Just like you have to be Catholic to be Pope, you have to be dangerous and sick to be president.

Good thing you're not running for office, Jon, or we'd have to quote the above line out of context to prove that you generally viewed Catholics as "dangerous and sick."

Hey, it would be easier than convincing the masses that you were a weird and flaky guy.

I actually tend to agree that most normal, grubby people can't handle most things, no matter what country they live in.

Which begs the question, when does the revolution begin.....again?

By my current experience, these f*$@ers are present at every venue including the military, hell, more likely in the military; the contemptuous few leading the servile masses while marginalizing, trivializing, demonizing or when necessary killing those brave souls who resist, protest and revolt. At present and in the near future, the source of the next revolution will not likely come from these United States because too many people today have too much money, a more addictive sedative than religion.

Jo-on, you're barely older than I am! Here I thought you were a grown-up, like Harry! But you're one of us.

The public are not necessarily grubby. Some of us just have better things to do than care. In the words of S.J. Perelman:

"Give me an underground laboratory, half a dozen atom-smashers, and a girl in a diaphanous veil waiting to be turned into a chimpanzee, and I care not who writes the nation's laws."

...and speaking of the Pope, your post reminds me of that great poem by James Tate:

How The Pope Is Chosen

After a poodle dies
all the cardinals flock to the nearest 7-Eleven.
They drink Slurpies until one of them throws up
and then he's the new Pope.

Jon, I meant this: do you think for example, they can tell the unwashed masses that their oil wars are justified because that if they don't do that, what happens is that our petroleum by-product based society would collapse?

Well, this is most interesting. And it means we've never really had a democratic republic at all. The closest we've come is an oligarchy.

En Ming Hee,

Well—I think that's the way THEY see it, but I don't think it's true. I believe the oil wars have to do with maintaining U.S. wealth and power rather than somehow protecting industrial society. I think we could have survived quite happily without the wars.

Delia,

I agree to a point; we've certainly never been a model democracy. But everything's a matter of degrees, and there's no clear dividing line between republics and oligarchies. At times we've been more republican than now, and at times more oligarchical.

They are certainly not maintaining much of US wealth and power given even as Paul Craig Roberts, yes, that Paul Craig Roberts, has mentioned lately, most new job openings in the US are tertiary-sector service jobs in places like catering and construction. lol.

Anyway, to me petroleum and petroleum by-products do constitute so much of the basis of industrial society, that the wars were bound to happen sooner or later, the only way to me that they could have been avoided is either through not just alternative energy sources, but also for every single petroleum by-product we use from plastics to nylon to film.

I don't think the wars are started because they fear a collapse of the american economy unless they enforce a dollar hegemony. I am sure that the people behind American foreign policy have diversified investment portfolios and will not suffer regardless of the position of the dollar. The wealthiest corporations and people in the world are behind America's foreign policy. Whether the dollar or the euro is king, the reality will remain that the same group of people will be in control of the largest corporations, largest banks, Largest militaries, etc. Do the masters of the universe really care if the American economy slumps into freefall? I bet many would see it as a good thing. During the great depression the wealthiest people made out like bandits. While everything depreciated in value, the people controlling the depression bought up everything at rock bottom prices ending up with the wealthiest people become much more powerful and everyone else losing their property, business, etc to them. A similar thing may have been planned with the connivance of the European powers. After all the Bilderberg group is more then just a myth.

In my view the reason for the recent war machine is naked military aggression, wanton violence, which is the real point of American foreign policy. Just like during the Roman Empire in Judea; there would be people on crucifixes along the road for miles. It sends a very clear message to would be rabble rousers. The American and European Axis ( not just the Brits, also the Germans, French etc, they may pay lip service in denouncing Bush, but thats just to pacify their home audience. In reality who is in Afghanistan? Nato. Who destroyed Yugoslavia and changed it into a series of client states? Nato.) with American troops as the stick and the World Bank and International Monetary fund (bribes) as the carrot, is how the lords of darkness are playing their game.

Then again, maybe they're just all fighting amongst themselves. I dunno.

Democracy is aristocracy in disguise..never forget it.

So why don't we go after the media, then? Out them, so to speak...

there was a time Way Back When it seemed outrageous, i mean satire was declared dead, honey ~ that ACTORS should become POLITICAL LEADERS...

...in that role, what the actors did was manage the press well. it got so that The Public would crucify a well-functioning politician; eg., Gary Condit for simply being a bad actor.

well that's all old hat now. What Happens Next is that "the press" and news-show "press pundits" will seek to become POLITICAL LEADERS.

and their rationale?

"Well, at least WE are not ACTING."

^_^

The second-most important reason I had for voting for John Kerry was the sense that he was fundamentally such a bad actor (in the theatrical, not the moral, sense) that he might be able to get away with less overall, and might even have to be useful to us for his own political survival.

"(I wish I remembered more about what Cohen said about the specific gripe of the press corps with Hart, but I don't think he revealed many details.)"

As I recall, Hart was not particularly effusive in professing his allegiance to Israel (and indeed made some comments during the campaign which leaned towards an America-first Middle East policy). More than enough material for a gripe right there. (After all, remember what happened to Bush Sr. 4 years later.)

"went to school with lots of children of government and media types"

Sidwell, Georgetown Prep, or St. Albans/NCS?

The *really* big problem with rule of a society by an "elite" is that. . . every single nation in history that no longer exists was run into the ground by that elite.

This usually happens when elements in the elite realize that buying politicians is cheaper than paying taxes, and that if the country's foundations can be broken up and sold, that they can make a whole lot of money. Then society crashes around their ears and they blame it on the common people.