Watch Turkey. The people are holding forums in parks around the country where people speak their minds peacefully and refuse to take political sides. They don't yell or protest. They use ha d jestures to I dictate agreement or dissent about what is being saidaa so police don't have an excuse to attack Addax may the rest of the world follow their example!
The Egyptians need not look far back in world history to realize religious fundamentalism and good government do not mix. Obviously they understand the proverbial wall of separation is an absolute here. In my opinion the Morsi situation would be analogous to red states putting Pat Robertson in the White House. I'd expect our military to do the right thing and liberate us from his religious tyranny as well.
Many Eqyptians due in part to social media are aware of the wonderful lifestyles afforded citizens of European countries practicing aspects of Democratic Socialism. They see it, they want it, and by god I hope they get it. The question is, how do we motivate our red state citizens to pull their heads out of their asses and do the same thing right here?
As a former public school teacher I am reminded as to why I am resistant to business sticking it's nose into public policy. While I was teaching in the 80's, local businesses decided that they wanted to "Donate" to our public schools. This translated into business dictating what was being taught. Tweeking curriculum so that student learning suited the needs of the local corporations rather than individual student needs.
Business is self serving having no regard for human and responsible immigration reform or any other public policy and should therefore be excluded from any and all debates.
Quote Loren Bliss:Will it back the relatively libertarian forces symbolized by the military? Or will it back the forces of theocracy? Given the One Percent's preference for theocracy as the ultimate means of controlling the Working Class aka the 99 Percent, I'd anticipate the latter. Now though the USian Ruling Class is merely confused. The One Percenters cannot comfortably endorse the secularists, because at least some of the secularists -- perhaps many -- are socialists. Nor can the One Percenters easily get in bed with the Islamists, many of whom view the United States as "the Great Satan" and thus regard anything USian as "of the Devil." Ultimately of course whatever Washington decides to do will be determined by its judgment of which side offers the greater opportunity for profit.
Loren Bliss ~ That is a brilliant and accurate analysis. Unfortunately, though I side with the secularists, and to some degree the libertarian forces, my heart goes out to the Islamists. Their contention that the US is "the Great Satan" can be supported so easily with our own Judeo Christian prophecies that I cannot help but respect their perspective. I must assume you are predicting that Washington will ultimately pick the side of the theocracy--however you want to define the term. Of course we both know that the traditional Webster dictionary definition of "theocracy" does not properly apply in this case. Perhaps "Synagogue of Satan" would be more appropriate. That would fit perfectly with the Islamist contention as well as the US agenda.
The women were there and it was peaceful demonstrations. Where are they now it is not safe. Men behave better in the presence of women. EQUAL GENDER GOVERNMENTS will bring about a more balanced world.
Egypt's paralysis is, perhaps ironically, a localized manifestation of the same sickness that has befallen the United States: a hard-core cult of religious fanatics who want zero-tolerance theocracy versus the vast majority that favors modern secularism.
In the U.S., the issue has already been decided. Supported by the One Percent with all its wealth, the fanatics not only control the government and the military, they have perfected a stealth approach to the imposition of theocracy that makes them virtually omnipotent. Note, for example, the methodical abolition of female reproductive rights that has now spread even to some of the allegedly "civilized" coastal states. (Those who doubt this should read Jeff Sharlet's The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power [HarperCollins: 2008], which documents not only the activities of the usual suspects but the dynamic role Hillary Clinton is playing in the advent of USian Christian theocracy.)
Meanwhile, in Egypt the situation remains in a state of flux, with the (nominally secular) military acting as not only political arbiter but protector of the secular and/or non-Islamic masses. Obviously the decisive factor will be which side the United States supports. Will it back the relatively libertarian forces symbolized by the military? Or will it back the forces of theocracy? Given the One Percent's preference for theocracy as the ultimate means of controlling the Working Class aka the 99 Percent, I'd anticipate the latter. Now though the USian Ruling Class is merely confused. The One Percenters cannot comfortably endorse the secularists, because at least some of the secularists -- perhaps many -- are socialists. Nor can the One Percenters easily get in bed with the Islamists, many of whom view the United States as "the Great Satan" and thus regard anything USian as "of the Devil." Ultimately of course whatever Washington decides to do will be determined by its judgment of which side offers the greater opportunity for profit.
The Egyptians just received their 1.3 billion aid package from us. The politicians know this so it's all posturing. One moment Washington is complaining about Morsi's increasing authoritarianism, the next, making him an icon for democracy.
Is it a question of Egypt being swayed by international pressure or more so from pressure within. Violent protest only happen when governments don't listen to their own people. People know what they want and are happy to tell you. Violent protests only occur when government doesn't listen. It is time for Egyptian leaders to listen to their people. Serving the needs of its people is the only legitimate reason for the existence of government. Any government that fails to do so doesn't deserve to exist.
Palindromedary ~ I'll admit that calling Gene Roddenberry's death a murder is walking on thin ice evidence wise. However, hijacking the show is exactly what happened. I'm not sure how the plot and direction of the story ran askew and straight into the hands of the USA propaganda machine, but nevertheless that is exactly what happened. A very disturbing turn in the Star Trek legacy.
It's no secret how Gene was constantly hounded to write his show down the status quo lines of the Hollywood industry. From day one Gene wanted to project an anti-war philosophy in his show. The original pilot had a Captain that was supposed to embody Christian values and was named Captain Christopher Pike. He got scrubbed by the producers who didn't want to "upset the religious crowd" for a less suggestive Captain James Tiberius Kirk.
Star Trek trivia history is full of struggles between Gene and the media controllers as to where the stories would go with Gene for the most part winning out; until he died that is. Star Trek with its ship's weaponry capable of destroying planets is an irresistible propaganda tool for the war mongerers in our pentagon. I have no doubt that Gene's death was taken advantage of to turn his "example of peace" into a "model of war" by the plutocrats of this country. Whether or not they killed him to do it is really a lesser point.
The movie industry is so full of right wing war mongering propaganda that I have refused to go see a movie for the last 30 years. There are exceptions to this rule. One was Chariots of the Gods, and then two Michael Moore movies. Also, I saw Star Wars and a couple of Star Trek movies; but, thats about it. I saw the 300 movie a friend rented and insisted I watch. He said it was an historic documentary; but, I agree with you, it was more of a propaganda travesty; or, eye candy for the gay community. Documentary? Please!
No, I haven't played the Google doodle UFO game yet but I'll look for it later today. Also, no, I haven't seen the Lone Ranger Movie yet; and, probably won't till it is shown on TV. However, I do know people who go to these things and have heard, or will hear, just about the entire plot before I get a chance to see it.
I disagree that the term "Noble Savage" has any good connotations to it. "Savage" clearly is a blatant insult to all native Americans. The word "Noble" has nothing Noble about its use in this context. It is used as an adjective that clearly implies that this "Savage" is a "Noble" one; unlike, other "Savages" that don't need a quantifier word. That implies that all other native Americans are disloyal and untrustworthy "Savages." Just because the word "Noble" is generally thought of as a good complement word doesn't mean that in some context it can be misused. Much like guns, words in the wrong hands can hurt people.
In the same way I especially condemn Paula Dean for using the N-word. As a white boy, and lifelong resident of very black neighborhoods I can tell you that words hurt. I myself am very offended when anyone calls me a "white boy." I don't like it. Usually, that happens in an adversarial situation. It is intended as an insult. I never use the N-word because I know that doing so in any situation is insulting. I know how it feels. In fact, even around only white people I find the use of the N-word insulting to me as well. I can't stand it and I don't tolerate it. Also, I'm aware that were I to use the word with my northern big-city background it wouldn't be as insulting to the black community as it is coming from a Southern Belle. I also believe that that any Southern Belle should be perfectly aware of that fact as well and would only resort to using that word publically out of buried shear racial hatred. There could never have been any legitimate reason to resort to such language. She stepped way over the line and she knew it from the backhanded apology she offered. The apology was worse than the original offense. In one step she has offended not only the entire black community; but, the vast majority of the white community as well. Publically she admitted to using the word frequently in private. That says a lot about a person. The food channel acted appropriately. This was no accident or faux pas. Her treatment was justified and the only thing I can say in her defense is that it is a pity--she will be missed. Her show was very entertaining. (Though her recipes were as unhealthy as her vocabulary.)
As far as the parallel between Paula Dean and black rappers using the N-word all I can say is fine. The rappers can use it Paula can't. The black community has seized all rights to use the N-word how they see fit. Their approval is evident in music sales. The free market in action! That same market said no to Paula Dean. That's freedom talking, baby. What's wrong with that? The white community has its own words too. "Golly Gee!" "Nipped in the Pitard", "Shazam." The list goes on and on. Just like the N-word, black people only use these words to insult white people. Thats all they are good for in the black community. Let's be real for a minute and realize that words can be powerful things and should be used with responsibility, sensitivity, respect, forethought, and care. Like I've said before and I quote myself here:
Myself
Quote DAnneMarc:It is far better to think without speaking than to speak without thinking!
I don't particularly care to hear rappers say the N-word anymore than Paula; but I do believe in the 1st Amendment. If rappers or Paula want to defile themselves with language it is their constitutional right to be able to do so. As well, it is our constitutional right to refuse to listen to them. In the end words tend to come back to bite us in the end. Like the notion of Karma, what goes around comes around. It is best to heed my advice above and just worry about what one's self has to say. That is all we really have control over anyway, and all we really need to concern ourselves with.
DAnneMarc: Wow! I don't know..that's quite a theory...I don't know about Gene Roddenberry being iced in order to change the theme of StarTrek but I do strongly believe that there has been, for many years, a very strong effort at using psyops through the movies and TV in order to control people's thinking. I remember seeing the movie The 300, I think it was, about Spartans...I found it just a little amusing, although not too surprising, when after the movie walking through the mall, I see Marine recruiters trying to sucker young men into joining.
I seem to remember that there was another explosion aboard an airliner, many years ago, where they suspected a hydraulic heater coil located in proximity to the fuel tank which was located just under the area of where the first class section.
By the way, have you played the Google doodle UFO game yet? I did and got the little creature back in his UFO. Cute! By the way, I went to the 50 year anniversary in Roswell, N.M. on July 7...what was it back in 1996 or was it 1997? Yeah, right, first it was a weather balloon..then it was a high altitude nuclear explosion detector to spy on the Russians...they even tried to throw mannequins out in the desert to misinform people on what really happened.
By the way, again, have you seen the new movie about the Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp? Good movie! The movie starts out where this little boy, in 1933, dressed as the Lone Ranger goes to this carnival sideshow about the Wild West. He comes upon this one panorama showing a TeePee and this old, wrinkly Indian (was that really Johnny Depp?) with a bird on his head. The panorama was labeled: "The Noble Savage". The Indian was, of course, Tonto who related to the youngster his history with The Lone Ranger. I won't say anymore about the movie but I just thought that it was just a reminder of how people thought in our history about other people who were different. The Noble "Savage"..although, I guess they could have just labeled it "The Savage"...it was quite noble of them to use the term "noble" I suppose...but it doesn't quite nullify or justify the "S-word". I'd say the real savages were of a lighter skin tone....and, like today, they still have the most sophisticated weaponry and most unsophisticated demeanor.
Strange, though, how people can get away with using the S-word, after all that has come to mean for the native Americans, who suffered and died at the hands of cruel men but no one, not even Paula Deen, can get away with saying the N-word many years ago without being skewered and loosing her show and sponsors. And then to hear a CNN anchorman Don Lemon use it when talking about Paula Deen...not to mention all those Rap musicians who float the word around all the time.
Palindromedary ~ Never mind about the plane crash. I just Googled the fuel layout of a jumbo jet and as it turns out the auxiliary tank is located right where the plane exploded. Go figure! My bad! I just couldn't conceive that anyone would be so stupid as to design a plane with the passengers sitting on a potential bomb. What do I know? Somehow I always overestimate the level of common sense in my fellow man.
And then, who am I to judge? Despite the placement of the tank the passengers were still able to escape. Maybe the designers knew what they were doing after all? Unfortunately, that little tidbit of information is going to be in the back of my mind whenever I think about flying. In this case for sure, ignorance is bliss.
Quote Palindromedary:DAnneMarc: What I saw in the last video taken from what looked to me to be from across the bay...maybe the Hayward area..the airliner's tail was dragging in the water for some distance before it hit the rocks and then flipped. The tail, it seemed, had already broken off in the water or when it hit the rocks which would have cause the upper fuselage to buckle...and the fuel tanks would have emptied in that area causing a massive fire. I sure don't think that this was an act of terrorism...no bombs...just very bad pilot error.
Palindromedary ~ I'll take your word for that. There are two major facts that aren't congruent with an attack or intended crash. 1. Almost everyone survived. 2. There didn't seem to be anyone on the plane important enough to try to kill.
I haven't had a chance to see that latest video you mentioned yet. I'll look for it tomorrow. The one thing that puzzles me is why just the fuselage. As I understand airplane design the wings store most of the fuel; so, how--after a ten hour flight--when most of the fuel must have been spent did all the remaining fuel get into the fuselage? Please don't tell me they put the fuel tanks under the passenger seats in these big planes. I may never fly again.
It seems strange to me that the passenger area is toast and the wings and outer shell of the plane is unburnt. It must have taken 300 passengers at least 2-5 minutes to evacuate the plane after it came to a stop; therefore, the cabin fire must have started after the evacuation. If the plane caught fire before it came to a stop the passengers would all be dead.
However, at this point ,and from what I read this morning, I'm inclined to agree that this was an accident. An accident with many unanswered questions; but, nonetheless, an accident. Regardless, it doesn't make me feel any safer about flying.
Quote Palindromedary:The insider architects of 9/11 knew full well that they could get the American people riled up and rally against Muslims. PNAC even wrote that they needed a new Pearl Harbor in order to do the things they wanted to do...including invading Iraq. The Muslilms were ideal villains. It was a given!
Palindromedary ~ Strange you should mention PNAC and insider info. I don't know if you ever followed the television shows called, Star Trek, by Gene Roddenberry. They focused mostly on the future and Roddenberry always tried to paint the future as peaceful with diplomatic ties between planets. There was occasional fights and battles for ratings; but Gene generally kept the peace in the Galaxy.
However when Gene died suddenly that whole general rule flew out the window. Star Trek took a very ugly turn for the worst. An intergalactic war was suddenly written into the script between the Federation and a new empire discovered across the galaxy called the Dominion. The warrior race from the Dominion were called the Jem'hadar. One very disturbing two part episode focused in detail on torture. This was many years ago; but I remember clearly being very suspicious at the time of the sudden illness and death of Gene Roddenberry and this new twist in the plot and philosophy of his program. Do you think that maybe Gene was iced and his program hijacked in order to turn it into a tool of propaganda and mind control to help prepare for the PNAC and NWO agenda?
After all, draw the parallels: Dominion and Muslim, Jem'hadar and Al Qaeda, galactic war and world war, high tech torture and enhanced interrogation. Are all these similarities merely a coincidence; or, part of a well orchestrated plot of psyops and mind control that is far beyond a simple conspiracy between the government and the petroleum industry. In the past I have ignored those thoughts and suspicions; but, in retrospect it sure feels good to get that theory off my chest. It certainly deserves scrutiny.
Palindromedary ~ I'm listening! Sorry, I had company most of the evening and they just left a while ago. Give me a minute to read your posts and review the info before I comment.
When these major false flags happen..not many people get mad at our government for failing to protect us. They are cajoled by those who control the main stream media to get behind the government in order to strike back at those that were perceived as attacking us. It is so, so easy to do when the perceived aggressor is from another country...especially someone who is Muslim. Let's face it...there is a lot of innate distrust of people who hold such strong, competing convictions of another religion, or race. It sure didn't take much for FDR to rally the people against the Germans, once he baited the Japanese into attacking Pearl Harbor. The Germans were so very much like many Americans...not much difference...same basic religion...Christianity. But the Japanese were totally different in so many ways. So all FDR had to do was to get the German's allies, the Japanese, to attack us which would put us into the war against Germany. The McCollum memo was a multi-step plan to tick off the Japanese..and FDR followed every step till the Japanese finally invaded Pearl Harbor.
The insider architects of 9/11 knew full well that they could get the American people riled up and rally against Muslims. PNAC even wrote that they needed a new Pearl Harbor in order to do the things they wanted to do...including invading Iraq. The Muslilms were ideal villains. It was a given! It was an excuse for a renewal of the Crusades...even Bush slipped in his speech when he used that term..."Crusade"! What else could it be but an atavistic degenerative avalanche of irrational emotions of hate and fear fostered by generations of pious exclusivity. (ie: only we hold the truth and everyone else will burn in hell). Even an American rifle scope manufacturer, during the Iraq war, inscribed bible verses on the scopes so that Jesus would bless each and every shot to find it's mark on the heathen enemy.
As long as rich capitalist corporations go over to other countries, steal their raw materials, use slave labor, and treat the natives with arrogance, even rape and murder them and their families, the US will continue to have enemies. Some of these people may fight back in any way that they can...given that they don't have huge, well equipped armies to throw their weight around..like the US does. Of course, the US uses these actions of blowback, by people the US has wronged, as evidence of "terrorism". We weren't over there to "win hearts and minds". We were over there to create plenty of new potential "terrorists" that would keep American tax payers shaking in their boots and shelling out all their hard earned wages on taxes that go directly to the Military Industrial Spy Complex. And the Americans fall for it...they suck it all in...it fits in with their fear and hatred of people that are different. Americans had not experienced the violence and unfairness of another country invading them and stealing their raw materials, raping them, murdering them. So, they never know what it is really like. And every time "they" try to strike back at us our government acts like it "justifies" an even bigger act of terrorism of the US against even more families and innocent civilians in these countries when the US invades them.
Quote DAnneMarc: How is their unconstitutional surveillance program is going to look good with yet another successful terrorist attack?
How does it look now...after a growing number of people realize that we are all being soaked by government organizations that have stooped to infiltrate, befriend, and bait patsies who may be ticked off enough to say things they shouldn't but who have no way in hell to actually carry out their fantasies. The government has provided these patsies with things like explosives, and egged them on to carry out their fantasies, then arresting them, and then they used the propaganda to justify their expensive programs. The government entraps people to serve as their propaganda tools to keep us all fearful of terrorism and thankful that someone is "protecting" us.
There is a lot of big money in this terrorism game that many corporations are amassing at the expense of the tax payers. When the people start to question the government's importance in protecting us, when the people get really ticked off from undue internal surveillance, the capitalist corporate, military, industrial, and government jackals will have to hit us again to whip us back into line. It worked just dandy on 9/11...and it will more than likely work yet again. Most of the attention in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 was not that the government bungled it...but that "hate the terrorists" and "rampant jingoism" ruled the day.
Those in the government who, perhaps, should have been, at least, demoted were promoted. They all pretended that: yes, it was embarrassing (that the different government organizations did not "talk" to one another..(and even the fact that the head of the FBI would ignore their field agents reports on the so-called "terrorists")..that there was some kind of an organizational wall between them that kept them from communicating effectively)...but that was sure better, for them, than being hung as traitors for planning and orchestrating a false flag operation that murdered thousands of Americans.
DAnneMarc: What I saw in the last video taken from what looked to me to be from across the bay...maybe the Hayward area..the airliner's tail was dragging in the water for some distance before it hit the rocks and then flipped. The tail, it seemed, had already broken off in the water or when it hit the rocks which would have cause the upper fuselage to buckle...and the fuel tanks would have emptied in that area causing a massive fire. I sure don't think that this was an act of terrorism...no bombs...just very bad pilot error. Bombs on board would not have resulted in the airliner coming in too low and hitting the rocks. Notice in that video, that the fire didn't start until after the plane hit the rocks and rolled or spun out. You did notice that long white wave that the tail was making in the water before it hit the rocks didn't you? I watched this many times...there were two planes...one moving away from the video camera and the Asiana airliner which was moving from right to left (it was well forward of the airplane on the left). Just as the Asian airliner disappeared in front of the other airliner, there was a white streak in the water that occurred as the Asiana airliner made it's approach to the landing strip.
Get a grip. Why are you so unreasonably angry with this administration. It's not like you've seen a better one, not that that should be a criterion and its not like members of the opposition party act better, in fact, they act worse. So why the near hysteria. Lord Government? Really? Iron fists of mandates, are you trying out for a spot at Breitbart.
Rather than your rants, I would love for you to post rational alternatives. Impres us with your feel for politics and what is in the best interest of all Americans, not just a libertarian minority.
Explain, if you can, how Democrats surrendered everyone's health care when mostly the uninsured and underinsured will be affected by the ACA. Bitching is for the limited and the underinformed.
Tell us why you are right and we are wrong. Tell us how, where, and why, President Obama's administration is pushing through this train wreck and spare us the commie, socialist BS. Anyone who understands what is truly going on, knows that for the most part socialism is dead. Stalin killed it. Free market capitalism, the stuff that conservatives swear that they are the only ones who worship it, free market capitalism is under far more risk than it ever was with communism. State Capitalism is where it is all evolving to and no one on the Right seems to give a damn.
Until President Obama insists that the proletariat must control the means of production and share in the profit of their efforts, you have absolutely nothing to worry about with Commies. And in the meantime, China, Russia, the Middle Eastern oil caliphates, and so many more nations are seeing the political benefits of State Capitalism. Wake up conservatives and smell true fear and leave the poor, undernourished commies under every bed alone. joadcycle
Palindromedary ~ Why would you think the government would be hopping all over this? It embarisses them; especially, now! How is their unconstitutional surveillance program is going to look good with yet another successful terrorist attack? I wouldn't be surprised if they covered up many terrorist activities in order to protect their precious spying network.
BTW It's really nice the way someone designed this plane to only burn where passengers sit. Whatever caused this wreck it does not make me want to get on another plane anytime soon. It's genuinely a miracle that almost everyone survived.
Quote Palindromedary:What a shocker! I have flown on Asiana airlines a number of times many years ago. And I always thought they were a really great airlines....better than many others. The 777 model is supposed to be one of the safest. I don't know...it sure does look suspicious...but, it seems to me that if it was an act of terrorism, our government agencies would hop all over this opportunity to drum up more terrorist propaganda. It is too early to know much else until the people are interviewed and the wreckage fully analyzed.
Palindromedary ~ No! Personally, I'm convinced that there was a couple of huge bombs in the carry on luggage. From who? Why? I do not know; but if you are trying to convince me that faulty landing gear or a malfunctioning engine caused this wreck you are definitely barking up the wrong tree. Happy tomato juice to you.
DAnneMarc: That Green Drink recipe I mentioned...at first, I was using a juicer but it seemed like such a waste...all of that pulp that I had to throw away...so I bought something at Bed, Bath, and Beyond called a NutriBullet for something like $99.00 that pulverizes everything. I do use juice...like grape juice.. in with the other ingredients...otherwise all you'd get is wet pulp. Now, I just drink the whole thing, juice and pulp. Some people spend upwards of $1000 or more on special juicers...although most are at the $300-500 range. But, I say, why waste the pulp...and why pay so much for something that will produce just juice and waste a lot of the pulp!
DAnneMarc: What a shocker! I have flown on Asiana airlines a number of times many years ago. And I always thought they were a really great airlines....better than many others. The 777 model is supposed to be one of the safest. I don't know...it sure does look suspicious...but, it seems to me that if it was an act of terrorism, our government agencies would hop all over this opportunity to drum up more terrorist propaganda. It is too early to know much else until the people are interviewed and the wreckage fully analyzed. It is just a good thing that it didn't come down on top of someone's houses and that it came down in an area where they have emergency equipment for rapid response. Man, I am so glad that I don't have to fly anymore. I've been around the world several times and that was just for vacation...if you add in all the air miles I've flown for business it would probably, at least, add several more round the world trips. It is odd, when I think about it, that one flight that I took from S. Korea back to SF, back in 1989 was the very same day that we had the Loma Prieta earthquake. I got back early in the morning and was sleeping at the time the quake struck.
Watch Turkey. The people are holding forums in parks around the country where people speak their minds peacefully and refuse to take political sides. They don't yell or protest. They use ha d jestures to I dictate agreement or dissent about what is being saidaa so police don't have an excuse to attack Addax may the rest of the world follow their example!
Just wondering edayres how much of that 1.3 billion is in Morsi's Caymen bank account. Say it isn't so, Obama's adminasrtration waffling on something.
Do you think Canada could get a aid package because we have no pipelines to sell our oil.
The Egyptians need not look far back in world history to realize religious fundamentalism and good government do not mix. Obviously they understand the proverbial wall of separation is an absolute here. In my opinion the Morsi situation would be analogous to red states putting Pat Robertson in the White House. I'd expect our military to do the right thing and liberate us from his religious tyranny as well.
Many Eqyptians due in part to social media are aware of the wonderful lifestyles afforded citizens of European countries practicing aspects of Democratic Socialism. They see it, they want it, and by god I hope they get it. The question is, how do we motivate our red state citizens to pull their heads out of their asses and do the same thing right here?
As a former public school teacher I am reminded as to why I am resistant to business sticking it's nose into public policy. While I was teaching in the 80's, local businesses decided that they wanted to "Donate" to our public schools. This translated into business dictating what was being taught. Tweeking curriculum so that student learning suited the needs of the local corporations rather than individual student needs.
Business is self serving having no regard for human and responsible immigration reform or any other public policy and should therefore be excluded from any and all debates.
Loren Bliss ~ That is a brilliant and accurate analysis. Unfortunately, though I side with the secularists, and to some degree the libertarian forces, my heart goes out to the Islamists. Their contention that the US is "the Great Satan" can be supported so easily with our own Judeo Christian prophecies that I cannot help but respect their perspective. I must assume you are predicting that Washington will ultimately pick the side of the theocracy--however you want to define the term. Of course we both know that the traditional Webster dictionary definition of "theocracy" does not properly apply in this case. Perhaps "Synagogue of Satan" would be more appropriate. That would fit perfectly with the Islamist contention as well as the US agenda.
The women were there and it was peaceful demonstrations. Where are they now it is not safe. Men behave better in the presence of women. EQUAL GENDER GOVERNMENTS will bring about a more balanced world.
The U.S. is a financial train wreck and we're still giving out American tax dollars to other countries?!?
Shoot me! Just shoot me!
Egypt's paralysis is, perhaps ironically, a localized manifestation of the same sickness that has befallen the United States: a hard-core cult of religious fanatics who want zero-tolerance theocracy versus the vast majority that favors modern secularism.
In the U.S., the issue has already been decided. Supported by the One Percent with all its wealth, the fanatics not only control the government and the military, they have perfected a stealth approach to the imposition of theocracy that makes them virtually omnipotent. Note, for example, the methodical abolition of female reproductive rights that has now spread even to some of the allegedly "civilized" coastal states. (Those who doubt this should read Jeff Sharlet's The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power [HarperCollins: 2008], which documents not only the activities of the usual suspects but the dynamic role Hillary Clinton is playing in the advent of USian Christian theocracy.)
Meanwhile, in Egypt the situation remains in a state of flux, with the (nominally secular) military acting as not only political arbiter but protector of the secular and/or non-Islamic masses. Obviously the decisive factor will be which side the United States supports. Will it back the relatively libertarian forces symbolized by the military? Or will it back the forces of theocracy? Given the One Percent's preference for theocracy as the ultimate means of controlling the Working Class aka the 99 Percent, I'd anticipate the latter. Now though the USian Ruling Class is merely confused. The One Percenters cannot comfortably endorse the secularists, because at least some of the secularists -- perhaps many -- are socialists. Nor can the One Percenters easily get in bed with the Islamists, many of whom view the United States as "the Great Satan" and thus regard anything USian as "of the Devil." Ultimately of course whatever Washington decides to do will be determined by its judgment of which side offers the greater opportunity for profit.
The Egyptians just received their 1.3 billion aid package from us. The politicians know this so it's all posturing. One moment Washington is complaining about Morsi's increasing authoritarianism, the next, making him an icon for democracy.
Is it a question of Egypt being swayed by international pressure or more so from pressure within. Violent protest only happen when governments don't listen to their own people. People know what they want and are happy to tell you. Violent protests only occur when government doesn't listen. It is time for Egyptian leaders to listen to their people. Serving the needs of its people is the only legitimate reason for the existence of government. Any government that fails to do so doesn't deserve to exist.
Palindromedary ~ I'll admit that calling Gene Roddenberry's death a murder is walking on thin ice evidence wise. However, hijacking the show is exactly what happened. I'm not sure how the plot and direction of the story ran askew and straight into the hands of the USA propaganda machine, but nevertheless that is exactly what happened. A very disturbing turn in the Star Trek legacy.
It's no secret how Gene was constantly hounded to write his show down the status quo lines of the Hollywood industry. From day one Gene wanted to project an anti-war philosophy in his show. The original pilot had a Captain that was supposed to embody Christian values and was named Captain Christopher Pike. He got scrubbed by the producers who didn't want to "upset the religious crowd" for a less suggestive Captain James Tiberius Kirk.
Star Trek trivia history is full of struggles between Gene and the media controllers as to where the stories would go with Gene for the most part winning out; until he died that is. Star Trek with its ship's weaponry capable of destroying planets is an irresistible propaganda tool for the war mongerers in our pentagon. I have no doubt that Gene's death was taken advantage of to turn his "example of peace" into a "model of war" by the plutocrats of this country. Whether or not they killed him to do it is really a lesser point.
The movie industry is so full of right wing war mongering propaganda that I have refused to go see a movie for the last 30 years. There are exceptions to this rule. One was Chariots of the Gods, and then two Michael Moore movies. Also, I saw Star Wars and a couple of Star Trek movies; but, thats about it. I saw the 300 movie a friend rented and insisted I watch. He said it was an historic documentary; but, I agree with you, it was more of a propaganda travesty; or, eye candy for the gay community. Documentary? Please!
No, I haven't played the Google doodle UFO game yet but I'll look for it later today. Also, no, I haven't seen the Lone Ranger Movie yet; and, probably won't till it is shown on TV. However, I do know people who go to these things and have heard, or will hear, just about the entire plot before I get a chance to see it.
I disagree that the term "Noble Savage" has any good connotations to it. "Savage" clearly is a blatant insult to all native Americans. The word "Noble" has nothing Noble about its use in this context. It is used as an adjective that clearly implies that this "Savage" is a "Noble" one; unlike, other "Savages" that don't need a quantifier word. That implies that all other native Americans are disloyal and untrustworthy "Savages." Just because the word "Noble" is generally thought of as a good complement word doesn't mean that in some context it can be misused. Much like guns, words in the wrong hands can hurt people.
In the same way I especially condemn Paula Dean for using the N-word. As a white boy, and lifelong resident of very black neighborhoods I can tell you that words hurt. I myself am very offended when anyone calls me a "white boy." I don't like it. Usually, that happens in an adversarial situation. It is intended as an insult. I never use the N-word because I know that doing so in any situation is insulting. I know how it feels. In fact, even around only white people I find the use of the N-word insulting to me as well. I can't stand it and I don't tolerate it. Also, I'm aware that were I to use the word with my northern big-city background it wouldn't be as insulting to the black community as it is coming from a Southern Belle. I also believe that that any Southern Belle should be perfectly aware of that fact as well and would only resort to using that word publically out of buried shear racial hatred. There could never have been any legitimate reason to resort to such language. She stepped way over the line and she knew it from the backhanded apology she offered. The apology was worse than the original offense. In one step she has offended not only the entire black community; but, the vast majority of the white community as well. Publically she admitted to using the word frequently in private. That says a lot about a person. The food channel acted appropriately. This was no accident or faux pas. Her treatment was justified and the only thing I can say in her defense is that it is a pity--she will be missed. Her show was very entertaining. (Though her recipes were as unhealthy as her vocabulary.)
As far as the parallel between Paula Dean and black rappers using the N-word all I can say is fine. The rappers can use it Paula can't. The black community has seized all rights to use the N-word how they see fit. Their approval is evident in music sales. The free market in action! That same market said no to Paula Dean. That's freedom talking, baby. What's wrong with that? The white community has its own words too. "Golly Gee!" "Nipped in the Pitard", "Shazam." The list goes on and on. Just like the N-word, black people only use these words to insult white people. Thats all they are good for in the black community. Let's be real for a minute and realize that words can be powerful things and should be used with responsibility, sensitivity, respect, forethought, and care. Like I've said before and I quote myself here:
I don't particularly care to hear rappers say the N-word anymore than Paula; but I do believe in the 1st Amendment. If rappers or Paula want to defile themselves with language it is their constitutional right to be able to do so. As well, it is our constitutional right to refuse to listen to them. In the end words tend to come back to bite us in the end. Like the notion of Karma, what goes around comes around. It is best to heed my advice above and just worry about what one's self has to say. That is all we really have control over anyway, and all we really need to concern ourselves with.
DAnneMarc: Wow! I don't know..that's quite a theory...I don't know about Gene Roddenberry being iced in order to change the theme of StarTrek but I do strongly believe that there has been, for many years, a very strong effort at using psyops through the movies and TV in order to control people's thinking. I remember seeing the movie The 300, I think it was, about Spartans...I found it just a little amusing, although not too surprising, when after the movie walking through the mall, I see Marine recruiters trying to sucker young men into joining.
I seem to remember that there was another explosion aboard an airliner, many years ago, where they suspected a hydraulic heater coil located in proximity to the fuel tank which was located just under the area of where the first class section.
By the way, have you played the Google doodle UFO game yet? I did and got the little creature back in his UFO. Cute! By the way, I went to the 50 year anniversary in Roswell, N.M. on July 7...what was it back in 1996 or was it 1997? Yeah, right, first it was a weather balloon..then it was a high altitude nuclear explosion detector to spy on the Russians...they even tried to throw mannequins out in the desert to misinform people on what really happened.
By the way, again, have you seen the new movie about the Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp? Good movie! The movie starts out where this little boy, in 1933, dressed as the Lone Ranger goes to this carnival sideshow about the Wild West. He comes upon this one panorama showing a TeePee and this old, wrinkly Indian (was that really Johnny Depp?) with a bird on his head. The panorama was labeled: "The Noble Savage". The Indian was, of course, Tonto who related to the youngster his history with The Lone Ranger. I won't say anymore about the movie but I just thought that it was just a reminder of how people thought in our history about other people who were different. The Noble "Savage"..although, I guess they could have just labeled it "The Savage"...it was quite noble of them to use the term "noble" I suppose...but it doesn't quite nullify or justify the "S-word". I'd say the real savages were of a lighter skin tone....and, like today, they still have the most sophisticated weaponry and most unsophisticated demeanor.
Strange, though, how people can get away with using the S-word, after all that has come to mean for the native Americans, who suffered and died at the hands of cruel men but no one, not even Paula Deen, can get away with saying the N-word many years ago without being skewered and loosing her show and sponsors. And then to hear a CNN anchorman Don Lemon use it when talking about Paula Deen...not to mention all those Rap musicians who float the word around all the time.
Palindromedary ~ Never mind about the plane crash. I just Googled the fuel layout of a jumbo jet and as it turns out the auxiliary tank is located right where the plane exploded. Go figure! My bad! I just couldn't conceive that anyone would be so stupid as to design a plane with the passengers sitting on a potential bomb. What do I know? Somehow I always overestimate the level of common sense in my fellow man.
And then, who am I to judge? Despite the placement of the tank the passengers were still able to escape. Maybe the designers knew what they were doing after all? Unfortunately, that little tidbit of information is going to be in the back of my mind whenever I think about flying. In this case for sure, ignorance is bliss.
Palindromedary ~ I'll take your word for that. There are two major facts that aren't congruent with an attack or intended crash. 1. Almost everyone survived. 2. There didn't seem to be anyone on the plane important enough to try to kill.
I haven't had a chance to see that latest video you mentioned yet. I'll look for it tomorrow. The one thing that puzzles me is why just the fuselage. As I understand airplane design the wings store most of the fuel; so, how--after a ten hour flight--when most of the fuel must have been spent did all the remaining fuel get into the fuselage? Please don't tell me they put the fuel tanks under the passenger seats in these big planes. I may never fly again.
It seems strange to me that the passenger area is toast and the wings and outer shell of the plane is unburnt. It must have taken 300 passengers at least 2-5 minutes to evacuate the plane after it came to a stop; therefore, the cabin fire must have started after the evacuation. If the plane caught fire before it came to a stop the passengers would all be dead.
However, at this point ,and from what I read this morning, I'm inclined to agree that this was an accident. An accident with many unanswered questions; but, nonetheless, an accident. Regardless, it doesn't make me feel any safer about flying.
Palindromedary ~ Strange you should mention PNAC and insider info. I don't know if you ever followed the television shows called, Star Trek, by Gene Roddenberry. They focused mostly on the future and Roddenberry always tried to paint the future as peaceful with diplomatic ties between planets. There was occasional fights and battles for ratings; but Gene generally kept the peace in the Galaxy.
However when Gene died suddenly that whole general rule flew out the window. Star Trek took a very ugly turn for the worst. An intergalactic war was suddenly written into the script between the Federation and a new empire discovered across the galaxy called the Dominion. The warrior race from the Dominion were called the Jem'hadar. One very disturbing two part episode focused in detail on torture. This was many years ago; but I remember clearly being very suspicious at the time of the sudden illness and death of Gene Roddenberry and this new twist in the plot and philosophy of his program. Do you think that maybe Gene was iced and his program hijacked in order to turn it into a tool of propaganda and mind control to help prepare for the PNAC and NWO agenda?
After all, draw the parallels: Dominion and Muslim, Jem'hadar and Al Qaeda, galactic war and world war, high tech torture and enhanced interrogation. Are all these similarities merely a coincidence; or, part of a well orchestrated plot of psyops and mind control that is far beyond a simple conspiracy between the government and the petroleum industry. In the past I have ignored those thoughts and suspicions; but, in retrospect it sure feels good to get that theory off my chest. It certainly deserves scrutiny.
Palindromedary ~ I'm listening! Sorry, I had company most of the evening and they just left a while ago. Give me a minute to read your posts and review the info before I comment.
Well hell, why not? It's Sunday night and no one is really listening except the NSA!
When these major false flags happen..not many people get mad at our government for failing to protect us. They are cajoled by those who control the main stream media to get behind the government in order to strike back at those that were perceived as attacking us. It is so, so easy to do when the perceived aggressor is from another country...especially someone who is Muslim. Let's face it...there is a lot of innate distrust of people who hold such strong, competing convictions of another religion, or race. It sure didn't take much for FDR to rally the people against the Germans, once he baited the Japanese into attacking Pearl Harbor. The Germans were so very much like many Americans...not much difference...same basic religion...Christianity. But the Japanese were totally different in so many ways. So all FDR had to do was to get the German's allies, the Japanese, to attack us which would put us into the war against Germany. The McCollum memo was a multi-step plan to tick off the Japanese..and FDR followed every step till the Japanese finally invaded Pearl Harbor.
The insider architects of 9/11 knew full well that they could get the American people riled up and rally against Muslims. PNAC even wrote that they needed a new Pearl Harbor in order to do the things they wanted to do...including invading Iraq. The Muslilms were ideal villains. It was a given! It was an excuse for a renewal of the Crusades...even Bush slipped in his speech when he used that term..."Crusade"! What else could it be but an atavistic degenerative avalanche of irrational emotions of hate and fear fostered by generations of pious exclusivity. (ie: only we hold the truth and everyone else will burn in hell). Even an American rifle scope manufacturer, during the Iraq war, inscribed bible verses on the scopes so that Jesus would bless each and every shot to find it's mark on the heathen enemy.
As long as rich capitalist corporations go over to other countries, steal their raw materials, use slave labor, and treat the natives with arrogance, even rape and murder them and their families, the US will continue to have enemies. Some of these people may fight back in any way that they can...given that they don't have huge, well equipped armies to throw their weight around..like the US does. Of course, the US uses these actions of blowback, by people the US has wronged, as evidence of "terrorism". We weren't over there to "win hearts and minds". We were over there to create plenty of new potential "terrorists" that would keep American tax payers shaking in their boots and shelling out all their hard earned wages on taxes that go directly to the Military Industrial Spy Complex. And the Americans fall for it...they suck it all in...it fits in with their fear and hatred of people that are different. Americans had not experienced the violence and unfairness of another country invading them and stealing their raw materials, raping them, murdering them. So, they never know what it is really like. And every time "they" try to strike back at us our government acts like it "justifies" an even bigger act of terrorism of the US against even more families and innocent civilians in these countries when the US invades them.
There is a lot of big money in this terrorism game that many corporations are amassing at the expense of the tax payers. When the people start to question the government's importance in protecting us, when the people get really ticked off from undue internal surveillance, the capitalist corporate, military, industrial, and government jackals will have to hit us again to whip us back into line. It worked just dandy on 9/11...and it will more than likely work yet again. Most of the attention in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 was not that the government bungled it...but that "hate the terrorists" and "rampant jingoism" ruled the day.
Those in the government who, perhaps, should have been, at least, demoted were promoted. They all pretended that: yes, it was embarrassing (that the different government organizations did not "talk" to one another..(and even the fact that the head of the FBI would ignore their field agents reports on the so-called "terrorists")..that there was some kind of an organizational wall between them that kept them from communicating effectively)...but that was sure better, for them, than being hung as traitors for planning and orchestrating a false flag operation that murdered thousands of Americans.
DAnneMarc: What I saw in the last video taken from what looked to me to be from across the bay...maybe the Hayward area..the airliner's tail was dragging in the water for some distance before it hit the rocks and then flipped. The tail, it seemed, had already broken off in the water or when it hit the rocks which would have cause the upper fuselage to buckle...and the fuel tanks would have emptied in that area causing a massive fire. I sure don't think that this was an act of terrorism...no bombs...just very bad pilot error. Bombs on board would not have resulted in the airliner coming in too low and hitting the rocks. Notice in that video, that the fire didn't start until after the plane hit the rocks and rolled or spun out. You did notice that long white wave that the tail was making in the water before it hit the rocks didn't you? I watched this many times...there were two planes...one moving away from the video camera and the Asiana airliner which was moving from right to left (it was well forward of the airplane on the left). Just as the Asian airliner disappeared in front of the other airliner, there was a white streak in the water that occurred as the Asiana airliner made it's approach to the landing strip.
Get a grip. Why are you so unreasonably angry with this administration. It's not like you've seen a better one, not that that should be a criterion and its not like members of the opposition party act better, in fact, they act worse. So why the near hysteria. Lord Government? Really? Iron fists of mandates, are you trying out for a spot at Breitbart.
Rather than your rants, I would love for you to post rational alternatives. Impres us with your feel for politics and what is in the best interest of all Americans, not just a libertarian minority.
Explain, if you can, how Democrats surrendered everyone's health care when mostly the uninsured and underinsured will be affected by the ACA. Bitching is for the limited and the underinformed.
Tell us why you are right and we are wrong. Tell us how, where, and why, President Obama's administration is pushing through this train wreck and spare us the commie, socialist BS. Anyone who understands what is truly going on, knows that for the most part socialism is dead. Stalin killed it. Free market capitalism, the stuff that conservatives swear that they are the only ones who worship it, free market capitalism is under far more risk than it ever was with communism. State Capitalism is where it is all evolving to and no one on the Right seems to give a damn.
Until President Obama insists that the proletariat must control the means of production and share in the profit of their efforts, you have absolutely nothing to worry about with Commies. And in the meantime, China, Russia, the Middle Eastern oil caliphates, and so many more nations are seeing the political benefits of State Capitalism. Wake up conservatives and smell true fear and leave the poor, undernourished commies under every bed alone. joadcycle
Palindromedary ~ Why would you think the government would be hopping all over this? It embarisses them; especially, now! How is their unconstitutional surveillance program is going to look good with yet another successful terrorist attack? I wouldn't be surprised if they covered up many terrorist activities in order to protect their precious spying network.
BTW It's really nice the way someone designed this plane to only burn where passengers sit. Whatever caused this wreck it does not make me want to get on another plane anytime soon. It's genuinely a miracle that almost everyone survived.
Palindromedary ~ No! Personally, I'm convinced that there was a couple of huge bombs in the carry on luggage. From who? Why? I do not know; but if you are trying to convince me that faulty landing gear or a malfunctioning engine caused this wreck you are definitely barking up the wrong tree. Happy tomato juice to you.
DAnneMarc: That Green Drink recipe I mentioned...at first, I was using a juicer but it seemed like such a waste...all of that pulp that I had to throw away...so I bought something at Bed, Bath, and Beyond called a NutriBullet for something like $99.00 that pulverizes everything. I do use juice...like grape juice.. in with the other ingredients...otherwise all you'd get is wet pulp. Now, I just drink the whole thing, juice and pulp. Some people spend upwards of $1000 or more on special juicers...although most are at the $300-500 range. But, I say, why waste the pulp...and why pay so much for something that will produce just juice and waste a lot of the pulp!
DAnneMarc: What a shocker! I have flown on Asiana airlines a number of times many years ago. And I always thought they were a really great airlines....better than many others. The 777 model is supposed to be one of the safest. I don't know...it sure does look suspicious...but, it seems to me that if it was an act of terrorism, our government agencies would hop all over this opportunity to drum up more terrorist propaganda. It is too early to know much else until the people are interviewed and the wreckage fully analyzed. It is just a good thing that it didn't come down on top of someone's houses and that it came down in an area where they have emergency equipment for rapid response. Man, I am so glad that I don't have to fly anymore. I've been around the world several times and that was just for vacation...if you add in all the air miles I've flown for business it would probably, at least, add several more round the world trips. It is odd, when I think about it, that one flight that I took from S. Korea back to SF, back in 1989 was the very same day that we had the Loma Prieta earthquake. I got back early in the morning and was sleeping at the time the quake struck.