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Quark December 7th, 2009, 7:54 am
Gerald,
I don’t feel very hopeful when I look at the increasing corporate control and the “too big to fail” model continuing to proliferate (Comcast takeover of NBC Universal, for example.) If I saw any significant push-back by congress or others with influence and power to effect change or, as Thom says, prices of the stock of such corporations declined, I might believe change is on the horizon. There was, however, a push-back in today’s NY Times editorial column:
“Concerns About Comcast – NBC”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07mon3.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
Since you indirectly quoted von Bismark (”He who has his thumb on the purse has the power.” Speech to North German Reichstag -21 May 1869), I have another one with which you might also agree:
“Man cannot create the current of events. He can only float with them and steer.” — Otto von Bismark, quoted in the London Independent
That encompasses perfectly how I feel. Until a movement reaches the proverbial “tipping point”, this is where one finds himself. I agree with you, we probably will not see real, positive change in our lifetimes (though, who knows, we now know that significant climactic changes can occur in a very short amount of time. Since mankind is a part of nature, maybe he has this ability, too.)
Yesterday morning at work I was suddenly struck by a dire need for coffee (probably because I was frozen stiff in Seattle), and since there isn’t even a coffee machine, coffee pot or even hot water in the break room, I had to satisfy this need by venturing into the baggage claim area where there was a coffee vendor; this vendor sells 3-inch-in-diameter donuts for $2.25, but at least a drip coffee was somewhat of a more reasonable cost. Anyways, while the Nazis had their Brown-Shirts, this place has its Blue-Shirts. So it was that a simple expedition for a cup of coffee would be an occasion of suspicion, and find me spread eagle getting a pat-down by one of these (deleted). I asked one of the Blue-Shirts who inspected them, and I was informed that they inspected themselves—kind of like the police policing themselves, I would conjecture.
From Gerald Socha,
Gerald Socha December 6th, 2009, 9:32 pm
I listen to Thom’s radio show everyday that fits into my schedule and the listening does not disrupt doctor’s appointments, shopping, visits to family, work around the home and yard, etc. Listening to Thom, a person can receive an education.
He is right that if we abandon the Democrat Party, we may elect someone who will cause more problems. Plus, the elected politician can appoint certain people to the Supreme Court, etc. Thom has also said that we are at the start of more progressive change. He is probably right but cycles can take time, like a century or two or maybe three centuries. I do not have that much time in my life and in fifty years or so it will not matter for our sons.
I must state here that I disagree with him. Maybe Thom has to put up a positive expression to keep motivating himself on his radio show.
Thom, nothing will ever change in our country and I truly mean we will never change. Here are the facts. Our country is completely controlled by the industrial-military complex, the Federal Reserve that cannot be audited, the banks, the radical religious fundamentalists from every religion, and Wall Street. Ten percent of the people in our country control ninety percent of the people. This fact will never change. Thom, do you remember the saying, THE PEOPLE WITH THE GOLD MAKE THE RULES? I am certain that you do.
The grand experiment of electing a minority president has failed. Obama is an elitist. He is part of The Establishment.
NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE IN OUR COUNTRY!!! OUR COUNTRY WILL NEVER CHANGE!!!
We are a divided country where hatred, corruption, and lies are the norms.
Thomas Jode,
OK, I'll copy and paste. Thanks!
THOM: I remain unconvinced that Progressives can usurp control of the Tea-Bag bunch. They appear to be driven by mindless, knee-jerk jingoism rooted in the response to certain key trigger words. They play the role of the “angry unwashed masses”. They anger/rage they embody would eat high-minded liberals alive. The Blue Dogs are our Tea-Baggers and they own us.
There is a reason Harry Reid, presently the de facto DEM leader, is the single most ineffectual individual in the whole farging mess we call government.
Hey! Everybody move to the Monday blog becasue this sure isn't it.
I wish Thom could get Ravi Batra to agree with him about rolling back the Reagan tax cuts.
When Thom did mention to Ravi that increasing taxes would help the economy, Ravi replied that in the current economic situation it would have a negative effect.
I wish Thom would have replied that he agrees that a general tax increase would not be appropriate at this time. Then, I wish he would have asked, how a tax increase to 78% on incomes over 3.2 million would have a negative effect.
Quark,
I'm very comfortable with 60's terms.
I'm a vintage '57, if I were a guitar I might be worth something...
Thom IS talking about a tipping point. 'Worth pursuing, I think.
Zero G.,
Exactly! You're right on (forgive the 60's term...)
Rasmussen is considered to be ‘ishy’ at best by the pollster industry anymore. Nate Silver of FIVETHIRTYEIGHT largely discounts them any more. Rasmussen is striving to be for the Recessivists what Public Policy Polling is for the DEMS.
Strappin' on the stupid won't help ANY Progressive cause . . . It will further dumb down MERican politics.
Hoping for Chevron, Wal-Mart & Coca-Cola to save us?
Isn't Chevron still in bed with the Burmese junta?
Isn't Mal-Wart still destroying local commerce?
And saved by high fructose corn syrup?
I may have posted this in the past, but it is worth repeating: TED talk (video):
"Jared Diamond on why societies collapse"
http://www.ted.com/talks/jared_diamond_on_why_societies_collapse.html
P.S.
Re: Jared Diamond a Sell-out?
I feel wishy-washy when I say this, but I DO believe that the world is not black & white, but shades of gray.
“If you voted for Obama, you did so knowing he was going to engage in Afghanistan.” - L. Grace
True enough, but isn't that an implicit criticism of what I refer to as our faux democracy. We hear about the Iranian mullahs who approve/disapprove who can run for office in Teheran. Yet we accept from media mullahs here pronouncements that candidates like Kucinich have no chance, rather than serious policy debate.
Democracy hogwash, at least we have clean pigs.
Jared Diamond a Sell-out?
Jared Diamond, scientist and author of Collapse and other best-sellers about reasons for the success or failure of human societies, had an interesting opinion piece in yesterday's "Week in Review" section of the NY Times:
"Will Big Business Save the Earth?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06diamond.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
I guess, if you think you can't criticize the issue of the existence of uber-size corporations, you find something redeeming to say about some of them. (It puts bread on the table...)
L. Grace and Quark.
I would like to have started with a real forensic investigation into 9/11, before we went rushing into a conflict. Invasion plans for Afghanistan were on Bush's desk on 9/10. Carpet of gold or bombs, anyone?
That said, there is really enough outside of the Afghan escalation for many of us to feel betrayed by Obama.
Flip flop on torture photos, for instance.
Gerald,
I don't feel very hopeful when I look at the increasing corporate control and the "too big to fail" model continuing to proliferate (Comcast takeover of NBC Universal, for example.) If I saw any significant push-back by congress or others with influence and power to effect change or, as Thom says, prices of the stock of such corporations declined, I might believe change is on the horizon. There was, however, a push-back in today's NY Times editorial column:
"Concerns About Comcast - NBC"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07mon3.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
Since you indirectly quoted von Bismark ("He who has his thumb on the purse has the power." Speech to North German Reichstag -21 May 1869), I have another one with which you might also agree:
"Man cannot create the current of events. He can only float with them and steer." --- Otto von Bismark, quoted in the London Independent
That encompasses perfectly how I feel. Until a movement reaches the proverbial "tipping point", this is where one finds himself. I agree with you, we probably will not see real, positive change in our lifetimes (though, who knows, we now know that significant climactic changes can occur in a very short amount of time. Since mankind is a part of nature, maybe he has this ability, too.)
Here are two interesting articles.
http://original.antiwar.com/lind/2009/12/04/o-equals-w/
http://www.juancole.com/2009/12/top-ten-things-that-could-derail-obamas....
I listen to Thom’s radio show everyday that fits into my schedule and the listening does not disrupt doctor’s appointments, shopping, visits to family, work around the home and yard, etc. Listening to Thom, a person can receive an education.
He is right that if we abandon the Democrat Party, we may elect someone who will cause more problems. Plus, the elected politician can appoint certain people to the Supreme Court, etc. Thom has also said that we are at the start of more progressive change. He is probably right but cycles can take time, like a century or two or maybe three centuries. I do not have that much time in my life and in fifty years or so it will not matter for our sons.
I must state here that I disagree with him. Maybe Thom has to put up a positive expression to keep motivating himself on his radio show.
Thom, nothing will ever change in our country and I truly mean we will never change. Here are the facts. Our country is completely controlled by the industrial-military complex, the Federal Reserve that cannot be audited, the banks, the radical religious fundamentalists from every religion, and Wall Street. Ten percent of the people in our country control ninety percent of the people. This fact will never change. Thom, do you remember the saying, THE PEOPLE WITH THE GOLD MAKE THE RULES? I am certain that you do.
The grand experiment of electing a minority president has failed. Obama is an elitist. He is part of The Establishment.
NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE IN OUR COUNTRY!!! OUR COUNTRY WILL NEVER CHANGE!!!
We are a divided country where hatred, corruption, and lies are the norms.
Here are two very good articles.
December 1, 2009 was the date that the Obama presidency failed!!!
http://original.antiwar.com/lind/2009/12/04/o-equals-w/
Nothing is ever easy for a politician with an atrophied brain.
http://www.juancole.com/2009/12/top-ten-things-that-could-derail-obamas....
L Grace,
For the record, I agree with your assessment that this should have been handled as a police action, not an invasion.
L Grace,
I agreed with Obama as a candidate when he said that (paraphrasing) the war should be in Afghanistan, not Iraq. However, I, unlike Obama, am reconsidering that position. I just don't think we, the American people, are being told all the facts. However, there was an interesting piece in today's "Week in Review" section of the Sunday NY Times:
"The War in Pashtunistan"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/weekinreview/06shane.html?ref=weekinre...
'Still no real discussion of the pipelines, though, which surely must be another major motivation.
Oops.
I meant to say,
"If you voted for Obama, you did so knowing he was going to engage in Afghanistan."
You know this is true. I think he even got cheers at his rallies when he said that.