Hello Jan,
Thank you. You are right. In fact, since early adulthood, when I first realized it, I have consistently maintained that the smartest decision I ever made, bar none, is when I chose my parents. ;-)

Stay well.
Sincerely,
Maritimus

Martimus -

I think that this is closely linked to the concept of self-worth. If you have a solid sense of self, then it gives you a good foundation to say, "I just don't like you. Go away."

You had great parents.

Jan

Hello J,

I would like to emphatically assert my right to reject anybody I wish to reject.

It is, to me, the same right as the right to say what I think, uncensored and unpunished.

I am willing to take the risk of being wrong and thus loose respect of good people. But, if I am honest, I must believe that good people will agree with me.

It takes courage to stand alone. All great leaders have that experience in their background, I believe.

Stay well.
Sincerely,
Maritimus

P.S. My parents, within a communist tyranny, always told me: "Use your own head!"

Nicely put, I write on similar perspectives. We could say that propaganda is a necessary extension of the Hegelian Dialectic. We have many to thank for trying to make us aware. I myself was awakened by Ayn Rand, reading The Naked Communist of 1958 and Mark Hamilton; but I always harbored doubts about any authoritarian figures, but still willing to recognize those mentors of value.

Good old Rush, once was the best entertainer the GOP had.
Enjoy your blue pill.

I agree on both counts. The notion that anyone who disagrees with you "must be brainwashed" is both insulting and stupid no matter who says it, or who is the target.

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone has already developed real mind control in the lab, and is awaiting a chance to use it on his opponents. Such a thing would need to be suppressed.

In the meantime let us refrain from the hyperbole and/or paranoia of calling anything else "mind control".

Sorry, but voting for an independent is a vote for the worst of two evils (D). The only real option is to continue to push on the Republican party so that the candidate you want wins that primary. Then you can legitimately vote fore the good rather than the devil.

I generally prefer libertarians but they frustrate me and greatly disappoint me by running their own candidates. They do far more harm than good. If they really want to do good they need to devote all their resources into actually making a difference by voting in and influencing the Republican party. If they did that I would actually be a dues paying member of their organization. It may not be a good solution but it is the only one I have ever seen that has a chance in H... Even Rush Limbaugh says the same thing. You may or may not like him but he is very sharp with his political understanding. When Libertarians call he is polite and sympathetic with them but he tries to get them to understand their cause is hopeless as a third party.

There have been independent candidates on the ballot in every POTUS election since 1900.
Libertarians have had candidates on the ballot in 1972, 1980, 1988-2012. There is nothing mythical about it. The mythical part comes from the DemReps who only have to make promises to keep you in their thrall, and because you don't punish them for not delivering they NEVER will. I conclude based upon history that there will not be a GOP candidate that deserves any vote. Rand Paul will be just as successful as Ron Paul was regarding running for POTUS.
Stop making excuses to agree with the DemRep propaganda and look at the record of betrayal. You have decided to vote for bigger more powerful government and no individual liberty. You choose to waste your vote in exactly the way that the DemReps tell you. You even believe the tale about not voting means you can't complain. Total propaganda in a free society.

Look at what people are afraid of these days. With little sarcasm I can say that the public is afraid of babies, brown men in far away caves, jet contrails, diseases that have been eradicated, global warming, the rising of the seas...

The process is entering its completion stage. The people are ready to accept anything - any form of safety promised from their elected saviors.

...LOL

The American people are being dumbed down by their leaders, so influencing them i.e. brain washing them is very easy.

I'm sorry, did I miss something? where does your magical 3rd party candidate come from?
We are not going to "think a more rational candidate" into the White House or Congress.

Come November, that is usually the only choices R-D. That's what I've been referring to.
I'm supporting Rand, the probability is, he will not be on the ballot in November.
That's what we're talking about.
Tell me where your mythical third party candidate comes from and I'll vote for them as long as they aren't a nut. Then I have to weigh whose ticket do they split, and could that lead to someone getting elected I don't want (Ross Perot - who I voted for - how'd that turn out)

The end of day (first Tuesday in November) we only get to choose who's on the ballet. A write in candidate won't win. So either it doesn't matter so there is no reason to vote anyway (that's a quitter), or you can at least choose the likely, hopefully, better candidate.
Because if you don't vote, you forfeit your bitchin' rights.

I'm supporting Rand. If he gets the nomination he will be on the ballot as an R. Would you not for him?...over the Crypt Keeper?

Your choices are not limited to R or D.
Stop hoping and think rationally.
"Hope" is all the DemReps ever offer, and they never deliver on their promises to the people because that would mean not delivering on the private promises made to banksters et al. As long as you keep on voting and hoping, nothing will change for the better because politicians have no fear of the electorate.
GOP had total control after the Civil War. That kept the south voting Democrat for 100 years, just as you are voting GOP now, on hope alone.

Propaganda is used to move large groups of people toward an agenda being promulgated by its originators. The reason many people fall for it is varied, but there are a few that stand out. They are: too lazy to research it, too dumb to research it, it corresponds with their own agenda, the person hearing it is a follower with a need to be led. I'm sure Gulchers can come up with a pot-load more. Low information voters are the bane of anything to the right of center because that side relies more on thought than emotion. There are usually two things that get Republicans elected. 1. Things are so bad that even the above mentioned voters recognize it 2. The candidate is good-looking and can speak forcefully.

I agree.
The question is, if your only choices are R or D, what do you do?
Relative to our principles, a "no vote" is a D vote.
If D=R, then yes, not voting is an option. I hold out hope that R is still better than D.
We have not witnessed a full GOP control, so it's hard to say what their actions would truly be. We've seen their compromises with the democrats.

Interesting article, no, it's much more than just interesting to me. It's more or less what I've been feeling but unable to express. Let's just hope that there are more people out there that are uninformed about anything anymore that will wake up and help take back our freedom. Most of the left is already gone, they worked it extremely effectively on themselves before they tried it on the right. There is little that can be done to make them see the light so we need to concentrate on the truly ignorant, those that just say, "Ahh, I vote democrat", and have no reasons to backup why. Or have I just been brainwashed into believing this?

I just watched "America what would we do without her" by Dinesh D'Souza. If you haven't seen it or read the book it's very interesting and talks about this. Last night was my third time watching it I wanted my dad to see it. Good stuff.

A younger generation of the GOP doesn't even know what liberty is. They have never lived it. The younger "kinder, gentler" GOP are liberals, socialists, looters who favor a bigger government, little privacy, and have no clue about individual liberty. The GOP has been vile since the day it was formed from the failed wreckage of the Whigs. Examine the actions against the promises. Stop being conned by the clever lies.

After 50 years of voting and hoping, use your ability to think rationally. Examine the promises of the GOP and the actions of the GOP. Examine the results of GOP control. The GOP has done MORE damage than the Democrats because when the GOP is in power there is no opposition to bigger government.

"it's not a matter or brainwashed - it's a matter of voting for the devil I know"
No offense intended, but you don't recognise the brainwashing when it has control.
There is NO LESSER of two evils to choose between.
Vote for DemReps = Vote for statists, looters, and dictatorship

I agree, what difference does it matter (OMG, did I just say that?)
Slow death - because it's worth fighting for?? If it buys one more day to achieve change.
I dunno.
A younger generation of Republicans could change all this. Maybe we don't get a national Libertarian party, but a changed Republican one.
Where the GOP is getting older, so are the democrats - the hippies of the 60's, don't trust anyone over 30.

"...he stated that an elite would always be responsible for making the public aware of “new ideas” which the public would then act upon as the elite nudged them into it. "

Yes, this is what's happening.

When one turns off the tv, and starts reading books so much of this becomes so clear. It did for me.

"Brainwashing affects everyone" is as true as "no one is perfect."
We all possess our own level of susceptibility to manipulation.
If you don't believe that, learn it from working at a state prison for 21 years.

I have a different view. When you vote for someone and they are elected, they have become enabled to do as they want, with our permission. Holding out hope will not make change. If we vote for it, we get what they told us they were going to do and if it does not meet our values then we are voting for our own demise.

Also I agree, not voting R will likely elect a D. Why does it matter if voting for R will accomplish the exact same thing, maybe at a slower pace, than voting for D? The outcome is still the same. Slow death or fast death doesn't matter, still dead! IMHO until we quit voting for people on the R side that do no better than the D's nothing will ever change. We hold the cards but keep playing the wrong one's. Of course that is my 2 cents.

I think its a matter of holding out hope that the GOP will change.
The options are D or R. A diehard R will not vote D, it isn't an option.
Not voting isn't an option either.
I'm a recovering Republican. I am a card carrying Libertarian now. However, come November, if my choices are R or D, I will pull R. Not voting is the same as voting D.
In this case, it's not a matter or brainwashed - it's a matter of voting for the devil I know, and not for for the other devil I know.