Dropping the stupid name War On Drugs is a small step in stopping the wasteful approach toward substance abuse. We need to legalize and control drugs, treat people and not send them to prisons for years.

Why are we not sending traders who sell their financial products of dubious value to people to get high on?

Hmmm…..the producer gets on Sanchez when the concept of prosecutions comes up.

Just sayin’.

I recently read an essay on the militant language always used by Americans. “War on (basically everything)”, “fight (this or that)”, “battle”. “wipe-out”, “nuke” etc.
The essay wondered how it molded our psyche. Maybe Obama read the same essay.

Gotta go. Been here too long. Again.

Why are we not sending traders who sell their financial products of dubious value to people to get high on?

Michael Ruppert has something to say about that.

The first instance I can remember was LBJ’s “War on Poverty,” and I believe the intent was to focus national attention on an all out effort. It has since become ridiculously overused. My own pet peeve is the conservative use of the term “class warfare” to describe any mention of increasing economic disparities.

The last para from the Economist site: (emphasis mine)

Public opinion will, rather, be shaped by thousands of different voices, with as many different focuses and points of view. As a result, people will have less in common to chat about around the water-cooler. Those who are not interested in political or economic news will be less likely to come across it; but those who are will be better equipped to hold their rulers to account. Which is, after all, what society needs news for.

Less in common? Perhaps some will be less interested in some subjects than others but that doesn’t mean less in common.

This is a good time to recommend every one see the 4 part series called

Century of the Self

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/d…..de_1.shtml

this explores how we have been manipulated like mindless puppets.

Even sport is loaded with war language.

Hey… we’re not peaceful – we’re warlike.

We suck.

George Carlin – Baseball vs Football

They say “class warfare” like its a BAD thing.

I say “class warfare” like its time we started fighting back!

The middle and lower economic classes of people in this country have been under seige by the wealthy since Eisenhower. Its long past time to do something about it. Don’t believe me? Check out The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by David Cay Johnston. If it doesn’t piss you off, you probably didn’t understand it.

Yes, but I’m not sure that’s unique to us. I have a feeling almost all cultures have similar terms to express conflict. I understand the term “jihad” carries multiple interpretations, from, “a struggle within oneself to overcome characteristics leading away from Allah,” to “kill the infidels.”

From last night: magic battle back!!! vanquish Celtics!!!Turkoglu bomb seals victory!!! Game 7 oughta be a war! Winner advances to meet cavaliers who have alot of weapons.

happiness in The City Beautiful

blue texan, from your link to open left, he hits it out of the park but one paragraph is the meme we really have to pick up;

With President Obama doing everything short of switching parties to try to shut down any questioning of what went on during the last Administration, it seems clear that we need to mount an intense push in support of those, like Whitehouse, who still believe in the rule of law.

bingo

that would serve two purposes

first it would actually get the right wing to start supporting obama’s programs over all

second it would pressure the administration to at least LOOK like they were doing something

good stuff

The U.S. is a war culture. It’s the modern version of ancient Sparta.

Pretty good comparison.

ahmen brother/sister. As Warren Buffet says, there is class warfare and his side is winning.

Yes. Actually, things like union organization and working condition negotioations are procedures which lessen the likelihood of real class warefare – the kind involving guillotines, molotov cocktails, etc.

Special Whitehouse Hints of Torture Prosecutions Edition…

oh for the want of a blank space.

(Whitehouse vs. White House)

His side may be winning now but we’re getting stronger and smarter. There really are some things money can’t buy.

No war but class war.

David Gregory is desperately trying to save his summer in the Hamptons.

He’s on Morning Joe pleading saying that the Obama administration do all it can to avoid torture investigations.

Because the have so much other stuff to do; you know health care, the SCOTUS appointment, etc.

No time to waste on holding the Bushies to account.

The nasty little truth is Washington essentially goes on (paid) vacation over the summer; heaven help them should they actually have to cover some pesky hearings regarding war crimes — this would interfere with tennis and afternoon tea.

Buffet is not quite correct – the upper class has won hands down. We are now going through the spoils to the victor phase II.

Next phase – disposal of the vanguished

David Gregory is desperately trying to save his summer in the Hamptons.

He’s on Morning Joe pleading saying that the Obama administration do all it can to avoid torture investigations.

fuck.

Dancin’.

Dave.

Housing prices set to drop another 45% peak to valley being 80% loss in value.

That’s a lot of “equity” up in smoke. Rah Rah Rah the ownership society.

The logic is backwards because as more people get exposed to different points of view and the strongest arguments win then more people will agree granted not 100% or even agree with the same reasons everybody has different reasons for supporting stuff.
But more people will be interested because well our arguments on the blogs are much better than the limited views people get on the news.

OK, OT but I can’t help it.

Captured the little stray easily yesterday. Took him to vet who said that since he’ll prolly have to bob his tail he should have a buddy without a tail. Just so happens one of the techs captured a neutered male Manx about a year old a while ago and he’s been waiting for a home. This morning the news is my little stray is negative for all the bad stuff, his tail’s been bobbed and he’s not a Tom anymore. I’ll pick up the little Manx this afternoon but my other little guy will have to wait a few days. Now comes the hard part of naming these 2 little tigers. Yep, got a big grin on and stomach has settled down.

Now back to yer regularly scheduled program.

Whitehouse, for all his good intentions, will hit that immovable object (you remember that from Physics class, right?) named Harry Reid … water-carrier for the DLC/Blue-dogs and Bush Family extraordinaire as soon as he tries to gen up anything like a Torture Prosecution. Forgive my cynicism, but this Kabuki has been played before, I have the ticket stub in my front pocket.

Do you (or anybody) think there is any real opposition to reid? Like to replace him next time? He sucks. Don’t they get pissed at him every time he undercuts them. he’s done it so often i would have thought tere’d be enough people who’ve had it with him. Guess not.

G’Morning BT and Pups.

A lotta depressing stuff coming out, but it must. Good on Whitehouse.

I wish Obama could see that lancing this hideous torture boil, releasing the pictures, would be one way to convince the rest of the world that we won’t shrink from tracking responsibility for illegal torturing. Fresh air and searing light of day is the only way. No more sweeping evidence into dark corners and trying to cover. Having the US publicly face the truth of this shameful period in our history is critically important too moving on and promoting healing, somehow. imho

David Gregory is quite possibly a total idiot. jmo

No change comes from above.

It’s up to the people and direct action. Efforts such as FDL are a starting point, but we need bodies in the street, pitchforks and banging pots, strikes and protests.

We the people have to DEMAND and then TAKE our country back. It will not be given to us by pols. END OF STORY.

As the economy collapses more the pressure on getting Bush increases people losing their homes and jobs will look to Obama for help but they will also look for payback.
Going after torture gives the people that and it keeps the bankers safe.
The people are angry I bet the Blue Dogs will throw Bush overboard just to keep the heat off the bankers.
Bush’s best hope of avoiding jail? That the Obama plan works better and quicker than even the strongest Obama people think it will.

Beefy,

Don’t matter much. Most D are DINOs and the more like Rs when it comes down to it because like R’s they are in it for the money and are easily bought.

Pols are a distraction – we need direct action!

The current guess 2 years for the Obama plan to really work. I’m betting things will get worse before they get better just how long can Bush stay out of jail if unemployment is 10% for longer than 6 months?

Banksters are going down as well. The economy is in free fall, but it’s taking a bit of time.

Kalifornia will lead the way and then like dominos the rest of the states will be bankrupt and the banks will no longer exist.

David Gregory is quite possibly a total idiot

David Gregory is a total idiot

Fixed it for you:)

G’mornin’ my good man.

Not so fast, Kimosabe.

Awwwwwwww. Youse a good-hearted man.

How ’bout “Nip” and “Tuck”?

Or if that’s too personally discomfiting,

“Friar” and “Puck”.

“Nick” and “Thyme”?

regularly scheduled programming?!? I did not know that. What is this strange thing of which you speak? ;->

You could do far worse than just plain Bob.

Thanks! Just knew it didn’t look quite right. heh. Who’s the idiot related to, that he gets all these public gigs?! My family would try to lock him in a dark closet if he were their spawn. Yikes, what an embarrassment.

Or China could stop buying our debt or even so much of our debt (they want Taiwan)
Or the banks could force all those companies like Fox News who bought the WallStreet Journal with stock as bank collateral to pony up more stock since Newscorp’s stock has gone down so much.
Same with Mitt’s Bain Capital and Clear Channel, Home Depot.
Credit Default Swaps could tank the market, the banks etc we can’t afford another AIG sized bailout.
Consumer spending if it keeps dropping could do it.
There are so many ways the economy can fail I know that I’m missing some.

Magic win!!!!!!!

Naw, won’t be any linking of the 2. I can’t really explain how I name them but it’s never conventional. *g*

Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool.

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.

Namaste

Reid is the senatorial equivalent of a whole squad of keystone kops. Running into himself at every turn in the hallways. Would that some kind soul would grab him off the streets and sit him in a chair in the corner, gag and blindfold affixed firmly but gently. I don’t wish ill on the man but, well… EGAD! He has to stop before he tips his tractor over backa$$wards & squashes hisownlself!

Last Thread Raven got us all Ripin on Morning Joe of the Dead intern fame, Mika the your dad is so smart what happened to you, Mike Barnacle who stole Mike Royko’s columns and passed them as his own, Nazi Pat Buchanan.
Just how any of them gets jobs with such resumes is beyond me.
Social Darwinism when we can’t replace the elite class seems to reverse itself in these situations and produces a Reverse Darwin effect.
Bush is of Course the Reverse Superman.

and that’s the truth! back at ya, friend.

Oh please. I know you mean well *g* but don’t touch a hair on PattyB’s lil’ head. He’s my favorite repubble whine-o-meter.

Pretty sure Bush had a signing statment that cancels out any laws that pretain to Prez obfuscation of said laws. Any Prez..any laws..anytime.

if so, i speck obama will know what to do.

Heh. I’ll have to check back and read. Mysterymeat. Hotdogs.

Some other interesting headlines:

Carlyle to pay (nice oxymoron).

Republican war of words highlights lack of fresh talent. (no oxymoron)

.
What about the new gay Oreos? When are yawl gonna address that?

We’re gonna need a Constitutional Amendment to save traditional cookies..
.

Hey BT, thanks for picking up the immigration story. I had noticed that because about a month or so ago, someone had posted this really cool interactive immigration map of the US. You can click on any decade that the census started taking data and click on the nationality and see how various populations moved across the land.

I had noticed at the time that if one clicks on the 1930s, immigration from Mexico had fallen off dramatically…and here’s a quote from your link:

The trend emerged clearly with the onset of the recession and, demographers say, provides new evidence that illegal immigrants from Mexico, by far the biggest source of unauthorized migration to the United States, are drawn by jobs and respond to a sinking labor market by staying away.

“If jobs are available, people come,” said Jeffrey S. Passel, senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group in Washington. “If jobs are not available, people don’t come.”

It just doesn’t get any clearer than that.

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