Brain Splatter

First off - Happy Birthday, President Obama. August 4th, 1961.

Let's see... what was I up to back then? Well, I may have a bit of trouble remembering since I was only 2 1/2. I do remember getting a bath in the kitchen sink but not sure of the date. Needless to say, I'm not able to do much of that now. They don't make sinks that big. Hell, some lakes are too small for this old hippie's ass.

Time to get your freak on!

Hempfest is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I am looking forward to it. The legs are giving me grief but I'll be out and about regardless. I'll use a cart and two blocks of wood if I have to, to get around. The theme this year is a sustainable hemp industry. Granted, everyone knows my views on Cannabis (see sidebar for my series on Pot Prohibition) but this is the first step. I could wait a couple of years for my smoke to be legal if I could get the hemp industry active first.

I hear all kinds of internet fluff about how much money will flow into our communities if we only legalize the Ganj and tax it. True, tax revenue will increase but I don't think as much as folks think. The part of the equation that will produce a substantial economic boost is the legalization and mass production of hemp. This isn't rocket science. Hemp is not smokable. To get as high as a single marijuana joint, you would have to smoke a hemp joint the size of your leg.

But consider the economic advantage of a new industry that is ready made for our agricultural technology. In my home state of Washington, especially the eastern half, there are farms, orchards, ranches, and vinyards closing down and going fallow because of the horrible economy and over reliance on huge multi-national agri-corporations. Monsanto, ConAgra, Dole, ADM, and other monoliths of greed and corruption have crafted a no-win, sellout and assimilate policy against small farmers, ranchers, and orchardists. The politics of agriculture is fraught with corruption, graft, pay-for-play, and influence pedalling like no other industry with the exception of the health care industry.

The legalization of hemp would allow the small farmers to produce a product that can be used in a myriad of ways. Textiles, food and food oils, fuel, building materials, paper and paper products, the list is as long as my pony tail. These industries need not be shipped overseas. We can build the processing plants, the textile mills, the factories and fabrication facilities within a single state.

For example, in Washington, the growers would be mostly in the eastern part of the state. Shipping and processing can take place in centers like Spokane, Wenatchee, and Yakima which are just a few miles from the fields. From there the processed hemp can be shipped to mills and factories in Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett. Whether it's hemp fabric, hemp seed oil or hemp paper, these products could be sent to fabricators all across the US. Not only that but finished goods like clothes, foods, lotions and cosmetics, paper and packaging products, and building materials could be producted locally as well.

Think of the revenue now. This is much more realistic than charging ten bucks tax on an eighth ounce of Ganja. Don't get me wrong, I want to pay that ten spot as much as the next hippie. Please...let me pay taxes on my smoke! But we have to get to that point through the legalization and promotion of Hemp.

Now, to other things...

Mad Dogs invade Town Halls

This is crazy shit. Pisses me off more than anything. These people are thugs. Protesting is a time honored tradition in America. But your protest has to come from an independent desire for change, reasoned opinions that can stand the scrutiny of debate. This isn't grassroots protest, this is astroturf. These goons are the same mindless idiots that gathered together for the 'tea parties' earlier this year. They managed to gather millions...no, thousands...OK, dozens of people to protest whatever their corporate handlers told them to do. Fucking sheep.

They rail against all things government but will wail like pissy toddlers if they don't get their roads fixed, the police don't show up right away or if the fire department doesn't respond quickly enough. Fatheads.

But to me, these goons are no better than Timothy McVey without the bomb. They spout the same garbage he did, demonize the government in the same way, think the same fetid thought of tearing down society as we know it. They are all domestic terrorists without the trigger finger.

Lost and Found

Some of our most respected friends on the Toobs are MIA. Shit happens and not everyone can get a post out six times a day like Skippy or Crooks and Liars. So, when the posts start to drop off and sites go dark, it affects us all. One example is my friend, Eddie at Leftist Grandpa. Haven't heard from him on his site or in the comments of some of our co-conspirators. If I missed a post or if you've heard from him, let me know. If you read this, Eddie, drop me a comment.

The economy has been taking a lot of us down and this may be the case. My best to him and his family and I hope that whatever has taken him away from the Toobs is temporary and not catastrophic. We need to keep our Net family close if we're to get through this bullshit. Eddie's voice is far more important than he realizes and the sooner he can get back on the road, the better for us.

Well, that's the best I can do now. The time to get into the corporate mindset is drawing near and I have to venture out into the gaping maw of my greedy corporate overlords. The recovery can't happen quick enough for me.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

What does it take?

What is it about the Right wing? They seem to live for hypocrisy. Usually, each of us can be counted on to do something or say something hypocritical – hell, its human nature. But we get schooled by friends or adversaries and shown back to the real world with our egos lowered a few notches. Not the Republicans. They seem to thrive on hypocrisy. It’s not even criticism anymore. They wear it like a badge of ‘honor’.

They speak out of every corner of their mouths, spewing any spurious tidbit of bullshit pulled straight from Karl Rove’s ass without any sense of regret. When called on it, they just wave the flag and accuse you of being a traitorous commie fascist who eats babies with hot sauce. They then smile at you and go on like nothing was out of place.

They speak to groups that they know will sit loyally in their seats without comment or criticism, staring into dead space with all the mental faculties of a dandelion, the attention span of a flea and the curiosity of driftwood.

I weep for America if these are the people that represent the electorate. We put Barack Obama in office but couldn’t defeat right wing crazies like Michelle Bachmann, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor. The current political playing field will look a lot different in 2012, no one will be looking at what’s best for America only what is popular.

Color me concerned, even a bit frightened.

The Democrats are in a position to cement their majority. They can take the lead on the issues that really matter to the ordinary people of America, not the lunatic fringe of the Right. These are inroads that can only reap rewards on those Democrats courageous enough to walk the talk. Courage is the only price they have to pay. Too bad it’s too big a price for many of those we put in Congress.

I watch the news. I watch the sessions of Congress and the meetings of committees led by people I used to admire and respect. All I see is fear and cowardice. The road to recovery is paved and clearly mapped out. All we have to do is put on our shoes and start walking down the road. Seems even that is too much for our leadership.

The Republicans have made their position crystal clear. They will do everything in their power to obstruct and destroy President Obama’s agenda. They will NOT compromise on this. Their leadership has voiced this in every memo and every media outlet right and left. Even the most inattentive backwoods hermit knows that the GOP is not going to help Obama in any situation.

Why do we still seek their support for our legislation? We know their answer. We know that they will vote NO. They may make noises resembling support or acquiesce but, in the end, all of our hard work making concessions will be for naught as they vote it down. So, why try? Leave them to their hypocrisy. The voters made them irrelevant; let’s keep them there. We have loose cannons in the Democratic caucuses that need to be addressed, why waste our energy and resources on a fool’s errand?

We, the progressive activists, put the hammer to nail building this agenda and the voters put their stamp of approval on it. They said, “YES, DO THIS!” Now, we put the message out to our elected officials and they fumble it trying to do this ‘bipartisan’ bullshit. It’s like the kid who gets his lunch money taken away every day bringing extra coin in the hope that the bully will leave him enough to eat with.

What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing in the same way over and over again but expecting different results?

We have to get a hold of this process immediately before the damage gets too big to fix. The Democratic leadership has to be pulled back into reality before they give away all of our lunch money to the Republicans. We’re bigger than them; we can say, “NO, I’m keeping my lunch money! Get Lost!”

Health care is the big issue dancing in the spotlight now. It’s so big it can affect the lives of every American right away. The only real solution is staring at us with big blue eyes. There has to be a viable, aggressive public option that can effectively compete with the private insurance companies. Too many legislators have accepted bags of coin from the insurance industry for real reform to take place. They are actively working against the best interest of the people in order to satisfy the will of their wealthy overlords. The money is too good to ignore. The smell of greed overwhelms the will of the voters.

This is what we have to fight. This is the face of our enemy.

Firedoglake has taken the lead in bringing some of the senators to task for their connection to the corporate lobbying groups with promising results. However, there are some who are anchored in their ways of greed and graft with their industry sugar daddies. Some of those people chair the very sub-committees and committees that we need to advance the public option. As it sits now, the public option has been watered down to the point of being an easy target for the insurance companies should it become law. It would be forced into obscurity and end up worthless and neutered by the forces it was originally supposed to compete with. Then, we would be back to square one with another failed attempt at reining in the one thing that would do the most to bring us out of this recession/depression. As Obama said, we can’t afford to fail this time. A failure now would doom Americans to many more years of skyrocketing health care costs, millions more denied care or coverage and an economy swirling down the bowl for no other reason than abject greed.

Aren’t we supposed to be better than that? There was a time when I thought we were.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

For What It's Worth 2.0

I do go on about courage. It's not that I consider myself so courageous but I've been in the presence of those who've fit the bill. I try to live by their example, see the bullshit for what it is and not let it force me down a road I don't need to be on. This isn't rocket science, it's common fucking sense. There are standards of conduct that people should be living by, not anything religious or political but responsible. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Simply put, easily said and the most difficult to accomplish.

A standard like that leaves no room for greed, hatred or intolerance. It forces people to look at our neighbors in a new light, a new understanding. It allows us to see people as they really are and go from there. There will be lots of people who won't pass the test. Unfortunately, these people are just no damn good. Rather than go after them or react to them; we should just ignore them. Glenn Beck wouldn't be such a pain in our asses if he had no audience. He would be just another wingnut screaming at the wind.

But you say, how can we ignore these assholes? They infect us with their bile, foster open wounds in society and unravel any progress toward a better understanding between different groups. I say ignore by moving on without them. Cut them off from the discussion. Let them rant! If we engage the people who matter the most to them, their audience, that will leave them without a forum, without a base. Of course, there will always be a fringe who will buy into the poison Beck, Limbaugh, Savage Weiner, and the rest of the hatemongers sell. Fuck 'em. Isolate them by working for the folks who matter - Mom and Pop America. As long as we can engage the mainstream by showing them how important we think they are, they'll abandon the wingnuts like rats from a sinking ship.

For the most part this is happening now. Limbaugh parades his Arbitron numbers around like a gold star, making noise about how popular he is. Well, he has an audience, but a shrinking one. He takes weekly numbers and posts them as daily, his base is declining but becoming more vocal. He has to stir up the rabble, after all, the American people elected a black man as president despite his daily reminders of how awful that would be. As Gov. Schwarzenegger said on the Today Show a few years ago that 'Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant, I am not his servant." There's one Republican that won't be invited to the Tube and Lube party down in the Dominican Republic any time soon.

But Limbaugh isn't alone here. We have Michael Savage Weiner making fart noises about a 'fatwa' against Media Matters like this is supposed to send shivers of cold terror through their spines. Ordinarily this would be laughable, much of what the Weiner says is nothing but manure, however with the recent killings by right wing loonies we have to be aware of what these ass pimples are saying. It's no secret that they've come to realize just how powerful their words are to the Right Wing fringe. Despite the killings, perhaps because of them, the Crap Talkers on the Right are ramping up their vile. They all are counting on that lone listener who will hear the last word and snap. This is the antithesis of courage. A four year old girl touching a worm shows more courage than Limbaugh, Weiner, O'Reilly, or Beck have in their entire pathetic lives.

Cretins like these should play no role in the reconstruction of the American Ideal. They only exist to keep us honest, to reinforce the common threads that bring us together. They show us what happens when you lose all sense of community, all self-respect and get your head permanently lodged in your ass. They are the rats that congregate around our social garbage. If we deal with the trash, the rats will go away.

Talk show idiots aren't the only pustules on our ass. We seem to have developed a few in leadership roles too. The Republicans in Congress are a cadre of hacks, crooks, fools, and cheaters. Just put a camera in front of them and they can't help but prove this to the country. They have show the world they're an idiot. It's like a contest amongst them. Who can be the biggest idiot on the Network News?

Which brings me to the next part of this screed. The Democrats. I've mentioned the bad guys, now I need to bring up the 'good' guys. Who's a bigger fool, the idiot you expect to say something stupid or the one who comes out of left field with it? I expect the Right to be idiots, it's their nature. Can't expect the zebra to walk away from its stripes. But I had hoped to see the people I helped put in the majority show some spine. I thought that the only reason Democrats were so wimpy and soft on the Republicans over the last eight years was simply a measure of power. You can't do much as a minority party.

Boy, was I wrong! The Repugs have a smaller minority than what the Dems had and are hamstringing ever effort at turning this country around. The Dems have a fillibuster proof majority and they are being held up, frozen in fear. WTF?

I mentioned the cowardise of the Right Wing talkers, how disgusting they were. But I have to place the cowards in Congress, my own Party leaders, beneath the likes of Limbaugh and Weiner. They have the votes, they have the people's will, they have a strong leader in the White House and they still crumble like a graham cracker at every turn. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the biggest of the cowards. He's the worst of the worst. Our little girl with the worm could probably make Sen. Reid piss himself. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is not as bad but still terrified of the GOP. What are these marshmallows afraid of?

We should be driving our agenda through Congress like a Mack truck through a corn field. Progressive issues would be discussed and debated, voted on and put on the President's desk in record time. The recovery would be in full swing and the people would be reaping the fruits of their vote last November. But, NO! We have a couple of dozen Republican Senators running the show. Sen. Reid spends his day cowering under his desk so the leadership of the Senate is taken over by Boehner, McConnell and the rest of the GOP caucus.

I mention courage. There is no courage in the Democratic leadership. None. When challenged, they always seem to fall back on claims of strategy, chamber rules, and super-secret back room manuvering. Bullshit! The GOP has Reid by the balls, parading him around like a child's pull toy for all to see and laugh at. None of the other Democrats in the House or Senate seem to want to step up and challenge this. The ones that try are shot down in flames by their own party, leaving the Repugs to piss on the wreckage. How many times has good legislation been torpedoed by the Dem leadership, only to have the GOP pick up the pieces, toss it in the bowl and give it a final flush? The Recovery Package, EFCA, Closing Guantanamo, Single Payer Health Insurance, real climate change legislation, energy policy, immigration... the list of casualties goes on.

Who the Hell are these people working for? Certainly not me.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

This is our time

This is our time. Time to boldly take the next step or fall back and let the cowards take over.

We worked our asses off to get here. Through the Reagan years and four years of Poppy Bush, we endured a lot of crap. In the 80's, the GOP came in and started their policies of corruption and greed. Reaganomics was a joke. It was only a scam to make the rich richer and the poor irrelevant. Even some Democrats got caught up it the bullshit 'cause no one can say no to a free lunch.

But we persevered. We got Bill Clinton elected and, although not exactly what we were hoping for, he was good enough to set the ship of state on the correct course. But somewhere along the way, we lost our courage. We became complacent and weak. We elected marshmallows instead of statesmen, chickenshits instead of cougars. Clinton did a lot to further our cause but he fell far short of the goals we needed to accomplish. We didn't take full advantage of the opportunities that were made available to us because we were afraid of what our enemies might think of us. We stopped in the middle of the race because we were winning. Somehow we considered that bad form.

It was this lack of courage that led to the election of the Village Idiot. We even shied away from standing up to the hoards of goons that took away the presidency of Al Gore. We sat back and bitched but didn't fight. The GOP saw that they were losing and pulled out all the stops, left no stone unthrown and snatched our victory out of our trembling fingers. They did it, not because they were stronger or smarter; they did it because they knew we would let them.

We suffered through eight fucking long ass years of an egotistically elitist buffoon as Commander-in-Chief, a megalomaniac as his VP, a cadre of crooks, liars, and thieves running the country with policies that put the United States in the same shoes as a Third World dictatorship. The effects of our cowardice will be felt for years, perhaps decades to come.

Now, we have a new leader. Somewhere, somehow we found the moral cahones to put a man in the White House who has the potential to put us back on track and take us to the Promise Land. Obama is showing all the signs that he has the stuff but do we?

Is this going to be Clinton Era 2.0? Will we lose our spine just as the big decisions need to be made? It happened once, will we let it happen again?

Look at the news running across the 'Toobs today. Everywhere we look we see the Bullshit Media licking the asses of the Republican Talkers for their next big soundbite. The airwaves are full of GOP crap about everything from Speaker Pelosi's torture memo to Obama's yet-unpicked Supreme Court nominee. The wingnuts are doing the same thing they did when Clinton was in office: control the word, frame the speech and make sure the Democrats have a nice, safe table to hide under.

Not this time! Not while I draw breath!

I didn't work my fat white ass off to see a bunch of mealy-mouthed Democratic marshmallows take this victory and piss it away. The time to take a stand is right fucking now!

Many of my friends on the web have a lot more traffic than I and I hope this call to arms sings for them. We have so many tools and weapons at our disposal. Jesus H. Fucking Christ on a Pancake, our troops are light years smarter than they are. We can control the news if we choose. All it takes is for the face of the Democrats to be someone who can fight back, not let the wingnuts shout them down. Put it to them. Make them ask the hard questions. If the Media won't, we should. Ask them over and over on every news talk show until they get it. Above all challenge every lie, every claim, every word that spews forth from the Repugs about every issue.

David Waldman from Daily Kos took a couple of wingnuts to the shed the other day. This is what we should be doing. Every Damn Time. No more Joe Lieberman. No more Evan Bayh. No more Ben fucking Nelson. it's time for the leadership to do what the fuck they're supposed to do. If a Democrat goes rogue and starts backing off the GOP, slap him/her down. This is no time for cowardise. It's long past time for courage. We have to learn how to grow back our spine.

The GOP is in the toilet now. We knocked them around and almost out of the way. Many would say we should back off and let them regroup. It would be the 'sporting' thing to do. Compassion and charity, I guess.

Bullshit! The GOP invaded our space, flaunted our laws, trashed the country, gave our enemies the resources and will to stand against us and pushed this country to the brink of a global economic disaster just to line their pockets and golden parachutes. We don't show compassion after that. The GOP is on the ground, we don't offer a hand up.

We step on their neck! No Mercy! No Quarter! Take the fight to them and never back down!

This is our time! Get off your asses and start fighting back!

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.

Call To Arms!!

The Democratic Party, with the deference of the President, is about to capitulate once again to the GOP.

After winning the most decisive election in the last 70 years, with the most abundant political capital seen in D.C. since Reagan, the Democratic Party is about to cave in to the weakest Republican minority in history. The Republicans have bullied this party to the point where the mere hint of opposition to Democratic policies causes them to fold like a lawn chair.

Jesus H. Christ on a Toast Point, get a fucking backbone! When will we ever learn that the Democratic Leadership has all the character of wet toilet paper?

sent to my senators:

How can we accomplish the task of bringing this country back from the brink if we repeatedly trudge down the same road that got us here? Why do you consistently insist on capitulating to the GOP? Look up the definition of the word 'coward'.
Tell Sen. Reid what it means.

You won the White House. Act like it!
Forget bipartisanship, you can accomplish our goals without the people who got us in this mess. Yes you can!

The only bipartisanship I want to see is when we knock 'em to the ground, step on their backs and climb out of the hole they dug us into.
Get to work!

Someone send some calcium supplements to Congress, stat!

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.

Countdown to Oblivion

The last eight years couldn't have been a bigger clusterfuck if you wrote it down as fiction. Even then, you'd have been laughed out of every publishing house in the country.

And we own it all to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. In a just world with real laws and real accountability, these two fools would have been stripped of their office, taken before a court of their peers, convicted and jailed for high treason. We can dream.

In reality, the abysmal record of this collection of toadies, yes men, pundits, and party bosses that serve as our nation's law enforcement officials will probably land these cretins a goddamn medal, a fat book deal and scrub history of every iota of truth about their nefarious deeds.

But that's not why I wrote this.

There's a buzz - OK, a rancor about what Pres. Elect Obama will do with all the Bush vermin infesting our government when he takes over. Lots of people, whom I respect greatly, want him to start proceeding now with investigations and indictments of the big players with the small fry served up next.

While there's only a few days left, and Bush (erg...it pains me to type this!) is STILL president. Obama has to be a bit cagey with his intentions for the legal proceedings to come. Bush still has lots of ink left in his Pardon Pen for a great number of people, people that deserve to be slapped in irons for long, hard years.

Should Obama make noises about commissions and special prosecutors, he might cause concern in Cheney's Dungeon which will translate to pardons for him, his lieutenants, vassals, and minions. We don't want that.

So, all I've heard from Obama has been a lot of talk about reconciliation, bi-partisanship, getting beyond the Bush years and starting a new page. Fucking garbage.

I hope that this is just Obama's way of deflecting attention away from his real intentions so he won't show his hand to Bush and Cheney. Get them to think he's all 'Kumbaya, we forgive you. Let's all hold hands across the world and have a big hug!'.

Don't think that for an instant, a fucking microsecond, that if the situations were reversed the Republicans would show the same consideration. They would (as they did in 2001) pounce like a hyena on a baby gazelle.

Laws were broken, people were killed, the good name of America was trashed, we tortured innocent people and sent many more to countries that could do even worse. How can we just look the other way and say "Oh,that Bush! He's such a minx! We forgive him this one time. Now, can we get back to work?"

Fuck that. Obama may be holding his cards close to his vest here. He may be planning to ask Congress to investigate the Bush Administration but noises within the Democratic arena aren't sounding too promising.

A lot, and I mean a lot, of Congresscritters actually do feel like this should just be put on the shelf for history to judge. They're chickenshit bastards, each one. They are so terrified of the GOP that, even with the majorities the American people gave them in the last election, they still tremble at the thought of being called names. Among these Denebian Slime Devils, is one Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader.

Harry Reid must go through a case of Pampers a day. I've never seen a more cowardly, chickenshit, worthless excuse for a human male. My three year old grand niece saying 'Boo!' would make him soil himself. He's not the only one, add to his name each of the so-called Blue Dogs - or Bush Dogs. Together as a group, you couldn't come up with a single vertebrae, let alone an entire spinal column.

These cowards have to be put on notice. We prosecute law breakers in this country regardless of the consequences to your golf game or dinner invites. To bring this country back from the edge of the fucking abyss we may have to piss off a few Republicans - Heaven Forbid!

This shit makes me shudder with anger. How fucking dare they even consider letting off one of the most corrupt administrations since Warren Harding? Who's leading the party, slugs or soldiers?

In a little less than a week, we will see how this plays out. But I guarantee that I will be on this page with a vengeance if the Cowards of the Congress get their way.

Wait for the Inauguration, then hit them with subpoenas, congressional hearings, grand juries, the Big Chair, the fucking kitchen sink and Aunt Emma's wood stove. Bring the whole hornet's nest into the light of day and let the American people see just what went on in the Bush White House for the last eight years.

Then reopen Alcatraz.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Good Goddess, PETA! Put down the hash pipe!

As a responsible human creature, child of Gaia, and devout Earther; I have to say to PETA:

Get off your fucking high horse, will ya!

PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have suggested to the fine folks of Spearfish, SD to change the name of their high school to "Sea Kitten High School". WTF?

Now, I've never been a big fan of sports, especially high school sports. Yes, I was the nerdy kid that always got hassled by the big jocks, that is until they needed to pass general science or mathematics. Then I was their bestest friend. Anyway, I'm not a big booster when it comes to high school sports. Too many parents put way, way too much emphasis on competition, to the point where we have parents rioting in the stands when their kids get called by the officials or make a mistake. But this isn't a rant about sports, its a rant about PETA.

'Sea Kitten"? Oh yeah, that name will strike fear in the heart of every cross-state rival this high school will ever face. "Onward, Sea Kittens! Bury the Tigers! Beat the Eagles! Crush the Vikings! Go Kittens!"

Yeah, that'll work. Why don't you folks sit down and have a nice grass-fed beef steak with mushrooms and a baked potato. Animal fat helps promote brain growth.

Guess what? People need to eat to survive. We eat veggies, animals, and in some cases, insects (urp!). In order to make it day to day, one form of life must consume another form of life. Life into life. Fact of nature. Can't change that no matter how many naked painted women you put in cages.

I respect animal rights groups that use their influence to keep our animal kin from being exploited or killed for bullshit reasons. Tiger penises? Bullshit reason. Swordfish steaks? Too few left to fish, gotta stop and let them repopulate. Shooting quail fresh out of a box with the Vice-President? Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. If you hunt an animal, you eat the animal. Take the game in a way that's sporting and gives the beast a chance to get away if you fuck up.

Common fucking sense people, really. Don't like subsistence hunting, don't do it. Turn your energy and resources toward Dick Cheney and his creepy canned hunt bastards. Protect endangered animals that need it, not animals that provide food for the masses. Put your resources toward intelligent management of game availability rather than try to convert everyone to vegetarianism.

Here's the kicker to PETA and their incessant crusade to make everyone a vegan. What is the difference between a cow and a carrot? Sure, one has a face and the other doesn't but they are both alive. They both exist to reproduce and contribute to the grand scheme of the Mother Earth. How do we know a carrot doesn't feel the water as it's being steamed with butter and honey?

Face it. One form of life depends on taking the life from another to survive. Sorry, that's called the Law of Nature and Pamela Anderson can't do anything to change it. Besides, she's having enough trouble with the Law of Gravity. I eat plants and animals to stay alive. I try and make sure that my food didn't get to my plate by less than honorable means and that other forms of life are off the menu due to obvious circumstances. We have brains, we should use them.

And when I shuffle off this mortal coil, my essence will join with that of the Earth Mother. Her children will take sustainence from my remains as I took sustainence from them.

Turnabout is fair play.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

This is getting on my last nerve

Just seat the bitch already.

Roland Burris should be seated by the Senate as soon as fucking possible. Why? Because Reid and Durbin and the rest of the clown college fucked this episode up like the last Seinfeld.

Blago played them like an old tin whistle. Admit it, take your lumps - again - and move the fuck on.

Jesus H. Christ esq. we have a hellova lot of goddamn work to do. This shit is taking up valuable time.

Fuck me to tears, these assholes have no goddamn sense of reality.

(already posted as a comment at Firedoglake.com)

Update: I just can't leave this shit alone...

Here's another comment I posted over at Hoffmania.com (great place, lots of tasty goods. go there often, then twice more!)

the Shamanaqua response to the Blago/Burris Fiasco...

You know, I have so much hope for this administration. Sure, it's misplaced in a lot of ways and I am setting myself up for disappointment but I think I have to be optimistic. I know that I will disagree with a good portion of what Pres. Obama may end up doing to get us out of Bush's septic tank. He's in charge 'cause I voted to put him there. The economic recovery doesn't have to have the David Aquarius Seal of Approval to take place. Yet, some of my expectations are shared by a great majority of Americans. One of them is that my leaders show some courage and intelligence.

So, having put that out there I have but one question.

What the fuck is going on?

Jesus Christ on a Bicycle, can we refrain from looking like a bad clown circus for one fucking week? Great Goddess, does Harry Reid have ADD?

Here's a suggestion: Think BEFORE you make a decision.

OK, Harry... Nancy...Come over here a second. Here's a few facts that you may have forgotten in your quest for meekness.

One: the Republicans will distort anything you do to bring this country back to their control. It's in their DNA. They are NOT nice people. They do NOT put America first. They do NOT negotiate in good faith. They will stab you in the FRONT as they shake your hand. The Republicans are wounded and beaten. Remember the last eight years? Don't give them a hand up, step on their neck. They've bitten your helping hand every fucking time you held it out. Need another reason? How did the movie 'Old Yeller' end?

Two: We the People are watching. We aren't as clueless as we used to be. We have this rather unrealistic expectation to be foremost on your mind. We would like you to realize just WHO THE FUCK you work for.

Three: Fuck the Media. Fuck going on Fox News. Fuck putting your face in the cardboard hole so pundits can throw pies at you. When you do go on the air, is it too much to ask that you already have your statements PREPARED? What is the benefit of appearing on the Sunday talk shows and getting schooled by every mouthpiece out there including George Snuffleupyourass?

Four: Refer back to the headlines of Nov. 5th. You won the fucking election. Act like it.

So Mote It Be

David A.

Holy of Holies - My Christian Rant

From time to time, I find myself knee deep in religious falderal, vainly trying to debunk the sordid mythologies that creep into our cultural machinery, clogging the drains and backing up the john. For nigh on 30 years, I've been holding my 'faith' close to my chest while others wave theirs around like a virgin's wedding night bedlinen. People of strong faith, particularly Christian, love to use their faith as a golden bludgeon. They put it on public display so you can be awed by its shiny goldenness but never hesitate to use it should you ask why. I have had a few bruises to show for the questions I've asked.

So, here it is in all its glory... my take on religion and faith...just in time for the holidays.

Christianity began 2000 years ago, give or take a few years depending on which bible scholar's math you believe and whether or not they remembered to carry the one. The story is well known but here is the short version.

The Gospel According to Shamanaqua:

A young couple, freshly married and pregnant, go into a small town to be registered as citizens for a census. They found refuge in a barn and shortly thereafter delivered a healthy baby boy. The livestock found it to be rather entertaining.

Anyway, this baby was foretold to be the 'Son of God' and would lead his people, the Hebrews, out from under the repressive thumb of Rome. He is raised by his father to be a carpenter until the age of 12.

This is the part of the story where it is more fill-in-the-blanks. Not much is written about him for 18 years. This gap gives many of the fringe religions plenty of leeway in creating a whole new set of stories involving this man and his adventures all over the world. But, in the main text of Christianity, not much happens except he becomes an adult. He visits his rather eccentric cousin who lives near the river and gets baptized. Apparently this gives him the incentive to leave his father's business and become a religious prophet. He buys into the 'Son of god' mythos.

For three years he gathers followers, 12 apostles, a groupie named Mary and a host of rich friends. He marches into Jerusalem as people throw palm fronds at his feet. (or donkey's feet if you go by the story) He preaches to the masses, gets busted by the local cops. When questioned about Jesus' activities, his followers throw him under the bus (or donkey, I guess) The Feds (Romans) want nothing to do with him for political reasons, send it back to local jurisdiction and Jesus gets crucified.

The rest is more mythology (faith, if you're Christian) meant to solidify the mystery for the faithful.

Good story. Bit of a downer at the end but it holds up against myths from other faiths.

Now, before you get your bloomers in a bunch, there's no reason to think that this is meant to demean your faith. If you believe that this is the True and Actual History of Jesus Christ, the Messiah then OK, so be it. Why would my opinion matter to you?

I look at all faiths and their mysteries through the same lens, even my own. I have no, repeat no, idea how to answer those lofty questions about the origin of the universe, the reality of '?' (God, Allah, Buddha, Ramtha, Flying Spaghetti Monster, -insert your deity of choice here-) So I do what people of faith have been doing for centuries - I make it up as I go.

I mean, how can we answer those questions when we are so small and insignificant in the grand scope of the Universe? Can a flea relate to the applications of quantum mechanics? Should he? The flea does the best he can within the confines of being a flea. Perhaps some day a flea may come along that can be a little more aware of such things as quantum mechanics but he still ain't no Einstein. He's still a flea, for God's sake.

So we, as puny humans, cast our lot with a myriad of myths and legends. Unfortunately, it is also quite human to maintain that ours is the one true faith and that all others are the myths. Not just myths, mind you, but dangerous and viral myths that threaten to poison the minds of the faithful and condemn us all in '?'s (insert deity here) eyes. Kind of like cheering on your favorite football team but with swords, guns and bombs. Not unlike English soccer.

Christianity lost its way long ago when it decided to become the de facto religion in the world. Never mind that the other religions had a real problem with that position. Thus began the Dark Ages.

When discussing religion, I make one observation that tends to rankle the faithful.

Jesus Christ was the last true Christian, and he was Jewish.

I say this because of the history his followers made after he died. Sure, they were persecuted in the beginning, Christianity certainly doesn't have a monopoly on intolerance. They were a threat to the political theatre that was being played out at the time. But once they got a Roman Emperor on their side, they got a chance at some pay back. Enter the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and you have the start of an oligarchy. Over the next 1700 years, the characters of this theatre changed but the script has remained intact. That's 1700 years of bloodshed over who's God is bigger, badder and more 'loving and compassionate'. Millions of innocent people died because they were raised in a culture that wasn't Christian and refused to change their mind.

There is NO correct faith. There is NO absolute definitive way for us to recognize the Creator. We are small and have not the capacity to comprehend the scope of what it would take to look upon the 'face' of the Creator. All we have are our myths. Sure, they seem silly to those who don't hold them dear but that's the way of humanity. We are individuals and each have a unique way of bundling our facts, our beliefs, our histories, and our experiences into a form that seems reasonable to answer the unanswerable.

I may not agree with your myth. I may even say that it runs counter to everything I believe but I cannot say you should not believe it. Your beliefs are yours, mine are mine. I have as much right to tell you to change your beliefs as I have in telling you to change your fingerprints. The reverse is especially true.

Proselytization and forced conversion are not religious. They are political, abhorant and counter to the development of humanity. The history of these policies has been violent, bloody and responsible for the death of millions of innocent people. All in the name of God. To be more precise, all in the name of Christ or Mohammad. Better still, all in the name of Power.

When the world's religions abandon the premise of conversion of the non-believer only then will they begin to approach what Jesus Christ's real mission was - to lift up the downtrodden and give them a chance to succeed according to their own faith. Until then, it's just another get-rich-quick scheme on a global scale.

Those are my beliefs, your mileage may differ.

So Mote It Be,
David A.