Thursday, November 26, 2009

THE PROPHETS FOR THE CULTURALLY ILLITERATE: Palin, Beck & Limbaugh All "Going Rogue" on America

The "cultural elites"--meaning those of us with a greater than high school reading level who are able to work, pay our bills, read a newspaper and perhaps even throw back a literary work of an accomplished author from time to time and discuss with one another its relative significance in the context of human experience--need to wake up and look around us. We are losing the culture war to a growing class of people who look just like you and me, work just like you and me but some where along the line checked out of the information age and became hoodwinked by the disinformationalists and fear mongers who profit off their cultural illiteracy and their resulting insecurity and uncertainty about who and what are unfamiliar to them: Americans of different cultures, nationalities, color and perspective (i.e., you and me and our President).

Sarah Palin can be laughed at, dismissed or ridiculed for her book tour for "Going Rogue: An American Life", by those who wish to diminish her standing or question her intellectual abilities but that would be a mistake. She represents and appeals to a slice of America that is going rogue with her. You can thank the ideologically corrupt, unprincipled bastard, William H. Kristol, Editor of The Weekly Standard and of PNAC fame for helping to elevate Ms. Palin to national prominence. Kristol, one of the architects of the Project for the New American Century, the neo-conservative think tank persuaded the McCain Campaign that John McCain, a 72 year old American Kleptocrat on one of his last missions of vein political ambition, should pick as his running mate, potentially putting a heart beat away from the Presidency, someone so clearly unprepared and unqualified for the office in Sarah Palin. For this reason alone Kristol, McCain and company should be forever discredited for such a self serving, intellectually and patriotically bankrupt ploy. Even if her book is perceived widely as "Payback to the McCain Campaign" for their effort to discredit and blame her for their loss in 2008, these folks have still not paid a big enough price for their attempt to defraud America by choosing her in the first place.

These folks attempt to compromise the security of a nation so that the Neocon's can stay in power, and now your vice presidential blow up doll, makes a few bucks off a book and we are to demonize her (Palin), rather than looking to the douchebags who attempted to rig the game, divide and destroy a nation for the higher purpose of keeping the neocons in power? Sarah Palin is not my enemy. I will not buy into that game. My eyes are focused elsewhere on her political sponsors and lackeys. Even as McCain and company have trashed Palin and otherwise attempted to distance themselves from their selection of Sarah Palin for the number two spot on the GOP ticket in 2008, to re-establish McCain's political credibility, I say, "my friend" you knew exactly what you were doing. In the eyes of this citizen, the Real John McCain will forever be remembered as a Benedict Arnold and a total douchebag who was willing to sacrifice the security of his countrymen on a shallow political ploy, because at the ripe old age of 72 years you were so drunk and corrupt with your own self importance and life long yearning for the Presidency. You took a chance that you should not have. Your hope? Hope that the vote of cultural illiterates, right wing fanatics, racists and GOP vote suppression efforts in select battle ground states could swing the election in your favor and sneak a mentally unstable geezer and a barracuda into the Oval Office. It goes without saying that you severely miscalculated Palin's cross over appeal to disaffected Hillary supporters.

McCain, his handlers and legacy builders need to stop trying to spin the corporate media with the fiction that Sarah Palin cost McCain and the Republicans the election. That old dog just won't hunt. McCain was a dead man walking, a mentally and emotionally unstable, perhaps even insane, candidate on dying political legs. His sole redeeming quality to the neocons was that he was the Republican with the most cross over appeal in what was an otherwise Democratic year. Even so it became clear that McCain would very likely lose. The Palin Experiment was foisted on a desperate Presidential aspirant willing to win ugly and divide a nation if necessary. In the process, John McCain, an empty vessel became a trojan horse, used by Kristol and the neocons, his candidacy sacrificed to elevate Palin to national prominence in a bold appeal to unsettle the electorate and soldify their brand among a key constituency of disaffected and angry rural whites and hard liners, many of whom actually voted for Hillary Clinton over Obama in the Democratic primary contests. Palin's potential success would only embolden the far right by illustrating what it was possible for the neocons to get by the American people, or at least the relatively unenlightened, in the future. Mark my words on this. Time will prove me right and sufficient circumstantial evidence already exists in the public arena from which one could deduce this from the Palin experiment.

When you elevate to national prominence and stature, individuals of limited accomplishment and distinction, from among the ranks of so called "regular citizens", it is a cynical ploy by the most powerful to hold on to power, straight out of the Nazi Party playbook. For one these folks will do whatever their sponsors wish them to do to maintain their stature. More importantly, attacks upon them can be discounted, dismissed and ridiculed as attacks by so called "elitists" on a person who is "of the people." So, when you examine Sarah Palin keep a watchful eye on her sponsors and those who use the mainstream media to support her.

America's growing cultural illiteracy is evident when people who cannot even read newspapers or books can author them and those who do not read books go out and buy them. Their prophets? Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. The real danger in America grows by the day as increasing numbers of our citizens are dumb down susceptible to these irrational hate prophets. The hate campaign that began against then Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama has continued virtually non-stop to undermine the legitimacy of President Obama. The same role players continue to beat the drum of hate as they did on the campaign trail, coaching significant segments of the white electorate to hate the black man, question President Obama's citizenship and his "socialist" agenda. In the past, we would have given a group of people with this mindset coloring books and crayons. Sadly, however, these folks are all grown up so now it is rather easy for the hate mongers to spoon feed them a steady diet of disinformation as a rational to keep them in their cocoon's of hatred towards that and those which is different from them--you, me and so called cultural elites, blacks, Hispanics, ethnics, urbanites and the educated classes. Truth, facts, evidence to the contrary no longer matter. The prophets do not need to worry about fact checking or the validity of their arguments because the folks that they are preaching to have already checked out of civilized society. Those of us who are able to think and engage in logical reasoning, comprehend and communicate rationally are their enemies. Our arguments matter not to them.

This has nothing to do with whether or not you agree or disagree with every aspect of President Obama's political agenda and policy proposals. Earnest liberals, conservatives, progressives, libertarians etc. can agree to disagree about selected issues and the appropriate solutions. There is always room for rational debate about the right solutions needed to move the business of America forward. But those who elevated this woman to national prominence and continue to sponsor and support this woman as a vessel of any kind must appreciate and understand that you have created a Frankenstein Monster who along with the other ministers of hate and disinformation are engaged in a shell game on this nation's conscience. While the puppeteers remain in the shadows your puppets can only divide this nation further. This citizen will forever hold you accountable, even more so than I hold Sarah Palin accountable for her effort to remain relevant, sell books and keep herself in the public eye. Palin is but a pawn in your game.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Eight Years Later: Why Is There Still A Hole at Ground Zero?

On this day of remembrance, we honor all Americans who died on 9/11 or in the battles fought in the name of 9/11 by remaining vigilant engaged citizens in the search for truth. That is how I choose to pay my respects to those who through no fault of their own tragically lost their lives and left behind friends, family and co-workers. This day is a reminder that there are many still broken hearts and changed lives. 9/11 is not a photo op to promote the political agenda of any politician or political party. The fact that it is should cause thinking Americans to pause. To quote another HuffPo commenter: "How can anyone who calls themselves a "lover of freedom" not find it appalling that the information surrounding the events of 9/11 should be blacked out from the public? It does not make any sense that any conservative, freedom-loving individual would find it strange to want the truth to be told about what took place. This is not some partisan issue." The Truth About the 9/11 Truth Movement is that under no circumstances should participation or affiliation in it ever be considered some "Litmus Test" of Patriotism or lack thereof. Patriotism is not blind submissiveness to government, nor loyalty to any particular leader or party. Patriotism is vigilance in protecting and preserving the US Constitution from all enemies foreign or domestic who would incrementally pervert or overthrow it, or trample upon the many rights, freedoms and sovereignties of the people. Thus, it is simply unacceptable to brow beat and label those who ask questions, as being unpatriotic. Ironically, it is the very same people who pose around the American Flag to burnish their patriotic brand who beat down those who ask questions. "9/11 Truthers" are not radicals who hate America. The truth is that it is just plain hard to know what the truth really is anymore.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Monday, February 09, 2009

Is Stimulus too Small?


The American Economy is on the brink. Americans are losing their jobs, their savings and their homes and the GOP with scrooge like machiavellian streak is engaged in a goal line stand attempting to insure that this President does not suceed in bailing out the economy. Make no mistake, they are not "fighting the good fight" but are trying to insure that the stimulus fails so that they can say they were against it from the get go. The plan is to battle the President Obama to the end, whittle Obama's Stimulus down to something inconsequential and thereby reducing the likelihood of its dramatic success. Then they can run against Democrats in 2010 and 2012 while continuing to put forth false arguments that returning money to the most privileged classes is the only way that the economy can be restarted when the reality is that it is Republican wealth concentration agenda over the last 30 years that has resulted in record economic disparity in America and pushed the American economy over the cliff. The people chose Obama's agenda, not John McCain's in this last election. While many Americans will end up homeless and bankrupt, John McCain can wax philosophic about his patriotism from one of his eight homes while his countrymen are in the streets. It is time to start priming the pump and investing in American infrastructure and society. Bottom line, the wealthy classes will not be safe in America if Americans cannot buy a sandwich, have a roof over their heads and heat in winter. Excess wealth concentration is placing American Society on the brink of revolution. What good is rebuilding Afghanistan if our society is crumbling all around us? I do not hate rich people or begrudge entrepreneurs for their success or even those that have inherited wealth. To the contrary. This is not about that. This is about preserving the integrity of our democracy. The GOP is the defender of what Paul Krugman has called The Madoff Economy and folks like McCain are battling to perpetuate it while posturizing as conservatively trying to protect the average citizen.
About Stimulus Package
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Friday, January 23, 2009

Matthews Slams NY Daily News Political Reporter Liz Benjamin For Citing Blog Rumors About Caroline Kennedy: "Let's Stick To Journalism. I Don't Do That Here"



There is a lot of meaningless nastiness that has been directed at Caroline Kennedy. It is especially disturbing and probably was unnecessary if the goal was to make a stronger case for the choice of of another candidate. While Caroline is a woman from a prominent family, it is also one that has suffered great tragedy. Caroline Kennedy has remained mostly a private citizen and extended her name and relative celebrity to meaningful causes like education, even if some question the extent of her actual record. Truth is, it did not seem that Caroline was much concerned about creating a record as much as she appeared to be lending the Kennedy name to important issues. Obama inspired many people, including Caroline Kennedy, who may have otherwise been content to remain on the sidelines, to get more actively involved. The foregoing being said, going from private citizen to the klieg lights of Broadway which is the rough and tumble New York political scene may have been a bit naive on her part, even with her having some strong allies at City Hall and the White House.

The selection of the relatively unknown, but nevertheless in my estimation, highly qualified Kirsten Gillibrand, a Blue Dog Democrat was a bold stroke by New York Governor Patterson, even if the process left much to be desired. If nothing else is clear is that the Clinton machine wanted one of their own to fill Hillary's seat and Governor Patterson viewed placating Hillary as important to his electoral success in 2010.
Clintonism has affected or infected (depending on your perspective) the New York Democratic political apparatus. One suspects that the jockeying for Hillary's seat went on long before the media began to focus on this in earnest. New York politico's enthusiastically bent over backwards to support their adopted New Yorker. The scorched earth tactics pursed in an effort to lower Caroline Kennedy's standing and to neutralize Andrew Cuomo were curious, if not downright foolish. The case for elevating Gillibrand could have been made without undermining a Kennedy or a Cuomo. Allies close to Hillary and the Clinton's in general ought to be careful leaving their fingerprints all over this selection and the smear job used to attain it. VOTE FRAUD in the New York Democratic Presidential Primary by those loyal to Clinton was largely overlooked by the mainstream media, despite Bloomberg and Citizens Union raising questions about the mystery in Harlem. Spitzer became mirred in his own scandal shortly thereafter and was forced to resign before he could even consider the request to investigate the fraud.

To bully a progressive like Caroline Kennedy with an inquest in to her private life serves no meaningful purpose.
Clinton surrogate, Chuck Schumer let on that Gillibrand's selection was a thinly veiled appeal to upstate voters, as well as Conservative Democrats. Patterson strategy appears to be to hold downstate Democratic voters while hoping that Gillbrand expands his base sufficiently to get him elected in 2010. Having Kennedy's, Cuomo's and Progressive Democrats in New York City aligned against you, however, is definitely a gamble. Does this not illustrate once and for all the “questionable” progressive bona fides of “liberal” icon Hillary Rodham Clinton? Was this her parting shot at those who abandoned her campaign to support Obama in New York and a reminder that the Clinton's still have major juice in New York? Abandoning Hillary seems to carry ramifications indeed. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that Governor Bill Richardson, Caroline Kennedy and Charles Rangel all became mirred in scandal or became the subject of rumor and innuendo in the media after jumping aboard Obama's train. And the timing of the Spitzer scandal, just so curious on so many levels. The Clinton Legacy should be re-examined, lest history keep repeating itself. Now that Hillary is at the State Department, let's see if our local leaders could regrow a set of balls and make decisions without consulting the Clinton Machine.
See also, The Huffington Post

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

J Lo's Big Ass Move on Obama: Enter The Opportunists

Obama's grand Inaugural Celebration is attracting 'SURPRISE" celebrity opportunists from every corridor, including those who did not support his candidacy and did not work to help him get elected. J Lo will speak at the Inaugural Latino Ball and husband Mark Anthony will sing despite their repeated snubs of Obama during the electoral cycle. Of course the prima donna and her scrawny husband want to be front and center in the media spectacle of the century, Obama's Inauguration. "I need to Know" what Mark Anthony had to do with Obama's election. According to Page Six: One power player called them "vile opportunists for worming themselves into anything Obama related even though they had nothing to do with his win." But what they do not get is: this ain't about them. It is about all the people who gave donations of $5 and $10 bucks at a time, like my self and millions of others around the country. They did not even support his candidacy yet J Lo and Mark Anthony, for purposes of publicity and exposure seek to place themselves front and center at the party of the century. Personally, I have more of a right to be there than these two. If Obama needs someone with a Big Ass at the Inauguration, he would be better off having his people connect with Milani Rose or the publishers of KING MAGAZINE, where you will be more likely to find Obama supporters and those who actually worked to make a contribution to his campaign. The Hip Hop community helped Obama significantly in raising funds and getting out the vote in many battle ground states. Many in the Latino community did as well, but not J Lo or Mark Anthony, even when they were called upon. And here is the deal, I actually like J Lo, her big ass, big voice especially in her portrayal of Selena and big style. But there is a time and place to "know your place" in the pecking order--with all due respect.

Americans need to wake up from the haze of our culture of distraction. As a people we have become so consumed, pre-occupied and distracted with celebrity culture, reading, watching and speaking about what celebrities do and say on a daily basis to the detriment of focusing on our own lives. J Lo and Mark Anthony's desire to be at the party of the century has more to do with receiving publicity and exposure from one of the biggest events of modern times. The "little people" in America need to remain engaged, read more books, alternative sources of media to the mainstream press, turn off the television from time to time and spend a little less of their time, energy and money on consuming the culture of celebrity. Perhaps then we will be able to tone down the relative significance of the culture of celebrity and celebrate the work of writers, painters, poets and artists who can truly help lead us towards a cultural reawakening to reshape our society rather than continuing to support those who currently prey off and enrich themselves off our ignorance. We need a little less bling and a little more of the real thing. Or as stated by Ayn Rand: “Every aspect of Western culture needs a new code of ethics - a rational ethics - as a precondition of rebirth.”

2009 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL LINKS