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Fourteen Years Down The Tubes And Counting

Since I started writing this column back on February 1, 2001 for the magazine Issues & Alibis, I've written 715 columns -- just to keep you informed about what is really going down. We published Issues & Alibis Magazine for 13 1/2 years until our final edition on July 11, 2014. We had to put it down as we could no longer pay the bills to keep it going. Still, 13 1/2 years was a good run; we lasted longer than 98% of all magazines do! It was, of course, begun after the 12-12-2000 Supreme Court judicial coup d'etat gave the presidency to Dubya after Al Gore had actually won it, beginning the final decline and fall of the American empire.

So, on the 14th anniversary of my column, I thought we could look back to the first issue and the columns I wrote way back then to see our progress since then. It being our first issue, and as I hadn't enough signed writers on board, I wrote two pieces instead of one to fill it out a bit. And, for the same reason we only published twice a month instead of every week. It didn't take long until we had plenty of writers and artists on board; so, with the April 27 edition, we started publishing every Friday. Here are my first two columns from Volume One #1...

The End Of The Democracy?
By Ernest Stewart

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier,
just so long as I'm the dictator." - George W. Bush

Some people have said that with the ascendancy of the Bushit regime, democracy in this country is dead. I beg to differ with those folks. If one has taken the time to study the situation, one comes to the conclusion that there was never democracy in the United States. There was a sort of Republic that lasted twelve years until the Thomas Jefferson/John Adams debacle of 1800. Since then, on at least four occasions, the powers that be have stepped in to throw an election. I refer, of course, to John Quincy Adams/Andrew Jackson of 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes/Samuel J. Tilden of 1876. Benjamin Harrison/Grover Cleveland of 1888, and, of course, our own George W. Bush/Al Gore of 2000. So, as you can see, election year treason is as old an American tradition as mom's good ole apple pie. This is not to say, of course, that other or all presidential elections aren't equally as treasonous; but they were at least able to hide the treason a little better than in these examples.

A quick glance at the founding fathers tells you all you need to know about the chances of actually forming a democracy. They were, to a man, the richest men in their area or were sent to the new Congress by the richest men in their areas. They were all white with the majority being slave owners or in sympathy of the slave owners. All were tired of bowing to a king and thought that those who were rich by their own deeds or perhaps their fathers deeds were the very ones to rule and exploit this new land. The Electoral College is a good example of this, and has been used in all the above examples to throw an election. In every case, it was the candidate of the very rich who, though losing the election, became the next president; funny how that works, eh? Of course, selling that to the sheep back at home wasn't always easy and so the spin-doctors were born. They'd say things like, "Well, you know, the average person isn't up to date on the election; and so, we'll help him out by disenfranchising him, er... helping him make the right choice. I mean, we have lands, freshly stolen from the natives; and, therefore, we are somehow better equiped and see the big picture." The big picture, of course, was them going to the bank to make a deposit every day!

Then, of course, we have the Senate and the Congress, neither of which is fair or equitable. Neither represents one man, one vote. The people in Rhode Island have the same say in the Senate as the folks in California, although there are more people in one average California town than in the entire state of Rhode Island. There are more folks in Los Angeles than in a half a dozen states combined. Yet, they all have two Senators. So much for one man one vote. And one man one vote is the very first principle of a Democracy. Majority rules; and whether or not this is a good thing really doesn't enter into it; you cannot have a democracy without it. Again, the Congress is limited by numbers so that no matter how large the country grows, only the few will have representation. Consider it was only in the last century that everybody got the vote -- with the Native Americans being the last to get the franchise in 1924. The native factor never came up at the Continental Congress, even though they outnumbered the white folk who were busily orchestrating a campaign of genocide against them. Although black men got the vote at the end of the second revolution, they really could only use it during reconstruction in the South; and as soon as Rutherford B stole the election, their voting days were over until the late 1960's. Black women, like white women, and Indians of every persuasion, had to wait until the 1920's for their franchise.

So, to those who say the treason of the Bushit family has ended democracy, I say guess again. How can you lose something that you never had? Others say that with the House as close as it is, and the 50/50 split in the Senate, though, try as he might the Emperor, won't be able to do very much damage -- just a couple of thoughts on that. Instead of worrying about what Smirky might do, we should be dragging that son-of-a bitch out of the 'Peoples House' to a quick trial, followed by a slow execution; and then, hang that traitorous bastard up high for the entire world to see. Instead, he'll no doubt spend the next four years, at least, being your Dictator and playing petty tyrant to the world. If you think the Democrats or Independents are going to stand up to him, I submit they already have their pants down around their ankles begging him not to stick it in too far. Remember the congressional black delegation that begged for just one Senator to stand up and be counted with them, in order to have a debate on the Florida election fraud during the Electoral College vote count? Remember how many Senators stood up for the people? The correct answer, of course, is zero. Don't count on your elected representatives doing anything about it except lining their own pockets and giving you double speak. So, I wonder, what will you do about it, Mr. and Mrs. America?
(c) 2001 Ernest Stewart

Darth Nader And The Green Party
By Ernest Stewart

Once upon a time, in a mythical country called America, there lived a knight in a rumpled suit. This knight, who could've been safe and rich like others of his calling, seemed to go out of his way to take on the largest dragons in the land. Not only did this not pay very well, but it was also very dangerous. The people loved this knight in rusty armor; but the king and his court were determined to make life miserable for the questing knight. To inform the people, the knight wrote a book that told them how the King and his corporate pals deliberately separated the people from there lives by making and selling shoddy chariots. Chariots that couldn't stop or with wheels that fell off at high speeds, or by their very designs were hazardous to the people's health. These corporate dragons knew well that their chariots were no good; and they knew how to make them safe; but wouldn't do it because it'd cost them money. This rumpled knight in rusty armor showed these corporate dragons to the people for the villains they were; and there was a great disturbance in the land. The success of his deeds brought others of his calling to his side; and together they took on even more of these corporate dragons. The people were very happy, indeed. But, alas, this got old to the knight, this not being able to control those dragons from the back of his horse and this wearing that same old suit of armor year after year after year. And the knight got old. One evening, this knight was approached by some political wizards from far-off lands who whispered in his ear that he could be the king and call the shots. They whispered many things until he began to believe their magic. He could have all of the power that he lacked if only he would become one of them. They didn't tell the old crusading knight that he'd also have to join the dragons and would become just like them. So, he did as they asked, and lost his soul and became Darth Nader!

A simple fairy tale? Don't you only wish it were? No, the Greens had come to this mythical land just in time to hand the country over to the worst possible creature. For people who espouse love of nature, their fellow man and social justice, they couldn't have come at a worse time. The college students who saw only the charisma and the ecological types who voted Green failed to remember the #1 rule of politics: You may not know who to vote for, but you always know who to vote against. Perhaps the college kids didn't know this as the Greens certainly didn't bother to explain the ramifications of electing Bushit. However, an old crusader like Ralph surely knew. Yet, when he had made his point, a point with which I can agree, he didn't then admit that; since he couldn't win, or even get 5% of the vote, he wanted all of his supporters to vote for Gore. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Democrat. I find they are as far from being the right political party as any other; however, they were the lesser of two evils. When it's Bushit as the other choice, the Democrats were, without a doubt, the only choice! Ralph, of course, knew this; and because he sucked just enough votes out of the liberals to elect Smirky, I have a bone to pick with him.

What the Greens have forgotten is that they are perceived as some kind of Communist Party out of Eastern Europe at the worst and Euro-trash at the best. The politics that work in the Old World won't cut it in America. The French, for example, are concerned about Iraqi babies dying. They blame it on U.N. sanctions in general, and the United States in particular. In reality, Iraqi babies are dying because Saddam won't spend the oil money to feed them or buy them medicine. He is busy rebuilding his palaces and tank brigades with the billions in oil dollars. The Greens pick up this chant and lay it on America, saying essentially, mom and dad, you're killing babies. Then they wonder why their party is going nowhere politically. I'm sure Smirky knows he owes his dictatorship not only to the treason of his brother and the Republican Party, but also to Ralph. Without Ralph, he could've never claimed a victory. Ralph provided the smoke and mirrors that George needed. Whether or not Ralph was paid to do so remains to be seen.

The Green Party says it stands for almost everything I think is important and believe in; but, by their own estimates, it'll take a lifetime or two just to be thought of as a regular party. The Greens say they are a local party without any real foreign connections; but they seem a lot more interested in what's going on around the world than around the corner. They say the various Green Parties throughout the world aren't connected; but all seem to rise as one for this or that perceived threat. This reporter is still convinced that somewhere a committee is pulling the strings of all the Green Parties throughout the world -- a little like one party, one world, Brother Earth! Maybe they'll turn the planet into a Star Trek world where no one wants, and there's plenty for all. I hope they can do that. However, I trust a politician about as far as I can comfortably spit out a rat. I suppose the Greens are no better or worse than other political parties; but that isn't saying a lot.
(c) 2001 Ernest Stewart

How time flies when you're having fun, huh?

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06-06-1944 ~ 01-20-2015
Thanks for the Music!


06-01-1937 ~ 01-29-2015
Thanks for the read!


04-29-1933 ~ 01-29-2015
Thanks for the music!

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So how do you like Bush Lite so far?
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Until the next time, Peace!
(c) 2015 Ernest Stewart a.k.a. Uncle Ernie is an unabashed radical, author, stand-up comic, DJ, actor, political pundit and for 13 years was the managing editor and publisher of Issues & Alibis magazine. Visit me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter.

Email:uncle-ernie@issuesandalibis.org

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Issues & Alibis Vol 15 # 05 (c) 01/30/2015