-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Life In Japan: The Telephone Booth | John Rachel on Life In Japan: I Love Japan Redux
- Life In Japan: Annual Neighborhood Curry and Bingo Party | John Rachel on Life In Japan: I Love Japan Redux
- Life In Japan: Jennifer, Media Darling | John Rachel on Books
- Look who is praising The China Trilogy: the votes are in – it R-O-C-K-S! What are you waiting for? – CHINA RISING on An Unlikely Truth
- Look who is praising The China Trilogy: the votes are in – it R-O-C-K-S! What are you waiting for? – CHINA RISING on Books
Archives
- August 2020 (2)
- July 2020 (2)
- June 2020 (2)
- May 2020 (2)
- April 2020 (2)
- March 2020 (2)
- February 2020 (2)
- January 2020 (2)
- December 2019 (2)
- November 2019 (2)
- October 2019 (2)
- September 2019 (3)
- August 2019 (2)
- July 2019 (3)
- June 2019 (2)
- May 2019 (2)
- April 2019 (2)
- March 2019 (2)
- February 2019 (2)
- January 2019 (2)
- December 2018 (2)
- November 2018 (2)
- October 2018 (2)
- September 2018 (2)
- August 2018 (2)
- July 2018 (2)
- June 2018 (2)
- May 2018 (1)
- April 2018 (2)
- March 2018 (2)
- February 2018 (2)
- January 2018 (2)
- December 2017 (2)
- November 2017 (2)
- October 2017 (2)
- September 2017 (2)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (3)
- June 2017 (5)
- May 2017 (5)
- April 2017 (5)
- March 2017 (5)
- February 2017 (5)
- January 2017 (5)
- December 2016 (5)
- November 2016 (5)
- October 2016 (5)
- September 2016 (5)
- August 2016 (5)
- July 2016 (5)
- June 2016 (5)
- May 2016 (5)
- April 2016 (5)
- March 2016 (5)
- February 2016 (5)
- January 2016 (5)
- December 2015 (5)
- November 2015 (5)
- October 2015 (5)
- September 2015 (5)
- August 2015 (5)
- July 2015 (5)
- June 2015 (5)
- May 2015 (5)
- April 2015 (5)
- March 2015 (5)
- February 2015 (5)
- January 2015 (5)
- December 2014 (2)
- November 2014 (5)
- October 2014 (4)
- September 2014 (5)
- August 2014 (4)
- July 2014 (5)
- June 2014 (4)
- May 2014 (5)
- April 2014 (4)
- March 2014 (4)
- February 2014 (4)
- January 2014 (2)
- December 2013 (4)
- November 2013 (3)
- October 2013 (5)
- September 2013 (4)
- August 2013 (1)
- July 2013 (2)
- June 2013 (1)
- May 2013 (1)
- April 2013 (1)
- March 2013 (3)
- February 2013 (4)
- January 2013 (2)
- December 2012 (2)
- November 2012 (1)
- October 2012 (2)
- September 2012 (4)
- August 2012 (1)
- July 2012 (4)
- June 2012 (1)
- May 2012 (6)
- April 2012 (4)
- March 2012 (2)
- February 2012 (2)
- November 2011 (1)
- October 2011 (4)
- September 2011 (3)
- August 2011 (6)
- July 2011 (5)
- June 2011 (5)
- May 2011 (3)
- April 2011 (3)
- March 2011 (3)
- February 2011 (4)
Categories
- Adventure
- Altruism
- Banking
- Books
- Climate Change
- Corporatism
- Creativity
- Deconstruction
- Democracy
- Economics
- Environment
- Food
- Fox News
- Health Care
- Human Sexuality
- Japan
- Journalism
- Living On The Edge
- Music
- Nihilism
- Peace Dividend
- Philosophy
- Political Analysis
- Political Rant
- Religion
- Revolution
- Satire
- Science
- Social Commentary
- Spiritual
- Technology
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- Video Blog
- War and Peace
Tags
- Afghanistan
- America
- Bernie Sanders
- candidate contracts
- China
- Citizens United
- congress
- democracy
- Democrats
- Donald Trump
- education
- elections
- exceptionalism
- Hillary Clinton
- imperialism
- Iraq
- Japan
- Jill Stein
- Libya
- Medicare
- militarism
- military-industrial complex
- minimum wage
- nuclear war
- Obama
- oligarchy
- peace
- peace dividend
- plutocracy
- politics
- President Obama
- Republicans
- Russia
- Sasayama
- Senate
- social security
- Syria
- Tambasasayama
- Ukraine
- voting
- Wall Street
- war
- war and peace
- war on terror
- wealth inequality
Meta
You are one of . . .
stumbleupon.com
Blogroll
Political
- Alexander Chopov
- Alliance for Democracy
- Andre Vltchek
- Black Agenda Report
- Black Alliance For Peace
- Caleb Maupin
- CFAR 2018
- CFAR 2020
- ClubOrlov
- Community Cooperation Blog
- Consortium News
- Corporatocracy
- Democracy At Work
- Dissident Voice
- Empire Burlesque
- End the Illusion
- FAIR
- Fair Vote
- Glen T. Martin
- Greanville Post
- John W. Whitehead, Constitutional Attorney
- Lee Camp Official Website
- Left Elect
- Liberation
- Michael Hudson
- Moon of Alabama
- Nation of Change
- No Contract No Vote
- OpEdNews
- Peace Dividend Project
- Planet Experts
- Popular Resistance
- Postcards from the End of America
- Project On Government Oversight
- Rainer Shea
- Represent Us
- Responsible Statecraft
- Ron Ridenour Political Blog
- Storm Clouds Gathering
- Strategic Culture Foundation
- Suzie Dawson
- The Deep State
- The Leftist Review
- The Online Gadfly
- The Saker
- The Saker Community
- The Smirking Chimp
- Truthdig
- Truthout
- U. S. National Debt
- Unz Review
- WhoWhatWhy
- World Beyond War
- World Socialist Web Site
- Write Independent
- Zinn Education Project
Reference
Research
Sites of Interest
Travel
“Petrocelli”
Author Archives: johnrachel
Candidate Contracts: A Democratic Renewal
Here is a video and text explaining how candidate contracts take the guesswork out of voting and set a whole, new standard for electoral integrity in our country. Continue reading
Posted in Corporatism, Deconstruction, Democracy, Economics, Political Analysis, Revolution, Video Blog, War and Peace
Tagged 2018 election, Afghanistan war, congress, corporatism, defense budget, democracy, electoral reform, GMO labeling, House of Representatives, Medicare, minimum wage, oligarchy, plutocracy, ruling elite, Senate, social security
Leave a comment
No Contract No Vote
Our democracy is in the middle of an existential crisis. That hardly suggests we should turn to those who have been participating in, have often been instrumental in engineering the mess, to see what their latest bright ideas are. In fact, it demands some fresh blood, some fresh thinking, some fresh ideas! Thus we need to clean house in Washington DC. On the critical issues of our time, candidate contracts take the guesswork out of voting. We’ll know exactly who gets to stay and who must go. Thus the time is right for this powerful new standard for informed voter choice. Unless you have a better idea . . . Continue reading
How do we confront abuse of power and restore democracy?
We either take charge or suffer more indignities and abuse at the hands of the ruling elite and their pay-for-play lackeys, the folks we send to Washington DC to do a job but who end up ignoring the very citizens they are supposed to be working for — that would be you and I! Fortunately, candidate contracts afford a bulletproof method for guaranteeing results and guaranteeing that anyone running for office who will not warranty their allegiance to the voters who put them in office will never have a shot at being elected. Continue reading
Whack A Mole Activism
The ruling class have us constantly scrambling, in a frenzy, panicked and overwhelmed, confronted by one crisis after another. The reaction by our end of the political spectrum has been short-sighted and fragmented. Disoriented and exhausted by the sheer number of crises being created, we’re never able to mount a unified, comprehensive, coherent counterattack. We work hard but our energies are scattered. We end up with what I call Whack A Mole activism. How then do we stop playing this game? We unplug it, take it out back, then take a sledgehammer to it. We destroy the machine! There is no other choice. Continue reading
Posted in Deconstruction, Democracy, Political Analysis, Political Rant, War and Peace
Tagged candidate contracts, Citizens United, corporate welfare, defense budget, democracy, infrastructure renewal, Koch Brothers, Medicare, minimum wage, plutocracy, ruling class, social security, voting, war and peace, Whack A Mole
1 Comment
Bird Dogging
Bird dogging has nothing to do with dogs hunting birds or birds hunting dogs. It’s basically in-person harassment, pursuit of an individual “with dogged determination”, and is commonly used against politicians who are being outed by their opponents or the media, for dramatic effect. Continue reading
Trump Makes Russian the Official Language of the U.S.
In a surprising and highly controversial move, President Donald Trump by executive order today made Russian the official language of the United States of America. Continue reading
Posted in Fox News, Nihilism, Satire
Tagged Alex Jones, Betsy DeVos, humor, Ivanka Trump, official language, President Trump, Rachel Maddow, Russia, satire, UNESCO
5 Comments
Public Shaming
If our current congressman can’t step up to the plate and play their very best game for the home team, they should be shamed, booed, reviled, scorned, humiliated, burned in effigy! Let them stew in the cauldron of the bad publicity they heap on themselves, then rot in a big foul steaming pile of their own wickedness, after we haul the garbage to the dump! They have no shame of their own, so we need to bring shame to bear down on them ourselves, exposing their deceptions and treachery. Then they will be confronted with a stark choice: they either start listening to the public they now arrogantly ignore or consign themselves to oblivion. Continue reading
An Open Letter to Dennis Kucinich on Peace in a Military State
Dennis Kucinich, a man I truly respect and admire, gave a well-crafted, informative speech on April 26th at Cleveland State University. This is my critique as an open letter to this talented, dedicated man. Continue reading
Mobilization Without Method Is Meaningless
If there is any doubt about my message, here it is: To mobilize people behind any cause, regardless of how worthy that cause is, regardless of how intrinsically appealing it may be to get these folks marching, singing, chanting, shouting for that cause, if there is no clear strategy which targets an equally clear and obvious outcome, with a realistic expectation that the strategy will achieve that outcome, then the mobilization is a waste of time. Some forethought, planning, disciplined and targeted activism goes much further than making a lot of noise. Continue reading
Posted in Corporatism, Deconstruction, Democracy, Economics, Political Analysis, Political Rant, Revolution, War and Peace
Tagged 1% vs. 99%, activism, demonstrations, OWS, peace dividend, peace movement, people power, politics, power, protests, street rallies, war and peace, wealth inequality
1 Comment

Life In Japan: I Love Japan Redux
Japanese have kept alive some traditions which promote sense of community, and the shared responsibility of living in that community. They create opportunities to work together for the common good, get to know one another, and just enjoy other folks who happen to live in the same geographical setting. This is what America desperately needs to overcome the fear, divisiveness, isolation, fragmentation. Here’s a challenge to my fellow Americans: How do you think people would react if you went from house to house and said, “How about if we get together and clean up the neighborhood, plant some flowers, then have a nice barbecue?” Continue reading →