Last night, while I toiled in the proverbial coal mine, Pres. Obama delivered his State of the Union speech that wasn't really a State of the Union speech 'cause it's February and he hasn't been president for a whole year yet and the tradition says it's in January.... aw, fuck it! He gave a damn good speech!
President Obama laid it out raw and made America stand up and take notice. He didn't mince words, he was as specific as he could be in this arena. He spoke to America like adults. We haven't had that kind of respect from a sitting president since The Big Dog left in 2000.
What the fuck was that? Did I just see what I thought I saw? Booby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, just came on my monitor and puked all over my desk. What a fucking moron. Even the zipper strokers at Fox News saw this speech as the train wreck it was.
I'm with Rachel Maddow here. "Wha?"
Then this boob gets to the line about wasting money on volcano monitoring. Whoa, folks. Stop the bus! This shit is getting close to home here. My thoughts to Gov. Booby.
Speaking as someone who probably has about a pound and a half of Mt. St. Helens finest ash still in his lungs from THREE eruptions in 1980, I can unequivocally say: Fuck You, Bobby Jindal and the gilded horse you rode in on!
So, you don't think volcano monitoring is important.
Tell that to the people of Orting, WA who stage volcano drills every year in case Mt. Rainier decides to blow. Then, saunter out to the Tacoma tideflats where the dirt you'd be standing on came from within the mountain just a few thousand years ago.
That's called lahar, Gov. It's a pyroclastic mudslide that sweeps over an area at breakneck speeds (100mph) and can be as hot as 500°F. Let them eat mud, eh Gov?
If a repeat of the last lahar were to happen now, there would be at least 500,000 to a million people at risk of being parboiled in volcanic soup. Unless they are warned.
So, Governor Jindal of Louisiana, home of New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, take a long hard look at our president and see what real leadership is. Then, take both hands, reach around and grab hold of your worthless ass and haul it the fuck out of the way. You and your GOP cohorts are nothing but potholes on the road to recovery.
Portions of this post first appeared as a comment at Hoffmania. Gotta love the Hoff!
Travel back with me to a time long ago when disco was king, bell bottoms were bottoming out and Jimmy Carter, lustful heart and all, was president. I was a freshman at Washington State University in Pullman. Big change from the little berg I was raised in. They had more than one traffic light.
Upon registering, I came across a row of tables manned by students hawking their clubs and organizations. There were farm clubs, science clubs, chess and sports clubs, political organizations of all stripes and colors. Along the far wall, a table had caught my eye. You see, at that time, I was a recreational user of marijuana and was completely out of herb. Being in a strange new town, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to remain without until I was able to return to the hometown for a reload.
On that far wall were two gents gathering memberships for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. I thought, what better way to get connected than to join that group. I walked over and signed right up.
I didn't get any weed, instead I got schooled.
The Good Guys
NORML - The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws was founded in 1970 by Keith Stroup. It has led the fight for decriminalization and reasonable regulation of marijuana use. It also has been instrumental in educating the American public on the facts about the many uses of cannabis, not the falsehoods and propaganda of reefer madness and 'Just Say No!' campaigns. They fight the good fight and, if the gods favor us, will succeed in bringing justice to millions of marijuana users and producers.
Their mission statement -NORML's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty."
There are chapters in almost every state (what's up with Virginia?) and they provide a state-by-state guide to the current marijuana laws. Check out what your state has in store for you should Johnny Law find you partaking of the ghanj. If this issue is important to you and it should be, join up and bring needed change to this gawd-awful clusterfuck. I've been a member since those early days so their standards are suspect but their cause is righteous.
MPP - The Marijuana Policy Project tracks the political side of the issue. Like NORML, they advocate a responsible, reality based policy on marijuana use and production. I see them as the suit and tie version of NORML but their purpose is more wonky, more palatable to the stuffed shirts that hold the reins of power in DC. They came about in 1995 and have been working tirelessly to advance favorable legislation in Congress. Since their charter, they have advanced medical marijuana legislation in the US Congress and have seen the statute approved in 13 states.
Their vision/mission statement - Vision: MPP and MPP Foundation envision a nation where marijuana is legally regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and realistic, and treatment for problem marijuana users is non-coercive and geared toward reducing harm. Mission: 1. Increase public support for non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies. 2. Identify and activate supporters of non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies. 3. Change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana. 4. Gain influence in Congress.
They've been instrumental in getting the word out about our draconian marijuana laws. In WA, medical marijuana was passed by initiative by 59% of Washington's voters. It's coded as RCW 69.51A. They were also instrumental in passing a 2003 law (Initiative 75) that made marijuana possession the lowest priority in law enforcement.
Personally, I think that type of law is a bit ludicrous but it does send a message. In reality though, a cop will bust you for whatever he/she thinks of at the time. In my dealings with Johnny Law, you are at the mercy of a merciless thug. If you walk away from a pot bust, it's not because of this law but because you weren't a big enough catch or the paperwork wasn't worth hauling your stoner ass to jail.
Drug Czar? WTF? - This one doesn't really fall in the category of the good guys but I reserve judgment to place him here versus the bad guys. Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske has been tapped by President Obama to head up the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). He be the new Drug Czar! While advocates wanted a progressive health industry official, not a law enforcement officer; this one is easier to take. While Chief Kerlikowske is not as bad as his predecessors like John Walters and General Nuisance Barry McCaffery, he's still a cop and will do his job along that line. However, as the chief in Seattle, he oversaw the implementation of medical marijuana clinics and Initiative 75 without incident. Also it begs mentioning that during Hempfest, the Chief lowered the footprint of law enforcement, allowing folks to relax and be 'real'. The cops present were very tolerant of those who chose to imbibe a little Bhab during the festivities (provided they weren't blatant about it!)
Hempfest - Bask in the glowing embers and inhale the magic. If it's the middle of August and you find yourself in the Emerald City you'll find no place closer to OZ than Hempfest. Staged at Myrtle Edwards Park and the surrounding area, this free (donations gladly accepted) 'protestival' is the largest organized protest and gathering promoting cannabis decriminalization and activism. Now as much as we lurves ourselves the herb for personal enjoyment, Hempfest also focuses on the industrial uses of hemp. In 2009, the theme is industrial hemp. Hempfest features many stages, lots of music and speakers, goods and services - all with the message of ending prohibition. Incidentally, one of my favorite spots, is a stage and area called the Hemposium that exhibits all things hemp. The Hemposium educates through demonstrations, speakers, panel discussions, and displays that center on the many uses of industrial hemp. But any discussion of hemp always comes back to the failed war on marijuana, so Hempfest incorporates industrial hemp, access to medical marijuana, and the responsible recreational use by adults into a single weekend festival of fun, frivolity and information.
Their mission statement - To educate the public on the myriad of potential benefits offered by the Cannabis plant, including the medicinal, industrial, agricultural, economic, environmental, and other benefits and applications, including domestic industrial hemp production and commerce. In particular, Seattle Hempfest seeks to advance the cause of Cannabis policy reform through education, while advancing the public image of the Cannabis advocate or enthusiast through example.
OK, full disclosure here. I've been a volunteer at Hempfest for awhile and needless to say, it's near and dear to my heart. The gang of organizers and other volunteers are second to none and despite the 'stoner' reputation, they get shit done. To organize and administer this size of an event is insanity at its best. The list of names that get this lovely chaos to work is beyond my capacity to put here but let me say they are the BEST! That means you, Katie!
I missed last year due to an illness so this year I'll be on course to volunteer the whole weekend. For those of you who may be looking for a good, inexpensive outing in the Great Northwest around Aug 15 and 16, 2009 you couldn't do better than to cogitate, communicate, mediate and vegetate at Hempfest!
Poster from last year, 2008
I could list a lot more folks here. Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Chong and countless others who may not be household names. In the future I will be adding to this list with other posts about fighting the good fight and winning the war on marijuana. These folks are to Harry Anslinger like water is to fire.
Here in the Great Northwest, we have a reputation for liberalism. Would that it would be true! In truth, we have some of the most viral, insipid, morally vacant right wingers that ever peeked out from under a swamp.
In the Washington legislature, a bill is up for consideration. It's SB 5615 - 2009-10: "Reclassifying possession of forty grams or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a class 2 civil infraction"
My freaking GAWD! Reason and logic have taken over the WA state legislature! Next thing you know they'll legitimize gay marriage and fund public schools! Oh, the horror!
thehim, an old friend from my days on 'Take Back the Media', a blog once run by the American Stranger and Symbolman, has posted the committee hearing from TVW news on his site, Effin' Unsound. Go there and be schooled on how the process works and what the enemies of reason do to try and stop it.
(on a side note, Symbolman has come under bad times as another victim of this economy, give a hand if you can at the new site Take Back The Media)
(due to a posting error, this title was mistakenly placed on part one. Oops!)
This part and the next will discuss the people who fight the fight (both the good guys and the bad). This part is about the bad guys; the people who, through misinformation and fear, want to control the flow of good information about cannabis and its important uses. We, as advocates, seek an end to the Prohibition. There are folks like us all across this country who place themselves in legal jeopardy in order to provide information, advise and product to those who need it. These folks below aren't them.
First, a look to the past... Marijuana has been hitching a ride on history's back since long before humankind put stick to clay and made words. Recently, a stash was found in a 2,700 year old tomb in a remote part of China. Apparently, this herb has been a companion to humans for a very long time.
As with any recreational activity, the leaders of the community want, or more precisely, demand the right to control it. They fear any activity that takes people away from their influence. Our leaders feel that it is their responsibility to coddle their 'charges' as a parent nurtures their young. They place restrictions on activity they deem dangerous or licentious. However, it's one thing to say "It's against the law to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge." than to say "It's against the law to alleviate your pain with this herb." As a community within a democracy, it is our responsibility to ensure our leaders create and enforce laws that don't cross the line into demagoguery.
The Enemy:
Our drug policy has been around for almost a hundred years. In the 1930's an anti-marijuana campaign was being shepherded around the world by a globetrotting law enforcement officer by the name of Harry Anslinger. He was a goon that made his name in strong-arming folks who tried to take on the corporate barons of the time. He favored the attention he received in his never-ending quest to make himself relevant. He was especially fond of attacking Marijuana and its users, particularly those who were people of color. Anslinger was quite successful in steering public policy about Marijuana (and by association - hemp) into a frenzy by using racial buzzwords and fear-mongering.
Writing for American Magazine, Anslinger told tales of woe and tragedy by cherry-picking quotes from police reports, unsubstantiated narratives of graphic violence and mass murder; all perpetrated by users of marijuana.
"An entire family was murdered by a youthful addict in Florida. When officers arrived at the home, they found the youth staggering about in a human slaughterhouse. With an axe he had killed his father, mother, two brothers, and a sister. He seemed to be in a daze… He had no recollection of having committed the multiple crime. The officers knew him ordinarily as a sane, rather quiet young man; now he was pitifully crazed. They sought the reason. The boy said that he had been in the habit of smoking something which youthful friends called “muggles,” a childish name for marijuana."
The tales woven by Anslinger plus the public's ignorance and fear of minorities in a time of economic depression brought the necessary pieces together to forge a new and wholly undeserved label on marijuana. An herb that had been a companion to humans for thousands of years was now illegal because people were led to believe that it would lead to integration of the races and the collapse of Western Civilization (read: western white civilization).
Anslinger would be the government's drug 'czar' from 1930 to 1962 but still represented the United States on the UN Narcotics Commission for two more years. In his later years, he had become blind and infirm due to angina and prostate disease and took morphine to alleviate his pain. This contradiction has little influence on his attitude and work, he still believed that cannabis had no medical value up until his death in 1975.
Gen. Barry McCaffrey: General Nuisance. Gen. McCaffrey was head of theOffice of National Drug Control Policy for five years. He served from March of 1996 to Jan. 2001. Like other figureheads of this black hole of anti-science propaganda, he was our 'Drug Czar'.
What McCaffrey was most known for was the stealth approach he used to get his message to the public. Most government programs produce ads in the media, flyers and programs for schools; but McCaffrey went one better - he went Hollywood!
In the spring of 1998, the ONDCP began to develop an accounting system to decide which network shows would be valued and for how much. Receiving advance copies of scripts, they assigned financial value to each show's anti-drug message. Then they would suggest ways that the networks could increase the payments they would get. The WB network's senior vice president for broadcast standards Rick Mater admitted, "The White House did view scripts. They did sign off on them -- they read scripts, yes."
Running the campaign for the ONDCP was Alan Levitt, who estimated that between 1998 and 2000 the networks received nearly $25 million in benefits.
Of course, the bulk of this propaganda was anti-marijuana. The Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, and other marijuana advocacy groups aren't against educating the public about the dangers of drugs. But this was beyond the pale. Paying networks to insert government propaganda into their programs without disclosing this in the credits is the stuff of spy novels and tin foil hat conspiracies. Gen. McCaffrey was called on it by the MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) and had to admit the covert actions.
The Drug Czar's running meme is that as long as it accomplishes its goals of getting kids to 'say no' to drugs, then they should be allowed to do whatever they can. Any criticism of their methods is dismissed and those who do so are accused of wanting kids to take drugs.
After McCaffrey, under the Bush Administration, we got John Walters. His task was to elevate the program to take on the pro-legalization crowd. The tide started to turn about the use of marijuana. Most of the generation of the 'Reefer Madness' years was dying off. The current generation, the Baby Boomers had more experience with marijuana, many of them were former users.
Communities all over the country started looking at their policies for dealing with marijuana; the reality of incarcerating thousands of people for smoking a little weed became apparent. Medical marijuana clinics were being established all over the West and in some parts of the Northeast. States like California and Washington passed initiatives to allow physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients that needed help with pain and nausea. The only roadblock to these state laws was the ONDCP. And Walters used that roadblock like a bulldozer.
Not only did he use the bully pulpit to chastise, accuse, and denigrate the anti-marijuana prohibition groups in every state, he violated government campaign finance laws (the Hatch Act). He oversaw the spending of millions of dollars on campaigns of misinformation and outright lies. he used his office and government funds to travel to each of the states considering changing their marijuana laws to campaign against it. Oops, there's that Hatch Act again!
The common thread he used in his campaign was that there is no 'established' medical use for marijuana. The ONDCP used the narrowest definitions to arrive at that statement by basically making the case that since the US hasn't done comprehensive studies on the effects of marijuana on patients, then there is NO evidence that it has any medical value. The reason they have in saying this is simply that the Bush Administration prevented any substantial research into the field by denying grants and federal research money to those activities.
You are a Working Class Warrior, also known as a blue-collar Democrat. You believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.
Cannabis Sativa - an annual plant in the Cannabaceae family. It is a herb that has been used throughout recorded history by humans for various purposes such as fiber, for its oil, and as food, as a drug, as medicine, and for spiritual purposes(from Wikipedia)
This is hemp. It's also Marijuana. The only difference is the potency of the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive component of the leaves and flowers.
This drawing from 1900 shows the different parts of both male and female plants
THC potency is varied depending on the plant subspecies and the method of cultivation. Cannabis is a sexual plant, meaning that it reproduces by pollination from a male plant to a female one. The female has flowers that are more resinous by nature to produce seeds, the males only produce flowers for production of pollen. Males are genetically lower in THC than females. By encouraging female flower growth and eliminating male genomes, THC potency can reach as high as 22%. This is the desired effect of marijuana growers.
By planting close together, restricting flower growth and encouraging height and stalk size, potency is as low as .5%. Commercial grade hemp is grown in this fashion, which makes the product unusable as a psychoactive drug. A user would have to smoke or ingest 15 to 50 times the plant matter to achieve the same 'high' as normal or average potency cannabis. Most of the THC resides in the flowers and stamens, small leaves and stem have less and large leaves and stalks have almost none. This is a close-up of the flower bud with resin coated stamens.
Female flower bud with resin-coated stamens
Industrial hemp is usually harvested before flowering, avoiding any confusion with marijuana. Hemp that is grown for seed is cross-pollinated with male plants to produce seeds which further reduces THC levels. Also, specific subspecies of cannabis have been bred to favor stalk growth, large leaf production and increased yield of seeds; all of which decrease potency. Thus, the production of hemp is counter-productive to the marijuana grower. The two crops would have to be segregated to keep the marijuana plants from going to seed and losing its value. Segregation would be cost prohibitive, especially if done illegally.
So, why go to all the trouble of legalizing hemp production and the processing of hemp products?
Hemp is one of the most versatile plants in Mother Earth's Kitchen. Hemp can be used to make paper, textiles, building materials, food, fuel and plastics. Hemp requires little to no pesticides, no herbicides, controls erosion and produces oxygen (as most plants do). Hemp products can replace many non-renewable items currently on the shelf such as plastic containers, cardboard boxes, ink, and cellophane.
Hemp fiber can be combined with other fibers such as silk, linen, or flax to produce softer textiles, but new refining methods are producing softer hemp with very little to no need to blend with other fabrics. Replacing cotton with hemp would mean a significant reduction in pesticide use since cotton uses almost 25% of the world's total. Hemp is naturally resistant to many pests and diseases and can be rotated to ensure proper soil nutrition.
Hemp can be used for food. It's nutritive value exceeds that of many other, more processed foods:
About 30–35% of the weight of hempseed is an edible oil that contains about 80% as essential fatty acids (EFAs); i.e., linoleic acid, omega-6 (LA, 55%), alpha-linolenic acid, omega-3 (ALA, 22%), in addition to gamma-linolenic acid, omega-6 (GLA, 1–4%) and stearidonic acid, omega-3 (SDA, 0–2%). Hempseed also contains about 20% of a highly-digestible protein, where 1/3 is edestin and 2/3 are albumins. Its amino acid profile is close to "complete" when compared to more common sources of proteins such as meat, milk, eggs and soy.
Cannabis Sativa as a drug is gaining support among mainstream medical journals and groups. The old 'Reefer Madnees' of the 1930's is starting to fall by the wayside. However, there's a long way to go before the old ways are replaced with logical thought and consideration.
Research is difficult because of the stigma surrounding the drug and the layers of government intervention and red tape that must be completed before any trials can be started. The government's 'War on Drugs' counter-indicates any medical or commercial uses of marijuana thereby establishing a wall of resistance to accept any proof otherwise.
The current research done by other countries establishes the minimum requirements to begin responsible and extensive research here in the United States. The Obama administration should at the very least, remove cannabis from the Schedule One:
As research has indicated and as information is disseminated, we can conclude that cannabis no longer falls into the criteria set forth by the DEA's own guidelines.
Many of us would like to see cannabis regulated by the government, taxed and provided legal for responsible adults in the same way alcohol and tobacco are. But, we acknowledge, that one must learn to crawl before you walk. Decriminalization of cannabis would remove the harm that has been perpetrated on millions of people by their use of marijuana.
It's time to bury the memory of Harry Anslinger once and for all.
Update: I got my titles mixed up, this post is "The Goods", one of my next posts will be about those who fight the good fight on the Pot Prohibition front.
My local poli-blog, Horse's Ass, had an interesting post. Jon DeVore mentioned that according to one astrologer, at 7:25am on Feb. 14th, the Age of Aquarius will begin.
As you can see to my blog's left, I have included a short video snippet of the musical 'Hair' that features the song 'Age of Aquarius'. Needless to say, this song has been a favorite of mine for a long, long time.
I do prefer the Fifth Dimension version with a nice transition to 'Let the Sun Shine In' but the musical itself is the reason I love the song.
According to Wikipedia, this date and time is just when the astronomic events mentioned in the song occur, not necessarily when the actual age begins.
"When the Moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter's aligned with Mars. And Peace will guide the Planets, and Love will steer the Stars."
I'm not an astrologer so I can't claim any grand esoteric knowledge of this but everything needs a birthday so I'm giving the Age of Aquarius this one.
(this was previously posted as a diary on the Daily Kos)
In the past three weeks, we’ve been hammered by pundits and prophets, denizens of marbled hallways and plush leather chairs. We’ve seen both courage and cowardice by those we’ve sent to represent us in the halls of power. At any other time, the partisan games of one-upmanship would be tolerable but there comes a time when such games are more of a hindrance than help
We, the people, ask little of our leaders. We expect them to conform to certain standards and ethics but give them lots of deference. We can tolerate a lot, overlook many transgressions and foibles but we always expect the power to come on when we want it, the potholes to be fixed eventually, and the pizza to be delivered on time.
Those expectations are gone. This economic situation is dire, perhaps worse than any we have known. We speak of the Great Depression, but it is nearly a century distant. But that was then, this is now. America was very different then than it is today. America has a problem. It is infected.
Today, we have the advantage of internet technology to flash news instantaneously from Congress to Wall Street to the kitchen. But that only delivers the news; in many cases this technology set the stage for bigger schemes, more ingenious larceny, or massive global obfuscation. Like before, abject greed and corporate irresponsibility has the lion’s share of blame for this recession. And within our halls of power, there is an ally to those moneyed interests. The Republican Party, the supposed party of Lincoln, is closely tied to the same corporate mountebanks that brought this country so close to the edge of the precipice. To say they are allied is to underestimate their relationship for it is more akin to a marriage than a business arrangement.
The modern Republican Party cannot see past its corporate masters. They don’t see the people of Main Street, the folks who try to work every day to just get by. Those normal people are invisible to the GOP. The powerbrokers at the GOP can only see those who can give a financial boost to the Party, the lowest rung on the ladder of success in their view are the business owners, not the workers.
To be sure, the modern Republican Party has nothing but distain and hatred for all things labor. They despise any rule or legislation that favors the working person. In their world, we would all be working for the bare minimum at the maximum number of hours including our children and our elderly. This dream of theirs harkens back to a time long ago when 16-hour shifts at 2 dollars a day were considered good wages.
America is better than greed. We’ve conquered fear and hatred many times throughout our history. We’ve been down this road before and have to get back on track if we wish to see sunlight at the end of this dark tunnel. To do this we have to remove the cause of our blight. Like a gangrenous limb, we have to remove it to save the whole. The GOP is gangrenous. They no longer serve any useful purpose; in fact, they are infecting the body American by their presence. We, as a people, have to make a stark and unpleasant choice: to allow the Republicans to remain and suffer the pain and anguish of an economic death or remove the offending organ and save the country for our descendants?
The choice is obvious, but the remedy is not. President Obama’s words of bipartisanship only serve to delay the inevitable. There is no rehabilitation of the GOP. A once proud Party is now a mere shell of itself, beholden to the corporate icons and moneyed interests that loom large over this economic collapse. The Republicans are not unlike the Gollum of Tolkien’s tale, so obsessed with the One Ring that it lost all humanity with nothing left but anger and deceit.
President Obama must take the case to the American people. He should hold up the GOP to the scorn of those who have been harmed the most by this recession. Those who are working to reverse this downturn should give this bad economy a face, a Republican face. Make those responsible for this disaster wear the Scarlet Letter. Frame the discussion, take to the airwaves and publications with the message of hope for the recovery and blame for the greed and avarice of the last eight years.
Make them pay for what they did to this country. Perhaps from the bones of a shamed and desolate GOP, there will come a more responsible and truly conservative party. To paraphrase an old saying: to save the party, we must destroy it.
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.
Over at Spocko's Brain, the intrepid Vulcan is taking on the Crap Demon again. A couple of years ago, he took on the piss and vile that is the morning show on San Francisco's KSFO.
Officer Vic making a point.
The hosts of that waste of radio waves are especially cruel and vile right wing trash. They tried and almost succeeded in taking Spocko off the 'Net. His ISP at the time was cowed into suspending his site by Disney, which owned KSFO. In a clear violation of the Fair Use provision of the Copyright laws.
The EFF got his back then, we should be there for him now.
Update: His email to Molly Peck, National Advertising Manager, Chevrolet may have been screened so look up Ms. Peck in Google and promote it. That way she'll see it when she googles her name.Try every avenue you can think of to bring this to light.
Just got up and shit, getting old sucks. Aches and pains, bad foots and back, throat feels like I half swallowed a dozen oysters. Crap!
Sunday used to be fun. Back in the day, my grandpa would take my next younger brother, Neil and I to a little cafe on Main St. for breakfast. He alternated weekends with my sisters. We would order whatever we wanted as long as we ate it. I would get french toast, french fries and a vanilla shake, my brother would order french fries and a bowl of chili with a chocolate shake. These weren't the wimpy, fake milk bullshit shakes you get at McDonald's but the home blended kind made from scoops of ice fucking CREAM. They would pour it into those special glasses with whipped cream and a cherry and give you the extra still in the metal mixing cup.
Damn, ain't had one of those in years. Probably give me gas.
As we scarfed our meal, Grandpa would give us a quarter for the jukebox. Back in 1969, it was good for three songs. The deal was that we would have to play 'G8' and pick two others we wanted. I have a disagreement with my brother as what song that was. I know it was by Engelbert Humperdinck but the song is in dispute. I think is was either "Am I That Easy to Forget" or "Release Me". Neil says it may have been Tom Jones and the song was "Delilah". Although that song's more popular, I know that my memory is correct.
What were we talking about? Oh Yeah!
Grandpa passed away in 1971. Good man who loved his grandkids, all 8 of them. You see, Grandpa liked to drink a few beers with his buddies on Saturday night. Sometimes quite a few. Dad would get a call from the bar to come and take him home. On Sunday morning, he would show up, take either the boys or the girls in tow and head out to the Diner. I remember Mom always in a piss-poor mood when we left.
Years later, long after he had died, she told us Grandpa was hung over and needed something to eat, so he just took us with him. But I don't think it was just convenience that brought us along. Mom wasn't there as we ate. Grandpa would talk to us, ask us questions, brag to the waitress about what we were doing. We have a photo from 1968 that shows Grandpa napping on the couch with my sister curled up next to him fast asleep. She still remembers that he wore a cologne that was all his, that put her at ease. Mom says he was just passed out and it was probably the beer coming out of his pores, covered up in Old Spice.
She's mellowed in her opinion of Grandpa over the years. She's come to respect the way we 'kids' think of him and what he meant to us. She saw him through the eyes of an adult, a person who could see the faults and flaws without the innocence of youth. The loving eyes of a child can over look the dark realities of adulthood. That isn't necessarily a good thing. But in the context of this situation, it salvages a memory of a man who worked hard for a lot of years with little to show for it, other than a loving family. He didn't jump into the bottle because of despair but of loneliness. He needed his buddies at the bar for companionship. Who are we to judge that?
My dad, who moonlighted as barkeep at that tavern for extra money, said that every bar stooltenant there knew about us kids. All the 'Norms' and 'Cliffs' knew who we were, what baseball team we played on, who got the awards in school; everything about us. All that came from my Grandpa. When I was 10, he gave me a bike for my birthday. He said that he just happened to put a dollar on the punchboard game and he won the bike. He told me: "Didn't know what to do with the damn thing so I guess you can have it." A few years ago, Mom told me that he spent all night at that game until he won the bike.
If we don't allow for mistakes, allow for some human failing, we may end up slighting the memories of those who were important to us. When we talk about Grandpa now, Mom always says; "He really loved you kids." forgetting the way she felt about him back then. Selective memory can be a good thing, I guess.
We tend to be too judgmental, too strict in our personal dogma. If we don't allow some fresh air into the way we think, our standards will grow cold and rigid, like a petrified tree. We didn't have that as kids but some of us have it as grown-ups. I fear that I've gotten that way in my adultery too.
So today, I'm going to a little diner near my apartment and order french fries, french toast and a vanilla milkshake.
We have a lot on our plate right now. The Economic Stimulus package is getting its day in the spotlight because we have to get it in place right NOW. But there will come a time in the next few weeks when a nagging question will need to be answered.
What will happen to the criminals that just left office? We know they're criminals because they've admitted their crimes on network TV. I believe they are actually proud of their larceny and torture. Just watch to what Darth Cheney had to say on it.
Well, I have something to say too. But I'm going to let a friend of mine tell it. Sadly, he's no longer with us. But Jim, if you're watching from above, this one's for you. (video compiled by jizman71)
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.
Busted Knuckles, over at Ornery Bastard, has a post linking to our buddy, Monkeyfister. He has a post that everyone should read, learn, and heed.
We face a catastrophe of biblical proportions in the next few months. Obama is our best bet in the White House but even he isn't the whole answer. We, as a people, need to take responsibility for our lives.
For eight long, fucked up years, the American People have been fed shit and been told it's apple pie. And we believed it. We kept eating Bush and Cheney's crap and calling it good. Well, no more!
The time to be sheep has passed. The time to be Americans again is now. My ancestors came here with nothing - abso-fucking-lutely nothing. They helped build a country that was second to none. Somewhere, down in our genes, we have the same stuff. Are we brave enough to reach down a pull that shit out? We're in this shit together, folks. You, me, the guy next door, the bum under the freeway bridge - fucking all of us.
The time is here. But now, we sit all warm and fuzzy in our homes, sucking our thumbs waiting for our Powerball numbers to hit.
Fuck that!
Monkeyfister has the goods on what we can do to prepare for the shitstorm that's coming. He's no tin-hat freak, but a good man with a noble purpose. His suggestions should be taken to heart. Scroll down his blog and look at some of his previous posts. Talk about bloggy goodness, this shit'll save your fucking life.
I haven't been satisfied with the way this blog looks for a while. I'm a dinosaur when it comes to HTML so I have to be content to use Blogger's lame templates. I have found a few cool ones elsewhere on the Toobes but they need a bit of modifying before I can upload them here.
So, you may see a few changes here and there. Feel free to let me know how it looks or offer a suggestion or two. I'm all ears. Well, under this old gray mane that is!
My technorati number is 9! Wow, it was only 0 just a week ago! You guys are great!
Update: Well, that was an exercise in futility. Every template I used was bunk. They looked great but had more bugs than a stray dog's ass. We'll keep trying, so enjoy the blandness of the sight for a few more days. I'll get it right yet.
In all the commotion of the last couple of weeks, with the Inauguration, skewering the VRWC, and B.A.D., I neglected to notice a rather auspicious occasion.
On Jan. 22, this blog turned five years old.
OK, it hasn't made much of a splash in that time but its not for want of trying. Posting has been sporadic and a bit austere but I have made some gains.
Let's look at the first few entries of 'Shamanaqua' circa Jan/Feb 2004...
Greed: -noun "excessive or rapacious desire, esp. for wealth or possessions."
Gekko: - ie: Gordon Gekko, character in the movie "Wall Street" who said:
"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good"
On Wall Street today, we are seeing fiction become fact. Not just unrestrained greed, we've always had that. But what we have is unrestrained greed as the ship is sinking.
Consider this metaphor:
A rich man is on the deck of the Titanic, ready to jump into the water and swim to a waiting lifeboat. A crew member hands him a life vest instead of a young woman with a child. Before he jumps into the sea, he fills the life vest with gold coins and jewels he got from the ship's safe. He jumps overboard with a suitcase and pockets filled as well.
The CEO's of financial institutions are like our foolish man overboard. They see disaster ahead and before all else, with concern for no one but themselves, they fill their suitcases and pockets with gold and jump. But this time, rather than sink to the bottom of the Atlantic, these Gekkos land IN the lifeboat. Our government gave them the gold and made sure that before anyone else, before any of the regular passengers could be saved, these Icons of Corporate Rape are assured a place of safety and security.
Believe it or not, we've seen this shit before. History is a bitch. If you refuse to learn from it, it will sneak up behind you and kick your ass. Think back to the heady days of the late 1800"s. We had just gotten over the Civil War and were getting our industries started. Immigrants from all parts of the globe were streaming into the US to work for a pittance but much more of a pittance than they were making back home. The great industrial giants raked in the ducats and became the modern American Rich. Names like Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and Morgan gave rise to the myth of the common man making good, when in truth they were just robber barons. They controlled the government and made policy. This lasted into the early part of the 20th Century until the shit hit the fan.
A lot of historians can point to different watershed events, publication of the book "The Jungle' by Upton Sinclair, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the massacre of Wobblies (IWW workers) at different places across the country. But, for me, it all spells out quite clearly that the common folk got schooled. They had been kept in the dark for more than 50 years by the Corporate Giants and finally had enough. Add to that a new World War, a flu epidemic and a financial collapse. Starving people have a way of causing a ruckus.
Well, now we have an economic collapse not seen since the days of Herbert Hoover, perhaps earlier. After eight years of servicing by the Bush administration, our Gekkos have convinced Congress to give them a bailout and have raked in hundreds of billions in ill gotten booty. This unadulterated orgy of consumption could only last so long. Warnings and pre-shocks of impending disaster were seen as early as 2001 when Enron and Global Crossing started to fail. Soon, we started seeing corporate giant after corporate giant fall or be consumed by another up and down Wall Street. It was a financial mass extinction as the old Wall Street was being replaced by new and more devious creatures. However, like the little mammals and lizards who watched the Great Chicxulub (Yucatan) Impact of 65 million years ago, we are seeing a pending horror approaching us quickly and can do little to stop it.
But first things first, we may have to let the big dinosaurs die off to rebuild this world the way we need. They are doomed, the great corporate giants are history. We watch and listen but all we hear is how much they earn or how much they've taken from our pockets. This isn't chump change, this is the only resource we have to rebuild and clean up the mess these bastards left for us. I can't stand by and allow them to rape and pillage the country as we sink into the sea.
Let the Gekkos drown, save the real people. Otherwise, there will be no one left to bring the country back from the Deep.
Because as I said earlier, starving people have a way of causing a ruckus.
Ye Olde Rogue's Gallery of Lesser Blogs and Other Enemies of the Crown Posted Here For All To See....
These Brigands and Hooligans Are Hereby Deemed Enemies of the Crown Of Blogtopia. Loiter amongst them at your peril!
David Aquarius' List of Nefarious Blogs
Peachy Green: These young ladies are quite good at letting me know how much of a putz I am for not applying some common green sense to the junk I do every freaking day. Go there, be schooled.
Copper Springs Leather Craft: I dabble in crafting leather bags and purses for friends and fiends. Since moving into a smallish apt. I haven't had the space (nor the will) to get back into the mix. So, I go here to see what creations I can steal from his repertoire. I'm afraid I can't quite match his goods but he has a lot of insight into crafting that I enjoy.
Mekosan and Co.: OK, this is a great blog, concise and fun, written by a short-hair Mexican Chihuahua named Meko. Hey, he's nine times smarter than Limbaugh and lots more lovable than Glenn Beck! I confess, this blog is from a great friend of mine and former roommate. Meko was a rescue pup that we got just shortly before we lost the lease on our house. Due to economic reasons, we parted ways. Who knows, I may post of few pics of Meko on my blog.
A Gardener In Progress: I've always been at ease when my hands were full of dirt and manure. OK, that didn't come out right...Let me rephrase that... I've always loved turning soil, seed and sunshine into real good munchies. My aforementioned friend and former roomie is a horticulturalist and specializes in container gardens. She's amazing! She can create with flowers and plants what Picasso did with paint. Anyway, I travel through Blogtopia (gotta love da Skippy!) looking for bloggy goods to see what I can do now that I'm holed up in a cardboard box apt. I came across Catherine's blog a few days ago and love what I see. It helps that she's in my back yard too. I can see Mt. Rainier from my deck, if I strain over the railing. Check out her blog if you love to see new life springing forth from the good green Mother Earth!
Rawmodel.com: I came across Anthony's blog a few weeks ago as I was trolling around Google. Good looking gent and has a damn good sense of global citizenship. Go there and read about his adventures in Bali and his work in Permaculture. Good stuff, Maynard!
Lots more bloggy goodness to be had if one just takes the time to adventure into the unseen waters of Blogtopia. I've come across angry right wing environmentalists (sorry, can't bring myself to link there), self-absorbed yuppie spawn obsessed with all things Twitter, naked old folks who can't seem to understand what all the fuss about Rush Limbaugh is (Ewww, just ewww, that one was totally by accident!)
In other words, you never know where the next click will take you. Go there, be shocked, but be schooled. After all, it's all about humanity. And you know how freaking nuts we all are!
So Mote It Be, David A.
Update: I used Lucida Blackletter font for the title, hope you see it that way.
Update deux: Skippy and Jon Swift have kindly given this page a nod. I thank you!
B.A.D. to da B.O.N.E. (Blogs Of Notable Excellence)
What is B.A.D.?
Oh, gentle traveller, 'tis a righteous tale of woe and repression, of demons and Orcs, and of salvation and retribution. Come hither, sit and take a repast of bread and brew and I shall weave this tale for you.
Yes, it was long ago in the Time before the Great Emancipator, when King George the Simple and his grand vizier, the evil overlord Darth Cheney did rule the land.
There was battle and bloodshed in Blogtopia (from Sir Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo did we come by that name!) as we took umbrage from the denizens of the Overlord. We fought the knaves of Red State and the flying monkeys of the Freepers; many of our kind did conquer the ugly, dreadful lies of King George. All of the Liberal blogs had fought bravely, the great and powerful to the small and meek. Side by side did we wage a mighty war for truth, justice and American Pie.
But victory was not ours as the Idiot King and the evil vizier, Cheney took the throne over Prince Kerry of Cape Cod. There was a great and mournful wail that came up from the beaten warriors of Blogtopia.
Sad as this defeat was, sadder still was the recriminations and oath breaking that did accompany thus. The great and powerful blogs, once mighty and golden symbols of Progress, began to grow fat and conceited. They formed great councils of blogdom, gathered the aristocracy of the Liberal Web to plan and scheme. But they did close the gates of their magnificent castles to the lesser blogs. They had once proudly announced to all in Blogtopia who their allies were in the Great War with the Idiot King, but no more. They had grown complacent, allowed themselves to be turned away from the common folk they had come from and be corrupted by soundbites, spotlights, and fair maidens of the Media.
They locked their castles to the lowly blogs. Left them to wither in the wind and be consumed by the Overlord's minions. So, gentle traveller, our tale might have ended here, sad and lonely, with the awful demise of the tiny blogs.
But, lo, there was a great sound that came forth from the lesser bloggers. They would take on the minions themselves, without the fat and bloated Royal Blogs. Those who were of greater size would take a handful of smaller blogs under their wing and put their visage prominently upon their walls. Thus did the good folks of Blogtopia learn of the wonder of the lesser blogs, feast upon the tender morsels of goodness and flights of magic and fantasy. This day was hence forth known as "Blogroll Amnesty Day", a day to post upon your blog the links to five blogs smaller than yourself.
What? You want more? Is there more to this tale?
Yes, there is!
And lo, did King George the Simple come to the end of his reign and Darth Cheney did answer the call of his master, the Great Corporate Beast. The war for supremacy took a mighty turn when the Blogs once again answered the call to defeat the Orcs and Demons of the Overlord. The Idiot King had tried to place his crown upon the head of Sir John the Ancient, but there was too much strife and poverty in the land. The townsfolk had grown weary of the lavish ways of the King and his minions and began to listen to the Liberal Blogs. Soon, a mighty warrior came forth from the common folk to claim the crown for himself. Sir Barack of Obama did take his place in the Great House of the People. The lesser blogs did defeat the flying monkeys and the Eaters of Cheetos and a great and mighty cheer was heard across Blogtopia.
That, my good friend, is why we celebrate B.A.D. today. Because there is no blog too small to make a big splash.
(this video link was blatantly stolen from Blue Gal)
Every day we hear more and more bullshit. Shitthat 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.
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!
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.
As I watched President Obama take the oath and give his speech, I was struck by a wave of relief. Words came to me to express this feeling.
I call it "Navigating the Sea of Change"
The Darkness has broken; the return to the Light has begun. The denizens of the night, the shade and the shadow, have retreated to friendlier caves and crannies.
Evil subsides for now.
Yet they won’t be far; they always nip at our heels and are just out of sight waiting to return to prominence. The forces of greed and secrets abhor the Light, cannot stand the sharp, fresh air of the great wide open. It pains them to breath it, to walk through it, to live in it. They have their allies, minions who seek their favors that walk amongst us. They too will hide from us but in plain sight.
President Obama has a great burden to carry and we must help him. This burden cannot be shouldered by one man, but by all. We are in this with him. The ship of state has many oars and traverses a raging sea. One man cannot navigate these waters alone. There’s an oar with my name on it and if I won’t row, who will? Who will take up the responsibility of bringing this country back if I shy away? Who will show courage if I back down?
The forces of greed and secrets hide in plain sight. They draw their will from our fear, our uncertainty. If we lack the courage to bring this country back, they will take our fear and draw America further into oblivion.
To cure a disease, you must starve it. To cure America from its malaise, you must starve the blight that infests it. Fear is its sustenance, its nourishment. Responding to this affliction with the courage of conviction and virtue that President Obama asks of us will change this raging sea into calm waters.
The journey ahead is long and arduous and we have only just left the dock. My turn at the oars is nigh and I am ready and able to grasp hold and pull with all my strength. My president has demonstrated great strength and confidence, now I must show him mine.
Hope the levity below doesn't ruffle a few feathers. Just had to spotlight the absurdity of public safety concerns in the Bush era.
It's starting to sink in... We really are in for a sea change. Now, I don't expect Pres. Obama to walk across the Reflecting Pond to his inauguration but I do feel he has the goods we need to eradicate the Bush Stink that's all over this country.
Given the weather, the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial was outstanding. The performers were genuinely proud to be a part of this change. It showed in their performances. Massive egos set aside for the chance to participate in the inauguration of not only a new president and administration, but a new direction. Everyone is getting ready to participate. People realize that Obama has no magic wand, no big green button on his desk that he pushes and all the problems magically disappear. He makes the plan, puts out the pieces and we, the people, get off our fat asses and make sure the whole thing gets put together.
We expect leadership. For eight long and painful years, we've been subjected to government by frat boys. Nothing but elitist wackjobs out for their own self interests; the country and its people be damned. To those assholes, these past eight years have been more than a success, they've been a godsend. Even those who lost their money in the financial market collapse got another bonus from the Bastard-in-Chief with the TARP funds. All-in-all, a profitable adventure. The Day of Reckoning is coming for them but not until Bush and his Pardon Pen have left the building.
More on this later...right now, I'm still basking in the glow of change.
Damn... I feel like a man dying of thirst coming up on a real oasis after years of mirages.
Update:Welcome to Blue Gal! She has graciously added this humble page to her Blogroll. Many thanks. So, to the hordes of loyal followers of this space - both of you - go there, enjoy the words contained within and be schooled.
Update Deux:Fuckin' A! My lucky ass day! The Ornery Bastard has hitched his wagon to this ol' caboose. Go there and be stripped down and tuned up. Be forewarned, he speaks Saxon as well as I do, no tender ears allowed.
