thought no. 24

American Conservatives are always going on about how "untrustworthy" and "incapable" government is. Now, setting aside that these people say these things while attempting to become part of that same government, I'd like to know why Republicans and their loony Tea-Party cousins think that the least trustworthy institution in the U.S. is the one institution where the America People get to choose who runs it?

thought no. 23

If you ask a Christian about God, he will tell you that God is both omnipotent and omniscient. He will then tell you that in order to please this all-encompassing God, you must walk a path that is straight and narrow and that you must walk that path without any deviation.
He will also tell you that, amazingly enough, he walks that exact correct path out of all the myriad of paths the world has to offer. (Lucky him!)

If there is any reason to mock Christians*, it is not the sentiments or morals contained in their basic religion. It is instead the astonishing idea that they have of placing an all-powerful, all-seeing superbeing into a tiny, narrow box made of belief, then having the gall to try and force others to "believe" the same way.

* Or, for that matter, any religious folk

thought no. 22

So, right now, Beauty and the Beast is on in the living room, and it occurs to me that if Belle had simply pretended to fawn over Gaston a bit, he would have completely ignored her, because she is, after all, a nerd girl. Look at her, and look at Gaston, who's a classic jock. Does anyone really think that a muscle-head like him would be choosing bookish Belle over the various push-ups who were in the tavern unless it was because she was the one girl who wouldn't have him?
No, the only reason Gaston wanted Belle was because she rejected him. If she had acted, even a little, like she was interested, Gaston would have blown her off for someone sporting more unbound hair and cleavage.
Hell, throw in a little shyness and she wouldn't even have to pay much attention. Yes, you could say that it's "compromising her integrity", but no one's asking her to sleep with him, now are they? A little false flattery seems a small price to pay for keeping an idiot away.

thought no. 21

Women: can't live with'em, can't sell'em in the marketplace anymore*.


* Well, not any marketplaces that I'd care to venture into

thought no. 20

thought no. 19

So, let me see if I've got this straight. Raising taxes to pay off the debt is bad (as the lockstep Republicans say), but allowing the default to happen (as some of the Republican Teapartiers are apparently wishing for), thereby raising interest rates, and so thereby making any future borrowing cost more money, that's okay?

Addendum: Confirmed! (via)

thought no. 18

Does this look familiar? I felt my gut clench when I saw it. Guess who it turns out to be. Again. That's right, another right-wing extremist. It doesn't matter if it's a Muslim or a Christian (except to the other Muslim and Christian right-wing extremists), they are both reprehensible, and I wish both of them a great and unpleasant surprise upon their deaths. May it come before they kill anyone else.

thought no. 17

I think this is freakin' awesome. I also think maybe someone watched a lot of My Little Pony to get the mouth movements matched up as well as they are.

thought no. 16

Just read this:

"The Four Ignoble Truths:
* Touch the military/espionage/security-industrial complex and you're dead.
* Touch Social Security and you're dead.
* Raise taxes and you're dead.
* Touch Medicare and you're dead."

If this is true, and I dont doubt that it is, then we are basically fucked, because we have no where to go but to cut everything else that makes life good here for most Americans.

thought no. 15

Is it possible that the people who are behind the drive to cause the U.S. to default are people who are interested in purchasing U.S. treasury bonds (in other words, loaning money to the U.S.) at a much higher rate of interest? We are, I believe, the world's biggest borrower. There are a few people (or corporations), both here and abroad, who have a lot of cash just hanging around looking for a good return, who also just happen to be heavily involved in political contributing. Aren't there?

thought no. 14

I'm beginning to think that the only way to save the village is to destroy the village. So perhaps it would be best if the GOP sweeps the election in 2012, so that when the country continues its downward spiral, it will be crystal clear who is to blame... to everyone.

Or maybe not.

thought no. 13

For an organization that touts the private sector and its effectiveness, the RNC sure does seem to need a lot of public sector money. Why do you suppose that is?

(props)

thought no. 12

Well, more of a question, really: how many conservative voters living in the area which is served by the Tennessee Valley Authority can be found protesting against "socialist" government programs and interference?

thought no. 11

this is from Wikipedia:

"Socialists generally argue that capitalism concentrates power and wealth within a small segment of society that controls the means of production and derives its wealth through a system of exploitation. This creates a stratified society based on unequal social relations that fails to provide equal opportunities for every individual to maximize their potential, and does not utilise available technology and resources to their maximum potential in the interests of the public, and focuses on satisfying market-induced wants as opposed to human needs".

Now, I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot like the last 30 years since the Reagan "Revolution", with the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few growing steadily. If opposition to that concentration makes me a socialist, then so be it.

thought no. 10

While I can think of plenty of countries that have both happy, prosperous citizens and a high level of government "intervention", I cannot think of a single one that has both happy, prosperous citizens and little to no government intervention.

Not one.

thought no. 9

crazy conspiracy idea: the religious extremism that has been rearing it's head in America and abroad is not the result of theocrats and Authoritarians, but is the result of a worldwide conspiracy of artists, who, concerned that they will run out of new ways to be avant-garde, are attempting to narrow the world's definition of "art" so that future artists can have "edgy" careers re-expanding. More than likely, future historians will uncover documentation calling all this a "performance" piece.

bonus crazy: you know most artists are gay, right?

thought no. 8

Democrats are not unworthy to lead because they are liberals. Democrats are unworthy to lead because they are a bunch of pussies so scared of Republican name-calling that they are totally incapacitated. And before any Republicans out there get to thinking that they're a bunch of heroes, your reaction to 9/11 and terrorism in general is the classic cowardice of the bully.

thought no. 7

"Everybody Wang Chung tonight"?
Seriously?
I can't decide if that was ego or an early experiment in branding.

I realize this song's, like, ancient, but it struck me while it played on my iPod.

thought no. 6

Tactically, perhaps Libertarians would do better joining forces with Democrats rather than Republicans. I mean, Libertarians want to do things like keep the government out of their personal lives, yet Republicans seem to be fascinated with regulating people (especially in the bedroom). Libertarians want less regulation, yet so far the only ones who seem to have benefited from deregulation have been the very large and the very rich, rather than the very ordinary.
Granted, Democrats like to regulate things, but they are also open to discussion, preferring a general progressive drift rather than a specific one (of course there are exceptions, but aren't there always). More importantly, the Democratic Party is not dominated by Authoritarians, which means that they may actually be open for a give and take, that there are no egos riding on a specific plan, just on making things better in a way that can be determined at a later date. Republicans allow no such deviations.

thought no. 5

Maybe we shouldn't be surprised when punk musicians start playing folk; they're both music of the people, after all.

More about Hanggai.



Addendum: Further proof in Mariachi el Bronx (7-29)

thought no. 4

I find myself wondering if the crumbling of conservative opposition to gambling (i.e., the acceptance of state lotteries) has any connection with the increase in the acceptance of the prosperity gospel among the same.

Addendum: 11 states receive more in lottery revenues than they do in corporate taxes.
(h/t to Gerry Canavan)

thought no. 3

In any human society, there will be injustice. We are lucky enough in America to have our injustice be as a result of democracy, rather than tyranny.

thought no. 2

Privatization is to government services as mountaintop removal is to coal mining.
The job gets done, but it makes a godawful mess, meaning the cost benefit ratio is pretty terrible, except for a few people who do very nicely, indeed.

thought no. 1

I've decided that I'm just going to post whatever pops into my mind here. Many will be via text. I suppose that Twitter would be the way to go with this kind of thing, but really, I'm not much of a joiner.

political links

Andrew Sullivan
Balloon Juice
Clusterfuck Nation
Contrary Brin
Corrente
Crooks and Liars
Daily Kos
Donkeyliscious
Driftglass
Duly Noted (Lindsey Beyerstein)
Gerry Canavan
Gin and Tacos
Greg Sargent's The Plum Line
Margaret and Helen
Matt Taibi's blog at Rolling Stone
Matt Yglesias
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub
Nate Silver's Five Thirty-eight
"Niceguy" Eddie's In My Humble Opinion...
Ochlocracy In Action
Pandagon
Paul Krugman
Politicus
The Rant by Tom Degan
Robert Reich
The Rude Pundit
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Slavoj Žižek
Southern Beale
The Swash Zone
The Onion