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The death of the Hunter.

Famed writer Hunter S. Thompson apparently took his own life on Sunday, February 20th, 2005. He was, is, and always will be a journalistic icon. Known for his trademark "Gonzo" style journalism, he will be mourned by truth seekers and naysayers throughout the world.

Best know for his works "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Hell's Angels", he was more than a drugged out alcoholic on an insanity binge. He was by most accounts one of the greatest political writers in history. Of his political writing there was "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72" and "The Great Shark Hunt". He knew that truth was not black or white, but was found in the grey area in-between. As a journalist he didn't settle for writing the story from the outside looking in or from the inside looking out. Instead he managed to keep a certain distance while still immersing himself in the subject. It was in this middle grey area where he found his voice and those truths which were often overlooked by the by-the-book writers that were covering the very same events.

There are many great things that could be said about this man. In addition to which there are probably just as many bad things that could be said as well, but the words "Shill" and "Hack" would not be found in that list. His unorthodox style and often profane verse did more to lend credibility to the concept of journalistic integrity than what is being fed to the people by so called professionals such as Robert Novack, James Guckert-AKA Jeff Gannon, in addition to the Fox News lineup which seems to merely be a mouthpiece of the current presidential administration.

As to why Thompson took his own life, I'd like to believe that it was to ensure he didn't go to Heaven but instead would get a free pass to Hell, where he'll be sure to add the names of those deserving to the list of expected arrivals. I just hope he brought a fresh typewriter ribbon with him, because I'm sure he's got a lot of politicians and so-called journalists to add to that list.

Corporate greed has taken over my country.

WWBD? / 2005 Re-Mix


Copyright 2005. J. Ryan

WWBD?

What Would Bush Do?

Copyright 2004. J. Ryan

Bye Bye Miss American Pie ...Will November 2, 2004 be the day the Republic died?

Americans will take to the polls on Nov. 2 to cast their votes. What's at stake though is greater than a Presidency, it's the very foundation of which our society has been built. Not in all our history, since our founding fathers signed into being the Declaration of Independence, have the ideals of Liberty and Freedom come under such threat.

The Republic (i.e. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic...") was conceived in this country on July 4, 1776. It was by no means perfect, but it was a start. On May 14, 1787 the Federal Convention met in Philadelphia at Independence Hall. It was then that they revised the Articles of Confederation to include the Constitution of the United States. During this time there was much debate amongst the Statesman regarding the protection of civil liberties. On September 25, 1789 the Bill of Rights was introduced.

For two hundred and twenty eight years it has been the material used to build the house of Freedom and Liberty, which has now come under siege by an enemy that can only be defined by the word Fascism.

How did we go from a republic to a fascist state? Well we did make a stop along the way to pick up democracy. Actually democracy was with us from the very start. The founding groundwork that was laid out for our government was flexible enough to withstand the principals of a democratic state.

A republic as it relates to our government can be best described by the first two definitions; 1 - a: A political order whose head of state is not a monarch and in modern times is usually a president. b: A nation that has such a political order. 2 - a: A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them. b: A nation that has such a political order.

The simple definition of a democracy is; 1 - Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives. 2 - A political or social unit that has such a government. 3 - The common people, considered as the primary source of political power. 4 - Majority rule. 5 - The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

So what was born that day in 1776 was really neither a Republic or a Democracy, but the chance to create a nation and a government that embodied the spirit of both. While a true republic dealt solely with the social aspect of a nation, a democracy also embodied the economic powers of a nation. The only real difference between the two is that in a republic the supreme power lies in the people. In a democracy the supreme power of the people is demoted to being the "primary power" thus subjugating power to the economic factions of a society. This allowed for economic forces to influence and have a voice in the development of the society and nation.

Just as our founding framework had flexibility, so did the government in its' ability to change with not only the demands of the people but also that of a changing economic world. In the 1930's we saw the Great Depression nearly destroy the American dream. Under the leadership of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, democracy cemented its' place in America. It offered greater balance between the people and the economic interests of this country. Social programs were put in place. The government and business institutions created jobs. Industry boomed. People worked and earned money. Businesses grew and made money. The social and economic interests, balanced with the government took this country through the biggest and fastest growth period of any nation in history.

WW ll showed the world that we could stand on our own two feet as a nation and not waiver. We defeated Imperial Japan and helped Europe defeat Hitler and the Nazi movement (Nazi: National Socialist German Workers' Party- a fascist organization).

It's said that "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger". After WW ll we became the strongest that this country has ever been. With it came great power and financial wealth. It is also said that " Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Roosevelt knew this, which could be why he once stated that, "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power. "

The world continued to change. As a nation we did not manage to changed with it while maintaining a balance in the forces that make up our society. Economic interests now far outweigh those of the people. Government has become corrupted by power, and the people have traded Liberty and Freedom for Fear and Hatred. Fascism isn't just something that's around the corner, it already has its' foot in the door.

Terrorism and chemical attacks in Jacksonville, Ore.

The biggest news story to hit the wires since 9/11 has been sadly overlooked by the major media corporations of this country. It took place at a small gathering in a small town. The story did appear in the Medford news and was also reported by local stations.

Jacksonville, Ore. is located near the town of Medford. The President had just finished speaking at an event in Medford, where three Medford school teachers, all of whom had tickets for the event, were thrown out and threatened with arrest for wearing t-shirts that simply said, "Protect our civil liberties".

Jacksonville was to be a stop-over for President Bush where he planned to have dinner and spend the night at a local inn. Jacksonville is a historic mining town that's located in an area that's about as apple-pie as you can get in the 21st Century. It's estimated that about 500 people, both Bush and Kerry supporters had shown up to see the presidential motorcade pass through town.

They had lined up on both sides of the street, with Bush supporters on one side chanting, "Four more years." and Kerry supporters on the other side of the street chanting, "Three more weeks." It was when the President's motorcade drew close and was within ear-shot of the crowd that terrorism came down full force on the people gathered, at least the ones on the side of the street that had criticized Bush.

According to eyewitness accounts, about 50 police officers in full riot gear moved in fast in an attempt to sweep and clear the sidewalk of Kerry supporters. They quickly forced the crowd back causing a crush. People had no where to go, some were falling down and being trampled by others as police forced the crowd away from the President until they could no longer be heard by him. In addition to these strong arm tactics, which were employed with great success by Hitler's "Gestapo" (Secret State Police), the riot police opened fire with pepper balls. These are small round projectiles similar to paintballs, only filled with oleoresin capsicum (made from cayenne pepper, it is classified as a chemical weapon, and as such banned for use in war--but not in domestic police work).

Many of the "demonstrators" were hit or effected by these pepperballs, including small children who were gathered with their parents. Some eyewitnesses even stated that police used clubs while forcing the people off the sidewalk. Although the Police claim that they acted only when some violent protesters had started to push some police officers, there have been no witnesses to support that claim. On the contrary, witnesses say that everything had been peaceful until the police came in.

The pro-Bush people were not bothered by police. They did stand watch over them but made no effort to hinder them in any way or to move them to another location.

I can now see why people once questioned how so many people in Germany supported Hitler. But that question only remains valid if you believe that the majority did support him. The realty is that those who did not support him were forced to be silent. Through fear of being physically attacked. Through fear of being hauled off to jail or arrested. Through fear that they would be taken in for questioning, never to be heard from again. The majority did not support Hitler but were instead silenced by a minority through the use of fear and violent force.

One day people of the world will look back and wonder how so many could have supported a man like Bush. It is only because the voice of opposition was silenced that they can even ask such a question.