An English Lesson: ‘Never Give A Sucker…’

Op ED Commentary –          

Britain has always mirrored the U.S. and visa versa. Nearly 100 years ago it was the Brits who helped introduce the use of propaganda into our country’s thrust into WW1. Austrian- American Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud, took over the mantle from our elite British cousins and carried this form of ‘mind control’ to great heights, calling it advertising. Label it what you will, but it sure as hell does work! Let’s take May 7th’s UK parliamentary elections for example. The Conservative Party, cousin to our Republican Party, actually did better than even five years ago, and now has the majority needed to rule without needing a coalition government. The big loser once again, as in 2010, was the Labour Party, cousin to our Democratic Party.

Ponder this for a moment if you would: Most of the citizens of both countries, actually all countries, are working stiffs. We get up in the morning and punch in the hours necessary to earn our daily bread. We make up well over the majority of the populations of our countries. Some  of us have perhaps enough income to pay our bills and maybe take a one week vacation each year…Some of us don’t! Most of us fall into the category of earning enough to just about stay above water… in our homes or in our rental units of residence. Lots of us walk around with empty spaces where there once were teeth, because it’s a hell of a lot cheaper to have them pulled then pay the $2000 + for a root canal and a crown. Then there is the joke going around that many folks driving new cars are what we refer to as ‘Car poor’  when loan and insurance payments are factored in. All in all the times are tough and not getting much better… for the 99% of us.

Well, the legacy of Edward Bernays and his counterparts in propaganda has always been as vibrant as hell. The reality is that both our own Democratic Party and its UK Labour cousin are in actuality controlled and nurtured by the same super rich who control their major opposition. One can go even further, in the example of Britain, that the so called ‘ left of Labour’ Liberal Democratic Party is equally controlled by the same super rich. ‘Success in advertising’ is great isn’t it? Here at home, we have both major parties supporting this phony and disingenuous ‘War on terror’ and the bloated, obscenely so, military spending (over 50% of ALL our federal taxes, personal and corporate). Both parties get funding from all the ‘Bigs’: Big Energy, Big Pharma, Big Banking, Big Defense and so on. Imagine if the elected officials actually created platforms that stood up to all the ‘Bigs’ and demonstrated it while in Congress and Parliament? Do you think that the Republicans and Tories would even matter anymore? Imagine if much of that excessive military spending went back to our states and cities for needed services…

This writer has made a determination to never support any candidate who runs as a Democrat. Of course, I never have or ever will support the wolves from the other side of the aisle. If it means leaving many blanks in my ballot, so be it. No, the time has come to vote for independent candidates who share our core values on key issues, not for the proverbial ‘lesser of two evils ‘. Do go and vote, for that is our right as citizens, but… street corner and town hall activism is most pertinent in these times. Turn off the mainstream news and talk shows and search for alternative media. Read! Read! Read… Stand for real and viable change, in not only our economic and foreign policies, but in our understanding as citizens of the nation that we true patriots LOVE: America! Not Amerika!

Philip A Farruggio is son and grandson of Brooklyn, NYC longshoremen. He is a free lance columnist (found on World News Trust, Nation of Change Blog, Truthout.org, TheSleuthJournal.com, The Intrepid Report , The Peoples Voice, Information Clearing house, Dandelion Salad, Activist Post, Dissident Voice and many other sites worldwide). Philip works as an environmental products sales rep and has been an activist leader since 2000. In 2010 he became a local spokesperson for the 25% Solution Movement to Save Our Cities by cutting military spending 25%. Philip can be reached at [email protected]