In attempting to understand American politics, it is wise to ignore received information – the stuff we are given by mainstream media. We tend to internalize it without question. It could be just fluff, or cover.

One aspect of the career of Barack Obama that simply does not fit with his beliefs and personality is a stint he did in Chicago in the 1980’s as a “community organizer.” It is plain to see from his record in the White House that he is neither a leftist nor an idealist. He is cagey, smart and secretive. What then was he up to?

There is so much mystery around this man that it is hard to know, but safe to assume, that he was doing something other than what we were told. During this time he formed relationships with Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Ayers and Dohrn bear the hallmarks of agents provocateur:

• Their activities in the 1960’s were widely publicized. Like another agent provocateur of that time, John Kerry, they were moved to the front of the line in media coverage of dissent.
• They became magnets for true radicals of the era.
• They led them it acts of violence, which discredited their movements.
• They faced minimal consequences for their behaviors, having charges dropped and jail sentences minimized.
• Most importantly, unlike so many other radicals of the era, they are still alive. Neither has been run over by a car.

The Rev. Wright seems a genuine man of great influence in the black community. Obama struck up a friendship with him that he described as almost familial.

From this sketchy beginning, I would venture forward on the theory that Obama was not a “community organizer,” per se, but rather a mole, or infiltrator. In this role he would follow in his mother’s footsteps, as she apparently did similar work in Indonesia in the 1960’s prior to the violent purges in that country that left hundreds of thousands dead.*

The US Government has long had an active interest in ground-level organizing in the black community. If there is ever to be an uprising in this land, it is there. So it is no coincidence that black leaders are routinely spied on, compromised, framed, jailed and murdered, and befriended by moles and infiltrators.

It’s all cursory at this time, of course. But all of the above, taken together with the intense secrecy surrounding Obama’s background, place of birth and education, his “community organizer” stint in Chicago smells bad. There is much to learn, much hidden from view. I operate now on one premise only, something I know to be true: Prior to our presidents being elected, they are selected.
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*Indonesia was a bloody massacre during the time that the one in Indochina occupied center stage. Perhaps due to restraints of troop commitments in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, the US relied on internal forces to murder 500,000 or more people there, and reform the country more to western liking. The CIA provided the lists, the Indonesian military, in Phoenix style, went about killing the people on that list.

I have often written here that if a person seriously undertakes and examination of the research done around the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963, that he or she will gain a better and deeper understanding of our country and how it is run. It is largely a criminal enterprise with department store windows masking the corruption.

We may never know who did shot poor old John, just as we do not know to this day the machinations and agents that brought about such events as the Reichstag fire, the blowing up of the Maine, the attack on the USS Liberty by Israel, Jonestown, the murders of Sadat, Benazir Bhutto, Milošević, David Kelly, Bruce Ivins … on and on.
Continue reading “Of worthy and unworthy” →

This part of Italy is called “Cinque Terre”, or five towns. They are primitive tourist towns near a national park with miles of hiking trails, part of the Italian Riviera on the west side of the peninsula.

We had some bad luck – there was a rail strike on Sunday, which delayed our arrival, and then rains the night before last which caused them to close all the trails. The hillsides can be very dangerous.

Consequently, we rode the train yesterday to the five towns, Rigamortis, Corningware, Motorola, Vernazza  and Monty Python. Those are not the real names (Vernazza, where we stayed, is the actual name), but that was the only way I could remember them.

Today we travel to Milan, and from there fly home tomorrow. It has been so much fun, but we’ve been gone so long. Italy is like a drug, with its climate and food and wine. The people are beautiful to look at and friendly. The place is affordable. unions are strong, and jobs like bus and train work, waiters and cooks are all held by Italians. There is no need for tipping, as the jobs pay well enough to support them, due to the unions. The trains run on time (when not on strike). The water is clean and fresh, the European coffee is a treat by itself. We don’t eat much, and locals don’t seem to either, so we don’t see too many overweight people (except Luca).

I hope you all have a chance to travel, as we have. We know we are fortunate souls.

Among the many ghastly offerings given us by PBS, America’s answer to how to stay uninformed and really, really not know it, is a guy named Rick Steves. He is to travel as Doris Kearns Goodwin is to history, all over it like the Rio Grande – a mile wide and one inch deep. His shows offer a brief glimpse of various places, most often in Europe. It’s all done with aging white people in mind, with excellent tips on how to pack (he sells a line of travel books and luggage).

My favorite scenes are those where he pretends to have walked a long staircase to a monument (more often restaurant), gasping for breath after having done the last five as the camera waits. The end of each show is outtakes, or bloopers. Goodness gracious, the humor.

Anyway, we are in Ljubljana, Slovenia, victims of Rick Steves. We bought it, and even rented a car to drive here.

Slovenia is a pretty place, Ljubljana (pronounced “all right Rick, you got us”) is a moderate large city that has awoken in the last 25 years to cars and western dress. At the center of it is an area where cars are not allowed, and which contains fancy clothing stores, restaurants, one of them damned cathedrals (a small one), and three bridges over Ljubljanica River (designed by a famous local architect – if you want to know more, consult Steves. He’s all over Giolvanni Picco.)

Not to be too hard on Ljubljana, a nice place, a bustling city with a long history and many nice things to see and do. But the concept of our trip here, to see the area at the City Center with its shops and restaurants, was Stevism, silliness, a mistake. It is like deciding to visit Colorado, and instead of spending time in the Rockies, spending your whole trip at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.

Today we are heading north, if we can find our way out of here. This is the first time we’ve rented a car while traveling abroad. It is a mixed bag … we have freedom, but not really. We are bound to roadways with thousands of other cars. We waited for long periods yesterday due to line painting crews at work, backing up traffic for miles. I think that is known as “the illusion of progress.” Steven Weinberg, the astrophysicist, mentioned this. He noted that it takes as long now to drive from one side of Manhattan Island to the other as it did in the old days of horse and buggies.

We’ll head up to Lake Bled, another Steves recommendation, and with that in mind, will drive by it without stopping. We are all caught up on modern dress and modes of dining. Ideally, we’ll wander through the less well-known parts of The Julian Alps and Northern Italy, stopping who knows where for the night.

One very favorable thing to report to anyone wanting to travel Europe: Once we got out of Switzerland, it got very affordable. Fifty euros will get you through a whole day, including meals. Lodging is cheap. Yesterday we stopped at a grocery store and bought two bottles of wine, crackers and vegetables, and the bill was nine euros (about $7 $11). The wine is not top-shelf, but for my palate, fine wine is overkill. I cannot distinguish between a Cabernet and a Chevrolet. And frankly, in this part of the world, bad wine is a rarity.

Sorry, no photos to show. Consult Steves.