A Wish for 2015 (and beyond)...

My biggest wish for next year (and beyond) is summed up quite nicely in this post in Democratic Underground.  

I would extend it a bit, though.   We need Dems who can say "BULLSHIT" to the right people, namely, Corporate America, the Big Banks, and Big Media.    The current Third-Way bumper crop is only too willing to call "Bullshit" on progressives and others not of a corporate-friendly ilk.  

Hope you all have a safe and happy NYE 2014, and see you next year...

Divide, Placate, and Subdue

To those who are veterans of the Anti-War movements of the '60s and '70s, as well as from the Occupy movement, its a puzzlement as to why more young people don't take up those causes.   With everything going straight to hell - economy, international conflicts and war, etc. etc. etc. - why aren't there more protests?  Where is the direct action we thought was synonymous with youth?

This article attempts to explain why the lack of involvement.   Crushing student loan debt, the restructuring of our education system to meet corporate, rather than educational goals, the growing surveillance state, and other factors are cited.    While I agree with the article, I think it left out a couple of things:

1.  The brutality our militarized police uses to crack down on mostly peaceful protesters (I'll never forget the article from I-forget-where, where a converted military tank was profiled with a heading to the effect of "Occupy Protestors, Meet This..."). 
2.  The ineffectiveness of traditional protest methods, and the mockery they engender from those more monied (remember during Occupy Chicago, how those at the Chicago Board of Trade would stare down from their multi-stories-up offices to take pictures, mock, and otherwise thumb their noses at the protesters - some even dropping applications to fast-food joints.)
3.  The Weapons of Mass Distraction: the hundreds of entertainment options we now have, which serve as a sort of "soma" for the masses, as Aldous Huxley described the drug in his book Brave New World.   

Where to now?  I welcome your comments...

Quibbles and Bits - No Surprises Here edition

More to chew on...

>>  The election results don't surprise me a bit.    This is the effect of a combination of two things: massive amounts of cash being spent by massively wealthy individuals, and voter apathy on the part of those who probably vote only in the Presidential contests.   

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.

>> Obama's presidency is now over.   And the Fat Lady is warming up her voice for the out-of-key aria that will accompany the upcoming impeachment proceedings, endless hearings, and continued gridlock.

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.   

>> Now, those of us on the left will actually be ROOTING for gridlock.    The Repubs are likely going to try to pull out the Paul Ryan budget, as well as take every God-forsaken hack at Obamacare that they can.   The more Obama vetoes, the better.

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. 

>> If you think the $4 Billion price tag was big, just wait until 2016.   The Kochs and their cohorts just bought themselves majorities in both houses, and you better believe they are licking their chops.   How does $8 Billion sound for a presidential election?  Or $10 Billion?   The sky is the limit now...

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.

Quibbles and Bits, Show Me and Tell Me about The Police State Edition

More to chew on...

>>This video has my blood boiling:

They won't tell the "accused" (the woman filming this) about where the call originated that led them to come to her house (I guess she's a "suspect" or a "person of interest" by virtue of exercising her first amendment rights.)   They want to know what might happen after the protest.

This is the Police State - Live and in Blushing Color.

UPDATE (12/14):  I find it interesting that the account which housed this particular video was apparently terminated.    I'll leave the observation at that, and the speculation with you.   But I'm leaving the link up anyway.   

>>Here's a story of a 10-year old getting Tazed as a lesson from a cop about what happens when somebody disobeys said cop and any of his cohorts.  Amazing - all of the negative press coverage about the police - from OJ, to Rodney King, to Ferguson, and now this - doesn't seem to affect their behavior one iota.    

Note the commonality of the two stories above?   The brazenness.   The absolute lack-of-giving-a-damn-about-what-we-the-taxpayers-who-pay-their-salaries think.   Not even the slightest attempt at repair of their relationships to the citizenry after the above mentioned bad press. 

Free society? Gimme a break....

(Actually, Officer Taze-A-Kid probably would.)

This pretty much sums up the vast majority of Main Stream Media news...

This is just too juicy, brought to you by the journalistic paragons at The Onion News Network:

Comments?

Pressing the Gaza Issue

This post from Alternet, by the ever-excellent Max Blumenthal, digs into the details surrounding Mess-NBC's unceremonious dismissal of Palestinian correspondent Rula Jebreal, for daring to provide an alternative viewpoint to the pro-Israel slant being propagated across American mainstream media in regards to the ongoing Gaza massacre (sorry, but that's what it is), especially at Mess-NBC.   Chris Hayes' tepid defense of his employer, in a post-sacking interview with Ms. Jebreal, is also detailed.    This entire sordid episode is yet another nail in the coffin of my having any shred of respect for that network - I was under the impression that provocative viewpoints, backed with facts, are the entire point of journalism.   But this is what happens when a corporate entity is up against a nearly-untouchable political lobby in this country - a lobby that seems to state that any criticism of the State of Israel, no matter how slight or benign, is considered anti-Semetic.  With all of that said, here's my take:

The State of Israel has every right to exist as an independent, sovereign nation.   It's independence and sovereignty should be defended, as is the right of any lawfully constituted nation.   However, as an independent, sovereign nation,  it is subject to the same level of scrutiny and criticism as any other nation, from any other nation.   In this regard, Israel is not entitled to special treatment, neither is it the holder of any type of perceived "exceptionalism".    To voice any type of feedback critical of the actions of the Israeli government, then, is NOT "Anti-Semetic".   To say the affirmative would be to say that the State of Israel's actions are in the name of all people of Hebrew descent - it doesn't take a lot of Internet surfing or research to determine this to not be the case.  

There are those who would say that people like me should, at the least, "shut up" because I'm not Jewish and therefore, don't have "skin in this game."   Really?   The US Government (read: our tax dollars) subsidizes the Israeli State - regardless of the taxpayers' ethnic origin.   If we have to pay, then we have a say.   Period.  

I may wind up getting plenty o' flak about this post.    Fine.   Bring it.   

Where There's Smoke, There's...

     The Huffington Post had this about a newish trend amongst the Big-Ass-Diesel-Pickup-Truck-Standing-In-For-A-Phallus crowd: "coal rolling".    Diesel truck engines intentionally altered to blow black smoke, all supposedly for the purposes of a political/social statement that says "F-U Obama", "F-U Environmentalists", or whatever the F their made-up purposes.    They are often accompanied by back window signs to the effect of "Prius Eliminator" or some other type of garbage.  

Look  - if you're one of these people or sympathize with them:  nobody is forcing you to buy a Prius.   Nobody is telling you how to run your life.   Like Diesel?   Great - I used to own a GMC 3500 with the 6.5 Turbo.   But everybody, including you, has to breathe in the same air which you're belching that black smoke into - and all for some "statement".   Lung cancer and other diseases associated with Diesel soot are prices I would rather not have to pay for your statement of rebellion.   This is the same thing - worse, actually - than the bikers with the loud pipes or the cars equipped with those bumper speakers that are more suitable for testing metal fatigue in aircraft than listening to music with.   The sonic nuisances are one thing, but we all have to breathe in your second-hand soot.   

I'd be in favor of regulations that would limit the modifications of diesel engines, lest this trend gets out of hand.   I would also not be hesitant about calling the Air Quality Control Board of whatever state you're in, and turning in these turkeys.  

The only "statement" that the coal-rollers are making regards the size of a$$hole that these people are.   

Quibbles and Bits, Where's Randi Rhodes When We Need Her Edition

More delectable cranio-culinary concoctions for your discernment, perusal, and consumption:

>> When she was on the air, Randi Rhodes seemed to have this knack of being on vacation when big news hit.   She would have Nicole Sandler pinch-hit for her at those times, which was still entertaining listening.   But if there's any time we needed the Randi's signature response style, it's in reaction to Eric Cantor's primary defeat yesterday.    She would have had an absolute FIELD DAY dissecting the words, actions, and mannerisms of this self-important twerp, this young-gun whose brilliantly put-together Virginia-7 political machine may have just shot him in the foot.   Now a true-red teabilly is competing for the seat.   The odds are that the teabilly will probably win - this district is Scarlet O'Hara Red - but I think the Dems might have a shot.   A long one, but a shot...

>> I wonder what the exit polls had to say regarding who actually voted in the Virginia-7 primary, especially since Virginia's primary is open.   How many Dems might have taken Cooter's advice to vote for the teabilly in order to unseat Cantor? If it's a significant number, the mind reels...

>>This post in Salon, by way of DU, presents an interesting take on the pickle Republicans find themselves in without the enemy image of Obama in the White House in 2017.   (That's one of the things about modern conservatism - they need and love their enemy images.)   Note that the article notes the Tea Party's "decline" - this, in light of Cantor's defeat a the hands of a teabilly.  (Remember that the only thing "grass roots" about the Tea Party is the concrete surface on which the Field Turf sits.)  If Billary wins in 2016 (no guarantee - the election is two years out, a lot can happen)  the misogyny and the "Billy and the Blue Dress" memes will likely rear themselves.   But I cannot see how it can be as bad as the pure, blood-oath obstructionism faced by Obama.    Don't tell me that race isn't a factor in why he, and the rest of the country are getting the treatment we're getting.

Much more later.      

What more proof do we need....

...that we're now an oligarcy, where our voice doesn't mean a damned thing?

This link, from Al Jazeera, points to a study by Northwestern and Princeton Universities, which compares the comparative influence of the voters versus the influence of campaign cash.    Initially, the researchers suspected that the people still had some influence....

Wrong.

We have nothing compared to the Kochs, Adelsons, and their ilk.  

And the Democrats, who feed at the same cash trough as the Repubs, complain about the lack of enthusiasm that the voters have about the midterm elections, as manifest by the historically low turnouts in the off-year campaigns.    This, combined with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders being mentioned as possible alternatives to Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Dem nod, speaks volumes - especially considering how cozy Hillary is to Big Money.  

Where do we go from here, now?

Stay tuned...

Quibbles and Bits, Talk The Walk Edition

Two bits of bad news on the progressive radio front:

>Randi Rhodes’ last day as a radio talk show host is scheduled for May 16th.    This day was coming, and she knew it since last year, but decided that now is the time to hang up the hand-held microphone.   The reason she gave at the beginning of today’s podcast, if my paraphrasing is correct, is that she simply felt that now is the time to move on to something else, to continue to do positive for the people in a medium other than the electronic media.   Later on, however, she seemed to voice a bit of frustration, at why we’re continuing to slip further and further into oligarchy no matter how much talking she and her cohorts do.   

Perhaps she saw the law of decreasing benefit in action here.   Perhaps she knew that she wasn’t really wanted at Premiere (who also syndicates the Pig Man and other Rightward Yakers).   She may have also seen the writing on the wall as far as AM Radio is concerned: Pig Man is tanking and getting boycotted, and potential sponsors are no longer putting their dollars into talk radio of any stripe, in large part because of the controversy belched out by the likes of the Mount Rushbo and his wannabes.  

Speaking of said wannabes and the Pig Man - have you heard/see the controversy about how their shows are really funded, now that Corporate America wants less and less to do with them?   Forget selling products, it’s now political advocacy and candidates.   This change in funding sources (Heritage Foundation, etc.) is leading some to consider if such funding is legally actionable.    Stay tuned for this one…

>KRXA-540 in Monterey, a wonderful progressive station, has been sold.    The original owners will take their programming completely online, at radiomonterey.com.   You’ll still hear much of the local programming that gives KRXA its trademark quirkiness.   But that’s exactly what good local radio should sound like - full of the local flavor and the quirks that go with it. 

Yet another progressive beacon goes out or gets considerably dimmer.    KTLK in Los Angeles is now right-wing.   What used to be Green-960 still has a few progressive hosts, but morning drive is anchored by the Glen Beckie.   Portland and Seattle have lost progressive stations, as have much of the other parts of the country.    Our message is inconvenient to those that really own, and run, this country - hence the complete lack of support.    Is it any wonder that a recent study came out that stated that the US is now much more of an oligarchy than a true democracy?   We should not be surprised - the signals have been there for many years.   

Michael C. Ruppert - 1951-2014

I can't say that I'm completely surprised by the suicide of Mike Ruppert.  

He told the truth at a very high personal cost: his health, his ability to earn a living, his peace of mind, and now ultimately, his life.   He has been doing this for the better part of four decades.   He was responsible for some of the best investigative journalism this country has produced (specifically, the From The Wilderness newsletter, Crossing The Rubicon, and others), and he did not sell out his convictions. He left tools for us to use in the continuing struggle against rampant corporatism and consumerism that is destroying our planet as I write this. He left a positive mark on me, and I'm sure millions of others like me who see what's coming, in large part because of his work.

And it wasn't for personal profit, save for his need to make a living like the rest of us.   He could have sold out.   He could have given it all up for the security of a nice, middle-class life in Los Angeles.   He knew, or at least had a very good idea about, the personal cost associated with telling the truth in a nation (and world) that can't handle The Truth.   But he was cursed with a conscience that would not let him turn a blind eye to the evils around him.

He was stuck with all of the labels - "conspiracy theorist" (even with his reputation for well-researched and documented fact), "9-11 Truther", and so on.    Hell, I wear the Truther label like a badge - anybody with a three-digit IQ could read through the 9-11 Commission Report and know that it was pure, whitewashed bullshit.   Thus, he was marginalized, this process assisted by dilettantes like David Corn.

It's sad, but it seems like the world is running out of room for people like Mike Ruppert.   We simply don't have the will to take a good look at ourselves in the mirror, as a society - which is in large part what Ruppert spent his career and life doing.   


I wish I would have had the opportunity to meet him. Now that I no longer have that chance, I can only say in absentia:

Thank you, Michael C. Ruppert. For Everything.
And Rest in Eternal Peace.

Quibbles and Bits, Money Talks (and Sings and Dances in Certain Towns) Edition

How much more naked does the corruption get? (Check out the Young Turks website).

Also, Nobel-Prize winner Robert Reich may never be confused with Picasso, but he nails it on what the Repubs real agenda has been for at least the last 30 years...

The 1% don't want us "dependent" on government.   They want us dependent on THEM.   Keep the people desperate, and you control them.  

Sounds like neo-Feudalism to me.   

Applying Tar with a Feather Brush...

This link details a story about the recent spate of graffiti afflicting the upper-crust enclave of Atherton, CA.   This is no ordinary graffiti, either - it's graffiti directed at the 1% who live there, and that has the local denizens quaking in their Uggs.   The very theme of the graffiti has local law enforcement involving the FBI - after all, Occupy Wall Street  might be rearing it's ugly head (to nearly quote from the article).  

Note how the author already implicates Occupy, without any conclusive proof that they had any involvement.    Note the dismissive tone given to the 99-percenters, and the two linked articles telling the same to "stop bellyaching", and how the 1 percent feels unloved.   

This should be expected from CNBC - an outlet of rich people talking to other rich people.   But I can't help but be irritated at the arrogance of the "job creators", and to grin somewhat about the fact that Occupy has gotten into these people's heads.  This is what happens when we lose our middle class - the tony classes are seeing the plebs at the gates, literally.   

Quibbles and Bits, Hearts and Bones edition

More semi-random flavored morsels for your eat-ification.   

>>For your viewing pleasure, I submit this sentiment from one of our military veterans, made a veteran in large part because of our country's insatiable thirst for fossil fuels of all kinds:

To me, this stands as one of nearly limitless examples of why my problems have never been with the armed forces themselves, or those who volunteer to serve (and get screamed at by the professional assholes known as drill seargents and COs) - my problem is with the elected civilians who put them in areas where they don't belong, and for reasons most directly related to the profit margins of a select few.   Who are they fighting for, anyway?

>>Here's another one:

...

...and these are the same people who complain about welfare for the rest of us.    The bottom line is - they don't want us dependent on government - they want us dependent upon them.   

This is why Reagan and his worshippers like to talk about the "inherent ineptitude" of "government".   Make it irrelevant in the eyes of the people, so we go running to Peter Schiff, Kevin O'Leary, and the rest of their buddies on Wall Street.   Great racket - nice work too, if you can get it.  

>> I'm not paying much attention to the Sochi Olympiad - to me, it's just another advertising opportunity for oligarchy (American, Russian, and elsewhere) to separate us from our cash.   I will say, however, that I find the "kill joy" talk being perpetrated by the American press rather amusing - since it's another example of how in the pocket the American press is to Corporate America, the banks, and their subsidiary, the US Government.    We don't like it when world leaders stand up to us, like Putin (not a boy scout, but he was right about "American Exceptionalism").   And, of course, there's the controversy about Russia's anti-gay legislation (pure bigotry, wrapped in the mistaken belief that it will address the declining population crisis).  

More quibbles and bits later.   

Quibbles and Bits, Picturing the Truth and the Consequences Edition

>> Cold, hard truth about the illusion of "freedom", courtesy of the late, great Frank Zappa:

He was certainly not the only one saying this.   Others knew that what we call "freedom" in the US is nothing more than an illusion, and since his passing, they have come forward:  Peter Joseph and Chris Hedges in a direct fashion, Mike Ruppert and others in a more indirect way.   Being in show business, Zappa knew an illusion when he saw it. 

If we think about it, "freedom" is nothing more than a convenient weasel word - it can mean anything that the speaker wants it to mean.   Freedom of what?  Speech?  Commerce?  Press?  Polluting a watershed because it's less profitable to dispose of your chemical waste in a less sensitive area and fashion?  And, Freedom from what? "Tyranny" (another weasel word)? The sights of the homeless and less fortunate around us? A jackboot to the throat of a peaceful protester? 

If you ask me, we're at the point where the scenery is being dismantled.   We're seeing the brick at the back of the theater, obstructed only by the thinning, high-school-quality scenery in front.   

>> Here's another bit from the Maestro:

"Real Estate" can be a metaphor for a lot of things besides land:  material wealth in general, political clout, etc., which goes hand-in-hand with the ownership of real estate.     The examples are out there:  the ornateness of Vatican City and the wealth contained within, all of the Catholic Parishes around the world, the Christian megachurches in this country, the Mormon empire, and so on.   These denominations are considered "mainstream", in large part because of their largess. 

There seems to be an incongruity between their largess and their purporting to be "Christian" organizations.   Remember what Christ had to say about rich people and the eye of a needle? 

What are your thoughts?  

The price of life...

This post contains The Majority Report's take on the CEO of Bayer Pharmaceutical's statement that a new cancer drug was not intended for "Indians" - it was for westerners who could afford it.  

I'm almost speechless about the racism and callousness of the Bayer CEO.   But this seems to be evidence of a bigger trend - the 1% is no longer even bothering to try to be "politically correct", or show the slightest bit of compassion - even if it's for show.   They're showing themselves as who they are - which scares me because they do not fear any pushback.

Splinters on an Elephant's Caboose...

Joan Walsh, in Salon, details the problems that the Repubs are having right now in fielding a candidate that could potentially take on Hillary Clinton.   Cruz is a nutcase,  McDonnell is a court case, and Christie is a head case (soon to be a court case).   Then there's the Pauls - Rand and Ryan - who both have a boatload of baggage (owing in part to their devotion to all things Ayn).   Finally, there's Jeb - son of a Bush and brother of a Shrub.  

So who else do they have, you ask?

My advice - don't take any of these characters lightly.   There are still over 2 1/2 years to go to Election 2016.   We have a corporate press that doesn't take well to progressive messages - hence we're served bank-and-business-friendly, so-called "liberals" like Clinton and Obama.    Many within the banking and business community have openly stated their admiration and/or support for Chris Christie (the most dangerous of this bunch, despite his problems).   The Repubs are well-funded and well-backed, and you better believe that the Brothers Koch will be opening their treasuries (never mind their wallets) in an all-out push to get their guy in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - especially if the 2014 elections mean that the Repubs take over the Senate.  

It's too early in the game to take eyes off of the ball.    The Repubs are by no means out of this, and Hillary is by no means guaranteed the Oval Office.

Quibbles and Bits, Picture This Edition

I can't take credit for this one, but for your edification and amusement, I submit:

My impression is that when you strip away all of the nationalism, jingoism, racism, and pick-your-ism, what you are left with is what the picture describes.   

Who draws those lines, anyway? 

And "Criminal gangs", indeed.  

What's your take?

Quibbles and Bits, And So This is New Years…and What Have We Done? Edition

More mental morsels and other chewy bits, enough to get us through the Same Old Laying and Signing brought on by the previous night’s Festivities:

>> The Great Jobless Benefit Run-Out

            The House’s inaction on extending jobless benefits (or at the least, using it as a political hostage as they are so apt to do), strikes me a bit as odd coming from the Republicans, since one of their chief strategies is based in the infamous Jude Winewsky “Two Santa Claus” article in the mid-70s.    Thom Hartmann riffs on this frequently – only this time, the Repubs can’t blame the Dems for “killing Santa Claus” in the minds of the voters insofar as the social safety net is concerned.    Sounds like bad electoral strategy – but many of the recent midterm polls are actually favoring the Repubs.   Stay tuned on this one…

>> Wither Senator Warren?

 Look for some interesting goings-on in 2014 between Elizabeth Warren and her wing of the Dem party, and the Third Way (read: Clinton) camp.   Warren has already said she won’t run, but she carries a thought virus with her (known as economic populism and an itch to regulate the god-damned banks) which the Third Way crowd want’s to quarantine.    Here’s the article in Daily Kos, containing links to the Third-Way Op-Ed condemning her and the lovely list of the Third Way supporters.   Think that the fact that the vast majority of those folks are investment bankers just happens to be a coincidence? Hmmmmm...

>>Chris Hedges’ Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt

            This book should be required reading in any institution of learning at any level.   He, along with illustrator Joe Sacco, visit and describe several of the US’ most egregious economic “sacrifice zones”, among them Pine Ridge, South Dakots, The Appalacians and the moonscape that Big Coal created there, and Camden, New Jersey.   His writing style is customarily direct and non-academic, and Sacco’s illustrations lend a certain quality of humanity to the words that photographs can’t match.   In short, the book describes the economic conditions and crises that lead ultimately to the Occupy movement, where the book ends.     Read it.  And weep, for what we’ve become as a nation.  

More later.