Are we seeing the “shock doctrine” at work in the debt-limit debate?
By louisehartmann
Are we seeing the “shock doctrine” at work in the debt-limit debate? Author Naomi Klein wrote the book on the shock doctrine – a tactic used by Conservatives throughout history to manufacture or exploit a crisis in order to push through radical right-wing reforms that benefit the super rich and screw over the working class. She’s now weighing in on the current debt-limit debate saying this in a statement for the website RootsAction.org: “Using trumped up crisis to raid the public purse and attack the basic rights and benefits is a very old trick - but rarely is the shock doctrine tactic wielded as brazenly as in the pseudo debate about the debt ceiling. This is naked class war, waged by the ultra rich against everyone else, and it's well past time for Americans to draw the line.”
She’s right – we have no debt crisis. Our debt-to-GDP ration is well below what it was after World War 2 – and both Democratic and Republican Presidents spent federal money to grow our economy out of debt. And as a recent Gallup poll noted – Americans don’t give a damn about the debt – they care about jobs! But Republicans are using a fake debt crisis to destroy the last remnants of FDR’s New Deal by dismantling social safety nets – downsizing the middle class – and handing over the commons to transnational corporations.
As long as there is a so-called debt crisis – Republicans think they can get away with turning the United States into a banana republic.
Comments
#2
Obama and the "Gang of Six"
James K. Galbraith: "Gang of Six" Plan is all about cuts not increased taxes; Obama represents Wall Street faction of Democratic Party
Go to story | Go to homepage
#3
"Obama represents Wall Street faction of the Democratic Party." Is there another faction of the Democratic Party? The Democratic Party is the Left of center arm of the Republican Party. But they both do Wall Streets (wealthy elite) bidding and have since 1776. Peace
#4
Talk about shock...have you heard about the two explosions in Oslo's Prime Ministers building? Terrorism?
#5
I read Naomi Klein's shock doctrine book and I believe that everything she said is very true. Now what we need to do is to create a shock big enough to bring those capitalist exploiters to their knees begging us for mercy.
I had been thinking about a massive boycott by using reverse psychology (for not only the Republicans but for us as well). We hate the idea of feeding the beast that eats our lunch. Walmart is the biggest of the chain stores..and many people say bad things about them (many, or most, perhaps are true)...liberals say...that Walmart is the epitome of exploitative move-in, take-over, and wipe out the competition...but many still buy their goods because they are cheaper than the other local stores. Many people believe that Walmart exploits their workers...paying them paltry wages...not giving them decent health care or other benefits. But many will continue to buy from Walmart...because they are cheaper..and many of the products are the exact same things that the locals sell. Everything comes from China now anyway. The local businesses may have a mixture of liberals and conservatives but I'd venture to say that most, by far, are conservatives.
My idea was to do business solely with either known local progressive stores (preferable) or Walmart (biggest individual store chain but still very, very, small compared to the collection or total of all other local stores...or businesses) effectively boycotting all of the local stores. It would be hurting the majority of conservatives by doing business solely with the one chain...making the larger numbers of Republicans/Conservatives pay for their political choices. We would be using their system against them. Of course, Walmart would love it...but they are really very tiny compared to the rest.
But then maybe this will be the natural outcome anyway, even if an active boycott was not proclaimed. It might actually amount to a kind of Capitalist Darwinism...survival of the fittest...which will result in the same thing as a Boycott. The natural progression of the Conservative/Republican/Laissez faire capitalism will be to weed out all of those little Republican businesses anyway over time.
We make fun of the hapless peon who is being played the useful idiot, voting against his best financial interests by voting Republican...who watches Fox news and is convinced that the progressives are communists trying to turn us all away from Jesus. How many off-shore bank accounts would Jesus have? But the reality is that even many of the well to do business people are going to be put out of business because of the very ideology they practice. They are committing business-suicide for voting and believing in a political system that will eat them for lunch.
It won't even take an active purpose-driven act of organizing or advocating a boycott. It will come naturally as people will be forced to buy the cheapest...because that is all they can now afford...since all of those retired people will not be able to shop locally...even if once in a while.
Not only are they going to reduce social security and the other social programs that help keep people alive and participating as a consumer of necessary goods but they do this after they pass a bill that will force us to make huge monthly payments to the healthScare businesses.
Local Republican business people need to wise up...and I think many are not happy with what their party has become. The Republican, and the faux Democrats are shills for the Uber Corporate state and Small Businesses will continue to suffer greatly as long as something is not done to change this system back toward left of center ideology....progressive taxes (take more of the profits back out of the pockets of the ultra rich) and put the money back into the pockets of those who will spend it on your products.
I drive through the cities and neighborhoods and see store after store boarded up. Many shopping malls and shopping centers are starting to look like ghost towns.
#6
Apathy = how to kill democracy.
So why does the newscaster say the Democrat Party instead of Democratic Party. He didn't say the Democrats. Is it now acceptable to use Republican cheap shots? Or do I have my verbiage incorrect?
#7
I am happy to hear that upper ranking Democrats are getting so upset with Obama. He is dragging the whole Democrat party into the dirt. More people need to raise their voices to let Obama, or any other faux Democrats, know that they have to go. The Democrat Party needs to do what the Republican Party does...make everyone, every single Democrat in the party, tow the progressive line or else he/she is out of the party. The Democrat Party needs to get rid of Obama and put a real progressive in his place. No one is going to vote for Obama anyway...he's a flunky turncoat. Get rid of those damn Blue Dogs too. If the Democrat Party wants to survive, and there are a lot of good progressive Democrats, who work hard for the people, then they need to do some "House cleaning" and "Senate" and "Presidential" and "Supreme Court" cleaning too!. I am all for a Primary Challenge...Obama needs to go. Maybe we Democrats need a Grover Norquist and get them all to sign a pledge of allegiance to a progressive Democrat voting pattern.
I realize that Obama inherited the mess from Bush but Obama has continued to act an awful lot like Bush in continuation of his policies and constantly acceding to the Republicans or their policies. Obama doesn't act like a Democrat and he shouldn't be allowed to hold office as one.
The only ones really "sucking up the programs", that have their capitalist proboscis' burried deeply into the economy, that is destroying America, is the filthy blood-sucking ticks at the top. Those big fat ticks will soon kill it's host. And many of those smaller ticks, who voted Republican, or who still support Obama, will be starved of it's food source.
#8
PRAY: Prayer for Nuclear Disarmament
By Education for Justice , the Center of Concern
You have given us life, intelligence and the beauty of Creation, O Lord. Your good gifts were given so we might be stewards of all that is alive. In our arrogance, we have unleashed fearful forces that destroy. We have brought down fierce fire from the sky.
Your children have been burned, your gentle green earth scorched. Fear rules us now, not Love; we have given in to evils, lesser and greater. In your mercy, help us turn from destruction, from the bombs and barricades.
Lead us to Life again, to affirmation of all goodness and to international disarmament. With your grace, may we begin to dismantle the bombs, beat the swords into plowshares, and so transform the nuclear nightmare into the peace you have proposed. Hear our prayer, Lord, and guide us in your ways. Amen.
#9
Mr. Ymhotep,
The Republicans are "vehement" when talking about reducing the spending by the Federal Gov. During George W. Bush's
first go at being President for his first term, he inherited a balance budget and surplus funds besides!!! If my recollection is
correct, he also had a Republican majority in both legislative groups. Republicans talk about the importance of job creation
with the large corporations and those persons who are wealthy. They say there can be no tax increase on these groups.
Hmmmmm, from my perception, wouldn't this group of folks be better prepared to pay more taxes compared to that of the
middle and poor classes of citizens. Republicans say they are following a "Voters mandate" in regards to the 2010 elections.
I am confused!! Would the citizens of these United States support not taxing the rich, reduce funding for education, health
programs, reduction of Social Security and Medicare? To be very candid, I don't beleive the public support such kinds of things,
especially with our society having a growing population in those folks 50+ and older. I can recollect Humbert Humphrey making
a comment as follows: "You can judge a country by how well they are doing by the quality of programs, funding, etc. for the
young people in our population and also the ederly." Hmmmmm, now what kind of grade does our nation deserve in regards to
the previous subjects? I think I am being kind by giving our nation a grade of a "D!" The agenda the Republicans are following
truly "scares" me!!!! Are they concerned for you and I? I really don't think so!!!! The gap is widening between the different
classes and I believe it is fair to say the Republicans are in "ecstasy!" because of this occurence!!
Your comment about President Obama being a "Republican" is totally inappropriate!!! Have you attempted to walk in his
shoes? Perhaps you should! The Republicans want the "White House" for 2012 and I think it is fair to say they will do whatever it
takes to try to accomplish their unrealistic goal!!! We are in this mess economically because of what the Republicans have done
under President Reagan, Father President Bush, and good ole Son George W. Bush!! It's about time the citizens of our nation
hold the Republicans accountable for their "mess-up!!!""
#10
I have not yet read "Shock Doctrine" so I'll keep my yap shut on that one, but....
No but, just one thing I'd like to see end. Not only would it be a tax-cut, it would be a tax-elimination of a tax we the middle class got stuck with by the Right's hero, Ronnie Ray-Gun and makes no sense in the first place.
I'm talking about repealing the law that stopped tax write-offs of credit card interest. As a small business owner, I felt that pain. Not only did the elimination of credit card interest on income tax forms cost the consumer real money on tax day, we were forced to litterally pay a tax on the bankster's income. Interest is after all proffit the banksters make, and yes, 19 percent and more does make them banksters! And that of course does the opposite of the "consumer theory" as it limits the consumer of money to consume with.
Good one Gipper, you really sc~~~ed the pooch with that one!
#11
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Fed-Audit-by-paul-craig-roberts-110722-18.html
Please either screw me or hose me but don't do both to me at the same time!!!
#12
Mr. Ymhotep,
Where the hell do you have your brain these days? Curious, do you support the "Republican Agenda?" Check your facts!
Are you hearing anything Thom Hartmann is stating? The Progressive Radio station that Mr. Hartmann represents provides
most interesting facts about what is going on in our "political world!!!!"
#13
http://www.opednews.com/articles/An-Economy-Destroyed--Th-by-paul-craig-roberts-110722-981.html
Washington will not represent the American people!
#14
Lore: I was once chastised for using the term Democratic Party instead of Democrat Party. I really don't know if it was a Republican chastizing me or what. And I figured that maybe I had been misusing the term so I started using Democrat Party...sounds kinda weird...
But then consider...Republicanic Party? Republicans are Republican and Democrats are Democratic...but then then Communists who were called Dirty Reds one time, maybe still, mostly by Republicans can smirk in defiance that the Republican states are the Red States. Some people might still find it apt to call them Dirty Reds still even though they are not actually labelled Communists. What was/is it about the Dirty Reds (Communists...now Republicans) that is so hated by all freedom loving people? They keep everyone poor and oppressed. Spy on them. The Soviet Union had their omnisient, omnipotent, and vengeful god of state and the US has its counterpart in either the mythical God or the ones you can see and feel and worship...the idols of American Capitalism...the dollar. The citizens were always highly suspect and their movements were monitored and watched. Doors were broken down in the middle of the night and citizens were hauled off and perhaps tortured and thrown into some Gulag (Gitmo? or others).
The US has moved much further toward what a communist state used to be in everything except governmental central planning. It has been replaced by corporate central planning (CCP--add one more C to be CCCP for Corrupt Corporate Central Planning). Our country is controled and ruled by a kind of Corporate Politbureau in collusion with bought off politicians to be the artificial interface for a public relations show and manipulation of the masses. The political system of Senators, Representatives, Presidents, etc are all smoke-and-mirrors way of selling hope and an illusion that the people control their country...the illusion of democracy. It's kind of like the Church selling you the illusion that you can control your well-being and the illusion of life after death..and to believe..then telling you should pray to the God that the Priest, Reverend, Imam, Rabbi tells you to because God hears you and cares about you and will take care of you..but don't look too much into facts or other ideas because you will just get confused. And that's where the other mythical being comes into play when they try to frighten you, threatening that the devil will deceive you unless you stick to strick imprisonment of the mind by adhering to only their dogma. You'll go to hell!! They cry! The boogie man will get you! So while we mince pronunciations of Democrat Party or Democratic Party...it probably is not really important...as long as the meaning is conveyed....that's what is important.
"Democrat Party" is a political epithet used in the United States instead of "Democratic Party" when talking about the Democratic Party.[1] The term has been used in negative or hostile fashion by conservative commentators and members of the Republican Party in party platforms, partisan speeches and press releases since 1940.[2]
from Wikipedia
There, I looked it up...and it seems I've been duped...probably by a Republican. Of course, Wikipedia is sometimes believed by some people to lean in a direction that is not considered very democratic...even though, ostensibly, it is because anyone can change what it says...until it is caught and moderated to say what is politically correct and that has, it is alleged, to be away from progressive ideals anyway and slanted toward a more Republican or conservative view. I tried to add on to a Wikipedia subject once and it didn't stay added for very long. Tried to add the very relevant discovery of nano-thermite in the 911 dust samples in the subject of 911.
Maybe we should be calling the Republican Party the Republicanista Party...ista..as in eeeesta....or maybe the Republican't Party.
#15
http://www.opednews.com/articles/President-Obama-s-Obscenit-by-Richard-Clark-110722-272.html
Obama conned the American people to get to the WH!
#16
Thank you, Lore, for bringing this up! I guess we could be using the term, epithetically of course, the "Republic Party" to get back at them....I don't know...they might like that
#17
Thom, It's not the republicans. When ARE you going to realize it's Obama who keeps insisting on destroying the social safety net. Inf act, today the democratic caucus challenged him on whether he "shares their bedrock values as Liberals" It was sort of jailbreak
Frankly, I think Obama is going to destroy the Democratic party if he cuts these programs and throws them at the fake deficit problem that HE created with his "Deficit Commission" packed with neocons. And today, I called my Rep and told him so.
Obama's trying to blame the Republicans and I've found out that Reid and McConnell are offering him a "clean debt ceiling raise, but he keeps throwing SS/Medicare/ Medicaid back on the table. He's on the tube right now pretending it's them not him. These programs are NOT his to gamble with, They belong to US, we paid for them.
This guy is a corporatist. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. And his threat about not sending our SS checks is not even legal. He's got old people and the disabled terrified all over thsi country.
I'm really sick of the man
The Great Unraveling: Congressional Democrats Question Obama’s Core Values, Don’t Trust Him
http://firedoglake.com/2011/07/22/the-great-unraveling-congressional-dem...
#18
The Reichstagg fire was this method of turning a crisis into an opportunity. It's amazing to see the GOP stooping to these tactics, like sending 6 fake Democrats to the recall in Wisconsin. We have such a corrupt money culture in Wall Street Washington that it is indeed disheartening. But this is also a tea party thing. They are willing to completely sink the government and turn it over to aristocrats. That's called "patriotism." Unreal.
The Boston Tea Party threw the monopoly tea in the harbor. The tea party is selling the monopoly tea and drinking it. That's the difference. They are duped. I talk to a lot of them. It's like a hypnosis they're under: Roger Ailes says, "Do this" and it turns into a zillion echoes.
Obama, like all of them, is in the money-politic culture -- a system of legalized bribery. This turns reps into schizos. If the Tea Party should be protesting anything, it should be "taxation without representation." We pay taxes to be represented but the reps are only giving us lip service while these corporations -- some of them paying no taxes and getting refunds because they have armies of tax lawyers -- influence them through campaign money and cushy jobs when they get out of their "public service." Today, most of them are doing "private service" and then saying publicly that they are doing "the will of the people." What b.s..
For instance, the GOP said it was doing the "will of the people" while filibustering the public option like mad. 3/4 of Americans polled WANTED the public option. That's called "doing the people's will" in post-Reagan Revolution America. And the hoodwink continues.
#19
http://www.thomhartmann.com/users/leighmf/blog/2011/07/why-its-all-due-822011
Especially have the patience to see the annexed history of the $14 million and simple calculations showing the debt of the UPRR, or "Congress."
#20
I think we should all, as progressives, be alarmed about a group calling itself Americans Elect which was founded by Peter Ackerman. They have set up petition spaces at Malls trying to get signatures on petitions. The one at our local mall had 3 different petitions...one...something about preventing the government from deducting from workers paychecks for campaign contributions...but there was other stuff on it as well which my radar flags it as not what you think it is. Another petition is from Americans Elect...which claims that they are not a political organization and doesn't represent any particular party.
If you are unhappy with the current political climate, with Obama, and who isn't now a days...then you are likely to sign the petition. In fact I watched quite a few people sign the petitions and none of them looked like they were conservatives who wanted to do away with social security or privatize it. If you check into the background of Americans Elect...and Peter Ackerman (I believe his son is now running Americans Elect) you will find that he made a fortune in CDOs, sits on the advisory board of the right wing CATO Institute Project on Social Security ....which wants to privatize social security. He also is part of group that sounds great having to do with non-violence but when you look at it ...it has more to do with taking over other countries through the use of non-violence...not because he necessarily cares for human life but because it is cheaper and more easily done...or so it is presumed. Many believe he is an imperialist. Now, having said that, and check it out for your self at www.sourcewatch.org , can you believe that this Americas Elect group will act in our best interest...or add to the power of the conservatives who want to push the tax burden on the non-rich, who want to privatize social security, who want to overthrow other countries using the economic methods that have been in effect effectively overthrowing governments, and further exploiting and abusing us?
I went around the corner to another part of the mall where there was a petitioner who said he was representing President Obama and was trying to find out how many people intended to vote for Obama in the coming election. I watched that for a while and no one wanted to talk to the guy. I talked to him and told him that I had voted for Obama the first time but considered Obama a fake Democrat or a Republican who has sold out his constituents, sold out social security. He tried to tell me that Obama just had too much Republican opposition to be able to do anything and that he had to compromise. And I told the guy that Obama compromised way too easily and didn't even try to fight for us...over and over again he sold us out. So I would probably be voting Green or not at all.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Peter_Ackerman
"Americans Elect Web Page Posts New Signature Total for Ballot Access Petitions
June 23rd, 2011
Americans Elect’s web page now says 1,348,312 signatures have been obtained on petitions around the nation, to get that party on the ballot. The page seems to update that figure each Thursday. Last week’s total had been 1,262,665. The vast majority of these signatures have been obtained in California, where 1,030,040 valid signatures are needed.
In California, Americans Elect petitioners are being paid $1.25. However, if a petitioner submits at least 400 signatures per week, the pay for all signatures for that petitioner that week is raised to $2.00 per signature."
http://www.ballot-access.org/2011/06/23/americans-elect-web-page-posts-n...
So it looks like they have the petitions by telling people that they have no political affiliations and only seek to make government responsible to the people again. But they won't tell you who will be running for President...he is to be selected sometime later and just before the elections. How much do you believe that they will select a progressive? They will likely be selecting yet another faker which will end up screwing us even more.
#21
Did some congress members make a killing on drug money from Afghanistan and Pakistan then two Senators smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars to Zurich banks?
"Truth Jihad"-talk show-Kevin Barrett-2011/07/18-guest second hour- Gordon Duff of http://www.veteranstoday.com
The radio talk show is here:
http://www.americanfreedomradio.com/archive/Truth-Jihad-32k-071811.mp3
Skip forward to the second hour
Gordon Duff and Kevin Barrett talk a bit about 9/11, the couple of vans with two tons of explosives that were stopped by police on that date. Mentions the USS Liberty. Talks about Rupert Murdoch for a while.
~1hour 35 minutes
Talks about a number of highly suspect "suicides" from people...journalists who knew too much and said too much.
1:37:~
Barrett: So I guess that means the details on this drug money financing the congressional..Duff cuts in...Oh, uh..Barrett continues...will have to wait till another day when you are in a ????
1:37:20
Duff: Oh, I can tell you how the money is moved. The money is moved in financial instruments in the form of standby letters of credit and it is carried by members of ?? who in particular are, uh, Senators one of whom is an ??independent?? but I won't name him; and, the other one I won't name either. Yeah and I won't...I refuse to name him...and they will pick up in the hundreds of millions of dollars at a time. If you check the travel records of the members of congress pertaining to Afghanistan or Pakistan...who they meet with...and you follow their trail back to Dubai, to Tel Aviv, to Zurich...that means they are moving financial instruments that are at least...(then Kevin Barrett interrupts and says to save till after the break)..
1:43:20
Barrett: Welcome back.......we have Gordon Duff, editor of VeteransToday....saying things that most other media.....cannot say.....Gordon you're talking about drug money going to finance congressmen, which I guess, doesn't surprise me.
Duff: .........of course billions of dollars have been bilked from the American public in Afghanistan. 58 billion dollars have been spent there on projects, nation-building projects, and yet most of the things that were supposed to have been built don't even exist........the money was stolen and nothing was built.
Duff goes on to tell how he was there in Iraq with the UN taking pictures of the sites that were supposed to cost billions of dollars and the sites were all empty.
Duff: The members of congress saw how much money was being stolen and they felt left out so the looked for an opportunity...for business opportunities and their plan was this..Afghanistan was exporting Opium paste...so they set up two businesses...one to ship fertilizer...for growing opium....and made millions in profit doing that...their other was to set up German companies...chemical laboratories to product heroin....using chemicals that are used in dry cleaning shops...so current and former members of our government got USAID funding and opened businesses for ordering dry cleaning chemicals which were used for processing heroin....several journalists were on this trail as long as two years ago...and their stories never hit...but they talked to me about it and now I'm telling you......
Duff: .......when it was discovered that 58 billion dollars was stolen by non-governmental organizations...that get contracts...keep the money..then pay off the CIA, or payoff the army, or pay off someone...and it's why the US is in so much debt...because trillions of dollars disappeared.
-----------------------------------
I read another article where flight records have recently been closed to public inquiry if requested by certain people. So, by now, it might not be easy to check on the flight records.
#22
The Nazis eventually succumbed to the overwhelming powers that defeated them.
The US, the most powerful nation in the world, has become a corrupt criminal empire with no one powerful and righteous enough to set things right. Maybe all we can hope for now is that the aliens attack and enslave our current ruling elite. Unless we revolt from within?
#23
It is happening here. The corporatization of America is in full swing. While it may be another day for you and me in paradise, we may soon find paradise lost. We need democracy, not corporatocracy.
#24
Man, I just watched a very exciting show on The Young Turks TYT July 20, 2011
Cenk Uygur tells how MSNBC management was being hastled by powerful people in Washington for Cenk to tone down his rhetoric against those powerful people in Washington. He tears into Republicans and Democrats and gets very expressive about it. The MSNBC management offered Cenk another job for twice the money but the job was really kind of a way to get him out of the public view even though his ratings beat other channels like Fox. He turned them down! Luckily, he has his own internet show. After telling his story, he goes into the news and really goes to town. Man, this guy is really exciting to watch and listen to. He previously had on Bernie Sanders who Cenk said was really ticked off about the Gang of 6. Watch it! You won't be sorry! Watch the 41 minute version...not the shorter versions.
#25
It's not just a corporatization of America...it is a criminalization of America....I must have blinked because I have run into a number of YouTube videos about last year's Wachovia/Bank of America drug money laundering scandal. Actually, it is not just those banks...it is a systemic problem among many major banks. Banks don't really care where the money comes from and have accommodated drug lords in laundering money. In fact I heard this years ago...that if it wasn't for all of the drug money in our banking system...and in other businesses...our economy would collapse...and that was, like I said, years ago.
#26
John Boner of Ohio is behaving like a spoiled brat. If I can't have it my way, I'm taking my ball and bat and I'm going home.
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-press-statement-2200-gmt-220257502.html
When W was in office, the Reichwingers voted every time to increase the debt ceiling. They ran up these huge deficits and now they refuse to pay the bill with shared sacrifices by the rich, the politicians, and the transnational corporations.
Personally, I predict that Obama will cave!!!!! That has been his MO since he became president. He is the Grand Experiment that has failed America and the American people.
#27
The United States in Mortal Sin, aka the Anti-Christ, is rotten to the bone! Hypocrisy is embedded into the American psyche!!! We are Satan’s disciples!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyxPJakuSbA
#28
How does an adult (Obama) communicate with spoiled brats (Boner and his goons)? Even though Obama is an adult, he does not seem to possess the guts to do what is right for the American people. Obama will cave into the Reichwingers’ demands.
http://news.yahoo.com/phone-tag-wrong-numbers-collapse-debt-talks-060105421.html
#29
What truly astounds me is the amount of hatred, corruption, and lies that we face daily in this country!
Polls indicate that 67% of the voters will dump their incumbent politician, such as a House and Senate politician. These figures do not bode well for the Democrats. I give you this poll because Republican voters are very protective of Republican incumbents. They are as protective as a junkyard dog that is protecting a junkyard. Their thought processes are as similar to a junkyard. Progressive voters are patriotic and thoughtful. They stand ready to dump junkyard politicians who exhibit little brain matter in their thought processes.
#30
I give to the poor and to working Americans a famous quote.
SUCK IT UP AND COPE – Charles Munger
#31
On a personal note I enjoy watching birds. I am not an expert on birds but there is something special about birds. I have just seen three Yellow Finches. These tiny birds are beautiful to watch.
I have great information for persons who stress job security. Here are the three educational and training areas that will never have you unemployed in the United States in Mortal Sin – join the military services and be trained in the killing of God’s children, complete studies as a minster in the Old Testament where God is depicted as a punishing and vengeful Creator, and for truly a safe and secure job with one hundred percent employment complete a degree from the School of Americas on torture. The torture of human beings in the United States in Mortal Sin is the wave of the present and future with no end in sight.
#32
Where've you been, Tom? I talked about this weeks ago. See an article by Mary Bottari on HuffPo about a shadowy group called ALEC...apparently part of the legacy of the great Milton Friedman. It's all theatre!
#33
Although I have shared with you a health issue that I have, there are many health issues even more serious, such as cancer, severe case of diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease or the long good bye. The brain has died but the body can linger on for several years and that is why Alzheimer’s disease is called the long good bye.
Let me focus on the heart issue! You must not only take care of your heart you must love your heart.
Recently, I had a second generator implant into my pacemaker. The first generator’s life span was 2 years, 10 months. The norm is 3 to 5 years. The generator was functioning at 81 or 84% of power and my heart was functioning at 16 or 19% of strength. I forget the exact percentage for the first generator. I do know the exact percentage for the second generator because I was at the medical center office as my generator was being programmed. The second generator is functioning at 87.1% of power and my heart is functioning at 12.9% of strength. The life span for the second generator may be less than 2 years, 10 months. What I have learned from these generator implants that the more power needed by the generator to help my heart, the more energy is zapped from me. Please remember to take care of your heart and please love your heart!
#34
Obama seems to be playing along with the notion that we have a debt problem, why doesnt he wake up and fight for the USA. The Republicans are unpatriotic, traitors. They have no interest in helping increase jobs, improve the stability of the US, make the "American Dream" attainable by all, etc. The Corporatist Republicans are self-serving, greedy, power-hungry and care nothing about the USA much less the people of this country. They keep saying Obama should "listen to the people" because the people are on the side of the Republicans? Every poll indicates that people are for raising taxes on the rich, raising the debt ceiling, and maintaining social security and medicare; so yes he should listen to the people. But why doesnt he pay attention and use the bully pulpit since that is what he is there to do; use the presidency to push the policies in the direction his party stands for.
Why is it the terrorists and lone gunmen are always right-wing, religious fundamentalist?
#35
Is that supposed to be a scoop? All politicians dupe the electorate to get elected! Where have you been for the last 100 years?!
#36
Gerald: Good advice about the heart. Wish you well!
#37
And how many people initially thought that "terrorist" attack in Oslo was caused by Muslims?
He was a Christian Fundamentalist who went on to murder over 80 young people and/or children at that island camp.
Just keeping things fair and balanced here. Of course, many other "Christians" will immediately try to disassociate him with their beliefs even though the have most likely associated what a few Muslims may have done to all the rest. I believe it was not even "what a few Muslilms have done" because 911 was an inside job and the Muslim "terrorists" were patsies set up to take the fall for what an insidious and powerful neocon group did inside their own country against their own people.
#38
I am sick and tired of Republicans playing games with our economy. The republicans think America doesn’t have enough problems so they manufacture a crisis out of the debt ceiling. The problem is that America has been cutting taxes on the most affluent among us for the last thirty years while failing to aggregate the demand side of the economy ( The middle class). It is simply stated that revenue and spending must come in line with one another to have a balanced budget. While the Democrats and the independents see this as the solution, the republicans think America only has a spending problem. They say never mind the facts that wall street billionaires only pay a 15 percent capital gains tax while hard-working people like you and I pay in the thirties. They say raising taxes on the rich is much more deplorable than raising the retirement age for our moms and grandmas. I want to remind republicans that the debt ceiling was raised thirteen times during the Reagan Administration and several times in every administration since, which was always a result of ridiculous tax cuts not increased spending. So ask yourself what kind of America do you want to live in. One where we take care of our people and where we have strong middle class, with strong social safety nets, and strong infrastructure. Or an America that allows the wealthy to rule our politicians, a system that lets our sick and old fend for themselves in a marketplace that only cares about turning a profit, and an America that is falling apart with crumbling infrastructures. We must all unite and vote out those republicans that want America to be a feudalist society.
#39
What is a default? A default is when you cannot pay your bills and your creditors don't get paid. If you buy a house and you cannot make payments on it...you go into default and lose the house to the bank. A default is when you can't pay your electric and/or gas bills....etc...etc.
So why is our government going to default on it's obligation to pay it's creditors....all those who put into the social security program and all the other programs that people spent their lives paying taxes for?
Our government is more worried about not defaulting on China, or Saudi Arabia, or the banksters who stacked the decks and others that they borrowed heavily from to fund idiotic and illegal wars than they are about defaulting on their own people...the recipients of their obligations to their own people...the majority in the US who paid their taxes.
Maybe we taxpayers need to default on our obligations to pay our taxes? There is strength in numbers and if no one paid their taxes...what are they going to do then? They have, for many years, planned to completely trash the social programs one way or another. And one way was going to be to do another smoke-and-mirrors prestidigitation on our social security contributions by throwing them into the black hole/slot machine casinos of Wall Street. These people are salivating at the big sucking sound of our dollars from our government run social security program into their pockets in the form of huge bonuses after they mismanage and gamble away most of it. Then they'll manufacture more smoke-and-mirrors and linguistic legerdemain to keep us deluded into thinking all is "swell" ("swell"...an often used term just before the big one hit in 1929)
Aside from the initial IPOs to fund startups..Wall Street really has nothing to do with being necessary for business except to be a roll-the-dice gambling casino...where for a few people to win...others have to lose. Sure, it helps be an incentive to maximize profits (and that is ok up to a point but we are no longer a production economy but a FIRE economy..where maximizing profits usually means screwing someone to do it) but that would exist even if Wall Street didn't exist. Wall Street is a cesspool of greedy capitalist maggots.
There are numbers and indicators, if you are savvy enough, that help put the odds in your favor....but since the computer-driven derivatives and all the other creations of powerful entities to put the odds in their favor..the odds against the little guy...the ones with their investments, their 401ks, individual portfolios will often lose their shirt. They are gambling against a stacked deck.
Since our government will be soon be in default to it's own citizens who are owed the obligatory (definitely not discretionary) ENTITLEMENTS from the INSURANCE payments that are OWED them, our government will become a DEADBEAT DELINQUENT FREELOADER incapable of handling it's own finances. Maybe we need a debtor's prison to put all of those politicians who can't properly handle other people's money...better yet...a criminal's prison to put all those politicians who knowingly, and deliberately absconded with our money or conspired with their buddies in that action.
#40
Vote out not just the Republicans but the Republicans who pretend to be Democrats! How much like a Democrat has Obama been? Not very much, that's for sure! We need to Primary him out of the office of the Presidency...and put in a real progressive Democrat. But the problem is...we thought Obama was a progressive Democrat...sure sounded like it when he was campaigning. Maybe we need to impeach Obama!
#41
It is always someone else's fault. This is all the progressive Obama drones out of control agenda of spending with never submitting a budget of accountability. Oh I think I remember Obama submitting his budget of fiscal leadership and it was shot down by his senate 97 to zero. What a guy of hope a change. It is so easy and moral to spend other people's money. I think the heat of the spotlight is exposing the real Obama.
#42
There is a good article in The Nation concerning the American Legislative Exchange Council explaining how they are using Milton Friedman's call for conservatives to " develop alternatives to existing policies and keep them alive and available with long term goals to downsize government, remove regulations on corporations and make it harder to hold the economically and politically powerful to account." The reason they could get away with it is that the Democrats lack leadership enough to recognize they are in a war and explain to the American public how the only solution to prevent Corporations from completely taking over the government is through the Democrats. What Americans are desperately looking for today is leadership and someone to stand up and fight for them the same way Republicans fight for Corporate America and the wealthy. Democrats can no longer afford the blue dog Democrats who are really Republicans. Only Obama and a few Senators such as Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown have taken on the fight to constantly explain to us the real difference between Democrats and Republicans. We need to encourage everyone to call their Democratic Senators and Congressmen and demand they become part of the fight or we will replace them with someone else. If people don't get the message that if the Republicans get control we will see 12% unemployment for the next 20 years, seniors will lose the chance for dignity when they retire and will be required to move in with their children, we will become a Third World Economy, thousands will die due no access to health care, we will fall further behind in the world economy due our children not being properly educated and provided reasonable access to college, minimum wage will become the standard for wages, etc. If people don't wake up and get involved, if minorities and young voters don't show up to vote as occurred in 2010, that is what we will get. The Democrats do a terrible job selling their position versus the Republicans and this is no longer acceptable. If they don't represent us, get rid of them. This is war. We need leadership. We need the average citizen to get off their asses and get involved. It is Corporate America versus the middle classs. Corporate America won't sit on their asses.
#43
Does anyone find the timing of current events just a little bit odd?
I had mentioned the july 20 TheYoungTurks show where Cenk Uygur spent a good portion of the 41 minute program talking about how the management at MSNBC was pressured by Washington insiders to get Cenk to tone things down in his MSNBC talk show. Even though his ratings were stellar, very important to networks, MSNBC management offered Cenk double his salary to take a less visible job replacing his prime time spot with Jessie Jackson. Cenk is going on many other talk shows as a hero who stood up to political pressure and refusing to be bought off. So then the NYTimes put out a story saying that a Muslim terrorist group was responsible for the bombing and massacre in Norway. What I heard was that it was the work of a Norwegian man who was an ultra right wing Fundamentalist Christian who was extremely anti-muslim. He owned a big farm...or something that gave him the access to lots of fertilizer (remember OKCity Federal building..Tim McVey...exposive fertilizer?). So in watching yesterdays The Young Turks...Cenk goes off on this tirade about how the bombing was done by that Muslim terrorist group and chastizing Muslims for being so touchy about people making fun of Mohammed or Allah (and then he condescended to refer to any other religious group..if they were as touchy). I tend to agree with this of course but I couldn't believe he was saying that it was a Muslim terrorist group that did it.
So why is this all happening now...when our debt ceiling controversy is up in the air? Is there a connection..another false flag attempt to steer people away from thinking about the real terrorists? The real terrorists are economic terrorists in our own government. I am wondering when these economic terrorists will strike again in the US this time...maybe they will engineer these strikes in other countries...for now...but we might be in for a big shock later on...right here in the US...and it won't be done by Muslim terrorists!
I wonder, does our economic terrorists have an army of "Manchurian candidates" stationed around the world to carry out extremist operations that could be blamed on "Muslim terrorists" at will? Unknowing, psychotropically-induced, perhaps, patsies to carry out upon the activation of code words? You think MKULTRA was only a temporary experiment of the 50s and 60s? I highly doubt it! ....... ROSEBUD......CRUSADER
"But now it turns out that the alleged perpetrator wasn't from an international Muslim extremist group at all, but was rather a right-wing Norwegian nationalist with a history of anti-Muslim commentary and an affection for Muslim-hating blogs such as Pam Geller's Atlas Shrugged, Daniel Pipes, and Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch. Despite that, The New York Times is still working hard to pin some form of blame, even ultimate blame, on Muslim radicals"
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/07/23/nyt/index.html
How a clueless "terrorism expert" set media suspicion on Muslims after Oslo horror
Submitted by Benjamin Doherty on Sat, 07/23/2011 - 00:27
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/benjamin-doherty/how-clueless-terrori...
#44
This is from the Guns and Butter program of July 20, 2011 with Bonnie Falkner interviewing Dr. Graeme MacQueen:
Dr. Graeme MacQueen-taught in the religious studies department in the McMaster University in Ontario for 30 years. In 1981 he became founding director of The Center For Peace Studies at McMaster after which he helped develop the VA program in Peace Studies and oversaw the development of peace building projects in Sri Lanka, Gaza, Croatia, and Afghanistan..then taking early retirement from McMaster. Most of his research has taken place surrounding the events of 911. He currently serves on the board of directors of The International Center For 911 Studies which has secured the release of numerous photographs and videos from the US Government.
The program is mostly about the Anthrax attacks at about that time of 911..which MacQueen says is connected as was originally believed by everyone but they were only in error in that it was not the Muslim Terrorists who did it ....both the anthrax attacks (now known to be an inside job and admitted as such by our government) and the 911 attacks were in fact done by the same people...an inside job. But, I won't get into that here. But a statement was made by MacQueen that I wanted to display here that I believe helps to put things into perspective about who did 911 and the anthrax attacks.
In February of 2001 Dr. MacQueen attended a conference (actually an extended workshop) in Peshawar, Pakistan. This was 7 months before September 11, 2001. The workshop had to do with trying to solve health problems in poor countries. He had been going to these places for this reason since 1995. The workshops were 5 days a week 9 to 5 and 100 Afghans were there chosen in advance...about 30 were former Afghanistan cabinet ministers, others university people, and others. MacQueen and his group were in Peshawar, Pakistan because the US Government discouraged them from going into Afghanistan at that time.
This was at an Afghan University made up of Afghan refugees. So in the workshops, people were generating ideas about what could be done about Afghanistan health problems....and one old bearded Afghan dressed in western clothing, a nice suit, stood up and said "You're coming up with good ideas...but...the US will soon be creating a war in Afghanistan. They want the oil and they also want a permanent base which they intend to build there...so everything we are doing is to no avail."
MacQueen thought that it was not very likely that the US could have cooked up a good reason to invade Afghanistan...why, after the history of foreign invaders failing...most of the world believed that the Soviets had not only done a very unjust thing but a very stupid thing earning a world-wide hatred in invading Afghanistan...so what possible excuse could the US find for invading Afghanistan? Was the US government stupid enough to do the same thing? Other people at the workshop told MacQueen that US forces could already be seen on the ground in Afghanistan. MacQueen just sort of dismissed these remarks because he just didn't believe then that there was any merit to the remarks. Remember, this was about 7 months before 911. MacQueen believes that the man was a well connected man with Pakistani intelligence. And even the Asia Times had printed that the US would be invading Afghanistan sometime in the Summer.
The US needed an excuse to invade Afghanistan to secure a future pipeline through Afghanistan. The Taliban was going to be a problem in that regard and the US engineered a way to do it...and in doing this they also laid a path to scare people out of their freedoms which allowed for the already happening economic collapse.
#45
@Palindromedary, what the conservative crazies really seek is to bring down the Big Enchilada on MSNBC - Rachel Maddow!!!!!
Leo Buscaglia, the late Love Doctor and professor at the University of Southern California, taught a Love class. He said that we need to see with our heart. Solomon, the son of King David, wanted from a young age to understand with his heart. If we had more persons seeing with their heart and understanding with their heart, we would have more justice and peace in the world. Let us try to see and understand with our hearts! The heart is very important for a better world.
#46
I may have mentioned these words in previous comments but they are worth repeating. I have said that I pray 24/7, 365 days a year. Yes, you are reading these words correctly. For each breath that I inhale I consider it God’s gift to me and for each breath I exhale it is my way of saying thank you to God for His gift to me.
#47
Catholic Church History and Sharia Law
What I will share with you truly saddens me. These words are my perceptions of Church history. My Church has made mistakes and now I see my Church on the road to maturity.
I have relatives who believe that a person cannot be saved unless they are Catholics. This view is similar to several Islamic sects who have a similar viewpoint. Prior to the Crusades, an aide or an assistant to Mohammad sought to meet with the Pope and carrying on dialogue about the two religions. The Pope would not meet with the aide or assistant to Mohammad. The Catholics won the First Crusade and than lost the next four or five Crusades. The rest is history. At the time of the Crusades the Catholic hierarchy was seeking to convert all the people. Plus, the Catholic Church before the Crusades had domination as a religion. With a feeling of religious domination will bring stagnation and a false sense of superiority! Each religion has a set of principles that offer ideas and thoughts to better our world. We need to blend in these principles so we can live in a better world. Certain sects of Muslims also seek to convert the world to Islam in order to save the infidels. Both great religions, Christianity and Islam, have sects that seek conversion of another person. Yes, the Early Church did practice her form of Sharia Law. What goes around comes around! Many souls can be saved through the practice of the “Golden Rule.”
#48
A Super Secretive Weapon
I am presently doing research on a super secretive weapon. I do not mind people fainting from my breaking wind exploits with only a marinated four bean salad but my hope is to develop a super secretive weapon that will give a knockout punch with one smell. I am doing research on the perfect recipe for such a knockout punch. I am willing to share with you the ingredients for such a weapon. The recipe needs the perfect blend for such a weapon!
Here are the ingredients. You are welcome to do some research as well. The ingredients for the recipe are to make a meal from a marinated four bean salad with marinated Brussels sprouts and broccoli, from Kim Chi, from a homemade marinated red cabbage, and from a homemade lentil soup added. What is important about the lentil soup is that the breaking wind exploits come out like the rattling of a machine gun. In about fifteen seconds two dozen farts can be released from the human body. Lentil soup farts are not as noisy as regular farts. Hopefully, a more silent fart will not draw as much attention to the culprit. Remember, what is needed in this recipe is a perfect blend of the ingredients!
My hope is also to start a third party movement, known as the “Stench Party and to raise a huge stink centering on the conservative crazies and the lunatic politicians for inhumane policies and practices in their treatment of all of God’s children in America and to all the corners of our planet.” Hopefully, members of the Stench Party will piss off the conservative crazies and their bed partners, the lunatic politicians, in Washington, D.C. Maybe at some point most Americans will come to realize how much the conservative crazies and the lunatic politicians have hurt America and Americans.
#49
Here are some statistics that may startle you. These statistics will reinforce why the gay, lesbian, and bisexual issue will never go away. Are ready, really ready for these statistics? Nineteen percent of the American male population is gay. Another twenty-one percent of the American population is lesbian and/or bisexual. Forty percent of the American population gravitates to some form of homosexuality.
#50
Obama ran his presidential campaign on the slogan "Change we can believe in." Clearly, this is not a radical statement. In fact, it is a slap in the face of those who put forth the unfulfilled promises of the 1960's "revolution". Because of that slogan, I never expeted that Obama would be anything other than conservative - but conservative in the root sense of the word - meaning that he would probably be working to conserve SOMETHING that he thought was worth continuing in America. Exactly what that would be, was never clear. But with respect to Republicans. Republicans would have no power if people didn't elect them. We really do not have to elect them, if we don't want to have them but we do. And I would suggest that this is continuation of the after effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Sad to say, but if "promoting the general welfare" - a phrase that comes out of the US Constitution preamble, I think - actually helps people of color at the same time as it helps the general nonwhite population, I believe many white Americans would rather abandon it. I don't know how else to explain people voting for policies that are against their own interest. The PATCO strike under Reagan was interesting. Because it was clear from the beginning that he would oppose the union. But these people (PATCO) thought that Reagan was one of us. They voted him into office. And he disbanded their union.
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The Republicans can't be successful trying to do what they are trying to do without the assist of our Republican president. So far the capitalist Obama has given the right wing bourgeoisie everything that it has demanded. Expanded wars (thanks Hillary), Gitmo remains open (thanks warmongers), millions unemployed (thanks corporatists who love the increase in labor productivity), a shrinking standard of living for the middle-class (thanks Mr. Money Bags wealty guy whose wealth has increased dramatically over the past 30 years, and so on. Peace