I believe it’s the politicians we elect who have failed us, not “America”.
The arrogance of these people (on BOTH sides) is stunning and insufferable!
Every one of the things on your wish list is exactly what we the people deserve.
Even the decent person with honorable intentions who enters politics, is so quickly corrupted by money and influence. I wish I had some answers on how to fix that as an average citizen. Vote the crooks out? Another crew just comes in slides into the ‘system’.
I just watched Heather Cox Richardson’s Politics Chat April9, 2024 on YouTube. She explains from an historical point of view, how we got here. Everyone should see it. Totally supports your premise, Michael.
I know there are systems and influential billionaires but the stinginess and cruelty I have felt is are always from people nearest and more like us. Americans are cruel, uncaring and hypocritical. We allowed our school systems to go to crap because we only care about our kids. I used to be on a PTO and I will never forget the Karen’s who made sure that only their kids benefitted from their work. How many Karen’s do we have to see trying to prevent kids in the neighborhood using the neighborhood pool. Every progressive movement only succeeded because they were never put on a ballot. Civil Rights, Woman Rights, Gay Rights, Disability Rights, even help for the poor…. If we put any of these items on a ballot, they would fail miserably. The recent pro choice wins are exceptions but that’s only because it now affects them. If it were about the poor and slutty ladies, we’d let them die and go to jail.
And lastly, men really need to look at why 70% of divorces are instigated by women. Why there are so many lonely men. Why men aren’t doing well .. and it cannot be that women who don’t run these larger systems are the fault. Women may not be able to avoid the larger systems but we can avoid the cruelty of the American household. Men groups always try to sell reinforcing the patriarchy as a way to better our families. But a lot of women would rather be alone and childless than to put up with a single male.
That said, I feel very tired of talking about anything OTHER than UAP.
Why? It’s - without a doubt - the most transformative path forward.
Consider for a moment...you’ve got people of the intellectual caliber of Dr. Kevin Knuth...detailing the Nimitz "tic tac" craft of 2004…specifically illustrating in basic scientific terms (and available data) how this anomalous cylindrical craft somehow expressed 10x the power output of our country’s nuclear power capabilities in less than a fucking second(!!!!)…and we’re sitting here stressing over shit like income inequality and climate change? Cmon.
I’m sorry, I can’t help but ask myself a few questions that all lead to the same answer:
1) If it’s NHI...c’mon, it’s been 20 years…why haven’t we acknowledged the basic scientific implications of this event, past a "60-Minutes" segment, or a "skeptical" chuckle? Physicists should drool over this tech - and look to it as one of the greatest potential learning opportunities of our technological era. This tech could turn the climate crisis into a distant memory; a blip! Do I care that we’re learning these things from NHI and not ourselves? No. Ape-like pride concerns me very little compared to a future with endless potential.
2) If it’s us…ok, what the fucking fuck? Why the fuck are we hiding a seemingly endless energy source from this "free nation"? To preserve wealth inequality? To preserve the stock market, our currency, and the fossil fuel industry that’s tied to it? To ween ourselves off the dinosaur bone burning infrastructure for 20 more years? Get some balls, USA!
3) We shot down another cylinder in February 2023. Seems like the same thing, does it not?! So why is that still covered up? 20 year old vintage tech from the Nimitz? I think not. And what about the octagon we shot down too (our crash recovery UAP?)? And what about the fact that Grusch was at the NGA during the shoot downs?
UAP is no longer a chuckling matter. It’s a path forward to help solve our world’s greatest problems. Put the material into the public sphere. Lockheed Martin’s war planes can’t be the only ones to benefit from this. Atomic Energy act of 1954 be damned! The fact that it’s nuclear is no longer our greatest national security threat as it was before. No, we as humans - addicted to primitive fossil fuels - are now the greatest threat to ourselves. Let’s be honest, at this rate we’ll choke on our own gas fumes before we blow eachother up with UAP tech. Get a clue. Throw the hail mary.
I’m over this country as much as anyone, but I personally see a very specific path forward to a brighter future. Hand UAP material over to science, give amnesty to the Lockheed Martins of the world, and force them to become a 501(c)(3). Ha.
This article really said ‘America, you’re on thin ice!’ Maybe we should ghost our patriotic duties until it can stop being such a toxic ex and start treating us right.
(the above comment is supposed to appeal to Gen Z voters.)
Our next president will not rescue you if you get swept up by the secret police in Damascus. He’ll just call you a loser for getting caught in the first place. Then he’ll stick his smelly little pecker into the nearest prostitute and surreptitiously fund her abortion after he impregnates her (with MAGA superPAC $). If our country is stupid enough to let that piece of shit slip back into office, I will owe it nothing.
For someone who grew into adulthood under a European social democratic system and has experienced the American Not dream for almost sixty years, I can only applaud you for saying what too Americans don’t dare to say. I hope you “piss off” a lot of people. American exceptionalism has been a farce for most people and the “average” American is not doing well. Most can’t afford paying even a modest debt. This should be a wake up call for the 99%.
It's a scam because for the last 50 years we've let a right wing supreme court dismantle all of the laws we had that protected unions, protected fair media, limited big money in elections, limited gun purchases, overturned environmental protections, etc., etc. Don't sit out elections or vote for strange third party candidates because your 100% perfect ideal candidate isn't on the ballot.
I was pleased to see your article for The Daily Beast come up on my feed this morning -- couldn't read it at their site though, as they have a sort of paywall (which in all fairness, is free). I always feel that moving somewhere else will just result in realizing that no country is without its problems (looking at you Denmark), and I would miss the things I do love about America. I plan on turtleing as much as possible, which is probably going to be hard to do since currently I have a job as a newspaper journalist. Meh.
"And yes, on average Americans do live pretty well. But why don’t we live better? If we’re going to say America is exceptional, then why don’t we live exceptionally well? For all of our money, we somehow don’t have enough money. That’s not because of a lack of resources, only misplaced priorities."
and this is very funny: "If my nation can’t, or won’t, give me what I want, why shouldn’t I take my services elsewhere?"
So WHO exactly is America?
I believe it’s the politicians we elect who have failed us, not “America”.
The arrogance of these people (on BOTH sides) is stunning and insufferable!
Every one of the things on your wish list is exactly what we the people deserve.
Even the decent person with honorable intentions who enters politics, is so quickly corrupted by money and influence. I wish I had some answers on how to fix that as an average citizen. Vote the crooks out? Another crew just comes in slides into the ‘system’.
I just watched Heather Cox Richardson’s Politics Chat April9, 2024 on YouTube. She explains from an historical point of view, how we got here. Everyone should see it. Totally supports your premise, Michael.
I know there are systems and influential billionaires but the stinginess and cruelty I have felt is are always from people nearest and more like us. Americans are cruel, uncaring and hypocritical. We allowed our school systems to go to crap because we only care about our kids. I used to be on a PTO and I will never forget the Karen’s who made sure that only their kids benefitted from their work. How many Karen’s do we have to see trying to prevent kids in the neighborhood using the neighborhood pool. Every progressive movement only succeeded because they were never put on a ballot. Civil Rights, Woman Rights, Gay Rights, Disability Rights, even help for the poor…. If we put any of these items on a ballot, they would fail miserably. The recent pro choice wins are exceptions but that’s only because it now affects them. If it were about the poor and slutty ladies, we’d let them die and go to jail.
And lastly, men really need to look at why 70% of divorces are instigated by women. Why there are so many lonely men. Why men aren’t doing well .. and it cannot be that women who don’t run these larger systems are the fault. Women may not be able to avoid the larger systems but we can avoid the cruelty of the American household. Men groups always try to sell reinforcing the patriarchy as a way to better our families. But a lot of women would rather be alone and childless than to put up with a single male.
My wife and I have this conversation with some regularity, especially of late.
I agree with you so much.
That said, I feel very tired of talking about anything OTHER than UAP.
Why? It’s - without a doubt - the most transformative path forward.
Consider for a moment...you’ve got people of the intellectual caliber of Dr. Kevin Knuth...detailing the Nimitz "tic tac" craft of 2004…specifically illustrating in basic scientific terms (and available data) how this anomalous cylindrical craft somehow expressed 10x the power output of our country’s nuclear power capabilities in less than a fucking second(!!!!)…and we’re sitting here stressing over shit like income inequality and climate change? Cmon.
I’m sorry, I can’t help but ask myself a few questions that all lead to the same answer:
1) If it’s NHI...c’mon, it’s been 20 years…why haven’t we acknowledged the basic scientific implications of this event, past a "60-Minutes" segment, or a "skeptical" chuckle? Physicists should drool over this tech - and look to it as one of the greatest potential learning opportunities of our technological era. This tech could turn the climate crisis into a distant memory; a blip! Do I care that we’re learning these things from NHI and not ourselves? No. Ape-like pride concerns me very little compared to a future with endless potential.
2) If it’s us…ok, what the fucking fuck? Why the fuck are we hiding a seemingly endless energy source from this "free nation"? To preserve wealth inequality? To preserve the stock market, our currency, and the fossil fuel industry that’s tied to it? To ween ourselves off the dinosaur bone burning infrastructure for 20 more years? Get some balls, USA!
3) We shot down another cylinder in February 2023. Seems like the same thing, does it not?! So why is that still covered up? 20 year old vintage tech from the Nimitz? I think not. And what about the octagon we shot down too (our crash recovery UAP?)? And what about the fact that Grusch was at the NGA during the shoot downs?
UAP is no longer a chuckling matter. It’s a path forward to help solve our world’s greatest problems. Put the material into the public sphere. Lockheed Martin’s war planes can’t be the only ones to benefit from this. Atomic Energy act of 1954 be damned! The fact that it’s nuclear is no longer our greatest national security threat as it was before. No, we as humans - addicted to primitive fossil fuels - are now the greatest threat to ourselves. Let’s be honest, at this rate we’ll choke on our own gas fumes before we blow eachother up with UAP tech. Get a clue. Throw the hail mary.
I’m over this country as much as anyone, but I personally see a very specific path forward to a brighter future. Hand UAP material over to science, give amnesty to the Lockheed Martins of the world, and force them to become a 501(c)(3). Ha.
This article really said ‘America, you’re on thin ice!’ Maybe we should ghost our patriotic duties until it can stop being such a toxic ex and start treating us right.
(the above comment is supposed to appeal to Gen Z voters.)
Our next president will not rescue you if you get swept up by the secret police in Damascus. He’ll just call you a loser for getting caught in the first place. Then he’ll stick his smelly little pecker into the nearest prostitute and surreptitiously fund her abortion after he impregnates her (with MAGA superPAC $). If our country is stupid enough to let that piece of shit slip back into office, I will owe it nothing.
For someone who grew into adulthood under a European social democratic system and has experienced the American Not dream for almost sixty years, I can only applaud you for saying what too Americans don’t dare to say. I hope you “piss off” a lot of people. American exceptionalism has been a farce for most people and the “average” American is not doing well. Most can’t afford paying even a modest debt. This should be a wake up call for the 99%.
It's a scam because for the last 50 years we've let a right wing supreme court dismantle all of the laws we had that protected unions, protected fair media, limited big money in elections, limited gun purchases, overturned environmental protections, etc., etc. Don't sit out elections or vote for strange third party candidates because your 100% perfect ideal candidate isn't on the ballot.
I was pleased to see your article for The Daily Beast come up on my feed this morning -- couldn't read it at their site though, as they have a sort of paywall (which in all fairness, is free). I always feel that moving somewhere else will just result in realizing that no country is without its problems (looking at you Denmark), and I would miss the things I do love about America. I plan on turtleing as much as possible, which is probably going to be hard to do since currently I have a job as a newspaper journalist. Meh.
Yes. It’s starting to feel like a scam, or has for some time. A friend and I were just discussing this last night.
dear michael,
great piece!
i love this paragraph:
"And yes, on average Americans do live pretty well. But why don’t we live better? If we’re going to say America is exceptional, then why don’t we live exceptionally well? For all of our money, we somehow don’t have enough money. That’s not because of a lack of resources, only misplaced priorities."
and this is very funny: "If my nation can’t, or won’t, give me what I want, why shouldn’t I take my services elsewhere?"
thanks for sharing!
love
myq