Masters of Deception and Manipulation

“You certainly have every right to take any position you wish about projects in your community, but there is no excuse for any journalist to support their position by presenting false information about someone else’s project.” -- Martin Stone, Planning director, Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, on seeing a total fabrication and distortion of the facts presented as an editorial in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- as their “public service” in promotion of the Mayor’s rail project.


Although the Republican Party officials like to believe that the biggest problem is that there are too many Democrats in public office, I’ve long felt that it was not possible for citizens to make intelligent and informed decisions because those customarily charged with providing the information and education (universities, schools, media, unions and politicians), simply and unconscionably lied -- with no fear of retribution or accountability.

That is the nature of corruption -- that those who should be charged with protecting the public interest, are exploiting and abusing the public trust and confidence. And all the other respectable institutions, agree to support these deceptions and manipulations -- because that is the way everybody they know, is and does too -- so why shouldn’t they be doing it unto everybody else before everybody else does it to them? In that manner, they can rationalize anything -- by evoking (fabricating) any fear, hate and scandal to achieve the desired effect.

So one could hardly expect that citizens operating in such an environment, will have the wherewithal to make intelligent decisions and vote wisely for those who will not exploit and manipulate them for their self-aggrandizing benefit.

In fact, more often than not, such people will be flattered to contribute to these deceptions -- as being on the “winning” side, convinced as they are, that there is no hope for themselves, and so the sacrifice of their own integrity and morality, matters little if they can attain their own petty rewards -- or wherever they think such injustices are misappropriated and "lost." Most though, are secretly convinced that there is no justice (consequences) in the world because they've never experienced it themselves, and therefore don't want it for anybody else either.

That is the decline of every civilization in history -- long before they are physically enslaved by another. The citizens lose their capacity to govern themselves in determining the rules of proper and fair conduct -- and so the most unscrupulous and ruthless tyrants take over. And after they do, "self-righteous" people are reluctant to pass judgment, because they imagine themselves one day being on top, and enslaving everybody else -- and not having to answer to anybody else in this lifetime for any of those abuses and aspirations.