Screamin' for Justice

Mike of the North reminds us: perpetuating a dysfunctional system doesn't offer us much hope for improvement! The more we know about how things really work, the more depressing (or enraging) it is. The more we cloak ourselves in resignation, the happier we'll be. The neocons know that and exploit it. And history repeats itself unchecked. Hey, why can't we by depleted-uranium-equipped bombs at Sam's Club yet?

It's Movie Time!

Grab some popcorn and crank up the speakers, my frisky little ponies!

The Neocon Agenda is Destroying America

Redundant title, isn't it? we've been reminding our readers of that for years now, haven't we? Well, another right-wing dream is coming true: the U.S. is losing middle-class neighborhoods.

Middle-class neighborhoods, long regarded as incubators for the American dream, are losing ground in cities across the country, shrinking at more than twice the rate of the middle class itself.

Let me tell you a story about the middle class. When I was a teenager I was working a summer job with a person who grew up quite wealthy in Mexico. I asked her what that was like. "There's no middle class there," she said. "There are only rich and poor. And very rich, and very poor. No middle class."

That's what the neoconservative economic agenda is. To increase their own wealth and power by crushing the middle class and creating an underclass of service economy wage slaves who exist to serve them. And they've seduced their supporters into sucking up to them without hesitation. It's pathetic.

We're in the transition period now, a nation becoming blanketed with McMansions and slums. Soon this will pass and you'll see more of a return to the class distinctions of the "gilded age." Conservatism. Careening headlong into the dark ages, and taking us all with them.

How Bush Chose Stupidity

How Bush chose stupidity. By Jacob Weisberg

"Dubya's youthful screw-ups and smart-aleck attitude reflect some combination of protest, plea for attention, and flailing attempt to compete. Until a decade ago, his résumé read like a send-up of his dad's. Bush senior was a star student at Andover and Phi Beta Kappa at Yale, where he was also captain of the baseball team; Junior struggled through with gentleman's C's and, though he loved baseball, couldn't make the college lineup. Père was a bomber pilot in the Pacific; fils sat out 'Nam in the Texas Air National Guard, where he lost flying privileges by not showing up. Dad drove to Texas in 1947 to get rich in the oil business and actually did; Son tried the same in 1975 and drilled dry holes for a decade. Bush the elder got elected to Congress in 1966; Shrub ran in 1978, didn't know what he was talking about, and got clobbered."

From an "Is America Burning?" Post.

Granny at Is America Burning? says, "There's Nothing I Can Add to This". It's an excellent piece, but it addresses the nightmare of the neocon age.

I swear, had we known what they would do to our country, we could have stopped them.

Coulter or Hitler?

Boy, it's tough to find the differences between the disciple and the teacher: Coulter or Hitler? Find out!

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse...

...The Sunset Commission might just brink darkess to us all (as in, "The Dark Ages"). Watch n' Wait blogged about it, and Granny did, too. And so shall I, because this sort of thing is exactly why the Republican party has become the single greatest danger to America and all it stands for. Worse than terrorism, worse than the wrath of nature itself. If they succeed at this, it will be the end of America, as we know it, in all but the name.

Worth a Look...

Hmm. Lots of interesting links in this tidbit about how Al-Qaeda is a US Intelligence Asset. The things done in our name are appalling, aren't they?

Where Have I Been? Part II

Has it really been 10 days since I posted last? Youch! That's terrible, although I have been away before, so I guess it's not unheard-of.

In my last post I talked about how I'm devoting more attention to a part of my life that has suffered neglect for too long. And long with that, I have decided my blog should expand and grow and transform along with me.

See, I never set out to be just a political blogger. Really, I didn't want to become obsessed with politics. I originally wanted my blog to be about that and more; more of a journal really, with observations about all kinds of things. But you see, I began my blog right before the 2004 presidential election. I didn't anticipate the country's quick, sick spiral into the vortex of neocon greed, depravity, and contempt for all humanity. But that's what it did, and I have been so focused on that for almost two years now that it has become overwhelming at times. I become alternately angry, depressed, enraged, hopeless... the roller coaster of emotion that is the curse of the politically aware.

Meantime, other aspects of my life suffer neglect. One of those is my indulgence in the arts - writing (other things), music, etc. So, for my own peice of mind and mental health, I am going to try to achieve more balance in my life and in my blogging. I'll still devote attention to politics and social issues - how could I not? I thoroughly despise the Bush administration, and I can never ignore the horrific damage they hae wrought upon our country and the world (especially since the damage they've done probably won't be repaired in my lifetime). But my blog will also slowly begin to include expressions of other aspects of my personality, too. I want to make it more fully representative of my ideas and values. More of the same, and more of something... more.

So, thanks for being patient with me, blog friends. I appreciate you all.

Where Have I Been? Part I

Friends and frequent commenters may have noticed that I have not been at the blog like I should for days now. I’m sorry! I always feel bad about neglecting the blog, which is something I occasionally do. So where have I been?

Well, some know that I suffer from the incurable sickness of being a musician, although for quite some time I had been in a slump and allowed myself to disengage all the nerve endings and blood vessels which fed this most vital part of me. Economic and environmental necessity had required me to sell off my gear, and I stuffed oily, flammable rags in the hole that was left in my soul as I attended to the various aspects of life other than music. Survival is a crazy thing.

In the interim, my wife had gifted me with a little acoustic guitar to bang around on, to keep me from getting musically comatose, and that kept me from going over the edge. I exercised my other artistic muscles, mainly writing. But a Bassist cannot simply walk away from his true nature. Bass is in the blood, and the Bassist’s veins vibrate one octave lower than their peers.

So for the last several days, my disease has manifested itself in a desire to get another bass in my hands, pronto. And to that end, I have devoted much of my time online (and elsewhere) lately. Soon my fevered mind shall be at ease (although I can’t vouch for the neighbors’), as my fingers play about the strings like a predator pursuing its prey. Like thunder and lightning, clutched with all the tender delicacy of a 20 lb sledgehammer at the fingertips.

I’ll certainly keep you all posted as things develop. Back to the news...