Do you think that TPTB give a happy rat's ass what the average American thinks about

[raccoon]

Syria? Or anything else?

I don't.

[NYC_SKP]

1. If they did we'd have a middle class, jobs, and health care security. nt

[BillyRibs]

27. You Hit it! I mean,

Exactly!

[Cleita]

2. Maybe a flea's ass but nothing as

important as a rat's ass.

[indepat]

3. TPTB care about only one thing, imo: implementing their own agenda at any cost,

no matter the cost in treasure, blood, lives, limbs, brain parts: they don't give a diddle-de-eff about anything else.

[kestrel91316]

4. No. They do care that we might interfere with their profits, and some might even fear

us rising up a la France during the Terror.

But they really don't give a damn what we want or care about.

[jtuck004]

28. “The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets.” John D. Rockefeller

I love that saying - people think the wealthy are afraid of them. They aren't because they have never, ever, ever seen any evidence of the masses doing the smart thing.

Frankly, some of them hope we DO rise up. That's a profit-making opportunity, because the weak businesspeople will lower the cost of selling their assets.

They know full well, just as happened in France lo those many years ago, that the people will rabble rouse, mostly hurt each other, and won't cooperate in their best interest. They know history better than most of the populists who get their jollies by referring to that revolution that while they lopped off the heads of the tyrants, but they leave off the part where the tyrants were simply replaced by the wealthy, 'cause it "harshes their mellow", as it were.. They were given back a bit more of the things they had given up in the first place, but still owned by others.

Until the masses gather together and decide that supporting each other is smarter and more likely to create success than killing off a few plantation owners (Which just makes the plantation cheaper for other wealthy people to buy, but doesn't resolve a thing for the slaves) none of this will change.

[bhikkhu]

5. The one's that have to get elected certainly do

I think the upcoming vote in congress will be most heavily weighted by lobbying from representatives constituencies, as it should be.

on edit - emphasizing the powerlessness of individuals encourages inaction and disinvolvement, It discourages activism, and leads to all sorts of ills in a democracy. Congresspeople are besieged at the moment by people who think their voice counts, and who don't believe they are powerless. The president has said he will abide by the decision of congress, whichever way it goes. Again, as it should be.

[tavalon]

22. Interesting, the last thing you said

I'm doing all of that, with vigor and will be at the Seattle protest tomorrow and yet, I do feel powerless. I do it anyway, because it's the right thing to do. I have enough Buddhist in me to believe that right action trumps all, even if it seems fruitless, perhaps it isn't, at least maybe in a way I can't see right now.

Were you there for the largest protest in the history of man, the one just before Shock and Awe? It hurt to be disappeared. Not physically but spiritually. We didn't exist. They meant to make us feel powerless and I won't deny that I felt it.

[bhikkhu]

36. I do know what you mean

that was about the exact time I shut off the cable and quit watching tv, for years. I talked about the war too much at work and wound up getting fired (the exact reasons are arguable). Then I drank too much and smoked too much for awhile, and was generally pretty unhappy.

It was a bit of work, but I did get over all that. I think, generally, every opportunity to overcome feelings of powerlessness should be taken, with force. Other approaches are so much more useful, though they are also a lot more work.

[tavalon]

37. I was just reminded of this book, The Impossible Will Take a Little While by Paul Loeb

http://www.paulloeb.org/impossible.html

It gave me hope when mine had faded away. I think it might be time for a reread. He shows the long view. It really helped me.

[DJ13]

6. A message to TPTB

Kiss THIS

[MotherPetrie]

7. Absofuckinglutely not

[Raksha]

8. Nope. I don't even think they give a sad rat's ass. n/t

[RKP5637]

9. Probably some do, but IMO most don't. n/t

[Triana]

10. NO. n/t

[L0oniX]

11. They did seem to be a little concerned about OWS. n/t

[Brigid]

12. Nope.

Definitely not.

[scarletwoman]

13. Then we damn sure better start making them care, don't you think?

I sure as hell don't intend to sit down and shut up.

[99th_Monkey]

18. Give'em Hell Scarlet! We need more of you. nt

[tavalon]

21. What do you think will make them start caring?

I'm serious. I've done and continue to do all the things I know to do. I will continue to do them, because as I said before, they are right action. But, I would really like effective right action and I haven't a clue what that might be. I know being on here isn't of use, but it's 8:30 at night. Tomorrow, I will be at Seattle's boots on the ground protest but even that no longer works. The Congress and our President do not appear to give any consideration to the calls they receive and I know they are inundated. It took me forever on Friday to get through and it will take me forever tomorrow and yet, it no longer works.

Got any out of the box ideas? I'm not baiting. I'm serious. I want to make them care. How?

[scarletwoman]

31. First off, I want to let you know that I really liked your post downthread about "right action".

I'm sorry I didn't reply to it right away and let you know.

Anyway, as to your question, the fact is I don't know anything more than you. I mainly posted what I did as an antidote to what seemed like the defeatist tone of the the OP. I've always taken to heart the exhortation that it's better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

I'm 63 years old, and all my adult life (except for that short, glorious time of unfettered optimisim in the late 60s) I've witnessed the darknesses in this country growing thicker and larger. And the only way that I've been able to come to terms with that has been to hold on to my belief (leftover from the 60s ) that human enlightenment IS possible, and that it can be passed from one person to another like a benevolent contagion.

And, honestly, I think we're seeing a tiny bud of this awareness poking up through the cracked, dirty cement of our disenchanted world, in the fact that so many of the People aren't falling for the war talk this time around.

We just have to keep publically proclaiming that we don't believe TPTB's lies - and as more and more of us have the capability of seeking out the truth for ourselves, and sharing it with each other, TPTB may finally feel a little less confident.

I imagine that it's come as a bit of a surprise that so many of the peasants are balking at the Syria thing - I think they assumed that they'd be able to pull the dumb herd along as always.

Finally, I think asking how to make the TPTB "care" is the wrong question. I want to make them shake in their boots, I want to make them drop their bags of loot and run for their lives. I want the end of their rule, period. WE DON'T NEED THEM TO RULE OUR LIVES.

As The Doors' song says, "They've got the guns but we've got the numbers." There are more of us than there are of them - never forget that!

It's late, and I'm up way past my bedtime. My sincere apologies if my post isn't helpful.

[tavalon]

33. It was more than helpful,

it was inspiring, and in fact, it brought me back to a book that I love called, The Impossible May Take a Little While by Paul Roget Loeb (I might have just butchered the name of the book).

I guess it will end up coming down to meeting at the barricades as it too often does, but if so, let's drag our arthritic bones down there and make them quake in their golden boots. I'll be in the red hat brigade as will you. Luckily, there is a contingent of youngin's coming behind us - there may never be another 60s but maybe this time, it will stick.

[City Lights]

14. Nope. nt

[reformist2]

15. They're not worried, but they do care. They definitely like "monitoring" the public mood...

[tavalon]

34. I hope they've noticed that we are furious and done with them

Because we are and we are.

[JEB]

16. Not a whit unless

there is a profit in it.

[99th_Monkey]

17. TPTB only is concerned about controlling & neutering any potential "resistance" by "Ave. Americans"

So they do "care", in their uniquely inhumane and grotesque way.

[tavalon]

19. Absolutely not

I am screaming at the top of my lungs and I am blogging my ass off and I am calling my Senators and my Representatives tomorrow just as I did on Friday and I will be at the protest tomorrow evening and I don't think one single thing I'm doing makes a bit of difference to them. They will do what they are going to do.

Why do I do it? Because it's right action. When all that is left is how you make your stand, then stand tall. Right action.

[donco]

20. EH...its been a long weekend.

Whats "TPTB "to us uninformed?

[scarletwoman]

32. The Powers That Be. (nt)

[abelenkpe]

23. Nope. Nt

[gopiscrap]

24. they would if we disrupted business as usualy

caused a lot of commotion and made the rich feel seriously uncomfortable.

[tavalon]

35. Like my compadres did in Seattle

or those in Zuccotti park and all over this country last year? Yeah, I'd say we're long overdue for that.

[DeSwiss]

25. Only in the sense of caring.....

...about a pestering fly.

- And they've already got a spraying program going-on for that.....



K&R

[Lonr]

26. No

but they will...

[jtuck004]

30. Doubt it. Unless people get a lot smarter than several thousand years of history suggests. n/t

[jtuck004]

29. Nope. And we give them no reason to. n/t