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.