"Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance."

Epicurius

"I am for truth, no matter who tells it. I am for justice...

...no matter who its for or against."  Malcolm X

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling ...

... but in rising every time we fall."  Confucius

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition...

...from mediocre minds."  Albert Einstein

A recent study showing that people who rely on FOX news for their
information were less informed and more often incorrect in answers,
was summarized by some as a "dumbing down" of this group of
people.  Perhaps it is because the network, dubbed "Faux News," is
constantly trying to label and divide people, and to foster opposition
or even hatred toward those who criticize American policies or want
an "equal piece of the pie" in American society.

History has shown that those people or nations who rely on force or
war to get their way and/or deal in the politics of exclusion rather
than inclusion, will reap the same back.  No amount of security can
ultimately stop the law of sowing and reaping. That is why our nation
needs to step back, admit its mistakes, give up its arrogance, and
realize that good will to all will bring good will in return. This is not
naive, wishful thinking. It is hard fact.

"Neither the approval nor the disapproval of any individual or group...

...makes any real difference in the quality of your life." Guy Finley

Governments are able to get away with censoring unpopular ideas and causes
by the yoke of conformity. The corporate media is used by the government to
make uninformed people believe they are "less of a citizen," "out of step,"
"weak," or even "bad" if they don't believe and follow what "the authorities"
tell them what they should see and do, or not see and not do.  These
"authorities" hold the hammer of rejection and punishment, not to mention
fear, over the heads of the millions of "sheep" citizens who are afraid "to
rock the boat."

Today, Tuesday, some astute citizens are greatly concerned that the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) will sell the American people out by
allowing a few corporate media giants to end internet neutrality by charging
fees to access present highly used free sites and to censor or block out
content that they don't like.  After exposure of Government misdeeds by
Wikileaks, citizens need to be concerned that the Government is hungry to
increasingly limit the ability of citizens to speak against it, and since most of
the critics are poor with little or no Congressional representation as it is,
burdensome fees and big corporate control of content would be a blatant
injustice.

"If you tremble indignation at every injustice...

...then you are a comrade of mine."  Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

How many politicians ... how many soldiers ... are legislating or fighting
because of their gut reaction of disgust and anger over the daily injustices
that billions of poor people in the world suffer every day?  Today it is
hard to find any.  The main motives for their actions seem to be revenge,
personal power or gain, nationalist superiority, or just plain blind
obedience. Where is the view that, just as there is an ecological
connection between all living things and the ongoing losses of some
species affects all species, so there is an inherent connection between
all human beings. Americans are constantly told it is "us" vs. "them,"
or even more arrogantly, it is "the good guys" (us) vs. "the bad guys"
(them).  We cannot kill and destroy others without it boomeranging
back to us, nor can we ignore, scoff at ... or cause ... injustice, without
it bringing dire consequences to us.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal...

...it is the courage to continue that counts."

Winston Churchill

The key, of course, is what we continue doing ... working for "liberty and
justice for all," or protecting the interests of the elite few by causing hardship
for the masses.