Come On, Now

The other day I'd found myself in a conversation concerning experts. Those who know me are well aware of my lack of respect for so called authority. This isn't from any foundation of ignorance. It's from both experience & study. Really, I've cracked a few books, in my time, on any number of subjects.

Like a growing percentage of people all over the world, I was born with a genetic disease.

Horror!

In my case, it's more an annoyance than it is debilitating. Don't ask me the name of this disease, the doctor -- another expert -- apart from his egotistic explanation, had told me that the damage caused by this disease was so advanced that it was a miracle I could even walk. He'd even gone on to inform me that in the not too distant future, I would be faced with complete joint replacement surgery or to live out my life in a wheel chair.

This was nearly thirty years ago, & I'm still ambulatory.

Sure, I have to refrain from running; I probably shouldn't go hiking; I have to stay away from too many flights of steps, & I have to stop every half mile to a mile because now one of my hip joints experiences trouble, & the pain can be a problem. Not really a problem for me, though.  This is a good excuse to sit down & have a smoke. I expect I'll have another thirty to fifty years during which I'll still be walking -- just a little more slowly.

Growing up -- & still, on occasion -- I'd experienced periods of rather painful, ugly eruptions of eczema. For those who don't know, this is a skin disorder, which -- for me -- is related to my joint trouble. In any case, I'd gone to doctor after doctor. Each one knew the cause. Of course, each previous doctor was wrong in their prognosis, but the new ones had to be right. The hell they'd put me through was worse than the pain I've experienced due to the connective tissue in my joints deteriorating -- leaving the nerves not just intact, but exposed. That's where the pain comes from.

Anyway, while my mother was at pains to not contradict the prevailing beliefs of the day, to just take what some authority said as the truth -- even if another authority was wrong, I was much more attracted to the idea of questioning authority. Come on, even a kid can be smart enough to recognize contradiction.

I wonder what I would have become had either of my parents ever said to me the words, "Do as I say, not as I do."

So, the other day, I'm in conversation with my cousin on the subject of studies. You know, "Studies show..." this, or "Studies prove..." that. Experts again. Experts want us to believe all sorts of things which often later prove false. I think I'd mentioned the fallacy of the great cholesterol studies which nearly succeeded in destroying the egg industry in the US. Turned out that a new study found that there are two -- count 'em -- two kinds of cholesterol & eggs are A-OK.

What should be bothering you isn't just the fact that we have to question the agenda of those performing the study, or even the agenda of those funding the study, but that no one takes any responsibility. How many workers lost their jobs &, subsequently, how many children went hungry because the original study claimed that eggs were evil? How many businesses had either gone out of business or had to scramble to reposition themselves to remain in business?

Did those who'd performed the first study apologize? No. Did those who learned that eggs were not the problem point out that sometimes experts are wrong? Of course not. Why? Money. People would be sued if anyone were to take any responsibility. We can't have that. The rich must remain the rich.

Now, I watch a lot of documentaries. Granted, a good number of them are composed of subjects either the government or corporations or just the super rich spend a great deal of money to discredit. And a number of docs are really not very authoritative.

I can usually see past the misinformation, or the "holes" in their reporting.

This isn't exactly what I'm writing about today, though. What has come to my attention is something missing. This something missing is an incredibly important part of a puzzle, but no one really wants to talk about it. It's been touched upon by a few docs I've seen -- normally by way of an economist or historian clouding it in the complicated language of either finance or maritime law -- but no one wants to really explain it.

It all has to do with the immense shroud surrounding the Federal Reserve System. I've already discussed, elsewhere, that this is a sham perpetrated upon us -- the middle classes & the poor. I've even mentioned the body responsible for collecting the money to pay the super rich (look for where I mention the Queen of England) the interest on funds they'd never even granted our government as loans.

OK. So, even I have written round the whole thing without stating it all clearly. Well, I'm no expert. How am I to suggest authority on the subject? Besides, it really is immense & seemingly convoluted.

Here I was, wondering why only some of the pieces of the puzzle are explained in detail, while a few are either obscured, or neglected entirely? After all, if I can figure all this out with what info is out there, anyone can.

Clearly, the reason for it is in the power of those who hold the strings. I've been bitching about corporations, governments & politicians for years, but I see it, now. As I'd recently written, politicians -- & the US Government -- are pawns. That's right. Yes, politicians are corrupt -- & our esteemed Supreme Court has now lit the passages of this corruption by making it legal for our politicians to be paid directly by corporations.

Wouldn't it be lovely to see this sponsorship displayed as it is in sports? Most people think nothing of advertising some idiot corporation's logo on their clothing without payment. Why shouldn't our politicians now wear on their suits the logos of their corporate sponsorship?

Of course, this won't happen because they want to appear to be their own person -- not the stooge of the corporations who have bought & sold our politicians for generations.

And you -- or I, anyway -- have to wonder why I can't fly in the US without being given a ticket which indicates that I have to go through a more thorough security inspection than other passengers. I don't have the slightest interest in misogynist religious beliefs, I don't hang out with political activists, I don't even subscribe to questionable political publications.

I'm just a loud-mouthed writer & artist trying to figure out who's responsible.

Uh-oh! I publish what might lead to sedition. Oooh! But I'm only watched. I'm not a threat. Why? Because so few even read my stuff! Woe is me should I ever attain any level of notoriety -- fame is very unlikely. I sometimes wish I would attain such, if only to gain respect among the foreigners among whom I one day hope to live.

What's my point? Connect the dots, folks. Don't leave me alone out here.