My Grandpa, me, and Muhammed Ali

When I was a very young boy, perhaps 8 or 9, I asked my Grandpa, “Grandpa, who do you think is going to win the boxing match?”
My Grandpa answered in that slow measured way of his, “Oh, a big fight? Who is fighting?”

And I answered, “I watched it on TV. I know all about it. It is going to be Muhammad Ali against ‘Cashist’ Clay. Clay is young and super fast! But Muhammad Ali hits harder! Did you see it on TV too Grandpa?”

My grandfather grew a slow wise and friendly smile on his face and with the kindest eyes he said to me, “Well no son, I did not see it on TV, but son, I think they are one-in-the same person.”

Confused by his answer I persisted, “No they are not! Clay is the younger one, super fast, and Ali is old and out of shape now, but he hits harder, I saw it on TV!”

Try as he might, he could not get me to see that they were indeed the same man. He laughed and chuckled at my responses as I pointed out their obvious differences, “Look! They look totally different!” I screeched and pointed at the TV. “And they have two completely different names!” Well the joke was on me. I learned, I grew up.

And now I realize, finally, at the age of 47, that the joke is on me again. There is no “two - party system”. This means that today, I do not watch the “two political conventions” and scream about how different they are or how “right” one is vs the other “insane” one.

This is because the Democrats and the Republicans are one in fact, of the same party. They have, yes, separate names, separate team icons (donkey’s vs elephants), separate “constituencies” (those who “get it” vs those who “don’t get it”: and of course your team is marginally “better” wink, wink). They of course make separate Promises to their constituencies. Only to later on make separate Excuses to their constituencies. But all of that does not make them different.

Take today for example. Currently the year is 2008. Yes, one party is led by a young Obama. Yes, one party is led by an older McCain. But if we look behind the curtain all that we will find are the inner workings of the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Complex. The very same Complex that President Ike Eisenhower warned us about 50 years ago. He should have called it the “MICC Party”, or the “Washington Party” because, it does what’s best for Washington, which may or may not be good for you or me. President Eisenhower warned us at the end of WWII, that never before had America a fully paid for standing army, deeply rooted inside of Washington, Congress, and Industry. He warned that was a triple threat to our cherished human equality and liberty, the ideals of America, and that it had a self interest all of its own.

What I am suggesting to you is to look at our American situation as this, that our federal Government in Washington has “Captured” the two political parties, and the differences we are told to believe in and see, is all smoke and mirrors. Smoke & mirrors are political positions that make no difference to the Washington Party one way or the other, so are tradable, sellable, and illusionary. Political positions (defined by actions taken) that never go away, never fade, and are never sellable, those are the political positions of the MICC Party, the Washington Party. Take the "hot button issue" of abortion during Bush's first term. If it was so hot, why was it a nonissue? Republican born-again Bush had a Republcian House and a Republican Senate and he even had a 5-4 Conservative Supreme Court. Now, how much attention did Doctor Paul's bill get? Zero. Why did nothing happen on this "hot" issue? So hot hit gets them elected? Because abortion is a non-issue to the Washington Party. It neither ads nor detracts from their power. That is just one of a million examples.

So the reality is we have ONE PARTY system and that party is the Washington Party. The Washington Party likes war, by this I mean wars that are easy to win and expensive to run and hopefully (for the Washington Party) goes on a long long time. Long occupations are good for it the Washington Party. Under Bush I, we started one in Iraq, Gulf War I and we never left. Bill Clinton he started one in Bosnia, we are still there today. Bill Clinton kept and maintained Bush’s Gulf War I over Iraq with a long “over flight” occupation. The Washington Party likes long wars, all kinds. Like the “War on Poverty”, the “War on Drugs”, the “War on Terrorism”, the “War for Democracy”, the “War for Literacy”, the “War to stop Corporate Greed”, the “War for Health Care”, the war for…___________ you fill in the blank, if it increases Government size, scope and power, then the Washington Party is all for it.

The Washington Party does what’s good for Big Government and Washington, and loosing Wars or ENDING them is NOT in the Washington Party’s self interest. If fighting wars and having endless military “presence” is good for increasing its power and size, then so be it. If selling weapons to BOTH Iran and Iraq sounds insane to you, then perhaps now it makes more “sense”. If selling military weapons and planes to BOTH India and Pakistan sounds insane to you, then perhaps it makes more “sense”. If you are wondering why Washington is putting missiles in Poland, and asking, “who has threatened Poland?” then you are not getting the big picture. If you are wondering what are military “advisers” are doing in Georgia, then you are not getting the big picture. If you are wonder why is our US Coast Guard in the waters off of Georgia and not Florida, you are not getting the big picture. If you are wondering if it’s a good thing that American military advisor's are in Colombia help those two countries to maintain the peace, then you are not getting the big picture. If you are thinking “its all Bush’s fault” then you don’t recall Bill Clinton’s “Plan Colombia” sending down 4 billion in “assistance” to Colombia. Why is this?

Well lets take the issue of national health care. Ask ourselves, “Is the nationalizing Health Care good for increasing the size, scope and power of the Washington Party? If it is, you can bet on it. No other question matters. After all, we have government Medicare and Medicaid and Veterans Hospitals, and by any objective standards that should be 3 strikes you are out. Case closed, Washington is incompetent, not doing good, and not efficient. But not so fast, it is NOT about being “competent”, or “doing good” or “being efficient”, its about growing the SIZE, SCOPE, and POWER of the Washington Party.

Quick Question, which party is not for the Real ID act? Got cha!

If creating a whole new “department of homeland security” makes you ask, “Hey, then just what is the department of Defense for?” then you are thinking too much. If you are wondering why the Dept of Defense would have over 2,000 reporters on their payroll, then you are thinking too much. If you are wondering if Defense “companies” should be allowed to own the biggest media empires on the planet, then you are simply wondering too much. Go back to sleep, cheer for your party. In fact, watch some TV, they will help you choose which party “you support”. Then you can “rah rah” and cheer to the words of your favorite political pundit….you know the one, the one that makes you say, “gee, why doesn’t he/she run for president, I’d vote for him/her!” . Oh the media is a big help to you….a big help.

Further, you can bet that if being “anti-income tax” or “anti-war” somehow increased the size and power of Washington, then Washington would be for that. Yet getting a party to be fully “anti-war”, like getting a party to be fully “anti-income tax” is about as far away from getting “inside traction” in our “two party system” as getting a Great White Shark to dine every day on ice berg lettuce.

Further, notice that such issues never align themselves in the same party? Such issues as anti-income tax and anti-war, never come together, but instead are always the “marginalized” issues inside of each “opposing” party, and the issues that the two parties come together on, just “happen” to be issues that means big growth in Washington’s size, scope, and power? Funny how that happens? Funny as a USSA.

Most of all, as you watch McCain and Obama “go at it”, realize that behind the curtain it will be the same Washington Party winning, yet again. It has won for 50 years and will win again this time. The Military Industrial Congressional Complex owns both political parties. Like a puppet master, its hands control the levers and jaws of its puppets. The evidence is just so over whelming that only our tribalist “team loyalties”, keeps us blind from seeing it. Yet, it is as clear to me now as Cassius Clay is indeed, Muhammad Ali.

Take the recent “confusing vote decision” by Obama against the FISA bill. He shocked his supporters, but it was a clear vote for the Washington Party, no confusion there! Supporters made excuses for him, just as they did Bill Clinton, just as they do for Bush today, just as they do for McCain.

Lets take a look at Obama’s recent pick for VP to add yet another little stone to the growing mountain of evidence, Senator Joseph Biden. Recall that Biden was and is the biggest supporter of the Patriot Act, getting more troops involved in Afghanistan, and bombing still more countries. There has never been a war he did not like. Spend Washington’s money, increase its power, and spin it how you need too. How about his advocacy of the Patriot Act?
Now that you know there is just one puppet master playing two puppets, you can be like my grandpa and have a chuckle at this liberal writer’s “Shock” about Obama’s “betrayal” of the anti-war voters.

Funny, the joke is on him.

And soon, I am sure that soon some conservative somewhere will write a piece about how “Shocked” he is at McCain’s “betrayal” of the anti-tax voters. They are shocked because they buy into the “two-party” illusion.

Here, read this below and have a chuckle as professor Stephen Zunes goes on and on, yet can’t figure it out.

"Biden, Iraq, and Obama's Betrayal"

http://www.freedomsphoeni...

In Peace & Liberty,

Treg