As a spectator far away I wondered would anyone over there stand up and conclude a wrong path. What struck me in the text was “the pursuit of happiness”. How seldom that phrase is heard while it ought to be central.
It can still in language represent a desire to strive for better conditiions than what one may be living in at the moment. A desired direction “up” rather than “down” or indifferent.
A wonderful letter. I so wish that RFK,jr had not turned to genocide. I know that Trump cannot save us by himself or fix Palestine. The Mass formation psychosis of this nation will destroy us. Thank you for standing up for us.
The American political scene is so rife with blatant, festering hypocrisy and corruption, that these poignant words echo as a (relative) lone voice of sanity, justice and true patriotism. Even in Canada, we don't have such a vital sentiment from a long-standing politician. It's a sad state of affairs.
Well it is being persued here in the states and many other places: the persuit of happiness for the elites. For the privileged for those in power but not for the common man. He/she can't make a living wage substantial enough to pursue happiness. All that wealth is trickling up not down the economic ladder.
The actual history of the euphemistic legerdemain in the Declaration of Independence (SEE: code speech) is telling. The sanctimoneous greedballs that founded the USA were students of Locke and experts in rhetorical fun and games. John Locke was that "philosopher" (A title no person of good will can in good conscience honor him with) who pushed the "Life and Liberty THROUGH the pursuit of PROPERTY" egocentric worldview. The Founders had the word, "property" in the first drafts of that 18th century slave holder's dream document called the Declaration of Independence,, but changed it to "happiness".
The only validity I can find in using the word, "happiness" is IF the founders, all who had received a classical education, had been indirectly referring to their convenient 'interpretation' of Aristotle's wisdom. Aristotle argued that happiness is the BYPRODUCT of a life of VIRTUE. He was quite clear about the fact that pursuing happiness directly would NEVER achieve the goal of happiness.
"Aristotle's Definition of Happiness:
…the function of man is to live a certain kind of life, and this activity implies a rational principle, and the function of a good man is the good and noble performance of these, and if any action is well performed it is performed in accord with the appropriate excellence: if this is the case, then happiness turns out to be an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. (Nicomachean Ethics, 1098a13)"
Thus, the "pursuit of happiness" written into Declaration of Independence, rather than the pursuit of a virtuous modus vivendi, evidences that the pursuit of VIRTUE was definitely not what a bunch of slave holding founders wanted to be enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, I would argue that the founders substituted PROPERTY with HAPPINESS as an exercise in legerdemain code speech. They had all swallowed the Locke koolaid and were convinced that THEIR happiness was intimately tied to pursuing the ownership of more and more property.
IOW, the morally bankrupt FIX was IN from the start. Despite the deliberate genocide of millions of native Americans, a Civil War, endless foreign wars, Depressions and so on, TPTB still want we-the-people to be MORE enslaved than we already are.
Read more:
The Anti-Democratic Elite Fix Was IN From The Very Start of the USA
But….. you backed Kennedy, while he was spouting the most horrific pro-Zionist propaganda. Please, I beg you, explain? Please? (I always believed you to be one of the good guys!)
I think initially Kennedy fooled lot of us. He has real old fashion Democrat beliefs, but the Zionist pro genocide, Israel right or wrong,policy turned me also.
Dennis that is a great essay, but it is aimed at people who already agree with you and who's educational background allows them to imagine what you are talking about. You need to write so that others know too. Even so, I must say that despite my literature degree from Columbia University I'm not 100% sure I know what you are talking abut. Please explain who or what are the "shadow nations" and why do you name them that way? Will you please tell us by name who are the "corrupt interest groups"? I think I can name a couple, but maybe not as many as you can. I think we'd like to know who they are - I know I certainly would. I agree that they exist but I'd like to know who you would name. And who are the "ethno religious" groups you mention? I assume Zionists are one of them, what others do you have in mind? I'd like to keep an eye out for them - especially since they are " antithetical to every moral principal in America's founding documents". Since you are including other writings beside our Constitution, I'd like to know what specifically you would list as moral precepts, because I have a sort of general idea of what you mean, but when I try to put words to that idea I get lost and can't think of specifics. I need some help here, something concrete I can literally hang my hat on, not just some pleasant misty phrases I can't quite recall when I think about actually acting on my concerns about the glaring greedy stupidity of those we have mistakenly elected to help us put in place laws and ideas that further our health and safety and search for the "happiness" mentioned in founding documents. You say we need to do something to provide the list you wrote out, but if you have a suggestion for some form of action I hope you will share it. We desperately need it!
I hear you. We-the-people hear you. The problem continues to be that TPTB play deaf to we-the-people. I will give you just ONE example of something lawmakers like Dennis Kucinisch, when he is elected, could do that would partially renew the faith of Americans in government: Get a law passed that would ADJUST the max untaxed income on Social Security pensions for INFLATION. It has NOT been adjusted since 1983, so retirees are being ROBBED. Years ago I wrote to Senator Sanders (more than wice) about it (see: crickets).
Dennis Kucinich, are you reading this? We need you to push this NOW, as part of your Campaign. You WILL WIN with the promise to fix Social Security!!!
This is the message of a man I would vote for. It outlines a vision that would restore our corrupted processes of governance to sanity. Too bad you're not running for President, as Renée Carlson already regretted in her post. But at least you're still in the game, so I upgraded to paid to help you in the quest to keep the flame of democracy burning...
Is this even allowed anymore?? Real question, we can see unfolding with the treatment of Julian Assange by the US and UK governments and the motivations really behind his imprisonment.
Preach, Dennis, preach! Go forth and win in November.
To anyone who is interested, this IS a campaign speech as well as a column, aimed right at the majority of voters in Ohio's 7th Congressional District. It's a very diverse district with a lot of anti-authoritarian, anti-imperialist voters.
Love you Dennis and we need you back in congress! I try really hard to be a Christian and a Buddhist but Putin the tyrant gangster is making it very hard. I post IKE's brave warning of the military industrial complex often over the years and agree about the evil war machine overall but Ukraine is unique and I feel the only just foreign military intervention since we fought and beat the fascists in WW2. I still believe most our Cold Wars were unnecessary, but citizens in South Korea and a couple other countries may disagree as well - look at the difference in the quality of life between North and South Korea. Extreme inequality capitalism sucks but autocratic Communism sucks more. It seems many choices in life are a lesser of evils. This war for Ukraine independence from Russia has been incubating for 100 years since the 1930s Holodomor starvation genocide by Stalin and Russia on Ukraine when millions were killed/starved to death because Russians stole their crops/food etc. More recently Putin annexing Crimea and then a few years later his invasion of Ukraine - is not okay. Ukraine was just finding its way to a better Democracy with less corruption when Putin sent in his hired guns to invade a country where more citizens enjoyed a better quality of life than Russia and was planning to connect more with the West for obvious reasons. Putin is a true corrupt scumbag assassin and supports the worst countries in the world with worst human rights abuses like Syria, Iran, never mind China our business partner as well who we also should not do business with because of the Uyghurs slavery issue and no freedoms for citizens among others. I know our own US history is checkered with bad karma military interventions all over the world but the Ukraine people are fighting their own battle for Democracy and basic freedoms and only ask for weapons and financial support. Biden promised no boots on the ground and I believe him. Putin has to be stopped and yes - we need to call his bluff with his nuclear bs because otherwise he will continue to invade other border countries that wish to be free of his corrupt evil cabal. The world is breaking up into racist nationalists who support autocratic dictators/oligarchs and the rest of us who prefer progressive and diverse Democracy that cares about justice for all and are ready to fight the good fight to save it. The world is getting smaller and humanity will sink or swim together and Democracy will serve the majority whereas autocracy will only serve the privileged minority in power. These are the real stakes at hand and unfortunately we may not have the choice of a peaceful means of settling it. Sad but true. We are still primitive and tribal and sometimes must decide which ideas and tribe and we will run with and if necessary fight for.
We must yet we don't.
Hope you win this November. We need rational voices in Congress. Hope Ohioans agree.
As a spectator far away I wondered would anyone over there stand up and conclude a wrong path. What struck me in the text was “the pursuit of happiness”. How seldom that phrase is heard while it ought to be central.
The 'pursuit of happiness' is a misnomer it is NO different than the "American Dream!"
It can still in language represent a desire to strive for better conditiions than what one may be living in at the moment. A desired direction “up” rather than “down” or indifferent.
Americans are so naive.
One person talks like this and you all believe.
I have no idea what Dennis wants because he has not spelled this out.
He need to put this in words and when he renegades we have his words.
A wonderful letter. I so wish that RFK,jr had not turned to genocide. I know that Trump cannot save us by himself or fix Palestine. The Mass formation psychosis of this nation will destroy us. Thank you for standing up for us.
The American political scene is so rife with blatant, festering hypocrisy and corruption, that these poignant words echo as a (relative) lone voice of sanity, justice and true patriotism. Even in Canada, we don't have such a vital sentiment from a long-standing politician. It's a sad state of affairs.
Thanks for running again Dennis, my only regret is that you’re not running for president again.
YES!!!!
Well it is being persued here in the states and many other places: the persuit of happiness for the elites. For the privileged for those in power but not for the common man. He/she can't make a living wage substantial enough to pursue happiness. All that wealth is trickling up not down the economic ladder.
The 'pursuit of happiness' is an exaggerated American Dream. It's NOT useful.
OK
Tell that to yourself the next time you pursue your personel happiness.
I don't think it's an exaggeration to pursue happiness. Nor do I think it's just an American dream... It's kinda a universal mime.
True.
The actual history of the euphemistic legerdemain in the Declaration of Independence (SEE: code speech) is telling. The sanctimoneous greedballs that founded the USA were students of Locke and experts in rhetorical fun and games. John Locke was that "philosopher" (A title no person of good will can in good conscience honor him with) who pushed the "Life and Liberty THROUGH the pursuit of PROPERTY" egocentric worldview. The Founders had the word, "property" in the first drafts of that 18th century slave holder's dream document called the Declaration of Independence,, but changed it to "happiness".
The only validity I can find in using the word, "happiness" is IF the founders, all who had received a classical education, had been indirectly referring to their convenient 'interpretation' of Aristotle's wisdom. Aristotle argued that happiness is the BYPRODUCT of a life of VIRTUE. He was quite clear about the fact that pursuing happiness directly would NEVER achieve the goal of happiness.
"Aristotle's Definition of Happiness:
…the function of man is to live a certain kind of life, and this activity implies a rational principle, and the function of a good man is the good and noble performance of these, and if any action is well performed it is performed in accord with the appropriate excellence: if this is the case, then happiness turns out to be an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. (Nicomachean Ethics, 1098a13)"
https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/aristotle/
Thus, the "pursuit of happiness" written into Declaration of Independence, rather than the pursuit of a virtuous modus vivendi, evidences that the pursuit of VIRTUE was definitely not what a bunch of slave holding founders wanted to be enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, I would argue that the founders substituted PROPERTY with HAPPINESS as an exercise in legerdemain code speech. They had all swallowed the Locke koolaid and were convinced that THEIR happiness was intimately tied to pursuing the ownership of more and more property.
IOW, the morally bankrupt FIX was IN from the start. Despite the deliberate genocide of millions of native Americans, a Civil War, endless foreign wars, Depressions and so on, TPTB still want we-the-people to be MORE enslaved than we already are.
Read more:
The Anti-Democratic Elite Fix Was IN From The Very Start of the USA
soberthinking.createaforum.com/geopolitics/the-anti-democratic-elite-fix-was-in-from-the-very-start-of-the-usa/msg521/#msg521
Absolutely any claim that the US is a "democracy"a logical fallacy
soberthinking.createaforum.com/geopolitics/the-anti-democratic-elite-fix-was-in-from-the-very-start-of-the-usa/msg1401/#msg1401
The 40 year campaign to destroy Social Security is NOT just a Republican Project
soberthinking.createaforum.com/geopolitics/key-historical-events-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of/msg905/#msg905
But….. you backed Kennedy, while he was spouting the most horrific pro-Zionist propaganda. Please, I beg you, explain? Please? (I always believed you to be one of the good guys!)
I think initially Kennedy fooled lot of us. He has real old fashion Democrat beliefs, but the Zionist pro genocide, Israel right or wrong,policy turned me also.
turned many, many of us
Um, Kucinich left RFK Jr's campaign shortly after that horrific spouting. It was clear why he left. I'll give him a pass on this one.
Dennis that is a great essay, but it is aimed at people who already agree with you and who's educational background allows them to imagine what you are talking about. You need to write so that others know too. Even so, I must say that despite my literature degree from Columbia University I'm not 100% sure I know what you are talking abut. Please explain who or what are the "shadow nations" and why do you name them that way? Will you please tell us by name who are the "corrupt interest groups"? I think I can name a couple, but maybe not as many as you can. I think we'd like to know who they are - I know I certainly would. I agree that they exist but I'd like to know who you would name. And who are the "ethno religious" groups you mention? I assume Zionists are one of them, what others do you have in mind? I'd like to keep an eye out for them - especially since they are " antithetical to every moral principal in America's founding documents". Since you are including other writings beside our Constitution, I'd like to know what specifically you would list as moral precepts, because I have a sort of general idea of what you mean, but when I try to put words to that idea I get lost and can't think of specifics. I need some help here, something concrete I can literally hang my hat on, not just some pleasant misty phrases I can't quite recall when I think about actually acting on my concerns about the glaring greedy stupidity of those we have mistakenly elected to help us put in place laws and ideas that further our health and safety and search for the "happiness" mentioned in founding documents. You say we need to do something to provide the list you wrote out, but if you have a suggestion for some form of action I hope you will share it. We desperately need it!
I hear you. We-the-people hear you. The problem continues to be that TPTB play deaf to we-the-people. I will give you just ONE example of something lawmakers like Dennis Kucinisch, when he is elected, could do that would partially renew the faith of Americans in government: Get a law passed that would ADJUST the max untaxed income on Social Security pensions for INFLATION. It has NOT been adjusted since 1983, so retirees are being ROBBED. Years ago I wrote to Senator Sanders (more than wice) about it (see: crickets).
Dennis Kucinich, are you reading this? We need you to push this NOW, as part of your Campaign. You WILL WIN with the promise to fix Social Security!!!
Social Security tax injustice:
soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-230622121746-14852374.png
Contact (info@socialsecurityworks.org) Nancy Altman (info@socialsecurityworks.org). She will tell you what to do.
The 40 year campaign to destroy Social Security is NOT just a Republican Project
soberthinking.createaforum.com/geopolitics/key-historical-events-that-you-may-have-never-heard-of/msg905/#msg905
IF you are so naive as to think anyone has happiness/American Dream you are severely deluded.
Jenny Stokes, what is the point in repeating this same statement over and over?
I agree with you 💯 percent. Jenny has nothing useful to say.
I am so grateful that you exist, Dennis Kucinich.
Thank you Dennis!
Spot on Dennis, as usual…..but what to do? Like another comment said, “ we must, yet we don’t”. The powers that be are intimidatingly bigger than us 😩
Don’t let them intimidate. Hold your center with all you’ve got.
Well said
This is the message of a man I would vote for. It outlines a vision that would restore our corrupted processes of governance to sanity. Too bad you're not running for President, as Renée Carlson already regretted in her post. But at least you're still in the game, so I upgraded to paid to help you in the quest to keep the flame of democracy burning...
Anyone in the USA can give speeches like this BUT when a person gets in power it is always about money.
The US culture IS about culture!
Is this even allowed anymore?? Real question, we can see unfolding with the treatment of Julian Assange by the US and UK governments and the motivations really behind his imprisonment.
Preach, Dennis, preach! Go forth and win in November.
To anyone who is interested, this IS a campaign speech as well as a column, aimed right at the majority of voters in Ohio's 7th Congressional District. It's a very diverse district with a lot of anti-authoritarian, anti-imperialist voters.
Love you Dennis and we need you back in congress! I try really hard to be a Christian and a Buddhist but Putin the tyrant gangster is making it very hard. I post IKE's brave warning of the military industrial complex often over the years and agree about the evil war machine overall but Ukraine is unique and I feel the only just foreign military intervention since we fought and beat the fascists in WW2. I still believe most our Cold Wars were unnecessary, but citizens in South Korea and a couple other countries may disagree as well - look at the difference in the quality of life between North and South Korea. Extreme inequality capitalism sucks but autocratic Communism sucks more. It seems many choices in life are a lesser of evils. This war for Ukraine independence from Russia has been incubating for 100 years since the 1930s Holodomor starvation genocide by Stalin and Russia on Ukraine when millions were killed/starved to death because Russians stole their crops/food etc. More recently Putin annexing Crimea and then a few years later his invasion of Ukraine - is not okay. Ukraine was just finding its way to a better Democracy with less corruption when Putin sent in his hired guns to invade a country where more citizens enjoyed a better quality of life than Russia and was planning to connect more with the West for obvious reasons. Putin is a true corrupt scumbag assassin and supports the worst countries in the world with worst human rights abuses like Syria, Iran, never mind China our business partner as well who we also should not do business with because of the Uyghurs slavery issue and no freedoms for citizens among others. I know our own US history is checkered with bad karma military interventions all over the world but the Ukraine people are fighting their own battle for Democracy and basic freedoms and only ask for weapons and financial support. Biden promised no boots on the ground and I believe him. Putin has to be stopped and yes - we need to call his bluff with his nuclear bs because otherwise he will continue to invade other border countries that wish to be free of his corrupt evil cabal. The world is breaking up into racist nationalists who support autocratic dictators/oligarchs and the rest of us who prefer progressive and diverse Democracy that cares about justice for all and are ready to fight the good fight to save it. The world is getting smaller and humanity will sink or swim together and Democracy will serve the majority whereas autocracy will only serve the privileged minority in power. These are the real stakes at hand and unfortunately we may not have the choice of a peaceful means of settling it. Sad but true. We are still primitive and tribal and sometimes must decide which ideas and tribe and we will run with and if necessary fight for.
We've been in a taxation-without-representation situation before. Now what did we do then...?