“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

A Semi-Andy Rooneyism

Like most of us, your Uncle Rave is getting older by the minute.  And, with getting older generally comes getting crankier.  I really don’t mind being cranky though, because I think it shows that I’m still thinking, and that I still care.  Too many people nowadays seem to demonstrate that they’re either NOT thinking, or they just DON’T care.  Maybe it’s a combination of the two.  I don’t know, but I think that THAT is just plain sad.

Some of you regulars to these pages have read some of my rants on the hijacking and bastardization of the English language, by the right-wing conservafasciadorks.  They go out of their way to take an ordinary word, or phrase, and turn it – through inflection and steady repetition – into some sort of insult/accusation.  As in the case of the word: L-l-libereal.    Turn on FOX (Faux) News, or attend a McCain or Palin rally, and you hear  them spitting out the word liberal like Joe McCarthy used to spit out the word communist . . . or, like how a lazy/bad: parent, babysitter, or older sibling would talk about the bogeyman.  Uh oh!  He’s out there!  And he’s coming to get YOU!  (Keep the kiddies scared, and keep ’em in line.)

Well, another word they LOVE to play with – very often in conjunction with the word L-l-liberal – is the word “agenda”.  They just love to rhetorically ask:  What’s their agenda?  By the way they use the word, apparently only Democrats/Liberals have agendas!  Of course the Republicans/Conservatives actually DO have their own agendas, but when they speak of theirs they use words like “goals” and “objectives” in place of the word agenda.  Those words, by default, have more positive connotations.  Their goals and objectives are lofty aspirations!  While the other guys have some kind of agenda.  It’s an evil plan!  It involves Godless, homosexual, communists, who want to drink the blood of aborted babies, and undermine the troops!  And, why?  Because they HATE America!  That’s what they try to convey when they throw down the agenda accusation.  Of course, they’re playing off the phrase hidden agenda, and everybody knows that only dishonest people have hidden agendas.  So, why not just shorten it to agenda, and make people believe that those others – with agendas – are, at the very least, less honest than us “Real Americans“.

It’s all just part of the politics of fear.  Instead of talking TO their constituents about, oh I don’t know, maybe about something like . . . the ISSUES, they would rather talk AT them, and appeal to their emotions rather than their intellect.  Jingoistic, accusational catch phrases, that make great soundbites:  You’re either with us, or you’re with the terrorists!  They HAVE to make the other guy – who puts his pants on, has bills to pay, has dreams and aspirations, and loves his: parents, wife and children, AND country the same way we all do – seem somehow . . . different and scary.

How patronizing of these manipulators, to fill people’s heads with such nonsense!  How petty!  How pathetic!  Well, at least now we’re clear on what THEIR agenda is.

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

 

 

 

Don’t Buy The Hype! (More Language Games)

The geniuses, who love to parse words, in order to allay your concerns and sway your opinion, are trying real hard to sell us the Wall Street Bail Out Plan as the “Economic Rescue Plan”.  They know that not enough people will buy into the idea of bailing out the corporate fat-cats, who largely are responsible for the situation that we are facing.  So, what DO they do?  Well, they replace “bailout” with a more palatable word.  A more positive word.  A more heroic word.  “Rescue”.

You “bail out” your buddy, when he gets arrested for drunk and disorderly.  You “bail out” your brother-in-law, when he gets picked up in a “John” sting.  Essentially, you “bail out” someone who has done something WRONG.

Firemen come to the “rescue”.  A lifeguard “rescues” the drowning person.  The cavalry, or the Marines, come to the “rescue”.  When there’s a flood, or earthquake, or any natural (or man-made) disaster, those who come to help are called “rescue” workers.  There is nobility in a “rescue”.

But, rescuers are not paid to be judgmental.  When it comes to doling out $700Bil, of tax payers’ money, to prop up mis-managed, failing businesses . . . shouldn’t we expect some judgment?

Now, guys like John McCain are now complaining about Congress’s “inaction”.  Inaction?  They took action, John.  They voted “NO”.  Enough (bi-partisan) congressmen made the assessment that the bill was lacking, and took the necessary action.  If they had the choice between that bill and another bill, and didn’t choose either one, then THAT would be inaction.

And, they keep telling us that “Time is running out!”  “Time is of the essence!”  “We HAVE to get this done!”  Whenever you sign any kind of contract don’t they always advise you to read things . . . carefully, first?  I mean we should ALL know exactlywhat we’re getting ourselves into, right?  Doesn’t it make sense to take a little time . . . in order to get it right?  The first vote gave it a thumbs down, and the world didn’t end.  So, now we’ve been given a little more time.  Hmmm.  It reminds me of those big car sales, where they tell you to: “Buy NOW!”  “Sale Ends September 30th!”  But, now . . . because they weren’t able to sell enough:  “Sale Extended to October 3rd!”

Whenever anybody tries to pressure you in to something, it usually means it’s not going to be in your best interest.  Don’t let them bully us into a bad decision.  WE are the ones paying.

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!

“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.”

The Vagina . . . Gag Rules?

This comes from ANOTHER Palin e-mail that I received just late last evening.  It was purportedly written by Eve Ensler, playwright/author of The Vagina Monologues.  (If McCain/Palin prevail . . . I wonder if that piece would be banned?)  This is mainly directed to the ladies, but I think we can all take something away from it.   YUR

“Subject: Eve Ensler on Sarah Palin

EVE ENSLER
Drill, Drill, DrillI am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a
member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned
and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for
Polar Bears. Maybe it’s their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact
that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or
touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice.
Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don’t like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying
to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is
hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all
the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the
goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to
Feminism which for me is part of one story — connected to saving the earth,
ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our
minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices
of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out
may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may
never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would
have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my
lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the
presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her
world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or
evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic,
the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of
cancers, are all part of God’s plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears
off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin’s view, is here to be
taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and
plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be
taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, “It was a task
from God.”

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are
raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to
determine whether they have their rapist’s baby or not.

She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine
her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that
makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has
tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people
who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and
difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next
president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse
populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She
has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves
from the air.

Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But
when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared
in God’s name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the
end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America
has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in
our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of
the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to
save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will
determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or
whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It
will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest
our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction.
It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether
we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America
is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism
and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don’t move you to go and do everything in your power to
get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin
spoke at the RNC, “Drill Drill Drill.” I think of teeth when I think of
drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I
think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the
brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of
the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and
peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?”

(Hey, Sarah!  If Eve was the first woman, maybe you should pay attention to this one.)   YUR

Making Hay out of Gustav

“It’s time to take our Republican hats off and put our American hats on.”  So saideth John McCain.  And so, much of the Day 1 schedule of the Republican National Convention was to be scaled back or cancelled.  I can almost hear Dana Carvey’s George H.W. Bush: “Wouldn’t be prudent!”  I guess John felt he had to do something – short of he and Sarah flying to Louisiana and filling up sandbags – considering his ranch is where George W was, when Katrina came down, and New Orleans went out.  And, of course, there was more high-minded talk about how we won’t make the same mistakes this time, as were made before, during, and after Katrina.  The thing is though, John McCain was making these statements as though he was already the President.  This was kind of McCain’s Al Haig moment.  No offense, John . . . but you’re not in charge.

Another odd aspect of this sober and magnanimous move was that the way the story broke it appeared that John McCain had preempted the President!  You’d figure that one would let the President announce that he and V.P. Cheney were delaying things, due to Gustav preparations, well in advance of making your own presidential announcement.  Or, at the very least, mention that Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney were backing out.  I guess this was John’s first big step in trying to distance himself from George Bush.  It almost make me feel bad for George.  Almost.

This was an opportunistic move by the McCain camp.  (Nearly as calculated and cynical as his choosing Governor Palin as his running mate.)  The words and actions were meant to convey a solid resolve, but they mostly rang hollow.  As hollow as hay.

YUR

Special Interest Money Says So Much

Barack Obama seems to be able to raise money mainly through small donors.  Why is is that John McCain has such a large reliance on the lobbyists?  Which candidate would be more accountable to the people if elected?  Which one of them would be more beholdin’ to big business and special interests?  Hmmmm!!!

I just received this, today.  It kind of takes me back to “Stand By Me” (the movie).  (Because I’m WAY too young, to actually remember this song.)  I think you’ll enjoy it.  Give it a listen (watch).

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysj0bMFAeXc&eurl=http://www.firethelobbyists.com/

Your Uncle Rave!