If He Were In Al Qaeda...

Last Sunday, Bryon Williams loaded up his car with guns and body armor and headed to the San Francisco offices of ACLU and the Tides Foundation. He was sick and tired of them and was going to send a message. Thankfully, the police stopped him in a shootout. More fortunately, the only injuries policed suffered were from broken glass. Police have said that Williams may not have been acting alone.

While it's possible that others may have been involved in aiding him or he may have been a part of a small group of malcontents on a lower level, the overall issue of him "acting alone" is not in question. Like Scott Roeder, Williams is yet another member of the Cult that just couldn't take it anymore.

The 45-year-old Groveland man has a history of anti-government and anti-corporation behavior, and a deep-rooted hate for liberal causes, authorities said. He reportedly ranted at one point about "the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items," according to published reports.

Railroading through left wing agenda items? That's The Cult 101, baby.

Talking Points Memo has a story about how Glenn Beck has spent a lot of time discussing the Tides Foundation. No doubt, it's possible that this group will become another ACORN...falling victim to libel and entrapment in what clearly is the Cult goal of destroying any social causes. Beck has described at length how the real agenda behind Tides is more sinister.

The Tides Foundation, they started laying the groundwork on this back during the Reagan administration. They have been assembling an army that we have laughed at and have dismissed as a bunch of community organizers. "These people are bullies," Beck said. "These people are thugs."

Of course, Beck can't be held responsible for Williams' actions, right? I mean, it is OK to yell fire in a crowded theater, isn't it?

Of course it is in the land of the Cult. Sharon Angle, the Cult nominee in Nevada running against Harry Reid, had this to say.

You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years.

I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.

Taking people out is what Sarah Palin talked about when she put up this map (left) of the United States which literally targets Congressional candidates. Silly me, though, I'm sure I'm just imagining all of this. And, naturally, I'm "just as bad."

Dan Gainor, the Vice President of the Media Research Center (a Cult group), offered $100 to anyone who punches Democratic Florida Representative Alan Grayson in the face. Following this comment, came a death threat to the Congressman's office which claimed that "10 people are going to kill Grayson in the next 24 hours."

But again, correlation does not mean causation. I mean, my lyin' ears and eyes must be fibbing up a storm because Williams is a "lone nut" who is just like all the liberal loonies out there...loonies who are encouraged by Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosito to hurt or kill people. Silly me (again). I must remember that there is balance and that there are two sides (hurling sound of Mark throwing up in his mouth) to every story.

Indeed, comparisons should always be drawn. Because if Williams were a member of Al Qaeda...

Still Running The Show

As blk and I drove home from the fantastic film "Inception," our conversation turned to politics as it usually does. BLK has been trying to get me off of the Cult meme and shift into defining the current form of the GOP as being more tribal. His points are very well taken. They do behave in quite a tribe like fashion and I may shift some of my views on this slightly. Perhaps a tribal cult?

One of the points we poured over in amusement was how The Tribe (let's just try it out for this post and see how it works:)) really has only one goal: to win the argument. They do this by desperately trying to prove anyone left of them wrong. We see this in comments all the time in regards to yours truly. There's not really much critical thinking on my posts--just the driving force of proving me wrong. That's all that really matters. Reality certainly doesn't matter.

The same thing holds true for the issue of racism. The Tribe will never admit their obvious racism and take any chance they get to accuse the left of racism. Sonja Sotomayor is racist, for example, and Rush Limbaugh is most certainly not. They take great delight in sifting and searching for any racist remark made by non white people. If they find even a kernel of one, whoops of delight are seen exploding all over the blogsphere, the radio and Fox News. "See? They're racist!! So that means we're not!!!"

Take a look at what happened with Shirley Sherrod. Right wing blogger Andrew Brietbart wanted desperately to prove that the NAACP is racist--he wanted to win the argument--so he put up an edited video of Sherrod reflecting on her own struggles with bias. It turns out that the much longer version of the video paints a much different picture. In no way did she harm any white farmers in Georgia.

This whole incident proves a few things. To being with, it proves blk's point about how the Tribe is really only interested in winning. They aren't interested in confronting these issues in a serious way. They simply want to point and accuse others of what is, in reality, their problem. It also shows how people like Brietbart and Fox News get to be complete dicks and get away with it. BLK and I discussed this as well. People like Rush and Glenn Beck can say whatever they want and be assholes. Even elected GOP leaders can be dicks. In their assholeishness, they have created a seemingly fool proof position in which all outcomes are desirable. If they are ass hats with no response from the left, then the left is weak. If there is a response, then it's "Look at the rabid and insane Lib!" See, people expect the GOP to be rabid and insane so it's OK when they do it.

Best of all, though, is we have yet another answer to Last in Line's question. How can you still bitch about conservatives when they aren't in power?

Because nutless monkeys like Ben Jealous listen to them.

The Eye of the Beholder

"Mark, you are a fuckwit. Obama has betrayed us."
I didn't say anything as he was ranting. Sometimes it helps to let people get it all out.
"He is going to drive this country into the toilet. He is a traitor."
Finally I had to say something. I'd heard this so many times.
"What exactly is he doing to betray us or our country?"
"Everything. All of his policies," he spat back at me.
"So what are you saying, then?"
"Mark, Barack Obama is not a socialist. He's not a Democrat. He's a fucking country club Republican. In fact, all of the Democrats have betrayed me and I've had it. I'm joining the Socialist Party of America. There are not liberals in the Democratic Party."

The preceding conversation took place in my family room two Sundays ago with a friend whom we will call Greg. Truly, it was one of the most bizarre ones I have ever had. Greg spent most of the night getting drunk and screaming to me about a variety of issues. Needless to say, he is not a very happy person. He blames everyone else for his problems and feels that he is entitled to..well...anything he wants. No doubt, he would be a poster child for Fox News and Rush Limbaugh as a fine example the stereotype of the left. Glenn Beck would make a shit load of Greg and were he ever to find himself in the spotlight, it would be a fantastic coup for the Cult.

Of course, the most amusing thing about the whole exchange was how similar it was to the ones I have with my conservative pals. Take out the word "not" and everything else contains the same amount of anger and hate. On the one hand we have a group of people that think Obama is a socialist spewing vitriol and then we have others like Greg who spew equally that he is not.

So is he?

Well according to this poll, 55 percent of Americans say that he is a socialist. But we all know that polls are not always accurate.

A recent article in my favorite news publication, The Christian Science Monitor, looked at this issue in depth. For I think the first time in any news story related to the "Obama is a socialist meme," someone actually asked (gasp!) some socialists what they thought.

"I have been making a living telling people Obama is not a socialist," says Frank Llewellyn, national director of the Democratic Socialists of America. "It's frustrating to see people using our brand to criticize programs that have nothing to do with our brand and are not even working."Adds Billy Wharton,co-chair of the Socialist Party USA: "I am not even sure he's a liberal. I call him a hedge fund Democrat."

This jibes with what I have been saying all along. Politically speaking, he bears quite a bit more in common with Dwight Eisenhower than the socialists. The real problem is this:

What Mr. Johns [Heritage Foundation], Mr. Gingrich, and others brandishing the "socialist" s-word are really complaining of is a return to the policies of John Maynard Keynes, the English economist who advocated vigorous government involvement in the economy, from regulation to pump priming, says labor historian Peter Rachleff of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn."Socialism suggests getting rid of capitalism altogether," says Dr. Rachleff. "Mr. Obama is not within a million miles of an ideology like that."

That's pretty much where I am at although I think in the current environment, Kenyes is woefully outdated. The current financial overhaul is certainly a step in the right direction. Let's see if it actually goes back to controlling private industry more effectively as was the case with Glass-Steagall. This control means no more making money by changing the rules and/or engaging in criminal activity...which is why Johns, Gingrich and other Cult leaders are so pissed off.

Invariably, when this topic also comes up, we hear stories of the federal government and GM. This is where the Cult spins its yarns.

The government has already used its ownership stake to impose sweeping mandates and regulations on the companies, such as closing hundreds of dealerships, he says."They forced changes in management that should more properly have been left to the company's private shareholders," says Johns.

Not true, according to GM. The US did not exert pressure to close the 1,100 shuttered dealerships, says spokeswoman Noreen Pratscher. "The government has taken a very hands-off approach."

A "hands off" approach? Well, that simply won't do. How dare GM say that the government has been hands off. That's not in the script!!!! Noreen must be a Feminazi. Or a Marxist. Or Hitler. Just pick one.

And what about AIG? That's got to be a great example of Obama's socialism. The federal government owns 80 percent of it, right? That is socialism.

There are two flaws in this theory, however. First, the takeover was actually begun under George W. Bush. Unless he is also secretly a socialist, the whining about Obama running AIG seems silly in light of this fact. Second,

The takeover of an ailing company whose collapse might ruin the US economy is not socialism, says Van Gosse, a Socialist and historian at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. "Let's just say AIG was profitable, and you thought it was better if it was in public hands. That would be socialistic."

Yep. So, what exactly is Obama if not a socialist?

"FDR tried all kinds of things and was accused of all kinds of things," says Tom Cronin, a presidential scholar at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. "But in retrospect, he is someone who helped capitalism survive."

If President Obama is successful, that is exactly what he will be as well: The Savior of Capitalism...much to the chagrin of my pal Greg. I guess I better hide my liquor the next time he comes over.

Papers please, Juden

So, let me see if I have this straight. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the rest of the Democrats are all Nazis who are going to enslave us all and put our population into re-education camps. But Jason "JT" Ready is not a Nazi, is a true patriot, and will keep us all safe.

Apparently, Mr. Ready spends his days, along with some other members of the National Socialist Movement, patrolling our border for any illegals. "We're not going to sit around and wait for the government anymore," Ready said. "This is what our founding fathers did."

Hmm....haven't I heard that somewhere before? Verbatim?

Ready, a 37-year-old ex-Marine, is different. He and his friends are outfitted with military fatigues, body armor and gas masks, and carry assault rifles. Ready takes offense at the term "neo-Nazi," but admits he identifies with the National Socialist Movement.

I don't know about the rest of you but just the mere action of cutting and pasting this paragraph gave me an erection.

And he hates the term "neo-Nazi" but does identify himself with the National Socialist Movement? Makes perfect sense to me:)

Ready said he's planning patrols throughout the summer."If they don't want my people out there, then there's an easy way to send us home: Secure the border," he said. "We'll put our guns back on the shelf, and that'll be the end of that."

Isn't that the same thing that Sarah Palin said in the video I put up here a few days ago?

I wonder if Ready is enough of a meta-thinker that he might--just might--grasp Manzi's thoughts on immigration.

We should reconceptualize immigration as recruiting. Assimilating immigrants is a demonstrated core capability of America's political economy — and it is one we should take advantage of. A robust-yet-reasonable amount of immigration is healthy for America. It is a continuing source of vitality — and, in combination with birth rates around the replacement level, creates a sustainable rate of overall ­population growth and age-demographic balance.

We should think of immigration as an opportunity to improve our stock of human capital.

Anyone think Ready and others like him will understand this?

I won't hold my breath.

Corporate Force A Go Go

BLK sent me this piece recently. The basic gist of it is that corporations are now using their tool (literal and figurative) known as the government to jail people for not paying debts. Many of these debts aren't really debts at all. Some were paid off long ago and then re-surfaced as still being owed because...well...private corporations are douche bags and want to fuck people over...draining every last cent out of them that they can.

"The law enforcement system has unwittingly become a tool of the debt collectors," said Michael Kinkley, an attorney in Spokane, Wash., who has represented arrested debtors. "The debt collectors are abusing the system and intimidating people, and law enforcement is going along with it."

Yeah, but it still must be all about government power, right Cult members? Even though, debtors prisons were abolished a long time ago, our plutonomy has resurrected them again in keeping with their aristocratic fantasies.

Here is the follow up which essentially illustrates the shriveled penis also known as our government attempting to do something about it.

No Doubt...

From his analyses of interaction in different groups, Georg Simmel concluded that groups often find it convenient to think of nonmembers or outsiders as somehow inferior to members of the group. But why does this familiar in-group/out-group bias develop? Simmel explained it as arising out of the intensity of interactions within the group, which leads its members to feel that other groups are less important. Once they have identified another group as inferior, it is not a great leap to think of its members as enemies, especially because doing so increases their sense of solidarity.

A perfect summation of how I am viewed/treated at TSM. Even more ironic considering that Simmel was a neo-Marxist and a contributor to the Frankfurt School.

Cult=No Practical Application In Reality

What A Shame

For those of you cult members who have been spewing New Black Panther bullshit to me, or NBP (aka the new three letter acronym for Fox News), for the last week, take a look at this. Boy are you people fucking stupid.










Apparently, the decision not to file a criminal case on this matter occurred before Obama was even in office. The case was downgraded to a civil case ELEVEN DAYS BEFORE PRESIDENT OBAMA TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE, TWENTY SIX DAYS BEFORE HOLDER WAS BECAME AG, AND NINE MONTHS BEFORE THOMAS PEREZ WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION. I put this all in caps for those of you who have trouble understanding time and facts. So, the reality is that it was the Bush Administration that thought there was nothing much to this case at all. I guess that means they support the anti-white racism of the NBP, according to Cult logic.

The other thing that is just fucking hilarious about this whole story is that the precinct in which the "voter intimidation" occurred is a heavily Democratic district? Why would they intimidate their own voters? Unless they were simply a thuggish group of assholes, much like the Phelps buttholes, that have no relationship whatsoever with the Obama administration...except the fact that they are black.

Hmmm....I wonder if Cult members understand that black people don't all think the same...

As to why the Obama administration dropped the civil case, here is a pretty thorough explanation.

The decision not to further pursue the civil case reflected long-standing practice regarding Section 11(b), which prior to the Bush administration had last been used to stop a statewide voter-caging effort. The allegation that would have supported pursuing a broader case was the idea that there was a nationwide effort to place New Black Panthers at polling stations for the purpose of suppressing white votes -- the original complaint read that the NBPP "made statements and posted notice that over 300 members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would be deployed at polling locations during voting on November 4, 2008, throughout the United States." The career attorneys recommended dismissing the case on the basis that there wasn't enough evidence to support that claim.

Seems pretty obvious and straight forward to me. But I know that Barack Obama was born in the United States.

Sweet

I was just about to revise my numbers upward for GOP gains in the fall when three things happened.

First, some Rand Paul classics have surfaced with him discussing the evils of Social Security and Medicare. One of the gimme seats for the GOP has now become a neck and neck race with Dem Jack Conway polling even with Paul. Rand-O might want to consider that old people are usually the ones who vote in higher numbers and while many may hate the government, they love their Social Security and Medicare.

By the way, I'm still waiting for one of my conservative readers to explain to me what would've happened to all that Social Security money had it been privatized prior to 2008. Ed? Anyone?

Second, we have David Vitter, still the GOP nominee despite the fact that he admitted to having sex with prostitutes. Not a big deal for me because I think it should be legalized anyway but I have to laugh at the people that support him but yell about Tim Geithner not paying his taxes or Rangel's lawbreaking. It's not __________ when we do it!!

Anyway, ol' Dave had this to say about the birther lawsuits.

I support conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court. I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it.

Wow. I wonder if this will affect his lead in the polls. And didn't President Obama already produce his birth certificate? I know...I know....I just don't get it.

But Michelle Bachmann certainly gets it. Appearing at a right wing conference in Colorado, Bachmann had this to say about our current leadership.

We will talk a little bit about what has transpired in the last 18 months and would we count what has transpired into turning our country into a nation of slaves.

I'm sorry but I have to laugh. I was raked over the coals for using the word "slaves" as a metaphor in a discussion about corporate power over at TSM and I have yet to hear a peep about Bachmann's use of the word. It's not ______ when we do it!!

Honestly, I really can't wait until the party really gets started after Labor Day. It's going to be a real treat to see these three, Palin, and Engle saying things on camera.

And my numbers stay the same...20 lost in the house and 5 in the Senate.

The Return of The Son of Corporate Force

In comments, I recently asked the question

What happens when that individual liberty is threatened or taken away by private corporations?

to which I got the following responses.

"I'll go first, but I'm sure your last comment will be brutalized. "

"Oh lawdie, lawdie, you aren't going for another Corporate Abuse are you? Seriously, that horse is DEAD."

"1. The Federal government's job is to limit the use of fraud or force. If a private corporation tries to persuade you or pressure you economically to give up your freedom, it is not the government's job to forcibly curtail your freedom to be a dumbass."

"2. I have yet to see you demonstrate where a private corporation has curtailed freedom through fraud or force except through the agency of government. So "step in" and do what, exactly? Defend the corporation that has already bought them out, as evidenced by the fact that they are already able to use government as an agency of force against you?"

"You got anything but a handful of bullshit?"

"Show me an example where a private corporation has curtailed freedom and we'll talk."

Sure. Let's talk.

A while back I came across this piece regarding the situation in Mossville, Louisiana. I didn't write anything about it because I wanted to see how some things played out first but here is the gist of what is going on. Apparently, several companies including Citgo, Firestone and PPG industries have turned this area of our country into a toxic wasteland. To be quite frank, they have killed people. And our government has done nothing about it for DECADES.

Now, to be fair, they haven't exactly curtailed freedom in the strictest sense of the word...that is, of course, if you consider being dead being "free." From my standpoint, living a life free of cancer would be a nice freedom to have. Sadly, that is not the case for the residents of Mossville.

"I got cancer. My dad had cancer. In fact, he died of cancer. It's a lot of people in this area who died of cancer," says Herman Singleton Jr., 51, who also lost two uncles and an aunt to cancer.

Singleton and many others in this predominantly African-American community in southwest Louisiana suspect the 14 chemical plants nearby have played a role in the cancer and other diseases they say have ravaged the area.

For decades, Mossville residents have complained about their health problems to industry, and to state and federal agencies. Now with a new Environmental Protection Agency administrator outspoken about her commitment to environmental justice, expectations are growing.

As of this writing, the only "justice" they have received has come in two forms. The first was winning a hearing before the International Commission on Human Rights which means basically zilch to corporate America.

African-American residents of Mossville, a community just west of Lake Charles, have won a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on charges that the U.S. government has violated their rights to privacy and racial equality in not forcing local chemical plants to stop polluting.

Racial equality? Oh boy...that's going to drive the Cult into an apoplectic rage:)

Mossville is adjacent to 14 chemical plants and refineries that release millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into the air, land and water each year, according to federal and state records. Several of the companies and their predecessors have been involved in releases of chemicals that have eaten the paint off cars, killed bushes and trees in people's front yards, and polluted adjacent waterways.

Wow. It sounds like their lives are filled with freedom....

The second form of "justice" was the EPA getting off their asses and agreeing to do testing to see if Mossville qualifies for Superfund assistance from the government. But all that would do is pay off the residents and help them relocate. The 14 companies that are operating there would continue merrily along. Take a look at this report which contains details and data of what they have been up to around Mossville. This report was from 13 years ago! And now something is finally being done?

One of my favorite commenters, Ed Heckman, wrote this in another thread.

How many times do we have to tell you that one of the legitimate purposes of government is to prevent the use of force and fraud before you understand that we mean that force and fraud are wrong, and that therefore, we are NOT promoting a completely unregulated market?

I guess what I'm wondering in regards to the Eds of our country is if the government's job is to prevent force, which in this case is essentially forcing people into ill health and death, AND if our government has become overrun by Socialism/Marxism/Fascism, where exactly is the government when it comes to Mossville? What would you have them do?

The reality is that Mossville is yet another example of how the massive deregulation of the last 30 years has removed government protection and allowed corporations to act as they desire. If people like Ed are not promoting a completely unregulated market, why is it that they support interests that allow the Mossvilles of our country to happen? And don't think for a moment that this is the only area of the country where corporations get to do whatever they want.

Take a look at this map and see how your state ranks.

But the real disconnect from reality that I don't understand will surely come in comments for this post. I was asked to show an example of how a corporation has curtailed the freedom of individual citizens. I have now done that and have called for the legitimate action by government (that has done NOTHING) to stop this horrendous situation that has been going on for decades. What does this mean?

Basically, I'm a Marxist.

AHHHHHHHH!!!!! RUN!!!!!

One would think that the Cult has plenty of things to rip President Obama on these days. Jobs are still in Shitsville...AfPak is a mess...there are still a gazillion gallons of oil spilling into the Gulf...

But no. Oh no. What are they upset about?

Muslims are taking over space. Outer space, that is.

I was left this in comments recently.

And help me understand (through a liberal prism) why the head guy at NASA said this on Al Jazerra TV- "When I became the NASA administrator -- or before I became the NASA administrator -- he charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering," Bolden said in the interview.

First of all, the "head guy" is Charles Bolden. Let's try to use names and not sound like a secondary character from the film Idiocracy. Second, so what? Islam has made historic contributions to science. Pick up a fucking history book and read all about it. A simple Google search will show you how their advances in math, physics and a whole host of other disciplines changed our world. So, he's right. We do have a lot to thank them for in regards to their contributions. Although, most of that thanks should be given to those Islamic scientists from 8th to the 13th centuries. I'm certain a scant few would respond positively as a great deal of their culture is now run by their own versions of Dick Cheney.

But that doesn't mean that they are "taking over space" as was intimated in this comment which, naturally, came from a variety of Cult information sources. "Muslims Threat To Space" and "Killer Niggers Go Free" are the two latest stories that are causing their undercarriages to turn decidedly unfresh. I don't get it. They have so much to go after Obama on and have the potential to take back many seats in both houses Congress this fall. Why are they on about this drivel?

Oh, that's right. Silly me. Their ideas have no practical application in reality which leads to the obvious conclusion that they have no real solutions.

Hurry Up!! Hurry Up!!!

Most of you know that I'm a big fan of Paul Krugman, Nobel prize winning economist and professor at Princeton. For the most part, his take on economic health of our country is the same as mine.

But I have to disagree with him in one of his latest columns entitled The Third Depression. To be honest, his "sky is falling" theme which dominates this piece reminds me quite a bit of the Cult's insistence that they are going to be sent to re-education camps.

We are now, I fear, in the early stages of a third depression. It will probably look more like the Long Depression than the much more severe Great Depression. But the cost — to the world economy and, above all, to the millions of lives blighted by the absence of jobs — will nonetheless be immense.

How does he know what is going to happen? I know he is an expert but nearly all of the experts were way off the mark on all economic doings in the last two years.

And this third depression will be primarily a failure of policy. Around the world — most recently at last weekend’s deeply discouraging G-20 meeting — governments are obsessing about inflation when the real threat is deflation, preaching the need for belt-tightening when the real problem is inadequate spending.

With only a small amount of the TARP money spent, why do we need to spend more money? Shouldn't we see what happens when all of it gets spent? The other issue that I'm wondering if Krugman is taking into account is where exactly the money is being spent. It seems to me Krugman is being pretty naive if he thinks that all of it is being spent to bolster our economy.

I guess I'm a little hesitant to accept more spending as the answer especially when it is backed up by such a "hurry up or we're all dead" meme. He is right about one thing, though. Completely going the other direction and embracing our inner Hoovers is also not the answer.

As far as rhetoric is concerned, the revival of the old-time religion is most evident in Europe, where officials seem to be getting their talking points from the collected speeches of Herbert Hoover...Why the wrong turn in policy? The hard-liners often invoke the troubles facing Greece and other nations around the edges of Europe to justify their actions. And it’s true that bond investors have turned on governments with intractable deficits. But there is no evidence that short-run fiscal austerity in the face of a depressed economy reassures investors. On the contrary: Greece has agreed to harsh austerity, only to find its risk spreads growing ever wider...

So I don’t think this is really about Greece, or indeed about any realistic appreciation of the tradeoffs between deficits and jobs. It is, instead, the victory of an orthodoxy that has little to do with rational analysis, whose main tenet is that imposing suffering on other people is how you show leadership in tough times.

I agree with this point. Comparing us to Greece is ridiculous as I have said before and cutting taxes is certainly not the answer although letting the cap gains tax cuts expire won't amount to much in the way of increased revenue...just less loss...though it will be nice to reverse this complete failure of an idea.

To me, Krugman seems over the top with his call for more spending. I agree that listening to the Cult on what to do about the economy is a very bad idea. That's what got us into this mess in the first place. But going spend happy isn't the solution either. In the final analysis, if people want less government involvement in the corporate world then it's really up to the private sector to unfuck themselves from their casino mentality and start practicing sound business again.

Given human nature, I'm not sure this can happen.

Ah-Ha!

I have always wondered why Rasmussen polls seem to be so off from other polls. Now I have my answer, courtesy of Andy over at Electoral-Vote.com

...the largest "nonpartisan" pollster is Rasmussen, who now works for Fox News. While Fox is theoretically a news organization, it has a definite slant on the world, that say, ABC News does not have. There is no evidence that Rasmussen makes up numbers, but there are other issues here. In particular, most pollsters, including Rasmussen, have a model of the electorate and normalize their polls to it. Very briefly, suppose Rasmussen believes that the set of likely voters (which is very different from the set of registered voters and very, very different from the set of people over 18) is 40% Republican, 30% Democratic, and 30% independent. If an actual poll turns up 200 Republicans, 200 Democrats, and 200 independents, he will weight each Republican respondent by 40/33, each Democratic respondent by 30/33 and each independent by 30/33 to compensate for the bad mix in his small sample.

So, when you see the daily Gallup poll, for example, running Obama's approval at about even (46-45 percent with 9 not sure. BTW, how can you be not sure? This country really sucks.....can't people just have a fucking opinion?) and Fox News has it at 47-45 yet Rasmussen has it at 45-55, we now know why. Rasmussen weights their demographics differently than other polls do with more people Republican in their eyes. Add in the fact that they ask question differently than other polls do to elicit a more conservative response. Here is an example.

Suppose that Democrats agreed on a health care reform bill that is opposed by all Republicans in Congress. Should the Democrats pass that bill or should they change the bill to win support from a reasonable number of Republicans?

Wow, that's cool.

I think it's a safe bet to say that Obama's approval rating is below 50 percent and will stay there until people start to feel better about their lives. There is nothing he can do about this. Our economy is seeing only minimal gains and probably will for some time. Again, there is nothing he can do about this because, as I have mentioned many times of late, the government is neutered.

A Sad End To Tradition

It is my sad duty to report that the Onion is no longer publishing fictional farce.

Area Man Passionate Defender Of What He Imagines Constitution To Be

"Our very way of life is under siege," said Mortensen, whose understanding of the Constitution derives not from a close reading of the document but from talk-show pundits, books by television personalities, and the limitless expanse of his own colorful imagination. "It's time for true Americans to stand up and protect the values that make us who we are."

Wow. Did they nail it or what? It gets better.

"Men like Madison and Jefferson were moved by the ideals of Christianity, and wanted the United States to reflect those values as a Christian nation," continued Mortensen, referring to the "Father of the Constitution," James Madison, considered by many historians to be an atheist, and Thomas Jefferson, an Enlightenment-era thinker who rejected the divinity of Christ and was in France at the time the document was written. "The words on the page speak for themselves."According to sources who have read the nation's charter, the U.S. Constitution and its 27 amendments do not contain the word "God" or "Christ."

Hee hee....I'm giddy....

He believes that each detail he has pulled from thin air—from prohibitions on sodomy and flag-burning, to mandatory crackdowns on immigrants, to the right of citizens not to have their hard-earned income confiscated in the form of taxes—has contributed to making it the best framework for governance "since the Ten Commandments."

Paging TSM commenters....

Mortensen's passion for safeguarding the elaborate fantasy world in which his conception of the Constitution resides is greatly respected by his likeminded friends and relatives, many of whom have been known to repeat his unfounded assertions verbatim when angered.

Verbatim? Uh oh...

"The freedoms our Founding Fathers spilled their blood for are vanishing before our eyes," Mortensen said. "In under a year, a fascist, socialist regime has turned a proud democracy into a totalitarian state that will soon control every facet of American life."

The Onion completely nails The Cult. Well done, ma'ams and sirs....well done!!!

Independence From....?

Happy4th of July, Americans. 26 percent of you don't know what country from which we declared our independence according to this new poll.

This 26% includes one-fifth who are unsure and 6% who thought the U.S. separated from another nation. That begs the question, “From where do the latter think the U.S. achieved its independence?” Among the countries mentioned are France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.

I can only do so much, checked out parents. Start giving a shit about the basics. Meanwhile, can we have high stakes testing for civics and history now? Pretty please?

Still Not Taking Away The Guns

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled today that the Chicago hand gun ban is unconstitutional. I agree that it is as I know many people who live there who have been assaulted way too many times. Of course, they bought guns and, up until now, have had them illegally. One of my friends there has been attacked several times, bought a gun, and then successfully repelled a would be mugger after she introduced him to her new friend. The Chicago police didn't really care that she had a gun illegally and told her that it was probably a good idea that she had one. At least now, it will be--or eventually be--legal.

The real question, though, is whether or not any of this will matter to the Cult. Can they actually be happy for yet another victory? Or will they continue to believe that Obama is "ready to pounce?" And that liberals are going to send them all to be fitted for brown shirts and re-education camps?

I'm betting on the latter. They always have to have someone agin' em!

President Ass Kicker...Not

A couple of weeks ago, President Obama said he "wanted to find out whose ass to kick" in regards to the BP spill. This comment is laughable for a number of reasons.

First, he was attempting to quell our "Die Hard" nation who thinks it's more important for a president to look tough as opposed to actually doing his job. It's all about the image which I think is sad. Second, he just looks silly when he tries to "think with his guts" as W used to do. He's not that kind of guy and I'm glad for it. In a country filled with 10 year old boys, it's comforting to know that the leader of the free world is going to keep his head about him while all others are losing theirs.

But the real hilarious thing about his comment is that no one from our government is going to kick anyone's ass unless their corporate masters via the titantic lobbying machine in DC says it's OK. His comment looks quite foolish when there is no earthly way he can back any of it up. And that, my friends, is one of the main reasons why he has lost support from independents. They voted for him because they were under the impression that the government could actually govern. Sadly, this is not the case given the 100-1 ration of lobbyists to members of Congress. Add in the Cult to the mix and their delusions that government regulation is the reason why we have all the problems we have (and that corporations should be worshipped in a Christ like fashion) and the result is a president standing around...watching a multi-national corporation, as a clear result of lax regulation, destroy our Gulf Coast economy.

I guess I also have to laugh at the Cult jumping up and down and laugh about the falling poll numbers. Apparently, this "proves" that the "hopey, changey stuff" isn't working out. The reality is that his poll numbers have fallen with the Reagan Democrats because he's not "liberal" enough. Here, of course, I am using the Cult's definition of liberal which is defined by the rest of us as actually governing as opposed to massaging the feet of corporate interests. The independents of this nation wanted an executive branch that would refuse to coddle corporate interests and would tackle our nation's problems. Sadly, that is not happening. Why?

Well, it's really simple. We suck. In fact, we don't deserve a leader like President Obama and may as well elect Sarah Palin in 2012. I think large swaths of our country have to literally be charred and burned with piles of dead bodies before this insane paradigm of "Corporations: Warm and Beautiful, Government: Evil and Powerful" is broken. And she's just the person to realize this dream. She could end what Bush Co. couldn't find the guts to finish.

After all of the fine examples of the last two years that our government is now a wholly owned subsidiary of multinational corporations, we still haven't gotten the message. Actually, about a third of our country has gotten the message but when you have a second third that pathologically believes that any thing more then the slightest hint of government=boiling pit of enslavement in sewage and the final third more concerned about some fat fucker dragging their disgusting ass across Indonesia on the latest "reality" show than our socio-economic plutonomy, private interests realize their dream.

A perfect combination of apathy and fear.

The Request Line

I've decided to start yet another regular feature here at NFTF....The Request Line! I've had several people make requests for a certain topic over the years...some of which I have responded to....but I guess I wanted to formally do it now under this umbrella in light of the emails and comments I have received over a particularly hot issue of late. So, we'll start off with the McChrystal firing.

As most of you know, I like Stan McChrystal. In fact, I wrote a piece about him awhile back and strategically, I thought he was the right man for the job. Of course, he is only human and making the mistake of talking to Rolling Stone magazine probably wasn't the brightest thing to do but I still don't begrudge him his views. Clearly, he was frustrated much in the same way that Eric Shinseki was frustrated with the Bush Administration. What's amusing to me (of course) is how the Cult is responding in the exact opposite way they did with Shinseki.

Back then, when General Shinseki questioned Rumsfeld and the handling of Iraq, he was a traitor. Now that McChrystal is doing the same thing, he is a hero. Why? Because his views have been co-opted into the "Liberals are Weak, Can't Handle the Military" lie. The simple fact is that the Cult can't accept Barack Obama as president and are salivating at any minor chance to play gotcha. Even more amusing is that they equate their own cognitive dissonance and epistemic closure with people like myself who criticized George W. Bush. There is quite a large difference but there is no way in hell they are EVER going to get it. But let's get back to McChrystal.

My opinion is that both men spoke their mind and, because we have civilian leadership of our armed forces, were asked to step aside as a result of their views. They were out of line but probably thought they were doing the right thing...in their opinions anyway. Neither man is a traitor and both are honorable men in my opinion. Incidentally, both Shinseki and McChyrstal have far more access to intelligence and defense information than I or many other commenters do so to make anything more than a rudimentary judgment is really....in all honesty....pure farce.

What is ROTFLMFAO material is the Cult's sudden and sweet embrace of the "liberal-commie-pinko rag" Rolling Stone. Remember, everything else you read in the piece of shit is wrong. And Marxist. For example, it wasn't the private sector that caused our financial problems of the last few years. It was all the government's fault. I guess Rolling Stone is just dandy if it fits the Cult's narrative.

And, with David Patraeus taking over now for McChrystal, I'm wondering if the Cult will now be speaking of betrayal.

Yep.

Al Shabaab...they are just like Sean Hannity is here. Same thing, no difference.

---my Somali cab driver last night.

Now I know why the Cult loathes cultural diversity.

Rules Need Not Apply (Bastard Spic Edition)

Apparently, the new Arizona immigration law isn't good enough. Neither is the United States Constitution.

Russell Pearce, a state Senator from Arizona, is introducing legislation to make all children of illegal immigrants, born here in the United States, also illegal and deny them citizenship. Mr. Pearce must be unaware of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution which states:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Seems pretty clear to me. Of course, I'm not in the Cult.

"It's been hijacked and abused," Pearce said. "There is no provision in the 14th Amendment for the declaration of citizenship to children born here to illegal aliens."

I'm wondering what version of English he speaks. Must be the "Fuck You, Spic" version.

I'm also wondering exactly what Mr. Pearce envisions as being an acceptable way to deny citizenship to babies and children. Under the new immigration law he voted for, doesn't that mean they would be deported along with their parents? I can see it now...images of brown people being put on trains and herded out of the country because of the "Papers Please" law. But shit, though. I can't compare them to....that time in world history, can I? Nah, no similarities whatsoever...

Many folks would say that Pearce is dreaming if he can pass this law. Fifteen years ago I might have agreed with them. But with the power of the Cult, things have changed. The BP oil spill, for example, is now the fault of our fascist/socialist/leader Barack Obama. And he should apologize to the warm and golden corporation for ever questioning anything they are doing.

So, Pearce has an excellent chance of passing this law regardless of what the Constitution says. After all, rules need not apply.

Rules Need Not Apply (Local Boy Makes Bad)

I think I've figured out why the Cult hates the government so much. To put it simply, they don't like laws. In fact, I think their entire collective would be happy if there weren't any laws and they could all be ass hats about whatever they wanted.

In other words, they don't like people like me because I stand in the way of them getting to be a dick whenever they want.

With this sentiment in mind, starting today we are going to see a new regular feature here on NFTF similar to the vein of Grab Bag and Liberal Media Watch. It's called "Rules Need Not Apply" and it will showcase examples of this disdain for law. I have a few nauseating examples that I'd like to get out over the next few days so let's start with a local one.

Meet Mayor Phil Young of Eden Prairie. Phil was a Tea Bagger before the name was even invented. He ran for mayor on the idea that government should be extremely limited and private funding could take on many of the city's needs. Sound familiar? It should because it's one of the central creeds of the Cult.

Problem is, though, that Phil used taxpayer money to reimburse himself for meetings he never went to and that were canceled. He received almost $1,000 in tax payer funds for his per diem.

City Hall records show that for 2008, 2009 and the first three months of this year, Young claimed $35 per diem amounting to $980 for 28 meetings of the Minnesota Regional Council of Mayors, which meets under the auspices of the Urban Land Institute in downtown Minneapolis.

But he attended just two of the 28 meetings, according to attendance records kept by the Land Institute.

So what exactly does this mean?

Plymouth police investigated the claims and submitted evidence to the county attorney's office. Last week Freeman said his office considered a charge of felony theft of public funds but declined to prosecute. After Freeman declined to file charges, Plymouth Police Chief Mike Goldstein said he planned to ask the Plymouth city prosecutor to review the matter for possible prosecution as a misdemeanor. Proper procedure, however, requires the Eden Prairie prosecutor to review the case and decide whether to pursue it further, Goldstein said.

So, basically the city of Plymouth (acting as an impartial investigator) has declined to prosecute a felony theft and may not even charge Young with a misdemeanor. Why?

Young committed a crime and he is skating away free. He's also a complete fucking hypocrite. He won office due to his "belief" that the government shouldn't waste taxpayer money and he did just that. Basically, Phil believes, as many in the Cult do, that the rules don't apply to them.

Not surprisingly, Cult members showed up at a recent city council meeting and demonstrated support for Phil.

Many of those who spoke described Young as a committed, caring community leader who has the city's best interests at heart and is the victim of a political witch hunt."I grant you that Phil's bookkeeping is lacking a bit, but he didn't collect; he was busy doing the people's work for the city," said Don Opheim, a city resident since 1968. "Phil Young is the best mayor I have had the good fortune to know in my 42 years in Eden Prairie. I hope you run again. I hope Phil stays on."

Ah, I get it. So we can rip the "race mongers" when they play the victim card all the time but not Cult members who are "great community leaders." Pardon me while I barf all over my fucking keyboard. In other words, "It's Not ______ when we do it!!!"

And the rules need not apply.

Happy to be Wrong

There are some days, like today, when I am just happy to be wrong. Actually, happy is too light of a word. Giddy...yeah, that's it. I'm giddy...and filled with a whole bunch of snuggly warmth. Why?

Apparently, the shit kickers and hillbillies are starting to warm up to the fags.

Honestly, I thought it would never happen but today's column in the Strib has proved me wrong.

Some rural communities are rolling out the welcome mats for their GLBT residents and visitors. It started a few years ago in Pine City (pop. 3,400) -- with East Central Minnesota Pride -- but other Minnesota communities are getting on the bandwagon.

And to think just six years ago, we had such vitriol and hatred towards the gay and lesbian community on a national level. I thought it would take decades to even begin to get to this point. I was wrong.

But today, more and more rural communities are holding their own events to build social capital among the otherwise isolated. Perhaps it has something to do with support at the national level. President Obama, for instance, proclaimed June to be GLBT Pride Month in the United States for the first time since Bill Clinton was in office.

My guy did that? I didn't even know. Cool.

West Central Minnesota Pride was started in 2009 because no other organization existed in the area surrounding Willmar specifically for the GLBT community. Brainerd held its first-annual GLBT pride picnic last year as well. The event was hosted by the Lakes Area Diversity Council, although the Brainerd area had several other support groups -- such as the Brainerd High School Gay-Straight Alliance, the Staples High School Gay-Straight Alliance, OutFront MN, the Central Lakes College Rainbow Coalition, Brainerd's GLBT Equality Coalition and the Rainbow Health Initiative -- to help with the cause.

There's a Brainered GSA? And a Brainerd GLBT? Brainered? FUCKING BRAINERD!!? The Lord works in mysterious ways.

"I feel that the value of pride has a deeper impact in rural Minnesota than it has in bigger cities, because we're less tolerated," said Paul Wilkins, president of the East Central Men's Circle, one of the organizations behind East Central Minnesota Pride. "If one loses the meaning behind pride, I'd encourage them to visit one of these rural prides to understand their value."

Amen, Paul. I suppose I need to start qualifying my usual derision directed at hillbillies. Sure, it will be extra work for me to check and see if they have a GLBT in a deep red county but I don't care. It's magnificently worth it.

And, as always, I'm warm, giddy and happy to be wrong.

The Unfettered Free Market in Action

This is how benign neglect works in reality.

Liberal Media Watch

Another Bartlett post that got my attention was this one entitled: Fox News and MSNBC: Not The Competitors They Should Be. Bartlett and I are exactly in line with the reality of media bias.

I give Rupert Murdoch enormous credit for recognizing a market opportunity to appeal to conservatives who have long felt that the traditional media had a strong liberal bias. And in the era from the 1950s to the 1980s I think the conservatives were right. The mainstream media did have a liberal bias, although it was never as strong as they thought.

Right. No harm in having a conservatively biased media outlet. If you don't like it, don't watch it. One thing I have noticed about FOX, though, is that where we see a lot of spin on MSNBC, we see outright lying on FOX. Both are obnoxious in their own way but FOX seems to have people on who simply tell lies where MSNBC tells half truths. Rachel Maddow, for example, will leave out facts which some might say is lying. But Sean Hannity will say that President Obama's nuclear treaty gives the Russians the keys to Europe. There is a difference between the two statements although I don't expect Cult members to understand this.

The problem is that since the 1990s the mainstream media has shifted to the right. I think the old liberal bias is completely gone and every major media outlet is pretty well positioned in the center of the political spectrum today. Liberals recognize this even if conservatives don't.

Yep. The Cult will whine until the end of time...blaming the "liberal media" for all of their problems in what is hilariously the very thing they supposedly bemoan: playing the victim. It is yet another example of how conservatives of today are like liberals of yesterday...idealists to a fault with no practical application in reality.

I just wish Fox would stop pretending that it isn't a mouthpiece for the Republican Party and come out of the closet so to speak. The real problem is that the left and the Democratic Party have no comparable outlet and I think they should have one. While MSNBC tends to be slightly to the left it is not nearly as far to the left of center as Fox is to the right, nor does partisanship and ideology permeate its entire schedule as it does at Fox.

Unfortunately, I don't think MSNBC is capable of positioning itself as the left/Democratic alternative to Fox as long as it remains part of the NBC News operation. It's forced to operate too much like a mainstream media outlet. Comcast, which now owns NBC, should spin it off and give it the freedom to become the anti-Fox. I think it would be much more successful than it is now.

So, before my usual commenters begin their predictable spasms, fits and howls of derision, I'll add this fact in what I hope will cause an extra few spasms of cognitive dissonance: MSNBC has a Republican (Joe Scarborough) who hosts his own three hour show that is quite popular. Does FOX have a Democratic equivalent? No.

MSNBC does lean liberal but it is not the all out Left Fest it could be with the likes of Pat Buchanan on the air all the time. And Morning Joe is, in all honesty, my favorite news show. I have to admit that I love the guy and Mika Brzezinski is hot:) If you ever get the chance, check out their show. It's a very unbiased show that looks at all the angles of the days news. It's on pretty early (5am-8am CST) but worth checking out as you get ready for your day.

So how is it with guys like Joe on the air that MSNBC is a Marxist outlet for information? Only the Cult knows....

Nope. Not Racist.

Make Bruce Bartlett's blog a daily stop. Politically speaking, he and I are of very similar minds. He's been writing about a few things lately that I am definitely going to be commenting on here.

First up is the new Washington Poll on the Tea Party. It's nice to have some aggregate data on their views on race, immigration, and gay rights. Not that this will matter at all to those members of the Cult who believe that 99 percent of the GOP is decidedly not racist. Their assertions, echoed here in comments, remind me of my son with his hand in the cookie jar looking at me with straight face and saying that he is not snitching any cookies.

Let's take a look at the data.

• 74 percent of respondents think that equal rights are important for blacks and minorities to succeed but it's not the government's job to insure that they do.
• 78 percent disagree that over the years blacks have gotten less then they deserve.
• 46 percent think that if blacks tried harder they would be as well off as whites
• 54 percent think that immigration is changing US culture for the worse.
• 88 percent approve of the new Arizona law.
• 23 percent think that welcoming immigrants is a good thing for the US
• 73 percent disapprove of President Obama's engagement of Muslim countries
• 63 percent think we should single out Muslims for screening at airports
• 18 percent think that gay and lesbian couples should have the right to marry
• 52 percent think that gays and lesbians have too much political power.

Bartlett nails it.

They are largely united in being unsympathetic to African Americans, militant in their hostility toward illegal immigrants, and very conservative socially. At a minimum, these data throw cold water on the view that the TPM is essentially libertarian. Based on these data, I would say that TPM members have much more in common with social conservatives that welcome government intervention as long as it’s in support of their agenda.

As Bill Maher said, not all conservatives are racist but if you are a racist, chances are, you're conservative.

I think these numbers accurately reflect the Cult's view on these issues. Before any of my usual readers do their interpretive re-direct dance, answer the polls questions...honestly. And then we can have a discussion about your answers.

Ah, Now I Get It.....

Many of you may be wondering why the unemployment number is not budging. I've wondered this myself. Well, now we have an answer.

Apparently, some companies aren't hiring people who are unemployed.

In a nearly identical job posting for the same position on the Benchmark Electronics website, the red print is missing. But a human resources representative for the company confirmed to HuffPost that the The People Place ad accurately reflects the company's recruitment policies.

"It's our preference that they currently be employed," he said. "We typically go after people that are happy where they are and then tell them about the opportunities here. We do get a lot of applications blindly from people who are currently unemployed -- with the economy being what it is, we've had a lot of people contact us that don't have the skill sets we want, so we try to minimize the amount of time we spent on that and try to rifle-shoot the folks we're interested in."

Well, that's just very fuck you fantastic. People are happier when they are employed...no shit, Sherlock. I know people that have been out of work (in their field) for two years or more. So companies aren't even bothering to read their resume and qualifications if they aren't employed? What a load of shit.

Actually, what's really galling is that it is yet another example of the idiocy of this country. Do any of these companies understand that what is holding us back from a full recovery is the high rate of unemployment? That this fact is coloring the perception of bleak economic outlooks? And it's all because a bunch of Marie Antoinettes out there don't want to associate with the riff raff.

On a scale from one to dragon, how much does this irritate the shit out of you? For me, it's Red Dragon.

Remember

Beaten By Corporate Force

Take a look at our president. A pretty sad fucking picture, isn't it? Not surprising, though, when you consider what he has now come to realize in the last few weeks: our country...our world, actually, is being run by corporations and there is nothing we can do about it. The United States government is completely powerless to stop this oil spill and must sit on the sidelines as British Petroleum attempts yet another Shemp like move in order to plug the damn hole. Not that the government would want to help anyway as so many of them have been bought off by the oil industry.

It's been mighty interesting these last few weeks listening to the Cult trying to spin this one away. This is Obama's Katrina, some say. Others like Sarah Palin say that it proves her "Drill Baby Drill" line was right all along. I'm not sure how that works. To be fair, some of them haven't uttered a peep because they know how royally fucked we all are. The United States government is bowing down to the corporate cock and there's not a damn thing we can do about it.

At the end of the day, it's example #343 of how the free market fantasy of the Cult has no practical application in reality. We've seen quite clearly what happens when private concerns have little or no oversight. In the case of the BP spill, take a look at five specific examples of the Mineral Management Services complete failure in doing its job of regulating.

• MMS's 2009 decision that acoustically-controlled shut-off valve (BOP) would not be required as a last resort against underwater spills at the site.

• MMS's failure to suggest other “fail-safe” mechanisms after a 2004 report raised questions about the reliability of the electrical remote-control devices.

• MMS granted a categorical exclusion waiver on April 6, 2009 to BP exempting it from National Environmental Policy Act's requirements including a detailed environmental analysis, concluding the spill risk in that part of the Gulf was “minimal or nonexistent.” Such NEPA waivers have become routine at MMS, and the Interior department approves 250 to 400 per year for Gulf of Mexico projects.

• MMS gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA) that assesses threats to endangered species — and despite strong warnings from NOAA about the impact the drilling was likely to have on the gulf. Those approvals, federal records show, include one for the well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and resulting in thousands of barrels of oil spilling into the gulf each day.

• MMS routinely overruled its staff biologists and engineers who raised concerns about the safety and the environmental impact of drilling proposals in the Gulf and in Alaska.

But why would MMS do this? Aren't they supposed to be regulating BP?

In September 2008, reports by the Inspector General of the Interior Department, Earl E. Devaney, were released that implicated over a dozen officials of the MMS of unethical and criminal conduct in the performance of their duties. The investigation found MMS employees had taken drugs and had sex with energy company representatives. MMS staff had also accepted gifts and free holidays amid "a culture of ethical failure", according to the investigation.

The New York Times's summary states the investigation revealed "a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch." Gee, I'm shocked.

And in May of 2010, after the spill, it was revealed that MMS regulators in the Gulf region had allowed industry officials to fill in their own inspection reports in pencil and then turned them over to the regulators, who traced over them in pen before submitting the reports to the agency. MMS staff had routinely accepted meals, tickets to sporting events, and gifts from oil companies.

Of course, none of these facts matter. In Cult Land, the government is still all powerful and tyrannical with President New Hitler at the helm sinking his leather boot heel into face of private industry. I guess it's up to the rest of us in the real world to solve this problem. Honestly, I don't have much faith that we will. Our culture and society have already shifted to be extremely distrustful of anything government related despite all evidence to the contrary.

Interestingly, though, a solution was presented in comments recently by none other than our very own Last in Line.

You all know that this could have been taken care of in 48 hours...the typical procedure oil companies and other governments have done many times in the past is to put a 100 yard tube down the well, send dynamite down the tube to blow up the well at the bottom, and pour concrete on top of it. Problem solved. What is going on is BP doesn't want to lose the well so they are doing all kinds of other half-assed crap that is further damaging the gulf region.

Why hasn't this been done yet?

The answer is quite simple, actually. Our "socialist" president doesn't want to be held responsible for BP losing money. He isn't going to allow the government to interfere in a private concern. In other words, he knows that corporations are running our world. He can't involve the government any more than it already is at present. Plus, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh would all up in the hizzy about the brown shirts again.

C'mon, last, don't you know that the government is completely evil? That they are forcing us to bend to their will with the butt of a gun? Let's just all get down on our knees and thank BP for all the black liquid love that is washing up on our shores right now in the Gulf. The Corporation is good....the Corporation is beautiful....anyone who thinks that the Corporation is anything other than pure goodness is a Marxist....(chant with me, touching yourself and Atlas Shrugged simultaneously)....The Corporation is good....the Corporation is beautiful....anyone who thinks that the Corporation is anything other than pure goodness is a Marxist....The Corporation is good....the Corporation is beautiful....anyone who thinks that the Corporation is anything other than pure goodness is a Marxist....The Corporation is good....the Corporation is beautiful....anyone who thinks that the Corporation is anything other than pure goodness is a Marxist....

Operation: Brainwash (Heroification)

Most of you know that I am a big fan of James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me. In that book, he discusses how American History is taught using a number of poor methods and concepts. One such concept is heroification. He uses the excellent example of President Woodrow Wilson, a figure who is regarded in most history textbooks as a hero. In fact, President Wilson was probably the biggest bigot our country had ever seen, overturning decades of progress made by the Republicans in respect to rights and advancement of African Americans. The image of Wilson by our nation is one of the many great lies in our country's history.

Another great lie is one that got started by Ann Coulter and is now policy according to the Texas State Board of Education. Essentially, it's this: Joe McCarthy was a hero. Coulter said:

Everything you think you know about McCarthy is a hegemonic lie. Liberals denounced McCarthy because they were afraid of getting caught, so they fought back like animals to hide their own collaboration with a regime as evil as the Nazis.

Caught in what, exactly? Oh yes, that's right...anyone to the left of the Cult is a commie. Got it. It's also amusing that she brings up hegemony. The raison d'etre of the Cult is control through blind consensus. Once again, we see the Rove in action.

But this view of McCarthy is exactly what Texas school children are now going to learn...how he was a hero fighting against (in his own words) the treasonous Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. They will learn of a US government filled with dirty, stinking Commies many of whom "got away" and remained in power...in the form of the Democratic party. None of this, of course, is even close to being grounded in reality.

Coming a few years after we defeated the greatest army and threat the world had ever seen, McCarthy accused the Democrats of "twenty years of treason." He added twenty one after Eisenhower refused to acquiesce to McCarthy's demands. His paranoia knew no bounds as he went after the United States military. In one hearing he called Brigadier General Ralph W. Zicker, a WWII battlefield hero, a "five year old child not fit to wear the uniform." Ironic, considering McCarthy's outright lying about his own military record. His investigations into the US military turned the tide of public opinion well against him and his rampant alcoholism began to show in his Senate floor speeches. In fact, his constant changing numbers of how many communists were in the US government from the very beginning were evidence enough of his severe impairment and inability to think clearly.

None of this matters to that chapter of the Cult that has now changed the curriculum in Texas and perhaps nationwide. Commies were everywhere (ahh!!!!!!! look out...he looks funny...commie!!!) and still are. No matter that McCarthy was shown to be a liar very early on..he said pretty things so we loves him:) One need only spend a few minutes reading McCarthy's quotes to see that he was, in a myriad of ways, a founding father (along with Richard Nixon) of the Cult playbook. Say it and it's true...attack your opponent with what is, in fact, your greatest weakness (see the forthcoming comments below for what will be excellent examples of this), ignore facts, think with your guts and, above all, distrust anyone who doesn't think EXACTLY like you do. Joe McCarthy spawned the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. It's no wonder they are fighting tooth and nail to re-imagine him in history. All three of them, as well as the Cult, are still paranoid about Commies (ahh!!! Commies!!!) even years after communism FAILED and whatever remnants are left (save North Korea) are embracing capitalism or some quasi form of it.

I stated previously that I am nauseated by the clear heroification of McCarthy. Honestly, that's not much redeemable about him. Rarely do secondary school texts get it right when it comes to wrongdoing but the American Pageant does in their McCarthy entry. I wonder how many of the facts listed there will be completely left out. Ah well, no matter. Anyone critical of a Cult forefather is a lying Commie which would include yours truly. Cue the red herring of Venona.

As an educator, I am tasked to present the basic facts of what happened in any historical period. To leave out McCarthy's lying, alcoholism, assault on civil liberties, and attacks on distinguished members of the military like George Marshall would be historically dishonest. It would be like showing the happy go lucky side of Stalin and skip over the whole gulag thing. Stalin was an asshole who murdered people. McCarthy was an asshole who destroyed people's lives due to a psychosis that forced an ideology on people. This ideology has now morphed into a faux critical thinking devoid of reality.

Yet I would still be more interested, given all of the facts about McCarthy and what the Cult will now be teaching in Texas, what my students think about Joe McCarthy and why. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what my view is or what the Texas School Board's view is regarding McCarthy. It matters what they think and how they evaluate the facts.

Since close to 5 million students in Texas and perhaps more nation wide will be missing key facts, critical thinking skills have been hijacked. And that's the real fucking travesty.