Mental Fundy Christiansanity-The Missing Link

Many people are jumping ship on the conservative movement within the Republican party, and I can understand why. The mental fundies are making it confusingly difficult to stay on message as they bat at straw men and scapegoat everything that doesn't fit in their strict and narrow nomenclature.
Take our current economic woes. A sane and intelligent person could say they were caused by the loss of our manufacturing base coupled with dubious banking procedures by an unregulated industry. But in the mental fundies eyes, there are three completely different reasons for the current economic crisis: Gays, Porn, and Abortion. Their God is upset with America, you see, and they feel it necessary to pass an "Oklahoma Citizen’s Proclamation for Morality" in order to curry His favor and get America rolling again.
Then there's the other school of non-thought put forth by the owners of the "Creation Museum" which states that all our troubles were caused by a "moral relativism" that came about when America embraced evolution. Never mind that America's greatest period of growth and equitable prosperity came at a time when evolution was taught as scientific fact, and since some Americans rejected that theory, our country has entered a period of decline-these people say it's true because their big book of fairy tales says so, therefore, it must be or their whole lives have been built upon a lie. But why stop there? Why not just say that our country really went down the tubes when we rejected God's mode of transportation, and replaced it with the Horseless Carriage? The only certainty in all this is that our real problems will never go away as long as we have people who elect representatives like this.

Fighting Fire With Fire Means That Everyone Gets Burned:America's Terrorist Tactics Against Iran Exposed

"They hate us because we are free....and they are not"-George W Bush
Leave it to a simpleton to provide a simple answer. The reasons that America is so reviled in the Middle East are myriad, and it all boils down to this-we won't leave their countries the fuck alone! We install puppets on almost a whim, and then, by the same whim, decide to topple them when they show dissatisfaction with being asked to perform like little monkeys time and time again. We put America's corporate interests over the interests of indigenous people, our allies' people, and even our own sainted troops. All must suffer so that rich men may become richer.
And now, we're screwing around in Iran, and have been since the Bush administration. Using proven tactics, we have been working to destabilize the current regime since, probably since 9/11, when Bush identified Iran as part of his "Axis of Evil". And the faithful corporate media has been playing right along.
-The paper of record went on record reporting a misinterpretation as a fact when in truth completely different statement.
-The creation of a martyr conveniently killed on camera by terrorists working with the CIA.
-The arrest of nine Iranian British embassy employees by Iran accused of instigating the unrest following the disputed elections. This is reminiscent of the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis, in which American embassy workers, including at least three CIA operatives, were taken hostage following the US's decision to allow the Shah into the country to seek medical treatment. Ironically, one of the agreements reached during Carter administration negotiations was that it is and from now on will be the policy of the United States not to intervene, directly or indirectly, politically or militarily, in Iran's internal affairs." I guess that little tidbit escaped the Bush administration, or, more likely, was ignored because it was a pledge made by the highly unpopular Carter administration. The hostage crisis was seen as leading to anti-Iranian feelings in the US that have remained (especially in conservative circles).
-The continued, and quite unproven claim that Iran's nuclear energy program is a front for a nuclear weapons program.
It is highly likely that a lot of the covert activity that we are seeing in Iran was started by the previous administration. However given recent events, it is likely that the Obama administration will do anything to reverse these policies. And it is just as unlikely that we will see any honesty from the corporate media with regards to Iran.

Michael Jackson: What Will Happen

With the passing of Michael Jackson yesterday, there has been an effort by his celebrity friends to beatify him, which is fitting, since like some men of the cloth, he couldn't keep his hands off children. With all the glowing tributes around the world, plus his own addiction to plastic surgery, it's hard for some people to forget that he was merely a gifted an talented human being. And, for what it's worth, one hundred years from now, all that will be left of his legacy is the most important part: his music.
What struck me following the news of his death was not the immediate response, nor are the rumors of his prescription drug use as a probable cause, since he was his generation's equivalent of Elvis. What I read yesterday was the story of his people following him into the hospital pleading for the doctors to save him.
Not to be crass, but a megacelebrity ( or do I mean ubercelebrity?)like Jackson employed an army of helpers, I'm sure. From the personal trainer, a nanny or two for the photo op prop tots, nutritionists, housekeepers, personal security, drivers, you're talking about a lot of people who relied on Jackson for their daily bread. So what is likely to happen once all the glowing tributes have faded, and the twenty-four hour news cycle pounds the story into the ground, is one or two of those former employees, non-disclosure forms be damned, will be a spate of tell-all books, leaked to supermarket tabloids, lurid details of just how fucked up a drug addled celebrity with more money than guidance can get when surrounded by sycophants who won't tell him no. And, barring a suit by the Jackson estate, people will pour through them, cluck their tongues and feel, better them selves because they know that if they had that much money and talent, they wouldn't have squandered it like Jackson. And then, it twenty years or so, all that will be left is his music. Which is as it should be.

Bull's Eye On Bull Shit

John McCain cites the death of Neda as a criticism of the Obama administration's handling of the situation in Iran. This is, of course, from the guy famous for singing "Bomb Iran" to an old Regents song, which, if we had done that, would have likely killed a lot more Neda's than the one allegedly shot by government forces during protests this past weekend.
What you won't hear a thing about from Flak Jacket Johnny is how US forces killed two protesters in Iraq.(They were demanding back wages that likely ended up in Dick Cheney's bank account.) In fact, the US has been killing protesters in Iraq and John McCain has stood silent, even supporting the war.
No, McCain doesn't mind US soldiers killing protesters in Iraq because it's all in the name of spreading democracy, or, the US equivalent. Killing protesters in Iran is one less person who gets to die at the barrel of an M-16 (or under the fallout of a depleted uranium bunker buster bomb) therefore they are not collateral damage to the cause of a neocon wetdream: worldwide capitalist corpocracy masquerading as democracy.

The Shah Sleeps In Lee Harvey's Grave

Some people insist insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different result. Another popular train of thought is those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
I'm not sure which category this falls under, but some sources are now saying that the US may want to install the Shah's son as monarch in Iran. Which makes all the quibbling about "democracy" all the more cynical, especially since none of these people American citizens to control the streets of Washington DC following the Bush election fraud debacle of 2000. And crown prince has been generating a lot of publicity lately.
With the housing market worsening and welfare rolls increasing, the Obama administration is probably glad to have this distraction from the failures of it's economic stealfromus. It won't tkae too many more gruesome videos to sway the television watchers into supporting another war which only benefits a small portion of Americans, in another oil rich Middle eastern country that has nothing to do with democracy and everything to do with continuing an insane foreign policy that we were promised was going to change.

Lessons Learned From My Dad

(Image poached from here)
Around here, every weekend is Father's Day. I don't get ties, or coffee mugs, license plates, tee shirts or other bric-a-brac emblazoned with "WORLD'S GREATEST DAD" on them, no do I desire or require them. My kids tell me I'm the best dad with out prompting, and I'd just as soon that be kept as our little secret. No, I don't get a lot of material things from my guys, and that's okay, because I get a lot more from them-happiness. Spending time with my kids gets better and better as they get older because we spent so much time together when they were younger.
I learned a lot about life from my own Dad. My demand for absolute truth & honesty stems from his insistence on it, not only from me, but from his politicians, and media representatives. A lot of my more tin foil hatted predilections stem from his indulgences in all things conspiratorial. He feared everything, from feminism to the Beatles, were all part of a commie plot to undermine the youth of America. But besides the positive lessons, even some of the more negative things influenced me as well, in a good way.
As an instance, my Dad was prone to spanking, not just slight taps on my fanny but more along the lines of oh-my-god-he's-taking-off-his-belt-get-the-fuck-out-of-here type of spanking. These stopped shortly before my mother died, and were infrequent enough, but from it I learned not to spank my children. Reason works well, and if introduced at an early enough age, sticks a whole lot better than beatings.
Growing up, when choosing a career path, it seemed no matter choice I made, instead of encouragement, I was always told "Yeah, but that's a hard field to break into". He often encouraged me to "join the service", although, years later, he expressed relief that I never did, as I would have never turned out the way I have if I had taken that advice. So from that, I have learned to encourage my children to be the best at what they choose. And I think I have been rewarded with two wonderfully talented children.
My Father was also staunchly reactionary. If we were to discuss politics, you had better have something to back up any argument you may feel compelled to present. So from that, I learned it is better to be right than it is to follow a political leaning.
My dad grew up as an only child raised by alcoholic parents, and could never understand why all his children couldn't get along. He wasn't aware of sibling abuse, so many times I felt near torture at the hands of an older brother who almost seemed to delight in kicking my ass because he decided I needed it. From that I learned to be fair with my own children, to protect the weaker one from the whims of the stronger one.
My dad is no longer with us, and I miss him a lot, especially thinking how he would be prouder of my kids than I am of them myself. But a lot of the good that was in him now lives on in me, and will be carried on by my children as well. And for that Dad, thank you.

Not That Anybody's Trying To Pull A Fast One

Way to go, BBC. At least when you get caught manipulating popular opinion you do offer up a mea culpa.


It not be what the internets were invented for, but it has become it's most practical and important use (next to the proliferation of pornography, of course):catching the powers that be in a blatant lie designed to sway public opinion towards the will of the corpocracy. That these people have been pushing for a war against Iran for a long time goes with out saying. And if they can't get people all concerned about Iran's non-existent nuclear weapons program, perhaps the antiquated notion of "defending democracy" can rouse the masses, or at least those who still think that we're a democracy.

We Stole The Election And Would Have Gotten Away With It-If It Weren't For Those Meddling Americans

So Iran is accusing the US of meddling in it's election crisis. I can't say for sure, but, yeah, that sounds about right. We've been meddling in Iran for years now, and we probably will in the future. Every time, it's always come back to bite us on the ass, but, hey, if we haven't learned by now, we never will. The US is like the annoying big brother who keeps picking on the weaker and smaller countries, denying it when it gets caught, in spite of incontrovertible evidence.
I think before we start meddling in other countries, we need to fix a lot of the problems we have here. Our health care system is not exactly the best in the world, our education system is crumbling, our political system is corrupt, our economy teetering on the brink of collapse, the only thing we're getting better at is becoming more of a police state, which means we're not as free as we think.
America is devolving into a genetic cesspool full of slack jawed, Nascar loving, beer swilling television watchers who can only spell USA from sheer repetition. We think we're better than everyone else because we're too stupid to pay attention. Television shows us bright shiny objects and we want to go to there.
So load the computer generated graphics, cue the stirringly patriotic theme music, it's time for payback-and this time, it's in dollars.

A Tale Of Two Riots

Following the results of alleged election fraud, riots broke out in Iran. Stupid Iranians. It's just an election, not like it's anything important. I mean, when vote fraud was discovered in the US presidential election, Florida in 2000, and Ohio in 2004, Americans didn't take to the street. Of course, many of them didn't even hear about the fraud until way after the election, but that's beside the point. Americans don't really take to the streets unless it's for something really important and life affecting.
Like a basketball championship. Elections are only every four years, but the NBA playoffs, they hold those every year. And winning those is really important because it determines bragging rights for a bunch of beer swilling television watchers until next year. So it's no surprise that Lakers fans rioted after their team won the NBA championship. Now those official Laker jerseys mean something, at least for another year, and really what's more important anyway?

By His Own Rules Means He Doesn't Follow The Law

In a new book on Donald Rumsfeld, the author claims that George Bush deceived him into thinking that his job as Secretary of Defense was safe, then dumped him after the 2006 midterm elections. Which only goes to show that these snakes can't even trust their own kind to be honest.
The book, entitled By His Own Rules:The Story of Donald Rumsfeld, an aptly named tome for a book about a man who flouted laws, ethics and decency to make himself richer and more powerful, is by a former Washington Post reporter who covered the Pentagon. It's intentions, I'm sure, are to garner sympathy for Poor Old Rumsfeld, whom the book portrays as ..."an honorable man, deeply patriotic, a good friend to many and unfailingly loyal to those he has served"... Honorable? Yeah right. This is a man who called in political markers to fast track FDA approval of the killer known as aspartame, a dangerous artificial sweetener whose numerous symptoms include death. Not to mention the fact that he pushed for the illegal invasion of Iraq, which has cost many Iraqis their lives and US taxpayers over half a trillion dollars. There's your honor, if you can find it.
It's not a shock that this book comes from a member of the corporate media elite. Their job is not to report on events, but rather, to mythologize and cover up for the cabal of corporate criminal elites and banksters that actually run the country. I've become convinced (and become more convinced everyday) that very few of the nations wealthiest people came about their wealth honestly, fairly or ethically, and they hire scribes like Bradley Graham to paint a more flattering picture of themselves so that the masses don't see what kind of monsters we really have running the show.

Don't Cut Into My Racket

"To include these other groups diminishes their memory.......These people are not in the same category as Jewish people..."-Assemblyman Dov Hikind
Is he referring to the Armenian Genocide? No, he's discussing the inclusion of Gays, Gypsies and Jehovah's Witnesses in a Brooklyn Holocaust Memorial. (Why Brooklyn needs a Holocaust Memorial isn't even being discussed). Sure, the Holocaust(TM) was horrible for millions of European Jews, but, like 9/11, the Holocaust has been very good for Israel.
It has allowed them to invade Syria and seize the Golan Heights. It has been the reason for numerous military incursions into Lebanon by the IDF. It has even been used as a justification for the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as well as threats against Iran by the Israeli government.
And as for the fears that inclusion of other groups sought out for persecution by the Hitler regime might lead to people forgetting about the horrible suffering inflicted upon the Jews, that ain't gonna happen. Television shows, movies and books appear every couple of months to retell the story of the Holocaust, even if some of those stories turn out to be complete hoaxes.
All over the planet, at any given time, one group of people is trying to eradicate another. Iraq, Darfur, Cambodia, Gaza, Armenia, the list goes on, and now, Assemblyman Hilkind, you are being just as bad by trying to eradicate others who suffered alongside your people from the list of victims of the terrible Nazi death machine.

Even Though You're A Minority, You Should Still Be Able To Force Your Delusions On Everybody Else

Does America really need a lesson in spirituality from Newt Gingrinch? A guy who changes religions almost as much as he changes spouses? In his bid for the 2012 nomination of the GOP, Newt states that "Americans" are surrounded by Paganism. Uh, wouldn't that mean that Christians are outnumbered by Pagans? If they were, you can bet dollars to Gingrinch wives that he'd be pandering to them. I mean, if Newt were an Ancient Roman, you can be sure he'd be first in line to nail Jesus to the cross.
The truth is that Newt is a free market capitalist who worships the Almighty Dollar. His political pandering to the paranoid base plays right into their persecution complex. The cynical sermonizing he serves to psychotic sky worshippers is just there to sell the schedule for his selection as the supplicant office seeker. And they suck it up like a swarm of mosquitoes on a summer night. Why? Because, as George Carlin once said, if you can get people to believe in an invisible guy in the sky, you can get them to believe anything, whether it's a band of swarthy Middle Eastern Mohammedans moving microorganisms through Mexican tunnels to the majority of monotheists being maltreated by a minority of heathens.
All this overly alarmist admitted adulterer is accomplishing is winning the wing nut wack jobs still clinging to the side of the capsized Republican party. This is not inclusion, it is exclusion, which is a good thing, because as lame as the Democrats seem to be, there's nothing lamer than converting to Catholicism to capture votes.

It Took A Judge To Decide This

Some people will swallow anything. Like the Rockman said, "You see what you want to see, and you hear what you want to hear. You dig?"
Taking self delusion to an extreme, a consumer in California had somehow come to believe that a sugar coated breakfast cereal aimed at young children was actually nutritious because it offered something known as "crunchberries", and that said "crunchberries" were in fact a real fruit found in nature. Shocked to find out that, no, those said berries were never real fruit, just artificially fruit flavored pieces of gluten and corn meal, she decided to sue the makers of Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries. Next they'll tell us Jean LaFoote was not only not a real pirate, but was an animated character voiced by an actor who was known to wear shoes. Or that Smedley the elephant died from hardened arteries due to downing too much Peanut Butter Crunch.
Sorry, but Crunch Berries contain as much fruit (and sugar) as those plastic gallon jugs of orange drink on the bottom of shopping carts of single moms at Save-A-Lot on the first Tuesday of the month. That someone decided to sue the makers of Cap'n Crunch shows that this person,is either stupid, stoned, gullible, looking to make a quick buck from a nuisance lawsuit, or any combination thereof.
Sanity stepped in when a judge threw the lawsuit out, but now we know for sure: "crunchberries" are not real fruit. And, I assume, soon there will be a disclaimer on every box reminding us of it.

Occasionally, Our Leaders Will Let The Truth Slip Out

Giving credence to the aphorism that even a broken clock is right twice a day, the Obama administration has admitted that Iran has a right to nuclear power. And as signees to the Non Proliferation Treaty, Iran has allowed inspections of their enrichment facilities, which has yet to yield any evidence that Iran is doing anything but building a nuclear generator. As fellow signors to the same treaty, the US has no right to stop them from building the plant, which Iran is doing with help from Russia. And therein is the problem.
With the US manufacturing sector contracting for the 16th straight month while bankruptcies are up 37%, one of the things we could have done during the Bush years was offer our services to Iran in assisting their nuclear program. But instead, the administration fed us all a line of crap like this and this, which now they admit was just a load of crap. So instead of exporting our know-how to a people with money and oil, we decided to waste money, resources, and more importantly, human lives, to fulfill a neocon wetdream of a permanent American empire. They gambled away our future but we all lost while they all won.
At least now, on his impending trip to Egypt, Obama has the sense to say no stern lecture would be forthcoming on human rights abuses. Just one more moral high ground we gave up to appease a vision through blood splattered glasses.