From Someone Who Knows...

I've mentioned Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine from time to time in earlier posts in this blog.   A considerable number of pages of that book describe the Milton Friedman experiment in Chile, brought to you by Augusto Pinochet - the murders and disappearances, the mass privatizations, the touted "miracle" which only benefited the few, and the mass poverty that experiment left in its still-present wake.   

The video below contains an interview Amy Goodman had with Manfred Max-Neef, a Chilean economist.   I find it very difficult to find anybody else who could be more of an expert on what happened in his homeland and it's after-effects, then an economist who was there where Augusto and Milton did their dirty work.   It occupies the first half of the videocast, so just push play, and enjoy - if your conscience allows you to.

The Europeans Seem To Get It...

...about a great many things, but especially about the current state of our political system and it's inability to affect change in this country, as seen in this article on AlterNet.  

I think that the problem is even deeper than the article states, and it hits the nail right on the proverbial forehead.    I'm now of the belief that our "democracy", "republic", whatever sticker you want to slap onto it, is a complete farce - a predictable, poorly-written piece of theater acted out on TV screens, radios, and the state and federal capitals, not to mention the so-called "TEA Party", which is about as "grass-roots" as the playing surface of the Astrodome.    We're a corporatist state, what Mussolini referred to as "fascist" before the revisionists got a hold of the history books, Merriam-Webster, and the Wikipedia pages related to Il Duce.   

Christopher Hedges created quite the stir with the release of his recent book, which deals with the failure of the liberal institutions which provided the political and monetary foundation of the pre-1980 Democratic Party.    I'll get into reading it within the next week or two.   My pre-read impression of the situation is:  if we want to bring progressivism and liberalism back as relevant forces, we'll need to rebuild those foundations, namely labor union membership, increased activism on the campuses and investment in education, and the further creation and building of a viable media alternative to Foxy Noise and the rest of the corporate-backed outlets.    After reading it, I'll need to see if my opinion changes.   The Europeans have strong liberal traditions and social democracies, in large part embodied in strong labor unions.   

Perhaps it takes an objective third party to see the problem - foxes can't smell their own holes, after all.  

More Quibbles and Bits (Vol. 3)

More morsels that are either tasty or repulsive, depending on your persuasion:

>>I've read and seen Johnny Boner and his pea-cock strutting about how he and his merry band will dismantle the health care law.    They might be able to dent it somewhat with the purse strings, but with a Dem-led Senate (thanks, teabaggers - couldn't have done it without you!) and a Dem in the White House - fuggetaboutit for at least the next two years. When more and more voters are affected by the benefits of the new law - closing of the Medicare prescription drug donut-hole, dependents on a subscriber's coverage until 26, no rescission - it's not going to happen.  

>>The real reason for all of this attention given to the new health care law has little to do with the law itself, and much more to do with the person who signed the bill into law.    This whole charade, in my opinion, is about CREDIT: much of what is in the health care law was originally proposed by Republicans, and the concept of the mandate for purchase was initiated in Massachusetts under Mitt Romney.   The Repubs want health care reform to be THEIR issue, thus this push for "repeal and replace".    Replace - with what?   Probably the same basic scheme with fewer mandates.     After all, if you lend credence to George Carlin's observations, who really owns and operates this joint anyway?  It isn't we the people.   It isn't the puppets we elect, either.   

>>So the businesses who provide health care insurance don't like being told how to run their businesses?   And horror of horrors, by those representing us PLEBS?  

This is one of those areas where you can't serve two masters.   Remember that Jewish rabbi who said you can't serve both God and Mammon?   Health care coverage is a prime example - the profit motive, when taken to it's extreme in the cases of severe illnesses such as cancer which requires millions of dollars per patient to treat, is simply incompatible with providing primary care coverage to the millions who need it - especially for those whose jobs are being sent overseas at an ever-increasing rate.    For this reason, many countries which allow private insurers to provide primary care coverage mandate that those insurers operate as non-profits.  

So to the Anthems, UHCs, Humanas, and the rest of them,  I only have two words:   Tough Shit.

Quibbles and Bits, Volume 2

Thoughts on the 2010 election results...

>>I'm not surprised, not in the slightest;

>>The record amounts spent by the Brothers Koch, Newt's organizations, et. al. are a pauper's pittance compared to what is going to be spent in 2012.   My advice - find the remaining progressive legislators such as Bernie Sanders and Dennis Kucinich, and start donating to their reelection campaigns now.    You better believe these guys are going to have HUGE targets on them for the next election cycle, and they need to marshall their resources for the upcoming cash tsunami;

>>To Russ Feingold and Alan Grayson:  thank you for your service and for standing for progressive principles loudly, forcefully, and unashamedly - even in the face of defeat.   I hope you guys stay active in politics, because I sense we will be needing your voices again very soon;

>>Obama's biggest problem:  He's an enlightened man in an unenlightened time, and gives the citizens of this country more credit than they deserve;

>>That the country will undoubtedly veer further to the right is not a surprise to me at all - it's still a shock to many in this country, especially of the Caucasian persuasion, that a black man actually won the White House.   You bet this election was in part an expression of that ugly thread in our nation's fabric;

>>Progressives are going to have to face something very uncomfortable: we are outnumbered, and that as much as I hate to admit it, the MSM is right about one thing - the USA is, and in fact always has been, a center-right country.   The only time we have ventured into progressivism of any type was when we needed bailing out (see: New Deal), and then, only when there was a benefit to the elites - the preservation of the existing social and economic order.

>>If the Rand Pauls get their way and our economy needs to be "rebooted" with a dose of the "Shock Therapy" described by Naomi Klein's masterpiece - and expect to hear talk like that within the coming  weeks - then the resultant economic hardship (ask the Chileans)  might be the only thing that breaks us of our economic "Stockholm Syndrome" (as a recent Thom Hartmann caller described it);
 
>>Expecting a healthy dose of hippie-punching in this election's aftermath?   How 'bout an MMA-style pummeling.    And since so much of progressive media is on the Internet and not found on MSM, I can only wonder about how much push or care will be given to the issue of net neutrality by the remaining Dems in the House/Senate.

>>On the inevitable touchdown dances and crowing and all the rest of the on-and-on from Foxy Noise and the rest of 'em - my solution: I'll be taking a media "holiday" of at least one week, so I don't have to be subjected to it.

>>Last, but not least:  I'm curious about what's going to happen in a couple of years,when Obamacare isn't repealed as promised (trust me: it won't be repealed), and when all of the investigations Issa and Bachmann promise turn up absolute squat.   I'd love to see how Foxy News spins all this...

Hang on, Ladies and Gents.   The ride is about to get very interesting.

Ch-Ch-Changes...

...said the author of the previously blogged-about Jean Genie.  

A couple of announcements for you.   First, within the next couple of weeks, I'll have a couple of fresh, new posts in a new, travel-oriented blog, beyondhighway99.   You'll see the link for the new blog in a couple of weeks - I've had a hankering to get out of Dodge/Chevy/Ford for quite a while, so I figure I'll have a few stories/recommendations to pass on.   

Next, especially as it dovetails nicely into my previous announcement.   Who/what exactly is this Bollzilla-character?   Besides being my blog handle, it is also the name of my beloved motorcycle - a recent-model Japanese-built V-Twin.    That's all I'll say about it for now, save that you'll be reading about it often in the beyond-99 blog, and occasionally, here.  

I'll have more to say in the run-up to next Fateful Tuesday.   Stay tuned.  

On Abortion...

Below is Part 1 of The Assassination of Dr. Tiller, on The Rachel Maddow Show.:


Here is the link to Rachel's site, for the remaining show segments.  

I was raised a Roman Catholic, and my first exposure to the abortion issue came through homilies and activities conducted around the time of the Roe V. Wade decision. I remember the bumper stickers - “Adoption, Not Abortion”, and “Abortion is Killing”. My views were fairly “pro-life” through most of my earlier school years. The seeds of my “liberation” from Catholic dogma, and it’s uncompromising “pro-life” stance, were actually planted during my early high school years, but began to really blossom in college. That was when I began to see organized religion as a means of controlling people and populations, and not as much a vehicle of spirituality. Thus, I began to see the abortion issue differently - a woman’s sovereignty over her body and whether/when she decides to bring new life onto the planet.

This issue is like an octopus - a large central body, with many tentacles touching many other issues: economic, social, male-female societal roles, etc. Probably more than any other, it pointed to the inherent flaws of a male-dominant culture and society, especially one like ours which prides itself on “individual freedom” and “personal responsibility”. Individual freedom - except for the pregnant woman? Personal responsibility - save for the man who impregnated her? Whose freedom is it, anyway? And whose responsibility? Something is backwards in this equation.

As a man, I cannot fully understand what a woman goes through during pregnancy, childbirth, and even after or before. To put bluntly, I don’t have the “equipment”, so I don’t deal with all of the physical/emotional/mental changes that women go through, either pregnant or not, and I don‘t have to deal with the societal expectations put on women, especially when the culture is still as male-dominated as it is.
The best I can do is to listen, observe, and do my best to provide compassion and support when needed.

So here’s what I would tell the Operation Rescue-types: if you want to reduce the number of abortions...

Then MEN need to start having more responsibility over their own sexuality, and need to be encouraged to do so:

MEN need to be willing and able to say no to sex when the opportunity arises, and the men of our society need to stop thinking of their fellow men as less than men when they do say no;

MEN need to practice safe sex - condoms, etc., - if they do engage in sexual activity;

MEN need to be detached from the expectations set by our society and media, as seen in magazines such as Maxim, GQ, Playboy, and the rest;

MEN need to stop thinking of the sex act as a power play over another human being - this dynamic of sex-as-power is a toxic one, and volumes have been written and documented about it;

MEN need to set the example for our young, that men control their sexual desire and instincts - whereas the neighborhood dog is controlled by his.

Perhaps this list is too tall an order for our society right now. I know that in some circles, the above notions would seem like unintentionally high comedy. But imagine how fewer women would be confronted with what I can only imagine as an awful decision, if a few more men would reign in their instincts.  If this mindset were more commonplace, then perhaps Dr. Tiller (and those assassinated prior to him) would still be alive today, practicing in other fields of medicine.  

You say you believe in personal responsibility and individual freedom? Try keeping the zipper up a bit more. It will guarantee you and the one you say you love, both. You guys will thank yourselves later.

And she will, too.

More Powerful Nightmares...

In the spirit of All Hallows' Eve, here are the remaining two links for the BBC's The Power Of Nightmares:

Hour 2:


Hour 3:


For maximum effect, watch these just before bedtime.  

Wes Craven Couldn't Make This Stuff Up...

...because unfortunately, The Power Of Nightmares describes our reality now, and becoming increasingly calcified into our collective consciousness.  

The neoconservative BS this film refers to has been brewing for over 60 years - going back to Leo Strauss at the University of Chicago and even beforehand. "Noble Lies", indeed.

There are three parts to this film, all one hour each and no commercials to get in the way - after all, this is the BBC. If you have the time, check each one out.

When a Blowhole Immolates...

In case you missed this gem from last night's Maddow, here is the challenger to Peter DiFazio in Oregon, Art Robinson, trying to run against...Rachel Maddow.


All he had to do was answer just one of her questions. Instead, he filibusters, treating the show like his own, free TV ad. He also lies, unashamedly, about quotes from his own newsletter which Rachel points out to him during the interview. At times like this, I sometimes wonder why Rachel even bothers with these people, knowing that this is the treatment she and her viewers are going to get.

This type of behavior seems to be increasingly common among those on the right, especially the tea partiers. Assume that the press is your enemy and treat them as such, unless they lob you softball questions and "be the candidate's friend", much as Sharron Angle would like the press to be. They just can't handle it when anyone in the media doesn't act like their lapdog - another example being the recent Lawrence O'Donnell interview with Michael Steele.

I can only hope that there are enough Dems and moderate, non-teabagging Repubs who watched this debacle and are motivated enough to keep this blowhole out of DiFazio's seat.

On the recent Minnesota raids...

Here is the link to the video containing the reaction to this bit of Gestapo-US-Style activity brought to us by our Hope and Change administration's FBI.  Here is some additional information on what went down over the last 48 hours.  The press conference is here:



The scary part of all this, besides what is described by the participants, is the reference to the alleged ties to "terrorist" organizations.    "Terrorist" - by whose definition?  And what criteria is being used to define a "terrorist" organization? 

This reeks of pure, simple intimidation.    Those that really run this country are trying to nip any type of perceived unrest in the bud, especially in light of the increasingly unpopular Afghanistan war.   

I'll look into this further and see if there are any links to their respective organizations, or to any legal defense fund.        This whole situation carries that characteristic scent of FBI-deposited bullshit.

UPDATE: Paul Craig Roberts had this to say about these incidents and their larger implications.   Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Police State Of America.

UPDATE:   The RNC 8 Defense Committee accepts donations for a legal defense fund for those involved in the raids and other police "actions" related to the 2008 Republican National Convention.   Here is the link. 

Quibbles and Bits, Volume 1

Some bite-sized morsels, juicy and/or crunchy depending on your disposition and mood:

>Thom Hartmann, heard on over 100 terrestrial stations and on three TV networks, is moving his show to our nation’s Capitol, effective 10/1. He joins Randi Rhodes and Bill Press in taking up residence in the Belly of the Beasts, with all of the media advantages such as increased access to the news and the power players that entails. Portland’s loss is Washington’s gain - all the best of luck to Thom and Louise, and I intend to keep listening;

>The White House is starting to roll out some ads and doing some campaigning, finally, on the benefits of the admittedly flawed health care bill. To think that there are some so-called Dems who are actually running against this bill - perhaps it’s because of the backwardness of their constituents, perhaps because of their own backwardness, whatever it is - how do you run against banning these profit-off-your-pain corporopaths from imposing lifetime limits, from rescission, from many of the other goodies that just took effect today? At least the president did something about it, he and those with the modicum of political courage it took to pass it;

>The White House has given far too much credit to the American People at large, for not seeing through the Fox News BS and the ultimate effect it will have on the upcoming election. There are a lot of good people in very tight races, and now down to the wire. All this, and the monetary nuclear blasts from the corporate donors haven’t even started yet. An interesting time, the upcoming five weeks.

Wake up, people.