Here is a very interesting article about the infamous Koch brothers, fossil fuel barons who aim to own America.
Thanks to Bill Moyers for sharing this article from Senator Bennie Sanders.
What Do the Koch Brothers Want?
As a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, billionaires and large corporations can now spend an unlimited amount of money to influence the political process.
Perhaps, the biggest winners of Citizens United are Charles and David Koch, owners of the second-largest privately run business in America Koch Industries.
Among other things, the Koch brothers own oil refineries in Texas, Alaska, and Minnesota and control some 4,000 miles of pipeline.
According to Forbes Magazine, the Koch brothers are now worth $80 billion, and have increased their wealth by $12 billion since last year alone.
For the Koch brothers, $80 billion in wealth, apparently, is not good enough. Owning the second largest private company in America is, apparently, not good enough. It doesn’t appear that they will be satisfied until they are able to control the entire political process.
It is well known that the Koch brothers have provided the major source of funding to the Tea Party and want to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
What else do the Koch brothers want?
In 1980, David Koch ran as the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 1980.
Let’s take a look at the 1980 Libertarian Party platform.
Here are just a few excerpts of the Libertarian Party platform that David Koch ran on in 1980:
“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
“We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
“We demand the return of America's railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”
In other words, the agenda of the Koch brothers is not only to defund Obamacare. The agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the most vulnerable in this country.
It is clear that the Koch brothers and other right wing billionaires are calling the shots and are pulling the strings of the Republican Party.
And because of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, they now have the power to spend an unlimited amount of money to buy the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the next President of the United States.
If they are allowed to hijack the American political process to defund Obamacare they will be back for more.
Tomorrow it will be Social Security, ending Medicare as we know it, repealing the minimum wage. It seems to me that the Koch brothers will not be content until they get everything they believe they are entitled to.
Our great nation can no longer be hijacked by right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers.
For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, for the sake of our economy, we have got to let democracy prevail.
Showing posts with label 2012 Election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012 Election. Show all posts
12/27/12
Michigan's New Dictator Takeover Law - Down With Democracy - Up With Corporatization!
Michigan voters rejected PA4 last November. (the Emergency Manager "Dictator" Law)
A replacement was already prepared to be rushed through the Lame-Duck session of the legislature - and not surprisingly, aside from a name change and a little misdirection - it's the same law that voters just rejected 7 weeks ago.
Michigan's Governor and GOP State Government Monopoly don't really care that we all can see they just don't give a crap about the public and the future of "the people" of Michigan.
They are selling Michigan off at bargain basement rates and padding their own pockets before the state hits bottom.
Then, presumably they can all retire to Florida.
Thanks again to Amy Kerr Hardin for concisely spelling it out for us.
Michigan’s New Emergency Manager Law — An Analysis
Fast facts about Michigan’s new Emergency Manager LawSorry Michiganders, it appears that your lawmakers and governor have done little more than rename the recently repealed Public Act 4 to make it appear more palatable to those that voted to strike down their 2011 version. Their working title is the Local Financial Stability and Choice Act – sounds almost nice — brings to mind terms like “enhanced interrogation”
and “clear skies act”.As previously noted, this new law actually provides no “choice” and only a false sense of “stability”. Its little more than a corporate slash-and-burn policy called cut-back management. The intent of the law, as written and applied, is to dissolve most, if not all, of the unit of government through a fire-sale of of its components, leaving the afflicted community without the basics expected of democratic civil life. Under the Snyder administration, Michigan’s cities and schools have been starved of funding while corporations are lavished with tax breaks.
Governor Snyder took the bill to his private residence to sign, and it will be delivered to Lansing for enactment any minute now. Here’s a primer on what you need to know about the new emergency manager law:
A section-by-section analysis of the new law
- Section 4 revives the sweeping catch-all provisions of PA-4, giving broad authority of the State Treasurer and State Superintendent of Public Instruction to determine “probable financial stress” including undefined “other facts or circumstances” rendering judgement under their ”sole discretion”.
- Section 4 also protects the all decisions rendered under PA-4.
- Section 4 exempts financial review teams from compliance with both the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act.
- Section 5 requires the review team to conduct at least one public information meeting, but does not require the team to accept public comment of any kind.
- Sections 5 and 6 require the review team, then the governor, to determine if there is a ”financial emergency”.
- Section 7 is where the “choice” component comes into play. The distressed body of government is offered four options: a consent agreement, an emergency manager, a neutral evaluation process, or Chapter 9 bankruptcy. The local government is given 7 days to pick their poison.
- Section 9 gives the local unit of government the option to remove an emergency manager by a 2/3 vote after one year in office, but does not necessarily remove the unit from a state of receivership.
- Sections 10 through 21 reinstate all the powers of the emergency manager found in PA-4, including: contract abrogation, dissolution of communities, usurpation of local official powers, suspension of wages and benefits of local leaders, sale of assets, after the fact reporting requirements, and immunities from prosecution,
- Section 19 has one minor concession. It requires the emergency manager to allow the local unit of government an opportunity to submit an alternative plan within 10 days in the case of nullifying collective bargaining contracts and the sale of assets in excess of $50,000. A ”local emergency financial assistance loan board”, comprised of three members of the Governor’s cabinet and the State Treasurer, will choose between the two options.
- Section 22 allows the governor to impose “best practices” on the unit of government. Those “best practices” are at the discretion of the governor and are undefined in the law. Current “best practices” include privatization, merger and consolidation, among other models borrowed from the corporate world.
- Section 23 spells-out the terms of an appointed “advisory board” that would act to transition the unit of government through receivership. It does not allow local particiapation and is exempt from the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act.
- Section 25 addresses specifics of the “neutral arbitration” option, including giving the State Treasurer sole authority to reject any agreement reached through this option. The process must be completed within 90, with no extensions allowed — no exceptions.
- Section 30 protects all decisions and actions taken under PA-4 and PA-72.
- Section 31 reinstates all emergency managers.
- Section 32 gives immunity to all state-level authorities.
- Sections 34 and 35 contain the appropriations that render the law referendum proof.
Amy Kerr Hardin This article also appears in Voters Legislative Transparency Project
12/18/12
Michigan's Nine Million Dollar Black Robe - Justice For Some (likely not YOU)
The Nine Million Dollar Black Robe — Michigan’s High (Fashion) Court
Michigan may be in an economic perma-funk, but it is rapidly emerging as the high fashion capitol of the rust-belt.And the little black robe is all the rage.
Just in – the 2012 television ad dollars on judicial races in the mitten state rang-up to a total of around $9M, comprising slightly over 30 percent of all national spending combined. It’s shocking enough that nearly $29,701,040 is poured into attempts to buy black robes across our nation, but Michigan, a state that’s been in a depression for over a decade, really knows how to strut down the runway. Fashion hungry Michigan consumers eagerly gobbled-up over 16,000 judicial-related television spots over the past few months.
It’s not as if this is a new trend – Michigan holds the title for hosting the most expensive
judicial race in history, shelling-out over $5M in 2010 for one set of shiny black duds.
Geez, even Dorothy’s ruby slippers went for a mere $15,000. The average
Oscar runway look only runs a bargain-basement $75,000 per
glitterati. Yet Michigan Supreme Court robes are simply the height
of haute couture and are taking the state’s corporatocracy by storm —
a ”must have” item for every CEO’s closet. After all, you can hide a lot
behind those billowing garments.And they do.
In a previous report on the high court, Democracy Tree found the following:
With 63% of Michigan voters believing that campaign money influences judicial decision making, it seems voters are not naive after all. The National Institute on Money in State Politics reports in The New Politics of Judicial Elections in the Great Lakes States, that 86% of cases before the Michigan Supreme Court involved one or more campaign contributors to one or more of the justices. And, that’s just the money we know about because it’s been properly reported under the rules set forth in the Michigan Campaign Finance Act. However, the overwhelming bulk of the money is spent by shadowy third-parties on issue ads, of whom we know virtually nothing.
While
Michigan’s former middle-class is left to picking-over “gently worn”
clothes at their local resale shop, they can at least look up to the
Supreme court and know that their rights are in the hands of
well-dressed men and women wearing the hottest corporate labels.Amy Kerr Hardin This article also appears in Voters Legislative Transparency Project
12/7/12
Michigan's Lame Duck Sneak Attack on....Michigan
Now that the November election is over and all the votes are counted, people are trying to get back to regular living and enjoying as much of the holidays as the current fiscal climate will accommodate - often not that much.
But in Michigan at least, the GOP is taking revenge on voters for having the temerity to re-elect President Obama, repeal Public Act 4 (Michigan's Emergency Manager as Dictator Law) and engage a vote to enshrine the right to collective bargaining in the Michigan Constitution.
Yesterday, several bills were introduced into the "Lame Duck" session of Michigan's Legislature and with what has become typical GOP rule bending, rule breaking and outright illegalities - including secret meetings, surprise votes and locking the public out of their own House of Representatives (including the now requisite arrests and pepper-spraying of law abiding citizens) to punish Michigan voters for defying the wishes of Corporate America and the politicians who serve them.
Michigan's Amy Kerr Hardin writes about Michigan politics for the Michigan Blog, Democracy Tree and the Voters Legislative Transparency Project.
She has graciously agreed to let me repost her writings here.
I'm sure the two following articles from yesterday and today will excite you about her work.
Thank you Amy.
Five years ago — at the height of the disastrous Bush-era
fiscal policy of spend-and-spend on war-after-war, as our nation
teetered on the event horizon of the housing bubble black hole, when the
media was distracted with the business of scaring people shitless about
dying a hideous lonely death from the bird flu — along came Arthur Laffer and ALEC with their Rich States, Poor States index…
Step right up folks, get a load of fiscal bullshit that will destroy your state economies right here!
…Or as Good Jobs First and The Iowa Policy Project prefer to call it: “Selling Snake Oil to the States: The American Legislative Exchange Council’s Flawed Prescriptions for Prosperity”. (Nov. 2012)
Bad Medicine, indeed.
Mr. Laffer and ALEC, the legislative tee-shirt cannon of MacGuffin bills for conservative lawmakers, apparently fared rather poorly under the microscope of honest scholarly research as to the fallout of their right-wing public policies wherever tragically put in practice. Not surprising, given the Tea Party tippage of so many state legislatures and their laissez faire attitude towards gaining any useful knowledge on the subject of public sector fiscal policy– of any kind. By way of example in Michigan, representatives are limited to three 2-year terms, and if re-elected, that means terming-out after a mere six years. So, even if they possessed the will, and at least a dolphin-brained capacity to learn, which they generally don’t either, none would even find the time between campaigns – being too busy frantically whoring -up to their corporate friends with benefits.
The Selling Snake Oil to the States Report simply eviscerates the magically-conjured ALEC index point by point. They found the ”research” behind the ALEC/Laffer index to be of shockingly shoddy workmanship. Ignoring the vast body of research available, ALEC instead resorted to citing anecdotes and making ridiculously broad and unsubstantiated claims with a systematic failure to control for the most obvious relevant factors…“the [ALEC] report repeatedly engages in methodologically primitive analysis that any college student taking Statistics 101 would be taught to avoid.”
Let’s touch on the most notable flaws found in the ALEC index, (although admittedly, it appears western mathematical principles may not accommodate such a daunting task, let’s just give it the old college try…and I promise to work on some simple flash cards for our Tea Party friends later…).
The ALEC/Laffer index, devised in 2007, was designed to forecast how well a state’s economy would fare over time based on a set of 15 factors, which predictably include low and regressive taxation, limited government, “right to work” laws, no minimum wage, and low employee compensation.
The Good Jobs First/Iowa Policy Project analysis of the effectiveness of the ALEC/Laffer index found the following:
The claim that income growth would occur in states ranked the highest by ALEC turned out to be the exact opposite of what occurred. “The more state’s policies mirrored the ALEC low tax/regressive taxation/limited government agenda, the lower the median family income.” This was also reflected in higher poverty rates in highly ranked ALEC states.
ALEC was dead wrong in the assertion that lowering state and local taxes produces greater job growth. “In actuality, such taxes are such a tiny cost factor for businesses, and come with higher taxes on others or lower quality public services, that [the] strategy fails.”
Their claim of a correlation between low top personal income tax rates and the prosperity of small business was similarly a bunch of hogwash. In fact they missed the mark entirely: “Property and sales taxes — ignored by ALEC – Laffer – are far more important issues.”
ALEC wrongly insisted that high taxes on “job creators”, including estate and inheritance taxes, were driving businesses out of the state. “…in reality, migration has little to do with taxes, and there is no plausible case for state estate taxes affecting job-creating investment.”
Their laughable concept called the “Laffer Curve” falsely postulates that tax cuts magically uncork bubbling new revenue sources – boy was that a dry well. “…tax cuts reduce revenue and result in the defunding of public goods such as education and infrastructure, which really do matter for economic development.”
ALEC’s index assumed that policies designed to keep wages low, including low or no minimum wage and “right to work” laws, would create jobs — again, they failed to pull that rabbit out of the hat. The analysis found that such laws only serve to “reduce wages and benefits but have little of no effect on job growth.”
The ALEC index actually turned-out to be a “decent predictor of how state per capita income will change — but in the opposite direction from what the report claims.” Ouch!
The rightfully scathing analysis concluded that the Rich States, Poor States flight of fiscal fancy was a ”recipe for economic inequality, wage suppression, and stagnant income, and for depriving state and local governments the revenue needed to maintain the public infrastructure and education systems that are the true foundations of long term economic growth and shared prosperity.”
Why are we not surprised?
Amy Kerr Hardin This article also appears in Voters Legislative Transparency Project
I highly recommend you take Amy up on her invitation to read the Selling Snake Oil to the States Report.
Remember that old joke: Death or Bunga Bunga — in which a captive is asked by a tribal leader if he prefers death or bunga-bunga (gang rape)? The captive bravely replies “death”, and the leader says “okay, but first…bunga bunga!”
Michigan lawmakers are the tribe, with Snyder as their leader, and SB 865 is their “bunga bunga”. Michigan residents are about to get screwed, again, by their elected leaders. This lame duck bill is a new Emergency Manager law that purports to offer “choices” to stressed municipalities and school districts.
While Michigan’s unions and voters are distracted by the Right to Work law steamrolling through the House and Senate, the new Emergency Manager law is flying-in under the radar, along with HB 6004, the Educational Achievement Authority which guts the state’s public education system.
It is not without merit to speculate that the governor, who previously showed little interest in a Right to Work initiative, now finds it to be perfect cover for the two pieces of legislation he has been advocating all along – a replacement Emergency Manager law and an expansion and codification of his Education Emergency Manager and privatization program.
The new EM law quietly moved forward out of the House Local, Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs Committee yesterday. Cleverly named The Local Financial Stability and Choice Act, it provides little stability and even less “choice”. The governor retooled PA-4 and through a bit of semantic smoke and mirrors made it appear friendlier. Under the new law, stressed public bodies may choose from a limited menu of options: Chapter 9 bankruptcy, accept an Emergency Manager, consent agreement, or mediation. The new law additionally provides for at least one public meeting of the Financial Review Team prior to declaration of a financial emergency. Wow — how very democratic of them!
PA-4 had been an unconstitutional unfunded mandate, in that the city or school district had to bear the cost for the entire Emergency Manager apparatus forced upon them. This new law requires the state to pay for their dog and pony show, BUT…that has some pretty serious side-effects. First, it’s an appropriation, therefore the new law cannot be subject to referendum (which would be impossible anyhow because gathering a quarter million signatures within the first 90 days of 2013 just ain’t gonna happen folks). Second, under PA-4 smaller public bodies that could not “afford” their own il duce were ignored by the governor, but now that the state is footing the bill, we may see townships and villages affected. Small school districts that are struggling will simply be rolled into the Educational Achievement Authority, the new statewide district run by a “Chancellor” appointed by the governor.
Michigan, your choice is clear: Fascism or Bunga Bunga.
Amy Kerr Hardin This article also appears in Voters Legislative Transparency Project
But in Michigan at least, the GOP is taking revenge on voters for having the temerity to re-elect President Obama, repeal Public Act 4 (Michigan's Emergency Manager as Dictator Law) and engage a vote to enshrine the right to collective bargaining in the Michigan Constitution.
Yesterday, several bills were introduced into the "Lame Duck" session of Michigan's Legislature and with what has become typical GOP rule bending, rule breaking and outright illegalities - including secret meetings, surprise votes and locking the public out of their own House of Representatives (including the now requisite arrests and pepper-spraying of law abiding citizens) to punish Michigan voters for defying the wishes of Corporate America and the politicians who serve them.
Michigan's Amy Kerr Hardin writes about Michigan politics for the Michigan Blog, Democracy Tree and the Voters Legislative Transparency Project.
She has graciously agreed to let me repost her writings here.
I'm sure the two following articles from yesterday and today will excite you about her work.
Thank you Amy.
ALEC’s Fiscal Policies Get a Failing Grade in Major Analysis
Five years ago — at the height of the disastrous Bush-era
fiscal policy of spend-and-spend on war-after-war, as our nation
teetered on the event horizon of the housing bubble black hole, when the
media was distracted with the business of scaring people shitless about
dying a hideous lonely death from the bird flu — along came Arthur Laffer and ALEC with their Rich States, Poor States index…Step right up folks, get a load of fiscal bullshit that will destroy your state economies right here!
…Or as Good Jobs First and The Iowa Policy Project prefer to call it: “Selling Snake Oil to the States: The American Legislative Exchange Council’s Flawed Prescriptions for Prosperity”. (Nov. 2012)
Bad Medicine, indeed.
Mr. Laffer and ALEC, the legislative tee-shirt cannon of MacGuffin bills for conservative lawmakers, apparently fared rather poorly under the microscope of honest scholarly research as to the fallout of their right-wing public policies wherever tragically put in practice. Not surprising, given the Tea Party tippage of so many state legislatures and their laissez faire attitude towards gaining any useful knowledge on the subject of public sector fiscal policy– of any kind. By way of example in Michigan, representatives are limited to three 2-year terms, and if re-elected, that means terming-out after a mere six years. So, even if they possessed the will, and at least a dolphin-brained capacity to learn, which they generally don’t either, none would even find the time between campaigns – being too busy frantically whoring -up to their corporate friends with benefits.
The Selling Snake Oil to the States Report simply eviscerates the magically-conjured ALEC index point by point. They found the ”research” behind the ALEC/Laffer index to be of shockingly shoddy workmanship. Ignoring the vast body of research available, ALEC instead resorted to citing anecdotes and making ridiculously broad and unsubstantiated claims with a systematic failure to control for the most obvious relevant factors…“the [ALEC] report repeatedly engages in methodologically primitive analysis that any college student taking Statistics 101 would be taught to avoid.”
Let’s touch on the most notable flaws found in the ALEC index, (although admittedly, it appears western mathematical principles may not accommodate such a daunting task, let’s just give it the old college try…and I promise to work on some simple flash cards for our Tea Party friends later…).
The ALEC/Laffer index, devised in 2007, was designed to forecast how well a state’s economy would fare over time based on a set of 15 factors, which predictably include low and regressive taxation, limited government, “right to work” laws, no minimum wage, and low employee compensation.
The Good Jobs First/Iowa Policy Project analysis of the effectiveness of the ALEC/Laffer index found the following:
The claim that income growth would occur in states ranked the highest by ALEC turned out to be the exact opposite of what occurred. “The more state’s policies mirrored the ALEC low tax/regressive taxation/limited government agenda, the lower the median family income.” This was also reflected in higher poverty rates in highly ranked ALEC states.
ALEC was dead wrong in the assertion that lowering state and local taxes produces greater job growth. “In actuality, such taxes are such a tiny cost factor for businesses, and come with higher taxes on others or lower quality public services, that [the] strategy fails.”
Their claim of a correlation between low top personal income tax rates and the prosperity of small business was similarly a bunch of hogwash. In fact they missed the mark entirely: “Property and sales taxes — ignored by ALEC – Laffer – are far more important issues.”
ALEC wrongly insisted that high taxes on “job creators”, including estate and inheritance taxes, were driving businesses out of the state. “…in reality, migration has little to do with taxes, and there is no plausible case for state estate taxes affecting job-creating investment.”
Their laughable concept called the “Laffer Curve” falsely postulates that tax cuts magically uncork bubbling new revenue sources – boy was that a dry well. “…tax cuts reduce revenue and result in the defunding of public goods such as education and infrastructure, which really do matter for economic development.”
ALEC’s index assumed that policies designed to keep wages low, including low or no minimum wage and “right to work” laws, would create jobs — again, they failed to pull that rabbit out of the hat. The analysis found that such laws only serve to “reduce wages and benefits but have little of no effect on job growth.”
The ALEC index actually turned-out to be a “decent predictor of how state per capita income will change — but in the opposite direction from what the report claims.” Ouch!
The rightfully scathing analysis concluded that the Rich States, Poor States flight of fiscal fancy was a ”recipe for economic inequality, wage suppression, and stagnant income, and for depriving state and local governments the revenue needed to maintain the public infrastructure and education systems that are the true foundations of long term economic growth and shared prosperity.”
Why are we not surprised?
Amy Kerr Hardin This article also appears in Voters Legislative Transparency Project
I highly recommend you take Amy up on her invitation to read the Selling Snake Oil to the States Report.
Michigan Lawmakers Offer Bunga Bunga Bill
http://www.democracy-tree.com/michigan-lawmakers-offer-bunga-bunga-bill/
Remember that old joke: Death or Bunga Bunga — in which a captive is asked by a tribal leader if he prefers death or bunga-bunga (gang rape)? The captive bravely replies “death”, and the leader says “okay, but first…bunga bunga!”
Michigan lawmakers are the tribe, with Snyder as their leader, and SB 865 is their “bunga bunga”. Michigan residents are about to get screwed, again, by their elected leaders. This lame duck bill is a new Emergency Manager law that purports to offer “choices” to stressed municipalities and school districts.
While Michigan’s unions and voters are distracted by the Right to Work law steamrolling through the House and Senate, the new Emergency Manager law is flying-in under the radar, along with HB 6004, the Educational Achievement Authority which guts the state’s public education system.
It is not without merit to speculate that the governor, who previously showed little interest in a Right to Work initiative, now finds it to be perfect cover for the two pieces of legislation he has been advocating all along – a replacement Emergency Manager law and an expansion and codification of his Education Emergency Manager and privatization program.
The new EM law quietly moved forward out of the House Local, Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs Committee yesterday. Cleverly named The Local Financial Stability and Choice Act, it provides little stability and even less “choice”. The governor retooled PA-4 and through a bit of semantic smoke and mirrors made it appear friendlier. Under the new law, stressed public bodies may choose from a limited menu of options: Chapter 9 bankruptcy, accept an Emergency Manager, consent agreement, or mediation. The new law additionally provides for at least one public meeting of the Financial Review Team prior to declaration of a financial emergency. Wow — how very democratic of them!
PA-4 had been an unconstitutional unfunded mandate, in that the city or school district had to bear the cost for the entire Emergency Manager apparatus forced upon them. This new law requires the state to pay for their dog and pony show, BUT…that has some pretty serious side-effects. First, it’s an appropriation, therefore the new law cannot be subject to referendum (which would be impossible anyhow because gathering a quarter million signatures within the first 90 days of 2013 just ain’t gonna happen folks). Second, under PA-4 smaller public bodies that could not “afford” their own il duce were ignored by the governor, but now that the state is footing the bill, we may see townships and villages affected. Small school districts that are struggling will simply be rolled into the Educational Achievement Authority, the new statewide district run by a “Chancellor” appointed by the governor.
Michigan, your choice is clear: Fascism or Bunga Bunga.
Amy Kerr Hardin This article also appears in Voters Legislative Transparency Project
11/11/12
The System Is Rigged.
History
indicates that eventually, often in cycles of about 70 years
(occasionally a few hundred - and rarely a thousand or more) the power structure immolates itself or is
crushed by it's own victims or a neighbor who has noticed growing
weakness.
All "great" empires eventually fall. After a period of struggle and positive change, it all happens over again.
I think this is why Jefferson spoke about recurring revolution as necessary.
Ultimately, our challenge is to individually make ourselves into the kind of person we can honestly appreciate, and live according to our convictions, often by beating our heads against whatever wall impedes our sense of propriety.
We hope for change in our lifetime and do often get it - sometimes after it seems too late to enjoy.
Change involves transition that historically involves repression, degradation and all kinds of overtly hellish behaviors before the more refined hellish human behaviors prosper for a brief period and then grow sodden again.
Life often appears meaningless.
I think life only has the meaning we each individually give to it and we express that meaning by being true to ourselves - often requiring the sacrifice of sanity and sometimes even the personal liberty we seek.
We give it up in our demand for a right to it!
This applies across the board from social life to parenting, etc.
Weirdly, that's where our moments of happiness come from.
It seems that if you want to be a human, some degree of sadomasochism is a necessary personal quality.
Fortunately, once we have pulled back the curtain and recovered from our surprise, we realize that the man there only has such power as we give to him - though he is usually not going to relinquish that power gently.
The real "wizard" pulling the levers behind your curtain is you.
You must "rig" yourself to deal with the system you find yourself in.
All "great" empires eventually fall. After a period of struggle and positive change, it all happens over again.
I think this is why Jefferson spoke about recurring revolution as necessary.
Ultimately, our challenge is to individually make ourselves into the kind of person we can honestly appreciate, and live according to our convictions, often by beating our heads against whatever wall impedes our sense of propriety.
We hope for change in our lifetime and do often get it - sometimes after it seems too late to enjoy.
Change involves transition that historically involves repression, degradation and all kinds of overtly hellish behaviors before the more refined hellish human behaviors prosper for a brief period and then grow sodden again.
Life often appears meaningless.
I think life only has the meaning we each individually give to it and we express that meaning by being true to ourselves - often requiring the sacrifice of sanity and sometimes even the personal liberty we seek.
We give it up in our demand for a right to it!
This applies across the board from social life to parenting, etc.
Weirdly, that's where our moments of happiness come from.
It seems that if you want to be a human, some degree of sadomasochism is a necessary personal quality.
Fortunately, once we have pulled back the curtain and recovered from our surprise, we realize that the man there only has such power as we give to him - though he is usually not going to relinquish that power gently.
The real "wizard" pulling the levers behind your curtain is you.
You must "rig" yourself to deal with the system you find yourself in.
10/23/12
Monday 10-22-2012 Expanded 3rd Presidential Debate - 3rd Parties Included
Democracy Now again hosted an Expanded Debate where 3rd Party Presidential Candidates, both of whom are viable candidates participate in real time answering each debate question in sequence along with the major party candidates.
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson again declined to participate.
The full Expanded Debate is presented here.
Also, Tonight - Tuesday 10-23-2012 at 9pm EST Larry King moderates a live Presidential Debate featuring Presidential Candidates from the Green, Justice, Libertarian and Constitution Parties.
This debate may be watched live and free of charge here. http://freeandequal.org/
or here. http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson again declined to participate.
The full Expanded Debate is presented here.
Also, Tonight - Tuesday 10-23-2012 at 9pm EST Larry King moderates a live Presidential Debate featuring Presidential Candidates from the Green, Justice, Libertarian and Constitution Parties.
This debate may be watched live and free of charge here. http://freeandequal.org/
or here. http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus
10/19/12
Oct. 18, 2012 Presidential Debate Jill Stein and Gary Johnson
This debate with Libertarian Candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party Candidate Jill Stein, was fraught with technical difficulties, which I hope this updated version remedied. Some, like the moderator's annoying echo could not be fixed.
In spite of production quality issues, I think this is very worth watching.
Both candidates are remarkably different than the polished, managed, practiced and trained seal kind of talking point politicians we are used to seeing with the most high tech production values in the Republican and Democrat debates.
What we do see, is real people who have the ability to lead and comprehend policy, answering questions without advance preparation, who rely very rarely on talking points and presenting policies that represent the interests and needs of regular people instead of just global elites and self-destructive neo-con ideologues.
I admit I was very surprised and kind of impressed with Gary Johnson. I don't agree with his zero corporate tax idea and the expectation that some mysterious and mythical "job creators" are going to solve the jobs crisis.
I still embrace Jill Stein's position of single payer health care and a "Green" New Deal jobs platform that would guarantee locally managed and relevant, public service and ecologically prescriptive jobs to every person who seeks employment as well as locally managed, Federal low or no-interest loans and grants to stimulate small business creation and growth.
Both candidates are legally electable and even if not elected, the more votes they get, the more the policies they represent gain broad awareness and power in government.
So, in spite of the non-glitz presentation, I encourage you to take an hour and pay attention to what these Presidential Candidates have to say.
They both appear sincere and capable to me. I'm tired of having "Actors" in office who pretend to serve the greater good when they really are only throwing crumbs to the masses while helping the elites gorge on our present and future by sacrificing liberty and the rule of law so they can violate the law and the principles of our nation both at home and abroad.
To me, the Constitution is not, as Bush (2) is reported to have declared, "A goddamn piece of paper", but a valuable tool designed to protect people from tyranny, which has been undermined, especially since Ronald Reagan (who created "Homelessness" and most recently with Constitutional affronts like Homeland Security, The Patriot Act, SISPA, SOPA, DOMA, NDAA, etc.
So, watch, listen and vote with your conscience.
Apparently, Democracy Now is hosting another 3rd Party Expansion of the 3rd Presidential Debate this coming Monday, which you can watch live (probably 8 or 9 pm, EST) or watch later on the web. www.democracynow.org
In spite of production quality issues, I think this is very worth watching.
Both candidates are remarkably different than the polished, managed, practiced and trained seal kind of talking point politicians we are used to seeing with the most high tech production values in the Republican and Democrat debates.
What we do see, is real people who have the ability to lead and comprehend policy, answering questions without advance preparation, who rely very rarely on talking points and presenting policies that represent the interests and needs of regular people instead of just global elites and self-destructive neo-con ideologues.
I admit I was very surprised and kind of impressed with Gary Johnson. I don't agree with his zero corporate tax idea and the expectation that some mysterious and mythical "job creators" are going to solve the jobs crisis.
I still embrace Jill Stein's position of single payer health care and a "Green" New Deal jobs platform that would guarantee locally managed and relevant, public service and ecologically prescriptive jobs to every person who seeks employment as well as locally managed, Federal low or no-interest loans and grants to stimulate small business creation and growth.
Both candidates are legally electable and even if not elected, the more votes they get, the more the policies they represent gain broad awareness and power in government.
So, in spite of the non-glitz presentation, I encourage you to take an hour and pay attention to what these Presidential Candidates have to say.
They both appear sincere and capable to me. I'm tired of having "Actors" in office who pretend to serve the greater good when they really are only throwing crumbs to the masses while helping the elites gorge on our present and future by sacrificing liberty and the rule of law so they can violate the law and the principles of our nation both at home and abroad.
To me, the Constitution is not, as Bush (2) is reported to have declared, "A goddamn piece of paper", but a valuable tool designed to protect people from tyranny, which has been undermined, especially since Ronald Reagan (who created "Homelessness" and most recently with Constitutional affronts like Homeland Security, The Patriot Act, SISPA, SOPA, DOMA, NDAA, etc.
So, watch, listen and vote with your conscience.
Apparently, Democracy Now is hosting another 3rd Party Expansion of the 3rd Presidential Debate this coming Monday, which you can watch live (probably 8 or 9 pm, EST) or watch later on the web. www.democracynow.org
10/17/12
Jill Stein Slaughters Opponents - Including Obama/Romney in 2nd Presidential Debate
I believe that anyone who would watch the Democracy Now Expanded Debate would easily and overwhelmingly vote for Jill Stein, the Candidate for the Green Party.
Thanks to Democracy Now all candidates who were willing to participate, who could actually win in the electoral college were represented for the American People to consider - except one who refused his invitation. (plus he's kind of a dick)
Watch this "Expanded" Debate a little further down this post.
What we saw was the two corporately owned candidates, Obama and Romney, evade questions for most of the time and fall back on their old worn talking points.
Especially at the very beginning they both repeated their TP's virtually word for word in both their answers and their follow-up responses. It was almost funny.
Where Romney couldn't evade, he simply lied. Fact checkers will be flooding the media with calling him on his BS for days, while some of it was caught in real time by both the moderator and the President.
The Third Party Candidates who participated - Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party) declined again - featured Jill Stein of the Green Party, Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party and Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party.
Where Romney and Obama evaded issues, Anderson and Goode seemed to not understand the question or the issue.
Anderson was pretty right-on about a few things and called Romney and Obama out on some of their misrepresentations.
Goode's answer to every virtually question was about green cards and unfettered access to military grade weapons for all with no restrictions whatever.
Only Jill Stein directly addressed the issues presented and offered concrete solutions with some specific examples of how her plan would proceed and why it would work. More specifics are available on her website www.jillstein.org
She also was the only candidate who showed an understanding of the real underlying causes of our problems and offered solutions to remedying those causes.
I was so impressed with her.
She stood head and shoulders above the field.
And she represented herself as capable of leading our nation in a productive, positive and responsible manner, with a quick turnaround in our most pressing problems.
If you haven't voted already, you really owe it to yourself and your family to watch this expanded debate.
In many states you can still get an absentee ballot (that is how I'm voting today) and many states do not require a "reason" to justify obtaining one.
Regardless of how you choose to vote. Please vote. Vote your conscience.
I'm voting for Stein.
Sadly, the "downticket" Green Party candidates in Michigan are not so impressive, so I will likely vote mostly for Democrats for local offices and other Federal Offices.
Though not perfect (no one is) I appreciate my current Congressman, Sander Levin and Senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow.
In protest of the GOP anti-American, NeoCon "Tea Party" takeover, I will NOT vote for any Republicans this time.
The conduct of the GOP in both Federal and Michigan Legislative and Judicial bodies is undeserving of support and worthy of prosecution.
Thanks to Democracy Now all candidates who were willing to participate, who could actually win in the electoral college were represented for the American People to consider - except one who refused his invitation. (plus he's kind of a dick)
Watch this "Expanded" Debate a little further down this post.
What we saw was the two corporately owned candidates, Obama and Romney, evade questions for most of the time and fall back on their old worn talking points.
Especially at the very beginning they both repeated their TP's virtually word for word in both their answers and their follow-up responses. It was almost funny.
Where Romney couldn't evade, he simply lied. Fact checkers will be flooding the media with calling him on his BS for days, while some of it was caught in real time by both the moderator and the President.
The Third Party Candidates who participated - Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party) declined again - featured Jill Stein of the Green Party, Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party and Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party.
Where Romney and Obama evaded issues, Anderson and Goode seemed to not understand the question or the issue.
Anderson was pretty right-on about a few things and called Romney and Obama out on some of their misrepresentations.
Goode's answer to every virtually question was about green cards and unfettered access to military grade weapons for all with no restrictions whatever.
Only Jill Stein directly addressed the issues presented and offered concrete solutions with some specific examples of how her plan would proceed and why it would work. More specifics are available on her website www.jillstein.org
She also was the only candidate who showed an understanding of the real underlying causes of our problems and offered solutions to remedying those causes.
I was so impressed with her.
She stood head and shoulders above the field.
And she represented herself as capable of leading our nation in a productive, positive and responsible manner, with a quick turnaround in our most pressing problems.
If you haven't voted already, you really owe it to yourself and your family to watch this expanded debate.
Regardless of how you choose to vote. Please vote. Vote your conscience.
I'm voting for Stein.
Sadly, the "downticket" Green Party candidates in Michigan are not so impressive, so I will likely vote mostly for Democrats for local offices and other Federal Offices.
Though not perfect (no one is) I appreciate my current Congressman, Sander Levin and Senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow.
In protest of the GOP anti-American, NeoCon "Tea Party" takeover, I will NOT vote for any Republicans this time.
The conduct of the GOP in both Federal and Michigan Legislative and Judicial bodies is undeserving of support and worthy of prosecution.
10/7/12
2012 Expanded Presidential Debate #1 - Democracy Now
President Obama, Republican Party Candidate Mitt Romney, Green Party Candidate Jill Stein and Freedom Party Candidate Rocky Anderson in real time 1st 2012 Presidential Debate.
10/3/12
Jill Stein - C-SPAN Interview 9-30-2012 & Stein in tonights Presidential Debate
I admit I'm not too impressed with most of the Green Party candidates running in Michigan. I'm really sad about it and will likely vote for mostly Democratic candidates.
I like Stabenow and both Levins even though they could be better on some things.
I will NOT vote for any GOP candidates this time around.
But for President I am very impressed with Jill Stein and plan to vote for her.
I encourage everyone to consider Stein and to watch tonight or later, an expanded Presidential Debate on Democracy Now that gives equal time, in real time, to Jill Stein and the Justice Candidate Rocky Anderson.
Here is a very good interview she did on C-SPAN Sep 30th.
I like Stabenow and both Levins even though they could be better on some things.
I will NOT vote for any GOP candidates this time around.
But for President I am very impressed with Jill Stein and plan to vote for her.
I encourage everyone to consider Stein and to watch tonight or later, an expanded Presidential Debate on Democracy Now that gives equal time, in real time, to Jill Stein and the Justice Candidate Rocky Anderson.
Here is a very good interview she did on C-SPAN Sep 30th.
9/16/12
Are The American People Really Awake - Yet?
I am reposting an excellent article describing the impact of the recent 2012 Republican and Democrat political conventions in the United States.
So many other things have recently happened in the Middle East that affect Americans views of partisan policies that the divide described is widening by the day.
Since the "Bush Years" there has been a tremendous change in America.
As a nation, the majority of the people have been knocked down. As they get up again as they surely will, it is uncertain how those individuals and institutions who engineered the collapse of not just the whole of American society, but the whole world will be treated and what kind of new culture will emerge.
This look at the political posture of America is only an introduction to a much bigger story that is rapidly unfolding around us in such a huge and world-wide way that nobody really knows what will emerge,
The one thing that is happening is that the people of the USA are awake or awakening.
With that awakening is the realization that the principles that made the USA possible have been under attack, perhaps destroyed, certainly suppressed.
This suppression of Liberty has been sold to those who listen as a necessary and good protection for individual self-interest.
The "common good" has been vilified by unscrupulous so called elites, and rejected by a huge portion of the regular people of this nation who are now suffering from the deception.
Will the people of the USA rise to the occasion, root out the enemies of Liberty and trust their future to the "American Way?
I don't know the answer but here is a prelude.
Sun Sep 16, 2012
Why Obama's lead is even better news than you think
by Mark Sumner for Daily Kos
"The lead that President Barack Obama currently enjoys in the polls is very good news for the nation. I don't just mean that in the sense that the better candidate with the better policies is leading. Not just that it appears America will be spared yet another Republican president who feels that a smirk passes for foreign policy. Not just that the middle class won't be devastated by another round of gift giving to the 1% and corporate incentives to ship jobs overseas. Not just that the deficit won't be driven skyward by more trickle down mythology and military adventurism. Not just that the climate will not continue to race toward Venusian while a Republican commander-in-chief pretends that global warming is a joke.
Nice as all those things are, there's something even more important behind these poll numbers.
There's a deep conviction among conservatives that it's not the message that's wrong, but the messenger. Mitt Romney, like John McCain, is too leaky a vessel for their hopes. He's tainted with the sin of past compromise and lapses in conservative orthodoxy. Even though all of the deep crimson conservatives who piled into this season's competition foundered so badly that they could not win a majority of votes even from highly conservative Republican primary voters, the right is convinced that if the banner of conservatism were only held by pure hands, they would gain the victory they richly deserve. Presumably by capturing all those conservative Democrats out there.
The inability to move the electorate solidly into the conservative camp is especially frustrating because the Republicans have the one thing on their side that is supposed to ensure an easy victory. In short, the economy sucks. With this Excalibur of issues in their hands, they expected to slice through the incumbent administration like government surplus cheese product. Romney was selected for this fight specifically because, even though the rightest wing if the party didn't trust the ex-gov's purity, the merely righter GOP voters believed Willard's prowess with high finance made him best suited to wield this weapon.
But extreme and ultra-extreme Republicans alike got it backwards on both counts, and that's what so exciting. It's not the messenger. It's the message.
With apologies to H. L. Mencken, the Republicans are about to go bust by underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
Over the last three weeks, Americans got a chance to see both the Republican message and the Democratic message back to back. And what they saw left two very different impressions. One party came across as exciting, committed, and informed. Speaker after speaker ascended to the podium and was able to articulate both deeply held convictions and convincing detail on policy.
The other party came off as modern Republicans. Nasty, shallow, and thoroughly unconvincing, the GOP convention boiled down to little beyond platitudes and sneers. While Eastwood's one-sided and halting ramble was the horrifying (and pitiful) climax of the event, the convention's heart came in the disdainful grunts of RNC chair Reinhold Reince Priebus. If someone was trying to create a satire of the prototypical 2012 GOP leader, they didn't need to alter one spittle-dripping snarl of this sophomoric whine. Priebus' leaned on the podium and thrilled those the room with his disdain. So did Chris Christy. So did Paul Ryan.
America got the message just fine -- Republicans don't like us very much. And by us, I mean everybody outside their shrinking tent.
That's because the Tea Party purge isn't coming. It's past. Conservatives want to blame Romney and the "Republican establishment" for their difficulties, but there is no establishment. Rather they are the establishment. Only realio trulio conservatives, those who are so unswervingly vigorous in their beliefs that fact checkers are held as an abomination just slightly ahead of gay marriage, remain in the fold. The Tea Party is no longer a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party. The Tea Party is the Republican Party. The speech's down in Tampa might well have been authored by a guy in a sparkly Uncle Sam suit with a Lipton's bag dangling from his stovepipe hat.
This isn't the party of Lincoln. It's not even the party of Reagan or Goldwater. The new Republican Party has been cleansed of anyone unwilling to kiss the ring of Limbaugh and swear allegiance to the writ of Grover. That makes it a smaller, less flexible, less capable party. A party that's not about anything except a sort of smug self destruction. If conservatives can't see that, don't worry, everyone else can. Americans tuned in to watch, and what they saw was that the resulting product isn't just ugly. It's... sad.
Not only did the Republicans fail to obtain a noticeable bounce out of their gathering, they achieved an unprecedented level of negative momentum that's expressed in far more than just Romney's slide in the polls. You might assume that viewers taking time to watch the Republican convention would be those inclined to vote for the GOP in the first place, and yet polls show that actually watching the convention made voters much less likely to go with the GOP. The ones most likely to stick with Romney following the convention, were those who didn't see anything of Tampa.
In addition to losing ground on the head to head race, the Republicans came away from the convention with a worse position on every issue polled. Following the two conventions, President Obama was viewed as not just better able to handle foreign policy (even pre-smirk) and not just better equipped to end the war in Afghanistan, but also as the top choice to improve the economy and even business. Long held Republican advantages in both business and military issues were snuffed out practically overnight.
Why? Because the American public was paying attention.
You know what? The economy does suck, but poll after poll shows that Americans remember why it sucks. Four years of pure obstructionism designed to ensure that things do not improve have not worked. That is, they've succeeded quite well in preventing anyone from towing the car out of the ditch, but they haven't made people forget who was driving when we ran off the road.
Only two years ago, the billionaire backers of the Tea Party managed to mask their money grab as a populist uprising. Two years ago, they got a majority of Americans to vent their frustration on Democrats, President Obama, common sense, history, science, and anything else that didn't get out of the way. But two years can be a long time.
The best news over the last weeks is that the politics of pure obstruction and vitriol are played out. The American people are awake. They see that the Republicans have nothing to offer but the same plan that created the problems in the first place. Many of them are starting to realize that the biggest problems we face aren't unknowable forces of nature, but very familiar sources of obstanance in the House and Senate. More than any time in the recent past, Americans seem to be willing to look at what people are saying, rather than just listening to the tone.
American voters listened in to Tampa, considered the content, and delivered their reply. That reply was, "bullshit." They were being lied to, and they knew it. To quote from a real, pre-purge Republican, you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
For the Tea Party Republicans, time is up. They've taken their play book from the original Know-nothings and are headed toward the same path -- toward becoming a footnote in history books."
So is the GOP really going to turn to dust?
Is the "Tea Party" going to be seen for the ignorant and wrong thinking anti-American reality that it is?
Will the "99%" rise to the occasion and restore the American Dream and in the process extend the opportunity to the rest of the world to avoid total collapse?
Like it or not, "As goes America - So goes the World". That really is true. Where are we all going?
PS.
Along the same lines is this timely article.
Simon Black on January 31, 2011
"The need for most species to gather into larger collectives is a primal, animalistic instinct. Whether flocks of birds, schools of fish, colonies of ants, or packs of wolves, it is a natural inclination for animals to form larger units for their mutual protection and productive benefit.
Human civilization has shown the same tendency. Mankind’s first collectives were families and tribes based on common language, customs, lineage, and geography. As tribes grew and formed into kingdoms and vast empires, though, the core power in a civilization became concentrated in the hands of a few.
History is filled with examples of tyrants who mercilessly oppressed their people; in fact, the entire concept of the feudal system which dominated the earth for over 1,000 years was based on this idea that the masses exist to serve the ruling class, not the other way around.
We like to think that civilization has evolved far beyond that point… that the modern world is one in which, for better or worse, the will of the majority dictates the rules. Unfortunately, this notion is nothing but an elaborate illusion– feudalism is still alive and well today.
Certainly, there are varying degrees of it, and some nations are far more open about it than others. Western democracies decry brutal dictatorships in Burma, North Korea, and Cuba, all while a small cadre of bankers and bureaucrats sets up a system designed for their personal gain at the expense of everyone else.
Incredibly, the ruling class has managed to establish a society in which ‘the majority’ demands their rule, capitulates to their authority, and fills their coffers with taxes, bailouts, and loans. Maintaining the status quo is their ultimate objective, and we can see that in today’s headlines.
As waves of food riots have spread across the world, the various ruling establishments have reacted by digging in and defending their own interests… turning police and military forces loose on the people to put down insurrection under the ridiculous pretense of “keeping the peace.”
The tactics that have taken place in Egypt over the last several days are particularly telling: the government has taken out Internet and telecommunications architecture, at least at the consumer level, in an effort to quell the rebellion… and I think Egypt is a preview of things to come.
Governments will now neutralize any asset that civilians can use to unify their efforts and establish command & control. This includes cutting communications architecture, sending troops in the streets, and enforcing curfews.
I suspect that other measures on the table include cutting critical infrastructure like water and power, and contriving ‘security emergencies’ and dubious terror threats.
Unsurprisingly, lawmakers in the United States are getting ready to reintroduce a bill that gives President Obama the power to seize control over, and even shut down the Internet.
So long as we’re all obedient servants and don’t rock the boat too much, they’ll keep the lights and the phones on. The moment we stop digesting their imploding paper currencies or pour into the streets demanding accountability, they’ll flip the switch and go into self-preservation mode.
Ironically, such measures can be surprisingly effective. It’s psychological warfare, really– the establishment can demonstrate with surgical precision how dependent we are and how much control it can exert over us. (it’s like that old joke “the beatings will continue until morale improves…”)
This is feudalism, plain and simple, and it doesn’t really matter who’s in control. If the established ruling class fails to preserve their power, they will only fall to a new ruling class… but the mentality will remain: “do as you’re told, and we’ll keep the machine running.”
Modern society has evolved to the point that there are numerous, complex networks in place to take care of our basic necessities, freeing up our own individual capacities to focus on other productive interests– our careers, leisure activities, etc.
We don’t have to worry about producing our own food or generating power anymore because the system does that for us… so instead, we can focus our time and energy on things like professional endeavors which help us to afford our platinum cards and houses full of Chinese manufactured knick knacks.
This dependency, however prosperous it may feel, comes at an opportunity cost… and I think the recent events in Egypt and around the world underscore very clearly that this opportunity cost is freedom.
Real freedom, after all, has nothing to do with a bank balance full of fictitious zeros, or a credit score that gives people the means to further indebt themselves… but rather the degree to which one can be unplugged from this dependency.
Understanding the nature of the opportunity cost is critical, as is taking steps to reduce it. This can include planting multiple flags, investing in agricultural property, stocking up on food and water, installing solar paneling at your home, alternate RF or satellite communications, etc.
Measured preparation is the key. There is no reason to panic or expect the end of the world… but merely to identify vulnerabilities and risks, and then devise a plan to mitigate them. This will be a guiding principle for [a] resilient, sustainable community..."
So many other things have recently happened in the Middle East that affect Americans views of partisan policies that the divide described is widening by the day.
Since the "Bush Years" there has been a tremendous change in America.
As a nation, the majority of the people have been knocked down. As they get up again as they surely will, it is uncertain how those individuals and institutions who engineered the collapse of not just the whole of American society, but the whole world will be treated and what kind of new culture will emerge.
This look at the political posture of America is only an introduction to a much bigger story that is rapidly unfolding around us in such a huge and world-wide way that nobody really knows what will emerge,
The one thing that is happening is that the people of the USA are awake or awakening.
With that awakening is the realization that the principles that made the USA possible have been under attack, perhaps destroyed, certainly suppressed.
This suppression of Liberty has been sold to those who listen as a necessary and good protection for individual self-interest.
The "common good" has been vilified by unscrupulous so called elites, and rejected by a huge portion of the regular people of this nation who are now suffering from the deception.
Will the people of the USA rise to the occasion, root out the enemies of Liberty and trust their future to the "American Way?
I don't know the answer but here is a prelude.
Sun Sep 16, 2012
Why Obama's lead is even better news than you think
by Mark Sumner for Daily Kos
"The lead that President Barack Obama currently enjoys in the polls is very good news for the nation. I don't just mean that in the sense that the better candidate with the better policies is leading. Not just that it appears America will be spared yet another Republican president who feels that a smirk passes for foreign policy. Not just that the middle class won't be devastated by another round of gift giving to the 1% and corporate incentives to ship jobs overseas. Not just that the deficit won't be driven skyward by more trickle down mythology and military adventurism. Not just that the climate will not continue to race toward Venusian while a Republican commander-in-chief pretends that global warming is a joke.
Nice as all those things are, there's something even more important behind these poll numbers.
There's a deep conviction among conservatives that it's not the message that's wrong, but the messenger. Mitt Romney, like John McCain, is too leaky a vessel for their hopes. He's tainted with the sin of past compromise and lapses in conservative orthodoxy. Even though all of the deep crimson conservatives who piled into this season's competition foundered so badly that they could not win a majority of votes even from highly conservative Republican primary voters, the right is convinced that if the banner of conservatism were only held by pure hands, they would gain the victory they richly deserve. Presumably by capturing all those conservative Democrats out there.
The inability to move the electorate solidly into the conservative camp is especially frustrating because the Republicans have the one thing on their side that is supposed to ensure an easy victory. In short, the economy sucks. With this Excalibur of issues in their hands, they expected to slice through the incumbent administration like government surplus cheese product. Romney was selected for this fight specifically because, even though the rightest wing if the party didn't trust the ex-gov's purity, the merely righter GOP voters believed Willard's prowess with high finance made him best suited to wield this weapon.
But extreme and ultra-extreme Republicans alike got it backwards on both counts, and that's what so exciting. It's not the messenger. It's the message.
With apologies to H. L. Mencken, the Republicans are about to go bust by underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
Over the last three weeks, Americans got a chance to see both the Republican message and the Democratic message back to back. And what they saw left two very different impressions. One party came across as exciting, committed, and informed. Speaker after speaker ascended to the podium and was able to articulate both deeply held convictions and convincing detail on policy.
The other party came off as modern Republicans. Nasty, shallow, and thoroughly unconvincing, the GOP convention boiled down to little beyond platitudes and sneers. While Eastwood's one-sided and halting ramble was the horrifying (and pitiful) climax of the event, the convention's heart came in the disdainful grunts of RNC chair Reinhold Reince Priebus. If someone was trying to create a satire of the prototypical 2012 GOP leader, they didn't need to alter one spittle-dripping snarl of this sophomoric whine. Priebus' leaned on the podium and thrilled those the room with his disdain. So did Chris Christy. So did Paul Ryan.
America got the message just fine -- Republicans don't like us very much. And by us, I mean everybody outside their shrinking tent.
That's because the Tea Party purge isn't coming. It's past. Conservatives want to blame Romney and the "Republican establishment" for their difficulties, but there is no establishment. Rather they are the establishment. Only realio trulio conservatives, those who are so unswervingly vigorous in their beliefs that fact checkers are held as an abomination just slightly ahead of gay marriage, remain in the fold. The Tea Party is no longer a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party. The Tea Party is the Republican Party. The speech's down in Tampa might well have been authored by a guy in a sparkly Uncle Sam suit with a Lipton's bag dangling from his stovepipe hat.
This isn't the party of Lincoln. It's not even the party of Reagan or Goldwater. The new Republican Party has been cleansed of anyone unwilling to kiss the ring of Limbaugh and swear allegiance to the writ of Grover. That makes it a smaller, less flexible, less capable party. A party that's not about anything except a sort of smug self destruction. If conservatives can't see that, don't worry, everyone else can. Americans tuned in to watch, and what they saw was that the resulting product isn't just ugly. It's... sad.
Not only did the Republicans fail to obtain a noticeable bounce out of their gathering, they achieved an unprecedented level of negative momentum that's expressed in far more than just Romney's slide in the polls. You might assume that viewers taking time to watch the Republican convention would be those inclined to vote for the GOP in the first place, and yet polls show that actually watching the convention made voters much less likely to go with the GOP. The ones most likely to stick with Romney following the convention, were those who didn't see anything of Tampa.
In addition to losing ground on the head to head race, the Republicans came away from the convention with a worse position on every issue polled. Following the two conventions, President Obama was viewed as not just better able to handle foreign policy (even pre-smirk) and not just better equipped to end the war in Afghanistan, but also as the top choice to improve the economy and even business. Long held Republican advantages in both business and military issues were snuffed out practically overnight.
Why? Because the American public was paying attention.
You know what? The economy does suck, but poll after poll shows that Americans remember why it sucks. Four years of pure obstructionism designed to ensure that things do not improve have not worked. That is, they've succeeded quite well in preventing anyone from towing the car out of the ditch, but they haven't made people forget who was driving when we ran off the road.
Only two years ago, the billionaire backers of the Tea Party managed to mask their money grab as a populist uprising. Two years ago, they got a majority of Americans to vent their frustration on Democrats, President Obama, common sense, history, science, and anything else that didn't get out of the way. But two years can be a long time.
The best news over the last weeks is that the politics of pure obstruction and vitriol are played out. The American people are awake. They see that the Republicans have nothing to offer but the same plan that created the problems in the first place. Many of them are starting to realize that the biggest problems we face aren't unknowable forces of nature, but very familiar sources of obstanance in the House and Senate. More than any time in the recent past, Americans seem to be willing to look at what people are saying, rather than just listening to the tone.
American voters listened in to Tampa, considered the content, and delivered their reply. That reply was, "bullshit." They were being lied to, and they knew it. To quote from a real, pre-purge Republican, you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
For the Tea Party Republicans, time is up. They've taken their play book from the original Know-nothings and are headed toward the same path -- toward becoming a footnote in history books."
So is the GOP really going to turn to dust?
Is the "Tea Party" going to be seen for the ignorant and wrong thinking anti-American reality that it is?
Will the "99%" rise to the occasion and restore the American Dream and in the process extend the opportunity to the rest of the world to avoid total collapse?
Like it or not, "As goes America - So goes the World". That really is true. Where are we all going?
PS.
Along the same lines is this timely article.
Simon Black on January 31, 2011
"The need for most species to gather into larger collectives is a primal, animalistic instinct. Whether flocks of birds, schools of fish, colonies of ants, or packs of wolves, it is a natural inclination for animals to form larger units for their mutual protection and productive benefit.
Human civilization has shown the same tendency. Mankind’s first collectives were families and tribes based on common language, customs, lineage, and geography. As tribes grew and formed into kingdoms and vast empires, though, the core power in a civilization became concentrated in the hands of a few.
History is filled with examples of tyrants who mercilessly oppressed their people; in fact, the entire concept of the feudal system which dominated the earth for over 1,000 years was based on this idea that the masses exist to serve the ruling class, not the other way around.
We like to think that civilization has evolved far beyond that point… that the modern world is one in which, for better or worse, the will of the majority dictates the rules. Unfortunately, this notion is nothing but an elaborate illusion– feudalism is still alive and well today.
Certainly, there are varying degrees of it, and some nations are far more open about it than others. Western democracies decry brutal dictatorships in Burma, North Korea, and Cuba, all while a small cadre of bankers and bureaucrats sets up a system designed for their personal gain at the expense of everyone else.
Incredibly, the ruling class has managed to establish a society in which ‘the majority’ demands their rule, capitulates to their authority, and fills their coffers with taxes, bailouts, and loans. Maintaining the status quo is their ultimate objective, and we can see that in today’s headlines.
As waves of food riots have spread across the world, the various ruling establishments have reacted by digging in and defending their own interests… turning police and military forces loose on the people to put down insurrection under the ridiculous pretense of “keeping the peace.”
The tactics that have taken place in Egypt over the last several days are particularly telling: the government has taken out Internet and telecommunications architecture, at least at the consumer level, in an effort to quell the rebellion… and I think Egypt is a preview of things to come.
Governments will now neutralize any asset that civilians can use to unify their efforts and establish command & control. This includes cutting communications architecture, sending troops in the streets, and enforcing curfews.
I suspect that other measures on the table include cutting critical infrastructure like water and power, and contriving ‘security emergencies’ and dubious terror threats.
Unsurprisingly, lawmakers in the United States are getting ready to reintroduce a bill that gives President Obama the power to seize control over, and even shut down the Internet.
So long as we’re all obedient servants and don’t rock the boat too much, they’ll keep the lights and the phones on. The moment we stop digesting their imploding paper currencies or pour into the streets demanding accountability, they’ll flip the switch and go into self-preservation mode.
Ironically, such measures can be surprisingly effective. It’s psychological warfare, really– the establishment can demonstrate with surgical precision how dependent we are and how much control it can exert over us. (it’s like that old joke “the beatings will continue until morale improves…”)
This is feudalism, plain and simple, and it doesn’t really matter who’s in control. If the established ruling class fails to preserve their power, they will only fall to a new ruling class… but the mentality will remain: “do as you’re told, and we’ll keep the machine running.”
Modern society has evolved to the point that there are numerous, complex networks in place to take care of our basic necessities, freeing up our own individual capacities to focus on other productive interests– our careers, leisure activities, etc.
We don’t have to worry about producing our own food or generating power anymore because the system does that for us… so instead, we can focus our time and energy on things like professional endeavors which help us to afford our platinum cards and houses full of Chinese manufactured knick knacks.
This dependency, however prosperous it may feel, comes at an opportunity cost… and I think the recent events in Egypt and around the world underscore very clearly that this opportunity cost is freedom.
Real freedom, after all, has nothing to do with a bank balance full of fictitious zeros, or a credit score that gives people the means to further indebt themselves… but rather the degree to which one can be unplugged from this dependency.
Understanding the nature of the opportunity cost is critical, as is taking steps to reduce it. This can include planting multiple flags, investing in agricultural property, stocking up on food and water, installing solar paneling at your home, alternate RF or satellite communications, etc.
Measured preparation is the key. There is no reason to panic or expect the end of the world… but merely to identify vulnerabilities and risks, and then devise a plan to mitigate them. This will be a guiding principle for [a] resilient, sustainable community..."
9/6/12
Bill Clinton @ 2012 DNC The Speech Every American Needs To Hear
A truly Great Speech!
Some people are still offended by President Bill Clinton's past personal (not administrative) indiscretions, that have turned out to be virtually endemic to positions of power, but even his opponents acknowledge that he did some amazing things as President, creating jobs and a budget surplus in an economy that had been wrecked by the lie of "trickle down" economics.
(For a full and unvarnished view of this doctrine and it's extensive field testing presaging the worst of Liberty, Security, Employment, Civil and Human Rights devastation, read Naomi Klein's, "The Shock Doctrine")
Clinton ended up being one of America's best and best liked Presidents and still devotes his time to sincere and timely public service.
Here, President Clinton factually dismantles the shallow but aggressive attacks on President Obama by the GOP and also amply demonstrates why the USA IS "Better Off" than when President George Bush left office, leaving one of the biggest messes in history for the Obama administration to resolve - with a GOP dedicated not to helping fix America, but only devoted to ensuring the President's failure to help America and ALL Americans.
This is not just an excellent speech and lesson in history that debunks the predatory lies of a system of corrupt elites in our society, it is likely one of the best speeches ever.
Every person, especially every American, should carefully listen to and heed this message that lays aside all political and social bias, exposes serious dangers and endorses a renewal of our all-inclusive social contract.
Some people are still offended by President Bill Clinton's past personal (not administrative) indiscretions, that have turned out to be virtually endemic to positions of power, but even his opponents acknowledge that he did some amazing things as President, creating jobs and a budget surplus in an economy that had been wrecked by the lie of "trickle down" economics.
(For a full and unvarnished view of this doctrine and it's extensive field testing presaging the worst of Liberty, Security, Employment, Civil and Human Rights devastation, read Naomi Klein's, "The Shock Doctrine")
Clinton ended up being one of America's best and best liked Presidents and still devotes his time to sincere and timely public service.
Here, President Clinton factually dismantles the shallow but aggressive attacks on President Obama by the GOP and also amply demonstrates why the USA IS "Better Off" than when President George Bush left office, leaving one of the biggest messes in history for the Obama administration to resolve - with a GOP dedicated not to helping fix America, but only devoted to ensuring the President's failure to help America and ALL Americans.
This is not just an excellent speech and lesson in history that debunks the predatory lies of a system of corrupt elites in our society, it is likely one of the best speeches ever.
Every person, especially every American, should carefully listen to and heed this message that lays aside all political and social bias, exposes serious dangers and endorses a renewal of our all-inclusive social contract.
6/15/12
Michigan Government - Republicans Only! Unfree Press. Latest in War on Women.
Wow.
Amazingly disgusting Republican actions in the Michigan Legislature during yesterdays passing of anti-abortion bill.
What really surprises me is how the so called "liberal" media cover this story.
Read the Detroit Free Press article.
It highlights some positive points in the bill, barely mentions some of the negative ones and does it all with no detail at all.
This story does nothing to inform the public at all.
It also mentions with brief partial quotes the statements and treatment of Democrat Legislators but fails to address any ramifications or illegalities in the Republican gagging of the Democratic Process.
Where is the outrage?
I would think recent legislative actions stripping Michigan of any semblance of Democracy would provoke massive protest.
But instead, the media, when they report anything at all, water it down and refuse to draw any attention to what's wrong in the story, often painting those who stand up for constitutional protections and the rule of law in negative and dismissive tones.
Compare the local reporting with this national news program, which while it does fail to mention the positive parts of the bill, like inspections for health care facilities, does bring up negative aspects of the bill that are very significant and which the local "news" refuses to explain to the readers they claim an obligation to inform.
Michigan Government is very good at giving a dismissive spin to what should be a very controversial agenda. What they can't dismiss or spin as "infantile" opposition, they simply gag and refuse to let the legislature vote, count the vote or allow the public to claim a referendum.
Republicans take a high handed approach to "decorum" which just means I guess that they have learned to speak softly and smile while they stab you in the back.
Wouldn't "decorum" include playing by the rules, obeying the law and allowing, even encouraging (even passionate) debate.
The violations of decorum in this case were using the term "vagina" in commenting on an abortion bill and suggesting that the bill presented a one sided religious perspective - a violation of the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment, certainly worth considering when making law.
And they do this with mainstream media support who will sensationalize and give a negative, inappropriate spin (essentially a hidden editorial statement) and at the same time fail to inform.
I guess they think the public cannot be trusted with the truth.
In the Michigan Government - non-Republicans are "invited" to sit in the No Speech, Brush Off Zone.
On other Michigan News - it looks like the Emergency Manager Law will go on the ballot after all since no judge want to be the one to have their name attached either to upholding or violating the law on petitions. Judicial wimpiness is a victory for the Democratic Process. Read about it here.
Amazingly disgusting Republican actions in the Michigan Legislature during yesterdays passing of anti-abortion bill.
What really surprises me is how the so called "liberal" media cover this story.
Read the Detroit Free Press article.
It highlights some positive points in the bill, barely mentions some of the negative ones and does it all with no detail at all.
This story does nothing to inform the public at all.
It also mentions with brief partial quotes the statements and treatment of Democrat Legislators but fails to address any ramifications or illegalities in the Republican gagging of the Democratic Process.
Where is the outrage?
I would think recent legislative actions stripping Michigan of any semblance of Democracy would provoke massive protest.
But instead, the media, when they report anything at all, water it down and refuse to draw any attention to what's wrong in the story, often painting those who stand up for constitutional protections and the rule of law in negative and dismissive tones.
Compare the local reporting with this national news program, which while it does fail to mention the positive parts of the bill, like inspections for health care facilities, does bring up negative aspects of the bill that are very significant and which the local "news" refuses to explain to the readers they claim an obligation to inform.
Michigan Government is very good at giving a dismissive spin to what should be a very controversial agenda. What they can't dismiss or spin as "infantile" opposition, they simply gag and refuse to let the legislature vote, count the vote or allow the public to claim a referendum.
Republicans take a high handed approach to "decorum" which just means I guess that they have learned to speak softly and smile while they stab you in the back.
Wouldn't "decorum" include playing by the rules, obeying the law and allowing, even encouraging (even passionate) debate.
The violations of decorum in this case were using the term "vagina" in commenting on an abortion bill and suggesting that the bill presented a one sided religious perspective - a violation of the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment, certainly worth considering when making law.
And they do this with mainstream media support who will sensationalize and give a negative, inappropriate spin (essentially a hidden editorial statement) and at the same time fail to inform.
I guess they think the public cannot be trusted with the truth.
In the Michigan Government - non-Republicans are "invited" to sit in the No Speech, Brush Off Zone.
On other Michigan News - it looks like the Emergency Manager Law will go on the ballot after all since no judge want to be the one to have their name attached either to upholding or violating the law on petitions. Judicial wimpiness is a victory for the Democratic Process. Read about it here.
6/14/12
Voter Suppression Illegally Rammed Through Michigan Legislature
While there is a short delay (very short) on abolishing women's health care in Michigan, the Voter Suppression was typically and illegally rammed through the legislature yesterday, with immediate effect, (instead of the year or more wait for effectiveness) even though it failed to garner sufficient votes to legally obtain immediate effect. The Democrat's legal and proper procedural demand for a vote count was simply ignored (it's amazing to watch) on a bill that is based on falsehood and serves no public or governmental interest in any way. The ALEC/Carl Rove agenda moves forward in Michigan. It used to be so nice here.
6/13/12
An Open Letter to the Public from Stand Up for Democracy
Courtesy of Democracy Tree
An Open Letter to the Public from Stand Up for Democracy
The following is a letter from the coalition for a referendum on the Emergency Manager Law, Stand Up for Democracy:
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PUBLIC FROM STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY
Dear Citizen,
On June 8, 2012 the Michigan State Court of Appeals ruled that the petitions calling for a vote to repeal the emergency manager “dictator” law must be placed on the ballot this November.
Unfortunately, the court also delayed implementing its own ruling. The three judges hearing our case, called for a vote of all the members of the appeals court to consider overturning the case law that allows our petition to go on the ballot. The court has 28 days from the date of the order to vote.
As you can imagine, there is a lot of confusion about the decision. After all, the court ruled the issue should be on the ballot. At the same time they delayed their own order forcing the state to put it on the ballot.
What is clear is that even though we played by the rules they are changing the game. Thirty years of case law is clearly in our favor. Even so, it appears there is a coordinated effort by the right wing to keep PA 4 off the ballot. That effort now clearly appears to extend from the business community to the legislature and now to the courts. For example, Court of Appeals Judges Kurtis Wilder , one of the original judges who wrote the law that allows the issue to be place on the ballot now says he wants to change it and stop repeal effort from making it to the ballot. Shameful.
Here is what the Detroit Free Press Editorial Board had to say on the issue:
Editorial: Stall tactics bring shame on court
June 9, 2012 |
Delay is the time-honored refuge of lawyers who know they are holding a losing hand. But when ostensibly nonpartisan judges postpone justice for the sole purpose of advancing their own party’s political interests, their actions invite contempt for the entire judicial process.
That’s precisely what three Republican state Court of Appeals judges did Friday when they properly struck down a cynical challenge to the voter referendum on Michigan’s controversial emergency manager law, but then delayed the ruling’s implementation in a transparently political effort to frustrate the referendum campaign.
A group called Stand Up for Democracy collected more than 225,000 signatures for a citizens initiative that would overturn Public Act 4, which gives emergency managers appointed by the state vast new powers to administer distressed cities and school districts.
We’ve opposed efforts to repeal PA 4, but we’re satisfied that those seeking a referendum on the law have met the legal requirements to place the issue before voters. So we were troubled when two Republicans on the state Board of Canvassers refused to certify the measure on the specious grounds that the typeface in which the petitions were printed failed to meet the legal type size prescribed by Michigan law.
Like Michigan Elections Director Chris Thomas, we were unpersuaded by the claim of Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility that the typeface two typographers certified was compliant with the 14-point standard was actually fractions of a millimeter too short.
Even more persuasive was the Court of Appeals own 2002 ruling that “all doubts as to technical deficiencies or failure to comply with the exact letter of procedural requirements” should be ” resolved in favor of permitting people to vote and express their will on any proposal subject to election. ”
That’s the precedent Republican Court of Appeals Judges Kurtis Wilder, Kirsten Frank Kelly and Michael Riordan reluctantly cited to reach the inescapable conclusion that the Board of Canvassers was bound to place the financial manager law on the November ballot.
But instead of simply applying the law, all three judges expressed the wish that they could ignore the inconvenient precedent and invited a larger panel of Court of Appeals judges to overturn it.
So much for impartiality.
If those seeking to block the initiative think the law controlling the case is wrong, they should appeal to the state Supreme Court. The only point of creating an intermediate appellate hurdle is to frustrate the petitioners.
The full Court of Appeals should waste no time in ordering the state to enforce the will of 225,000 Michiganders who’ve clearly signaled their desire for an up-or-down vote on PA 4. Respect for the rule of law will brook no more stall tactics.
-end-
You can view the editorial online at http://www.freep.com/article/20120609/OPINION01/206090328/Editorial-Stall-tactics-bring-shame-on-court
We cannot recall another time in the history of Michigan has there been such an overt effort by the government to suppress the will of the people and deny citizens their right of access to the ballot.
We cannot continue to allow the blatant disregard for citizens’ right to redress stand.
As citizens we must continue to demand our right to vote on the issue. There is a 3 p.m. meeting today (6/13/12) with community activists at the AFSCME Building, 600 W. Lafayette in downtown Detroit to discuss next steps. We urge you to attend that meeting. We also ask you to contact your state government representatives and ask them to protect our rights as citizens to petition the government for redress. Stay tuned for more updates and community actions surrounding this issue.
Sincerely,
Stand Up for Democracy
As an update to this story, the Appeals Judges declined (to avoid embarrassment) to take up the panel their companions asked for, so it looks like the public may actually get to decide after all.
I suppose they are already scrambling to devise a way to work around the public vote on this issue come November.
5/30/12
Michigan - Ban Fracking - Recall Gov. Snyder
Fracking is dangerous. We need a complete ban.
Here is some information from Food and Water Watch.
I'm not recommending you make a donation, but I do hope you all will demand legislation to protect our water and air from this illegally, deregulated and proven dangerous practice. http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=11546
One of the best reports on Fracking (in Ohio and Michigan in particular) is from Rachel Maddow.
Here are a couple other Fracking Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN_YwQp4pzY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPIEzSwPwT0
In Michigan there is a good effort to Ban Fracking.
I recommend you visit the website and watch some of the videos and read their literature.
Petitions to permanently ban fracking in Michigan are circulating right now. Go to http://www.banmichiganfracking.com.
Recall Michigan Governor Rick Snyder
The disgusting Tea Party, Anti-American, Fascist, Unconstitutional policies foisted off on Michigan by this Governor are some of the worst in the Nation.
Again from Rachel Maddow, who seems to be the only person really covering this criminal enterprise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4EaxRolGXA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BkWfyb9n0
The petition drive is on to put the Recall of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on the November ballot.
They will send you a petition by regular mail to sign and send back. You do not need to collect other signatures - unless you want to.
There are only 12 spaces on each petition page. You can request a petition to be mailed to you here. https://www.michiganrising.org/circulate-petitions/get-petition-via-usps.html
Here is some information from Food and Water Watch.
I'm not recommending you make a donation, but I do hope you all will demand legislation to protect our water and air from this illegally, deregulated and proven dangerous practice. http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=11546
One of the best reports on Fracking (in Ohio and Michigan in particular) is from Rachel Maddow.
Here are a couple other Fracking Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN_YwQp4pzY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPIEzSwPwT0
In Michigan there is a good effort to Ban Fracking.
I recommend you visit the website and watch some of the videos and read their literature.
Petitions to permanently ban fracking in Michigan are circulating right now. Go to http://www.banmichiganfracking.com.
Recall Michigan Governor Rick Snyder
The disgusting Tea Party, Anti-American, Fascist, Unconstitutional policies foisted off on Michigan by this Governor are some of the worst in the Nation.
Again from Rachel Maddow, who seems to be the only person really covering this criminal enterprise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4EaxRolGXA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BkWfyb9n0
The petition drive is on to put the Recall of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on the November ballot.
They will send you a petition by regular mail to sign and send back. You do not need to collect other signatures - unless you want to.
There are only 12 spaces on each petition page. You can request a petition to be mailed to you here. https://www.michiganrising.org/circulate-petitions/get-petition-via-usps.html
4/29/12
From the Dawn of Time - A Psycopathic War On Women - We Are All Bozo's On This Bus!
I thought this article and the comments that follow it were were so interesting that I wanted to comment on it. It was so involved, that I decided I wouldn't be able to and that I should just repost the whole thing and add my own comments later and see what kind of comments you would offer as well.
With today's "War On Women" being such a huge national topic, I was impressed to see it presented with this kind of all-inclusive, historical consideration.
As is often the case, the reader comments are as thought provoking as the article. Read them all, you won't regret it - and you likely will find yourself confused as to where you actually stand.
It certainly makes me question the depth, accuracy and legitimacy of my own perspective.
Read on.
Losing Femininity in the Elusive Search for Kansas
© Unknown
While women in the Middle East experience 'in your face' gender inequality, particularly in theocratic regimes like Iran - which one of your authors has direct experience of - the equivalent bias in the West has a flavor that is far more subtle and therefore far more dangerous. It's more difficult to discern the root of a problem when it is acting covertly in a way that few notice.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, how different countries respond to sexism is reflective of how their ruling elites conduct politics. A religious government in the Middle East, for example, rules with an iron fist and bluntly tells its citizens what the rules of the game are. It's overt and leaves no room for doubt as to where the authorities stand on ideology.
In the West, the situation is the opposite. The government's influence is subtle and manipulates its citizens into believing ideals (e.g. "equal rights"), all the while changing the rules to suit the purposes of those who own the government - to keep life more equal for some than others.
Cover Thyself
In countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, sexism is clearly defined by laws stating that women must cover their hair. Curious about the origins of this custom and how it became iconic in Islam, we looked it up and found one source which claimed the following:
Although long seen as the most distinctive emblem of Islam, the veil is, surprisingly, not enjoined upon Muslim women anywhere in the Quran. The tradition of veiling and seclusion (known together as hijab) was introduced into Arabia long before Muhammad, primarily through Arab contacts with Syria and Iran, where the hijab was a sign of social status. After all, only a woman who need not work in the fields could afford to remain secluded and veiled.Hmmm, isn't that interesting?
In the Ummah, there was no tradition of veiling until around 627 C.E., when the so-called "verse of hijab" suddenly descended upon the community. That verse, however, was addressed not to women in general, but exclusively to Muhammad's wives:
"Believers, do not enter the Prophet's house...unless asked. And if you are invited...do not linger. And when you ask something from the Prophet's wives, do so from behind a hijab. This will assure the purity of your hearts as well as theirs" (33:53).This restriction makes perfect sense when one recalls that Muhammad's house was also the community's mosque: the center of religious and social life in the Ummah. People were constantly coming in and out of this compound at all hours of the day. When delegations from other tribes came to speak with Muhammad, they would set up their tents for days at a time inside the open courtyard, just a few feet away from the apartments in which Muhammad's wives slept. And new emigrants who arrived in Yathrib would often stay within the mosque's walls until they could find suitable homes.
When Muhammad was little more than a tribal Shaykh, this constant commotion could be tolerated. But by 627 C.E., when he had become the supremely powerful leader of an increasingly expanding community, some kind of segregation had to be enforced to maintain the inviolability of his wives. Thus, the tradition, borrowed from the upper classes of Iranian and Syrian women, of veiling and secluding the most important women in society from the peering eyes of everyone else.
That the veil applied solely to Muhammad's wives is further demonstrated by the fact that the term for donning the veil, darabat al-hijab, was used synonymously and interchangeably with "becoming Muhammad's wife." For this reason, during the Prophet's lifetime, no other women in the Ummah observed hijab. Of course, modesty was enjoined on all believers, and women in particular were instructed to
"draw their clothes around them a little to be recognized as believers and so that no harm will come to them" (33:60).More specifically, women should
"guard their private parts...and drape a cover (khamr) over their breasts" when in the presence of strange men (24:31-32).But, as Leila Ahmed observes, nowhere in the whole of the Quran is the term hijab applied to any woman other than the wives of Muhammad.
It is difficult to say with certainty when the veil was adopted by the rest of the Ummah, though it was most likely long after Muhammad's death. Muslim women probably began wearing the veil as a way to emulate the Prophet's wives, who were revered as "the Mothers of the Ummah." But the veil was neither compulsory, nor for that matter, widely adopted until generations after Muhammad's death, when a large body of male scriptural and legal scholars began using their religious and political authority to regain the dominance they had lost in society as a result of the Prophet's egalitarian reforms.
So according to the above, observing hijab was originally a fashion statement of upper class women from that period in Iran and Syria. It was also considered important for Muhammad's wives to be distinguished by doing likewise. Most importantly, we see those ever-present "male scriptural and legal scholars", the priestly caste in societies down through the ages who have sought to control the masses through scripture and fear-based politics. Today's psychopaths in power have a dazzling array of technology at their disposal, but are really just following in the footsteps of their predecessors with the same old dogmas.
Reading about hijab on Wikipedia, we learn:
The Qur'an instructs both Muslim men and women to dress in a modest way.The clearest verse on the requirement of the hijab is surah 24:30 - 31, asking women to draw their khimār over their bosoms.[9][10]
And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimār over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. (Quran 24:31)In the following verse, Muslim women are asked to draw their jilbab over them (when they go out), as a measure to distinguish themselves from others, so that they are not harassed. Surah 33:59 reads:[10]
Those who harass believing men and believing women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a grievous sin. O Prophet! Enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true believers that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): That is most convenient, that they may be distinguished and not be harassed. [...] (Quran 33:58 - 59)
© Ali Torkzandeh.com
This picture depicts how most modern girls in Tehran, Iran wear hejab vs. the more traditional 'chador'.
This picture depicts how most modern girls in Tehran, Iran wear hejab vs. the more traditional 'chador'.
Expose Thyself
Moving from one extreme to the next, Western countries, heavily opiated as they are by materialism, have a different misogynistic flavor. Here women are objectified from a very young age. Media pop-culture promotes images of what women 'should look like' (airbrushed, doll-like and plastic) and if they don't comply, they are deemed 'not sexy' and unworthy of merit. Men viewing these unrealistic ideals begin to objectify women. And who can blame them? Women objectify themselves and each other by modeling themselves after characters from Sex and the City. Many feel that if they don't subscribe to the psychopathic ideal, then there is something wrong with them.
© unknown
Madonna's before & after photoshop picture.
Madonna's before & after photoshop picture.
Somehow, this has all been fashioned into an image that is representative of what a woman is or should be - childlike and sexually available so as to not be threatening and, at the same time, aspiring to be more masculine by chasing after what men 'have'. It seems that women are just as clueless as men when it comes to discerning what it means to embrace femininity and true empowerment. In their quest to find themselves, many turn to ideological constructs devised by those who claim to have special knowledge. Unfortunately, it's often a case of the blind leading the lame.
Feminine Empowerment as a New Age Religion
Beware of disinformation. It diverts your attention away from reality thus leaving you open to capture and conquest and even possible destruction. - Adventures with Cassiopaea; Transcript 11-19-94An example of the insidious ways women are programmed to objectify themselves in the West comes courtesy of an 'exercise' program involving pole-dancing which supposedly "does wonders". It's called S Factor. We looked it up and were appalled by how misogynistic it seemed:
[I have to admit - I didn't find the video "misogynistic"? It looked like great exercise in appropriate attire and I wasn't sexually stimulated in the least by watching it. I wish I could do that kind of exercise! Maybe all gymnastics (male and female) are also misogynistic? Maybe I'm just a misogynist! - Doc]
From the site about the creator of 'S Factor', we read that:
Sheila Kelley is the global 'femme' leader, author, and originator of pole dance fitness and feminine movement for the empowerment of women. She is an esteemed actress, filmmaker, dancer, and a passionate voice for the advancement of women in the world.So Sheila Kelley, who has anointed herself "global femme leader" after starring in a movie about strippers, created a fitness program utilizing pole-dancing. Doesn't that seem a little messed up to anyone?
When Sheila starred in and produced the film, Dancing at the Blue Iguana, she needed to prepare for the role of "Stormy" by learning how to striptease and pole dance. As a result, her body became long, lean and fit. She decided to take her knowledge of ballet, exercise and exotic dancing, and combine them into the most effective fitness workout ever devised for and about women - S Factor.
"S Factor was born when I discovered my sensual power and the best body of my life while preparing for my role as an exotic dancer," says Sheila. "My life changed so profoundly just from moving in this organically feminine way, that I've dedicated myself to sharing this extraordinary journey with other women."
Sheila was a classically trained dancer and soloist with the Westmoreland Ballet Company at the age of fifteen. She attended New York University's famed Tisch School of Arts as a Dance major. She is the author of, The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman, and she has six S Factor exercise DVDs. Sheila's many television (including Gossip Girl, Lost, L.A. Law, Sisters, ER and The Sopranos) and film roles (including Singles, Matchstick Men, Nurse Betty and One Fine Day) have earned her great respect in Hollywood and around the world as an actress who is not afraid of embracing the power of her femininity. She is married to actor, Richard Schiff of The West Wing, and has two children, Gus and Ruby
How does someone who is a "passionate voice for advancement of women in the world" come up with such an idea? Doesn't she realize that women strip mainly for economic reasons because working at a fast food joint just doesn't pay the rent? Perhaps Kelley realized she was better off teaching women how to move "in this organically feminine way" and to embrace "the power of femininity" than to work in some dive or wait tables like many aspiring actresses. So while she glorifies the lifestyle, she's smart enough to know she doesn't want to live it.
The problem here is that stripping for men feeds into the West's socio-pathological notions of "counterfeit intimacy" and the illusion of power via an "egalitarian motif"(pdf) - the fallacy that stripping is a liberating experience. Kelley has taken the idea of stripping, a lifestyle that most people do not find glamorous, and is attempting to make it cool.
Calhoun, Fisher and Cannon (1998) found that there was an "egalitarian motif" in place in the stripping context. This means that the club is trying to make it appear as though the amateur strip contest is a liberating experience for men and women, but the reality is that it's "fun" for men and "alienating" and oppressive for women. Their analysis showed that these women competing in these contests are actually being manipulated by the male owners to gain profit for themselves.Subverting the Feminine
~ 'Motivations of Professional Strippers', Lisa Monchalin, 2006, p.10
© Thomas Sheridan
The "empowered whore archetype" is exactly what Sheila Kelley and the Western media propagate. We should be questioning, not praising, Shelia Kelley's claims to be a feminist concerned with the advancement of women. In reality, 'S Factor' is everything most true feminists detest. It's not a program that inspires women to "embrace their femininity". Rather, like so many others, it distorts the idea of what it IS to be a woman.
Unfortunately, Kelley is far from alone in her illusion. There are thousands of false prophets like her and an even greater number of desperate people latching onto their ideas. These disinformation programs run the gamut from fitness to reality TV shows to non-profit organizations, all promoted under the guise of women's liberation and equality.
Ultimately, the 'femme movement' contributes only to keeping women in their place. When did "getting in touch with one's feminine side" devolve into promoting seedy activities as positive acts of self-empowerment? Aren't hanging out at strip joints and paying women for sex both things that men are condemned for doing? Well, maybe once upon a time. Today there are male strip joints where women can go and act just as depraved as men do, objectifying men in the same manner they are subjected to.
Since when did degrading and making a spectacle of oneself in public become synonymous with self-respect? When did self-expression of the feminine and creative aspect of ourselves (whether male or female) become twisted, filled with contempt and seen as weak? Is this downward spiral masquerading as upward self-empowerment something that anyone really wants to be associated with? Why is it that qualities such as caring, nurturing, growth, creation and vulnerability - towards others as well as self - are seen as unworthy? It seems to us that a whole lot of people need a serious reality check!
Something is very wrong with this picture. When women refer to themselves as sl**s, b*****s and wh***s, what is it that's really going on? Some skewed misconception of 'taking back' the meaning of those words? We've known women who proudly carry these labels and then wonder why others think so little of themselves. Perhaps they believe they will feel less hurt if they insult themselves before someone else gets a chance to, but all it really accomplishes is a perpetuating cycle of self-abuse and signals to the rest of society that this is 'normal' and 'acceptable'. It's not. It's indicative of a serious social disease. People forget that their very thoughts and language are the seeds that influence their behavior and actions.
The True Power of the Feminine Divine and The Darkness that Shadows it
"It seems that there were ancient societies organized very differently from ours, and chief among the finds in such digs are the many images of the Deity as female. Thus we are better able to interpret the references to the Great Goddess in ancient art, myth and even historical writings.
The chief idea of these people was that the Universe was an all-giving mother. Indeed, this idea has survived in our time. In China, the female deities Ma Tsu and Kuan Yin are still widely worshiped as beneficent and compassionate goddesses. Similarly, the veneration of Mary, the Mother of God, is widespread.
Even if in Catholic theology she is demoted to non-divine status, her divinity is implicitly recognized by her appellation "Mother of God", as well as by the prayers of millions who daily seek her compassionate protection and solace. In fact, the story of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection seems to be little more than a reworking of those earlier 'mystery cults' revolving around a Divine Mother and her son or, as in the worship of Demeter and Kore, her daughter.
It is of course, reasonable that the deepest understanding of divine power in human form should be female rather than male. After all, life emerges from the body of a woman, and if we are to understand the macrocosm by means of the microcosm, it is only natural to think of the Universe as an all giving Mother from whose womb all life emerges and to which, like the cycles of vegetation, it returns after death to be again reborn.
What's more important to us here is the idea that societies that view the universe as a Mother would also have very different social structures from our own. We might also conjecture that women in such a society would not be seen as subservient. Caring, nurturing, growth and creation would have been valued. At the same time, it does not make sense to think that such societies were "matriarchal" in the sense that women dominated men. They were, instead, by all the evidence, societies in which differences were valued and not equated as evidence of either superiority or inferiority."
~ Laura Knight-Jadczyk, The Secret History of the World, pages 492 - 493
© Women's eNews
NGOs estimate a woman is raped every 26 seconds in the country.That is a frightful number. Why are such things occurring on our planet at such a high rate? What will the future look like if things keep going the way they are?
Thinking about this further, it's as if the planet has been turned into a breeding ground for psychopaths. Let's say that women conceiving as a result of rape give birth to children born with psychopathic genes. That means more offspring of these 'loveless unions' will go on to father children who in turn are incapable of caring for their children, raised without fatherly guidance and most likely undesired and unloved by their mother. Even if the children don't inherit psychopathic genes, they are more susceptible to developing serious character flaws and will likely become sociopaths.
That is why abuse of sex is another 'tool' with which psychopaths shape society in their image, spiraling us towards devolution. Most of us as young children did not learn about sex in the context of healthy relationships. Bombarded with sexual imagery from a very young age, children growing up in the West today aren't just exposed to crass magazines and TV shows (although they don't help); they're exposed to hardcore pornography, which is extremely damaging, demeans sex, objectifies women and gives men a horrific image of women.
Whether in 'developed' or 'developing' countries, high rape statistics seem to go hand in hand with other forms of predatory violence. Is it any surprise, when you think of how we treat the planet and everyone on it that women and children are also being subjected to unbearable suffering in such high numbers? Together we have been raping the planet in every way imaginable, destroying oceans and rainforests. Entire cultures have been raped with 'shock and awe' and 'humanitarian war' by the same psychopaths on Wall Street raping us all economically.
Such is the 'natural' result of a ponerized society that has become so filled with hate towards the Feminine. We've all been seriously misled by a psychopathic elite, ruling us through our fears so that we'll do their bidding. One of men's greatest fears is to be perceived as anything even remotely feminine and to strive, by any means possible, to present themselves as the antithesis - even to their own detriment. Those that attempt to be themselves may quickly find they are without societal acceptance and the very valid need for love. Women, in their attempt to eke out some power in a power-hungry world, search outside of themselves, unaware that not only is the power they seek an illusion (because men never really had it themselves), they also fail to recognize their own innate gifts. Men and women seeking true empowerment would do well to heed the timeless wisdom given to Dorothy as she tried to find her way back home in The Wiz remake of the Wizard of Oz:
Glinda the Good: Hello, Dorothy.
Dorothy: Please, is there a way for me to get back home?
Glinda the Good: Well, Dorothy, you were wise and good enough to help your friends to come here and find what was inside them all the time. That's true for you, also.
Dorothy: Home? Inside of me? I don't understand.
Glinda the Good: Home is a place we all must find, child. It's not just a place where you eat or sleep. Home is knowing. Knowing your mind, knowing your heart, knowing your courage. If we know ourselves, we're always home, anywhere.
Unfortunately, in our world, the abiding sense of purpose that many individuals innately feel rarely finds healthy expression. Much of this is due to the centuries-long stranglehold of psychopathic influence, where a thirst for power over others stifles and distorts healthy reasoning. Through religious indoctrination and now the mainstream media, people are brainwashed into believing that materiality - particularly as it relates to one's physical appearance - is the standard bearer for what it is to be human, and so they remain incapable of rising above and beyond inequality in all its forms - between the sexes, between races and between classes.
Ultimately, whether you are struggling to cope with the influence of puritanical zealots or debauched social memes, people of both genders and all races are confined by the limits instilled in us by pathological types. In turn, we believe in the lies they tell us and enforce these same limits on ourselves. While speaking out for women oppressed by mad mullahs in faraway lands, women in the West should take a long hard look at what feminism has become over the years. Those who are sincere in their struggle for the right of women to be seen for who they truly are, and for what they can truly be, must understand that the movement has been co-opted by the Powers That Be. It's time to take a deeper look at what we've all become and place the blame where it truly lies. We've all had our role to play in this, so the problem isn't with men. It also isn't with women. The problem lies with our shared intraspecies predator - psychopaths, which are neither men nor women - who seek to control any and all manifestation of creative expression by dragging everything down with them to the lowest common denominator and into the depths of entropy. Only by disentangling ourselves from their hold on our beliefs can we begin to contemplate any restoration of the divine feminine.
Reader Comments
"how can any human being be serious about monotheism of any description?"
Rhetoric answer to a rhetoric question.
"Because God said so..."
Rhetoric answer to a rhetoric question.
"Because God said so..."
"Because God said so..."
hahahaha... Luke, good one, but the crazy thing is someone somewhere will probably answer like that.
hahahaha... Luke, good one, but the crazy thing is someone somewhere will probably answer like that.
[Quran 7:26] "O children of Adam, we have provided you with
garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best
garment is the garment of righteousness. These are some of God's signs,
that they may take heed."
^^This is the BASIC rule of DRESS CODE in the Quran.
The second rule can be found in 24:31. Here God orders the women to cover their bosoms whenever they dress up.
24:31 -- And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty. They shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to shake and reveal certain details of their bodies. All of you shall repent to God, O you believers, that you may succeed.
THE WORD "HIJAB" in the QURAN:
"Hijab" is the term used by many Muslims women to describe their head cover that may or may not include covering their face except their eyes, and sometimes covering also one eye. The Arabic word "Hijab" can be translated into veil or yashmak. Other meanings for the word "Hijab" include, screen, cover(ing), mantle, curtain, drapes, partition, division, divider.
Can we find the word "Hijab" in the Quran??
The word "Hijab" appeared in the Quran 7 times, five of them as "Hijab" and two times as "Hijaban," these are 7:46, 33:53, 38:32, 41:5, 42:51, 17:45 & 19:17.
None of these "Hijab" words are used in the Quran in reference to what the traditional Muslims call today (Hijab) as a dress code for the Muslim woman.
God knows that generations after Muhammed's death the Muslims will use the word "Hijab" to invent a dress code that He never authorized. God used the word "Hijab" ahead of them just as He used the word "Hadith" ahead of them.
Hijab in the Quran has nothing to do with the Muslim Women dress code.
In 24:31 God is asking the women to use their cover (khimar)( being a dress, a coat, a shawl, a shirt, a blouse, a tie, a scarf . . . etc.) to cover their bosoms, not their heads or their hairs. If God so willed to order the women to cover their heads or their hair, nothing would have prevented Him from doing so. God does not run out of words. God does not forget. God did not order the women to cover their heads or their hair.
God does not wait for a Scholar to put the correct words for Him!
[Quran 24:31] They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary.
^^^^This expression may sound vague to many because they have not understood the mercy of God. Again God here used this very general term to give us the freedom to decide according to our own circumstances the definition of "What is necessary".
It is NOT up to a scholar or to any particular person to define this term. God wants to leave it personal for every woman and no one can take it away from her. Women who follow the basic rule number one i.e. righteousness, will have no problem making the right decision to reveal only which is necessary.
Accepting orders from anybody but God, means idol-worship. That is how serious the matter of Hijab/khimar is. Women who wear Hijab because of tradition or because they like it for personal reasons commit no sin, as long as they know that it is not part of this perfect religion. Those who are wearing it because they think God ordered it are committing Idol-worship, as God did not order it, the scholars did. These women have found for themselves another god than the One who revealed the Quran, complete, perfect and FULLY detailed to tell them they have to cover their heads to be Muslims.
Idol-worship is the only unforgivable sin, if maintained till death, 4:48.
[Quran 33:59] O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of the believers that they shall LENGTHEN their garments. Thus, they will be recognized and avoid being insulted. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
^^^^In 33:59, God sets the other regulation for the dress code for the Muslim women during the prophet's life.
Although the verse is talking to the prophet which means this regulation applies to the time of the prophet, just like the order in 49:2, the description fits the spirit of Islam (Submission in English), and can teach us a great deal.
If you reflect on this verse and how God ordered the prophet to tell his wives, his daughters and the wives of the believers to lengthen their garments, you would understand the great wisdom of the MOST WISE, the MOST MERCIFUL. In this verse, God, DELIBERATELY, (and all the TRUE believers know that everything God says, does, or did is DELIBERATE) said, tell them, to lengthen their garments, and never said how long is long. God could have said tell them to lengthen their garments to their ankles or to their mid-calf or to their knees, but HE DID NOT. He did not, OUT OF HIS MERCY, not because HE FORGOT as God does not forget. God knows that we will be living in different communities and have different cultures and insists that the minor details of this dress code will be left for the people of every community to hammer for themselves.
It is clear from the above verses that the DRESS CODE for the Muslim women (Submitters) according to the Quran is righteousness and modesty. God knows that this modesty will be understood differently in different communities and that is why He left it open to us to decide for ourselves. Decide, after righteousness what is modesty. Modesty for a woman who lives in New York may not be accepted by a woman who lives in Cairo Egypt. Modesty of a woman who lives in Cairo, Egypt may not be accepted by a woman who lives in Saudi Arabia.
Modesty of a woman who lives in Jidda in Saudi Arabia may not be accepted by a woman who lives in a desert oasis in the same country. This difference in the way we perceive modesty is well known to God, He created us, and He put NO hardship on us in this great religion. He left it to us to decide what modesty would be. For any person, knowledgeable or not to draw a line and make conclusion for God about the definition of modesty is to admit that he/she knows better than God.
God left it open for us and no-one has the authority to restrict it, it has to stay open.
Thank you and God bless you.
^^This is the BASIC rule of DRESS CODE in the Quran.
The second rule can be found in 24:31. Here God orders the women to cover their bosoms whenever they dress up.
24:31 -- And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty. They shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to shake and reveal certain details of their bodies. All of you shall repent to God, O you believers, that you may succeed.
THE WORD "HIJAB" in the QURAN:
"Hijab" is the term used by many Muslims women to describe their head cover that may or may not include covering their face except their eyes, and sometimes covering also one eye. The Arabic word "Hijab" can be translated into veil or yashmak. Other meanings for the word "Hijab" include, screen, cover(ing), mantle, curtain, drapes, partition, division, divider.
Can we find the word "Hijab" in the Quran??
The word "Hijab" appeared in the Quran 7 times, five of them as "Hijab" and two times as "Hijaban," these are 7:46, 33:53, 38:32, 41:5, 42:51, 17:45 & 19:17.
None of these "Hijab" words are used in the Quran in reference to what the traditional Muslims call today (Hijab) as a dress code for the Muslim woman.
God knows that generations after Muhammed's death the Muslims will use the word "Hijab" to invent a dress code that He never authorized. God used the word "Hijab" ahead of them just as He used the word "Hadith" ahead of them.
Hijab in the Quran has nothing to do with the Muslim Women dress code.
In 24:31 God is asking the women to use their cover (khimar)( being a dress, a coat, a shawl, a shirt, a blouse, a tie, a scarf . . . etc.) to cover their bosoms, not their heads or their hairs. If God so willed to order the women to cover their heads or their hair, nothing would have prevented Him from doing so. God does not run out of words. God does not forget. God did not order the women to cover their heads or their hair.
God does not wait for a Scholar to put the correct words for Him!
[Quran 24:31] They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary.
^^^^This expression may sound vague to many because they have not understood the mercy of God. Again God here used this very general term to give us the freedom to decide according to our own circumstances the definition of "What is necessary".
It is NOT up to a scholar or to any particular person to define this term. God wants to leave it personal for every woman and no one can take it away from her. Women who follow the basic rule number one i.e. righteousness, will have no problem making the right decision to reveal only which is necessary.
Accepting orders from anybody but God, means idol-worship. That is how serious the matter of Hijab/khimar is. Women who wear Hijab because of tradition or because they like it for personal reasons commit no sin, as long as they know that it is not part of this perfect religion. Those who are wearing it because they think God ordered it are committing Idol-worship, as God did not order it, the scholars did. These women have found for themselves another god than the One who revealed the Quran, complete, perfect and FULLY detailed to tell them they have to cover their heads to be Muslims.
Idol-worship is the only unforgivable sin, if maintained till death, 4:48.
[Quran 33:59] O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of the believers that they shall LENGTHEN their garments. Thus, they will be recognized and avoid being insulted. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
^^^^In 33:59, God sets the other regulation for the dress code for the Muslim women during the prophet's life.
Although the verse is talking to the prophet which means this regulation applies to the time of the prophet, just like the order in 49:2, the description fits the spirit of Islam (Submission in English), and can teach us a great deal.
If you reflect on this verse and how God ordered the prophet to tell his wives, his daughters and the wives of the believers to lengthen their garments, you would understand the great wisdom of the MOST WISE, the MOST MERCIFUL. In this verse, God, DELIBERATELY, (and all the TRUE believers know that everything God says, does, or did is DELIBERATE) said, tell them, to lengthen their garments, and never said how long is long. God could have said tell them to lengthen their garments to their ankles or to their mid-calf or to their knees, but HE DID NOT. He did not, OUT OF HIS MERCY, not because HE FORGOT as God does not forget. God knows that we will be living in different communities and have different cultures and insists that the minor details of this dress code will be left for the people of every community to hammer for themselves.
It is clear from the above verses that the DRESS CODE for the Muslim women (Submitters) according to the Quran is righteousness and modesty. God knows that this modesty will be understood differently in different communities and that is why He left it open to us to decide for ourselves. Decide, after righteousness what is modesty. Modesty for a woman who lives in New York may not be accepted by a woman who lives in Cairo Egypt. Modesty of a woman who lives in Cairo, Egypt may not be accepted by a woman who lives in Saudi Arabia.
Modesty of a woman who lives in Jidda in Saudi Arabia may not be accepted by a woman who lives in a desert oasis in the same country. This difference in the way we perceive modesty is well known to God, He created us, and He put NO hardship on us in this great religion. He left it to us to decide what modesty would be. For any person, knowledgeable or not to draw a line and make conclusion for God about the definition of modesty is to admit that he/she knows better than God.
God left it open for us and no-one has the authority to restrict it, it has to stay open.
Thank you and God bless you.
Still, whoever puts an equation mark between revelation from Mohammad and revelation from God, will find he was wrong.
To the Code of Dress - there is one dress given by God to all of us and it is our skin. Telling that There is some Dress Code from God, including this or that piece of cloth, is a pure blasphemy against God creation. There is nothing wrong to dress yourself same as there is nothing wrong to walk completely undressed.
Our filthy hearts made us to force each other to dress ourselves, not the God. So stop spreading this blasphemic bullshit. Whoever is insulted by naked body, is insulted by God´s creation and there is no place for such a man or woman in His Kingdom.
So stop spreading this "blasphemic bullshit."
Take cover and wait for the fireworks.
Take cover and wait for the fireworks.
PS: the hadiths are not a revelation from God, they are NOT part of the Quran.
The Misconception of following Hadith and Sunna (sayings and practices traditionally and falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad) = [Link]
The Misconception of following Hadith and Sunna (sayings and practices traditionally and falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad) = [Link]
Shows the extreme of both ends. Cover ----------- Expose.
Searching the term Purdah: Wiki says the following cultures practised or still practise it: Persia, Greece and Byzantium, India, The Arab and Islamic world.
Another term that is very disturbing is sati: was a religious funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman would have immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.
I hear in south east asia they also had some practices that most women would find very appalling nowadays.
[Link]
"Even today, many married women still call their husbands shujin (master), send their daughters to charm school to learn how to be good wives and have no ambition to enter the world of overworked, stressed out salarymen. The ideal woman in the eyes of many is still the self-sacrificing “good wife, wise mother.” Child rearing is still regarded as the primary duty of women. Housekeeping is also important. Women are expected to do the cleaning and cooking and in many cases peel apples, get cigarettes and make coffee on the demands of their husbands.
Outdated views of women endure in the highest levels of government. In January 2007, Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare minister Hakuo Yanagisawa was widely condemned when he called women “birth-giving machines” in a speech on the declining birth rate.
Japanese women are very much into "cuteness" (kawaii): Mickey Mouse, Poohsan (Winne the Pooh) and Hello Kitty are all very popular among women.
Japanese women who work as elevator operators, phone operators, office ladies and saleswomen sometimes talk in an unnaturally high voice that some Japanese regard as cute, polite and feminine but some Westerners and other Japanese find irritating. "
Then there is this which I inadvertently came across whilst checking on that Swedish cake incident where sadly due to the artists lack of artistry the issue diverted from female genital mutilation to *cough cough* racism..
[Link]
[Reader Discretion Highly Advised]
"Following the controversy, Linde stated, “I didn’t intend for anyone to feel embarrassed. But we’re talking about female genital mutilation—is there any comfortable or cozy way to talk about it?”
Yes there is—let me do so right now.
I was vaginally infibulated in Omdurman, Sudan soon after my birth. Infibulation in my region of Africa in 1969 meant that the muscles inside the vagina were cut loose and reconfigured ‘tighter’ (supposedly to incur ‘purity’ as the Mullahs claimed that the Koran states: “Woman is Impure”). After the tightening process, the vagina is stitched shut—you grow up having your period through a straw—which can take some women an entire month. On the outer lips of the vagina, seared in Arabic, they put the name of your father and his mosque on the left side—the right side of my vagina was left blank for the name of my future husband to be seared on with a hot poker later. My clitoris was not removed, because my birth mother was an Oromo, not a Muslim and wouldn’t allow what Arab Muslims call ‘the worm of unclean thoughts’ to be cut away. Thus I cannot speak on the horror of having no feeling, no clitoris. But protocol follows that years after this ritual—at your wedding ceremony, the groom is given a small razor. This is to slit you open so he can begin penetrating you on the ‘wedding bed’—a process that can take weeks."
That story is especially tragic because afterwards the victim went on to embrace the western whore archetype... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek, double whammy.
All in all I think it is safe to say islamic and asian cultures might possibly mistreat their women abit more so than other areas.
One wonders where all this stuff came from... Maybe in the future one will wonder where the new form of female abuse, "The Wholescale Whore Archetype" came from. Seriously, where has it come from? Kind of just snuck in there and is now accepted as the antidote...
Searching the term Purdah: Wiki says the following cultures practised or still practise it: Persia, Greece and Byzantium, India, The Arab and Islamic world.
Another term that is very disturbing is sati: was a religious funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman would have immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.
I hear in south east asia they also had some practices that most women would find very appalling nowadays.
[Link]
"Even today, many married women still call their husbands shujin (master), send their daughters to charm school to learn how to be good wives and have no ambition to enter the world of overworked, stressed out salarymen. The ideal woman in the eyes of many is still the self-sacrificing “good wife, wise mother.” Child rearing is still regarded as the primary duty of women. Housekeeping is also important. Women are expected to do the cleaning and cooking and in many cases peel apples, get cigarettes and make coffee on the demands of their husbands.
Outdated views of women endure in the highest levels of government. In January 2007, Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare minister Hakuo Yanagisawa was widely condemned when he called women “birth-giving machines” in a speech on the declining birth rate.
Japanese women are very much into "cuteness" (kawaii): Mickey Mouse, Poohsan (Winne the Pooh) and Hello Kitty are all very popular among women.
Japanese women who work as elevator operators, phone operators, office ladies and saleswomen sometimes talk in an unnaturally high voice that some Japanese regard as cute, polite and feminine but some Westerners and other Japanese find irritating. "
Then there is this which I inadvertently came across whilst checking on that Swedish cake incident where sadly due to the artists lack of artistry the issue diverted from female genital mutilation to *cough cough* racism..
[Link]
[Reader Discretion Highly Advised]
"Following the controversy, Linde stated, “I didn’t intend for anyone to feel embarrassed. But we’re talking about female genital mutilation—is there any comfortable or cozy way to talk about it?”
Yes there is—let me do so right now.
I was vaginally infibulated in Omdurman, Sudan soon after my birth. Infibulation in my region of Africa in 1969 meant that the muscles inside the vagina were cut loose and reconfigured ‘tighter’ (supposedly to incur ‘purity’ as the Mullahs claimed that the Koran states: “Woman is Impure”). After the tightening process, the vagina is stitched shut—you grow up having your period through a straw—which can take some women an entire month. On the outer lips of the vagina, seared in Arabic, they put the name of your father and his mosque on the left side—the right side of my vagina was left blank for the name of my future husband to be seared on with a hot poker later. My clitoris was not removed, because my birth mother was an Oromo, not a Muslim and wouldn’t allow what Arab Muslims call ‘the worm of unclean thoughts’ to be cut away. Thus I cannot speak on the horror of having no feeling, no clitoris. But protocol follows that years after this ritual—at your wedding ceremony, the groom is given a small razor. This is to slit you open so he can begin penetrating you on the ‘wedding bed’—a process that can take weeks."
That story is especially tragic because afterwards the victim went on to embrace the western whore archetype... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek, double whammy.
All in all I think it is safe to say islamic and asian cultures might possibly mistreat their women abit more so than other areas.
One wonders where all this stuff came from... Maybe in the future one will wonder where the new form of female abuse, "The Wholescale Whore Archetype" came from. Seriously, where has it come from? Kind of just snuck in there and is now accepted as the antidote...
That is fucking horrible Luke, and i thought Kenyans were bad with
their patriarchal bullshit. Man, oh man, humanity is seriously fucked
up.
Yup stuff is seriously messed up on a worldwide level.
Psychopaths try to slime us with shame and they go about it in many different ways.
They can make you do shameful things and tell you not to be ashamed, then when it is revealed what you did, you are mortified. Remember the garden of eden? The snake said it was ok to eat the fruit...whoops, guess not.
Shame is sometimes bypassed shame. That means that instead of acting like you are ashamed, you behave just the opposite. How does that look? Think: Narcissism. When shame is so unbearable that you can't stand to feel it, you don't. You bypass it.
Our entire culture is based on shame. It just appears differently than what one would expect sometimes.
[Link]
They can make you do shameful things and tell you not to be ashamed, then when it is revealed what you did, you are mortified. Remember the garden of eden? The snake said it was ok to eat the fruit...whoops, guess not.
Shame is sometimes bypassed shame. That means that instead of acting like you are ashamed, you behave just the opposite. How does that look? Think: Narcissism. When shame is so unbearable that you can't stand to feel it, you don't. You bypass it.
Our entire culture is based on shame. It just appears differently than what one would expect sometimes.
[Link]
Didn't fail to notice it, the issue is too huge for every idea to be included. Stick around, there might be more coming. ;)
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; "
And say to the slaves that they should.....
anyways great article, everywhere, everywhere, the stain of psychopaths is able to be seen.
And say to the slaves that they should.....
anyways great article, everywhere, everywhere, the stain of psychopaths is able to be seen.
They are now objectifying violence! Anyone seen "Hunger Games"?
The 'big thing' that is being promoted at the moment? They've done a
great job here of promoting violence. It makes me sick to think about
it.
Thanks for a great article.
"Those who are sincere in their struggle for the right of women to
be seen for who they truly are, and for what they can truly be, must
understand that the movement has been co-opted by the Powers That Be.
It's time to take a deeper look at what we've all become and place the
blame where it truly lies. We've all had our role to play in this, so
the problem isn't with men. It also isn't with women. The problem lies
with our shared intraspecies predator - psychopaths, which are neither
men nor women - who seek to control any and all manifestation of
creative expression by dragging everything down with them to the lowest
common denominator and into the depths of entropy. Only by disentangling
ourselves from their hold on our beliefs can we begin to contemplate
any restoration of the divine feminine. "
As they say, occupy your mind or they'll do it for you.
As they say, occupy your mind or they'll do it for you.
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Darn, and such a guy is supposed to be a Prophet? Come on, how can some muslim be serious about Mohammed being a God´s prophet?