hootinholler
hootinholler's JournalSo I've taken to wearing kilts on Fridays
It's been generally well received and it's kinda fun on the Metro.
Given the poll list, vote for the temperature below which I should not wear it for fear of damaging, shall we say, the dangly bits. I've worn one at 45F and it was a tad brisk.
Feel free to supply a name for your choice.
The third way have already decided whom we are purging
You might wonder who. You might call for a list, which can't be provided. Mainly because it's not politicians we are purging.
Who then? The young voter and the poor.
I can hear the cries of bullshit, now, but if you really stop and think for a moment, that is who isn't coming to us.
As long as our politicians allow banksters to go unpunished.
As long as we don't fight to fix a rigged system that keeps the poor in poverty.
As long as we don't fight for making it easier to vote.
As long as we allow insurance companies to rape us financially to pay for a part of required health care.
As long as we allow the government to continue to profit off of student loans.
As long as our tax code is structured to funnel the money to the top.
As long as we continue to militarize the police.
As long as prisons are profit centers for private concerns.
As long as we continue to spy on our population wholesale.
As long as we keep accepting a slice of bread instead of half of a loaf (forget the whole loaf).
As long as our message is we are slightly less evil than those other guys.
We will continue to languish.
One of two things will happen in the next ten years. Either the party will go back to its FDR inspired roots and start fighting to make an actual difference in the lives of the poor which will shore up the middle class, or a new party will come along and capture the demographic.
So why isn't more stuff named for FDR?
I can't think of much of anything named for the President who brought us so much.
In this age of Raygun this and Raygun that.
For that matter not much is named for Johnson either.
After the mid-terms it makes me wonder about the real values at play here in this nation.
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P.S. this might seem like a drive by, but I'll be back eventually.
If money is the root of all evil
Why can't we make it the root of all good?
Lately, I have the notion that we have been going about things all wrong for a very long time. Yeah, I know, go figure. Bear with me for a minute, I'm going to attempt to think big and communicate at the same time, so it may take a bit to get to the point.
Seems to me that the major problem isn't wealth per se`it's more that the currency the wealth expresses is based on exploitation. The old Nationalize risk and privatize profit sort of applies here. It's even in the language of the Industrial Era that resources were exploited. The exploitation of humans has long been the staple of the rich getting richer, I suspect probably since the dawn of the human race.
What if we could create a different currency? One where units of exchange are created by helping humanity survive? If BitCoin can be created why can't we create such a thing?
One where corporations can make money by waging peace, or cleaning up superfund sites rather than by building drones, or coatings tat scrub chemicals from the atmosphere.
If we could turn greed loose on a currency that reflects a contribution to humanity, which includes maintenance of the biosphere, humanity might just survive in the long term.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
A question: When Pot is legal nationwide...
Will we as a nation mellow out a little? Start helping people before corporations?
Will it raise our consciousness as a Nation?
Could it enable us to fulfill the promise of a government "Of the people and for the people?"
Holy Fuck Me Harder!
No, this isn't about GD turning into Gender Dysfunction, or is it?
I just waded through the Cannonfire blog's take on Greenwald's latest reveal from the Snowden papers.
It's worse, way worse than I had even imagined when in my paranoid fantasy land. Yes I know there is another thread, but it doesn't link the Cannonfire presentation and is fine for general discussion of this stuff.
The point I'm trying to focus on here, isn't about anonymous or even about internet persona management, but the spooks are choosing winners and losers in the market:
Let that one soak a few minutes, stop deals / ruin business relationships. It would seem that we have found one connection to counter-intuitive results in the marketplace when the invisible hand moves.
Holy shit. Talk about something that should be illegal. This is illegal, right? Choosing business winners and losers? Choosing political winners and losers?
Well I guess it's no worse than the CIA selling crack.
Oh, and feel free to apologize for the shit stirring surrounding Snowden.
The new talking point about the NSA and Snowden made its appearance today on Press the Meat
It's gonna cost us billions for fix what Snowden did. Heard that from more than one guest. That one is new and it was mixed in with the more familiar claims like it's just phone numbers, etc.
Do they not realize it wasn't Snowden who's actions need fixing? The NSA's actions need fixing, that is not Snowden's fault. I think that if they didn't need fixing we wouldn't even know Snowden's name.
Now that we know you're for real, Happy New Year Agent Mike!
Back in the day, I'm a graybeard developer who can turn the knob on the WABAC quite a ways, there was always the notion of Agent Mike monitoring open communications. This usage of Agent Mike in my memory goes back to the UUCP usenet days, in the dark times of bang path addressing before IP and DNS. That's not the point, but if you want to reminisce, feel free.
Anyway, this year, we got total confirmation that not only is there an Agent Mike, but damn, some of the recent shit that's out, hat's off! The Dude has mad skills. It's kind of funny if you google "agent mike" you get all kinds of real FBI and assorted other agents who happen to be named Mike. But not much on the notion of Teh intertubes own Agent Mike.
So Happy new year Agent Mike. I'll be doing my best to ensure that you don't have the ability to run amuck over the 4th this time next year. I'm thinking there are a few others who would like to see that also. Enjoy it whist ya got it.
You know while you're reading this Mike, I can call you Mike, right? Anyway Mike if you would actually like to do something that ensures the Constitution is all Protected and Defended, feel free there are a lot of us out here who would have your back.
So Happy New Year Agent Mike, and Happy New Year DU.
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Pa/Md
Home country: USA
Current location: Some have said not earth :shrug:
Member since: Sat Nov 20, 2004, 04:27 PM
Number of posts: 26,449
