Political Packrat

The Three Little Wives of Newt

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:24:00 +0000

With apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan and The Mikado, I just had to share this video valentine to the redoubtable Republican candidate-- the one, the only, Newtster, from his three ( count them) three wives. It's a cleverly concocted satirical ditty done by the Capitol Steps. Just in case you've been on a desert island and don't know who the Capitol Steps are, they are a Washington DC based comedy group that specializes in hilarious political satire and in total fairness, roasts both Democrats and Republicans over the coals with equal relish. Their self-styled motto is " we put the "mock" in " democracy".... and they definitely did!

Watch the video. You'll see what I mean. Happy Valentines Day, Newt, honey.

If you want more, go on over to their website and check things out. They've been cracking everybody in Washington up for more than 30 years. They know where all the bodies are buried and they've got loud voices.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

The Republican clown car moves on and on, commanding the attention of the American media and the American public-- Newt, Mitt, Rick Santorum and the ever present Ron Paul are in the arena jousting at the moment. Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Jon Huntsman have already gotten the thumbs down.

Meanwhile, out in the real world, Europe is foundering and the financial future of the Euro is in danger, not to mention the future of the European Union itself. In the Middle East, the Arab Spring has turned to a rather violent winter with Syria becoming a slaughterhouse and Iran rattling a big nuclear sabre ,
Meanwhile the US and EU are trying to pursuede the world to boycott Iranian oil. ( Good luck folks) Russia is sitting this dance out, but seems ready to leap into the fray at a moment's notice to defend its friend, Iran.

Has anybody in America noticed the war drums beating in the background? Probably not, because we are too busy watching the GOP in action on the campaign trail like it was some kind of sporting event or reality TV. The 1% are still very firmly in control.

Guess what-- it doesn't matter who wins the Republican nomination because the fix is in. The average American is being entertained and getting screwed and if we Americans don't wake up we are going to deserve everything we get. But pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Just sit back and enjoy the show.

Oh, and if you want to see more wonderful cartoons like the one above, hie yourself on over to Paulfellcartoons.com

What Would Jesus Do?

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:09:00 +0000

This is a follow up to Thursday's post-- just to give you something to chew on over the week-end

source: The Christian Left

Have a great week-end everyone and think about the Republican clown car when you ask yourselves (as I know you all will) -- " What would Jesus do?"

Oklahoma GOP Lawmaker Wants To Ban Using Aborted Fetuses as Flavor Enhancer in Human Food. WTF?

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:28:00 +0000

Yes folks. Just when you thought the GOP could not get any crazier, its ignorance and paranoia have reached new heights. Oklahoma State Senator, Ralph Shortey, has introduced a bill into the Oklahoma State Legislature banning the use of aborted human fetuses in the production of food for human consumption. Yes that's right-- the inmates are now officially running the asylum.

Just in case you forgot how crazy things are in Oklahoma, that's the place where last year they seriously tried to pass a bill banning the institution of Sharia Law and where every small, jerkwater town has at least ten fundamentalist Christian churches vying with each other for confusing ignorance with religious faith. This is the place where people still think our President is from Kenya and where domestic terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, blew up the Federal Building in 1995. So I'm not surprised that this is also the place where a clown like Shortey could be taken seriously.

Shortey introduced the bill based on something he read on the internet ( we know everything you read online is true, right?) and voila-- he has become a celebrity himself. From TPM to HuffPo, proud Birther and illegal immigration foe, Shortey is the talk of the blogosphere. The Huffington Post article offers a pithy Shortey quote that explains it all ( go read the whole piece for an in depth view)

“People are thinking that this has to do with fetuses being chopped up and put in our burritos,” Shortey told NewsOK. "“That's not the case. It's beyond that.
“There are companies that are using embryonic stem cells to research and basically cause a chemical reaction to determine whether or not something tastes good or not,” he said. “As a pro-life advocate, it kind of disturbed me that we would use aborted embryos or aborted human fetuses to extract stem cells and use them for research to basically make things taste better.”

Why am I not surprised that the bill has no co-sponsors. I wonder how long it is going to take Shortey to figure out what a fool he has made of himself introducing a bill based on a bit of online fiction? I'm thinking a long long time since he probably thinks he is doing God's work. Wonder what God thinks?

My Congressman, Rush Holt, On the Subject of S.O.P.A.

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:42:00 +0000

I am so lucky to be represented in Congress by Rush Holt -- who is not only a thoughtful, moral politician ( I know, unheard of ) but also really IS a rocket scientist. He has a PhD in physics from NYU and was an academic before he became a politician. He is also the only Quaker currently serving in Congress.

I received this email from his office this morning explaining his view on S.O.P.A ( the stop online piracy act) His view is so cogent and well thought out I want to share it here on my blog as it has implications that go far beyond the 12th Congressional District of New Jersey.

On Wednesday, Wikipedia and hundreds of other websites participated in a one-day blackout, removing services from the internet to protest the so-called Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). On that day alone, more than 1,000 New Jerseyans contacted me to oppose the legislation. They are right to be concerned: as written, SOPA would undermine the security, competitiveness, and freedom of the internet. Although the problem of online piracy – the theft of copyrighted music, movies, and writing – exists, SOPA is a poor solution.

In an unusually specific clause in our Constitution, the framers provided copyright protection for people who compose and create "to promote the progress of science and the useful arts." In their genius they recognized that, by granting exclusive copyrights to creative individuals, the government actually could enhance creativity and communication throughout society.
Nowadays, technology has pushed down the cost of illegal copying, leading to a dramatic increase in infringement. So what to do? Ban photocopies? Ban computers? Ban the internet? That would be foolish. Yet SOPA veers too far toward the extreme of hampering useful technology.

Under SOPA’s extremely broad language, entire websites – such as YouTube or Wikipedia – could be removed from the internet if even one or two users posted pirated material. The mechanism for these takedowns would compromise the internet’s infrastructure, the domain name system, in a way that would leave users more vulnerable to fraud. Even worse, SOPA would allow copyright holders to demand punitive actions without first facing an open hearing in a court of law. Groups as diverse as the American Library Association, Human Rights First, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Freedom House have warned against the bill’s stifling effect on the internet.

We can find a better approach to preventing theft of creative products without killing the creative process or public communication. Existing law already enables copyright holders to demand that U.S. websites remove infringing content. That protection could be expanded by allowing the International Trade Commission to cut off payments, after a fair and transparent process, to websites that willfully and primarily infringe on copyrighted material. A bipartisan alternative striking this reasonable balance is making its way through Congressional committee examination.

I'll be watching to see what this " bipartisan alternative" consists of, but in the meantime, it is nice to know that my Congressman remembers who he works for, unlike so many in Washington. BTW I got the picture of him I used in this post from his Facebook Page where you can go to find out more about him.

Eye of Newt and Tongue of Marianne Gingrich

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:13:00 +0000

Washington may be full of two -timing, narcissistic political husbands, but Newt Gingrich is something special. Like Lady MacBeth, his ex-wife Marianne is nobody to mess with. Her Thursday night interview on ABC put a spotlight on the dark corners of the GOP living room where a herd of elephants lurks this election season.

I have watched excerpts from the interview (see the video below) and have been surprised that Marianne, 12 years later, seems to be only minimally bitter and has just gotten on with her life. This lends credability to her as a person and to her reports of her marriage and Newt's infidelities. She answers the interviewers questions rather dispassionately, all things considered, but what she has to say is damning indeed.

Marianne was Newt's second wife. He left his first wife, Jackie, a month or so after she was diagnosed with cancer. He left Marianne soon after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis -- strike one! Strike two is that he carried on a six year affair with Calista while married to Marianne and asked Marianne at first for an " open marriage" so he could have both a wife and mistress and only sued for divorce when forced to choose. What has all that to do with his politics you ask?

That is strike three and the biggesrt strike of all against him. Consider that Newt was a standard bearer for impeaching Bill Clinton over Monica Lewinsky and is a fierce opponent of gay marriage and abortion because ( get this) he champions family values. Are you finished laughing yet? Oh yes, and did I mention that he asked God to forgive his sins and God did. Newt knows because God told him so.

Politically, both Obama supporters like me, and the Ron Paul crowd ( not me) are licking their chops over the possiblity of Newt as Republican front runner. I bet Calista is a happy camper too and is already planning her state dinners in the White House. Now, you and I know that Calista is going to be very disappointed when Newt doesn't make it to the Presidency. But look on the bright side, she's 23 years younger than Newt and still has time for another husband if Newt doesn't make the grade-- which he won't. When that happens, I'm wondering how long Calista will stick around. Anybody want to give me odds?

photo source: thyblackman.com

The Internet Has Spoken

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:19:00 +0000

In the wake of yesterday's internet blackout at least five key senators have withdrawn their support from the controversial online piracy bills now before Congress. Senators fleeing SOPA included Florida;s Marco Rubio, a Tea Party stalwart and Orrin Hatch, a sponsor of the bill and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Opposition is also building in the House where lawmakers seem to be remembering who they work for and who they were elected by. So much for round one. The internet has spoken.

Stop Internet Censorship

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:58:00 +0000

That's All For Today Folks

Death Tax, Estate Tax, Whatever You Call It Bill Maher Nails It

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:14:00 +0000

According to Michael Moore 400 individual Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined. According to an article in the May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair, the upper 1% of Americans now take home more than 25% of the nation's income and control 40% of the nation's wealth.The Vanity Fair article goes on to state:

"In terms of income equality, America lags behind any country in the old, ossified Europe that President George W. Bush used to deride. Among our closest counterparts are Russia with its oligarchs and Iran. While many of the old centers of inequality in Latin America, such as Brazil, have been striving in recent years, rather successfully, to improve the plight of the poor and reduce gaps in income, America has allowed inequality to grow."

In the face of increasing rates of poverty and income inequality, Republicans still want to repeal the estate tax ( which they refer to as the "death" tax) and scream socialism and commie bastard at anyone who disagrees with them. They will live to regret allowing the balance of wealth and power to become so skewed in America. This is how revolutions are made.

Bill Maher, as usual nails it with this video and manages to take a swipe at Citizens United , the Supreme Court Decision that lets corporations buy congress, while he's at it. I love Bill Maher.

Vote For Vermin Supreme

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:10:00 +0000

At last, I've discovered a sane candidate for President-- or to put it bluntly--an alternative to the Republican clown car crowd. Vermin Supreme got shamefully little coverage during the New Hampshire Primary but he was on the ballot and he got more than 800 votes. Not sure what that says about the American political system, but it does say something about the sense of humor of voters in New Hampshire.

Pity we didn't hear more about Vermin Supreme since compared to Rick Perry and Newt the nonsensical, he seems to be very practical and down to earth-- oh and did I mention honest? He's promised to stamp out gingivitis and give every American a pony. What more could the American people want?

Is it time for a write in campaign for Vermin Supreme? I think so. Besides, he's got a great fashion sense. That is some hat he's throwing in the ring.

H/T to Meme Block on Tumblr for the photo.

Who Should Vote Republican

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:23:00 +0000

A video from the incomparable Zina Saunders that will explain it all to you. Watch and you'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt who should and who should not vote Republican.

Mitt Romney Won Iowa. Why Am I Not Surprised?

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:25:00 +0000

Mitt Romney winning Iowa is a real so what-- a big, fat yawn. Didn't we know this would be the outcome? The media were ginning up the competition like it was an episode of Survivor, but really there was never any doubt. The only thing of relatively minor interest is that he won by only eight votes and that Rick Santorum came in a close second-- but I'm not really surprised at that either and in the long run it makes no difference.

The dirty little secret is that the Iowa Caucuses have little to do with electing a Republican candidate. They are more media merchandising opportunity and entertainment than political primary or a chance to evaluate a potential president. Their purpose goes back to ancient Rome and the bread and circuses provided to keep the masses pliant while the emperor and his minions made the real decisions.

MItt runs on D-cell batteries and looks for all the world like he should have a wind up key in his back. He's been called a Ken doll and worse, but it doesn't matter. He'll support the corporate and governmental establishment. He's got the money and the connections and he is the most broadly palatable candidate in the Republican clown car so he is gonna get the brass ring. Santorum may play well in the boonies( and outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the boonies) but the cigar smoking Washington boys in the back room are definitely not going to let him into the club-- at least not this year.

It's already been decided, so lean back, pass the popcorn and enjoy the show. This all bodes very well for Obama. Thank you, Iowa

cartoon source:: USNews and World Report

A Soldier Pawns His Purple Heart To Pay For Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:23:00 +0000

source

It's a gut wrenching, get out your hankies, Christmas story. In Holland Michigan, a few weeks before Christmas a soldier pawned his Purple Heart to pay his Christmas bills. The shop owner, himself a Viet Nam vet, accepted the pawn, but assured the soldier that his combat medal would never be sold but would remain on display in the shop window, whether or not he was able to redeem the pawn or not.

Word got out first via local media and then went viral as major news outlets from NPR to Stars and Stripes and Russia Today broke the story. Meanwhile, back in Holland, the pawn shop owner was fielding hundreds of calls from outraged citizens offering to pay the pawn and have the medal returned to its owner before Christmas. The pawn was paid by an anonymous grateful American and the medal was returned to its owner-- an active duty soldier, home from Afghanistan on Christmas leave, who prefers to remain anonymous.

The moral of this story is that sometimes yellow ribbons and CARE packages just don't cut it.
This is a Christmas story that, as an American, I don't ever want to see repeated.

P.S. Here's the rundown on just what it takes to be awarded a Purple Heart from Wikipedia

For starters The Purple Heart is:

"awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917, has been wounded or killed."

Congress Makes New Years Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:50:00 +0000

source

Some things never change. Congress talks the talk but never seems to be able to walk the walk angering both the left and the right and getting absolutely nothing done. What else is new?

Happy New Year everybody. Here's to 2012

Peace on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:23:00 +0000

It's a pretty radical notion that we could learn to live together in peace instead of trying to kill each other all the time. But that, folks, when you get down to basics, is what the Christmas story is all about. This is the time of year when we tend to talk the talk about peace on earth. But, so far, for at least 2000 years we have not walked the walk. In fact, religion has more often been a cause of war than an instrument of peace, but we do keep trying and hoping, and that too is part of the Christmas message.

Maybe this is the year when we human beings will finally start to get it. I hope so. But, I'm not holding my breath. Merry Christmas to all of us, whoever and wherever we are and whatever faith we do or don't practice.

The War Is Over At Last

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:35:00 +0000

What began with shock and awe ( and horrified surprise for some of us) ended with a whimper as the United States signed over its last remaining base on Friday and the troops moved out to Kuwait.. A war that cost the United States more than 800 billion in treasure and close to 5,000 military lives in blood and God only knows what in bad karma, finally is over. Many of us wish it had never begun and look forward to consigning the Iraq war to the big blunders of government pile. We just want to move on.

But let us not forget the thousands of men and women who served in this war. Over 30,000 of them are already at home recovering from wounds received and trying to recover their lives as well. It is time for the rest of us-- whether we approved of the war or not ( I most certainly did not from beginning to end) to honor the service of the people who fought and not to forget them. I am ashamed when I read that more than 200,000 Iraq vets are homeless or of the vets who can't get jobs or whose homes are being foreclosed on. This is just not right.

Lets breathe a sigh of relief and give the soldiers a big welcome home-- but most of all, let's acknowledge their service by seeing that we treat them right once they are back home. Only then can we really say:

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! ( at last)

H/T to The Political Carnival for the great cartoon.

The Muppets Got Inside Newt Gingrich's Head

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:53:00 +0000

Me, Me, Me Me Me Me Me Me----- it's all about Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Sign of The Times

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:28:00 +0000

The one thing both Democrats and Republicans can agree on is " term limits" or to put it more bluntly, throw the bums out after an agreed upon number of terms of elected office. Elected office should not be a lifetime sinicure.

We have presidential elections every four years, but members of Congress can serve until they drop dead Some are still working on Capitol Hill when they should be drooling into their oatmeal in an old folks home. ( Strom Thurmond leaps to mind) It is definitely time for a change.

Come to think about it, I think they feel the same way about this in the MIddle East and Russia. It sure looks that way from where I sit. Power belongs to the people, not to the politicians.

Maybe, it's time for a world-wide change.

H/T NewsBusters.org on Facebook

Vladimir Putin- The Emperor Has No Shirt

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Vladimir the Great likes the virile bare-chested look. He's used to showing off his middle-aged pecs while riding white horses on the beach or wrestling bears or something equally manly. It always looked a little silly to us in the West, but I always had the impression that Russians loved it and him. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the anti Putin protests started in the wake of last Sunday's elections.

What is going on? Do Russians really want fair, un-rigged elections? Are they tired of Putin's " managed democracy" and gangster-style corruption? Has the Arab Spring spilled over into Russia? Popular protests against vote rigging are in their third day in Moscow and St. Petersburg. and more than 30,000 people have signed a Facebook petition calling for a massive demonstration on Saturday in Moscow's Revolution Square. The government has warned that if things get out of hand, there will be reprisals.

Maybe Vladimir is not such a big man after all Today he is hiding behind a woman's skirts. It seems he has accused American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, of causing all the trouble. Here's a quote from The Moscow Times: Click on the link to read the whole article.

"Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday of instigating the public protests against the State Duma elections as tens of thousands signed up to rally over the weekend.
But Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev made ambiguous remarks about the protesters themselves, conceding that they have the right to rally but calling on the police to crack down on those who break the law.
Preparations were under way in Moscow for a new rally against the victory of Putin's United Russia party on Saturday, with almost 30,000 signed up on Facebook on late Thursday."

Man up, Vladimir, Stop blaming Hillary for your problems and put your shirt back on, would you?.

cartoon source

Video for A Sunday Morning or What the Future Holds

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:53:00 +0000

Just came across this wonderful short film that wraps up the history of the planet and what the future holds for humankind in one short and sweet creative package. It's the perfect Sunday morning thought transfusion.

You are gonna love it. It's beyond politics and into philosophy and religion. Happy Sunday everyone

H/T to Colossal.com

Kalle Mattson - Thick As Thieves (Official Video) from Kevin Parry on Vimeo.

Saturday Cartoon-- The GOP Lineup

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:31:00 +0000

This just says it all, doesn't it? Great cartoon by Steve Sack.. Here's where it came from.

A Progressive Kansan Speaks Out About Emma and the Governor

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Yes, Virginia, there are liberals and progressives in Kansas. This is a guest post by one of them about Kansas teen tweeter, Emma Sullivan, (@emmakate988) and the blowback from the office of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback. Jamagenie writes on Hubpages and blogs at Saturday's Child. and always has something original and interesting to say.

Emma Sullivan

Emma Sullivan, a high school student from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, is just barely old enough to vote and when she does, chances are she won't be marking any candidate in the "R" column after Republican governor Sam Brownback's communications director demanded Emma write a letter of apology to the guv for the tweet in which she "disrespected" him while attending - wait for it - a conference on government.

Being from Kansas, I've always wondered why Brownback traded a seat in the U.S. Senate and life inside the Beltway for the relative obscurity of the governorship of a state most non-residents can't remember passing through on their way to the bright lights of Denver, or Dallas, or St.Louis.

Bob Dole, after all, was so fond of being senator from a state he rarely visited except at re-election time, that you could've knocked me over with a feather when he resigned to run for prez. But, that's how it worked in the GOP back then. Stick around long enough and the Oval Office would be yours. The political equivalent of an Oscar for Lifetime Acheivement. Try to forget OLAs are normally bestowed upon those so old they can barely get to the podium under their own power. John McCain reminded us, but at least he had the good sense not to resign from the Senate before the votes were counted.

I can't say advanced age was the reason Ol' Bobby lost to Clinton, but I can tell you he had a presence(until the Viagra commercials, at least) that Brownback never will have. For as long as I can remember, even before he acquired Liddy-The-Trophy-Wife, Bob Dole was treated like visiting royalty when he blessed us with his presence in the hinterland. Brownback, on the other hand, even when he was a senator, never elicited the same kiss-the-ring awe as Dole did. Hard to do that when you're kissing the ring of Bush43.

But that was then and this is now. Brownback is "just" a governor, and of a state that doesn't have enough electoral votes to matter to presidential candidates. If his staffer was offended that a teenager figured out the guv "sucksalot" and said so, she not only needs a refresher course in the First Amendment, she also needs to consider a career change.

But then I'm guessing Ms. Communication Director can't be the sharpest tool in the woodshed if she unleashed the (perceived) power of the governor's office on a high school student attending a conferance on government.

Rather than being outraged, I haven't stopped laughing about the lesson she gave Emma and her fellow students about how government really works in the Sunflower State under Republican rule.

An Educated American or the Ultimate Blonde Joke ?

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:18:00 +0000

Here is an educated American who is definitely NOT smarter than a Fifth Grader. She's an example of our fabulous educational system and our even more fabulous entertainment industry on the TV show that pits stupid adults against smart fifth grade kids. Can she really be this stupid? Or is she being paid to act dumb. If so, she sure is good:-)

Have you ever watched " Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" Try it sometime. It's quite an experience. Watch the video below-- it's short-- and then afterwards while shouting "USA, USA, USA" and screaming " We're number one" ask yourself, " just what is it that we are number one at?"

Damn, my fellow Americans. What have we become? Are we nothing more than the ultimate blonde joke?

Buy Nothing Day in North America

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:28:00 +0000

Finally, I've found the antidote to Black Friday --Today I am celebrating the 20th annual Buy Nothing Day in North America. It's been going on for 20 years as a push back against the unhealthy materialism and crass commercialism of the day after American Thanksgiving. Merchants dubbed this day " black Friday"and made it the official start of what is euphamistically called " the Christmas shopping season" It has turned into a celebration of crass materialism like no other and one in which I have always chosen not to participate.

How did I miss hearing about this formal observance for all those years? I only heard about it this year through #Occupy Wall Street. on Twitter. I'm all in with this one. Though I should stress that I won't be occupying any malls or shredding my credit cards. My observance will be quiet, individual, and totally personal, but heartfelt, nonetheless. Go Gen-Y!!!

I've always thought it a bit odd that the day after we fly or drive half way across the country to gather around a dinner table with family, stuff ourselves with food, and share moralistic platitudes--on the very day after that--sometimes even at the stroke of midnight--, we are pouring by the millions into big box stores and onto the internet to spend money in an orgy of materialistic excess. Sadly, as a nation,we are more about the Friday buying spree than the Thursday Thanksgiving.

We are sheep who have been trained to consume, not think or appreciate or( perish the thought) think about the needs of others. Our culture has turned us into profit centers and target markets. We have been totally dehumanized and rendered powerless by graphs and charts and the power of the almighty retail dollar.

Well, I'm not a profit center. I'm a person and that's why I'm celebrating Buy Nothing Day all day today. Join me if you dare.

Happy Thanksgiving America

noreply@blogger.com (pinkpackrat) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:07:00 +0000

AS Zina Saunders says " It's that most American of holidays" and if Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor get their wishbone wish, our economy will still be in the toilet next November.

Enjoy your turkey and I hope Zina's video puts a smile on your face. The least we can do is laugh at our troubles. HAPPY THANKSGIVING, AMERICA.