Category Archives: Politics

Bastille Day for the well-fed

Posted on July 19, 2011 by oddmanout215

The crowd called for Marie Antoinette’s head, they bellowed for it, but in the end the only guillotine victim was a watermelon. The master of ceremonies sentenced the French queen to become Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new housekeeper, not a bad fate … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, fiction, food, Great Depression, Great Recession, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sound and fury, signifying status quo

Posted on July 15, 2011 by oddmanout215

Joseph Stiglitz, a few months ago in Vanity Fair: The more divided a society becomes in terms of wealth, the more reluctant the wealthy become to spend money on common needs. The rich don’t need to rely on government for … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, unemployment, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will Obama side with workers? Don’t hold your breath

Posted on July 11, 2011 by oddmanout215

I saw this from WP posted on Suburban Guerrilla and could hardly believe I was reading about a Democratic president: SEATTLE — President Barack Obama is calling once again for Boeing Co. and its workers to resolve their differences without … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Nice economy you had here…’

Posted on July 8, 2011 by oddmanout215

Here’s Paul Krugman last week in The New York Times, urging Barack Obama “to draw a line in the sand” regarding the debt ceiling issue: So what’s really going on is extortion pure and simple. As Mike Konczal of the … Continue reading →

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To Frank Rich, the future looks like Hamlet, Act V

Posted on July 6, 2011 by oddmanout215

You may have noticed that more and more social critics are looking at the future and seeing very few smiley faces. Here’s Frank Rich’s take on the end of the world as we know it: What haunts the Obama administration … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, economic collapse, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hemingway was right — Big Brother was watching

Posted on July 3, 2011 by oddmanout215

Yes, Ernest Hemingway suffered from depression that grew more acute as he realized his best writing years were behind him. Very late in life he also was plagued by paranoia — i.e., by the notion that the FBI was monitoring … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, mainstream media, New York Times, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Friedman’s cure for Mideast crises? Lemonade

Posted on June 28, 2011 by oddmanout215

Mick Jagger once sang, “I could use a lemon squeezer!” Thomas Friedman is seeking lemon squeezers, too, but of a different sort. He’s a pollyanna pundit, not a rocker, who’s fond of using the cliche, “When life hands you lemons, … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, health care, Iraq war, mainstream media, New York Times, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why it’s so easy to hate LeBron James

Posted on June 14, 2011 by oddmanout215

It’s not because he embraced the nickname King James and has “Chosen1” tattooed on his back. It’s because he’s too arrogant or stupid (same thing?) to resist taking verbal shots at basketball fans who rooted against him during the NBA … Continue reading →

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‘Rentiers’ to the jobless: Your pain is our gain

Posted on June 12, 2011 by oddmanout215

Those trying to escape the saga of Anthony Weiner and the Weiner-ettes may not have seen Paul Krugman’s Friday column, which focuses on the relentlessly high unemployment rate and on the fact that the most powerful people in government — … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Depression, Great Recession, mainstream media, New York Times, New York Times op-ed, Obama, Politics, unemployment, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Greenwald to media: You’re all Weiners

Posted on June 9, 2011 by oddmanout215

I saw a clip of Chris Matthews screeching about Anthony Weiner and, shortly afterwards, read this in Glenn Greenwald’s column: I’d really like to know how many journalists, pundits and activist types clucking with righteous condemnation of Weiner would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, mainstream media, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment