When Bad Isn't Bad Enough (That's Bad,...) Part II

I'm trapped again. Reminded some things - especially on the surface - never change for long. We are now in a presidential election and, for the second in a row, the role of cults stand front and center - not that anyone else wants to broach the subject, or what it means, though it's meaning is clear:

We have no new political ideas and, even if we did, it doesn't matter because - as a people - we have lost the ability to make mature decisions.

The sad fact is, when it comes to science, you can have as much data to support your claim as you like, you can have it rigorously tested, repeated, peer-reviewed, published, referenced copiously and awarded a Nobel prize, you can do all this, but if a competing theory has any element of celebrity endorsement, that's the one most people are going to hear about. Even if it's scientifically ludicrous. Actually, especially if it's scientifically ludicrous. Just look at Power Balance wrist bands.

We are now merely a country without a clue - a nation of blind followers, trapped in an intellectual wasteland of our own making - and it's starting to appear, to me anyway, that's how it's always been. As adults, we've always been faced with choices - many times, both of them, horrible - but since we're lied to about the nature and the cost of those choices, like children, we gladly leave the truth of them to someone else. Our role is to throw tantrums - to, basically, go crazy.

   

Many seem to be angry at me, this time around, for not adding my thoughts to the partisan divide but, unfortunately for them, joining their cults isn't my thing. If voting means forever being locked into a Twilight Zone, where it's impossible to criticize politicians, especially those on "our side" - who we ought to be critical of because they, supposedly, represent our ourselves and our cause - then I had no place in the fiasco to begin with.

The problem with politicians engaging in unethical behavior is that they have the incentive from the voters to engage in it. Both the voters and the politicians they support are to blame. Unless voters and politicians have an incentive to not act slimy or support someone that does, this problem will exist.

While I have an interest in politics (some might say more than an interest) I am, ultimately, an artist. And my job is to comment on the world as I see it - not as others want me to - and the way I see it, both of the current candidates are empty vessels and carry waaay too much baggage. Both are more than "a few sandwiches short of a picnic." And both are liars. But, in a way, both are perfect representatives for their respective parties - their spouses included - because what we have today is a nation just like them.

"Ann Romney Not So Sympathetic When Talking About Taxes"

Liberal or conservative, Left and Right, everybody, and everything, sucks.

  Things are collapsing all around.

If no one is going to directly address that, or even allow it to be addressed - and this election will not - then I'll have nothing to do with any of it.

While the majority of workers surveyed (66 per cent) have been made to do some form of team-building activity, more than half (54 per cent) don't feel that doing more would help them work better with their colleagues.

It doesn't matter how prevalent a trend is, I know a con when I see one, and usually before my more unrealistic peers.

Barack Obama tells NASA if Curiosity finds Martians to ’Please let me know’

Sigh. What's the old saying? "Curiosity killed the cat"?

Fans of fantasy and sci-fi, or at least Mormon fans of fantasy and sci-fi, have often wondered why Mormon writers are so well represented in the genre. Some have said there’s something in our theology that sparks it; others say it’s just a coincidence—a few Mormon writers were successful writing fantasy and sci-fi, they trained others, and it became a trend. Some think Mormons aren’t overrepresented, just more open about their religious affiliation than other writers. And, of course, some smirk. Mormons believe in fairy tales, so why shouldn’t they be good at writing them?

We were told, when it was clear no one wanted him, the Mormon's nomination was "inevitable" - and, lo and behold, there he is. He isn't going to tell us anything about himself or his "church" - a position both are comfortable with - but, damn it, he (and they) want us to give him (and them) the job. Both sides are playing the same game.

“Romney took a big gamble with Ryan in two ways – in betting that Obama wouldn’t take the challenge for a substantive debate, and that voters will know the difference. A few days later, it’s clear that Romney won the first bet, and is at least ahead on the second."

The players are always intent on our never knowing anything more than there's a lie afoot - something we already know - and which, contrary to popular belief, isn't the same thing as bravely exploring what it is.

How thick is this jungle anyway? Pretty fucking thick.

Obama: I Don't Think Anyone Would Suggest I've Tried To Divide The Country

Good Lord. 

Narconon Not Scientology? 

Then Why Is Its Leader in the Church's Concentration Camp?

(A quick glide from the slide, and a statement on cults, their power, and our country: How is it possible, after WWII, that any American can openly talk of a cult having someone trapped in a concentration camp and A) even with three known current Scientology deaths, the authorities are doing nothing about this camp - not even an investigation - and B) the public isn't demanding they do so? It's simply mind-blowingly incredible,…actually, no it's not - back to my buzz:)

We were told to look at Ann Romney's HORSE, of all things, and some did - falling for the line a nag, that she didn't ride in the Olympics, was needed for her health - a perfect way to divert attention from her obsessions with the cult quackery that even her son, Josh, "trained" in,…whatever that means.

Craniosacral therapy (also called CST, also spelled Cranial Sacral bodywork or therapy) is an alternative medicine therapy used by physiotherapists, osteopaths, massage therapists, naturopaths, and chiropractors. It was developed in 1899 by William Garner Sutherland. 

A craniosacral therapy session involves the therapist placing their hands on the patient, which allows them to "tune into the craniosacral rhythm". Craniosacral therapists claim to treat mental stress, neck and back pain, migraines, TMJ Syndrome, and for chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia. 

A systematic review conducted in 1999 "did not find valid scientific evidence that craniosacral therapy provides a benefit to patients", noting that "[t]he available health outcome research consists of low grade of evidence derived from weak study designs" and "[a]dverse events have been reported in head-injured patients following craniosacral therapy." Craniosacral therapy has been characterized as pseudoscientific and as lacking a biologically plausible mechanism and diagnostic reliability.

1899/1999 - who cares? We're now told to see Paul Ryan as a straight shooter - by none other than Rush I-sell-homeopathic-preparations Limbaugh - when Ryan's lied about his fascination with Ayn Rand, squirming to keep his credibility in place, after years of making everyone in his office read the cult leader's books.

Ayn Rand And The Invincible Cult Of Selfishness On The American Right

Oh yes, Paul Ryan's an excellent choice - one might even say "inevitable" - for Mitt Romney. Didn't I always tell you cultists WILL work together? With my background, nobody's fooling me.

Currently, even for the sake of the country, it's not allowed for anyone on the conservative side to say anything negative about Mitt Romney. You know, all that stuff we used to stay about him being a liar ("Flip-Flopper") not a real conservative (a squish) a robot ("can't connect with real Americans") and so on. No, today you're restricted to waving your placard, keeping your mouth shut, and going along with whatever bullshit your masters declare is the right thing to say. The herd mentality RULES!

And, though they will for nonsense, the people of this country have put up no fight. Considering the state of the media, there's nothing to fight over but nonsense.

8 Lies It's Surprisingly Easy to Tell as a Health Reporter

Sure, Romney's "successful" running of the 2002 Olympics (which included Mormon-backed bribery and doping scandals) was funded by a multi-level marketing company that's scammed families and individuals out of millions, along with his own supplement company that's still doing the same thing, but what the hell - that's business experience!

Like other MLM firms that advertise financial independence in uncertain times, Nu Skin's stock price has skyrocketed, increasing from $9 in March 2009 to $54 this past March. Last year it posted a record $1.7 billion in revenue. And Nu Skin has accomplished this despite a controversial history of regulatory actions and lawsuits that have alleged it is little more than a pyramid scheme—a company whose primary customer base is its growing galaxy of distributors. 

With Nu Skin's growth has come significant political influence, particularly in Utah. As governor, Jon Huntsman brought company executives on a trade mission to China, where Nu Skin has been eager to gain a foothold. 

Nu Skin also has key supporters in Congress, including Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. Where Nu Skin was once the target of federal investigations, last year Hatch invited its top lawyer to testify before Congress on trade policy. The company's former spokesman, Jason Chaffetz, is now a Utah congressman. "These are good companies to have in Utah," he told the Salt Lake Tribune in October. And then there's Mitt Romney, whose ties to Nu Skin and other MLM companies have yielded a torrent of campaign cash to fuel his presidential bid.

Consider that, plus Romney's Bain Capital-funded supplement business for too long and, boy, you couldn't have picked a better modern day con artist, in the Joseph Smith mode, if you'd tried. Why, Romney's practically Oprah at this point - peddling "The Secret" before endorsing Barack Obama - he's just cut out the middle man.

Hungary Far-Right Leader Discovers Jewish Roots

Brilliant. Go on, you liars, you know you want to spin that as another symbol of how somebody's good with money. Have at it.

To many Americans, Mormon theology seems an impenetrable stew of biblical literalism, weird relics and a supernaturalism so aggressive as to border on science fiction, stirred together by a parade of shady self-declared prophets, from the frontier polygamist Joseph Smith to the complacent, dark-suited elders who run the church today. "Plutocratic oligarchs," Harold Bloom labeled them: men (all men; women are barred from participation in the Mormon priesthood) either cynically manipulating the religion for personal gain or themselves taken in.

What you can't tell me - or anyone else - is what Romney (or anyone else) stands for, beyond gaining power over others and making money. Hell, he's been running for president 6 years now and the only things he's clearly articulated are "vote for me" and Jesus will return to Missouri. Sorry, Charley, but no-can-do.

And I've been saying it about the other guy's grasp on craziness, too, for the last four years.

Obama: Oprah helped make me president

War is Hell,...