tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990637292166971052011-11-08T15:48:25.876-08:00Connecting the dots, one dot at a time.Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125Frieddogleghttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-1815421697824903602011-09-13T20:12:00.000-07:002011-09-14T09:41:06.128-07:002011-09-14T09:41:06.128-07:00

Politicians, media pundits, economists and business leaders are blowing a lot of smoke up society’s collective ass in their attempts to perpetuate the myth of economic recovery. Almost no one understands (or pretends not to) that this time around there won’t be one. Even the so-called economic experts, from Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Krugman and Robert Reich on the left to John Boehner, Michele

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-84106710889527001452011-06-28T17:52:00.000-07:002011-06-28T17:52:05.707-07:002011-06-28T17:52:05.707-07:00

If you haven’t yet seen Van Jones’ “Rebuild the Dream” speech, I urge you to at least take a look at the highlights; I think you’ll find it worth your while. Jones, aided and abetted by MoveOn.org and other influential progressive groups, is starting a movement designed to bring about a more balanced and more just society that meets the economic needs of all its members. Campaign for America’s

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-57123298624064496842011-05-23T19:23:00.000-07:002011-05-23T19:23:21.751-07:002011-05-23T19:23:21.751-07:00

For the greater good of preserving our nation’s sovereignty, solvency and sanity, we should rewrite Constitutional laws, tax laws and civil laws in ways that show the 2 percent what it’s like to be the other 98 percent. Q >>>

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-82032948407410407222011-03-03T18:22:00.000-08:002011-03-03T18:22:47.069-08:002011-03-03T18:22:47.069-08:00

Engineering economic disasters is one of the few things the GOP leadership is really good at. Another is their ability to shift the blame for the destruction they cause to the Democrats. They’ve proven, over time and beyond all doubt, that Republicans have the requisite skills necessary to lead the nation’s working- and middle-classes to financial ruin and, possibly, to something far more dire.

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-38073710490579940492011-02-24T12:29:00.000-08:002011-02-24T12:31:02.895-08:002011-02-24T12:31:02.895-08:00

Republicans bleed the poor and the middle class every chance they get. “The corporatists have been waiting for this day.  When Americans are struggling to survive, when their homes are being swept away by Wall Street bankers, when their jobs are going South of the Border and elsewhere to poor countries that have no environmental regulations and no workers' rights, it's the perfect time to kick

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-31981820365292362622011-02-23T16:17:00.000-08:002011-02-23T16:17:27.722-08:002011-02-23T16:17:27.722-08:00

Attention farmers: Monsanto is not your friend, your buddy, or your benefactor. Using Monsanto’s GM seeds is not going to save you money, nor will using them make you money over the long haul. In the end, using Monsanto’s GM seeds will likely cost you everything you own and put you on the liability hook for millions more. Use Monsanto’s Frankenseeds at your own peril. You’ve been warned! Of

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-74288363404775310412011-02-18T16:15:00.000-08:002011-02-18T16:15:14.623-08:002011-02-18T16:15:14.623-08:00

No, no, this has nothing to do with the Internet. This is all about denying abortion and reproductive health and family planning services to women desperately in need of same. In a world that’s already dangerously overpopulated (and a world that seems to be setting up as much as 90% of its total population for near-term extermination), it gets ever more difficult to understand where the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-70020863790626331532011-02-13T19:55:00.000-08:002011-02-13T19:58:57.496-08:002011-02-13T19:58:57.496-08:00

One of the main differences between conservatives and progressives is that conservatives want to be the sole beneficiaries of the wealth that society produces, while progressives tend to favor a saner, less selfish, more equitable approach to wealth distribution. Each of the four short-but-excellent articles, linked to below, were written by Comrade E.B. Misfit and posted on her blog, Just an

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-30724236839346026052011-02-05T12:28:00.000-08:002011-02-13T22:18:41.990-08:002011-02-13T22:18:41.990-08:00

Okay, okay, so I nicked the image from Don Durito over at Notes From Underground. At the time it seemed pretty fair because he'd nicked it from Skippy, who probably nicked it from . . . oh, who cares? The points are that it's a fitting tribute to a blogging legend that departed the blogosphere way too soon and that it's Blogroll Amnesty Day Week Month, once again. Like Jon Swift (the blog),

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-56485916929314285792011-01-24T17:13:00.000-08:002011-01-24T19:22:05.159-08:002011-01-24T19:22:05.159-08:00

Anyone on the left who claims to have friends on the right is a full-of-shit fucking moron. Why would anyone call someone that wants to see them unemployed, broke, homeless, hungry, in poor health—in short, marginalized in every possible way—and, finally, dead, a friend? Get a clue, lefties; right-wingers are not your friends. They never have been, and they never will be. Get over it. Move on! Q

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-21609949234413246802010-12-04T16:31:00.000-08:002010-12-04T17:46:36.421-08:002010-12-04T17:46:36.421-08:00

Why is stupidity so firmly entrenched in the Republican mindset? Like their claim that tax cuts for the wealthy will create jobs, for instance. Or that looting the Social Security trust fund is a financially sound idea, or that defunding public education will somehow magically produce smarter students. Either Republicans are as brain-dead as they appear to be, or the Republican agenda is very

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-34334189279848278282010-11-07T17:35:00.000-08:002010-11-07T17:35:34.122-08:002010-11-07T17:35:34.122-08:00

Whenever I write a book review as part of an author’s or publisher’s promotional campaign, I like to post the review online a few days in advance of the scheduled publication date—enough time to let interested readers and potential book buyers know that the book will soon be available, but not so far out that they’re likely to forget about it before the book reaches the booksellers. Usually, it’s

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-38414364112448976752010-10-31T11:23:00.000-07:002010-10-31T11:23:25.556-07:002010-10-31T11:23:25.556-07:00

Teabaggers don't want to take back America, they want to take it away from the rest of us. Q >>>

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-35118376263887406142010-10-20T18:34:00.000-07:002010-10-20T18:34:45.238-07:002010-10-20T18:34:45.238-07:00

Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, left a phone message asking Anita Hill to apologize for accusing Justice Thomas, during his confirmation hearings, of sexual misconduct. Huh? Since when do victims owe their victimizers an apology? After reviewing the details of the case, though, I reached the conclusion that Ms. Hill does indeed owe Justice Thomas an apology. In the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-21038952774788613882010-10-08T12:13:00.000-07:002010-10-08T12:38:52.117-07:002010-10-08T12:38:52.117-07:00

If you want a corporate takeover of our democracy, vote for Republican candidates. If you want an absolute breakdown of society and total chaos, vote for Tea Party candidates. If you want to see the long, painful, glacier-slow recovery process continue, vote for Democratic candidates (but prepare to keep successful candidates on a short leash). If you want to build sustainable

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-14936916929285891842010-09-27T16:08:00.000-07:002010-09-27T16:15:49.552-07:002010-09-27T16:15:49.552-07:00

Factory farming methods are a huge threat to food safety and security in the United States, but so are many other things. Jesus, the kid gets it!Q >>>

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-12079272052806148642010-09-26T17:41:00.000-07:002010-09-26T17:53:03.029-07:002010-09-26T17:53:03.029-07:00

Except for his two NBA records for consecutive missed free throws, Chris Dudley’s basketball career was remarkably unremarkable in that he utterly failed to distinguish himself as an exceptional player. He sure as hell didn’t lead the Portland Trailblazers to a comeback championship season. That begs the question, if he can’t lead a basketball team to a comeback, how does he expect to lead the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-25130373284961311722010-09-21T18:25:00.000-07:002010-09-22T13:05:24.689-07:002010-09-22T13:05:24.689-07:00

Here’s a tip for anyone contemplating suicide by drain cleaner. If you’re really serious about getting the job done, don’t smear it on your face; drink it. All of it. Then shoot yourself.Q >>>

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-48665565856151679762010-09-20T18:19:00.000-07:002010-09-20T18:46:14.991-07:002010-09-20T18:46:14.991-07:00

If some economists have got it right, the recession is over. It was the longest economic downturn in American history; begun on President George W. Bush’s watch, ended on President Obama’s. Who’s your daddy, now?Q >>>

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-55323480922138271712010-09-18T13:57:00.000-07:002010-09-18T14:05:24.509-07:002010-09-18T14:05:24.509-07:00

Next week, the Texas Board of Education—whose membership apparently consists exclusively of anti-Muslim bigots already possessed of a Texas-style education—will vote on a resolution that effectively rewrites a large chunk of American religious history. The problem is that Tex Books find their way into educational systems all across the country, so that if when the resolution passes, students

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-73074670674275164592010-09-06T11:47:00.000-07:002010-09-06T12:24:42.979-07:002010-09-06T12:24:42.979-07:00

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-11936229648655172702010-08-17T12:20:00.000-07:002010-08-17T12:27:55.019-07:002010-08-17T12:27:55.019-07:00

Tim Hallinan’s The Queen of Patpong arrives in bookstores today and, come to think of it, so should you. Go ahead! Buy a few copies; get an early start on your Christmas shopping. Buy a copy for yourself, get one for your best friend, give one to your brother’s ex-wife’s sister’s boyfriend. Give a copy to your third cousin in Paducah. Or buy a box of them and hand them out to homeless people on a

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-41355891427567302512010-08-08T13:46:00.000-07:002010-08-08T13:54:22.795-07:002010-08-08T13:54:22.795-07:00

Regular readers of this blog are well aware that my blogging activities sort of ran off the rails in early April and that my blog posts since then can be counted on the digits of one hand—with a couple of thumbs to spare. Getting my various projects back on the rails and back up to speed has been a long, slow process, so when Barbara O’Brien (The Mahablog) asked me if I could post one of her

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-27021157115221695402010-07-27T11:36:00.000-07:002010-07-27T12:15:04.540-07:002010-07-27T12:15:04.540-07:00

When good intentions collide head-on with the reality of adverse circumstances, good intentions almost always come out the big loser. To make the point, I’ll cite an example from recent personal experience. While my intention was to do all the things I’d committed to do, the reality was that a sudden downturn in my health—not life-threatening, but life-complicating—forced me to suspend most of my

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799063729216697105.post-32826919495078707302010-07-23T14:43:00.000-07:002010-07-23T16:59:48.473-07:002010-07-23T16:59:48.473-07:00

The following blog post, reprinted here unchanged from the original, comes to us courtesy of Barbara O’Brien (The Mahablog, Crooks and Liars, et al.) Barb asked if I would be interested in helping her out by reposting her article; because I stand ready to enlist the pages of Frieddogleg to any number of worthy progressive causes, I readily agreed. Live and learn, then pay it forward. Health

Philhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974356693812650266noreply@blogger.com2