Conspiracy Theories and Quantum Mechanics

Governmental conspiracy theories can shape the way we live. We all have them at some point. I’m not talking about “the FBI is putting signals in my ear” type paranoia, I’m talking about the typical every-day issues we have with Government.

Granted a lot of is warranted. Most of us our not buying the story told about how 9 guys from a third world Country gained access to American passports, flew here, to a class in flying Cessna’s and used that knowledge to systematically hijack and and crash 3 commercial airliners into three buildings, one only four stories tall and the others being the largest and most advanced construction projects in America’s history; then leveling them to the ground with the precision of a controlled blast.

The problem is when we start to combine fact and our own assumptions about it. The fact is there’s no way that could have happened. Anyone that has educated themselves on the subject would draw that conclusion. Everything else is just theory. Anything from Aliens to we did it to ourselves to up the Military budget has been thrown around.

Take the Healthcare debate for example. The Republicans pushed and pushed against ANY kind of reform. It is clear that they didn’t want a freshman Senator, Democrat, and black guy to be the one that does it. They wanted McCain to be the guy. O.k. so that’s obvious, but it’s how they fought it.

What they did to fight Healthcare is they found a weakness in people through their paranoia. A large amount of middle-America have this internal fear that Socialism (and/or Communism as the two terms are confused together in people’s heads) is the biggest fear we have; then rallied them up with this direct tie between Government run healthcare being the same as socialism. That ran out of control very quickly. In an attempt to stop the Government form having too much control, many people are inadvertently giving their power to private corporations that are somehow exempt from the Constitution that their values are so heavily based on.

Now, we need to question our Government. That much is true. We also need to stand out against injustice, but when we combine out own assumptions, elevated by paranoia, with the facts (or lack thereof), we begin to draw our own pictures into the environment.

On a quantum level, we know that our observations and even our feelings can alter the reality around us on a microscopic level. The “Observer Effect” is one that complicates nano-physics and other sub-atomic experiments. The concept of “Nuclear Fusion”, a possible new energy source that was being worked on in the late 80′s failed because they could never get it to be stable. Scientists blame the observer effect on that problem.

As people, we need to question the reality around us, and yet be very careful that we don’t start answering out own questions. If we do we start to mold the reality around us into what we don’t want to see. In this age of strange realities all around us, dead birds falling from the sky, climate change, people fighting each other about issues the have a positive effect on both sides of the argument, we should take time to examine our own viewpoints about every situation and decide if it’s based in actual fact or what we’ve added on to it.

Reaching out through New Media

This post is dedicated to those who believe in using social networks and take the time to spread unity, opinion and truthfulness to anyone who may be listening. I’m not talking about any kind of Religious order, I’m talking about countering the negative press coming from top media outlets.

Turn on the TV to any “news” program these days and the same thing happens. Some talking head comes on displaying fabricated or partial truths in order to make headlines and boost ratings. So much “bad press” has been pushed out regarding the problems that face this nation, people are on the brink of being brain-washed by it.

Fortunately, there is hope! The answer is (real) grass roots organization using “New Media”. For anyone that doesn’t know, the term New Media is being used to explain the “digitized, computerized, networked information and communication” used by forums such as the one you used to find this article. Rep. Alan Grayson, in a conversation with Robert Greenwald today explained New Media as the “only” way to reach our younger generation. He said that power that comes from making a conscious choice to retrieve the types of information you are interested in instead of letting the major media networks stream it into your head.

This is the new way of communicating, and what makes it even better, is that it’s a two-way conversation. When the President of the United States takes pictures from Air Force one on his Blackberry and posts them on his Facebook page from Twitter, you’d better believe the world is changing. Being active no longer means gathering together in massive groups and marching on Washington. Most of us figured out that that doesn’t really help back in the 60′s. It’s now possible for every-day citizens to organize, educate and spread hope to others through simple steps from the comfort of their homes, offices, Starbucks or where ever everyone is blogging, posting and tweeting from. This kind of activity does more then demonstrates that there are people who have good, honest ideas to help the world, it also brings us close to a collective consciousness.

What Must Be Done

• We must organize with each other and share as much information as we can find that shows what policies & stories help the world
• We must expose corruption and mis-information about our elected officials that push their own agendas that hurt our society
• We must work together and create a unity Of the people, By the people & For the people. Everyone with a brain and a computer has the ability to do this
• We must turn off our TV’s and cut off the stream, then get our information from a variety of mainstream and independent news sources and make our own decisions
• Open educated and intellectual dialogs with people you run into; Respect their opinions but also have your own
• Avoid the “comments” sections of main-stream news sites like CBS, Fox, CNN, etc; these do not usually help and frequently become mindless mud-slinging

Facebook Groups:

Facebook is a great place to start. The following groups are some of the most progressive ones I’ve found that work toward this purpose. The more of us the join, the closer and stronger we become. These are just a few that I like. Join them, then join groups like it by seeing what others have joined. Together we can override ignorance with cooperative collective and educated discussion.

Descriptions below are mostly from each groups Info tab. There are many, many more groups than this. If you know of some, post them as a comment to this blog, or from the Facebook page you found it.

Democracy Now
A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 800 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the U.S.

Public Citizen
Since 1971, Public Citizen has been a national, nonprofit public interest organization representing consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts.

The Opinionated Liberal
A place for Liberals, Progressives, and Democrats to discuss and vent about the news without right-wing trolls!

The Beer Party
Sounds silly, and actually started out that way, but has become an almost 5,000 member movement of unity, news and good times.

Free Speech for People
This campaign seeks to restore the First Amendment to its original purpose: to protect people, not corporations.

I support Obama in how he has handled the challenges of his first term..
Pres. Obama had some really tough challenges facing him on entering the office. He is constantly criticized by the far right for not fixing the country’s many problems in his first year. We need to be realistic and give him time.

Brave New Films
Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films are at the forefront of the fight to create a just America and we want you to join us.

Independent & Radical News Organizations & Shows:

The Huffington Post

The Daily Kos

Mother Jones News

The Rachel Maddow Show

Crooks and Liars

Once again, we all have a voice and through our voices, the truth will be spread. Post you favorite sites and share the real stories.

“can’t stop the signal Mel“

A New Approach to Alternative Energy

Alternative Energy isn’t as hard to find as some make it out to be. Yes, the equipment is expensive, but once it’s installed, it’s low (mostly no) maintenance and eventually pays for itself.

There have been a lot of reports about cities jumping on the Solar bandwagon, but I think a majority of them are still thinking about it wrong. The solar system in our house, for example, is an array of 16 2′ X 4′ panels and an inverter box that is integrated with the power companies system. When we’re generating more power then we use (just about every day) our power meter spins backward and puts power back into the power grid.

The majority of large adapters to Solar Power are thinking like energy companies. Create a huge array of panels, enough to supply a whole city. The problem with that plan however, is it doesn’t really save anyone any money since it has to be built and maintained. Instead, it’s time to start thinking locally for solar power.

There is no reason why every rooftop couldn’t have panels on it, subsidized by the Government and integrated with the power grid like ours. Enough power would be generated to keep the power grid totally charged and people could use it’s stored power when it’s cloudy, dark or energy needs outweigh the current generation. In this model, the power grid could become more of a co-op where everyone who wants the service could buy into it. No need for any big power company, but rather a Real Public Utility Commission owned by the people that buy into it.

Any takers?

The Smartening of America

Since Glenn Beck’s latest revelation that he “could give a flying crap about the political process” and many of the other ramblings of the right-wing talking heads, it’s becoming more clear that the right really is about dumbing down the population to push their own agenda. Sadly, it works for many. But that’s not what this blog post is all about. It’s about the current majority in Washington and what they’re doing right.

Not to say that every decision made by the Obama Administration is perfect, or that they’re priorities are in complete alignment with my priorities. No, it’s about the way that decisions are made and how they’re being explained to the American people. There’s no better example of this then Obama’s decision on offshore oil drilling.

When I first heard about this, I was shocked! I was really hoping for alternative, sustainable & safe energy to be available in mass by now and to hear that my election choice for President want’s to build up more offshore oil drilling plants?! No way, I had to look into it.

What I found was in some weird way, he did have a point. Obama said the following:

“I think it’s important for the American people to understand we’re not going to drill our way out of this problem.”

“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices… If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage – I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done.”

O.K. there’s some truth to that. But what about the safety aspect? Turns out that since the Santa Barbara offshore disaster in 1969, safety standards have tightened up quite a bit. So much so, that it’s possibly more safe then importing it on tankers that cause even bigger disasters.

Again, I’m still not in favor of offshore oil drilling, but the way it was presented is the point here. This idea was presented in a way to cause us to think. It causes everyone to re-evaluate our causes. Even the Sara Palin believers have to go back and say “oops, can’t campaign on that anymore, what else have we got”. As a result they don’t have anything else so they just make up lies. Like the response the the Nuclear treaty, which was Reagan’s original idea by the way…http://bostonreview.net/BR25.2/wittner.html

When thinking people are told the truth from a politicians point of view, we actually have the ability to evaluate for ourselves, the stance we want to take. Only then will we have a real union instead of the two party bickering we have now.

The new right-wing fear tactics

With all the craziness that’s come out of the healthcare debate, one has to wonder if it hasn’t been orchestrated that way. The GOP first started this fear during Obama’s campaign when he first started talking about healthcare. In their usual way, the opposition started with a few very brief talking points to get a majority of the population thinking a certain way.

The talking points were, “too expensive”, “socialized medicine” , “death panels” all kinds of new buzz words for people to mull over. The problem is, they really didn’t even define them. They let people do that for themselves.

Once the Tea Party “movement” got started, they were instructed to take on the same talking points to try to put that out into the hearts and minds of everyone. This started long before there was even a plan. Just the mere mention of the topic and they instantly started their anti-campaign.

The one thing they didn’t count on was that Obama wasn’t nearly as predicable as they anticipated. After a number of publicized meetings and compromises in the house and senate, the final bill was paid for, did not offer any government plan (refuting the socialized medicine idea) and death panels? I’m not even going to comment on that nonsense.

In fact, the final plan that passed was remarkably like the Republican plan that was offered up in 1993.

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Checking-In-With/Durenberger-1993-gop-bill-q-and-a.aspx

Funny thing is, the opposition ball was all ready rolling along on the same talking points. The fact is, it doesn’t have to be true, just believable. After Bush, a majority of this country learned one thing for sure, that our most respected politicians are capable of great evil.

That alone is not a bad piece of knowledge, but it is very strong and when it’s leveraged in the way that it has been, a whole movement can be started from just a simple suggestion.

There are a lot of reports in the media that the whole thing has got out of hand, but if you really look at it, that was the intention from the beginning. To get people so rilled up that they don’t even realize what just happened. What happened was that 30 million more people will now have access to affordable healthcare. That stories like this one will never happen in this country again: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/26/texas-newborn-denied-heal_n_514821.html

This fear tactic that a Government sponsored healthcare reform is going to ruin the country is absurd. There are so many other things that can ruin the country, like heavy competition from Japan, China and India; two unpopular wars that are proving harder to stop then expected; millions out of work; rising costs of continuing education; the list goes on and on.

Don’t fool yourself. The right WANTS the world in chaos right now. They are absolutely responsible for the violence that came out of egging the crowd on during the healthcare debate and no one but them are politicizing it. It’s time to stand up for peace! Fighting this will only continue their main goal of dividing the country. It’s time to blow the oppositions minds with words like “I don’t agree with your opinion, but I appreciate that you have one” instead of what we’ve seen. Don’t allow the fight to prevail. A peaceful resistance with respect goes much further then a fight. “There is nothing to fear but fear itself”.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMfvnNzgQy7Q%26feature%3Dchannel&h=72a9624208389a4828df832062d47e4e

Finding Peace in a Divided World

Across every media network in the world, be it left wing, right wing or independent, you can see it. There is a division happening between left and right, black and white, conservative and liberal, the list goes on.

The historic healthcare bill that is in front of congress today is a great example. Within the debate are Democrat politicians that want the legislation, but are worried about their constituents and re-election; Republicans who don’t feel they have a seat at the table and while they want legislation, they don’t want the Democrats to be the ones who do it; average Americans who want decent Healthcare and don’t mind paying for it; Fundamental Christians who are worried the bill will allow federal funding for abortion; people that feel that Government control will lead to Communism; people who are mobilized for healthcare reform that refuse to settle for anything less then universal coverage…

There doesn’t seem to be any Peace at all. From a regular person’s point of view, we can only hope that those who control whatever side we’re on have our best interests in mind and the rest of the world will see it in time.

How do we find peace in a world like that? Perhaps the answer lies in how we oppose other peoples ideals. Can we be grateful that someone exists even if they seem to stand for everything we oppose? Of course we can. There is one evolution that no one can deny. People are educating themselves and speaking out against what they don’t agree with.

Now, you can argue that the source of their self-education is questionable, or that they’re speaking out with an ill tongue, but the fact remains, few people have no opinion on the important issues that affect our society. We are going to have our differences. That’s what makes us unique. If we really want to live in a world of peace, we need to appreciate each other even when we disagree. Only then will we find our true nature.

In the moments right after a natural disaster strikes, before the looting and bureaucracy begins, you can see it. People stop all their arguing,  lay down their differences and work together. If you’ve ever been in that situation, it’s unbelievable…and it’s human nature. Our society doesn’t have to cooperate every minute of every day for our own survival anymore, but in a serious disaster, when there isn’t time to think or have an opinion about it, people WILL help each other. Why can’t we do that anyway? Can we get along and still have our disagreements? This writer thinks so. Let us know what you think?

A movement against the dark is not necessarily a movement for the light

No, this is not a religious debate. Please don’t turn it into one. The point is simply this. For centuries the people have moved against oppression, against tyranny, against immoralities, but that doesn’t make every rebellion just. There is a sort of contrast that happens in certain rebellions. “Fighting” against “War” for example, very similar to the “War on Terrorism”. The Tea Party “Movement” which has been constructed by the Republican Party for the purpose of starting an opposition to tax increases; or rather the prospect of tax increases since no taxes have gone up as yet.

There has been a lot of talk lately from both Liberals and Conservatives along the lines of overthrowing the government  and opposing laws. Things like the burning of effigies of public officials, talk of executing abortion Doctors. Many of the moderate congress people are voting against certain bills because it does not have the provisions they want regardless if the rest of the bill is right.

Granted, the people need to have this power and should take it when the situation requires it, but we have to be careful to not bring about the very change we’re afraid of. In sorts, our fear can come to pass because of our fear of it. Perhaps that’s what FDR meant when he said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. Remember, Adolf Hitler came into power by exercising  an opposition to the current ruling party at the time. Or how about when we armed insurgents in Iraq to help them fight against Iran?

The fighting in Iraq at this time is a rebellion in its own right. Something which American forces were there to start in the first place. To the people, our invasion wasn’t about overthrowing Saddam Husein, it was about opposing leadership. Something they are still doing to this day.

It seems there are more and more discussions along the line of rebellion and opposition. The Tea Party conventions have even turned to talks of violence against the government and those who support them.

Right now, a deeper division between people is not what we need. It’s time we all started to notice out likenesses and stop focusing on or differences. It’s time to work together. It’s time to work for what’s right, not oppose what is wrong.

Public Option is not Communism

For anyone reading this article, I challenge you to find any reason not to have Public Option in the healthcare bill that doesn’t include how expensive it is. True, cost is the biggest issue, but if that’s the only reason, then we are asking the wrong questions. Before we get into the right questions, here are the things to consider:

• The Public Option does have the ability to spur competitiveness in the already high-profit insurance companies
• People will have a choice under the new program; that’s why it’s called an “Option”
• Other universal healthcare systems like those in Europe and Canada come with extraordinarily high taxes; since Europe’s universal healthcare system is not an option, everyone is victim to it’s weaknesses, and yet, has to pay for it anyway
• The US is the only industrialized nation that does not provide healthcare for its people

Now, having said all that, I can’t think of a single reason other then cost, not to have a Public Option. Taking cost out of the picture, I can’t say I would elect for that option as my current plan is working for me.

If cost is in fact, the only reason, then we should be asking questions about how we’re going to pay for it. There are options on the table. Like, coupling the public option with rules that control overall healthcare costs so profits from the public option pay for a large amount of the program. Considering the record profits that Anthem and WellPoint are reporting during a recession, I have a hard time believing that if we take away those profits, a public program doesn’t become affordable.

A public “option” is only one method of controlling the record profits of the Insurance agencies and protecting the consumer. Please, let me know your opinion.

Why oppose Global Warming?

Why would the common person oppose evidence on Global Warming? We know already that carbon dioxide is poisonous. We know there’s a whole in the Ozone layer, and we know that is significant since it protects us from burning up by the sun.

The debate on climate change takes a really weird turn though, when regular people start to argue that it even exists. Obviously we’ve seen changes in climate, but even if we haven’t, why would we argue against renewable energy?

I understand large manufacturing plants opposition, cutting down on greenhouse gas cuts into their profits. Politicians ague against it because they get donations from big business, but why the common person? Is it a problem to buy a more fuel efficient car? Why would we want to put more money in the hands of Arabs and huge corporations? What have they done for us?

Is it really that big of an inconvenience to talk a little more? Or recycle? What about solar power? Every home in America can have solar panels on the roof that generate electricity. It’s less money to shell out to the power companies, and you can get money back when excess power is sent back into the power grid. About 5% in California.

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100219/OPINION/100219006/-1/newsfront/State+should+make+solar+panels+more+profitable

It seems that the questions around Global Warming aren’t what they really should be. Scientists don’t dispute if it exists. The real question should be how much are we contributing to it and is that sustainable? It’s a pretty simple question and shouldn’t cause such a debate.

Denying this simple fact is just spreading ignorance. The recent trend now is even worse. Public figures are actually saying that the storms on the East Coast are evidence that Global Warming isn’t real.

The counter to this is really simple. Global Warming doesn’t mean it will be nice and warm everywhere. If that were the case, no one would really care. It means that the protective coating around the Earth is wearing thin and causing extreme weather conditions. Scientists told us this long before we started to feel the effects of it.

This is one of my favorite explanations of the new propaganda by Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

In case you don’t know, Bill Nye teaches science to children. I hope people who deny the facts about climate change can grow up and listen to adults also.

Results of the Recovery Act

The latest results are in from the Recovery Act of 2009. Although I wasn’t a big proponent of the Stimulus Plan, I’ve changed my tune. Blind faith is something we all need to be weary about, but we also need to be able to be open minded enough to see when someone does something right. The latest figures show that the Recovery Act has actually slowed job loss.

http://www.epi.org/economic_snapshots/entry/the_recovery_act_worked/

The coupled with the fact that that inflation rose at a much slower rate and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the fell a slight bit for the first time in 28 years.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/feb/19/us-inflation-figures-january

Our current President has only been on the job a little over a year. Can we at least give him the benefit of doubt? So far, the biggest complaints I’ve heard about his work is not based on what he has done, but on what people fear high might do. Anybody got anything solid?