So now that is looks as though Mitt Romney is the man for the Republicans (and, let’s face it, you couldn’t look more like “The Man” than Mitt; he looks like they pulled him from the set of a Cialis commercial), the self-appointed Christian authentication committee seems about to give him a failing rating. Depending on whose story you listen to (and/or beleive, because I think some of these people are – gasp – lying sacks of shit, and here I thought that was a no-no according to one of their precious commandments, though I guess that’s probably covered by one of those hidden footnotes, like the ones that cover the exceptions to the “Though Shalt Not Kill” one), it’s either because Mormons are Jesusy enough, or that Mitt isn’t enough of a Mormon.
This is why their religious bullshit should be forbidden from anything even remotely related to the government – and that includes political campaigns, speeches, you name it. Forget about the “separation” of Church and State; I want a divorce. Talking – or asking – about religious beliefs should be considered rude and distasteful in public – like asking somebody which sexual position they prefer or talking about the size, color, consistency, and height above the water level of the shit you took this morning. Just not done.
You’d think these Christian Cultists would understand that, but then I suppose home schooling has its limitations. I mean, first you have to pretend you believe in the invisible man in the sky, but after a while that’s not good enough. So then you have to fake allegiance to one sort of Christian cult or another, but then it turns out you’re not the “right” kind of Christian if you wear magic underwear and believe Jesus roamed amongst the dinosaurs in North Dakota.
Pretty soon you can’t be a certified Christian unless you’re speaking in tongues and handling snakes – or demonstrating at funerals because the United States isn’t sufficiently homophobic.
Pandering to the crazy little sub-cult du jour just isn’t sustainable – and is certainly no way to run a country.
All you have to do is look at how fucked-up everything is to see that.
Happy Birthday, John.
This is not only John Lennon’s birthday but also that of John ‘The Ox’ Entwhistle. This song also goes out to the greatness of the Raiders’ boss Al Davis (the Steve Jobs of pro football?) and Mister Fallen Leaves Roger Williams, may they rest in peace.
:pirate: :cake: 🙁 :gate: :satan: :reaper:
This is the NY Times editorial about Occupy Wall Street. I though they did a pretty good job:
Protesters Against Wall Street
Published: October 8, 2011
As the Occupy Wall Street protests spread from Lower Manhattan to Washington and other cities, the chattering classes keep complaining that the marchers lack a clear message and specific policy prescriptions. The message — and the solutions — should be obvious to anyone who has been paying attention since the economy went into a recession that continues to sock the middle class while the rich have recovered and prospered. The problem is that no one in Washington has been listening.
At this point, protest is the message: income inequality is grinding down that middle class, increasing the ranks of the poor, and threatening to create a permanent underclass of able, willing but jobless people. On one level, the protesters, most of them young, are giving voice to a generation of lost opportunity.
The jobless rate for college graduates under age 25 has averaged 9.6 percent over the past year; for young high school graduates, the average is 21.6 percent. Those figures do not reflect graduates who are working but in low-paying jobs that do not even require diplomas. Such poor prospects in the early years of a career portend a lifetime of diminished prospects and lower earnings — the very definition of downward mobility.
The protests, though, are more than a youth uprising. The protesters’ own problems are only one illustration of the ways in which the economy is not working for most Americans. They are exactly right when they say that the financial sector, with regulators and elected officials in collusion, inflated and profited from a credit bubble that burst, costing millions of Americans their jobs, incomes, savings and home equity. As the bad times have endured, Americans have also lost their belief in redress and recovery.
The initial outrage has been compounded by bailouts and by elected officials’ hunger for campaign cash from Wall Street, a toxic combination that has reaffirmed the economic and political power of banks and bankers, while ordinary Americans suffer.
Extreme inequality is the hallmark of a dysfunctional economy, dominated by a financial sector that is driven as much by speculation, gouging and government backing as by productive investment.
When the protesters say they represent 99 percent of Americans, they are referring to the concentration of income in today’s deeply unequal society. Before the recession, the share of income held by those in the top 1 percent of households was 23.5 percent, the highest since 1928 and more than double the 10 percent level of the late 1970s.
That share declined slightly as financial markets tanked in 2008, and updated data is not yet available, but inequality has almost certainly resurged. In the last few years, for instance, corporate profits (which flow largely to the wealthy) have reached their highest level as a share of the economy since 1950, while worker pay as a share of the economy is at its lowest point since the mid-1950s.
Income gains at the top would not be as worrisome as they are if the middle class and the poor were also gaining. But working-age households saw their real income decline in the first decade of this century. The recession and its aftermath have only accelerated the decline.
Research shows that such extreme inequality correlates to a host of ills, including lower levels of educational attainment, poorer health and less public investment. It also skews political power, because policy almost invariably reflects the views of upper-income Americans versus those of lower-income Americans.
No wonder then that Occupy Wall Street has become a magnet for discontent. There are plenty of policy goals to address the grievances of the protesters — including lasting foreclosure relief, a financial transactions tax, greater legal protection for workers’ rights, and more progressive taxation. The country needs a shift in the emphasis of public policy from protecting the banks to fostering full employment, including public spending for job creation and development of a strong, long-term strategy to increase domestic manufacturing.
It is not the job of the protesters to draft legislation. That’s the job of the nation’s leaders, and if they had been doing it all along there might not be a need for these marches and rallies. Because they have not, the public airing of grievances is a legitimate and important end in itself. It is also the first line of defense against a return to the Wall Street ways that plunged the nation into an economic crisis from which it has yet to emerge.
Saw “Ides of March” last night.
Quite upsetting and true to political life as I’ve grown to understand it under Clinton and Obama. (the knife-to-the-heart tactics of the rethugs is a given:only to be imitated).
Ryan Gosling is fantastic. If you haven’t seen “Blue Valentine” you should.
Al Davis certainly had his detractors, but he did hire the first NFL African-American head coach, and the first Latino. He tried to hire his college roommate – a guy I’ve mentioned before by the name of Bernie Custis, who had to go to Canada to play QB because he was black.
Of the seven SU alums in the NFL Hall of Fame, Al’s the only one who isn’t there for being a player.
Watched Part 1 of the George Harrison documentary this morning. Looking forward to Part 2.
A shame that the good people have to die, while all the assholes keep on living.
Is that Michael Savage after somene punched him?
I have appreciated the Raiders in my time and have infinite respect for Mr. Davis. I was a little surprised that you did not note his passing so I did a little bit. Al was instrumental in the recognition of the knowledge and talents of 49er royalty Bill Walsh and I think they were always friends.
My guess was Wozniak. Savage is a good one, too.
I can appreciate Al Davis from afar. He’s served as a symbol of clownish evil here in Denver for many years but as far as the rivalry with the Broncos, I think Al got the last laugh (Win Loss record with Denver 59-41)
For me personally, I’ve always hated the Raiders ever since I witnessed Lester “The Molester” Hays trying to scratch Otis Taylors eye out at the bottom of a pile while my HS band was waiting on the sidelines to perform at half-time.
I think that was before Al was even working for the Raiders.
That’s bloody screaming Woz.
Poor Al was starting to look like the Crypt Keeper.
I think Al still owes Shanahan a quarter million dollars
Did Woz get kicked my Steve’s Karma?