The safety of our families should be balanced with the convenience of internet services
Ideology, not just buzz words, should be understood and examined.
The causes of turmoil, frustration, chaos and uncertainty should be discussed openly

Full disclosure, here are my some biases I'm aware of.

Democracy is better than Dictatorship

People are more important than opinion

Curiosity is better than Judgement

Democracy is better than any other form of dictatorship. I'm willing to fight for it.
humor = rhetoric
unsubstantiated inference = logical fallacy
contrast effect = cognitive bias

If it ever happens in The United States (which it won't because It Can't Happen Here )
[denying you're saying something while you're saying it = rhetoric]

So, no more in line rhetorical analysis. it obviously gets in the way. That kind of thing can be done in a folding box at the bottom - if I ever get around to doing it.

...dictatorship will have the trappings and appearance of traditional American culture. Why? Because this is America. Did you think armies of true believers following a power hungry manipulator would dress up in brown shirts or fur hats?

But I tell you this... it will look like a sci-fi movie. And like the backstory to a futuristic movie, it will reshape the world and destroy the best of it. Unless we can have a normal conversations and start to understand each other, it will be sooners that later. First order of business. Decide if you want to destroy the best of the world. If you are praying for Armageddon because things aren't going your way or the world is all evil - or whatever; there is a special part of the site just for you. The spirits will help you find it. In real life. By "you" I mean Americans, because Americans somehow forged a United States. They can recover goodness. They can rise to face down seemingly impossible challenges. They can recover pride in a united states that was a beacon of hope to the world. A country where people discussed differences and forged a greater strength because they compromised small opinions for a greater good.

Now - today - authoritarian thinking (and government) is on the rise in the west. Six out of ten people in the U.S. don't feel democracy is necessary. Something is dividing a once proud United States. The common language of liberty and freedom has been lost. Brother has risen against brother. Like Cain and Able, like Jacob and Essau. Listening to voices, I hear fear behind a curtain of anger. I hear word of divisive incantations, I watch gestures conjuring heartfelt rage, wolves sniffing out imagined betrayals. Don't let them reinterpret what you can plainly sense. That smell is the stench of chaos that dictators feed on. If there is a conspiracy, it is a conspiracy to divide, to conquer, to foster animosity and distrust, to hold us under water until we beg for air. If they grab the power they crave, you and your children will not se the end of it. Then... any stinky air will do. And they will say, "thank you sir may I have another."

TO THE CHILDREN

You might think... "If people are as bad as I'm hearing when mommy and daddy say, "the neighbors are fools," or "the neighbors are of the devil," then all this fuss really doesn't matter does it? Why should I even bother with this next dictator person thing. Life is short, people are mean and stupid. We should all be having FUN playing Call Of Duty."

And the answer would be: "Because you are the good guys. You will be the resistance. You will wake from teh dreams of your parents passed you. The trouble is before you now, right here, IRL, Meatspace. The sooner you decide you don't want to be a pawn, be trained by a machine to fight battles you did not choose - the better. The sooner the better. Pay attention, choose your own duty. Follow a call of curiosity or follow a call of certainty - stamp it on your forehead like the revelation beast. It might not involve violent computer games where practicing killing and blowing things up are rewarded... who would help you lower yourself to the most base instincts of the animal you are. What about your angel? You become what you practice. Nobody ever told you? Someone just did. I'm telling you right now. You will do tomorrow what you practice today. Now you know. What will you practice? Jesus asked us to practice peace. To learn war no more.

Pretend violence is not the mission you chose. This was a suggestion made to you. A fun path when compared to all the other boring ones. You were dropped in front of the wide path to the candied witch house where the violent witch prepared a cage and wasting hunger for you. Brave Hansel don't go! Beautiful Gretel don't you let him go on the sweet road wickedness. Warn him. Misery and humiliation are waiting there with no fairy tale ending.

It is no great human achievement to refine the ancient animal instinct for violence. But fear not, some adults wish to guide you away from irresponsible destruction. They are hard to find. They are not the ones who talk a good game, but feed you candy. They might not look like the ones pictured here, but in small and big ways - they act like those monsters. How do monsters act? They manipulate people. You can learn to spot their tricks by reading about the masters pictured above. Some of these people are still alive and doing just what they please. Aside from the one with the silly mustache (who is dead) how many can you name? Do you know what each did? Do you know what is common to all these dictators? You should learn. They all share common characteristics all people of good faith can agree on. Do you know what they will do if they keep building candy houses in America? They are wolves in sheep clothing. You need to learn how to recognize them.

TO THE OTHERS

We will make and keep a promise to our children. We will care for our children. All of our children. We will soften our hearts and bring them together. We will stop treating good people as enemies. We will not teach our children to fear our neighbors. We will not be irresponsible nor destructive. The real enemy is at the gate. We will not let them in. We will remember what freedom means. If we've lost ability to speak a common language of liberty / freedom, we will win it back. We will honor the men and women who waited for it. We will honor the men and women who saw it arrive, who allowed themselves to be washed, who followed trust from east to west. We will fight for a future without fear and hatred. For all men. Not just the ones in your church. Not just the ones in your bike club, in your playhouse.

Some people will say everything's just fine - don't worry.
Some people will say it's worthless to hope for a better future.
SOME PEOPLE LIE
some leave it to someone else to solve the problems
people that hide are cowards
some people worship their own opinions

LEFT RIGHT

This the images in the video were NOT released with Put Our Hearts Together on Trouble With Normal by Bruce Cockburn; True North Records.
This artistic mashup added images of an overtly political nature that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this site (me. I've actually never given it much thought and am not going to start now. ) nor do they necessarily represent the opinions The Real Bruce. I'd ask him if he wasn't so busy with his own stuff. You can ask him if you really need to.

The following music and lyric contained therein; do represent the opinions of this website and likely the author of the afore-mentioned and after-played music. We might agree it's a pretty good song and even apropos to the context. I think he'd be down with it and I'd ask him if he wasn't so busy with his own stuff. You can ask him if you really need to.

... any case, it's a cool song and don't be a jerk and get my lawyer involved - she's very very good. You've been warned. Just try to enjoy the music, will ya? Swipe left if you don't like the groove (everybody else really loves it in case you were wondering).