AMERICAN SCHIZO

The closer we get to the 2016 election, the more the cultural schizophrenia of America becomes prevalent. The ugly truth is that we have never been one nation under God; nor have we been indivisible. The more one looks at real american history, it can be concluded that america is a nation that appears to be bursting apart underneath the surface. It also reveals a country that is in the grips of extreme amnesia about its history of division. This division is not only found in the corridors of race but also class. It is a deep contradiction that sees the most depressed sectors of the country identify with socio-political segments that are inherently adverse to its' own interest. It was clear that from the advent of the Constitutional Convention, the "Founding Father" has deep reservations about what democracy meant and how it would be carried out in America. With British authority now gone, the people set about to try and experiment with this thing called democracy. From the words of the men at this convention, it was clear that they had a deep un-abiding fear of rule by the people. It may be because when simple farmers and peasants see the practices of the British among the government in the, then fledgling colonies, they set about the business of fomenting rebellion to determine the real meaning of the American Revolution. Shays Rebellion was the natural result of what happens when sectors of the American economy are in conflict with one another. The agrarian sector of the country had no capital beyond the land and subsisted on a trade system among community members, but a credit system with the merchant class in more developed areas. The result of this relationship contained the seeds of rebellion from the very outset. In the more developed areas along the coast, national and international trade made the merchant class the ruling sectors in the colonies. Concurrently, the promises of land and assets, which were made to entice soldiers into the Continental Army, were never fulfilled after the British defeat and the establishment of political independence. The late historian Howard Zinn recounts this event in his DVD companion to his book, A People's History of the United States. The story is told through the mouth of an un-named soldier who joined the Continental Army for just such a promise. However, when the Revolutionary War was over, the soldiers were turned away since the government "had no more want of them."

Additionally, the demand by foreign trading partners of the merchant class of payment in currency, in stead of credit, threw the already fragile business cycle in a tailspin. With no payment from their service in the Continental Army and no currency other than their goods, the imposition of tax collections on their properties, and debt collections from the merchant class, was the spark that ignited the fuse of rebellion. The foreclosure upon properties for these debts led to massive protests by farmers and commoners who felt the pinch of the collections. Mass civil protests and violent actions occurred to halt the foreclosures and seizures of lands by government officials. Local militias were formed and for the first time, these paragons of the rights of man were faced with the very real possibility of the dissolution of the Continental Government. After raising funds for the conscription of soldiers and enticing Washington back out of retirement, the Government was able to put down the rebellion. However, the possibilities of what could happen if the masses arose in opposition against the rule of the merchant class left an indelible scar on the psyche of the colonial elite.

As a result, a kind of illusory compromise was engineered where the government would govern by the consent of the governed, but without their actual input. Such a suggestion was championed by men like Founding Father and Former New Jersey Governor William Livingston, who stated that "the people have ever been and ever will be unfit to retain the exercise of power in their own hands." Or the wealthy planter, Constitutional Signer and Governor of South Carolina, Charles Pinckey who declared that "no one be president that is not worth at least $100,00. It is this impetus that formed the crux of our political schizophrenia. Out of the conflicting psyche of these "enlightened individuals" would come a government of representation by a small group of people who were not representative of the people that they represented. A kind of constitutional monarchy masquerading as a democratic republic.

These fissures would continue through the Industrial Revolution right on up to the Civil War. The latter of which saw the great mass of southern, landless, commoners fight to uphold the rights of the relatively few land holding aristocracy who believed that they had a divine right to benefit from the free labor of African slaves while extolling the virtues of liberty. Many of whom possessed type of intellectual and spiritual kinship to the "Founding Fathers." While such claims are greeted with ribald laughter and a kind of patronizing dismissal befitting the actions of a mentally disabled child, when one looks at the letters and words of the people who signed the U.S. Constitution, the claims are painfully accurate. What is more important than these claims are the consistent patterns of conduct from the Revolutionary War up to the Civil War that would make the "regular masses" engage in actions that are in opposition to their very own interests. These two wars show the fundamental contradiction in the American political fabric: a love of democratic tradition and a longing for the days of monarchy. There is also the pervasive conditioning of obfuscation that cleverly disguises the interests of the commoner with the interest of the merchant; the interest of the banker with the interest of the farmer; the interest of the landlord with the interest of the landless.

In the present day, the trend continues. Scores of americans protest taxes and debt under the moniker of an act of civil dis-obediance that took place in 1773. Apparently, they have no problem with escalating taxation by the authorities in their own political parties and ideologies. They labor under the chimerical belief that a tax cut on someone making $25,000.000 is equivalent to a small businessman making $100,000. Even more fantastically illusory is the belief that tax cuts for the few benefit the many through a kind of trickle down mathematics that never seems to add up on April 15th. Of parallel importance is the constant insistence upon freedom to privacy all the while supporting politicians who support expanded government surveillance and intrusion; people who are so vigilant about liberty that they will protect it by arms but suppress the liberty of others due to a difference in religious beliefs, national origins or race; people who romanticize the fetish of patriotism but scarcely utter a word at multi-national corporations who flee the country to foreign lands in favor of profit over the economic integrity of their fellow citizens. A flight that has the externality of contracting both GDP and taxation upon the corporations, but increasing it on the everyday citizen. The question must be asked by saner men upon what rational belief can this schizophrenia make an America great again? By what estimation can a major constituency of the country consider this contradiction worthy of their greatest passions? Can frequent un-employment, economic instability, and social division really conspire to corrupt the reasoning powers of the majority? It is happening and it has happened. And it is thoroughly within the schizophrenic history of the American experiment with "democracy." that such contradictions are possible,or better yet, predictable. These questions and their answers shatter the hollow mythology surrounding the "Founding Fathers" and the Constitution. They are the self-created memories of a people infected with paranoia and dying from impoverishment of the spirit. With that said, see you in November!. This is the RED HORNET signing out!

HANDS UP! DON'T SHOOT!

It has been nearly 50 years since Dr. Huey P. Newton and Professor Bobby Seale (Emeritus) drafted the 10 Platform and Program. The program spells out a cogent demand for employment, decent healthcare, shelter and other objectives that rob African-Americans of the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." While these and other points were the essence of the program, Seale and Newton chose to demonstrate the point that would carry the most impact with the community: Point#7. Point number 7 demanded an IMMEDIATE end to police brutality and murder of Black people. In order to dramatize this point, they initiated armed police patrols complete with LAW BOOKS and tape recorders. They would drive to the center of police stops and where they saw police detaining and often beating someone, they would jump out, weapons in tow, and recite the requisite law to inform the community of their constitutional rights.  At that time, California law allowed a person to carry a weapon as long as it was not concealed. Conservatives would later change this law under the Mulford Act, which was also known as the "Panther Bill."

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, Oakland, 1966

Fast forward 50 years later, the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castille, and the shooting of an unarmed behavioral therapist by the Miami Police Department illustrate that Point#7 has remained an un-achievable objective in the black community. Using their criminal records and a kind of mass hypnosis with blatant evidence of misconduct, the police departments have completely obscured the events surrounding the shooting of these men. Media coverage, under the guise of reporting the events, has had the effect of providing different interpretations of the same events. The result is a massive racial divide that increases the hysteria. Whether the coverage is simply exposing the latent bigotry of white society or promoting division, is a question that has yet to be definitively answered. What is conclusive, however, is that all persons were deprived of their 5th and 14th Amendment Rights under the U.S. Constitution. The evidence of which, is that the municipalities where these shootings took place are already beginning, and in some cases, paying the families substantial settlements to prevent a lawsuit. Settlement funds that come from where? That's right! The U.S. Tax-payer. In an ironic kind of poetic justice, the collective society must bear the burden for the hideous stain of racial bigotry through their pocket books. Undoubtedly, many will fail to realize this since it will lead to scape-goating of Black people once again as outlaws and evil doers that are the source of these fiscal woes. It will also cover the graft and corruption of police unions and officials who will use the payment of these settlements to hide their theft.

This system is not sustainable in any real sense for ANYONE. Therefore, a different one must be imposed on the established order. But the question is where? An effective place to start would be the COMMUNITY CONTROLLED Review Boards. These boards would be formed in the community and maintained by retired law enforcement officers in the community. They would control the disciplinary proceedings and the firings in cases such as these. Such review boards would present a direct challenge to the control of unions like the F.O.P. This is a necessity because this is where the true power of the police departments lie. Until that power is decentralized, no practical changes will occur. Secondly, a war chest must be raised to protect the whistle-blowers who film these shootings. Access to attorneys and bail procedures would prevent the repression of these individuals that is as predictable as night-fall. And finally, we must begin to make full us of recall referendums in local offices like Police Chief, City Commissioners, Mayors, County Sheriff and local representatives. 

While these shooting may be a question of race, Point#7 is a question of power. As such, it is the only sure way to stop continued police brutality and wanton murder of innocent people; short of all out war. These strategies under the guise of Point#7 provide a check against entrenched power and thereby, bring meaningful solutions to these problems; since they will require the police to screen officers a bit more carefully before giving them a badge and a gun.  As Marcus Garvey once noted, "the only protection against injustice is power." That power must be brought to bear to stop the ever increasing power of an impending police state and to resuscitate the dying republic. Until next time, this is the RED HORNET signing out.

BLUE DOG BLUES

Over 50 years ago African-American Human Rights leader Malcolm X cautioned his community against the perils of blind allegiance to the Democratic Party.  He decried blantant racism of southern democrats and the subtle racism of its northern liberal wing. Malcolm X employed the analogy of the fox and the wolf to explain the motives of a party that in practice, appears no different than its' republican counterpart. It certainly appears just as corrupt. Since the 2010 mid-term elections we have heard of an silent majority that lies in shi'ar cloak within the democratic party. The Blue Dog Democrats as they are called, are those democrats that are actually Republicans in principle. The are for cuts in entitlement programs, small government, but big military spending and most of all, they trend toward established wealth and privilege. A cursory glance of history shows that this group is not a new phenomena in the party. A particularly poignant example is the case of Former Vice President and Secretary of Agriculture, Henry A. Wallace. Like 2016 Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders, Wallace was an unabashed anti imperialist who supported civil rights, robust unions, checks on Wall Street, and living wages for the American Working Class.  His "Century of the Common Man speech, as well as his support for the New Deal programs of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made him a dangerous pariah in his own political party.  And like Sanders, he was the choice of over 50% of democratic voters in the country.

Unfortunately, both were also victims of electoral coup d' etats in the primaries of their own parties. With Wallace, it was DNC Chairman Robert Hannegan, Treasurer Edwin Pauley, and others powerful party bosses, using payoffs, bribes of political offices and manipulation of electoral process, who robbed him (Wallace) of his nomination to the Vice-Presidency on a balmy Chicago night in July 1944. At the very point when Wallace's nomination seemed almost certain, they instructed Session Chairman Samuel Jackson to call an adjournment over the explosive protest of Wallace delegates who were more than ready to seal the deal and send Wallace back to the White House. According to Florida Senator Claude Pepper, Jackson told him that "he had strict instructions from Hannegan (DNC Chair) not to let the delegation nominate the Vice President." In Wallace's place would be Harry S. Truman. Truman was a Senator from Missouri that had as a backer the raining vice-lord of Kansas City; a man named Thomas Pendergast. So prevalent was this influence on Truman, that he was known as the "Senator from Pendergast."

Fast forward some 70 years later. Jewish Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont ran on the Democratic Party ticket for the President of the United States. Subsequent emails confirm the continued machinations of the same entrenched institutions within the Democratic Party. The emails confirm the most heinous forms of race-baiting and religious bigotry directed toward Senator Sanders. One would think it was the playbook from the Republican Party. Such actions confirm the time honored accusations of little similarities between the two parties and the profound prophesies of Malcolm X.  DNC Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz violated party rules of neutrality by channeling resources by way of money, information/propaganda to reporters, and scheduled debate times toward positions favorable to Hillary Clinton. Like her 1944 predecessors, Wasserman Schultz concluded that what's best for the party was not going to be determined by the delegation at large, but by the authority of the few. In the words of Former CIA director Allen W. Dulles, democracy is too important to be left to the masses. Such philosophy and practices reveal a fundamental flaw in the democratic process. It also reveals the incredulity of Hillary Clinton's pledge to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision. Tocqueville once said that: "The happy and powerful do not go into exile, there are no surer of equality among men than poverty and misfortune." But if we look at the history of electoral misconduct in politics, it is best summed up by President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he said that "things are more like now than they ever were before." Until next time, this is the RED HORNET signing out.

YES HE CAN! YES HE CAN!

It is strikingly apparent that the ordinary American lives in a bubble with respect to history and its' consequences. This was no more glaring to me than after watching the audience response to Michael Moore's statement concerning Donald Trump's chances of victory in November. It was a vast flight from reality of a 30 year trend in America. Moore cited as evidence, the support that Mitt Romney was able to garner in states like Michigan, Ohio & Wisconsin. He also noted the mood of the country. He skillfully painted a picture of the psyche of the average Trump supporter. Noting the absence of intellectual prowess and the presence of nationalist fervor, Moore explained how these people will be in lockstep with Trump in November. And He's right! When MSNBC's Joy Reid countered with the argument that massive numbers of African-American votes would equalize the possibility of a Trump election, Mahr countered by saying:"I'm not gonna rely on the argument that Black People are gonna save us." Mahr went on to imply that Moore's premonition was the motivation needed to shake off the chains of complacency. But with election day right around the corner, is it too late?

Moore is sounding an alarm that's been ringing since 1970 when Attorney General John Mitchell stated that: "this country is going so far right that you're not gonna recognize it." How could Americans have missed the explosion of militia movements across the country; the onslaught of propaganda against the objectives of the 1960's and 70's movements; the proliferation of the gospel of de-regulation; the repetitive stale talking point about a liberal media bias; the explosion of right-wing talk radio; and the abhorence of intellectual discourse in politics by a poorly informed working class citzenry. How anyone could think that a Trump presidency is a remote possibility is virtually astonishing. It was as though the emergence of tea party extremism and the election of its' candidates were simply Republican mirages that vanished with the Obama Re-election of 2012. Political amnesia can only be the reason that so many forgot the recall re-election of Wisconsin anti-union Governor Scott Walker. When we consider these events, who could not see the Republican nomination of a "The Donald?"

While liberals snicker and mock Donald Trump as a kind of Reality TV President, many of people in the American heartlands, resentful of what they see as a snobbish, condescending, liberal elitist popular culture, have swelled the ranks of the Trump Army under the call to "Make America Great Again." It is as if Ronald Reagan has been resurrected to reside over the national consciousness. The same sloganeering; the same angry conservatives; the same rhetoric about big government; the same complaints about illegal immigrants; the same arguments about the efficiency of the free market; and the same talk of endless wars.  Can he win? YES HE CAN! Don't be surprised! You've been warned!

Till next time, this is the RED HORNET, signing off!

SUNSHINE PATRIOTS

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country"...THOMAS PAINE (1776)

When I was younger, we began every morning in grade school with the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a ritual designed to instill a sense of loyalty in the country. But as I got older, and lived a little, I learned very quickly that while many mouthed the virtues of patriotism and the love of one's country, this  loyalty appeared to be conditional on whether that patriotism intruded on one's pursuit of happiness. History has recorded the wealthy's odd fascination with the most fascistic and authoritarian regimes of their day. (See The Business Plot of 1934 ) Newspaper mogul William Randolph Hurst got an audience with Adolf Hitler and wrote favorable articles on his behalf throughout the 1930's. During World War II, Henry Ford's German plants manufactured military vehicles for the Nazis in massive numbers while decreasing production of vehicles for the U.S. Government. The Grandfather of President George W. Bush, Prescott Bush managed financial investment accounts for Nazi sympathizers. These accounts were initially seized by the Government but later returned to the war with no penalties or sanctions imposed on anyone. Ford & General Motors would later sue the government for the loss of plants that occurred as a result of bombing raids by allied aircraft during the war. They were awarded full restitution.  Allen Dulles, working as an attorney for the powerful law firm Sullivan & Cromwell offered financial services to the 3rd Reich after war was declared by the U.S., through an entity known as The Bank of International Settlements. This bank was involved in the massive looting and plunder of many of Germany's successful Jewish citizens and business leaders. This kind of collaboration has been left out of the textbooks. Any reference to these facts are greeted with the steadfast, hostile denials and the now time honored slur: conspiracy theorist.

Today, the flight of capital to foreign shores is the new form of hollow patriotism. Under-developed countries have become labor camps for oil companies, manufacturing plants, and financial interests seeking to avoid taxation, government oversights of working conditions and minimum wage requirements.  Such interests employ private security firms such as Academi (Formerly known as Blackwater), for protection of their personnel and property. Unsurprisingly, shootings and atrocities are rarely, if ever, punished as these interests are unanswerable to the countries where they conduct these operations. It would seem that Americans would be up in arms at the present state of affairs, but the truth is that the American public does not seem to care about these issues as they are not involved in the consequences of their actions. However, the real truth is much darker. Americans have replaced the Pledge of Allegiance with another pledge this is eerily similar to the Nazi Salute as displayed recently by Laura Ingraham's hitlerian slip at the Republican National Convention.

 It goes like this: "I pledge allegiance, to the flag of the trans-national corporations of America, to the death of the republic, for which it stands, multi-nations under fraud, with no liberty and injustice for all."

Global Capital is no respecter of sovereignty; especially of its' home country. There is no true patriotism, only the bland conformity of predatory capitalism. No love of God, only worship of the high lords of finance. No devotion to the Bill of Rights, only the cultural appropriation of colonial mythology in pursuit of profit.

Till next time, this is the Red Hornet signing out.

FOX DON'T LOVE NO HOES!

I wonder if Snoop Dogg will allow Roger Ailes and all the other guys at Fox News to join the Dogg Pound? You have to admit that it's kinda ironic that the head of a news network that has spared no expense to demonize rappers as sexist, misogynistic, and patronizing toward women, now stands accused of sexual harassment of at least 11 women. One of which, Gretchen Carlson, has filed suit. How ironic that the boss (Roger Ailes) of the man (Bill O'Reilly) who cost Chris Bridges (A.K.A. Ludacris) a massive pay day over 10 years ago with Pepsi Cola, now stand at the edge of a firestorm of controversy over the mistreatment of female reporters and staff members at Fox. I guess there is a God in this world after all. But I won't get too ecstatic. Because my good sense, life experiences and pragmatism will quickly bring me back down to earth.  

The truth is that for all the hoopla over a 76-year old man trying to use his power to get his freak on, the situation still boils down to the money. In the real world, lawsuits are rarely about principles, they're about money. Therefore, despite the lawsuit filed by Carlson, a trial on the merits of the case is an extremely remote probability. Fox has already gone on record announcing its' support for Ailes before their own internal investigation has concluded. That sounds "fair and balanced" doesn't it? 

While i'm not a prophet, I play one on the internet (LOL). Therefore, this is my prediction. Ailes is out. He will get a hefty separation package from the network. The network will settle Carlson's suit quietly, out of court with no admission of liability and all the mandatory confidentiality agreements so that she will not be able to make any money writing books or selling interviews to reporters. The settlement will have to be substantial because her career in media is over.  The truth is that as much as the other networks will give this story airtime, Carlson has become a new kind of pariah in American society. She is now that leper called by another name: whistle-blower.  The majority of news outlets in this country are owned by men. And while they maybe ideologically opposed to Fox, male CEO's will sympathize with the turmoil and controversy of being outted by a woman. The dog whistle of male loyalty will trump any attempt at objectivity when it comes to hiring her. Because for all the talk about diversity, the citadels of wealth and power in this country are still Boys' Clubs.

Fox will remain a bastion of white male authority where they hire guys like this.---->

All the female employment contracts will be changed to at will employment agreements. Women will be fired immediately at the slightest whisper of the word sexual harassment.  Where is Allred? Where is Bruce? Where is Steinem? Where is N.O.W.? My bet is you won't see them because they know the deal. Their sphere of influence is limited. The vast white male centralization of power and money in America is beyond their reach. This is the real power in America. This is the power that says yes to bank bailouts when the public screams no. The power that says go to war when the public says "wait"! The power that says "move along nothing to see here." And when you ask why, it replies "because I said so!" The power that says that even after you pass the Lilly Ledbetter Act; "we still don't love dem hoes." Until next time, this is the Red Hornet signing out.

Theme Song exit

IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE CAN IT? YES! IT CAN

The Business Coup of 1934

In 2016, there continues to be controversy surrounding the murder of President John F. Kennedy. Many critics of "conspiracy theorists" argue against the possibility of a coup happening in the U.S. due to a system of check and balances against any possibility of despotism. This incredibly short-sided view makes no consideration for the centralization of wealth and power in America, nor the implications of what happens when money talks.

Without going into the numerous conspiracies and rebuttals surrounding the death of John F. Kennedy, let us take a deep look into the past to better understand the present. During the Hoover Administration, World War I veterans, known as the "Bonus Army" came to nation's capitol to redeem retirement pensions issued to them as Bonus Certificates in lieu of cash. These certificates, issued by the Federal Government, would not be redeemable for 20 years. The Bonus Army wanted the certificates redeemed immediately to grant them relief from the abject poverty of the Great Depression. Shockingly, while these men had put their lives on the line for God and Country, many sectors of the wealthy elite were against the issuance of these certificates, to say nothing of their redemption.  Apparently, these men were mere a after-thought; expendable dupes that were no longer needed after the elites had obtained the insane sums of money generated from their sacrifices in the name of democracy.

 As they erected tents, small cities and encampments along the Capitol. The question arose as to how the government would respond to this peaceful demonstration. President Herbert Hoover requested that the military strictly ensure that they demonstration remained peaceful. However, the strident anti-communist and unsympathetic Army General Douglas MacArthur countermanded the orders of President Hoover and routed the Bonus Army. By setting fire to their tents and encampments, and using artillery fire and tear gas to evacuate them from Washington, MacArthur left a sour taste in the mouths of many Americans for the Hoover Presidency with the notable exception of Archie Bunker.

                                       The Bonus Army marches on Washington D.C                                            

Two days prior to this atrocity, Retired Maj. Gen Smedley D. Butler had spoken at the demonstration in support of the Bonus Army.  He reminded them that their service in WWI was a necessary component in the machinery of American democracy. He spoke with righteous indignation of the hypocrisy of the elites' perjorative description of the men as tramps in 1932, while lauding them as noble soldiers in 1917-1918. Butler's address was immensely popular and won the undying admiration of the men as he stayed with them for hours on end counseling them and listening to their tales of misery. Never ones to let an opportunity to use the desperately vulnerable pass them by, the wealthy elites sought to use the frustration of the veterans for their own sinister agenda. They formed a fascist organization known as the Liberty League hell bent on reversing the New Deal policies of then President, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). Witnessing the adulation and loyalty the veterans displayed toward Gen. Butler, they hatched plot to end the new presidency of FDR.

Roosevelt was elected in 1932 by an overwhelmingly outraged population that had enough of the hands off, laisse faire, approach to governing of Herbert Hoover. Roosevelt's New Deal policies while not completely effective was a welcome change by many in the era of the Great Depression. With programs such as the Banking Act of 1933, The Securities Act of 1933, and the Works Progress Administration, The New Deal did not endear itself to the entrenched oligarchs who seemed to have an insatiable appetite for the fascistic governing policies of men like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. After Roosevelt removed America off of the Gold Standard in 1933, the wealthy bankers, industrialists and financiers felt that FDR had drawn blood and now was the time to strike back.

Enlisting a chubby faced, WWI veteran and Wall Street Bond Salesman, named Gerald McGuire,

Gerald S. McGuire

the Liberty League set about to recruit Butler to lead the Bonus Army in a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Roosevelt.  At first, Butler declined. But McGuire's sly courting of Butler continued and appeared to have the effect of trying to determine his sympathies toward their cause. Finally, after about 2 months of discussions, McGuire sent another man to Butler's door. The man was Robert Sterling Clark, heir to the Singer Sewing Machine Franchise. Clark propositions Butler to take command of the Bonus Army and oppose FDR by force. If Butler succeeded, FDR would be deposed and Butler would carry out policy at the behest of the wealthy elite. Faced with a serious decision, Butler decided to penetrate this treasonous conspiracy to learn who were the real backers of the plot. These forces included the Banking House of Morgan, Du'pont Chemical, General Motors, and the "blue dog" elements of the Democratic Party. This same element of the Democratic Party would later conspire to rob FDR's Vice President, Henry A. Wallace of his re-election to office in the July 1944 primary election.

We may never know the private thoughts of Gen. Butler during the early days of his investigation of this plot. Perhaps his profound wit and cynicism stiffled his anger at an evil group of avaricious men who so readily played on the frustrations of the veterans while using them as pawns for their own sinister machinations; all the while seeking to deny them the relief earned in blood on the hellish battlefields of World War I. Perhaps his faith in the democratic institutions of America restrained his brilliant deployment of profanity against a group of men who were as callous as brillo pads toward the suffering of brave veterans; who left their friends with pieces of their souls on foreign lands. One can only imagine how strongly Butler had to hold his decorum at the snide remarks made about the Bonus Men by this chubby cheeked flunky of Wall Street. He was, in effect, the representative of a perverse form the ethics from a group of men who felt a divine right of kingship to the spoils of the blood, sweat and sacrifices of men that were their superiors by example of their commitment to the American Republic.

What is known is that Butler enlisted the services of a Philadelphia Journalist by the name of Paul Comley French to verify the facts of his informal investigation. French spoke with McGuire who was even more open about the coup with him than he was with Butler. As rumors of a plot against the government began to spread, an investigation was launched, which prompted Butler to come forward. A Congressional Committee subpoened Butler to testify with respect to the attempted plot. Butler revealed names, dates, and places. The committee would later call McGuire to testify. He admitted speaking with Butler but denied any knowledge of a plot to overthrow FDR. He stated that Butler was crazy. When questioned about his activities in France with fascist forces, he denied any collusion or interest. Subsequent evidence in the form of handwritten letters, revealed that McGuire was lying. Shockingly, he was not charged with perjury.  The committee concluded that there was significant evidence of a plot to overthrow the government and stated that the backers had the means to execute this plot if given sufficient opportunity.

Like today, the Liberty League, through the press, began to make statements attacking Gen. Butler's sanity and deriding him as the 1934 version of the social slur, conspiracy theorist. Also, like today, key figures in the plot somehow escaped interrogation. Men like Former Presidential Candidate Al Smith, Grayson P. Murphy and Robert S. Clark were never called to testify, much less charged. The committee also struck all references to the Liberty League from the record. This is the equivalent of an eye-witness to a murder; giving a statement; describing the perpetrator; making a report; omitting the name of the suspect from the report; and the cops closing the case. Such actions verify a quote by Jonathan Swift: "laws are like cob-webs which may catch small flies, but lets hornets and wasps break through."

After discovering this, as well as, the omission of key portions of his testimony from the official record, Gen Butler vented his frustrations over the airwaves of WCAU in Philadelphia. By the time the committee's findings made it to Congress, the only witness, Gerald McGuire, was dead of natural causes at the ripe old age of 37. Gen. Butler would die 3 years later of pancreatic cancer. These facts and the subsequent intrigue around them are not as important as the question of how will Americans resolve the problem of the immense effect of entrenched wealth on American politics? In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United, it is no longer a question but a blood red flag waiving in the breeze of a republic increasingly divided by class and race. Will we consummate the marriage between liberty and justice? Or, will we succumb to an orgy of corporate avarice that is boldly stripping us of both liberty and justice? Can it happen here? Yes It has! The question is what will we do about it? We shall see. Until next time, this is the Red Hornet signing out!