Soothe The Savage Breast

It's been said by wiser men than me that the opposite of anything is whatever keeps you from it.

That means the opposite of love is fear, and the opposite of hate is forgiveness.

One / Let It Be (mashup cover) --Boyce Avenue

Out Of The Blue by Simon Armitage --(as read by) Rufus Sewell

Simon Armitage - 9/11: Out Of The Blue - Rufus... by poetictouch

(the embedded commercials at dailymotion are jarring and spoil the effect, so if you wanna try it a little differently, go to YouTube):
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Give Peace A Chance --John & Yoko

Today's Lesson

...in household budgeting and money management - just a reminder about the money we're spending on gasoline.

We'll start with the basics, and say you drive a good medium size car getting about 25 mpg, and your daily commute is a short one at 20 miles per day; plus you go to the gym, and there's daycare/school, and you make groceries, and you go to the dry cleaners, and you run all the other errands in a very well-planned kinda way etc etc etc, which brings your total monthly drive to about 1100 miles.

@ 25 mpg, you're burning 44 gallons of gas, which is gonna cost you about $90 right now because gas is down around $2.05 for a gallon of regular 87 octane.

But hang on a dang minute.  You also get to pay your share of the tax breaks, and the sweetheart loan terms, and all the other subsidies that American oil companies get in various forms in order to help them provide us with all that "cheap" fuel.  

Then you get to add in your share of what it costs for the US Military to protect our (ie: Halliburton's) vital interests, the VA bennies for the vets, the increased healthcare and insurance costs, and the cost of lost productivity for the millions of us who get sick and die every year because of the toxic shit left over from drilling, pumping, storing, shipping, retailing and burning that crap and and and.

This "help" suddenly gets pretty expensive, even tho' it's next to impossible to get anybody who actually knows what the real amount is to say straight up what the real amount is.  Ya gotta figure it's pretty bad when it seems like so many people are going so far outa their way to keep us from getting at the answers.

Estimates on all this help run as low as about $40 Billion (which everybody knows is the PR Consultant Bullshit Number), and as high as $500 Billion to $1 Trillion per year, (which some think is the bullshit radical hippie pinko number).

But even if the low estimate is ridiculously low and the high end is ridiculously high, the ugly truth is that the gallon of gas you bought for $2.05?  That gallon of gas cost you more like 8 bucks.

8 fucking dollars for a gallon of gasoline

But hey - all that other stuff - that renewable stuff - c'mon, man - that's really expensive, and it's new, so it's scary.  And ya know what happens when we get scared?  That 8-dollar gas might have to go up to about 10.  Don't fuck with your betters.

How You Sound

How Climate Change Deniers Sound To Normal People

But Then This

Just wondering if there would be a circumstance under which I'd support religion getting in the way of government employees doing their jobs.

And the answer is actually pretty simple.  Yes, but as with all Civil Disobedience, I can be on your side only as long as you're going to accept full responsibility and you're ready to pay the price in terms of arrest, jail and fines.  

Then we'll work on changing the law - and we'll be doing it right.  We won't flat out disobey, rationalizing it with god-knobbery, and expecting total impunity because we have friends with large weapons and small vocabularies.

Today's Bandwagon

Yeah, I know - it left the barn and is long gone.  Sometimes it takes me a while.

Today's Tweet

Protestors are now calling for the firing of deputies issuing marriage licenses. pic.twitter.com/ZBrNGNvLZG

— Victor Puente (@thevictorpuente) September 9, 2015

So that's kinda where we are?  The point where the rubes are convinced that Kim Davis isn't the one going against the law - it's the cops and the judges, and everybody else who's not willing to accept their Brand-X Knock-off Sharia?

Now, you can go ahead and try to make the Both Sides argument by saying 'the libruls' think the cops and the judges in Ferguson (eg) are the bad guys, and so yeah, it all evens out.  Sadly, that sounds plausible because we've internalized that kind of paralysis. We've allowed the Opinion Pimps and their Press Poodles and their Coin-Operated Politicians to use our sense of fairness against us for political gain.  

The very thing that's at the core of our strength as the Exceptional Nation is now turned against us and becomes our greatest weakness.  Oh dear, what're we to do?  How will we ever figure this out and get a handle on what's real and what isn't? 

Chill, Sparky.

Here's the thing that we just can't quite get each other to remember about the shit we were supposed to learn in 9th grade Civics class.  You know - way back when school was a place where ya learned a coupla things about how to know what the fuck is goin' on?  Yeah that.  Anyway, the question is: who's following the guiding principles of the US Constitution?  

• everybody's supposed to be treated the same
• we're gonna be a nation of laws, not men
• nobody gets to take their religion and turn it into law 

All of which is intended to help us keep our personal shit separate from our government shit; by giving us a kind of simple bench mark for when we need to figure out what's best for the most while maintaining Equal Protection for as many of us as possible.

The cops in Ferguson failed to fulfill their obligations under their oath by engaging in selective enforcement of the law, and then they allowed it to degenerate into an extortion racket, which is crazy stoopid understandable because if you're not willing to see that the first part is pretty fucked up, then how ya gonna not go full-on-rat-bastard-straight-outa-The-Godfather-crooked-cop?  Seems like a logical progression.

As an agent of government, Davis failed to live up to her oath as well.  She refused to hold up her end of the deal.  That's against the law.  Denying US citizens their rights under the constitution is illegal, and it doesn't matter that your imaginary friend told you to do it, because that's fucking illegal too.

So, if ya wanna try to make that Both Sides argument here, then what you're doing is called False Equivalence/False Dichotomy, and I'm callin' bullshit on that.

Colbert Arrives

Stephen premiered last night, and I had to watch the open, and it was pretty awful.  First night jitters, or maybe it was supposed to manage the expectations down or whatever.  It got a lot better - at least for this bit, which was classic awesomely awesome Colbert.

A Little Silliness

Most of us remember this one:

I guess my favortite bit was Miss Virginia saying she thought bits and pieces of all kinds of theories should be taught so we can all figure out what we wanna believe is true.  Isn't she just so fucking precious?  Bless her heart.

Then this:

"Math is a theory - it's not what the bible tells us"

hat tip = FB buddy RBW

Other Trump's Money

Policy Mic:

The root cause of Donald Trump's astonishing confidence is that he's better at making money than you. Behind nearly every imperious comment he makes about America's inability "to win anymore" is a sense of self-worth derived from his considerable net worth: nearly $3 billion, by Bloomberg's count.

Trump's ability to amass wealth is at the heart of his bid for the White House. It serves as the entire basis of his credibility on any matter he'd have to manage as president, whether related to the economy or immigration or foreign policy. If Trump can negotiate his way onto a list of the wealthiest people in the world, his argument goes, then he should be able to negotiate effectively on behalf of the American people.

But just how savvy of a businessman is Trump? Apparently not quite as savvy as he makes himself out to be, according to a new analysis of his finances by S.V. Dáte at the National Journal. Had Trump never gone into the business world and simply invested his share of his father's real estate company into a mutual fund of S&P 500 stocks in the 1970s, he'd be worth around the same amount that he is today. It's a reminder that the biggest reason he has so much wealth, as Vox's Dylan Matthews points out, is because he was born into it.

So let's look at the actual mechanism of this whole American Dream / Meritocracy setup, shall we?

1. pick rich parents
2. sit on your ass and get somebody else to do the work

This is how it was for the 40,000 years before about 1789.  And apparently that's how it went right on being this whole time - I guess we just pretended it was something else for a while because it still fucking works that way.  

So please tell me again, what exactly are we supposed to be the "exception" to?

Today's Introspection

On being Introverted via FB via tickld

1. That feeling of dread that washes over you when the phone rings and you’re not mentally prepared to chat.

2.When you want to cut all ties to civilization but still be on the internet.

3. Trying to be extra outgoing when you flirt so your crush doesn’t think you hate them.

4. When spending a heavenly weekend alone means that you’re missing out on time with friends.

5. And you fear that by doing so, you are nearing ‘hermit’ status.

6. When your ride at a party doesn’t want to leave early, and no one seems to understand your distress.

7.When your friend wants to invite more people over, and you don’t want to sound like a bad person by saying no.

8. Practicing conversations with people you’ll never talk to.

9. When you have an awesome night out, but have to deal with feeling exhausted for days after the fact.

10. People saying “Just be more social.”

11. When you’re able to enjoy parties and meetings, but after a short amount of time wish you were home in your pajamas.

12. Staying up late every night because it’s the only time that you can actually be alone.

13. People making you feel weird for wanting to do things by yourself.

14. Having more conversations in your head than you do in real life.

15. The need to recharge after social situations.

16. People calling you out for day dreaming too much.

17. Carrying a book to a public place so no one will bug you, but other people take that as a conversation starter.

18. People interrupting your thoughts, and you get irrationally angry.

19. Having to say “I kind of want to spend some time by myself” when you have to deal with that friend that always wants to hang out.

20. When you’re asked to do a group project, and know that you’re going to hate every minute of it.

21. When you hear the question “Wanna hang out?”, and your palms start to sweat with anxiety.

22. When you hear, “Are you OK?” or “Why are you so quiet?” for the umpteenth time.

23. Having visitors stay with you is a nightmare, because it means you have to be on at ALL TIMES.

24. When people stop inviting you places because you’re the one that keeps canceling plans.

25. Being horrified of small talk, but enjoying deep discussions.

26. When you need to take breaks and recharge after socializing for too long.

27. The requirement to think introspectively rather than go to someone else with your problems.

28. Not wanting to be alone, just wanting to be left alone. And people not understanding that.

29. When people mistake your thoughtful look for being shy, or worse, moody.

30. That people need to know that you aren’t mad, depressed or anti-social. You just need to not talk to anyone for a while. And that’s okay.

Today's Eternal Sadness

...and today's quote:

hat tip = Facebook buddy VWE

Coupla New Podcasts

Show About Race:



Death Sex & Money from WNYC:
(can't figure out the embedding thing for this one)

Labor Day Music

hat tip = The Nation

Sixteen Tons --Ernie Ford

Bread And Roses (cover) --Bronwen Lewis

3 Miles Down --Gil Scott Heron

More Than A Paycheck --Sweet Honey In The Rock

Back On The Chain Gang --Pretenders

Workin' In The Coal Mine (cover) --Allen Toussaint

Can't Wait For Movie Night

Today's Pix

Today's Lesson In Snake Oil Scams

Erick Erickson (via Media Matters):

What we are learning now is that Republican leaders have no inclination to fight this evil. They have for years been protected by a Washington pro-life establishment that has worked damn hard to keep Bart Stupak listed as a pro-life warrior as he sold out the cause on Obamacare. The pro-life establishment in Washington puts their Republican affiliation ahead of children who are being ripped apart.

[...]

If Republicans and the Washington Pro-Life movement, when confronted by the evil documented on unedited tape, are not willing to defund Planned Parenthood, we should destroy them all, level their organizations to the ground, and spread salt on the remains (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Republicans in Washington have spent more time avoiding their constituents over the August recess than they have fighting for anything in the past several years. Now here is a perfect opportunity to stand up for smaller government, fight evil, and put the left on defense.

Already there are voices on the right saying no, but then they always say no. Already there are voices on the right saying they can't, but then they always say they can't. Already there are voices on the right saying the President will veto it, but the President will always veto it.

And the babies continue to die -- ripped from their mothers wombs and their organs harvested.

If the Republicans will not fight this evil, they should be destroyed.

Every Republican Presidential candidates should be on record on whether they think the GOP should hold the line against funding Planned Parenthood no matter what.

If Republicans in Washington will not stop this and defund Planned Parenthood, Republican voters should take any and all action to destroy the party at the ballot box. If this party will not fight this evil, it will fight no evil and should itself die.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Here's the thing: If we lose Planned Parenthood, it's all but certain the number of abortions will go up.  

("Planned Parenthood" - as in not becoming a parent until you actually want to become a parent.  Ya do some planning, and then ya don't get pregnant, and then ya don't need no stinkin' abortion.  Get it?  Kinda what that whole "planned" thing's all about, y'know?)  

Anyway, Erick Erickson needs to kill Planned Parenthood because Erick Erickson needs more abortions so that Erick Erickson can stay famous and powerful and go on making fat stacks by being in the business of railing and wailing about abortion.

It's not really very different from the basics of the God-Knobber Scam.  To wit: "I'm here to convince you that you have an imaginary disease so I can sell you an imaginary cure."  

Ever wonder why the God-Knobbers always seem to be big-time Fetus Pimps too?  Same game, but with a really shitty twist: "I'm gonna make it more likely for you to have a very real problem, so that I can talk the rubes into buying me another house."

The numbers on Erick Erickson's W-2 are directly proportional to the number of abortions in USAmerica Inc.  Can we stop pretending this jagoff has any intention of working himself out a job?

Today's Scary Black Dude

This one's bouncing madly about in the Echo Chamber:

I don't know much about this King Noble guy, and I should prob'ly hold off on making this call, but - c'mon, really?  

He's indulging himself with a little Revenge Fantasy.  Is that really all it takes to frighten all you big strong hyper-macho types?  Y'know, it suddenly occurs to me that the scary black guy says "boo!", and your tiny little pecker gets very shy and even smaller than usual - is that why you immediately grab for your big steel substitute penis(?)  Just guessing.

I saw this on a coupla sites (Breitbart and Truth Revolt)...

...and it just fits too neatly into the standard play that the Right Radicals have been running and perfecting for a good 30 years.

Thousands of Americans killed by cops over the years. 

A cop is gunned down (by a guy who was found Non Compos Mentis in 2012, so where's the "isolated incident / our mental health system sucks" crowd?)

but no matter because now it's all even.

Hate crime for hate crime.

A little False Equivalence goes a very long way.

And let's not ignore the Mother Of All Obviousness here: This scares the fuck outa crackers because their worst nightmare is the thought that if given the chance, black people will start treating them exactly as badly as they've been treating black people for as long as anybody can remember.

Today's (Belated) Justice

I'll file this one under "Well-It's-About-Fucking-Time".

Going to the chapel: Will Smith & James Yates get a marriage license in Rowan Co from deputy clerk Brian Mason. ^JC pic.twitter.com/JPUOdepzxi

— Bluegrass Politics (@BGPolitics) September 4, 2015

Today's Jay Smooth

Trying to play catch-up on everything that's been pushed off the radar by all the Kim Davis bullshit.

This is the best line I've found today - talking about putting a woman on the 20-dollar bill:

The dollar is history's measure of the distance between power and virtue.

I'm not down with the Reparations thing - not fully anyway.  But I'm willing to say it makes some sense to see what we can do to pump lotsa money into an economy that desperately needs it.  So if we can get a giant boost in circulation, and get something of a fix for Slavery, and pull 20 million Americans outa the poverty suck hole - we should prob'ly be talking about it anyway.

Kids Who Die

hat tip = Color Of Change (Facebook) -or- Color Of Change (YouTube)