elitism (or all about the benjamins)...

the other night some friends and I were discussing elitism. it was a fascinating conversation, the kind that you can only have when you get great minds together...and it made me re-examine what I consider to be elitism, and why I have problems with it in some contexts and not others. I should begin with a disclaimer...I am an elitist, I am also by no means wealthy - I live as too many do, barely holding on to the "middle class" lifestyle, one small accident away from being a pauper (despite having played the game right, gotten degrees, turned professional, etc.). I also consider myself intelligent, educated, well-read, cultured (to the shock of some, especially those that are suprised to find I was aware there was a picasso in daley plaza), and engaged. hence, I consider myself an elitist...because I find those qualities to be quite nice, and very much prefer those I associate with to hold them as well - what I call the "citizen elite." somewhere along the line we got our elites confused though...and the educated, academic and professional elite which help to lead the progressive movement got thrown in with the monied elite - the fuckers that are screwing you, me and everyone we know.

we all know who the monied elite are...Big Business, Big Drug, Big Insurance, Big Tobacco, Big [insert your corporate enemy here]. they run the damn place...hell, they run the damn world. they have been forcing shit down our throats ever since the republican majority came into being thirty plus years ago. they have ripped the social structure of our society to pieces, our communities are in shambles, our children go without medicine and books, it is nigh impossible to afford an education, and they are only getting richer. these elite are nothing but bad news for anyone but themselves...and they are the reason that we should fight against anything elites tell us. they know this, which is why they needed to muddy the waters...they needed to confuse the issue by making the progressive elite (the intellectual and academic leaders that have pushed to make this a better world by representing everyone's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) the enemy.

just another example of how the conservative movement has lied to you. they want it to be ok to hate the elite...as long as that includes the people that are actually looking out for society as a whole - because then they can throw out "moral" issues that they never plan on addressing and that they don't give two shits about to maintain a stranglehold on politics. it isn't the professors and trial lawyers you need to be concerned with...its the wall street tycoons that don't pay taxes yet reap all, and I do mean ALL, the benefits while you and I get shit. they swim in their oceans of cash, oceans filled by the trickle upwards that has become a tidal wave, and rant and rave against the elite that are only seeking justice in this world. and so we fight against each other over issues that will never be resolved as long as they continue to control the process...and so they perpetuate their control...and the cycle continues...

which is why I have come to so respect Dean's campaign of a few years back...it took the monied elite out of the equation. and it scared the living hell out of them, and so he was made to look like an extremist nutjob (amusing if you ever looked at his actual record) and an "east coast elitist." meanwhile, the real elitist got thrown into the fray against the slightly more elite elitist candidate...and we got pissed on again by the uber-rich.

but it does provide hope...hope that maybe, just maybe, we can break this cycle of greed and corruption which has so uglified what was supposed to be a shining light upon a hill. maybe, just maybe, we can retake control of our politics...we can force the system to re-engage the common man. the beautiful irony of it...we can take the system away from the monied elite with money. then, with a true commitment to education, equality and opportunity, with a true commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we will expand the citizen elite...and we will thumb our noses at those lowly monied types...

...every road takes us farther from home...

guns, starving the beast, and the truth about "values" votes...

the supremes are re-examining the second amendment. it has been decades since they have looked at whether or not the second amendment means what it says, or whether it means anyone and everyone can have a AK-47 under the pillow. some rich schmuck paid off some folks in DC to sue over keeping guns in their home since handgun ownership has been illegal for some time there. this is one hell of an interesting issue...anyone that has studied early american history understands that the second means what it says...gun ownership is needed for militias to protect the nation (and, I would argue, overthrow tyrannical leadership). but that implies that without militia membership, there is absolutely no right to own a gun. of course that would require common sense and historical knowledge (something that has been lacking on the supreme court for some time...come back thurgood...we need you...more than ever, we need you). the interesting thing is that constitutional doctrines are always subject to change as society evolves (or devolves as the case may be)...and lets face it, american culture is centered around buying shit and shooting shit (both figuratively and literally). and hunting is an absolute necessity since we have managed to destroy nature's checks on certain populations. so what do we do? if it were up to me...fuck it. if you ain't in a militia you don't have a right to shit...the words are clear, the history is clear, the meaning is clear. but ignorant fools out there will think that gun ownership would then be illegal...which is bullshit. just because you don't have a right to something doesn't make it illegal to do it. not that it will matter...this court don't have the balls.

the democratic party is a joke. they are either naive fools or pawns of business. either way, they are fuckheads. but this one time, I would love to see them take a page from the republican playbook. see, the republicans have become masters at inept government, which they then use to declare that government cannot fix things (because they themselves don't want to, and don't know what the fuck they are doing...case in point - katrina. terry shiavo's brain is mush and has been a vegetable for too long and her husband wants to see her wishes done...bush catches a red-eye flight back to DC to sign a bill to keep that oatmeal brain on support. katrina hits and thousands are stranded and dying...bush stays on vacation for a few days. then the republicans say "see...government can't help you."). they have also become masters at starving the beast...they know they can't do away with largely popular social programs...so they give all the money needed for them to their rich friends. eventually, they get booted out of power as the economy goes to shit behind their boneheaded policies...and the democrats are left to either raise taxes or cut programs, or both. so why the fuck don't the jackasses do the same thing? they finally control the budget...cut it...big time. no more black budget for the pentagon. no more funds for war. just end it. don't give it. and then get on tv and tell us government can't help you, the private sector and market will always be better at everything...so ceo's better suit up, grab a gun and get in a hummer. not that they would ever have the gumption...we'll just keep heading toward spiritual death, spending more money on the machinery of death and destruction than we would ever imagine to spend on keeping kids healthy and educated.

the republicans have had a stranglehold on "values" voting for awhile. they managed to break up the new deal coalition, and while the democrats flounder about trying to move to the right to counter the republican move to the right (fantastic logic, I know) while the country stays center-left, the republicans have used bullshit red herrings of abortion, gay marraige, family, etc. to keep power while destroying communities, sending your job overseas, and giving your money to the wealthy. and they do it with "values"...telling you that if you vote for the democrats adam and steve will move in next door and molest your children (never mind that grandpa and father joe are far more likely to be diddling your boy than the random gay guy down the street). and now they have had congress for over a decade (until recently...but seriously, this congress still lays down plenty for the right wing agenda)...and I wonder, why are none of these "values" people starting to ask the simple question of republicans - when you controlled everything in government, why didn't you "fix" all these problems? simple answer...they never had any intention of doing it...because if they did, you might sit back and notice that everything else they do fucks you in a big way, and the rainbow flag down the street wouldn't seem like such a big deal when your house is taken away and your job is shipped to asia while your kid dies of preventable disease.

I know we're gonna need a lucky one...

more tax cut lies, the importance of the judiciary, and who would jesus leave out?

the boy king and his hoard of sheep willing to do only the bidding of the uber-rich rather than the american public are yelling about how the unfair alternative minimum tax needs to be fixed NOW or else too many families will be caught up in it. as always...when republicans talk about taxes, you can safely assume they are totally full of shit. the AMT is not really the problem they make it out to be. the theory is fantastically american (and oddly, christian). it is designed to make sure that the wealthy don't skip out on paying taxes (which they themselves obviously benefit the most from since they have garnered the most wealth from the system made possible by tax dollars) by getting creative with their accountants. unfortunately, it was put in place ages ago and does not get adjusted for inflation. now that the conservative's fiscal irresponsibility has left us fucked with quick inflation, more and more are being caught up in the AMT. here's the thing...this was totally foreseeable, even decades ago. so ask yourself this...when the republicans were shoving tax cuts that the american public did not want down their throats a few years ago, why did they not fix the AMT? why, when they were so concerned about cutting taxes for the wealthy did they not show some concern about cutting taxes for the middle class? the answer is simple...because doing it this way makes it easier to fuck you in the long run. tax cuts become self-perpetuating - even with the public not supporting them. and the result, the government is crippled. your environmental regulation ends. your health care gets yanked. your social security disappears. your housing disappears. your school crumbles. the uber-wealthy...their kids get a shitload of money they did nothing for and they pay virtually no taxes while reaping the most benefits from the system your taxes pay for. welcome to the new america...

and as the "elected" branches continue to care less and less for public opinion and the needs and wants of the american people (not to mention any semblance of what is actually right) the judiciary may be the last stronghold of the american way. often it has taken the courts to step in and slap "elected" officials around and force the government to live up to its purpose and its most solemn declaration to uphold the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. the courts are sticking up for your economic and physical health while the conservative assholes in power try to strip it away. congress has no problem making anything and everything a crime if a pen used in it crossed a state line at some point, but the boy king is claiming the government can't regulate emissions. the courts are crying bullshit, and they are demanding the administration either fix it, or tell us why it won't (so that the courts then tell them to fix it anyways). it is the kind of thing that must make thurgood marshall smile from above...and makes it ever more important for us to pay attention to the folks that are being awarded robes.

why is it that none of the candidates which claim to be christian have anything approaching an approach to immigration that would not buy them a ticket to hell? drivers licences, schooling, health care...everyone seems to be clamoring to show how they are not for giving anything of the sort to undocumented persons (including kids). ask yourself this...when was the last time a society was worse off for educating the people living within it? how is it ever proper to deny children health care? what happened to "all" being created equal? has anybody read the inscription on the statue of liberty any time recently? would a man like jesus have anything but contempt for people that excluded the poor and downtrodden with pride? this country was founded on undocumented immigrants...it was made great by undocumented immigrants. this country absolutely needs immigrants. stop being afraid when people have such a desire to get a better life by coming to america...be afraid when they stop coming, a process already underway. when that happens, the economic and cultural giant that is the united states will no longer enjoy hegemony.

this town needs a fire...

frightening debate, breaks for the filthy rich, and the militarization of america...

was watching the news hour the other night (since I finally got off of work on time and recently discovered the plethora of pbs channels in HD) and some bit about the newest joke of an attorney general led into a segment on water boarding. it began with reporting on the evil itself and talk of the protests and controversy swirling around this asshead that was given blessing from supposed representatives of you and I (although we all know that unless "you and I" includes billionaires...they don't represent shit). I briefly thought it was nice that pbs was finally returning to some reporting that wasn't fox-ized. and then they cut back to the studio...and we were informed that there were folks to talk about two opposing view points on water boarding. that's right...we need "balanced" punditry on whether or not a practice which the world declared immoral long ago and clearly violates domestic law and was condemned as evil when it popped into western culture during the inquisition actually qualifies as torture. all I can really say, is this is completely fucking ridiculous. I cannot believe that we have digressed so far and that we are so paranoid of being "called-out" by jackasses with extreme right wing propoganda and a microphone (even if they haven't eaten in about 15 years or are drug addicts). god forbid we accept what the world and this nation accepted long ago...water boarding is torture. torture cannot be morally justified. although with the degredation of our schools by no child left behind, I guess it shouldn't suprise me that legitimate thought is dying.

the house barely tried to give you a tax break...and pay for it by taxing hedge funds and their uber-rich organizers (and trust me...these fuckers are insanely rich, moreso than can be morally accepted in a "just" society - especially one that claims to be built upon christian values). here is the sad part...the ny times reported that democrats in the senate have a dilemna because they must either put their money where their mouth is or risk alienating their largest contributors. the ny times has officially reported that the democratic party does not represent anyone but the wealthy (although we all knew this when patsy madrid informed us here in new mexico that you only take money for access). again...with all the children being left behind and unable to understand and analyize basic history, I understand this might be difficult - but for god's sake people...the largest and most equal economic expansion in history occured when we taxed corporations at about 50%. the average factory worker made a decent living and could move into the middle class. pensions were guaranteed. health care was affordable. the rich were getting richer...but so were you, and the gap was relatively acceptable. now the congress is going to fuck you in favor of people who do nothing tangible to help society...they simply move money around try to outsmart other people that move money around. they don't make anything. they don't "generate" wealth as some fucking moron with a MBA will want to tell me...they simply take the wealth that you and I generate by playing by the rules and move it around until it is in their pockets. and they are going to get a break...while you suddenly find yourself owing a few more thousand in april - even while the government does less and less for that money. but don't fret...most of that is being put into the killing industry. and that should be celebrated...

which is where we are as a society. recently some fool tried to tell me this nation was not militarized because we had "volunteer" armed forces. never mind that the economy uses the military as a crutch. never mind that this nation has developed a very powerful "rally around the assfuck in office" trend anytime the president tells us war is coming - calling any questioning of the logic of organized homicide treasonous. just ignore that we glorify the warrior and we must all "support" the troops or be declared un-american (funny since the continental army felt slighted because the people thought they were paid thugs). please disregard that a nation partially founded in disgust for standing armies in a supposed free-society now beats its chest and declares its standing army the greatest of all time. pay no attention to slow creep of military values into everyday life - and an acceptance that such values are the proper order of society. and while you are at it...forget about our modern gladiators...the UFC fighter. nope...not militarized at all...we still stand for everything that this nation was founded for - as long as you can overlook the degredation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness I mean.

but all is well...a wonderful person drew my attention to the appearance of architecture in santa fe tonight. so turn it up and bounce while the world crumbles around you.

suspicious for the winter...

abusing bankruptcy, leaving NCLB behind, and cracking down on pot...

well, it turns out all this time the bankruptcy and lending laws have actually been abused. except Big Business spent a lot of money trying to convince us that it was a hoard of irresponsible deadbeats exploiting the system for financial gain (almost as ludicrous as the "welfare queen" - the extreme rarity nicely exploited by conservative assholes to convince us that if you are working three jobs and starving to keep the heat on it is because you aren't trying hard enough) and this whole time it has actually been Big Business that has been abusing the system for purely financial gain...often illegal financial gain. as foreclosures are reaching record numbers, banks and other lenders are taking advantage of the situation to help that money trickle back up where it belongs. hidden illegal fees, false claims, inflated claims...all overwhelming the system and forcing many to lose homes that they should not. all this time we've been being told individuals have been lying to bankruptcy courts so they can pile up huge debts without threat of paying them back (which is not how bankruptcy works...but elite assholes thrive on a populace that is not properly informed thanks to schools dying under No Child Left Behind and a press that is little more than a cheerleader for war and Big Money) and the opposite has been, and continues to be true. long ago there were debtor's prisons...I'm thinking it is about time we develop creditor's prisons, complete with forfeiture of all assets. something tells me the industry would begin to abide by the law and regulate itself pretty damn quickly.

No Child Left Behind needs to go away...forever. ted kennedy, in an effort to show he can be a conservative schmuck with the best of them, helped force this down our throats years ago (while anyone with any experience or knowledge about the education system knew it would be a disaster) and now is wanting to hold back on introducing a bill to renew it until some kinks are worked out. here's the thing drunkie...you can't work out the problems with NCLB. the whole thing needs to be scrapped. not only is the premise (rote memorization will get us ahead) detrimental to our schools and our society, but the thing isn't even designed intelligently to accomplish that boneheaded goal (punish schools that need help). kids need to be given opportunities to thrink critically, to examine the world...not memorize dates and formulas. study upon study has shown that children that are exposed to the arts and critical thinking in the social sciences perform much better in math and science. all one has to do is look to texas - the model for NCLB - to see that this idea is a disaster. texan universities are not fond of graduates of texas high schools anymore, because they can't think...they aren't prepared for college level work (which is pathetically behind as it is). unless we scrap this law and get serious about education, we will only continue to develop a populace that cannot think for itself and cannot meaningfully participate in popular sovereignty...we are becoming a joke of what this nation was meant to be (well, we have become a joke...but this ain't helping things). teddy, you wanna fix education? pay teachers what they are worth. put money into schools in neighborhoods that need it. get away from poorly designed standardized tests. enhance the arts. put more simply...try educating. try learning.

denver is cracking down on pot smokers. leaders are concerned that the electorate's recent decision to remove small quantities of marijuana as punishable offenses will make people think smoking pot is "ok" - and we all know that refer madness will soon take over society. here we go again...the personal responsibility crowd telling you it is ok to booze and smoke (because those industries give lots of money to politicians), but god forbid you have a joint after work. seattle tried this...crime rates dropped. the manner in which we approach drugs in this nation is completely assinine. it promotes crime. but then crime is big business (just look at how much money private security companies and prisons are raking in) - and we all know that when push comes to shove, Big Business wins at City Hall every time.

I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain...it went the dull and wicked ordinary way...

death by technicality, a clinton (but no bill), the meaning of colbert ’08, and no to paul...

the supreme court has agreed to hear a case which might lead to the end of the barbaric practice of lethal injection...a process which would violate law if it were used to put a rabid animal to sleep, but passes as "humane" for human beings. in the process, they have sent a signal to the nation that government sanctioned murder by injection will not occur until they hear the case. a mississippi death row inmate was within 30 minutes of death, having eaten his last meal, when the supremes stayed his execution pending the outcome of arguments and their decision. but here is the interesting bit of the story...berry was almost executed on a technicality. in a rather disturbing way, I find this tidbit rather amusing...the punishment and personal responsibility crowd always cry out that people escape prison or death "on a technicality" (which typically refers to the protections of the bill of rights...fourth amendment, fifth amendment, sixth amendment, fourteenth amendment...you know, technical shit we shouldn't bother with)...so I wonder if they were just as outraged when a man was almost killed on an actual technicality. see, berry had gone through appeals, and recently filed an action to stay his execution and question the legality of lethal injection. the district court told him to suck it...because it was "untimely filed" (imagine going to mail a letter a day late and being told you have to die for it). then, the 5th circuit agreed with this ridiculous logic...that any appeal concerning core constitutional rights could be "untimely"...especially given the supreme's decision to review the issue. finally, the supreme court stepped in with only minutes to spare...avoiding death by technicality. god help our society.

I did not catch the debate the other night...I figure why bother watching a bunch of corporate backing, "free" market loving, militaristic schmucks climb all over each other to show wealthy "contributors" how much they will screw the common man for $100,000 plate dinners. however, I did manage to catch hilights and read up on the disaster that was hillary clinton. so now we are seeing - perhaps finally waking up to the fact - that she is, a clinton. she'll say whatever it takes to get into the white house...and then feed us policies we don't want after the fact. sure, all politicians are worthless shitbags (and the fact that so many of us feel that way is a sad commentary on the state of our democracy)...and hillary is no exception just because she has a vagina (yes, I would love to see a woman be president...just not this one), but the new democrats, exemplified by the clinton clan, are some of the worst. they turned out to be better at being conservatives than conservatives...but at least bill could convince us he was genuine. hillary is a scumbag, her positions depend more on poll numbers and dollar signs than any convictions or sense of right and wrong, and she is completely unable to hide it the way bill could. in the end...she's just another clinton...but she ain't no bill.

steven colbert is running for president...in one state. he has some support (more than the governor of my fair state)...and the pundits are all weighing in. some are worried about campaign finance laws, some are worried that "legitimate" candidates will lose votes, some are claiming he is making a mockery of presidential politics and serious issues - and those people have completely missed the point. campaign finance laws? they don't mean a thing...and if you have any doubt, look at policies and programs supported by the supposed "left" party - financialization, globalization, militarization. Big Money has a death grip on everyone, even if it has to be a little more cunning about it. "legitimate" candidates? nobody voting for colbert would vote for any of the worthless shitbags considered "legitimate" - which is why they would vote for colbert. there is one legitimate candidate...he's from ohio...he'll never get the nod. making a mockery of presidential politics and serious issues? the process itself is a mockery of presidential politics and serious issues...the corruption and influence of money has turned presidential politics into a sham of democracy that really does not hold much meaning. colbert is showing us this...and some are listening...but most aren't hearing.

ron paul continues to frighten the crap out of me. seemingly sane people are claiming he is a breath of fresh air and has a strong plan for this country. these same people are forgetting that pat buchanan espoused the exact same vision for america about a decade ago...he was laughed out of the race. you think bush is bad? paul is a step beyond. "but he'll bring the troops home" you say. and I agree, it is time to seriously scale back our military presence in countless nations around the world. but he wants to completely draw back into a shell and disengage from the world entirely. isolationism didn't work too good the last time...we can lead, let's just do it without predator drones. seriously listen to ron paul...he is so conservative he scares the conservatives. every public program that you will ever benefit from in your life would be gone if he had a say in it. we would become not "one nation, under god" - but millions of loners, on our own without help...just hope you don't get sick, or your company goes under, or you ever make a poor decision, because in the world of ron paul - too fucking bad. that he is considered a "legitimate" candidate shows me just how far gone we are as a society and a nation.

I would say it's in God's hands...but God doesn't always have the best god damn plans now does he?