God Damn Amerika---Rev. Wright WAS right!

     I am not proud to be an Amerikan (no, it's not misspelled but deliberate) and I refuse to celebrate a holiday that has become not only obsolete but obscene as well! After what this country has done, how can any sane citizen be blind enough to fall for all this patriotic crap? We lost our liberties and stupidly believe the Second Amendment protects us from our government. Yeah? Well, get ready for foreign troops "helping" to maintain "order" at national events such as July 4th. Don't believe me? Google it. We've had foreign troops training on our soil for decades, in direct violation of the Constitution and Posse Comitatus way before 9/11. But we just ignored it, preferring to believe that we were simply "training" these foreign troops to handle their own people. After all, we assured ourselves, this is America where "It can't happen here" ("It" being any number of tyrannies practiced by our enemies---never by us). Then came 9/11 and we rolled over like obedient dogs when Dubya snapped his fingers.
     Shame on us! We allowed fear to take over our minds, gave up our freedoms for supposed "safety" that never materialized, and let a bunch of Republican fascists tear up the Bill of Rights without so much as a peep of protest. Those who did have backbone enough to cry out were silenced with the threat of more "terror" attacks should we remain free. And we fell for it every time! We cheered our drunken president on when he called for war against any countries who "harbored terrorists", cheered as our troops murdered their way through Iraq because that liar told us Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11! We cheered when he proclaimed we had to right to depose any foreign leader we didn't like---under the despicable euphemism of "Regime Change". Of course, all Dubya did was to make public what our CIA had been doing privately since the 1947 National Security Act, but we knew we couldn't "win" the Cold War without cheating, right? Saddam Hussein was our boy, the School Of The Americas (another euphemism! It only taught how to kill and other lovely stuff) taught him everything he knew. So was Osama bin Laden!  And we're so shocked to learn that our wonderful, democratic government now considers us to be the terrorists? Hell, we're the ones running Al Qaeda now! Google it. Go on, I dare you.
     No, I can't be "patriotic" anymore. If there were any other country where I could go, I would. Truth is, the whole world has been f***ed over by us, so there is nowhere else now. Go, celebrate your mindless nationalistic paganism, you fools, but don't expect me to bend my head while some damned idiot on a podium intones a prayer as the national rag goes up (made in Taiwan, I bet!). God isn't on our side, and never was. We're not on his side, either---not after all we've done. If  he ever comes back, we'd better hide. And if we ever want to be America again, we'd damn well better get off our knees!

America Is NOT Christian---Or Any OTHER Religion, Either!

     Sorry to burst your bubble, patriots, but it's true. The Declaration Of Independence only mentions "creator", not God. The reason being to keep our nation from coming under the rule of theocrats, regardless of religion. Why do I have to remind you of this? Once our country "declares" for one religion or another, the others will inevitably become "foreign". Look at what's happening in the Middle East. Do we need that? And that's how it would be, even under Christianity.
     Before the Bill Of Rights, back before the Constitution, we had religious tyranny. Hell, the Puritans came here to establish their form of  Christianity, and they persecuted whoever disagreed with them. Ever hear of  Roger Williams? No, not the composer but a pastor who was forced to flee to Rhode Island in order to have his own church, free from the control of the Mayflower bunch. He was lucky. Had he been Catholic he might never had a chance anywhere in the colonies. Yes, Catholics were universally hated throughout the colonies. Maryland, which had been established by Lord Baltimore as a refuge for Catholic colonists, had already been taken over by rabid so-called proper Christians who had promptly "restored" the "heretical" colony to Protestantism, and "lawfully" reduced Catholics to near peons. Quakers had similar problems in some colonies, so did Jews. Nevertheless, Catholics remained political pariahs---almost to the candidacy of John F Kennedy!
     Do you think we won't make the same mistakes should you "patriots" succeed? Declare America to be Christian and you've destroyed everything our Founders fought for. They were Deists, you ninnies, not Christians! They believed in a God who'd "wound up the universe" like a clock and given it to us to take care of---not your wimpy idea that Man is so evil he can't save himself but needs some "savior" to die on a cross because God supposedly couldn't think of a better way. Gimme a break! And what would happen to non-bible faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.? Please, don't "reassure" me that we'd still have religious freedom under a theocracy. We all know better.
     Remember the First Amendment, where it says "Congress shall make no law... respecting an establishment of religion..."? Do you actually know what it means? It means no religion is to be declared the "established" religion of America, period. Or do you plan to re-write everything? Of course you do, else how can you declare America Christian? Well, I'm not stupid. I happen to like the Constitution just the way it is, thank you. We who aren't Christians have rights, and we intend to keep them. Just letting you know...

Are You Confused? Join The Club!

     Wow! There's just so much news out there. So what to believe, and whom to trust? Don't ask me, I'm on information overload. Alex Jones is prophesying the end of the world, but then he always is so I take him with a whole salt-shaker instead of the proverbial "grain of salt". Is Edward Snowden a hero or a double agent? Is the NSA a joke because it can't protect its data ( or, rather, our data) from this nerd? Did the CIA deliberately allow him to escape to Hong Kong in order to give the finger to its arch-rival? Will our government ever recover from this horrible crime? And somehow nothing has changed, for all of this mess. I mean, to listen to the news you'd think we're doomed, and maybe we are---but not yet.
     That's the thing, we're primed to panic but things just go on forever, it seems. Makes me almost wish "The End" was nigh, except it never is. Frankly, I don't know whether or not this new Supreme Court decision to end The Voter Rights Act is bad or not. What I do know is that it's not earth-shattering, despite the glum faces on Democracy Now, and the dire warnings from the NAACP. I have no fears that the former Confederacy will suddenly revert to the bad old days of literacy tests and baseball bat-toting sheriffs at the polls. As for the apocalyptic/apoplectic rantings of the Religious Reich about the striking down of DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act)---as if gays being allowed to marry like the rest of us would cause Armageddon---well, I'm glad our Supremes for once got some sense into their pointy little heads. Now if only the Christian "patriot" movement would stop screaming about the Founding Fathers being "Luciferians" (a fancy term for Devil Worshipers, for crying out loud!) simply because most of them belonged to the Free Masons. You know what these so-called "patriots" really want, don't you? As if all the new Islamist extremist governments don't show us how wonderful having God in charge can be!
     Am I ranting? Maybe, but I get so tired of all this sensationalism. What if all our fears are actually groundless? Or some of them, at any rate. Oh, but that would be so boring, right? Let's face it, we like being scared---if only to heave a heartfelt sigh of relief when nothing happens. Remember 2012? What a drag, December 21 being just another day! Well, take heart. There surely will be something horrendous happening any minute now...

A Revolting Thought

      Several of them, actually, all having to do with so much of this "The Answer To 1984 Is 1776" bellowing going on, notably by Alex Jones and other "Infowarriors". Not that he's wrong, necessarily, but a bit over-enthusiastic. You see, it's not easy to just up and revolt---at least successfully. And so many of these would-be warriors seem to think it's a snap. Well then, let's consider some of the things we'd need for a successful revolution. Do we have all that we're going to need? If we don't, where do we get it? If we can't, what do we do then? Most importantly, perhaps, what do we do if it goes all wrong?

     To answer the first question, we need to know just what it is that we do need before we can assess our supplies of same. Of course, we need idio---pardon me, patriots---who will be willing to give up their lives for a (supposedly) noble cause. What that supposed "noble" cause is, in this post, will be assumed to be a rebellion against a tyrannical government---ours. Everybody likes to rebel against tyranny (they say), and America is a country famed for it's dislike of authority, so we can assume there will be no shortage of rebels here---at least until the bullets start flying. Historically, American Minutemen have been quite prudent about being "Sunshine Patriots" who hate having their fun rained upon. Bad for one's health and all that. Of course we need weapons with which to fight and, guns being an American obsession, we can be sure of plenty of those. Unfortunately, the quality and quantities of guns available to our (ahem) oppressors might be a bit off-putting, as the military/police troops have oodles of toys that are forbidden to us (for our own good, presumably). Try going up against one of the new microwave weapons---you know, the ones that cook you from the inside out---with an AK47 (assuming you can get your hands on one); I believe the phrase "Your goose is cooked" might be somewhat of an understatement in that case. Then there are sonic weapons to blast out your eardrums, and new laser technology that's so top-secret even the Military prognosticators deny it exists. Well, they do give hints from time to time, but no photos. Those bad Chinese have been hacking our defense computers lately (they say), so mums the word.

     Actually, the first question should be---do we have a group of leaders in charge who know what they're doing? Hmmm, we might want to think about that before we revolt; after all, the Founding Fathers didn't go about the American Revolution with a kind of Abbie Hoffman "Revolution For The Hell Of It" philosophy. While I dearly love the rantings of Alex Jones, I'd hesitate to put him in charge of the brigades. Ditto Adam Kokesh as well. I hate to spoil all the spontaneity of this rebellion, the patriot mystique and all that, yet we really ought to have a plan, don't you think? Before going to rebellion?

     So, given that we don't have adequate weapons, were do we get them? I hardly think we'd have the same underdog quality that the mujaheddin possessed in their struggle against the Soviets (nor would we qualify for the same free goodies, either) which might gain us foreign allies. And remember, this is supposed to be our revolution, for freedom from tyranny; I don't fancy being taken over by our supposed friends. God knows we've done enough of that to them throughout our history. Why give them a chance to get even? Since it appears we won't get adequate weapons, I'd say we're screwed and maybe we should just do the sensible thing---try to get the military on our side, for a change. It may not work, but they, after all, are the experts, right?

     

 

1984-1967 That Was Then, This Is Now (and no, it's NOT backwards)

     I learned from dear old Alex Jones that George Orwell's most famous novel was supposedly published on this date back in 1948. Now that is incredible! Of course, Orwell's timeline was a bit off---he had the riots beginning right after WWII instead of the mid to late 1960s---but if you take the timeline from the 60s on he's not that off. Remember that in his book the government of Big Brother was already well ensconced by the title date while the riots of the 60s stretched well into the 70s as well. Still, his timeline when adjusted for real events seems pretty well accurate. In the light of Bilderberg and all the government scandals currently happening around the world, not to mention the egregious thefts of our constitutional rights since George W Bush, I'd like to relate a true story from my high school senior year.

     In my school we had two teachers who taught all of the senior College Prep students scheduled for the course called AMERICAN HISTORY II, which was actually American Government. I was lucky enough, along with around 165 others, to have been given an unknown first-year teacher instead of the wildly popular History Department Head. She was nothing any of us could have expected (which also occurred to her dept. head boss and the rest of the school administration but, alas for them, too late to do anything about except pray we wouldn't remember her lessons). Well, I guess God was on vacation that year. Getting back to my narrative, however, she did about the worst thing a history teacher could do. She actually believed teachers were supposed to make students think! Sort of "stealth teaching", or maybe even teaching as a "subversive activity" (there was a book by that title published sometime in the 70s, but I can't recall the author). In any case, her most insubordinate action came when, after bucking the entire township over the inclusion of 1984 and Brave New World on her required-reading list, she committed the treasonous crime of calling Orwell's book a prophesy, God forbid! (And if that wasn't bad enough, she refused to consider  them too sexually "titillating" for "impressionable" youngsters---who were already enjoying pornographic books since junior high---but I digress...)
     So, what was this "prophesy"? Let's see now. Well, there are the three principles of IngSoc: War Is Peace, Ignorance Is Strength, and Freedom Is Slavery. As for the first, she merely pointed out that we'd only been at war now since Korea, but it really wasn't officially war because Congress hadn't declared war since WWII (you know, little Constitutional quibbles like that). And then she asked us if we felt as though we were at war, which we had to admit we did not---not right in the midst of Lyndon Baines Johnson's GREAT SOCIETY, at any rate. Having "guns and butter" certainly wasn't like WWII, she pointed out. As for the second, Ignorance Is Strength, well, we weren't being told very much about Vietnam, right? In fact, she added, the govt. made sure we knew very little about almost everything. Those daily Body Counts reported in the newspapers, in which every severed finger found was automatically considered a whole person, just might be propaganda. WOW! A teacher saying our own government might deliberately lie to us? I remember my mother having a lot to say about that, none of which can be repeated due to rather coarse language. And finally, Freedom Is Slavery, about which she said we weren't really free---that the draft might well be the "involuntary servitude" the Constitution forbade, and that perhaps we needed to wake up. Boy, did the school's switchboard light up as soon as we told our parents! Unfortunately, she only lasted that one year, but I'm sure you guessed that.

     Sorry for the length of this piece, but I had to leave out lots of the things she said that day. Still, she was right. I wish I could thank her by name. She went on to become a damn good lawyer, working as an advocate for the poor and probably making peanuts for it. She remains my idol to this day. I have great expectations for those I consider my idols, but she surpassed them. I suppose we all have at least one teacher like her. Yes, welcome to 1984---but we aren't the Proles, and we are awake!
    

A Bilderburger And A Side Of Fries, Please...

     Breaking News! All this week is the most fabulous conference of the most famous organization you've probably never heard of---The Bilderberg Group. Yes, this gaggle of Midas-rich, uber-powerful and extremely camera-shy elite from around the world meet secretly (or at least they used to, until investigative journalists like the late Jim Tucker exposed it) every year to help make our world a better place---for them, at any rate. Now please don't call me an extremist "truther" or anything like that; Alex Jones at Infowars.Com has a well-earned reputation for never stretching the truth (well, he did say that the Royals eat babies for breakfast, but I only heard that once), and sometimes he's right (even if his informants are often lunatics). Nevertheless, let us not impugn the name of these patriotic whistle-blowers who, if nothing else, give us a good laugh.
     Seriously, though, what do the "Bilderbergers" discuss among themselves? And why all the secrecy and armed guards all over the place? One would think that such a glittering gathering of brilliant minds would want their discussions trumpeted over the front pages of the most prestigious newspapers, but there's nary a peep. Since Alex Jones, however, there's been plenty of noise and drama, which appears to make our "Betters" somewhat nervous, for some reason. Are they the nucleus of the shadowy New World Order that conspiracy theorists can't shut up about? Don't forget, conspiracy theorists aren't all a bunch of drooling idiots; how far would Nixon have gone without the revelations of Deep Throat? (I'm referring to the informant, not the movie.) And Jesse Ventura certainly scored big when he exposed the draining of our Great Lakes for sale to China.
     I'm betting this gab-fest isn't just your usual meeting, especially since they don't want to be seen. Alex Jones, alas, may have to rant all by himself off in a field designated as a "free speech zone", but he'll have lots of juicy gossip to relate from the hotel staff, at least. There's always some new worry, never fear. Thank God for YouTube. And thank God for Alex Jones. Remember, there's a war on for your mind---if you still have one after all this insanity. As for me, I'm gonna have fun watching Alex make a fool of himself as always. Who knows? This might be the conference where they finally announce they really are reptilians, who do eat babies for breakfast.

There's Always Tomorrow---Maybe

     Moving right along in our "best of all possible worlds", we can be happy to know that the world situation is hopeless but not serious. Of course, who we're really supporting in this Syria thing might make a difference. Then again, the United States has never lost a war, right? Uhhh, well, maybe. Our government's still out on that one. We'll take the patriotic view, however, and give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, good Americans are supposed to be patriotic and never question Big Si---pardon me, I meant the facts. You know, the ones we get from Pox News, and God's Own Party? Mustn't be naughty and give "comfort to the enemy" (whoever that is, at this point). Don't worry, though, we'll always find an enemy somewhere. After all, we now have all these lovely "home-grown" terrorists popping up all over the place. Maybe you're one and don't know it yet.
     We're just sooo lucky to have militarized cops patrolling our streets in tanks. Kinda makes you feel all nice and cozy, doesn't it, knowing they'll only get rough if they really need to. And those Fema Camps sitting there waiting for the next emergency, don't they give you a warm feeling of security? Yes, we'll be taken care of, folks. Internment camps aren't all that bad---just ask the Nisei! All the comforts of home, plus barbed-wire fencing around it to keep you safe from wild animals and things. And don't worry about Syria. Just because our allies call themselves Bin-Laden Brigades doesn't mean they're Al Qaeda. Oh, John McCain said they are? Well, I'm sure we can trust them.

     Kinda looks like Bozo The Clown, doesn't it? Have a happy war!
 

The Daily Insanity

     Yes, friends, we now have achieved stability---everyday is the same old crisis. Or variations of the same, at any rate. A new or nearly new scandal, new dangers from hitherto harmless products ---CO2 Can Kill You!---(Really? So how come we still give it off when breathing?), and other weird facts ---the Royals are secretly reptilians who eat babies when nobody's looking, but those nasty mainstream news media (mediums?) won't tell the REAL news!---you get the picture. So who's telling the truth? Does anyone care anymore?

     Don't despond, friends. With all the independent news and web sites out there (Remember the X-Files motto---The Truth Is Out There), we now have the luxury to not only choose our opinions but our FACTS as well! Undecided? Flip a coin, watch YouTube. There will surely be something there you can believe, right?

If Alex Jones can't convince you that this is 1984, NO one will. Amazingly, he sometimes gets it right. Unfortunately, his GUESTS often don't. Take Pastor Chuck Baldwin, for example. Did you know that Jesus doesn't say you should give up your guns? Gee, I thought Jesus said something about "turning the other cheek" and loving your enemies, but I guess the bible's been brought up to modern times. Of course, considering they didn't HAVE guns back then, Jesus WOULDN'T have said that, so Chuck's off the hook, I guess. And Adam Kokesh (if that's his real name) calling for an armed march (peaceful, HE says) on Washington D.C. in July. 

     Yes, we have so much MORE to look forward to nowadays.

Some Things Never Change...

Well, I'm back. Frankly, except for the date you'd never really know it! Dubya's gone but Congress is still playing the same silly games. My hair is going greyer somewhat, I'm still trying to shed pounds (I'm not going to say how many), and this photo probably doesn't look that much like me anymore---although I'm still recognizable ( I hope!).

We still seem to be heading toward Fascism (either party, take your pick), still seem to be on the brink of a world-wide financial crash, and still waiting for World War III (or is it here already? Who knows?). I'm SO reminded of  A Tale Of Two Cities.  Remember the opening lines?  "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." I don't know about YOU, but I'm beginning to think this fence we're all sitting on is getting mighty uncomfortable! Is it or isn't it coming? And WHEN, for cryinoutloud?

Be back soon---don't hold your breath.

The End Of Democracy?

Yes, if our Congress can't cooperate---and I blame the GOP most of all for their obstructionist tactics---we will see the end of democracy in the United States. Nixon perhaps unwittingly brought in all the worst of today's Hard Right Republicans, and when Reagan was elected (due mainly to their dirty tricks, I'm sure) these fanatics transformed the GOP into nothing more than a big bully. With the help of the Noise Machine---Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, etc.---these bullies redefined the honorable term "Compromise" from seeking to find a workable solution to a bizarre 19th century meaning of "being compromised" and having betrayed ones principles in doing so. Thus, in refusing to compromise they became "virtuous", and the others became mere "party hacks". Brilliant, yes, but what parties compromise over is not virtue versus sin, which is what their meaning of "compromise" meant.
They demonized the Democrats partly because, without Communism, they had no "enemy" with which to keep America frightened. Whatever the Democrats/Liberals thought, said, or did became "Un-American". They kept hammering away at that point until now it looks as if most Americans actually agree with that. And I'm afraid.
You see, back in 1967 I was a senior in high school taking a course in American Government, and one of our books was, to me, the bible of American Democracy. This was a book of readings from famous political scientists, philosophers, Founding Fathers, about the problems of democracy. In it was a section on why democracies failed, and one of the most chilling statements was that when political parties no longer worked together one could infer that such a government would altogether fail and fall into either fascism or chaos. Well, are we not seeing it now? The GOP is so hot to win that it will send this country into complete meltdown. No lies are too small, no dirty tricks too nasty that the GOP won't use them to stonewall, bully, and win by any means necessary. Machiavelli would be proud.

Brainwashing And American Males

I've discovered that males seem uniquely prone to brainwashing by the Conservative Media. I don't know why it's so, but maybe it has to do with the male penchant for "being right" (pun intended). Also, I suspect it has a lot to do with their mania for being "well-informed" and spouting their opinions as proof of it. As we all know, women are neither well-informed or right (in every meaning of that word). We are simply opinionated and wrong! Unless, of course, we subscribe to the Right. But what I find truly maddening is that males who hold Conservative opinions have nothing but contempt for anyone who doesn't. They, and they alone, are correct, and the rest of us are Commie-Pinko morons. That includes family members and, most importantly, their wives.
If I so much as suggest that a Conservative commentator is wrong, my son and husband berate me in a rather mean fashion. If I happen to be right in what I've said, they explode! It's gotten so I can't even open my mouth without being taunted "Oh, you just hate Republicans". Well, I don't, but even though I've voted for several (I'm still terribly old-fashioned about voting for the best candidate) they simply forget. Worse, their taunts are getting to the point of cruelty. What's happening to us? Why can't we talk to one another anymore? Frankly, I'm scared. What's next---physical assault on one's Liberal wife? Make no mistake, Fox and the rest of what David Brill so brilliantly termed The Republican Noise Machine are spreading hatred. On purpose. Without Commies to bash and fear, we who are Democrats have become THE ENEMY. Males do seem to be more susceptible to the Right's brainwashing, but will women catch up? God help us if they do. As for me, I will never feel safe voting for another Republican, and that's really scary!

If I Only Knew Now What I Thought I Knew Then

Ah, the absolute certainty of Youth! When I was just out of college I knew everything. So what happened? As I get older I get wiser, maybe, but I find I know so little compared to my younger years. How sad. At this rate I'll know nothing pretty soon.
Bad enough I've forgotten most of what I learned in school---even if most of it is now outdated. In no time I'll be a tabula rasa, God forbid. Is this what happens when you get old? It's almost like Alzheimer's, in a way; I'm always meeting new facts, and the old facts don't look familiar either.
There's so much I'll never know, so much I'll never have time to get to, so much I'll never be sure of again. Sigh.
Youth is indeed wasted on the young. Why wasn't I twice as snotty when I had the chance? Now that I'm 61 it's expected I'll be grouchy. It's assumed I'll be a know-it-all. Worse, it's considered cute at this age. Oh well...

Is This Global Warming Or What?

I'm not sure but I'd say the GOP really botched their call of Global Cooling. Yes, we certainly did have a lot of snow and all that. Even so, all that snow and rain was well within the parameters predicted by the warming scenario, and we all know now that the so-called "e-mail conspiracy" among left-wing meteorologists was concocted by the GOP and their pet weather-mongers.
So what's happening? Well, it's hot enough to set records here in the Northeast. Looks like it won't be breaking anytime soon, either, which is dangerous for people, animals, and plants. Not to mention the fact that farms are having to spray their fruit trees to keep them from cooking on the vine---literally. Then we also have to wonder how the BP mess will affect weather, too. All that wonderful Corexit (does it have an "e" on the end? I can't remember) and oil in our oceans---face it, it's not just the Gulf of Mexico that's had accidents---probably will end up in our rain clouds world-wide very soon. It's the oceans that drive the weather cycles, which scares the hell out of me and should scare you as well. We don't need this weather situation getting any worse, but don't hold your breath.

Be Careful---Your Web Cam Can Be Spying On You

I've just bought a new laptop with a built-in web cam, and while the photo to the left isn't impressive, just imagine if I'd been stupid enough to go naked when it snapped this. Mind you, I'm 61 and not inclined to do daring things, but hardly anyone seems to think twice about computing "in the buff", as it were. They should.
While at the present moment I can see no light indicating any cam action I must nevertheless be concerned; after all, remember how employers, principals, and government officials all gleefully spy on us for whatever reasons they feel are "necessary"? It happens more often than you think---or care to imagine. Frankly, I wish they would mind their own business, but how much would you care to wager on that? Never happen!
I've often toyed with the thought of wearing some ghastly body suit that would make it appear I'm naked. Something really sickening, you know. Maybe open sores running thick, yellow pus. Or perhaps something like the chest-bursting creature from ALIEN. I know it's childish, but you have to admit that there's hardly any point in being an adult if you can't be childish at times. That, by the way, is my favorite Tom Baker quote from Dr. Who.
Let's all be childish and do some absolutely squalid (there's a great British word for you!) pranks to get even with Big Brother. If not (or you're a coward like me), then just cover over the web cam lens. After all, do you really want to make it easy for them?

Don't Go Near The Water---Forever

Mmmm! Don't you just love swimming at the beach? Well, you won't much longer. This is the current state of the waves washing up on Gulf shores, and it's not getting any better---probably never. It looks rather pretty, actually, something like liquid amber, perhaps. Nevertheless, it's deadly, and lots of pretty things are deadly in nature. This, unfortunately, is not nature; at least it's not what nature should be doing to us.
This, I'm afraid is what "nature" will be looking like for at least the foreseeable future. How "foreseeable", you ask? Let's just say that most scientists doubt BP will be able to plug this hole. Ever. Sometimes I have a sneaking suspicion they don't really want to plug it. Just think how much the price of oil might rise, and we all know supply and demand has little, if anything, to do with prices. If the supposed "law of supply and demand" did apply, then how come prices have been able to remain relatively stable thus far?
No, we're screwed, folks. Even if they manage to plug this hole by August (which is looking to be maybe August 2011, if we're lucky) those billions, possibly trillions, of gallons will have poisoned the entire Gulf already. Not only that, but projections by NASA predict that the entire Gulf Stream will be nothing but oil---all the way up the east coast as far as the Carolinas---before heading off toward Europe. And as if that's not bad enough, the dispersant will have been sucked up into the clouds to enable the entire North American continent to be poisoned by oily rains. Not to mention the usual hurricanes as well. Better start praying, but don't expect God to answer. He's probably on vacation---permanently.
Oh, and I wouldn't drink orange juice, either.

Helen Thomas---A Sad Goodbye

She was the journalist they loved to hate. Her questions at press meetings were blatantly biased and loud, and she made her colleagues writhe in embarrassment whenever she stood to challenge a president. But she had courage and a style all her own. She asked the tough questions no one else dared to bring up, and her loss is our loss as well.
She had to be tough to succeed in journalism. Women were few and far between in the world of political journalism when she began. She had to be loud in order to be taken seriously by men in those days, and she wasn't ashamed to be unladylike, either. That she was biased against Israel in no way detracts from her devotion to journalism; she was honest about where she stood, unlike many of her male colleagues, and although I often cringed when she railed against Israel I respected her just the same. This is America, after all, where unpopular opinions are supposed to be feely expressed. She wasn't inciting hatred hatred for Jews. Shame on the cowards who used her latest remarks to oust her! Why should she have been forced to apologize? What, she hurt someone's tender little psyche? This Political Correctness is despicable, and soon none of us will be able to speak freely if this continues.
So she said Jews should go "home", back to Germany and Poland. All right, that may have been insensitive, but surely not the same as saying they should be gassed. If you haven't noticed, neither Germany nor Poland gasses Jews anymore, and Jews have gone to live there in the last decade. She has always been a gadfly, so why should she change now? If she had condemned the Palestinians and demanded they go "home", I doubt if anything would have been said about it.
Yes, I'm a Jew and I care about Israel, but I also care about free speech. The Peter Zenger case, if you'll recall, gave journalists the freedom to report without fear of reprisal. In her case, she had been asked a question and answered it. Opinionated? Yes, but that's Helen Thomas. Her colleagues who, it seemed, used her unfortunate remarks to finally get rid of her should be ashamed. Personal vendettas have no place in journalism.
Goodbye, Helen. We'll miss you. God bless.

Why Can't We Accept The Truth?

I'm going to address two topics, both of which can't be stressed enough. First, Obama is not responsible for BP's mess, and he can't do anything to stop it. Those of you who are screaming that he isn't "doing enough" are angry, and I accept that, but your misplaced anger is playing right into the hands of the same GOP that gave BP the right to risk the very thing that has happened. It was the GOP who clamored for the deregulation of industry ever since Reagan took office. The GOP who, under Bush41 and 43, used the excuse of Free Markets to gut consumer protections---not the Democrats. The GOP who gave corporations the right to buy Congress under the idea of Money=Free Speech. So, if more money equals more speech, then who is it that has the most money and therefore the most "free speech"? Corporations. Is it any wonder, then, that our Coast Guard in the Gulf wears badges with the BP logo, and refuses to tell WE THE PEOPLE what's really happening down there? If BP can silence the Coast Guard, then how can our president find out what's going on? Face it, Obama is being lied to by BP, the Coast Guard, and quite possibly Fox News and the GOP. Fox News is pushing Sarah Palin for the GOP contender, and she wants to continue BP's free-wheeling drilling approach. Most of the up and coming GOP stars are Hard Right. Do we really want to hand this country back to the party that started this whole fiasco?
Take a look at the image above, folks. That bird is us. Wake up. It's not Obama, it's the Republicans who bear the brunt of what is happening, and they couldn't care less what happens to us. They are too busy celebrating their victory this November, because they've gotten you to believe their lies. All they want is to win, and they don't care how. In fact, if Obama could solve this crisis they'd be in trouble. The truth is, the GOP wants it to get worse. Rush Limbaugh stated flat out he "hoped" Obama would "fail", and he speaks for the GOP.
Vote the Democrats out of Congress this November and you'll have the same GOP that gave us the financial crisis, the two wars we didn't need, and the deregulation of BP. Do that, and we're all going to wind up covered with oil. The perpetrators are BP and the GOP. Remember that.

It Might Be Us Next

To whomever created this picture, a million thanks!
Seriously, though, this oil spill is far worse than BP wants us to think. In a Democracy Now broadcast, Amy Goodman was taken for a tour of the spill in a Coast Guard helicopter and, spotting the BP logo on the Coast Guard pilot's badge, when she inquired as to why the Coast Guard should be wearing such badges, he gave her a lame answer.
So why should the Coast Guard be wearing such badges? Does our military and police now work for BP? It sure looks that way, I'm afraid. The press is kept away from seeing the full extent of the spill, and workers are made to sign an agreement (coerced, actually) that they will say nothing to the media. What's going on here? Even the Coast Guard won't answer questions, and that should worry all of us.
In undeveloped nations, such corporations as BP become the de facto police and military of these countries. In short, these corporations might just as well be the governments of such nations.
So, has BP become our de facto government? Have they allowed our president to view the entire spill? After all, who has the kind of money to enable them to buy both houses of Congress? And we all know just about every congressman and senator is in BP's pocket.
The future looks black---with oil oozing right up the East Coast on the Gulf Stream. How long before that happens? It depends on when---not if--- the next hurricane hits the Gulf region. Prepare to see the spill on your beach in a few months. Prepare to see tar balls and dead sea birds all the way up to New England. Then prepare to see the Gulf Stream sweep the spill out into the mid-Atlantic Ocean, perhaps as far as Europe. Don't, however, expect to see our Coast Guard or Navy helping us. They have far too much to do protecting their new master from us. Welcome to the future of government. We all belong to BP now, I suppose. The United States of British Petroleum. How nice.

Is Israel Right Or Wrong?

Frankly, it's a tie at the moment. Joe Biden says the ships could have been unloaded to the north of Gaza and have gotten delivered just as well, that there was no need for these ships to land in Gaza. And he's not alone in that opinion. On the other side we have the activists who say they were fired on by Israeli helicopters, and Israelis indiscriminately shot everyone in sight. U.S. officials are careful not to condemn Israel, and some have said Israel had good reason to believe these ships might be carrying arms for the Hamas terrorists in Gaza, that according to the Helsinki Accords Israel had every right to defend itself the way it had. You decide.
As for me, take a look at the image above and try to defend Hamas. I'm sorry, but Israelis don't strap on bombs---especially on their children---to blow themselves up on public transportation, shops, streets and deliberately kill innocent people. Let me correct that; Israeli Jews and Christian Arabs don't take everyone to paradise with them. How can we support people who would sacrifice their own children? Is the mother/grandmother in the photo your idea of a loving parent? I didn't think so.
Remember this the next time you automatically charge Israel with murder and terrorism.

Turn Off The Television News And Think For Yourself

It seems we can't watch TV anymore without being hammered by "news analysis" that reeks of partisanship and contempt for the American voter. We are all stupid (according to Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc) because we will listen to them and vote accordingly---at least that's what they think. However, they're forgetting Abraham Lincoln's famous political observation: You can fool some of the people some of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.
For those of us who prefer to think for ourselves, this constant peddling of gloom and doom about the Obama administrations "failure" to solve everything right away sounds like a bunch of two-year olds throwing tantrums. These problems didn't begin with Obama, or the Democrats. Like Rome, it wasn't built in a day, or even a month. Most began with the previous administration, but no one wants to hear that, it seems. Of course we're upset, but if they think we're simply going to throw a tantrum come November (and the GOP is counting on it), they really must be daft.
Yes, we've read BRAVE NEW WORLD. We know how cunning the advertisement experts are, and that constant repetition of lies can sway people. Perhaps the GOP will be able to sway enough voters to return control to the same party that caused this mess, but November is still six months away. We don't care to be lectured by political pundits who worship opinion polls, nor do we like to endure so-called News Analysts shouting each other down---each trying to sound more apocalyptic than the last. First, there is the statistical Margin of Error which seems to be ignored (plus or minus three percentage points), and then there is the manner in which this poll is given. We have all encountered questions so slanted that it's impossible to answer them with a simple "yes" or "no", which means we're supposedly "undecided" on that particular issue. Not by a long shot! Polls are manipulated for the desired effect, remember.
We who think for ourselves avoid contaminating our minds with such garbage. As it's said in the theater---"an empty drum makes the biggest noise". Television and talk radio is nothing but noise, period. Let the stupid ones, who prefer to be sheep, watch television. And if we want to win, then let's get going.