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One fairly common response to documents such as this book is the quite sensible observation that it is not reports, books, studies, and research, research, research that is going to change the world -- only organizing will do that. At the same time, this cynicism about the role of documents can easily be taken too far. Carefully crafted written words can have a tremendous impact. Saying this is not buying into...

(See the full review here at A Canadian Lefty in Occupied Land.)

Roy Edroso pointed out that Peggy Noonan hurled the worst possible insult she can at Shrub:

"This week's column is a question, a brief one addressed with honest curiosity to Republicans. It is: When George W. Bush first came on the scene in 2000, did you understand him to be a liberal in terms of spending?"

Wash your mouth out with soap Crazy Jesus Lady. This is the classic move Digby describes (sorry don't have the link) where the conservatives lavish praise on their leaders' conservative principles, until those leaders clearly shit the bed, then they call them liberals. So we have had the loons over at the Corner start to jump ship about the Iraq war and now CJL from the WSJ is bailing on the economic policy. I said back in December that it felt like the elite powers were starting to turn on Bush the lesser. Now we are seeing a steady stream of the conservative noise makers stating that this or that aspect of the president is problematic. We will see a continued increase in this noise as they start paint GW as the monkey he is (should be easy as they don't acually have to make anything up, the truth will suffice), and they will start to groom the white knight to replace him (McCain, Clinton?). Whoever it is, one thing you can be certain of, s/he will be no friend of anyone but the corporations.

Cross posted at Really Small Fish

"The Rich Are Very Different From You and Me."
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Grindstaff Chronicles
And How! They Can Actually Eat
They also can afford better medical care, better housing, better medication, better education, and a remarkably better quality of life. So, Marie Christine said (I don't know where her tongue was) what's wrong with George Bush's budget if it helps the richest of the rich on the backs of the middle and poorer classes? Marie Christine continued, saying that Bush is planning on cutting, grotesquely, sizeable amounts from Medicare and Medicaid, in total she said, he plans to slash funds for 141 programs, none of which, thank you, hurt the rich. In her opinion, this budget is a moral disgrace.

[Ghost of Adam S]	Welcome to the Thursday Morning meeting of Imperialists Anonymous. My name is Adam and I am an Imperialist.
[All]	Hello Adam.
[Ghost of Adam S]	Will somebody be so kind as to read "Who"?
[Ghost of Winston C]	My name is Winston and I am an Imperialist.
[All]	Hello Winston.
[Ghost of Winston C]	Who is an Imperialist? Most of us do not have to think twice about this question, we know! Our whole life and thinking was centred in domination in one form or another: the getting and using of resources and finding ways and means to monopolise more. We lived to dominate and dominated to live.

For reasons of possible copyright infringement, we'll leave this meeting of IA, but it continues here.

War Against Conservativism

Let us see then if we cannot in fact eff the ineffable ~ Douglas Adams RIP

Disreputable Lazy Aliens

So, the Disillusioned kid points up another of Dubya's (oxy)moronicisms:

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."

This whilst addressing the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, check it. Orwellian certainly, but i'm no longer surprised by the neo-cons contempt for the possibility of accountability.

What never ceases to amaze me though is how he gets away with spouting such utterly transparent rhetoric. This time he even refered to how it's done: education. As if his meaning of indoctrination wasn't plain enough, he then told us clearly how it will be reinforced: "faith groups" "educating" poor Americans about home ownership.

What do we call a system of beliefs which has millions of adherents, it's own meta-language, proscribed behaviour, ritual, seeks to spread it's influence at the expense of other belief structures, often causing war, and maintains it's tenets in the face of evidence to the contrary?

Religion, right?

1. I am the The Holy Market, who bringeth thee out of bondage. No form of interaction shalt thou haveth outside me. Nor Virtuous shalt thou considereth anything not for Sale, neither anything which Falsely preventeth Holy Sale.
2. Thou shalt associateth not the name of The Holy Market with disaster: for The Holy Market shalt holdeth him guilty who denigrateth Its Holy Name.
3. Observeth the Sabbath day, to keepeth it Holy, as The Holy Market commandeth thee. Six days shalt most of thee Labour, and do all Work thine; but the seventh day a Sabbath is to The Holy Market whenst must thou spendeth thy Surplus in Worship of The Holy Market.
4. Honoreth thy Father and thy Mother, as The Holy Market commandeth thee; that thy Business may be Profitable and thy Righteousness prolonged in Children thine.
5. Thou shalt not Murder thy Customers.
6. Neither shalt thou Adultery committeth; an Abomination it is the Holy Commerce of Marriage to undermineth.
7. Stealing shalt thou not be caught at.
8. Nor discovered in False Witness without Holy Profit shalt thou be.
9. Neither shalt thou ceaseth thy Neighbour's Estate to coveteth.
10. In all things shalt thou planeth, plotteth, schemeth and, failing these Holy Trinity Three, worketh the Goods of the World to Own, in accordance with The Holy Market.

The Grindstaff Chronicles

Indebted to the Chinese For All We're Worth
We had wanted to light the large braziers on the porch and sip our cocktails out there by the warmth of the braziers, but it was too chilly, and so we gathered by the fireplace in the great room instead. Schuyler fixed us a drink he called Rosita. By now you've noticed that we all like drinks made with Campari, a liqueur that some find hard to get used to, but once you do, it's impossible not to love it. With some Corazón Silver Tequila, and both red and dry Martini & Rossi vermouths, this is a strong but delicious highball.

The redness of the Campari reminded us of China, a country, Bob told us, to whom we are so heavily in debt that they practically own us. He explained to those of us who seemed not to comprehend the importance or the magnitude of what he was telling us that under the Clinton Administration, the United States had been left a legacy of a budget surplus, but that very, very soon after President Clinton left office, the new administration started hocking the United States to the highest bidder. Only problem is, Bob told us, that highest bidder is not particularly an ally, though not an enemy either, making for strange bedfellows.

Before Bush ramps up his '06 agenda, it's time to preempt one of the more stupid proposals he's sure to make. You listening Mr. President? OK. Here goes...

I don't want to hear another word out of your stinkin' pie-hole about Social Security. You and your advisors couldn't predict what will happen with that program if you had a time-machine and could go and see for yourselves. So I'm here to tell you that I've had enough. I'll do my duty with respect to my parents, but when they're done so am I.

Read the rest of Kvatch's proposal at Blognonymous.

I am sure this one is doing the rounds, but it arrived in my email today and I thought it was funny.

DUBAI SYSTEM:

You have two cows. You create a website for them and advertise them in all magazines. You create a Cow City or Milk Town for them. You sell off their milk before the cows have even been milked to both legit and shady investors who hope to resale the non-existent milk for a 100% profit in two years time. You bring Tiger Woods to milk the cow first to attract attention.

QATAR SYSTEM:

You have two cows. They've been sitting there for decades and no one realizes that cows can produce milk. You see what Dubai is doing, you go crazy and start milking the heck out of the cows’ boobs in the shortest Time possible. Then you realize no one wanted the milk in the first place.

So, it seems Ambassador Craig Murray's website has been pulled.

It's a record of his correspondance with the UK Foreign Office detailing concerns about policy toward Uzbekistan and human rights abuses. Also, the UKGovernment's legal advice stating that it is not an offence to use 'evidence' obtained under torture, unless it's used in a court of law. What a load of disgusting shameful shite. It's times like these when i am truly ashamed to be a British Citizen today. Read it now, before they use the Official Secrets Act to gag everybody (download it and repost everywhere):

(and if you are a UK citizen, email your MP: don't let them slime their way out of this one. If you're unsure of your MP's contact details, you can get them here.)

From the thread "Pat Robertson says something stupid, again"

"a man this vile has a platform in the most powerful state on the planet" ~ Marduk

Don't believe the hype mate. The basis for the claim that the US is the most powerful nation on earth has been fallacious for some time. It is based on the seeming potential power of the american economy, however as recent events have proved, even the dollar's value being artificially propped up by the fact that it is the currency OPEC chose as the standard for the sale of oil (thus like a magic chequebook, in that the redeemable value would never be required to be payed by the Federal Reserve), has not prevented a massive Trade Deficit ($650 billion, i believe).

The domestic economy is in such poor shape that the President was forced to levy a %30 import tax on foreign steel imports not long ago, in an illegal (by the standards of the WTO) effort at protectionism, this despite the sheer hypochrisy of that, whilst at the same time championing 'Free Trade'.

The domestic motor industry is so unable to cope that the big 3: Ford, GM & Chrysler successfully negotiated a freeze on the application of law which would require their vehicles to meet minimum standards for fuel efficiency (so called CAFE law) for at least 3 years running, this despite that the required mpg was something like 27 point something for cars and 20-ish for light vans. Can you imagine European customers, never mind environmental lobbyists, standing for anything so piss poor?

Oh yeah, but it's ok because gasoline is so cheap in the US, right? In 2000, foreign imports of oil topped %50 as the source of domestically produced petroleum products, at a bill of a staggering $110 billion/year, at the time 1/4 of the Trade Deficit, as it was.

From Disreputable Lazy Aliens

Today, 'Darwinism' and 'Darwinian' have entered into our common vocabulary. To read the Origin is therefore to grasp an opportunity to estimate how closely that common understanding relates to its supposed source. - Jeff Wallace [from his introduction to "The Origin of Species", Darwin, Charles. (1998, Wordsworth Editions Ltd. Ware, Hertforshire UK) ISBN 1 85326 780 5 itself a reprint of the 1st (Nov 1859) edition of "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life." Darwin, Charles]

So, although i had not yet read Wallace's invitation, when i bought the book, i had already decided to do exactly that. It has been something of a wade, not because the book or it's scientific information is at all difficult, but rather that there is much exhaustive detail in expounding Darwin's positions that is nothing new to anyone who has been taught elementary biology and while this may be of interest to historians or biologists, i am neither.

OK, so Survival of the fittest, right? No. That phrase was first used by Herbert Spencer in his 1851 work Social Statics, relating to free market economics. Only in his fifth edition of The Origin, did Darwin himself use the phrase, which had become popular and indeed popularly synonymous with his own descriptive phrase Natural Selection. As the linked Wikipedia article further states, however: At this time the word "fittest" would have primarily meant "most suitable" or "most appropriate" rather than "in the best physical shape". In fact, much of the revision and clarification Darwin added to his work, in later editions, was precisely to clarify his ideas in strictly evolutionary biological terms, both to answer his critics and distance himself from often Malthusian influenced social theories.

Of more importance to the understanding of the 'common vocabulary' use of 'Darwinian' ideas however, is the fallacious idea of 'Survival'.

The Grindstaff Chronicles

From President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the NationJanuary 17, 1961:

"Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Conservatives/Republicans think that the poor — even those who find themselves in the path of a hurricane, with no escape — generally deserve whatever they get. Most conservaties won’t come right out and say it. Some will express a thinly veiled contempt for the poor (working or not), but only a handful will come close to saying "good on ‘em" and "maybe it’ll learn ‘em something."

Say what you will about George Lakoff and his theories. He’s dead on about this one. These folks equate wealth and well-being (basically being middle class and up) with virtue. Quite simply, if you have the right values, you will have enough wealth to provide for your well-being, and that of your family; perhaps more. If you don’t, then you won’t. It’s really that simple.

Pat Robertson, the American televangelist (of the "700 Club" fame, or rather infamy) has issued a fatwa for the assassination of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela for "spreading communism and Islamic extremism." The "free press," those obsequious hired hands of the highest bidders for their services, will doubtless laugh it all off, and refuse to discuss the serious implications of the issue.  Robertson has quite bluntly stated that the reason he wants Chavez dead is that the Venezuelan government, according to Robertson, poses a threat to US economic interests. In today's US politics, it is apparently quite acceptable for a religious leader like Robertson constantly to meddle in purely political and economic affairs. On the other hand, when the late Ayatollah Khomeini issued his call for Salman Rushdie's assassination on purely religious grounds, as the latter had, among many other indiscretions, called the Prophet of Islam a whoremonger, Western liberals didn't lose any time in joining their conservative brethren in condemning the fatwa.  Robertson's fatwa came only a couple of days after Pope Benedict's call on Moslem leaders (while visiting Germany!) to fight terrorism (as if real religious leaders were in the business of promoting anything other than religion), without once mentioning the terror inflicted by the US on the people of Iraq for their oil. It is clear that whereas religion in the East is a component of nationalist resurgence against capitalism and imperialism, religion in the West is increasingly a handmaiden to the interests of the Empire.  http://alse.blogspot.com

Benjamin Solah's blog has moved to wordpress at www.benjaminsolah.com/blog

I haven’t been able to post since I’ve been working on the new site, but July 1 has passed and it is a very important day for the rights of Australians. This is by no means good.

John Howard has now taken a one seat majority of the senate and with this he plans to use it to remove Student Unions and give huge tax cuts to the rich, while regular Australians pick up the scraps. But far worse is Howard’s long awaited attack on Industrial Relations and the rights of working-class Australians to put dinner on the table.

Back at the old place I ranted on this a bit. But now July 1 has come, the Unions have launched a long-awaited attack. Howard plans to remove unfair dismissal and redundancy to people who work in companies under 100 employees. It is expected that big companies will divide into smaller sectors to take advantage of this. He plans to lower the minimum wage and make it harder for people to earn a living.

Crossposted at The Republic of T.

This item got my attention as I caught up with my news/blog reading this afternoon. Apparently, some Senators are considering an official apology to Native Aemricans for … well … everything.

A U.S. senator on Wednesday urged a Senate committee to pass a resolution apologizing on behalf of the United States to American Indians for centuries of massacres, broken promises and other injustices.

Indian leaders at the hearing said they would need more than an apology to overcome the poverty, substance abuse and health care problems that many of their people face.

Ooh, I can see my fellow Aussies jumping up and down in their seats. The Budget! How freaking exciting!...bullshit! Some stupid right wing journalists have come out saying this was a budget for popularity. Let me say this, that is a load of crap. This budget is and will continue to be very unpopular with the average Australian. The tax cuts help the rich more than the poor, welfare is becoming increasing ridiculous, with mothers expected to abandon their children to childcare centres so they can work to fund a war nobody wants. Once again, there is an increase to security and minor addition to a critical healthcare system. One person I talked to said: "There is a middle Australia. The government don't want that, they want to make them poorer and the rich richer. So the rich can make them work and look down on the normal people." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Private Accounts

Since George W Bush won the 2004 election he became determined to tackle his domestic agenda. Top of the list seems to be Social Security. I am still not clear on the logic surrounding this issue, so I’ll try to understand it by writing down what I’ve been told.

So, first of all the Social Security plan of FDR is currently running just fine, but the future is beginning to look dire because of the number of baby boomers that will begin to retire in the coming years. This is because there isn’t enough money going into the system to cover the payments. We still have about twenty years before the amount of money going into the system equals the amount of money going out of the system. However, there is money in the system that the government owes to social security recipients, because the government spent this money on other programs and wrote IOUs to Social Security. After another twenty years of redeeming these IOUs Social Security will be broke.

April 15th has passed and once more I had to get an extension because I always wait late so as to delay finding out how little I am worth. GWB is talking tax simplification which means simply he and his buddies pay less and you and I pay more. I am not an expert but here's a radical proposal for a progressive tax simplified. Give every individual an exemption of the first 5K in income, 10K for a couple and 20K for a family of 4. After that give every tax payer who earns 10K or more a 10K tax credit voucher card to pay for education, mortage, public transportation and anything else our democracy deems virtuous. This means all deductions, loopholes and other exemptions are gone and the IRS retires 80% of its employees early. Tax every 5K above the exempt first 5K at 5 percent up to 40 percent (the top bracket). It would look like this for a family of 4: