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@Gerald: A very popular book, The Screwing Of The Average Man by David Hapgood, examines the hustles that are part of our lives.
Dr. Owen Muelder told me he had no problem with the ladder of success, with the exception that those who go up first try to cut the rungs out behind them.
I'm waiting for some republican to say that since the Gulf is a dead zone anyway, the oil corps might as well drill as much as they want to for as long as they want to with no restrictions. Republicans may not say it out loud but I wouldn't be surprised if some haven't already had this cross their minds.
Burqua notes:
:: The ethnic costume/coverings of the desert peoples were created for practical reasons -- they provide portable shade and privacy and prevent dehydration.
:: That garments (or lack of them) are given symbolic meaning apart from their practical uses is something that is not permanent but subject to change. To criminalize a garment is to lock it into one symbolic meaning.
:: Pure equality of peoples includes their freedom of expression via their choice of garments -- with or without symbolism.
When I was searched by TSA in Dulles Air Port, the investigator wanted to know why I had a ski mask in my luggage. The fact that it was cold at my destination (O'Hare) didn't cross his mind. These are guys who would think the only reason a person owns a pair of gloves is to prevent leaving finger prints.
If you don't have a small business it's hard to understand the pressure the Chamber and the NFIB put on you to join. As soon as you open a new business they come by with their plaques to put in the window and over the cash register and if you say you don't want to join they are "astonished, just horrified". They drone on and on about the benefits like linking your website to theirs which connects you to the entire world and how they have worked for literally hundreds of years fighting for businesses just like yours agianst the giant machine in Washington...
Finally, if you don't have a clear understanding of what they REALLY do, you write a $50.00 check or whatever it is now, just to get rid of them. Dues were $10.00 per year when I started my first business.
I never knew just how right wing the Chamber of Commerce was. This myth that conservatives have all the answers when it comes to economics and business falls flat when you look at just what these people stand for and how business leaders operate. Sending jobs overseas saves money for the company, but at what price to the employees who then lose their jobs and their communities that lose that revenue? Fighting against regulations of any kind may save corporations money in the short term, but when humans die because of avoidable and inexpensive (and common sense) actions, who does that really benefit?
And in the case of BP, look how much a pound of prevention would have saved them, both in their reputation and financial future. And yet Laura Ingraham is touted as a business guru. (FYI, I Googled and saw that Laura Ingraham defended Joe Barton and Michelle Bachman about Obama's "overreach" and on being too "aggressive against the free market" by being a meanie to BP by making them set a fraction of their fortune aside for aid to those they destroyed. Even Bill O'Reilly has called her a a "blind ideologue".)
http://townhall.com/video/laura-ingraham-reacts-to-the-bp-shakedown
http://blog.buzzflash.com/analysis/1059
@Gene Savory, if I was younger, I would try to own a bank. I could rob everyone and never go to jail. What a great country for crooks and thieves!
Harry Anslinger showed up in Congress with evidence of the terror of pot. The evidence was a newspaper article that he had written.
If you own a gun, you can rob a bank. If you own a bank, you can rob everyone. - Bill Maher
re: #16 some of that $ goes to third parties, like the Greens, to split the demo vote....
Saint Molly Ivins wrote of the class of people who were too rich to go to jail.
20% of CoC donations go to ???
If ~80% of the money the Chamber of Commerce donates goes to Rethuglicans, who gets the reamaining 20%? Dems? If so, who? It would provide a ready-made list of who needs to be replaced/opposed when elections occur.
Military can give immunity to corporations for murdering our soldiers. The Supreme Court gives immunity to corporations for murdering Americans. Yes, there are people who are above the law.
Obama is way overhead in his role as president. We are seeing more disasters, such as Katrina, oil, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gitmo, financial deregulations, and OBAMA.
.Right Gene, and... how about Blackwater in Louisiana? Just use foils like KBR/Halliburton to fund your own Corporate Owned Multinational private army with all the toys and spy gear -- and deploy them against citizens and then over-bill them. Nice System.
Somehow I have ended up receiving the Friends of the US Chamber email newsletter. I haven't opted out yet because it's been interesting to see what they are up to. This week I was invited to become a member for $50 and receive a free copy of Laura Ingraham's new book, "The Obama Diaries". Some quotes from the newsletter: "...there are still a few voices protecting the free enterprise system and individual initiative that make America great. Every day renowned radio talk show host Laura Ingraham showcases and advocates for common-sense solutions that will bring economic freedom and prosperity back to America. Though it's hard to be heard above the shouts for more spending and bigger government, Laura is a consistent voice for solutions that will get America back to work without bankrupting it". Sure, you betcha.
@Thom, I voted for Perot... still don't know if I did the right thing, but the movement surrounding Perot led me have hope for alternatives to the two party system.
N
^^shut it^^
Keep it going THOM!!! We love ya Homie!!!
raising cash for Senator Sanders... I like this dude! Bernie Bumper sticker 50% of profit donated up to donation cap
go to: www.dissentandreason.wordpress.com/shop or www.cafepress.com/DeathandTaxes.457430500
Although it's illegal to sell military equipment to states who use them against their own populations, USA has gotten away with shipping the arms to an ally who in turn ships the weapons to places like Indonesia.
Same effect, but with plausible denial added.
"Utah agencies probe alleged illegal immigrant list
By BROCK VERGAKIS (AP) – 12 hours ago
SALT LAKE CITY — Investigators examined records at several state agencies Wednesday to find the origins of a list being circulated around Utah that contains the names and personal information of 1,300 purported illegal immigrants and demands that they be deported immediately...
...The list contains Social Security numbers, birth dates, workplaces, addresses and phone numbers. Names of children are included, along with due dates of pregnant women on the list.....
.....Democratic state Sen. Luz Robles of Salt Lake City said she's worried the release of the list will distract from a substantive policy debate at a forum on immigration with the governor next week.'This is one of those issues that's volatile. I don't know what's coming next,' she said. 'It was obviously a very calculated process and that is concerning.'...... "
Link to full article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jqfjMEGvQIw-THl1W1KVwyfudpVgD9GV3JUG0
The key word there is "calculated". The KBR/Halliburton machine needs us to hate each other in order to keep making billions at the expense of kind, creative, family-loving, co-operative people all over the world. This shameless attempt to inflame hate and fear is organized and conscious and directed. More agencies than the Mineral and Mining Agency have been infiltrated by Bush Era plants -- and they aren't green.
128 Radio Staions in South Dakota --got Thom? -FROM Richard Winger @ ballot-access news.orgU.S. Senator in South Dakota Has No Opponents in General Election
July 12th, 2010
This South Dakota newspaper story focuses on the fact that U.S. Senator John Thune, a Republican, has no opponents on the November ballot. No Democrat filed to run for U.S. Senate this year.
The Constitution Party is on the ballot in South Dakota, but it did not run anyone for U.S. Senate either. Whether the party’s candidate for Governor will be on the ballot depends on the outcome of the party’s ballot access case that is being heard in federal court on July 15.
No independent candidate qualified in South Dakota for U.S. Senate this year, and the petition deadline was June 8. Thanks to Political Wire for the link. South Dakota does not permit write-ins.
My buddy, a cop, said,"we don't catch the smart ones."
Like the prohibition of alcohol, the "drug war" industry is making billionaires out of criminals.
@harry, awww c'mon all the presidents break treaties, then they take the military out for a joy ride. Its a coming to power thing, give them a little time and they'll mature. ;-)
N
Violating treaties is breaking the law.
@Zero G: Unfortunately I agree about Obama re: #3, in fact, there's only 2 Presidents in my lifetime, maybe just one, who didn't deserve impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. Eisenhower, probably not guilty. Carter, maybe not guilty. Carter did supply arms to Indonesia to enable them to commit genocide in East Timor and elsewhere; thats his only moral failure to my knowledge. The rest are clearly guilty.
School Boards absolutely do respond to parents' concern. The main problem they have is that most people DO NOT ATTEND THEM. They DO NOT ATTEND PTO meetings. They DO NOT PARTICIPATE in school events. It's usually the same group of moms who do things and volunteer. Everyone else just complains like this guy Scott.
He may have had a negative situation and a not so great teacher or a teacher with a philosophy of "no homework" (as some have), but that does not mean that public schools are in complete disarray. Pathetic funding (esp. in Arizona), lack of parental involvement, and things like No Child Left Behind are real issues that cannot be ignored.