Every successful politician has a good handle on the concept of Coded Language.
Sometimes, the links get pretty broad - Family Values can mean just about everything from Abstinence Only and Creationism to bombing the shit outa brown people to make the world safe for Americans at home. You get to fill in the blanks on that one any way you want.
Other terms and phrases can be a little more specific:
Real Americans = dumbass rednecks
Service to America = Cops, Firefighters and Military ONLY - no bureaucrats allowed
You get the idea. Anyway, continuing on my premise that no issue is ever really about what the politician says it's about, here's the basic idea behind the phrase "it's about jobs" when sleazoids like Scott Walker and John Kasich use it. Plainly put, it means they intend to take one fairly decent job (teacher, building inspector, project manager, etc) and turn it into 2 or more really crappy jobs. This is a huge push to reorganize and redefine public sector jobs. And we might as well be outsourcing City Hall's HR Dept to Wal-Mart.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Springtime In Detroit?
General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) today announced its calendar year 2010 results marked by $4.7 billion of net income attributable to common stockholders for its first full year of operations.
Revenue for the calendar year was $135.6 billion. Automotive cash flow from operating activities was $6.6 billion and automotive free cash flow was $2.4 billion, both reflecting the impact of a $4.0 billion voluntary cash contribution to the company's U.S. pension plans.
"Last year was one of foundation building," said Dan Akerson, chairman and chief executive officer. "Particularly pleasing was that we demonstrated GM's ability to achieve sustainable profitability near the bottom of the U.S. industry cycle, with four consecutive profitable quarters."
Wait just a dang minute. This is Gummint Motors; this is where all them commie unionist bastards are suckin' the federal teat dry; this is totally against what DumFux News says is even possible.
Barron's
BTW: all this good news was left over after GM paid back $700 MILLION in US Treasuries. Still a long way to go, but they should at least get an Atta Boy once in a while.
Say What?`
This is what passed for "thinking" in the Jr Bush administration.
I think you should continue your service to this great country of ours by scheduling a nice long trip to Spain as soon as you can manage it. They'll take really good care of you.
fuckin' putz
"We were not there in Afghanistan to eradicate corruption, or to end poppy cultivation. We were not there to take ownership of Afghanistan’s problems, tempting though it was for Americans of goodwill. If, as some have contended, we never had a plan for full-fledged nation building, or that we under-resourced such a plan, they were certainly correct. We did not go there to bring prosperity to every corner of Afghanistan. Our more modest goal was to rid Afghanistan of al Qaeda, and replace their Taliban hosts with a government that would not harbor terrorists... " - Donald Rumsfeld; pg 682 of his memoir.Look, Don - you really can't accomplish the 2 things you say we went there to do, without doing the things you say we didn't go there to do.
I think you should continue your service to this great country of ours by scheduling a nice long trip to Spain as soon as you can manage it. They'll take really good care of you.
fuckin' putz
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
About Wisconsin - update
I still haven't heard anybody on the union side say they're expecting more, or asking more, or demanding anything more. Walker and DumFux News and East Blogistan keep trying to paint the unions as greedy bastards out to fleece the innocent taxpayer. Bullshit.
Here it is, straight up:
What the protesters and the unions and the Wisconsin Dems are fighting for is pretty simply their rights (and ours, btw) under the First Amendment.
The right of association
The right to peaceable assembly
Here it is, straight up:
What the protesters and the unions and the Wisconsin Dems are fighting for is pretty simply their rights (and ours, btw) under the First Amendment.
The right of association
The right to peaceable assembly
A Saving Grace?
We know that outfits like US Chamber of Commerce and the Koch Boys are working hard to get a certain control over politics here in the US. It's just too obvious not to be the case. We also know that they're willing to spend gi-normous amounts of cash buying people like Clarence Thomas to help them keep it "legal". We know all that, and we've (I've) been assuming they intend to concentrate on owning the process here in the US - but what about the rest of the world? There's way too much going on in way too many places where big American Companies have big deal interests at stake.
How much will these Corporations have to spend, in how many different countries, to ensure their interests are looked after?
Maybe I'm just hoping for rescue here, but isn't there something happening right now that will eventually make it impossible for a global oligarchy to consolidate power? And isn't there some probability that it could all change without the kind of apocalyptic collapse that so many keep telling us is inevitable no matter what we do?
What if this scenario of economic implosion is the Big Lie that keeps us in thrall either to the Bosses who tell us to ignore the man behind the curtain and get back to work; or to the Anti-Bosses who tell us the whole thing blows up if we do as the Bosses tell us?
World conquest has been tried for as long as there's been a world to conquer. And somehow, the world remains undefeated.
How much will these Corporations have to spend, in how many different countries, to ensure their interests are looked after?
Maybe I'm just hoping for rescue here, but isn't there something happening right now that will eventually make it impossible for a global oligarchy to consolidate power? And isn't there some probability that it could all change without the kind of apocalyptic collapse that so many keep telling us is inevitable no matter what we do?
What if this scenario of economic implosion is the Big Lie that keeps us in thrall either to the Bosses who tell us to ignore the man behind the curtain and get back to work; or to the Anti-Bosses who tell us the whole thing blows up if we do as the Bosses tell us?
World conquest has been tried for as long as there's been a world to conquer. And somehow, the world remains undefeated.
Random Question
If evolution is "just a theory" and nobody can actually prove it's for real, how do we explain selective breeding?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
About Wisconsin - update
Oh look. Here's something else it's not supposed to be about.
From Democratic Underground - with an embedded link to the HuffPo article.
From Democratic Underground - with an embedded link to the HuffPo article.
While there has been significant attention devoted to the fact that Walker's 144-page budget repair bill would strip away collective bargaining rights for public employees, the site "Rortybomb" points out a less noticed provision that would allow the state to sell or contract out any state-owned energy asset in no-bid deals with private corporations.
About That Wisconsin Thing
To be clear, I don't much like unions. I also don't dislike them. My thing is always about the balance of power. I don't like anything that gets too big or too powerful. So it's about trying to make sure there's always something to act as a counterweight to whoever holds the majority position in the power struggle du jour.
For whatever reason, Gov Walker has picked this fight. There is, to be sure, a problem with all or most governments' budgets in that they're not taking in enough revenue to cover all the outlays - again, for whatever reason(s).
My point is that the real fight in Wisconsin has practically nothing to do with the current condition of the state's budget. It's important to remember that almost nothing is ever really about what a politician says it's about.
Walker has proposed a budget that asks public employees either to take a hit on salaries and bennies, and/or to do without any increases - and it appears there's not much push back on any of that. So we can kinda put aside all of this deflecting nonsense about how the unions are busting the budget with outrageous demands, or killing the chances of the noble politicians to get things back on track, or whatever the consultants have told them say.
What we're left with is another baldfaced attempt to chip away at everybody's rights. Plain and simple.
Something else to remember: we're deep into the Supply Side Economy. It's a fairly simple notion. If you flood the market with a huge supply of anything, you force the price down. That goes for Labor too. The greater the number of people trying to get a given job, the less you have to pay whoever you hire for that job.
For whatever reason, Gov Walker has picked this fight. There is, to be sure, a problem with all or most governments' budgets in that they're not taking in enough revenue to cover all the outlays - again, for whatever reason(s).
My point is that the real fight in Wisconsin has practically nothing to do with the current condition of the state's budget. It's important to remember that almost nothing is ever really about what a politician says it's about.
Walker has proposed a budget that asks public employees either to take a hit on salaries and bennies, and/or to do without any increases - and it appears there's not much push back on any of that. So we can kinda put aside all of this deflecting nonsense about how the unions are busting the budget with outrageous demands, or killing the chances of the noble politicians to get things back on track, or whatever the consultants have told them say.
What we're left with is another baldfaced attempt to chip away at everybody's rights. Plain and simple.
Something else to remember: we're deep into the Supply Side Economy. It's a fairly simple notion. If you flood the market with a huge supply of anything, you force the price down. That goes for Labor too. The greater the number of people trying to get a given job, the less you have to pay whoever you hire for that job.
Monday, February 21, 2011
We Are All Madisonians Now
It should prob'ly say "We are all Wisconsinites", but then I couldn't draw an allusion to James Madison.
So anyway, Gov Walker is really under the gun here. It's fun to watch him try to sell his pseudo-populist bullshit while being so obviously on the payroll of the Privatizing Looters.
I'll try to explain myself in a minute, but first, I want to point to something. Look at this, by way of Democratic Underground, and then ask yourself, "isn't this what Free Market Capitalism should actually look like"? Seems to me we've been buying a phoney-baloney substitute for a good long time.
As a hardcore Randian Zealot, I'm not in favor of "the collective", but that's not what's going on here - our understanding of 'evil collective' vs 'righteous competitor' has undergone a polar reversal. Ayn Rand's big thing was always that power would be balanced naturally thru straight up competition; and that collectives would always usurp power thru the stifling of competition by force of arms. Guess which 'side' is willing to use the government's monopoly on deadly force to coerce our cooperation with its plans to take, use and maintain power.
I'm not talkin' Dems vs Repubs here, but I have to say (for right now anyway), the Dems are starting to wake up a little; and that I think there're more of them who are a bit more willing to hew a little more closely to principles of honor and public service. I realize there was a lot of equivocation in that last sentence, but I think it's even more important now than ever that we look for whatever slight differences we can find - and then throw as much support as we can muster behind any politician who's willing to dispense with the usual bullshit and talk to us about real policy choices, and the effects of those choices on real people in the real world.
This is likely to be pretty brutal for a while.
So anyway, Gov Walker is really under the gun here. It's fun to watch him try to sell his pseudo-populist bullshit while being so obviously on the payroll of the Privatizing Looters.
I'll try to explain myself in a minute, but first, I want to point to something. Look at this, by way of Democratic Underground, and then ask yourself, "isn't this what Free Market Capitalism should actually look like"? Seems to me we've been buying a phoney-baloney substitute for a good long time.
As a hardcore Randian Zealot, I'm not in favor of "the collective", but that's not what's going on here - our understanding of 'evil collective' vs 'righteous competitor' has undergone a polar reversal. Ayn Rand's big thing was always that power would be balanced naturally thru straight up competition; and that collectives would always usurp power thru the stifling of competition by force of arms. Guess which 'side' is willing to use the government's monopoly on deadly force to coerce our cooperation with its plans to take, use and maintain power.
I'm not talkin' Dems vs Repubs here, but I have to say (for right now anyway), the Dems are starting to wake up a little; and that I think there're more of them who are a bit more willing to hew a little more closely to principles of honor and public service. I realize there was a lot of equivocation in that last sentence, but I think it's even more important now than ever that we look for whatever slight differences we can find - and then throw as much support as we can muster behind any politician who's willing to dispense with the usual bullshit and talk to us about real policy choices, and the effects of those choices on real people in the real world.
This is likely to be pretty brutal for a while.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Keep Workin'
Continuing bad news for Boomers.
Be sure to check out the comments - seems to be split among the big 3.
1) Blame the victim
2) Soc Sec is a ponzi scheme anyway
3) We're being robbed
From The Rupert Street Journal:
Be sure to check out the comments - seems to be split among the big 3.
1) Blame the victim
2) Soc Sec is a ponzi scheme anyway
3) We're being robbed
From The Rupert Street Journal:
This analysis uses estimates of 401(k) balances from the end of 2010 and of salaries from 2009. It assumes people need 85% of their working income after they retire in order to maintain their standard of living, a common yardstick.
Facing shortfalls, many people are postponing retirement, moving to cheaper housing, buying less-expensive food, cutting back on travel, taking bigger risks with their investments and making other sacrifices they never imagined.
"Inevitably, we find that, for the average person, there is not enough there," says financial adviser Paul Merritt of NTrust Wealth Management in Virginia Beach, Va., who has found himself advising many retirement-age people with too little savings. "The discussion turns out to be: What kind of part-time work do you want to do after you retire?"
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
How Interesting
The revolt is spreading faster and farther than could have been dreamed. We've seen the glorious uprising of ordinary people against one bullying despot after another - Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria and now even The GOP. Wait; uh, what?
A day or so ago, Mitch Daniels told a rather skittish crowd at CPAC that Repubs need to reach voters who don't care what Rush Limbaugh says (not quite what Daniels said, but words to that effect). We've heard grumblings along those lines for years from some pretty big-deal Republicans like Christy Todd-Whitman and David Eisenhower and Mike Steele, et al; and practically all of them were thoroughly dismissed, spanked or otherwise quickly dispatched very loudly and very publicly - most of whom either knelt before His High Rushness to beg forgiveness or just limped away and disappeared. Now, we have Little Mikey Medved feelin' his oats; and in The Rupert Street Journal, no less.
So how long before we hear from Limbaugh about Rupert Murdoch's vicious campaign against poor humble Rush? How long before we hear mention of it on DumFux News itself?
A day or so ago, Mitch Daniels told a rather skittish crowd at CPAC that Repubs need to reach voters who don't care what Rush Limbaugh says (not quite what Daniels said, but words to that effect). We've heard grumblings along those lines for years from some pretty big-deal Republicans like Christy Todd-Whitman and David Eisenhower and Mike Steele, et al; and practically all of them were thoroughly dismissed, spanked or otherwise quickly dispatched very loudly and very publicly - most of whom either knelt before His High Rushness to beg forgiveness or just limped away and disappeared. Now, we have Little Mikey Medved feelin' his oats; and in The Rupert Street Journal, no less.
In short, the White House record of more than 200 years shows plenty of bad decisions but no bad men. For all their foibles, every president attempted to rise to the challenges of leadership and never displayed disloyal or treasonous intent.
This history makes some of the current charges about Barack Obama especially distasteful—and destructive to the conservative cause.He goes on to take aim directly at Limbaugh, calling attempts to paint Obama as a willing destroyer of Mother America "almost perfectly imbecilic".
So how long before we hear from Limbaugh about Rupert Murdoch's vicious campaign against poor humble Rush? How long before we hear mention of it on DumFux News itself?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
SCOTUS Update
I just got off the phone with somebody in the public info office - the message on the main number listed on the website says to call 202-579-3000 and ask them to page a representative. The lady was nice enough, but she said they have no intention of issuing a statement on Thomas's problems, and that there's no press availability scheduled either; and that if I want to ask questions, I have to call during business hours and ask for a regular PIO (Public Information Officer).
I have no idea what kind of protocol might be in place for this. I do think it would be cool in the extreme if huge numbers of regular US citizens started making personal calls to SCOTUS to ask them to explain themselves to us.
I have no idea what kind of protocol might be in place for this. I do think it would be cool in the extreme if huge numbers of regular US citizens started making personal calls to SCOTUS to ask them to explain themselves to us.
SCOTUS
Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas have both been implicated in some "minor" scandals the last few years. Now we may have a major problem because ol' Clarence did quite a bit more than drop by a little get-together with the Koch Brothers in California. ("a quick drop-by" is how the SCOTUS spokesmodel put it when asked by Common Cause).
Read it and weep.
Herald-Gazette (Knox County, ME)
Here's the full text of an article that seems to have mysteriously disappeared from NewsVine: (I got to it thru Google's cache archive - yay Google!)
Read it and weep.
Herald-Gazette (Knox County, ME)
Here's the full text of an article that seems to have mysteriously disappeared from NewsVine: (I got to it thru Google's cache archive - yay Google!)
What more does the Justice Department need to launch an investigation into the possible conflict of interests surrounding Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas and their votes in the Citizens United case?
Maybe they need to hear from you.
We've asked Attorney General Eric Holder to meet with us to discuss all that's been uncovered in recent weeks, but we haven't gotten an answer yet.
Please call Holder's office today at (202) 514-2001 and ask that he meet with Common Cause! Click here after you've made the call.
We are simply asking for a brief meeting to discuss whether Justices Scalia and Thomas should have recused themselves from ruling on the Citizens Unitedcase, which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on election campaigns when it was decided in January 2010.
We already know that:
• Both justices attended secretive political strategy sessions sponsored by Koch Industries, a major beneficiary of the Citizens United ruling. Koch is a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that has invested millions of dollars in political campaigns and causes.
• Justice Thomas failed to disclose more than $600,000 of his wife Virginia's income from the Heritage Foundation (he has recently amended his filings to reflect this income), or any of her unknown salary from Liberty Central, a political action group that was actively involved in the 2010 midterms.
• Justice Scalia recently met behind closed doors with the head of the House Tea Party Caucus, and Virginia Thomas is now promoting herself as an "ambassador to the Tea Party movement."
All these facts create a troubling appearance of bias. Attorney General Holder, as the head of the Justice Department, has a duty to review these issues and to make a decision regarding the launch of an investigation.
And we want a chance to lay out our case to him. Please call the Attorney General's office today at (202) 514-2001 and ask that he meet with Common Cause.
Then, click here after you've made the call.(the link goes to Common Cause)
Curveball Lied
It's not exactly news, but at least somebody is trying to dig out some of the truth for us. Unfortunately, it didn't matter to enough of us then, and it prob'ly won't matter much now either.
And Jesus wept.
Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, codenamed Curveball by German and American intelligence officials who dealt with his claims, has told the Guardian that he fabricated tales of mobile bioweapons trucks and clandestine factories in an attempt to bring down the Saddam Hussein regime, from which he had fled in 1995.My biggest fear right now is that we're allowing the system to lose its capacity for self-correction. There are glimmers and flickers once in a while - Dick Cheney got heckled with shouts of "war criminal" at his speech to a CPAC session, and there's the tiny fraction of Tea Partiers who actually aren't stupid bigoted assholes - but for the most part, the big power players know they can pull some pretty horrendous shit and still count on getting cover. The Hard-Right Radicals in particular know that DumFux News will polish their turds no matter what. So once in a while we get a public hanging (Mark Foley, Chris Lee, William Jefferson, et al), and that helps us believe the lie that the Koch Bros and Wall Street - The American Aristocracy - aren't really running the joint and that we don't have any thing to say about it at all.
And Jesus wept.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Hoping For Egypt
The final outcome (if there is such a thing) in Egypt is something we won't know for a while, but here's a thought: Egyptians booted out a quasi-dictator with 18 days of protests that were mostly pretty relaxed and groovey. There was no armed resistance; no guerilla tactics; no bombings; no terrorism - just growing numbers of everyday people gathering in different places to tell their government they weren't going to get pushed around any more. The only real violence came when somebody (probably on Mubarak's side, if not at Mubarak's behest) decided to start a fight in the hopes of scoring some propaganda points. People got hurt, and some hundreds killed, but it didn't work. The people were unarmed; they defended themselves just enough to keep the crowd together, but they didn't counterattack and so far, I haven't heard anything about retaliation. And most importantly, the military leadership was smart enough to know they couldn't win anything by ordering Egyptians to shoot Egyptians.
Here's my main take-away: The notion that an armed citizenry is what ensures freedom is proven again to be a lie.
Here's my main take-away: The notion that an armed citizenry is what ensures freedom is proven again to be a lie.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Stupid Arguments
I don't know how to tell you how dumb it is to be arguing about Obama's "faith". Here's the main reason:
US Constitution, article VI, 3rd paragraph:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
So we have the Constitution telling us that according to the law, it can't be an issue, but that just leads us to the real stupidity of Obama defenders who feel the need to dispute the assertion. The really stupid part is that by arguing the point of Obama's religion, you legitimize the assertion itself. You're saying first that it was OK for some short-necked bigot to a raise the question of Obama's faith, and then by refuting his Muslim-ness, you're tacitly agreeing that it would be a problem if he actually is a Muslim.
Here's a thought: How 'bout we just keep all that religion shit to ourselves for a change?
US Constitution, article VI, 3rd paragraph:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
So we have the Constitution telling us that according to the law, it can't be an issue, but that just leads us to the real stupidity of Obama defenders who feel the need to dispute the assertion. The really stupid part is that by arguing the point of Obama's religion, you legitimize the assertion itself. You're saying first that it was OK for some short-necked bigot to a raise the question of Obama's faith, and then by refuting his Muslim-ness, you're tacitly agreeing that it would be a problem if he actually is a Muslim.
Here's a thought: How 'bout we just keep all that religion shit to ourselves for a change?
A Trend?
Check this out at Daily Beast.
Anyway, we've been alarmed at the growing bombast from guys like Beck and Limbaugh, thinking it means they're getting more powerful (or feeling more powerful). But it could easily mean just the opposite.
There are a lot of program directors whose radio ‘spider-sense’ is tingling,” says Randall Bloomquist, a long-time radio executive and president of Talk Frontier Media. “They're thinking ‘this conservative thing is kind of running its course. We're saying the same things from morning 'til night and yes, we've got a very loyal core audience—but if we ever want to grow, if we want to expand, we've got to be doing more than 18 hours a day of ‘Obama is a socialist.’”
This could be pretty interesting. Though I think if their ratings continue to drop, they'll just get even more rabid. When the marketing dweebs are consulted, they're likely to tell these guys to stick with the formula. Radical Clown Radio doesn't differ much from the GOP. In fact, the business of wingnut radio and politics are practically the same thing. So when you start to lose market share, the instinctive reaction is to "rediscover your core competency" and concentrate on solidifying your base. This is all well and good, but eventually, you have to widen things out a bit. Unfortunately, the effect is usually the opposite - you can easily end up narrowing your appeal to the point where your market niche is no longer a real factor.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
More Bio Mimicry
One of the problems we continue to have is that we've allowed some not very honest people to convince us that there's friction between our economic interests and our need for a clean and healthy environment to live in.
We end up talking past each other. Here's a guy who can talk about "saving the environment" by linking the need to take good care of the biosphere directly to huge business opportunities.
We end up talking past each other. Here's a guy who can talk about "saving the environment" by linking the need to take good care of the biosphere directly to huge business opportunities.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Hoping (update)
Mubarak has resigned, but he hasn't split the country. No idea what that means, but I'm thinking he's not quite done yet. Governments and financial houses are busily freezing his assets, so that should make it harder for him to fuck with things, at least 'til they get all that sorted out. So anybody who tries to tell me it's all gonna be swell needs to get called a moron.
The Press Poodles are still gushing about Freedom Fever while DumFux News is flacking the threat of The Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, nobody (either in The Kennel or at Fox) has said thing one about any efforts by anybody's diplomatic services - zero, zip, zilch. The only thing I've heard so far is the standard meme about how Obama got caught flat-footed. Are you fucking kidding? Am I really supposed to believe we've spent something like 1/3 of a TRILLION dollars on intel and counter-intel, and anti-terrorism shit - aimed specifically at the middle east and that we got nothing out of it!?! We didn't see any of this as any kind of possibility at all!?!
Anyway, for now it's all a big smiley-face celebration - I'm bettin' a lot of happy protesters are gettin' laid tonite - and tomorrow or Sunday we might start to see if we get any clues as to how the Egyptian military intends to spend its political capital. This ain't anywhere near over. The really dangerous part starts soon.
The Press Poodles are still gushing about Freedom Fever while DumFux News is flacking the threat of The Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, nobody (either in The Kennel or at Fox) has said thing one about any efforts by anybody's diplomatic services - zero, zip, zilch. The only thing I've heard so far is the standard meme about how Obama got caught flat-footed. Are you fucking kidding? Am I really supposed to believe we've spent something like 1/3 of a TRILLION dollars on intel and counter-intel, and anti-terrorism shit - aimed specifically at the middle east and that we got nothing out of it!?! We didn't see any of this as any kind of possibility at all!?!
Anyway, for now it's all a big smiley-face celebration - I'm bettin' a lot of happy protesters are gettin' laid tonite - and tomorrow or Sunday we might start to see if we get any clues as to how the Egyptian military intends to spend its political capital. This ain't anywhere near over. The really dangerous part starts soon.
Hoping
I just get a bad feeling about Egypt. Mubarak is in a tough spot, and unfortunately, when guys like him start to feel cornered, they tend to listen to the kind of advice from some of the assholes they surround themselves with, who almost always advocate a get-tough-show-'em-who's-boss approach. We saw some of that earlier when the Camel Goons attacked.
Anyway, here's hoping it doesn't come to this.
Anyway, here's hoping it doesn't come to this.
Cartman Speaks
The Press Poodles in the US are finally starting to look at who the protesters actually are. It's been a nice little narrative so far, about a genuine grassroots uprising; that there are no real leaders; that the whole thing is spontaneous - as if to say, "The noble Egyptian people are just trying to express their Inner American". It's a big steaming pile of Newsie bullshit.
Just Make Shit Up
It's not like we didn't know this already, but I think it's important to make an effort to keep score, and to remind ourselves that an outfit like DumFux News is not a news organization at all. So while this article is from the "terminally librul" MediaMatters, and the source is anonymous, we can at least see that it's consistent with practically all the other reports of how DumFux News operates. Have we ever heard anything from any former DumFux'er that didn't sound a lot like this?
And don't forget these little gems:
Leaked Memo
Climate Science
...a former Fox News employee who recently agreed to talk with Media Matters confirmed what critics have been saying for years about Murdoch’s cable channel. Namely, that Fox News is run as a purely partisan operation, virtually every news story is actively spun by the staff, its primary goal is to prop up Republicans and knock down Democrats, and that staffers at Fox News routinely operate without the slightest regard for fairness or fact checking.
“It is their M.O. to undermine the administration and to undermine Democrats,” says the source. “They’re a propaganda outfit but they call themselves news.”
And don't forget these little gems:
Leaked Memo
Climate Science
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Monday, February 07, 2011
Socialism On The March
I'm hoping certain people will be reminded of what happened yesterday in Super Bowl 45 whenever they start waxing rhapsodic about the wonders and the majesty and the supremacy of free-market capitalism. I don't know exactly what our 'system' should be called, but whatever name you come up with, it sure as hell ain't free-market capitalism - not when the biggest annual Celebration-Of-All-Things-Totally-Awesome-About-America ends with a team owned collectively by the good folks of Green Bay being crowned champions of a business consortium which has thrived since adopting some very 'socialistic' principles.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Saturday, February 05, 2011
The Reagan Myth(s)
The big 5 as per Will Bunch at The Washington Post:
1) Reagan is our most popular president
2) Reagan cut taxes
3) Reagan was a hawk
4) Reagan decreased the size of the federal government
5) Reagan was a conservative culture warrior
1) Reagan is our most popular president
2) Reagan cut taxes
3) Reagan was a hawk
4) Reagan decreased the size of the federal government
5) Reagan was a conservative culture warrior
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Tell Me Somethin' Good
First time I've heard a high quality full-length cut since the old days of KFML.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Arab World
In a post the other day, I predicted a certain bit of crowing about Jr Bush and NeoCon policy because of the revolts that are happening in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen and even Jordan. This was not a hard thing to figure out, so don't give me any credit for my amazing foresight - I was definitely not alone.
But, here's one of the aforementioned 'told-ya-so' articles by none other than Elliot Abrams (one of the pricks who should still be in prison because of Iran Contra).
So how long did it take? A coupla days?
Now let's see how long it takes 'em to pretzel all this 'wisdom' when it becomes clear that the old autocratic secular regimes in these countries are going to be replaced with new autocratic sectarian regimes. That's right - we've destabilized the region; we've taken ourselves out of the game by chasing phantoms in desert shit-holes; we've crippled our military; and we've left the doors wide open for the Islamists to waltz in and take over the joint. Yay, Bush.
But, here's one of the aforementioned 'told-ya-so' articles by none other than Elliot Abrams (one of the pricks who should still be in prison because of Iran Contra).
So how long did it take? A coupla days?
Now let's see how long it takes 'em to pretzel all this 'wisdom' when it becomes clear that the old autocratic secular regimes in these countries are going to be replaced with new autocratic sectarian regimes. That's right - we've destabilized the region; we've taken ourselves out of the game by chasing phantoms in desert shit-holes; we've crippled our military; and we've left the doors wide open for the Islamists to waltz in and take over the joint. Yay, Bush.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Arab World
Tunisia, and then Egypt, and then Yemen. The Arab street is finally rising up to throw off their oppressive regimes. It's interesting and unsettling and impressive.
It's also NOT cut and dried. It's not clear what anybody's really after. And it's not at all clear that we'll see anything remotely resembling democracy pop up in any of those countries.
But how long will it take DumFux News to decide about praising Jr Bush and their own cheerleading for the Iraq invasion for starting this glorious march to freedom? It might be a tough call for them. They've been hedging on Bush since they started pandering to the Tea Partiers, so they'll have to figure out how to put some nuance into their pronouncements, which suddenly makes it all a lot messier than their audience likes it to be.
It's also NOT cut and dried. It's not clear what anybody's really after. And it's not at all clear that we'll see anything remotely resembling democracy pop up in any of those countries.
But how long will it take DumFux News to decide about praising Jr Bush and their own cheerleading for the Iraq invasion for starting this glorious march to freedom? It might be a tough call for them. They've been hedging on Bush since they started pandering to the Tea Partiers, so they'll have to figure out how to put some nuance into their pronouncements, which suddenly makes it all a lot messier than their audience likes it to be.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
SOTU
My basic reaction: Obama just lost the 2012 election.
He said a lot of the things we needed to hear; he wants us to do the things we really need to do; but he's trying to lead us in a direction that's always been seen as a threat by practically all of the big money interests.
Just by pushing for Clean Energy and an end to Corporate Welfare, Obama set himself up to get slammed. Large piles of cash are sitting in the coffers of Big Business and PACs and Trade Groups, and the execs at those places will not sit idly by waiting for somebody to pinch off the flow of tax dollars out of our pockets into theirs. They have huge amounts to spend and no limits on how they can spend it. We're about to see the real effects of the Citizens United decision.
Ya heard it here.
He said a lot of the things we needed to hear; he wants us to do the things we really need to do; but he's trying to lead us in a direction that's always been seen as a threat by practically all of the big money interests.
Just by pushing for Clean Energy and an end to Corporate Welfare, Obama set himself up to get slammed. Large piles of cash are sitting in the coffers of Big Business and PACs and Trade Groups, and the execs at those places will not sit idly by waiting for somebody to pinch off the flow of tax dollars out of our pockets into theirs. They have huge amounts to spend and no limits on how they can spend it. We're about to see the real effects of the Citizens United decision.
Ya heard it here.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Budget Woes
Politicians like to talk about cutting spending, and doing more with less, etc. We've heard it all forever. Now we're forced to do something real or we'll go broke for real. But nobody's talking any specifics about what exactly they're going to cut.
Case in point: this bit from TPM:
These guys WILL NOT spend significantly less for any length of time. They'll still spend the money, but they'll spend it outside the government, and then they'll claim they're keeping their promises. I saw a story the other day saying they're going to reduce the FBI and DEA by some thousands of agents - how much are you willing to bet those jobs won't actually be taken over by private security contractors?
So here's the kicker: they'll use the high-sounding rhetoric of "Cutting the Budget" to hack away at the Democratic constituencies in the fed gov't, and bolster their own constituencies in the private sector. Any bets?
Case in point: this bit from TPM:
"We've got to learn how to prioritize and do more with less in all areas of government," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor at his weekly press conference today. "It just is what it is. In the terms of transportation, we've got to figure out ways how to leverage dollars, how to come up with innovative ways to address the nation's ailing transportation infrastructure."So this is nothing new at all. The only thing that's changed is that we have a new bunch of nephews and brothers-in-law who will suddenly discover their passions for Road Paving or Childhood Development or any number of business interests they can get into quickly once the Repubs start killing off federal agencies and funneling the dollars out to their private sector cronies.
These guys WILL NOT spend significantly less for any length of time. They'll still spend the money, but they'll spend it outside the government, and then they'll claim they're keeping their promises. I saw a story the other day saying they're going to reduce the FBI and DEA by some thousands of agents - how much are you willing to bet those jobs won't actually be taken over by private security contractors?
So here's the kicker: they'll use the high-sounding rhetoric of "Cutting the Budget" to hack away at the Democratic constituencies in the fed gov't, and bolster their own constituencies in the private sector. Any bets?
Bullying The Seniors
From Bob Herbert via NYT:
The demagogues would have the public believe that Social Security is unsustainable, that it is some kind of giant contributor to the federal budget deficits. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the Economic Policy Institute has explained, Social Security “is emphatically not the cause of the federal government’s long-term deficits, since it is prohibited from borrowing and must pay all benefits out of dedicated tax revenues and savings in its trust funds.”Social Security is good at least thru the mid-2030s. And once the giant bulge known as The Boomers moves thru the system, it should get a whole lot easier to finance the thing.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Kinda Interesting
This is what a political statement looks like when you take out the content, and you only see the stagecraft.
I don't quite get the bleep at the end, but what really stands out is something that looks suspiciously like a teleprompter reflected in her glasses.
I don't quite get the bleep at the end, but what really stands out is something that looks suspiciously like a teleprompter reflected in her glasses.
Tunisia
It occurs to me that we could file this one under The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword.
With all the sound and fury here in the US over "2nd Amendment Remedies", and "If ballots don't work, bullets will" - with all the potential for bellicose rhetoric to turn into real bloodshed, it's strangely reassuring to look at events in Iran and now Tunisia, and draw the conclusion: The revolution will not only be televised, but will actually be fought with cell phones and video cameras.
Disarming your citizens can have the unintended consequence of effectively neutering your government's authority to use force. If you shoot an unarmed protestor, you aren't defending some lofty sounding governing principle. You're just an asshole.
I don't know a lot about what's going on in Tunisia. I only know that Ben Ali's government has been tagged as repressive for years, but now there's video on the web that shows unarmed citizens being gunned down in the streets.
And here's a write-up from Foreign Policy.
With all the sound and fury here in the US over "2nd Amendment Remedies", and "If ballots don't work, bullets will" - with all the potential for bellicose rhetoric to turn into real bloodshed, it's strangely reassuring to look at events in Iran and now Tunisia, and draw the conclusion: The revolution will not only be televised, but will actually be fought with cell phones and video cameras.
Disarming your citizens can have the unintended consequence of effectively neutering your government's authority to use force. If you shoot an unarmed protestor, you aren't defending some lofty sounding governing principle. You're just an asshole.
I don't know a lot about what's going on in Tunisia. I only know that Ben Ali's government has been tagged as repressive for years, but now there's video on the web that shows unarmed citizens being gunned down in the streets.
And here's a write-up from Foreign Policy.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Stochastic Terrorism
This is an excellent day because I've learned a couple of things.
First, I learned a little something about Stochastic Terrorism. This is the tech term for the process that gives rise to the kind of Lone Wolf action that we saw on Saturday in Tucson.
And second, I finally did a little reading on Henry II and his problems with Thomas Beckett.
So, when I put these things together, it's a little clearer than before. Not a lot, but some.
Read this from The Agonist.
First, I learned a little something about Stochastic Terrorism. This is the tech term for the process that gives rise to the kind of Lone Wolf action that we saw on Saturday in Tucson.
And second, I finally did a little reading on Henry II and his problems with Thomas Beckett.
So, when I put these things together, it's a little clearer than before. Not a lot, but some.
Read this from The Agonist.
The core of the theory claims a causal connection between the highly evocative political rhetoric of figures like "Beck, Hannity, and O'Reilly" and acts that have a probabilistic inevitability when you factor in the total number of "people who are emotionally unstable" and the nonstop exposure of these three (and more) by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News and broadcast operations.There's still no direct-line cause-and-effect at work, but that's pretty much exactly what Plausible Deniability is all about, isn't it?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Stephen Budiansky's Liberal Curmudgeon Blog: Not us (cont.)
Stephen Budiansky's Liberal Curmudgeon Blog: Not us (cont.)
#4 is exactly what we need to be talking about:
For as long as I can remember, I have heard conservatives blaming everything that is wrong in the universe, from violent crime to declining test scores to teen pregnancy to rude children to declining patriotism to probably athlete's foot . . . upon Dr. Spock, Hollywood liberals, the abolition of prayer in school, Bill Clinton, the "liberal 1960s," the teaching of evolution — in other words, upon symbols, rhetoric, cultural norms, and the values expressed by political and media leaders. Yet from the moment when someone gets a gun in their hands, apparently, society ceases to have any influence whatsoever on the outcome and individual responsibility takes hold 100%. Something is driving the tripling of death threats against congressmen (and the concomitant rise in threats against Federal judges and other villains of the right, from Forest Service rangers to climate scientists) and it isn't the sunspot cycle.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ms Giffords Of Arizona
An assassination attempt just misses - nine dead, more wounded, the main target barely clinging to life - and somehow, we can't just come out and say we have a problem in this country with the way we talk about politics.
Howie Kurtz does the usual hand-wringing, and I've heard some others soaking up large quantities of valuable airtime angsting about whether or not this kind of act can be attributed to the rhetorical recklessness of politicians and pundits. And in the end, they say nothing. They all "have to leave it there" after deciding nothing; all we come away with is that it was yet another senseless tragedy of our times, and that "gosh, I hope it wasn't something we said."
Look guys, words have meaning. Politicians and commentators say the things they say for a reason. They put words together in ways that are intended to prompt people to take some action. Your actual intention may be simply to get people up off their asses to go out and vote. But when you use the imagery of violence to get them to go out and do something, you don't get to sit back being surprised when somebody decides to take your words at face value. In an obviously important way, this Loughner asshole did exactly what he heard Palin or Angle or any number of others say they wanted him to do.
For the most part, this lies squarely at the feet of the Repubs. They own it; and I think they know it.
Howie Kurtz does the usual hand-wringing, and I've heard some others soaking up large quantities of valuable airtime angsting about whether or not this kind of act can be attributed to the rhetorical recklessness of politicians and pundits. And in the end, they say nothing. They all "have to leave it there" after deciding nothing; all we come away with is that it was yet another senseless tragedy of our times, and that "gosh, I hope it wasn't something we said."
Look guys, words have meaning. Politicians and commentators say the things they say for a reason. They put words together in ways that are intended to prompt people to take some action. Your actual intention may be simply to get people up off their asses to go out and vote. But when you use the imagery of violence to get them to go out and do something, you don't get to sit back being surprised when somebody decides to take your words at face value. In an obviously important way, this Loughner asshole did exactly what he heard Palin or Angle or any number of others say they wanted him to do.
For the most part, this lies squarely at the feet of the Repubs. They own it; and I think they know it.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Sir John Of Orange
Matt Taibbi strikes again via Rolling Stone.
The Democrats have plenty of creatures like Boehner. But in the new Speaker of the House, the Republicans own the perfect archetype — the quintessential example of the kind of glad-handing, double-talking, K Street toady who has dominated the politics of both parties for decades. In sports, we talk about athletes who are the "total package," and that term comes close to describing Boehner's talent for perpetuating our corrupt and debt-addled status quo: He's a five-tool insider who can lie, cheat, steal, play golf, change his mind on command and do anything else his lobbyist buddies and campaign contributors require of him to get the job done.
Post Racial(?)
If the US is entering a period of real understanding and acceptance of "color differences", then why are so many of us so uptight about the real probability of a non-white majority that some believe is inevitable and will be here a lot sooner than we think?
What are we afraid of? If we've treated people of color with the respect they deserve, then what do we have to fear from them when the time comes for them to take charge of things?
Who are the people who spend the most time and energy trying to warn us about the troubles we'll see when this change comes? Are they the ones talking about social justice and equal economic opportunity? Or are they the ones who want us to build fences, and tell us we should round up all the brown people and deport them?
The way we treat people now is how we can expect to be treated in turn.
What are we afraid of? If we've treated people of color with the respect they deserve, then what do we have to fear from them when the time comes for them to take charge of things?
Who are the people who spend the most time and energy trying to warn us about the troubles we'll see when this change comes? Are they the ones talking about social justice and equal economic opportunity? Or are they the ones who want us to build fences, and tell us we should round up all the brown people and deport them?
The way we treat people now is how we can expect to be treated in turn.
Reconstituting
In a perfect example of political theater as farce, the 112th Congress opened in the House with a reading of the "full" text of the US Constitution - except they didn't read the parts they didn't think were applicable, like the three-fifths clause and a few others.
David Cole has come up with what he thinks these "real Americans" really mean. I've pasted the whole thing in here. (here's the Washington Post article)
We, the Real Americans, in order to form a more God-Fearing Union, establish Justice as we see it, Defeat Health-Care Reform, and Preserve and Protect our Property, our Guns and our Right Not to Pay Taxes, do ordain and establish this Conservative Constitution for the United States of Real America.
Article I. Congress shall have only the powers literally, specifically and expressly granted herein, and no others. That means definitely, without question, absolutely, no regulation of the Health Insurance or Financial Services industries.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected not directly by the People, but by other people whom the People have elected to better represent the People.
Any law enacted by Congress and signed by the President may be overturned by the vote of three or more States if they find it burdensome, offensive, annoying or in any way touching on Health Insurance, Property Rights or Guns.
Congress shall have no power to raise Taxes except on February 29, and then only if all the People of the United States approve such a measure unanimously, in writing and in English.
Congress shall balance the Federal Budget, preferably by eliminating the Departments of Labor, Energy, Education and State.
The preceding provision shall not apply to spending for the Department of Defense, appropriations for which shall increase three times as quickly as the growth in gross domestic product and upon the approval of House leadership in conference with Boeing, Halliburton, the Ashcroft Group and Kissinger Associates.
Arizona shall have the power to regulate Immigration.
Article II. No person except a natural-born Citizen who can produce video, photographic or eyewitness evidence of birth in a non-island American State shall be eligible to the Office of President.
The President shall faithfully execute the laws, except when, as Commander in Chief, he decides he'd really rather not.
The President shall not negotiate any Treaty without first receiving a signed and notarized note granting him permission, personally executed by every member of the Senate and the House, all 50 Governors and the editorial board of the Weekly Standard.
Article III. Judges shall strictly construe this Constitution, and we mean strictly, and shall under no circumstances cite, refer to, read or mention at cocktail parties or cookouts any principle or provision of International Law.
Suspected Terrorists shall be taken to Guantanamo and drawn and quartered in a public ceremony. Trials are optional, but if they occur, must be conducted in a Military Tribunal in which coerced statements are admissible so long as they support a Guilty verdict.
AMENDMENTS
1. Congress shall make no law abridging the Freedom of Speech, except where citizens desecrate the Flag of the United States; respecting an establishment of Religion, except to support Christian schools, religious apparitions in food products and the display of crosses and creches in public places; or abridging the free exercise of Religion, except to block the construction of mosques in sensitive areas as determined by Florida Pastors or the Fox News Channel.
2. The right to bear Semi-Automatic Weapons, AK-47s or Bazookas shall not be infringed by background checks, safety locks, age limits or common sense.
3. The right of Corporations, Hedge Funds, Business Leaders and Lobbyists to spend endless cash on campaigns and influence-purchasing shall not be infringed. The so-called right of Unions to associate shall be denied as fundamentally un-American and contrary to the agenda of the Chamber of Commerce.
4. Marriage and the benefits thereof shall be restricted to the Union of a Man and a Woman, consecrated in a Christian house of worship, with vows to expose any and all progeny to daily viewings of Bill O'Reilly.
5. All persons born or naturalized in the United States are Citizens of the United States of Real America only if their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were Citizens, and only if they pledge opposition to Health Insurance Reform or New Taxation. Any Citizen convicted of providing material support to Terrorist organizations, wearing clothing bearing images created by Shepard Fairey, or displaying Nancy Pelosi bumper stickers shall be stripped of Citizenship.
6. Aliens, of this world or another, shall have none of the rights guaranteed herein to Citizens.
7. Corporations shall have all of the rights guaranteed herein to Citizens, and then some.
8. No White Male shall be denied equal protection of the law through Affirmative Action or otherwise. In keeping with the intent of the Framers, as discerned by the Honorable Justice Antonin Scalia, distinctions on the basis of sex shall not be deemed to deny equal protection.
9. The right to be uninsured and make other people pay the costs of one's Health Care shall not be infringed under any circumstances.
10. Congress shall make no law limiting Americans' right to warm the Planet by using all the energy they darn well please.
11. The Unborn shall have the rights to life, to vote, to bear arms, to practice Religion except in a mosque in Lower Manhattan (see First Amendment) and to make campaign contributions, but once the child is born, it shall have no rights if it is an Alien (see Sixth Amendment).
12. No one may be required to do anything He or She does not want to do. Ever.
Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the Members present the Sixth Day of January in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand and Eleven. In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our names, [REDACTED]
We, the Real Americans, in order to form a more God-Fearing Union, establish Justice as we see it, Defeat Health-Care Reform, and Preserve and Protect our Property, our Guns and our Right Not to Pay Taxes, do ordain and establish this Conservative Constitution for the United States of Real America.
Article I. Congress shall have only the powers literally, specifically and expressly granted herein, and no others. That means definitely, without question, absolutely, no regulation of the Health Insurance or Financial Services industries.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected not directly by the People, but by other people whom the People have elected to better represent the People.
Any law enacted by Congress and signed by the President may be overturned by the vote of three or more States if they find it burdensome, offensive, annoying or in any way touching on Health Insurance, Property Rights or Guns.
Congress shall have no power to raise Taxes except on February 29, and then only if all the People of the United States approve such a measure unanimously, in writing and in English.
Congress shall balance the Federal Budget, preferably by eliminating the Departments of Labor, Energy, Education and State.
The preceding provision shall not apply to spending for the Department of Defense, appropriations for which shall increase three times as quickly as the growth in gross domestic product and upon the approval of House leadership in conference with Boeing, Halliburton, the Ashcroft Group and Kissinger Associates.
Arizona shall have the power to regulate Immigration.
Article II. No person except a natural-born Citizen who can produce video, photographic or eyewitness evidence of birth in a non-island American State shall be eligible to the Office of President.
The President shall faithfully execute the laws, except when, as Commander in Chief, he decides he'd really rather not.
The President shall not negotiate any Treaty without first receiving a signed and notarized note granting him permission, personally executed by every member of the Senate and the House, all 50 Governors and the editorial board of the Weekly Standard.
Article III. Judges shall strictly construe this Constitution, and we mean strictly, and shall under no circumstances cite, refer to, read or mention at cocktail parties or cookouts any principle or provision of International Law.
Suspected Terrorists shall be taken to Guantanamo and drawn and quartered in a public ceremony. Trials are optional, but if they occur, must be conducted in a Military Tribunal in which coerced statements are admissible so long as they support a Guilty verdict.
AMENDMENTS
1. Congress shall make no law abridging the Freedom of Speech, except where citizens desecrate the Flag of the United States; respecting an establishment of Religion, except to support Christian schools, religious apparitions in food products and the display of crosses and creches in public places; or abridging the free exercise of Religion, except to block the construction of mosques in sensitive areas as determined by Florida Pastors or the Fox News Channel.
2. The right to bear Semi-Automatic Weapons, AK-47s or Bazookas shall not be infringed by background checks, safety locks, age limits or common sense.
3. The right of Corporations, Hedge Funds, Business Leaders and Lobbyists to spend endless cash on campaigns and influence-purchasing shall not be infringed. The so-called right of Unions to associate shall be denied as fundamentally un-American and contrary to the agenda of the Chamber of Commerce.
4. Marriage and the benefits thereof shall be restricted to the Union of a Man and a Woman, consecrated in a Christian house of worship, with vows to expose any and all progeny to daily viewings of Bill O'Reilly.
5. All persons born or naturalized in the United States are Citizens of the United States of Real America only if their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were Citizens, and only if they pledge opposition to Health Insurance Reform or New Taxation. Any Citizen convicted of providing material support to Terrorist organizations, wearing clothing bearing images created by Shepard Fairey, or displaying Nancy Pelosi bumper stickers shall be stripped of Citizenship.
6. Aliens, of this world or another, shall have none of the rights guaranteed herein to Citizens.
7. Corporations shall have all of the rights guaranteed herein to Citizens, and then some.
8. No White Male shall be denied equal protection of the law through Affirmative Action or otherwise. In keeping with the intent of the Framers, as discerned by the Honorable Justice Antonin Scalia, distinctions on the basis of sex shall not be deemed to deny equal protection.
9. The right to be uninsured and make other people pay the costs of one's Health Care shall not be infringed under any circumstances.
10. Congress shall make no law limiting Americans' right to warm the Planet by using all the energy they darn well please.
11. The Unborn shall have the rights to life, to vote, to bear arms, to practice Religion except in a mosque in Lower Manhattan (see First Amendment) and to make campaign contributions, but once the child is born, it shall have no rights if it is an Alien (see Sixth Amendment).
12. No one may be required to do anything He or She does not want to do. Ever.
Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the Members present the Sixth Day of January in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand and Eleven. In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our names, [REDACTED]
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Closing It Out
John Noah Roberts: Dec 16, 1927 - Dec 31, 2010
I could tell you all that he was a bull-headed, stiff-necked son of a snow ball, but anybody who knew my dad at all knew that much.
I could tell you that this ham-fisted hard ass was a complete pushover for strawberry ice cream, but if I dwell on that, I'll fall apart.
So I can just say that he lived and loved on his own terms. I'm not sure I can expect much more than that from anybody.
God bless the man with a living thinking brain. God bless the mind that forms the thoughts that direct the hands that can make anything; fix anything; any time; for anybody. And God bless the hands that held me as a child, and molded my future as a man.
God bless you, Pop. God speed you on your way, and know always that you were loved.
I could tell you all that he was a bull-headed, stiff-necked son of a snow ball, but anybody who knew my dad at all knew that much.
I could tell you that this ham-fisted hard ass was a complete pushover for strawberry ice cream, but if I dwell on that, I'll fall apart.
So I can just say that he lived and loved on his own terms. I'm not sure I can expect much more than that from anybody.
God bless the man with a living thinking brain. God bless the mind that forms the thoughts that direct the hands that can make anything; fix anything; any time; for anybody. And God bless the hands that held me as a child, and molded my future as a man.
God bless you, Pop. God speed you on your way, and know always that you were loved.
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