This is real clever...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Let’s Call It What It Really Is Israeli Aggression
I know that Hamas is shooting rockets into Israel and I know that there is blame to be meted out to both sides , but I think the response by Israel is sort of like trying to kill a housefly with a bazooka. It demonstrates Israel’s real intention, which is to destroy or badly wound Hamas as much as possible before the leadership vacuum that exists here in the United States with Bush and Condi Rice in power closes on the day of Barack Obama's inauguration.
For years Israel, with the full cooperation and the military might of the United States behind it, has suppressed or man handled anyone it perceives may represent the claims of the Palestinians to disputed territories that Israel perceives belong to it and that make up the one sided view, at least in the United States, of what constitutes the greater Israel.
Little is said about Israeli aggression in the US because of fears of a backlash from the Jewish lobby that pretty much contols American politicians through their fear of being seen as anti-Semitic, pro Arab of palling around with terrorists. Ask Jimmy Carter, whose book entitled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid brought calls from many in the Jewish community that he be branded anti Israel. Yes, the same Jimmy Carter who probably knows more about the Middle East then most American politicians and who actually engineered a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel during his presidency.
This unfair treatment of Palestinians led inevitability to the election of the radical Hamas Party by a majority of the people in the disputed territories because they had reached a sort of limit on trying to be reasonable with Israel and because Israel has never been really reasonable with them. Brutally crushing all dissent whenever it surfaced. Carter referring to the boycott and blockade of Gaza said this in 2006.
It is very difficult in this country to see anything but Israel’s side of the story. But you can believe this: every bomb that falls on a Palestinian in the mind of those people whether dropped by Israel or not is seen as being dropped on them by the United States.
The people of the United States want freedom from terrorist and radical groups like Hamas. Yet, they will never get it unless they realize that their government, in their name, has historically never treated the Palestinian question or the people of Palestine fairly or even handedly as a true arbiter of justice in the Middle East. Until we do we will not make significant progress. Carter recognized this and was demonized for saying it out loud.
It’s time we start telling the truth about Israel’s warmongering and bullying when it comes to the Palestinian peoples right to a just settlement of the Palestinian question and their grievances.
For years Israel, with the full cooperation and the military might of the United States behind it, has suppressed or man handled anyone it perceives may represent the claims of the Palestinians to disputed territories that Israel perceives belong to it and that make up the one sided view, at least in the United States, of what constitutes the greater Israel.
Little is said about Israeli aggression in the US because of fears of a backlash from the Jewish lobby that pretty much contols American politicians through their fear of being seen as anti-Semitic, pro Arab of palling around with terrorists. Ask Jimmy Carter, whose book entitled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid brought calls from many in the Jewish community that he be branded anti Israel. Yes, the same Jimmy Carter who probably knows more about the Middle East then most American politicians and who actually engineered a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel during his presidency.
This unfair treatment of Palestinians led inevitability to the election of the radical Hamas Party by a majority of the people in the disputed territories because they had reached a sort of limit on trying to be reasonable with Israel and because Israel has never been really reasonable with them. Brutally crushing all dissent whenever it surfaced. Carter referring to the boycott and blockade of Gaza said this in 2006.
“The Palestinian people are now being deprived of the necessities of life by economic restrictions imposed on them by Israel and the United States because 42 percent voted for Hamas candidates in this year's election. Teachers, nurses, policemen, firemen, and other employees cannot be paid, and the UN has reported food supplies in Gaza equivalent to those among the poorest families in sub-Sahara Africa, with half the families surviving on one meal a day.”Jimmy Carter op-ed Boston Globe December 2006.
It is very difficult in this country to see anything but Israel’s side of the story. But you can believe this: every bomb that falls on a Palestinian in the mind of those people whether dropped by Israel or not is seen as being dropped on them by the United States.
The people of the United States want freedom from terrorist and radical groups like Hamas. Yet, they will never get it unless they realize that their government, in their name, has historically never treated the Palestinian question or the people of Palestine fairly or even handedly as a true arbiter of justice in the Middle East. Until we do we will not make significant progress. Carter recognized this and was demonized for saying it out loud.
It’s time we start telling the truth about Israel’s warmongering and bullying when it comes to the Palestinian peoples right to a just settlement of the Palestinian question and their grievances.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Capturing The Essence Of The Commercialism Of Christmas And Mixing It With The True Meaning
A The New Symbol For The Holidays
Crucified SantaTuesday, December 23, 2008
Seattle TV News Schizophrenic Over Weather And Paranoid About People Not Being Able Go To The Mall And Damaged Goods Tots Because No Toys
I was watching KING 5 News last night and Reporter Jim Forman, who can sensationalize the shit out of anything, said no matter what don’t go out of the house tonight or you’ll probably die.
He doing a remote report from inside this new KING TV four-wheel drive SUV they’ve deemed “SNOW5” that he and other reporters have been running around in during the snow storm that shows you a live shot out the front window of the black ice covering everything and then a headshot of a talking reporter talking about the "side streets" in rotating segments. Forman is wearing a huge goofy fur lined hoody thing that is total winter attire overkill. It was more like something a drag queen would wear if it was snowing.
Then the reporter in the next segment, whose name escapes me, comes on and said not to come to the SEATAC airport no matter what or you’ll probably freeze to death or die from sleeping on the floor while being mugged by strangers who already have stole your luggage. But at the end of the report she said that if anyone wants to bring bedding and cots to the airport they be greatly appreciated. I bet that will make that cop who’s trying to get you to not stop on the drive way at the airport happy.
Then the two Asian lady anchor reporters have small talk about how nice it be if we have a White Christmas then segue into a feel bad story about the toys for tots and the toys program for poor kids that reports that the toys are just sitting there in the warehouse, “because no one came to get them." "Will Santa deliver the toys on time?“ Then it’s time for the weather and more gratuitous small talk about how it’s great weather to build a freaking snowman and have a cup of cocoa, but if you leave your house your going to die because the weather is so bad and the streets are all a sheet of black ice.
"Please remember to dress warm if your going to go out or you have to work and here's a report on how to put on chains while getting the kids ready for school." No. I'm planing on going out completely naked from the waist down you freaking idiots! What's the big deal about that?
If I was running the news when a snow storm hit Seattle I set a live camera up at the top and bottom of every steep hill in Seattle and have someone sort of wave every unsuspecting half-assed driver through. "It fine don't worry, you can make it, It's just he counter balance." I'd put that on TV for sure. Forget all regular programing I could watch those crashes 24/7. It never gets old. All the bozos crashing into each other in those slow motion sliding out of control up and down the hill snow driving videos we all know and long for from the moment we see the first flake. It gives you that Hindenburg "Oh the humanity" feeling every time you see some unsuspecting Seattlelite lose control of their car on a ice and snow covered hill.
After the commercial they come back with a story of a mall shooting in San Francisco which is just like the one we had here at Southcenter Mall. Then a story about how all the retailers are losing their asses because of the economy and the fact that the snow is ruining business. They fail to mention that they've scared the shit out of us with so much reporting about mall shootings and black ice that no one is going to the mall because we might get shot or end up in the ditch.
Now it's time for the scare the be-Jesus out of you weather report person who comes on and instead of giving you the report teases you with something like, “could it snow another three feet and bury your house and make your carport collapse tonight, well stay tuned because we’ll have the latest report coming right up”. “Remember always tune to KING5 for the latest news on how the damn storm is going to blow your god damn house down. Because we got that special storm tracking Doppler radar guided spy in the sky school net whatchamacallit super duper cry wolf storm forecast”.
Then Jean Enderson has a segment on how scientists have discovered that freezing your ass off really is a way to prolong life expectancy if you don’t take it too far. This is followed by a story of a lost puppy found wandering aimlessly in the snow in Wallingford and that’s now been placed in a giving warm animal loving home and smothered in lots of doggy toys courtesy of PETCO and the homeless dog society.
Time to throw another log on the fire I guess.
He doing a remote report from inside this new KING TV four-wheel drive SUV they’ve deemed “SNOW5” that he and other reporters have been running around in during the snow storm that shows you a live shot out the front window of the black ice covering everything and then a headshot of a talking reporter talking about the "side streets" in rotating segments. Forman is wearing a huge goofy fur lined hoody thing that is total winter attire overkill. It was more like something a drag queen would wear if it was snowing.
Then the reporter in the next segment, whose name escapes me, comes on and said not to come to the SEATAC airport no matter what or you’ll probably freeze to death or die from sleeping on the floor while being mugged by strangers who already have stole your luggage. But at the end of the report she said that if anyone wants to bring bedding and cots to the airport they be greatly appreciated. I bet that will make that cop who’s trying to get you to not stop on the drive way at the airport happy.
Then the two Asian lady anchor reporters have small talk about how nice it be if we have a White Christmas then segue into a feel bad story about the toys for tots and the toys program for poor kids that reports that the toys are just sitting there in the warehouse, “because no one came to get them." "Will Santa deliver the toys on time?“ Then it’s time for the weather and more gratuitous small talk about how it’s great weather to build a freaking snowman and have a cup of cocoa, but if you leave your house your going to die because the weather is so bad and the streets are all a sheet of black ice.
"Please remember to dress warm if your going to go out or you have to work and here's a report on how to put on chains while getting the kids ready for school." No. I'm planing on going out completely naked from the waist down you freaking idiots! What's the big deal about that?
If I was running the news when a snow storm hit Seattle I set a live camera up at the top and bottom of every steep hill in Seattle and have someone sort of wave every unsuspecting half-assed driver through. "It fine don't worry, you can make it, It's just he counter balance." I'd put that on TV for sure. Forget all regular programing I could watch those crashes 24/7. It never gets old. All the bozos crashing into each other in those slow motion sliding out of control up and down the hill snow driving videos we all know and long for from the moment we see the first flake. It gives you that Hindenburg "Oh the humanity" feeling every time you see some unsuspecting Seattlelite lose control of their car on a ice and snow covered hill.
After the commercial they come back with a story of a mall shooting in San Francisco which is just like the one we had here at Southcenter Mall. Then a story about how all the retailers are losing their asses because of the economy and the fact that the snow is ruining business. They fail to mention that they've scared the shit out of us with so much reporting about mall shootings and black ice that no one is going to the mall because we might get shot or end up in the ditch.
Now it's time for the scare the be-Jesus out of you weather report person who comes on and instead of giving you the report teases you with something like, “could it snow another three feet and bury your house and make your carport collapse tonight, well stay tuned because we’ll have the latest report coming right up”. “Remember always tune to KING5 for the latest news on how the damn storm is going to blow your god damn house down. Because we got that special storm tracking Doppler radar guided spy in the sky school net whatchamacallit super duper cry wolf storm forecast”.
Then Jean Enderson has a segment on how scientists have discovered that freezing your ass off really is a way to prolong life expectancy if you don’t take it too far. This is followed by a story of a lost puppy found wandering aimlessly in the snow in Wallingford and that’s now been placed in a giving warm animal loving home and smothered in lots of doggy toys courtesy of PETCO and the homeless dog society.
Time to throw another log on the fire I guess.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Commander In Beefcake
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Portrait Of Laura Bush And Betty Crocker Apparently Switched
Apparently a new portrait of Laura Bush was accidentally switched for one of the famous recipe cook Betty Crocker. The error was noticed when it was determined the newly commissioned work of art looked nothing like the first lady.
Government Leaders To Make Decisions Using Best Science Availiable Instead Of Old Method Of Presidential Gut Checks
One scientist was quoted as saying "this is a no brainer."
Friday, December 19, 2008
Historic Inauguration Rick Rolled Panties In A Knot Gay Media Work To Make Fat Ass Preacher With Ugly Goatee Only Thing We Will Remember
Popular and notable Gay Media types the likes of Rachael Maddow of MSNBC, Anderson Cooper at CNN and notable bloggers like John Aravosis at America Blog, and Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic Magazine have not been able to talk about much else since, as Maddow put it, "an angry gay community smarting over proposition 8" found out that Rick “fat ass” Warren had been chosen to give the invocation at the upcoming Obama inauguration.
Funny, I remember when no one gave a shit about an inaugural invocation. They'd usually have a Catholic priest Father Flanagan type get up there and say a few words about god watching over America and that he wanted Notre Dame to beat USC by two touchdowns in the Orange Bowl.
Knowing the Catholics like I do he probably held many of the same beliefs that Warren does today but no one even batted a eyebrow. The whole invocation was sort of irrelevant part of the ceremony. But not today in the touchy self interested modern world, because everything will be examined ad nauseam by every airhead TV personality and pajama-ed blogger.
Obama might be having second thoughts about picking Rick boy now, but it be far worse for him at this point if he tried to rescind the invitation. Looks like Obama, in a moment of rookie post partisan weakness, saw the invite of Warren as a gesture to America that all would be welcome at his table no matter how stupid their nonsensical religious beliefs may be, as long as they had some sort of constituency that seemed politically viable. Proving unmistakably once again, if nothing else, that Religion can ruin anything that’s good and worthwhile.
Thank you Christopher Hitchens! Who’d be my choice for the invocation, and I’m not even an atheist. I like him mainly because he'd be shocking and funny at the same time and probably leave all the evangelicals twisting in the wind contemplating the reason our founding fathers believed in the separation of church and state.
The uproar in the gay community seems to be headed in the direction of turning this historic moment of America installing it’s first black President into a full on let’s turn Rick Warren into the center of attention and have the media hanging on every word he says so we can dissect it's real meaning extravaganza.
If no one gave a shit about Rick Warren before this brouhaha, now he’s bound to be a household name and go on to probably raise millions of dollars while happily converting many thousands of new dodo heads into his bigoted flock. Thanks in part to overly outraged gays who should learn that sometimes it's good to ignore bad behavior and not throw the baby out with the bath water.
But, the animosity is well founded. Warren besides being an ugly fat ass, who looks like he needs to stop stopping at every buffet table he comes within 100 miles of, is your typical right wing anti gay fundamentalist type. But he garners a mighty sway with his fellow right wing religious fanatics types, and as fundamentalist go, I’m told he’s one of the more progressive on issues such as global warming and poverty. Obama claiming he wants to get things done saw that inviting Mr. “get rid of that fucking goatee” as a opportunity to garner support with Warren’s crowd and move forward where there maybe common ground.
By the way, my gaydar is picking up several blips on it’s screen every time I see Warren on TV giving one of his talks about what Jesus meant us to know about the human sexual response and how to suppress those natural sexual tendencies. Maybe he's really in the closet and that's the problem because as we know you hate and fear the things you suppress the most. Oh those nasty temptations.
But Obama badly under estimated the timing of the selection pickle he put himself in with the vocal panties in a knot over the passage of proposition 8 in California gay community. No more mister nice gay, one of the signs in a recent protest said or we’re really pissed about this and it’s not a good time to kick us while were down. It's like making bomb jokes at the airport.
I agree. It's not good to give people who don’t believe in equal rights such a big stage as the inauguration to reinforce their wacky belief systems. But I also think that the gay community has made its point and should use the opportunity to say fine have your freaking invocation fatso but what’s important is that we respectfully disagree and will eventually prevail and have our equal rights whether you like it or not. In effect claiming the high ground.
Now, let’s do what we came here for and celebrate our Democratic Party’s victory in the election and the historic nature of the President we are installing in office on this wonderful and historic day.
Funny, I remember when no one gave a shit about an inaugural invocation. They'd usually have a Catholic priest Father Flanagan type get up there and say a few words about god watching over America and that he wanted Notre Dame to beat USC by two touchdowns in the Orange Bowl.
Knowing the Catholics like I do he probably held many of the same beliefs that Warren does today but no one even batted a eyebrow. The whole invocation was sort of irrelevant part of the ceremony. But not today in the touchy self interested modern world, because everything will be examined ad nauseam by every airhead TV personality and pajama-ed blogger.
Obama might be having second thoughts about picking Rick boy now, but it be far worse for him at this point if he tried to rescind the invitation. Looks like Obama, in a moment of rookie post partisan weakness, saw the invite of Warren as a gesture to America that all would be welcome at his table no matter how stupid their nonsensical religious beliefs may be, as long as they had some sort of constituency that seemed politically viable. Proving unmistakably once again, if nothing else, that Religion can ruin anything that’s good and worthwhile.
Thank you Christopher Hitchens! Who’d be my choice for the invocation, and I’m not even an atheist. I like him mainly because he'd be shocking and funny at the same time and probably leave all the evangelicals twisting in the wind contemplating the reason our founding fathers believed in the separation of church and state.
The uproar in the gay community seems to be headed in the direction of turning this historic moment of America installing it’s first black President into a full on let’s turn Rick Warren into the center of attention and have the media hanging on every word he says so we can dissect it's real meaning extravaganza.
If no one gave a shit about Rick Warren before this brouhaha, now he’s bound to be a household name and go on to probably raise millions of dollars while happily converting many thousands of new dodo heads into his bigoted flock. Thanks in part to overly outraged gays who should learn that sometimes it's good to ignore bad behavior and not throw the baby out with the bath water.
But, the animosity is well founded. Warren besides being an ugly fat ass, who looks like he needs to stop stopping at every buffet table he comes within 100 miles of, is your typical right wing anti gay fundamentalist type. But he garners a mighty sway with his fellow right wing religious fanatics types, and as fundamentalist go, I’m told he’s one of the more progressive on issues such as global warming and poverty. Obama claiming he wants to get things done saw that inviting Mr. “get rid of that fucking goatee” as a opportunity to garner support with Warren’s crowd and move forward where there maybe common ground.
By the way, my gaydar is picking up several blips on it’s screen every time I see Warren on TV giving one of his talks about what Jesus meant us to know about the human sexual response and how to suppress those natural sexual tendencies. Maybe he's really in the closet and that's the problem because as we know you hate and fear the things you suppress the most. Oh those nasty temptations.
But Obama badly under estimated the timing of the selection pickle he put himself in with the vocal panties in a knot over the passage of proposition 8 in California gay community. No more mister nice gay, one of the signs in a recent protest said or we’re really pissed about this and it’s not a good time to kick us while were down. It's like making bomb jokes at the airport.
I agree. It's not good to give people who don’t believe in equal rights such a big stage as the inauguration to reinforce their wacky belief systems. But I also think that the gay community has made its point and should use the opportunity to say fine have your freaking invocation fatso but what’s important is that we respectfully disagree and will eventually prevail and have our equal rights whether you like it or not. In effect claiming the high ground.
Now, let’s do what we came here for and celebrate our Democratic Party’s victory in the election and the historic nature of the President we are installing in office on this wonderful and historic day.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
USA USA USA We're Number One!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A Nation Of Sniveling Pussies Get What They Deserve
Will No One Arrest These Criminals, Harry Reid Must Go Pelosi Too And Screw A Truth Commission Go For Long Prison Terms And Restitution Because I Don't Support The Death Penalty But If I Did...
Well Dick Cheney comes on TV as says rather matter of fact that even if there were no WMD he thinks the war with Iraq would still of been worth it and necessary, "Saddam was a bad actor". Then he takes a breath and answers the next question about whether he approved torture and he says yes, and he do it again because yada, yada, fucking yada. End of story and now Keith says, "it time for the worst persons in the world".
It's always Bill O'Reilly, Russ Limbaugh, or Rupert Murdock which is not funny anymore . Aren't they suppose to retire the prize or something if you win it so many times in a row. Keith needs some new shtick when it comes to his personal Billy O'Reilly hating gambit. He kind of lowers himself to O'Reilly's level ever time he mentions the nitwit.
I bet two Catalan friends in Spain summer before last that Bush or Cheney and probably several others would be in jail within five years for the damn international crime spree they've been on the since coming to power. They disagreed and said that people like Cheney and Bush always get off.
Maybe in Spain my foreign friends but not in America for the law is suppose to be above politics as usual. My god my little amigos what would Thomas Jefferson think?
It's a fucking felonious crime my fellow citizens to do the things that Bush and Cheney have done. We just need someone with enough balls and integrity to prosecute their weaselling asses. Stop whining about how it going to tear us apart or that we need to go through a national girlie man healing process. What a total line of bull dung that would be.
The healing process that's called for by our constitution is: NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW period.
Bush gets a shoe thrown at him in Iraq because he's lowered the presidency to the level where shoe throwing is now a feasibility demonstration by whomever. But I think we should not throw shoes here, we should be throwing the book at this SOB.
I said to my Catalan friends that it had to be because the fucking US constitution would have to be not worth the paper it was printed on if it didn't happen. How could people directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths including 4000 American military personal, all base on their personal whims, go un-prosecuted.
Am I some kook crying in the god damn wilderness here? You bet I am. But, if that asshole Cheney was standing here before me I have to make a citizens arrest of the bastard for murder and theft of billions even if I had to take his fat ass down doing it myself.
Wake up for Christ sake, is this America folks? Where is our freaking soul and sense of right and wrong. Who will be our champion to vanquish these criminal bastards. One things for sure it won't be the gutless Harry Reid and the second place most gutless Nancy Pelosi. These people are failed leaders. This go along to get along crap has got to stop.
Reid and Pelosi wake up in the morning ready to compromise their own freaking mother if it meant they be safe and protected in their highfalutin career paths . Weak and despicably without honor or much integrity, neither one. Reid and Pelosi continue to do the same thing over and over and we expect a different result which makes us all by definition insane. Their ruled by the powerful interest not the common folks interests and cannot be trusted farther then you can throw either one of them. Who in the hell chose them to be our leaders in the Congress.
Please god give us a fucking leader, anyone but these shells of nothingness. My Kingdom for a horse that will prosecute these felons.
But we all sit here while Rome is fucking burning going dum de dum de dum de fucking dum. I'm tired after travelling all over this damn country working for over a year to get Obama elected to just go on like it's time to play the flip side of the LP. What the fuck is wrong with us as a people anyway that we continue to take it in the ass from these people without even so much as a whimper. Hey hand me that Vaseline please, I'm ready for some more please!
Bush and Cheney must be prosecuted or respect for the rule of law and order means absolutely nothing. If their murder, mayhem and larceny go unaddressed we are spiritually and morally bankrupt as a country, Get it.
Are you listening Mr President Elect. I am that kooky voice you hear in your conscience over here crying in the darkness for justice. Screw a truth commission tell that special prosecutor to go for the maximum allowed under the LAW.
p.s. Can you get that guy at your office to stop sending me emails asking for donations. I'm totally tapped out since I dedicated my life and my spending money for the last twelve months to getting you elected. But thanks for the nice email message from you and Michelle saying that it was people like me that made it all possible and that this was really our victory. Nice touch by the way.
Well Dick Cheney comes on TV as says rather matter of fact that even if there were no WMD he thinks the war with Iraq would still of been worth it and necessary, "Saddam was a bad actor". Then he takes a breath and answers the next question about whether he approved torture and he says yes, and he do it again because yada, yada, fucking yada. End of story and now Keith says, "it time for the worst persons in the world".
It's always Bill O'Reilly, Russ Limbaugh, or Rupert Murdock which is not funny anymore . Aren't they suppose to retire the prize or something if you win it so many times in a row. Keith needs some new shtick when it comes to his personal Billy O'Reilly hating gambit. He kind of lowers himself to O'Reilly's level ever time he mentions the nitwit.
I bet two Catalan friends in Spain summer before last that Bush or Cheney and probably several others would be in jail within five years for the damn international crime spree they've been on the since coming to power. They disagreed and said that people like Cheney and Bush always get off.
Maybe in Spain my foreign friends but not in America for the law is suppose to be above politics as usual. My god my little amigos what would Thomas Jefferson think?
It's a fucking felonious crime my fellow citizens to do the things that Bush and Cheney have done. We just need someone with enough balls and integrity to prosecute their weaselling asses. Stop whining about how it going to tear us apart or that we need to go through a national girlie man healing process. What a total line of bull dung that would be.
The healing process that's called for by our constitution is: NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW period.
Bush gets a shoe thrown at him in Iraq because he's lowered the presidency to the level where shoe throwing is now a feasibility demonstration by whomever. But I think we should not throw shoes here, we should be throwing the book at this SOB.
I said to my Catalan friends that it had to be because the fucking US constitution would have to be not worth the paper it was printed on if it didn't happen. How could people directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths including 4000 American military personal, all base on their personal whims, go un-prosecuted.
Am I some kook crying in the god damn wilderness here? You bet I am. But, if that asshole Cheney was standing here before me I have to make a citizens arrest of the bastard for murder and theft of billions even if I had to take his fat ass down doing it myself.
Wake up for Christ sake, is this America folks? Where is our freaking soul and sense of right and wrong. Who will be our champion to vanquish these criminal bastards. One things for sure it won't be the gutless Harry Reid and the second place most gutless Nancy Pelosi. These people are failed leaders. This go along to get along crap has got to stop.
Reid and Pelosi wake up in the morning ready to compromise their own freaking mother if it meant they be safe and protected in their highfalutin career paths . Weak and despicably without honor or much integrity, neither one. Reid and Pelosi continue to do the same thing over and over and we expect a different result which makes us all by definition insane. Their ruled by the powerful interest not the common folks interests and cannot be trusted farther then you can throw either one of them. Who in the hell chose them to be our leaders in the Congress.
Please god give us a fucking leader, anyone but these shells of nothingness. My Kingdom for a horse that will prosecute these felons.
But we all sit here while Rome is fucking burning going dum de dum de dum de fucking dum. I'm tired after travelling all over this damn country working for over a year to get Obama elected to just go on like it's time to play the flip side of the LP. What the fuck is wrong with us as a people anyway that we continue to take it in the ass from these people without even so much as a whimper. Hey hand me that Vaseline please, I'm ready for some more please!
Bush and Cheney must be prosecuted or respect for the rule of law and order means absolutely nothing. If their murder, mayhem and larceny go unaddressed we are spiritually and morally bankrupt as a country, Get it.
Are you listening Mr President Elect. I am that kooky voice you hear in your conscience over here crying in the darkness for justice. Screw a truth commission tell that special prosecutor to go for the maximum allowed under the LAW.
p.s. Can you get that guy at your office to stop sending me emails asking for donations. I'm totally tapped out since I dedicated my life and my spending money for the last twelve months to getting you elected. But thanks for the nice email message from you and Michelle saying that it was people like me that made it all possible and that this was really our victory. Nice touch by the way.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Bush Karma Tour "This is a goodbye kiss, you dog"
It's proof of the utter disconnect on the part of one of the major cable networks when you hear CNN reporters like Don Lemon asking rhetorically, "how could such a thing like this happen, and why would someone want to do such a thing?" The truth may hurt your narrow minded virgin American ears but if it does you should start to wake the fuck up.
BECAUSE IN THE EYES OF MANY IN THE WORLD YOUR PRESIDENT IS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, YOU DIDDO HEAD!
That's how, and I think he's lucky it was only a shoe. What a disgusting little weasel, phony, wimp, chest pumped out so when you walk you look like you have a stick up you ass, shadow or a man this frat boy president really is on his Iraq victory tour, really!
Shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, a reporter with Cairo-based network Al Baghdadia Television, should be given an award not demonized. Bush later compared it to someone giving you the finger when you drive by in a motorcade. Again showing his on going lack of understanding of middle eastern culture. Bush again and again misses the point entirely. Showing the sole of your shoe to someone and calling them a dog is an extreme insult in this culture.
Can anyone remember a more embarrassing moment for any American president in modern times happening naked before the world. Maybe daddy Bush puking his guts out at a state dinner in Japan is a distant second. George W. has lowered the prestige of the office he holds and represents to the world to an all time low.
Yes, good bye you DOG and good riddance! Go back to Crawford Texas or Dallas or wherever and crawl back under that rock you should of never come out from under in the first place.
Liar, thief, murderer!
BECAUSE IN THE EYES OF MANY IN THE WORLD YOUR PRESIDENT IS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, YOU DIDDO HEAD!
That's how, and I think he's lucky it was only a shoe. What a disgusting little weasel, phony, wimp, chest pumped out so when you walk you look like you have a stick up you ass, shadow or a man this frat boy president really is on his Iraq victory tour, really!
Shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, a reporter with Cairo-based network Al Baghdadia Television, should be given an award not demonized. Bush later compared it to someone giving you the finger when you drive by in a motorcade. Again showing his on going lack of understanding of middle eastern culture. Bush again and again misses the point entirely. Showing the sole of your shoe to someone and calling them a dog is an extreme insult in this culture.
Can anyone remember a more embarrassing moment for any American president in modern times happening naked before the world. Maybe daddy Bush puking his guts out at a state dinner in Japan is a distant second. George W. has lowered the prestige of the office he holds and represents to the world to an all time low.
Yes, good bye you DOG and good riddance! Go back to Crawford Texas or Dallas or wherever and crawl back under that rock you should of never come out from under in the first place.
Liar, thief, murderer!
Friday, December 12, 2008
It’s Simple Stupid If Your In The Market For A Car Buy American
Or how to ruin your Southern Republican right to work State Senator's day and help autoworkers everywhere.
The main problem with the auto industry crisis that’s somewhat overlooked is that no one is selling cars. Not the big 3 or the many foreign car makers that have non-union plants in the Southern US. Listening and reading about the crisis you'd think that the problem were only a domestic crisis. The fact is that aside from the general financial crisis, which has apparently put the American companies in danger of collapse more then the foreigners, it's a problem of Americans not buying the cars that are made in this country when they have access to the credit to do so.
The failure by democrats to pass a bridge loan bailout bill through the Senate was mainly because of Southern Senators opposition based on their regional protectionism concerns about the foreign car makers plants in their right to work states being organized at sometime in the future by the United Autoworkers Union. Not because of some ideological opposition base on a dislike of government intervention in the free market and union workers are over paid.
But that's the bullshit reason they'd like you to swallow and if your not outraged about it your not paying attention.
Next in line is your job.
What to do at this point is the question. I think the bigger problem is one of poor public relations by the car companies and the widespread misconception that all American cars are somehow inferior to their foreign competitors. Americans should realize that American made cars are not all the low quality gas-guzzlers that the public perception of them seems to be. The facts are that GM, Ford and Chrysler are now producing or on the verge of producing a number of really good vehicles with great mileage and generous warranty protection plans. I admit their not perfect, but the difference in quality is not enough for most Americans not to consider buying a American car.
My suggestion is that we show the foreign companies and their Republican lackeys they can’t just destroy the dignity of millions of American blue collar worker and their families. Blood should be thicker then any foreign car company indirect Republican shill front man’s Senator’s union busting manipulations of worker everywhere.
The sad reality, also mostly ignored by the media, is that most of these foreign car makers are locating their plants in US right to work States because they are trying to avoid labor union activity in their own countries. In fact, in most cases they can build cars in their US non-union Southern plants cheaper then they can build them in their own country because their foreign plants are heavily organized by unions. I wonder what autoworkers in unions in Germany, Korea and Japan think about the union busting going on here.
So, these foreign automakers themselves should be ultimately held responsible for exploiting workers everywhere.
That’s why Americans should wake up and start to address this double standard by these protectionist Republican Senators but also by the foreign car making companies too. So I say boycott the real exploiters of American auto workers and autoworkers throughout the world and buy American cars made by unionized workers.
The main problem with the auto industry crisis that’s somewhat overlooked is that no one is selling cars. Not the big 3 or the many foreign car makers that have non-union plants in the Southern US. Listening and reading about the crisis you'd think that the problem were only a domestic crisis. The fact is that aside from the general financial crisis, which has apparently put the American companies in danger of collapse more then the foreigners, it's a problem of Americans not buying the cars that are made in this country when they have access to the credit to do so.
The failure by democrats to pass a bridge loan bailout bill through the Senate was mainly because of Southern Senators opposition based on their regional protectionism concerns about the foreign car makers plants in their right to work states being organized at sometime in the future by the United Autoworkers Union. Not because of some ideological opposition base on a dislike of government intervention in the free market and union workers are over paid.
But that's the bullshit reason they'd like you to swallow and if your not outraged about it your not paying attention.
Next in line is your job.
What to do at this point is the question. I think the bigger problem is one of poor public relations by the car companies and the widespread misconception that all American cars are somehow inferior to their foreign competitors. Americans should realize that American made cars are not all the low quality gas-guzzlers that the public perception of them seems to be. The facts are that GM, Ford and Chrysler are now producing or on the verge of producing a number of really good vehicles with great mileage and generous warranty protection plans. I admit their not perfect, but the difference in quality is not enough for most Americans not to consider buying a American car.
My suggestion is that we show the foreign companies and their Republican lackeys they can’t just destroy the dignity of millions of American blue collar worker and their families. Blood should be thicker then any foreign car company indirect Republican shill front man’s Senator’s union busting manipulations of worker everywhere.
The sad reality, also mostly ignored by the media, is that most of these foreign car makers are locating their plants in US right to work States because they are trying to avoid labor union activity in their own countries. In fact, in most cases they can build cars in their US non-union Southern plants cheaper then they can build them in their own country because their foreign plants are heavily organized by unions. I wonder what autoworkers in unions in Germany, Korea and Japan think about the union busting going on here.
So, these foreign automakers themselves should be ultimately held responsible for exploiting workers everywhere.
That’s why Americans should wake up and start to address this double standard by these protectionist Republican Senators but also by the foreign car making companies too. So I say boycott the real exploiters of American auto workers and autoworkers throughout the world and buy American cars made by unionized workers.
Betty Page The Baby Boomer Male (And Female) Archetypical Ideal Of A Babe
Betty Page died yesterday in Los Angeles. Page was an icon of the 60's generation and our sexual revolution. I’ll admit I went through puberty at a time when Betty Page was at the peak of her career and remember as a young Irish Catholic school boy being somewhat conflicted about having a perplexing fondness for Betty and photos of Betty. Perhaps that’s why to me she always represented in many ways the ideal physicality and spirit that any healthy sound minded male who was naturally interested in girls would be looking for in a woman. She was perfect. In many ways I think I’m still looking for those Betty Page qualities in women I meet. That's why I think Page probably remains the gold standard female personification for many males and yes, many females born between 1945 and the mid 1960's.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
It All About Busting The Union Plain And Simple
Much like Ronald Reagan's busting of the Air traffic controllers union as one of his first official acts as President the Republican opposition to the automaker bailout is based totally on busting the UAW Unions.
The opposition to the bill is comprised of mostly Southern Senators with foreign car making plants located in their States. It's a blatant attempt to destroy the union's survival and with it the fear of the UAW ever organizing their State's non union scab plants. Their little way of keeping wages low and the worker in their place.
The opposition to the bill is comprised of mostly Southern Senators with foreign car making plants located in their States. It's a blatant attempt to destroy the union's survival and with it the fear of the UAW ever organizing their State's non union scab plants. Their little way of keeping wages low and the worker in their place.
Electronic Medical Records Will Be Key Part Of Obama Initial Healthcare Reform
I’m retired and with my regular bills I can’t afford to carry medical insurance. Like many Americans I considered myself to be in good health at the time I retired and hoped that I would be able to make it to 65 and Medicare eligibility without coverage. I was 60 at the time and it seemed like a reasonable gamble. I also hoped that in the interim government would finally realize it needed some form of national health insurance that would provide universal coverage to all. A concept I see as one that should be the right of all citizens.
Well I didn’t make it. Luckily I had a fall back plan. About two years ago I had a medical emergency when I was diagnosed with a blot clot in my lower leg. Since I’m a Vietnam era veteran with a military related disability and eligible for coverage I turned to the VA for medical treatment. In the course of follow up treatment of the clot, and the VA doctors attempts to find the cause, I was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer.
Today all I can say about it is thank god for the VA. The excellent treatment I received for the blood clot and the cancer ended in success. My blot clot has disappeared and so has my prostate cancer. My follow up screening indicates that the surgery was successful in removing the cancer and it has left me with little or no side effects associated with this type of surgery.
But the point I'd like to make here is that I became quite familiar with the VA medical delivery system, at least in the Puget Sound region, and so far I have been extremely impressed. Like many I had a skeptical concept of the VA before I went there for treatment. But, what I found was that the quality of care there was comparable or better in many cases then treatment in the private sector. One important example of innovations found at the VA is the working agreement that the VA hospitals in the Puget Sound Region have with the University of Washington Medical School and Harborview Medical Center. The doctor who perform my cancer surgery at the VA was actually a professor at the University of Washington Medical School who taught doctors how to perform prostate cancer surgery. Not bad eh when it comes to finding a qualified doctor?
In the mid 1990’s the VA health care system was in deep crisis when the then under secretary for health at the VA Kenneth Kizer began to work his magic. One of his many reforms was the computerization of the medical records of veterans. The system he help created has become the envy and model for all medical delivery systems not only in the United States but in the world. The cost savings were enormous and the access to individuals medical information has revolutionized medical treatment systems. For instance, I can go anywhere in the world where there is a VA health care facility and access my complete medical treatment history from the closest computer terminal.
This universal accessible medical records database also created a systematic way to tract such thing as population disease occurrence patterns as well as problem areas like medical error and more mundane areas like lab test results. The benefit derived from the continuity of care created by the electronic record system brought about major systemic benefits to the modern VA system. Computerized record keeping helped turn the VA into one of the most admired medical deliver systems in the world, saving lives and lowering costs substantially, as much as 25% per patient according to a number of studies.
At President Elect Obama press conference today naming Tom Daschle his Health and Human Services Director Obama responded to a question about where the money was coming from for health care reform, especially in light of the economic situation. The President elect said he would aim first to lower medical cost and attack areas were medical treatment can be made more efficient. This reform should bring about substantial cost savings making the creation of a national health care system more of a reality. At the center of this cost savings and efficiency will be the computerizing of your medical records.
Well I didn’t make it. Luckily I had a fall back plan. About two years ago I had a medical emergency when I was diagnosed with a blot clot in my lower leg. Since I’m a Vietnam era veteran with a military related disability and eligible for coverage I turned to the VA for medical treatment. In the course of follow up treatment of the clot, and the VA doctors attempts to find the cause, I was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer.
Today all I can say about it is thank god for the VA. The excellent treatment I received for the blood clot and the cancer ended in success. My blot clot has disappeared and so has my prostate cancer. My follow up screening indicates that the surgery was successful in removing the cancer and it has left me with little or no side effects associated with this type of surgery.
But the point I'd like to make here is that I became quite familiar with the VA medical delivery system, at least in the Puget Sound region, and so far I have been extremely impressed. Like many I had a skeptical concept of the VA before I went there for treatment. But, what I found was that the quality of care there was comparable or better in many cases then treatment in the private sector. One important example of innovations found at the VA is the working agreement that the VA hospitals in the Puget Sound Region have with the University of Washington Medical School and Harborview Medical Center. The doctor who perform my cancer surgery at the VA was actually a professor at the University of Washington Medical School who taught doctors how to perform prostate cancer surgery. Not bad eh when it comes to finding a qualified doctor?
In the mid 1990’s the VA health care system was in deep crisis when the then under secretary for health at the VA Kenneth Kizer began to work his magic. One of his many reforms was the computerization of the medical records of veterans. The system he help created has become the envy and model for all medical delivery systems not only in the United States but in the world. The cost savings were enormous and the access to individuals medical information has revolutionized medical treatment systems. For instance, I can go anywhere in the world where there is a VA health care facility and access my complete medical treatment history from the closest computer terminal.
This universal accessible medical records database also created a systematic way to tract such thing as population disease occurrence patterns as well as problem areas like medical error and more mundane areas like lab test results. The benefit derived from the continuity of care created by the electronic record system brought about major systemic benefits to the modern VA system. Computerized record keeping helped turn the VA into one of the most admired medical deliver systems in the world, saving lives and lowering costs substantially, as much as 25% per patient according to a number of studies.
At President Elect Obama press conference today naming Tom Daschle his Health and Human Services Director Obama responded to a question about where the money was coming from for health care reform, especially in light of the economic situation. The President elect said he would aim first to lower medical cost and attack areas were medical treatment can be made more efficient. This reform should bring about substantial cost savings making the creation of a national health care system more of a reality. At the center of this cost savings and efficiency will be the computerizing of your medical records.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Licata Flip Flops And Now Supports Streetcar Expansion
Apparently Seattle City Councilmen Nick Licata had a epiphany Sunday night and decided to change his earlier position in opposition voting Monday to support the plan to expanded the Seattle streetcar network. The plan was past by the council on Monday in a 6 to 3 vote.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Most People Who Believe In God Don’t Care If Atheists Don’t And Saturday Night Live Isn’t Really That Funny Anymore
Most people who believe in god are secure enough with that to not fear the atheist who doesn't. I'm sure the feeling is mutual. But no one in their right mind REALLY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT IT.
This is America and if you get upset by secular symbols your missing the point of freedom of thought which is one of the principles the country is suppose to be based on anyway. It's hard for rational people to understand what all the fuss is about over the different, and apparently competing religious and anti religious displays, at the State Capitol. I guess our bill of rights and constitution allow you to be as ignorant stupid and narrow minded as you want as long as you don’t interfere with my right not to be. Please!
NBC’s Saturday Night Live episodes ratings skyrocketed during the presidential campaign because of America fascination with Sara Palin and Tina Fey’s impersonation of the VP nominee. But without Fey's now departed spot on impersonations the show isn’t very funny anymore.
The Obama impersonation guy sucked and Amy Poehler's Hillary is lame and predictable. It appears that the only people who really like this show are people who live in New York and cable news talking heads who love to use it as banal filler content to counter their overly redundant shallow news reporting. The SNL sketches often fall completely flat. My suggestion for similar comedy would be MAD TV where the sketch writing and talent often leave SLN in the dust.
This is America and if you get upset by secular symbols your missing the point of freedom of thought which is one of the principles the country is suppose to be based on anyway. It's hard for rational people to understand what all the fuss is about over the different, and apparently competing religious and anti religious displays, at the State Capitol. I guess our bill of rights and constitution allow you to be as ignorant stupid and narrow minded as you want as long as you don’t interfere with my right not to be. Please!
NBC’s Saturday Night Live episodes ratings skyrocketed during the presidential campaign because of America fascination with Sara Palin and Tina Fey’s impersonation of the VP nominee. But without Fey's now departed spot on impersonations the show isn’t very funny anymore.
The Obama impersonation guy sucked and Amy Poehler's Hillary is lame and predictable. It appears that the only people who really like this show are people who live in New York and cable news talking heads who love to use it as banal filler content to counter their overly redundant shallow news reporting. The SNL sketches often fall completely flat. My suggestion for similar comedy would be MAD TV where the sketch writing and talent often leave SLN in the dust.
Licata Obstructs Progress On Expanding Streetcar
Seattle City Council member Nick Licata once again has demonstrated his tendency to stand in the way of any viable rapid transit idea that comes up in the City of Seattle. It plays into his long history of obstructing progress and taking the political course of least resistance.He’s predictably happy to always present a narrow-minded small idea counter proposal to any idea that’s bold or forward thinking. Licata single-handedly is probably the council member most responsible for Seattle's laughable nationwide reputation as the champion of major cities when it comes to lots of talk an little or no action.
He was against a progressive option during the Viaduct vote and invariably ends up against just about anything that reflects original thinking or the least bit of risk of his personal political capital. If Licata were in charge of the Lewis and Clark expedition it still be stuck in Saint Louis. Licata’s addiction to parochial and dated group think stifles the life out of the city and has a history of strangling the baby in it’s crib on every worthwhile and progressive idea that comes before the City Council.
The current controversy is about expanding the streetcar lines throughout the city. Licata opposes it because he’s worried about where the money will come from rather then getting off his ass and finding the funding necessary to build it. He is also worried about whether the riders will actually ride a streetcar.
Well if you build streetcar lines in neighborhoods that actually have people in them instead of exclusively in just Paul Allen urban renewal south Lake Union neighborhood I’d venture to guess that you’ll get your riders. It also seems to me that since the Obama administration is about to spend billions on infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy that as a politician it would behoove Licata to be out there getting the GD money to expand the streetcar lines rather then falling back on his habit of whining about what we can’t do.
God it may put someone to work and create a green transit system that better reflects what a great city Seattle can be instead of the shitty carbon based bus system that Licata apparently thinks is just fine.
I know Licata is still the pet of many of Seattle’s liberals who are apparently most impressed by the last person they talk to since they continue to vote for this guy like sheep being lead to the slaughter. Licata’s small time ideas are outdated. Seattle needs better and bolder leaders now more then ever. Leaders who are willing to take political positions that demonstrate real leadership and new thinking, not the play it safe political course of least resistance that have personify Licata's tenure as a member of the dinosaur faction of the city council.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Senator Richard Shelby Is A Lying Union Busting Sack Of Shit
Alabama Senator Richard Shelby seldom mentions the massive government subsidies the State Of Alabama paid to get Mercedes Benz to open a plant there while he's attacking a bailout for American car makers.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
American Workers Live In Fear Of Their Paternalistic Employer’s Phony Authority
“Take my freaking soul boss, I have no use for it”.
American workers have become gutless undignified tools living in fear of their employers every whim. Thankful they can just show up and work for near minimum wage and if their lucky lick enough boot to also receive a shitty health insurance package with a $5000 deductible.
You may as well be dead.
People like anti union Senator Richard Shelby from the right to work State of Alabama and his fellow Republican working class ball busting buddy South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford take great pride in complaining about workers who make more then $10 dollars per hour. They equivocate it to extortion that working stiffs could actually make an average of $28 dollars per hour like union autoworkers do.
Oh my fucking god, can you imagine actually making $28 bucks an hour!
Then there’s Mitt Romney, another lying sack of shit politician born with a silver spoon in his mouth nonchalantly going on how he’d strip the pensions of thousands of autoworkers as part of his answer on how to save the US auto industry. I guess it’s easy for him to say, but what about the thousands of workers who’s pensions are at stake who believed they had a binding contract with their employer made in good faith and based on years and years of showing up and working their butts off producing the employers products.
Look at the States these people like Shelby and Sanford represent and you’ll find they’re some of the most unfavorable for income levels. In 2007 Alabama ranked 47th and South Carolina ranked 42nd. By the way heavily unionized and forward thinking Washington ranks number 11. Surveys show that states with larger numbers of union members consistently rank higher in wages then states with low numbers of union members.
The main goal of the Shelby's of this world is to bust unions so States like Alabama can continue to have the anti-union heavily tax payer subsidized foreign auto companies producing cars there that cost less because of the exploitation of the unrepresented lower wage happy as a clam don't ever complain local workers. One must also understand that the comparably higher wages paid by the right to work State non union automakers are the direct result of fear by the company of being organized by the union.
But the bigger problem, as I see it, is that most workers who would benefit from a union as strong and effective as the UAW representing them don’t get it either. They’ve been taught and condition to think of themselves as the rugged individual who will rise to the top on the basis of his own merit. Not as a class of workers who have more in common with each others well being as a group then their phony paternalistic boss would like to programmed them to believe.
Sure some workers will rise to the top but most won't. The game for the employer is to make everyone believe that it's possible for everyone to become part of management if they kiss ass and keep their nose clean and management uses the group think as a way to keep all employees in line and in fear of ever questioning the boss's authority or their ability to play a part in controlling their wages or working conditions.
Proof of this widespread ignorance is the recent survey over 60% of the people who were asked thought the auto company should not be bailed out. Basically willing to allow millions of workers to loss their livelihood because they can't get their freaking heads around what's actually happening here.
The president of the United Steal Workers Leo W Gerard says that no one gives a shit about the “people who have to shower after work.” But they give billions of dollars no strings attached “to the people who shower before they go to work.” At least the automakers are promising to pay the loans back here.
The myth of over paid autoworkers being to blame is just plain bullshit. The additional myth that American car companies are making inferior cars is also mostly bullshit. But it difficult to figure out for the typical no nothing and believe everything I hear American.
Most of these people are the same ones you hear complaining about unionized construction workers they see taking a break on the side of the highway. They’ll complain endlessly about how these workers are overpaid or lazy. But what they are really saying is I wish I had that type of security and good wages instead of working like a dog for the low wage I get. Meanwhile I’m in constant fear of being fired if I don’t kiss the employer ass on a daily basis. It’s every man and woman for himself or herself. These workers have literally sold their souls and dignity so they can live from paycheck to paycheck working at their crummy job. That they'd probably be better off losing given the destruction it does to their psyche.
I admit that unions are not perfect and maybe if your some hi-tech nerd you MAY not need a union. It’s been my experience that most blue collar workers do. One must admit that the labor movement has in fact improved the working conditions of workers they represent in most cases, and that has had the direct effect of raising every worker’s boat whether they are union or not.
So wake up and stop bashing the workers and their unions for exercising their right to earn a decent wage, health care benefits or a damm pension to retire with in dignity just because your too dam scared and uninformed to fight for your own rights and dignity as a worker.
American workers have become gutless undignified tools living in fear of their employers every whim. Thankful they can just show up and work for near minimum wage and if their lucky lick enough boot to also receive a shitty health insurance package with a $5000 deductible.
You may as well be dead.
People like anti union Senator Richard Shelby from the right to work State of Alabama and his fellow Republican working class ball busting buddy South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford take great pride in complaining about workers who make more then $10 dollars per hour. They equivocate it to extortion that working stiffs could actually make an average of $28 dollars per hour like union autoworkers do.
Oh my fucking god, can you imagine actually making $28 bucks an hour!
Then there’s Mitt Romney, another lying sack of shit politician born with a silver spoon in his mouth nonchalantly going on how he’d strip the pensions of thousands of autoworkers as part of his answer on how to save the US auto industry. I guess it’s easy for him to say, but what about the thousands of workers who’s pensions are at stake who believed they had a binding contract with their employer made in good faith and based on years and years of showing up and working their butts off producing the employers products.
Look at the States these people like Shelby and Sanford represent and you’ll find they’re some of the most unfavorable for income levels. In 2007 Alabama ranked 47th and South Carolina ranked 42nd. By the way heavily unionized and forward thinking Washington ranks number 11. Surveys show that states with larger numbers of union members consistently rank higher in wages then states with low numbers of union members.
The main goal of the Shelby's of this world is to bust unions so States like Alabama can continue to have the anti-union heavily tax payer subsidized foreign auto companies producing cars there that cost less because of the exploitation of the unrepresented lower wage happy as a clam don't ever complain local workers. One must also understand that the comparably higher wages paid by the right to work State non union automakers are the direct result of fear by the company of being organized by the union.
But the bigger problem, as I see it, is that most workers who would benefit from a union as strong and effective as the UAW representing them don’t get it either. They’ve been taught and condition to think of themselves as the rugged individual who will rise to the top on the basis of his own merit. Not as a class of workers who have more in common with each others well being as a group then their phony paternalistic boss would like to programmed them to believe.
Sure some workers will rise to the top but most won't. The game for the employer is to make everyone believe that it's possible for everyone to become part of management if they kiss ass and keep their nose clean and management uses the group think as a way to keep all employees in line and in fear of ever questioning the boss's authority or their ability to play a part in controlling their wages or working conditions.
Proof of this widespread ignorance is the recent survey over 60% of the people who were asked thought the auto company should not be bailed out. Basically willing to allow millions of workers to loss their livelihood because they can't get their freaking heads around what's actually happening here.
The president of the United Steal Workers Leo W Gerard says that no one gives a shit about the “people who have to shower after work.” But they give billions of dollars no strings attached “to the people who shower before they go to work.” At least the automakers are promising to pay the loans back here.
The myth of over paid autoworkers being to blame is just plain bullshit. The additional myth that American car companies are making inferior cars is also mostly bullshit. But it difficult to figure out for the typical no nothing and believe everything I hear American.
Most of these people are the same ones you hear complaining about unionized construction workers they see taking a break on the side of the highway. They’ll complain endlessly about how these workers are overpaid or lazy. But what they are really saying is I wish I had that type of security and good wages instead of working like a dog for the low wage I get. Meanwhile I’m in constant fear of being fired if I don’t kiss the employer ass on a daily basis. It’s every man and woman for himself or herself. These workers have literally sold their souls and dignity so they can live from paycheck to paycheck working at their crummy job. That they'd probably be better off losing given the destruction it does to their psyche.
I admit that unions are not perfect and maybe if your some hi-tech nerd you MAY not need a union. It’s been my experience that most blue collar workers do. One must admit that the labor movement has in fact improved the working conditions of workers they represent in most cases, and that has had the direct effect of raising every worker’s boat whether they are union or not.
So wake up and stop bashing the workers and their unions for exercising their right to earn a decent wage, health care benefits or a damm pension to retire with in dignity just because your too dam scared and uninformed to fight for your own rights and dignity as a worker.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Tina Fey Girl Gone Wild
In a effort to play the sex appeal card Tina Fey is dancing and not wearing as much clothing. See her dance here.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Study Shows Dams May Have Less Of An Impact On Salmon Survival Than Previously Thought
A fascinating and comprehensive study by scientists tracking ocean migrating salmon life span challenges several long held beliefs by environmentalists and others.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
India Government Apparently As Incompetent As Bush Administration
There's been lots of retrospective talk lately on the left about the systemic incompetence of the Bush administration and Republican Party over the last decade. Sure Republicans could win elections but they were terrible at governing.
Many are saying that it was not so much the greed or cultural wedge issue based ideology that ruined them, just plain old stupidity and incompetence. Unqualified political hacks were given key jobs in government and when crisis arose or historic decisions had to be made they failed utterly.
How could they be so stupid, citizens would ask themselves time and again. The video below from the India Times features Indian news commentators railing about the ineptitude of their government in the crisis. It sounds very familiar.
The terror attacks in Mumbai have exposed the fact that incompetent national leaders are not just an American problem. The India crisis has exposed their government's leaders for their inability to deal with the long standing problem of terrorism or deal effectively with other national problems.
Many are saying that it was not so much the greed or cultural wedge issue based ideology that ruined them, just plain old stupidity and incompetence. Unqualified political hacks were given key jobs in government and when crisis arose or historic decisions had to be made they failed utterly.
How could they be so stupid, citizens would ask themselves time and again. The video below from the India Times features Indian news commentators railing about the ineptitude of their government in the crisis. It sounds very familiar.
The terror attacks in Mumbai have exposed the fact that incompetent national leaders are not just an American problem. The India crisis has exposed their government's leaders for their inability to deal with the long standing problem of terrorism or deal effectively with other national problems.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Obama: "Who Wants (To Vote For) Someone Like That"
I find this quote from Barack Obama in the New York Times about his views on the bias of FOX News during the election campaign reaffirming for some reason. Especially the part about New York times reading, no gun owning, politically correct, and arrogant sort or liberals we all know and love.
Excellent question.
via: The Swamp
I am convinced that if there were no Fox News, I might be two or three points higher in the polls. If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn't vote for me, right?
Because the way I'm portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal.
Who wants somebody like that?"
Excellent question.
via: The Swamp
Thursday, November 27, 2008
A Day Without A Gay
Gay community to call in gay December 10th in a show of solidarity and fight for equal rights. This is going to be very interesting if it catches on across the nation. I think that everybody should take the day off to show their support for everyone's equality. Hallelujah let 's go big and have a one day general strike.
The Automakers Should Of Sent This Guy To Talk To Congress
Lansing Michigan Mayor Virg Bernero is about the most articulate spokesman I've heard talking about why the taxpayers should save the American automakers. Watch this interview on FOX News.He clears up many of the myths created by Republicans like Alabama's hicksville Senator Richard Shelby. The good Senator likes to bash unionized autoworkers at every chance with outrages bullshit like that they're all making $70 per hour. The average unionized autoworker makes $28 bucks and hour not $70. This is the same Senator Shelby who got millions of taxpayer dollars so he could coax non union Asian carmakers to build plants in his right to work anti-union socially backward bottom feeding state.
"Conservatives also argued that the Big Three should be left to die because in a free market, that’s what happens to poorly operated companies offering inferior products.Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, said, for example, “I do not support the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to reward the mismanagement of Detroit-based auto manufacturers.”
Shelby made this accusation while part of the Congress that ran up the largest federal deficits known to man and allowed Paulson to broker a deal to sell troubled Wachovia bank to troubled Citigroup – a bank that so far got two bailouts, the first of which arriving within weeks of the failed Wachovia marriage.
Shelby, of course, has a lot to lose if Michigan does well. His home state of Alabama gave tax breaks to foreign car companies Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Hyundai to locate factories there – hardly a free market approach.
So, like many conservatives, he twists reality to suit his circumstances. He’s right that American car companies made mistakes. In October, GM’s sales were off 45 percent from the year before, Chrysler 35 percent and Ford 30. But he’s wrong about that being a result of mismanagement alone, well, unless he thinks his precious foreign car companies made the same mistakes. Toyota was down 23 percent, Honda 25 and Nissan 33 for the same month."
Leo W. Gerard United Steel Workers International President
Thanks For Acting Presidential
Maybe it's me but I believe much can be said about the visceral feeling one picks up on when you watch Barack Obama interacting with the people around him. There are many things that stand out, when you comparing him to Bush's more contrived demeanor around regular people, that I admire and clearly show his innate sensitivity about regular folks.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
How Union Card Check Could Help The Economy
Conservatives currently find it fashionable to whine about the power of unions after years of screwing the working class in the ass buy exporting their manufacturing jobs overseas so they could further exploit workers in third world republics and China. Having lowered the real earnings of most working Americans in the last decade by thousands of dollars they became millionaires by mismanaging the companies they ran.In reality hasn’t incompetence, greed and selfishness been the earmark of this bunch. The unregulated financial system especially during the Bush administration was allowed to set up what was nothing more then an enormous unregulated Las Vegas style Ponzi scheme economy. While CEO’s leave the companies they badly mismanaged in ruins they are given millions of dollar in golden parachute payments. But this bunch still have the gall to question the pension benefits being received by some broken down autoworker who spent his entire life working each day so he could someday retire with security and dignity.
Most of these bum barons of industry were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. A good example of this is the lying weazel Mitt Romney who has the gall to call for the elimination of the pension benefits, which he diabolically calls "the legacy costs", of the unionized autoworkers as part of a solution to the auto makers current crash. Romey who's word means nothing forgets that these workers have a contract and have been promised retirement benefits in return for years of showing up at work and doing their job for what we now realize were incompetent brain dead employers.
The union members didn’t design the shitty cars or market them nor were they responsible for setting the fuel mileage standards. God know if the workers would have had the power to do that we may still have a viable car making industry producing viable products.
But that would be socialism won’t it?
The biggest injustice is the continuing conservative bitching about a bailout of the automakers that would literally save millions of working class and union jobs. Meanwhile billions of dollars are given to the banks and financial companies with hardly any strings attached. Being done in spite of overwhelming evidence that these institutions are mismanagement by the same incompetent people who are now getting the money.
Since this country really doesn’t make anything anymore we have a problem. We cannot create much wealth since we have nothing to sell to the rest of the world. Because there was no real increase in wages workers got in the modern habit of using the equity in our homes like a ATM machine, thinking the value of the home could only increase. Spending the money on shinny objects like high definition TV's and home espresso machines made in China. Clearly 70% of our economy is now based on consumer spending. Workers have now lost the ability to use their homes as cash machines as the value of their homes has actually plummeted or stagnated.
Consumers are beginning to realize the party is over.
But another way to help economic recovery is to get more money in the hands of American workers by increasing wages. This is where a viable labor union movement could play a part. If workers can increase their buying power with increases in wages then they will spend more and help the economy return to stability. Minimum wage increases are another way of increasing worker-buying power and should be immediately considered by the Congress.
Also organized labor’s attempt to impose card check, known as the Employee Free Choice Act, as a tool of organizing is important. It could be just what is needed. Card check levels the playing field and make it easier for unions to organize workers who want to have a union negotiate on their behalf for better wages and working conditions.
Having once been a union organizer I think I can make the argument here that card check is not the boogey man that the right and employers like to scream bloody murder about.
Of course there should be reasonable safeguards but workers understand that they should be able to sign a card indicating they want to have a union at there place of employment and if more then 50% sign a card their desire to unionize should be respected by government and the boss. Employers hate card check because it limits their ability to harass, intimidate and divide workers in the run up to a election that is the stock and trade of the current system of organizing.
Under the current system even if the employer is caught harassing, intimidating, firing or otherwise committing unfair labor practices against employees who want the union, under the Bush run National Labor Relations Board little was done to protect the employee. Which was the original intent of the law. Fearing a lack of protection because of a lack of enforcement of the laws governing labor organizing by the NLRB creates a chilling factor for employees wanting to form a union.
Employers are really arguing against card check by saying that workers are not smart enough to determine their own destiny without the benevolent hand of the employer completely controlling the situation.
Unions are democratic organization and some are certainly better run then others, but the bottom line is that unions do increase wages and improve working conditions for workers in the vast majority of situations where they represent workers. The also offer additional protection for workers who are easily exploited by unscrupulous employers.
Increasing wages and the buying power of workers can help with economy recover.
Remember, it it my experience that no well run company that pays a fair wage and really treats its employees well should fear a union card check organizing campaign. Employees in well run companies where employers treat them fairly seldom have a desire to join a union. Why would they?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Get Fat Smoke And Vote Republican
Here's our study of how unhealthy people who smoke and also are obese tend to vote for Republican.Who's still smoking in the US and where? Here's a interactive map that shows smoking trends and the different state laws concerning smoking. A second map shows obesity rates by state and the third map shows us the counties where people voted for Republicans in larger numbers this year then in 2004.
I don't know about you but I see a pattern.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Texas Turning Blue
I spent two weeks campaigning for Barack Obama in Texas in the run-up to the March presidential primary. This experience further tweaked my interest in the politics of Texas and I've been following the political trends in this traditionally very red state ever since. It appears that more and more Texans are choosing to vote blue. In 2012 with the ever increasing number of Latinos and younger voters going with the Democratic Party this state could become a huge electoral college vote prize that helps reelect Barack Obama.
via: Burnt Orange
via: Burnt Orange
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
A New And More Dangerous Culture War Has Started
The right's newly focused and post election diatribe is now aimed at the so called left and GLBT community's anger about unequal marriage rights ignited by the passage of proposition 8 in California.What is dangerous is that Newt Gingrich and others are quick to brand this activism as an example of wide spread evidence of a "violent gay and secular fascist agenda". While the pot is calling the kettle black Gingrich conveniently overlooks the issue as one of equal civil rights and instead beats the drum of a controversial minority trying to impose their will on the majority.
Wingnuts are increasingly basing their claim on a small number of isolated incidents where Christian fundamentalist groups or individuals were confronted by members of the gay community. FOX News has been looping video tape, Reverend Wright style, of the confrontation in San Francisco's Castro district that involved locals and fundamentalists, there apparently in an attempt to convert gays, that became confrontational and rather ugly last Friday night and another incident where a 62 year old woman had her cross taken away and stomped on by Prop 8 protesters.
I think this is an extremely dangerous escalation following the just concluded election where wingnuts everywhere were wipped into a frenzy based on false inferences that Obama was a Muslim, terrorist, Socialist, baby killing and marriage hating Arab or worse. Gingrich should know that this type of hate inducing speech will end up getting someone hurt. I'm afraid this agenda of hate has been decided upon by the current Republican party deadbeats as viable politically and we are just begining to see the first salvos in a new ramped up phase of the cultural wedge issue war.
It would be wrong not mention that I think that gay and progressive activists need to start to focus on a coordinated non violent based way forward. If possible the GLBT community needs to establish greater dialog with those open to it in the religious community, especially in Black community churches. The tendency it seems now is to be confrontational with anyone who is religious rather then taking the high road. God knows that organized religion has done enough damage throughout history. What are you surprised.
It's not about religion at all it's about civil rights. I don't have much hope that the right will change and I fear that we are headed for tragedy and needless setbacks in this struggle for equal rights. The cause is just and we should be careful not to lower ourselves to the level of these homophobic hate mongers.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Harry Reid Continues To Make Chicken Little Look Good
artistdogboy channel video blog #1.
I know you could hardly wait, so get your partner and the kids all gathered round for some worthwhile ranting.
I know you could hardly wait, so get your partner and the kids all gathered round for some worthwhile ranting.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Help Google Bomb Saxby Chambliss Out Of The Senate
Here's a creative way to help defeat Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss in the upcoming Georgia Runoff brought to you by our friends at My DD. It works by having as many people as possible creating links in whatever way possible to the site Saxby Chambliss 2008 a site created by a progressive anti Chambliss activist where people will find out the truth about good old boy Saxby.
Everyone who encounters the site will be a voter looking for more information on Saxby Chambliss, and we can show them this great website. If we can push hits on the site into the first ten results for Saxby Chambliss in Georgia, then it will result in a lot of excellent voter contacts. It maybe surprised to them to find out things like he's against kids health coverage and for privatizing social security.
Let's send Saxby packing!
Everyone who encounters the site will be a voter looking for more information on Saxby Chambliss, and we can show them this great website. If we can push hits on the site into the first ten results for Saxby Chambliss in Georgia, then it will result in a lot of excellent voter contacts. It maybe surprised to them to find out things like he's against kids health coverage and for privatizing social security.
Let's send Saxby packing!
Its No Wonder Detroit Can’t Sell Anything
If anything is a sign of the alternate universe that Detroit automakers occupy it got to be the Dodge Truck Ram Challenge Ad Campaign. This reality show theme based ad campaign for the gas guzzling Ram 1500 pickup truck that pits four teams of manly men against each other to race trucks around a Hollywood style special effects laden obstacle courses in an effort to prove their manliness and the toughness of the rear axles, load capacity, and manly leather upholstery of the vehicles they're joy riding.
Faced with the reality of the day, Is this total bullshit of what?
God knows what this type of massive hyped advertising campaign costs to produce. But, instead of solving the long standing problem of a need for fuel efficient vehicles and addressing the general quality of the cars they build, the big wigs in Detroit are stuck in neutral when it comes to original thought and actual reality. Their continual attempt to sell us their shitty vehicles by offering us crap like this macho he man hype that’s tied to tough guys and their homoerotic pornographic relationships with their pickup trucks is nothing more than further proof that they're brain dead and innovationally bankrupt.
As far as I’m concerned if the taxpayers end up bailing out Detroit one of the prerequisites for the oversight committee has got to be to stop this type of banal fluff aimed at NASCAR loving nitwits.
The big question of course is should they be bailed out at all. I think they should be, mainly due to the extremely bad economic atmosphere we find ourselves in right now. If times were better I would not be inclined to reward this type of incompetence. But given the widespread effect on our economy the failure of these companies could have, with two and a half million households depending directly or indirectly on them for their paychecks, I think we have no choice but to act. The car companies and their unions must be required in return to make major concessions and relinquish power. The fear being that the economy is so fragile right now that any systemic collapse of the auto industry would only catapult the nation into a even more dire economic disaster.
One thing for sure if the taxpayers give money to Detroit it going to have to come with lots of strings attached. Given these guys track record it would be foolish to do otherwise. The last time Washington gave the car makers money they used it mainly to guarantee $2.99 per gallon for the first three years if you purchased one of their gas guzzlers. The taxpayers must be guaranteed reality based thinking and innovation in return for any bailout of Detroit this time around.
Faced with the reality of the day, Is this total bullshit of what?
God knows what this type of massive hyped advertising campaign costs to produce. But, instead of solving the long standing problem of a need for fuel efficient vehicles and addressing the general quality of the cars they build, the big wigs in Detroit are stuck in neutral when it comes to original thought and actual reality. Their continual attempt to sell us their shitty vehicles by offering us crap like this macho he man hype that’s tied to tough guys and their homoerotic pornographic relationships with their pickup trucks is nothing more than further proof that they're brain dead and innovationally bankrupt.
As far as I’m concerned if the taxpayers end up bailing out Detroit one of the prerequisites for the oversight committee has got to be to stop this type of banal fluff aimed at NASCAR loving nitwits.
The big question of course is should they be bailed out at all. I think they should be, mainly due to the extremely bad economic atmosphere we find ourselves in right now. If times were better I would not be inclined to reward this type of incompetence. But given the widespread effect on our economy the failure of these companies could have, with two and a half million households depending directly or indirectly on them for their paychecks, I think we have no choice but to act. The car companies and their unions must be required in return to make major concessions and relinquish power. The fear being that the economy is so fragile right now that any systemic collapse of the auto industry would only catapult the nation into a even more dire economic disaster.
One thing for sure if the taxpayers give money to Detroit it going to have to come with lots of strings attached. Given these guys track record it would be foolish to do otherwise. The last time Washington gave the car makers money they used it mainly to guarantee $2.99 per gallon for the first three years if you purchased one of their gas guzzlers. The taxpayers must be guaranteed reality based thinking and innovation in return for any bailout of Detroit this time around.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Veterans Mental Health Becoming Major Concern
Iraq and Afghanistan The mental health consequences of combat threaten to overwhelm a new generation of veterans. There are 1.7 million men and women who have served, or are currently serving, in Iraq and Afghanistan. About 1 in 5 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are suffering from a mental health injury, ranging from depression to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as a result of their service.
Via: Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America
Via: Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America
Monday, November 10, 2008
An Open Letter To Governor Sarah Palin
Governor Palin,
I am writing today as a citizen because I am concerned about the very dangerous, hateful and lingering tone of your recently ended campaign.
I’ve read several news accounts concerning Secret Service reports that your campaign rhetoric aimed at Barack Obama had a dramatic and direct affect in increasing the number of death threats against Barack Obama and his family, especially among white supremacist groups.
The most troubling thing about this is the fact that you failed to comprehend what the long-term consequences could be when you engaged in this type of rhetoric or how it might endanger Senator Obama. It appears that winning the election was more important to you then any concerns for the personal safety of President Elect Barack Obama or his family. It has also been reported in the press that you engaged in this type of campaigning even though McCain advisors thought it unwise and told you not to go there. If true, it shows that John McCain realized the negative nature of such campaign tactics and you simply decided to ignore it.
Coinciding with the time you were making speeches claiming Barack Obama was a terrorist sympathizer based on his obscure associations with William Ayres, or you were trying to paint him as unpatriotic using other unsubstantiated guilt by association themes, your rallies began to attract a number of individuals that any reasonable person watching would justifiability describe as extreme or outright racist.
Georgia Representative John Lewis warned you during the campaign that your rhetoric was “sowing the seeds of hatred and division”, something you and John McCain to this day fail to acknowledge. Instead you and Senator McCain commenced in the tactic of blaming the victims and the messenger. Congressman Lewis lived through the most tumultuous years of the civil rights movement in this country and certainly should have been given the benefit of the doubt when it came to recognizing the effect of dangerous and inflammatory speech.
The problem Governor Palin is that you didn’t seem to realize what your actions could do. By engaging in this type of subtle race baiting and by labeling your opponent as unpatriotic and a terrorist you are directly responsible for the lingering and dangerous atmosphere that now exist and could threaten the safety of the President Elect Obama.
Even though it is impossible to un-ring the bell, I think you owe it to the American people and the Obama family to publicly take some sort of action to make it clear that you believe that most of what was said during the campaign about President Elect Obama patriotism or “palling around with terrorists” was nothing more then heated campaign hyperbole and it would be unconscionable that anyone contemplate bringing harm to anyone based on what was said during the campaign.
It should be a time for healing in America and you have a responsibility now to reel in the white supremacist, extremists and even the unstable elements of your own Republican party. I think you should publicly denounce white supremacist groups and individuals who may think it justifiable because of what you have said who now feel somehow justified in considering harm to the President Elect. Given the number of unstable and extreme individuals who take you at your word it would not be unreasonable to think that they believe that your words have given them license to bring harm to the President Elect Obama.
Finally, It is unfortunate that you did not have the personal gravitas or class to realize that you maybe opening an unpredictable Pandora’s box of hatred by partaking in the type of dangerous and extreme rhetoric you spouted at your rallies in the first place. It does not speak highly of your understanding of the power of certain words and of the world at large. Especially coming from someone who was supposedly intelligent enough to be a heart beat away from the President.
I’d be interested in immediately knowing what you intend to do to address the issues I’ve raised in this letter.
Sincerely,
Daniel O’Brien
artistdogboy
Vashon Island, WA
I am writing today as a citizen because I am concerned about the very dangerous, hateful and lingering tone of your recently ended campaign.
I’ve read several news accounts concerning Secret Service reports that your campaign rhetoric aimed at Barack Obama had a dramatic and direct affect in increasing the number of death threats against Barack Obama and his family, especially among white supremacist groups.
The most troubling thing about this is the fact that you failed to comprehend what the long-term consequences could be when you engaged in this type of rhetoric or how it might endanger Senator Obama. It appears that winning the election was more important to you then any concerns for the personal safety of President Elect Barack Obama or his family. It has also been reported in the press that you engaged in this type of campaigning even though McCain advisors thought it unwise and told you not to go there. If true, it shows that John McCain realized the negative nature of such campaign tactics and you simply decided to ignore it.
Coinciding with the time you were making speeches claiming Barack Obama was a terrorist sympathizer based on his obscure associations with William Ayres, or you were trying to paint him as unpatriotic using other unsubstantiated guilt by association themes, your rallies began to attract a number of individuals that any reasonable person watching would justifiability describe as extreme or outright racist.
Georgia Representative John Lewis warned you during the campaign that your rhetoric was “sowing the seeds of hatred and division”, something you and John McCain to this day fail to acknowledge. Instead you and Senator McCain commenced in the tactic of blaming the victims and the messenger. Congressman Lewis lived through the most tumultuous years of the civil rights movement in this country and certainly should have been given the benefit of the doubt when it came to recognizing the effect of dangerous and inflammatory speech.
The problem Governor Palin is that you didn’t seem to realize what your actions could do. By engaging in this type of subtle race baiting and by labeling your opponent as unpatriotic and a terrorist you are directly responsible for the lingering and dangerous atmosphere that now exist and could threaten the safety of the President Elect Obama.
Even though it is impossible to un-ring the bell, I think you owe it to the American people and the Obama family to publicly take some sort of action to make it clear that you believe that most of what was said during the campaign about President Elect Obama patriotism or “palling around with terrorists” was nothing more then heated campaign hyperbole and it would be unconscionable that anyone contemplate bringing harm to anyone based on what was said during the campaign.
It should be a time for healing in America and you have a responsibility now to reel in the white supremacist, extremists and even the unstable elements of your own Republican party. I think you should publicly denounce white supremacist groups and individuals who may think it justifiable because of what you have said who now feel somehow justified in considering harm to the President Elect. Given the number of unstable and extreme individuals who take you at your word it would not be unreasonable to think that they believe that your words have given them license to bring harm to the President Elect Obama.
Finally, It is unfortunate that you did not have the personal gravitas or class to realize that you maybe opening an unpredictable Pandora’s box of hatred by partaking in the type of dangerous and extreme rhetoric you spouted at your rallies in the first place. It does not speak highly of your understanding of the power of certain words and of the world at large. Especially coming from someone who was supposedly intelligent enough to be a heart beat away from the President.
I’d be interested in immediately knowing what you intend to do to address the issues I’ve raised in this letter.
Sincerely,
Daniel O’Brien
artistdogboy
Vashon Island, WA
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Friday, November 07, 2008
The Left’s Irrational Fear Of Clinton People In Obama Cabinet
MSNBC’s Rachael Maddow in concert with several other lefty blogs continue to blow a gasket over talk that Barack Obama is considering appointing several former Clinton administration members to his cabinet. The paint hasn't even been applied to the inauguration band stand yet and they are already harping about “Is this the change we can count on”. Maybe she's driven by a need for post election show content, but whatever the reason Maddow has been harping this line for a couple of days now.
Maddow should get better writers and along with other amped up lefties immediately take a chill pill and stop this nonsense. I’m sure that Obama is open to any expert or adviser who has the necessary hands on experience of pulling the big economic levers of government. Why would he rely at this moment of crisis on the unproven, experimental or half baked economic ideas soup du jour. There will be lots of time for that later once we stop the bleeding.
Maddow acts like Obama should only be considering newbies or non Clinton administration partisan types or that he is somehow selling out to the ideals of his campaign by relying on proven experience and expertise of past Clinton cabinet menders. It's like she wants Richard Bransom to be appointed the new Secretary of the Treasury.
Hogwash!
Maddow made the same misinterpretation of Obama’s approach to governance, as many lefties do, last week during an interview of the soon to be President Elect by making a big thing out of the Obama tendency not to participate in overly partisan BS attack politics aimed at any nearby generic Republican.
Maddow made a big thing out of nothing by trying to make the case that he was failing to criticize Republicans apparently because they were Republicans. Maddow noted that Obama often criticizes President George W. Bush, but not the Republican Party in general, a point Obama gamely welcomed by touting his outreach to Republicans. He also suggested that even if his bipartisan approach disappoints Democratic partisans who are looking for a fight, it appears to be working for his successful presidential campaign: Obama ended the line of questioning by saying “Rachel it appears to be working”, inferring it was counterproductive behavior and part of the old politics and sort of a dumb premise.
It seems that lefty voices like Maddow and others within the blogosphere haven’t taken the time to read Obama’s book or listen to his rhetoric about a new approach to politics. They remain overly cynical or stuck in the old divisive partisan paradigms rather then looking for what will work and produce real results. Obama’s thinking centers on the belief that we must begin an era of post partisan politics if we are to get anything done. Common sense answers versus the same old boomer tendency echoed by the left and the wedge issue centered right in the blogs and by commentators who look at everything from an us versus them polarize viewpoint.
George Bush thought of himself as the decider, which was mostly BS. If anything Obama has shown he will listen to all advise and then he will make the big decisions. The difference being that Obama is by light years more competence, intelligent, emphatic and centered then numb nuts Bush ever could or will be.
So take a deep breath and forget this nonsense about a third Clinton administration and get ready for what it looks like to have a real leader running this country.
Maddow should get better writers and along with other amped up lefties immediately take a chill pill and stop this nonsense. I’m sure that Obama is open to any expert or adviser who has the necessary hands on experience of pulling the big economic levers of government. Why would he rely at this moment of crisis on the unproven, experimental or half baked economic ideas soup du jour. There will be lots of time for that later once we stop the bleeding.
Maddow acts like Obama should only be considering newbies or non Clinton administration partisan types or that he is somehow selling out to the ideals of his campaign by relying on proven experience and expertise of past Clinton cabinet menders. It's like she wants Richard Bransom to be appointed the new Secretary of the Treasury.
Hogwash!
Maddow made the same misinterpretation of Obama’s approach to governance, as many lefties do, last week during an interview of the soon to be President Elect by making a big thing out of the Obama tendency not to participate in overly partisan BS attack politics aimed at any nearby generic Republican.
Maddow made a big thing out of nothing by trying to make the case that he was failing to criticize Republicans apparently because they were Republicans. Maddow noted that Obama often criticizes President George W. Bush, but not the Republican Party in general, a point Obama gamely welcomed by touting his outreach to Republicans. He also suggested that even if his bipartisan approach disappoints Democratic partisans who are looking for a fight, it appears to be working for his successful presidential campaign: Obama ended the line of questioning by saying “Rachel it appears to be working”, inferring it was counterproductive behavior and part of the old politics and sort of a dumb premise.
It seems that lefty voices like Maddow and others within the blogosphere haven’t taken the time to read Obama’s book or listen to his rhetoric about a new approach to politics. They remain overly cynical or stuck in the old divisive partisan paradigms rather then looking for what will work and produce real results. Obama’s thinking centers on the belief that we must begin an era of post partisan politics if we are to get anything done. Common sense answers versus the same old boomer tendency echoed by the left and the wedge issue centered right in the blogs and by commentators who look at everything from an us versus them polarize viewpoint.
George Bush thought of himself as the decider, which was mostly BS. If anything Obama has shown he will listen to all advise and then he will make the big decisions. The difference being that Obama is by light years more competence, intelligent, emphatic and centered then numb nuts Bush ever could or will be.
So take a deep breath and forget this nonsense about a third Clinton administration and get ready for what it looks like to have a real leader running this country.
Obama Supporters Left With Nothing To Live For
With campaign over many Obama volunteers become disoriented and quickly sink in to comatose state.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
I Have Been To The Mountain Top
Won't it be miraculous if all the scurrilous Reverend Wright attack ads run in the closing days of this campaign just end up helping elect Barack Obama. I have a feeling that perhaps we have finally broken through the facade of the same old political tricks.I was deeply moved today to see Barack talk about his grandmother passing. He was at his best just when he needed to be sharing his thoughts of her sacrifice, gentle qualities and humility. He tear up, and in doing so he showed his humanity in a way few American politicians ever do. I'm sure it will be looked at as an uniquely magical moment in the history of American presidential campaigning should he win the election.
Here are the words of another Reverend that certainly have special meaning tonight on the eve of this historic election.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Virginia Veterans And Obama
A large number of veterans see Obama as their choice for commander in chief.
McCain Palin Death Rattle
Today we learned that Obama maternal Aunt, a citizen of Kenya, is apparently illegality residing in Boston after being ordered to leave the country four months ago. A claim mysteriously and perhaps illegally leaked by some obscure government official.
Then we read at this late date of a high level McCain campaign official who's resurrected the claim that Obama is not a citizen of the United States based on his birth certificate being forged. A story still considered fact by the ignorant wingnut underground that supports McCain and Palin.
The real story maybe where and how did the AP source this story to bring it forward at this time. People may also asked the question of what's wrong with our immigration system in that a relative of a potential president can't get their status right or be granted a visa by the Republican's broken and highly politicized immigration system.
A Obama spokesmen indicated they were not aware that his Aunt was in the US illegally and that they considered it a private family matter. I believe this also shows that Barack Obama is not particularly close with his Kenyan relatives and their transgressions and shouldn't be held responsible everytime some distant cousin or aunt screws up. It's like your drunk uncle Billy getting a DUI.
These wingnuts are the same people who also believe that Malcolm X is Barack Obama’s biological father. I don’t know how this ties into the narrative that he’s some sort of Manchurian candidate sleeper who is actuality a Muslim terrorist bent on taking over the United States but I guess it doesn't matter to them.
A few days ago I was sucked into a right wing site that offered what it claimed were nude pictures of Obama’s mother Stanley Ann Dunham, staged 1950's Betty Page style, posted in conjunction with the story about his illegitimate fathering. This source claims his father is someone named Frank Marshall, a Chicago communist. The site main undertone was racist and disgusting and played mostly on the old fear by racist of white women having interracial relationships.
In 1960 I remember as a young man the rumor Republicans and red necks circulated about John F Kennedy that said that as soon as he was elected he’d bring the Pope over to run the government and force everyone to become a Catholic. Something we laugh about as being rather crazy at the time.
It's evidence that McCain and Palin and what supporters they have left have apparently hit bottom. What we're hearing now is the death rattle.
Then we read at this late date of a high level McCain campaign official who's resurrected the claim that Obama is not a citizen of the United States based on his birth certificate being forged. A story still considered fact by the ignorant wingnut underground that supports McCain and Palin.
The real story maybe where and how did the AP source this story to bring it forward at this time. People may also asked the question of what's wrong with our immigration system in that a relative of a potential president can't get their status right or be granted a visa by the Republican's broken and highly politicized immigration system.
A Obama spokesmen indicated they were not aware that his Aunt was in the US illegally and that they considered it a private family matter. I believe this also shows that Barack Obama is not particularly close with his Kenyan relatives and their transgressions and shouldn't be held responsible everytime some distant cousin or aunt screws up. It's like your drunk uncle Billy getting a DUI.
These wingnuts are the same people who also believe that Malcolm X is Barack Obama’s biological father. I don’t know how this ties into the narrative that he’s some sort of Manchurian candidate sleeper who is actuality a Muslim terrorist bent on taking over the United States but I guess it doesn't matter to them.
A few days ago I was sucked into a right wing site that offered what it claimed were nude pictures of Obama’s mother Stanley Ann Dunham, staged 1950's Betty Page style, posted in conjunction with the story about his illegitimate fathering. This source claims his father is someone named Frank Marshall, a Chicago communist. The site main undertone was racist and disgusting and played mostly on the old fear by racist of white women having interracial relationships.
In 1960 I remember as a young man the rumor Republicans and red necks circulated about John F Kennedy that said that as soon as he was elected he’d bring the Pope over to run the government and force everyone to become a Catholic. Something we laugh about as being rather crazy at the time.
It's evidence that McCain and Palin and what supporters they have left have apparently hit bottom. What we're hearing now is the death rattle.
Inside The McCain Palin Speak
FEAR CASTRO AHMADINEJAD NORTH KOREA SOCIALISM JOE THE PLUMBER REAL AMERICANS SHARE THE WEALTH FEAR ROTTING CORPSE MUSLIM TERRORIST GAY ISRAEL MARRIAGE BARNEY LITTLE BIT OF STRAIGHT TALK BARNEY FRANK HOMOSEXUALS PELOSI REID VICTORY SOCIALISM COMMUNIST MAVERICK TAKE YOUR GUNS ONE PARTY RULE SCARS TO SHOW IT DNA OF BEARS IN MONTANA MY FRIENDS HOCKEY MOM GAY BAITING PRO LIFE BABY KILLERS MY FRIENDS SCARS TO SHOW IT YOU WILL KNOW THERE NAMES PORK BARREL RAISE YOUR TAXES SHARE THE WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION RACE WAR WILLIAM AYRES MY FRIENDS FEAR BLACK RULE KIM JUNG IL HANOI HILTON SCARS TO SHOW FOR IT OBAMA SMOOTH TALKER RAISE YOUR TAXES JOE THE PLUMBER TAX COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS MINORITY ON SMALL BUSINESS INTER CITY BLACKS YOU’LL KNOW THEIR NAMES FEAR MAVERICK MY FRIENDS REVEREND WRIGHT TERRORIST FRIENDS RAISE YOUR TAXES SERVED MY COUNTRY RETREAT VICTORY WELFARE LIBERAL GIVE YOUR MONEY AWAY SOCIALIST LITTLE BIT OF STRAIGHT TALK INCREASE SPENDING CONCEDE DEFEAT IN IRAQ WILLIAM AYRES LEFT WING AGENDA PELOSI DANGEROUS WORLD FIGHT TAX SMALL BUSINESS I AM A AMERICAN AND I CHOOSE TO FIGHT NOT GEORGE BUSH DEFEND COUNTRY FROM IT AMERICA'S ENEMIES NEVER QUIT ISREAL MAVERICKS PORK BARREL BUDGET FREEZE SOCIALIST WAR HERO JOE THE PLUMBER TITO THE BUILDER DISTRIBUTOR IN CHIEF TERRORIST FRIENDS MAVERICK COME HOME IN VICTORY MOST LIBERAL NOT GEORGE BUSH ELITIST CELEBRITY JOE THE PLUMBER DEFEAT JOE BIDEN EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE RAISE YOUR TAXES BARNEY FRANK ONE PARTY RULE CLEAN UP WASHINGTON MY FRIENDS BIGGER GOVERNMENT RAISE YOUR TAXES DEFINING MIDDLE CLASS SMALL BUSINESS RAISE YOUR TAXES SPREADING THE WEALTH SOCIALISM COUNTRIES WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT FREE TAKE YOUR GUNS REAL PARTS OF AMERICA SPREAD OPPORTUNITY MUSLIMS CREATE MORE WEALTH GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE KEEP FAITH WITH AMERICA WAR HERO SCARS TO PROVE IT MY FRIENDS TAX INCREASE MAVERICKS DRILL BABY DRILL ENERGY GOD HATING ATHEIST INDEPENDENCE CREATING JOBS BARNEY FRANK SPECIAL NEEDS WHITE CHILDREN HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE SACRED DRILL HERE DRILL NOW OBAMA PELOSI REID MY FRIENDS SHAKE UP WASHINGTON FIGHTING FOR MY COUNTRY IRAQ SURGE MY FRIENDS COMMUNISTS
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