Two-Faced Monsters

One of the scariest things with people are when they are two-faced. 

And no, we’re not talking about people making funny faces or googly eyes.

My father use to joke:

“If that person was two-faced, they would never use that face {the one they are wearing now}!”

But many people really do have two-faces (and sometimes more).

– The seeming friend, but backstabber if they get the chance.

– The “goodie two-shoes,” but what a real mischievous side to them.

– The “nice boy/girl,” but what an unbelievable mean streak.

– The calm, quiet person, but what an explosive temper they really have. 

– The person who it seems “would never hurt a fly,” but what an abuser and bully they are.

This is not about multiple personality disorder, but rather people who either are truly this AND that, or who “fake it to make it.”

Many people do have multiple “normal” sides to their personality (like hardworking, but playful).

However, others more malevolently, use a cover up (and it’s not mascara) to hide their inner bad natures/behaviors and demons.

These are the people that are really scary dudes (and dudettes). 

You see one thing on the surface (superficially), but beneath it is a type of molten lava ready to explode and do very bad things. 

Sure, everyone alternates between good and bad days, happy and sad, more loving or less, etc. 

But when people are fundamentally insincere phonies who are deceiving others until they can but strike and do bad things to them, then they are not just two-faced, but seriously f*cked up! 

This is all part of the fight in this world of good over evil–it goes on everyday with the monsters out there that are allowed to roam free and prey on others–perhaps some of afraid or even others are covering for them. 

How long can they keep up their heinous act?

Often way too long, until those good people of faith and conscience ask when will they be unmasked and held accountable–when will justice prevail. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

14 Lessons Learned from the Political Process

So here are some things that I learned from this awful, drawn out election:

1) Keep it positive – Negativity, divisiveness, and hate hurt you more than it does anyone else.

2) Don’t play the *ism card – Using racism, religion, gender, and sexual orientation to divide people and get what you want from them is dirty politics and empty promises for votes; stick to the facts and the issues. 

3) Focus on service to others – “Public service” is about service to others, not self service; it is more important to give than to receive any of the fame, fortune, and favors. 

4) No one is above the law – Corruption, collusion, and cover-ups are a boomerang that eventually come back to hit you in the proverbial head.

5) Action speaks louder than words — What you actually did, accomplished, and how you behaved is the much louder message than what you say you did or claim you will do. 

6) People are not sheep – Regardless of how strong and biased a position the media and others take, hammering and hammering away, in the end people are not sheep and can and do think for themselves. 

7) Polls, statistics, position papers, conventions, and debates – There are many tools for manipulating the masses and they, like the people who prepare and administer them, have biases and lie. 

8) Branding yourself and others – Creating an image for yourself and others by weaving a tall tale narrative only goes so far unless the words and deeds are consistent and ring truth. 

9) Speak from the heart – Preparation and practice make perfect, but a perfect what?  Prepared lines and zingers are great sound bites, but speaking from the heart goes to the heart. 

10) Moral high ground – Just saying you are taking the moral high ground does not make it so; you actually have to have integrity to stand that ground. 

11) The political machine – Politics and the money and operatives behind it, are very strong and dangerous, and those that wield it can and will do anything to gain and stay in the much coveted positions of power. 

12) Don’t think you’re so deserving – Be humble and compassionate on others, instead of believing you are so great and the world owes it to; the more you run after something, the more it tends to elude you.

13) Listen to your gut – There are great orators, writers and influencers out there, but you’ve got to listen more to your gut and moral compass than to anyone else trying to bend your mind and will. 

14) Star power – Bringing out the big gun superstars to speak, sing, and endorse you is some nice added glitz, but the real superpower is the one Almighty who ultimately decides who wins and loses. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

{{{Democracy BERNS}}}

There is a fire that even these many fire extinguishers cannot put out, because it is our very democracy that is under attack and aflame. 

If secrecy, lies, perjury, corruption, and end-runs around the law weren’t enough…now, we have the ultimate in democratic corruption.

Hacked emails from the Democratic Party show election rigging, collusion, and corruption at the highest levels. 

Emails document how DNC party officials questioned about:

“Whether they should raise doubts about the Sanders campaign.”

One senior official says:

“Wonder if there’s a good Bernie narrative for a story, which is that Bernie never had his act together, that his campaign is a mess.”

Another official stated:

“Does he believe in a G-d. He had skated as saying that he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps [people].”

Even Sanders’ campaign manager said that the emails showed that party officials were:

“Planting negative stories about him with religious leaders in various states [to rig the election towards the former First Lady].”

This is a clear case of conspiracy–and I do not use this word lightly–where the election was being steered by a corruption-infected system towards a certain candidate denying the actual will of the people and their rightful candidate choice.

Ah, so much for a fair and just democracy.

The Democratic National Convention starts on Monday, and it looks like they will be celebrating their corruption not only in terms of a system rigged with superdelegates, but where collusion and political narrative thrive and the political opposition, Bernie Sanders, never even had any chance, let alone a fair and democratic one. 

Where is the accountability of these officials–are they too above the law as is their candidate.

No candidate for election should have a tacit nod of consent and support from officials and definitely should not be put in place when not in line with the will of the people!

We do not live in a dictatorship, in totalitarianism, in fascism–or perhaps, we most sadly do. 

It is incredible hypocrisy that we send election monitors around the globe to police and ensure fair elections, but here at home, we can’t seem to effectively police our own system for fairness. 

The election for president in the exemplary democracy of the world, the U.S.A, should not have the powerful, the elites, the 1%, control who is elected to office.

The situation has gone from bad to worse with serious allegations of:

– Vanishing global moral “red lines” 

– Shady deals with our sworn “Death To America” enemies

– Laughter at murderous terrorist attacks

– Shutting of the eyes at the killing of police officers

– Money-laundering from private foundations

– Private servers exposing state secrets

– Election rigging

These are a treachery and a desertion of our very democracy, and unfortunately the fire of corruption is still burning in our beloved America while the convention just begins. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

The Bully Pulpit

So I took this photo in the Renwick Gallery.

I believe it is called, “Apocalypse.”

And the miserable misanthrope evil-doers are riding in on their fiery mule to lie, murder, and destroy.

Perhaps what’s not so bad in-and-of itself is to have to face many of life’s challenges and work hard to overcome them.

But what is unconscionable these-days is that we are being often and repeatedly lied to and manipulated.

No longer is the truth and good seemingly on top of the agenda, but rather the script of normalcy and calm is paramount. 

Thus, rather than passion and piloting, we get a lot of spin, exaggeration, manipulation, and some could say outright lies, for example: 

– The “health of the economy” (anyone look at our runaway national debt register or grossly widening economic inequality lately)

– The “security of our nation” (anyone believe that Iran or North Korea are standing down their WMD programs)

– That ISIS is on the run and terrorism is waning (anyone really think San Bernardino or Fort Hood was “workplace violence”)

– The success of the nation’s newest healthcare program (anyone believe that the public “Affordable Care” insurance is giving healthy coverage at great prices)

– The absence of bigotry and discrimination (anyone think that racism isn’t so bad with killings over taillights and at “peaceful” protests)

– The transparency of our government (anyone look at the statements of the FBI versus the former first lady). 

And doesn’t the list goes on and on. 

Listen, we all make mistakes, including leaders, but creating a false narrative for the “stupid” public and media “echo chamber” is beyond immoral–it literally breaks the compass. 

Civilized society and any vestige of positive relationships therein is built of trust and communication, but when these are simply tools to fool the coined dumb-a*s people, rather than lead them, then we are listening only to evildoers on a bully pulpit. 

Maybe that’s why nearly 70% think we’re headed in the wrong direction…because look at the absence of integrity leading the pack. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Is There Anyone Out There To Lead

Interesting editorial in the Wall Street Journal today titled, “These Five Are the Best We Can Do?” referring to the current slate of Presidential candidates. 

According to the author, Joseph Epstein: “Viewing the candidates of both parties during the debates, one felt that nearly everyone of the participants was in the business for him- or herself.”

Yes, so many people are getting turned off by the selfishness, obscurity and outright deceit, vulgarity, and off-the-chart impractical and impolitic views of the candidates.

Yet the editorial mistakenly attributes the presumed dearth of good-to-great candidates is due to no one impressive wanting to run in the age when “media and Internet are the major instruments of contemporary political degradation.”

In other words, no normal person wants to be put under a microscope for their person, rather than their personal views of where to take this country. 

However, this doesn’t ring true to me. 

I think that true leaders are and would be willing to endure the scrutiny of the traditional media and social media in order to take us into a meaningful, righteous, and better future–it’s simply part of the job like Moses having to endure the gripes against him when he led the Children of Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. 

Maybe the real reason that we don’t think we have the quality of leadership that we expect is that there is a perception of a genuine dearth of sincere, unadulterated, whole-package leadership out there. 

Think about it–with a virtually unlimited supply of false messiahs across the leadership spectrum from politics to corporate and religious life–we have been let down by fraudsters, liars, thieves, and sex abusers. 

Like with the Israelites in Egypt who waited hundreds of years for G-d to bring a Moses to lead his people, perhaps we are looking with eyes heavenward for an appropriate gifted leader to take us into the future…and this is more than just what an education or pedigree can provide, but rather a person inspired by a purity of heart and a clarity of vision. 

For that, we need a leader that will not just talk the scripted talk or walk the overconfident boisterous walk, but we need to see the person whose promising words match their deeds and whose heart is aligned with the people and the nation for a truly greater future and not just for the political donations, superdelegate counts, their party nomination and the electoral college votes to land them the coveted Oval Office. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Burning The Evidence

This is a brillant funny advertisement that was displayed on the Metro in Washington, D.C.

“If I burn the evidence, those donuts never happened.”

This as astute marketing for a fitness facility.  

Burn baby, burn (calories that is)!

But in Washington, D.C. (and at times for fiduicary duty bound Wall Street), where transparency is supposed to rule the day–but often doesn’t as we know–this resonates in a whole other way for a class of political and wealthy elites as well as for a host of criminals. 

Bad things (fraud, waste, abuse, and stupid mistakes)–uh, they never happened if there is no evidence to prove it.  

Like the tree that falls in the woods that no one hears…it’s as if it never fell. 

Also, is there a habit of perhaps punishing the innocent in order to protect those that are really guilty? — That never happens too, right? 

But G-d knows what really happened, and often somehow, someway the truth does get exposed (whether by savy investigative journalists, Congressional or court inquiry, brave innocents that come forward, or some bad people getting caught up in their own jumble of lies and deceit).  

As Judge Judy says, “If it doesn’t make sense, it’s usually not true.” 

Or more in line with the ad, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Looking At Ourselves In The NUKE Mirror

Any deal is based on T-R-U-S-T and verification, especially when it comes to dangerous nukes. 

Yet the deal with Iran–a member of the “Axis of Evil” and the #1 state sponsor of terrorism worldwide and of the worst abusers of human righs is trustless, especially when verification mechanisms are weak and Iran is non-complaint?

So where’s the trust headed now (has anything changed, what are the signs so far)?

T – Turning away – Iran continues to turn away and refuse access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who are tasked with the verification of Iran’s non-proliferation of nukes.

R – Restraining people – Iran continues to disrespect us and holds 4 Americans hostage with no sign or promise of release. 

U – Undermining – Iran continues to undermine any relationship with the West by affirming that hostile policies toward “arrogant” America will not change. 

S – Swindling – Iran continues to swindle and deceive the West going so far as to publish a 416-page manifesto by the Ayatollah on destroying Israel, “the ally of the American Great Satan.”

T – Threatening – Iran continues to threaten the West most recently warning of a “Third World War” sparked by terorrism, and continuing chants of “Death to America!“

So what’s the future of this deal in protecting the world from nukes and terrorism–let’s be honest and look in the mirror and ask what’s the deal here? 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Taking The Spin Off Things

Ok, so here is what I learned over the years about communication…

Question everything, believe nothing (except in G-d).

It’s not just that a lot of people out there are full of sh*t–yes, that is true too. 

But also that many powerful people are experts at manipulation and spin. 

Take just some recent some examples:

– We didn’t just give America and Israel-hating “suicidal, apocalypse-seeking” Iran a clear path to the bomb and in just half a generations’ time (along with hundreds of billions to continue funding global terror and a lifting of the weapons and ballistic missile embargo), instead we have a “comprehensive long term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

– With the hackers who not only showed how to take wireless control of a moving Jeep Cherokee, but also released information on how to do it, they didn’t put another tool in the toolkit of the cyber attackers and terrorists out there, instead “they are bringing atttention to an issue auto makers have for too long ignored.“

Could go on and on to issue after issue…

The point is that from a young age we are primed to respect, listen, and automatically believe figures of authority and experts–when our parents, teachers, spiritual leaders or a policeman or fireman says something, we naturally believe them, who they are, and in them. 

This is what politicians and executives and other people in power prey on–that we will believe them over everyone else or any other facts to the contrary. They have the title, the uniform, the badge, or whatever, and so they must be good, honest, and trustworthy.

However, good parents and teachers make sure to tell children not just to take people or what they say at face value. For example, if someone comes to the door and says they are delivering a package, don’t just open the door.  Look through the peephole, ask for identification, or have them come with a neighbor, etc. 

I remember in the very first movie of “Death Wish” with Charles Bronson, where his wife and daughter answer the door expecting a simple delivery from the supermarket that they were just at and instead they get a brutal gang that murders the wife and rapes the daughter. 

Similarly, in cases where women get pulled over, attacked, and raped by someone with flashing lights, siren, and even a fake uniform/badge–even as you believe you are obeying the law, others are taking advantage and fooling you.

As comforting as our beliefs are and perhaps even that we just want to believe–things often are not as they appear or what we want or expect them to be–what goes on behind the scenes and the spin that comes out in front are designed to intoxicate the masses. 😉

(Source Photo: here with attribution to Kristian Niemi)

A Dumb Dumb World

So I took this photo on the Metro in Washington, D.C.

One person is on their “smart” phone, and the other is reading a book called “Our Dumb World.”

This is a contrast supreme. and I was intrigued. 

I couldn’t exactly ask what the man was doing on his smartphone… but presumably email, texting, news, a video, maybe even some gaming.

The other person reading about the dumb world–what’s that all about?

So I looked this book up, and apparently the satarists at The Onion make some laughing-stock fun in their “fake” atlas of the world. 

So stupidity is out there every day…

But stupid isn’t the worst part of it…”stupid is as stupid does”– not sure you can blame someone for doing dumb things when they’re done innocently and by accident.  

But what is really bad is when dumb things are done with intent and malice–for power or to get what you want when you want it.

Leadership often treats the masses as the dumb people who can be fooled some, if not all, of the time. 

But people are smarter than you think, eventually seeing through the amalgam of lies, deceit, and spin–thrown at them through the old world media as well as in social media. 

That type of dumb becomes a foolish legacy–not a laughing matter. 

Real, ongoing passion and care for the people and the progress of our nation within the larger world context…we can see it in the eyes, hear it in the words, feel it in our bones–it’s tangible and it lifts us to achieve greatness.

Those things are smart–and what we need more of in the “real” world atlas. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Please Don’t Shoot Our Ally

So it is incredible how backward our current political situation is.

Get this…

When Israel was ready this past year to take out the Iran Nukes, who stopped them?

No, not the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

No, not any of the other Arab states or terror groups.

No, not Russia.

But rather, our President is reported to have threatened to literally “shoot down Israeli fighter jets” (those of our “Major Strategic Ally”) if they attempted to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

This at the same time that he is desperately seeking an agreement with Axis of Evil, Iran, who continues to threaten Israel and what Iran calls, “The Great Satan,” America. 

While these “negotiations” are going into the home stretch (with one extension after another)…

– Iran destroyed a mock Nimitz class U.S. aircraft carrier in a missile attack, just last week. 

– A senior Iranian cleric threatened our executive branch and vowed to “raise the flag of Islam over the White House.“

– In Iran,”Obama is being hung in effigy and the U.S. flag being burnt in Tehran.”

Are these the actions of a nation that the U.S. can trust to make an agreement with on nuclear weapons of mass destruction OR is this a deal with the devil?

As one Arab official stated: “We prefer a collapse of the diplomatic process to a bad deal.” 

Why is this administration turning on Israel and our Arab allies and desperately pursuing a deal, “making ever more concessions” to the ever dangerous Iranian regime. 

As Putin is alleged to have had Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov killed last week, one has to wonder what is going on in our own backyard here in America, with worse yet, purported threats to shoot at our ally Israel. 

G-d should give our leaders the wisdom to discern our allies from our foes, to treat them accordingly, and to secure a genuine peace with security. 

(Source Photo: here with attribution to Mike Licht)