THE SIMPLE TRUTH

Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire said: "Common sense is not so common." More than ever we need to prove him wrong.

There is no substitute for good information.

And sometimes you have to dig a little for the truth. I've already suggested sources like Democracy Now, The Real News Network, FAIR etc. Check them out.

But some truths really are self-evident. I mean, common sense often precludes the necessity for research when it comes to grasping what is (or should be) the obvious.

Examples:

-- There are many poor people in the world. Yet we have enough wealth and food to clothe, feed and shelter everyone on the planet if we distribute resources fairly. But we don't. That's injustice.

-- If we see clouds of poisonous emissions spewing out of industrial chimneys, we know that it has to go somewhere and that it can't be good for our health or the environment. We don't need to be scientists to comprehend that. It's a toxic waste product, there are massive amounts of it, and we see it going into the air that we all breathe.

-- We know our education system isn't what it should be. Our health care system is horrendous. Millions of kids across America (let alone the Third World) are going to bed hungry at night. We see all kinds of socio-economic and infrastructure problems all around us. We're told by politicians that it's tough to get everything into the budget. We have to tighten our belts. And yet we're taxed to hell while our government spends incredible amounts on military nonsense, bails out banks, and gives corporations tax breaks up the yin yang. It doesn't take Einstein math to work out that if our taxes were used sensibly -- and not criminally -- and the rich and corporations paid their due, things would be looking much better for the vast, struggling majority. You don't even have to crack a book to know this. Just look around you at who is doing well and who isn't. Look at where your taxes go. And look at your pay stub to see how much you ship to the government for them to use in insane ways.

These things are unjust and immoral. That's obvious. And if there is injustice and immorality, they cannot be justified as "part of the system." The system is inadequate and unfair.

My point: Don't accept pat answers. And don't be baffled by pundits and BS artists spouting a load of "facts" and assertions. If the very obvious, empirical data doesn't add up, something is wrong. That's just simple logic. No, it's even simpler than employing logic. It's simple observation. So don't be fooled into not believing what you see with your own two eyes.

Stick to your guns. Argue for justice. Refute the specious arguments and nonsense facts that work for the rich. Keep fighting; keep making your voice heard.

And remember: What we really need is fundamental structural and institutional change. The way things are run; the way things "work"; the "systems"; the distribution of wealth. Everything else is at the surface. Any positive change is a good thing. But we need to dig out the roots if we want to get rid of the weeds. After all, why should the world be run by a thin layer of elites who are milking the whole game for themselves? These bastards are the thieves of the planet. When was the last time you asked a burglar to sit down to dinner with you?

It will take time but it's already happening. The people who want a fairer world are in the majority!

So keep agitating; keep reaching out to like-minded souls. It will happen.

Take care,
Adrian