It is to laugh

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

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

Go there NOW!

But swallow your sip of joe first!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Salami, Salami, Bologna...

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

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

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

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

(pepper crust hot garlic salami)

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

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

So Mote It Be,
David A.

A gauntlet has been secured

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

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

David A.

Success is a good thing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Call it whatever you want, just do it!

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

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

Here it is, for good or bad...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So Mote It Be.
David A.

Now it's the Law, bitches.

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

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

Here's the video of the signing ceremony:

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

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

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

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

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Now, the real work begins...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Side Note:
What the Fuck is this...

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

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

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

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

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

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Alan Grayson is my hero

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OMFG, what is this world coming to?

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

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

So Mote It Be,
David A.

The Ides of March come early

I always though Joe Lieberman would play a good Brutus.

Beware the Ides of March...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Without Comment

see you in march...DA

In Hibernation Mode...

Just to let the faithful know that I haven't gone native.

The blog was a good place to vent my thoughts and politics but as in all things, this too must pass.

I'm not done by any means. Just taking a break during the dark of the year. When I return in the Spring, I may have a new outlook or a new direction. I will be stopping by my regular haunts like Ornery Bastard, Monkeyfister, Alternate Brain and a few others just to let you know I'm still drawing breath. Check out the Blogroll for lots of goodness.

The sea is changing for progressives and the weather isn't looking that good. We have been betrayed by our leaders and left out to twist in the wind. All the hard work we accomplished to get a majority in both the House and the Senate and electing Obama was for naught. I'm afraid we underestimated the power of the pundits.

My advice to all...



So Mote It Be...until the Ides of March.
David A.

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live..."

A quote from the Old Testament, Exodus 22:18 (KJV) "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

In this climate of radical fundamentalism and utter disregard for reason and logic, it comes as no surprize that born-again Christians are looking to their history for the direction of their future. Present day Christians are bringing back creationism, the Great Flood, even ol' Scratch himself, brick red skin, pointy tail, horns and all. Humanity has sent its eyes and ears into deep space, cured many of the plagues of old, and fed billions of people who would have starved not a hundred years ago. Yet in the middle of all that progress, together with our cutting edge technology, cell phones, iPods, Xboxes, and Bluetooth; we still have to deal with deadly religious ignorance.

This story strikes a chord with me. I've been a practicing Pagan for nearly 40 years. Yes, it's all mythology and the like, but it fits with the spiritual questions I have. I do not speak for anyone else, my faith is mine and mine alone. I could no more convert another to my faith as I could convert their fingerprints to mine. Each person is endowed by basic human rights to have and hold the religious faith they freely choose. The problem - no, the crime - comes when the powerful tell the weak which faith to have, which religion to follow and, more importantly, the consequences that will happen if they do not comply.

Forced conversion from native beliefs to Christianity has resulted in the single most devestating genocide since humankind emerged from the Olduvai Gorge those 3 million years ago.

Here's a short piece of the tragedy...(from MSNBC)

African churches denounce children as witches.
Pastors accuse thousands of children, leading to torture and death.

Sunday Alamba / AP

Accused child witches Jane, left, and Mary, right, stand with other children accused of witchcraft at the Children's Rights and Rehabilitation Network in Eket, Nigeria, on Aug. 18, 2009. Jane's mother tried to saw off the top of her skull after a pastor denounced her and Mary, 15, is just beginning to think about boys and how they will look at the scar tissue on her face caused when her mother doused her in caustic soda

Killing your children because a minister told you to. How can this travesty be condoned? What part of the Holy Bible says kill your children because a greedy fakir wants your money? Oh yeah... Exodus 22:18.

Christianity has become an abomination. There are those who defend the rights of Christians to practice their faith but to this extent? This is more than twisted. I don't care how many 'good' Christians there are out there, if this bullshit is allowed to take place then the whole religion is corrupt.

Each of the 'churches' mentioned in the story have sponsors in the US or Europe. Of course, as soon as the glare of TV cameras are lit up, these 'good Christian people' feign ignorance and claim that the African branch is a rogue.

Hmmm, seems to me that I remember a certain governor of Alaska being blessed by an African evangelical minister and proud exorcist of witches some time ago.

Our friend, Max Blumenthal has the goods from Huntington Post...

"On September 20 and 21, I attended services at the church Sarah Palin belonged to since she was an adolescent, the Wasilla Assembly of God. Though Palin officially left the church in 2002, she is listed on its website as "a friend," and spoke there as recently as June 8 of this year."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/the-witch-hunter-anoints_b_128805.html

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/the-witch-hunter-anoints_b_128805.htmthere as recently as June 8 of this year.

As I said...corrupt as a broken sewer pipe.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

The War on the Middle Class

The economy is in the toilet. Unemployment is drifting around 10 points with no real relief on the horizon. Good, hard working folks are seeing their paychecks shrink as their employers take more away. Bills are coming fast and loose for people who have two cents for every three that have to be paid out. Food banks, thrift shops, food stamps and free clinics are finding popularity with a whole new batch of customers.

And they tell me that the tide has turned and we are coming out of the recession.

Today, the Dow Jones reached 10,000 pts for the first time in a year and everyone is popping the corks and sparking the bowls. Yippee!! Wall Street is coming back! Bonuses have returned to the Street along with bigger paychecks. Some of these icons of American Capitalism have found ways of getting around the rules and keep some of the worse of the sub-prime mortgages alive and well. Credit card companies are seeing huge profits from the strong-arming of Americans.

This would be a bad gangster film if it weren't reality.

Nothing is going our way. The promise of electing Obama and the Democrats into power has fallen as flat as an old convention balloon. They postured from every soapbox that the days of huge corporations feeding at the trough of American taxpayers is over. Tax loopholes closed, universal health care, new green jobs and a real stimulus package to get the economy kickstarted.

They had their fingers crossed.

The stimulus was too little too late. It did as good a job as it could but was woefully inadequate. If you want to help a starving man, giving him a TicTac isn't going to do the job. Lots of good, green programs that would have provided real, well paying jobs were kicked to the curb because they gave the Republicans fits. Republicans.

After the elections, the American people let it be known that the last thing they cared about was the fucking Republicans. These WATB's have been sniveling about Obama at every turn. In addition, the Handjob Media has courted their every word; words that were mostly blatant bullshit that a high school journalism student could have debunked.

So, here we are. Nearly a year since a landmark historic election and the promise of real change in America. What do we have to show for it? Where's the reward for all of our hard work? Wall Street has made out like bandits...literally. Gov't reps and congress critters have made bank from all the free money on K Street. The shitty situation the country found itself in before the election is worse now and any hope for relief is becoming rare.

When is it our turn?

America the ATM. America the Chump. America the Rube. Wall Street was playing three-card Monte with our livelihoods and we asked for help. What we got was a government that took out hand, soothed our fears then told Wall Street to use a new deck of cards.

The problem is deeper than just getting our pet projects accomplished. Health care reform, environmental reform, getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan, new green jobs, etc, etc, etc.... ad nauseum. These are great steps but they rely on too much change, change that is not just hard but near impossible. What we need to do is take back the country for the people. Corporations were established 150 years ago to help finance the Industrial Revolution. It brought America into the 20th century as a force in the world. But leave it to the greedy to take a good idea and pervert it into a pestilence. America does not need the corporate structure like it did in the 1880's.

We have too much wealth concentrated in one spot. Regulations must be enacted to rein in this abomination. Socialism isn't the answer but a more measured approach to capitalism is necessary. Then our agenda will come about like we expect. If you want to plant a garden on the battlefield, you have to figure out how to win the war first.

update: I just noticed that my blog roll was seriously deficient in penguins. The management regrets this oversight and it has been corrected. The responsible parties have been punished.

And so it goes...
David A.

Back in the Saddle, Again.

Throughout blogtopia (y! sctp), we hear about stalwart bloggers who swear that this is their last post, that they are hanging up their keyboards for bright, greener pastures only to show up again a month later because of some significant news event or egregious comment by a particularly loathsome wingnut.

That's where I've been the last few months. I love the 'Toobs, been trolling around since the good ol', bad ol' days before Mozilla when we used BBS and 9600 baud modems. But real life has a way of creeping up on you and slapping your ass.

Such is my story. I've been seeing the real side of life lately, particularly the side where you have to go to a doctor every week to keep from buying a wheelchair. Add to that the timely battle with health insurance and the evil bastards one must deal with in that dark hole. I wanted to keep a handle on my time and still give out suspect advice and comment at this hidey-hole of liberal flotsam.

But shit happens and we all have to replace the bullshit with the good shit to keep from falling down the rabbit hole. I let this space lapse for a while. I was so pleased with myself when my Technorati number reached 16 that I treated myself with a beer and a bowl.

Then the real world hit.

No whining. Shit happens and my story isn't better or worse than anyone else's. Suffice it to say, I had to walk away for a bit. Now, as you can see, my Technorati number is 2. There's an ego deflator if ever I saw one.

People I trust and admire tell me my thoughts and words are important and timely. I agree. I feel that all of us have to take a moment to push that reset button just south of our ass to get a fresh start.

And so it goes...
David A.

Treading water in a whirlpool

Perhaps some of you have noticed that I've been a bit scarce on the 'Toobs lately.

In an effort to save a few ducats, I've decided to give up my Internet access and the meager cable that came with it. I've been trolling the internet for more almost 20 years, since the years of Protegy, BBS and 9600 baud modems connected to screaming 286 XT's. (ten megahertz, baby!) It's been a part of my daily activity for a long time. But something has to go.

The faltering economy and abject corporate greed has given me little choice. My employer, who shall be nameless, is not hurting that badly but has found that the public's fear and consternation about the economic climate has given rise to a timely opportunity to make a few more millions. Using the economy as a crutch, they've slashed hours and suspended merit raises. Management is constantly reminding us that for every job they post, hundreds of applicants show up - so watch your ass!

Nervous isn't an apt description. Terrified come closest. Some of my co-workers are barely making ends meet because of health issues, kids, household repairs and transportation grief, etc. This shit isn't news to anyone with a pulse over the last year. I'm certainly not alone. Bills stack up, credit cards get maxed out, phones shut off, and the car breaks down.

Don't look for sympathy from any of the corporate whores raking in the dough either. The banks got billions of our funds to keep their logos on the door and they thank us by jacking up late and overdraft fees. One example: a friend at work paid her VISA bill but transposed the numbers of her online payment. She overpaid by $63 which put her in the hole ten bucks. It went unnoticed for a couple of days, after she had spent money on gas, groceries and school supplies... six transactions for just under forty dollars. Because of the overpayment error, she got hit with seven overdraft charges worth - $240. She called the bank as soon as she realized the error and explained her plight. It was a wasted call. The bank rep did nothing but lecture her about paying attention to her transactions and that maybe this situation will be a lesson to her. She has two kids and a husband that recently was laid off from that same bank.

Fuck that!

Fuck Bank of America, Fuck Chase, and Fuck all the rest. Real people are suffering out there. That error could have happened to me or any other person. Even a math whiz will fuck up a number on occasion. The corporate whores that play with our lives care as much for us as they do for their tennis shoes. Run the shit out of them then toss them to the curb.

The Insurance industry is just as corrupt. The billing clerk from my doctor's office called me to talk about my growing bill. She was cool, but direct. Money needed to start coming in. I explained my situation at work and she was sympathetic. I'm making a small payment every month. But she did say some shit that got me steamed. She was curious why my bill was so high. Other patients with the same insurance were paying a lot less out of pocket that was I. Basically, my insurance was stiffing me for most of the bill. I should be paying 15 to 20 percent after the initial deductible but that's not the case. I'm responsible for nearly 65% of the full cost of my surgery and treatment!

It's part of the game. They know what their supposed to pay but don't. They stiff the doctors for the cost of the procedure and let the patient pick up the tab. If you have the time, the patience, the understanding of the plan and a lot of fucking luck; you can badger the insurance company into paying their share of the bill. Not paying more or going beyond their responsibilities but paying their share....the amount they are supposed to pay anyway.

Stories like this are too numerous to count. Every one of us have them and they all stink. The answer to this shit is sitting in committee in Congress. It's been there so long, it's starting to grow mold.

We have to get this crap done. Fuck the Corporations! Toss out any legislator that puts their needs above ours. Reform Wall Street, break up the big financial conglomerates. Enforce the fucking anti-trust laws. If the laws are too weak, change them. Let the fuckers on the Supreme Court know that a person has a heart and a brain, not a spreadsheet and a bottom line. Corporations are not people. They are blood sucking parasites.

Hope to be around a little while longer...but Comcast will cut me off as soon as the money runs out.
I have a lot to do until then.

Keep swinging!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

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.

Birther Bull

OK, I'll step into this cowpie.

The reason... my congresscritter (Deputy Dave Reichert WA-8) came on the You Tube and made an ass of himself. Then the congresscritter from my parents district ( Cathy McMorris-Rodgers WA-5) made a bolt up the steps of Congress to get away from Mike Stark, who was trying to get her comment.

This way to the Pasture!

Let's go all in... Full shoe here.

Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, HI on Aug. 4th, 1961. This event was recorded and documented like all live births at the time and in that state. There was no international conspiracy to alter the birth records of a mixed race baby boy in pre-civil rights Hawaii. But that's not what this post is about. The records are real and verified. No controversy, no mystery, just normal birth records not unlike those of any other person born in the US.

The real reason this is out there was shown plain as day on Rachel Maddow's show on Monday. She called it for what it is - a racist attack.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

These cretins cannot fathom that the President of the United States is a black man. It drives them nuts. For decades, the right wing has kept the fires of racism stoked high and hot to keep African Americans from achieving their full potential. They're absolutely terrified to their toenails that black people will emerge from repression to take their place in society. They fear that by allowing minority citizens (IE: real people) to reach their dreams; America will see these racist bastards for the ignorant shallow mouth breathers they are and send them packing to the fringes of society where they belong.

I have no love for racists. Their opinions show a lack of intelligence and compassion. They prove that humanity has a long way to go to achieve any worthwhile improvement in our social evolution. As long as a single racist exists, humanity will always occupy the lowest rung on the ladder of civilization. Intelligent, learned scholars are always trying to construct the perfect society, the Utopian life that will transcend all of our basest needs. Thomas More, Aldous Huxley and William Morris all wrote of Utopian societies where everyone lived in peace and tranquility, no worries or war. Such places are the stuff of dreams and will never be realized as long as racism exists.

And as long as the Republican Party keeps fools like Mitch McConnell, Eric Cantor, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck around as their leadership, there will always be a crowded pasture to walk through.

Update: I forgot to include this in the original post. The House voted unanimously to recognize the 50th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood. In the proclamation, sponsor Rep. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii included acknowledgment of the birth of native son, Pres. Barack Obama.

Hee Hee! GOP pwned again!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Health Care for the Masses or Your Claim has been Denied!

There's a lot to this whole health care debate that's convoluted and complex, but there's one simple, indisputable fact: Americans that need health care have to pay far too much for it. In other modern, civilized countries, if you need to go to the doctor you can. If you have a broken arm or a case of the Mumps, you get treated by a government approved physician who fixes you up and sends you on your merry.

In this country, the first and most important question isn't what is your medical problem but what is your ability to pay. Forget what the hell is wrong with you, what is the size of your wallet.

"I'm sorry sir, but if you do not have the proper insurance you cannot receive treatment here. May I suggest the Free Clinic in Bartertown? Oh, and sir, I must ask you to stop bleeding on our carpets. Thank you, the exit is to the right. -Next?"

Check out this post from our friends at Skippy.

I love that vid.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

Perpetuum Jazzile

Stranger over at Blah 3 ( a necessary stop on all tracks of the Intertoobs Express) posted this video and I thought it was so cool, I'd steal it from him (or continue the theft from his Facebook friend, Bobby)

Perpetuum Jazzile is an A Capella group from Slovenia that performs jazz and popular music. This video has seen 2.8 million viewers as of this posting.

Give it a listen.
(I love the thunderstorm effects)

So Mote it Be,
David A.

Food for thought...

I really need to be more attentive of this site.

Healthy Foods...

We are what we eat - so the saying goes.

Ain't it the truth.

Americans cram pounds of crap down their gullets every day and spend billions trying to get rid of said crap after the fact. We want it fried, dried, fresh or frozen, packed with sugar, racked with salt, high fat, high carb, low fat, low carb, boiled and baked, covered in sauce, bathed in glaze, roasted, toasted, basted, tasted, leftovers wasted, extra foam, no room, skimmed, trimmed, take out the fat, heavy on the cream...three times a day.

We're fat. We're lazy. We love to tell our kids to eat their vegetables then give them a Big Mac 'cause we haven't got time for dinner. Our refridgerators hold six condiments, leftover Chinese, something brown, and a box of baking soda. We haven't a clue.

A single blueberry has all the natural ingredients to save our bacon but we add 2 grams of sugar, 8 grams of fat, dress it up like a work of art, give it a $13.00 price tag and call it dessert.

We give billions of dollars to people to tell us this and make us do something about it. They bend us, break us, pull our muscles, bruise our egos, take us to task, lift that bale, tote that barge, give me $800, now you're in shape.

We live in front of a box of shiny lights that sucks the imagination out of us like a puddle evaporating in the sun. It tells us what crap to buy, what to look for, what is in and what is out. It tells about a new gooey bar of processed sugar and fat that has more unpronouncable ingredients than a medical research project that's just waiting for your gluttonous consumption.

Whole industries have sprung up in the last 50 years that serve no purpose but to fill our arteries with cement. We spend decades of time and millions of dollars to break our bodies down then lament the high cost of fixing them up. No one wants to see to the root of the problem - no, that would be sacrilege. Thou shalt not bite the hand that feeds you this crap. We are a gloriously Capitalist Society and, God willing, will stay that way through every coronary bypass, diabetic coma, liver transplant and 31 flavors of cancer treatments.

And God help us if we run into those who've taken the pledge. Instead of going after the root cause of our food calamity - over-processing - they select certain types of food to rail against. No meat, no fish, no sugar, no milk, no eggs, no carbs, no fat, no dairy, no calories, no way, no how, no left turn, do not pass GO, do not collect $200.

Vegetables are a vital form of food, one that should be on every table at every meal. But so are meat or fish. The answer is not exclusion of food but balance and moderation. We have to re-learn to prepare our own food in a way that's healthy. Make the time to fix your own damn food. Take the time to feed your children what they need. Give them a reason to eat healthier. Fill them full of nothing but sugar and fat and you make them dependant on that crap like an alcoholic. Fast food is a multi-billion dollar industry because we are too damn lazy to cook the good stuff. Convenience has replaced responsibility. Parents would rather spend 30 minutes and $50 on fat, salty crap then spend $20 and an hour to feed their family a healthy meal.

Long ago we sat at the dinner table and ate like families. We prepared the food, set the table, got all the kids together with Mom and Dad and ate as a family. We discussed the day, asked each other about this or that, got kudos for the good stuff, got reamed for the bad; we saw each other as part of something wonderful. If someone was absent, they had their dinner set aside for their return - provided it was an acceptable reason. Screwing around with friends was not a good reason so no dinner was saved. There was a price to pay for missing dinner. No one could raid the fridge for goodies later, dessert was earned by good behavior not provided pro bono.

But we put all that aside. We enrolled our kids in soccer and ballet and baseball and softball and tae kuan do and boy scouts or brownies or any of dozens of other afterschool activities. Not just one though, we signed them up for two or three sports just to keep them busy so we could work longer at the office, see the girls at the club or finalize the sale of the Johnson house. We have to make an appointment to see the kids or our spouses. Every family member is glued to the cell phone or the blackberry, twittering, texting or talking to a spider's web network of other mindless robots, grabbing a quick bite at Mickie D's or Jack in the Box before heading out to the Mall. Even when we finally get back to the homestead, we plop our butts in front of the Shiny Box to watch the latest and greatest dreck ever conceived by demented minds about something called 'reality' that has no connection to the actual word just a distorted play on semantics about worthless pathetic victims of their own greed and gluttony.

We no longer use the dinner table to sit and eat. We use it to organize our bills, put the laptop down to work, or kept nice and clean with place settings of sparkling dishes in stylish colors that will never be obscured by gravy or spaghetti sauce. We eat standing up, staring zombie-like into dead space while talking into an electronic cockroach attached to our ear. Family members with white strings coming out the sides of their heads run in and out of the kitchen oblivious to everything except the sugary sodas in the fridge or the chocolaty sludge bars in the cupboard. Dinner isn't roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans; it's a chili cheese burrito fresh out of the microwave with a Coke and a Ho-Ho.

We talk about change. We talk about doing what's right. We talk, talk, talk, talk until we can't speak any more. But we don't do.

Eat your own food. Drink real water. Buy fresh. Grow it yourself. Let your belly do all the processing. Spend your time with the kids at the park with frisbees, a ball and glove, or a volleyball. Eat dinner at the table then see a movie. The television isn't a lamp. Talk about what's on TV then decide if it's worth turning it on.

Get to know members of your family, I hear they're kinda cool.

Update: I posted this as a diary on the Daily Kos to see what response I would get. It only got about 3 feet from the line of scrimmage... Oh, well. So much for fame and fortune! I'll stick to my own neighborhood for now.

So Mote It Be,
David A.