(Mega-Late) Cryptoquote Spoiler – 03/24/09

“Americans never quit.  We never surrender.  We never hide from history, we make history.“   — Sen. John McCain

(Hey!  For some, bluster sells!) —   YUR

Obama’s Economic Inheritance . . .

and some final(?) words on this campaign.

Barack Obama has certainly inherited what, in all likelihood, could be the country’s biggest economic mess, in all of U.S. history.  Perhaps even greater than when FDR had to deal with the Great Depression.  At least back then Americans were much more humble about the work they WOULD do, and the U.S. could compete industrially.  These days just about everything can be produced cheaper on foreign soil.  Much/most of the service industry has been outsourced to countries like India and the Philippines.  And, banking and other financial jobs are dwindling faster than Michael Bloomberg can renege on term limits!  We certainly can’t ALL join the Military, or mercenary firms like Evergreen, DynCorp, Blackwater, etc.  We can’t all be doctors, lawyers, teachers, or various civil servants, either.  We’re going to have to develop new industries, such as renewable/alternative energies.  Environmental and infrastructure projects are desperately needed, and . . . I don’t know what else, BUT it’s not going to be easy, and it’s NOT going to happen overnight. 

I wouldn’t begin to blame this entire mess on George W. Bush, because this has been a long time coming (Asian countries becoming industrialized, de-regulation going back as far as the Reagan years, NAFTA, etc, etc.).  But, unfortunately for Duh-bya, it has all come to a head under his watch.  I definitely DON’T like just about ANY of his policies (foreign or domestic), but he really didn’t do much to remedy the growing situation, either.  He’ll very likely be remembered as a 21^st Century version of Herbert Hoover, in this regard.
 
John McCain’s “time” was back in 2000, when he was still a (real) maverick.  He was cheated by the Neocons, who had hijacked the Republican Party, back then.  And, I feel he was very likely set up to fail this time, by those very same people.  It definitely didn’t help that his campaign was centered on essentially continuing the Bush doctrine.  Staying the course in Iraq, and favoring Big Business and the rich, over the middle and poorer classes, was clearly a recipe for failure.  And, no matter how gracious and deferential he’s been to her, I refuse to believe that Sarah Palin was actually John McCain’s choice.  Maybe Karl Rove thought he really could manipulate the masses – one more time – with this bizarre, unknown, extreme right, storybook character . . . or maybe he knew there was no way John could possibly win with her.  We might never know . . . unless Karl writes a tell all book some day.  And, I kinda doubt that.
 
The vast majority of Americans desperately wanted a clean break from the failures of nearly 8 years of the Bush/Cheney administration’s lying and bullying mentality.  They longed for a return to diplomacy and civility, and a departure from the politics of fear.  Barack Obama best expressed/represented those ideals.  We’re just going to have to be realistic in our expectations with Mr. Obama.  He’s just a man . . . not a messiah.  No one should expect miracles.  It’s going to take a lot of hard work and patience to turn things around.  I think we’re going to see greater international cooperation with President Obama, and I think that will be the key to righting this ship.  I think this time we really need, and we finally got, an actual ”Uniter“.  Only time will tell, but (renewed) hope springs eternal!  (How audacious of US!)

YUR

“Palin was the choice that they GAVE me.”

If youse guys remember my:  Sarah Palin (The Magilla from Wasilla!)- A Perspective (look it up!)  you should get a kick out of this video.  It’s not suitable for young children, but there’s no nudity or violence.  Just some strong (rap-appropriate) language. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_rOCDG_btk

Watch it, and then maybe re-read the above referenced piece.  The rovian puppet-masters really gave poor, old John no choice, whatsoever.  Ol’ Karl’s string of victory plans might seem to be coming to an end, but that certainly does NOT mean we can afford to take this election for granted!  If this thing is allowed to get anywhere near close then it will just be an open invitation for them to steal a 3rd presidential election.  We all MUST make it to the polls on election day, come Hell or high water.  And, we owe it to ourselves to make sure that (our) others make it as well.

If you want 4 more years of the Bush doctrine . . . just let the other guy go out and vote.

YUR

Who are you calling an elitist, “my friend”?

Ya know how the FOX (faux) News gang, and some of the ultra-conservative pols & preachers LOVE to go out of there way – and heavily stress – Barack Obama’s middle name?  You know.  To make us think that he’s not “one of us”!?!  To make us think he’s “with the terrorists”!?!  And, remember how they LOVE to call Barack an ”elitist”? (Mainly, because he went to Columbia and Harvard)  Well, with Johnny not quite sure how many homes he owned, I thought it was exta amusing to find out that this “man of the people” regular guy’s full name is John SIDNEY McCain III (the 3rd)!  Sidney???  Maybe Democrats should frequently stress McCain’s middle name.

Anyway, the whole Sidney thing made me remember the dopey sitcom, from the early ’80s, starring Tony Randall and Swoosie Kurtz: Love, Sidney.  It too dealt with an older man and a much younger woman that comes into his life.  Kind of like McCain and Palin.  Oh, and the Kurtz character had a kid, and she happened to be an unwed mother.  Eerie, huh?  So, I decided to look up the theme song.  And, wouldn’t you know it, the words to the song actually fit the McCain/Palin relationship, pretty darn well.  (If I can borrow a folksy-talk phrase from the Winky one.)  It even ends with the trite John McCain’s “my friend”.

Check out the two links below.  One is of the lyrics to the theme song, and the other is an actual wave-file of the song. (Beware diabetics!  It’s syruppy sweet!)

http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/lovesidneylyrics.html

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/sounds/lovesidney.wav

 

The wave file might take a while to load, so be patient.

YUR

 

 

 

The Anchorage Palin Protest

Of course, this is far from being current, but this is one of the photos that I found to be particularly representative of the cross-section of Alaskans who KNOW that Sarah Palin is NOT ready, NOR qualified, to be John McCain’s running mate.  Men, women, a little old, a little young . . . and even a guy who could – kinda sorta – pass for your dear old Uncle Rave!

The Palin Kool-Aid Crowd

The similarities between those who actually (want to?) believe that Sarah Palin is qualified to be a heartbeat from the Presidency, and those who willingly (mainly) drank the grape Kool-Aid (technically, it was “Flavor Aid”) in Jonestown Guyana, back in 1978, are more than a little scary.  Both involve(d) a level of brainwashing that boggles the mind!  The folks in the “Peoples Temple Agricultural Project” were made to believe that Jim Jones was the Messiah, and that he was leading them to the promised land.  The people who support Ms. Palin do so with the same kind of religious fervor, and a general lack of rationality.  The people in Jonestown were willing to sacrifice their lives, and the lives of their children, in order to reach their brand of Nirvana.  I don’t think that most of the Palin-ites have seriously thought through where She might take them.  Saradise?    But, I do hope that they have considered their children.

Like with cyanide, and most other poisons, there is an antidote for the Palin-ites.  You really can’t afford to wait too long to take it.  But, first you have to realize that you’ve been poisoned.

YUR

Related link:

http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2008/09/saradise-lost-chapter-eighty-nine.html

“White Privilege” (MORE Palin E-mails)

This is dated September 13, but I just received this, via e-mail, this afternoon.  Your uncle thinks it’s highly relevant and worthwhile!  Also, this Tim Wise guy (not “wise guy”) may be the only the only guy who’s both whiter and angrier than your uncle!  Enjoy!   YUR

“September 13, 2008, 2:01 pm

 

This is Your Nation on White Privilege 

By Tim Wise 

 

For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

 

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay. 

 

White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you’ll “kick their fuckin’ ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

 

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

 

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”

 

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office–since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s–while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

 

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.

 

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you’re black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.

 

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do–like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor–and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college–you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

 

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”

 

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

 

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.

 

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

 

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.

 

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain…

 

White privilege is, in short, the problem.”

Sarah Palin (The Magilla from Wasilla!)- A Perspective

When John McCain first made his announcement that he had chosen the little known Sarah Palin, to be his running mate, I was as surprised as anybody.  Heck, you could’ve knocked me over with the proverbial feather.  Now, I had fully expected that he would choose a woman.  To me, it made the most sense.  It kills two birds with one stone.  First thing is, you essentially counter Obama’s “first”, and secondly, you stand a very good chance of drawing off a significant number of the disgruntled Hillary crowd.  But, these are the women that I was thinking of:  

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, of Texas.  She was already a “first” in her field – female Senator of Texas, and she’s got a resume – she’s got history – she’s got chops.  

I was also thinking of Olympia Snowe, of Maine.  Another known commodity, who commands great respect around the country.  You also get the extreme Northeast to the Southwest – spanning the U.S – with a ticket like that!  

I even thought they might give Condi a shot!  High-profile/recognition – DING!  Female – DING, DING!!  Black – DING, DING, DING!!!  She’s attractive, and undeniably – even though,  as an unabashed liberal this pains me - intelligent.  I guess the biggest drawback there was the Bush association.  With a 70% DISapproval rating I guess they just couldn’t afford to go there.  

So, we all got blind-sided by his choosing this pretty li’l thang, from . . . Alaska???  Did Johnny blow a gasket?  Did he forget to take his meds that morning?  What IS the deal, here?  Virtually, nobody knows this . . . this chippy.  She has zippo national/international experience.  And, compared to John, she looks like a teenager!  And then, a number of disturbing – but not necessarily Earth shattering – negatives were leaked/brought to light about the New Wonder Woman.  Namely, a couple of abuse of power investigations, hints that she sought to ban some books, and the revelation that her 17 year old, unwed, high school senior daughter was 5 months pregnant . . . and was going to have the child.  Pure fodder.  Pure – and intentional – distraction, in my opinion.  (More on this later.)  So, what was McCain thinking? 

Now, I’ve heard some, like Time Magazine’s Joe Klein, say that she was McCain’s 3^rdchoice.  Apparently, the RNC wanted to shove Mitt Romney down McCain’s throat.  This makes absolutely NO sense to me, considering Romney’s total FLIP-FLOP on abortion.  I give John credit for being smart enough not to allow them to take him there.  Supposedly, McCain wanted two guys that the RNC put the kibosh on.  Joe Lieberman, because he’s a prick/traitor – maybe not the reason the RNC didn’t want him, but I’ve ALWAYS wanted to say that in print – and Pennsylvania’s very respectable Tom Ridge.  Why the RNC wouldn’t jump at the chance of these two powerhouses is beyond me.  So, they’re not staunch Pro-Lifers!  They ARE credible, known commodities.  No, I’m not buying this 3^rdchoice business . . . not for a nano-second! 

I think this whole deal has the overpowering stench of Karl Rove.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  He’s now just a political analyst . . . on FOX News.  Ri-i-ight.  But, as long as this guy is breathing . . . as long as he’s not six feet under, or in an urn on somebody’s mantle, do you REALLY think that he’s not involved in this process . . . in some way?  Who better than Rove to come up with the scheme of partnering dear old John with the: young and attractive, NRA supporting, drill any/everywhere for oil and gas, Washington “outsider”, poster child for Anti-Choice?  Rove knows, very well, how telegenic she is.  She has a Bachelors of Science degree in Communications-Journalism from the University of Idaho, and she worked as a sports reporter on KTUU-TV, for two years.  Television “journalists” are more trained actor than journalist.  She knows how to feign concern and sincerity, and enthusiasm/perkiness . . . while on camera.  Rove and the RNC feel they have the New and Improved “Great Communicator”! 

No.  This wasn’t a John McCain senior moment, and this most likely was NOT a 3^rd choice.  This is their version of “the total package”.  A youthful, physically attractive female, with a family straight out of the Lands End catalog, with all the “family values” that the evangelical Christian fundamentalist/religious right (extremists) is (are) looking for.  And, don’t worry about the national/international “experience” thing.  John’s got that covered.  I’m not sure that “compliment each other” is the best descriptor for these two, but they do kind of balance each other well.  C’mon!  We’ve all seen how the cynical and calculating Republican power brokers operate.  They don’t make mistakes.  They make people see what they want them to see.  They’re the masters of smoke and mirrors.  No, this was very carefully planned.  I am certain of it. 

Your Uncle Rave

Sarah Palin E-mail

The following is the text of an e-mail that I received last night @ 8:44 PM, EDT.  This was prior to the speech/address made by the Republican Vice President nominee, Sarah Palin.  I wrote to one of the original recipients (one of the “classmates”) to find out if I could specifically attribute the originating source.  Due to the fact that this secondary person has already received “vitriolic emails from people whom I don’t know at all”, as a result of her forwarding this, it has been determined that only the writer’s first name and last initial should be used.   —   Your Uncle Rave 

“This is from a Bryn Mawr college friend.  read it, weep, and pass it on to
anyone — from Pat

Dear classmates -

As an Alaskan, I am writing to give all of you some information on Sarah Palin, Senator McCain’s choice for VP. As an Alaska voter, I know more than most of you about her and, frankly, I am horrified that he picked her.

The most accurate description of her is red neck. Her husband works in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and races snow mobiles. She is a life time member of the NRA and has worked tirelessly to allow indiscriminate hunting of wildlife in Alaska, particularly wolves and bears. She has spent millions of Alaska state dollars on aerial hunting of these predators from helicopters and airplanes, dollars that should have been spent, for example, on Alaska’s failing school system. We have the lowest rate of high school graduation in the country. Not all of you may think aerial predator hunting is so bad, but how anyone (other than Alaska wolf-haters, of which there are many, most without teeth), could think this use of funds is appropriate is beyond me. If you want to know more about the aerial hunting travesty, let me know and I will send some links to informative web sites.

She has been a strong supporter of increased use of fossil fuels, yet the McCain campaign has the nerve to say she has “green” policies. The only thing green about Sarah Palin is her lack of experience. She has consistently supported drilling in ANWR, use of coal-burning power plants (as I write this, a new coal plant is being built in her home town of Wasilla), strip mining, and almost anything else that will
unnecessarily exploit the diminishing resources of Alaska and destroy
its environment.

Prior to her one year as governor of Alaska, she was mayor of Wasilla, a small red neck town outside Anchorage. The average maximum education level of parents of junior high school kids in Wasilla is 10th grade.  Unfortunately, I have to go to Wasilla every week to get groceries and other supplies, so I have continual contact with the people who put Palin in office in the first place. I know what I’m talking about.  These people don’t have a concept of the world around them or of the
serious issues facing the US. Furthermore, they don’t care. So long as they can go out and hunt their moose every fall, kill wolves and bears and drive their snow mobiles and ATVs through every corner of the wilderness, they’re happy. I wish I were exaggerating.

Sarah Palin is currently involved in a political corruption scandal.  She fired an individual in law enforcement here because she didn’t like how he treated one of her relatives during a divorce. The man’s performance and ability weren’t considered; it was a totally personal firing and is currently under investigation. While the issue isn’t
close to the scandal of Ted Steven’s corruption, it shows that Palin isn’t “squeaky clean” and causes me to think there may be more issues that could come to light. Clearly McCain doesn’t care.

When you line Palin up with Biden, the comparison would be laughable if it weren’t so serious. Sarah Palin knows nothing of economics (admittedly a weak area for McCain), or of international affairs, knows nothing of national government, Social Security, unemployment, health care systems – you name it. The idea of her meeting with heads of foreign governments around the world truly frightens me.

In an increasingly dangerous world, with the economy in shambles in the US, Sarah Palin is uniquely UNqualified to be vice president. John McCain is not a young man. Should something happen to him such that the vice president had to step in, it would destroy our country and possibly the world to have someone as inexperienced and inappropriate as Sarah Palin. The choice of Palin is a cheap shot by McCain to try
to get Hillary supporters to vote for him. when McCain introduced her today, Palin had the nerve to compare herself with Hillary and Geraldine Ferraro. Sarah Palin, you are no Hillary Clinton.

To those of you who, like me, supported Hillary and were upset that she did not get the nomination, please don’t think that Sarah Palin is a worthy substitute. If you supported Hillary, regardless of what you think the media and the democratic party may have done to undermine her campaign, the person to support now is Obama, not Sarah Palin. To those of you who are independent or undecided, don’t let the choice of Palin sway you in favor of McCain. Choosing her shows how unqualified
McCain is to be president. To those of you who are conservative, I guess you have no choice for president. But please try to see how the poor choice of Palin tells us a great deal about McCain’s judgment. While the political posturing inherent in the choice of Palin is obvious, the more serious issue is the fact that the VP is, literally,
a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin is totally and unequivocally unqualified to be vice president, let alone president.

I know this is a lengthy and emotional email, but the stakes are high.  I thought it might help for all of you, regardless of political affiliation, to know something about Palin from someone who has to live with her administration in Alaska on a daily basis.

Here’s some basic background from MoveOn.org:
    * She was elected Alaska’s governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside  Anchorage.1
    * Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of  rape or incest.2
    * She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in  2000. 3
    * Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
    * She’s doesn’t think humans are the cause of climate change.5
    * She’s solidly in line with John McCain’s “Big Oil first” energy policy. She’s pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won’t be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species ­she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6

Here’s a sample of Alaskan’s responses:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. ­Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She’s a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. ­Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement.  Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be.  ­Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the
V.P. position.­ Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She’s vehemently anti-choice and doesn’t care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. ­Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she’s far too inexperienced to be in this position. I’m all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn’t done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain’s part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he’ll get our vote by putting “A Woman” in that position.­ Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

Feel free to send this on to anyone you’d like!!  Lecke”

 

I’ll be posting my personal thoughts on John McCain’s selection very soon.   YUR