How many exposés do you need?

 

by Not Sure

21 April 2024

 

How many exposés do you need, how many admissions do you need from those involved to start to get the picture?  Or do you go straight back into, do you fall right back into the emotional he said/she said stuff in politics the next day?  Hm? Because it’s all drama, isn’t it? We’ve never seen so much drama today. And it’s like a soap opera. If you noticed, you’re not getting much of what governments are really up to about policies and so on because they’re training you into a new system altogether, where you’re not really involved at all. Before you weren’t involved but at least you had an idea of what was going on to an extent in some areas, not, maybe 40, 50% of the stuff you’d never know but, in some areas, they had to tell you some. Today they don’t. You’re given soap operas instead.  In all countries. All countries.

Alan Watt, Sept. 30, 2018 “Control over Minions from Ancient Times Meant Studying Prey then Disabling Minds”

 

***

 

The Quote Investigator says that Albert Einstein did NOT give us that famous quote on the insanity of repeating mistakes.  Perhaps it came from an October 1981 meeting of Al-Anon in Knoxville, Tennessee.

 

            "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

 

The Quote Investigator's second-best answer is what was found in a pamphlet printed by the Narcotics Anonymous organization in November 1981.

 

            "Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."

***

 

            Alan Watt mentioned that Carroll Quigley wrote in Tragedy and Hope that the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and the U.S. branch, the Council on Foreign Relations, had been selecting our leaders for sixty years at the time of publication of that book (1966).  But still you vote.

            I spent so much time researching corruption and political drama, country by country, that now I don’t have time to write.  But check out those links!  Apologies if I missed your country or your favorite episode of scandal or corruption.  Instead of writing something new, I will steal a paragraph from the Not Sure piece that went up with this talk the last time it was played in November of 2022:

 

            Soap operas got their name because many years ago these long-running daytime radio and later television serials were sponsored by soap manufacturers.  There was a familiar cast of characters, and you could root for the young lovers and hate the villains and vixens.  My grandmother watched a soap called Days of Our Lives which started in 1965 and is still going.  The opening image was an hourglass.  “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”  One summer, my folks dropped us children off with Mema for a couple of weeks.  I was about eight or nine years old and didn’t really enjoy being parked in front of the TV, especially to watch a show about old people.  But it was required viewing at Mema’s house.

            On Monday, a set of actors were introduced, and I saw all about their little problems.  Then on Tuesday, an entirely different set of actors were shown, with all their petty dramas.  Come Wednesday, the first set of people were back, but the thing that annoyed my restless, childish mind was that on Wednesday those actors talked about what had bothered them Monday.  Almost nothing happened.  On Thursday, Tuesday’s actors reappeared and once again, nothing happened.

            To please Mema, I tried to sit quietly, but this was a painfully boring part of each day.  The following year, we all went back to my grandmother’s house, but this time my folks were there too.  Everything stopped for Days of Our Lives.  A year later and the drama seemed to be in the same place as when I’d left it.  I said to my mother, “Nothing has happened!  This is exactly what they were doing a year ago!  I can’t believe it!”  Mema shushed me.  Mom squeezed my knee, and I sat staring at the television in total disbelief that adults would watch such rubbish, and worse, chat about it later as if it was real.

            I always remember that brief childhood excursion into the world of the soap opera whenever I am looking at anything that is put out for us to follow.  We’re given melodrama with emotive topics.  Politicians wave their hands and promise to drain the swamp.  Old Orange Hair announced he’s back in the ring for 2024.  This week, the rapper disgraced for his anti-Semitic remarks and Tweets announced he too will run for President of the U.S.A.  As of this writing, his campaign manager will be a character right out of central casting, whose fall from grace stemmed from his 2017 comment that a relationship between an adult male and a teenage boy could be “beneficial.”  The fashion label Balenciaga cut ties with the disgraced rapper last month, but now they find themselves being criticized for their recent ad campaign that looks an awful lot like child pornography.

            Too bad Old Orange Hair will be running against “The Rapper Formerly Known As”, because he could offer the Rapper a bit of advice on how to overcome bad press.  After all, Old Orange Hair survived that video where he bragged about groping women without their consent.  Days of Our Lives.

 

In November of 2022, Kanye/Ye/Yeezus announced his bid for the presidency, showed up at Mar a Lago in the company of a white nationalist and asked Trump to be his running mate.  Ye claimed that Trump started screaming at him.  Trump described the meeting as uneventful, but said later that he met with Kanye to “help a seriously troubled man, who just happens to be black... who has been decimated in his business and virtually everything else”.  Trump also stated that he told West, “don't run for office, a total waste of time, can't win”.  In December he told Alex Jones he “loved” Adolf Hitler.  Since then, he has mostly been spotted out and about with his wife who does not like to wear clothes.  His attorney stated in October of 2023, that Kanye was not running for president in the 2024 cycle, having failed to file his campaign documents with the Federal Election Commission.

With Biden running for the Democrats and Trump for the Republicans, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had to content himself to run as an Independent.  We all saw what gave him credibility in certain circles for the last few years.  He broadens his appeal by happily discussing his uncle’s assassination and refuting the Lone Gunman account.  RFK Jr. is going to deliver on UFO disclosures on “day one” of his presidency. 

I could not make this stuff up, but somebody does.  For every group in society, in every country, little political dramas play out.  One drama fades from view, but new ones have already started to bubble up.  Wag the dog is a political term for creating a diversion from a potentially damaging situation, usually with the use of military force.  The dog wags the tail, but if the tail was smarter, it would wag the dog.  Our American Cousin was the play that Abraham Lincoln was watching at Ford’s Theatre in 1865 when he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.  In 1871, in a Democratic convention publication, a character from that play, Lord Dundreary, was referenced:

“Calling to mind Lord Dundreary's conundrum, the Baltimore American thinks that for the Cincinnati Convention to control the Democratic party would be the tail wagging the dog”.

The 1997 movie Wag the Dog shows the lengths to which an administration might go to cover up a potentially scandalous situation.  But in thinking on this further, I see that the political system itself is as much “the tail” as any diversionary drama, Hollywood produced, or not.  Until we can admit to ourselves that the dog and the tail are one and the purpose of the dog and its tail is to keep us from ever identifying the dog handler, we’re doomed to sit in front of Mema’s television forever, watching a soap opera with no end.

 

© Not Sure

 

Additional reading:

 

Nothing was true but everything felt real - by Not Sure (Nov. 2022)

https://cuttingthroughthematrix.com/articles/Nothing_was_true_but_everything_felt_real.htm

 

Peter Murrell police charge 'incredibly difficult' - Nicola Sturgeon (2024)

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-68856924.amp

 

Angela Rayner dealt further blow in homes row as new document emerges (2024)

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1890627/angela-rayner-council-house-row

 

How Tony Blair’s Labour built the ‘New Corruption’ (2021)

https://socialistworker.co.uk/long-reads/how-tony-blairs-labour-built-the-new-corruption/

 

List of federal political sex scandals in the United States (1796-2022)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_political_sex_scandals_in_the_United_States

 

Bill Clinton 1998: 'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'

https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/press-past/2013/01/25/bill-clinton-15-years-ago-i-did-not-have-sexual-relations-with-that-woman

 

Impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden (2023)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_inquiry_into_Joe_Biden

 

Disgraced former Stormy Daniels lawyer says he would now testify for Trump (2024)

https://news.yahoo.com/disgraced-former-stormy-daniels-lawyer-211410724.html

 

South Africa’s parliament speaker resigns over accusations of bribery (2024)

https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-parliament-speaker-resignation-corruption-d13e33b42cea458a913f89d704940034

 

How South Africa's former leader Zuma turned on his allies and became a surprise election foe (2024)

https://www.foxnews.com/world/how-south-africas-former-leader-zuma-turned-allies-became-surprise-election-foe

 

How Russian Corruption Is Foiling Putin’s Army in Ukraine (2022)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2022-08-31/how-russian-corruption-is-foiling-putins-army-in-ukraine

 

Netanyahu Will Return With Corruption Charges Unresolved. Here’s Where the Case Stands. (2022)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/world/middleeast/netanyahu-corruption-charges-israel.html

 

Israel seen as increasingly corrupt for fourth year in a row, index finds (2021)

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-seen-as-increasingly-corrupt-for-fourth-year-in-a-row-index-reveals/

 

Why China can’t clean up corruption (2014)

https://www.law.berkeley.edu/article/why-china-cant-clean-up-corruption/

 

Xi Jinping's never-ending hunt for corruption in the Communist Party (2024)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-68213161

 

Scandal after scandal: timeline of Tory sleaze under Boris Johnson (2022)

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/01/scandal-timeline-tory-sleaze-boris-johnson

 

When power corrupts: U.S. -- 16 of the biggest political scandals of the last 50 years (2016)

https://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/article/2016/05/when-power-corrupts-16-biggest-political-scandals-last-50-years

 

Court clears France’s justice minister of conflict of interest following an unprecedented trial (2023)

https://apnews.com/article/france-justice-minister-trial-dupond-moretti-19d2767bad812debb1fe979b38902902

 

Despite Macron's denial, magazine shares photos of Brigitte as a 'boy' (2024)

https://www.albawaba.com/node/despite-macrons-denial-magazine-shares-photos-brigitte-boy-1557777

 

Macron faces corruption scandal as two ministers fight criminal charges (2023)

https://news.yahoo.com/two-macron-ministers-fight-criminal-120034741.html

 

Macron faced with corruption charges over McKinsey contracts (2022)

https://theweek.com/news/world-news/europe/958808/macron-faced-with-corruption-charges-over-mckinsey-contracts

 

Timeline of Hillary Clinton’s email scandal (2016)

https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/28/politics/hillary-clinton-email-timeline/index.html

 

Fresh revelations contradict Joe Biden’s sweeping denials on Hunter (2023)

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/05/hunter-joe-biden-business-testimony-00125056

 

Brazil's former president Lula walks free from prison after supreme court ruling (2019)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/08/lula-brazil-released-prison-supreme-court-ruling

 

Lula sworn in as Brazil president as predecessor Bolsonaro flies to US (2023)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64138739

 

Sunak faces fresh Infosys scrutiny as minister accused of giving it ‘VIP access’ (2023)

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/04/sunak-fresh-infosys-scrutiny-minister-accused-vip-access

 

Zelensky's Corruption Problem (2024)...but elsewhere, according to fact-checkers, Zelensky does not own a yacht

https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-zelensky-corruption-problem-1863644

 

Zelenskyy - Almost all Ukrainians think the country has a problem with corruption (2023)

https://www.businessinsider.com/corruption-in-ukraine-zelenskyy-is-responsible-says-national-survey-2023-8?op=1

 

Priti Patel repeatedly backed company accused of obtaining Nigerian gas contract through corruption (2020)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/priti-patel-gas-contract-corruption-nigeria-process-industrial-development-b1759441.html

 

Daniel Morgan murder: Priti Patel’s delay of report into police corruption ‘suspicious’, family believe (2021)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/daniel-morgan-murder-report-priti-patel-delay-b1850025.html

 

Mexico: Ex-President Enrique Peña Nieto accused of corruption and bribery (2020)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53746715

 

Mexico rocked by claims of corruption against three former presidents

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/20/mexico-corruption-former-presidents-emilio-lozoya

 

‘There is literally no paper trail’: How Russia experts say Putin hides a fortune (2022)

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/17/business/putin-wealth-sanctions-invs/index.html

 

Former Italian PM Berlusconi acquitted in bribery case (2022)

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-court-acquits-former-pm-berlusconi-bribery-case-2022-11-17/

 

Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-ridden former Italian prime minister, dies aged 86 (2023)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/silvio-berlusconi-former-italian-prime-minister-dies

 

Hillary Clinton puts lesbian rumors to bed: 'Never even been tempted' (2019)

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/hillary-clinton-puts-lesbian-rumors-bed-never-even-been-tempted-n1096021

 

Clinton body count conspiracy theory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_body_count_conspiracy_theory

 

A plagiarism scandal rocks Norway’s government (2024)

https://apnews.com/article/norway-plagiarism-borch-kjerkol-1cde4d0c7305b7107852eaee478a983c

 

The extent of corruption in Sweden may be underestimated (2024)

https://www.newswise.com/articles/the-extent-of-corruption-in-sweden-may-be-underestimated

 

Latvia - Former customs official Vaskevics sentenced to 6 years in jail for corruption (2024)

https://www.baltictimes.com/former_customs_official_vaskevics_sentenced_to_6_years_in_jail_for_corruption/

 

Latvia - Former ECB governor to testify on bribery allegations (2023)

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/former-ecb-governor-testify-bribery-allegations-2023-07-04/

 

Trump says he's allowed to grab women 'by the p---y' because he's famous (2016)

https://nationalpost.com/news/world/trump-says-hes-allowed-to-grab-women-by-the-p-y-because-hes-famous-in-leaked-2005-private-recording

 

Polish lawmakers arrested inside Presidential Palace, as showdown between new and old ruling parties intensifies (2024)

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/europe/poland-pis-arrests-tusk-duda-tensions-intl/index.html

 

Romania’s Most Powerful Man Is Sent to Prison for Corruption (2019)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/27/world/europe/liviu-dragnea-romania-corruption.html

 

Robin McAlpine: There is a giant corruption at the heart of Scottish life and we need to fight it (2020)

https://sourcenews.scot/robin-mcalpine-there-is-a-giant-corruption-at-the-heart-of-scottish-life-and-we-need-to-fight-it/

 

Is it corruption? German finance minister under scrutiny (2023)

https://www.dw.com/en/conflict-of-interest-or-corruption-german-finance-minister-under-scrutiny/a-64340581

 

German conservatives mired in ‘the swamp’ (2021)

https://www.politico.eu/article/german-conservatives-mired-in-the-swamp/

 

Iran-Contra affair (1981-1986)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Contra_affair

 

The Real Reason Behind Peru’s Political Crisis (2023)

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/01/25/peru-protests-political-crisis-castillo-boluarte-corruption/

 

US charges Bolivian ex-minister Murillo with corruption (2021)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57268054

 

Betta Edu probe: Nigeria recovers $24m in poverty minister investigation - EFCC (2024)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68759033

 

The eye of OMSAC : Assessment of the fight against corruption in Algeria from 2020 to 2023

https://en.omsac.org/post/the-eye-of-omsac-assessment-of-the-fight-against-corruption-in-algeria-from-2020-to-2023

 

Iran's supreme leader lashes out at his own judiciary for corruption (2023)

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/01/1185658051/irans-supreme-leader-lashes-out-his-own-judiciary-for-corruption

 

Leaders of INDIA bloc are either in jail or bail: J P Nadda (2024)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/leaders-of-india-bloc-are-either-in-jail-or-bail-j-p-nadda/ar-AA1now1r

 

Top Indian Opposition Leader Arrested on Corruption Charges (2023)

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/world/asia/india-manish-sisodia-arrest.html

 

A guide to Donald Trump's four criminal cases (2024)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61084161

 

Wag the dog

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_dog