Saturday, November 29, 2014

Help Me Fix My Front Tooth

Hello to all my loyal followers and readers alike!

I've started a GoFundMe campaign to fix my tooth, because, all I want for Christmas a new front tooth. If you look to the right of my main blog page, you will see a button you can click on that will take you right to the site. The explanation for this campaign is also on the site, but, in brief, fixing my tooth would open up a new avenue to seek acting work here in Los Angeles.

(The author shows no shame as he brazenly poses with his adorable cat Abra in an attempt to elicit sympathy for his cause!)

Given my usual eclectic postings this might seem a bit off, but it is very important. Even though I have dental insurance, it doesn't cover the entire cost of the procedure (see campaign site). Your help is very appreciated and if you are unable to help, please like the page and/or share with someone who might help. Thank you Random Thoughts Of A Random Guy From A Random Place Up In The Sky readers!

 

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Video Of Boy Saving Girl From Sniper Fire In Syria IS FAKE!

Oh, Rod, you tin foil hat wearing conspiracy nutter you, how could even think that the video of the brave little boy saving a girl from sniper fire in Syria is fake?

Because, it turns out, my friends, that it was! The You Tube channel, an anti-Assad channel, posted the video as real, but then the Norwegian filmmakers who made the video admitted it was fake. But, of course, they did the fake propaganda piece for all the right intentions. They wanted to start a discussion of the plight of children in war torn regions. Well, give me a fucking break. Here is the video below.


Now here is a report from a United States television station praising the "heroism" of the boy. Fake video being presented as real news. Even going so far as to say that, "(e)xperts who viewed the video say they have no reason to doubt this incredible act of heroism is real." Experts? At what? Experts at lying? Because, they are surely not experts at examining video are they? And where are the retractions in the media? The sense of any real embarrassment of showing this fake video as real? What is very instructive about how propaganda works is by looking at the comments from both the fake video on You Tube and from the news channel that presented the video as absolutely true. Once a lot of commentators realized they had been duped, they went along with the idea it wasn't so bad because it did start a dialogue. Holy blinders, Batman! Yeah, it sure did start a dialogue; a dialogue of hatred and bigotry!

(Look, Ma, I'm a Hero!)
The filmmakers truly believe that by faking propaganda they are somehow advancing a dialogue about what children go through in war regions. They even admit to surprise that anyone watching it would believe it was real! Give me a break! The grant they wrote to get Norwegian government money even stressed the point they would release the video without informing viewers that what they were seeing was faked. Essentially, these loathsome propagandists have done a disservice to the real plight of children caught in war and have also called into question the reality of any future videos that may be seen on You Tube or on broadcast and cable networks. Perhaps, that is the real intention of this whole charade. Perhaps, it is to obfuscate the "conspiracy nutters" idea that previous videos shown on television "news" have also been faked. That Anderson Cooper wasn't really reporting from a war zone but merely standing comfortably before a green screen at a New York studio. But, I digress.

It would appear that it is not conspiracy theorists wearing the tin foil hats, but the dupes who believe what they watch on the news is real.
 

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

WAKE UP And Realize This Is A Two Party Dictatorship

Nothing brings out the worst in Democratic voters than losing.

Nothing brings out the worst in Republican voters than losing.

And nothing brings out the scrawny, pointy finger of shame of both party's voters than the idea that some people have figured out the United States of America's political system is nothing more than a two party dictatorship and that's why some of those people don't vote. The owners' of these scrawny, pointy fingers don't realize that it is such a dictatorship and hence their 'tsk-tsk' and 'cluck-cluck' at those who do understand speaks volumes; or at least it should.

After an election such as the 2014 mid-terms, the 2000, the 2004 and so on, the spinners make a washing machine seem clunky and slow. Losing is winning!

Of course, since the Republicans won big in last night's mid-term we get wonderful examples of Democrats creating and distributing charming memes such as the one below.


Then, we get, from the so-called party of tolerance and inclusion a cargo ship or two full of the most prejudicial, stereotype and bigoted caricatures as one could imagine. All the while, they conveniently ignore how the Obama administration has continued and expanded upon the draconian path began with the Bush administration about, oh say, 10 minutes after 9/11.


BUT WAIT!

THERE'S MORE!

The Republicans do the exact same thing when they lose, too!

Yet, rarely, and boy do I mean rarely, does anyone pop their head out of the sand and admit that we live in a two party dictatorship. Wall Street and the Military/Industrial complex are the real party and those in national office are beholden to their owners. Some out there do understand this and act accordingly whether by not voting, at least admitting this has been a problem for decades, or actively seeking ways to overcome the dictatorship. But, that last part is difficult considering how entrenched the machine has become. It is easier to be a lemming, nay, a smug lemming, and follow the Limbaughs, the Savages, the Maddows or the Stewarts (who are all corporate shills by the way, get the picture yet?) and parrot their spewed garbage as if it were gospel.

One of the major activities of the two party dictatorship is sowing divisiveness with your favorite political footballs. Abortion! Illegal Immigrants! Racism! Guns! Health Care!

Look around two party adherents, nay, zealots, and tell me when was the last time any of the events listed below happened in the last 40 years.

- Abortion was outlawed
- Government storm troopers came and took away your guns
- You wanted to pick vegetables or fruits
- Government storm troopers came and ripped up your health card
- You must stop speaking English

Well, you get the picture. It hasn't happened because it isn't going to happen. Otherwise, we could no longer be divided. We might become like Toto and pull back the curtain to reveal to the others what is happening with that man. And to update for modern times, or that woman, too.