Re-read an essay from Cognitive Dissonance
http://twoicefloes.com/empire-in-decline-propaganda-and-the-american-myth/
...And the truly frightening realization, something I suspect most of us know deep down in our hearts but don’t actually acknowledge, is that the majority of people in positions of power and/or wealth are either sociopaths or harbor strong sociopath tendencies. Which means they do not think in terms of civic duty and public service, but rather about personal gain and ever more power. As conditions continue to deteriorate, less and less sane and well-meaning people will be willing to step up and attempt to lead, creating an even larger power vacuum the sociopaths are more than willing to fill.
...Those who claim “They would never do that” are hopelessly and dangerously deluded, mesmerized by the great American myth or just hopelessly deep in denial. For crying out loud, of course they’d do ‘that’, just as you and I are capable of doing just about anything when subjected to great stress and pressure. The difference is that in the grand scope of things, whatever we might do would harm mostly ourselves and maybe those nearest to us, while ‘they’ can and will harm thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, to maintain their status quo and position of power.
It’s the double edged sword of a need for virtuous leaders vs every man’s innate need to be led. In absence of such virtuous leaders, as we witness today on an unprecedented scale, (especially in the church, in the family, etc.) the people are led by the crooks of false shepherds to their own destruction. What made this possible, in large part, was the eradication of classical western thought from our educational system and a steady diet of bread and circus for the masses.
Thank you for the ping to this thread, GOPJ. Those two paragraphs in HangnJudge’s post summarize what has been for me, one of the most disillusioning things about these last five years of watching our government.
The realization of just how corrupt to the core our government has become, across the board.
There are still people of integrity serving, but they are and absolute minority, and none on the Democrat side. (I say that, because I do not believe one can be a member of that party and have America’s best interests at heart)
I admit, I never accepted that Seth Rich was murdered. I didn’t discount it, but put it further down the list. Not because it was improbable based on what was known, but because I clung to the belief that our political cadres wouldn’t murder Americans in pursuit of office.
That belief no longer exists for me. If they would engage in all they have the last four years, surveilling an opposition party using the full power of the government (even Nixon only used hired hands) persecuting Trump’s allies using the DOJ and FBI, and those same bodies setting up a highly regarded General to get him sacked and imprisoned.
I never thought I would see those things.
And then this election.