Musings From The Mad Mind Of A Madman...
Enter at your own risk...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A thought...
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Song of the Day...September 22, 2010.
Na na na-na, na na na-na, hey, hey, hey goodbye!!!
But meanwhile Summers is gone and that makes me very happy...time for a bit of gloating!!!
Vince Cable to the rescue?
Well it seems Mr. Cable caused a row recently with his speech to a Lib-Dem conference when he allegedly "attacked capitalism". Some on the right have even characterized his comments as "Marxist". Well let's take a look at what he had to say;
"On banks, I make no apology for attacking spivs and gamblers who did more harm to the British economy than Bob Crow [general secretary of the RMT union] could achieve in his wildest Trotskyite fantasies, while paying themselves outrageous bonuses underwritten by the taxpayer."
"We need successful business. But let me quite clear. The government's agenda is not one of laissez faire. Markets are often irrational or rigged. So I am shining a harsh light into the murky world of corporate behaviour."
"Why should good companies be destroyed by short-term investors looking for a speculative killing, while their accomplices in the City make fat fees? Capitalism takes no prisoners and it kills competition where it can, as Adam Smith explained over 200 years ago,"
That all seems fairly reasonable to me. Why should one sector, the financial sector, be permitted to ride roughshod over an entire economy? In the U.K. the financial sector is known as "The City" as here in the U.S. it is refered to as "Wall Street". They were none too happy with Mr. Cable's comments and labeled him as extreme and marxist. But those claims don't hold water. Cable is clearly pro-market but not pro-corporate. And he is right, in both the U.K. and the U.S., the financial sectors are allowed to hold too much sway over the whole economy which results in a corporatist economy, which is anti-competitive, and not a truly free, and competitive, market. But of course the corporations don't want to release the stranglehold they have on the global economy...though they should be forced to.
It seems difficult for many politicians to stand up and make the case that what we have now in no way resembles truly free markets, because of the undo influence of the financial sector has over our governments. As long as we allow the interests of the wealthiest to trump everything, including country and the people, western civilization will be in decline. Thank God at least there is one person left in the world today willing to stand up and speak the truth to power, and he goes by the name Vince Cable.
Monday, September 20, 2010
I am the eggman, I am the eggman, I am the walrus...
Earlier this week M.J. Rosenberg at Talking Points Memo made a post about the recent tornado in Queens, NY, arguing that is was "proof" that global warming was real. I pointed out to M.J. that as minimal as it is this is tornado season in the northeast U.S. And it is no more proof that global warming is real as the 3 blizzards in the mid-atlantic last winter "prove" that global warming/climate change isn't happening, as some on Fox News claimed in the aftermath of the storms. If you want tangible proof the NBC News walrus story and this one about stressed out coral reefs across the globe are better examples to use.
Meanwhile to try to send out some good vibes for the Walrus which is under some considerable duress...some music.
Song of the day...September 20, 2010.
The only line of the song , which is barely audible in the middle of the song, is "One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces".
A plastic land full of plastic people...
So what can, or should, we do to address what ails our country right now? Well first and foremost by tackling the main reason for our problems, the staggering wealth inequality in America by returning us to the tax rates which were in place during the Clinton years. But the wealthy are not happy at all with that plan...in fact they are downright angry about it. Along with anything else which they perceive as an attack on their collective stations in life. They feel they've earned what they have. Earned by killing good paying American jobs, earned by bribing, errrrr donating money to, our elected officials to help their, and only their, bottom lines, earned by the reckless greedy behavior which resulted in over $1T taxpayers dollars having to be spent to preserve what the greedy had "earned". In fact they are so dead set against anything being done to them that they are warning that unless they are allowed to keep doing well they will make sure nobody does well, not that any of us out of their circles are doing anything even remotely resembling "well".
Well at least the administration has the rest of our collective best interests at heart. Just as Obama showed he had when he trekked to the back country of Greenwich, where the median income was a paltry $117,000 per household, to hold a $30,000 per plate fundraiser at the impoverished Conyers Farm Estate. While there he mocked those of us who feel more should be done for us instead of for them by characterizing us as people who "see the glass as half empty". He showed where his allegiance is, it is with "them".
But the wealthy want to take no chances. So they have sunk millions of dollars into an astroturf Tea Party campaign through fronts like Dick Armey's and David Koch's Freedom Works. They have convinced a more than an insignificant portion of the population, through their propagandist media outlets like billionaire Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., that it is in their best interests to be against their best interests and the only freedom they should want is the freedom for the wealthy to have even more.
So here we sit at the crossroads as a nation, ignorant and intentionally misinformed, poised to head down history's rabbit hole just so the very few can have it all...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Song of the day...September 9,2010
Rock on...g'night.
Your China Strategy?
When both labor and management want help from the government to spur growth in the manufacturing sector and the administration refuses to take the steps that everybody but the investment bankers and China want to see it is a fair assumption that the administration isn't very interested in seeing those jobs created in the US despite any claims to the contrary. It also reinforces what I have been saying that Obama and his team are too close to Wall Street and investment bankers when it comes to doing what is right for the country.
I am becoming less and less impressed with this administration each and every day. Their only plan seems to be to protect the wealth of the people who destroyed our economy and want to see less jobs being created in the US.
Goodbye TPMCafe...
I have made many great friends there including the late Kenneth Thomas II, aka "PsuedoCyAnts". Some people are going to post at dagblog, others at Firedoglake. I am not sure what my plans are for blogging outside of my little space here. My business is failing, and I am close to going into bankruptcy because of this miserable economy that no one in power seems willing to do anything about. I found out my mom has cancer and me and my family are dealing with that. And I am just down in the dumps that my on-line political home, one many of us there helped build, is kicking our family to the curb.
For now I am just basically going to be here posting any random thoughts as they cross my mind and remembering back to better times on almost every front. Thanks to all my many friends at TPM and the Monster Magnet forum. I love you all but I am not in a good place and really need to work out all the shit going on in my life on my own right now. I appreciate the words of encouragement and kind wishes. But right now the only person who can solve my problems is me.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Well it looks like I am done at the Monster Magnet forum...
As I told jcwn that forum was basically my last stop on the way off the net. I have modded/admin'd many forums and had to deal with many kinds of miscreants, trolls, antisocial assholes and just plain jerks and finally have had enough. I thought the MM forum would be a cool place to call home and try to set down some roots one last time but unfortunately the drama and the troll(s) were worse than any 3 other places I had been at. And like I told Southpaws in an e-mail not only will I not be at the forum much I won't even be on-line much. The ravages of type 2 Diabetes are taking their toll on me and I want to get out and enjoy life while I still can rather than spending my time in this box (and Southpaws that is why I was pushing for us to all meet in AC and was sooooo bummed that it fell through).
I had a great time at the MM show at the Starland, btw a cherry popping show for me, and want to thank jcwn and his girlie, Southpaws, Joymar, Dakota, Rockit, Chig, Darkie, J and Sean for making it a night to remember। It is a shame that not only did MM back out of the July 3rd show in AC but that the plans got scrapped for us to go to see Clutch anyways. But it is what it is. If the band plays a gig within 5 hours of me I'll be there but I want to thank my on-line friends for a real life good time. Thanks peeps...
Here is a clip from the show...
Powertrip
Saturday, October 25, 2008
I'm Back...
My initial thoughts upon return is how hopeful I am that Barack Obama, who leads in the polls, will be elected president of the US in a little more then a week. He withstood race bait political attacks from Hillary Clinton in the democratic primaries and from John McCain in the general election campaign. In fact Senator McCain has run what I feel is the sleaziest, most scurrilous campaign I have ever seen. Senator Obama, despite the character attacks and smears hurled at him by his opponent, remains ahead in the polls.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The patient isn't dead yet...hold up on that post mortem!!!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Post mortem on the Craig resignation...
But months earlier Senator David Vitter (R-LA) had his name and phone number show up the records of Deborah Jean Palfrey, who ran a Washington DC escort service. But Vitter wasn't unceremoniously run out of the Senate like Craig was. Why?
Both cases involve powerful senators caught in sex scandals. Vitter's was a heterosexual indiscretion and Craig's was a homosexual one. That is the only difference in the two cases. A double standard was used in terms of how each case was dealt with by the GOP. Could it be that the GOP knows whichever candidate they chose to replace Craig will easily win election in Idaho while that same fact isn't ensured in more liberal Louisiana and Vitter? Of course I think this has everything to do with it. Along with the Wingnuts hatred and intolerance towards people who are gay and lesbian while ignoring a heterosexual adulterer when it suits their political agenda.
The level of hypocrisy displayed by the GOP is, as always, breathtaking in its audacity. Senator Craig should rightly be criticized for breaking the law but not for his sexual preference. But still reeling from the Mark Foley Page Scandal, a "gay" Larry Craig had to be politically lynched for all to see.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Counting down until January 20, 2009...
I chose the song because of Bush's loathing for the Rule of Law and for acting like he is above it...for all intents and purposes he thinks he's a "King". I am counting down they days until January 20, 2009 and the country is rid of El Presidente and his Junta!!!
Friday, August 31, 2007
More music to check out.
Nod Scene
Snake Dance
Superjudge
The first two vids are from the Spine of God album and the 3rd one is from the album of the same name...Superjudge.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Democrats who don't have a clue...
The U.S. people voted the Democrats into power in '06 because they wanted change and will just as easily vote them back out of power in '08 if there are no results. The people have spoken why are Messrs Dean, Reid and Missus Pelosi not listening?
SWEPT!!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
BROTHERS & SISTERS!!!!
Their last album was in 2004 when Monolithic Baby! was released. Front man and creative force Dave Wyndorf has put his personal problems behind him and the new album is done. Long live the Bullgod...
Hypocritical Republicans: Case History #11,278
Craig, long been suspected as being gay, has had numerous allegations leveled against him of being a closeted gay man. An investigation by the Idaho Statesman details the allegations. (link via Talking Points Memo) Craig has long been an opponent of gay rights and gay marriage and is undecided regarding seeking another term in the US Senate...
Another example of a GOP politician saying "do as I say and not as I do", and in Craig's case what he does in public toilets.