The Corporate Elite are Standing Dead Wood

I don't know if you've ever been in an area of old growth forest, but often you'll come across a stand of trees that look like they are solid, but they are totally dead and rotten. They are filled with termite poop and dust, and even though they may be 6 feet around, a gentle nudge is enough to send them crumbling into piles of dust.

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From Dennis Trainor:


I've signed. I'll be there. So will:
Col Ann Wright
Anthony Arnove
Baldemar Velasquez
Ben Manski
Bhikkhu Bodhi
Bill Moyer
Bill Quigley
Brian Becker
Chris Hedges
Coleen Rowley
Cornel West
Dave Rovics
David Himmelstein
David Lindorff
David Swanson
Debra Sweet
Dennis Trainor, Jr.
Diane Wilson
Diane Wittner
Elaine Brower
Ellen Barfield
Ellen Davidson
Glen Ford
Howie Hawkins
Jack Balkwill
Jane Hamsher
Jodie Evans
Joe Lombardo
Kevin Zeese
Larisa Alexandrovna
Larry Pinkney
Lisa Simeone
Margaret Flowers
Maria Allwine
Matthew Rothschild
Medea Benjamin
Michael Prysner
Mike Ferner
Nicole Sandler
Rabbi Michael Lerner
Ray McGovern
Rev. Graylan Hagler
Richard Grossman
Rob Kall
Rosa Clemente
Russell Mokhiber
Scott Horton
Sibel Edmonds
Steffie Woolhandler
Tarak Kauff
Ted Rall
The Yes Men
Thom Hartmann
Vicente Navarro
Watermelon Slim
Zach Choate

The Punk Patriot Performs an Experiment

Hi there. It’s been a while.
I’m a little fuzzier than last time we talked. I know you might have liked me better clean-shaven, but it’s cold outside, so I ask that you just put up with it.

So a little housekeeping to start. I want to point out that in a past video, I said that congress would never pass a repeal of DADT. Some of you asked that I make a retraction. So here it is: I was wrong about that, and I’m glad to be wrong about that. Now I can say things like “Shouldn’t all our soldiers be allowed to marry whomever they want?”

However, I don’t feel I’m wrong that both parties use wedge issues to fire up their base, and that neither party actually cares about these wedge issues. When Republicans rail against illegal immigration, and then it turns out that they have illegal immigrants working at their mansions as full time staff, that’s not hypocrisy. That’s just flat contempt for the stupidity of the voting population. When Democrats say that they care about poor people, but refuse to talk about Single Payer healthcare, or a living wage, that’s not their playing to the middle. They just don’t care. They’ve got corporate dollars to chase after so that they can fight the next election battle. Which brings me to another point I would like to develop more in a later video-- the real power center of the USA isn’t in Washington, DC. Those familiar with the term, “Soft Power” will recognize that the place where the bulk of the nation’s decisions are actually made is on Wall Street, in New York City. Protesting in Washington DC to be heard by congress or the President, is like yelling at a McDonald’s cashier about the rain forests being cleared for cattle in Brazil. It might make you feel better, but the kid behind the counter isn’t the person making the decisions for the company. He’s only there because that’s where he gets his paycheck. His job is to sell you on the idea of buying the apple pie... which isn’t even really an apple pie, but some sort of strudel in a cardboard box. and Ain’t that America?

One more item of housekeeping. This video is sort of an experiment. I want to see if actually want me to keep making these videos or not. If you do, please subscribe over at my blog for whatever level is right for you. We can work together on this. If I can get say, 60 people to subscribe at $10 a month (that’s $2.5 a week) I’ll be able to afford to quit my job, where I’m currently working 54hrs a week, and find part time work. I can also start making a Punk Patriot video every week.
Currently, I have 5 subscribers at the $10 a month level. They are awesome people who get it. Thank you to: Maike Both, Patti Ellis, Jason Dawson, Michelle Duffy, and Billie Rae Lucoff.

Others are saying, “Wait! Didn’t you get rich with your YouTube Partnership and your thousands of views on your last few videos?”

No. Due to a glitch, google ad-sense never linked with my YouTube channel, and I was never able to collect my massive monthly paycheck of a whopping 38 cents in ad revenue.

And now some of you kids who think everything on the internet should be free, I want to tell you something-- things in real life aren’t free. And if I’m going to work all the time so that I can afford to stay alive, then I won’t have time to make videos. So if you’re okay with that, please don’t donate, and I’ll go away.