Roger Toussaint: Working Class Hero

I don't care what the politically connected Billionaires and Millionaires have say about him (after they've voted themselves another big, fat fucking raise), New York Transit Union leader Roger Toussaint is a working-class hero. He took a stand against big money's incremental assualt on all working people - what has happened to the pension programs in this country is CRIMINAL.

Keep kicking that dog, hoss. Sooner or later you're going to lose a leg.

You Know This Country's In Trouble When....

...citizens refuse to march for an end to outsourcing, refuse to march for better health care, refuse to march for an end to the super-secret ways and means of the current administration or the war it created out of whole cloth....

but have no problem traveling across state lines to protest the failure of an NFL coach.


We're doomed.

Organized Crime: Creditors Offer Break-Leg Rates to The Newly Bankrupt

Who needs a mafia when powerful credit card companies can offer break-leg credit rates to the newly bankrupt and do it all legally? Hell, these companies have their hands so far up your representatives ass they can make his/her lips move - and even make 'em sign legislation they didn't write and their constituents didn't ask for.

Just Say No to unfair credit rates.

The Crushing Weight of Capitalism

If you ever wondered what capitalism looks like unbound by such pesky details as a Bill Of Rights or constitutional amendments, check out the latest goings on in China. You'll get a good idea of what Eminent Domain really means. The government doesn't just bash the heads of those pesky protesters, it shoots them like Koi in a barrel.

Right wingers drool over that kind of POWER. Don't think it can't happen here.

X-Mas is killing Christ all over again

Shitbrick is convinced the secular world is deliberately trying to kill Christmas. I hear it every year about this time, but he's developing quite the persecution complex - which is quite silly for a white, Christian, Republican in the United States in 2005. He rages against the secular holiday cards he recieves in the mail.

"I HATE that saying!" he boomed.

"What?"

"Season's Greetings", he sneered. "When I get a card like that, I just throw it away," he added proudly.

He's fully prepared to boycott the Target department store this year because of their apparent cowardice in being sensitive to ALL of their patrons during the "holiday season" - not just the Christian ones.

"It's Merry Christmas" he demanded. "NOT Season's Greetings! or Happy Holidays!"

Now the local religious radio station has got him all excited about some people in some neighborhood in some city he'll never visit allegedly banning nativity scenes from the front lawns in their subdivisioin (if ever there were a planted story... Here's one so-called Christian reaction to such stories). Armed with that misinformation he planned on posting a six-foot PVC crucifix wrapped in Christmas lights on his front lawn to see if anybody dared to object. I doubt they would - at least not if they knew him. He's a large, extremely vociferous and well-armed Christian warrior on the front lines of the culture war. And I mean that literally; he and the menfolk from his church make regular visits to the firing range. Personally, I have a hard time imagining Christ armed with a Kimber, but the contradiction doesn't seem to be a problem for them.

Gun-toting Christians aren't the only hypocrites though. I think it's hypocritical of me, and most Americans, to celebrate a holiday that represents a religion we don't practice. I've celebrated a secular Christmas every year of my life, but I'm all for opting-out and leaving the whole thing to the real practitioners from now on. Let's face it, this is HAPPY HAPPY SHOPPING SEASON in America more than anything else - so let's call it that, or something else - because mall-hopping has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas, like everything else in America, has been bastardized by capitalism.

In my opinion, Christmas should involve the act of being Christ-like: serving the poor, the destitute, the hopeless, the marginalized, the ostracized, and anybody else having a hard go of it in this world - which includes prostitutes, and economic slaves, and gays, and lesbians and trannys and lepers and prisoners and even politicians. I'd be more attracted to Christianity if it's most visible practitioners showed a little more humility and were less apt to pick a fight with anybody who puts an X in the place of the word "Christ". There's a fine line between being a loud-mouthed, gun-toting Christian from the NRA who's ready to launch a boycott over the marketing practices of a department store, and those other religious extremists out there who are ready to make the department store and it's patrons disappear altogether.

Shitbrick often witnesses to me at work, during the quiet moments, like just when the day begins, or at the lunch while he clutches his bible in one hand and his fork in the other, and again just before we leave for the day. Good thing I'm not one of those irritable ACLU demons who might object to this kind of unsolicited indoctrination at his place of work. I don't really mind - or at least I don't openly object. The discussions are stimulating, but I think it drives him crazy that I'm not a Christian and that I won't join his church. To him, I think, it's like I don't recognize his RIGHTNESS. I recognize Jesus and his teachings, but I haven't accepted him as my personal savior. When I watch or read the world news lately I'm beginning to think humanity is unsalvageable.

But there's always hope. Shitbrick nixed the idea for a confrontational PVC cross in his lawn becuse he figured a crucifix was appropriate for easter (Jesus' death), but not for Christmas (Jesus' birth). Instead, he's working on a sign that says "Jesus Is The Reason". It's true. And It's always good idea to be reminded to put things in their proper context.

Confirmed again, no flu vaccine

My elderly father concurs with my findings. He was also unable to get a flue shot from his doctors over a week ago. He's 77 - if anyone is high risk it's him. SO WHAT GIVES MEDIA? Why are you telling everyone there is no shortage? Is this a national security issue? Don't want to create a panic?????

No Flu Vaccine Shortage???

The local news and NPR keep going on about how I can still get a flu shot and there's no shortage. I called the Oakland Country Health Dept. on Monday to make sure my daughter and I could still get a flu shot but was informed that they don't have any more vaccine for adults and children over 8. "Sorry, we're done for the year."

Nice.

So we went to The Wixom Health Care Clinic where my Primary Care Physician is located and I was informed by the woman at the counter that they didn't buy ANY.

Thanks for preparing for my family's health-care needs. By the way, you're all FIRED!!!!

The other gas gouge

It was just announced on the local news that the Michigan legislature has approved a 47 percent hike in Consumer's Energy natural gas prices for the winter. Remember that a 53 percent hike was granted to Michcon back in October. The energy industry says Hurricane Katrina is to blame. They'd better be ready to back that up or there's going to be some house cleaning in Lansing.

These are astronomical increases in energy prices. I've never seen anything like it, ever. I'd better not hear any more shit about record profits in the energy industy while poor people are freezing to death in Detroit in January and February.

Bye Bye Celebrity Non-News

On Thanksgiving day I concluded that I would no longer watch CNN (Celebrity Non News) - at least not until the next live national disaster strikes and I have to decide between them, FOX (Fascists On X) or MSNBC (no acronym ascribed - it's funny enough that a network has to answer to MicroSoft). In fact, I declared to my astonished daughter that Jimmy Neutron is by far more entertaining than the news. I mean, if entertaining is what they're trying to do over there at CNN, I prefer to watch Jimmy, Carl and Sheen take on the forces of evil rather than Lou, Paula and the over-hyped super-micro-anchorman Anderson Cooper.

If you want news, real news without product tie-ins, celebrity sucking-up (the coverage of Martha Stewart was shameful), you have to watch PBS or CSPAN.

It was fun for a while, Ted. But I prefer to get my news without all the fat and sugar.

A Lifetime of Useless Shit

I went through my closet today, particularly the reams of useless shit I've collected over the last twenty years; college papers, unfinished writing projects, tax documents, the police report to an apartment fire that wiped me out in the eighties, receipts, various unfinished journals that do nothing more than prove I've been depressed for a very long time. I thought, if I die tomorrow, all this useless shit is what my life has added up to this point. It's all worthless. And this blog is just more worthless drivel, but nstead of cluttering up my closet it's taking up space on the web. Welcome to the flotsam and jetsam of my life, drifting toward the vanishing horizon. What a disappointment. I'm nothing more than a pulse with a paycheck. A rusting cog in a broken machine. NEXT.

Curt Weldon Transcript

Here's a link to the transcript of Rep. Curt Weldon's accusations against the Defense Intelligence Agency's smear campaign. Can't believe I haven't heard more about this from the media. This guy was just losing it on the floor of the house. I never seen someone on CSPAN so totally pissed-off. It was great! Curiously, this one video seems to have been ommitted from the CSPAN archives. I wonder how THAT happened.

Transcript: Rep. Curt Weldon Accuses DIA of smear campaign.

Here's a bunch more blogging on this topic

Yeah!!!!

Boy it's been a good couple weeks to be a LIBERAL (you gotta problem with that?). Scooter Libbey's been indicted for dirty politics, Carl Rove's on the run and now Kenneth Tomlinson has resigned in disgrace from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And let's not forget that excellent "in your face" the dems pulled on the Republicans in the Senate - and they thought they were the only ones who could exploit a procedural loophole. Go ahead motherf***ers, get rid of the filibuster.

Wal Mart Shoots Itself In The Foot

After all the feel-good propaganda Wal Mart has worked so hard to hammer into the American consciousness, what with millions of dollars in television commercials, radio (even on NPR!) and print ads touting how much they care about their communities and how much they've done to be a good corporate citizen, they shoot themselves in the foot. Just the other day I heard a media report about how Wal Mart was going to lower the cost of health care for their employees and offer much cheaper plans, THEN THEY LET THIS LEAK.

You know this country's in trouble when a veteren Wal Mart "associate" is kicked to the curb because of the excessive cost of keeping him/her employed.

So here's my slightly modified version of the Wal Mart advertising campaign:

"Hi, my name is Julio and I've been a Wal Mart associate for seven years. But becuase the Wal Mart Board of Directors has realized that, after all that time, I'm no more productive than some homey who's pretty much just come off the street - they've going to find a way to fire me to keep the cost of their benefits down. So, I've decided to pursue a life of crime, and I'm gonna start by finding those MOTHER F****RS on the board and pop a cap in their F***ING asses! You made 10 BILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR BITCH! Do you know how many F***ING WAL MART cheerleading sessions I had to endure for that shit?!!! I can't even show my face on the street anymore because of your happy-faced button MOTHER F***ER! But now I got nothing to lose, holmes. You hear me? An I ain't gonna waste it on no jobless gang-banger on the street neither. No way. I'm coming after you mother F***ERS who sit around a table all day drinking your Lattes, figuring out ways to make life tougher for me and mine. I'm coming FOR YOU! You can bet yo ass when I cut yo grass. "


Wish we could see that commercial on tv! Or at least MAD tv.

Rep Curt Weldon Accuses DIA of Smear Campaign

Rep. Curt Weldon (R- Pennsylvania) totally went off on the Defense Department because of what he's learned about a DOD smear campaign aimed at a Lt. Cololonel Schaffer - who apparently has evidence that operation Able Danger had identified Mohammad Atta as a terrorist threat a year before 9/11, and also reportedly identified the threat to the U.S.S. Cole days before it was attacked.

Weldon railed against the Defense Intelligence Agency on CSPAN Wednesday night, calling the agency stupid, incompetent and accused it of conspiring to wreck Schaffer's reputation by creating rumors about affairs with members of Weldon's staff and deliberately removing his military benefits in order to silence him.

"I'm not a conspiracy theorist," said Weldon. "But something is very, very wrong here. Schaffer's being abused and used as a scapegoat, and we can't let that happen in America."

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In any case, I don't think I've ever seen a congressmen as pissed as Weldon was on CSPAN tonight. And he's a Republican!

Can't wait to hear what comes of this.

Polar Ice Caps Melting: Easier To Reach OIL!!!

It's pretty clear after reading this that we're doomed, as a species, to work toward our own extinction.

Ice Caps Melting -easier to get to oil!

DeLay of Justice

Regardless of the outcome, it's pretty clear to me already that former majority leader Tom Delay, if not guilty of an actual crime, has certainly cheated the spirit of the campaign finance laws with loopholes and other accounting acrobatics (those big, cushy corporate tits are hard to give up, eh Tommy?) If Ronnie earle is strong enough to withstand the political pressure, he'll probably find plenty of dirt under that bed. He said on CNN that he's been through this all before, with Democrats and Republicans, and typically, "the wronger(sic) they are, the louder they bark". I guess that makes Delay the unapologetic guard-dog of crony capitalism and dirty politics.

Presidential Gas

The president has called on average Americans to conserve gasoline in the coming months due to the effect on reserves due to the recent hurricanes. He said if you don't have to take that weekend vacation, you should try to avoid it - or any other unnecessary driving. Unfortunately, there's no such conservation being called for on outrageous oil profits. Apparently, not all Americans are being asked to make a sacrifice.

Fed Up With The Fed

So the FDA won't approve the "day after" pregnancy prevention pill for what seems to be purely political reasons. Their top research person resigns in disgust over the administration's penchant for ignoring science when the findings don't fit in with their agenda (the same way they treat intelligence it turns out). Now we find out that they knew about a short circuit in a heart device. And we're not supposed to think that's political?

9/11 Rememberance

I remember I was at work when the first plane hit The World Trade Center. I was in the parking lot of 19B when my wife called to tell me about it, and as we were talking on the phone the second plane hit. Could it be some awful screw-up at air traffic control? No, It was clear our country was under attack by somebody. It became even more clear when we heard the Pentagon had been hit. Our boss authorized us to go buy a television set and VCR at Wal Mart so we could watch the news as it unfolded. I remember wondering how many other targets were going to be hit. I was shocked as anyone, but not entirely surprised. As people so often like to say these days, It wasn't a matter of "if", but "when".

I hate it when I'm right.....

Why is it when the rest of us suffer, Haliburton and its subsidiary Kellog, Brown and Root celebrate? Check out Houston Finds Business Boon After Katrina in the NYT.