The Wright Problem

See, now, I've got a whole 'nother take on the whole thing. To me, this is the most brilliant political move I've seen in decades, and, yes, I've been paying attention. First off, of course, Obama knew well before he threw his hat into the ring that the Reverend Wright was going to be an issue. Take that as a given. I know some people consider Obama naive, but he came up through Chicago politics. No one gets anywhere there unless they're pretty fucking savvy. So, the question is, what to do? Well, you come up with a plan. First, the most incendiary/controversial comments from the Reverend that you can come up with get blasted all over the Internet and cable TV. You make an inspiring (and, yes, it truly was) speech about race in America, and you denounce the comments while refusing to denounce the man. You use this as an opportunity to try to raise the level of debate, which, of course, fails to register anywhere in the media or punditry for more than thirty seconds of of 24-hour news day. But, it's out there. Some people are going to "get it" right off the bat, and consider the issue closed. Others, however, are going to have lingering questions about your association with this "nutjob." So, the next step is to create an opportunity to sever ties. The Reverend goes out one weekend and says more crazy shit. You show up the next day, remorseful and hurt to have to turn your back on the man who is a shadow of his former self... Now, there can be no question as to your relationship, as it is over. You have loudly and publicly divorced yourself of this whackjob. Everybody, the media, the pundits, Obama himself, looks at the Reverend as a sad case of what can happen when you let momentary fame and progressive insanity get a hold on you. It's fucking perfect. Come November, sure, McBush is gonna trot out the "God damn America" footage, but by then, the only people who are going to be swayed by it are those who wouldn't vote for a "fucking ni**er" anyway. Neutralized the threat. Anyone who doesn't think Obama's got his political chops has their head straight up their ass, IMHO.

Are you bitter yet?

Today's Wall Street Journal, admittedly no bastion of Liberal Thinking, informs me that, in the last eight years, the income of the top 1% of earners in this country has increased by 11%, while the income of the remaining 99% has increased by less that one percent. The article (which you should go read) also offers some helpful examples of how the incomes of many people have actually declined over this time period. Basically, what it comes down to is that the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is going the way of the dinosaurs. And yet, I hear many people out there are still of a mind to support Huggy Bear as a candidate in the upcoming Presidential election, despite the fact that he supports Bush's insane tax cuts for that 1% who are, quite literally, making out like bandits, not to mention the occupation of Iraq, which is now estimated to cost THREE TRILLION DOLLARS, much of which is being gobbled up by Bush/Cheney corporate cronies like Halliburton and Blackwater. Putting aside the moral outrage of the whole thing, and looking at it sheerly from the perspective of how this might affect you and your personal finances, I have but one question for you, if you are one of these people:

ARE YOU COMPLETELY FUCKING INSANE?

I mean, do you hate Black and Brown people, and/or women, enough to sacrifice not only your financial security but that of your children and grandchildren, and probably their children and grandchildren? Again, I'm not even going to get into the other issues, I'm talking strictly about your ability to pay your mortgage, put gas in the tank and food on the table. Are you that stuck in an ideology or tied to an issue that you will sell yourself into serfdom rather than admit that maybe, just maybe, Republicans have been playing you for a fool to line their own pockets? Do you honestly believe that tax cuts for the rich must be preserved for that glorious day when you will become one of them? I've got news for you, Dear Reader: If you're not rich now, it's highly unlikely that you ever will be. You will not become one of the Privileged Few. You will never have a seat at the table with people like the Bushes and the Cheneys. Not now, and certainly not ever, if you continue to vote against your own interests and give free reign to those who would happily enslave you.

Recently, Presidential candidate Barack Obama was criticized for the following remarks:

"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Well, I would like someone to explain to me how, exactly, Senator Obama was wrong. For years, I've watched people who have lost their jobs, suffered due to lack of affordable health care, work longer and harder and for less money just to struggle to pay their bills, all due to Republican policies, continue to vote on contrived issues like gay marriage, immigration, and gun control. The Republicans have made gays and Brown People and Liberals into your "enemy" to distract you from the fact that THEY ARE THE ONES YOU SHOULD FEAR. Seriously, people, you need to wake the fuck up. Mexicans aren't taking your jobs, Republicans and their corporate whores are shipping them overseas. The Liberals aren't going to take your guns, and the homosexuals aren't going to force you to marry them; the Republicans just want you to think that so that you'll support policies that you know, deep down, are insane. Please, stop doing this.

Who's Responsible?

EXCUSE ME, but it seems that the tyrant in the White House could use some education regarding responsibility. First and foremost, the Bush administration's history of blatant disregard of constructive input and suppression of dissenting opinions are a testament to the unreasonable nature of this nation's current leaders. It's simply absurd to attempt to place responsibility for the fiasco in Iraq on people who tried their best to warn the warmongering Bush cronies of how their rush to invade Iraq under false pretenses would result in the current state of affairs by saying that "To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible."

A responsible leader would have considered the many suggestions that were made before embarking upon the ill-conceived course which was destined to yield such a quagmire. Many truly patriotic Americans and leaders of other nations offered pragmatic options which would have avoided the outcome that Bush was hell-bent to produce. However, this administration, which usurped power via dubious means, chose to pursue their short-sighted narrow minded agenda, while suppressing dissent at every turn.

All along, very responsible and informed people, Democrat and Republican alike, have offered plans and suggestions to try to mitigate the unconscionable situation in which we now find ourselves. To this very day, they continue to do so. The fact that the President sticks his fingers in his ears like a petulant five year-old and refuses to hear them does not negate the fact that they have, indeed, been brought to the table.

Now, the only reasonable option left to regain some credence as a benevolent, freedom-loving nation is to hold those who've perverted our government into one that rules by terror accountable to the people they have wronged, of America and around the world. Regime change with trials for subverting the Constitution at home and engaging in human rights violations abroad is the most promising proposal to mitigate the crimes of the miscreants who hijacked the government of the United States and restore some semblance of international respect for America and her people.

Friday Cat Blogging

Baby Kitty luurves her Daddy. And only her Daddy.


Vlad, The Old Man, prefers Mom.

Let's Pretend

Remember when you were a kid, and you used to play all those make-believe games? Cops and robbers, tea party, "doctor," knights and dragons, remember those? How cool was it to make up your own rules, be in charge, play your own game? I've got a new game for grownups called "Let's Pretend," and it starts like this:

Pretend you are not civilized. Pretend you love the land where you live. Pretend you were never taught to value economic production over life, or pretend you unlearned this. Pretend you were never taught that everyone else is here for you to use, or pretend you unlearned this. Pretend you do not feel entitled to take from those around you. Pretend you know that someday you will die.

-from Derrick Jensen's Endgame

Wouldn't it be wonderful to just throw away "conventional wisdom," to throw away all of the bullshit and stereotypes and rules of modern behavior, and, for once, as adults, realize that you actually are in charge, that you make your own rules, and that you don't have to conform to whatever it is that you think society expects of you? Wouldn't it be nice to start each day with joy instead of fear, knowing that no one else can decide for you except you? How refreshing would it be if everyone woke up one morning with the realization of both their significance and their insignificance in the scheme of things, and acted accordingly? What if we gave up selfishness and greed and prejudice and suddenly grasped the concept that we're all in this together, and that it truly is better to give than to receive? How much of your worldview is dependent on fear and hate, and how would you think differently unencumbered by those negative emotions? Yeah, I know, I'm a dirty fucking hippie and no one listens to me, but you know, I'd like to see what would happen if we all just tried, for one day, to play this little game of Let's Pretend.