Politics is politics, no matter where you go

Corruption in office is nothing new, ask the Romans

There are a score of cynics who know vague generalities about Jersey politics. Well, I don’t know generalities, I know a lot of details about local, county and state politics from a few years ago. Politics was partly my living and it was ugly work.

You know, I’m retired now and the last thing I need is some BS that comes with naming names about things. But, in New Jersey, “Pay for Play,” quid pro quo, whatever you want to call it, is an everyday part of life for our elected and appointed folks. And, there are basically very, very few exceptions.

 

Ironically, the exceptions to that rule are generally wealthy candidates who do not need to make anyone else’s money or gain their living off politics. So, if they become candidates and do not win it is not a matter of life or death with them financially. But, for your economically challenged candidates or young people starting out -- well, they have to make their money somewhere and if they play it by the rules it sure won’t be in government. So, they have to supplement their incomes. And, how do they do it? They have influence in elected office and use that to make their dime. It’s done every day -- it’s done in your town and probably by office holders you think are ‘above reproach’ well, they’re not.

 

Sure, Democrats and Republicans spout promises and such. But, Democrat, Republican, Green or Independent, a candidate is not truly running for the good of the people unless they have already made their fortune somewhere else. If they have, then they can take ideology seriously because they don’t need to produce a buck from using their influence; it's as simple and as hard as that. I can’t tell you how many broke-ass, broke-down sons of guns I have seen sworn-in without a dime in their pocket yet -- lo’ and behold three or four years later -- they are someone’s vice president of something or they had become someone’s “contractor” for whatever. And, why? Yeah, they sold out. They sold you out, Mr. and Mrs. America.

 

However, very often, Americans think they know their elected officials whether they are local, county, state or national. You feel this because of the campaigning and the literature, television commercials, Internet ads...you get it. When they make public appearances, they’re all smiles and they make sure to hang out at local spots once every couple of months. Your office holder talks lofty ideals and talks about the horror of the other party, but 'they'll keep you safe from all that.' Ordinary people start feeling important because they are under the impression they are friends with the lawmaker. And, you’re getting played for suckers. Politicians are actors playing on a stage, you’re the audience and Corporate America is the producer of the show.

 

I have been in the heads of a lot of politicians: I ran press operations for quite a few candidates, Republican and Democrat alike. Frequently, I have seen freshmen candidates enter the process as determined, idealistic people only to see them become the same low-life scum as all the rest of them in the span of one short term. Were there exceptions? A few, but just a few.

 

Oh, and if Conservatives think Republicans are any better than Democrats, they’re nuts.  In fact, in my experience, Republicans are at least as greedy as Democrats but often much more. No one is actually pure and chaste and all that crap. They womanize (frequently with their staff); make backroom deals to feather their own nest, help idiot relatives with finding work, make sure their buddies get nice government contracts and that their campaign contributors or employers get treated real nice -- courtesy of you and me. Oh, once in a while they work--sorta. And, when they work, ladies and gentlemen, they sure as hell don’t work hard.

 

Politicians hide beneath a thin veneer of respectability and depend on you buying their crap, which you do. After scandals are uncovered, in the face of all common sense and logic, you will ‘stand by your official’ because you’re a sap. In politics, largely speaking, if you’re accused of something by a legitimate newspaper, there has been a lot of good research into it. Yeah, and I’m not talking about Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity or any of that Fox nonsense. I mean real publications like the Star-Ledger, New York Times, Daily News, etc.

The flag is just a background for most politicians

“The Media” isn’t out to get anyone, that is the war cry of the guilty. When the United States was founded the Press was granted a peculiar and necessary role in civic affairs in this country; they are watchdogs who have a fundamentally adversarial relationship to government and police institutions. It is their job to be an informal check or safeguard against tyranny. Of course, recently, anyone has been able to call themselves a journalist, from Entertainment Tonight to AOL’s PATCH.com. Real journalism takes place in serious institutions and not the Huffington Post or its satellites. If I want to find out about who’s had a nose job recently, I will check the Huffington Post. If I want news, I’ll check the Daily News. Internet news generally sucks, with notable exceptions, and that is a bad thing.

 

Real newspapers were (and to some extent still are) the only thing between you and total and complete ignorance about what is happening in the halls of power in your town and in the White House. When politicians get caught with their hands in the metaphoric cookie jar the first thing they say is “...there goes the Liberal Media again.” BS. Your buddy the ‘state legislator’ got caught red-handed at something and you’re dumb enough to buy into his ‘the press are out to get me...’ argument. So, next election, you put his sign on your lawn and come home early to vote for him. Please, let me find a bucket because I can lose lunch over that nonsense.

 

I don’t vote anymore, unless the AARP puts something out and then I vote however they say. Why? Because I am old and my interests are basically aligned with their mission. I don’t care about anything else because it’s all crooked...down to the core. AARP aren't 'good guys' orwhatever -- they just happen to advocate for the things I need.

 

In Jersey, like in any number of pissant towns, counties and states, there are all kinds of corrupt crap happening all the time. Only, in Jersey and a few other places, it’s shoved right into the voters’ faces and keeps happening because the electorate here is as dumb as a bag of hammers and apparently doesn’t mind. Jersey voters are the blindest people who ever had the furniture rearranged on them, but they love bumping into furniture, I guess.

 

I’m aware of every kind of vile sin by serving politicians, from bold-faced corruption, to racketeering, graft, pay-for-play, drunk driving, extortion, eluding the police, interfering with a police officer doing their duty, adultery, rape, assault, tax evasion, blackmail, drug and alcohol abuse, forgery, misusing government property, and targeting public and private enemies with official actions, sanctions and police intervention. If you think cops aren't the muscle behind politicians that appoint their bosses and negotiate their contracts, you'd be wrong again.

 

And, there are things I have heard from reliable people that are much worse done by some of these bastards. I have seen Democrats do it, and Republicans (a whole lot of them). These were not isolated incidents, Mr. and Mrs. America -- this was just the way business is done. It’s sickening and filthy and I actually helped some of those people get re-elected, sometimes having first-hand knowledge of the level of their depravity because I was paid and needed to support my house. And, it stained my soul black for doing it. Sadly, most of those scumbags are still in office as I write this.

 

And, these are the exact same people you are mewling over with the signs and ridiculous public love. These are “your buddies” that know you by your first name. Hey, whatever.

 

If you want to really get something done in government, don’t contact your elected official. Find the law or architectural firm that supported that office-holder’s campaign with the biggest donations, then find the partner that authorized the donation. Tell that lawyer or engineer you want your damn street light fixed. He or she can put in a call to their “guy” or “gal” and that light will be fixed by the end of the week. But, if you do it by the book, it may take you months or years. The bureaucracy is for some of the people, not all of them.

 

People come here and check my column from the old life, and I guess they wonder if I am going to ever mouth off about them. No, I’m not. I am retired and want to fade away into the Florida sun like so many other seniors, without getting bothered by any offended politicians or their rabid followers (morons). But, there is nothing wrong with lifting the curtain for a few minutes to try and tell the kindly folks at home about what lies behind it.

 

A few of you might actually think there might be something in what I said and some will think I’m a some crazy old coot. And, both would be correct, but I’m sure as hell telling the truth that I know.

 

As always, I wish everyone the best and thank you for stopping by and spending a few minutes. This was harsh -- yes. But, sometimes, the truth is hard and someone just has to say it -- for themselves if no one else.

 

Have a safe weekend, watch out for the snow and seeya later, alligators.

Service, patriotism and professionalism

AMERICA: Love it or get the hell out

I served in the United States Army and its various components between 1983 and 1998. I was nothing special, just another soldier doing the best he could, among so many other soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines doing the exact same thing.

What disturbs me about today, on Facebook and other social media, on television, radio and along Main Street, USA, is this feeling that individual members of the Armed Forces should be so loud and vehement about their political or personal feelings regarding the American president (regardless of who it might happen to be) or Congress and what is 'right' or 'wrong' governmentally in this nation.

I think there is a point here that bears repeating at least once: Members of the Armed Forces preserve the principles of our Democratic Republic, they do not participate in them. Consequently, they serve to protect the freedom of speech for all Americans, which does not mean they possess it while on Active Duty in any way, shape or form.

A professional armed service is not staffed by professional philosophers, loud civic naysayers or the barroom politicians who spend their time 'devil's advocating' for un-American causes (like those who advocate domestic overthrow and the like). Advocating too loudly for causes potentially hostile to the elected U.S. Government is and has always been punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for very good reasons.

Besides, the U.S. armed services have never been melting pots for the opinions of the disenfranchised, disloyal or deranged opinions of its members and I do not advocate for them becoming so now.

I have heard service members speaking loudly about their dislike for the current president, Barack Obama. I have heard extreme things said by some of them, particularly on Facebook -- in agreement with causes like the "Tea Party Movement," which I do not think particularly well of as a so-called "American" political entity. Regardless, though, of the agency of the derision against the Government of the United States and the governments establish by the governments of the United States, be it Democrat or Republican, Communist or Socialist, Pepsi or Coca Cola, a member of the armed forces of the United States adding their voice to any echo of dissent is patently wrong.

Inasmuch as I do not approve of the Tea Party or its principles, it is my right, according to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, for me to be able to express this feeling loudly and publicly. In addition, should a president be selected from the ranks of the Tea Party Movement (God forbid), it is my right to protest actions by that president in all the ways acceptable to our government. Why? Well, I am no longer in the military: I am a civilian.

When I served in the military, I did not particularly like several actions taken by then-President George H.W. Bush. I thought he was a good person but some of the things he did were inappropriate where it involved the U.S. military. But, while I held these opinions privately, I did not make these views public in any way. At the time, I was a soldier serving in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). It would have been a clear conflict to my service to make disparaging remarks about the commander-in-chief. And, I am fairly certain that, at the time, my chain-of-command would have rightfully pursued charges against me for doing so if I had.

Today, though, as the country is more polarized as it has ever been between what is perceived as "Republican" or "Democrat," "Conservative" or "Liberal," "Ignorant" or "Progressive," service members have indulged themselves to new heights of participating in political arguments -- while in uniform and on Active Duty -- than ever before, in my humble opinion. It would take an investigator only a few moments to find nests of ne'er-do-well service members on Facebook, making outrageous claims and boasts about what they will or will not do when ordered by the chain-of-command to perform various orders. And, I find that quite alarming. Since when did the U.S. military become a haven for people of questionable or marginal loyalty to the country and the officers appointed over them?

I have said several times I do not find the evolving way of the world to my liking very much, insofar as technology, relationships, education, the economy or politics. Nevertheless, I have equally made the statement that simply because I do not like something does not mean it is bad or innately wrong -- I simply might not like certain things (as I am entitled to do). But, where the new 'trend' becomes disloyalty to one's nation while serving under arms -- I draw the damn line.

Is it wrong for members of the Armed Forces to protest? I say 'yes'

The first soldier of our American Republic was a fellow named George Washington: surveyor, planter and back woodsman. He was also commander of the Continental Army during the Revolution and our nation's first soldier and president. After the Revolution, when victory had been secured, many officers in the U.S. Army thought it best that Gen. Washington be offered a kind of kingship over the newly minted American colonies and so they approached him with this idea and offered him the services of the U.S. Army to facilitate his transition to power.

Washington was outraged that officers, all of whom he had led during the Revolution, would ever contemplate such a thing. He turned away and railed against any notion of the United States being a monarchy or of the Army daring to usurp a civilian-elected government. He was astonished that his soldiers would ever dream of such a thing.

It was a 'lesson learned' early in the history of this nation that soldiers with too much time on their hands and too much leniency to speak and act in the realm of the political create havoc, tyranny and disorder. However, the very job of military service, in itself, is intended to be the very example of order and discipline. Well, Washington sorted that nonsense out, and so have commanders for time immemorial after him, right up until today.

In my opinion, American service members who loudly protest the elected Government of the United States are not suitable for military service. Members of our military are trained to and, in the course of their service, do use firearms and are given assignments of great trust. No one needs such things to be done by an unstable person, unsure of their loyalty or the responsibilities of their positions.

"The Great Experiment" of the United States is now almost 250 years old. It has weathered a great deal, but there are surely storms ahead. Yet, the prospect of compromising the political seclusion of members of the armed services, and the granting of permission to them to participate in political processes of this country, is nothing but dangerous and flirts with disaster for every man, woman and child in this country.

Excellent service to this nation while in uniform is characterized by many things, and among those things is political silence. Patriots do not attempt to abridge the codes of conduct that our nation's fighting men and women have lived by for centuries. Rather, they make every effort to abide by the codes and provisions in place for political involvement of Active Duty military service members.

Of course, service members are welcome to take part in the revolution that takes place at the polls in every city and hamlet, from sea to shining sea, in the United States at the end of every office holder's term -- it's called an election. During elections, which currently only about 20 percent of Americans participate in, on average, who will or will not serve in office is decided. Once that election is over and the votes are counted then the result of that election is characterized as "...the will of the people."

To be plain, I thought the presidency of George Bush (the younger) was terrible. I thought and still believe he was an absolute idiot. Consequently, I legally protested the Iraqi War in New York City in 2004 and wrote one or two editorials (in the newspaper I published at the time), decrying some of his policies. Well, this is how Americans are permitted to agitate for change when they are not in the U.S. military. When they are in the military, after they have sworn an oath to serve and protect the United States and accept orders from the president of the United States and those officers appointed over them, it is a whole other kettle of fish.

Even if "W" were the president during my tenure in service, I would have shut my mouth, voted my conscience and concentrated upon my work -- not make a spectacle out of myself or, by extension, my branch and chain-of-command.

Yes, things change -- they certainly do. Everything marches on, from hairstyles to television shows, sports and even social norms. However, generations tinker with fire when they move too far away from the blue print first established by the framers of this nation; a blue print, I might add, that was etched in the blood and service of countless men and women through the march of time.

Sometimes, on rare occasion, it can unilaterally be said that change is not for the better. And, in this case, I think it is so. What would I do with members of the Active Duty U.S. military who engage in political activities, the likes of which I have described in this opinion? I would identify them, charge them and adjudicate them and, subsequently, separate them from the U.S. military with an "other than honorable" discharge.