Many great representatives of American culture have come from Minnesota. They gave us Bob Dylan and Prince; Rod Carew and Fran Tarkenton; The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Minnesota Fats. Long a bastion of progressivism, great statesmen like Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale have been elected to congress by Minnesotans. Lately, however, things have taken a turn for the weird. In the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," citizens seemed immune to celebrity until they went a little crazy and elected Jesse "The Body" Ventura as governor. When that experiment was done, they elected comedian and former Saturday Night Live alumnus, Al Franken, to the Senate. In the case of the Harvard educated Franken, however, he proved to be a viable candidate because he was good enough, smart enough, and, doggone it, people liked him. I am at a loss, however, to explain how an electorate goes from Hubert Humphrey to Michele Bachmann, unless some outside, sinister force is at work.
In Don DeLillo's classic novel "White Noise," he describes an incident called the "Airborne Toxic Event," a chemical spill from a rail car that makes townspeople go insane. This fictional account is close to describing some of Minnesota's real-life disasters, like the I-35 bridge collapse into the Mississippi River in 2007; or the 57 separate oil pipeline spills since 2000; or even the severe storms and massive flooding that required the president to declare parts of the state a "disaster area," in 2010. Even Minnesota's loons were threatened by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Whatever the cause, something has made these hardy Midwesterners turn to Michele Bachmann to represent them in congress, and she acts more like a contestant for Homecoming Queen than a legislator. It used to be said that politics was just show business for ugly people. In truth, congress is one big high school do-over, with the same adolescent jealousies and pettiness that we find in some pre-teens. Only now, their hissy fits are putting us all in jeopardy. The quote, "Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful, but there isn't even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas," could have been straight from DeLillo, had Michele Bachmann not said it first.
A singular event in American history took place after the President's last State of the Union address. Michele Bachmann, the self-appointed Miss Tea Party, gave a rebuttal to the official Republican rebuttal to the president's speech. CNN was the only network to elevate this to news, and thank goodness. Bachmann stared into a computer camera for an online response seen by a few thousand people, while the rest of us got to watch her gaze off, slightly to the left, and appear as if she were waiting for Peter Pan to return and whisk her off to Neverland. With charts and graphs, Bachmann told of the 16,500 IRS officers being prepared to enforce Obamacare and claimed that what was really needed is medical malpractice reform, something Obama had announced only an hour before. More astounding was the footage of Bachmann addressing Iowans for Tax Relief only the night before. Speaking with hushed reverence about the founding fathers, Bachmann claimed, "(They) worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States." No they didn't. Half were slave owners, and anyone who ever took a history course knows that. She lauded John Quincy Adams, who was not a founder, but proves, at least, that she saw "Amistad."
Among Bachmann's other lies; she has accused the census of being a government plot to round up dissidents, like her, and put them into internment camps, and she began the canard that Obama was "spending over $200 million a day," on a state visit to India. She advocated eliminating the minimum wage and suggested $400 billion in cuts for veterans' benefits as an austerity measure. Michele was a backbencher until Sarah Palin proved that venomous rhetoric and a pretty smile will get you noticed, even if the professional pundits refer to you as a "Bubblehead." Despite having called for an investigation into Democratic congressmen to see which ones were "anti-American," John Boehner appointed Bachmann to the National Intelligence Committee, and she has already visited Iowa to explore the possibility of a presidential run in 2012. A pretty face and nice smile may win you "most popular" in junior high, but when you get to congress, it's time to put away the pageant sash and work to serve others. Instead, she has said that Obama is turning us "into a nation of slaves," and called health insurance reform, "The crown jewel of socialism,"
64 comments:
Bless her black heart. She clearly at least one card short of a full deck. And it's 10,000 lakes.
With some trepidation I will repeat what appears to be your summary statement..... "when did stupidity become a virtue in political life?"
Friends, it is not all right to have someone do surgery on you slicing you open and exposing your guts, build the roof over your bedroom, promise that they will not kill your kid while doing some acrobatic stunt on the high wire with your kid's entire body weight in their teeth, lead your kids to war, or sit at an international economic summit, etc., if they don't have the brains to understand what the hell they are doing.
Number one prerequisite for these high risk jobs is the capacity to truly understand the basics, the ramifications of action, the potential errors that would need to be adjusted for mid course. Too much unnecessary pain, injury, death, sadness, loss...to allow for anything other than intelligent insightful control of these tasks.
It is not ok to just have a loud mouth with sound bytes that are resubmitted over and over again as if they had just been conjured.
Intelligence and understanding of the complexity of the task will get you out of the surgical suite with your heart still beating and your arteries still connected.
No dogma allowed in the real world. Real world is too real.
The fact that these two women are taken seriously beyond the fact that they have a right to speak is beyond me. That someone should listen to what they say and then ponder the potential depths of it is ludicrous.
They are air heads. No figurative scalpel for either one of them.
they elected Bush TWICE!!! Need I say more? I fear for us.
zephyrman
Maxine Waters, John Conyers, Bernie Sanders, Charlie Rangel & Dennis Kucinch just to name a few. I could throw in Alan Grayson but they threw him out last election. Speaking of people who make stupid public statements don't forget VP Biden.
Maybe Boehner appointed Bachmann to the National Intelligence Committee in hopes she would get some?
But I do worry that ignorance seems to be more prized than knowledge and learning. This does not bode well for anybody.
Thanks for the witty and accurate observations on these two female stars of the popularity contest that is sold as serious U.S. politics. While it evokes hilarity, it is also rather chilling, very much like the movie, Idiocracy.
Also, thanks to Anon for sticking with the junior high school attitude theme by attempting to match wits and observations by asserting how stupid are Maxine Waters, John Conyers, Bernie Sanders, Charlie Rangel & Dennis Kucinch without offering the tiniest shred of an example. Presumptions continue to be the safest and surest means for maintaining one’s political ego-identity without resorting to critical thinking or examining one’s lasting, heartfelt values. To be fair, though, by no means is this strictly a practice reserved for so-called conservatives.
I would take the civics exam notion for potential legislators much more seriously. I think anyone wishing to serve in this role should be judged and passed by a nonpartisan panel in their state. Now here is the radical part: they must be willing to serve only one term, whatever number of years that might be. Finally, those wishing to serve are chosen at random--no campaigning, no voting. Thank you so much for your service! Next...
Reassuring to know that loons in Minnesota, threatened or otherwise, are well represented in our Congress. "National Intelligence Committee" is clearly an oxymoron. Or maybe just a regular moron.
Search You Tube for Maxine Waters, John Conyers, Bernie Sanders, Charlie Rangel & Dennis Kucinch and watch, that should be all the proof "Performs" should need.
For the sake of balance, I think that it would be a noble gesture on your part to write a commentary on that spectacularly lame goon and hero of yours, Steven Cohen. Most of the nation was floored by his lack of taste and good judgment when he compared the Republican Party to the Nazis immediatley after Obama pled for civil political discourse. If his constituents had any class they would vote to have him recalled for pretending to be a statesman. How you can admire this man is beyond belief and says a lot about you. I for one am not surprised, though. You know what they say about birds of a feather. He is being called on national news Alan Grayson's replacement and that was not meant as a compliment. He has even been reprimanded by the Anti-Defamation League for trivializing the Holocaust.Bachmann and Palin may not be the brightest bulbs in the political marquee, but at least they have some character which your homeboy is seriously lacking. So, how about a little balance in regard to your yellow journalistic screed? I won't even bother with some of the distortion in this commentary, but I will say that you really need to do some homework, and the uninformed who read this blog are sitting ducks for your propaganda. I will have enough class not to compare you to the Nazis, though.
The University that awarded Congresswoman Bachmann a law degree should be ashamed. If the founding fathers (I suppose she included the Southern founding fathers who owned slaves) worked tirelessly to abolish slavery how come the country fought a civil war over slavery? Did the law school that granted Bachmann a law degree fail to teach, or even mention, the 1857 Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision? If everyone who came to America was welcomed as equal, regardless of race, then why was it necessary to pass three Constitutional Amendments: the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth? Did Rep. Bachmann learn any thing about the Jim Crow period that ushered in legal segregation of the races in the Southern States? Is it possible that the college and the law school she attended omitted any mention of the Supreme Court’s “Plessy v. Ferguson” decision? I have a sneaking suspicion that, Rep. Bachmann, a college educated and a lawyer, is not that ignorant. Rather, she seems determined to re-write history to conform with teabaggers’ claims that their mission is to restore the ideals of the pure and blameless founding fathers.
Who is dumber?; Michelle for saying the Founding Fathers eliminated slavery, or Sarah for saying that the Soviet Union collapsed because of Sputnik. What do you think?
I'll give you an example. Van Jones equating justice and democracy with redistribution of wealth.
I'll give you another one. Schumer calling the house, the senate and the president the three branches of government. Ha ha
The big problem in this country and the world over is not production. It is, and has been for ages, a matter of distribution. If distribution is happening poorly, redistribution is what is called for.
Don't be afraid, no one has it out for you.
Well go ahead and distribute your wealth.
Performs, you are getting your Anons confused. I haven't posted till now. It is absolutely hilarious to hear you speak of critical thinking. At least you have a sense of humor. Keep it up. Laughter is good medicine. By the way, this Anon tends to be a libertarian/conservative hybrid, if I had to assume a label. And, believe it or not I even have some rather liberal social views. To be more accurate, I don't follow a hard political line. I make my judgments on an issue by issue basis. I have never been a 'herd' person. It is bovine to mindlessly follow a particular political tack. That is why I give Sput and some of the others on this blog so much shit. Actually, I look about as askance at the Republicans as I do the Democrats. They represent two wings of the Big Government Party. I have an irrepressible tendency to say 'fuck the government'. Only bovines need an inordinate amount of government. Don't take this too literally. I am just speaking of a sentiment. We took a wrong fork in the road long ago, and I am aware that I am beating a dead horse. This just bespeaks of my libertarian tendencies. Just wanted to set the record straight so that you can call me more accurate names.
Gregg disguises himself as 'Ted Roosevelllt (sp?)' and then continues with his elitist spiel about how everyone but those that he supports is as dumb as dirt. Whom do you feel is bright enough to lead us, oh wise one? Maybe you would like to be elected and lead us out of the wilderness. I feel sure that this is just a blind spot in his mental make up, because no one could actually be so arrogant. Could they? He isn't aware of this, but he is implying that he is one of the mental giants of which he speaks. He also doesn't realize that we are always guilty of that which we condemn in others. He thinks that he champions democracy, but he actually scorns the herd so much that he can't suppress his disdain for them. Just read beween the lines. You are not alone, though. So did Hitler and other genocidal elitists. Don't wince at that. You never know what you may do if you had the power to match your egoism.
Nathkayun7, I think that you are more stupid and ill-informed than Palin and Bachmann combined. Throw yourself in and we would have a trifecta. Bachmann may have meant that the Constitution which the Founding Fathers drew up contained within it the means to eventually correct the evil of slavery...and it manifestly did. I don't know what Palin was trying to say, but the Soviet Union collapsed simply because Communism doesn't work. Hell, the Soviet Union would never have existed if the Wall St. oligarchs hadn't of financed it from the Bolshevik Revolution and beyond. They were the best enemy that money could buy. But, they realized their goals and the band plays on. Like the thing that won't die, it just morphs and continues its diabolical mission. You people still haven't figured out who the real enemy is and it isn't the Republican Party. But, keep on pooling your ignorance. This is fun to watch. It is sort of like spending an afternoon observing monkey island at the zoo.
Performs, liberals are only interested in redistributing other people's money. This is literally a fact. When the uber-liberal, multi-millinaire Al Gore was Vice-President, he gave $600 to charity one year. That same year, this poor, conservative, capitalist school teacher gave $12,000 to charity. I feel sure that this penurious posture continues to hold sway with this world-class liberal hypocrite. Also, the same Al who wants us all to burn candles and ride bicycles to save the environment uses as much in the way of utilities at his Nashville mansion as about 20 ordinary households. Then, the world class hypocrite buys a multi-million dollar mansion on the Pacific coast. Could he possibly be one of the capitalist pigs that you scorn? Wake up. There are countless limousine liberals who play folks like you like a violin. They are some of the worse money grubbers imaginable. You have heard of useful idiots haven't you? Maybe your wealthy liberal friends will make you president of that club. I can hear Al right now saying, 'Hey Performs, keep preaching our gospel while your liberlal leaders continue to gorge ourselves at your expense. And, thanks. We need people like you to increase the peasant army that we will some day lord it over'.
Watcher, Anon, and Z-man, please consider eliminating the presumptions and assumptions from your diatribes. They are barriers to reality and truth. You speak as if you know me, my affiliations, values, and history. Your guesses are well off the mark. However, if this is too much to ask, how about simply prefacing the assumptions with an “I assume...” or “I would guess...” At least that way you could say what you think and still maintain your honesty and humility.
I am no great fan of Al Gore, even though, as it turned out we were born on the same day. Now you can send me a card:-) I am moved by the thinking, words and actions of Dennis Kucinich and Bernie Sanders. If you have ever listened to them, without their being filtered through Glenn Beck explanations, you will have a better idea of my leanings and concerns.
Clearly, distribution/redistribution of wealth is always going on whether we have government overseeing the fairness and sustainability factors or irresponsibly looking the other way. Currently the system in place, the status quo is has the wealth (in many cases that is the means for making the most meager ends meet) moving from the poorer to the richer. One may have a philosophy to justify this system and its results. I have to say it is a shitty philosophy, and their are better ones to choose from.
Performs, please explain what you mean when you speak of wealth being re-distributed from the poor to the rich. The lower 47% of the American population pay no income tax. In fact, many if not most of those who pay no income tax actually get a check from the government courtesy of those who do pay taxes. It is called the Earned Income Tax Credit. I would submit that that is a re-distribution of wealth from those who have more to those who have less. Then there are all of the welfare programs compliments of those who pay taxes. When you speak of money moving from the poor to the wealthy, you must be speaking of the tragic and unfair fact that the poor have to pay for goods and services when they go to a store or whatever. I suppose that you feel that these people should not have to pay for things, but should get them for free. Otherwise, what in the hell are you speaking of? Give me some examples of how the poor re-distribute wealth to the rich. I do know that many liberals feel that anyone who can pay their bills is rich. Are you one of them? If so, you needn't answer my question, because that would certify you as a part of the do-nothing, dependent socialist rabble. And, if that is the case no wonder you want to revolt and burn the world down. It is just an inverted wish for your own death in order to escape from a meaningless and worthless life. This comes to those that have been destroyed by socialism which is virulently destructive of the human spirit. Socialism never says 'be all that you can be', but rather says the opposite in order not to create class consciousness. If that is the case I don't blame you. I would want to die too. You never did tell me any tales of your suffering at the hands of the blood-thirsty, oppressive capitalists. I am still waiting for a good laugh.
Inequality among the “have mores” and the “have less’s” increases every moment. Those who condone or participate in this lack a social conscience or ignore it. Poor and desperate people are preyed upon by scam artists who bilk them of what little they may have, or by powerful individuals or companies that call the shots by offering as little as possible for their labor. Even the big banks scam their own client’s. Hedge funds.
What does America export now? Weapons paid for by tax payers and manufacturing jobs. And what do we make in our country now, besides usurious loans, gourmet coffee drinks, dumps to put all the products designed not to last, and names of symptoms for which a pharmaceutical is sold on TV. Unless one only has concern for their own self-interest, the world is clearly and utterly perverted socially, economically, and morally. It deserves to radically changed.
It just dawned on me to thank you, Randy, for sharing the thematic Bill Day cartoons. I find them to be brilliantly conceived and masterfully drawn. I wonder if you collaborate, or does one of you inspire the work of the other?
Performs, you should move to a totalitarian country. You might be happier there. Why do you live in such a horrid country as America? Maybe you would be happier living in Russia or Iran. On second thought I don't think that someone like you would last very long in Iran. I would be willing to bet that you wouldn't be happy in ANY country on the Earth. The real source of your dissatisfaction lies within your own being. If I were a counselor, I would recomment suicide as the only solution to your dilemma. People like you project their own inner conflicts on others as the imagined source of their problems. The real problem is self-loathing and some are even anti-life. Subconsciously they say, 'I am unhappy and so must all others be'. Their anthem could be the song 'Paint It Black'. By the way, did you know that the actual meaning of the word 'utopia' is 'no such place'? Utopia exists within or it doesn't exist at all. You read too much foolish revolutionary bullshit. Find your happiness within. Revolution will NOT solve your problem. Get a job. It will better serve to occupy your mind. The 60's really screwed you up. Another diagnosis could be arrested development.
Performs, I am still waiting to hear some of your tales of woe in regard to how our 'oppressive' capitalist system has screwed you up. I grew up under the same system of oppression and did quite well in spite of the fact that my parents were high school dropouts and I grew up in near poverty. The way that I coped with the situation was to take my education seriously and to make something useful of myself for the job market. Then I worked faithfully for a total of 36 years. I know that concepts like self-reliance, self-discipline, and self-direction are heresy to folks such as yourself, and I am guilty of these heresies. If I repent, will you allow me to live when you come to power? The mystery to me is why so many people who grew up in well-to-do middle class homes became socialists. I suspect that it has something to do with poor planning and a general lack of effort. But, most have just been deceived by Marxist lies. The socialist motto is,'Why bother with effort? The collective will take care of you'. Maybe this applies to you. We both grew up under the 'oppression' of capitalism. Why am I not like you? And don't spew the bullshit that socialists are unselfish and that capitalists are selfish. Over the course of my 36 years of employment I gave close to $250,000to charity. I hope that that doesn't make you feel like a hypocrit. Parenthtically, if you knew anything about history you would know that it was uber-wealthy capitalists who funded and continue to fund Marxism. I could tell you why, but that is a topic for another day. That being the case, you are ultimately beholden to capitalists for allowing socialism to develop in the first place.
The extremely ascetic and self-reliant H.D. Thoreau was asked an absurd question by a typically foolish liberal. The liberal asked Thoreau why he didn't do more for the poor. This question alone should delight those who are into absurd humor. It would be like asking this of a penniless street person. Thoreau's response is a classic. He said that when he attempted to show how the poor might live as well as he, they weren't interested. This could serve as the philosophical theme of a book...perhaps a whole library of books.
Anonymous said...
Performs, you should move to a totalitarian country. You might be happier there.
If and when I have practical reasons for doing so, I shall.
Why do you live in such a horrid country as America?
Horrid? I live here for probably the same reasons you do.
I would be willing to bet that you wouldn't be happy in ANY country on the Earth.
Happiness for me does not rely my identification with ANY country.
The real source of your dissatisfaction lies within your own being.
The real source of everything lies within my being--same as you.
If I were a counselor, I would recommend suicide as the only solution to your dilemma.
I virtually committed suicide forty years ago, and have been in the process of dying to myself ever since. I recommend it.
People like you project their own inner conflicts on others as the imagined source of their problems. The real problem is self-loathing and some are even anti-life. Subconsciously they say, 'I am unhappy and so must all others be'. Their anthem could be the song 'Paint It Black'.
Yes, I can see that I serve as a mirror for you.
By the way, did you know that the actual meaning of the word 'utopia' is 'no such place'? Utopia exists within or it doesn't exist at all. You read too much foolish revolutionary bullshit.
I read no revolutionary bs.
Find your happiness within. Revolution will NOT solve your problem.
Happiness found me and I found it, and it has encouraged an inner revolutions ever since.
Get a job. It will better serve to occupy your mind. The 60's really screwed you up. Another diagnosis could be arrested development.
I don’t need a job. I have a business that keeps me busy enough making just enough money to meet my worldly responsibilities. I am very fortunate. More than many, many others.
Here is the shortest way to state what has been going on, and where we are headed:
'Authoritarian socialism controlled by monopoly capitalism'.
The useful idiots of socialism will freak out when they discover that they have actually been serving the cause and interests of the worse type of capitalists. You are working ultimately to enrich them in exchange for the few crumbs that they will allow you to have after their plan is fulfilled. Just think, some day we may all be working in the same gulag. I will try not to say I told you so when that day comes...suckers.
An undercover reporter recently infiltrated a Code Pink (leftist group) rally and asked several of the participants what they thought should be done to Clarence Thomas. The respondants were all white and their responses were videotaped and are as follows:
1) He should be lynched.
2) He should be sent back to the fields (as in slavery).
3) He should haves his toes cut off one by one and fed to him.
4) He and his wife should both be killed.
So much for civil political discourse from the peace-loving left. We can only hope that enough people wake up to the leftist agenda before it is too late.
Grist for the mill:
1) Do individuals own their own bodies or does the government own them?
2)Are individual values trumped by those determined by the government?
3)Are individual rights inalienable and ours by nature, or are they conferred by government which can also retract them at will?
4)Can the individual choose his own path in life (pursuit of happiness), or should his path in life be determined by the government? Another way of saying this, should Sput have been allowed to pursue a life in the field of music or should the government have been able to mandate that he should be a welder?
I have seen the video to which I am about to allude on two different occasions. It showed an interview of an FBI agent who had infitrated a meeting of leftist radicals led by Brenadette Dohr and Bill Ayers. The topic being discussed at the meeting was the re-education camps that would be established after America is overthrown. The American populace would have to be 're-tooled' for life in a fully Marxist state. More specifically, the discussion centered on those who could not be re-educated. The FBI mole asked what would become of these people and the response was that studies had shown that upwards of 25 million Americans would not be able to adapt and would have to be executed. It really makes me feel secure to know that Ayers and Dohr are some of Obama's close friends. No wonder that during his campaign he denied having a close relationship with them. Of course later, it was found that this was a blatant lie. Since Obama's election, we now know that he has always surrounded himself with radicals and that his administration is packed with them. In a related issue, we now know that Dorhn was involved with the Muslim flotilla that was supposed to be carrying humanitarian aide to Muslims in Israel. It was intercepted by the Isrealis, and some people were killed. After being docked in Israel the ships were found to be loaded with weapons and ammunition. It seems that the Dorhn/Ayers nexus is still up to their old tricks. But, all is forgiven because they are close to Obama...too bad for Israel and what is left of the free world. How would you like to be an Israeli in the midst of all the instability in that region and know that your survival may depend upon Obama and his radical administration which seems to be more friendly with radical Islam than Israel? Obama may have some unnerving plans to settle what some refer to as the 'Jew problem'. We are beginning to realize what his plans are for the 'America problem'. For some reason the globalists look askance at both America and Israel.
Milled flour for the dough:
1) First, please allow replacing the notion of “own” with “temporarily possess and acceptance of responsibility for the body’s maintenance as well as its abuse? I think an individual needs to learn to perform his responsibilities, bear the burdens and pains, and enjoy the inherent pleasures that possessing a body demands. This should be accomplished in as natural and as practical a way(s) as an individual can come to know about. The more you know, the more responsible you become.
A compassionate government of, by and for the people would serve toward enabling the individual citizens to carry out these responsibilities through education, protection, and encouragement.
2) Values tend to be more or less self-interested (vs selfless or socially-conscious). They, also, tend to be more or less short-lived (vs lasting). Ethics and true practicality stem from these tendencies. Actions taken by individuals that are more self-interested and short-sighted are more apt to find their values in conflict with the values and priorities of other individuals.
A compassionate government of, by and for the people will strive to establish guidelines that encourage tolerance, harmony and cooperation. It would discourage conflicts and rivalries. It will perform this by the least aggressive means that, nevertheless, gain peaceful and constructive results.
flour, cont'd:
3) The right to own and drive a car, for example should and does require a responsible, law-abiding citizen (individual) to abide by certain limitations and regulations for the safety of society and himself. Government of, by and for the people serves its citizens by establishing rules, laws and protections in an attempt establish high degrees of safety, privacy, economic sustainability, freedom from chaos (stability), and opportunities for all citizens to access their needs and to some extent their dreams.
I think rights are tied to values.
4) An individual’s choice or change of a path in life, the practices one adopts, are chosen and adopted as a consequence of what one desires and, also, through the influences of peers, family, teachers, and culture in general. Changing circumstances challenge our choices.
A government of, by and for the people, through creative means, encourage healthy, safe, sustainable, and economically sound practices among its citizens. It discourages the opposite.
5) Extra grist: Should an individual or a government of, by and for the people take itself a) seriously b) less seriously c) more seriously?
6) If you answer a or b, what should be taken seriously, if anything?
OMG!!! The lunatic is running the asylum. Run for your life!
Performs, methinks that you missed the point. But, rave on. I am an arm-chair psychiatrist and I sort of enjoy analyzing your rantings. Confusion and fuzzy thinking predominate, and that is not likely to ever change. Your mental archetypes are quite crystalized at this stage of life. I am sorry about that. But, this blog is a forum for even the most benighted and delusional. That is one of the great things about democracy.
Brother Thomas, I purposely avoided the framing of your grist, which you intended to be its point. Your framing presents things as either/or thinking which is a limiting and shallow pattern of thinking. It is closer to rhetorical than something that might actually foster a collaborative examination. My responses were to your questions as if you had presented them in an and/both way of thinking. The and/both pattern is uncommon in American culture today as it tends to not feed one’s ego-identity with chosen political views.
The chances of ever developing creative, collaborative solutions among rivals while persisting in the either/or mode is essentially impossible, because people are talking at one another rather than with one another. Rather than responding to the substance of what the other thinks, there tends to be nothing more than the hurling of belittling remarks at the other fellow. Getting on the same page or the same team will require a revolution in how we think not what we think.
That said and if you are actually reading this, my challenge to you (Thomas or Anonymous--not meaning to suggest restricting anyone else) is to respond to the actual ideas contained in what I wrote. Do not hide behind your own assumptions claiming that I am a lunatic, fuzzy, confused, delusional, benighted, etc. Help me out as if I were on your team.
I can't believe Willie Brown just said Obama is like Ronald Reagan. Dear friends Obama couldn't carry Reagan's cowboy hat.Reagan loved this country to the end of his life. How I long for a conservative to emerge with the grit he had. I don't care how many PhD's surround Obama. The have little wisdom and don't love this country.
Anon 10:01...you neglected to say that at first Obama tried to depict himself as the second coming of Abe Lincoln. Then, he presented himself as the reincarnation of FDR. Now, he professes to worship at the altar of Ronald Reagan. Obama is the epitome of the empty suit and is a complete sham. The only thing that he wants to run is his mouth. The current silly gesture in regard to Reagan just shows how desperate he is becoming in regard to the election of 2012. If his progressive base allows him to get away with this, it just proves that they are as bogus as he is. Obama would do better in Hollywood. His progresive base would do better in the Soviet Union.
Performs, I did not read your last posting, and I won't be reading any in the future. Reading them is a waste of my time and they make me feel badly for you. I prefer to read the posts that have some intellectually stimulating substance and that reflect a little erudition. And besides, I don't like to make light of unfortunates. I prefer to lambast those who have some sense.
To the citizens of Amerika:
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe that they are free". This is now manifestly the case in this formerly free country. Wake up! The chains are being applied daily. The point of no return is approaching. Where are the original freedom-loving hippies now that we need them? Why have they sold out to the very powers that they once opposed? The jaws of the Establisnment are closing upon us.
Thomas Jefferson you are wasting your time. Sputnik is too engrossed in the Donkeys vs. the Elephants game to look up and see the greater danger. Political theater just distracts the public from the more insidious danger that goes on steadily behind the scenes. And what is worse, it is too late to do anything about it. Rest in peace, America.
Sputnik only has one thing right and that is in regard to the damage that George Bush has done to America. The damage is much greater than he currently knows and lies much deeper. But, he should be given some credit for attempting to blow the whistle. If he knew the full danger, he would have blown the whistle even louder.
ronnie jr. just told the press what most people should have known all along... Reagan had alzheimers while in office; Big time! Lived in a dream world, and thought he was the cowboy star riding off in the Sunset of an America that he saved from the Bear of the East. What tripe..Also, the greatest flip-flopper of all time. Started a a Dem, raised all Calif.taxes, AND tuition in Calif universities, (after promising never to do either) and on and on. Against terrorists (unless they were for his causes... Sandinistas), and sold weapons to buy hostages... Yeah, the "good ole days" HA.
zephyrman
There is one country where the 'Greens' are more rabid and irrational than in America. The Republic of Malawi has outlawed flatulating in public, because it contributes to the accumulation of greenhouse gasses. Is that enough government regulation for you?
"Liberty means individual responsibility and self-reliance and that is why most liberals dread it".
Here is an admission that will stun you guys. Reagan was more bark than bite. Though he made a stab at being a conservative, he, like every President in the 20th century was too cozy with the Oligarchy. He put his finger in the dike (no pun) and that is about all. He was part of the big government brigade in spite of what he said to the contrary. Generally speaking, about all that the Republicans do is to slow our descent into totalitarianism. Nothing will stop it. Animal Farm is coming like it or not, like James Warburg said back in Feb. of 1950. He knew whereof he spoke because the Warburgs were part of the Federal Reserve cabal that was conceived and run by the globalists. America's doom was sealed in 1913 and neither party lifted a finger to change this. They are the same bunch that sold Congress on the progessive income tax. Forming a central bank and instituting a progressive income tax fulfilled two of the planks of the Communist Manifesto. I believe that they are all pretty much established now. Sleep on my American compatriots. The only good news is that they can't kill you but once. It always seemed curious to me that progressives now trust the spirit that has always sought to consolidate power to rule the world. Throughout history these people have proven themselves to be ruthless and bloodthirsty in regard to 'the people'. What has changed? Why do you feel that the current tyrants will be kind , peace-loving, and generous? I am sure that they are over-joyed that they have so much support for their cabal from sooo many useful idiots. Fools rush in...
zephyrman: If you bothered to read the words Ron, Jr said you would have known he said the early stages of Alzheimer's started to show at the end of his second term. That comment has been expanded to try and discredit 8 years of office. Very early stages would not make him incompetent, but it fits the lefts attempt to trivialize Reagan.
Randy
Michele and Sarah frighten you.
You prove it with the time and ink you allow them.
Any and all purveyors of an agenda that is anti-progressive must be destroyed by any means possible as far as the far-left jihadists are concerned. All is permissable, lies, spin, misogyny, kicking in the groin, alleging that all patriots are Nazis, on and on ad nauseum. They even mocked Sarah Palin's love for her handicapped child. They are pure evil incarnate and they will stop at nothing, because of the Dark Spirit that they serve. They share the tenet of radical Islam that says that everything is permissable that furthers their cause. Once you know this about them, nothing that they do will surprise you. And this blog is in that camp. Any questions?
"Liberty means individual responsibility and self-reliance and that is why most liberals dread it".
I cannot speak for all liberals; no one can. Even Thomas Jefferson can’t. Besides, he’s not reading this. I would like to comment on what I find dreadful about the above statement. Individual responsibility and self-reliance, to my mind mean much the same thing, however, neither term means liberty. You can look this up for yourself. This notion has been bought by the masses that religiously follow whatever popular American culture is offering. The corporate, mass media happily do the thinking (programming) for any who listen, watche or read without actually discerning what is meant.
Individual responsibility sounds like it might mean each one’s specific duty as regards their own needs and the needs of their fellow beings. But it has come to mean something like: I am responsible for acquiring and protecting what my dear ones and I are entitled to; the needs and wants of you and yours are not my concern. Every man for himself; that’s the way the world works--it’s dog eat dog. There’s winners and losers. As an American, I am entitled to be a winner, and if I don’t feel like I am succeeding, well, there’s no telling what I might do or say. And even though I am self-reliance personified, be assured I will be quick and forceful in blaming somebody or something for my lack of success.
This example of programmed thinking is extreme, but is it accurate? Please feel free to correct the above, but don’t bother telling me I’m crazy, foolish or naive, for it is the fear of that prompts one to take up misconception of “individual responsibility” aka “family values” instead following their conscience. Watch the movie “Good Fellas.” Beware of the sociopaths; their affliction might be catching.
The quote in regard to individual responsibility and self-reliance was made by one who is a few light years beyond your mentality. To amplify, individual responsibility and self-reliance are the antithesis of the collectivist vision which ultimately is anti-liberty. These principles produce the leaven for both freedom and prosperity. Dependency results in a lowering of the collective's standard of living, as well as its freedom. When dependency becomes pandemic the system fails. This is why socialist systems always result in poverty and then fail in the end. Principles which strengthen the individual, if followed en mass, result in prosperity as well as an increase in individual liberty. The choice is to rule oneself or be ruled by others. Desiring individual liberty and private property doesn't make one selfish, though some may be. Conservatives always out give liberals in the main, and that is a fact. For one thing, they are usually more prosperous and are in a better position to give. For another, conservatives truly believe in the obligation to help the truly needy. But, they also believe that the able bodied should pull their own weight. So much for Civics 101. It is such a drag to keep going over things that should have been learned in middle school. I know that you feel that you are enlightened, but so do lots of squirrely people. I have known lots of them. They form the beanie with a propellor brigade, although some do wear tinfoil hats.
Red Alert!! Obama has now decided to channel Ronald Reagan. He is expected soon to give the equivalent of Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" speech. It is rumored that he will wallpaper the Oral Office with copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and sing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" before each and every press conference. He may even join the D.C. branch of the Tea Party. It is amazing what some people will do in order to get re-elected. His far left base has been advised to bear with him during this ordeal by wearing puke bags around their necks. He has assured them that once re-elected, they can continue to ravage, I mean fundamentally transform, the country.
Let’s see, a few light years beyond my mentality would make that individual from another galaxy. Or maybe simply someone who has missed the mark, a bit confused. So, to amplify the quote, you say: individual responsibility and self-reliance are the antithesis of anti-liberty. Now we’re getting somewhere, HA!
Don’t be ashamed of dependency, your own or that of others, it is an essential aspect of life in this world--this galaxy. Without it there would never arise opportunities for the give and take of love and caring between people and all beings. One can strive for a balance of just enough dependency and just enough independence. Everyone is different, so understanding and tolerance of one’s fellows will bring more peace and plenty than will judgment and punishment.
As regards socialist systems resulting in poverty, you will need some current examples to prove your supposition. I see our own country in the past thirty years, deregulating and privatizing more and more, and poverty is on the increase. The inequality of incomes in America is greater than Egypt, Yemen, and Tunisia! “The Gini Coefficient is a number economists use to measure inequality, and the U.S. is ranked as the 42nd most unequal nation — Egypt is 90th.” Sweden and Denmark are much more socialist than the U.S., but I believe have less poverty and inequality.
Wanting to know that one’s fellow citizens’ basic needs are being considered when it comes to the distribution process, and knowing that unscrupulous behavior on the part of profit-driven cutthroat capitalists are not plundering the environment doesn’t make one selfish either. I see exclusively catering to one’s own self-interest as being irresponsible to one’s society and shrinking down of humanity. Self-sacrifice and sincere consideration for the common good will deliver peace and plenty. It must simply be taken up rather than scoffed at.
The Golden Rule is not, “He who has gold makes the rules.”
I only read your posts out of a sense of morbid curiosity. They are of interest only because of my fascination with abnormal psychology. I must re-double my efforts to avoid them, because they are becoming increasingly depressing. You appear to be what one could call a pathological loser and a poster child for the perniciously dependent, blame-shifting personality disorder. Everything that you write bespeaks of a nearly helpless, chronic victim of the imagined evils of capitalism which is a system that requires one to get off of his or her ass and make something of themselves without massive infusions of outside help. Most people that I know who are like this stayed at the hippie dance too long and didn't adequately prepare themselves for the realities of life. Then there are those who are just to damn lazy to make an adequate life for themselves. Your whining about income disparities is another pathological tendency that is shared by your ilk. I made far, far less than all of the guys I grew up with and it never occured to me to be envious of them. In fact, they all started with nothing but their own inner strengths and a number of them became millionaires through their own initative and hard work. I am proud of them, because they stand as a testimony to the strength of the human spirit when it is free enough to be productively exercised. They would be sickened by the likes of you. If you are a bed-ridden paraplegiac I offer my apologies. But if you are just a healthy loser, then I say lie in the bed that you have made for yourself and quit complaining and projecting your own failures on others. Like Thoreau said when he attempted to show the poor how they might live as well as he... they weren't interested. He knew four-flushers when he saw them. And, he never whined because others had more than he. Read some Thoreau. You may learn something that can help you out of your situation. He will certainly give you a more coherent philosophy of life. Hell, any coherency would be an improvement.
Good Ole Anon 11:31, I sure hope you have redoubled your efforts successfully and you are not reading this, as it will probably create even more depression for you than you are already suffering. So, you have determined that I am a “chronic victim of the imagined evils of capitalism.” But, I have nothing against capitalism. I am a capitalist, a middleman, I own and run a mom & pop printing broker business with my wife. Nor do I have anything against socialism. Either may serve well the common good of a particular family, tribe, community, or nation in one or another aspect of their interactions. Again, I can not stress enough the importance of dropping the limiting thinking pattern of either/or, and experimenting with and/both. It may even hold the cure for your depression. It is unhealthy to ignore depression.
There are many practices and attitudes held by practitioners of capitalism that have caused great misery and hardships over the years of its practice, and its getting worse. One might call this evil ( or call it “Tough shit on you, I’m only exercising my liberty to serve my own interests.”) Whatever it be called, it ain’t “imagined.” Have you been ignoring the many documentaries depicting: poisoning of ground water by fracking for natural gas (Gasland); go look at what happens to your fellow citizens’ lives in Food, Inc., Farenheit 911, Sicko, Inside Job, Casino Jack, Supersize Me, Capitalism, A Love Story, Outfoxed.
Talk about addiction, in the film, Inside Job, a scientific study shows that the part of the brain that fires when someone makes “big bucks” on a deal, is the same part that fires when one takes cocaine. Our society is mentally ill. It needs intervention. The corruption, greed, ignorance, and arrogance is spreading. The progressives that I know of are not sinister as the crazies you are listening to say, but are here to help heal and avoid this plague.
And/both...
Haven't you heard Performs? Capitalism is dead.
As insults often fly about this forum, I thought you all find these entertaining and inspiring.
A few examples of days gone past when insults were not just a string of four-letter vulgarities, but were actually classy and subtle:
"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it."
- Moses Hadas
"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."
- Abraham Lincoln
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
- Clarence Darrow
"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others."
- Samuel Johnson
"He had delusions of adequacy."
- Walter Kerr
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
- Groucho Marx
“A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
- Winston Churchill (about Clement Atlee)
"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge."
- Thomas Brackett Reed
"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
- Forrest Tucker
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
- Mark Twain
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde
Socialism in America took a giant step forward during the hippie revolution of the 60's/70's. American hippies were mostly priviledged, well-educated, middle class children who shared a common aversion for work and a love for partying. This is another way of saying that they were spoiled brats. When it was time for them to step up to the plate and make something of themselves through their own individual effort, they looked around for a way out, and that way out was the political philosophy of socialism. 'Why bother...let the collective pick up the tab'. They imagined a life of individual effort to be something required by the oppressive and unfair system of capitalism, which basically says, 'Get off of your lazy, spoiled asses and amount to something'. Work is just part of the natural order. To oppose work is to be anti-nature, anti-reality. Back in the day, the hippie anthem was Steve Miller's 'Living in the USA' in which the war cry of 'Fuck work, we would rather play' became the order of the day. The hippies were in a fix. How can we get around a lifetime of exerting moral effort? If they were to steal, they would get busted and go to jail. Then 'Voile!', of course, socialism. Let the government rob producers of the fruit of their labors and pass the ill-gotten, but 'legal', gain on to them. This would afford them plenty of time to whine about capitalism's inequities through songs and blogs. 'More,More! Squeeze the tax slaves and give us more hand-outs. We are oppressed and we deserve it'. And the biggest freak-out of all is that they actually believe this bullshit. Socialism could not survive without deceit. This is why socialists hate TRUTH, which is the first casualty of socialism. One of socialism's chief tenets is to undermine all true religion. Unfortunately for them, TRUTH is one of God's attributes. Don't be caught dead on the wrong side of TRUTH. The hand-outs are not worth it.
Those at the apex of the Money/Power pyramid are the ones planning and implementing world socialism. The shape of things to come will be monopoly capitalism controlling the Earth's resources and people through an iron-fisted world socialist government. These people have no plans for 'sharing the wealth' as the fools at the bottom of the pyramid hope and believe. Once world socialism is instituted, those at the bottom of the pyramid will be given just enough for survival in exchange for their labor. They will be a well managed herd and will be treated more like animals than humans. Another word for this arrangement is slavery. The ruling class will thank all of the useful idiots who helped them to achieve their objective...world rule. Marx's scam will end with dictatorship. There will be no promised workers utopia. That fantasy was just a useful construct for the terminally gullible. In the end, there will be Prison Planet with no hope ever of escape. There will be no free world to run to as our forefathers did. I wonder if your progeny will ever be able to forgive you. I can hear one of them saying,'Thanks a lot for these chains Uncle Sput or Aunt Performs. What were you guys thinking back when there was freedom? Why did you strike a deal with the Devil?'
An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
"How long it took you to catch them?" The American asked.
"Only a little while." The Mexican replied.
"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The American then asked.
"I have enough to support my family's immediate needs." The Mexican said.
"But," The American then asked, "What do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats."
"Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then, senor?"
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."
"Millions, senor? Then what?"
The American said slowly, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos..."
To the chagrin of the ruling elite of the day, freedom and private property allowed for a middle class to rise up from serfdom and to live independently of them. Ever since then, the ruling elite have been trying to undermine the middle class by restricting individual freedon and private property. These principles allowed for the development of the greatest economic engine for production the world has ever known. It came to be known as free market capitalism. Finally, there was a way out of poverty and servitude. But through the propaganda of the elites, the mindless herd was taught to love their chains and to want to return to serfdom through relinquishing their liberty and property back to the ruling class. This constitutes something of a death wish by the herd...a veritable contraction of consciousness and being...a corporate move toward becoming less and less. For these, freedom is a burden. Then there is the compassion con. If they truly cared about the poor, they would be more concerned to teach the poor how to prosper for themselves rather than to be shackled by government handouts and a life of dependency. The elite propagandists thought of everything, even the compassion con. They are brilliant. The benighted herd buys from the elite that which will undo them...hook, line, and sinker. It is one hell of a sales pitch that can convince people to trade freedom and prosperity for servitude and poverty, all in the name of supposed equality. The only thing that will be evenly distributed is poverty and misery. What is it in man that drives him to pull everyone down to a lowest common denominator? That tendency is anti-evolution...another word for death.
A timeless message for our time.
From Letting God by A. Philip Parham
A minister printed a motto at the top of the Sunday worship bulletin: “Life is a love, not a competition.” That afternoon his telephone rang without ceasing. His angry callers all complained about this impractical and naive saying. “You are deluded and mistaken,” the callers said. “Life is most definitely a competition, and you have it easy being able to indulge yourself in such sentimental mush. The real world is dog-eat-dog and survival of the fittest.”
Many who call themselves Christians actually cannot conceive of life being “a love.” Competition is the name of the game they play. Yet Jesus did not follow the competitive path. He called us away from self-centered striving and grasping. He was quite clear that we give way to others and take the last place, not the first. Maybe we should listen to Jesus, even when he sounds impractical.
What is life like in the fast lane? What is scratching and clawing our way to the top like? Pretty uptight and anxious, isn’t it? Our ulcers, heart attacks, strokes, and even cancers are some of the results of the stress of competition and the drive to ”get ahead.” We would do well to follow the path of letting others win and move ahead once in a while and see what rewards come from patience, consideration, and “life as a love.”
Actually, sound scientific research has proven that we get things done much better and faster through cooperation.
The following are two letters to the Editor from one of my favorite local writers. He has a way bringing to light motivations that an ego-mind is able to stuff away into the unconscious. Even so, grasping what he says requires an emotional receptivity. Here's the first one:
Editor -
In her plea for "tolerance," Tracy L. Hickman gives a perfect illustration of the confusion on the concept that plagues the backers of Prop. 8 ("Tolerance deserved for all," Nov. 14). Tolerance is not the idea that all opinions or convictions deserve equal respect. It's the understanding that all people essentially have an equal human worth.
So if I say that any right I would grant myself should be likewise extended to all people, that's tolerance. It's a reaffirmation of my equality with others. If I were to say that only those who fit my approved profile should be entitled to the rights that I enjoy, that would be intolerance. It would be a claim of superiority over others, an anointing of myself as a higher "rank" of citizen than those who didn't share a particular trait. And nobody would owe it to me to cater to my obsessive need to think of myself as better than others, to "tolerate" my intolerance.
REED FROMER San Rafael
Here is the second:
Self-centered conservatives
When the Southern states extended certain basic rights to their black citizens, the refrain heard from white conservatives was that their rights were "under attack."
When schools or department stores began taking a more inclusive, multicultural approach to the holiday season, the right termed it an attack, a "war" on Christmas.
Attempts to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples are endlessly slammed by the right as an "attack on marriage."
So it's fairly predictable that President Obama's desire to extend medical coverage to all Americans would be portrayed by conservatives as an "attack on health care."
There seems to be a steady pattern in which conservatives can't seem to enjoy a legal, social, or economic benefit without the added thrill of knowing that it's being denied to someone else. They feel attacked whenever society even hints at extending these perks to a wider range of our citizenry.
Beneath the absurd scare stories about forced euthanasia and subsidized sex-change operations, conservatives are defending something that's central to their being: their sense of themselves as "first-tier" citizens, and certain others as their social inferiors. This is what they truly see as "under attack" by Obama's agenda - or perhaps by his very presence.
Reed Fromer, San Rafael
Oh, we're meetin' at the courthouse at eight o'clock tonight, you just walk in the door and take the first turn to the right. Be careful when you get there, we hate to be bereft, But we're taking down the names of everybody turning left.
We're the John Birch Society, here to save our country from a communistic plot. Join the John Birch Society, help us fill the ranks! To get this movement started we need lots of tools and cranks!
Now there's no one that we're certain the Kremlin doesn't touch--we think that Westbrook Pegler doth protest a bit too much… we only hail the hero from whom we got our name--we're not sure what he did but he's our hero just the same.
‘Cause we're the John Birch Society. Socialism is the ism dismalest of all. Join the John Birch Society, there's so much to do--have you heard they're serving vodka at the WCTU?
Well you've heard about the agents that we've already named… Well MPA has agents that are flauntedly unashamed. We're after Rosie Clooney, we've gotten Pinkie Lee, and the day we get Red Skelton won't that be a victory!
Oh we're the John Birch Society… Norman Vincent Peale may think he's kidding us along, But the John Birch Society knows he spilled the beans. He keeps on preaching brotherhood, but WE know what he means!
We'll teach you how to spot 'em in the cities or the sticks.. For even Jasper Junction is just full of Bolsheviks! The CIA's subversive and so's the FCC. There's no one left but thee and we, and we're not sure of thee…
Oh, we're the John Birch Society, here to save our country from a communistic plot! Join the John Birch Society holding off the Reds--we'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads!
Do you want Justice Kagan for your Commissar? Do you want Mrs. Putin in there with the DAR? You cannot trust your neighbor or even next of kin… If mommie is a commie then you gotta turn her in!
Oh, we're the John Birch Society, the John Birch Society… fighting for the right to fight the right fight for the Right! Join the John Birch Society as we're marching on, And we'll all be glad to see you when we're meeting in the John!
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