The last week has seen so many morsels, it's like manna from the Almighty. Here's just a sampling...
>> Marriage equality: Persistence is always a necessity when it comes to issues related to civil rights. But when one thinks about it, this issue has taken a comparably short time, from a historical perspective, to resolve. The time span between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts was 100 years - a span that included the specter of Jim Crow. It took almost 150 years for women to achieve full suffrage, between the passage of the American Constitution in the 1780s and 1920. The period between the Stonewall Riots and last Friday was 46 years. This is not in any way to minimize the progress made - indeed, like those other struggles, a heavy price was paid by those who fought, in terms of blood, sweat, tears, spit, epithets, discrimination, and other forms of treating those different as "others".
What the SCOTUS did last Friday was merely to recognize a right that always should have been considered inalienable in the first place - something that Justice Kennedy alluded to in his majority opinion. I won't even go into "Justice" Scalia's screed of a dissent - if you have the time to read through his quasi-legalistic BS on this issue, be my guest. As for me, well - life is getting too short to feed bigotry like that. I'm moving on.
>>Obamacare: I haven't read through the opinions on this one. But I think it's disingenuous to say that politics played absolutely no role whatsoever in the SCOTUS ruling. The justices were going to be damned by whatever side they sided against, so for them, it was "pick your poison". That they chose to side with the insurance policy holders - you and me - was a relief, and a victory. This does not, however, completely resolve the issue. What will resolve it, once and for all, is SINGLE PAYER. A baseline level of care guaranteed to all purely by virtue of being a citizen, with the "extras" being picked up by the private insurers. No one should have to go bankrupt in this country over something they have no control over, such as a catastrophic illness or injury. That's the next step.
>>The TPP/TPA/TAA: What more proof that the Congress doesn't listen to you? All of the phone calls and lobbying against these sordid bills seemed to have no effect, whatsoever. This is why we get disillusioned with the political process, which in turn, depresses turnout on Election Day. This, of course, inspires happy dances on the part of Repub Fat Cats.
But now is not the time to sit at home. It's time to PRIMARY some of these turncoat turkeys, such as McCaskill, Feinstein, Wyden on the Senate side, and Bera and others in the House. Get people in there that will listen to YOU, and not Big Money.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Not Down With TPP…Now You Know Me
Last week, the House of Representatives gave President Obama
the half-loaf that he and Third Wayers alike always advocate you and I fight
for. It came in the form of "NO" votes on the TAA (the displacement
assistance portion of the Transpacific Partnership debacle), but "YES" on the TPA
(the “fast track” negotiation authorization portion).
Just what was President Obama thinking? The TPP agreement, while made available to
the Congress but only under very strict
security (no discussion of details under penalty of criminal indictment, no
notes taken into the room, no recording devices, nothing), and is being kept secret from
the public – save for our transparency savior Wikileaks! Did he actually
think that he would be able to get TPP/TPA/TAA passed without a hitch just by
saying “trust me”? I’ve fought for the
workingman every day for my entire presidency, he says. But don’t they all say that? This is the most “progressive” trade deal
negotiated yet, he also says. So HOW is
it that way? Where are the specifics? And why the big, hard sell (harder than for
the Public Option, that’s for DAMNED sure!), and why the secrecy surrounding
it, and why NOW?
More after the break…
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Two Freaks in a Pod
Oh, Brother.
Perhaps this video will dispel, once and for all, any pretensions that Judith Miller had at being a serious journalist/reporter. Yep, the person doing the interviewing is none other than the Keefey O'Freak himself.
"Talking Truth". Right.
Well, perhaps they're two peas in a pod. Explains everything.
Perhaps this video will dispel, once and for all, any pretensions that Judith Miller had at being a serious journalist/reporter. Yep, the person doing the interviewing is none other than the Keefey O'Freak himself.
"Talking Truth". Right.
Well, perhaps they're two peas in a pod. Explains everything.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Quibbles and Bits - Birds and the "B"s edition
I'm back with more chewy and crunchy bits for your mastication...
Baltimore
What else can there be said that already hasn't been? Who out there is actually surprised that mass demonstrations would take place? This is what happens when you combine economic and social apartheid with police brutality and a court system slanted to favor the (white) elite. When the gap between the rich and everybody else gets wide enough, you start seeing episodes like this.
And this, I fear, may just be the beginning.
Time Magazine's most recent cover depicts a black-and-white photo of a man running away from a phalanx of police officers with a caption of America - 1968, with the 1968 struck out in favor of 2015. The related article, The Roots of Baltimore's Riots, contains a subtitle that says that decades of systemic failure led us to this point. It looks like it's worth a read - I usually stay away from Time as I find them to be too corporate-friendly.
More to come on this later.
Bernie
When one looks at his positions, he seems to be in line with the vast majority of America. When he talks the talk about corporate campaign corruption, he walks the walk by refusing corporate campaign cash. When he talks about what this country needs, he has concrete plans (literally, such as in infrastructure spending). He is no friend to the Banks and Corporate America, exactly the opposite of Hillary Clinton. He's not a millionaire - unlike most of the puppets in Washington. His appeal in Vermont is across party lines - hard-line Republicans voted for him as well as Democrats and Independents. What's not to like, right? He seems almost too good to be true.
Foxy News is already trying to marginalize him. It will be a matter of time before MSNBS gets their fangs into him. Chickenshit Noise Network should be following suit soon, if they haven't already. His only real friends in the media will likely be the non-Corporate outlets: Aljazeera, RT, Real News Network, and the like. The corporate media are owned by the very people that Bernie stands against, and against whose interests he works. Big Media favors the TPP, Bernie is against. Big Media hates Net Neutrality, Bernie supports it. Big Media wants their taxes and regulations squeezed down to bathtub-size, Bernie wants to raise both of them. He is a diametric polar-opposite to Big Media's interests.
His big problem is breaking through the Big Media smokescreen without having to sell out or compromise to do so. If he and his supporters can do this (I may send some $$$ his way, BTW), he might have a shot. The big question here is - IF.
Boehner's BS
Democratic Underground had a post about John Boehner stating that Hillary needed to get behind the TPP and get Dems to go along with it. Once again, this condescending drunk is trying to tell the Dems how to govern (he's done similar with Obama several times before.) His constituents must love him, because in a lot of other places he's coming off as precisely the folksy-talking jerk that he is.
Here's what I find interesting. Where are the Tea Freaks in all of this? Are they actually willing to stand idly by and allow their representatives to give Fast Track approval authority to this president - the man they hate so much (their support for TPP and Fast Track is near-unanimous)? Why are the Repubs pushing this so hard? Does this speak to their ideas about their 2016 prospects, with the motley crew they have (again)? And why is Obama pushing this so hard NOW? Is he calculating that any delay will wrap this further and further into the 2016 campaign, to the point where no action will take place? If this is the strategy - do without delay - then perhaps the strategy to defeat this would be precisely to delay it as long as possible.
Comments are welcome. More to come later.
Baltimore
What else can there be said that already hasn't been? Who out there is actually surprised that mass demonstrations would take place? This is what happens when you combine economic and social apartheid with police brutality and a court system slanted to favor the (white) elite. When the gap between the rich and everybody else gets wide enough, you start seeing episodes like this.
And this, I fear, may just be the beginning.
Time Magazine's most recent cover depicts a black-and-white photo of a man running away from a phalanx of police officers with a caption of America - 1968, with the 1968 struck out in favor of 2015. The related article, The Roots of Baltimore's Riots, contains a subtitle that says that decades of systemic failure led us to this point. It looks like it's worth a read - I usually stay away from Time as I find them to be too corporate-friendly.
More to come on this later.
Bernie
When one looks at his positions, he seems to be in line with the vast majority of America. When he talks the talk about corporate campaign corruption, he walks the walk by refusing corporate campaign cash. When he talks about what this country needs, he has concrete plans (literally, such as in infrastructure spending). He is no friend to the Banks and Corporate America, exactly the opposite of Hillary Clinton. He's not a millionaire - unlike most of the puppets in Washington. His appeal in Vermont is across party lines - hard-line Republicans voted for him as well as Democrats and Independents. What's not to like, right? He seems almost too good to be true.
Foxy News is already trying to marginalize him. It will be a matter of time before MSNBS gets their fangs into him. Chickenshit Noise Network should be following suit soon, if they haven't already. His only real friends in the media will likely be the non-Corporate outlets: Aljazeera, RT, Real News Network, and the like. The corporate media are owned by the very people that Bernie stands against, and against whose interests he works. Big Media favors the TPP, Bernie is against. Big Media hates Net Neutrality, Bernie supports it. Big Media wants their taxes and regulations squeezed down to bathtub-size, Bernie wants to raise both of them. He is a diametric polar-opposite to Big Media's interests.
His big problem is breaking through the Big Media smokescreen without having to sell out or compromise to do so. If he and his supporters can do this (I may send some $$$ his way, BTW), he might have a shot. The big question here is - IF.
Boehner's BS
Democratic Underground had a post about John Boehner stating that Hillary needed to get behind the TPP and get Dems to go along with it. Once again, this condescending drunk is trying to tell the Dems how to govern (he's done similar with Obama several times before.) His constituents must love him, because in a lot of other places he's coming off as precisely the folksy-talking jerk that he is.
Here's what I find interesting. Where are the Tea Freaks in all of this? Are they actually willing to stand idly by and allow their representatives to give Fast Track approval authority to this president - the man they hate so much (their support for TPP and Fast Track is near-unanimous)? Why are the Repubs pushing this so hard? Does this speak to their ideas about their 2016 prospects, with the motley crew they have (again)? And why is Obama pushing this so hard NOW? Is he calculating that any delay will wrap this further and further into the 2016 campaign, to the point where no action will take place? If this is the strategy - do without delay - then perhaps the strategy to defeat this would be precisely to delay it as long as possible.
Comments are welcome. More to come later.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Quibbles and Bits, There Ought to be Clowns...Don't Bother, They're Here edition
"Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls..."
More chewy bite-sized bits, courtesy of your humble and not-so-obedient 3-ring (around the collar) master...
>> The best thing that could have possibly happened for the Dems, in regards to the 2016 Election Follies, is the "candidacy" of the Senator from Calgary himself, Teddy Boy Cruz. He seems to have spent the last couple of weeks rallying the fundie elements around himself, as attested by the oh-so-enthusiastic response he received at Liberty University. (BTW, that was a captive audience he spoke to in those there parts - those who chose not to listen to the emanations from his facial orifice faced, uh, consequences.)
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Teddy Boy is not, and will not, be occupying the Oval Office in this or any future lifetime. BUT, if he can get substantial fundie support, he could play kingmaker. His reward? Perhaps a cabinet post or some other plum, in the event that the Repubs pull out the election from their asses next November. That's IF he's smart enough to keep his foot out of it - which I highly doubt. It's just a matter of time...
>> I find it interesting that, JUST NOW, the banks seem to be raising high dudgeon regarding their po' wittow feewings being hurt by that awfow meanie, Senator Elizabeth Warren. Trust me, they've been raising stinks about Warren ever since she took office, and it seems that ONLY NOW, during the election season, are we getting any big press about it. But in the words of Midnight Oil, "When The Generals Talk, You Better Listen To Him" - and by Generals, they weren't talking about only the military. (Pull up the song on Youtube, or better yet, mosey on over to iTunes and fork over the $1.29 or $.99 for the song. You won't regret it, you stay legal, and good karma awaits you. Plus, Peter Garrett is one of the good guys. Google him.)
Stay Strong, Senator. You know there's a substantial number of us who support you and have your back - even if the Democratic Party doesn't.
>> My posts have become more sporadic lately for two very good reasons:
1. In five weeks, I will be walking on a stage in San Francisco to accept my long-awaited Bachelor's Degree;
2. Over the last six weeks, I have been on a quest to halt and reverse the expansion of my midsection. Trips to the health club, more stairs, dietary changes - I've been putting in the effort and beginning to see some results.
Once I finally have degree in hand, I'll be posting to this humble blog a lot more. And, perhaps, begin to promote it.
The clowns will return. Time for the acrobats...
More chewy bite-sized bits, courtesy of your humble and not-so-obedient 3-ring (around the collar) master...
>> The best thing that could have possibly happened for the Dems, in regards to the 2016 Election Follies, is the "candidacy" of the Senator from Calgary himself, Teddy Boy Cruz. He seems to have spent the last couple of weeks rallying the fundie elements around himself, as attested by the oh-so-enthusiastic response he received at Liberty University. (BTW, that was a captive audience he spoke to in those there parts - those who chose not to listen to the emanations from his facial orifice faced, uh, consequences.)
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Teddy Boy is not, and will not, be occupying the Oval Office in this or any future lifetime. BUT, if he can get substantial fundie support, he could play kingmaker. His reward? Perhaps a cabinet post or some other plum, in the event that the Repubs pull out the election from their asses next November. That's IF he's smart enough to keep his foot out of it - which I highly doubt. It's just a matter of time...
>> I find it interesting that, JUST NOW, the banks seem to be raising high dudgeon regarding their po' wittow feewings being hurt by that awfow meanie, Senator Elizabeth Warren. Trust me, they've been raising stinks about Warren ever since she took office, and it seems that ONLY NOW, during the election season, are we getting any big press about it. But in the words of Midnight Oil, "When The Generals Talk, You Better Listen To Him" - and by Generals, they weren't talking about only the military. (Pull up the song on Youtube, or better yet, mosey on over to iTunes and fork over the $1.29 or $.99 for the song. You won't regret it, you stay legal, and good karma awaits you. Plus, Peter Garrett is one of the good guys. Google him.)
Stay Strong, Senator. You know there's a substantial number of us who support you and have your back - even if the Democratic Party doesn't.
>> My posts have become more sporadic lately for two very good reasons:
1. In five weeks, I will be walking on a stage in San Francisco to accept my long-awaited Bachelor's Degree;
2. Over the last six weeks, I have been on a quest to halt and reverse the expansion of my midsection. Trips to the health club, more stairs, dietary changes - I've been putting in the effort and beginning to see some results.
Once I finally have degree in hand, I'll be posting to this humble blog a lot more. And, perhaps, begin to promote it.
The clowns will return. Time for the acrobats...
Friday, February 27, 2015
Breaking a Broken Set...
Tonight was the last original broadcast of Abby Martin's excellent news analysis program on RT America, Breaking The Set. Yet another progressive voice is lost on our media, this one being one of the most uncompromising and passionate. Unlike most other media figures, especially those on the shrinking leftward-lean of the political spectrum who come from broadcasting or journalism backgrounds, Abby's voice was that of an activist. Her show was decidedly NOT "fair and balanced" - she never advertised it as such. She had guests on the show such as Chris Hedges, Mike Ruppert (RIP), and Peter Joseph - people who otherwise would go unheard on the MSM. She went as far as criticizing the government who owns RT - Russia - for their actions in the Ukraine and Crimea. Hers was one of the few shows that openly challenged the corporate-based media worldview - a badly needed breeze of fresh air in a valley full of corporate media smog filth.
I will confess to being a bit disappointed that she disavowed herself from the belief that 9-11 was an "inside job". To me, to take this stand means that you would have to debunk Mike Ruppert's exhaustively researched book Crossing The Rubicon (where he names Dick Cheney as the prime mover of the 9-11 affair), and the photographic and testimonial evidence provided in films such as Zeitgeist and Loose Change. I won't "put her on the couch", and speculate as to a possible reason or motive. I'll only say, at this point, that it's probably the only real point of disagreement I have with her.
That being said, she's still has a full career ahead of her, whether it be in print or electronic media, or the arts. I'd keep an eye on her to see what she's going to do next, because as she said, she's not going away. You can catch her on her official website, her Twitter feed, and her Facebook page.
We can use a few more Abby Martins.
I will confess to being a bit disappointed that she disavowed herself from the belief that 9-11 was an "inside job". To me, to take this stand means that you would have to debunk Mike Ruppert's exhaustively researched book Crossing The Rubicon (where he names Dick Cheney as the prime mover of the 9-11 affair), and the photographic and testimonial evidence provided in films such as Zeitgeist and Loose Change. I won't "put her on the couch", and speculate as to a possible reason or motive. I'll only say, at this point, that it's probably the only real point of disagreement I have with her.
That being said, she's still has a full career ahead of her, whether it be in print or electronic media, or the arts. I'd keep an eye on her to see what she's going to do next, because as she said, she's not going away. You can catch her on her official website, her Twitter feed, and her Facebook page.
We can use a few more Abby Martins.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Loaded for Bear...
This man talks the talk, but he also walks the walk, having been arrested several times for protesting and having been booed off the stage at a college commencement for having the temerity (read: courage) to speak out against the Iraq war.
Check it out.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Redux, and Redux (and Wash, Rinse, and Repeat, Again and Again)...
Of all of the overly premature 2016 campaign rumblings going on in the MSM, one that has piqued my interest is that the MittWit is considering a run for the presidency again. You've got to admire this guy, if nothing else for his tenacity, hubris, and possibly, his unshaken faith in the prophecy that a Mormon president will save the country.
Need a few reminders of just what a clueless oligarch this guy is? Here are a few memes published on Democratic Underground, featuring the "47 percent" comment that famously hoisted him on his petard in 2012.
If you think Obama had fun with him in the second and third debates in 2012, imagine what HRC will do to him (and as you may know, I'm no fan of Hill OR Bill).
Please proceed, Mitt.
Need a few reminders of just what a clueless oligarch this guy is? Here are a few memes published on Democratic Underground, featuring the "47 percent" comment that famously hoisted him on his petard in 2012.
If you think Obama had fun with him in the second and third debates in 2012, imagine what HRC will do to him (and as you may know, I'm no fan of Hill OR Bill).
Please proceed, Mitt.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Outrage
This has been making me absolutely ill lately.
More than half of all school-age children are now living in low-income households.
It's not like we weren't warned this was happening. We've seen the trends. We've seen the results of the economic policies of Reagan and afterward.
We've heard the countless exhortations by those "of means" for those "without" to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and stop being so "lazy". They're getting brazen now, too - to wit, Warren Buffet said something to this effect not too long ago, and you can turn on Foxy News or Foxy Business anytime to hear variants of this theme.
And there are precious few media outlets out there that will provide adequate pushback to this nonsense. Think Mess-NBC is going to provide that pushback? They're feeble, at best. And the other outlets, RT (with its Putin smear), Pacifica Radio (with its Hippie smear), and most of the remaining liberal talk show hosts (who have been driven to near-online-exclusivity), have been driven to the sidelines.
We're supposedly the richest country on earth. What more proof do we need regarding how unequal the wealth is being redistributed? This is just the latest in an arms-length list of indictments of American economic superiority.
More than half of all school-age children are now living in low-income households.
It's not like we weren't warned this was happening. We've seen the trends. We've seen the results of the economic policies of Reagan and afterward.
We've heard the countless exhortations by those "of means" for those "without" to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and stop being so "lazy". They're getting brazen now, too - to wit, Warren Buffet said something to this effect not too long ago, and you can turn on Foxy News or Foxy Business anytime to hear variants of this theme.
And there are precious few media outlets out there that will provide adequate pushback to this nonsense. Think Mess-NBC is going to provide that pushback? They're feeble, at best. And the other outlets, RT (with its Putin smear), Pacifica Radio (with its Hippie smear), and most of the remaining liberal talk show hosts (who have been driven to near-online-exclusivity), have been driven to the sidelines.
We're supposedly the richest country on earth. What more proof do we need regarding how unequal the wealth is being redistributed? This is just the latest in an arms-length list of indictments of American economic superiority.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Freudian Slip, Much?
We knew it was only a matter of time before somebody lets the truth slip out.
What do we do about this? Comments are welcome...
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
A Wish for 2015 (and beyond)...
My biggest wish for next year (and beyond) is summed up quite nicely in this post in Democratic Underground.
I would extend it a bit, though. We need Dems who can say "BULLSHIT" to the right people, namely, Corporate America, the Big Banks, and Big Media. The current Third-Way bumper crop is only too willing to call "Bullshit" on progressives and others not of a corporate-friendly ilk.
Hope you all have a safe and happy NYE 2014, and see you next year...
I would extend it a bit, though. We need Dems who can say "BULLSHIT" to the right people, namely, Corporate America, the Big Banks, and Big Media. The current Third-Way bumper crop is only too willing to call "Bullshit" on progressives and others not of a corporate-friendly ilk.
Hope you all have a safe and happy NYE 2014, and see you next year...
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