Teabaggers or Just Douchebags?

The recent Tea Party protests across the nation, though acknowledged that there were last-minute efforts to direct, organize or claim credit for, were in fact organic and spontaneous and fueled not by political leaders but by outraged citizens, and were a genuine grassroots reaction to the recent stimulus package. This is what the conservative fringe, or what's left of them anyway, would wish reality to portray.

Meanwhile, the left has given all but complete dismissal to the movement as described by one DailyKos poster who doesn't think that Tea Party organizers even care about the issues they are promoting; "Looking at all of this, we have fake outrage regarding fake issues sponsored by non-people (corporations) with a fake symbol (tea)." That's a pretty funny description really.

Propaganda aside, reality shows that the entire effort was in fact promoted, organized and funded by several large, corporate-funded conservative outfits including Freedom Works, which is run by former House majority leader Dick Armey, and Americans For Prosperity, a group that in their own words "promotes regulatory restraint by government." Not that severe regulatory restraint isn't what brought the financial sector down to begin with, right 'baggers?

The event was patterned after the original Boston Tea Party because naturally, it really had nothing to do with it but twisting history a tad and calling themselves "tea baggers" gave the Conservatives who have been all but written off of the National agenda a chance to protest against, well whatever isn't Conservative on the National agenda. The event was publicized by Fox 24/7 in a way that would have made Cal Worthington and his dog Spot proud.

It's certainly long overdue that Americans are taking to the streets in protest of the Treasury heists being committed by the bankers themselves but that wasn't really what this event was against. Whether intended or not for many who attended, what ended up being shown and represented was pure Conservative propaganda. I mean really, with all of the blatantly crazy tax payer rip-offs that have occurred just in the last year alone, you guys are pissed off about the stimulus package most of all? Sure, it has too much pork but at least some of this is going to benefit the populace right? No anger that the U.S. spends more than all the other 200+ countries on the planet combined in military spending while trailing half the developed world in education and health care? You're mad at your overextended neighbor who's about to lose his house but the Congressional sellout to Wall Street doesn't seem to phase you?

The reality 'baggers is that the Stimulus that you are so angry about will cost about $800 billion, no small chump change unless of course if compared to the $13 trillion of taxpayer money that has been funneled to Wall Street in the last year, money that has not trickled down to you as has been promised. The government spends more on military hardware sold or given to other countries than they do on public education or health care in our own country. Where's the anger about that taboo subject? And let's not even get started on shipping all of our manufacturing jobs overseas and becoming a "service" economy with "service" meaning "would you like fries with that?" Sorry to bag, pun intended, but I'm just not feeling the sincerity of your anger.

There were signs reading "Obama=Hitler" and "Take Back America, Throw Out The Liberals!" and "Cut Taxes, Not Defense" and "We Need A Christian President." A favorite was "Stand by while some Kenyan tries to destroy America? Wap!! I don't think so!! Homey don't play dat!!" Here here, serve up more of that dumb-down juice to the intellect of the ultra-right fringe!

I'm all with you in Obama-bashing but thinking that he and so-called liberal domestic and foreign policy are the crux of your problems is being igorantly blind to reality.

I'm ticked and as sickened as anyone I know about the D.C-New York rip-off schemes and the new lows being reached in American morality, as all dozen or so people who may read this site will know from my ranting. I've been told by friends that I'm a conspiracy theorist, paranoid, glass-is-half-empty type and that "oh, it's just another cycle" and "well something has to be done." Really? Well I hope that you all are right and I'm wrong but I don't think it'll play out that way. I say everybody needs to wake up and get angry, for the country has been taken over by Wall Street and the Pentagon and they are on a serious tax-payer-funded joyride.

If I were living in the States and subjected to the increased taxation that will inevitably be required to pay off the illegal wars and raids on the national treasury, yeah I'd be hitting the streets too. I'd probably move my family into my Mom's house, get a night job and find a "pissed-off American" group to join and help strive for real change through protest. So my hat's off to the "teabaggers" for waking up mad in the morning and taking it to the streets rather than to the sofa with a bag of chips and TV, but the admiration just about ends there. I get the feeling that a good number of these sign-wavers get their news from The Bozo Trio of Rush, Hannity and Beck rather than real reading or any form of non-sensationalized media. The message and impression that this gathering of Republican die-hards left with me was summed up perfectly by Matt Taibbi in his article "Teabagging Michelle Malkin";

"In other words teabaggers don’t mind paying taxes to fund the salaries of Bolivian miners, Lou Gerstner’s stock options, deliveries of “sailboat fuel,” the Hermes scarves on Sandy Weill’s jet pillows, or even the export of their own goddamn jobs. But they do hate it when someone tries to re-asphalt their roads, or help bail their slob neighbor out of foreclosure. And God forbid someone propose a health care program, or increased financial aid for college. Hell, that’s like offering to share your turkey with the other Pilgrims! That’s not what America is all about! America is every Pilgrim for himself, dammit! Raise your own motherf...ing turkey!"

The Quiet Coup

"The crash has laid bare many unpleasant truths about the United States. One of the most alarming, says a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is that the finance industry has effectively captured our government—a state of affairs that more typically describes emerging markets, and is at the center of many emerging-market crises. If the IMF’s staff could speak freely about the U.S., it would tell us what it tells all countries in this situation: recovery will fail unless we break the financial oligarchy that is blocking essential reform. And if we are to prevent a true depression, we’re running out of time."

Prelude to "A Quiet Coup" by Simon Johnson, a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund.

Goldman Sachs 666

Here's a website that's less than a month old, http://www.goldmansachs666.com/ a site critical enough of it's namesake that a Wall Street law firm has sent a cease-and-desist order to its author on behalf of the Sachs. You can read an interview with its author regarding the legal warning here. You can even buy your own "Financial Crisis Most Wanted" playing cards, how cool is that? I may get a set as a collector's item to place next to my 1969 O.J. Simpson rookie card on The Table of Shame. Gee Juice, how do these bankers get away with murder...??

Check this site out for a one-stop info shop on how deeply involved Goldman is in financial policy-making and the pilfering of the Federal Reserve.

That 70's Photo

A good friend from my youth sent this doozy to me a few days ago, a digitalized print photo from 30-years ago, circa 1979 or '80. That's me on the left, dude. My wife has never believed me that I didn't really have girlfriends in high school......that is until she saw this photo.

The cast of "That's 70's Show" has nothing on us.

Fast Times At Glendale High, Mr. Hand!