Hell NO!

Repugs Backing Out, Imagine That!

Leading House Republicans raised the prospect  that they may decline to participate in President Obama’s proposed health-care summit.  Gosh, who could have guessed that?  Look at the dopey excuse:

“If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate,” Boehner and Cantor wrote.

Cornered!  That’s what they were.  They don’t want the light of day to shine into their dark, dank nest.  Imagine the scenario of the citizens of this nation watching them bob and weave and spin while Obama presses them on solutions to the health care dilemma.

Cornered like the dirty rats that they are.

Einstein Bros. Blog

A few days ago my wife and i visited with a college roommate and his wife and, during the chat, he told me that every morning he goes to Einstein Brothers Bagels for coffee, a bagel and great conversation.  He went on to detail the group with whom he huddles, pointing out characteristics, background, and the person’s general philosophy. Now that he is retired [forced] from a position at GM in the advertising department, he finds that his bagel buddies enrich his life greatly and his fear-filled thoughts about retirement have washed away with his daily gathering.

The people who post comments to this blog on a regular basis are akin to his bagel buddies.  Each day i can count on reading the thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams of the ‘regulars’ who gather here, not to sip coffee and eat bagels, but to chat about life, religion and politics.

UptheFlag, Microdot, Engineerof Knowledge, Laci, Mikeb, JackJ, and occasionally Steve gather here for a  sharing of wisdom, to berate the politicians, and to vent what we see as dangers to our society and to our nation.  I enjoy our get-together and would like to say ‘Thanks!’ to you all for dropping by.  If only we ruled the world, eh?

Crib Note Sarah!

Can you believe it?  She wrote crib notes on her hand for the Q & A after her speech.  A presidential candidate with crib notes?  A close-up shot of Palin’s hand shows the words “energy,” “tax,” and “lift American spirits” written. The word “budget” was written and then crossed out, and “cut” is next to the retracted word.

Oh my, is this where America is headed?  Can you imagine a high-level meeting with the Chinese premiere or Russian president with notes scribbled on the hand to help recall the important issues between the two nations?

It is to be noted that critical Sarah dissed Obama for giving ‘great’ speeches reading off of his teleprompter, as if her speech to the GOP Convention in ‘08 were not read word for word.  Then, of course, we saw that masterful recall of facts and issues by Obama at the GOP retreat a few weeks ago, smoking the hosts with flame thrower remarks.

And yet there are millions of fundamentalist christians out there who will continue to defend her as the ‘best’ choice to run this nation!

Christian Fundamentalist Bigotry in Malawi

A headline from CNN:  Malawi man arrested for posting gay rights posters. Apparently that is illegal in Malawi as is homosexuality.  ”Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi and is punishable by prison time and hard labor. Basically, he was promoting a criminal act. This is what this is all about.”

No doubt the American christian fundamentalists are gleeful that their much-loved Mosaic Law is now part of the constitution of Malawi.  Donations must be flowing in at record rates from the oh-so righteous Americans.

Eighty percent of the people there are ‘Christian.’ Imagine that. The poor souls.  These dirt poor, disease-ridden people have been converted to a Mosaic-Christianity, one in which the abominations of Deuteronomy and Leviticus trump John 13:34.

What a terrible fate for these native people to first suffer under British imperialism and now to endure religious bigotry.  When will it ever end?

Upon Whom is the Anger Directed?

Their common and binding companionship is anger.  An odd communal trait.  The Party of Anger.  Teabaggers.  They traveled to Louisville this weekend for a communal hate convention.  Glad I wasn’t there.  Joined by mutual hate, the group was energized by an hour of trailer trash ‘wisdom’ from the Queen of the Trailers. I can’t even imagine that. First Dude’s wife whipping up the hate in the room.  It’s a wonder that the wallpaper didn’t curl.  No doubt, the entire room will need haz-mat sterilization tomorrow when they all go back home.

‘Teabaggers’ is really a double insult to both the drink and the original Boston patriots who dumped said product into the harbor.  ’Bigots’. ‘Racists.’  They.

Anger at ‘government.’ Interesting target.  Were they anarchists, one might understand ‘the anger’ more clearly because at least they would be idealists.  Yet, I would guess that the Tea Party Convention-ists, TPC, were not anarchists.

The Government.  Smaller, they say, not abandon all government.  And taxes, too, naturally, or rather, most importantly, lower taxes.  A bit of narcissism.  I want mine, to hell with them.

Them.  Who are ‘them’?

Well, clearly not the military, because the convention-goers are flag-wavers, the bald eagle emblazoned on the $20 sweatshirts for sale at the convention. Strong military is important.  No doubt they nodded in approval of the Bush-Cheney appropriations for the military, the billions upon billions for both wars.

Thus, no reduction in military spending.  Twenty-three percent of the federal budget fixed. $782 billion.

Social security, 20%.  $678 billion.  Do the TBCers want SS reductions?  Don’t think so as many will be retiring soon.

What about Medicare and Medicaid?  20% $676 billion. Get out the carving knives.  Oh, not the Medicare part, the grandma part.  No, not that, but the Medicaid section.  Whet those knives!  You-know-who gets lots of that money.  ’Those people.’

‘Those people’ are the targets of the TBCers.  As with most trailer trash, ‘those people don’t deserve my tax money because they are lazy and don’t want to work.’  Not only that, but ‘they breed.’  You know, welfare queens- children with different last names.

Yes, there’s the object of the anger.  The ‘government’ is a code word for blacks.  Racism is at the heart of their anger. The newly-awakened Segregationist movement is back, bubbling up and spreading across the land.

Why not?  If neo-Nazism is spreading across Europe, why not neo-Segregationism here in America?  Especially during this economic downturn.  Bigotry is always ripe during times like these.  A scapegoat at which the anger can be directed.  And it always begins at the bottom of society, in the trailer parks, led this time by the queen of the trailers, Sarah Palin.

Fox News Embarrassed by the Truth

I was cycling on my stationary bike at the gym yesterday while FoxNews droned on a nearby TV. The subject, naturally, was terrorism [be afraid!] and specifically the so-called Christmas Bomber.  Chris Wallace was babbling on, excoriating the Obama Administration for what he saw as weakness on terrorism.  It was the interrogation, seen as too light, too inefficient, too humane.  Waterboarding was clearly in order!  Or electrodes to the testicles! Guantamamo!

A funny thing happened on the way, however. Farouk Abdulmutallab blabbed, and blabbed and blabbed.  In fact, he turned state’s witness.  How embarrassing for FoxNews.  This morning, in an attempt to save face, FoxNews put up this headline on their website:

Storm Brews Over Decision to Reveal Abdulmutallab’s Cooperation

Can you believe it?  Of course you can.  The only ’storm’ that is brewing is the combined growling going on at the network over the fact that they have been outed as nothing more than an echo chamber of fear.

What Now, My Friends?

Having watched the PBS special on our National Parks last evening, I am stuck on the sight of YellowstonePark, a place I visited some 50 years ago.  The sulphorous steam vents, bubbling mud, and rising streams of hot water that the Native Americans first encountered upon discovering this place,  must have suggested that this place was of the Underworld. Of course they had no scientific knowledge of tectonics and so the area remained an enigma.

I cannot help but compare that volcanic site to our current political landscape here in America.  It is volatile, toxic and terribly unstable, like the land atop the magma of Yellowstone.

Most frightening is the fact that I suspect that the vast majority of our citizens are not aware of the state of political trauma that surrounds them. They have turned inward assuming the fetal position, trying to protect their family from the economic hardships that they face.  ’To hell with politics!’ may be their motto. And rightly so.

This attitude, of course, is most dangerous and opens the door to all sorts of miscreants who will seize this time in our history for personal or economic advantage.

We are ripe for rape on a massive scale.

NOTE-

Our frequent contributor, Microdot, has posted a most excellent expose’ of the ruthless band of Tea Party pirates HERE

Arrivé Mort

Her death was predictable and swift after the  respirator and tubes were removed. Few of us expected a different result except perhaps her 14-year-old daughter, now an orphan. With great difficulty I had announced the death of her mother.  The young girl reacted typically with screams of anger, confusion and hopelessness.  The question, “Why?” was a stab at my heart as was, “Why did God do this to me?”

Unbelievably, in her state of shock, she asked, “How will I pay for the funeral?”

Several months ago, my wife wisely arranged for the girl to see a mental health counselor on a weekly basis.  I was stunned to see him in the lobby of the hospital when we arrived, waiting for her.  They hugged and spoke softly, then the three of us headed for the chairs in the lobby.  It was quite a task for me to get the young girl to the hospital; she and I were in negotiations for a half hour before she agreed to accompany me there.  I had to promise that no one would force her to go ‘into that room,’ the room she remembered the night before, the gaud awful scene of her mother lying there in a catatonic state, tubes and machines everywhere. That was the bargain we made.

I stated that openly so that the counselor would also understand the agreement. Before she said ‘yes’ to coming to the hospital, I told her that this would be the most difficult decision that she had made in her life, but if she said ‘no,’ it would be impossible to change her mind. Time was urgent.  I knew that, but she didn’t. My wife had phoned me ten minutes before I got into my car and said that the tubes were already being removed. I suspected that her mother would not be able to breathe on her own when the respirator was removed.

A second set of negotiations began in the lobby of the hospital.  I told her that now it was time to make the second most difficult decision of her life- to go into the room and be with her mother. “The tubes will be gone,” I promised her. Yet, she refused. The clock ticked on. Both the counselor and I emptied our bag of skills hoping that something would change her mind.

My cell phone rang. It was my wife. I told her of the predicament and asked if all of the life-support was removed.  It just had been. I hung up and looked at the bewildered child sitting next to me and said,” The tubes are now gone and your mother looks just the way you remember her, I think you should to go in and see her now.”  ”I can’t,” she said, tear in her eye. “You have to,” I replied, ” I don’t know if your mother can go on without all of those tubes.”  At that, I got up and said, “I’ll go in and take a look at her and tell you how she is.”  ”OK,” she meekly said.

I quickly walked to the back of the ICU and found several people gathered around the bed.  Her mother, sans the tubes,  looked peaceful as she lay strikingly black on the white hospital sheets. “I’m going to tell her daughter to come in,” I said to the group. “She’s gone,” a voice sharply retorted. “When?” I asked.  ”About two minutes ago,” was the answer.

Two minutes. A lifetime.

It was now 6:30 PM. I broke the bad news. The counselor and I walked with the weeping girl as she aimlessly trod the halls of the hospital asking those unanswerable questions.  ”I can’t stay here!  I have to get out of here!” she said over and over as we walked. She ran the day before and we expected the same.  We followed like bodyguards as we wound around and around the corridors, she clinging to the stuffed animal that I suggested she bring with her.

At last she stopped and threw her arms around the counselor.  ”Let’s go to the cafeteria and talk,” he said. And so we did for another hour.  ”How will I sell her car?” she asked me. “Adults will take care of that, you take care of kid things,” I told her.  ”What about our apartment?” “Adults,” I repeated.

The phone rang as my wife was looking for us.  ”The priest is here to do a service, tell her to come.” She refused.  ”I’m not going in there!” “Yes, I know, and I said that I wouldn’t make you,” I told her.

She never went into the room, but an hour after the service,  she agreed to stand by the door [curtain] and look in. “She looks like she’s sleeping,” she quietly stated. One of the women said, “Do you want to give mommy a kiss?”  ”No,” and, at that,  she left to sit once again in the lobby, counselor at her side.

My wife and I left the hospital at 10 PM, and the newly orphaned girl managed a few laughs as a school friend came to take her mind off of the adult stuff.  I told the counselor that he should go home to his wife and three small children, but he said that he needed to do a few more things.

At 11PM our phone rang. The counselor told us that the girl did not want to go back home [where she was staying] because she was afraid that she might hurt herself!  He was taking her to a mental health facility to spend the night there, safely.

I have no idea when the man finally got home, but surely his family was fast asleep.  And what is he paid for his career skills?  I read in the newspaper this morning that AIG is handing out millions in bonuses for its employees to compensate them for their ‘good work.’

For their good work.

My stomach churns at that.  We clearly have our priorities skewed in this country.

Impossible for Elected Republicans to Work with Democrats to Improve our Country

Most of us who gather here from time to time already know that it is impossible for elected Republicans to work with Democrats to improve our country.  We who pay attention to what’s happening in politics have said much the same both here and on other blogs.  We get it.

So does Daily Kos editor Markos Moulitsas.  His soon to be released book, American Taliban, catalogues the ways in which modern-day conservatives share the same agenda as radical Jihadists in the Islamic  world.  I, too, have called these right-wingers ‘the American Taliban’ for many years.  For they are.

Now Moulitsas has statistical data to back up his [our] theory.  He’s authorized a poll exclusively of Republicans. The data is damning.  Here is his conclusion:

Ultimately, these results explain why it is impossible for elected Republicans to work with Democrats to improve our country. Their base are conspiracy mongers who don’t believe Obama was born in the United States, that he is the second coming of Lenin, and that he is racist against white people. They already want to impeach him despite the glaringly obvious lack of high crimes or misdemeanors. If any Republican strays and decides to do the right thing and try to work in a bipartisan fashion, they suffer primaries and attacks. Even the Maine twins have quit cooperating out of fear of their homegrown teabaggers.

Check out the results of the polling HERE

Look at this stunning answer:

Do you believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Obama?

Yes 53%   No 14 %   Not Sure 33%

That’s 86% of Republicans who think that perhaps Palin is MORE qualified than Obama.  No wonder Engineerof Knowledge is so pained when looking at his formerly Grand Old Party.

And can you imagine this one:

Do you believe Barack Obama is a racist who hates White people?

Yes 31
No 36
Not Sure 33

That’s 64% who are not sure or quite sure that Obama hates whites.

And how’s this for 14th century thinking:

Should contraceptive use be outlawed?

Yes 31
No 56
Not Sure 13

And this one:

Do you believe that the only way for an individual to go to heaven is though Jesus Christ, or can one make it to heaven through another faith?

Christ 67
Other 15
Not Sure 18

Wow!  I cry with you, Engineer.  Our whole nation ought to weep!

[check out the REGIONAL RESULTS here and note how far The South is skewed in each of the questions]