Author's posts
Jul 09 2010
“Face it, the system is rigged, and it’s rigged against us”
Must Read Eric Alterman article about our kabuki democracy — and what to do about it.
Face it, the system is rigged, and it’s rigged against us. Sure, presidents can pretty easily pass tax cuts for the wealthy and powerful corporations. They can start whatever wars they wish and wiretap whomever they want without warrants. They can order the torture of terrorist suspects, lie about it and see that their intelligence services destroy the evidence. But what they cannot do, even with supermajorities in both houses of Congress behind them, is pass the kind of transformative progressive legislation that Barack Obama promised in his 2008 presidential campaign. Here’s why.
As for the “Here’s why” and how to fix things part, one should go read the whole article at The Nation, and go below the fold for more.
Jul 01 2010
Who is a Progressive? by Teddy Roosevelt
In a speech that is just as true of today as it was in the days when it was first spoken, Teddy Roosevelt, before he became President, opined on who Progressives really are. I strongly suggest that everyone read the whole speech, but I have included a few excerpts of what I think are the key parts, beginning with this.
The Republican party is now facing a great crisis. It is to decide whether it will be, as in the days of Lincoln, the party of the plain people, the party of progress, the party of social and industrial justice; or whether it will be the party of privilege and of special interests, the heir to those who were Lincoln’s most bitter opponents, the party that represents the great interests within and with out Wall Street which desire through their control over the servants of the pubic to be kept immune from punishment when they do wrong and to be given privileges to which they are not entitled.
We all know how that one turned out, don’t we?
More below the fold
Jun 26 2010
Confronting the inner teabagger
Read the article at HuffPo yesterday, got pissed and wrote something angry, then went to work. While at work I read some comments, though, admittedly, not all of them, and realized why so many people have a beef with HuffPo. I’m not trying to throw HuffPo under the bus, writing in anger leads to this, and I wrote in anger and put too much trust into a single source. Just because you are using a BIG NAME for a source doesn’t mean that source is right, they are just as likely to misinterpret something as you are. That is human. But there is a difference between misinterpreting and deliberately misconstruing, and since our political guard is always up about deception, and since many of us are partisans, we often frame things within our own pre-made narrative. All of these things I have been guilty of, but who among us can plead innocent among such charges?
More below the fold
Jun 25 2010
AG Holder prosecutes ACORN! WTF? War Criminals, Corporate Crime, not so much
War Crimes of the Bush/Cheney era? Nah. Rampant Corporate crime on Wall St? Meh. The deaths of 11 workers on an exploding oil rig in the Gulf due to probably criminal negligence and the worst enviro-disaster in US history? Boor-ing. Oooh, ACORN? Now we are talking!
Obama’s Attorney General continues to vigorously prosecute Acorn? Will Van Jones be Next?
The Attorney General’s office refuses to explain to ACORN’s attorneys why it continues to vigorously prosecute this case. In fact, the government’s attorneys refuse talk to ACORN’s attorneys other than on matters of procedure.
If only BP or Goldman Sachs had attempted the heinous crime of helping register poor minorities to vote, then maybe AG Holder would do something about them.
WTF?
More kabuki below the fold.
Jun 25 2010
Millions of US Tax $ funding the Taliban every week! ARE YOU F$%KING KIDDING ME?
End this fucking war NOW!
Private security contractors protecting the convoys that supply U.S. military bases in Afghanistan are paying millions of dollars a week in “passage bribes” to the Taliban and other insurgent groups to travel along Afghan roads, a congressional investigation released Monday has found.
The alleged payments, which are reimbursed by the U.S. government, help fund the very enemy the U.S. is attempting to defeat and renew questions about the U.S. dependence on private contractors, who outnumber American troops in Afghanistan, 130,000 to 93,000.
Bold text added by the diarist
So taxpayer money is funding contractors in Afghanistan who in turn fund THE TALIBAN with US Government reimbursable bribe money.
Seriously?
WTF???
More areyoufuckingkiddingme below the fold
Jun 24 2010
Dear rich bastards, what part of “Camel through the eye of a needle” do you not understand?
Yes, I am saying it. It needs to be said.
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Dear BP CEO Tony Hayward, as you ride your Yacht named Bob after receiving your apology from a Texas oil Republican for the inconvenience of being implicated in the deaths of 11 human beings and the worst environmental disaster in US history, I would like to remind you that when Jesus comes back he is going to be VERY, VERY PISSED OFF.
More ranting below the fold
Jun 05 2010
Glenn Beck endorses “KIKE”
This isn’t just beyond the pale — it’s probably the most significant major-media endorsement of American fascist ideology since the 1930s.
~snip~
On his radio show today, Glenn Beck heralded and promoted the work of Nazi sympathizer Elizabeth Dilling, who spoke at rallies hosted by the leading American Nazi group and praised Hitler. Today, Dilling is heralded by White Supremacists and White Aryans who revere her “fearless” work against Jewish people.
Bold text added by the diarist
Endorsing Anti-semitic, pro Hitler enemies of America is DISGUSTING, and make no mistake, Elizabeth Dilling was charged with conspiracy to overthrow the US Government with the aid of Nazi agents in 1944.
Fuck you, Glenn Beck.
More below the fold
Jun 04 2010
War Criminal Bush: Go backwards! “I’d do it again”, I did a heckuvajob!
“Yeah, we waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” Bush told a Grand Rapids audience Wednesday, of the self-professed 9/11 mastermind. “I’d do it again to save lives.”
Bold text added by the diarist
President Obama says “We can’t go backwards”
Ex-President and Unindicted war criminal George W. Bush is basically saying “Why not go backwards, look at the wonderful legacy I have left you!”
Yeah, those were WAR CRIMES, the kind Reagan forbid and made illegal under US law, but, now that you have reminded us that the only thing in your legacy that you want to remind us of is how torture worked in your book, I say we encourage George W. to keep talking. Keep reminding us of that legacy, Georgie, cause you sure didaheckuvajob.
More below the fold
Jun 04 2010
Glenn Beck calls Fox Owner a 9/11 terrorist! He is going to get FIRED for this!
It finally happened. Glenn Beck has gone too far for his right wing owners. How do I know that? Because he just blamed 9/11 on one of the guys who pays his salary.
Watch the video here.
The guy Beck is blaming for 9/11 is one of his bosses, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who just happens to be the largest stockholder of Fox News who isn’t a member of majority owner Rupert Murdoch’s family.
Calling your boss a terrorist who is responsible for 9/11 can’t be good for your job security, can it?
Transcript and more below the fold
Jun 02 2010
BRILLIANT! Pelosi forces vote on TaxCuts for Job Outsourcers, Idiots fall for it hook line & sinker
Speaker Pelosi pulled a brilliant move at the end of the last weeks legislative session.
House Democrats are home for a long Memorial Day break with a gift-wrapped wedge issue delivered just in time for district campaigning. One of their final actions before adjourning late Friday was passing a measure that would strip tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas by a 215-204 vote.
The Grand Outsourcing Party. Expect Dems to run on this come election time.
More brilliance below the fold.
May 31 2010
Abe Lincoln: when “Corporations have been enthroned” a chilling prediction coming true
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless.”
— U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
(letter to Col. William F. Elkins)
Ref: The Lincoln Encyclopedia, Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY)Bold text added by the diarist
(Note: The authenticity of this quote has been disputed, but I believe it is worthwhile to discuss nonetheless. The link I have provided is my proof of the validity of this quote, but I leave it to you, the reader, to decide.)
Almost 150 years later . . .
More below the fold
May 28 2010
Rand Paul to abolish Section 1 of 14th Amendment, ending birthright citizenship
Recently I have detailed the relationship that Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky and State Senator Russel Pearce of Arizona have with their Neo Nazi, white supremacist supporters.
That is why it was no surprise to me to learn today that Rand Paul told a Russian journalist that he opposes birth citizenship as protected under the 14th Amendment, or, as Russel Pearce calls it “anchor babies”.
We’re the only country I know of that allows people to come in illegally have a baby and then that baby becomes a citizen. And I think that should stop also.
Yeah, that’s called the Section 1 of the 14th Amendment
More below the fold.