A 15-year update to "Dumbing Down America"-Washington Times 1997 column

Put Hollywood on Trial for Mass Murder

Movie violence has become so pervasive that it was just a matter of time before someone mimicked it in real life as Colorado movie theater shooter did, killing 12 people and wounding 58; "Dial Hollywood for Mass Murder" - bloody "reality TV" show screened in Aurora, Colorado

HAIKU, Maui, July 21 - Put Hollywood on trial for mass murder.  On Thursday night, a young Colorado man snuffed out 12 lives and wounded 58 others in a July 19 shooting spree inspired by the latest Batman movie "The Dark Night Rises."  He pulled the trigger. Hollywood provided the ammo.

And it was all predictable.  Violence begets violence. Hollywood has been pitching violence for decades. This writer warned about it in a column that ran in the Washington Times 15 years ago:

"The entertainment industry is another purveyor of the destructive forces which are tearing apart the traditional fabric of the American society. Just as the drugs are destroying the bodies of young Americans, Hollywood, the record companies and the professional sports owners and sponsors are poisoning the minds of America's youth.

 

Take violence, for example. "Thou shall not murder," command Christian scriptures. Yet, more people are probably killed in movies on America's screens every day than had died in any day in this century's wars."

And you don't think that would inspire some deranged person to mimic Hollywood?

I wrote that in 1997.  In recent years, silk screen violence has reached a fever pitch. My wife and I hardly ever go to the movies anymore.  We find the Hollywood violence revolting. It has become nearly impossible to see a new "feel good" film.  So we stay home and watch good, old-fashioned films on Netflix.

So if it was all so predictable, why hasn't someone done something about it? Because this kind of movie violence is a part of the program.  Which program? The "Dumbing Down of America," which was my original title of that Washington Times column which ran on Aug 31, 1997 under the headline "Dancing 'Round the Golden Calf." It's all a part of the so-called New World Order "elite's" agenda of how to dominate and control the world. Here's another excerpt:

The desecration of America the Beautiful is not a spontaneous event. Nor is the deliberate dumbing down of our nation. It is a multi-pronged process carried out by the Wall Street elite and their vassals in government, education, media and the entertainment industry.

Why would the bankers and industrialists want... (to dumb down the nation)?

Because such a stupefied population is easier to subjugate by the elite's financial shackles than would be the free-spirited, free-thinking, patriotic, enterprising Americans who had made this country the envy of the world.

"It doesn't take very long to dumb down a nation," agreed a former publishing CEO, a long-time advocate of better quality education in America. "After only two or three generations, you can easily produce a nation of morons."

[...]

In preparation for such an ultimate enslaving of the free human spirit, a new, ugly, primitive, obedient America is being crafted by the NWO architects." 

So 15 years ago there were indications that America was in the midst of a serious crisis and was sinking deeper and faster into a moral abyss every day. And warnings about it were published (not just spoken) in a major national newspaper. So what did the nation do about that?  Nothing. Nothing at least that would signal an awakening, a desire to stop the dumbing down process. Instead, people keep lining up and paying good money for films that inspire and incite violence. They do the same when they attend the modern-day gladiator fights in the National Football League or other professional sports arenas.  They do the same when they line Hollywood's pockets by renting video games which teach and practice violence.

In other words, America has continued to behave like a dumbed-down nation in the last 15 years, thereby merely proving out the theory of that 1997 column. And because Hollywood and pro-sports are so influential on the global scene, other nations around the world are mimicking our violent culture and getting dumbed-down in the process as well. I can just see the would-be rulers of the world rubbing their hands in glee.  Their plan is working.

On July 9, I spent about an hour and a half in a lively discussion with three Light Beings from another galaxy whom Dr Earl Backman of Colorado channels.  They have come to assist humanity and this critical time of transition to the Era of Aquarius. We covered a wide range of topics which I will share over time with my fellow-Stewards of the Earth. At one point, our conversation veered off into an unexpected direction.  For the first time in years, I remembered and brought up to the attention of the Light Beings my 1997 column about the "Dumbing Down of America."  I highlighted the modern movies and sports as being particularly harmful.

And as you can see from the partial transcript of our discussion at the end of this column (see Epilogue or Prologue?), the Spirit Realm was in violent agreement with my stand against violence and other degrading influences of the American entertainment and sports industries on our society.

Where to from now? (2012)

So the NWO plan may not be working for much longer. What happened in Colorado on July 20 was a shocking wake-up call to our nation. We must no longer tolerate violence in any way shape or form.  Unless we want to suffer the fate of the unfortunate relatives and friends of the 70 people whose lives were changed forever in just a few minutes during the screening of that Batman movie. Enough is enough! 

Nor is the solution in increased government presence in our lives. Which is precisely what the NWO elite have used every national tragedy in the last two decades to achieve. The 1993 WTC bombing, Waco, 9/11, Columbine... etc. have all led to more government interference and control of our lives.  And yet the same government that ALLOWED, and in fact, fostered the culture of violence to develop in the first place. That's like having the fox guarding the chicken coop. We, the chickens, don't want that anymore. Enough of us have already perished thanks to that kind of government "protection."

So here are some ideas for action that might start to reverse this ugly trend.

• Relatives of the Colorado victims should do the good old American thing and sue Hollywood for their last pennies. Put Hollywood on trial for the Colorado mass murders.

• Class action lawsuits against all filmmakers who sell violence would also be helpful, not just those who made the Batman movie. For, that's equal to or worse than selling drugs to young people.  Which is why the nation should debate whether or not we need to criminalize such activities.

• Meanwhile, the movie stars, especially those who have often been vocal when it comes to environmental issues and animal rights, should refuse roles in any film which may inspire violence. If they can band together to protect the seal puppies, why not do the same for the human ones?

• As for us, the viewing public, I invite you all to join my wife and me in a boycott of all violent movies. And do not let your children watch them, either. Nor buy them video games that do the same. Let's hit Hollywood where it hurts the most - its pocketbook.

• Ditto re. professional sports.

• All schools at all grade levels should have classes in which the children are educated about tolerance and compassion, and counseled against any violent behavior. This is actually a new business opportunity for Hollywood. The best way to clean up and shape young minds in a positive way is to use the same method that corrupted them - movies.

I am sure that there are dozens of other ideas that we can all come up with which will start to reverse this ugly and dangerous trend.  So do write back to me and share some of your own actionable ideas.  Thank you.

---

Bob Altzar Djurdjevic was a war correspondent and widely published geopolitical commentator in the 1990s and early 2000s.  He is also a writer, musician, video maker, thrice-ordained Inca-shaman and business consultant based in Maui, Hawaii.  These days, however, he works mostly as a Steward of the Blue Star Earth (gaiasteward.org and altzar.org), helping the planet and the humanity heal and transition into the new Era of Aquarius.

---

Where to from now? (1997)

By the way, here are excerpts from some more action ideas that Washington Times column advocated 15 tears ago. From what I heard, the only one America adopted in some rare cases was to abolish multiple-part questions in schools and colleges. Some teachers had written to me about it contemporaneously. As for the rest... well, read and weep for "America the Beautiful." Because the same corrective actions are as relevant today as they were in 1997.  And the do something about it...

"What do we do?" I hear you ask. "How do we fight this Antichrist who has seized America by her bootstraps, and is shaking the life out of her just as he did to the Christian Russia some seven decades ago?"

Well, we must first start by scoring small victories in our local communities:

* Demand that all multiple choice tests be abolished in American schools;

* Demand we stress the arts, writing, math and computers in our schools; de-emphasize sciences and technical (industrial) subjects;

* Teach our children (the moral) values (of tolerance and compassion) by lessons and examples AT HOME. And be prepared to pull them out of the public schools, if our local community insists on producing another generation of NWO morons.

Then, we can move on to bigger issues...

* Petition the state and federal representatives that, unless they work with us on re-establishing traditional American values, we will withhold our taxes. Not one taxpayers at a time, so that state authorities or the IRS/FBI agents can pick out individuals for persecution, but as whole communities.

Suppose the residents of any Small Town USA decide to stage a "no more taxes" civic protest, akin to "no taxation without representation" rebellion of our Founding Fathers? If entire towns engaged in such a righteous civic disobedience, how many "towns" can the FBI could arrest?

Let me tell you - none! The Feds would hightail out of your local community just as they did when Sheriff Dave Mattis, of Big Horn County, Wyoming, for example, declared in early August (1997) that he now has a written policy that forbids federal officials from entering his county and exercising authority over county residents unless he is notified first of their intentions.

And that's that! All it took was a one man stand. That could have been you... and you... and you... or I... making the stand. Or better still - all of us together.

Unless we stand up and fight for "America the Beautiful" which our forefathers have passed on to us, we will deserve to be buried in "America the Ugly," a nation of mutts, a country of "ignorant blunderers or dunderheads" into which the NWO wants to make us.

 [from "Dumbing Down America" aka "Dancing 'Round a Golden Calf" - Washington Times column 8-31-1997]

EPILOGUE or PROLOGUE?

On July 9, I spent about an hour and a half in a lively discussion with three Light Beings from another galaxy whom Dr Earl Backman of Colorado channels.  They have come to assist humanity and this critical time of transition to the Era of Aquarius. We covered a wide range of topics which I will share with my fellow-Stewards of the Earth. At one point, however, our conversation veered off into an unexpected direction.  For the first time in years, I remembered and brought up to the attention of the Light Beings my 1997 column about the "Dumbing Down of America."  I highlighted the modern movies and sports as being particularly harmful.

And as you can see from this partial transcript of our discussion, the Spirit Realm was in violent agreement with such a stand against violence and other degrading influences of the American entertainment and sports industries on our society (ALTZAR in the transcript below refers to the author of this article):

• LIGHT BEINGS: [~58:40 mins] … As an Earth Being, you are given certain gifts and talents. The Spiritual realm recognizes them, but has no control over whether or not an Earth Being uses them to better humanity, to achieve one’s soul intentions. The Spiritual realm can do all they can to support and Earth Being. But that individual has to take the decision to stand up, and to hear (the Spirit guidance), and to feel, and to accept the responsibility that they’ve actually agreed to prior to this incarnation.

• ALTZAR: And if I may add, based on my personal experiences, to feel one’s power.

• LB: Absolutely.

• ALTZAR: That is what is often times missing in so many human beings these days, especially in this country (USA).  I’ve written tomes of articles when I was a columnist in the 1990s and early 2000s about the process that I called the “Dumbing Down of America.”

• LB: Yes.

• ALTZAR: Which is deliberately putting down the abilities of individuals so that they could be more easily controlled.

• LB: Absolutely. All your institutions do that, whether it’s a religious institution, or a political institution, or a corporate institution.  It’s all done to create malleable individuals, malleable citizens that can be at the beck and call of whatever institution or organization they are involved in.

• ALTZAR: Exactly. And it precisely the reverse role of that I am trying to play - by encouraging people to live in their own power and to grow it, and to gain confidence that they change the world if they choose to.

• LB: There cannot be enough emphasis on this. Nationalism, the whole notion that one country is better than another, fosters this very sense of difference, fosters this sense of inequality, fosters this sense of false conception of who one really is.

• ALTZAR: I totally agree. We can talk for hours, which we don’t have, about example of that in other walks of life, like sports, not just politics...

• LB: Absolutely.

• ALTZAR: … and movies...

• LB: Absolutely.

• ALTZAR: … almost through any walk of life. We are being bombarded of messages of competition with each other and instead of love and support for each other.

The Light Beings then go on to talk about the Penn State sex scandal is being representative of this culture of sports and the power of sport, and why the money and competitiveness is more important in our society than individual security and the individual rights.  They also spoke about the lawsuit against the NFL filed by the players for hiding the danger of injuries and concussions.

• LB: These are indications that the Spiritual realm is trying to assist in bringing some of these things out into the light.

Looking at this discussion now in hindsight and seeing how the Spiritual realm actually masterminded the exposure of Penn State scandal, I am beginning to wonder if perhaps they may not have done the same with the Colorado movie murders - to wake us up and to shake us up into taking positive action?