GOP Defining Insanity

One of the "recovery community's" sayings has to do with insanity. 'Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.' In regard to the "modern" GOP is would seem that both they and the voters suffer from mind boggling insanity. If it just stopped with a political party it would be bad enough.

What just kills me is that over the past four decades the GOP drives the country into a ditch and the Democrats partly dig it back out and the voters put the GOP back into that driver's seat. They then proceed to crash the car again and we're in a worse position than before since it was only partially repaired previously. As your shampoo bottle says, "wash, rinse, repeat."

I admit to some pretty strong feelings about the Democrats' inadequate ability or dedication to putting the wheels back on the wrecked car. I sure the hell don't understand, even with all the social warfare crap, the voters' decisions as demonstrations of sanity. Other than their self-labeling I cannot understand the idea of the GOP as being fiscally responsible and I sure can't see how their victims see it.

The Nuclear Power Solution

The news coming out of Japan is ugly and scary in regard to nuclear power. I'm willing to give on the arguement that that siting would address much of what's gone wrong in Japan. In this nation it isn't all that difficult to avoid tsunamis. It isn't exactly easy to stay away from fault lines and some of the quiet ones pack a real wallop when they do let loose. It does seem that the problems in Japan are due to flooding rather than shaking and that much is reassuring - to an extent.

The issue of safety is still real, one of the real expenses of a nuke plant is just that - not the actually very expensive nature of getting power that way. Take out safety issues and it still is expensive. Since the cost of failure is so high safety simply can't be taken out.

Waste is a lot bigger issue than just the question of what to do with the expended fuel rods, everything that has had anything to do with those rods becomes waste that has to be disposed of in a real serious manner. It sure isn't a case of just digging a hole and dropping the stuff into it.

Even with the threat of radioactive clouds removed; I don't see how nuclear power is a good or important part of our power sources.

Why Am I A "Lefty"?

If you were to peruse the entire catalogue of this blog (better have some time) and could tell me exactly how it is that "Lefty" makes any sense whatever; I'd like to know.

I don't mean it is inaccurate today, what I mean is - What The Hell?

The Pinata Of Wealth

Bill Mahr is a funny guy - I'm not. If I could say this as well as he has, I'd get paid to write this rather than amusing myself. But then you can go see why
the rich are like a pinata.

Language on the clip could be an issue - if such a thing is an issue where you are right now.

RepubliKlan - Only Fair?

I'm pretty fond of the construction "Confederate Party of Republicanism" but it really is way too long to hang on some one as a Party title. I've made the case that the "Democrat Party" insult is a nice cue that the lying is about to start, or is the Party meme. I've never cared for "Rethuglicans" because it seems somehow childish and isn't really descriptive.

I realise that "RepubliKlan" is in some ways an insult to the Klan since they're at least up front with their hates. The congruence I find is that both groups are based around hatred even though the organized political Party is more fond of dog whistles than clearly stated fear and hatred.

The Union debacles in various States should point up the dangers in this country of not maintaining real power in numbers and cash. You become one of those minorities that is targeted by the Plutocrats and the RepubliKlans and they do win elections ... or had you noticed?

I suppose there are Republicans, some few - somewhere...

RepubliKlan Peter King

The title might be unfair to the Klan itself. The Klan are pretty equal opportunity haters in that there are a lot of blacks and Jews in the country along with their other targets. Peter King on the other hand doesn't have the nerve to get all equal opportunity in his hate fest. Admittedly inaccurate statistics put the number of Muslims in the US at somewhere between 0.5% and 1%. It would probably be fair to compare those percentages to McCarthy's targeted group.

This isn't to suggest that the RepubliKlans don't use all kinds of dog whistles to attack larger groups of minorities like blacks, Hispanics, and gays. The difference is getting up in front of people with blatant hater politics. Peter King is a rat bastard coward and that is all it is. Terrorism exists in the US and it includes White Christians in real sizable percentages - but since that is part of his base it must be ignored. What? You don't think it's his base? Excuse me while I wet my pants laughing.

GOPer WI Senate Vote

GOPer Senators in WI vote to strip public union rights as a stand alone bill. Congratulations fuckwits, there's your election in action. You're in for more fun as your votes play on ... and on ... and on. I suppose somebody will have to try to clean up the mess, somewhere down the line. Good luck to them. And yes after attempts to clean it up - you'll vote the same way again.

RIP David Broder

Since Broder was emblematic of what the WaPo has become, including its failure, I suppose there'll be a huge wake for him. I hope he can RIP, considering his body of work that could be questionable. There sure will be a lot of dead people questioning his writing, if you believe in that kind of thing. In the interests of letting him RIP I won't piss on his grave.

BTW MSM - the fact that someone can string words together and find someone stupid enough to pay them for it doesn't make them worthy of respect. I'm sure you won't notice in consideration of your own paychecks.

Gas Price Riches

Anybody remember the last time oil prices spiked? Anybody remember the disconnect between supply, demand, and price? Anybody care to remember who got real large money for playing the oil market?

Want to take a look at supply, demand, and price today? Nah*, 'cause somebody is getting all kinds of wealth from the situation.

*this would depend on your status as plutocrat/plutocratic enabler and the ones screwed.

Hey Wisconsin* WTF Did You Expect

*Fill in with your choice like OH, MI, FL. IN, ETC

In Wisconsin half of you bothered to vote. Half. That means about a quarter of the eligible voters picked your elected officials. How many of you teachers didn't bother, how many of you public janitors didn't bother, how many whatevers of you just didn't bother?

That begs the question of how many of you ignored your actual interests to vote against Obama or for some social right wing hobbyhorse that you won't get. In point of fact regarding the "Family Values Party" not only won't you get but that they don't bother with themselves.

You folks are providing endless amusement fot the national media. What the hell, you haven't listened to what the GOP has actually had to say? You didn't pay any attention when reputable analysis said, "liars, liars, pants on fire"? Are you now saying, "We thought we were voting for reasonable responsible Republicans," and continue to believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa? You can tell yourselves all the fairytales you please about the existance of such a creature to continue your tribal identity bullshit - just don't expect the rest of us to believe along with you.

You didn't expect it, you got it, now you don't like it, you wouldn't do it again. Bullshit. You'll do it all over again. You'll continue to believe the goddam fairytales because you want to. I've watched your bullshit get repeated for decades and, yes, you can stuff your St Ronnie up your...

The real shame is that thinking responsible people get screwed repeatedly by you.

Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

Fox Lies

Since* that isn't a "news flash;" anything new on your mind I've missed?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*I just want that title posted

GOP Budget "Balancing"

Lately there's been a lot of rhetoric and even proposed bills that are based on the "morality" of deficits or the absolute requirements of State governments to keep budgets neutral. Somehow "budget crisis" doesn't mean shit about budgets and the revenue stream versus expenses.

You could start looking at this from the point of extending the BushCo tax cuts for everybody; whether they could afford it or not. Once that head-scratcher went through - damn near everything else follows because the issue is no longer about a budget.

Go ahead and look at the Federal GOP's ideas about correcting the budget, then move on to the various states that are or aren't in the news. Michigan has escaped the notice of the news world and offers up some real meat. Wisconsin and Ohio and to an extent Florida have caught a bit of notice. Everywhere you turn there are tax cuts and slash and burn in general public interest items. Buried inside all this shit are ideological/plutocratic agendas like union busting or even, in Michigan, town busting.

None of the real issues of budgetary considerations are addressed. Those of you who've accused me of being an excessive partisan can kiss my ass. BYW - you GOPlite (D)s can line up right behind them.

Sen Crapo - Is That kraypoe or crapp - oh

So Sen Mike Crapo (R-ID) gets time on LO's Last Word to grind out horseshit that fixing the tax code (not such a bad thing in itself) would let the tax rate for the top get lowered to 28% or lower. This would be important for the "job creators" and not affect the rest. You have to have your head stuffed so far up your backside to believe this GOP canard that ... ah well. This is, naturally, in the midst of the GOP hack-and-slash budget rhetoric.

If you'd like to track the concentration of wealth in this country with something that correlates the one place you can look is the tax code and the tax rates. When even LO doesn't laugh this shit off the stage I think it's time to give the hell up.

Plutocrats - friends to all.

Goddam, utter stupidity followed by banal stupidity - followed up with lame David Brooks (Bobo) who can't ... Appleby's Salad Bar guy. The guy who makes his living making false equivalences and outright falsehoods as a balanced moderate. This is what we need is the enablers of plutocrats given even more fucking air time without accompanying bitch slaps.

Yes the NYT still pays this idjit real money instead of bananas.

Democrat And Democratic

When you listen to someone talking about politics one clue that you're about to hear canned lying talking point is contained in the difference between "Democrat" and "Democratic" in usage. I give you WI State Senator's usage - "mess left behind by Democrat Governors." I am registered as a "Democrat" but I belong to the Democratic Party and as an elected official I would be referred to as "Democratic *Office* at whatever level of office.

It is a GOP insult tactic no different than (G)rand (O)ld (P)lotocrats would be other than in regards to actual accuracy. It tells you from its utterance that the person is not serious in any manner about the Party he is referring to - it is an immediate dismissal. There is no "Democrat Party," no such thing other than in the fevered language of the Right. Maybe they don't like the association of "Democratic Party" with democratic behavior or democratic process. But then I have no idea why they still associate themselves with A Lincoln in any terms.

I'm not complaining in the least about their usage - it is a nice verbal cue to the lying that is about to commence. Maybe the "( )" usage I made should have been (G)rand (O)ld (P)ervaricators ... I'll stick with Confederate Party of Republicanism though.

Things That Go Bang

Lately there's been a lot of talk by people about Libya and "no fly zones." It almost seems as though thinking about what you are proposing before saying something might make them seem ... I don't know ... wimpy. Some of these folks come from a background that ought to make them familiar with ordinance and what it does.

You can't just tell someone they can't fly; you have to make it impossible. That means air defense systems must go away and the way to do that is to break them and that takes things that go bang. Stuff that goes bang does just that and anything anywhere near it gets broken also. Whether the targeted entity makes any effort to place such systems with public cover or not it will not be the only thing broken. Men, women, and children who have no stake in the continuation of Ghadafi will be part of the damage. They will be killed or badly injured.

Taking out the infrastructure of air defense means that you have attacked a nation. What ever lofty goals precede the action - it is an act of war to bomb a nation, which Libya is. We have been at war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in actuality, Pakistan - all primarily Muslim nations. We are not making a lot of friends with our things that go bang. We especially are not making friends with the innocent casualties that keep happening.

Maybe the videos of smart weapons and plain distance has blurred our ability to understand just what the effects of ordinance are. There is a lot of heat, a lot of fast moving air, and a lot of flying stuff composed of the stuff that was broken and the stuff the broke it. None of that is good for organics - like humans.

Black? What Does It Take?

For those who assert that racism is a small component of US society; I'd like to pose a question. What exactly does it take for a black (or other) to make it and be regarded as a model? One of the favorite responses is to point at sports and say, "Oooh, look." which is absolute horseshit. Professional atheletes are a vanishingly small proportion of the population and engage in what is essentially circus. I root for the Browns (pointless) but I recognize that even the unlikely event of a Browns' Superbowl win in some recognizable future means exactly not shit to the health and well-being of the nation.

What has meaning happens in the work place, politics, and out in public. Walking down a street populated primarily by blacks (minorities) and having no reaction to the fact is progress. The hiring of minorities and their advancement in the workplace happening matter of factly rather than exception is progress. Having a black President who is assailed on true policy differences rather than mythic upbringing (or actual upbringing) or "otherness" is progress. I'm not going to bother saying spit about religious minorities. Go ahead and point out how this is the factual situation of the US society today.

I regards to the President of the US; you would think that the Republican ideal of up from humble roots by bootstraps would apply. They insist that is the reality of the American Dream and that it is there for everyone. Pay attention to the policy stuff of the very people claiming something to do with Obama's otherness - it is wrapped in that rhetoric.

So what am I doing here? Pointing out that the GOP is a lying hypocritical organization? I suppose and I suppose that I'm making the mistake of pointing to the obvious - also, too (TM SP).

Maybe you get some feeling for my disdain for any State outside the Confederacy having difficulties for electing these assholes. Yeah, and I live in a reliably GOP CD in Oregon so it isn't parochial of me.

Too Bad For WI, NJ, OH, And ETC

My nose is a bit out of joint today. WI Senators are out of state to block stupid legislation. Ohio managed to vote Democrats out of a quorum call number so stupid legislation will go forward. NJ has its Governor all over media gloating about saving the rich and whacking everybody else.

I grew up in Ohio and got a really good primary education there. I also didn't like a lot about Ohio along with what I did like. I lived for awhile in WI as an adult, I mostly liked it. I've never even been to NJ.

Here you go, you people elected that bunch and there are consequences to elections. You're not going to like them. WI can maybe hold assholery off, Ohio can't, and NJ is whatever it is. It will take years for the shit to hit the fan as far as real outcomes are concerned. Crappy educational opportunities don't have immediate outcomes. Most of the real bad consequences won't fall on the general populace for quite awhile and that is the GOPers hope. Marginalizing smaller specific groups works just fine for awhile.

There have been outcomes of the GOPer crap that came home to roost fairly recently - financial meltdown being one. It may (probably not) dawn on people that the rich are cleaning up and they're getting screwed. I'd not give a damn if teachers and etc fled those states, what is too bad is that they get screwed whatever they do and what happens to those voters who elected them won't happen currently enough to make them cry.

I'd be hugely pleased if the voters took one in the eye for their votes soon enough to teach them something. Pah, won't happen. The GOPers will get away with this crap for a good long time. Their voters deserve what they get, too bad for the rest of you. Really, you did this to yourselves - maybe to the benefit of the rest of the nation, but I doubt that - also, too. (TM SP)

Democrats, when you play at being GOPer Lite; why are you surprised when the real things get elected and Democrats can't get warmed up about you and Indies don't give a damn? "Not as bad as ..." isn't a real vote getter. I wonder what the 2040 elections will look like?*

*thinking about that too much could lead to total disconnect from politics and pretty much everthing else.

Me And My Democrats

Today my State Party called me to update my credit card information since I am a member of the DPO Grassroots Democrat program. I have an amount of money drawn on my card monthly for the DPO and for that I get to have some fairly meaningless bennies. The benefits only have meaning as an expression of gratitude from the Democratic Party of Oregon - which I appreciate.

I do this because the DPO is a pretty good representation of my political views, that stands in contrast to - um - the US Senate Caucus' votes. My OR Senators don't reflect what the Caucus votes for, unfortunately for those votes. In general terms I'm pretty satisfied with the Oregon Democratic Congressional delegation.

Sure, the DPO is left of conventional Democratic politics but they work like hell to elect Democrats and those Democrats suit me a lot better than a pretty much the rest of the nation's quota.

The money isn't a lot, but it beats nothing and helps keep the Party from having to be totally dependent on rich people. Your State Party probably has something similar, you could think about it.

Lying Liars and Elections To Come

You would think that a political party would have something to say about policy that had something to do with the truth if its ideology had anything to it. I am serious, if there is a basis for the GOP then it should be able to advance something that has the truth at its core. It just isn't so, every time they open their mouthes a lie comes out.

What would it take for the electorate to figure out what is going on? Maybe giving a damn about the truth?

BTW, Democrats - does economic fairness enter into your thinking? A little maybe? Ask your damn Caucuses before you lie to me.

Faux News Huckabee Lies, Spokesman Lies For Him

HUCKABEE: I would love to know more. What I know is troubling enough. And one thing that I do know is his having grown up in Kenya, his view of the Brits, for example, very different than the average American. When he gave the bust back to the Brits --

HUCKABEE: The bust of Winston Churchill, a great insult to the British. But then if you think about it, his perspective as growing up in Kenya with a Kenyan father and grandfather, their view of the Mau Mau Revolution in Kenya is very different than ours because he probably grew up hearing that the British were a bunch of imperialists who persecuted his grandfather.

HUCKABEE: The only reason I'm not as confident that there's something about the birth certificate, Steve, is because I know the Clintons [inaudible] and believe me, they have lots of investigators out on him, and I'm convinced if there was anything that they could have found on that, they would have found it, and I promise they would have used it.

A spokesman for Huckabee later told CBS News that the former Arkansas governor misspoke.

Ummmm, Indonesian Mau Mau since Indonesia is the only foreign country the President lived in for, four years - something other than "growing up."

Misspoke.

goddam

The US Budget - Short Version

FYIGM*





*(F--k** You, I Got Mine)



**Yes, I said Fuck and I meant it.

How GOP Governors Lie

I give you the following without any desire to harm your active brain cells, but you may be taking a risk.



Now, this is the RGA's new ad buy in Wisconsin. Does anybody notice a problem with what they're saying? Like how the public unions have already agreed to the pensions aspects of the Governor's plan? How the Senate Democrats left the state over something a bit different than the pension issues?

In point of fact the entire ad is full of shit since the issue is collective bargaining and nothing to do with what they have to say. This is what you get when you vote for this kind of human garbage - outright lies. The human garbage part isn't about their "idiotology;" it is about buying time to say complete untruths in search of their political ends. This isn't framing, it is flatly untrue, and it tries to do something to people while calling it something else.

Liar's Dice is a game and everyone knows what it is and what the object is - politics is not liar's dice.