I despise the actions of most of today’s Republican politicians, as well as the actions of far too many Democrats. And it goes without saying that most of them don’t believe most of the crap that comes out of their mouths. But let’s face it. The majority of them are owned by the 1%, so they’re selling whatever their owners tell them to sell.

Some of them are no more than high paid whores, some of them actually believe the crap they’re peddling, and some of them are just dumber than pet rocks.

In many ways, Gingrich is different. He has a head full of facts and factoids that he converts into semi-truths. And he turns them into poisonous lies every time he opens his mouth. Many people don’t realize that he is a pseudo intellectual who uses words and ideas to deceive rather than inform. His words do as much to pollute public discourse as do those of Limbaugh and Fox “News.”

Paul Krugman put it best when he said “Gingrich is the stupid man’s idea of what a smart person sounds like.”

But here’s the crux of what I’m getting at. To me, Gingrich seems to be the most vindictive, vicious, cruel, malevolent person in American politics. His hatred for others, their ideas, and even their very existence, seem to have no bounds. His arrogance and self-esteem seem to be that of a man who considers himself supreme to the rest of humanity. Put bluntly and in street terms, this man is a total prick.

Some here may disagree and I’d like to hear your view of (what I consider to be) one of the most despicable public figures around today.

I find it amazing how the most thoughtless, ignorant people among us -- Republican voters -- lay claim to God being one of them. They consistently vote for the most greedy, mean-spirited, despicable candidates imaginable. How does that fit with their belief in a "loving God?"

Of course, these candidates always proclaim their belief in God during their campaigns, and what He/She/It really wants the world to be like. And why not? Do you think they’re afraid of getting hit by lightening bolts? And do you really think that they themselves buy the God crap they’re selling?

Full disclosure here. I’m an agnostic. But if some type of God or universal intelligence exists, he/she/it would have to really have screwed up badly to create a world in which such extreme arrogance and ignorance knows no bounds.

Here’s some cheap advice. The next time you hear some politician talking about God, change the station. They’re peddling snake oil. The sad part is that the rubes are still buying it.

The early 20th century journalist, H. L. Mencken, said “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.”

In other words, America has far too many know-nothings/bigots/and people who are too damn stupid to know that they’re aiding and abetting their own destruction.

And there’s one simple reason for this – the media. Virtually everything these people see on TV “news,” and virtually everything they read, is propaganda. It’s propaganda that’s being fed to them by the owners -- those who own the media, own the politicians and, in effect, own all of us.

All the sit-ins, marches, occupying Wall Street, lttes, petitions to representatives, and everything else we do isn’t enough to force change. Nothing will change until we rip the means of mass communications from the bloody hands of those who control it.

In every revolution, since the age of mass communications began, the first target of the revolutionaries has always been the radio and TV stations. It’s because those who control the message control everything else.

The web has some influence, but it’s not reaching those who can’t, wont, or don’t pay attention. Watching five minutes of Fox “News” in some waiting room somewhere has more influence on them than every sane word ever spoken or printed on the internet.

So here’s my question. How do we get through to the masses that have let themselves get screwed their entire lives and just don’t get it? How do we overcome the billions of dollars that are being spent to keep them in ignorance and servitude?

We Democrats/Liberals/Progressives, or whatever we choose to call ourselves, have spent the last 30 years playing defense. Somewhere along the way, we forgot how to fight back. And we don’t play defense very well. We’re being buried by banks, oil companies and all the rest of that one or two percent who, in effect, “own us.”

“Own us.” What a despicable idea. I’m talking about those who own almost the entire media. They own most of our federal and state “elected” politicians. And they own many of the next generation of “elected” whores at the local level, who are waiting to sell their souls for influence, wealth and power.

The peasants are kept in line because their votes are guaranteed through fear of “immigrants,” “Muslim terrorists,” “real black equality in America,” and through every other despicable tactic that can be brought to bear. It’s not that hard to exploit ignorance.

So here’s where we are. We Dems seem to have been castrated since the day that the amiable imbecile, Ronald Reagan, infested the Oval Office?

Can this political “game” be turned around? Perhaps. It may take a dozen or a hundred years. And even then, who knows if a new Renaissance will come about? But by then, Earth’s ecological system may have ended us.

So what do you think? Are we losing big? Or are we just in a slump? You already know my opinion.

The Republican Party and their all-powerful corporate overlords are busy figuring out who should “win” the 2012 presidential election.

Oh, I’m sorry. Did you think that your vote mattered? If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s all about greed, power and, most importantly, control. And you can bet that any election close enough to steal will be stolen by Republican operatives. (We can only win when the votes are so incredibly overwhelming that a stolen election would end in revolt.)

The preferred candidate of the powers that be is Mitt Romney because he fits the Hollywood casting image of what a president should look like. It doesn’t matter whether or not he’s an “empty suit.” The guy just LOOKS presidential.

But their problem is winning the nomination for Mitt. And those who vote in Republican primaries are far, far to the right of Attila the Hun and the corporate “owners” of the Republican Party.

It’s more than just possible that Bachmann or Perry could end up as the Republican nominee. The powers that be seem to have lost control of their own Tea Party/Know-Nothing creation.

Mitt’s big problem is that he’s a Mormon and there are countless Christian-fundie-wingnuts who would never vote for a Mormon. They consider The Church of the Later Day Saints (Mormons) to be some kind of demented cult.

So if Romney can’t win the Republican nomination, and Bachmann, Perry, or someone exactly like them ends up winning it, could they win the general election? I think one of them could. And here’s why.

As incredible as it seems, Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll. That, in and of itself, should tell us a lot about the present state of mind of far too many people. But for some inexplicable reason, they just can’t see the danger to themselves, and all the rest of the civilized world, of a Bachmann presidency. (Nor can they see the dangers of a Perry presidency, or the presidency of any other knuckle-dragging throw back.)

But here’s the worst part. President Obama has lost the confidence of too many of his supporters. We wanted/needed another FDR, but it didn’t happen. The reality is that any and all of the things that Obama accomplished in the face of overwhelming odds, will seem puny against what the Republicans will throw at him. Not to mention the disillusionment/resentment/disgust of Obama by far too many liberals/progressives.

Let me be as clear as possible. The Republican Party and their owners are the enemy of everything decent and humane. They are nothing new in history. They are thugs, criminals and robber barons, driven by greed and out to own it all. And the ignorance, bigotry and hatred they are selling to the masses to accomplish their ends, might end up destroying us all.

Most of the first millennium of the Christian Era was dominated by religion/superstition.

Most of the second millennium was dominated by politicians who called themselves kings, conquerors, and emperors, and by a dozen other titles. But religion/superstition was still a part of it all.

And from the last century, on into this third millennium, humanity has and is being dominated by robber barons. But politicians and religion/superstition are still playing their roles.

For anyone on DU who ever read “The Foundation Trilogy,” by Isaac Asimov, the above overview of humanity of the past couple of thousand years would come as no surprise.

Asimov was a science fiction writer, but beyond that, he was a scientist (a professor of biochemistry at Boston University), a historian and a visionary. He knew that at certain periods of time, dolts, fools, incompetents, and villains would control the levers of power. And that occasionally, greatness would shine through and there would be periods of enlightenment.

But he also put forth the proposition that progress was inevitable and that, over long periods of time, reason, sanity and civilized relations among humans would win out. (The issue that he didn’t raise in the trilogy was ecology. We might destroy ourselves before we can save ourselves.)

I don’t expect many, if any, responses to this OP. But if you're reading this, do yourself a favor and treat your mind to the incredible lessons in history, reason and our possible future embedded in Asimov’s “Foundation Trilogy.” (I first read it when I was 14, and I’m currently rereading it.) It will lift you out of the depression you’re feeling about the state of the current reality in which we're living. And it will remind you that we’re all just passing through and that greatness may lie in the future for our descendents.

I never thought I’d see any Democratic president put the very core of FDR’s New Deal, and LBJ’s Great Society on the poker table called “Washington D.C negotiations.” How can you not know that these EARNED benefits are the heart and soul of the Democratic Party?

This isn’t a fucking game, Mr. Obama. You are playing with the lives, well being and survival of millions of Americans. So if you think that Social Security and Medicare are just pieces to be moved around the board in whatever game you think you're playing with ruthless thugs, you’re deluding yourself.

You want to hear an oath, Mr. President? I take an oath to never cast a vote for you if you give one single inch on Social Security or Medicare. Because if you do, the difference between you, Bachmann, Romney, Palin, Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and every other would-be Republican presidential candidate, would be zero.

Does it really matter whether we’re stabbed in the back by a “supposed” Democrat, or a Republican maniac? We’d be just as dead either way.

Mr. President, stop playing with our lives. Perhaps you don't care whether or not you are a one term president. But do you really want to go down in history as having driven the last nail into the coffin of American decency, empathy and democracy?

Today’s final flight of Atlantis into space marks a pause in the progress of humankind. The screen you’re looking at, whether it’s a desktop, a laptop, an ipad, or your cell phone, is just another version of modern technology that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the U.S. space program. Virtually every high-tech “toy” we use today is a result of NASA’s Mercury/Gemeni/Apollo space programs.

And for now, it’s all over.

Imagine anyone today with the political will of a John Kennedy saying that we’re going to the moon. And then imagine people walking on the moon a mere nine years later.

Try to imagine our current merchants of greed attempting to put a man on the moon. Try to imagine a conservative Republican having the imagination to foresee what marvelous benefits such an accomplishment could reap for humanity. Try to imagine some thinking-impaired Tea Bagger telling us that if the founding fathers had wanted us on the moon, they would have put it in the Constitution.

John Kennedy inspired us to do what seemed "impossible." And now, Obama and the Republican maniacs with whom he seems to have allied himself, are taking us back to the horrors of The Great Depression where we have been before.

Human progress has been put on hold until further notice while the barbarians who rule us march us into a very dark past.

The Patriot Act took away more of our basic rights than the Constitution granted us.

I never needed to show a picture ID when voting. Until now.

I’m on the no fly list. But I wasn’t told why and I wasn’t allowed on the plane.

Any president can start any war just because. And screw congressional approval.

A totally insane, bugshit crazy, lunatic right-wing fringe is being taken seriously.

Our government is no longer answerable to us.

Can’t afford gas, food, and the basic necessities of life? Tough shit.

Education? School the little brats at home and quit whining.

Jobs? Hey, that’s not the government’s problem. Start a small business or starve.

Sympathy or empathy from the powers that be? You must be kidding.

This is not the America I grew up in. It has become a really hideous, ugly country and there’s virtually nothing we can do about it. No, we’re not “NUMBER ONE.” And shouting “USA,” “USA,” is an exercise in utter stupidity.

But all of this is just my opinion. What’s yours?

We are excess baggage to the uber-wealthy, the bankers, and the Wall Street “Masters of the Universe.”

They don’t need our labor. It’s available elsewhere at a cheaper price.

They don’t need us to purchase their goods. On this overpopulated planet, there are billions of customers available elsewhere. We are just taking up space that they can use to further enrich themselves.

They don’t require our existence. Things like Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, veteran’s benefits, education, and so much more, is just money thrown down the sewer as far as they’re concerned.

My point is that those who own our elected officials, the media, and just about everything else, no longer require our existence. Whether we live or die is of no concern to them, as long as there are no bodies piled up in front of their many mansions.

So are we going to just lie down and die? Or are we somehow going to get organized and take back everything that’s been stolen from us? How? I wish I knew. After all, they also own the military, and more importantly, they own those private mercenary companies that they’ve been using in Iraq, Afghanistan, and who knows where else? Face it. Those who rule us are barbarians.

If anyone on DU has an answer to this issue, I’d love to hear it. And if you think my opinions are bullshit, don’t be surprised when those shower heads turn out to be something else.

The super wealthy and their Republican puppets are dismantling our lifestyles, our country, and our very existence. Yet there’s no revolution, and only an occasional demonstration here and there.

What other society ever caved in so easily? How incredibly stupid is the population of America? We’re being raped, pillaged and plundered every day. But rather than fighting back, we sit around watching “reality” TV shows, or baseball games, or old movies, and do everything possible to ignore our impending servitude and eventual doom.

Our labor is no longer needed. It can be performed almost anyplace else in the world. Our spending is no longer needed. The Robber Barons can gather their loot in Euros, Yens, Pesos, or just plain old gold. Our only remaining use is to sit still and keep quiet while the vultures take what little we have left.

Anyhow, this is one of those depressing days that I’m seeing America the way in which I just described it. I’m sure many of you have different, more positive views and I’d really like to hear them.

Charles Dickens told us about the agony of the have nots and the indifference of the haves in “A Christmas Carol,” (not to mention almost everything else he ever wrote).

Victor Hugo told us about the agony of the have nots and the indifference of the haves in “Les Miserable.”

John Steinbeck told us about the agony of the have nots and the indifference of the haves in “The Grapes of Wrath.”

Today, far too many Americans live their lives on Fox “News,” and have no idea that the reason that Fox exists is to help put shackles on their minds.

Most of what’s called “news” today is designed to get the majority of human beings to willingly put their necks into the yoke of oppression and permanent servitude.

Yet, no matter what most of us here on DU do or say, our country continues its headlong rush into a self-destructive past. And we’re almost there.

So what are we going to do about it? Take to the streets? Take to the barricades? Start a second American revolution?

Beats me. But my guess is that too many Americans don’t have the spirit to fight back against those who would turn us into serfs. And far too many don't have a clue that the last of their freedoms are almost gone. So do you have any suggestions as to where we go from here? What we do next? How we fight back against those who own us?

Speak up while you are still allowed to. Orwell’s world of “1984” is upon us.

My friend lived through the 60s – The Beatles coming to America -- The deaths of JFK, Martin and Bobby -- The Liberal disaster at the 1968 presidential convention in Chicago.

My friend was drafted -- thought about fleeing to Canada -- but ended up in Vietnam. My friend lost many who were close to him, and nearly lost his mind.

My friend watched Nixon go down and saw Reagan rise up.

My friend watched the destruction of America by capitalism run amok. He watched as the political lunatic fringe fulfilled the wishes of those who paid to put them in office.

My friend didn’t know how to stop it. And my friend knew that many of his fellow Americans were oblivious to it.

My friend watched the towers fall on 9/11. And then he watched the Cheney/Bush wealth machine turn their attention to where there was more wealth to be made.

My friend, long ago, lost faith in the America he believed in when he was a child.

My friend came to understand that he was watching the decline of the potential greatness of America.

My friend recently died.

My friend knew the ancient Chinese saying “May you live in interesting times,” and he knew that saying to be a curse.

My friend only wanted to live in a more peaceful, caring world.

I shall miss my friend.

At some point, I realized that was impossible. So I decided to save that part of the world with which I came in contact.

As I grew a bit older, I realized I couldn’t even do that, so I decided that all I could do was save myself.

What do I mean by “save?” I mean bringing about a world in which each and every human being is treated with dignity, the means to survive, and the opportunity to thrive. You know. All those things wingnuts hate.

I’ve never even come close to fulfilling my childhood desires of saving the world, or even the part of the world with which I came in contact. I’ve barely come close to saving myself, in that, over time, I have become disaffected and disillusioned.

So I’m passing my fantasies on to anyone who wants to pick them up. And let me also pass on these two thoughts:

First: -- It’s been a week now since the insanity that took place in Arizona and it will change nothing. All we’ve learned is that Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, and every despicable public figure you can name, will go on being Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, and every despicable public figure you can name.

And secondly: -- Monday is Martin Luther King’s birthday. This was a man who managed to overpower hate with determination, dedication, and a vision that very few are granted. He is a man who should be universally admired by every living soul, yet the haters still hate him. During his abbreviated life, he managed to accomplish so much more than any of us dare dream about.

My hope for this world is more MLKs and the demise of hatreds. But then, I suppose those are just things kids dream about.

Today, the majority of human beings in the world are being herded, used, conned, robbed, and murdered by a very small minority. But there’s nothing new about this. It’s been true throughout human history.

Whether those in charge called themselves Pharaohs, Emperors, Shahs, Khans, Kings, Presidents, or CEOs, the game hasn’t changed. It’s all about the power of the few over the lives of everyone else.

Basically, most of humanity has not had the opportunity to learn anything from history and are therefore incapable of grasping what is happening to them today. In short, we seem to be a species that has been bred to follow “leaders.” And those who do understand the past and present, seem helpless to change anything.

Every time I get depressed about our current situation, I have to remind myself that “the good times” for the human species have been few and far between. And it makes me wonder how long it’s going to take for us to “grow up.” (That’s assuming we don’t destroy this planet first.)

So for those of you who think my view of history and the world is bullshit, let’s hear your view. And for those who agree with my perspective, do you have any ideas on how we can help the human species mature more quickly?