America: The Reality Show

2012-05-15T07:06:00.001-07:00

Tea Party for 2.0?

2012-04-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

Last week as the Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of President Obama’s landmark legislation the Affordable Care Act, a familiar drama was playing out on the steps of the High Court. On the steps protesting universal healthcare for American Citizens was my favorite GOP splinter group, the Tea Party. Yes, the Tea Party is back like a case of herpes, spreading across the American political landscape once again.

So what ignited these valiant freedom fighters back in 2010 has sadly conjured them back on the political stage. “What galvanized this movement was health care. People engage when something is personal, and there’s nothing more personal than health care,” said Amy Kremer, chairman of the Tea Party Express. “And here it is front and center at the Supreme Court. Of course, people are energized and engaged because it’s central to begin with.” Jenny Beth Martin, a co-founder of Tea Party Patriots also added, “The past week and a half reinvigorated the Tea Party.” What’s the difference between these two Tea Party groups? It seems that the Tea Party Express has a bus. I originally thought that Tea Party Express was just moving to full Idiocracy at a faster pace, while the Tea Party Patriots were more about wearing tri-corner hats and waving “Don’t Tread on Me Flags.” Wait, I think those two thoughts are still valid.

Kremer later went on to call it “Tea Party 2.0” and said that they would look to make “change on a state and local level.” I have no problem with them working at community levels. I do believe change can be made and seen at those levels, and it gets citizens involved in the democratic process. However, what this statement really cries out is that the wind is out of their sail – or the gas has run out of the Express bus – and they are stranded by themselves in Crazy Town. The Tea Party is hoping to do to the Senate elections what they did with House elections in 2010, but I don’t see that happening with the seats up for grabs.

What truly irritates me about the Tea Party is their choice of “freedom” issues and non-stop Reagan deification. The Tea Party Express touts these principles: no more bailouts, reduce the size and intrusiveness of government, stop raising our taxes, repeal Obamacare, cease out-of-control spending and bring back American prosperity. The most ironic part of this is that Reagan did the opposite, no matter what their revisionist history lesson espouses. Well to be fair, if you count 10% of the population prospering, then they are right on that principle.

As for no bailouts, why are they not throwing this support to the Occupy Wall Street movement? Or how about asking the government to fix the loopholes at the CTFC put in place by past presidential administrations? Also, where are these brave freedom fighters when it comes to the government’s intrusion into our civil liberties? The Patriot Act was ushered in after 9/11 amidst typical hysteria without legislators even reading the act. I mean, it sayspatriot so it must be good for freedom, right? I would love for them to tackle this issue and not healthcare.

Freedom and prosperity will come when all people in the system are profiting. Making sure our citizens are healthy, able to work, buying into the system and not going bankrupt because of outrageous health care costs is the definition of true freedom and prosperity for everybody.

No tea for me, thank you. Not even with one lump. Or 2.0.

Citizen Gay

2012-03-28T16:16:00.002-07:00

Recently GOP candidate Rick Santorum was quoted as saying that gay parents are worse than convicts and that the current administration has waged a war on Christianity all the while giving gay citizens the right to openly serve in the U.S. military. The crux of the issue here is making distinctions between citizens and the rights afforded to citizens in common law.

Thomas Jefferson in 1814 wrote “Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of common law.” This speaks volumes and defines the issue of gay rights. The United States is a common law system and has a defined First Amendment that states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

So what are Santorum and his Christian Taliban’s beefs with the Constitution and our common law system? The answer: The Bible is their ultimate law. Perry and his cronies spew all the anti-gay dogma that is in the “Good Book” like bigoted bullets to level gays to the status of quasi-citizens.

Then why are our fellow gay citizens being forced into the shadows of our society while still paying taxes, defending this country in foreign wars and performing all the other civic duties that fall on citizens? The problem is the Federal government decided to throw issues like marriage into the nebulous realm of states’ rights which left the door wide open for individual states, most which that thought slavery was cool, to implement Christian Law over common law. Didn’t we fight a Civil War over this? Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Christian Taliban try to bring back slavery and strip women of the Nineteenth Amendment. I know that seems laughable or implausible but we seem to be regressing socially.

Thomas Jefferson, borrowing from John Locke, was very conscious of creating a secular society. Jefferson and James Madison’s “wall of separation between church and state” has been cited repeatedly in the Supreme Court. It is telling and completely insane that we are using The Bible over sound reason and logic to define rights of citizens! In 1947 the Supreme Court case of Everson v. Board of Education, the court ruled 9-0 that “The First Amendment has erected a wall between the church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.” Apparently Christian zealots have tunneled under this wall and right into state legislatures. These ideals seem quite clear but what I hear from people on the right is that the Constitution does not protect same sex citizens. How does one argue this? Slavery needed amendments to make it illegal and further protect the rights of African-Americans. Now we have to add amendments to protect gay citizens because Christian law decrees it illegal? Welcome to the Dark Ages with computers!

What is Santorum’s problem with gays in the military? Do homosexuals not shoot straight? (Pun intended) He fears the dynamic of the foxhole will change and devolve into a gay orgy? Or is it the sexual harassment of heterosexual soldiers? We wouldn’t want a gay Tailhook on our hands. Sexual harassment is clearly defined by The Bible.

This is the way it goes, Rick. Christian faith is not allowed in state institutions because of the First Amendment. It seems pretty simple but maybe you need to repeat 8^th grade civics. Gay rights have to be pushed forward because you and your Christian Taliban have made sure that Christian law has dominated state legislatures and have spread hate mongering and fear. Come on Rick, embrace the rainbow!

Live Free or Die Sick

2012-03-28T15:28:00.002-07:00

So what’s all the rage this week in the theatre of absurd that is American politics? The Supreme Court is deciding whether the poor shall live or die for their lack of health insurance. I’m pretty sure I didn’t fall into a worm hole or step into Mister Peabody’s Wayback Machine. My computer clock is reading 2012 and not 1012, but this sure seems more like the Dark Ages. So what’s going here and what does this mean? Let’s take a look.

The opponents of the Affordable Care Act are looking to have the law overturned on the basis that it is unconstitutional. First, using the obscure Anti-Injunction Act, they have brought this case two years ahead of schedule to the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court. The tax is not to be levied until 2014. Since the dawn of The New Deal, Congress has used the Commerce Clause of Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution, that gives Congress the power “to regulate Commerce with Foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes.” Congress has used this clause to justify legislation such as Medicaid, Medicare, and minimum wage. If the A.C.A. is overturned, it will represent a major shift in the relationship Congress will have with its citizens. So why is the A.C.A. any different from these long standing acts of Congress? It’s all about the politics.

The GOP and Tea Party opponents say their major concern is that people are being forced to buy a product that they don’t want. We are supposed to believe these jokers are crusaders for individual freedom? Now here’s the onion: the GOP and many Tea Party members had no problem voting the Patriot Act into law, and if there was ever an act that infringes on citizens’ rights, it’s the Patriot Act. To be sure, these dolts will vote for anything as long as you tack on words like “patriot,” “liberty,” or “freedom.” Anyone wearing a tri-corner hat and carrying a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag is obviously concerned with civil liberties. Both these groups are just plan contrary. Whatever President Obama proposes, they oppose it. These conservatives throw out charges of communism and socialism. And of course, none of them will ever admit that much of their opposition is really racism, but you can read between the lines. The father of modern universal health care is Otto von Bismarck. I would love to see these healthcare opponents call him a commie! Two other lefty radicals have tried, and one succeeded, with such legislation: Richard M. Nixon and Mittens Romney. Nixon proposed a comprehensive health insurance plan and Romney successfully established MassHealth while governor of Massachusetts. The A.C.A. is setting no precedence but doing what a government is supposed to do: take care of its citizens. As Cicero stated, “the welfare of the people is the ultimate law.” It is a law that every prosperous nation in the world practices in one form or another. It’s a nice step to better society and maybe lessens the number of sociopaths that have flooded every aspect of our nation.

On Tuesday, the Moronic Mullah of the Christian Taliban or Spokesidiot of the Tea Party, Michelle Bachmann, let us know that Obamacare is setting the nation up for a “dictator of healthcare.” Not to miss an opportunity to get some face time with crazy town residents, talking sweater vest Rick Santorum showed up to say something idiotic as well. Now let’s be honest why these two showed up. They fear universal healthcare because it will also provide women with birth control and the right to choose. They just muddle this issue worse and confuse the confused even more with their religious dogma.

I looked at the economic ramifications of the A.C.A. and here is what I found. First, if we require all Americans to have insurance, it increases the number of people paying into the system by 50 million people. The kicker is that the number of people receiving healthcare remains the same. Second, the A.C.A. will lower the federal budget by $160 billion dollars over the first 10 years. Finally, we currently don’t have universal healthcare and Americans pay double per capita for healthcare compared to other wealthy nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Guess what these nations have? If you guessed universal health coverage, you’re right. Instead, the USA is ranked 37^th by the W.H.O. in healthcare, right in front of Slovenia and behind Costa Rica. Costa Rica does sound like a nice living alternative. Also, upwards of 700,000 uninsured people go bankrupt every year because of our current system. The A.C.A. to me is a win-win situation. It lowers healthcare cost across the board and keeps consumers consuming.

So once again, we have the GOP and Tea Party using their favorite weapon to fight universal healthcare: fear mongering. The two fears that they rely on, loss of freedom and a communist state, are just absurd. The United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland, etc., are all free market nations and have universal healthcare. These governments realize it is just good fiscal sense and public policy. The U.S. needs to start somewhere to catch up with the modern world in healthcare, and the A.C.A. is a good place to start. We can find out what works and what doesn’t, look for examples in these other nations, and change the law accordingly. What is the worth of a nation if it will let its citizens die or go bankrupt because they can’t afford an outrageously expensive and broken healthcare system? In the end, if the A.C.A. is struck down it will do more to galvanize the liberals and draw more support from the uninsured of all walks of life to the Democrats in the upcoming election. Go right ahead, G.O.P. Dig your grave.

Let Them Eat Pepper Spray

2012-01-31T21:22:00.001-08:00

Well, according FOX News’ talking fascist Barbie Doll Megyn Kelly, pepper spray is just a mere harmless vegetable. To be more exact, a food derivative made from real pepper. Frau Kelly continues on to let us know that the protest at UC Davis “is very American” and that using chemical weapons to disperse college kids for what Bill O’Reilly described as “blocking what they were blocking” is completely acceptable because she deems this protest an unlawful gathering. Now I would love to carry on about these two clowns and their sad interpretation of the First Amendment but there is a bigger issue here. Megyn Kelly harkens me back to a day where Marie Antoinette declared “Let them eat cake”. Our growing reactionary public, egged on by their pundits, has decided that OWS protests are unwarranted, illegitimate and illegal (though described as “very American”). What the public is failing to see here is the similarities between “Let them eat cake” in 18^th century France and the right’s “Let them eat pepper spray” attitude today.

Many of the conditions that precipitated the French Revolution in 1789 are running amuck in America right now. Entitlement of the nobility and clergy, peasant resentment, unfair tax burden on the lower classes, state bankruptcy mainly caused by foreign wars, an unwilling parliament to reform, political and economic equalities, and unjustified contempt for Queen Marie Antoinette. Sound familiar? It should, just replace some of the keywords to fit our institutions and bingo!

I know, I know, this can’t possibly happen here. Why not? There are other precedents that lend to the credibility of history’s vicious cycle, check out what caused the Romans downfall. Two factors will speed the transformation from a nation of sheeple to a riotous mob. First is the aforementioned flippant attitude of this country’s ruling class and elites. The leadership from the President to Congress to City Mayors has chosen to ignore the justified anger of OWS protesters. The second factor we have seen that helped fuel the Arab Spring, social media. Social media turned into a trivial tool to socialize with people on the internet to a valuable tool to spread news and information instantly to a global level. Instant information fanned the flames of revolution in the Middle East.

Right now nothing is being done to address the national debt that the George W. Bush Administration launched on a rocket into the stratosphere and the inequality among the classes continues to distort the bell curve of society in to some grotesque geometric shape. ONE of the mistakes the GOP is making is sticking to their laissez faire attitude and Trickledown economics introduced by Reagan and Greenspan that continues through today. Trickledown Economics is equivalent to feudal lords throwing scraps on the floor for the peasants to fight over with the animals. Now we Mitt Romney saying in the press that anger about Wall Street, banks and income inequality are due to envy. The audacity of this pompous jackass makes him worse than quotes I can dig up from the French nobility in 1789 and we know what happened to those melons capped with powdered wigs. Monsieur Guillotine was a busy boy to say the least. The Romney’s and Bloomberg’s of the world will continue to bellow “Let them eat pepper spray” because the 99% are all envious malcontents. The 99% need to rid the world of these oligarchs and create a new world that brings human decency back to America.

The Criminal Class and The Sleeping Class

2012-01-31T21:21:00.001-08:00

With the GOP debates, caucuses, and primaries upon us, I am noticing one subject absent from their discussions:  the 2008 Financial Meltdown.  To be fair, President Obama has skirted the issue for the most part, as well; but it is the policies that seem to be booming from the GOP Presidential Candidate Clown Car that worries me the most.  The so-called "solution" put forward by the GOP field is completely baffling.  What they are basically saying is to not fix the problem, exasperating the very factors that brought on the crisis.  Seems crazy to me!  Why is this not crazy to the voting public?  Why are the sheeple not up in arms?  Let's take a look at what has transpired and why citizens should be screaming for blood - or at least - a pound of flesh.

    Henry Ford once stated, "It is well enough that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."  What strikes me the most is that the banking industry is fully aware of what it is doing, as proven by its schemes.  The 2008 meltdown was caused by shenanigans like over-the-counter derivative trading and credit default swaps (the kind of scary big words and financial sorcery that trigger the sheeples’ eyes to glaze over in a comatose fog of confusion).  What the Wall Street banks really created were Ponzi schemes masked by the complexities of sophisticated-sounding "products" that are essentially black market cash vacuums.  Today's financial system is no longer transparent.  It's also deregulated.  And the best part is, these bankers know that the public will flip the bill when the inevitable crash comes!  The result is modern day robber barons safely descending with their golden parachutes, landing comfortably atop the remains of the American working class.  Here, We the People lose our savings, jobs, and homes, yet seem to forgive and forget these rotten scoundrels!

     There are three attitudes that seem to be pervasive in the American public today. First is the “bury my head in the sand” attitude. This behavior is where people just ignore what is going on around them in the country. They've convinced themselves that, if they pay no attention to the problems, they will magically resolve themselves on their own or by somebody else.

The second attitude is an “I’m too busy and have a life” attitude. This “school” of thought has two types of people. The first is made up of family types too busy with work, children, children, children, work, and children, etc.; and therefore, have no time to be concerned with politics or the big, messy problems of society. But it's the second group under this "too busy" umbrella that I find most distasteful. This group usually consists of younger folks mainly concerned with their social lives. Me me me and nothing else exists or matters. It’s this group that, when you ask them (or they ask you) about a political post from say, Facebook, and you are surprised that they are unaware of such important current events; it is these sniveling creatures who reply, “Sorry, I have a life.” Disgusting! Enjoy your casual sex, STD’s, hangovers, and general oblivion about anything of consequence!

The third group is alarmingly large, the “let’s not discuss politics or religion” attitude. These people are very similar to group one, but at least group one has taken an approach! This group just wants to ignore problems because it might spark debates and arguments. Are you kidding me? When have important political issues been resolved by NOT debating and arguing? Are we so afraid of offending those around us that we'd allow our nation to unravel for no reason other than to maintain an atmosphere of politeness? Good heavens, Aunt Pittypat! This is war, not a garden party!

Let’s face it. These groups are all cowards. And their inaction has allowed Wall Street barons, a.k.a. the Criminal Class, to continually rob American citizens, a.k.a. the Sleeping Class. The time has come for all these sleeping Americans to seriously wake the fuck up and get angry! The 2008 bailout is going to reach well into the TRILLIONS. I’ve seen people punched for not returning a hundred dollar loan from a “friend.” What’s the punishment for not making good on thirteen trillion dollars?

What Are You People ON Dope?

2012-01-31T21:17:00.001-08:00

The new GOP plot to institute drug testing for citizens on public assistance reminds me of Mr. Hand from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” where he repeatedly asks his students, “What are you people, on dope?” This is the same assumption that GOP lawmakers are making about America’s poor. It’s a law that is treading a slippery slope, not to mention a direct affront to the Constitutional rights of American citizens. What is the reason for such legislation? There are two factors involved here. The first is the typical high horse of morality on which the GOP is permanently mounted, chasing windmills throughout the political and social landscape. The second is another favorite of the GOP, the so-called "look over here at this problem and don’t look at the real problems that are crushing this nation" tactic. It’s a two-fold explanation that they are using a morale crusade cloaked in a sham economic crisis.

The state of Michigan actually instituted this hideous legislation in 1999 but it was vigorously opposed by the ACLU. In April 2000, U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Roberts issued a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the law. She wrote that drug testing an entire class of citizens simply because they are poor ""would be dangerously at odds with the tenets of our democracy."" In April 2003, the appeals court affirmed that decision. Basically what Judge Roberts was saying to the GOP drug squad is that you’re screwing with the Fourth Amendment and that is not cool. However, this policy was in effect for five weeks and we were able to pull an interesting statistic from that period. Of 268 people tested, only 21 tested positive for drugs and all but three were for marijuana and that is 8%. The positive tests for marijuana are plain ridiculous and that’s a whole other piece I need to write, if those were thrown out we are looking at 1%. The 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that more than 22 million Americans age 12 and older – nearly 9% of the U.S. population use illegal drugs. So what we see here is that poor people are just like Americans of all economic strata when it comes to drugs. Now on to the economic scare that the GOP uses as their casus belli for the war against the poor.

What we are left with is my favorite pathetic conservative tactic, keeping the public’s attention on what is a non-issue as opposed what is really causing turmoil in this country. The 2008 meltdown is the greatest economic crisis since The Great Depression and when is all said and done may surpass the damage done by the latter. So around the nation we have GOP politicians trying to con the masses to believing that the poor are sucking the system dry all the while toking, snorting and shooting their days away on the tax payers’ dollars. It’s complete insanity but the populace buys in to this complete pile of horseshit. We have seen ultra-wealthy financial “captains” rob the middle and lower classes with their Ponzi schemes all the while protected by these same politicians and their colleagues, after all there are five financial industry lobbyists to every congressman in Washington. Who is lobbying for the welfare recipients who just struggle to live from day to day? So the GOP has found a perfect scapegoat, defenseless and with no cash infused congressional voice. Blame the poor, they’re all on drugs anyways!

Welcome to America: The Reality Show

2011-05-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

This blog has been launched to examine America's culture, politics, history, economy, religion and most importantly where our country's priorities are focused. We will provide original works from contributing authors as well as feeds to other great sources of materials. This blog and ensuing program will hopefully invoke people to some critical thought and reflection with some laughs along the way. We hope you enjoy!