Riverbend Returns

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/2013_04_01_archive.html#3554538807908354245%233554538807908354245

Almost 6 years since Riverbend's last post. I remember going again and again to her blogpage and wondering what had happened to her- Did she live? Did she die? What does she think about how it all turned out?

What an absolute waste the Iraq invasion was. What a blackmark against Freedom and the true ideals of America.

What a disgusting shame that we all had a hand in, as Americans.

Forgive us, Riverbend. If you can...

We, The People

Watching Michelle Obama's speech at the DNC:

Some days I don't feel it so much, but after that speech, watching all those tears of joy, it really made me proud of how far we've come. In spite of the racists, in spite of the small minded fools, and in spite of the many people who try to turn this country and our precious democracy into its anthesis-pure capitalism that worships at the altar of greed- we still move forward, we still make progress, as long as we get out ther and fight for what is right for the PEOPLE.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-election/full-text-first-lady-michelle-obama-s-speech-at-the-democratic-national-convention-20120904?page=1

(excerpts from her closing remarks)

"So today, when the challenges we face start to seem overwhelming – or even impossible – let us never forget that doing the impossible is the history of this nation…it's who we are as Americans…it's how this country was built.

And if our parents and grandparents could toil and struggle for us…if they could raise beams of steel to the sky, send a man to the moon, and connect the world with the touch of a button…then surely we can keep on sacrificing and building for our own kids and grandkids.

And if so many brave men and women could wear our country's uniform and sacrifice their lives for our most fundamental rights…then surely we can do our part as citizens of this great democracy to exercise those rights…surely, we can get to the polls and make our voices heard on Election Day.

If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire…if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores…if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote…if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time…if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream…and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love…then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream.

Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country – the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle."

...

"Because today, I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all our sons and daughters…if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and opportunities worthy of their promise…if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility – that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you're willing to work for it…then we must work like never before…and we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward…my husband, our President, President Barack Obama."

The wisdom of a closed mouth

True Wisdom is knowing when to explain yourself and when to leave the clueless to their own ignorant conclusions.

My old philosophy was saving the world, one asshole at a time.

My new one is to let the assholes be assholes, to their own eventual undoing.

You can't save em all.

And sometimes, they look so cute tying the noose around their own necks.

Because... I can't

Reading this worthy's account of the Oakland Occupiers, I came to this conclusion:

They are doing the hard work, so obviously, yes, they aren't the other 98% of us, who do realize we are being screwed by 1% but can't seem to muster the energy or motivation to do anything but bitch about it, occasionally.

Burning a flag will piss off some large group of Americans. True. And it will alienate those. But, I can't disagree with it, that much. I understand. That flag doesnt stand for what it used to. Our country is what it is, right now. It could be better.

These folks are patriotic in a very pure sense- they are out there, because they actually BELIEVE their voice counts.

I aint out there.

I got to go to work. I got to put food on the table, lucky me, cuz i can.

They believe that protest can work. They believe that if they can draw more attention to the root cause of the problem in our country's economic and moral (yep, i said it, but probably not meant in the same way most amerkans say it) downfall-will make lethargic middle america take notice. AND, yes, affecting the bottom line of corporations by fucking with a port for a couple of hours will be a thorn in some corporate spreadsheet this quarter. Maybe, maybe not.

They Believe in America. They wouldnt be out there if they didnt. I admire the hell out of that.

Because, I don't any more.

Its kind of like wanting to believe in Love, or some shit. I want to, late at night, when I've had about four too many drinks.

So "God bless their dumb asses".

These folks, flag-burners and all, are whats left of our country's soul. Mine, damn me to hell, has fled.

If we have a hope to survive as the greatest free country in the world, it lies in another quote I read tonight:

"Injustice will be ended when those who are not wronged are as indignant as those who are"

It's far, far too late for Me to start holding my breath, but I save a last gasp for those with the Gods-defying audacity to do so.

Delayed Responses

Response to a friend who is bitching that somehow his freedoms are being taken away by the government:

A solid government is an ever-evolving entity. Its strength lies in its ability to protect, promote, and foster its people. Pure capitalism, as we have seen, time and time again, will NOT do these things. America was founded on principles of freedom, equality and justice.

The amount of freedom, equality and justice we receive is up to us and the government we allow to be established. How WE protect, promote and foster our Government will determine these things. Nothing is black and white, and we have to give up certain amounts of freedom in order to maintain a more perfect union. We have to be taxed, in order to fund this nation and take care of it. Equality and Justice are two items that we do not have to sacrifice on any level in order to make this country work.

We are pretty well protected in most general cases. I don't fear invasion anytime soon. We have decent roads and infrastructure, but we must maintain it with federal and state monies. But, can we re-establish the powers that the last couple of Presidents and congress have stripped from the EPA in order to protect us from the next environmental disaster corporations have in store for our land and water?

Can our government protect our jobs by taking away tax breaks to the corporations that have moved 2.5 billion jobs to foreign countries?
Can they protect our soldiers by getting us out of these bullshit wars in the Middle East?
Can they protect my children by ensuring social safety nets and good education by putting my tax dollars to good use?

I'd rather pay to help the people of this country than to subjugate the people halfway around the world.

America has moved into this "Winning is Everything" mentality. Well, just be sure that what you are "Winning" at is the game that is worth winning. The smartest people in the room always lose when they take shortcuts to the greater good.

And, don't let these Ayn Rand selfish bastards fool you. There IS a greater good. If you work towards it. They just don't trust themselves enough to believe that anyone out there is good. That's their own shortcoming. Don't let it be OURS.

W. glances back and shrugs...

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/13/all-about-mea.html#

All About Mea
by Jacob Weisberg

Upon leaving office, the U.S. president moves quickly into a new job: press agent for his past. None openly acknowledge this role, and few fail to become obsessed with it. By tradition, the former commander in chief directs his energy toward three reputational weigh-ins: the blockbuster memoir (which only the self-effacing Bush 41 failed to produce), the partisan biographical museum known as a presidential library, and his obituary.

What distinguishes George W. Bush from previous redemption seekers is that while protesting that he doesn’t sweat the judgment of history, he has focused on it to the exclusion of any other useful contribution to society. Bush did not remain engaged in foreign-policy issues, like Nixon or his father, or devote himself to global good works, like Carter and Clinton. His closest model so far is LBJ, who raced around his Texas ranch and stewed.

Bush faces an even steeper climb. When he left office, he was tied with Nixon for the title of least popular president. The legacy of two unfinished wars and a financial crisis make his near-term prospects for rehabilitation look pretty bleak. The right dislikes him for leaving behind a bloated government, the left for all the obvious reasons. In coming out with a book less than two years after leaving Washington, 43 is challenging a strong consensus that rates him a failure.

Decision Points sets out a straightforward case that we should think better of him. The argument in a nutshell: after the September 11 attacks, he had to act forcefully to defend the country. He did what he thought was right, made tough decisions, and prevented another major terrorist attack. He encouraged the spread of freedom around the globe.

The presentation has some of Bush’s familiar virtues: it’s crisp, blunt, and doesn’t ramble on and on. In the book, he does something he never did in office, namely, acknowledge error. Bush says he failed to make decisions quickly enough or communicate his concern after Hurricane Katrina. He shouldn’t have let them put up that MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner. “It was a big mistake,” he writes.

The book also has Bush’s weaknesses: it is superficial, simplistic, and impatient to be finished. He leaps to conclusions without apparent thought or evidence. Bush’s capable former speechwriter, Chris Michel, has done an impressive job structuring a readable narrative around a series of major events. But if he leads his old boss to water, he can’t make him think. Because Bush is intellectually and emotionally incapable of truly reconsidering the past, his memoir fails to make a case that we should reconsider our view of him.

When CIA director George Tenet asks him to approve the waterboarding of terrorist suspects, Bush replies in characteristic fashion: “Damn right.” When When he asked “the most senior legal officers in the U.S. government” to review interrogation methods, “they assured me they did not constitute torture.” Case closed. You can’t argue with the choices Bush defends in this book, because he doesn’t argue them himself. He describes, asserts, and cites any authority handy, usually the authority he hired to defend his decisions.

Elsewhere, Bush’s disengagement tends toward delusion. Speaking up for his education policy, he offers this footnote: “The increases in federal education funding were significant, since my budget restrained non-security discretionary spending and eventually held it below the rate of inflation.” Does Bush sit in Crawford telling himself that he “restrained” spending? In fact, Bush enlarged the government faster than any president of the last half century, including LBJ, nearly doubling the budget from just over $2 trillion to just under $4 trillion during his eight years in office.

As to who he really is, and why he did what he did, Bush would seem the last person to provide insight. I’ve proposed my theories at length elsewhere. Given the way his worst choices reflected challenges to Bush 41, a good title for a more authentic memoir might be Nightmares for My Father. But boy, does W. not go there. He has always loved and admired his dad, nada mas. He acknowledges no cloaked motives, no pride, no politics, no competition with his father or brother Jeb. Bush wants us to believe he tried his hardest and did the best he could. His thin, shallow book strongly suggests that he did.

Thanks for stopping by

The House is now pretty much vacant, but due to requests, I'm opening the doors back up for whoever wants to look back at the past postings and maybe chuckle at a rant or two. Hopefully, you will read an older, angry post and then look around at this nation and let loose a deep sigh of relief that the Bush years are over.

I never said Goodbye to all my friends, and I've never been good at goodbyes, anyway. So, this will be my fare-thee-well post, 5 months after I quit posting.

This blog (and all of YOUR blogs) saved my life and my sanity many times over the past few years. I haven't been posting because the fire in my gut has cooled somewhat, and I just don't feel like I've had anything worth sharing to impart for a while. I will be content to haunt all of your blogs and listen for awhile and keep my own mouth shut for a little bit. It'll be good for me.

From 2004- 2008, those at the forefront of the Newsblog and Poli-blog movement changed this country. We made a difference. I don't include myself lightly in that "We." I've lost friends and gained friends, traded curses and even fists with a wide array of people over the events that warped and shaped our nation this past half-decade. From arguments with trolls I'll never meet to shouting matches with family members who now grudgingly acquiese because they know they were really and truly wrong. The "trust my gut" era is dead, thank the gods.

When I look back at 2004 in Lubbock when I started blogging, it's almost like looking back at the dark ages. So much has changed, in many ways- but the way I feel is the most important is that I am no longer shouted down when I dare open my mouth in public about ANYTHING. That severe black and white has been merged into a much more manageable grey. And that's a very, very good thing.

So, my work here is done. I've spent all the righteous zeal I possessed. I'll let others, with more nuance, and less in-your-face take over from this point on.

But if ya'll ever need a half-crazy Redneck Liberal to out-smart the fascist white collar ruling class of this country while simultaneously out-white-trashing their bible-thumping racist blue collar pawns- I'll be here... and those of you who know me the best will know it won't take much to recharge my righteous wrath.

Hope for the best and plan for the worst- And don't be bullshittin' the neighbors, now.

Ya'll be good.

I'll try to...

Last Gasp of the Republican Party

Requiem for a Maverick by the incomparable Matt Taibbi

EXCERPT
It sounds strange to say, but this election season may have done to the word "Republican" what 1972 did for the word "liberal": turned it into a poisonous sobriquet that no politician with bipartisan aspirations will ever again welcome. The Republicans didn't just break the party — they left it smashed into space dust. They weren't just beaten; the very idea of Republican conservatism was massively rejected in virtually every state where large chunks of the population do not believe in the literal existence of a horned devil, and even in some that do.

They lost in every way imaginable, on every political front. The symbol of their anti-gay crusade, Colorado congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, was beheaded. The party that had made so much hay running against Mexicans saw noted anti-immigration crusader Bill Sali of Idaho ousted along with several other members of the Immigration Reform Caucus. The GOP's grasp on the so-called "moral values" issue likewise went up in roaring flames, with Rep. Vito Fossella of Staten Island the poster child — his morals were once so perfect that he refused to be seen with his gay sister, and now he's a national joke, bounced after being caught drunk driving and having unprotected, babymaking sex with a married Air Force officer.

The ironic thing is that the destruction of the Republican Party was a two-part process. Their president, George W. Bush, did most of the work by making virtually every mistake possible in his two terms, reducing the mightiest economy on Earth to the status of a beggar-debtor nation like Pakistan or Zambia. This was fucking up on a scale known only to a select few groups in history, your Romanovs, your Habsburgs, maybe the Han Dynasty, which pissed away a golden age of Chinese history by letting eunuchs take over the state. But John McCain and Sarah Palin made their own unique contribution to the disaster by running perhaps the most incompetent presidential campaign in modern times. They compounded a millionfold Bush's legacy of incompetence by soiling both possible Republican ideological strategies going forward: They killed off Bush-style neoconservatism as well as the more traditional fiscal conservatism McCain himself was once known for by trying to fuse both approaches into one gorgeously incoherent ticket. It was like trying to follow the recipes for Texas 10-alarm chili and a three-layer Black Forest chocolate cake in the same pan at the same time. The result — well, just take a bite!

I witness the whole pathetic mess summed up a week before the election, on a baseball field in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. The campaign has scheduled an outdoor rally, with a joint appearance by McCain and Palin, at this crucial moment in the race. But now there is driving snow and sleet, trees downed on roads all around, and the campaign — with no alternate indoor plan — is forced to cancel the event at the last minute. I watch as locals keep pulling up to the field, looking for the candidate, a lonely, rain-soaked "Country First" banner whipping back and forth above the stage. The whole scene captures the essence of the McCain run perfectly: Instead of a plan, they had an endless succession of dumb ideas scrapped at the 11th hour in favor of even dumber ones.
...

Like millions of Americans, I watched Barack Obama's victory on Election Night in a state of amazement. The only thing that gave me pause was the question of what kind of country this remarkable figure was now inheriting. Some of the luster of Obama's triumph would come off if the American presidency were no longer the Most Powerful Office in the World but simply the top job in a hopelessly broken nation suffering an irreversible decline.

Of all the problems facing this country by the end of the Bush years, the biggest is the absence of a unifying national idea. Since the end of the Cold War, America has been grasping left and right for an identity. We tried being a "world policeman" in Somalia, which didn't work so well. We tried retaining our Cold War outlook by simply replacing communists with terrorists. We created two bubble economies that blew up in our faces, and headed into 2008 a struggling capitalist state with a massive trade deficit and an overtaxed military that suddenly had to ask itself: For the supposed world leader in the community of nations, what exactly is it that we're still good at? Who are we, and what do we represent to the peoples of the Earth here and now — not in 1775 Concord, or 1945 Paris, or 1969, from the surface of the moon?

When Obama took the stage in Grant Park as president-elect, that question was answered. We pulled off an amazing thing here, delivering on our society's most ancient promises, in front of a world that still largely thought of us as the home of Bull Connor's fire hose. This dumbed-down, degraded election process of ours has, in spite of itself and to my own extreme astonishment, brilliantly re-energized the American experiment and restored legitimacy to our status as the world's living symbol of individual freedom. We feel like ourselves again, and the floundering economy and our two stagnating wars now seem like mere logistical problems that will be overcome sooner or later, instead of horrifying symptoms of inevitable empire-decline.

For this to happen, absolutely everything had to break right. And for that we will someday owe sincere thanks to John McCain, and Sarah Palin, and George W. Bush. They not only screwed it up, they screwed it up just right.

Simpler Dreams

The Sucker bait called hope

There's a lot of good stuff in that link. And in a lot of the older posts as well.

...and, following the same thread of "Hope" I bid you goodnight with this prayer to God:

Come, endless darkness- Mother Earth, fold us in your arms, pull us close to your breast-

and choke the poisonous breath from us before we kill everything.

Republican Spam

I receive at least one of those "George Carlin says/Bill Cosby says/David Letterman says/Insert Celebrity name says" emails once a week.

It is always some speak english/worship the flag and the pledge of allegiance/don't take the word "God" off money bullshit. And it's always a lie concerning who wrote the damn thing-

For those of you who get the same standard Republican email spam every day from your lackwit friends and relatives, I've got a canned response that you can customize and respond to all with:
( in order to save you time and effort with the mouthbreathers)

Please forward this to all:

The thing about these email-shortcuts to independent thought is that every single time a "concerned American" sends out these simple-minded screeds- is that they feel they have to say they were written by a celebrity in order to give them some sort of legitimacy. So, they will attribute it to some famous, well-liked celebrity instead of having the guts to put his/her own name on it.

It doesn't take a genius to know David Letterman didn't write this simplistic bit of airy propaganda, with its jingoistic, xenophobic, and not-so subtle racism.

People - please look further than your email box for political insight. I implore you- read a book, preferably a history book- and explore insights that may even seem antithetic to your current world-view.

It REALLY undermines the person's viewpoint in this email, in the simple fact that he had to lie about who really wrote it. If someone really believes what he is saying, why lie about who said it?
My name is Kirk Berryhill and I may not be a celebrity, but I have the guts to stand behind my own words. Please do so yourselves and you will discover that, like the lie concerning who wrote this crap, you will discover more simple lies wrapped in "common sense".

And don't be afraid to piss off Aunt Edna. If unanswered, these morons will never comprehend that there is an alternative other than their circle-of-stupidity-groupthink. Tell them Un-flock themselves.

And hope for the best. The stupid, as bad as it burns, is really contagious.

In Search of the greater good

Kester has an excellent post about leadership and what the Tao Te Ching has to say about it.

He also had a funny post that addresses Blue States vs. Red States, an old joke but a good one. It struck me though, that pitting "us" vs. "them" (as I am guilty of all the time, I know) isn't really smart or good for our future. Nobody's going to pack up and leave the country just because the leader of the "other party" won.

Texas and my fellow Texans have never seemed so ... just damn 'back-ards' as they do this week, with almost every Republican Christian I know praying for the Death of Obama (Seriously).. I would like to point out to Eva that the real Socialist elites are the guys who who 700 Billion bucks to bail themselves out... I don't know How much money these people THINK goes to welfare but believe me, it ain't even close to that number, which is just designed to keep the Rich Elite from falling into the ranks of the Underpriveleged (which, to them, is the under 1 million a year crowd).

The statistics were the most interesting thing to me from the joke post. As someone who loves my whole country, red states and blue states alike, I'm not big on gloating at this point. I just want to take back the country from the willfully stupid and their leaders who can feed their supporters lies all day long and pretend their will never be a backlash.

Note to the Redstate Repubs: Now that the Election is over you can let the scales fall from your eyes(please, o please) and note these TRUTHS, which if simply acknowledged may serve to move this country forward.

1. Obama is a Christian, not a muslim. He may not be the Perfect Christian, but then, neither are you, are you?

2. Obama is definitely not even in the top 20 most liberal Democrats currently serving in the Senate. He is extremely centrist, he has always reached across the aisle (despite the way Republicans have scorned Democrats while they were controlling the country) and he will continue to be bipartisan, (despite the future loud protestations of Democrats).

3. Electing a half-black man who believes that the future of this country lies with the lower and middle class and their well-being, NOT the rich, truly "elitist" CEO entitlement crowd is NOT the Death of our nation. The Death of our nation was narrowly averted. The Death of America and its ideals are being a country that tortures, a country that ignores the rule of law and the constitution, a nation that bombs and invades other countries without provocation, and a nation that only gives flag-waving lip service to its true ideals: Equality, Freedom, and Independence.

If the minds of the red-staters can be wrapped around these three simple ideals, then perhaps we can move forward TOGETHER. Hell, if I can put away my guillotine for the moment, surely ya'll can too.

If we continue to embrace red and blue only, and embrace the black and the white only, we are doomed to witness the death of this nation. Extreme views bring only extreme realities.

SUNRISE

Free at last, Free at last... Lord Almighty, we are free at last!

House of Representatives: Check

Senate: Check

Presidency: Check

/

(Told ya so moment: 2005 thoughts on the 2008 elections )

.

Not a moment too soon. It does not speak highly of my fellow Americans that we came close to electing another carbon copy of that madman Bush.

.

Racism, narcissism and ignorance still fuel a large segment of the American population. I am surrounded my those who are voting for McCain here in West Texas. I have yet to find even ONE of these folks who actually believe in McCain. They fear and hate Obama, though. They send text messages in the millions daily - racist jokes and lynching fantasies. I knew most people in this area were racist. This list includes my co-workers, my family, and even some people I considered friends. But the level that this group of people has outed themselves at shocks even this Redneck. I guess all it takes is one uppity nigger-and the very real fear that the White man's thumb on everything is being removed.

.

Change. That's what they fear.

.

They can't stop it. But thank Crom we've stopped them, at least for the moment. Every day more of these McCarthyist dinosaurs breathe their last, cancerous breath and new Americans are born to breathe fresh new life into this country.

/

Change is coming.

..
It's not gloating, it is tears of joy and relief...

In case you've forgotten - some memories of the Republican Reign of Terror:

TraitorGate

Treason for Dummies

Palin-publicans

Media Apologists for Bush

Rummy

Crimelords in Office

Conspiracy to Terrorize

Olbermann: We will not fear George Bush

Bush vetoes bill banning Waterboarding

The Bailout before the Bailout

and for shits and giggles:
Images from the House of the Rising Sons from the past 4 years

Scared of what, exactly?

Socialism like Social Security does not scare me. Communism like Community healthcare does not scare me.

4 more years of corporate cronyism, misguided wars that weaken our country, stealing the freedoms of our citizens and billions in welfare to our nation's richest people does.

Don't blame the poor mexicans that walk miles through a desert to get a job. Blame The Republicans that allow corporations to hire these illegal immigrants with no legal consequence.

Don't be fooled into being a pawn of the Republican elite. Take it from one of their alumni, rich Republicans don't consider you with your sub million dollar a year income as one of them. You are just a convenient tool. Your subservience to their Robber Baron system does not enable you. It just enables them.

What is to fear for an American citizent? THIS

Bloated Hearts and Twisted Minds

Tom Delay on Hardball (from Blue Herald)

My thoughts on Tom Delay:

As I like to point out to the hardest of the hardcore of my Republican friends, a man who actually donated money to Delay-

"This scumbag took your money, days before his re-election- dropped out of the race on the legal deadline that enabled him to keep his campaign contributions- and funnelled that money into his legal defense fund instead of using it to the defeat his opponent."

“You loved this guy BECAUSE he was just such a fucking bastard who fucked over the Democrats in outlandish ways. And when you and his other Texas Republican donors became his new piece of ass, you sat in stunned silence as he packed up and left you without so much as a kiss on the cheek.”

Delay, and the other self-serving crooks like him are EXACTLY the reason why the Republican party is a sinking ship. To have him come on tv and parrot this bullshit may fool the stupidest of the Republican base, but some Republicans, it’s a reminder that that they brought this shame on themselves with transparent bullshit such as Delay spews.

All I want for Christmas....

I just want all you Republican Dicks to watch this fucker like you were watching the Titanic sink and your life savings was in Cruise ship stock.

Own it, Bitches. OWN this motherfucker to the bottom of the motherfucking sea.


Shorter Republican Party:
"Do Not Flee! Wait until we have negotiated!"

Trickle down Idiocy

The Idiots who run America

EXCERPT

Andrew Lahde, the Santa Monica, Calif., hedge fund manager who made an 870 percent gain last year by betting on the subprime mortgage collapse, has abruptly shut down his fund, citing the risk of trading with faltering banks. In his farewell letter to his investors he excoriated the elites who run our investment houses, banks and government.

"The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking," he said of our oligarchic class. "These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America."

"On the issue of the U.S. Government, I would like to make a modest proposal," he went on. "First, I point out the obvious flaws, whereby legislation was repeatedly brought forth to Congress over the past eight years, which would have [reined] in the predatory lending practices of now mostly defunct institutions. These institutions regularly filled the coffers of both parties in return for voting down all of this legislation designed to protect the common citizen. This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government."

Democracy is not an outgrowth of free markets. Democracy and capitalism are antagonistic entities. Democracy, like individualism, is not based on personal gain but on self-sacrifice. A functioning democracy must defy the economic interests of elites on behalf of citizens. This is not happening. The corporate managers and government officials trying to fix the economic meltdown are pouring money and resources into the financial sector because they only know how to manage and sustain established systems, not change them. Financial systems, however, are not pure scientific and numerical abstractions that exist independently from human beings.

"When the elite begin to think that money is real, the crash is coming," Saul said in a telephone interview. "That is just a given in history. Because what they've done is pull themselves out of the possibility of looking in the mirror and thinking, this is inflation, speculation, this is fluff. They can't do it. And when you say to them, gosh, this is not real. And they say, oh, you don't understand, you're so old-fashioned, you still think this is about manufacturing. And of course, it's basic economics. And that's what happens every single time.

(Chris Hedges)

And check out this post by Driftglass: Junkie Republicans

(Hat tip Physioprof )

zero innocent sighs

Happiness is...

One of my oldest and dearest accomplices sent me the trailer to a movie that he is in, that is premiering Oct. 16 (in ATX)...



My "accomplice" is an artist and woodworker. I had the great gift of having him design two bedrooms onto my house almost eight years ago, in preparation for the arrival of my second daughter, Rain. He lives and creates in Austin with a whole host of other artists and is currently involved in more projects that even he could list in just one sitting. The movie looks great. His happiness stems from being able to create and enjoy the creativity of those around him. It is my great happiness to have worked and created with him.

I Link, therefore I am...

Kucinich on the Democrat's Bailout Betrayal ...

The Independent party you can "Believe" In ...

Your Bailout dollars in action... YAY! Cuz we had to do... er ... Something!

Badtux the illuminating Penguin on The McCain strategery and Reaganism hindsight

Polishifter: It's Time For a New Kind of Capitalism

McCains willfully Lie, Republicans dutifully eat it up

I made the following comment (roughly) at Blue Herald :

I just watched Cindy McCain attack Obama for not supporting the troops concerning a vote that Obama made. It was pretty vicious. But what makes it sickening is that her Husband voted the exact same way on the exact same vote. This was NOT a mistake or an oversight on the part of Cindy McCain. This was a LIE. A big, obvious dirty fucking LIE to the Republicans who were watching her speak.

She KNOWS her husband voted no to the funding, exactly like Obama did. McCain, behind her, does too, and he sat idly by while his wife lied to their supporters. He did not correct her. He didn't even have the balls or the grace to look uncomfortable while they lied to their supporters.

They are banking on the fact that their supporters are fools.

And, well, anyone who would support a man who will get up on stage and lie in their faces so blatantly IS a fool. Not to mention that they are a cowards and co-conspirators for letting him lie so many times in so many transparent ways, nodding stupidly all the while.

I finally blew off the last of my friends who is still supporting McCain last night. He actually tried to blame the Sub-prime mess on Obama. ?! I told him that I was sorry but I can’t waste my time being friends with fucking dumbasses anymore, no matter how fun he is to get drunk with. This guy is a nuclear technician but he CHOOSES to remain ignorant. And I really am tired of making excuses for these dumb fucking ass people in my family and around West Texas who just don’t have a clue and don’t plan on ever getting one.

As a side note, I will tell you this, I have seen ONLY ONE McCain sign in a yard and only one McCain sticker on a car, compared to wall to wall plastered vehicles and yards for W four years ago. The republican base - willfully stupid as it may be- is not on the McCain bandwagon that strongly.

Obama is handling this PERFECTLY. I am so glad that Hillary did not win out. She alone could have moved the base together in their hate. This “mystery man”, black or not, is weathering their typical barrage a lot better than the Clintons in the past or Kerry. I am also glad to see Biden coming out strong against the scumbags(Palin and the McCains).

My fellow prisoners, there's only one choice. Anyone, ANYONE, who thinks a vote for Backslider and Nimrodette is good for the future of America is simply a god-damned ignoramus.