I'm not a bigot, but.....

I’m not a bigot, you guys know the posts I’ve written about Asian stuff, but not long ago I was traveling to Hawaii, and the pilot was dressed in Japanese garb.  Well he wasn’t actually, and I don't even know if he was Japanese, but his eyes where, well…you know, and he looked like he might be Buddhist, or something.  Anyway,    If I see people who look Asian and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Asian, I get worried. I get nervous.

See, the Japanese – who are Asian - used airplanes to attack Pearl Harbor, so it’s not insensitive to be assume that a pilot with Asian eyes might be a Kamikaze, right?   If I could name a prominent Japanese American Republican in Congress, I’m sure they would agree.

I want to stress that I am not talking about all Asians when I criticize some and that America is not at war with Asia anymore. Blaming all Asian people for the actions of extremists is like blaming all Muslims for the actions of the 9/11 bombers.

Really, I’m not a bigot, but whenever I visit Washington DC, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in ‘British garb,’ I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as British, I get worried. I get nervous.

I mean for crying out loud, the British burned down The U.S. Capitol and The White House during the War of 1812.  It’s not unreasonable to assume that someone with an English accent and ‘British garb’ might want to do the same again.  I’m sure Margaret Thatcher would understand.

I want to stress that I am not talking about all British people when I criticize some and that America is not at war with England anymore. Blaming all British people for the actions of extremists is like blaming all Muslims for the actions of the 9/11 bombers and all Asians for the actions of Tojo.

So you see, I'm not a bigot, but I went to the bank yesterday to see about making some investments, and the guy looked like Bernie Madoff.  Well he didn't look exactly like Bernie, but he was wearing 'Jewish garb.'   If I see people who are in ‘Jewish garb’ and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Jews, I get worried. I get nervous.

I mean it’s not racist to recognize that the single largest crime perpetrated against investors in American history was committed by a Jewish person who served as a mentor and major contributor to Yeshiva University.  I’m just saying that it’s okay to be sensitive to these facts when banking.  Even Rupert Murdoch couldn’t claim this statement is racist, could he?

I want to stress that I am not talking about all Jews when I criticize some and that America is not at war with Judaism. Blaming all Jews for the actions of extremists is like blaming all Muslims for the actions of the 9/11 bombers, all British for the actions of King George’s armies, and all Asians for the actions of Tojo.

No, really I’m not a bigot.  But I live in Harlem, where the preponderance of crime is committed by African American males, so if I see a ‘Juan Williams type’ walking down the street, if I see a guy in ‘African American garb’ and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as African American people, I get worried. I get nervous.

That isn’t racist by any stretch. I’m sure Juan would agree - he’s from Bed-Sty where the crime stats are similar.

I want to stress that I am not talking about all African Americans when I criticize some and that America is not at war with African Americans. Blaming all Black people for the actions of criminals is like blaming all Muslims for the actions of the 9/11 bombers, all British for the actions of King George’s armies, all Asians for the actions of Tojo, and all Jews for the actions of Bernie Madoff.

I really, really mean it. I’m no bigot.  You guys know the posts I’ve written defending people’s rights.   But when I get go to Oklahoma, I got to tell you, if I see people who are driving trucks in ‘Christian garb’, like Timothy McVeigh was that fateful day, and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Christians, I get worried. I get nervous.

How can anyone think that statement is racist?  The greatest act of domestic terrorism in the United States was committed by  Tim McVeigh, a self avowed Caucasian Christian who drove a truck.  Certainly, Mike Huckabee would concur with this assessment.

And again, I want to stress that I am not talking about all Caucasian Christians who drive trucks when I criticize some and that America is not at war with truck driving Caucasian Christians. Blaming all Caucasian Christians people for the actions of extremists is like blaming all Muslims for the actions of the 9/11 bombers, all British for the actions of King George’s armies, all Asians for the actions of Tojo, all Jews for the actions of Bernie Madoff, and all Black people for the actions of the Juan Williams.


Where was I?  Oh, yeah…I’m not a bigot, but…..


(crossposted at Once Upon a Paradigm)

MSNY 102210

'Swimming' the Witch

I’m beginning to think that Christine O’Donnell never really dabbled in witchcraft.  I don’t know much about Wicca, but from what I’ve seen in the movies, witches and warlocks aren’t complete idiots like Chrissy O  - at least I understand that they can float when tied up and thrown in the water.  Christine O’Donnell seems to be sinking faster than a 17th Century Salem teenage girl at a witch ‘trial.’  Her stupidity is astounding.

Consider this exchange during her most recent ‘debate’ with Chris Coons at Widener University Law School; 

Coons:  “…religious doctrine doesn't belong in our public schools."

O’Donnell:  “"Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?"

Coons:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,”

O’Donnell:  “That’s in the First Amendment…?”

MSNBC noted that the audience gasped in shock at the stunning ignorance of the Republican nominee.  I’m sure that those of you who just hearing about this exchange are also trying to catch your breath right about now.  I’m still cleaning the coffee from my monitor.

 As a note; O’Donnell also failed to identify several amendments of the Constitution that are frequently mentioned as targets of Tea Party repeal efforts, excusing herself because she “didn’t bring [her] Constitution with [her].”

Ouch.

Clearly, O’Donnell’s skills in witchcraft are lacking, otherwise she’d be floating with the other tea-bagged loonies, on pace to lower the collective congressional IQ – and who would have thought that even possible in a Congress populated by the likes of  Michelle  Bachmann, Dave Vitter, Joe Barton, and Steve King??

But there are others who fail the classic witchcraft litmus test;

Sharon Angle, for example, must be a witch.  How else would one explain her lead in the Nevada polls?  Angle famously said this;

"People ask me, 'What are you going to do to develop jobs in your state?' Well, that's not my job as a U.S. senator."

This is coming from a woman who wishes to represent a state that the Bureau of Labor Statistics says had the HIGHEST unemployment in USA according to the most recent data.

Angle must be casting some sort of stupidity spell on the voters in Nevada to be leading in this race.

Joe Miller from Alaska has announced that he would support the repeal of the 17th Amendment, which provides for the direct election of US Senators by the people – the same people Miller is asking to VOTE FOR HIM.

Now this is some amazing warlock stuff right here.  He wants Alaskans to VOTE for him to help repeal their right to VOTE for anyone else for senator.  AND HE’S LEADING IN THE POLLS! 

And Rand Paul thinks that Medicare is just plain wrong.  He’s said this:

"The fundamental reason why Medicare is failing is why the Soviet Union failed -- socialism doesn't work,"

Funny, Rand, by his own admission, receives about 50% of his income from Medicare reimbursements.  Clearly he doesn’t hate Medicare that much. 

Only a very powerful man-witch like Dr. Paul could convince the poor and elderly of Kentucky that it’s Socialism for them to get assistance for costly medical care while he profits greatly from it.  But this is exactly what he’s doing.

So, despite Christine O’Donnell’s confession that she dabbled in witchcraft as a youth, I think it’s safe to assume that, like her juiced up resume, she’s full of shit.   Just because she may have really really, really liked The Craft it doesn’t qualify her to claim that she actually dabbled in sorcery.  There is no other way to explain her lack of political buoyancy, except to acquit her of the charge of practicing the dark arts.  Now, if Bill Maher can come up with a clip of her admitting to being a high-priestess in the Church of the Mortally Stupid, I might be inclined to believe her.





MSNY 101910

(crossposted at Once Upon a Paradigm)

ANATOMY OF A FAILED MEME

Yesterday, Matt Drudge attempted to fabricate a scandal out of thin air.  And bless his little black heart, he tried his darnedest, but it doesn’t seem like its sticking.

So, here’s the story.

Yesterday at around 4 pm Eastern time, the Drudge Report did something he rarely does – actually file a report rather than simply repurposing another news agency’s reporting with a sensational partisan title.   

Anyway, the entry they filed was titled. “Michelle Campaigned Inside a Polling Place?”   The implication is that the First Lady violated election laws.  The evidence provided by Drudge?  This line from a pool report of the First Lady’s trip to cast her ballot.  After she voted, she paused to take a photo with a fellow voter and supporter who then relayed what she told him:  "She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," 

You can almost hear the arm twisting, right?

Well, Drudge must have popped a boner thinking that he had uncovered a scoop, so his website led with the blaring red headline convicting her of a crime.   To support his evidence, he sited Illinois election law and provided a quote from an unnamed Ilinois State Board of Elections official who allegedly proposed ignoring the law for the popular First Lady – a subtle swipe by Drudge at what he loves to term ‘Chicaoland’ politics.

The problem is that even with the strictest interpretation of the law; this is hardly a precedent setting occurrence.  The image of a politician or their spouse casting their ballot and making a statement is a very common one.   They all do it.

For example, here is a report on George W. Bush casting his 2004 ballot at a firehouse in Texas.  Bush said this after voting;  "The issue is, who do you trust? Who do you trust to secure this country? Who do you trust to lead with firmness and steadfast resolution to protect the American people? Who do you trust to adhere to the values, the values that most people agree with? Who do you trust to keep this economy growing?  I've got a clear view about how to lead ... We'll see what the people say. Now's the time for the people to express their will. I am confident in the judgment of the people."

THAT sounds like electioneering to me.

So why wasn’t this ever mentioned by Drudge as a violation of election laws?  In fact, why didn’t the ‘liberal’ mainstream media may hay about this?   That because, it’s a bunch of nonsense.   Only in the right wing world of ‘Let’s freak out over everything the Obamas do,’ does this constitute a ‘scandal’.  Perhaps they didn’t notice this ‘scandal’ because they were too up in arms about Mrs. Obama urging supporters to ‘pray’ for the President.  After all prayer is the exclusive domain of the religious extremists of the GOP, right?  

Drudge closed his brief entry with the teaser “Developing….” clearly hoping that he could encourage others to pick up the subject, but so far no one has seemed to take the bait.   FauxNews and the lesser satellites of the Murdoch Neo-Con press have so far ignored the non-story, as have most of the down the middle political press. A Google search of ‘Michelle Obama Violates Election Law’ returns hits from only the most extremist wingnut blogs and bulletin boards.  So, more than 20 hours later this ‘BREAKING’ scandal has failed to gain any legs.   It remains to be seen if hate-radio beats this drum during drive time today, but thus far, no word from Wingnutistan.   You win some, you lose some Mr. Drudge.  It seems this one, you lost.

MSNY 101510

Waiting For the Worms?

Most of my blog entries are political in nature, and I guess ultimately, this one is as well.

Last night I attended Roger Waters’ concert performance of the classic Pink Floyd album The Wall.  As I don’t really want this to end up being an in depth concert review, let me just say that it was an experience to say the least.  The staging, effects and imagery were very impressive, with the only possible exception being a remotely controlled dirigible swine that hovered above the crowd for some time, which struck me as a little cheesy.  Although to be fair, the anti-corporate imagery adorning the flying pig was pretty humorous.

Anyway, the concert did a few things for me.  First, I was impressed by Roger Waters’ activism.  He made bold statements on capitalism, fanaticism, fear, violence, and religion.  I was also reminded that the Wall is a powerful work addressing the effects of war, economic despair, and xenophobia and is striking in its relevance to the current social and political climate in the United States today.

Waiting for the Worms - YouTube

“Would you like to see Britannia
Rule again, my friend?
All you have to do is follow the worms.
Would you like to send our colored cousins
Home again, my friend?

All you need to do is follow the worms.”

Sounds like some of the stuff we hear today, doesn’t it?

There are those who lament the supposed loss of this mythic notion of American Exceptionalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exceptionalism ) and want to see America ‘rule’ again.  The say it’s illegal aliens and their anchor babies. They say it’s Sharia law.  The say it’s entitlements.  They say that there are people with a deep seated hatred of white people trying to destroy ‘our’ way of life from within.   The say all that while denying all of the evidence that corporate greed is what is destroying the nation. 

Waters pointedly depicts the armies of Capitalism as demanding our blind trust, while literally dropping religion and materialism as bombs, dividing and enslaving the people. Trust us; keep spending what you don’t have.  Keep giving us more, it will trickle down.

And just like the Worms, there are people in America who are wear their nationalism like armbands on their sleeves.  They’ve also been rallying and marching around with their answers to America’s woes; send our colored cousins home.

People like Mark Williams, Franklyn Graham and Frank Gaffney, and politicians like Michelle Bachmann and Steve King are all Worms not so subtly disguised as humans. Their plans read just like these lyrics.   They’ve been ginning up the fear and loathing non stop since the President took office, and now they are waiting for their Worms in Tri-Corner hats to give them the power to implement their plans.

“Waiting to cut out the dead wood.
Waiting to clean up the city.
Waiting to follow the worms.
Waiting to put on a black shirt.
Waiting to weed out the weaklings.
Waiting to smash in their windows
And kick in their doors.
Waiting for the final solution
To strengthen the strain.
Waiting to follow the worms.
Waiting to turn on the showers
And fire the ovens.
Waiting for the queens and the coons
and the reds and the jews.
Waiting to follow the worms”

There’s no shortage of blame being thrown around, except in the mirror.  The Worms don’t accept any responsibility for any of our problems.  They blame the queens and the coons and the reds and the Jews.  The Muslim has been replaced as the scapegoat du jour, but don’t think that the Jew isn’t privately assailed too as being too dominant in business.  Jews are, of course, historically tried and tested fall-guys for a nation’s economic woes.  David Duke must be bumming.  But most good fashions come back into vogue anyway.

But the queens and coons and the reds haven’t done so well in the current climate.  The Worms talk about regulating homosexuality. They talk about prohibiting homosexuals from marrying, adopting children or for serving as soldiers and teachers.  African Americans are labeled as lazy, shiftless, self entitled dead wood, fouling our cities.  And the catch all accusation for any white person who believes that the nation has a responsibility for providing a level of social services to its less fortunate regardless of race is calling them a Socialist.

The Becks and the Limbaughs and the Palins and the Boehners, Canters, DeMints, and McConnells spew forth about purity and pledges and bloodoaths just like Worms.

”We're gonna find out where you fans really stand.
Are there any queers in the theatre tonight?
Get 'em up against the wall.
And that one in the spotlight, he don't look right to me.
Get him up against the wall.
And that one looks Jewish, and that one's a coon.
Who let all this riffraff into the room?
There's one smoking a joint, and another with spots!
If I had my way I'd have all of you shot.”

Where do we really stand?  Are we marching down the road with the Worms or is there a way to defeat the irrational fear of the weakening of the American strain?


msny 100710

Capitalism RULZ!

Some months ago, I posted an alternative, more patriotic, capitalist State of the Union address – one that lovers of liberty and warriors against Statism would like. In it, I envisioned the President embracing true capitalism and offering solutions to wipe out the scurge of Socialism.  For those who may have missed that rambling screed, here it is.

But I am heartened to note that I am not the only one to have realized how widespread the infection of socialism was in this nation.  Specifically, I would like to commend Obion County, Tennessee, the city of South Fulton, and its mayor – the honorable David Crocker.  Thank you to ThinkProgress for alerting me to this story.

If I may recount to you a portion of my earlier entry, I noted the following;

“We don’t need a tax to support firefighting efforts. Private firefighting companies can and will allow patriotic Americans to only pay when they themselves have an applicable emergency. Most Americans go their entire lives with no occasion to call on a fire department. Why the hell should they be forced to pay for firefighters to put out a fire started by some loser smoking in bed?”

See, Mr. Crocker and the all Republican county commission that he sits on also decided long ago that Fire fighting services provided by local government and paid for by taxes are antithetical to the capitalist ideals of this great nation.  South Fulton instituted a very ingenious program to do away with entitlements like public fire fighting departments supported by burdensome taxation – they came up with the novel concept of fee-based subscription fire fighting services.  And recently we saw patriotism and the American way in its full red, white and blue glory.

It seems that a miserly gentleman decided that he didn’t need to pay the $75 annual subscription price for the services of Obion county Fire Department.  As a result, his home burned to the ground while firefighter stood by, unfortunately unable to help without setting a precedent that could have led to more citizens getting tempted by the evil lure of Socialism.

Here is a local TV channels report on the matter.

Once again, on behalf of all soldiers in the army against tyranny, I’d like to thank Mayor Crocker, the County Commission and all of the brave firefighters for letting capitalist Darwinism run its course.  Perhaps this will give all those socialist-curious Obamaites pause to reflect on the error of their ways.

God Bless America.