Let me give you some advice that could change your life forever. It’s called “yes, and” and it will transform your arguments into productive conversations. Let me show you how.
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Improvisational Warm Ups : Playing the “Yes, And?” Improv Game
How To Practice Yes And & Improv Your Way To Successful Conversations
Interview 1972 – Senator Ron Johnson Dares to Question 9/11
Buckle Up, Folks! You’re About to See the Mother of All Gaslighting Operations
REPORTAGE: Essays on the New World Order
False Flags: The Secret History of Al Qaeda
…oh, and Reportage is in the Calgary Public Libary!
Wow! 😳
Am I the first “commenter”?
That is an honor and let me hit “done” right away so I can brag about it.
How about me luiz.c? I’m the second commenter! Yay!! Anyway I logged in so I can say how much I loved this episode. One of my favorites. I never heard of the “Yes, and” game. It’s a good one for me, because I frequently find myself saying “No, but”. I did notice negative comments after James’ interview of Ron Johnson. Ron is pretty cool, I like him. There are a few legislators that are pretty cool people. I can’t remember the name of one of them from one of James’ very early programs. It was a man who didn’t stay in office very long though. I think some well-intentioned people can believe serving in government is a good thing and end up getting a real education when they end up in that position.
James the ‘Yes and” is a great idea. Im going to add it to my communications tactics.
Thank you for your brilliant work and way of looking at things. Annie Kimball
Yes, and James, couple it with the “ping pong” method of speaking, where we practice authentic sovereignty by pausing while we’re speaking, if someone else pipes up. And of course others do that for us. So speaking is more interactive than hierarchical where some defer to others. When we learn to interact as authentic sovereigns, our communications will go to the stratosphere! Great game! I learned something new tonight and I love it!
Oh I just saw this message after I posted my comment “Awaiting moderation”. You moderate comments? How fascist. That’s not about free speech my friend. Very disappointing. Take a punt and just let comments be. The internet must be free and nobody moderating speech. We must practice that otherwise we will be accepting censorship.
When the improv guy starts to explain how to do, “Yes, and” he says “we’re going to speak some information into existence” — I love that phrase!
“…. we’re going to speak some information into existence” — I love that phrase…..”
Yes, and it’s kinda a change in society how many young folks think that meaning and information are created by people rather then existing even without us.
Its a sign of how relativist people have become.
Great video and perspective to use in conversation. Most people who look into anything beyond what is presented to them often find themselves in a very lonely place bc they find few others of like mind and it doesn’t help discourse with those who are mainstream- led let’s say. This method is helpful by being a conversation starter vs conversation killer. Thank you James
It sounds far to leftist, new age, kumbyah, 60’s yuppie, can’t we all just get along, time to take the power from others, to me.
Yes, and I don’t care what you think about that. 🙂
SHIP OF FOOLS (song)
https://old.bitchute.com/video/FBo2nzK6ky2X/
ejdoyle,
And, yes, indeed it does. Is this the video in which “hard, cold facts” are dismissed? By someone who always provided documentation, show notes, and facts? Are we witnessing a metamorphosis?
Has anyone asked Derrick Broze & Co. to explain what they mean by “conscious”? They use New Age language, and I believe it’s the People’s Reset Activation events that begin with Maharishi meditation.
On the origins of New Ageism (it didn’t begin with a Mayan calendar — this is a fact), please look up Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey.
This is an old video, but it outlines clearly the relations between Freemasonry, New Ageism, and One Worldism:
https://archive.org/details/AquariusTheAgeOfEvilFull
(1:44:00 infiltration of the Truth movement, New Age religion)
(1:50:50 Maharishi Maresh Yogi)
(2:16:15 Yes, and facts)
Perhaps better audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUnVRR-vhg
Or this? https://christianobserver.net/aquarius-the-age-of-evil/
My email application has been sending emails to their folders and not to the Incoming so I just discovered your comment.
The “Age of Evil” looks very interesting. As it is over 2 hours I will watch it when the winter hits up here on the mountain.
Thanks
Yes I agree that we should give these politicians a chance to prove their legitimacy, and I have a feeling you might agree that it’s wise to be highly skeptical considering the amount of evidence indicating that it’s virtually impossible (if not completely impossible) to become a high level U.S. politician without being compromised.
And I think you’d also agree that our skepticism should be even stronger when the politicians in question come across less as genuine truth seekers with a genuine interest in 9/11 truth, and more like people who were recently briefed (given a crash course on 9/11 conspiracy theories) so that they could effectively carry out a task that was assigned to them.
Yes But are you aware that…. has been my go to for some time. The “yes” validates the value of the person you are in conversation with, giving a little feel good dopamine hit and thus making them more receptive to receiving new information less critically. Unfortunately unless the opportunity to repeat the process many times is present then its not likely to have any iimpact. All learning is a repetitive process.
Wow. I’d never heard of ‘Yes and…’ Knowing this could have prevented 30 years of arguing with my husband. Better late than never. Also, as a sub editor, I can’t help but point out your tagline for Ron Johnson says ‘Senator Ron Johnson Dares to Question 9/11 corbettreport.com – Sept. 6, 2026′.
Yes and…is a pretty good sales tactic as well.
I’m not hating on these guys, but I do think that they put me on the defensive.
It’s like in all those mobster films (Goodfellas, Casino, The Godfather trilogy, etc.) when they come to take a guy out, they come with a full-on bon ami, attitude. When they stab a guy in the neck, they do it with a smile on their face.
But maybe Corbett has a point, about not undermining these politician’s interest in opening new 9/11 inquirys (that may or may not happen. I guess it depends on how much “Trump has on his plate”)
Maybe just kind of smile along with them, and don’t say anything to them or about them.
New inquiries aren’t going to come from the gangsters in DC, anyway.
New inquiries are going to come from the families of the victims and the 9/11 first responders.
Send checks to them, and probably not to the campaign to re-elect Ron Johnson.
I don’t hate Ron Johnson, but I’m not paying him.
IAmFree
Yes, and it’s not really a bad thing if this kind of thing gets into the public mind – I’m not a great fan of RFK but at least it’s in the public mind that there is a massive Autism and health problem going on. Not gonna have a wearable either, but it’s not exactly bad news if it’s no longer crime think to notice how many unhealthy people we have waddeling about now vs the 80s.
True there is always an effort to use the new paradigm as containment, but it’s a lot easier to jump the fence when you have fewer blocks to “crime think”.
“….when they come to take a guy out, they come with a full-on bon ami, attitude. When they stab a guy in the neck, they do it with a smile on their face….”
lol, that actually works.
Years back we were doing drills in class and one of the best ways to get the jump on someone is to ask them a question – even in class where they were literally expecting an attack peoples OODA loop can get stuck by questions or unexpected social cues. You can also totally make someone loose their train of thought with interrupted pattern interjections / questions as they speak….its funny as hell.
Yes, and from time to time I like to use a very effective variant of this in my comments …
What’s the variant I’m referring to?
“Yes and no.”
As used in this comment from another episode.
And watch how I juxtapose “yes” and “no”
in my followup post right after the first.
A writing tip from Trey Parker & Matt Stone of South Park:
Yes, and…This happens – and therefore – this happens
But – this happens- therefore – this happens
Excellent, James. And yes, I have been saying these things in the comment sections here for weeks. Yes, and we have the Great Pretenders in the spotlight, and yes, we have the Great Predictors in this corner of the web.
And yes, I will be more mindful of this principle henceforth, when talking to my wife. (And kids, if they talk to me again). And yes, I learned a useful term from this clip, “Social Proof.” Of course, I, and many of the fellow commenters here, don’t require it as much as most of our friends in the unwashed masses, but this crystallized concept will help me count to ten before opening my mouth to inform them of the extent of their ignorance and hypocrisy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBj2HN2uuNA&t=1s
Yes, and the computer is making me type comment response preferences again.
Oh yeah man!
…AND not only that, there is this FLUORIDE NEWS…
NEW STUDY
The sugar industry’s efforts to manipulate research on fluoride effectiveness and toxicity:
a ninety-year history
By Chris Neurath [graphics]
https://fluoridealert.org/content/fluoridation-brought-to-you-by-the-sugar-industry/
Yes, …and…
FLUORIDATION REVIEW – Email Newsletter – By Michael F. Dolan, Ph.D
[A handful of recent studies, news or articles.]
https://fluoridealert.dm.networkforgood.com/emails/4209887
Tuesday September 30, 2025 – Children’s Health Defense –
By renown journalist Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.
‘Magic Bullet’: Sugar Industry Falsified Science to Sell America on Fluoride
A new study reveals the sugar industry has manipulated fluoride science since the 1930s — exaggerating benefits, concealing risks and steering attention away from sugar’s role in tooth decay.
The findings show that industry influence shaped fluoridation policies, raising urgent questions about the public health guidance that persists today.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/sugar-industry-falsified-science-to-sell-america-fluoride-kelloggs-ada-study/
EXCERPT
…quote by Alberto Brandolini, a Programmer: ‘The amount of energy necessary to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.’
Chris’s work suggests it may be several orders of magnitude bigger.”…
Have you considered making Reportage available in Spanish?
Yes and…
Be sure to follow the government science…especially about polio…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJs1tlTof_s
below is a link to an interview Tucker just did with one of the co-founders of Wikipedia.
https://youtu.be/vyfKyrSAVFg?t=5326
Larry Sanger is a Philosopher and I think he would do a great interview with James. Perhaps another Philosopher could help Larry with his Thesis to restore Wikipedia.
Yes, …and I laughed too.
Trump AI Meme (34 second VIDEO)
https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1972822596397003159
SCRIPT – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says:
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it, nobody likes Democrats anymore. We have no voters left because of our woke, trans bullshit.”
“Not even Black people wanna vote for us anymore, even Latinos hate us.
So we need new votes.
And if we give all these illegal aliens free healthcare, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us. They can’t even speak English, so they won’t realize we’re just a bunch of woke pieces of shit.”
BACKSTORY
President Donald Trump posted an expletive-laden, deepfake video with racist tropes about immigrants after talks with Democrats did not end in agreement to keep the federal government open.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Trump and Republican leaders on Sept. 29, just over 24 hours ahead of the government funding deadline.
Later that night, Trump posted an apparently AI-created video of Schumer speaking in a fake voice and Jeffries standing next to him with a sombrero, a mustache and mariachi music playing in the background.
Very Interesting show. I like difference of opinion, helps me grow as i don’t know everything! The way I would/do like to converse is to say, Yes and, i dont corner the market on knowledge, lets talk, so i can learn.
As important as the word “yes” in this formula, is the word “and,” if not more important. A principle in NLP is that one breaks rapport with a person when they use the word “but.” The phrase, “Yes but…” just keeps an argument ignited. One of the progenitors of NLP, Richard Bandler, often said that when you use the word “but,” you’re negating everything that came before that word. So, one of the formulae for rapport in this system is, instead of, “I agree with you but…” they recommend saying, “I agree with you and…” An example might be husband and wife: “I love you but I wish you wouldn’t clutter up the bathroom.” The NLP solution would be, “I love you and perhaps you could keep the bathroom less cluttered, honey?” He claims that when one says, “I love you but…” it’s really saying you only love them to a degree. With all that said, that’s no guarantee that she’ll actually keep the bathroom uncluttered!
Senator Ron Johnson – “….Our founders were geniuses, they realized we’re not angels, we’re men and women; we’re flawed. If we don’t want to live in chaos and anarchy, we need some form of government..but, it needed to be limited….”
And, yes, I agree.
Linked below is a Jimmy Dore podcast featuring none other than James, or, it could also be said, the podcast featured none other than “Reportage” the book. 🙂
Dore did ask some interesting and pointed questions from an outsider perspective about voluntaryist societies, sans government, particularly the idea of building independent communities from the bottom up, and what that would look like for the individual. I feel James somehow managed to completely skirt around that question, in specifically describing what would it actually look like and mean to the individual. Here, I’m assuming Dore was speaking in very practical terms in asking this question, and not the political philosophical jargon that James dived into. The best James could muster was explaining bottom up voluntaryist societies as the utilization of kindergarten ethics wherein “…nobody has any special right to do anything that nobody else has the right to do…”, deferring to unnamed others who have devised such systems. Dore needed to ask again what that looks like, whereby James dove once more into kindergarten ethics, yet quickly emerged to tell the story of how the voluntaryist road can be built, skeptics be damned!….
And, yes, I can see how the voluntaryists might voluntarily chip in to build their voluntaryist community roads.
And, yes, I can also see, passing through some of these communities, needing quite a tough vehicle, as well as needing to stop every three miles to pay their tolls!
Yeah, man, I can just see it now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W4HKi5Tpb0
We all need some form of faith and religion…
I really like and admire James Corbett, and, actually but more but than and, I have always seen what you just pointed out.
But it is just small but(t) that can easily be accommodated on this plane.
And James work is so good, I would say exceptional, that it is something we need to build on, even if we don’t embrace all of the faith-based utopianism.
Are you sure we all need some form of faith and religion? That statement is so broad that you must be including atheists. Have you ever questioned an atheist on their need for faith and religion? 🙂
Yes, and Corbett’s an amazing individual and I love him, too. Yes, for sure, and he has uncanny insights into myriad topics. Yup, and it’s also true that his visionary ideas are in a certain way an amalgamation of utopian ideals resting on the belief that humanity at its basis, is a moral, fair and ethical species. It’s very admirable to think that such pure traits might rise up above the mire if given enough encouragement, however naive that thinking may be. Utopia being the place, as you say, that never was. Yes, and I might add, the place that never will be.
I can’t see building upon ideas and embarking down the road towards such ideals that are, by definition, unattainable. Which is why it was so difficult for James to articulate a description to answer Dore’s question as to what such a Jamesian* utopian bottom up voluntaryist society looks like and what it means to the individual, James instinctively knowing Dore was questioning its actualization in real life. The utopian bottom up voluntaryist society that never was….
* Jamesian – referring in this instance to the Canadian-born Japanese author, not the American-born British one. 🙂
The anarcho-capitalist belief is that humans ARE very flawed, and for this reason, a monopoly on the use of violence in a given geographic area, aka the state, should not exist otherwise evil people will utilize it for treachery.
AnCap
Yes, and a monopoly on violence is always de facto….a LAW giving any one or any entity such a monopoly depends on HAVING the monopoly.
The amount any people have freedom is directly related to how hard it is to oppress them and how much oppression they will accept.
If there was no state it would recreate itself rapidly because some people have more ability to use violence then others and these people or a coalition of the others establish a monopoly on violence…..abolishing the state is coming at the problem from the wrong direction IMO. People need to instead become more powerful themselves and more independent of other peoples systems.
Basically the absolute power of the state doesn’t matter….the RELATIVE power of people vs it does.
I agree with your insights. It seems that we are unduly influenced by corrupting forces and overt propaganda. Learned helplessness and groupthink are all to common.
Yes, and what measures can we implement to practically improve our current situation?
Hankey
People just need to learn to live outside their systems as much as possible. The trick of getting used to being poor means that the system cant scare you by threatening to take away our treats….its almost impossible to actually starve anywhere in the west right now.
People ought to have a stash of water, dried food like beans and rice, and arraign their life so they can go a few months without zero income…..after that the limit is what they want it to be from working for themselves ti living in a cabin in the woods.
Right now with YouTube tutorials Anyone can learn to put their own computer together, fix their own appliances , pretty much any skill anyone could want is just a click away if we will spend a few hours learning it. I’m not a tech master but I’ve fixed washing machines and the fridge thru tutorials so anyone can do it.
Honestly if people just keep their expenses to a minimum they would be so much less vulnerable to loosing their job – buying as little as possible from the people who hate us is the best start anyone could make.
I heard it sung – freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose
“Right now with YouTube tutorials Anyone can learn to put their own computer together, fix their own appliances , pretty much any skill anyone could want is just a click away…”
That “click” is the State, is it not, to which we’ll be forever tethered, YouTube tutorials notwithstanding. 🙁
Candlelight
“…. That “click” is the State, is it not, to which we’ll be forever tethered, YouTube tutorials notwithstandin…..”
Yes, the vast majority of people do “click” on the state for ALL their “education” as well as services.
Very few people are taking advantage of the small time window where they have a chance to build their skills they will need if they don’t want to depend on complex systems…..people whi dont will generally end up kissing the hand that feeds them.
They certainly won’t bite it.
I find that a lot of people who claim to be against the state don’t understand that it’s just the culmination of living in a complex society-So YES, as long as a person lives an OVER complex life they will be forever wedded to the system that provides thise services
It’s kinda how you can not piss off the only drug dealer in town if your hooked on his gear…..you need to kick the habit or find another guy to buy from.
The people who think we can live a modern age life and resist the people who control the systems that make things like suburbia and a national grid, and water authorities and ISPs possible are smoking some whack stuff IMO. Not everyone is going to get off thise systems but ANYONE can make changes like refusing to get into debt, or cooking learning to cook food from scratch or fixing the PoS washing machine and fridge when a twenty buck part fails because it’s designed to do so.
I literally “saved” my old washer because I saw a vid about how the steam gets up and corrodes the control board (clean with alcohol and swab) which was over a hundred to replace…..IF I had been smart and known that issue I could have avoided it via lacquer
Certainly a great idea, in an abstract sense. But I don’t think I see it playing out anywhere in time or space, at any large scale. Maybe it is like communism; We just haven’t seen the REAL version tried yet. But maybe that has to do, in both cases, with inherent flaws preventing it from sustaining itself at a certain scale, or for an extended period, outside of our imaginations. One basic thing that I question is the enforcement aspect. It is an ideology. All ideologies are suspect by me. The more absolutist and hard-line, the worse. They are for people who require over-simplification.
PS I am a long time Corbeteer. I think he has mellowed with age and fatherhood. The didactic aspect of his championing of anarchism is less strident and insistent, lately. That is good. It is really hard to make a cut and dried dogma into a viable working system. Humility is a virtue. Ideologues are arrogant, and pride comes before the fall. (Unless you are a Democrat, and then Pride comes every month, along with money and free PR).
Yes, and I started this line of thought, raising the term “Utopia.” As we all know, it literally means the place that never was. I fear that this idealized anarchic vision of Utopia is not attainable at our current level of development, as a species. We are between the angels and the animals, having traits of both. Some people more-so than others. The ability to cerebrally dream and scheme is quite removed from the reflexive animalistic biological imperatives that we also must deal with in this life. As long as we are subject to Pavlovian manipulation, brutal power structures will arise. We still must address injustice and hypocrisy, yes, and also realize that we can’t succeed on a wholesale level, as long as most of us are bound by selfishness and fear. But I still enjoy life and wanting improvement, even if it is usually just one small step after another. It is a long road, but it need not be excruciating. Truth is better than lies is my motto, and it sustains me. But only when I can loosen my attachment to the heavy and grandiose ivory towers spun out by my brain.
“Senator Ron Johnson – “….Our founders were geniuses, they realized we’re not angels, we’re men and women; we’re flawed. If we don’t want to live in chaos and anarchy, we need some form of government..but, it needed to be limited….” “
Yes, and speaking about Senator Ron Johnson, how about his over-the-top praise for the U.S.?
“I love America. I think we are the greatest nation in the history of mankind. We’re not perfect. We always strive to be perfect.”
But continuing on with his speech during the Turning the Tide: 9/11 Justice in 2025 Conference. The good, the bad and the ugly.
The Bad and Ugly:
1:39:35
“So again I don’t know if the full truth could possibly be revealed (9/11 truth).
I’m not saying I would do anything to cover it up, but I am saying I would understand, based on some of the theories, why even responsible government officials might say, “I’m not sure this is something we should release. ” I’m just giving you the resistance. I’m trying to make sure you understand what the reality of the situation is here. OK?”
“I understand why President Trump might not want to appoint another 9/11 commission. And quite honestly I don’t think it’s necessary.”
The Good:
(1:42.30)
So what I would suggest with the group today is, you’ve got the experts,
FIGURE OUT HOW TO COOPERATE, form your own version of a 9/11 commission, right, you won’t have the government funding, there may be some people that Curt knows that can provide some staff on this thing, BUT GATHER ALL THE INFORMATION, organize it well, wrap it up in a bow, and again, I can’t make any guarantees, but if it’s done well, and I would say ONLY INCLUDE IRREFUTABLE INFORMATION, nothing conjecture, nothing that can be attacked, I think you have enough to create a report that I would then be willing to use, and I have the responsibility by the way, of how I use a U.S. Senate committee platform.
I have a real responsibility.
The problem as I mentioned in another post recently is that he didn’t give these instructions (his secret) to the group of ‘experts’ speaking at the conference BEFORE the conference.
Sure it’s still possible for them to follow the instructions now, but what a wasted golden opportunity to come out firing on all cylinders, as a unified 9/11 truther group, at the conference.
Yes, and ….
So, I will tell the truth when it is convenient and comfy…
Maybe he’ll change his tune; Save me half of that baseball cap, I’ll help you eat it when he does.
…. and I do believe we share the exact same cynicism.
I get what you’re saying about Senator Johnson. He had the time to formulate his little speech, he could have had the time to make some phone calls, and express these thoughts prior to the event. I wonder, in the interim, has he called on Curt (Weldon) to ask for some staff to help put this thing together, as he mentioned?
Yeah, right.
I had a laugh when subscriber, Iamfreeiamme, who went to the Turning Point conference said that the “Loose Change guy” (Jason Bermas, I presume) came out to the lobby basically shrugging his head. Ha ha, I can just image.
I can imagine that Bermas may now have crossed over to the more cynical side, as well.
And yes, I am a cynic about a lot of these things, but I don’t want that to be my defining characteristic. We can continue to apply pressure, without attaching ourselves to our predictions. I almost have sympathy for these rich, high profile figures who dared to look at the controversial subjects. They still need to learn that truth is not a negotiation or something to control. By my definition, being truthful means to reflect what we know, like a clean unwarped mirror, without filtering or massaging it. Being rich and powerful actually makes the attendant sacrifices more daunting.
PS How do you know that he was referring to Jason, not Dylan Avery?
I haven’t seen or heard about any public involvement with Dylan Avery in two dog ages. But, Bermas was there at the conference. Here’s a short, 3 minute video of him talking about it among other things. It seems he was blown away with the Kirk assassination. As for the conference, he praises Dennis Kucinich’s speech.
It’s funny that if you google Turning the Tide on 9/11 Conference, google’s AI has literally nothing to say that has any bearing on it except to say that it’s tied to conspiracy theories such as the false notion that the buildings were brought down with controlled demolition.
Talk about censorship???
AI is the abject, steroidal face of censorship. It’s truly mind blowing. The Internet as “information highway” as the way Al Gore had described it once upon a time is very fast becoming one humongous road block!
Against the juggernaut of ever expanding technological manipulation, data collection, surveillance, control, how as an individual have you been applying pressure?
The Bermas video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx9kpwdQvck
Yes, and Artificial Intelligence is like artificial sweetener; It can be very bad for your health.
9/11 Truth pressure:
I must confess that I have not done anything dramatic, lately. I was a street activist for years, and made posters and gave speeches before Corbett started.
These days, I still raise the issue, occasionally, in personal conversations. Although it may not prove to be much, it still works on the cracks in the normy smugness, and sometimes even inspires others to be more courageous, in ceasing their self-censorship. I don’t know where the seeds will take hold, but I am following my ‘religion,’ which is simply reflect the Truth that has been given to me, simply and without editing. I don’t attach to my ego or predictions of glory or failure, I don’t know what will happen, but I maintain my positions, trying to not get distracted with emotions, especially negative fatalism.
I just saw this article published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/10/ron-johnson-tells-gathering-of-911-theorists-to-pursue-truth/86046864007/
Forgive my pessimism, but I feel as if this whole thing is going to go nowhere pretty fast.
The other thing is, compare 9/11 to the Kennedy assassination. A clear majority of Americans don’t believe the Warren Report. I think most people think that Lee Harvey Oswald was a patsy, etc., etc.
Has this realization changed anything?
Yeah, so the CIA is a dirty organization. Lying sons of bitches…. So, what?
What shall I watch on Netflix tonight?
And, so it goes. I can almost assure you that no matter what revelations emerge from whatever legislative hearing, nobody’s going to jail, the impugning of individuals involved on various levels with the event will hold no weight, whatsoever.
Lastly, most will simply shrug, and not be terribly moved or surprised. Intelligence agencies will continue to do their thing, and perhaps only better.
When Noem Chomsky blurted out about 9/11 Truth saying what does it matter, he was accused of being a gatekeeper. If so, that was an extremely stupid thing to blurt out for a very smart gatekeeper.
I think his statement was a little more complex. I hate to say it, but he very well may have honestly believed that exerting that amount of energy and time chasing down the “Truth”, a truth that may prove to be literally uncoverable, was not a good use of smart people’s time.
Yes, and you know, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Maybe in another 24 years, eh?
You are now in the realm of psychology. How to stay sane in the face of what we know? I think it is very important to stay mentally and emotionally balanced, if for no other reason than that it is essential to being effective in this world. There needs to be a balance in our minds between happiness and anger and fear. This has proven to be a marathon, and the adrenaline needed in a sprint can be counterproductive.
Yes, and this particular realm of psychology lies within the space of realism.
I think promulgating the solution to all of humanity’s problems as being solved by creating various voluntaryist societies of various stripes is a very strange position to take. It’s a form of magical thinking that’s utterly unrealistic, or surrealistic – take your pick.
Listening to the recent IMA panel discussion, at one point Corbett mentions something about community, as in his default, voluntaryist community solution. There was a pause of silence. No one picked up on it. Zilch. Nothing. No one even asked about it.
Why? Because it’s fantasy. I can only guess the reaction of others – “What communities? Where are they?” or simply “Huh?”
How many years has Corbett been talking about voluntaryist systems? Is Corbett part of a voluntaryist community? Has he ever described it? Have any Corbett Report members been invited to join? If it exists, how has it been helping? Has it put a dent in the machinery of modern day’s technological prison?
I can go on and on, but, my basic critique is that the so-called voluntaryist solution of Corbett’s is akin to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. In fact, passages in Thoreau’s “On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience” could very well be inscribed on the face page of The Corbett Report website:
“I heartily accept the motto,—“That government is best which governs least;” and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe—“That government is best which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.” ~HDT
Problem is, people aren’t prepared for it. And, given the history of all of humanity from time immemorial, people will probably never be prepared to live with no government at all.
However, to compare Corbett to Thoreau is to put a very large feather in Corbett’s hat, and that’s understating it. I’m not dissing Corbett, himself. But, living in the woods, or somehow functioning outside the system, is an exercise for reflection for the individual, or group of like-minded individuals. The key words being “individual/s”. It’s not going to effect the solution we seek anytime soon.
Which brings me to something Jason Bermas said in the IMA discussion:
“We’re going to have to become the government, guys!”
That, in essence, is the solution.
‘No government’ is not the solution, because it is a fantasy. It is but an idea. And nothing else.
<i>Becoming the government <of your own making and changing the status quo is worth striving for. And, best of all, the beauty of that striving in a democracy is you only have to convince half the people….plus one! 🙂
Bermas is down to earth, and may have discovered the power of being within the belly of the beast.
Too bad he’s stress out the way he is with his family members. He needn’t be.
I wanted to link Thoreau’s Walden and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience
He’s actually pretty fascinating!
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm#chap20
I experience similar thoughts as you about James’ anarchistic idealism. However, I still like him, and admire his work. I have, long ago, abandoned any need to find perfection in any person or movement.
It is very easy to equate pessimism with realism. I don’t know what is going to happen, but in this case, I see no need to feed my own doom and gloom speculations. A lot of it can be put down to difference in personality types, and personal experiences shaping our responses. As long as we don’t wallow in extreme places of negativity, or unfounded rosy fantasy, it is all acceptable.
I also viewed the panel discussion. I found it relevant to our situation. I am still mulling over it. If there exists such a thing as common sense, this is where it is needed. Proclaiming to be a hard line absolutist is not going to elp.
Hanky,
What is being a hard line absolutest in this instance?
Are you referring to any particular individuals who you feel are proclaiming to be “hard line absolutists”?
Some of the panel members, themselves, self-declared themselves as “free speech absolutist.”
I believe I recall Jason Bermas and Ryan Cristian repeatedly making such declarations. These rigid labels cause the discussion to become unnecessarily limited and polarizing. I believe the extremely relevant issue of public/private collusion was raised in opposition to their dogmatic position. The legalistic distinction between official government actors and those in the private sector was discussed. As impossible as it is to generally nail down the definition of ‘common sense’ on contentious issues, this PPP thing seems easy…Unless you champion an absolutist dogma. On this one, if the government is not allowed to lie and profit from a certain policy, it does not suddenly become immune to lawsuits by handing off that policy to someone that they control, but is nominally not ‘the government.’
Anyway, although I can’t define it, I am a common sense absolutist 😀.
Yes, and proclaiming to be a hard line absolutest of common sense sounds primo, lol.
At least if we were to go to the movies together, I wouldn’t have to worry about you yelling “fire!” and getting trampled and having half my popcorn spill all over the place…. unless, of course, there was one. But, that might not be too common sensical, either?
I wonder what might sayeth the talking heads of the IMA!
The absolutism of common sense dictates that nothing is absolute,
perhaps?
And, yet, to even intone the word ‘nothing’ may in turn be a formulation of absolutism!
Ah, common sense! Common sense!
🙂
What is IMA?
IMA = Independent Media Alliance – the talking heads on the recent podcast talking free speech absolutism vs. semi-free speech absolutism, and talking and talking and etc. and etc…. Talkin’ scribble blues
I guess we should now call it uncommon sense.
Funny 🙂
Not to be confused wit common nonsense.
But we have plenty of comment nonsense, too.
Comment nonsense is not the worst thing in the world. It can be refreshing. There’s a particular commenter here who does a pretty good job of it. I try to read the messages between the lines while finding the contrarian attitude pretty funny. Though, I’m not going to name names.
Much more plentiful is comment nonsense posing as comment sense.
Almost too painful to read. lol
Jason Bermas in Dallas – LOOSE CHANGE FINAL CUT
Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at the Lakewood Theatre
2:43
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFRyKVxGICM
I had diner with Bermas and James Gourley (& wife) and a few others. The conversations were fun and real.
Massive turnout for the movie. Even carloads of people drove up from Houston.
The Dallas Sheriff and her girlfriend came. Eustace Mullins was there.
Part 2 of 2 Dallas LOOSE CHANGE @Theatre
9:29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMV-QwXDI1c
Tidbit on the marketing of the “Loose Change” showing.
Using very nice stationary, envelopes and cardstock, I printed up VIP tickets (for the VIP and guest), a brief letter about the film, and mailed them to public officials and local celebrities.
I know that the Dallas Sheriff and her girlfriend came as a result. Could have been others that came as a result. Regardless, the VIP mailing also served to get the word out that a 9/11 cover-up might exist.
The event was promoted in countless ways, but I wanted to mention this tidbit.
Yes, James, you’re right, and I’m sorry you haven’t gotten more “Yes, and” replies here in the comments. I’ve been a terrible “No, but” person to date, and in the future I’ll try to be more positive than in the following things that I’ve written over the past week or so:
“I’ve seen two of the [Carlson 9/11] episodes, they’re horse manure, and I doubt Carlson’s going to redeem himself in the remaining three. He says ‘The official story on 9/11 is a complete lie,’ but all he’s doing is replacing one set of lies with his own, and his own isn’t all that far from the official canon. What is allegedly being covered up? The incompetence of the CIA and the government. Is this that much different from the 9/11 Commission Report? If Carlson actually uncovers what really happened as he promises, I’ll eat my baseball cap. […] He sort of did [answer the question, ‘Did the CIA recruit alleged al-Qaeda terrorists for a false flag operation?’], but sloppily and inconsistently. Throughout Episode 1 he repeatedly talks of the CIA’s ‘hiring the hijackers’, but near the end adds, with a bit of emphasis, the qualifier ‘as sources’. […] Carlson is just replacing the official lie with his own, which isn’t even all that different from the official one. AE911Truth discredits itself by endorsing this pile of crap when it should be denouncing it, or at least criticizing its most obvious misrepresentations. Most of the series consists of material already known, plus he interviews a couple of spooks (and a Jersey Girl, okay). […] It’s disgusting all around. Carlson is a liar and a fake, much like the rest of them. […] I’ve finally joined you in not liking Tucker Carlson. His 9/11 series is BULL SHIT. He has to know better than that. So he’s a liar and a fake, much like the others.”
As you can see, there’s considerable room for improvement in my “Yes, and” department. Fortunately my negative comments were expressed only privately in a couple of very small circles, so presumably no harm was done, or at most very little.
Yes and I was so inspired by your story about getting Reportage into the Calgary Public Library that I submitted to have it purchased for my local library…only for them to say NO! I’m disappointed but I can’t say I’m surprised. Here is the response I received:
Thank you for taking the time to suggest that the Library purchase Reportage: Essays on the new world order by James Corbett for the collection. After looking at the title the Library will not be purchasing this title for the collection.
As we look at our library Resource Selection policy we weigh many different factors on if an item belongs in the library collection. Some of these things include whether an item has been professionally or peer reviewed, the popular demand of the title, and how it fits into our current collection. We appreciate you thinking of the Library for your information needs.
I wanted to reply with something snarky about how it would fit perfectly in accordance to their ‘Resource Selection Policy’ but I’d rather put my energy into more productive things. I’m going to purchase a few more copies myself and place them in various little free libraries across the Chicago suburbs. Maybe even do it Amelie style and include some little treasures between the pages 🙂
Stephchop,
I really admire your activism!
Love hearing your anecdote.
Not every outreach is successful, but definitely “no outreach” is always unsuccessful outreach.
Thank you HomeRemedySupply! I’ve been a follower of James for a long time, and he deserves to have his book in libraries across the country—including in schools. It’s a shame they’d rather judge a book by its cover. Ugh.
Yes, and Yes!
Thank you James, I’m going to try the yes and game when talking to people who aren’t yet on the truther page. Not that easy for an argumentative person like me, but it won’t hurt giving it a try. Love the solutions you offer. Good man!
“How to win friends and influence people” should be required reading for anyone trying to express ideas that are outside the Overton window.
Being combative never works; it just makes people defensive.