Well, the first "test" of the 2012 election year is now history. The Iowa caucus is over. As of this morning, 3 January, 2012, it looks like Mittens came out on top with the nutty Santorum a very close second. From the early reports, Mittens won by eight, yes 8, votes. Talk about your close calls. Ron PAul came in third. The "surprise" is Newt. From what I can gather, old Newt finished a rather distant fourth. Yes, he came in 4th.
Why is that a topic here? Well, it seems that Newt is the first "victim" of the nasty bit of judicial ruling, aka, Citizens United. You remember that one, the decision by the Supreme Court that allows for corporations to stoke the election campaigns with unlimited monies and they do not have to report how much they give or who the give it to.
The "super PAC" that supports old Mittens pumped tons of money into the campaign leading up to the Iowa caucus this week. In short, Mitt and his supporters way out spent Newt and every other candidate. My irony meter may not be operating 100%, but to me it is rather amusing that the first politician to "suffer" from that court ruling would not just be a member of the elephant gang, but in fact, one of the biggest members. That Newt is that "victim" has a very nice ring to it for my opinion. Imagine, Newt falling "victim" to a nasty bit of legal opinion that had been pushed by the elephant gang and clowns just like Newt. I would not be at all surprised to find out that Newt himself was behind that move and no doubt he cheered the ruling. Poor little feller, he should have learned long ago to be careful what he wishes for.
Yes, there is a rather delicious flavor to Newt being done in by a right wing bit of garbage.
The unfortunate thing is that some very worthy people will also be done in by that court ruling. This is just the start of the election cycle. No doubt the super PAC that helped Mitt to his "win" will be out to shoot down other candidates and when we get to the general election this fall, expect more of these super PAC's to be out in force buying the election.
America, what a country.
semper fi.
p.s. Hold the presses! I just checked at Think Progress and they have a report that claims that the nut, Santorum, actually won in Iowa. The claim is that a typo gave Mitt 20 extra votes. Well, no matter, the money did help Newt to end up fourth any way. I did not care who "won" the Iowa caucus. As you know if you stop by here very often, I have no use for either wing of the war/greed party. I support neither the donkey nor the elephant gang.
05 January 2012
03 January 2012
Extras
Back again.
I have added another link on the old corner. It is one I should have added long ago, but I'm old, disabled, and lazy. Some days, all at the same time. The old part is more or less constant. Can't seem to escape that, but none of us seem to do it. The disabled part is a constant that I'd be happy to be rid of. If only it were a tradable commodity. The lazy is the part that comes and goes. I hope to get it to go more in the future.
The link is for an excellent site and monthly report by Mr. William Blum. Many of you probably already stop by his site and/or subscribe to his excellent Anti Empire Report. If you have not visited his site please do and sign up for the report while you are there. So far I have not found much to disagree with him on anything he has written in his reports. You might even want to buy a book he has written. Highly recommended by me.
This caught my attention today as I surfed the old net. There are two companion bills floating through the congress now. They are; HR3166 and S1698. These vile pieces of bovine excrement would allow dear leader and/or the "appropriate authorities" to strip the nationality (citizenship) from anybody caught "engaging in or supporting hostilities against the US. That includes US nationals would lose their US citizenship if they are found to be doing such things. YES, a natural citizen, that is born here in the US of A, would lose his/her citizenship if he/she is deemed to have engaged in or supported hostilities against the USA. This then makes it SO much easier to be sent off for indefinite detention in some dank, dark hole of a prison. And here I was thinking that after the vile crap of the recently signed NDAA, things had hit bottom. Well, it looks like the government is doing what I have done at times when I have been depressed. When they hit bottom, they grab a damn shovel and start digging to see how much deeper they can get.
It never fails. Every time I think we have seen the absolute worst that this government can do, they come along and stoop even lower. Folks, there is NO depth to which they will not stoop.
A personal not; it has been with extreme care that I have kept my language on the polite side for this post. My brain is screaming the most vile obscenities at this sack of garbage that is being passed off as |"legislation". Mind you, these bills are just now in committee and have not even been voted on by either house. Of course, we have seen this sort of garbage get voted on and passed, then signed into law before, so we need to keep a close eye on these bills.
America, what a country.
semper fi
I have added another link on the old corner. It is one I should have added long ago, but I'm old, disabled, and lazy. Some days, all at the same time. The old part is more or less constant. Can't seem to escape that, but none of us seem to do it. The disabled part is a constant that I'd be happy to be rid of. If only it were a tradable commodity. The lazy is the part that comes and goes. I hope to get it to go more in the future.
The link is for an excellent site and monthly report by Mr. William Blum. Many of you probably already stop by his site and/or subscribe to his excellent Anti Empire Report. If you have not visited his site please do and sign up for the report while you are there. So far I have not found much to disagree with him on anything he has written in his reports. You might even want to buy a book he has written. Highly recommended by me.
This caught my attention today as I surfed the old net. There are two companion bills floating through the congress now. They are; HR3166 and S1698. These vile pieces of bovine excrement would allow dear leader and/or the "appropriate authorities" to strip the nationality (citizenship) from anybody caught "engaging in or supporting hostilities against the US. That includes US nationals would lose their US citizenship if they are found to be doing such things. YES, a natural citizen, that is born here in the US of A, would lose his/her citizenship if he/she is deemed to have engaged in or supported hostilities against the USA. This then makes it SO much easier to be sent off for indefinite detention in some dank, dark hole of a prison. And here I was thinking that after the vile crap of the recently signed NDAA, things had hit bottom. Well, it looks like the government is doing what I have done at times when I have been depressed. When they hit bottom, they grab a damn shovel and start digging to see how much deeper they can get.
It never fails. Every time I think we have seen the absolute worst that this government can do, they come along and stoop even lower. Folks, there is NO depth to which they will not stoop.
A personal not; it has been with extreme care that I have kept my language on the polite side for this post. My brain is screaming the most vile obscenities at this sack of garbage that is being passed off as |"legislation". Mind you, these bills are just now in committee and have not even been voted on by either house. Of course, we have seen this sort of garbage get voted on and passed, then signed into law before, so we need to keep a close eye on these bills.
America, what a country.
semper fi
02 January 2012
Happy, we all hope, New Year
Greetings good people.
I hope that the New Year is a better one than last year for all of us. Yes, we will be hearing way more than we ever care to hear on the Mayan "apocalypse" and the end of the world coming to a location near you on December 21/22 of 2012. Oh joy. Well, fear not my friends, according to some really smart folks, scientists even, the "galactic alignment" that will be a major factor in this coming "end of the world" scenario is exactly what we just went through 12 days ago. Yes, you see, according to astronomers, every year at the winter solstice the earth is in alignment with the galactic center. The same alignment will occur on December 21/22 of this new year(2012) just as it was so aligned this past December 21/22 and has done so since , well damn near forever, at least since the earth formed and started its near endless journey around our sun. No doubt there are those who will shoot down any explanation I may offer to "debunk" the "end of the world" scenario they are pushing. Well, if you can put away any conspiracy theories, just go over to the NASA web site and search 2012. Yes, I know, it is a government web site. They still give you the truth about the solar system as far as I am concerned. I trust that the science there is honest and not any part of a conspiracy. You see, some agencies of the government DO tell the honest truth.
For those who have a problem with any government web sites, so be it. Try one of the observatory web sites of maybe some science museum web site and check what they have to say regards 2012 and the Mayan calendar. Basically, there will be no "world ending" event heading our way, no "mystery" planet entering earth orbit to destroy us all. IF, and it is a very, very big if, there were some "rogue" planet that was going to impact earth this coming December, many astronomers would have seen evidence of it by now. In fact there would have been evidence of it quite some time ago. No way would any group or government be able to silence every astronomer IF such a planet existed. If you still think that the mysterious Niburu is headed our way, well, so be it. Enjoy your ideas, but I don't buy it.
On a "lighter" note, we have just under 12 months left until the campaign for president in 2016 begins. WAIT!! Hold ON you say, what about the 2012 election? It has not happened yet. Yes, I am totally aware of that. Way too aware in fact. On some web sites and TV channels it is about all they talk about. I just figured since the candidates for president seem to start their campaigns the day after, if not the very day of, the current election. Look for the folks who will be running in 2016 to come out in early November of this year. Sorry to be the one to bring up this bad news, but it sure seems like we here in the US are in a basically unending election cycle. As more than one observer of the current campaign put it, Mitt has been running since 2008, if not longer. Ah yes, what money can buy for you. Not for me, probably not for most of you good folks who stop by this old corner either, but if one is rich. Yes, if one is rich, then the "world is your oyster" seems fairly accurate.
Well, we are at the start of another year, many things await us. New laws and of course new challenges, and more than a few old ones carried over from 2011. An example of a new law; Indiana has proposed a new law that would punish those who "sing the national anthem" inappropriately. If this becomes law, woe unto those who mess up while singing the "Star Spangled Banner". If you do make a mistake singing that song, you would be fined $25.00. Schools would be required to keep recordings of each performance for two years. Wow, they take that song seriously in Indiana. Or, do they? Really? How will they judge if the mistake was an honest one? How do you decide? True, it may be easy to point out a blatant butchering of the song, but being nervous singing to a large group, say a full sports stadium, and flubbing a word or line should not be punished. Maybe they will only allow "professional" singers with a long track record of singing the national anthem to sing it at large public events.
Pop quiz, (The first ever on the old corner) How many know the second and third verses of the "Star Spangled Banner"? OK, I will be the first to admit I do NOT know them. Does that mean I am in violation of the Indiana law? I wonder how many law makers at any level of government know all three verses. Bets that you can count them on one hand and have a few fingers left over. But that just may be me, being sarcastic again. Yeah, I'll buy that.
I'll be totally upfront and honest with you all. I do not do prognostications. No, what I think will happen in the US and/or the world. I am not now, nor ever was or wanted to be, any sort of prophet. I have no great insight into what may happen. In fact, I cannot even predict whether or not I'll make it out of bed tomorrow. At least not with 100% accuracy. Also, most every site on the net has done or is doing their predictions for 2012. Yes, that includes many who are pushing the Mayan "end of the world" deal.
What I hope happens is, that OWS and the occupy movement continues and grows stronger. I hope that more and more people wake up to the crap the government and both wings of the war/greed party are pushing. Yes, that is the "new" and "improved" name for the donkey and elephant gangs; the war/greed party, of which the two animal gangs are just the two wings of.
I have decided to add the greed part to the description of the war party. Maybe this year will see the rise of a truly independent third party. True, it may be almost too late now for such a party to have much of a real chance at winning. Still, as far as I am aware, it is still legal to dream/hope in the US of A. I did not see anything about dreams/hope in the miserable NDAA that Gobomber just recently signed.
Which brings me to the first real rant of 2012. The above "rant" on the Mayan apocalypse does not count as a "real" rant, just my opinion.
An excellent report on 2011 is over at EFF web site. The following is well worth your time; www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/2011-review-year-secrecy-jumped-shark. Among the outrageous items listed in their review, one really caught my attention. It is disgusting and at the same time absurd, almost what I would expect from Monty Python or maybe Catch 22. I refer you to the following; "President Obama accepts a transparency award.......behind closed doors. And some of you good people think the government is getting(?) too secret? Naw, no way that Gobomber is "obsessed" with secrecy. Not much, when he only accepts a "transparency" award behind closed doors. As others before me have said, you can't make this stuff up. I believe it was Will Rogers, I may be wrong, who said he didn't have to write his material, all he had to do was read the newspapers. I think Mort Sahl may have said either that or something quite close to it. Not that I am in their class, no way, they were masters, I'm still working towards my journeyman status. One last item from this list; The government attorneys insisted in court they CAN censor a book which was already published and available for free on the internet! Yes, the list has many such outrageous items on it. Well with the time to check it out. You will not be happy, but you will have a better idea of where the government is headed. This will not get better this year. In fact, here goes a "prediction" form me, it will get worse. No great "prophecy" that, as you all can see that the government is getting much more secret every day.
Back to that vile piece of legislation; the National Defense Authorization Act that Gobomber recently signed. As you are aware, he issued a "signing statement" as/after he signed the damn thing. He made noises about how he would not detain an American citizen captured on US soil without a trial. Oh? Really? Well, even IF, another of those very, very big if's, He may well decide to actually DO allow a US citizen captured on US soil to have an actual trial and not just be sent indefinitely to Gitmo. What, if anything, would stop the next president, the one who gets elected in 2016, from just tossing Gobomber's signing statement in the trash bin? Answer, not one damn thing. Nope, nothing about ANY presidential signing statement is binding on the next person to hold that office. In fact, there is nothing binding on Gobomber himself to abide by his own signing statement. Yeah, he can just "forget" this signing statement any time he feels like it and "no harm, no foul" and we all get screwed, again.
Now some folks may say that I am ungrateful to Gobomber for his signing statement. Well, they just could be right. He said he would not allow for the indefinite detention of a US citizen without a trial. OK, fine, as far as it goes. But, and it is a kind of big but, he DID kill a US citizen AND his 16 year old son. Neither of them got any trial, not even the kangaroo/faux military tribunal like they run at Gitmo. Nope, Mr. Anwar al-Awlaki and his son were killed simply because Gobomber (and probably his close advisors) thought that Mr. al-Awlaki was some sort of terrorist. Now, how "secure" do you feel with his signing statement? Yeah, I thought so. Me too.When that drone flies over me and fires a missile of some other weapon, hey, no problem. But, he won't detain me indefinitely without a trial. And.............if he doesn't want to waste all that time on so many trials, well......easy solution, just kill off any suspected terrorist/terrorist sympathizers. See, it is so simple even a president can figure it out. Yes sir, ain't 'Merikkka just grand?
For some extra insight into the minds(?) of senior US military types, I highly recommend an article at the Counterpunch web site, the weekend edition of Dec 30-Jan 1. Here is the link;
www.counterpunch.org/2011/12/30/cross-border-incident/. The author Brian Cloughley is a former military officer. He knows Pakistan and its military very well and he has a wealth of information and knowledge on the country, its military, and that general area of the world. I have read all of his articles that have been posted on the Counterpunch web site since about 2004. I count him as a friend and an excellent source of information. Brian writes about the "incident" where the US/NATO attacked a Pakistan Army outpost on the border of Pakistan/Afghanistan and killed 24 Pakistani troops. Odd that this happened as the US military has the exact location of EVERY Pakistani border outpost. Read Brian's excellent article and find out more on the minds(?) of some US military officers and one particular US general. The stupid, it hurts. Sorry, that just needed to come out. I am not sure if it is stupidity, hubris, arrogance, or what that some US military officers think, or even IF they think at all. Brain shows one for what he really is.
A further comment on the current election/campaign. I ran across a quote that I must pass along. Somebody was describing Newt Gingrich and came up with this; "Newt is a dumb person's idea of what a smart person sounds like". I forget who said that, but it captures the "essence" of Newt quite well. Hmmm......essence of Newt, eye of toad, pinch of Mittens, dash of Bachmann, slice of Perry, tea spoon of Santorum, dusting of Paul? Yep, sounds like a "devils brew" to me.If I missed any of them, well, tough beans and hard cheese. I find it quite difficult to take any of them very seriously. Although, even Glen Greenwald has some kind words to say about Dr. Ron Paul. Having read his article on the Dr. I have to agree with Mr. Greenwald here. Ron Paul IS talking about things that NEED to be brought into this campaign. No, I will not vote for him though. He holds too many views that run counter to my way of thinking. No, I will not vote for Gobomber, nor did I vote for either war/greed party candidate in 2008. The LAST time any candidate from either wing of the war/greed party got my vote was in 1980. I voted for Carter. Dad was very much against "saint" Ronnie. He had been a disaster as the governor of California and Dad did not want him as our president. Unfortunately, Dad died the Saturday after "saint" Ronnie won that election. For years we used to say that Reagan killed Dad.
I am going to end this rant with another quote. This is for all of us to consider as we support, however we can, the occupy movement. It is by James Baldwin and I think it applies to all who are working to make this a better world for everybody.
"People don't have any mercy. They tear you limb from limb in the name of love. Then, when they've killed you by what they made you go through, they say you didn't have any character. They weep big, bitter tears---not for you. For themselves, because they've lost their toy."
Something to think about.
semper fi
I hope that the New Year is a better one than last year for all of us. Yes, we will be hearing way more than we ever care to hear on the Mayan "apocalypse" and the end of the world coming to a location near you on December 21/22 of 2012. Oh joy. Well, fear not my friends, according to some really smart folks, scientists even, the "galactic alignment" that will be a major factor in this coming "end of the world" scenario is exactly what we just went through 12 days ago. Yes, you see, according to astronomers, every year at the winter solstice the earth is in alignment with the galactic center. The same alignment will occur on December 21/22 of this new year(2012) just as it was so aligned this past December 21/22 and has done so since , well damn near forever, at least since the earth formed and started its near endless journey around our sun. No doubt there are those who will shoot down any explanation I may offer to "debunk" the "end of the world" scenario they are pushing. Well, if you can put away any conspiracy theories, just go over to the NASA web site and search 2012. Yes, I know, it is a government web site. They still give you the truth about the solar system as far as I am concerned. I trust that the science there is honest and not any part of a conspiracy. You see, some agencies of the government DO tell the honest truth.
For those who have a problem with any government web sites, so be it. Try one of the observatory web sites of maybe some science museum web site and check what they have to say regards 2012 and the Mayan calendar. Basically, there will be no "world ending" event heading our way, no "mystery" planet entering earth orbit to destroy us all. IF, and it is a very, very big if, there were some "rogue" planet that was going to impact earth this coming December, many astronomers would have seen evidence of it by now. In fact there would have been evidence of it quite some time ago. No way would any group or government be able to silence every astronomer IF such a planet existed. If you still think that the mysterious Niburu is headed our way, well, so be it. Enjoy your ideas, but I don't buy it.
On a "lighter" note, we have just under 12 months left until the campaign for president in 2016 begins. WAIT!! Hold ON you say, what about the 2012 election? It has not happened yet. Yes, I am totally aware of that. Way too aware in fact. On some web sites and TV channels it is about all they talk about. I just figured since the candidates for president seem to start their campaigns the day after, if not the very day of, the current election. Look for the folks who will be running in 2016 to come out in early November of this year. Sorry to be the one to bring up this bad news, but it sure seems like we here in the US are in a basically unending election cycle. As more than one observer of the current campaign put it, Mitt has been running since 2008, if not longer. Ah yes, what money can buy for you. Not for me, probably not for most of you good folks who stop by this old corner either, but if one is rich. Yes, if one is rich, then the "world is your oyster" seems fairly accurate.
Well, we are at the start of another year, many things await us. New laws and of course new challenges, and more than a few old ones carried over from 2011. An example of a new law; Indiana has proposed a new law that would punish those who "sing the national anthem" inappropriately. If this becomes law, woe unto those who mess up while singing the "Star Spangled Banner". If you do make a mistake singing that song, you would be fined $25.00. Schools would be required to keep recordings of each performance for two years. Wow, they take that song seriously in Indiana. Or, do they? Really? How will they judge if the mistake was an honest one? How do you decide? True, it may be easy to point out a blatant butchering of the song, but being nervous singing to a large group, say a full sports stadium, and flubbing a word or line should not be punished. Maybe they will only allow "professional" singers with a long track record of singing the national anthem to sing it at large public events.
Pop quiz, (The first ever on the old corner) How many know the second and third verses of the "Star Spangled Banner"? OK, I will be the first to admit I do NOT know them. Does that mean I am in violation of the Indiana law? I wonder how many law makers at any level of government know all three verses. Bets that you can count them on one hand and have a few fingers left over. But that just may be me, being sarcastic again. Yeah, I'll buy that.
I'll be totally upfront and honest with you all. I do not do prognostications. No, what I think will happen in the US and/or the world. I am not now, nor ever was or wanted to be, any sort of prophet. I have no great insight into what may happen. In fact, I cannot even predict whether or not I'll make it out of bed tomorrow. At least not with 100% accuracy. Also, most every site on the net has done or is doing their predictions for 2012. Yes, that includes many who are pushing the Mayan "end of the world" deal.
What I hope happens is, that OWS and the occupy movement continues and grows stronger. I hope that more and more people wake up to the crap the government and both wings of the war/greed party are pushing. Yes, that is the "new" and "improved" name for the donkey and elephant gangs; the war/greed party, of which the two animal gangs are just the two wings of.
I have decided to add the greed part to the description of the war party. Maybe this year will see the rise of a truly independent third party. True, it may be almost too late now for such a party to have much of a real chance at winning. Still, as far as I am aware, it is still legal to dream/hope in the US of A. I did not see anything about dreams/hope in the miserable NDAA that Gobomber just recently signed.
Which brings me to the first real rant of 2012. The above "rant" on the Mayan apocalypse does not count as a "real" rant, just my opinion.
An excellent report on 2011 is over at EFF web site. The following is well worth your time; www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/2011-review-year-secrecy-jumped-shark. Among the outrageous items listed in their review, one really caught my attention. It is disgusting and at the same time absurd, almost what I would expect from Monty Python or maybe Catch 22. I refer you to the following; "President Obama accepts a transparency award.......behind closed doors. And some of you good people think the government is getting(?) too secret? Naw, no way that Gobomber is "obsessed" with secrecy. Not much, when he only accepts a "transparency" award behind closed doors. As others before me have said, you can't make this stuff up. I believe it was Will Rogers, I may be wrong, who said he didn't have to write his material, all he had to do was read the newspapers. I think Mort Sahl may have said either that or something quite close to it. Not that I am in their class, no way, they were masters, I'm still working towards my journeyman status. One last item from this list; The government attorneys insisted in court they CAN censor a book which was already published and available for free on the internet! Yes, the list has many such outrageous items on it. Well with the time to check it out. You will not be happy, but you will have a better idea of where the government is headed. This will not get better this year. In fact, here goes a "prediction" form me, it will get worse. No great "prophecy" that, as you all can see that the government is getting much more secret every day.
Back to that vile piece of legislation; the National Defense Authorization Act that Gobomber recently signed. As you are aware, he issued a "signing statement" as/after he signed the damn thing. He made noises about how he would not detain an American citizen captured on US soil without a trial. Oh? Really? Well, even IF, another of those very, very big if's, He may well decide to actually DO allow a US citizen captured on US soil to have an actual trial and not just be sent indefinitely to Gitmo. What, if anything, would stop the next president, the one who gets elected in 2016, from just tossing Gobomber's signing statement in the trash bin? Answer, not one damn thing. Nope, nothing about ANY presidential signing statement is binding on the next person to hold that office. In fact, there is nothing binding on Gobomber himself to abide by his own signing statement. Yeah, he can just "forget" this signing statement any time he feels like it and "no harm, no foul" and we all get screwed, again.
Now some folks may say that I am ungrateful to Gobomber for his signing statement. Well, they just could be right. He said he would not allow for the indefinite detention of a US citizen without a trial. OK, fine, as far as it goes. But, and it is a kind of big but, he DID kill a US citizen AND his 16 year old son. Neither of them got any trial, not even the kangaroo/faux military tribunal like they run at Gitmo. Nope, Mr. Anwar al-Awlaki and his son were killed simply because Gobomber (and probably his close advisors) thought that Mr. al-Awlaki was some sort of terrorist. Now, how "secure" do you feel with his signing statement? Yeah, I thought so. Me too.When that drone flies over me and fires a missile of some other weapon, hey, no problem. But, he won't detain me indefinitely without a trial. And.............if he doesn't want to waste all that time on so many trials, well......easy solution, just kill off any suspected terrorist/terrorist sympathizers. See, it is so simple even a president can figure it out. Yes sir, ain't 'Merikkka just grand?
For some extra insight into the minds(?) of senior US military types, I highly recommend an article at the Counterpunch web site, the weekend edition of Dec 30-Jan 1. Here is the link;
www.counterpunch.org/2011/12/30/cross-border-incident/. The author Brian Cloughley is a former military officer. He knows Pakistan and its military very well and he has a wealth of information and knowledge on the country, its military, and that general area of the world. I have read all of his articles that have been posted on the Counterpunch web site since about 2004. I count him as a friend and an excellent source of information. Brian writes about the "incident" where the US/NATO attacked a Pakistan Army outpost on the border of Pakistan/Afghanistan and killed 24 Pakistani troops. Odd that this happened as the US military has the exact location of EVERY Pakistani border outpost. Read Brian's excellent article and find out more on the minds(?) of some US military officers and one particular US general. The stupid, it hurts. Sorry, that just needed to come out. I am not sure if it is stupidity, hubris, arrogance, or what that some US military officers think, or even IF they think at all. Brain shows one for what he really is.
A further comment on the current election/campaign. I ran across a quote that I must pass along. Somebody was describing Newt Gingrich and came up with this; "Newt is a dumb person's idea of what a smart person sounds like". I forget who said that, but it captures the "essence" of Newt quite well. Hmmm......essence of Newt, eye of toad, pinch of Mittens, dash of Bachmann, slice of Perry, tea spoon of Santorum, dusting of Paul? Yep, sounds like a "devils brew" to me.If I missed any of them, well, tough beans and hard cheese. I find it quite difficult to take any of them very seriously. Although, even Glen Greenwald has some kind words to say about Dr. Ron Paul. Having read his article on the Dr. I have to agree with Mr. Greenwald here. Ron Paul IS talking about things that NEED to be brought into this campaign. No, I will not vote for him though. He holds too many views that run counter to my way of thinking. No, I will not vote for Gobomber, nor did I vote for either war/greed party candidate in 2008. The LAST time any candidate from either wing of the war/greed party got my vote was in 1980. I voted for Carter. Dad was very much against "saint" Ronnie. He had been a disaster as the governor of California and Dad did not want him as our president. Unfortunately, Dad died the Saturday after "saint" Ronnie won that election. For years we used to say that Reagan killed Dad.
I am going to end this rant with another quote. This is for all of us to consider as we support, however we can, the occupy movement. It is by James Baldwin and I think it applies to all who are working to make this a better world for everybody.
"People don't have any mercy. They tear you limb from limb in the name of love. Then, when they've killed you by what they made you go through, they say you didn't have any character. They weep big, bitter tears---not for you. For themselves, because they've lost their toy."
Something to think about.
semper fi
18 December 2011
We are headed into uncharted waters
How to start this post. I wanted to start with something that would catch your attention, a "hook" if you will. Unfortunately I don'e seem to be able to do that. No "witty" phrase of such comes to mind. I am just deeply sickened that the USA has dropped to such lows that it is almost unbelievable. Most unfortunately, it IS believable. The Senate has passed the vile, disgusting piece of legislative crap and Gobomber is now set to sign this bloody excuse into law.
I refer you to the "National Defense Authorization Act" and all of its implications. This is the very same piece of bovine excrement that "dear ;eager" WAS on record as saying he would veto. I suppose that "dear ;eager" has had a "change of heart". Must be that, or did he get some message from a "higher" authority? Yes, maybe that is it, he may have changed his mind after a phone call from Bibi Nutty-yahoo. That would be the "higher" authority.
Oh dear, it sure looks like I might wind up on some damn list as a "security threat" for being so damn sarcastic. Folks may very well tell me to go straight to hell even. Big deal, I have had countless "offers" for such a journey that I just might take up that offer. Hey, when so many tell me that I should go to a certain place, I figure it is only the decent thing to go and see what all the fuss about the place is like. Yeah, you survive the Marine Corps and time in the Vietnam war zone and not much can scare you. Just ask the troops who have made it back from Iraq or Afghanistan. After surviving a war, not much else they can do to you to frighten you.
Also, I want to share this quote I came across on the internet. I have not seen who is supposed to have said it, no origin was given, but I think it fits our times. Here goes; "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty". Ah yes, words to ponder. Words to take to heart even. I'll resist as long as I can. True, my physical disabilities might crack without too much undo pressures, but I doubt my spirit will crack very easily, if ever. Maybe that attitude of mine is something I can thank the Marines for. Works for me.
The White House announced after the Senate passed the NDAA that yes, the president WILL sign this bill into law. This means that Gobomber is on record as being openly supportive of denying American citizens basic due process rights, such as the right to trial by peers, the right to legal representation.
This new law allows the military to detain without trialAmerican terror suspects arrested on US soil. These people can even be shipped off to sunny Cuba. Yes, those people could be sent to Gitmo to be held indefinitely, without trial. This was NOT reported in the New York Times. The donkey gang has NOT spoken out about this outrage.
The US supreme court ruled in 2004 in Hamdan vs Rumsfeld that the use of military tribunals for terror suspects CLEARLY violate basic protections under the Geneva Conventions. Being that the USA ratified the Geneva Conventions means that the supreme court said that the use of military tribunals for terror suspects violate US law. Yes folks, any treaty that is ratified by the congress of the USA IS law. Don't believe me? Check out the Constitution of the United States of America. This from Article VI of the US Constitution states that; "This Constitution and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and all Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding." The US Constitution makes the Geneva Conventions the "Law of the Land".
Of course that does not seem to phase our "dear leader" very much. The same can be said of the majority of BOTH houses of our(??) congress and also of past (recent even) occupants of the White House. One of our most recent occupants of "our" White House is said to have referred to the Constitution as that "goddamn piece of paper". Well, sorry to let you down there bud, but it IS the law, like it or not.
The trouble is, how do we, as common citizens of this country go about enforcing the Constitution? OWS surely has got the attention of the folks in congress and even the banksters have taken notice. Then again, they had the police out to destroy the encampments of OWS in more than one city. New York and Oakland seem to have suffered the most abuse by the riot cops. I may not be 100% correct in that, but from my readings on the net, those cities seem to have had the most violent abuse from "authority".
I know that my "attitude" gets me in deep manure from both sides of the political mess. The "right" thinks a former Marine should wave the flag and support every damn fool war the government gets us into. The "left" cannot stand that I am critical of Gobomber and the donkey gang. Well, too damn bad. I stand by my positions and will change them only when presented with a good enough argument to get me to change my views.
I ran across some more quotes that I want to share here. First off, Dwight Eisenhower said; "May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion." I stand by my own honest dissent.
Now for Theodore Roosevelt; "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president.....is morally treasonable to the American public."
I wonder how much honest dissent or criticism Gobomber and congress can manage. No doubt I have made it onto a list or three, big deal. I fail to see how a disabled war veteran could be to the powers that run this show. Well, after this vile "act" is law I might find out how much, or better yet, how little dissent is still legal here in the "land of the free and the home of the brave".
As the state motto of New Hampshire goes; "Live Free or Die"
semper fi
I refer you to the "National Defense Authorization Act" and all of its implications. This is the very same piece of bovine excrement that "dear ;eager" WAS on record as saying he would veto. I suppose that "dear ;eager" has had a "change of heart". Must be that, or did he get some message from a "higher" authority? Yes, maybe that is it, he may have changed his mind after a phone call from Bibi Nutty-yahoo. That would be the "higher" authority.
Oh dear, it sure looks like I might wind up on some damn list as a "security threat" for being so damn sarcastic. Folks may very well tell me to go straight to hell even. Big deal, I have had countless "offers" for such a journey that I just might take up that offer. Hey, when so many tell me that I should go to a certain place, I figure it is only the decent thing to go and see what all the fuss about the place is like. Yeah, you survive the Marine Corps and time in the Vietnam war zone and not much can scare you. Just ask the troops who have made it back from Iraq or Afghanistan. After surviving a war, not much else they can do to you to frighten you.
Also, I want to share this quote I came across on the internet. I have not seen who is supposed to have said it, no origin was given, but I think it fits our times. Here goes; "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty". Ah yes, words to ponder. Words to take to heart even. I'll resist as long as I can. True, my physical disabilities might crack without too much undo pressures, but I doubt my spirit will crack very easily, if ever. Maybe that attitude of mine is something I can thank the Marines for. Works for me.
The White House announced after the Senate passed the NDAA that yes, the president WILL sign this bill into law. This means that Gobomber is on record as being openly supportive of denying American citizens basic due process rights, such as the right to trial by peers, the right to legal representation.
This new law allows the military to detain without trialAmerican terror suspects arrested on US soil. These people can even be shipped off to sunny Cuba. Yes, those people could be sent to Gitmo to be held indefinitely, without trial. This was NOT reported in the New York Times. The donkey gang has NOT spoken out about this outrage.
The US supreme court ruled in 2004 in Hamdan vs Rumsfeld that the use of military tribunals for terror suspects CLEARLY violate basic protections under the Geneva Conventions. Being that the USA ratified the Geneva Conventions means that the supreme court said that the use of military tribunals for terror suspects violate US law. Yes folks, any treaty that is ratified by the congress of the USA IS law. Don't believe me? Check out the Constitution of the United States of America. This from Article VI of the US Constitution states that; "This Constitution and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and all Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding." The US Constitution makes the Geneva Conventions the "Law of the Land".
Of course that does not seem to phase our "dear leader" very much. The same can be said of the majority of BOTH houses of our(??) congress and also of past (recent even) occupants of the White House. One of our most recent occupants of "our" White House is said to have referred to the Constitution as that "goddamn piece of paper". Well, sorry to let you down there bud, but it IS the law, like it or not.
The trouble is, how do we, as common citizens of this country go about enforcing the Constitution? OWS surely has got the attention of the folks in congress and even the banksters have taken notice. Then again, they had the police out to destroy the encampments of OWS in more than one city. New York and Oakland seem to have suffered the most abuse by the riot cops. I may not be 100% correct in that, but from my readings on the net, those cities seem to have had the most violent abuse from "authority".
I know that my "attitude" gets me in deep manure from both sides of the political mess. The "right" thinks a former Marine should wave the flag and support every damn fool war the government gets us into. The "left" cannot stand that I am critical of Gobomber and the donkey gang. Well, too damn bad. I stand by my positions and will change them only when presented with a good enough argument to get me to change my views.
I ran across some more quotes that I want to share here. First off, Dwight Eisenhower said; "May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion." I stand by my own honest dissent.
Now for Theodore Roosevelt; "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president.....is morally treasonable to the American public."
I wonder how much honest dissent or criticism Gobomber and congress can manage. No doubt I have made it onto a list or three, big deal. I fail to see how a disabled war veteran could be to the powers that run this show. Well, after this vile "act" is law I might find out how much, or better yet, how little dissent is still legal here in the "land of the free and the home of the brave".
As the state motto of New Hampshire goes; "Live Free or Die"
semper fi
01 December 2011
New "security" bill in the Senate
People, we are entering very dangerous times. A bill now in the US Senate would allow the president to send anybody, including American citizens to Gitmo to be held indefinitely without any recourse to legal representation. In short, the president could send anybody he thinks is a security threat to the US to be held as long as he wants to hold them with no lawyers allowed to represent him/her.
All that would be required for any of us to be held indefinitely is for the president to say that any of us is a "security threat" to the US. There is NO requirement for the president to say just how the person represents such a threat. In short, it is entirely the whim of the president. This is extremely frightening. No president has ever had such powers. The bill apparently also includes the authorization to allow the president to us the US military troops to be used as law enforcement. The last time that was done was during the Reconstruction period after the US War Between the States. WHen Reconstruction ended in 1876, the Congress at that time passed a law that prevented all presidents from that time until now from using the military as law enforcement.
Consider a USA where the president can us military troops as a police force and he alone can designate any of us as a "security threat" and have us locked up in some dank prison indefinitely with no legal representation.
You think this cannot happen in America? Think again my friends, this bill now in the US Senate would allow all of this and no doubt much more.
I wonder, if this vile piece of legislation passes, will the next Occupy action result in the protesters being carted away to Gitmo for indefinite detention? Who among us would trust anybody with such power? I would not even trust myself with that amount of unlimited power, let alone some Wall Street tool as Gobomber.
Now, our president has said that he will veto this bill if it passes the Senate. Do you really believe this guy? Remember, he promised during the campaign in 2008 to shut down Gitmo by the end of his first year in office. He has been on the job almost three years now and Gitmo is still operating as usual. Now, do you still trust this guy? Hell, I just might be on his "hit" list for my rants here on the old, corner. Well, hell, if you don't hear much from me in the next few weeks, no doubt I might be in sunny Cuba in one of those "nice" cells at Gitmo.
I'm going to close this rant with a few quotes that I have run across recently. I may have read them before, but this week I came across them again, and decided to share them.
Steve Biko said "The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
These next two I have no idea who said them, they came off different web articles. As to the OWS making no list of demands, one of the protesters said; "OWS has made no demands. Terrorists make demands. OWS are NOT terrorists." How very true, they ARE patriots who are asking for the broken system to be replaced with one that is fair to ALL of us.
The last one is; "Bailing out banks to save us from socialism is like fucking to save virginity." Excuse my language but that is the BEST way to describe things in my opinion. Short and to the point.
We are entering very dangerous times people. I have no idea where this is going or how it will end. I know that the system IS broken and we need real change. I hope it does not devolve into armed revolution with blood running in the streets. We can do this peacefully, but that means the top 1% has to listen to the people and put aside their greed for ever more and more. At some point even the very rich must have to ask themselves, how much is finally enough. The people have had more than enough of the greed of Wall Street and the war industries. End the damn fool wars of choice. Close all those military bases in foreign countries. Rebuild America and let the rest of the world alone to sort out their troubles without the US interfering. ENOUGH! Enough of the damn fool wars of choice. Enough of the greedy banksters and their pals on Wall Street and in the war industries.
America, what a country.
semper fi
All that would be required for any of us to be held indefinitely is for the president to say that any of us is a "security threat" to the US. There is NO requirement for the president to say just how the person represents such a threat. In short, it is entirely the whim of the president. This is extremely frightening. No president has ever had such powers. The bill apparently also includes the authorization to allow the president to us the US military troops to be used as law enforcement. The last time that was done was during the Reconstruction period after the US War Between the States. WHen Reconstruction ended in 1876, the Congress at that time passed a law that prevented all presidents from that time until now from using the military as law enforcement.
Consider a USA where the president can us military troops as a police force and he alone can designate any of us as a "security threat" and have us locked up in some dank prison indefinitely with no legal representation.
You think this cannot happen in America? Think again my friends, this bill now in the US Senate would allow all of this and no doubt much more.
I wonder, if this vile piece of legislation passes, will the next Occupy action result in the protesters being carted away to Gitmo for indefinite detention? Who among us would trust anybody with such power? I would not even trust myself with that amount of unlimited power, let alone some Wall Street tool as Gobomber.
Now, our president has said that he will veto this bill if it passes the Senate. Do you really believe this guy? Remember, he promised during the campaign in 2008 to shut down Gitmo by the end of his first year in office. He has been on the job almost three years now and Gitmo is still operating as usual. Now, do you still trust this guy? Hell, I just might be on his "hit" list for my rants here on the old, corner. Well, hell, if you don't hear much from me in the next few weeks, no doubt I might be in sunny Cuba in one of those "nice" cells at Gitmo.
I'm going to close this rant with a few quotes that I have run across recently. I may have read them before, but this week I came across them again, and decided to share them.
Steve Biko said "The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
These next two I have no idea who said them, they came off different web articles. As to the OWS making no list of demands, one of the protesters said; "OWS has made no demands. Terrorists make demands. OWS are NOT terrorists." How very true, they ARE patriots who are asking for the broken system to be replaced with one that is fair to ALL of us.
The last one is; "Bailing out banks to save us from socialism is like fucking to save virginity." Excuse my language but that is the BEST way to describe things in my opinion. Short and to the point.
We are entering very dangerous times people. I have no idea where this is going or how it will end. I know that the system IS broken and we need real change. I hope it does not devolve into armed revolution with blood running in the streets. We can do this peacefully, but that means the top 1% has to listen to the people and put aside their greed for ever more and more. At some point even the very rich must have to ask themselves, how much is finally enough. The people have had more than enough of the greed of Wall Street and the war industries. End the damn fool wars of choice. Close all those military bases in foreign countries. Rebuild America and let the rest of the world alone to sort out their troubles without the US interfering. ENOUGH! Enough of the damn fool wars of choice. Enough of the greedy banksters and their pals on Wall Street and in the war industries.
America, what a country.
semper fi
22 November 2011
Books must be very dangerous
In Amerikkka, books are very dangerous things. Why do I say this? Consider that when the New York police raided the OWS folks at Zuccotti Park last week they threw ALL the books from the temporary library into a dumpster. Most of the books were damaged beyond repair. Why did the police toss those books into the trash bins? Well, to me it is obvious. Books are dangerous. Books contain ideas. Ideas can be very, very dangerous. In particular, ideas that say that we are all human beings, we ALL have the same basic needs, that ALL humans have the same basic desires. Yes, those ARE very dangerous ideas folks. ALL human beings need food, clothing, and shelter. ALL human beings want to be able to provide a decent standard of living to their families, they all want their children to have at least as good a life as they have, hopefully a better life than they have. In the Amerikkka of today, we are facing the very real prospect that our children will NOT have a better life than we have. They may not even have as good a life as we have or have had. For the first time since the Great Depression, Amerikkka faces the very real prospect that the next generation will have less than their parents.
This truth is a very dangerous thing. Those at the top do not want this to be widely known. They want to suppress this fact as they want the masses to continue to believe in the fairy tale that "things will get better, trust us". They continue to try and push the "American dream". That dream has turned into a very real nightmare for many people. The bad loans, liar loans, and the foreclosures have turned the "dream" on its head.
The top 1% continue to prosper while the 99% try their best to "make due" with the crumbs. The "saint" Ronnie of Raygun trickle down at work here folks. Big time.
The old "rich get richer while the poor get poorer" is no longer just a saying, it is reality. Another idea that is very dangerous as it becomes fact. Those at the top of this heap don't want the masses to know this. Too bad, the truth IS out and the people are angry.
OWS has started something and it will not just go quietly away.
The "media" has tried to brush the OWS aside by claiming that they have "made no demands". True, but consider a reply by some in the OWS movement to that statement; "Terrorists make demands. OWS are NOT terrorists". Try that on for size "media".
The powers that be may silence some of the people, but they can never kill an idea.
Keep reading people. Keep the protest alive. We, the 99%, have the numbers.
semper fi
This truth is a very dangerous thing. Those at the top do not want this to be widely known. They want to suppress this fact as they want the masses to continue to believe in the fairy tale that "things will get better, trust us". They continue to try and push the "American dream". That dream has turned into a very real nightmare for many people. The bad loans, liar loans, and the foreclosures have turned the "dream" on its head.
The top 1% continue to prosper while the 99% try their best to "make due" with the crumbs. The "saint" Ronnie of Raygun trickle down at work here folks. Big time.
The old "rich get richer while the poor get poorer" is no longer just a saying, it is reality. Another idea that is very dangerous as it becomes fact. Those at the top of this heap don't want the masses to know this. Too bad, the truth IS out and the people are angry.
OWS has started something and it will not just go quietly away.
The "media" has tried to brush the OWS aside by claiming that they have "made no demands". True, but consider a reply by some in the OWS movement to that statement; "Terrorists make demands. OWS are NOT terrorists". Try that on for size "media".
The powers that be may silence some of the people, but they can never kill an idea.
Keep reading people. Keep the protest alive. We, the 99%, have the numbers.
semper fi
21 October 2011
This is the new America, may the gods have pity on us all
Today I saw a TV ad for what to me is the lowest of lows. I had not seen this before. Somehow my TV viewing habits may have allowed me to skip this until now. I have no idea how long this ad has been running on the tube. According to the web page for this "product" they advertise on A&E, The Military Channel, The History Channel, CMT, CNBC, MTB, VH1, and Spike.
OK, you say to the old guy ranting away (me). Just what has got you so riled up?
The "product" is a two coin "commemorative" set, one gold coin and one silver coin that "celebrate" the assassination of bin Laden. YES, no kidding at all here. You can buy a two coin set and join in "celebrating" that assassination. No capture, no trial by jury, no waiting around for a jury to decide anything at all. No sir, just a good old fashioned assassination.
Along with the two coins, you will also get two acrylic capsules to hold these "precious" coins, two certificates of authenticity, the Navy seal creed, a military briefing package that includes maps, photos, and operational details. also in this package is a gold lapel pin. This total package, so the web site and TV commercial tell us, is a $260.00 value. Oh, but you can have it all for the amazingly low price of, wait for it, yes, $19.95. Plus shipping and handling as usual.
If you think I have made this up, here is the web site for this entire package. Check it out if your stomach is strong enough. www.justicecoin.com/index.dtm
YES, they actually call these coins, justice coins. I am not fibbing folks. Check the link above.
What sort of "justice" was given to bin Laden? An assassins bullet is what he got. No capture, no lawyers, no trial, no jury, no waiting for a jury to decide guilt. No sir, none of that "old school" crap. This is the 21st century. Amerikkka rules. USA uber alles.
Yes, I know that "we", the USA has done this sort of thing for decades. The thing is, we didn't hear of assassinations shortly after they happened. Back in my youth, the CIA and other arms of the US government kept these sorts of things very quiet. Oh sure, on rare occasions they were made known as a "warning" to other leaders around the globe to be very careful. Still, for the most part, the dirty work of our special ops and CIA agents were low key and kept more or less secret. The public didn't hear of them until much later and only after some serious digging by real journalists who worked very hard to get to the truth of things.
Now, we not only hear of some of these operations as soon as they are done, we now "celebrate" the assassinations of supposed terrorists with goddamn "commemorative" coin sets! How low can this country stoop? How bloody damn sick is this? Please excuse me for my language.It is extremely difficult to keep my words polite in regards to this abomination.
LOL, let me have a moment to reflect on that last sentence. "Abomination", yes, BUT since the USA is now the Obamanation, in some small way, it all fits. Yes, I know, I have a sick sense of humor at times. I just couldn't resist that one. Yes, it IS a bad pun. Most likely a very bad pun.
Still, it does fit.
With the news on "advisors" going to Uganda, Southern Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, this TV ad just struck me as being about the absolute lowest of things.Throw in the killing of old Gaddafi and the news is quite depressing. This advertizement is just like the straw that broke the camels' back.It is one damn thing too much.
Are we, as a nation now so brutish that we now want "commemorative" coin sets to "celebrate" the unlawful killings of supposed enemies? What next? Commemorative coins to "celebrate" the death by drones of US citizens like Anwar al-Awlaki and his son? Why not? Why, such coin sets could give the drone "pilots" a morale boost. Those "pilots" are not given, as far as I am aware, any battle ribbons for their "work". Some Air Force general was quoted some time ago on the subject of how they could reward the "bravery" of these drone pilots. Seriously. I forget what web site I ran across that comment, I remember it being back in 2009, or about then. It was after the use of drones became news and there were, maybe still are, questions of how to award any sort of medals to the drone "pilots" for, again, their "bravery". This when the "most dangerous" part of their day is the drive home after their shift is finished for the day. Hey, we need to keep the morale high you know.
I had started work on a rant about Gaddafi and the newest African odyssey of "dear leader" Gobomber. Taking a show break from reading, I saw that TV commercial and just about went ballistic. My first, and still current, thought on this coin set is; just how bloody low will we go? How deep will some dig to "celebrate" an assassination? What has happened to the rule of law? Where has any shred of human decency in this sort of "product"? How low will some go for obscene profits? People in the USA still try to claim the country is a "christian nation". How does a "product" like this square with that sentiment? How can we, the American people, claim to be a civilized country, when we have this sort of absolute garbage for sale on our TV sets and the internet? We look down on supposed savages, but now, with this coin set, I really have to wonder just who the real savages are today.
semper fi
OK, you say to the old guy ranting away (me). Just what has got you so riled up?
The "product" is a two coin "commemorative" set, one gold coin and one silver coin that "celebrate" the assassination of bin Laden. YES, no kidding at all here. You can buy a two coin set and join in "celebrating" that assassination. No capture, no trial by jury, no waiting around for a jury to decide anything at all. No sir, just a good old fashioned assassination.
Along with the two coins, you will also get two acrylic capsules to hold these "precious" coins, two certificates of authenticity, the Navy seal creed, a military briefing package that includes maps, photos, and operational details. also in this package is a gold lapel pin. This total package, so the web site and TV commercial tell us, is a $260.00 value. Oh, but you can have it all for the amazingly low price of, wait for it, yes, $19.95. Plus shipping and handling as usual.
If you think I have made this up, here is the web site for this entire package. Check it out if your stomach is strong enough. www.justicecoin.com/index.dtm
YES, they actually call these coins, justice coins. I am not fibbing folks. Check the link above.
What sort of "justice" was given to bin Laden? An assassins bullet is what he got. No capture, no lawyers, no trial, no jury, no waiting for a jury to decide guilt. No sir, none of that "old school" crap. This is the 21st century. Amerikkka rules. USA uber alles.
Yes, I know that "we", the USA has done this sort of thing for decades. The thing is, we didn't hear of assassinations shortly after they happened. Back in my youth, the CIA and other arms of the US government kept these sorts of things very quiet. Oh sure, on rare occasions they were made known as a "warning" to other leaders around the globe to be very careful. Still, for the most part, the dirty work of our special ops and CIA agents were low key and kept more or less secret. The public didn't hear of them until much later and only after some serious digging by real journalists who worked very hard to get to the truth of things.
Now, we not only hear of some of these operations as soon as they are done, we now "celebrate" the assassinations of supposed terrorists with goddamn "commemorative" coin sets! How low can this country stoop? How bloody damn sick is this? Please excuse me for my language.It is extremely difficult to keep my words polite in regards to this abomination.
LOL, let me have a moment to reflect on that last sentence. "Abomination", yes, BUT since the USA is now the Obamanation, in some small way, it all fits. Yes, I know, I have a sick sense of humor at times. I just couldn't resist that one. Yes, it IS a bad pun. Most likely a very bad pun.
Still, it does fit.
With the news on "advisors" going to Uganda, Southern Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, this TV ad just struck me as being about the absolute lowest of things.Throw in the killing of old Gaddafi and the news is quite depressing. This advertizement is just like the straw that broke the camels' back.It is one damn thing too much.
Are we, as a nation now so brutish that we now want "commemorative" coin sets to "celebrate" the unlawful killings of supposed enemies? What next? Commemorative coins to "celebrate" the death by drones of US citizens like Anwar al-Awlaki and his son? Why not? Why, such coin sets could give the drone "pilots" a morale boost. Those "pilots" are not given, as far as I am aware, any battle ribbons for their "work". Some Air Force general was quoted some time ago on the subject of how they could reward the "bravery" of these drone pilots. Seriously. I forget what web site I ran across that comment, I remember it being back in 2009, or about then. It was after the use of drones became news and there were, maybe still are, questions of how to award any sort of medals to the drone "pilots" for, again, their "bravery". This when the "most dangerous" part of their day is the drive home after their shift is finished for the day. Hey, we need to keep the morale high you know.
I had started work on a rant about Gaddafi and the newest African odyssey of "dear leader" Gobomber. Taking a show break from reading, I saw that TV commercial and just about went ballistic. My first, and still current, thought on this coin set is; just how bloody low will we go? How deep will some dig to "celebrate" an assassination? What has happened to the rule of law? Where has any shred of human decency in this sort of "product"? How low will some go for obscene profits? People in the USA still try to claim the country is a "christian nation". How does a "product" like this square with that sentiment? How can we, the American people, claim to be a civilized country, when we have this sort of absolute garbage for sale on our TV sets and the internet? We look down on supposed savages, but now, with this coin set, I really have to wonder just who the real savages are today.
semper fi
17 October 2011
The coming drones and other topics
Greetings to all.
I just finished reading the latest article at Tomdispatch by Mr. Nick Turse. His article deals with the drone aircraft and their bases around the world. He tells how the use of these weapons has increased and how the US military continues to expand their use and the "need" for ever more and new bases for them.
This is not all that new to you who have followed the US military and the weapons and tactics used by the US military. What did strike me as the most frightening regarding the use of drone aircraft is that the military is testing newer models that require NO human intervention. These "autonomous" drones are being/have been tested at Fort Benning, GA. These are "true robot" drones that quote" Hunt, identify, and kill the enemy based on calculations made by software, NOT (my capitalizing) decisions made by humans." This is where the drone war is going folks. Totally automated weapons and weapon systems with NO human input as to who, when, or where they kill some "enemy".
Also, take note that it may be quite soon that drones will be used here in the US. One does not need to stretch the imagination very far to realize that the cops in New York City would love to be able to use them right now so they could keep close tabs on the OWS movement. No doubt many local police forces here in the US want to be able to have use of drones. This WILL be the norm sooner than we think. I am NOT trying to claim any "special" knowledge here, it is just a logical step in the continuing use of these weapons/weapon systems. We can look at the typical police force in any city here at home and see how they are now using equipment that got its start in the military. The use of drones by local police is just the next step. This is NOT a "chicken little" the sky is falling cry, just an opinion of an old guy who has been watching how America has changed during my own life time. I have seen police in America become ever more militarized and am certain that some time in the very near future some police force in some large US city will begin using drones as a cheaper means of surveillance.
On another topic, it seems that OWS is gaining and the "too big to fail" gangsters are getting worried. Finally! YES, in my opinion, we all need to do what we can to keep the OWS movement alive. We also need to insure that the movement is not co-opted by any supposed "liberal" outfit. The first one that comes to my mind is MoveOn. In my opinion MoveOn had best move over as the OWS will sweep by that faux "liberal" outfit and then MoveOn will be left in our dust. I don't think MoveOn was ever concerned about the working class in America. I am sure that they want to be a part of the power structure, the rest of be damned. Again, this is my own opinion of MoveOn. I have never seen any criticism of Gobomber by that group and doubt they would ever be in any way critical of him. In that respect, they are not much different from any other "liberal" group in the US. As more than one commentator has written, if the wars that Gobomber has started (Libya) or expanded (Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan) they "liberals" would be up in arms yelling about the "aggressions" of Shrubbie. Oh, but now "we" have a member of the donkey gang occupying the White House so, no way will they be the least critical of him. That sure as hell shows me just how little these "liberals" care about the working class who have the job of invading/occupying the countries that the US is at war with.
My opinion, if the war in Libya would have been unjust under Shrub, it is ALSO unjust under Gobomber. My opinion of the majority of supposed "liberal" in the US is that they have VERY selective morals. If a member of the elephant gang holds the office of president, they will be against his/her new wars. Now, when a member of the donkey gang holds that office, well, you see how "much" protest has come from the "left" in America. Damn near none at all! I call that selective morality. Fine when "our" guy/gal does it, not so good when the "other" does the same thing.
again, I hope that OWS does not get co-opted by any "liberal" group. We all need to work hard to insure that this movement stays true to the working class and poor people who belong to OWS. This IS class war folks, us against the top 1%. It has been going on for decades and now, it is finally (I hope) coming to a head.
As we do what we can to continue the OWS and try to make it a truly nation wide movement, take a glance or three to the skies every so often, there just may be some drone watching you. NO, I do not think that is being paranoid at all. It never hurts to be cautious though.
semper fi
I just finished reading the latest article at Tomdispatch by Mr. Nick Turse. His article deals with the drone aircraft and their bases around the world. He tells how the use of these weapons has increased and how the US military continues to expand their use and the "need" for ever more and new bases for them.
This is not all that new to you who have followed the US military and the weapons and tactics used by the US military. What did strike me as the most frightening regarding the use of drone aircraft is that the military is testing newer models that require NO human intervention. These "autonomous" drones are being/have been tested at Fort Benning, GA. These are "true robot" drones that quote" Hunt, identify, and kill the enemy based on calculations made by software, NOT (my capitalizing) decisions made by humans." This is where the drone war is going folks. Totally automated weapons and weapon systems with NO human input as to who, when, or where they kill some "enemy".
Also, take note that it may be quite soon that drones will be used here in the US. One does not need to stretch the imagination very far to realize that the cops in New York City would love to be able to use them right now so they could keep close tabs on the OWS movement. No doubt many local police forces here in the US want to be able to have use of drones. This WILL be the norm sooner than we think. I am NOT trying to claim any "special" knowledge here, it is just a logical step in the continuing use of these weapons/weapon systems. We can look at the typical police force in any city here at home and see how they are now using equipment that got its start in the military. The use of drones by local police is just the next step. This is NOT a "chicken little" the sky is falling cry, just an opinion of an old guy who has been watching how America has changed during my own life time. I have seen police in America become ever more militarized and am certain that some time in the very near future some police force in some large US city will begin using drones as a cheaper means of surveillance.
On another topic, it seems that OWS is gaining and the "too big to fail" gangsters are getting worried. Finally! YES, in my opinion, we all need to do what we can to keep the OWS movement alive. We also need to insure that the movement is not co-opted by any supposed "liberal" outfit. The first one that comes to my mind is MoveOn. In my opinion MoveOn had best move over as the OWS will sweep by that faux "liberal" outfit and then MoveOn will be left in our dust. I don't think MoveOn was ever concerned about the working class in America. I am sure that they want to be a part of the power structure, the rest of be damned. Again, this is my own opinion of MoveOn. I have never seen any criticism of Gobomber by that group and doubt they would ever be in any way critical of him. In that respect, they are not much different from any other "liberal" group in the US. As more than one commentator has written, if the wars that Gobomber has started (Libya) or expanded (Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan) they "liberals" would be up in arms yelling about the "aggressions" of Shrubbie. Oh, but now "we" have a member of the donkey gang occupying the White House so, no way will they be the least critical of him. That sure as hell shows me just how little these "liberals" care about the working class who have the job of invading/occupying the countries that the US is at war with.
My opinion, if the war in Libya would have been unjust under Shrub, it is ALSO unjust under Gobomber. My opinion of the majority of supposed "liberal" in the US is that they have VERY selective morals. If a member of the elephant gang holds the office of president, they will be against his/her new wars. Now, when a member of the donkey gang holds that office, well, you see how "much" protest has come from the "left" in America. Damn near none at all! I call that selective morality. Fine when "our" guy/gal does it, not so good when the "other" does the same thing.
again, I hope that OWS does not get co-opted by any "liberal" group. We all need to work hard to insure that this movement stays true to the working class and poor people who belong to OWS. This IS class war folks, us against the top 1%. It has been going on for decades and now, it is finally (I hope) coming to a head.
As we do what we can to continue the OWS and try to make it a truly nation wide movement, take a glance or three to the skies every so often, there just may be some drone watching you. NO, I do not think that is being paranoid at all. It never hurts to be cautious though.
semper fi
13 October 2011
Just what IS going on here?
Greetings all.
Just when it looked like the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was getting a real head of steam and in the news, what happens but the powers that be come out with some ridiculous "plot" that involves the "top bad guy" now that bin Laden is dead. Yep, Iran, the "favored" bad guy of the zionist gang is once again up to doing "bad things".
Well, they are IF you believe the "news" from D.C. and Riyadh. We even got the US Attorney General, Mr. Holder, telling us all about this "vast conspiracy". For an excellent look at this "plot" you just need to pop over to Asia Times and read the column by Pepe Escobar. The link is on this page. I trust Pepe and my opinion is that he is an honest reporter.
This "plot" involves an entire cast of characters right out of a bad Hollywood movie. It has not just the "evil" Iranians, but it includes even the Mexican drug gangs, the feared Zetas in particular. The "plot" also includes "tons of opium" and of course boat loads of cash. Supposedly this is/was a plan to kill a Saudi ambassador on US soil. Why these "bad guys" didn't think to try killing the ambassador in the Middle East we are not told. Surely with all the tumult in that region it would be much easier to kill him closer to his home territory. The plan to use some Mexican drug gang or other to "do the deed" is also very odd. One would think that the Revolutionary Guards Force and the al Qods force has the capability to do it themselves. Why involve the Mexicans? Plausible deniability? Beats me. It just does seem to be some garbage script for a bad movie the closer one looks at it.
In his article Pepe asks just who benefits from this "plot". An excellent question and he does provide some suggestions. Yes, the zionist entity for one and the war industries included in the folks who might benefit from this. Various other war mongers also might think(??) they could profit from another damn fool war.
Personally, any thought to invading Iran need to be tossed out right now. A war with Iran would not go nearly as "well" as the current idiot wars we are stuck in today. YES, even worse than Iraq and Afghanistan combined in my humble opinion.
One other group that may be pushing for the US to attack Iran is the MEK, which was listed as a terrorist outfit by the US government, but has received funds from the US government. Yeah, that is NOT an error, the US government has aided a listed terror organization. I don't have any current information, but we may still be funding that group in some way. Hypocrisy? Well, sure, nothing new there folks.
A good question to ask about this new "plot" is why was it made public now. According to what I have read about it, the "plot" was known in D.C. since June. NO, that is not a misprint, the US has known about this since June 2011. The US supposedly briefed the Saudis in mid September. So, why do they make it public now?
We,,, call me a "conspiracy nut", but maybe it is to take the media spot light away from the OWS which seems to be getting much attention from the "main stream media". Hey, they need to take the heat off those poor banksters some how.
Another question that comes to mind, where will the money for yet another damn fool war of choice come from? Who would lend money to the US to attack and/or invade Iran?
Again, two very important questions arise about this "plot"; who benefits and why now? Stay tuned for further developments folks, this thing looks to be just getting started.
America, what a country.
semper fi
Just when it looked like the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was getting a real head of steam and in the news, what happens but the powers that be come out with some ridiculous "plot" that involves the "top bad guy" now that bin Laden is dead. Yep, Iran, the "favored" bad guy of the zionist gang is once again up to doing "bad things".
Well, they are IF you believe the "news" from D.C. and Riyadh. We even got the US Attorney General, Mr. Holder, telling us all about this "vast conspiracy". For an excellent look at this "plot" you just need to pop over to Asia Times and read the column by Pepe Escobar. The link is on this page. I trust Pepe and my opinion is that he is an honest reporter.
This "plot" involves an entire cast of characters right out of a bad Hollywood movie. It has not just the "evil" Iranians, but it includes even the Mexican drug gangs, the feared Zetas in particular. The "plot" also includes "tons of opium" and of course boat loads of cash. Supposedly this is/was a plan to kill a Saudi ambassador on US soil. Why these "bad guys" didn't think to try killing the ambassador in the Middle East we are not told. Surely with all the tumult in that region it would be much easier to kill him closer to his home territory. The plan to use some Mexican drug gang or other to "do the deed" is also very odd. One would think that the Revolutionary Guards Force and the al Qods force has the capability to do it themselves. Why involve the Mexicans? Plausible deniability? Beats me. It just does seem to be some garbage script for a bad movie the closer one looks at it.
In his article Pepe asks just who benefits from this "plot". An excellent question and he does provide some suggestions. Yes, the zionist entity for one and the war industries included in the folks who might benefit from this. Various other war mongers also might think(??) they could profit from another damn fool war.
Personally, any thought to invading Iran need to be tossed out right now. A war with Iran would not go nearly as "well" as the current idiot wars we are stuck in today. YES, even worse than Iraq and Afghanistan combined in my humble opinion.
One other group that may be pushing for the US to attack Iran is the MEK, which was listed as a terrorist outfit by the US government, but has received funds from the US government. Yeah, that is NOT an error, the US government has aided a listed terror organization. I don't have any current information, but we may still be funding that group in some way. Hypocrisy? Well, sure, nothing new there folks.
A good question to ask about this new "plot" is why was it made public now. According to what I have read about it, the "plot" was known in D.C. since June. NO, that is not a misprint, the US has known about this since June 2011. The US supposedly briefed the Saudis in mid September. So, why do they make it public now?
We,,, call me a "conspiracy nut", but maybe it is to take the media spot light away from the OWS which seems to be getting much attention from the "main stream media". Hey, they need to take the heat off those poor banksters some how.
Another question that comes to mind, where will the money for yet another damn fool war of choice come from? Who would lend money to the US to attack and/or invade Iran?
Again, two very important questions arise about this "plot"; who benefits and why now? Stay tuned for further developments folks, this thing looks to be just getting started.
America, what a country.
semper fi
06 October 2011
The Occupy Wall Street movement
OK, Let me start this post by saying that I sincerely hope that the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) IS the start of something really big. I could be cynical and say something like; it's about time the young people of our country got busy and started to protest. I could say that, but I'd rather remain hopeful, upbeat even.
I am very happy to see that the young people are at the forefront of this OWS. Is it a movement? I don't know yet. I hope that it is and that it spreads across the entire country. It has really made me glad to see the young folks out and protesting. They are the ones who will have to live with the mess that is currently the USA. My generation, the (in)famous "baby boomers" are in our declining years. We won't be around much longer, let alone in any real positions of power. The young, in their early 20's or so, they will be the future leaders of this country. Good to see them getting involved.
For too long it has been my generation that was doing the bulk of the protesting. True, many of my generation have joined the "tea party". That is most unfortunate as that group, if I can call it such, is NOT any real grass roots group at all. It has been shown to be an astro true organization financed by the far right (reich) wing of the elephant gang.
I think that my generation still has a great deal to add to this OWS and other protests, but the leadership needs to be passed to the young people. They have their entire lives ahead of them, we are on the down side of this life. that does not mean that we can just sit back and watch the show, we need to stay involved as well. If nothing else, we can offer our support and encouragement to them.
This just might be the start of something really big. It may even actually bring about some of the real change that our country needs. If you are able, physically and financially, by all means, get out and give your physical support to these protests. But, by all means we need to support the protests against the "too big to fail" gangsters and their Wall Street bankster pals. We need to end the damn fool wars of choice that are draining our economy and putting the future generations into debt slavery to the "too big to fail" crowd. The time has come for us all to stand up and shout ENOUGH!! The future generations need our support.
semper fi
I am very happy to see that the young people are at the forefront of this OWS. Is it a movement? I don't know yet. I hope that it is and that it spreads across the entire country. It has really made me glad to see the young folks out and protesting. They are the ones who will have to live with the mess that is currently the USA. My generation, the (in)famous "baby boomers" are in our declining years. We won't be around much longer, let alone in any real positions of power. The young, in their early 20's or so, they will be the future leaders of this country. Good to see them getting involved.
For too long it has been my generation that was doing the bulk of the protesting. True, many of my generation have joined the "tea party". That is most unfortunate as that group, if I can call it such, is NOT any real grass roots group at all. It has been shown to be an astro true organization financed by the far right (reich) wing of the elephant gang.
I think that my generation still has a great deal to add to this OWS and other protests, but the leadership needs to be passed to the young people. They have their entire lives ahead of them, we are on the down side of this life. that does not mean that we can just sit back and watch the show, we need to stay involved as well. If nothing else, we can offer our support and encouragement to them.
This just might be the start of something really big. It may even actually bring about some of the real change that our country needs. If you are able, physically and financially, by all means, get out and give your physical support to these protests. But, by all means we need to support the protests against the "too big to fail" gangsters and their Wall Street bankster pals. We need to end the damn fool wars of choice that are draining our economy and putting the future generations into debt slavery to the "too big to fail" crowd. The time has come for us all to stand up and shout ENOUGH!! The future generations need our support.
semper fi
03 October 2011
Additional information
Some additional info to my last rant.
Gobomber has in fact killed TWO Americans with his drones.
The second person is Samir Kahn. Neither of these people were much of an honest threat to us or the country. Just my opinion of course.
That they were killed on order of the president of the US, while the Constitution is still(??) in effect is something we all need to think about. That very Constitution that Gobomber swore an oath to uphold demands that even the most vile criminal is to get a trial by jury before he/she is punished.
Check out the article "The day America died" by Paul Craig Roberts at Information Clearing House today, 3 October 2011 for more on these killings. An excellent article well worth the time.
semper fi
Gobomber has in fact killed TWO Americans with his drones.
The second person is Samir Kahn. Neither of these people were much of an honest threat to us or the country. Just my opinion of course.
That they were killed on order of the president of the US, while the Constitution is still(??) in effect is something we all need to think about. That very Constitution that Gobomber swore an oath to uphold demands that even the most vile criminal is to get a trial by jury before he/she is punished.
Check out the article "The day America died" by Paul Craig Roberts at Information Clearing House today, 3 October 2011 for more on these killings. An excellent article well worth the time.
semper fi
Just when you thought we were making progress
Greetings to all.
Well, just when you may have thought that we, the USA, might be making some actual progress in this damn fool war OF terror that has been ongoing since W. Shrub invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, we find that up pops a "new" enemy.
Yes, I am referring to the dreaded "new" enemy in the Af/Pak (I detest that "designation") region, the Haqqani network. This supposed "new" enemy is one that just recently has appeared on the blogs and news sites. While this group or whatever it is may have been in existence for some time, most of us have only just heard of them in the past few days.
Yes, just when we may have started to catch our breath now that bin-Laden is "officially" dead, what happens but up pops a "new" threat. Not only do we have this "new" group to fear, they seem to have come into our attention fully formed and ready to deal a deadly blow to America and our very way of life. No doubt this gang makes the once dreaded al-Qaeda seem to be a stereotypical "Sunday school" group of little kids. This Haqqani gang is the latest gang of evil terrorists for the US and NATO to fight. Good grief people, we are not unite done with one set of "bad guys" when up pops another gang that is even wore than the last "enemy". Well, take heart America, as the old saying goes; no rest for the wicked. Whatever it takes to keep the citizens of the United States of America off balance and fearful, that IS what the "leaders" of the old US of A will provide, in spades even. Hey, we need to justify, somehow, the obscene budgets for homieland (in)security don't ya know. Old Chertoff needs the extra profits from his companies porno-scanners in every airport in the nation. Blackwater(Xe) need the extra profits for guarding(killing innocents) US installations in the war zones.
Yes sir, keep that war OF terror roaring along as the nation hurtles to its economic doom. Oh, but don't fret, the "wonderful" congress critters will surely "find" the extra funds for the ongoing wars by "simply" slashing the monies that pay for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. You see, the miserable economy is due to all those greedy senior citizens and the disabled people along with those who fall below the poverty levels. They are just draining the economy with their "entitlements" and that must stop. We "need" to continue the wars,as Shrubbie told us, we are "fighting them over there so we don't need to fight them here". Yeah, sure thing. What a load of bullshit. Have you seen the Afghan Navy? how about the Afghan air force? No, neither of them? Well, no wonder, they do not have a navy. Hell, Afghanistan is land locked. Of course you good people who read this blog knew that all along, I just tossed that in for any new readers who may not have access to a map. The only air force operating in Afghanistan is a US/NATO one that does quite a good job of bombing Afghan weddings and funerals.
Yes, I AM being sarcastic and cynical in this rant. It is part of my nature to be cynical and a bit sarcastic at times. this is one of those times.
Since 1945, the US has been confronted by some enemy every year. First it was those vile commies, then we went on to many other newer enemies after the Soviets went and quit the old game that had served the military-industrial complex so well for so long. Recently we had the vile al-Qaeda and assorted hangers on. Now we have the newest "threat", the Haqqani. We never seem to run out of enemies. Why, it is almost enough to make one stop and think just why that is. One could do an internet search for the number of countries the USA has invaded or been at some sort of war with since 1945. I'll clue you in, it is a long list. The US has been fighting with somebody or other almost every single year since the end of World War Two. Now, these military actions may have been called "police actions" or some other innocuuous term, but it amounts to the same thing, fighting some other people in their own country. Hey, we need to teach those foreigners to elect the type of government that Washington D.C. wants them to have. Yes sir, just forget totally what sort of government the people there want, they need to get with the program, don't they know? Well, they had best learn or be watchful as "we" will just have to bring democracy to them, wether they want us to or not. Just who do these foreigners think they are? It is follow the dictates of the clowns in D.C. or else. And we claim to be a democratic republic? Oh, the irony.
On another topic, here is something all "good" Americans can be proud of. The congress critters are blocking much of the aid monies we give to the Palestinians. Why is that, you ask? Well, those pesky Palestinians have been too the dreaded, vile, socialistic United Nations in New York and they asked for the country of Palestine to be given formal recognition! How dare they!! Just who do THEY think they are? Why, this was NOT cleared by either Washington D.C. nor by the zionist entity. In fact the zionist entity has been stomping its little feet even before the formal request was made at the UN. In fact they said they would do just that before the UN meeting convened. See, they told us they would stomp their feet, and they did.
Yes, the US congress is with holding needed funds to Palestine because they asked to be recognized by the UN before D.C and TelAviv said they could do so. As to when the clowns in D.C. and TelAviv MIGHT allow them to make that request, well, that will take time you know. How much time? Well, that is still to be determined. Hey, you cannot rush these things. Why it has only been just a bit over sixty(60) years since the zionist entity was created, soooo, these silly Palestinians will just have to sit back and wait for their time to come. Oh, the absolute arrogance of the ass clowns who populate Washington D.C. and TelAviv! The bullshit is so deep in those two places that you need hip boots just to keep from soiling your shoes.
From what I have read, it looks like the Occupy Wall Street is having an impression on life in New York city. The cops keep arresting the protestors and they keep protesting the banksters. Of course the protests is not allowed to actually occupy Wall Street itself. Nope, we "need" to keep the rabble away from the folks who work on Wall Street. Hey, we can't let these protestors to shut down the "economic engine" of Wall Street. Damn straight, there are obscene profits toy be made, very obscene bonuses to be had. Got to keep the banksters rolling in their money. There might be more toxic crap to push off on some sucker. Sell some more derivatives and other garbage to the rubes. The champaign MUST keep flowing for the banksters and their pals in the "too big to fail" crowd.
Jeff Huber at his "Pen and Sword" blog has the start of what no doubt will be another excellent posting. Check him out tomorrow, Tuesday 4 October. He only has a preview up today, but even that is good so far.
Also, check in at "Tomdispatch", always a good read there. As are any of the sites on my links here.
Oh, and if you are not outraged yet, Gobomber HAS killed an American citizen. He authorized a drone attack that killed American born Anwar Awlaki just last week, 30 September, a new date to live in infamy. America, what a country.
semper fi
Well, just when you may have thought that we, the USA, might be making some actual progress in this damn fool war OF terror that has been ongoing since W. Shrub invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, we find that up pops a "new" enemy.
Yes, I am referring to the dreaded "new" enemy in the Af/Pak (I detest that "designation") region, the Haqqani network. This supposed "new" enemy is one that just recently has appeared on the blogs and news sites. While this group or whatever it is may have been in existence for some time, most of us have only just heard of them in the past few days.
Yes, just when we may have started to catch our breath now that bin-Laden is "officially" dead, what happens but up pops a "new" threat. Not only do we have this "new" group to fear, they seem to have come into our attention fully formed and ready to deal a deadly blow to America and our very way of life. No doubt this gang makes the once dreaded al-Qaeda seem to be a stereotypical "Sunday school" group of little kids. This Haqqani gang is the latest gang of evil terrorists for the US and NATO to fight. Good grief people, we are not unite done with one set of "bad guys" when up pops another gang that is even wore than the last "enemy". Well, take heart America, as the old saying goes; no rest for the wicked. Whatever it takes to keep the citizens of the United States of America off balance and fearful, that IS what the "leaders" of the old US of A will provide, in spades even. Hey, we need to justify, somehow, the obscene budgets for homieland (in)security don't ya know. Old Chertoff needs the extra profits from his companies porno-scanners in every airport in the nation. Blackwater(Xe) need the extra profits for guarding(killing innocents) US installations in the war zones.
Yes sir, keep that war OF terror roaring along as the nation hurtles to its economic doom. Oh, but don't fret, the "wonderful" congress critters will surely "find" the extra funds for the ongoing wars by "simply" slashing the monies that pay for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. You see, the miserable economy is due to all those greedy senior citizens and the disabled people along with those who fall below the poverty levels. They are just draining the economy with their "entitlements" and that must stop. We "need" to continue the wars,as Shrubbie told us, we are "fighting them over there so we don't need to fight them here". Yeah, sure thing. What a load of bullshit. Have you seen the Afghan Navy? how about the Afghan air force? No, neither of them? Well, no wonder, they do not have a navy. Hell, Afghanistan is land locked. Of course you good people who read this blog knew that all along, I just tossed that in for any new readers who may not have access to a map. The only air force operating in Afghanistan is a US/NATO one that does quite a good job of bombing Afghan weddings and funerals.
Yes, I AM being sarcastic and cynical in this rant. It is part of my nature to be cynical and a bit sarcastic at times. this is one of those times.
Since 1945, the US has been confronted by some enemy every year. First it was those vile commies, then we went on to many other newer enemies after the Soviets went and quit the old game that had served the military-industrial complex so well for so long. Recently we had the vile al-Qaeda and assorted hangers on. Now we have the newest "threat", the Haqqani. We never seem to run out of enemies. Why, it is almost enough to make one stop and think just why that is. One could do an internet search for the number of countries the USA has invaded or been at some sort of war with since 1945. I'll clue you in, it is a long list. The US has been fighting with somebody or other almost every single year since the end of World War Two. Now, these military actions may have been called "police actions" or some other innocuuous term, but it amounts to the same thing, fighting some other people in their own country. Hey, we need to teach those foreigners to elect the type of government that Washington D.C. wants them to have. Yes sir, just forget totally what sort of government the people there want, they need to get with the program, don't they know? Well, they had best learn or be watchful as "we" will just have to bring democracy to them, wether they want us to or not. Just who do these foreigners think they are? It is follow the dictates of the clowns in D.C. or else. And we claim to be a democratic republic? Oh, the irony.
On another topic, here is something all "good" Americans can be proud of. The congress critters are blocking much of the aid monies we give to the Palestinians. Why is that, you ask? Well, those pesky Palestinians have been too the dreaded, vile, socialistic United Nations in New York and they asked for the country of Palestine to be given formal recognition! How dare they!! Just who do THEY think they are? Why, this was NOT cleared by either Washington D.C. nor by the zionist entity. In fact the zionist entity has been stomping its little feet even before the formal request was made at the UN. In fact they said they would do just that before the UN meeting convened. See, they told us they would stomp their feet, and they did.
Yes, the US congress is with holding needed funds to Palestine because they asked to be recognized by the UN before D.C and TelAviv said they could do so. As to when the clowns in D.C. and TelAviv MIGHT allow them to make that request, well, that will take time you know. How much time? Well, that is still to be determined. Hey, you cannot rush these things. Why it has only been just a bit over sixty(60) years since the zionist entity was created, soooo, these silly Palestinians will just have to sit back and wait for their time to come. Oh, the absolute arrogance of the ass clowns who populate Washington D.C. and TelAviv! The bullshit is so deep in those two places that you need hip boots just to keep from soiling your shoes.
From what I have read, it looks like the Occupy Wall Street is having an impression on life in New York city. The cops keep arresting the protestors and they keep protesting the banksters. Of course the protests is not allowed to actually occupy Wall Street itself. Nope, we "need" to keep the rabble away from the folks who work on Wall Street. Hey, we can't let these protestors to shut down the "economic engine" of Wall Street. Damn straight, there are obscene profits toy be made, very obscene bonuses to be had. Got to keep the banksters rolling in their money. There might be more toxic crap to push off on some sucker. Sell some more derivatives and other garbage to the rubes. The champaign MUST keep flowing for the banksters and their pals in the "too big to fail" crowd.
Jeff Huber at his "Pen and Sword" blog has the start of what no doubt will be another excellent posting. Check him out tomorrow, Tuesday 4 October. He only has a preview up today, but even that is good so far.
Also, check in at "Tomdispatch", always a good read there. As are any of the sites on my links here.
Oh, and if you are not outraged yet, Gobomber HAS killed an American citizen. He authorized a drone attack that killed American born Anwar Awlaki just last week, 30 September, a new date to live in infamy. America, what a country.
semper fi
15 September 2011
Some clarifications, I hope
It seems that I need to try and clear up a few things about the old corner and in particular, the way I reply to comments.
First off, I really appreciate all the comments I get here as I never figured that anybody would even read anything I post, let alone take the time to comment on what I post. As I state in my profile, I am just an old, permanently disabled machinist, former US Marine/Vietnam war vet. In short, a ordinary working class guy who just wanted to make a decent life for his family. For the most part, I think I have done that. I know I have made more than a few mistakes along the way in this life. How many people never have made any? Dad used to tell me that the only people who never made any mistakes are the ones who never did anything. The thing is, I try to learn from the mistakes and not keep repeating them over and over.
On that note, it seems that I have made a mistake and then repeated it.
I refer to y replies to comments here at the old corner. When I reply to comments here I tend to ramble at times and I include in a reply to one comment, my thoughts that apply to another comment made here or in a private email. I often start to reply to a certain comment and go on to include comments from me that would have been better stated to some other comment. For this I apologize as it seems to have got some folks confused and they think I found their comment to be argumentative or such. I am sorry for any confusion that I have caused with my rambling comments.
I have referred to some negative comments that I have received in the past in private emails and my reply contained references to those negative comments. They were not meant to be directed at the person whose comment I replied to here. Again, that is totally my fault and I apologize for the confusion. I'll try to keep my comments to replies more centered on the particular comment and not just ramble on and include other thoughts.
I would say that I will try to change my "style" in how I reply to comments, but I don't want to elevate my rants or replies to having a "style" as I don't think there is any style to my rants. I basically have something that has got my attention, either it has upset me or it is something I just want to talk about. When I start my rants, I have a basic "idea" if I can elevate my thoughts to such a high level. I try to stay more or less on topic, but usually end up some place else. Sorry, that is just how I am, yes, in person also. As I said, I tend to ramble on and on.
I will try to keep my replies to any comments from going off topic and I will try to keep any thoughts on private emails off here when I reply to any comments. That alone should help to lessen any confusion.
I want to close this post by again saying that I really DO appreciate any and all comments I get. That holds for private emails and comments posted here at the corner. Also, I even appreciate any negative comments as I try to learn from them. Please, this is NOT directed at anybody, just general comments by me.
Thank you all for your time reading this blog and an extra thanks to all who post comments here and/or your emails.
semper fi.
First off, I really appreciate all the comments I get here as I never figured that anybody would even read anything I post, let alone take the time to comment on what I post. As I state in my profile, I am just an old, permanently disabled machinist, former US Marine/Vietnam war vet. In short, a ordinary working class guy who just wanted to make a decent life for his family. For the most part, I think I have done that. I know I have made more than a few mistakes along the way in this life. How many people never have made any? Dad used to tell me that the only people who never made any mistakes are the ones who never did anything. The thing is, I try to learn from the mistakes and not keep repeating them over and over.
On that note, it seems that I have made a mistake and then repeated it.
I refer to y replies to comments here at the old corner. When I reply to comments here I tend to ramble at times and I include in a reply to one comment, my thoughts that apply to another comment made here or in a private email. I often start to reply to a certain comment and go on to include comments from me that would have been better stated to some other comment. For this I apologize as it seems to have got some folks confused and they think I found their comment to be argumentative or such. I am sorry for any confusion that I have caused with my rambling comments.
I have referred to some negative comments that I have received in the past in private emails and my reply contained references to those negative comments. They were not meant to be directed at the person whose comment I replied to here. Again, that is totally my fault and I apologize for the confusion. I'll try to keep my comments to replies more centered on the particular comment and not just ramble on and include other thoughts.
I would say that I will try to change my "style" in how I reply to comments, but I don't want to elevate my rants or replies to having a "style" as I don't think there is any style to my rants. I basically have something that has got my attention, either it has upset me or it is something I just want to talk about. When I start my rants, I have a basic "idea" if I can elevate my thoughts to such a high level. I try to stay more or less on topic, but usually end up some place else. Sorry, that is just how I am, yes, in person also. As I said, I tend to ramble on and on.
I will try to keep my replies to any comments from going off topic and I will try to keep any thoughts on private emails off here when I reply to any comments. That alone should help to lessen any confusion.
I want to close this post by again saying that I really DO appreciate any and all comments I get. That holds for private emails and comments posted here at the corner. Also, I even appreciate any negative comments as I try to learn from them. Please, this is NOT directed at anybody, just general comments by me.
Thank you all for your time reading this blog and an extra thanks to all who post comments here and/or your emails.
semper fi.
11 September 2011
Ten years after
Yes I know, the title of this rant could be mistaken for a blast from the 60's. Well, I still enjoy much of the music from that long ago time, so..........
Yes, it is also a reference to today, 9/11 and the tenth "anniversary" of the "day that changed everything". Except it really didn't "change everything". What it did change was the covert wars came out of the shadows and morphed into "hot" or shooting wars. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were the first US "responses" to that day. It has lead to bombings of Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen in addition to the first two victims of US anger at having been attacked by the "evil terrorists" who of course "hate us for our freedoms". Yeah, sure, that is why the US was attacked on 9/11.
September 11, 2001 was NOT the first 9/11 that the USA was involved with. The first 9/11 that "we" had anything to do with was September 11, 1973 in Chile. That was when "tricky" Dick Nixon and his sidekick/pal Henry the K unleashed the coup that ousted Allende from power and installed the military dictatorship that ruled that poor country for far too long. Funny how history seems to work. So, there are many "meanings" to 9/11 that many of us Americans don't know about or remember.
The 9/11 that is being commemorated today is the one that came about due to blowback from the foreign policies of the USA in particular, our policies toward the Palestine/Israel conflict/occupation/genocide/war crime/crime against humanity and many other terms that fit that ongoing disaster that has seen Palestinians evicted from long held family homes/homesteads and land. Those evictions that started in 1948 are ongoing even today. The"separation wall" is one of the most obvious and blatant examples of the apartheid rule of the zionist entity towards the Palestinian people. Old bin Laden, in his many video and audio statements to the world sited that ongoing conflict as one of the major reasons why his al-Qaeda was waging jihad against the USA and our allies.
I had decided that I would not do a blog entry about the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and I am trying to keep this post from going too far into that sort of post.
Yes, I do mourn the loss of life in our country on that day. Not on a daily basis as I had no family or friends killed by the attacks on the building in New York or Washington D.C. nor on the aircraft that crashed in Pennsylvania. I also mourn the loss of life in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen that go on day after bloody day including, no doubt, today as well as every day since the attacks of 9/11, 2001.
A question to ask is just how many "others" need to die before there is "parity" with the loss of life in New York, D.C., and Pennsylvania? How many must die to "make up" for our loss of life? Us and NATO troops have killed many times over the numbers of people killed on 9/11. It has been estimated that over 100,000 people have been killed in Iraq alone since we invaded that country in 2003. The killings continue still, and I need to ask, how many more "need" to die?
Gobomber has announced to the world that "we" have killed bin Laden. Great, OK, fine, so, how many more do "we" need to kill? Hey, our troops bumped off the "number one" bad guy, so when do we stop the killing?
I refuse to watch or listen to any of the "celebrations" of this tenth anniversary. If you want my opinion on these events, just check out Tomdispatch for the latest commentary by Mr. Engelhardt. The link is here on the right side of this page. He said it much better than I ever could. Basically, any remembrances have been hijacked. This day should be one of quiet reflection and remembrances. A highly personal day/time to look back and try to understand the "why" of it all, not some huge gala with loads of celebrities. Just check out what Tom has to say on this, you won't be sorry.
I keep coming back to my own central question; how many more people do "we" need to kill before we can finally put this date in its proper place? We did stop killing Japanese people in 1945. It only took us just a bit more than three and a half years to get past Pearl Harbor. How much longer do we need to kill to do the same for 9/11?
Maybe war has become too profitable for the "too big to fail" gangsters. Wars have always been money makers for the rich and the war industries and of course, the big banksters and their Wall Street pals. War now seems to be about the only thing that America still makes. It appears to be our biggest export now days. Wars and weapons and weapon systems are still American made. Most every other product that is for sale here is made elsewhere. Oh, sure, we assemble some things still, like cars, but many of the parts for them are made in some other country.
There seems to be no end to it all either. Just look at who is running to replace Gobomber. The entire gang of elephants who want that job aren't very inspiring if you want a peaceful world. So far, no member of the donkey gang has risen up to challenge him. Probably none will either. That is most unfortunate. Old Teddy Kennedy gave Jimmy Carter a run for it in 1980 and may have caused him to lose to "saint" Ronnie of Raygun. Is there no democrat to give Gobomber a small fright? We''l have to just wait and see I suppose.
OK, how about some third party challenge? I have not heard of any yet. Maybe it is still to early for them to even announce an intention. I think that a real, serious person to represent the working class of this country could give the two wings of the war party a real run at the job. But that is just me and I have not had much success at predicting elections. I'd like to see Ms. McKinney run again. Of course it is doubtful that AIPAC would allow her to win. No, she has a real respect for humanity and oppressed peoples to have any realistic chance at becoming president. If only..........yeah, I can still dream. Last I checked, it was still legal.
Our economy, or what passes for such these days still looks bad for the working people. Even Gobomber in his speech the other day didn't do much to instill any great confidence in his plans. Did I just say he had a plan? Sorry, my bad. His only real plan is to get re-elected and the rest of us can go take a flying jump at the moon. Ain't this a great country? And, of course do not look to the congress critters to help out either, they have their priorities. Yeah, same as Gobomber, get re-elected. America, what a country.
semper fi
Yes, it is also a reference to today, 9/11 and the tenth "anniversary" of the "day that changed everything". Except it really didn't "change everything". What it did change was the covert wars came out of the shadows and morphed into "hot" or shooting wars. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were the first US "responses" to that day. It has lead to bombings of Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen in addition to the first two victims of US anger at having been attacked by the "evil terrorists" who of course "hate us for our freedoms". Yeah, sure, that is why the US was attacked on 9/11.
September 11, 2001 was NOT the first 9/11 that the USA was involved with. The first 9/11 that "we" had anything to do with was September 11, 1973 in Chile. That was when "tricky" Dick Nixon and his sidekick/pal Henry the K unleashed the coup that ousted Allende from power and installed the military dictatorship that ruled that poor country for far too long. Funny how history seems to work. So, there are many "meanings" to 9/11 that many of us Americans don't know about or remember.
The 9/11 that is being commemorated today is the one that came about due to blowback from the foreign policies of the USA in particular, our policies toward the Palestine/Israel conflict/occupation/genocide/war crime/crime against humanity and many other terms that fit that ongoing disaster that has seen Palestinians evicted from long held family homes/homesteads and land. Those evictions that started in 1948 are ongoing even today. The"separation wall" is one of the most obvious and blatant examples of the apartheid rule of the zionist entity towards the Palestinian people. Old bin Laden, in his many video and audio statements to the world sited that ongoing conflict as one of the major reasons why his al-Qaeda was waging jihad against the USA and our allies.
I had decided that I would not do a blog entry about the tenth anniversary of 9/11, and I am trying to keep this post from going too far into that sort of post.
Yes, I do mourn the loss of life in our country on that day. Not on a daily basis as I had no family or friends killed by the attacks on the building in New York or Washington D.C. nor on the aircraft that crashed in Pennsylvania. I also mourn the loss of life in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen that go on day after bloody day including, no doubt, today as well as every day since the attacks of 9/11, 2001.
A question to ask is just how many "others" need to die before there is "parity" with the loss of life in New York, D.C., and Pennsylvania? How many must die to "make up" for our loss of life? Us and NATO troops have killed many times over the numbers of people killed on 9/11. It has been estimated that over 100,000 people have been killed in Iraq alone since we invaded that country in 2003. The killings continue still, and I need to ask, how many more "need" to die?
Gobomber has announced to the world that "we" have killed bin Laden. Great, OK, fine, so, how many more do "we" need to kill? Hey, our troops bumped off the "number one" bad guy, so when do we stop the killing?
I refuse to watch or listen to any of the "celebrations" of this tenth anniversary. If you want my opinion on these events, just check out Tomdispatch for the latest commentary by Mr. Engelhardt. The link is here on the right side of this page. He said it much better than I ever could. Basically, any remembrances have been hijacked. This day should be one of quiet reflection and remembrances. A highly personal day/time to look back and try to understand the "why" of it all, not some huge gala with loads of celebrities. Just check out what Tom has to say on this, you won't be sorry.
I keep coming back to my own central question; how many more people do "we" need to kill before we can finally put this date in its proper place? We did stop killing Japanese people in 1945. It only took us just a bit more than three and a half years to get past Pearl Harbor. How much longer do we need to kill to do the same for 9/11?
Maybe war has become too profitable for the "too big to fail" gangsters. Wars have always been money makers for the rich and the war industries and of course, the big banksters and their Wall Street pals. War now seems to be about the only thing that America still makes. It appears to be our biggest export now days. Wars and weapons and weapon systems are still American made. Most every other product that is for sale here is made elsewhere. Oh, sure, we assemble some things still, like cars, but many of the parts for them are made in some other country.
There seems to be no end to it all either. Just look at who is running to replace Gobomber. The entire gang of elephants who want that job aren't very inspiring if you want a peaceful world. So far, no member of the donkey gang has risen up to challenge him. Probably none will either. That is most unfortunate. Old Teddy Kennedy gave Jimmy Carter a run for it in 1980 and may have caused him to lose to "saint" Ronnie of Raygun. Is there no democrat to give Gobomber a small fright? We''l have to just wait and see I suppose.
OK, how about some third party challenge? I have not heard of any yet. Maybe it is still to early for them to even announce an intention. I think that a real, serious person to represent the working class of this country could give the two wings of the war party a real run at the job. But that is just me and I have not had much success at predicting elections. I'd like to see Ms. McKinney run again. Of course it is doubtful that AIPAC would allow her to win. No, she has a real respect for humanity and oppressed peoples to have any realistic chance at becoming president. If only..........yeah, I can still dream. Last I checked, it was still legal.
Our economy, or what passes for such these days still looks bad for the working people. Even Gobomber in his speech the other day didn't do much to instill any great confidence in his plans. Did I just say he had a plan? Sorry, my bad. His only real plan is to get re-elected and the rest of us can go take a flying jump at the moon. Ain't this a great country? And, of course do not look to the congress critters to help out either, they have their priorities. Yeah, same as Gobomber, get re-elected. America, what a country.
semper fi
01 September 2011
Another day, another rant
Greetings good people.
Well, here I go again. Another rant.
It now looks like old Gaddafi-Duck is out of power. The "rebels" have entered Tripoli and seem to be running things there. While I have been critical of the man many times and called him Gaddafi-Duck more than a few times, he actually did much good for the people of Libya. They had, and I emphasis HAD, free health care and free education, up to and including college if I am not mistaken. Hey, I'd sure like a true national health care deal here in the US of A. I would bet that a vast majority of Americans would also. True, the big health "insurance" gangsters don't ever want such a thing, nor do the very rich and their pals the Wall Street banksters and the other "too big to fail" gangsters.
Now one is just waiting to see how soon the Libyan oil company gets sold off to the Western oil gang. No doubt Exxon-Mobil, Total, and the rest are chomping at the bit to get "their" share of the oil reserves under the sand of Libya. It is the people of Libya who will suffer big time now. Just as they have and still are suffering in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia where the US and/or NATO are bombing them all the way to "democracy". It is always the people, the working class and the poor folks who get the dirty end of the stick when capitalism comes to their countries. Just look at us here in America for the best example of this truth. Anybody seen and good paying, high skill jobs available lately?
Yes, those jobs have been "off shored", unless one is employed by some "defense" contractor or sub-contractor. Even many IT jobs have been "off shored" and THAT was supposed to be THE new, "hot" area that those of us who were mechanics, machinists, welders, etc were supposed to go into now that America was "post industrial". Yeah, sure we are. LOLMAO.
And yet, private "schools" like ITT Tech continue to advertise on TV for their "schools" as a way to a "better" future. Yep, one filled with student loan debt no doubt. Oh, and with a "degree" that may or not be recognized by industry. Only in America.
Some of you may not like what I am about to say here. I no longer read Professor Juan Cole. I have deleted his blog from my computer and no longer visit his web site. Actually, I started this back in March after he came out so very strong FOR this damn fool non-war in Libya. He is STILL in favor of this idiotic war of choice. And he is supposedly a "leftist"? Oh, yeah, this is a "humanitarian" war, I mean "kinetic military action" in Libya. See, it really isn't war at all. Bullshit! When people are being bomber and have to watch the sky for cruise missiles and drone aircraft it sure as hell IS war goddamn it all! Professor Cole just shows how immoral the "left" in America has become. Makes me even more happy that I refuse to belong to either wing of the damn war party. I will never again belong to either the elephant nor the donkey gang. I did, for a very short time back in 1980, register as a "democrat". That was mainly because of Dad. He had retired two years before and he got very political and would not allow the name of "saint" Ronnie of Raygun to be spoken in his house. Dad had not liked old Ronnie when he was the governor of California. Dad despised Ronnie. So, that year I did register for the donkey gang and did what little I could to help re-elect old Jimmy Peanuts. Didn't do enough as it turned out. And that was back in a time when the unions, Dad was a member of Operating Engineers Local 12, still had some real power. I'll just close this line by saying that Professor Cole has shown me how far down the rat hole the "left" in America has gone. Damn near off the bloody raisin my view. We really, and I mean REALLY need a viable third party. A party that actually represents the working class and the poor. It should be obvious to a blind person by now that the Democrats no longer do so. That whirring sound you heard is FDR spinning in his grave.
Most of you will have read or heard the unreal amount of pure, unadulterated, absolute STUPID that has come from the likes of Ms. Bachmann and Mr. Perry by now. Ms. Bachmann had some real "gems" to say about hurricane Irene and you folks on the East coast. Holy crap Batwoman! And this gal thinks she should be our president? If there IS a god, I hope we will not get that punishment. She said that "god was trying to tell us to get spending in order" by way of the earthquake and hurricane on the eastern part of the US! Man, I thought I had heard everything. Well, it just proves what I have said for many years now. Just when I think I have seen/heard the absolute worst of stupid there could possibly be, somebody comes along and goes it one "better". She is starting to make fail' Palin look half way smart. Now THAT is very frightening.
Old Mr. Perry isn't very far behind her in the crazy either. I read where he has even denounced his own book that came out recently. Something about the book being just "campaign strategy" or some such BS. Oh sure, pay NO attention to what I said last week, or even yesterday. What I say NOW is what counts. The really sad thing is that many of the "tea party" types will go along with this crap. That shows how poor a job of educating our school system does now days. Like not at all. School should be where you learn critical thinking. I don't know much about the school systems in other states, but here in Louisiana, it seems to me that the teachers teach the state test and not much more. I think they still call it the "LEAP" test. Anyway, they basically teach the test as that is how the individual schools and even the individual teachers are graded by the state department of education. It would be fine if all we wanted were some mindless robots. Well, with so few high skilled jobs around here, I suppose they have no need to teach much else than that test. Sad though, as the country will be worse for this damn fool way of "schooling". I suppose as the Wall Street banksters and the "too big to fail" gangsters push the country ever closer to third world status there really is no need for highly educated citizens. Keep the fat, dumb, and lazy. All the better to rule over them then.
The whole world seems to be headed on a downhill run, with the US leading the way. The rich get ever richer, the damn fool wars of choice continue and new wars seem to just pop up every so often. Meanwhile the working class gets screwed, big time. Mr. Cantor is on record as saying that ANY Federal monies for earthquake/hurricane relief/repairs will have to be offset with budget cuts from other programs. Hell, even FEMA now can only get funding if some other government program gets cuts. This is no way to run a country folks. These damn idiotic "tea party" elephant gang congress critters are running our country into the toilet and are about to flush. And yet, they keep trying g to tell me that this is a "Christian" nation. What a load of bullshit! I have read the Bible and Christ did NOT say screw the poor. What we ARE is a very fundamental Xtian nation. A nation of false religion that only pretends to be decent and caring. Horse manure! The only people that "our" congress critters care about are the very rich and those who make huge donations to their campaign coffers. The rest of us can go hang ourselves, which no doubt will soon be proposed by some jackass on the very far right wing of the damn war party. I am very worried about America. Every time I look around it seems that things are just getting steadily worse. There are no high skilled jobs, the jobs that are available are low paying jobs and there is usually about 15 people applying for each open position. The economy, or what passes itself off to us as the economy is still very deep in a recession if not a full on depression and no end in sight. The wonky wing of the war party is set to sell out the entire social system that took our parents and grandparents decades to build up. The future looks very bleak to me and I don't like it at all. I really do want to be upbeat about our country, but don't see much to be excited about.
Well, we can all at least still try to be nice to each other. Who knows, we may actually meet some day, in the line at the soup kitchen or in some new "Obamaville" (aka Hooverville).
America, what a country.
semper fi
Well, here I go again. Another rant.
It now looks like old Gaddafi-Duck is out of power. The "rebels" have entered Tripoli and seem to be running things there. While I have been critical of the man many times and called him Gaddafi-Duck more than a few times, he actually did much good for the people of Libya. They had, and I emphasis HAD, free health care and free education, up to and including college if I am not mistaken. Hey, I'd sure like a true national health care deal here in the US of A. I would bet that a vast majority of Americans would also. True, the big health "insurance" gangsters don't ever want such a thing, nor do the very rich and their pals the Wall Street banksters and the other "too big to fail" gangsters.
Now one is just waiting to see how soon the Libyan oil company gets sold off to the Western oil gang. No doubt Exxon-Mobil, Total, and the rest are chomping at the bit to get "their" share of the oil reserves under the sand of Libya. It is the people of Libya who will suffer big time now. Just as they have and still are suffering in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia where the US and/or NATO are bombing them all the way to "democracy". It is always the people, the working class and the poor folks who get the dirty end of the stick when capitalism comes to their countries. Just look at us here in America for the best example of this truth. Anybody seen and good paying, high skill jobs available lately?
Yes, those jobs have been "off shored", unless one is employed by some "defense" contractor or sub-contractor. Even many IT jobs have been "off shored" and THAT was supposed to be THE new, "hot" area that those of us who were mechanics, machinists, welders, etc were supposed to go into now that America was "post industrial". Yeah, sure we are. LOLMAO.
And yet, private "schools" like ITT Tech continue to advertise on TV for their "schools" as a way to a "better" future. Yep, one filled with student loan debt no doubt. Oh, and with a "degree" that may or not be recognized by industry. Only in America.
Some of you may not like what I am about to say here. I no longer read Professor Juan Cole. I have deleted his blog from my computer and no longer visit his web site. Actually, I started this back in March after he came out so very strong FOR this damn fool non-war in Libya. He is STILL in favor of this idiotic war of choice. And he is supposedly a "leftist"? Oh, yeah, this is a "humanitarian" war, I mean "kinetic military action" in Libya. See, it really isn't war at all. Bullshit! When people are being bomber and have to watch the sky for cruise missiles and drone aircraft it sure as hell IS war goddamn it all! Professor Cole just shows how immoral the "left" in America has become. Makes me even more happy that I refuse to belong to either wing of the damn war party. I will never again belong to either the elephant nor the donkey gang. I did, for a very short time back in 1980, register as a "democrat". That was mainly because of Dad. He had retired two years before and he got very political and would not allow the name of "saint" Ronnie of Raygun to be spoken in his house. Dad had not liked old Ronnie when he was the governor of California. Dad despised Ronnie. So, that year I did register for the donkey gang and did what little I could to help re-elect old Jimmy Peanuts. Didn't do enough as it turned out. And that was back in a time when the unions, Dad was a member of Operating Engineers Local 12, still had some real power. I'll just close this line by saying that Professor Cole has shown me how far down the rat hole the "left" in America has gone. Damn near off the bloody raisin my view. We really, and I mean REALLY need a viable third party. A party that actually represents the working class and the poor. It should be obvious to a blind person by now that the Democrats no longer do so. That whirring sound you heard is FDR spinning in his grave.
Most of you will have read or heard the unreal amount of pure, unadulterated, absolute STUPID that has come from the likes of Ms. Bachmann and Mr. Perry by now. Ms. Bachmann had some real "gems" to say about hurricane Irene and you folks on the East coast. Holy crap Batwoman! And this gal thinks she should be our president? If there IS a god, I hope we will not get that punishment. She said that "god was trying to tell us to get spending in order" by way of the earthquake and hurricane on the eastern part of the US! Man, I thought I had heard everything. Well, it just proves what I have said for many years now. Just when I think I have seen/heard the absolute worst of stupid there could possibly be, somebody comes along and goes it one "better". She is starting to make fail' Palin look half way smart. Now THAT is very frightening.
Old Mr. Perry isn't very far behind her in the crazy either. I read where he has even denounced his own book that came out recently. Something about the book being just "campaign strategy" or some such BS. Oh sure, pay NO attention to what I said last week, or even yesterday. What I say NOW is what counts. The really sad thing is that many of the "tea party" types will go along with this crap. That shows how poor a job of educating our school system does now days. Like not at all. School should be where you learn critical thinking. I don't know much about the school systems in other states, but here in Louisiana, it seems to me that the teachers teach the state test and not much more. I think they still call it the "LEAP" test. Anyway, they basically teach the test as that is how the individual schools and even the individual teachers are graded by the state department of education. It would be fine if all we wanted were some mindless robots. Well, with so few high skilled jobs around here, I suppose they have no need to teach much else than that test. Sad though, as the country will be worse for this damn fool way of "schooling". I suppose as the Wall Street banksters and the "too big to fail" gangsters push the country ever closer to third world status there really is no need for highly educated citizens. Keep the fat, dumb, and lazy. All the better to rule over them then.
The whole world seems to be headed on a downhill run, with the US leading the way. The rich get ever richer, the damn fool wars of choice continue and new wars seem to just pop up every so often. Meanwhile the working class gets screwed, big time. Mr. Cantor is on record as saying that ANY Federal monies for earthquake/hurricane relief/repairs will have to be offset with budget cuts from other programs. Hell, even FEMA now can only get funding if some other government program gets cuts. This is no way to run a country folks. These damn idiotic "tea party" elephant gang congress critters are running our country into the toilet and are about to flush. And yet, they keep trying g to tell me that this is a "Christian" nation. What a load of bullshit! I have read the Bible and Christ did NOT say screw the poor. What we ARE is a very fundamental Xtian nation. A nation of false religion that only pretends to be decent and caring. Horse manure! The only people that "our" congress critters care about are the very rich and those who make huge donations to their campaign coffers. The rest of us can go hang ourselves, which no doubt will soon be proposed by some jackass on the very far right wing of the damn war party. I am very worried about America. Every time I look around it seems that things are just getting steadily worse. There are no high skilled jobs, the jobs that are available are low paying jobs and there is usually about 15 people applying for each open position. The economy, or what passes itself off to us as the economy is still very deep in a recession if not a full on depression and no end in sight. The wonky wing of the war party is set to sell out the entire social system that took our parents and grandparents decades to build up. The future looks very bleak to me and I don't like it at all. I really do want to be upbeat about our country, but don't see much to be excited about.
Well, we can all at least still try to be nice to each other. Who knows, we may actually meet some day, in the line at the soup kitchen or in some new "Obamaville" (aka Hooverville).
America, what a country.
semper fi
09 August 2011
Some thoughts for hard times
Greetings good people.
Well, we made it through the kabuki theater of the "debt crisis" which wasn't much of a crisis at all. The whole thing was just more smoke and mirrors. Some articles have gone as far as saying that there never was much of a crisis at all. Gobomber could have, according to some writers, have envied the 14th ammendment and defused the whole mess and let the "tea party" and other wing nuts just stew in their own hatred and bull crap.
Now, of course that would have taken something like guts and we all now know without any doubt that Gobomber has none. The most innocent new born kitten has more courage than Gobomber has ever shown any of us. I can say this with a fair amount of certainty as I have had cats and new born kittens in my care many for years over my life time. I do believe that a new born kitten IS braver than Gobomber, at least as far as doing anything for the common people goes. At least that kitten gives you a nice feeling and is so soft to hold in your hand. Gives you a nice warm feeling just to pet one. Gobomber does not give any of us any sort of even luke warm feeling. All we seem to get from him and our other politicians is the cold shaft, the dirty end of the stick, and the "joy" of paying for the obscene bailouts for the Wall Street gangsters and the greedy banksters.
Give me the kitten any day, at least I know then I will get a smile of three every day. All we get from Gobomber and that crew is more hot air and here in central Louisiana the last thing we need is more hot, humid air. Our air temps have been in the 100's for the past week and the heat index has topped 114 more days than I care to count. Global warming? Could be. All I know is that it has been very hot and uncomfortable.
Even though the congress critters have reached their agreement on the debt ceiling, Standard and Poor's have still downgraded the credit rating of the US of A. Yep, we went from AAA to AA or AA+ according to one report I saw recently. This ratings outfit didn't like the bickering that took place to get this "crisis" resolved. Aww, poor babies. Hey, this is just typical politics guys. Our congress critters have to go through this crap all the time. They seem to think(??) that by doing so they appear to be actually working. Yeah, they may fool some folks, but I doubt any of you who read this blog buy into that line. The very thought of our congress critters doing any useful work is something most of us cannot believe. In particular, if they are doing any real work for the average American. Of course they do work for the folks who really matter to them, the richest 1%, who now control something like 40% of the total wealth of the country.
Things are getting very bad for the working class people in America. One good example of how it is affecting the working class is the latest post at Tomdispatch.www.tomdispatch.com/post/175428/tomgram%3A_barbara_ehrenreich%2C_on_americans_%28not%29_getting_by_%28again%29/#more
This is a "must read" that shows how bad things are getting here at home.
I keep remembering an old saying, no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse. The way this economy, or what now passes itself off as our economy gets worse, we need to remember that it CAN get worse. Some of the economic blogs that I try to follow say that we may be headed to another major down turn. We are set to either enter another severe recession or even a major depression.According to some of them, we will get a "double dip" recession. Personally, I am not so certain that we ever came out of the last major recession.
It also calls up another old comment. A recession is when your neighbor is out of work, a depression is when you are out of work.
No matter which of the economic blogs one reads, for the working class and the poor, things look very bad. I do not see anything coming that will help us at all. The new deal that was made by our congress critters and Gobomber will not help any of us. Unless one is among the top wealthiest in this country, there is nothing in this deal to help you. The rich get away, again, with no tax increases. The war industries, of course, see no major cuts, not many minor ones either. Hey, we have six wars going on, don't you know? Six? Yep, six. Count them; Iraq (still a war), Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. Six that we know of and that make news no and then. According to an article by Nick Turse, also at TomDispatch, we have "special" ops types in over 60 countries. Yes, that is 60, as in sixty, countries around the world. Hey, keeping this empire going is hard work.
As the economy gets ever worse for the working class we could see our society start to break at the seams. There is already little to no common courtesy out in the country. As things get worse, there may be even less. With this in mind I want to ask all of you to try something. I have asked this before, but I think it is time to do so again. Try, just try, every day, with all the people you come in contact with, just try to treat them all as you want to be treated. Just try and be a bit cheerful to those you meet in your daily routine. You just could be the only person that somebody you meet who is actually polite. You could just be the one person who makes their day. It isn't really all that hard to do. Yes,it is very hot and humid in this part of the country and has been for weeks now, still, just try and be polite to the cashier at the gas station. He or she does not set the price at the pump, that gets dictated to them by the company they get the fuel from. Same goes for any retail setting, the person who collects your money does not set the prices.
All I am trying to do is to maintain a bit of civility in our country. The economy stinks, the rich get ever richer and the rest of us are left with the crumbs. That doesn't mean that we should just forget all of our civility, our common courtesy and common sense. In fact, in my opinion, as things get worse, the more we need to be polite to each other. If we all go off angry, we will just add to the already high level of misery that is out there.
It isn't hard. It doesn't mean that you subscribe to any particular religion, it just lets others know that some of us have retained our basic humanity. While you may call it the "golden rule" I just see it as being polite. Call it what you will, I just know that we need more of it as the economy goes ever downward. I lived in southern California during the Watts riots. I also was living there after the Rodney King trial. There have been other major riots in various cities in the past, I just do not want to see us devolve into that sort of thing again. We need to try our best to retain as much human dignity as possible or things will get very bad for us all. Hell, they had Blackwater goons patrolling the streets of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Do we want that sort of crap in all of our cities? If we fail to act as civilized adults, I have no doubt that we will get that and worse. It is up to us, we need to set the example. Yes, we may not change the world, but I believe that we need to at least try. If we don't, then what is the point of going on?
Just something to think about and consider. Thank you for your time reading this post.
semper fi
Well, we made it through the kabuki theater of the "debt crisis" which wasn't much of a crisis at all. The whole thing was just more smoke and mirrors. Some articles have gone as far as saying that there never was much of a crisis at all. Gobomber could have, according to some writers, have envied the 14th ammendment and defused the whole mess and let the "tea party" and other wing nuts just stew in their own hatred and bull crap.
Now, of course that would have taken something like guts and we all now know without any doubt that Gobomber has none. The most innocent new born kitten has more courage than Gobomber has ever shown any of us. I can say this with a fair amount of certainty as I have had cats and new born kittens in my care many for years over my life time. I do believe that a new born kitten IS braver than Gobomber, at least as far as doing anything for the common people goes. At least that kitten gives you a nice feeling and is so soft to hold in your hand. Gives you a nice warm feeling just to pet one. Gobomber does not give any of us any sort of even luke warm feeling. All we seem to get from him and our other politicians is the cold shaft, the dirty end of the stick, and the "joy" of paying for the obscene bailouts for the Wall Street gangsters and the greedy banksters.
Give me the kitten any day, at least I know then I will get a smile of three every day. All we get from Gobomber and that crew is more hot air and here in central Louisiana the last thing we need is more hot, humid air. Our air temps have been in the 100's for the past week and the heat index has topped 114 more days than I care to count. Global warming? Could be. All I know is that it has been very hot and uncomfortable.
Even though the congress critters have reached their agreement on the debt ceiling, Standard and Poor's have still downgraded the credit rating of the US of A. Yep, we went from AAA to AA or AA+ according to one report I saw recently. This ratings outfit didn't like the bickering that took place to get this "crisis" resolved. Aww, poor babies. Hey, this is just typical politics guys. Our congress critters have to go through this crap all the time. They seem to think(??) that by doing so they appear to be actually working. Yeah, they may fool some folks, but I doubt any of you who read this blog buy into that line. The very thought of our congress critters doing any useful work is something most of us cannot believe. In particular, if they are doing any real work for the average American. Of course they do work for the folks who really matter to them, the richest 1%, who now control something like 40% of the total wealth of the country.
Things are getting very bad for the working class people in America. One good example of how it is affecting the working class is the latest post at Tomdispatch.www.tomdispatch.com/post/175428/tomgram%3A_barbara_ehrenreich%2C_on_americans_%28not%29_getting_by_%28again%29/#more
This is a "must read" that shows how bad things are getting here at home.
I keep remembering an old saying, no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse. The way this economy, or what now passes itself off as our economy gets worse, we need to remember that it CAN get worse. Some of the economic blogs that I try to follow say that we may be headed to another major down turn. We are set to either enter another severe recession or even a major depression.According to some of them, we will get a "double dip" recession. Personally, I am not so certain that we ever came out of the last major recession.
It also calls up another old comment. A recession is when your neighbor is out of work, a depression is when you are out of work.
No matter which of the economic blogs one reads, for the working class and the poor, things look very bad. I do not see anything coming that will help us at all. The new deal that was made by our congress critters and Gobomber will not help any of us. Unless one is among the top wealthiest in this country, there is nothing in this deal to help you. The rich get away, again, with no tax increases. The war industries, of course, see no major cuts, not many minor ones either. Hey, we have six wars going on, don't you know? Six? Yep, six. Count them; Iraq (still a war), Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. Six that we know of and that make news no and then. According to an article by Nick Turse, also at TomDispatch, we have "special" ops types in over 60 countries. Yes, that is 60, as in sixty, countries around the world. Hey, keeping this empire going is hard work.
As the economy gets ever worse for the working class we could see our society start to break at the seams. There is already little to no common courtesy out in the country. As things get worse, there may be even less. With this in mind I want to ask all of you to try something. I have asked this before, but I think it is time to do so again. Try, just try, every day, with all the people you come in contact with, just try to treat them all as you want to be treated. Just try and be a bit cheerful to those you meet in your daily routine. You just could be the only person that somebody you meet who is actually polite. You could just be the one person who makes their day. It isn't really all that hard to do. Yes,it is very hot and humid in this part of the country and has been for weeks now, still, just try and be polite to the cashier at the gas station. He or she does not set the price at the pump, that gets dictated to them by the company they get the fuel from. Same goes for any retail setting, the person who collects your money does not set the prices.
All I am trying to do is to maintain a bit of civility in our country. The economy stinks, the rich get ever richer and the rest of us are left with the crumbs. That doesn't mean that we should just forget all of our civility, our common courtesy and common sense. In fact, in my opinion, as things get worse, the more we need to be polite to each other. If we all go off angry, we will just add to the already high level of misery that is out there.
It isn't hard. It doesn't mean that you subscribe to any particular religion, it just lets others know that some of us have retained our basic humanity. While you may call it the "golden rule" I just see it as being polite. Call it what you will, I just know that we need more of it as the economy goes ever downward. I lived in southern California during the Watts riots. I also was living there after the Rodney King trial. There have been other major riots in various cities in the past, I just do not want to see us devolve into that sort of thing again. We need to try our best to retain as much human dignity as possible or things will get very bad for us all. Hell, they had Blackwater goons patrolling the streets of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Do we want that sort of crap in all of our cities? If we fail to act as civilized adults, I have no doubt that we will get that and worse. It is up to us, we need to set the example. Yes, we may not change the world, but I believe that we need to at least try. If we don't, then what is the point of going on?
Just something to think about and consider. Thank you for your time reading this post.
semper fi