Oligarchy n., pl. -chies 1. a. Government by a few, esp. by a small faction of persons or families... 2. A state governed by oligarchy.-The “American Heritage Dictionary” (Second College Edition).
“Civilizations in decline are consistently characterized by a tendency towards standardization and uniformity.” - Arnold Toynbee
“...the Party taught that the proles were natural
inferiors who must be kept in subjection, like
animals, by the application of a few simple rules...
Heavy physical work, the care of home and children,
petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer,
and, above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their
minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.” - From 1984
Opening Salvo No. 1: America is a house of cards which has been moved from its original bedrock foundation and placed over a marshy bog, a bog filled with the debris of a dubious financial policy; a destructive military policy; divisive factions; a demeaning culture; deleterious demagogues...ALL of which have contributed to a dumbed down and mortally dependent citizenry.
Opening Salvo No. 2: I get it: You can’t get your head around the concept of the American Oligarchy. Americans have long been indoctrinated with the idea that It can’t happen here. The definition of IT being anything which interferes with the standard indoctrination of what the American Oligarchy wants you to believe America IS. You, dear citizen prole, are the end product of a corporate state, which is being run by the State. Thus you continue to scarf down the ideological-mass marketing gruel ladled out to you by the status quo, which is the very image of America the American Oligarchy wishes you to have: Mom, apple pie; righteous military incursions; steroid-free baseball; bailout bonanzas; clunker-free Detroit auto industry; shovel-ready prosperity; sea-to-shining-sea fields of amber grain & frosted beer mug imagery; Old Glory snapping in a stiff breeze; Lady Liberty glinting in a New York Harbor sun...yadda, yadda, yadda...
American Oligarchy nutshell: Still don’t get it? Okay, then here in a nutshell is how the American Oligarchy works. Think Bill and Hill Clinton; think George “Dubya” Bush; think current President Obama. With me?
Bill and Hill. The biggest team of political grifters in American political history. Remember all the scandals; the demagoguery, pro and con; the lives lost and the lives ruined, both foreign and domestic; the money wasted; the corruption; the general yadda yadda?
George “Dubya.” The remorseless bobblehead and tool of the neocons. Remember all the scandals; the two inane and obscene wars; the demagoguery, pro and con; the lives lost, foreign and domestic; the money wasted; the corruption; the general yadda yadda?
President Obama. The supercilious intellectual. Remember all the scandals; the two inane and obscene wars; the demagoguery, pro and con; the lives lost, foreign and domestic; the money wasted; the corruption; the general yadda yadda?
What’s your point? Billary, “Dubya,” and soon Obama are all raking it in (or soon shall be), and none shall be held accountable. They will walk and never require a plea deal. Such is the American Oligarchy, for regardless of what level an oligarch is on, the odds are overwhelming that they shall walk, with their pockets full and their prospects bright.
Foolish Americans don’t realize how quickly their rights and freedoms are being stolen, how quickly they are being locked down. History illustrates the precedent for countries quickly being locked down. ALL of history’s empires have disappeared, but before they collapsed they rotted from within. Say goodbye to your former American Republic and say hello to
your cynical and insidious American Oligarchy [
Note: At the end of this piece I list the primary blocs of the American Oligarchy and the function each serves.].
A coworker recently asked if I thought Americans were
deliberately being kept stupid by our government. I had to laugh as I have known others who have held this view (And, no, it does not suggest lunacy or paranoia to believe Americans are being manipulated to no good end. After all, conspiracies do in fact exist, and as noted even
paranoids have enemies.). But the
status quo, will always seek to ridicule and marginalize anyone who speaks out, or refuses to be quiet, regardless of how democratic a society may pretend to be. Unfortunately, everyone who questions the Oligarchy tends to be thrown into the same stew pot as the paranoids, kooks and loons. And paranoids, kooks and loons exist in greater number today as they are encouraged by our mass communications and the Internet and all which it has spawned.
When considering the American Oligarchy one must not factor in political parties (Democrat v. Republican); religion; race; gender...in short, any of the usual suspects. Why? Because the American Oligarchy is solely about acquiring and expanding power, influence, and money-YOUR money. And then retaining this power, influence and money in a tight orbit around a fluid-albeit ultimately incestuous-center.
That said, consider a few basic truths of the American Oligarchy: 1- America is no longer a Republic, let alone a constitutional Republic, operating on the premise of
federalism, 2- The U.S. Constitution and the concept of federalism has been swamped by our ever-growing, ever-encroaching Massive Centralized Government, 3- Americans are indeed being locked down, dumbed down and FATed up, and in a most cynical and insidious manner, 4- Our high standard of living and technology are not antidotes to tyranny, because...5- Human nature, being a constant, allows for
authoritarian and
totalitarian personalities-intolerant personalities who aspire to dominate and control, 6- And as our government bloc becomes ever more massive and layered, those aforementioned authoritarian personalities are working toward implementing new avenues and methods, what James Madison called
plans of oppression.
By what methods does government control its citizenry?
Totalitarian and authoritarian states first disarm their citizens, then subject them to bureaucratic rote and police state policies (Cuba, North Korea, Iran...). Free speech is nonexistent. Today, North Korea is the worst case state scenario. It is Oceania come to life: Cult of the supreme leader; police state policies in spades; no freedoms; no religion save for the State; little food; no armed citizenry...well, you get the idea. Throughout history there have existed scores of tyrannical states. They are never ending.
Theocracies control their citizens by means of the machinery of organized religion (Iraq, Iran, Taliban).
Tribal societies are controlled by a tribal hierarchy, or whichever warlord is currently Number One (Afghanistan, anyone?).
The
original American Republic (1776-1939) was an antidote to the centuries of historical tyranny, and was formed on a
compact between those who governed and the governed. Sadly, the original American Republic began to expire in the 1930’s, gradually being replaced by the American Oligarchy, a collection of individuals, organizations, institutions-the vested
status quo, if you will. America no longer has a
federal form of government, and really no longer has a
representative form of government, unless one has the
juice to either buy or command representation. Major lobbyists have purchased access to We the People’s alleged reps (And even the reps themselves), thus are able to craft and write their own legislation, then go onto the floor of the Congress to see that it is passed.
Nikita Khrushchev, General Secretary of the Communist Party (1953-1964) and head of the late and unlamented Soviet Union once famously told a group of Western diplomats, “Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.” The American Oligarchy has succeeded where the Nazis and the Soviets failed-It has buried u.s.
The Squabblies: General notes on oligarchy.
Basically, an oligarchy constitutes rule by a small group of individuals. Oligarchy was a form of government warned against by the ancient Greeks, and by the Framers of the original American Republic. Today, America is a country of over 300 million people. Generously defined, the American Oligarchy is roughly twenty-five thousand individuals who represent the status quo Elites who hold power. If you still don’t get it, think of the American Oligarchy as a privileged family of wealth, power and influence-call them the Squabblies. They are a family. They do not all get along with one another, but they are a family. There are skeletons in the family closet, there is incest, but they are still a family when all is said and done.
Within George Orwell’s 1984, which was written as a
warning of what could happen to a free society, were references to a fictitious book entitled “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein, who was the subject of the novel’s Two Minutes Hate event. And
oligarchical collectivism is precisely what governs America today, as the American Oligarchy has collectivized political and financial power. And this power is collectivized
regardless of what party is in power or who occupies the White House: Clinton + Bush + Obama = Bubba O’Bush
Robert Michels (d. 1936) was born in Germany, but eventually became an Italian citizen. Michels’ “Iron Law of Oligarchy” theory was contained in his masterwork “Political Parties: A Sociological Study of Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy.” This theory states that over time modern democratic states inevitably became “rigid and illiberal” oligarchies.
What is and when did the American Oligarchy begin?
The American Oligarchy began its earnest ascent to power under the presidency of F.D.R. And each succeeding President has contributed to the rise of the American Oligarchy and at the cost of our We the People’s freedom and power.
How does the American Oligarchy operate?
The American Oligarchy operates by various means:
1.- It plays We the People for suckers by using the language and the imagery of the late American Republic and the ideal that was America, 2.- It creates phony domestic and foreign wars, which are based on jingoism, phony patriotism and phony nationalism; 3.- It keeps us dependent on the government apparatus-bailouts, economic stimuli, etc.
4.- It keeps us distracted with drivel. While you loll about watching the latest celebrity drivel the American Oligarchy is busy dumbing you down and locking you down; 5.- The primary goal of the American Oligarchy is to keep its citizens preoccupied with both bureaucratic rote and nonsense. Both the Left and Right wings of the American Oligarchy distract you with phony news issues, such as the Gates-Crowley nonsense, the birther nonsense, the tea party nonsense...And whilst you are distracted by political prattle talk, arguments over political parties, and debates of capitalism v. socialism v. fascism...
Our Massive Central Government has led to myriad
other problems: Home foreclosures; bank failures; suspect financial policies; a wobbly stock market; bankruptcies; layoffs and unemployment; Ponzi schemes; K Street lobby scandals; ruinous foreign and domestic wars; ill-conceived bailouts and stimulus packages...All these troubles are the result, directly or otherwise, of the unchecked growth, the mismanagement, the non-management, or the waste and corruption inherent in America’s Massive Central Government, which is like the individual who clandestinely starts a house fire, saves the occupants, then seeks to claim hero status. Consider how quickly government has successfully weaned millions of Americans
off the concept of
self-sufficiency and onto a steady diet of
government dependency, as government is now into every aspect of our lives. And We the People’s objections grow
weaker as government grows
stronger.
American government on
all levels has become so pervasive, meddlesome and entrenched, a web so densely woven that it has ensnared all citizens. And most insidious of all, so many Americans now owe their
livelihood to government-either through direct employment, contracts with, or government action which allows access to employment-it has become nearly impossible to layoff or, heaven forbid, eliminate
government jobs (Question: How many government/public sector jobs have been cut as opposed to private sector workers?).
Other methods and ruses government uses to control and distract the citizenry are relentless bureaucracy and paperwork; show trials/hearings (The February 2009 summoning of bank CEO’s by Congress was a joke, as
both groups are members of the American Oligarchy); by allowing the
rule of law to become the
tyranny of regulation, by swamping the citizenry in a never-ending wave of statistics, poll numbers and mind boggling bureaucratic language [
Example: “(2) Section 422 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6872) (as amended by Section 411 (a) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (121 stat 1600) is amended by striking 1 of the 2 periods at the end of paragraph (5).” - From “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009” (aka Waxman-Markey; Climate Control).].
“For a moment they were both tugging, and then the handle came off [the saucepan]. Winston watched them disgustedly. And yet, just for a moment, what almost frightening power had sounded in that cry from only a few hundred throats! Why was it that they could never shout like that about anything that mattered?” - From 1984 by George Orwell.
Dumbed down citizens = Easily controlled citizens
The above quote from 1984 has to do with the protagonist, Winston Smith, coming upon a group of prole women fighting over cheap saucepans in the market. Today’s Americans que up to trample one another for the opportunity to grab up cheap, foreign-produced goods. But in addition to being sold on 24/7 consumerism of material goods, Americans are daily slopped with prolefeed.
Who and what does the American Oligarchy comprise?
Again, the American Oligarchy is not concerned with political parties; -isms; religions; race; gender...in short, with any of the conventional aspects you have been taught matters. The American Oligarchy is strictly about the collectivization of power and wealth around a minimally fluid center. Thus, for your edification, I present to you a listing of the American Oligarchy’s Blocs, which as with Lego pieces, can be linked in altered fashions. The blocs are listed in order of their importance to the American Oligarchy.
Government/political apparatus bloc. This is the primary building bloc, as it comprises the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. In addition, this bloc wields influence over all other blocs in one manner or another. Too, this bloc comprises the massive government bureaucracy, which is used as a cudgel against the citizenry.
Function: The controller.
Education, Inc. bloc. The education, Inc. bloc is for all intents and purposes controlled by the first bloc, but should not be. This bloc is an expensive mess, run by educrats. The waste is monumental, as is the inefficiency. Function: Serves the purpose of keeping the citizenry indoctrinated and dumbed down. Dumbing down through omission.
PC Bloc. That’s political correctness to you, poindexter. Political correctness is being pushed on the citizenry by several blocs. But wait! Who decides what is politically correct? Do we have a PC czar? Was there a PC referendum I missed? Is there a PC Star Chamber?
Function: PC/diversity drivel serves to further lockdown any opposition, at least the extent of opposition.
Lobbyist bloc. You have to ask? The corrupt, legally-ordained lobby bloc is allowed access based on how much it is willing to spend. Function: The bagman, as it were, for the political apparatus and its dealings with other areas of the Oligarchy.
Corporate bloc. The second largest bureaucracy next to the primary government bureaucracy. Function: Serves several functions: Money supplier, straw man victim.
Financial Finagler bloc. Where ya been? Have you followed our latest financial mess: toxic assets; worthless mortgages and commercial paper; bailouts; bonuses, ad nauseam...This bloc is the money-moving, wheeler-dealer bloc.
Function: Supplies money, moves money, hides money, Ponzi schemes money...collects massive bonuses...
Military-Industrial bloc. President Eisenhower warned against this bloc lo these many years ago in his Farewell Address. Function: Validates the government-corporate war industry.
Marketing industry bloc. The Mass Marketing bloc is large and powerful, and serves, after a fashion, as sort of a reeducation camp.
Function: Keeps the American Dream hype alive, targets the demographics, creates markets. Keeps the people distracted with the wanting and the obtaining of material goods-Material hunger, the IT of the Now.
Media-Entertainment (aka infotainment) bloc. This bloc comprises both our media and our entertainment companies (Aren’t they the same?) Function: Keeps the citizenry distracted as it dumbs it down by supplying watered down news, manufactured news, silly news, celebrity news, sophomoric entertainment...What Orwell called prolefeed, but you can just call slop.
Demagogue Demimonde bloc. This vile, penny-ante bloc operates as the media’s version of the carnival penny arcade, as it comprises the radio demagogues and TV pundits-Left and Right-who daily rant and play to their particular bases.
Function: Distraction, as it keeps the country faction-ridden and perpetually riled up with lies and irresponsible plays to emotion.
Legal bloc. The Rule of Law in America is being superseded by the Tyranny of Regulation. Function: Serves to validate the actions of the American Oligarchy.
Mental bloc. Psychiatrists and psychologists have gained much power, and are kowtowed to and constantly hyped, most especially through the Media-Entertainment bloc, as seemingly every show either features or introduces a psychiatrist, who is portrayed as either kind or brilliant or funny or insightful or all-knowing or sexy...
Function: Psychobabble erodes self-dependency and self-confidence of the citizenry.
“I like bats much better than bureaucrats. I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of “Admin.” The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime” that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern.” - C.S. Lewis
