Associations

I ran into this article (http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/07/25/gop-looks-for-weakness-in-obamas-overseas-trip.html
in particular this comment:
"..Republican strategists say his nation-hopping exposed major vulnerabilities that they hope to exploit in the fall."
My brain immediately made the association with this scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUee1WvtQZU

And Vizinni taunting Westley with " IT HAS WORKED! YOU'VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! "

Choose your cup, Republicans.

The Mexican Solution

I remember seeing Dr. Ron Paul in an interview, and a question came up about the proposal to create a government assisted "pool" that would help mitigate the effects of disasters in the U.S. He dismissed the thought as easily as brushing off a fly.
"Oh. That's socialism," he said, and that was that. The End.

In that instant, I lost all respect for the man.

We operate in what's called a “mixed system” - mostly capitalism, some socialism. These have been the only systems that work in the real world.

So, if you easily dismiss socialism, and worship at the alter of "The Free Market," please also remember that the free market gave us both the Roaring Twenties, and the Great Depression.

Let’s compare our (the U.S.) current situation to a close neighbor - Mexico. why are we pretty much OK, while Mexico has a 25% unemployment rate and a 50% poverty rate? A lot of credit goes to the ultimate power in Socialism, the Rule of Law.

Pure Capitalism is predatory, so the rich families in Mexico are free to twist the political system to whatever shape they want. No true Rule of Law, no labor rights, no (socialist) public safety net, no benefit to ordinary people, just about all of the money goes to the rich.
Now, how does “each individual have the right to determine what they choose to afford” (as was queried by a libertarian commenter in Thecarpetbaggerreport.com) when you have next to nothing?

Our current resident in the White House has been supported by the “Conservatives,” but just about all of their policies have been disasters. IMHO, this (the most influential part of the Republican Party) would prefer a Mexican situation here in the States. I feel that their policies have been driving us toward that goal.

Prescient

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.

The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

H. L. Mencken

Drinking Liberally in Brandon, Florida

What's the definition of a real conservative?
I agree with conservative fiscal policies, limiting the reach of government & respect of civil liberties. But according to one of my brother-in-laws, that's not conservative.
WTF?
O.K. he's a Fox "News" watcher from North Carolina that got screwed out of his share of a business he helped build.
To some, the racist past Dixiecrats are conservative. Some say preserve our Christian heritage by oppressing gays. Some are authoritarian that would follow Commander Codpiece W off a cliff (well, not actually, or they would be enlisting for his great Iraqi adventure).
So, who is the conservative?

Sweet Jeebus, these People Suck!

Wow, we are supposed to be impressed that the US will not "reinterpret" the Geneva Conventions. But we will still torture. Oh, sorry, we will use "alternative interrogation methods."
Thanks, John McCain. Say hi & give a big hug to Jerry Falwell for me.
Maybe they will name it the "Happy Prisoner Initiative," like they did for conservation & air pollution. Yes, the Clear Skies Initiative (more air pollution) and the Healthy Forest Initiative (cut all of those goddamnned trees down & pay the timber industry to take them off our hands) were perfect titles for what Bush, Cheney, Rove, and the Republicans wanted to do.
I pray that the combination of Diebold machines and Corporate owned media has not robbed us of true democracy.
Republicans are inept at eveything except public relations, and that is only because of the aforementioned Corporate owned media. Corrupt and evil are these people. Preying on the Authoritarian tendancies of people too busy to dig deeper than the headlines.
Viva Internet. She's our best hope, perhaps our only hope.

More Whining, and Evil in this World

I am a second-class citizen living in Florida. Because of my actions a lifetime ago, I cannot vote. The basic right of a democracy was stripped from me, changing my perception of America.
To me, America is not a democracy. I have no official say in the functioning of the government. All of my taxes are without representation, but I still pay them, and gladly.

My crime was delivery of cannabis. I should not have done it. Even though the person I was bringing it to had done the same favor for me a few months earlier, I should not have done it. It was and is against the law. I should not have done it.
I am sorry for my actions of over 20 years ago. But I have an extreme disagreement with the “conventional wisdom” that criminalizes behaviors that are harmless at best, and irritating at the worst.

Despite my scuff with the law, I support all of our law enforcement agencies. These fellow citizens uphold our rights by providing protection, many times laying their lives on the line. No, my beef is with the politicians, political corruption of the markets, and "morals" laws.

I have done my time, I feel that my punishment should be ended. Let me vote again. Please help me change the laws in Florida.
But what they have done is Constitutional.
Here’s a thumbnail sketch:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9785-2004Aug17.html


Damn
And the woman who bounced me from the rolls is running for Senator.
And I hate her fake boobs, too.
No, her seemingly fake boobs are not the evil in this world of which I now wish to address (it's in the title, if it seems familiar). Please take a gander at this:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_digbysblog_archive.html#115750643033348143
This is the type of thing I heard about in the Soviet Union during the cold war. That and kids informing on their parents.
God, I need something to cheer me up. Anyone got a comment?

Partisan Blog Heaven

I'm from the PsychoSphere:
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/8222.html
Go to the "did a post" link and I'm a featured wacko, I am BuzzMon. Ha!
Confederate Yankee seems to think that I am unhinged, because I am skeptical of the major news media & the war on "Terra."
I love it!!!
I think that I hit a nerve. But I may have tried to stuff too much information in a quick post, 'cause I'm not sure if it is easy to comprehend.

OK, politics.

I am an American second class citizen in Florida. I can't vote. I can't do a bunch of things because of my actions over 20 years ago. I made a mistake, I was breaking the law, I got caught, I went to jail. If it counts, I did get stuck in front of certifiable judge (a suicide later, after some personally embarassing behavior).
Funny thing, I was caught because I allowed an aquaintance to set me up. He needed a patsy, and I (unwittingly) agreed. God, was I stupid. This aquaintance was the same type of rich pampered kid that George W. Bush seems to be.
Delivery of Cannabis, 364 days in county jail and 5 years probation, and a felony conviction tatooed to my name forever.

If Confederate Yankee is right, that I am nuts, perhaps this collection of events is what drove me over the edge.

Naw, I know what did it:

It was "Bush II (The Revenge of Nixon)" that made my head explode. This horror movie is not only about the physical destruction of a middle east country, a combination of bombs, blood, severed limbs, brain damage, dead children, sectarian violence that leads to de-facto Sharia cleansing. It is equally about the possible destruction of both our home country... and the world.
Zombie-like death-cult members take control of all parts of the government, and proceed to implement a plan concocted by the cult leaders, formerly known as "the crazies."
This is the culmination of years of careful planning and execution of the master plan to avenge Nixon, and usher in a new era, the New American Century.
Once the media takeover is complete, the cult is formed. Building on historical grievences, a coalition of horror is spawned. The Theocrats and Confederates join force with the Corporatists, and tap into the magic of "The Code."
These multiple forces of evil tap into the key words that can control mankinds emotional connections, blocking the perception of what was really happening around them.
Lucky for us, each type only works on about 30% of the country. But, there are many magic codes, and most are unknown to the rest of the nation or world.
The plan proceeds, media takeover in the 80's, the capture of the Congress in the early 90's, an unsucessful attempt to displace the elected President in the late 90's still tarnishes his sucessor enough that the theft of the election in 2000 is mostly accepted by the public. Part one is complete: Avenging the lost Nixon election of 1960.

Part 2 of their plan proceeds, Amass an amazing pile of wealth, and neuter the same media that took down Nixon. A Cult leader named Jack Welch not only pushes the public (using the media) to support the military industries to insane levels. But his true kinky love is revealed as he "pulls" the media whores of the left to the Cult of Rove. Once converted, pundits like Lil Russ and Tweety pump hard for the Cult.

Part 3, the Nixon heir sets out to prove that he's a man. He sets out to avenge his dad, and the family name. He is now a manly man, not a coward just because in his youth, he did not participate in the war that he supported. He dresses up in uniform, and becomes "Commander-In-Chief." His catch phrases:
Mission Accomplished
Bring it on!
It's hard work!
I'm the Decider

Thousands and thousands die.

Cult members can be easily spotted. Quick to anger if reality is waved in front of them, their primary response is Projection. If their actions are hurting the country, they call their opponents traitors. When the cult members cannot contain their self-loathing bile, their opponents become enimies, and are accused of being hate-filled.

This movie has not been completed, but I am hoping for a happy ending.

Other Peoples work #000001

Politics.
Lamont vs Lieberman, CT, 2006
From the Comments, http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/8186.html#more-8186

a rework of MonyPython's Dead Parrot sketch, albeit about Mr. Lieberman:

We should give Lieberman the Monty Python dead parrot treatment …

Customer: What kind of Democrat is he?
Shopkeeper: He's a Connecticut "blue."
Customer: He looks dead to me.
Shopkeeper: He's not dead.
Customer: Yes, he is.
Shopkeeper: No, he's not.
Customer: Yes, he is. He's as dead as a doornail.
Shopkeeper: No, he's not. He's just sleeping [with the enemy].
Customer: He's not sleeping.
Shopkeeper: Oh, he's just "pining for the fjords."
Customer: He's dead! He's no longer on the left side of the aisle–he's an ex-Democrat!
Shopkeeper: I suppose you're right.
Customer: Good day.
Comment by slip kid no more — 8/12/2006 @ 12:45 pm

Thanks. slip