- the perception of raising rates right now- would completely destroy any last traces of credibility that this administration has left.

I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to this week. I can almost hear the whine now.

The Last Hundred Miles- The Monday Collage

I had an epiphany yesterday.

I was traveling home, late in the afternoon, westbound on the interstate. In Idaho, they have raised the speed limit to 80 so I travel right at 84 MPH. I have passed a number of state troopers doing this speed and in fact yesterday, I passed a trooper and a deputy- both stationary and running radar. So basically, 4 MPH over the speed limit does not generate any interest.

However, in that 100 mile stretch home, I had five drivers cut me off. It was the craziest, most un-necessary and dangerous driving that I have seen in a long time. It was as though with nothing else to entertain them, drivers thought it might be fun to cut off other drivers. People were in the fast lane, on cell phones and eating hamburgers, refusing to yield. In one instance, I had a husky gal in a U-Haul not only cut me off after misjudging the speed of a merging tractor trailer rig- but she shamelessly flipped me off as she returned to the slow lane. Her inability to judge speed and distance I suppose, was my fault. A few miles later, a tractor trailer rig nearly took the front of my car off as he swerved in front of me because there was an abandoned vehicle on the shoulder and he was pretending to be some sort of safe driver. Avoiding abandoned vehicles on the shoulder is apparently worthy of cutting off occupied and moving vehicles.

People cannot be this stupid. I was in awe yesterday. My first thought was that everyone with an IQ around 90 decided to get on the interstate at the same time. Then I thought maybe it's me, maybe all of these people are entitled to drive like shit and I am simply un-accepting of that. Maybe I am the problem.

Maybe all of those years in a marked police car caused people to drive respectfully and altered my expectations and view of the driving world. Maybe being tossed into the civilian world of bad drivers is something I still haven't become accustomed to.

Then I remembered something my father used to always say. People and their driving habits are an extension of their attitude toward life in general. I was able to verify that premise via 25 years of policing. It was and still is- inescapably true.

The ultimate standard is this. Would any of these drivers have pulled their shitty driving in front of a marked patrol car? No, of course not. There are immediate and painful financial consequences for poor conduct which I think- is really the root of the problem.

So maybe people aren't stupid- maybe it's something else.

I drive a large, 13 ton, box truck a few times a week. It is slow. Not once have I ever cut another driver off. People in autos are continually passing on the left and right, doing anything to get away from that truck. Often, they will pull out quickly instead of yielding. I understand all of that. That truck is very slow and it is simply a giant, moving obstruction that unnecessarily slows people down.

Generally speaking on any random, given day, I don't think people are stupid. The drivers I work with are pretty intelligent folks. So what is it- what is causing this angry, entitled, and discourteous driving behavior? I think it's actually pretty simple. This insane behavior is the result of self absorbed, unconscious folks with a sociopathic lean toward others. Please allow me to explain.

When I was a child growing up, I had two parents and a whole block full of friends. People were involved in my life almost all of the time. Coaches, piano teachers, adults in an open gym. I was constantly interacting with others, making lots of mistakes- pissing people off- and once in awhile I'd do good things and make people happy. This giant trial and error period of growing up was almost entirely dependent on the observed reactions of all of the people who interacted with me. I was developing social skills. Figuring out what was acceptable and not acceptable behavior. In fact, team sports is where many of us developed our work habits and our attitudes toward others. When I struck out in the bottom of the ninth inning, right or wrong, I felt like I had lost the game for my team. So I had this heightened sense of social responsibility which caused me to treat other people decently or suffer the consequences. We felt shame when we failed.  Life was not permissive of self absorbed behavior. You treated other people right or you suffered a tongue lashing or in some cases, an ass kicking. That was the ordered, social structure of my childhood in the 60's and 70's. It taught me to think about and consider the welfare of other people.

Remember Welcome Wagon? Neighbors who introduced themselves when you moved into the neighborhood? Neighbors who knew your phone number?

Generally speaking, the kids we churned out in the 80's and 90's are different. Often they were raised by only one adult. Children were left to entertain themselves. They were not forced to interact with the neighbor kids nor were adults always present in their lives. They had television with 600 channels, video games, computers, phones, too many prescriptions, and often enough- an exhausted parent who came home and checked out almost immediately. There are plenty of exceptions to this, not the least of which were the two parent households that made it through the development of their children and/or a number of people who received their socialization skills in the military or college.

So armed to the hilt with all types of distractions and gadgetry, children became self absorbed and isolated. They were not forced to interact with other people. They did not receive the input that making mistakes teaches us. They did not receive the advantages of immediately delivered consequences when they treated other people disrespectfully. They relied far less on the interaction of others. They grew up in an electronic world with a very limited number of like minded kids.

In other words, today's adults, folks in the 20-40 range- are the least socially skilled group of people that our culture may have ever produced. They were self reliant and isolated. In that petri dish- self absorbed behavior becomes acceptable behavior. They might sense that they are different somehow- but it's doubtful that they could pinpoint the cause. When you think about this- the extreme polarization of people in this country suddenly makes sense. The vitriolic and anonymous comment sections of articles and blogs suddenly makes sense. The rise of apathy, anger, and ultimately hatred- all begin to make sense. Narcissism and selfies make sense. If people are made to feel isolated- they will act differently. They have not developed social skills or coping skills. They take everything personally because they have not developed the social skills required for acceptance.

This is what I know for sure. If you insulate or isolate people from each other when they are young- you are going to have a lot of messed up and angry adults running around. The proof is in the house next door, the people at work, the rampant drug and alcohol abuse in this country as people try to cope with each other with their diminishing social skill sets.

In a "butterfly's wings" sort of way- the ripple effect of this lack of social imprinting probably isn't their fault but the effects are undeniable. They effect us all.

We don't know- what we don't know. Perhaps even more strange and unlikely, is the hope that people who don't know really know how to treat other people decently- will somehow and suddenly realize that they have been missing this piece and realize it is important. Call it spontaneous consciousness. It's not likely to happen and if it does- it will only be one individual at a time. In the meantime, there will be days like yesterday and they will grow in number. Be prepared.

A Nation Full of Suckers- The Sunday Collage

Somewhere... P.T. Barnum and and the monkey boy are smiling.

Do I want people to believe everything I write? Absolutely not. Perform your own due diligence.

Each week as I surf the internet, I look for stories of interest. For years and most certainly since 2008, fringe bloggers like myself have known that just about every number put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics or B.L.S.- is complete and utter bullshit. The government has rigged the data input to such an extent- that they can put out any number that they want.

Why do they do this?

The beautiful part about blogging about all of these lies and manipulations for years is that eventually and now evidently, all of those lies are beginning to be accepted as truth by more acceptable and credible sources than some old retired guy in Boise, Idaho.

A favorite quote- I know of no greater truth than this because I have experienced it.

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
-Arthur Schopenhauer

You'll like this link. It's a must read in terms of other writers who can no longer tolerate our government's lies. This author knows bullshit when he sees it. http://nypost.com/2015/08/03/the-gdps-hilarious-false-numbers/

Everywhere I travel in Boise- I can find broken down and vacant commercial property. It's everywhere.

Some of it is being transformed into vape shops and tattoo parlors. But mostly, it is all still here- with owners still asking ridiculous prices and paying the taxes on it.

You see the government wants me to ignore my lying eyes and my dwindling bank account that makes zero interest. Some people have moved beyond acceptance of government bullshit and are now finding solutions to the published and corrupt data of the B.L.S.

Now I would like to introduce you to the Chapwood Index. The Chapwood Index is a basket of 500 real world items that include taxes, groceries, fuel, and health care costs in just about all major cities. Instead of the bullshit sub 2% inflation figures produced by the BLS- we have an actual, real world non adjusted inflation source with credible, non manipulated input. This is the link directly into the Chapwood Index and it's explanation about why the government distorts and lies about CPI.

http://www.chapwoodindex.com/problem/

What's my angle? I have no ads, no tip jars, no books to sell. I'm not selling gloom and doom or silver and gold although I do in fact- own some. I am simply raising awareness.

I've always known that good writers, read. We learn to write because we love to read. We perform due diligence and once we are armed with facts- we present them. As long as the majority of this country remains suckers- the longer this charade continues. Apathy has always been the route of cowards.

You know I really wish that P.T. Barnum had never uttered his sarcastic claim that a sucker is born every minute. Guys like Barnum laugh at the stupidity of people while fleecing them at the monkey boy's tent. Your government has learned well. They've crowded Barnum out.

I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant.
H. L. Mencken