Halloween must be getting closer...the forces of darkness are growing!
As I caught Chris Matthews saying tonight, Dick Cheney is like Freddy Kreuger- he's a blood-thirsty monster that just keeps coming back again & trying to frighten everyone around him.
On the cable news channels earlier there were clips of Cheney admonishing Obama's approach to foreign policy.
The first thing that struck me was the pure hubris of this war-mongering, oil-stealing dungeon master who has personally caused so much chaos through his brute reaction to the world.
The second thing that struck me watching montages of Bush & Cheney during their time in power was how glad I am to have those evil bastards gone from the White House. Unfortunately, Cheney at least feels the need to keep forcing his horrific scowl into the public discourse.
It was appalling to watch the group of ghoulish men such as Reich Marshall Rumsfeld & the President of Cheney's Fan Club huddle around Cheney as he accepted whatever bullshit award his fellow neo-cons were giving him.
In my head, it conjured up the image of Springfield's Republican Party on The Simpsons- which includes GOP favorites such as Rush Limbaugh, the Rich Texan (big stretch there), Mr. Burns, & Dracula...
Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy discussing politics, among other topics.
Although I try to maintain an objective & logical perspective on the world, merely by discussing anything you open yourself up to subjective interpretation. Especially in politics, it is often a game of words that try to model perceptions around an agenda.
Despite the dangers of generalizing with labels, like 'conservative', 'liberal', 'fascist', 'progressive', 'Marxist', 'Teabagger', etc. etc. it's difficult not to discuss human issues without relying on timeless human conventions, like mockery & name-calling.
Labels may be misleading, but I believe there seems to definitely be a "Political Spectrum" in which you can plot various figures in world culture along a plane of philosophical & ideological tendencies.
I had this idea in my head to create a chart showing this ideological spectrum, so I took a couple nights and put it together. It's been finished for a few weeks but I decided to wait until 4th of July Weekend to truly celebrate America's Independence Day- with the most profound & accurate political infographic ever created! (Strictly for parody purposes, of course)
click to enlarge "The Political Spectrum"
I did this for fun & it turned out exactly as I envisioned it. I'm sure some people may disagree with it, find offense, or whatever. This spectrum is 100% accurate and scientifically irrefutable, so such arguments are in vain.
Since I am in a rush to start my holiday weekend w/ crabs, beer, & horseshoes I'll give a quick rundown on some of my thoughts making this picture:
• Obviously, the spectrum goes from blue/left/liberal to red/right/conservative. I tend to gravitate toward the liberal end of the spectrum. Surprise!
• Can anyone argue that Scrooge McDuck, Rush Limbaugh, Rich Uncle Pennybags, & Dick Cheney are not of a similar nature? Can't the same be said for Willie Nelson, Yoda, the Dalai Lama, and John Lennon? It seems undeniable.
• This whole "Political Spectrum" conspiracy is making Glenn Beck cry like a little girl, as usual. Maybe it's Vader breathing down his neck.
• I couldn't resist giving that socialist tyrant President Obama devil horns out of the star points, just for giggles... (or is he actually the Star Messiah?) I actually think he's doing a good job, considering the circumstances. It baffles me how can anyone think he's The Anti-christ or evil after 8 years of Bush/Cheney.
• Obama has his ear to the conservative side... will he be sucked into their vortex of regressive politics?!?
• Adolf Hitler is staring longingly at his perfect Aryan princess, Ann Coulter.
• Hitler-worshipper Eric Cartman is breaking out of the bottom right corner: "Screw you guys, I'm goin' home!" He shows the tendency for right-wingers, who espouse authoritarianism, to break rules when they feel it suits them personally.
Mr. "Go F*ck Yourself", Dick Cheney, appeared amid the stench of sulfer & brimstone on my TV tonight with Larry King. Watching Cheney lie and snarl on the screen before I go to bed is like being visited at midnight by Mephistopheles himself as you curl in terror inside a candle-lit pentagram.
Chris Matthews can be a jackass sometimes, but aren't we all? Overall he's got a decent show for people interested in politics.
The last couple nights I caught his show he made me laugh out loud with his comments on the family of The Emperor himself, former Shadow President Dick Cheney.
There was recently an inflammatory paid commercial that Liz Cheney's group put out concerning Dept. of Justice lawyers who defended terrorism suspects. Chris Matthews was talking about this fiasco, spontaneously calling her "The Daughter of Dracula" which I found extremely fitting & amusing.
Tonight I caught another great Cheney jab on his show. He was comparing Liz Cheney's public defense of her father's legacy to young Kal-El (Superman) being sent by his father, Jor-El, to Earth to continue the legacy of Krypton. At the end of this hysterically ridiculous analogy he asked, "What's goin' on with this family?" Good question.
Apparently The War Monkey is giving his last ceremonial speech, which I'm sure will be a complete waste of time for everyone. I might watch some of it if I'm in a self-abusive mood.
Perhaps we should be grateful that the planet Earth is still in one piece after 2 terms of this maniac & his puppetmaster, Dick Cheney (who, like all humans, is but a puppet himself).
Speaking of Emperor Cheney, I can also say - as much as I consider him the antithesis of everything I stand for - that I'm glad that nothing happened to George W. that would have given Cheney & Co. a chance to impose martial law & take over. There are so many horrible scenarios possible when those who sow fear, death, & discord have such power.
Anyway, to counter the propaganda and blatant lies that will be filling the airwaves, I have to get some rants off my chest. The fact that I am still subject to this scumbag after 8 years has got me all fired up:
• Not even counting the rest of their administration, Bush & Cheney alone have committed so many criminal & immoral activities that most people would be sentenced to generations in jail. I don't think they will ever be held into account. They have perpetrated scandal after scandal to the point where it's impossible to focus on a single aspect of their illegal activity while they are in office & so the corruption train continues steamin' ahead with everyone distracted by election primaries.
• The idea that the President or VP can't be called out or prosecuted for the madness they have created because of the "dignity of their office" is just bullcrap. They are human beings just like us & I'm not obligated to give one bit of respect to a arrogant, incompetent jackass with the blood of millions on his hands who disrespects the entire human race just by speaking.
• Along the same lines, I have to say "America, Right or Wrong" is a slogan for fools. America is an abstract concept that doesn't even really exist in a physical sense. The geo-socio-economic idea we call America is defined by the actions and priorities of various systems... that are usually engulfed by corruption. Therefore, it is only logical that America could be an entity that is partially represented by immoral, wrong actions & people. Agreeing with the government at all times is not patriotic, unless a retarded sheep is considered the patriotic standard. I guess some people would rather believe in some nice, shiny ideal that is obviously nonsense instead of facing the difficult realities of the given situation.
• Our whole political system is garbage. The very idea of a President is simply a watered-down monarchy. Infinite human potential is being wasted due to the complete insanity of the political, economic, & justice systems. Although my tone is overly pessimistic in this post, I am optimistic that the exponential amount of knowledge and participation resulting from the internet will continue to be a positive force for change - as long as the existing flow of unlimited communication is not 'regulated' to discourage free thought.
• My first choice of the top 3 Democrats would be John Edwards, but it doesn't look like he's getting the support Obama & Hillary are getting. It doesn't matter, anyway. The next President is going to be faced with a situation similar to being at the bottom of a mile deep pit of elephant dung with only a plastic spoon to dig out. Add to that countless Republican politicians & pundits screaming over the edge at you for not getting anything done. It should be a real hoot.
• War in general is immoral, but especially war of aggression against civilian populations.
• Invading a sovereign nation, bombing citizens & calling them collateral damage is the most heinous and brutal form of state-sponsered terrorism. Crying "They did it to us first!" is childish, and in the case of Iraq it is also factually incorrect. It is also a fact that the British & American military have been just as eager to terrorize innocent people as any militant organization, and even more so, simply because it is lucrative business for military-industrial war profiteers to kill as many foreign people as the American conscience will tolerate. The fact that Congress & the American people aren't demanding an end to this particular horrific charade every single day makes us all complicit in the ongoing destruction of an ancient culture & the forced subjugation of its people.
• Speaking of the military, with robot armies in the first stages of deployment and scientific cyberneticresearchaccelerating, it is only a matter of time before such trivial concerns as who is President of a particular country, or how well he is doing, will cease to matter. We will either be in a Terminator-like hellscape or, preferably, a digitally enhanced techno-democracy that produces progressive ideas and positive action.
Whew!
Well, the Daily Show is coming on, so I must end this little rant about one billion words short.
Hillary Clinton can spew meaningless political platitudes at times & is supported by corporate interests, but calling Dick Cheney "Darth Vader" on national TV is enough to get a vote from me. She isn't exactly correct, though, since Cheney is more like Emperor Palpatine...
After an entertainment career & also a stint as Minnesota governor, Jesse Ventura has been speaking out in his own special way. He's got a rare combination of thoughtful arguments with an unapologetic, forceful delivery.
I've seen other videos of him talking to groups about controversial issues like The War Monkey, 9/11 or the Iraq occupation. Sometimes he can seem overly-confrontational & a little out-there, but I think he does have alot of strength of wisdom. Most of all, he is correct to encourage questioning everything, especially "The Unquestionable". It definitely takes a unique personality to be able to rant over the King of Radio himself, Howard Stern...
Especially when it comes to the power structures of society, we should accept that Americans are people- capable of the worst that humanity has to offer, as well as the best. If we turn a blind eye to either possibility, it degrades our functioning as a whole.
Speaking of degradation... Jesse Ventura has simplified the entire sub-human debate about the morality of torture (aka. 'Enhanced Interrogation Techniques'):
I also just saw a video clip on Raw Story from a TV show that I never watch otherwise- 'The View'. Jesse talks down the ridiculous & clueless Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
"The Body"'s on a roll... & should be given at least as much airtime as Emperor Cheney.
I'm glad there are some people with the dedication to truth & the tremendous balls to call out The Dark Lord himself.
*Bonus Video! Jesse Ventura is the gift that keeps on giving. Here is another clip of him taking on the male version of Elisabeth Hasselbeck- cable news' biggest knucklehead, Sean Hannity:
Well I happened to flip to CSPAN to see one of America's greatest progressive patriots, Dennis Kucinich.
He has a huge set of balls, despite his diminutive physical presence. Right now he is on Article 28 of 35 Articles of Impeachment against The War Monkey himself, George W. Bush.
I turned it on around Article 15. He's basically going through the laundry list of crimes & offenses committed by Bush, Inc. against the people of our country and around the world. The only reason I need is that 'Dubya' is an incompetent, dangerous fool.
Kucinich has already introduced impeachment against the Beastmaster Dick Cheney. Bush & Cheney are universally agreed to be a blight on American history. Kucinich is strong enough to stand up to these two gangsters and make sure history remembers them for what they are.
This action, even if nothing comes of it, at leasts shows the extent of the Bush Administration's arrogant disregard for the law on the official record. I'm interested to see what the newly-appointed nominee Barack Obama has to say about the idea of impeachment, which has been said by other Democratic leaders to be "off the table".
All I know is that listening to the reading of all these Articles have burned the following words into my mind:
"Wherefore, President George W. Bush, by such conduct is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office."
To me, it's like a haiku, containing deep meaning, but in a simple form that even an idiot can appreciate.
Afterthought: The idea of impeachment also brings up a nightmare scenario. Like cornered animals, it's always possible that Bush & Cheney will use extreme measures, overt or subtle to remain in office and exercise the unconstitutional powers that Rep. Kucinich is petitioning against.
With increasing criticism of the Bush Administration for about a million different reasons, and the pressure on the Israeli government because of Ariel Sharon's decision to pull his settlers out of the Gaza Strip, I get more and more nervous each day that these fools will do something crazy in an attempt to restore a post 9-11 sense of control.
To me, the absolute worst-case scenario is that something happens to Bush, and Cheney puts the country on lock down and retaliates against a chosen target nation(s).
This is another nightmare situation that is scary because of how possible it is. We may have just had a close encounter with the above situation. (Imagine if a missed rocket attack drives up oil prices 3%, what will happen if we attack Iran or Venezuela?)
Hopefully a higher public awareness of what these guys are doing will diffuse any destructive plans that are being created. I think if there is another major "terror attack" in the US soon, 2 things could happen. 1) Police State, international panic and fear, another invasion of an oil-rich country that is a threat to Israel (ie. exactly what the Bush/Cheney administration want)... or 2) The American people finally see through the Al-Qaeda "ooga-booga!" fear-mongering and demand accountability from our leaders for their disasterous foreign & domestic policies.
"Say it ain't so, Joe!!! Gosh darnit, I think hockey moms & Joe six-packs, bless their hearts, are going to go just 'nucular' over that maverick, Sarah Palin- a true mavericky maverick! Yer darn right!!! *wink, wink*"
Sarah Palin was really pouring on the fake charm last night & I'm sure there are plenty of gullible people out there who saw Gov. Palin as gutsy & "folksy"- which is another way of saying that she talks like a goofy redneck.
Her rambling, evasive answers and her clear lack of national policy substance shows she's a talking-points parrot, just like George W. Bush, but with a prettier facade & a much more annoying accent.
Does America want a backwater 'hockey mom' (who's actually a very typical cyncial & self-serving politician) with an overly-antagonistic attitude in charge of nuclear bombs?
It's a miracle the world isn't already entirely in flames with The War Monkey at the helm. We'd just be pushing our luck with another pair of war-mongering, clueless so-called "conservatives".
Thankfully, the American people agree (see below), & may be waking from their 8 year slumber. The horrific reality of the Republican party's inability to govern is preventing people from falling for more of this bullshit.
Of course, I'm not holding my breath that the combo of voting hijinks & the subservient attitude of the American voters will not allow 4 more years of GOP failure...
•CNN Biden - 51% Palin - 36%
• CBS Biden - 46% Palin - 21%
• Fox Biden - 61% Palin - 39%
• AOL Biden - 48% Palin - 45%
• Forbes.com Biden - 73% Palin - 23%
• MSNBC Biden - 78.6% Palin - 18.9%
*The best Joe Biden moment was, by far, this response to Palin wanting even more VP power than Dick Cheney:
The idea of a multiverse - multiple, or even infinite, parallel universes existing simultaneously - has been pondered & discussed alot in physics, philosophy, and science-fiction.
Just the problem of free-will vs. destiny could fill volumes by itself. However, for all practical purposes, we can say almost anything the mind can imagine is possible. I started thinking about all the possibilities that could exist for even a single situation, like the outcome of the US Presidential election. Most people think "Oh, well it's easy, you fool, either a Democrat or a Republican will win!"
I'd say there are way crazier things that could happen that are neither choice A nor B. Sure, they might not seem possible, but alot of things don't seem possible... until they happen.
I'm channeling the multiverse and listing some of the myriad possibilities that currently exist for January 20th 2009. It has the potential to be one of the most significant days in history, regardless of the situation.
In order of the situation that I'd personally most like to see first:
The true progressive, Dennis Kucinich unbelievably wins through write-in votes, shocking the nation and the entire human race. However, he leads America into a Golden Age of reason, compassion, innovation, and prosperity. His smart & lovely wife, Elizabeth, is his Vice-President.
Barack Obama wins the election, & turns the established bureaucracy upside down like a modern-day Akhenaten. His VP is Dennis Kucinich. America is saved from oblivion.
Obama wins with John Edwards as his running mate & they lead the way in cleaning up The War Monkey's enormous mess.
Obama wins, with any other Democrat as his VP- including Hillary. America is returned to a course of sanity & fiscal responsibility.
Hillary is nominated and wins the election. She chooses any of the qualified Dems for VP & takes the country in a positive direction.
By the end of the summer, the technology exists to jack everyone into a virtual hive mind. As a result, there is no need for a governing body of any sort - all decisions are made through the Borg-like collective consciousness.
Either Obama or Hillary wins & chooses a Republican running mate. It might be strategically smart to pick someone competent from the other side of the aisle, like Chuck Hagel or another conservative who isn't a ideologue or a pandering hypocrite. I would personally not be thrilled about this possibility, though.
Ron Paul leads his 'Ron Paul Revolution' into the GOP convention & takes it over! He wins the election, and his first act in office is to immediately abolish the Federal Reserve.
Ralph Wiggum wins as a write-in candidate after a media campaign by Fox.
Kids who are too young to remember the 2000 election see the "new guy" Ralph Nader enter the race & forget all about Obama. John McCain wins, thanks to another Nader run. America continues it's descent into oblivion.
Obama is the nominee, but large numbers of white Americans would rather see their way of life crumble under a regressive Republican plutocracy than vote for an intelligent Harvard Law graduate with a multicultural background. John McCain wins. America continues it's descent into oblivion.
A dimensional portal opens and predatory alien entities flood our world, rendering governments useless. The election never takes place & mankind is scattered about the globe like cockroaches.
There is a violent shift of Earth's magnetic poles due to uncontrollable cosmic forces. Civilization is wiped out from the catastrophic effects & only a small number of people survive. Al Gore is one of them, and finally becomes President of New Earth.
"Skynet" comes online & the nations and military forces of humans are subjugated by autonomous Robot Armies. "Asimo" is declared the first robot President.
Bush & Cheney simply can't leave office without risking exposure to massive war crimes & fraud on the American people. So, they refuse to leave office, citing "Executive Privilege". The Democrats complain a little bit, while the citizens grumble & shake their fists before going back to their deteriorating lives. The United States is changed into The United Empire of America.
The Bush Inc. War Profiteering industry finds any loss of business unacceptable. A "terrorist attack" by "Iranian agents" causes George W. Bush to immediately declare nuclear war on Iran, wiping out bases and innocent civilians in cities. Before the election, a state of martial law is put in effect & Bush declares himself President-for-Life. Democrats, anti-war, and other liberal vermin are labeled "terrorist sympathizers" and placed into contracted Halliburton work camps. Dick Cheney's sick fantasy has come true & the rest of the world's nightmare begins.
I wake up to (what I think is) Inauguration Day. I'm filthy, tired, & feel absolutely miserable... To my horror, it was all a dream. The year is really 1840 & I realize I'm actually a child who works in coal mines. I don't know or care whose President at the time because my life sucks so bad.
Because of the massive amount of debt we can't pay, China announces that the US is now part of the People's Republic. World War III commences & our elections are suspended due to the crisis.
Anne Coulter becomes the first "female" President by some strange electoral anomaly that turns out to be the direct influence of Satan. He appears, in a horrifying physical form, to act as her Vice-President.
Bill Gates completely buys out the Electoral College, Congress, & Supreme Court with a billion dollars. He crowns himself "Supreme Technocrat" and mandates Windows Vista operating system on every single computer in the nation. Apple Computers are outlawed & I kill myself out of sheer desperation.
Wow, that was oddly cathartic.
Of course, I've only listed 20 of the infinite possibilites for this particular situation. I'm sure the universe will serve up a scenario that is probably different than all of these somehow. Since I am not really in the mood to challenge the entire universe right now, I'll stick with this list for now & see what "Reality" has to offer.
Hopefully, it's something that resembles one of my top choices,
...but I'm not holding my breath.
click to enlarge (If you look close, I'm in the green universe.)
However, after looking at a couple links related to the "Drafted" comic, I saw this link with other Barack Obama comics by the publisher, Devil's Due Publishing:
Last night, I watched the premier piece of political pageantry in American politics, The State of the Union address.
This version posted by the White House has additional infographics accompanying the speech:
Some people will inevitably complain about it being just another speech by Obama & his teleprompter that, according to his critics, no President has ever used before. Personally, I think The Long-Legged Mack Daddy has done as well as anyone can be expected to in his position.
The one credit I've always given our previous President, George W. Bush, is that he's the reason I got interested in politics & government affairs as a young adult.
His administration was like a car wreck that I had to watch, in horror. The GOP's policies were horrible overall, and Bush was himself was a continual disaster & embarrassment in the eyes of the world. The real President at the time, Dick Cheney, was widely regarded with the same affection as The Emperor in Star Wars.
NEVER FORGET!!!...
Therefore, it's nice to be able to sit through these State of the Union speeches & not feel like the leader of the country is an inarticulate ignoramus.
Obama's clearly not perfect, but he's a helluva alot better than Bush or any of the current Republican candidates. If anything, he hasn't been forcefully progressive enough. Actually, the points where Obama & his administration are at their worst is where they try to continue the policies of the Bush White House. However, he campaigned as a moderate Democrat (not a liberal) and realistically has to deal with the conservatives in Congress & "The System" in general.
Haters gonna hate, though, so there are people who get sucked into the Fox News & right-wing talk radio (((brain-warp))) who think Obama's a muslim socialist who was born in Kenya & deeply hates America. I read the comments for articles on Fox Nation & Red State with the same sense of morbid curiosity as someone visiting an insane asylum. ...but, hey, all views should be taken into equal consideration, right?
Fair & Balanced™!!!
Obama, like all Presidents, is faced with a tremendous job & there are plenty of decisions to criticize or praise. I generally agree with his articulated vision for the country. If he had a greater degree of cooperation from Congress, the country would be improving at a much faster rate. The alternative is the traditional, disastrous Republican ideology, which is basically the privatization of everything & welfare only for multi-national corporations & the top 1%, sucking up America's wealth.
I'm pretty cynical, but I still think voting is an important civil act. I'll almost certainly be voting for President Obama, regardless of what obscenely rich knucklehead the GOP finally nominates.
Well, the long-legged mack daddy Barack Hussein Obama has certainly made quite a commotion with his nomination for President.
The American media is very proud of themselves, apparently because someone is actually (!!!) running for President that is only half white! Amazing, simply AMAZING!!!
The level of excitement on TV actually surprised me. A couple friends watching it with me aren't really into politics & thought it was a great speech. It was really good, but I always look at things & think how I could do them better.
In my opinion, Obama should have hammered McCain, Bush, and the whole Neocon approach to politics much, much harder. There are so many injustices and failures in judgment that have wasted unimaginable resources and potential. Barack did give some good jabs, but the Republicans are going to go to town like blood-hungry jackals next week. The idealism is nice and all, but this is competition for the lives of millions and there are substantial risks to a McCain presidency. 'Sigh', maybe I just read Bartcop.com too much...
In any case, the cynical realist in me hopes that Americans are prepared to have their collective dreams crushed in one way or another. As long as the Sith master, Dick Cheney, roams the halls of power, no one is safe.
Right after I posted about the most promising developments in "Green" Technology, the current giant of the tech world, Google, announced an extensive renewable energy program...
I'm glad I have such powerful influence on these big companies, hahaha.
If any organization has the power & money right now to really jumpstart the process to wean humanity off the black lifeblood of Dick Cheney that we call 'oil', it is the company with the motto, "Don't be evil." This is, of course, the direct opposite philosophy of Bush, Inc. - "Be nothing but evil."
As I said in a previous post, last nite I chilled out with a beer & food to watch President Obama give his State of the Union speech.
Even though alot of his judgment & politics can be called into question, the guy gives a hell of a speech. It was probably the best political speech I've ever heard, and I'm pretty cynical. Unfortunately, this country is so jaded from individual gratification & superhuman expectations that no one person can possibly please everyone as the country's administrative head.
As an Independent who voted for him, my reaction was overwhelmingly positive to his overall approach. I'm not so naive to think he's going to do everything he talked about or can get the troglodytes in the GOP & corporate wing of the Democrats to work with him.
To me a speech like this is about vision and a sense of leadership as much as specific policy promises. That being said, now Obama's got to roll up his sleeves and keep hammering publicly for the ideals and values he spoke about. There were several things I didn't completely agree with & things I know will probably never get done. However, he is an intelligent leader who appears to be doing the best he can in the bureaucratic madhouse he is operating within. In my expert opinion, Obama is The Man.
For people who just don't like Obama for any reason, I would recommend watching some all too recent video of the 8 year debacle that America suffered under- the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney Presidency. If you actually feel nostalgic about those Dark Ages, then you're simply a masochist. The 20-30% of the country that approved of the Bush Administration are mostly CEO millionaires or People of Walmart.
Speaking of idiots, after the speech I was flipping through the cable news circus- watching classic Chris Matthews letting his mouth outrace his brain & Arianna Huffington complaining in her barely tolerable accent.
However, all of these gasbags sounded like Rhodes scholars once I switched to Fox News & heard the shrill voice that instantly assaulted my nervous system. That knucklehead Sean Hannity was interviewing reknown fame-hound, (oops I mean pitbull, or do I mean pit-iful bull-shitter?...) Sarah Palin. What a meeting of the minds these 2 dopes produce when they're together.
While editing photos at work, I had the live CNN video feed in the background. I was listening to the political event of the week, the White House's televised Health Care Summit w/ Congress.
I'm a political geek so I listened the entire 6 hours while I was working in Photoshop today. Tonight, I've also been listening to the cable news analysis by CNN pundits & Chris Matthews. I even flipped through Fox News to hear opinions biased toward the Republican side. Of course, Fox was concerned with the views of such intellectual luminaries as human weasel Eric Cantor & The Snow Queen, Sarah Palin, complete with her Arctic backdrop visual.
Speaking of politics, I just switched on The Sarah Silverman Program, & she supporting a mayor named 'May Kadoody'. (Get it?)
"May Kadoody, for the children!"
Anyway...
I was interested in the whole thing, even if it was mostly hot air. At least it's hot air being blown on camera, where everyone is on the record. Nobody's mind was going to be drastically changed by this event, but it did do several important things.
First of all, it highlighted the basic difference in health care philosophy between Democrats, who believe medical treatment is more of a human right, vs. Republicans, who believe it is a corporate privilege.
The meeting also showed President Obama is a super-confident policy wonk whose grasp on the legislative details is outshined only by his clear command of his position. I am no Obama worshipper, but I still think he's The Man, especially compared to the relentless disaster that preceded him. Watching him skillfully, intelligently debate the facts & philosophy of very difficult issues, it's hard for me to get into the heads of people who think he's some kind of negative force. There is no really rational basis for anyone to think that a McCain/Palin presidency wouldn't be anything but a total apocalyptic disaster. John McCain's embarassing off-topic ramblings today & his scolding from a rightfully impatient Obama are painful indications how horribly mismanaged McCain's Republican presidency would be in a dreadful alternate reality.
I am under no delusions that a health care reform bill will definitely be passed or that it would be guaranteed to make a visible positive difference. From what I understand about the legislation, though, it seems to address many serious issues on some level. Unfortunately, the GOP are lockstep in being completely opposed to any meaningful progess because otherwise they would be admitting that 'Comrade' Obama and the nefarious 'Demon-crats' are not a tyrannical evil destroying America. Their politically-calculated hostililty toward The Left makes any substantial cooperation difficult, as President Obama has pointed out to them.
All in all, the Republicans are simply in their usual place - on the wrong side of history - and their complaints about cost & deficits are transparently hypocritical. The conservatives would have a point... if they didn't totally tank the economy w/ completely unfunded wars, prescription drug benefit, & tax cuts for the rich. The Dark One, the undying Dick Cheney, even said "Deficits don't matter," Right? The GOP's facetious concern for fiscal responsibility is ridiculous to anyone with their short-term memory intact.
This summit was a good move by Obama to flex his institutional muscle & put the differences between the political philosophies under the spotlight. Any time you put any number of Republican officials into a room with The Mack Daddy, Obama is going to stomp on them like cockroaches trying to scuttle from the sunlight. I think it's great, because the right wing has had the entire previous decade to terrorize America, so now it's the progressives' turn to forcefully pursue their ideological agenda. Obama needs to continually be the fearless leader of that effort.
The Daily Show of course had a look at the Health Care Summit that was very good:
Growing up, I never had a interest in politics or current events. I always had a pretty good idea what was going on in the country and the world, but never really cared about who was President or what Congress was doing.
That changed completely after George W. Bush was selected by the Supreme Court in 2000, and we subsequently entered an 8-year neoconservative nightmare. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, my 23-year old self sat up and started to pay attention, like so many other people. This blog served as an outlet for my frustrations and disbelief at the insanity being perpetrated at the time.
Along with the rest of the world, I watched with horror as Dubya and his puppet-master Dick Cheney launched (unfunded) trillion-dollar wars of invasion & occupation in the Middle East. It was perfectly clear to anyone with even a bit of insight that these wars were meant to exploit the region's resources, gain imperial footholds, and enrich defense contractors & investors. Waging war & fighting terrorism are often a means of making more money for wealthy, unscrupulous people.
The occupations of Iraq & Afghanistan were giant historical blemishes on America's foreign policy, but there were countless other problems created in those years- resulting from the incompetence of the Bush administration and short-sightedness of conservative policy, in general.
When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, a giant sigh of relief swept over much of the world. Although Obama's terms have been, in many ways, a vast improvement over Bush's, it has become clear that he is not the progressive savior people thought he would be. In fact, the U.S. government under the leadership of President Obama has continued or expanded some of the worst abuses of the Bush administration. Unfortunately, it seems like there is only so much a President can do to change the mind-numbing bureaucracy of the government, the power of the military industrial complex, or the intransigence of an opposition Congress.
So, what should the citizens of the United States do?...
Should we throw our hands up and refuse to vote or participate in our democracy, claiming the system is hopelessly rigged for the benefit of monied interests? The answer is, "No!"
Politics, as vile as it can be, affects everyone in our society. It is much too important to leave to the devices of those who would seek to control or disenfranchise us. There is strength in numbers. Only by overwhelming consensus and cooperation can we, the people, overcome the imbalance in political power wielded by the top 1% in control of the wealth of this country.
As this election season started to add potential Presidential candidates for 2016, it looked like we might be doomed to an un-inspired choice of Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush- either way, a continuation of a political dynasty backed by Wall Street and big money.
Then, out of the blue, came Bernie Sanders from Vermont- the only Independent U.S. Senator. I've viewed a lot of cable news & have followed politics closely throughout my adult life. Having watched him over the past decade, Sen. Sanders has been a consistent voice of common sense policies and responsible government that functions for the benefit of the majority of working-class citizens. After hearing the incessant bullshit spewing from the other national politicians and TV talking heads, it was always refreshing to hear Bernie Sanders speak to the issues in a way that any reasonable person would understand and agree with.
One thing is certain, he is a more authentic champion for the average American than Hillary Clinton, or any of the corporate puppets that the Republican party can shove into the spotlight.
The media will try to marginalize him at first- by depicting him as a "fringe" candidate, the political equivalent of a crazy uncle, or *GASP!* a Socialist.
As support for his campaign continues to grow, he will become a force to be reckoned with. If enough people hear his message he will have a real shot at becoming the President and bringing some much-needed real progressive policy to the White House.
So, on the day of his campaign announcement, I'm enthusiastically supporting Bernie Sanders and what he stands for. I'll be spreading the word about this man- who has the proven integrity, honesty, and solutions we need to address the complex and seemingly insurmountable problems this country faces.
Here is the full video of Sen. Sanders' speech announcing his candidacy, in which he details his ideas for changing the American political landscape for the better:
...or is the seeming 'chaos' in the economy due to inhuman levels of malfeasance?
I've posted alot about the amazing mathematic & graphic constructs known as "fractals".
The fractal is an expression of chaos theory, which attempts to quantify complex, 'chaotic' systems.
Colorful fractal designs are also very interesting from an aesthetic point of view.
I saw this article that ponders the chaotic nature of our economic marketplace and the possibility of a better understanding their dynamic nature:
That whole article, though, seems like a bunch of crap after reading one of the astute comments that really hits the nail on the head:
"We have criminals in charge and they ran a pyramid scam on the American people disguised as a real estate "boom". You don't need a complicated mathematical model to predict how a pyramid scam will end, unless you're stupid."
The capstone of America's Greatest Pyramid Scam is topped by the figurehead & puppetmaster that are supposed to be dutifully managing The United States of America: George Bush & Dick Cheney. Now can we impeach these scumbags & let them go down in history as the national disgrace that they are? Please? Pretty please?
