The Intellectual Mosquito

OCCUPY THE VOTE!!!!

Anthony P. Mario — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:04:07 -0500

It appears these days that we are mindlessly sliding toward becoming a sham democracy. We live in a country where we have freedom of speech. But what good is free speech if it never gets heard and has no effect on what Washington does? Everyone knows the voice of the people isn’t heard because special interest money speaks louder, far louder than words. We also have the right to vote. But our votes are worthless in a system where the 1% get away with manipulating election laws, blatantly misinforming voters through domination of the mass media and by booby trapping voter registration laws to disenfranchise the poor, blacks and Hispanics, students, senior citizens, those who are physically disabled and those who don’t own an automobile or live where a mass transit system doesn't exist. As renown American historian and activist Howard Zinn warned us, ". . . it is up to the citizenry, those outside of power, to engage in permanent combat with the state, short of violent, escalatory revolution, but beyond the gentility of the ballot-box."

AN UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS GIFT FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON

Anthony P. Mario — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:00:00 -0500

It was nearly dark and raining when the first of Washington's troops reached the banks of the Delaware River where the boats waited. Except for officers in uniform, they resembled an army of beggars in their threadbare summer coats and trousers. Men without boots were plentiful. Their feet bound in rags, they pushed on through a path of mud and slush. Here and there bloody footprints were seen in patches of fresh snow. The march began at two p.m. Christmas Day with an icy wind lashing at the two columns of troops as they moved out

WHAT THE RICH AND POWERFUL BETTER REMEMBER ABOUT OCCUPY WALL STREET

Anthony P. Mario — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:46:20 -0500

The Occupy Movement isn’t going to go away. You can’t stomp it out or beat and gas the protesters forever. You can’t steal people’s jobs, homes, life savings, retirement dreams, and their children’s college educations and expect them to just walk away. Sooner or later, you won't be able to gather safely on the terraces high over Wall Street sipping cocktails, smirking, and snapping pictures of the motley chain of scruffy people marching in the streets below.

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL: JOIN THE FIGHT TO RENOVATE WALL STREET

Anthony P. Mario — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:43:21 -0400

It's time for a nationwide army of marchers to visit corporate big shots and their minions where they work, where they live, where they vacation, wherever they come and go from daily--wherever they may be found. It's imperative that they and Congress hear the raging sound of thousands of voices and the loud, steady tramp of feet very close to where they live and breathe.

The Grand Nuttiness of Iowa's Straw Poll

Anthony P. Mario — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:20:04 -0400

The paltry lineup of Republican presidential candidates isn’t surprising or shocking. Given its win-at-all-costs approach, the caliber of people the GOP chooses to support shouldn’t astonish anyone. Having been willing to roll with the likes of Sarah Palin three years ago, we were on notice that the Republicans have no standards anymore.

Where Eaglets Dare, a poem

Anthony P. Mario — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:55:00 -0400

Where Eaglets Dare, a poem about kids and parenting.

Losing Jesus in America

Anthony P. Mario — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:45:00 -0400

We should consider ourselves lucky. Very lucky indeed to have a little more time to make the necessary corrections to our lives. I do not claim to be a religious or pious man. So what I’m about to say shouldn’t be taken as coming from a “holier than thou” source. This piece is intended to hold a mirror up to the politicians (who know better) and mainstream Americans who think we're a “Christian nation”, and explain why I don't think we are.

Anthony P. Mario — Tue, 31 May 2011 18:00:00 -0400

It’s time to treat these corporations for what they are: mere legal entities that are not American companies, but international corporate islands that don’t use American workers, do their manufacturing overseas, maintain their headquarters offshore to avoid paying taxes and are always motivated by profit and never the common good.

Anthony P. Mario — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:30:00 -0400

Capitalism is no longer a viable economic system because it is an inward-looking, closed-ended means of serving selfish corporate interests while disavowing any social responsibility and working against the ideals of a democratic society. For example, as I write this, entrepreneurs are trying to take over the internet and turn it into their personal, money-making enterprise.

Anthony P. Mario — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Without money, there is no power. This is the stuff that has the makings of revolution. As the response of the White House and both political parties to the meltdown of 2008 has proven, the Middle and Working classes can go to hell. The greatest crime in history committed against a social class (something I call “economic genocide”), has been committed. We know who did it and how they did it, but not a single person responsible for it is in prison.