Author Archives: Carla Binion

People of the U.S. often fail to notice the methods their own government uses to do what amounts to brainwashing them. The book “Manufacturing Consent” by Edward S. Hermann and Noam Chomsky details how U.S. corporate-controlled mainstream media outlets (today that includes mainstream TV “news” networks, most mainstream magazines, newspapers, etc.) act as propagandists. Another excellent source on U. S. media propaganda is Michael Parenti’s book, “Inventing Reality.” Continue reading →

Some say the U.S. constitution is “gamed” in such a way that we can only have two political parties. Today those are the Democrats and the Republicans. People who oppose third parties say it would be too hard to build a viable third party. However, it’s useful to look at the history of the demise of the Whig Party and its replacement by one of the third parties of the time. Continue reading →

Is it possible for the human race to evolve beyond war, extreme income inequality, corporate money’s control of political systems, and other anti-democratic trends? Some people say even hoping for such evolution is too idealistic, even impossible. Others have said if humanity doesn’t evolve it will soon self-destruct. Martin Luther King once said society has to begin to either “love or perish.” Continue reading →

Most wars are fought for profit, though most war propagandists say they are fought for humanitarian reasons. U.S.-led wars profit the military industry, including weapons manufacturers, and give wealthy corporations control of more territory and money, but they cause unspeakable pain to innocent civilians. The reality of war is different from the fantasy version our political leaders sell to the public, and it is long past time both politicians and the general public speak truthfully about war. Continue reading →

The recent air strikes on Syria and increasing U.S. propaganda aimed at whipping the public into a war frenzy against Russia couldn’t be more transparently manipulative. More and more people are waking up to the fact that the U.S. and some of our allies keep instigating unjust, illegal wars around the world for the motives of power and profit. The U.S. always claims it conducts its endless wars for humanitarian reasons or to protect people at home, but those excuses have been proved false again and again. The main problem with this continual warring is that it always ultimately costs innocent human lives and much suffering. Continue reading →

This morning I’ve been re-reading a Kurt Vonnegut book I first read a few years ago. I’m revisiting it, because lately I’ve been thinking about the fact that human beings ought to protect nature, while the most powerful politicians and corporate leaders in the world ravage and pollute the environment without conscience. Continue reading →

We have only mock democracy today. We make a show of caring about democratic principles and spend endless hours and millions of dollars on election campaigns, but in reality we don’t practice those ideals or take even minimal care to insure voters aren’t purged from voter rolls and votes are properly counted—something that can only be done via hand-counted paper ballots and not by unreliable voting machines. The mainstream media would have us believe the country is in constant campaign mode, but while they talk non-stop about election-related news, they neglect urgent non-campaign-related issues. Continue reading →

If you’re a liberal or progressive and have ever debated with anyone on the far-right, you may have noticed their arguments can seem irrational. Of course, it’s not just right-leaning people who think illogically, but any time you enter into or follow any controversial discussion, it helps to remember and identify the following fallacies. Continue reading →

When Karl Marx said “religion is the opiate of the masses” (or the “opium of the people”) he was referring to the idea that powerful politicians and corporate leaders rely on religion to keep the public complacent about social injustice and political corruption. Genuine spirituality, as opposed to religious dogma, doesn’t make people politically unaware and docile. However, when religion is misinterpreted as meaning the individual should live in denial and ignore the outer world, or when it becomes virulently authoritarian and anti-intellectual, it can create a passive, easy-to-manipulate populace. Continue reading →

What do people mean when they say, “I’m spiritual but not religious?” The Dalai Lama said, “My only religion is kindness.” John Lennon wanted to imagine “no religion” as part of creating a loving world, and the mystic-leaning Van Morrison sang of “no guru, no method, no teacher”—an idea J. Krishnamurti promoted. Continue reading →

I just read an article on Ayn Rand’s influence on many in the Republican Party, and it brought the following to mind. I know most people have knee-jerk aversion to the mere mention of Hitler and comparing him with others, but sometimes it helps to take notice when accurate comparisons exist. Like Rand and her ideological heirs, Hitler also despised the weak and any effort to help the unfortunate. Among those he considered unworthy of life because he thought them “weak” were hospital patients, orphans, pacifists, homosexuals, anyone “asocial” and any groups that might uplift the poor such as labor unions. He believed might makes right and justified his views using Darwinian and Machiavellian terms. Continue reading →

On December 22, 1974, The New York Times published an article by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh. The lead paragraph read: “The Central Intelligence Agency, directly violating its charter, conducted a massive, illegal domestic intelligence operation during the Nixon Administration against the antiwar movement and other dissident groups in the United States, according to well-placed government sources.” Continue reading →

Some framers of the Constitution opposed adding a Bill of Rights, but Thomas Jefferson said in a letter to James Madison, Dec. 20, 1787, “A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, & what no just government should refuse, or rest on inferences.” Continue reading →

The Heart’s Code by Paul Pearsall, first published over a decade ago, is an interesting and still timely read. Pearsall is a psychologist, a PhD, who has studied the relationship between the heart, brain and immune system. He’s worked in a cardiac rehabilitation program helping heart attack victims recover. Continue reading →

For the human race to evolve in consciousness beyond its sense of separation from others and beyond greed and perpetual war, it needs to learn to 1) embrace mystery, and 2) cultivate a passion for continuous independent learning, beyond formal education. Authoritarian thinking gets in the way of both options. Continue reading →

This is a Kurt Vonnegut poem, “Requiem,” from his book A Man Without A Country: Continue reading →

The late Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk and mystic, once said: “There can be no question that unless war is abolished, the world will remain constantly in a state of madness and desperation. . . . Really we have to pray for a total and profound change in the mentality of the whole world. . . . We must always direct our action toward opening people’s eyes to the truth.” Continue reading →

Robert F. Kennedy once said we need to “tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.” The quote seems so right for these times. Lately we see the worst in people (those who destroyed the economy and brutal police) and the best in people (brave, peaceful protesters and the advocates of democracy). This seems to be a time to build up the best and have the worst fall away. Continue reading →

America’s founders moved away from the thinking of the Dark Ages to create a nation based on Enlightenment principles. Today we’re entering a new Dark Age. Continue reading →

Henry David Thoreau’s writings influenced both Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. In 1931, Gandhi told American reporter Webb Miller, “Why of course I read Thoreau . . . I read Walden first in Johannesburg in South Africa in 1906,” said Gandhi, “and his ideas influenced me greatly.” Continue reading →