AMERICA'S LUNATIC FRINGE ... "SHE'S A WITCH!"

By way of my good friend Luis, I was directed to this piece by the LA Times' Tim Rutten. In the article Rutten explains what's happened to the American psyche, and describes how many citizens in post-9/11 America have effectively replaced common sense and studied analysis with empty patriotism, blind denunciations, and false science.

Whether we're talking about the anti-Muslim/anti-immigrant crowd, the Tea Baggers, the birthers, or the emerging secessionist lunatics, little thought is given to what actually ails this country. Like our medieval predecessors, many in these groups let their phobias and prejudices get in the way of better judgment. In practical terms blind rage and witch hunts are preferable to the hard work of gathering evidence and facts.

While I encourage you to read the piece, you'll understand where the American mind-set is at, according to Rutten, when you watch this clip ...



If you watched this clip and thought "Tea Baggers and Birthers" you're not alone.

There's a reason why Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh are the leaders of the right (and why Fox News is their news source). Their world is a Roman Colosseum. They only seek to appease a mob, and they do their level best to provide us with the modern-day equivalent of Rome's Bread and Circus. Making matters worse, while they take themselves seriously, they're both as clueless as Nero, and as self-absorbed as Caligula. 

But, as is the case with all things that please our modern mob, the Palin-Limbaugh Colosseum goes beyond drunken revelry and being a showcase for exotic, wild animals taken from all corners of the Roman Empire (which conveyed the extent of Rome's conquests). Their Colosseum showcases a culture that gets it's jollies from watching personal train wrecks, regularly available on Jerry Springer and the assorted Bachelor shows of our day ... Jackass: The Movie was no accident. It may well be the prequel to Sarah Palin, President of the United States.

At the end of the day, our modern-day Colosseum has transformed our current Neros and Caligulas into acceptable bacchanalia.

Read the piece. It will make you think. And don't be surprised if you finish by asking yourself, So, when do we start feeding the Christians to the lions?

- Mark

... BROUGHT TO YOU BY VIAGRA

On my radio program this past Saturday I thought we had a very good adult discussion about the challenges we face as a country. From Sophia's opening comments, through our discussion with Mark (who rarely agrees with me), we touched upon the transformation of the American economy, and why we're not out of the financial woods just yet.

Our discussion on the Great Depression, Glass-Steagall, Nixon's de-linking the dollar from the gold standard, deregulation that began under Carter (culminating in the incredibly stupid Garn-St. Germain bill), the Financial Modernization Act (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, 1999), and other market-related developments, gave me hope that we (America) might be able to continue this level of adult conversation through the elections.

At my age, and in my profession, you would think I would have learned by now ...

I was glancing at the news/talk shows this morning, and what did I see? The market has miraculously "recovered" and, apparently, everything in America is fine once again. We're now back to the same Jerry Springer-like banalities that keep republican electoral hopes alive ... the guy who survived being cut in half by a train ... the Emmys ... the story of a speed boat going too fast and disintegrating ... and other media trivialities that remind us all that Rome's days of Bread & Circus have returned. Only this time, rather than Caligula, it's brought to you by Viagra.

This, my friends, tells me that we may be only a day or two away from lipstick politics, once again. This is not good.

For those of you who listened to the program on Saturday, and are serious about the problems that confront America, here's an excellent post on what has happened to the American economy and why we should still be worried. It's kind of long (especially if your attention span is governed by People Magazine) but I especially like this post because it seems as if the writer got his cue by listening to our program on Saturday (thank you Sophia and Mark).

For those of you who tuned in, you'll understand what I mean once you read the post. For those of you who didn't listen, this is a good opportunity to catch up on what's been happening in America over the past 30 years.

- Mark

HEY, WHERE'S YOUR FLAG PIN?

With all the carping about patriotism and wearing flag pins, you would think the media - or the Republican Party - would have it in them to call attention to the fact that Americans are NOT patriotic enough to enlist and fight in Iraq or Afghanistan - Wars with ends the Bush administration has tried hard to compare to World War II, the Civil War, and just about anything else that allows them to hype and sell their Blundering Wars Project.

Once again, because the Republican Party thinks draping their rhetoric in the flag makes them men (and absolves them from enlisting), the U.S. Army has to involuntary extend the enlistment terms of our soldiers to prevent them from leaving the military. Unfortunately - and this may come as news to the False Patriots - flag pins can't be taught to fire guns.

While Conservative Chickenhawks continue to call for more war, while cowering behind their flag pins, there appears to be some grumbling about extending tours of duty.

... many soldiers subjected to the stop-loss policy consider it a backdoor draft. Critics argue that once soldiers have completed the enlistment period they agreed to, they should be allowed to return home. The involuntary retention program is so unpopular that it helped inspire a recent movie called "Stop-Loss" ...

This report has the details about stop-loss damage.

You would think that forcing others to "Stand and Die" for the political blunders of the Bush administration might compel President Bush, or John McCain, to support something like the GI Bill working its way through Congress. Think again.

Both Bush and McCain understand if our fighting men and women had more options (like leaving to get an education after serving their country) the "stop-loss" numbers would be far worse than this ...

The number of soldiers held in the Army under the stop-loss program reached a high in March 2005 of 15,758. That number steadily declined through May 2007, when it hit 8,540. But since then, the number of soldiers subjected to stop-loss orders began to increase again, reaching 12,235 in March 2008.

At the end of the day, this is what happens when you combine incompetence, moral cowardice, and false patriotism. And republicans want four more years of this?

Hail Caligula.

- Mark

AN AMERICAN CAESAR ...

First we had President Bush's "signing statements," which the president claims allows him to ignore the will of Congress.

Next, we got the administration claiming unitary executive powers (from John Yoo’s famous 2001 memo), which says the president has the authority to do what he wants in a time of war.

Then we get the administration’s insistence that they can claim “state secrets” for virtually everything under the sun, which enables the administration to withhold certain information.

Upping the ante, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' office declared the president has the authority to unilaterally declare anyone "enemy combatants,” and then hold them indefinitely.

Now, we’re treated to this.

The U.S. Supreme Court is says if you claim you were the target of the president’s spying program – which the telecom industry participated in, and the president now wants retroactive immunity for – you need to provide proof you were spied on. Without it you can’t sue the government for violating your constitutional rights. There’s just one catch. The federal government doesn’t have to release certain information, especially if it falls under the “state’s secrets” privilege of the president, which the president can claim with his executive authority. Nice.

For those of you keeping score at home this is what we have: The president (1) can ignore Congress, (2) has the authority to do what he wants, (3) can label his activities as state secrets, (4) can declare and hold “enemy combatants” unilaterally, and (5) can keep potential evidence (of wrongdoing) from the public indefinitely.

All that’s left is for President Bush to develop is a Praetorian Guard.
- Mark

P.S. Glenn Greenwald has an excellent post on what the Supreme Court's decision means. It's not pretty. Here's a snippet ...

We do not know which Americans were spied upon without warrants, how they were chosen for surveillance, whether they had any connection to terrorists, and/or what was done with the information obtained. Despite the fact that we enacted laws 30 years ago making warrantless spying a felony, we have no idea what was done with the warrantless spying powers the President arrogated unto himself and then used for years