SavageDem

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

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  • More Lies from John Kline

    (following is an editorial from the Savage Pacer of 2009-08-29)

    It troubles me that John Kline is given the bully pulpit of “Guest Commentator” to spread neocon propaganda. His continual rants against the Obama administration’s policies distort truth and ignore fact. His commentary of last week is no exception.

    The first part of his screed states that “…through the end of 2007, we saw job growth for a record 52 consecutive months.” This is true, but what Kline fails to mention is that this was the slowest rate of job growth in the last 75 years! He also doesn’t point out that 3.1 million manufacturing jobs were lost during the same time, bringing the number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. to its lowest total since 1950! He also conveniently forgets to look at the root causes of current levels of unemployment: a recession brought on by deregulation of the financial industry initiated by Reagan in 1982. It has become obvious that unregulated “free market” economics don’t work, yet Bush I and II continued to push them, along with “free trade” policies that have resulted in our current crisis.

    Kline continues his attack on the truth by inaccurately characterizing the Employee Free Choice Act. Contrary to Kline’s statement, this Act actually adds an option for workers to join unions. If John Kline is concerned about jobs and wages, he should support unions, as union workers earn more than non-union workers. But the Republican Party attacks the right of American workers to unionize, and fought against an increase in the minimum wage.

    I find it amusing that Kline rails against the state of the economy and the efforts to fix it, but fails to address how we got into this mess! This crisis was in the making going back to the Reagan administration, so to complain about a fix not working in President Obama’s first six months is ridiculous! It’s also interesting that Kline criticizes the $787 billion allocated for the Stimulus Package, but says nothing about the $700 billion that Bush gave to the financial industry; $700 billion handed out to the richest of the rich, with no controls, no oversight, and which has mostly disappeared into places that no one can – or will – account for. That’s over $2000 out of the pocket of every man, woman, and child in the U.S. going to the very people that caused the recession.

    Finally, I must address the issue of universal health care. The United States spends more on health care than any nation in the world, but our health care system ranks 37th out of 191 countries. We have over 45 million people without health care in this country. Our health care industries (and executives!) make obscene amounts of money, yet costs go up and coverage goes down every year. Not having universal health care costs us more, as those in need use the most expensive services – emergency room – for their health care. They also don’t use preventive services, and thus end up costing more in treating illnesses that could have been prevented. A majority of Americans want universal health care, and we are the only industrialized nation in the world without it! The fact that the richest, most advanced country in the world doesn’t have universal health care is unbelievable.

    I hope that John Kline will begin to serve by making himself available to his constituents and by working to serve the interests of all the people, including those too poor to afford health insurance.

  • SENATOR AL FRANKEN!

    It’s official! The MN Supreme Court has just released their unanimous ruling affirming the appellate court’s decision that Al Franken is Minnesota’s newest U.S. Senator!

    “The question presented on appeal is whether the trial court erred in concluding that Al Franken received the most legally cast votes in the election for United States Senator. Because we conclude that appellants have not shown that the trial court‟s findings of fact are clearly erroneous or that the court committed an error of law or abused its discretion, we affirm.”

    See the actual decision here.

    Update: Norm Coleman concedes during his press conference, congratulates Al, and says he has spoken with Gov. Pawlenty and told him to sign election certificate! Franken press conference at 1615 CDT.

  • Tortured Logic

    Torture is immoral, illegal, and unjust. So why all this banter about whether or not it’s acceptable?

    The United States embodies – or should – the foundational tenet of justice for all. All one need do to determine if something is right is employ a simple litmus test: If my mother/brother/cousin were being held by a foreign government, would I accept <insert brutal treatment> being performed on him/her? If the answer is “No,” then we shouldn’t be doing it either. Torture is cruelty. It is inhumane. It is never justified. It is humankind at its worst. It is only advocated by fearful, mouth-breathing, still-stuck-in-Maslow’s-second-level, shallow, vengeful cowards.

    The far-right cerebrally-challenged fearmongers who keep advocating barbarism seem to justify it based on two arguments, used singly or in conjunction:

    1. Torture produces results.
    2. Other countries/organizations torture, so why shouldn’t we?

    Neither of these justifications can be rationally supported. First off, it’s been documented ad infinitum by everyone – military, intelligence services, psychologists – that torture does not produce reliable results. So strictly from an effectiveness point of view – removing emotion, compassion, justice, and morality from the equation – torture is ineffective.

    The second argument – they do it, so we should, too – is so inane as to almost not require a response. This “argument” is as stupid as the clichéd “jumping off a bridge because your friend did.” The actions of another are never any excuse for ours. “Someone stole my soda out of the breakroom refrigerator, so I can steal someone else’s.” “I know a guy that embezzled $40,000 from our local futbol club, so it’s okay if I take money that isn’t mine.” That’s not logic. That’s immorality, plain and simple. It’s acting out of vengeance. It’s childish, unprincipled, unethical, and misguided.

    The response to the rabid neocon hypocrites is simple: we don’t torture because it is wrong. It’s unethical. It’s barbaric. It is unjust. It is one of the most horrific violations of decency and morality possible. We’re better than that. It’s easy to be an armchair interrogator and say, “Hell, who cares what we do to them? They deserve it.” It’s a lot harder to set the example and stand up for what is right. But that’s what the United States is about: setting the standard for the world. We’ve forsaken that for awhile here – Bush, Bush and Reagan (with some help from Clinton) unscrewed the light bulb in the beacon of hope – but it’s not too late to reclaim our status. We can start down that path by investigating and prosecuting the criminals – including Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al – responsible for this detour to the dark side.

    I know President Obama has said it’s time to turn the page, but – as others have pointed out – you can’t turn the page until you’ve read it. We need to exorcise this cancer that has spread through our country. Yes, it will be painful. Yes, it will take time. But it is necessary.

  • Arrested Development

    Lately I’ve been giggling every time I use my vehicle. As my spouse has the furthest to travel – and thus has dibs on the most fuel efficient ride – “my” vehicle has become the standard suburban minivan. This, in and of itself, has not lead to my fits of self-induced hilarity. On the contrary, most often it produces worries that I am becoming Chevy Chase in Vacation, and induces pre-mid-life crisis thoughts of sports cars and the BMW 535i… But no! I shall not covet my neighbor’s ass-et.

    No, what has been amusing me is the accoutrement theThe Family Truckster family truckster acquired a week ago, and which I have been too lazy/pre-occupied to remove. A long weekend family trip – for State Tournament hockey, if you must know – necessitated me equipping the van with our Yakima Space-Boosterâ„¢ cargo “pod.” Since returning over a week ago, I’ve been tooling about town with my topper still attached. And every time I walk out to get in it, I can’t help but think I’ve suddenly become Michael Bluth.


    Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) of Arrested Development
    Bluth, as you’re no doubt aware, is the only semi-functional member of the extended Bluth Family in the outstanding show Arrested Development. When his father is finally arrested for his illegal dealings in the house-of-cards Bluth Company, one of the only assets remaining to the company – now headed (in bankruptcy) by son Michael – is the stair truck formerly used to service the corporate jet. As it is the only vehicle he has, Michael uses it for all his travel around L.A.


    While my extended family is not quite as messed up as the Bluths, I still guffaw every time I go to run an errand.

    The Bluth Company stair truck
    The Bluth Company stair truck
    The SavageDem Family Truckster
    The SavageDem Family Truckster


  • Norris. Beck. Palin. Traitors.

    I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, we’ve all seen incredible hypocrisy over the past eight years under B*sh. Accusations of unpatriotic behavior while the Constitution was shredded, attempts to marginalize the Legislative and Judicial branches of government while complaining about an “obstructionist” Congress, a rush to “Christianize” our government while implementing a social policy that was as anti-Christian as anything imaginable, etc., etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseum. The Republican party of today doesn’t traffic in silly things like logic, common sense, and reason. Their chief weapons are fear, surprise, and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope – but not ruthless efficiency…

    Yet I was still surprised to read the drivel spewn by has-been Chuck Norris. If you can get through this half-assed screed without gagging, you’ll read Chuck’s rationale about why it’s okay for the state of Texas to secede from the U.S. if “the going got rough in America.” The intellectually-challenged turncoat got the inspiration for his traitorous writings from an interview he did with Faux News’ Glenn Beck, another Nazi sympathizer. Beck asked Norris a self-answered rhetorical question about from whence a rebellion would come. Norris agreed wholeheartedly that Texas was the place. He says,

    I’m not saying that other states won’t muster the gumption to stand and secede, but Texas has the history to prove it.

    These morons – Beck and Norris – actually advocate for another Civil War! I cannot fathom the mindset that generates this garbage. This is the same crowd that crowed “Not a patriot!” from every rooftop when anyone dared to question why we were going into or staying in Iraq. And now they openly push sedition.

    But Norris and Beck aren’t the only unpatriotic crazies; in fact, we just had a Vice-Presidential candidate – I know, it’s still hard to believe that the Repubs were really that stupid – and her husband that supported secession! Sarah Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, even though the records on this have been expunged, and as recently as 2008 addressed the AIP, where she “shares your party’s vision of upholding the Constitution of our great state.” The AIP’s main goal is to turn Alaska into their own country, where they’re free to rape the environment, homeschool their kids (not kidding! check out their web site!), carry guns wherever, and in general not let nobody tell them nothing no-how. The AIP reveres their wise and benign founder, Joe Vogler, who once said:

    The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. … and I won’t be buried under their damn flag.

    What a patriot. The great “snow machine” racer Todd Palin was a registered member of the AIP from 1995 to 2002, and while Sarah now says she was never a member, the chairman of the AIP told ABC News – before retracting her statement – that both Sarah and Todd were members in 1994.

    Secessionists love to claim that there’s nothing in the U.S. Constitution that expressly forbids seceding. Multiple Constitutional law types – which I do not claim to be, but am still allowed to reference – have put this to rest over the years following the Civil War, but none perhaps so definitively as contained in the SCOTUS ruling in Texas v. White (a lawsuit arising out of the Civil War), wherein it states:

    Considered as transactions under the Constitution, the ordinance of secession, adopted by the convention, and ratified by a majority of the citizens of Texas, and all the acts of her legislature intended to give effect to that ordinance, were absolutely null. They were utterly without operation in law. The State did not cease to be a State, nor her citizens to be citizens of the Union.

    and…

    The Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States.

    So, back atcha neocons: if you don’t support this country, you’re a traitor. If you talk secession, you’re  a traitor. If you believe that the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many…or the one (reverse copyright: Spock), you’re a traitor. Start being part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Stop being cut ‘n runners, and work for the greater good. Sure, it’s hard to figure out how to fix everything right now; but that’s what Americans are known for! The saying isn’t, “Good old-fashioned Norwegian know-how,” is it? (No offense to Norwegians) It’s American know-how!

  • Jindal’s Jihad

    If you haven’t heard, the neocons are having Louisiana governor – their next Sarah Palin – Piyush “Bobby” Jindal give the nutjob…I mean, Republican… rebuttal to President Obama’s (I love saying that!) speech tonight. This guy is just as scary as Palin, perhaps even scarier, as he was a Rhodes scholar, and therefore has a tad more brainpower than Caribou Barbie. A Hindu-turned-Catholic (at least publically), his background is disturbing in that he seems to be quite chameleon-like in his ability to blend into his environment in his quest for power.

    Here is an interesting read from a Louisiana native that covers Jindal’s history, conversion to Catholicism, brush with the devil, and more. Has some links to articles that Jindal himself published in the mid-90s about wrestling with his faith and his part in an illegal exorcism.

    I think we’ll have some fun with this guy when the Repubs trot him out as their 2012 candidate…

  • Bring Radio Heads to Task on Unfair Air Practices

    There is a horrifying thing occurring all across the country; the systematic removal of progressive talk radio.  It has been said that scary right-wing wackos are now blaming progressive talk radio for handing the election to Obama.  What’s their resolution to that problem?  Why cutting off the lifeblood (public airwaves) to progressive talk radio, of course.

    These conservative, scuzz-bag media moguls have declared war on liberal radio and if allowed, the only way people like you and me will be able to hear Big Eddie,  Hot-Mama Stephanie Miller, or grumpy Mike Malloy will be on satellite radio or the web.  WTF??  Where is the outrage?  Where is the incredulity?  Uh….where is the Fairness Doctrine?  What say we dust off that bad boy and get it back into circulation (which it was until Reagan killed it). 

    Maybe the Righties are doing this because they can’t man-up to the competition; progressive talk kicks conservative talks a$$ in equal markets EVERY TIME (look it up). 

    We won the election but these morons are still around.  Only now they’re being led around by fat-druggie Limbaugh, and they’re mad as hell they’re not in power any more. A dangerous 1-2 punch.  The fight continues, my fellow Blue-Progs (my term; a counter to Neo-Con).  Better not hang up those boxing gloves yet.

  • Those Wacky Mormons!

    I’m currently reading a fascinating book called Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer. It uses a brutal double-homicide (mother-child) committed by Mormon fanatics as the catch, but covers the entire history of the Mormon “church.” I now realize how incredibly little I knew about those wackos. I realize that doesn’t sound very accepting. I’m normally a very accepting person; you want your own religion, fine. But when the religion advocates misogyny, male chauvinism, polygamy, murder, and an incredibly antiquated patriarchal system of rule, as well as a complete disregard for any form of government outside its theology, then I have a problem with it.

    Now, I know that many will say, “But Christianity and Islam also advocate many, if not all, of those same principles! True, if you are a Biblical or Koranical (!) literalist. The fundamental – but not fundamentalist – difference to me is that modern, reflective Christians and Muslims have outgrown those tired ways of thinking, and instead concentrate on the spirit of the faith, which in both cases is love and caring for your fellow human.

    I will not make the dogmatic case that any faith has ultimate authority, even though I subscribe to a modernist Christian theology; none of us will know – if we do then! – the truth of the matter until it’s too late to communicate back to the rest of the unwashed masses still breathing. And that’s why I react so strongly to any “faith” that purports to have the answer to everything. And especially one that preaches outdated, harmful and repressive tenets. Which is why I could go on a rant about the Catholics as well, but I digress.

    Come to think of it, Mormons and Catholics share quite a bit! Patriarchal. Repressive of females. Governed by “revelations” coming through a male leader who has some secret conduit to God not available to others. Established their own strongholds (Vatican, Utah) to escape secular governance. Aggressively pursue spread of religion via fomenting of procreation by using made-up policy (anti-birth control, polygamy). Incredibly secretive. Attempt to theocratize government with huge cash influxes.

    Amazing that millions of people – I’m talking Mormons again – revere, follow, and devote their lives to a narcissistic, lying (the Mormons are quite proud that he was an accomplished liar), philandering, power-mad man (I’m talking about Joe Smith). But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – history is littered with examples of this.

  • ‘Tis the Season

    Just some randomness going through my head today whilst participating in economy-building activities (aka Xmas-shopping). Overt displays of generosity and selfishness both seem to become more abundant at this time of year.

    An example of the former: I was late getting going today, as I had an entire list of “to-dos” to complete on my first day of Xmas vacation. I was driving (only made it about 200 yds from my home as the proverbial crow flies; about 1/4 mile via road) and trying to multi-task placing my (newly acquired) Bluetooth headset over my ear. Mea culpa, I was driving too fast (not overly fast, but too fast for conditions) as I took a 90° RH turn on almost-glare ice roads (temps of -10°F tend to do that to snow-packed surfaces). The rear-end of my Ford Fusion floated out, and I was unable to recover it in time to prevent sliding nose-first into the neighbor’s snow-covered lawn on the right side of the road. Hindsight being 20-20, I should have added a touch of gas to pull it out of the slide (being FWD), but instead had just backed off the accelerator. Ach, what are ya gonna do?

    Not given to histrionics – no comments from the peanut gallery – I figured that I’d just clear the snow away and back out. No big. Kicked snow from around both front tires in no time flat, but the car still wouldn’t budge – just a spinning right front tire. Then proceeded to clear snow from around entire front area of car. Still wouldn’t move. I then realized that it had ridden up on the snow enough that the tires weren’t making solid contact with the ground – just barely touching. I had just resigned myself to walking back home to get a couple shovels to dig out when the cavalry arrived in the form of John, a pickup-driving neighbor (whom I did not know). For old-time’s sake we tried the push-and-spin-tire routine, but that was fruitless. John then offered to give me a lift back to the house, which I was grateful for. Not that it was that far, but I was in a hurry to get my errands done, and especially wanted to get to the post office before the crowds arrived around noontime! And it was still a few degrees below zero… John whisked me back home, I grabbed the shovels, he brought me back, and we dug the car out in about 60 seconds. John continued on his way, and I on mine.

    Now this wasn’t a radical thing; John didn’t save my life, pull me out of a burning house, lend me a kidney (mmmmm…kidney pie), or any such melodramatic thing. He just performed a very simple, straightforward, genuine, unselfish act of kindness. For which I was very grateful. And it made me reflect on the nature of the season.

    To the counter-example: I was later in my sojourn ensnared in god-awful traffic in the parking lot of REI (an outdoor & sporting goods shop, for those uninitiated). Construction had closed one entrance into the lot, and competition was fierce to get in and out of the parking area. I started to back out of my spot only to have a woman race up behind me to gain access to the exit road. As soon as she moved, I started to back up again, only to have a guy in an SUV studiously ignoring my protruding rear-end (the car, not me!) and brake lights – “I see nothing, nothing!” – pull up directly behind me, blocking egress. This happened one or two more times before I was able to complete backing out and effect my escape. Far more important that these people make haste in their getaway than to allow my partially extricated vehicle to leave. Just plain rude if you ask me.

    Many other far more engaging tales abound of woman’s humanity and inhumanity to woman (and man’s to man, and hermaphrodite’s to hermaphrodite, and all possible combinatorics of same), but it was these humble examples I experienced today that brought me to rumination on said topic. And a gentle reminder to me to try to be more John-like every day.

  • A day we’ll remember our entire lives: The dawn of a new age.

    I’ve just come back – OK, two hours or so ago – from volunteering as an Election Judge in perhaps the most important election in the history of the United States. And Barack’s our President! I’m so ecstatic I just want to – as a friend of mine voiced – run out into the neighborhood and shout it out to everyone. President Barack Obama! President Barack Obama!

    No, you haters out there, I don’t think he’s the Messiah. Or the Saviour. I do, however, think that his election is important on many fronts: the end of – hopefully forever – selfish, me-based, f*ck the poor, fear-based, decidedly and diametrically opposed to Christian tenets, neocon politics; the beginning of a positive, we-based, empowering, forward-thinking culture; and a final don’t-let-the-door-hitcha-on-the-way-out kick-in-the-pants end to racism, discrimination, bigotry, and small-mindedness.

    No, of course that won’t happen at once; but it’s a powerful start! Just by being there Barack will force the morons still rampant in our society to face up to what most of us have known for a l-o-o-o-o-o-ng time: skin color is no determinant of intelligence, ability, or performance. Like it or not, these intellectually-challenged members of our society must recognize that their President has a greater concentration of melanin in his skin than they might, but that this has no bearing on his ability to whip their collective intellectual asses. And if they don’t own up to this, than we’ll label them what they are: traitors. Isn’t that the standard neocon label that they put on anyone who disagrees with or dislikes a Republican President? Not patriotic. Not ‘merican.

    So back atcha. Support President Obama, or you’re not a patriotic American. And Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-bama!

    Now, if only Al Franken pulls through in MN in the wee hours, my joy will be unbounded…