I came across someone else who came across this FDR quote on wikipedia:
"The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power."
Word.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Unsavory Christian "History"
So I get back to work on Tuesday after taking a vacation day for Monday and settle down at the work computer to check the weather, etc... When I say etc.. I mean checking my personal webpages for a few minutes - which is, of course, a no-no at work, right? Sure, but everybody does it and my supervisor, who uses the same computer to do his banking and correspondence with his church homies on a regular basis, is on a Christian retreat for the next three days. The big boss is gone for the week so I figure I'm in the clear. But just to be on the safe side, I clear my history on the browser. To rationalize my bad behaviour, I decide to get nosy and check the browser's history to see what kind of nonsense my supervisor has been looking at - since he hordes the computer to himself the whole day while we're all out working.
That's when my mind was blown.
But before I go any further, let me tell you a little bit about ShitBrick. He's a beast of a man who, in the past three or four years, has gotten very serious about his Christianity. And since his ego is as massive as his body, no one can escape his gravity (kinda like Jupiter). So he brings Bibles to work, listens to sermons and Christian books on the work computer and sniffs at anyone who isn't an evangelical Christian (he particularly dislikes Catholics and Muslims). He also spends a lot of time shaming the trappings of popular culture; secular movies, secular books, secular politicians, secular culture in general. And he's also probably the most homo-phobic dude I've ever come across. This guy REALLY detests "fags".
Which is why I found his tastes in websites particularly interesting.
Seems our Christian Soldier has developed a taste for transsexual escorts (I know!). And this was no minor dalliance. He was several pages into this website, all transsexuals, all looking for local action - which means he was looking for a date, or at least toying with the idea of hooking-up. And since our network connection at work is dial-up (snore), he was also extremely patient in his quest. I'm pretty sure nobody else had access to that computer on that day. I checked with my other co-worker (who, btw, gets shit every time he even uses his personal phone, not to mention the work computer).
Thank You Ted Haggard - Poster-boy for self-righteous Christian hypocrites everywhere who end up spending their evenings with crack-smoking homosexual prostitutes while spending their days projecting their fears and pathological baggage onto everybody else.
Truth is, I don't know why he was looking at transsexual escorts. For all I know, he and the Christian Taliban were planning on going downtown to partake in some hate crimes (I'll be watching the news). But I do know that this information could #1. Damage if not end his marriage. #2. Damage if not end his association with the church. #3. Damage if not end his career.
Of course, I would never tell anybody, save for you anonymous blog reader. I don't care what he does for entertainment, as long as he's not hurting anybody. That's the difference between liberals and those uptight, hypocritical, religious-right-wingers. We're not going to bust somebody's balls for how they get their kicks. We ALL have skeletons. We're ALL hypocrites to some degree.
That's when my mind was blown.
But before I go any further, let me tell you a little bit about ShitBrick. He's a beast of a man who, in the past three or four years, has gotten very serious about his Christianity. And since his ego is as massive as his body, no one can escape his gravity (kinda like Jupiter). So he brings Bibles to work, listens to sermons and Christian books on the work computer and sniffs at anyone who isn't an evangelical Christian (he particularly dislikes Catholics and Muslims). He also spends a lot of time shaming the trappings of popular culture; secular movies, secular books, secular politicians, secular culture in general. And he's also probably the most homo-phobic dude I've ever come across. This guy REALLY detests "fags".
Which is why I found his tastes in websites particularly interesting.
Seems our Christian Soldier has developed a taste for transsexual escorts (I know!). And this was no minor dalliance. He was several pages into this website, all transsexuals, all looking for local action - which means he was looking for a date, or at least toying with the idea of hooking-up. And since our network connection at work is dial-up (snore), he was also extremely patient in his quest. I'm pretty sure nobody else had access to that computer on that day. I checked with my other co-worker (who, btw, gets shit every time he even uses his personal phone, not to mention the work computer).
Thank You Ted Haggard - Poster-boy for self-righteous Christian hypocrites everywhere who end up spending their evenings with crack-smoking homosexual prostitutes while spending their days projecting their fears and pathological baggage onto everybody else.
Truth is, I don't know why he was looking at transsexual escorts. For all I know, he and the Christian Taliban were planning on going downtown to partake in some hate crimes (I'll be watching the news). But I do know that this information could #1. Damage if not end his marriage. #2. Damage if not end his association with the church. #3. Damage if not end his career.
Of course, I would never tell anybody, save for you anonymous blog reader. I don't care what he does for entertainment, as long as he's not hurting anybody. That's the difference between liberals and those uptight, hypocritical, religious-right-wingers. We're not going to bust somebody's balls for how they get their kicks. We ALL have skeletons. We're ALL hypocrites to some degree.
Monday, April 14, 2008
American SICKO - A Bitter Citizen Vents
The wife and I watched Michael Moore's SICKO last night. I already knew the arguments that he was going to use so I wasn't really that excited to watch it - but it blew me away anyway.
Sure, Sicko's all in support of Moore's persepective. Is it "balanced" journalism. No, but I don't give a shit. Is Fox News balanced journalism? Give me a fucking break - yappy little dogs and their Stepford Wives who do the shameless bidding of the right wing. If Michael Moore wants to pull a publicity stunt like driving sick 9/11 workers on boats down to Guantanamo Bay to make a point about the need for universal health care, more power to him.
Michael Moore features working-class problems in his films, shines a light on those problems and gets people talking about it - which is a public service as far as I'm concerned. He pisses off the establishment because he gets the working folk all riled up by telling them the pitiful truth about their so-called representatives and the corporate crooks who've bought and paid for them. Personally, I hope Moore gets fabulously wealthy from his films so he can buy a congressman of his own. Then, maybe, finally, the working stiff will have half a chance in this cuntry.
Moore illustrates the plight of the 911 emergency workers who can't get insurance or affordable treatment, people who had to quit their jobs because of chronic breathing problems or work at the convenience store until they die because they can't afford to retire. Sure, they were our heroes when it suited a moment of nationalistic pride or helped the administration's publicity campaign. But when they want payback for their broken bodies it's right back the the good 'ole American ethic of every man for himself. Fuck you, go back to work. Stop bitching and pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Pitiful and sick.
One of Moore's theme in Sicko is that, compared to the rest of the developed world who provide worry-FREE health care, our system and the way we treat our most vulnerable is completely FUCKED UP. In one scene we are shown a U.S. hospital worker dumping-off a sick and confused senior citizen because she can't afford her bill. I've heard of this happening in Detroit. Just dumped off on the curb near another facility. There, it's somebody else's problem now. That's how fucking sick we've become in this cuntry. Health care for profit is a fucked-up way to operate.
We should all be beating down the doors of Congress over this BULLSHIT while they waste our money on Wars nobody wanted and massive tax giveaways to the rich - and don't even fucking tell me that isn't happening. Every fucking time we turn our backs on these cocksuckers we're getting ripped off by some secret cabal of CEO's who used to be checked by regulation or, gasp, by congressional oversight - but now, under Bush and his ilk, they have carte blanche to loot the treasury until there's such massive damage done to our economy we have to bail them out with our taxes - AGAIN.
If you don't believe me I've got two words for you "Savings & Loan", or how about "Hedge Funds". Here's two more for you: "Mortgage Crisis". If you don't put a short leash on these fucking bankers and whip there asses now and then it just happens sooner rather than later. Enron - there's one word for you. And why does this shit happen? Because the foxes are in the hen house, writing all the fucking legislation while you're watching American Idol and farting in your chair. We should be dragging our so-called representatives out into the street for a righteous lashing, putting the fear of public humiliation back into their crumbling spines.
Okay, I'm done ranting - for a moment.
But Sicko made me realize how myopic and mentally ill we've become in the U.S., unable to believe that things could be different in this country. If only we had the will to act in our best interest. God knows we've still got the money laying around, but the power-players out there spend a lot of time and effort keeping us afraid, worried, anxious, unwilling to make trouble in fear of finding ourselves on the street without a job. Well, you know what friend? They've shipped all the good jobs out of the country anyway! Whatever labor jobs are left go to illegal immigrants - supposedly doing the jobs that nobody will do (well, I do them on a daily basis, so don't tell me that bullshit, George). THEY SOLD YOU OUT for cheap labor in other countries you silly, nostalgic American fool. Wave your red, white & blue and see if you get your standard of living back, Jack. Need to get re-educated for the new economy? Well, they've jacked the price of education through the roof too! Need to borrow money for that necessary re-education? Fine, but the bankers have seen to it that you'll be paying interest so high it'd make a fucking gangster blush with envy. Need to drive to that educational institution? Well, they've jacked up the price of gas so far you'd be better off stealing it. Sure, there's opportunity in the U.S. - but it comes at such a high price you'll never see the light of day in your pursuit of it. The only growth industry in this cuntry will be surveillance and security for the fat-cat mother fuckers who will need to keep you and me outside their gates.
Fucking Free Trade. That's what killed the working man in this cuntry. I can't tell you how many local companies I've seen move their manufacturing plants to Mexico since Clinton opened the floodgates. And every time Big Business promises free trade will benefit domestic manufacturers in the U.S. and create more jobs. You believe that and I've got a war to sell you. Now republicons want "free trade" with Columbia (Asia must be getting too expensive). But free for whom? They want you to believe it will be good for American manufacturers who will sell what to the Columbians? What the fuck are we going to sell the Columbians that they can afford to buy? How 'bout a Caterpillar tractor? Every Columbian peasant needs a Caterpillar earth-mover, right? So some fucking Agri-Giant like Monsanto or ADM can be free to bulldoze what's left of the rain forest to make room for more cheap beef or corn for ethanol - which will be grown by Columbian peasants who will work like slaves. Fuck Caterpillar. Let Caterpillar pay a huge tariff for that kind of shit. But I've got a better idea...
Let's put Caterpillar deep in the black by re-building the crumbling infrastructure in the U.S. How 'bout that? What's that? There's no money for that? Why not? Oh, right, the TRILLION dollar fucking war for......for......what the fuck do we want from Iraq again? And who's brilliant idea was this shit? Wolfowitz. Cheney. Rumsfeld. You fucks...
Okay, I'm getting too pissed off. Back to health care. By the way, Cheney and Rumsfeld both worked for Nixon, you remember, the crook who resigned the presidency rather than face the musc? - and Nixon is the fuck who gave the green-light for all this privatized, profit-based health care in the first place. So his buds could get rich. It's always the same. In Sicko they show Nixom admitting it, on tape, that the only way to profit from health care is to provide less care for more money. Nice plan. Thanks for watching our backs, you DICK!
Sicko also showed, by contrast, how life in America can be better, less anxious, more life-affirming, by showing us how Europeans live. We can't even imagine life here anymore without being strapped with worry for our health, for our safety, for our jobs - high anxiety everywhere. We're in a constant state of hyper-vigilance and FEAR thanks to the worthless lies of our so-called leaders and their lying, cheating, asshole friends. It's not like that in Europe. Not yet anyway. Why? Because they don't WANT to live like that. They REFUSE to live like that. They'd rather burn their cities to the fucking ground than live like that. And their politicians know it. They fear their population - which is as it should be and as our founders wanted it way back when. Face it, the emperor has no clothes - and he has a little dick too.
So I'm ranting again, but it pisses me off. The difference betwee the America I grew up in and America now is such a stark contrast it makes me sick to my stomach. And, regardless of my lack of credibility in the scheme of things, I mean, nobody listens to a working stiff, it's true: The health care providers and the pharmaceutical companies are ripping everybody off while they can - while Bush, or any other establishment shill, is still in office. Want proof? How about this article in today's New York times.
On a personal note, I've got a friend who hasn't had health care in years. His fucking teeth are rotting out of his head; he's missing two front teeth now. He got laid off from his government cable job a couple years ago and has been working at a fucking Wendy's to pay his bills. And Wendy's, a national chain, doesn't offer affordable health coverage. Hell, if it wasn't free he couldn't afford it anyway. He can barely pay his personal expenses, not to mention his mortgage which is being paid by his elderly father's savings. He only makes, like, $8.50 and hour. He'd be on the fucking street if it wasn't for his father saving his ass. But his father is in his eighties now. I keep asking my friend what he's going to do when his dad dies? He doesn't know, doesn't like to think about it, and it's all he can do to drag his ass down to Wendy's every fucking day to survive. He's got a broadcasting degree, but nobody's hiring someone with only government cable experience. He's fucked and he knows it.
The sad thing is, he, and most others in the same position, will probably take his economic-induced angst and depression out on himself instead of the fucks who sorely deserve it. He'll commit suicide, or freak out on some poor, unsuspecting schlubs who are just trying to survive this bullshit too - instead of organizing and directing the anger where it should go - to the greedy mother-fuckers who perpetuate this system of degradation. But more and more you're going to see mother-fuckers taking shit into their own hands and lashing out at the establishment - you can count on it. History is replete with examples of the people rising up to eat the rich when they've got nothing else to eat.
So sharpen your forks, Sickos. America is going to get ugly in the years ahead.
Sure, Sicko's all in support of Moore's persepective. Is it "balanced" journalism. No, but I don't give a shit. Is Fox News balanced journalism? Give me a fucking break - yappy little dogs and their Stepford Wives who do the shameless bidding of the right wing. If Michael Moore wants to pull a publicity stunt like driving sick 9/11 workers on boats down to Guantanamo Bay to make a point about the need for universal health care, more power to him.
Michael Moore features working-class problems in his films, shines a light on those problems and gets people talking about it - which is a public service as far as I'm concerned. He pisses off the establishment because he gets the working folk all riled up by telling them the pitiful truth about their so-called representatives and the corporate crooks who've bought and paid for them. Personally, I hope Moore gets fabulously wealthy from his films so he can buy a congressman of his own. Then, maybe, finally, the working stiff will have half a chance in this cuntry.
Moore illustrates the plight of the 911 emergency workers who can't get insurance or affordable treatment, people who had to quit their jobs because of chronic breathing problems or work at the convenience store until they die because they can't afford to retire. Sure, they were our heroes when it suited a moment of nationalistic pride or helped the administration's publicity campaign. But when they want payback for their broken bodies it's right back the the good 'ole American ethic of every man for himself. Fuck you, go back to work. Stop bitching and pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Pitiful and sick.
One of Moore's theme in Sicko is that, compared to the rest of the developed world who provide worry-FREE health care, our system and the way we treat our most vulnerable is completely FUCKED UP. In one scene we are shown a U.S. hospital worker dumping-off a sick and confused senior citizen because she can't afford her bill. I've heard of this happening in Detroit. Just dumped off on the curb near another facility. There, it's somebody else's problem now. That's how fucking sick we've become in this cuntry. Health care for profit is a fucked-up way to operate.
We should all be beating down the doors of Congress over this BULLSHIT while they waste our money on Wars nobody wanted and massive tax giveaways to the rich - and don't even fucking tell me that isn't happening. Every fucking time we turn our backs on these cocksuckers we're getting ripped off by some secret cabal of CEO's who used to be checked by regulation or, gasp, by congressional oversight - but now, under Bush and his ilk, they have carte blanche to loot the treasury until there's such massive damage done to our economy we have to bail them out with our taxes - AGAIN.
If you don't believe me I've got two words for you "Savings & Loan", or how about "Hedge Funds". Here's two more for you: "Mortgage Crisis". If you don't put a short leash on these fucking bankers and whip there asses now and then it just happens sooner rather than later. Enron - there's one word for you. And why does this shit happen? Because the foxes are in the hen house, writing all the fucking legislation while you're watching American Idol and farting in your chair. We should be dragging our so-called representatives out into the street for a righteous lashing, putting the fear of public humiliation back into their crumbling spines.
Okay, I'm done ranting - for a moment.
But Sicko made me realize how myopic and mentally ill we've become in the U.S., unable to believe that things could be different in this country. If only we had the will to act in our best interest. God knows we've still got the money laying around, but the power-players out there spend a lot of time and effort keeping us afraid, worried, anxious, unwilling to make trouble in fear of finding ourselves on the street without a job. Well, you know what friend? They've shipped all the good jobs out of the country anyway! Whatever labor jobs are left go to illegal immigrants - supposedly doing the jobs that nobody will do (well, I do them on a daily basis, so don't tell me that bullshit, George). THEY SOLD YOU OUT for cheap labor in other countries you silly, nostalgic American fool. Wave your red, white & blue and see if you get your standard of living back, Jack. Need to get re-educated for the new economy? Well, they've jacked the price of education through the roof too! Need to borrow money for that necessary re-education? Fine, but the bankers have seen to it that you'll be paying interest so high it'd make a fucking gangster blush with envy. Need to drive to that educational institution? Well, they've jacked up the price of gas so far you'd be better off stealing it. Sure, there's opportunity in the U.S. - but it comes at such a high price you'll never see the light of day in your pursuit of it. The only growth industry in this cuntry will be surveillance and security for the fat-cat mother fuckers who will need to keep you and me outside their gates.
Fucking Free Trade. That's what killed the working man in this cuntry. I can't tell you how many local companies I've seen move their manufacturing plants to Mexico since Clinton opened the floodgates. And every time Big Business promises free trade will benefit domestic manufacturers in the U.S. and create more jobs. You believe that and I've got a war to sell you. Now republicons want "free trade" with Columbia (Asia must be getting too expensive). But free for whom? They want you to believe it will be good for American manufacturers who will sell what to the Columbians? What the fuck are we going to sell the Columbians that they can afford to buy? How 'bout a Caterpillar tractor? Every Columbian peasant needs a Caterpillar earth-mover, right? So some fucking Agri-Giant like Monsanto or ADM can be free to bulldoze what's left of the rain forest to make room for more cheap beef or corn for ethanol - which will be grown by Columbian peasants who will work like slaves. Fuck Caterpillar. Let Caterpillar pay a huge tariff for that kind of shit. But I've got a better idea...
Let's put Caterpillar deep in the black by re-building the crumbling infrastructure in the U.S. How 'bout that? What's that? There's no money for that? Why not? Oh, right, the TRILLION dollar fucking war for......for......what the fuck do we want from Iraq again? And who's brilliant idea was this shit? Wolfowitz. Cheney. Rumsfeld. You fucks...
Okay, I'm getting too pissed off. Back to health care. By the way, Cheney and Rumsfeld both worked for Nixon, you remember, the crook who resigned the presidency rather than face the musc? - and Nixon is the fuck who gave the green-light for all this privatized, profit-based health care in the first place. So his buds could get rich. It's always the same. In Sicko they show Nixom admitting it, on tape, that the only way to profit from health care is to provide less care for more money. Nice plan. Thanks for watching our backs, you DICK!
Sicko also showed, by contrast, how life in America can be better, less anxious, more life-affirming, by showing us how Europeans live. We can't even imagine life here anymore without being strapped with worry for our health, for our safety, for our jobs - high anxiety everywhere. We're in a constant state of hyper-vigilance and FEAR thanks to the worthless lies of our so-called leaders and their lying, cheating, asshole friends. It's not like that in Europe. Not yet anyway. Why? Because they don't WANT to live like that. They REFUSE to live like that. They'd rather burn their cities to the fucking ground than live like that. And their politicians know it. They fear their population - which is as it should be and as our founders wanted it way back when. Face it, the emperor has no clothes - and he has a little dick too.
So I'm ranting again, but it pisses me off. The difference betwee the America I grew up in and America now is such a stark contrast it makes me sick to my stomach. And, regardless of my lack of credibility in the scheme of things, I mean, nobody listens to a working stiff, it's true: The health care providers and the pharmaceutical companies are ripping everybody off while they can - while Bush, or any other establishment shill, is still in office. Want proof? How about this article in today's New York times.
On a personal note, I've got a friend who hasn't had health care in years. His fucking teeth are rotting out of his head; he's missing two front teeth now. He got laid off from his government cable job a couple years ago and has been working at a fucking Wendy's to pay his bills. And Wendy's, a national chain, doesn't offer affordable health coverage. Hell, if it wasn't free he couldn't afford it anyway. He can barely pay his personal expenses, not to mention his mortgage which is being paid by his elderly father's savings. He only makes, like, $8.50 and hour. He'd be on the fucking street if it wasn't for his father saving his ass. But his father is in his eighties now. I keep asking my friend what he's going to do when his dad dies? He doesn't know, doesn't like to think about it, and it's all he can do to drag his ass down to Wendy's every fucking day to survive. He's got a broadcasting degree, but nobody's hiring someone with only government cable experience. He's fucked and he knows it.
The sad thing is, he, and most others in the same position, will probably take his economic-induced angst and depression out on himself instead of the fucks who sorely deserve it. He'll commit suicide, or freak out on some poor, unsuspecting schlubs who are just trying to survive this bullshit too - instead of organizing and directing the anger where it should go - to the greedy mother-fuckers who perpetuate this system of degradation. But more and more you're going to see mother-fuckers taking shit into their own hands and lashing out at the establishment - you can count on it. History is replete with examples of the people rising up to eat the rich when they've got nothing else to eat.
So sharpen your forks, Sickos. America is going to get ugly in the years ahead.
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