Doing the Math

Because human beings are flawed, we can all admit that our justice system is flawed.  And yet we continue to execute people based on this flawed system.  So it stands to reason that we've undoubtedly executed innocent people.  How do we, as a nation, justify this?   I have no answers.  But isn't it interesting how people can be so cavalier about supporting Capital Punishment, then turn around and admit that they themselves could not be executioners. Aww....and why is that, simpleton? If killing someone is the right thing to do, what's the problem??

Exactly.

-TRS

The Dems' Answer to the Tea Party

"And Death Shall Have No Dominion"

For Jeremy....

"And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan't crack;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion."
                                                  -- Dylan Thomas

"Knock that shit off!"

According to Freud, we're all born as sexual deviants.  After a few years of being allowed to act on our developing sexual impulses, we're eventually told to "Knock that shit off!"  Society dictates which shit is to be 'knocked off' and which is considered acceptable behavior. I think we can all agree that there need to be certain societal standards so that basic order can be maintained.  After all, we can't have folks running around flashing old ladies or sticking their knobs in fence holes.  Kids caught engaging in such activities are rightly told to 'Knock that shit off!'  But what happens when there's a split in society's definition of acceptable behavior? 

Until very recently, gay people were considered sexual deviants by mainstream America and as such, told by parents, family, friends, priests and even total strangers to KTSO!  The obvious rub being that homosexuality isn't a phase or a fetish, it's an identity.  America finally seems to be catching up with this fact, e.g. the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and that's serving to shine a spotlight on the lingering ignorance and bigotry directed towards gays in this country.

Now, a moment to share my feelings on so-called 'deviant' sexual behavior.  It is my blog, after all.  Without exception, children, animals and the mentally challenged are off limits.  If you need me to explain why, seek help.  Otherwise, as long as there's consent, and applying the same societal standards of public decorum I mentioned earlier, adults should feel no shame in doing whatever and whoever makes them happy.  (Or is it whomever? Fah!)  Anyway, that's my take. 

So what's the next step?  How do we finally turn this corner as a nation and make it unacceptable to treat, or even speak of homosexuality as a negative?  I think it's safe to say that progressives in this country will do what they've always done....drag the 'old gaurd' kicking and screaming into the future.  As for how best to do this, I've always been a fan of the 'Good News/Bad News' scenario.  For instance....

"Bad news: You were 'brought up to believe' a load of intolerant, phobic bullshit.  Good news:  As an adult, you're allowed to use your intellect and adjust your beliefs accordingly.  No one expects this to happen overnight, or in your lifetime for that matter, but wouldn't it be nice to prove people wrong once in a while?  To show them that you aren't just some lowbrow, shit-kicking, scripture quoting hypocrite?"

An immediate, visceral response is to be expected.  But once John Q. Homophobe is allowed to think on this for a while, he will begin to realize that he is not what the rest of us perceive him to be.  But even as this newfound truth washes over him, it's unlikely that his public persona will change.  Thankfully, the key to cultural reform doesn't rest with the current generation.  It's about what their children are 'brought up to believe'....and their children's children.  An evolving societal shift is a painfully slow process, but an inevitable one.  To help it along, it becomes the duty of the enlightened majority to be vocal about their beliefs, and to call out out the homophobic minority whenever possible.  Stand up!  And don't be afraid to say those four simple words....

"Knock that shit off!"

Perfect example!  Thanks, Candace....

-TRS

The Lazy Republic

When it comes to understanding the realities of our economy and it's role in the overall power structure of 21st century America, are millions of Americans soft-headed or just lazy?  I hate having to ask that question, but clearly it has to be one or the other.

I won't pretend to completely understand the events that lead to the recent financial collapse and subsequent bailouts that, to-date, total somewhere in the trillions of dollars.  But it doesn't take much digging to realize that the individuals responsible for the aforementioned collapse have yet to be held accountable.......for ANYTHING!  We bailed them out and it was right back to business as usual.  The same business, btw, that screwed us in the first place!

Upsetting, right?  I'm upset, you're upset.....individually, we are upset!  And as a nation?  As a nation we are so upset that we immediately call for the heads of these Wall Street scam artists.....these billionaire punks who used greedy politicians and an uneducated, uninterested public to help finance their criminal dealings.  We're talking full-scope investigations, baby!  Justice served.

*sigh*  Now, reality. 

We chose instead to be our usual uninterested, uneducated selves.  We took the easy, well-marked path of blindly following radio gurus and  TV talking heads who's own interests happen to be directly aligned with the same super-rich criminals who fucked us!  These self-proclaimed 'patriots' would have us believe that the poor (code speak: minorities) and Big Government are wholly responsible for our current situation, and that our saviors will be the very same 1% who, once again, plan to use our blessed, unregulated free market economy to make themselves even richer.  How will that save us?  Trickle down, silly! 

I'll give you a moment to wade from that bullshit........

Seriously, that's what they're shilling, and millions of Americans are buying it.  But why?  Is it the fear of not being considered a 'Real American' by these fact-phobic, flag-pinned pretenders who have sworn, while talking down to you, to not talk down to you?  If so, that makes you soft-headed.....which sucks, since there's not much that can be done about that.  But if those buying in are doing so simply because it's easier than sorting through facts, let alone becoming semi-knowledgeable about what is admittedly an extremely complex economy, well that's just good old fashioned laziness.

Perhaps the most frustrating part, for me at least, is that this laziness isn't absolute.  These folks have plenty of interest and fervor when it comes to being outraged, and it's not hard to understand why.  After all, 'outrage' is what they see and hear every time they tune into their favorite news programs. The #1 goal of these programs is to manufacture outrage by scaring the shit out of an uninformed audience.  This audience is then told that they're right to be afraid because that just means they possess that most coveted of American values, common sense.  That's a big favorite among the lazy crowd.  Common sense....sorta like smart's folksy cousin.  Nevermind that the most basic, fundamental element of common sense is fact.  Facts are common to all precisely because they aren't based on subjective emotions.....

......like fear, for instance.  Getting the picture?

-TRS

Dream On

A sobering, if not sickening excerpt from former Goldman VP Nomi Prins' book, 'It Takes a Pillage' ....

"Here are some numbers for you. There were approximtely $1.4 trillion worth of subprime loans outstanding in the United States by the end of 2007. By the first quarter of 2009, there were forclosure filings against approximately 4.4 million properties. If it was only the subprime market's fault, $1.4 trillion would have covered the entire problem, right?

Yet the Federal Reserve, the treasury, and the FDIC forked out $13 trillion to fix the housing "correction"… With all that money, the government could have bought up every residential mortgage in the country – there were about $11.9 trillion worth at the end of December 2008 – and still have had about a trillion left over to buy homes for every American who couldn’t afford them."

Got that? $13 trillion to fix a correction. She goes on to say that these bailouts were always more about paying off bets than stabalizing the economy. So that's it. Since not one bank exec has been brought up on charges, let alone convicted and jailed for any of this shit, it's time to acknowledge that the "American Dream" has become just that; a dream. Reality is that sign sitting in front of 'your' house.