Just finished reading The Scheme by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island)
Wow. Just wow.
I’m a big boy and been working in the policy and political environment with my eyes wide open for the past 20 years, and this book is still blowing me away.
I strongly encourage all who are serious about understanding what’s really going on…to read this book.
Written by a very credible US Senator, dense yet easy to read, and extensively researched.
He connects the dots we all knew/know are/were there already…but to have it described so clearly by such a credible voice is amazing, troubling, unsettling…
Words fail me…
Hard to truly fathom the extent…and broad implications of the huge amounts of dark money flowing into all areas of government and the public sector.
While the book primarily focuses on the take-over of our judicial system by big money rightwing interests…It’s clear that massive amounts of dark money are consciously, deliberately, and systematically assaulting government from all angles and manipulating every aspect of public policy and life.
Courts
Elections
Climate
Healthcare
Food
Water
Wages
Housing
Media
Etc
My brain is wired such that it always pivots to “What can/must we do?” and “think global and act local”.
My first thought is that locally this means fighting back against SuperPacs trying to buy our local elections. It probably also means pulling back the curtain to expose who is actually behind the dark money…not just what 501c4 or what corporation or organization…but what people are actually writing the checks and pulling the levers to pick and choose who they want to win and lose…at all levels…from Governor to State House and Senate to County Council races on every island…and of course our U.S. Congressional delegation is a target as well.
This kind of investigation is above my pay grade but am hoping others can dig in. Also hoping (perhaps naively so) that our legislature will pass additional disclosure laws forcing the dark money into the sunshine. We can’t win the money game…we can’t out raise the big money…but in our small communities and small election districts…we can and we must…beat them on the ground with people power.
GaryHooser's Blog 
Good article Gary, and all too true .
It’s very unfortunate that the right wing Supreme Court passed Citizen’s United, which basically opened the floodgates for the billionaires to buy politicians and thus public policy. With that ruling still in place, I don’t see how we are going to get out of this dark money rabbit hole that we currently find ourselves in. There are far too many people who are beholden to the almighty dollar and thus will do what they can to consistently and continuously fill their pockets with dark money. Unfortunately it’s a very small percentage of honorable people who do not worship the almighty dollar and those are the ones whom I want to be my political leader in all levels of government. From the President on down to the neighborhood board of directors. So it’s going to be an uphill struggle, but I’m with you all the way in this fight.
Mahalo Scotty…”it’s going to be an uphill struggle, but I’m with you all the way in this fight”…mahalo and yes…gonna be uphill…but am thinking if we think and act local…in local races we can out work the money “on the ground”…many, many, many campaigns are won and lost with less than 1,000 vote margin…especially in the state House…we collectively can knock on those doors and more…but have to organize, organize, organize.
Voter owned elections is not the end all be all but it is absolutely the first step. It will get It’ll get people in who couldn’t afford to run, and get some who are taking the money to stop or greatly reduce the money they take. It’s got to be priority #1.
I’ve been following Sen. Whitehouse for years. A true hero! He has a very good library of Youtube videos and interviews where he is even more candid and direct. Always come away thinking…if only…he would run…then the slogan would be so easy…. Sen. Whitehouse FOR the Whitehouse! 🤗
Rob Culbertson
This is something some of us have known for quite awhile,so no surprise. But it goes far deeper and more sinister.This came in tonight: And of course go to geoengineeringwatch.org and see “The Dimming” The people who actually run things at the deep level are evil. Time to mobilize the decent folks who are in the vast majority. I hope you don’t dismiss this as I, along with many others have done deep dives in pursuit of truth. I can provide you with excellent resources if you dare to go there. Jon
https://jonfleetwood.substack.com/p/drones-to-spray-self-spreading-covid