Scott Walker, Hosni Mubarak, & David Koch

Scott Walker and David Koch

David Koch and his brother have been financing the Tea Party and many candidates like Scott Walker, the newly-elected governor of Wisconsin. Last week, in a long conversation with someone he thought was David Koch, Scott Walker indicated that he had considered planting "trouble makers" in the crowd of  the protesting union workers at the state capitol. The question is; for what purpose? Did he want his "troublemakers"  to turn the peaceful protest to violence? Did he want  them to create an excuse to send in the national guard to break up the demonstration? Did he want them to create trouble in the hope that the corporate media would have TV footage of  dangerous demonstrators? Would he have notified the  media in advance to stage the "news" of the 'violent protesters"?

If you recall, placing "troublemakers" among the protesters was the tactic Hosni Mubarak used in Egypt,  and other dictators throughout the Mideast are still using.


The concern is: why would a state governor who has sworn to uphold the Constitution and "the rule of law" ( a favorite Republican theme) even consider such tactics?


The Madison, Wisconsin,  police chief has similar concerns.  He said, "I find it very unsettling and troubling that anyone would consider creating safety risks for our citizens and law enforcement officers. Our department works hard dialoging with those who are exercising their First Amendment right, those from both sides of the issue, to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure they can demonstrate safely,"  (Raw Story 2/26/2011) Perhaps the governor is not concerned about the safety of the citizens or the police.


Of course, there is a strong possibility that Governor Walker is not calling the shots. He may be the puppet  controlled by the Koch brothers. Based on that fake telephone conversation, Walker felt obligated to take the call he thought was from David Koch and explain his actions and/or lack of actions to the puppet-master.


How often in history have we seen such a scenario take place when politicians are beholden to those with obscene amounts of money? 

Traditional Books vs. eBooks

Having enjoyed my Kindle and the many eBooks I have read this past year, I must say there are some aspects of the traditional paper book which I will miss because there are some things one can do with traditional books that one cannot do with an eBook:


1. stack them up in a pile and have a plant stand for the herb of your choice.


2. throw them at the cat  --  and still be able to read them.


3. burn them in the fireplace  --  especially when an ice storm has deprived you of electricity.


4. use them as a door stop.


5. hide money or stock certificates in them -- "hiding something in plain sight."


6. sell them on eBay to someone with that type of addiction.


7. recycle them  --" paper thou art and unto paper thou shalt return."


8. stack them up to replace a missing table leg -- no one need know what happened to the  original leg.


9. tear out individual pages to wallpaper your "reading room."


10. if really desperate, one can tear out individual pages and use the same way my grandparents used the pages from the Sears catalog


All I'm saying is that modern technology has some trade-offs.

Al Franken, Net Neutrality, & Republican Corporations

Net Neutrality is a David-and-Goliath struggle, and unfortunately it is taking place under the radar, possibly because the news providers are under the control of the large corporations trying to hijack the internet. Fortunately, Senator Franken is paying attention and is on top of the issue. Democracy requires the free and uncontrolled flow of ideas, and we, Americans,  cannot allow the large corporations to control and censor the internet.

I received the following from Senator Franken about his concern for net neutrality:

Dear Ronald,

By now you may have heard the news: Republicans in the House of Representatives voted last week to block the FCC from enforcing its new net neutrality regulations.

As I’ve said before, these regulations weren’t nearly good enough to ensure that the Internet remains free and open. But they were a step in the right direction. And by voting to eliminate them, House Republicans declared their willingness to let big corporations control the Internet.

We know what this could mean for American consumers -- less diversity of viewpoints, less access to independent content through services like Netflix, and higher prices for Internet service.

The good news is that the Senate still has a chance to stop this special interest power play. I’m working as hard as I can to build support for net neutrality in the Senate -- but I’m not the only one talking to my colleagues. These corporations have lobbyists of their own, lots of them, and they’re descending upon Capitol Hill en masse.

The only way we're going to save net neutrality is if ordinary Americans make their voices heard. I'll update you soon -- but for now, please forward this email to your friends and ask them to join our campaign by linking up with me on Twitter or Facebook.

Thanks -- and stay tuned.

Al

Bitches and Nice Girls

When I first picked up an advance copy of Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch's World, my immediate reaction was, "I don't think so." It seemed to me that the bitches succeed, and the nice girls get run over by the bitch's train. Now Megan Munroe wants me to believe that all the nice girls in my life can go toe-toe with the bitch and win? This is something I have to read.


"Bitch" and "Nice Girl" are of course stereotypes, and therefore everyone has a general idea of who they are. The conflict between the two has been documented in literature since the time of Shakespeare or before, and we in the audience are praying that the Nice Girl ends up kicking the Bitch's ass. On stage and in film that frequently happens, and we experience a "happy ending." On the other hand, in our own lives, whether it be in a  business, family, social, political, or religious  setting, we frequently see the opposite happen. The Bitch eats the Nice Girl's lunch.


Megan Munroe is convinced that in real life the Nice Girl can ultimately prevail, and she advises the Nice Girls how to do it. Obviously Nice Girls need to read this book, but it's not beyond the realm of belief that Bitches should also read this book, if for no other reason than to see how transparently ridiculous they appear to the rest of the world.


As Munroe points out there has been a strain of bitchiness in the entertainment industry for years. She specifically points out Barbara Streisand, Bette Middler, and Madonna. They felt the need to be bitchy in order to succeed and be famous. Madonna, in fact, is a self-proclaimed bitch. "I am tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay."


 Perhaps the real arena of the modern Bitch is politics. Since Newt Gingrich made political incivility popular, some of the women entering  politics since have felt compelled to demonstrate their toughness by exhibiting a high level of "bitchiness."  Whether they hold political office like Michele Bachmann, are political wannabes like Sarah Palin, or are media  commentators like Ann Coulter, they have adapted the role of  in-your-face bitchiness. On the other hand, there are Nice Girls succeeding in American politics as is evidenced by Gabrielle Giffords and other female politicians like her. I suggest that Gabby has already mastered the role of a Nice Girl.


It appears the Bitches in politics, just like Streisannd, Middler, and Madonna, are interested in wealth, and fame, and the Nice Girls like Gabby Giffords are more interested in serving the general welfare of their country as specified in the Constitution of the United States.


However, Megan Munroe's main concern is the more basic feminine conflict of two types, and strategies for the Nice Girl as she stands up to the Bitch. In my opinion, the author pulls this off and does so in a quite entertaining and readable fashion.


Bitch, Please! , a Turner Publication, will be available in all venues in March, 2011.

The Plutocracy Agenda for the USA

What is it the Plutocrats like the Koch brothers want? Many more billions for themselves and "their kind."


How do the Plutocrats get that? Lower taxes on the wealthy and less government.


How can the Plutocrats lower taxes and cut back on government regulations? Control Republican (and some Democratic ) politicians..


How do Plutocrats control politicians? Invest so much money in their political campaigns that they cannot get along without them. Plutocrats like the Koch brothers consider it an "investment;" you and I know it as "Pay-to-Play."


Back in the day, the John Birch Society (a Koch project ) somewhat unsuccessfully attempted this, but once Ronald Reagan was elected, the gravy train for the wealthy picked up steam and has been gaining more and more steam. The George W. Bush administration put it on the fast track. Then in December, President Obama extended the tax cut for the billionaires because the Republican leaders were holding the unemployment insurance extension hostage. Today the wealthiest 1% of Americans take home 24 % of the American income -- that's up 9 % since 1976. (NYT,Kristof, 11/6/2010). Also, today the wealthiest top 1% enjoy tax rates 1/3 lower than in 1970. (CNNMoney).


From the time Reagan took office until 2005, 4/5 ths of the total increase in American income went to the top wealthiest 1% of the population. It was also Ronald Reagan who eliminated "The Fairness Doctrine" which held that if you were permitted to use the public's air waves, you had to make an effort to present both sides of a story. The elimination of this doctrine gave rise to Rush Limbaugh and his ilk who can use the public air waves to propagandize 24/7. The Plutocrats can keep the money flowing into these megaphones of misinformation.


And the threat of plutocracy is not something new. In 1816 Thomas Jefferson wrote; " I hope we shall...crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government in a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

Ohio's New Pharaoh

(image from cincinnati.com)

Ohio's new Pharaoh, John Kasich,  says he is being bothered by ant hills on his way to build pyramids. As I remember, the pyramids were extravagant monuments erected as tombs for the wealthy pharaohs and built by slaves. Me thinks Pharaoh John wants to build   his monuments on the backs of public employees.

Palin's Valentine List Pared Down

The usual unreliable sources inside Sarah Palin's compound in Wassila, Alaska, report that some former "sweethearts" and others are being dropped from Sarah's Valentine's mailing list this year. As one can imagine, there never were any Democrats, liberals,  progressives, immigrants, or minorities on the list; so those who were eliminated were fellow Republicans, other clan members, or journalists. Those who will  not receive a Valentine card from her (in no particular order) are:


1. Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol's child and Sarah's grandchild.
2. John McCain, the presidential candidate who placed her on the national stage.
3. Rick Santorum, the "knuckle-dragging Neanderthal" who suggested she was mercenary.
4. Katie Couric, the journalist who asked her unanswerable questions --What newspapers do you read?
5. Barbara Bush, who suggested Sarah should stay in Alaska.
6. Karl Rove, who said Sarah is not a viable presidential candidate and she suggested he could "go to..."
7. Lisa Murkowski, Rep. senator from Alaska who says Sarah "is no leader."
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger, ex gov. of California who made fun of Sarah's "I can see Russia from my house."
9. Maureen Dowd, columnist who wrote that Sarah has "made ignorance fashionable."
10. Donald Trump, who says Sarah can't win a national election.


Nevertheless, their are still many "mama grizzlies" on her list.

What Is Virginia Thomas Selling?

---

Justice for Sale ?

Many have maintained that the Republicans have perfected the "Pay-to-Play" game in American politics (cf. Nov. elections). Now it seems, Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, may be developing a new conservative Republican game, "Buy-A-Justice." (Reminds one of coal companies in West Virginia.)

Mrs. Thomas has announced that she is starting Liberty Consulting, and she will sell her lobbying services to those  who wish to influence Republican and Tea Party members of congress. Soliciting clients, she "boasts on the Liberty Consulting website that she’s met with half of the incoming GOP freshmen representatives and calls herself 'a self-appointed, ambassador to the freshmen class and an ambassador to the Tea Party movement.'" (Daily Beast 2/4/11) All lobbyists sell themselves based on their "access" to Congress, but even more troubling than that is the implication that Mrs. Thomas'  "connections" are her husband and his position on the Supreme Court.


As citizens we had hoped the Supreme Court was above politics. Then, in Bush vs. Gore  we saw five Supreme Court Justices who had spoken elegantly about States Rights change their minds and resolve the case along political lines. In 2009 we saw an activist 5-4 Supreme Court decision (Citizens United) ruling that multi-national corporations and unions were really the same as you and I, and therefore able to donate undisclosed millions of dollars to political campaigns. Another blatantly  political decision. Therefore, we should not be surprised that the Supreme Court has been politicized, but Americans, being the optimists we are, were hoping that in spite of the politicization, Justices were at least not influenced by money but by deeply-felt principles, albeit political.


This new caper by Virginia Thomas, a  Justice's wife, takes the gambit to a new level. What will Justice Thomas do when a case comes before the Supreme Court in which one of the parties to the case is a client of his wife's  lobbying company? He refused to recuse himself in the Citzens United case, although many felt that his wife's affiliations created a conflict of interest. Based on that history, it is unlikely that in the future he will recuse himself even though one party in the case is employing his wife as a lobbyist.


By her own admission, Mrs. Thomas is selling her lobbying services based on her influence. Her customers will know that she is literally in bed with a Supreme Court Justice. They will expect the money they are paying her to "influence" you-know-who.


If Justice Thomas gets away with this, what can we expect? Will Chief Justice Roberts' wife begin  a business as a lobbyist?  She could set up a website like this: My husband is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I have even more influence than Virginia Thomas, but, of course my fee obviously is higher than Virginia Thomas'.


Gotta love capitalism! Everything is for sale!

Reagan's Version of "Fairness Doctrine"

(image from b9rxgtxng.blogspot.com )

FYI Kindle Nation

If you are a Kindle user, but have missed the actual page numbers of traditional books, Amazon has heard you and is offering  a free software update to provide that and more.


 "New to Kindle: We've just released an early preview of a new, free software update for latest generation devices. Features include: real page numbers for many titles; ability to share notes with and follow other readers; and new convenient options once you’ve finished a Kindle Book to rate the book and share your thoughts.
Early Preview of Free Software Update for Kindle
www.amazon.com"

Our Experiment in Simplifying Our Lives - Feng Shui

Since my wife, Sandy, and I are on the wrong side of sixty five, she decided we should "simplify" our lives. To her that means "eliminating" those things that complicate our lives. When I agreed (just a formality), she asked what we could eliminate that would most simplify our life. After some thought, I said, "Children and grandchildren." By the look in her eye, I knew that was not a good answer. In fact, I could tell she was thinking of painful ways of eliminating me.


After explaining to me that we were to eliminate material possessions, not people, she suggested we begin in the basement, that huge hole in the ground beneath our house that served as the final resting place of all those treasures one no longer wants but refuses to throw away. Fair enough I thought until I realized my treasures were the ones on the disposal block. She started with my saws. "How many saws does one person need?" I think that was a rhetorical question. I have a table saw, a radial arm saw, a reciprocating saw, an electric hand saw, a scroll saw, a regular hand saw, a hack saw, a pruning saw and few others whose purpose escapes me. After some thought it was clear to me that I needed all those saws. "When  is the last time you used that saw?" she asked pointing at an old hand saw. Although I haven't used it in many years, one never knows. What if we have a power outage and I need to cut a piece of lumber? At that point she rolled her eyes and suggested that my brain had experienced a power outage years ago.


Sensing that I needed a diversion, I asked her about all the pots and pans we are storing. We have enough to start a William Sonoma outlet. We have aluminium, stainless steel, copper, cast iron, ceramic, Calphalon, tri-metal, and a variety of pottery. And then there are several crock pots, rosters, grill pans, and fondue pots.  Having learned from experience, I knew better than suggest we eliminate anything cast iron. I threw some of those old black uglies away at one time, and I was sleeping at Motel 6 for two weeks. Needless to say, she was not keeping the light on for me.


My strategy was to suggest I throw away one saw for every pot or pan she threw away, but I was informed, "That's not fair. We need those pots and pans to survive. I use those to prepare gourmet dinners for you, and judging from your girth, I am doing a damn good job." Ouch!


We were soon back in the basement amid my treasures.  "And what about these old tennis racquets? You use only one racquet,  and you have fifty to sixty racquets taking up space down here." What she doesn't understand is that those old racquets are antiques. Sure the wooden frames are warped and the strings are broken, but they are true relics of bygone years.  "Good," she says, "if they are so valuable, let's sell them and buy a château in the Alps." Another ouch!


Finally she informed me that this was all a part of an oriental philosophy of Feng Shui, and that if I eliminated my saws and tennis racquets, I would be a new man. I would be free of all these useless encumbrances to my happiness. But then I learned that the philosophy did not apply to pots and pans.


When I suggested that maybe we should "Feng Shui" women's shoes, I was again making a reservation at Motel 6.

What Upsets Kasich: Top 10

Ohio Governor John Kasich
"Don't Cry John, That's Boehner's Thing" 

One might think that the Gov is upset that Ohio is facing  an $8 billion dollar budget deficit and that Ohioans continue to face high unemployment rates, but these are the top 10 things that really tick him off:

1. A majority of voters wanted someone else for governor of Ohio in the November election.
2. The " bus"  he vowed to run us over with has a flat tire.
3. He was unable to change Martin Luther King Day to March 17th.
4. Although he tried, he could not have a "secret inauguration."
5. The governor's mansion was not good enough for him and his family.
6. He learned that twelve per cent of Ohio's population is black.
7. He can't repeal the Ohio Constitution and become King.
8. The money in Ohio pension funds cannot be used to revive his defunct Lehman Brothers.
9. He cannot give Ohio State Parks to BP to convert to oil-drilling fields.
10. Ohio's deficit can't be blamed on its public employees as he claims.  

For Kate

Kate, thank you for the email and the kind words about my sense of humor.


You think I am opinionated and biased. I agree. I believe in a set of socio-political values which I do not try to conceal. Primarily I believe that government should be for the common good or as the Constitution states, the "general welfare." I also believe in the unity of the United States. We are a great and successful country because our fifty states are united and have a common purpose. When individual states pursue their own agendas, the country is weakened.


You observe that I should not be so anti-Republican. Again, I agree. It's not that I dislike all Republicans; it's that I dislike most current Republicans -- at least those who have arrived after Newt Gingrich poisoned the political well. And now we have a minority Tea Party manipulating the Republican Party. I just can't bring myself to like them.


On the other hand, I like some Republicans, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower, and Nelson Rockefeller. And unfortunately a majority of my friends and acquaintances are Republican. Of course we never talk politics  because we will never agree.


So Kate, I guess the bottom line is that I will continue on as before. And thanks for trying to raise my game to a higher level. It's just not going to happen.

Slavery from the Inside

Harriet came into the world with three strikes against her. First: her mother was a black slave. Second: Harriet was a girl. And the third strike was that she was beautiful. Slave mothers hoped that their daughters would be unattractive because that would increase their chances of having a better life in the plantation system. Unfortunately Harriet Jacobs was beautiful, and in her early teens she began to experience the accompanying problems as she became the desire of her predatory master.

Incidents in the Live of a Slave Girl, written in 1861 by Harriet Jacobs, provides readers with a first-hand account of life on a North Carolina plantation in the 19th century.

Of particular  interest in her account is that she has witnessed how the institution of slavery affects not only the  slaves, but corrupts the plantation owner, his wife, his children, and the neighboring poor whites. Once it becomes acceptable for a person to own another human being, the poison of immorality and corruption permeates the plantation way of life. The owner feels justified in raping young slave girls because they are his chattel. The owner's wife becomes jealous and angry because everyday she sees the children her husband fathered with a slave. Slave children and the owner's children are raised together, but then have to go in different directions when they becomes teenagers. The neighboring poor whites are disturbed the slaves frequently have better accommodations than they have, and therefore take advantage of every situation in which they can inflict violence. The immorality suffuses the whole system.

At first I was doubtful that this book was written by a fugitive slave because the vocabulary and style are Victorian English, but as I continued to read, I sensed an authentic voice and understood why it was written in that style. By accident Harriet learned to read and write at a young age, and her writing imitates what she read  -- the Bible and Victorian literature.

Once the reader becomes involved in the life of this slave girl, the vocabulary and style no longer matter. Along with Harriet we begin to experience the brutality of the day-to-day life of a slave and are amazed that she has the strength and courage to escape to the North where she wrote this book.