It's The Economy - and It's Not Stupid!

Remember the term, "vaporware"? Well, it doesn't just apply to software anymore!

Back in the Roaring '90's, for every straight-up software developer there were at least five who specialized in vaporware - "it's in the pipeline," "we launch v2.2 before Christmas," "our developers are just finishing the final testing phase." Ah, those were the days - IPO's fueled by pure rocket, uh, vapor. Looked fast, demoed hot, and always run by some man behind a curtain. Funny thing was, many of those demo's happened on Wall Street. What's funny about that, you ask?

Think about it for a second - if you were some hot-shot speculator, looking for software that would give you a leg up on the competition, you were attending as many demos as you could - and just as many software companies were featuring software products aimed right at that specific demographic. Hey - that was clearly where the money was. Remember what John Dillinger said about banks? Same deal here. So Speculator Dude sits through countless demos, eventually either figures out the vaporware angle on his own (remember, these Dudes are pretty smart - dangerous, but pretty smart), or he hears one of the sales demo folks drop the word when they think they are out of earshot - software sales folks are not as smart as the Spec Dudes, and have an even worse propensity to brag - trips 'em up every time! (Always remember to check to see if you really turned off that mike, right?)

So Spec Dude starts the wheels turning, spills the phrase over a ten-martini blowout after his latest Big Buy, and the word catapults across the Spec Dude Landscape faster than a bank failure, and Voila! - derivatives are born! Pretty soon, some other Spec Dude comes up with credit default swaps, and before the '90's are over, vaporware has taken over the Street, then the Big Banks, and pretty soon, everybody wants some. It's like rocket fuel laced with heroin - the entire world goes bat-shit crazy, hot and hooked, and P.T. Barnum is once again proven the most prescient human being since Nostradamus (who was hooked on mercury, apparently, which explains, no - that's another story.)

So, here we are, significantly poorer, up to our third-eye in debt, a real fight between the 99% and the Mitt Romney Special Olympic Relay Run for the Really Freakin' Rich for who gets to run the show, and all anyone seems interested in is how freakin' much money Facebook just sucked out of the Spec Dude's pockets. Which is just going to flow right back in again anyway, so what exactly was the point? Look, Zuck is getting richer, world debt crisis averted!! Er, nope, sorry. Just more vaporware, people, move along now, just another train wreck, move along. Twenty-plus years of this malarkey, and people still don't get it. No surprise, one supposes - nearly every state has a lottery, or poor houses, er, casinos, and they ALL have banks (John Dillinger was just on the wrong side of the ATM, that's all.) And the Far Wrong has been just as swift to capitalize on the vaporware trend - if you tell a lie long enough, and with endless spin to keep everyone spinning along with Mitt, pretty soon, "it must be the truth." George Orwell should be proud.

Zuckers!

Bullies Remain Bullies For Life

So now we know that Mitty-baby was a gay-bashing bully. And yet, I am not surprised. While it does suggest that Mitt, like all gay-bashers is a secret "guy" liker, and too afraid to admit he likes "guys," such behavior is in keeping with the entire Republican Far Wrong ethos. "We will tell you how to live your life, but we want the government off OUR backs - not yours." So, consistency upheld, one supposes.

The truly pathetic thing here is the rush to defend his past by others, with not even the slightest attempts to disguise their hatred for certain groups that offend their sensibilities. I am not arguing for political correctness here, mind you, but for some small degree of consistency of values. The so-called right to lifers have only contempt for those who are simply trying to live actual life with a modicum of dignity and equality, while insisting that every sperm is a life held in abeyance and thus needful of our saving. One supposes that every condom is thus a chance to save all of these potentialities, though the question of how to balance the inequality of numbers between viable sperm and available egg staggers the imagination. But in the meantime, let's bash gays.

But why stop there? Mitt and Company sees not merely the gays, but pretty much anyone who questions their loathing of all things liberal, and they've supported that contention with plenty of bashing for all who they disagree with, as the evil that separates them from their rightful place as rulers of both thought and country. Just look at the yahoo who just defeated Richard Lugar - he stated that his definition of compromise was to have the Democrats agree with everything the Republicans demand. Just throw the damn dictionary out the door, and slam it behind you already.

So bash away, boys! By their deeds ye shall know them, as the saying goes. And if knowledge is power, then I suspect there will be surprises aplenty in the months ahead as the power shifts into the hands of those who would rather bash injustice and pigotry (no, that is not a spelling error). As for Mitt, the truly sad thing is not what he did in high school - it's what he is doing right now when reminded of that moral failure: "Uh, sorry, but, I don't even remember it."

Maybe its the itchy underwear.

When War-Mongers Get Miffed About War

If it had happened on their watch, you bet yer booty they'd be crowing all over the place.

So Mitt and his Puppy Pac are in a snit, because That Guy in The White House is justifiably showing off his record to the Amurican Peeps as a part of this, what's it called again? Oh, right, an election campaign. For any who have conveniently forgotten, an election campaign is where you wallop the Other Dude/Dudette whilst simultaneously reminding everyone of what you have heretofore accomplished - at least those things you want everyone to remember, while at the same time trying to help everyone forget what you'd rather they never remember again. So when the Guy reminds everyone on how it was on His Watch that dastardly knave bin Laden got his comuppance, Mitt and his Pups go into overdrive trying to cry Foul! for doing exactly what he would have done had the situation room been reversed, so to speak.

It must really be sticking in the craw of every Far Wrong Republican right now that they can't exactly beat up the Prez on his foreign policy creds. I mean, he's been so bloody hawkish that the Neo-con-jobs have sh*t-fits every time The Prez sends troops around the world to kick some other nasty-astards buttocks in order to Do The Right Thing. That is SO un-Democrat, right? I mean, really!! That is only supposed to happen when the Repubs are In Da House!!

Tsk. Tsk. If The Mitt hopes to sway votes by crying "unfair" about what This Prez did that the Prior Prez failed to do, he is in for a rude shock. Not to mention a major Irony Attack. because it was the foreign policy freak-out of the Bush-ites after 9-11 that pushed us into Iraq, found us sunk to our eyebrows in the muck of Afghanistan, and slowly being sucked into other conflagrations that are a direct outfall of the nasty handiwork of bin Laden. So if This Prez wants to crow a bit about actually Getting The Job Done, I somehow think that Mitty-baby is going to get a first-hand reminder of that special child-hood rant we all remember so well - "I'm rubber, and you're glue, and what bounces off me, sticks to you."

But given the over-all tone-deafness we've seen from Mitty so far, I somehow think he wouldn't even notice all the feathers adhering to his super-polished hide.

Gay, Straight - Worry About Crooked!

Beware the usual distractions, America! Marriage isn't the issue, ya dig?

Well, here we are, and much earlier in the election season than one usually expects it. I am talking about the pointless distractions, of course. Everyone is getting their pantaloons in a snit over whether The Prez does or does not back gay marriage (and all this time, I'd been going on the assumption marriage was supposed to be a gay affair for all concerned. My bad!) But whether one believes that marriage is a right or a mere tradition is really of little concern. Whether we keep adding new jobs? Big concern. Whether we manage to get through the next year without new hostilities breaking out between, oh, Israel and Iran/China and the Phillipines/China and Japan/Syria and, uh, Syrian people, etc., big concern. Whether fracking is going to produce a whopper new earthquake somewhere in Pennsylvania, big concern. Whether we are even going to have anything resembling real healthcare/immigration/etc., reform in our lifetimes? Big concerns. Whether you will ever again be able to go through airport security with at least your underwear still attached to your body? HUGE concern right now. So, Jerry and Jeff want to get hitched? Puh-leeze! Get a life, people!

While all this froo-fraw about gay marriage distracts everyone from the real issues, the Euro-zone is melting faster than the Polar icecaps, and creates a very real danger for our very slowly recovering economy. The Retreads believe they can fix everything by just making sure their wealthy donors are made wealthier on the backs of the poor, because of course, the poor are miserly donors, fer sure. But the reality is, if those greedy little monkeys would spend the money they are pouring into the Super PACS to just launch more jobs, they would get the election on that basis alone. Who wouldn't vote for anyone backed by the Koch Brothers if the Koch brothers announced 100,000 new jobs? I mean, BINGO, baby, right?

But instead, they and their little monkey friends are spending gazillions to con you and yours into being afraid - very afraid - that the boys next door will have a wedding party. And shucks, but it looks like you won't get invited. So, this will teach those nasty boys - don't invite us, will you?

Ya know? It's really no wonder the rest of the world has pretty much given up on wanting to emulate us anymore. We've turned into all the things we used to say were so bad about the Soviet Union, but with all the really crappy stuff about capitalism floating around the outer edges like the Tidy Bowl man was on extended leave.

The Slow Decline of Rampant Individualism

Sorry, but its really not always about you.

A kind of false differentiation has existed within the Western thought-stream for the past several hundred years, that which divides the rights of the individual from the rights of the community at large. While this differentiation began essentially as a response to the authoritarian rule of kings, it has reached its apotheosis in the late 20th Century and into the first decade of the 21st. Beyond the insistence of various groups pushing for laws to further expand such rights, the advent of personal electronics, especially the so-called smart phone, has placed even greater autonomy into the hands of the individual.

But there has always been a tension between the needs (read: rights) of the one versus the needs (read: rights) of the many, and today that tension has expanded to include the issue of privacy. That the issue has been pushed to the fore by these very technologies is no surprise. Given that such technology, while on the one hand intended to connect people with greater frequency and intimacy, also intrudes into the realm of businesses and governments due to their ubiquity and utility, not surprisingly creates a dynamic wherein the very concept of privacy is being challenged on a near daily basis. Whether in the form of the government tracking individuals, corporations tracking buying habits, family tracking their children, hackers invading every open portal, our right to have privacy is increasingly decimated by our own individualism as exercised by our choices for communication.

Therein lies the irony, however. Pure individualism has always been a myth - no one succeeds at the game of life purely solo - there are always people helping each of us along the way. From our parents and siblings, our teachers and doctors, our laws and our institutions, we are in fact creatures of community. There is no such thing as a self-made man, to use the overblown phrase. You needed parents just to come into existence. You need many others just to reach the age of maturity. And when you start that great business that you take so much pride as being "your baby", try being successful with no employees, no suppliers, and, oh yes, no customers. No one succeeds alone - not even Warren Buffett.

To communicate with another means giving up, at least temporarily, your purist ideals of individualism - communication requires us to be both sender and receiver, which immediately implies the interaction of another. With each step into broadening that communication - today exemplified by so-called social media - we merge our autonomy with the expanding community, whether we intend it or not. And it is the merging which puts the concept of individual rights increasingly under the microscope. Where do my so-called rights intrude upon, even endanger, the rights of the community? We seem to believe that rampant use of controlled drugs like cocaine and heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine, are a danger to the community, but hold the opposite view when it comes to the possession of weapons, especially guns. One is a right, the other is a danger. Yet more people die every day from guns than from illegal drugs. This is but one such failure of logic that is slowly disintegrating the concept of the right of the individual over the rights of the community.

The use of the word "disintegrating" is telling here: it means, of course, to dis integrate, to cause a thing to loosen its bonds and fall apart from it's original state. There is an additional irony involved, as well - a Constitution is a document that binds individuals together into a community, a Nation. That certain rights are granted to individuals by this document does not give carte blanc to the individual, it merely tells the State that it must not hold all rights solely to itself. We are quick to remind the State when it oversteps it's own limits, but too slow to remind ourselves when our individual liberties overstep the bounds of the community. The respect for each must travel in both directions, else the document loses its power and legitimacy.

It increasingly appears that the cult of individualism is slowly declining, just as the cult of aristocracy once did. All social and political movements have their natural life-cycle, which includes their demise, when they no longer serve the people's needs, or when they endanger the present and future viability of society at large. Today we are faced with a number of such dangers: global climate change (whether one accepts it or not, the truth is that nature bats last, and if we fail to recognize this truth, it is we who pay the price), a severely damaged public education system, far too many guns (it is a red herring to argue that guns don't kill, people do - that is true - people do, and most often, with guns. If one claims to support the right to life, then it is inconsistent to also support the right to universal gun ownership,) global terror movements (some of which we do indeed bear responsibility for, if not for their creation, then surely for their appeal to the disenfranchised, which our own policies continue to support,) and more. And our belief that we can solve each and every one of these problems without ever having to change our underlying rationale for the focus of rights versus responsibilities is going to be tested in ways we cannot yet imagine.

Rome fell for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most important was Rome's own belief in it's supremacy and immortality. The West today finds itself in a similar conundrum: barbarians at the gate (and across the entire Empire,) increasing in-fighting between political factions, and a hubris that makes Rome's look positively quaint by comparison. As long as we continue to believe it is all about us, and what we want, we risk the same outcome as Rome. And as long as we continue to believe it is all about the individual, that risk will continue to grow as close to home as it is across the globe. We have to find the way from me, to us. And them from us, to all. Unlike the false premise of globalism as has been shoved down the throats of people by the actions and goals of corporations and governments, real globalism will have a decidedly different face. I strongly suspect it will be a very diverse face indeed.

Major Fail: Fear Over Reason

by Notumbus Bumbus 

 

Logic is no recourse over fear, especially in America.

About the only thing Americans seem to love more than guns is righteousness, usually, their own. We don't exactly despise logic and reason, we usually don't even give it room at the table. It takes too many steps to get them into the conversation, so how can we expect them to even get an invitation to the party? Righteous indignation and rationalization is quick, it's easy, and permits shouting as the primary tool to defend it's primacy as the first tool of discourse - though discourse is seldom the outcome. "I feel this way, and therefore I am right." Likewise, "I have a right to free speech," has become the de-facto excuse for unreasonableness, invective, and opposition, regardless of the position one is taking on a topic. All too often of late, the right to be unreasonable is its own excuse. It seldom if ever matters that a position might be worth re-thinking - that, it seems, is a sign of weakness, of "flip-flopping." And heaven forbid we re-think anything - we are Americans - we don't have to reconsider our points of view!

But history - remember that little inconvenience? - has a way of operating according to the law of reconsideration - not always positively, certainly, but there it is. The path toward democracy, whenever and wherever it has developed, has followed various approaches through a thicket of reconsiderations. Who should lead; how will we permit ourselves to be led; how will we make change when change is needed; who will determine the course of said changes; how will we measure the success of such changes? All such questions require conversation among reasonable people if they are to produce a reasonable - positive for the majority of citizens that will be impacted by such changes - results. Not that we as a Nation have always had reasonable conversations, clearly we have gotten mired in unreasonableness many times. But the best changes have occurred when we have been the most reasonable, used our better angels to keep us focused on the problem rather than on the opposition-as-the-problem.

America today seems locked into the more unreasonable demons of our nature, not just across our political divides, but within and across all of our communities. The depth and breadth of this unreasoning is breathtaking, and may bode ill for the Republic itself. Ideology, always the worst of all our demons, has become hardened into cement in some quarters, a phenomenon that has often preceded great upheavals in our Nation. The question we all should be asking ourselves today is, are my beliefs based on any real information? Are they likely to serve not merely myself, but the community around me? It is more critical than ever, I feel, that we permit ourselves and those around us the right to reconsider - our beliefs, our positions, our alliances, our attitudes. Just because we have a right to do something does not mean we should take that as a directive to do whatever we think we want to do, if by the doing of that we cause great suffering to the community that we live in.

There is a law which supersedes even the great Constitution of The United States of America, and it is worth keeping in mind today: what goes around, comes around. It can be put in many ways - karma, do unto others what you would have them do unto you, give respect and you will get respect, etc. Our grandparents knew this law. Its time we all started to remember it, as well.

Why Should Romney Care About You?

by Notumbus Bumbus

You aren't rich, you aren't the owner of a team, and you wouldn't leave your dog atop your car.

It's easy to say that the other guy is a liar, when your aim is to make everyone believe a lie. NewSpeak, as George Orwell so aptly painted it, is designed to replace truth with lies in such a manner that the receiver of said lie must feel stupid, and perhaps slightly afraid, to even question its veracity. And no one has so excelled at this practice than the new breed of republicans, launched, un-ironically, by the current low fella on the Republican Primary totem pole, Newt Gingrich, who introduced the world back in the nineties to a new brand of dirty tricks and double dealing that is only now finding it's true metier. And no one has better grasped the utility and necessity of such machinations, nor had the fiscal wherewithal to so thoroughly flood the mental landscape of America with the perfect storm of NewSpeak as has Mitt Romney.

It doesn't matter if something is completely untrue - just shake that etch-a-sketch and do a quick re-write, a quick change of clothes, and presto! Mormon rationalization makes the lie so much more righteous. Make no mistake - while Mitt's stooges are already trying to plant the seeds of "the other side will attack Mitt's religion," - the guy behind the curtain knows exactly what he's doing. Straw dogs are better than scarecrows at getting a dirty trick planted deep into the American psyche, and that is precisely what Mitt's folks are doing. Because simultaneous with his camp crying foul at a foul that has not even happened, they have not once decried the lies that have been told by the Far Wrong thousands of times about his opponent's own religion. And when that issue again raises its ugly head, Mitt should not be surprised if that point is brought straight up without a chaser. watch his lips try to say the opposite of what his mind is aching to lie about when that happens - that will be the "tell."

Funny thing about wealth - it makes one believe they are above the petty and the trivial aspects of life as lived by the masses, and thus can do what they like without having to apologize. Donald the Trumpish is a good example, but he's more a clown about it, and when others laugh at him, he snickers back. But Mitt is in a very different class, one where he would never consider laughing at himself, nor even getting it when others laugh at him. he's too insulated from "real life." He doesn't have to worry about over-self-revelation. But he should worry about one thing above all else - the little people he stepped on along the way. And you'd better believe he stepped on a lot of people, some who've already raised their head above the wall to speak to their neighbors. But the real numbers will begin to raise their voices throughout what appears will be a very hot summer in America. Let's see how above the fray he remains. Because I'm willing to bet some are even from his own party.

Which would really be embarrassing.

Mitt's Dark and Dirty Past - What, You're Surprised?

We all got 'em, we all want 'em to disappear, and we all dread the moment they show up on the evening news.

Mitt wants us to know he isn't interested in the poor, which, to my mind, sort of went without saying. But to be sure no one misrepresented him, he done gone and said it. So there. Phtttppbbbbtttttt! As for the rich, he doesn't want to worry about them, because that would be like saying he was feeling rather poorly himself, so better keep mum on that particular demographic. Bt apparently he does care about the middle class, which sort of affirms the class warfare attitude the Repubs have been railing against, but deep in their hearts, planning on fighting to win - the class warfare, I mean. And because to the victor goes the spoils, well, the race to drain the middle class of whatever spoils haven't already been taken by the Corporate Pirates is going great guns.

But we must wonder about Mitt's general hold on reality, when the same day he dumps the poor overboard, he allows himself to be vetted by the Trumpster. "...I don't careabout the rich.." provides an odd little counterpoint to appearing in mutual triumphalism with Mr. Plastic Hair himself. But given Mitt's generally plasticine face and persona, The Donald's hair did sort of complete the picture. Was this merely a subtle wink to the rich, to the effect that, "smoke and mirrors, boys, smoke and mirrors?" Because otherwise, tone-deaf comes strongly to mind.

Mitt really does need to start worrying about any skeletons. Despite the conventional "wisdom" that his stable marriage, breeders cup-level offspring quotient, and smiling shark persona, anybody that has been the Bain of so many people's livelihoods has made some enemies, and they are sure to start popping up shortly. Because as much as John Kerry got slammed with the "flip-flopper" label, Mitt has laid the groundwork to kick Kerry off his winner's pedestal forever. It was from the Swifty-Boats we learned that every time you flip-flop, another pissed-off constituent surfaces. Or in the case of some others, of both parties, that "inconvenient affair/indiscretion/bathroom sex romp pops up like whack-a-mole. And with a remarkably similar outcome.

Mitt Goes to Vegas, Loses Bundle

We know the house always wins, but apparently it takes a really big spender to have something left to take home. If it doesn't blow up in their face, that is.

Mittens is doing Sin City in a really big way. Given how his various donors to his SuperPAC have ponied up (96% of which comes from less than twenty donors, ya'll) you might think he was prepared to double down in order to spank the Newt and the other laggards at the table - and you'd be right! Citizens United will be on every one's Thank You list this year, that much is certain. And it's a nice counterpoint (or bookend, if you will) to his stated position of not being concerned about the poor. He was definitely telling the truth on that part of the statement, yet lying his scratchy long johns off regarding the rest of that statement - he is clearly concerned about the rich. Especially that they keep the grub-stake coming his way.

But you have to love the reactions (absolutely predictable, of course) to the Prez deciding he will not stand in the way of a Democratic Party SuperPAC, given how the playing field is now set for 3-card Monte. It really doesn't matter what he says or does - the Repo Men are never going to give him credit for anything. But, liar's dice is one of the most popular sports at all the bars along the campaign trail.

And then there is all the absurdist claims like voting for the Prez is "racist." Careful there, folks - that dog barks out both ends! I mean, look how big a percentage of white folk are voting for the Repubs - sure aren't that many black faces in those caucuses. And, since people tend to vote for the party or person they feel represents them, it might pay to be careful which constituencies you decide to blow off.

And if you really want to see someone getting caught cheating at the craps table, check out today's quote: "Today, unelected judges cast aside the will of the people of California who voted to protect traditional marriage," he (Mitten's, of course) said in a written statement. "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman and, as president, I will protect traditional marriage and appoint judges who interpret the Constitution as it is written and not according to their own politics and prejudices." Right. All in one quote, and not a word out of context. First, cast aspersions upon "unelected judges" who, by the US Constitution, are ALWAYS appointed. And then, claim boldly that you, if elected, will appoint your own, er, "unelected judges." Who, I am quite certain, will "interpret the Constitution as it is written and not (right, uh-huh) according to their own politics and prejudices," but certainly according to politics and prejudices of the one what brung them to the dance.

You really need to be careful of the very politician you decide to stand behind at the Election Casino. After all, roulette is a brutal game. Especially when the barrel points back your way.

Now that's gotta hurt!

Ricki-tiki-tavi, a Retelling

With apologies to Kipling, and to the rest of the world. 

Now, Nag and Nagina, two quite formidable snakes, thought they were in control of the Party. And they plotted to hold ransom the People of the Party, to better enable their Snakelings to run all the other Parties out of the Garden. They were aided in their plot by enlisting another, smaller Snake, Karait, in their Crusade to control the Party. They would rail loudly about how the Other Party was Poisoning the well of Ideals, and how the other Party was plotting to force all the Snakes to get rid of their Fangs. But the Snakes argued that to give up their Fangs would be to give up their very Freedom to bite, which everyone knew was a King Snake-given right!

Now, Nag and Nagina had one weakness - they couldn't stop nagging each other, and they never had anything positive to offer to the Other Parties in the Garden. And this nagging and negativism led many in their own Party to have Grave Misgivings about the ability of either Nag or Nagina to lead the Party and force the other Party to bow down or leave the Garden. And thus, the Party was loathe to extend their Vote to either Nag and Nagina. And as for Karait, well, he was such small potatoes that the Party laughed behind his back. But the Party was worried, because they had an Agenda, and they felt none of the Snake candidates had what it took to faithfully carry out the Crusade with the proper zeal and Purity of Purpose. And so they sulked, not happy with any kind of "Plan B" approach to the problem.

One day, during the campaign, when many were sorely vexed by this dilemma, a sudden blur of fur and Purity of Purpose appeared in the middle of the Garden. There before the assembled Party stood in all his ten-inch glory, a young-ish mongoose, who went by the name of Ricki-Ticki-Tavi. The Party went crazy for this young-ish Holy Terror, his fur glistening with Righteousness and Zeal by the bucket-load. Here, surely, was the Right Leader to lead the Party, vanquish the other Parties, and chase the Snakes from the Garden. They also really loved his furry vestments.

Everyone was so delighted by this turn of events that they failed to notice the Snakes come up behind Ricki-Tiki-Tavi, and pooling their quite formidable resources of money and fangs, leaped as one onto poor Ricki's back, and strangled him in front of the assembled Party. The Snakes then turned their terrible gaze upon the rest of the Party, and demanded they make a choice right now, or they would drag the battle into overtime. The Party, unable to decide, found it's entire premise of the Crusade being called into question, and come election day, the Party found itself constricted in it's choices, and many just stayed home and watched The Voice.

The morale of the story is simple: Hoping for a Snake to lead you will just leave you once bitten, and thrice shy. Or, as Bullwinkle might say it, Three Snakes in the grass are barely worth even one Bush.

Santorum Spanked, Rather Likes It

My religion requires I beat up on absolutely anyone who does not think the way I want them to. Oh, yours doesn't?

That he believes women need to keep their place is no surprise. But like his tax returns, he refuses to tell us where the "place" actually is. Bed? The kitchen? The boardroom? Pregnant with only Christian children? Well, three out of four ain't bad, but it still remains a mystery.

And we also no know that Darling Ricky doesn't take kindly to protesters - unless they are HIS protesters, which of course matter more than those OWS-types, because they drink tea, one supposes. It is of course his prerogative, being so godly and all, but one wonders whether the idea of trying to woo new voters, er, converts has crossed his mind. As a candidate, playing to one's base is fine at the beginning of the froo-fra, but he is so steadily ticking off the great mass of Independents that by the time (assuming he actually does) he gets the nom-nod, he'll be pretty well pickled in his own righteousness. Not good, folks, not good.

What I am enjoying so very much about all this back and forth Right Wing Dancing Bear and Hog Jowls Eating Contest is is the level of hubris rising to dizzying new heights. Nobody really measures up to the standards applied by the Righteous Right, and they just can't seem to flush Mr. (Sorry, no Ms., or Mrs. for this lot) Perfect Conservative out of the wood pile. So no matter which one of these Boy-Howdy's get "selected," the whole bunch is stuck with a third-rate choice they don't really trust, and don't really think can beat That Black Guy come November. It seems that by aiming their guns so high and so narrow, they thought that their savior might arrive on a beam of light, and a hearty Right-O, Silver! sadly, they are going to be bitter, and be forced to wear Ash croft, er, cloth, and Mormon shirts, and be hammered (and not in a good way) by a plague of newts. Their going to have to change the name of the party to GOTP - God's Old Testament Party. Though I suspect that party will run short of party favors faster than they'd like - somebody's going to do a lot of begatting, and most of the rest a lot of be-paying.

Well, at least it's solidly biblical, eh?

Santorum Goes Megadeath - And It's Catchy!

Unholy alliances are still worth considering, especially if you are trying to beat the other guy at all costs.

Well, it's official - Ricky Santorum has gotten the most heavenly endorsement yet - from Megadeath. That's right, the heavy metal head slammers who brought such delightfully religious albums such as their fifth outing, titled "Countdown to Death," and songs like the delightfully titled "Into The Lungs of Hell." Of course, who can forget the great "Ashes in Your Mouth," with the fine evangelical chorus,

"Now we've rewritten history
The one thing we've found out
Sweet taste of vindication
It turns to ashes in your mouth"

Perhaps Santorum can use another song from Megadeath as it's official campaign "juice up the crowd" anthem - "Evil That's Within," with its truly catchy ending,

"Evil, evil
Evil, deep in me
Evil, let me be
Evil, let me bleed
Evil, set me free
Evil, set me free
Evil, set me free
The evil that's within"

Isn't it really time we had an honest candidate? And besides pumping up the troops, Megadeath even offers some sage political campaign advice, especially for beating Mitt and The Kids for the nomination:

"Beaten, broken, in bloody rags
Adding insult to injury, he recants
But it's much too late, now let the torture begin
Death by the head crusher, Head Crusher!"

Yes, that is directly from the great political tract by Megadeath, titled, "Head Crusher."

Just think of the political mileage a candidate could get with such a wholesome image! And just in time for the Holy Crusades!

Welcome to the Sanatorum

This has to be the epitome of taking cover behind the fat boys. Let the ten pins get knocked over one after another, and just stay in the eleventh pin position, and all will come to those who wait. Or some such. First, knock over Perry, then knock over Cain, then Bachman, etc., etc., etc., and of course Gingrich, with Romney remaining the favorite also-ran, or better yet, Plan B. And then, one fine winter's day, you wake up to find:

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

But there is no joy in Right Wing Heaven— mighty Santorum finally sticks out.

When the 2011-2012 Primary Deep Fry and Cherry Coke Jubilee finally closes shop, most likely sometime in 2015, all will wonder what the hell that was all about, anyway. Perhaps nothing more than a case of indigestion, or worse, a new form of Ebola virus masquerading as Real Politik.


How does the Far Wrong think it will con, er, convince Independents and "moderate Republicans" (read: Turncoats) they should be taken seriously, let alone represent a valid alternative to President Obama, when they keep playing Musical Clowns? Santorum now is having his Crowning Moment, just as all the others have, and all in the increasingly futile hope that they can pull off an "Anybody But Romney" hat trick. Who's next - The Other Mormon? Fat chance - Mormons apparently scare the Wrong Wing Evangelical Paper Hat Party worse than That Black Guy does. Who knew? At this point, the only thing they could hope for to take a win in 2012 is if Obama converts.


I do have to say one thing, Santorum is about as Milquetoast as you can get, which perhaps explains why he's gone this far. It is clear that the Far Wrong really seeks one thing above all others: a tabula rasa where they can implant their Radical Wrong Code Of Hamandrye, thus guaranteeing the final solution to the Constitution: replacing it with Scripture as written by Grover the Norquistical, He Who Must Be Obeyed.


After all - why pick a Mormon when you can settle for a Moron?

The Battle of the Wookies, Right After This Word From Our Sponsors

Hi! Koch Brother's, here. You're probably wondering why we are backing so many of the dark horses in this coming presidential debacle, and you are of course correct in having that wondering. (Thank you, Sarah, for the wonderful editing. Couldn't have doing this without you betcha.) We feel the American People deserve a choice, which they have never really had before. Not even George Bush was a choice. Well, not for you, anyway. And this Obama person, hardly a choice there, basically, just shoved down the throats of the American People by those Commie liberal scum. But we aim to put an end to that, and right quicker-ly.

Having a choice is the American Way, unless it's about abortion (baby killing) or living next to a power plant. Or whether food is safe or not, like it isn't. Or paying taxes (better you than us, because we have a choice. Wouldn't you like to know how? I bet you do!) Or choosing your rulers, leaders, whatever. Some things should be not about having a choices. That's the American Way! And we are all about the American Way, which is about getting wealthy, no matter what. It's right there on the Statue of Liberty!

So, this election is about you having real choices, between that black guy with the foreign name, and all these white guys and one white, dynamic woman who know how to Get Things Done, like get rid of public education for once and all, because that does not have choices for people who need them. And put the Right Kind of People on that Supremer Court. (Nice touch, Sarah!) And to help you the American Peoples make that right-to-life choice, we, the Koch Brothers, along with many of our rightfully wealthy friends, are bringing you these powerful arguing debaters, so that you can relax, and stop worrying about those jobs you aren't having, because that isn't a proper American Dream, is it?

So, it really doesn't matter which one of these wonderful American Candidates you settle for, as long as together, We the American Peoples are foremost at the table of Life, Liberty, and the Pur$uit of Happierness. And we can do that Together by defeating decisively that guy currently squatting in the People's White House. It started out white, and by God and Guns, it's going to stay being Right. Because that is the American Way.

And now, let's get back to the arguers in today's Wookie Primary Debates!

99.5 Just Won't Do

Remember that old Credence Clearwater song, "99 and a half just won't do"?  I was reminded of that today after I got roadblocked by a 99% march here. I didn't mind sitting and waiting for them to pass by. But I did mind what has increasingly seemed like a movement searching for a cause. Sound bites and pepper spray do not a movement make, and in light of the massive arsenals the 1% have at their beck and call, you would hope these 99%ers will begin to work on better tactics in addition to honing their message. I mean, you think those tea swillers are gonna be swayed? Right. Who cares about them. But...

Thing is, they got lots of money with which to buy the politicians of their own choosing, and buying them they are. You believe that occupying the park means squat to the fat cats? Think again. Follow the money, because that's who benefits, and thus that is who calls the shots. I mean, aren't you a little curious about how the police can pepper spray people just sitting around are getting paid by - wait for it - your tax dollars. Ain't that grand? As far as scams go, that one is a doozy. But wait! There's more!

Yeah, there is always more - for them, and less for you. That's the nature of the game, and we all just keep playing along. See, the way its rigged is like this: keep a majority of the people employed, but squeeze them. And to keep them from complaining too much, design the system so that we can keep an obvious number of people homeless, and still quite visible, so that the rest of us can see the consequences if we challenge the system, at least anything beyond choosing one from either Column A or Column B. And let's ratchett up the pressure with random cycles of boom and but, where we can deploy some of the best word-smithing ever. "The employment picture is looking up," followed by, "the employment picture is looking bleak,"  and "the workforce needs to be mobile/flexible/retrained/etc." You just know what's coming around the corner by now, don't you? Well?

To make things even more interesting, tie up the really driven younger people by maintaining a policy of total, permanent war. Let them kill people over there. Besides, a good portion will either die, or come back too damaged to be a worry. Now, for icing on the cake, lets create as much mind-numbing entertainment as we can, especially on programs and games that hilight violence and rude, bully-style public humiliation "reality" shows. It's called "conditioning" folks, and I ain't talking Gold's Gym. Who's going to bother looking behind the curtains?

Sure, there's more to the picture than these broad outlines, but really? You think the 1% give a fig about whether a few people break free of their sheeple-state? Hey, did you see how much the lottery is up to this week?

Well, I would like to point out to the 99% marchers/occupiers that you are slowly but steadily eroding the goodwill you built early on. Time to realize the party stage of the affair is over. Now, it's time to do the really hard work. Such as organizing, getting behind YOUR candidates, and then, for the sake of the dead gods, get off yer asses and vote. It's really the only tool you can use against the rampaging kleptocracy, and in your heart-of-hearts, you KNOW that's the truth.

Peace out.

Something New

Now you, the common citizen, can weigh in on how to rate the 1%! Go over to http://thepeoplesratingagency.blogspot.com/  and offer your input. Why should all the power to give economy-shattering ratings rest in the hands of those who are the only one's to profit from it? Now, WE can rate the ratings agencies, government agencies, corporate entities, and more. Go take a look!!

Occupy This, Wall Street! Its Downgrade Time!

As of today, we at Es and PeeQueAreEyeTee must regrettably announce a downgrade from AAA status to a CCC status to the risk rating for Wall Street, Inc., and all its subsidiaries. Current market fluctuations, the rabid spasmodic reactions to every hiccup, and the failure to adequately recognize which side of the bread the butter is applied to show this rating agency that the management of Wall Street, Inc., just "doesn't get it," especially in their near-willful failure to pay attention to where the money actually comes from.

In an honest effort to aid Wall Street, Inc. with getting back to their higher rating status, we offer the following suggestions, and trust they will be heard in the generous manner in which we extend them, especially in light of the coming Holidays:

1. You need to remember who your real stockholders are - the consumers of America. Without their buy-in, your subsidiaries will simply crumble. It is the consumer who props up their, and therefor, your, profits. Remain oblivious to this at your won peril.

2. You really need to get a grip. Every time your firm and your subsidiaries see a leaf fall, you panic, and that in turn sends shares crashing to the floor as though to race said leaf to its doom. Conversely, every time a frog jumps, you sense a moment of glory, and near wet your pants with glee. Really, folks, settle down. Give more than ten seconds of thought before you hit that remote, and maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to finally commit to some long-range planning. That, in turn, would do much to increase consumer confidence, which in turn would, well, can't you guys just figure this out for yourselves? No? Right. OK.

3. You keep yelping about "instability in the markets," as though you were a mere victim. Uh, that's your shadow you keep jumping at, you do know that, don't you. The "instability" is caused by you, and everyone seems to know that but you. Which begs the question: you guys are in charge of the world economy for exactly what reason, again?

So, we really have no choice but to issue this downgrade. And be warned - the longer these "market conditions" persist, that is, the longer your firm continues to hold to your willful blindness, the more downgrades we will be forced to issue. This current reduction from AAA to CCC is merely indicative of the extreme loss of trust and believability you have foisted on your own real shareholdes. And until and unless you can remember who those shareholders really are, and what they truly demand, well, we hold little hope for an improvement of this rating in the near term. In the long term? I'd think those bonus checks are going to start shrinking at a very rapid click.

The courtesy of a reply is requested, but given your track record, we ain't holding our breath, buckos.

The 1 Percent is On The March!

So S&P is now threatening the EU with a downgrade of their credit rating, like that's really gonna make anything better. Well, except for the 1%, that is - of COURSE it's gonna be better for them - who do you think S&P work for, anyway? But somehow, I have a feeling we are getting really close to a breaking point, and here I speak not of the global environment, nor the state of Herman Cain's harem problems, but of how much the 1% can push their greed down all our throats before we just go and upchuck all over their Gucci-covered asses.

If they try to force "austerity" down the throats of many countries in the EU without making demands on the wealth-hoarding class, I strongly suspect that the lessons everyone is learning from the so-called "Arab Spring," (notice anything unusual coming from Russia the past few days?) will start showing up in more European and American cities over the weeks leading up to the holiest day in Consumerdom - Bleak Monday. Use my credit card, or, pay the damn thing off, and quit paying those bastards for all that worthless crap? Hmmm. Take the family on a ski trip, or, get in line at the soup kitchen, again? No brainer, baby.

The Pea Tardy and their lap doggies in Congress want everyone to think this is all the fault of Big Gummint, and that black guy, but that story is getting old and worn, and doesn't hold the same grip on everyone's testicles it did in 2008. The fact is, we are being driven into fiscal and moral bankruptcy by the very people who pull the strings of both those groups - people like the Koch Brothers, the big banks, the brokerages, the weapons, oil, pharma, and chemical companies, who are engaged in a truly desperate and despicable attempt to dismantle the Constitution and erect in its place the oligarchy they all share wet dreams about.

And I don't know about you, but if I'm gonna get screwed, I'd better get to enjoy it, too. These cockroaches? They have no intention of sharing any kind of joy. So unless you really like getting screwed, you might want to think about getting out of bed, right about.....now.

Trumped-up Charges, Same-Old, Same-Old

The Trumpster is back!! Oh, come on - did you really believe we were finally rid of this blowhard? Schmoes like the Donald are like dog doo stuck to the bottom of your waffle-soled shoes - damn hard to clean off. And now - oh, it's simply priceless!! - Gingrich is bending over to kiss that pompous ass and defend the Donald from the nastiness of Ron Paul. Man! You just cannot PAY for entertainment like this!!

Romney-mon is his typical shy self, not letting on if he'll be another one to bend over for the CombOver Doll, but we can pretty well rest assured he's just trying to figure out how to bend over and spread them without having to answer any "difficult" questions, like, how many times have you actually flipflopped again, Governor? The Boy really HATES having to be honest with the Amurican Peeps. Might expose his scratchy underwear.

And you just HAVE to love the also rans, who still haven't been able to find their way out of the bag they stuffed themselves into. Michelle-Ma-Belle, and RickyBobby maybe oughta should do their own roadtrip, 'cept they look so much like roadkill at this point they'd get pulled over and arrested for "driving while dead." And RonnyPauley, so cute. Ready to dismantle the entire US Government, if elected. Has anyone let him know yet how little he would have to do on weekdays if he eliminated all those Departments? I mean, he'd essentially be cutting off his nose to spite his face - oh. Oh, right - he does that all the time, doesn't he? hasn't anyone got the guts to tell him that botox is a fine alternative?

And with SugarCain gone, due to way too many indiscretions to find laudable excuses for, you have to be wondering when another mistress will emerge naming Newt the Toot as her Lover-Man of the past decade, or which Choir boy has some memorable moments to share from that Utah summer camp. I can't wait.

As for the other, er, runners in this, uh, race? Who dat?

With Cain Gone, Is Anyone Willing to Be Able?

I did not have sex with that woman. Seems to be an echo in here, ya dig? But, you didn't ask about that other woman. No, not that one, the other one, Hell, I ain't gonna tell you which woman, that's your job. The job of the liars on the liberal media cyborg Commie-lovin' Democrat side of the aisle at the supermarket. How dare you question me, I am a business man!!

Well, silly us, expecting to know the truth, and worse yet, expecting ethical and moral integrity. How bloody stupid have we Amuricans become? Don't listen to that man on the news, listen to the mumblings coming from behind that curtain, the one marked Tea Party Spoken Here.

Ya know, I highly doubt all the cats are out of the bag yet. The way that Romney keeps trying to control the flow of info, the few and bearly substantive interviews, the constant refusal to open himself up for deep and cogent questioning, makes me think there's something he's terrified of coming to light. The rest are clearly wack-a-doodles, but Romney seems to be trying to slide in under the radar. He must be glad that Cain is the one whose sacrifice displeased the Lord, this time.

Has anybody out there even CONSIDERED sleeping with him? Out of his scratchy underwear, that is? Of course, who would really want to admit to such depravity?