And Jam is what we shall do!
Looking for The New World
A Palace in the Sun
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
We Are the 53%
This makes me sad. So sad, it warrants a weeping emoticon. :'-(
*sniff sniff*
From Gawker.com: The Right-Wing Version of ‘We Are the 99 Percent’: Heartbreaking
As the article explains, there has been an official response to the "99%ers" over at Occupy Wall Street from the members of the Republican underclass at the tumblr called We Are the 53%. Characterized by an almost Christ-like nobility in the silent suffering of the very same hardships that have pushed so many to the streets of cities across the nation, the message of the "53%ers" is simply - Suck It Up.
It all comes back to inheriting dead people's baggage. As I see it, through a mixture of religious influence and generations of poverty in middle America, a large percentage of our population has somehow become convinced that their suffering is righteous. Caught between the rhetoric of the meek inheriting the Earth, and insidious degradation of the American sensibility from "If we all work hard we can make this a better place for everyone" to "This is just the way it is - Drive On", the American public has in some way become convinced that this is their lot in life. The simple fact that the We Are the 53% website shows pictures of people proudly holding pieces of paper in front of the camera with Marine phrases like "Drive On" should speak volumes. Such militant rhetoric certainly has its place behind enemy lines when such an attitude can mean the difference between life and death, but putting on such totalitarian blinders has no place in the social aspect of a democratic society.
I'll tell you one thing though, brothers and sisters. All these numbers are driving me out of my mind.
I don't know what you believe, but I do know there's no doubt,
I'll need another double shot of something 90 proof, I got too much to think about
*sniff sniff*
From Gawker.com: The Right-Wing Version of ‘We Are the 99 Percent’: Heartbreaking
As the article explains, there has been an official response to the "99%ers" over at Occupy Wall Street from the members of the Republican underclass at the tumblr called We Are the 53%. Characterized by an almost Christ-like nobility in the silent suffering of the very same hardships that have pushed so many to the streets of cities across the nation, the message of the "53%ers" is simply - Suck It Up.
It all comes back to inheriting dead people's baggage. As I see it, through a mixture of religious influence and generations of poverty in middle America, a large percentage of our population has somehow become convinced that their suffering is righteous. Caught between the rhetoric of the meek inheriting the Earth, and insidious degradation of the American sensibility from "If we all work hard we can make this a better place for everyone" to "This is just the way it is - Drive On", the American public has in some way become convinced that this is their lot in life. The simple fact that the We Are the 53% website shows pictures of people proudly holding pieces of paper in front of the camera with Marine phrases like "Drive On" should speak volumes. Such militant rhetoric certainly has its place behind enemy lines when such an attitude can mean the difference between life and death, but putting on such totalitarian blinders has no place in the social aspect of a democratic society.
I'll tell you one thing though, brothers and sisters. All these numbers are driving me out of my mind.
I don't know what you believe, but I do know there's no doubt,
I'll need another double shot of something 90 proof, I got too much to think about
Friday, October 14, 2011
Bad Boys, Bad Boys
Whatcha Gonna Do?
From HuffingtonPost.com: Stephen Anderson, Ex NYPD Cop: We Planted Evidence, Framed Innocent People To Reach Quotas
There are three possible reactions to this story.
Reaction A: You are overcome with a feeling of shock and revulsion at the grotesque abuse of power in the New York Police Department.
Reaction B: You impatiently roll your eyes and wait for the rest of the world to catch up with a revelation which you have known of for years.
Or of course the much more rare, yet still viable, Reaction C: Sweat begins to form on your brow as your asshole tightens and goes cold. Only applicable if you are a lobbyist for the industrial prison complex, a narc detective, or the American Drug Czar.
You know, I never thought this day would really come. But I think we may have finally gotten past the hero worship of the police in the greater metropolitan area of New York that came with 9/11. For a long, long time in these parts it was the mark of a heretic to speak bad on the NYPD. After all, what kind of heartless cretin could stand against the men and women who so selflessly gave themselves for the recovery effort of that terrible day?
But thanks to the media storm surrounding the NYPD from their treatment of the Wall St. protestors, the official recognition of the police force's involvement in planting narcotics on innocent civillians to bolster arrest numbers may just be the straw that breaks this camel's back. And if my gut is right on this one, the degradation of public opinion in regards to those who swear to Protect and Serve has only just begun. Once all the pussy from that "Hero Dick Syndrome" starts to dry up, we'll get to see how mean these bastards can really be.
Don't worry though, girls. The firemen out there are still of pure morals. If you feel the need to get yourself some of that hero dick, just make sure he's wearing red, not blue. Or, better yet, in the loving words of those adorable femme fatales at Suicide Girls: Protestors are the new Rock Stars. Fuck one today.
From HuffingtonPost.com: Stephen Anderson, Ex NYPD Cop: We Planted Evidence, Framed Innocent People To Reach Quotas
There are three possible reactions to this story.
Reaction A: You are overcome with a feeling of shock and revulsion at the grotesque abuse of power in the New York Police Department.
Reaction B: You impatiently roll your eyes and wait for the rest of the world to catch up with a revelation which you have known of for years.
Or of course the much more rare, yet still viable, Reaction C: Sweat begins to form on your brow as your asshole tightens and goes cold. Only applicable if you are a lobbyist for the industrial prison complex, a narc detective, or the American Drug Czar.
You know, I never thought this day would really come. But I think we may have finally gotten past the hero worship of the police in the greater metropolitan area of New York that came with 9/11. For a long, long time in these parts it was the mark of a heretic to speak bad on the NYPD. After all, what kind of heartless cretin could stand against the men and women who so selflessly gave themselves for the recovery effort of that terrible day?
But thanks to the media storm surrounding the NYPD from their treatment of the Wall St. protestors, the official recognition of the police force's involvement in planting narcotics on innocent civillians to bolster arrest numbers may just be the straw that breaks this camel's back. And if my gut is right on this one, the degradation of public opinion in regards to those who swear to Protect and Serve has only just begun. Once all the pussy from that "Hero Dick Syndrome" starts to dry up, we'll get to see how mean these bastards can really be.
Don't worry though, girls. The firemen out there are still of pure morals. If you feel the need to get yourself some of that hero dick, just make sure he's wearing red, not blue. Or, better yet, in the loving words of those adorable femme fatales at Suicide Girls: Protestors are the new Rock Stars. Fuck one today.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Robber Barons
Here's a fun string of articles!
First - From Reuters.com: JPMorgan Q3 net falls; bank eyes expenses
OK, bank profits are down. Big deal, so what? Well, let's compare that article with this one.
From DailyKos.com: JP Morgan buys NYPD for $4.6 million
In a response to the protestors of Occupy Wall Street (I know, I just can't seem to drop the topic), the bankers at JP Morgan made an unprecedented 4.6 million dollar donation to the New York Police Department. OK, now go back to the Reuters article. What's the figure that they report as a loss for Q3? $1.02 per share from its position last year. Down to $4.3 billion, from its $4.4 billion position last year at this time.
So, with these "monumental" losses, JP Morgan now must cut 1,000 jobs from their banking firms. The Reuters article goes on to throw in a bunch of technical finance jargon that have my head spinning like the girl from the exorcist. I will require the services of an old priest, and a young priest, if I am to have any hope of excising the demonic odor of pea soup from my furnishings. I'm quite sure that someone with a more stable background will be able to take these articles and explain them in a way that makes complete sense, both in regards to morality and sound business ethics. And I am also quite sure that such a faceless business casual professional would be completely full of shit.
In the long run, all you have is a bank laying off a large number of their employees in one sector, in order to open up funds for paying their new security force. Just wait until old man Morgan decides it a prudent business decision to purchase Blackwater. We'll see who's laughing then.
Let me tell you friends. There is only one cure for this kind of angst.
Singing Lord preserve us, and protect us!
We've been drinking Whiskey for Breakfast!!
First - From Reuters.com: JPMorgan Q3 net falls; bank eyes expenses
OK, bank profits are down. Big deal, so what? Well, let's compare that article with this one.
From DailyKos.com: JP Morgan buys NYPD for $4.6 million
In a response to the protestors of Occupy Wall Street (I know, I just can't seem to drop the topic), the bankers at JP Morgan made an unprecedented 4.6 million dollar donation to the New York Police Department. OK, now go back to the Reuters article. What's the figure that they report as a loss for Q3? $1.02 per share from its position last year. Down to $4.3 billion, from its $4.4 billion position last year at this time.
So, with these "monumental" losses, JP Morgan now must cut 1,000 jobs from their banking firms. The Reuters article goes on to throw in a bunch of technical finance jargon that have my head spinning like the girl from the exorcist. I will require the services of an old priest, and a young priest, if I am to have any hope of excising the demonic odor of pea soup from my furnishings. I'm quite sure that someone with a more stable background will be able to take these articles and explain them in a way that makes complete sense, both in regards to morality and sound business ethics. And I am also quite sure that such a faceless business casual professional would be completely full of shit.
In the long run, all you have is a bank laying off a large number of their employees in one sector, in order to open up funds for paying their new security force. Just wait until old man Morgan decides it a prudent business decision to purchase Blackwater. We'll see who's laughing then.
Let me tell you friends. There is only one cure for this kind of angst.
Singing Lord preserve us, and protect us!
We've been drinking Whiskey for Breakfast!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
For The People
A great video posted to YouTube by Corey Ogilvie.
"Hypocrisy has it's own elegant symmetry"
Beautiful
"Hypocrisy has it's own elegant symmetry"
Beautiful
Monday, October 10, 2011
Solidarity.
Occupy Wall Street.
Because yesterday, too many Americans had Wish Sandwiches.
Have you ever heard of a Wish Sandwich??
A Wish Sandwich is the kind of a Sandwich where you have two slices of bread, and you Wish you had some meat!!
Bow-bow-bow!
Because yesterday, too many Americans had Wish Sandwiches.
Have you ever heard of a Wish Sandwich??
A Wish Sandwich is the kind of a Sandwich where you have two slices of bread, and you Wish you had some meat!!
Bow-bow-bow!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
ThoughtCrimes, Continued
Morning, kids. Hope you're all keeping it easy like Sunday Morning so far. I know I was.
You know, when I posted an entry on Monday of last week labeled "All ThoughtCrimes Will Be Persecuted", I was kind of joking with the title. The revisionist tactics I discussed from The New York Times and their staff member Al Baker were certainly Orwellian to say the least, but that didn't mean that I truly believed that there were crimes being made out of thought. At least until I read the article I'm going to share with you today.
From HuffingtonPost.com: U.S. Drug Policy Would Be Imposed Globally By New House Bill
Don't really know where to begin with this one...
The basic idea of the story is this - the House Judiciary Committee passed a bill on Thursday that makes it a federal crime for US citizens to discuss or plan activities that violate the Controlled Substance Act, even if the country these plans are to be carried out in have no laws against the activity.
So, let's give an example.
The article provides an example describing a young couple planning their wedding. Let's say the couple plans on having their ceremony in the historic and picturesque city of Amsterdam. OK, no laws broken yet. Now, let's say this same couple discusses procuring a bag of marijuana for the bridal party. Well, while marijuana may be legal in Amsterdam, since it is not legal in the United States, despite having no intention of smuggling the illicit substance onto American soil, these young love-birds would be guilty of a federal crime simply in planning their wedding. They don't even have to actually pick up the bag to be prosecuted.
But the bill doesn't stop there, sir! The bill goes the extra mile in allowing conspiracy charges to be brought against anyone who discusses or advises in any activity that would result in a violation of the CSA.So, to continue with the example of the Amsterdam wedding, should charges be brought against the wedding planners for having the thought of getting a little weed over seas - then conspiracy charges could be laid on anyone involved in the planning of the wedding, even if they had no idea that there were plans for a little doobie during the celebrations. So, let's say that it was your wedding being planned in Amsterdam, and your loving mother decided to help by booking the hotel. Well, while your mother had no inkling of your intentions to light up in a country where it is perfectly acceptable by law to do so, she too could be charged with breaking federal law for her involvement.
EDIT: A helpful comment informed me that I was full of shit with the stricken out part there. Whoops. My bad. Thank you, Jack McCoy.
And American Imperialism marches on.
See, this is what happens when you allow the reins of government to be seized by a group of morally uptight religious zealots. You have all these bible-thumpers who have been told since birth that in the eyes of the Lord, even thinking about committing a sin is a sin in of itself. Yes, those pesky "Thou Shalt Not Covet" commandments make it a slight against God to even consider wanting things that don't belong to you, never mind the fact that there is already an established commandment against outright theft, or adultery. The mere desire for your neighbor's wife or possessions is a direct violation of God's ten most sacrosanct instructions. Well, it is no wonder that people that have been weened on this rhetoric since birth feel a moral obligation to try and enforce this line of thinking with legislation. That's the real frightening thing here. This new law doesn't make it illegal to perform acts overseas that are allowed in whatever country you happen to be in that might be against the law here at home. No, this law makes it illegal to plan such actions.
All in all, sounds very Minority Report to me. Arresting people for crimes that haven't happened yet.
Thank God we live in a country who's judicial branch lives off the mantra "innocent until proven guilty." It's just a damn shame you can now be called to account for the idle fancies of a wandering mind, rather than the physical repercussions of a crime that has actually been committed.
Some people said I think to much, so I had a think about it, and I think they should shut the fuck up
Seize The Ride.
You know, when I posted an entry on Monday of last week labeled "All ThoughtCrimes Will Be Persecuted", I was kind of joking with the title. The revisionist tactics I discussed from The New York Times and their staff member Al Baker were certainly Orwellian to say the least, but that didn't mean that I truly believed that there were crimes being made out of thought. At least until I read the article I'm going to share with you today.
From HuffingtonPost.com: U.S. Drug Policy Would Be Imposed Globally By New House Bill
Don't really know where to begin with this one...
The basic idea of the story is this - the House Judiciary Committee passed a bill on Thursday that makes it a federal crime for US citizens to discuss or plan activities that violate the Controlled Substance Act, even if the country these plans are to be carried out in have no laws against the activity.
So, let's give an example.
The article provides an example describing a young couple planning their wedding. Let's say the couple plans on having their ceremony in the historic and picturesque city of Amsterdam. OK, no laws broken yet. Now, let's say this same couple discusses procuring a bag of marijuana for the bridal party. Well, while marijuana may be legal in Amsterdam, since it is not legal in the United States, despite having no intention of smuggling the illicit substance onto American soil, these young love-birds would be guilty of a federal crime simply in planning their wedding. They don't even have to actually pick up the bag to be prosecuted.
But the bill doesn't stop there, sir! The bill goes the extra mile in allowing conspiracy charges to be brought against anyone who discusses or advises in any activity that would result in a violation of the CSA.
EDIT: A helpful comment informed me that I was full of shit with the stricken out part there. Whoops. My bad. Thank you, Jack McCoy.
And American Imperialism marches on.
See, this is what happens when you allow the reins of government to be seized by a group of morally uptight religious zealots. You have all these bible-thumpers who have been told since birth that in the eyes of the Lord, even thinking about committing a sin is a sin in of itself. Yes, those pesky "Thou Shalt Not Covet" commandments make it a slight against God to even consider wanting things that don't belong to you, never mind the fact that there is already an established commandment against outright theft, or adultery. The mere desire for your neighbor's wife or possessions is a direct violation of God's ten most sacrosanct instructions. Well, it is no wonder that people that have been weened on this rhetoric since birth feel a moral obligation to try and enforce this line of thinking with legislation. That's the real frightening thing here. This new law doesn't make it illegal to perform acts overseas that are allowed in whatever country you happen to be in that might be against the law here at home. No, this law makes it illegal to plan such actions.
All in all, sounds very Minority Report to me. Arresting people for crimes that haven't happened yet.
Thank God we live in a country who's judicial branch lives off the mantra "innocent until proven guilty." It's just a damn shame you can now be called to account for the idle fancies of a wandering mind, rather than the physical repercussions of a crime that has actually been committed.
Some people said I think to much, so I had a think about it, and I think they should shut the fuck up
Seize The Ride.
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