philosophy

Guns, God, and Greed: From Chp. 2: God’s Children

The Leader sat and listened to religious and voting statistics, how the religious of the country needed a strong-man leader, how the government had stood in the way of God’s work, of the FOF, and how, if he followed their plan, he could bring about a new world order, one not tainted by heathen-ideas or ‘progressive’ thought. He sat and for once he listened. While the delegates from the FOF rambled he thought about God. He didn’t understand there God. He was their god, if they knew it or not.

Like guns, god is the ultimate fear and the answer, the salve to the fact of life that most do not want to face: we die. But god is more than that. Much like a gun, god mirrors that arrogance of mankind; god is an excuse and a hiding place; god is the ultimate ideal and as such an answer to all things.

God is not only the best of mankind but the ideal of all ideals, both virtuous and despicable. God is an old idea created by even older sages and philosophers. God is set and defined in thousands of ways, each according to the inventor. God ‘wants’, god ‘demands’, god ‘will punish’. God can do many things but one thing in particular that god lacks is empathy. You cannot have empathy with a gun in your hand. But you can feign empathy with god.

We can create a god and god is the best we can do. It is not wonder that we spend the greater part of our time killing one another and even the planet we live on. God is indeed the best that mankind is capable of and we are proud of our God.

In one sense these people were no different than him. It seemed to him that they wanted the same thing: to get rich. On the other hand, he didn’t hide it and they did. All of their talk about “God and Jesus” was, to him, just a ruse to justify their greed. The only difference was that he didn’t lie about it. In fact, he had four of the richest men in the world in his cabinet.

Guns, God, and Greed: From Chp. 2: The Plan

The Leader opened the large black, plastic binder and flipped through page after page of print.

“We know it’s a lot and so we also have a synopsis.”

The man nodded and one his assistants handed The Leader a small, white book. The Leader put the burdensome binder down and opened the book. On the first page was the title “DAY 1” and under the title were bullet-pointed orders.

“This synopsis has a one year, day by day, plan that if implemented can bring this country back to its original glory and greatness. Sir, this country has a manifest destiny to be the great country that it once was but we must act swiftly and succinctly in order to undermine the powers that have been working tirelessly against our destiny; your destiny, sir.”

The room was silent and the leader lay the book in his lap. He looked around at the faces staring at him.

“Well…” he began.

No one said anything.

“I know what’s in it for you. But…” he paused, “what’s in it for me?

Guns, God, Greed: From Chapter 2: God’s Plan

He hated sitting through the meetings with these bible-thumpers, not because they didn’t adore him, they did. He had bought some of their adoration. But because he couldn’t trust them. He couldn’t trust them because these people really believed what they said. For this reason they were dangerous to him as The Leader. He accepted them out of necessity. They were a business deal. They didn’t seem to understand that he didn’t answer to them, but he did. It was this that bothered him so much. And so, as they rambled on he acted interested.

“Sir. It is truly a sign that the end-times are here, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Sir you are in the service of God and Jesus Christ himself. We have worked hard in a world which is dead-set against the Lord’s followers. And now it will all change. The wicked shall weep, sir, and the Lord’s children will reap their righteous place in heaven. All because of you, sir, all because of you…”

The Leader sat soaking in the diatribes against modern society. He heard them but he didn’t listen to them. He found them pathetic and they didn’t seem to notice. This irritated him further. One after another leader spoke. The Catholics were worried about the abortion issue. The protestants were angry at the secularization of society. The Foundation for Our Father leaders, though, they had a plan. He was interested.

“Sir. We are from The Foundation for Our Father or ‘FOF’ for short.” The well-dressed, oddly calm man handed The Leader a large folder. It was very neat and organized.

“We at FOF have watched as this country has been overrun with secular ideologies and…let’s say ‘those without Christ’. And we have watched as our founding father’s intentions have been infested with so-called progressive thought that has no other intention but to undermine this country’s founding religion, Christianity. Sir, this country is sliding into an immoral, pluralistic ethic that has been weakening the very pillars of our democracy. Sir, what I’m trying to say is, that we have a plan that we have spent the past nine years working on and we believe we can win our country back. But we need your help.”

Guns, God, And Greed: From Chapter 1: Guns

His minions would always lower their heads and slink back to their slimy, dark corners. That’s where he like them best. He realized something that the rest of them didn’t. He was their weapon. Without them they were defenseless, useless. And he realized that a weapon is more than a tool to kill. It represented more than death. It was a principle.

Guns are mankind’s fears materialized. A gun can give a man the feeling of power but in reality a gun is a weakness. A gun will make a coward feel courageous. They are said to be a practical necessity but they create the impractical reality of violence.

A gun is far and beyond its grey, cold exterior, its butt-handle and reinforced barrel. It is more than its trigger assembly or its pin mechanism. A gun is the culmination of man’s imagination coupled with his weaknesses. It is a dangerous mechanism that brings man’s first enemy, death while the very same man argues that it is life-saving, security-making. A gun is the lowest commonality of man coupled with his gravest desires for power.

Although he had never held a gun in his hand he imagined that the feeling would be easily addictive. He imagined that it would feel good because deep down inside everyone knows what it is capable of; what it is made for. A gun is a hand-held atom bomb made by monkeys cowering behind rocks. He was always amazed at the ingenuity but was more amazed at humanity’s commitment to our own suicide. But he was willing to accept suicide as long as it paid.

“I am your weapon. I am their doom. Don’t ever forget that.” He reminded his minions, and paused before turning and walking out of the room.

He walked down the corridor to his room and turned on the T.V. where he would sit for the next four hours.

Guns, God, and Greed: From Chapter 1, The Leader

The speech began as all speeches that The Leader gave began. It began with cheers and waving red, white, and blue signs as he walked out on stage. American flags fluttered in a cloud of mob-mentality. The leader loved these times. His minions were always nervous because he never followed their meticulously written out speeches. He stood with a slight smile on his face and even though it was a blustery day his hair was as stiff as cardboard. The smile was not noticed by anyone. It was never noticed because it was almost not a smile, but just a slight upward tilt of one side of his flat, colorless lips. He was smiling because he knew this was where he shined: giving a show for the mud-eaters. But these were his people, his…“followers”; he had his group of followers in the palm of his hand. He began to speak.

“They say that we are delusional, wrong-headed, and that we wish for nothing more than more; that we are greedy. That’s what they say! They say that people like us come and go, that we come and go, that we wreak havoc on people, that we are self-promoting. That’s what they say. They say we are a scourge. But we have to remember that only some of that is true. I say that we live in a world as it is and to do so differently is insanity. I say that we do not come and go, but that we never leave. I say that we don’t ‘wreak havoc’ but we have accepted that only the strong survive and in today’s world (make no mistake about it), the strong are the rich.

We are not a scourge, we are the people. And I am your savior! We are not delusional, but are destined. I am your destiny! We don’t wishfully think, we act and we act without mercy because that my friends, that IS the world. And the world, if I’m not mistaken, belongs to us but it has been taken away from us by the weak. We have made it in our image and we can take it away from anyone who disagrees. That is who we are. We are gods of greed and greed is not just good: it is necessary.”

The crowd cheered loudly.

A Grinding Start

This is the start of writing about the future while watching the present roll to a grinding start. Over the horizon there are the hoards and behind them walking away is their leader. He, and they, will never be mine. The future is binary now. Stay here and fight or move away and be forced to watch. Actions cease to have impact.

We have landed where we land; it is what we do.

And while life will go on those majority will be forced (have forced themselves) to accept the unadulterated humanity that will now stand erect with pride; a pride that stems from rank ignorance and arrogance of being so.

They do not understand that it is they that cause history to repeat itself. And if they did they would call it progress. Now we must live in a world where we don’t belong. We have to watch as we sink back into the muck of evil and greed while the dazed and confused watch monkeys dance on the fire of their own destruction.

Don’t Be Fooled

America is not the America that most of us have been accustomed to. Christian Nationalism and Fascist ideas and propaganda are on the rise. Change rarely comes rapidly; it comes gradually. Don’t be a frog-in-the-frying-pan. Rely on reason and not propaganda, fear, and ignorance. Inform yourself against Project 2025 and Trump Republican legislations. Here are some ideas.

Don’t rely on wishful thinking. The world is the way the world is; accept it as it is, not as you would want it to be. Don’t lie to yourself or others.
Don’t fall for misinformation regardless of what ‘side’ you find it on.
Make a decision to leave or stay. Leaving has its own costs and benefits, but staying does as well. Be responsible for what you decide.
If you stay, join groups such as the ACLU, or other groups that are fighting for fair and charitable legislation and action. Joining a group strengthens the group and yourself.
Personal decisions make a difference. Do not support the billionaires that support Republican policies such as they are. Cancel Amazon, decide to use X and Facebook to disseminate true information, or simply quit using the services. Support small businesses, grow your own food.
Confront obvious lies and misinformation when you see it or hear it. Don’t let it slide. Be courteous but firm.
Help people that are under attack.
Have two exit plans: one long term and one short term.
Use time and energy to be as happy as you can be. This is important.
Don’t forget: you are not alone.

And So It Begins

Where is the hope in this? it is nothing new; it is no surprise, except one: that the past disappears so readily; that history is forgotten so happily. Sometimes it is as if our words do nothing but dissipate into space, bouncing off asteroids and nothing else.

The cycle of evil starts (yet again) with hope and hope is brought down like a giraffe by invading marauders. Then there will be a tiredness and those that can will ask the same question: “Why can’t we do better than this?!”

And then, they too begin to forget who we are at our core, and plans are made. Plans are made and belief is born, and evil is forgotten, and days are sunny. And so it begins: guns, god, and greed reborn, rise up wanting more and hopes are dashed by gluttony with a smile on its face.

The world has time but we don’t. And the world has time but we don’t.

The Inauguration

Today there is a funeral. There is no coffin and the grieving cannot attend but must stand to the side. The monsters stand over a body splayed out and naked. defenseless. And those that stand around it do so with the smirk of spite and the arrogance of ignorance.

More is now god-the endless striving where enough dies by the pitiless hand of a psychotic killer. Religion loses itself in its ecstasy and it adherents praise the death as a start to an end they have prayed for.

The fires are stoked and the greedy lick their lips. Evil is born with a secret smile on its face-yet again. And good, decency, and right lower their heads and watch as their tears evaporate in the heat as they drop to the ground.

The grieving hope but they realize that they cannot turn their heads from the reality of the gruesome scene as the monsters feast, drunk on blood, not hiding their toothy grins.

Ten Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power

Noam Chomsky: Requiem for the American Dream

Reduce Democracy (protect against public influence on policy)
Shape ideology (keep the young from believing in democracies)
Redesign the economy (more power to financial institutions)
Shift the burden (reduce tax burden away from the super-wealthy)
Attach solidarity (keep people separated and selfish)
Run the [governmental] regulators (businesses [financial institutions] control business regulation
Engineer elections (allow unlimited money into government)
Keep the rabble in line (disallow democratization of the public)
Manufacture consent (consumeristic society rather than a thoughtful public)
Marginalize the population (take political voice away from the general public)

Do not kid yourself. This is where the United States is at. No longer are we a nation to be proud of. Rather, we have joined the infamous dictators that we once turned away from.

Project 2025, Explained

The Armchair Philosopher

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