Just in case you've forgotten...

b beat it!

piss-ant

1. n.
   a wretched and worthless person. (Often objectionable.) : Look, you silly pissant, beat it!
2. mod.
   worthless. (Often objectionable.) : I don't want this little pissant piece of pie. Give me a real piece.

Read this from the guys at Alternate Brain....

So Mote It Be...
David A.

Sanity in Washington! Martha, get the gun!

God, this woman gives me shivers. I've never read about such a brilliant person, outside of fiction, in my life. Jesus, she should be President!

Elizabeth Warren is the only voice of sanity and reason in Washington today. No DCspeak, no doublethink or dancing around the issue, she puts it right down in plain fucking English. She met with the Financial Services Roundtable, a trade lobby representing banks like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, for a luncheon on Wednesday.

The first major speech since her appointment as Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to Treasury, she picks a hostile environment. Right out of the gate she leaps into the lion's den!

Firedoglake's David Dayen plays it out for us in a post today.

She offered a vision of an agency that would not only write new rules for the entire industry, but consolidate and even eliminate existing ones. But instead of an approach based on individual rules (though she vowed to prohibit unfair practices and increase disclosure to the consumer), Warren highlighted an approach based on principles, a vision for how financial services regulation should work. This principles-based approach is actually something the Financial Services Roundtable proposed back in 2007, though I doubt they envision it the same way as Warren.

Here’s how she described it. “Instead of creating a regulatory thicket of ‘thou shalt nots,’” she said, “and instead of using ever more complex disclosures that drive up costs for lenders and provide little help for consumers, let’s measure our success with simple questions. Your first principle is ‘Fair treatment for consumers.’ I’ll paraphrase your explanation of how to tell if that principle has been met: Can customers understand the product, figure out the costs and risks, and compare products in the marketplace? Regulators should be aiming toward the goals you laid out.”

Warren used the example of a credit card agreement. Customers, she said, “should be able to understand the deal, assess the costs and risks, and compare one card to another.” She valued short agreements with basic, easy-to-understand information contained therein, like the interest rate, the penalty terms and any reward offers, that could be read and comprehended in about four minutes.

Any person who can't see how great this lady is should be cast out on an ice floe.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Hatred, a new American family value?

Hatred is easy. Hatred requires no thought, no research, no hard decisions. It just needs you to be angry and ignorant.

Americans are mentally lazy. Oh, they can work their asses off at their job, in their homes and in their recreation but within their brains, they've taken a nap. They don't want to think about the hard stuff like politics and issues and shit happening on the other side of the world. That stuff is hard so they outsource the decision making to others.

Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh provide an easy place for those decisions to be made. In return, they give these people a place to voice their anger and to lay blame for all the shit happening in their lives. No need to look at the facts because Beck and Limbaugh will provide them too.

Once upon a time, the average American citizen was a person of reasonable intellect. He fought in the big wars, came home to college, got a good job in the big factories, made a decent living and gave back to the community. He/She raised their kids to be wary of strangers but give people a chance to prove themselves. This is called progress.

But you can't get stinking rich off the ignorance of people if the country trends progressive. Enter the GOP.

From the administration of Herbert Hoover to the 'Contract on America' of Newt Gingrich, Republicans have taken steps to keep Americans from realizing their potential. To the Republican mind, 'Progress' is backward thinking. To be progressive is to be anti-American, an enemy bent on destroying the country and killing puppies for sport. To arrive at this thinking, they've skillfully crafted campaigns of ignorance and name calling, fomenting hatred of those who are different and fostering suspicion of everything that doesn't fit their narrow view of what's right. Hatred has found its champion.

The drumbeat has been loud and constant. The first sounds came from Barry Goldwater's campaign in 1964 but failed to gather the storm. Lessons were learned and methods were changed. When Ronald Reagan became president in 1980, they had their man. The drum beat of hatred and ignorance had found its orchestra.

Now, in 2010, we live with the drum beat constant in our ears. The Media has been beaten down to where they follow the beat on every broadcast, every page, every story. Not an issue goes by where the Media doesn't frame each report through the lens of the Republican hate machine.

We have enemies abroad that seek to do us harm. They attacked us and have taken lives here at home and in the deserts of the Middle East. They don't number that many, not as many as we would assume considering the casualties they've inflicted upon us. Considering the scope of what we've been fighting, the prospects of victory seem simple but frustratingly out of reach. Our enemies attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001 for reasons that seem bullshit on the surface but still knocked us on our ass. We had placed troops in Saudi Arabia at the behest of the Saudi government much to the consternation of the radicals in the Muslim faith. Saudi Arabia is their holy land. Would Catholics like the government of Iran to send troops to set up shop in the Vatican? Would the Baptists sit by and allow Libyan troops in Lynchburg, VA?

This doesn't validate their reasoning, nor does it absolve the radicals from their crimes against humanity. It just exists as evidence of what they believed.

Our response was swift but got off track almost immediately. Instead of attacking Al-Qaeda, we attacked Islam. The Republicans took the worst terrorist attack against Americans on American soil and perverted it to attack people who were merely of another faith, different but an easy target. They really held no animosity at Muslims but saw an opportunity to get stinking rich from the drum beat of hatred and ignorance they controlled. Start a war against Iraq, a country not involved in the 9/11 attacks but home to a lot of oil and a ready villain in Saddam Hussein. Our war in Afghanistan, which was in response to the attacks was placed on the back burner, even when we were so very close to catching the prize - Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, himself.

For eight years, the administration of President George W. Bush, went to extraordinary means to craft the drum beat, make it louder and more intense. We saw Islamic enemies in every crowd, behind every tree, in every Mini-Mart. Violence against innocent people, immigrants and Americans alike, who followed Islam rose considerably. The mealy mouthed Bush went on the air to tell people that not all Muslims were evil but his words were shallow and weak, never intended to silence the drum beat. They were only intended to frame the issue and provide cover for the Republicans in the campaign of hatred and fear. Using this hatred, the Republican Party and their allies profited big time. Billions of dollars found their way into the open arms of those who beat the drums the loudest.

Now, we sit here on the raggedy edge of this campaign. Nothing Progressives have done since the election of Barack Obama has quelled the hatred. The Media still cowers in fear of going up against the drum beat. They drank deep from the kool-aid and won't do anything to anger the GOP hate machine. Without the Media, our words of hope and cooperation fall on deaf ears and do nothing but give the Republicans fodder to frame us as naive or worse collaborators with the enemy.

Ignorance and fear are not new to humanity, nor will they be leaving us very soon. Gather more than five people together and soon ignorance will rear its ugly head. Ignorance in humanity is as natural as taking a dump, but just as we've learned not to take a dump anywhere we please, we can learn not to dump our ignorance around as well.

Stupid comes naturally, you have to learn not to be. And, unfortunately, that's too hard for some Americans.

Update: One Fly has commented that it's not 'some' of them, it's more than we realize and they are proud of their stupidity. I absolutely agree. A stone is a stone and will never be a fish. There are some folks that will always be a stone - cold, hard, incapable of moving, only occupying space until gravity and time wear them down.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Hempfest is Coming! Aug. 21 & 22

It's August again and soon the eyes, ears and air passages of hopeful hempsters will be on Seattle's Myrtle Edwards Park. Hempfest, the world's largest festival of all things cannabis, will be held on Saturday, the 21st and Sunday the 22nd.

I will be there, as will nearly 250,000 kind folks. (I'll be the one in the gray ponytail!) I hope to get more pictures up than I did last year. I worked for the event so my time was limited, not to mention the crowds.

This year we're as close as we've ever come to legalization. California has an initiative (Prop. 19) on the ballot as well as numerous medical marijuana referendums in other states.

I'll have more in the future but until then, here's a great new cartoon from NORML that tells a story.



See you at the Faire!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

More Spine Needed At White House

To add my voice to the clamor over the force resignation of Shirley Sherrod. The worst part of this isn't what Breibart did or what Fox News reported, you expect that crap from them. But the speed at which the Obama Administration bought into the lie without a whisper of investigation. They almost forced her off the road to resign, via Blackberry, as she was heading back to Georgia.

When the dust cleared, it came out that Breibart slipped another mickey to the Feds. Just like his bullshit over ACORN, he crafted a little video that caused everyone in the Administration to crap themselves. Now that new information and the complete, unedited video has surfaced, the Obama Administration stands alone, looking foolish, in need of new underwear.

I'm not sure Ms. Sherrod should take her job back if it's offered. The NAACP, which had originally blasted her as well, came out immediately with an apology and personal phone call from their president. They admit they acted rashly and bought into a lie from Fox News.

"A lie from Fox News" - Gee, ya think?

I wrote a diary at the Daily Kos titled "President Obama is a Coward". That was a cheap shot at the president, I admit it. but I stand by what I said within.

Here it is in its entirety:

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Wipeout!

I'm not usually one to get star struck. Hell, I rarely find myself anywhere a self respecting 'celebrity' would want to be seen. So, I have to relate this rare event from yesterday.

I work at a well known shipping place that also has a few copy machines. One of my co-workers comes running up to me and hands me an orange guitar pick. What? What the hell is this for?

"It's from Don. He gave it to us for a job well done!"

I look at the guitar pick then look at the old dude who gave it up. At first, I didn't recognize him. I'm used to seeing him at least 40 years younger on a few well worn album covers. Then the name on the pick comes into view. It's Don Wilson, one of the founding members of the Ventures.

Jesus Christ on a Corn Dog! Walk, Don't Run, Theme from Hawaii Five-0, Wipeout... some of the best goddamn music in the whole freaking universe!

I gotta say, even this old hippie was a little star struck. I went over and thanked him for the token and chatted for a bit. Seems they're going to be playing at the Snoqualmie Casino on Nov. 11.

I think I just might make that show.

Enjoy a few of their best!

Damn, that's good music!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Teabagger Loses His Bag

This is schadenfreude....

Man accidentally shoots self in testicles

KOMO-TV STAFF

A man was shot in the testicles Sunday afternoon after a gun in his waistband accidentally discharged, police said.

Hee!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Show me your papers

You know, there are certain places on this Big Blue Marble that I have no interest in visiting. I hear from friends and neighbors about their hometowns and wonder what those places are like and, for the most part, would love to experience them personally. But some spots just scream out "no fucking way!"

Places like Detroit, or Mozambique, or most of Texas. But I would spend my entire vacation in those spots long before I ever go to Arizona.

Fuck those racist assholes.

My response...

Gogol Bordello - Immigraniada

So Mote It Be,
David A.

What year is it again?

Sometimes you just have to stop and shake your head at the sheer arrogance of the Repugs.

"Miss. county schools ordered to comply
with desegregation order"

This follows their esteemed governor's moronic response to Virginia Gov. McDonell's self-screwed proclamation with his own Confederate History Month Commemoration.
That bitch is about a couple of clowns short of a full circus. To refresh one's memories, he also stood tall as the head of the Republican Party back when Dubya was in full bloom.

And the South will rise again...
...like sewage from a broken septic tank.

These bastards just can't get over losing.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

President Obama is NOT a Coward

Barack Obama is no coward. Just looking at a few things he's done in his life can tell you that beyond a doubt.

My diary at Daily Kos was a response to the cowardice I see in his administration, not in him personally. However, he's in charge and the buck stops with him, though I should not have used the word 'coward' to vent my anger at the lack of courage coming from the White House.

The Obama Administration is not as progressive as I would like it to be. President Obama is right of center himself. It would be foolish of me to think that he would represent all of the same things I do as a progressive. However, I feel he needs to be. His administration is under the false impression that America wants to be more like Glenn Beck than Howard Dean. Even when shown proof that the American people want more progressive action, the Obama Administration still insists on leaning to the right.

Obama has a win with the Health Care Reform Act but the law is incomplete and falls far short of bringing fairness and balance to our health care problem. Expanding Medicare to allow buy-ins is one way to achieve this goal, something he is against. For too long, we have catered and groveled before the for-profit health care industry. We've allowed this bullshit to continue because our leaders have bought into the whole 'profit before people' crap the GOP's been spilling since the bad ol' days of Ronnie Reagan.

Capitalism is as old and decrepit as communism. Communism crumbled under its own weight because people can't be trusted to be reasonable. If you put that much power in the hands of a few men, those men will become corrupt sure as rain in Seattle. Capitalism is on a different wavelength but still falls under the same premise. Put that much power in the hands of a few companies and those companies, and by default their CEO's, will become corrupt.

Years of oppression came to an end in the Soviet Union because the people finally saw what was happening to them. In 1976, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played a concert in the Soviet Union to a television audience of about 145 million people. This allowed the folks to see how life was outside the fences. What followed was years of black market items like Levi's, rock music, and other Western goodies coming across the border. Soviet citizens saw what it was really like outside, not the bullshit propaganda the Politburo had been feeding them for 60 years. It was the beginning of the end of the USSR.

It's the 21st Century and here in America, we are having our own eye opener. The progressive movement is seeing what the last 60 years of rampant corporate growth with little regulation has done. We have banks engaging in criminal behavior that suck the life out of millions of homeowners with little recourse other than a gracious influx of new, taxpayer supplied, cash. You see, they're 'too big to fail'. The health insurance industry laughs in the face of the Democrats as they lobby and get their piece of the Health Reform pie, leaving only crumbs for the people the law is supposed to help.

The Soviet Union refused to see the changes happening in the 70's and 80's. They held tight to the old Lenin and Stalin bullshit to the very end when the people finally had had enough. Now, the Soviet Union is no more.

Will the Obama administration open its eyes and see which way the wind is blowing or will we have to endure another president who can only see as far as Wall Street?

Aren't we the people too big to fail?

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Remind me not to enter the lion's den....

...wearing bacon pajamas.

I posted a diary on Kos today. After basking in anger and disappointment over the lack of backbone from the Obama Administration, I took it upon myself to cast a metaphoric stone in his direction.

It was titled 'President Obama is a Coward'.

I'm lucky I got out with the hair still on my balls.

The last diary I posted got a grand total of 2 comments. The one before was a huge hit at seven comments.

As of this posting, I have 186 flaming hot, radioactive comments burning a hole in the back of my head.

Goodness! Do you think I struck a nerve?

I'm working on a more reasonable response but until then, enjoy the fireworks!

So Mote It Be (for now!),
David A.

It is to laugh

Maybe I'm a couple of buses behind the rest of you but I got this link today and it almost made me spit out my perfectly made vanilla cuppa.

Bluegal, over at Crooks and Liars, laid upon the masses one of her awesome graphics of Michael Steele and some GOP ho's. Then she set down a challenge to another site:
Hot Chicks With Douchebags.

Go there NOW!

But swallow your sip of joe first!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Salami, Salami, Bologna...

(title was from an old Popeye cartoon)
Just finished the first batch of Salami today. I tried to smoke some yesterday and succeeded in welcoming the local fire dept to my apartment bldg. My upstairs neighbor had his windows and his front door open which allowed the smoke from my salami get into the hallways - setting off the fire alarm.

My luck... I have neighbors burning steaks and chicken wings on their barbecues all summer long and no alarm. I try to lightly smoke 5 rolls of salami and all Hell breaks loose. Luckily, the management is treating this as an accident and won't fine me ($250!). Next time I'll use less apple wood and be more attentive. As long as the dude upstairs isn't airing out his crib.

At least the firemen were cool. They commented that it smelled good and said the next time I set off the alarm, have some already done for samples. That's no problem but the $250 dollars is a bit steep to try this again.

Anyway, I used the oven for the remaining 14 hours of baking. I set the oven @ 175 to 200 degrees and bake the rolls for 14 to 16 hours.

(pepper crust hot garlic salami)

This sample is a bit early for me. It tastes great but needs to set up a couple of days in the fridge. Then I wrap the rolls up in plastic wrap, then foil and freeze for the big family get together in April - Opening Day of fishing season!

I have one more batch to make - pepperoni. This will be a real test of my talents because my past attempts came up short. I have trouble with the consistency. It's all good. This particular recipe is rather warm and goes great with a sharp cheddar or Havarti.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

A gauntlet has been secured

In response to the new CA state flag as posted by Gordon @ Alternate Brain

this is just a quick one...I'm just heading out to the coal mine and will be making a few adjustments over the weekend.

David A.

Success is a good thing.

We didn’t get the public option through the Senate or the House this time. The blogosphere wanted it, the people wanted it, and it was the right thing to do. But we ran headfirst into a brick wall called conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom is neither conventional nor is it wisdom. It’s expediency. It’s going along to get along. It’s cowardice disguised as toughness. It’s a short cut to your fifteen minutes of fame through a swamp of dirty money and dirtier dealings.

Some of the first tier progressive blogs are screaming bloody hell at congress members who went back on their pledge to vote no if the public option wasn’t part of the final bill. Some of them are preparing fundraisers to back primary challengers of these nefarious lawmakers.

I was one of the strongest advocates for the public option and was pissed beyond a doubt that Pres. Obama failed us. And he did fail us. If he had embraced the public option early on (like he said he would during the campaign) there would have been little grief. Sure there would have been opposition but after a few of his barn-burner speeches, he would have had thousands of people calling the holdouts to change their votes. Sen. Max Baucus would have been forced to include it in the Senate bill despite the caterwauling of the three Republicans in his little cabal. If the president had realized or, more to the truth, come to the conclusion that he would be getting NO help from the GOP last spring, his campaign would have easily carried the votes for including the public option.

However, he was bound and determined to be the ‘Bipartisan’ President. He was going to include both sides of the aisle in the discussions and the debate. The GOP went along just far enough to give the president a small vestige of hope for compromise then played him like a cheap banjo. Fault for this lies with the president and his Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel. Emmanuel has never been a friend to the progressive wing of the party. He has always been a dealer, a back room manipulator who only gets ahead by playing others as fools.

As progressives got more successful at promoting the public option, he took hold of the president’s ear and poisoned the well as far it was concerned. Polite noises were made in support of the public option to appease the masses but there was no grand speeches, no full court press. President Obama let the public option die on the vine to appease the corporate money that Emmanuel needs to keep his K-street cred (and bankroll).

So, do we get our panties in a bunch because we were denied the public option? Do we, like some of the high and mighty blogs of the Left go out of our way to punish those who would not support our cause? Believe me I would usually say ‘Hell, YES!’ but not this time. There are some lawmakers who deserve our wrath. Sens. Lincoln of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska being the vilest of the bunch. There are others who pissed me off but their positions on other issues are important enough to keep them around. Besides, one of the worst parts of challenging in a primary is that you make your candidate vulnerable in the general election. You have to be sure you can win both elections or you shoot yourself in the foot.

The bill has passed. We didn’t get everything we wanted. We woke up on Friday morning after the reconciliation vote and the public option wasn’t under the tree. Now, we can piss and moan, sulk around the room and make life miserable for those around us. Or we can sit down and enjoy what we did receive. There are others ways to get what we want. Let’s work on those. Our time is limited; the season of campaigning for the 2010 midterms is upon us so we can’t waste a lot of time rehashing the past. There are other issues that need our attention right now. Economic reform, consumer protection, unemployment, lots more – the list is pretty big.

It’s always better to tackle the next big issue after you get a win than after you lose one. I hope the Big Blogs understand that. Here at this lowly flyspeck on the blogosphere, we do.

Shake it off. This is a win. Get back to work.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Call it whatever you want, just do it!

I commented on a post over at Busted Knuckles' place, the Ornery Bastard that dealt with 'socialized medicine.' BK's joint is always a good source of info, rough and tumble debate and a new swear word or three. Add him to your blogroll somewhere near the top. (Just beneath my link..."wink")

I've received a couple of emails from friends asking to post it here. Scared Stiff replied to my comment his approval, for which I thank him.

Here it is, for good or bad...

Seems I'm hearing a lot about 'socialized medicine' these days. Congressman Alan Grayson's introduced legislation to allow any adult to buy into Medicare. The cost would depend on one's age bracket.

Call it Medicare for All, call it single payer, call it socialized medicine. Shit, call it Melvin - I don't give a fuck. I'm fucking almost $8,000 dollars in debt because my fucking insurance co. has a problem paying my doctor. I racked up $60 in phone charges to get them to pay $50 for a fucking office visit - that was covered by the goddamn policy!

Britain, Sweden, Canada... all those 'pathetic' countries have health care for all. They also have efficient transit, great universities and a standard of living that ain't so bad. We're not talking Bangladesh here. Here in the States, we can't get a goddamn bridge built without cost overruns, time sucking delays and years of bitching. Then, they charge you a fucking toll because it took so goddamn long and cost so much.

The free market is a fucking lie. It ain't a market and it sure enough ain't free. It's just another excuse to screw the little guy out of his money. The 'free market' makes billionaires out of millionaires by sucking the life savings out of the working man.

Our gov't ain't perfect. That's for damn sure. But it seems most of the problems I see come from the greed and hypocrisy of some of our leaders. Who the fuck was in charge of this place while the Debt was run up? Who put our best and brightest out in the desert to end up in a steel box? Who stands in the way while those leaders who are worth a damn try to get us back on track?

Medicare needs some fixing if it is opened for us all. That's our job. Make sure that doctors and hospitals get what they deserve and in a timely manner. Make sure that prescription drugs are affordable and available for all, Medicare or not! One of my prescriptions cost me, with co-pay, $200 for two weeks. The same drug 100 miles north in Canada costs $4. What the fuck.

I don't give a rat's fucking ass what it's called. I'm sick to fucking death hearing about 'socialized medicine', and 'nanny-state' and 'government takeover' or any other bullshit out there.

We're Americans goddamnit! We don't have to copy anyone else. We can do shit OUR fucking way. Raise taxes? Why? Pass laws that have teeth against the corruption and graft run rampant on Wall Street. Make the motherfuckers pay their goddamn taxes like the rest of us. Close the loopholes for these bastards. Bring our men and women home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Put people back to work fixing our infrastructure, national parks and that 'new' technology I keep hearing about. Putting another 10 million people to work puts more money in the Treasury. Paul Krugman (Nobel fucking prize winner) can tell you about that.

There's no goddamn reason why Europe has a better transit system than us. Or health care. Or standard of living. Seventy years ago they were a smoldering ruin thanks to WWII. It took American dollars to rebuild them. We did it because that's who we are. We do what's right.

We have the means to do this shit for ourselves. The only thing keeping us from doing it is fear - fucking FEAR. It's time to sack up and get to fucking work. Fuck the bullshit pissing and moaning, we got to get our asses to work and clean this place up.

Face it, our government is US. We put them there, we keep them there, we live with what they do. If you don't like it, change it!

Thanks to BK for giving me the opportunity for the rant and the platform.

So Mote It Be.
David A.

Now it's the Law, bitches.

This morning President Obama signed into law the Health Care Reform bill after the House passed it with six votes to spare. Now, the Senate takes up the additions that fix some of the glaring holes left in the bill to get it past the bullshit conservatives. These will accomplished by reconciliation, which can't be used for everything we want but will fill some of the more egregious holes.

Reconciliation only needs a simple majority to pass, which means Sen. Reid only needs to get 50 votes. (yes, that's a tie but the Vice President will cast the deciding vote so 50 is an instant 51)

Here's the video of the signing ceremony:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Take a good look folks. This is what leadership looks like.

It ain't perfect, it ain't pretty but it's how we roll. We have a lot of fucking work to do to get beyond this first step. Obama got the bill passed after the pundits called it DOA. He did it by doing what he does best. Pound the pavement and shake the rafters. He should have done this months ago but that's old news.

No time to party, put away the cake and ice cream. Work begins now.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Now, the real work begins...

The House voted yesterday to finally put a Health Care Reform bill on the President's desk. The bill is landmark legislation, the embodiment of months back room deals, late night speeches, town hall fiascoes and gut wrenching compromises.

What we have left is a bill that addresses some things but falls far short on too many others. The bill is important, not for what is does, but for what it doesn't do.

Progressives have to look at this as a stepping stone, not a finish line. We're not across the river yet. There are too many variables in the bill that leave gaping holes that the insurance companies will get through like flies through an open window. Let me be crystal clear, the insurance companies will not sit idly by and just accept this. Even with the mandate and the lack of regulations, they still want to keep the status quo. This bill isn't perfect but it will cost them some money and that's what they are all about.

I have to view this inadequate legislation as a foundation, something to build upon. Unfortunately, our congresscritters will think their work is done and leave any changes to future generations. To hell with that. Now is the time to get the goods together to add flesh to this skeleton. Some have started already; courageous legislators that know the shortcomings of this bill and have the fixes ready for consideration. Such congressmen as Alan Grayson.

1. Real Regulation of Insurance Companies.
This was one of the most important aspects of the bill and it was one of the first to be removed. Sure, there are some limitations but not nearly enough. Every important restriction was watered down to appease the congressional lapdogs of the insurance industry. What we need is concrete regulation: removal of the anti-trust exemption, oversight of rate increase, elimination of ALL pre-condition restrictions and beefed-up enforcement of this law. Send industry executives to jail if they balk on these rules. Remove all loopholes that allow insurance companies to get around tax laws and SEC regulations so that they are required to play by the rules, not find ways around them.

2. A real Public Option!
Rep. Alan Grayson has legislation that will allow every legal resident of the United States to 'buy into' Medicare. His bill is only four pages long but it lays it out plainly. If you want to get health care but don't want to dive into the swamp that is the health insurance pool, then you have the option to have a portion of your pay sent to the government so that you can participate in the Medicare program. Could it be any simpler? No hassles with insurance pools, insurance companies that defraud their customers or spending hours arguing for the smallest payments. Give us the option to tell the for-profit insurance companies to go to hell once and for all.

3. Remove and Rescind the Hyde Amendment.
What the hell is this garbage? I can go to the doctor and get a prescription for Cialis, Viagra, or any other of the popular weiner drugs, see a physician to have my boys disconnected from my penis or seek out any of a dozen services for men all covered by insurance. But how about the ladies? What can they do? Sit down, shut up and pop out those puppies as many as you can 'cause Jesus tells you to. Bullshit! I have no business telling a woman how to deal with reproductive services and neither does our government. If a woman has a need for LEGAL abortion services then that's between her and her doctor and should be covered like any other ailment. There is no debate here. Abortions are legal in this country and as long as that remains true then they must be covered by any and ALL insurance. If Catholics don't like it then don't get an abortion.
As far as I can tell, Catholic bishops and priests protect the unborn because that ensures a steady crop of little boys for playtime. To hell with the Catholic Church.

There are a lot of other problems with this bill and we'll deal with them as they crop up. Our job is to keep our congresscritters' feet to the fire with patching these holes.

Side Note:
What the Fuck is this...

Kudos to Rep. Tim Ryan for putting this out on the floor of the House.
Teabaggers are the most disgusting, anti-American assholes that occupy our space.

Words can't express how vile and reprehensible this is. The Republican Party is the party of Greed, Racism, and Hate. That's not just a rabid Liberal spouting off on his blog but a verifiable and proven description of their core values. These cretins disgust me and all good Americans. A pox on all their houses for this garbage. Racism is a poison in this country, a vile disease that runs rampant in every corner. The GOP fans these flames of bigotry by inciting fear and hatred of the first African-American president at every tea party event they speak at. This is the modern GOP. Greedy fucking racists, the lot of 'em.

Update:
Seems my craptacular state attorney general, Rob McKenna has filed suit to challenge the HCR bill. McKenna is a corporate whore. He only gets concerned for the state constitution when his Chamber of Commerce buddies get their panties in a bunch. He doesn't stand up for the little guy in WA, he stands ON them. Freakin' bastard. Our gov Chris Gregoire supports the bill but Snidley McKenna will have no part of that.

Jesus Christ on a Taco, it's bad enough that I'm represented in Congress by a know-nothing idiot who pretends he worth a damn. Now, I have to bear the shame of a soulless corporate weasel like McKenna making a mark for his GOP cred.

Could go on and on but have to head out to the coal mine to toil for my corporate masters.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Alan Grayson is my hero

Just off the wire... (OK, Crooks and Liars)



Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) introduced legislation that would allow all Americans to buy into Medicare at cost.

It's called the Public Option Act. (careful, link takes you to the website of an avowed liberal Democratic Congressman!)

This is what I'm talking about. As long as the cost isn't prohibitive, everyone should be allowed to get into the government health care system. I understand the problems, lots of them, but they can be fixed. Medicare ain't perfect. There are a lot of billing issues as well as reimbursement problems. But it's there and in place. You don't have to re-invent the wheel.

As a few of my blogging buddies can attest, you fix your car when it's not running right. If you went to the dealer to get a new ride every time the old one got a flat or needed a new radiator hose, you'd be broke in a very short time. And going to the Chinese 'payday loan' place isn't an option any more.

Americans need a real answer to our health care crisis. The Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate seem to think that they have a magic touch with consensus. They think that in order for an effective bill to get Obama's desk, it has to have 'bipartisan' appeal.

Reality paints a different picture. There are two big brick walls between Americans and affordable health care. These walls are too tall and too wide to get around but the Dems, with their soapbox, think that they'll just sprout wings and fly over the obstructions. Not gonna happen.

These concrete monstrosities belong to the Insurance Lobby and to the Republicans. Obama and Reid stand at the foot of these walls with their paper wings trying to get over. They're running around flapping and flapping, hoping that the walls will just bend down and let them go over. It's embarrassing. But Holy Fuck! - here comes Congressman Grayson in a D-9 Cat itching to go through the bitches.

I think the President and Sen. Reid better get the fuck outta the way and let Rep. Grayson bust through so we can get on with the People's work.

The Repugs and the big corporate lobbies will NOT play nice with a Democratic president. They would rather eat glass and shit coke bottles than allow Obama a single victory. They don't care about the same shit as we do. For them, it's all about power. They would put millions of Americans in danger without a second thought if they could make a buck. They would pave their driveways with kittens and puppies to get back in the White House.

They liked having an idiot as President. It was good for them, lots of them profited immensely from it. Now, not only do they not have one of their own in the Oval Office but he's smart and he's black.

OMFG, what is this world coming to?

IF you want to get shit done, you roll up your sleeves, grab your tools and go to work. No whining and pissing yourself every time a Repug (or Blue Dog bastard) goes 'Boo!'. The People are watching and guess what they want to see?

Courage. Look at Grayson - that's what it looks like.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

The Ides of March come early

I always though Joe Lieberman would play a good Brutus.

Beware the Ides of March...

Caesar was told this by a soothsayer in Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar'.

The play involves treachery, shattered loyalty and the betrayal of those closest.

Upon his election and inauguration, Obama filled us with hope and promise. His words echoed our commitment to bring this country back from the shadow of Bush/Cheney. Eight long and painful years we languished in the swamp of fear and ignorance that permeated every branch of government. Obama represented change. We had given ourselves the tools to make that change. We had the will to move forward, to make some sacrifices if need be to get past the darkness. We were at the ready, tools in hand - all we needed was the signal to start.

It didn't come. Our leaders told us to wait, that fixing Washington would take a bit of time. We lasted almost a year before we realized it was just a case of 'don't call us, we'll call you'..

We thought we got beyond this shit. What we're seeing is the same show but with different characters. Like SNL, the previous cast has moved on and now we have a new set of players. But like the show, the new players are telling the same joke, pretending to be the same people and doing the same skits. We didn't laugh then and we aren't laughing now.

We put Democrats in place and elected a man of the people... or so we thought. All we did was change the cast, the same old jokes are on us. Joe Lieberman gets a standing ovation upon his return to the Senate after he all but kicked us in the groin by campaigning for John McCain (and coming a dog's hair from being his VP choice). Is that how Democrats handle treachery? With a round of applause and a kiss from Blanche Lincoln? We have a backbencher like Congressman Bart Stupak hold up months of hard work because he wants to be on TV.

I've spent a few posts here talking about courage. Not just bravery but courage of spirit, of conviction. The kind of courage that puts you against your friends, your colleagues, your neighbors when they want to take the easy way out. Courage to stand up to the fear and ignorance that lies over this country like a thick fog. We thought we had elected people who had that kind of courage. We carried them, put them in power, embraced them. For what?

We have been stabbed in the back. Et tu, Brutus!

Reform: "the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc."

For a year and a month, we've watched as one opportunity after another fittered away into the wind. Bold ideas, innovative solutions for the many ills and malice that affected us. The promised green industries, a real economic stimulus, thousands of job programs from building bridges and roads to repairing our crumbling parks and monuments disappear like so much smoke. Education reform, health reform, social reform and foreign policy reform had been our rallying cry. But if the people cried out in Washington and no one in Congress heard, did they make a sound?

What happened? We went to Washington full of hope and came away with nothing but a bag of rocks.

So, do we just put the rocks down, sulk back to our living rooms and coffee shops and wait for the next wave?

Most of the ones reading this will say no. They take the time to find the answers, to make the calls, to shake the trees to get the message out. However, there will be those who take this setback to heart and give up. This is where we find our courage.

The powers of our opposition have no problem with rallying the faithful. They can snap their fingers and 20 pundits and congress critters will bark in unison. They only exist to destroy Obama. they care nothing for the country, only the purity of their kind. The tabloid press will not help us. They have no interest in truth and fairness. Glenn Beck is more marketable than Edward R. Murrow. They will always look for the sensational, the scandalous even if they have to create it from thin air.

We have a lot to do. We have to rattle the cage a bit. There's an opportunity in Arkansas where Bill Halter is trying to knock Lincoln out of her Senate seat. We have to jump on this. Contribute if you can, but make some noise. Call CNN, MSNBC, ABC and tell them to put our leaders on their talk shows. Put Grayson, Kucinich, Sherrod Brown, or Anthony Weiner at the table with George Will and David Broder. Tell NBC to put Rachel Maddow on Meet the Press, even if they lose some of their regulars. Time to get rid of that dead weight anyway.

We also need our leaders to fight for us. Really fight for us. Harry Reid will never show spine. He will always give in to the big scary GOP. We need a Senate Majority leader that knows what the word 'majority' means. One that knows the difference between compromise and capitulate. We need leaders that will say to the President " Mr. President, here is the bill you asked for. It has a public option that covers every state and will hold the insurance companies accountable. It has regulations stripping these companies of their anti-trust exemption. It brings relief to families that have no option for care when they need care the most. Mr. President, this is the People's Bill."

The only way to get what we need is to hold them accountable at every step. Vigilance.

I walked away from this blog in December. I had a belly full of Reid, Obama, and the rest of the cowards in the Democratic Party. I felt that I was screaming into the wind. Since then, I've come to realize that I wasn't alone. That my voice, as loud and brash as it was, was part of a chorus. The larger the chorus, the louder the song. When I gave up the blog, I silenced a voice in that chorus. The song that needed to be heard was diminished. This can't happen.

So Shamanaqua is back - for good or ill is for Fate to decide, not the likes of me.

My thanks to Gordon and Fixer at Alternate Brain for keeping my mind operating while I stewed.

Special thanks to BK at Ornery Bastard for the ass kicking that got me to finally open the doors again. (I had originally planned for the first day of Spring but... WTF!)

Also to the memory of Jon Swift (aka Al Weisel) He gave me my first nod on the national scene during Blog Amnesty Day last year. He was a good man and force on the Web. He is missed but his legacy will live on.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Without Comment

see you in march...DA