The Official Website of Michael Corthell

  by Michael Corthell “Burning of the Reichstag” refers to a momentous event that serves as a pretext for the declaration of a state of emergency and martial law (the suspension of civil rights) – like the Reichstag incident by Hitler in February 1933. Is this what we should be fearful of today, two weeks before the inauguration of Joe Biden? It's a strong 'maybe' and here is why I say maybe. While vigilance over our democratic values is never misplaced, the difficulty with anticipating the transformation of the Trump presidency into a dictatorship is that we have to disregard the true nature of his administration. Trumpism is not tyranny in disguise, led by a clown, it is clownish narcissism in the guise of a tyrant. Trump had no interest in either taking over the world or in subjugating America’s citizens. He wanted to hold onto power so that he could go on flooding us with his bullshit to further enhance his brand. But, he may now feel that he must stay in power, becaus...

by Michael Corthell What is the right thing to do? That is a very difficult thing to know sometimes. But whatever that right way to go is, it should always be our own decision. You need to own it. Good people know that genuine, true, integrity is doing the right thing even if  no one is going to know that you did the right thing.  Looking good is not better than doing good. And bragging cheapens the goods. Be a leader who does the right thing regardless of popularity and which way the wind is blowing. “It’s not hard to do the right thing; in fact it’s easy. What’s hard is knowing what the right thing to do is. Once you know that, and believe it, doing the right thing is easy.” — Ben Kingsley in the ''The Confession.'' Doing the right thing involves decision. Sometimes, there is no good or ideal decision, we have to choose the better of two that are either painful, or seemingly wrong. A good person will not do the wrong thing just t...

''Play on their fears and they'll follow you anywhere'' Cult movements are usually defined as a group that tends to manipulate, exploit, and control its members. Specific factors in cult behavior are said to include manipulative and authoritarian mind control over members, communal and totalistic organization, aggressive proselytizing, systematic programs of indoctrination such as mass gatherings or rallies. There are thousands of cults in America today, some harmless and some that can be very dangerous. A cult is a group or movement held together by a shared commitment to a charismatic leader or ideology . It has a belief system that has the answers to all of life’s questions and offers a special solution to be gained only by following the leader’s rules. It requires a high level of commitment from at least some of the members.