Song as Metaphor

I keep hearing this song in my head as I watch the stock market plunge.

Mr. President, Have Pity On The Working Man.

The Shock Doctrine

The Stationagent has posted this piece on John Amato's interview of Naomi Klein. It is the best and most in depth interview I've seen with her on her book, The Shock Doctrine. It's almost an hour long interview. But it is so compelling you will not be able to turn away. Please listen carefully, and pass it on. You will never be able to say you didn't know the dangers of unfettered, unregulated capitalism again. I'm a big a fan of the two Naomis--Klein and Wolf.

Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine

Just Because I Watched Chris Rock's New Show Tonight

I was trying to find a clip of Chris Rock's interview on on Bill Maher last night. I missed the show watching crappy post debate "news" coverage. When I realized what I'd missed I was pissed. I've been trying to get it on On Demand today, but they won't let us see it until tomorrow. Somehow Dcup has a clip from the show. After I watched her clip on New Rules which is hilarious, I started looking at the Chris Rock segment from Dcup's clip. How did you get that? Anyway I went to the You Tube to find me some. But no, not for me. What I did stumble across was this bit from a Late Night segment. I had to be fairly recently, since Bill Clinton was on first and was talking about John McCain, patriot, and that other guy.

Thanks Again Ghost

Another gift from Ghost Dansing.

Rachel Maddow on the Economic Meltdown

Rachel Maddow is a favorite of a lot of us female bloggers. Several of us have expressed having a girl-crush on her. Here is the new star of MSNBC with my favorite comedian/social satirist, Bill Maher.

Phillip, This One's for You

Bill Maher on Palin.

Naomi Wolf on Larry King

Naomi World in an appearance on Larry King talks about Sarah Palin.

Abraham J Simpson for President

I have been having a conversation with a dear friend who is worried that McCain won. He is sure that the Headline on USA Today and Newsweek will give McCain a resounding win. He thinks John looked wise and strong. His is worried that McCain looked disdainful of Obama and that the sound bite for the debate will be John's line about Barack's inexperience and naiveté.

I think he may be right about USA Today, but who reads USA Today as a serious news source? If that is your main news source, you probably think Obama is a smarty-pants at best and uppity at worst and never would have voted for him anyway. If USA Today is a newsmag you read on your way to a plane, you are probably reading it like I read People in my dentist's office--because it's what's there. But given a choice, I would rather read The Nation, or Vanity Fair. There is a portion of the population that will not vote for Barack Obama. Period. No way. No matter what. But I do not believe at this particular point in our history that it is a majority. I think Republicans are not impressed with McCain's performance of the past several weeks. We are getting peeks at his Veep, and she scares and repulses most of us. Oh, I know there are men and women all over this land who want someone to win who is as ill informed and ignorant as they. I know plenty of these people. I had an unfortunate conversation with one of them today, at the pharmacy. She is old, she is white, she is Mormon, and I would bet money she thinks she is better than Barack because she is white. Just that. Anyone who thinks racism is dead is full of shit. It was not very long ago that "people of color" were not allowed to hold "the priesthood" (low level hierarchical male authority) in the Mormon church. It was beginning to be an embarrassment internationally, since The Church, as it is known in Utah, sends missionaries all over the world. It proselytizes ferociously. And if you come from a country in Africa, Utah is one of the very few states that will take all applicants for immigration. It took a "revelation from God" to change The Church's policy on black men holding the priesthood in Mormonism. Mormons love Sarah Palin. She sounds exactly like a Mormon woman. Mormons like and are comfortable with white male authority. Mormons like their patriarchs--old white men who talk in platitudes. John and Sarah are the perfect Mormon couple.

All the early polls seem to give Obama a win. But still Chris Matthews and my friend think the Strongman who never looks at his opponent wins. I think Obama missed many opportunities to point out McCain's recent erratic behavior and his past involvement in a very serious banking meltdown. We need to be reminded over and over about The Keating Five. It was our last big financial meltdown of a scandalous nature, and McCain was at the center of it. Barack missed the opportunity to piss McCain off, and let us all watch the meltdown. I am looking forward to that event. McCain keeps reminding us that he is not "Miss Congeniality." Well, he certainly showed that side of his personality. He was hunched over, snarling, nasty. His unwillingness to look at Obama makes him seem surly and thuggish. That will have it's appeal to a lot of folks. But would those people vote for Barack under any circumstance? If you like bullies, vote for McCain. If you like hotheads, vote for McCain. If you like scare tactics and bluster, McCain's your guy.

Jim Lehrer tried to structure this debate so that the opponents could address and question each other. Twice he asked that they do so. Barack was courteous enough to comply with his host moderator's request. McCain did not look at Obama once. To me, this made McCain seem surly, snarling, rude, dismissive. I want less bombast and incivility. I have just lived through the Bush years. I have never known a time of less civility in civic life unless it was the Nixon years, but history will certainly look more favorably on Nixon than Bush. It already does.

McCain is a war monger--bellicose and blustering. He wants us to be afraid, be very, very afraid. It is a dangerous world. "And I can win. I know how to do that. Aarrrrggg." Oh yeah old man? When? Where? What war? What serious world leader addresses the public and jokes about bombing another nation, while knowingly being filmed. I do remember St. Reagan making such a remark about The Soviet Union when he thought his mic was cold. The mic was open and it was very embarrassing. McCain's "bomb Iran" gaff, the infamous "Barbara Ann" imitation was loathsome and bears reviewing. This man is not Presidential material.

In the next Presidential debate, I want to see Obama throw a rhetorical punch that really lands, staggers the old man, and smile while he's throwing it.

But I'm giddy in anticipation of the next debate. Oddly it was Olbermann's interview with Joe Biden that was the best TV of the evening.

Rant On Oh Late One

Letterman gets his rant on when McCain folds.

Remember the Keating Five!!!

I'm in the tank for Rachel Maddow and this really made her especially special for me.

Anyone notice how old McCain looked back then in the olden days? Just saying. I think John's had some work done, if you know what I mean. I bet Cindy flew him to Brazil to see her plastic surgeon.

Boom! Down Goes WaMu!

We finally get to see the dreaded bugaboo of the Republicans--The Domino Theory. Only they more than likely never thought of it in just this way. Well here's your laissez faire capitalism, your free market, and your deregulation gets you jack. And down goes WaMu to be plucked from the trading floor a worthless husk, a name only, one of many dominos.

Washington Mutual to Sell Deposits to JPMorgan
SEPTEMBER 25, 2008, 7:11 PM
Link to This
E-mail This
TOPICSMergers & Acquisitions INDUSTRIESFinancial Services

The federal government has arranged for Washington Mutual to sell its
deposits and some branches to JPMorgan Chase, people briefed on the
matter said Thursday night.

The deal does not include any branches in New York City.

Washington Mutual has seen its stock slide nearly 88 percent this year.

The firm recently hired Goldman Sachs to solicit potential buyers, and
the list has included the likes of Citigroup, Wells Fargo, HSBC and
Banco Santander.

While Washington Mutual argued that it has adequate capital, it has
suffered debilitating downgrades of its credit rating over the past
two weeks, endangering its financial health.

The talks have continued amid heightened concern about all financial
companies and an intense political battle over creation of a giant
bailout fund on Capitol Hill. Washington Mutual plunged into the
subprime mortgage and credit card business over the last few years,
and has been ravaged by the worsening housing crisis. Analysts suggest
that it could rack up losses totaling $30 billion or more.

Washingon Mutual had struggled to find a partner earlier this year
willing to inject fresh funds in its ailing business. This spring, it
balked at an offer from JPMorgan Chase to buy the entire company.
Instead, TPG, the big private equity firm, led a group of investors
that made a $5 billion capital injection in April.

–Andrew Ross Sorkin, Eric Dash and Michael J. de la Merced

Palin On Palin

Wolf Hunting Vice Presidential Nominee

Music as Tension Reliever

And now, once again, from the Leningrad Cowboys, via a hot steal from Unconventional Conventionist the other day when I was trolling for things to lug home to my place, we now bring you, Smoke on the Water. I chose this song because so much smoke is getting blown up our collective asses by John (I'm not ready to debate) McCain, and George (I was never ready to lead) Bush. And in contrast to all this smoke blowing we have the calm, cool, elegant Barack (I am ready to lead and debate and look good doing it all) Obama.

Bush Plan To Bail Out Wall Street

Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke want the largest financial bailout in our nation's history with no oversight and no accountability. I have watched the Banking Committee hearings on CSpan today with growing fear and agitation. There were moments of reason and sanity, mainly from Dodd, Hagel, Schumer and Tester. Newcomer John Tester was a star in insisting that there be a benefit to the homeowner whose house has lost it's value through now fault of his own, the farmer, the main street small business owner, the small town rural citizens who have played by the rules and worked hard all their lives--they should not be forgotten as the stake holders in this debacle. I am paraphrasing, but Tester and the others expressed incredulity that we, the innocent victims of misleading sales pitches for refinancing our homes and small businesses are now being asked to pay for Wall Street's excesses and Bush administration's determined lack of regulation and oversight. Paulson and Bernanke are giving us five to ten days to fork over our futures and any hope we ever had for a better life for our children, without rules in place and no idea what we're buying, and whether we will ever see a return on our investment in Wall Street's glutonous, greedy, frenzy of bloated bonuses and Golden Parachutes--which sounds every bit as obscene as it, in fact, is. Just for starters they want a trillion dollars of our hard earned. And we get nothing in return, and if they run off to Argentina with the loot, too bad, sucker!

Seize These Bastard's Assets

From the New York Times:
This link gives you all the CEO's of the entities we have bailed out so far, and the amount of their bonuses and golden parachutes. If you or I had a business and ran it badly, would we get bailed out? I want someone to explain to me why these bastards are rewarded for their failures. Not just failures, but failures that are putting our entire economy at risk, our future as a nation at risk. If you know the answer to this question, please tell me.

Not So Funny Money

Cash For Trash is the title of the op-ed piece written by Paul Krugman today in the New York Times. It speaks for itself.

Krugman was on Keith Olbermann tonight trying to explain why giving anyone in the Bush administration total control over roughly a trillion dollars in tax payer money, borrowed from China and other big stakes holders in our adventure in Iraq with no oversight and no recourse to remedy if it's merely stolen, lets say, for instance, is a really, really, colossally bad idea. Henry Paulson has come up with a three page plan outlining how we the people don't need to know how this trillion is going to actually be spent to prop up a bunch of crooks and liars in the failed financial industry. And oh, don't worry, trust us, we know what we're doing, so there can be no legal remedy if we fuck you over once again. Why not? We have fallen for the neocons fucktardary before. Maybe we really are that dumb.

I sure as hell hope our elected Representatives are not that damn dumb, but I've been wrong again and again betting on the Democrats in Congress to block this kind of crap. Please Congress, do not screw us once again. We are sore and tired, and about to lose our homes, our savings, our jobs, our retirement and health care.

"... a significant problem that will affect the average citizen ..." WTF?

How much would universal health care cost? I dunno, but 700 billion might be a good start. Now, I know there are other variables involved, it's not just an item on display at the supermarket of things, but ....

I read this curious quote from dickface, er ... bushfuck, er ... well you know who, over at Democracy Now and I thought WTF?

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yeah, this is a big price tag, because it’s a big problem. I told our people I don’t want to be timid in the face of a significant problem that will affect the average citizen. You know, some say, well, this is—we could contain this to just the financial community. In my judgment, based upon the advice of a lot of people who know how markets work, this wasn’t going to be contained to just the financial community. This problem could—would spread to the average citizen. You know, you hear them talk about Wall Street and Main Street, well, this is Wall Street plus Main Street, and I’m worried about Main Street.

Like lack of health care doesn't affect the average citizen on Main Street. What an asshole. I was convinced long ago that the man is really just too stupid to know that he's completely full of shit. Two weeks ago everybody in this administration would have laughed at the idea of coming up with 700 billion dollars to do anything. This is why I don't like following politics. The lies and hypocrisy are so thick it defies logic and boggles the mind. And it's all done with a straight face.

Thanks Unconventional Conventionist for Giving Me Something Worth Stealing Once Again

This may be the best new band I've ever seen or heard. I love the hair, the chicks, the old boys in their Communist Uniforms, the songs they cover. But most of all they did it my way.

Women Against Sarah Palin

Please read the words of the women who have contributed to this blog. I too am a woman against Sarah Palin. I am a woman against John McCain. I am a woman against deregulation of our financial institutions. I am a woman against the War In Iraq. Please add you voice to this blog. It is simply called Women Against Sarah Palin. I have been a fiminist all my adult life. I support women where ever I can, but I will not support a woman who is a proponent of the failed strategies and policies of the eight long years of the Bush Administration. It has been the worst goverment in my life time. I am sixty four. We have to go back to Herbert Hoover to find another governing style that has been as disastrous for our country.

The Ageless Hippie Chick Is Putting Her Money Where Her Mouth Is

Linda Sama, our friend and soul sister, is going to Iowa to volunteer for the Obama Campaign. Which means she will be shutting down her blog until after the election. I applaud this activism and wish we were all going to Iowa to help. I am going to volunteer at the Obama HQ in Salt Lake City and Salt Lake might very well vote for Obama. But it's the rest of this state that will go with the war mongering, privatizing, break the government so we can dispense with it crowd. Sadly, Utah is the reddest of the red states. Thanks to the far right's neanderthal "family values," that want to take away women's rights to choose. Mormon's want to teach creationism in the biology classes, and give vouchers to "alternative" schooling, (i.e. home schooling, and religious educational institutions). Besides that, Mormons do what "The Church" tells them to, like a lot of other states where there is one strong paternalistic religion that dominates. I guess it is a bit redundant to use the word "paternalistic" in reference to organized religions.

We will miss you while you're gone Linda. But I know you will make a difference. If I lived in your neck of the woods, I might very well join you. If it turns out Colorado or Nevada are going to be very close, I may go do what you are doing in Iowa.

So, to all of you passionately committed liberal bloggers out there, if you can't volunteer somewhere, or make calls on your cell phone to help get out the vote in a state that's going to be close, please, please donate ten or twenty or thirty dollars to the Obama Campaign. I have been doing that since Barack beat Hillary in the North Carolina Primary. Every month when I see what I have left from my Social Security check (which feeds me and pays my utilities) I send that amount to Barack. Please join me. Every dollar helps.

And to you my dear friend and soul sister, Linda Sama, The Ageless Hippy Chick, Brava! for having the courage of your convictions. I know that your energy and passion will make a difference. Thank you.