I admit that I've been quiet lately here. Partly this is due to an agreement I made with myself that I wouldn't make any major waves until President Obama had a fair two years...something I'm finding myself difficult to continue doing. Also, I've been unemployed since January, a casualty of the failing economy, and it's surprising how much more I wind up doing when I'm not working.

It seems, however, that whenever I start to think about opting out of disturbing the parasitically comfortable, that someone shows me a surprising bit of appreciation...and that means a lot.

Thank you, and I look forward to being a more active part of this community again. :fistbump:

But here's another one for those still not getting the reality here. My friend sent me this in response to one of the threads I sent her. One of the posters attempted to dismiss the importance of LBGT concerns by saying that this wasn't the holocaust.



How bad do things have to get before we've decided they've "suffered enough" to "deserve equality"? How many people like Matthew Shepard have to die needlessly before the LBGT community is seen as having "paid their dues"?

And something even darker occurred to me- if things did indeed become as bad as the holocaust, what would the excuse be then? Would people still claim that "It isn't that bad"?

Anyone hear something to that effect before?

That you, as a person, because of your gender, race, what you thought, how you expressed yourself, what you ate...basically any way that you could be labeled...were considered "Not good enough" for equal treatment and consideration?

I'd be surprised if you haven't at least once in your life, if not every day.

Given that fact, we need to be ENTIRELY clear-eyed about who thinks it's ok to declare others "Not important enough" to have rights.

It's so easy, you see. Remember the 3/5ths of a person? Remember when suffrage for women seemed unthinkable? Japanese internment? McCarthy? Gitmo?

This is NOT a nation of freedom- this is a nation STRUGGLING TOWARD freedom...STRUGGLING AGAINST the people who live here that DO NOT want that.



You see, the ugly truth is that not only were the people I mentioned "Not Important Enough" for freedom, they were deemed...A THREAT.

Not only were they deemed a THREAT, the people before them that had fought and won their freedom fervently denounced the next people in line.



Consider how few of us would be as free as we are right now had there been more people been nodding sagely after the revolutionary war, stating that there was freedom for the people who DESERVED IT, and that was quite enough. The rest would take their proper place, and that would be the end of it.

Is that the America we want? Where we are satisfied with how things are as long as we have freedom for ourselves, no matter how limited?

You can tell me I'm not important enough. Plenty of people have. MLK was not the only one to have a dream, however. The struggle for equality of all people goes on, and everyone has a choice to make- to embrace each other as equals, or settle for the same crap we've been doing since the beginning of time.

The choice is yours.

I'd like to thank the person who gave me a donor star. I've wanted to donate for the last 2 years, but money has been tight since I've been taking care of a disabled relative.

THANK YOU!!!

A tribute to George Carlin, the man who saw through the bullshit and wasn't afraid to talk about it.



We spent hundreds of years trying to get away from Feudalism just to end up back in the same place. So much for human progress.

According to this person:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...

I'm not supposed to question my Candidate when he does something dangerous and or/stupid. Instead, I am supposed to live in deadly fear of McSame(Which I don't), and attempt to get out the vote in a way that will nullify election fraud(it can't be fought that way) rather than attacking the problem right now.

If this is the true face of our party, we've already lost, whether Senator Obama is declared winner or not.

What will we lose?

Our Country
Our Values
Our Voice
Our Lives

Where is my party? The party who is tough on Bush and his illegal policies? Tough on his outright theft of our tax money? The party that is for the rule of law and fair treatment of all Americans?

When did we become supporters of "No cost is too great"?

I'll still vote in November, but I'm done listening to people talk about how we have to violate the law and our values to win a rigged election.

Not for the first time, I'm wondering about how crazy my fellow countrymen really are.

But it's not my custom to mourn. It's my custom to celebrate the life that was. George Carlin spoke truth to power, and he was funny while doing it to boot!

"It's a big club, and you ain't in it. You and I are not in the big club."

I think in many ways, he made it easier for people like me to make fun of the system, to call attention to the sheer absurdity that is our political system and the people in it. Really, this stuff writes itself- this is the nation where the VP(unelected) shot someone in the face during a canned hunt, and the victim was the one who apologized!

I've also admired how he slaughtered sacred cows- religions often use the excuse that they are speaking for god when they tell us what we can and cannot do, and who we have to torture and kill.

"Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!"

I say goodbye to my Hero, but I do so knowing that I wasn't the only one inspired by his incautious comments and penetrating insight. If we're lucky, more than one of those people will pick up where he left off.



Enjoy the afterlife, George!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...

It's a poll for/against impeachment, and so far it's 126 for, 3 votes against.

DU has come a LONG way since Jan 2007 when Pelosi declared that impeachment was off the table. Nearly half the people here supported the argument that Impeachment would take too much time and effort away from "important business" at that time.

I would like to thank all of the people who have banged the pots and pans against Pelosi and Reid's calculation/possible treason over the years for us to reach this point, because as we well know, getting us to agree on ANYTHING is tough.

With 60% in favor of impeachment in the normal polls, this may get traction after all.

Keep up the fight!

If he isn't here already. With all the noise the Blackhawks are making, you'd think somebody important was coming here.

Reality: what is currently happening
Fiction: What is not currently happening

Easy, right? Not even close.

Accepted fiction: Perceived reality

Let's look at America for a moment with these things in mind.

Fiction: "We are the greatest nation in the world!"

Reality: GDP From 2006- approx. $13 Trillion. Sound good, right? Not really.
Dollar has lost around 39% of it's value since 2002
Current Debt: $9.35 Trillion(Rounded)
Trade Deficit 2007: $738.6 Billion
Estimated interest payment on National Debt: Approx. $500 Billion/yr

And that's just the money. I could write an encyclopedia on the rest.

Fiction: "We are a representative democracy"

Reality: What percentage of issues presented to our congress critters do they follow through on for normal people as opposed to their more wealthy or corporate donors? It's not democracy when you have to pay for the privilege of playing. Further:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010205/pala...
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/04.28A.Ele...
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/104...

Fiction: "We are a law abiding nation"

Reality: We are a rogue nation that no one would like to confront- not unlike the USSR of yesteryear. We no longer honor the Geneva Conventions unless we feel like it, we are developing next generation nukes and space-based weapons while allowing our citizens to starve. We kidnap people and torture them, sometimes from nations like Italy, who would rather we not do things like that to their citizens.

Fiction: "We are a beacon of hope to the world"

Reality: We are proof that any nation can become a force of destruction and terror, regardless of the type of gov't in place. We are also further proof that Democracy is not a spectators' sport. People have to be willing to fight and die for the right to have a voice and control of their nation. Lastly, we are proof that what happened in Germany was not a fluke- any nation can be driven to conquest by their leaders.

We are drowning in accepted fictions. Even the more cynical among us want to believe that change may occur in our system if we just vote correctly and let the people in charge know our displeasure. Let's see how that worked out:


http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Vote2008/story?id...

Now, we expect that from Cheney. To think he ever cared what we think would be naive at best. But alas, it's too great a thing to be kept to one party...


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...

Apparently, they are confident in our collective acceptance of the fiction that they are representing us. I admit, their brazenness shocks me. "I'm in charge- what are you planning on doing about it?" would be a good paraphrase of their attitudes.

I think the greatest fiction of time is that our Government is salvageable.

I think reality shows otherwise.

Still no Iran- apparently the video wasn't enough. Lets see what else we get before my 4000th

For everyone else- keep up the fight against economic slavery and the efforts to silence us!

"A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever."

John Adams

As I've taken a bit of a DU break for the last few days, I find some of the sharp edges I usually ignore are glaring at me again.

On the other hand, someone sent me a heart! Thank you!!!!

Regardless, I find something glaring at me, and I feel the need to throw it out for the benefit of whoever needs to see it in broad daylight.

As I've written before, we've been walking the long road to hell for a very long time now. This is something that may very well have it's roots in events as old as Shays' rebellion.

Seen from that perspective, a dictatorship such as we have now was inevitable. "The Great Experiment" failed in almost it's first moments, and only the people like Shays' group understood that at the time.

I've seen people often say that "It's not the fault of ____" here. That is patently untrue.

All of us are at fault.

Let me say that again.

ALL OF US ARE AT FAULT.

Some of us are benefiting from the dictatorship. Some of us THINK we are benefiting from the dictatorship. Some of us think that there is no dictatorship. Some of us are afraid of the alternatives to the dictatorship. Some of us are afraid to speak. Some of us are afraid to act. Some of us don't know what to do about it. Some of us are living on "hope" or "faith." Still others are simply fighting to live, and will die under Bushco's boot.

It's all our fault for allowing it to continue.

Some of us have even attacked the people who are trying to do something to undermine the dictatorship.

We are not only at fault, we are helping it occur.

Don't tell me it's not your fault. If you are contributing anything, including your silence, to the dictatorship, you are VERY MUCH at fault.

Consider that fact as our "masters" crush the lives of people around the world for their personal gain.

I just got to work after hearing of Edwards withdrawal from the race.

As predicted, we are being given the choice of Corp. approved candidate A or B. In one respect, I am utterly disappointed. Kucinich and Edwards were not perfect candidates for me, but at least some sort of bone was being thrown to us. Being stripped of even the semblance of what our party should stand for, I find myself sick to my stomach.

On the other hand, for those concerned about our future, I have a feeling the message was heard loud and clear- "Your input is not desired. Go back to work like good little slaves."

Our system is broken beyond repair. This was clear before, but each day makes it more plain, as the kabuki is phased out in favor of terror, hopelessness and subjugation.

It hardly seems worth it to vote now, as the totals are likely already computed and waiting at CNN for announcement. I'll still do it, though, because the people who think it makes a difference need to see that it doesn't. No excuses like Nader to cover the blatant election fraud.

The problem with being a doomsayer is that the people who didn't listen never own up to it.

So be it- on to Iran, Venezuela and anyone else who has oil, gold or water to steal.

Long live the Emperor, for he is great!

As was posted this morning in response to a misleading OP:



How is it that the Republican party is almost universally reviled and yet Bush is still in office, McCain is surging in popularity(despite being the person who caved on torture), and all of our top-tier candidates are offering more of the same, just in lower dosage?



And all I see in the primaries on our side is cult of personality and "electability."

Would you elect a rabid wolverine in a suit because a polling company told you they had a higher score than the others?

Instead of asking what the hell is going on, we're playing right into it by electing the people we're told to, so that we are led to believe that said candidate has some sort of support in America.

Notice that GWB was never elected, yet they often refer to votes that were rigged, and pointing to the idea that we are some sort of RW "Christian" nation, and that "libruls" are weak, traitorous and almost non-existent?

Keep playing the games, as certainly Rove is laughing at all of us.

I had a revelation this morning. Ever since the Dems gained both houses of Congress, I wondered why they were still acting as if they were the minority party. They seem to be in love with the concept of looking helpless before the big bad Republicans, even though many people have pointed out that they have plenty of tools to rein in Bushco.

Then, it hit me- I remembered watching the results come in last Nov. on CNN, and how they were stunned that the Dems had won the Senate. They even called it wrong and had to correct themselves.

Seen from that perspective, this whole strategy suddenly makes sense. This was the agreed upon stratagem before the election ever occurred. The win was projected for the House, and the plan was not to win the Senate, so that the lack of progress could be blamed on the Repubs, and the investigations could have occurred with no threat of impeachment occurring- after all, the Dems didn't control the Senate, did they? They could have argued successfully that since there had been no chance of it succeeding, there was no point in doing it.

As we know, however, that didn't happen. It seems the Dem leadership didn't see fit to adjust their strategy, and instead perhaps cursed the name of Howard Dean for having tipped the scales more than they had wanted. From there, the excuses justifying the strategy are rightfully considered thin, if not outright lies.

If this is indeed the plan, how much have we lost in attempting to sweep 2008 by sacrificing 2006 until then?
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edited out a wordy portion