SavageDem

"I don't belong to an organized political party – I'm a Democrat." – Will Rogers

Category: Political

  • Oh, the Poor Persecuted Christians!

    My suburb is one of the most conservative – and lily white – locales in the Twin Cities. Why do I live here? I don’t know. Anyway, it’s a losing battle trying to fight the small-mindedness, fundamentalism, and racism that’s rampant here…but I try. My latest little rant to the editor:

    Martin Bracewell’s editorial of last week raised my ire. The gist of his message is that Christians are “persecuted” in America for their beliefs. This is laughable. The definition of (religious) persecution is “a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people because of their religion.” This is not happening in a nation that is over 78% Christian. Instead, what is happening is that true patriots in this country are calling attention to the fact that a small group of “religious” fundamentalists are trying to enshrine their religious beliefs as law.

    One of the reasons America was settled was to escape religious oppression. The founding fathers were very aware of the danger of religion-influenced government, and addressed this in the Bill of Rights, which says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Bracewell’s article says he finds it strange that many people fear that Bachmann and Perry might try to establish a theocracy. It isn’t strange at all; both Bachmann and Perry have publicly stated that they want to turn their religious beliefs into law, which is the very definition of a theocracy. One need only look at Iran to see how a theocracy looks.

    It’s as simple as this: we can practice – or not practice – the religion we choose, and no one has the right to make the choice for us. That extends to laws based on religious beliefs. That’s what America is about. The exercise of – or lack thereof – my religion does not – and cannot – take rights away from anyone else. It is the hypocrisy of the right wing that they constantly bemoan the government interfering with their lives, yet at the same time want to interfere with our lives by making their beliefs law.

  • Say No to Corporate Welfare

    Between the second quarter of 2009 and the fourth quarter of 2010, our nation’s total income rose by $528 billion. Of that economic growth, $464 billion went to pretax corporate profits. Just $7 billion went to wages and salaries. In other words, 88% of the brief recovery went to corporate profits and just 1% — that’s right, 1% — went to workers, according to a study by economists at Northeastern University. By contrast, when the United States was recovering from a downturn in the early 1990s, 50% of the growth in the national income went to wages and salaries.

    Read the full article by Sally Kohn here: Time to raise taxes on the rich

  • The End of Education

    Chris Hedges knocks it out of the park again in writing about the increasing pressure to turn our schools and teachers into mindless cogs existing only to churn out homogeneous parts for the corporate machine.

    To truly teach is to instill the values and knowledge which promote the common good and protect a society from the folly of historical amnesia. The utilitarian, corporate ideology embraced by the system of standardized tests and leadership academies has no time for the nuances and moral ambiguities inherent in a liberal arts education. Corporatism is about the cult of the self. It is about personal enrichment and profit as the sole aim of human existence. And those who do not conform are pushed aside.

  • “Independence is what’s intolerable”

    Fascinating insight from Noam Chomsky on how much our government historically really values democracy…which is not very much. He’s interviewed here regarding the Egyptian crisis, and walks us through how we only truly support independence when it suits our needs.

    The leading studies of—scholarly studies of what’s called “democracy promotion” happen to be by a good, careful scholar, Thomas Carruthers, who’s a neo-Reaganite. He was in Reagan’s State Department working on programs of democracy promotion, and he thinks it’s a wonderful thing. But he concludes from his studies, ruefully, that the U.S. supports democracy, if and only if it accords with strategic and economic objectives. Now, he regards this as a paradox. And it is a paradox if you believe the rhetoric of leaders. He even says that all American leaders are somehow schizophrenic. But there’s a much simpler analysis: people with power want to retain and maximize their power. So, democracy is fine if it accords with that, and it’s unacceptable if it doesn’t.

  • Ewwww! Poor people!

    Following is a letter to the editor I penned for the 2010-12-08 edition of the Savage Pacer. It was in response to news that local residents are trying to stop the development of “workforce” housing (an apartment building for people meeting certain income limits).

    Last week’s Pacer article about the proposed Village Commons development near Marketplace angered and saddened me. It’s hard to believe that fellow Savage residents of mine are so callous, selfish, ignorant, and downright hateful. The new apartments slated to be built are not “slum” housing, as characterized by one attendee at a neighborhood meeting; they will be brand-new apartments with rent fully-paid by the residents. They will provide another option for hard-working people and families to live in a good neighborhood with access to good schools and facilities. They’ll give people a chance to build equity and eventually afford a home of their own. They’ll be a safe place for families to raise their children. To the woman who said, “Boo-hoo. I don’t care about them,” I say: Be careful. That could be you some day. All you need to do is check out the weekly foreclosure listings in the Pacer and talk to your unemployed friends to see how fragile your status really is. History has shown time and time again that nations and governments fail when we become divided into “haves” and “have-nots,” into feudal lords and serfs, rich and poor. We succeed as a nation when we work towards increasing the well-being of all. We cannot be an insular community, where we only admit people who can afford half-million dollar houses. Our goal should be to raise everyone’s standard of living.

    All major faith traditions have caring for the poor as a central tenet. The utter hypocrisy of casting out the less fortunate during Christmas – given that Savage has a majority of Christians – floors me. I truly hope that people can overcome their fear, that Village Commons is built, and that we become a stronger and more inclusive city.

  • Illegal Immigrants…from America!

    From the Manitoba Herald (which hasn’t existed since 1877):

    The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they’ll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck.

    Canadian border farmers say it’s not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. “I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn,” said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota . The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn’t have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?

    In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences,but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. “Not real effective,” he said. “The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn’t give any milk.

    Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves.” A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions,” an Ontario border patrolman said. “I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though.”

    When liberals are caught, they’re sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.

    In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the ’50s. “If they can’t identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age.” an official said.

    Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. “I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can’t support them.” an Ottawa resident said. “How many art-history majors does one country need?”

  • Hope this holds…

    I like the look of Nate Silver’s final projection for MN Governor.

    Projected results for Minnesota governor race in 2010

  • Would we miss Nevada?

    Being a happy-clappy, tree-hugging liberal, I’m not usually in favor of mass extinction events. But if Sharron Angle becomes a U.S. Senator from NV, I might not be opposed to resuming nuclear warhead testing. In Las Vegas.

    I’m just sayin’.

  • My Letter to Tim Pawlenty (MN Gov)

    Pawlenty,

    There is no polite way to say this, so I’ll just come right out and say it: You are an asshole. You have no desire to do ANYTHING that benefits the people of Minnesota. The only person you care about is yourself. Your narcissism and endless self-promotion is sickening, and the only amusing thing is that you are – and always will be – an inconsequential blip on the Presidential election scene. People outside of Minnesota don’t even know who you are, and people inside Minnesota can’t wait to be rid of you.

    Your latest insane rhetoric about doing everything possible to stop HCR is an indication of why you’ve reached the end of the line politically. In case you were unaware, HCR was passed by the Congress of the United States. That means – since you don’t seem to understand – that our duly-elected representatives voted to enact this legislation. Which means it’s law. Which means that you have to follow it. Which means that you don’t get to make unilateral decisions to ignore or subvert it. That’s called DEMOCRACY, a concept with which you seem to be unfamiliar.

    Your pathetic “administration” is on its way out. Quit trying to do more damage to the State of Minnesota. You’ve already managed to drown us in debt, kill our poorest citizens by denying them healthcare, ruin our formerly top-rated educational system, and bring down the quality of living for all but the richest Minnesotans. Why don’t you quit while you’re behind, do the honorable (another term that people with Anti-social Personality Disorder are unfamiliar with) thing, and resign your office now. It’s the only way for you to leave the office with any dignity.

    Very Sincerely,

    SavageDem

  • A Mother Fights Back Against Homophobia

    Many letters have been sent to the Valley News concerning the homosexual menace in Vermont. I am the mother of a gay son and I’ve taken enough from you good people.

    I’m tired of your foolish rhetoric about the “homosexual agenda” and your allegations that accepting homosexuality is the same thing as advocating sex with children. You are cruel and ignorant. You have been robbing me of the joys of motherhood ever since my children were tiny.

    My firstborn son started suffering at the hands of the moral little thugs from your moral, upright families from the time he was in the first grade. He was physically and verbally abused from first grade straight through high school because he was perceived to be gay.

    You simply must read the full text of this letter to the editor. Sharon Underwood from Vermont penned this wonderful response to homophobes back in 2000 in the Valley News out of White River Junction, VT.