If This Is Our "Sputnik Moment",..... Why Does It Feel More Like "Lost In Space"????

"Here's your new job in the growing economy"

Maybe it's because our President's speech sounded like we were "embarking on a new frontier", when in reality,.... it was same old shit,.... just a different spin doctor. Yeah, things are looking up,...if you happen to be in the top two percent of the wealth in this country.

But,... in the words of our President "We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again."
Yeah,.... the "trickle down economy" of the rich Overlords is growing by leaps and bounds. How about yours and mine? Anyone out there feeling like they're doing better?

Since President Obama made his state of the union speech, has anyone in the working class felt relieved? He sounded pretty good, but,... Damn, Mr. President! I don't want to go work in China, or India,... or Mexico, or at Taco Bell, for that matter. We want real jobs here! And,.. we want them, yesterday. We'd like to keep our houses, if you don't mind.

Quite frankly,Mr. President,... We've been "poised for progress" for the last twelve years. You're right about business owner's dreams, but what about workers in manufacturing plants dreams? And,... public sector workers dreams? Firefighters, Police Officers, Street Workers, and all the people who have kept our cities running, only to be told the cities and states are out of money. How about them?

Maybe, the stimulus money went to the wrong place. After all, wasn't it those same "fat cats" that plunged us into this mess that are now realizing those "corporate profits" that are up? And, let's not even mention the Oil Industry! Was there any time in the last twelve years that they didn't reap record profits? Let's not forget them!

As you quote Robert Kennedy in your statement.... "The future is ours to win. But to get there, we can’t just stand still. “The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.” Sustaining the American Dream has never been about standing pat. It has required each generation to sacrifice, and struggle, and meet the demands of a new age."
You know,.. we all agree with you there, but, it's pretty tough to reach the goal of those achievements, when the playing field has been skewed by unchecked corporate greed and a world trade agreement that does nothing for the American people.

"We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. That’s how our people will prosper. That’s how we’ll win the future."
Those are words that have a hollow ring to them, when were spending more on wars that we have no reason to be fighting. Wars you promised to end, I might add. You want "take responsibility" for that. What do you mean... "WE" Mr. president? "WE" spoke and elected you, but you lied.

"I’m asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing just fine on their own. So instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy, let’s invest in tomorrow’s." Who can argue with that? DUH!
That's a great sentiment, Mr. President, but, I don't know if you've noticed,... but we're getting screwed daily on the price of fuel, and you haven't done SHIT about putting a lid on it! How about "We" get off of "your" ass, and stop the raping of America for profit??????

" We have to do better. America is the nation that built the transcontinental railroad."
Then, we were sold a bill of goods from "Corporate Oil", and the railroad industry became a thing of the past. We've been subservient to those corporations, ever since. Now, you want to "Level the playing field. And use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years –- without adding to our deficit. It can be done."
Yeah,.... it can be done all right! Done on the backs of working class Americans.

Mr. President,.... most Americans don't give a flying f#%k about a world market, or the profit of countries like China.
What they want isn't.. PIE IN THE SKY.... TEN YEAR DOWN THE ROAD... economics. They want to keep their homes! They want to be able to tell their children that "hard work" will bring them a good life.... A life that has the American values that were fundamental to our parents, and will be fundamental in the future.

If that can be accomplished,... you will be the man of the century. The man with the solutions. If not,.... "you're part of the problem."

What should the President say in his State of the Union speech?..... How about "I'm Sorry", for starters.

Then maybe he could start saying "Yes we Should", instead of "Yes we can". It's obvious that the President has a lot to be sorry for. He could start by saying he's sorry he hasn't fulfilled his promises to stop torture and close Guantanamo.
He could say he's sorry he can't bring himself to follow the law and the constitution any better than his predecessor.
There's a ton of things he could say he's sorry for,.... but, he won't.

And, as someone who truly had high hopes that things would really change, I'm losing my faith that he has the ability make a difference. I believe that our President has lost his way, and,.... unfortunately, he is receiving his advice from the same people that have led us into an illegal and unending war. A war that is draining the American economy and costing us trillions.

For two years we have watched as our President reached out to Republicans, only to have his hand slapped time and time again. His quest for "bipartisanship" has virtually allowed a Republican minority to control the direction of this country. His inability to accomplish his promised changes have given rise to a new elite. An elite group who has been telling us what the American people want, while they orchestrate the direction the American people are going.

Yes,... President Obama did manage to rally the "lame duck" Congress into actually doing good things, but,.... It's looking like those good things will turn out to be short of their goals. And,... now that the Republicans have unseated so many Democrats, the future is looking a little troublesome for most Americans, to say the least.

I'll be watching tonight. Watching, and hoping that the President I voted for, steps up to the plate swinging. It's been way too long since the promise of change has been realized in the true sense of the word. I hope he taps one out of the park. If he doesn't,... we're in for more of the same old problems, with no end in sight.

Come On Mr. President.... What Happened To Your Promise To End Torture? ...Do the words...

......"Bradley Manning"..... and...."Guantanamo" have any meaning for you?

You know, I was moved to tears as I listened to the President speak to the people of Tucson. His eloquence and poignancy struck home to the tragedy of those events. I felt that he spoke for all of us with his words of healing and resolve. It made me proud to be lead by such a man.

But once the flowers were cast, and the world of real politics reappeared in the news of the day, the sodden emotions of oneness subsided, and a sense of "Same Old... Same Old" emerged. Yes, we grieved for the dead and wounded of Tucson, but had anything really changed? Were we any more attuned to civility? Had we experienced a reversal of the vitriol that seemed to permeate our leaders actions and words?

How does a nation heal itself from such cruelty, if it's leader can't find the gumption to stand up for what's right and just? Are we still the nation that everyone likes to hate? God knows we're making it easy to do it. Have we learned anything from the last two years,... or, the last ten, for that matter? Apparently not! How did we come to this? The seeds of greed sprout evil fruit.

It's time for the President to "man up", and speak out against the injustices that we are wreaking in the name of democracy. We put our hope and trust in Mr. Obama, and although he's shown us literacy (a quality easily forgotten during the last Presidency), what he hasn't shown us was a truth of conviction. Instead he has continued the policies of the Bush/Cheney dictatorship. Sure he's got a couple of good guy points, but generally speaking, we're still acting like the "Evil Empire". We want more than that! We want you stay on line with the principles you said you stood for!

Where's the justice for the war criminals, Dick and "W"? Where's the end of Guantanamo Bay? Where's the end of torture by the United States? Bradley Manning could tell us a bit about that, if he were allowed out of his solitary confinement. Where's the new technologies that will bring us jobs? Where's the investment in those jobs? Where's the man we voted for? What happened to those ideals he so eloquently spoke of when he was wooing us to elect him?

It's time, Mr. President........ It's time for you to step up and be the man you promised. Not the man who only seems to be able to step to the right. Not the conservative puppet of the "Corporatocracy".

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ...... How Far Have We Come Since His Death?

By the look of the world around us, I'd say "not very far".

"We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values... when machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered." Martin Luther King, Jr. April 4, 1967

There are 43 million people in the US living under the official poverty line. While there are more white people living in poverty (30 million) than black (10 million) and Hispanic (12 million) poor combined, the poverty rate for whites of 12% is significantly less than the 26% rate for blacks and the 25% rate for Hispanics. Source: census

Between 2002 and 2007, 65 percent of all income growth in the US went to the top 1 percent of the population; that top 1 percent also held a larger share of income than any time since 1928, according to economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty. Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Those figures are even higher, today.

The US spent $774 billion directly on its military budget in 2010. In fact the US spends more on military than the rest of the top 10 countries in the world put together.

As we remember the courage and dedication of Dr. King, we must not forget that he fought against the injustices in this nation that affected 99% of us. His dream of a people united in brotherhood and mutual respect carried us towards a goal of a future without racism, poverty, and illiteracy.

Where we are today, however, is sad testimony to the failure of our leadership. Our leadership has forsaken its people, its principles, and its ideology, for the profit of a very few, at the expense of very many. I don't think Dr. King would be proud of our progress.

Not Happy With Your Government? Join a Militia......, And See ... ?

The truth? .... Probably not. The light?.... I hope not. The world?... No, that's the Navy. The meaning of patriotism?..... Now that's a nebulous phrase.

"Patriotism".... who's version? If we believed the federal government's version, we'd all have no problem with our rights being systematically suppressed. We'd know it was for our own good as "patriotic" citizens helping to fight terrorism. But,... if that's not the version you subscribe to, how about joining an "unorganized Militia"?

That's right, I'm talking....."Last stand", "Protect Home and Family", Armed to the Eyeballs,.... Militia.
While perusing the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution, it occurred to me that there actually might be some rules that govern State Militias. What I found was that there are rules and laws, but they aren't necessarily the same thing. And,.. neither is the definition of a "militia", for that matter.

Here's one of the sites for a "State Militia" in California

On this site you can sign up, pledge to protect the United States from all enemies, both foreign and domestic, and you can contact 27 other State Militias, as described by the "CONMILNET" Standards "established by the Third Continental Congress." (If you don't know what "CONMILNET" stands for,... it's short for "Continental Militia Network". You can find out more at....... http://militianetwork.homestead.com/)

I wandered on to this site and started reading the mission statement of "CONMILNET". At first, I thought,.... "that's not so bad. It sounds pretty reasonable and patriotic." But one thing that really struck me was.... you better not be an "atheist" or a "humanist", because if you are, you're one of the people this group is out to stop. Even though their intentions are based on the fundamentals of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, their concept that "God" has specifically given these rights may or may not be correct, but it certainly is placed ahead of all other reasoning. In regard to what our Forefathers intended of keeping "Church and State" separate, it sparks a prejudice that can only be explained as somewhat fanatical, or extremely intolerant, to say the least.

I'm a big fan of the "Constitution" and the "Bill of Rights", but, even though I agree with a lot of the principles this organization states as their mission, it's somewhat scary to come to the realization that so many out there are buying into the idea that "God" is on their side above all else. The idea that "Socialism" and "Humanism" are "forms of tyranny" demonstrates the misplaced paranoia that radicalizes these organizations.

So, I was curious as to when "the Third Continental Congress" took place. I figured it had to have happened in the seventeen hundreds, maybe the early eighteen hundreds, right? Wrong! What I found was pretty scary. "The Third Continental Congress" took place in 2009. That's right, I said 2009. Their "Articles of Freedom" were ratified (by themselves) in January of 2010. Evidently, it didn't make the evening news. Not Surprising. Another interesting fact I found was that there is no real connection to Congress, or the Government of The United States,.. whatsoever. This document (which can be found at...http://patriotwatchdog.com/OFFICIAL-AOF-1-31-10.pdf) reads like it is the true meaning of our Democracy, but it has a side to it that can only be recognized as the who's who for extremism in militia groups.

I may be dissatisfied with our government, and not happy about the way it's headed, but this outfit is down right Scary with a capital "S". Whether it's total denial of Global Warming due to carbon emissions, or their unbridled support for coal and oil, and their statement that "carbon dioxide generated from these sources is not an environmental Pollutant", this group is the living embodiment of the idiocy of the "Tea Party",.. on steroids. In Article 4 of their "Articles of Freedom", they call for "the repeal of all federal statutes regulating ownership, use and transfer of firearms and ammunition". That in itself doesn't shock me. In fact, that's one thing I sort of agree with. There are several other points I find myself agreeing with, as well, but when you put it all together with the rest of their "Articles of Freedom", it starts to look more like a strangely perverted manifesto for anarchy.

Maybe I'm just way too liberal to join up with any organization that advocates the downfall of Social Security, Welfare, Medicare, and Medicaid. I mean sometimes you've got to think beyond our own back yards. I'm not a big fan of World Trade Agreements, but organizations like The United Nations are all that stand between many peoples and genocide. Without them what would become of humanity? This group wants to pull all affiliations with groups like that. Maybe we (the American People) don't have to buy into the corporate take over of the world, but I can't see myself turning my back on the rest of the people of the world, either. There has to be more than the self centered views expressed in the "Articles Of Freedom", no matter how righteous they sound.

In my post - "What's Really Inspiring Hate For American Leaders?" (see just below this), I've stated some of the reasons that violence may be escalating in the United States. What seems to be of particular interest, is that some of those same reasons seem to be sparking an upsurge in militias and secular organizations, as well as extremist groups. So called "Patriot" groups virtually exploded in 2009 with an increase of 244% in participation, according to a study by the "Southern Poverty Law Center". In their words.... "the extraordinary growth is cause for grave concern".
After reading the findings of "The Third Continental Congress", although I find myself in sympathy with many of their principles, I'd have to agree with the SPLC about " cause for Grave Concern". These groups take themselves way too seriously to be ignored.

What's Really Inspiring Hate for American Leaders?

Excerpts taken from an article by Ari Berman, on "The Notion", "The Nation's Group Blog."

"Relentlessly hostile rhetoric has become standard issue on the right," wrote The New Yorker‘s George Packer blogged on Sunday. "And it has gone almost entirely uncriticized by Republican leaders."

" Last year the Southern Poverty Law Center found that "the number of extremist groups in the United States exploded in 2009 as militias and other groups steeped in wild, antigovernment conspiracy theories exploited populist anger across the country and infiltrated the mainstream. So-called "Patriot" groups increased by a shocking 244 percent in 2009. "This extraordinary growth is a cause for grave concern," said Mark Potok, editor of the SPLC‘s comprehensive report "Rage on the Right." The "radical ideas, conspiracy theories and racism" of the Patriot movement were given legitimacy by the Tea Party and conservative icons like Glenn Beck and Michelle Bachman, the SPLC noted."

[MS Commentary]

So what's building this hatred? Is it the visceral emanations of the Tea Party's Babes in search of brains? You can't blame Sarah Palin, or Michele Bachmann, by themselves. You can't really even blame the Republicans, by themselves. But,.... when you stack hateful maligning rhetoric ( two years worth, just since we were supposed to see change),... on top of eight years of repressive politics perpetrated by possibly the most evil pair to ever inhabit The Whitehouse,.... added to the despair of Americans as they watch helplessly as their economy goes down the toilet...... Put it all together, and add a dose of Democratic sellouts who were supposed to represent America's interests,.... and what have you got??????

You've got a society that's on the verge of self-destruction. You've got people who are falling into a cycle that can only get worse, and they see no way out. You've one "shit-load" of resentment building in factions of our society that you would never think would go there. As the divide between the "Haves" and the "Have-nots" grows, so grows the seeds of hatred. They are being fed by the arrogance of the "Corporatocracy", and the anger and despair of a populace ignored. Throw in an unhealthy dose of fear, and the fuse is lit for an escalation of violence.

Mindfulness by some of our public figures, should do more to promote a positive position, (even if it's "their" positive position), than to fuel the delusions of the unstable. Cross hairs posted as an illustration of targeted political positions may really be in poor taste, but it didn't cause an unstable young man to just go out and murder six people. But, coupled with relentless hostile rhetoric, and any... or all of the factors that have hung over most Americans for the past years,..... it couldn't have helped.

Look Over There!..... Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain...

The systematic demonization of public sector employees is the most insidious plot to make you believe that they are the cause of all financial woes in America.
Excerpts taken from an article written by Dave Johnson, called... Understanding The Attacks On Public Employees, written in The Campaign For America's Future.

"How do you get regular people to “look over there” with all of that going on? Simple: launch a big campaign to blame the librarians, firefighters and other public sector workers for the hard times. “Don’t blame US,” Wall Street says, “Look over there!” Blame the economy's victims for economic crimes. And, do you know what? This is a strategy that is proven to work every time."

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, in, The Shameful Attack on Public Employees, writes,

"Public servants are convenient scapegoats. Republicans would rather deflect attention from corporate executive pay that continues to rise as corporate profits soar, even as corporations refuse to hire more workers. They don't want stories about Wall Street bonuses, now higher than before taxpayers bailed out the Street.....

It's far more convenient to go after people who are doing the public's work - sanitation workers, police officers, fire fighters, teachers, social workers, federal employees - to call them "faceless bureaucrats" and portray them as hooligans who are making off with your money and crippling federal and state budgets. The story fits better with the Republican's Big Lie that our problems are due to a government that's too big.

Above all, Republicans don't want to have to justify continued tax cuts for the rich. As quietly as possible, they want to make them permanent.

But the right's argument is shot-through with bad data, twisted evidence, and unsupported assertions."

"Look Over There!"
If they can deflect the American peoples attention from the true blood sucking that's taking down our economy, they can continue to reap profits like never before at the expense of each and every one of us. And, all the while, cry out how "public employees" and "Unions" are sapping the economy.

Robert Creamer, at Huffington Post, in Time to Stand Up for the Public Sector, says ..."this is really about advancing anti-government ideology.
For over forty years, the right wing has mounted an irrepressible campaign to discredit the very concept of government in the United States.
… The wealthy elites that dominate the American Right have financed the campaign to demonize government because they want the opportunity to pursue a very different group of values that have nothing to do with America's founding principles. They want the right to concentrate more and more wealth and power into their own hands."

"Look Over There!"..... Ignore those rich getting richer, while you and I struggle to make ends meet.

Bluster & Bullshit..... What Congressional Republicans Really Want For Health Care.

Two things, actually.......

Number one..... Don't let the American people know what Congress has for a health plan. Because then,... they'll want it too. (This known as a "mushroom" strategy.... "Keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit.")

Number two..... Make the American people think we're trying to take away the current plan we've railed about (Obamacare), and then they will fight to keep a plan that will bring billions of dollars to the insurance industry, while only giving the people moderate assistance that they.. will be forced to pay for. (It's a win... win for everyone but us.)

The following is reprinted from an article published on Common Dreams. org...... Jan. 7th, 2011

"‘Don’t Repeal Health Law – Go Beyond it to Single-Payer Medicare for All’: Doctors' Group Statement by Physicians for National Health Program"

WASHINGTON - A nationwide organization of doctors who favor a single-payer health care system today rejected calls by Republican leaders to repeal the new health law, noting that the law contains modest benefits for patients that should not be spurned.

"We reject the call by Republican leaders to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), even as we recognize the new law is incapable of resolving our health care morass," said Dr. Garrett Adams, president of the 18,000-member Physicians for a National Health Program.At the same time, the doctors said that the enactment of a single-payer, Medicare-for-all program is the only way to assure high quality, comprehensive care to all Americans and the only way to rein in skyrocketing health care costs.

"We reject the call by Republican leaders to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), even as we recognize the new law is incapable of resolving our health care morass," said Dr. Garrett Adams, president of the 18,000-member Physicians for a National Health Program."

"The health law is flawed because it continues our nation's reliance on an inefficient and wasteful private-insurance-based model of financing care - a rickety structure that denies health care access to millions, bankrupts patients, ratchets up costs and frustrates efforts to improve quality," he said.

"That's why we need to move to a single-payer system," he said. "In doing so, we'll save about $400 billion annually by cutting out the unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy inflicted on us by the private insurers. We'll also gain the one-system bargaining power we need to negotiate lower prices for pharmaceutical drugs and medical supplies."

Adams said the "modest" benefits in the administration's health law include greater funding of community health centers, the expansion of Medicaid coverage, and "measures to restrict some of the most outrageous practices of the private health insurance companies like denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions or rescinding coverage when people get sick."

"These beneficial measures could have been enacted separately," Adams said. "But now that they're part of the law, we cannot in good conscience support the repeal of any provisions that might conceivably benefit our patients."

Adams said Republican leaders' call to repeal PPACA is especially objectionable, given that they have no serious alternative to offer by way of health care reform.

"The GOP and conservatives urge greater reliance on the private sector and ‘free market' mechanisms, including less regulation of the insurance industry," Adams said. "Such measures include allowing people to purchase insurance across state lines, which would lead them to buy junk insurance policies from companies in states where consumer protections have been all but eviscerated. It would mean a race to the bottom to even skimpier insurance policies than people have now."

He also dismissed claims by the Republican leadership that tort reform will significantly affect the U.S. health care scene, noting that research has shown malpractice suits have a marginal impact on the costs of medical care.

"The proposals emanating from the GOP leaders would do nothing to control costs or reduce the enormous administrative waste in our current health care system," he said. "They would do nothing to reduce the number of uninsured. In fact, the number of uninsured, now at 51 million, would likely rise much higher - worsening an already catastrophic situation."

Adams, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who resides in Louisville, Ky., said that, in his opinion, Republican leaders who are vowing to repeal the new health law are not really aiming to do so.

"Despite their bluster, GOP lawmakers don't really want to repeal the law because some of their chief financial backers, the health insurance companies, like its basic provisions," he said. "The insurers especially like PPACA's requirement that millions of people buy insurance from them and that at least $447 billion in federal subsidies will be coming their way over the next 10 years as part of this arrangement.

"We reject such political posturing at the expense of human suffering and human lives," Adams said. "We call for a real, sustainable solution to our health care woes. PPACA should be superseded by a comprehensive health reform that provides quality, affordable care to everyone - single-payer national health insurance, an improved Medicare for all."

Get your waders out, cause the shit's gonna get deep. We'll be wallowing in the runoff of the 112th Congress.....aka "Hypocrigate"

So where should we begin? How about with the reading of the Constitution, well,... part of it, any way. (If you wish to read the U.S. Constitution for yourselves, I recommend going to "http://www.usconstitution.net/". You can read every word, even the parts the 112th Congress left out.)
The new Republicans in Congress just had to read it to show the American people that it is the return of a back to American values, no fooling around government. An era of "saving time and money",... if you can believe that one. Thursday's Constitutional display in Congress cost the American taxpayers $1,000,000 (one million dollars). Hows that for a rousing start to the hypocritical debacle that we call our government?

And,.. it's going to get even better. As William Rivers Pitt wrote in his article in Truthout, today, called "This is going to Suck" ..... "A vast amount of Stupid is about to be coming down the pike in the coming weeks, now that people like Darrell Issa (R-CA) have been given chairmanships of House committees." Rep. Issa now chairs of the House Government and Oversight Committee. So while we're all waiting for some real governing to take place, he'll probably be diligently be spending your tax money and mine looking into whether or not Mr. Obama is really a citizen of the United States.

It just keeps getting better. So now that the Republican propaganda machine is armed with a giant voice, their lies upon lies about "death panels", "Obamacare", and all the other ridiculous crap they've been spewing for the last two years, is going to get louder,... and deeper. Wish us luck we're all going to need it.