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"The best defense is a good offense" - Mel the cook on 'Alice'
If the Unions are fighting for survival, perhaps is time they did organize large movements, and perhaps it would be better for them to organize locally around the country. 99ers might not be able to get to DC for a rally, but I bet a lot of them could make it to, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, and the State Capitols around the country. Think about what would happen if about 5,000 - 10,000 showed up at all these places at the same time.
N
You asked what we can do about the extreme right wing radio. Here's one suggestion:
We propose a law making it illegal to lie in public discourse, as that is "the court of public opinion", making lying, lying in "court", i.e. bearing false witness.
But we are careful to label the law "The Ninth Commandment Law", and promote it to the people who think this is a "Christian Country" as a Christian measure, so they have to be for it.
Who can be against a law that makes lying illegal? The Christians can't be against it, the Left values truth very highly, and the corporations would expose themselves if they campaigned against it.
Noam Chomsky was on Democracy Now this morning talking about Wisconsin and Labor. Worth the time to listen to if you can make the time.
N
I am very happy to see that there are still some Americans out there that sees this for what it actually is. A seize of power for a one party system, a plutocracy and slavery. Soon there will be one man that will rear his head and claim he has the solution to everyones problems. He will be the dictator wrapped in an American flag carrying an empty cross. I just pray to God that I'm totally wrong! Nothing would make me happier.
One of my favorite "peace" songs is Get Together by the Youngbloods. By the way, this is one of the songs on a memo that Clear Channel Communications sent to its 1200 radio stations right after 9-11. The memo was a list of songs that Clear Channel called "lyrically questionable". In other words, how can we drum up a war when our stations are playing peace or anti war songs.
Solidarity forever by Pete Seeger
Morning Dew by Bonnie Dobson best known as covered by the Grateful Dead
Your Flag Decal Won't get you into heaven anymore - John Prine
Sam Stone - John Prine.
Saw these already posted but since John Prine is this country's greatest lyricist, thought I'd put in another vote for both of these great songs
Masters of War by Bob Dylan.
We all know the Rape-Public-CONS are all about the "Golden Rule": He who has the gold... rules.
:-(
Republicans hate odd numbers . . . Such as the First Amendment
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;
>>> or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, <<< and to
petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
I answered yes to your question only because that is ONE of the reasons Scott Walker is ruining the Great State of Wisconsin. It's however, not the ONLY reason!
Mr. Walker, who has an email address of govgeneral@wisconsin.gov (that alone gives me the chills; he thinks he's the general of Wisconsin.....) is doing away with collective bargaining and that is just the beginning of the end of the middle class in Wisconsin.
While he is saying we have a deficit in Wisconsin, that was not true until he came in. We were able to balance the budget, even though it was difficult, and there were some cuts, but no one was talking about taking away our basic human and work rights like Mr. Walker is. He is not telling the truth about the financial situation. We would have had a surplus until he came into office and the first thing he did was write legislation (or call for it to be written which is not his job as governor) to SPEND over $137 million dollars this year! THAT is why we now have a deficit. And he is claiming we are then going to be BILLIONS in the hold in 2 years! He comes up with that figure only because the new budget has not even been started and he is counting everything in the budget; whether there is money there to pay for it or not.
He then has already said that once he is done stripping union workers of their collective bargaining rights, he is going directly after education next, proposing over a billion dollars in cuts. Mr. Walker, there are not a billion dollars left to cut. You are single handedly going to ruin the education system in Wisconsin unless we stop you. What he is proposing will effectively cutt $500 per student in state aid. Many good schools will have to close if this happens. Lots of smaller schools with little or no debt of their own, that are really good schools in great communities will have to close their doors and we will have to warehouse our children in huge conglomerate schools which are already disasters and failing or home school. Not very progressive.
Scott Walker needs to be stopped now. We cannot recall him for at least 10 more months, but we can stand up to him. Citizens of Wisconsin, continue to unite against this distator!
The same is happening here in Ohio with our "wonderful" bully rethuglican gov. And people are marching. I'm not sure why the national media hasn't picked it up.
My big republican catholic sister-in-law was visiting last night at my house. I can't remember how the subject of unions came up, but she has derogatory feelings about them. I wanted to tell her that she enjoys her nice home and life because of unions. Because of unions her husband has a great wage, safe working conditions, her children and grandchildren can attend school instead of work, a generous pension, insurance, and a 40 hour week and overtime for anything more. I should have given her my copy of The Jungle to read.
If business had its way, it would pay employees nothing, which of course is illogical because business couldn't make money if its consumers didn't have money. Hey, but who says that greed is logical.
Most beginning teachers in my region of Ohio make about $15,000 the first year; they pay for their own supplies. Pay raises come with experience (if you're lucky to have your first year contract renewed) and more schooling, but then school districts are getting rid of teachers with more schooling because they have to pay more.
Dnarnadem is right about the rethuglicans using the willfully ignorant. The next time my mother-in-law comes to my house and bitches about how her medicare and social security are being cut I'm going to tell her she got exactly what she voted for. She votes rethuglican because the chruch tells her and all the other sheeple how to vote. That's why we left the chruch. Religion IS the opiate of the masses. Just render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's, suffer heroically now and leave us rich folks alone, and you'll have a better life in heaven--what crap!
The future is now in the Deep South
If you want to see what the U.S.A. would look like under complete corporate control (the New Fascism), just look at the Deep South: Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia. All these states have a right-to-fire-without-cause law (AKA Right to Work) and are hostile toward unions and also have the greatest percentage of poverty, illiteracy, and infant mortality as well as the lowest income.
The basic idea is to make U.S. workers competitive with workers in the East: less than $4,000 a year and somewhere south of $300 per day.
How many big screen 3D TVs and $40K autos can you rent, much less buy when you have to include health care costs, housing, food and transportation?
Let's face it, Thom is right on with this one.
This is another attempt to delegitimize organized labor here in the US. Strike breaking is as much a part of American history as apple pie. I think part of the reason that this push back happened so quickly is because of the history of union strike breaking in the mid-west. Many of these events were extremely violent, and resulted in the killing of protestors. So when the gov. went and threatened to bring in the guard to 'force' people to disband/go back to work, I had flashbacks of watching machine guns being deployed to the site of the flint sit-down strike in '36.
I was watching 'Morning Joe' this morning and had to watch them bash unions, calling them greedy. I couldn't believe it, well actually I could. Both parties represent 'business'. Nobody talks about workers rights, or standard of living, or as Bernie pointed out, poverty anymore. The United States' media conglomerate has adopted the "If you don't discuss problems, they just go away" and using that to justify the hundreds of thousands of human beings that fall through the cracks, or are exploited because of their situation by soul-less businessmen looking to turn a quick buck.
I fear for our country if we continue to worship the individual over the group.
I never knew this country had so many ignorant people, that I am seeing nearly half of the population voting to end the American dream and our way of life. I only have an A.S. degree and it's in Computer Science not Political Science, but I knew years ago when I was in my early teens that the Republicans were all about screwing the middle and lower classes in order to give all of the money to the wealthiest among us who don't need it, or deserve it and we all now know they are too greedy to create jobs and do the right and moral thing!
As far as I am concerned I think we should let the Republicans destroy this country, no resistance. This way the suffering will not last as long. Let them completely grind the country into the ground and put half of the population out in the streets and penniless as fast as possible. Then finally the ignorant part of our population will finally see without any doubt that the Republicans are and have been an enemy against America for the last 100 years! Their soul agenda is to seize control of our government for the very richest and the Multinational corporations so they can pass laws to steal everything from the rest of us and at the same time set up new laws to control us and take away rights that protect us, so that the only way we will be able to regain control is by force and they by then will have complete control of our Military to use against us!
I do believe if they were to implement their Fascist agenda within the next 3 to 5 years we the people would still be able to revolt and have the military on our side just like in Egypt, but that will not be the case in about 10 years. If their trap continues to be set slowly right under our noses like they have been doing for more than thirty years, it will be too late to resist and fight back without hundreds of thousands of deaths.
So let them try their take over now while the people are still strong and still have recourses to fight back!
Really mind-blowing mind mapping applications you posted here and i used 2 of them, but i like the mind genius. custom logo design .There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration.
My solution: recall Walker
Egypt should serve as an example of how the people of a state can peacefully change their government and get rid of an unwanted leader--use Facebook, Twitter and such social media to organize a recall. 18 states allow for recall--Wisconsin and New Jersey are two such states. Citizens of both states have already set up pages on Facebook. I've posted the groups on my profile and encourage friends to share--to promote their cause. This is a citizen's peaceful revolt against the government in order to take their state back--as such, it could appeal to a wide political spectrum.
The odds favor the governor!!!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110217/ts_yblog_thelookout/why-the-wisconsin-labor-bill-is-a-big-deal
Cutting is easy but a brain is needed.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/02/17-4
America and Americans are becoming completely mad!
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/when_protest_becomes_a_crime_20110215/?ln
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/why_do_they_hate_social_security_20110216/ Why us there such hatred for Social Security???
You need not apply!!!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110217/ts_yblog_thelookout/help-wanted-jobless-need-not-apply
http://original.antiwar.com/kevin-b-zeese/2011/02/17/hillarys-free-speech-hypocrisy/ Is Hillary a hypocrite?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Ray-McGovern-Assaulted-Bl-by-Rob-Kall-110217-781.html There is no such thing as free speech!!!
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Budget-Baloney-1--Why-So-by-Robert-Reich-110216-271.html Social Security is not the economic problem.
REPUBLICANS ARE SOCIAL DARWINISTS -- they believe the government should help the rich to exist and prosper. IF the working classes need to exist - the rich should be allowed to exploit them !! AND the poor should just die off because the poor will never amount to anything and are a drain on society. I did not write the following two articles found on the internet !!
Social Darwinism is a belief, popular in the late Victorian era in England, America, and elsewhere, which states that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die. The theory was chiefly expounded by Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), whose ethical philosophies always held an elitist view and later received a boost from the application of Darwinian ideas such as adaptation and natural selection.
According to Darwin's evolutionary theory, nature is a "kill-or-be-killed" system. Those that cannot keep up are either left behind or cut off. The strong survive, and those best suited to survival will out-live the weak.
The seeds of Social Darwinism were actually planted before the publication of Darwin's "The Origin of Species" (though of course the name didn't originate until after). Herbert Spencer, the father of Social Darwinism as an ethical theory, was thinking in terms of elitist, "might makes right" sorts of views long before Darwin published his theory. The concept of adaptation allowed Spencer to claim that the rich and powerful were better adapted to the social and economic climate of the time, and the concept of natural selection allowed him to argue that it was natural, normal, and proper for the strong to thrive at the expense of the weak. Whether it be humans, races, or the state, Spencer's thoughts were clear: "If they are sufficiently complete to live, they do live, and it is well they should live. If they are not sufficiently complete to live, they die, and it is best they die." In its simplest form, Social Darwinism follows the theory of "the strong survive," even in human issues. It is the application of the theory of natural selection to social, political, and economic issues. According to Social Darwinism, those with economic, physical, and technological strength flourish and those without are destined for extinction. This theory was used to promote the idea that the white European race was superior to others, and therefore, destined to rule over them.
Social Darwinism was used to justify numerous exploits which we classify as of dubious moral value today. Colonialism was seen as natural and inevitable; people saw natives as being weaker and more unfit to survive, and therefore felt justified in seizing land and resources. Finally, it gave the ethical nod to brutal colonial governments who used oppressive tactics against their subjects.
At the time that Spencer began to promote Social Darwinism, the technology, economy, and government of the "White European" was advanced in comparison to that of other cultures. Looking at this apparent advantage, as well as the economic and military structures, some argued that natural selection was playing out, and that the race more suited to survival was winning. Some even extended this philosophy into a micro-economic issue, claiming that social welfare programs that helped the poor and disadvantaged were contrary to nature itself. Those who reject any and all forms of charity or governmental welfare often use arguments rooted in Social Darwinism.
Social Darwinism has been used to justify eugenics programs aimed at weeding "undesirable" genes from the population; such programs were sometimes accompanied by sterilization laws directed against "unfit" individuals. The American eugenics movement was relatively popular between about 1910-1930, during which 24 states passed sterilization laws and Congress passed a law restricting immigration from certain areas deemed to be unfit. Social Darwinist ideas, though in different forms, were also applied by the Nazi party in Germany to justify their eugenics programs. With the development of the notion of eugenics — not only could you prevail over the unfit by making war on them, but you could improve the breed by applying "enlightened" notions of selection and genetics.
At its worst, the implications of Social Darwinism were used as scientific justification for the Holocaust. The Nazis claimed that the murder of Jews in World War II was an example of cleaning out inferior genetics. This view embraced the assumption that the strong were superior, and thus ordained to prevail. Social Darwinism applied to military action as well; the argument went that the strongest military would win, and would therefore be the most fit. Casualties on the losing side, of course, were written off as the natural result of their unfit status. Thus, if two countries were to make war on each other, the victor was biologically superior to the loser. It was therefore right and proper for that victor to subjugate or even eliminate the inferior opponent. Not only was survival of the fittest natural, but it was also morally correct. Indeed, some extreme Social Darwinists argued that it was morally incorrect to assist those weaker than oneself, since that would be promoting the survival and possible reproduction of someone who was fundamentally unfit.
A second way pseudo-evolutionary concepts were applied to human interaction was in the development of cut-throat capitalism in the United States. Here the ideology was that the cream naturally rose to the top; the successful made a lot of money simply because they were superior to the unsuccessful. Those who found themselves in poverty were poor because they were intrinsically inferior. It provided a justification for the more exploitative forms of capitalism in which workers were paid sometimes pennies a day for long hours of backbreaking labor. Social Darwinism also justified big business' refusal to acknowledge labor unions and similar organizations, and implied that the rich need not donate money to the poor or less fortunate, since such people were less fit anyway. This political philosophy resisted suggestions like universal education, welfare, minimum wage; in short, anything which interfered with the business of the "superior" ascending to the top of the heap and squashing the unfit beneath their expensive shoes.
http://www.allaboutscience.org/what-is-social-darwinism-faq.htmhttp://library.thinkquest.org/C004367/eh4.shtmlhttp://stmarys.ca/~wmills/course203/8Racism.html