Rule By Fear – Boston Marathon Bombing

Rule By Fear Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

First let me say that our hearts go out to all the victims and families of the victims of the terrorist bombing that occurred yesterday. No words will help to ease the pain, the loss or the discomfort of those who experienced this tragedy. We all came together in solidarity to stand with you. In the days, weeks and months to come, let us not forget that out of many, we are one.

Have You Ever Noticed?

As I look back over recent history, I cannot recall a period of time, when we as a nation have not been given a bogeyman to fear. I was born in 1957, the beginning of the “Atomic Age.” I remember the old “duck and cover” drills in elementary school. Looking back, it seems laughably silly to think that hiding under a wooden desk will in anyway help one survive a nuclear war, but that was all we had.

Fear has been used to stampede the American people like a herd of cattle in whatever direction those in power wished us to go. The following political ad is a classic example of this. It was aired only once, but it worked and we still talk about it to this day.

Growing up on the west coast – Seattle Washington – we were told that the entire west coast could drop off into the Pacific Ocean if we had a big quake along the notorious San Andreas Fault. Never mind the fact that what causes earthquakes along that fault is that the tectonic plate is pushing east, up onto our western coast. It was something for us to fear.

I’m not going to go down the entire list of the terror Du Jour we were served up on an almost daily basis. I’ll hit a few highlights. Remember the “Ozone Hole?” They were telling us that this huge hole had opened in our Ozone layer. The ramifications were severe! Millions dying from skin cancer caused by the unfiltered ultraviolet light from our Sun. Crops being burned causing massive famine. We all had to upgrade the air conditioning systems in our cars and in our homes to be able to take the much more expensive and eco-friendly versions of Freon.

Rule by Fear - GeneratorYou don’t hear anything about that “Ozone Hole” now. However, every few years your air conditioning system becomes obsolete. The bottom line? Pay more money! Remember the “Y2K” scare? Our computers were going to crash worldwide sending us back to the “Stone Age.” People bought generators – yeah, myself included – stocked up on food and waited the stroke of midnight heralding the turn of the new century. Nothing happened. We spent a lot of money though.

The Attacks On 9/11

Whether or not you believe our Government’s account of the events of that day or you’ve actually done some research, one thing that is beyond dispute is, as a nation we made some very bad decisions based on fear. It is not at all clear that we have survived the consequences of those bad decisions. We attacked Iraq for no reason running up trillions of dollars in debt. Don’t think! Be afraid! We’ll point you in the direction we want you to go!

Rule by fear Surveillance_cameras

The Camera Never Blinks

Because of our irrational fear, we allowed the Government to rip up our “Bill Of Rights.” Remember the color coded days compliments of our slapped together department of Homeland Security? Patriot Act? Without a peep we have given up our presumption of privacy. Phone calls, emails, even what books you check out at your local library are now monitored. Speaking of monitoring, We’ve allowed surveillance cameras to be put up on almost every street corner and all along our Interstate highways. If the game were Chess, somebody has carefully been maneuvering their pieces into position and checkmate may now be inevitable.

Rule By Fear

Rule by Fear - Newtown Gun Removed From Trunk

Police caught on tape removing the AR-15 from Adam Lanza’s car

It is time to wake up! Remember the “Sandy Hook Shooting?” The very first day, we were told that the shooter was one Ryan Lanza. Later that same day, we learned that no, it was Adam Lanza who for some mysterious reason was carrying his brother’s identification. We were told by the officers on the scene that the shooter – Adam Lanza – used two handguns. We were even given the make of those pistols. One was a Glock and the other was a Sig Sauer. Both were 9mm in caliber. Day one, we were told that an AR-15 Bushmaster had been discovered in the trunk of the car Adam Lanza presumably drove.

For those unfamiliar with firearms, there is a huge difference between 9mm brass and the .223 brass that would have littered the floor had the Bushmaster been used. Without even seeing the guns, anyone, certainly a law enforcement officer would immediately have known that a .223 caliber rifle was involved merely by looking at all the brass lying about. My point is, that is not a mistake anyone even remotely competent enough to respond to that crisis would have made.

Rule by Fear - Time Line of News Reporting

Time line of News reporting

By “Day Three” that AR-15 Bushmaster had miraculously floated out of the back of the car and of its own volition, shot magazine after magazine into those children. Why of “its own volition?” Adam Lanza had already committed suicide – so they say – and was long dead. It seems that someone with an agenda needed the weapon used, to be a so called “assault rifle.”  We have seen the steady and constant drum beat for gun control. Be afraid, be very afraid… Rule by fear raises its ugly head again.

Sandy Hook And The Boston Marathon Bombing

This proves my point. There is absolutely no connection between these two tragedies. God forbid that the enthralled public have their attention turned away from the ineffective “Gun Control Debate.” Notice how MSNBC host Rachel Maddow deftly links the two together.

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If you lose someone to a tragedy, the circumstances of that tragedy don’t really matter to you. A mother who loses her child in an accident caused by an impaired driver doesn’t hurt any less than a mother who’s child died in Sandy Hook Elementary or someone who’s family member was a victim of one of the bombs that went off in Boston yesterday.

Rule by Fear - Victim of Bombing

A victim of the Boston Marathon bombing

I have been to the funeral home to say good bye to a loved one far too many times of late. If someone walked up to me at that moment and began to rehearse their own loss I would be deeply offended and if they weren’t careful, they’d be nursing a blackened eye… at the very least! You don’t pimp grief for political gain. Of course, if you have an agenda, you just might do this.

Naivety Is Not A Virtue

“Trust ye not a living soul… and walk even carefully amongst the dead.” __My mother

I have never forgotten this advice and it has served me well. Unfortunately we now live in a world such that when I watch the news, I constantly remind myself that I really have no idea what is actually going on. Why? Because the fool filling dead air has no idea what is actually going on. It will take at least two or three days for them to get the official story together. Will it be the truth? Most likely not. Truth is not necessary when the objective is to rule by fear. You would do well to bear this in mind. Was the bombing of the Boston Marathon an act of international terror, or was it the act of a home grown anarchist? That will largely depend on the results of meetings which are occurring behind closed doors right now.

If there is some political or economic gain to be obtained by naming some foreign based group responsible, that is what the determination will be. If on the other hand, it benefits the powers that be to call this the act of a home grown anarchist, they will no doubt accuse some poor soul and make them disappear under one or more of those laws we let them pass because of our fear.

Reptilian Agenda! Inside The GOP Machine.

Reptilian Agenda Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Reptilian Agenda! Inside the GOP Machine.

Humanity has been a work in progress. Within our DNA we carry the history of human evolution. It is ironic that those who purport to know so much about the moment life begins, are usually profoundly ignorant, or simply ignore the graphic and irrefutable evidence of embryonic development. Those who have studied fetal development have noted the stages of human evolution displayed at the various stages of development.

The Triune Human Brain

Within each human being there exists the reptilian brain upon which the higher functioning brain sections reside.

At an early point we look like the first “Lung Fish” that crawled up on to dry land from the primordial seas. We have gills which shrink, become vestigial and eventually disappear. We have tails which shorten and are absorbed and become our lower spines. These are the gross stages which can be observed as we develop. Similarly, our brains develop in stages. However, instead of the early prototype brain being absorbed or changing… it is still present in every human being. Although it serves it’s purpose, I propose that the more evolved a person becomes, the less prevalent that purpose in day to day human interactions.

Why The Reptilian Brain?

At one time in human evolution, millions of years ago before we became primates, our survival depended upon, finding something to eat, knowing how and when to defend ourselves or fight, knowing when to flee danger and of course, procreation. This was the sum total of our existence. We still see this behavior in crocodilians today.

Homo Erectus

Finding food while NOT becoming food was crucial. The Reptilian portion of our brains made this possible.

To find food you have to be able to learn to recognize food. Pattern recognition is critical. In Africa there are rivers where wildebeest cross at certain times of the year during their migrations. Without the ability to tell time or know dates on the calender, crocodiles gather at these sites at the appointed time to get a meal. They have learned to recognize patterns and thus, they collectively engage in what might well be considered a feeding ritual. 

Except when mating or engaging in a group feeding ritual, adult crocodiles are extremely territorial. There are reasons for this. A crocodile doesn’t want any competitors poaching in it’s territory. When it comes to mating, the issues are similar. The bigger, stronger males are the ones who pass their genes on to the next generation. For the reptilian brain, that is what it’s all about.

Reptilian Brain In Humans

The reptilian part of the human brain contributes in varying degrees to common forms of human behavior. Obsessive-Compulsive behavior has it’s root in the reptilian part of the human brain. Rituals, mysticism and superstition – religion – also has it’s root in the reptilian part of the human brain. It is interesting that in many religious traditions, serpents figure heavily. Conformity, adherence to traditions, reticence to break out a mold or rut and all forms of deception are the product of the reptilian part of our brain.

Picking Up A Woman In A Bar

Most married couples didn’t meet in a Bar. Yet, this hunting preserve is idolized by the reptilian brain in the human mating ritual.

Whereas on the one hand, the reptilian part of our brain tends to simplify things in as much as once you’ve found something that works, why change it? On the other hand, when some pattern of behavior or some approach becomes obsolete, it is that reptilian portion of our brain that impedes progress by making it difficult to adapt and adopt a new sequence of behavior which may be more productive. Take a fisherman for example who has success at a particular fishing hole. He will return to that spot frequently. Even though the fish he catches get smaller, fewer and further between, he will continue to fish his spot and simply chalk it up to the fish not biting.

When you hear the expression, “creature of habit,” that is the reptilian brain at work. Don’t get me wrong, the reptilian portion of our brains has made profound contributions to our survival. However, it will only take us so far. Our ability to adapt and change to new circumstances and situations has been even more important. You may have relied on agriculture as a food source, but when the ice age hit, you had to be able to become a hunter. You may have had to relocate to a warmer latitude. Those who were unwilling to adapt to new circumstances, didn’t make it.

Reptilian Thinking In The GOP.

Michael Steele

Michael Steele – The first Black chairman of the Republican National Committee. Elected to this position immediately following the election of President Obama. He actually did an excellent job.

One of the most remarkable things about President Obama’s presidency – other than revealing the latent racism that still exists in our nation – was, it has almost been like an MRI on how Republicans think, operate and sell their agenda to their faithful. When President Obama was elected, for the first time in history the Republicans elected a Black person – Michael Steele – to be chairman of the RNC. It was almost… no, it was exactly like they said, “we need a Black guy too!”

Notice the mysticism and superstition contained in their decision? In their minds, they were beaten by a “Black Man,” so what did they do? They rushed out and got themselves one hoping to counter President Obama. Did they think the Democrats had their own “Black Magic” and they needed “Black Magic” of their own to counteract the spell? Sound silly? Perhaps. However, when you look at the racism that has flowed from the Republicans since the election of President Obama, what else could it be?

Their reptilian thinking has created what can only be called a reptilian agenda or strategy. Even though Michael Steele actually did an excellent job, he won back the House of Representatives, increased the number of Republican governors and made advances in the Senate, he had to go because he was different. He wasn’t like them. He didn’t fit the standard Republican pattern. This adherence to patterns is another symptom of the reptilian brain at work.

Mysticism And Superstition

Can't Be A Democrat and Go To Heaven

This piece of wisdom, written by Kentucky High School teacher Kendra Baker, greeted her students when they came to class. It was written at the top of her “white board.”

The Republicans in this past election appealed to the “Religious Right” like never before. Franklin Graham came out and endorsed a Mormon over a Christian. In all his years, meeting with Presidents from both parties, Billy Graham, Franklin’s father never endorsed a Presidential candidate. Televangelist were out in force. Pat Robertson, Kenneth Copeland, John Hagee to name but a few, were warning of God’s judgement should President Obama be re-elected. They did everything they could to drive their faithful into voting Republican. You could have called it, “The God Wants You To Vote Republican Campaign.”

Appalachian Pentecostal Snake Handlers.

Elections??? God’s too busy protecting those crazy Appalachian Snake Handlers… Or NOT!! Turns out one of their Pastors died… you guessed it. He got bit by one of those snakes who’d simply had enough!

Clearly there is no deity, all powerful or otherwise, who is the least bit concerned with our elections. If one presupposes an all powerful God who takes an interest in human political affairs, it also follows that there is nothing we as humans could do to change or prevent whatever outcome He/She/It has already pre-ordained. You cannot out vote God. If you could, then God wouldn’t be much of a God now would he? Yet because of this Reptilian form of reasoning, millions of people believe that their God is somehow interested in and watching their vote. Doesn’t God already know how everyone is going to vote and who is going to win any and every election? If those results were contrary to His purpose, wouldn’t God change things?

Obeisance To Precedent

If you will remember, in 2000 when George Bush ran for President, his chief opponent in the GOP primaries was none other than John McCain. Their battle actually became quite nasty. The allegation was floated that John McCain had a “Black Baby.” The truth was, he and his wife, Cindy McCain had adopted a little girl from a Bangladesh orphanage run by Mother Teresa. They named her Bridget and of course she had dark skin.

Bridget McCain Campaigning With Her Father.

Once racist smell blood in the water, they won’t let it go. The dirty tricks of Karl Rove came back to haunt John McCain and his family in 2004. Below the picture is a bumper sticker showing Bridget with Sarah Palin’s special needs child.

This whispering campaign started by Karl Rove was executed in the form of a phony telephone poll. The question was asked, “would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain if you knew he had fathered a Black child out of wedlock?” Note, they never said he did, but the implication was there and it appealed to the latent racism inherent in the Republican Party. All they had to do was notice the little dark skinned girl out with him on campaign stops and put two and two together and of course… reach the wrong conclusion, but it was the conclusion Karl Rove and company wanted them to reach.

Personally? There are certain lines you simply cannot cross with me. When you target my children, you’ve made an enemy for life. Not only did the Bush campaign attack John McCain’s children, they put forward the suggestion that Cindy McCain was a drug addict and that John McCain had left his crippled first wife for Cindy.

In 2004, when Bush was running for his 2nd term, his opponent was John Kerry. Prior to picking Senator John Edwards as a running mate, there was this notion of a dream ticket floating around. That ticket would have involved the unprecedented combination of a Democratic Presidential candidate with a Republican Vice Presidential running mate. Whom was this supposed running mate being whispered around? None other than Senator John McCain. After the outright nastiness of George Bush, Karl Rove and the Republican Party with their personal attacks on McCain’s wife and children, there were signs that John McCain was growing increasingly disenchanted with the GOP. In my opinion, this unprecedented combination of a Democrat and a Republican running together would have been an unbeatable ticket.

John McCain Hugs George W. Bush

Some when selling their soul to the Devil, sign their contracts with their own blood. Others do it with a hug.

Clearly someone in the Bush campaign must have come to a similar conclusion. John McCain was called to a meeting. The end result was at a rally in Florida, he came on stage with George W. Bush and gave him the hug that shocked the American political system. At that point, I lost all respect for John McCain and saw him for what he truly was. A man who would sell his soul for political gain. In hugging Bush, he became the anointed one to run at the head of the GOP ticket in the next election. Which is exactly what he did, and with the blessings of the GOP.

Responding to Partial Representations

President Reagan wearing a cowboy hat

President Ronald Reagan

The deification of Ronald Reagan is an excellent example of responding to partial representations. When you ask Republicans why they’re so enamoured with Ronald Reagan, you’ll get very similar results no matter whom you’re asking. “He defeated the Soviet Union and won the ‘Cold War.'” “He was the great communicator.” Some who are more sophisticated politically might say, he made America stronger by increasing military spending.

What you won’t hear about is, he ended the “Windfall Profits Tax” on the oil companies that kept oil prices under control. You won’t hear that he cut funding to education, enacted policies to end collective bargaining and break up unions or that he broke up the air traffic controllers union. Indeed, many of the problems we’re facing today have their genesis in the Reagan administration. Even as bad as I think Ronald Reagan was, if he were running for President today on the GOP ticket, he could never make it past the TEA Party. He was too much of a moderate by today’s standards.

Did he defeat the Soviet Union? Depends on how you look at it. By increasing military spending, he forced the Soviets to try and keep up. He in essence caused them to spend themselves into oblivion. He may have done the same to us. It has just taken longer for us to collapse. Under Ronald Reagan, our national debt took off like a sky rocket. Where were all the Republicans back then? No talk of saddling our children and grandchildren with debt. As certain Jews are supposed to have said when Pontius Pilate said of Jesus, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person.” “let his blood be on us and our children.” So then did the Republicans say, let this debt be on us and our children.

Today however, the story is a bit different. Now that the Democrats are in charge and oh my GOD! They’ve elected a Black President, the Republicans have suddenly become concerned with the debt on the national credit card! Would have been nice if they’d shown some concern before we put two wars on it without the least concern for budgeting.

All Manner Of Deception

“Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

This last election was simply a symphony of deception brought to us by the Republican Party and their propaganda machine. Rather than increase their chances of winning, in the end it doomed them miserably. I do believe the lie that drove the final nail into Mitt Romney’s coffin was his lie about Jeep being moved to China. That was simply a bridge too far. When the Automotive Executives from both GM and Chrysler took out full page ads calling him a liar, he was finished. Like a beheaded chicken, he was still flopping around, but he was dead.

“Mitt Romney is like a well lubed weather vane.” __Jon Huntsman

Pinocchio Mitt

Mitt Romney’s Strategy? Lie his way to the White House. Results? FAIL!

The thing about Mitt Romney, is he would lie when the truth would have done just fine. So immersed was he in his reptilian brain, he simply forgot about or ignored the fact that anyone with access to the Internet, could pull up a video tape of him taking a position exactly opposite to whichever position he was putting forth at the time. You almost wanted to scream at the television and say, “YOU KNOW WE HEARD YOU SAY JUST THE OPPOSITE LAST WEEK???” Mitt Romney’s campaign redefined surrealism. I should have known when he said, “he was a severely conservative Republican Governor…” we were in for one helluva ride!

Massachusetts is a liberal State with “moderate” leanings. A “severe conservative” couldn’t get past the primaries let alone actually become governor. However, once we cut all ties to the truth, one can say anything I suppose.

In true reptilian fashion, the Republicans dusted off the exact same attacks they used against President Obama in the last election. They worked so well of course? We heard again that he was born in Kenya, he was a secret Muslim, he was a socialist. I suppose no one ever told them that embracing Islam which is theocratic and embracing socialism, is rather hard to do. But hey! It sounds good as a smear.

FOX News Logo

WARNING!!! Viewing can be hazardous to higher cognitive functioning.

The Republicans kept their televisions tuned to FOX and their radios tuned to Rush Limbaugh and of course they had no clue as to what was happening in the “real world!” You know? The one the rest of us live in? Like one big liars club, they lied to themselves over and over until they all believed it. I personally cannot watch FOX for more than 30 seconds. FOX kills brain cells and I have none I’m willing to part with.

Rush Limbaugh

The Clown Prince of Republican Propaganda!

Rush Limbaugh is on the radio almost everyday peddling the same worn out lies like a mother bird feeding her baby birds their daily dose of worms. Just like baby birds Republicans squawked with their mouths agape until they got their fix. One lie after the other. No basis in reality. In many cases, no basis in logic. Here’s an example. The Republican platform claims to be “pro-life.” They’re really pro-fetus. Why? Because they’re absolutely against any of the programs that give an impoverished child a shot at having a productive and successful life. They’re against welfare, WIC, food stamps, head start programs, funding early childhood education, you name it. By all means, have the baby… but once it gets here, you’re on your own!

It seems to me to be a no-brainer, if you want to cut down on abortions, you need to make access to contraception freely available. But no! Not our Republican party! If you give women access to contraceptives, they just might have sex for – oh my gosh! – FUN! Can’t have any of that! Again, no logic.

The depth of their deception was clearly evident in the run up to this election. Republican pollsters were predicting a blow out for Mitt Romney. Everybody who watched FOX News was supremely confident that Mitt Romney was going to win by a large margin. Mitt Romney was so confident, he hadn’t even prepared a concession speech. He was simply awaiting his coronation.

Not only did he lose, he lost by a larger margin than the win FOX News had been predicting. This is what happens when reptilian thinking meets up with a society that requires and demands higher brain functioning. The paradigm shifts so much that adaptation is required. Billionaires threw good money after bad on the theory – it used to be true – that money can buy an election. They were wrong. The paradigm has shifted. Voter suppression efforts that had been so successful in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s didn’t work. The paradigm has shifted. The “dog whistle” pitched messages of racism and “States Rights” that had proved so successful in the past, didn’t work. The paradigm has shifted. To the Republicans I say, IT IS TIME TO EVOLVE… or become extinct. I’d be happy either way.