A Modest Proposal

12 February 2012
A Modest Proposal

It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants... I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom a very great additional grievance; and, therefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound, useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the public as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation... I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout..."

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Sunday Funnies for 12 February 2012

12 February 2012
Sunday Funnies for 12 February 2012

''PETA is not happy that my dog likes fresh air.'' -Mitt Romney in 2007, responding to criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals following revelations that he had once strapped the family dog to the roof of his car during a 12-hour road trip. "Romney is so confident that he's getting cocky. He's already putting the dog on the roof of his car." –David Letterman. "The working girls from the Bunny Ranch Brothel are showing up at Ron Paul rallies because he's a libertarian. What a strange world it is when a presidential candidate can accept an endorsement from a whore...but enough about Romney and Donald Trump." –Bill Maher. "I like Mitt Romney. He looks like the guy on a package of underwear." –David Letterman. "He complained of course that the liberal media made him sound like he was an out-of-touch rich dick. His point of view was. 'You wouldn't treat Obama this way. I'll bet you $10,000 you wouldn't treat Obama this way.'" –Bill Maher. "Newt Gingrich jumped on Romney's gaffe. He said he does care about the poor people, he loves the very poor. In fact, under his plan, poor black people would be the first ones he's sending up to the moon colony." –Bill Maher.

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Happy Birthday, Abe. What Happened to Your Party?

12 February 2012
Happy Birthday, Abe. What Happened to Your Party?

"The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty." –Abraham Lincoln. Would Honest Abe have spoken at the recently concluded Nuremberg/CPAC rally if he was around today? Would he appear on the same stage with neo-fascists, white supremacists and candidates that want to make birth control illegal? Just imagine what he would say about these evil greed-sucking clowns masquerading as presidential candidates? The Grand Old Party has degenerated into the Greedy One Percenters waging war on science, American workers, American wombs and America itself. Why is it that they hate America so much? They are vicious wolves with a twisted definition of liberty. By the way, what's become of bush? We sure don't hear much from the GOTP's former favorite fortunate son. Except for shrub's disastrous economic policies it's like he never even existed. He's become the Lord Voldemort of American politics – he of the name-that-shall-not-be-mentioned. The problem is that the GOTP wants to double down on blinky's ruinous policies and keeps goose-stepping ever further to the right. In so doing they are ensuring the re-election of President Obama.

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Happy Sea-Goats!

31 December 2011
Happy Sea-Goats!

The origins of Capricorn mythology were practically unknown. The ancient Greeks had sea-goats, but there was little told about them. The Capricorn zodiac sign is often interpreted as being either a goat or a sea-goat, which is basically a creature with the front half of a goat and the tail of a fish. In actuality, both goat and sea-goat are appropriate symbols to represent Capricorn mythology. The story behind the Capricorn zodiac sign begins with the sea-goat Pricus. Pricus is the father of the race of sea-goats, who are known to be intelligent and honorable creatures who live in the sea near the shore. They can speak and think and are favored by the gods.

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Sunday Funnies for 20 November 2011

20 November 2011
Sunday Funnies for 20 November 2011

"They had a midnight raid and they cleaned out Zuccotti Park where the Occupy Wall Streeters were camped out for about two months. So if you're keeping score, here's what the score is now: Eighty down in Zuccotti Park; Wall Street executives arrested: Zero." –David Letterman. "One by one the Republican candidate potentials have been shooting themselves in the foot making huge, horrible gaffes and they just look silly. It's gotten so bad that President Obama is now worried he may actually be re-elected." –David Letterman. "Newt Gingrich is so confident about his chances that he's already working on his concession speech." –David Letterman. "It has gotten so bad in the party that Newt Gingrich is now starting to surge, which is never good news for Mrs. Gingrich." –Bill Maher. "New York City police went into Zuccotti Park in a midnight raid, and the mayor rode in on his pet Chihuahua. … No more sleeping or no camping in New York City parks. Hookers, crack dealers - not a problem." –David Letterman. "More bad news for Rick Perry - tomorrow there's another debate." –Jay Leno.

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Vilification and Violence: 1% Solution

20 November 2011
Vilification and Violence: 1% Solution

My brother just sent me this link about Newt, Inc., the Humpty-Dumpty of the Greedy One Percenters. The vile Newt is slamming the non-violent, constitutionally-protected Occupy movement with his usual twisted upside-down cant. Indicative of just how far down the rabbit hole he and his fellow fascist Zombie Teabaggers have gone, he's calling the heroic anti-fascists who are fighting to save our democracy un-American. This is the best they've got? I emailed back: Vilification and violence are all the 1% has left. Well, that and all the money and all the cops. They have no ideas to help anyone but themselves. But the more they attack the more obvious it is that they are frightened that their masters of the universe status is coming to an end. Newt, Inc. is an especially egregious and hypocritical example of this dying breed of fat and greasy elitist. I described him awhile back as a boil on the butt of the body politic. He's the reason Obama will get re-elected: him and Cain and Perry and Bachmann and Romney and the rest of these Greedy One Percenter clowns. It must be especially embarrassing right now to be a Republican.

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Sunday Funnies for 13 November 2011

13 November 2011
Sunday Funnies for 13 November 2011

"I have a lot of Herman Cain jokes but I cannot do them; I am bound by a confidentiality agreement." –Bill Maher. "Some Godfather's Pizza customers said they found it odd that he would tell them to hold the sausage." –Bill Maher. "At the press conference earlier tonight, Herman Cain said he doesn't remember the woman, he doesn't recognize her name or her face… her ass he kind of remembers" –Jay Leno. "There's another Republican presidential debate tonight. This one is focused on why there were so many Republican presidential debates." –Jimmy Kimmel. "Mitt Romney said he created thousands of jobs at governor of Massachusetts. Rick Perry said he created thousands as governor of Texas. Herman Cain said he tried to create a number of jobs for women but now he's getting attacked for it all of a sudden." –Jimmy Kimmel. "If I were Mitt Romney, I wouldn't show up anymore. I would just go to Hawaii and wait it out until the election, drink some caffeine free Diet Coke and watch Herman Cain and Rick Perry self-destruct." –Jimmy Kimmel. ‎"The harassment allegations keep coming at Herman Cain -- like an uninvited hand up a pleated skirt." –Stephen Colbert.

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“Self-Interest Properly Understood”

13 November 2011
“Self-Interest Properly Understood”

Let's go to the economists for the low-down on Europe's debt crisis show-down and the ramifications for the USA. Paul Krugman wrote on Friday that "austerity has been a failure everywhere it has been tried: no country with significant debts has managed to slash its way back into the good graces of the financial markets. For example, Ireland is the good boy of Europe, having responded to its debt problems with savage austerity that has driven its unemployment rate to 14 percent. Yet the interest rate on Irish bonds is still above 8 percent — worse than Italy. The moral of the story, then, is to beware of ideologues who are trying to hijack the European crisis on behalf of their agendas. If we listen to those ideologues, all we'll end up doing is making our own problems — which are different from Europe's, but arguably just as severe — even worse." Joseph Stiglitz wrote back in May: "Alexis de Tocqueville once described what he saw as a chief part of the peculiar genius of American society—something he called 'self-interest properly understood.' The last two words were the key... It means appreciating that paying attention to everyone else's self-interest—in other words, the common welfare—is in fact a precondition for one's own ultimate well-being."

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Sunday Funnies for 6 November 2011

6 November 2011
Sunday Funnies for 6 November 2011

"Remember Terry Jones, the pastor in Florida who burned the Koran? That's right; he is now a presidential candidate. You know what his platform is? Deporting every undocumented worker in America and imprisoning women who have abortions. Finally, the Republican Party has a moderate in the race." –Bill Maher. "Herman Cain told a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters to go home, get a job, and get a life. That's the Republican version of hope and change, ladies and gentlemen." –Jay Leno. "Cain understands domestic issues because he had experience selling pizza; and he understands international issues because pizza is Italian." -Stephen Colbert. "Hookers in Times Square are offering a Mitt Romney Special. For an extra $20 they'll change positions." –David Letterman. "Two women have accused Herman Cain of sexually suggestive behavior in the '90s. He said no. He was just explaining to them his 69-9-9 plan." –Jay Leno. "One kid wanted me to pay him $5 to give him candy. I asked who he was supposed to be. He said, 'Bank of America.'" –Jay Leno. "Herman Cain is having to respond to charges he once sexually harassed women. One German woman kept saying, 'Nein! Nein! Nein!'" –Conan O'Brien.

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Of the Top 1 Percent, by the Top 1 Percent, for the Top 1 Percent

6 November 2011
Of the Top 1 Percent, by the Top 1 Percent, for the Top 1 Percent

So the Party of the Greedy One Percenters is back where it started. Nitwit Mitt is going to be their guy, like him or not. And nobody does. As if the evangelical end-timers would ever vote for a Mormon. On Friday, Nitwit Mitt bowed down before the Kochroaches. He presented an economic plan geared toward himself and his fellow One-Percenters. If elected president, Mitt would do away with the estate tax entirely. Not coincidentally, this would mean an $8.7 BILLION windfall for each of the billionaire Kochroach Boys. The Progress Report has the lowlights of Mitt's plan: $6.6 TRILLION in tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. $6.5 TRILLION added to the deficit. Cuts to Social Security. The end of Medicare as we know it. Cuts to Medicaid more draconian those in the House GOP budget plan. Repeals the Affordable Care Act — eliminating health care coverage for 32 MILLION Americans. IN ONE SENTENCE: Mitt Romney may claim his plan defends the American Dream, but it would be nothing but a nightmare for the 99 percent.

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Koch-Cain Goin’ Down the Drain

6 November 2011
Koch-Cain Goin’ Down the Drain

The Squirmin' Herman minstrel show continues. What's next for this fool? Dancing with the Stars? We've heard him sing and he wouldn't survive American Idol. There needs to be a show called American Idiot. He'd do great on that. Clearly, the clowns have taken over the circus that is the Party of Greedy One Percenters. ThinkProgress: "Herman Cain may be the billionaire Koch brothers' favorite presidential candidate, with strong ties between his campaign and the wealthy conservative patrons, and Cain hasn't been shy about showing his love for the pair. Today, at a conference sponsored by the Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity, Cain declared to thunderous applause, 'I am the Koch brothers' brother from another mother.' He added, 'And proud of it.'"

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Greedy One Percenters

5 November 2011
Greedy One Percenters

Bruce Bartlett is the furthest thing from a progressive that you can find. He held senior policy roles in the Reagan and Big Daddy Bush administrations and has served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. Not exactly a liberal bunch. So his honesty is refreshing in pointing out in a recent NY Times article that the Republican Party, aka The Greedy One Percenters, "favors big cuts in spending that would be likely to lead to further layoffs at all levels of government. Republicans favor tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, but these had no stimulative effect during the George W. Bush administration and there is no reason to believe that more of them will have any today. And the Republicans' oft-stated concern for the deficit makes tax cuts a hard sell." Bartlett goes on to write that Republicans "embrace the idea that government regulation is the principal factor holding back employment. They assert that Barack Obama has unleashed a tidal wave of new regulations, which has created uncertainty among businesses and prevents them from investing and hiring. No hard evidence is offered for this claim; it is simply asserted as self-evident and repeated endlessly throughout the conservative echo chamber."

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Bad as Me

5 November 2011
Bad as Me

Tom Waits has been one of my favorite artists since I first saw him perform at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, CA in 1973. I became an immediate and, as it turns out, a life-long fan. I saw him perform at least twenty times in the 70s and 80s. He got better every time. Last week he released his first album of new material in 7 years. From Waits' site: Bad As Me is Tom Waits' first studio album of all new music in seven years. This pivotal work refines the music that has come before and signals a new direction. Waits, in possibly the finest voice of his career, worked with a veteran team of gifted musicians and longtime co-writer/producer Kathleen Brennan. From the opening horn-fueled chug of "Chicago," to the closing barroom chorale of "New Year's Eve," Bad As Me displays the full career range of Waits' songwriting, from beautiful ballads like "Last Leaf," to the avant cinematic soundscape of "Hell Broke Luce," a battlefront dispatch. On tracks like "Talking at the Same Time," Waits shows off a supple falsetto, while on blues burners like "Raised Right Men" and the gospel tinged "Satisfied" he spits, stutters and howls.

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