Not smart for them or the rest of us.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/11/12319/google-funding-grover-norquist-heritage-action-alec-and-more
Sign the petition - http://org.salsalabs.com/o/632/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14651#
2013-11-30
2013-11-29
2013-11-27
I fought back the urge to throw up when reading this.
Two reasons -
1) Didn't want to make a mess on the screen and keyboard.
2) Likely what I was throwing probably had tons of frakenfood.
"Glyphosate-based herbicides are now the most commonly used herbicides in the world. Glyphosate is an essential partner to the GMOs that are the principal business of the burgeoning biotech industry. Glyphosate is a “broad-spectrum” herbicide that destroys indiscriminately, not by killing unwanted plants directly but by tying up access to critical nutrients.
Because of the insidious way in which it works, it has been sold as a relatively benign replacement for the devastating earlier dioxin-based herbicides. But a barrage of experimental data has now shown glyphosate and the GMO foods incorporating it to pose serious dangers to health. Compounding the risk is the toxicity of “inert” ingredients used to make glyphosate more potent. Researchers have found, for example, that the surfactant POEA can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells. But these risks have been conveniently ignored.
The widespread use of GMO foods and glyphosate herbicides helps explain the anomaly that the US spends over twice as much per capita on healthcare as the average developed country, yet it is rated far down the scale of the world’s healthiest populations. The World Health Organization has ranked the US LAST out of 17 developed nations for overall health.
Sixty to seventy percent of the foods in US supermarkets are now genetically modified. By contrast, in at least 26 other countries—including Switzerland, Australia, Austria, China, India, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Mexico and Russia—GMOs are totally or partially banned; and significant restrictions on GMOs exist in about sixty other countries."
Think these countries know something most Americans don't?
But wait - there's more!
"As the devastating conclusions of these and other researchers awaken people globally to the dangers of Roundup and GMO foods, transnational corporations are working feverishly with the Obama administration to fast-track the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that would strip governments of the power to regulate transnational corporate activities. Negotiations have been kept secret from Congress but not from corporate advisors, 600 of whom have been consulted and know the details. According to Barbara Chicherio in Nation of Change:
Read more here - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/11/26-9
1) Didn't want to make a mess on the screen and keyboard.
2) Likely what I was throwing probably had tons of frakenfood.
"Glyphosate-based herbicides are now the most commonly used herbicides in the world. Glyphosate is an essential partner to the GMOs that are the principal business of the burgeoning biotech industry. Glyphosate is a “broad-spectrum” herbicide that destroys indiscriminately, not by killing unwanted plants directly but by tying up access to critical nutrients.
Because of the insidious way in which it works, it has been sold as a relatively benign replacement for the devastating earlier dioxin-based herbicides. But a barrage of experimental data has now shown glyphosate and the GMO foods incorporating it to pose serious dangers to health. Compounding the risk is the toxicity of “inert” ingredients used to make glyphosate more potent. Researchers have found, for example, that the surfactant POEA can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells. But these risks have been conveniently ignored.
The widespread use of GMO foods and glyphosate herbicides helps explain the anomaly that the US spends over twice as much per capita on healthcare as the average developed country, yet it is rated far down the scale of the world’s healthiest populations. The World Health Organization has ranked the US LAST out of 17 developed nations for overall health.
Sixty to seventy percent of the foods in US supermarkets are now genetically modified. By contrast, in at least 26 other countries—including Switzerland, Australia, Austria, China, India, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Mexico and Russia—GMOs are totally or partially banned; and significant restrictions on GMOs exist in about sixty other countries."
Think these countries know something most Americans don't?
But wait - there's more!
"As the devastating conclusions of these and other researchers awaken people globally to the dangers of Roundup and GMO foods, transnational corporations are working feverishly with the Obama administration to fast-track the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that would strip governments of the power to regulate transnational corporate activities. Negotiations have been kept secret from Congress but not from corporate advisors, 600 of whom have been consulted and know the details. According to Barbara Chicherio in Nation of Change:
The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) has the potential to become the biggest regional Free Trade Agreement in history. . . .
The chief agricultural negotiator for the US is the former Monsanto lobbyist, Islam Siddique. If ratified the TPP would impose punishing regulations that give multinational corporations unprecedented right to demand taxpayer compensation for policies that corporations deem a barrier to their profits.
. . . They are carefully crafting the TPP to insure that citizens of the involved countries have no control over food safety, what they will be eating, where it is grown, the conditions under which food is grown and the use of herbicides and pesticides."
Read more here - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/11/26-9
2013-11-25
It seems at times I never want to grow up.
No, I don't mean like in a moronic arrested development bullshit thing.
I mean that for much of my life, I loathed holidays like Christmas, and Thanksgiving and so on. In this day and age I despise them because they are inherently a reminder that human society has yet to shed it's religious and racist pasts (all this good will towards men, and feeding the pilgrims was just bullshit) - but really I've had different reasons for disliking holidays.
I think for me, holidays are a reminder that your time away is that just that- time away from work. At some point, you have to go back to school or work or a job. You know, the shit you have to wipe off some person or some system's rear end to pay the bills and survive, or back to a classroom and homework.
So - what is it about those things that I despise?
I really hate morons and idiots (apart from myself). And more so, I hate people like this who end up in positions of authority or worse still, are successful and promoted or considered valuable. I hate cliques and groups that continually exclude people because of the way they look, or talk, or act or dress.
I saw a lot all this in school in my my work career. And the fact is, if I had a real choice in life, I'd be doing something that makes me happy that doesn't involve having to deal with people like this on a regular basis. Or, at least if I had to, I could deal with them on my own terms - using facts, logic and a clock to restrict the time only to what needed to be communicated, and nothing more.
I think that's why I like Saturdays. My goal in life is to make every day a Saturday - one where I can walk up and not have a plan for the day, and I can gather up my family and friends and do something great or neat, or just hang out and relax, or write or jam on a new song or create something new.
Or better still, teach the human race (starting with myself) to no longer hate, no longer destroy, no longer be so mean so vile, so corrupt.
And even, meet new people, talk with them, walk with them, get to know them, help them with their problems and so on.
And of course, lots of sex, exercise, guitar playing, and good food.
And ... in my dream life, I have perfect hair, a smooth hairless strong physique, and rather than being an object of desire, rather seen as a man of respect, kindness, courage, honesty and integrity.
Maybe I am a simpleton. Maybe I am a child. I wonder sometimes if it's a coincidence that this feeling and when it started dovetailed with around the time I started to believe that achieving success meant happiness. While I've since began to re-visit this notion, there's a part of me that still believes there's some truth to this notion. Success is about being acknowledged and recognize for one's accomplishments - typically something good that could be shared. For me that kind of recognition is something I've rarely ever gotten, except in myself documenting it in my next resume. But I think on some level I've revisited this idea - success rather should be a by-product of doing something that makes you happy.
I mean that for much of my life, I loathed holidays like Christmas, and Thanksgiving and so on. In this day and age I despise them because they are inherently a reminder that human society has yet to shed it's religious and racist pasts (all this good will towards men, and feeding the pilgrims was just bullshit) - but really I've had different reasons for disliking holidays.
I think for me, holidays are a reminder that your time away is that just that- time away from work. At some point, you have to go back to school or work or a job. You know, the shit you have to wipe off some person or some system's rear end to pay the bills and survive, or back to a classroom and homework.
So - what is it about those things that I despise?
I really hate morons and idiots (apart from myself). And more so, I hate people like this who end up in positions of authority or worse still, are successful and promoted or considered valuable. I hate cliques and groups that continually exclude people because of the way they look, or talk, or act or dress.
I saw a lot all this in school in my my work career. And the fact is, if I had a real choice in life, I'd be doing something that makes me happy that doesn't involve having to deal with people like this on a regular basis. Or, at least if I had to, I could deal with them on my own terms - using facts, logic and a clock to restrict the time only to what needed to be communicated, and nothing more.
I think that's why I like Saturdays. My goal in life is to make every day a Saturday - one where I can walk up and not have a plan for the day, and I can gather up my family and friends and do something great or neat, or just hang out and relax, or write or jam on a new song or create something new.
Or better still, teach the human race (starting with myself) to no longer hate, no longer destroy, no longer be so mean so vile, so corrupt.
And even, meet new people, talk with them, walk with them, get to know them, help them with their problems and so on.
And of course, lots of sex, exercise, guitar playing, and good food.
And ... in my dream life, I have perfect hair, a smooth hairless strong physique, and rather than being an object of desire, rather seen as a man of respect, kindness, courage, honesty and integrity.
Maybe I am a simpleton. Maybe I am a child. I wonder sometimes if it's a coincidence that this feeling and when it started dovetailed with around the time I started to believe that achieving success meant happiness. While I've since began to re-visit this notion, there's a part of me that still believes there's some truth to this notion. Success is about being acknowledged and recognize for one's accomplishments - typically something good that could be shared. For me that kind of recognition is something I've rarely ever gotten, except in myself documenting it in my next resume. But I think on some level I've revisited this idea - success rather should be a by-product of doing something that makes you happy.
2013-11-24
Yeah, this 'Code' is fucking bunk.
http://itsnotpartofthegame.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-code-creating-honor-amongst.html#more
"Throughout the 1980’s there is no reference to “The Code” that I could find in any player interview, game summary or sports article. I managed to find “hockey” and “code of conduct” in several links but they were descriptions of rules that would be the opposite of what I was looking for – rules that banned fighting and dirty play in the sport. During the 80’s, a period that could be defined as the glory years for enforcers, I could find no mention of unwritten rules or “The Code”"
My thoughts exactly.
"Throughout the 1980’s there is no reference to “The Code” that I could find in any player interview, game summary or sports article. I managed to find “hockey” and “code of conduct” in several links but they were descriptions of rules that would be the opposite of what I was looking for – rules that banned fighting and dirty play in the sport. During the 80’s, a period that could be defined as the glory years for enforcers, I could find no mention of unwritten rules or “The Code”"
My thoughts exactly.
2013-11-22
A sad and perhaps forgotten anniversary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy
One of the last powerful people to go up against the establishment.
One of the last powerful people to go up against the establishment.
2013-11-21
2013-11-20
Quote of the day - 11-19-2013.
Courtesy Nigel Wright -
''We are good to go from the PM"
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/wright-duffy-accused-of-bribery-fraud-in-new-rcmp-documents-1.2433427
No shadow of a doubt should exist in Canadians' minds. The 'majority' voted for a crook. This guy is Canada's Nixon for sure.
This is what you get when you put right-wingers in office. You'd think Canadians would learn from Americans when the Bushes got themselves installed into the White House.
Let's hope Canadians can learn from this and not make the same mistake again.
''We are good to go from the PM"
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/wright-duffy-accused-of-bribery-fraud-in-new-rcmp-documents-1.2433427
No shadow of a doubt should exist in Canadians' minds. The 'majority' voted for a crook. This guy is Canada's Nixon for sure.
This is what you get when you put right-wingers in office. You'd think Canadians would learn from Americans when the Bushes got themselves installed into the White House.
Let's hope Canadians can learn from this and not make the same mistake again.
2013-11-19
Living in WA, I initially didn't agree with the title of this article.
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/20134-did-the-anti-gmo-movement-really-lose-in-washington
Here's why (Mr. Cummins writes) -
"As Monsanto and the GMA understand, their dirty money, dirty tricks campaign in Washington has backfired, stimulating another consumer backlash, galvanizing an even larger and more radical anti-GMO grassroots movement than before. For the next 12 months the proponents of “no labels” on GMO foods will be facing legislative battles on labeling in no less than 30 states, with Vermont likely to pass mandatory labeling in early 2014."
Here's why (Mr. Cummins writes) -
"As Monsanto and the GMA understand, their dirty money, dirty tricks campaign in Washington has backfired, stimulating another consumer backlash, galvanizing an even larger and more radical anti-GMO grassroots movement than before. For the next 12 months the proponents of “no labels” on GMO foods will be facing legislative battles on labeling in no less than 30 states, with Vermont likely to pass mandatory labeling in early 2014."
2013-11-18
The horrible deal just about no one in America knows about.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/13/trans-pacific-paternership-intellectual-property
https://wikileaks.org/tpp/pressrelease.html
"This treaty has been negotiated in secret meetings dominated by governments and corporations. You and I have been systematically excluded, and once you learn what they're doing, you can see why.
The outsiders who understand TPP best aren't surprised. That is, the draft "confirms fears that the negotiating parties are prepared to expand the reach of intellectual property rights, and shrink consumer rights and safeguards," writes James Love a longtime watcher of this process.
Needless to say, copyright is a key part of this draft. And the negotiators would further stiffen copyright holders' control while upping the ante on civil and criminal penalties for infringers. The Electronic Frontier Foundation says TPP has "extensive negative ramifications for users' freedom of speech, right to privacy and due process, and hinder peoples' abilities to innovate"."
https://wikileaks.org/tpp/pressrelease.html
"This treaty has been negotiated in secret meetings dominated by governments and corporations. You and I have been systematically excluded, and once you learn what they're doing, you can see why.
The outsiders who understand TPP best aren't surprised. That is, the draft "confirms fears that the negotiating parties are prepared to expand the reach of intellectual property rights, and shrink consumer rights and safeguards," writes James Love a longtime watcher of this process.
Needless to say, copyright is a key part of this draft. And the negotiators would further stiffen copyright holders' control while upping the ante on civil and criminal penalties for infringers. The Electronic Frontier Foundation says TPP has "extensive negative ramifications for users' freedom of speech, right to privacy and due process, and hinder peoples' abilities to innovate"."
2013-11-17
My first three YouTube videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/CultureVultureSofG/videos
Just about every weekday there is this Link Light Rail driver I see constantly abusing the train horn. Well finally after much annoyance at watching this asshole get away with his stupidity at the taxpayer's expense, I decided to capture his actions on camera. Well here they are -
Number 1:
Number 2:
Number 3:
Just about every weekday there is this Link Light Rail driver I see constantly abusing the train horn. Well finally after much annoyance at watching this asshole get away with his stupidity at the taxpayer's expense, I decided to capture his actions on camera. Well here they are -
Number 1:
Number 2:
Number 3:
Trying to stop the looming Northern Gateway pipeline disaster ...
Climate change rallies staged across Canada
Rally participants in Vancouver oppose proposed Northern Gateway pipeline
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/climate-change-rallies-staged-across-canada-1.2428825
"It's about our world, our future, our children, our children's future," said Tamiko Suzuki, who rode her bike to the event."
2013-11-15
2013-11-14
I feel bad.
Today I got on the bus to head home, and as always it was running late and packed with people. I ended up standing somewhere in the aisle in the middle of the bus. There was a old guy sitting next to a middle-aged woman, and he kept dropping his mobile phone on the ground. He looked old and worn down by life, his handlebar mustache was untrimmed, and his stubble covered more of his wrinkled face than your average person (I'm not one to complain because I'm like Homer Simpson: as soon as I shave, the stubble grows back in an hour. On the upside, no one sees wrinkles).
Anyways he looked really down on his luck and at the first stop he got off. I promptly took his seat. I started to notice a paper bag cutting into my side. I arrogantly assumed it was the middle-aged woman's - how rude of her I thought. She has a lap, why doesn't she use it instead of having it in my seat?
Some time went by and she eventually got up to get off. She left the bag behind, and despite my attitude about the whole thing I called out to her,
"Excuse me mam, but is this your bag?"
"No sir", she replied. "It belongs to that man who got off earlier. I guess he must have forgotten it."
I felt like abject shit. So much so because of my thoughts and conclusions about the situation were grossly wrong.
But wait, there's more!
I took a look inside the bag. Inside was a container of milk, and some packages of candy, one box of which was just opened. Now I felt bad. The guy had left some time ago, and probably got home all upset and pissed that he forgot his grocery bag. On top of that, it wasn't even bought at a grocery store, but rather a pharmacy, which somehow makes it even more depressing.
I couldn't hide the shame I felt.
When my stop came up, I took the bag up to the driver, but he said that he couldn't take and that it would likely get thrown out. So I took it home.
Now for the worst part.
When I got home, I put the milk in the fridge and showed the rest to my wife. Inside the bag was the receipt - he had paid with food stamps.
How awful I feel to this very moment - if only I wasn't so arrogant and more alert, this guy wouldn't be out all that he spent on some milk and some candies.
It just goes to show - be observant and alert. If you don't, you're likely to make bad decisions and worse not even be aware of it.
Anyways he looked really down on his luck and at the first stop he got off. I promptly took his seat. I started to notice a paper bag cutting into my side. I arrogantly assumed it was the middle-aged woman's - how rude of her I thought. She has a lap, why doesn't she use it instead of having it in my seat?
Some time went by and she eventually got up to get off. She left the bag behind, and despite my attitude about the whole thing I called out to her,
"Excuse me mam, but is this your bag?"
"No sir", she replied. "It belongs to that man who got off earlier. I guess he must have forgotten it."
I felt like abject shit. So much so because of my thoughts and conclusions about the situation were grossly wrong.
But wait, there's more!
I took a look inside the bag. Inside was a container of milk, and some packages of candy, one box of which was just opened. Now I felt bad. The guy had left some time ago, and probably got home all upset and pissed that he forgot his grocery bag. On top of that, it wasn't even bought at a grocery store, but rather a pharmacy, which somehow makes it even more depressing.
I couldn't hide the shame I felt.
When my stop came up, I took the bag up to the driver, but he said that he couldn't take and that it would likely get thrown out. So I took it home.
Now for the worst part.
When I got home, I put the milk in the fridge and showed the rest to my wife. Inside the bag was the receipt - he had paid with food stamps.
How awful I feel to this very moment - if only I wasn't so arrogant and more alert, this guy wouldn't be out all that he spent on some milk and some candies.
It just goes to show - be observant and alert. If you don't, you're likely to make bad decisions and worse not even be aware of it.
2013-11-13
There's always something around to take advantage of someone else's misfortune.
http://warisacrime.org/content/lets-take-advantage-suffering-filipinos
And it's usually stupidity driven by surprise - a large corporation. And seriously, wow! The people they hire at USA Today are fucking maroons! Of course they exist and have jobs because there are even bigger maroons out there who'll buy their paper (killing trees) and actually buy into the shit they imprint on it.
I like how author (a thinking human being mind you) doesn't in the link doesn't pull punches however -
"When it comes to war, however, just propose to end it, and 4 out of 5 dentists, or doctors, or teachers, or gardeners, or anybody else in the United States will say "What about the next Hitler?" Well, what about the dozens of misidentified next-Hitlers of the past 70 years? What about the possibility that within our own minds we're dressing up war as disaster relief? Isn't it just possible that after generations of clearly aggressive, destructive, and criminal wars we describe militarism as a response to the second-coming of Hitler because the truth wouldn't sound as nice?"
And it's usually stupidity driven by surprise - a large corporation. And seriously, wow! The people they hire at USA Today are fucking maroons! Of course they exist and have jobs because there are even bigger maroons out there who'll buy their paper (killing trees) and actually buy into the shit they imprint on it.
I like how author (a thinking human being mind you) doesn't in the link doesn't pull punches however -
"When it comes to war, however, just propose to end it, and 4 out of 5 dentists, or doctors, or teachers, or gardeners, or anybody else in the United States will say "What about the next Hitler?" Well, what about the dozens of misidentified next-Hitlers of the past 70 years? What about the possibility that within our own minds we're dressing up war as disaster relief? Isn't it just possible that after generations of clearly aggressive, destructive, and criminal wars we describe militarism as a response to the second-coming of Hitler because the truth wouldn't sound as nice?"
2013-11-12
I gotta admit ... she looks great and sounds great.
http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2013/11/Celine-Dion-23-years-of-mockery-manipulation-and-matters-of-the-heart
At least in those last two pictures.
Okay. She epitomizes over-the-top singing. But how!!
But with a set of pipes and talent, how can one not sing in that manner?
At least in those last two pictures.
Okay. She epitomizes over-the-top singing. But how!!
But with a set of pipes and talent, how can one not sing in that manner?
2013-11-11
Samsung says she DIDN'T die of cancer caused from their plant ...?
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15898
What fucking bullshit -
"The decision is a victory for Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry (SHARPs) – a South Korean activist group made up of independent labor unions, human right groups, occupational safety and health (OSH) groups, progressive political parties, and workers’ organizations – who have been campaigning against Samsung after they chronicled the deaths of 10 workers from leukemia and lymphoma beginning in 2005 after working at the company’s factories in Gi-heung and On-Yang, South Korea."
What fucking bullshit -
"The decision is a victory for Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry (SHARPs) – a South Korean activist group made up of independent labor unions, human right groups, occupational safety and health (OSH) groups, progressive political parties, and workers’ organizations – who have been campaigning against Samsung after they chronicled the deaths of 10 workers from leukemia and lymphoma beginning in 2005 after working at the company’s factories in Gi-heung and On-Yang, South Korea."
2013-11-09
No matter how hard I try not to feel it ...
... it's still painful to see stupidity and falsehood win over fact and honesty.
I should not be so surprised. I see things like happen all the time - at work, at home, on the street, on the bus. This is just another example.
All one can do is learn from this and try better and smarter next time.
I should not be so surprised. I see things like happen all the time - at work, at home, on the street, on the bus. This is just another example.
All one can do is learn from this and try better and smarter next time.
2013-11-07
Maybe it really is just me.
For a recent birthday treat, one of my kids requested a pie instead of a cake.
Must be from the Mrs.' side of the family.
Must be from the Mrs.' side of the family.
2013-11-06
Say it ain't so ...
I guess I can only say it for so long, before I'll have to pay blackmail money to keep this site up.
What the fuck am I talking about?
Why this - http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/11/so-the-internets-about-to-lose-its-net-neutrality/
"... in their questions and statements during oral argument, the judges have made clear how they planned to rule — for the phone and cable companies, not for those who use the internet. While the FCC has the power to impose the toothless “no-blocking” rule (originally proposed by AT&T above), it does not (the court will say) have the power to impose the essential “nondiscrimination” rule.
It looks like we’ll end up where AT&T initially began: a false compromise.
The implications of such a decision would be profound. Web and mobile companies will live or die not on the merits of their technology and design, but on the deals they can strike with AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and others. This means large phone and cable companies will be able to “shakedown” startups and established companies in every sector, requiring payment for reliable service. In fact, during the oral argument in the current case, Verizon’s lawyer said, “I’m authorized to state from my client today that but for these [FCC] rules we would be exploring those types of arrangements.”
Wait, it gets even worse. Pricing isn’t even a necessary forcing factor. Once the court voids the nondiscrimination rule, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast will be able to deliver some sites and services more quickly and reliably than others for any reason. Whim. Envy. Ignorance. Competition. Vengeance. Whatever. Or, no reason at all."
What the fuck am I talking about?
Why this - http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/11/so-the-internets-about-to-lose-its-net-neutrality/
"... in their questions and statements during oral argument, the judges have made clear how they planned to rule — for the phone and cable companies, not for those who use the internet. While the FCC has the power to impose the toothless “no-blocking” rule (originally proposed by AT&T above), it does not (the court will say) have the power to impose the essential “nondiscrimination” rule.
It looks like we’ll end up where AT&T initially began: a false compromise.
The implications of such a decision would be profound. Web and mobile companies will live or die not on the merits of their technology and design, but on the deals they can strike with AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and others. This means large phone and cable companies will be able to “shakedown” startups and established companies in every sector, requiring payment for reliable service. In fact, during the oral argument in the current case, Verizon’s lawyer said, “I’m authorized to state from my client today that but for these [FCC] rules we would be exploring those types of arrangements.”
Wait, it gets even worse. Pricing isn’t even a necessary forcing factor. Once the court voids the nondiscrimination rule, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast will be able to deliver some sites and services more quickly and reliably than others for any reason. Whim. Envy. Ignorance. Competition. Vengeance. Whatever. Or, no reason at all."
2013-11-04
Well tomorrow's the day of my first vote as an American.
And yet, somehow it's not nearly as exciting as I thought it'd be.
In fact, it's actually quite depressing.
Well okay, there are some initiatives on the ballot I'm voting for and some I'm voting against (the former is giving state residents people the right to know their food has been fucked with by chemical companies, and the latter is one that benefits Tim Eyman, so you know it's bad).
But really apart from that, there's very little else to get excited about.
I'm really at the point in life where my political views are so jaded now - a choice between right-wingers and slightly center-of-right isn't much of a choice - both are pretty much pawns of corporations and PAC money now.
And most of the non-partisan ones feature people I either know nothing about, or likely I'd rather not know anything about because they suck.
Sure I could write in a candidate if I wanted to - but that would be pointless.
No - what would be a better alternative is to be able to legally spoil my ballot, but have it count.
Think about it - can you imagine if voters were empowered to do that? I think if it were enabled, voters would basically call both parties asses, and not be happy with either. What would happen?
Sure the government would be filled with chaos and confusion, thus miring down our court system. But ultimately I think the political parties would be forced to field new candidates. I think it'd be a great initiative.
Another idea (I just let them keep rolling) would be to have a spending cap on each political candidate - that is limit how much they can collect and spend. This is a variation on limiting campaign financing to public funds only, and banning private and corporate donations, but more so, it'd really take money out of the picture by forcing political campaigns to focus less on dollars and ads, and more on debate, discussions, and really talking about the issues without the Global Establishment involved.
But what do I know? I'm just a new American.
In fact, it's actually quite depressing.
Well okay, there are some initiatives on the ballot I'm voting for and some I'm voting against (the former is giving state residents people the right to know their food has been fucked with by chemical companies, and the latter is one that benefits Tim Eyman, so you know it's bad).
But really apart from that, there's very little else to get excited about.
I'm really at the point in life where my political views are so jaded now - a choice between right-wingers and slightly center-of-right isn't much of a choice - both are pretty much pawns of corporations and PAC money now.
And most of the non-partisan ones feature people I either know nothing about, or likely I'd rather not know anything about because they suck.
Sure I could write in a candidate if I wanted to - but that would be pointless.
No - what would be a better alternative is to be able to legally spoil my ballot, but have it count.
Think about it - can you imagine if voters were empowered to do that? I think if it were enabled, voters would basically call both parties asses, and not be happy with either. What would happen?
Sure the government would be filled with chaos and confusion, thus miring down our court system. But ultimately I think the political parties would be forced to field new candidates. I think it'd be a great initiative.
Another idea (I just let them keep rolling) would be to have a spending cap on each political candidate - that is limit how much they can collect and spend. This is a variation on limiting campaign financing to public funds only, and banning private and corporate donations, but more so, it'd really take money out of the picture by forcing political campaigns to focus less on dollars and ads, and more on debate, discussions, and really talking about the issues without the Global Establishment involved.
But what do I know? I'm just a new American.
Do you ever get the feeling ...
... that your life and being solely exist to serve others?
That at times one can be an outsider in one's own life?
2013-11-02
You have to wonder if this event was going on in JFK's mind ...
... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_South_Vietnamese_coup
"When Kennedy learned of the deaths during a White House meeting, he appeared shaken and left the room. Kennedy later penned a memo, lamenting that the assassination was "particularly abhorrent" and blaming himself for approving Cable 243,[118] which authorised Lodge to explore coup options in the wake of Nhu's attacks on the Buddhist pagodas.[118]["
I think it's no small coincidence that his reaction crystalized and confirmed his decision to begin withdrawing US Military presence less than a month earlier.
Tragically we know what went through his mind on November 22, 1963, and it wasn't a lone gunman.
"When Kennedy learned of the deaths during a White House meeting, he appeared shaken and left the room. Kennedy later penned a memo, lamenting that the assassination was "particularly abhorrent" and blaming himself for approving Cable 243,[118] which authorised Lodge to explore coup options in the wake of Nhu's attacks on the Buddhist pagodas.[118]["
I think it's no small coincidence that his reaction crystalized and confirmed his decision to begin withdrawing US Military presence less than a month earlier.
Tragically we know what went through his mind on November 22, 1963, and it wasn't a lone gunman.
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