MOVING ON.....2024

A Note From The Author: Jacqueline E. Hughes

I am so happy to welcome in the new year, 2024!!! My Blog is changing-up a bit....mainly because I am evolving. Travel will always take precedence in my life and, my journeys will be shared with you. This 2024 version will offer a variety of new stories and personal ideas, as well. This is all about having fun and enjoying this Beautiful Journey called......Life!!!

Showing posts with label Brainwashing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brainwashing. Show all posts

Thursday, November 16, 2023

DON’T DIE WONDERING

 


A series of essays….




THE VALUE OF HAVING A GOOD CONSTITUTION

                      Image by artist Pedro X. Molina



….as seen through my eyes!




By: Jacqueline E Hughes



Life consists of many different levels of happiness, sadness, loneliness, surprises, with accolades bestowed upon worthy recipients in all fields, shapes, and sizes! Our heads and minds are being spun out of control by so much activity at any given time that, if given a title, vertigo may suit a situation, perfectly. So, I ask, when is the best time to throw in the towel and allow the brain to relax? Or, in today’s world—would that action even be wise given the intense pressure we live under?


Michael Langenmayr, of the Daily Kos, recently wrote an article entitled: "We are sleepwalking towards authoritarianism." I believe he hit it right on the head. Just as we remain in deep disbelief and denial of his four years in office with all of his lying and cheating in order to monetarily line his own pockets with ‘the people’s hard earned gold,’ his long-term plan to undermine the U.S. Constitution, our government, her citizens, and Democracy (with a big ‘D’) itself remains in constant motion.  Always moving forward towards his intended goals, he remains the venomous snake slithering in the tall grass.


We have handled his past actions with kid gloves—and continue to do so today under the title of ‘being fair,’ ‘after all, he was our president,’ and, ‘he’s a human being and a citizen of our nation and deserves justice.’ I ask you, does he, really? Does he deserve what I would call ‘special treatment’ after pitting us against one another and dividing our nation in two? I ask that he be treated, within our court system, as any other citizen of the United States would be treated. I ask for justice for all of us who have had our lives disrupted by this unethical and highly despicable man. 


“It doesn’t echo ‘Mein Kamph,’” says fascism expert and Yale professor, Jason Stanley, as drumpf compares political rivals to vermin, “This is textbook ‘Mein Kampf.’” Evidently, far from being a banned book in the very open and liberal environment he grew-up in, Mein Kamph served as Drumph’s bible, text book, and bedside reading material incorporating his pledge to “root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin.”



According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the definition of vermin is: wild animals believed to be harmful to crops, farm animals or game and carry disease; parasitic worms or insects; people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society. I ask you now, who, as any given individual with or without the power to impact minds and change the flow of democracy to suit his own agenda, spits in the face of innocent immigrants seeking a better life, discontinues programs meant solely to benefit the people, and forces his will on vulnerable politicians convincing them that his path is the righteous one? 


It seems to be a point of fact, given the past nearly eight years, that to even attempt to understand this lowly human being and what he says and does, one must take the words he spits out of his puckered mouth as the truth about himself, instead. When he speaks ill of others, one must turn the tables with the knowledge that he is speaking about what he has done, is currently doing, or will be doing in the future in order to become the leader of his newly formed authoritarian regime. He has always been demoralizing and self-serving.


His point of repetitiveness is a tactic that has been used throughout the ages to teach or convince others about anything you’d like them to believe. Placing an audio tape of my French lessons under my pillow and listening to its content over and over again may have helped me on my French quiz the following day, but it still remains a form of brainwashing. This is why repetitive chants of ‘lock her up’ can be so effective at bringing crowds of people together as one while convincing them that to lock her up is the best plan to follow.


Can you imagine how beautiful it would be to channel all of the energy he places in hate and fear into good deeds and programs that would benefit all of humankind? This is what President Biden has been doing throughout his presidency, as well as working on filling the ‘dark void’ created by his predecessor. 


But, if we truly are ‘sleepwalking towards authoritarianism,’ are we, the people, not half of the problem? Have zombie-like weaknesses inhibited our own stance on saving democratic ideals while allowing this long term plan of chaos and self-importance to become a reality? Do we truly believe that good will overtake evil even if we choose to sit back and do absolutely nothing about it?


Once again, the press is, effectively, trying to ‘even the playing field’ and stir the simmering pot of hate and fear by consciously pitting President Biden and close family members against the unraveling of our nation by a man whose criminal record and deeds (and those of his close family members) rival those of all of the mob bosses that have preceded him! 


These are not normal times. The things happening in this country right now are anything but making us feel normal. The standards by which we’ve come to know and respect in our lifetime are being dragged through the mud on a daily basis by thugs who idolize power over country and push all limits in order to grasp that power. Why are we allowing ourselves to ‘sleepwalk towards authoritarianism’ and refuse to wake up to the fact that all of this is actually happening? There are many people out there who want to participate in this ‘new regime,’ this Mein Kamph manifesto of one of history’s greatest antisemites and symbols of pure hate; the man that Donald idolizes and outlines his own political ideology and future plans for the United States of America!


Please ask yourself if we can afford to allow any of this to happen. Have we become so complacent and satisfied with the current situation that we are unconcerned with changing it? Drumph is attempting to change our lives by trashing America and her ideals—and is succeeding just by being able to run for president even after he’s been indicted for crimes against the democracy we hold so dear. He has not once shown any interest in making people’s lives better. Let’s face the facts. It all comes down to a choice between fascism and democracy and which one you and I will ultimately choose.


Are we capable of turning a blind eye to what is happening around us or will we be a part of the noise around us? Our job within the next year is to make the noise work for us! We have to filter all of the noise that is currently surrounding us, extract the positive, and take it ten steps further by letting our voices be heard, loud and clear. 


We need a good storyteller in the White House. Someone who will represent the Biden Administration, the Democratic Party, in a positive manner while teaching the entire American public, not just those of us who wish to keep our country thriving under democracy, about our nation’s history, current status, as well as setting a future for her people that holds all lives valuable, healthy, and strong. We need a storyteller to point out the achievements of those working hard to make the economy improve, provide healthcare for all, offer new jobs to the jobless, give hope for the future instead of trashing America, and make life that much better day after day. Let’s find our storyteller!


I am only one person who has lived long enough to see the imbalances of good versus evil and understands the differences between them. Who am I to give references on how to improve life for all of us, you might ask. I am an American citizen who loves her country and will not die left wondering if we were strong enough to thwart this threatening evil brought on by the power hungry liars, cheaters, and narcissists of this world. Let’s wake up and stop our ‘sleepwalking towards authoritarianism!’ Become active and learn to make lots and lots of good noise.


Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved


Thursday, January 14, 2021

REPETITIVE RHYTHMS: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS

 


A series of essays....



REPETITIVE RHYTHMS OF PATTERN: WOOD GRAIN, 
LEAF VEINS, AND FENCING SQUARES.

....as seen through my eyes!



By: Jacqueline E Hughes


Repetitive rhythms can serve to soothe the weary soul, instill patterns in our mind that help us accomplish great things, and even bring us to the brink of poetic enlightenment! However, if handled incorrectly, they can implant, drop by drop, a sense of immorality and defiance, more formally known as re-education or brainwashing.


Children’s literature applies repetitive rhythm with the desire to encourage and shape a young mind into following the right path into the future. The Little Engine That Could, a book by Watty Piper, with its inspiring motto of “I think I can! I think I can!” has spoken to generations of girls and boys about the value of optimism and hard work. And, whether we want to admit it or not, when push comes to shove we can find ourselves repeating in our heads “I think I can! I think I can” as adults in order to push ourselves up and over a difficult situation. 


Repetitive rhythms stimulate our adult daily lives in many different ways. It may be the music we choose to listen to while crawling out of bed at a set time and stumbling our way into the kitchen to perform the morning ritual of making coffee, and each repetitive act can be as soothing and important to us within our daily routine. We create patterns for ourselves that ground us to the particular life we’ve chosen and keep us on track each day. Can comfortable rituals eventually  become boring? Perhaps, but we tend to offset them by sleeping in late on a Saturday morning or by taking a trip where breakfast is made and served to us by others—for a change. 


Being part of an established routine or being associated with performances instituted according to a rite or ritual have helped us form the pockets of social existence for centuries. As travelers, we’ve come to appreciate the variety of music, food and drink, literature and poetry, routines, and dress that varies from one culture to another. These patterns and rhythms might be exactly why we travel in the first place and why having others share their rituals with us is considered a true gift. 


The sound of drumbeats alongside the repetitiveness of soft leather-clad feet pounding the earth in tribal rhythms that coordinate with the syncopated beats of colorful beads adorning heads and necks and ankles, partially describes our first and foremost American culture. It has been waiting in the wings far too long; denied its original rights as the true indigenous people of North America who stand as proud today as they have for centuries. This society, comprised of art, customs, spirituality, family, and oral tradition, can openly influence this nation and provide a comforting buffer between old and new as time passes; its repetitive rhythms will help to soothe our soul and awaken the love that is sorely needed in today’s world.


Many of us find solace in the unique rhythm of the mighty sea with its breakers crashing onto the sandy shoreline and the violent, foaming seawater coating our feet white before attempting to slide back out into the murky depths beyond. The repetitive pulse of the water keeps time with our own body rhythms and draws us closer and closer to our primitive beginnings. 


Repetitive rhythms have played a pivotal part in our nation’s political overview for the past four years. The president’s verbal and written lies repeated over and over again served as his re-education program of those gullible enough to believe them. The direct summoning up and stroking the hatred of his fired-up believers led to that mob becoming domestic terrorists as they stormed the Capitol Building last week leading to ultimate death and destruction.


The repetition of lies played an important role in stoking the anger and fervor of people who want to believe in something so badly that nothing else said, or no other opinion noted, will change their way of thinking. Our current president is a master of manipulation. His forced indoctrination into a new set of attitudes and beliefs has been nothing short of brainwashing his followers. Repeating his lies of a “rigged election” and exploiting his cries of “fake news” over and over again has perpetuated a repetitive rhythm of persuasive conditioning that has enraptured the weak minded and made them believe in the absurdity of his narcissistic goals. His minions, Rudy Giuliani and others, helped to light the flame of the mob by “Calling for a trial by combat.” 


America and her principals have, literally, come under attack. Within the natural rhythm of right and wrong, good vs. evil—we have no option but to respond.


Part of the legacy of this president, one week after the storming of the Capitol by his militant thugs, will be his second impeachment and further proof that his childish repetition of simple vocabulary and violent, racist implications continue to sow the seeds of hatred throughout this country. May the repetitive rhythms of sound thinking, equality and justice for all ring out loud and clear. We must remember that fear is fleeting and truth will prevail.


Last week was not just a stain on our democracy; last week was a permanent and hideous tattoo on our democracy! White supremacy is our greatest threat and we must face it head on.


Continue to stay healthy and safe. Always take good care of those you love.



Copyright © 2021 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved