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A Positive Thought

2009-11-14T23:56:06.507Z

Watching Charlie Rose last evening I was pleasantly engaged while listening to Barbara Ehrenreich- author, essayist and columist. She reminds us of the ill effects this culture holds for positive thinking; the kind peddled by motivational speakers one many times finds in corporate america. Her ideas and comments on this topic are akin to my own considerations. The push to deny certain realities many times promulgated by our economic and class system, is the cause for much harm to people. Many who who find work in the business world are informed that sadness and other "negative" feelings are for failures, losers and non-productive people. This information or message is usually most powerful when relayed through tacit communication. Ms. Enrenreich, similiar to other serious writers such as Kafka, Freud, Laing et,al., explains why avoiding real life is detrimental to the human spirit. I think the following words of Franz Kafka would help to edify this essential message. "You can hold your self back from the suffering of the world, this is something you are free to do and is in accord with your nature; but perhaps precisely this is the only suffering you may be able to avoid." This quote instructs that the only suffering one may be able to avoid is the suffering born out of "avoiding suffering." When one is taught to dis-respect the loss that is inherent within life either by attitude, demeanor, economics, culture or language one is rendered not only at a loss to deal with life but also made more pliable to accept the kinds of abuse that occur in subtle and not so sublte forms such as those found in corporate america. Genuine suffering involves loss of loved ones, relationships, body function, mental capacity, esteem, and the like. Disingenuious suffering, the kind born out of a profit making capitalistic economy involves the loss of fabricated gains such as losing a money making account, a real-estate investment, a postion whereby you can exploit others for gain. To lose an attachment to such profit making instruments or entities- becomes a real threat to ones inculcated meaning and purpose in life. However, this purpose is never a stable one as it depends upon a lie, something that is not integral to life itself but imposed from a dominating economic structure that exists by exploting other human beings in order to yield monetary gain. Too many people are miserable as a result of believing their state of confusion and saddness is somehow attributable to their personal character; when in actuality these "negative" feelings are a sign and symptom that something is terribly wrong within the very dynamics of a culture that at the same time creates and indicts these pains and fears. In an effort to further clarify this I will utilize lyrics from two song writers in popular music. John Lennon in "Instant Karma" wrote- "Why in the earth are we here, surely not to live in pain and fear." Paul Simon writes in "American Tune"- "Many the times I've been mistaken and many times confused and I've often felt forsaken and certainly misused. ... I don't know a soul thats not been battered,I don't have a friend who feels at ease." This ill ease or dis-ease is a product of a lie called america- The lie tells you that you are to blame for your feelings of abuse and misuse, for your so-called failures and so called gains. But wait until you are excluded from the excluders- when your fragile feelings begin to emerge more strongly- "Go to him now he calls you you can' t refuse- when you ain't got nothing you'e got nothing to lose, your invisable now you have no secrets to conceal."-Bob Dylan. Motivational speakers and self-help writers are a cottage industry that not only depend on you feeling "less-than," but expect it. Are they soothe sayers? Or do they know that this lie called america produces such feelings of ill-ease that people will run to them for a quick fix in order to either remain in their abusive position or to go back to a similiar one. Meaning, purpose and wholeness or being at one with life 'at one ment- atonement" involves the ability to see that all of us our vulnerable and all need is similiar. The differientaion of needs wants and desires is an illusion created to maintain an economic system that is quite fragile because if those, who are relagated to the bottom rung see that there is no difference other that coersive class control the system falls down upon itself. This economic system in america maintains itself by promoting the idea that the onus for one's station in life falls to the individual. This understanding is so entrenched that only a few intellectuals are willing to apprehend this truth- However, the mass of people are for the most part too fearful to let go of the dynamics that are causing the very fear they fear. I hope we all learn to allow genuine suffering to lead us to courage in order that we may respect the common sufferings all of us must embrace because this is the only way to bring genuine meaning to life.

The One About Sometimes A Basketball Game Is Just A Basketball Game.

2009-11-14T05:11:48.335Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)

The One About Sometimes A Basketball Game Is Just A Basketball Game. It has occurred to me for some time now, that one of the greatest weaknesses plaguing many of my fellow Liberal Progressives, is the tendency to spend more time picking over nits than focusing their energies working on more substantive matters. The recent kerfuffle over President Obama and his sports habits is just the latest and most glaring example. (Click the headline to read the full article) A recent article in the New York Times summarizes the situation perfectly.

...The suspicion flared in recent weeks — and not for the first time — after President Obama was criticized by women’s advocates and liberal bloggers for hosting a high-level basketball game with no female players.

So basically the problem seems to be that Obama likes to hang out with the boys in his “off” hours. Some people of course insist on extrapolating a larger problem as the article goes on to detail.

The technical foul over the all-male game has become a nagging concern for a White House that has battled an impression dating to the presidential campaign that Mr. Obama’s closest advisers form a boys’ club and that he is too frequently in the company of only men — not just when playing sports, but also when making big decisions.

The article then goes on to offer a fairly intelligent dissection of the perceived problem, and the countering logic that many within the Obama White House offer. My favorite two quotes come from women staffers.

Other women in the administration say that any discussion of White House culture should account for how politics has long been dominated by men but is now more inclusive. Ms. Dunn, who had to take a typing test three decades ago to work for a campaign, rejects the notion of a boys’ club. She calls the Obama administration “refreshingly un-self-conscious” about matters of equality, maybe to a point where they neglected the “optics” of the all-male basketball game. Ms. Dunn said that she recently hosted a baby shower for an administration official and that no men from the office were invited. She is comfortable with that...

The simple fact of the matter is that since time out of mind, almost all men and women enjoy spending some time in the company of their own gender. And while certainly it would not hurt people to be more inclusive, to insist that something as simple as an off duty basketball game, only including one gender, means that all the other on duty aspects of Obama's White House are automatically suspect, is to my mind more than a bit specious. It seems to me sometimes, that my brothers and sisters in the Liberal Progressive world are attempting to hold Obama up to a standard so high that he is automatically doomed to fail and be damned for it. This quote especially seems to reek of such thinking.

One Democratic media strategist says that while Mr. Obama does place women in important roles, his comfort level with staff members is not always perceived as equal. “There is a sense that Obama has a certain jocular familiarity with the men that he doesn’t have with the women,” said Tracy Sefl...”

So let me see if I've got this straight. Obama is to be condemned not for what he does, but the way he does it? Because in a culture where some people take oversensitivity to a new level of artistry, Obama might be more mindful of what he says to and around women than he might around his own gender, that automatically makes his attempts at creating a more gender-balanced staff meaningless? Because I'm sure that women speak completely freely and without any hesitation or unease around men. Right? Frankly I'm reminded of my grandmother. When I was a young man I had a horrible temper. So I worked incredibly hard to gain control of it. And I had some success. So one day, full of self pride, I told my grandmother how much better I was doing. Her response, “But it's obvious control, everyone can see it.” Finally then there is another point to ponder. The President seems to be offering a weak and wishy-washy defense of the public option, effectively selling out meaningful health care reform, just the same way that he has sold out the unions by failing to give any backing to the Employee Free Choice Act, or the way he has sold out those who had hoped he would at least manage to get us out of Iraq, and maybe just maybe out of Afghanistan too. Obama is quickly shaping up to be more politician than leader, and most of the “change” he's been bringing us so far, has not moved us anywhere far enough, nor fast enough from what has been done by recent presidents most notably Clinton, and Bush Jr. Yet Obama, and the gender make up of his basketball games is the most important thing some people can find to write about? But by all means let's focus on who does or doesn't get to play basketball with the Prez. I'm sure that the thousands suffering and dying in sickness and poverty will be the first to laud your efforts on their behalf. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters! The following resources were used in the creation of this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/us/politics/25vibe.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

The One About Worthless Versus Pointless.

2009-11-11T20:34:07.042Z

This article originally appeared at The One About...

Well, it seems that health care reform is hurtling down the home stretch. And to the guarded delight of Progressives everywhere, it looks as if there will indeed be some kind of a public option. The first problem is whether or not it will be what they call a “robust” public option. Most likely it won't be. The second much larger problem is that the final bill will most likely have provisions that make the public option all but meaningless. >Either the public option will lay dormant, unless a so called “trigger” is pulled, in which case basically unless certain conditions are met, and it is voted on successfully, the public option will not be enacted, since the trigger will most likely be easily maneuvered around and will not be automatic. Or there will be a public option, but individual states will be able to “opt out” of offering it. Which means basically that it would be possible to have a public option in say Pennsylvania, but not one right next door in Maryland. As for all the many reasons why the trigger is basically a pile of crap, click here to read “The Trigger Is A Lie” at The Huffington Post by Cenk Uygur. And as for this opt-out bullshit, apparently I need to say it again, and louder. WE ARE ONE NATION AND STATES RIGHTS IS MOSTLY BULLSHIT! So what are we going to let states opt out of next? How about the Federal minimum wage? Why not let states opt out of it and pay the wage slaves whatever in the hell they feel like? Let's bring back the dollar twenty five an hour wage. What about the state of the highways? If a state doesn't like the Federal standard to which they are expected to keep the roads, let them opt out of it, and keep the roads in any damn condition they like. Or how about Congress pulls it's head out of its ass, and its pecker out of the insurance industries pocket, and passes some kind of meaningful legislation? (Yeah, radical notion I know.) Legislation with a public option. That is in place from the start without any bullshit trigger. That no state has the ability to opt out of. Failing that, I've got an even more radical idea, let's take note of everyone's vote, and any one of them who vote for this kind of crap, let's not only vote them out of their current office, but using the power of the Internet let's keep tabs on them to make sure they don't ever get elected to anything ever again. Or, you know, we can all continue to be cynical and apathetic. I mean it seems to be working so well for us all so far. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters! The following resources were used in the creation of this article: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/26-8 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/the-trigger-is-a-lie_b_334426.html http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/8/791025/-Only-a-Sucker-Takes-The-First-OfferNo-to-the-Opt-Out-Option

The One About The Danger Of Blind Allegiance.

2009-11-10T16:31:47.559Z

This article originally appeared at The One About...

So apparently President Obama committed the one unpardonable political sin. He dared to open his mouth and make a blunt statement. He called Fox news on the fact that they are not a news organization at all, but rather an unofficial arm of the Republican party. Now as to be expected the fine fucks at Fox had a little bit of a big problem with this. After all there's nothing that a liar and a cheat likes less than being called a liar and a cheat. What has been unexpected is the way that others in the mainstream media have rallied to Fox's defense. They seem to be adhering to the kind of “an attack on one is an attack on all” thinking that one often sees in professions such as law enforcement and medicine. Frankly I am not a fan of that kind of thinking. In my experience it usually results in the scum fucks of the world getting away with murder (figurative and sometimes literal) while the decent folk they've conned into defending them usually wind up getting the shaft. I have seen this effect first hand. My father has worked in the timber industry his entire life. When he started it was a booming industry wherein it was possible to make a good living. At this point it has largely gone the way of things like steel mills, being down to only the largest companies, making millions, if not billions, and the few fringe operators, eking out a living. My father, like most people who work in a natural resource oriented industry, was very proud of his work, and quick to defend it against people who would demonize it. I can recall during the eighties that attempts were made to introduce legislation that would have reined in the amount of timber that could be harvested at one time, especially through the process known as clear cutting. Every time such legislation was up for consideration the industry giants, such as Weyerhauser and ITT Ranier, would start agitating against it. They would attempt to whip all the mills, even the very small ones into a frenzy using the “attack on one is an attack on all” logic. And they were usually successful. Meanwhile the reality was that the amount of timber being harvested was so great that American mills did not have the ability to use it all. So the industry giants were selling it to places like Canada and Japan, thereby making themselves a hefty profit. The Canadians and Japanese, then proceeded to put large metal bolts in the wood and sink it. Moving forward about ten years, the amount of available timber is greatly reduced, and much of it is under government control. Now laws have been passed that put much stronger controls over how much can be logged and in what ways. There are a wide variety of hoops to be jumped through. Now who do you suppose has the money and the means to jump through all those hoops? It certainly isn't the small independent operators. Oh no. Rather it is those very same giants, who were busy clear cutting every acre they could, while fighting legislation they knew to be inevitable. So while they are still able to do quite well for themselves, what do you suppose the independent operators are left with? If you said the wood sold to the Japanese and Canadians, you are oh so very right. Wood that had been under water for sometimes over ten years. Have you ever seen a piece of wood that has been left to soak for a good long time? Suffice to say, it is not the best looking nor most useable wood to be had. There are a great many people like my father who have been out of work, or only been able to work intermittently, all because back when they could have played a part in reining in these out of control giants, instead they took their side and came to their defense. Something similar is likely to happen to the mainstream media. In fact it may already be happening, and it might just be too late to stop it. You see most of us are not exactly stupid. We may not be able to describe the smell of bullshit, but boy do we know it when it hits our noses. To most of us Fox has smelled of bullshit for a long, long time now. And these other groups, when they rush to Fox's defense start to stink more than a little bit themselves. My advice is for other news organizations to simply report the facts of the situation, and then step away from Fox and let the chips fall where they may. Having said that, however I do have to join with John Nichols over at The Nation in wondering if maybe, just maybe our President's time might not have been better served using some of that blunt talk on the insurance companies. Of course I'm sure the fact that Fox news has never contributed to Obama's campaigns, neither for Senator, nor for President and the insurance/health care industry has, has nothing at all to do with that. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters! The following resources were used in the creation of this article: http://www.theweek.com/article/index/101988/Anderson_Cooper_Media_vs_Obama http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/26-9

The One About Has The Sleeping Giant Been Awoken At Last?

2009-11-09T18:53:17.752Z

This article originally appeared at The One About...

The One About Has The Sleeping Giant Been Awoken At Last? It seems like everyone falls in and out of love so quickly these days. No one really seems to want to put in the work it takes to make a relationship last long term. If you read the papers they are full of stories of couples who meet, are hot and heavy for a while, and then part acrimoniously. Like Brad and Jen, Ben and Jen, Britney and K Fed, The Insurance Industry and Washington DC. So sad. At first it was all roses, and Champagne, and chocolates. The governing types swore they were going to get health reform right this time. The insurance industry vowed that this time they'd help instead of hinder. It was all so romantic. And then as so often happens, one partner said or did something that offended the other partner, and everything quickly went from lovey dovey to a replay of scenes from the movie The War Of The Roses. Basically, it all started to go wrong once Congress started talking about not including in the final reform bill the individual mandate that would have required everyone to buy insurance. Suddenly the Insurance Industry saw their obscenely huge potential profits fluttering away and they reverted to type and went on the attack. This resulted in President Obama taking them to task in his weekly address, and saying in no uncertain terms that a closer examination of the industry's exemption from anti-trust legislation might be in order. This of course was not met with hugs and puppies by the insurance industry, who have instead stepped up their anti-reform rhetoric. Well, now Congress has gotten into the act, quickly working to put forth legislation making good on the President's threat. The legislation would either be a complete work unto itself, or it would be part of the final reform bill. That'll show 'em. Maybe. The problem is that to the discerning eye this whole scenario is seeming awfully familiar. After all it wasn't that long ago that Wall Street companies, who had taken large chunks of bailout money, were discovered to be paying out ridiculously huge bonuses. The public was outraged. Outraged enough that suddenly those in Congress started to fear for not just their cinchy jobs, but their heads as well. In a flash there was all kinds of fine sounding rhetoric being bandied about. Talk of taxing the bonuses at one hundred percent etc. But of course as we know, all that talked resulted in nothing whatsoever being done. Most likely it will be the exact same thing this time. In short Congress will do their usual something. Sadly it just won't be something that means something. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters! The following resources were used in the creation of this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33414313/ns/politics-health_care_reform/

The One About Someone Out There Finally Gets It!

2009-10-30T18:11:45.995Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)

I'm a techno junkie, but being a poor techno junkie I'm pretty much restricted to reading and salivating about the latest gadgets to come down the pike. However just because I don't own a lot of these high end, and rather expensive things doesn't mean that I don't pay attention to what is going on as regards their development. I followed the hoo-hah regarding file sharing and illegal music downloads for years before I actually was able to afford an MP3 player, and the development of E-books has been no different. I've seen the very early ones come along, and I've been reading all about the Kindle and the pros and cons of that device. Then the other day I come across the news that Barnes and Noble is going to be launching their own electronic book device. Okay, well I guess that's (Yawn) interesting. But then when I was reading a round up about the new device called a Nook, over at The Week's website, I discovered something that really made me sit up and take notice. You can “lend” your books to other Nook users. And in a move that surely should mollify all but the most churlish of intellectual property champions, anything that you lend is not accessible on your unit for the duration of the loan. Just like what would happen if you lent out a real book. How simple, and yet how brilliant, a way for people to share E-books, and yet there is no risk of copyright violation. My only question is why in the hell didn't anyone think of this ages ago. Frankly it would have helped to forestall at least some of the problems, and would have given the record companies a way to prove they were not actually as backwards and money hungry as frankly they have appeared and still appear to be. Perhaps this should stand as a lesson to others about what you can accomplish when you expend more energy trying to solve a problem than defending an ultimately untenable and unworkable position. Are you listening traditional media? Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

The One About The Next Time You Think State Government Is Automatically Superior To Federal Government Look At The Income Tax Forms.

2009-10-30T18:07:39.578Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)

Before I begin this article I'd like to congratulate myself for the longest title in The One About...'s short but self-important history. And now moving right along... Serendipity is a funny thing. Sometimes it amazes me how something that I will say or be thinking will have an echo in the press be it the mainstream media, or opinion journalism. For example, last week I finally filled out and sent in my and The Love Of My Life's Federal Income Tax returns. I knew we were owed refunds and I had tried to send them electronically but that hit a snag and I hadn't gotten around to mailing them in, what with the move and all. So finally I did. And then I tried to do the state ones. We had, in the course of the previous year moved, so there were returns for both our former state, and the one we had moved to during the interim period before our move to Texas. The Federal forms did not take terribly long at all. It was that old standby the 1040 EZ. I had all the data entered and the completed returns printed out in a bit over an hour, and I was not pushing the pace at all. And then I went to do the state forms. They were a mess. Pennsylvania's form is not that complicated, but they seem to have discovered a magical formula whereby to insure that no one who has not hired three lawyers, two accountants, and a Sherpa will be getting more than a pennies refund. West Virginia's form is this long elaborate collection of gibberish that I feel quite certain is only understandable with a PhD in babble. I finally gave up in disgust, put the Federal returns in envelopes and sent them on their merry way. After I had done all that I looked at TLOML and said, “I'll tell you something, the next person who starts carrying on about how wonderfully state government runs things and how horribly the Federal government does, can just come on over as I've got a couple of spare state income tax forms to insert rectally. Sideways.” Then just days after saying this I find yet another person proclaiming that healthcare reform would probably be alright. So long as it's not run by the Federal government, but rather controlled by the states. Should the States Run Public Insurance Instead?

A few ideas dribbling out of the Senate last week set off another flurry of debate over health care: Maybe it should be state-based! The principle appeals to Republicans because it keeps the federal government about as far as possible from running a public insurance plan.

Now the article in question is very well written and the author concludes that while giving the states broad powers it would be essential that firm guidelines be set forth from the Federal level, and that there be enough flex between states that you would not automatically lose your coverage just because you move from one state to another, especially if the move is a relatively short one, like from say the Texas side of the Texas/New Mexico border to the New Mexico side. The problem is that I am fairly good at guessing what the Republicants will do. They will work swiftly and steadily to make any kind of Federal guidelines nearly meaningless, and what will be left will be a contradictory mish-mash that will be confusing, and will result in people thinking they are covered, who have moved, and then finding out when they need it the most that Whoopsie!, they were wrong. But then again, what do you expect when Newt Gingrich, one of the loudest

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voices in the Republican party, has declared that any “bad” healthcare reform legislation can be repealed in 2012. “Bad” of course being code for any legislation that does not favor the Corporate Masters to whom they are beholden, or endorse their world view wherein health care is a privilege not a right. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

The One About I Don't Want To Sound Like Sir Boring Old Fart Here But...

2009-10-30T18:04:50.147Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)

Is it just me or are we striving for a new low lately? I mean I understand that American culture has always flirted with the edges of “taste” and “decency” while at the same time behaving with a sense of self righteous judgmentalism that would have made our Puritan forezealots proud. But in the last few days I have seen the more extreme ends of both and I can't say that I like what I see. First there was the cover to the latest Cosmo. Now I'm used to the low level T&A fest that is the cover of each month's issue

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of Cosmopolitan. And I'm used to the cover text, which promises on a regular basis the seven sex secrets every woman should know, etc., etc. However as I was glancing at the current cover with Kim Kardashian on it (and BTW how fucking frightening is it that I am able to recognize these people by sight?) and I saw a bold red circle with black lettering proclaiming it their “Bad Girls” issue or some such nonsense. I frankly didn't pay it much mind. But then as I drew closer to the magazine I was able to see the much tinier print below that. “For sexy bitches only!” W!T!F?!?! Now, while I am not a believer in the notion that everything in the world should be made “safe” for the eyes and ears of children, I am a believer that in the public sphere care should be taken so as to be as respectful as possible to the greatest number of people within reason. While this is a delicate balance, I can't imagine how anyone in their right mind would think that putting “For sexy bitches only!” on the cover of a magazine sold in just about every venue imaginable where anyone, including and especially kids could see the damn thing, was right, appropriate, or in good taste. Frankly it would be every bit as inappropriate if someone started reciting The Vagina Monologues at the top of their lungs in the middle of Wal-Mart. (And for the record, I don't want to hear about anybody's genitals. I just don't need to know. Also please spare me amusing anecdotes about the time that your senile aunt Myrtle mistook you for your mom's dead cousin Lurleen.) Then there is the flip side. Recently Meghan McCain posted a snap shot of herself to Twitter. It's a picture of her holding a book with Andy Warhol on the cover, she has a hair band in and is wearing a black tank top. Apparently because of this picture she has been called a large number of fairly derogatory things, up to and including “slut”. For posting a picture? Now I'm not unwilling to consider that this is her way of drumming up a little publicity, but then again I'm a cynical bastard. However knowing exactly how little a woman has to do, to be labeled “slut”, I tend to imagine that those making negative comments fall into one of a few categories. First there are guys who desperately wish it were true. In their case I would like to share with them the advice that David Krumholtz's character in Ten Things I Hate About You, gives to Joseph Gordon Levitt's, “Put her in your spank bank and move on.” Next there are women who see a young woman who is blonde, attractive, and not terribly self conscious, and they are jealous. For them I have no advice, except that maybe if you spent more time working on yourself, whether it's diet, or exercise, or just coming to accept your body the way it is, maybe you'd be happier. Hating and denigrating others will never accomplish anything. And finally there are those, both men and women who really believe that a woman who dares to show the least little bit of flesh must surely be of loose and easy virtue and poor character. My advice to those people is to join the rest of us in the twenty first century, and try not to trip over the twentieth where most of society has shed such tired notions. Now I'm not going to deny that Ms. McCain is an attractive young woman and the picture certainly doesn't hide that. However I think my comments in the first half of this article should clearly demonstrate that I am more than aware of the difference between tasteful and tasteless, between appropriate and inappropriate, between classy and vulgar. I not only am aware of the difference, but I'm even willing to publicly proclaim my opinions for all the Internet loving world to see. I see nothing in that picture worthy of scorn or shame. It's an attractive young woman who is rather curvy, in a relaxed setting, wearing casual clothing. No different than a lot of pictures on the Internet of both men and women in similar settings. Anyone who wants to make more out of it, especially if they are doing so simply because of who her dad is, really just needs to grow up and get over themselves. Now be good or I'll find pictures of Rush Limbaugh in a Speedo and make you look at them. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

The One About Let Me Be Sure I Read This Right.

2009-10-30T18:01:56.192Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)

I stand (virtually) before you, with a confession to make to you my loyal reader(s?). I am an idiot. No, not just an idiot. I am the king of the idiots. I have been following politics closely for coming upon a year in a few more months. I should know better by now. All the naiveté should have been driven from my body like a flu bug fleeing a drug. But nope, I had to go, and think to myself that I had seen all the selfish stupidity and quisling cowardice that Congress had to offer. And then I see something like this that not only proves me wrong, but reminds me how stupid it is to think that there is any depth to which some if not most politicians will sink. Hill Aides: More Senators Would Back Public Plan If Obama Pushed Harder The headline kind of says it all, doesn't it? But the infuriating details don't quit.

“Democratic aides said that a "handful" of senators who are skeptical of a public plan likely could be persuaded if not to support it then at least to oppose a Republican filibuster, if the administration were to apply a bit more pressure -- or even guidance. "I think folks in general in Congress were looking to the president to clearly define his feeling on the issue," another aide said. "And I don't think he has done that on the public option from the get-go... With a lot of senators nervous because of elections or other political dynamics, it would be helpful for the president to send a strong signal that this is what he wants in the final bill."”

So let me see if I'm understanding this correctly. Let me make sure I'm perfectly clear. There are people in Congress who may not vote for a strong public option, because President Obama didn't tell them to? Well you know I think Mary Steenburgen said it best when she said, “What the fucking fuck?!” Seriously. Now maybe I've been completely misunderstanding the point of Congress, but I thought that the point was to craft the best legislation possible and then have it voted on. And that one's vote was supposed to be dictated by what one believes is best for the nation at large and one's constituents in particular. But perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps it's really

Molly Ringwald via last.fm

Congress's job to dance and caper and spend all their time and energy trying to make sure that the President approves of what they are doing, and if they aren't a hundred percent certain that their actions will keep them in his favor they should wait, breathlessly like Molly Ringwald waiting for that really cute guy to call and make their little lives complete. You know I've kind of declared a self imposed moratorium on mentioning our last President, but really and truly did we not get enough of this kind of bullshit with eight years under Bush Jr.? I mean I could be wrong, but maybe, just maybe the reason Obama hasn't provided more “ pressure -- or even guidance” is because he expects the fine fucks in Congress to be fucking adults, and professionals and do their goddamn jobs. Not be a bunch of simpering children that he has to take by the

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hand and lead them down the legislative path. I mean what are they going to do for an encore? I can see it now... “Dear Mr. President, please excuse my son from voting his conscience as he cannot think for himself as he has shingles and gout. Signed Ben Nelson's mother.” Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

The One About Even A Broken Clock Is Right Twice A Day.

2009-10-30T17:57:33.313Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)

So, out of a clear blue sky, comes the news that Rush Limbaugh had been hoping to invest in the St. Louis Rams, and was turned down by the NFL for one or two off the cuff comments that he might have made in the past, that some people were choosing to interpret in a negative fashion. Poor, poor, innocent Rush. Now before we go any further, allow me to establish my bonafides. I am officially on record as a proud member of the Rush Limbaugh Anti-Fan Club! I have written in the past about my loathing for the man. He is a divisive bigot, and worse than that I am quite certain he is disingenuous. What he says would be loathsome enough if he truly believed it. However, I am quite certain that he says what he does because he knows it gets him attention. Media attention, audience attention, and in the last couple of years Government attention. If the man thought there was more money to be made in carrying on about the joy of cooking, he'd be wearing an apron and wishing us Bon Appetit at the end of every broadcast. Having said that, I will admit that I was initially in total agreement with the people who were scratching their heads in wonderment over how in the hell dog murder/torturer/rape facilitator Michael Vick gets to slide right back into the NFL, while Limbaugh (who odious though he might be) has done nothing worse than a little prescription drug fraud, and some lite hate speech (from the same people who brought you lite beer and lite FM no doubt) has been shown the door. Then it suddenly dawned on me. This situation is greatly paralleled by the very neat (and yes I know very apocryphal) story about North American native peoples and the first European boats. The story... Yes, yes the totally made up, popularized by What The Bleep Do We Know?, story in short is that when the Europeans first showed up, the natives were not able to see their ships, because they had nothing in their experience to draw from so they just couldn't process what they were seeing, so they “blanked” it out. Great story. Full of holes, I know. But that's not the point. The point is that the story is a metaphor and as metaphor it's a darn good one. It's a metaphor for the way that when something is outside of your experience range, you are usually less able to deal with it than if it had been inside of your experience range. “So what in the hell does this have to do with Vick, and Limbaugh?” I can hear you asking. Good question and I'm glad you asked it. In short, the NFL really doesn't quite understand the danger, both present and potential, that Vick represents. For one thing, opinion is divided enough that they know full well that there will never be enough of an Anti-Vick movement as to hurt their bottom line. Further more, the victims of Vick's actions were dogs. And while I'm sure many at the ownership level of these teams “Love” animals, they probably really only view them as pets and status symbols, the way many do. Plus I strongly suspect that they have, over the last several years, grown rather jaded with the antics of various NFL players. As a result I suspect that most of them see Vick's actions as just more of the same. Maybe a little more extreme than most, but nothing to get too bent out of shape about. Plus of course Vick is black, and the downside to the greater awareness around racial issues that has grown over the last several decades, is a fear by many white people in positions of power and authority that any move taken against a black person, even a wholly legitimate move (like denying Vick an easy return to the NFL) will be seen as racist. An appearance that they all avoid like the proverbial plague. And then there's Rush. A rich, fairly powerful white guy, saying a lot of fairly backwards crap about a lot of things, especially lately black people. Now this is a threat that the big white wigs in NFL Land can immediately recognize and understand. In fact the only way the danger would be more obvious to them, is if a large bubble headed robot were standing nearby, it's arms flailing wildly as it shouted “Danger! Danger!” The fine folks at the NFL know exactly what to do with a situation like that. Put the racist windbag down and run, don't walk, run away as far as you can, before the stink of racism gets on you. Which is exactly what they've done. And that is a fine thing they've done. Limbaugh frankly does not need to be rewarded for his bile spewing any more than he already has been. Now if we could just get Vick on tape opining how dogs should sit at the back of the bus, maybe, we'll have a better chance getting the NFL on board with that situation too. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

The One About What's Coming This Week.

2009-10-30T18:33:42.328Z

Hi all. As you may have noticed I am returned to these environs and happy to be here. Because of not having internet at the house I am going to be running a week behind posting here. Here's a preview of what you'll be seeing from me in this coming week. The One About Even A Broken Clock Is Right Twice A Day. So, out of a clear blue sky, comes the news that Rush Limbaugh had been hoping to invest in the St. Louis Rams, and was turned down by the NFL for one or two off the cuff comments that he might have made in the past, that some people were choosing to interpret in a negative fashion. Poor, poor, innocent Rush. (Look for this story on Monday 11/02/09) The One About Let Me Be Sure I Read This Right. I stand (virtually) before you, with a confession to make to you my loyal reader(s?). I am an idiot. No, not just an idiot. I am the king of the idiots. I have been following politics closely for coming upon a year in a few more months. I should know better by now. All the naiveté should have been driven from my body like a flu bug fleeing a drug. But nope, I had to go, and think to myself that I had seen all the selfish stupidity and quisling cowardice that Congress had to offer. And then I see something like this that not only proves me wrong, but reminds me how stupid it is to think that there is any depth to which some if not most politicians will sink. (You'll find this story here on Tuesday 11/03/09) The One About I Don't Want To Sound Like Sir Boring Old Fart Here But... Is it just me or are we striving for a new low lately? I mean I understand that American culture has always flirted with the edges of “taste” and “decency” while at the same time behaving with a sense of self righteous judgmentalism that would have made our Puritan forezealots proud. But in the last few days I have seen the more extreme ends of both and I can't say that I like what I see. (This story will publish to WeOpEd on Wednesday 11/04/09) The One About The Next Time You Think State Government Is Automatically Superior To Federal Government Look At The Income Tax Forms. Before I begin this article I'd like to congratulate myself for the longest title in The One About...'s short but self-important history. And now moving right along... Serendipity is a funny thing. Sometimes it amazes me how something that I will say or be thinking will have an echo in the press be it the mainstream media, or opinion journalism. (Check back on Thursday 11/05/09 for this story.) The One About Someone Out There Finally Gets It! I'm a techno junkie, but being a poor techno junkie I'm pretty much restricted to reading and salivating about the latest gadgets to come down the pike. However just because I don't own a lot of these high end, and rather expensive things doesn't mean that I don't pay attention to what is going on as regards their development. (This story will be coming your way Friday 11/06/09)

The One About A Real American Hero!

2009-10-30T17:51:37.744Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...)

It is said that every generation thinks they are the first to discover sex, drugs, and rebellion, and there is a lot of truth to that saying. I would suggest that another thing that could be added to the list is the idea that all people are deserving of equality regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. It is so tempting to assume that anyone over a certain age must not really be as open minded as the rest of us. Especially when that person is white, male, hetero, Christian, and a Republican. But sometimes you get reminded that being any of those things is no barrier to being a decent person who believes, truly believes in equality for all. Phillip Spooner is one such man. The video that I've embedded is from April of this year and in it he talks about being at his local polling place the previous June and being asked if he believed in equal rights for gay people. A question that at first he did not know how to respond to as he cons

Image via Wikipedia

idered it somewhat absurd. Finally he replied, “What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?” He then goes on to talk about seeing the ovens at Buchenwald and Dachau and then he says, “I've seen with my own eyes the consequences of caste systems that make some people less than others or second class. Never again.” Finally in talking about his own children one of whom is a gay man he says, “It doesn't make no sense that some people who love each other can marry and others can't just because of who they are.” “My wife and I did not raise four sons with the idea that three of them would have a certain set of rights but our gay child would be left out. We raised them all to be hard working, proud, and loyal Americans. And they all did good.” What is he says is good, and right, and true. And to hear it come from someone who grew up in times that were much different than my own, reminds me of the reasons why I don't just give up on the whole human race. So thank you Mr. Spooner, not only for raising your children well and standing behind all of them, but also for having the courage to speak out. And most importantly thank you for restoring a little bit of my faith in the potential for decency in my fellow humans. You sir truly are an American hero. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

How Government Regulators are Crippling America's Growth - By Lance Winslow

2009-10-23T18:27:08.651Z

By Lance Winslow October 23, 2009 Most people believe that the business regulations which are put into place are done so to help the consumer and the public from unethical business people and for fraud. Well, it turns out that many who work in the government actually believe this, as does most of our population. Unfortunately, the reality is that most government regulation in industry and enforceable on to businesspeople is put there because one particular business wanted to stop their competitors, and wanted to have a monopoly in the sector. Therefore, they call up their local politician whose political campaign they are constantly funding, and explain that a new law or rule is needed. And any time a citizen, or consumers group complains about a certain industry or particular Corporation, that corporations sends their lawyers over to join in the rulemaking committees in our government. They make sure that whatever methods they use in their business become the new standards, and anyone doing it any other way is to be enforced and regulated. The more the consumers complain the better it is for the corporations because they are directly involved in all the rules and regulations as they are being made in our government. Consumers think they are doing everyone a favor by getting more rules and regulations on businesses, but all they are really doing is preventing competition in the marketplace from startup companies that might compete against the big Corporation which has been around for a while and has all the right political connections. Therefore, all the people who think they are doing good are being used by the people who are doing unethical things. And all the rules and regulations are manipulated by the unethical folks, against the good business folks. This is how government regulators are crippling America's growth, stifling competition, and it is also how the consumer groups are making things much worse than they ever dreamed of. It is often amazing to me how come folks haven't figured this out, Adam Smith warned us about this over 200 years ago. Wake up people.

Are Angry Young African Americans Recruitment Target for Islamic Radical Home Grown Terroists?

2009-10-23T09:02:02.349Z

It seems highly un-politically correct to mention this, but it also seems highly unfortunate if it is ignored. So I ask the question; Are Angry Young African Americans Recruitment Target for Islamic Radical Home Grown Terroists? The answer would of course be a Yes or No answer, and it is a matter of national security, even if it is a sensative issue due to Political Correctness. So, let's discuss this and leave your emotions, political correctness, race, and politics at home. Otherwise; click out and forget it, as you do not have the emotional IQ or intellectual behavior needed to discuss this. Addtionally, this is a news item because one of the DC Shooters will be executed for his terroristic crimes on November 10, and quite frankly we do not need any repeats or to give any ideas to any radical elements in our society. It seems that many rather radical Islamic Groups in the US work very hard to recruit angry young African American males into their groups. Now, it does seem safe to say that there is a little racism going on in America, and any young African American male knows this, even if it is not spoken, you can tell by the looks one gets, when someone is thinking something negative, we all know what that feels like. We also realize that due to circumstances and unseen barriers that it is more difficult for a young African American male that is born into an area of gangs or inner city displacement that being successful in life is quite the challenge. All these issues, plus others, and yes, some are responsibility issues within each young man, things are tougher, and success is harder due to fewer opportunities that present themselves. This is no excuse, as we all know, since everyone makes their own breaks in the world, and one cannot dwell on the hand they were dealt, rather they must rise above it all. Luckily, there are more than enough super-star successes amongst the Black Americans as examples and role models. Nevertheless, there is resentment and anger still afoot, and the Islamic radical group recruiters find it easy to turn and mold our young men into objects to serve their own will. A will that unfortunately clashes strongly with American Society and becomes a problem for our nation's culture; worse, with the advent of terrorist attacks on our homeland the challenges become a real problem, as we are worried about home grown terrorism; so, one has to ask; "Are Radical Black Organizations in America a Lead in for Radical Homegrown Islamic Terrorists?" Yes, unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening, and it is a real problem. There I said it.

The True Cost of Free Health Care

2009-10-16T20:40:35.135Z

Less than a year into his presidency, Barack Obama has proposed a major reform to our health insurance system. While most can agree the current system is broken or soon to be, why is President Obama pushing so hard and fast for health insurance reform? A decision that inflicts such huge “change,” impacting every man, woman and child in the nation, should not be made so hastily. Even if health insurance reform is approved this year, the policy would not take effect until 2013, so why should we hurry up just to wait? The “change” suggested is to help America’s health care system run more efficiently. The government believes they can run one of the largest sectors of our economy better than the businesses the sector is comprised of. OK government – if you want to run America’s businesses, why not run America like a business. Consider making a decision like a major corporation would. Take the time to fully weigh each option, the feasibility, profitability and gather the opinion of the public as well as experts on the topic. The government needs to think of the public like their stockholders: it is their money that is being used to fund this massive plan and it is only fair they receive a detailed prospectus that does not leave out any of the gritty details of ObamaCare, including all of the tax hikes proposed to fund this massive reform. Stockholders can also vote on changes - the American taxpayer should get the same right, especially in a democratic system such as ours. A business, particularly one that is publicly held, needs to disclose all positives and negatives of any suggested change and most will perform studies on projected effectiveness and cost, before taking action. So why won’t Washington? As a country, we have not addressed the elephant in the room – our ability to pay for Obama’s plan. When former President George W. Bush left office the national debt was $700 billion, the highest debt ever recorded, and now, less than a year into Mr. Obama’s term, the national debt has already quadrupled to $11.9 trillion. Putting ourselves in more debt does not seem like an intelligent, business savvy move, it seems irresponsible, yet the Obama administration pushes onward. If Mr. Obama wants to be a good businessman, he should consider doing his due diligence first and analyze all options before making a rash decision. After all, Obama wants to the country to be successful for the long haul…doesn’t he? The Health Insurance Crisis America is home to more than 45.7 million uninsured people who still receive health care. The uninsured are driving up health care costs, which reached $2.5 trillion nationally this year. To remedy the situation, the government has suggested providing more insurance that is subsidized. What is astounding about this is the proposed cost: more than $800 billion over a 10-year period, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Obama has stated the cost of the plan will be absorbed due to the savings the country will experience from not having to pay the bill for the millions of uninsured. How are we not? So, how are we really going to pay for this? New taxes… lots and lots of new taxes. Take a look at the two current government healthcare programs, Medicare and Medicaid, which combined cover 29 percent of the U.S. population and are responsible for 50 percent of the total health care costs in the country. Is government really doing a better job at keeping costs down? In addition to the government programs, further government regulations on health insurance companies is one of the primary reasons for the rising costs of health care. This includes, prohibiting competition across state lines and the lack of tort reform, which could help put a stop to frivolous lawsuits by patients, costing health insurance companies who have no recourse and ultimately pass the cost of defending the lawsuits on to the consumer. And let us not forget that America leads the world in health care innovations and advancements, which directly correlates to lives saved, something you can hardly put a price tag on. The suggestion that there is no cost to this plan and that the more than $800 billion will be nullified, is idyllic and absurd! Everything costs something; there is no such thing as a free lunch. The money to pay for health insurance reform will come out of the already stretched wallets of the American taxpayer in a few different forms. An expected source of income for the Obama plan is a rise in taxes. Sin taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and sodas are expected to be enacted. There are also bills in the Senate Finance Committee that tax wealthy Americans more heavily. Even with all the taxes being thrust upon the wealthy and the average citizen, many economists believe the plan is still economically unfeasible. In addition to increasing taxes, the Senate Finance Committee has proposed a penalty charged by the Internal Revenue Service for not buying insurance, up to $750 per person. Does this sound like a democracy? A lesson from others… While some Americans would say the grass is greener on the other side - that the French or Canadian systems cost less and run more efficiently - socialized medicine is not quite as “free” as one might think. The wealthiest citizens in Canada pay more than 50 percent of their income to their governments to fund health care programs, and the wealthiest citizens in France pay just over 70 percent in taxes. Both countries also have sales taxes and surtaxes to cover health care costs. The supposed benefit of socialized medicine is that there is care for all, but the quality of that care, especially when examined in context of its price, is only adequate. There are not as many health innovations, new prescriptions drugs or miracle cures that come from socialized countries; the United States is responsible for a hefty percentage of health care revolutions and, while it is pricy, our care is not just adequate, it is recognized as some of the best in the world. For all the money that is being bled from taxpayers in France and Canada, superior care should be delivered. Reflecting on America’s current attempts at government run health care, another similar endeavor seems premature. Medicare and Medicaid funds are drying up daily; Social Security will be begin running at a deficit in 2016, but will stay on life-support until funds are completely depleted in 2037 (this is according to the Social Security Administration). Even the Post Office will have a deficit of $4.7 billion in 2009, while UPS and FedEx continue to earn substantial profits as private sector enterprises. It is difficult to trust a government that has let its “public” options and national programs become so strained. We must ask ourselves, does the end justify the means? America cannot afford the proposed health care reform. It is time to find a solution that is more than a bandage. Take your time Washington. The world’s finest health care system is at a crossroads. No, we don’t have a perfect system, but it is still light years ahead of any other country. Make sure reform brings justice and liberty to all.

The Rising Obama Democrats

2009-09-21T01:50:58.399Z

About the emerging dichotomy in the Rebulican party between those who wish to connect to and those who wish to be dis-connected from the so- called tea parties, town hall meetings and the paltry amount of people who protested at the Washington mall last weekend. It is many times purported that the average American citizen is moderate in relation to issues and does not fall into the extreme catergories of the left or right. However if one observed the protest against healthcare reform in Washington DC last weekend one saw many signs with extreme messages- spewing hate and intolerance. This fact provides evidence that the group on the mall could not have been a very large sample, as it seemed that most of those who arrived were comprized of what would have to be considered " the extreme." Many conservative analyst either in the newspapers or on televison informed that the presentaion of people with these visceral messages only served to harm the conservative movement and that most conservative thinking people would not wish to be seen in such a poor light. If the crowd was indeed impressive, the dominant message presented would have been more even tempered and thoughtful. The extreme commenators in the media- Hannity, et. al- would have one believe that most people are against the current president and his administration's policies; when this is clearly not the case. The elections in 2010 should hopefully make it known that liberal minded people are the dominant national force and probably will be for the next thirty years. What the Rebublican party will do until then one can only wait and observe. If it looks very much as if president Obama is strong in the polls around 2012- who will be the sacrificial lamb for the Republican presidential nominee? I would not be surprized if they cajole Sarah Palin-to do it. For now they are keeping her out of the lime light in order that she does not embarrass herself to the point where she would not even serve as sacrifical lamb. A strong public option in health care is demanded by the vast majority of people and as president Obama informs 2/3's of the cost will come from more effecient spending of the current two trillion being spent on Health Care and the other 1/3 will come from the "ultra-wealthy." Huge cuts in military profit making entities for the ultra- wealthy will have to be made- Watch out for scare tactics and reports of terrorist out there in the media- this non-sense has already begun. We will not buy it this time. We know global banking investors, global military investors, global real estate investors , global pharmaceutical investors and global energy investors are the actual enemies of the common man. We do not need a weather man or Michael Moore to know which way the wind blows. We have had enough of these scare tactics. No More. Buckle up as the ride continues to get bumpy!

The One About McNulty's Law.

2009-09-09T20:07:51.599Z

(The following article originally appeared at The One About...) Here's just one of many reasons why I love, The Love Of My Life. I get to sleep with Carla Gugino. No really. I'm not kidding. You see we have something we share called The Free Pass List. It's a list we both maintain of celebrities that should we ever meet, we will allow the other to sleep with, no strings, no guilt, no recriminations. Now of course this will require one of us to meet a celebrity. But should I ever run into the smolderingly sexy Ms. Gugino, it's a free play situation. Howver I can assure you that if it should ever happen that I do manage to meet a celebrity and get intimate, I shan't be later crying foul play. Carla (I feel I can call her Carla) can rest assured of that. Other celebrities however are not so lucky. As you've probably heard if you follow sports in even the most casual way, Steelers Quarterback "Big" Ben Roethlisberger has been accused by Andrea McNulty of rape. The interesting thing is that she waited until a year or more after the alleged act, and since there is no physical evidence at all, has chosen to pursue the matter in civil court rather than pursue criminal charges. One witness has claimed that McNulty was bragging about having consensual sex with Roethlisberger and how she might be pregnant. Personally to be perfectly honest, I think the woman has problems either mental/emotional or ethical/moral. Basically I think she is either crazy or lying, maybe both. The problem however is that celebrities do sometimes do awful things. And often they are able to use their money and fame, to completely destroy someone who's only "crime" is standing up for themselves. On the other hand there are plenty of people who are perfectly willing, eager even to bed a celeb. Neither party should have to pass up such an opportunity out of fear. So I have the perfect solution. McNulty's Law! This would require any celebrity of any kind to have their intended paramour sign a binding statement of of permission. It would state in detail... Who approached who, activities allowed and disallowed, period of time the contract is to cover, etc. Then all that will be needed on the non celebs part is a short essay explaining why they wish to bed the celeb in question, and how long they've had this desire. Then a note from their mom attesting that they are not a lying, gold digging, whack job, and a note from the celebs mom (or publicist) attesting that they are really a nice person regardless of what the press, ex spouse, hidden video footage might claim about them, a quick trip to the notary, and it's green and go. What could be simpler? Or if that seems like too much trouble, there's always the alternative. You know, serious allegations could be seriously investigated, wrong doers given serious punishment instead of slaps on the wrist. While at the same time people who bring false allegations in an attempt to score a pay day could be penalized appropriately. Hell maybe, just maybe we could even allow a court of law to decide these things instead of the court of public opinion. Yeah, yeah, you may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be facing one less story like this in the news. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

In a fog? It could be the fish

2009-09-08T19:00:51.489Z

If your hair is thinning and you can't remember where you left the car keys, last night's fish fillets just might be to blame. According to a new study released by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), over a seven-year period, scientists found mercury in every single fish they tested from streams across the country. This study should put to rest once and for all the old fish story that fish is a "health food." From 1998 to 2005, USGS scientists tested more than a thousand fish collected from nearly 300 streams nationwide. All the fish were contaminated with mercury, and more than a quarter of them—27 percent—had mercury levels that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's safety limits for the average fish-eater. Numerous other studies have also found worrisome levels of mercury and other contaminants in farmed fish and lake and ocean fish, including tuna and swordfish. Mercury is a documented poison that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults. Elevated mercury levels can lead to brain damage, memory loss, exhaustion, depression, joint pain, hair loss, gastrointestinal disturbances and numbness in the hands and feet. Some studies suggest that mercury exposure can also cause vision loss and increase the risk of a heart attack. If you don't think Americans suffer from mercury-related health problems, think again. When college student Luke Lindley arrived at Stanford University, he started eating canned tuna as an inexpensive alternative to meals in the campus dining hall. This formerly bright student suddenly found himself struggling to read and study. "I would study four times as long to retain the same information that should have taken me a very short amount of time," Luke told USA Today. "Each day was an ordeal." Luke also began experiencing insomnia—sleeping only two or three hours at a time—and suffered agonizing gastrointestinal distress. A lab test found mercury concentrations in Luke's hair that were 44 times what the government says is safe. When Luke stopped eating tuna, his condition improved. How many other people who think that fish is a healthy source of protein are suffering from the "fish fog" that Luke experienced? According to Dr. Jane Hightower, a San Francisco physician and author of the book Diagnosis: Mercury, perhaps more than we realize. Dr. Hightower identified dozens of patients with high levels of mercury in their bodies, and many showed signs of mercury poisoning, including headaches, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. As in Luke's case, when Dr. Hightower's patients stopped eating fish, their conditions improved. "Common sense says that if you are not feeling well, and are eating poison, then stop eating it and see if you feel better," says Dr. Hightower. "Most American consumers are simply unaware that the fish they eat could be making them sick." If you eat fish to boost your heart health, there are safer sources of cardio-friendly omega-3 fatty acids, including walnuts, flaxseed oil, spinach and soybeans as well as vegetarian supplements made from microalgae (which is where fish get omega-3s in the first place). An article published earlier this year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal argues that the purported benefits of fish have been overstated. One study involving men with angina found an increased risk of cardiac death among those who consumed fish oil, and a new Harvard study found that consuming fish and fish oil raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. None of us would dream of drinking water tainted by sewage, pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants, yet we'll happily eat fish who are pulled from this toxic brew. Why is anyone surprised when it makes us sick? The smartest thing we can do for our health is skip the fish sticks and tuna salad sandwiches and reach for nutritious vegetarian options instead. Paula Moore is a research specialist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.

The One About I'm Sorry Mr. Schaeffer But Many Of Us Don't Have The Luxury Of Trusting President Obama Too Far For Too Long.

2009-09-04T16:25:47.097Z

(The following article originally appeared at The One About...) It would appear that Frank Schaeffer has a deep and endless reservoir of trust where our current President is concerned. Actually, if I was going to be snide I'd observe that it really more appears that Mr. Schaeffer is in love with Mr. Obama. But I shall not go down that road. Either way, Schaeffer's affection for and trust of President Obama is made self evident by statements like this one:

Ignore them all, Mr. President. Stick with your long term vision. You are smarter, kinder and nobler than all your critics put together. Bless you for trying to save us from ourselves. Some of us are sticking with you for the long haul and we're grateful.

This is not the first time that Schaeffer has publicly lauded Obama and made clear his undying and unwavering support for the President and his policies, and exhorted others to do the same. These pieces of his usually pop up on The Huffington Post, in indirect response to a new piece of criticism by a Liberal Progressive columnist or blogger, most especially Paul Krugman who seems to serve in Schaeffer's eyes as a bit of an ideological nemesis. Now, given Schaeffer's oft-stated (ad nauseum, frankly) history with the radical Christian Right, I could make much of his apparent need to cede his agency to a "higher" authority, going from a darkly fundamentalist God, to our current allegedly Liberal Progressive President. But I am going to save that for another day. Rather, my aim in this article is to attempt to articulate to the Frank Schaeffers of the world why many of us are quickly coming to lose faith in President Obama and his policies, and why we feel that long term trust is a luxury that we and the country simply don't have. Problem One: The New Mulligan. Once upon a time this country was in such dire straits that it seemed to many that a new American Civil War was on the horizon. Between the working class who felt increasingly ground beneath the boot heel of their Capital Class Masters, and all the organizations and institutions that shored up those very same Masters, as well as the Masters themselves. Into this fray stepped Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt via last.fm

realized that nothing less than sweeping, immediate, broad, real change would alleviate the problem even the least iota. And so the New Deal was struck. Now in all fairness Roosevelt was many things -- a Capitalist sympathizer, a member of the moneyed elite, a politician and more. So, truly, much of the New Deal was not anywhere near as Progressive as it could have been. But it was certainly a damn site better than the plenty of nothin' that the working class had been enjoying before. Roosevelt was pro worker, pro union, and pro reform enough that much of the New Deal, especially in the early days was strong enough to make real and meaningful change in the lives of countless Americans. Giving them a chance at a fair day's wage, the opportunity to make enough money to enjoy a little time off each week, and if they chose to work longer and harder, to be further rewarded for that work. A chance to see their children if not themselves educated. A chance to own a home, or at least to live in a rental structure that was clean and safe. Chances that for far too long had been denied them by people who saw no profit in decency. Sadly between the war, and the prosperity it brought, which made the working class less angry and hungry for change, and the rise of Soviet Communism, which made anything that smacked even remotely of "Socialism" difficult to enact, the drive towards progressive change was slowed considerably. It would begin again under Kennedy, but frankly Kennedy was better in some ways at talking a good game than at playing one. Even still, with the New Deal not yet three decades old, Kennedy no doubt felt he had the luxury of time, and that incremental lasting change was better than attempting to rush and fail. Sadly, while his administration may have had that luxury, the man himself did not. After his death, however, in a move that is still a bit of a shock, former Vice President now

Lyndon B. Johnson via last.fm

President Lyndon Baines Johnson moved to enact a great many Progressive policies, especially where racial equality was concerned, in a rush that echoed the New Deal in speed if not breadth. It seems however that all Presidents and Congresses since have been working slowly and steadily to undermine those reforms. Whether it was Nixon and his attempts to broaden Executive Privilege to undreamed of levels, or Ford and his use of his presidency to allow Nixon off scot-free, it started as soon as Johnson was out of office and has only grown exponentially worse. Usury laws were all but removed from the books across the board under Carter. Reagan effectively broke the Unions. Bush Sr. started us on the road to permanent war. Clinton using the "health" of the economy as an excuse exacerbated the deregulation begun under Reagan, and with the help of every former President living helped to get NAFTA passed which has done nothing at all to help the American worker, even if as some claim it has not done as much to harm them as early opponents believed. Bush Jr. managed to pick up threads left by every Conservative President since Nixon, from taking Executive Privilege to levels that were only a Nixonian wet dream, to putting us deeper into a state of endless war carrying on his father's legacy, to doing away with as many of the financial, civil and environmental protections as he could, trying so very hard to finish what Reagan started. In short, a near total reversal of the gains made under the New Deal and the Great Society. Th

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e result is the country that Obama found himself President of as of January twentieth two thousand and nine. One suffering under what I call the New Mulligan. This is a country in which things like health care that does not lead to bankruptcy, education, meaningful work at a living wage, safe housing, safe food, and more as seen as privileges, not rights. Privileges which, if the working class dare speak up and demand as rights, they are demeaned as lazy, as whiners, or with that old saw, still popular and sadly effective after all these years, as Socialists. The state of the nation, especially after Bush 2 Electric Boogaloo so terrified so many of us that a great many sought to find the most Liberal Progressive looking candidate they could, and hope that appearance matched reality. It was on this that Barack Hussein Obama got elected. And almost as soon as he got into the White House, it started to look frighteningly like The Who had it right once again: "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss." This is not a fear that we have come by dishonestly. It has been borne in part because of Obama's actions, which I will address in a bit. But also many of us are still trying to get the bad taste of the last Great Progressive Hope's turn into bitter ashes out of our mouths. Which brings me to... Problem Two: The Clintoning Of America. When he was elected Bill Clinton seemed like just what America needed. A true Liberal Progressive that would get this country back on track. Help to strengthen both the middle class, and the working class as well. His appearing to treat Hillary as a genuine equal was seen as a positive sign by many. However with a high number of scandals, and a willing to throw to the wolves anyone who he saw as a liability (including his own wife), it quickly became apparent that Clinton was more politician than ideologue. But many of us were willing to keep faith with him as he did seem to be a canny survivor, and a second term seemed almost a dead lock. Most of us assumed that once in his second term he would, as presidents in the past have done, push a true Liberal Progressive agenda much harder. He didn't. Instead he spent his time defending himself from attacks regarding his sexual activities, taking hostile actions against less developed nations in an attempt to distract us from where Lil' Willy had been playing, and for the most part acting like he was trying to hoard political capital, but for what nobody could at the time figure. The result was a final four years in which he played it as safe as possible, enacting policies that led to the rapid growth of the tech bubble, which burst almost as soon as he was out of office. So what was he hoarding all that capital for? Well, as we quickly found out, for his wife to use, and also so that he could set himself up with a cus

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

hy little ambassadorship as soon as the wind blew favorably back in the Democrats' direction. And the whole while this was happening, the numbers of Liberal Progressives in all walks of life who continued to support him almost blindly was legion. From politicians, to journalists, to activists, to celebrities. They all continued to sing the "Hey hey Bill's Okay" song at the top of their lungs even when some had started to seriously question both his integrity and his effectiveness. As a result many of us looking back at the Clinton presidency now look at Barack Obama, and see someone who made all the right noises to get elected, and yet so far hasn't really done much that is terribly progressive at all. And with The Who's challenge echoing in our ears we reply in kind, "We won't get fooled again!" This brings us to... Problem Three: What's (Not) Been Done So Far. If there were only the first two problems to contend with, and Obama had so far shown himself as truly working to enact the Liberal Progressive agenda even in small part that had gotten him elected, then I would side with Frank Schaeffer in decrying the ones who are serving as a Greek Chorus of nay sayers and Oracles of Doom. But let's pause for a moment to look at what has been done so far, and just as important or not so, what has not been done. From the moment Obama took office he continued on the path of "bailing out" grotesquely huge financial institutions that had been begun under Bush. And then when it was discovered that the bailout money was being used for things like new luxury planes, and more ridiculously huge bonuses, Obama and Congress did a great job of sounding like they were on the side of the average citizen, but only for as long as it took people to calm down. And then nothing was done. All attempts at reining in banks and brokerage firms have been not only weak but also almost entirely voluntary. Then there were the things in the stimulus that were supposed to be the modern equivalent of the Works Progress Administration, programs to put Americans back to work right now, helping to take care of things for the good of all that needed doing. Most of them seem to have evaporated. The transparency that was supposed to be a key part of Obama's administration has been sorely lacking at all levels. Especially where the stimulus is concerned, as no one quite seems able to account for where the money is being spent. This was troubling enough but then came an opportunity to take action regarding the torture of suspected terrorists that took place during the Bush administration. There were high hopes that memos and photos would be released, that commissions and special prosecuters would be empowered. That the gross and ridiculous stretchings of Executive Privilege under Bush would be scaled back at least a little. Instead we've gotten some nice sounding words about wanting to look forward not back, which have basically amounted to a big fat NO to the very transparency and accountability that was promised by candidate Obama. From there it's been a pretty disturbing snowball. No support for the Employee Free Choice Act, but plenty of continued support for NAFTA. Attempts to silence freshman Progressive legislators who don't play ball, all the while seeming to kowtow to the Conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats. An exit in Iraq that is anything but, and an escalation in Afghanistan that is so mind blowing that it has Progressives, Liberals, and now even some Conservatives questioning its wisdom, all the while looking back to Vietnam with nervous and wary eyes. And then there was health care. Between closed door meetings with the very institutions that have caused most of these problems, to refusing to even listen to single payer advocates, to touting a public option and then denying it, to all but making an individual mandate a done deal, Obama is starting to look shadier and shadier. There are many, myself among them who at this point are waiting to see exactly what if anything gets passed under the title of "Health care reform". If it is legislation that at least in some small way does manage to legitimately make things better for the working and middle classes, then perhaps Schaeffer will not be proven wholly incorrect. But even after healthcare there are a great many other issues that need addressing. From climate change, to food safety, to workers' rights and more. And frankly we do not have the luxury of waiting until after Obama year eight to realize that we should not have put nearly as much blind trust, for nearly as long in the Obama's undelivered promises as Schaeffer would ask us to. Because by that point it will be quite simply too late for any future President to do much more than rearrange deck chairs on the Ship of State Titanic. Rather what is needed is a loyal opposition. People who want Obama to succeed. Want our country to fulfill its promise both to its people and to the world, and who are willing and able to speak up, and remind Obama and all of our elected officials of what they owe both us and future generations. This is a voice of reasoned passion that simply is not coming from The Right, and so must come from The Left if it is to come at all. Or you know, we can just keep writing open love letters to Obama. I'm sure that will work. Maybe. Well maybe not. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

JOHN Ready to continue soon

2009-09-04T03:18:05.964Z

I am back and will write much more once I re- work my computer- I have much to say- and will say it. I am currently having difficulty with my computer and attempting to iron out the problems. I hope the most "powerful" man in the world goes in front of the tide and demands it to wait. Good luck as it waits for no man- all of us alienated- abstract- removed -dis-intergraded- beings think we have it made- well we better take our diamond rings and pawn them- we better wear diamonds on the soles of our feet to shake these walking blues- I don't know a soul whose not been battered, I don't have a friend who feels at ease, I don't know a dream that's not been shattered or driven to it's knees- More positive words when I return

Nice Jeans For Cheap

2009-09-03T01:26:58.990Z

Getting Nice jeans for cheap are becoming very popular since we are in a recession. They are also some of the most convenient types of clothing to shop for as well. If you have ever tried to find nice jeans for cheap, you know how frustrating it can get trying to locate these great brands without compromising your style. I'm sure that you have traveled countless times far and abroad trying to find these great bargains. Thanks to the internet and the help of great outlet stores to go to, I will be able to help you find these great jeans without having to feel like a safari journey. One of the best places to start your search is online. You can search offline locations on the internet as well, so you will be able to kill two birds with one stone. The first thing that you need to do online is make a search on yahoo local and find out where the nearest outlet store is in your local city. Doing this will save you a ton of gas and time trying to locate them the old fashioned way; driving around. The next thing that you will want to do is make search on specific sites such as eBay. eBay has literally millions of merchants and customers placing items online and buying items online. So this is by far the best place for you to look if you are in search of nice jeans for cheap. Another site that you will want to look is on a wholesale site. However, some of them may require you to buy merchandise in bulk since professional wholesalers are commonly the ones who go to these sites. Visit my blog for nice jeans

The One About I Am Sam Bell!

2009-09-03T01:07:18.236Z

(The following article originally appeared at The One About...) A few weeks ago I saw the indy sci fi flick Moon. Directed and co-written by Duncan Jones (who I was surprised to discover is David Bowie's kid) it stars Sam Rockwell, in a very plausible near future. In this future we have discovered a new super clean energy source, from the moon. Rockwell's character of Sam Bell is the lone human on the moon, making sure the automated mining processes run properly and shipping the filled canisters back to earth. His only companion is the computer that runs things named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Because of a satellite glitch Bell is unable to have any real time contact with earth. Each "miner's" contract is three years. At the beginning of the movie Bell is a man not only at the end of his contract, but at the end of his tether as well. He is grouchy, irritable, and hallucinating. And then he has a crash in one of the rovers that should kill him. But we see Sam Bell wake up in the infirmary, with no knowledge of how he got there, and GERTY being very, very evasive. I shan't even try to do justice to the brilliant and almost luxurious unfolding of the story within Moon. Suffice it to say that it is brilliant and if you like, good acting, good story telling, and good sci-fi, you need to make every effort to see it. And if you really really really hate spoilers, you should stop reading this now, and go and watch it first, then come back to me. Now for those who have seen it, or who don't mind so much the spoilers, let me remind/tell you something key to understanding the point I'm going to be making. Sam Bell is a clone. There was a Sam Bell, in fact the Bell in the movie almost meets him via video phone. But the Bell at the beginning of the movie, and all the Bells that come along later are all clones. With a three year life span. Working for a corporation, that even while they pay lip service to how important he is to them, secretly know that they will never really have to worry about paying him a pension, or for his medical care beyond the basics, nor even a living wage. Sam Bell is, in a word, disposable. Sound familiar? Well if it doesn't then you probably have the luxury of doing some of the few jobs left where it is harder to find and train new people than it is to either fire them or just let them get frustrated and quit. I envy you, but frankly while you are welcome to read on, this article may seem very foreign to you and your life experience. It seems to me that we live in an ironic universe. I know that this may seem like a digression at best, or a non sequiter at worst. But trust me it's not. The very night that I saw Moon with The Love Of My Life, we afterwards went to get a few groceries, and while we were driving and shopping we discussed as we so often do, the

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banalities of our lives. Such and such happened to me at work the other day, or I read this or that online, you know the kind of idle chit chat that long term couples engage in. At one point she said to me that a co-worker of mine (formerly of hers) had revealed via Facebook that she had gotten a new job that was in a field she is actually interested in, rather than the near minimum wage hell to which she had formerly been consigned. In the course of the conversation, it was revealed that the person who is the supervisor for the area in which both I and my love work told her in so many words that she (and by extension all of us) was easily replaced. This is the attitude with which most all of our corporate masters and their middle management toadies view us. As I like to say only half jokingly, our official designation where I work is "Bio cogs". In Moon the metaphorical is made super real. Sam Bell being a clone, is more than replaceable, he is truly disposable. So much so that there are banks of thousands (millions?) of hibernating clones waiting to be decanted. If one Sam Bell gets too sick, or starts to act up, or gets killed, then they simply thaw another one. While replacing most of the workers and managers at a fast food restaurant, or a mass retailer might be slightly more difficult, current minimum wage culture has done nothing to make it any more challenging than it absolutely has to be. This has ensured that in a world where truly good paying jobs, doing any kind of truly meaningful work are scarcer than hens' teeth, workers are trained to keep their expectations low, and to be grateful for the least little amenity or bit of human treatment. It is only because of the few labor laws still standing strong after decades of attempts to kill or neuter them by both Republican and Democratic Presidents and Congresses that we cannot just be summarily dismissed on a whim, but that does little to keep employers from engaging in subtle campaigns to make work sufficiently unpleasant as to encourage unwanted elements to quit, or to put up with myriad forms of abuse and harassment. But in Moon, we see the darkest aspirations of the corporate hegemony given stark, sickening life. Workers who, so far as they are concerned, have no rights what so ever. Workers that they need only pay the barest lip service to respecting as human beings. Workers who are truly disposable. Moon is a brilliant film, with sufficient depth that there is a great deal of philosophical and metaphorical meat to be legitimately found within. Take for example 'Moon': New Sci-Fi Movie Indicts Our Culture of Exploitation by Michael Dudley. It is an extremely well written article, delving into much of the Marx inspired themes of Moon. But in reading it, it became clear to me that it is written by an outsider, albeit a well meaning one.

By immediately establishing the optimistic future and "universal good" created by helium-3 fusion, the film creates a balance sheet onto which we must project the costs of this future. What price would we place on global peace, an end to hunger and universal access to clean energy? Would any of us living in such a future care to know what burdens our comfort and security were imposing on a single human being a quarter-million miles away? Even now, how many of us ask the same questions of our own material existence -- when many millions of lives are affected? In the backs of our minds we may know our clothes come from sweatshops, our oil from killing fields, our chocolate and coffee via slaves. Yet, feeling powerless on our own to rearrange globalized capitalism, we continue consuming. As Marx foresaw, capitalism has indeed alienated us from our fellow human beings.

This is an important question. And the author's concern and sympathy for the real life Sam Bells of the world does him credit. But for many of us this is not concern for an abstract someone out there. This is a real, burning concern, about our lives right now. Lives that every year seem to get a little bit grimmer, a little bit darker, a little bit more meaningless. The welfare of Sam Bell may be a cause for concern to some. But for others, for me, it is the only concern, and until it is addressed in a real and meaningful way, nothing else will be quite as important. Because I am Sam Bell, and while I may be replaceable, I Am Not Disposable GOD DAMMIT! Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

Super Mario Brothers Flash Games

2009-09-02T01:37:48.834Z

I love playing online flash games for free that is very entertaining and challenging as well. Sometimes the games can be a little outrageous too. However, there is only one game that I love playing online and that is the super Mario brothers flash games. These games not only have very nice quality for them to be free online but they also allow you to put them on your blogs, websites or on your desktop for future play. If you are anything like me, then I'm sure that you like to play games like these when you are bored at work, or at school in computer class somewhere. If this is the case, then you should consider playing super Mario brothers flash games. Some of these sites have all kinds of good games and I guarantee that you won’t be bored with any game that you play. The only that you will need to do is be careful with the amount of games that you download and where you download the games from. If you are downloading from a site that doesn't look professional or you notice that there are too many people on the web sharing these games, then you might want to use this site moderately when downloading the games. However, there are sites out there that are good for downloading super Mario brother’s flash games as well as other games online safely. These are the type of sites that you might want to research and pay close attention to. Check my blog to play games

Cheap Muffler Scarves

2009-08-30T23:04:54.468Z

It's getting close to that time of the year where everyone is going to have to dress a little warmer. Summer is getting closer to the end and the climate is getting a little colder. Therefore, some of us have to go back to the store and get sweaters, jackets, and scarves. However, some people spend a lot of money every year buying new clothes for each season of the year. Thanks to the internet, people can find some cheap merchandise, like scarves, online. Many people are turning to the internet to shop as opposed to the offline stores.Finding cheap scarves online is not hard considering the type of site you are looking at. If you go to certain sites that sell very high quality scarves like Armani or some other high end clothing company, then of course you are going to have to pay a lot of many out of pocket. However, if you look on other sites like wholesale sites, then you will find a wider variety of cheaper merchandise. This is where you want to look as opposed to looking at high end sites that force you to pay a lot of money out of pocket, even with their so called discounts.One site that I like to use is Amazon.com. I like this site because they have many seasonal and holiday sales that allow you the opportunity to get great products like scarves at great discounts. There are other sites like eBay, but you might have to do a lot more digging on the quality of the products.

What marine-mammal parks don't want you to know

2009-08-28T20:19:34.982Z

By Lisa Wathne Dolphins are dying to entertain us. That's the message of a devastating new documentary, The Cove, which sheds light on a dirty secret of the marine-park industry. Every year between September and March, more than 2,000 dolphins are slaughtered in the small fishing village of Taiji, Japan, where The Cove was secretly filmed. Most of the dolphins are butchered and sold for meat. A dead dolphin is worth about $600. But a few live dolphins—about two dozen each year—are sold to aquariums, performing-dolphin shows and swim-with-the-dolphins programs in Mexico, China, the Philippines and other countries. It's these lucrative sales that keep the dolphin slaughter going. A single live dolphin can fetch more than $150,000. During a typical slaughter—or "drive fishery," as it is called—boats chase pods of dolphins while crew members clang metal poles together underwater, creating a cacophonous wall of sound that disorients the animals. Some dolphins are pursued for hours. Photojournalist Boyd Harnell, who observed the Taiji slaughter in October and November 2006, says, "It was like a military operation. … The pursuit was relentless." Calves who are unable to keep up and become separated from their mothers are left to die of starvation or to be eaten by sharks. The rest of the dolphins are herded into a hidden cove, and the mouth of the cove is blocked with nets to prevent the exhausted animals from escaping. There, the dolphins are stabbed with spears or have their throats slashed with long knives. Video footage of past killings shows dolphins thrashing in their own blood for many agonizing minutes. By the end of the slaughter, the entire cove is red with blood. According to a report released by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, dolphins captured during drive hunts have ended up in aquariums all over the world. Even countries that no longer allow the importation of dolphins caught during the gruesome slaughter may be displaying animals purchased before the ban or moved through other countries to disguise their origin. These dolphins fare little better than their slaughtered cousins. In the open sea, dolphins swim some 40 miles a day. In captivity, these intelligent, sensitive animals are confined to shallow tanks measured in gallons. Dolphins communicate with one another through whistles, yelps and squeaks. In tanks, their vocalizations become a garble of meaningless reverberations. Most aquariums keep Maalox and Mylanta on hand to treat the animals' stress-related ulcers. Louie Psihoyos, director of The Cove, says he was compelled to tell this story because he realized that "if nobody gets active, then nothing would get resolved. I felt it was time to stand up." The rest of us can stand up too, and say, "Enough is enough." As long as the sale of a handful of live dolphins funds the deaths of all the rest, the marine-park industry must share the blame for this carnage. If you don't want to support dolphin killings, stay away from dolphin shows and swim-with-the-dolphins programs, both here and abroad. No fleeting moment of entertainment is worth the price that the animals must pay. Lisa Wathne is the senior captive exotic animal specialist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.

The One About I'm Sorry But I Don't Think It's Going To Change One Damn Thing.

2009-08-27T19:25:31.420Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...) As you probably know if you haven't been living under a rock, Ted Kennedy passed away the other day. It has been in the news much that he considered passing legislation reforming the mess that is healthcare in America, to be his potential "legacy". Sadly he died without having been able to bring that dream into reality. And now, that he is dead, begins what I call "The nice nice, rah rah bullshit." Everyone is going to carry on how wonderful he was, and how inspiring. And there are going to be multiple calls to "Do it for Teddy!" The it being of course health care reform. But sadly what we are going to see voted on, is most likely going to be exactly the same, no public option, weak exchange if any bullshit, with an individual mandate, that will simply enslave the working class just a little bit more deeply. The worst part is that I fear that the faux Liberals who care more about how they look than about actually helping people will strong arm any true Liberal Progressives into lock step by holding up a picture of old dead Teddy and intoning, "Do it for him!" Personally I would like to suggest that anyone who really wants to honor the late Senator's memory should vote their conscience, and help to kill any bill that does not have a strong public option, especially if it also has that ridiculous individual mandate. But I suppose that most will follow, the actual path that Kennedy so often during his career seemed to take, rather than the legend touted, especially now. Namely being just liberal enough to appear as a friend of the working class, and keep the prols from putting you up against the wall first should the revolution come, but conservative enough to not wind up catching a bullet (or two) in the back of the head. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

At what cost- money

2009-08-26T03:08:53.077Z

I want to say something, what it is I do not yet know. Hopefully it will come to me. I hope I will not "Sigh" after my idea is put in words as in Nietzsche's aphorism- Sigh- "I caught this insight on the way and quickly seized the rather poor words that were closest to hand to pin it down lest it fly away again. And now it has died of these arid words and shakes and flaps in them-and I hardly know any more when I look at it how I could ever have felt so happy when I caught this bird." I remain in wait for my insight. ... Do I want to discuss Fox news?- I am tired of this.. No way. I do want to say a few words about the enormous amount of coverage politicians have received in the last twenty years- when they cough we know it- overload. I have previously spoke about Roger Grimsby's salutation- not tonight. The advent and purpose of consciousness? Read Nietzsche's On the genius of the species- a detailed analysis can be found regarding this subject- a brilliant one. The human species appears to have become more constricted, small, overly measured and predictable over time- and this is a cause for much nausea. We as a species define everything so much that we have defined everything out of existence- This is in some small way- an approach toward understanding Nietzsche when he lamented- "God is dead.' The old subway wall admonition that went as follow- Nietzsche- "God is dead"- God "Nietzsche is dead"- is a misunderstanding of what Nietzsche was discussing. And people thought that subway message was so smart. Any way-- people have for far too long been ruled by a tool- the tool of exchange- an economic tool to receive things- money if you will- has made all of us human all too human. We see everything through the lends of this economic tool- when we consider something is so great that it is something money can't buy- money is in the equation- in the comparitive. An abstract value- the monetary value of something rules the day- How much? How much? How much is that? How much should I sell this for? How much should I spend on this? How much should I save? How much is that doggy in the window? How much does it cost to have a dog these days? Do you think we can afford this? I guess if money and all that this concept involves were to disappear off the face of the earth- would life continue? Would grass disappear? Would trees disappear? Would water disappear? Would the sun disappear? What would we do if money did not exist? Would squirrels become unable to function if there were no such thing as money? Would ants cease to exist? Would humans be able to survive without money? What is that I hear- humans would become so unruly without money? A lot of stealing would be going on? At one point in human existence- when no concept of a means of exchange existed- there must have been nothing but stealing going on. Has any rodents or ground hogs been stealing from your garden? Have you called the police? Money and all this term implies has made the human animal a very mean and small creature- a very boring- non interesting menace upon the face of the earth. As Nietzsche purported- On the core of the earth there lies a surface- on this surface lies a skin on this skin lies a skin disease- humans are the skin disease on the surface of the earth. It did not have to be this way- it still could be otherwise- but not when money exists. Money has made much ugliness where there was none. I look at these words and- Sigh.

setting the record straight- being nice

2009-08-24T02:41:35.938Z

To become ad hominem in ones rhetoric is not tasteful nor is it respectful of oneself or the one who is being attacked. Regardless of this admonition I shall proceed as follows: 1) Karl Rove- does not look like a pig. 2) George W. Bush does not look like a clown or Alfred E. Newman. 3) Mitt Romney does not look or speak as if he was helpless as a rich man's child. 4) William Kristol does present as a pampered, overly protected middle class chicken hawk. 5) Rush Limbaugh is not a big fat idiot. 6) Sean Hannity does not look as if he is lost in the headlights. 7) Ann Culter is not a stuttering umm umm umm- empty minded- book toting idiot. 8) Dick- applied for and received five deferments for military service-Cheney- does not look like a scattered ghost- with no where to go. 9) Ronald Reagan did not look or act like a baffelled buffoon. 10) Dick Morris does not look like an undisciplined eater- who is constantly writing non-sense and peddling these silly books in order to buy more food. 11) Rudy Gullianni does not look like a feeble former bully that lisps his way through press conferences. So I utilized this post to set the record straight- being brutally honest is not nice. This is why I made an effort to negate what has been understood regarding these people. Politeness or being politic is always the right way to go.

The One About Conservatives Are Choosing NOW To Worry About The Dignity Of The Office?

2009-08-22T19:51:33.527Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...) Wow! I really do have to give the Conservative Wargarble Army a lot of credit. There is absolutely no boundary whatever to their hypocrisy. For example one of their favorite moves from day one, has been to attack President Obama, or the First Lady and their daughters, for doing things that were damaging to the "dignity" of the office of President of The United States of America. Bu

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t frankly how could anything that Obama does, such as appear in photo ops sans suit jacket and tie, or Michelle being seen to wear Shorts! *gasp* on Air Force One, compare with the enduring legacy that Bush left behind him. No, surprisingly I'm not talking about torture. I'm talking about Nicknames. Since apparently Bush was not quite bright enough to memorize people's names, or he thought it was cute, or because he knew it was kind of demeaning but loved having the power to do it anyway, Bush will by many of us long be remembered for giving not just his family, and cabinet members, asinine and juvenile nicknames, but even world leaders. Who can forget such enduring classics as... Pooty-Poot = Vladimir Putin

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Turd Blossom = Karl Rove The Cobra = Maureen Dowd The list goes on and can be found here. Now on the face of it, I suppose that to many people the whole nickname thing doesn't seem that bad. But if you look at the nicknames, many of them appear to be subtly belittling, or in the case of using Hispanic equivalents for English names, it seems like a phony baloney way to remind people that he was "down" with the Latinos, and in many cases they were just inane. I mean this is the frickin Presidency we're talking about. Of The United States. Not of his local fraternity. But somehow this just proved that he had not lost touch with the common man (and how can you lose something you never had in the first place I wonder) but Obama in shirt sleeves demonstrates that he's a small timer, in over his head and not ready to be President? Well like I said, you've really got to give the Republicants credit, they have left no minor detail alone, in their quest to undermine, and malign our current, Duly Elected President. Oh and since the subject came up, I find it equally amusing that the very same people who were just fine with the courts helping Bush to steal the two thousand Presidential Election, suddenly seem to intensely intent on seeing Obama disqualified based on deeply technical readings of a law that most everyone who isn't wearing a tin foil hat agree he has not violated. So you stay classy Conservatives. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

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The One About The "Sammich" Award For "Best" Person.

2009-08-21T21:41:57.772Z

(This article originally appeared at The One About...) (This is the fifth and final installment in a series. Click the links for earlier installments. 1,2,3,4) Well here we are at the end of our ride. And what a ride it's been. We've seen some of the worst that pop culture has to offer, and now it's almost over. Thank you sweet baby Jebus! I had originally planned on a category for TV commercials but frankly I decided that it seemed a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. So now we have the final award. This one is for the person who best sums up what The Sammich Awards are all about. This person has become famous for birthing a litter that would put many dogs to shame, turning her desperate need to find value in the mere fact of her biology into a bizarre public quest for fame. That's right folks, the winner of The One About Woman Get Back In The Kitchen And Make Me A Sammich Award goes to...(hmm, I wonder if next year I should include a dance number?) Nadya "Octomom" Suleman! I'm not trying to be mean, but frankly I find Ms. Suleman pathetic in the truest meaning of the word, namely invoking a feeling of pathos. This is someone who's self esteem is so low that the only way she can feel worthwhile is by having children. Now frankly that would be sad and disturbing if her brood of eight had been her "first" kids, but the fact that prior to that she already had six other children makes it all the more disturbing. But the blame cannot be solely laid at Ms. Suleman's feet. Where in the hell were the doctors heads in this? And perhaps if there is not already some kind of law restricting the number of embryos that can be implanted there should be. Maybe even a law requiring that already existing children be taken into account. But ultimately even though I feel Ms. Suleman is a victim, she is still part victimizer as well. By having these kids and making a very public spectacle of herself, she is helping to re-enforce, in the eyes of those looking for such re-enforcement that motherhood is a woman's "highest" calling. And that the only real value lay in a woman's womb. This will be accomplished in part by certain sectors of the anti-female movement trying to spin Suleman and her brood as happy, "normal" etc. When nothing could be further from the truth. The only potential upside is that maybe, Ms. Suleman and her story will serve as a cautionary tale for other women who put too high a price on motherhood, without giving any other thought to what they might have to contribute to the world. I shan't end this little rant with a caustic send off as I have the others, but rather a sincere plea that if she is not already receiving professional counseling, Ms. Suleman will seek it, for the good of herself and her children. Well that's it for now. I'm sincerely hoping that there just won't be enough material for me to do a Second Annual Sammich award "show" next year. But I'm not holding my breath. And now wimmins, get back in the kitchen and bake me a cake. I'm kind of sammiched out. Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

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