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Gottlieb and Diane G. are live and in color (or is that off color?) on WWL radio Friday night at 6pm Eastern Time to guide you through Current Events taken from a Wildly Left Prospective.
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1984 much anyone? Come to the land through the looking glass yet again; where attacking an innocent Country and destroying it is Victory, where leaving means staying, where Oil spills become the Norm, where both Parties are One and Slavery is the best end-game for our economic system.
We have myriad breaking news stories to cover, friends, listeners and lunatics... but really? We wish the song remained the same... but no, it IS getting worse.
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So wraps the fastest summer of my life. I can't complain, the weather is holding out as perfect into next week. But I did pretty much nothing that I pine for all winter. No boat time, little swim time, no floatie toy time at all. No bonfires (but fall is better for that anyway) and only 2 jams. I did not read all the books I promised myself I would. I did not buckle down and relearn guitar. I did not get Jake into Piano lessons. I did not bike ride or walk the rails to trails wilderness thing that goes for untold miles in any direction. Hell, I never even lost the winter weight... and now? Fall is closing in.
I guess thats the thing in living barraged by crisis; time speeds up. I find my self becoming both hyper-aware, and totally air-headed. I wake with random lists, "How will I get that tree that fell on my back yard fence last month cut up for this winter's firewood? Should I try and save up to buy some? We could save a ton of money if he's home to stoke the fireplace. Will he be able to? Will the tiny amount of smoke seepage be bad for him any way?" ...and thats just the first second.
What did get pushed back in my priority list is Jake-stuff for school. I had to race this week, getting his shots updated yesterday, and taking my 3/4 violin in for restringing for his first year in band... God, I hope that's back by Saturday. He has thousands of t-shirts, enough shorts and sandals, but egads, gonna have to come up with tennis shoes and pants within a month or so, for when the weather turns cold. He has grown too much. Hopefully, one of our rich neighbor friends who usually goes through her kid's closet about now drops off some like always. She is a god-send. He goes to school styling in brand names I could never put on his back. Maybe I'll nudge her through a friend. The neighbors have no idea whats going on in our lives. No need for that. The school didn't give us a "need to buy" supply list, but last year, they supplied almost all of it.
6th grade. Almost 12. He's getting a fine layer of not-blonde peach fuzz on his upper lip... not enough to be directly noticeable, save in the right light, but Jesus. Neither of the 2 girls he is desperately in love with are in his class, much to his combination of regret and relief. Heh. The meet and greet with his teachers went well. I was told by the cancer ptb to give them a heads up about his Dad. I did. It was weird. His homeroom teacher is a basketball coach, and took it with aplomb. Cool. His math & social study teacher went all touchy-feely on me. Yuck. But she was sweet and well-intended.
All I need is one more month of summer. Please? My tropical paradise is just coming into full glory, being planted so late after the MIL crisis. I need to watch more sunsets with my toes in the warm sand and cool water.
Reading this? I realize I sound sad. But I'm really not. Just baffled how the time flew. Fall is beautiful, winter can be amazing, and another spring always comes. Lets be honest here, this summer got half-stolen by how unnaturally extreme the heat was... and though I hate A/C, I hid in it. Right now? The windows are all open, the air smells amazing, and we are all alive. Every day has to be a good day to be alive, and so it is.
THE LONGEST WALK 3 (Reversing Diabetes) Feb 14 - July 8, 2011
In less than 6 months we will embark on another historic journey -- an event so great and much needed for all of America!
This is a 5,000+ mile Walk Across America to bring awareness of the devastating effects of diabetes and how it can be reversed by changing our entire diet and lifestyle! This disease is at epidemic levels across America, and throughout Indian Country.
We will hold community talks along the way about reversing diabetes, and heart disease. We will be advocating for major changes in our eating habits, while promoting beneficial exercise programs. Our goal will be to REVERSE DIABETES AND RAISE THE CONSCIOUS OF AMERICA THAT WE MUST HALT THE WORST DIET IN THE WORLD! Along both routes we will be launching a CLEAN UP MOTHER EARTH campaign, picking up trash along both routes!!
I am Fringer. I want an American Socialist Revolution in my time. Ideally a World Revolution. I am fringe enough that even with the absolute certainty that my desires will likely never come to fruition does not make the fires of my desire burn even slightly less intensely. I am WAY out there.
In fact, I would seriously postulate that I am an extraterrestrial being, but I have evidence to the contrary: You never see bags under those huge alien eyes - and my human weaknesses are too telling in that way.
Life and gravity have not been kind to my all too human packaging.
I feel that a true desire for justice, for all that is good and right has an event horizon; a gravity that once you commit to it, will not allow one to back away from the position. Once you see that light, that is really all that exists. You are part of the singularity.
Budhydharma wrote a brilliant sermon (fiery as a sermon, anyway) in which he asks, "Do YOU Want The Republicans To Win?" The frightening title would infer trying to make people cling back to their partisan politics, to renew their support for Democrats. That was not his whole story, though. He accomplished that in some, while maintaining that the Dems themselves are doing nothing to stop it. His idea is to "push" the Dems to do better. The comment thread was the best part, inspirational to me.
I honed my analogy from last night, from the pages of WWL, where we have been discussing the same issues, just from a Fringe-Left position. The last 4 or 5 essays all have been in part, or in full, about the process of actual change in this country. Let me expand my thoughts. (and use the Red Sox, rather than the Tigers - I hear it will make a more compelling argument :-)
You cannot get a Red Sox fan EVER to like the Yankees.... but you can get a Baseball fan to get REALLY pissed at the Owners for locking out the League.
We need to change the very basis of the conversation.
The Owners of the League set the rules, the prices, the schedule, the ads, everything. They make bazillions off the trade. These, the richest of the Game, get subsidized by we the fan's tax dollars - to build larger shrines to them, larger so they can charge more, and fill more seats while so doing. Welfare for the rich, tax-fueled stadiums, and tax breaks for building them in our cities.
The Players? Oh, yes, they are the pampered and well paid whores that enable the process. It doesn't matter one bit if they wear a Yankee uniform, or a Red Sox one. They can change teams as easily as underwear.
You, the fan? Are nothing but an easily played means for more revenue. Back your Team! Show your Pride! Pay for the newest arena! Hate the other Team! Pay through the ass to watch what is still theater, meaningless team-less theater... brought to you by your Owners.
Do I need to point out the obvious analogy to our Political process?
The latest update from Mordor is not encouraging . . .
There are still orcs in every agency of the federal government, uruk-hai still infest the Pentagon and the NSA, Congress is still filled to the rafters with Wormtongues and there are still five Nazgul on the Supreme Court.
I don't even want to talk about the Catfood Commission . . .
Nothing has changed in Mordor because Obama put the Ring of Power on his finger before Rick Warren even finished the Inaugural Invocation. We've all seen the consequences. The power of Mordor has not been broken, it hasn't even been seriously challenged.
Moria . . .
There is evil there that does not sleep.
The Dwarves of Capitalism delved too greedily and too deep. We know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum . . . shadow and flame . . .
There is no precedence for the panic and chaos that will occur. The global food supply/demand picture has NEVER been so out of balance. The food crisis will rearrange economic, financial, and political order of the world, and those who aren't prepared will suffer terrible losses. As the dollar loses most of its value, America's savings will be wiped out.
The US service economy will disintegrate as consumer spending in real terms (ie: gold or other stable currencies) drops like a rock, bringing unemployment to levels exceeding the great depression. Public health services/programs will be cut back, as individuals will have no savings/credit/income to pay for medical care. Value of most investments will be wiped out.
The US debt markets will freeze again, this time permanently. There will be no buyers except at the most drastic of firesale prices, and inflation will wipe away value before credit markets have any chance at recovery. The panic will see the majority of derivatives end up worthless. Since global derivatives markets operate on the assumption of the continued stable value of the dollar and short term US debt, using derivatives to bet against the dollar is NOT a good idea. The panic will see the majority of derivatives end up worthless. The dollar's collapse will rob US consumers of all purchasing power, and any investment depend on US consumption will lose most of its value.
As the Arctic's sea-ice cover decreases, less and less sunlight will be reflected back into space. And as tundras heat up, more and more of their carbon dioxide and methane content will be released into the atmosphere. Thus each added ton of carbon will trigger greater rises in temperature as the years progress. The result will be massive ice cap melting and sea-level rises of several meters: enough to devastate most of the world's major cities.
As famine, disease, and weather-related disasters strike due to abrupt climate change," a Pentagon report notes, "many countries' needs will exceed their carrying capacity"--that is, their ability to provide the minimum requirements for human survival. This "will create a sense of desperation, which is likely to lead to offensive aggression" against countries with a greater stock of vital resources.
Thank you, Dwarves of Capitalism. You've always believed Wall Street is a source of wealth to be mined. But it's not a mine.
(worthy of discussion, re the ideas I have been posting... I'm interested in people's thoughts on this. - promoted by Diane G)
Originally posted last February, I think the points still have some relevance in light of how Obama has "disappointed" us.
For Progressive Dem / Progressive Indy Alliance
We've hashed over the same old 3rd party arguments pro-and-con for years and years. But in promoting the Full Court Press ( http://www.docudharma.com/diar... ), I realized that some of the people I've been talking with are progressive Democrats and some are independents and some are both. Yet we are all saying remarkably similar things. I'm not regarded as a sellout for pushing Democratic primaries, and they are not wild-eyed radicals. There is a new realism among independents, including at least respect for the Full Court Press, and Democrats are no longer all saying my party right or wrong, remember how bad the Republicans are.
Also, a healthy sex life is just as important. God or Nature or possibly Reptilians gave us genitals and having our dicks and coots toyed with is a biological imperative. Without genital stimulation, we become loathsome creatures huddled in darkness.
And as if you hadn't realized this already, Vanity Fair has just shown the world that Sarah Palin satisfies neither of the above requirements needed to, ya know, not be a monstrous cunt.
The VF article, written by Michael Joseph Gross, looks beneath Palin's bubbly conservative exterior and reveals that the woman is, basically, a giant dick. Alaskans who knew her are terrified to speak ill of her, and not because her critics are just wine sipping liberals fearful of the great patriotic fist of Real America: They're afraid they'll lose their jobs, especially if they work for the state or local governments. Ex-Palin aides from her time as mayor and governor claim the putz was a non-entity during things like budget meetings, because she didn't "understand math or accounting - she only knows buzzwords, like 'balanced budget'."
Gross goes on to tell us how, as Palin jumped into the national spotlight, her cuntiness rose to untold degrees; even one of her kids supposedly freaked out on her so-called Christianity, claiming Palin was a fraud. Wasilla locals claim all her fishing and hunting talk is, well, a complete load of Alaskan meth-addict turds.
And, dear readers, this is what happens when we decide we're going to be something other than what we are. Just as Palin became more and more of a dick as she was striving to become something she wasn't, we sane and humble non-Real Americans and faggoty leftist cheese-eaters are just as prone to becoming massive turds of queefly dickheadedness when we push ourselves into a life-consuming lie.
Let's not forget about our biological need for booty and plenty of it, because Gross points toward All American Trophy Husband (and object of my sympathy) Todd Palin, who more or less claims he doesn't get laid ever. This is surprising to me, dear readers, because although Sarah Palin sickens me to no end, I used to imagine the woman's sexual performance would mirror that of so many Type-A women, which basically means she'd hate-fuck you until your sperm fled the sack.
Now you might think the Palin Bedroom of Non-Coitus is none of our business but, dear reader, it most certainly is; when a public figure who influences our national discourse - and might very well run for president - has a terrible sex life, that public figure is likely to turn into a poisonous leader. And look at the folks who spew the most vile, hateful vitriol in America. Do Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sharon "Frying Pan Face" Angle really seem like they're on the receiving end of a healthy blowjob on a regular basis? They absolutely don't, and it's no secret that people who have healthy sex lives tend to be more compassionate and open-minded than those who don't.
And when you think about it, it's a damn shame: Disgustingly dingleberryish as her ideas are, we can agree that there is nary a more fuckable political figure than Sarah Palin, yet she doesn't get laid. It is certainly a testament to the evangelical Christians' duty to make sex as unappealing as possible.
So in closing, we can all learn a thing or two about what makes a healthy, content life by looking at Sarah Palin. Pretending to be a wholesome, Christly, moose-hunting Real American when you're nothing of the sort will only turn you into a bastard (even if you pretend to be a moose-slaughtering patriot for a fucking multi-million dollar deal with Fox). Then again, if being a Bible-thumping murderer of small wilderness creatures leads you to a content and healthy life, by all means, light up a doe or three and I'll have some venison with you. Just be you, motherfuckers. And that's an important corollary to getting laid, because pleasant folks are more likely to have others explore their crotches.
Be yourself and get laid. That goes for you too, Sarah.
I wish I could type faster. I had fun last night transcribing Obama-speak into "what he really said" but missed so many plays on words from his choices of verbiage.
Its a great way to vent frustration, dark humor. He blew so much smoke up our collective asses, the sky should be full of American Intestinal Zeppelins. Does he really think he will get all those baggers on his side with a little killer-worship, and a bit of Bushsucking flag waving? Does he really think the anti-war movement is fooled for a MOMENT that he is a Peace President? Political tone-deafness to what it was that got him elected.
I am officially smarter than the boy-genius President.
The responses to my call to 2008 made clear that I am not preaching to any choir. There is no choir anymore.
"Rage is bad, defeating," came the psychospeak.
"We need a LEADER," came the whine.
"We need a definitive plan," came the complaints.
I got everything BUT agreement for the most part, at least on DD... Cathy had a brilliant comment here worth reading, and most here got it to some extent, if in a negative doomed kind of way.
Really? Plans, leaders and the calm logic come after the Public Sway demands them.... and we have LOST the Public Sway. We have lost the exact Public Sway that brought us the false leader of Obama... but a huge Sway it had been.
I don't know how to say it any clearer. The first step is always moving the dialogue, moving the People. We have to again air our list of grievances, remind people of who ACTUALLY caused those grievances, We have to show the People that the UniParty has not addressed those grievances.
If the Public Sway creates a groundswell atmosphere of Change, then Change, Plans and Leaders follow.
We cannot, must not, give up because the first attempt failed. 2008 was a start, it should not be a finish.
We need a 2008er Party. A People's Party. If we on the far-far Left cannot even unite behind the obvious need for united voices to speak reason against the Bagger BS, then what are we?
I know you feel like a battered spouse, tricked into staying again, out of some misguided sense of loyalty. I know you feel like there is nowhere to run TO, had you the courage to leave. I know, it feels powerless and hopeless to try - and really? Despite all the disappointments, you look around and say, "Its not that bad, there are a LOT of people worse off than I am. I'm strong. Its not THAT bad yet. Nothings perfect..."
To which I say:
WHAT THE FUCK, MORONS!?!?!?!?
Sure, I know one of the things people burn out on is sustained rage - but every single thing we came together about in '08 has gotten WORSE not BETTER.
I'm not talking about sustaining rage anymore. I'm talking about exponentially increasing our rage.
ENDING WAR?
THE ECONOMY?
TRANSPARENCY?
PRIVACY?
HEALTH CARE?
WALL STREET'S ROBBERY?
WAR CRIMES?
The only way to counter the INSANITY of the Tea Baggers slapping their balls on your face and calling it taking America back, is to remind people of HOW and WHY they got here, and who and what RUINED THEIR LIVES UP IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Symbols sure can be great. Who doesn't get choked up when they spot Old Glory flapping in the breeze just after sunrise? And by Old Glory I don't mean my penis, at least not this time.
Yet when folks rely on symbolism, they tend to forget about logic. I can stand on the corner waving Old Glory with a bald eagle on my shoulder, and that doesn't mean I know shit about America. In fact, it only means that I'm loitering on public land with my cock hanging out (because that time I was totally talking about my penis).
The US press hasn't bothered with this, though The Vancouver Sun has given it two mentions, one this morning.
First let me explain a little Mexican remedial land usage for Ocean Front Properties... basically, they understandably don't want foreign investors taking it all over, so it is nearly impossible to "own" coastal regions outright.
But there are ways: 30 year leases, or banks that hold title in trust for you.
The second issue with this particular piece of property is that it was an "ejido" - basically a communally held piece of property wrenched from the hands of exploitative rich ranchero owners who tried to keep the peasants from owning or using land.
Now this particular piece of property has been in question since 1991, when a developer purchased it from the widow of a former Jalisco state governor. There have been two previous mass evacuations before this one.
Portends started last summer when someone blocked the road, with no explanation, from the nearby village to the beach area.
Mass evacuation basically has happened again - Americans, Canadians, and European people who bought properties in good faith (deeds approved no less by the office of the President under Fox) have been run off their properties, along with the Mexican community that lived there, and flourished under the needs of the International Community. They not only appropriated the property; but have stolen the possessions on that property. They are tearing down homes and businesses.
Wow, this just has to excuse a second morning post.
In perusing the GOS this morning, I found an article that pointed to the fact that one of the very first things Lebanon did after Israel "bombed them back into the stone age" is rebuild a Synagogue in the heart of Beirut.... as well as a Greek Orthodox Church and a Mosque.
The Israelis bombed the Synagogue, thinking the Hezbollah guard put there to protect its Jewish citizens were "storing weapons" there.
So, did the People of Lebanon rise up against building a place of worship at Ground Zero of their attacker's destruction? Not so much.
It was simply a place for the 30-300 Jews of Beirut to celebrate their faith in downtown Beirut in peace.
One would think that Hezbollah would quickly strike against such a project that could believe celebrates a Zionist victory. Nope. A spokesperson released a statement, "We respect Judaism, just as we respect Christianity. Our only problem is with Israel."
But here in the Land of so-called "Freedom"??? Anti Park 51 bigots are less tolerant of US citizens religious freedom than Hezbollah. Fucking wow.
Even Pat Condell, who sometimes gets it right about religious extremism, went bat-shit crazy insisting Park 51 is nothing but a rub it in our face moment. Yeah. He's not American. Brits can be racist fear mongering assholes too.
I've read a few screeds by some self-describing as "Jewish diaspora community of the US" who insist that no one who considers a one-state solution as reasonable should be allowed to build in the US. What the FUCK? I guess bigotry is only bigotry when its aimed at them. Me? I don't think its good for the goose or the gander. Douches.
The tea party racists, of course, have nothing but Islamophobia to go on. You know, there are no good Muslims, only terrorists in training.
The Christinazis never mention that there are Churches all across America at ground zero's of our conquests... and they certainly weren't reach-outs to other indigenous religions... it was convert or be killed.
Maghen Abraham Synagogue at Ground Zero in Lebanon, ok. Park 51 at Ground Zero in the US, they say hell no.
I'm wondering when the internment camps open.
Probably after some Beck-ramped up addict blows the fucking "Community Center" sky high. Then they will say it is for their "protection."
There are 10.080 minutes in a week. About a third of those are spent sleeping. So, where do the other 60,000 minutes go? Thats 100 hours of awake time. In just one week.
Its all about time. An hour here, an hour there, the things we do with our time, the things we don't. So, I'm gonna waste a few moments of your precious time with songs about time. Click, click, click.
