2011_12_06 Newsletter # 7
Here’s an item hot off the press: a nine year old boy was suspended from class for calling his teacher “cute” which was classed as sexual harassment. The incident gets my vote for being the most ridiculous example of such a charge.
Putin has returned to being the president of Russian, but the opposition is calling the election rigged. He’s clearly not as popular as he was the first time around when the vote was 64% for his party, UNITED RUSSIA; this time it was 49%, a squeaker, as three other parties were in contention. He has been PM for the last four years. It’s a game of musical chairs with Putin. Whatever he’s called he’s the Big Cheese.
Turkey, once so eager to get in the EURO ZONE (the United States of Europe, with the Euro being equivalent to our dollar), to be the first Islamic nation in the Euro Zone, has now backed off from joining the party, considering Europe’s debt crisis and collapsing economies. Turkey has become a regional power with its stable society and economy. The PM of Turkey was the first to condemn Assad of Syria brutal crackdown on peaceful protestors and to initiate heavy sanctions on Syria. Since then the Arab League has followed suit.
It has recently becomes public information that six of the biggest banks in the United States were getting secret loans from the Fed, cash infusions when the recession hit in 2008, loans that added up to half a trillion dollars. The Fed did not report what they were doing, as they should, by law. It is more evidence that the 1% takes care of the survival of their own class and doesn’t give a damn about the 99%. The S.E.C. (Security Exchange Commission) may have slap a wrist but let a real crime go by.
Newt Gingrich has forged ahead with Herman Cain falling out of contention because of sexual hi jinxes and gaffes about policies. The Iowa caucus is in one month and Gingrich has the lead. The race for the Republicans has boiled down to Gingrich and Romney, which means the candidate, who ever it is, will be a deeply flawed candidate. The Democrats hope it’ll be Newt rather than Mitt. Newt has more baggage (three marriages, divorced his first wife when she was sick with cancer, criticized Bill Clinton for an affair when he was having one at the same time, shut down the government in 1994, and there will be other things.) Mitt limitations are obvious: he’s a robot, wears too much hair gel, and Obamacare was modeled on Romneycare in Massachusetts. He has more of an organization behind him and his baggage is less offensive then Gingrich’s. Many think he could beat Obama. Hence, The Demos want Newt.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Newsletter #5
2011_11_30 Newsletter # 5
Ginger White is the latest woman to come forward with a sex story about Herman Cain whose poll numbers have fallen from 25% to 4% in less than a month. She carried on with him in an on-again off-again kind of way for 13 years. This revelation seems to be the coup de grace to his campaign, although he has yet to formally withdraw from the race. He took this lady, another white woman, on several trips, and gave her money, plus kept in constant contact with her up until last week when she came forward. This continuing “bimbo eruption” was just too much for the social conservatives who had joined is bandwagon. Michelle Bachman and Rick Perry should be next, although both have cash in the bank to keep going, even if they are going nowhere. By the way, that phrase “bimbo eruption” came from Jon Huntsman, who continues to hide in the weeds waiting for his turn in the spotlight.
Karl Rove was the force behind a vile, lying, recent ad that attacked Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy in Massachusetts that made her out to be the intellectual agitator behind the dirty, smelly, trash-creating, destructive mob calling themselves OWS. Then, on top of that, the bastard came out yesterday saying the GOP should be ready for a vicious campaign from the Obama camp that will say and do anything to win next November. There was also criticism for Obama because he left the word “God” out of his Thanksgiving address. Rove and his ilk will be hammering the president with no mercy for the next 11 months. If it were up to me I’d skip 2012.
I look to two academic intellectuals who are feeding good ideas and advice to OWS and Democratic candidates. They are George Lakoff and Gar Alperovitz. Lakoff is a cognitive scientist who stresses the importance of a robust government and the importance of capturing the national narrative away from the Republicans who have dominated it for a long time-- the Democrats need to be proactive not reactive. Gar, believe it or not, is from Racine and while in H.S. I competed with him for a good looking blond. His best tag line is: Private success depends on a robust Public. All successful entrepreneurs need a public arena built and paid for by everyone else, so they in turn should pay back those who provided the wherewithal for them to prosper. It only makes sense. Fair is fair. Huge inequality is not fair. Wealth is often “unjust desserts.” Gar is currently teaching at the University of Maryland.
An Iranian mob stormed the British embassy in the capital and when on a destructive binge, which prompted the Brits to vacate the embassy and quit a diplomatic connection with that Shite nation. The Iranians were mad because the Brits were enforcing economic sanctions against Iran. So now, while the “Arab spring” is full swing in northern Africa, Iran, Syria and Pakistan are suddenly turning very hostile towards the western democracies and powers. It’s a phenomenon called “destabilization.” Status quo countries hate that taking place instead of business as usual.
Here’s another good tag line from NY Times columnist. Maureen Dowd: “Mitt Romney is a phony with gobs of hair gel. Newt Gingrich is a phony with gobs of historical grandiosity.”
Gingrich pulled a whopper tonight that revealed his megalomania. He actually said to an audience in South Carolina, “Unlike the commentators on FOX NEWS, I know what I am talking about.” How to win friends and influence people???
Ginger White is the latest woman to come forward with a sex story about Herman Cain whose poll numbers have fallen from 25% to 4% in less than a month. She carried on with him in an on-again off-again kind of way for 13 years. This revelation seems to be the coup de grace to his campaign, although he has yet to formally withdraw from the race. He took this lady, another white woman, on several trips, and gave her money, plus kept in constant contact with her up until last week when she came forward. This continuing “bimbo eruption” was just too much for the social conservatives who had joined is bandwagon. Michelle Bachman and Rick Perry should be next, although both have cash in the bank to keep going, even if they are going nowhere. By the way, that phrase “bimbo eruption” came from Jon Huntsman, who continues to hide in the weeds waiting for his turn in the spotlight.
Karl Rove was the force behind a vile, lying, recent ad that attacked Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy in Massachusetts that made her out to be the intellectual agitator behind the dirty, smelly, trash-creating, destructive mob calling themselves OWS. Then, on top of that, the bastard came out yesterday saying the GOP should be ready for a vicious campaign from the Obama camp that will say and do anything to win next November. There was also criticism for Obama because he left the word “God” out of his Thanksgiving address. Rove and his ilk will be hammering the president with no mercy for the next 11 months. If it were up to me I’d skip 2012.
I look to two academic intellectuals who are feeding good ideas and advice to OWS and Democratic candidates. They are George Lakoff and Gar Alperovitz. Lakoff is a cognitive scientist who stresses the importance of a robust government and the importance of capturing the national narrative away from the Republicans who have dominated it for a long time-- the Democrats need to be proactive not reactive. Gar, believe it or not, is from Racine and while in H.S. I competed with him for a good looking blond. His best tag line is: Private success depends on a robust Public. All successful entrepreneurs need a public arena built and paid for by everyone else, so they in turn should pay back those who provided the wherewithal for them to prosper. It only makes sense. Fair is fair. Huge inequality is not fair. Wealth is often “unjust desserts.” Gar is currently teaching at the University of Maryland.
An Iranian mob stormed the British embassy in the capital and when on a destructive binge, which prompted the Brits to vacate the embassy and quit a diplomatic connection with that Shite nation. The Iranians were mad because the Brits were enforcing economic sanctions against Iran. So now, while the “Arab spring” is full swing in northern Africa, Iran, Syria and Pakistan are suddenly turning very hostile towards the western democracies and powers. It’s a phenomenon called “destabilization.” Status quo countries hate that taking place instead of business as usual.
Here’s another good tag line from NY Times columnist. Maureen Dowd: “Mitt Romney is a phony with gobs of hair gel. Newt Gingrich is a phony with gobs of historical grandiosity.”
Gingrich pulled a whopper tonight that revealed his megalomania. He actually said to an audience in South Carolina, “Unlike the commentators on FOX NEWS, I know what I am talking about.” How to win friends and influence people???
Newsletter # 6
2011_12_2 Newsletter # 6
The government released medium warm good news today about the job market. 120,000 people found employment last month; with the holidays coming that’s probably par for the course. In fact, they were in retail, service industry and holiday hires. The percentage of the unemployed went down to 8.6%, the lowest it’s been since early 2009. Meanwhile of course another 13,000,000 Americans are without jobs or have a part time job, which keeps them hanging on by their fingernails. The demand for goods and services remain very low and stagnant. The Thanksgiving weekend was a welcome spurt and promising, but the situation in Europe is still too shaky to hope for something muscular and sustained in an upward fashion. I hate to say this but Karl Marx predicted that Capitalism would be a situation in its late stages where the 1% would be at the top of the pyramid and the middle class, which had been large, had spread out at the bottom joining the ever unlucky poor.
The cover of the new TIME magazine has a photo of Romney on the cover but only half his face, with this accompanying statement, “Why don’t they like me?” Poor Romney, he’s imminently qualified and the best bet to give Obama good competition, but he can’t break through to more than 20 to 25 %, and now Newt the Brute has pulled ahead by impressing more Republicans with his strong leader act and his glibness, which people think will give Obama fits in debates. Most Democrats would be happy to see the “Grinch” get the nomination, feeling, probably correctly, that he’d be easier to beat than Romney. Newt has put his foot in his mouth too many times to not do it again and again. Still, it is amazing how Romney isn’t getting any love. He’s still the droid, a plastic man who wears too much hair gel, the guy who will say whatever you want to hear-- too desperate to be president. But truth be told, the president could use more love too, like what he got in 2008. It would be a shot in the arm when the campaign heats up next year. There are number of polls that indicate this is the GOP’s best chance to win the trifecta—both houses of congress and the White House. To think of that happening is like waiting for your worst nightmare.
At least we are pulling out of Iraq; the process is underway. Now we wait and see if the Sunni and the Shiites can refrain from a civil war.
We all have been celebrating the “Arab spring,” that they finally threw off the shackles of autocracy and would now, hopefully, turn into secular democracies. But indications are they were going in another direction. Ironically, with one third of the election in Egypt complete the liberal activists who brought about the revolution will be lucky to get 20% of the seats in their parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood, who have been organized for several decades, won 46% of the vote and the Salafis, who are more conservative than the Brotherhood won 20% of the vote, and both will probably improve their positions because when the other two sections of the country vote, Alexandria and rural Egypt, they are even more conservative. The hopes for a secular Egypt seemed dashed for now. The same thing is happening in Morocco and Tunisia. The Islamist parties will be dominant there too. They seem to be the real winners. The Salafis resemble the Saudis. Women are restricted and western entertainment is disapproved of.
Hillary Clinton is in Burma meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nelson Mandela of Southeast Asia and Nobel Prize winner. The military junta that has ruled for more than three decades have kept her under wraps—house arrest—for 20 years. She had such charisma with the Burmese people she was a constant beacon of hope and democratic values that she was always perceived as a threat to their brutal regime. But finally, reform has come to the country, and the two women, both seen as exceptional people in their respective nations, could finally meet and have discussions. It turns out Suu Kyi has read Hillary autobiography and Bill’s book as well. Hillary has stated how much she admires Aung San, who has remained adamant for years, waiting patiently year after year for the big change. At age 66 it is finally on its way.
I also heard today that the OWS folks are planning to change their focus to the foreclosure crisis. With 11 million homes under water, and more happening every day, that sounds like a good place to go. What exactly they have in mind they haven’t revealed yet. Camping out in empty homes?
I watched the Charlie Rose show tonight and heard something I hadn’t ever considered before. Rose had John Meacham who works for TIME magazine, and two D.C reporters, both from POLITICAL I believe who had combined on a book about the “right wing fighting back.” But what interested me the most was Meacham saying the word in Washington was Obama doesn’t enjoy being president. He admitted it was a story coming down to him second and third and fourth hand, but it was a consistent story. As an example he compared Bill Clinton and Obama going to Cape Cod for a short break from the beltway world. Bill Clinton would be everywhere, the ice cream store, a fast food place, running, etc. He loved to be out and about “pressing the flesh” as LBJ like to say and do. The more people he engaged the more he seemed to inflate and enjoy himself. When Obama was there you’d never see him. He wanted to escape people; he was always in retreat from crowds and the press. It hit me that it could be true, as he seemed to relish the job the first year, but it has been downhill ever since, mainly due to the intransigence of the Republicans and his own inability to break the logjam caused by the agents of the 1%. He realized after that first year that the situation had taken all the fun out of winning the election. Governing became an unpleasant chore. If it is true maybe he should hand the job over to Biden, or better yet, to Hillary. But it won’t happen will it?
The government released medium warm good news today about the job market. 120,000 people found employment last month; with the holidays coming that’s probably par for the course. In fact, they were in retail, service industry and holiday hires. The percentage of the unemployed went down to 8.6%, the lowest it’s been since early 2009. Meanwhile of course another 13,000,000 Americans are without jobs or have a part time job, which keeps them hanging on by their fingernails. The demand for goods and services remain very low and stagnant. The Thanksgiving weekend was a welcome spurt and promising, but the situation in Europe is still too shaky to hope for something muscular and sustained in an upward fashion. I hate to say this but Karl Marx predicted that Capitalism would be a situation in its late stages where the 1% would be at the top of the pyramid and the middle class, which had been large, had spread out at the bottom joining the ever unlucky poor.
The cover of the new TIME magazine has a photo of Romney on the cover but only half his face, with this accompanying statement, “Why don’t they like me?” Poor Romney, he’s imminently qualified and the best bet to give Obama good competition, but he can’t break through to more than 20 to 25 %, and now Newt the Brute has pulled ahead by impressing more Republicans with his strong leader act and his glibness, which people think will give Obama fits in debates. Most Democrats would be happy to see the “Grinch” get the nomination, feeling, probably correctly, that he’d be easier to beat than Romney. Newt has put his foot in his mouth too many times to not do it again and again. Still, it is amazing how Romney isn’t getting any love. He’s still the droid, a plastic man who wears too much hair gel, the guy who will say whatever you want to hear-- too desperate to be president. But truth be told, the president could use more love too, like what he got in 2008. It would be a shot in the arm when the campaign heats up next year. There are number of polls that indicate this is the GOP’s best chance to win the trifecta—both houses of congress and the White House. To think of that happening is like waiting for your worst nightmare.
At least we are pulling out of Iraq; the process is underway. Now we wait and see if the Sunni and the Shiites can refrain from a civil war.
We all have been celebrating the “Arab spring,” that they finally threw off the shackles of autocracy and would now, hopefully, turn into secular democracies. But indications are they were going in another direction. Ironically, with one third of the election in Egypt complete the liberal activists who brought about the revolution will be lucky to get 20% of the seats in their parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood, who have been organized for several decades, won 46% of the vote and the Salafis, who are more conservative than the Brotherhood won 20% of the vote, and both will probably improve their positions because when the other two sections of the country vote, Alexandria and rural Egypt, they are even more conservative. The hopes for a secular Egypt seemed dashed for now. The same thing is happening in Morocco and Tunisia. The Islamist parties will be dominant there too. They seem to be the real winners. The Salafis resemble the Saudis. Women are restricted and western entertainment is disapproved of.
Hillary Clinton is in Burma meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nelson Mandela of Southeast Asia and Nobel Prize winner. The military junta that has ruled for more than three decades have kept her under wraps—house arrest—for 20 years. She had such charisma with the Burmese people she was a constant beacon of hope and democratic values that she was always perceived as a threat to their brutal regime. But finally, reform has come to the country, and the two women, both seen as exceptional people in their respective nations, could finally meet and have discussions. It turns out Suu Kyi has read Hillary autobiography and Bill’s book as well. Hillary has stated how much she admires Aung San, who has remained adamant for years, waiting patiently year after year for the big change. At age 66 it is finally on its way.
I also heard today that the OWS folks are planning to change their focus to the foreclosure crisis. With 11 million homes under water, and more happening every day, that sounds like a good place to go. What exactly they have in mind they haven’t revealed yet. Camping out in empty homes?
I watched the Charlie Rose show tonight and heard something I hadn’t ever considered before. Rose had John Meacham who works for TIME magazine, and two D.C reporters, both from POLITICAL I believe who had combined on a book about the “right wing fighting back.” But what interested me the most was Meacham saying the word in Washington was Obama doesn’t enjoy being president. He admitted it was a story coming down to him second and third and fourth hand, but it was a consistent story. As an example he compared Bill Clinton and Obama going to Cape Cod for a short break from the beltway world. Bill Clinton would be everywhere, the ice cream store, a fast food place, running, etc. He loved to be out and about “pressing the flesh” as LBJ like to say and do. The more people he engaged the more he seemed to inflate and enjoy himself. When Obama was there you’d never see him. He wanted to escape people; he was always in retreat from crowds and the press. It hit me that it could be true, as he seemed to relish the job the first year, but it has been downhill ever since, mainly due to the intransigence of the Republicans and his own inability to break the logjam caused by the agents of the 1%. He realized after that first year that the situation had taken all the fun out of winning the election. Governing became an unpleasant chore. If it is true maybe he should hand the job over to Biden, or better yet, to Hillary. But it won’t happen will it?
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