Coming from Brooklyn, NYC, and having a dad who was both a longshoreman and bookmaker, this writer knows a ‘ thing or two about a thing or two’ concerning the mob. In colloquial terms when someone knows something about an illegal act and keeps his or her mouth shut, they call that D & D or ‘ Deaf and Dumb’. Sometimes that label fits people who should know better about important things and simply do not care to know. This is what the ‘ Masters of Empire’ rely on for better control of the serfs. Sad but true. Take the scene from one of my favorite films, Hitchcock’s Saboteur, starring Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane ( 1942 ). Hitchcock wanted to show just how dangerous the Nazi ‘ Fifth Columnists’ were in our country both before and during WW2. There is one scene that captures the sad mindset of many Americans during those trying times. In this scene, Barry Kane, played by Cummings, along with Pat Martin, played by Lane, are trapped in the Sutton mansion , which is owned and run by Nazi spies and saboteurs. They are desperate to flee to safety as the Nazi crew is closing in on them. Cummings comes upon a young couple, sitting by the piano player, listening to swing music. As he approaches them, they are deeply engrossed in the music, snapping their fingers to the beat….
Cummings- ” Excuse me ( to the man) did you pay $25 to get in here tonight?”
Man- ” Not exactly. My boss gave me a ticket. Why?”
Cummings– ” I need your help very badly. We’re right in the middle of the biggest bunch of Fifth Columnists in the country.”
Man – ” Are you kidding? What’s the gag?”
Cummings – “No. I’m on the level…”
Man – ” Are you kidding me.? ( To the woman with him) The guys trying to rib me…”
Woman- ” Ah, he’s slingin ya a curve!”
Man- ” Beat it out son. Beat it out!” ( as he goes back to snapping his fingers to the beat along with the girl).
Too many of our fellow citizens have been ‘ D & D’ too long. Remember the Vietnam debacle from the 60s and early 70s? How many folks just went about their business for the interim, while the ‘ For and Against’ groups battled? Similar to what William Shirer, correspondent based in Berlin during the 1930s, noted in his reports back home. He observed how many Berliners, the majority who were not Nazi Party members, were almost oblivious to the news of German military advances into other countries. All that mattered to many of them was their jobs, families and entertainment. Like with that couple in Saboteur ,anything outside of their own sphere of concern was, well, of no concern to them. It was only when a family member was injured or killed while serving in those ‘ hornets’ nests, or perhaps if a Jewish friend or neighbor of theirs was taken by the Gestapo, did they awaken from slumber. Isn’t that the way it is with the D & D?
The events surrounding 9/11 were fertile ground to induce researchers to dig deeper than the government’s narrative. A library of books and films were produced to counter the ‘Official Explanation’. Yet, a majority of friends and neighbors dismissed all that and refused to weigh them against what they came to believe at that point. D & D. Soon after 9/11 we had the pre-emptive attack and invasion/occupation of Iraq. Millions throughout the world marched in protest to the Bush/Cheney Cabal’s plans to start that war. Again, friends and neighbors either supported the administration’s position or just said and did what those Berliners did in the late 1930s: NOTHING! D & D.
This current worldwide pandemic confirms Amerikan D & D. When the virus hit China so hard that they had to quarantine an entire region of over 8 million people, our administration was D & D. Trump and his crew, instead of making plans for safety readiness… D & D. Then, in February, while the whole planet was fearful of this contagion, Trump and his minions were calling it a hoax, or a Chinese bio weapon. One would think if they even felt that this was a biological attack on us, that they would have the face masks, ventilators, hand sanitizers well stocked not only for caregivers, but the general population as well. Did they not see the photos of Wuhan’s response to the virus? No, D & D and business as usual, because that is what our empire cares about first and foremost. Look at the result of this selfishness, greed and total ineptitude. It is mid August and they won’t mandate wearing face masks, but they will reopen schools for classes and sports competition in hot spike areas of concern. D & D.
This writer has no use for the current Democratic Party leadership and organization. There are but less than 50 current Democrats in Congress that I have confidence in. Looking at the ‘other side of the aisle’ there are NO Republicans in office that are worth anything… especially the ones like my Florida governor. This guy probably has to move his head anytime Trump goes to the john. Both parties refuse to even discuss and debate the only short term solution to this mess: A Universal Basic Income of anywhere from $1000 to $2000 per month per citizen ( with $ 500 per child capping at two per family). As Public Banking and UBI advocate attorney Ellen Brown suggests, the UBI will not be inflationary while it stimulates the economy. How else will millions of renters and homeowners, now in financial troubled waters , be able to pay those monthly debts to the landlords and banks? How else can a parent stay home to watch his or her kids when ( not IF ) the schools cannot remain open? This writer understands that only Socialism can ultimately save us from this greedy, evil empire. Until that day comes, and it may never fully crystallize, we need a tourniquet to stop this bleeding! Fellow citizens, open your eyes and ears and cease and desist this D & D behavior.
Philip A Farruggio is a contributing editor for The Greanville Post. He is also frequently posted on Global Research, Nation of Change, Countercurrents.org, and Off Guardian sites. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, class of 1974. Since the 2000 election debacle Philip has written over 400 columns on the Military Industrial Empire and other facets of life in an upside down America. He is also host of the ‘ It’s the Empire… Stupid ‘ radio show, co produced by Chuck Gregory. Philip can be reached at [email protected].
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