Welcome to Spring!

time to brush out the den

The dark of the year is half over. The time for new growth and new beginnings is coming over the horizon. Spring is here.

Pagans call it Ostara. The time for getting the flocks out to the green fields, of turning out the bedding and the stables from the winter doldrums. It is the time when the lamb and the calf show their scrunchy noses to the world.

For us, the coming of Spring heralds in a great new chance to bring a welcome change to, not only the country, but our own lives. Each of us should be looking at ways to slough off the crap that's grown over our lives through the winter.

Clean your place. Open the windows, let Mom Nature do a bit of freshening to your personal atmosphere. If you live in the city and the air is gritty, go out to the woods a few more times to clear out the lungs.

Clean your bod. Stop eating all that crap. Stay AWAY from fucking McDonald's! That shit's like crack! Make your own food. Eat fresh! Hate vegetables? Learn to love them 'cause they'll keep you from becoming bug food before your time. Walk your fat ass around the block. Get the blood moving through those hardened arteries Ronald McDonald gave you. Play a pickup game of ball with kids younger than you (and hope like hell they know CPR!) You have many more muscles than the one you plop on the dinner table each night. Use 'em or lose 'em!

Clean your head. Stop watching TV! Really, stop the blank stare into the Oblivion that's network entertainment. That shit's as bad for you as a basket of Big Macs washed down with a dozen triple thick chocolate shakes. Give yourself 3 shows a week, or less. TIVO them if you can so you can watch them during slow times or just before bedtime. Use the time you used spend in front of the Idiot Box doing something that adds to your life, not sucking it dry. Try an online course. I recommend the Teaching Company. They have some classes (on sale, otherwise the price is too high) that are teh cool! Enrich your life by volunteering or mentoring. Walk the talk, get out of the fucking house and be the cool liberal we all think you are.

Clean your 'hood. Goes along with the last one. Get involved in your neighborhood. Get to know your neighbors for crying out loud! I lived next door to a couple for three years before I said a single word to them. When I lost my dog, I went over to give them a flyer and started talking. Next thing you know, I have a couple of great friends who are just as liberal as I am! They thought I was a drug dealer (the house I lived in had that reputation before I moved in) Imagine their surprize when they finally met me! I moved out of that house years ago but last month I got a birthday card. Let your neighbors know that you have their back when the shit starts to tumble. During a big storm, my roomie and I got the old chain saw out and cut up some trees up that had fallen across the road. Soon, we had the whole neighborhood out hauling pieces of tree trunk off the road. In no time the road was clear. The county road crew didn't show up for three days. Not everybody will be your bestest buddy but at least you'll know where they all come from; who's got your back and who's a dickhead.

Grow your own! Monkeyfister has the goods on this but I'm still going to put it out one more time. Everyone can grow something, even legally. I live in a small apartment now, with a deck that gets about three to four hours of filtered sunlight from the east. I have three boxes, about 8 square feet of space, to grow my veggies. I'm doing a couple of tomatoes, some herbs and a couple of other veggies that don't need direct sun. I don't think I can get any peppers to grow - damn! I love to grow hot peppers! Regardless, I'm going to get something to grow. If you haven't got the room, find a p-patch that nearby. Got a friend that has space but not the will to do a garden? Strike a deal with them. You help with the funds and the care, they give up a portion of the yard. You split the crop when harvest time comes.

There's a lot of shit going down in the world today. As responsible citizens, it's our duty to do whatever we can to shore up the crumbling foundation of America. Over two decades of Republican bullshit has trashed this nation like a hurricane. Those bastards had a twenty year corporate orgy in our house and left it fucked up and falling apart. Now they're complaining that the roof leaks. Fuck them!

This shit is ours to fix. It needs to be done and done right. No fucking Republican will be around for the recovery but mark my words, they'll be around to take credit for it. That won't happen if we do our part and take stock in it. By being part of the 'boots on the ground' gives you a front row seat to who cares about America and who could give a shit.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Attack of the CPAC

Daniel Kurtzman, About.com

Ewww.... just ewwww.....

That whole CPAC thing was like walking through a rendering plant. I haven't seen a more fetid gathering of vermin, mold spores and dung beetles since my septic tank was replaced. I hear Mike Rowe was there filming an episode of his show working as a busboy.

David Neiwert, from Crooks and Liars, has a graph up that shows what the rabble hoard that attended this crapfest thought of Pres. Obama's job. Needless to say, they weren't too impressed. Not enough torture, no trampling of the Constitution, hasn't filled his government with toadies from Liberty University, and for some unknown God Forsaken reason, he insists on doing what's correct for the American people - even those who didn't vote for him!

OMFG! He's fixing the country!

The lesson needs to be learned that these people are not looking out for their country. No, these greedy bastards are just out for themselves and their portfolios. Pres. Obama is tapping into their source of gold, the American dime, and this has them in a whirlwind of anger. Bush left them with a bonus of 350 million dollars of TARP funds (with no strings) but not Pres. Obama. He wants to put strings on the next round of funds so we, the American people, can track who gets what.

Personally, if the CEO of a large corporation wants a golden parachute, I say give it to him. Strap 50 pounds of gold to his back and toss him out of an airplane. Maybe he can use the gold to buy himself a prayer.

The road ahead isn't going to be a cakewalk. Progressives and liberal moderates are going to have to fight for every inch of ground we take. We can't let the demon hoard take the initiative here. We have to face them on every issue and show Mom and Pop America who's really looking out for them.

Complacency is not an option. Keep the message out front and fight, fight, fight!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Go it alone

There come a time when all roads lead out of town. When all talk is done and all things have been said. There comes a time when there is no safe refuge, no safe harbor to wait out the coming storm.

That time is now.

We tried it their way and lost. Lost big. They want to keep playing the same number on the same wheel but we have to cut our losses and move on. The Republicans, despite losing two elections and all of their base, still cling to the same old moves, the same disastrous policies that caused this catastrophe. They aren't stupid, they're delusional. They can't accept the fact that the country holds them responsible for this mess, that the people aren't blaming Bill Clinton like they want. They try and try to hold tight to that flimsy toilet paper ideology even as it gets pissed on by every economist of merit in the country.

President Obama made some progressives angry for reaching out to the GOP to craft a bill that's both effective and bipartisan. In the House, he gave up a lot and got handed back his lunch. No Republican voted for the bill. In the Senate, he's gone so far into the whole 'bipartisan' myth that he's heading into ineffective. What's more important, any bill or the right bill?

In return for offering his hand in cooperation, the Republicans filled it full of shit. They are so consumed by the election of Barack Obama, an African-American who has the real chance of becoming one of the greatest presidents in history, that they will allow the American economy and the people they represent swirl down the drain like a cold turd.

How's that for the Party of Patriots? They wave the flag then use it to blow their nose.

Obama has to do the unthinkable. He has to tell the American people that the Republican Party is not helping him. He has to put that bully pulpit to good use and make the GOP pay for its partisanship. The Dems need to grow a spine (as if that has any chance of happening) and hold their own membership together and forget the Repugs. Keep the Blue Dogs in line and shore up support with the progressives. If any Repugs get an earful back home, let them into the room but with a commitment to vote yes when all is said and done.

Play hard ball and you'll win. The rules have changed and the stakes are high. The country's got your back. This is no time to be Mr. Nice Guy.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

A Tonic

In November, we won a battle. It had been a long time since we had one of those. But the war rages on. We have the upper hand for now, but the fight isn't over.

Our enemies were not defeated. They only suffered a set back. They will do as we did in 2000 and 2004, step back and regroup. But we can look back at their successes in 2000 and 2004 and see how they came to lose what seemed for a long time, an insurmountable lead.

The country is in a tailspin and we need someone who can pull us out of it in a big freaking hurry. We need a political equivalent of Captain Sullenberger to take the stick and bring us in safely.

We the people, on the other hand, need to take care of our own houses. We can't sit in the La-Z-Boy at home crying over our lost wages, tuning into Lost or Desperate Housewives, while our lives swirl down the shitter. We have to do our part to salvage the legacy our parents and grandparents left for us.

Here are a few of the things we can do:

1. Turn off the TV - Jesus Fucking Christ, this idiot box will be the death of us all. It is only a single form of entertainment, not a replacement for using your brain. If you 're hooked and still need that boob tube fix, here's what you do. Pick your five favorite shows and watch them, TIVO them or whatever. Pick a good time, like 7:30 on Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursday. Watch no more than an hour at a time. Only an hour, two if it's a movie. Make two of your five shows educational (No, Fox News does not qualify) Something from Discovery or the History Channel. If you can't find 5 shows, make it 3 or 2 but not more than five. Be strong, there are other things to do.

2. Do Something Creative - Hobbies, home projects, gardening, anything that involves working with your brain and your hands. For example, I do leather work and I like to garden. When the season is upon us, I will start a small container box garden on the deck of my apartment. The challenge will be to select the right plants for the conditions. Just cruise through my links and you'll find a few folks who'll be more than willing to give you a head start. Here, here, and here for starters. Ask and you will receive. As for leather work, I have to fix the sewing machine so that one is on hiatus. Hand sewing leather bags is hard on the digits. Let me know in the comments what hobbies or activities interest you with links.

3. Get Serious - No shit here. This isn't tin hat conspiracy theory bullshit. Plan for the worst. My friend, Monkeyfister, has lots of ideas and suggestions for becoming self sufficient. The best advise is to get involved in activities that will sustain you and your family through rough weather if it comes right down to it. Stockpile non-perishable food, medicine, drinkable water, simple appliances that do not need external power. If you are qualified and responsible, you may want a firearm. Protecting your family is the idea here if the bottom falls out of the country's political structure. This also works as a hedge against natural disasters. Growing your own food will be a godsend in this case.

4. Get Active - Don't sit on your fucking hands! Let your worthless leaders know how you feel. Call them on the phone. Write them a letter. If you send an email, back it up with a snail mail. Get your neighbors involved too. Join a Meet-up in your area. Connect with people in your city that feel as passionate about this shit as you do. Hold our congress critters' feet to the fire on the Stimulus Bill and any add-ons that come later. The crap that went on the last eight years would not have happened if people had paid attention. Don't rely on the traditional media for your news. Get it from other sources. Compare the stories. Search the Web. Be informed.


There are other things to do. If I missed an important one, let me know and I'll add it to the list. The reality of it is simply that We, the People, need to get off our lazy asses and start being Americans again. My ancestors didn't stop working in the woods to watch Oprah, they didn't whine and snivel about hangnails and boo-boos so they could stay home from work. Shit, most of our ancestors didn't even have weekends. They certainly didn't have vacations. They worked until they died so that their kids could go to school and live a life that was better than theirs. Are we made of the same stuff? Can we be as strong and dedicated as our great grandparents were?

The Boomers are an 'entitlement' generation. They feel that success is their by reason of entitlement. They need not work for it, it must be given up by the previous generation. The work ethic suffered a great injustice. Luckily, it wasn't killed outright. There are those who never really got out of the hole financially. They still worked the farms, in the factories or in the woods hard as before. They never got the good government grants or the great retirement plans. They had to work just as hard as their fore bearers did. Many of us come from those folks.

So there it is. Deal with it. Right now, the Republican Party is doing everything in its power to derail the Stimulus Package for no other reason than it gives Obama a win. They'll trash the country just to keep Obama from being proven right. That borders on treason. And not to be undone, our intrepid Media is following the Repubs every word like a bunch of lovesick teenagers.

Don't get me started on that...

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Is it time for torches and pitchforks yet?

Just say the word!



Every day we hear more and more bullshit. Shit that gives me cause to break out the pitchfork and start marching up the road to the castle. I want to hear the fucking truth, not the crap that the powers that be feel we should hear.

Now, I want to give Obama the time he needs to get this runaway train under control but he has to understand that this deference has conditions. He's come before the people on quite a few occasions and said pointblank what has to happen to turn this shit around. We support that.

Infrastructure. Health Care Reform. Accountability of Government. Mortgage Assistance. The list isn't that long but it is daunting.

We, the American People, understand that this is BORROWED money. Fuck, the last eight years saw at least 10 times the cost of this stimulus package run up on the People's Plastic. For what? What do we have to show for a TEN TRILLION DOLLAR debt courtesy of George W. Bush and the Republican Party?

What we need is to get past this and on to putting shovel to dirt, hammer to nail and pen to paper. You say we have to get beyond politics then you dive into the middle of it with 50 lbs of dead weight tied to your ankles. Those weights have names. Jettison them. Get to shore, shake yourself off and get to work. Fuck the Republicans! They Are Not Important!

You extended the hand of cooperation and bipartisanship and got it bit. You know the Chinese proverb - "Fool me once....?"

Why, oh fucking why are we asking these Brooks Brothers Buttfucks to approve the stimulus package?

We own them. They are a racist, dickless, regional embarrassment to American politics. We have the numbers, we have the people's back, we have the issues. What we seem to lack are leaders with cajones.

So, my friends and allies, start sharpening the tines and waxing the handles 'cause the ride's gonna get real fucking bumpy from here.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Learning from Past Mistakes - Step One

Now the clean-up can begin. Not just the bunting and the confetti on the National Mall, but putting the People's House back together after eight years of Bush & Cheney trashing the place. Like the morning after a teenager's party at his parents' house, we have come home to a disaster zone filled with stinking trash and broken furniture. And like parents, we can't reach over and pull the gizzards out of the offending teen, we have to be responsible and put things right. Then we can start pulling out gizzards.

Which brings me to the steps being taken to clean this shit up. From personal experience, I know that if something gets fucked up, the last person to decide how to fix it is the person who fucked it up. If I trashed my parents' house, I don't get to decide how to clean it. I get the honor of picking up the garbage, hauling the trash, gluing the furniture back together and anything else my dad tells me to do. Dad gets the honor of standing over me with his belt, watching me work. What do you think would happen if I told the old man that he should pay someone else to do the clean up so I can go out with my friends?
Yeah, I thought so...

This country is broken. Broken in as many ways as you can count. Every time the Republicans took control of the situation, they made it worse. They saw this country as their personal playground. They didn't have to take responsibility for anything because they were The Boss and Bosses pass the buck. Missing money wasn't the fault of the person who took it, but the fault of the accounting geek who found out. Tearing up the environment wasn't bad if you could show how to make a shit load of money doing it. If someone pissed you off, you just called them an enemy combatant and put them in jail; no charges, no trial, no problem - simple. No one was going to hold them accountable, no one was going to call them on their bullshit; it was Good Times in the Good Ol' USA!

And the Democrats stood by and watched. They didn't raise their hand and say shit. They stood by and watched their sibling party trash the House. They watched as the furniture got broke, they watched as the windows were shattered, watched as the cat was shaved - stood by and did nothing. Now, when the time has come to pay the piper, they're standing there as the Republicans point to them and say "They did it!"

Fuck That!

President Obama has made a lot of progress in setting down what needs to be done. But what he doesn't need to do is let the Republicans to decide what happens next. They've already made it perfectly clear what they want to do. They want someone else to clean up this mess. They want to outsource it to anyone but themselves. They feel that the policies that got us in this shit hole are good enough to get us out. All I have to say on that is:

Dude, if you're trying to get out of a shit hole and the only offer of help from the Republicans is another shovel, it's time to stop asking them for help. We need to get OUT of the hole first before we start digging a new one. Understand this: the Republican Party does not want to help. They only want you to fail. Being all 'Kumbaya, let's be bipartisan' is bullshit.

This is how to solicit help from the GOP: Kick 'em in the nuts, step on their back and climb out of the hole. When they've learned their lesson, admit their mistakex and apologize, then we might lower a rope.

Sounds pretty tough, right? Sounds kinda cold-hearted and cruel. In fact, it sounds damned familiar. This is what the GOP has been doing to the Democratic Party for 25 years.

Let me pause for a moment to thank John Amato for his links above. He goes off on the same tangent as I but with a much larger audience. Right On, Brother John!

Here's the clip from the Rachel Maddow Show with Economics Professor Paul Krugman and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR).
LISTEN TO THEM!
Why?
Hell, Prof. Krugman is only the most recent recipient of the goddamn Noble Prize in Economics and Cong. DeFazio is only the Chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. They know of what they speak, they've been dealing with this shit for years.

Who have the Republicans got?
Rush Limpdick and BillO the Clown.



The graphic she had up showed that 33% of the stimulus package will go to tax cuts and only 18% for infrastructure.

Wha? 18%?

There's enough broken shit in this country to keep us busy for decades and the longer we piss around the worse it's going to get. That bridge in Minneapolis didn't fall because it was brand new, it failed because it was neglected. When will the next bridge fail, the next highway collapse or water main explode? What happens to the Gulf Coast when hurricane season comes upon us and another Category 3, 4 or, goddess forbid, a 5 slams into it?

Tax cuts are not the answer, they are the fucking problem. I don't want a check for $300 if I have to drive over a bridge that's ready to crumble. Keep the fucking $300 and fix the goddamn bridge. It's time we recognize that this mess is ours now, as in belongs to us. We didn't make it but we have to fix it. We have to take ownership of it in order to put it to rest. We cannot count on the Republicans to help and we shouldn't...here's why...

When Ronald Reagan made his wingnut speech about how government was not the solution but the problem, he set into motion the wheels of the GOP Gravy Train. Once they realized that they had the power of Nixon and the face of a movie star; the sky was the limit. America became their playground and they had a ball. Reagan ran up the deficit and the national debt like a drunken sailor, blaming Democrats at every step. Lee Atwater (rot in Hell, you bastard!) was Reagan's Merlin. He wove a spell of doublespeak and nuance that framed the discourse to flummox the media and the Democrats. He actually had some of the Dems believing that it was their fault.
Can you say 'Blue Dogs'? I knew you could.

When Reagan termed out, they tried to do the same thing with Poppa Bush but he was no Reagan. He screwed the pooch and got kicked to the curb by Bill Clinton. Nothing could have pissed off the Republicans more than to see a charismatic Southern jimbo like Clinton take the White House away so soon after Ronnie. Well, we saw what it did to the GOP. They went apoplectic. Lee Atwater, on his death bed, passed his magic wand to Karl Rove then died in agony. (That's Karma, bitch) Despite America's need for real leadership, Rove took out his Faustian contract and put Poppa Bush's Dim Son in the White House. Eight long fucking years of corruption, torture, graft, violations of civil and human rights, and pissing on the Constitution. The worst part... they did it without an iota of regret.

That sordid chunk of history shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Republican Party looks out for their own self interests, always thinking of '#1'. It also shows that they care as much for the American people as they do for their hired help - keep them in the dark, pay them next to nothing and if the authorities get too close, turn them over to the INS for the reward.
Self-centered, greedy, soulless cretins all. They lie, cheat, steal, and would toss an old lady under a train to get to a nickel off the ground. They have NO honor - none, zip, zilch, nada, no way, no how, not now, not never. Trust and Republicans should be treated like matter/antimatter; they cannot exist in the same place at the same time.

So, President Obama, put away your bipartisan speeches and put on your hip waders ass kickers. Take out the bulk of those bullshit tax cuts and put back the projects that were removed. I would rather have a steady paycheck repairing a bridge or installing cable across the country than a single check for a few hundred dollars.

Besides, I would only use it to buy weed anyway.

Update: I changed 'hip waders' on a suggestion from BK at Ornery Bastard. Puts the cherry on the post.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Shit Storm

Unemployment figures are out. Lots of good, hard working people are sitting at home right now wondering how $247.00 a week will pay the mortgage/rent, utilities, food, gas and the inevitable unexpected expense.

Been there, hated it! I recently lost 25 - 30% of my wages by the elimination of overtime. The company I work for is like all other corporate icons, cut back on the foundation of your business while keeping worthless middle management fuck-ups fat, dumb, and happy in their gated communities, Lexus' and 6-figure salaries.

No, I'm not bitter. Not at all.

You know, if you make a good wage, earned it with hard work and diligence and managed not to step on the necks of the people around you - Good for you! Be a millionaire, a billionaire even. I don't begrudge anyone being rich, it's what they did to get there and what they do to stay there.

The details of the Obama Economic Stimulus Package are out and they look a bit inadequate. Look, we NEED this package to defibrillate the septic tank that Bush has buried us in. But puny measures will only make matters worse. You don't bring a garden hose to put out a forest fire. At Daily Kos, mcjoan makes a damn good case for using the Stimulus money to rebuild and repair our crumbling roads and facilities at America's national parks. Oh, to hear the Repugs wail over that one!
The point is that we have to be serious about rebuilding this country, everywhere, not just in the places with the big names and high profile footprints. We have to repair a bridge in Omak, WA and I-5 in CA. Let the Repugs wail. Let them go on record trying to hamstring this plan. Let them put their names to the effort to keep America on the canvas. And when the Stimulus Plan begins to bring us around and folks starts to enjoy the fruits of their hard work, we can remind the American People who was with them and WHO was against them.

Republicans want to turn this into another political board game. They want the Dems to cave on the size of the Stimulus Package so it fails badly. Then they will reap the benefits of the failure and take charge again. This time, however, the country will be in such bad shape the GOP will start pushing real draconian measures in a bid to create a new 21st Century feudalism.

This can not happen.

So Mote It Be,
David A.