The links to the etiology of obesity and chemicals can be found here

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

Now on to the Obesity gene

The Human Obesity Gene Map: The 2002 Update

Yvon C. Chagnon*, Tuomo Rankinen†, Eric E. Snyder†, S. John Weisnagel‡, Louis Pérusse‡ and Claude Bouchard†

1. *Psychiatric Genetic Unit, Laval University Robert-Giffard Research Center, Québec, Canada
2. †Human Genomics Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
3. ‡Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada

Correspondence: Yvon C. Chagnon, Psychiatric Genetic Unit, Laval University Robert-Giffard Research Center, 2601, chemin de la Canardière, room F-6459, Beauport (Québec), G1J 2G3 Canada. E-mail: Yvon.Chagnon@crulrg.ulaval.ca

Received 16 December 2002; Accepted 17 December 2002.
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Abstract

This is the ninth update of the human obesity gene map, incorporating published results through October 2002 and continuing the previous format. Evidence from single-gene mutation obesity cases, Mendelian disorders exhibiting obesity as a clinical feature, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from human genome-wide scans and various animal crossbreeding experiments, and association and linkage studies with candidate genes and other markers is reviewed. For the first time, transgenic and knockout murine models exhibiting obesity as a phenotype are incorporated (N = 38). As of October 2002, 33 Mendelian syndromes relevant to human obesity have been mapped to a genomic region, and the causal genes or strong candidates have been identified for 23 of these syndromes. QTLs reported from animal models currently number 168; there are 68 human QTLs for obesity phenotypes from genome-wide scans. Additionally, significant linkage peaks with candidate genes have been identified in targeted studies. Seven genomic regions harbor QTLs replicated among two to five studies. Attempts to relate DNA sequence variation in specific genes to obesity phenotypes continue to grow, with 222 studies reporting positive associations with 71 candidate genes. Fifteen such candidate genes are supported by at least five positive studies. The obesity gene map shows putative loci on all chromosomes except Y. More than 300 genes, markers, and chromosomal regions have been associated or linked with human obesity phenotypes. The electronic version of the map with links to useful sites can be found at http://obesitygene.pbrc.edu .

http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v11/n3/a...

A mutation in the human leptin receptor gene causes obesity and pituitary dysfunction

Karine Clément1,2,3, Christian Vaisse1,2,3, Najiba Lahlou4, Sylvie Cabrol5, Veronique Pelloux1, Dominique Cassuto1, Micheline Gourmelen5, Christian Dina2, Jean Chambaz6, Jean-Marc Lacorte6, Arnaud Basdevant1,2, Pierre Bougnères6, Yves Lebouc5, Philippe Froguel1,2 & Bernard Guy-Grand1,2

1. Laboratoire de Nutrition et Service de Médecine et Nutrition, Hôtel-Dieu place du Parvis Notre Dame, 75004 Paris, France
2. Institut de Biologie-CNRS EP10, Institut Pasteur de Lille, rue Calmette, 59000 Lille, France
3. Inserm U342, Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul et service d'Endocrinologie-Diabéte de l'Enfant, avenue Denfert Rochereau, 75014 Paris, France
4. Explorations fonctionnelles endocriniennes, Hôpital d'enfant Armand Trousseau, avenue du Dr Arnold Netter, 75012 Paris, France
5. CJF INSERM 9508, 15 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, 75005 Paris, France
6. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Correspondence to: Philippe Froguel1,2 Correspondence and request for materials should be addressed to P.F. (e-mail: Email: froguel@xenope.pasteur-lille.fr )

Top of page
Abstract

The adipocyte-specific hormone leptin, the product of the obese (ob) gene,regulates adipose-tissue mass through hypothalamic effects on satiety and energy expenditure1, 2, 3, 4. Leptin acts through the leptin receptor, a single-transmembrane-domain receptor of the cytokine-receptor family5, 6, 7. In rodents, homozygous mutations ingenes encoding leptin1 or the leptin receptor6 cause early-onsetmorbid obesity, hyperphagia and reduced energy expenditure.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v392/...

Obesity Gene: Mice Lacking FTO Gene Burn More Energy And Do Not Become Overweight

ScienceDaily (Mar. 2, 2009) — Obesity has become an epidemic in many parts of the western hemisphere; over 30% of the population of Germany are overweight.
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Health & Medicine


Scientists from the University of Cologne, in cooperation with scientists from the University of Düsseldorf, have been able to verify the relevance of a certain gene with regard to obesity for the first time.

In 2006, scientists discovered increased amounts of variations of the FTO genes were in overweight people. However, the relevance of this gene and its regular function remained unclear for a long time.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/...

New Insight Into The Link Between Genetics And Obesity

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Oxford University and Cancer Research UK, London, have found that the FTO gene, codes for an enzyme that can act directly on DNA to modify it -- suggesting that it might have a role in controlling the turning on and off of other genes.

They also found that FTO is highly expressed in a region of the brain, called the hypothalamus, which has important roles in the control of hunger and satiety and that, in certain parts of the hypothalamus, the levels of FTO are influenced by feeding and fasting.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/...

Childhood Obesity Risk Increased By Newly-Discovered Genetic Mutations, Says Study

ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2009) — Three new genetic variations that increase the risk of obesity are revealed in a new study, published January 18 in the journal Nature Genetics. The authors suggest that if each acted independently, these variants could be responsible for up to 50% of cases of severe obesity.
See Also:
Health & Medicine





Together with existing research, the new findings should ultimately provide the tools to predict which young children are at risk of becoming obese. Health professionals could then intervene to help such children before they develop weight problems, say the researchers from Imperial College London, the French National Research Institute CNRS and other international institutions.

In the UK, one in ten children under the age of six is obese, according to the Department of Health's National Child Measurement Programme 2007/08.

For today's ten-year study, scientists looked at the genetic makeup of obese children under six and morbidly obese adults, most of whom had been obese since childhood or adolescence, and compared this with age matched people of normal weight. The study reveals three previously unidentified genetic variations that increase the risk of severe obesity significantly, giving new insight into the reasons why some people become obese and others do not.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/...

Let the articles do the talking (and crow will be at the end for those who want it)

These data suggest a role for toxicology in the etiology of obesity. This role has received additional support from a recent review (Baillei-Hamilton, 2002) that presents a provocative hypothesis to explain the global obesity epidemic: chemical toxins. This article presents data showing that the current epidemic in obesity cannot be explained solely by alterations in food intake and/or decrease in exercise. There is a genetic predisposition component of obesity; however, genetics could not have changed over the past few decades, suggesting that environmental changes might be responsible for at least part of the current obesity epidemic. Indeed, the level of chemicals in the environment is purported to coincide with the incidence of obesity, and examples of chemicals that appear to cause weight gain by interfering with elements of the human weight control system—such as alterations in weight-controlling hormones, altered sensitivity to neurotransmitters, or altered activity of the sympathetic nervous system—are noted. Indeed, many synthetic chemicals are actually used to increase weight in animals. This article provides fascinating examples of chemicals that have been tested for toxicity by standard tests that resulted in weight gain in the animals at lower doses than those that caused any obvious toxicity. These chemicals included heavy metals, solvents, polychlorinated biphenols, organophosphates, phthalates, and bisphenol A. This is an aspect of the data that has generally been overlooked.

----------

Thus, the data on the fetal basis of adult disease, along with the above-referenced chemical hypothesis of obesity, add significance to examination of exposure to environmental chemicals as likely candidates to be tested for an effect on obesity. Chemicals having endocrine-disrupting activity rise to the top of the list as most act via receptors linked to activation of transcriptional activity. The state of the science in the area of endocrine disruptors, including data on their mechanism of action has recently been reviewed (Damstra et al., 2002). This World Health Organization- (WHO-)sanctioned review clearly shows that endocrine disruptors, especially those with estrogenic activity, act via alterations in gene expression and that many of these changes are imprinted and remain even into the next generation. The focus of endocrine-disruptor research around the world has been on the reproductive, immune, and nervous systems as evidenced by the WHO review. There has been little information of the possible direct effect of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on fat cell differentiation or physiology. Neither has there been an attempt to link effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the immune or nervous system with effects on fat cell metabolism via alterations in hormonal or nervous system control of adipose tissue.

----------

As with any article, this one also asks more questions than it answers. For example, why are the effects of NP only partially inhibited by the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI182,780? It would have been helpful if the effects of estrogen were measured in this system and the effects of ICI182,780 tested on the estrogen response. Measurement of the estrogen receptor in these cells across the differentiation process would also be helpful. Since these analyses were not done, it is not clear if the effect of NP and OP in this article or that of BPA in a previous article (Masuno et al., 2002), in which ICI182,780 was not tested, mediated their effects via an estrogen receptor. In light of the potential impact of this research, answers to these questions must be forthcoming. Other questions relevant to this article include consideration of the use of serum that contains steroids in the cultures and the use of plastic culture dishes and their impact on the data.

There are also other, more global questions that need answers: Will these results extrapolate to the in vivo situation in rodents and other animal models? Will the results shown with high concentrations in vitro be replicated in vivo with low environmentally relevant concentrations? Will humans be sensitive to the in utero exposure to environmental estrogens with regard to the development of adipocytes? Will toxicology and environmental health sciences play a major role in addressing the obesity epidemic via reduction in exposures to environmental chemicals in utero and throughout life? Will this area of research be a fruitful area for intervention and prevention studies of obesity? Only time and more research will tell, but the door has been opened by the novel work being highlighted.



http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/conte...

Abstract

Xenobiotic and dietary compounds with hormone-like activity can disrupt endocrine signaling pathways that play important roles during perinatal differentiation and result in alterations that are not apparent until later in life. Evidence implicates developmental exposure to environmental hormone-mimics with a growing list of health problems. Obesity is currently receiving needed attention since it has potential to overwhelm health systems worldwide with associated illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Here, we review the literature that proposes an association of exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals with the development of obesity. We describe an animal model of developmental exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a potent perinatal endocrine disruptor with estrogenic activity, to study mechanisms involved in programming an organism for obesity. This experimental animal model provides an example of the growing scientific field termed “the developmental origins of adult disease” and suggests new targets of abnormal programming by endocrine disrupting chemicals.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=A...

Obesity continues to rise in the United States and throughout the world. Both leptin from fat cells and insulin from pancreatic B cells are created in direct proportion to body fat. Obese persons have higher levels of these two hormones than lean individuals. Recent studies show that another hormone, estrogen, also has a similar affect.

When estrogen receptors in the hypothalamus of rats were destroyed, female rats ate more food, burnt less energy and became obese. Research suggests a link between estrogen and obesity, especially the dangerous accumulation of abdominal fat linked to cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes mellitus, and certain cancers. The abstract was submitted by Deborah J. Clegg, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obesity Research Center, at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, to the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society on August 20, 2007. Her findings will assist scientists in developing new hormone replacement therapies.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Estrogen-Link-to...

And I do not expect most of you to read this either... that is the truth...

Now back to my hidey hole and waiting for the expected sniping and the it is just calories in calories out... easy mantra to repeat and believe... and yes ghosts are real and so are UFOs...Carl Sagan was so right, and we now live in an age of warlocks and witches...

Well I know this always leads to flame wars, so lets make this clear. This is not the intent of this post, but I know I should know better. And before this is over, there will be plenty of flames and quasi flames, Like global weather change this is controversial, partly because of American's scientific ignorance.

So first things first, for the shut your mouth up and exercise mouth crowd.

Yes, I have adopted a fad diet... which is as old as humanity. It is called eat when you are hungry, and don't when you are not. If that is a fad diet, guilty as charged. Oh never mind that fad diet is also recommended by people who should know better that have initials after their names such as RD, MPH, and others. I guess they don't know either and Ian McKenna just made the whole concept easier to understand for the masses.

I am also on the overweight category and you know what? I am fine with that... and so is my doctor... and in the course of this post you will learn why we are peachy keen.

Now that this is out of the way...

If ten years ago I met any of you and you told me... it is really simple.. .shut your mouth and do exercise and it is all about calories... I would have whole heartedly agreed with you. After all that is common sense knowledge. And this is where obesity experts, again people with MDs, PhDs, and MPHs behind their names were as well ten years ago. Yes, it was thought to be that simple. Oh and for younger adults, with absolutely no other medical conditions that may explain weight gain... yeah that works m'kay. But for some reason looking at WHY diets fail means we are looking for excuses. Never mind some of us are asking WHY? But that is a bad thing.

Still I had questions about this being this simple for years, and it had to do with who or what I met as I grew up. By the way, before you accuse parents of bad eating habits, our food offering when growing up was fruit, vegies, some meat, beans, tortillas and potatoes. Things like cake, ice-cream, cookies et al were things offered to us ONLY as treats for oh Birthdays, and sodas were only available when we had guests for dinner. In fact, when compared to kids in this country we ate pretty healthy...

Yet one of my mom's friends she was grossly overweight... as in obese... so was her daughter, and one of her two sons and her husband... yes their food habits at times left a lot to be desired, but no matter what... daughter finally lost after getting a band... and their thin son had an easy time eating the same things and not gaining. So that was always puzzling to me. And this is well before the age of fast food in Mexico... I realized years later that not only was I looking at an expression of the fat gene in a human cohort, but also the psychology behind it. Could this woman and her husband benefit from Brookhaven? Yes, but like many of these people there is more going on with their bodies... And the discovery of that fat gene and all the other discoveries on serotonin values in the brains of the obese when they eat... tells me that shut your mouth off and exercise is too simplistic. And again those people with Phd, MD, MpH and other silly initials have come to the same conclusions, and it is not that simple.

Then I had a personal experience that forever changed my view of this popular pearl of wisdom and sent me on a quest to find as much as I could about this. As I have posted before I gained 50 pounds in three months when eating 1000 calories \ day. No the doctor did not believe me either until she saw the food diaries. That and as I said, the human studies, stage three did not have weigh gain as a side effect. Lucky me, I got it... and like me many other patients... now it is a very well known side effect of Avandia. I also have this lovely lower function thyroid.. and it does run in families... them genes. So losing weight without meds is impossible and we are just learning that perhaps doing Zynthroid is not enough... T3 and all that jazz... so another thing that told me... it is not black and white. Oh and after talking with a few experts both my doc and me concluded that my set point most likely moved up, and insulin resistance will make breaking through the plateau very hard... Oh I know, do more exercise and shut your mouth... will not work. I already exercise and I am eating what the doctor recommends, abut 1300 Kcals a day... so no, I will not follow the advise of religious fanatics online, m'kay? Good.

Now some of us have told you guys what is the emerging research into things like oh pesticides and how they react with the human body and hormonal levels... I know that it is easy to go, but the laws of thermodynamics... and of course you are correct except that the human animal is not a calorimeter and the different elements in this machine are so different from individual to individual that just shutting mouth off and getting on the exercise machine are not enough any more to explain why diets fail for 95% of individuals who go on a "diet." And I don't care if that diet is the latest fad, one supervised by doctors, or making changes slowly... though the latter has the best chances of success and yes studies have been done.... for those of you who claim otherwise... look into any dietetics journal. medical journal et al. Their rates of success rise slightly... but failure rates are still spectacularly high...

There is more... many of you refuse to read the science. Nor do you know cornerstone ongoing NIH funded, multigenerational studies, like Framingham... No that is not a diet... it is a study. Try to learn the difference m'kay?

Now I will say it... for some of you this is so threatening that my god, this is like dealing with global weather change deniers! It's been this way for ever and we humans could not have any effect on our bodies through the chemicals of the green revolution. I mean organophosphates do not concentrate across the ecosystem and they do not and cannot be affecting us... :sarcams: Yes, you strike me as global weather deniers. period.

There is more. Being able to look at the obese and say they NEED to shut up their mouths, and exercise and if they fail... well that is a moral statement, and a statement of belief. Now I do not expect every body to read the Journal of Endocrinology regularly, but whether you believe this or not, obesity is at a crisis point and research is pointing to multiple causes for this. And we are also finding out that yes, there is a fat gene... and yes in an age of plenty it is highly maladaptive... we are also finding about all them hormonal changes and I could go on.

But you know what was the most important lesson?

I will never again point to an obese person and say... well if he\ she shut his \ her mouth off and got on the elliptical... and you know why? I am sure people did when I got to my highest, and there was NOTHING I could do about it... and eating less was even less feasible... that was the lesson. While I am sure some folks are in the category. I simply don't know if they are obese because they eat a normal caloric load and their body is doing things that they have no control off... such as a dead thyroid, or medications. I simply do not know.

Now I know some folks here do that. And you know what? I do wish you a walk on my shoes... the humble and crow pies would be just peachy for you... Unfortunately this is the only way some people learn...

Sad.

twenty years ago as a medic I was told by patients, that they did not want the care. WHY? They had no insurance/ their insurance would not cover it.

In a few cases we went for the EMS form and had them sign the Against Medical Advise and hoped they would not be worst for it and every time I felt like crap. Didn't care if they were Mexican or American I felt I failed them. More than once I fought the good fight and managed to get these patients into an ER... most were treated and released and never handed a bill. Some were American. So watching a woman with stage four cancer that has not seen a doctor hurts, but is not shocking, not to me. Been there done that.

Seeing another with hypertension that could lead to a lethal stroke within a month, again not shocking.

Diabetics... you kid me? Our daily bread almost.

I've posted the stories here. What we are seeing in our TVs has been there, right under the surface, for many years. It is a festering problem that gets worst and worst and worst every year.

My favorite of these cases was the 19 year old who was in a crash. When we arrived on scene he was rubbing his neck... usually NOT a good thing. By protocol he should have been on backboard and in the back of my rig within ten minutes, on the way to the hospital. We "wasted" most of the golden hour (the ideal time to get trauma patients to the hospital) arguing with him why he needed to see a doctor. Oh he had tingling in the tips of his fingers... and he was having a few issues with orientation by the time we got him to the rig. (One reason we transported) and swelling and tenderness on his neck. But you see he could not afford the damn ambulance, never mind I kept explaining to him that we did not charge. In the end we took him to the trauma bay, and yes his neck had a fracture... damn lucky that it never did move... his cord was swelling up (see that tingling) and he had a bad concussion. But he could not afford the ambulance, he did not have insurance.

We called parents, and they were more or less hysterical when they got to the Red Cross. It was not just the fact that their child, lets call him bob and not his real name either. was hurt. it was the... medical evacuation to come (and the cost) and the fact that they truly believed we were going to land them with a huge bill. It was that sense of desperation that you never forget... Well in the end he was evacuated. I called the damn county ahead of them, and told them that this was a county case... and they got some assistance. But that accident cost the family a LOT of money... and I could not imagine, and have been blessed over the years, to have to decide whether to pay for the rent this month or the ALS unit and other costs.

For the record we offered to do the transfer, but for many complex reasons there was a period when we were highly discouraged from doing that. At times I think it had more to do with squeezing blood from turnips. So we did the next best thing. We took him to the border and called 9.11 saving them the triple charge of an international evacuation. And that, among many other calls, made me a fighter for single payer. I saw way too many of those patients working in a border town. Oh and don't get me wrong, most of my patient load were Mexican Citizens who were in dire straits too. The working poor share much across borders... but at least I did not have to fight them to take them to the hospital because of the cost... and yes I will say it... most people expect that to happen in Mexico, but not in the United States. Oh and taking a public health elective I remember raising the issue back in the early 1990s. One of our class mates started going over how if they did not have the money they didn't deserve the care... right up there with right wing talking points. Lets just say I had to control my impulse to deck this guy.

about those who have more than us.

Well folks been thinking about this due to this post

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

Over the course of ten years as a Paramedic I got to go to the houses of very poor people, like in we live on dirt floor, and power the TV with a battery and eat a few tortillas for dinner when we are lucky. To the homes of the very rich. One of those contacts involved a family who's net worth is close to 1 billion dollars. You think they are going to lose all their money in a crash? Hardly.

What struck me though was the attitude... in two very different encounters. One was this multimillionaire from very old money. The other was a lower middle class woman who called the ambulance because her husband fell and hurt himself.

Both treated my crew, and I did get in their faces, like if they were servants. Why? Most of my crews were working class, blue collar... to use the American equivalent. They simply were, and book learning, or polished Spanish was not part of their skill set, (and they were the best people I have ever worked with and supervised by the way). But to these two women we had to HURRY, and MOVE and do things that went against protocol, because they were our social betters.

Our very wealthy woman I plainly asked for her family doctor, giving instructions over the phone, to either come over and take charge of the call or we will do what we are trained to do, and see him at the hospital. Well doing that was not advantageous and we took hubby to the hospital doing all our ALS, period. To her credit, she actually apologized and I fear it was because I used VERY CORRECT and high class Spanish...

The second one insisted that we just pick up and run... never mind we had a slew of things to protect him from any further damage. She was rude and she was a pain.

The point I am making here is that being rude has little to do with money. You will see it more pronounced perhaps, in old money. Nor is racism limited to the US or just the very wealthy...

I have met people who have very little who are rude and racists, and people who have more than any of you could imagine who are the nicest people around... money has little to do with it. This is how you were raised.

Now I will make a broad brush statement, because that's my observation, people who MADE their fortune tend to be less snappy at those under them than those who inherited it. There is this sense of entitlement.

Oh and people do need to learn the difference between INCOME and NET WORTH by the way.

Oh and wishing others evil, if you believe in Kharma, will catch you up.

So I went to the market this morning REALLY EARLY to find parking. And I got a couple quesadillas for breakfast. I am sitting at this table they have set for people to have food, all on my lonesome when this woman and her child, could not be over nine, walk over. She asks if it is ok if she can join me. Sure no problem. Now here is the kicker... the kid would not seat on his own, and only sat on mom. Care to guess why? Fear of strangers. This forty something woman wearing a hat, with a bag on her side with viddles scared him.

Now I am not going to be too critical of the fear, but what happens when that kid grows up? Because of our present paranoia, never mind that all crime against kids is at an all time low, will that kid grow up to be a mal-adjusted adult that will NOT be able to relate to others? Granted, I am sure this is an extreme example and lord knows my mom told us not to talk to strangers... but I could not get this out of my mind as I got the rest of my vegies and fruits. What the hell are we doing to our kids? And no this is not just this mother. This fear is ever present in our society and has helped to dissolve that sense of community.

On the plus side i found an American made casserole dish (in the oven right as I speak) and a cup to start replacing the crappy ones I have whose glazing is going away. Will take a while to replace them as well, these are made by hand in the US, locally and therefore more expensive. And I am ok with that. Oh and a nice lady told me how to cook butternut squash... so got one and will try that this week. We even exchanged how to use the inevitable plastic bags we all get as hard as we try not to. I simply grab a bunch and take them to market and reuse them until they need to be recycled,

Yes, we all know the long list of candidates that did not make it. Was Obama my preferred candidate? NO... for that matter was Clinton? No. Both of them are centrists... as much as the other side tries to paint Obama as a fascist, nazi, communist, marxist 'xtremist... who wants to kill grand ma, and eat your kittens... (the caricature is not that far off by the way, that is what the other side THINKS)

So we have certain folks here on DU, and in other places, that cannot be pleased by what Obama (or the rest of the party does) What is funny is that some of these folks don't like it becuase he is not Centrist enough... and a few because he is not liberal enough... (For the record I am quite to the left of most people here... so no I am not happy, but I'm realistic)

Now what I am seeing is that some folks are STILL stuck in the primaries. I promise you, the way US Politics work in the modern period, the chances of a primary challenge to Obama in 2012 are low... let alone by a certain Secretary of State...

So here is the point... what we are getting out of the Senate and the House is not that liberal... but neither was Medicare in 1965, or S-Chip back in the 1990s. This is a point of departure, not the end.

Oh and yes, I wish I was a graduate student in about ten years... the goings on behind the scenes in the Senate will make for a fascinating research project... and yes, I think we may have under estimated Harry Reid... or this was just coincidence. But this is the beginning of the fight, not the end.

But the point is... the primaries are over.

ed for clarity

Yep, from the teabagger event today...

Now I will say something rather controversial but the data supports.

Liberals don't read, and neither do conservatives... for pleasure that is. We have a pretty illiterate population, and leaders on BOTH sides take advantage of it.

Oh and when both sides do read, they read two very different realities. This does not have at all to do with the truth... forget the truth. This is a perceived reality. They are 180 from each other, and having been to more than one anti war rally, where I heard some things that had me going... WHHAAAA... and today hearing plenty of things that had me going WHAAAAAA... I can say that both sides have that problem.

Oh and it is so dramatic, that it is almost dealing with mirror images of reality. Why you cannot have a talk with a true radical on the other side. As one put it today, liberals have their ears plugged and don't want to hear.... well we have experienced the same.

So if we are to break this pattern, actually things like today, where we can mingle and not scream at each other... perhaps will start to break down the cartoon image we have of each other. If not, I was truly convinced that something ugly will happen.

Oh and yes. today the speakers were talking to the converted. and true believers. Funny thing so do ours at our rallies...

And of course speakers in the speaker circuit have also reported this. And this is a very dangerous pattern...

That is all, and this is your food for thought.

Now for the next event I NEED A HAT, and a bag to carry the Evian in... yes it has to be EVIAN... no other water would do...



And of course, that was the wrong tea party. Would you believe it? NO Earl Gray, with cream of course, and crumpets or at least scones and jelly...

well, my hubby and I went to the tea bagger event with the Billionaires from Wealth Care. We got separated early on, after a few confrontations with a few assholes... the woman kept shoving me, and decided to quit once I told her I'd file charges for assault. So we moved into the crowd and made our way to the front.

Well, we had a few interesting non violent confrontations. One guy told a woman to quit it since we had the right to be there just as she did, First Amendment. One guy said, you may have the first but I have the second. I told him, gee I also have the Second and are you making threats? He walked away.

Hubby had one tell him he served in Nam, and hubby went through his military career, and even told him lets compare IDs. So the guy said, most be medical retirement. So hubby pointed out he was diminishing somebody else's service...

We had a gal from France come and tell us she came form a SOCIALIST country... and got really aggressive once Tom told her that Patriots STAY and FIGHT, and don't run... for what they believe. Oh that didn't go very well with her. I mean being called a cut n'runner French... the stereotype worked.

My two favorites were though the old lady that started to sway. I asked her if she was OK. It was HOT, and she looked not good. She said she was. So I stood, with her permission, behind her to catch her if need be. Near the end she turns... didn't know libs cared for my health.

We have Ma'am, since oh 1935. Now that is a seed.

Now one guy got into a discussion over wealth with us... and hubby told him that he didn't know where the investments were, since the broker does that... it was funny. A group started going, well More profits for Microsoft and Apple... Oh sure, we are all for that, better for my portfolio! You could see wheels freezing.

Oh and the lady that took 45 minutes to figure out we were NOT on their side. Though you should know George Soros and Acorn paid for my signs.

Now most of the group was told to leave... as I said we were separated, after a few violent confrontations (there is video of that)... but I can say we have a friendly spy here. Yep, in the middle they said, we have a GROUP FROM DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND here... so we cheered. So whoever you are, thank you... my portfolio loves you.


Oh and here is the truth, I was trained at one point to count crowds... so they were probably able to draw about 1200 people, I am high balling it a little ... promise you this, they will say much more... and more than just a few were not Tea Baggers.

Oh and to end here, there was also the line that we DU'ers were like the Brown shirts, at which point we both went yeah, Jews for Hitler... that got a chuckle from a few as they realized the contradiction.

Oh and pointing does help... while laughing.

Just remember to be respectful and not interrupt speakers ok.

Oh and I hate to do this...

Four African American in that crowd and perhaps three hispanics. Two of the African Americns were on the stage by the way. It was mostly white and older... oh five kids.

Oh and they kept insisting they were not racists...

Damn should have taken more notes.

I pointed out that we lack the organzation that labor once had. We lack the drive that the American people once had. We also lack the sense of WE and class consciousness. Regardless of what you think of Marx or the implementation of his theories in the USSR (which were a disaster) he got the analysis right...

So today I went to Borders. Originally my mission was to find a tasty scone recipe in any of the cooking magazines on the shelf. I do not bake or cook enough to justify a subscription... but that is another rant. So I decided... ok lets go see what they have on the history of labor...

In the history section I found Zihn's work... the more general books though. Under sociology I find Stud Terkel's essays on work and some of Eirenbach's books, such as nickel and dimed. So I walked over to current affairs, poli sci and ok there is Hartmann. Overall though there wasn't much.

So between the allergy that the American people have to labor and the history of labor... and the lack of material in a borders... no wonder people read this call for ORGANIZATION with all kinds of excuses.

Hey I did get Jacoby's book on anti-intellectualism. I wanted it when it came out, but decided to wait for the soft cover... which has been updated to cover the after election environment. So I guess... I should do some research and some writing and put a comprehensive history of labor... and then find a University Press to print that... assuming outside the Journals anybody is interested. After all all this silliness about class consciousness or how much we are WORKERS not middle class flies in the face of American Myth, and lord knows we need to preserve the myth as long as the empire lives.

we have had yet again another call for a national strike... don't worry, unless you listened to Malloy who mentioned it on the way out of his show... you have good reasons to have missed it.

So here is the deal.

I am peachy keen that people are calling for them. This is the third after all... but there is a problem...

Oh and at this point I am going to reach for this little thing called organizational theory and history.

The last one was in 1952 and that one was organized in such a way that the UNIONS got involved, not only in the actual day, but in things such as organizing the pesky thing and the logistics.

Just calling for a strike... and I have said we need one... (that works) is not enough. People who are your targets of a strike, aka the strikers... NEED TO KNOW that you have one in the works. In other words, you need a MOVEMENT... with a clear organization, and as much as people hate it, a clear command chain (and that includes the IRS looking over everything you do, as well as the FBI and all that ok. After all organizing in this way can be hazardous to your health... or at least the leader's health... don't care how many times you cite the First Amendment... history is on my side on this one. )

So I am peachy keen that this is the third one to be called... means at least some people in the "fringe" have realized something has to be done... but there is much more to a movement than just a call to action...

For those of you curious about it... here you go

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

Just I figured it was time to point out that until there is a MOVEMENT that is more organized than a bunch of cats in a sack on to the river... well they will not work.

So here are the components that need to be worked on.

1.- Organization... an organizing committee is not out of the question.

2.- Reach to Unions... yes they are far from the union movement of 1952 and you can bet your sweet potatoes that they will be called commies et al... but that is a statement all on its own.

3.- Media... trust me, if oh 50% of the nation's workers staged a blue flu that lasted for more than one day... it would be a story. Oh and after a certain point firing people becomes not practical.

4.- It is not just about staying home... that is easy to ignore. People need to get out and protest during those strikes... make sure that people know why you are out there.

Now I am happy that this is the THIRD call for one... I know why it will fail...not being negative just realistic... so perhaps now people will realize it takes a little more than just going on the web and posting a call to action for that to happen.

That is all.

Oh and I am ready for the flame throwers...

PS: If we are going to actually go there, and as a nation we might have to... time to study both MLK and Gandhi... and ahem, see how exactly you use this, and to create and EFFECTIVE movement... against things such as NAFTA... oh and it takes more than posting on the web. At times I wonder if the American people have forgotten how to organize (yes) and if the web serves as a convenient binky (yes).

Ok folks, I have been doing a lot of readying into the culture... and there are several things that began to strike me, as a pattern.

Gun control has been hijacked... no, not by the liberals, the NRA... wait for it... 99% of gun owners will agree to the kind of controls most people who are reasonable about this want. Things like ... if you served time in jail, aka a felon, or you have mental issues, you don't get to own a gun.

That said the NRA has run a very successful campaign to scare gun owners that them liberals are coming to take their guns away.

And partly the fears may not be unfounded... since gun control has also been hijacked by some politicos who use fear as well.

Here is the truth... many gun laws are about the other and keeping them from those we fear. For some city dwellers, who have never used a gun in their lives... well the other are them country hicks... or for the most part blacks and other minorities. Yes, you read right, the current spate goes back to the riots. Never mind there were mostly no guns used at the time, and the high profile murders of the 1960s... which led to gun laws, not rifles laws... funny thing.

There is more, the reality is that you cannot ban guns in a country where we have over 260 million guns, last time anybody tried to run a check. That is more than two guns per person in the country.

Now some folks have bought this idea that they are coming to take their guns away since this is is an idea also rooted in the other...

SO if we are going to have a conversation about this... forget the second amendment... and let's get back to basics, and see what we can all agree with. (And I expect plenty of second amendment, and rights and all that... which was NOT part of the conversation at one time, it was more like... ok we can all agree that felons should not have them, that's a bad idea, or the mentally insane)

And the truth is some people should not be able to LEGALLY obtain a gun... we, at least the reasonable ones, will realize yes it is the same folks... felons, mentally sick... I also realize that those well motivated to get a gun will get a Saturday Night Special... not delusional about this.

Now I would like to see certain guns not in the hands of civilians, realize those would be long arms designed to kill people, but that ain't gonna happen...

It is also a reality that a small group of gun owners are concerned quite a bit with the mechanics of ballistics and all of that. For the record, my interest in ballistics came from seeing what the rounds from certain weapons can do to the human body, for real... and of course for silly shit like what is good cover when those bullets are traveling out of the muzzle... yes they have right of way.

Now there is more... one of the great misunderstandings is as to who has guns in this country. Yep, some are country hicks, with few formal education... but that is SOME... most folks who own guns are well educated... and even have college degrees, and are responsible owners. Oh and them country hicks have the best gun safety training ever, and their guns in some cases go back to the Civil War and they still use them for hunting... ah to use a Martini Henry ... now that would be fun.

So lets get down to basics... ok...

Oh and gun control has been part of US history... it is not new, but the term has been hijacked. It truly is about certain groups being able to buy a gun or not, and certain places we all agree you should not be able to carry a gun... like the court house. or the US House.

Oh and those thinking we will get rid of guns in our culture... no way in hell. What I'd like to get rid off is the violent culture where guns are but one of many symptoms... now that is a project I can get behind.

Oh and for you hunters, good luck, make sure you eat what you kill.

Oh and stay safe, you know the drill.

and yes, it takes work... and I admit MONEY and some know how.

Well we have seen leading research that suggests one of the multi-facets to obesity is what our lovely food industry puts in our food, as well as our chemical industry puts in our containers. Yes, there is the PRC crowd, so for the moment lets assume that those doing research into hormones have a clue and have found one of the many causes that may lead to silly shit like increased insulin resistance and low thyroid function.

So there are several things I have started doing.

1.- I am now baking my own bread. Still learning... it is an art. Why? You find breads without the usual crap like HFCS... yes, they do exist, but still they are few and far between and less every year. So found some solid recipes and taking the time to do that. Mind you, I think that baking them is not that time consuming... but getting it right in a small oven is a little more challenging than I expected. Still, we now enjoy fresh baked breads.

2.- We, well I cook every day, and I use fresh ingredients, and organic when possible. I know a lot of people do not have time for this.

3.- I also have moved on to going out a lot less than we used to... and we are selective of where we go out, for the most part.

Now I realize that what I am doing is very difficult for many people, There are many reasons and I will list them.

a.- For the working poor, having to work two and even three jobs a day doing this is like asking for the moon. Why we should have HEALTHIER choices available for people who cannot do this, AT PRICES THEY CAN AFFORD.

b.- Americans are far removed from a culture where people know what to do with food. I am serious, now we know that many of the working poor and lower middle class have no clue what to do with basic things like oh carrots and potatoes, as in the raw kind ok. So we may need to have outreach programs to teach the coming generations what mothers used to teach daughters, how to cook.

c.- Mostly I am able to do this since I have the time and the resources... I want this available to all. If indeed BPA is part of the crisis and we know food is engineered to be addictive... then the only way some of this crap will change is by as many of us NOT buying. But to do this people need information and available resources.

Now to the PRC I wish you would just shut up and LISTEN to some of the working poor around these parts that will tell you the following, There is no Whole Foods in the inner city, or for that matter a grocery store. You want to get a fresh anything, you need to take public transportation away from the inner city. Also the working poor do not have the time to do this, or the knowledge, and it is NOT their fault. It is the first time in human history that the thin pretty people are wealthy and the working poor, shall we say surviving poor are obese. That alone should offer a clue but it seems every one of these posts is received with derision by the PRC.

Anyway I am doing what I can to protect my husband, myself and yes, the birds from much of the crap I know is in our food supply... and why I am taking the time to do some things that I know take time. I am not going to judge others for not doing this, but if I am asked how... yes I am willing to tell somebody how to clean a carrot, yes some folks don't know what to do with carrots, or prepare a potato for the stew... or use cheaper cuts of meat for food to be prepared at home. Every little step you can take you do your body a favor...

Oh and the corporations and sadly our government are not on our side... so stop thinking that.

you see folks the US has a caste system. The poor are not supposed to get out of poverty. Though in THEORY the idea of an OPT OUT of the Public Option is a good idea, it will not be and will further balkanize the country between the haves and the have nots... aka the blue and the red states.

Now you say, but, but they will surely vote their republican politicians out... that is your urban, mostly blue state, liberal talking. I mean that is common sense RIGHT? WRONG.

All it takes is for the local member of the chamber of commerce holding court at the local watering hall, where all them poor whites gather for a drink after work. She or he is a member of the republican party, and a local foot soldier. There is more, SHE\HE HAS MONEY. Wealth is all the authority these folks need to accept whatever this person says as gospel.

Or it could be the local doctor... talking of the horrors of the Public Option and how HE cannot afford to take more patients and government intervention.

You think I am kidding?

You 'splain to me how the hell unions are bad and right to work is good... all logic sayz that unions should be good and they should be fighting for that... right? WRONG. Them unions are a bunch of commies and we have what we have oh prayze you JEESUS...

So yes I do think those making this case from them Red States, have a clue of what they speak. You think the local board or country board wants them folks on that wrong side of tracks to have ... public health care? You NUTS????? Oh and by the way, this caste system is not just critical for them EEEVIIIILLL Republicans... it includes plenty of our own Bourbon Democrats.

So no, this is not a good idea, and I intend to try to 'splain this to my urban liberal representative... we need a good PO... with no triggers, and no opt in or opt out... we want real change in this country, well we need to start chipping in at the caste system that makes sure certain good working, god fearing folk are kept down and out...

what are we gonna do about healthcare?

I suspect not much.

Me, will place my obligatory calls to congress... not that it does a whit of difference.

Will talk about it, not that it makes a whit of difference.

You know why? We need to do something far more radical than calling congress. they don't work for us, and we need more than just talk.

Oh go march... nope.

That will not be enough either...

I have advocated before and I will again, what we need in this country, and that is just the beginning, are national strikes... and I mean the NATIONAL part.

We need far more than just that...

And we need to decide. Are we willing to die for what we need? If not, go back to the slumber.

That is all...