By Charles Toy We all have to open our eyes. We have to open our eyes now. There is very little time to waste before untold human suffering will unfold sooner than later. Consider this: On July 1st, 2015, Bernie Sanders, told a crown in Madison, Wisconsin that "The top one-tenth of 1 percent" of Americans "own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent." PolitiFact rated his statement as "Mostly True." It doesn't take a rocket scientists to see that this trajectory can't be sustained. Here's the bottom line for almost everything we do here. Whenever society passes laws to pick on or target the weak or the vulnerable, it is targeting the wrong people. They aren't the ones destroying this country, not even close. They're just easy targets. They have no voice. Sure, certain organizations do a great job of trying to advocate for them but it doesn't even put a dent in the overall problem. They are still scapegoated and blamed for most of society's problems. After all, "They're just lazy freeloaders who refuse to work!" It's easy for conservatives and right-wing "Christians" to sideline, marginalize, scapegoat and demonize the vulnerable (poor, gay, sick, immigrant, etc.) because the vulnerable don't have paid lobbies, legal representation, political representation, or spokespeople. They can't defend and position themselves like the super rich. Nothing like picking on the little guys, or as Jesus would put it, the least of these. Meanwhile it's the super rich who drain the economy dry, move their money to offshore tax havens and laugh all the way to the country club. Conservatives have Americans angry at the wrong people and it's a travesty of justice purchased with lies and brainwashing via the media they own. Follow the money folks, you'll figure out who's causing all the problems for Americans and it isn't the people you've been led to believe who have no voice. Why do you think we never hear about any of this in the media? It's because there are only a handful of media companies left in the world. They've all been bought up and consolidated by bigger media companies. Contrary to the propaganda conservatives repeat hundreds of times daily, the national media isn't "The Liberal Media." It's Corporate Media. Think about it. Are these massive media corporations who spend billions going to put out a liberal message? They report exactly they want you to hear, a positive spin on the corporate agenda. So what is the ordinary person to do? Corporate media isn't going to tell the truth. We have to take it upon ourselves to discern truth from lies and fluff. There are plenty of good sources out there, Chris Hedges is one of them. He writes for Truthdig.com. Google him. "Chris Hedges, whose column is published weekly on Truthdig, has written twelve books, including the New York Times best seller “Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt” (2012), which he co-authored with the cartoonist Joe Sacco. Some of his other books include “Death of the Liberal Class” (2010), “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle” (2009), “I Don’t Believe in Atheists” (2008) and the best selling “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America” (2008). His book “War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning” (2003) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. |
About TCL BlogWe’re not about Dogma here. We’re just Christians who think the political and Christian right-wing have their priorities wrong. Featured BloggersCharles Toy is the founding member of The Christian Left. We're sure you will enjoy his passion as well as his wit. Guest bloggers featured often.
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