Firefighting is for big-government sissies

Posted on September 6, 2011 by oddmanout215

Here’s my theory: Rick Perry was in New York City once and saw grownups wearing rain gear and riding on big red trucks and hooking up hoses every time a measly row of houses caught fire. And he said to himself, firefighting is for sissies, I refuse to waste another dime on it. A real man, a Texas man, puts out his own fire, or he shoots holes in it and watches it burn.

Perry is anti-fire departments, even when the firefighters aren’t getting paid. From The Raw Story:

Under Gov. Rick Perry (R) this year, Texas slashed state funding for the volunteer fire departments that protect most of the state from wildfires like the ones that have recently destroyed more than 700 homes. Volunteer departments that were already facing financial strain were slated to have their funding cut from $30 million to $7 million, according to KVUE. The majority of Texas is protected by volunteer fire departments. There are 879 volunteer fire departments in Texas and only 114 paid fire departments. Another 187 departments are a combination of volunteer and paid. For that reason, aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could be more important than ever to the state where wildfires have recently been raging. At a press conference Monday, Perry promised to seek federal disaster relief and said that FEMA would be in the state by Wednesday.

Fire departments cost money, you see, and that means taxes, which is why Perry was happy to gamble on the unlikely chance there would be no major brush fires in his increasingly bone-dry state. Small government is the goal. So who does the cowboy with the French cuffs call when the state’s burning down? The federal government, of course.

Posted in economic collapse, enviromentalism, Great Recession, Politics, taxes | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Labor Day message from Albert Einstein

Posted on September 5, 2011 by oddmanout215

Think of the millions of jobs eliminated or off-shored over the past few decades. Consider the extent to which this is the result of alliances between our increasingly corrupt political establishment and the corporate elite. Look at the way politicians, the courts and the corporations have conspired to cripple organized labor, lower wages and drastically cut back on benefits for workers. Then tell me there’s a good reason to celebrate Labor Day, or even acknowledge it.

This is from a piece written in 1949 by Albert Einstein, who was a socialist and a humanist (anybody remember humanists?) as well as a brilliant physicist:

Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.

The only thing that dates the piece is Einstein’s use of the adjective “underprivileged.” In today’s world, “non-wealthy” would be more appropriate, because the corporatists now have enough leverage to screw the middle classes, too. As you may have noticed.

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mitchell’s ‘Coyote’ still lean and mean

Posted on September 4, 2011 by oddmanout215

Recently, watching the Band back Joni Mitchell on “Coyote” (the video I put up here has been blocked) in Martin Scorcese’s The Last Waltz, I wondered about the link between cocaine and the fashionably emaciated look in the 1970s. Never mind.

Mitchell is beyond svelte, but still young enough to make cadaverous rhyme with glamorous. Robbie Robertson looks like you could knock him over with a guitar pick. He must have been bucking to make the junior welterweight division of great rock and roll guitarists. Coyote, indeed.

But there is nothing slight about the music. Fans of the Band know they were terrific players with impressive stylistic range, but it’s still surprising to hear them do justice to Mitchell’s rhythmically complex piece. It’s folk jazz, fusion-y but spare, and somehow soulful.

Mitchell was labeled a folkie early on but she turned out to be a great jazz singer. “Coyote” is also a testament to her brilliance as a lyricist. It reads like it was written for the screen and is about a certain sort of predatory male who meets his match when he hooks up with a certain woman of the road.

Memorable lyric: Coyote’s in the coffee shop/ He’s staring a hole in his scrambled eggs/ He picks up my scent on his fingers/ While he’s watching the waitress’s legs.

Footnote: I think you can still view “Coyote” on YouTube. The live version with the Band is the best of the videos.

Posted in arts, movies, pop music | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Obama’s latest victim — the EPA

Posted on September 3, 2011 by oddmanout215

The treachery continues, but it’s hard to guess what the endgame is. Maybe Barack Obama really believes his own hype. He’s the “adult” in the race and therefore can’t lose against Texas wing-nut Rick Perry or insipid Mitt (“Corporations are people”) Romney.

From Daily Beast:

More dispiriting news, this time about the White House overturning the EPA’s proposed new rules on smog. That comes a few hours after the jobs report from Friday morning, one of the bleakest yet. And it comes a few days in advance of what everyone expects will be a small-thinking, modest, blah jobs speech by the president …

The smog decision is a real low … Environmental groups were going to file a lawsuit in 2009 about Bush-era ozone rules, and the Obama administration told them, in effect, “Wait, don’t hassle us with a lawsuit, we’re going to propose stricter rules soon.” So the stricter rules were proposed, and the White House has now said, “Sorry, changed our mind …”

… And you know how partisans say sometimes in anger that we’d have been better off with the other guy? They say it for effect and don’t actually mean it. But in this case, it’s literally true. Bush-proposed standards in 2008 were tougher than the 1997 standards under which companies will now operate …

Philip Radford of Greenpeace:

On the [2008] campaign trail the President talked a lot about holding corporations accountable. This decision today is the opposite of that. He’s actually doing their dirty work for them. And as a result all of us are going to suffer.

Posted in enviromentalism, Great Recession, livable cities, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Your hometown flooded? Come to Ocean City!

Posted on September 3, 2011 by oddmanout215

Interesting Philadelphia Inquirer front-page advertorial on behalf of the Ocean City, NJ, tourism industry. The reporter noted that O.C. lost a lot of potential tourist dollars last week when coastal areas were evacuated as Hurricane Irene approached.

The story had no news value but was instead a pitch to people in the region who hadn’t made plans for the Labor Day weekend. Publicists for the town were quoted, all complaining about Irene’s effect on business and rattling off the same message: “Come on down.”

It’s ironic that Irene spared the South Jersey shore but did some damage in the northern part of the state. But wait… Shouldn’t the Ocean City spokespeople, instead of complaining, be thanking their fickle mercantile gods that Irene didn’t wipe their island off the map?

The reporter maximized the story’s tackiness by quoting a woman who urged upstate disaster victims to put the wreckage out of mind, at least long enough to enjoy an expensive weekend of sun and fun in Ocean City:

“Our hearts go out to the people who ended up with a lot of storm damage and problems,” said Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. “But we think the best solution for them is to come down here and enjoy the beautiful weather in what’s left of the summer.”

Gillian, whose family operates Gillian’s Wonderland amusement pier on the boardwalk, said business in Ocean City was down as much as 70 percent at the start of the week. But people have trickled back to “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” she said.

Great idea! Bring what’s left of your life savings and spend the money on what’s left of the summer in our kitschy little shore town. And don’t forget to blow some cash on my family’s amusement pier…

I know this story had an editor, but it’s hard to believe the editor actually read it.

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, NJ, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Liberal pundit’s advice: Give ’em heck, Dems

Posted on September 1, 2011 by oddmanout215

Leonard Pitts Jr.’s column was headlined “Democrats need to stand up to tea party.” I couldn’t agree more, but his semi-apologetic tone left me wondering what Pitts meant by “stand up.”

He started by praising Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters for having the “spine” to say, “I’m not afraid of anybody… And as far as I’m concerned, the ‘tea party’ can go straight to hell.”

But then he qualified his praise by stating that his intention wasn’t “blanket lionization” of Waters, “who is the object of a protracted ethics probe.” In fact, Waters’ remark was “about as uncivil as it gets” and Pitts wouldn’t applaud it “in ordinary times.” But these aren’t ordinary times, the nation’s “civic dialogue” has been undermined by a “loud, incoherent minority” incapable of compromise.

Finally, Waters’ “intemperate remark” will do nothing to bring back our “ability” to compromise, but it does …

… acknowledge a reality President Obama refuses to accept: Compromise requires a partner. When the other party’s bottom line is that you fail, when that is the opponent’s prime directive, the most important item on their agenda, then you lack both that partner and any basis for negotiation… To put that another way: after you have reasoned with the bully, bargained with the bully, tried to appease the bully, sometimes the only remaining option is to punch the bully in the nose. That’s what Maxine Waters just did. Good for her.

Are you sure, Lenny? Shouldn’t you let the bully leave his footprints on your face first? Isn’t a punch in the nose a bit extreme, even if you’ve already surrendered your lunch money and your sneakers and your little red wagon to him? Don’t you think you should try at least one more time to make him a “partner?”

One more question: Given the fact that most Washington D.C. Dems are scared rabbits or hypocrites, what exactly are you suggesting the rank and file do? Start a third party? Now that would take spine.

Posted in Congress, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

New verb — Who will ‘Pinochet’ Cheney?

Posted on August 31, 2011 by oddmanout215

The mainstream media are shrugging at Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s former chief of staff, who has started a one-man campaign to bring down Dick Cheney.

Wilkerson has publicly stated he’ll testify against Cheney — chief fabricator of lies used to justify the Iraq war, advocate and instigator of torture policies, guiding force behind warrant-less eavesdropping on American citizens — if charges are ever brought against the former vice-president.

Not much chance of that. Barack Obama’s Justice Department has ignored Cheney’s admissions of involvement in torture policies and Cheney isn’t likely to visit any countries where he might be arrested and charged. But Wilkinson deserves credit for speaking out and for his theory on why Cheney wrote his new memoir In My Time.

“This is a book written out of fear, fear that one day someone will ‘Pinochet’ Dick Cheney,” Wilkerson said. As Raw Story noted:

Wilkerson was referring to former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, who was arrested in London in 1998 after being indicted for crimes against humanity. It was the first time the principle of universal jurisdiction had been applied to a former foreign head of state.

Is Wilkerson suggesting foreign agents come to America and nab Cheney in his own backyard, or is he just razzing the Justice Department for not doing its job? And how would Cheney’s book help prevent his arrest?

Inquiring torture foes are hoping Wilkerson will elaborate.

Posted in Iraq war, mainstream media, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The repo man is bigger, badder than Irene

Posted on August 31, 2011 by oddmanout215

Some people are arguing over whether politicians and the media hyped the hurricane. Was the coverage of Irene too intense, were the predictions too doom-ridden?

But these are the wrong questions. It’s a given that politicians will ask people to stay off the beach and then try to take credit for saving lives, and that the mainstream media — especially TV crews — will milk a disaster story for all its worth. News is much easier to gather when it’s in your face, and what could be more in-your-face than a hurricane?

The potential for disaster really was there. Everybody knew Irene would be a bitch, but no one knew for sure if she’d be a full-fledged monster. Try telling the people of Vermont that Irene wasn’t a monster.

A better question is why don’t politicians and the media put the same amount of energy into covering the economic disaster that’s still in progress?

From Guardian UK:

… Put simply, millions more homes will have been lost to bank repossessions than have been damaged by Irene. The storm caused some flooding, but much greater degradation has been inflicted on the US coastline by last year’s BP oil spill. A few days without electricity is challenging, but the blow to clean energy prospects posed by the state department’s recent approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline from the tar sands of Alberta to the Texas coast is more worrying.

A real state of preparedness for natural catastrophes anywhere is only possible for a general population protected by fair access to decent housing, good universal healthcare and robust environmental regulations. Preparing for the worst means addressing both what causes or aggravates natural disasters – like climate change and poverty – and how the damage they inflict can be minimised by a strong social infrastructure. Like Britain, the US is headed further in the opposite direction. Piling up sandbags and stocking up on masking tape will not then save anyone from disasters to follow …

The question answers itself. Elected officials of both major parties would rather remain silent, or close to it, than acknowledge the extent of the problem and risk offending their corporate masters in order to try to solve it.

And the media? Forget it. Foreclosures aren’t happening at 100 mph, ripping roofs off houses and uprooting trees. Lives are being torn apart all over the country, but the victims don’t make much noise — they are often in denial about the extent of their troubles — and the banksters who kick them to the curb never do so in person.

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, enviromentalism, Great Recession, Gulf, mainstream media, Politics, The New Depression, Wall Street | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

No relief in sight from Eric Cantor disaster

Posted on August 30, 2011 by oddmanout215

I refer to the less-than-esteemed U.S. Rep from Virginia. The dapper super-nerd with the smug grin who badgered Barack Obama during debt ceiling negotiations. The Tea Party lap dog whose strategy for rising in the GOP ranks is to recite “more spending cuts” often and loud enough to drown out all calls for relief to the poor and distressed.

In case you missed it, Cantor has insisted that no more federal funds will be allocated for disaster relief unless the expenditures are “offset by spending cuts elsewhere.”

… Cantor took the position following the tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri and elsewhere in the spring and summer, and after last week’s earthquake, the epicenter for which was in his district, but [Hurricane Irene’s] level of destruction is far beyond that of those disasters. Still, Cantor told Fox News that while “we’re going to find the money,” “we’re just going to need to make sure that there are savings elsewhere to do so.”

Cantor referred a bill the Republican-controlled House passed that approves $1 billion in disaster relief, which was financed by a $1.5 billion cut from loan program to encourage the production of fuel-efficient vehicles. But the need in the wake of the hurricane will likely greatly surpass $1 billion, and that spending package was supposed to be used for tornado recovery efforts, for which several hundred million dollars has already been outlayed.

In other words, Cantor is leading the latest Tea Party attempt to shrink government to the size of an antebellum plantation. He’s in the vanguard of the hacks who are eager to cut research & development, education, infrastructure repairs, aid to the poor, you name it, rather than impose higher taxes on the obscenely wealthy people who bankroll political careers in return for special favors.

Reading about this poor excuse for a human, I couldn’t help recalling and looking up an excellent piece about Clarence Darrow in the May 23 New Yorker. You can only access part of the piece online if you don’t have a subscription, but here are some pertinent lines:

… [Darrow] liked to say that creeds were dope: “No one can find life tolerable without dope. The Catholics are right, the Christian Scientists are right, the Methodists are right, the drunkards are right.” He thought his own dope was pessimism. It wasn’t. His dope was compassion. He despaired for humanity mainly because he didn’t meet many of his kind of addict. The problem is, you can’t teach sympathy; like imagination, either you have it or you don’t …

Footnote: Yes, Irene was hyped by TV idiots to the point where it seemed skyscrapers might topple, but the hurricane did do a lot of very expensive damage, mostly outside the big cities, that only the federal government can fix.

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, Politics, taxes, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The ‘meeks’ shall inherit the dirt

Posted on August 29, 2011 by oddmanout215

Philly in summer was a blast furnace until we lucked into a rainy August capped by a visit from Hurricane Irene, the queen of hype. No such luck for Texas, which continues to suffer through its worst drought on record despite Gov. Rick Perry’s Three Days of Prayer for Rain way back in April.

The point of Perry’s rain dance had nothing to do with precipitation and everything to do with demonstrating he’s a God-fearing Christian, like the good old boys and girls who elected him. Now he’s running for president and knows his faux-Christian fervor must continue to match that of Michele Bachmann’s if he is to shore up the holy-roller vote so crucial to success for anyone hoping to be the GOP’s nominee.

Which brings me to today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, in which Leonard Boasberg reminded readers that all of the GOP candidates recently said no to a budget deal that would be one part tax increases and 10 parts spending cuts. Boasberg cited various Biblical passages that extol the charitable and warn against greed, his point being that the candidates are shameless hypocrites.

But we already knew that. What Boasberg chose to ignore is that the GOP’s Christian base is perfectly comfortable with candidates who are silent on the plight of the poor but extremely vocal in opposing taxes on the owner class, which funds their candidacies.

As the base sees it, the rich deserve their wealth, they worked hard for it, and the poor who can’t work their way into a higher income bracket should accept their poverty as God’s will.

The bottom-line message is know your place. Pray for rain but don’t expect any, not unless you can afford to fly away from drought-ravaged areas. And remember that Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Remember too that “meek” doesn’t denote weakness, but rather submission to the will of God, and that “inherit the earth” is meant in a spiritual sense — i.e., the earth is a merely a pit stop on the way to the Kingdom of God, and the meeks are heirs to that kingdom, so they shouldn’t get their backs up if their time on earth is miserable.

History has shown that this con game only works until those pesky meeks realize that, rather than inheriting the earth, they are having their faces rubbed in the dirt. Unfortunately, it looks like the meeks in this country, Republicans and Democrats, might take a lot longer to catch on to the game than their grandparents and great-grandparents did.

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, health care, livable cities, Politics, taxes, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment