Redefining America

The following is somewhat rant-like in nature. Forgive me, I tried to get my point across as clearly as possible. I encourage discussion below, but don't expect it. Share this and forward this with friends if you agree or like it. Thank you for reading.

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Hello readers, I hope your week was good, mine wasn't.

For years people, American and foreign, have talked about how the United States is in a flat-out, pedal to the metal, flaming, nosedive that will likely end in the crash landing of the century. A few days ago I read that analysts agreed the day of reckoning would probably be sometime between years 2030 and 2050.

I think the collapse of the United States as we know it will be much sooner than those estimates.

There are three things going on in this country that are directly attributed to the suicidal trajectory our nation is on, and they have only been getting worse with time. They are all somewhat intertwined and equally dangerous.

1. Censorship and the infinite amount of little steps toward a society where civil rights are confused with privileges, and therefore easily cast aside.
   
   
2. The growing wealth gap between the richest and the poorest Americans, coinciding with the collapse of the once prominent middle class.
   
   
3. A politics-first, tyrannic government system where it increasingly and scarily feels like having two political parties was actually outlined in the Constitution itself, and where the parties and government represent the people less and less.
   
   

All of these problems are only growing and it's becoming ever more apparent to the moderate, typical, American that they are powerless to change anything. I know I sometimes feel this way, I know my father and mother feel this way, I know my friends feel this way. It's us feeling the tyranny inherent in both sides of the coin.

People are knowingly forced to simply "choose between the lesser of two evils."

Why are we settling for this? Because it's all that's given to us? I don't like that answer; you shouldn't either.

The extremes on both sides have brainwashed us into a bipolar society, myself included. We fight to defend a group we don't fully appreciate or agree with. I have found that some people even vote for and with the party that they don't even truly believe in. They've been raised from birth to be a certain way; even if, realistically speaking, they would act oppositely. There are no longer civil discussions or debates because there's a feeling in the air that it has to be all or nothing.

The Rally to Restore Sanity was about this. It was an unprecedentedly large gathering of Americans from all across the country. I even know a friend who came all the way from here in Sacramento to see the rally. This is the middle of America, the roots.

I fear that the rally was passed off and looked over for most people, dismissing it. At least that's what the news networks signaled. Looking back on the rally though, a main purpose of it was to not rely on the likes of MSNBC, CNN, and FOX. None of us really want to, do we? We are more than capable of deciding for ourselves based off of legitimate evidence; so shouldn't that be ourright?

I think it is our right, and it feels like we're starting to realize that again.

As you all know from a post I did earlier this week, I am no longer an advocate or proponent of President Obama. In fact, come 2012 I will be pushing for him to be primaried out by the Democrats. Simply put he isn't what this country needs right now. But that does not make what he said any less true.

Judging from the reactions I've seen on television, on the internet, and throughout people in life, I think it's fair to say that many people who so vehemently supported Obama feel somewhat betrayed and hopeless. I've seen pictures, done by liberals, of Obama with a "Yes we could've." on the bottom in stead of a "Yes we can!" People feel as though change isn't happening, and if it is, it's for the worst.

Even I shared these sentiments, as you all likely know.

However, I took a step back and had a realization or revelation of sorts. Perhaps Obama was exactly what we needed. He stood before us and convinced us, without a doubt, of the one inherent truths of our great democracy.

Yes, we can have hope. Because we have the power to change things.

The heart of America has been stepped on long enough, and everything that is happening now is all a reaction to it. At times we forget that we are the most powerful people in the country. Yes big corporations may buy out politicians, and we have no say in it; but they heavily rely on one thing, our own lack of knowledge about our own powers.

Our constitution, by far the greatest on Earth, defends us.

If we amass, as we have begun to, we can do things that can put all the powers that be to rest. I have read memos, letters, and speeches amongst politicians and corporate heads detailing and affirming their fear. They've been winning this fight though. They win because they are in control. They are in control because of a simple fact of our society, information is hard to come by.

These days information is becoming more accessible and more easy to spread, thank you internet. Because of this, we're seeing people organize faster than ever before and on much larger scales. People are finding information and becoming more informed. As a reaction, the people in power seem to have made it their goal to stop the dissemination of info.

By now many of you may tune out on the grounds that this sounds like conspiracy talk, but I fear that it's very real and I see no reason why it wouldn't be. Whoever the top of the pyramid may be, whether the corporations, banks, political parties, or shadow government straight out of a sci-fi action thriller novel; if it wants to stay alive, it has to keep us ignorant. It's finding this more and more difficult.

Our news sources no longer bring forth evidence, but spawn stories and media out of nowhere, expecting us to their word. Our news has become something of a frightening nature; a system of opinions in stead of facts. Networks such as MSNBC, FOX, and CNN give biased opinions on a regular basis; and they spin it as factual news.

America has a history of trusting its news networks. Since the beginning they have been championed as the truth-bringers. I fear they have betrayed this inherent trust we give them in the name of money and power. Don't get me wrong, opinion has a place in journalism. But when differing political opinions also bring about differing facts, there is some sort of problem.

"What does all this have to do with 'Yes we can'?"

It has everything to do with it. We have a tool like no other in history, this, the internet. Instantaneous and near infinite data sharing. This is ours! As a people on all of Earth we own this thing, this massive web we have created. We can now find the truth and make our own opinions about it. Discussions are easy and common and (when civil) bring about higher truths.

When President Obama told us we could he wasn't lying. We've always had the power but it has been excessively curbed in the name of something else we don't even know. We've been pitted against each other in some of the most inane arguments by the media-news that decides how we should think instead of letting us think for ourselves.

Americans, in fact all people, can and do cooperate. As Jon Stewart so eloquently said, "We do it every damned day." This is so true, and once we gain the information we need realize that we are not all so different. We all have the same core values, we have to because if we weren't we couldn't all be functioning members of the same society.

But we are.

In case some of you didn't know, the War of Information has begun. Whether you like it or not Wikileaks gives you a right that has been curbed, and the United States government, the champion of "free speech, press, and information" is trying its hardest to stop it.

This War spreads beyond the internet. We deserve the information, for everyone and everything. We deserve to be able to make our own decisions. We deserve, from birth, the opportunity for a politically clean slate.

I don't agree with the Tea Party on many issues but they represent the very same thing. They stand up to the convention and power of the establishment. If only information was easily disseminated to them, and these two political parties weren't there to so heavily divide us, so that we cannot even cooperate to function as a nation.

The truth is, they don't have to be and they shouldn't be. We can and should unite and decide what's best for ourselves because either side obviously doesn't know, or doesn't care.

This is our nation.

This is our internet.

We have the right to fight for it, and we have the right to work together.

I plead with you. If you understand, or if you feel the same; if you are one of the middle, the independents, the swing voters, the bulk of this country; if you have any sense of true freedom; I plead that you help in your own way.

Become active in government, whatever your side may be.

Be open to the people around you, listen, and understand.

We are in dire straights, and we need to act in our own best interests now. I don't care how long it takes, or how many times we have to flip from red to blue, it needs to be done. Unless we start making steps now and defend our last bastion of true hope and freedom; we will only become the scum. All of us, few will be saved from the tyranny of money, and the hoarding of information.

Let's work together again. Let's elect a president we can all believe in. We can find it, and it starts at the grass roots.