Questioning the status quo takes courage, intelligence and passion

Respect goes to those who built their "empires of influence" without selling out

Why I honor independent truth-tellers, even if they have different opinions than my own

Our world needs more courageous individuals

If you want real answers, listen to real people

(NaturalNews) It takes no courage to repeat the delusions of the status quo. On issues like food and health, taking the position that organics are "elitist" or that GMOs don't have to be labeled requires zero personal courage, zero integrity and zero effort. It is cowardly, in fact, to toe the party line whether we're talking about food, economics, the Bill of Rights, vaccines or even spirituality.What takes real leadership and courage is toand dare to investigate and report whatever truths might be found. People like Alex Jones routinely question the false realities of government and economics that are pushed onto a gullible population. Health innovators like Dr. Mercola question the status quo on vaccines, mammograms and chemotherapy. Jeffrey Smith and Ronnie Cummins question the lies of the GMO-pimping biotech industry. Suzanne Humphries questions the barrage of disinfo on vaccinations. John Perkins the "Economic Hit Man" writes books telling the truth about American economic imperialism. And all of us stand on the shoulders of trailblazers like Gary Null who has, for decades, applied his sharp scientific mind to questioning the myths and delusions of corporate medicine.On economic issues, freedom advocates like G. Edward Griffin, Paul Craig Roberts, Lew Rockwell, Max Keiser and Gerald Celente question the lies and deceptions of the Federal Reserve and the global banking cartels. They are the brightest economic minds of our time, vastly out-thinking the parrot-headed zombie journalists at the New York Times, TIME Magazine or other mainstream media rags (nearly all of which are slowly going bankrupt, by the way).Jones, Rockwell, Roberts, Griffin, Icke, Quayle, Celente, Keiser, Null, Mercola, Cummins, Smith, Perkins and many more... these people exercise courage . They dare to do what the vast majority of others refuse to do: Speak out forcefully on the real problems facing our world... and the necessarily "radical" solutions to save our world from tragedy in every area that matters: health, environment, finance, liberty, spirituality and more.In contrast to the courageous truth-tellers, we have the cowards: People who repeat the same thing we might hear from Monsanto, or the FDA, or the White House under any administration (Bush, Obama, you name it). As a coward, it is easy to become a pop culture celebrity because you'll be offered endless speaking engagements, TV appearances and opportunities to publish your propaganda in mainstream media news magazines. Telling corporate-sponsored lies is not just easy, it's also popular.Cowards say whatever their corporate sponsors tell them to say, and because their words are fully aligned with corporate interests (which are identical to media interests), they are propped up as if they wereor "gurus." Look at who the mainstream media says you should pay attention to... and thenbecause those people will absolutely destroy your health, your liberty, your finances and your entire belief system.These celebrity cowards mistakenly think their celebrity is acquired through their own brilliance or hard work; but it's really just the fact that they are willing to sell out to corporate interests. Without the corporations paving their way, these people are nobodies.You want to listen to a real person with real intelligence, passion and a genuine love for humanity? Listen to Gerald Celente. Sure, he sounds angry, but he's angry because he cares about the people being incessantly pillaged and looted by the global banking cartels. To get angry about something, you first have to care about something. The only reason more people aren't just as angry as Celente is because they remain clueless about what's really happening to them! (Do not fear an angry population; fear the population that's lulled into a state of apathetic complacency...)Alex Jones cares about humanity as much as anybody I've ever met. He sounds really angry on the air, but that's only because he really, truly cares about the future of humanity. Compare that to the snake-like criminal-minded tyrants who run the banking system, the TSA, biotech corporate giants and other fiefdoms of total oppression and greed -- all they care about is next quarter's profits. To hell with whatever happens to humanity or the environment, they say. There are profits to be had from betraying humanity!Alex Jones built his media empire himself, one radio broadcast at a time, to the point where it is now the #1 alternative media outlet in the world. Dr. Mercola built his online media empire in much the same way, working long hours year after year, daring to put his neck on the line to say things that were. Gary Null built an entire radio empire called the Progressive Radio Network , and he's put in tens of thousands of hours on radio shows and public speaking engagements to work towards educating the public and expanding awareness.I respect people who build what I call "empires of influence" without selling out. Natural News has been built the same way: Started from nothing, no investors, no corporate string-pullers and nothing but pure dedication, hard work and the support of millions of readers and activists who put us on the map. I have no boss, folks, which is exactly why I can tell the truth and keep on telling it. My only boss is you, the readers, and I will never, ever betray you and the principles we share about health, organic food, GMO labeling, home gardening and so on.Natural News is not for sale, and my loyalty to the ideas I promote and share with readers is also not for sale. This absolutely confounds the corporate elists who think everything has a (financial) price. They're wrong. The human soul is not for sale, and those of us who are truly in touch with our souls are utterly immune to financial seduction.I respect people who dare to tell the truth... people who have the leadership and courage to say what needs to be said even when it's not popular or fashionable. Even if I don't agree with everything they say, I respect the fact that they are willing to find the courage to question the status quo. Ralph Nader, for example, is an exceptionally courageous man who observes the political and cultural landscape and then tells you exactly what he thinks. I don't agree with everything he says, but I honor him for the courage it takes to say it.Michael Moore's politics are abhorrent to me personally, and yet I find myself admiring his personal courage for standing up to far more powerful interests and saying what he believes to be true. Much the same is true with Sean Penn, a Hollywood activist whose politics seem bizarre to me, yet I honor his pursuit of activism and the exercising of his free speech in pursuit of the truth.What I dorespect, to be clear, is someone spouting the same corporate lies we hear from the biotech industry, Big Pharma, the vaccine industry, the banking cartels, pesticide manufacturers and Wall Street interests. For someone to proclaim that vaccines are perfectly safe, and no one is ever harmed by vaccines, and children can be given 100,000 vaccines all at once with no harm whatsoever is pure corporate lunacy. Complete cowardice. The real skeptic, on the other hand, asks, "Hey, wait a minute. Why does the CDC say vaccines still contain mercury, aluminum, MSG and formaldehyde ? Why are even sick children given nine vaccines all at once instead of spreading them out?" It takes people with courage to stand up and declare the Emperor has no clothes.Our world needs more people standing up against corporate cartels and voicing their individual truths, even if their words are lambasted by the media, ridiculed by corrupt Big Pharma "scientists," or declared by some sellout institution to be false. What we have right now is. It takes a rare, courageous individual to say, "I'm going to print the truth even if I lose every single reader or viewer. I'm going to tell the truth regardless of whether it is understood or even popular."That's the kind of person I strive to be each and every day as the editor of Natural News, and I follow in the footsteps of countless other truth-tellers who deserve far more recognition than myself. One of my deepest secrets of success may also be the most surprising: I simply have no attachment whatsoever to the size of my readership. If I lost 100% of all our readers, I would still publish my own articles because it is important for me -- at a spiritual level -- to speak the truth even if no one reads it. This complete detachment from any sort of emotional investment in the opinions or approval of others is truly one of the greatest secrets of success I've ever embraced. Those who care too much about what others think are easy victims for corporate influence and sellout seduction.Speaking of courageous individuals, Webster Tarpley, a left-leaning historian and journalist, deserves tremendous credit for daring to speak out on issues of politics, global finance and imperialism. While I don't agree with everything he says, he's got my support for his sheer courage.On the more conservative side of things, people like Bill Bonner and Lew Rockwell are not just courageous but alsoin nearly everything they say. My admiration of Rockwell has grown considerably in the last few years as I've come to appreciate his intelligence and acute observation of the real world. You can read his website at www.LewRockwell.com if you'd like to be really well educated on reality.Rockwell, many of you may know, worked with Ron Paul, perhaps the greatest American truth-teller since Thomas Jefferson. Ron Paul's farewell address is a monument of modern-day mastery over the real issues that threaten our future as a nation. Paul Craig Roberts , similarly, should be celebrated as one of the most brilliant modern-day critics of government and economics. He deserves credit not just for his keen observation of what's happening in the world, but also for his truly astounding ability to communicate in the written word. He, along with Bill Bonner , remain my two favorite non-fiction writers of the modern age. (Max Keiser and Gerald Celente are my two favorite speakers.)In the realm of audio, Robert Scott Bell is fast becoming one of the most popular voices of health freedom and "political healing" in online radio. His truth-telling radio show on Natural News Radio is now reaching over one million listeners a month and growing rapidly.Jon Rappoport from www.NoMorefakeNews.com also deserves kudos for his outstanding work on issues of vaccines and health freedom. I've come to know him as a highly intelligent, super-courageous truth-tellers who is making huge waves on the 'net and even on national radio.I could go on, of course, and I apologize to anyone else who deserves to be in this list of commendations, but I think I've made my point:Teleprompter-reading news people, by definition, arewho should be wholly ignored. They don't even write the news they're reading! They're engaged in a soulless, zombie-headed exercise in corporate parroting, so don't ever let yourself get sucked into watching corporate media news ever again.You want to make sense of the world? Listen to real people, not corporate shills. Don't read newsstand magazines or the websites of mainstream newspapers. Readwebsites like Natural News, Infowars, LewRockwell.com, Drudge Report or some of the other sites I've mentioned here. www.DailyPaul.com is also excellent.Turn off the TV and turn on your brain by connecting with real people who write with authenticity, passion and integrity. Or better yet,by starting your own blog site, news site, YouTube channel or other outlet. If you write well and communicate well, you'll get recognized and will attract a base of readers (and possibly even "fans").Anthony Gucciardi, for example, is a young, up-and-coming liberty advocate who writes at www.NaturalSociety.com (no relation to Natural News). There are many other bloggers and truth-tellers who are going to rock the 'net in the years ahead, following in the footsteps of people like myself who of course followed the paths blazed by others. My advice to the up-and-coming truth-tellers is simple:1) Tell the truth. Don't play games with your readers. Don't hide things from them. Respect their intelligence and they will respect yours. Don't try to fib, or fudge or deceive. Correct mistakes you've made when they are brought to your attention.2) Never think you're alone. Telling the truth canlonely, but you're actually in good company. Many people are thinking what you're saying, even if they don't have the courage to say it themselves.3) Grasp the responsibility and ethics of obtaining a position of influence. The bigger your audience, the deeper your obligation to make sure you're getting your stories straight and empowering others with real information. Learn to ferret out attempts by others to exploit you or hoax you with bad information.4) Never EVER accept investment money. Once the investors get their hooks into your operation, you're finished.5) Move your butt off the grid and learn how to protect your identity and your physical safety. Stop using credit cards, period. Stop living at a physical address that anybody can easily find. Don't put your name on titles of things that can lead to your doorstep. If you're going to tell the truth, you're going to be targeted by evil people sooner or later. It has happened to all of us who are still alive, and even to a few who already got assassinated by the system (Breitbart, for starters).6) Be willing to engage in years of hard work before anything pays off. Personally, I wrote probably 500+ articles before Natural News started to gain any traction on the 'net. That required two years of time and perhaps 1000 - 2000 hours of investment.I thank all Natural News readers for your ongoing support of our efforts to inform, engage and empower. Just as importantly, I thank all the other truth-tellers across the 'net who, like me, have found that they cannot stay silent in the presence of political misdeeds and corporate evils. We have all discovered that speaking out is like the symphony of our souls: We cannot live as fulfilled souls unless we do everything in our power to uplift, inform and protect our fellow brothers and sisters across this planet. We tell the truth because doing so is the driver of our very existence in this realm. It is who we are, and we will not be silenced.- Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of Natural News