Under the Bigtop

Come on in and see John Dean. Career political criminal turned hero. Part-time lawyering clown and full-time elite lackey salesman.

Step right up folks and see the spectacle. Step right up – no cons, no dirty girlie show, no shell games. Just Dean the Forceful Conservative on censuring Bush – step right up, get your tickets. See the world's oldest Watergate felon.

He sings. He nods. He'll distract you.

Dean (Nixon henchman) was sentenced to four months in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal; he spent the four months under a "witness protection" program.

Step right up. Show your little woman how Republicans are so honest they censure – even impeach – themselves. (Remember that in November.)

Step right up – see how the ruling elite call in their political markers. Dean the Felon who never really did time, still able to coverup messes for TPTB. He writes, he speaks, he'll amaze you with an air of serious censure b.s.

Step right up as old crooks and liars are pulled out of thin air and silk hats to poke fingers at the new crooks and liars.

JD, witness to the panel on the hill on censure: "I appear today because I believe, with good reason, that the situation is even more serious." Dean, whose testimony three decades ago helped lead to Nixon's resignation in 1974, said in support of the seldom-used measure to discredit a president."

Good gawd almighty – we need a "seldom-used measure" to discredit George W. Bush? He does that every time he opens his own mouth.

"The panel must decide, however, whether to send it [censure resolution] to the full Senate where it seems certain to be defeated."

Step right up. Watch Dean dance the dance of IOU powerful people. Buy your ticket and sit down on the very first row to watch a pointless show that seems certain to be defeated. Step right up.

"Dean is also the author of a book titled "Worse than Watergate," [about politics and secrecy] which slams the Bush administration as obsessed with politics and secrecy." Come on Dean, stop the secrecy – tell us what Watergate was really about, not the burglary cover-up stuff.

Step right up as John Dean facinates, manipulates, pontificates, and fornicates - in his own words : "I assume it is stipulated that no one disagrees with the Administration’s desire to deal aggressively with terrorism."

The puerile absurdity of the political show has reached laughable … if you don't think about the millions buying tickets to the show, or that Dean used the word "assume."

Dancing With Laughing Lies

Since returning to the US in 1995, rarely a month goes by I haven't asked myself that famously appropriate question : "Did IQs drop sharply while I was away?"

TVNewsLies (appropriate title there) calls on Oprah for 911 Truth.

TvnewsLies' states: "Despite their credibility and expertise, high-powered and extremely convincing voices of truth have been denied access to the public via the mainstream media. In the years following the attacks of 9/11, a significant number of knowledgeable people have attempted to alert the nation about the mountain of evidence that has been unearthed by their investigations, and which shoots large holes in the ‘official’ version of events sold to an unsuspecting and unquestioning public.

These people include former Bush administration officials, CIA analysts, FBI whistleblowers, scholars, academics, theologians and eye witnesses to the events of that tragic day. Not one of these people has been allowed to present his or her individual and collective conclusions that the Bush administration was either totally negligent or fully complicit or in the events of 9/11."

Of course the official story is a lie. Most of the world knows that.

But officials, analysts, whistleblowers, scholars, academics, theologians? Must be talking about that motley psyop crew of paid actors hinting and insinuating or shouting and screaming negligence and/or complicity. Or those "buy my book and come to my lecture wanna15 minute folks." A year ago I tried to jump on the bandwagon of proof and truth but after looking closer at the "knowledgeable" characters who were whipping the horses I had to say whoa. Wilson/Plame, Griffin, Tarpley, Sheen, McGovern, Edmonds, Curly, Moe, Laurel, Hardy, Rowan, Martin? Every 3 months it's a new whistle blowing. Damn, seems like everyone gets to blow a job but me.

TVNL says "Sad but true, a large number of Americans believe nothing until they see it on TV!" Oh yea, that's the segment of American society I want marching behind me, the jerry-springers of the incestuous truth movement. (Incestuous websites pretending daddy government isn't the prick behind them.)

It gets even more hilarious. TVNL claims "Last week Charlie Sheen became a legend." But since Charlie's message is from a "tainted package" (lol, I bet his package is tainted) TVNL believes "9/11 truth seekers and truth bearers … efforts to alert the public will be victorious if Oprah Winfrey gets on board."

An appeal to Oprah? The biggest corporate made fake the media ever foisted on the touchy feely inner child of the sappy loving public? That Oprah?

TVNL: " Oprah Winfrey is the closest thing our generation has to a Walter Cronkite."

Oh ho ho whew, ha ha ah please, ah ha, ahem - stop. The truth movement has gone comedy. (God we are so doomed.)

Demonstration of Servilitude

New Yorkers to Gather at CNN Studios Wednesday

Press(For Immediate Release - Thu. 3/23/2006)
9/11 Truth Seekers To Stage "DEMONSTRATION OF GRATITUDE"

"Last week the "Showbiz Tonight" program on CNN Headline News aired three programs we believe deserve commendation. We, of the 9/11 truth and justice movement in New York City are heartened that the network saw fit to air extensive segments giving fair coverage to Charlie Sheen's comments about September 11th - as well as a platform for 911Truth.org spokesperson Mike Berger, uncompromising radio host Alex Jones, and Webster Tarpley, author of 911 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA. For the first time since the fateful day in September of 2001, mass-audience television broadcast alternative perspectives on what really happened."

Can you say controlled psyop circus for nonbelievers of the official story? Yes slave, run down there and show gratitude to your MSM (main stream massa).

I got their commendation (making lewd gesture).

Are Americans truly this dumb?

We Dont Need No Stinkin' Pundits

For all Lou Dobbs talking the borders are not broken, whether keeping out terrorists or brown people. We could build a wall from south Florida to San Diego and block Canada too, but if wealthy terrorists in caves wanted to "attack" they could. There's at least one group among the several deranged sociopathic organizations residing in America who would be willing to "attack" and place blame on the appropriate patsy.

Dobbs is correct only in that tightening border control and law will crimp the style of coyotes, and raises the price of coming to El Norte. But, other than leaving Black folks alone and filling US prisons with more brown people, stiffer penalities will not stop many illegals.

Border control is controlled as much as the ruling elite want it to be.

Is there a boredom driving folks to shop for anything that sounds like a "humanitarian" cause? Sometimes folks just buy things on impulse. Who benefits from millions of immigrants working cheap? Cui bono? Big business and small get their wish and liberals hand it to them. I predict this latest political round will go the way every other immigrant dispute has – amnesty, in one form or another, made to look like a win-win for both parties.

I studied some of the "logic" behind the justification of our cyclic amnesty for illegal immigrants. Some writer writes "there are no illegal humans." Sounds like the liberal equivalent to a "choose life" bumper sticker. I'll agree the use of "aliens" sounds dumb, not because it conjures up images of racism and bigoty but images of Sigourney's odyssey with an acid-bleeding alien. (I guess you could say Ripley was bigoted against the Alien's race though.)

A representative from La Raza on Lou Dobbs claims immigrants "pay in more than they take out" and she knows this because Social Security has the invalid SS numbers paid into which SS will never be able to pay back to because the number was phony. Do these numbers come from the same government that misplaced a few trillion at the Pentagon?

She cited a 500 billion figure paid in by illegal immigrants - but are those numbers the total over the past 30, 40, 50 years or last year alone? She also remarked the figure was arrived at by taking the Hispanic sounding surnames and adding up the contribution. My surname is often mistaken as Hispanic – but it's not. Lets hope her counters know their surnames. Many times I have heard Guzman in Latin America – so on their list is that counted as a social security paying Hispanic or a white guy on the lam?

The bigger question is why SS doesn't haul in employers who accept fake SS numbers? Surely a pattern can be seen. How many times can an employer claim he's been tricked into hiring illegal immigrants? Talk about a turnip wagon, or is it melon? I forget my racial vegetables.

BushCo has more Hispanic support than liberals acknowledge or want to admit. Due I think in large part to common cultural values. I.e. women know their place (at least in public), male superiority, ethnocentric, and most upper class affluent Latinos are sufficiently white male enough to find a safe haven in tight-assed macho hooyah neoconservative circles.

I have questions : 1) Where were the massive Mexico flag waving protestors during the more recent anti-war marches? 2) Where are progressive/liberals when Haitians, Black Dominicans, etc. are turned back by the boatloads or jailed and deported? And 3) What response if 12-20 million Black immigrants illegally crossed the border every few years? We'd be looking at an entirely different legislation and spin. There certainly wouldn't be signs in Zulu and Swahili in public bathrooms.

(When Dobbs mentioned the Mexico flag waving at the protests the La Raza lady responded that folks celebrate St. Pat's day and wave the Irish flag. Excuse me hon, but I must have missed massive Irish flag waving among all the shamrock, leprechauns, and green beer. And isn't there a difference between celebrating and prostesting? Anyway, remember what we progressives think of flag waving, wrapping self in a flag, etc. so both Dobbs and La Raza score high on the flag bull-shitometer.)

Talk about making common cause – best be knowing who's cause is what and remember we have one political party disguised as two who work only to their own benefit. Some prominent Black pols are attacked for supporting stiff penalties on illegals. I.e. Kasim Reed of Georgia. Maybe liberals in Georgia need to take a longer harder look at the Georgia textile industry. Look at the once unionized J H RUTTER-REX MFG CO (makers of Army combat uniforms) now nonunion, deemed a sweatshop by many with most workers earning $6.50/hr without healthcare. That came about not because of global competition – but cheap labor, immigrant labor, illegal labor, too many hands in the field.

Black liberals, if they're honest about it, know that the whiter lighter skin Hispanic has not been there for Black causes.The solution would be to join forces with all, not on one specific cause or the other, but in order to clean corruption in government, to the betterment of every race, creed, color. But the "fights" are cut and dried already, neatly divided and packaged for us, by MSM and the politicians. Keep our minds from dwelling on the real criminals. If you think Mexico's government is corrupt – remember US pols have been in bed with the Mexican elite a long time.

Anyway immigration, legal or otherwise, may soon peter out as the latest official reports state that Mexico's future is as bright as our own. :)

But what the hell, if pundits weren't shilling on immigration it would be gay marriage or abortion and I really don't care who is gay and who has abortion, anymore than I care who is legal or illegal. Too bad rallying to clean up the broken executive, legislative, and judicial branches isn't on the agenda.

Baghdad Burning

Hoaxster (my opinion only) wins literary honor. The 24 y/o Iraqi native, former computer programmer, writing from Baghdad under the pseudonym Riverbend - or if you've been following the blog, more likely a jokester in River Bend, USA.

Sunday Tilling (Warning Long-Winded)

Breaking garden ground today and thinking. I love digging, raking, tilling, staking and stringing vegetable plots, flower beds. Something peaceful about getting down and dirty.

We head into mid term elections and the "news" is as awful as ever. Spin, spin, spin. Rake rake rake. Dig dig dig. Good news is Democrats can point to bad news as the messes of the incumbents. If democrats prevail in the coming elections we will hear "cleaning up their mess" and "blame Bushites" as often as we once heard "blame Clinton." All said with a straight face as if democrats didn't pave the BushCo way.

Democrats can yammer how the Republicans treat the constitution like a "goddamn piece of paper." Republicans will issue more and more rhetoric to remind us daddy guvmint knows best and in God they Trust. Bad news is both parties keep voting yea to finance the "mess."

For the "left" – there's the "immigration" situation. Both my daughters-in-law are Mexican nationals. One is active Army reservist, married to #2 son. The other an executive with a large company. I love both young women, and knowing my sons, I couldn't have chosen better life companions myself for them. But, I have to agree with the anti-immigrationists. At the moment the US does not need more hands for anything. Remember the '60s phrase "if you're white all right, if you're brown hang around, if you're Black get back." In many ways for most of Black America that's the way it has worked.

Hispanics, in particular Mexican nationals, should face their own government and demand change. Likely the US would send aid to help out the Spanish white oligarchy in Mexico, DF, but American citizens could refuse if we had any say over anything in our government. I wonder, if Hispanics don't feel their own country worth standing up for – perhaps they fit nicely with the US elite overseers. Maybe expecting immigrants to stand up to their own ruling elite is asking too much as Americans can't seem to do it either. If the fascism becomes too overbearing in America – millions of Hispanics have the option of going home. Most Americans have only America.

For "left" and "right" this week there was the Afghan Christian convert. A man said to have mental problems by family members and I would agree. Returning to Afghan after years away, knowing the climate there, and announcing his new religion the guy was looking for attention or a crusade. Will they or won't they execute; evangelicals love a good persecution to focus the flock on. Perhaps Afghan law will show the man more mercy than Tookie Williams was shown by The California Groper (son of a Nazi) who felt Tookie did not meet the requirements of redemption.

Tony Blair, prissy counterpart of prissy Bush, is making a comeback in the news today. He told Australians to "tough it out" after a poll showed two-thirds want all 460 of their soldiers home by May. Blair says they must "stand by their allies in the war on terror." All 460 soldiers of them. Oh my, what will we do if they pull out.

In the Ukraine the "orange revolution" has turned blue. For all the mass protesting a couple of years ago Ukranians are still stuck with two corrupt guys with surnames beginning with 'Y' and the usual "vich" or "enko" ending. Didn't take the fickle masses long to swing the other way. Likely they too know more about Homer Uri Ysimpsonenkovich than their constitution.

And when not fed the spin of politics there's other news to dig through. I think it tragic irony in the Seattle murders at the Better Off Undead rave party. I wonder if the beating and rape accusations against the preppy Duke lacrosse team will draw much attention. This week, for more bio-fright, are stories of inspect or not inspect for "mad cow" and the usual humans with bird flu getting closer. And the weekly dollar war, trade war, the political left, right, and green war for our hearts and minds.

I noticed Condi's hair this weekend had more body and sway; a new stylist? She almost had the floppy-haired white girl motion when she announced a couple of hours ago the Afghan man's death sentence may be dropped, an assurance to religious freedom via BushCo? Barely gave the "left" time to point at BushCo failure before the "right" saves the man, a success story to show BushCo brand of democracy works? Shouldn't Condi be referred to as Dr. Rice, no one ever referred to Secretary of State Kissinger as Hank. OTOH there are better names to reference war criminals than Condi or Hank.

Count on both parties to bang us regularly over the head with the constitution, although we skipped having a "constitutional crisis" this week. But they will remind us in another week or two that the founding fathers reverently penned the constitution for us, to protect us from tyranny, and the other party has all the tyrants. Some might even think the constitution was written for all mankind, since the US likes to beat other nations over the head with it too. Yessiree, those fathers of the constitution inked mankind's protection from tyranny; composing those reverent words of freedom as they, much like today's ruling class, were humping and grinding their slaves. And give us your poor, your huddled masses … the wretched refuse of your teeming shore … send these, the homeless - we need more cheap labor.

I'm so glad planting and gardening will take up more time. Reading news and views could give a person a bad attitude. Which reminds me, some are yammering about the BushCo "Leave No Child Behind" forcing schools to cut back on other subjects to concentrate on reading and math. What's the problem here. With reading skills a person can teach him/herself anything. With a love of reading the mind expands. Reading doesn't have to cut out history and social studies fool – it can incorporate the subjects. As a home schooler (surprise – not all homeschoolers are cultish white survivalists) reading was the #1 focus. We should all know the 3 R's better : Reading, 'Rithmatic, and Revolution.

Hollywood Trot 'Em Out

Caught a few minutes of televised Pat Boone today speaking for the other wing of Hollywood. The theme seemed to be a shame-shame on fair-weather conservatives.

I missed most of his pro-Bush speak as his neck, wrinkled as a 200 y/o turtle's, held my attention.

And I wondered, wasn't his heavy-metal phase around the same time he lost his mind?

Charitable Babes

Barbara Bush gave money to a hurricane relief fund on the condition that it be spent to buy educational software from her son Neil's company.

No surprise, as I've blogged previously on the inner workings of charity, grants, funds, foundations, etc. Babs act is SOP. What some call "philanthropy" I call "philandering" (casually screwing many). If we could view the stipulations, conditions, provisions, earmarks, dispositions of monies "donated" by the wealthy we'd find a maze of Barbara-ism. And where definitive written transfer of funds are not found there is a handshake agreement. But more likely you'll find all the charitable philandering in writing as they don't trust one another to not screw one another at times.

I'll "scratch" (donate) to your organization, fund, foundation, charity if you "scratch" (buy, donate, found, fund) mine. Charity is one of THE biggest scams the elite run on us. The elite might be the first to tell you charity does begin at home, with home being a palace, an estate, a compound, etc. It is "their" money though, and tax deductible. (There are a few charitable exceptions, St. Jude Hospital for example.)

In my small town of 17,000 I stopped counting the number of local elite who do receive federal tax dollars to administer grants/funds "earmarked" for the disadvantaged in our community. Big bucks, thousands of programs nationwide, public and private foundations, operate more or less the same.

Example: Linda (pretty white lady), wife of a physician receives $1,000,000 per year to operate a soup kitchen in the Sunset area (our Black section of town, pop. 3000). For a steep price Linda rents the old school house in Sunset from Richard, town mayor and her hubby's golfing buddy. Ms. L. provides 1 lunch 5 days a week to perhaps 50 hungry folks per day, if it's a busy day. Foodstuffs and supplies are purchased from businesses of friends, relatives, and national suppliers who occasionally thank Ms. Linda with "extras" which will perk to her own cupboard and kitchen.

One must have an official "organization" or institute to receive these grants and with such a not-for-profit business comes the credit cards, company car, office space, cell phones, business trips, etc. Whose to know that flight to San Fran for a "seminar" was 2 days "seminar" and 4 days fun in the sun? And can she help it if the organization's credit card is inadvertently used to fill up the Navigator's tank on the way to the soccer match?

(There is one Black not-for-profit organization in town but – that's right – their funds must go through the City Fathers, who skim a lot to make sure Black members only pilfer a little. This org. was setup by the City Fathers as soon as they learned money was out there but earmarked only to org's that had Black administrators.)

Sometimes, over a few years, a few poor actually benefit from these programs locally, despite all the hands in the till. These non-profits often have in their title words such as Mission, Relief, Community and/or Faith.

When applying for this grant each year, and received for several years, Linda has the arduous task of stipulating her own salary and that of tennis club friends who might wish to dally part-time as secretary or other openings in the administrating part of her charitable business career. She must appoint non-salaried board members who meet every blue moon (literally) to advise and oversee that she is running the program and funds properly. Board members are upstanding cohorts of Ms. L. She may at times reciprocate and serve as a board member on their charitable org./foundation.

The good part is most weekdays Ms. Linda gets to spend an hour a day in the old school house kitchen, supervising the local Black church volunteers who cook and clean up. She may mingle with and rub a few heads carrying on about how cute the children are of these people, charming as she can be in $400 jeans and cashmere.

Doing the math it averages out to about $80 per person per meal. Now Bubba or Willie May will tell you that bowl of chicken soup or styrofoam plate of chicken wings and instant mashed potatoes don't taste like no $80 worth. But, to folks like Linda and Babs Bush, do-gooding can look and taste like a million bucks.

Letter to Congress

Excerpts from a letter that a Military Families Speak Out member wrote to her elected officials about this National Support the Troops day/moment of silence (I received in MFSO email, writer not identified) :

"I am writing in reference to the resolution passed by the House and Senate last week supporting a “National Moment of Silence”, which asks for a moment of silence to honor the sacrifices of our troops.

As a member of a military family whose son has made this sacrifice you seek to honor, I can not help but point out to you that our troops and their families have already experienced three long years of silence with no honor from our representatives in Congress.

Most members of Congress have remained silent about the horror of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal... When only rank and file soldiers were accused of crimes at Abu Ghraib, and none of the commanders and Pentagon officials, including Rumsfeld, who oversaw and authorized the torture were accused, you remained silent.

When our sons and daughters, and husbands and wives went without life-saving clothing and equipment in Iraq, most remained silent. When vehicles were not armor-plated against IED’s you remained silent. When even simple things like batteries for night vision goggles and radios for communication were not provided, except by terrified parents and friends, you kept silent.

The list of chilling and heartless silences can seem endless to angry and deeply disappointed military families. There was no outraged response from Congress when the commander-in-chief taunted and dared insurgents to “bring em on” to kill our soldiers.... No concern when the Bush administration impugns military families’ patriotism when they dare to bring up uncomfortable basic facts about this war, no concern that thousand upon thousand of innocent Iraqis have been killed, that contractors continue to reap fortunes on the backs of the American people. Congress remains almost completely silent regarding the destruction of Iraq, the lack after three years of basic water and electricity, lack of oil for Iraqis’ cars, no sewage, few jobs.

May I make some suggestions for authentic ways of honoring the service of my soldier-son? Instead of a moment of silence designed to make Congress feel better, how about each and every member of Congress making regular visits to the wounded soldiers you sent to war? How about assigning a specific staff member to help soldiers in their districts with VA benefits and to monitor how they are doing with employment opportunities when they get home? How about asking the soldiers who have been to Iraq for their assessments of what we should be doing to get out, instead of blindly following the arrogant and incompetent draft-avoiders who sent them there?

And finally, how about honoring our troops by taking positions and voting, not based on your re-election chances, but based on conscience and decency and honor, those values our thousands of troops have consistently displayed for three years and which they see all too rarely from the Congress who sent them to Iraq."

Haditha & Isahaqi

By now presumably everyone has seen/read the stories of Marine massacres at Haditha and Isahaqi.

Haditha incident occurred last November. According to the Time article military officials in Baghdad were presented Iraqi accounts of the Marines' actions by Time. The magazine's reporter, Aparism Ghosh, initially took the video (filmed by a young local journalism student the day after the attack) to the Marines who were "hostile." Then to military officials in Baghdad. The video details not the atrocity but the village and villagers talking about the incident. That the 15 Haditha victims were killed by an IED has been admitted as a lie. Whether or not the Marines went on a killing rampage that day is still under investigation.

Information Clearing House has the above footage from British news. The report shows video footage of wrapped bodies, and mentions the fact that Haditha has been a "hotbed" of terrorist/insurgent activity at least since last August.

There is footage of two vets stateside at a peace rally who comment on shooting anyone anytime, "killing anybody you want." The two are not connected to the Haditha incident and not proof that Marines massacred 15 civilians, but inserted into the "news" footage. Is that objective reporting of the incident? A 9 y/o boy, not shown but supposed witness to the event, says they (Marines) shot his grandfather and then his granny. There is no explanation of how the boy escaped the "massacre."

(Last July 4 issue of Time (via ICH), Aparism Ghosh had an article on arranging a meet with a would-be suicide bomber. "One day soon, this somber young man plans to offer up a final prayer and then blow himself up along with as many U.S. or Iraqi soldiers as he can reach." Fueled by the fact that US troops have "stayed and stayed.")

In Isahaqi, the photos from Chris Floyd site, sad though they are, are proof of the horror of war – not a massacre. That the Floyd website lobs emotional knee-jerk language is sufficient to destroy credibility with me. Language to shock and awe, trigger a gut experience rather than thought. Granted there are some animals in uniform, but what sort of mind can so easily and quickly believe that US Marines would tie and bind babies and shoot them in the head?

I do not understand the rush to judgement when it comes to our own troops, and on flimsy evidence thus far. It almost feels like the American public is being set up for something. One of the many things keeping me awake tonight.

Just Some FYI

March 6, 2006 – Censorship of the worst kind. by Vanessa Redgrave : "This is censorship of the worst kind. More awful even than that. It is black-listing a dead girl and her diaries. A very brave and exceptional girl who all citizens, whatever their faith or nationality, should be proud and grateful for her existence. They couldn't silence her voice while she lived, so she was killed. Her voice began to speak again as Alan Rickman read her diaries, and Megan Dodds became Rachel Corrie. Now the New York Theatre Workshop have silenced that dear voice."

March 14, 2006 response from NY Theater Workshop : "I have heard from many of you in the past few weeks about the Workshop’s decision to request a postponement in producing My Name is Rachel Corrie. In researching My Name is Rachel Corrie, we found many distorted accounts of the actual circumstances of Rachel’s death that had resulted in a highly charged, vituperative, and passionate controversy. While our commitment to the play did not waver, our responsibility was not just to produce it, but to produce it in such a way as to prevent false and tangential back-and-forth arguments from interfering with Rachel’s voice. We spoke to friends and colleagues in the artistic community and to religious leaders as well as to representatives of the Jewish community, because the play involved Israeli action. It was this piece of our research that has attracted attention and led some of you to conclude that we sought to postpone the production based solely on their response. This was not the case. No outside group has ever or will ever participate in the artistic decision-making process at NYTW.

As we listened to various opinions and read thousands of entries on websites and blogs, we realized we needed to find ways to let Rachel’s words rise above the polemics. We regret that requesting more time to achieve that goal was interpreted as failing to fulfill a commitment and, worse, as censorship. If we have erred, it was on the side of trying to be sensitive to all communities, in order to keep a public dialogue open and civil.

I also regret any pain or confusion we have caused in trying to fulfill our responsibility to the art itself and to the community we serve. I can only say we were trying to do whatever we could to help Rachel’s voice be heard."

James C. Nicola, Artistic Director
New York Theatre Workshop

So, is it postponement or censorship or both or what.

Sugar Sugar

For some time I've mulled around the theory that the US could be energy dependent of foreign oil if we truly wanted to be. I concluded since we're not, perhaps it's no more than the oil boys, stockholders, investors, government and related businesses who prefer another century to drain the last blood soaked dime from oil before announcing with great fanfare and accolade, that they have a renewable cheap, clean, easy energy substitute for us. Of course such fuel would not be cheap after its initial introduction and we the taxpayers would certainly subsidize it for eternity, as with all things corporate, but we would at least not be sent to kill and die in oil wars.

The heartland recently opened or are in the process of constructing ethanol plants – lots of them, giving me more reason to suspect we're heading toward such fuel eventually. God knows with EPA's shoddy oversight what such production will do to the environment or our lungs but at least we would not be sent to kill and die in oil wars.

Then, a couple of nights ago I caught a few minutes of a tv clip on Brazil's energy independence which sent me to googling, In the '70s and '80s Brazil began a 100 percent ethanol push. During the '70s crisis they were importing 90 percent of their petroleum consumption. Today Brazil is almost energy independent of foreign oil. What they do import is predominantly for diesel fuel in trucking.

If Brazil can do it, why can't the US? I came across this article at Bloomberg by John Berry, naysaying the US using ethanol on a grand scale. He cites a variety of problems (excuses) although they appear solvable to me. And apparently Bush's promise of alternative fuel is no more than the underhanded BushCo method of subsidizing corn farmers.

Berry also cites this reason : "One big problem with ethanol is that it is more corrosive than gasoline. Gasoline stations need special equipment and tanks."

Question for Mr. Berry: Duh, how many gas stations can we specially equip with the billions spent on Iraq? And at least we would not be sent to kill and die for oil.

He also points out that "… it takes a lot of energy to grow and transport the corn, the main ingredient of ethanol, and to turn it into a liquid fuel. The latest studies indicate the process consumes about 80 percent as much energy as it produces, though that figure depends on a variety of assumptions such as corn yields and the location of ethanol plants relative to the corn fields."

Okay, let's ask Brazil how they made it feasible. And as for studies, who funded the studies, big oil? Of course the "figure" depends on yields and location. And does he not know better than to make an ass out of umptions? Brazil does it all with sugarcane, much more perishable than corn.

"One hectare of sugarcane can yield 80 metric tons of cane after the leaves are stripped by machete-wielding workers. However, the cane, which is a perennial that takes 18 months to mature, is perishable and must be processed within 24 hours. After crushing the stems and fermenting the cane juice, about 6,400 liters (1,664 gallons) of hydrated ethanol is captured. The fibrous pulp by-product, called bagasse, is piled and either burned for steam-powered electricity generators for the ethanol plants or returned to farmers and applied to the land. The Brazilian ethanol plants are completely energy self-sufficient."

Berry then whines of what ethanol in Brazil has done to the price of sugar : "So much of Brazil's sugar cane is being used for ethanol that the world sugar price has reached a 24-year high of more than 19 cents a pound. The world price used to be only about 40 percent of the price of U.S. produced sugar, which is protected by import quotas. The world price now is up to about 75 percent of the U.S. price." Berry might want to check the effects Clinton, NAFTA, and recent farm bills from congress had on sugar pricing too. (I'm so old I remember what Fidel's revolution did to the price of sugar.)

Berry ends with : "For purposes of improving national security, ethanol is at best a bit player."

Ties national security in nicely with oil. And I'm sure that's the way many many investors and government want it.

Two Men & Half Propaganda

PrisonPlanet reports "Charlie Sheen has joined a growing army of other highly credible public figures in questioning the official story of 9/11."

Handsome and head turning as Sheen may be, when did this booze, drugs, and sex hound become "credible." Sheen actually isn't saying anything risky, nor is he any more "credible" than you, me, or the public figures of Bubba and Earl at the diner. And hon, of 290 million Americans this is by no means a "growing army." Jones has to be the star of false hope and hyperbole.

Where are Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Barbara Streisand, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, etc. after making their anti-war appearances three years back? What took so long for MSM to trot out another "lefty celeb" for our consumption.

Stars such as the above have joined various anti-war groups and stated "… we will not give our sons and daughters to a war for oil." Damn right they won't. The only enlistment these kids will make is the audition and producer rosters.

A few celebs don't mind stepping in career doodoo, remember Ed Asner's 1980s politics? Definitely not studio approved as he quickly slid down the Hollywood totem pole. Belafonte is old enough to not care about a career now, nor have his children entered the life of big cinema and need daddy to keep his mouth shut.

Ever wonder where the recent famous anti-war anti-Bush 9/11 theorists stand on Israel-Palestine? I know Madonna, Kathleen Turner, and Sharon Stone recently flocked and posed on a pilgrimage or to the Peres birthday bash in Israel, but what does Charlie, Susie, Tim, Barb, Kathy, really think of Israel in regard to the war on the Middle East.

Do they whisper among themselves this is a war for oil or a war for Israel? Do celebs discuss the Zionist/AIPAC control of the US government with a studio mogul such as Viacom/Paramount's Sumner Redstone (nee Rothstein)?

When celebs make applaudable statements such as Robbins : "Cloaked in patriotism and our doctrine of spreading democracy throughout the world, our fundamentalism is business, the unfettered spread of our economic interests throughout the globe. Our resistance to this war should be our resistance to profit at the cost of human life" - do they run to divest their portfolios of profit on human life? Tim, if I am to think you speak for me – show me you put your money where your mouth is. Stock it to me.

Hollywood and/or the stars have yet to solve questions around any event in history. Are celebs, as with WWII's Hollywood propaganda machine, cogs grinding tabloid grist for the PTB? Must be, why else would Sheen speak to a conspiracy nut like Alex Jones (same GCN as Daryl Smith/Iamthewitness).

Tipping Again

At CounterPunch Ralph Nader tells us we're at the "tipping point" :

"There comes a tipping point, however, when the opposition of the establishment, the public opinion of the citizenry, the disgust of the soldiers--their spreading casualties, diseases and mental traumas - and the corruption of the large corporate contractors to whom much of the military's functions have been outsourced, all congeal and overcome the cowardliness of most members of Congress. Then a surge of Congressional followers and allies of Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), war veteran and leading voice against the Bush Iraq policies, will come to the forefront."

Lemme see, didn't I write something about a "tipping point" a while back? Oh yes, last September when the last "tipping point" was tipping around : "In the past several weeks some on the left claim the press is waking up, the press is finally doing it's job, the media is finally asking the tough questions. Suddenly the press has testicles. Sure. Almost overnight the press tell us polls have turned against Bush. We've reached a "tipping point." This near instant "tipping point" began to emerge around May, picked up speed with the Sheehan coverage, and Katrina definitely put Bush down the Zogby. Another term coined for the peons, "tipping point" and almost as useful as urban legends of "cow tipping."

Nader says now comes "400,000 lawyers--whose House of Delegates has overwhelmingly approved a task force report accusing President Bush, in polite legal language, of violating both the Constitution and federal law."

Wow, wish they had been around 3 years ago. Lawyers. And all those "former" high level officials coming out now. The best and the brightest took 3 years to recognize a "foreign disaster" when they see one? And then they are polite about it.

But wait, "task force." Is that not like investigation, commissions, hearings, panel, etc. and did I not write something about that last June, and said : "The time is upon us for hearings, bipartisan congressional bills, homeboy Acts named to induce a warm fuzzy and insinuate the end is near. We're at the political stage of not questioning the justification for our engagement in the War or hold anyone accountable, but the years of debating military withdrawal strategy, aka carrying water for the warmongers."

How many, raise your hands, knew when Election 2000 went down like it did that we would be at war very soon under Bush? Too many to count. See, we're smarter than 400,000 lawyers and former high levelers.

But maybe the "tipping point" will really really "congeal" this time and Congress will ride to the rescue with John "Defense Porker" Murtha leading the cavalry to shitcan the neocons and put the good, but cowardly and slow to come out, congress critters in charge.

Leaping Sadly Through the News

Startling research from the biggest study ever of U.S. health care quality suggests that Americans — rich, poor, black, white — get roughly equal treatment, but it's woefully mediocre for all."

What a puff piece : "health care quality … Americans – rich, poor … get roughly equal treatment" and "the study even challenged some stereotypes" and found "blacks and Hispanics actually got slightly better medical treatment than whites."

Included were U.S. Veterans Affairs personnel and a study group which represented a broad picture of the nation's health care practices. That's right Sargent Bubba Washington – you get the same mediocre medical care as any other rich, poor, insured or uninsured, black or white veteran; like John McCain, John Kerry, Colin Powell. And Grandma Millie's medical care is as good as Babara Bush's HMO.

Rand Corporation conducted the study. Rand describes its "Corporate Mission" as a "nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis."

Rand also has headquarters in the Netherlands and the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute to analyze "complex policy problems and help implement enduring solutions for clients across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia." Rand's list of major sponsors, advisers, board of trustees, etc. includes enduring solutions folks such as guys from Bechtel Group, Scowcroft Group, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Carlyle Group. Past and present business and political figures : Francis Fukuyama, Ann McLaughlin Korologos, Paul H. O'Neill, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Paul Bremer, Frank C. Carlucci.

To the elite with unlimited funds and access to quality worldwide health care the above junk news would be jest. A few souls may be convinced that regardless of class status we are all equal on the examining table under a paper sheet. Equality in health care, presented with certitude and by a group with the prestigious Rand rap sheet shows how "news" can seem truthful yet be complete b.s., empty of any pertinence.

But my mind takes a leap here. The piece is representative of what the media give us on all sorts of subjects. Pieces by qualified people, from corporations like Rand, who are only here to help us – to improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. To "enlighten" us. A smorgasbord of national and international politicians and corporate heads, left and right, advising, helping us realize the complexities of it all. I'm not sure how to define "it," however, on Rand web page I notice they cannot proofread or spell check "it" (decisionmaking).

This type of dishonest news reminds me of the "turn around" in political news the past few months. The courageous messengers of late delivering the "liberal" point of view to MSM, each revelation hinting, or guaranteed by some interpretations, to "bring BushCo down."

So I ask myself – how is it so many politically aware folks, some who shout the loudest about a Zionist neocon pack having a stranglehold on US media, Hollywood, business, banking, industry; controlling our pols, the Pentagon, CIA; so powerful "they" pull SS Liberty and 9/11 ops, "they" dictate when and where we war, rig our elections, and even wiretap Bill Clinton phone sex, etc., how can aware folks pant over the crumbs of recent "liberal slanted news"?

"News" from the same mogul-dom that faithfully published BushCo lies and/or ignored truth, ignored dissent as they printed, filmed, and spread propanganda. The same Hollywood that gave us a 3 year dose of pro-war themes. Same entitites that posed Bush with flags, halos, flight suits and turkeys, a tear squeezed from his eye. It's the same Pentagon and CIA, still taking orders from the same PTB (powers that be). It's the same experts, think tanks and pols who hammered our ears with silence for 5 long years and now come forward with "second thoughts" and new, more informed interpretations, as they continue to force us to fund wars … business as usual.

Is it good news that a "liberal" mogul, dem donor, who counts Bill Clinton and Al Gore among his friends, is buying out Knight-ridder? Does that guarantee truth in news? Or just another mogul, friend of Clinton and Gore, neither of whom lifted a voice to fight BushCo when they should have.

Sad when a pol's censure slap is considered an act of bravery. Sad when the 3rd anniversary of illegal war and invasion brings only a trickle of protest. Sad when we applaud Hollywood royalty for doing what they do best – putting on a second rate show, applause, bow, limo home until the next performance.

Sad so much energy spent on Dixie Chicks and Swift Boats, Mockingbirds and Able Danger and 1001 conspiracy theories, Wilson/Plame, uncle Sam snooping on everyone, Iran is next, plane/no plane hit the pentagon, renditions, Iran is next, free speech zones, Cindy's teeshirt, port deals, bird flu is coming bird flu is coming, Bush's poll numbers, Iran is next - yet we still don't know when a bombing is real or an inside job, whether OBL is dead or alive, or who mailed the anthrax.

So the ruling elite get our attention – and we don't get theirs as they divert our minds to the next mediocre act in the political circus. Do the democrats not recognize their side of the aisle plays them as skillfully as the republicans play theirs?

Fire the liars and they give us new liars. Loss of freedom of speech is always the democrat's popular fear to push in times like this – yet we can hear everyone with a keyboard or bullhorn. Name one high traffic legitimate website shut down by the government. Saddest thing this week is high profile webmasters who encourage readers to email ABC praise for a few sound bytes on a nighttime soap - or push the belief that a liberal mogul is more honest than a conservative mogul - when we could be marching on DC to burn 1040s in the squatters front yard - just, you know, to get their attention.

Soap Opera Buzz

Episode Summary

"Stick It" clip has the internet abuzz.

Season 2, Episode 19
Broadcast: March 14, 2006

Rachel Lewiston is arrested, Brad tries to help Rachel by posing as a drug addict. A homeowner is in trouble for boobytrapping his home to catch burglars. Denny takes a bath - with Alan.

From ABC: When Alan Shore’s secretary, Melissa (Marisa Coughlan), is arrested for tax evasion, he takes on the case of this outspoken girl who says her late, patriotic grandfather would be proud of her for challenging the government. Meanwhile, after a blind date with Shirley Schmidt’s nephew goes badly, Denise Bauer hopes her love life will improve when she meets a cute policeman. And Paul Lewiston decides to stage an intervention for his crystal-meth-using daughter, insisting that a reluctant Brad Chase help him.

Not buzzing as loud as Moore's Farhenheit 9/11 but I failed to finish that movie too. As fast as this clip lit up netizens on the left I have to wonder if Boston Legal needed a bump up in ratings.

Walter's 2 Cents & Mine

Walter E. Williams, a kneegro member of the neo-conservative right and a regular contributor at Townhall and Jewish World Review, enters his 2 cents on the Jay Bennish episode in Colorado. Bennish is the high school geography teacher who was recorded by a 16 y/o student while spouting, according to Williams, "anti-Bush" and "anti-American" words.

Williams has written that Reaganism and GWB contributed to a plutocracy yet Williams regularly and steadfastly repeats the language and logic of the neocons. Sometimes he tosses a reasonable bone of an idea to his fellow Black Americans but most know he's one of the Washington academics chosen by the neocons. He believes "In the past, Europeans were unwilling or unable to protect themselves against Nazism and communism. Now they demonstrate an unwillingness to protect themselves against Islam hell-bent on conquering the West. We just might have to pull Europe’s chestnut out of the fire—again." He's a conservative cowboy who too often writes short columns in support of neocon rhetoric. Williams is gung-ho hooya to protect the world from those Islamic's hell-bent on conquest of the West.

Regarding Bennish, a couple of comments in Williams' piece stuck in my craw. Williams uses "indoctrination" in describing Bennish teaching methods, and much of our education system. The indoctrination in the schools is correct – just not in the sense of the awful evil "anti-American" or the "attack on family values and traditional standards of decency" that Williams subscribes to, which he lifted straight from the rightwing memo. Wally, by first grade kids enter school indoctrinated with the values and decency they have at home. Today's public schools merely exacerbate it, Adderall it, or warehouse it.

Williams lives in another realm, where 16-year-olds are "relatively uninformed teenagers." In my world, 16 y/o teens are high tech, gaming, text messaging, sometimes politically aware whizzards. Many may not be interested in government but they're not all that uninformed about Bush and the US relationship to the world. I'm certain the little twit who recorded Bennish was informed with the politics of his parents, so much so he could barely wait to give interviews dissing his teacher. Why go through the system with his parents notifying the school's administration about a perceived problem when he can have his 15 minutes.

Williams states, "I've taught economics for 37 years. I encourage students to record my lectures. Moreover, I tell them that the class deals with positive economics and if they hear me make a statement appearing to be an opinion, without saying so, they are to raise their hands and say, "Professor Williams, we didn't take this class to be indoctrinated with your personal opinions passed off as economic theory; that's academic dishonesty." I also tell them that if I ever preface a comment with, "In my opinion," they can stop taking notes because my opinion is irrelevant to economic theory."

What a crockster. Williams teaches at university level so certainly some in his classroom are aware he teaches capitalist economics infused with his own bias; that he is a proponent of capitalism and in agreement with US corporatocracy methods to maintaining that system. He has not taught 37 years of pure theory without tilting information to suit personal capitalist bias.

Williams passes himself off as a compassionate conservative academic, subbing for Rush Limbaugh talk radio, Heritage think tank member (home tank of the neoconservatives); he preaches the theory that liberals fool Blacks into playing victim - or the liberals are liars and Blacks are fools neocon routine. Does he compete with Armstrong Williams for those neocon dollars or what?

If Bennish had used Williams method and prefaced his "Bush is threatening the whole planet" with the phrase "in my opinion" would that have satisfied Williams conservative teaching methodology? Bennish gave the definition of capitalism as "capitalism is at odds with humanity, at odds with caring and compassion and at odds with human rights." Walter, a few billion around the world and a few million in America might agree that is more fact than opinion.

Economist Williams should know all about "indoctrination" and dollars. If the talking point was pro-slavery, he'd say Blacks should be grateful – since it brought us to America, and being the capitalist he is, we should pay for the passage.

Officially, Walter E. Williams is placed on KAB's (kate/a/blog) list of There Are Black Conservatives Out There Hoax.

Is Feingold the Maverick the Left is Waiting For?

Russell Dana Feingold may give Hillary some grief in the 2008 presidential bid. He's almost "left" enough for me. He seems made to order for the democrat's liberal base yet won't offend the more conservative demo-plicans. The man has officially cornered the tag/label "Progressive Patriot." Very smart move as the rallying cry since 2000 has been "progressives" are on the march to take back the country. He has been described as a "maverick with courage." (The reluctant hero, like James Garner as my old pappy would say.)

Feingold became a US senator in 1992 after a decade in Wisconsin state politics. He has much in his favor :

He stands for reductions in pork barrel spending and corporate welfare. (Although when pols reductit in one barrel they pork it into another, and corporate welfare certainly seems alive and well). Can you find a senator who claims publicly he wants and we need more pork barreling and wealthyfare?

He was the only senator to vote against the USA PATRIOT Act when first voted on in 2001. And led a successful filibuster against renewal last year - which led to a compromise on some of its provisions (those 16 provisions none of us give a fart about or could name without googling; oh wait, I think one of the provisions protects us from librarians).

Feingold has a mixed record on gun rights and control. Sometimes voting in favor of gun control legislation, while at other times voting to expand gun rights (could be wishy-washy rather than "mixed" but lets not mince words, or is it "mincing" and lets not mix words?).

He's known as a budget hawk. He promised not to accept pay raises while in office and so far has returned $50,000 in such raises to the U.S. Treasury (recently divorced for the second time he may need those raises for alimony). But congress has shown that even a horrendously ill-deficited budget can be balanced and show a surplus almost overnight – just ask Clinton how to cook … I mean, how to balance the books.

He co-authored the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill of 2002 which took 7 years to pass. Last year he introduced the idea to ban lobbyists from giving gifts to senators, paying travel expenses for senator trips or traveling on corporate jets, require quarterly lobbying reports rather than semi-annually (won't pass but looks good and honest). Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 the 7 year ordeal to reform, signed by Bush, was the "soft money" issue that held our undivided attention. The Act closed "loopholes" and I'm certain no one will find a way around what has now become "the law of the land" as far as "soft money" goes, and campaign finance is cleaner. I know I sleep better at night with the knowledge that 7 years were consumed with bringing about this change in campaign law. Thank god there are limits to the "soft" money those pols can panky with.

His focus, according to internet gospel, has been on campaign finance reform, fair trade policies, health care reform, environmental protection, a multilateral foreign policy, Social Security, abolishing the death penalty, and eliminating wasteful spending.

I really don't see that for all the good senator's effort any of the above focusing has been reformed, protected, abolished, or eliminated. Of course one could say more candidates like Russ would be the answer – but will we live long enough to see several dozen Feingold-ish senators sending back pay raises and refusing trips on corporate jets with nifty gifts next to the champagne on ice; snubbing the rewards for congressionally eliminating corporate porking and the newly passed free healthcare and higher education for all Joe Blows? Just after they have reformed the Pentagon and CIA and eliminated the Patriot Act and saved the Homeland.

Russ leads the news today with proposing to censure Bush for spying. Let's all give a big sigh of relief. That'll stop that Zionist cabal of evil neocons. Smack, smack, oh the wrist pain of it all, smack smack, take that and that. Did I mention Russ is Jewish? Are American liberals liberal enough to elect a Jewish president, or even American conservative Baptists? I don't think so, but don't bet your diebold on it.

Beaten to Death

Martin Anderson, a 14 y/o Florida boy died his first day in a "correctional boot camp." Jebba Bush's coroner initially ruled the death was due to internal bleeding because of sickle cell trait – not the 30 minute beating he received. "Trait" mind you, not sickle cell disease. And the bruises and abrasions were from attempts to resuscitate.

Note AP story says Anderson was "kneed and struck." Kneed and struck, not punched and kicked as in the video. The video also showed Nurse Ratched Mengele with stethoscope checking the boy's vital signs, giving guards the okay to continue with the "kneed and struck" routine. At one point up to 9 guards were surrounding the limp body on the ground.

A second independent autopsy at the parents request ruled death was due to the beating. Note AP in this story admits the "tape showing guards kicking and punching Martin Lee Anderson’s limp body the day before he died."

Martin was in the camp for violating parole when he stole his grandmother's car from the church parking lot. He was on parole for trespassing at a school. The type of crime considered "youthful indiscretions" by upper class folks, which daddy can make disappear. Media described Martin as a "big kid." Yes, all 6 feet 140 pound stringbean of a kid.

The media won't make an issue of this; wouldn't want to disturb progressive consciences too much about injustice at home; they have all those far-off international "detainees" to be alarmed and anxious about.

Frivolous

I don't care about the 10 y/o Gitmo detainee. Every 4 hours a Black child in the US dies, 46 percent of juveniles in correctional facilities are Black children, and the youngest perpetrators between 9 and 11 charged as adults for violent crimes are Black or Hispanic. Poverty is violent. Am I supposed to feel rage about a 10 y/o Arab held at Gitmo for 2 years because white media wants to play my emotions, attribute it to BushCo?

I don't care about the never ending Plame saga which grows more dead brain boring with each return to the news. There is zero evidence of "outing" an active agent, and pretty evident it's a limited hangout with the smallest part of truth being that Ms. Plame drove into her parking spot at Langley for a few years. I don't care about CIA employees; they have contributed willingly and overlong to the horrors of the world. Spending our dimes on a racket for the global elite. Out them all.

I don't care about Port sales b/c the deal has gone as it was intended. It gives 90 percent of the deal to Dubai and the other 10 percent to a strategic US group, with the bonus of being a political "security issue" for the upcoming election stumps.

I don't care about wiretaps b/c we the peons are not the targets. I don't flatter myself thinking my conversations, email, and habits are extremely interesting, so much so that the US federal government wants to know more. Besides, 99 percent of Federal government employees do not do their jobs, evidenced by the graft, cronyism, corruption, and stupidity of government institutions; like most of America they are there only to draw a paycheck. From my local deputy Barney to the bowels of the CIA – 99.9 percent of them can't locate their ass with both hands and a flashlight; which is why actual criminals often slip through the cracks (pun intended).

I don't care about bird flu because if the ruling elite wish to place a pox on us they will do so, and profit greatly with vaccines and a much desired population reduction. As for FEMA "concentration" camps – tell me where one is in the Heartland and I will personally take a road trip to photograph and blog it.

I don't care about Iran nukes b/c odds are the entire thing is a gambit to keep the "left" trembling and chattering about the next move, and less focused on the wars that are going on. If the powerful global elite nuke the Middle East into green glass they cut off their own nose to spite the face. They cannot shut down the world economy without cutting their own profits and it's always about the money. And if the theorists who claim the world is ruled by "the Jews" are correct, well we know how Jewish folks are with money and not likely to cut off their own nose or cash.

I don't care if Milosevic was poisoned or died naturally from a heart clogged with food and drink. I don't care if 9/11 commission was bribed; anyone holding office higher than 8th grade class president has been bribed. Tell me something new. I don't care if abortion is outlawed. I grew up in an era of little available contraception other than a condom and "no" and most women managed to still plan their pregnancies. I don't care if we stop Mexico immigration. Make the ruling class and corporate America pay Joe Blow a few dollars more to work those jobs "nobody wants" – see how many Joes and Tyrones sign on. Cheap labor overseas is destructive enough, why the hell do we import it? And when did we become stupid enough to allow it?

I don't care if gays have marriage "rights." I don't hear any wealthy elite gays complaining. I'm tired of ignoring girl-on-girl commercials for straight men fantasies and pubescent boys to jerk off to, and watching silly simpering males flame themselves as caricatures of female and not expect me to laugh or cringe. I don't care who adults do or what they do it with – but I don't have to agree it's an "orientation" or "normal" alternative. Being a monk or nun is not normal – just an alternative. Discovering you're gay at 40 with wife and kids is not discovery – it's male menopause. Discovering you're gay at 12 is puberty. Always felt an attraction to same sex? Most people do, but don't admit it or act on it, and usually forget about it.

I don't care about election fraud as elections are all fraudulent. No one runs for office in America without licking a few boots and killing a few morals, and collecting markers on the way up so someone will eventually lick back.

I don't care about the "constitutional crisis" every other month. The constitution was written by and for wealthy European white men. We need a new one.

I don't care about these "issues" and neither do most Americans because these "issues" cannot and will not make a damn bit of difference in our lives regardless. Most of us are not gay. Most of us do not seek abortion. Most of us do not see a constitutional crisis with every headline. Most of us don't care about Plame's outing or Cheney's gun skills or Cindy's latest arrest. All empty air. Nor do most care if foreigners are treated horribly because too many Americans are holding the other shitty end of the big stick here. Most know the constitution is no more than paper written to protect the ruling class, no matter how often we had to repeat the pledge of allegiance "for all" in elementary school.

We care about education, employment, healthcare, public and personal accountability. The real issues impacting our lives everyday – but are no more than election reruns used briefly to prod the herd to the voting booth. Vote for appearance's sake, and because no one is responsible for the outcome, especially we the people. We can all be gaily unemployed with untreated health problems, discussing our abortion and stolen elections, swishing to the polls, pretending our vote counts for the next quisling regime. Long live frivolity.

Harold Ford, Jr.

For those who mistakenly believe Harold represents the "new Black leadership" a few items need to be mentioned. Ford, 33 y/o House member running for senate, is a member of the new breed of Black hustlers, or as BC writes : Black Point Man for the Right."

"You have to understand people like George Bush. He's a nice guy. We need to learn from him. Remember what Bill Clinton did: He figured out what Republicans were doing well, and instead of complaining about it, he figured out a way to do it better." – Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN)

Men like Ford Jr. began to appear on the scene years ago, although Ford has only been in politics since 1996 when he was elected to the House at age 26, representing the 9th district of Tennessee (Memphis). Ford comes from a politicaly powerful family here in Tennessee.

Ford has sucked up to the rightwing and Bush Jr. for most of his political career, until the recent Dubai Ports deal. Ford needed a stump to stand on for his 2006 senate bid and this was it. Thanks be to Hillary and all those pols rushing to protect us from Arab danger. Some believe Ford could take the senate seat, emptied by Bill Frist retirement. Attacks on Ford's "lavish lifestyle" have been blogged at Fancy Ford. But aren't all pols living lavish on our dime?

Uncle John Ford (state senator) has been an embarrassment : fined for spending campaign money on his daughter's wedding, once shooting at a truck driver through his sun roof, and last year indicted on extortion charges. Another uncle acquitted of extortion charges back in 1993. His daddy, Harold Eugene Sr., was under constant investigation when he served in Congress (1970s), particularly during Republican national administrations. Dad was of the first modern era of Black pols, often confrontational with whites which rallied support from Southern Blacks in the '70s. He was never convicted of anything.

America's political body, afraid Blacks might choose another MLK or MX leader, have instead manufactured, promoted, "groomed" and gave us hustlers like the Ford "dynasty." Julian Bond refers to this type of new Black leader as "Trojan horses." Nothing more than progressive window dressing. And of course, America's political body, in particular the Republicans, now know if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. Sold.

The success of the current "Ford dynasty" is more proof voters aren't informed, or if they are they don't give a damn. Proof too that of the 50 +/- percent of eligible voters who vote many of them do so on looks and personality. Memphis Blacks will support Harold simply because he's "one of us" who "made it." Even those who know he's just another Black man (albeit light, bright, and damned near white) tap dancing for the white folks show.

Did Ya Hear the One About

Sandra Day O'Connor "rips into GOP"? Lol.

Okay, it seems this nobody lady lawyer who grew up in Texas couldn't get a good job lawyering back in the 1950s so she went to Germany with her husband and worked there for a spell. Then she returns to the States where she gets involved in Arizona politics and finally an appelate judgeship in the late 1970s.

Then she walks into a gay bar and says … I mean ... then Reagan and Poppy Bush in 1981 appoint her to sit as one of the highest judges in the land, and the first woman on the SC! From there she pretty much waddled and fuddled the neocon line, quacking in the Ducked Election 2000 for George, son of Poppy, who got Ms. O. her first real job.

Excuse was she retired because her husband has Alzheimer's, and we all know neocon women resign because their families come first (like Karen Hughes did when her 16-year-old high school son needed her back in Texas). O'Connor's age has nothing to do with it Bubba, most SC judges die on the bench or leave in their 80s and she's only 73 or so.

Quack news today is O'Connor's "voice is dripping with criticism" toward the GOP – that is, according to Rawstory, NPR and Ms. Totenberg's reporting. The lady judge refused permission to have her dripping speech broadcast though.

But we have "someone" who did hear the speech, and "someone" to give interpretation as to what and who are being "ripped into", and tell us Ms. O'Connor is ripping into the GOP and "warning" us of dictatorship, because Ms. O said, among other hilarious one-liners (such as using the commie scenario), that "It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, … , but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings." Her "surprise" resignation last year must have surprised even her.

And then the bartender says: "How dare she retire knowing a lot of degenerates and a dictatorship would choose her successor."

Noam On Cue

A few posts below I stated how long-favored "leftists" and "former high-level exspurts" are merely on stage to give the appeance of "dissent" and/or a "voice" to the left. This morning I see Noam Chomsky is on cue in this "interview" at Counterpunch. Or "Noam Chomsky on the Hopeful Signs Across Latin America."

To clarify Chomsky's position on other issues important to the left: He does not believe 9/11 was an inside job, nor that the government had prior knowledge. He states such groups as the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations are "nothing organizations." (Meaning harmless.) Chomsky is too erudite (to sniff the air) for conspiracy theories. Regarding the JFK assassination " … the claim that it was a high-level conspiracy with policy significance is implausible to a quite extraordinary degree."

Chomsky is an adherent of Adam Smith's "free market" economy. He is described as "taking the long view." Long view, according to definition, is planning prudently for the future; large goals that required farsighted policies. Smith's theory briefly, is that the consumers would decide and no government intervention in the economy is needed. Smith saw man's innate selfishness to promote his own security as beneficial to society; unbridled selfishness is good for us all in the long run. Just ask Grandma Millie how the "free market" and unbridled works in the long run. Smith wrote the best known and most followed rationales for capitalism. Personally, I think all the experts and economists from the 1700s (as Smith), and today's, are full of shit. However, a linguistic expert such as Chomsky would never use the word "shit" while advocating modern free-market capitalism.

But back to Chomsky's "hopeful signs" across Latin America. Chomsky states: " What's happening is something completely new in the history of the hemisphere." No it's not Noam. He says "they are beginning to integrate." He then names Cuba and Venezuela as an example. This is not new – Fidel's Cuba consistently has come to the aid of all Latin leftists. Cubans were crawling all over Nicaragua 25 years ago when the leftists threw out the US dictator Somoza. (I'm certain as I was arrested by Sandinistas and questioned by Cubans in Esteli on suspicion of being CIA.) Russia too, via Cuba, always stood by to help "integrate" Latin American nations turning left.

Chomsky then cites "MERCOSUR, [the trading association now including many Latin American countries] which is still not functioning very much …" Not functioning very much – but it means something important. He says for the first time the "Indian population is becoming quite active." I guess all the indigenous over the last 500 years who fought against Anglo imperialism and/or colonialism were inactive? He discounts all the Indian members of FARC, Sendero Luminoso, the Indian political heads of thousands of villages, the occasional revolt of Peru's Tupac Amaru Indians, etc.

The US labeled such groups terrorists, leftwing rebels controlled by communists, pawns of evil-doers. Only when their revolts are successful, as with the Sandinistas, do high level American leftists call them "rebel activists" and praise their advent to office. This may be what Noam points to; the Indians are participating actively in politics. Still not new. What is new is the Latin ruling elites failed to prevent Chavez and Morales, from holding office, but the elite fat lady hasn't finished singing either. Besides, one Amerindian, African, and Spanish mixed Chavez calling for Latin America integration and one Morales Indian president does not make a hemisphere. It's been tried before, Bolivar, Sandino, Jacobo Arbenz, Guevara, Ortega, hundreds of others.

Chomsky claims "… they are beginning to throw out the International Monetary Fund (IMF). No, most South American countries have renegotiated and made new payment arrangements with the IMF. The World Bank and IMF will simply morph or regroup if need be, or as currently for some countries they adjust sovereign debt as necessitated by national policies - but don't believe for a moment these monetary branches of the global elite are going out of business in Latin America or anywhere else. Only Argentine is "ridding itself of" the IMF (by simply paying off their loan). And who knows whether the country will borrow again or not – my bet is they will. Likely only one election away from the next loan cycle. Like credit card debtors – they'll feel they can handle it better next time, next president, after this card is paid off. As for Central Latin America - and Mexico - the US has them by their AFTAs.

He cites such things as "popular movements … international popular organizations … powerful mass movements …" He tells us "China's interactions with Latin America are frightening the United States" (economics, but remember who owns controlling interests in corporations setting up businesses in China and controlling companies in SA who China does business with).

Chomsky gives, particularly the American left, the idea that hope abounds, the march of the little people has begun, huge and global, and the US is frightened of all these worldwide changes. I do wish Noam had expounded on these powerful mass international popular organizations and movements. Sounds as if we could awake tomorrow in utopia with all this moving and organ-ing.

The interview ends with Chomsky stating "That accounts for the vibrancy and vitality of democracy in much of Latin America today -- denounced in the West as "populism," a term that translates as "threat to elite rule …." Populism - populist is "one who is perceived to craft their rhetoric as appeals to the economic, social, and common sense concerns of average people," which is what Chomsky does, therefore a "populist." However, his 4 decades of rhetoric have never been a threat to elite rule.

But Noam isn't really speaking to the "common sense concerns of average people." He's further up the food chain since average folks don't attend MIT or his lectures. Guys like Morales and Chavez speak to the "average people" (or in elitespeak - useless feeders). But Noamites feel above average, and he does say plenty for the left to agree with; and then there's the intellectual snob appeal to quoting and communing on the same level as a famous egghead.

What's happening in Latin America is denounced as "socialism" by rightwingers. And there is not as much "vibrancy and vitality" as Chomsky indicates in Latin America today. The majority of movements there, at the moment, are tenuous with very little "average people" power. But Chomsky assures us a leftist vision (just like the 60's, '70s, and '80s) is taking hold in Latin America – can the US "left" be far behind?

And what or who exactly represents the American "left?" Chomsky, liberal think tanks funded by the elite? The democrats? Greens? The lonely voice of Dennis Kucinich crying in the wilderness of congress? The American ruling elite give us "leftist" voices (such as Noam) and there's not even a valid left. In lighter moments I find that quite funny.

Most of Latin America offers a dozen or more political parties to choose from – that's mainly how Chavez and Morales came to power. The US has how many parties per presidential election? One?

America's "left" will thrill at Chomsky's words of hope and expectations of change, find encouragement and validation for their thinking … and sit back on their haunches waiting for the revolution – to be accomplished by those chomsky-esque powerful popular mass movements, locally and worldwide, which they will join as soon as they finish all the chores on their to-do list, or if they can - a donation for the .org membership and newsletter - so's they know when that revolution be coming their way.

How Foreign Aid Works

The "left" is tsk-tsking on the BushCo's cuts of aid to Latin America, accusing the administration of "gutting" aid to our southern and Caribbean neighbors living in poverty. Does anyone ever ask why decades of aid has yet to help our neighbors? Ever wonder why the "left" and "right" love to throw money at a problem? Flim and Flam political parties.

Specifically, Howard Dean has " … attacked President Bush's deplorable record in Latin America (the president's budget calls for almost a 30 percent cut in development aid to Latin America and the Caribbean). I don't think it's an accident that governments in Latin America are turning to the left,'' Dean said. "This president had an opportunity to sell Latin America on capitalism and democracy and he failed."

Oh shit Dummy Dean, every president since Washington has had an opportunity and still the peasants fight to the death against capitalism. Here's why our own ruling elite love "foreign aid" programs:

Example A: US gives Honduras $20 million in aid earmarked for infrastructure - such as a new 5 mile stretch of highway from Backward Village A to Backward Village B, population 200. Honduras officials will assign the construction contract to the nearest relatives and/or friends while also hiring a gringo firm, either in Honduras or Miami, to co-engineer the project from afar, and then buy road graders, cement mixers, bulldozers, cranes, excavators, trucks, etc. from an Anglo company in the US. Eventually, after spending $19,950,000 on supplies, paperwork, equipment, cronies, consultants, advisors, administrators, the remainder goes to employ a few hundred peasants in Village A and B for approximately 9 months at a few dollars a day. Foremen will make a bit more as they have to supervise the project and report back to the oligarch.

Example B: US gives El Salvador a package of $50,000,000 earmarked for constructing housing for the poor. Contracting goes to family/friends, equipment purchased from Miami; local and US architectural firms to co-engineer; consultants, advisors, administrators, and after $49,950,000 is spread to coffers in San Salvador and other US corporate headquarters, the remainder will build one hundred very cheap and shoddy 4 room cracker-box houses which disintegrate around the occupants within three years – necessitating of course more US aid for housing.

Example C: US gives Columbia $1 billion in aid to fight the war on drugs. Many many millions are then returned to US corporations for the purchase of weapons, ammunitions, helicopters, planes, campsite equipment, supplies, US personnel to train Columbian personnel, to pay for anti-drug education programs, consultants, advisors, administrators, more weapons, helicopters, planes, eradication chemicals, etc.

I may be exaggerating the dollar specs a bit but most of the US government's so called "foreign aid" comes home to the usual suspects/pockets. Much of it goes to the pockets of the recipient nation's ruling elite. With decades of giving aid, in trillions of dollars, it's how the US keeps the majority of Latin Americans living in raw sewage and picking through garbage. "Foreign aid" is one of our "Feed the Elite" programs, but without tear-jerking commercials and an 800 number for contributions. The "developing world" doesn't stand a chance of developing as long as Western elites continue to give "aid."

If BushCo wants to cut aid to our southern neighbors – amen. But the US elite will then filter tax monies back to themselves through aid to other areas that need "development," the Middle East, to the war on terror, Homeland Security, etc. Tell Mr. Dean "deplorable" is that we haven't stopped the duplicity of our own politicians.

Profiling Voters

In 1900 ,when the nation's inhabitants were still somewhat faithful to the rhetoric of democracy and hopeful of a better world, the voter turnout for the presidential election was 73.2 percent. In 1912, with WWI in the making, turnout dropped to 58.8 percent and after World War I, in 1920, it fell to 49.2 percent. Perhaps after near genocide of the natives, the Indian wars, slavery, Mexican, Civil, Spanish American war and the "war to end all wars" the sons of Joe Cowboy were simply too weary to get to the polls.

With Hitler on the horizon in 1936 the turnout rose again to 61 percent and in 1940 gained slightly to 62.5 percent. In 1952, maybe hoping to avert more world wars and conflicts like Korea, eligible voters participated at 63.3 percent, another slight bump in numbers.

In 1964 it dropped to 61.7 percent. After Vietnam, Watergate, more and more "crisis" in 1976 voting took another dive to 53.6 percent. Even with the Great Gipper Reagan in 1980 voter turnout was only 52.6 percent. Poppy Bush in the 1988 elections drew 50.1. Clinton in 1996 saw 49 percent turnout and Grand Theft Election 2000 was 51 percent.

We can safely assume in 1900 that 73.2 percent voter turnout was white men as women and Blacks were not allowed. Similar assumption for 1924 (women granted right to vote in 1920 but unlikely most rushed to do so) when participation dropped to 48.9 percent. In 24 years' time ¼ of eligible voters, our great-grandfathers and grandfathers, probably realized the act of casting a ballot was merely symbolic and not representing their interests, so they lost interest. The ruling elite have never managed to restore the myth of the "American way of life" to the early 1900 level even though voters then too were promised "a full dinner pail" (McKinley/Roosevelt slogan) or a "chicken in every pot" (Hoover 1928 slogan). We must have been a hungry bunch even before the Depression.

In 1900 Teddy Roosevelt, republican VP candidate, campaigned against giving independence to those colonies/territories obtained in the US war with Spain – instead he believed we "had a duty to civilize the lands first." Today, neither democrats or republicans call it "civilizing the lands first" but still obtain their "colonies" through war. We don't call them colonies anymore either – in today's jargon it's "bringing democracy" to our new friends because we love all humanity and want all mankind to have freedom and purple fingers.

GW likes the word "civilized" too. We meet here during a crucial period in the history of our nation, and of the civilized world … a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world -- and we will not allow it … the threat to peace does not come from those who seek to enforce the just demands of the civilized world … we will signal to outlaw regimes that in this new century, the boundaries of civilized behavior will be respected … 19 evil men - the shock troops of a hateful ideology - gave America and the civilized world a glimpse of their ambitions … Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups, and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction, is a grave danger to the civilized world … "they want to shake the will of the civilized world … terrorists in Iraq have attacked representatives of the civilized world, and opposing them must be the cause of the civilized world … the civilized world knows very well that other fanatics in history … consumed whole nations in war and genocide … the civilized world must hold those regimes to account … the enemy considers every retreat of the civilized world as an invitation to greater violence …

For all the media lauding of the last two presidential elections being the most watched in decades, drawing the youth vote and/or those who previously had never voted, and MSM misleading folks to think current turnout is democracy in action - voter turnout shows half the voters still said no thanks, not interested.

Surfing the net the last two presidential elections I have seen republicans describing the opposition voters as poor, minority, ignorant, welfare collecting, godless, perverts, and white bleeding hearts dragging their knuckles to the polls. Democrats portray the opposition as greedy, murdering, lying hypocrites dragging their Bible to the polls. Both sides may be correct. The 50 percent of eligible but non-voting who refuse to even hold their nose may be the smart ones; knowing a con job when they see it.

So, having voted in every election since coming of age I will not cast another ballot. I have smarter and more civilized activities to do; write a "tell all", clean the litter box, rake the yard, put a full chicken in the lunch pail …