PATRIOTIC PALAVER

There is an inordinate amount of yada-yada about patriotism in the current political battle. For sure, true patriotism has nothing to do with talk, and everything to do with behavior.

The people that irk me the most are the ones I call "lapel pin patriots". They believe patriotism is as shallow as wearing a tiny American flag in the button hole. I don't own one of those pins, but I know I'm as patriotic as one who does, and a damn sight less hypocritical.

The most cogent remark about patriotism is the following:

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel"

                                              Samuel Johnson (1709-84)

 

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IF YOU LOVE WAR-------------------

-----------THIS WILL MAKE YOUR DAY!

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Bush signs bill funding wars into 2009 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/30/bush.supplemental/

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Are we borrowing the money from China? Will we be able to make the payments on the debt, or will they "foreclose" on us?

REAL ESTATE DISTRESS SALES

I've been doing some internet real estate search for single family houses in South San Francisco, CA that are listed as the following: Preforeclosure, foreclosure, notice of default, bank owned, etc. In this town of 60,000, there are literally 100's of listings of distress sales.

What does this mean for the economy? Is this a bottom, or a symptom of more to come? What does it mean to the financial institutions that hold the mortgages? If they have loaned more than the properties are worth, will they be able to eat the loss without serious ramifications for their depositers and shareholders?

The combination of greed and foolishness is, as always, bad news. The lessons of "Black Friday" 1929 are too soon and too easily forgotten.

George Santayana (1863-1952), a Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist once said that "those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it"

 

A MASTER CRAFTSMAN

It is always a great pleasure when 4 pm on a Saturday comes around because I can turn on the tv to the PBS channel and watch the NEW YANKEE WORKSHOP with master woodworker Norm Abram. What a treat it is to watch a true master practice his craft.

Then, sad to say, when this program is over and I switch to the news, I see people that are running our country and have no clue as to what they are doing.

 

 

THE BUSH REPUBLICAN LEGACY

FUTURES MOVERS

Crude ends at a record, scores 3.6% weekly gain Prices trade near $143 on amid dollar weakness, output concerns

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http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/futures-movers-crude-oil-trades/story.aspx?guid=%7B36A2085F-AE26-4BEB-9803-F53F0C05C14D%7D&dist=hplatest

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I surely do hope that all the Bush supporters are happy with this disasterous state of affairs. When you see oil futures at $143 per barrel, and rising fast, think value of the dollar, not cost of crude. A stupid war, massive debt owed to foreign powers, and idiot economics are the prime movers in this fiasco.

If a few years ago, your dollar was worth a dollar, it's worth 50 cents at the pump now, and sinking fast.

Don't all you Hummer and SUV drivers just love those gas hogs as they drive you over the economic edge?

BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

UNITY, NH

Quite a remarkable sight. A white woman, a brown man, both United States Senators, one of which will likely be President of the United States next year.

The world I was born into, this could never have happened. Truly it is written, "the times they are a-changin'---"   Bob Dylan

 

 

OIL AT $140 AND CHANGE

I wrote the following on May 27th when oil closed at just below $130 per bbl.

                                          --------------------------------

"I have a theory, that's not pleasant to contemplate. I think maybe the folks that have control of the crude oil supply, (middle east folks) know it makes no sense to challenge us militarily, but by slowly driving up the cost of energy, they can eventually wreck our economy.

'Why would they do this?', you may ask. THINK IRAQ, among other things."

                           --------------------------------------

Today oil futures are trading at $140 and change.

While we are wrecking Iraq, we are also wrecking ourselves.

"When will they ever learn?"

THE WISDOM OF BARACK

A quote from THE NEW YORKER, 6/30/08. Excerpt from  Obama's 2002 speech about Iraq.

"I know that even a sucessful war against Iraq will require a U. S. occupation of undermined length, with undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than the best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. I'm not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars." 

The wisdom shown in this speech can only presage the wisdom that will be brought to bear if Obama is elected President of the United States.

The time has come to end the major export of the United States.

WAR!

My brother lives in Mexico. He has had Mexicans say to him:

"You people really like war don't you?"

A sad example of what people in the rest of the world think of us. I never thought  I would live to see such a disgraceful state of affairs. This from the country that after WW2 created the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift to help the citizens of Germany, our defeated enemies.

Why have we lost our moral compass? Can we get it back?

 

 

NADER THE JERK

Republican Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was the 25th Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943 and a later perennial candidate for other offices, most notably and frequently President of the United States.(from Wikipedia)   He ran in 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992.

It became somewhat of a joke, but he was always considered a nice guy among a wide range of political affiliations.

Now we have Ralph Nader. A joke and a jerk. It it wasen't for Nader, maybe there would have been no Dubya, and maybe no war, and maybe tens of thousands of the dead would still be walking on the Earth.

To paraphrase Shakespeare:

"Will no one rid us of this miserable bastard?"

 

 

Herbert Hoover vs. Dubya

Is there a recession or depression coming?

Now and then I hear folks comparing Herbert Hoover and George W.Bush. Obviously, neither had or has a clue. At least Hoover didn't mire us in a stupid war with tens of thousands dead and no end in sight.

History will take that into account.

I WISH----------------------------------

----------I could vote for this!!!

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George W. Bush Sewage Plant Renaming Momentum Grows

http://sfist.com/2008/06/23/george_w_bush_sewage_plant_momentum.php

THIS GUY IS STUPID

McCain aide regrets terror remark

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7470399.stm

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If there is another terrorist attack soon on the USA, it will be on the Bush watch. How can it possibly help the Republican cause?

These people are not very smart. Want them to run the country?

"Good grief Charlie Black"

TORTURED SOULS PRACTICE TORTURE

Gitmo abuses need full accounting

http://www.kansas.com/611/story/438006.html

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If the Constitution and law can be twisted to suit the White House in this situation, how long before we who strongly disagree with the Bushcheney begin to feel the force of this evil crew?

This blogger has said many things that could not be said in a country without constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.

Memo to the government:                                                                It's always better to "do the right thing".

FOX ?news?

The so-called FOX news channel is owned by some silly old dude named Rupert something-or-other. I never was sure of it until today when it came to me.

It is (drumroll),        Rupert Merdeflop

 

 

Tacky ATT Commercial

I really  dislike the ATT commercial currently showing on tv concerning their internet access.

Some jerk in a suit is standing on a deserted beach holding a laptop computer with a wireless adaptor is crowing about finding the internet. Behind him in the sand is an old twin engine airplane with "Amelia" painted on the nose.

TACKY!

Obama and Public Campaign Funding

The Obama campaign has decided to pass on public financing and stick with his proven fundraising system that has been very successful in taping small contributors.

The Republicans have started to pound him for "flip-flopping" on funding. BUT, this could be tactical as well as financial. It could force McBush to also give up public funding, and go hat-in-hand to the fat cats for enough money to be able to keep up with the opposition. Then Obama has a potent issue to fire away at him.

"Look at us. We have the support of the little guy, the man in the street, the soccer moms, etc, while the opposition has to go begging to the big money guys. And by-the-way, these big money guys brought you the mortgage crunch, the pending failure of investment banks, the Iraq war, blah-blah-blah", and so on and so forth.                                                

Not to mention they run on private money, not on the back of the taxpayer.

SOCK IT TO 'EM!!

Looks like fun!!

 

OBAMA FOR PRES. JOE BIDEN FOR VEEP?

The brilliance of mind, the range of vision and the soaring rhetoric of Barack Obama would be well balanced by Senator Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate. "Uncle Joe" as some of us like to call him has very long experience in the Senate and is known in many halls of power as a master of foreign affairs. When he speaks, you can "take it to the bank".

This could be a perfect match. Youth and age. Vision and pragmatism. Protestant and Catholic. Black and white. And most important, both very smart.

OK guys, you have the word now. Get busy!

 

TIM

WHAT IS THE MEANING

 

THE GREAT AND GOOD LEAVE TOO SOON

 

WHAT ARE WE TO DO

McWho?

John McKeating5, or John McWhoeverspockethesin is all in favor or off-shore oil drilling. I guess that means the oil companies are major contributors to his campaign.

The average voter who is probably clueless about this doesn't understand that if offshore drilling is started today, experts say no oil will be in the pipeline for as long as 20 years in the future.

Surely we can develop better sources of non, or at least minimally polluting energy that doesn't seriously deplete natural resources.

The longterm goal should be that oil is no longer burned to produce energy. Better it is saved to use in manufacturing and for lubricaton.

Save today. Live better tomorrow.

TIM RUSSERT

THE POPE OF POLITICS

STIMULUS CHECK

GLORY HALLELUJAH!!

My Bushbucks check came in the mail today! The economy is saved!!

OH,OH, I just remembered. My gasoline bill is higher than the check amount.( not really, but it makes the story, and it's probably true for lots of folks)

Oh well, borrow the money from China and send it to Saudi Arabia.

Economics, the "Dismal Science".

CUBA. IS IT TIME?

There is a tiny and impoverished island nation in the Caribbean Sea known as Cuba. U.S. politicians love to portray the Cubans as a severe and  everpresent danger to the security of the United States.

The wisdom of Aesop, the great storyteller may apply here.

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger.
Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun
said: "I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can
cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as
the stronger. You begin." So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and
the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller.
But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his
cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair.
Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the
traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.


Kindness effects more than severity.

SUPREME COURT AND GUANTANAMO DECISION

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

 

Regarding the Courts decision, it would seem that 5 Justices are aware of the importance of the "essential" liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, and the necessity of applying these liberties to all people, or surely they will slowly diminish to the point that few of us will have the protection of these Constitutional guarantees.

 

The Constitution of the United States is the Holy Grail of human freedom, and must be protected at all costs.

 

 

 

 

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FATHER'S DAY

I surely hope that before the next Father's Day comes around, all the fathers and sons, mothers and daughters have come home from Iraq, and no more die in this evil undertaking.

SAME SEX MARRIAGE

I think I know the problem the right-wing folks have with same sex marriage. These couples won't provide any babies that will grow up, join the military, and die in Iraq. How unpatriotic! How will McBush have his 100 year war?

We may have to bring back the draft.

Tim Russert

The "KING" is dead. Long live the "KING"

 

WHAT A "REVOLTING" DEVELOPMENT!

June 12, 2008

Supreme Court ruling cripples Guantanamo trials

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4123181.ece

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Many years ago, I heard the saying that "the Supreme Court reads election returns". No doubt it is true.

Bush thought he had the Court under his thumb, and look what the ingrates have done to his Military Tribunal at Guantanamo. Some guy or gal puts on a long black robe, and suddenly they are thinking for themselves.

SHAME!! Who do they think they are?

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

."The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today"  Lewis Carroll

The more I hear and read about the election, Iraq, and John McCain (McBush?) the more I think of Alice and her adventures "Through the Looking Glass".

I believe that if Mr. Carroll was writing about McSame, or whatever you call him, the quote would be:

"The rule is, peace tomorrow and peace yesterday, but never peace today".

He opened his mouth today, and what came out sounded like the above.

 

 

June 9th, 1954-------------

---------------------------a day that will live in history.

From the infamous "Army-McCarthy" hearings, words said by attorney Joseph Welch that eventually brought down the evil Senator Joe McCarthy.

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""Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. ... Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"

http://www.nndb.com/people/211/000162722/

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The courage of one man that brought down one of the most powerful and evil Senators of that time.

In the annals of freedom and liberty, the name of Joseph Nye Welch will be forever engraved in stone.

 

 

 

HOW MUCH WILL OIL HAVE TO COST----------------

------------- PART TWO.

I posted the following on May 27th. I've seen nothing to change my mind.

"I have a theory that's not pleasant to contemplate. I think maybe the folks that have control of the crude oil supply, (middle east folks) know it makes no sense to challenge us militarily, but by slowly driving up the cost of energy, they can eventually wreck our economy."

How's YOUR economy, all you folks out there? Are you happy? Is your commute running up your credit card balance higher than you can pay each month? When you reach your credit limit, then what will you do?

There is one mean and nasty wake-up call coming. Are you ready?

HOW MUCH WILL OIL HAVE TO COST-------------

----------------before people start to DEMAND that the politicians that heretofor have been in the pockets of the oil companies cease to mouth foolish platitudes and actually DO something to find better solutions to the problem than just burn more petroleum products?

During WW2 there was the MANHATTEN PROJECT to create the atomic bomb. We need that level of committment to solve the energy crisis by finding alternate sources that don't involve the combustion of massive amounts of crude.

THIS CAN BE DONE!  Where is the WILL to do it? Will it take $5 per gallon? $7 per gallon.

Does anyone care?

 

RFK 40 years later

haiku for Bobby

 

 

GRACE UNDER FIRE

 

TRULY DEFINING COURAGE

 

STUFF OF CHARACTER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS?

Japanese Town Of Obama Celebrates Barack Obama Victory Dancers To Travel To Hawaii For More Celebrations

POSTED: 12:37 pm EDT June 6, 2008

UPDATED: 12:42 pm EDT June 6, 2008

http://www.nbc10.com/news/16526403/detail.html

 

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We know that Barack is 1/2 African, but how about this Japanese connection? Truly international!!

OIL IS UP AGAIN TODAY

Do you suppose that in the dark recesses of the Bushcheney mind, a thought is forming something along these lines:

"Golly gee, if we hadn't invaded Iraq, maybe we could invade Saudi Arabia and take over the oil fields. The revenues would pay for the war, the price of gasoline would come down, and our party would keep the White House. What were we thinking?"

THINKING?

LETS MAKE A DEAL

I THINK

Hillary Clinton shouldn't waste her time on discussions about  being vice-president. Certainly a job of limited possibilities as compared to some others.

I would say that a deal to make her a Supreme Court Justice would guarantee power and influence far above and beyond that of veep.

Some of the more "liberal" justices are getting long in the tooth, and if they were guaranteed that some one of Hillary's stature would be appointed to take their place, they might gladly retire.

This could be Obama's and Clinton's way to turn the Court away from the far-rightest direction they have taken for so long, and give Hillary a place in history that would go for years if not decades beyond that of the lowly vice-president job.

I BELIEVE THIS

 

HISTORY BEING MADE

This truly is a day and time that will be seen as a watershed in our history, and to my amazement, I have lived to see it.

When I was a boy in Virginia going back to the 1930's and 1940's, women were basically second class citzens, and blacks were well below that level. What is happening today, no matter who may be the winner would not have been in any way possible back then.

Whenever I think of it, I shake my head in wonderment.

 

 

RELIGION AND POLITICS

Speaking very frankly, I am sick and tired of all this public airing of religion as it relates to political campaigns. I want to remind politicians that claim to be Christians what Jesus had to say about this subject.

Matthew 6:5-6: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets , that they may be seen of men. When thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret......"

So, all you politicos of whatever party and religious persuasion you lay claim to, CAN IT! Stick to the issues that are going to ruin our country if not corrected, such as war and economics.

 

Curmudgeon

My first exposure to the word "curmudgeon" was during the Franklin D Roosevelt administration and was used to describe his Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes.

Is it possible  curmudgeony is genetic? Watching old Harold's son, Harold M. Ickes in action would seem to make the case.

The dude is ORNERY!!

It's the economy, stupid!

One comic asks the other; "You have 50 bucks in one pocket and 100 bucks in the other pocket. What do you have?"

Other comic; "Someone elses pants?"