I admit to being a fan of Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax, the two projects spawned by the former members and brain trust of MST3K. With that in mind, next time you're bored and need a twisted laugh, try this:
If you have a recording of David Bowie's The Jean Genie, try playing it while you watch any number of the youtube videos of the Glen Beckie's oh-so-awe-inspiring speech this last Saturday.
Or for that matter, have it on in the background whenever the Glen Beckie, he of the golden shit shovel, appears on the tube or the speakers in any capacity.
I won't link any of the videos for either, the reasons being - in the case of Mr. Bowie's song, respect for the copyrights of his song - and in the case of the Glen Beckie...respect? Are you kidding me?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Whose expense is it, anyway?
Yes, yes, I know. I'm on a business trip out of state. But I just couldn't resist after seeing this Dean Baker article in the Huffington Post. You can thank Paul Rosenberg at Open Left for turning me on to it here.
The livelihoods of, essentially, all of us who aren't in the upper 2% of income earners are but mere expenses to those above that threshold, and must therefore be cut/reduced/"externalized". One can never accuse our elites of farsighted thinking - for them to project their collective thought process beyond the next quarterly earnings statement, or their own noses for that matter, would be a victory unto itself.
Here is an argument where the tables can, and should, be turned - loudly and forcefully. Their "upper 2%" lifestyles and incomes are expenses to those of us below that threshold - insurance company executives with billion-dollar golden parachutes, the bonuses for the bankers whose decisions played a significant role in the economic crisis were in now, and on, and on, and on. This goes to the messaging issue that the Left (and those that put on the costume of the Left around election time) has had for decades - whether we like it or not, we're going to have to learn some of the same messaging techniques that the Right has used to get and maintain power. The right can do the bumper-sticker sloganeering like nobody's business - and we're going to have to get a lot better at it. Thom Hartmann is one of the few media personalities on the Left that consistently address this issue - I'd like to see more doing the same.
And don't expect those we elect to pay much heed to the issue or to us save for lip service - they don't work for us, so why should they?
The livelihoods of, essentially, all of us who aren't in the upper 2% of income earners are but mere expenses to those above that threshold, and must therefore be cut/reduced/"externalized". One can never accuse our elites of farsighted thinking - for them to project their collective thought process beyond the next quarterly earnings statement, or their own noses for that matter, would be a victory unto itself.
Here is an argument where the tables can, and should, be turned - loudly and forcefully. Their "upper 2%" lifestyles and incomes are expenses to those of us below that threshold - insurance company executives with billion-dollar golden parachutes, the bonuses for the bankers whose decisions played a significant role in the economic crisis were in now, and on, and on, and on. This goes to the messaging issue that the Left (and those that put on the costume of the Left around election time) has had for decades - whether we like it or not, we're going to have to learn some of the same messaging techniques that the Right has used to get and maintain power. The right can do the bumper-sticker sloganeering like nobody's business - and we're going to have to get a lot better at it. Thom Hartmann is one of the few media personalities on the Left that consistently address this issue - I'd like to see more doing the same.
And don't expect those we elect to pay much heed to the issue or to us save for lip service - they don't work for us, so why should they?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Out
This blog's name beast has flown out for the week in business-related travel, to return next Monday.
See you then.
See you then.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Changing Of The Brand...
It's common practice among businesses that every so often, their logo/trademark/slogan get's a bold, fresh update. Pepsi is a recent example, with it's logo redesign (an ooooo-glay looking one, in my opinion). I won't bore you with the others - we see 'em all around us all the time.
What does this have to do with our combat troops saying Sayonara to Iraq?
That's what this is, and that's all this is. A Changing Of The Brand.
We still have 50,000 soldiers there doing "advisory" work for the Iraq defense forces (read: maintaining our hold over the oil fields and an embassy bigger than the Vatican). We aren't ever getting out of Iraq - the location is too strategic, say the neocons - we can project power in the area and further protect Israel.
How much longer can we afford it? The neocons are the first to bitch about the national debt and unfunded mandates. Our military adventures, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, are the biggest unfunded mandates in history, since so much of the funding is off-budget.
Stay tuned.
What does this have to do with our combat troops saying Sayonara to Iraq?
That's what this is, and that's all this is. A Changing Of The Brand.
We still have 50,000 soldiers there doing "advisory" work for the Iraq defense forces (read: maintaining our hold over the oil fields and an embassy bigger than the Vatican). We aren't ever getting out of Iraq - the location is too strategic, say the neocons - we can project power in the area and further protect Israel.
How much longer can we afford it? The neocons are the first to bitch about the national debt and unfunded mandates. Our military adventures, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, are the biggest unfunded mandates in history, since so much of the funding is off-budget.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Weekend Zeitgeist
I spent the majority of this last weekend viewing the films Zeitgeist and Zeitgeist:Addendum. (You can check out the full-length features here, and for free, no less).
My Impression? They certainly provoke thought, and the first installment is probably best viewed with lights on and awareness of who/what is in your house, as it gets disturbing at times. Director Peter Joseph, who narrated as well as wrote the film and the music score, displays a very keen sense of the emotional impact of images, sounds, and the impact they have in the right places at the right times.
My Impression? They certainly provoke thought, and the first installment is probably best viewed with lights on and awareness of who/what is in your house, as it gets disturbing at times. Director Peter Joseph, who narrated as well as wrote the film and the music score, displays a very keen sense of the emotional impact of images, sounds, and the impact they have in the right places at the right times.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Jobs, Jobs, JOBS
Bob Burnett's missive in the Huffington Post neatly sums up what is up with the economy, from a 50,000 foot level, and how to address it.
The roots can be traced back to Ronnie-Baby and his Milton Friedman-influenced "The Government that Governs Best Governs Least" bullcrap. Burnett is right-on when he mentions that the market follows the path of least resistance - which leave greed as the sole governor of the flow of dollars in an unregulated environment.
And "Trickle Down"? When companies are hoarding cash the way they are, due to "instability in the market" (read: Obama in the White House, Democrats in charge of both chambers, greater regulation), I sure don't see much trickling down. An ever-increasing number of "plebs" are holding out their cups and have our umbrellas ready for the trickling-down - but not a cloud of green in the sky.
Obama talked about change coming from the bottom-up. I wonder if he means this in an economic sense - because he's got a whole lot of Friedmanists within his inner circle.
The roots can be traced back to Ronnie-Baby and his Milton Friedman-influenced "The Government that Governs Best Governs Least" bullcrap. Burnett is right-on when he mentions that the market follows the path of least resistance - which leave greed as the sole governor of the flow of dollars in an unregulated environment.
And "Trickle Down"? When companies are hoarding cash the way they are, due to "instability in the market" (read: Obama in the White House, Democrats in charge of both chambers, greater regulation), I sure don't see much trickling down. An ever-increasing number of "plebs" are holding out their cups and have our umbrellas ready for the trickling-down - but not a cloud of green in the sky.
Obama talked about change coming from the bottom-up. I wonder if he means this in an economic sense - because he's got a whole lot of Friedmanists within his inner circle.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Net Neutrality...
You don't need me to tell you what an equalizer the internet is. It's the only way that everyday people can get their message out to the masses without needing to spend the volumes of cash available to the "real owners" of this country, as George Carlin described them.
This tiered-service-arrangment proposal by Google and Verizon fits the classic definition of pure, unadulterated BS.
Check out http://www.savetheinternet.com/.
This tiered-service-arrangment proposal by Google and Verizon fits the classic definition of pure, unadulterated BS.
Check out http://www.savetheinternet.com/.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Mid-Week Mayhem
Rachel Maddow dedicated the lion's share of her show tonight to the long-overdue repeal of DADT. Here is the end-cap commentary:
The people being kicked out are exactly the types of people that we, as voters, taxpayers, and citizens, should want in leadership positions in our armed forces. They've proven they can shoot straight, and then some. So why should we GIVE A RAT'S PATOOTY re: whether or not they ARE straight?
On another note, in the same video appears Gibby, seeming to reiterate his position about how unappreciated his adminstration is among those of us on the left. He admitted since that he watches too much cable.
You should get out more, Gibby.
This taking of the left for granted among this adminstration is yet another arguement against the two-party system. We're stuck, for the time, with centrists who pay lip service, good and bad, to the left - because these centrists know just how awful the alternative is.
Gibb's squalking could be seen as an indicator of one good thing - it shows they're feeling the pressure. It shows they aren't too comfortable - they shouldn't be.
The people being kicked out are exactly the types of people that we, as voters, taxpayers, and citizens, should want in leadership positions in our armed forces. They've proven they can shoot straight, and then some. So why should we GIVE A RAT'S PATOOTY re: whether or not they ARE straight?
On another note, in the same video appears Gibby, seeming to reiterate his position about how unappreciated his adminstration is among those of us on the left. He admitted since that he watches too much cable.
You should get out more, Gibby.
This taking of the left for granted among this adminstration is yet another arguement against the two-party system. We're stuck, for the time, with centrists who pay lip service, good and bad, to the left - because these centrists know just how awful the alternative is.
Gibb's squalking could be seen as an indicator of one good thing - it shows they're feeling the pressure. It shows they aren't too comfortable - they shouldn't be.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Gravel and Grovel
Paul Krugman, in the NYT, had this to say about the deteriorating infrastructure in this country.
This is what happens after having Ronniebaby's infamous tagline, "Government isn't the solution to our problems. Government is the problem", drummed into our collective consciousness for thirty years. That, and having the word "TAX" turned into a reflexive dog-whistle word for about the same time period.
I think it's generally accepted that none of this was an accident - the right wing knows their propaganda and the techniques needed to catapult it, and they've had the machine to do it for a looooong time. I'm not just talking about TV/Radio/Internet - remember William Randolph Hearst - "Remember The Maine!"?
The use of the media for propaganda purposes, especially as it's practice by Foxy Noise, is but a means to an end. We know the means all too well, but what's the endgame, especially as it relates to regraveling roads, turning off street lights, selling off police helicopters, etc.?
Here's where Naomi Klein's classic The Shock Doctrine comes in. (You will be seeing me referring to this book often in the coming weeks and months. I highly recommend that you read it, and then read it again, even with it's 600 page length.) What she describes in that book, is being played out right now in the scenarios Krugman describes: Let the present, government-built-and-supported infrastructure crumble so it can be sold off into private hands at fire-sale prices. Shrink the government to bathtub-size, and the vacuum left over will be magically filled by opportunity-seeking entrepreneurs. Imagine - private police force, private fire, private street cleaners and park workers, private...everything. And private enterprise will always do a better job than government in administering the commons - or so say the Friedmanists.
This "private is better than government" philosophy would make sense if you believe everybody is motivated by the same thing - "enlightened self-interest", or as I would call it, greed. And this is one area where Friedmanism falls apart, in my opinion. The idea of people being motivated by a sense of public service, of something other than the self-centered pursuit of wealth, does not compute with the economic models created by Milton and the Boys at the University of Chicago all those many years ago, and that the Repubs and "centrist" Dems (BTW, I think Obama has been imbibing this spiked Kool-Aid lately) are trying to impose on the country now.
What does it say about our society that we would allow our roads, bridges, and such to fall into such disrepair, all because we were unwilling to put up the cash necessary to pay for them? That we were so mesmerized by the big, stinking pile of "rugged individualist" guano that we failed to see that we are also parts of a larger whole, and need to contribute to that whole if we are to survive individually?
What gets me, though, is that this was not mere negligence. This was intentional. And we need to wake up to that fact - these are our roads, our bridges, our waterways, etc. WE THE PEOPLE own them - and WE should own them, not the profiteers.
I've got more on this, to be posted later.
This is what happens after having Ronniebaby's infamous tagline, "Government isn't the solution to our problems. Government is the problem", drummed into our collective consciousness for thirty years. That, and having the word "TAX" turned into a reflexive dog-whistle word for about the same time period.
I think it's generally accepted that none of this was an accident - the right wing knows their propaganda and the techniques needed to catapult it, and they've had the machine to do it for a looooong time. I'm not just talking about TV/Radio/Internet - remember William Randolph Hearst - "Remember The Maine!"?
The use of the media for propaganda purposes, especially as it's practice by Foxy Noise, is but a means to an end. We know the means all too well, but what's the endgame, especially as it relates to regraveling roads, turning off street lights, selling off police helicopters, etc.?
Here's where Naomi Klein's classic The Shock Doctrine comes in. (You will be seeing me referring to this book often in the coming weeks and months. I highly recommend that you read it, and then read it again, even with it's 600 page length.) What she describes in that book, is being played out right now in the scenarios Krugman describes: Let the present, government-built-and-supported infrastructure crumble so it can be sold off into private hands at fire-sale prices. Shrink the government to bathtub-size, and the vacuum left over will be magically filled by opportunity-seeking entrepreneurs. Imagine - private police force, private fire, private street cleaners and park workers, private...everything. And private enterprise will always do a better job than government in administering the commons - or so say the Friedmanists.
This "private is better than government" philosophy would make sense if you believe everybody is motivated by the same thing - "enlightened self-interest", or as I would call it, greed. And this is one area where Friedmanism falls apart, in my opinion. The idea of people being motivated by a sense of public service, of something other than the self-centered pursuit of wealth, does not compute with the economic models created by Milton and the Boys at the University of Chicago all those many years ago, and that the Repubs and "centrist" Dems (BTW, I think Obama has been imbibing this spiked Kool-Aid lately) are trying to impose on the country now.
What does it say about our society that we would allow our roads, bridges, and such to fall into such disrepair, all because we were unwilling to put up the cash necessary to pay for them? That we were so mesmerized by the big, stinking pile of "rugged individualist" guano that we failed to see that we are also parts of a larger whole, and need to contribute to that whole if we are to survive individually?
What gets me, though, is that this was not mere negligence. This was intentional. And we need to wake up to that fact - these are our roads, our bridges, our waterways, etc. WE THE PEOPLE own them - and WE should own them, not the profiteers.
I've got more on this, to be posted later.
...getting richer, Mr. Gibbs...
Here's a riddle - what could the realpolitik possibly be regarding Mr. Gibb’s idiotic comments earlier today (see previous post)? Perhaps the White House is trying to appear moderate to conservatives and independents by throwing those damned liberal progressives (of which I’m one) under the proverbial bus. Perhaps they’re trying to “reign in” the “extreme elements” of the left lest we get the idea of taking over the Democratic Party, much as the Tea Party has taken over the Repubs.
Geez, this is just the thing to do to rally a dispirited left wing - alienate them even more.
John Amato at Crook and Liars has more on this idiot, and the honorable way for him to handle the aftermath.
Geez, this is just the thing to do to rally a dispirited left wing - alienate them even more.
John Amato at Crook and Liars has more on this idiot, and the honorable way for him to handle the aftermath.
This is rich...
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/113431-white-house-unloads-on-professional-left
Don't they remember who put them in office in the first place? A lot of hard work, money, and time put in by those on the so-called "professional left".
And Obama is baffled? Does he think that the Bill Clinton model still works with the shitstorm we're in now?
Message to Obama - we already had a Clinton. NAFTA, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and other pro-corporate legislation were all courtesy of Bubba.
We Don't Need Another Clinton. We Need an FDR.
Don't they remember who put them in office in the first place? A lot of hard work, money, and time put in by those on the so-called "professional left".
And Obama is baffled? Does he think that the Bill Clinton model still works with the shitstorm we're in now?
Message to Obama - we already had a Clinton. NAFTA, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and other pro-corporate legislation were all courtesy of Bubba.
We Don't Need Another Clinton. We Need an FDR.
The First Of....???
Ahhhh, the big mystery.
And I'm probably the last person in the world to know how long this here "blogging" thing will last with me, or you the reader. So I'll keep this post short and to the point.
This is the first post of the new Bollzilla blog. I, your not-always-humble and not-always-obedient servant, will publish as the need or desire arises, at least initially. The blog will take shape "on the fly", with me flinging topics at the screen to see what sticks.
So stay tuned.
And I'm probably the last person in the world to know how long this here "blogging" thing will last with me, or you the reader. So I'll keep this post short and to the point.
This is the first post of the new Bollzilla blog. I, your not-always-humble and not-always-obedient servant, will publish as the need or desire arises, at least initially. The blog will take shape "on the fly", with me flinging topics at the screen to see what sticks.
So stay tuned.
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