CBrajkovich Ramblings

The Guardian UK has been unleashing one punch after another with the revelations that our world is not as we think it should be. On one side, we have the dreamers who want a world in which we can all live with one another free of suspicion. And on the other side, we have those who like wearing the current lifestyle like a fuzzy robe and will do what it takes to stay that comfortable. Which path do we take: the one that is easy or the one that is hard? I’d say you decide, but it’s gone beyond that now, hasn’t it?

Now, we have yet another person who has decided that comfort isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Meet Ed Snowden, the latest in conscientious objectors who has decided that the powers-that-be should NOT be the ones who make all of the decisions for the rest of us. Especially when their decisions impact the rest of OUR lives.

image credit: The Guardian UK

Now, of course, there are those who only believe that the right way can be accomplished by following the rule of law. Look at what that has gotten us:

• The financial industry can create monetary vehicles to make outlandish profits that even they can’t understand, and don’t suffer any repercussions when they FAIL;
• Free thought is being stamped out in schools, work, even public life. Being an individual is to be selfish, and more and more, laws now dictate what we can do and say;
• Global corporations can find legal loopholes to evade as much of their tax obligations as they can – not paying back for the many benefits they get FROM society;
• Wrong-doing done at the official level can be hidden behind backroom deals and re-written laws that allow them to evade justice and jail;
• Contracts are negotiated and signed outside of the purview of the public, though they will apply directly to each and every one of us in our daily lives;
• Laws are evaded by buying the best legal protectors that you can find, even when the damage hurts the many;
• and on and on and on…

The disgusting news is that the US government plans to pursue him in the same manner that they pursue all law breakers. But what exactly does a law breaker mean in today’s world? Because it doesn’t mean the same as it did in the past. A past when laws were meant to protect the masses from the real dangers that could harm all of society, not just the part that makes profit. When did it all fall apart, and why aren’t we doing something about it together? At what point will the levels of comfort that we all chase after become too much of a sacrifice for the rest of those around us? We really should think about that. Maybe listen to the words that he shared with Glenn to let us know that he’s done taking, and is now giving us the biggest chance of our lives to really fight for our freedoms. Not the cliche ones that no one takes seriously anymore, but the ones that really mean something to us deep down in our hearts and souls.

Ed Snowden is another hero who is reminding us that we are giving up a lot more than we bargained for in order to live in our McLives. He’s running for his very own life right now for fear of what could happen to him, outside of answering the law. Because he could very well end up like many other conscientious objectors who acted as he did. But what will that mean when the law itself is questionable to all of us around the world? Even if he is found guilty of violating the legislative code of conduct. But then we all need to stand up and ask those officials this one very important question: When will they answer to their violations of conduct in protecting their citizens from harm caused by systematic failures that they refuse to correct. We all know what that will cost THEM.

Law cannot be seen in only black and white, when the shades of gray and every other color force us to realize that no situation is as simple as it looks. Especially when it impact the entirety of humanity. We’ve been reminded once again that it’s all of our fights. Because it’s all of our lives that count. If you’re not convinced that whistleblowers are very much a necessity in keeping the truth in the light, then take a look at the image accompanying another story release by the Guardian UK. If that image does not scare you, then maybe you’re not looking at the big picture. Or better yet, look at his face as he talks to Glenn. Because the look on his face says it all.

If you realize that it’s going to get worse…you realize that you’re willing to risk any risk.

And to hear from another great man who helped form the path that so many conscientious objectors have followed: Daniel Ellsberg, the brave man who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Though time may have progressed, man really has not and Mr. Ellsberg offers us a perspective that is steeped in the tradition of checking power before it runs rampant.

The Guardian UK really has done some amazing journalism and perhaps started the path to cleaning up corruption. Of course, we all have to do our parts as well. Sometimes, hope comes from the smallest of lights.

Seriously, dogs are one of the single-most happy creatures on this planet, aren’t they?

I saw this image of Huckleberry being shared by his owner, joneser3, on Reddit and thought that I have never ever been THIS happy in my life. Yeah, there have been a lot of special moments, but to be this carefree takes a soul that is in flight.

So, this is one of my goals that I will reach. I am going to be THIS happy!

Caught this important reminder by Prof. Dani Rodrik in Umair’ feed and thought that it would be a good thing to end the week with:

So many people are asking why the Turkish people are protesting. Just like when Occupy was protesting. And the Indignados. It’s really annoying to hear because it means that people just don’t want to be bothered with someone else’s problems. Except that they aren’t someone else’s problems, because we all have the same problem. Look around. Can you seriously say that this is how the world is supposed to be???

I became an adult in the 80s and90s when the market was depressed (the minor recession). We were promised that things would get better, as long as we keep working hard. Well, we’re still waiting. Nothing’s changed, has it? And we wonder why when we keep repeating the same thing as we did the day before. Change happens when you do something different. And not enough people are doing that yet.

I am in the midst of my own kick in the pants. It’s painful, but my eyes are open to new possibilities that I’m going to grab with my entire soul. Get pissed off, and see what it will do for your outlook. I’m kind of liking how mine is shaping up. It’s amazing how powerful a motivator anger can be, when used as fuel.

I just need to keep reminding myself that my steps need to go forward, and never back. How are you doing lately?

This has been an absolutely horrendous week in the world of news. If you see this logo, then pay attention to what’s being said. Especially if the words are coming from experts like the EFF:

This logo was created by the EFF in 2008 when a domestic surveillance scandal broke in the US. The NSA was discovered to be spying on Americans in an unprecedented way because of a broad interpretation of the Patriot Act and FISA. Well, here it is 2013 and another scandal is in the process of breaking wide open due to some amazing work by The Guardian UK and the Washington Post. It was leaked that Verizon was forced to provide ALL cell communications to the NSA on a daily basis, irregardless of the contents association with any investigation on national security. National security has become a catch-all phrase for any activity by any organization or institution in the US and abroad to stomp on civil liberties. The reactions to the increase in actions like surveillance, cybersecurity, and whistleblowing crackdown has been swift from citizens around the world. But it has also not been all-inclusive because there are still not enough people who are angry. It’s easy to see that the actions of the state in many cases are putting its people directly into the path of harm. For those people who claim that if you’re not doing anything wrong, then you don’t have anything to worry about, have you seen what we humans are capable of doing when we’re given unlimited power? Look through history and you’ll see too many atrocious acts done in the name of the law.

Democracy has become a hollow word of late, as liberty has become a casualty of this war for national security. There are many actions that our agencies do without our knowledge, and many people feel safe because of these secret actions. Maybe we shouldn’t be so complacent? Last night, I saw a movie on Cinemoi called Redacted. It was a fictional dramatization by Brian De Palma that told a story about the Iraq War, and the atrocities seen and done by a US Army platoon and the responses from the Iraqi people in Samarra. I never heard about this movie, and was hesitant to watch it as I disagree with the concept of war. And for me, a former military dependent who once thought about entering the service, to say this is difficult because I’m proud of what my Dad went through. I understand what the military life is about because I lived in it for almost half of my life. But after watching this movie, I was sick. Sick at the violence, but even more appalled at the way the soldiers behaved during their tours abroad. War is ugly. I get that. But the actions and words of the people who fight in these wars is something that is impossible to understand.

Everywhere we look, actions done by those we are supposed to trust have been unconscionable. And their reactions to people protesting prove that we have the wrong people in power. Politics has always been about picking a side and following the ideology. We’ve forgotten that there is a human aspect behind politics, because it directly impacts how we live with one another. When laws supersede these lives then we need to question just what we’re doing, and why we’re doing them. Democracy is more important than ever now because this world has become intolerable with much done at the hands of those we are supposed to be able to trust. People we keep electing.

The revelations that we’ve been living through in the past year (well, way longer than this) have been appalling, and it seems that it’s now up to us to do something about it. And we need to realize that whistleblowing is still a valuable tool for finding the truth, as the leaks that are occurring continually prove. The amount of institutional wrongdoing has reached a level that we’ve never dreamed of seeing in our lifetimes.

Thanks should also go to Senator Wyden and those who have continued to stand up for the citizens in the face of sheer madness.

So, I have not had the time to visit Twitter in what seems like ages. I miss my friends there! Since I am starting to visit once again (no time to tweet…sigh), I decided that my first stop is the ever popular voice of despairing reason (?), Umair Haque:

Actually, he is a clever mix of reason, dissent, dark humor, and so much more, on top of being an economist fit for the 21st century humanitarian. I wanted to see if his tone has changed any from the last time I checked in (ages ago), considering how delightful (emphasize with heavy sarcasm) our global situation is at the moment. Needless to say, he is pretty disgusted. And why wouldn’t he be, when you’ve read his blogs and books that tell of another way to live that would be so much more beneficial for all of us???

He was giving pointers…or should we call them life prods…on how we can change the world around us by starting to change ourselves first. I love when he goes down this road because he really can make you feel like possibilities are so much more tangible. The two that I’m sharing are two that I revolve around myself, which is why I am so excited for the changes that are happening in my life at the moment (as well as being scared s**tless).

What’s your purpose? Not what do you do for a living, because we all know that question really is not so meaningful for so many of us. But what is the reason for your existence? Well that, my friend, is a meaty question that forces you to confront who you are. Or more importantly, who YOU think you are. Not your parents. Not your boss, Not your significant other. Not even your friends. How would you want a stranger to see you upon that first impactful meeting? That means that you have to do some soul searching to see if you are really doing what you feel that you should be doing. Continue reading →

So, I was browsing to find out the latest in Turkey, when darkwarer on Reddit shared this image that made me remember that even I overstated when I made a blanket statement “…it comes from those who wear uniforms, suits, and even religious and legislative robes. Those at the top.”

Yes, we do have a huge problem with many of our leaders or people in leadership position. But we can never generalize by pointing at an entire group, and I should know better than that. After all, I hate labels that eliminate the individual. So, apologies to those who are indeed acting as a human being first, and thinking (and feeling) as you’re doing what your job requires.

Before we can fix our problems, we need to start to realize that general labels will also catch many innocents who don’t act like those bad apples who catch the attention of our lenses. When we start to talk with one another and respect the other person as much as we want respect ourselves, then maybe we’ll start to understand the strengths that humanity can nurture.

Strengths like caring, sharing, and even walking in the shoes of another to understand their life. With all of the bad that is embroiling Turkey, there is also good like this.

And the better news is that it’s happening all around us everywhere. We need to make this act as instinctual as breathing. Then maybe we can start to find solution to so many of our problems. So that conflicts don’t keep repeating themselves because we’re tunnel-visioned.

p.s. There are comments that these aren’t protesters, but plain-clothed police, but the idea I presented still stands. At some point, we have to collaborate to fix the mess we’re in.

I’ve been following the developments in Turkey that was largely being ignored by the mainstream media until it just became too big to ignore. But this image and a video of a man being attacked by the police with water cannons (he died) is making me cry, and making me too angry to stay silent:

I used to write for the Urban Times and became embroiled in the political arena unintentionally because I see so much in this world that needs to change, and it needs to happen fast. I guess that being passionate about something is good, but it’s also exhausting. I stopped writing after a year because of many reasons, but underlying them all was that I was tearing myself up from the inside out. I want to help, like so many others, but the world of change is a daunting one, simply because so many want it to stay the same.

It’s incredibly sad that people around the world have had to rise up en masse to take on what is rapidly become a disaster caused by greed. Greed for money. Greed for power. Greed for stature. Greed for stuff. Greedy to take over and make the world in the image of megalomaniacs. There are so many in every walk of life. And these delusions of grandeur, propped by ever-changing sets of laws feeding the needs of the greed, are now being exposed at the hands of a justice that derives from the masses. Laws should never override morality.

That mass that is responding also has a name: Humanity. And the courage in the face of the increasing lawlessness showing its true face is forcing us to face a horror that most of us would never conceive to face in our lifetimes. The lawlessness doesn’t come from the protestors, who many of times have taken the peaceful route at their own peril. No, it comes from those who wear uniforms, suits, and even religious and legislative robes. Those at the top.

We shake our heads at the volatility that is the social media. But we have to also give thanks that images like these get out for the world to see, even when those leaders wish them to disappear, because of the social media. A lot of talk is happening, even in the US, about the freedom of the press, and their seeming disloyalty to the truth. We’ve come to realize that social media also has the power to replace the press in a new way, helped by each and every one of us. So, we use it to make statements that the press should have been making all along.

The funny thing about truth is that it always finds its way to the light. It may take decades, or longer, but justice eventually does get served. If not for those who suffered and sacrificed, then for those left behind to take up the cause of truth. And humanity.

My heart aches whenever news like this crops up. I can imagine that there are many of you out there who are just as tired of it all. It’s about time that humanity changes and grows up. The world doesn’t have to be this way.

It doesn’t…

…and to think, all of this started because of a shopping mall! Seriously, just how many shopping malls does the world need?

We need leaders who are not only more world-encompassing in their actions, but also better human beings.

p.s. Wishes of safety to all those In Turkey and around the world who are in harms way for doing the right thing.