Call Me Fat

Ok, I’m fat. I know that!

I don’t care, except for putting on my shoes. Call me fat and I won’t be offended, because I am. I have this theory that people ought not to be offended by the truth about themselves.

I hate when I’m told that I’m addicted to food! Look, damn it, I’m not addicted to food – ok! What a damn fool idea! You may as well tell me I’m addicted to air. I tried to give up air once. It didn’t take very long before I was having intense withdrawal symptoms.

I don’t even like eating all that much. Eating requires getting up from my computer and doing stuff that I’m not much interested in anymore. After 20 years of cooking for a living it is sort of a been there done that thing. The same thing goes for taking a piss. Breathing I can do sitting right here, so I do it over and over again. Yet no one says, “hey you must be addicted to breathing!”

So go ahead and call me fat, but you better not tell me I’m addicted!

But Wait There's More!

The TV assures me that the nice lady will sell me this wonderful new dooflicky that I simply must have because without it her actors are just clumsy oafs unable to get the hang of using ma’s old whatchamajigger that she used for years. What a nice lady! She spent gobs of money on a commercial in order to sell me her dooflicky that will cure my inability to move my work closer to the outlet. I’m stupid that way. (I always do my work 1 inch away from the cord’s longest reach, don’t you?) But wait there’s more!

The nice lady is going to sell me her dooflicky, a $60 value, for a mere $19.95 plus shipping and handling, which if I squint hard enough I can make out to be $7.95. So for $27.90 I can have this valuable dooflicky for less then half price. Yep, the nice lady is willing to loose money so that I can flip my pancake without tossing it into the garbage by mistake. But wait there’s more

For just eleven cents a day I can protect my baby with the Gerber Life Grow Up plan. Protect my baby from what? Does eleven cents a day buy my kid a guardian angel, or perhaps a secret service agent willing to take a childhood disease for the little tyke?

Derrick Jensen calls our culture “the culture of make believe”. He is right. We can pretend that paying an insurance company to give us five grand if little Sally runs into traffic should we get temporarily distracted by the tenth wedgie of the day, is protecting the kid. I know we so pretend because I never hear anyone exclaim at any of these commercials, “hey that’s pretty stupid”. More telling still is that Gerber Life has been running this ad for quite awhile. That means that people are buying it – literally buying it. Only a few nut cases like my self are offended by the ad. As I watch the pretty mother cuddle her beautiful baby and talk about "protection", I just have to wonder, does Gerber sell this “protection” in Baghdad? No? Imagine that! Baghdad babies need more protection than American babies right now. But wait there’s more…

Hacking the Tree of Liberty

“In the fight against terrorism, some rights must be repealed,” says Junaid M. Afeef. Afeef is an associate of the institute of social Policy and Understanding. Afeef assures us that it is no longer safe for the public to carry guns. No longer safe? When the hell was it safe for the public to carry guns? The right to bear arms isn’t about being safe. It is about being dangerous enough to keep the government in check.

I hate this assumption that being a Citizen of the United States is about being safe. No, no, no it is not about being safe it is about being freeeeeeeeeeee! “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both,” said Benjamin Franklin. Let us pause for a question from Francis Scott Key.

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.O say, does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

I guess not, eh? Perhaps we ought to change the National Anthem to something like Mary Had a Little Lamb. I think that it was Jefferson that said that the tree of liberty needs to be watered by blood from time to time. I hear this all the time, “freedom is not free.” I think by this we mean that freedom costs $300 billion Dollars +++ for blowing up foreign peoples in hopes of stepping on a terrorist or two. Oh, and freedom means the blood and limbs of economically oppressed young people in exchange for a shot at opportunity. Let their blood water the tree of liberty in a far far place, while we hack off a few branches and spend time shopping for a softer brand of toilet paper.

[Afeef]Today, only a handful of citizens outside of neo-nazi and white supremacist goups view gun ownership as a means of keeping the government in check. Even those citizens who continue to maintain such antiquated views must face the reality that the United States’ armed forces are too large and too powerful for the citizenry to make much difference. Quite frankly, the idea of the citizenry rising up against the U.S. government with their handguns and assault rifles, and facing the military with these personal arms is absurd. The Branch Davidian tragedy at Waco, Texas, was one such futile attempt.

I used to agree with this, not as a reason for abolishing the 2nd amendment, but because the right to bear arms has been whittled back enough that the government enjoys a superiority of fire power. But Afeef and I forget the principles of asymmetric warfare if it came to the necessity of citizens rising up against the government. One way to avoid the necessity of an uprising is to stop hacking off branches of liberty’s tree. Just because this particular liberty has become a little shaky (OK a lot shaky) is no reason to do away with it all together. Afeef stands ready to deliver the last hatchet blow to this particular limb of liberty.

Afeef complains of wanton violence in connection with guns as if somehow wanton violence will disappear if guns disappear. Well we do average about 12,000 gun related homicides/year vs. 300 legal self/other defense killings. So it may seem as if he has a point. About 16,000/year of us die from falls. By Afeef’s logic we ought to ban the right to bear and climb ladders. Wanton violence is part of our culture. We don’t like to admit it, but we didn’t just ask Native Americans nicely, “hey, can we have your land?” No, we mugged them for it, and we are proud of it. Giving up guns would make wanton violence more difficult, but won’t make it go away.

[Afeef] The idea of curtailing rights in the name of homeland security does not seem implausible given the current state of civil liberties in the United States. The war on terror has already taken an enormous toll on the First, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments, and thus far, very few Americans have objected. In light of this precedence, it seems reasonable that scaling back or even repealing the right to bear arms would be an easy task.

Ok here is a hell of an argument, freedom should be given up because freddom is being given up. While rights are being eroded in the name of safety, lets just do away with this (eroded) right all together. Hell, lets just tell Bush he’s dictator. His word is law. Piss on this constitution thing, maybe it is “just a goddamned piece of paper”. Screw rights. Screw the constitution. Screw everything. Just don’t let the big bad terrorist huff and puff and blow my house down.

Well folks – not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.

2000 miles

2000 miles
Originally uploaded by Mikimba.

I'm just testing how to blog from flicker. As a veteran these things touch me deeply. The graves of war go on to infinity, and yet we are no smarter.

Outrageous Statements

I thought it might be fun to answer Media Matters Most Outrageous Statements of 2005 with some more outrageous statements of my own.

Former Reagan administration Secretary of Education Bill Bennett: "[Y]ou could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." [Salem Radio Network's Bill Bennett's Morning in America, 9/28/05]

You could have all people making more than $100,000 steralized and your resources would eventually be more equally distributed.

Pat Robertson: "If [Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez] thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it." [Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club, 8/22/05]

I don’t know what everybody is upset about. Assassination and torture are fine old Christian traditions. That is, what do you expect from someone that believes in going back to the basics?

Bill O'Reilly to San Francisco: "[I]f Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. ... You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead." [Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, 12/8/05]

I’m with Bill on this one. We haven’t done anything about the last time Al Qaeda blew up a tower or two. No reason to suspect that we would in the future either.

Bill O'Reilly, agreeing with caller that illegal immigrants are "biological weapon[s]": "I think you could probably make an absolutely airtight case that more than 3,000 Americans have been either killed or injured, based upon the 11 million illegals who are here." [Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, 4/15/05]

I’m not sure about this. But rest assured that when American biological units invade another country illegally there will be a hell of a lot more dead then 3,000.

Rush Limbaugh: "Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society." [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 8/12/05]

Then Rush should join now so that he can have access to the mainstream of society.

Rush Limbaugh on the kidnapping of peace activists in Iraq: "I'm telling you, folks, there's a part of me that likes this." [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 11/29/05]

I understand Rush. There is a part of me that would like to see you skinned alive with a dull knife and a pair vice grips. Of course this would have to take place after your illegal drugs have worn off.

Ann Coulter: Bill Clinton "was a very good rapist"; "I'm getting a little fed up with hearing about, oh, civilian casualties"; "I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning." [New York Observer, 1/10/05]

I think Osama had something like this in mind. Ann and Osama must have gone to the same schools. I wonder if they dated.

Ann Coulter: "Isn't it great to see Muslims celebrating something other than the slaughter of Americans?" [Syndicated column, 2/3/05]

I’m sorry, what slaughter is she referring to?

Radio host Glenn Beck: "[Y]ou know it took me about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims' families? Took me about a year." [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program, 9/9/05]

Wow, something I’m better at! It only took me 15 minutes to start hating Glen Beck.

Tucker Carlson: "Canada is a sweet country. It is like your retarded cousin you see at Thanksgiving and sort of pat him on the head. You know, he's nice, but you don't take him seriously. That's Canada." [MSNBC's The Situation with Tucker Carlson, 12/15/05]

Tucker is right, Canada is sweet. And we don’t take any country seriously.

American Family Association president Tim Wildmon: Liberals "don't have the kind of family responsibilities most people have, and certainly not church responsibilities." [American Family Radio's Today's Issues, 5/11/05]

Gosh, I’m type tied. But I see that Wildmon is just as much of a pin head as he ever was. “Tim did you commission this study or did the voices tell you?”

David Horowitz on Cindy Sheehan: "It's very hard to have respect for a woman who exploits the death of her own son and doesn't respect her own son's life. ... She portrays him as an idiot." [MSNBC's Connected: Coast to Coast, 8/16/05]

I hope that David’s mom doesn’t wait ‘til he’s dead before she tells him he’s an idiot. But then we wouldn’t find Dave in a war would we?

Pat Buchanan: "Our guys" in Iraq "have got every right to have good news put into the media and get to the people of Iraq, even if it's got to be planted or bought." [MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, 12/1/05]

That’s right Pat! The people of Iraq have just as much right to be lied to by our leaders as we do! It’s what our boys and girls die for!

National Review editor Rich Lowry: Given EPA-mandated "small-flush" toilets, "[h]ow is it possible to flush a Quran down the toilet?" [Young America's Foundation speech, 8/5/05]

They did studies using Gideon Bibles looted from Motel 8s. The toilets are designed to flush the holy with the lest amount of water.

Neal Boortz, suggesting that a victim of Hurricane Katrina housed in an Atlanta hotel consider prostitution: "I dare say she could walk out of that hotel and walk 100 yards in either direction on Fulton Industrial Boulevard here in Atlanta and have a job. What's that? Well, no, no, no. ... Well, you know what? [laughing] Now that you mention it ... [i]f that's the only way she can take care of herself, it sure beats the hell out of sucking off the taxpayers." [Cox Radio Syndication's The Neal Boortz Show, 10/24/05]

Of course that means that her customers would have to be from the insanely rich, cause otherwise she’d be sucking off taxpayers.

Focus on the Family founder and chairman James C. Dobson: Same-sex marriage would lead to "marriage between daddies and little girls ... between a man and his donkey." [Focus on the Family radio program, 10/6/05]

I always suspect that Dobson didn’t the difference between boys and girls.

Accuracy in Media editor Cliff Kincaid: "Have you noticed that many news organizations, in honor of former ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings, have embarked on a quit smoking campaign? So why don't our media launch a campaign advising people to quit engaging in the dangerous and addictive homosexual lifestyle? ... It appears that the homosexual lifestyle is as addictive as smoking." [Accuracy in Media column, 12/14/05]

I’m shocked, I didn’t know that Peter was gay!
blog

Is it Clear Now?

The Presidents Oath: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Our Christian President upon being advised that parts of the [un]Patriot Act could be unconstitutional if challenged, had the following exchange with an Aid.

“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”
“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”
“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Given these facts and given the fact that George W. Bush has confessed that he violated the 4th amendment by breaking the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, it should be clear to anyone, even a mind clouded right wing lawyer, that George W. Bush should be impeached.

Long Live the King

Do you believe President Bush's actions justify impeachment? * 114081 responses

Yes, between the secret spying, the deceptions leading to war and more, there is plenty to justify putting him on trial. 85%

No, like any president, he has made a few missteps, but nothing approaching "high crimes and misdemeanors." 5%

No, the man has done absolutely nothing wrong. Impeachment would just be a political lynching. 9% (image placeholder)

I don't know. 2% (image placeholder)

George said way back when that he would like to be dictator. We all thought he was joking at the time. But it is becoming increasingly clear that he meant what he said. He has violated numerous international laws that we have agreed to via treaty, which makes those laws the law of the land.* George has openly admitted to violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. In addition he has probably violated many other laws as well given his attitude as is shown by his statements when faced with the expiration of the Patriot act.

“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”
“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”
“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

He may as well have said, “I am the State.” Given his Oath ("I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.") I would contend that his words are enough to constitute treason. Obviously George has no intention to protect the constitution.

I know the MSNBC poll presented above is unscientific, but nevertheless it gives me a little hope that the people have had enough of this tyrant.


*This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

I'm a Scum Sucking Godless Liberal

Well poke me in the eye with a sharp stick!  A recent study done in the polisci department of UCLA, by Tim Groseclose and Jeffrey Milyo

…show[s] a strong liberal bias: all of the news
outlets we examine, except Fox News’ Special Report and the Washington Times, received scores to the left of the average member of Congress. Consistent with claims made by conservative critics, CBS Evening News and the New York Times received scores far to the left of center. The most centrist media outlets were PBS NewsHour, CNN’s Newsnight, and ABC’s Good Morning America; among print outlets, USAToday was closest to the center. All of our findings refer strictly to news content; that is, we exclude editorials, letters, and the like.

From my point of view, the media are all right wing wackos.  Well ok only Fox has actual wackos.  It is kind of a shock to find out that I must be so left wing that the Liberal Media look like Rush Limbaugh’s lap dogs to me.  I can’t figure out if this is good news or not.

On one hand, it turns out that the government is letting Corporate kings out of their obligations to pay the pensions that they promised their employees, while at the same time make sure that you have to pay off your Christmas shopping  spree next summer even if some catastrophic illness in your family makes you extremely short of funds.  You can just go ahead and sell your house and car to pay for it.  Don’t bitch walk to work, if you still have a job. At least congressmen will have a pension to supplement their meager bribe income, and they only have to work one term to get it.  So you see the way to have a pension is to get elected.

You would think that this little disparity would be big time news in a left wing media.  This is left wing media hay.  

On the other hand it is said the Media sell the news that people want to hear.  Does that mean that the silent majority is liberal and ready to break out in rebellion against the thieves in Washington?

Letter to Harry Reid

I received a fund raising letter from Senator Harry Reid. I have the feeling that nothing will be fixed when the Democrats win back power.

Dear Senator Reid,
Let me thank you for calling the closed session to get some answers about the Plame affair. Better late than never as me old granny used to say.

I got your fund raising letter day before yesterday for the DSCC. I was tempted just to pitch it. However, that would mean that you wouldn't get the chance to hear what I had to say on the matter to explain why I'm not going to send you any money.

It is true enough that the present administration is into corruption up to its eyeballs, but that has been the case since the beginning with barely a mummer from the Democrats that I was ever able to pick out. Most of you guys voted to give Mr. Bush and company war powers without any significant debate or even checking of the facts. The excuse that the administration gave you misleading information doesn't cut bait with me. I, a backwoods country cook with no highfalutin education, was able to determine that there were no WMDs in Iraq just from what was available on the net and in the news. But even if there had been stockpiles of WMDs it would not be sufficient justification for the illegal war eagerly launched by Bush and company. Even so we had democrats falling all over themselves to support such criminal non-sense. This made no sense to me at the time, since Mr. Bush had no mandate. Indeed he wasn't even elected – another thing that democrats just caved to.

I haven't seen the Democrats make any significant moves against the injustice perpetrated against the people being held prisoner in Guantanamo Bay. These people need to be tried, or let go immediately and reparations made for the destruction of their lives. And as soon as possible those involved with this criminal detention need to be tried as well, even if all the prisoners turn out to be guilty of something besides fighting for what they believed in. In Northwood's lingo, "this is enough of this bullshit."

Yes, I agree with you that the American people deserve better than this present administration. So do the rest of the people in the world, especially at this time the Iraqis. I'm not convinced that the Democrats are the answer to that problem. I would be a bit more comfortable if guys like Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich were at the top of your policy making heap. Nevertheless, the Democrats have always been up to their necks in political shenanigans themselves, which is the main reason y'all don't point fingers at GOP corruption until even Fox news can't help but see it. I'm a combat veteran of Vietnam, another war plunged into on the basis of lies and nonsense policy, but that timelies and policies of the Democrats. Lying America into war is pretty much business as usual with the Federal Government. I'm pretty sick of it myself.

I certainly sympathize with your throw out the bums letter, but I worry that if successful, your campaign would displace "in your face bums" with more "circumspect bums", if you take my meaning. So if you really want my money and support you have to say something about what you are going to replace them with. Here are some things that need to be done:

1. Complete elimination of any form of gerrymandering. Congressional districts need to be formed as randomly as possible.


2. Stop Republican and Democratic collusion against new parties.


3. A national open meeting law along the lines of Wisconsin's open meeting law. The Federal Government has way too many secrets! Most government secrecy is about hiding Government corruption and stupidity, not national security.


4. Election reform that includes instant run off voting and absolutely no private funding, gifts or what ever! If a law maker takes so much as a pencil from a private party s/he should be considered guilty of corruption!


5. Laws that remove the status of personhood from corporations. Corporations are not people and do not deserve the rights of people. They certainly don't deserve the right to determine the course of government as they do.


6. Military reform that makes the military a citizen defense force for the defense of the physical homeland only, and cannot be used as diplomacy by other means.


7. Real participation in the United Nations.


8. Taxation according to means only.


9. Elimination of the bogus "War on Terror". Terror is real but no more dangerous to Americans than lightening. It certainly isn't dangerous enough to be worth the $100's of billions being spent on it that primarily go towards pissing more people off at Americans.

The list is by no means exhaustive, in my opinion at least, but if it was clear that the Democrats stood for these sorts of policies I would be more inclined to send you "the $50 or $75 or even more" as you asked.
Sincerely,Randen Pederson

Poison a Baby for Christmas

Ok Christians, what in the name of your “all good” God is going on?

Y’all* wanted a man of God like George W. Bush in power so that you could make abortion illegal for those unfortunate women that can’t afford to go to some foreign and enlightened country to exercise their right to privacy.

Yet this same man of God is having his EPA ok testing pesticides on children as long as they are:

• Neglected or abused. No adult consent needed.


• Mentally handicapped or orphaned


• Belong to some other country

So why haven’t we heard any of this from the pulpit?  Why isn’t O’Reilly making a stink about this instead of Happy Holiday’s?  How about Farwell, Robertson, and Dobson; where are they?  What about your own preacher?  Do you really want to make sure the poor have babies so that they can be poisoned – slowly?  You can’t find any scripture that prohibits abortion, yet you can find plenty of scripture that tell you to take care of the already born or else. (Mathew 25:31-46)  I’m telling you that if this God is real you’re in trouble.  Y’all seem to be worried about God getting mad, so I don’t understand why y’all aren’t hopping mad about this or about babies getting bombed in Iraq.

*Yes I know this isn’t entirely fair I know plenty of Christians that would throw Bush’s ass in the slammer where belongs if they had the chance.  I’m talking to those who actually think/thought Bush is a Godly man.

Fool Me As Often as You Like

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, it's probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. It fool me. We can't get fooled again." George W Bush

The President who, according to Dick Cheney, knew exactly where the WMDs were hidden is now pretending that he was fooled by the intelligence same as the Congressional idiots. Of course he’s not going to show you his intelligence, because stupid intelligence would injure National Security if it were known. Maybe those people that gave us the stupid intelligence wouldn’t give us more stupid intelligence in the future, if it was known who they are (Ahmed Chalabi, Judith Miller, Cheney’s manicurist, and tortured guys). National Security depends deeply on stupid intelligence so it wouldn’t do just to throw bath water out, even though the baby died long ago.

I know you’re thinking “stupid intelligence?!” What other kind of intelligence does Bush have? Well, you’ve got a point. He’s basically just admitted that he is an idiot.

"[I]t's a myth to think I don't know what's going on… I mean, there was a serious international effort to say to Saddam Hussein, you're a threat. And the 9/11 attacks extenuated that threat, as far as I—concerned." Philadelphia, Pa

Sure Saddam was a threat to the guy that burned his toast in the morning. Notice the Idiot in Chief, was fooled by Chalabi into believing that Saddam did 9/11, admits that he was fooled, and then says (I think, sometimes it only sounds like Bush is talking English.) that 9/11 shows that Saddam was a threat. We spend uncounted billions on the CIA, which said “Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11. Yet, Bush chooses info by Chalabi. Brownie you’re doing a great job Bush used to be Chalabi you’re doing a great job Bush. Anyway now we know that Bush is not the Liar in Chief, because, thank God, he is the Idiot in Chief. Isn’t that comforting? God chose an idiot to govern us. God must be pointing and giggling even as I type.

Nevertheless, even if he knew that he was being fooled in spite of his highly trained and paid intelligence guys, Bush would have invaded anyway. In other words, if the Pres doesn’t like you, we invade your country is our foreign policy. Let’s hope that Hu Jintao doesn’t piss George off any time soon.

Bumper Sticker Needed

I didn't know that the fellows over at the Pentagon were such pussies. I thought we hired these guys because they were at the head of the tough class. But alas no. According to a secret document obtained by MSNBC the Pentagon Goons consider knitting grandmothers at Quaker meetings a threat.

It is a bit disconcerting that money we gave to the Pentagon to find Osama is being spent to monitor Quakers, but you never know! Maybe Osama got converted, and now he is a peace loving Quaker. Oh, wait! I get it! “Peace loving” would be a threat to the War Department. If knitting grandmothers manage to start a peace, the war guys could find themselves downsized and in advanced burger flipper training. Well at least they would still get to wear a uniform.

Now that Christmas is near the War guys would do well too keep an eye out for the Prince of Peace! Better to slaughter a few babes then let that let that fella grow up! Knitting grandma’s beware! The War guys know who you are.

Where can I get a bumper sticker that says this car stops at peace rallies! I want to support the troops by making it easy for them to write down my license plate number and put it in a secret document. That will give them more time to watch them grannies.

Your Tax cut at Work.

Our dead “heroes” are being shipped home as freight. Ya, I know that sounds bad, but hey they are dead. Everyone must sacrifice for the good of the tax cuts. Sure, families and friends of the “heroes” might feel bad, but they will get over it. The important thing is not to spend too much on the soldiers. If the families want their bodies to come home all fancy like, they can pay for it, just like they paid for little Johnny’s body armor. In fact that might be a good business opportunity for people getting out of the military: Military Escorts are Us or some such. Somebody will make a fortune out of it, and that is what war is for. Anyway families shouldn’t complain about their kids not getting wrapped in the flag. The flags are probably made in China with left over Communist Red Cloth.

I wish I had a Fanner 50

Pale Rider

I’m not normally an anti-gun guy. Guns don’t kill people. Guns make it easier to kill people. Of course Guns also make it easier to kill animals and old soup cans. Guns can make a decent pry bar in a pinch too. But lets face it, guns were not invented for hunting or making holes in soup cans from a distance. Guns were used in war for quite a while before making holes in soup cans from a distance, became something more than a matter of chance. As the Constitution of the United States makes perfectly unclear, the right to bear arms has something to do with war. Soup cans aren’t mentioned.

As our illustrious President, Tricky Dick used to say, “I’m not against making holes in soup cans from a distance.” I just wanted to make that perfectly clear. I do object to gun worshipers like Gerard Valentino though. An internet friend sent me the link to Valentino’s article, which is a plea for a return to “Golden Days of Yesteryear.”

Valentino uses Pale Rider as an excuse er explanation of why everyone should pack a side arm. The movie would also make a case for packing dynamite too but Valentino fails to mention that part of the Preachers sermon.

On the surface it looks as if Valentino’s argument would hold some water. A gun in hand (all other things being equal like the ability to hit the soup can under stress instead of the old guy eating his Big Mack) is a the great equalizer! Or is it? Part of the movie myth is that when the good guy points his Peacemaker over in your direction there is no need to duck, unless you’re the bad guy. Bullets in the real world aren’t quite so selective. People under stress are not the cool markspersons, that the Preacher portrays. And, lets not forget the Preachers dynamite. I’m not going to say don’t arm yourself. However, if you do, keep in mind the term “arms-race” When you start packing a pointy stick to defend yourself, remember that it won’t be long before the other guy figures out that if his stick is longer than your stick… I guess I wouldn’t mind packing a cute little 32 in my purse, but when I have to start lugging around a .50 cal. Machine gun and its tripod, I’m going to object. Let’s open our eyes to the fact that Valentino is counting on gun control. That’s right. He is counting on the Government preventing you from using Rocket Propelled Grenades to rob his gas station, so that he can plug you with his nostalgic Peacemaker.

Let us pause here and give some thought to the reason people packed guns in the Olde West. What were people moving west doing? Oh, that’s right, they were taking land and resources away from the people that were already there. When you do that sort of thing you worry that maybe the rightful owner might decide to take his stuff back or that other robbers like yourself may turn their attention to you – no honor among thieves and all that. So you pack a gun to protect yourself from the bad guy that is out doing what you’ve already done. With that in mind, let’s consider Valentino’s closing statements.

The gun-control movement also uses their wild-west imagery to take the moral high ground in the debate over gun rights. Simply stated there is nothing moral about leaving honest people at the whim of predatory criminals. Instead, as the preacher in Pale Rider taught us it is moral and just to defend innocent people - even with a gun if necessary. Returning to such a time when innocent people could defend their own life without interference from the police or anti-gun do-gooders only concerned with filing some emotional compulsion to confiscate guns would be a step backwards for criminals and therefore a step forward for everyone else. A return to the so called wild-west should be welcomed by anyone not committed to furthering the safety and well being of robbers, rapists and murderers.

Aside from that fact that this article is an emotional appeal to gun packing, it assigns to us a morality that was sadly lacking in our ancestors. Valentino is right to a degree. Our culture does produce many predatory people. However, not very many of them use guns to achieve their ends. The good predators among us use the law. I think that you would be better off packing a lawyer.

Culture of Lies

Culture of Lies

I suppose that we can’t blame The Thief in Chief for being such a liar.  After all the economy is pretty much based on lies.  I wouldn’t even begin to try to count all the TV ads that offer stuff for free, that will cost you at least $7.95 shipping and handling.  

Sweetie showed me an ad yesterday offering purses from a local purse emporium with prices ranging from 3 to 7 and ½ grand.  Holy buckets of bullshit Batman!  You are going to tell me that a sane woman is going to shell out $7,500 for something to carry her old gum wrappers in?  That’s right they will, and they will stand in line to do it if they have to.  They fell for the lie that gum wrapper toting devices can be worth 3,750 days of labor from one of the bottom 3,000,000,000 wage earners on the earth.

Then there is that ad that shows the pretty woman being overwhelmed by the love of her honey because he delivered her three pieces of crystallized carbon via snowplow.  That’s a lie, but you can bet that guys and gals in TV land will fall for it.  And they have to fall for it, because if they don’t we will all be in the bread line.

Do you like having your living mostly based on lies?  I don’t. It makes me feel queasy. Something between .8 and 1 trillion dollars worth of business happens each and every day in the world. 20% of this business is about actual goods and services the rest is financial smoke and mirrors.*  But it is worse then that, cause much of the tangible business is about crap, like crystals of carbon to prove your love, or tickets to football games. (Yes, I already know that crap is in the eye of the beholder.)

You know how your Grandpappy always told you not to buy a bill of goods or take any wooden nickels?  Well we do it every day.  So it wouldn’t do to fault Mr. Bush for handing out wooden nickels as if they were the real McCoy.  Christ you know it ain’t easy, he’s only trying to get a piece of our stupidity.

* When Corporations Rule the World (p.181)

Government by Who

Government by Who?

An editorial from the NY Times today opens by saying, “We are about to loose New Orleans.”  The cost of saving the city by building a good levee would cost $32 billion.  (If Halliburton gets the contract expect $64 billion.) Problem is we don’t have the money to fix a real problem like this.  Of course there is enough money to spend $225,826,900,313 and counting on fake problems like war on terror and finding WMDs.

I expect that it was around the end of WWII that Government for the People and by People gave its last gasp.  Roosevelt may have managed to return it to the people if it hadn’t been for that pesky war.  Doesn’t seem odd to you reader that for some reason we always manage to have a war just in the nick of time to prevent the People from making the Government of the People so that it might be for the people.  Vietnam saved the country from the civil rights reformers and Iraq is saving the country from doing nice things for the People like putting their town back, or letting them eat, or letting them go to school, or letting them see a doctor.

What was that Lincoln said at Gettysburg?  Something about Government for the People and by the People not perishing from the earth.  Well its gone from the earth folks.  It perished sure enough, even if it looks otherwise to you.  If you remember that cool sword fight movie, El Cid, you will understand what is going on.  El Cid died before the last battle.  The politicos had to tie him to his saddle so no one would panic as they went forth to battle the infidels.  Yep that’s right, Uncle Sam has been tied to his saddle for some time, and most of us have failed to notice.  There he is bones rattling around inside his shinny armor gaily (can I say gaily?) leading the charge while the politicos are busy empting the treasury.  

The People of New Orleans need their Government to be for them, but it is not.  The insanely rich just got another $95 billion dollar tax cut, just about enough to build 3 levee systems for The Big Easy.  It is like this because the Government has not been by the People for some time.

Well Even Liars can

Well Even Liars can Tell the Truth.
I got this article today from Robert Lee. Apparently this article is really by Rush. It’s hard to believe, but I could kiss him for it. Yes, on the ass too! Did Rush realize that this shows that his income is over the top? Supposedly big business guys deserve their big money because they risk a lot. Piss, all they risk is a stack of paper. Our boys and girls risk their lives folks – for practically nothing. But the lot of the soldier is to assure profits to the corporations. It has been all along.

By Rush Limbaugh:
I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.
If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.
Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.
Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers.
We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.
You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?
However, our own U.S. Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system.
If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month
I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.

The last paragraph is kind of silly coming from 4f Rush, but God bless him anyway!

The Joke’s on us.

Okay, I'm listening to one of the left-wing Limbaughs on Air America and don't you just know but a right wing nut calls up with the sky is falling and only Bush can hold it up rant. If Bush goes down you can count on being shot by a foreign sniper when you go out to get your morning paper. What is worse, is that the day Bush is incarcerated for playing war president with real cluster bombs and nifty drone aircraft, the Chinese will be in Peoria changing the God-given Wal-Mart sign to a bunch of them squiggly things they call writing. Litigation, Terrorists, and Chinese -- oh my!

While it used to be worth a giggle or two, the war on terror is a joke that is starting to wear. Even liberals haven’t wised up about it yet. I've been pondering trying to figure the source of American ignorance in the matter. I have the notion that this ignorance starts with Americans thinking that they won't die unless someone else makes them die. That is why Joe and Jane American can sit and watch Fox news about the latest subway bombing and go, "oh my God -- let's give Halliburton another 50 billion bucks!" Here's the funny part: Joe and Jane American finish off their six-pack of Bud, flick off the TV with their remote, get off their Fox watching coach, light up a Marlboro and Virginia Slim and drive 10 miles to McDonald's for supper... Eh? What you mean you don't get it?!

Okay, I'll explain. Your chance of being killed by terrorists is something less than being killed by lightning. Now, when was the last time you were struck by lightning -- let alone killed? Ha! I thought so. Now don't you think it would be funny to spend a few hundred billion dollars on a war on lightning? Wouldn't you think someone was pulling your leg even if it was hyped on Fox news?

I don't get me wrong. I'm just as happy as the next guy to smart bomb and torture dangerous people, but I like to get my money's worth. Cost benefit wise we would come off better if we smart bomb fast food joints and liquor stores, and tortured tobacco and advertising executives. But, seriously folks, I know that America is still the home of the brave, because millions of us get up every day and face the things that really kill us without giving it a second thought, or maybe even a first thought. If you are worried about being shot look around you. Statistically speaking your chances of being shot by someone you know far outweigh an encounter with a terrorist. If you are worried about chemical attack look at the tailpipe of your car, or the stuff being sprayed on your neighbor's lawn in the spring. If you are worried about biological attack, ponder your next big Mac, or your next cigarette. In point of fact we are all much more likely to die by what we eat, drink, smoke, or drive, and yet we managed to live with that every day without getting hysterical. Why get hysterical over terrorists? Tell your politicians that the joke is over -- no more money for wars on terror!