January 2008 archive

Jan 27 2008

“You Can’t Fight The Military Industrial Complex”

the MIC (Military Industrial Complex) is not just a “part” of America, it now IS America.

And it is America’s most successful export.  We have not spread Democracy, we have spread the infestation of the Military Industrial Complex to the rest of the world.

In fact, in America’s Orwellian parlance, “Democracy” = “Military Industrial Trade”.  

I read OPOL’s diary “Dispatches From the Land of Lying Bastards” when it first appeared over at Dailykos.  And OMG it was like “The Masque of Red Death” (if you’ve read that story).  A major buzzkill.  Like “oh man, we’re having a big-ass election orgy over here, don’t bother us with the TRUTH, please!  You’re harshing our mellow!”

And reading the comments to his diary over here, where I expected (and saw) more of a welcome for his brilliant work, I couldn’t help but feel there was a certain naivety about the MIC, something of a sense of hope that in no way is deserved by the facts on the ground.

The fact of the matter is that the Military Industrial Complex is a beast which is utterly out of anyone’s control.  

 

Jan 27 2008

Iglesia ……………………………………… Episode 28

(Iglesia is a serialized novel, published on Tuesdays and Saturdays at midnight ET, you can read all of the episodes by clicking on the tag.)

Previous episode

Abraham got up off of the grass and started walking, he had no reason to, and saw no purpose in, ever stopping.

Tears were streaming down his face and he could not remember ever feeling so sorry for himself. And he could not remember ever acknowledging that he felt sorry for himself…while feeling sorry for himself. That’s how sorry for himself he felt.

Jan 27 2008

Memo from “God’s Country”

An old salty Irishman, half Pagan, half Catholic, a bootlegger by night and a blue collar man by day…he’d take me for drives in his K-Car or Escort wreaking of stale cigarettes and Old Spice.  The car would round a special bend that reminded him of his homeland and he’d give me wink and say “This here is God’s Country”.  That phrase meant a lot to me because I knew my grandfather was very serious about his religion…he crossed himself every time he drove by a Church…so I figured he had a special in with The Lord for doing all of that heavy lifting down here on Earth.  Well grandpa…I finally finished the chain that you started when setting foot aboard that ship so many years ago.  I have me a piece of God’s Country and I’m bound and determined to make it work.  My life is half gone, the first half wasn’t special by anyone’s measuring stick, but maybe this last half was what I was meant for.

The horses are fed and bedded down for the night the dishes are done, the barn cats and birds are fed as well.  The dog has been walked he’s passed out at my side.  He loves the horses, gave them both kisses on their first meeting.  It’s snowing just a bit, making the light reflect off the snow.  The house is small but cozy, needs some work but don’t we all.  Hey they got intertubez in God’s Country by the way, just gotta use some of that satellite love to do it.  I’m sure the Holy Rollers will be pleased to hear that.  Found some tapes left behind from the previous owner…now I know who buys soundtrack recordings of pop movies…and yes Celine Dion was in the mix.  

I’m fading fast,  g’night Grandpa.

Jan 27 2008

Bill Clinton attacks created backlash for Hillary.

Tonight’s victory of Barack Obama was a lot bigger than anyone expected. Most pollsters expected a victory of around 10 points; only one predicted a victory of 20 points. While they correctly predicted the uptick in support for Edwards, they did not predict the huge margin of victory that Obama would take.

The X Factor in this race was the attacks of Bill Clinton on Obama this week. However, it turned out that these attacks created a huge backlash against Hillary and led to Obama’s unexpectedly wide margin. Obama’s victory will undoubtedly give him momentum going into the next race; however, the big question is how much?

The reason that I ask this question is because the next battle will be totally different than the four battles that came before it. In the previous four battles, the winner was the candidate who could do the best at practicing retail politics — this was a turf that clearly favored Obama. With his huge gift for oratory and his ability to draw some of the largest crowds ever for political campaigns, Barack Obama was able to generate the kind of grassroots support that propelled him to convincing wins in Iowa and South Carolina, a narrow loss in New Hampshire, and a tie in Nevada.

But this will be a totally different battle than the one before it, because it will be decided on the airwaves. Stump speeches will be important, but the candidates will have to try to appeal to audiences much bigger than the small audiences that they appealed to before. The battle will be won and lost based on who can create the best commercials that appeal to voters. So, if Obama cannot give people flashes of his oratorical skills in 30 seconds, then he will be in even more hot water than he is already — he trails by double digits in the all-important state of California. And that is on top of the fact that he is still trailing the delegate count to Hillary.

Jan 27 2008

Interrobang ?!?…..

Jan 27 2008

SOTU: How long will it take? (w/poll)

On Monday night bush will once again attempt to fool the American people in the annual State of the Union (SOTU) address. Of course he has succeeded at this many times in the past and the MSM didn’t even blink, didn’t question any of his premises, but simply took up their role as stenographers and duly reported, “The President said…”

My question is: How long will it take before he tells his first lie?

And I don’t mean anything along the lines of, “Hello,” he lied. I mean a flat out falsehood intentionally designed to hoodwink, bamboozle, dupe or otherwise deceive the people of America and/or the world. I’m talking about a major whopper here.

To find out my guess, hop in a barrel and follow me over the fa-a-a-a-a-alls.

Jan 27 2008

A Clinton Hit Diary

Yeah…..I AM going there! Whatever the cost I must get this truth out to the People.

Photobucket

Jan 27 2008

i’ll get hammered for this essay. so be it.

i don’t have ideas that fit easily into “progressive” or “liberal” or “conservative” or even “moderate”. or so i’ve been told. but i just have this crazy idea about freedom…  

Jan 27 2008

Saturday Night at the Pictures – Political Pictures Edition

In my odyssey over the last few years as the chair of a county Democratic Committee, I went to a lot of functions, picnics, dinners, and a lot of meetings. These photos are some of my travels in Virginia on campaigns, in meetings, and at social events.

One of the most important races this year was for the House of Delegates. This is Connie Brennan (D-59), who ran this year in an unsuccessful bid to unseat an Independent. (The event was sponsored by us and was in front of our house.)

Jan 27 2008

Pony party: More Glass

My grandmother ended up on the Ortho floor when she got admitted. I think even though her initial problem was fatigue and respiratory difficulties that was the only bed open at the time. She was there for two weeks and frankly probably one of the more mentally alert and physically mobile people on the ward. Although the hospital was in was a bit old and cramped, it was clean and she got good care. I trained there as a nursing student and was astonished at how similar it still looked. The resident in charge of her care was a thoughtful and soft spoken young man who was initially a bit wary of me. I asked so many questions about tests and the plan of care he asked if I was an MD. I laughed, twenty years ago nobody would have asked a middled aged woman that question. He nicknamed my mother and I the “advocates” and when he came in to see my grandmother he asked if “the advocates” were coming in to visit. We were there every day and sometimes not at the same time as him. The local hospital system has a thorough program of assessing all elderly patients who are admitted with a goal of keeping them independent. That was why my mother was taken aback my the probing questions by the social worker upon admission. They did not suspect abuse as my mother feared but were just starting the protocol of team assessment. Health care in Canada is far from perfect, the care people receive in small towns and isolated areas is very spotty, small communities have a hard time attracting MDs, and there are wait lists for non-emergent procedures that are longer than in the US. But, my grandmother happens to live in a city with several hospitals, and the system despite flaws works quite well for ordinary people. Wealthy people or those who want special  VIP treatment tend to complain about it and claim they were forced to go to the US for treatment.

Talked to grandmother today and she sounds alright.

Well… enough rambling… I will show you a few more pictures from the glass exhibit.

P1010092

P1010090

P1010068

P1010087

P1010086

Jan 26 2008

Going Metta

No, smarty pants, it’s not a typo.

I’m not talking about meta as it’s used around here to denote blog talk about blog.



I’m talking about mettā–the Buhddist understanding of unconditioned loving-kindness, compassion for all sentient beings. Before you non-DFHs (are there any of you here?!) click the hell out of here, here’s a lotus blossom, offered in the spirit of mettā. Please stay.

As progressives, Democrats, leftists of all stripes, what really brings us together more than the idea that peace, justice, and equality are the only worthy goals? We may have various conceptions of these grand words and ideas and how to achieve them, but ultimately we all believe in the possibility of a just and peaceful world.

Jan 26 2008

Weekend News Digest

Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Police question French bank trader

By PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD, Associated Press Writer

1 minute ago

PARIS – The French trader accused of one of the biggest bank frauds ever surfaced Saturday – in the custody of police, who were questioning him about bad bets that cost France’s No. 2 bank billions of euros in a season of jittery markets.

Financial police in Paris were questioning Jerome Kerviel in a probe into Societe Generale’s allegation against the 31-year-old trader, judicial officials said. They were speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.

…

Kerviel has kept a low profile since the bank said Thursday that Kerviel’s unauthorized trades caused it losses of euro4.9 billion (US$7.14 billion). His picture made the front page of newspapers around the world, and journalists staked out his apartment and those of his family members for days, but they did not catch him on camera – prompting rumors he had fled the country.

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